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Take on the Evil Dead (Update Thread)

 
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Enk




Joined: 05 Apr 2013
Posts: 14

PostPosted: Thu Mar 31, 2016 11:41 am    Post subject: Take on the Evil Dead (Update Thread) Reply with quote

Preface:

17 years later...

I hate leaving loose ends, and my third take of Evil Dead was my big loose end when it comes to my gaming projects. Aside from dabbling with Doom mods here and there, Evil Dead: Timeline was the first game I ever worked on. This was back in 1999 and I was young, 18 year old, whipper snapper back then who had a passion for two things: horror movies and video games. I was studying film at the time but it was then I realized that my true calling was in making games. So that's when I came across OHRRPGCE and began working on a fan game based on the Evil Dead movies. From that point I made an early beta (released as Evil Dead Weird) and two fleshed out demos (called Evil Dead: Timeline Take 1 and 2).


Evil Dead Weird File, Evil Dead: Timeline Take 2 File






After releasing ED:T Take 2, I started on making the full game dubbed "Take 3". I got as far as reworking the main map and a few enemies, but then a computer crash later and I lost everything. Burnt by the loss I then moved on from that project to focus on the challenges of a bigger game known as the early 20s.

Six years later, in 2005, once my life started to calm down, I decided to take on ED:T Take 3 again. This time it had been re-titled Tales of the Evil Dead. I reworked a lot of the graphics and had new maps, enemies, and scenarios created. I cut back some on the story elements and focused more on the moment to moment gameplay.This version was shaping up to be a far more polished and well rounded experience than the original Take 3 was.




But then it happened once again. My computer kicked the bucket. The backup I thought I had was missing and the ghost of the game still sits on the hard-drive somewhere buried deep within a dark closet. I never was able to extract that file. The only thing that exists from that version are a few blurry screenshots that I posted here way back then (under my original moniker, AshRaimi)

I buried the game, deeming Evil Dead Take 3 to be cursed. I put it in the past and moved on to new gaming projects.

Cut forward eleven years, I decided to put together my own little blog site of projects I had worked on. While putting it together, I was going back through my earlier games wondering how I would have made those today with more experience under my belt. At first I was just going to clean up some of the problems ED:T Take 2 had with the new Engine while also fixing some of the game's problems, but like the Kandarian Demons of the films chanting "JOIN US" I couldn't resist the temptation... It was time to take on Take 3 one more time.

As they say "Third time's a charm", right?




The New Game:

Rebuilt from the ground up, mostly from scratch, Evil Dead Take 3 is a new game. Only snippets of ideas from the original version remain. The game has a new title, Take on the Evil Dead, and very much plays into that.

The central theme of this game is to be something in the vein of a "Saturday Evening Horror RPG". I wanted to retool some of the design of the original game to go a bit more in line of the movies: less plot heavy, more taking care of random situations. The movies were essentially a live action horror version of Saturday Morning cartoons, so I wanted this game to reflect that.

Story-wise this game is still set in an alternate timeline after the events of Army of Darkness, ignoring the recent TV series and reboot. Ash wakes up back at the cabin, things happen. It's intentionally kept basic much like the films. Don't expect much in the way of character development or dramatic turns in the story. This is being looked at as a pure game play type of game.

The other aspects of the movies I wanted to bring into this game was a feeling of trying to survive at all costs. That's where the new central mechanic of the game came in. The object of this game is to survive until dawn. In the films there was a feeling of escalation. The closer to dawn it got, the harder the evil tried to fight back. So there's a bit of a time limit running throughout the course of the game. As for how long, I haven't quite determined that yet as I'm still working out a lot of the design and haven't done a test run-through yet. It will be short and will allow replay-ability. Also this limitation will greatly help keep the game design tight and myself in check so things don't get too blown out of proportion.

Also I'm trying to experiment with a few other ideas that are a bit unconventional when it comes to RPGs. I will go more into those in a later update.

