The Longest Night of November
polycounter lvl 12
(To expand my chances to get some help, i copied this post in the offcial UDK forums)
Distribution: Free to download, for everyone. Maybe if it goes well, we could create some merchandising and maybe we will see some money. This is a final degree project, so it will be in the records of my university, so it can be used for increasing your portfolio.
Hello everyone, im glad to be posting this, i have the feeling that in here i will find the help i need.
Im from Spain, and i'm about to graduate in Cinema and Communication, i chose the 3d Animation course as last year branch.
Due to the lack of knowledge amongst my teachers, im mostly self-learning: Internet, Libraries, Tutorials (Free and not free...)
I have some knowledge in some tools: 3ds Max, Zbrush, Photoshop, Flash, and a log etctera that is not important now.
As a final project, and for having a good professional base, a good finishing project, and a reason for apply for a scholaship for a master degree, i chose
to make a short and simple game in UDK, short and simple, but with a good story and background.
As my teachers wouldn't be able to help me, i applied for a scholarship for a exchange somewhere else where
the 3d world wasn't a mistery. That's how i ended in Taipei, where i reside this year. The problem here: they let me work and gave me a really good computer to do it, and a lot of time, but te teachers are Maya only, and they are from animation studios (Like Pixar), so they are a little bit lost in games.
They want to see how i develop this project, and want to see something in that other world of 3d (gaming)
But no tears!I've been working on it a couple of months, i think the story is good. I obviously had to cut a lot of parts and make it more simple for being able to make, but the most important thing is i think it has a heart and its quite atypical from the usual UDK projects i see normally on the web (Survival horrors, lots of shootings, sci-fi wannabes or "My-mmo-that-is-going-to-be-the-new-wow" projects)
I also gathered all the guides, videos, tutorials, articles and stuff to cover all the jobs in the production, if i had more time, i could do it, but i don´t. And is too much work for a single person!
The longest night of November.
The project needs help of any kind. Modellers for colaborate directly with me, animator for advising (i have to create the main animations, so at first they would'nt be needed), people with knowledge in UDK Workflow, One level designer (yeah, one, there are only 4 levels (, technically, there are seven but they reuse maps of the others, or they occur in special environments that are too simple to need a level designer) )
And the most important part. a SCRIPTER/PROGRAMMER, i really need someone in this department, and im getting mad to cover that place.
The game, as i said, has a really simple mechanics and gameplay so i think that someone with experience can cover that place with relative ease. Also, most of things we need have tutorials to be more or less created.
I have some designs in a public facebook album (to get some feedback and maybe help)
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...5217979&type=3
BackStory: Since long ago, a cursed book exists, a book that chooses a poor man, and, extending his life, forces him to see how its pages are written with events that are going to occur. Forcing him to read its pages unable to help, seeing how innocent people become the so called "Heroes" in history, with no possibility of changing their fates, or destroying the book, or turn his hand agains himself...The condemned reader only can gather in his mind the stories of the Book of Heroes. Since death frees him and another reader takes his place. So is the will of the Book
The Story:
Is cold in the city of Corndale. In a world of fantasy, in an age that resists to enter the industrialization, its cloudy, its going to rain over the cold victorian cobblestone streets, and meanwhile everyone goes home from work, and kids enter their houses to have dinner and sleep warm and secure. Someone is outside, in the streets.
This is the story of Eric, a 10 years old voy that has not many friends, with nothing to do, with no studies, poor, and with no luck, that is dreaming awake everyday.
Eric's parents are poor, he lives with his younger sisters and his mother in a small attic, in a guests house owned by the old and unsociable lady, while his father is at war with another country, far away.
After meeting a more lucky than him group of kids and getting no money or help of any kind, Eric returns home downcast. In his way home, he runs into Mr.Maxwell Rudinger, they misterious man that's been only two weeks in town, but lots of rumours are told about him.
They talk a little bit, and Maxwell gives eric some money, and a bag with food that was carrying home, and tells him not to go out tonight, a storm is coming.
