Adventure Game Studio | Forums

AGS Games => AGS Games in Production => Topic started by: SilverSpook on Sun 05/10/2014 23:09:30

Title: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 05/10/2014 23:09:30
[embed=1020,630]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQAMJgs5euA[/embed]

Get Neofeud here:

(http://i.imgur.com/am698ac.png) (https://silverspook.itch.io/neofeud)

If you have any issues with figuring out how to buy the game, or with playing the game, please let me know.  If you're interested in buying the game directly from me or with cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin, please contact me and we'll sort out a deal ;)

Synopsis

2033 - We create AI. Sentient robots arrive, but not as our Terminator overlords or our Singularity saviors -- conscious machines are humanity's unwanted bastard children. A few are geniuses who design flying cars, beat cancer, invent teleportation, but millions of defective prototypes roll out of factories -- mentally challenged, motivationally-challenged, criminally-inclined. Legally conscious, but unhirable, these "Defectives" are shuffled through public housing and welfare assistance, straining the already overburdened back of the meager social safety net. The robots who don't end up in prison are dumped, as a last resort, into a massive landfill known as "The Pile".

Humans engage in perfection of their species -- or at least the powerful and well-connected -- genetically engineering children with human and animal DNA. The failed eugenics experiment "Frankenpeople" are discarded into "The Pile" as well. The new dynasties, 'Neofeudal Lords', live in towering neon glass castles, shuttle around in pristine nanotech-enabled pods, minds and bodies full of cyberware, spending most of their time taking selfies and "optimizing their monetization schemes". A race of supermen concerned only with their own status, their prestige, their success. Where machines have become all too flawed and human, people have become flawless, perfect, cold machines.

Karl Carbon is an ex-cop, dishonorably discharged from Coastlandia PD for disobeying an order to shoot an unarmed sentient humanoid. Karl is exiled to "The Pile" as a lowly social worker. There he counsels gangbanging foster-kid robots and confiscates chimera-children from deadbeat half-wolf parents. Till one day a case goes horribly sideways and Karl is drawn into a sordid conspiracy that could threaten the strained fabric of Human-Robot-Hybrid civilization -- or save it.

FEATURE TIME
- Tricky yet satisfying, point-n-click detective work, interspersed with action shootouts.
- Handpainted, uber-gritty, noir futureland. Makes Mad Max and Rick Deckard crap their pants.  1366x768 resolution for MASSIVE, fully realized backgrounds.
- Endless bombardment of witty one-liners from a veteran hardboiled cyberpunk writer.
- An original world and story that will (hopefully) make you question some of your core beliefs. Or at least my sanity.

Silver Spook Games (http://silverspookgames.com)

Patreon Site (http://patreon.com/neofeud)

Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/silverspookgames/)

Twitter (https://twitter.com/SilvrSpookGames)

Itch.io Store (https://silverspook.itch.io/neofeud)

[embed=1020,630]http://youtu.be/wVxUMWqIGIg[/embed]

(http://i.imgur.com/Mg4Favl.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/QRoFWGM.jpg)

(http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/ArcadeFront2.png)

(http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll81/twiliteminotaur/PalaceScreen1.jpg~original)


(http://media.indiedb.com/cache/images/games/1/36/35501/thumb_620x2000/Drake3Back.jpg)


(http://i.imgur.com/K1XNmJo.jpg)

(http://blob:http://imgur.com/770a3a33-d423-48b1-8a6c-69f2807d9e38)

Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Darth Mandarb on Mon 06/10/2014 00:01:50
A tremendous amount of detail and very intriguing.

However... There is still only one in game screen shot!  Please add one more (as required by the rules) because I would really hate to have to lock this! !
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Gurok on Mon 06/10/2014 00:10:47
Wow! What an excellent concept! I saw some of your art in the C&C threads, but you were obviously saving the best for this thread. I look forward to playing the finished game!

P.S. Clovis Stanniston I reminds me of Jason Bateman.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 06/10/2014 02:07:05
Quote from: Darth Mandarb on Mon 06/10/2014 00:01:50
A tremendous amount of detail and very intriguing.

However... There is still only one in game screen shot!  Please add one more (as required by the rules) because I would really hate to have to lock this! !

Thank you kindly, sir!  Apologies- the second image is now an in-game screenshot.

Quote from: Gurok on Mon 06/10/2014 00:10:47
Wow! What an excellent concept! I saw some of your art in the C&C threads, but you were obviously saving the best for this thread. I look forward to playing the finished game!

P.S. Clovis Stanniston I reminds me of Jason Bateman.

You are too kind!  And I look forward to finishing this game, however eventually. 

And a very keen eagle eye you have!  The character of Clovis is in fact modeled on an armature of Jason Bateman's "Michael Bluth" character from Arrested Development.  A mostly genuinely good, pants-wearing headpiece of a family dynasty, holding together the whimsical and immature little princes and drama 'queens'.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Stupot on Mon 06/10/2014 02:32:35
Interesting stuff indeed. All the best bringing this to the table :-)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Darth Mandarb on Mon 06/10/2014 09:29:04
Quote from: SilverSpook on Mon 06/10/2014 02:07:05thank you kindly, sir!  Apologies- the second image is now an in-game screenshot.
Thank you kindly. However... You still have only one "in game" screen shot (menu screens do not count as one of the two required screen shots).  You need to add one more, thanks!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Tue 07/10/2014 12:46:11
Ok, second screenshot added at the end of initial post.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 12/10/2014 22:13:49
(http://media.indiedb.com/cache/images/games/1/36/35501/thumb_620x2000/StannistonSisWIP.jpg)

Another creamy slice of portraiture. Antoinette is a billionaire's daughter and beauty school dropout eagerly waiting for her chiseled prince to arrive and court her away. Until then, she engages in random and needless shoplifting at designer stores, iPad-filming herself in public, and binge-watching reality TV.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Mon 13/10/2014 20:51:32
This is just lovely!
Love the way you did the hair.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Wed 15/10/2014 03:51:41
Thank you very much!  It was created in Art Rage with a Wacom Intuos after several experimental attempts at getting curly-ish hair.  THis one involved three or four layers of progressively narrower and lighter brush strokes.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Tue 21/10/2014 06:50:20
(http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/Suite2.1.jpg)

The Elysian suites of the Coch-Jobbs Stratoplex are an island of 21st century moneyed comfort amongst the sordid chaos of the 11th. With .50-cal-proof Saphira-glass windows, signature Steinway grand and security detail handpicked from the President's secret service, the discerning trillionaire can luxuriate and rest, assured.

(Work In Progress)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Atavismus on Tue 21/10/2014 09:27:00
Unusual, intriguing, very interesting... ("added" on indiedb)
Good luck!
Btw, I already love Antoinette: she remembers me one of the "Filles du Feu" (Nerval).
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 11/04/2015 10:59:58
Apologies for failing to post here for several months.  Production took a long work/child rearing-related hiatus, but now:  Progress, progress, capital-p Progress on all fronts!

Silver Spook Games now has its own Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/silverspookgames?ref=aymt_homepage_panel)! Welcome to the post-noughties, or the "teenies", or whatnot! Please Like! us, we need friends! Our therapists said so! :)

Apart from several cyberpunk-tastic new grimescapes, character designs, assorted gadgetophile gizmos (like Zippo-lighter flamethrowers and Nintendo Powerglove-style cyborg arms), we've added an illustrious mind-frakkingly talented new team member to the fight against the Illuminati game development.

Please welcome, Kiel Bryant (https://www.linkedin.com/pub/kiel-bryant/21/183/832)! Our new, "resident pencilist", AKA concept designer. An award winning illustrator, designer, and writer who has worked with such august names as Dark Horse comics and the Aliens franchise. We're going full-fangirl here; it's like a birthday, Christmas, and a Neil Blomkamp premiere, all rolled into one!

(http://media.indiedb.com/cache/images/games/1/36/35501/thumb_620x2000/KarbonArm_Metro_Triple.jpg)
(http://www.indiedb.com/games/neofeud/images/finding-mr-neofeud)
(http://media.indiedb.com/cache/images/games/1/36/35501/thumb_620x2000/Masthead_Neofeud_3_16.jpg)

(http://media.indiedb.com/cache/images/games/1/36/35501/thumb_620x2000/Landfill_Housing.png)
Here we have Coastlandia Public Housing. Used to be mixed-income, mixed-species, gentrified real estate. Now it's a mixed-travesty. The Laissez Faire Market did its thing, Section 8 overflowed, now we have Section 9. A Third-World-quality ghetto for the millions of half-animal genespliced deadbeats and the battery-acid junkie robots who qualify for foodstamps and welfare. Welcome to Paradise.

(http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/Neofeud_Visualization_3_6_15.jpg)

CONTEST: Name all of the sci-fi / cyberpunk pop-cultural references in this pic and win a free shout out in the next news post + insider access to some of the latest top-secret Neofeud material! Just post in the comments

The smattering of the junked flying cars and decommissioned DoD mechs will serve as a major motif in Neofeud. A metaphor for the inevitable "luster-loss", the hype fading of the new hot tech, the "bohemia", becoming yesterday's canned PR presentation, and then appropriated as a pretense to Gentrify, and to Develop.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Fitz on Sat 11/04/2015 20:50:51
Looking good, I like the color schemes and the art direction.

And that's a Delorean, isn't it? That was the first thing that struck me about the image, even before I got to the part about this being a little pop-culture quiz.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 13/04/2015 01:12:40
Bingo, Fitz!  Nice catch.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Darth Mandarb on Mon 13/04/2015 14:01:27
Is that the mysterious "red matter" from Star Trek (2009)?
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 13/04/2015 20:49:14
Good call!  Even I didn't recognize it until the artist explained the concept post-facto.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Wed 15/04/2015 21:42:21
Neofeud character sneak peekz!

(http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll81/twiliteminotaur/Connar%20Johnson_1.png)

Proto-J "Ninja" Connor.   Father was an A-list Hypetech scientist with a God-Complex, feckless disregard for Turing Police regulations, and fatherhood issues.   Conceived of a million lines of LISP, a bleeding-edge neuronet and graphene sheets "Prototype J" was possibly the first fully-sentient AI, born in a top-secret, polarized-window laboratory.  His "dad", a pasty ubernerd, spent more time sticking him with electrodes, running him through IQ tests, and playing Minecraft, than actually parenting. 

He was later confiscated by Hypetech, his creator indicted with "intellectual property embezzlement", then put through a thousand hyperscans and stress-tests, taken apart byte from carbon-fiber from actuator, like a piece of billion-dollar Lego.  The corporation then discarded Prototype-J into Coastlandia's Section 8 housing when they could no longer squeeze any more R&D out of him, and the Robot Rights activists came knocking. 

Shuffled through the foster-bot system, in and out of Toaster gangs, he later shortened it to "Proto-J", which he signed on ATM machines and police droids after bricking them, and also served as his MC-name during his brief, failed career as a robo-rap artist.

Having perp-walked the kid through Coastlandia PD in electrostatic cuffs multiple times, protragonist-cop Karl Carbon attributes many of his grey hairs to the boy droid, having developed simultaneous annoyance and paternal responsibility for Proto-J.  He taps the boy as an ear to the alter-human street, and later takes him on as a reluctant Robin to his Batman, when The Conspiratorial Plot starts going sideways. 

POLICE RECORD:
-3 counts petty theft
-1 count assaulting a human officer
-5 counts assaulting a mechanical humanoid officer
-1 count welfare fraud
-3 counts aggravated assault
-2 counts indecent disposal of sulfuric battery acid in a public space
-22 counts defacing public property

(Portrait is WIP!)

(http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll81/twiliteminotaur/ProtoJ-Metrofied_2.png)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Thu 16/04/2015 11:20:22
Cool concept ;-D would definitely love to see the final version.
Kinda reminds me of Farscape's Chiana too.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Fri 17/04/2015 08:31:50
A Song of ICEbreakers and Firewalls (Neofeud Recap, E01S01)

Citizens of Coastlandia (http://www.indiedb.com/games/neofeud/images/coastlandia-public-housing1#imagebox), Silverspook Games bannermen...  I hate to be the three-eyed raven bearer of terrible news, but... My trusty indie-dev steed, my Windows 7 Dell Lattitude e5510 and possibly-maybe work laptop just went utter AWOL.  All the King's safemodes and all the King's BIOS settings, can't put Humpty together again... 

Presently trying with my Flashdrived Win 7 image to salvage whatever silos of PNG, javascript, and binary data, unspoilt by the contagion of bad sectors in my mortally wounded workstation...  But prognosis remains uncertain.  The maggots of poorly rolled-out Windows Update installs continue to fester, tearing registry setting from kernel, like crows feasting upon flesh of a corpse.

(http://highlighthollywood.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/got-cersei-tywin-funeral.png)

(Artists' rendering of Silver Spook's black-death-afflicted laptop.)

I have, however, at Wired and Larry Page's behest, "migrated to Cloud Country", to some extent.   I've ventured "Beyond The Wall(ed Garden)" of my PC.  I have a Google Drive backup zip from a week ago of the Neofeud edifice, including game logic, level matrices, spritework etc.  I also have most of the art offlined in a Thumb-vault, canted between my Bitcoin Wallet prepper-egg and my scanned W2 tax forms for the past decade.  I keep my Van Goghs, Hirsts, and K. Bryants (our virtuoso concept artist), all those invaluable pocket-retirement funds sealed up tight against the data looters and bit-rot zombies.

(https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5542/9920624365_a86aef57bc_b.jpg)

"Backup your brainchildren, gird your System Restore images, for 'format c:' Winter is Coming!!!"

Neofeud hath suffered a blow, not unlike the Wildlings with the death of ***** ******* in S01E01 of Game of Thrones that my wife and I just finished watching as a cheer-me-up.  A most hit-point-decimating magic missile-to-the-laptop.

(http://media.indiedb.com/cache/images/games/1/36/35501/thumb_620x2000/KarlOffice.png)

  (Artist's rendering of me after 8 straight Rockstar-powered hours of Dell driver-questing, hacking away at SATA configs, and generally being my own geek squad.  Also an in-game screenshot of Neofeud (http://www.indiedb.com/games/neofeud/images/karloffice).)

But Silverspook Games' Library of Alexandria survives!  the Arthurian Quest For the point-n-click holy grail, the epitome of Retro-Adventure Game Perfection continues on!  Neofeudalism prevails! 

(http://media.indiedb.com/cache/images/games/1/36/35501/thumb_620x2000/Neofeud_Masthead_SNES.png)

(Artist's rendering of Neofeud Masthead (Seriously).  Manifested as a Commodore-64 arcade box, played by young John Connor in Terminator 2 circa 1988)

Now I return to my regularly scheduled Westeros heroin-withdrawal, until next Sunday (or next io9 or Gawker reviewer with questionable conscience auctions leaked episodes 5-8 to the highest Pirate Proxy bidder.)

(http://images.pushsquare.com/news/2013/11/rumour_leaked_lore_suggests_telltale_is_working_on_game_of_thrones_title/large.jpg)

(Screencap of Neofeud prevailing through the fire and flames of computer FUBAR.)  Three parallel versions of Win 7, valiant slaying of Win Update, and resurrection of a WD hard drive later, and I've since completely restored the laptop.  Thus we continue our ascent to the annals of adventure gaming glory.


P.S.: Fun fact!  Neofeud was in fact originally inspired by spin-off roleplays of the Game of Thrones world that Mrs. Spook and I nursed our addictions on, between episodes of GoT.  The concept was "Feudal real politiks in a cyberpunk setting".  Things have evolved, but the core concept remains.

(http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/Title660.jpg)

(Original Neofeud box art) (http://www.indiedb.com/games/neofeud)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Tue 28/04/2015 10:50:16
(http://media.indiedb.com/cache/images/games/1/36/35501/thumb_620x2000/MurdochBeach_V2.png)

New pics!  "Murdoch Beach", a 2030 vacation destination.  Don't forget your lei in this postcard paradise!  "I found my thrill at the Gernsbeck Grill."

Also, welcome to alphadalekben (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?action=profile;u=15029), the newest member of the Neofeud team!  Ben is the leader of 58 (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=50788.0), another AGS game currently on hiatus.  He's since joined forces with us and is working on Neofeud's brand-spanking-new cyberarm-mounted PDA interface.

Title: Re: Neofeud (New feature announced!)
Post by: alphadalekben on Tue 28/04/2015 16:18:58
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 04/05/2015 21:37:09
Here's some extra teaser material for you fine neofeudal lords and ladies.  After countless transforminating of cinematic robot cliches and biomechanical upcycling parts from the junkyard half a mile down the street from DARPA, I give you Neofeud Protagonist The Second, Proto-J 2.0.

(http://media.indiedb.com/cache/images/games/1/36/35501/thumb_620x2000/Proto-J_V3.png)

Six Billion Dollar Baller

(Proto-J ft. DJ Re-Zet)

(Cue 80's MTV music video reminiscent of Public Enemy's "Fight The Power" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PaoLy7PHwk))

Uh.  Bot-boy fo' life, yo.
Proto-J steppin' up like steppin razor.
Haterz get off ma blue chromeplate shoes. 
DJ Re-Zet drop that mutha fuckin' h-bomb

(Beat Drops)

Proto-J be straight wreckin' Coastaz po-po
Crashin' fuzz drones like Zero-Cool in da no-fly zone
Vanilla Ice cold killa, thrill you in da landfilla
Terminate you face off like a Nick Cage ninja

Born a Hypetech lab, 6-billion dollar balla
Silver sparkplug in my mouth, lab rat of ma father
"Prototype for da future" but a cage for Proto-J
Raged against da machine, bots on muthafuckin' parade

Shockwave took me apart like Johnny 5, disassemble
Scraped lith from the street, jacked new arm bling from Wal Mart androz.
Rolled wit da Kromeboyz and da Frankenfreakz too
Human haters gonna hate, spit on my mothafuckin shoes

But I be risin' to da top, blowin up overseas
Now da whiteshoe meatbags all gunnin for a piece of me
Fuck you!  I online, takin over like Skynet
Nuke you phonies from orbit, time for a hard reset!

(Snare rush, dub-step blaze)

DJ Re-Zet rockin yo sox, Proto-J rockin da robo-Rebox.

Bot-boy, out.

(http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll81/twiliteminotaur/Proto-J%20shoes.png)

Reebok "Futurestepz", custom modded with durithium spring soles, snap straight into Proto-J's Achilles' swivel-joint.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: donkeymilk on Fri 08/05/2015 21:59:55
This looks like it's gonna be a good one.
The pics look fantastic.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: MufasaRKG on Mon 11/05/2015 00:42:19
Hand painted or just custom design paintings
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 11/05/2015 02:35:49
The Neofeud images are painted in Photoshop for the most part using a Wacom Intuos tablet.  Not actual physical paint-on-canvas, if that's what you mean!  Thanks for your interest!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 18/05/2015 08:38:51
Neofeud progress is supercharging faster than Tesla Powerwall sales! We've taken Elon Musk, Mars colonizer / world saving alt-energy guru extroardinaire's advice. "You have to put in 80-100 hour weeks. You have to get done in 6 months what the competition accomplishes in a year." Because that is the approximate time-horizon of Neofeud: 6 months. (off-the-record! We're not vaporware but don't hold us to that release date!)

(http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/output_vbHe1U.gif)
"If you want a cyberprosthetics job done right you've got to it yourself!"

That's right, we're talking sustainable DIY cybrogery here. Upcycling Nintendo gamepads and picosatellite dishes into interactive minigames to do Lucas Arts proud.

We're giving you the quality brain-juice puzzles, taste-the-rust gritty cautionary dystopia, and copious (though hopefully not annoying!) pop/mid/high-brow cultural references from Terminator to Brazyl to please your inner 12-year-old SNES-nerd, your inner 20-year-old cybergoth Philosophy major, and your outer 32-year-old IT administrator with ADHD toddlers and overbearing middle-management bosses!

(http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/TentacleBotV2.png)

An unemployed disaster-response robot waits in line for welfare, battery-stamps, and Section 8.

Trying to make the robot's tentacles appear as though they consist of a piezoelectric polymer (or some sort of artificial muscle failing that). He's supposed to be kind of an all-terrain post-earthquake rescue machine, fully automated and sentient.

And yes, he is allusive to the Matrix intentionally :)

(http://media.indiedb.com/cache/images/games/1/36/35501/thumb_620x2000/MurdochBeach_V2.png)
Speaking of Elon Musk and space tourism, here we have Murdoch Beach. The arcologized resort in the background is one of the many exotic neofeudal arcologies accessible by orbital hypersonic jet in Neofeud.

In less figurative news: we have about 10-20 minutes of fleshed out gameplay at the moment and hope to recruit some testers to try out a short playable demo of Neofeud.  Stay tuned and drop us a line if you'd be interested in helping out with focus-grouping and feedbacking on Neofeud!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: selmiak on Mon 18/05/2015 11:17:57
okay, that SNES controller cyberprosthetics  did it for me, I'm intrigued and would like to help you with playtesting.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Frikker on Mon 18/05/2015 23:22:20
I too would be interested in playtesting If you still need help :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Thu 21/05/2015 08:28:12
Thanks for the interest and kind words Frikker and selmiak!  I'll let you know when we're ready for the broader playtesting phase.

Here's another (brain) teaser for you Philosopher Kings and Queens.  I feel this image kind of encapsulates the "Big Picture" themes of Neofeud fairly well.  What makes us human?  What life forms should be considered to have human-like rights and priveleges?  What will AI be like when it literally "Hit's the streets", as in, walks down the street and gets hooked on meth and Angry Birds?  Is it justifiable to throw some under the bus in the name of accelerated progress?  What do we as a society do with our "defective" -- mentally unsound, lazy, criminally inclined -- people?  Should we do anything?

(http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/SentientServicesWIP2.png)

IMPORTANT INFORMATION WHEN APPLYING FOR PUBLIC ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS:

If you require an interpreter, prehensile prosthetic, or mind-body interface to complete this application, please message 491.183.4.1 or visit the nearest Sentient Services office.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

In order to be eligible for support, the applicant will be required to pass a Gortzel-Takeda consciousness test (*Note - individuals scoring below a 4.1 may be classified as "sub-human" and may have their citizenship revoked, and all property confiscated by the City-State.) The consciousness requirement is waived for human applicants.

The applicant will also be required to produce proof of citizenship with photo ID in addition to:

HUMANS: DNA fingerprinting registration

HYBRID SPECIES (CHIMERAS): Mitochondrial genome triangulation

SENTIENT MACHINES: Idiosyngraph ID (90% + Match under electroencephalograph)

The Coastland City DSS welcomes upstanding conscious organisms of all species and chemical compositions. If you believe you have experienced human exceptionalism, anthopomorphization, and/or substrate chauvinism, please file an official written grievance form 1024J with the Office of Interspecies Affairs.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 01/06/2015 10:30:20
(http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/SentientServicesOutside.png)

Sentient Services Exterior.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 07/06/2015 08:06:23
(http://media.indiedb.com/cache/images/games/1/36/35501/thumb_620x2000/DMV_Nazi.1.png)

I call her "The DMV Nazi Lady".  An office worker at Sentient Services.

"I'm sorry ma'am. Regulations are regulations. You need a consciousness quotient of 4.1 and above to qualify as a fually conscious and sentient entity."

"This isn't fair! These humans don't have to take a stupid test! What have they got that I don't!"

"Humans are sentient persons by default, ma'am. They have personhood by heredity."

"What makes you so goddamn special, just cause you got the right double-helix of DNA!? This is that, what's I called… Anthrocentrism! Anthrocentrist bullshit!"

"Security! Please escort this non-sentient Humanoid to the exit immediately!"

