Search Unity

  1. Megacity Metro Demo now available. Download now.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. Unity support for visionOS is now available. Learn more in our blog post.
    Dismiss Notice

Slender Man -- WIP

Discussion in 'Works In Progress - Archive' started by AgentParsec, Jun 2, 2012.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. AgentParsec

    AgentParsec

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Posts:
    403
    I think I might want to go with the fence for the boundary. It means I have to add hills outside the play area to raise terrain out of view, but I think the fence makes more sense. On that note, does anyone know where I can find a good transparent chain link fence texture?
     
  2. ludiares

    ludiares

    Joined:
    Jul 14, 2011
    Posts:
    242
  3. AgentParsec

    AgentParsec

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Posts:
    403
    In preparation for starting on the final map, I have added a simple intro to the game. Basically, it starts out on a black screen but plays the ambient forest sounds. The player's footsteps are heard as it puts "Parsec Productions" on, then changes to "Presents". A light shines across the game title as we hear the sound of the player climbing the fence and landing on the other side. After the intro has finished, the normal view comes on (accompanied by the click of a flashlight). You can skip the intro at any time by pressing ESC. It works perfectly so far, although if the player moves the mouse around during the intro, they're facing whatever the resulting direction is, because I can't seem to disable mouselook. Not that it particularly matters, since I WAS able to be sure the player hasn't moved from the spot.
     
  4. awesomeaustin316

    awesomeaustin316

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2012
    Posts:
    21
    nice. did you ever fix the problem of only having a leveled playing ground. I know it isnt really considered a problem, but with a project like this it really limits what you can do. so is there a story mode planned for this? you could make it based after the marble hornets videos and call it the marble hornets video game. of course you would need their premission. or do you plan on making it your own story.
     
  5. AgentParsec

    AgentParsec

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Posts:
    403
    I haven't fixed the level ground issue, and I probably won't. The game can function just as well without it, and I actually kind of like my workaround even though it creates more map work since I have to place waypoints.

    I also don't really have a story for it. I'm aiming more for a short experience, something you can play to see how far you can get. After the project's done, I might look into a larger project with a story, but not for this one.
     
  6. ludiares

    ludiares

    Joined:
    Jul 14, 2011
    Posts:
    242
    Well, some of my classmates tried it yesterday. They liked it, but you could hear terror scream almost every moment. It seems the games does its work.
     
  7. Finjitzu

    Finjitzu

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2011
    Posts:
    160
    Good work and great video! One of the best things I've seen on the forums for sure.
     
  8. pivotraze

    pivotraze

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2012
    Posts:
    593
    It takes a LOT for a game to scare me.... but it worked. I literally jumped twice during it. I hate your freaking music! It scares the CRAP outta me!
     
  9. AgentParsec

    AgentParsec

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Posts:
    403
    I'm adding a very faint light to the player so that nearby objects are lightly illuminated. That way the area to the left and right of the flashlight isn't completely pitch black. The light only has a short range of 20, so it's only an extremely dim illumination. Its only purpose is so that if SM is near the edge of the screen, you can still "see" him faintly, and the shock tone is actually warranted.

    Also, to that same end, I tossed in the ability to turn the flashlight on and off with the right mouse button.

    If I feel particularly evil, I might make it so that the intensity of the light very gradually dims over time as the battery gets weaker (I mean, EXTREMELY very gradually), as an incentive to hurry, and also to not use the flashlight unless needed. But honestly, I'm not sure it needs that difficulty at this point. I'll only add the battery drain if the final game is too easy to beat.

    (Maybe I could also do some kind of light flicker if SM teleports to within a certain distance of you? Though I'm not sure if I want to actually tip the player off about that.)
     
  10. MellowNinja

    MellowNinja

    Joined:
    Mar 26, 2012
    Posts:
    344
    will you make a playable demo of your new updates ?
     
  11. pivotraze

    pivotraze

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2012
    Posts:
    593
    A slight mythos oddity to your game: This isn't Slenderman. :)

    I'm assuming, by the look of your 3D Model of Slenderman, that you are basing it off of the "Marble Hornets" series, in some way. The problem is... that isn't Slenderman. Rather, it's a new creature by the name of "The Operator."

