Echoplex 回音倒影 | Cyberhorror Puzzle Game

Comments

  • Hey @moonpanda thanks a lot. I wasn't aware we were on the unity site - do you have a link?
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    For #screenshotsaturday, I wanted to share work-in-progress on our cut scene "memory fragments". We filmed plates of different friends eating at the same table, then Ronnie and his team turned it into a packed Clonochem canteen.

    Most importantly, my bald head is visible (twice) in the background - famous at last... ;D

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    We're experimenting with introducing soft areas of colour (like the yellow above) into our live action sequences.

    These colours reflect the palette in the levels, and will be used to signify different story threads. #screenshotsaturday
    Thanked by 1roguecode
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    ECHOPLEX Early Access release date confirmed

    We’ve been hard at work making the ECHOPLEX Early Access release and we can’t wait to show you guys...

    The release is planned for 30 March 2017

    Here is a short video where I talk about the 3 main things that will be new in the Early Access release…



    Read more about the Early Access development

    Sign up to get notified of Early Access release

    Thanks again to everyone who has been part of the process so far - your feedback and ideas have been hugely helpful in getting ECHOPLEX on the right track.


    - Ty
    Thanked by 1EvanGreenwood
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    #screenshotsaturday: Progress on lighting and colour in the ECHOPLEX

    A comment we heard often during our Greenlight campaign was that the colours in the Echoplex are “hard to look at”. For the most part, people seem to like that the game has a different look, but we wanted to see how we could refine the colour and light while sticking to our original colour palette.

    We also had to solve a lighting problem that would cause the corridors to become completely washed out when two light colours were combined, e.g. A yellow switch in a white corridor. When the colours were too strong, edges would also disappear into their background, making the dimensions of the space hard to see.

    The screenshots you see here are the result or a few days of tweaking (and debating).

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    Main things we adjusted


    1. The area lights are now on the floor, facing upwards. This gives the space an eerie underlit feel, and helps direct light away from the floor – which keeps the colour on the floor the strongest. Another bonus is that where there is a shaft or a drop, light falls off as you go higher, creating moody, shadowy areas.
    2. We added more texture to the walls, and grain to the image – this helped the light spread more evenly and smoothed out the banding we were getting with darker colours.
    3. We tweaked (and tweaked) the specific shades of the CMYK colours we are using in the environments. This means the floor should always be closest to the pure colour, while the walls are a lighter gradient, getting darker towards the ceiling.
    4. We made the emission and intensity of the switches dynamic, depending on what colour corridor they are in. This prevents yellow switches from washing out white corridors, and ensures magenta switches throw enough colour to be visible.

    Things we are still working on

    1. “Stitching” on filler panels – we changed the structure of the Echoplex walls, which meant we needed fillers for gaps. Right now these sometimes cause lines that look like stitching – we need to resolve this
    2. Area lights on filler panels – Currently filler panels on the floor do not have their own area lights – if you look at the edge of a shaft, you’ll see that there is no light coming from the floor just before the edge.
    3. Dynamic Echo emission – Currently the Echo has a standard emission for all corridor colours. When we get to polishing stage, we’ll hopefully make this dynamic so that there will be a greater range of light and shadow on him as he moves from a dark to light corridor.

    As always, we’d love to know what you think…

    Keep up to date with ECHOPLEX development - subscribe to the Output Games blog
    Thanked by 1EvanGreenwood
  • typhvs said:
    For #screenshotsaturday, I wanted to share work-in-progress on our cut scene "memory fragments". We filmed plates of different friends eating at the same table, then Ronnie and his team turned it into a packed Clonochem canteen.

