He Came From Beyond

[Szuran]

He Came From Beyond is a WIP total conversion inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, taking place within a madman's diary. It's a slow-paced adventure game with a strong focus on exploration, object and NPC interaction, and puzzles, with elements of combat. Set in Alaska in the 1920s, it tells a story of a discovery beyond human comprehension.

 

Made for GZDoom, with every asset custom-made, from textures 100% hand-drawn on post-its and scanned, to fonts, to sound fx, to music.

 

 

 

SCREENSHOTS
 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Topic created upon the suggestion of @VGA (thanks!).

Find more info on HCFB Facebook or Moddb page.

Edited December 31, 2020 by Szuran

[Silhouette 03]

I first saw this through your Moddb page. This looks incredibly well made. The visuals look both somber and striking at the same time, and the choice of music really complements the atmosphere. Why aren’t more people talking about this?

 

[Szuran]

31 minutes ago, Silhou3tte said:

I first saw this through your Moddb page. This looks incredibly well made. The visuals look both somber and striking at the same time, and the choice of music really complements the atmosphere. Why aren’t more people talking about this?

 

 

Thank you! I understand why they're not talking about it here, this is mostly a place for Doom wads, and not total conversions. And outside, maybe when I publish a bigger chunk of gameplay, I'll gain some traction. :)

 

Anyway, I do this purely for fun, so no big deal. I'm happy with the interest that's already there.

[Silhouette 03]

24 minutes ago, Szuran said:

 

Thank you! I understand why they're not talking about it here, this is mostly a place for Doom wads, and not total conversions. And outside, maybe when I publish a bigger chunk of gameplay, I'll gain some traction. :)

 

Anyway, I do this purely for fun, so no big deal. I'm happy with the interest that's already there.

That’s good to hear. Keep up the good work!

[VGA]

Very artsy! I wonder how the combat is, it has combat, doesn't it?

[Szuran]

3 minutes ago, VGA said:

Very artsy! I wonder how the combat is, it has combat, doesn't it?

Of course, but I'm still working on it. I don't want it to simply be a Doom reskin.

[wydoomer]

This is one of the best looking wads i've seen, awesome animation on those birds. Really good job dude

[NaturalTvventy]

This looks so nice.

[DavidN]

This looks incredible, I’m surprised by how well the sepia drawn look works in 3D without it just looking like the map itself is made of origami!

[phoo]

I love the aesthetic, it looks great! 

[SP_FACE1]

Iä! Iä!

[666shooter]

I'm just now reading through "At the Mountains of Madness", so here's hoping this turns out great! Love the atmosphere and the use of the ambient soundtrack to create that signature growing sense of dread.

[Szuran]

Thanks everyone! I'll post again in a couple of weeks or months, when there's something big to show.

@DavidN yeah, the goal was to make it look like a drawing, so I forced even ligthing on entire levels. Without it it kinda looked like pieces of folded paper.

[Ginji23]

I've been reading nothing but Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos lately. I love this, and I love you. <3

[Job]

Can you smell that? I can. I smell a Cacoward nomination. 

[Szuran]

18 minutes ago, Ginji23 said:

I've been reading nothing but Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos lately. I love this, and I love you. <3

Likewise! What's your favourite story? And did you get to the dream world stories? That's like another face of Lovecraft.

 

13 minutes ago, Job said:

Can you smell that? I can. I smell a Cacoward nomination. 

Wow, well, that would be incredible, but I don't think it could ever happen. HCFB is too far removed from Doom, I think. Most people here like WADs related closely to the original game. When I was working on my first mod (which I eventually abandoned), I was told frequently that it's not Doom anymore, so why even bother playing it. Which is totally understandable, people are here for Doom mods.:) But  I want to create something more personal. I believe this disqualifies me, but I'm completely OK with it, books don't get Oscars, bicycles don't run in Le Mans.:)

[Not Jabba]

6 minutes ago, Szuran said:

I was told frequently that it's not Doom anymore, so why even bother playing it.

I'm not sure who told you that, but I don't think it really reflects the general atmosphere on Doomworld that well, much less the opinions of the Cacowards team.

[Szuran]

Just now, Not Jabba said:

I'm not sure who told you that, but I don't think it really reflects the general atmosphere on Doomworld that well, much less the opinions of the Cacowards team.

