Re-Spawn: Urgh ... They Got Me
by Quinton Delpeche · 10/07/2013 (12:14 am) · 10 comments
Introduction:
It has been a while since I did a blog, unfortunately life and the universe got in the way, but I am finally able to provide an update on this project. YAY!!! A lot has changed with the project since I initially started and I am finally at a stage where I am happy to get some opinions on the game.
My primary goal has been to make a game that I want to play and that takes me back to the days of Quake II and Unreal Tournament ... I think I have achieved this. We are now moving in to the final stages of doing a Closed Alpha release and I am busy getting all the Alpha Testers organised (we are looking for some more, see below for more information).
I have implemented a lot of extra technologies from the various packs available to me: Universal AI Starter Kit, Walkabout Navigation Toolkit, Multiplayer Assembly Package, various Art and Assets packs from numerous sources, and then some.
To make sure I keep Steve happy, here is a video of an Early Alpha release that I recorded this past weekend. There are still a few issues with the spawning and some of the sounds ... but it is on my list to fix. :)
Marketing:
I have gotten all the social media and other pages ready, so please feel free to join us:
We have scheduled the Closed Alpha to launch within the next 2 to 3 weeks (21st to 25th October 2013). Invites have been sent out to all those who were involved in one of the very early Pre-Alpha tests as well as those who have expressed interest in joining the Alpha.
If you think we have missed you or you would like to gain access to the alpha, please send me a PM or email with your preferred email address. We have limited the number of keys available but should there be one available, we will send you an email with your key as well as further instructions.
Please note that this will be handled on a first-come-first-serve basis and it is imperative that you give us a valid email address as the key is tied to that email address.
Hope to see you in game. :D
It has been a while since I did a blog, unfortunately life and the universe got in the way, but I am finally able to provide an update on this project. YAY!!! A lot has changed with the project since I initially started and I am finally at a stage where I am happy to get some opinions on the game.
My primary goal has been to make a game that I want to play and that takes me back to the days of Quake II and Unreal Tournament ... I think I have achieved this. We are now moving in to the final stages of doing a Closed Alpha release and I am busy getting all the Alpha Testers organised (we are looking for some more, see below for more information).
I have implemented a lot of extra technologies from the various packs available to me: Universal AI Starter Kit, Walkabout Navigation Toolkit, Multiplayer Assembly Package, various Art and Assets packs from numerous sources, and then some.
To make sure I keep Steve happy, here is a video of an Early Alpha release that I recorded this past weekend. There are still a few issues with the spawning and some of the sounds ... but it is on my list to fix. :)
Marketing:
I have gotten all the social media and other pages ready, so please feel free to join us:
- Official Forums: respawn.gobbogames.co.za
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ggrespawn
- Google+: plus.google.com/u/0/111655141078939611311/posts
- Twitter: twitter.com/ggrespawn
- Skype: ggrespawn
- G-Talk: respawn@gobbogames.co.za
- E-mail: respawn@gobbogames.co.za
We have scheduled the Closed Alpha to launch within the next 2 to 3 weeks (21st to 25th October 2013). Invites have been sent out to all those who were involved in one of the very early Pre-Alpha tests as well as those who have expressed interest in joining the Alpha.
If you think we have missed you or you would like to gain access to the alpha, please send me a PM or email with your preferred email address. We have limited the number of keys available but should there be one available, we will send you an email with your key as well as further instructions.
Please note that this will be handled on a first-come-first-serve basis and it is imperative that you give us a valid email address as the key is tied to that email address.
Hope to see you in game. :D
About the author
Gobbo Games is an Independent Games Development company operating from Durban in South Africa. We believe in creating high-quality cost-effective games that remain true to the belief of Independent Game Developers around the world.
#2
I think you have done a good job replicating Unreal Tournament. I have to admit I would love to see some additional levels thrown in with some variation in game play. (I have been big on the 'game play' part of games lately.)
On the plus side, good lighting, good level design (show us more please), and nice AI work.
