[Defense / Survival] Flickering Light

[Mr.Goblin]

========================================================

I've started working on this mini project to explore the craft of the Horror game genra. Challenge myself to draw gore textures, come up with great gameplay elements, build a scary and creepy atmosphere, find all the tricks and techniques to invoke horror and scare people out. I might succeed, I might fail... Either way I will learn!

More information to come... I'll be posting texture development, terrain development and gameplay development in the following post. Thanks for following this personal quest!

WHAT'S TO COME?

FIRST PLAYABLE We have a massive project planned out, but to achieve it we are taking it in strides. The first playable will only include: -1 hero out of the 4 heros currently planned. -A Playable 112x112 terrain (that will be expended and improved in further patches). -1 Designed act out of many more that you'll randomly face in different games. -6 items out many many... many more. -A hint of the universe that Flickering Light is, will be presented to you.

Credits

Credits

==TEAMPLAYERS==
KILLCIDE for his triggers and great support.
Archian for his terrainning support and helping with designing the gameplay.

==HELPERS==
Drake, TriggerHappy, and StoPCampinGn00b for helping test the Hero Selection System

My cousin Sasha Vukovic for his knowledge in how to create scary atmosphere.
My great friends: Salim Hamza, Laurent De Brienne, and Keiji for their help with the brainstorming and their ideas.

==RESSOURCES==
Talavaj for his Tree models and bushes model = Model pack Stone and Sword Legacy
Born2Modificate's High resolution doodads models over at wc3c.net
XGM.guru's community and their various 3D models!
General Frank for his quick model edits
Misha for his models!
MiniMage for his help with model editing.

-=Wallpapers=-

Want to help? Contact Mr.Goblin
-We are looking for 3D modelers
-Pre First playable testers.

-STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION-

 

[Tickles]

Leave it to you to come up with stylishly grotesque-looking textures for some quality horror

It sounds like it'll be good. Will combat be traditional, or do you have some custom style of combat against the creatures? It sounds a bit like light might have something to do with it.

And if you're looking for some ideas, horror to me isn't usually the direct approach by a creature. It's the little sounds you hear when you aren't sure if it's something following you or just a falling rock in the distance. And even if a creature is in pursuit of someone, it would be a lot scarier if it suddenly vanished (climbed away, burrowed away, darted in the opposite direction, etc.) and masked its presence entirely.

I love me some horror games, so I'll be following this like a hawk. Good luck!

 

[Mr.Goblin]

Leave it to you to come up with stylishly grotesque-looking textures for some quality horror

Thanks mate, I have a few more great texture ideas ahead for scary creatures!

It sounds like it'll be good. Will combat be traditional, or do you have some custom style of combat against the creatures? It sounds a bit like light might have something to do with it.

I have yet to decide.... Being weak against danger is definitely a factor that makes everything more scary, because you're out of your comfort zone.. always. Which makes it hard to balance. What I'll probably do is = do a combination of both. Always avoiding danger would just be tiresome at somepoint. If some combat is involve it means you think you have a chance.... and realise that sometimes you wont be abble to. Keep that fear factor and alertness involve.

And if you're looking for some ideas, horror to me isn't usually the direct approach by a creature. It's the little sounds you hear when you aren't sure if it's something following you or just a falling rock in the distance. And even if a creature is in pursuit of someone, it would be a lot scarier if it suddenly vanished (climbed away, burrowed away, darted in the opposite direction, etc.) and masked its presence entirely.

I definitly want to involve dark figures that when you spot them, simply run away from you or disapear with a screach... I'll post my gameplay updates here.

I love me some horror games, so I'll be following this like a hawk. Good luck!

thanks! make sure to comment and post your own ideas as well! I will need help testing out gameplay aspect as well.

 

[Mr.Goblin]

First region of the map Work in progress... a fort village kind of place.