The original Evil Dead: Timeline was also known to be rather difficult as well. This game will still be tough, but not in the same way as Timeline was. You will probably lose, and more than once. Maybe a lot! I'm hoping it will be something that will push the player to put a notepad in hand and experiment a bit to see what works and what doesn't, and to see what their best route for survival is.


The New Look:

I made Evil Dead: Timeline back when I was 18. It was the first time I really made an attempt at pixel art. At the time I had to reference other game sprites or rework others. Backgrounds were a bit of an unholy mishmash of my stuff and sprites from Ghouls 'n Ghosts. Ash was a reworking of Capcom's Strider. Maptiles were too dark at times, and then there was my weird "big eyed" art style I had going on at that age. Some people here really liked the graphics, but I tend to cringe when I see them. I guess they had their charm. Since then I've kind of developed my own pixel style and started recreating the game's graphics. Keep in mind these shots following are still a work in progress and will more than likely receive a few more tweaks down the road.

So the first thing to change: Ash.

The original Ash sprite was just a reworked Strider sprite with awkward legs and giant, gorilla-like arms. Since I didn't want to keep the "ported" sprites I completely redesigned him with a bit of that Saturday Morning cartoon mentality in mind:



By redesigning him first it allowed me to better disassociate from the previous Takes and make this feel like a new game again.

Only a few graphics from the original remain. The cabin and the tool shed sprites were going to be redesigned but when I looked at the originals I realized that I still very much liked how I handled those. A few color corrections, some slight changes here & there, and I decided to keep them in this version.

Several of the core enemies from the original make a return too but are redesigned as well. Like the pulps for example:



Also since I still had a few blurry images left of the 2005 attempt I thought it would be nice to rework those images and enemies as well:






Ok so enough of the blabber. Here are some shots of the current build. These basically constitute what you might have seen in the previous versions. I want to try to keep all the new stuff in the deck until the game comes out.








What's to come:

The plan is that at the end of each month until the game's release I will trickle out a few more shots and info. Considering that this is a fan game based on a film property I don't want to spend too much time on it, so I hope to have this finished in three to four months. Hopefully if all goes well (knock on wood) then this should release no later than the end of July. Graphics are time consuming part. Once all those are done I should have a better understanding as to how long it will take. If it looks like it will take longer I'll be sure to update on the progress. Oh and before someone asks, I have multiple backups this time so it will take more than a computer crash to lose this version. Oookay...

Beyond the release I would like to re-purpose some of the assets and detach it from the Evil Dead name so I can expand on some of these ideas in a future RPG. It probably won't be done in OHRRPGCE (sorry James) as there are a lot of things I would like to add that the engine unfortunately isn't able to do. But that will be for a future update, probably another seven years later. Raspberry!

Anyways, it's great to be back in the OHR community making stuff again!


Last edited by Enk on Fri Apr 29, 2016 7:50 pm; edited 1 time in total
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TMC
On the Verge of Insanity




Joined: 05 Apr 2003
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Location: Matakana

PostPosted: Fri Apr 01, 2016 4:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow. That's just incredible.

Horror isn't usually my thing, but a short replayable game with a time limit has my interest. I really enjoy the puzzle aspect of figuring out how to beat the game. Plus the hint of unconventionality. So I will definitely be looking forward to this and the monthly updates! I really wasn't expecting the Saturay morning cartoon look; it's so different from what came before. But I'm not complaining; it looks fantastic. But the only thing that I find strange/off is that Ash is faceless... is he just unfinished? The walkabout seems to have eyes. (And BTW, it's really nice to see your process of drawing the sprites.)

The end of July is also the deadline for Heart of the OHR, if that's any kind of motivation.

I posted a thread on SS to point people over here, as most of them otherwise wouldn't notice.
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Gizmog1
Don't Lurk In The Bushes!




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PostPosted: Fri Apr 01, 2016 5:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fantastic thread! Fantastic news! I can't wait to see how it all plays out.
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Enk




Joined: 05 Apr 2013
Posts: 14

PostPosted: Sun Apr 03, 2016 6:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks you all!