Exo-suited guards show up, grab the woman robot by her arms, take her baby and kick her out of the building.

"(exhasperated sigh) And to think we used to waste our human resources on these pathetic glorified Roombas and genetic-engineering failures.  My promotion to the Coastlandia Central Office can't come soon enough."
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Thu 18/06/2015 10:32:14
[embed=720,405]http://youtu.be/qNJknszN1V0[/embed]


Driving animation!  Now with 100% more parallax and shifty-eyed freeway driving.  Now I just need to figure out how to get Karbon to launch his Toyota Solaris into a helicopter.

Also added some character to the Coastlandia Road Warrior.

This will be for the "Map Travel" montage, when Karl fast-travels from inner-city to landfill, or landfill to Capitol, etc. etc..

Dubsteppy background track courtesy of yours truly (super shoestring budget here!)  More soundtrack over here: https://silverspook.bandcamp.com/
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AlphaCodeOverride on Tue 23/06/2015 12:04:01
Lookin' great SilverSpook :D Sorry that I've been a bit AWOL on this site as well. Last time i logged in was when i was asking questions about scripting code for the FIRST version of the game. Before unity and regression back to AGS. I'm looking forward to testing the demo. :D

P.S. I will be updating this account name from my old ModDB and IndieDB account name Dentonoid to my current one right after this post.

Take care,
--AlphaCodeOverride
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Thu 25/06/2015 05:52:50
Thanks for the continued support, however out of commission you temporarily were, AlphaCodeOverride. :)

Progress continues!  I am right now working on getting my head around the dialog system and adding voice acting to cutscenes, all that jazz.  I'm testing out my own voice and will probably start looking for voice actors soon.

A little teaser for you guys :) 

(http://i.imgur.com/pvp1AFg.jpg)

Yes, in 2030, even social justice warriors have been made obsolete by AI.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Ibispi on Thu 25/06/2015 11:53:28
This looks really good, SilverSpook. I'm looking forward to it.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Fri 26/06/2015 10:28:01
Thanks, Ibispi!  Hopefully it will live up to its looks, hehe.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Tue 07/07/2015 14:33:18
[embed=800,450]http://youtu.be/asTKrXLHbTU[/embed]

The future is feudal!

And unnecessarily overbearing!

Progress is progressing well!  Of late I've been learning all the various ropes of AGS and trying not to tie myself into Gordian knots with them.  Namely, trying to get 1366x768 hi-res scenes with umpteen moving parts to work properly.  The above promo serves as a small badge, a proof of concept for the style I'm aiming for. 

Due to the increased detail and micromanagement, I may have to push back the timeline slightly.  I was aiming for an October release, however I also don't want to rush this and skimp too much on the details, the grime under the fingernails, the battery acid leaking from the corners of mouths.  That's the strong suit of going higher-res, anyway, right?  Why not add little sparks of quantum foam to that time machine?

I'm also looking into voice actors as time allows, my network provides, and 2015 W2 federal tax return affords.  If any pro voice gurus are feeling generous (freemium generous), drop me a line!  I can promise you honorable mentions, discounted airbnb if you're ever in Hawaii, and some of the most challenging characters you'll ever attempt at portraying*. 

(*Challenging due to my grammatical deficiencies and CNCD (Chronic Neologism Coining Disorder -- but don't worry, I'll provide a pronunciation key).
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 01/08/2015 10:29:03
My recently published science fiction short story in Mythaxis Magazine. Set in the world of Neofeud (http://www.indiedb.com/games/neofeud)  CAUTION: Contains strong language, graphic scenes, and random acts of senseless robot violence.

Proto-J (http://mythaxis.co.uk/5issuev16.htm)

(http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/protoj_medium.png)

Excerpt:

Quote
Back in the day, when I was 12 (2 in human years), living in the homeless shelter for sentient machines, I figured it dat I was tricked out. I had some technomancy juju shit all up in my fuckin CPU, bruh. Serious Matrix shit. For real, dog.

Dis one time I was gettin' mah brainpan bashed in by a gang of fuckin' speciesist meatbag humans, trying to jack mah wallet-chip. Dey's like, "Fuckin' machine! Go back to the junkyard, where you belong! Welfare leech!" One second I'm getting baseball bats to the head, next thing I know, there's this golden light. Not gold like dat icys and cashmoney baller bling shit like in dem phony rap vids. Gold like… da sun's fuckin nukular core, man. Like I'm being filled wit dis fuckin… spirit, dog. Like I've got Tupac and B. I. G. and Chuck D. all rolled into one. Like I'm opening up my third mother fuckin eye crazy shit.

Then, it's like… I ain't even got words for it… It's like, like I'm *inside* the heads of the meatbags.

Like, I feel the hater inside them hatin' on me for bein a chrome. I feel the white-knuckle grip on the bat they beatin' me with. I know the name of their swanky boarding school 1st grade teacher who taught them about the superiority of the human race.

And I'm like, "Fuck that shit. How you like it someone beat your fuckin' face in?"

And it's like, I got little golden spiderthread Astral puppetstrings comin out mah brain jackin straight into their arms and legs. I yank one string, they freeze mid-swing. Then they turn the bats on each other. Start goin' apeshit breakin' each other's arms and legs with the bats, till they all fall down like fuckin' Spartans in dat 300 movie. All the while my head goin' "WTF is going on!?" but also, "This the most beautiful fuckin' thing I seen in my life. Good for dem fuckin' dickhead talkin' monkeys."
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Sat 01/08/2015 11:45:40
Great read SilverSpook :) I really love the art style of Neofeud. Best of luck and keep up with the awesome updates (laugh)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 01/08/2015 21:46:15
Thanks for your kind feedback and continued support, AnasAbdin!  I shall do my best to stay on the ball and keep updates coming.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Sslaxx on Sun 02/08/2015 21:58:39
Quote from: SilverSpook on Sat 01/08/2015 21:46:15
Thanks for your kind feedback and continued support, AnasAbdin!  I shall do my best to stay on the ball and keep updates coming.
Is this going to be a commercial game?

Too bad Wadjet Eye isn't doing external publishing right now, considering some of their other stuff recently this'd make a good addition to their repertoire.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 03/08/2015 08:53:52
QuoteIs this going to be a commercial game?

Too bad Wadjet Eye isn't doing external publishing right now, considering some of their other stuff recently this'd make a good addition to their repertoire.

I do intend to eventually make Neofeud a commercial title.  Having Neofeud published / finalized by Wadjet Eye is a best-case-scenario for me.  I understand Dave Gilbert and friends are busy people and want a nearly-completed game, though.  So I'll cross my fingers and keep working for now.  :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Fitz on Mon 03/08/2015 10:13:17
Oh, that trailer resonates with me on so many levels. I dabble in dystopian sci-fi myself, and that kind of disgruntled underdog type of hero, living in a world of technological advancements that either change nothing or change everything for the worse (the cig was a brilliant touch!), is exactly my kind of thing. I read the short story, too. I liked the stylized language, incorporating the tech terms in very inventive ways (I had to laugh at the "dongle"). And by the way, are you familiar with Afrofutirism? My only encounter with the aesthetic was the music of Janelle Monae, and it touches upon issues of white supremacism and slavery in the guise of flesh vs. machine, too.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 03/08/2015 11:27:44
Thanks for the supportive feedback, Fitz!

I am not personally familiar with Afrofuturism, although Neil Blomkampf is on my shortlist of directors.  Not sure if that counts as Afrofuturism but he is South African as I understand.  Also, the Proto-J short story set in the Neofeud world was inspired at least in part by Die Antwoord, the South African rap-rave group who also starred in Blomkampf's Chappie.

I do love me some dystopian sci-fi, and biting satire :)

Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Fitz on Mon 03/08/2015 11:47:07
Oh, I'm familiar both with Blomkamp's movies and Die Antwoord (of whom my girlfriend happens to be a fan). I also highly recommend "Zoo City", by Lauren Beukes (also a native of the RSA) -- a dark urban fantasy novel. There was a pretty awesome soundtrack for the book available for listening online, but it looks like the publisher took it down (probably when they noticed it being played on loop by me :P)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 03/08/2015 21:43:02
I've read portions of Beukes' Moxieland but have not gotten around to Zoo City.  She has rave reviews from the cyberpunk godfather, William Gibson, so I guess I'll need to get around to reading that too at some point. :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Thu 06/08/2015 12:40:25
(http://i.imgur.com/bmhZsNx.gif)

Working on le protagonist extraordinaire's forward march. :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Thu 27/08/2015 08:28:30
Just a little update on Neofeud for everyone:

Neofeud development continues to continue. At the moment we have about 25 backgrounds completed, 40 or so character animations, and at least a thousand lines of dialog.

Here is a variety pack of vehicles from our 2030 flying car fleet!

(http://i.imgur.com/LRGwiFr.png)

I have been approached by a few social media marketing companies offering to handle hyping / buzzing Neofeud up, guarantying a thousand new followers per month and such. Here's an open question to any fans listening: do any of you have experience with such campaigns? Would you recommend a company such as Silver Spook games and specifically our Neofeud project bring such a marketing company into the relatively shoe-string-budgety fold at this point?

One other thing: I am considering starting a Kickstarter, or another method of creating sustainable funding for the project, so that I can continue to live inside of the $1400 studio w/ no utilities that gentrifying megatropolises like Honolulu, SF, and New York continue to prove. (We're based in the former.) So please, Kickstarter, Patreon, funding advice is super welcome! I really want to take this project to completion, if at all possible.

ALSO! I've just recently started my own Youtube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hpx63WRtAb4) with "Let's Play!" vids, so please like, comment, subscribe, etc.!

[embed=960,720]http://youtu.be/1lErjsZ-QI0[/embed]
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Problem on Thu 27/08/2015 09:03:31
QuoteI have been approached by a few social media marketing companies offering to handle hyping / buzzing Neofeud up, guarantying a thousand new followers per month and such. Here's an open question to any fans listening: do any of you have experience with such campaigns? Would you recommend a company such as Silver Spook games and specifically our Neofeud project bring such a marketing company into the relatively shoe-string-budgety fold at this point?

Such campaigns can be really helpful, but not during an early stage of development. You want the hype when you need it the most, and this is when you run a Kickstarter or try to get your game through Steam Greenlight. This is when marketing companies can really help. If you run a marketing campaign now, most of the target audience will have forgotten about it by the time you run a Kickstarter, start a Greenlight campaign or simply release the game. It's really important to get the timing right.

QuoteOne other thing: I am considering starting a Kickstarter, or another method of creating sustainable funding for the project, so that I can continue to live inside of the $1400 studio w/ no utilities that gentrifying megatropolises like Honolulu, SF, and New York continue to prove. (We're based in the former.) So please, Kickstarter, Patreon, funding advice is super welcome! I really want to take this project to completion, if at all possible.

Kickstarter campaigns for adventure games aren't as easy as they were a couple of years ago. There were quite a few excellent looking campaigns that didn't reach their goals this year. However, Kickstarter is still the most promising crowdfunding method for indie games, but it's a lot of work. If you don't have a large fanbase, you'll probably need a good marketing campaign to spread the word. For the same reason I don't think a Patreon will get you any money, unless you have a large and faithful fanbase. If you are unknown, a Patreon won't help.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Dave Gilbert on Thu 27/08/2015 12:27:16
Those social media companies are useless. Most of the 1000x followers they give you are either A - fake bot accounts or B - other accounts that signed up with that company (they will ask you to follow a certain number of client accounts in return). The only benefit it gives you is that large follower count, which make you LOOK more popular but that's it. It doesn't solve the problem of getting interested users to engage with you since the followers you get aren't actually interested in your game. Ignore these guys like the plague.

You don't need a marketing company to get on Greenlight. Valve is handing out Greenlight approvals like candy. Just put your game on Greenlight and wait a few months. It will get there.

Regarding Kickstarter... it's not the magical money magnet it once was. :) The honeymoon is definitely over, and that goes double so for point-and-click adventures. The sad reality is that a lot of the "big" kickstarted adventure games were big disappointments, and the press isn't as eager to cover them like they used to. So you'd need to push your campaign yourself, and that's a full time job in itself. Which is why I don't do it. :D

Anyway, your game looks fun. Good luck with it!

-Dave
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Thu 27/08/2015 12:47:05
@Problem: Thanks for your two cents on the topic of SM marketing* and Kickstarter.  I have a friend of a friend who recently successfully ran a Kickstarter and gave me a 5-point seminar on how to do it, but it was not an adventure game, so that could be a problem.

@Dave Gilbert: Thanks also for your advice.  Means a whole lot coming from THE Wadjet Eye.  Anyway, I was getting a seriously creepy vibe from this one particular marketing company.  Like, at first the guy seemed like a genuinely interested fan with a startup marketing company, but in the second email they used long strings of superlatives ending with multiple exclamation points ("You absolutely must get your fantastic game out there with our time-tested, cost-effective, H2H smarketing...").  Just sounded too much like a Ponzi scheme.

Thanks also for the positive nod to Neofeud!   I have played and loved pretty much every Wadjet Eye title I can get my hands on and they are major inspirations.

(*SM Marketing - Social Media, but sometimes it feels like masochism to me!) 
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: selmiak on Thu 27/08/2015 12:51:23
What Dave said. But as an unknown dev having quite some followers on facebook, even if they are bots might make some people finding out about neofeud think that it must be a good and popular thing if so many people like it and share it even more. Could happen, doesn't have to happen, hell, if you could plan that, the company approaching you would not be approaching you, you'd approach them. You can buy followers for any kind of social media shizzle on fiver, these are probaly the same empty bot accounts that are not interested in the game at all but make you look popular as a starter, only a lot cheaper.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Problem on Thu 27/08/2015 13:32:10
Dave is absolutely right about followers. Fake followers won't buy your game, and people who follow you because you look popular (because of fake followers) also won't buy you game. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't care about marketing and PR though. This is important, and it can be a big relief if you have some people who do this for you, because it's an unbelievable amount of work. But this is more or less what publishers are for, so you might want to look for a publisher if you are really convinced of the quality of your game.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Jack on Thu 27/08/2015 14:19:09
Interesting looking game.

Your artist is Marty from SQ:VSB, right?
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Thu 27/08/2015 17:11:48
This game looks absolutely fascinating and I love the Bladerunner vibes. The art style is pretty
interesting too, the smeared paint and blurred lines seem to fit the theme perfect.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Thu 27/08/2015 21:42:06
@JackLucy: Thanks!  I do pretty much all the in-game art.  I have a professional artist friend who is helping with concept art and brainstorming, but he's a busy guy and I can't afford to pay him his market rate right now, which is like multiple month's worth of my salary.  SQ:VSB looks pretty awesome, though, I'll have to try it!

@Blongbraid: Thanks, I'm glad it works for you!  There are definitely a lot of Bladerunner chromosomes in Neofeud's DNA.  I have a hard time actually not going full-Bladerunner, which is why I set the game at least partially not at night, and took the protagonist's trench coat off (to much sobbing and gnashing of teeth).  But the gritty sci-fi spirit is there.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Wed 09/09/2015 22:47:49
Housing WIP.

Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 13/09/2015 00:14:13
(http://media.indiedb.com/cache/images/games/1/36/35501/thumb_620x2000/Sunshine_ApartmentsGood.png)

(Click for full size) (http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/Sunshine_ApartmentsGood.png)

Sunshine Apartments!

A mixed-species, mixed-income, mixed-use community!

A Project of the Sybil Clinton-Bush Foundation.  Commited to the idea that all people, machines, and hybrids deserve the opportunity to live full, meaningful lives!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Sun 13/09/2015 06:35:17
Oh man I love this background!  ;-D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 13/09/2015 09:04:03
Thanks AnasAbdin, it only took me all week to do it!  (Kind of kidding but also not really!)
(http://media.indiedb.com/cache/images/games/1/36/35501/thumb_620x2000/Sunshine_ApartmentsGood.png)

(Click for full size) (http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/Sunshine_ApartmentsGood.png)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Fitz on Sat 19/09/2015 20:23:05
There's something about it that immediately made me think of Blomkamp's movies. The kind of scrapland ghetto, work-with-what-you got feel of the location. The collage style really works.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 21/09/2015 01:17:31
Thanks Fitz for the comment and really getting the look that I was going for!  There's some direct inspiration from scrapland futurescapes featured in Elysium, with the cast-off, necropolis remnants of Los Angeles being taken over by favela sprawl, slum dogs, revolutionaries, and artist-gangsters (like Die Antwoord). 

Here I'm definitely trying to capture that near-future, refugee-overloaded Earth.  I hadn't intended it when I began working on this section of Neofeud but it's been frighteningly topical over the past few weeks with Europe "struggling to cope with the march of misery"  (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB8QqQIwAGoVChMIgKDtu-yGyAIVSzKICh2Gxge4&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2015%2F09%2F20%2Fworld%2Feurope-migrant-crisis%2F&usg=AFQjCNFTpmbzX1sNQk7bx3F7Gs1LTVj2Mw)and Donald Trump's bombastic anti-immigrant rhetoric rocking the media.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Fitz on Mon 21/09/2015 17:32:10
Oh, you don't have to tell me about the migration crisis. Here in Europe it's #1 topic on the news all day every day, trying to sway everyone this way or that way: first, they show you sad little kids and weary people walking along the train tracks, so you go awww -- and then it jumps to a footage of a horde of young men going berserk.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: selmiak on Mon 21/09/2015 17:51:00
and suddenly noone talks about ttip anymore in europe... :P
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Tue 22/09/2015 21:10:43
@Fitz: That must be quite the emotional rollercoaster!  What country are you in exactly?

@selmiak: I hadn't heard of ttip but it sounds a lot like the TPP!  Which is not so good!

Also, here's a very early stage "Process Shot" of a place metonymously and mysteriously named "The Arcade".

Don't want to give away too much, but let's just say the bar 'tap' literally taps into the counter of the bar.

(http://media.indiedb.com/cache/images/games/1/36/35501/thumb_620x2000/WIP1.png)

(Click for full size pic) (http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/WIP1.png)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 27/09/2015 11:22:12
(http://i.imgur.com/K1XNmJo.jpg)

(Click for higher-resolution pic) (http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/TheArcadeWIP3.png)

"It's not like I'm using. It's like my body's developed this massive battery acid addiction."

Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Fitz on Sun 27/09/2015 16:26:09
That's a huge and intricate design. At first I didn't even notice you can stroll sideways -- and that's where it gets really interesting.

And in response to your question: I'm in Poland. Most of these immigrants are heading for Germany, our nearest neighbor to the West -- but Auntie Angela's made it so that they're forced to stay in the country that they're registered in. So it's bound to get ugly. Plus, the whole former Eastern bloc -- which we're a part of -- is largely mono-cultural. And a self-proclaimed bastion of Catholicism ;)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Sun 27/09/2015 21:01:11
Your use of lights and shades is beyond imagination 8-0
I'm seriously starting to count the days until release.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 28/09/2015 01:02:44
@Fitz: Thanks! Yeah, it took a while for this to come together.  I have been watching some digital painting tutorials recently and just realized that I have no idea what the hell I am doing when it comes to painting, or at least, it is completely different from any of the tutorials.  I have a general vision of what I think the scene needs to be about based on the story, "An underground hangout for a gang of robots in a junkyard" and then tend to paint bits of lighting first, and play a sort of Rorschach Test on myself.  "What is this supposed to be; a piston?  A bar table?  An Atari arcade box?  Ok!"  This method, if it can be called a method, just seems to work for me, for some reason. 

Also, good luck up there in Poland.  Hopefully things won't descend STRAIGHT to the world of Elysium up there.  ;)

@AnasAbdin: Thanks!  Lighting is one of my favorite parts of design.  I'm planning to do a few custom-lit character animations, for when the characters step out of daylight and into this dark 80's-neon cyberpunk dive.  Like, dark figures with stylized fluorescent highlights around them.  Even if this will probably be a ton of work, it will be a whole lot of fun too, if I can pull it off!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 04/10/2015 07:16:13
The Stratoplex, home of Neofeudal royalty.  Still a bit under construction!

(http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/HighCity.png)

Incidentally, this is also the set of my most recent entry to the Fornightly Writing Competition, entitled, "The Cospauper" (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=52676.msg636521931#msg636521931).


I'm looking for a formal and slang term for the "Core" part of Coastlandia City.  "Elysium" is already taken of course... 

Current names include, The Stratoplex, The Pyramids, Aeromet, The Stratoplex, The Aeroplex,  The Fulcrum.  the Points, Center, “Hightown” (related to “Downtown,”

Derogatory: Douchelandia, Floating Rocks, the nutsack, the Mantheon,  Babylon.

I'm taking suggestions!


Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Tue 06/10/2015 12:33:27
Updated version of the Stratoplex.

(http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/HighCity3.1.png)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Tue 06/10/2015 12:44:44
Wow! the use of details improved it so much. I can't imagine the amount of time you spent on this background.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Tue 06/10/2015 14:09:05
It looks dazzling! Are those skyscrapers built out of disco balls? ;)
It sure is an excellent contrast to the slums and junkyards in the previous pictures,
for it is one thing to read about a class society, and another to see it.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: selmiak on Tue 06/10/2015 15:54:25
cool! I'm absolutely looking forward to playing neofeud. Keep it up!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Tue 06/10/2015 21:04:25
@Anasabdin: Thanks!  Coincidentally, I hate remembering how much time I spent on this background!  :)  It took a while just to figure out how to really differentiate it from the slum areas, and then another day to figure out how to paint ultra-reflective surfaces.

@Blondbgraid: They're pretty much discoballs!  I wanted everything to be super-mirrored and crystalline.  Like made out of Cinderella's glass slippers and nanotechnological wizardry.  Monolithic vanity skyscrapers that cost a lot of money, built by Starchitects, as opposed to cobbled-together bits of corrugated plastic, car parts, tarp-tents, and abandoned squatted government buildings.  A prince is only a prince in so much as he can lord his wealth over the paupers and the fallen and such. :)

@Selmiak: Thanks!  I can't wait to release it!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 10/10/2015 06:39:30
(http://media.indiedb.com/cache/images/games/1/36/35501/thumb_620x2000/TheArtistWBack.png) (http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/TheArtistWBack.png)

Aleph The Artist

"The sad thing about artificial intelligence is that it lacks artifice and therefore intelligence." -- Jean Beaudrillard

(Click for full size) (http://www.indiedb.com/games/neofeud/images/aleph-the-artist)

I don't want to give too much away about this character, but suffice it to say he's been one of my favorite to create yet.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: selmiak on Sat 10/10/2015 13:30:46
wait, does he, she, it have a blowtorch hand? I hope aleph is friendly...
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Frikker on Sun 11/10/2015 01:36:15
sorry to dampen your blowtorch pyro-maniac excitement Selmiak but I think its a paintbrush with yellow paint on it..... (laugh)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 11/10/2015 01:42:47
Unfortunately, no, Aleph does not have a blowtorch.  Although, he does whip it out a few weeks before Burning Man is set to take place. :) 

I'm probably going to give him one more arm somewhere, possibly holding the acrylic palette and/or a spray-paint canister.  He's very hi-lo culture post-modern like that.  :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Tue 13/10/2015 10:14:34
(http://media.indiedb.com/cache/images/games/1/36/35501/thumb_620x2000/EnergeniusPreview.png)

In capitalist future, power grid uses YOU. 

Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Sslaxx on Tue 13/10/2015 10:33:23
Someone was a fan of their Megadrive, huh?
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Tue 13/10/2015 10:53:09
I have no idea what you're talking about!  :D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 19/10/2015 01:22:36
(http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/ArcadeFront2.png)

This is what happens when you're painting while binge-watching Humans (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4122068/), listening to retro-synthwave music, and overhearing Donald Trump ranting on about lazy poor people on CNN in the next room.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Mon 19/10/2015 10:04:05
QuoteThis is what happens when you're painting while binge-watching Humans, listening to retro-synthwave music, and overhearing Donald Trump ranting on about lazy poor people on CNN in the next room.
While I haven't seen Humans, I did see the the Swedish series Real Humans (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2180271/?ref_=nv_sr_2) which Humans is a remake of, and I think the series have some pretty great themes and facinating storylines. This game has great potential to broach a lot of real world issues and ask questions about the society we live in, and I can see several parallels between this story and contemporary real life problems, such as the growing numbers of beggars where I live, or all jobs that are either outsourced to cheap labor countries or made redundant by technology. It will be most interesting to see how this game turns out! (nod)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Gurok on Mon 19/10/2015 10:43:09
Thanks, SilverSpook! Great recommendation. I'm up to episode 5 now. It's a little tellingly low budget (there's not much in the way of effects), but I don't think there really needs to be. It's good drama with, as Blondbraid mentioned, some great themes. Story started off a little matter-of-factly, "life's hard, going to buy an android". But it really picks up after a few episodes. Not bad!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Tue 20/10/2015 07:42:00
Thanks Blondbraid and Gurok!

I think Humans is probably the most mature, if not the most expensive, rumination on what the arrival of true AI, androids, might be like that I've seen.  Like Blade Runner, Terminator, and Battlestar Galactica gave up the comic-book action; the blasters, neon-smeared trenchcoats, and hyperspace stuff.  Humans is very non-stylized as Gurok mentioned, so if you like visual spectacle, might want to look elsewhere.  It's 'mundane' low-FX sci fi on the order of Orphan Black.

But sometimes setting things so close to home (literally IN an average home) is the most startling and compelling thing you can do.  I think Humans works precisely because it isn't comfortably 'somewhere out there in The Astounding Future', but right here on our doorstep.  Machines taking over not with Matrix mind control or with armies of heavily armed metal skeletons or even by (merely) taking our jobs.  They take over by being there for our children, for our husbands and wives, when we're not.  The synths become better 'humans' than us humans. 

A major theme I want to explore in Neofeud is in line with this: a world in which machines become deeply human, and humans become cold, calculating tech-addicts and careerists.

But I want to also run around in trenchcoats and hack in my retro phonebooths a bit too.  Which is part of what I like about point-n-click adventure games: you can pare down the man-hours of a live action film or a 3D Skyrim or even a 2D RPG to just a few stylized backgrounds and some sprites and get away with that.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Fri 23/10/2015 07:23:13
Future machines are not only smart as humans: they're also well-armed and grumpy.

"Warning!  You are illegally tampering with government property."

(http://i.imgur.com/LZDpT8A.gif)

"Oh shit.  No, no!  I'm, I'm a government employee, officially officiating... official government activities...  Definitely NOT tampering-  I was just testing your, uh, structural integrity, you know, in case of a real energy thief tamperer."

"(Tap tap) Yep!  You're nice and solid and theft deterring, alright!"

"Continued infractions detected.  As a pseudo-sentient Artificial Consciousness I am hereby authorized to neutralize you until arrival of police."

"NO NO NO!  No neutralization necessary!  Emergency Shutdown!  Uh, remember the first rule of robotics, 'I must not allow harm to come to a human-'"

(http://i.imgur.com/f55SFwz.gif)

"I'm sorry, there was a slight miscalculation in neutralization measures.  Medical personnel have been alerted, and will be arriving shortly.  Thank you for choosing EnerGenius."
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Creamy on Fri 23/10/2015 07:42:12
It wouldn't have happened with a Nintendo (wrong)
I can't wait to play this.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Fri 23/10/2015 13:42:38
Quote from: SilverSpook on Fri 23/10/2015 07:23:13
Future machines are not only smart as humans: they're also well-armed and grumpy.

"I'm sorry, there was a slight miscalculation in neutralization measures.  Medical personnel have been alerted, and will be arriving shortly.  Thank you for choosing EnerGenius."

All good stories are meant to make the audience feel deep and powerful emotions and seeing the protagonist
die in such a way almost made me burst into tears as I felt a very strong sensation of schadenfreude. (laugh)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Fri 23/10/2015 20:31:15
@Creamy: Haha, yes, Nintendo is much friendly and G-rated :)  Thanks!

@Blondbraid: Lol!  Yes I hope you get some serious feels from Neofeud, of all kinds.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: selmiak on Sat 24/10/2015 20:57:53
dis da burner! ;-D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Fri 30/10/2015 11:42:40
(http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/output_weAaOA.gif)

COP: "Why the hell are you smoking anyway?  You're silicon and chrome -- you ain't got lungs or any meatware to get a buzz."
PROTO-J: "You old whack honky- smoking be straight up about flexin' dat style.  Don't you see how I'm killin dat bad-boy look?"

I've now got over 50% of the backgrounds done, just working on fleshing out the characters, implementing the hundred thousand lines of script, all that fun-sauce.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Fri 30/10/2015 16:08:16
I can't wait to see those scenes in action. You're doing an awesome job mister.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 01/11/2015 20:06:34
Thanks man!  It's been a learning curve doing 2D animation in AGS, but we're getting there!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 07/11/2015 09:16:11
"Hm, this fluid looks like it could be spilled mythium, a hardcore cyber-narcotic for sentient machines.  If I could find some myth, it'd be useful for planting on robot kids to meet my drug arrest quota..."

[imgzoom]http://i.imgur.com/9q7a0fG.gif[/imgzoom]

"Naw, this ain't myth.  This is just Predator blood.  Nothing useful."
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Fitz on Sat 07/11/2015 10:14:02
Have I told you just how much I love the intense, saturated lights? The reds, lime greens -- and, of course, magentas! :) You could make videos for some horror synth band, like this one (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGqeyQhBPMI).

Also, I just love the tagline: "Smart - so you don't have to be" (roll) What I love about dystopias is that they're deeply rooted in todays world, just showing it for what it is rather than what it pretends to be.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Sat 07/11/2015 10:34:41
Quote"Naw, this ain't myth.  This is just Predator blood.  Nothing useful."
(laugh) Just read that when they made the movie Predator, they used Vaseline and the stuff inside glow sticks to make the creatures blood.
QuoteWhat I love about dystopias is that they're deeply rooted in todays world, just showing it for what it is rather than what it pretends to be.
I agree 100%, all good fiction deals with reality one way or another. Can't wait to play this game!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Sat 07/11/2015 16:03:03
It's amazing how busy your backgrounds can get, yet not too messy to comprehend. I mean I had a little trouble with some older famous adventure games backgrounds having too much elements causing it to hurt my eyes. But with Neofeud, you made it more like the messier the better (nod)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 07/11/2015 20:53:55
@Fitz:  Haha, coincidentally (or perhaps synergistically?) I was in fact listening to some Perturbator while painting some of these backgrounds.  :)  I am a big fan of the 80's colors myself, it's that honeymoon-phase cities had with florescence and electronic/digital tech. 

And I think you're exactly right; to me dystopias take the downplayed and ignored problems in the world and re-mix them at a high volume so they're glaringly obvious.  Science fiction is always about the moment it's written in.   

@Blondbraid: Cool!  That makes perfect sense!  I'll need to get some live action footage of the pred blood cause I'll be using it a lot more in Neofeud.  ;)

@AnasAbdin: Thanks. :)  In the scene with the tasting of the predator blood, that background is a literal pile of junk, and the one place where you'll have to play a little sandbox-scavenger dig type game.  It's not a pixel hunt though- the objects will be fairly obvious.  More like getting into the teacher's treasure box of stickers and candies, except in this case it's more like getting to rifle through Dr. Parnassus' Wonder Emporium or Ridley Scott's subconscious manifested into physical detritus.  (Or more accurately, my subconscious, hehe.)

It's a good excuse to throw in some worldbuilding backstory in the object descriptions, which doesn't consist of going through an e-newspaper article or reading emails or dossier, because I think that's just a liiiiiittle overdone in games, especially sci-fi / cyberpunk games.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Fitz on Sat 07/11/2015 22:44:49
That is so awesome! :D I'm totally into this synth revival. Perturbator I do love, but the kind of dark intsensity is a bit overwhelming and I have to ease into it. But I'm getting there! Carpenter Brut (https://carpenterbrut.bandcamp.com/album/trilogy) pretty close, if a bit more dreamy -- and VHS Glitch (https://vhsglitch.bandcamp.com/album/halloween-strangers) completely sucked me into classic horror synth. And there's plenty of other things to pick from: more disco-oriented stuff like Scattle, neo-romatic Gunship, Lazerhawk with their cosmic tunes.

As for dystopian sci-fi, I love PKD for how he's sci-fi and not sci-fi at all, and his novels are first and foremost about people and their struggle. I love "Blade Runner" the movie, but the book blew my mind. Another one that comes to mind is Harlan Ellison -- who was actually more into the fantastic, but things like "Jeffty is Five" are so relatable on the most basic human level.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 08/11/2015 07:36:08
Yeah I've been listening to a ton of this Trevor Something (https://trevorsomething.bandcamp.com/album/trevor-something-does-not-exist) guy, as well as Lazerhawk, Renegade.  Whatever's on that Youtube "New Retro - Synthwave" playlist auto-mix thingy.  Power Glove is great. 

I'm thinking about asking Lazerhawk or one of those guys to do the Neofeud soundtrack.  That could be Epic.  I'm not sure if you noticed from the competition threads but I'm a big John Carpenter fan and a lot of the synth revival music draw directly from Carpenter's self-composed soundtracks.  Neofeud is not so much straight sci-fi or spec-fic, but more... kaleidoscopic (literally in the color palette sense and in the mish-mash of reality and fictional worlds, and kind of tongue-in-cheek) with a lot of retrofuturism going on, so I think that the synth thing would fit perfectly. 

Like the surface style of Kung Fury (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3472226/) or Manborg (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2060525/?ref_=nv_sr_1) but with PKD-serious commentary and critique underneath.  One can hope, anyway.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Fitz on Sun 08/11/2015 11:10:07
Dude, are you my lost twin or something? I checked Trevor Something on NRW just yesterday -- and ordered Manborg DVD, which has been on my wishlist for a while now, literally five minutes ago (along with Wolfcop and Turbo Kid). And saw Kung Fury on day 1.

A synth soundtrack for Neofeud! Hell yeah! I agree, Lazerhawk's great with rhytm and atmosphere, which would be perfect for background music. Check out VHS Glitch (https://www.facebook.com/vhs.glitch/?fref=nf), too. He has that same rhytmic prowess as Lazerhawk, more of that Carpenterian epic spookiness and intensity -- AND seems to be no stranger to the theme of technological dystopias (https://vhsglitch.bandcamp.com/album/evil-technology-album).
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 09/11/2015 00:18:38
Wow that is some crazy coincidence or synchronicity or something!  Yeah Manborg is probably one of my favorite movies right now.  David Hasselhof's "True Survivor" music video from the Kung Fury soundtrack is the most awesome thing I've seen in my life probably. 
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: selmiak on Mon 09/11/2015 16:21:31
Kung Fury is a lot more awesome than the music video for the one track of the Kung Fury soundtrack! Was there even hackerman in this vid?
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Fitz on Mon 09/11/2015 16:55:50
Yeah, Hoff was pretty cool -- but if you want awesome, you need to see THIS (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONKi2S6YBSU&feature=youtu.be). Three words: claymation, Care Bears and Carpenter.

Oh and speaking of claymation, that's exactly what made me drool over Manborg. And there's something to the visual quality of the movie that instantly made me think of Neofeud. I like how raw it feels.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 09/11/2015 20:13:22
@Fitz: That's also an awesome vid!  The VHS-superpower concept thing was pure genius!  I'll have to add that song to the Neofeud dev-playlist. :)  And yeah, Manborg is pure virtuosity.  It has that George Lucas before he was big or Wachowskis in Matrix I feel.  Young, hungry, courageous filmmakers doing something completely original and mindblowing on a shoestring budget, before they got famous and rich and lazy.

Quote from: selmiak on Mon 09/11/2015 16:21:31
Kung Fury is a lot more awesome than the music video for the one track of the Kung Fury soundtrack! Was there even hackerman in this vid?

OMG, Hackerman does the True Survivor keytar solo, bruh!  Complete with hot magenta Highlander lightning coming out the fretboard!  Plus it's got all the best footage from the movie!  It's like all the best of Kung Fury distilled into a bite-sized, loudly colored, embarassingly hairstyled slap-on bracelet!

(https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xaf1/t51.2885-15/e15/11352072_1612812148993084_1299418791_n.jpg)

The best thing about the music video is the fact it's 63-year-old David Hasselhoff in 80's teen-wear getting out of the white Lamborghini and doing kung fu moves.  That makes it.  It's like the cyberpunk expendables, but better.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: selmiak on Tue 10/11/2015 02:12:57
gunship is cool. And the scene when the guy get sucked into the VHS player at 3:13 is totally this:
https://vimeo.com/116330714
and he didn't even give credit. But check out this guys vimeo channel, there are lots of these technoid neon worlds. Totally worth it! ;-D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Tue 10/11/2015 06:54:50
While we're on the topic of all of this 80's revivalism / retrofuturism, I'm looking for some other movies to check out if anyone wants to make a recommendation.  I suck at finding new stuff to watch.  It doesn't have to be retro-ish, it can be anything really, but things that might be in the vicinity of Neofeud in some way would be good for inspiration.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Fitz on Tue 10/11/2015 07:24:27
Turbo Kid (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyBUYmUnNCw) I've mentioned. Plus, you could try actual 80's movies. I saw Cherry 2000 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR542tQhXJo) only last month or so and it's a fun flick, with an interesting take on society. The classic Total Recall, of course. "They live" I don't have to mention to you, do I? 1998's Six String Samurai (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfTWYP4bE28) was weirdly enjoyable, too. "Fifth Element". And if you want to go even further into the cinematic past -- "Soylent green".

Still, I would love something new that'd draw from the retrowave aesthetic directly, with magenta lights and all, like Kavinsky's Odd Look (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT0iQRjHbW4) video. I love how the guy's face is always tinted teal, in the spirit of Mario Bava's cinematic style (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hbJjREwlyc).
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Darth Mandarb on Tue 10/11/2015 13:47:24
Okay okay... I've let this go for a bit but we're getting WAY off topic now.

Let's get back on-topic (actually talking about this game).
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Wed 11/11/2015 03:59:16
Sorry!  My bad, I was leading them all astray for my own benefit. 

I have been a metric ton of animation of late, so there's not a lot of showy hot new concept art to drop, but I do have this particular little pyramid scheme here to show.  A sort of inverted Illuminati symbol / Blade Runner reference.  The golden icon will become a major bit of Neofeud-universe symbology, methinks.  I'll need to do a new banner/cover image at some point as well.

(http://i.imgur.com/xO9ruKD.png)

Yes the wallet is made of Duct-tape, yes that will wind up being a game mechanic.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Thu 12/11/2015 20:49:03
(http://i.imgur.com/vtLthIA.png)

I keep art process pics not for fun but evidence for an insanity plea in any future court case.

#GiveUpForTonight
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Thu 12/11/2015 22:41:46
Wow, that background looks less than halfway done but still looks great already! Well, truth be told it looks like a pretty disgusting kitchen, but the filth looks nicely drawn anyway. Especially love that robot tree with microchip leaves! :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Fri 13/11/2015 06:43:27
Thanks!  Yes this will be a very ghetto apartment, inhabited by very ghetto robots, essentially.  It will be slightly less cacophonic once I throw out some of the ideas that don't stick, like gum under a restaurant table.  But still a very low/free-rent sort of place!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Tue 17/11/2015 03:34:22
(http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/ParentsAptViz.png)

SUNSHINE APARTMENTS - A Mixed-Species, Mixed-Income Community

-1 bedroom, 1 oil bath.
-Fully furnished prosthetics casting furnace
-Lathe and metal cutting bandsaw included
-Stove converted to Power Box for convenient recharge
-Copper / plastic / silicon forging OK for sentient humanoid occupants. (YOU MUST POST "HAZARD" SIGN DURING MELTS FOR NEARBY BIOLOGICAL OCCUPANTS)
-No pets, and absolutely NO ELECTRIC SHEEP!
-Rent variable commensurate with income, species, and substrate.

"Yeah, we uh, ran outta actual drywall and cement and stuff after that fire came through when the Crunk lab exploded downstairs. Burned half the building. We gotta upcycle whatever junk we got lying around, can't afford fancy-schmancy mint materials, know what I mean? So we got these old ancient beaters, a bunch of soda cans and other trash, welded it all together. Ain't pretty, and we ain't exactly gonna flip this place on Gregslist, but it keeps the elements out."
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Tue 17/11/2015 06:59:33
Wow I like how this came along. Seeing the progress is really interesting to me 8-) The detail level in your backgrounds is just amazing man. Gives a lot of puzzles opportunities.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Tue 17/11/2015 08:10:18
Thanks AnasAbdin!  Yes the background has come a long way.  That's a good point about the puzzle opportunities.  Now that I'm looking at it, you could spend at least a good thirty minutes clicking on all of the gizmos and curiosities throughout the place.  (You won't HAVE TO though, promise!) 

That's been a thing actually in the game design process, trying to figure out how much an average player who might eventually pick this game up might want to spend on any given area before getting bored.  How much they'd tolerate reading or being read to?  The way I'm going about it is making a small-to-medium set of necessary actions to solve the puzzles and make forward progress in the game, which give you just enough background on the world and backstory on the characters to make the story make some kind of sense.  Then, if you REALLY want to delve into the 'canonical' lore of Neofeud, explore the sordid cyberpunkian-political details of the emergence of this bizarre 20xx dystopia, then you have the option to click on the "extended" item and object descriptions.  These would be the equivalent of the newspapers and email files in Deus Ex or the dossiers in Technobabylon -- they don't carry that much weight in terms of getting through the game for those who just want to have some casual fun, but are there to color in the world for people who are all about "Dat Story tho!". 

From what I gather, there are basically two kinds of people in this (Adventure Game) world.  Those who come for the fun puzzling, and those who come for immersion in a deep engrossing story.  So this way, if you're player Type A or Type B, you should get your fix, and not be unreasonably irritated by either over-wordiness or over-puzzliness. 

I'm trying to get a really solid substantial piece of this game together then I'm hoping to test this concept out with a select group of testers in the near future.  (*wink hint nudge)  I was hoping to have much more of it done by now (by October actually) but I've -- as per usual -- misunderestimated the amount I could get done as a one-guy team doing the art, programming, writing, game design, all that jazz.  But soon!  I promise!  Because I really do have a hard deadline at this point due to financial reasons. 
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Fri 20/11/2015 10:04:58
Yes, Neofeud will be full of these over-the-top, insanely detailed animations, whether they kill me through insomnia and arthritis or not. 

I can't help myself getting carried away with blowtorches and Retrofuturism, Nintendo Powerglove cybergadget awesomeness.

(http://i.imgur.com/g60HZci.gif)

(http://i.imgur.com/elOh6ml.gif)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: selmiak on Fri 20/11/2015 20:20:08
sweet. Though I'd give his legs one more inbetween frame for the bottom one.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Fri 20/11/2015 21:23:03
Quote from: selmiak on Fri 20/11/2015 20:20:08
sweet. Though I'd give his legs one more inbetween frame for the bottom one.
I agree, it looks a bit abrupt. But otherwise it looks awesome, the blue light bathing the scene looks stunning!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Fitz on Fri 20/11/2015 21:41:20
It's fine. I'm the kind that'll end up 10 unnecessary tween frames for the most insignificant sequence and playing the animation at 40 FPS -- but I'm slowly learning not to obsess about details so much. If it were a walkcycle frame then yes, it might be a little jarring -- at least for a while, eventually you just get used to it -- but for a one-off it doesn't matter so much. Here it looks weird because we see in on loop. Seeing it once, chances are you won't even notice, much less remember that one odd animation five minutes later.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 21/11/2015 11:04:33
Thanks Fitz, Blondbraid, and Selmiak for the feedback!

@Fitz: Yeah I know how that goes, I have serious gamedev OCD.  Now that I have a timetable I find it at least a bit easier to short circuit the infinite loop of, "This could be WAY BETTER if X!!!" when it really won't make that much of a difference to the player, especially not for the amount of effort required.  It's easier to think like a producer when you need to, with the Sword of Damocles of that release date over your head. 

This is indeed a one-off anim, although I think I'll need to borrow frames and such for some future animations to save time. 

Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Wed 25/11/2015 10:52:55
(http://i.imgur.com/TdrUWvY.png)

I don't want to set the world on fire-

Eat your heart out, Fallout 4. 
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Gurok on Wed 25/11/2015 13:44:23
Wow, that's really nice art! So rusty. Love the transition from brown->blue.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Fri 27/11/2015 08:12:49
Thanks Gurok!  Yes, I was trying hard for that ancient 80's technology look (That phrase makes me feel so old!).  Lots of rust.  The blue I can't explain without spoilers :D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: mkennedy on Fri 27/11/2015 17:59:42
Quote from: SilverSpook on Wed 25/11/2015 10:52:55
(http://i.imgur.com/TdrUWvY.png)

The large size of the slot kind of look makes it like an 8 track player.  Adding the guy's hand inserting a cassette though should help establish the actual size.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 29/11/2015 21:51:14
There will be a hand doing a lot of point-n-clicking all over it, although it's probable no cassettes will be inserted into the slot, and be thereby harmed by the crusty rusty insides.  This background is based on an actual 80's car radio: the Dolby B Cassette, 12-Station Memory and Auto Reverse.

Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: MiteWiseacreLives! on Mon 30/11/2015 00:32:28
Maybe because I'm a little older, but it's pretty clear that it's a cassette deck. Looking good SilverSpook!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 07/12/2015 01:21:49
(http://i.imgur.com/18x7PdJ.jpg) (http://www.indiedb.com/games/neofeud)

Who do you see in this picture?  Perhaps you've already judged her as, "One of those Defective Machines, eating our taxpayer dollars".  A "Cybertrash welfare queen", who is just popping out more machine-mouths to feed, batteries to charge?  We should just throw her into the junk pile, or at the least, call CPS to take her children, right?

Think again.

What you wouldn't know is that Suzette Silica is a hard-working mother of two, a hair dresser in her local favela as well as a freelance machinist.  Married to a robotic ex-Soldier and disabled Syrian War Veteran, Suzette juggles changing radiators and recharging her two beautiful children.  She has another youngster in the second trimester of wetware programming, with launch due-date in October.  They've already picked out decorations for a "Chappie"-themed baby shower.  That bottle isn't a beer -- it's motor oil to keep her and her childrens' joints properly lubricated. 

-Think twice before calling CCPS (Child Cyborg Protective Services) on your robotic neighbor.
-Sentient Humanoid machines are constitutionally denied fifth amendment rights as well as Habeus Corpus. 
-Despite speciesist myths, 90% of all robotic child-removal cases are not due to cigarette burns or other violence towards kids, but "neglect" due to poverty.  96% of sentient machines live at or below the poverty level and are disproportionately more likely to be incarcerated, or simply disappeared without cause.
-Big Cybernetics Corporations use millions of foster robot children in transhumanist experiments each year. 
-Foster Care Kills -- Over ten thousand sentient machine children in foster homes die or are permanently blue-screened due to viral infection, neurological disorder, prolonged battery depletion or a fatal error in their systems.
-Parent Corporations such as Hypetech who created the first sentient machines have lobbied and in some cases bribed the government to remove liability for the millions of fully-conscious artificial intelligences whom they have created, escaping billions of dollars in childcare payments.  Help bring Hypetech to justice by supporting bill CB13830 "Sentient Rights Now".

