There is nothing to fear but fear itself... and zombies
by Timothy Eagan · 10/18/2006 (9:10 pm) · 18 comments
THE DEMO IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE. I WILL UPDATE THIS .PLAN WHEN V1 IS READY AFTER APRIL 30TH.
So here I am.
Its 10 minutes before the deadline we've set to get our demo finished and wow... what a demo it is. Buck Jones and the Maze of Doom!!! A campy zombie slaughter-fest full of atmosphere and action. The graphics are so slick you may slip on the blood splatters! ( Which is thanks to a multi-talented Canadian artist on this project). Great sound too! Our sound engineer is from Russia and did an absolutely bang up job. :) The programming is better than mediocre (my job on this game). *snicker*
Did I mention this is TGB ?
I had bought the beta back in January and half started/never finished another project. I was bit disappointed at the time and had hopes to get a little something out for Halloween instead. On August 14th, Buck Jones was born. We are shooting for an April 30th 2007 release depending on how good our feedback is. More levels... more zombies... more eye candy.. same vocabulary.
We really wanted to test the TGB engine's capacity for 'moody' without making any engine mods for lighting. I'd say we pulled it off. The level is HUGE! *echo echo* And is broken up into zones for ease.
There are a few bugs still and it needs a dab of polish or two but it's an absolute blast to play.
BTW, If anyone feels like helping squash a few bugs, let me know. I still can't get the damn mouse cursor to appear on the .gui menu screens after esc'ing out of the game... and we could probably use some tips on graphics optimization too since it is a memory pig. Some older .png cells got carried over from earlier builds pre-Po2 ;)
So without further ado - allow me to introduce Buck Jones and the Maze of Doom ! Our gift to the garage games community. We hope it helps you get in the Halloween spirit.
Minimum specs for BJ &the M.o.D "Play-Testing Demo"
1.5ghz (or amd equivalent) 1 gig of ram 128card.
(512 ram not recomended / integrated graphics not recomended / p3 or less (amd equivalent) not recomended) You will not be able to properly play this demo if you do not meet the minimum specs. Please do not download this demo if you can't play it.
THE DEMO IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE. I WILL UPDATE THIS .PLAN WHEN V1 IS READY AFTER APRIL 30TH.
Happy Halloween,
Tim and crew :-)
___________________________________
Buck Jones and The Maze of Doom
Buck's world is a tough one, that's for sure. It seems he is stuck in a hedge maze, (of doom) and needs to find his way out. The problem is, he's got no way to know which way is out and he can only see a few feet around him. While he carries his trusty lantern and mighty booze bottle at his side, they have limitations.
Between Buck's boots and freedom are hundreds of rotting zombies, skeletons and ghosts to mar his path. Which is fine as far as Buck is concerned, because Buck's got an idea.
Blast 'em! Burn 'em up! Ooh, crispy!
Go for the combos! Line up the zombies and skeletons then blast em for maximum points! Don't leave any behind or they might find you when you least expect it. The undead have feelings too, you know, and they don't like it when you waste their brethren.
Use Buck's arm as a lever to push past the 'singles' in the hall. 'Train' them into combos. Let them follow you around and force them into groups. Booze is as precious as Buck's mental state, don't waste them on singles' if you can help it. Buck won't be wasting it either. He won't pick-up a bottle if he doesn't need it so remember where they are, you'll be coming back for them.
Watch out for ghosts. Buck can't do anything to them so it's best just to get out of the way. A single hit from a ghost will 'freak' Buck out so if you don't calm him down with a few 'swigs', you'll be taking the long way back.
Always keep and eye on your 'vitals' they can change in an instant and when they do, it might be too late to do anything about it.
Oh, and one more thing...
You know you're doing good when Buck starts complimenting himself ;)
___________________________________
I will start listing confirmed bugs here
An extra special thanks goes out to those of you playing this demo and then taking the extra time to shoot me an email about ways to improve the experience and confirming bugs. Your diligence and care for Buck is much apreciated :)
Thanks again!
Tim and crew :-)
___________________________________
___________________________________
Confirmed Bugs for BJ &the M.o.D v0.1
___________________________________
___________________________________
GUI
Typing canvas.showcursor in the console will bring the mouse back
-The Mouse cursor is invisble when returning to the main-menu after the game has loaded. Typing canvas.showcursor in the console works, but adding this as a function when esc'ing out fo the game does not. (the mouse cursor shows up just fine at the 'end' screen, (which can't be seen unless you finish the demo in zone 4) so this confuses me.
___________________________________
Collision
Tapping A or D when any of these collision bugs happens, will break the bug
-Glancing off collision boxes around trees and sometimes around the corners of hedges causes Buck to skate along this glancing-path.
-If Buck is walking forward at the time of a zombies explosion, (in collision with the zombies collision box), Buck will collide with the original zombies collision box even after it has exploded and will look like he is walking up agains't an invisible wall.
