4 Students -10 Weeks -1 Game -Can we make it?
by Richard O · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 03/07/2005 (5:07 am) · 9 replies
Hi we are a group of 4 mulitmedia students at Dublin city university in Ireland, who have decided to produce an interactive fps style 3D stealth game based on sound, light and an alternative input device (controller) for our final thesis.
We had originally planned to produce the game in Macromedia Director , however, quickly found out this would be next to impossible and have since found the Torque engine would be better suited to 3D game design and support aspects of the game such as surround sound and dynamic lighting. Unfortunatley we are all complete n00bs to the world of 3d gamming and we are currently dedicating a lot of time to learning the basics of using the engine and furthering our abilities in terms of programming and 3D modeling.
our game idea and basic narritive is as follows,
Opening: the user will be introduced to the player character. The player's murderous past will be revealed through an audio flashback sequence. The player is visited by a supposedly benevolent supernatural being who offers him the chance to rescue his soul from the depths of hell. The player seizes upon this opportunity and is given the torch that he will use to navigate through the levels. Another catch of this deal is that the torch uses the player's soul as a 'battery' of sorts, the player travels along using up the power of their soul until eventually it's extinguished and the victim is trapped.
The player follows this supernatural being out of the graveyard and to a small rundown shack that hides the physical location of the gate to hell. He is informed of how to navigate through the levels by following sounds and discovers the means to keep his torch lit, by saving souls along the way.
As the player enters each level, the door to the next level is in the immediate vicinity, revealing a puzzle that needs to be solved in order to progress deeper. The puzzles will take the form of audio/visual combinations, similar to entering the right combination to open a safe. A single, low fluctuating sound signals where the whole/first part of the combination can be found. As the player travels towards the sound, navigating through the maze of the level, he is affronted by closer sounds that signal sub-objectives that will help the player survive.
These objectives can take the form of souls to be saved that will provide a boost in power for the players torch, or waymarkers that send a beam of light from the location of the initial sound's source, giving the player a few seconds to orient himself in the right direction. When the player reaches the sound checkpoint, either a new sound starts up that locates the next part of the combination puzzle, or a sound that helps locate the player back to the start to the door for the next level where he can solve the puzzle and progress deeper.
While the torch allows the player to see and navigate through the level, it also picks him out for the 'bad guys' of the level, Soul Reapers that leech power from the players soul. The player will have to switch off his torch and try to avoid the attentions of these Shadowspawn.
So if you got all that here are a couple of questions,
firstly, What do you think?
second, How difficult will it be to create a flashlight(similar to DOOM) which will gradually lose power?
third, Are the sound capabilities of the engine intuitve enough for a player to actually be able to follow a sound without getting completly confused as to where its coming from?(We will be using surround sound)
We have about 10 weeks from today to complete the game and at this point there is no other option for us than developing it in torque. It dosent have to be the next Half-life but it does have to work. I am sure this will be the first of many posts and we would greatly apreciate any help anyone can give us.
We had originally planned to produce the game in Macromedia Director , however, quickly found out this would be next to impossible and have since found the Torque engine would be better suited to 3D game design and support aspects of the game such as surround sound and dynamic lighting. Unfortunatley we are all complete n00bs to the world of 3d gamming and we are currently dedicating a lot of time to learning the basics of using the engine and furthering our abilities in terms of programming and 3D modeling.
our game idea and basic narritive is as follows,
Opening: the user will be introduced to the player character. The player's murderous past will be revealed through an audio flashback sequence. The player is visited by a supposedly benevolent supernatural being who offers him the chance to rescue his soul from the depths of hell. The player seizes upon this opportunity and is given the torch that he will use to navigate through the levels. Another catch of this deal is that the torch uses the player's soul as a 'battery' of sorts, the player travels along using up the power of their soul until eventually it's extinguished and the victim is trapped.
The player follows this supernatural being out of the graveyard and to a small rundown shack that hides the physical location of the gate to hell. He is informed of how to navigate through the levels by following sounds and discovers the means to keep his torch lit, by saving souls along the way.
As the player enters each level, the door to the next level is in the immediate vicinity, revealing a puzzle that needs to be solved in order to progress deeper. The puzzles will take the form of audio/visual combinations, similar to entering the right combination to open a safe. A single, low fluctuating sound signals where the whole/first part of the combination can be found. As the player travels towards the sound, navigating through the maze of the level, he is affronted by closer sounds that signal sub-objectives that will help the player survive.
These objectives can take the form of souls to be saved that will provide a boost in power for the players torch, or waymarkers that send a beam of light from the location of the initial sound's source, giving the player a few seconds to orient himself in the right direction. When the player reaches the sound checkpoint, either a new sound starts up that locates the next part of the combination puzzle, or a sound that helps locate the player back to the start to the door for the next level where he can solve the puzzle and progress deeper.
