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 Feral Umbra

J

Jeff the Gamer

Guest
What kind of combat will Feral Umbra have? and will the levels be like mini-metroidvanias?
 

DesArts

Member
What kind of combat will Feral Umbra have? and will the levels be like mini-metroidvanias?
Each 'stage' will play slightly differently, some more compact and mazelike, some more linear, and some a mix between the two like this one. I'm not sure I'd call it a metroidvania however.

The combat will involve weapons (optionally), and it will change depending on what you're attacking. Some simple combo stuff for mele. Can't really give away more than that at the moment, it's still subject to change.
 
J

Jeff the Gamer

Guest
Each 'stage' will play slightly differently, some more compact and mazelike, some more linear, and some a mix between the two like this one. I'm not sure I'd call it a metroidvania however.

The combat will involve weapons (optionally), and it will change depending on what you're attacking. Some simple combo stuff for mele. Can't really give away more than that at the moment, it's still subject to change.
I read on your site that it has six stages, will it be longer than the SOTB games? I was disappointed that the reboot was of short length.
 

DesArts

Member
I read on your site that it has six stages, will it be longer than the SOTB games? I was disappointed that the reboot was of short length.
If you know the size of the entire main SOTB 2 map, then it's much much larger than that for each stage. I cant be too specific, and I know that map size doesn't always mean a longer game.
 
D

DyingSilence

Guest
What to say - the art may turn out to be even Owlboy good, which is ridiculously over the top good, and i love it! Not much gameplay yet, so no opinion on that.
 

DesArts

Member
It's been quite a journey art-wise. I cannot wait to show the gameplay ~ I'm being careful not to really show any gameplay elements while it's all still subject to change. I hope to show you gameplay which lives up to the graphics!

Meanwhile, if anyone happens to be crawling the thread, what are you expecting or hoping for in terms of gameplay? May as well dip my toe out there and see if I'm setting the bar high enough.
 
D

DyingSilence

Guest
Well, it may be anything really. The art style fits to the brawler, stealth game, even puzzle platformer. As i imagine, you want to add combat to the game, i won't say "do it like A but with B", because it would be excellent if you have a fresh idea for the gameplay.
What i would try to do here would either a Dark Soulsy aproach with few attacks for every weapon and a dodge option OR i wouldn't put any weapons at all and made it so that there are like 3-6 attack inputs, and every attack state would open new possible follow-ups on the other keys. The mastery of the game would be about knowing viable combos and tailoring them on the fly as the situation changes.
 

DesArts

Member
Well, it may be anything really. The art style fits to the brawler, stealth game, even puzzle platformer. As i imagine, you want to add combat to the game, i won't say "do it like A but with B", because it would be excellent if you have a fresh idea for the gameplay.
What i would try to do here would either a Dark Soulsy aproach with few attacks for every weapon and a dodge option OR i wouldn't put any weapons at all and made it so that there are like 3-6 attack inputs, and every attack state would open new possible follow-ups on the other keys. The mastery of the game would be about knowing viable combos and tailoring them on the fly as the situation changes.
Great reply! I can say there will indeed be combos, and those combos are different for each weapon. You can also chose to block or dodge an attack.
Keep in mind that some enemies will not fight back (you could say they aren't intelligent life) so for this reason you won't always need to pull off complex combo moves. But it will be there for those who want to use it, and it will be very useful against those who attack and peruse you.

Some areas may be more open plan, some areas are very claustrophobic and maze like, and some are very linear. Even within single areas the design fluctuates. Puzzles will be a big theme in most areas however some will focus more on story or combat, and most excitingly for me personally - platforming. You sure won't be stuck doing the same type of thing for long.

All 'evil' demons or creatures in this world contain a 'power' which is illustrated by bright yellow light. The protagonist has this power within him too. As you go through the areas and destroy enemies, you can gain more of this power for yourself, and it may just change some things about how you play.

Ironically, your aim is to obliterate the power which writhes within you, which birthed you - and also birthed every other evil creature in the land.
 