This is also true for the zombies vomit attack. If Buck is walking into collision with this attack, after Buck has attacked and the zombie is on fire (ready to explode) and the zombie dies while still vomiting, Buck will continue to collide with the vomit collision box and be, seemingly, walking agains't that invisible wall.
Tapping A or D when any of these collision bugs happens, will break the bug
___________________________________
___________________________________
So here I am.
Its 10 minutes before the deadline we've set to get our demo finished and wow... what a demo it is. Buck Jones and the Maze of Doom!!! A campy zombie slaughter-fest full of atmosphere and action. The graphics are so slick you may slip on the blood splatters! ( Which is thanks to a multi-talented Canadian artist on this project). Great sound too! Our sound engineer is from Russia and did an absolutely bang up job. :) The programming is better than mediocre (my job on this game). *snicker*
Did I mention this is TGB ?
I had bought the beta back in January and half started/never finished another project. I was bit disappointed at the time and had hopes to get a little something out for Halloween instead. On August 14th, Buck Jones was born. We are shooting for an April 30th 2007 release depending on how good our feedback is. More levels... more zombies... more eye candy.. same vocabulary.
We really wanted to test the TGB engine's capacity for 'moody' without making any engine mods for lighting. I'd say we pulled it off. The level is HUGE! *echo echo* And is broken up into zones for ease.
There are a few bugs still and it needs a dab of polish or two but it's an absolute blast to play.
BTW, If anyone feels like helping squash a few bugs, let me know. I still can't get the damn mouse cursor to appear on the .gui menu screens after esc'ing out of the game... and we could probably use some tips on graphics optimization too since it is a memory pig. Some older .png cells got carried over from earlier builds pre-Po2 ;)
So without further ado - allow me to introduce Buck Jones and the Maze of Doom ! Our gift to the garage games community. We hope it helps you get in the Halloween spirit.
Minimum specs for BJ &the M.o.D "Play-Testing Demo"
1.5ghz (or amd equivalent) 1 gig of ram 128card.
(512 ram not recomended / integrated graphics not recomended / p3 or less (amd equivalent) not recomended) You will not be able to properly play this demo if you do not meet the minimum specs. Please do not download this demo if you can't play it.
THE DEMO IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE. I WILL UPDATE THIS .PLAN WHEN V1 IS READY AFTER APRIL 30TH.
Happy Halloween,
Tim and crew :-)
___________________________________
Buck Jones and The Maze of Doom
Buck's world is a tough one, that's for sure. It seems he is stuck in a hedge maze, (of doom) and needs to find his way out. The problem is, he's got no way to know which way is out and he can only see a few feet around him. While he carries his trusty lantern and mighty booze bottle at his side, they have limitations.
Between Buck's boots and freedom are hundreds of rotting zombies, skeletons and ghosts to mar his path. Which is fine as far as Buck is concerned, because Buck's got an idea.
Blast 'em! Burn 'em up! Ooh, crispy!
Go for the combos! Line up the zombies and skeletons then blast em for maximum points! Don't leave any behind or they might find you when you least expect it. The undead have feelings too, you know, and they don't like it when you waste their brethren.
Use Buck's arm as a lever to push past the 'singles' in the hall. 'Train' them into combos. Let them follow you around and force them into groups. Booze is as precious as Buck's mental state, don't waste them on singles' if you can help it. Buck won't be wasting it either. He won't pick-up a bottle if he doesn't need it so remember where they are, you'll be coming back for them.
Watch out for ghosts. Buck can't do anything to them so it's best just to get out of the way. A single hit from a ghost will 'freak' Buck out so if you don't calm him down with a few 'swigs', you'll be taking the long way back.
Always keep and eye on your 'vitals' they can change in an instant and when they do, it might be too late to do anything about it.
Oh, and one more thing...
You know you're doing good when Buck starts complimenting himself ;)
___________________________________
I will start listing confirmed bugs here
An extra special thanks goes out to those of you playing this demo and then taking the extra time to shoot me an email about ways to improve the experience and confirming bugs. Your diligence and care for Buck is much apreciated :)
Thanks again!
Tim and crew :-)
___________________________________
___________________________________
Confirmed Bugs for BJ &the M.o.D v0.1
___________________________________
___________________________________
GUI
Typing canvas.showcursor in the console will bring the mouse back
-The Mouse cursor is invisble when returning to the main-menu after the game has loaded. Typing canvas.showcursor in the console works, but adding this as a function when esc'ing out fo the game does not. (the mouse cursor shows up just fine at the 'end' screen, (which can't be seen unless you finish the demo in zone 4) so this confuses me.
___________________________________
Collision
Tapping A or D when any of these collision bugs happens, will break the bug
-Glancing off collision boxes around trees and sometimes around the corners of hedges causes Buck to skate along this glancing-path.
-If Buck is walking forward at the time of a zombies explosion, (in collision with the zombies collision box), Buck will collide with the original zombies collision box even after it has exploded and will look like he is walking up agains't an invisible wall.