TMC wrote:

But the only thing that I find strange/off is that Ash is faceless... is he just unfinished? The walkabout seems to have eyes. (And BTW, it's really nice to see your process of drawing the sprites.)


There's an eye there but no mouth. I tried out different types of eyes (not pictured) and went with the more simple, subtle approach. The others just didn't work right with the sprite. It may also look faceless because I wanted the face a little long and the "chin" emphasized to be a little like Bruce Campbell's.

Here's a pic of the Low Health Sprite which has his face slightly facing the screen with both eyes. Maybe you can see it better now.




TMC wrote:

The end of July is also the deadline for Heart of the OHR, if that's any kind of motivation.


I'll probably submit it if it looks like I'll be done before then. Even though I don't want to take too long on this game I don't want to rush it at all. Rather release it when I feel good about it than have something I'll regret releasing later.

TMC wrote:

I posted a thread on SS to point people over here, as most of them otherwise wouldn't notice.


Thanks!

I didn't know there was a more active forum for the Hamster Republic. Maybe I should've created a thread over there, or at least I should move the stuff I have here over to that one so more people can see it.
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TMC
On the Verge of Insanity




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PostPosted: Mon Apr 04, 2016 1:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Seeing the low health sprite does explain it. I see that the problem was that the bulge at the top-left corner of his face didn't register as a nose to me. I assumed that was his forehead/eyebrows, and that the nose would be somewhere in the centre of the face and was completed omitted. A single pixel can't register as an eye if it's not where I expect an eye. I probably would have added a slight shadow to the nose.

Oops, I thought I had mentioned Slime Salad to you. I mention it to just about every person who turns up, but I guess I forgot. Luckily they both use phpbb, so you can just copy paste posts between them.
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Enk




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PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2016 7:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hello everyone,

I'm back with my end of the month update! Thankfully everything is still going smoothly and haven't had any problems yet. While this month's update won't be nearly as extensive as the first, that doesn't mean I didn't get much done! On the contrary, I've been working nearly every day on this. I'm pretty much setting aside this month and next month solely on the more labor intensive parts first which are the graphics. For this month I focused completely on getting the first pass of all the map graphics done while in May I'll focus specifically on getting the battle backdrops done. After that point comes the fun part of putting together the game itself! As with the last post, the images I'll provide here are mainly from areas that have already been seen.

MAPS

So as I stated earlier, this month has been completely devoted on getting a first pass on all the maps done. At this time of writing I have about 95% of the maps finished. The "first pass" meaning that all the graphics for these are at an acceptable level and will continue to go through further tweaking once I start building the game.

In the original game there were three main areas to explore (outside map, lake, tool shed) along with some side maps connecting the areas. In the new game all the old areas are still there but with a few new ones as well, including one larger area that has been hinted about since the beginning of all this. Here is a size comparison between the old game and this new one.





While it seems to have tripled in size, this is still very much a condensed game. It's just a bit more open than the last one. Returning areas have been completely reworked as well. The tool shed for example has been scaled down to cut back on some of the needless fat.





I know it looks a little plain right now as there are still some details missing from this image. Lighting is missing as well since I'm still debating on how I'm going to be handling that. Also did anyone ever notice how Linda's body in the original was twice the size as Ash's sprite? :-/

Another aspect that some people remember from the old game were the side scrolling sections that connected some of the maps. Those are back of course along with a few extra ones. One of the new maps I have left to finish is a side map I'm still trying to figure out some unique details for.




The second main area of the original game, the lake, is back as well and has been completely redone. There will be a few twists added to this area to keep things fresh this time around (not pictured).



