39 replies to this topic

[M_I_Soft]

Game: Download Link
Category: Adventure/Strategy/Shooter
File Size: 12 MB
Gm Version: GM8

Updated 9th April
Well it's been a while since the last update but we've been tweaking and adding a load of stuff that at the minute can't be accessed in the demo as the rest of the work to get the story to that part hasn't been completed.
Rest assured though there's some fun times ahead!

Things that are more noticeable are improved textures and models for the environment, a few tweaks to the layout of a few of the rooms and improved the font and message delivery system. Also altered the in game gore a bit so it's a bit more realistic without being over the top. Extra areas are in place with new objects to interact with and collect. In total the game now spans 26 rooms from the Courtyards right through the garden maze up to the first floor of the mansion itself. Still the second floor and attic to complete in the mansion and then there's the "other" sections that are still in the process of being designed.

Also it's now possible to die when you run out of health - a suitably gory game over screen is displayed for 20 seconds or until a key is pressed.

The major addition is a full custom save and load system to move away from the issues found with the stock GM save/load system.
This update will require you to delete the saves directory if you've already run the game in a previous version as the format is completely different.

There's more information in the instructions now to help game play along a bit so well worth reading those first.
Music is now finalised too - these are now the tunes that will be used permanently. Main menu music composed and produced by myself with the in game music from Newgrounds.

There's been a lot of behind the scenes bug fixes and improvements too, far too many to mention but rest assured myself and Jakyl11 have been more than busy testing and tweaking everything we can find to make it more involving and ultimately more playable.

As always though we appreciate feedback - remember this isn't just another Zombie TDS - it's a whole lot more with adventure and rpg elements included.
Just think of it as a cross breed of Resident Evil and Ghostbusters all rolled into one - with the zombie's taking the back seat for a change!
Update 10th April - Screenshots updated and instructions added below for reference.

Update 18 March
More graphic and code optimisations put in place.
Now added a controller and back plot based on time of day. Clock starts at 19:00 hours and you have until 07:00 hours to complete the game.
Updated HUD to fit more in with the story of the game and altered message delivery to suit the new design.
Also solved a few problems with the energy system (one bug was a crash when you ran out of energy) and now have it so that your energy level reduces when running, albeit not as much as if being attacked.

Update 14 March
New game options menu added to alter the controls/key mapping and also graphics quality of the new lighting engine.
Based around a 2d light and shadow engine by virus2_0, it has been converted to work with the 3d environment and gives real time shadowing from the player's flashlight.
As this can really hurt performance there are 5 graphic quality modes (5 highest, 1 lowest). The top 3 settings give the full shadow engine with differing shadow accuracies. Level 2 uses a sprite based flashlight beam and level 1 uses a simple cut out alpha mask to darken the edges of the room.
Have also added an option to affect the overall darkness of the room from quite bright ambient light to pitch black so you can only see what's in your beam of light.
New screen shots added below to demonstrate the different light modes.
New title music added too, but still not confirmed as permanent.

Would be really interested on peoples take on the new lighting engine and whether it has too much of a performance hit.

Update 10 March

Spoiler

More graphical tweaks and bug fixes applied - thanks in no small part to Jakyl11 who has been an absolute star with the development side of things.
Added new enemies in the form of spiders and skeletons too in the garden/maze areas. Have also solved an issue where the enemies could be pushed out of rooms or actually push themselves out if they were fighting over position trying to attack you so this shouldn't happen any more - please let me know if it does!
Shelved the graphical puzzles over object focussed tasks to gain keys - for example to get to the first floor. Hopefully this should improve the game play feel a little as it is more consistent with what the game is about.
Also added temporary music to the game which will probably be changed by the time the game is completed, it's just there to test how the music works with the rest of the game for now.
Have put an intro screen in at the start of the game too which should give a reasonably good idea of sub-plot and back story to the game.
Some areas are going to be re-jigged a little to fit with the slightly altered plot and engine tweaks, but the engine and game play is now coming along lovely.
Another tweak has been the addition of Sindarin's Sinaccesskey DLL to shut off and re-anable the sticky keys during the game. Have had a couple of teething troubles with this so comments on how well this works are appreciated.
As always - your views are very welcome good or bad so this can be tweaked to get the right mix for everyone to play.