    Most importantly, my bald head is visible (twice) in the background - famous at last... ;D

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    Over the holidays my wife and I watched all of the Star Wars movies, and I noticed this scene being pretty similar :)
    (From Attack Of The Clones)

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    1978 x 832 - 129K
    Thanked by 1typhvs
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    @roguecode Brilliant! I guess once you've seen one clone canteen, you've seen them all... :D
    Thanked by 1roguecode
  • I want to see this short film thing.
  • joshken said:
    I want to see this short film thing.
    Hey @joshken, we're finalizing the live-action sequences over the next few weeks - so there should be more to show soon. It's actually 5 "short films", of around 15 seconds each, that the player will assemble from memory fragments as they complete levels.

  • typhvs said:

    Hey @joshken, we're finalizing the live-action sequences over the next few weeks - so there should be more to show soon. It's actually 5 "short films", of around 15 seconds each, that the player will assemble from memory fragments as they complete levels.
    Reminds me of Quantum Break. I'll be keeping an eye.
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  • ECHOPLEX Environmental design: The Midroom

    The “Midroom” is where you find yourself between levels in ECHOPLEX – a small glass room with a portal leading to a new puzzle. But haven’t you been here before?

    Here are my first concept drawings for the Midroom, giving a sense of dimensions, lighting and materials…

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    The player starts each level inside the glass chamber at the center of the room, going through the portal at the far end to enter the Echoplex.

    The glass chamber is the brightest part of the room, illuminated by 3 large light panels set into the ceiling. The walls of the outer chamber are lit by dimmer recessed downlights.

    Along one wall is an mirrored observation window. This lets the player see a reflection of themselves at the start of the game (so that they see that they look the same as the Echo).

    Large hydraulics can raise and lower the glass chamber.

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    Midroom plan view: The glass chamber at the center is illuminated by 3 large light panels in the ceiling.

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    Midroom front elevation: Hydraulics can raise the glass chamber, opening the test platform.

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    Reference for colour and materials in the Midroom – monochromatic steel, glass and laminate contrast with the strong colours of the Echoplex levels.

    See more on the blog
    Thanked by 1EvanGreenwood
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    One design challenge with ECHOPLEX is to make the game graphics and the live action "memory fragments" feel like part of the same world.

    For #screenshotsaturday, here's a work-in-progress mood board combining the two worlds...

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    There are two main solutions so far:

    1. Desaturating the live action footage - For example, Robyn's skin tone is now similar to the tones you see on the wall in the white corridors in the Echoplex
    2. Adding soft areas of colour - We are overlaying soft areas of colour (magenta and cyan) onto the footage, to pick up the colours in the Echoplex. The colours will represent different story threads.

    The next step is to develop design for the memory fragment itself (as seen inside the game), and create a satisfying transition effect between the game and the footage...

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    Get notified when ECHOPLEX releases

    Thanked by 2SUGBOERIE Tuism
  • New trailers for ECHOPLEX Early Access!

    We're launching on Steam Early Access next week - super exciting. We've done a tremendous amount of work on this game now, so it will be good to get it out into the world and see what happens.

    There are two trailers below, the main Early Access trailer, and a "Prologue" trailer (which is actually the first cut scene in the game). I'm hoping that the main trailer sells the "puzzle adventure" aspect of the game, and the second one the more cinematic/atmospheric side.

    I did plan to release these separately, but in the rush of getting everything done that didn't quite work out. Learnings for the full release...





    Thanked by 1pieter
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    ECHOPLEX started as a short film idea. My background is in filmmaking and I had never made a game before - but as I worked on the concept, I realized it would be much more interesting as an interactive experience.

    I teamed up with programmer and art director Henk Scheepers, who I had worked with on corporate projects. We did not know each other well at the time, but I was impressed by his meticulous work and sense of aesthetics.

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    Henk Scheepers, lead developer on ECHOPLEX, working on the game demo

    We created a simple browser-based version of the game in mid-2015. Our focus was to create an easy-to-use level editor for players to design their own levels. After we launched, we discovered that most people were interested in playing rather than designing - but the “echo” concept definitely hooked them in.

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    The browser-based ECHOPLEX prototype

    The next step was to move the game off the browser and make a desktop demo with more visual detail. (Players of the browser game would often comment that they got disorientated in the levels because of the visual minimalism.)