Lastly I was very excited to finally start working on the center piece of the series which would be a big new area for this game. Those familiar with the films will probably know what I'm referring to. At first it was a difficult thing to put together mainly due to the game's perspective. Originally the map was going to be one piece but I found it more functional to break it up in sections. This ended up benefiting me in end as I could do certain "suspense related" things by separating the areas that I couldn't do when it was all together. I tried to keep the layout fairly accurate but there have been some alterations that I needed to make due to the perspective and pixel graphics. I'm very much looking forward to diving more into this area once I start building the game. Here is a tiny snippet of it:



And that's it for now! I know, I know. It's not nearly exciting as the first post as there is only so much I can do in one month and I'm still wanting to hold back on what I want to show. Next month I'll working on graphics for the remaining few maps as well as working on the backdrops for the battles. After that it's on to the fun part of getting this game together! Til next month Hamsters of the Republic!
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Rya.Reisender
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Joined: 18 Jan 2008
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PostPosted: Mon May 09, 2016 12:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I remember playing your old game. I found it had some severe balance issues (like some battles were simply unwinnable if you didn't keep "Enter" pressed), but still liked it quite a bit. Was sad it was so short and unfinished, though.

Not sure what to think about your new design. It looks amazing, but it also doesn't look scary at all. Almost like you're going into comedy comic style now. I really prefer horror.
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Enk




Joined: 05 Apr 2013
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PostPosted: Mon May 09, 2016 7:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Rya.Reisender wrote:
I remember playing your old game. I found it had some severe balance issues (like some battles were simply unwinnable if you didn't keep "Enter" pressed), but still liked it quite a bit. Was sad it was so short and unfinished, though.


Oh I fully agree that the original had some balance issues. It was something I always wanted to address in the later versions but never had the chance to. This game will be pretty tough as well, but not really in the same way that the originals were. I hope to make it clear the type of game everyone will be getting themselves into with this new one once it releases.

Rya.Reisender wrote:

Not sure what to think about your new design. It looks amazing, but it also doesn't look scary at all. Almost like you're going into comedy comic style now. I really prefer horror.


To be perfectly honest I never found my original games to be all that scary to begin with. Sure there were some tense moments here and there, but not out right scary. Even though it's more colorful, the tone of the new game is still in line with the old ones.

There are many ways to express the horror genre. The Evil Dead films veered closer to the fun side of horror and that's where I'd like my game to be like as well. The original games tried to have a sense of humor to them to balance out the horror tone, and Take on the Evil Dead will still have it's tongue firmly in cheek with its humor (don't worry, it won't be an outright comedy fest). Now rest assure though, even though some of the enemies and the environments can appear cartoony at times, the horror elements and atmosphere will still be there. Much more so than my original games.
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Rya.Reisender
Snippy




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PostPosted: Fri May 13, 2016 1:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's kinda hard to be scared by your own horror games after all.

For a player unfamiliar with the game it's a completely different thing because you have to expect death around every corner.
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Enk




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PostPosted: Mon May 30, 2016 10:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hello again Hamsters of the Republic!

I'm back for another monthly update. As stated last time there won't be much of an exciting update this month as I was focusing mainly on getting the battle backgrounds finished. There are five backdrops at minimum that I needed to have for the game, including the forest one which was already laid out (and has since been tweaked from the first batch of pics).

BACKGROUNDS

Like the previous updates, the stuff I'll be showing are things that have been part of the previous game, and as usual everything here is still in an unfinished state. First is the lake backdrop. In the previous game the lake battle screen was an ugly mess of whatever spray paint and filter tools I was using with Paint Shop Pro at the time. The new look goes in a cleaner direction, making the dock as the main standing point. There's not much to see here at the moment, but I'll be adding a few more little details here and there when I start building the lake portion of the game later on.




Next is the tool shed. Previously the tool shed was a very basic, and quickly slapped together screen of simple lines and geometry. The look itself made it seem like Ash was walking into a Tardis when entering it! So like the map screen the tool shed has been scaled down to a more (slightly) realistic proportion. I went back and forth between scenes of the first two movies (both had different looking tool sheds) and tried to add little details from both in here. For the interior backgrounds I wanted to go with a diorama-like approach by having a bit of a sharp cut off point midway through the room. Kind of like the room has been sawed in half. I also wanted to have a battle background that felt very closed in and cramped. It gives a nice contrast to the more wide open areas you fight in. Also you will probably notice that there is something missing from this pic. Just a simple edit on my end to save for the full game. :-)



