24 replies to this topic

[PeterBFunnell]

SAPIENCE: A SCIENCE-FICTION FPS/RPG HYBRID

• Category: FPS
• File Size: 14.38MB
• GM Version: GM 8.1 Standard
• Changes Screen Resolution: No
• Download Link: http://www.mediafire...kmb7lgl1cu7fezr

Greetings, fellow GM developers!

I present to you the demonstration version of a creation on which I have been working since mid-January, 2012. "Sapience" is a retro-style FPS with some RPG elements such as a level/experience/skill point system, an inventory and a storyline (which is still a work in progress, of course). The player must face some particularly strong enemies whilst worrying about the amount of oxygen left in his/her HAZMAT suit. This creates a very fast-paced atmosphere which makes even the most hardened FPS players panic a tad. The game currently has three graphical settings. By default, the graphics are set to Medium. On High, there is a bokeh-style lighting effect which is currently quite inefficient, so it may cause lag on some computers. In any case, I do hope you enjoy my game. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated, however minor or major.

Note: Unfortunately, this particular demo version doesn't include a tutorial, so here's a hint: In the room where you pick up the pistol, you are able to interact with the blue, green and red computer consoles (located on the wall) with the <E> key.

For those of you who possess a Steam account, the game is currently on the Greenlight system, so I would encourage you to vote for it if you enjoy it. Here is the link: Greenlight Page

Controls:

Camera Control: Mouse
Movement: <W>, <A>, <S>, <D>
Interact with environment: <E>

Open/Close Inventory: Right Mouse Button, <I>
Scroll Through Inventory: Mouse Wheel
Use Inventory Item: <Q>

Fire Weapon: Left Mouse Button
Select Weapon: Mouse Wheel, <1>, <2>, <3>, <4>, <5>, <6>, <7>, <8>, <9>

Pause Game: <ESC>
Navigate Through Menu: Left Key, Right Key, <A>, <D>
Activate Menu Selection: <E>, Space Key

Facebook Page:

Sapience - Game Development Page

Screenshots:

Edited by PeterBFunnell, 22 November 2012 - 12:22 PM.

[Venomous]

I really like what I've played so far. The simple graphics style combined with some cool lighting effects makes for a pretty good-looking game. Voted up on Steam Greenlight!

[PeterBFunnell]

I really like what I've played so far. The simple graphics style combined with some cool lighting effects makes for a pretty good-looking game. Voted up on Steam Greenlight!

I'm glad you like it. Thanks for the vote!

[StallionTG]

That was so cool.

[lightcoding]

Did you make it witrh GM?

[PeterBFunnell]

Did you make it witrh GM?

Indeed I did - GM 8.1, as mentioned. Almost a year's work, now.

Edit: If there are any graphical effects that you've seen above and would like to know how to accomplish within GM, I'd be happy to help (without effectively releasing the source code to Sapience, of course - just because it's been such a large project).

Edited by PeterBFunnell, 22 November 2012 - 02:08 AM.

[lightcoding]

Did you make it witrh GM?

Indeed I did - GM 8.1, as mentioned. Almost a year's work, now.

Edit: If there are any graphical effects that you've seen above and would like to know how to accomplish within GM, I'd be happy to help (without effectively releasing the source code to Sapience, of course - just because it's been such a large project).

Well, im just amazed that such a 3d looking game could be made just with GM 8.1. Did you have to include lots of additional code scripts?

[2d_games]

It's very difficult to find anything wrong with this game. It's well made, looks good, and is fun to play. If I were to give a suggestion I would say maybe to stop the low oxygen beep if you open your inventory and include a controls option under the pause menu. Doesn't have to be used to change the controls. It can be just so one can see what the controls are. I know you mentioned them in the topic but being able to find them in the game would be nice too.

A really well made game. Good job.

PS. Voted for you on Greenlight.

Edited by 2d_games, 22 November 2012 - 04:33 AM.

[PeterBFunnell]

Did you make it witrh GM?

Indeed I did - GM 8.1, as mentioned. Almost a year's work, now.

Edit: If there are any graphical effects that you've seen above and would like to know how to accomplish within GM, I'd be happy to help (without effectively releasing the source code to Sapience, of course - just because it's been such a large project).