    Henk and I were both still working full time jobs, so ECHOPLEX development happened in the early mornings and over the weekend. We worked with our colleague Ronnie Wong Ho Hip, to develop the Echo character model and animation.



    We showcased the ECHOPLEX demo at the rAge 2016 video game expo in Johannesburg (we’re from South Africa). It was the first time that we really saw how players connected with the idea.

    After 3 days of watching people queuing to play the game, and bringing their friends back to try it, we realized we had something worth pursuing.

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    Players at the ECHOPLEX booth at rAge 2016

    I knew that it would take full time focus to take the game to the next level - and to do that we needed funding. I made a pitch video for the game, intending to apply to organizations like Indiefund. But before I could do that, my friend (and previous employer) Shayne Mann called me and said: “Tell me about this game.”



    Shayne invested in the production and helped us make the leap to working on the project full time. This was the turning point for ECHOPLEX.

    Henk and I both moved from Johannesburg to Durban to work on the ECHOPLEX (Durban is cheaper and has the ocean!). In the space of 4 months, we rebuilt the game from the ground up, developing it into a more multidimensional, story-driven experience.

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    Actor Aaron Teng on set with DOP Travis van Staden and director Tyron Janse van Vuuren

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    Filming close ups for the protest scenes

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    Actress Robyn Davie and director Tyron Janse van Vuuren on set

    Many players of the demo asked for an ECHOPLEX story, so we developed a non-linear narrative that is revealed piece by piece in the game. I filmed the “memory fragments” very simply, working with family and friends as actors in a tiny green screen studio.

    And with Ronnie’s supervision of the visual effects, our little production ended up looking much higher budget than it is!

    As the project developed, our team grew. Revin Goff came on board as the game’s composer. I first heard Revin's work on Soundcloud, and I was hooked. His sounds draw you in and keep surprising you - just what our game needed. Revin is based in Galway, Ireland - so he and I worked on the score almost entirely via WhatsApp.

    Revin developed a relentless, mesmerizing theme that came to define the game.

    We’ve also been lucky to work with two great companies: indie game PR agency Novy Unlimited, and Chinese Publisher indienova. Both companies have brought a wealth experience, expertise and creativity to the project that has taken us to the next level.



    Developers will know that making a game is more than a full time job, but it is deeply rewarding too. This project has changed our lives in a tangible way, and we can’t wait to see what happens next.

    Check out ECHOPLEX Early Access
    Thanked by 2pieter Bensonance
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    The first update to ECHOPLEX Early Access will introduce Echo expiry

    We’re a few days into the release of ECHOPLEX Early Access, and we’ve gotten some great feedback from the community - thank you!

    A criticism we’re hearing often is that many levels can be completed by simply running around blindly.

    The reason is that your Echo follows you indefinitely - if you keep moving, you can pretty much stay ahead of him forever. If you keep going in and out of doors and switches randomly, chances are you’ll eventually stumble upon a sequence that completes the puzzle - without really knowing why.

    This is obviously not fun, and has no real sense of accomplishment - so we want to fix it!

    The Timeline Update seeks to solve the “running blindly” problem by introducing a lifespan for each Echo.

    Each Echo’s lifespan will be different, depending on the puzzle. You’ll only have a short amount of time to use that Echo - and if you haven’t figured out the puzzle by the time the Echo expires, you’ll have to restart the level.

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    We’re introducing a new graphic on the side of the screen (see above) that will show you how much time you have left with each Echo. We’re also experimenting with indicators that will show when an Echo crosses through a switch.

    We believe that the Timeline Update will make ECHOPLEX a different (and better) game, and we’re looking forward to hearing what you think.

    - Tyron Janse van Vuuren, Game director
    Thanked by 1Bensonance
  • The Premonition Update is live! We hope it's going to be a game changer...

    The Premonition Update (previously known as the Timeline Update) introduces two new features to ECHOPLEX Early Access: Premonition and Timelines.