Rudinger looks as the boy runs away and smiles fatherly, he turns around and with his cane in hand he goes home, where he reads, where he gathers where he sees how the secret history of the faceless heroes is written, of the ones who saved us from the blackest shadows, the darkest ones, the ones who had no names and have no need of them.
The worst ones of all, the invisible ones, and the ones who lived in our heart.
Eric reaches home to tell the good news to his mother and sister, after run aside his householder, the old and grumpy Mrs. Tinkers and recibe a series of bad words and despective looks, Eric runs up the stairs until the attic, where his mother and sister are reading a book in a candle's light, while they see the night sky of Corndale, lightened by the moon and the stars, the attic is small and theres only two beds, but its welcoming, his sister, Lily (5 years old) laughs and says his name has he enters, his mother smiles at him warmly.
He gives the food and the money to his mother, who is delighted. She put one of the coins under Eric's sister pillow, just aside the tooth she lost today.
Eric helps to clean up the place, his mother goes to bed, and he stays in the window of the attic, looking at the city, hearing the laughs that comes from other houses, lightened by the electric light that they wil never have.
In the alley, he sees Junk (Trasto in Spanish) his dog friend, his only friend, a stray dog who is digging in some garbage happily, Junk is a big, friendly, vanilla-colored and hairy dog, who is always showing a huge tongue, and a huge passion for running, jumping and playing.
Eric smiles at him, he whistles and Junk barks at him happily, waging its tail.
Then something happens. Behind Junk, Eric sees a weird shadow, diffuse, with big glowing eyes, who is approaching Junk with big dark claws. Eric yells at Junk to run, but Junk doesn't understand and only barks at Eric happily, Eric runs, he grabs his wooden sword and shield (toys that he uses from time to time) and runs stairs down, ignoring the yelling and the insults of Mrs. Tinkers from her room.
Sword in hand, agains the cold night wind, Eric runs to the alley, Junk turns back and see the Shadow and Eric, he starts growling.
The shadow turns to Eric and tries to get into his nose, meanwhile his body is cold and numb. Junk jumps biting the shadow, who screeches loudly and unpleasantly and release Eric, the boy stands up disoriented, and recovering, grabs his sword.
After an intense combat, the shadow disappear in the floor, Eric is exhausted and looks to the street and sees the worst, more of that things try to get the house, in front of it, with Junk at his side, Eric fights them back making them disappear, avoiding to disturb the peace of the ones he loves.
After the fight, he tries to get into the house, Mrs. Tinkers denies him entrance and locks the door, saying that he is a punk and a little freak, and not believing what Eric tries to explain.
Eric decides to go to the poverty hostal, where Junk passes the night from time to time.
A great, dark, and monstrous horde is over Corndale, and meanwhile everybody sleeps, parties, or stays calmly at their homes, Eric and Junk will defend the city, alones. In the game we wil try to show the figure of the anonymous and tragic hero, that fights alone, lives alone, and maybe, daies alone.
During the night, Eric will clean the streets of shadows, until he sees Mr.Rudinger in the street, who tried in vain to face a particularly big shadow. (first boss)
After helping him, Mr.Rudinger will tell him that not everyone can see the shadows, the population accepts them, they are the ones who avoid us dream, think, imagine. They turn the world in a cold, puerile place, ruled by arrogancy and shallowness, where the easy road is always taken, procrastiny, economic status as the only option to live.
Rudinger talks about the book, about why he can't help him, about that he is alone and if he doesn't find the way, nobody will. But not everythig is lost. The book predicts that the great shadow will appear in the castle, and that if he goes there now, maybe he could defeat it while is weak and small.
Eric decides to fight for the people who would not fight for him, first he is going to save the other kids and the village inhabitants, and he will need to fight against the clock, to finally go to the castle and face his destiny.
At this point, the shadows decided that Eric is an annoyance that has to be eliminated. and try to stop Eric wildly.
When he reaches the castle, the highest place in town, and the only place when he can attack the shadows that is draining people's life and imagination, guards took him as a thief, and he will have to get to the top of the castle avoiding gunfire and the soldiers who simply can't see the shadows.
