I just wanted to say there's a small update for the demo. This one should make wall-running easier, improving the overall gameplay experience. If there are other bugs or issues you find, let me know.
I'm currently working on the first release. I had said I was going to have that one ready by November, but I am still working on it because the last couple of months have been crazy. Another thing is that I am constantly thinking how to work the releases, since the game is not linear, so I can't just make a first release with levels 1-10, and a second with levels 2-20, for example.
And lastly, if you play the demo please share your comments because those will be helpful.
Small demo update
Hello all. I just wanted to let you know I have uploaded an updated demo. The content of the demo is the same, but there are a couple of small things. First, I moved some colliders near the start to make the wall-run in the first gap easier to perform. I also fixed a collision error in that area that caused Lavinia to fall out of the world. Lastly, I added a couple of save spots, because saving is now possible in the game, and I wanted to try that out in the demo.
As I said before, if you have any feedback, please share. In the meantime, I continue working on the first release of the game.
Demo is out, look for tiny button on right sidebar
So, the demo is out. I don't know if it's because the game is on my library, but the only way I see to download the demo is to click a tiny button on the right sidebar (below the main capsule area). Or maybe it's because the purchase button is still disabled. Either way, you can download the prototype demo now.
So, what's the rest of my plan now? Well, first of all, I can use some input, to know if things are clear or not in the demo (for example, if you can see where to climb, where to wall run, etc.) as well as any other comment to improve the overall experience, as long as it doesn't turn into hand-holding, because I want people to explore, not just be told where to go (not that there are many places to go in the demo, but you understand what I mean).
As I was saying, I won't be making changes to the demo (unless you find a really nasty bug that doesn't let you move forward) because I will now focus on the new first early access release of the full game. I am currently working on changes of the area featured in the demo, and then I will work on additional things. I plan to have that ready in a couple of weeks, and then ask Steam to bring back the purchase button.
What's going to change from the demo to the actual first EA release: 1. I will make some changes in some areas of this cave-thing, and add some new areas. 2. Add saving-loading functionality, and save-spots 3. Some minor changes to the "rat-king" creature 4. Improve "audio experience" keeping in mind what I said in the previous post. 5. An alternate costume for Lavinia (because alternate costumes are cool) that you can already see in the screenshots included here.
In future releases I will be adding things like controller support and remappable controls. Just not yet.
prototype demo sent to Steam
Hello all.
It took me longer than expected, but the prototype demo is sent to Steam and it should be available "soon", as long as they approve it.
The first thing I need to mention is that the prototype-demo will not represent the final quality of the game, because my plan is to slowly improve the overall quality as development continues during the early access phase. The only thing I won't change is the girl because I like how she looks. Right now I am working on improving the build and adding new areas so I can have a first "real" early access release and then ask Steam to re-enable the purchase button. Some improvements will make it to the demo (like bug fixes, or things that affect this specific portion of the game), but other than that I will not be updating this prototype so I can just focus on the actual game.
Near the end of the demo, there's a chase sequence with a creature a friend nicknamed "the rat king". That's a creature I want to improve a lot. I want to add fur to it, and obviously a tail because it doesn't have a tail right now, and also maybe make some changes to the body shape, not sure.
I also need to explain something with the sound, since you're getting a demo with no context. This is not a spoiler because, if this was a full game, you'd learn about it in the first 5 minutes. There's very little sound in the demo, and there will be little sound in the actual game because Lavinia is deaf, so I want all the sounds to be more "contact oriented" (like, if she's hit, or if she's grabbed, stuff like that). In "The Rats in the Walls" the protagonist hears the noises of rats behind the walls and that's why he goes to explore, and I thought it would add to "the sense of mystery" (or something like that) if Lavinia could hear that sound even if she's deaf, as if the horrors underneath Exham Priory are sending the sound directly to her brain. There's even a part near the end of The Rats in the Walls where you find Nyarlathotep, so, who knows, maybe I'll do something to hint that Nyarlathotep was the one messing with her and making her "hear" all those noises.
I wa also planning something else for the game when I release the first early access build, but that's something I will explain later
Mini demo almost ready
I was checking the old announcements and I see it's been almost a year since I posted the "finally some news" announcement saying I was bringing this project back to life, and now it finally feels like I am getting somewhere because I have some actual gameplay, and that makes me feel happy even if I still have a lot of work to do.
