The Knocking Dead: Zombie Team

We're still here!  We had hoped to get TKD out by Halloween, but then all that stupid life stuff got in the way.   We're getting close though - most of the major cogs are in place and assets completed.   Here's our zombie crew. 

The Knocking Dead (Prototype Preview)

So here's a little preview for The Knocking Dead, the 2D "retro" zombie survival game we're working on.    Most of the basics are in and the game is playable, but it needs polish and structure.   I want to marinate this thing in brainy atmosphere.

Link direct to YouTube.

Legend of Kilflame: Progress

Believe it or not, we've got news on this front.  The "Glyph Engine" is polishing up nicely and Bryan has reworked all character animations so that they can be adjusted and installed into the engine easily.  Couple that work with a functional HUD, and some basic AI/combat that is working now, and we're very close to having something resembling a game! 

Here's a shot of the engine's editor, with Maya confidently looking out over the ocean.

The Knocking Dead - Announced!

Like this box art?  Check out Chris's portfolio. 

So as I alluded to in my last post, we've got a zombie survival game in the works. It's called The Knocking Dead and it puts players in the role of an average guy who wakes up on a normal Saturday to find out that things are not so normal. If you've ever wondered how you'd protect your house (and loved ones) from the inevitable zombie apocolypse, I believe you'll like where we're going with this one.

• Melee weapons only.  Sorry most people don't have flamethrowers. 
• Creative household solutions - build traps, repair doors, explore the house and yard to find makeshift gear.
• Multiple ways to 'complete' the game.

Here are some early screenshots (still prototyping).

You've let a fatty in. 

No weapon?  Maybe time to run...

How much of a beating can that back door take?





The Knocking Dead

So we will be releasing another game this year, maybe two with a little luck and hard work.   Bryan gave an update as to why there was a slow-down with Legend of Kilflame, but momentum is returning and we should have some progress to show soon.   John continues to tweak the engine (see prior post) while Bryan integrates it into the framework of the game.

Meanwhile, the 2D bug bit me again and without spoiling anything too major yet, we're well underway on something a bit different.   Something more present-day - something a bit more horror and a bit less magical.  Something that will put the player is a real life "what if" scenario where as the main character, your top priority is protecting your family with baseball bat (or sledgehammer?).

At this point in time, we have the engine mostly built, artwork mostly completed (although lots of animation to do yet), and we're prototyping to make sure the gameplay is as fun as it sounds on paper.

I'll leave this screenshot of a prototype design level (WIP) here for now, which reveals nothing but a nice peaceful suburban Saturday morning...(foreshadowing)

I am off to eat some home-cooked Spanish food.  I love my rice and beans. 

EDIT: Here's another shot, for kickshits.

Glyph Engine

She's very pretty.

Check Out the Poll

I had put up poll awhile back and gave it a good amount of time to marinate and gather a reasonable sample size.  It closed with 71 votes which is pretty solid - time to reflect.

So the goal was to get a feel for what people though the best XBLIG game concept was, just based on a quick description, and initial reaction. 

Avatar Turn-based RPG (16 votes):  With the popularity of Avatar games and their unique ability to boost sales (often simply based on Avatar inclusion), I actually thought this concept might have been more popular.   However, that might have to do with the demographic/type of person visiting our blog.  What's interesting is that while the poll was active a couple Avatar RPG (not turn-based, but action) games were released.   And from what I can tell, they are doing very well with sales.   That said, I actually have very little interest in developing an Avatar RPG - but conceptually I thought it had success potential.

Action RPG where you play the Shopkeeper (16 votes): I was happy to see this concept get some love because I feel like it's the most unusual of the bunch.   In my mind I envision this game as a genre mash up that involves RTS and Tower Defense elements, but where you play a modest shopkeeper dealing with obnoxious heroes, annoying critters, and thieves.  There are only a handful of games that force role-reversal and put you in charge of what is typically an NPC character, so it would be a fun concept to explore.

2D Co-op Action/Exploratory Platformer (with leveling) (39 votes): Conceptually this sounds like an auto-win because anything that can replicate the beauty and fun of a 2D Metroid and/or Castlevania game gets people fired up.    Add in co-op play, and you sort of have Contra with exploratory and leveling components.   I believe the catch is that execution is far more complex than the summary sounds.   Balancing the co-op elements and dealing with 2 players exploring various areas at the same time would get tricky.   You also have to allow a single player to play through alone, so co-op puzzles are void and you'd have to potentially scale the difficulty/RPG elements for 2 players.   Propper execution would be golden = offering the ambiance and pacing of games like Metroid and Aquaria (offering a less linear world), and letting two players enjoy that sense of exploration and conquest together.  It could be done - and I hope to attempt it some day.