The other two backgrounds are from the new main location, and like last time I will hold off until the release. On an average, each background was taking me about five days to finish, so I pretty much had all these set up by the 20th. One of the main reasons I wanted to get all the graphics done first was because I needed to figure out the Master Palettes for the game. Since I knew I usually tend to use a lot of colors in my graphics, and some areas are distinctly different looking than others, I wouldn't be able to stick within a one Master Palette limitation. There's also a lot of color crossover as well with character sprites and attacks so I had to create a core palette for those colors as well. So now I have all the palettes sorted out and the graphics imported into the game and working properly. To give you an idea, the palettes look something like this:



The top portion being all the colors used in the current map, while the bottom portion is all the carry over colors that will be used throughout the whole game. Having all the palettes organized now gives me a good idea on how much freedom I have with additional colors, which judging by the black space is quite a bit.

So now comes the fun of working on the game itself, section by section. Making enemies, creating attacks, building stats, adding details, figuring out gameplay systems, polishing graphics, etc. Constantly doing graphics can get tiresome and I really wanted to get these big graphical sections out of the way first so I could focus on the real fun of actually making the game. Next month's update will probably be light on the pictures but more into the mechanics, and hopefully I should know by the end of the month a good time frame for when I'll be able to release this.

Til next month!
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Welsh




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PostPosted: Mon May 30, 2016 6:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Can hardly wait.
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Bob the Hamster
OHRRPGCE Developer




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PostPosted: Tue May 31, 2016 6:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I love the new backgrounds!
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Enk




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PostPosted: Thu Jun 30, 2016 12:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's that time of the month again!

This and next month's update won't have any new pics, but will instead focus more on the gameplay side of things. Now that I have the core set of graphics down I've been busy this month working on the starting area, trying to get a general flow of how the game will work and seeing what more I can do with the engine. So today's update with focus on a few of the gameplay elements that I have been fleshing out for this month.


Survive the Night

As I mentioned in the very first post, the object of the game is to survive the night. So how long will this be? At the moment night is set at roughly an hour. Wait? An hour? That's pretty short for an RPG! Well yes it is, but that's the point. Think of it as like sitting down and watching an episode of the Twilight Zone rather than gearing up for a long, back to back session of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Knowing that the game is an hour long means you don't expect much time commitment if you decide to play it. Helps a bit towards the whole "replay-ability" thing.

Having it set at a short length also helps reign me in a wee bit. Rather than a sprawling epic tale that spans continents or even planets, it focuses on a just few select areas. And even though there are certain things the player needs to get to survive the end, the game isn't all that linear. This was one of the things I was focusing on sorting out at the beginning of this month: trying to figure out where everything goes and providing different options on how to go about completing certain scenarios. By limiting the scope it helps allow me to expand the content within.

There will not be a timer letting you know how long you have, nor will having a watch by your side will help you. You just know in the back of your head there's about an hour. Now that hour isn't entirely strict, and even though I want this game to be challenging I also want to be fair about it. To allow breathers, the game time can be paused in map screen menus and during all text boxes and cutscenes. I want to make sure I give the player a chance to study what they have and figure out what their next move is. I also don't want the player feel pressured to speed read through all the text.

Saving

Since this is supposed to be a horror game there needs to be some tension right? And you can't have tension if you could just save anywhere you damn well please. Knowing that all that hard work you put in the last twenty minutes could just come crashing down because you made one stupid mistake. The "Oh shit" moment is a little less impactful if you knew you could just reload that last save. Since the game is about an hour long I decided to take a half-step into rogue-like territory, but this game isn't nearly as randomized as most rogue-likes are (there are some random elements but that's for another update).

Now I'm not a complete masochist. There is a bit of middle ground here. At one point about halfway through, the game will ask if the player would like to save their progress. This will be the only time you can save... but there is a bit of a catch. That will be talked about in next month's update.