    Slenderman has tentacles:


    The Operator, however, does not:


    While this isn't really majorly important to the background of this game, just a fun thing I thought I would point out :)

    Keep the updates going! I love this! :D

    Sources:
    http://marblehornets.wikidot.com/slender-man
    http://marblehornets.wikidot.com/the-operator

    There are also various entries in the "Marble Hornets" series that hardens this. haha
     
  12. AgentParsec

    AgentParsec

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Posts:
    403
    Sure, I can do that. But I'm working on a few more things as well; I don't know if I should wait for that to be finished or not.

    My waypoint teleport thing works when it's confined to a single height, but I'm wondering if I might be able to find a way to make it so that the waypoints aren't needed. The problem with the current way I'm doing it is that with the full map, it's going to take a long time to get waypoints placed everywhere that's needed, especially in the thick of the trees.

    So what I'm thinking about doing is this: I don't need to worry about doing things too efficiently since the only colliders moving around are the player and SM. What I was thinking of doing is calculating the potential area for teleportation to occur, then sending an invisible collider out to a random spot within that area and testing to see if it's intersecting anything solid or is in an otherwise illegal position (within the player's facing, or within a certain distance of the player, for example). The collider's position shifts only when it needs to find a new teleport spot, then keeps shifting each frame until it finds a legal spot, at which point SM teleports there.

    I'm pretty sure that colliders don't actually move until the next update, so it'd have to run this check each update until a legal spot is found, but considering how many updates there are in a second, chances are a legal point can be found in that time without trouble.

    If the system works, waypoints would no longer be necessary; it would essentially generate its own "waypoints" on the fly. It'd be horribly inefficient, and a true pathfinding system would be much better, but it'd work, and that's all that I particularly care about.

    (While typing this, I had another realization/idea: Normally for SM's regular "jump" movement, he finds a waypoint that puts him closer to the player. This is different than his "teleport" movement, where he finds a new position within the max/min range. They're both "teleports", but the "jump" is meant to find a closer position. If I make the testing range for the new system within 45 degrees of directly at the player, that gives a 90 degree arc with which to test for potential jump positions. However, it's possible they all might be bad if SM is close enough to the player, since the first area of the arc is too close to the player and the rest are all within the player's facing. I think I can fix this by having the testing range angle gradually increase as no legal position is found, widing the arc until it eventually allows a legal position. This would also potentially allow SM to move around an obstruction so that it can start approaching from a different side.)
     
  13. AgentParsec

    AgentParsec

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Posts:
    403
    Slenderman doesn't HAVE to have tentacles. Also, there are other interpretations that have had him stalking non-children and causing video distortion (TribeTwelve and EverymanHybrid, for example).

    Personally, I always found the non-tentacled version creepier anyway.

    *EDIT* Also, having to worry about SM's body being visible is hard enough. Having to worry about his tentacles being visible would just be a nightmare.
     
    Last edited: Jun 13, 2012
  14. pivotraze

    pivotraze

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2012
    Posts:
    593
    The reason why other videos have video distortion etc... is because they are basing off of Marble Hornets (as you can tell by video upload dates) and a lot of people believe that Marble Hornets is Slenderman.

    I agree though, I'm working on a Slenderman game as well, albeit in UDK (I have ALWAYS loved the UDK). Your's is much better, and has me half debating doing a Slenderman game. I'm probably going to do it just for the learning expereince (as I have to do the modeling, the coding, the level design, etc... since I have no one to do modeling, level design, etc... xD)

    Regardless, don't take my pointing out of the mythos anomoly as a dis on your game. I love it so far (truly, twice in one game I jumped out of my seat.)

    I would post a link so you could check it out my version of Slenderman games... but... I can't link to it since It's a UDK game *Embarrassed face*
     
    Last edited: Jun 13, 2012
  15. AgentParsec

    AgentParsec

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Posts:
    403
    No problem, I'm glad you like the progress so far.

