Happy Friday everybody. I've made some major progress on this new game over the week and I wanted to give you guys a little update. If things go according to plan I will have all levels finished this weekend. Next week I will work on re-designing some of the earlier levels (in order to match the quality of the later levels), inputting secret items and doing some major testing. Unfortunately, it's looking like I will not be able to do a simultaneous launch on Android and iOS. Therefore the game will launch first on Android (think of it as a sort of public beta). As soon as I upload the game to Google Play, I will get straight to work on tweaking the UI for the iPad version and making slight graphical upgrades (sense iOS has much better optimization than Android, there is usually a little head room for upgrades). I will release the free iPhone and iPad versions together along with the .99 cent version with no ads. In the meantime, I think its time to release more info on the combat. Enemies: The surface is completely uninhabitable. There are no other people, animals or any kind of mutants. So what will you be fighting in this game? Your own mind! The hot temperatures, lack of oxygen and loneliness cause the main character to have frequent hallucinations. Simply put, these monsters only exist in your mind. However, the sensation of pain is created in the mind so these hallucinations can hurt you (this is why you can feel pain in your dreams). The enemies range from simple snakes and over sized bees to large killer robots. The fact that the enemies are just hallucinations has really opened up the options for enemy design. Instead of being tied to the theme of the game, I am able to design anything that a person might be scared of. Its been really fun. So how do you fight these things? Fighting: Combat is fairly simple in this game but its also risky. You have 100 health points and each hit by an enemy (some by touch, others by shooting at you) take 20 health points. Sense the enemies are in your head, using a gun or sword wouldn't make sense. Therefore, you fight by using a "mental blast" which shoots in whatever direction you're facing. (Getting a screenshot of the blast was very difficult but it more or less looks like the hadouken attack from Street Fighter). However, using these blast does have consequences. The human body requires more oxygen when under stress or scared. Therefore, using your mental blast reduces some of your oxygen. If you remember from my original post, running out of oxygen is deadly. Combat can range from slow and easy to fast paced and challenging depending on the level and enemy. I will release more info and the games title soon. For now, here are some more screens including a few showing some of the enemies. I hope to show a gameplay video soon so you guys can get a better sense of the flow. Again, please remember that the graphics are better when playing in motion on a phone or tablet.
Viewing on a PC doesn't do the game justice. If you want a better idea how the game really looks: view this page on an iPhone, save one of the screenshots and view it in your photo gallery. I'm glad you like it. I've enjoyed making it and I can't wait to get it out.
If each attack takes 20 HP our of 100, why don't you just make it 5 HP total? Maybe replace the numbers with some kind of indicator (like hearts in Legend of Zelda).
Is the combat only going to consist of the player running around blasting things with his mental blast? Or is there going to be a variety of features in combat?
It might sound silly but the number 100 just looks a lot cleaner in the UI. It's kinda like a universal number for "full health" in most video games so I guess it's kind of a traditional thing.
Combat plays a pretty small part in this game. This is more of a Survival Adventure than Action so when it comes to combat, your only attack is the mental blast; it keeps things simple. The main goal in this game is to find the required number of Bio-Fuel cans and live long enough to get to the next level. Your mental blast uses up some of your oxygen supply, so if you spend too much time fighting you will die. Trust me, it's pretty frustrating when your oxygen supply runs out and your only a few steps from the end of the level. Every encounter with an enemy makes you make a vital decision. Sometimes it's best to just run away, other times it's better to fight. In certain cases, the enemy will die when he touches you and in those cases it's sometimes better to just take the hit. It sounds a little weird in words, but when you play it you'll understand. Also, sorry for the late responses. I've been hard at work trying to get the remaining levels completed. I also went back and re-lightmapped all of the levels for some added contrast and shadow detail.