The Item System

Ok there is one little pic I can share. This is what the current battle menu looks like since this section deals mostly with the top three options:



One of the things that I experimented with in my original game was adding a bit of point n' click adventure gaming elements to an RPG. Need to build a bridge? Find a hammer, nails, and some boards to build it with! In the new game this is taken much further. Most items and weapons you find come with several options. When I was thinking about how to handle weapons and items I tried to do it from a mentality of how characters try to survive in the films, which is to be resourceful with what you have to survive.

Let's say you find a rubber chicken*, a powerful and mighty weapon. Weapons in this game come with multiple functions. When Ash picks up the rubber chicken he automatically gets a new ATTACK option in which he can use at any point as long as he has his GROOVE on. In this case the rubber chicken has a voice box inside it that screams "I'M A MIGHTY CHICKEN" which could be useful in those situations where enemies might find that intimidating. So even if Ash doesn't have the chicken equipped as long as he has his GROOVE on he can dig deep within his bottomless, magic pockets to use that secondary attack at moment's whim.

Now when you equip the chicken you also gain a new main attack, ChickSlap, as well as that weapon's unique stat gains and losses. ChickSlap is a standard attack where Ash smacks the evil right upside its ugly head with the rubber chicken, but it also comes with the power of the Chicken which makes it extra useful in areas filled with enemies who are deftly afraid of chickens.

Now outside the battle the rubber chicken might be needed to help Ash through a situation.

Let's say Ash finds a nest with an evil bird that for some reason has a blue key card in its beak. Now you know you can't enter that blue door in the space station** without that key card, but you also can't climb that tree either (you have a missing hand after all). So down the road you find a nice, shiny rock*** and a sturdy tree branch that's shaped like a 'Y'. You can now combine the rubber chicken, tree branch, and shiny rock into a capable slingshot and knock that evil bird out of the tree! In the process though you might also lose that shiny rock which could have be used to bribe the evil troll guarding the bridge instead of fighting it. Thankfully if you used the shiny rock with the troll, he would give you his big stick in return and you could use that to reach up and smack the evil bird to obtain the blue key card. On the flipside you'll lose the satisfaction of fighting that troll and having it's severed head as your new trophy. Choices!

Most basic items have several functions as well. This is where the RESOURCEfulness from horror films come into play. Gain some sparkly glitter and you automatically gain a new RESOURCE ability to use during battle. In this case Ash gets a "SparkleGlit" option where he will cover the evil with a nice coat of sparkly glitter that distracts it for a few moments as it looks at itself in amazement. Also the glitter can be used to make a wonderful collage with the paper and glue Ash finds and use that to impress the sweet camper who in turn will give you a back rub that helps permanently boosts some stats****. Unfortunately you'll forever lose some items in the process of doing so. Found an apple pie by the windowsill? You now have an GivePie option and now you can use it to give the pie to the kind, evil granny demon during battle and she'll in turn give you a fresh, new apple that you can use to make that apple pie Ash has been wanting! Try to experiment with evil every once and a while and you might end with interesting results.

In case this was all confusing it breaks down like this: all weapons give you a secondary attack (under ATTACKS), while most non-weapon items give you new battle options (under RESOURCES). Think of the RESOURCE menu as you would an old school Point n' Click menu and not just a standard item menu. All these secondary options can be used at any time during the battle as long as Ash is in his groove (GROOVE is essentially MP). Be sure to check your RESOURCE menu from time to time to see if anything new has been added!

Basically this was where a good portion of this month was spent on. Trying to figure out where everything goes in the game, creating possible battle options for certain items, figuring out different ways to solve certain situations, and hopefully covering my butt to make sure I don't end up breaking the game in the process.


Release Date?

Now that I am actually putting all the pieces together I can start to grasp how long this will probably take me to finish. The first half of this month was spent working on items, weapons, placement layouts, attack graphics, etc. The second half I've been spending building the first area of the game, trying to figure out how to get everything working in conjunction with each other and also delving into the battle system. Now that I have a better grasp of the new things that OHRRPGCE can offer with the battles I'm happy that I can do more than I previously thought I could to make the battles a bit more dynamic. There's still a few things I'm ironing out, and may have some questions down the road if I can't figure a way around certain problems, but as of right now everything seems to be going pretty smoothly.

