indie game under development

[thiem]

Hello,

this thread could appear as self-promotion, but I'd really like to share my current game project with you, fellows.
I've ever been a great fan of Mad Max (my very first VHS:°)
2 years ago, I started to learn a user friendly game engine "Unity 3D" and made my way through it, progressively bringing up a Mad Max-like gameplay.
This is a work in progress, and I currently have youtube screencasts only. The vids could be smoother, but screen recorder is not framerate friendly :°(
The prototype runs fast, don't worry.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk4jL- ... tWcaoxy7Zg

I feel comfident with the current achievements, so I intend now to gather a team and hopefully release a beta online game one day...
It could be "just" an action driving game, but I would like to push it further and add some "social" and economical values in the gameplay, where you would be able manage ressources (energy, goods, ammos) and to cooperate with a community or keep wandering solely.
I would be pleased to get your feedback and ideas on my project.

Achieved:
- a big open environment (20*20km), featuring a small city, a harbor, an antique fortress, old mine, farms, mountains and dry landscape, day/night cycle...
- 16 "recycled" vehicles: cars, motorbike, truck rig, loader (front, rear or all-drive). They are close to daily cars. This is intended for future in-game customization.
- physic based vehicle behavior, damage and deformation,
- weapons: machine gun and RPG so far (will add oil slick, molotovs and more soon)
- different kind of gameplays: race, battle arena, transportation missions...
- a versatile IA for NPCs...

To do:
- more vehicles, assets and breakable stuff
- ability to customize, reinforce vehicles
- defining different communities: urban, farmers, hippies, looters... for instance
- designing / rigging human characters
- and so many things to bring the game online!

Can't find a way to integrate a youtube player here so just pics as to be more explicit.

in game views

motorhackz_views.jpg (204.88 KiB) Viewed 6216 times

3ds Max renders of vehicles (8 out of16)

motorhackz_vehicles.jpg (161.04 KiB) Viewed 6216 times

[lord humungus]

hey,

First off I'd like to say not to worry too much about the framerate when recording. most gamers worth their salt know that recording games on a decent pc rig will drop the frame rate in recordings so that's more then understandable.

I've watched all your videos (and even threw you a sub for good measure) and she looks pretty nice so far. I've been making models for rockstars GTA series engine for fuck 10 years now. I also have many game concepts I've written over the years and tucked away while I focus on modeling so I'm no slouch when it comes to gaming. I've been a mad max fan since I was 5 years old,and a gamer for even longer then that. so I have some solid foundations in both.

this game so far reminds me a little of carmageddon and a little bit of twisted metal and I mean those in good ways. I am not sure what you are looking for in terms of feed back at this point. I would love to see HUD improvements and I am not entirely sure where you going with this game as the deserts look nicely desolate but that harbor scene looks very much alive and vibrant so it kinda clashes and contrasts if the idea is for a possible post apocolypse. beyond that I'll tell you a game to look up would be called "The Crew" for ps4. I bring it up because it's a game where you can swap out car parts to say turn a muscle car into a offroad ralley sport car and the way it changes the body of the cars looks really caught my attention. if you are looking for a way of how to think about a customization idea then I'd study what "The Crew" is doing. also the game mentioned is an online game where you can recruit people for your crew or go at it alone so it has social element to is as well.

my only other thing off the top of my head would be see at least one australian car in the mix. I love these types of games but are dissapointed that ausstralian muscle cars constantly get the shaft for games of this type. beyond that I'll wait to see what more you might want from this community as I'll be happy to give you the advice I can to the best of my ability.

[thiem]

Hello Lord Humungus,

I must say that I feel honored and also frightened to talk to the Ayatollah of the Wasteland ;°)
Thanks for your generous comment.

As all what submitted is a prototype, focusing on physics, behavior, IA, missions quick prototyping (and yes: there's no HUD yet, just basic text infos)...
Many aspects of the project will surely evolve, depending on interaction with amateurs and their feedback.

The pitch I have in mind derivates from Mad Max dystopia, but updated to today's threats:
- most of the population now lives in big cities, since nation-states collapsed. Inland territories - except obvious strategical spots - and inhabitants are abandoned to their fate, due to environmental crisis and the fact that one can no longer live far from reliable (and enslaving) networks...
- remaining local communities struggle to survive or strive to design utopian micro societies, amongst other survivalists and all kind of villains...

