The Wretched Beast.

[Darkbreed]

Hi. I'm new to all this, so forgive me for being noobish lol.

In short: I am a single person and I've had a great story idea for a game for many years now. And while I'm only one person, I believe with the new Unreal 4 I can make this game happen. I'm not a coding person, but I won't let that stop me.

I and two others, them being writers. Have started Beast Games. And we hope to bring player invested stories to everyone who plays whatever we end up making.
My first and current idea is a horror game (over done? Maybe but whatever lol) in which you play a character who is trying to survive an encounter with whats known in legends as "The Great Animal" (Not sure why I went with that title, maybe read it a book a long time ago...anyway) I'm currently working on the first level, trying to worry less about AI's and such and just get the level's atmosphere to feel right, because I believe that level design is so important to the players feeling of 'being there' and 'living it'. In 15 minutes I made a nice hall way, added some piping and tonight i made a fully functioning flashlight in like 5 minutes. With ANY other engine this would have taken MUCH longer for someone like me.

In short, I LOVE UR4, and I'm SOOOO THANKFULLY to the guys who worked on it, and made it available to the public. I can't wait to share everything I plan to have in this game but for now, baby steps. I'll be sure to update this thread as I go. I'm loving everything others are making with the UR. So many talented people, it makes me want to work harder to just as good.

Below is just a little teaser.

[Chicken+Ribs Combo]

trying to worry less about AI's and such and just get the level's atmosphere to feel right

From an artist who started over 10 years ago with that same exact mentality, I would have to say that in hindsight it should be the other way around.

[ryanjon2040]

Good Luck DarkBreed. Keep us posted.

[Darkbreed]

Thanks Ryanjon, and I will update this at least once a week.

Chicken+Ribs Combo. You think I should focus more on AI at such an early stage???

[Artless]

In all of software development, functionality comes first. You need a solid, working foundation to put the pretty shiny on, not the other way around.

[Darkbreed]

That is where I'm starting, all the "pretty makeup" comes much later. In the comings weeks, I'll be building the layout of the map from what I have drawn up on paper. I'm gonna add some narrower paths to make it have more claustrophobic feeling, while adding in doorways, and the like and then work on proper lighting. With this engine the work for me is actually rather quick, but I'm moving to another state and leaving one job to start another, so finding a decent amount of time ot devote to this project at the moment isn't easy. Soon though I'll have way more time for it. Hopefully future updates will better show what I'm aiming for.

Thanks for all the advise guys.

[Chris.R]

I honestly wish you all the best for your game, but PLEASE do me one favor! Research lighting!

I'm a huge Horror fan but running through pitch black hallways, rooms, or environments just makes me angry! The fact that you said you want to get the atmosphere right, gave me some sort of hope! So please don't fall for the "Everything has to be pitch black principle". It is not about hunting the player down in complete darkness, it's about playing sneaky mind tricks. Best example Silent Hill 1,2,3 and 4 if you will.

[Chicken+Ribs Combo]

In all of software development, functionality comes first. You need a solid, working foundation to put the pretty shiny on, not the other way around.

^^ This times a million.

[SE_JonF]

In all of software development, functionality comes first. You need a solid, working foundation to put the pretty shiny on, not the other way around.

Software is different from game development however, and indie development is different from your standard industry MO. Indies are usually started by one person, and that one person typically has 1 or 2 set of skills. It is better to play to your strengths to bring your project alive, and then try to gain support from people who can offset your skills as needed. If you have the luxury of beginning a project with a team, then I would be inclined to agree with your post. But for many that just isn't a reality. A big part of success though is preparedness. Having a game design doc is crucial, that in all honesty is the first thing you're going to want to establish as an indie. Then its a matter of filling in the blanks in terms of roles/content, and then testing your project thoroughly.

I wish you luck Darkbreed.

[Darkbreed]

Ok I have run into a issue and I'm sure it's a easy fix, but I haven't had the time to look into it. I have a level are takes place in a cold snowy place, and I thought in stead of littering the map with snow particles and such, I'd actually add them to the player so when you are outside the buildings, it's turned on. That way the effect follows the player and saving on assets. (with it present in key areas to keep the illusion up) But I'm not sure how to pull this off.