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[WIP] Beyond the Portal

Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 10:50 pm
by ReedtheStrange
Edit: 6/11/12

Beyond the Portal (Originally titled "The Fold") has a somewhat standard DOS FPS feel to it. The level design is more linear than most DOS first-person shooters, but there are a multitude of secrets. I didn't completely deviate from a DOS first-person shooter level design; however, I don't want the player to spend too much time looking around for keycards in a maze. There is story, but feel free to skip because I have made sure that if you don't care, you don't have to be dragged through cutscenes, but if you do care and are interested, there are some cutscenes, in addition to readable signs/notes/computers desktops throughout the game that tell more about the story than the gameplay will. How much story you want presented to you is your choice. There are 15 weapons, 6 bosses and 18 monsters types and three non-boss characters. Will also include 31 maps in addition to three secret maps. The secret maps are all vibrantly colorful maps that give the player weapons earlier in game than they would have had if they hadn't found the secret maps. Secret early weapons are generally dropped by monsters, but not every time that you find one.

These aren't all of the weapons, but these are the weapons of the first half of the game.

1. Fists - Primary fire for jabbing and secondary fire for a full-body swing.
1. Energy Saw - A standard cutting tool for colonial scientists.
2. Pistol - Standard semi-automatic sidearm (Subject to change for the max amount of fun! Even the beginning should be fun, even if before the unearthly environments and larger monsters. It is particularly fun to use on targets that are harder to hit and enemies that are far away for some reason.)
3. Pump-action Shotgun - No description necessary
3. Double-barreled shotgun - Primary fire for double-tapping into a crowded room; secondary fire for pulling both triggers simultaneously.
4. SMG - Automatic sub-machine gun. More accurate than pistol.
4. XEAR - Experimental xenomatter energy assault rifle. More powerful than smg, although the projectiles move slower. Primary fire for automatic firing; secondary fire for 4 round burst. Xeno matter is a valuable material found in a universe known as "The Absolute Wilderness." One of its disadvantages to other energy sources found in other universes is that it is much more difficult to hold in large quantities and it quickly uses all of its energy.
5. Pod Rocket Launcher - Rocket launcher originally used by colonial Gokstad scientists for mining. Quickly became modified for use on larger creatures and has remained combat oriented since.
5. Grenade Launcher - A revolver-style grenade launcher that uses energy grenades.
6. Pulse Rifle - A high-powered all-purpose rifle that fires pulses that rip apart everything in its path. Can "shish kebab" small enemies and is effective against larger enemies.
7. "Hell's Paintbrush" Flamethrower - Basically, a giant blowtorch with a better reach. It is useful in overwhelming situations.

More interesting weapons later in game:
Spoiler:


Beyond the Portal uses a more basic art style, although, because I probably some bias toward my own art, I would like someone else to voice their opinion. I've noticed that Wolfenstein always seemed to be more colorful than Doom, despite technically not being so, so I've tried to recreate a little bit of Wolfenstein's/SOD2's colorfulness. I worry that it may be too basic; although, going back through all the sprites and graphics might be a very daunting task. If that really is necessary, then I think I need a team. Although that role would be extremely ambitious.

Screenshots:
Spoiler:
You are Dr. Rakim Xavier, an off-duty veteran who has taken a job at the Gokstad facility, developing technologies for entering alternate universes. As you would expect in a game, something has gone wrong and creatures are now attacking the facility. At the beginning of the game, you investigate the portal, ending up inside it. You only spend the first map in the Gokstad facility. In the game you go from universe to universe, discovering why what happened at the Gokstad happened, shooting your way through many trippy environments. The theme of the level design is a combination of science fiction and nonsense literature.

Most of the graphics at this point have been replaced and I plan on doing the same for the sound effects. For now, I am still using mostly Doom 2 sounds effects, but sooner or later, I will replace them. This is the bulk of the work I have left in addition to small touch ups, is adding sounds and fixing errors. I also have been having some technical difficulties that are deep inside the WAD that I'm trying to figure out, but they are often subtle 9 out of 10 times I try to launch the game. I may have room for a team, but most of the work probably won't be that fun. But I'm new to zdoom, so who knows.

EDIT:

Change in statusbar:
Spoiler:

Re: [WIP] Beyond the Portal

Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 11:22 pm
by Zero X. Diamond
You know what? I like this. If you're genuinely going for a DOS-era FPS feel, you've definitely nailed the feeling of a low-budget Doom clone, maybe something made with the Pie in the Sky engine. Believe me, I mean no offense by this and hope you don't take any. It's definitely nostalgic. I'd say there are a few things that could use polish, but that's obvious I'd wager.

EDIT: Though I will say those screamy face globe things in the first screenshot are a bit much in terms of my eyes' ability to take things. That and the sky in the last one are a bit much.

Re: [WIP] Beyond the Portal

Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 11:23 pm
by Snarboo
Yeah I have to agree, this looks really cool! I'm digging the psychedelic visuals most of all.

Re: [WIP] Beyond the Portal

Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 11:38 pm
by ReedtheStrange
Zero X. Diamond wrote:You know what? I like this. If you're genuinely going for a DOS-era FPS feel, you've definitely nailed the feeling of a low-budget Doom clone, maybe something made with the Pie in the Sky engine. Believe me, I mean no offense by this and hope you don't take any. It's definitely nostalgic. I'd say there are a few things that could use polish, but that's obvious I'd wager.

