Prospekt
Price drop
Stay safe and speak soon.
Best
Rich
Roll Call
Hello everyone, before the year is up I think it’s time for an update on the situation with Prospekt. As you may or may not of known I was considering switching over the game to UE4. However after discussion with Valve they have provided me with a more up to date version of the engine and therefore you’ll be happy to hear that Prospekt will stay on Source Engine.
I have been reluctant to expand the team as I have worked on projects where larger teams mean diminishing returns mainly on management and production. However due to my commitments and the sheer amount of work. I am going to take a different approach and give it a shot and today I will start the push to expand the team to a level where we can make more content for the Half-Life universe.
What we desperately still need is a competent C++ developer, this has been a sticking point for us for a long time as these people are gold dust and I can see why as this is a very technical skill set. If you are out there and would love to help us on this project. Please contact me!
I will need the C++ developer to be able to obtain or have a static IP due to security measures. This unfortunately is non negotiable. We can help arrange this if you do not have one but have a static IP service from your ISP.
Also all applicants will need to be able to use version control software and please upon application provide prior examples of work.
The image I have posted shows the roles that we think are required. Anyone interested can contact me here: Richard@seacorptech.com
If you feel you can contribute in another way still feel free to email in and we will consider your application.
I hope 2019 can bring us a more productive year where we can push on and continue. For now I will bid you a Happy New Year and will see you all in 2019. Hopefully with a awesome team to continue production.
Have Faith.
Rich
Updat ( Update ) on Prospekt
So for that I thank you all for your support and patience in turning the situation around.
In regard to Prospekt and it’s future. I have noticed there is understandably low morale among quite a few of you and I just want to address that. Over the last 4/6 weeks I have been looking into moving Prospekt onto the Unreal 4 engine.
Now I understand many of you will find this strange.
“What’s the point of moving it to Unreal 4 when Prospekt is already finished?” Etc.
There are many questions like this floating around so I’ll just address a few. Firstly, this is very much a maybe situation and I’m trying to get to the bottom of whether it can be done or not. As you can imagine there are some complexities around switching engines and the powers at be must decide if that is something that can be done. I am still waiting on this. If it’s a flat out no then we shall continue to do what we are already doing. If it is a yes however then it will be my intention to do this.
Why? Well I’m just going to say it how I see it. It is my honest opinion that Source engine is and has fallen behind modern day standards. Not only in its technical ability but in it’s support as well. That is hard to say as I am a massive fan of this engine and it all blew us away back in 2003 with it’s impressive features. And credit to it for punching above it’s weight for so long. I remember leaving my PC on overnight to download a 300mb video of Counter Strike Source because my internet speed sucked at the time. But when I got home after school that day I was blown away at the leap in technological advancement.
I will also say there are teams using it that have had great success and it’s performed perfectly for them so I’m not discrediting it in that regard at all. However, these days for a small team that is trying to implement new features that is not the case. It’s proving extremely hard. It’s not that it can’t be done because it can, but it’s just hard to do and the framework is not streamlined. I don’t give up on issues easily so when I say hard I mean it’s hard.
Can I stress I’m talking about Source Engine 1 not Source 2. Which I’m sure when and if that arises will be much, much better. However, I have no idea when or if that is ever coming and that means I cannot plan a future down that path. However, if S2 was a thing I would absolutely love to work with it and see what it can do.
Having worked in UE4 now for over a year I’ve seen what it can bring to the table. Not just great graphical fidelity but also good optimisation, distribution methods that are almost automated and many other things that have had the heavy lifting done to save much needed time during the development. Not to mention almost weekly updates with fixes and or improvements and on hand support.
As a small team these kind of features make a massive difference, it’s hard to explain how much of a difference it makes but to sum it up here’s an example. If you came and asked me, “Rich we want to do X in Source” Id say “I’m not too sure if you can without a tonne of work and I don’t know of any tutorials or guidance on that” If you asked me the same question about UE4 id be able to say “I’m pretty sure you could do that without much trouble and im fairly sure there’s information on it. I know that's quite vague but that is the general feel.
