Posts by Hourences

  • Call of Duty: World at war

    Quote from Erratic

    That seems like a really short sited perspective to be honest. Really, there's only one single way to visually and narratively present a game set during WW2? Certainly most WW2 games take the beat path, I'll agree there, but to say that your art direction and narrative/story is completely done for you is non sense. There's virtually infinite number of directions you could take any time period both visually and narratively.

    Of course you can try to be original with a WW2 game, but no matter what you do, it will always be a WW2 game, and you can only add those things that really were there in WW2. Sure you can give it a twist, but you can't change it. And that is the whole point. You cant possibly argue that there is a lot of freedom in creating a WW2 game.

    Sci fi games can look like minority report, or like 5th element, or like something in between. Or it could have this typical 1950s ufo touch to it, or jakk and dexter like, or you it could take the matrix path. It could be about an alien invasion, genetic mutations, war against machines, massive human warfare, or even a space battle. It could be absolutely anything you can imagine. The guns could be huge and over the top, or simple. It could involve a mechnical arm grabbing helicopters in mid air, or some dude who breaths below water (waterworld alike sci fi), or perhaps it could be Mad Max or Fallout like, or perhaps like Tron.

    Those are not just variations on a certain theme (sci fi), they are almost entire themes on themselves. That you can't do in WW2.

    The whole point is that Sci fi is an overspanning genre/theme that actually enveloppes many different subgenres/themes, like for example 5th element vs matrix. WW2 is not an overspanning genre, it is subgenre in itself, and it belongs to the realistic and contemporary games. Now comparing contemporary games to sci fi games is a whole other discussion, but there is no way that a subgenre can offer at least as much as sci fi in general. And when any single subgenre becomes overexploited, it will become boring very quickly, exactly because a subgenre can only offer so much, and after a while you have basically just seen it all.

  • Call of Duty: World at war

    A sci fi game can look like may things. There are a hundred ways to portray a sci fi world. There is 1 way to portray WW2. You dont even need to figure out a visual style or a story...

    Id rather see WW1, much more potential. Art noveau in a very grim war setting, briliant imo.

  • The Ball - Indie FPS Action/Puzzle Game

    There will be a CTF Krodan for phase 2, allowing me to also compete in "Best graphics in map", which should turn out well. The map will be part of the next CBP release.

    There are 4 phases, the 4th is in late 2009.

    I won a first prize with a ONS level before, first prize best gametype before with a mod I only worked on, and a lot of nominations, 3rd or 4th places, etc. with other levels.

  • Portal: Prelude

    Quote from NykO18

    Hehe yeah. The beginning (credits) reminded me of one of Farbrausch's demos (debris iirc).

    Caramba! Nous sommes démasqués.

    Yeah well, our videomaker found this demo so awesome that he thought it could be cool to do the same. And that's it.

    Anyway, I wondered a long time if we should go away from the visual style of Portal. But that would have required another adaptation to this new environment and probably new tutorials to begin the game. We didn't want to make another game for stupid people who need 3 rooms to understand that a cube can trigger a button. (that's a bit harsh maybe xD)

    You dont have to go that far. You could also just change colors of some textures, introduce a few new textures, and add a basement section or so, and that would be enough already.

    You dont need to change gameplay or the typical gameplay elements (this kind of texture cant be portal'ed, etc), just a change in color or material may make it feel refreshed already.

  • The Ball - Indie FPS Action/Puzzle Game

    Bump, never had a lot of replies on this.

    We just won first place Best Mod, and first place Best Use Of Physics in the 1 milion dollar MakeSomethingUnreal contest phase 1.

    We are a month away from the release of Oztoc, part 2.

    Quote

    In Oztoc, the player will...# Meet the ruler and guardian of the temple (shown in the screenshots, by eLuSiVe with additional help from Manti). This monstrous king will observe the player as he progresses through the level and occasionally activate traps.

    # Enjoy improved ball behavior and a simple but efficient hud. Also fixed was the irritating "getting stuck inside the ball" bug.

    # Puzzle their way through a level that will be at least three times the size of the Pehua level, and twice the complexity.

    # Experience a whole number of new gameplay mechanics such as water, rains of arrows, big and very hot balls that don't like you very much, and more low gravity!

    # Meet a bunch of "friendly" but semi dead monkeys who inhabit the temple (shown in screenshots, by Tores)

    [Blocked Image: http://users.telenet.be/Hourences/theballoztoc1.jpg]

    [Blocked Image: http://users.telenet.be/Hourences/theballoztoc2.jpg]

    [Blocked Image: http://users.telenet.be/Hourences/theballoztoc3.jpg]

    [Blocked Image: http://users.telenet.be/Hourences/theballoztoc4.jpg]

  • Level Design Survey Results

    Yeah I know, but it is very challenging to split all results into categories (pro/amateur, what community, how much experience, etc..) because that would make a huge list of answers, and also I don't think the software actually supports it.

    The last ten or so questions were actually answered exclusively by pros btw.

    I think I will create a Part 2 in a couple of months. I will have it cool down for a while, come up some questions, and then kick of Part 2.

    If anyone has any questions they would really like to see added, tell me!

  • Spore. Buy. Now

    It is a love it or hate it game. I also wonder what casual players, and even girls (imagine that), think of the game. I dont think that metacritic and all those reviewers represent that group of players all too well, but it may be exactly that group to will turn this game into a success (aka the sims crowd). Then again, the rts like action may be a step too far for that group?

    Maybe the game is trying to be too much? Be both a rts game and everything else, appeal both to girls and boys, young and old, etc?

  • Fallout 3

    Morrowind was awesome for its time, especially its environment and level of detail.

    Oblivion looked good tech wise, but it was so horribly bland and boring. Super standard green trees and the most standard medieval houses one can come up with, where was the art styling? Morrowind on the other hand, had some pretty nice styling.

    Fallout doesnt only seem to lack color, but the lighting and geometry in general is not so nice. Lighting usually only seem to come from 1 source (ambient or sun), and things like that supermarket are just a big cubic space with shelves in. If you are going to make a supermarket, give it two stories, highlight some areas (car on display for example), fountain, glass elevators, etc.

    Of course all of their games are really huge in size, so it isnt so easy for them to spend a lot of time on just 1 area, but still, I feel with a few relatively easy changes it can look more inspired.

  • Meeting?

    First photo - from left to right

    Evert - Peris - Hourences - Lionel

    Second photo

    Peris and my hand

    Third photo - left to right

    Sa74n -Syntheziser - SBR

    4th Photo

    Hipshot I believe - Insta

    5th Photo

    Synthiziser (left)

    Drevlin (back right)

    SBR

    Teddy (front right)

    Last

    Lionel

    Present were:

    Hourences

    Peris

    Drevlin

    SBR

    Insta

    Evert

    Hipshot

    Syntheziser

    Lionel

    Tobias

    Tobias' gf - Dice artist

    Sa74n

    Teddy