This is also true for the zombies vomit attack. If Buck is walking into collision with this attack, after Buck has attacked and the zombie is on fire (ready to explode) and the zombie dies while still vomiting, Buck will continue to collide with the vomit collision box and be, seemingly, walking agains't that invisible wall.
Tapping A or D when any of these collision bugs happens, will break the bug
___________________________________
___________________________________
#2
hoping to get a good zip and try it out soon.
10/18/2006 (9:30 pm)
I am also getting a corrupted zip file error!hoping to get a good zip and try it out soon.
#5
10/19/2006 (5:50 am)
I love zombies! I'll have to check this out when I get home.
#6
grrrr... Made the gate and *crash* the train derails... :P Go figure.
10/19/2006 (6:54 am)
Hi guys, sorry about this. We're pushing the cap for the site and the .zip is getting corrupted. We're currently trying to resolve this hosting issue and hopefully we'll have it available by the end of the day :(grrrr... Made the gate and *crash* the train derails... :P Go figure.
#7
10/19/2006 (7:18 am)
Yep me got buggy zip too. I'll click on Notify and wait for the next version - looking forward to it :)
#8
10/19/2006 (9:50 am)
MmMMmm Braaaains...
#10
10/19/2006 (10:25 am)
Updated the link :) Though only temporarily.
#11
Just me?
10/19/2006 (11:48 am)
hmm... when I launch it, the game just starts eating up my RAM ... and fast. Just me?
#12
Since it's really fat graphically, and in scope, yes, your ram should be swallowed whole :)
So far around 800 with reports of it dropping down to as low as 400 as the game progresses. Anyone with multiple drives can take advantage of larger pagefiles. If you have a second drive, up the pagefile if your physical ram is below the minimum specs.
10/19/2006 (12:47 pm)
Just about everything is preloaded for the demo. Since it's really fat graphically, and in scope, yes, your ram should be swallowed whole :)
So far around 800 with reports of it dropping down to as low as 400 as the game progresses. Anyone with multiple drives can take advantage of larger pagefiles. If you have a second drive, up the pagefile if your physical ram is below the minimum specs.
#13
I'd be happy to help track bugs for you.
10/19/2006 (7:53 pm)
Very very nice! The maggots are an extra special touch :)I'd be happy to help track bugs for you.
#14
10/20/2006 (6:10 am)
I'd have to say this game has some appeal, it was fun playing your demo, thanks for sharing. If i were to have a wishlist, illuminate the screen at least slightly, the lamp effect is cool, but you really cant see anything but about a 5 foot radius around the hero. And maybe make it so you can walk over the maggots, whenever i was surrounded n toasted 5 or so zombies i had a hard time walkin past their corpses, and with more zombies at your back, thats kind of important. If that were to unballance things, maybe make the zombies attack stronger.
#15
@ Jeff. Thanks for playing :) Glad to hear you enjoyed it.
There are definitely some collisions bugs. Like rounding corner, sometimes Buck hits an invisible wall and will start skating left or right. This also happens when zombies explode.
You can break this bug by tapping left or right (a or d) as Buck is walking forward.
10/20/2006 (7:39 am)
@ Kenneth. Thanks for the compliment and thanks for playing :) We could soooo use help on bugs. @ Jeff. Thanks for playing :) Glad to hear you enjoyed it.
There are definitely some collisions bugs. Like rounding corner, sometimes Buck hits an invisible wall and will start skating left or right. This also happens when zombies explode.
You can break this bug by tapping left or right (a or d) as Buck is walking forward.
#16
10/21/2006 (11:21 am)
thanks for the halloween treat!
#17
I also kept taskmanager open when I ran it, the game sucked up to 600mb of memory and then dropped down to a steady 200. While that is fine for some of us game buffs, it may not be acceptable for the casual gamer.
10/21/2006 (5:37 pm)
I'd have to agree with Jeff with the 5 foot light radius being a little too small. I understand that the shadow that the player casts from the lamp is realistic, but it becomes difficult to notice a zombie chewing on your backside and it leads to a bit of frustration when you are surrounded. I also kept taskmanager open when I ran it, the game sucked up to 600mb of memory and then dropped down to a steady 200. While that is fine for some of us game buffs, it may not be acceptable for the casual gamer.
#18
@Unsung Zero. Have you calibrated recently? Sounds like it's playing way too dark for you. Normally you should still see some of the ground through Bucks shadow. If it's black, try upping the brightness level.
For the next version we are discussing some kind of gama setting/optimization-screen for players to adjust before they play since monitors and calibrations can vary.
10/22/2006 (10:20 pm)
@Clint. You're more than welcome. :) I'd love to hear your thoughts on it if you have some time.@Unsung Zero. Have you calibrated recently? Sounds like it's playing way too dark for you. Normally you should still see some of the ground through Bucks shadow. If it's black, try upping the brightness level.
For the next version we are discussing some kind of gama setting/optimization-screen for players to adjust before they play since monitors and calibrations can vary.
Torque Owner Moxcamel
Sounds like you all had a great time making this game. Can't wait to try it out! :)