I’m not naming any names but I feel these reasons are probably why many others are migrating over to UE4 as well and I feel this will slowly begin to happen with everyone.
On top of all of this is the main factor. I want to make great games for you, the players and fans that love this universe of Half-life just as I do. When I see what I can make and the potential for the game down this path, it’s a no brainer. We can achieve much more and deliver better content. Instead of engineering the actual engine and bringing it up to speed we want to just use an engine that can help us to make a great game. We do not have the infrastructure to adapt an engine to our needs at that deep level.
If we can’t make the move then I will endeavour to continue production regardless and I will see what I can do in regards to upgrading and improving the current situation.
But that is where I stand. We will wait and see what our next move is. Please don’t be disheartened this is just a slow-moving situation but I am still here.
Also, for all of you that are asking will you have to pay again no, it will be a free update to everyone that already owns the game. If we do massive extensive work on the game and it gets a tonne of more features on top of the base game that everyone already owns, then maybe. But that is a long way on the horizon.
I have big ideas for the future of Prospekt. It will take time, but we will get there.
All the best
Rich
It's been a while.
Hey everyone, Rich here. Well well well... It’s been quite some time since our last update. You’re probably all eager to find out what is to come so let me get you all up to speed. Firstly, big thank you to everyone that is reviewing the game lately as it seems the game is really starting to shift in the right direction even if it has taken 2 years and the decimation of my soul. Were close to 60% now and i'm sure with more updates and support we can get the game even better.
I’ve taken a back seat with Prospekt lately as some of you may know i'm working on my second game Gunsmith which is due for launch very soon. I have chipped in now and then, provided 3D models, design tips and some guidance on getting work more professional. I have to say a massive well done to the guys that are working on Prospekt now as they are improving their skills and craft to make some really top quality work.
We are making progress on the game in all directions, some faster than others. For example, we have the mapping pretty much solid. We can map what we want, when we want, and to a very high standard now. David ( Phenomene ) as some of you may know him as. Has done some brilliant work on improving existing levels and making entirely new ones.
But we know that in order to improve the game we need more than just more maps. Which is why we are focusing on a better narrative ( which includes new and existing characters in the Half-Life universe ) to add to the story. We also know we need new items and experiences ( which includes new weapons and challenges ).
I'm not at liberty to say right now what new characters are coming as it would be a massive spoiler for all of you but I think you will love it when it is finished. Hidden ( our character and weapons 3D modeler ) Is doing a great job at refining one of our main characters and he is shaping up nicely.
One big issue in particular that I have been pondering. How do you update a linear game so that we introduce improvements but not spoil what is to come or change the entire game without other parts being ready to supplement this. It’s a tough one. We do have changes we could push now up to the game. But the effect would be well, meh. What I ideally would like is to have a really large almost 2.0 style update where people want to replay the entire game. If we trickle feed all our improvements this effect I feel will fall flat.
However, I also don’t want you all to be waiting around for a long time with no new content to play so i’m thinking about introducing some extra content via the bonus maps to keep things fun while the wait is on.
It’s a tricky one but we will find a way. I know you have waited a long time for this update so I will confirm a few things so you have something to look forward to. Firstly, the infamous wrench will be making a comeback. This will also be accompanied by the Desert Eagle and a new Shotgun. All of these are working and in game. They are still currently being worked on and I only really want to show them off officially when they are done. I will also confirm the new view model is shaping up nicely. All of these things I need to put some time aside to re-texture in Substance Painter. When you read this Pheno i am sorry I still have not done this please don’t hate me.
I will sign off by thanking you all for being an awesome community, in our Discord especially, and for sticking with the game. I will hopefully be able to focus a bit more on Prospekt after I launch Gunsmith . But unfortunately as many of you understand. I’ve gotta pay the bills and that means launching another game to help me do that.
We are crafting something really enjoyable, however I must say working in Source is becoming ever increasingly labour intensive. We are working with tools and software now with no updates or support for a long time. Therefore things we would like to do sometimes come slow. This mixed with availability makes it hard. But we endure and we progress slowly towards our goal.