EDIT: Though I will say those screamy face globe things in the first screenshot are a bit much in terms of my eyes' ability to take things. That and the sky in the last one are a bit much.
I've also added quite a few secrets to get that personal feeling of finding secrets that older games always gave you. Some of them are somewhat creepy and others are fun.
Spoiler:
The screenshot that I took for the sky wasn't the best that I could've taken. When you actually walk around the level, you'll see that it's a bunch of energy surrounding a gigantic hard drive.

Re: [WIP] Beyond the Portal

Posted: Sat May 12, 2012 1:51 pm
by Tapwave
:trippy:
Looks, uh, innovative?

Re: [WIP] Beyond the Portal

Posted: Sat May 12, 2012 3:15 pm
by Nash
So... trippy...

Re: [WIP] Beyond the Portal

Posted: Sat May 12, 2012 5:12 pm
by Nightfall
Feels like TNT's wads... in a good way, that nostalgic feel they have. Looks interesting. :)

Could spoiler the images though, they break the forum layout for me.

Re: [WIP] Beyond the Portal

Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 2:37 am
by ChronoSeth
I'm assuming that the conflicting themes in the screenshots make sense during gameplay. :P

Re: [WIP] Beyond the Portal

Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 7:50 pm
by ReedtheStrange
ChronoSeth wrote:I'm assuming that the conflicting themes in the screenshots make sense during gameplay. :P
At first, they won't really seem to, but as the game progresses, it begins to make sense while other parts become more confusing. But once you are within reach of the final objective of the game, the strange things begin to make sense. Some are all tied together; whereas others are piece by piece. There are also secrets in the game that will reveal more about the characters than what you would know proceeding through the game without finding secrets. You also teleport from one area of a planet/foreign biome exactly where earth is in our universe to another, or are teleported from universe to universe. There are reasons for everything that is placed in the game, no matter how nonsensical it appears when you arrive. Sometimes, however, the player can dig around if the player is curious enough to find out why the places look the way they do and why they are there. Some of the places are natural, some are natural, but influenced by other forces and some of them are obviously going to be built. There are goodies to find and overall, if you want to know, you can know. Although some things will not be clearly stated to the player.

The levels do transition though, if that's what your asking. The only time that you are really plopped in the middle of somewhere without a clear entrance is if you teleport, or something else of that nature.

Re: [WIP] Beyond the Portal

Posted: Sat May 19, 2012 12:20 pm
by Drake Raider
It's Operation: Bodycount with aLiSe in wonDerland.

Re: [WIP] Beyond the Portal

Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 11:01 pm
by ReedtheStrange
Drake Raider wrote:It's Operation: Bodycount with aLiSe in wonDerland.
Testing it over and over again, it seems to feel like a combination of Wolfenstein and Timesplitters, although it plays a lot like Blood. What I mean by that is the same strategies and way of playing the game that worked in Blood seems to work in Beyond the Portal. Monsters often gun you very quickly while at full health, but there's a lot of ways to exploit many of the monsters. The exploits are pretty fun to use if you figure them out, and the weapons are well-suited for the monsters and situations in the game. Although the bosses play like a combination of Doom and Duke Nukem, although, most of them kill you much faster. For the most part there's not much that you can do with bosses, other than just strafing and unloading your more powerful weapons on them.

There's also a hint of something unique to this game that I can't quite find in other games. While I am staying true to the things that make old school first-person shooters awesome, I have added hints of other elements that enhance the experience without compromising what makes a good FPS.

Re: [WIP] Beyond the Portal

Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 5:26 pm
by Drake Raider
That does sound enjoyable. Look forward too it.

Re: [WIP] Beyond the Portal

Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 7:28 pm
by hugoroy
Any set release date on this?

Re: [WIP] Beyond the Portal

Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 9:42 pm
by ReedtheStrange
I prefer not to have a release date for the entire thing. I still have a lot of sounds to replace and a lot of music to make. But I will release a sort of demon type thing. It will be maps 1-6 in addition to one secret map if anyone can find it. Depending on work, school and my wife, it should be done by October. I have most of maps pretty much completed, but I'm trying to figure out how to make cutscenes skippable. I may even have add the option to view them, rather than to skip them, similar to having an option on the first level to skip the introduction. Another thing that I'm considering is releasing a version without the option of cutscenes, then releasing a version that does have cutscenes.

This game will be littered with secrets and Easter eggs. I keep feeling like adding new secret levels and thinking of great places to hide them. Within maps 1-6 is one that's pretty unique, but I'm not telling anyone which map it's on.
Spoiler:

Re: [WIP] Beyond the Portal

Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 11:02 pm
by ReedtheStrange
Update 6/11/2012:

I have switched to GZdoom because it goes well with skyboxes like this:
Spoiler:
I understand that GZdoom could potentially compromise some of the colorful pixel Spear of Destiny graphical elements, but OpenGL did not kill that in the OpenGL edition of Spear of Destiny. I will be more careful, but the GZdoom engine allows me to execute the skyboxes as I originally intended. I oozed dopamine the first time I walked through the GZdoom version. I may just leave it without GZdoom necessary features because I do prefer sprites the way they are in Zdoom; however, I think that I'm going to be sold on GZdoom.