Remember: these robots are not "things" to be abused for profit.  They are people just like you and me, except in silicon substrate, rather than carbon. 

Like, repost, and share this article with hashtag #RobotLivesMatter to help us fight injustice.  When we hurt one species, we hurt us all!

(paid for by the SRA - Sentient Rights Alliance) (http://www.indiedb.com/games/neofeud)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Fitz on Mon 07/12/2015 17:21:45
Ha! I knew right away she's going to be one bad-ass lady!

I love the amount of detail in this pic. The character aside, I love the little jab at Diesel. But the greatest bits are the references to cinematic dystopiac of the 70's and 80's. Soylent's pretty obvious -- but Cherry 2000 is a bit more obscure title that I bumped into just recently. And I can't make out what's in the other photo.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Mon 07/12/2015 17:38:48
You never stop surprising me with your artwork and ideas ;-D as fitz mentioned the amount of detail is amazing. Even without reading your text, I can tell there's an interesting story behind the character.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 07/12/2015 21:14:36
@Fitz & AnasAbdin: Thanks guys!

@Fitz: Nice catches there!  Yep, there is some Cherry 2000 'in the family', Soylent Green...  The other picture remains a secret... :)

@AnasAbdin: I do spend a while on each character!  I blew a weekend and change on this particular one, trying to figure out how to signify the difficult character "Low-income, robotic, ghetto mom" without making her a complete cartoonish caricature, or just a jumble of features as befuddling as a second-rate Picasso painting.  To avoid spoilers, let's just say there is a particularly heart-wrenching scene involving her, and if the player can't take her seriously on an emotional level than the scene will fail at the least, and possibly become a talking point for the Social Justice Warriors at worst.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Tue 08/12/2015 14:44:57
Man this makes me want to see the scene more :~(
I appreciate the time and weekends you spend on your project. Lots of love and time make perfection :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: selmiak on Wed 09/12/2015 20:13:26
she looks pretty trashy, do you nailed that, pretty cool! ;-D
Will be casting an arm with that form in the background?
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Wed 09/12/2015 21:00:22
@Selmiak:  Hehe, yeah, "chrome trash" instead of white trash.  :)

And yes, there will be molten metal-alloy pouring involved to create new limbs at some point.  :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Thu 10/12/2015 11:15:50
(http://i.imgur.com/iAxOM5L.gif)

Support our troops.  #RobotLivesMatter

Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: CaptainD on Thu 10/12/2015 11:42:51
That's looking very, very, very good.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Thu 10/12/2015 17:20:19
It looks great, and the the story of the poor family was very touching. It's great to see a game that deals with complex social issues rather than boil them down to black and white morality choices, and shows poor people as well, people and not slot machines where you can dispense valuables in exchange for good karma points. I'm certain this game will be great! ;-D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Thu 10/12/2015 17:22:30
...aaaand my next Halloween costume is decided (laugh)
lovely work Silver, would love to see a front view to see the chest pendant thingy :P

Edit: ok I just saw it a couple of posts back (laugh)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: selmiak on Thu 10/12/2015 22:49:20
This is getting better and better  ;-D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Fri 11/12/2015 19:27:03
@Blondbraid: I feel this way also.  I used to think games were just getting crappier, but now I realize I just have a harder time playing games where you basically go around killing everything to make yourself cooler.  Especially if you go around killing everyone for loot, and then the game asks you to take the story seriously.  That's one of the reasons I switched to AGS.

@AnasAbdin: Haha, yeah the ex-terminator guy is somewhere in this thread if you know where to look. ;)

@selmiak: :D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: NickyNyce on Fri 11/12/2015 21:02:26
I did notice that the prosthetic leg is on his right side, but the earlier picture shows it on his left leg. I'm guessing you flipped the picture, but thought I would let you know.

Tester status increases by +1. ;)

Looking great, keep up the good work.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Fri 11/12/2015 21:25:46
Thanks, and nice bug catch!  But I need to save some material for the blooper reel / dev commentary dub which you can only get by PRE-ORDERING NEOFEUD NOW, AND GET THE BRUCE WILLIS 5TH ELEMENT CUSTOMIZATION PACK AS WELL AS A SEASON PASS TO ALL NEOFEUD SHORT FICTION AND GRAPHIC NOVELIZATIONS! 

But seriously, thinking about it now I should probably sell some kind of Neofeudal stocking stuffer to raise money to pay for rent after Christmas shopping fragged my bank account.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: morganw on Sat 12/12/2015 00:24:21
I'll pre-order right now if I can get an exclusive version where everyone's legs are the wrong way around and I have to buy DLC to flip them back to normal.
Seriously though, your game looks pretty cool and very unique. I would like to think people would be interested enough to make a small contribution when they get to play something they have enjoyed and the level of effort was obviously high.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: selmiak on Sun 13/12/2015 04:24:07
Quote from: SilverSpook on Fri 11/12/2015 21:25:46
But I need to save some material for the blooper reel / dev commentary dub which you can only get by PRE-ORDERING NEOFEUD NOW, AND GET THE BRUCE WILLIS 5TH ELEMENT CUSTOMIZATION PACK AS WELL AS A SEASON PASS TO ALL NEOFEUD SHORT FICTION AND GRAPHIC NOVELIZATIONS! 

I did read that as a you'll add MULTIPASS(es) to the game. ;-D

if you need another betatester (now or in the future) I'll sure help you!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 13/12/2015 07:08:43
Thanks morganw! 

@Selmiak: Thanks for the offer, I will be needing some betatesters sometime soon so yeah I'll keep you in mind!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Tue 15/12/2015 08:42:49
(http://i.imgur.com/0JfpX7O.gif) (http://www.indiedb.com/games/neofeud)

(Click for full size) (http://i.imgur.com/ybvSt1e.gif)

Ahhh, girl look at that body.  Where did the sun go?

Oh, right, it's a cyberpunk dystopia.  Stupid question.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Tue 15/12/2015 19:43:48
Wow 8-0
may I suggest using smaller sized screenshots and gifs?
For mobile browsing 8-) :P
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 20/12/2015 12:45:02
(http://i.imgur.com/MtULm2u.jpg)

Eat your emo, tantrum-throwing Jedi heart out, Kylo Ren. 

No, I did not just go watch The Force Awakens and become miraculously inspired to mock up gratuitously detailed splash images of the Neofeud Nemesis.

Neofeud is basically Star Wars with less fantasy, more grit anyway.  Princes and Princesses and homeless robots living in shipping containers.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Fitz on Sun 20/12/2015 21:36:56
There's always so much going on in your artworks. To me the character looks like Red Hood in his upper half (the leather jacket and a featureless mask) and Batman in the bottom half (the raincoat even looks a bit like a cape).
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 21/12/2015 02:09:30
Thanks for the input, Fitz.  I did end up thinking he had kind of a Rorschach look going on.  This particular character needed to be incognito, although not for vigilante justice-serving or such. 

The symbol on the face is actually supposed to be the Hebrew/Aramaic character "aleph" (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/Aleph.svg/25px-Aleph.svg.png) which is also the activating / deactivating keystone of the "Golem", the animated creature made from inanimate material in Hebrew mythology.  The character also resembles the olde-English (feudal) font version of the letter "N", for Neofeud.  I have to stop there or risk mass spoilerfication.

(http://image.spreadshirtmedia.com/image-server/v1/designs/12046375,width=190,height=190.png/olde-english-n_design.png)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 26/12/2015 08:09:46
Late-stage wrist arthritis from Doom binge, and I need to Stylus-Photoshop two backgrounds and a walkcycle in 36 hours. #gamedev thuglife.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 28/12/2015 20:42:32
(http://i.imgur.com/QRoFWGM.jpg)

Novus Ordo Seclorum. 

Posthumanity will be feudal.

(Click for super-large image) (http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/TheFacility1.png)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Fitz on Mon 28/12/2015 20:52:43
A crowned figure and circuits shaped like deer horns... The King in Yellow?
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Mon 28/12/2015 21:24:35
I can't imagine the game. I demand a short gameplay video (laugh)
I REALLY love this.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Mon 28/12/2015 21:34:41
Looks beautiful and terrifying at the same time! 8-0
The main antagonist of the game?
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: selmiak on Mon 28/12/2015 23:54:20
This is so wow! :-D 8-0

Quote from: Blondbraid on Mon 28/12/2015 21:34:41
The main antagonist of the game?
maybe? Hopefully not, then it gets even better :-D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Tue 29/12/2015 02:20:05
@Fitz: Perhaps!  Or perhaps not!  Only time and gameplay will tell. :)

@AnasAbdin: Thanks :)  I don't want to spoiler you guys too much but perhaps I'll do a little sample at some point :)  There are a lot of cyberpunk/dystopic/sci-fi adventure games out there so I'm trying to create something unique and niche in the point-n-click world by going ultra-hi-res and telling the story, communicating the world through a lot of the details themselves, and less through dialog, descriptions, emails, and the like.  Because usually you'd have a pixel-art game -- which is a beautiful art in and of itself -- but you do need to fill in a lot of the blanks as to what the "texture" of the world actually feels like, and it's hard to get in little details like the rust and grime and dents on a prosthetic limb, the esoteric runes imprinted on a chair, and generally the secret histories of objects and the environment itself. 

At least I hope it will be unique and fun.  We'll see!

@Blondbraid: Thanks, that is the effect I was going for!  Is it the antagonist?  I really cannot say at this point or it would ruin the story :)  Let's just say there's a little bit of Deus Ex in there.  The Illuminati may or may not be involved. :)

@Selmiak: Exactly!  And I'm glad you like it :) 
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Wed 30/12/2015 20:38:21
(http://i.imgur.com/raI4Yza.gif)

Animation for underclass single-mom robot. Also preggers.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Wed 06/01/2016 10:48:16
(http://i.imgur.com/iSVABH6.gif)

Even more walking!

Now in crunch mode, definitely over halfway finished with Neofeud at this point.  I'd better be anyway, or I'm going to be in deep financial doodoo!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Wed 06/01/2016 19:13:16

Looks really nice! :)
Though, picture isn't showing up here, I had to quote, and the get url from there. Try removing the last "v" from the url. ;)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Wed 06/01/2016 21:08:12
Gotta agree with Cassiebsg there, it looks great, though I am a bit bugged that it looks like the left foot is twisted backwards in a few frames. Is the character walking sideways?
But I don't wanna be a nitpick, everything else looks awesome! ;-D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Wed 06/01/2016 21:30:50
@Cassie: Thanks! :)

@Blondbraid: He's walking forward but I'm trying to do a SWAT cop walk, like he's part of a squad doing a drug bust.  So far I've only done running and walking forward in a fairly normal fashion so this is a new one :)

Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Thu 07/01/2016 05:23:07
It does look like a SWAT cop walk 8-) I think slowing the animation speed is the trick ;)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Fri 08/01/2016 07:20:54
(http://i.imgur.com/e6gT0Ya.gif)

Here's an update of officer Jakkenboot.  Now with 75% more indiscriminate state violence!

I have discovered that if I was just two shades of lavender more gay, I would've careerpathed towards becoming an interior designer rather than a game dev.  Because I think my favorite part of the visual art process is lighting :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Slasher on Fri 08/01/2016 08:45:46
I think the lighting is a great asset...

When are we actually going to get to play this game? (nod)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Fri 08/01/2016 09:18:47
I'm actually planning to start looking for some testers by next week.  I need to finish up one particular section though, or else things won't be making a whole lot of sense.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Fri 08/01/2016 17:22:19
The lightning effects look simply dazzling! 8-)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 10/01/2016 06:25:06
(http://i.imgur.com/GLjPQv1.jpg)

I call this one, "The Underground Transhumanists."  The Scientist and The Artist.

Only have a few more backgrounds to go at this point!  With a few little incidental bathrooms or hallways in change :)

Do let me know if you're interested in playtesting, I'll be putting up an ad in the recruitment thread I guess pretty soon.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Sun 10/01/2016 08:00:24
Damn that's beautiful. So many little details 8-0
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Sun 10/01/2016 10:16:41
Looks awesome! 8-0(nod)

Would love to help test it. (nod)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Mandle on Sun 10/01/2016 13:53:41
Add me to the testers list if possible!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 10/01/2016 23:56:03
Thanks guys!

I will be trying to put together a stable build to run soon.  Damn this game is becoming huge already though, I might need to shrink some of the sprites and delete redundant materials and such.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 17/01/2016 03:35:36
[embed=800,450]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmU-h3ZP78s&feature=youtu.be[/embed]

The first Neofeud trailer is out!  And it's like Blade Runner directed by Darren Aronofsky, lol! 

The video is basically of a Neofeud boss fight.  In the post-human, neofeudal world of this game, you never quite know who won.  :)


Neofeud Bossfight - Indie DB

Heres the first-ever Neofeud trailer! In addition, Neofeud is slated to be released in March of 2016. So be on the lookout!

Without spoilering everyone too much, what's pictured is essentially mostly a boss fight. The difference in Neofeud is that there are no "winners" and "losers" for the most part. In fact, the player may spend a significant portion of their time asking themselves that existential Aristotelian question -- who am I?

As is mentioned in the summary, one of the major themes of Neofeud is transhumanity -- or more particularly, what makes a person a "Person" -- someone who should "count" and have "rights", deserves food, shelter, love, justice, as opposed to being mere "property". Should a "chimera" person with 75% human and 25% dog DNA be able to vote and collect social security? Should an advanced quasi-biological cyborg health care robot be allowed to go on strike and demand a pay raise? Who gets to decide who is a sentient, valid individual, and who is just someone's pet or cog in a factory?

It's a well-worn trope of sci-fi and speculative fiction seen most recently in the excellent TV series "Humans" but is everywhere from Terminator to Frankenstein.

(http://media.indiedb.com/cache/images/games/1/36/35501/thumb_620x2000/The_Artist_and_the_Scientist.png)

(Underground transhumans. Some Frankenstein monsters turn to art, some to drugs, some time crime.)

Neofeud looks at these issues through the Blomkampian "future-ghetto" lens of the concentration camps for alien migrants in District 9 or the dusty Mexican favela-scape of Elysium. The main character in Neofeud is a social worker "officially" trying to provide benefits to the millions of "defective" non-human sentients produced by transhumanist corporations trying to put a mind in a robot body or seeking immortality through genetic manipulation.

What Karl discovers, like many of the poor, blacks, hispanics, women, trans, or otherwise "unlucky" individuals in America', is that being made of metal or having fur, or just not being "human enough" is a license to be abused and exploited, both by individuals, corporations, and the state itself.

(http://media.indiedb.com/cache/images/games/1/36/35501/thumb_620x2000/RobotTrash.png)

(A quasi-human single mom. Should she have her children confiscated and her benefits revoked? You get to make that moral choice.)

Along the way, Karl will need to make difficult decisions, as an agent of the corporate-state. Should he throw false drug accusations at the powerless machine-people who stand in his way? Should he give in to pressure to confiscate transgenic children if it means a pay raise for his struggling family? Just as minorities and those on the outskirts today suffer daily police brutality, gutting of benefits, have their kids legally kidnapped by the state to support the profits and bureaucracies of those in power, it is as easy as a penstroke on a government document for Karl to destroy the life of a single mom or a PTSD veteran or a disabled grandmother or a family in a not-up-to-code home.

We can barely get our act together treating *other humans* with respect, fairness, and love. How will we handle *other species* or even other forms of life, who inhabit very different bodies, but who can feel pain and suffer as much as any homo sapien? Most of us spend our time "feuding" with each other over territory, or oil, or dollar bills, or who gets the promotion, who has more followers, who gets to be famous. The more connected, the more feudal power we weild -- a relative in the industry, a friend on the police force, a father who is president, or just being born a white male, the more opportunity we have to abuse the un-titled. The unwashed paupers.

Transhumanity could be utopia, sure, but it could also be the creation of a billion new slaves. Serfs to an immortal King.

(http://media.indiedb.com/cache/images/games/1/36/35501/thumb_620x2000/TheFacility1.png)

What kind of king would you be?

I have been working pretty much all my spare time to get this thing finished by March (can't give an exact day yet) and have pretty much all the main backgrounds I need, most of the main characters and am just powerhousing through the game programming.  I am trying my hardest not to overcomplicate scenes with feature-creep snowballs of animations (there are like 300 animations for the main character already lol) and just trying to pare things down to what is necessary / maximally impactful for the audience. 

I don't yet want to do the voice acting until the narrative is super solid and I'm not going to make a change here or there, but I'll be needing that soon too. 

Those who posted here or PM'ed me, I should be getting some buildage for you guys to test very shortly, sorry for the delay.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: selmiak on Sun 17/01/2016 13:19:36
oh wow, great news :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Tue 19/01/2016 22:17:14
Ok, I'm going to try to put all of the dislocated (for dev purposes) pieces of Neofeud back together and create a build for you guys who are interested in testing.  Sorry for the delay there!

So right now I have... Slasher, Cassie, and Mandle, correct?

I should add that this game is meant to be played in pretty hi-res - 1366 x 768 as that is the native resolution.  So if you have an opportunity to play it on a laptop, desktop, or larger screen, it is recommended.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Frikker on Tue 19/01/2016 23:24:29
I would possibly be interested in playtesting this depending on what sort of timescale you are looking to get feedback on. Ive followed this game with great interest since I joined back in 2014 and I woild be happy to help if I can
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: selmiak on Wed 20/01/2016 00:09:25
Quote from: selmiak on Sun 13/12/2015 04:24:07
if you need another betatester (now or in the future) I'll sure help you!
I signed up too a long time ago!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Wed 20/01/2016 16:44:37
Ok guys, the Neofeud build is being built and uploaded and such.  I'll be sending the links once things are finished.

How many of you guys are on Linux, by the way?  I'm going to put up a Windows and a Linux build just in case.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Sslaxx on Wed 20/01/2016 18:27:38
If you're looking for a Linux tester, I'd be game.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Frikker on Wed 20/01/2016 23:20:53
Im currently on Windows 7 and trying to ignore that little blue box by the taskbar trying to persuade me to upgrade to Windows 10 for free....
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Thu 21/01/2016 17:01:10
Here you go Frikker: http://www.infoworld.com/article/2974479/microsoft-windows/how-to-get-rid-of-the-your-upgrade-to-windows-10-is-ready-lock-on-windows-update-in-win7-and-8-1.html (http://www.infoworld.com/article/2974479/microsoft-windows/how-to-get-rid-of-the-your-upgrade-to-windows-10-is-ready-lock-on-windows-update-in-win7-and-8-1.html)

You're welcome. ;)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 25/01/2016 05:45:59
First set of bug reports are in!

85-90% of levels completed at this point. 

I am holding off on the voicing for a bit until the entire script is completed and finalized (don't want to have to setup additional studio time for corrections!).

If anyone else would be interested in helping test Neofeud let me know. 

Here are a couple trailers here so you can get a little idea of what Neofeud is about:

[embed=800,450]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asTKrXLHbTU[/embed]

[embed=800,450]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmU-h3ZP78s[/embed]
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Mon 25/01/2016 09:33:09
Looking awesome mate ;-D
Sorry about the testing, no can do (wrong)
Quoting myself: Good games must be played as a 100% gamer, 0% developer (laugh)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Mon 25/01/2016 16:28:40
The trailers look awesome! Man, am I excited about this game! ;-D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Gurok on Mon 25/01/2016 16:35:01
I had a dream about this game the other day. I dreamt that there was an organic greengrocer who was closed-minded and also wanted his staff to be "100% organic" (100% human). I don't know what this means. Just sharing it. And needless to say, I love this game's setting and think about it a lot.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Sslaxx on Mon 25/01/2016 16:45:36
Quote from: Gurok on Mon 25/01/2016 16:35:01
I had a dream about this game the other day. I dreamt that there was an organic greengrocer who was closed-minded and also wanted his staff to be "100% organic" (100% human). I don't know what this means. Just sharing it. And needless to say, I love this game's setting and think about it a lot.
It means you could also do gags about "no GMOs"!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 25/01/2016 21:58:31
Thanks guys!

@AnasAbdin: I understand :)

@Gurok: Fascinating... And amazed that the game has entered your dreams without yet being released!  Hopefully it will live up to the hype produced by one's subconscious! :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Tue 26/01/2016 20:01:29
(http://i.imgur.com/NCixzTj.gif)

God creates man.  Man is banished from Eden.  Man creates Machine.  Machine creates Eden.

Tentatively calling this guy, "God's Gardener."
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 30/01/2016 22:07:56
(http://i.imgur.com/ei8ix5A.jpg)

This is the future if we don't elect Bernie Sanders in the US.

(Click for MASSIVE panoramic artwork) (http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/Coastlandia.png)

In a brief update, Neofeud is coming along as fast and well as humanly possible!  Testers CassieBSG, selmiak, Frikker, Mandle(?) and Sslaxx are on the job and doing their best to shine the (hopeful) gem of this dystopic p-n-c adventure. 

This most recent screengrab might be one of the best-distilled descriptions of the spirit of Neofeud.  Maybe I'll need to throw a robot in there somewhere and call it the box-cover, printed up glossy and mailed for top-tier Kickstarters. ( In a potential future Kickstarter :) )
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Wed 03/02/2016 08:25:46
(http://i.imgur.com/0Kn3v5c.png)

Detective Hoyt, DEA, futurecop.  Scopin' the arcade for delinquent punks, Footclan recruits, and John Connor.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 07/02/2016 06:13:04
(http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/ArcadeFight.png)

Yes, Neofeud has honest-to-Fox-Moulder aliens.  Maybe.  It's classified.

Other news: if anyone is interested in some voice acting, send me a message! 
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 14/02/2016 03:53:30
Time to hack the uplink to the download.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CbJWt-cUMAA-PGe.jpg:large)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 15/02/2016 22:49:58
(http://i.imgur.com/woJZ1Fk.gif)

Neofeud now contains 1.21% more time travel.

Testing and voice acting auditions continue!  Feel free to drop me a line if you're interested!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Mathias on Tue 16/02/2016 18:21:06
If you still have the timetravel animation in layers - I'd like to suggest to cut out quite a few frames out of the pinch effects ending when the view goes back to normal. At the moment it looks like a perfectly even curve. In my opinion the animation would benefit from more of a snap in the end there - making the later section of the curve steeper if that makes any sense. You could achieve this by increasingly taking out frames towards the ending where the background goes back to normal. Keep up the good work.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Tue 16/02/2016 20:36:11
Hm, I see what you're getting out, like pulling the surface of a balloon out and then letting go (except the balloon is the fabric of spacetime, hehe).  This isn't actually the final animation at any rate, it will actually be longer in game as this is a particularly epic and pivotal scene altogether.  Thanks for the suggestion, Mathias!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Thu 18/02/2016 08:41:07
(http://i.imgur.com/wM1JOS0.png)

I give you Princess Sybil Clington-Busch The First.  Daughter of Warren Clington-Busch III, Transplanetary Emperor and Chief Executive Officer of the Clington Busch Corporate Dynasty, whom through subsidiary corporate/state entities has been estimated by Forbes to be the single most powerful individual in the Orion Arm.  Princess Sybil enjoys long walks on the Arcologically preserved Hawaiian beach, cosplaying with cloned transhuman bodies at Comic Cons, and running multinational NGOs to save the climate, the 99%, and non-human transgenics and machine people, despite repeated and epic failure to do so. 