Hopefully the next update will be something you can all actually play, rather then just read me waffling on.
All the best.
Rich
October Update - The overhaul
We have been working hard on the environments and improving Prospekt over the last months. We have added a tonne of new stuff to reflect the game, the lore, the overall feel. We have heard people come up with some great ideas. The main thing to take away from this is, we are extensively overhauling the game to make it much more in line with a full product. i.e everything gets a 2017 remake, if it looks old. It will be spruced up to modern day standards. So, we're talking all new 3D assets and hopefully a much more fun gameplay experience.
We still have work to do on this scene however as you are a devoted community we think that is a decent enough standard to show you a current WIP. Like i said before, things will take time as we are working on replacing a lot of aging assets with custom content now, freshly modeled for the 2017 side of things.Some things that have aged well we will keep, but if we think it needs to be upgraded that's on the list.
I will be honest with you, production has slowed due to me working on my second title, which i feel is time now as an artist and designer that I want to start moving on. Also coupled with the fact that I have a job now at a University. Therefore things are going a little slow in terms of my personal content creation.
I must emphasise that this does NOT mean I will stop working on Prospekt. However i now need to start to work on my next steps as a designer and my career. I obviously want to bring more than just one game to the world for people to enjoy and I feel now is the right time to start to do that. If you want to support me on my journey designing my second game then I would love to have you along on the journey.
However I feel we have galvanised a very strong team behind the game now. We have some team members that have really improved their personal game design skills and it's been a pleasure to work with them. They are continuing to work on the game with me as well so all in all, the pace hasn't come to a grinding halt or anything so don't panic!
Remember if all is quiet on the front, the game is not abandoned! We are still here. Just please bare with us. I want to deliver you quality content for a game that deserves it. Thank you once again for being a epic community and supporting me and the team whilst we turn Prospekt into a much larger and more enjoyable experience.
Hope you enjoy the shot.
Speak to you soon.
All the best
Rich
Things to come?
As much as I knew that Episode 3 / HL3 would not be produced I really thought there was some hope that I would be wrong. There is still a part of me that hopes Mr. Laidlaw is being Earth's biggest troll and they will announce a new Half-Life based title soon. But if you read between the lines of his writing… Well personally and I hope i'm wrong. But it tells me what we all don't really want to hear. Its very sad that we will not get to see the ending to the most hyped game of all time and if it's true, to say goodbye to it in a few pages of writing, well, personally I am absolutely gutted.
For me what was a joke about HL3 being CONFIRMED has now quickly become a meme that will never become a reality. Which really sucks, and we (us) as a community will never actually be able to say HL3 CONFIRMED and it actually means that which I feel is also pretty sad. The thing im most saddened by is the fact we will never find out who G-man was.
I had an idea of what would happen in HL3 / EP3 and I feel i touched on that relatively well. But now there is some rough clarity, I think we can expand on that and think about some ideas. The good thing about Prospekt is that it's open to being extended and that its story can go anywhere and we can add new chapters to the game, we can extend its storyline and we can do well… whatever we want to some extent.
I think... well, i think that we would all like to play something that ties up the actual story, and I think that maybe I/we can try and do something with that. It will take a long time. But considering nothing is happening anyway, maybe we can do something in the future and better late than never is better than nothing ever. I’m not sure myself yet, I would have to get around the table and talk to people. But if this is it and were never getting anymore Half-Life. Well, then id like to try and deliver some more for the entire community to enjoy and hopefully expand the story and explain some things.
I can't promise anything but we will see.
Hope you are all well.
Rich :gordon:
July Update!
Secondly, the team that grew in size, contracted in size and the person who was working on major parts of the next update did not come through for us in the end. Thirdly. We are taking quite a major turn in what we want the game to be. The plan was to first just release updates, put out the soundtrack etc and improve on certain parts of the game. Hope it gets better and then continue with the development. Well that's not really the aim now. We are looking at all aspects of the game design to make it better. The team is now at five. So thats whats happening. I would like to give you dates / goals / milestones but honestly I think that's a bad idea because when/if we don't hit them people are not very understanding.
