ProjectZ #Alpha

[loustak]

Hello
Here is my new game : ProjectZ
It’s a survival/shooter aginst zombies
The gameplay consists of two phases:
-The day : resource harvesting, base construction, exploration map …
-The night : survive aginst zombie

The game is currently in Alpha
→ So why post it here
I need some idea (look down) and more bugs are found faster

Some screenshots:

Controles:
Z,Q,S,D for movement
X for display skill panel
B for display shop panel
A for place blocks (if you buy them )
E for interact with vehicules like cars (i don’t add it in this version)
F3 for debug

Now i have some ideas of gameplay (or not) and i don’t now how choos, help me
About getting weapon
-system of shop (like the current)
-system of craft (like minecraft)
-system of random drop (like diablo, he can be add with the shop system)

And for the buy of object in the shop they can come by the sky road by package who player need to recover

Now for zombies:
-Zombie more stronger every day
-Zombie more stronger the night (currently)
-Zombie more stronger when too much zombies are killed

Vehicules spawn:
-can be buy in the shop
-can be find in the map
I think I’ll add the two

Inventory:
-No idea makable
-[Insert you idea]

And more archivement are implemented, meteo(currently only the rain is available), journey management day/night (400 secondes for day and 400 for night), spawn random of zombies, management of vehicules

I need to some graphhisme so if an artist want collaborate i need some images in 16x16 : more animations for my hero, weapons, more zombies (in the same style) some images for build a terrain, ruinned town, tank, cars (if possible in the same style), thanks

Download link:
adf.ly/quoFG

Thanks for report bugs and say ideas

[erdo]

I take a look at your game and I can see you’re really taking it seriously.

The overall gameplay seems fun and I want to see other features implemented.

But there are some things that, in my opinion, I find annoying:

• I hate the controls. In your game, at least in the alpha version I downloaded and play in my pc, the Q key moves the player left. the Z key moves the player up, the S key moves the player down and the D key moves the player right… yeahhh… that makes your game almost unplayable in a QWERTY keyboard (the most common keyboard disposition in the world) and I can understand the QWERTY is not the only keyboard disposition in the world but it don’t make sense neither in the DVORAK, COLEMAK or WORKMAN dispositions, so I don’t have idea how the keys are arranged in your keyboard (or your fingers in your hand) but for most of us this controls are almost an inmediate NOPE to your game. And that leads to a millenary question: why indie game developers hates the arrow keys? it’s the same for ALL keyboard dispositions and it makes your game accesible for anyone! (and I will not buy that accesible-for-the-left-handed old argument, I mean, I’m right-handed and I can perfectly play a game with the arrow keys or with that overrated WASD keys).

• This a test, right? Then please don’t make a EMPTY HUGE level. If you want to focus on testing the features that you have already implemented then please don’t make a HUGE level with nothing in it because it’s not necessary.

• Your zombies are doped. I’m sure they can easily win on all the olympics disciplines. Their resistence and speed is beyond human understanding. If they are the first and more common enemies of your game, then, I think I’ll never get trough the first night.

• When I move the character (I mean when I manage to press the right key for the direction I want to go) the character sprite shakes like a shoe in a dryer machine. I mean, I’m sure I would shaking too if suddenly I’m surrounded by a crowd of super-fast and seemingly unstoppable zombies but I think it’s some kind of bug and it’s very obvious and ruin the overall look of the game. Check it.

Very cool gameplay. I think it will be a very fun game to waste hours trying to survive.

Want to see more things: places to go, buildings to explore, different kinds of zombies (animal zombies?).

Well implemented user interface.

Love the day/night system. Want to see more weather effects.

A suggestion: I really think a shop store adds more than a “shop screen” (very unrealistic approach).

---

I had worked as sprite illustrator. I can make some sprites for your game, I mean, for free. But your game seems HUGE (or at least your ambitions) and I can’t afford the time required to help you with all the sprites. But maybe I can make some graphics for you. Just tell me what do you need the most then I’ll see what I can do.

[loustak]

I hate the controls

Yeah i understand, you have a QWERTY keyboard when i have an AZERTY, i will fix that in the next version but currently you can bypass this by switching you keyboard in AZERTY by pressing “Alt”+“Shift” (press them again for come back in azerty)

This a test, right? Then please don’t make a EMPTY HUGE level.

I’m working for don’t let empty the level, but i need sprites like ruined town & road i already found trees and i have add them.

Your zombies are doped.

