Maps and control

Hi!

We're constantly working on the game's controls, and also on a map so that we can test the controls. We drew a sketch for a map structure, and we already made it functional in the UDK. So, here you go: enjoy the sight of the player character jumping around in a sketch, in a textbook, within a wonderful, low-FPS gif. If it loads.

(Next time the quality's going to be better, I promise.)

Apart from the sketch, we made another simple map, without a real structure, to see how the environment would work with the control mechanics. The design is very basic. We only have a few world objects, that's why it doesn't have any detail and looks kind of boring. We'll be working on those later.

Here are some pictures of the map:

World details

Our game's world is based on metal. The lifeforms developed according to this, so we have created our own circle of life and have organic metals. For example, a chitin-like material is as common in their world as keratin is in ours - it's mostly a layer of defence, but it may even be the base of a plant's body.

Many plants that can be found in this metal based game world are similar to plants we are used to, the only difference is how they accommodated to the nature of the world. This might not explain much right now, but some of the questions will be answered through the actual game.

Next, I'll tell you about a gameplay element we're currently working on.
"Human" intervention is causing the metal based planet to change, similarly to how Earth may have changed in history.
The temperature became vacillating, which created bigger thermal expansions, so the planet's surface cracked and shattered in some places. It's important to note that the magnetic effect is the strongest one on the planet.

The Chasm:
There are two notable chasms on the opposite sides of the world. In these chasms the magnetic field is enormous. Most things levitate in the air, or orbit around bigger objects. The magnetic field affects everything nearby, again, since everything is based on metal. Even the living organisms have large amounts of metal inside them - everything they consume or inhale contains some metals. At the bottom of these chasms the magnetic field is so strong that it could tear nearly anything apart.

There exists a metal that generates a magnetic field under pressure. The greater the pressure, the stronger the field. With bracelets made of this metal worn on the hands and feet, and a belt worn on the waist, the ability to hover becomes possible. The bracelets and the belt need to be connected with a rubber-like tight rope, so that the farther the user holds their limbs from their body, the higher they will begin to levitate.

Lastly, the technology in this world is simple. Some would even say it's steampunk, and they wouldn't be far off. More details on this will come clear in the future.

In the next posts to come we'll write about more gameplay mechanics.

Have a nice day!

Trailer!

Done!

Or at least it's...well, we uploaded a working game trailer. Although it probably raises more questions about the game than it answers, right?

The video was recorded with the UDK. It wasn't easy, however, we managed. Then came the editing part and we lost many lives on the battlefield. 

By Wednesday we had every scene for our game's trailer ready, but we just couldn't deal with the video editing software that crashed, didn't cooperate or the output video lost its quality. So after hours of useless rendering and low-quality previews, we got the final video... not something we're very proud of, but a promise is a promise and we uploaded our game trailer for that reason.

Not to worry, as we asked our proofreader and hero, Maffy, to make use of her awesome video-editing skills to help us out. So you can expect the same video in much better quality soon.

The next couple of times you can expect in-game footages and explanations of gameplay elements, and of course the regular posts we've had 'till now. The in-game footages will take much less time to make (and will probably be un-edited). We realized that video editing isn't our strong point yet, but we can show you a natural view of the game too.

Have a nice day!