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Surviving Pangea: [WIP/Pre Alpha]

Discussion in 'Works In Progress - Archive' started by Jaqal, Aug 13, 2014.

  1. Ra1den

    Ra1den

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    @Jaqal

    Don't be hesitant dude! If you play this right you can be living that very dream!

    Another question: How do you plan on handling damage/health in this game?
    Are you just gonna do the classic healthbar/ Hitpoints with classic damage? or are you gonna put more weight behind injuries like some games have done... E.g If i injury my leg i won't be able to use it for a while

    I personally feel that health system in survival games should stem a little bit off and be a bit unique! :p
     
  2. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    I actually look at old turok gameplay videos all the time for inspiration!
     
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  3. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    I've been contemplating that a lot recently. Ive already implemented some injury like effects for the larger enemies and plan on doing the same for the main character, as well as other status effects like sickness etc.

    I am trying to really create a sense of trying to survive with this game. The dinosaurs and other ai will act as an extra challenge but limited resources, worrying about food and water is what survival is really about. Dont starve is one of the only games to create that atmosphere successfully. I feel like injuries definitely have a place here.
     
    Last edited: Sep 20, 2014
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  4. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    Ok guys here is the video I promised last night. After watching it again today I am actually really unhappy with its quality but I promised so here it is!

    The stuff hanging on the rack is supposed to be leather. It currently has no effects in game but was something I was playing with so it's there. The meat you see is already being used in game to satisfy hunger and has to be cooked or dried. The hunger system is already pretty stable and for now lowers running ability and strength when low, and with death after a set time. I will cover that in more detail at a later date.


    The main problem is I am using fraps to record my videos and have a 30 second limit so everything is always rushed and the quality isn't the greatest. I plan on upgrading to some better software for this sometime soon as I will certainly need it more in the future. I'm open to any suggestions here!

    On a side note I also noticed how annoying the rain looked when watching this so I fixed that as well.
     
    Last edited: Sep 20, 2014
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  5. John-G

    John-G

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    For all my audio/video editing and recording I use the AVS4U suite, they have an offer running at the moment for the complete suite at 70% off
    http://www.avs4you.com/Register.aspx

     
    Last edited: Sep 20, 2014
  6. Ocid

    Ocid

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    Can always use shadowplay.
     
  7. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    @John G. @Ocid

    Thanks for the suggestions. I will check both out this evening along with a few other and see what fits best. I am working like crazy to finish this inventory system. Once I get that and a couple other things stabilized the games framework will finally be complete!
     
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  8. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    Hey guys I have been super swamped lately but I have finally made some real progress with the inventory and crafting. The framework for this has finally been completed which means all of the main components for the game now work together and the framework is finally complete! Now I can really start adding more content and fleshing this project out. I will continue to add a video or two every week to keep everyone updated. Probably some of the dinosaurs in action as I've had a few requests for this already.

    Anyway here are two quick videos of the (very rough) large scale crafting system. This will be used for things such as shelters,defenses, traps, etc.

    I have been fooling around with some ideas as to the players origins and such so if you are wondering what the thing on his arm is check the first post on this thread under concepts. The object is basically something like a futuristic smart phone that is attached to the players arm and is called a link. Obviously you won't be making any phone calls but it gives a neat realistic visual representation of in game systems like crafting and the map. It looks very rough now but is meant to be a hologram type system. This will also act as a sort of scanner and database for when the player finds new items in the game as you will start with zero information about local plants and wildlife. You have to find these things out by exploring the world and through trial and error. The map, inventory, player status, etc. will all be represented by this device.

    This video is of basic structure placement and is working well so far. As you can see the structure blueprint will follow the ground height and can be rotated before it is set.


    This is showing how logs from cut down trees can be placed into the blueprint to finalize the structure. These will all be destructible and upgradeable which I will explain later.


    If you have any questions ask. I am trying to not write walls of texts with these posts but I would like everyone interested to understand how the game is progressing.
     
    Last edited: Sep 23, 2014
  9. TemplarGFX

    TemplarGFX

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    Fantastic work! I think you have a real winner here!
     
