Author Topic: Random spillage of secrets from Chris (copypasta from internal emails).  (Read 32315 times)

Offline x4000

  • Chris McElligott Park, Arcen Founder and Lead Dev
  • Arcen Staff
  • Zenith Council Member Mark III
  • *****
  • Posts: 31,651
One of the big things going on in this game is that you're often going to be flying this kind of hovercraft-y type thing.  It's mostly like a low-altitude tie fighter, if I had to pick something that it's closest to.  That's not precisely what it looks like, but off the cuff that's the thing that most comes to mind.

When using the hovercraft vehicles, I'm lately thinking that will be sort of an "incognito" mode where enemies don't attack you, because you're basically on a stolen transport ship a the Return of the Jedi sense.  You can't fight, but you can get around unmolested.
Have ideas or bug reports for one of our games?  Mantis for Suggestions and Bug Reports. Thanks for helping to make our games better!

Offline x4000

  • Chris McElligott Park, Arcen Founder and Lead Dev
  • Arcen Staff
  • Zenith Council Member Mark III
  • *****
  • Posts: 31,651
Re: Random spillage of secrets from Chris (copypasta from internal emails).
« Reply #1 on: February 22, 2016, 04:47:21 pm »
The ability to transform into a dinosaur periodically (possibly being a were-raptor or similar) is likely.  Particularly for raptors and possibly T-Rexes.  I have mechanics for this that are working and feel and look great, and it's something that is a refreshing change of pace (but not suitable for building the whole game around).  It would add some interesting potential variety to the usual [redacted] mechanics.
Have ideas or bug reports for one of our games?  Mantis for Suggestions and Bug Reports. Thanks for helping to make our games better!

Offline Draco18s

  • Resident Velociraptor
  • Core Member Mark V
  • *****
  • Posts: 4,251
Re: Random spillage of secrets from Chris (copypasta from internal emails).
« Reply #2 on: February 22, 2016, 04:50:45 pm »
Reminds me of an idea I had for a game years and years ago about being a jedi dinosaur.
Was inspired by a picture very similar to this one.

Would've been all gesture recognition to do force powers.

Offline x4000

  • Chris McElligott Park, Arcen Founder and Lead Dev
  • Arcen Staff
  • Zenith Council Member Mark III
  • *****
  • Posts: 31,651
Re: Random spillage of secrets from Chris (copypasta from internal emails).
« Reply #3 on: February 22, 2016, 04:51:41 pm »
Overall I think that this game is going to make me feel like a badass in a seriously dangerous world (after I pass the phase of utter terror at certain things).  There are some seriously freaky things planned in here.  Not in a horror sense (of grossness), but just a matter of things in the dark and things that are surprising.  "WTF is that a raptor, aaaaugh I die!" as you explore the jungle one of the early times.  "Holy f there are spiders the size of my head swarming the walls" in another place.  "Well, it's night and I'll just hunker down... dear me what is that huge thing with all the lights and oh f there's soldiers everywhere and f is that a tripod and trees are bursting and aaaah!"

Eventually you feel like the master of this sort of thing and it's not scary anymore.  That sort of power I absolutely love.  Dying Light really mastered that.  The nights were terrifying at first.  DO NOT GO OUT AT NIGHT.  Later on it was like "I'll go out at night if I feel like it, b.  F yeah!"  So there's a real transformation in the player's feelings about the environment.

For me, the first game where I had anything like this relationship with the world was -- sort of -- Silent Hill 2.  I always thought of the phrase "taking power in the world of horror."  Things that were utterly terrifying to me at first became mundane, and new things were then terrifying.  Here that's not really the case that things stay terrifying forever.  In some respects the level of badassery that you can get up to is slightly more like Prototype 2, although not that extreme.  But just[redacted] is something that still feels GOOD to me here, just fun for the heck of it.  Not like some little [redacted] from most [redacted] games.  It's freaking powerful feeling.  [redacted]?  Even better.  [redacted] left and right, no problem.

Tripod comes?  F the [redacted], man.  It's badass, so are you, but that thing is like 18 feet tall.  The fact that you normally feel like a badass I think makes those sort of enemies even scarier.
Have ideas or bug reports for one of our games?  Mantis for Suggestions and Bug Reports. Thanks for helping to make our games better!

Offline x4000

  • Chris McElligott Park, Arcen Founder and Lead Dev
  • Arcen Staff
  • Zenith Council Member Mark III
  • *****
  • Posts: 31,651
Re: Random spillage of secrets from Chris (copypasta from internal emails).
« Reply #4 on: February 22, 2016, 04:52:11 pm »
Reminds me of an idea I had for a game years and years ago about being a jedi dinosaur.
Was inspired by a picture very similar to this one.

Would've been all gesture recognition to do force powers.

Hahaha, nice!  "This is not the raptor you are looking for..."
Have ideas or bug reports for one of our games?  Mantis for Suggestions and Bug Reports. Thanks for helping to make our games better!