So you point out my indecision - between our actual world and a post-apocalyptic environment, same kind of shift as in Mad Max I vs. II-III.
I would call it a pre-apocalyptic situation (also leaving room for later add-on of a more futuristic/apocalyptic genre:°) where players actions would impact the game.
That's why I would be pleased to get Mad Max community feed-back on several gameplay options:
- I wonder if people would like a gameplay where you would have choice between acting as a roadkiller or joining different "tribes". What I have in mind for an online game: free guests users - provided with oil and ammos - could be a threat or a 'godsend" for registered users and the tribe may belong to. And registered users could raise their power to take leadership on a tribe.
- So far the prototype offers vehicles, weapons... I'd like to add tools, communication devices, energy production means (pumping jack, windmill, power generator, but also fields for bio fuel...) that players would use in their hide-out or in their community settlement.
- Should we manage energy consumption and other ressources? If so, we would offer a more strategical approach then, where hanging around with a muscle car or with a low-tech biodiesel engine can make a difference, depending on the current mission...
As said before my project can start as a basic action driving game, but would people be interested in a more ambitious gameplay?

I didn't mention that I am also deeply interested in open source and DIY stuff, so that one could take over a pick-up, add a crane onto it, start moving things around or building up something: a hide-out or a trap...
I'm not part of a studio but totally inependant and I'm thinking of taking advantage of open communities such as Unity3d, modders, etc.
In the same manner, the ultimate dream I have about my project: to let players bring their mods and propose scenarios...
So up to you: Commodore UTE or Falcon GT?

[lord humungus]

"So you point out my indecision - between our actual world and a post-apocalyptic environment, same kind of shift as in Mad Max I vs. II-III.
I would call it a pre-apocalyptic situation (also leaving room for later add-on of a more futuristic/apocalyptic genre:°)"

there was a japanese "2000" series of ps2 games that were budget titles. the first game was a basic driving game nothing big. but the second game was a post apocolypse and it even ripped off mad max while making changes to the car designs. I did a write up on this forums section since I seem to be one of the few gamers on this forum who does any kind of review of things that might please mad max gamers. infact I'll be doing my own write up on the mad max game coming for ps3 and ps4 as soon as they are released. anyways I've never really seen a game do the progression into the apocolypse so you already have my interest there.

"where players actions would impact the game."

like a morality system? this is something I've dreamed of in a mad max like game and sure you have the fall outs and the infamous games but no ones really done it well or in a vehicluar game before. so this catches my attention as well I think that's a cool idea.

"That's why I would be pleased to get Mad Max community feed-back on several gameplay options:
- I wonder if people would like a gameplay where you would have choice between acting as a roadkiller or joining different "tribes". What I have in mind for an online game: free guests users - provided with oil and ammos - could be a threat or a 'godsend" for registered users and the tribe may belong to. And registered users could raise their power to take leadership on a tribe."

I'm game, no pun intended I'll answer your questions. him a loner or part of a tribe. I like that aspect cause someone people will want to play in groups and others obviously want to be that lone gunman. as to the last part I think that could add a decent element to the game with the free guest thing. cause then there is a strategy element like some kind of roman battle where one side or the other could fall on the blade of one new unexpected person joining the field.


"- So far the prototype offers vehicles, weapons... I'd like to add tools, communication devices, energy production means (pumping jack, windmill, power generator, but also fields for bio fuel...) that players would use in their hide-out or in their community settlement."

there was this lee Majors movie where fuel had run out and so they banned car racing and orderd that all racing cars be destoryed. can't remember the name. but the point was lee kept his car under his house and assembled it to get to free california. but to do so he had a specail pump he could use to drain the oil out of the bottom of gas station tanks the kind of oil that's so far down there the regualr gas pumps don't seem reach it. maybe this could be a tool and or mechanic used by special units in the game or maybe it's perk you could unlock or maybe it's a one time use tool for a specail mission where you raid the last of the gas from a no mans land kind of town where the pumps still have a little juice left in them if you have the right tool. that way players would have to work together to protect the pumper and the oil that's being pumped out. lest it be belown up or worse stolen from your dead bodies.

that's just one idea I'd have using other apocolyptic movies. I think recources and rescource management would be a nice edition since mad max II was all about precious little oil that was left.

"- Should we manage energy consumption and other ressources? If so, we would offer a more strategical approach then, where hanging around with a muscle car or with a low-tech biodiesel engine can make a difference, depending on the current mission...
As said before my project can start as a basic action driving game, but would people be interested in a more ambitious gameplay?"

