Yet another 90s inspired shooter

[KillPixel]

WIP

 

Long time lurker, first time poster :D

 

Mods: the security captcha is broken for new account registration :(

Edited July 15, 2017 by KillPixel
clarification/typos

[wheresthebeef]

This actually looks like a lot of effort was put into it and looks great as a result

[KillPixel]

Thank you! We're shooting for a public demo in early 2018.

[Stealth Frag]

Amazing job. All that sprites and animations looks simply amazing and professional. I would like to play it.

 

[Da Werecat]

I'm green with envy at the moment.

[DoomGater]

We don't need that. We have DOOM.

 

[VGA]

It looks excellent, I love this meta-nostalgic stuff! I hope you don't fall into the trap of usable inventory items that screwed over Heretic and Hexen.

 

Do you accept beta testers?

[esselfortium]

Looks really atmospheric! The artwork is beautiful.

 

What engine is this running in?

[Da Werecat]

55 minutes ago, DoomGater said:

We don't need that. We have DOOM.

Not sure if irony.

[DoomGater]

2 hours ago, Da Werecat said:

Not sure if irony.

me neither...;-)

.

..tried STRAFE and this other one...ZIGGURAT. They're really amazing...for 5 minutes or so. So I am very sceptical...

 

[wheresthebeef]

5 minutes ago, DoomGater said:

me neither...;-)

.

..tried STRAFE and this other one...ZIGGURAT. They're really amazing...for 5 minutes or so. So I am very sceptical...

 

Well the procedural generation stuff should've given that away; neither one is similar to Doom.

Also Ziggurat is actually really awesome and didn't pretend to be this 90's era game like Strafe and then drop the ball with procedural levels. Procedural levels aren't necessarily a bad thing; however when you try to convince everyone you are a game from a specific era and genre, be ready for the widespread disappointment no matter how much you say before release the levels are procedural.

[roadworx]

huh. kinda looks like a mixture of blood and painkiller.

 

well, let's hope that this one doesn't turn out like strafe did!

[mysistersbike]

Looks kickass, I'd love to play this.

[KillPixel]

Thanks for the kind words!

 

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I hope you don't fall into the trap of usable inventory items that screwed over Heretic and Hexen.

 

I'm attempting to improve the inventory system of games like Heretic, Hexen, Duke Nukem 3D, etc.  In Wrath, items are easily and quickly accessible via a radial menu.  The items themselves are more integral to gameplay.  The Life Siphon (seen in the video) is a replacement for the medkit.  It's different in that it requires the player to play the game (kill enemies) in order to work.  The other items are designed similarly.  But who knows, maybe during testing we'll see that they don't pull their own weight, in which case they will be scrapped.

 

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Do you accept beta testers?

Not just yet :D

 

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What engine is this running in?

Darkplaces, currently.

 

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..tried STRAFE and this other one...ZIGGURAT. They're really amazing...for 5 minutes or so. So I am very sceptical...

 

I don't blame you!  So far, every modern "retro" FPS has failed to meet my expectations.  I think the fatal flaw is that they tend to latch on to one characteristic of retro shooters (usually some aesthetic aspect) and extrapolate upon that.  Because of this, they end up being merely shallow caricatures of their inspirations.  This is not what Wrath is.  Without going into detail, I'll compare aspects of Wrath to other games:  the combat model of Doom II (strong OUD and therefor emergent gameplay), the environmental feedback and interactivity of Duke Nukem 3D, and the atmosphere and spacial awareness/interactivity of Quake.  NO procedural generation; hand-crafted levels all the way.

 

I'd like to say a few words about the demonstration video:  it's simply a tech/art test.  Real development started in April (though I've been designing the game on paper and learning dev tools for a few years).  The sprites/animation in the video are my first attempts (I've never done this before).  Though I certainly have my criticisms, it's a good first start.  THIS IS NOT A DEMONSTRATION OF GAMEPLAY.  I think this is very important to clarify.

 

This is also not an official announcement, I just wanted the core retro FPS playing community to know what was coming, as this is who the game is made for :D

 

As tokens of my goodwill, here are some pictures of old mockups very early in Wrath's development:

 

001

002

003

 

I'm happy to answer any more questions!