On the negative, (based on the video alone of course), more custom weapons.... you have some but, come on.... do we really need a rehash of stock T3D stuff? Perhaps a bit of 'splat' needs to be added? I like gibs and Unreal did them really well. I know Mike Hall has released a decent 'gibs' resource awhile back. The point of the 'negative' comment stuff is this, you did a GREAT job replicating UT.... but what more can you ADD to that experience? In other words, why should I play your game when I already have UT? (by the way, I know this sounds 'harsh' but, I am trying to be as honest as possible) Think about what Steam users would say if you launched it as a project greenlight thing.
I am THRILLED that you have a solid playable game! I am just looking at the 'next level' if that makes sense. I also know you probably have things up your creative sleeve... so wow us!
Ron
10/07/2013 (3:56 pm)
Q,I think you have done a good job replicating Unreal Tournament. I have to admit I would love to see some additional levels thrown in with some variation in game play. (I have been big on the 'game play' part of games lately.)
On the plus side, good lighting, good level design (show us more please), and nice AI work.
On the negative, (based on the video alone of course), more custom weapons.... you have some but, come on.... do we really need a rehash of stock T3D stuff? Perhaps a bit of 'splat' needs to be added? I like gibs and Unreal did them really well. I know Mike Hall has released a decent 'gibs' resource awhile back. The point of the 'negative' comment stuff is this, you did a GREAT job replicating UT.... but what more can you ADD to that experience? In other words, why should I play your game when I already have UT? (by the way, I know this sounds 'harsh' but, I am trying to be as honest as possible) Think about what Steam users would say if you launched it as a project greenlight thing.
I am THRILLED that you have a solid playable game! I am just looking at the 'next level' if that makes sense. I also know you probably have things up your creative sleeve... so wow us!
Ron
#3
This map was created purely in Torque Constructor and textured in there as well. Some elements were converted from BSP (created in GTK Radiant) to a Map and then imported in to Torque Constructor. The map in the video is a modified and retextured Quake2 map called Warehouse.
I then take the DIF file exported from Torque Constructor and place it in an earlier version of Torque 3D that still supports the DIF format, convert it to DAE. This DAE file is then place in the game and I tweak the materials and plug any holes with the Sketch tool that cropped up during the BSP conversion or DIF exporting.
What I have found is that the command Map2Dif is more solid then the one built in to Torque Constructor and so I have a few batch scripts to handle that for me.
The map then has its Zones, Portals, Lights, and Objects added inside Torque 3D World Editor. I am working on 7 more interior maps, there will also be 8 exterior maps as well, but my focus right now is getting the basic game tested and making sure that there are no major issues with the game engine and current scripts.
I was going to add the Alien Weapons and Aliens in initially, but then I came up with the back story to the game and they just didn't fit in to the game anymore. I will explain the back story more when I respond to Ron. :)
10/07/2013 (11:10 pm)
@Mack: Thanks for that.This map was created purely in Torque Constructor and textured in there as well. Some elements were converted from BSP (created in GTK Radiant) to a Map and then imported in to Torque Constructor. The map in the video is a modified and retextured Quake2 map called Warehouse.
I then take the DIF file exported from Torque Constructor and place it in an earlier version of Torque 3D that still supports the DIF format, convert it to DAE. This DAE file is then place in the game and I tweak the materials and plug any holes with the Sketch tool that cropped up during the BSP conversion or DIF exporting.
What I have found is that the command Map2Dif is more solid then the one built in to Torque Constructor and so I have a few batch scripts to handle that for me.
The map then has its Zones, Portals, Lights, and Objects added inside Torque 3D World Editor. I am working on 7 more interior maps, there will also be 8 exterior maps as well, but my focus right now is getting the basic game tested and making sure that there are no major issues with the game engine and current scripts.
I was going to add the Alien Weapons and Aliens in initially, but then I came up with the back story to the game and they just didn't fit in to the game anymore. I will explain the back story more when I respond to Ron. :)
#4
We have quite a few different game play modes in the pipeline, these include but are not limited to: Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Sentinel, King of the Hill, White Rabbit ... and a few others that haven't been given proper names yet.
I am also working on 7 more interior maps as well as 8 exterior maps. These will be the initial maps that we go live with, but I am going to try and make an easy way for people to create the maps in programs like GTK Radiant and Quark Express and Torque Constructor export them to a workable format and include them in the game. This is an idea and not fully fleshed out yet ... but I am hoping to get it done.