The small demo is almost done. I am just working on a chase sequence near the end, and a puzzle, and also I need to add sound. I am going to do something interesting with the sound. You'll see (hear?) when the demo is out.
Then, my plan is to fix gameplay issues or bugs, if there are any, all while I work on the first actual release to enable the purchase button again. As I said in a previous announcement, the game will still be in early access because I want to get comments from you guys, and use those to make changes and shape the rest of the game accordingly.
I'll keep you posted!
Working on a demo level with a couple of puzzles
Hello all. I wanted to share another update. I am working on a small "demo level" that I will put here, so everyone can download it and give me input. My goal is to have the demo ready by the end of the month. I want to make sure the demo-level works correctly in all aspects, and has a good visual quality, even if the visual quality of the final game will improve over time.
After that, I will make a longer part of the game and ask Steam to reactivate the purchase button (possibly in November). The game will still be an Early Access game, as I said in this other update: https://steamcommunity.com/ogg/684340/announcements/detail/3329864090505675740
After that, I will be updating the Early Access game with more parts of the game until it is finished.
Mostly fixing bugs...
Hello again, this is another of those short updates I provide as a way to make myself not go into silence, and make myself work on the game :D
I have been mostly fixing bugs and testing more stuff on the environments. I made some tiny changes to the room you saw previously, and I think these textures look better.
The first thing I have to show is this video. I was working on a "full room" with some platforming and a puzzle, and while I was testing the room I was running into a lot of bugs, so I spent a lot of time just fixing bugs. A problem the original game had was all the bugs, but this one will be bug free. Lavinia is still missing a few animations and better "transitions" (for example, from standing to crouching) but I'm getting there. Also the hair looks pretty cool:
I also tried different textures for the room I showed previously. I'm using more "roman-style" textures this time, to make this closer to the Exham Priory cellars, and these look a lot better.
I also tried this other room, just to see how it would look with different lights, for a more "storage room" kind of environment. The room is completely empty and that sucks but I'll add props when I am more deep in development.
Finally I figured things out, and now I'm moving forward
Hello all and sorry for not posting sooner. I had been dealing with a few different things (work and life situations) but I am now posting a quick update.
The first update is that I finally figured out the story for the game. After reading a lot and doing other research, I finally decided the game will follow the plot of "The Rats in the Walls". I thought it would be cool for this "Lovecraftian Tomb Raider" to explore/platform an adaptation of the Exham Priory castle and all the horrors underneath. I think it's going to be cool.
My plan is to an adaptation, similar to what Richard Stanley did with The Color Out of Space, where he took the story but added his own characters (and from a previous announcement you know the name of this game's character is Lavinia)
I'll start working on some levels to test the gameplay and also work on the visuals. I'll put that small demo here and then, when I have a larger portion of the game I can re-enable the purchase button, since the game will still be in Early Access, but this time it WILL be finished.
Also, I changed the protagonist. This is the new one:
I have also been fixing some of the bugs in the platforming, but now it is all working. The real test will come when I make those first levels, though. I also added some "sliding ramp" functionality that could be very useful for chase sequences.
My goal is to have more updates, and something to play, soon.
Have you seen the movie "The Descent"?
I was thinking about this movie yesterday, and I remembered this is one of the things that inspired me to make a "Lovecraftian Tomb Raider" game. How about something like this for the game plot, but instead of caves we could have cyclopean temples, cultists, weird creatures and such. I was also thinking about The Color out of Space (the story and the movie) and I thought that could be an interesting starting point, having "The Color" fall from the sky and then a bunch of stuff begins to happen (maybe some body horror like that scene where the mom and boy's bodies fuse into this nasty monster).
Here's the movie trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSYg7Z1KS_I
Thoughts?
Animations and first look at protagonist
Here's another quick update. I got a pack of animations, so I have been adding the animations to the character. I have pretty much all the animations, except for a couple that I will have to make manually, but I will add those after I import the final character model into the game (the one I have right now still needs a few tweaks).
I also have a first look at the protagonist. I think I said her name was going to be Lavinia (as a reference to Lavinia Whateley) in another post, but in case I didn't, her name will be Lavinia. In the "original" Nightmare game the plot was about twin sisters, and I still kinda like the idea, but I am not sure.
Things are sloooooowly moving forward. I think it's now time to work on a real test level (a level that actually feels like a game level, with challenges, puzzles and all) to see how it all works together.