At the moment I'm still working on the first area and that will continue until probably middle of July. A lot of work I'm doing in this area will carry over into the others and should help speed up working on those since I will have most of the systems already in place.

When I started working on this I figured I could probably have this out by the end of July. Now that I'm knee deep in making the game, and I have a better idea of what all is going to be in it, I know I can't make that release date. Oookay... It happens, but it's expected when it comes to game development. Rest assure this isn't going to be an abandoned project. I'm in it to finish it. I want to put a cap on the project that got me started in making games all those years ago, but I don't want to rush this out. So as of right now I feel I could possibly finish this by end of September, hopefully by the time season 2 of AvsED starts. If not it'll make a nice Halloween treat.

Next month I will delve into some of the other game rules and mechanics that I haven't talked about in these updates yet which will be new to my Evil Dead games.

Until then may your wheels stay turning, fellow Hamsters!


*Rubber chicken not in game
**Spacey technology also not in game
***Shiny rock definitely not in game
****No back rubs or collage making either

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Enk




Joined: 05 Apr 2013
Posts: 14

PostPosted: Wed Aug 03, 2016 8:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hello once again!

Sorry that this was a little later than usual as I've been on vacation for the past week. Progress in July has been going a bit slower compared to the previous months. I've mainly been pretty busy at work and took a much needed vacation (in a cabin no less!). This past month I've got a good chunk of the main area mostly done and I am about halfway done with the second main section(s). Once I get that mostly completed I'll start working on the Pond and Tool Shed maps, then onward to working the last big one. After that point it's all about polishing and adding additional details.

This month's update is another one delving into some of the game mechanics.


Score System

When I think of how Evil Dead would work as a game I always felt it would be "arcade-like" in nature, and even though this is an RPG I wanted to add some of that arcadiness to it. I've always enjoyed competing in high scores, but I rarely ever see an RPG use a scoring system other than the "Tales of" series and some rogue-likes. It's probably because of how long these games tend to be that it's hard to include something like that effectively. So because this is a short experience, and only has a single save point, I thought it wouldn't be too hard to incorporate a scoring system to add to its replay-ability.

Scoring is done in multiple ways: Defeating enemies, completing certain tasks, and being creative & resourceful. In my current build the "creative & resourceful" part will probably be key to getting the most points. Since there's no real linear path in this game there are many ways to experiment on getting a higher score. There are also ways to lose points as well, but that will be saved for when you play the game.

Think you've got what it takes to get the highest Evil Dead score in the OHR community?


Sanity

In this game, Health has been replaced with the Sanity stat. Now here's the thing, the Sanity stat is pretty much set in stone. What this means is that while other stats will grow as Ash levels up, the Sanity stat does not, nor does it refill. So you must be mindful of each encounter as once Ash loses his Sanity, the game is over. We know Ash can take a beating, but how much can he endure until he loses his mind to the Kandarian demons? There will be a few things you can find throughout the course of the game that can help gain just a little bit of that Sanity back, but usually these things might come at a cost.

Now with a stat named "Sanity" I'm sure there comes certain expectations. While I haven't implemented the following just yet, there might be certain things that could happen if your Sanity reaches a certain level.


What Next?


I realize that this is a shorter update than normal, but that was bound to happen by this point since I'm running low on things that I am either willing to talk about or haven't fleshed out enough yet to feel comfortable to reveal prematurely. I do like to try to keep a lot of things close to my chest as I feel they would be best left experienced until you play it. It's a small experiment which would make it easy to pull back the curtain and spoil a good chunk of the game, so I'd rather keep it mostly in the dark. I think it will make the experience more fun when you're not knowing what to expect next.

The update for August will probably be on the short side as well. I've done some updates to the graphics in the areas that I have been working on so I could show how that's been progressing.

Until then, fellow, fluffy hamsters!
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Sparoku
Pyrithea Amethyst.




Joined: 02 Feb 2004
Posts: 467
Location: Washington State

PostPosted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 10:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

This game looks very impressive!
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