Blog for Chris \"C2\" Byars at GarageGames.com

Project Shadow & Roo Racers: Advancements

Chris \"C2\" Byars — 2006-07-28T15:50:53+00:00

[images removed, broken links]

Well, it's been quite a while since our last update here, and quite a few advancements have occured since then. Not to mention the new content over at Ion Productions. For one, we've moved Project Shadow to TSE back in January. A lot has happened since then. From new functionality to new models, we've dove in on all fronts. Still, our focus is getting the core functionality done, then sticking in the nice artwork. So in the following screenshots, please ignore the lack of anti-aliasing (bug in TSE, it makes glow appear through all objects), lack of lighting (TSE's Milestone 4, can't wait), and overall ugliness (lack of focus on art side at the moment). We also constructed a new (revamped, actually) background storyline, as follows:

Background Storyline

"October 2009. As a part of the international War on Terrorism, the United States initiated an invasion of North Korea. While the insurgency was successful, leading the the capture of over two hundred key terrorist leaders, the remaining resistance struggled for one final strike at the superpower. With the element of surprise on their side, the battered North Korean army launched a full scale biochemical attack on the continental United States. The viral attack claimed the lives of over 6.8 million American citizens, crippling the superpower.

July 2010. Still suffering from the after-effects of the Korean biological attack, the United States turns to outside powers for assistance for its suffering people. Having had relations with an alien race, the Kiosafians, since the mid-1950s, America struck a deal with them. The alien race had always been fascinated with human warfare - Despite primitive technology, humanity had an exceptional talent at coming up with innovative and effective ways to kill each other with it. In addition, America had long possessed nuclear technology, something that had eluded the Kiosafian civilization. So America would assist in developing weapons technology for the expanding alien populace, based on their advanced technology. In exchange, the Kiosafians would begin to develop a cure for the viral infection plaguing the earthly nation. However, the aliens requested test subjects for this miracle medicine. America accepted, feeling they could sacrifice criminals, the homeless, the terminally ill, and the rest of the 'dregs of society' to what they deemed to be the greater good. This secret deal was referred to by the American government as Project Shadow, a name chosen to represent the utter secrecy that must be associated with the situation.

August 2010. The two parties begin their work to fulfill their negotiations. The American government begins to alter the advanced technology of the Kiosafians to produce weaponry and tactical equipment. Energy-based weapons and other new military equipment are rapidly developed and prototyped within the once abandoned Area 51 facility, and then are shipped off to the American military for field testing. Among the uses for this technology was for the arranged abductions. A branch of the American military, dubbed the Shadow Marines (due to their close ties with Project Shadow) are used to actually execute the kidnappings. Suspected terrorists, criminals, and other undesirables in society were captured in secret and returned to the government. They were in turn given to the Kiosafians, who used them in a series of grueling trial-and-error tests to discover a way to end the infection that had spread amongst the American people.

September 2016. The new military technology is released into general use. The American populace is outraged at the apparent priority issues among the government officials. They feel that the money spent on the military advancements should have been used for medical assistance for the suffering population. Many riots and rebellions break out, which are quickly quelled by the USST infantry and the Shadow Marines. The troublemakers are taken to Area 51, and transported as additional test subjects to the Kiosafians, as an easy way to silence them.

December 2016. The Kiosafians successfully develop the antibiotic for the American government. They request, however, that the United States deliver the technology before they deliver the antivirus. Worried about how much their already low public support would decrease if the military technology they had (apparently) spent so much money on had simply vanished, they negotiate further. They agree that a war will be staged between them. This will give the Americans a chance to deliver the technology under the guise of military strikes against the alien world ships. The aliens will then, after a time period, retreat, ending the false conflict.

January 21st, 2017. The war begins. The American soldiers are oblivious to the fact that they're being sent intentionally into a trap - Only a few select officers know the truth. Given this, the U.S. soldiers take the war seriously. In contrast to the plan, the unknowing military successfully brings down several Kiosafian capital ships. Viewing this as a deliberate move by the American government, the false battles escalate into real war. In one specific mission, a team of Shadow Marines is sent to destroy one ship's generator core. The ship, however, is due to return to Kiosaf, the alien home world, to deliver the stolen technology.

As Lieutenant Joseph Liberator, second-in-command of your Shadow Marines squad, you board the Kiosafian ship to take down the core. Unfortunately, your team is unaware of the ship's recent course change to liftoff. No longer is it necessary to destroy the vessel. Now you must fight for your life, the lives of many, and acquire the antivirus that lead you there in the first place. "

Advancements

Nifty storyline. There's so much more, we've already even outlined the missions in Campaign mode. We can't wait until the single player is ready to fall into place. :) Down below, you'll notice just a tiny bit of the advancements in functionality we've accomplished since our last update, not to mention many, many bugfixes. Closer and closer we get to the time to focus on our content. By the way, the level in the screenshots is just a little map I whipped up, inspired by that warehouse one on Leadwerks. Makes for a good temporary filler.