Older Updates:

Spoiler

Update 27 Feb

Spoiler

New load/save system implemented with time incremented auto saves and up to 10 time stamped save files. Still doesn't allow reliable loading between releases as it relies on the GM save state for completeness but will be OK for the finished item as the code won't be updated when finally released.
Graphics have been given a bit of an overhaul on the player side of things which should make it look a little better.
Also added a garden area, full garden maze spanning 9 rooms and additional keys (although not all are in use yet).
Still much development work required, but the game is now taking shape as a more complete product.
Next stages will be completion of the internals of the mansion and the design of an underworld section.
Watch this space for updates!
As always, suggestions are welcome!

Update 11 Feb

Spoiler

With a stroke of genius Jakyl11 found the root source of 99% of the lag we've been experiencing randomly.
So new version uploaded with an expanded basement area too as a test to see how smaller rooms affect game play.
Few extra tweaks to the AI to stop them from getting stuck in very tight places too, but nothing too major.
Would be useful to know if anyone has any slowdown issues now and what spec they are running as it shouldn't drop below 55fps on a below average system now.
Have also uploaded some new screen shots too as the old ones were very much out of date!

Update 9 Feb 11

Spoiler

After a lot of testing and brainstorming by myself and Jakyl11 this is a major update.
Speeds have been optimised again to reduce the chances of any lag in busy rooms. Some collision code has been re-written too for the same reason.
Additional information put onto the map screen (keys now displayed even if not discovered by an action like stepping on a floor switch).
A new Status screen is now added showing the new inventory system, detailed ammo info, more details on health and energy and the time and amulet pieces have been moved here from the HUD too. There is also a task list in the status screen which gives you a list of things that are required to either move to the next stage of the game or complete a key part. It also serves to give you a clue as to what you need to do next.
With the addition of the inventory and status screen the HUD has been modified and now displays your location for each room you are in and has a detector for enemies in the room with you in the form of a PKE meter (full analogue which moves according to the amount of enemies in the vicinity) and a mini-map showing the location of the enemies in the room in relation the player.
To accommodate this there has been an update on the controls and the ini file relating to them.
It should update the old ini file automatically, but if you have problems just delete the ini file and it will reset to the default keys which can be redefined from the main menu.
The instructions have been given a makeover too with more information on the gameplay and new keyboard assignments as well as a small update on the game story line so if you're unsure of what to do in the game it's well worth reading through them.

Update 2 Feb 11

Spoiler

Have included a test map engine that can be called up by pressing the M key.
It shows all 4 rooms that make up each floor and works out your position in the map to make it a bit easier to work out where you are.
I could do with some ideas on what should be included in the map - for now it's the walls, doors (locked and open) and staircases. Do you think it would be better to include things like ammo and heath pack locations?
Other minor updates are some bug fixes in the health control and a few tweaks in the depth of objects so they don't end up overlapping in the wrong way.

Update 30 Jan 11

Spoiler

Have now made some more code optimisations and main game file should now be smaller. Updated instructions to mention destroyable items too - small and large crates can be shot until they break (small ones 5 shots, large ones 10 shots).
Using temporary directory now to store extracted files from main exe to keep working directory much tidier.
Thanks go to kburkhart84 for sorting out his compression dll for storing and extracting the main audio files.

Am now thinking of adding an inventory system and a map that can be called up to show where you are but could do with some suggestions on how to manage that as I will have 5 floors in total to the mansion, plus outside including gardens.
All suggestions welcomed on that front though but I think the main game engine as it stands is ready to build the rest of the game around it.

Update 28 Jan 11

Spoiler

Now compacted all the sounds into ogg files to reduce overall size. Added puzzle to gain access to the first floor staircase too.
Also made a few more changes to the engine to incorporate the puzzle based key access.