HybrisFactory - Terraining and Mapping Resources I'll be using trees, bushes and rock models from @Talavaj

 

[Unregret]

I love horror theme map! Hope this will be released soon, Mr. Goblin.

 

[NightStalker]

Man that quality of those skins are awesome! Looking forward for the result map

 

[Mr.Goblin]

started decorating the Fort with environmental stuff.... I discovered two things while doing so =
1 = THe trees can't be to big OR to bushy because it really blocks the view.
2 = You don'T see the light of the torches until they are out of the ''Fog of war''. Thus I'll have to find a way to reveal them before hand.


More to come! I still need to find the art direction I want for the buildings. (can or cannot go inside them... that is the question.)

 

[Mr.Goblin]

There's a new monster onboard they will hang out in swamps areas

Edit = Started working on the swamp section of the terrain and decided to show these new creatures in action.

Edit 2 = (yeah don't want to spam my own thread D

New texture on the way!

and Psss... I've updated the first post

 

[Idaero Ace]

Whoa Master Goblin also making map! Thats mean double degree! Double Master!
I have zero knowledge about horror game, so I cant say much. But I'll play this map, I believe it cant be that scary in warcraft (i hope, lol) (the only horror game I played is amnesia, for a couple minutes, on windowed 320x200 without sound)

 

[Mr.Goblin]

Whoa Master Goblin also making map! Thats mean double degree! Double Master!
I have zero knowledge about horror game, so I cant say much. But I'll play this map, I believe it cant be that scary in warcraft (i hope, lol) (the only horror game I played is amnesia, for a couple minutes, on windowed 320x200 without sound)

thanks mate! well it will be a coop game, so you could play with your friends

=====

NEW UPDATES! I've worked more on the terrain today. Slowly but surely. these are still work in progress.

I know for certain the woodpillar walls will have a new texture, same goes for the pine models and some of the overal tileset as well. + I want to add more tiny details here and there once I'm done with the whole terrain and the map still has memory.

Edit 1 ====
Updated some of the beast's descriptions. More are to come, and more are bound to change as well, depending if they work well withing the game's mechanics.

 

[Kazeon]

Whoa this looks amazing, mate! And those creatures are amazingly creepy! Can't wait to play it

 

[Mr.Goblin]

Whoa this looks amazing, mate! And those creatures are amazingly creepy! Can't wait to play it

If you gave a hand, you'd play it faster! harr harr ;D

 

[Kazeon]

If you gave a hand, you'd play it faster! harr harr ;D

Hehe.. Wait until I get back to my other project I will try to finish my current one real quick!

 

[Mr.Goblin]

Hehe.. Wait until I get back to my other project I will try to finish my current one real quick!

NEAT!

===Tiny Annoncement!===
I will restart most part of the terrain I've already started. I found great custom models that would suit more for the type of game I want to make and I also realised I needed more ''amo'' in therms of real and dirty texture work.

Don't worry, I didn't loose much time, we are speaking of maybe 4-5 hours tops, which was also a great learning tool! Haven't terrainned in ages so I had to find a proper pipeline.

 

[Mr.Goblin]

I have started working on the new terrain. IT's all I've got so far, the textures will probably be reworked and edited later on, but all in due time

 

[stein123]

5/5

 

[Mr.Goblin]

==Terrain Updates==

I've worked more on the first region this week-end

and I've made some creepy flying ghost that does NOTHING but just be creepy (It's a critter with ''Wander'', I just put a few in a box so I could show you guys.)

Edit2 =

THUNDER EFFECT it even comes with soundeffects

 

[Deleted member 238226]

plenty of neat stuff in one thread ^^
keep up the good work mr.goblin

 

[Mr.Goblin]

plenty of neat stuff in one thread ^^
keep up the good work mr.goblin

Thanks mate!

================

So... turns out there's things lurking in the dark that only a certain light can reveal.

 

[Rheiko]

This is one hell of a game. Looks incredibly awesome. I can't wait to play it!
Keep it up, Goblin!

