A demo run...

So, here is the current build of Lantern.

Controls are -

A + D to move the Character

Mouse to point the lantern

Objective -

To get through the gates on the right. Use the lantern to interact with things in the scene. The elements are the Solar Panels(which give charge to gates or mirrors), Gates, Mirrors, and Bats.

Known issues -

The lantern controls are still being developed. There are several niggling problems that I haven't got around to addressing with the rotation, but those will be fixed. Also, you can open both the gates by pressing up against them and hitting the solar panels behind. Yay. I need to change some collision settings. Next build eh?

Please play it, and give me feedback. I want to make this a much tighter game than it is, and that needs feedback.

Follow this LINK to play the game.

Cheers,
Greenlig

Lantern Update

Some nice developments today.

- Added a line renderer that you can set up to link objects. It's very simple, but does the job for now.

- Added a cool powerup element to the Solar Panels. Allows you to see what's happening.

- The reflection panels rotate at 45 degree increments, but it's buggy.

Visual feedback is imperative in a game like this, so these developments are welcome!!

More to come later + images.

Greenlig

These blast points - too accurate for drunk people.

Yeah, you want to see them don't you? You really, really do? It's late and I have had three glasses of wine and a few beers? I just watched a movie about 4-D cubes killing people? Henrik is a little crazy at times?

All these things are true.

With that in mind, I can show you these images and know that the truth is setting you and me free. If it doesn't make sense, sleep on it. All will be revealed!

Earlier today I got annoyed. I was working on the Lantern code-base, trying to get the line renderer working, so that I didn't need to use the gizmo setting for the ray visualisation. This proved to be a pain in my neck-hole, as I tangled myself in a low-frame rate web of lies and deceit.

To combat my mental lethargy, I decided to give the visuals an overhaul. You have seen the concepts I did in thumbnail form for the game, and with those firmly planted in my head, I decided to re-jig the whole look. I liked where I originally was headed, but that lost it's way in the transition to 3D. So, I went back to the drawing board - also known as my Graphire3. Also, I played some more healthy portions of Lucidity to get into the mood of things. Thus, this first, and heavily inspired image was born.


I imported all those layers into Unity and ran it through a few times. Sure, it looked cute, but also crappy. Like a picture of some baby you don't know - cute, but where is the emotional attachment? I suppose if I was a pregnant woman, I would have some kind of auto-magical instinct that would elicit the emotional attachment. I am neither female nor pregnant. Sue me.

So I went back to the drawing board after a 3 hour stopover at the pizza and beer/wine lounge. The product of my semi-fuelled machinations was actually quite pleasing to myself. I can see this second image turning into quite the game.


Gone are the flat pastures of my previous works, and in are the uneven grounds that mark the future of Lantern. I like the visual feel of this, and without sounding like a moron, those rocks in the foreground are some of the best I have drawn.

Lantern will look like this. One day.

Stay tuned,

Zac

Some more art...

From the Lantern side of things.

The story I have for this game is very implicit. You can hunt for clues, and garner the story in a wider sense, but I don't want it to be told like a story book. The brick wall and the tree are two important parts of this story, as they relate to the larger world of the Nekah Saga.

In other news - I got a job. Well, myself and James Wood have the same job at LAI Games as creative...people. I'm pretty stoked. I will still be working on Lantern though, so things shouldn't slow down here.

ALSO - My Mum bought me a sweet book for my 23rd B'day. It's called Imaginative Realism by James Gurney of Dinotopia fame. It really is an amazing book for concept artists, so if you are into that, GET IT!!

Cheers for reading!!

Zac

Long time, no lantern...

I've been a little quiet on the blog front, but will be getting back into it more over the next few days.

I completed the first prototype of the new look Lantern, and it went rather well. All the elements work, but need a lot of tweaking. From the feedback, two major things can be gleaned -

1) The controls need to be more...controllable. At the moment, it isn't easy to play, or understand.Fixing the controls so they are more accessible, and making sure all the elements respond realistically in the world is priority here.

2) Tighten up the graphics on level 3. Without an art-pass, the visuals look really dull. With that in mind, I am going to do a few thumbnails for the visuals, and see where it can go. I have completed the first run of sketches for the elements. You can view them below.


Also, you may notice the "C" crest on the gate...THERE IS A STORY!! Actually, it's part of a bigger story. We have been calling the main character Lantern Guy...maybe "guy" isn't the correct gender. This will be revealed in an upcoming post. You won't get the full story, but enough to make sense of the project, and why there might be mirrors and solar panels strewn all over the woods.

Besides this stuff, I will also be working on some concept images for James' Blockets. He asked for a bit of visual direction while keeping the stick-mannery that is prevalent in his design Doc.
Progress shall be posted soon.

Stay Tuned,
Zac

Lantern Mark II

As we will be needing a new prototype for Lantern, I have drawn up a few things.

Here is an image of what elements will be in the game, as of this afternoon :D



For the prototype, I would like there to be a few elements combined to create a cool puzzle. I have not yet decided whether it will use the current engine, or create something new. I think, for the sake of keeping things small, I will leverage what we already have.