The final battle is in the castle roof, where the dark cloudy monster has climbed up one of the towers fighting Eric. The battle will continue until the cloud eats Eric and Junk, and they will have to battle in a dark void space against the core of the shadow.
When the battle is done, Eric returns wounded to home, limping and bleeding, he sees the destruction and mayhem left by the shadows, all the neighbors are wondering what happened, and they seem more concerned about their houses and properties, than in a wounded kid
Eric falls unconscious (¿Or dead?) in front of his house.
The game would be a narration from Mr.Rudinger, that would tell how someone small and weak gets strengths and courage and defeats evil. Only for ending for ending unbelieved, and alone. An Anonymous hero, that made the world spin one more time, and who even have enough to eat everyday
I would like to make a story about courage and faith, fed by the friendship between Junk and Eric, that night they only have each other to protect themselves.
During the game, the player will pick up pieces of a papyrus hidden in the level, if you find them all, theres an extra final scene....
I know is a long explanation, but it is because it includes, as you may suppose, the cutscenes and details in text that will be quicker to show in image. Its a rellay short game, with no more than two-three hours of duration
Mechanics: Its a 3rd person melee combat sistem, with one weapon (the wooden sword) and the shield. It will be a basic combat system, very arcade, something like Kingdom hearts, but with no complicated combos or magic, just hack n' slash, a life meter that will heal over time when the player stops to rest, a counter for the pieces of the papyrus that you will find in the 4 levels. (if you find them all in each level i was planning to show some drawings explaining the backstory of the characters, the book, but just drawings made in childish style, like the pictures of your 5 years old kid)
As you see, its a lot of detail, but i think they are easy to assemble all together, if the project looks ambitious is because i think it has a lot of basic things put together, but mixed with style
The Look: Cartoonish style, as you could see for the designs, nothing complicated, nothing AAA, nothing over the top with complex models, or effects or stuff like that.
I would like to encourage everyone who would like to participate in making this project a reality. And yeah, i received a lot of negative feedback like "it can't be done, thats impossible", so, even that im thankfull for good advising, you can keep that kind of commentaries for yourselves. Is not a complex game, it can be done, if more people joins ins
Distribution: Free to download, for everyone. Maybe if it goes well, we could create some merchandising and maybe we will see some money. This is a final degree project, so it will be in the records of my university, so it can be used for increasing your portfolio.
Hello everyone, im glad to be posting this, i have the feeling that in here i will find the help i need.
Im from Spain, and i'm about to graduate in Cinema and Communication, i chose the 3d Animation course as last year branch.
Due to the lack of knowledge amongst my teachers, im mostly self-learning: Internet, Libraries, Tutorials (Free and not free...)
I have some knowledge in some tools: 3ds Max, Zbrush, Photoshop, Flash, and a log etctera that is not important now.
As a final project, and for having a good professional base, a good finishing project, and a reason for apply for a scholaship for a master degree, i chose
to make a short and simple game in UDK, short and simple, but with a good story and background.
As my teachers wouldn't be able to help me, i applied for a scholarship for a exchange somewhere else where
the 3d world wasn't a mistery. That's how i ended in Taipei, where i reside this year. The problem here: they let me work and gave me a really good computer to do it, and a lot of time, but te teachers are Maya only, and they are from animation studios (Like Pixar), so they are a little bit lost in games.
They want to see how i develop this project, and want to see something in that other world of 3d (gaming)
But no tears!I've been working on it a couple of months, i think the story is good. I obviously had to cut a lot of parts and make it more simple for being able to make, but the most important thing is i think it has a heart and its quite atypical from the usual UDK projects i see normally on the web (Survival horrors, lots of shootings, sci-fi wannabes or "My-mmo-that-is-going-to-be-the-new-wow" projects)
I also gathered all the guides, videos, tutorials, articles and stuff to cover all the jobs in the production, if i had more time, i could do it, but i don´t. And is too much work for a single person!
The longest night of November.