Update: Feb 12th 2015 Gameplay Trailer: http://youtu.be/YwW40-PE6L8 I apologize for the many delays. Global Warming: Alone in the Wasteland is now in the final testing phase. Also, the game will no longer be releasing on Android first. If everything goes well, the game will release simultaneously on iOS and Android hopefully within the next 14 days. Of course, there are always benefits of delays, so just to list a few: - Level Design: A handful of the levels have been redesigned from the ground up. - New Enemies: 4 new enemies have been added to give the game more variety. - New lighting: All of the shadow maps have been re-baked for higher contrast and sharper shadows. The difference is striking and I'm sure you guys will like it. New Graphics Option Last but not least, I've added a new "High Graphics" option to take advantage of the high end phones and tablets. Every time you start the game, you will have the option of choosing which graphics mode you want. Normally, I would detect the device and automatic choose the high graphics for the high end devices but sense there are benefits to each mode, I wanted to give everyone the choice. The benefits of each are: High Graphics: - Adds terrain grass to the outdoor levels. The grass sways in the wind and helps these areas to look a lot more abandoned. - Activates a lens flair effect from flames. This makes the game look a little more cinematic. Low Graphics: - Runs better on mid and low end devices - Reveals objects that may be hard to see due to grass - Saves battery and raises frame rate If you have a device with an A7 chip or higher, I encourage you to play the game with the extra effects. It really adds to the immersion. Those of you with A5 and A6 devices can still use high graphics mode but the frame rate may make the game unenjoyable (depending on the device). Also, check the 1st post. I have updated it with all the new info and some new screens (one of which shows the grass). Gameplay Trailer: http://youtu.be/YwW40-PE6L8 Please note: The gameplay in the trailer is using the High Graphics mode. Some of the levels will look slightly different if you play the game on a low end device. Also, the gameplay was recorded on my Nexus 4 (I haven't figured out how to record on my iPhone 6 yet), so you can expect the game to play a lot smoother and look a little sharper on new devices. Also, please remember that YouTube's compression removes some of the sharpness. Everything looks much better when playing in real time on a phone or tablet. Thanks for all the support. I look forward to getting this thing out and letting you guys experience it for yourself. In the meantime, I'll just say that not everything in this game is as it seems...
Thanks a bunch! I've been working on this project for around 6 months and I really tried to put my all into it. I can't wait to release it. The story will definitely leave you surprised. I'm glad you like it! The art style was done on purpose. The setting and nature of the game put it in a semi-scary category which may be uncomfortable to some players. Using a more cartoony art style helps make the game a little more approachable. It can still be scary at times though. There is a few parts that make me jump every time, especially when I'm using headphones. Also, I apologize for using a link for the trailer. I can't seem to figure out how to embed the video into the post.
Update: 02/28 Once again I have to apologize for the many delays. Apple now requires all new apps to have 64 bit support. Unfortunately, adding 64bit introduced a lot of bugs into the project that didn't exist in the standard 32bit builds. Luckily the folks at Unity 3D were able to quickly patch the errors. Now that the 64bit builds are working correctly, I've finally been able to get to the final testing phase for iOS (the Android version has been done for a while but I've been holding it back to release both versions on the same day). Oddly, Unity has a weird "feature" where it VSyncs iOS games which locks the frame rate to 30fps. It is possible to override this function and raise the frame rate to 60 but this introduces some frame skips. The nice things is that it's a very smooth and steady 30fps even on A5 devices. The newer A7 and A8 devices will be able to take advantage of the "High Graphics" mode which adds more effects and grass. I am now going through the entire game to make sure everything is working as it should. If everything looks good, I will be submitting it to Apple within the next couple days. In the meantime, I've made a couple more videos to show you what's coming: 1. Final trailer: this trailer shows a lot more gameplay than the original trailer. This will be the trailer that I use for the App Store. Unlike the teaser trailer which was recorded on a Nexus 4, this trailer was taken right from an iPhone 6. You'll also notice that the title of the game has been shortened to just: Alone in the Wasteland. I dropped the Global Warming part to avoid controversy and giving people the wrong impression. After all the game is not about global warming, it's really about surviving the aftermath. Here is the new trailer: Thanks again for your patience and nice comments, Justin Q. Lost City GameZ
The graphics aren't poor. It has a particular style (and I think that's quite rich coming from the games I've seen in your signature). Did you honestly watch that trailer and think the graphics were poor ?! Plus graphics don't make a game. It's all about the gameplay. If it was just about graphics none of us here would play any retro games Looking forward to this being released
I was excited for this game but seeing the video i was a little disappointed. The UI looks off, the movement animation is awkward (the head looks to be his center of gravity?) and the way oxygen is utilized in the game is counter intuitive with how much exploration (to find stuff and more oxygen) is required to get through the game. Just initial impressions, so i hope im wrong in those points. Hopefully we get concrete answers when the game comes out.