Well, im just amazed that such a 3d looking game could be made just with GM 8.1. Did you have to include lots of additional code scripts?

Ah, thanks. /> Whilst it's difficult to count lines of code within GM, I have over 16,000 lines of object information (just from copying/pasting into a word document). Some parts of the object information aren't code, of course, so I'd estimate it'd be at least 13,000 lines of pure GML. It's hard to know the exact number without some sort of line-counting programme... Anyway, quite a lot of work. Of course, considering the limitations of GM's 3D engine, there have been quite a few problems, mainly to do with code efficiency (speed) and the fact that display_reset(aa) doesn't work in the current version of GM8.1.

It's very difficult to find anything wrong with this game. It's well made, looks good, and is fun to play. If I were to give a suggestion I would say maybe to stop the low oxygen beep if you open your inventory and include a controls option under the pause menu. Doesn't have to be used to change the controls. It can be just so one can see what the controls are. I know you mentioned them in the topic but being able to find them in the game would be nice too.

A really well made game. Good job.

PS. Voted for you on Greenlight.

Thanks a lot. /> That's quite a good idea, I'll try to get that done in the next version. As for the list of controls, that's also possible. Although I didn't include it in the demo because I still need to add a lot before it becomes useful, there is a small tutorial at the start of the game that describes the controls (among other things). Even with that, I suppose a list of controls can't hurt.

[Mr.Kio]

Just played it! On the plus side of things, the game looks good and it's really fun to play with a thick but easy-going atmosphere /> .

The only drawback is the optimization, with a lot of light effects, the FPS slows down to a crawl. And my system is pretty decent. Do you deactivate lights that aren't close to the player (I assume you do, because it speeds up with lesser lights in view)? Anyway, would be a shame to release such a promising looking game with those issues. And I upvoted you on on Greenlight!

EDIT: One more thing, the environments! Gray corridors need some decoration! I did spot some open space that was just... gray. And open. Might want to look into it ?

Edited by Mr.Kio, 25 November 2012 - 11:07 AM.

[PeterBFunnell]

Just played it! On the plus side of things, the game looks good and it's really fun to play with a thick but easy-going atmosphere />/>/> .

The only drawback is the optimization, with a lot of light effects, the FPS slows down to a crawl. And my system is pretty decent. Do you deactivate lights that aren't close to the player (I assume you do, because it speeds up with lesser lights in view)? Anyway, would be a shame to release such a promising looking game with those issues. And I upvoted you on on Greenlight!

EDIT: One more thing, the environments! Gray corridors need some decoration! I did spot some open space that was just... gray. And open. Might want to look into it />/>?

Greetings!

Thanks for the feedback. Indeed, as mentioned in the original post, the lights can cause lag on some computers, especially on the High graphical setting. I'll try my best to optimise it for the masses, though. Try playing on all of the graphical settings to see which one works for you. If it still lags, would you be alright with posting the specifications of your system and possibly the FPS rate exhibited on the Medium graphical setting in a room with an average number of lights (perhaps three)? It would be greatly appreciated and would likely become of some use for optimisation purposes.

In any case, I should just ask - did you encounter any problems with textures scaling incorrectly? There has been only one tester (out of around seven or so main testers) that has also experienced fairly noteable lag issues. He was also the only one so far to experience texture scaling problems as a result of his graphics card, the specifications of which I didn't bother to ask at the time. He just stated that the graphics card was particularly outdated. I'm not saying yours is, though. I've found that the same texture and lag problem can occur when certain graphics cards in laptops detect that the laptop has been set to power-saving mode or something of a similar nature. It might be possible that some particular types and settings of graphics card don't co-operate very well with certain functions in GM's 3D engine. That's one of the drawbacks of creating a decent-looking 3D game with GM, unfortunately. Of course, I plan to have the game running as smoothly as possible if and when it gets released.

Regarding the environments - indeed, at the moment they are quite bland. I'm currently in the process of making new props and textures to spice it up a bit. Some of the things I've been contemplating include pot-plants for the more open areas, pipes, possibly some desks and chairs, wall-mounted lights and perhaps some lights on stands. (Those lights will of course take the place of the generic ceiling lights when they're done, as there are quite enough lights as it is, as you've noticed...). Thanks again!