Subscribing ~

 

[deepstrasz]

So... turns out there's things lurking in the dark that only a certain light can reveal.

There could be a place (with a boss?) where a creature quickly moves from a point to another horizontally to the hero's facing angle and then does the same while the hero's with his back at the creature and at some point the entity would just hastily strike at the hero and get back to locomoting around the protagonist.

Other stuff:
-wicked things that come out of chests after being opened/unlocked
-traps (hold the Templar in place) that might make you bleed and attract unwanted attention

 

[Mr.Goblin]

There could be a place (with a boss?) where a creature quickly moves from a point to another horizontally to the hero's facing angle and then does the same while the hero's with his back at the creature and at some point the entity would just hastily strike at the hero and get back to locomoting around the protagonist.

Other stuff:
-wicked things that come out of chests after being opened/unlocked
-traps (hold the Templar in place) that might make you bleed and attract unwanted attention

Great ideas! I'm still far away from designing Boss fights! but it does sound interesting that Burst of energy idea is neat!
not sure about the chests... idea though.

but oh yes traps will be made my friend a Monster named Will-O-Wisp will guide players to traps or treasures. So it'S always a barging when you meet one
=============

Updated the Fort region

 

[deepstrasz]

a Monster named Will-O-Wisp will guide players to traps or treasures. So it'S always a barging when you meet one

Will players have to separate to find the items faster (before the countdown timer expires) or would constant team play suffice?

We currently know little about gameplay mechanics such as: life regeneration, (thirst, food, tiredness?) but we kind of get it that light is very important and a required resource to stay alive.

 

[Mr.Goblin]

Will players have to separate to find the items faster (before the countdown timer expires) or would constant team play suffice?

We currently know little about gameplay mechanics such as: life regeneration, (thirst, food, tiredness?) but we kind of get it that light is very important and a required resource to stay alive.

I'm still doing tests for the gameplay which is why I don't want to write down false promises :S

But to answer your question, indeed players will have eventually to spread out if they want to succed finding all the 6 items in time.

 

[deepstrasz]

But to answer your question, indeed players will have eventually to spread out if they want to succed finding all the 6 items in time.

Randomness for item spawn locations every game so that replayability would be at its peak

 

[Mr.Goblin]

Randomness for item spawn locations every game so that replayability would be at its peak

that was the plan all along

 

[Mr.Goblin]

After doing some research (aka mostly googling good old Diablo 1 and 2 screenshots, and by talking about it with a few hivers in the chat, I decided to change the camera's field of view slightly Here's how it looks like. what do you guys think?

The idea behind this artistic choice is to push forward the claustrophobia feeling... you in the middle of this vast dark area that seems to spread out endlessly.

Edit = new screenshots!

 

[deepstrasz]

Here's how it looks like. what do you guys think?

It would be unnoticeable without knowing. Hmm... claustrophobia could just be the dim light and major darkness around the protagonists as well as places resembling mazes.

 

[Naze]

That's very interesting man! I like the direction you're taking and the overall feel you're giving to it. The terraining looks great - the environment and the architecture. Subscribing!

 

[Yugata]

Wow this looks beautiful! I can't wait to play this! How many players are there going to be? Cause I would love to play this with my cousins and siblings. (There are 5 of us in total)

 

[Mr.Goblin]

That's very interesting man! I like the direction you're taking and the overall feel you're giving to it. The terraining looks great - the environment and the architecture. Subscribing!

Thanks mate! I really appreciate your kind words :O. I'm trying really hard to step my game with the terrainning. I feel like I'll go through many changes, and perhaps if this project gets enough attention I'll have better models made for it. Will see! can't thank enough the hive community and the wc3c for their amazing ressources!

special thanks to Talavaj's set.

Wow this looks beautiful! I can't wait to play this! How many players are there going to be? Cause I would love to play this with my cousins and siblings. (There are 5 of us in total)

I'm planning this game to be a 4-6 player game! because when I do lan parties it's basically with 4-6 people myself haha!