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  10. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    Thanks! I am often checking on your ground fog system as well. I plan on using it on this project when you finish things up. I was literally going to start working on something similar for my swamp biome but yours is already so good!
     
  11. JohnParask

    JohnParask

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    Seems awesome, but i don't think the consept of the building system is match with the "pro-historical" aspect.
     
  12. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    I know what what you mean that's why I'm trying too get feedback from others before I get to far with this design. If I keep this route I will support our with a good back story when the game begins. Its hard to find design to keep a high level of immersion while still giving a nice 3d representation of what you are crafting and such. A hologram does this very well and I don't want to just use a floating book like the forest or some pop up menu like minecraft. My only other options would be to maybe do a done carving menu or something like that. Well see where this goes.
     
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2014
  13. CrypticSmoke

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    I really like the idea of struggling to survive in a game like this. Closest there ever was was hardcore in minecraft or something, but even that game lacked some really cool ideas like exposure, or thirst/sickness from tainted meat, etc. I'm looking forward to seeing the direction this game goes in with it's more unique survival elements.
     
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  14. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    You will see more of the survival aspects showing within the next few weeks. In fact I plan on having a working demo by November.

    I've completely re done the inventory system over the past few days and now it is in 3d. After I finish this up I will be adding more content to the food and crafting systems and you well begin to see some of the unique survival elements start to develop.

    The main differences you will notice when playing Pangea is it is very difficult to keep a steady food supply. Many people think that it it's easy to go out and find good sources from plants and animals outdoors but tat is simply not true. Take a trip through the woods and you will see that. How many edible foods do you see? Small game, edible plants, clean water, etc. Now imagine having to figure these things out alone as well as dealing with injury, sickness and dealing with local wildlife that is up to 100 times your size.

    I will try to update some of there's concepts tonight as well as a sneak peek at the new inventory.
     
  15. Chemaxmax

    Chemaxmax

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    The tree chopping video is cool :O
     
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  16. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    Thanks for the feedback!

    The tree trunks are now using a different better looking shader. They also drop different resources depending on the tree. Trees with hanging vines drop vine pieces that can be used to make rope. There are also mushrooms and fruit that will grow on certain trees but you probably wouldn't want to cut those down! I'm trying to keep videos and all up to date but things change so fast its hard to keep up!
     
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  17. janpec

    janpec

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    Very solid bow shoting system. Look forward to more updates. Btw do you plan some melee weapons aswell? Its probably a bit silly since attacking dino with melee weapon could be bit wierd, but not sure what your plans are. Bow is defenetly something that makes good use.
     
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  18. ContinentalDrift

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    Well, this is an interesting idea. (And we share the same name. :p)

    I'm actually curious on a few things though, especially with the dinosaurs.

    -Are there going to be different environments such as open plains and swamps?

    -Is the dinosaur bestiary gonna consist of predominantly classic species, or you shake things up a bit (Animals like Therizinosaurus, Cryolophosaurus, Oviraptor and Miragaia)?

    NOTE: If anyone's curious on why I used feathered designs regarding Zino and Ovi, I figured in survival games, they'd be useful in crafting arrows and the like

    -Is it just first-person for now? Just curious on that.
     
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  19. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    Oh yes I have the axe of course as you have seen but I would like to add some more. I'm working on the small scale crafting system right now and plan on having different components for each weapon. For instance the axe will have the axe head and the handle. The handle can be made of basic wood or later on bone or possible just higher quality wood as you make better wood working tools. And the head will be basic stone but there is mining as well so after you find and process some ore, say iron ore, you can make the axe head from iron ore. The components will also degrade over time so if you are hitting rocks with your axe it will break faster than hitting enemies or trees. Similar to how minecraft works.

    Also there are many more enemies now than just dinosaurs. The large bugs to start off as well as smaller pre historic mammals which existed around that time. One of the main enemies in the game is a pre neanderthal caveman/monkey character. Imagine an intelligent pre caveman like enemy. This will be a very in depth enemy and will have a large impact on the way you play. These creatures will be predominantly nocturnal(as most mammals at that time were) and will attempt to steal your resources while you sleep or are away and possibly use them(weapons,armor, etc.). I don't plan on making them into crazy cannibals that attack on site but they will be a dangerous foe regardless. So traps and defenses will be that much more important. So anyway yes I plan on having more melee weapons and they will be effective against the smaller enemies.
     
