Planet Alpha 31

Community Showcase Game Development
41

Thanks man!

Here’s a video with the clouds during a fast forward day/night cycle:

fullsize: https://vimeo.com/104912107

42

YAY! More post to look at! :slight_smile:

Great looking work. I do like the contrast between the hard edge assets and the clouds. As you said, they do compliment each other very nicely! I don’t think you have to worry about your art style ‘becoming’ individual, it’s already there buddy. I absolutely love the look of this game!

I am working on my own side scroller, but, with a very different look. Mine is going more towards the realistic look. I modelled some assets a while ago for a model pack and decided to throw them in the scene to see how it all looks, but, I think they look great in the scene.

I am interested how you managed to get your pressure pads to operate the way they do. I have a very similar model and I am struggling to get it working.

Again, great work. Keep it up.

Cheers

Jay.

43

Dude you artwork is inspirational. It’s like what I want to achieve with my game, but you’ve captured it so well. Jealous dude!

44

Glad you guys!

@Unfamillia: The pressure pads are super simple - they have a trigger that detects when the player or an other object intersects them, then they call a event on the connected objects (the platforms for the first button for example). Let me know if you need some more specific info :slight_smile:

45

Wow! Absolutely love the art style! Can’t wait to see more of it :smiley:

46

Thanks Ricewagon!

One of the more interesting props I got to work on recently is the Jump Pad.

The Jump Pad can be used to project the player in the air at a much higher distance then he would normally be able to jump and it can project other props as well.
The strength of the Jump Pad is set by the duration that the player holds down the Action Button.

See it in action here:

fullsize: https://vimeo.com/105857328

Still image:

http://www…com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GrowingUp_11-09-14_01_JumpPad_sHD.png

fullsize: http://www…com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GrowingUp_11-09-14_01_JumpPad.png

Most likely I’ll have to change the shape a bit since it can be pushed/pulled so it has to offer a way to do that :slight_smile:

47

Those Jump Pads look truly amazing! I love the little effect of the rubble being picked up.

Great work as always.

I must ask; what is your background? Are you a coder or are you more of an artist?

Keep it up!

Cheers

Jay.

48

Every time I look at this thread, I find myself wanting to play this game more and more. All of the work so far looks phenomenal. Keep up the great work!

49

Those clouds are well done, and your art style is just jaw dropping man. Great job, I’m excited to see more of this.

50

Very nice cloud, amazing art style.
Really superb !

51

Thanks a bunch guys, glad you like it. There isn’t much gameplay to show atm since I want to have more props before continuing with the set-dressing but I would also like to have the main character done (working on it now).

@unfamillia: I started as 3d artist / generalist about 12 years ago working in tvc post-production and after 5-6 years I transitioned to video games doing lighting, effects and lately more of a technical artist job: shaders, assets production pipeline, etc

52

Cool looking game.

53

Thank you Starseeker:)

Just wanted to give a small update because despite the fact that I haven’t updated this thread in a while, behind the scenes things are actually moving forward.
So here are a few things that I’m working on:

  • Story: I realised some time ago that I wouldn’t have the time, skills or the resources to tell the initial story I wanted.
    So I spent the last few weeks writing a new one with a different main protagonist but with similar gameplay and same artstyle. It’s not ready yet but I’m looking forward to share it with you - it’s more simple to tell in a video game and allows for greater flexibility in the universe.
  • In parallel with the story I also worked on the hero character. I had a lot of learning to do since I wasn’t familiar at all with animation in UE4 or with character rigging / skinning in maya. It’s still far from being done but I already have a functional version in game that offers a better representation than the default mannequin.
  • Besides those two main ones from above, I also did a lot of other small improvements, for example the stars are no longer static but are rotating correctly. I also redone the way the level is build to allow more flexibility and made some other small assets.

Anyways, I hope I’ll have something visual to share at the beginning of October.

54

Hi,
Here’s a short video showing the main protagonist - still in a very early stage.

  • He has an intelligent suit that among others automatically turns on / off helmet lights and flashlights when required.
  • As he’ll advance in the game he will be able to acquire new gadgets / accessories for the suit, from shields to jet-packs, etc.
  • As you can see the skinning is pretty terrible at this stage:)
  • Color scheme and minor design elements will probably change.

fullsize: https://vimeo.com/106917980

And here are a few screenshots - again, keep in mind that it’s still pretty rough:

http://www…com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GrowingUp_26-09-14_01.png

http://www…com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GrowingUp_26-09-14_02.png

http://www…com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GrowingUp_26-09-14_03.png

55

Hi guys,
It’s been a while since the last update but that doesn’t mean I stopped working on the game - on the contrary quite a lot had happened.

First, there is a new direction, a new universe, a new hero and a new story driven foundation, actually pretty much is new except the visual style.
Secondly, but not less important I’m now joined by the talented and a small teaser but this thread will remain the place for people interested in following the development of Planet Alpha 31.

Here’s the basic info for Planet Alpha 31:

[HR][/HR]

Story
When mankind is forced to abandon Earth a team of explorers is send to find a new home.
After years of drifting into nothingness a suitable planet – Alpha 31 – is found and the Terra-formation begins.

About half way through the process an unknown incident causes the Terra-formation to revert with catastrophic consequences.
You, one of the last engineers left, are send to investigate the events and to resume the terra-formation process in a race against time.

Description
Planet Alpha 31 is an immersive, story driven puzzle platformer mixed with bits of exploration and action.

The events take place in a living and constantly changing world: real time day / night cycle affects everything on the planet, the Terra-formation process shapes the landscape before your eyes and the 2nd dimension that became accessible during the incident will offer a special experience.

While exploring Alpha 31 you will be aided by PIA – Personal Intelligent Assistant. She will help you investigate the events and slowly unfold the true story of what happened before your arrival.

The game-play will test both the player’s mind and reflexes on this beautiful but dangerous planet.

Features

  • Diverse and fast paced game-play including puzzles, agility challenges and action.
  • Retro sci-fi atmosphere that combines a sense of wonder, loneliness and danger during the exploration of Alpha 31.
  • Real-time day/night cycle that changes both the environment and the game mechanics.
  • A mysterious 2nd dimension accessible through the portals that appeared after the incident.
  • The Terra-formation process that constantly morphs the landscape.
  • Use a wide range of gadgets to help in your quest.
  • Unfolding story told by PIA – your Personal Intelligent Assistant – that will keep you connected until the very end.
  • Next gen graphics powered by Unreal Engine 4 including fully dynamic lighting, global illumination, GPU particles and more.

Development

Status: Early prototype stage
Engine: Unreal Engine 4 and FMOD
Platforms: TBA
Release date: TBA

Team
The game is being developed by for audio design & integration.

[HR][/HR]

Here is A Dangerous Environment Teaser for Planet Alpha 31 showing that this beautiful planet can sometimes be the most difficult obstacle to overcome:

Ok, now that this is out of the way I hope to update this thread more often.

Best,

56

Looking fantastic!

57

This is absolutely phenomenal! Love the art style and the gameplay looks fantastic. Are you using Paper2D or rendering that in 3d?

58

Thanks guys, glad you like it and a big thanks to and the twitch live stream team for showcasing this game among other amazing projects that this community produces!

, everything is 3d but with a very low FOV (20).

59

this is absolutely amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing!!! I just want to play it right now :smiley: no seriously, this i really stunning i just cannot wait to see more! Cheers

60

Simply amazing - when I saw this I understood that it’s the kind of platformer that I would like to create in UE4 (but, unfortunately, lack the skill to do so) - very colorful, making nice use of lighting, particles and materials, which makes the environment feel very substantial! Can’t wait to buy and play this.