    I started uploading the newest build. This will be about 14 minutes; I'll post again when it's done.

    Can someone answer me a quick question: If I do a capsulecast with a zero length (i.e., the starting point and the ending point are the same spot), will it just check to see if there's a collision in that one location? If so, then I could do the other system I was talking about completely with capsulecasting instead of moving a collider around, and potentially compress it all into a single update (though I might make it so that if it does so many capsulecasts and doesn't find a legal position, it waits until the next update to do any more).
     
  16. AgentParsec

    AgentParsec

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Posts:
    403
    Upload complete: PC / Mac

    (By the way, you can skip the intro with ESC if you want. Pressing ESC at any other time will cause the game to end. Pressing F1 immediately kills you and shows the closing credits as if you had collected all 8 pages.)

    (*EDIT* Right-clicking also turned the flashlight on and off, in case you want to see how much you can see with the dim lighting.)
     
  17. pivotraze

    pivotraze

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2012
    Posts:
    593
    Downloading and extracting. I'll play it tomorrow though :) Much too tired now.. and I don't think I'm man enough to play it in the dark.
     
  18. virror

    virror

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2012
    Posts:
    2,963
    As i suggested in a post now way back, some flashlight flicker or maybe short blackouts would probably add to the panicked feeling when the player has collected most of the pages : p
     
  19. ludiares

    ludiares

    Joined:
    Jul 14, 2011
    Posts:
    242
    So, what are the updates in this build? Intro, flash light, and dim lighting? Cool. Downloading it.
     
  20. AgentParsec

    AgentParsec

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Posts:
    403
    Also a few other minor bug fixes not worth mentioning.

    (How's the modeling going?)

    *EDIT* Oh, also the camera zooms quicker, so it's a little more useful now.
     
    Last edited: Jun 13, 2012
  21. ludiares

    ludiares

    Joined:
    Jul 14, 2011
    Posts:
    242
    Got the basic module working, just got a few UVs problems I've got. Will post a pic this afternoon(10 am here)
     
  22. MellowNinja

    MellowNinja

    Joined:
    Mar 26, 2012
    Posts:
    344
    wow thats brilliant i noticed a few different noises also i just noticed its a woman ( i think ? ) xD anyway i love the intro
     
  23. AgentParsec

    AgentParsec

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Posts:
    403
    When I was searching for a breathing sound for sprinting, that one was the best I could find that was also free to use.
     
  24. ludiares

    ludiares

    Joined:
    Jul 14, 2011
    Posts:
    242
    Okay, i've done the first module of the complex, and you can test it here. Any feedback would be great.
     
  25. AgentParsec

    AgentParsec

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Posts:
    403
    The layout's looking good. Is the "player" in your test the size of SM? I ask because the halls seem a bit narrow otherwise.

    Also, the halls look pretty new, but I'm guessing you want to get the main model done before going back and making it look run-down?
     
  26. ludiares

    ludiares

    Joined:
    Jul 14, 2011
    Posts:
    242
    i will add dust and rust later on, as well some decals.
    BTW, shouldn't you be sleeping?
     
    Last edited: Jun 13, 2012
  27. pivotraze

    pivotraze

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2012
    Posts:
    593
    IMHO, you should make the web player catch the mouse and not show it :)
     
  28. ludiares

    ludiares

    Joined:
    Jul 14, 2011
    Posts:
    242
    It was a little showcase, to let people see how it was, nothing real, so the mouse isn't a real problem there
     
  29. AgentParsec

    AgentParsec

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Posts:
    403
    But yea, it's looking good. I like the roof too, it gives it just the look I was going for.

    When you rough it up, make sure there's some debris on the ground; that way the crunchy footstep sounds still make sense.

    It's 11:47AM here right now, I'm at work.
     
  30. Dabeh

    Dabeh

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2011
    Posts:
    1,614
    3:22 AM here. played it a little, wasn't scary. Then I looked behind me and the slenderman was staring right at me right behind me.

    Too much for me at this time of night.
     