Update 21 Jan 11

Spoiler

Found yet more bugs where the AI would ignore a solid if it walked past it at an angle then got stuck.
Altered the outside rain to make it a little more prominent.
New code added for some of the pre-configuration and hidden in a splash screen.
Added new DLL for blocking Windows' access keys as one of the default keys is shift it's possible it could trigger sticky keys and mess things up.
Also normalised the AI a little to speed up any other changes that may be required.
Could do with a few people testing now and posting back their findings on how the AI works and the general speed of the game. Also, is there enough ammo around, maybe each ammo pack should deliver more each time?
Suggestions welcome!

Update 19 Jan 11

Spoiler

More AI adjustments added and a few other minor tweaks to the engine.
Hopefully now the enemies can't push each other through solid items or sit there spinning on the spot getting confused.
Sections now readied for additional sub-games to allow access to the different floors of the house. First sub-game to be added soon.
Random ghost spawning frequency reduced to hopefully improve game play and make it a little less gun happy.
Once again, suggestions are welcome!

Description:-

I wanted to make an adventure/strategy/shooter type of game so came up with the idea of a Haunted Mansion that you have to go around solving clues etc. in order to complete the game. Rather than a traditional score I opted for a timer so the quicker you get through the higher you get on the ranking (still yet to write the custom high score engine for this).
I didn't want a normal zombie killer so incorporated the shooter side of thing as a side element of the game and concentrated more on making the adventure side of things.

Instructions:-

Spoiler

To move around using proportional control use the Left and Right keys to turn, Up key to walk forwards, and Down Key to walk backwards.

Using directional controls the direction keys move you in the direction of the key pressed, including diagonals.

Use the Shift key to run and the Z key to fire your weapon. The Alt key reloads your weapon manually.
Weapons can be selected by pressing the keys 1 to 4 if you are able to collect them on your travels.

Press X when you are near a note to read its contents.
Press P to pause the game at any point, allowing you to Load, Save or Quit.

To view the map of the floor you are in press the A key and to see your Inventory, Ammo, Health and Task details press S.

The main player controls can be redefined from the main menu should you wish.

Some doors require certain keys to open, you can tell which key by the flashing marker by the doorway. These are normally found somewhere in the door’s vicinity, although sometimes you will have to search for them or complete tasks to gain access to the keys.

Some items can be destroyed by shooting at them if they get in your way, they can also be used to hide from anything that may be chasing you too!
Also some items can be pushed around to help access items or use to trigger other events around you.

Be careful of your energy level, it gets affected if you are being attacked and will drop if you run too. If it gets too low you will black out so be aware of it! Normal activity or resting allows you to rebuild your energy though.
Medical packs give your health level a boost and can be found dotted around the mansion, this is key to allowing you to complete your investigations.

Good Luck!

Controls:-

Described in the instructions section in detail but it's mainly the cursor keys to move, Z to fire, Shift to run and Alt to reload. These can be redefined from the main menu to any configuration that suits.

Comments and suggestions welcome!

Screenshots - Updated 10th April:-

Edited by lwindridge, 10 April 2011 - 11:53 AM.

[Jakyl11]

Not bad but i dont like the controls for it, but eh (id prefere w,a,s,d over arrows keys I have to cross my arms to play it x style) backwards?
anyway,
I like the way it looks but the textures need more depth to them everything looks brand new! not that thats a bad thing it just looks kinda boring.
and i didnt really go completely through it, I ran out of bullets and it kinda became pointless to run around without bullets...

all in all i like it, keep working on it.
also if its important i stayed at 60 fps

[M_I_Soft]

Yeah I know what you mean about the textures - I'll be "ageing" them once I have the engine completed.
I'm also considering putting in user defined controls too so that should get around the problem of people not liking the default settings.

Glad the fps stayed nice and high though as I'm writing it on my old 1.7ghz laptop so it gives me a good baseline as to what it should be usable on and anything faster should just run smoothly .

Leigh

[equinox]

very beatiful demo.My complimnets.

[M_I_Soft]

id prefere w,a,s,d over arrows keys I have to cross my arms to play it x style) backwards?

User definable controls now added to the main menu based on the scripts by Mark13673.