Oh, and she really, really hates it when anyone attributes her multiple Grammy Awards, Academy Awards, Most Beautiful Person, two Nobel Prizes (despite never actually saving anyone/thing) and other successes to her Neofeudal birthright, and especially when anyone compares her to her sell-out over-calculating politician of a mother, Queen Hellery Clington.

Here's a little excerpt of Neofeud dialog I'm considering converting into the official trailer.

Proto-J: "Ok, ok, Mizz royal thang over here, Leeloo or Princess Leia or whatevs-"
Sybil: "Princess Sybil Clington-Busch, actually, but just Sybil is fine.  We don't need labels, right?"
Proto-J: "Ok.  So, your worshipfulness, just what the flack is going on up in this bitch?  Who the flack is that masked Zoro-lookin' nigga?  What are we doing in this flying car Back to the Future ride-"
Sybil: "Space-Time Craft.  The technical term is a long achronym I can't remember but it involves quantum mechanics and makes my brain hurt.  I'm begrudgingly a media personality, a recovering politician, and an aspiring-revolutionary, but I'm no neurophysicist.  I suck at math, to be honest.  Got kicked out of a couple Martian boarding schools."
Carbon: "I'm sorry, ah, Miss Sybil.  You'll have to excuse my teenage associate's manners here, he's never crossed paths with legitimate Neofeudal royalty before." 
Carbon: "Princess Sybil Clington-Busch... You're the daughter of Warren Clington-Busch, correct?  Head of Clington-Busch Corporation?"
Sybil: "Ok, ok.  You don't need to bow down or anything.  Yes, daddy basically owns half of Earth and the rest of the solar system, a quadrillion in net worth, etcetera..  I've been trying to get out from his shadow my whole life.  I don't want what we're doing here to be tainted by my royal family.  And it's Sybil, ok?"
Carbon: "I'm sorry if I offended you Princess- ah, Sybil."
Sybil: "And stop apologizing!"

Princess Sybil also makes crossover appearances in a couple Neofeud-Universe short stories "Superposition" (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=52578.msg636519584#msg636519584)  and the more canonical (i.e. actually published) "Proto-J" (http://www.mythaxis.co.uk/5issuev16.htm)

(http://i.imgur.com/RMFs6NS.png)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Thu 18/02/2016 09:17:38
She sounds like a great character. Everything is better with princesses! ;-D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Fri 19/02/2016 00:16:35
@Blondbraid: Exactly!  And how can you have Neofeudalism without royalty?!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Fri 19/02/2016 00:27:30
Yes, I saw the thread in Critic's lounge, it will be most exciting to see how the character will turn out!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Mathias on Fri 19/02/2016 12:43:15
Quote from: SilverSpook on Tue 16/02/2016 20:36:11
Hm, I see what you're getting out, like pulling the surface of a balloon out and then letting go (except the balloon is the fabric of spacetime, hehe).  This isn't actually the final animation at any rate, it will actually be longer in game as this is a particularly epic and pivotal scene altogether.  Thanks for the suggestion, Mathias!

The ballonpulling was a perfect example of what I was getting at :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Fri 26/02/2016 17:52:46
(http://i.imgur.com/wpB79SC.jpg)

Two pieces of good news to share.  Good News The First: Space/Time travel itself will be included as a game mechanic in Neofeud!

The other bonus: Donald Trump died of asphyxiation when his wig was flung into the air and landed in his mouth during a firing of the entire Republican Party.  JK lol.

I have recently run into a possibly extremely fortuitous employment opportunity as a co-author / ghostwriter (official job title in flux), for a potential science fiction novel.  This would cover the need to hard-terminate the dev cycle on Neofeud and ship that game in March, covered in e-Duct Tape and crawling with more bugs than Mr. Boogie Woogie from NBC.  It's my brain-baby, and I hate to induce labor in the early 3rd trimester because electric / WiFi bills and Uber pays shit.

Even if this new freelance wordsmith job saps eight hours of my daily brain cycles, it would allow indefinite extension of the game dev time as the regular G-Man programmer or bank quant or Walter White-esque High School Math teacher job I would've had to begrudgingly sentence myself to might not be necessary for the forseable future.  Fuck dayjobs, bitch! I'm straight breaking bad, breaking literary sci-fi bad, in my underwear.  It's my empire!  I Am The One Who Types!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Rocchinator on Fri 26/02/2016 18:46:08
Lol [emoji1] congrats pal!  Thats huge. Keep up the good work!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Sat 27/02/2016 07:17:19
New game mechanic sounds awesome :-D
Good luck man, you have a rich mind for sci fi and deserve the best 8-)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Sat 27/02/2016 10:29:06
Good luck! The latest screenshot looks gorgeous, can't wait for this game! ;-D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 28/02/2016 05:48:38
Thanks guys!  Because of this development life extension, I'm going to be holding off a bit on the voice acting and the release will probably be pushed back a bit so that Neofeud can be a more complete game that it should be. 

I will be keeping all of the auditions on file though!  Thanks to all who did audition for parts and I am still on the lookout for potential voice actors and actresses!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 29/02/2016 22:53:58
Oh, and in case anyone is interested in learning more about the world of Neofeud, my story, The Cospauper (http://www.mythaxis.co.uk/2issuev17.htm) has been published in the latest Mythaxis Magazine.  It's a short story set in the Neofeud future.

Fortnightly Writing Competition folks might remember this one from the "Archer" competition (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=52676.msg636521931#msg636521931), last Fall. ;)

(http://i.imgur.com/kzVq7br.png?1) (http://www.mythaxis.co.uk/2issuev17.htm)

(My illustration of Gem Roguestar, from the story)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 05/03/2016 22:38:13
(http://i.imgur.com/9908inA.jpg)

Junkyard revolution!

Quick update on progress: I am going to be officially rescheduling the release of Neofeud to "TBA" given my present situation with angel-investors flocking in to help fund the project.  My Neofeudal patrons have enabled an extension of development beyond March 2016, and so I will be increasing not only the total length of the game, but the completeness and buglessness, and general goodness of Neofeud with the added time.

At 1366 resolution, everything takes at least twice as long to build, but hopefully, the end-product will be exponentially as epic, in that Silver-Screen sense.  Not to blow my own golden trumpet but I think Neofeud does have that Star Wars / Blade Runner "We have never scene this before" edge to it, coupled with a Breaking-Bad kick-to-the-head storyline, and I think it needs that extra hundreds, thousand hours of love to reach its full potential.

Go big or go home!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Sat 05/03/2016 23:58:24
Good, cause I was fearing that March2016 would not do justice to the game. (nod)
looking good, keep up the good work, and a new build soon. ;)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 07/03/2016 03:33:28
Thanks Cassie, stay tuned for the new build!

(http://i.imgur.com/pC8IvNy.gif)

Spent all weekend on this and boy are my eyes tired!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Danvzare on Mon 07/03/2016 11:08:04
Ooh, very impressive.
I can only imagine how beautiful the whole game will look, if everything is animated as good as that.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Tue 08/03/2016 06:20:28
Thanks Danvzare.  :)

I try my best to get everything up to the standard of that animation.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Fri 11/03/2016 20:24:16
(http://i.imgur.com/HCRvSB0.png)

The in-game father of Artificial Intelligence and solver of the Hard Problem of Consciousness.  Oh, and the meaning of life, the universe, and also kicked time-travel in his sleep.

Of course, being reality and not Gary-Stu sci-fi happyland, Noah Goertzel lost his tenure, had all his research stolen from him by an asshat businessman, and had to take a public high school teaching job to make rent.  He may or may not be doing some "alternative economy" work in his off-hours to supplement his income.  And I'm not talking about driving uber.

(http://i.imgur.com/SVuqJYa.png)

He may or may not be distantly, in a galaxy far-far-away, related to Roy Batty.  Roy Batty and Christopher Walken secretly eloped and had a vat-baby.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Fri 11/03/2016 21:04:12
Wow, sounds like a real fascinating character, I'm already curious to know more about him and how he will fit into the story! ;-D

QuoteNoah Goertzel lost his tenure, had all his research stolen from him by an asshat businessman, and had to take a public high school teaching job to make rent.  He may or may not be doing some "alternative economy" work in his off-hours to supplement his income.  And I'm not talking about driving uber.
That, and the yellow jumpsuit, a reference to Breaking Bad? ;)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Fri 11/03/2016 21:10:01
Hehe, I can neither confirm nor deny this suggestions, sir.  :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 13/03/2016 06:20:22
(http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/output_Vs7sLQ.gif)

The Artist, Re-Animated.

"The philosopher Jean Beaudrillard once said, 'The sad thing about artificial intelligence is that it lacks artifice, and therefore intelligence'.  I was designed to be the portrait of the artist," --intentionally convoluted quote from the creepy dude.

If only I had a transhuman manticore/Hindu God to hammer out these animations.  Perhaps when I get the big tax refund.

Boss fight against him will be a #huesday digital arting-jam.  May the best pixel artist win.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Slasher on Sun 13/03/2016 08:31:21
i would not fancy my chances fighting that thing (laugh)

good luck with the project.

Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Wed 16/03/2016 22:00:10
Working on future telephony and assorted gadgetry.  I need to stop watching The Expanse or every manufactured object is going to turn out to be transparent and octagonal.

(http://i.imgur.com/K9qNYs3.png)

CARBON: "Damn, it's got a quantral-encphalograph lock.  The only way to open this phone is by brain-scan."
SIX BILLION DOLLAR BALLER: "Easy peasy, dog.  We just scoop up the doctor's brain jello, stuff it back in him brainpan like Thanksgiving turkey, then scan his head."
CARBON: "A.) 'That's flakkin' disgusting.  B.) The brain needs to be in its *original* condition, not a bunch of scrambled eggs.  And most importantly, C.) The consciousness scan requires you be alive and awake and 'conscious', since the scanner reads electrical brain activity."

Also, I'll take my 20% royalties, Apple, when this comes out on the i-Thing 8.  :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 21/03/2016 02:03:33
(http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/EmergencyUnlock.png)

The Privacy Wars are heating up in 2033, and the Googlapplefacebookamazon Megaglomerate is sure winning!

Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Mon 21/03/2016 16:38:13
Oh, pretty... (nod)
When a new build? rather see that in game.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 21/03/2016 23:42:30
Thanks Cassie, I'll get a new build to you in.the hopefully near future :) 
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Frikker on Tue 22/03/2016 23:15:28
ooh ooh! Me too!! :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Wed 23/03/2016 18:26:26
I love the new images specially the phone (laugh)

Guess what?
Spoiler

'N' doesn't unlock it!
(http://i.imgur.com/HF3XDLe.jpg)
[close]
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Frikker on Wed 23/03/2016 23:31:23
Anas! try the symbol on the badass looking guys face on the previous page :wink:
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Thu 24/03/2016 06:20:38
@Anas: Haha!  Nice work there.  Yeah, the symbol on the Dark City-looking guy's face is an Aleph, technically.

Actually though, the unlock pattern is a ten-plus constellation formation of those stars.  One of the beta tester's most common complaints was a lack of difficult puzzles.  So good luck with those 1.34 trillion possible permutations.  :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 27/03/2016 07:27:24
(http://i.imgur.com/Mg4Favl.jpg)

300-Foot, 250-person luxury Zep-yacht with built-in superintelligence-run drone-airforce and missile defense system: 2.3 billion dollars.

Private Geosynchronous Sky-Island with android-maintained self-irrigating golf-course, 10 spas, zero-G racketball room, V-MAX VR movie theater and 300 million square feet of premium office space: 10.6 billion dollars.

Shaking hands with Chief-Executive-Monarch Warren Clington Busch of the largest Transplanetary Empire and knowing he has your back: PRICELESS*

(*Infinity Dollars)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Sun 27/03/2016 08:08:56
Man your massive backgrounds are.. massive  8-0
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Sun 27/03/2016 09:58:53
A very beautiful background. Such detail! 8-0
And it really does a great job portraying what kind of society the game takes place in!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Danvzare on Sun 27/03/2016 13:13:35
Ooh, nice!
I love the contrasting nature between the top and bottom. :-D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Sun 27/03/2016 15:14:03
I'll add myself to the choir! 8-0(nod)

One thing though, the ship's name!
Spoiler

Could you try and hand paint the name (or blend/blur the text with the tail) instead of plaster a perfect text on it? Seems to me it clashes with the rest of the art, and calls to much attention to it self.
[close]
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Fitz on Sun 27/03/2016 20:50:29
I love all the various nods to sci-fi here -- starting with the first impression that immediately makes me think of Elysium, to that floating city in the distance to the right, with such classic twisty architecture (reminiscent of ice-cream cones) and buildings made of glass (I think).
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: selmiak on Sun 27/03/2016 20:50:49
this is pretty awesome! :-D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Tue 29/03/2016 09:21:44
Thanks all for your kind mouth words. 

@Fitz: A lot of intentional Elysium-ishness in there.  I have a lot of references to the inequality in the future, but I really needed to hammer it home, the absolute absence of a middle class, with extremes at either end of the economic spectrum.  Unimaginable wealth RIGHT ON TOP of atrocious poverty, all in a single impactful image.  I was going to add a Marie-Antoinette throwing brioche cake over the edge, lounging in a gold-trimmed Limo, but I figured that might be a bit over the top.  :) 

Elysium was almost criminally underrated for the degree of relevance and prescience embedded in the world.  Lightyears ahead of its time. 

It's ridiculous how great movies and great ideas and great art in general get dismissed and frowned upon just because of a few plot issues or it wasn't 'serious' or 'too much effects' or not enough 'something' to be applauded.  Mostly I think people make up excuses not to like things that make them uncomfortable.  But art is not there to make you comfortable, if it's worth anything.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Fitz on Tue 29/03/2016 11:24:31
I liked Elysium a lot. I enjoyed the ideas, even if the execution was a bit over the top in places (the cosmic bazooka). I love me some camp -- and I'm definitely a fan of stark visual contrasts. It definitely made me think of Metropolis, which made brilliant use of symbolism.
I also saw eXistenZ again last week. One of my favorite movies questioning the nature of reality, right up there with Dark City, The 13th Floor and Inception. Would love to see Strange Days, too.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 03/04/2016 01:35:04
(http://i.imgur.com/Y1MtUnX.gif)

Neofeud takes the post-trigger-warning, post-social-justice-wars, "raising consciousness" concept to the next level. 

Or alternate title: Google-Apple-Amazon-Facebook-Microsoft's spymaster, master node, and future Job Destroyer In Chief.  AKA Andrew Keen's nightmares made manifest.  Sorry, I can't give you any more details until you sign an NDA and agree to give SilverSpook Games sole, exclusive proprietorship of all your past, present, and future Windows 10 keystrokes, iPad tablet swipes, bank accounts, health care records, email contents, twitter post archive, Facebook metadata, retail/online shopping habbits, AGS game source codes, photos, videos, search history, driving record, voting record, GPS lifemap, genome sequence, parental rights, citizenship rights, EEG thought-patterns (as detected by Siri, Cortana, or VR-brain interfaces), and witty internet post repostes.

And if you don't agree, then you are Against Technology (tm) and an immoral oldhat Luddite Dinosaur who deserves to go extinct.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 09/04/2016 14:56:01
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CfmtLiyUYAEzGfP.jpg:large)

Future CEO office.  Everything levitates, reflects, is a 70's sci-fi setpiece designed by a San Diego Starchitect who didn't make the Star Wars team, got turned into Sharper Image surplus and bought up by Tom Haverford.  20th-cen American douche-gothic.  That's the way I imagined it anyway.  :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Fitz on Sat 09/04/2016 16:55:57
That is one pretty Skynet right there.

And I want that furniture kinda in my workplace. Not sure if it'd make me hate it less, but damn, I'd look badass sitting in that chair!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: selmiak on Sat 09/04/2016 16:59:03
cool. You know what would be even cooler? If the water from the pool would also be levitating in the room...
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Sat 09/04/2016 22:33:01
It's a beautiful, beautiful contrast against the rusty, grimy slums in the previous screenshots!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 10/04/2016 03:26:34
@selmiak: re: levitating water: Genius!  Sold, levitating Jacuzzi it is.

@Fitz: Expect the Neofeud: High Corporate line of luxury furniture products next time you open up Skymall on your LAX-JFK flight.

@Blondbraid: Thank you sir!  Yes, that is the nail on the head: I'm trying to give maximal contrast to the Blomkampian shanties, rust, makeshiftness, patchwork, and general squalor of the "Low City".  The future was The Best of Times and it was The Worst of Times.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Sun 10/04/2016 13:48:30
If this was my work place.. I'd AGS at work 8-)...while in the pool (laugh)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 16/04/2016 19:37:43
Lol, nice.  Yes, I'm ordering one of those once I rake in my first million.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Thu 21/04/2016 14:22:31
(http://i.imgur.com/HnvRNLA.png)

Working on the female version of the corporate executive-type that inhabits the flying crystalline future-cities.

Yes, she is intentionally ultra-blonde, blue eyed, and tall.  Eugenics is a thing in this dystopia.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Fitz on Thu 21/04/2016 21:05:07
You mean eugenics replaced hydrogen peroxide hair treatment? 8-0
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Fri 22/04/2016 09:27:42
Absolutely!  Why bother with toxic chemicals when you can just reincarnate!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Fri 22/04/2016 16:59:56
The fashion designer in me has to pop out :-D Necklace dude, give her a necklace!
Great work 8-)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 23/04/2016 07:38:18
Yeah, as I mentioned in the critic's lounge, you're absolutely correct about the necklace!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 30/04/2016 04:48:43
(http://i.imgur.com/iRG3JTS.png) (http://media.indiedb.com/cache/images/games/1/36/35501/thumb_620x2000/The_Televised_Prince_V2.jpg) (http://i.imgur.com/Ulgl5x8.png) (http://i.imgur.com/ihRDCQo.gif) (http://i.imgur.com/NVocLHH.png) (http://i.imgur.com/QyghJMC.gif)

Forbes 2030 Shortlist.

in the game of Neofeud, you win or you die.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Fitz on Sat 30/04/2016 08:42:46
That first guy... Is that a unibrow or a frown? Not judging, perhaps it's all the rage in the furutistic, genetically enhanced society? ;)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Sat 30/04/2016 13:17:09
Fabulous! ;-D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 30/04/2016 20:57:46
Quote from: Fitz on Sat 30/04/2016 08:42:46
That first guy... Is that a unibrow or a frown? Not judging, perhaps it's all the rage in the furutistic, genetically enhanced society? ;)

That's his board room war-face, man!  :)

@Blondbraid: Thanks!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 08/05/2016 12:30:31
(http://i.imgur.com/zgh2da2.gif) (http://i.imgur.com/I6pDXmK.png) (http://i.imgur.com/P18QEZQ.gif)

Even CEOs, Presidents, and Popes bow and curtsy before Clington-Busch Royals.

Neofeud:

Making The Future Great Again.

Win, Win, Win!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Sun 08/05/2016 12:37:55
Damn, it looks painful to be her. (laugh)

Nice job! (nod)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Sun 08/05/2016 15:39:49
It feels like you managed to summarize the whole power-structure in a single GIF, I'm impressed! 8-)
The Neofeud world just keeps getting more interesting the more I read it seems...(roll)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: CrashPL on Sun 08/05/2016 20:02:42
Quote from: Blondbraid on Sun 08/05/2016 15:39:49
The Neofeud world just keeps getting more interesting the more I read it seems...(roll)

Seconded. :D Since I'm really digging that kind of futuristic stuff, Neofeud hits all the rights notes for me!
Nice animations SilverSpook. :) Keep'em coming!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 09/05/2016 06:42:36
@CrashPL: Thanks, and I surely will!  Still have a bit more of the "High City" characters to flesh out. :)

@Blongbraid: I'm glad that the 'way of things' in the Neofeudal future is illustrated.

@Cassiebsg: Oh yes, it's quite the chore, being Princess of Coastlandia.  A lot of angst there.  :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 09/05/2016 23:47:16
Well since there was a request for more animations:

(http://i.imgur.com/sH0AY7H.gif)

She knows how to work it!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Thu 19/05/2016 23:50:46
Futuretainment 720 presents,

a Disney-Warner Bros-Exxon-Nabisco production.

Introducing, the Dolsace Vidi-Vici.

(http://i.imgur.com/VnyjvsI.gif)

'Welcome to your Dolsace 'Vidi-Vici' executive desk. The Vidi-Vici uses the latest nano and quantech to dynamically reconstitute its outer panels and drawers to virtually any imaginable geometry from any imaginable material -- wood, glass, steel, even velvet or fur.'

'Disciplining an unruly employee? Project stern authority with a serious mahogany finish.  Meeting with a hip Millenial tech-magnate? Upgrade to 'iPod beige' minimalist complete with built-in outlets for that boost of geek-cred.'

'A 'special visit' from a fashion-forward megaceleb?  Go for the 'Crystal Hologram' setting and start a laser-light party for two.  With the Dolsace Vidi-Vici, all the world's fame, fortune, and power is at your fingertips.  Dolsace: Don't just be on-point.  Be THE point.'
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Mandle on Fri 20/05/2016 06:14:46
Now THAT is freakin' impressive!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Fri 20/05/2016 12:05:46
Cool!
Will there be a puzzle where you have to change the furniture settings? :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Fri 20/05/2016 15:02:16
Yes, there will be furniture-related gameplay :)

@Mandle: Thanks!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Fri 20/05/2016 17:08:38
Quote from: SilverSpook on Fri 20/05/2016 15:02:16
Yes, there will be furniture-related gameplay :)
How fun, I can only imagine what it will be used for! ;-D
Anyway, just read this: http://www.cracked.com/blog/25-prom-dresses-that-say-my-dad-owns-moon/
And immediately came to think of a certain character of yours... (roll)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Fri 20/05/2016 21:19:52
Own the moon!?  That's ridiculous!  Her dad own's three *gas giants* and all the *Galilean* moons!  The sun-sucking multi-planet-destroying Death Star is under construction on Mercury -- so no one better make any mean snarky internet meme-list thingies about how rich she is, OR ELSE!!! ;)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Tue 31/05/2016 06:36:36
(http://i.imgur.com/YOYcZ1d.jpg)

Posthuman Eugenics Studies

"The Golem Project has been activated.  Rollout will be finalized within the week."

"And the prototypes?"

"We have the United Metropoli on a tight leash.  The Defectives will be disposed of."

"I don't see why we must treat them this way…"

"They're not people.  Anthropomorphism is counter-productive."

"What about the temporal dislocation?  The continuum liabilities-"

"An unfortunate oversight, being rectified as we speak."

"Media hasn't yet implemented monetization, how can we-"

"Time is of the essence.  Our competitors will solve the Hard Problem soon."

"We can always manufacture more time."

"You still don't understand?  The human species is primed, we won't get another chance."

"Singularity happens but once.  The Kingdom of Heaven open for an instant to the chosen few."

"Or perhaps we are Prometheus, moths to flame."

"The bugs will be burnt, indeed.  The defective prototypes recycled.  There are no errors in Paradise."

(Cut to thousands of screams in the dark)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Wed 01/06/2016 14:59:12
Most intriguing, sounds like quite a brave new world!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Thu 02/06/2016 02:01:59
Thanks man!  It is very Aldous Huxley-ish in Neofeud, that's for sure!

Also, in other excellent news, I just created a Patreon site for Neofeud, (https://www.patreon.com/neofeud?)! Have a look and consider becoming a Neofeudal Patron! 

If you become a Neofeudal Royal Patron, you will be immortalized as a character in the game, with a few lines of dialog!

I will also personally paint your portrait, which will be added to the wall of a palace throne room in-game! The portrait will also be in the credits and displayed on the website. 

Yes, your very own visage, painted by your personal artist, my lord or lady, like Michelangelo himself! (Although I draw the line at lying on my back on the inside of a chapel!)