There are two primary reasons I am making this game:
1). I want to recapture the good days when I had the most fun playing Quake II and Unreal Tournament and spent many weekends "lanning" with my friends. Hell we even ran informal tournaments and had up to 50 people joining us sometimes. :)
2). I am making a game that I want to play and that some of my friends want to play ... obviously I am not naive and I realise I need to make a game that appeals to many people in order to try and recoup some costs ... but ultimately the game will be released, whatever money it makes is a bonus and will go back in to hosting official servers and maybe getting some artists to assist me.
I am no artist, I can do the basics and help myself and that is why I rely so heavily on purchased packs from people like you and companies like Garage Games.
I have started modifying the weapons to have different sounds (not in this video) and have different effects, the rocket explosion for instance is from the Lifelike Effects pack ... but other than that I just don't have the modelling skills to make the weapons more unique. I am going under the assumption that a large portion of my players are not Game Developers and won't really know that they are standard weapons from a Garage Games pack ... hopefully.
I am still working on the splat and the effects ... Gibs are definitely in as well as Blood Splats ... hopefully you wont be disappointed when you see them.
Basically the game is intended to be a spectator sport and revolves entirely around your clones. Clones are your lives, when your clone count reaches 0, your match ends and you can either end the match and claim your winnings (if any) or stay in the match as a spectator and place bets on other competitors. Each match has a rating and the rating indicates how many clones you need in your clone bank to be able to compete in the match. There is also a handicap system based on performance, and this will effect how many clones you are allowed to take in to a match.
For Example, a 1 Rating match allows all level 1 players to use 10 clones. A level 2 player will only be able to take in 5 clones, A level 3 player on 2 clones, anyone above level 4 can't participate in this match. A level 1 player joining a rating 2 match will have 20 clones but cannot join a rating 3 match. Obviously this will need to be tested during the Alpha and Beta tests ... but the math is solid ... well at least I think it is.
Also the game is about betting, you can place bets on matches and win credits, credits allow you to buy more clones for your clone banks. You can bet and compete in matches or just bet. There is also in-game betting on matches that are running, with less credits being available when betting on the leader of the match near the end ... but more if you bet on the underdog. Once again, this needs to be thoroughly play tested and will definitely need to be tweaked ... as well as monitored carefully.
I am looking at clone upgrades ... but this is still in the planning phase and is not slated for the Alpha release. Betting and Match Ratings as well as Player Rankings are also not slated for the Alpha release. THe Alpha is primarily to test the basic engine in Deathmatch and ensure that I am getting all the stats and secure server side communications coming through.
Player levels are controlled by past performance and not skill points or something dodgy like that ... the more you play and the better you play, the better your level ... but this is also controlled by all the players in the game. Not sure if this is making any sense ... oh well.
The bottom line is that I have to make do with my limited artistic skills and use whatever commercial assets I can afford and get my hands on. Unfortunately this is completely self-funded at the moment and I am just not able to hire in an artist or sound engineer.
Once again, thanks for the comments and criticisms, I will take them and hopefully on my next Blog Post (within a week or so) I will be able to provide you some of the "WOW" factor. :)
10/07/2013 (11:13 pm)
@Ron: Thanks. All criticism is welcome, good or bad, I have been in the Software Development industry far too long to take criticism personally.We have quite a few different game play modes in the pipeline, these include but are not limited to: Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Sentinel, King of the Hill, White Rabbit ... and a few others that haven't been given proper names yet.
I am also working on 7 more interior maps as well as 8 exterior maps. These will be the initial maps that we go live with, but I am going to try and make an easy way for people to create the maps in programs like GTK Radiant and Quark Express and Torque Constructor export them to a workable format and include them in the game. This is an idea and not fully fleshed out yet ... but I am hoping to get it done.
