Tribulation Knights
by John E. Nelson · 02/19/2008 (10:39 am) · 5 comments
Well the word slipped out about which game I was porting to TGEA, so here is the information about it. I will start posting additional screen shots very soon.
Image is from the TGEA prototype built recently.
Tribulation Knights
The game project Tribulation Knights (TM) is now being moved to the Torque Game Engine Advanced. Seen here are some of the unique main characters already ported from 3DS Max, and working in TGEA. The game is a sci-fi themed single player RPG, that requires the user to use stealth while navigating a very large city environment. Based on a time in the future when religious persecution is everywhere, and a one world government tries to rule with an iron fist. It has been compared to a cross between GTA and Deus Ex by the news media at GDC last year.
The open, non-linear environment allows a player to explore and choose how they wish to play the game. There are many storyline missions which reveal the back story of the game. Players can free-roam but need to avoid unwanted and dangerous attention from the authorities.
The game features more than 60+ different NPC models currently, this is to keep the player from having to look at repeated characters. For RPG enthusiasts there are a large numbers of conversations with NPC's, black market shops, and secret missions to accept. The element of FPS in the game will appeal to the action oriented players.
What makes Tribulation Knights unique is the rules of engagement. As a Knight, you have a moral code to follow, so there isn't any killing of humans allowed. The player can freeze enemy human NPC's briefly, use smoke to hide a getaway, or simply hide in a dark place to avoid detection. The robot NPC's are open season and can be disabled with EMP weapons.
The initial team that is building the game framework on the "TGEA" engine is an experienced Torque group that has members from around the world. All were hired because of their expertise. The team has integrated the Faust Logic's AFX CoreTech for TGEA, and Filament Game's Yack Pack which is all operations in our inital prototype. The Overlord Management System has been used to organize and assign the tasks for the past month, and it has worked quite well for us. For tools we are using Sickhead Game's Torsion, Torque Constructor, and Torque ShowTool Pro.
Note: All existing Tribulation Knights(TM) videos and screen shots found on the internet were done in a different game engine. Those will be replaced with new ones from the TGEA version of the game over the next several months.
Image is from the TGEA prototype built recently.Tribulation Knights
The game project Tribulation Knights (TM) is now being moved to the Torque Game Engine Advanced. Seen here are some of the unique main characters already ported from 3DS Max, and working in TGEA. The game is a sci-fi themed single player RPG, that requires the user to use stealth while navigating a very large city environment. Based on a time in the future when religious persecution is everywhere, and a one world government tries to rule with an iron fist. It has been compared to a cross between GTA and Deus Ex by the news media at GDC last year.
The open, non-linear environment allows a player to explore and choose how they wish to play the game. There are many storyline missions which reveal the back story of the game. Players can free-roam but need to avoid unwanted and dangerous attention from the authorities.
The game features more than 60+ different NPC models currently, this is to keep the player from having to look at repeated characters. For RPG enthusiasts there are a large numbers of conversations with NPC's, black market shops, and secret missions to accept. The element of FPS in the game will appeal to the action oriented players.
What makes Tribulation Knights unique is the rules of engagement. As a Knight, you have a moral code to follow, so there isn't any killing of humans allowed. The player can freeze enemy human NPC's briefly, use smoke to hide a getaway, or simply hide in a dark place to avoid detection. The robot NPC's are open season and can be disabled with EMP weapons.
The initial team that is building the game framework on the "TGEA" engine is an experienced Torque group that has members from around the world. All were hired because of their expertise. The team has integrated the Faust Logic's AFX CoreTech for TGEA, and Filament Game's Yack Pack which is all operations in our inital prototype. The Overlord Management System has been used to organize and assign the tasks for the past month, and it has worked quite well for us. For tools we are using Sickhead Game's Torsion, Torque Constructor, and Torque ShowTool Pro.
Note: All existing Tribulation Knights(TM) videos and screen shots found on the internet were done in a different game engine. Those will be replaced with new ones from the TGEA version of the game over the next several months.
About the author
An experienced producer of interactive media and games going back to the 90's.
#2
02/19/2008 (11:00 am)
Looks great and sounds fun!
#3
02/19/2008 (2:26 pm)
We are creating areas that will allow the player to basically be undetectable to the NPC's. The idea is to place these small areas in dark corners, behind boxes, etc. This provides points of safety for the player if they are persued by guards, or need safe points for moving through environments. Very similar to Splinter Cell, but not as elaborate as their AI system. Ours is a poor mans approach in comparision to their work, but it should work very well! 
#4
02/19/2008 (10:58 pm)
How's the combat going to work?
#5
02/20/2008 (7:48 am)
The combat is FPS style, but the weapons are different. The weapons for dealing with enemy humans are non-lethal, in keeping with the moral code. So you can freeze people in their tracks for a brief period of time. There are a few other ones in development like a smoke grenade. These are to be used to buy you time to get away, or hide from the enemy NPC's. For combat with the enforcement droids, an emp bolt will take them down. There are small spider droids, aerial droids, bi-ped droids, worker bots, and very large combat droids. These are all found in different circumstances according to the storyline and which part of the city you are in. What is important to remember is that ammo is not plentiful, so you need to conserve it for when you really need it. Sneaking around guards, and security systems is best. 
Torque Owner Ed Johnson
Can't wait to see more!