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D

DyingSilence

Guest
Great reply! I can say there will indeed be combos, and those combos are different for each weapon. You can also chose to block or dodge an attack.
Keep in mind that some enemies will not fight back (you could say they aren't intelligent life) so for this reason you won't always need to pull off complex combo moves. But it will be there for those who want to use it, and it will be very useful against those who attack and peruse you.

Some areas may be more open plan, some areas are very claustrophobic and maze like, and some are very linear. Even within single areas the design fluctuates. Puzzles will be a big theme in most areas however some will focus more on story or combat, and most excitingly for me personally - platforming. You sure won't be stuck doing the same type of thing for long.

All 'evil' demons or creatures in this world contain a 'power' which is illustrated by bright yellow light. The protagonist has this power within him too. As you go through the areas and destroy enemies, you can gain more of this power for yourself, and it may just change some things about how you play.

Ironically, your aim is to obliterate the power which writhes within you, which birthed you - and also birthed every other evil creature in the land.
Well, that's a huge reveal of information. Sounds really good! Can't wait to see it in motion!
 

ReidDC

Member
My friend this is awesome! Does this game have any "Cough" " Shadow of the beast" influence? When I saw the background my heart jumped. And then the bouncing eyes!! Cannot wait too see where this goes. :)
 

ReidDC

Member
It does! However I think I have it to a point that it looks very different. The mood is supposed to be simmilar.
Agreed, Still a very good game too take influence from, even if its slight. Either way its an amazing looking, what you got here.
 
H

HA2ARD_R380RN

Guest
TL:DR
Looks amazing.
There is no indication of why it should not be fun.
There is no "must" in the order of what you complete or work on in the game, as long as it suits your time-schedule and you see it getting results.
The basics in terms of gameplay mechanics seem to be in tact, and based on that it looks great.


Now for the long version.

Looks simply brilliant!
I love it. The style reminds me of Shadow of the Beast, no? Which I loved and would simply adore a new and modern take in that kind of world. Looks definitely a million times better than SOTB too, which is good.

Yes, graphics and gameplay are not mutually exclusive. I agree :)

I don't want to sound negative and I respect all who try to make games and all, but some things need to be said since some comments imo are not nice (that its eye candy and they can't imagine it to be fun).
Its a little shameful imo (for those who do this sort of thing anyway) to assume that a game would not play well because it has "eye candy" or it looks good. And I have noticed (from outside this forum, I haven't spent enough time in here yet to know if this is the case for this forum as well) this notion is a result of some developers out there being jealous about other peoples work.

Better games means more attention to said similar genres so for those that might see it competitively (not saying anyone here was, again talking from general experience and sharing my thoughts on things that could be the result of such comments in the long run and in time), better products give devs a margin to work towards, ideas to take from, results to aspire to, and competition in the end becomes collaboration more than we know it.

Lastly, from my experience, eye candy is as important as gameplay. Take any game that has a low quality version and a high quality version, and 9 out of 10 times people will prefer, and enjoy, the high quality one more. And since this is also pixel art, it is still within a set realm of boundaries and limitations created by pixel art. There is no "soon" or "late" on any part of the production to a game. That is completely up to the developers to decide the order and pace of how they will be executed.

I for example completely disagree with getting the AI out of the way first alone, since from my experience all the AI and what not is closely tied with animations and what not. Aside from that, you should know early on if your vision looks the way you WANT it to look or imagined it, and you need to sort that out asap and before the more complex coding part which can be added after you get the first visual feel for the game and you know if you are on the right path.

The key word in all of that was "I", which means this is simply my preference and hence there is absolutely nothing wrong with someone going all coding first, someone going all graphics, someone mixing and matching, or what have you. I am a "mix and match" sort of a guy myself. Its all subjective.

So having that all said, I won't comment on your direction of what you decide to work on first, last, second, what have you, neither try to lecture you on what is the right development process (unless I was a successful game designer for Bethesda or something and you asked for development directions, which I am not) and I will simply comment on what I see.

