I restarted the game in early 2023 to make it more possible for me to finish the development in a reasonable amount of time. One of the key changes was the removal of most of the secondary characters (from Chapter One) and the addition of a new ally in the form of your new companion CID (Crime Scene Investigation Drone).
I also want to make clear that Silhouette is currently a side project for me. I'm going to be working full-time on my other project until June so that it is ready for the Summer Game Fest, and hope to continue work on Silhouette sometime in July with a goal (that I'll possibly miss) of launching the game in early 2024.
The game has been removed from Early Access and will go immediately into full release when it is finished. Be sure to wishlist the game now!
-Peter
Updated the game and demo to version 1.2
I've updated the game and demo to include some suggestions made by the community, and to fix some minor issues with the game.
Added functionality for the cursor to turn green when you are aiming at an item that you can interact with to help players figure out which items are potential clues, and which are just background.
Fixed the Field of View slider in the Options so that you can now adjust the Field of View to your liking. Note, that you need to have started the game for the change to take effect.
Adjusted the Journal entry headlines so they don't overlap with the associated content, and adjusted the spacing of the content so that it doesn't fall off the edge of the page.
Various tweaks and adjustments to game code that isn't really obvious when you're playing, but none the less had to be adjusted so that the above fixes could work.
Out with the Old, in with the New!
I decided to update the base game to reflect the same content that is found in the new Silhouette: Chapter One demo. Although I have pulled the old version of the game from sale, I wanted those who have previously purchased the game to be able to get a feel for where it is now headed (and to be honest, I didn't realize you couldn't download the demo if you own the game), and the old version (as much as I did love it) no longer represents what Silhouette will be.
I realize, however, this may be a little frustrating to those of you who have been waiting a long time for more content, only to find that you now have less. I think the new stuff is a lot more enjoyable than the original, though, and I'm excited for you to get to experience the new content as it is ready.
I'm still aiming to have Chapter One completed by the end of this year - a target that in all honesty, I'm more than likely to miss while working a 40hr/week job, but none the less, I want to aim high. I don't plan to put the game back on sale until the entirety of Chapter One has been completed, but I may actually release periodic updates until then for the 3 of you those of you who already own the game.
Thanks again to all of you for your patience, and I truly hope that Silhouette: Chapter One proves to have been worth the wait when it does release.
-Peter
Silhouette: Chapter One Demo is now available
Download the new Silhouette: Chapter One Demo to play through the first crime scene in this fascinating detective story.
Lead Homicide Detective Jim Grayson through one of the most disturbing cases in his seventeen-year career. Are these crime scenes unrelated or is this the work of a serial killer?
Download the demo now to see how the story begins
Major Milestone - All levels now complete!
Hey all,
I'm excited to let everyone know that all of the levels for Silhouette: Chapter One are now 80% complete with the only thing remaining being some minor detailing. This is a major milestone in the game, and probably the biggest hurdle. I'm now starting work on blocking out all of the gameplay elements unique to each level/mission and also blocking in the NPC dialogue. Once this is complete, the Voice Actors will start recording their lines while I work on the animations for the dialogue. After that, baring some testing, the first full chapter of the game should be complete! This still puts the game at 4 - 8 months away from release but the finish line is clearly in sight!
I've included a few screenshots, however, In the interest of not spoiling anything they are only showing a level that has previously been shown, "the Mansion", and the first look at a few areas in the Police Station that the player will visit quite often between missions.
Thank you all for your continued support and interest in the game, and I'm super excited to see what you all think of it when it's finally ready.
Making good progress
I've been making some good progress on the complete re-design of Silhouette.
Here's a sneak preview:
Update on the status of Silhouette's next release
I decided to write a (long winded) post on the status of Silhouette to give everyone a better idea of how the game has been progressing and when the next update will release. Use this link to read the entire post http://steamcommunity.com/app/526310/discussions/0/1484358860956485873/
New Graphics updates for version 0.2
While I've been overhauling the mechanics of the game, I also thought it might be a good time to play around with updating the quality of the character models. I wanted to make them look a bit more realistic while still maintaining the original design. After playing around for a long while, I think I've finally found the sweet spot. I present to you the new Sam and Max models:
Overhauling the game for version 0.2
Currently working on a complete overhaul of the game for version 0.2's release:
Removing pure dynamic lighting for increased FPS
Implementing a new interaction system for better inspection of clues
Implementing a new branching dialogue system
Revamping the first mission so it makes more sense
Adding in a 3rd mission that is longer than the first two combined
Adding a "detective intuition" meter so you can better gauge how many clues remain
Adding a Notebook so you can see mission objectives and track progress
Build 0.1C has now arrived!
A huge (in scope) graphical update giving the game a more comic book like visual overhaul along with huge performance boosts over the previous build (constantly above 50FPS with my GTX 780).
This version also includes slightly re-designed gameplay for Mission Zero to make it a bit more enjoyable and logical when finding clues with more tweaks to come in future updates. File size is 355 megs. The Screenshots have been updated to reflect the new style but I'm going to re-record the trailer after New Year's.
Hope you all enjoy the new version. More to come soon!
-Added new graphic effects such as Inked Outlines and Cel Shading to give the game a more unique feel
- Made several key performance adjustments for smoother gameplay
- Re-designed the placement of clues for Mission Zero
- Added a new lock picking mini-game