I wouldn't mind either really. one game to look up gameplay of is called "Interstate '76" it had cars and vans and car mounted guns. and you basicly drove around and fought other bad guys in suped up cars but this was an alternate reality of 1976. I thought it was kinda cool for the day if but a bit primative. as for more ambitious gameplay. that's a gamble. I mean I have game treatments written up that incorproate many elements. I think stragety would bring in more then just gear heads which might expand your audience. just a throught sorry if it's not useful.

"I didn't mention that I am also deeply interested in open source and DIY stuff, so that one could take over a pick-up, add a crane onto it, start moving things around or building up something: a hide-out or a trap... "

I really like that idea. one thing I love is creative games. sadly most creative car games are very snobbish to mad max. so if I wanted to make an armored death machine well the game won't let me do that. but if I can mod the car with ingame parts and such then that would be head and shoulders above other projects of this type (save for the made max game coming soon)

"I'm not part of a studio but totally inependant and I'm thinking of taking advantage of open communities such as Unity3d, modders, etc.
In the same manner, the ultimate dream I have about my project: to let players bring their mods and propose scenarios...
So up to you: Commodore UTE or Falcon GT?
thiem"


I'm not a major commodore fan. as for the falcon GT which year we talking about? I mean I guess I'd take the falcon cause any gt is a nice gt in the falcon series. so thanks for the choice on that. that's my pick.

I'm willing to provide as much feedback as the game progresses and I think so long as you keep working at this project and continue to tweak it I am sure you can find someone to help with the game who knows unity3d and so on. plus vehicles and strategy reminds me of the board game "ThunderRoad" which had a mad max vibe to it but you have 3 different vehicle types and you have make choices on the game play and on what actions to take. and I know from research that there is a cult following of that board game. hell I recently bought a new copy myself. so I think you have a good direction to go in so far keep going with it. in the meantime I'll be trolling the forums since I'm still working on my gta mods as we speak.

[thiem]

Hello,

Nice addition to the thread, you provide me with many references that I should dig in...
Except "Interstate '76"... This is one of my early references. I've been playing it a lot, even if the level design of those times was really poor... I had great fun with it.
"ThunderRoad" : never played it, but I can remember when I was 11-12y old dreaming about it. Not the kind of game that my parents would have offered to me (so I was rather customizing-wrecking-weathering my toy cars !°)

Very happy with this conversation, pointing out many caracteristics I could summerize:
- "progression into the apocolypse": thinking about destroyable items (bridges, etc) that would change the gameplay, thinking about a tsunami that would wipe out the harbour at a certain point (scenario for a runaway race), and last of my thinking: possible add-on to jump 10-20years in the future, when things would have deeply changed...
- "morality system?" Say strategy and also playing options corresponding to the kind of player you are...
- ressources and DIY construction: here is a nice collection of open-source machines: http://opensourceecology.org/gvcs/gvcs- ... rettyPhoto. Also suggesting that an apocalytptic situation is not only about shortage and scarcity., but also "breaking the rule" inventions and new ways of living... (regarding to the "tribes", this would be more likely the "techno hippies" approach, when punks bandits or walled up urbans would have other strategies)
- "mod the car with ingame parts": starting with daily vehicles, turned into unexpected "death machines" llater on...
- ...

I wish I could do all this right now... really excited also by getting positive feedback.
This discussion is usefull to me. I hope that other fans will add their voice too.
But the big thing for me now is to get to grips with a working online demo. Then we could talk about it "hands on"...
This is still beyond my skills, so I'm seeking for a Unity3d dev as to find the proper direction, but I might also learn by myself if I can't find someone or if it's unaffordable...

Also interested in your mods. Seen the MMII models you posted in the GTA mods section. Do you have any other online gallery?

[lord humungus]

thank you for the interest My most up to date gallery can be found here: http://s164.photobucket.com/user/AARON1 ... el%20Works it has some of my side project in it as well so it's not just the mad max works over the years.

[lord humungus]

hey man I am usually blocked from this site due to circumstances I'd rather not talk about. anyways if you still are interested in my works or further talks then e-mail me at [email protected] that way we can stay in touch.

[aussie muscle]

Man, i'm building race track levels for games and that's months of work. i can't imagine trying to do a whole game on my own.