- Head, Torso, Leg damage modifiers
- Shield pulsation if low
- Numeric health indicator
- VMPlayer Support
- Zoom toggle, rather than hold button down
- Ability to swap weapons during reload (cancels reload without flaw)
- Revision of Ammo/Reload System
- GUI changes depending on weapon
- Weapon Image HUD fade away after displaying
- Auto-scrolling container for credits
- Pick up weapon, get ammo for that weapon
- Complete revising inventory system
- Respawn countdown
- Chat message entry hud fix
- Sorting by map type
- Scope HUD fade in/out
- Accuracy System Revision
- Another Revision of weapon inventory system
- Updated chat HUD
- Handgun ironsights, XM8 polycarbonatesights ;)
- Sniper rifle zoom gradually in as you hold the button down
- WARNING flash under shield bar when low/gone
- Re-oriented HUD to work with all resolutions
- Radar show moving players only
- Player only spawn if spawn point is clear
- Auto Reload on Empty

Screenshots

We also have brand new renders, with a few new models, too.

Then we head over to the Roo Racers front, and.. there's not been much change. :) Most of our efforts have been focused into Project Shadow as of late, however we do have some nice things to show you. We've revised our gameplay information, as follows:

[center]Background

Roo Racers is a game centered around kangaroo racing. In single player, players work their way to get to the top in circuit and sprint style racing. In multiplayer, players are able to not only hop against their friends in racing modes, but also in Capture the Flag, King of the Hill, Free for All, and Team Free for All modes.

Customization

In choosing a kangaroo for race or non-team style gametypes, players are able to choose a variety of colored hoodies for their 'roo's wearing. There is also a no-hoodie option. In team play, players are forced to be part of the red or blue hoodie team.

Powerups

1. Boost
Increases speed for 8 seconds.

2. Power Jump
Single, powerfully high jump.

3. Shielding
Puts an aura around you that cannot be broken by attacks, lasts 20 seconds.

4. White Trail Boomerang (3x)
Throws a fast hunting boomerang which follows the terrain in the direction the user is facing. Makes player fall down and stop temporarily.

5. Red Trail Boomerang (1x)
Throws a slower hunting boomerang which follows the terrain as well as locks onto the next player in front of the user. Makes player fall down and stop temporarily.

6. Mine (3x)
Drops a mine behind the user, causes explosion if you or enemy are close to it, causes player to fall down and stop temporarily.

7. Cloaking
Cloaks the user for 30 seconds. 20% opacity when in motion, 5% opacity at rest.

More powerups are in concepts development.

Gametypes

1. CTF
Retrieve flag from enemy team's base. Offensive powerups increase bounce factor and cause the player to drop the flag. The higher the bounce factor, the farther they get knocked back by attacks. If the points get up past 4x, the player is KOed, falls over, and respawns.

2. Circuit
Race other players in a lap-style format. No bounce factor.

3. Sprint
Race other players in a first-to-the-finish format. No bounce factor.

4. Free for All
Players attack other players with powerups. First to hit KO limit wins, or player with the most KOs when time is called wins.

5. Team Free for All
Players attack other players with powerups and gain points for their team for each KO they cause. First team to hit KO limit wins, or team with the most KOs when time is called wins.

6. King of the Hill
Players battle for dominance and try to be the only person on the specified "hill" area. Players receive one point per second that they remain alone in the area. First player to hit the point limit, or the player with the most points when time is called wins.

More gametypes are in concepts development.

Conclusion
Well, that pretty much wraps up the news for us. You'll be seeing some very nice things in the near future from Ion Productions.

Roo Racers [Image Intensive]

Chris \"C2\" Byars — 2006-06-21T02:49:20+00:00

Exactly one week after the development began from scratch, I present you, the major WIP that is our (Ion Productions) other game. Roo Racers, where, indeed, you are a kangaroo. I bet you can guess what you do, too. Yep, you got it, you race. At least in multiplayer. Up to 12 'roos line up and race in circuit and sprint modes. Other gametypes, like CTF, are also planned. Details..

Single Player: You are a kangaroo living in the arid desert of Australia. Dingo, Wedge-Tailed Eagles, and reptilian Goannas (they're like komodo dragons) are after you. Your run away and use comical pickups which contain abilities to deter these enemies from you (throw a boomerang, shield yourself for a specified time, speed boost, etc). Your goal is to get to the safe haven in the lush temperate zone on the other end of Australia, where food and water is in abundance. (Elaboration, of course, will come. This game information was written in speed as I wished to get my hands dirty ASAP)

Multiplayer: You race up to 12 other kangaroos using pickups to attack them and also other abilities to shield/boost yourself as you hop across the Australian continent to reach the finish line.

Gametypes:

Capture the Flag: Hop to enemy base, take their flag, return to your base.

Circuit: Race around in a lap race.

Sprint: First to the finish line wins.

Etc: More to come.