  20. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    The only one of those I actually know is the Oviraptor but man that Miragaia looks nasty and really cool! I plan on having many dinosaurs as the game progresses. There are so many really cool uncommon dinosaurs most people don't know about but for now there are just the basics like T-rex, Velociraptor, Triceratops, Compy, Pterodactyl, Giant scorpion and a few basic mammals. These are all completely finished and I really should show a video soon as no one has seen the ai or animations yet. As i'm setting all of these up in game myself it is hard to add everything I want but the first $'s this game makes will go towards hiring a dedicated modeller/animator to add all of the wonderful animal life.

    On a side note regarding arrow feathers there were also all kinds of really neat pre historic birds and they will be in game as well.

    As for first person yes it is only first person right now. I am already working on a full body character rig as it will be needed for coop play later on anyway.

    And last but not least. There will be several environments in game. Currently I have nearly all of the jungle assets complete and a lot of the swamp done as well. Different biomes will have unique plant and animal life which will have their own unique item drops and resources giving the player a reason to explore the world. The main areas currently will be jungle, swamp, plains, temperate deciduous/coniferous forest and probably some sort ocean/beach type area later on.
     
  21. janpec

    janpec

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    All sounds good, will there also be underwater life?
     
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  22. zenGarden

    zenGarden

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    Why not some alternative world story like humans existed with dinosaurs ? simply ?
    Are you using Unity Pro or Free ?
    Awesome progress you made, the game looks so pro quality :)
     
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  23. Baldinoboy

    Baldinoboy

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    This is looking really amazing. Will keep an eye on it. Sorry if you already mentioned it but do you plan putting this on steam?
     
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  24. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    Thanks!

    Yes I do. I am looking to start a greenlight before December and release a pre alpha to start off. I plan on starting the price very low around $5 or so assuming that most of the initial purchases will be people who have been following and supporting the project.

    I also have someone working on a website for me right now and when it is finished I will start adding more in depth progress and feature reports on the project.
     
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2014
  25. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    I purchased a pro license once I got serious and saw some real progress.

    That is certainly a possibility with an alternative world story. The story is still up in the air for the most part. I have a few concepts I'm considering like time travel and wormholes which would allow for guns and such but they would be really rare if I go that route. I would like to add some sort of ruins/dungeons with puzzles and traps to explore containing valuable items. Possibly built by the cave puerile or other humans like you that were once tapped there.

    I will certainly add this one to the list. I'm open to all ideas and feedback!
     
  26. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    Yes there will certainly be underwater aspects. I'm not sure how far that will go but there were some cool underwater creatures back then and I plan on implementing them. I have already made many hidden areas with rarer resources, for instance caves hidden behind waterfalls. Right now the water is for looks and drinking but I already have a really basic swimming system finished I havent added to the project yet.
     
  27. Baldinoboy

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    Cool

    I think $5 might be low. If you have some gameplay it would be more than some early access stuff. I think most of us would like supporting more. You can always do frequent sales to reach more people.

    Keep up the great work. Let us know when to vote for it on greenlight.
     
  28. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    Yes I think you are right that $5 would be low. A friend and advisor of mine brought up that many on steam would judge a game based on price and think that means it is a low quality game. So I will start at $10 and go from there.

    First off I am really polishing things up and will start making more gameplay videos so that everyone can see what it's all about. If I don't feel like the game is ready even for a pre alpha I may just wait until after the holidays anyway. We will have to see how it progresses until then.
     
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  29. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    OK guys I have been promising a video for the past few days now but have been so swamped lately. I really don't like not keeping my word but I started working a part time job to keep the bills at bay so now I am working 8 hours a day coming home and working another 4-6 hours on Pangea! But I love it so I can't complain to much! Anyway I am very excited as many of the game play aspects are coming together quite smoothly for once! It is funny how game development works. I have had the majority of this inventory system done for the past week now but have been stuck on removing one little item from the inventory at the right time. One simple problem took almost as long as the whole system! But that's the nature of game development!

