☼ Hedon 1.5.2 (Now on GOG) ☼

[Enjay]

B. is Basso and G. is Garrett.

Doh! of course it is. My only excuse for not realising is that it's Friday evening and I'm tired.

[Zan]

New update of the first level based on the feedback I've gotten so far.
Check the link/News in the main post.

Also, note that I have switched to GZDoom 3.0.1 and there is a water glitch which will be fixed in the next engine update.

[Deii]

Wow, this kind of flew under my radar but the update is certainly nice! I don't recall finding any big issues this time around but the axe-throwing is certainly quite a nice feature. I just kind of wish you could pick up another one so you wouldn't be immediately defenseless in case you miss your target. A little more muzzle flash and a bang would also be nice in the spike gun to make it feel just a little more powerful. Still, good stuff.

[Zan]

Wow, this kind of flew under my radar but the update is certainly nice! I don't recall finding any big issues this time around but the axe-throwing is certainly quite a nice feature. I just kind of wish you could pick up another one so you wouldn't be immediately defenseless in case you miss your target. A little more muzzle flash and a bang would also be nice in the spike gun to make it feel just a little more powerful. Still, good stuff.

Thanks, I did consider having more axes but in the end, I feel like it would be an unnecessary feature because of various reasons like:
a. Although Zan can carry a lot of weapons, it would be kinda weird to have two axes, one of which you'd throw and the other keep, so given her huge carrying capacity it would make more sense to have like 5 axes or something. But that would be kinda overpowered, being able to dish out 5 rippers one after another.
b. I find giving her standard fists a much better alternative because:
- It's a stealthy "weapon", adding a new gameplay feature
- It makes Hedon compatible with other map packs where you normally start out with your fists
c. You depend on the Axe mainly on the first level, afterwards you'll likely have other weapons with ammo turning the Axe into a burst opener/weak monster ripper before you get auto cycled to your shotgun and start doing what you do best.
Kinda like how I use it in this vid.


As for the Spike Gun, I kinda agree with you on the weakish feel, but given the fact it's not a gas operated weapon, it would make no sense for it to bang and kick and flash too much. Although I don't care about realism in games, I think this is more of an attention to detail thingy.
I will try to up the pitch a bit to make it shake the screen more as you shoot, to give it a heavier feel, although I won't do much more than that. I did however, improve the way monsters react to being shot by it (they don't spray blood like crazy, instead they smoke and toss ashy blood) and I feel like it made it feel A LOT better, but that's for the next update release!

[Zan]

New release, guys, links in the first post!
I'm waiting for your feedback

[Zaratul]

This is VERY good,i completed 2 levels and i want more.Good mix of Unreal atmosphere and Hexen puzzles.Good thing this game is not only a shooter but a exploration\puzzle game too!
Suggestions:i little bit more health(and armor)pls.Game is lacking in these.Second thing:pickable items are the same looking as decorations.Maybe a floating pickable items like in hexen?

[Zan]

This is VERY good,i completed 2 levels and i want more.Good mix of Unreal atmosphere and Hexen puzzles.Good thing this game is not only a shooter but a exploration\puzzle game too!
Suggestions:i little bit more health(and armor)pls.Game is lacking in these.Second thing:pickable items are the same looking as decorations.Maybe a floating pickable items like in hexen?

Thanks, what difficulty you played on?

Regarding items, I know, but I feel like highlighting them or making them float is kinda cheesy and kills immersion, I prefer to use positioning/lights and other means to make them more apparent.

[Zaratul]

Hedonistic(medium)difficulty.I dont need a healing items galore,IMO should be a tiny bit more.Oh i forgot:music is freakin` awesome.Both ambient and guitar music in combat.You did a good job!

[Zan]

Right, I'll see what I can do with that.

Music is not composed by me, but it is original indeed.
I upload all the tracks in a neat playlist here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtKSX3V ... oyFspdny_2

[Wivicer]

I am very much looking forward to this being completed. The map design is great, the gameplay is fantastic, and you've already got me invested in the story.

[Zan]

That's great to hear! Next maps will definitely be shorter, since Plaza was meant to be a hub-like place (for story/presentation reasons). So this means I should release them faster (well, of course, I still have the monsters, weapons, textures etc to draw).

[Zan]

0.3.a demo is out guys! Thanks for all the help.

Note that you can now choose the map you want to play at start, which should make testing it easier.
So yeah, looking for feedback and testing, it's greatly needed and appreciated

[xenoxols]

I guess you live on the opposite side of the globe from me. Cause time zones.

[Zan]

ModDB link is up, everyone, it's a more refined version, but still looking for opinions on the new load of stuff.

http://www.moddb.com/mods/hedon/downloa ... sting-demo

[Diode]

I really wanted to like this, but I couldn't.

The desaturated color scheme looks nice, but it creates a whole host of readability issues - literally with fonts, and figuratively with items. A lot of the time I just can't visually distinguish things from the scenery and decor. After over an hour of aimless wandering I've honestly failed to complete any of the three levels supplied because I've been unable to identify vital items as anything more than level decoration. I wandered around level 3 unable to find a single key or usable switch, after murdering every enemy in sight, and never progressed beyond the doors that were initially openable from the start.

Vine key? Iron key? I've picked at least one of these things up at least once before I'm sure I couldn't positively identify it in a lineup of potentials. I'm sure I could run right past either of such things a dozen times, thinking it was useless decor.

My second big complaint is character design. No, I'm not going to SJW on you and complain about the sexy female lead - she was what got me to give the mod a shot in the first place. I'm going to complain about about simply fubar anatomy and proportions - and this just doesn't just effect the girl, but several of the enemies too, who, in an opposite extreme, are stick-thin,indistinct, and unreadable. Nobody wants to be told their sprites are bad, especially when a huge chunk of time has clearly already gone into them, but if you're going to put your girl's looks front and center, she'd better look the part. Your environment textures are beautiful, but the sprites - even the hud and weapon sprites, honestly - are severely lacking, especially when you've gone and put them in instant comparison to that *fantastic* menu screen image. The artist you commissioned has upstaged you (and not just because the pink/purple hair looks cooler than the red) and as suchthe low quality character sprites just don't gel with with the gorgeous image every player sees every time they load the game.

I honestly think a huge ton of sprites need to be redone, if not by you then by an artist with the same kind of grip on figure and anatomy that your menu screen artist has. Consider rendering your sprites from 3D models, or painting over such renders.

Aside from that, the gore effects are great, I like the weapons, and I feel the project has real potential if, and only if, the above issues are remedied.