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Posted By
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Message
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Chris Donovan
Registered
15/06/2003
Points
448
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22nd August, 2012 at 22/08/2012 07:34:30 -
I just finished adding my game, The Dead Miles, to my web page.
Please check it out at:
http://www.misterdonovan.com/deadmiles/
I've been working on this game for a year and a half. My goal was to make a realistic and challenging game. I've come about as close as I can considering my skill set.
The zombie AI is pretty simplistic, buy hey, they're zombies, so it's okay. 
There are a lot of neat things going on here. Variables like strength, endurance, flexibility, cardio, body fat and the amount of weight carried directly impact on game play. Although child's play for a pro, I'm fairly proud of my line of sight system.
This is the first forum where I'm promoting the game because I value your opinions the most. I remember the days of Silky's when Klik & Play was the thing, and this place just keeps that spirit alive.
If anyone is curious about how I made the graphics and music here is my cheat sheet:
I created bvh animations, and avatars for Second Life. I then shot the animated avatars overhead and screen captured them. I normally make my own 3D graphics with TrueSpace, but I thought I would try a different method. I'm not sure which method is better. My own 3D graphics were much crisper, but this method was faster. Well, it was initially faster. My video captures were so sloppy that I lost a lot of time editing them.
The terrain/background graphics were taken from photos and then run through several filters to fit the rest of the game. Some were seamless background samples.
The cut scene images were shot with a camera and then run through filters. All of the actors in the cut scenes were played by myself.
Sound effects were taken almost entirely from the MMF 2 library. A few were taken from free sites, and the zombie groans are all done by me.
The music was "composed" by myself with Wii Music. Music is my weakest area.
I ran this game through a closed beta test, and an open one, but my friends and family really didn't come through for me (7 out of 100 people bothered). I'm really counting on you guys for feedback. Although I am highly unlikely to change or add features at this point, I need to know how difficult it is, and if there are any bugs that I missed. Although I feel like the game is finished, this release may very well be the third stage of testing.
Thank you, and I hope that you enjoy the game.
Send me feedback on my latest game, It Never Ends.
http://www.misterdonovan.com/it-never-ends/info/
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Cecilectomy
noPE
Registered
19/03/2005
Points
305
         
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22nd August, 2012 at 22/08/2012 08:13:36 -
Let's just say, I like the banner on your website more than I enjoyed the game (I expected a side scrolling zombie survival simulator, when in reality, its basically a graphical text adventure with some tacked on 'gameplay'). It looks like a lot of effort went into it, but it just isn't really any fun imo.
n/a
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Chris Donovan
Registered
15/06/2003
Points
448
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22nd August, 2012 at 22/08/2012 18:21:56 -
Thanks for the feedback, Cecilizer. I should try to describe the game a little bit better, so that people can make an informed choice when downloading.
I was around when the first video games were made (we're talking Pong and the Atari 2600). When video games first came out, there were no game types, only ideas. With that in mind, I wasn't trying to fit the game into any mold. I just wanted to make a challenging game that had a fair bit of realism in it.
I can agree with some of your assessment. The game is definitely a hybrid, although I would say that it's more of a text-puzzle game with a non-twitchy action element. The "action" element, if that's what you're referring to, is not simply tacked on. It's tightly integrated with the text-puzzle game. That's a large part of what the game's challenge is.
I can completely agree with your opinion though. If it isn't your idea of fun, nothing will change that.
Originally Posted by The Cecilizer
Let's just say, I like the banner on your website more than I enjoyed the game (I expected a side scrolling zombie survival simulator, when in reality, its basically a graphical text adventure with some tacked on 'gameplay'). It looks like a lot of effort went into it, but it just isn't really any fun imo.
Send me feedback on my latest game, It Never Ends.
http://www.misterdonovan.com/it-never-ends/info/
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Chris Donovan
Registered
15/06/2003
Points
448
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30th August, 2012 at 30/08/2012 18:50:05 -
(The following messages were taken from another topic.)
How do you go from the "character info" to the position where you can play: move, see the player? I pressed eat, got some picture and i shot a few zombies and died. What i'm supposed to do to?
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Chris Donovan
Registered
6/15/2003
Points
340 Today at 8/30/2012 10:20:24 AM - Edit - Quote
Sorry for not answering for so long. The goal of the The Dead Miles is to travel and meet other survivors. To travel, you click the footsteps icon on the top right. The only time you see your character is when you're attacked.
I am going to add more in game hints. I'm very old school when it comes to games and although I wrote thorough instructions, I have to understand that people don't have the patience to read them anymore.
Thanks for trying it.
Send me feedback on my latest game, The Dead Miles.
http://www.misterdonovan.com/deadmiles/
hapsi
Registered
11/13/2003
Points
424 Today at 8/30/2012 2:24:34 PM - Quote
I actually read the instructions. I thought you see your character while travelling. How else are you supposed to know your location and items.
So it is more like manager game than top down zombie killing game?
Managing is a good word for it. You get points for travel, but you can't just click the button without looking at everything else. Time of day, hunger, fatigue, location and fear have to be considered before you make the decision to risk travel, or any other action. The action part of the game, which directly relates to your stats, and all of the other variables, only happens when you are attacked while trying to take an action. Even when you're attacked, killing zombies isn't the goal.
It's a strange mix, and it doesn't appeal to a lot of people. I'm definitely going to keep working on it to take care of a few glitches and alter some game play aspects to make it more appealing to a greater range of people.
Send me feedback on my latest game, It Never Ends.
http://www.misterdonovan.com/it-never-ends/info/
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hapsi
Registered
13/11/2003
Points
775
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30th August, 2012 at 30/08/2012 20:19:07 -
Ok:
I actually read the instructions (the long version). I thought you'd see your character while travelling. How else are you supposed to know your location and items.
So it is more like manager game than top down zombie killing game?
ps: i have nothing against that, i have just never seen a game type of this..?
ps2: Maybe i steal a good idea of handling human needs so well for my next (zombie apocalypse) project. 
[Signature][/Signature]
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Chris Donovan
Registered
15/06/2003
Points
448
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31st August, 2012 at 31/08/2012 08:03:37 -
The planning screen shows your current environment. You can examine your items in the Inventory screen (which is somehow broken all of a sudden!). I think the confusion, and I thank you for this, is that there is no right direction to travel in. The more you travel, the higher your score goes, and the more survivors you find. I don't think that's clear.
After I take a break, I'm going to think about ways to make the goal clearer, and to perhaps include more action.
Thanks for your feedback.
Send me feedback on my latest game, It Never Ends.
http://www.misterdonovan.com/it-never-ends/info/
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Chris Donovan
Registered
15/06/2003
Points
448
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2nd September, 2012 at 02/09/2012 20:39:23 -
Hapsi, I've decided to make the travel frame into a persistent mini-game. This means that it will require a random map setup. There will be a radius of sight which will indicate where clusters of zombies are. The game will track calories spent, fatigue and oxygen level with every step. You will score points for every new region explored. When a zombie cluster catches up to you, it will jump to the tactical combat screen.
Players will still need to go to the Planning screen when they want to change inventory, eat & sleep.
Hapsi, I'd like to thank you for your feedback. Something like this design was considered long ago, but I felt that the abstract travel screen was good enough. It was certainly easier, but it wasn't interesting enough for this generation of gamer.
The new version will also have a tutorial mode.
Send me feedback on my latest game, It Never Ends.
http://www.misterdonovan.com/it-never-ends/info/
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