    Anyway enough about my personal struggles. As you can see in the video the inventory is a little rough visually but that's ok for now because functionally it is great! The hunger and thirst are tied together as the same system right now which is why they both increase as the food is eaten but that's an easy fix. The sanity is much more complicate and so ill cover that more in depth later on. Anyway I am super tired so here is the first video of all these systems working together.

     
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  30. CrypticSmoke

    CrypticSmoke

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    ...So are you going to be tasting plants and herbs to determine their properties? For like poison or medicinal use? Seems pretty interesting.
     
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  31. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    Haha I forgot to cover that when I posted the video!

    Yea that is basically past of a concept I am working on where the player will have to identify plants themselves. Tasting a plant would only give you a small amount of its status effects so that you can check if it is poisonous or not! I may just make it so you only have the option to eat the plant and if it is poisonous you will throw up and lose the food in you stomach as well as some health.

    Either way I'm planning on players having no way of knowing what plants affect you in what ways when they first start the game. Some pants are very rare and very poisonous. Useful for taking out larger enemies but we'll render their meat useless. I will have a data log in your inventory where your player will write the data for plants and a animal species found along with thier attributes. This may be erased upon death or shared between all of your separate games. I will update this depending on player feedback.
     
  32. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    Hey guys sorry no new content for the past week. I just moved for a new job and my internet isn't set up yet so I only have my phone for now.

    That said I have done a ton of work with the inventory and its really starting to look nice. Instead of doing specific set spots for each item the way it is in the video I came up with a much better way to do the 3d style inventory. You still start with the basic layout and crafting spot but each item you find its laid down in any random spot. This is great as now instead of only being able to carry one set of 10 sticks or 5 rocks for example now you could potentially have 20 piles of sticks in your inventory(the number of inventory spaces)! Larger items like the axe or bow take up two spaces. As do sticks but they stack.

    There is much more than that such as item weight and bags you can craft to increase space.

    Anyway my internet will be up soon and I'll post a video of the new features as well as a surprise I know you'll all love
     
    Last edited: Oct 30, 2014
  33. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    Hey guys still hard at work. Sorry for no updates or videos lately I've been working away from home for the past month and been spending all of my free time working on the game instead off making videos and such.

    There is now a full well working system for all persistent player status effects including exhaustion , hunger and sanity. The temporary effects such as poison and injuries is still in progress but it's coming along much faster now that I have the groundwork laid out.

    The inventory system is fully functional with attacking, crafting and some other nice features.

    Anyway I try to keep the walls of text to a minimum but I will try to get some more visual updates up for you guys soon.
     
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  34. FBTH

    FBTH

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    Don't fret haha, this game is great so far! :D

    Can't wait to see more though! :)
     
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  35. Baldinoboy

    Baldinoboy

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    As long as the game is progressing and I will be able to play it soon I am happy:).

    Sanity. That is an awesome idea. When you have high sanity could you like see quick glimpses of people walking around that of course are not really there? That would be awesome.

    Looking forward to more updates. Especially screenshots.
     
  36. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    Yes the sanity is going to be pretty fun!

    Right now it just gives some screen shaking and illusion type effects, kind of like having a concussion. I plan on adding things like dinosaurs attacking that aren't actually there and other things like that.
     
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  37. Neffy

    Neffy

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    Wow, this is actually fantastic looking so far. Hopefully you go through with it and make it the best it can be. Curious to see how it ends up.
     
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  38. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    Thanks!

    The game is actually already very playable just a little rusty! The only reason I haven't rushed into doing greenlight for a pre alpha is I see so many other games being released to early and getting a bad name for doing so.

    Currently the only thing holding me back is the number of biomes. I now have jungle, swamp and desert pretty well done. I am working on a death valley style biome that will be a difficult area but contain tar pits as a valuable resource.