Well that doesn't matter, whatever happens happens, I learned to respect the Doom-focused approach. I just kinda started doing something I thought would be fun and it seems to resonate with people, which is a super awesome feeling. :)

[wydoomer]

Some people just wanna play doom and don't care about much else. If you don't care for baked goods you wouldn't tell a baker that their goods are pointless. Those people just aren't your audience is all. 

[Szuran]

2 minutes ago, wydoomer said:

Some people just wanna play doom and don't care about much else. If you don't care for baked goods you wouldn't tell a baker that their goods are pointless. Those people just aren't your audience is all. 

Yes, of course, precisely my point! I fully respect that.

[Pechudin]

Jesus. This looks incredible. I was just thinking how I was in a mood for a slower paced, even "walking simulator" (no derogatory meaning) like experience. This looks like it would just fit my wants.

[Pixel Fiend]

4 minutes ago, Pechudin said:

Jesus. This looks incredible. I was just thinking how I was in a mood for a slower paced, even "walking simulator" (no derogatory meaning) like experience. This looks like it would just fit my wants.

 

Walking simulator will be a derogatory term if someone expects nothing but action. When it comes to me, I will be interested if a project like this contains anything but action.

[Job]

1 hour ago, Szuran said:

Wow, well, that would be incredible, but I don't think it could ever happen. HCFB is too far removed from Doom, I think. Most people here like WADs related closely to the original game. When I was working on my first mod (which I eventually abandoned), I was told frequently that it's not Doom anymore, so why even bother playing it. Which is totally understandable, people are here for Doom mods.:) But  I want to create something more personal. I believe this disqualifies me, but I'm completely OK with it, books don't get Oscars, bicycles don't run in Le Mans.:)

I'm not sure about that. REKKR received a win in the 2018 Cacowards. 

Edited January 1, 2021 by Job

[Snark]

Looks amazing. I'm now both excited and scared of being disappointed

[Morpheus666]

2 hours ago, Pechudin said:

Jesus. This looks incredible. I was just thinking how I was in a mood for a slower paced, even "walking simulator" (no derogatory meaning) like experience. This looks like it would just fit my wants.

 

I've started using "Interactive Art" instead of that term, because i think people forget how intricate and spectacular things can be, not only that but the games/mods which are like that convey deeper meanings then just "Point A to Point B", Don't get me wrong, they are that but then again any game is, however it does it in a way that provokes thoughts

 

And this Mod DEFINITLY hits that note right...

Edited January 1, 2021 by Morpheus666

[Gaia74]

This is more than just good, wow

 

awesome work!

[Archanhell]

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[Gez]

3 hours ago, Szuran said:

Wow, well, that would be incredible, but I don't think it could ever happen. HCFB is too far removed from Doom, I think. 

Shrine II, Abysm II, Hocus Pocus Doom, Sonic Robo Blast 2, Hedon, Adventures of Square, Rekkr, Ashes 2063, Total Chaos... Those are some of the titles that got a Cacoward mention (main award, runner-up, or special category) these last five years. And if you dig deeper, you can find plenty of other "too far removed from Doom" titles, too, like Foreverhood or ZanZan or Chosen.

 

I'm pretty sure your project, once released, could win a mention even if it ended up just being a walking simulator; the aesthetic alone would be sufficient.

[Szuran]

7 hours ago, Gez said:

Shrine II, Abysm II, Hocus Pocus Doom, Sonic Robo Blast 2, Hedon, Adventures of Square, Rekkr, Ashes 2063, Total Chaos...

That's awesome to hear that it could be potentially included! Frankly, I was shocked to learn that Hedon was based on Doom.

 

 

10 hours ago, Pechudin said:

 I was just thinking how I was in a mood for a slower paced, even "walking simulator" (no derogatory meaning) like experience.

8 hours ago, Morpheus666 said:

 

I've started using "Interactive Art" instead of that term

Thank you, but this is not a walking sim. HCFB is inspired by "At the Mountains of Madness", and there's a walking sim directly based on it - "Conarium". HFCB is nothiing like this game, despite similar themes.

I showed just walking, but I'd call it an adventure game. There will be puzzles, dialogues, but also enemy encounters. Infrequent but challenging and meaningful. You won't simply shoot monsters to death. I have 3 enemies ready, but I hesitate to show them, because they are supposed to be... surprising.
 

[Szuran]

8 hours ago, Snark said:

Looks amazing. I'm now both excited and scared of being disappointed

I could say the exact same thing. Ever since this mod got some following, I feel more pressure, and put much more effort. The look itself was elevated significantly since the early presentation. It will take much more time than I initially assumed. I want it to be as good as possible.