[SCBW] Resonance -- Completed

[Laconius]

One thing I notice is that you put doodads on cliffsides where players might not potentially have vision over. I'm not sure if that's the intended case, but I have to admit, I'm a fan of doing that as well. For me, I have to molest every inch of the map or else I'll never be able to move on.

Also, I think it's quite fortunate the KLF was unable to get their hands on a crappy concussive damage C-10 rifle so that your main dude could scrounge up something better.

tl;dr: RIC FLAIR WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[Pr0nogo]

I agree with Laconius; every one of my maps in the past few months have had 700+ doodads, and most of them have been 128x128 in size. Of course, execution is the real deal, and that's what takes precedence, but I feel that a doodad presence that isn't so intimidating that a player can't walk but isn't so sparse that a player wonders if the planet is flat is a good middle ground to go by.

Another thing it depends on is the tileset at hand, though, so a hefty amount of doodads for jungle/badlands and ice tilesets is probably a good thing. I was hard-pressed to doodad in what I felt was an aesthetically-pleasing way for Rivalry's two Ashland missions because there are very few terrain options there, and only half of those have (natural) doodads.

I also have to apologise for the less-than-quality voice acting for Murray (and to a lesser extent, Storm as well). I was going to revoice those characters' lines and add in proper effects, but Jimbo posted the videos before I had a chance to. Ah well. Maybe next time.

[Church]

Sorry, Pr0, had to get those vids up today, haha.

Yeah, I try to doodad every corner of map maps, even the spots that players generally won't look. Whenever I open up a map in an editor and see a naked area it just looks so unnatural, even when the player never goes there.

And I agree about ashworld UGH.

[HelpMe]

A dev log, cool... hmm where should I start...

I'm a big fan of the IceWorld tileset so I'm probably biased when judging these maps. I do have a somewhat objective measure of evaluation, though. This may seem strange, but when looking at someone else's terrain I like to do some backwards thinking; I try to guess what the mapper's intentions were, what choices he made and what effect he desired. Repeating what I've said in another thread, I see terrain as actual dialogue between author and player. So it's fun looking at these screenshots and thinking "hmm I see... ok..." while speculating what your line of thought was like. I do this whenever I open a map in ScmDraft. It's a habit. That also means if I look at a terrain piece and I don't "get it" -- if the concepts lack definition, and it's just a generally unassuming map -- then it's a failure in my eyes. In the end what I like the most are specific themes that are executed with personality, as opposed to something thrown in with indifference and apathy.

The new portrait and custom weapon sure make Kevan look more interesting now; I don't remember wielding a shock rifle in SC before. This "freeze up" thing -- does it translate into the actual gameplay? It'd sure be useful to immobilize an Ultralisk, for instance. I can't imagine how you'd implement it, though.

I see Pr0nogo is going to redo some of the voices, so I'll wait for that before I comment on their quality.

Your music sounds like it will sink into the background while still creating a mood. I think you've found a good balance in this regard, with something that's unintrusive but palpable at the same time. I like the effects, particularly the constant "wavy" feel of the second track. Quite fitting for an ice setting.

Btw, a typo: Cheyne asks Kevan his name, who answers "Liuetenant Kevan Storm". Make it "Lieutenant" instead. While you're at it, change "arange" to "arrange" in Cheyne's line "I'll arange a team to go with you".

Do post more when possible, I want to see what Kevan's next move will be.

[Church]

Hello people.

The terrain for the second chapter is complete, and triggers have been begun. I have opted to not upload screenshots just yet! You'll have to wait until next month. I'll probably have some kind of bigger dev log by that time.

Also, it appears that I've completely missed HelpMe's response! Sorry, dude.

This may seem strange, but when looking at someone else's terrain I like to do some backwards thinking; I try to guess what the mapper's intentions were, what choices he made and what effect he desired. Repeating what I've said in another thread, I see terrain as actual dialogue between author and player. So it's fun looking at these screenshots and thinking "hmm I see... ok..." while speculating what your line of thought was like.

Yeah, I understand what you mean exactly. I tend to do the same thing. It really helps me to understand the terrain better, and I think it's helped with my terrain quality over the years.

This "freeze up" thing -- does it translate into the actual gameplay? It'd sure be useful to immobilize an Ultralisk, for instance. I can't imagine how you'd implement it, though.

Yes, it'll be a pivotal part of the gameplay, I hope. I'm going to actually replace the Maelstrom technology and edit that to suit the "freeze" purposes, and (with some help from Laconius, thanks man!) implement it as a percentage chance thing with his regular attack.

Your music sounds like it will sink into the background while still creating a mood. I think you've found a good balance in this regard, with something that's unintrusive but palpable at the same time. I like the effects, particularly the constant "wavy" feel of the second track. Quite fitting for an ice setting.

Thank you. Yeah, I was intending on having some non-obtrusive music for the background. I wanted to have it feel natural, but at the same time, set a very strong feeling for the place. I'm glad to hear that you like it!

Btw, a typo: Cheyne asks Kevan his name, who answers "Liuetenant Kevan Storm". Make it "Lieutenant" instead. While you're at it, change "arange" to "arrange" in Cheyne's line "I'll arange a team to go with you".

Thanks for that catch! It seems I'll never be without this typo problem.

Do post more when possible, I want to see what Kevan's next move will be.

Well, next month's update should hopefully be a treat for you!

Bye people!

[Church]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDnnWJhh6JU&feature=youtube_gdata
not done


edit:
also shock freeze
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZZwkxuq-8k&feature=youtube_gdata

[mark_009_vn]

Ah.....
Finally an update after 2 months...
How's the campaign going?

[Church]

Ah.....
Finally an update after 2 months...

Yes, sorry about that. Real life issues.

How's the campaign going?

Well, it's moving, just a bit slowly, haha.

[Lavarinth]

You can do it, kiddo.

[Church]

I'll try my best! c: More updates shall be soon.

[Church]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc0zhRTgY2M
For anyone interested, Pr0 and I did a voice acting session earlier today. Here's a few excerpts. It's filled with character voice attempts, re-attempts, goofiness, and solidifies the fact that in our free time we talk about Ackmed.
Cool stuff.

[Pr0nogo]

lol. My voice sounds way higher pitched than it is in real life. Wonder why.

To avoid confusion, my reference to the 'third mission' was that of Sigma Squadron, not of Resonance.

[IskatuMesk]

Your voice always sounds different than what you hear. It has to do with the frequencies due to the adjacency of your ears or some complex biology drivel like that.

[Pr0nogo]

Yeah, I suppose so.

It just sounded cooler on my end and a lot more varied, whereas when it hit the recording (because there weren't any edits to those samples, most likely), it sounded like I was voicing the same character half the time... At least, to me.

[Church]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liJCXf29pRk
Hey guys here's a song!
Expect some actual gameplay videos and/or screenshots very soon. Got some stuff prepared.

Also, Pr0, Skype usually screws up the voice quality anyway. -shrug-