    On top of that I still need a website which I am planning on hiring someone to create so I can keep my time focused on development. Once I'm done with that and add some more polish I will be applying for the greenlight. Hopefully by the end of the year but only if I feel like its ready!
     
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  39. Neffy

    Neffy

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    I think it's awesome you're not money-mooching your fanbase. I hope for the best in your ventures.:)
     
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  40. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    Hey guys just checking in again. I have another video in the works showing off the latest updates. It will be longer than my recent clips and I intend to show off some more deeper gameplay elements and some in game dinosaur action!

    On a side note I just created a post in the paid work forum to get work started on the "Caveman" NPC. I pay well for quality work so if you have some good modeling or animation skills feel free to take a look. It also shows off some concept art and a youtube video that represents a general feel what I am going for with the Cavemen enemies.
     
  41. Orisis542

    Orisis542

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    This looks veeery good for a solo indie project. Amazing work!
     
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  42. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    Thanks, I have so much more done now but I have had no time to make a video! I've been trying to get as much done as possible to have a pre alpha release by the end of the year. Right now it's still 50/50 but I will be posting some update videos soon.
     
  43. Baldinoboy

    Baldinoboy

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    Looking forward to it. Really want to test it out.
     
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  44. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    I'm throwing together a new vid for you guys right now to get some input on some of the new features. Hopefully I can get one uploaded on here tonight.
     
  45. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    Ok guys I went ahead and bought some video capture software so I can start making videos longer than 30 seconds! Sorry it has taken so long to get another video up but everytime I start making one I see a bug that I can't stand so it ends up taking days. But that's part of the game.

    Anyway I made a quick one tonight of some new features like the sleeping system, the basic inventory and crafting as well as a little bit the jungle biome. Sadly it's way past my bedtime and I have to work in the morning so I will get the video and hopefully at least one more up tomorrow night.
     
  46. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    Hey guys here is a quick video I made. Not a whole lot going on. You can see an early version of the UI system. The lungs represent player exhaustion. Current exhaustion will increase with player activity and the persistent exhaustion level keeps draining over time while the player is awake. That is is why it starts off with a little red. Stomach is obviously hunger and drains faster depending on how active the player is. The brain represents sanity and will drain faster depending on hunger and exhaustion levels. This will later be affected by other elements such as parasites that can enter the players body through raw meat or unsanitized water. Also the body parts will turn red or flash depending on player injuries.

    As far as the inventory you can see some basic crafting of the axe and that there is item stacking as well as item weight in the bottom right corner. This will all be a lot prettier later on but I didn't want to spend too much time on looks until it was all functional. In the bottom right of item UI's you can see the red numbers that represent the durability for structures and weapons and rot level for foods.

    The structure you see is just a simple hunters lodge made of boards from processed lumber and logs.

    That about sums it up. Obviously things are still looking pretty rough but I am just starting to get to the graphical side of things now and expect it to start looking better in the next few videos. I will put up another video soon of the jungle biome as well as the sleeping and structure building mechanics.

     
    Last edited: Nov 15, 2014
  47. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    Hey guys as some of you know I have contracted out some of my more complex modeling and animation work. I thought I would share the first version of the caveman model. This is pretty close to what I am going for but I requested a few modifications before we begin texturing and animating but here's a general idea of what it will look like.

    CaveMan01.jpg
     
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  48. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    And here is a concept of what were shooting for when the texturing is complete.

    neanderthal_with_spear.jpg
     
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  49. janpec

    janpec

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    Nice UI when clicked on items. Caveman looks cool, not sure if it is proper historical anatomy or conceptualized but it looks interesting.
     
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  50. Jaqal

    Jaqal

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    Actually proper historical anatomy is still somewhat up for debate but I stumbled upon this man's work on pre Neanderthal and it really caught my attention.[Link] I will keep it somewhat accurate as far as anatomy goes and such but making it enjoyable is still my number one goal. I am using realistic dinosaurs, giant bugs, plants, etc. but I am choosing my them from seperate era's to make the game more interesting and enjoyable. If you look at the dinosaurs in the Jurassic park movies they are mostly from different time periods but enjoyable when all together!