[Prototype] Unseen - a roguelike stealth game

edited in Projects
Edit: We made a new prototype for the game. Check it out on this thread.

Hey guys,

Before I get to the prototype: @francoisvn, @riocide and I have started a company, Clockwork Acorn. Our process involves creating a ton of prototypes and then putting some fitting ones online for feedback. This is the first of the few we'll upload, but obviously we don't want to upload too many to avoid flooding the forums with our prototypes.

So, Unseen (working title!) is a roguelike stealth game.

Download:
Windows download
Web build
For some reason the web build I uploaded seems to not show text until you died the first time, so if you don't know what to do just hold 's' until it says "press <space>", and then play.


image
Currently the prototype does not exactly capture the entire roguelike feeling since the level is mostly static at the moment, and some things are roughly implemented (like being able to see through walls), but we hope you guys will get the gist of it.

One interesting mechanic we added is wiring between buttons and cameras, that you can see using a special gadget.
image
On the left is a simple version where a short wire connects a button to the camera nearby (although it leaves your vision for a short bit in this example). While on the right is an example where you might be following a wire around other cameras and buttons while avoiding patrols (which we hope is fun :D).

Obviously we'd like feedback on any thing anyone thinks of, but specifically we also want feedback on how we tried minimizing the ton of black space you get where you're not looking. Hit 'o' to toggle between view modes and let us know what you think.

We're coding in haxe (for the most part) so as soon as our website is migrated and ready we'll probably be hosting things there instead, including web builds. For now, the website www.clockworkacorn.com is up albeit with out of date information, but our contact details are correct, if you want to contact us.
Finally, here's a teaser image for fun.
image

PS I was kind of pressed for time, so please excuse any typos/grammar fails and the shoddy screenshots.

PPS When I wanted to post I noticed the handy "attach a file" button; can this be used instead of hosting on mediafire or something, or is it not that simple?


Edit: Made the download links more visible. Thanks
Thanked by 1Bensonance

Comments

  • edited
    You can attach the file.

    But why not use something like Box or Dropbox and share the link, both of which are free and not nearly as cluttered with spam adverts as mediafire? I prefer Box for sharing files because you can override files with newer versions and it gives you stats about the number of downloads.

    @dammit, I think we need to add this to the FAQ, "Where/how do I host/share my game"
  • edited
    Thanks, I edited it with a Dropbox link now. I tried using Dropbox when I made the initial post, but I was quite rushed and accidentally tried linking a Dropbox folder instead of a file (which seems to not be possible).
    I'l look at using Box in the future (unless we're hosting on our own site).

    Have you tried the game by the way? :D
  • It just crashes when I try run it (windows 8) :(
  • Ok, I uploaded a flash build which seems to work: flash
    Also the first post is updated with the link.

    Lastly, when I run it from dropbox the text doesn't seem to display until you've died once (at least for me). I don't know why it happens or how to fix it right now, I'll investigate later.
  • I think this has some potential, I wasn't able to get past the red camera you can click on (perhaps the hit box is too small?)

    Have you checked out Gunpoint? You could perhaps draw some inspiration from there too.

    image
  • The tiny bit I played now was interesting. I wouldn't mind a run button though (something like "hold Shift to run") for when I've solved an area and want to move to the next.
  • @edg3, were you close to the camera as well? I didn't exactly explain that you need to be close enough to interact with something. If this wasn't the case, I'll try to make the hitbox the same as for the switches. This may make it trivial to turn off some cameras, as you would then be able to interact with them from further away.
    @Fengol, there's a cheat to speed things up for playtesting, shift + left-click to teleport to the cursor, use responsibly ;)
    Playing with the cheat made me want to implement a gadget that legitimately allows blinking (with limited uses or some other drawback).
  • Maybe make the camera change colour or otherwise indicate that you can click on it when the player is close enough?
  • @edg3, were you close to the camera as well? I didn't exactly explain that you need to be close enough to interact with something. If this wasn't the case, I'll try to make the hitbox the same as for the switches. This may make it trivial to turn off some cameras, as you would then be able to interact with them from further away.
    I was probably standing too far away, will try again this evening later :)

  • I liked the bit I played: neat, simple mechanics, and I think your overall the tutorial style intro works well.

    However, starting over (especially because of a small mistake) had me frustrated, and after a while I gave up. The having-to-be close issue fooled me a bit (I must have been close to the first few ones by coincidence, so when I was not close to another one later on, I was quite puzzled).

    The nine (?) camera's puzzle felt a bit like grunt work; it did not really make me feel clever (or stealthy); but I'm sure this is the kind of thing you can tighten-up with a few iterations.

    Have you played a bit with other control schemes? The one you have feels a tad unnatural at times; but I am not sure something else will be better (it's also not a biiig issue, but nicer controls are always nicer :) )

    I will give it another go at some point, I'd like to see what else you have in there :)

  • If I can make a suggestion, have the button change colour (like from dark red to bright red) when the player is within range to activate it. Then the confusion of "when am I close enough" will go away.

    I also found the control scheme a little weird. I kept wanting to press "W" to go forward in the direction I'm facing.

    Will you be adding checkpoints so the player doesn't have to start from the beginning again? I got caught after completing the tutorial and had to do it all over again. A checkpoint to restart at would be awesome.
  • edited
    We haven't really played much with the control scheme, but it should be very easy to try change up-down-left-right to forward-back-strafe-strafe. We will probably include this option is a future version.

    We have noticed the problem of identifying if you can interact with an object and we have some plans to make it easier to see if you are close enough to an interactive object, such as highlighting objects within range.

    The overall plan is that there will be no checkpoints or save-game functionality. We might change that at some point, but the idea is that the threat of permadeath should make the stealth part much more important. Our intention is (in a future version) to procedurally generate the levels so that the game is more of a roguelike, where you go on a few increasingly difficult missions and practically any mistake is the end of that run. The current level is somewhat harsh, but the general idea would be that the cameras would sounds an alarm, guards would come to the scene, and you would probably get shot (so for now we just skipped that part ;). Also, the current wire-viewing gadget would presumably be supplemented with others such as smoke bombs, stun guns, noise makers and such, so the player should be able to adjust to their play-style. We haven't really thought that much about the meta game that would surround this, but the basic idea is that the constant threat of death should make stealth an implicit choice by the player.

    EDIT: Almost forgot: thank you for trying the prototype :)
  • we have some plans to make it easier to see if you are close enough to an interactive object, such as highlighting objects within range
    Maybe have a look at @SquigyXD's Competion E entry. He had a great way of highlighting items once close to the player, where he gave items an outline shader with a brightly coloured border when close to the player. Almost like what they did in Deus Ex Human Revolution. That could work here too. Great little prototype by the way.
    Thanked by 1Bensonance
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