@MrNexy At the very least Jim Sterling appreciated your direct response and claim of responsibility for the game's current shortcomings in this week's Jimquisition. Skip to the end if you want to see it.
Hey there Fengol , Thanks for checking in to see whats been going on. I think the steam announcement below will do a good job of explaining the situation.
I've been really very busy getting my life back together over the past couple months since the announcement and sadly have had little time to myself let alone time for development. The little work that I have managed to get done can be found below.
I've been doing motion graphics work on contract for a couple clients over the past few months and its been pretty demanding. I'm finding it difficult to keep up with the key requests at this point. There'll be some light at the end of the tunnel though to be sure but time is not my friend at the moment.
Well, it's been quite a long time since I last posted something around these parts hasn't it? Where have I been? (not that anyone would have noticed my absence mind you :3 )
After getting my life back in order, I spent time doing contractual VFX work, prototype R&D and loads of studying. After cutting my teeth on a number of development projects and after leveling up my development skills, I decided to give Atajrubah another shot.
Needless to say I don't plan on a repeat of what happened the last time. Since development re-booted in December I've made swift progress on the core systems and just posted a lengthy update on steam today if you'd like to check that out.
I know that my exit was something less than graceful but I'm hoping that I can interact with you guys a lot more going forward and become part of the community(again?).
Looks like the Steam community are responding very positively to your commitment to delivering the best game you can,
I hope all that leveling up means that development will go smoother for you this time!
Are the images on Steam indicative of the "more stylized" visual direction?
When you have some of the core mechanics, it might be useful to test them somehow. Maybe a beta branch on Steam, or something like that? (I'm not sure what your plan is).
If you are doing some testing of the mechanics (after what you name "Stage 1") you should probably put it on your Trello list as one of your tasks. I say this because it's easy to think about testing and getting feedback as tasks that just delay you getting to the development of the game, but testing and feedback are important and necessary steps and can take a long time, so it's better to write it down so you have something to tick off when you've done them (and get the motivation boost from working towards that goal).
Are the images on Steam indicative of the "more stylized" visual direction?
I would say no. At present, everything is just placeholder "programmer art". This includes the UI element skinning and the World V1 map. Once development enters "Stage 2" I will be engaging with a concept artist to help shape a new look for the game.
When you have some of the core mechanics, it might be useful to test them somehow. Maybe a beta branch on Steam, or something like that? (I'm not sure what your plan is).
If you are doing some testing of the mechanics (after what you name "Stage 1") you should probably put it on your Trello list as one of your tasks. I say this because it's easy to think about testing and getting feedback as tasks that just delay you getting to the development of the game, but testing and feedback are important and necessary steps and can take a long time, so it's better to write it down so you have something to tick off when you've done them (and get the motivation boost from working towards that goal).
I agree with you completely on this. I certainly plan on doing extensive testing with community members once I have all the systems in place. Perhaps that process can run as "Stage 1.5"? That way it can get the time and attention it deserves.
Hi . Im pretty new to your game, and Im pretty new to indie game dev, absolutly zero experience!!. I am constantly being blown away by SA talent. keep going man!!!!!! Seems like the online sharks had a go at your game, which I've come to expect. BUT take a look at people who want to play your game. they usually are the ones the game is made for , in the first place , and they will give you feedback without the "flame" in their eyes . "chin up" and "keep trucking" !!!
Hi . Im pretty new to your game, and Im pretty new to indie game dev, absolutly zero experience!!. I am constantly being blown away by SA talent. keep going man!!!!!! Seems like the online sharks had a go at your game, which I've come to expect. BUT take a look at people who want to play your game. they usually are the ones the game is made for , in the first place , and they will give you feedback without the "flame" in their eyes . "chin up" and "keep trucking" !!!
Thank you for the kind words @Kulu . I don't think that I would see them as "sharks" though, in my experience vocal critics are often those most interested in your work and most disappointed when it doesn't meet their expectations. There is certainly a great deal to learn from them :)
I was thinking about this game the other day! I'm so glad you're still working on it.
Thanks for the sentiment ^_^
I've just finished up the preliminary construction system and UI setup for the game. I had a socket based construction system prototyped in the previous version of the game but it was kind of a pain as you couldn't socket a static mesh in UE4 at the time.
That's changed now, thankfully. So I built a new socket based construction system and made the required improvements and optimizations. It was easy enough getting the elements to place in the world, the tricky part was determining whether or not to place an element depending on things like collision with other items in the world. Still needs some more work before I'm happy with it. You can check it out below if you like.
[Construction System Demo]
The UI needs work to be sure. I was thinking about having two bars, one on top of the other. That way I can have a bar for construction elements and another one just for prefab placement in the world.
I'm open to C&c and I'd love to know your thoughts :)
@MrNexy , this looks stellar. That construction system reminds me a lot of a survival game called Rust made in Unity, where you can build abodes by placing modules, then you also get to run around naked. The landscape also brings back memories of the game Magic Carpet.
I am very keen to see where you go with this into the future...
The construction system is by no means unique to be sure. It is used to good effect in Rust and Ark and I believe that it was also implemented in H1Z1's barricading mechanic (from what development blogs I saw back in the day). One can see why that is, it lends itself well to a modular approach.
@MrNexy I hope I didn't come across as implying you are copying others. I really like that mechanic and believe there's plenty of room to expand upon it. Also I sincerely hope your game will include a flying device (erm magic carpet *cough*) so one can take in the beautiful landscape from above as well. ;P
Edit: I might need to google the difference between Arabian (African) civilisations versus Persian (Iranian). Not sure where a magic carpet device "originated".
I don't really have any images or video to show for this update. However, I'd like to share my most recent steam post if you all would be so kind. Any thoughts or feedback would be very much appreciated.
