A bit over 2 months ago I talked about the latest map Tropicana, weather conditions and other improvements. Today I return with some more juicy news! I'll go through all changes and updates that have been made on the game since the last post. At the end I'll let you know where I am on the roadmap.
New map: Metro
Somewhat inspired by the books / game series, and also a map in Battlefield, I wanted a map revolving around a Metro. It provides a great aesthetic which allows for a great unique map with close quarters but also long distances which allows every weapon to have a role. Check out the progression pictures!
Once again I started with a rough block-out of what the flow should be. I had some assets ready so they were used immediately. And as always, abiding the self determined rules of what a map really needs.
The block-out of Metro
A first glimpse of something that resembles the Metro map
With lots of changes regarding the map atmosphere and feel, it was time to make sure it was playable and ready for the first lighting pass. Also decided to forcefully create outdoor spots which it didn't have by breaking open the ceiling, as if it had collapsed.
First lighting pass, a daytime weather condition of the map that didn't make it in!
I tried out various weather conditions, such as daytime, evening, low hanging sun, night time. But due to some lighting issues most didn't fit right as the map is very closed off from the sun. Night time however, fits really well.
Night time certainly is more scarier, it felt like the right theme for this map
I want to do some more environmental storytelling, but I also like funny scenes that you come across in games
The only thing left is to fix the reflections in the main hall, other than that I'm very pleased with the end result!
Game Feel
After I finished Tropicana (and also Metro) I held a closed pre-alpha test where players could try out the map. I got some good feedback regarding game feel. When you are making your own game, you tend to forget how janky (not functioning good, poor quality) things are until someone else points out that it is infact, jank.
Based on all feedback, now you can throw things whilst running, and also reload and heal yourself whilst running. Next to that the movement is improved and the input feels quick and responsive. There's a ton more, such as weapon feedback when shooting and how the camera should shake when an explosion goes off near you. All the good stuff to make the game more immersive!
Game Changes
Some other outcomes of the playtests resulted in how playing as a sole zombie is quite unfair if you're up against multiple hunters, you really needed to team up to get some damage done, else you keep getting killed without having done anything meaningful, and that is bad.
There is probably a decent balance somewhere when deciding how many people to pick to become a zombie when the round starts. But it would be a tedious process as it also involves balancing hp, all damage values, map layouts and whatnot. There is not a quick solution to this.
As Henry Ford (Yes, the man who made Ford) once said (allegedly) : “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”
Sometimes you need to look at things from another perspective, so instead of picking players at random, I have added AI controlled zombies to game which spawn throughout the round, turning it from a PvP (Player versus Player) game into PvPvE (Player versus Player versus Environment).
Now there are more benefits to this and problems that are solved when doing it this way:
- No longer are you picked at random to become a zombie. You still become one when you die, but that would completely be a skill issue.
- When being the first to become zombie, you are not alone in this fight. Team up with some AI's and you can make an impact.
- The game can now be marketed better. (explaining this would be a whole new post, so take it as it is)
AI zombies on the move, nowhere to hide
Other Improvements
Once again this is a long list if I wrote down every change, so I'll condense it a bit so you're not reading some essay. Next to this there has been a ton of bugfixing and general improvements to game.
Since the last post:
- Removed the random picking of hunters to be zombies and added AI zombies instead.
- Improved the jank regarding input & movement, you can now do a lot of things whilst running.
- New options have been added to the settings menu! Check them out below
- A new main menu was made.
- You can now make multiple loadouts and pick one before deploying.
- The game now has a minimap.
- Weapons now have unlimited ammo, but require reloading. (To be looked at in the future: limited ammo with resupply options)
- A new map has been added!
- UI has been improved across the whole game.
- You now get a level up notification and you unlock weapons through levelling up.
New main menu, including a lot of UI/UX improvements!
New settings for performance gains
Minimap can be seen, as well as me getting murdered within the next few seconds
What's next
As seen on the roadmap (down below), there are 3 features left for Phase 2 which the development is currently in:
- 1 new map
- Some new guns (The amount depends on how fast I can add new ones)
- Being able to unlock things through levelling up.
I am currently working on unlocking things through levelling up. And with that comes a 'End of Round Report' as you see in many other FPS games. In this is a small overview that displays your progress / stats from the round you just played and pops up when the round ends.
Whilst I was working on it I realised I needed more things to unlock, because it feels weird to level up and not get anything (yet) for it. So I decided to pull the 'Customizable Hunter Clothing' from Phase 4 to this phase. So Phase 2 might take a bit longer than expected before it's complete, but for a public test I felt this would be necessary.
The original roadmap
All things considered I'm happy where the game currently is and where it is heading!
If you came this far reading all of it, thank you for your support.
If you are interested in more in-depth info regarding the game or just want to hang out feel free to join the discord: https://discord.gg/jbx92tbMSG
And if you want to join in on the future playtest, don't forget to Wishlist and sign up!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2179490/Ravenous_Horde/
