June 2010
1. Prologue.
It's been more than a month since the latest news and we've got something to show. During this time we've generally been working at
expanding the features that was done in the past, and on development tools. We've paid attention to toolset for generation and modification
of the terrain. We didn't make much progress in it (still using the legacy method - creating a brushset for an elevation map, then painting
it by hand with special textures). This is how the terrain looks like in the level editor:
By the way, terrain blending shader receive a facelift, so that's how the landscape looks like in the game:
2. Game work.
We've adjusted the reatime lights editor, it has now an embedded model viewer, this should simplify the 3d-designers work so they can view
the models right in game (WYSIWYG), using the lighting technology and other engine's features, like animation, attaching secondary models to
bones/tags, special effects etc. Also light sources that shine only at night and fade at dawn have been added.
Substantial progress is achieved at the Blood Pill utility. Thanks to Andrei [Rackot] Grachev and Ben Lincoln, we managed to depack tiles
and maps format which will help to recreate BO maps with even great detalization and ease. Also several data unpacking routines has been
improved and bugfixed. The util can be found and downloaded at legacy-of-kain.ru files section.
New features of gamecode:
- "Control mind"/"Spirit Wrack" spells with ability to travel all levels. It's interesting that while we implemented it, we got the game
prologue scene (when kain is assasinated) for free, as alive kain is nothing but a unit under "control mind" spell and the spell caster
(kain vampire) is located in the crypt. Of course thats all in terms of game code, not gameplay.
- added subtitles for all videos
- footstep sounds (optional)
- "Stun", "Incapacitate", "Blood Gout", "Repel" and "Blood Shower" spells
- Postprocess shaders receive facelift via "Sharpen" and "Night desaturation" effects
- Rogue enemies
But the most progress is achieved on locations. Ziegsturhl is 60% finished and we got it functional, the rest 40% of work is about making
prop models for interior and exterior (BO has a lot of them). Ziegsturhl will have 5 houses to visit and some more citizens to feed from.
Also it will have new secrets. Heres the some WIP shots:
3. Epilogue.
There will be gameplay teaser in future, after we manage to finish most important prop models and location will play fine. We appreciate any
help at this. The last screenshot is about funny thing, a "complete legacy mode" we are adding to the game options:
January 2010
With the appearance of a tech demo, the idea of using games original sprites became solid. We started to fully incorporate this idea into the projects code. At the same time, artists and modelers started to came back with some work. Modellers are working primarily on the interior, artists are basically doing the same thing they did before. We havent completely dumped the idea of 3D models, just postponed it for later times. With the addition of sprites we solved another problem - stagnation in creating an ingame logic(without monster models we couldnt tie animation to them; it was unclear how to make A.I. battle mechanics, etc.)
Another upside is simplification of 3D models creation: having ready sprite images inside the game, 3D modelers can easily determine animation, creating it closer to the games original style. At this moment we are mastering main elements of gaming process: blood drinking, fighting, artifact and spell usage, inventory etc. Also we can answer the question of whether Blood Omnicide will be a stand alone game considering graphic recourses. It wont. You ll need original PC version of Blood Omen to run it.
So, to clarify: yes, the game would use sprites from the original game for characters instead of 3d models. BUT it is a temporary desision just not to slow down the work. When the 3d models will be done, they will replace the sprites, as it should be.
So if you are a modeller, please, contact this guys. They could really use your help.
Screenshots:
January 2010, the beginning
Most of the sprites' idea's realisation is my task, as a lead programmer. For starters I need to dig out sprite's format in Blood Omen and find a way to bring them to a state understandable by Darkplaces engine. Here I strike certain luck: firstly, I am partly familiar with sprite's format thanks to working with Blood Pill software, secondly, Darkplaces engine has sprite support, due to it is of Quake 1 engine descent. This support may be not as strong as Doom engine has, but certainly able for use. All is left to do is to finish sprite's detection and loading into Blood Pill and to write it's converter into SPR32 format for Darkplaces engine. By the end of the holidays, due to C-programming and working with HEX-editor, we have a technological demonstration of a 2D Kain in a 3D level. Also we've done some improvements to give sprites realism - a little perspective effects.
December 2009, the end
We spare you the process of thoughts and decisions of temporary deleting secondary things and options, and get straight to business. Some joker said "Everything great is simple". In our case the solution is obvious: in order to decrease modellers' workload and bring demo version's release closer, we need to use temporarily original game's models of Kain and enemies. We're using 2D pictures called sprites. It's a difficult process, because sprites' format in the original game is closed, but feasible subject to nessesary effort. Besides this option isn't entirely losing one - games like Mageslayer, Take No Prisoners used the similiar approach. Original game's sprites' usage have liberated us from a task of creating models of enemies, in order for modellers to concentrate on creating levels and models of surrounding. Armed with tis idea, the Blood Omnicide team has entered the year of 2010.
December 2009, the beginning
Project partisipants are busy passing exams at the universities or solving life problems. Progress is sluggish, we're slowly making models of surrounding, art and other small things, but that's clearly not enough to make a breakthrough: to start working at a new location or gameplay element. To fill a gap in schedule with a usefull work, we're rethinking main goals and tasks on the agenda. On the agenda are: models of enemies and Kain; planned innovations (shield, gameplay alterations etc.); optimal way of landscape creation, prefferably in 3D-modelling software. The project faces a lack of pesonnel in models creation. To increase speed we need to think of something.