Abilities:

Shielding: Protects you from all enemy attacks for 8 seconds.

Boomerang: Throws a boomerang (non returning) which upon hitting a player, causes them to drop the flag (CTF) or slow down (Race).

Boost: Obviously increases your hop speed and distance by a certain factor for a certain time.

Etc: More to come.

Screenshots

On with the images. Mainly just GUI work, I know.

Loading Screen

Main Menu

Options Menu

Credits (Yes, it scrolls, thanks to this awesome resource)

Multiplayer Initial Menu

World/Gametype Select Menu

Single Player Initial Menu

Player Setup (Yes I know that's not a kangaroo, it's coming soon, for the time being it's fun to hop around as a soldier who thinks he's a 'roo.)

DRL and FSAA make things pretty.

In game ESC menu

Yes I am sure.

So far it's been coming along quite efficiently. Quite a bit of the menu work will make it into Project Shadow as well. Don't worry, work on that has not ceased. In fact, it has boosted. We've converted to TSE fully, and are getting a ton of features, GUI work, functionality, and art in about now. Updates on that later.

Sunday Oct 2 0:45

Chris \"C2\" Byars — 2005-10-02T00:45:27+00:00

It is time to finally say something public about our project over here at Ion Productions.

We have been developing for 8 months a first person shooter placed in the near year 2007 named Project Shadow. What we have been doing for the past months is working concepts development, storyline, but for the most part, scripting and coding in functionality we want in our game. Without the help of the fellow GarageGames Community we would not have gotten this far with so much success. I would like to take this opportunity to thank any and all of you TGE and TSE users who have helped fellow developers like myself achieve so much.

Now, our single player storyline has been thought about for quite some time and is still in heavy revision and addition, but the basic premise of the single player side of this FPS is that the U.S. government along with other subleveled leaders of the world have been making contact and procuring new technology in the world due to unpublic communication with alien beings of another world, named thus far, Kiosaf. (kee-OH-saf) The governments leave the public in the dark on this, and pursue their own endeavors of greed. Project Shadow is the name of the operation in which the governments use captured human beings as trade items with extraterrestrial life for information and technology. The alien beings use humans as test subjects, performing inhumane, unethical operations and studies. Abduction? Organized crime? This is organized abduction.

Project Shadow Marines, a specially trained elite force, are sent stealthily to and fro from locale to locale where they are told their primary target is to capture and control supposed assassins, terrorists, and international criminals from their homes. Peculiarly enough, these "criminals" don't appear to be criminals at all. With families, children, and a seemingly normal life, they are captured by the Marines, who in turn transport them to the head of the Project Shadow Operations.

These abductees, not criminals, are never seen again. The Project Shadow Marines have been unknowingly a part of this organized crime for years. The Shadow Marines are becoming suspicious of this entire ordeal. Soon enough they become wise about what they are doing. The head of the Project Shadow Ops (PSO) gets word of this...and sends the team to their final mission.. their death.

Our wonderful head concept developer AlexX has been working hard at the storyline, intro video concepts, and overall mission devlopment, and he is doing a great job, and works well with the rest of the team.

But, that being said, our single player side of our game is not our focus at the moment. Our work has been solely on multiplayer functionality, scripting, coding, models, and GUI. As it stands, we have gotten quite a bit done on those lines. We now have Milestones organized to guide us in our development stages, and progress continues as planned in good time and order. I do not like showing off something that is incomplete, but for the purpose of enjoyment and the pleasure of finally announcing our game publicly, I will concede. What you will see below are screenshots and renders of maps and weapons of our game. Before any of you go shouting "OMG ILLUMINAz0r!", our GUI has been in our build for quite some time now, and it is rather different than Illumina's. I like blue and white. That is why our GUI is similar to Illumina's blue team GUI. Our GUI will not change colors with which team you are on, which sets us apart in that aspect. Our GUI is also laid out different, positioning, style, technique, quite apart. Our font choice, I had to submit to an odd look on my face when I found that Illumina uses the Xirod font as well. Well, it just so happens I love blue, white, and the Xirod font, so any of you viewers who don't like the fact that we're using the same font.. well.. deal with it. :P

Map in progress, the Rock Valley

Another Rock Valley Shot, Showing a Bit of Lens Flare

Walking Around in the Rock Valley

Main Menu

Well that's pretty much all that looks pretty good for us. There is quite a bit on the roadmap for us to complete before we can say we are even near done, heck, I didn't even want to toss out this much to the public, as I fear the expectations of all, so I shall repeat: We are nowhere near completion. With time, care, and perseverance comes a quality game and happy players. We are on the lookout for a weapon texturer, so if you'd like to help us out, stop by at our site and forums at www.ion-productions.com or drop an e-mail to c2 [at] ion-productions [dot] com. (Also located in my profile)

Again, it is great to be in companionship with the wondrous community of GarageGames.

And for those of you who need something completely unrelated to anything at all in this .plan:

:)