Hey dudes!
It's about that time again, i guess?
If these updates seem all over the place I apologize, I might be on some sort of spectrum.
First off:
Ideas and Suggestions
Keeping in mind my terrible track record and complete lack of professionalism, what sort of stuff would you guys like to see in PAGAN?
I'm not fully sure what type of content the game will have, but I'm thinking of going places that CARNAL didn't. As a matter of fact, I'm thinking of adding things in the game that other boomer shooters don't have.
Thinking of leaning into the horror aspect of the story, and while it will still be silly at it's core, the game will probably be pretty violent and dark. What sort of themes and content would you guys like to see in the game, or better yet, not see? Basically how far do you want me to go, or not go :D
Blood & Gore Systems
In the CARNAL 2 prototypes I had a much simpler gore system, where you could only destroy three parts of characters, being the head, upper body and lower body. It's been improved quite a bit, and you can now blow off their individual arms and legs too. It's not quite Soldier of Fortune levels of dismemberment, but closer to another game that also coincidentally inspired the controls for the game.
This is a basic example of how characters are set up. Left is the different parts, right is the solid gib pieces. In-game there are a ton of extra particles and smaller basic meshes that go along with these larger gibs.
"Systems" is probably too big a word to describe on and off switches.
In PAGAN you can blow off limbs and eventually gib enemies. The plan is to have every AI on the active map be destructable, friend and foe, human or not. Only mission giving NPC's are spared from this horror :)
On a related note, PAGAN's general control scheme has been modeled after 2005's The Punisher by Volition. The gore system has pretty much been lifted from that game as well.
If you've never played it, you absolutely should. It's WAY better than anything I'll ever make.
I played that game religiously during my high school years :D
New Locations
I've added two mostly finished areas to the outskirts of the town, and managed to add border areas that function as backgrounds to tie them all together, at least that's the intention. Also added more detail and foliage where it looked too barren. Will admit that there are a crap ton of assets that still need to be made.
Making an entire small town seemed like a good idea at first. Guess it's starting to become clear just how much work that requires haha.
Below is a YouTube video that mostly shows the blood and gore stuff, with the additional locations.
Watch on YouTube
Anyways here are screenshots of the new areas:
Hammond Gas Station
Crystal Falls Dinosaur Park
If you're from the USA, you might recognize where I got the inspirations from.
Interactables and Content Stuff
Was thinking of having the player collect money to use on vending machines and such. Like checking cash registers or picking up money found in buildings.
Consumable items will give the player health, armour and replenish bullet time faster, kind of like how in the Build engine games you had a small inventory that you could fill with the stuff you collect during levels.
So far the idea is that you can get health by using medkits, eating food and drinking soda.
You can get armour by drinking alcohol and replenish bullet time faster by smoking cigarettes.
Bit of a hare-brained concept but it I think it'll fit with the overall theme.
Soda Vending Machine
Cigatette Vending Machine
Cash Register
There are probably going to be various versions of these around the map that look different.
Guns
Right now there are only four guns in-game, but more are coming. The dual pistols, shotgun, tommy gun and an AR-15. If that last one seems strange, it's because it kinda is lol.
I was researching period accurate guns and lo and behold, the ArmaLite AR-15 came out somewhere around '58 or '59, offically making it a 1950's gun. The US army later rebranded it as the M16 and scaled it down to use 5.56mm rounds in stead of 7.62mm. Long story short it's going back in the game.
This is the "heavy" machine gun for PAGAN. Certain enemies will use this against you as well.
More weapons are on the way, and though this game is not striving for accuaracy, it will make sense for the time period.
Conclusion
How are things with you guys? How's the new year been treating you so far?
You guys need to remember to make time for yourselves, especially with everything that's always going on these days.
As cheesy as it sounds, always be true to yourself.
Honest to the point of transparency.
Until next time friends o7
Watch on YouTube