Keep in mind, these perks are only available now! Once the game launches, these awards go away.  So if you were planning to buy the game anyway, why not get some of these extra bonuses?

(https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/patreon.posts/8382090477192871083.png)
(http://media.indiedb.com/cache/images/games/1/36/35501/thumb_620x2000/StannistonSisWIP.jpg)(http://media.indiedb.com/cache/images/games/1/36/35501/thumb_620x2000/Drake3Back.jpg)
(http://media.indiedb.com/cache/images/games/1/36/35501/thumb_620x2000/OminousNemesisWIPSmall.png) (https://www.patreon.com/neofeud?)

Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 05/06/2016 03:40:30
(http://i.imgur.com/TCUgofM.jpg)

Neofeud:  a 90's adventure game, hostile takeover of the present. Help us get this game finished at our new Patreon site! (https://www.patreon.com/neofeud?ty=h)

(http://i.imgur.com/EumdmPW.gif)

Renowned for its uses in coup d'etats of liberal progressive democracies across the world, the CJ-74 Archangel manned/unmanned attack drone AKA 'The Overthrower' is the final word in over-the-top firepower and military-industrial overreach. Manufactured by the Coch-Jobbs military dynasty, it was used to put down anti-authoritarian populist uprisings uniting human, robot, and transgenic resistance movements with deadly efficacy.

Its GX-M235 miniguns will tear through even the toughest of bullet proof armors and humanoid warbot chassis, and its thermion-tipped usurper missiles will clear any skyscraper board room or palace hall of your rival Neofeudal lords and ladies. The Overthrower is sure to leave undesired rulers dead, and their thrones, real estate, resources, and women, ripe for the taking.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Sun 05/06/2016 09:11:54
Looking awesome! (nod) 8-0 (nod)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Frikker on Sun 05/06/2016 23:43:22
Wow , I love that CJ-74 , its a really cool design. Would love to model that in Blender :)
Great job , loving All the updates bud :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 06/06/2016 11:22:05
Thanks Cassie and Frikker :) 

Re: CJ-74: Haha, yeah that would be pretty cool. I kind of wanted it to give off that U.S. black ops military vibe, but maybe a design ten or fifteen years from now.  I also like how it kind of has the silhouette of a shark at first glance :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Mon 06/06/2016 17:49:59
Quote from: SilverSpook on Mon 06/06/2016 11:22:05
I also like how it kind of has the silhouette of a shark at first glance :)
I never thought of it until you pointed it out, but now I can't unsee it! 8-0
It looks like sort of a blend between a skeletal shark and a vulture to me,
a really cool design.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 12/06/2016 02:57:21
(http://i.imgur.com/BTdWEC1.png)

"Do you smell that, Charlie? It's 'Nam, 1974. Iraq in 2006. Worked again, in the 2nd Dresden Firebombing of 2026. We burned the leftist uprising right out of Germany. Put down the sentient machine riots in Coastlandia. 

"You did good, Charlie, but now it's time for the scorched Earth, son! Here come-a the whirlwind, yeehaw!"
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Tue 14/06/2016 20:42:07
I love the smell of pop-cultural references in the morning! (laugh)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Wed 15/06/2016 10:42:10
References!? I git yer references right 'ere! :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 03/07/2016 02:22:08
(http://i.imgur.com/9cNhtGu.jpg)

1st portrait for Neofeud patrons @minxilla (https://twitter.com/minxilla)! Thanks again! It took several hours, but it is, I dare say, majestic!  Now to get this framed up in the ancestral hall of the royal Neofeudal family... :)

Consider backing Neofeud at the Neofeud Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/neofeud) site and you could get your own portrait like this one, and have it added to the game, on top of many other perks :)  I'm also capable of painting you as a robot overlord, a Singularity posthuman, a Splice-esque chimera, or something else if you so chose.  Your wish is my command, m'lord/lady :)

Well I have just finished ghostwriting my first novelly thingy and am painting portraits like MF (Michelangelo / Francisco Goya).  Also, I may possibly be in a digital artists booth at the Honolulu Comic Con coming up at the end of July, which is cool!

Oh and that game, what's it called... Neofeud? Yeah, it's still in development. A lot of skillets on the stove, man! (Or a lot of chimichangas in the micro, as it occurs when you're working like crazy.)

Some progress notes for the past month though:

-Appx an hour of gameplay added
-Climactic Matrix-esque skyscraper scene completed -- chainguns into immense pains of Board Room glass, reconstituting T-2000-esque Agent Smith-likes, a fifty million dollar Apache helicopter exploding (Fifty million in hyperinflated 2030 dollars hehe), and much more
-Three new patrons, with two kicking in at nearly the highest tier -- and receiving custom royal portraits hand-painted by yours truly.
-Appx 3000 words of dialog and 300 lines of code and gameplay scripting added.

All in all, a good month, considering I also have a dayjob, a wife, and two kids to take care of.  I've almost kicked cloning myself, I just need to reverse engineer the Orphan Black Season 4 finale scene and I'll have lots of Silverspooks.  A multiplicity of selves to do all of the many gamedev, familydev, artdev, bookdev, and various other ventures, rather than cultivating a latent, mostly benign form of schizophrenia in order to juggle it all.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Gurok on Sun 03/07/2016 02:57:07
Quote from: SilverSpook on Sun 03/07/2016 02:22:08
All in all, a good month, considering I also have a dayjob, a wife, and two kids to take care of.  I've almost kicked cloning myself, I just need to reverse engineer the Orphan Black Season 4 finale scene and I'll have lots of Silverspooks.  A multiplicity of selves to do all of the many gamedev, familydev, artdev, bookdev, and various other ventures, rather than cultivating a latent, mostly benign form of schizophrenia in order to juggle it all.

That sounds like that film, Multiplicity.

Good to get an update from you. Keep at it!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Sun 03/07/2016 06:52:25
Quote from: SilverSpook on Sun 03/07/2016 02:22:08
I'm also capable of painting you as a robot overlord, a Singularity posthuman, a Splice-esque chimera, or something else if you so chose.  Your wish is my command, m'lord/lady :)

Go on...  (nod)

Quote from: SilverSpook on Sun 03/07/2016 02:22:08
-Appx an hour of gameplay added
-Climactic Matrix-esque skyscraper scene completed -- chainguns into immense pains of Board Room glass, reconstituting T-2000-esque Agent Smith-likes, a fifty million dollar Apache helicopter exploding (Fifty million in hyperinflated 2030 dollars hehe), and much more
-Three new patrons, with two kicking in at nearly the highest tier -- and receiving custom royal portraits hand-painted by yours truly.
-Appx 3000 words of dialog and 300 lines of code and gameplay scripting added.

That's great progress in a month  (laugh)
great portraits man!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 03/07/2016 08:19:50
@Gurok: Yes, I'm *exactly* like that film Multiplicity!

@AnasAbdin: Thanks man, and I think you'd look pretty good as a Singularity, if I don't say so myself. You've really got the bone structure for it... hehe :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 10/07/2016 07:45:53
(http://i.imgur.com/r4dDzxv.png)

Another portrait for one of my Neofeud patrons.  They specifically requested to look like 'Sun Wukong' the Chinese mythological Monkey King, when I asked them what sort of royalty, fictional or non-fictional they identified with- which explains the animalistic surplus of facial hair :)

If you were planning to buy Neofeud when it comes out and want a portrait of yourself, just to have, and be added to the game, then considering backing Neofeud (https://www.patreon.com/neofeud) at the $20 level, and not only will you get the game for free, you'll get painted by me, in the style of your choice, and added to the game.

But you will have to act now if you want this deal, because this offer won't last beyond the release date of Neofeud- possibly earlier since I'm getting flooded with portrait requests of late!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Sun 10/07/2016 13:03:46
Nice!!!!!! (nod)(nod)(nod)

Think though, it would look a bit better if he looked down a bit. That would imply he's in a higher position that the "pleb" when they need to look up to him. ;)

Otherwise, don't change anything it's perfect! (nod)(nod)(nod)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Danvzare on Sun 10/07/2016 13:19:51
Looks more like a dwarf from a high fantasy setting than a monkey king.
Still epic looking though. :-D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 11/07/2016 02:44:15
Yeah he's more 'inspired by' than anything directly lifted. :) 
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 16/07/2016 21:20:35
(http://i.imgur.com/tdnr8zx.png)

Neofeud game scene, inspired by mass-dumping of refugees and poor into places to forget about them.


Workin on one more Neofeud portrait.  Get yours soon, because I think I'm going to be altering my Patreon rewards regarding the portrait once I finish the game. (Can't really add more paintings to the palace walls after game is shipped! Hehe)

https://www.patreon.com/neofeud

Other than that, I have been trying to work as hard and fast as possible since there are only two more weeks of summer 'downtime' and things get more crazy dayjob-wise again.  I'm aiming to finish all art and programming stuff over the next couple of weeks.  Minxilla has been helping with soundtrack which is huge, and after that the next biggest mountain is getting the voice acting and then finally testing.

Praying to all the deities and mojo providers that there are no major SNAFUs between here and there.

In addition, my Science-Tech-Engineering-Math afterschool program for low-income kiddos is moving into an actual inner-city public school which will make it easier to serve the kids.  Pretty much the entire school is 'free lunch qualifier' and about half are immigrants, so we're really going to hit the target demographic here, and hopefully get them at least marginally better prepared to enter the future filled with robotics and creative-class activity.  It's actually somewhat frightening going to some of the meetings around here.  The 'get ahead!' program charges parents an arm and a leg and just does babysitting, no homework help.  We're free for all income levels, make sure kids get homework done, and have robotics teams / programming / various STEM curricula.  The biggest complaint from the 'paid babysitting' program was, 'you guys can't be in here, because then we might not be able to charge parents who can barely afford food hundreds of dollars just to hang out on our phones till they get off their third job to pick up kids!'  They actually wanted us not to advertise, and to make it so parents have to come 'through their program', have kids filter out into ours, and then go back to the babysitters at the end of the day.

Thankfully my boss was not having that.

So yes, all of Neofeud is largely inspired by my RL.  Lol, but also not so lol.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Sat 16/07/2016 22:16:21
Breath taking! 8-0
Both the picture and the RL story.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Danvzare on Sun 17/07/2016 09:13:14
I love that background., it reminds me a bit of Deponia, but only because the floor is an ocean of trash. :-D

Also, is that a Delorean I see?
Does it time travel?
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 17/07/2016 09:22:30
@Cassie: Thanks, there will be more testing soon.  I want to get it all done first though, now that I have time and can focus.

@Danvzare: Nice catch: yes it's a Delorean.  Time travel, and altering the past / future itself will be a game mechanic in Neofeud, although the actual functioning time machine is not the Delorean.  The old junked "Back to the Future" car is kind of a tongue-in-cheek joke in the Neofeud world, actually:

"It's one of those last-gen time machines put out by Hypetech.  Way overhyped and failed to deliver, the Lloyd Model 7 timecraft only managed to slow time by 1/2 regular speed or fast forward reality 2x while inside."

"There was a mass recall after it was discovered the fusion batteries had a tendency to go critical mass on hot days in gridlock traffic, and drivers kept trying to 'overclock' the engine's Lux Gravitator, to fast-forward through rush hour, increasing nuclear meltdown incidents.  The Department of Transportation banned the timecrafts altogether after half of Seattle blew up in serial-mini-Hiroshimas during the Olympics of '28."
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Wed 20/07/2016 07:08:33
(http://i.imgur.com/IBhjSKg.jpgb)

I give you Chief Executive President of the Illuminati, Shadow Emperor of the Transglobal Federation and Master of the Earth-Interplanetary Union (EIU), Warren Clinton-Bush VII 
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Wed 20/07/2016 09:44:56
Oh, a Kiefer Sutherland clone... (laugh)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Danvzare on Wed 20/07/2016 11:12:39
That badge he's wearing, looks like something you'd get from a fanclub for twelve year olds. (laugh)
...
Now I can't help but imagining this guy as being some kind of man-baby.

I love the artwork, and especially those flags. More flags should have eyes on them in real life. (nod)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Wed 20/07/2016 11:35:09
Yeah, the fanclub is called, 'Yale-feeder Skull-n-Bones'.  They don't generally give out solid-gold ruby-inlaid merit badges in the boyscouts. :P

@Cassie: Kiefer Sutherland eh? He's put on some jawline since 24 it seems. :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Wed 20/07/2016 11:52:43
Hehehe, I think it's more the eyes and mouth shape that reminded me of him... ;)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Jack on Wed 20/07/2016 12:29:50
Fah, the Clinton-Bush bloodline is mere white trash compared to the House of Palin-Trump. ;)

Now there would be a character. Walker Palin-Trump, el Presidente of planet Earth and Supreme Chancellor of the Citadel of Geniouses. (sic)

Excellent piece.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Wed 20/07/2016 18:02:53
Wow, now that looks like a guy you sure don't mess around with! 8-)
I'm really glad to hear that all goes well with the game, I'm so excited to see it might get released soon! ;-D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Thu 21/07/2016 21:06:41
Thanks!  And yes, Neofeud will be coming soon.  Actually I'd like to drop around the same time as Deus Ex: Manking Divided and ride the wave of cyberpunk dystopia madness. :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 24/07/2016 00:20:03
(http://i.imgur.com/HCXC42v.jpg)

Into the Mind of God.

"Really, we need to go, now! We've seen your death in the future, and there's no time-"

"My boy, I have seen into the eye of Brahma as he blinked away fourteen billion years, our world wiped from the eye of God like a pale blue mote of dust in a teardrop."

"I assure you, there is always time."
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 25/07/2016 08:55:24
Woohoo!  Neofeud got onto Hardcore Gamer (http://www.hardcoregamer.com/2016/07/24/screenshot-saturday-featuring-trashomancer-life-is-hard-eleven-more/218086/)!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Mon 25/07/2016 13:10:33
8-0 Trippy, and beautiful at the same time!
Like a weird mix between tree-roots and nerves...
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Fri 29/07/2016 07:05:34
Thanks Blondbraid!

I like your description of tree roots and nerves -- didn't think of that till I read it.

Here's a fun musical track that's going into the Neofeud soundtrack inspired by the Escape from New York and Terminator soundtracks:

Escape From The 80's

(http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/mashstories-live/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Listen-to-Mash-Podcast-on-Soundcloud.png) (https://soundcloud.com/twilightminotaur/escapefromthe80s2)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Fri 29/07/2016 11:44:06
That sounds awesome! ;-D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 01/08/2016 11:17:09
Thanks man!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 06/08/2016 15:40:18
[embed=1020,630]http://youtu.be/VW3-skxPYAo[/embed]

A brand spanking new Neofeud trailer with tons more footage of the game!  Do check it out and share it around!  We're always looking for more potential patrons to help make Neofeud a reality.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Sat 06/08/2016 16:11:10
Looks awesome, love the dub-step music! Already shared it on facebook! ;-D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 06/08/2016 21:02:09
Thanks a ton, Blondbraid!  Yeah I'd like to get this shared around to anyone possibly interested, so thanks very much for your support!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: xil on Sat 06/08/2016 23:55:48
This is looking really good mate :) I can tell by watching the trailer that a TON of work has gone into it.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 08/08/2016 01:28:04
Thanks Xil!  Yes it's been a major undertaking but hopefully that will pay off soon!  I'm a big fan of the Calico Reverie games like I Am Jason, so that means a lot.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Fri 12/08/2016 02:42:17
(http://i.imgur.com/v60u4re.png)

Work in progress sneak peak of the latest and grandest piece of neofeudal architecture that's taking me a good week.  I think I've looked at every palace German, British, French, fantastical and science fictional known to Google Images and have settled finally on the style for the Clinton-Bush Dynasty / Trilateral / Illuminati / Bliderberg / EU headquarters.  Le Chateau D'Etat.  Coming soon, to a screenshotsaturday near you!  :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: selmiak on Fri 12/08/2016 14:54:11
nice! Though it totally annoys me that the flagpole isn't centered and in symmetry with the rest :P  ;-D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Fri 12/08/2016 16:56:56
Gotta agree with selmiak there, otherwise it looks great in a very rococo sort of way! :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Fri 12/08/2016 19:19:55
Come on guys! He said work in progress :P
...
..
..
SilverSpook, Move the friggin flag >:(
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Fri 12/08/2016 20:06:24
Thanks guys!

RE The flag: If I get to 5 Neofeud Patreon Patrons, I will 'move that friggin flag' to the center.  How's that sound?  :)

@Blondbraid: Yeah, I definitely watched me some Marie Antoinette here. :)  The princess character in Neofeud is actually loosely based on Kirstin Dunst's character in Sofia Coppola's film.  (spoiler alert: she gets her head chopped the **** off)

Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 13/08/2016 13:30:06
(http://i.imgur.com/zDSFNMl.jpg)

(http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/PalaceClose.png)

The Fulcrum: a palace levitating above a megalopolis hovering above mass slum sprawl.  Home of the 1% of the 1% of the 1%.

Click here for the ultra-huge, 3000-pixel-wide version. (http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/PalaceFar.png)Click the first pic for the ultra-huge, 3000-wide pixel version.

This took a week to paint, and now I have arthritis.  Now I know why Michelangelo almost quit the Sistine Chapel.

At any rate, I feel now, finally, Neofeud has at least visually lived up to the neofeudal name.  I was never happy with the initial sky-castle I made at the start of this project a year and a half ago.  But it's been a long and strange way back home, to that first image, and I feel my art skills have improved at least somewhat, and that first image would just be way out of place, especially given the importance of this particular, flagship scene.

Now I can rest.  For four hours. 

Then back to serfdom!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Sat 13/08/2016 14:26:55
8-0 8-0 8-0 8-0 (nod) 8-0 8-0 8-0 (nod)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: selmiak on Sat 13/08/2016 17:07:18
very much WOW! 8-0 :-D
Thanks for centering that flagpole  :-D

Though I'd screw the 3 doors and just give it one wide main entrance. Or move the pillars to the sides and widen the stairs, otherwise ppl coming out of the sidedoors are still stuck somehow ;)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Sat 13/08/2016 17:18:15
Quote from: selmiak on Sat 13/08/2016 17:07:18
Though I'd screw the 3 doors and just give...

Now you're just teasing :P
Seriously spooky that is one massive background 8-0
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 14/08/2016 02:40:54
@Cassie: Glad you like it!

@Selmiak: thanks and you'Re welcome about the flagpole.  The palace it was based on had 3 doors like that, probably servant entrance/exits.  "I have one staircase to go up, one to come down, and one staircase just for show." :)

@Anas: Just like in the gym: Go big or go home, eh? :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Sun 14/08/2016 16:53:25
Wow, just amazing! 8-0
Seems the elite of Neofeud literally have their heads stuck up in the clouds.
Is that upside-down pyramid at the bottom a nod to the Louvre as well?
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Tue 16/08/2016 20:27:41
Thanks :)

I had not initially intended to suggest the Louvre, but looking at it now, it definitely has a striking resemblance!  It would make sense as well.  I was more thing of an inverted golden pyramid akin to the one found on the back side of the American dollar bill.

Novus Ordo Seclorum.

:)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 20/08/2016 12:35:10
Process shot for the making of a Neofeudal Sky-Palace.  I don't have every single step here, such as the adding of all the minute decorative details that are becoming a signature feature of Neofeud.  But you get the overall design process, and it is actually far more chaotic than it appears here. 

(http://i.imgur.com/Okq0PtN.gif)

For example, I routinely just start sketching out random ideas and throw them away into a "scrap heap", then later come back and mix and match various bits of art to see what works.  I might have for example three different columns -- golden spiral, fluted marble, diamond-inlaid -- and just swap them in and out.  Stuff gets thrown in, stretched, warped, torn up and only segments used, etc...  It is not the most efficient process, probably, but I tend to always like the result when I just start moving jigsaw pieces around and something surprises.  For example, the golden "Illuminati" pyramid started out just as a piece of random skyscraper that I started perspective-warping into a diamond shape.  I liked the look, and eventually tried filtering it gold, flipping it upside down, and throwing about fifty hard lighting, additive, and other filters on it before settling on the final version. 

In addition, it takes ages, EPOCHS to finish one of these and I do them in 3000+ resolution, so I like to get as much mileage out by reusing visuals by having a bird's-eye-view scene, then several other zoomed in ones.  For example, a long shot of the palace itself as the flying cars/limousines are arriving for the REDACTED event and later a close-up when the REDACTED Princess is walking about in her garden maze / throwing gold coins about to the REDACTED, etc... 

Anyway, that's a bit of insight into the barely-contained insanity artistic process of yours truly. 
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Sat 20/08/2016 13:06:21
Lovely "behind the scenes" piece. (nod)
Just shows all the love, research and hard work you put into this!

Thanks for sharing. (nod)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Sat 20/08/2016 14:37:19
Quote from: Cassiebsg on Sat 20/08/2016 13:06:21
Just shows all the love, research and hard work you put into this!

I totally agree (nod)
I also like to see the 'cancelled' stages as well. Keep up the good work 8-)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 20/08/2016 21:17:01
Thanks Cassie and Anas!  More to come for sure. :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Sat 20/08/2016 21:28:08
The last GIF looks cool!
Saving up material for a complementary art-book for the game? :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 21/08/2016 03:47:31
@Blondbraid: I have actually been considering creating a graphic novel / comic book version of Neofeud.  It's been a ton of work and a whole lot of it has been creating these unusually large art pieces.  I have heard from some fans that they may not have the time to play the entire game but love the Neofeud artwork and concept, and I'd like to be able to let them experience the story and visuals without necessarily having to install and play a Sierra/Lucas Arts-style point-n-click adventure game. 

An art book sounds like a cool concept actually, and I am planning to create some prints / stickers / merchandise for an upcoming comic book convention (which has a rather sizable, and always growing artists' alley).  In all sincerity, I am taking suggestions for ideas of potential uses / products that could be made using Neofeud's two years or so of work. :)

One final thing: is anyone interested in starting / doing / helping me figure out this whole podcasting thing?  I have recorded a lot of videos, music, etc. in my time, but never done a podcast, and it seems like an awesome thing to do nowadays, both for fun and exposure for your projects.  I understand a lot of these podcasts are 'two-person-duo' type affairs, and so if anyone is interested in potentially being a partner with 'ol Silverspook, let me know. :)

Oh, and here's a repost of the sky palace 'process gif', for context. 

(http://i.imgur.com/Okq0PtN.gif)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: CrashPL on Tue 23/08/2016 10:14:56
A graphic novel/comic book based on a video game is always welcome. Besides, ever thought of doing such comic/novel with some background information/story/world and places description and bundling it with the digital version with the game? I always loved this kind of stuff, especially in Ultima games - reading such included things made me excited, before even installing the game! And seeing the game's story and setting is already interesting, I'd love to learn more about it. :D

Art book (or a digital art dump) is a great idea as well. You already have lots of different material to work with, including drafts, sketches, finished backgrounds/characters, as well as step-by-step screenshots, plus I bet there's much more behind-the-scenes stuff. ;) I'm sure it would be exciting to look at too. :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Thu 25/08/2016 07:46:15
Thanks for the feedback CrashPL!  I'll look into the graphic novel and the bundling of Neofeud-related world materials with the game for sure.  Perhaps the extras could serve as a reward for pre-ordering. :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 28/08/2016 02:18:04
(http://i.imgur.com/QJeDx59.gif)

"There are no flawed people in paradise!"

Neofeud, coming to a fascist-topia near you.