[Jakyl11]

The remap keys is much appreciated, but when i started it i got these errors

//this one is when the game started(could ignore)

ERROR in
action number 1
of Create Event
for object obj_ctrl_init:

Error in code at line 52:
   
        	^
at position 11: Unknown variable keymap or array index out of bounds

Then i got this error when i selected the define keys option(couldnt ignore)
but it worked fine after i started the game up afterwords .

ERROR in
action number 1
of Draw Event
for object obj_define_keys:

Error in code at line 72:

[M_I_Soft]

Ahh found the problem - was an issue if the ini file wasn't present and it was trying to create the new one from the array.
Typo found and corrected - I'd used a < instead of a <=
Thanks for letting me know!

Altered the AI slightly now - so if you see any of the enemies spinning or acting odd, just let me know!

Also started "dirtying" the environment a bit too. Will do that completely when the rest of the game engine is running properly though.

Leigh

Edited by lwindridge, 14 January 2011 - 12:08 PM.

[M_I_Soft]

More updates as per the first post.

[M_I_Soft]

Updated 19th Jan - details in first post.

[M_I_Soft]

Major AI updates. More details in first post. Download is current version.

[M_I_Soft]

Guess nobody else fancies a look at the engine then?
Could really do with some testers to check things over and make sure the engine is bug free - and if bugs are apparent help identify them so I can get it fixed.
As you all probably know, doing your own testing can only go so far as you always end up missing the most simple of problems because you know exactly how the engine plays. Someone from the outside can take a fresh approach to the gameplay and find a bug in no time at all.

If nobody fancies helping out, that's fine, but it would be greatly appreciated if someone would lend a hand as I'm loathed to do much more with the game until I can be sure the code in the background isn't going to need tearing apart to fix something after I've hard coded a load of other stuff in to the game relating to the level control etc.

Leigh

[Jakyl11]

Guess nobody else fancies a look at the engine then?
Could really do with some testers to check things over and make sure the engine is bug free - and if bugs are apparent help identify them so I can get it fixed.
As you all probably know, doing your own testing can only go so far as you always end up missing the most simple of problems because you know exactly how the engine plays. Someone from the outside can take a fresh approach to the gameplay and find a bug in no time at all.

If nobody fancies helping out, that's fine, but it would be greatly appreciated if someone would lend a hand as I'm loathed to do much more with the game until I can be sure the code in the background isn't going to need tearing apart to fix something after I've hard coded a load of other stuff in to the game relating to the level control etc.

Leigh

Ill give it another go and see if i find any problems.

EDIT:

OK I think i found something wrong not sure what i did to cause it but ill try to explain what i was doing when it happened

I was in the room down from the first room you start in and at the bottom left corner where there are 2 ammo boxes i pressed the run key and shoot key and ran into a box and it seemed to raise the floor layer to the top and all the walls went invisible but were still there(couldn't walk through) and player went invisible as well but could still shoot and i could still change rooms but everything still remained invisible.
Im going to see if i can recreate the problem.

EDIT 2:
ok i figured it out you have a zoom set up for pge up and down while shift is held I was using numpad 1 shoot numpad 3 to reload and then i just tried holding the shift and pge down and it zoomed in and pge down zoomed out. So no error just seems shift isn't a good run key in my case.

EDIT 3: went through it as far as i could see being all i couldn't find the circle key for the second time i made it to the room with stairs in it but nothing else and i ran around a bunch of times trying to find the last key but couldn't so i was guessing that was the end of the demo? If not i just had no clue what i was doing just running around randomly getting lucky finding keys. I would suggest adding some kind of map to it to help players know where theyve been or something of that nature. NO BUGS THAT I FOUND.

Edited by Jakyl11, 24 January 2011 - 09:45 PM.

[M_I_Soft]

Cool thanks for that - yes there are a few debugging bits in there at the minute like the page up/page down/home for the zooming (helps to zoom right out so you can see the whole room).
Hopefully there will be a bit more to help you find the keys in the main thing - I've actually got up to the first floor so far with the rooms but was starting to hit problems with the engine so stopped and began the rewriting.
The keys for each main section are:-

First door in courtyard is in the room south of the starting point (Round Key).