Regards,

Peter B. Funnell

[leegamestudios]

This game combines two of my favourite FPS sub genres FPS/RPG and doom style games (basic 3D, rotating sprites)
It reminds me a lot of system shock with the lighting and space hulk style corridors, however with that being said I think there needs to be some variations in room height and decorations on the grey walls as it can get a bit repetitive.

My one major gripe so far is PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE remove the oxygen system I hate any game that adds a system like this I'm unable to enjoy it because I have to concentrate on finding oxygen cans, for example I wanted to enjoy lost planet but couldn't because of the system where you can freeze to death if you're out side too much.

I had no performance problems and no noticeable artefacts while playing however I think you should add an option to turn off texture interpolation I think the game would be better with crisp pixel textures.

You mentioned that you wouldn't mind putting together some examples, I'd greatly appreciate it if you could put together a basic FPS example with collision, and basic 3d drawing I think there is a lack of basic 3D examples, there are lots of advanced one and the YYG's one is quite old and out dated.

Having said this I voted for you on greenlight and would probably buy the game assuming it was priced appropriately keep up the awesome work!

- Aidan

Edited by leegamestudios, 25 November 2012 - 06:34 PM.

[PeterBFunnell]

This game combines two of my favourite FPS sub genres FPS/RPG and doom style games (basic 3D, rotating sprites)
It reminds me a lot of system shock with the lighting and space hulk style corridors, however with that being said I think there needs to be some variations in room height and decorations on the grey walls as it can get a bit repetitive.

My one major gripe so far is PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE remove the oxygen system I hate any game that adds a system like this I'm unable to enjoy it because I have to concentrate on finding oxygen cans, for example I wanted to enjoy lost planet but couldn't because of the system where you can freeze to death if you're out side too much.

I had no performance problems and no noticeable artefacts while playing however I think you should add an option to turn off texture interpolation I think the game would be better with crisp pixel textures.

You mentioned that you wouldn't mind putting together some examples, I'd greatly appreciate it if you could put together a basic FPS example with collision, and basic 3d drawing I think there is a lack of basic 3D examples, there are lots of advanced one and the YYG's one is quite old and out dated.

Having said this I voted for you on greenlight and would probably buy the game assuming it was priced appropriately keep up the awesome work!

- Aidan

Hi Aidan,

Thanks for the vote! Greatly appreciated. Variable room height, as seen in many of the old FPS games (with the exclusion of Wolfenstein and a few others) is also something I've been thinking about - you're right, the levels are pretty boring at the moment. As I said to Mr. Kio, I'm also planning to create new textures and various props to spice up level design.

Unfortunately the oxygen system will be something I'll keep. The majority of people do seem to approve of that feature. In fact, I think you might be the first one to view that feature in particular as a short-coming. :D Thanks for saying so, though. It's always good to know what people think of the different parts of the game.

Regarding pixel interpolation, the game currently exhibits some textures that are interpolated and some that aren't. I've previously tried turning off texture interpolation entirely, as you suggest, but unfortunately it doesn't look as good as it sounds due to the fact that anti-aliasing doesn't work properly in GM 8.1. In hindsight, I should've just stayed with GM 8.0, because AA was the only reason I upgraded... Anyhow, without texture interpolation, the jagged edges of the pixels on the relatively simple wall, floor and ceiling textures in particular become far more obvious. I've carefully selected which types of textures to interpolate and which to leave pixelated so the game looks at its best within the boundaries of GM's 3D system. Of course, interpolating billboard images and images on the orthographic projection such as the HAZMAT suit and the different weapons in the game would look shocking, so I've left them pixelated.

As for the examples, provided I can find some time to do so, perhaps I'll put something together in the near future. It'd be good to give something back to the Game Maker Community, as I learnt quite a lot from other people's examples back when I was learning to use GM6.

Regards,

Peter B. Funnell

[leegamestudios]

More feedback and a bug!

