[Project] Project X (placeholder) ... and so it begins...

edited in Projects
(2014/01/20)

Here's the latest web build. Attached screenshots are up to date.

You will start in the lobby screen which will be used to host/join network games. Just click join to go to the spawn screen.

In the spawn screen you can purchase and configure upgrades, and choose where you want to spawn. Credits and XP will be earned in the game, but are static for now (details to be disclosed later).

When you deploy a dropship will spawn you in the game. Use the mouse to aim, and WASD to control your vehicle. "H" will toggle help for other keyboard buttons.

Your vehicle runs on energy and generates heat - check the HUD for status - the engine will shut down if any of these are out of order. Items in the HUD can be activated (if they are attached to your vehicle) using 1,2,3,4,5. Weapons and attachments are not in yet.

Use "Alt" to toggle mouse pointer while in your vehicle - this will still allow movement, but give the ability to interact with the UI.

If your vehicle is upside down, use "Enter" to bump your vehicle (at cost of 20% energy of course :P)

To exit the game -> press "Alt", and choose one of the buttons on top left. One will call a dropship and return you to the spawn screen (with all your items in tact), the other will kill you and you will lose all your items and have to buy them again.

Other useful keys:

"Backslash" for full-screen
"[" and "]" for quality settings

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If possible, i would really appreciate if you could also please tell me about your framerates at lowest, mid and highest quality settings (there are 5 levels)... I only have a helix laptop and a very high end PC to test on, so it's difficult for me to establish an average baseline for performance.
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Hey guys

So, I've started with a new project which is probably a bit ambitious... but the next three months will be focused on building a prototype so that I can decide if the idea is worth pursuing...

The game is basically a multi-player-3rd-person-PC-vehicle-shooter where you control your bot using the keyboard for movement of the chassis, and the mouse to aim the turret around, shoot, and choose targets for automated weapons. There will be several classes, chassis sizes and propulsion systems will be upgradeable (tracked, biped, quadruped, possibly hover), weapons can be customised and placed in any slot depending on size, etc., each with different benefits/tradeoffs. Rounds will typically play out like a round of Battlefield Conquest - slightly on the tactical side instead of just death-match brawling.

If there is interest, I will be posting regular updates right here.

Thanks :)
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Comments

  • @farsicon There are not too many modern mechwarrior type games available today. But soon there will be with Titanfall and Hawken on the horizon. I like your model and game concept a lot... your post has made me wonder a bit though about indie game development in general...

    Could massive commercial projects overshadow an indie developer's efforts if one was to attempt something too similar in the same time-frame? I'm just pondering the chances of success and the "timing" of games when it comes to indie developer projects versus what is on the horizon from a AAA perspective?

    Otherwise this looks great and I would love to see the first prototype. :-)
  • @konman You may very well be 100% correct and there's no way any indie/hobbyist will be able to compete against those, but considering most other Mech games are more FPS focused, maybe there's still hope for me... besides, this project would probably take a year (or ten) to get to any form of completion, so by that time games like Titanfall would be old news, right.... right? :P
  • edited
    @farsicon You're absolutely right. If you come at it from a different angle (strategy before FPS action maybe) then it would be compelling. After-all, isn't the best thing about being an indie dev the opportunity of showing those AAA studios how 1(or a few) persons can make a game that is more fun and addictive than what a massive budget could achieve? Hang on, I'm going to go watch Over the Top or some movie with Eye of the Tiger in it or any other Stallone movie... (flexes muscles) :-)
  • @konman:

    :D

    To be honest - I'm more interested in the customisation and strategic multiplayer elements than anything else. The mechs idea is just a way for me to achieve some semblance of a game without having to do too much animation. I'm just a humble old coder at heart and animating people/soldiers will never by my claim to fame... unless the game is about crack addicts doing some spastic version of the robot dance while trying to escape a swarm of angry bees... now there's an idea! :P
  • Man, really, that game is one I'd love to make. Have had several mech game ideas, have worked one. Few, but obviously your superior experience and coding and 3d skill base trumps mine :)

    Though at the end of the day, it's all down to time, and how much time can one person have, and how different is it going to be to compete with other similar games? Do you plan to grow your tema of one?

    Hawken, titanfall, waiting for Horus, even the existing mechwarrior games and the regularly sequenced armoured core series are all playing in the same arena, though it is by no means a saturated field. I would love for an alternate to the last 2 titles mentioned. But it's futile to compete with AAA. what makes this not compete with any of the titles mentioned?

    And booking 3 months off for a prototype is ambitious too! Though I've had many 3 months and I haven't had a complete game out yet... :|
  • @tuism: I wish I could take 3 months off for pure game development, but unfortunately this will be weekends only :(

    Currently it's only me doing the game dev, and my partner in crime running the business side (we are in the process of registering our company) and finishing off the game I entered for E as a trial for unity's multi-platform capabilities.