Offline crazyroosterman

  • Master Member Mark II
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,558
  • Cluck.
Re: Random spillage of secrets from Chris (copypasta from internal emails).
« Reply #5 on: February 22, 2016, 04:54:00 pm »
from what you've said this really does sound like a survival game to me in witch ill be happy to throw money at you when its a thing I can buy.
c.r

Offline x4000

  • Chris McElligott Park, Arcen Founder and Lead Dev
  • Arcen Staff
  • Zenith Council Member Mark III
  • *****
  • Posts: 31,651
Re: Random spillage of secrets from Chris (copypasta from internal emails).
« Reply #6 on: February 22, 2016, 04:55:52 pm »
Overall there are sci-fi ships and soldiers and mechs and enemies that you run into, along with alien monsters.  There are larger dropships that roam around in patrols, and if they see you then they will pursue you and have some soldiers start pouring out.  So there's this sort of vague City 17 feel in some respects (or that's the intent).  But at the same time there are roaming monsters that simply run into you as you move about, and there are wild animals that are both predator and prey that you can hunt and that also hunt each other and you.
Have ideas or bug reports for one of our games?  Mantis for Suggestions and Bug Reports. Thanks for helping to make our games better!

Offline crazyroosterman

  • Master Member Mark II
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,558
  • Cluck.
Re: Random spillage of secrets from Chris (copypasta from internal emails).
« Reply #7 on: February 22, 2016, 04:59:47 pm »
that sounds awesome the way your talking it gives me the impression its going to be 3d which means it'll probably run like shite on my laptop (sigh)
c.r

Offline x4000

  • Chris McElligott Park, Arcen Founder and Lead Dev
  • Arcen Staff
  • Zenith Council Member Mark III
  • *****
  • Posts: 31,651
Re: Random spillage of secrets from Chris (copypasta from internal emails).
« Reply #8 on: February 22, 2016, 05:00:48 pm »
My hope is to keep the minimum requirements to shader model 3.0, but nothing is set in stone yet.
Have ideas or bug reports for one of our games?  Mantis for Suggestions and Bug Reports. Thanks for helping to make our games better!

Offline crazyroosterman

  • Master Member Mark II
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,558
  • Cluck.
Re: Random spillage of secrets from Chris (copypasta from internal emails).
« Reply #9 on: February 22, 2016, 05:03:31 pm »
(shrugs shoulders) ill just wait and see talking about requirements is a bit pointless at the moment.
c.r

Offline Misery

  • Arcen Volunteer
  • Core Member Mark V
  • *****
  • Posts: 4,109
Re: Random spillage of secrets from Chris (copypasta from internal emails).
« Reply #10 on: February 22, 2016, 06:29:57 pm »
One look at this topic, the first thing I see is basically "and you turn into a dinosaur" and.... I'm already totally and completely lost.

Well, that means my day is off to a promising start.

Offline x4000

  • Chris McElligott Park, Arcen Founder and Lead Dev
  • Arcen Staff
  • Zenith Council Member Mark III
  • *****
  • Posts: 31,651
Re: Random spillage of secrets from Chris (copypasta from internal emails).
« Reply #11 on: February 22, 2016, 07:08:40 pm »
Well, you don't HAVE to turn into a dinosaur.  Unless you're a were-dinosaur, I guess -- I'm still undecided on that bit.
Have ideas or bug reports for one of our games?  Mantis for Suggestions and Bug Reports. Thanks for helping to make our games better!

Offline Pumpkin

  • Hero Member Mark III
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,201
  • Neinzul Gardener Enclave
Re: Random spillage of secrets from Chris (copypasta from internal emails).
« Reply #12 on: February 23, 2016, 07:49:13 am »
I'm confused. I can't event tell any more if all this is really serious. Maybe because I read the "freaking volunteers" posts seeking for interesting bits of true information. I would wana say "speak up or shut up", but, while it wouldn't be very polite, I have no right on pressuring you to tell us. But, frankly, what is the fundamental difference between no information (beside "we're working on a secret project") and this nonsense? I can't even tell if it's serious, after all this dinosaur thing. And if it is, why wouldn't you just say the word "survival"?

What is the point in spilling half-secrets? If you have good reasons to keep secrets, please do it. If you want to share secrets and get community's comments or just inform your community or whatever mischievous goal you're after, then do it!

So, yeah. TL;DR: put up or shut up.
Sorry.
Please excuse my english: I'm not a native speaker. Don't hesitate to correct me.

Offline Cinth

  • Core Member Mark II
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,527
  • Resident Zombie
Re: Random spillage of secrets from Chris (copypasta from internal emails).
« Reply #13 on: February 23, 2016, 09:01:37 am »
Freaking volunteers refers to the group still working on polishing up Starward Rogue.

Chris is teasing us about the game he has been working on.  It's the new hotness and he wants to tell us all about it but us way to early for it.
Quote from: keith.lamothe
Opened your save. My computer wept. Switched to the ST planet and ship icons filled my screen, so I zoomed out. Game told me that it _was_ totally zoomed out. You could seriously walk from one end of the inner grav well to the other without getting your feet cold.

Offline x4000

  • Chris McElligott Park, Arcen Founder and Lead Dev
  • Arcen Staff
  • Zenith Council Member Mark III
  • *****
  • Posts: 31,651
Re: Random spillage of secrets from Chris (copypasta from internal emails).
« Reply #14 on: February 23, 2016, 01:45:53 pm »
Yeah, I'm serious about everything in this thread.  Though it's still subject to change, and I'm being goofy about it I suppose.  But this thread doesn't have any currently-false statements from me in it.  Some of the statements may BECOME false as I get further in, but that's a different matter.
Have ideas or bug reports for one of our games?  Mantis for Suggestions and Bug Reports. Thanks for helping to make our games better!