The project needs help of any kind. Modellers for colaborate directly with me, animator for advising (i have to create the main animations, so at first they would'nt be needed), people with knowledge in UDK Workflow, One level designer (yeah, one, there are only 4 levels (, technically, there are seven but they reuse maps of the others, or they occur in special environments that are too simple to need a level designer) )
And the most important part. a SCRIPTER/PROGRAMMER, i really need someone in this department, and im getting mad to cover that place.
The game, as i said, has a really simple mechanics and gameplay so i think that someone with experience can cover that place with relative ease. Also, most of things we need have tutorials to be more or less created.
I have some designs in a public facebook album (to get some feedback and maybe help)
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...5217979&type=3
BackStory: Since long ago, a cursed book exists, a book that chooses a poor man, and, extending his life, forces him to see how its pages are written with events that are going to occur. Forcing him to read its pages unable to help, seeing how innocent people become the so called "Heroes" in history, with no possibility of changing their fates, or destroying the book, or turn his hand agains himself...The condemned reader only can gather in his mind the stories of the Book of Heroes. Since death frees him and another reader takes his place. So is the will of the Book
The Story:
Is cold in the city of Corndale. In a world of fantasy, in an age that resists to enter the industrialization, its cloudy, its going to rain over the cold victorian cobblestone streets, and meanwhile everyone goes home from work, and kids enter their houses to have dinner and sleep warm and secure. Someone is outside, in the streets.
This is the story of Eric, a 10 years old voy that has not many friends, with nothing to do, with no studies, poor, and with no luck, that is dreaming awake everyday.
Eric's parents are poor, he lives with his younger sisters and his mother in a small attic, in a guests house owned by the old and unsociable lady, while his father is at war with another country, far away.
After meeting a more lucky than him group of kids and getting no money or help of any kind, Eric returns home downcast. In his way home, he runs into Mr.Maxwell Rudinger, they misterious man that's been only two weeks in town, but lots of rumours are told about him.
They talk a little bit, and Maxwell gives eric some money, and a bag with food that was carrying home, and tells him not to go out tonight, a storm is coming.
Rudinger looks as the boy runs away and smiles fatherly, he turns around and with his cane in hand he goes home, where he reads, where he gathers where he sees how the secret history of the faceless heroes is written, of the ones who saved us from the blackest shadows, the darkest ones, the ones who had no names and have no need of them.
The worst ones of all, the invisible ones, and the ones who lived in our heart.
Eric reaches home to tell the good news to his mother and sister, after run aside his householder, the old and grumpy Mrs. Tinkers and recibe a series of bad words and despective looks, Eric runs up the stairs until the attic, where his mother and sister are reading a book in a candle's light, while they see the night sky of Corndale, lightened by the moon and the stars, the attic is small and theres only two beds, but its welcoming, his sister, Lily (5 years old) laughs and says his name has he enters, his mother smiles at him warmly.
He gives the food and the money to his mother, who is delighted. She put one of the coins under Eric's sister pillow, just aside the tooth she lost today.
Eric helps to clean up the place, his mother goes to bed, and he stays in the window of the attic, looking at the city, hearing the laughs that comes from other houses, lightened by the electric light that they wil never have.
In the alley, he sees Junk (Trasto in Spanish) his dog friend, his only friend, a stray dog who is digging in some garbage happily, Junk is a big, friendly, vanilla-colored and hairy dog, who is always showing a huge tongue, and a huge passion for running, jumping and playing.
Eric smiles at him, he whistles and Junk barks at him happily, waging its tail.
Then something happens. Behind Junk, Eric sees a weird shadow, diffuse, with big glowing eyes, who is approaching Junk with big dark claws. Eric yells at Junk to run, but Junk doesn't understand and only barks at Eric happily, Eric runs, he grabs his wooden sword and shield (toys that he uses from time to time) and runs stairs down, ignoring the yelling and the insults of Mrs. Tinkers from her room.
Sword in hand, agains the cold night wind, Eric runs to the alley, Junk turns back and see the Shadow and Eric, he starts growling.
The shadow turns to Eric and tries to get into his nose, meanwhile his body is cold and numb. Junk jumps biting the shadow, who screeches loudly and unpleasantly and release Eric, the boy stands up disoriented, and recovering, grabs his sword.