Upd. 23/09/09
A digest of a last 10 days:
-Tombstone models have been done, textured and added to the map (10+ pieces);
-Fence columns and securing have been done and textured (it required its altogether replacement);
-Works with the grass "seeding" editor - so called Decorator- have been started;
-Some developments with research of Blood Omen tiles/sprites formats in Blood Pill have been made;
-Planar (projection) shadowing mode have been added. They are minimal 20% quicker then classical stencil shadowing (mode 5), unidirectional (as true shadows from sunlight) and can dynamically change their casting angle;
-Raindrops from trees during the rain have been added;
-New armour damage measurements are progressing.
Upd. 20/09/09
The Cemetery in lighting-only mode. All models and textures of tombstones on the cemetery have been completed.
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Upd. 31/08/09
Some preliminary results: the project has advanced, but it's progress in the last couple of months is hardly connected to visuals (hence there are few screenshots). The work done is mainly connected to technical research, which forestall the creation of anything inside the game. Sometimes it goes as far as having a direct argument with coworkers and yourself. But you can't escape it. The tasks completed during the last mouth:
-The saves between the levels system got to shape;
-Installer strategy (Original game resource adapted to work with the engine) had been though through and tested. Installer fundamentals were written (including Blood Pill);
-The sky system had been finished (waiting for clouds textures);
-A serious work had been undertaken concerning rendering optimization of open spaces (look tech. forum tread);
-Technical research had been done on creating other game systems (dialogue, triggers);
-Base damage indicators of different weapons in original game had been measured. It's needed for building the right game balance;
-And a great number of other things.
As a whole, the project is developing in cycles: graphic phase -> system phase -> testing phase -> graphic phase again and so on and so forth. It's sometimes good to change area of immediate activity (even for modelers and designers) to preserve the creative mood. The graphic stage is coming pretty soon. New beta release is coming closer and closer, but there's a lot of work to do. It's worth mentioning, that the further the project is being developed, the more it depends on qualified texture artists and 3D modelers.
Upd 26/08/09
Project is developing in several directions. Today's news is devoted to pill.big unpack. Blood Omnicide will need original Blood Omen installed (maybe even installed on top of original game). It will use original resourses from the game, like grafics and sounds. For this purpouse we created our own utility.
Blood Pill is a Command-line application and it's intended to work with Blood Omen files. It is able to unpack files from pill.big, as well as pack them back. A specific program feature is transparent coversion of inner Blood Omen files into readable and redactable formats (tim->tga, vag->wav, etc.), reverse conversion is also supported when packing pill.big. The programm is distributed under the licence of GNU GPL. You can read the detailed information and download Blood Pill in special tread on tech. forum.
Upd 01/08/09
Some News:
The Project continues to develop, but slowdown occured in the progress. From the point of project leader - Vortex - it's caused by the reason that he, as a programmer, trod on an "unknown territory" - coding of a Weather Engine. There are a lot of ideas, which we want to carry out: predictable rain cycle; it's binding to different types of cloudness; interactive weather elements (raindrops from roofs, puddles); movement of celestial bodies in the sky; placing of special models on the firmament (the dome of Dark Eden, panoramic pictures needed for Avernus dungeons and Malec's Bastion).
There's some progress with models, although help of new people is always appreciated.
A lot of events is happening on an "unseen front" - engine went through modernisation for a better speed and launch convinience. The team is reaching a new level of cordination between all participants. A couple of creative persons joined the development, including Gamer XXL and Fera.
Here's a WiP screenshot of a female prisoner. Keep in mind, that the fetters aren't done yet, so she's not standing close to the wall.
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The project is being done from scratch with the use of Darkplaces engine.
Blood Omnicide consists of 1 level - Kain's Mausoleum, redone in 3D, while bearing maximum resemblance to the original. Some objects (Undertaker, Kain's model, his coffin) are not yet done due to the lack of time and energy. The Project is still new.
This version is not playable in a normal sense, it allows to fly across the Mausoleum, push buttons and collect items.
System requirements:
GeForce 2/ ATI Radeon 8500 Videocard
128 MB RAM
30 MB HDD space
Controls:
Arrows: movement
1-9: Low-High graphics
F: turn on/off FPS
F5: Camera Distance switch
F8: Options menu
F9: Video options menu
F10: First person view
F11: Gamma
F12: Screenshot
~: Console
Everything else is described in readme file
Available for Download:
Blood Omnicide alfa (~ 17 Mb)
Level Editor (11 Mb, install to game folder)
Some work-in-progress screenshots - interface and couple of models:
Screenshots of location:
Some Video - Alpha version Demo
The full-time game mechanics and area around Kain's Mausoleum is planned for the next release.
Attention! The progect requires aid of Moddelers/texture artists as well as artists. On the question of beer-filling the project director with the aim of enhancing creativity - contact him personally.
Date of the next release is currently "When it's done"; watch the development of the project on "Blood Omnicide"
Developers contacts:
icq: 296270879,
vortex_rikers@mail.ru,
paul.vortex@gmail.com,
IRC - irc.anynet.org channel #darkmaster,
http://darkmaster.quakedev.com,
"Tech" forum
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