NOTE - this will all change when it moves onto production, and a proper coder will need to be brought in.

The prototype will include all the elements listed on the previous image. It is important to show that the puzzle can be layered beyond something simple.

Also, some new artwork will be needed for the new elements. For now, placeholders will be used. BE WARNED THOUGH, I have have a life changing experience watching THIS VIDEO, and would love the game to be a little more like that, visually.

Stay tuned.

Zac

THE UNI COMPUTERS

So, play was pressed in Unity to test drive the Lantern Prototype which was 90% complete. I had been working in this thing all day, and with the great help of Cameron and Amstrad, got so much done. It was looking pretty, playing well, and had all the things in it that we were searching for.

As I was saying, Play was pressed. The system crashed.

Kylie came outside where Henrik and I were having a breather and told me. I said it shouldn't matter as I had been saving every few minutes and it would all be there.

WRONG.

[edited - I think I am over that now]

Stay tuned.

Zac

Lantern Update - Help Needed

Hey dudes, an update on Lantern. I have turned my attention to it, and must say, I think I am moving out of my depth with a few things. Particularly, the animation system seems to be giving me some grief. I have been hacking up the 2D Platformer Tutorial, and have put Amstrad's great model into it. Problem is, regardless of WHAT I do, I cannot, for the life of me, get the animation to play when he is walking. I have hacked and slashed the wrists of the scripts to DEATH, but still no cigar. SO, if you have the time to help, I would love to hear from you. Dan mentioned he could help, as did Delia and a few others.

I'll be in at uni today (tuesday), and hopefully you will too :)

Regards,
Zac

Lantern Controls and other stuff...

Cameron and I nutted out a little more of the control system and interaction between the characters. He came up with an awesome idea too.

We were looking for a use for the little guy, and in a concept image I drew, we had him going for this little orb high up in a tree. WELL, Cameron stated, "Why not make the darkness guy collect light orbs to keep the lantern going?" It was a sweet moment. In previous Lantern Guy iterations, we wanted him to collect fireflies to charge up the lantern. Now we have a legitimate way to add that to the game. Much thanks to Cameron for that stroke of genius. Also, here is the image that I drew for that. Cameron has a few rippers already, and should be posting more as he completes them.


In other news, Amstrad has made a LOT of headway on the character model for the prototype. I do wonder about the usefulness of a character this early on, but I think the feeling of the character, and his timidity, is an integral part to the experience. He has some progress images he will post up.

I also started on the Unity work for this. I have a simple side-scrolley thing happening at the mo. My plans are to have movement, switching between players, and a simple lantern effect up and going for the prototype. Fingers crossed, with the islands stuff too, it will get done. I've been out of Unity long enough to be wtf-ing at a few things.

Cheerio,
Zac

A thought along the Lantern lines...

Had a nice chat with Delia today RE the Lantern Game. She should be posting some ideas for the integration of the two game ideas up at some stage. In the meantime, I went searching for something I could base the look and feel off. One game that I am VERY impressed with, and hope to get a few ideas from, is Limbo.


http://www.limbogame.org/

Have a look at the cool little teaser. It comes out on XBLA in the third Quarter this year. Looking forward to that!

Zac

Lantern - Amstrad talks some Arab magic

Amstrad visited the fun booth today as well. The three of us talked out some more ideas. By Wednesday, Cameron will have a few level mockups done, Amstrad will have some character modelling done, and I will have a little engine to show.

EDIT - The game will be made in Unity, or at least the prototype will.

We also talked about the control method for the two characters. We would like to use the controller, as it is cool, and a good dedicated way to control both players.

Here is an image(insert wows from the audience) of the control scheme -


Return from the edge of your seats.

Zac

Lantern - Cameron visits my booth

Cameron visited today and we talked. Oh, how we talked.

We decided that the prototype needs only a simple scene, preferably a forest, to work in. The two characters will need the ability to show off their goods, and Cameron will be designing a level thus.

**BREAKING NEWS** We just decided that the lantern guy can't jump, while the darkness sucker can. This means he can run through the treetops and get stuff while lantern guy does all the ground juice.

Some concepts for this proto-level will be here on Wednesday. I should have some code done by then too.

Amjad will be assigned tasks presently.

Zac

Lantern - Some thoughts

So, with the Lantern prototype, we have a few things to sort out. Delia and I talked and tried to merge our two ideas. Her idea was that the player sucks the dark out of a scene, whereas my character casts light into the scene via the lantern. Two fairly opposing ideas, but we are working towards combining them. Early talks came up with an idea. If there are two characters, one casts the light, one sucks the darkness. They are used alternately, each achieving things that the other character can't. This adds a nice dimension to the gameplay, and more oppoutunities for puzzles. Delia will be responding to this post with some thoughts of her own.

Ways to tackle the light/dark effects? I will be having a look at that shortly, and posting some results.

Zac