    In a perfect world I am hoping to get a prototype completed so that we can attempt to beg for funding on kickstarter (specifically to commission artwork and audio), and get a greenlight process kicked off... Who says you can't dream big, eh?
  • You have my blessings, you guys clearly are far more experienced, so kick some ass!

    So is it going to be top-down? The image you showed second seemed to look more top-down than forward-looking. Which would be an unordinary choice :)
  • Thanks for the kind words dude, but one model does not a game make... there are still buttloads to do just to get the basics up and running.

    yes, it will be top down, with the camera following the chassis direction of the mech and the turret aiming wherever the mouse is pointed. this might change if it turns out that it does not work.

    I'm hoping to get a sample of the mechanic ready by sunday...
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    In 1988 Infocom released BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception... a strategy mech game... a remake could be very cool.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgJq2zZ2UbI

    What tools do you use to do your modelling?

    PS: I like your Futile concept.

  • @konman: finally got back to 3ds max after putting in a decent attempt to use blender. It just suits me better - possibly because it's the tool I learned modelling on when I started.
  • @farsicon I really like your concept too! I've always felt that the choices that the player makes about which equipment to have on their mechs should feel super impactful, not just be slight variations on the same thing. Good luck and we'll be waiting!

    And in terms of art, there are several artist hanging around these forums that would be super happy to jump onto a project like this (like me! :) ). Not to mention, I totally have a boner for mechs... :D
  • Thanks @darkra88it. I'll definitely keep that in mind :)
  • Total massive boner. I love it so much I made mecha. With Sketchup. SKETCHUP.

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  • That takes some hardcore dedication, @Tuism! Really cool mech design too ;) I'd love to give that thing a run/walk cycle.
  • @tuism, wow dude, that's pretty cool man!
  • @fariscon - Love that model (Yours too @Tuism). Francois' one reminds me of old Robotech episodes and Steven's is more Zone of the Enders. NICE!!!
  • Thanks Fanie :)

    So... I'm working on the animation for this beast and I can't decide on the movement. What would be better:

    1. Slow lumbering mechanical movement due the weight of the actual machine, or
    2. Fast, aggressive, almost cheetah like movement

    I almost feel like the second option would be pretty cool and scary as heck if such a thing were to come at you in real life... but, then again... the slow robotic movement seems more believable and may make it more tactical in the game itself at the cost of fast gameplay... ugh choices suck, especially if they cost so much time to implement...
  • @farsicon - start slow with options to upgrade - ultimately leading to cheetah like movement. Mech games have great possibilities to implement RPG components.
  • Don't do expensive decisions like what to animate first, try the game play, make it move fast or slow, try the whole ecosystem of the gameplay first before putting days into animation that you might have to change when the gameplay isn't right!
  • I would normally agree, but I'm convinced that the walking animation would be key to the actual feel of the movement mechanic as a lot will be built around that... I'll just have to bite the bullet and try something in between to get the general idea while animating as little as possible. Thanks for the input guys.
  • And @DarkRa88it I might just take that up as an offer ;)
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    Wow, this thread has suddenly come to life with Battle Mech goodness... yeeeha! You guys sure know how to model. I like these concepts a lot. Nice mech there Tuism, rocket pod and cannon. I wouldn't know which limb to target first if this bad boy appeared on the horizon...

    Edit: I'd hate to walk on the beach with those feet though. That mech would sink faster than a dumbell in water when walking on dry sand... best he sets scanners for solid ground. Otherwise sitting duck might happen. ;) Good job guys.
  • As he starts coming alive, I can't help starting to feel a bond with this little creature...

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    ...no... you will never look the same way at a battle mech again :P
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  • Update:

    Have messed around a bit, and here's a quick build for anyone who is interested.

    image

    Use A/D for turning, mouse to aim (only works when over the terrain for now).

    What I have learned so far:

    1. Max's coordinate system is slightly different from unity - bummer
    2. The IK/FK animation controllers in Max are not all supported in FBX file format - have to change some tactics here.
    3. Max Object Groups do not carry over correct pivot points to Unity - instead the "center of mass" is used - bummer.
    4. Mecanim is pretty damn cool - especially the root motion, but you must model and animate for it from the get-go, otherwise you are in for a world of hurt!
    5. Finer details on the model does not translate well in game - need to work at it a little bit to make it look a bit more "gamey" :P

    All in all a good learning exercise so far for a few hours' work - and time to start over again... naturally \0/

    I'd really appreciate some feedback on how this feels so far :)
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  • edited
    Awesome! I got it running in my browser first time. I really have to check out this unity thing sometime... Also there is something about Black and White art that just seems more real than colour. (Limbo/Closure?) It's almost as if some developers have tried colour and it actually harms the experience? Anyways...

