Alien based game. (Darkplaces engine)

[OpenMaw]

Another quick update, more video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH2a2qedTg4#ws

[chupacabras acheronsis]

excelent demonstration! i was on the edge of my seat at every turn, especially because you didn't do much peeking first... the random nature of the encounters is a winning formula with the alien as it was proved by the '99 game and this does it but better. the fire doesn't seem to harm to the alien, is it supposed to just slow it down? if so, i feel like you should increase the time it stays startled a tad in order to make it possible to lose it for a while instead of getting into a chase that you will inevitable lose.

i also noticed the flames are incomplete, i though it would be cool to be able to use them to light up the vent like Dallas did on the staircase he was ambushed in, but i am not familiar with the engine. i feel like that flashlight is too bright and it could be interesting to have the option to play with it off in order to a)make the navigation a bit more stealthy by avoiding reflections that can be seen around corners and junctions by the Alien and b)take advantage of that pitch black darkness for added atmosphere and pretty lightning effects.

keep up the good work! i am very interested in how this will turn out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_NSvkxUn5w#

[Le Celticant]

Hello,

This looks so promising!!!! Very nice work here!

[Corporal Hicks]

Check your corners, damn it! Looking very interesting. Canne wait to see more. Sounds like a simple but winning game formula.

[Born Of Cold Light]

Wow, this looks amazing.  With the exception of the colored pixels that appear when you shoot the alien, I don't see any glitches.  This level very much reminds me of Alien Trilogy and the Ferarco stage in the AvpP1.  If this works out, maybe you could do a similar game for Alien 3.

[Vulhala]

This is why I love this community. Looks f**king excellent so far mate

[OpenMaw]

excelent demonstration! i was on the edge of my seat at every turn, especially because you didn't do much peeking first... the random nature of the encounters is a winning formula with the alien as it was proved by the '99 game and this does it but better. the fire doesn't seem to harm to the alien, is it supposed to just slow it down? if so, i feel like you should increase the time it stays startled a tad in order to make it possible to lose it for a while instead of getting into a chase that you will inevitable lose.

i also noticed the flames are incomplete, i though it would be cool to be able to use them to light up the vent like Dallas did on the staircase he was ambushed in, but i am not familiar with the engine. i feel like that flashlight is too bright and it could be interesting to have the option to play with it off in order to a)make the navigation a bit more stealthy by avoiding reflections that can be seen around corners and junctions by the Alien and b)take advantage of that pitch black darkness for added atmosphere and pretty lightning effects.

keep up the good work! i am very interested in how this will turn out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_NSvkxUn5w#

I have since that video upped the pain time on the alien to several seconds. Giving the player a chance to round a few corners and get away. I also told the AI to go into it's "turn" routine so it'll often times appear to retreat momentarily. It helps to balance it out, and makes the alien actually seem more random. (I have since actually had him then proceed to cut me off later on in the map, scaring the **** outta me!).

As far as the flashlight is concerned i'm not sure what to do. I can't really change the brightness on it given the way it's coded. It uses a fixed effect in the game, and i'm not really coder conscious enough to create an alternative.

So it may come down to going with strictly ambient lighting. I'm not too happy with that because I felt part of the tension was always only ever being able to see about four feet in front of you.  Though I think i'd go with whatever the audience feels would provide the best atmosphere, eh?


The flamethrower does actually light up the hallway when you fire it out in front of you. It just doesn't stick to anything.

Wow, this looks amazing.  With the exception of the colored pixels that appear when you shoot the alien, I don't see any glitches.  This level very much reminds me of Alien Trilogy and the Ferarco stage in the AvpP1.  If this works out, maybe you could do a similar game for Alien 3.

Hahaha, yes as I stated previously above the flame effect isn't done. The color pixels are the game saying "Hey, dumbass, you're missing assets." When it's done the alien will give off a bit of smoke.


Thanks everyone for your supportive words and feedback. When it's ready I hope you guys will find this very enjoyable.

[Born Of Cold Light]

Are you thinking of possibly doing an Alien 3 themed game after this one?  There are tons of scenes in that movie that could use this style of gameplay.  Or one for Aliens where you run from the queen, or Resurrection where you have to get to the Betty in time.

[OpenMaw]

Are you thinking of possibly doing an Alien 3 themed game after this one?  There are tons of scenes in that movie that could use this style of gameplay.  Or one for Aliens where you run from the queen, or Resurrection where you have to get to the Betty in time.

I have a couple of ideas floating in my head. One of which at one point was a multiplayer version of this concept based on the old Alien War attraction. A small group of marines having to work their way to an exit whilst dozens of aliens randomly roam. (Great thing is there are a few more tricks with the AI I can pull off that aren't in "into the vents" which could give the aliens even more aggression. Namely exploding upon death to simulate acid spray, the use of monster-only teleports that would simulate the aliens moving to-and-from various sections of the level. -That was actually my first thought before I started actually doing this at all. But with Colonial Marines coming out I felt my chances of getting foxed would be much higher. This stays off the radar a bit more and it's small enough it shouldn't bother them.

I can absolutely see the lead works scenario being rather fun. Particularly if it were done as a cooperative mode.

[chupacabras acheronsis]

yeah i'd stick with the maze/survival thing instead of going into shooter grounds. it hasn't been done since the Atari after all.

maybe a jockey themed level with loads of traps, puzzles, secrets and vertigo-inducing navigation? the works of Atlantis have given me lots of ideas of what would be nice to see.

[OpenMaw]

Just a quick update since it's been about two weeks. I haven't touched it too much lately, mostly because im mulling over the level design issues that were prevalent in the previous video. (getting stuck on things, etc). I am taking the time to try and take the advice and criticism under advisement to greatly improve the experience. Hopefully it'll be done within the next month or two. That would be a very nice release window for me. 

[Mr. Domino]

I'm not sure whether I can't wait to play this game or if I never, EVER want to play it. That video is downright terrifying, and that's with someone else playing - and with talking all the way through!

[PVTDukeMorrison]

I know this is probably a stupid question, but OpenMaw, is this a mod for a game or a downloadable?

[OpenMaw]

I know this is probably a stupid question, but OpenMaw, is this a mod for a game or a downloadable?

It's technically a mod, because it uses Darkplaces/Quake. However, because I intend to cut down the assets to just what the engine needs to run the mod, it'll be up for download upon completion.

[PVTDukeMorrison]

Is this still ago?