Testing Phase 3 done. Release in June! :) (Updated March.20)

Chicken+Ribs_Combo

Well, I've had 3 testers each go through various maps, and I'm happy to say that each one of them really enjoyed what they played. A lot of positive feedback and only minor issues with collisions and getting to areas that normally aren't accessable. There were no real gameplay issues which I'm glad for, and only a few small bugs discovered, but mostly with the monster AI. They all seem to enjoy the headshots and the inclusion of the machine gun. (I guess I should have made that a staple from the beginning, but at least it's here now!) So all in all, they felt that it was intense and difficult (Which is how I'll probably keep it), but not DEMO difficult, so that's a huge plus.

I'll post some gameplay screens later on today, and get OoH into phase 2 of the testing. Everything is now complete, minus the bug fixes, so as soon as the 3rd phase is finished, I'll make the release announcement.

Bluehawk · Joined: 05 May 2005 Posts: 87

I can't wait. Well I can, but I wont enjoy it

Macon Dead · Joined: 13 Jun 2005 Posts: 78

Too bad...looks like it isn't coming out before I have to go back to school.
Ah well...something to look forward to this summer I guess. Kind of funny though...I'd tend to read the forums during programming class in high school and now I can't play it because of school.
Oh, and does the shotgun still kick you back a meter or two? It was weird in the demo to fly backwards while the zombie stood still. Newton's (third?) law states that with every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, so if you were flung back a meter the zombie would also be flung back a meter. Still, the only reason I beat the demo was I shotgun-jumped myself over a horde of zombies a few times, so it might be cool to keep it like it was.

fluffy · Joined: 03 Oct 2004 Posts: 129

Great news!

MD: I'm pretty sure kickback was toned down a little

Chicken+Ribs_Combo · Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2006 7:10 pm Post subject:

Macon Dead · Joined: 13 Jun 2005 Posts: 78

That last screenshot looks really cool. Also, I've been wondering about the effectiveness of non-conventional weaponry, such as OJ, on the undead hordes, so that's something else to look forward to:].

fluffy · Joined: 03 Oct 2004 Posts: 129

Fantastic!

Nemerov · Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2006 11:15 am Post subject: Re: Testing Phase 1 over :)

Bluehawk · Joined: 05 May 2005 Posts: 87

That crowbar really rips a shit load of blood doesn't it? lol

Chicken+Ribs_Combo · Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2006 6:45 pm Post subject:

Yep, especially with the way the melee is handled now. In the demo, melee weapons always struck only once. Now, it does damage as it's swung. For instance, in the demo the crowbar secondary strikes an enemy, then rips it back. It only did damage at the apex of the swing. Now, it strikes the enemy on contact, then does damage along the path that the crowbar tears back!

Nemerov · Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2006 7:17 am Post subject:

Bluehawk · Joined: 05 May 2005 Posts: 87

That sounds a lot more natural and immersive, should make combat more fluid

Chicken+Ribs_Combo · Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2006 12:24 pm Post subject:

Nemerov · Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2006 4:04 pm Post subject:

GhostDog · Joined: 06 Feb 2005 Posts: 149 Location: NY

awesome C + R looks great!

expired_pain · Joined: 14 Jan 2006 Posts: 22

Whao it's looking really good! I'm new here, but I have a suggestion, if it's not too late. It's probably too late anyway, but oh well.

I think that when you get attacked by a zombie, you should make the screen shake really violently, and all you could see is *blurry* red, just like in Doom 3. That would really add the effect for scariness, and make you more aware and careful not to be attacked.

Chicken+Ribs_Combo · Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2006 4:15 am Post subject:

I had the violent screen shake, minus the blur effect but I had to tone it down as it got pretty disorienting after a few hits. The screen shakes a little and there's a blood splatter screen effect when you get hit now.

I do love the hit effect in Doom though, probably the best I've seen. The way the camera sways, the helmet clanging sound, it makes it feel like you really got smacked!

Nemerov · Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2006 12:49 pm Post subject:

Chicken Ribs, I have just again completed your demo, and I really enjoy the tactical approach that is necessary to complete a map. When you see a zombie horde, the question is not "which weapon can I use to blow my way through this horde", which surely is suicide, but instead "where is a safe passage through this horde". I like that.

Macon Dead · Joined: 13 Jun 2005 Posts: 78

I thought the Doom view shake was a little...strange. I agree it made it seem like you really took a whallop, but it didn't make sense when the attack did minor damage, like one stray bullet or a zombie barely scraping you with as you took ran backwards. To be perfectly honest I didn't find doom 3 scary in the least, mostly because of a certain penny-arcade comic. Just couldn't look at the enemies in the same way again:p. Plus there was that whole key search...is there going to be a lot of that in OOH? Like finding a certain item in order to keep going? IMO its fun to have a level where you find an item every now and again, but having to find multiple keys per level, every level it gets pretty tedious.

Chicken+Ribs_Combo · Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 2:26 am Post subject:

There are a few differing gametypes I've included. Some will have the 'find an item' objective, others will have a 'destroy X amount of monsters', some will be 'invasion-type' where you must survive X amount of minutes.

Back to your question about the item objectives, at times you'll have to find one item in order to get to another item (Finding wire cutters to get through a fence to get to something else) but it's nothing crazy. I'm not a big fan of backtracking either, so you won't be running to one end of a level, only to run back to the beginning in order to finish. I've kept objectives and their items close together.

Xenomrph · Joined: 13 Nov 2005 Posts: 4 Location: Flagstaff, AZ (NAU)

Wow, it looks like headshots don't stop these zombies. That... changes things.

expired_pain · Joined: 14 Jan 2006 Posts: 22

Oh and another thing. How high is the bullet impact on the zombies when you shoot them? I reckon it should sometimes push them back a little and give some force to it, depending on the gun.

fluffy · Joined: 03 Oct 2004 Posts: 129

Macon Dead · Joined: 13 Jun 2005 Posts: 78

Chicken+Ribs_Combo · Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2006 7:10 pm Post subject:

Bullet damage varies from almost nothing to medium if you hit it anywhere on the body. I did this to add randomness, so you'll never be exactly sure how much ammo will be required to destroy a zombie. Head damage is another thing. The only way to quickly destroy a zombie with a pistol is to keep shooting it in the head/neck area. Shotguns do medium to heavy damage anywhere on the body, but lack precision and range. It also doesn't have decapping ability (this is because I was unable to properly code a shotgun with this option, but it really isn't missed from what the testers say) Machine guns spit out bullets quick, but aren't much stronger than a pistol.

As for bullet impact/reaction, the only thing it does right now is stun a zombie for a split second. This interrupts a zombie's attack, so it'll give you a small window of opportunity to step back or run.