Ashen Rift: A game I made

HyPer128 · Oct 2013

Hey guys!

So, I've been workin' on a game with a few friends for the past 3 months and I'm really proud of the results sofar.

I am starting an Alpha testing group right now so I can spread the word a bit as well as start working out kinks early... Time to stop making it look pretty and start making it more entertaining.

Right now, as it stands I kinda just see it as a "proof of concept" and a starting point for me to find out where the game can go from here...

What I am most excited about is the many ways which I can really push the dynamic between the player and Bounder.

Anyway, this is all very early, and I am super self concious of obvious things like clipping guns, misplaced muzzleflashes, a lack of hit reactions and a general lack of threat from the enemies and so on... All things on my to-do-list.

Criticize away, The more problems I hear the better, suggest away, I am curious what people expect of this game when they see it!

Ashen Rift Website:
http://www.ashenrift.com/

Ashen Rift Alpha Signup page:
http://www.ashenrift.com/alphatest/

First 10 Min of gameplay Video:
[ame="

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LG19USez3AY"]Ashen Rift: HD Proof of concept Alpha Playthrough - YouTube[/ame]

DevLog:
http://www.greymattercandy.com/

Pictures:

Please forgive the sloppyness in areas of this mesh - did not want to spend more than a day on this mesh, so I rushed it, I realize it could be much better.

Prettymuch nothing in this game is complete, I have a ton of texture work left to do on everything, animations are all temp etc, but do not hesitate to let me know what you think is the weakest stuff and what needs the most attention.

Not sure if Gifs work on polycount?

A few assets here and there are from the Unity asset store, and I had some help from Kyle Bromley, who made all my light fixtures for me, cause he rocks! and Thomas Dahlberg provided some SFX and organized/recorded Nick Carillis voice for the main character like a pro.
My local friend Billy Hepper provided the OST, he wrote tons of tracks, Just have not had time to abuse them.

Oh, and I just got Ashen Rift up on Greenlight, So if you see fit, I would love some support!

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=186121049

Thanks for taking the time to read this, Looking forward to hearing from everyone.

Cheers.

Barry.

Stirls · Oct 2013

This looks really cool! My only criticism would be the arms of the character. They're a bit too veiny.

Joopson · Oct 2013

There are certain things I really like about this.
Some of the art is really really lovely, like the giant mechanical gate. That thing knocks my socks off. Some of the other art really doesn't live up, though, quality wise- the character's arms, for instance. The veins are too pronounced, and that indent just before the palm of the hand, on the wrist, just makes me cringe. Oh, the giant expanse of (cave?) floor looked super cool too.

The gameplay looked really fun at the beginning; notably, putting myself in the player's shoes, seeing that first creature below the light made me creeped out. As soon as he passes the corner and there's another, and then a few more, it takes away all mystery and creepiness for the player. I don't know if you care if the player is creeped out, but I swear, that first encounter got my imagination going like crazy, and it made me want this game to be a survival horror sort of game. Like a hybrid of Doom 3, Fallout 3, and Amnesia, or something.

Then, of course, the shotgun fires far too rapidly, but I imagine you'll fix that. That, too, took away any thought I had of dying. You can fire so fast it'd probably be tough to die.

Oh, also, the enemies have some funky anatomy, that reads more as awkward than creepy. Though he certainly is creepy, I think it's holding him back. The way I view anatomy is, if I can't imagine how the skeleton functions within the body, the design may not be working so well. He reminds me a lot of the cyberdemon from the Doom games, too, but that's not an issue, because he is certainly markedly different. And, one last thing about him, his feet would be super inconvenient in the ashy cave-like wasteland. He'd sink in to his knees, haha. Not sure most people will care about that though.

Anyway, keep up the good work. You piqued my curiousity for sure, and I'll love seeing more in the future. Good job so far, getting so much done, to all of you guys. You've gone further than most people could, no doubt! I like it.

Where are you planning on going with gameplay? Straight action, or what?

HyPer128 · Oct 2013

Stirls: I hear that a ton, I really need to re-make those arms, oh well, they were very rushed, I think some clothing could go a long way on his arms anyway.

Joopson:
That gate is a serious rush job, I dug it when I first made it but the more I look at it the less I like it.. oh well, wait till I animate it, maybe I'll like it again.. The texture was done in like... 1 hour (not including bake), the texture is entirely temporary.

yea, the gameplay flow is lacking, mostly its all temporary, Glad to know where in particular i failed at keeping the creepy vibes going.

This creature is the least messed up of what I am imagining, So maybe my design style isn't your cup o tea, hah.

Gameplay is aimed at being very slow paced, moments of action, sparse ammo, hard to have enough tools/munition to fight the next monsters etc... Uneasy at all times is what I want.

anyway, Thanks for the posts, in a bit of a rush to get outta the house right now, Thanks again.

Barry.

Frankie · Oct 2013

Looks great, especially for 3 moths solo work!

edit: whoops I just saw you said worked on with friends, oh well regardless I still think it's impressive!

Inkalicious · Oct 2013

yeah I agree with Joopson on the enemies. They look cool and creepy but I don't feel very scared by them. I like the slow and steady horror style that you're going for. Maybe make the levels darker to enhance it.

Stirls · Oct 2013

Out of curiosity, were the big, open landscapes inspired by Serious Sam at all? I could definitely feel that sorta vibe if you added a few more enemies of differing types. Especially with the floating health kits and backpacks!

Edrice · Oct 2013

I think the look and feel is great but I think you should go a more subtle path for the gameplay. The dog helping you out, and the hand thrown rockets were for me the most promising bits. IMO shooting a thousand shotgun shells to a bullet spungy slow enemy is not that great. Now a weird encounter without a weapon, throwing everything I can find at the enemy while my dog distracts him or fetches weapon, is the kind of game I would play.

wirrexx · Oct 2013

1. The dog should be helping you while you're attacking.
2. The Creature design, ok, not more. Basically it's not scary at all. With those leg muscles, i would think that they'd atleast jump at you and attack. Then get slow after that. And recharge power and do it again, while they recharge, that's when you have your opening to shoot.

Great looking atmosphere and for being 3 persons doing this. I'm giving you standing ovation!

Ashen Rift: A game I made

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