Don't judge the graphics until you see it in real time on a real phone or tablet. I personally think it looks pretty good for a mobile game. In fact, I actually had to bump down the graphics a bit to get better performance. What about the graphics did you not like? Small changes are still being made but for the most part I wanted to keep the UI as light and simple as possible. You only have so much room to work with when making games for smaller screens and I'd rather save as much room as possible for the actual game. Changes to the UI can be updated after release if the current UI becomes an issue. The animations come from Mixamo. I personally think they look pretty good. The only one I'm looking to change right now is possibly the jump animation. I see what you mean about the head being the center of gravity though. I'll see if that can be adjusted before release. The way the oxygen is used is vital to the game. At the core, this is a basic search and find game. For the majority of the game, your only goal is to simply find the 2 fuel cans then find the exit to the level. That by itself would be kinda boring so the oxygen meter adds a layer of survival onto that simple concept. Your oxygen level gradually decreases as time goes by which gives you a sense of urgency while looking for the fuel cans. Also, fighting enemies uses some of your oxygen which forces you to be selective about when to fight and when to just run away (some fights are unavoidable). You'll have to see the game for yourself which will hopefully be very soon. There will be a free version so there is no real risk in trying it out (don't you hate it when you spend money and a game and you end up not liking it). I'm working as a one man team on this project so don't expect perfection, but overall it's a good game with an interesting story.
Alone in the Wasteland is now available! Release post: (http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?p=3498096#post3498096) iTunes link: Alone in the Wasteland Lost City Digital LLC Please read: This game plays best on iPhone 5, iPad 3, iPad mini 2 and newer. If you are using an A5 powered device (suc… Free Buy Now Watch Media DetailsPlease read: This game plays best on iPhone 5, iPad 3, iPad mini 2 and newer. If you are using an A5 powered device (such as the iPhone 4S or iPad mini 1) please use the "low graphics" mode to enable a smoother experience. ----Story---- The year is 2115. The past mistakes of mankind have finally caught up. Global Warming is in full force. The air has turned toxic, temperatures have skyrocketed and crops have stopped growing. Mankind has been forced to move underground. No one has been to the surface in 50 years. One of the neighboring underground cities has sent a distress call for more fuel. This bio-fuel runs the cooling system and filters the air. Without it, no one will survive. You have been selected to brave the wasteland, find bio-fuel and bring it to the city before its too late. There is nothing living on the surface, your only enemies will be your oxygen level and your own sanity. Will you survive the wasteland? ----Gameplay---- - Alone in the Wasteland is a mix of survival, adventure and action. Your main goal in each level is to find 1 bio fuel tank. However, staying alive will be your true challenge. - Oxygen: As you explore the level, your oxygen level will gradually deplete. In order to stay alive you must keep your oxygen level high by finding oxygen cans. - Enemies: The intense heat and lack of oxygen will cause you to have frightening hallucinations. Luckily, you can make these living nightmares go away by using a Mental Blast. Unfortunately, using a mental blast will use some of your oxygen. It's up to you to decide when to run and when to fight. - As you progress through the game, the enemies will get harder and faster and oxygen cans will become more rare. ----Basic Flow of Game---- Step 1. Explore the level. If you come to a locked door you will need to locate a Card Key to proceed further. Step 2. Locate the Bio Fuel tank (has a green light). The Bio Fuel tank may be in a place that you don't expect, so look closely and explore the entire level. Step 3. Once the Bio Fuel tank has been found, you will need to find the levels exit. Keep an eye on your oxygen level. There are oxygen tanks scattered around the level (has a blue light). Step 4. Congratulations! You have unlocked the next level. Keep it up to see more of the wasteland. ----Features---- - Enjoy the entire game for FREE without a single in-app-purchase (minimal ads) - Explore 45 levels in a world ruined by Global Warming - Battle various terrifying enemies that can pop up when you least expect them - Beautiful graphics and lighting effects - Simple yet challenging gameplay - 64 bit support for newer devices - Game Center Achievements ----Perfect for Mobile---- - Bite sized levels - Simple and responsive controls - Minimalistic UI Information Seller:Lost City Digital LLC Genre:Action, Adventure Release:Mar 11, 2015 Updated:Oct 27, 2015 Version:2.2 Size:267.2 MB TouchArcade Rating:Unrated User Rating:Unrated Your Rating:unrated Compatibility:HD Universal Show Ignored Content Page 2 of 2 < Prev 1 2 Share This Page Tweet Your name or email address: Do you already have an account? No, create an account now. Yes, my password is: Forgot your password? Stay logged in