Not false i’ll adjust this point

Want to see more things: places to go, buildings to explore, different kinds of zombies (animal zombies?).

I have in my idea to add some flying zombie and maybe boss ? But again i need sprites (i have the flying). For places it’s in developement but currently it’s not in my goal to add building to explore, i will see in the future

Love the day/night system. Want to see more weather effects.

A you had a storm?
I’ll add snow & lightning (but this function slow down computer so an option will be available to disable it)

A suggestion: I really think a shop store adds more than a “shop screen” (very unrealistic approach).

I’m totally agree, and more i think who a npc can sell this items

I had worked as sprite illustrator. I can make some sprites for your game, I mean, for free. But your game seems HUGE (or at least your ambitions) and I can’t afford the time required to help you with all the sprites. But maybe I can make some graphics for you. Just tell me what do you need the most then I’ll see what I can do.

Actually the only graphics who i need are tiles (like rpg maker ) for building a ruined town

Thanks for reply !

[erdo]

@loustak

Yeah i understand, you have a QWERTY keyboard when i have an AZERTY, i will fix that in the next version but currently you can bypass this by switching you keyboard in AZERTY by pressing “Alt”+“Shift” (press them again for come back in azerty)

I used to think the french keyboard disposition is the DVORAK one. Shame on me. Anyways, you can make your game more accesible to anyone using neutral keys like CTRL, ALT, ARROWS keys, ENTER, TAB, NUMBERS keys, SPACE and the mouse buttons. You know, this confussion was just for the QWERTY and AZERTY thing but how will you deal with non-latin-based keyboards, uhm?

@loustak

A suggestion: I really think a shop store adds more than a “shop screen” (very unrealistic approach).

I’m totally agree, and more i think who a npc can sell this items

Exactly, that sounds totally cool. Like a bearded oldman with a poncho, a classic mexican hat and a patch in his eye selling stuff! It will be cool to see other NPC’s.

Do you have think in add a safe-zone? It can be a commercial zone or a little town. Your character can talk to other NPC’s and buy, sell and craft a lot of things there and the zombies can be out there in the desert, the forest and the ruined cities and towns to explore. Found things will add a lot of life to your gameplay and the explore feature.

I was thinking on the buy+craft system you mentioned before and I think it will be cool if it is a combination of the two. For example: you can lumber and get wood and build your own short-living barricades but then you can go too and sell that wood and buy other things. And in the “town” or “safe-zone”, there can be specifics NPCs in their own shops that had the ability to craft different things for you if you get the source material to do it (obviously they will do it for a price). And when it comes to build barricades… why to not build your own bunker too? you know, something like the based-on-recollection Age of Empires building system, but more easier to NOT focus ONLY in this feature of the game; you can buy or recollect your own materials. Maybe zombies can drop collectibles after they are dead. You know, like leather, fabric and money (I know there is currently a money prize for kill a zombie but I think it will be more fun to collect things that the zombie dropped when dead).

Well, there are some ideas.

Actually the only graphics who i need are tiles (like rpg maker ) for building a ruined town

Ok, but I need to know the tile size you’re using and the character sprite size.

[Darkhog]

That’s why we need an easy to use feature that allows for easy making system for rebindable controls.

[loustak]

how will you deal with non-latin-based keyboards, uhm?

Today i have add an option for change key by a file named “config.txt”
Now you can edit all you touch ! And i think it works with non-latin keyboards

Do you have think in add a safe-zone? It can be a commercial zone or a little town. Your character can talk to other NPC’s and buy, sell and craft a lot of things there and the zombies can be out there in the desert, the forest and the ruined cities and towns to explore. Found things will add a lot of life to your gameplay and the explore feature.

It’s a very cool idea but for the safe zone the spawning algorithm make it, for exemple if you have a lot of obstacle in a zone zombie will spawn rarely. But if you are in a desert they can spawn anywhere

[erdo]

@loustak

Today i have add an option for change key by a file named “config.txt”
Now you can edit all you touch ! And i think it works with non-latin keyboards

Cool. Can you make a tutorial on that? It will be so useful.

@loustak

It’s a very cool idea but for the safe zone the spawning algorithm make it, for exemple if you have a lot of obstacle in a zone zombie will spawn rarely. But if you are in a desert they can spawn anywhere

I understand. By the way, I had experienced some spooky zombie spawn ocurrences next to me. Like:

♪ I’m walking on the green ♪ OH FK ST!!! That zombie just pop-up from nowhere!!!

Maybe you can adjust your algorithm to only spawn zombies out of screen.