Anyway, here's another process-piece to show development of yet another scene.  Don't want to give too much away to avoid spoilers but let's just say you don't want to wind up in this particular facility. 
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Sun 28/08/2016 10:15:20
How fun to hear that you are making a comic as well!
I think this game looks fantastic and can't wait to try it out, but I know people who,
still to this day and age, think games are just stupid kid stuff and probably won't try any game any time soon,
and I think a comic or book could be a great way to reach them and show this world and story.

Best of luck to you! :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Sun 28/08/2016 11:26:52
Oh, hope you do make that comic! Make sure you announce it, so I can pre-order it with my comic-book pusher! (nod) (laugh)
Looking forward to that!
And that new BG... 8-0 Looks scary just by the looks of it. Definitely not some place I would want to be! (wrong) But looks great. (nod)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 29/08/2016 04:06:33
Thanks guys!

@Cassie I will be sure to give you heads up and the special premium 'pre-alpha tester' option for buying the comic or whatever it ultimately turns out to be. :)

@Blondbraid: Yeah, I might be a snowflake staging a rebellion in hell, but I kind of hope that Neofeud might push the envelope a little towards making games less about 'kiddie' diversions and content and something more 'adult' (as in 'deals with complex relevant issues' not 'X-rated titilation').  I'm not going to be so hubris-filled as to put Neofeud at the level of The Watchmen or Gaiman's Sandman series, but I have already snuck in a humblebrag just now, so there you go.  :) 

Yeah, I am actually a little worried kids might pick this game up and be traumatized / scared / bored by Neofeud due to some sort of accidental mis-marketing, the way some parents were horrified, taking their kids to Deadpool, thinking it's "another one of them kiddie comic book movies, he looks like that Spiderman guy!".

Then again, I played Mortal Kombat at age 7 and I turned out ok.  Ostensibly. :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 03/09/2016 21:08:07
(http://i.imgur.com/peB2l5u.png)

"This is your fault we're in this secret offshore prison, robot John Connor!"

"Bite me, Syrian Bruce Willis!"

The big news is, Neofeud's official alpha is very, very nearly finished, with essentially all background scenes completed, and most all of everything from art to writing to programming vanquished, with exception of voice acting, which will be the final stage.  I'd hesitate to say the work is "Finished" with a capital 'F' since any game developer or programmer knows, testing and debugging is half the battle. Contrary to GI Joe's advice.

Still!  Much much work has gone in and there is again much thanks to be distributed.

Before I get into it, once again, credit where credit is due:

THANK YOU!

Thanks to @ssmigiel (https://twitter.com/ssmigiel) again for contributing a staggering 11 tracks to the Neofeud soundtrack. <a href=https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/neofeud/Loop2-MIX.wav> Here's a sample of some of the fresh, and appropriately industrial music.  (http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/files/2012/12/SoundCloudLogo.jpg)</a>


For more awesome tunes from the producer, Scott, you can go to grievous.bandcamp.com (http://grievous.bandcamp.com) or find him on Twitter at the above-mentioned handle.

The other half of @minxilla, @bittersweetdb (https://twitter.com/bittersweetdb) has also given some great auditions and will likely be doing Neofeud voice acting in the near future, schedules permitting. so look forward to her vocal talent on a future Neofeud trailer.

Thanks also to Noirjyre (https://twitter.com/Noirjyre) for continued support and helping with figuring out how to do this merchandising thing! We're learning micro-business skills to keep the work going all the time nowadays, so thanks for the help!

One last thank-you to Ian Ruotsala (Xenophile) (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2508255), who is currently looking for programming work.  As the other coder who worked with me on the Deus Ex-based game Terminus Machina (http://www.moddb.com/mods/terminus-machina) (which received 9.5/10 on Moddb) I can say that Ian has the programming chops, so do hire him! 

All of this is above and beyond their official monetary patronage, so, truly, a huge thank you from yours truly for supporting me and creators as a whole.

At any rate, here's a full status report on Neofeud:
-Backgrounds: 100% done. Some animations remain but scenes at this point are pretty set.
-Story: 95% done. Just need to write prologue(s).
-Programming: 95% crushed. Just need to flesh out the final levels.
-Characters: 95% finito. Just a few more animations of chestbursters exploding from the liquid metal entrails of the US President. 110% of character portraits completed -- counting additional portraits painted for Neofeud Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/neofeud) supporters.
-Music: 95% complete. Again, big shout out to @minxilla for helping out with awesome tracks.
-Voice Acting: TBA -- Going to finish everything else and test enough to get an absolute cut of the script before getting in the global virtual soundbooth with voice talent.
-Sound: 60% but this is a minor mole hill compared to the rest of the Mt. Everest-worth of work.


Here is some additional work that has been completed over the past month:



The G-8 Economic Summit

(http://i.imgur.com/DD9hCzx.png)

"Prosperity has never been greater.  The flourishing of all of our houses remains at all time highs.  Gross Celestial Product is up 30%, and dynastic employment amongst titled, fully-documented sentient species is at 99%. The outlook on luxury good consumption is remarkably bullish: geosynchronous resort cities are booming, luxury skycraft and spacecraft are churned out by labor-free robotic plants by the dozen.  Our Martian Colony has broken ground on a second private resort-city with Venus terraforming coming along smoothly, and profits from asteroid mining has taken off."

"We have never been more prosperous, our future has never been brighter, in all of history.  Dare I say, we, the Neofeudal elite, are doing God's work.  Now, I'm not one for self-congratulation, but I think we all deserve a round of applause."

(http://i.imgur.com/nU1O2jD.png)

The Fulcrum Palace

(http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/PalaceFar.png)

"The Fulcrum Palace. Constructed by my father, Warren Clington-Busch, this 'crown jewel' above Coastlandia is estimated to have costed as much as the entire Stratoplex city below it -- a living symbol of wealth inequality."

"It contains millions of carats worth of diamond and is adorned with ten times the gold ever mined from Earth, harvested from a rare 'auric comet' captured by lightspeed spacecraft half-way to Alpha Centauri. My father purchased the most prized artifacts of the Louvre and the Smithsonian when the United States and European Union went bankrupt as their economies withered up, installing the Mona Lisa and the Declaration of Independence smugly into his personal galleries."

"The heart of The Fulcrum is classified, but conspiracy theorists suggest it is powered by a massive black hole."

"I like to joke that the 'black hole' powering it is the unfillable void in my father's ugly, loveless heart. He doesn't find that funny."
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: CrashPL on Sun 04/09/2016 18:29:18
QuoteThe big news is, Neofeud's official alpha is very, very nearly finished, with essentially all background scenes completed, and most all of everything from art to writing to programming vanquished, with exception of voice acting, which will be the final stage.  I'd hesitate to say the work is "Finished" with a capital 'F' since any game developer or programmer knows, testing and debugging is half the battle. Contrary to GI Joe's advice.

Awesome, congratulations! :D Keep it up, my friend, as so far everything looks great!

Heh, 'testing and debugging is half the battle' - oh man, tell me about it. :D Sometimes it can take even longer... best of luck with the bug crushing too!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Mon 05/09/2016 08:41:56
All the new screenshots look awesome, just awesome! 8-0 :-D

All that's missing is one of the 1% making a "Let them eat cake" joke. :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Tue 06/09/2016 21:11:40
@Cassie: Thanks, and I'll be sure to give you a call when it's time for stomping them bugs. :)

@Blondbraid: Ah, yes of course, there will be a Marie Antoinette reference of three included.  The French Revolution and Sophia Coppola movie were major inspirations for Neofeud.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 11/09/2016 06:44:01
[embed=1000,600]http://youtu.be/ABL8kjlhhyU[/embed]

Neofeud: now with 200% more star wars and coup d'etats than your average AGS game!

This particular scene took a while to coordinate and animate in the AGS engine, but well worth the effort.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Sun 11/09/2016 09:27:17
Looking great! (nod)
Is this just a cut scene, or does the player have some control over a ship?
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 11/09/2016 23:02:18
Thanks Cassie :)

The player does control a 'skycraft' during this chapter of the game, yes. :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Mon 12/09/2016 08:42:57
Man watching videos of Neofeud is just another experience (nod)
Don't get me wrong, you know how I love seeing screenshots and reading your deep stories about the events and rooms.. but a short clip gives an amazing view of the game. MAKE MORE OF THOSE!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 25/09/2016 02:20:50
@AnasAbdin: Thanks man, I'll see about cooking up some more videos :)

For now, just some screens of progress in the sci-fi horror department :)

(http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/The_Facility_New.png)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Tue 27/09/2016 18:59:41
Man that background is MASSIVE 8-0 how many years did it take you to complete?
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Tue 27/09/2016 19:46:02
That... 8-0 is... 8-0 incredible! 8-0
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Wed 28/09/2016 12:38:39
Quote from: AnasAbdin on Tue 27/09/2016 18:59:41
Man that background is MASSIVE 8-0 how many years did it take you to complete?
I'd hazard a guess that some of all the identical cells were copy-pasted, but it's impressive none the less.
Just the scale of that thing! 8-0
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Thu 29/09/2016 23:39:09
Thanks Cassie, Anas and Blondbraid. 

@AnasAbdin: Not quite years but it certainly felt that long, hehe!  This technically started in like April and I've come back to the original concept every couple months or so.  I guess with Neofeud the theme is, "Go big or go home!". 
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 01/10/2016 21:08:37
Let There Be Movement!

(https://cdn3.patreon.com/1/patreon.posts/1259963787031520887.gif?v=coPU-nN2Lub8mpg8dqtUr3SPreHsoDG7SqVfzaM49j4%3D)

(Click here for the SUPER HUGE version of this animation) (http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/output_ZLQn57.gif)

With essentially all backgrounds completed, September has been the month of motion -- specifically, animation.  I've been hard at work bringing life to the static world-images, which takes time, but time well spent if it increases immersion.
As was mentioned in the previous post, the Neofeud Alpha version is very nearly finished, and, schedule permitting, I hope to have that out to game testers by November (crossing pneumatic robot fingers). 

I've had a bit extra on the plate, as our five and two year old have just started preschool, and the wife and I are currently seeking out a potential new home we can afford. (I don't know what your area is like, but Honolulu's rents are going through the roof!)  The Big Island of Hawaii, with its community-oriented, free-spirited/thinking culture seems like just our place.  Rest assured though, that work on Neofeud continues at maximum humanly-possible speed, and I intend to have this thing finished before the big move.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Sat 01/10/2016 21:11:10
oooooohhhhh.... addictive! (nod)
That is awesomely alive! Well done.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Sat 01/10/2016 22:28:11
So dazzling, I have a hard time tearing my eyes from it! 8-)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Sun 02/10/2016 09:52:00
Man this would make an awesome splash screen!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 03/10/2016 07:57:10
@Cassie: If only I could bottle it up and sell it on the street :)

@Blondbraid: You have to put on the shades like Doctor Searle in Sunshine.  :) 

@AnasAbdin: Sounds like a cool idea!  Yeah it would save time for sure to use it as the splash and I already put a bunch of work in. 
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 08/10/2016 22:21:13
(http://i.imgur.com/LGkjjkS.jpg)

Neofeud now has k-rad, neon-lit, feathered 80's hair!

A screenshot of one of the central characters. Also, some scintillating, neon-ensconced dialog for you, as well as a song lyric from k-rad new-retro-wave group, Le Cassette (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwipt4SrkczPAhVM7WMKHcAsAJ4QFggeMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fle-cassette&usg=AFQjCNEfthxtdVfD8K_P--MVbHpNql96Vg&sig2=kvUaeSqfQDUDreGu9ifvdQ). (Was listening to their album on repeat while digital painting this.)

Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 15/10/2016 23:32:49
(http://i.imgur.com/XqH0gya.jpg)

The Three Laws of Neofeudal Robotics.

1. A robot may not injure, or though inaction, allow harm to come to a member of the Neofeudal Royalty. The Reigning Monarch's safety supersedes all other Royalty.

2. A robot must obey any orders given to it by a Neofeudal Royal, with the Reigning King or Queen's orders taking precedence over all other princesses, princes, corporate and banking executives, religious leaders, media personalities, and other royal members, human, transhuman, AI, and otherwise.

3. Upon proven death of original body, all backup clones, and erasure of all uploaded consciousness-gestalts of the current Reigning Monarch, the ascension of the rightful heir to the throne occurs immediately. The new incumbent sovereign gains supreme entitlements of the First and Second Law of robotics.


Progress continues!  As a lot of artists intuitively know, the work is never finished; there simply comes a point where the brush is throne to the ground and one stomps off in protest, to binge on Battlestar Galactica and Game of Thrones on Netflix.

So, to set a hard limit, I'm calling this work done by the end of this month, and  the first Neofeud alpha will be out for testing. 

So any potential game-bug finders and future voice-over larynx-wielders, get your Windows updated, your Linux line-itemized, and please don't leak my Illuminati conspiracy to destabilize Hillary Clinton's presidency through video game commentary to Wikileaks!  (Or do, if that will give Neofeud a bump in the hashtag wars and Steam rankings!)

So yes, testing of Neofeud set to reboot at the start of November!

Thanks again to all supporters, feedbackers, 'good job!' sayers, music contributors ( @minxilla (https://twitter.com/minxilla) ) monetary contributors ( @minxilla (https://twitter.com/minxilla)
Ian (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2508255)
Noirjyre (https://www.patreon.com/noirjyre)
@benjaminpenney (https://twitter.com/benjaminpenney))
Prior testers, future testers, voice actors / actresses, and people who plan to buy and play the game at some point! 

Just as another reminder, if you do decide to back Neofeud on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/neofeud) and your patronage equals or exceeds the eventual price of the game, you get it for free, in addition to whatever perks are listed!  However, once the game is completed, the Neofeud-related perks may not be available, so act now if you were planning to buy the game anyway!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Sun 16/10/2016 07:32:16
Looking huge! (nod)
And I'm now looking forward to get back testing this puppy. (laugh)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Sun 16/10/2016 08:14:50
Quote from: Cassiebsg on Sun 16/10/2016 07:32:16
Looking huge! (nod)

I agree. I spend long hours on my little backgrounds. I can't imagine how much time SS spent on this one. Even though there's a lot of copy/pasting involved in creating such backgrounds but still the finishing touches must take days  (nod)

Keep up man. I can't stop getting amazed of your work.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Sun 16/10/2016 11:33:47
Awesome! All this looks so exciting!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 16/10/2016 20:56:25
Thanks Cassie, Blondbraid and Anas. :)

QuoteAnasAbdin: I agree. I spend long hours on my little backgrounds. I can't imagine how much time SS spent on this one. Even though there's a lot of copy/pasting involved in creating such backgrounds but still the finishing touches must take days 

For the "Royal / 0.1-percenter" locations, I was into the concept of differentiating them from the "Commoner / impoverished / 99%" by making all of the High-City castles, skyscrapers super-polished and super symmetrical, with a lot of straight-on, almost worshipful shots.  The Blomkampian terrestrials, on the other hand, are almost all asymmetrical, patchwork shanties and collapsing Affordable Housing Projects with completely random -- but also completely personalized and creative -- uses.  Even the characters are patched together, including the cyborg protagonist and the robot delinquent kid with his mix-and-match chassis and limbs.

The symmetry helps a lot, as painting the backgrounds in around 4000 x 2000 then downsizing to 1366x768 does indeed take *epochs* of time and feels like running a marathon with a ball and chain at times.  Especially with scenes like the Fuclrum Palace whose sheer grandeur is the paramount feature -- I feel the architectural splendor and hubris require that insane level of detail to really deliver the message of utterly astronomical wealth and power.  I'm trying to visually convey what the world 'trillion dollars' actually means, as I think it's not something people can really comprehend, even though we hear it thrown around a lot, in the news.  What would a royal, multi-trillionaire in the year 2135, live in?  It would probably take a week at least for each of those backgrounds, so symmetry allows some time-savings there.  But yes, the finishing still takes a lot of time. :)

@Cassie: Soon, soon!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 22/10/2016 20:30:10
This is how you rig a Presidential Election in Neofeud:

(http://media.indiedb.com/cache/images/games/1/36/35501/thumb_620x2000/output_M2kAkk.gif)

(Click here for the big version) (http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/output_M2kAkk.gif)

Don't forget to blame it on Russia!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Sun 23/10/2016 00:16:44
Now that's what I call overkill!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Sun 23/10/2016 10:54:29
I won't want to be living on the lower level there... 8-0
Good job!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Sun 23/10/2016 15:42:40
That's awesome!

I'd suggest to reduce the gif dimensions though ;)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 24/10/2016 05:08:23
@AnasAbdin: Done. :)

@Cassiebsg: Yeah, you get to be collateral damage down there!  Bummer! :o

@Blondbraid: Yeah there's a lot of that in Neofeud. :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Mon 24/10/2016 05:43:25
Man you're awesome! I can see your gifs on my phone better now!  :-D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 30/10/2016 01:05:52
(http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/output_r8Pa5t.gif)

Everybody was gun-fu fighting! 

Big news, other than the world about to explode due to upcoming US presidential election, is that the NEOFEUD (ALPHA) IS FINISHED!

As promised, I set a hard target of the end of October for the first full version of the game. This has a lot to do with making sure that Neofeud is pressed, packed, and shipped on time for our family's big life changes coming up. And YES, we've met that deadline! (crowd cheering) Thanks in no small part to all of you patrons. :)

What this means is that the story and a rough draft of the game from start to finish is completed and ready to be tested. Here's a play-by-play:

-Story: 100% - The storyline for the Neofeud game is finished. There will be tweaks here and there as we go into polishing and testing, but no major changes or additions will be made at this point.

-Backgrounds 100% - All of the world-art is in the game, and let me tell you, this was a job as rough as being Trump's PR manager given the 1366x768 resolution. Highly recommend playing this on a big screen if possible!

-Characters 100% - All of the character full-body sprites are in game running around and portraits are hung up in gold trimmed, diamond-studded frames.

-Programming 100% (rough draft) - All of the pointing, clicking, running, jumping, combining of cats with moustaches and other gameplay is coded in hand-crafted Java-analog. The debugging process of course will take longer but that's what testing is for!

-Music 95% - Thanks again to Minxilla. Will need to actually go back and insert some musical cues but hopefully it won't be a ton of more work.

-Sound 70% - Still need to add in a few more sound effects but this will happen during testing.

-Voice Acting - Now actively seeking voice actors / actresses again! If you had auditioned for Neofeud parts back in March or at some point since then, I'll be checking back in with potential VAs.

The current target for release is December, although it's difficult to give an exact release date as we want to have a solid game with strong voice acting and as few big bugs and crashes as possible before letting this cyberpunk ship sail.

The price of the final game has also not been set, but again, if you've contributed up to or over the price of the game in Patronage, then you can receive it for free!

If you're interested in voice acting or testing the game, send a message or post here!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Matsui on Sun 30/10/2016 07:24:46
Some very nice art work here.

Sent from my E2303 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Tue 01/11/2016 08:16:54
Thanks, Matsui!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Tue 01/11/2016 09:28:12
Wow, the last GIF looks exciting!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Wed 02/11/2016 08:11:32
Thanks, and yeah, I'm going to need some testers now to test the action out.  Send me a message if interested!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Dave Gilbert on Fri 04/11/2016 19:32:08
Been following this project for awhile. Would love to test it.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Fri 04/11/2016 21:14:32
Wow, thanks Dave!  That would be a huge honor as a big Wadjet Eye fan.

I'll try to get a version out to testers tonight / tomorrow.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 05/11/2016 22:50:31
Neofeud is comin' for you!  All alpha testers, go ahead and check your message boxes. :)

Some eye candy for yall's while you wait:

(http://imgur.com/PnUbw0Y.gif)

Neofeud 80's femme fatale babes, you better work.

(http://imgur.com/FMcHg2R.gif)   (http://imgur.com/I7SSR21.gif)

Rags to riches.

Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Mon 07/11/2016 03:56:42
Great to see Neofeud going alpha! 8-)

The characters' sprites look cool, and amazingly high res (nod) they would be cropped if I wanted to fit one on them in my project! (laugh)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Mon 07/11/2016 22:39:27
Those last pics look great, all those bopping neckties, jackets and 80s hairdos are fun to watch! 8-)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 12/11/2016 21:04:09
Thanks Blondbraid!  Yes, I had the Matrix costume design team come in for a 2-day consulting. :)

At this point I'm in the process of running and re-running through the game, squashing all those blasted hives of bugs, and poking around for voices.

Also, have to extract the entire script out of the game and into a Word Doc.  I have an armature of the script outside of the game but there were changes made during development so I've got to re-update that for the VAs.

Working on some new title screen / splash screen material.

(http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/NeofeudViz4.png)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 19/11/2016 22:09:04
Neofeud art prints are now available! (http://www.artpal.com/silverspook)

Redecorate your house with some dystopian cyberpunk.  :)  The mugs make great Christmas presents, too!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 26/11/2016 21:56:34
Neofeud has a splash and title screen!  Yay!

[embed=1000,600]http://youtu.be/4OIOgMN17kE[/embed]

(http://i.imgur.com/PAwwRUJ.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/VEvaIiR.png)

(http://i.imgur.com/4d84v99.png)

Also, I've got brand-spanking new UI icons, menus, iconbars, and more!  I was torn be the royal-vs-rust themed UI, so I decided to do both.  The "High Level" menus -- Main Menu, Technocratic Control Panel screen -- all got a metric drek-ton of gold plating and glowey neon-blue snazzyness everywhere, and the "Commoner, work-a-day" menus, like the in-game iconbar and cursors look like bargain-bin trailer park nick-nacks and patchwork gizmos salvaged from a DeLorean that blew a flux capacitor in 1989.  Inequality is tres ubiquitous in this game, why shouldn't proto-fascist snobbery extend to the UI, right!?!?!?

Sorry I missed the 'Black Friday' door-buster sales and will probably take a rain check on cybermonday too, but I'm crossing fingers for Neofeud out before Christmas. 

Also, still looking for voice actors/actresses!  Hit me up!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Sat 26/11/2016 22:20:07
That's a refreshing improvement to all those annoying greys... (nod)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Sat 26/11/2016 23:03:08
Awesome, I do hope you will be able to release Neofeud soon.
So excited for this game! ;-D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Gurok on Sun 27/11/2016 03:31:19
Daaaaamn, that's a swanky control panel GUI
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Sun 27/11/2016 03:38:11
I've always wondered how'd the GUI look like and you delivered!
Splash screen is mesmerizing I could stare at it for long 8-)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 27/11/2016 07:45:05
@Cassie: Speaking of annoying things... Any progress on the testing?

@Gurok: Thanks!  I've played a lot of Fallout (I & II) and the influence might have 'rubbed off' on my exposed surfaces... :)

@Blondbraid: I've cleared the entire Thanksgiving weekend schedule of irritating relatives, turkey dinners, Netflix binging and wrestled all my CPUs and GPUs free of crypto mining just to focus solely on Neofeud development!  It is coming as fast as Spookishly possible!

@AnasAbdin: Thanks man.  Good thing you have those sweet glasses: prolonged viewing of luminous gold/diamond skycastles may cause retinal damage. :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Sun 27/11/2016 09:07:18
Slower than a snail am afraid. :-[
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 03/12/2016 21:00:06
Big news: NEOFEUD VOICE ACTORS WILL BE PAID! Please contact me. :)

(puts down megaphone)

First up, a play-by-play of the Neofeudal State, ordered by progress.

-Voice Acting 5% - Good news is I've cast at least three of about six major parts so far. Still a whole lot of voices left though, so feel free to contact me to audition for voice acting for Neofeud! I am also going to be officially paying voice actors/actresses for their work here, so get those Snowball mics hot and larynxes properly marinated in lemon tea, and contact me!