There are two primary reasons I am making this game:
1). I want to recapture the good days when I had the most fun playing Quake II and Unreal Tournament and spent many weekends "lanning" with my friends. Hell we even ran informal tournaments and had up to 50 people joining us sometimes. :)
2). I am making a game that I want to play and that some of my friends want to play ... obviously I am not naive and I realise I need to make a game that appeals to many people in order to try and recoup some costs ... but ultimately the game will be released, whatever money it makes is a bonus and will go back in to hosting official servers and maybe getting some artists to assist me.
I am no artist, I can do the basics and help myself and that is why I rely so heavily on purchased packs from people like you and companies like Garage Games.
I have started modifying the weapons to have different sounds (not in this video) and have different effects, the rocket explosion for instance is from the Lifelike Effects pack ... but other than that I just don't have the modelling skills to make the weapons more unique. I am going under the assumption that a large portion of my players are not Game Developers and won't really know that they are standard weapons from a Garage Games pack ... hopefully.
I am still working on the splat and the effects ... Gibs are definitely in as well as Blood Splats ... hopefully you wont be disappointed when you see them.
Basically the game is intended to be a spectator sport and revolves entirely around your clones. Clones are your lives, when your clone count reaches 0, your match ends and you can either end the match and claim your winnings (if any) or stay in the match as a spectator and place bets on other competitors. Each match has a rating and the rating indicates how many clones you need in your clone bank to be able to compete in the match. There is also a handicap system based on performance, and this will effect how many clones you are allowed to take in to a match.
For Example, a 1 Rating match allows all level 1 players to use 10 clones. A level 2 player will only be able to take in 5 clones, A level 3 player on 2 clones, anyone above level 4 can't participate in this match. A level 1 player joining a rating 2 match will have 20 clones but cannot join a rating 3 match. Obviously this will need to be tested during the Alpha and Beta tests ... but the math is solid ... well at least I think it is.
Also the game is about betting, you can place bets on matches and win credits, credits allow you to buy more clones for your clone banks. You can bet and compete in matches or just bet. There is also in-game betting on matches that are running, with less credits being available when betting on the leader of the match near the end ... but more if you bet on the underdog. Once again, this needs to be thoroughly play tested and will definitely need to be tweaked ... as well as monitored carefully.
I am looking at clone upgrades ... but this is still in the planning phase and is not slated for the Alpha release. Betting and Match Ratings as well as Player Rankings are also not slated for the Alpha release. THe Alpha is primarily to test the basic engine in Deathmatch and ensure that I am getting all the stats and secure server side communications coming through.
Player levels are controlled by past performance and not skill points or something dodgy like that ... the more you play and the better you play, the better your level ... but this is also controlled by all the players in the game. Not sure if this is making any sense ... oh well.
The bottom line is that I have to make do with my limited artistic skills and use whatever commercial assets I can afford and get my hands on. Unfortunately this is completely self-funded at the moment and I am just not able to hire in an artist or sound engineer.
Once again, thanks for the comments and criticisms, I will take them and hopefully on my next Blog Post (within a week or so) I will be able to provide you some of the "WOW" factor. :)
#5
Sorry, my BS meter just went off. If by "purely" you mean you used Constructor to recreate a Quake 2 (and QuakeLive) level by hand, then okay, but you should definitely make that clear. It's so obviously a Quake 2 deathmatch level; Q2DM8 - Warehouse, to be precise.
10/08/2013 (2:23 pm)
Quote:This map was created purely in Torque Constructor and textured in there as well.
Sorry, my BS meter just went off. If by "purely" you mean you used Constructor to recreate a Quake 2 (and QuakeLive) level by hand, then okay, but you should definitely make that clear. It's so obviously a Quake 2 deathmatch level; Q2DM8 - Warehouse, to be precise.
#6
10/08/2013 (5:27 pm)
Video looks really cool. Nice work getting it this far! Can't say it's my style of game but the backstory you've worked in is really cool. I'd love to see how this clones/lives thing works out! 
#7
It's a pretty good idea for more fair casual gamers to play.
I never played much multiplayer Quake 2, more Quake 1 and then Quake 3 Arena/UT and Delta Force 2/LW.
10/08/2013 (5:31 pm)
Yeah the clones/lives is an interesting idea and will have to see how it works out.It's a pretty good idea for more fair casual gamers to play.