  31. MellowNinja

    MellowNinja

    Joined:
    Mar 26, 2012
    Posts:
    344
    haha i honestly love how this game is panning out, are there any more updates ?
     
  32. Rush-Rage-Games

    Rush-Rage-Games

    Joined:
    Sep 9, 2010
    Posts:
    1,997
    Starting to look great! Good job.
     
  33. Shane_Stocks

    Shane_Stocks

    Joined:
    Jun 15, 2012
    Posts:
    1
    Just thought I'd chip in and say this is looking excellent. You have a good theme, and you know alot about programming!

    I'll give my opinion, and say that I think woods is a good scenario for the SM.
     
  34. AgentParsec

    AgentParsec

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Posts:
    403
    So my attempt to remove the waypoint system will work like this:

    1. Find a random point within teleport range and in the general direction of the player.
    2. If the point is too close to the player, go back to step 1.
    3. If the point intersects a solid object, go back to step 1.
    (Note: If there are too many failed points checked, wait until next update and slightly widen the checking area.)
    4. Move a test object to the point and wait until next update. (The test object has an alpha of zero so that it's invisible, but can still be checked for renderer.isvisible)
    5. If the player is facing the object (isvisible), go back to step 1.
    6. If all else is good, remove the test object and move SM to the point.
     
  35. LeHaine_

    LeHaine_

    Joined:
    May 27, 2012
    Posts:
    44
    Just tried it out in the dark with headphones on, by myself and I have to say it scared me. It scared me good.
     
  36. Blacklight

    Blacklight

    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2009
    Posts:
    1,241
    Christ, that made me jump. The build up was nice too, I didn't know how he was going to 'attack' me. Good work.
     
  37. AgentParsec

    AgentParsec

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Posts:
    403
    Ok, I'm almost finished remaking SM's movement from scratch. So far it seems to be working but it also seems like it could use a little tweaking here and there.

    When SM moves ("jumps"):

    1. It picks a random position within 30 unit by using Random.insideUnitCircle to find it on a 2D plane, then convert it to a 3D position based on SM's current position.
    2. It checks to see if the position is too close to the player. If so, it goes back to step 1.
    3. It finds the total distance from SM to target to player, then compares it to the direct distance from SM to player. If it's more than a certain deviation (3 by default, but I'm trying different values to see if I get better results), it goes back to step 1. The purpose of this step is to allow him to stray from heading directly towards the player, but not by much.
    4. If it does step 1 over 100 times, it waits until next update to try again (to prevent it from being stuck forever), and increases the deviation for step 3 slightly, giving it more potental area to jump to.
    5. If all the above is successful, it moves a test object with a rigidbody to the target location. (It is locked on all its rotation and locked on the Y plane, so it appears to just "pop" out of any solid objects that it moves into, to what appears to be the nearest empty space. I didn't expect this, but it was nice because I no longer have to test to see if the location is valid for teleport due to obstructions.)
    6. The test object has an alpha of zero, but still "renders", so it checks to see if the object is "visible" by the camera. If so, it jumps all the way back to step 1.
    7. If everything's good up to this point, it moves SM to the position and tucks the test object away for later use.

    Teleporting works similarly, except it gets the circle point based on the player's position instead of SM's, tests to see if it's within the minimum and maximum range, then moves the test object there.

    So far it SEEMS to work, but I need to test it more extensively.
     
  38. AgentParsec

    AgentParsec

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Posts:
    403
    Newest build is ready. As before, the links are: PC / Mac

    So this build incorporates the new SM movement, which as far as I can tell seems nearly indistinguishable from the original, except that SM can show up anywhere, not just at pre-defined waypoints as before. The biggest advantage of this approach is that the final map will no longer require waypoints to be scattered everywhere, which is going to save a LOOOOT of time.

    Anyway, I'd appreciate some feedback on the movement. He still may not show up with the first few pages due to the size of the testing area, so the test will focus on 4+ pages. Please try collecting a certain number of pages (such as 5), then stop collecting pages and just move around for a while to see how SM pursues you. This is what I could use the most feedback on right now, particularly if you see any potential bugs.
     