After an intense combat, the shadow disappear in the floor, Eric is exhausted and looks to the street and sees the worst, more of that things try to get the house, in front of it, with Junk at his side, Eric fights them back making them disappear, avoiding to disturb the peace of the ones he loves.
After the fight, he tries to get into the house, Mrs. Tinkers denies him entrance and locks the door, saying that he is a punk and a little freak, and not believing what Eric tries to explain.
Eric decides to go to the poverty hostal, where Junk passes the night from time to time.
A great, dark, and monstrous horde is over Corndale, and meanwhile everybody sleeps, parties, or stays calmly at their homes, Eric and Junk will defend the city, alones. In the game we wil try to show the figure of the anonymous and tragic hero, that fights alone, lives alone, and maybe, daies alone.
During the night, Eric will clean the streets of shadows, until he sees Mr.Rudinger in the street, who tried in vain to face a particularly big shadow. (first boss)
After helping him, Mr.Rudinger will tell him that not everyone can see the shadows, the population accepts them, they are the ones who avoid us dream, think, imagine. They turn the world in a cold, puerile place, ruled by arrogancy and shallowness, where the easy road is always taken, procrastiny, economic status as the only option to live.
Rudinger talks about the book, about why he can't help him, about that he is alone and if he doesn't find the way, nobody will. But not everythig is lost. The book predicts that the great shadow will appear in the castle, and that if he goes there now, maybe he could defeat it while is weak and small.
Eric decides to fight for the people who would not fight for him, first he is going to save the other kids and the village inhabitants, and he will need to fight against the clock, to finally go to the castle and face his destiny.
At this point, the shadows decided that Eric is an annoyance that has to be eliminated. and try to stop Eric wildly.
When he reaches the castle, the highest place in town, and the only place when he can attack the shadows that is draining people's life and imagination, guards took him as a thief, and he will have to get to the top of the castle avoiding gunfire and the soldiers who simply can't see the shadows.
The final battle is in the castle roof, where the dark cloudy monster has climbed up one of the towers fighting Eric. The battle will continue until the cloud eats Eric and Junk, and they will have to battle in a dark void space against the core of the shadow.
When the battle is done, Eric returns wounded to home, limping and bleeding, he sees the destruction and mayhem left by the shadows, all the neighbors are wondering what happened, and they seem more concerned about their houses and properties, than in a wounded kid
Eric falls unconscious (¿Or dead?) in front of his house.
The game would be a narration from Mr.Rudinger, that would tell how someone small and weak gets strengths and courage and defeats evil. Only for ending for ending unbelieved, and alone. An Anonymous hero, that made the world spin one more time, and who even have enough to eat everyday
I would like to make a story about courage and faith, fed by the friendship between Junk and Eric, that night they only have each other to protect themselves.
During the game, the player will pick up pieces of a papyrus hidden in the level, if you find them all, theres an extra final scene....
I know is a long explanation, but it is because it includes, as you may suppose, the cutscenes and details in text that will be quicker to show in image. Its a rellay short game, with no more than two-three hours of duration
Mechanics: Its a 3rd person melee combat sistem, with one weapon (the wooden sword) and the shield. It will be a basic combat system, very arcade, something like Kingdom hearts, but with no complicated combos or magic, just hack n' slash, a life meter that will heal over time when the player stops to rest, a counter for the pieces of the papyrus that you will find in the 4 levels. (if you find them all in each level i was planning to show some drawings explaining the backstory of the characters, the book, but just drawings made in childish style, like the pictures of your 5 years old kid)
As you see, its a lot of detail, but i think they are easy to assemble all together, if the project looks ambitious is because i think it has a lot of basic things put together, but mixed with style
The Look: Cartoonish style, as you could see for the designs, nothing complicated, nothing AAA, nothing over the top with complex models, or effects or stuff like that.
I would like to encourage everyone who would like to participate in making this project a reality. And yeah, i received a lot of negative feedback like "it can't be done, thats impossible", so, even that im thankfull for good advising, you can keep that kind of commentaries for yourselves. Is not a complex game, it can be done, if more people joins ins