Kind Regards, MrNexy
Hey there fine folks!
While this isn’t a full update post with pictures and all, I wanted to pop by and update you on my progress.
As mentioned in the previous update post, the remaining tasks were to finish off the core AI functionality and to set up the menu systems. As of today, those tasks have been completed.
In addition to that, I have added support for game modes. Regular mode would have reasonable survival and resource rates, whereas Hardcore mode would have higher thirst and hunger rates but lower resource rates. I do plan on using these different game modes to affect other mechanics in the world as well.
The saving and loading of player placed structures, storage prefabs, and cooking prefabs have been completed. That way when a server goes offline, players don’t lose all of their stuff.
New Website I've setup a new website where people can get a brief overview of the game and it's development. For now, it's pretty straight forward but I plan on changing it as we move through the different stages of development.
That’s some of what I’ve been working on this past month, the tasks to follow are the more exciting and tricky ones.
Multiplayer functionality This involves making sure that all the single player functionality works in multiplayer too. This is definitely a little trickier than just flipping a switch.
Seeing as I have a server browser setup, I will also be tying in the functionality for hosting and searching for game sessions through it. This can also be a little tricky to test but with time I’ll get it setup properly (again).
End of Stage 1: Prep for Community Testing.
Rejoice! The end is of stage 1 is nearly upon us. There are a number of things that need to be setup before we can get started with the testing phase.
- Make sure that the crafting menu is fully populated with everything the player needs to build their own structures and weapons. - Make sure that players can do damage to structures and that structures can be destroyed. - Make sure that projectile weapons work properly in multiplayer. - Make sure that the test level has adequate resources for players to gather for crafting, cooking, and construction. - Prepare a beginner's guide for players.
Conclusion
I just want to thank you all for your patience and support, there is still so much further to go but I know that we’ll get there together.
Comments
I think the situation might still be salvageable if you can update your store videos with intentions and demonstrations.
Also, well done on not over-reacting.
Thanks for checking in to see whats been going on. I think the steam announcement below will do a good job of explaining the situation.
http://steamcommunity.com/games/282960/announcements/detail/155708732882180344
I've been really very busy getting my life back together over the past couple months since the announcement and sadly have had little time to myself let alone time for development. The little work that I have managed to get done can be found below.
http://steamcommunity.com/games/282960/announcements/detail/163594468341398336
I've been doing motion graphics work on contract for a couple clients over the past few months and its been pretty demanding. I'm finding it difficult to keep up with the key requests at this point. There'll be some light at the end of the tunnel though to be sure but time is not my friend at the moment.
Well, it's been quite a long time since I last posted something around these parts hasn't it?
Where have I been? (not that anyone would have noticed my absence mind you :3 )
After getting my life back in order, I spent time doing contractual VFX work, prototype R&D and loads of studying.
After cutting my teeth on a number of development projects and after leveling up my development skills, I decided to give Atajrubah another shot.
So I came up with a plan and a roadmap for getting there (albeit a simple one).
I made a post on steam about the development that you can check out below if you like.
Steam Announcement
http://steamcommunity.com/games/282960/announcements/detail/543079817034297025
I also set up a public trello board that I keep updated
Public Trello Board
https://trello.com/b/sYDNccVy/atajrubah-re-development-roadmap
Needless to say I don't plan on a repeat of what happened the last time. Since development re-booted in December I've made swift progress on the core systems and just posted a lengthy update on steam today if you'd like to check that out.
Steam Development Update
http://steamcommunity.com/games/282960/announcements/detail/500303861704491975
I know that my exit was something less than graceful but I'm hoping that I can interact with you guys a lot more going forward and become part of the community(again?).
Kind Regards,
MrNexy
I hope all that leveling up means that development will go smoother for you this time!
Are the images on Steam indicative of the "more stylized" visual direction?
When you have some of the core mechanics, it might be useful to test them somehow. Maybe a beta branch on Steam, or something like that? (I'm not sure what your plan is).
If you are doing some testing of the mechanics (after what you name "Stage 1") you should probably put it on your Trello list as one of your tasks. I say this because it's easy to think about testing and getting feedback as tasks that just delay you getting to the development of the game, but testing and feedback are important and necessary steps and can take a long time, so it's better to write it down so you have something to tick off when you've done them (and get the motivation boost from working towards that goal).
I've just finished up the preliminary construction system and UI setup for the game. I had a socket based construction system prototyped in the previous version of the game but it was kind of a pain as you couldn't socket a static mesh in UE4 at the time.
That's changed now, thankfully. So I built a new socket based construction system and made the required improvements and optimizations. It was easy enough getting the elements to place in the world, the tricky part was determining whether or not to place an element depending on things like collision with other items in the world. Still needs some more work before I'm happy with it. You can check it out below if you like.
[Construction System Demo]
The UI needs work to be sure. I was thinking about having two bars, one on top of the other. That way I can have a bar for construction elements and another one just for prefab placement in the world.
I'm open to C&c and I'd love to know your thoughts :)
Kind Regards,
MrNexy
I am very keen to see where you go with this into the future...
The construction system is by no means unique to be sure. It is used to good effect in Rust and Ark and I believe that it was also implemented in H1Z1's barricading mechanic (from what development blogs I saw back in the day). One can see why that is, it lends itself well to a modular approach.
Edit: I might need to google the difference between Arabian (African) civilisations versus Persian (Iranian). Not sure where a magic carpet device "originated".
Not at all :)
I'm not sure about any flying devices just yet though :3
I don't really have any images or video to show for this update. However, I'd like to share my most recent steam post if you all would be so kind. Any thoughts or feedback would be very much appreciated.
Kind Regards,
MrNexy