    I pressed left mouse like a maniac expecting bursts of mini gun fire. And sadly the right mouse did not result in streaks of missile trails heading to the explosive demise of an enemy mech. I guess this will be in the next installment? ;-P

    Great work. It's a start. It would be really cool (IMHO) if one could hop out run around as the pilot when your mech got destroyed only to be trampled or obliterated by an enemy. It would emphasize the power of the machines...
  • Heya, I know there's not much to comment on, but seeing as you're putting a lot of time into your animation for style reasons, I thought I'd comment on that:

    The mech doesn't really feel very heavy. Two things stand out when I watch it move: There's very little secondary motion in the chassis itself, which seems a little strange with a 4-legged mech, you'd expect at least some sway; And the feet are sliding around like crazy, not only are they turning inexplicably, they're also moving laterally as the mech moves forward, how is that happening? You've got knee joints, try to move those around to allow the mech to put its feet down where it doesn't have to slide them around so much :)

    Also, have you tried having two different walking animations and blending between those randomly to create variety?
  • I can't believe you got that running as quickly as you did !?! My only crit would be that the mech needs brakes, and an idle animation to go along with standing still. The camera would also be cool if it was dropped a bit (over the shoulder type view) instead of straight down. But anything Mech is instantly cool, so these are just rant-like-suggestions. Also, I second dislekcia's idea about 2 walk animations.
  • Yeah... Lots of mistakes so far, but I'm learning :)

    The build above has only a basic walk animation so that I could get the thing in unity. And yes, looking at it closely exposes the major flaws in it. Lol.

    Quadruped animation is pretty complex, and I realised that I would have to start over and change tact a little bit. There are several factors to consider for movement - how would the mech turn, do I allow strafing, what would be the method to reverse... And all of these need to be thought of when blending the animations as well in unity - this affects the default poses, starting points for each animation, etc. Hopefully the next attempt will pan out a little better.

    At the very least, I was able to confirm that the perspective and aiming mechanism doesn't feel too terrible, and may be a viable gameplay option.

    Thanks for the feedback guys. It seems that I would need to raise the bar a little bit for poc builds :P
  • Did someone mention Project X :P
  • @farsicon Thats right, you better raise that bar... we have needs dammit ;)
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    Way cool. Just thought I would really love a game like diablo, but with a mech! I think that would be amazing. It would also add a lot more depth to your game instead of just being a plain 3rd person shooter.
  • Lastest build is up in the OP. I have put a hold on the walking mechanism idea and started to refine the configuration, spawning, and gameplay a bit more. It's starting to feel like a game now :)

    thoughts?
  • @fariscon - it sure does look more like a game now. Only 2 bits of crit. You need to update the last post with a tutorial or at least a readme with the controls. I struggled quite a bit to figure out what was what. Especially the HUD needs some explaining. Your previous build had none of that. I was intrigued by all the stats and symbols but had no idea what any of them meant. The same was true for the unit select screen. Secondly, I think your discussion should include a bit of minimum spec information. I tried playing it on my older laptop first and the game nearly killed it. The lag was to the point that the game was unplayable. Tried it again on my PC and it ran fine...and looked amazing.
  • @FanieG - Thanks for the feedback. The original post has all the details, please use the "[" and "]" keys to change the quality settings - can you please tell me how it performs on your older laptop at lowest settings? I have no idea what the minimum specs should be...

    :)
  • edited
    @fariscon = okay so tried it at the lower settings, but still ran really laggy. I have to admit though that my laptop is really old and not meant for gaming. Also, not sure if I was at the lowest setting, since there is no on-screen indicator (maybe a slider in an option menu would be better than [ and ] or at least a prompt on screen lowest/low/med/high/very high etc.). Strangely the movement got deactivated at the lower specs. Could still aim, but not move? My laptop specs:

    1.83 Ghz Centrino Duo
    Mobile Intel 945GM video card
    1GB RAM

    As said earlier. It runs fine on my PC with decent specs (mid-range), so this could be simply a case of me trying with outdated tech. Just a note on the HUD. Now that I know it is for heat, energy and health it makes a lot more sense. And I think the layout of the HUD is really clean.
  • @FanieG: Thanks! Well, on my tablet (helix, lower i7, low end graphics card) I can run at lowest graphics, and it's playable, but barely, so I would probably be safe to establish that as my baseline. I can't comment on older specs, and maybe should not aim for that either.

    How did you find the physics, movement & aim mechanic? Did it feel playable? Do you think this could work in a fast paced multiplayer match, or can I somehow improve on it without losing too much of the current "feel"?

    Any comments on the style of the UI in the setup/spawn screen? Does the upgrade mechanic work in this model, or does it feel too confusing? I want to remove clutter and allow players to upgrade or re-configure and get back into the game as quickly as possible - not sure what is the best way to achieve this.

    Apart from that, there are still a lot that needs to be done, so the HUD, Settings, etc. will get more refined as the placeholder mechanics are removed - will post an update once that is done.
  • @fariscon - the controls felt smooth and weighted (which is what I expected the unit to feel like), so all is good there. The setup/spawn screen did feel cluttered, but that could also be because all of the features you have planned have not been included yet. I think I would be able to give better feedback once there is more content usable. That being said I think the progress you have made on this is amazing. There is definitely potential for a good multiplayer romp here.
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