    Last edited: Jun 16, 2012
  39. MellowNinja

    MellowNinja

    Joined:
    Mar 26, 2012
    Posts:
    344
    wow, i've seen a big improvement in the movement, i've noticed he isn't always behind you now and as you said he appears anywhere. There is a problem maybe its just my game play but whenever i see him he's always far away, i could easily outrun him. I spent 20 minutes running from him until i he got me ;-; very good movements though a great improvement.

    EDIT: I noticed that at one point for a couple of seconds he stopped from his previous spawn point and stood there looking at where i was before.

    Also i'd love to know, will he be animated anytime soon or even ?
     
    Last edited: Jun 16, 2012
  40. AgentParsec

    AgentParsec

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Posts:
    403
    He wll not be animated. He's completely motionless when being observed.

    Actually, whenever he's not being observed I should have him swivel to face you. Right now, his facing only changes when he teleports or is actively moving towards you at close range.
     
  41. glom1envisage0

    glom1envisage0

    Joined:
    Apr 3, 2011
    Posts:
    167
    I would recommend allowing movement via joystick also.
     
  42. MellowNinja

    MellowNinja

    Joined:
    Mar 26, 2012
    Posts:
    344

    Okay, will there be screen effects for when he's in our "grasp" :)
     
  43. AgentParsec

    AgentParsec

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Posts:
    403
    I can't think of any beyond what it already does (force you to face him). If I knew how I might do it, I might add tentacles sprouting from his back and kind of starting to encircle you, in keeping with some verisons of SM. But honestly I don't think it needs it.
     
  44. aixaix

    aixaix

    Joined:
    May 7, 2010
    Posts:
    523
    actually the tentacles one is a good one.. imagine yourself just collecting the pages when suddenly you see hes tentacles coming from your both screen sides and then it forces you to turn around :)

    i hope you get the idea :)
     
  45. AgentParsec

    AgentParsec

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Posts:
    403
    It would be, but again I don't know how I would go about doing it. That's beyond my ability.
     
  46. MellowNinja

    MellowNinja

    Joined:
    Mar 26, 2012
    Posts:
    344
    Well i love the game atm :) but there is something to plain about SM he looks too human, maybe if you shade his face down so it doesn't show his face much ?
     
  47. aixaix

    aixaix

    Joined:
    May 7, 2010
    Posts:
    523
    Well, you can have the tentacles with your player and a grabbing animation... and before it forces you to turn around you can activate it and start the animation... that could work i guess..
    Tho, the game is still scary atm.
     
  48. TehWut

    TehWut

    Joined:
    Jun 18, 2011
    Posts:
    1,577
    Great work! The tension does build as you collect the pages.

    You should make him appear closer or something the closer you get to winning, sometimes I had to actively search for him.

    For some reason, it's not as scary the second time around (well obviously you stupid pony), but it seems like you tuned down the darkness a lot. Is this true? Also, Slenderman could be a little better, he seems too human. Make him a bit taller, a bit thinner, and make his face WHITE (this is one of his biggest points in being seen in darkness). So far so great, though
     
  49. AgentParsec

    AgentParsec

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Posts:
    403
    He actually has a maximum roam distance that shrinks as you collect more pages. When he "jumps", he always moves in your general direction, but when he "teleports", he can appear anywhere within a narrow band a certain distance from the player. In addition, if he is ever outside this range, he automatically teleports. The maximum and minimum radius get smaller with each page. Granted, it may not be shrinking enough, or it may be starting out too big, but the only way to tell will be to try it out on a larger map. This test area is so small that half the time he can't teleport when there aren't enough pages collected. On a larger map, you are also roaming longer distances, so what may seem like a long ways away on the small map may not be so on the big map.

    Still, I'm going to make him teleport less. Maybe about half the chance he has of teleporting now (that is, half the chance that he will teleport instead of jump closer to you).
     
  50. AgentParsec

    AgentParsec

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Posts:
    403
    I discovered that SM was appearing outside the play area frequently, so I restricted it so that he can only spawn within the play area. This should make him more visible.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.