[WIP] Island: Corperate teambuilding taken to the next level.

[Firewolf]

I normally don't post my projects here, since I don't think any of them are 'worth' posting a majority of the time; But the feedback from the Skulltag community is pretty weak and the Zdoom community is... non existent (albiet interesting).

Thus, I present, Island.
A complex survival mod for the Skulltag port.

Let's get the screenshots out of the way.
<-- I don't like this last one.

The Game:
Island will pitch players on a massive Island for 7 days; Featuring it's own day and night cycle, ecosystem, and perils.
The Island itself rewards exploration, enhanced furthermore by a new advanced movement system.

Half-assed story because this mod doesn't need one:
Following a somewhat traumatic plane crash, players must work together to sustain their ever tiring bodies. Not all is this simple, however. As upon nightfall, all of the mild mannered diurnal creatures vanish into hiding, leaving only the hostile Nightlife for company.

The Players
Island is a class based mod, using three classes that are built around roles and play styles found in most games. These classes are The Hunter, The Gatherer, and The Explorer.

A more detailed explanation of the classes can be found here:
http://forum.zdoom.org/viewtopic.php?p=481184#p481184

- Hunter:
The hunter plays as a sort of 'tank' for the other players, able to force monsters to attack him instead. With an increased health limit a bow unique to him, and weapons that never break, the Hunter is a prime choice for players who just want to kill everything that moves.

- Gatherer:
The Gatherer is for players who wish to take on a more supportive role. Able to carry tons of items with little penalty, and gains better benifits from items, the Gatherer isn't much of a fighter. Instead, the Gatherer may tame one of the many dogs that roam the Island for protection.

- Explorer:
The Explorer doesn't really stick with the rest of the group, instead, explorer players will spend most of their time, well, exploring! They can also draw paths on the automap for other players to help guide them. They are also a great boon for Gatherers, since many powerful medicines and items can only be reached by the explorer.

How to not die:
To keep this from being 'doom with melee weapons', the health system has been redone to a great extent. The player must not only keep their health up, but their Stamina, Hunger, and Thirst. Exhausting yourself from sprinting everywhere will inhibit your speed and keep you from jumping until you take a minute to chill. Neglecting to eat can also cripple you severely.
Let's also not forget that as a human being, you are prone to disease, and that can have all sorts of nasty effects.

If you want to know more about this, there is a fully detailed post here:
http://skulltag.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=260038#p260038



Hopefully I've explained enough for some decent feedback. Now I'll just leave the gameplay/mechanics videos here.

Basic exploration demo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcbfVLy0tAA

Early gameplay:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEAij2zETvk&feature=related

Accidental display of the skybox:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRlqaFEcw5g


And finally, the team of people working on Island:

- Coding
TheShooter7
Tribeam
Firewolf
Captain_Ventris

-Mapping
Firewolf
Tribeam (Kinda)

-Music
TheMistercat

-Models
Wad'a'Holic
TheMisterCat

-Sprites
Firewolf (Edited dogs, new standing sprites)
chopkinsca (Axe, treelimb, and treetop textures. Thanks!)

-Testers
Pretty much anyone we trust.




There we go, comments, crits, etc etc etc. It will all make this a better mod with your input.

Edit:
Piss, forgot the original threads. You're better off skipping to the last 10 pages or so.

http://skulltag.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=17734
http://forum.zdoom.org/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=21130&start=0

[ArmouredBlood]

It looks really cool, but my nvidi 8400M GS and AMD turion 64 x2 TL58 processors don't like it -.- missed the fix in the thread ... Anyway it reminds me a lot of phocas island 2, if it had multiplayer and went very in-depth as to the resources and stuff. And I don't see how much stronger feedback from any community could really be if they can't play the full game as it currently is - make use of some playtesters if it's about that time ;)

So yeah it looks really good on paper and in screens and video, but not being able to play the demo, I can't say anything objectively.

[Firewolf]

ArmouredBlood said:

So yeah it looks really good on paper and in screens and video, but not being able to play the demo, I can't say anything objectively.

once we get all the class and gameplay mechanics compelted, we intend to release the tutorial map to let players familerize themselves with the new movement code.

Shortly after, we will release a public beta that will take place in once section of the Island.
So you shouldn't have to wait TOO terribly long.

As it is, the mod is fairly playable, although there isn't a whole lot todo as of yet except go for a swim in lava and harvest basic resources.

As for the similarities to Phocas Island 2, that is where alot of the map design stems from (namely because Gzdoom is terrible at rendering large open areas), and probably because I'm using a few resources from it as well. Namely the axe.

[Patrick]

do I sense a little inspiration from Phocas Island 2?

[Chopkinsca]

Patrick said:

do I sense a little inspiration from Phocas Island 2?

Well, they are both islands.