What I can confirm is that the game is being worked on. Unfortunately due to the lack of sales and traffic it means that I have now had to find alternative means of income. Therefore the time I can spend on this project has dropped. Thats not to say that its stopped because that is completely not the case. In fact the team now is at its largest. I am taking more of a supportive role. Working on new 3D content and game aspects. I am not going to confirm any new changes at this time because that is likely to change and what i dont want to do is say this big feature is getting added, then down the line is removed as i feel that will disappoint a lot of players.
What I can say is there will be more significant content drops. When they are extremely polished, fun and ready. There will be significant gameplay increases and i am very hopeful the game is going in a direction that you’re all going to love.
Can i just ask please that some of you just be patient. Creating content for this type of game is extremely time intensive and is not easy to just push out. When people start arguing or leaving negative reviews that is making it harder for this game to thrive. It would be much better for constructive criticism and support to help this game get better. With the game on a mixed review right now it is almost impossible for any growth. But we will still endeavour for that to happen.
To everyone who has been super supportive and I think you all know who you are. Thank you very much for your continued support it is greatly appreciated.
Speak to you all soon.
Rich
May Update!
Hey everyone Rich here! So for the first time I can say WE have been working hard on the next Prospekt update. Now the team has grown to 4! I feel this is a good number. The scope of the update has changed somewhat because of the increase in team size but we know what we want to achieve for the Black Forest update. It is on its way soon so please be patient. As i always read, you all want quality over quantity so that's what we are aiming for. It's always hard to gauge a release date but i’m hoping we won't be too far away now. Things are starting to come together and it’s looking pretty nice.
To keep you all in the loop and wet your appetite for some more Half-Life here's a brief look at what we’ve been working on for the update. Thanks for your patience guys. I think you’ll all enjoy it when it's here!
Remember you can join us all on Discord here: https://discord.gg/8XaeRUJ to get involved in the community and speak to me and other members of the team!
See you all soon.
All the best.
Rich
April Update!
Hello everyone! Hope you are keeping well. So it's been awhile since I last put an update out for you all to see what is going on. Things are moving in the background slowly but surely. I would like to officially announce that the Prospekt team has grown by 2! David, who is an eager and talented young mapper has joined to make some cool levels and gameplay and Dmitry who is a talented programmer to help get some totally new items and mechanics working in the game. Both are in the Prospekt discord if you wish to speak to them.
Here
https://discord.gg/8XaeRUJ
One of the hardest parts of game development is getting a strong team to work together and I hope that this will be a successful collaboration that can work well to produce some epic and enjoyable content.
Thank you all for your continued support on this project. Prospekt is getting to a better place now, it still needs to improve greatly if its survival is to be confirmed however it looks as of recently that there might be a small light at the end of a long tunnel.
I would really appreciate it if you have played Prospekt and enjoyed it to leave a review as it is really helping the game to survive and grow.
There will be another update soon with much more to come but before more stuff comes out I want it to be in a very good place.
Thank you all once again for your continued support.
All the best.
Rich
Black Forest Update
Hello everyone Rich here! So after my last post i've been hard at work. Today im happy to announce the Black Forest update! To celebrate this i've put the game on sale so you can pick it up and play it if you haven't already before the big update comes along.
I'm hoping that it will come out in early spring. This will be a big change to the game and will hopefully mix up the corridor style that some people didn't like so much. I've learned a lot and evolved my designs, hopefully this shows in the trailer.
I would also like to announce that the soundtrack for the game will be coming for free as DLC in the next few days if not tomorrow. I did want this coupled with today but I had to get the trailer ready.
In the meantime, if you want to come and talk about the new trailer feel free to come join us over on the discord! https://discord.gg/8XaeRUJ
Also just a quick note to all users getting this strange water pink and black issue on level three. I think i've fixed it and it's ready to be sent to you all. However when the game goes on sale sometimes there's a lot of traffic and I don't want to push a fresh update incase something breaks for everyone playing. If you are having that issue I am hoping to get it resolved in the next 24/48 hours so apologies and I will fix it for you asap. I am on it!
Hope you're all good! As always, thanks for the support!
Rich