It would be unnoticeable without knowing. Hmm... claustrophobia could just be the dim light and major darkness around the protagonists as well as places resembling mazes.

...places resembling mazes... interresting. I want to create a ''swamp area'' that seems to lead you nowhere a few times. So I guess I have the same mind set! Same goes for a dark forest. The Hobbit movie style.

I'll keep in touch!

========
If not , the amazing @KILLCIDE has started doing some trigger works for the project (aka: fixing my sucky triggers... HA!)

I've started expecting the terrain a little, mostly worked on the surrounding of the encampment... I've also started slowly brainstorming about the items and shops inside the fort. (The encampment will probably be a safe spot for the players)!

I'm thinking a bit like diablo 2 Act 1.
A mage/achemist
A blacksmith
A random scrap type of merchant.

Will see, if you have ideas, let me know But please not, this game isn't ment to be an RPG. So there won't be much item or economy system involved.

 

[Mr.Goblin]

annnnd NEW SCREENSHOTS! almost done with the forth encampment. Next! probably ruins and swamp sections.

 

[Neruvatar]

I love it! The monsters you've created was what I was wanting some time ago! =) Keep it coming!

 

[deepstrasz]

annnnd NEW SCREENSHOTS!

People hanging around. Must be some sort of mime party with the wind as the conductor.

I'm thinking a bit like diablo 2 Act 1.

If you decide to make each hero unique (choice/random mode based or player preset) then be sure to balance their abilities as they would have to go alone/in small numbers at some point to get the/an item(s).

 

[Mr.Goblin]

People hanging around. Must be some sort of mime party with the wind as the conductor.

after a lot of thoughts, there will be no shops nor ''safe spot'' in the game. it breaks creepy,foreveralone, factor.

If you decide to make each hero unique (choice/random mode based or player preset) then be sure to balance their abilities as they would have to go alone/in small numbers at some point to get the/an item(s).

I have yet to brainstorm about that. But if it's the case, then most certainly they shall be able to survive on their own and compliment each other.

=======================

New terrainned place! = The hideout!

+

I finished the Fort today

 

[Neruvatar]

NICE! Can't wait!

 

[deepstrasz]

The hideout!

=/=safe spot, right?

I would not name heroes like Dean the Archer (the Ranger). It sounds/looks weird to me.

 

[Celaquil]

He's called "Manadar the Healer", and I'm pretty sure that's a generic wc3 name for the paladin hero.

Likely just a placeholder name for the time being.

I still stand by my statement that the terrain, although mostly nice, still looks a bit too cluttered.
And the statue in the second shot is just sloppy work: It is clipping the wall behind it, which it shouldn't,
it's not scaled properly to my eye, and the fact that it's standing on top of wood, together with the
poor aesthetics of the lines of the base with the surrounding doodads make it look really out of place.

I get that you want to create a sort of eerie feeling, a sense of paranoid claustrophobic feeling, but that
doesn't excuse, in my eyes, the over cluttering of doodads. Less doodads, more to scale, and just more
elegantly put together could serve the exact same purpose and still look and feel menacing. In my opinion.

Otherwise, it looks fine Looking forward to this.

 

[deepstrasz]

He's called "Manadar the Healer", and I'm pretty sure that's a generic wc3 name for the paladin hero.

Yeah, I know. I wrote LIKE. That's not the only WcIII hero name that has a "the" after the name. Looks weird: Manadar the Healer the Paladin has fallen (imagine a "the hero" after that line too).

 

[Mr.Goblin]

He's called "Manadar the Healer", and I'm pretty sure that's a generic wc3 name for the paladin hero.

Likely just a placeholder name for the time being.