Second room after courtyard (basement) the key is in the far right bottom corner mixed in with the boxes.
The first floor is a bit more complicated. There is a pressure pad in the bottom left area of the room you come up into behind the upper right bookcase - this releases the key to the kitchens.
The key to the room across the hall is in the room next to the kitchens using another pressure pad.
This room then contains the key to the staircase, again you have to work a few things out but there are some more pressure pads in here.
In the kitchens there is a corridor with loads of movable crates, the pressure pad at the bottom of this corridor will give you a key to the locked room where the first part of the amulet lies.
You can cheat a bit getting the key by going down the next corridor and stepping on the pressure pad there which opens up a secret door in front of you to walk through.

I've set it up so some of the pressure pads are just single shot ones, you step on them and they do something (like produce a key) or sometimes they spawn another pad either just out of view or if your screen is big enough you will probably see it appear. This second one will do the action like giving the key though.

If it would be useful, I could add a hard key to move rooms for testing? Also is there enough ammo or would adding double to each ammo pack help out?

Just let me know.

Leigh

[Jakyl11]

Oh i never ran out of ammo this time around even with the smg and uzi i stayed pretty much full,lol
and also the small boxes cant be moved around but the big ones can, is this meant to be like this?
just wondering...because there are some small boxes with ammo near them and i have no way of getting to them.
I also got the first part of the amulet.

[M_I_Soft]

Yes the large boxes are movable, as are the chairs and small square tables.
All the crates are destroyable though, the large ones take 10 hits to destroy and the small ones take 5 - I might add in other destroyable items if it fits in with the rest of the game play.
I'm working on a couple of sub games at the minute that will allow you to get access to keys to allow you between the floors rather than just having them dotted around as I want the game to be more than just a shooter.
You'll also see some notes on tables around the place - these will be used to give clues to what's needed in each section to progress further and hints on the sub games when they are added. Press enter when you're close by to read the note.

[game_obsessed]

I didn't play this through completely,, only for about 5 minutes, couldn't find any bugs, and it seems like a really nice engine if I play through completely later i'll update, but well done

[M_I_Soft]

OK, I've added the first sub-game to get the key for the stairs to the first floor.
You now have a table near the stairs on the ground floor with a puzzle icon on it - press enter to access the sub-game.

Let me know if it works ok for you.

If this is fine, I'll add one to gain access to the ground floor itself instead of just hiding the key behind the crates. I've already got a game written for it, I just need to get the graphics done and lay it out to suit the rest of the game.

[M_I_Soft]

OK so I've been working on some more optimisation routines and have compacted all the sounds into ogg files now which has dropped the file size down a good way.
I think I've managed to get it all but let me know if there are any missing sounds that you find.

Also, let me know if there is any problem with the unpacking of the sound files prior to the game running - hopefully it should work well as it is being handled when the splash screen is being displayed and doesn't "seem" to provide any kind of delay at all.

Could do with a bit of feedback on the puzzle on the ground floor that gives you access to the key for the first floor stairs too - does it work for everyone?

Leigh

Edited by lwindridge, 28 January 2011 - 09:51 AM.

[M_I_Soft]

Game engine updated with latest bug fixes (some audio errors after conversion to ogg files) and also code optimisation routines.

Should now be more compliant and possibly quicker on slower systems, but let me know if that's not the case!

See first post for full information on update.

[M_I_Soft]

EDIT 3: went through it as far as i could see being all i couldn't find the circle key for the second time i made it to the room with stairs in it but nothing else and i ran around a bunch of times trying to find the last key but couldn't so i was guessing that was the end of the demo? If not i just had no clue what i was doing just running around randomly getting lucky finding keys. I would suggest adding some kind of map to it to help players know where theyve been or something of that nature. NO BUGS THAT I FOUND.

Major addition to the engine with the inclusion of a map system that works out your location on each floor and displays it for you to make it a bit easier to work out where you are.
Just need a quick bit of input to see what sort of things should be included in the map.
Current access key is M but will be re-definable once I'm happy things are working right.

Leigh