Just finished the two levels and the issues with the oxygen weren't as bad as I initially thought.
On the second level if I crouch in front of the body and attempt to shoot enemies that move towards me my hits should register as I can see through the gap between the body and the floor however they don't register. That's the only bug I found so far and I loved the game it had a wonderful atmosphere and gun play that in my opinion no game maker FPS has achieved before, can't wait to play more!


Some enemies (the ones that fade away on death) make it hard to tell if they are dead as they fade away and can make me waste ammo.
One other thing the pistol looks a bit poor in comparison to the smg.


- Aidan

Edited by leegamestudios, 25 November 2012 - 11:18 PM.

[PeterBFunnell]

More feedback and a bug!

Just finished the two levels and the issues with the oxygen weren't as bad as I initially thought.
On the second level if I crouch in front of the body and attempt to shoot enemies that move towards me my hits should register as I can see through the gap between the body and the floor however they don't register. That's the only bug I found so far and I loved the game it had a wonderful atmosphere and gun play that in my opinion no game maker FPS has achieved before, can't wait to play more!


Some enemies (the ones that fade away on death) make it hard to tell if they are dead as they fade away and can make me waste ammo.
One other thing the pistol looks a bit poor in comparison to the smg.


- Aidan

Hi again,

Good observation, thanks for pointing it out. Although, that's not quite a bug. The code is still doing what it's supposed to be doing, it's just that I've set the collision region for that body to be a cylinder that reaches from the floor to the ceiling. I'll be able to change that pretty easily, though. Usually when I'm testing it I don't use that particular prop for cover, so I didn't take notice of it.

I'm glad you enjoy it. To be honest, I haven't been working on it much in the last week or two, but when I complete the new version, I'll definitely update this post.

Regarding the fading enemies - I'm sure you'll be glad to know that I'm planning the enemy death sequence quite soon. The reason I made them fade away is because I presented the game at an event called 'AVCon' in Adelaide, South Australia quite a few months ago and the game couldn't be too violent as it was an all-ages public event. I was thinking of making enemies explode into "giblets" with the velocity dependent on the weapon used (e.g. grenades would induce a faster, larger explosion, whereas pistol/smg shots would produce a relatively small explosion). That probably won't by changed by the next version, though. It'll be something I do eventually.

Regards,

Peter B. Funnell

[Sondar]

I just wanted to leave a quick note to say: great job!

This one of the most impressive GameMaker 3D projects I've seen. The pixel art textures combined with neon style lighting give a really interesting look.

I hope you get greenlit!
Sondar

[Lethalanvas]

Got my vote! Such a great concept.

Good luck to you!

[Mixtrate]

It could get frustrating at times, but I got very addicted very fast.

[CaptainLepidus]

Very, very impressed. Only had time to play for a short while, but will play more later. I particularly love the aesthetic. You did really well with player feedback - even just shooting off your gun is enjoyable because of all the effects. The HUD could be a bit better...In Global Agenda, your health / energy appear on the sides of your crosshair, making it really easy to see how you are doing. Just a possible suggestion. You don't have to go with that, but I would recommend making HP/energy/oxygen a bit more visible.

Other then that, great job! I'm excited to see where this will go. You already have my vote on Greenlight. Good luck!

[PeterBFunnell]

Very, very impressed. Only had time to play for a short while, but will play more later. I particularly love the aesthetic. You did really well with player feedback - even just shooting off your gun is enjoyable because of all the effects. The HUD could be a bit better...In Global Agenda, your health / energy appear on the sides of your crosshair, making it really easy to see how you are doing. Just a possible suggestion. You don't have to go with that, but I would recommend making HP/energy/oxygen a bit more visible.

Other then that, great job! /> I'm excited to see where this will go. You already have my vote on Greenlight. Good luck!

Greetings!

I apologise for the late reply. I haven't been working on Sapience much lately so I've neglected this post to a degree. In any case, that's a good suggestion - when I start working on it again I'll see what I can do. I've noticed that two convex lines (curved health/stamina bars, essentially) forming a split circular shape around the crosshair are reasonably common in modern F.P.S. games. Perhaps something like that is in order. Thanks for the comment!

Regards,

Peter B. Funnell