[loustak]

Cool. Can you make a tutorial on that? It will be so useful.

Use the condition “a touch is pressed (text expression)” and put a variable in it (a string variable)
exemple :
If the touch ‘GlobalVariableString(rightTouch)’ is pressed (text expression) then do …
in GlobalVariableString(rightTouch) put the letter you want for exemple if put “z” when you will pressed ‘z’ the condition will work.
After for modify the variable i use files

I understand. By the way, I had experienced some spooky zombie spawn ocurrences next to me.

Yeah i will adjust that

[loustak]

About the npc : I makes killable by zombies?

[erdo]

@loustak

About the npc : I makes killable by zombies?

I think that’s the most realistic approach. That’s why I suggest the use of “safe zones” or explorable buildings.

In case the NPC that acts like an ambulant shop is an old hermit, then you can make it invulnerable to zombies and make him sell a “zombie repellent”, haha, that will adds some mystic to the NPC and the overall ambientation. Even you can add some kind of plant with “zombie repellent” characteristics, you take a branch from the bush and it will develop a repellent effect on a short radio for some minutes before disappear (but the hermit is the one that knows how to craft the repellent, wich is much more effective), or you can drop the bush branch and the effect will “protect” a specific radio of the ground; the effect can last some few minutes at a constant capacity or it can slowly (or fastly) becomes rotten on the soil as it effects becomes less and less effective (for example: a “protection circumference” around you becomes smaller while the time pass). I can imagine a situation when you are surrounded by zombies that don’t get to you because you’re using a “repellent plant branch” (you can give it this plant a scientific fake name or take one that actually exists I guess) and hoping you had enough ammo to take down all the zombies before the branch get rotten and his protection radio around you get smaller and smaller and then get closed. You can even add a “season system” and make this plant only grow on a pair of specific seasons (this then becoming the repellent plant recollection season, if you don’t take enough repellent plant in this season, then you will have to be depending on the old grumpy hermit to buy repellent on winter).

Sorry, I went off topic.

Yes, I think that NPCs should be able to die by a zombie attack, because to be the only vulnerable survivor to damage caused due to zombie attack not just sucks, but would take away much of to the overall feel of the game.

[loustak]

Yes, I think that NPCs should be able to die by a zombie attack, because to be the only vulnerable survivor to damage caused due to zombie attack not just sucks, but would take away much of to the overall feel of the game.

Ok, but i think currently it’s better if zombie d’ont go on it, for exemple zombie always go on the hero, but if the shopman (lol) is in collision with the zombie he will lost HP. He can start with 10 & every collisions with zombie cost 1.
At 0 he die. But if the NPC can die I must find a way to make them appear…

Currently, they walk every 15seconde in a random dirrection.
But if the player attacks it they go everywhere whitout logic (yes their are not inteligent )

It’s a picture of what i do today :

I added road, tree, 3 differents buildings, the npc

[erdo]

@loustak

It’s a picture of what i do today :

I added road, tree, 3 differents buildings, the npc

That’s very cool. I really want to play it. Can you upload a new test?

[loustak]

In 1-2 days maybe, i will add more building & tree. I will also try to make npc spawnable and killable.

[loustak]

Npc now spawn on road, so you can only found it in town
Zombie can kill it
I adjust the life of zombie during the day
I add an option for adjust light quality (for prevent lags)
I correct à bug with car, you cant drive two car simultany
I add the colt

Now i need to do that :
Add the colt to the shop
Fix a bug with car collision

[loustak]

Mise à jour 0.3 :
-possibility to change the keys in config.txt
-fix some bugs
-add new pictures
-improved performance
-rewrite the car mode
-add a shop npc
-you have to be close to him to be able to open the shop
-if we move away with the open shop closes automatically
-he move randomly
-if you shoot him he gets mad and run around for 15 seconds
-he can die by zombie or you
-he spawn only on road
-fixed some graphic bug due to plans
-zombies that spawn the day have a life of 3 and those of night have a life of 5
-the first line of mod “debug” is to FPS
-it is possible to change the quality of light in the “config.txt” file to increase performance
-adjustment of the rain that falls it usually
-Fixed a bug that cars could cross
-adding a new weapon the “colt” but it is not yet possible to buy

The download link is the same, the default keys are fit a QWERTY keyboard

[loustak]

Fail this message bugged

[erdo]

Cant download the game from Mega, It says: “temporary error, try later”

[loustak]

Try here : gamejolt.com/games/other/projectz/31904/