Edited July 15, 2017 by KillPixel

[Da Werecat]

I didn't know Darkplaces had good sprite support out of the box. Or did you have to hack it in somehow?

[Tango]

The video looks great and those old mockups look incredible :D

[KillPixel]

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I didn't know Darkplaces had good sprite support out of the box. Or did you have to hack it in somehow?

It doesn't, at least not to my liking.  I'm now using flat quad models as sprites.  This has a few advantages, namely per-pixel lighting (note the glowing boils on the enemies and the glowing glyphs on the gun).

 

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The video looks great and those old mockups look incredible :D

Thank you, kind sir!

[nxGangrel]

Looks totally up my alley! I love the Quake-esque mixed with retro RPG style look. 

[pavera]

This looks awesome! Finally, a "retro" FPS with a design ethos that seems to understand the appeal of old shooters in the first place. Handcrafted level design all the way. Can't wait to see more of this :D

[wheresthebeef]

Good luck to you! As someone designing a new FPS myself, let me know if you want to talk anytime on Skype or email directly about anything. You have a very good start and a smart approach about it; just keep at it and everyone here updated!

[VGA]

I hope it has an episodic structure, like Ultimate Doom, with a progression of introductory maps to medium sized maps, to a big meaty map and then a boss battle. And then onto the next episode!

 

Do you intend to release a level editor and make the game accept custom content? There is untapped potential in the Quake 1/2 modding community, those games' maps look awesome and the atmosphere is great but the gameplay just sucks. The weapons feel weak.

 

When you accept beta testers, put my name first. I will preorder the game, too, if I can :D

[Koros]

Looks amazing. Best of luck with this project. I look forward to a demo release sometime in 2018.

[Da Werecat]

2 minutes ago, VGA said:

There is untapped potential in the Quake 1/2 modding community, those games' maps look awesome and the atmosphere is great but the gameplay just sucks. The weapons feel weak.

Reminds me of things some Quake fans say about Doom.

[KillPixel]

@nxGangGirl, Pavera, Jimp Argon - Thank you!  Stay tuned, this is just a small taste of what's to come!

 

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Good luck to you! As someone designing a new FPS myself, let me know if you want to talk anytime on Skype or email directly about anything. You have a very good start and a smart approach about it; just keep at it and everyone here updated!

 

Thanks!  Do you have info on the game publicly available?  First and foremost I'm a player always keeping a pulse on the latest shooters; I'd love to see your project.

 

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I hope it has an episodic structure, like Ultimate Doom, with a progression of introductory maps to medium sized maps, to a big meaty map and then a boss battle. And then onto the next episode!

 

You guessed it :D  Though, episodes are called "chapters" in Wrath :P

 

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Do you intend to release a level editor and make the game accept custom content?

 

Absolutely.  Modding is a major focus of the project.  We're designing the game to be easily modifiable or to be used as a basis of entirely new games.  Not only do we intend to release tools, we want to produce various video tutorials and documentation so there is as little of a barrier to modding as possible.

 

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When you accept beta testers, put my name first. I will preorder the game, too, if I can :D

 

I'll notify you :D  Testing and community feedback are indispensable, so there will be plenty :D

Edited July 15, 2017 by KillPixel

[Swine & Roses]

Saints Row Bling Shotgun DLC when?

[MrGlide]

Looks good. Do you plan to add bullet puffs to missed shots or na?

[Danfun64]

This is awesome. Not only does it look retro, but it also looks legitimately good...

 

...what platforms is this going to be released on?

[Da Werecat]

Just now, Danfun64 said:

Not only does it look retro, but it also looks legitimately good...

Yeah, it's usually one or the other.

[Idiotinfrontofadesk]

Looks like something i'd binge-play until I completed it, it kinda reminds me of some of DOOM's Hell themed levels in a way.

 

What I can say is, a better font for the main-menu options would make it look better. I'll say you could make the font either cryptic-looking or tough-looking, seeing the theme/setting of the game.

 

Edited July 15, 2017 by Idiotinforntofadesk

[VGA]

It is just an early alpha, people, don't discuss about bullet puffs and the font :D