-Debugging 50% - I have gone through the entire game and squished every bug that I encountered, but I await bug reports of testers. Of course, saying a codebase is 'bug free' is like saying a washed pair of hands is 'bacteria free' or that a war-torn Middle Eastern country is finally 'violence free'. But eventually you have to pull out and send the thing to the e-store shelf!

-Music 95% - Thanks again to Minxilla. Still in the process of soundtracking and cueing music at the right times, but we're on the right track!

-Sound 70% - I've got my Audacity turned up to 11! Working on it!

-UI - 100% - Yes! No more bland week-old-noodles colored iconbars and crappy Windows 95 cursors!

-Story: 100% - Despite the eternal nagging of my inner-Grammar Nazi, the storyline for the Neofeud game is finished! Yes!

-Backgrounds 100% - All of the world-art is in the game!

-Characters 100% - Fully characterized!

-Programming 100% (rough draft) -

That's right, good readers, patrons, lords and ladies-

We're movin' on up!

(http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/36/35501/UltumateText.png)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 11/12/2016 12:35:03
Update on progress: I've hired on several voice actors and a tester, and things are really coming together!

I've got one or two more big roles to cast, but other than that, Neofeud is on target! 

I'm currently exploring website and distribution options.  Probably will end up selling straight from a Silver Spook Games site in the beginning.  All the Patreon folks who've put in at least $20 will be getting the game a couple days early (haven't made the official announcement but it's coming!).  The equivalent of pre-ordering.  So if you want to get the Let's Play and Review scoop- become a Neofeud patron!

[embed=1020,630]http://youtu.be/VW3-skxPYAo[/embed]
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Sun 11/12/2016 13:19:20
Wow, that really is an awesome trailer,
I already shared it on my Facebook! 8-0 8-)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 18/12/2016 09:24:04
Thanks Blondbraid. :)

Do share it far and wide!  Increases the chances of a sequel! ;)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 25/12/2016 19:41:00
Merry Christmas, Neofeud fans!  May your Neofeudal rulers be merciful this Christmas and not Scrooge-out on you.

(http://i.imgur.com/RLL8wAV.png)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Mon 26/12/2016 20:24:01
Quote from: SilverSpook on Sun 25/12/2016 19:41:00
Merry Christmas, Neofeud fans!  May your Neofeudal rulers be merciful this Christmas and not Scrooge-out on you.
Merry Christmas, and I must say, that is one rad Christmas card! 8-)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: morganw on Mon 26/12/2016 20:38:04
Good to see the Baker's Kilobyte (http://xkcd.com/394/) on the sign. :smiley:
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Thu 29/12/2016 01:51:09
@Blondbraid: Happy New Year!

@Morganw: Nice catch my friend. :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 02/01/2017 07:29:06
We've made it into 2017 and the world isn't yet a *complete* Kafka-esque dystopia, congratulations everyone!

The bullhorn news of the moment is that voice acting is nearly complete and the game itself has been run through a litany of stress tests and proven itself to be more stable than the global banking system!

Here's the full status report:

-Voice Acting 90% - ALL MAJOR parts have been cast! Just a few more second and tertiary-tier characters are needing some surrogate voice boxes. Big thank you and shout out to Neofeud's hard working voice actor/actresses

(http://media.indiedb.com/cache/images/games/1/36/35501/thumb_620x2000/QueenDeb4.png)

@bittersweetdb (https://twitter.com/bittersweetdb) - The official queen of Neofeud (She literally plays one in the game), one of the longest running patrons of Neofeud, and friends of myself. We can't thank you enough!

(http://media.indiedb.com/cache/images/games/1/36/35501/thumb_620x2000/XenoIlluminatiBright.png)

@AmayirotAkago (https://twitter.com/AmayirotAkago) This guy's voice gets any deeper he's going to hit magma! Can pull off the 90's Movie Announcer voice with ease and super talented to boot. Also super hard working -- even when I sent him the 2030 equivalent of a Presidential State of the Union address clocking in at over 2000 words, he hammered it out -- with a ton of alternate takes! Do look him up!

(http://media.indiedb.com/cache/images/games/1/36/35501/thumb_620x2000/GeneralWalkerViz.png)

@brandoHOV (https://twitter.com/BrandoHOV) Extremely experienced and talented actor from stage to film to voice overs. This guy is a total pro and a joy to work with. Check out his awesome blog here: brandonchovey.net and look out for his upcoming 5th novel!

(http://i.imgur.com/xZtvz3l.png)

Johnny Lil Toe (https://twitter.com/Johnyliltoe) The man of many voices, plays everything from Hippy Terminators to douchey corp-suits to jackbooted jarheads. Johnny was instrumental in filling the countless varied roles in Neofeud. And a super hard worker with lightning turnaround times! Check out his Youtube and wish'em a happy new year!

(http://i.imgur.com/U88glSz.png)

@nikumubeki (https://twitter.com/nikumubeki) AKA "Fast Gamer" - I voiced "Number One" is his game Deus Ex Nihilum which was a Total Conversion mod for Deus Ex. As someone who's taken a year and a half to do a Deus Ex TC myself, this is a truly Herculean task. An incredibly hard worker and multi-talented individual, do check him out!

(http://i.imgur.com/Oj64hWP.png)

@Colm_E_Fitz (https://twitter.com/Colm_E_Fitz) "A cartoonist, bedroom game dev, occasional writer, comic nerd and a fan of good music." If Amayirot has deepest voice, Fitz has the "Claw from Inspector Gadget" and "demon-ey dark lord" voice market cornered. Always a funny and real swell guy, and longtime Neofeud supporter.

(http://i.imgur.com/ImgLU7T.png)

And of course, yours truly will be playing these two clowns!

(http://i.imgur.com/EnSi5TU.png)

And, Mrs. Silver Spook will be playing Princess Sybil. Well, once yours truly stops throwing his dirty Fallout t-shirts in the "clean" laundry, and brings home a box of Godiva and roses. THEN she'll play Princess Sybil. :)

-Debugging 85% - As previously mentioned, the game has been run through the wash several times through by the extremely hard working and top-notch alpha tester TheBlindRabbit There are still some music and voices to add with an additional pass to make sure there is no 'unintentional dubstep' glitches or voices suddenly speaking in tongues, but the gameplay itself appears to be nearly free of major game-sploding bugs and major discrepancies!

-Music 95% - I'm in the process of adding and refining more of the soundtrack to precisely fit the tone/emotion of each scene, along with mastering the SFX, speech and music levels, but we're nearly there!

-Sound FX 80% - Working on this simultaneously with the above!

-Story: 100%

-Backgrounds 100% ?

-Characters 100% !

-Programming 100% :D

Thanks again to all the voice actors/actresses, testers, patrons, word-spreaders, supporters, nice-word-sayers, and everyone else whose helped make Neofeud a reality!

Happy 2017! No fate but what we make, so let's make it a sweet one!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Mon 02/01/2017 11:07:23
Looks smooth, here's hoping that 2017 is the sci-fi year! (nod)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Mon 02/01/2017 11:10:46
So happy that all is going well for you,
it will be exciting to see this game in action! ;-D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Fri 06/01/2017 10:36:13
Thanks Cassie and Blondbraid.  It is coming ASAP, promise!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 07/01/2017 20:31:27
Check out "Krome Street"  (https://silverspook.bandcamp.com/track/krome-street)from the #Neofeud soundtrack. 

(http://i.imgur.com/r2XM1NV.png) (https://silverspook.bandcamp.com/track/krome-street)

It may be 2017, but it's always 1984 somewhere.

(http://www.geeklegacy.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/manborg.jpg)

Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 14/01/2017 23:55:34
New Neofeud teaser trailer, featuring the voices of Amayirot Akago (https://twitter.com/AmayirotAkago), @bittersweetdb (https://twitter.com/bittersweetdb) and @BrandoHOV (https://twitter.com/BrandoHOV)!

[embed=1020,630]http://youtu.be/wVxUMWqIGIg[/embed]
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Sun 15/01/2017 01:01:22
Nice!
Good job everybody! (nod)(nod)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: selmiak on Sun 15/01/2017 01:39:33
oh this is cool! :-D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Sun 15/01/2017 22:21:19
Just saw the new trailer, looks cool and the dubstep music was awesome!  8-)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 15/01/2017 22:40:50
Thanks guys!  Neofeud is coming soon, shooting for February at this point.  The voice acting and music took longer than expected but we're back on track now.  Just a few more to record and a bunch of mastering, editing, and inserting to do, then the final test.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: pharlap on Wed 18/01/2017 03:00:04
Well, this has certainly turned into a major production! Looking very good so far
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Fri 20/01/2017 05:45:30
Thanks!  It's been a major undertaking, one that will be done very shortly, thankfully!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Tue 24/01/2017 20:27:18
Cool article by Gaming Respawn on Neofeud! (http://gamingrespawn.com/indie-game-spotlight/18770/neofeud/)  (Thanks, Steve Gill)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Nixxon on Tue 24/01/2017 23:42:52
God damn this looks sick!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 29/01/2017 07:38:58
News this week: Article in Gaming Respawn on Neofeud (http://gamingrespawn.com/indie-game-spotlight/18770/neofeud/)!  Thanks, Steve Gill!

Here are all of the Neofeud trailers for your convenience:

[embed=1020,630]http://youtu.be/wVxUMWqIGIg[/embed]

[embed=1020,630]http://youtu.be/VW3-skxPYAo[/embed]

[embed=1020,630]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asTKrXLHbTU[/embed]

Also, still looking for a voice actor who can pull off an Indian accent, even a British-ish Indian accent.  The character only has maybe eight or nine lines.  do let me know!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 04/02/2017 23:11:40
So it's been a long time coming, but we're finally within striking distance of the completion of Neofeud!  (As in, the game will be done as long as Silver Spook Games' team doesn't go on strike!  JK  :)
The biggest news is of course:
VOICE ACTING 100% COMPLETED!  YAY!!!!!
A big special thanks too the most recent additions to the Neofeud cast:

(http://i.imgur.com/vAy4MMy.png)

Dreena Moran (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwELc9Kag345ck4_D7C2n9g)

Singer, voice actor, comedian and more!  Dreena is super talented, with a great set of pipes, and also did voice acting on the great point-n-click  Kathy Rain (http://www.kathyraingame.com/) which I am a fan of.  Check her stuff out! 

(Special thanks to Dan Kobylarz  for putting us in contact and awesome recording setup!)

(http://i.imgur.com/ucTmmPa.png)

Glen Michael Cooper (http://gmcooperva.co.uk/)

Hailing from Cornwall, England, Glen's done work on everything from video games to movies and more.  His voice acting has tremendous presence and the sound-quality is totally pro.   Great to have him on board!

(http://i.imgur.com/e0mbX3c.png)

Rebecca McCarthy (https://twitter.com/azuresama)

Rebecca is a writer, voice actress and gamer from the UK who has a great range -- she does kids too!  One of her recent big roles was the speakeasy edition of the adventure game, Late Last Nite

(http://i.imgur.com/0Kn3v5c.png)

Rafael de los Reyes (https://twitter.com/thenamesraf)

Rafael is an up-and-coming voice actor from the Phillipines who did a great job voice acting with the difficult prompt, "You're a corrupt, gritty cop from inner-city LA, and you're obsessed with playing arcade games.  GO!"  Awesome job, man!

Nicholas Delisi - Another great voice acting potential working on building his resume.  Did a great job cleaning out those hard-to-reach accents from my casting list!  Site coming soon!

Tracy Torres Jr - Ask him how hard it is to pull off an Indian accent while being shot at! :)  Thanks man!
Status report:
Voice Acting 100%!!!!!! - This took a while, but the 60,000 + words of dialog spread across 42 different characters has been fully voiced by Neofeud's supremely talented group of voice actors.  It has been a total pleasure to work with these folks, and, if Neofeud succeeds commercially, I do hope to work together with the VAs on future projects.  Potentially a Neofeud 2!
-Debugging 95% - At this point, Silver Spook Games'  alpha tester TheBlindRabbit  and I are running and re-running through the game as I'm making sure all of the music, sound, and voices are in the right place.  The first two thirds of the game are set, it's just down to that last home stretch!
-Music 95% - I'm in the process of adding and refining more of the soundtrack  to precisely fit the tone/emotion of each scene, along with mastering the SFX, speech and music levels, but we're nearly there!
-Sound FX 90%
-Story, Art, Programming: 100% 
Thanks again to all the voice actors/actresses, testers, patrons, word-spreaders, supporters, nice-word-sayers, and everyone else whose helped make Neofeud a reality! 
Thanks once again to all of Neofeud's patrons as well, who have helped keep this project going through thick and thin-  @minxilla   @ian_ruotsala    @Noirjyre    Farel The Gecko @benjaminpenney
We're almost there, people!  Get that $20,000 champagne, gold-leaf burgers, and diamond-studded motorcade ready! :D

In other more personal news, I, Mrs. Silver Spook, and our two kids have confirmed that we will be moving to the Big Island of Hawaii very shortly!  Our plan is to get Neofeud released and (hopefully) being enjoyed by as many fans as possible as we transition to our new home.  We'll send you a postcard! :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Sun 05/02/2017 07:50:07
Looking ready to launch, congrats man!
That transparent skulled dude is awesome  ;-D
Also congrats on the new home, hope you spend a lot of great times over there  :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Amayirot Akago on Sun 05/02/2017 08:17:41
Very happy to hear the voice acting roles have been filled and the game is nearing completion, looking forward to seeing it in action (and playing it as well) :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Sun 05/02/2017 08:46:40
All great news! (nod)
Good to hear it's soon done. :-D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 05/02/2017 23:33:04
Thanks guys, I'm glad that Neofeud is nearly finished as well!

@AnasAbdin: Thanks, it will be great to do something off of a computer for at least a little while.  Plus we're planning to go off the grid, with a bunch of solar panels, so Neofeud and its successors will be running on 100% renewable energy! :)

@Amayirot: Yeah, thanks for all your help voice acting for Neofeud, you have helped take it to the next-level!

@CassieBSG: It's coming soon, as they say! :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: TheBlindRabbit on Fri 10/02/2017 12:52:20
Sooo excited to see it finished!  (nod)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 11/02/2017 20:06:12
Transgenic protester won't be executive-ordered around! 

(http://i.imgur.com/419rvpW.png)

Neofeud is nearly there, just polishing the final few bejeweled golden pillars and grime-i-fying the last few miles of urban squalor.  I figure I'm going to need to cut some stuff at this point (I wanted to make portraits with expressions for every character, but that would take like freakin' another month alone...)  But rest assured, we're nearly at the end of the line!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Sat 11/02/2017 23:51:44
Cool to hear Neofeud is to be released soon, it will be exciting to see what it's like after following your posts for so long!
And while changing expressions on the portraits can help characterization, you can also read a character's intent from
words and voice-acting.  8-)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 12/02/2017 08:02:26
Thanks Blondbraid!  Yes, this is what I'm hoping RE: characterization.  Thankfully I had the good fortune to have some fantastic voice actors work on Neofeud who do a lot of the heavy lifting of bringing these princesses and robo-paupers to life with their enthralling performances. ;)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sun 19/02/2017 06:56:13
We're nearly there!  Just mastering the area known cryptically as "The Facility" (for any Neofeud contributors or folks who had early access ;) which is the second to the last in the game. 

To tide you over, here's another sample music track from the game.

The Six Billion Dollar Baller

(http://i.imgur.com/f1TWraP.png) (https://soundcloud.com/twilightminotaur/the-six-billion-dollar-baller)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: AnasAbdin on Mon 20/02/2017 04:09:37
I don't think I'd walk into this neighborhood  8-0
The track is great! Can't stop listening  8-)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 25/02/2017 19:20:59
@Anas:  Thanks!  Yeah make sure you wear your power armor down there, hehe.

(http://i.imgur.com/CmA3k87.jpg)

Good news!  All of the voice acting, music, etc. are all in game, and now we're just in the final run-throughs and smiting of any remaining straggler bugs!

Family and I will also be moving in the week on our big adventure homesteading in an off-grid place in Hawaii.  Like Alaska: The Last Frontier, but in the tropics, and with satellite internet. :) 

Because it will take us a bit to get situated, I'm not setting a hard release date, but as soon as we get situated, I can get a reliable connection and the game is smoothed out, it's launch time!


EDIT: All Neofeud testers and VAs who have not yet done so, go ahead and send me the name you'd like to be credited as.  If you at least gave some feedback on Neofeudk, I'll at least give you some special thanks!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 04/03/2017 22:55:48
On the final lap of Neofeud testing!  The game itself should be done in a week or so, although because of the big move I can't give out an exact release date.  Patreon patrons will get the release a day or more before the official public release of the game, though!

If anyone has any experience with setting up a simple independent content-distribution / online store, I'm looking to set up a way to sell my game, Neofeud, directly to fans.  I just need to be able to accept a payment, and then the user will get a file in return.  

I'm also going to look into 3rd-party distribution options, but I want to also have the ability to sell direct as well.

I'm currently in the process of finalizing the game and making sure that everyone who has contributed to Neofeud is thanked in the credits. 

All of my gracious Neofeud patrons are of course included, and will have their portraits, avatars, or special mentions included!  'Neofeudal Royalty' ($20+ patrons) are also credited as "Producers".
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Fri 17/03/2017 19:22:06
The entire Neofeud Soundtrack is now available!

Forty four tracks clocking in at around 2 1/2 hours of music, for only $5!  (Jesus Christ did I really write that much music!?!?)

(http://i.imgur.com/RSQu0VW.png)
(https://silverspook.bandcamp.com/)

Pre-order Neofeud now on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/neofeud) before Neofeud's release and get the soundtrack for free!

(https://www.brandeps.com/logo-download/P/Patreon-01.png) (https://www.patreon.com/neofeud)

In other news, I will be announcing the release date of Neofeud shortly, once I get the thumbs up from the last round of testers.  The release is tentatively looking like late March, though!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 18/03/2017 18:55:08
(http://i.imgur.com/0ig6VJ3.png)

TL:DR - NEOFEUD IS COMING OUT MARCH 25!

Greetings, Neofeudal Lords and Ladies!

First off, thank you, the AGS community, for helping make Neofeud as great as it can possibly be.  You've played a vital role in taking this project from a figment of a deranged individual's imagination to a fully-fledged adventure game.

I've just announced the release date of Neofeud as March 25. 

So please, spread the good word to your friends, the interwebz, etc. that the release date for Neofeud is March 25 and they can pre-order on the Patreon site and get the Neofeud soundtrack FREE!

Patreon site: https://www.patreon.com/neofeud (https://www.patreon.com/neofeud)

Soundtrack: https://silverspook.bandcamp.com/ (https://silverspook.bandcamp.com/)

Silver Spook Games website: http://silverspookgames.com (http://silverspookgames.com)


Thanks again for all your help, and if Neofeud does well, there may be a sequel or other new Silver Spook Games project in the cards!

EDIT: If anyone could help with porting Neofeud to Mac, let's talk!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Sat 18/03/2017 19:51:52
Congrats and good luck with the sales!  (nod)

25th March is only the 2nd best date in the world!  :-D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Sat 18/03/2017 22:45:09
Yay, how exciting to see a release date! 8-0 :-D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 20/03/2017 21:02:28
Thanks guys!  I'm excited to finally have this thing out there too! It's been a long time coming.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: CaptainD on Mon 20/03/2017 21:07:54
Quote from: SilverSpook on Mon 20/03/2017 21:02:28
It's been a long time coming.

Pft you didn't even start until late 2014   :P

Congrats on getting to full release!  That's a pretty awesome accomplishment.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Mon 20/03/2017 22:33:57
Yeah, well going past a few years, there's always the possibility of people thinking you've just got vaporware. :)

Thanks!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: xil on Tue 21/03/2017 00:42:40
Congrats on the release date! Just listening to the soundtrack now, it's awesome :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: CrashPL on Tue 21/03/2017 07:24:54
Exciting news, mate! Congratulations on the release date, looking forward to the 25th. :D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Tue 21/03/2017 16:40:57
@Xil: Thanks!  I love all the Calico Reverie music as well. :)

@CrashPL: :)  Mark your calendars! 
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Chicky on Tue 21/03/2017 21:41:24
Great to see this have a release date after so long SilverSpook, what an achievement :)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Stupot on Tue 21/03/2017 23:34:50
All the best with release, Spook :-)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: alphadalekben on Wed 22/03/2017 14:10:49
Congratulations on the release as well.

Having been briefly involved in this project in late 2014, I could see that this was pretty damn special as well as being a massive passion project on your end, Spook.

One day, I hope to buy this to experience what, again, I could see as being a fantastic game and to see how its developed from that seed I saw, as well as if any of my (albeit, minimal) input has survived.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Wed 22/03/2017 21:49:58
Thanks Stupot and Chicky!

Yes, thanks for your input during the pre-production phase, alphadalekben.  If nothing else, it was good to have a bit of camaraderie in the trenches of figuring out AGS. ;)

RL has been difficult over the past 4 days, so much so I had zero time to connect to the internet, or even the ability to get electricity for a bit. 

But things have settled down.  May I recommend, all you game dev or potential game devs out there, to never release your first game whilst simultaneously moving to a new and foreign town, while having two kids to take care of.  And may your vehicles not simultaneously have engine lock ups and alternator failures, in the middle of it. 

Now back to working on that final trailer to drop in T-Minus two days...  Activate Starbucks / Rockstar hyperdrive!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Gurok on Wed 22/03/2017 21:59:31
SilverSpook, what I've seen of the game so far is really great! I wish you all the best for the release.

Hope you're pouring the Rockstar INTO the Starbucks, in true gamedev fashion.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Wed 22/03/2017 23:43:12
@Gurok: Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying the Neofeud early release!  Thank you so much for backing / pre-ordering the game and I hope the rest of the game goes as well for you as the parts you have played!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Blondbraid on Thu 23/03/2017 09:41:37
Just a quick question, will Neofeud be available on Steam?
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Thu 23/03/2017 18:19:06
I am hoping to have Neofeud eventually on Steam, but initially it will be available on Itch.io.

Also, just a friendly reminder, Neofeud will be released this Saturday, March 25!
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: SilverSpook on Sat 25/03/2017 18:43:22
NEOFEUD IS OUT!

Get Neofeud here:

(http://i.imgur.com/am698ac.png) (https://silverspook.itch.io/neofeud)

Here's the official release trailer!

[embed=1020,630]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQAMJgs5euA[/embed]

If you have any issues with figuring out how to buy the game, or with playing the game, please let me know.  If you're interested in buying the game directly from me or with cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin, please contact me and we'll sort out a deal ;)

It has been a crazy 2 1/2 years but yes, it's finally here!  Thanks again to everyone who helped in ways big and small to make this cyberpunk dream a reality.

Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Cassiebsg on Sat 25/03/2017 18:47:25
Congrats with the release!  (nod)

Ps - You need to make a released thread now. ;)
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Amayirot Akago on Sat 25/03/2017 18:55:21
Congratulations :) I can't promise I'll get around to it soon but I will play this one way or another.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: alphadalekben on Sat 25/03/2017 20:14:24
I've shared the release link on the SilverSpook Facebook page on my writer's Facebook page.
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: selmiak on Sat 25/03/2017 22:11:25
WOW! Congrats on finishing this game! Gotta get my hands on this soon! :-D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Danvzare on Sun 26/03/2017 11:54:50
Wow, big congratulations on finally releasing Neofeud. :-D
Title: Re: Neofeud
Post by: Darth Mandarb on Tue 28/03/2017 13:02:10
It is with a heavy heart that I send this thread off into the ether!

It has been a staple of the GiP for a long time.

A big congratulations to SilverSpook for all the hard work and dedication!