From what I see, it looks brilliant, and I can't think of any reason why it wont be fun to play. I will have to see more to say "yes, the game is a lot of fun"... but for what you have shown I can again, comment an opinion and my opinion is very positive.

I love it.
 
H

HA2ARD_R380RN

Guest
Just noticed someone commented on the Shadow of the Beast feel. lol. My loader wasn't working and I couldn't see any comments past the first page >.<

Which kinda renders some of my previous comment mute.

But anyway, my opinion still stands. Looks brilliant! :)
 
M

MunchytheFox

Guest
Such an incredible aesthetic you got going! Shadow of the Beast was pretty much eye-candy with kinda odd gameplay but I still loved the experience so I don't think you need to focus on making the gameplay crazy complex with lots of weapons, items, variables etc like Castlevania Symphony of the Night or whatever. As long as the gameplay isn't a complete spam-fest like Shadow of the Beast where enemies just swarmed you from every corner giving you little chance to react and instead is a more chill affair, I would most definitely buy Umbra haha. #umbrahype

Although it sounds like you still have a while to go before you can confidently release a demo? That's all good, take your time, it looks plenty intriguing so far :)
 

DesArts

Member
Thanks for the support!

There'll be a couple weapons, and you'll need to collect some items, but it wont be overly complex with large inventories. And no, no spamfests here! Definite challenge though ;)

About a demo - It's taking far longer than anticipated to develop this game graphically. I originally promised a demo back when it was a beast fangame still with minimal graphics. Things have changed since then... If I do get a demo out I'll need to ensure it reflects the final product enough. Otherwise all it can do is turn people off.

New statue preview! (here, rocks are in-progress mockups and grass art is old)
 

DesArts

Member
"That night is newly recalled. The night screaming was heard through a settlement on the outskirts of Retuilun. The heinous events that follow the memory would shake the core of any creature truly living. You know that you have lost everything. You have lost even yourself. You do not exist, yet here you are. You feel a malevolent power surging through you. Through the ground beneath you. Through everything hideous, and dark.

You know only one more thing.

It will not for another night."
 
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0

0.Bytes

Guest
Although it is a short sample, the art looks pretty good, the animation also looks good, even though I think you can add some more frames, I could not actually get a feel of what the game is about, but overall it is a great work, congrats =p
 
T

The Sentient

Guest
@Desix You looking at doing a HD version of the ingame graphics too? I'd love to see how that would look.

Edit - just saw the parenthesis. Bummer..
 
S

Stretchcb3

Guest
I just found this thread, and skimmed it. A few comments. The artwork looks great. I looked at the trailer on the first page and I was immediately sucked in. You look like you're doing a great job. Can't wait to play a demo.
 

DesArts

Member
Of course I did! 24 frames. It's my job to pixel art pretty much and I certainly enjoy it on my own project. I do everything hand drawn when it comes to pixel art. However, it could probably be even smoother so I may dive back into some of those in-betweens another time.
 
There is a thing as too smooth haha. I think it looks great as it is!.
Man, I have been following this since it first popped up on the forums and I'm amazed at the progress you have made.
 

pixeltroid

Member
very nice work, OP. Dark and atmospheric too.

I also love the logo you've made for your game. Are you, by any chance, an extreme metal fan? Asking because your games logo makes me think of a death metal band. haha.
 
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DesArts

Member
There is a thing as too smooth haha. I think it looks great as it is!.
Man, I have been following this since it first popped up on the forums and I'm amazed at the progress you have made.
Thanks! And wont be adding any more frames if that's what you mean ;)

very nice work, OP. Dark and atmospheric too.

I also love the logo you've made for your game. Are you, by any chance, an extreme metal fan? Asking because your games logo makes me think of a death metal band. haha.
That wasn't the inspiration, however I definitely see why you think that. I'm not sure exactly what inspired it actually...
 
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