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Dread - A top down, action / horror roguelike - Free Alpha

Started by berickcook Mar 7, 2012 at 11:58 PM 5 replies 2.6k views

Original Post

Mar 7, 2012 at 11:58 PM

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Dread is a top-down action / horror game where you can only see what your character sees. This creates an intense atmosphere, as the player is always guessing what is waiting for them around the next corner.

The game is currently in free Alpha stage, as I am a terrible artist and I'm using placeholders that I scrounged from free resources or put together myself. The engine itself is quite far along in development, and a lot of fun to play even with enemy sprites modified from RPG Maker 95.

I'm actually most proud of the included level editor, as the possibilities are nearly endless with it. The powerful trigger system it has allows the entire gameplay style to change from Doom (which is what the included level is modeled after), to Alien Swarm, to Resident Evil depending on the designer's preference.

I created the Alpha Trailer above to help recruit artists, and it is working wonders so far. I have several talented artists interested in helping out, so the next few builds should start seeing significantly improved graphics.

I'm looking for feedback, as this is a somewhat experimental game, so it can be hard to tell what needs tweaking.

Click here to download the latest build (v1.3.5a)

Check out the Dread Dev Blog for cool videos, and custom levels.

Screenshot from v1.3.5a

Ruggostein

Mar 8, 2012 at 5:54 PM

Looks promising, now I want to see how it will look without placeholder graphics

Any tips how you implemented that field of view effect/shadows?

berickcook

Mar 8, 2012 at 7:43 PM

Me too! I've got some talented artists working on that. So hopefully it won't be too long.

The FOV effect is essentially created by drawing black polygon "shadows" out from each wall that overlap everything except other walls. The player also emits a large shadow in the shape of the outside edges of the FOV and the full area behind the player.

The walls themselves are hidden my a black mask that is erased as soon as the player's FOV hits it. That is done by casting a series of "rays" outward from the player's position. The first wall that the ray hits erases its mask (if it hasn't already).

berickcook

Mar 18, 2012 at 10:13 AM

Version 1.3.4a is now available.

I've added several features that were suggested by various players, and I've redone the included level (it now has a different ending)

mogumbo

Mar 21, 2012 at 3:31 AM

Nice movie. I'd like to see more of a flashlight or torch effect with limited range. Maybe a little flickering would add some atmosphere. Maybe you could get a power-up that would increase the range of your light.

berickcook

Mar 22, 2012 at 11:35 PM

Thanks! The FOV cone is not a flashlight per se, but more a limitation that forces you to only be able to see what the character would be able to see. I do intend to add some dynamic lighting to the game as well, so that there can be flashlight sequences, flickering lights, etc...

An idea came up elsewhere to have depoyable "security cameras" that would allow areas to remain visible even if you cannot directly see them. I'm working on a way to integrate that into the existing system.

berickcook

Mar 31, 2012 at 11:46 PM

v1.3.5a is now available!

Changes:

New gradient FOV "Shadow" which is much nicer on the eyes.
New enemy by Sidney Durant that replaces the green placeholders.
Due to "Sticky Keys" issues, the controls have been switched to E for use and Space for fire.

I've also released a new level called "The Loading Dock" that picks up where the demo level leaves off.

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