I never played much multiplayer Quake 2, more Quake 1 and then Quake 3 Arena/UT and Delta Force 2/LW.
#8
Ok, I get it then. If you are just working to recreate that particular experience (UT3 or whatever) then you accomplished your goal. All I was saying is.... now that you have it (and you do).... what did you always want to be able to do in UT) that you couldn't? LOL. I know it's kinda mean to make this sort of thing public but, damn..... you have good game play already, let's see where you can take this project! Make it do what YOU want it to do brother! You started with a solid idea, now add in all the things that YOU wanted to do when you were playing UT. I know you have ideas, and I know (based on your video and demo) that you understand HOW things were done in UT. So, what would you add/change/alter/mess with...... (oh yeah.... does not matter HOW the map was made or whatever, I like the fact that you ACHIEVED the game play elements. Most novice game designers blow that part).
Ron
10/08/2013 (8:04 pm)
Q, Ok, I get it then. If you are just working to recreate that particular experience (UT3 or whatever) then you accomplished your goal. All I was saying is.... now that you have it (and you do).... what did you always want to be able to do in UT) that you couldn't? LOL. I know it's kinda mean to make this sort of thing public but, damn..... you have good game play already, let's see where you can take this project! Make it do what YOU want it to do brother! You started with a solid idea, now add in all the things that YOU wanted to do when you were playing UT. I know you have ideas, and I know (based on your video and demo) that you understand HOW things were done in UT. So, what would you add/change/alter/mess with...... (oh yeah.... does not matter HOW the map was made or whatever, I like the fact that you ACHIEVED the game play elements. Most novice game designers blow that part).
Ron
#9
I currently have a good friend of mine making a couple of maps completely in Torque Constructor. The Quake2 maps (IMHO) were some of the best maps ever made (q2dm1 - q2dm2) and these seemed like the logical choice to use for the Alpha Test. Sorry about that ... mis-type on my part. :(
@Daniel and @Edward: Thanks. I am keen to see how it works out too. :)
@Ron: Okay, we are on the same page now. I get you and yes I have ideas on things I want to change and do. Thanks again for the comments ... stay tuned. :)
Sorry to everyone about not mentioning the modified Quake2 maps, I was not trying to mislead anyone ... my bad. :( (Edited post in question)
10/08/2013 (8:54 pm)
@Kevin: The map you see is a converted map from Quake2 and completely retextured in Torque Constructor ... sorry if I didn't make that clear. The other 7 interior maps will undergo the same process with all natural elements being removed and undergoing a complete retexture.I currently have a good friend of mine making a couple of maps completely in Torque Constructor. The Quake2 maps (IMHO) were some of the best maps ever made (q2dm1 - q2dm2) and these seemed like the logical choice to use for the Alpha Test. Sorry about that ... mis-type on my part. :(
@Daniel and @Edward: Thanks. I am keen to see how it works out too. :)
@Ron: Okay, we are on the same page now. I get you and yes I have ideas on things I want to change and do. Thanks again for the comments ... stay tuned. :)
Sorry to everyone about not mentioning the modified Quake2 maps, I was not trying to mislead anyone ... my bad. :( (Edited post in question)
#10
That is often an issue we have to create everything. Yet we can only really do sections of it.
@Ron yeah, I know what you mean - I often wonder why do people make mods of games still when they can use T3D etc? Because they don't have that base game. And once you have that you can then create more game types of and build on top of it.
But I think he wants a classic gaming experience, which is basically non-existent now days.
10/08/2013 (10:56 pm)
Yeah I think it makes sense to use the Q2 maps for testing, as you want to get the key features worked out before having to get a good map going.That is often an issue we have to create everything. Yet we can only really do sections of it.
@Ron yeah, I know what you mean - I often wonder why do people make mods of games still when they can use T3D etc? Because they don't have that base game. And once you have that you can then create more game types of and build on top of it.
But I think he wants a classic gaming experience, which is basically non-existent now days.
Torque Owner 000
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Also, good to see the solider assets in a more fully functional form, are you thinking of adding the aliens weapons/character to the mix? That'd be kinda neat, I'd like to see your interpretations of those weapons (how they are now is kinda boring, it'd be nice to spice them up).