I still stand by my statement that the terrain, although mostly nice, still looks a bit too cluttered.
And the statue in the second shot is just sloppy work: It is clipping the wall behind it, which it shouldn't,
it's not scaled properly to my eye, and the fact that it's standing on top of wood, together with the
poor aesthetics of the lines of the base with the surrounding doodads make it look really out of place.

I get that you want to create a sort of eerie feeling, a sense of paranoid claustrophobic feeling, but that
doesn't excuse, in my eyes, the over cluttering of doodads. Less doodads, more to scale, and just more
elegantly put together could serve the exact same purpose and still look and feel menacing. In my opinion.

Otherwise, it looks fine Looking forward to this.

Great feedbacks! there's a reason why I'm showing screenshots , I'll see to that. I'm not sure about the statue either, its there to simply create a creepy factor indeed. As in = why is there a statue? was the hideout built around it? or the other way around? what?!... wat....... Thunder rolls..... eeeeh shit.

I'll see to this later.

====

for the name, yeah wc3 generic character name generator. They won't have any name... beside ''you''.

 

[Veritas 117]

Your skins are incredible. I'm jealous of your skinning capabilities for sure.

Nice work on the terrain, it is looking really nice. It has a good dark feel to it for sure.

 

[Mr.Goblin]

Your skins are incredible. I'm jealous of your skinning capabilities for sure.

Nice work on the terrain, it is looking really nice. It has a good dark feel to it for sure.

Thank you very much :O .... wow... jesus. I really hope to keep improving!

====================

I did a thing! it's not perfect, still trying to see which ''special effect'' would look better.

But basically, when you enter a ''region'' around this clocked figure (Spoiler alert, it will be retextured), it will just vanish in a chilling scream.... that's it's only purpose.

 

[deepstrasz]

But basically, when you enter a ''region'' around this clocked figure (Spoiler alert, it will be retextured), it will just vanish in a chilling scream.... that's it's only purpose

What about quickly changing transparency until it becomes invisible to the unit instead of a boom? I mean, why the bubble if it does no damage? At least, if it did, you should have ran back away from it before it "exploded".

 

[Fuzzyfury]

Dude this is awesome! I wish I had friends I could play this with.

 

[Ardenaso]

Awesome! Looking forward for it.

 

[PROXY]

Id use a more stealthy effect too, the effect used is too well knowm and boomy

 

[Tickles]

But with a new texture he's making for it, I'm sure it'll look more sinister and less boomy. It could have a stun or slowing effect as a consequence for being in its radius.

 

[PROXY]

But with a new texture he's making for it, I'm sure it'll look more sinister and less boomy. It could have a stun or slowing effect as a consequence for being in its radius.

I thought the retexture was for the acolyte model. In your case though, I'm confident it will look awesome

 

[Mr.Goblin]

But with a new texture he's making for it, I'm sure it'll look more sinister and less boomy. It could have a stun or slowing effect as a consequence for being in its radius.

I thought the retexture was for the acolyte model. In your case though, I'm confident it will look awesome

Actually I was talking about the acolyte model :3, the explosion effect is a placeholder, I'll eventually find a proper effect in the warcraft3 bank or in one of the hiveworkshop's ressources. Will see.

========

New terrain! and updated terrain!

I've started devellopping the overal setting (storywise). Basically shit happened... the villagers got really scared and tried to get safety in various places (fort, castle, cities etc... until they were rejected and forced to flee and create their own hideout to run away from the dark. The player will stumble upond a few of these hideouts if he searches through caves.

Updated terrain


New hideout = in the world editor and ingame view.


====

oh and THANKS THE HIVEWOKSHOP FOR THE FACEBOOK POST, you guys are amazing D:

 

[Tickles]

Oh, I didn't think you meant the acolyte because it doesn't really look out of place with its default skin in a dark map like this. I really like the effect you have now if you're able to change the runes to something more ghostly.

The waterfall and other water models from Refuge in Ruins would look good in that hideout. You can change their tinting entirely the way you want to since they're pure white. The wood and stones might also be fitting.