    Premonition allows you to freeze time

    When we first launched ECHOPLEX Early Access, many players requested a way to explore the puzzles and the environment without the pressure of the Echo following.

    This is where Premonition comes in. When you activate Premonition, time freezes. This allows you to explore the environment, moving through any area that is already unlocked, while your Echo (or Echoes) stay frozen in place. When you exit Premonition, time unfreezes and the chase is on again. You can enter and exit Premonition by pressing TAB, and there are no limits to using it.

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    "Premonition" allows you to freeze time so you can explore the puzzles without the Echo following you

    Timelines make the game more strategic

    The second new feature introduced in the Premonition update is Timelines. When we first released ECHOPLEX Early Access, some players told us that they were completing levels by simply running blindly until they unlocked the puzzles by luck. We’ve spent a lot of time designing the puzzles, and we want to make sure you get a sense of accomplishment when you solve them.

    So in this update, we’ve added a time limit to each level and a lifespan to each Echo. These time limits are customized specifically to each puzzle - so you’ll really have to think about how to complete the level using the seconds you have available. (And remember: if you want to freeze time and think for a bit, you can enter Premonition at any point!).

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    The Timelines show how much time you and your Echoes have in the level

    You’ll see two sets of timelines on screen. On the left is your main timeline, showing you how much time you have in the level. Switches you activate are marked as colored lines. The white triangle indicates when your Echo will enter the level.

    On the right hand side of the screen, you’ll see the Echo timeline. It shows how long your Echo’s lifespan is, and also records which switches it has crossed.

    When your Echo’s timeline runs out, it disappears from the level. When your timeline runs out, the level resets, and you’ll find yourself back in the test chamber.

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    Premonition lets you to see the game from new angles

    Try it out for yourself

    Please give the new update a try and let us know what you think. We’ve also redesigned some of the levels for better flow and puzzle work - so playing the game will be quite a different experience now.

    Your feedback so far has helped us take ECHOPLEX in directions we didn’t expect and we’re really loving it! So thanks again, and we’re looking forward to your feedback on the Premonition update…

    Get notified about new releases and Steam key giveaways


    **Please note: The Premonition Update makes fundamental changes to the way ECHOPLEX works, so any existing game progress will be lost. We’re working hard to improve the gameplay experience based on your feedback - and this type of update is a reality of Early Access development. Thank you for hanging in there while we make the game better!**
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    We've just gone live with time trials and achievements in ECHOPLEX Update 0.3.0. ;D

    This update includes 3 big changes:

    1. TIME TRIALS

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    The time trial feature will unlock after players have successfully completed all 15 levels of the Early Access edition.

    Your score is the total amount of time spent playing through all 15 levels (including any deaths or restarts), and your ranking will be displayed on the Global Leaderboard.

    This was fun to work on - Steam integration is a bit fiddly, but it seems to be working fine.

    2. BETTER CLIMBING CONTROLS

    We always had a problem where the player got pushed forward at the top of a ledge climb (caused by us trying to match player and Echo movement).

    So we’ve now adjusted the climbing physics and animation to give more control at the top of the climb. Transitioning from climbing to moving is now much more fluid.

    (The change in player control has caused some animation problems for the Echo climbing - but they are next on the list.)

    3. ACHIEVEMENTS

    There are 3 types of achievements:

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    Level Achievements: These are earned after each level that you complete.

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    Perfect Run Achievements: These are earned for a completing a series of levels without having to restart the level (due to dying, time expiring, or giving up).

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    Time Trial Achievements: These are earned for completing levels within the allotted time.

    The achievements TO BE CONTINUED and BENDING TIME are exclusive to Early Access.

    Also in this update:
    • A smexy new menu! (see below)
    • Extension of the first two levels!
    • Exciting bug fixes!


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    I feel like we're generally making good progress towards the finished game - still a lot of visual polish to do (plus 12 more levels, more story, etc, etc..)
    Thanked by 1mattbenic
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