While the torch allows the player to see and navigate through the level, it also picks him out for the 'bad guys' of the level, Soul Reapers that leech power from the players soul. The player will have to switch off his torch and try to avoid the attentions of these Shadowspawn.
So if you got all that here are a couple of questions,
firstly, What do you think?
second, How difficult will it be to create a flashlight(similar to DOOM) which will gradually lose power?
third, Are the sound capabilities of the engine intuitve enough for a player to actually be able to follow a sound without getting completly confused as to where its coming from?(We will be using surround sound)
We have about 10 weeks from today to complete the game and at this point there is no other option for us than developing it in torque. It dosent have to be the next Half-life but it does have to work. I am sure this will be the first of many posts and we would greatly apreciate any help anyone can give us.
#2
03/07/2005 (3:51 pm)
Good luck
#3
03/07/2005 (8:13 pm)
Torque is rather large. If you don't have any 3D experience, it's gonna be tough to understand how a lot of things work. You'll have to invest a lot of time into learning the engine. I still think it's totally possible if you approach it in a smart way, but it's not going to be easy. There are quite a few resources out there, but they won't solve all of your problems. Probably the best way to go is search the garagegames resources for things that look interesting (like the flashlight resources) and follow the instructions to get them into the engine. Read whatever comments or explanations they have so you know what's going on. The documentation has some great info as well. You'll spend a lot of time reading and trying to understand. Melv May's resources are excellent in that they have detailed explanations and are well-written. That and he is from the UK so you know he's got to be a good fellow :)
#5
03/07/2005 (8:48 pm)
I'll give you better then 50% odds since you never mentioned MMORPG in the description :)
#6
03/08/2005 (5:03 am)
It might be easier as a multiplayer game. If the Soul Reapers are other players then you don't have to worry about AI. As long as there are less than 4 Soul Reapers on screen at any time, the 4 of you can take turns being the Soul Reapers for whoever is grading you.
#7
3d Game Programming All In One -- the essential beginner's guide to Torque and accompanying tools
I started just two weeks ago, deciding that since I couldn't afford the above-named book ($50ish) that I would attempt to use all the web resources to learn Torque. I accomplished almost nothing in one week's time. Then payday, then I bought the book, and one week later I have a base game with my own terrain, my own player model (fully animated, albeit with a few minor issues) and my own not-yet-working-as-a-weapon weapon (lol). Still, lightyears from where I started before I cracked that book. I got into programming at the age of 8 to make games, and now for the first time, 17 years later, I feel like that dream is very much within my reach. I'd have to say in my "career" of game engines, programming languages, etc, Torque + 3dGPAi1 was the best $150 I've ever spent. Now to shell out the $20 for Milkshape... ;P
Glez
07/19/2005 (8:30 am)
I'd just like to reinstate:3d Game Programming All In One -- the essential beginner's guide to Torque and accompanying tools
I started just two weeks ago, deciding that since I couldn't afford the above-named book ($50ish) that I would attempt to use all the web resources to learn Torque. I accomplished almost nothing in one week's time. Then payday, then I bought the book, and one week later I have a base game with my own terrain, my own player model (fully animated, albeit with a few minor issues) and my own not-yet-working-as-a-weapon weapon (lol). Still, lightyears from where I started before I cracked that book. I got into programming at the age of 8 to make games, and now for the first time, 17 years later, I feel like that dream is very much within my reach. I'd have to say in my "career" of game engines, programming languages, etc, Torque + 3dGPAi1 was the best $150 I've ever spent. Now to shell out the $20 for Milkshape... ;P
Glez
#8
07/19/2005 (8:54 am)
Just curious, as I'm guessing your 10 weeks are up by now, how did the project go? Did you go with torque, and if so what were your, and your team's, experiences?
#9
EDIT: Oh! Old post! Sorry!
07/26/2005 (10:55 pm)
If GID is possible so is this! :) I'd use a little AI Guard since that's one of the fastest ways to spawn enemies. But yeah, once you get used to datablocks and how things work you should have no problem. Just don't try to remake Doom, Halo, or Half-Life. ;)EDIT: Oh! Old post! Sorry!
Torque Owner Stefan Lundmark
Not very difficult at all. There is a resource for flashlights already which you can incorporate. Then just make the flashlight power a variable (if it isn't already) and make it go smaller and smaller based on some parameters. I'm not sure but it might be doable in script, too.
I would say, not really. I have a hard time locating sounds when we play because they shift in volume depending on where you face the camera, and sometimes the sound just doesn't come from where it's intended. There's work being done in this area though so I can't comment on if that's going to be released before 10 weeks.
Hehe, TGE is fps oriented from the start.. you will find no difficulties when you get used to how things work. Shouldn't take too long if you start with the basics and if you got a programmer background already. Infact, the FPS.starter game is a full fps, just without AI and it ain't very big.
Good luck and sorry I'm in a hurry for work.