Captain Disaster and the Two Worlds of Riskara

CaptainD · Tue 31/01/2023 22:00:39

Yes it's true!! Captain Disaster is back! But, he's as you've never seen him before.

** Demo available on Steam! **

I'm delighted to announce that I have teamed up with Lorenzo of Clotilde fame to make a new Captain Disaster game, with the same daft humour but an all-new graphical style and user interface, while Viking will be creating an original music score for the game - most recently Viking created the superb OST for The Corruption Within. I will be taking care of coding, design and sound effects while Lorenzo works his magic with the artwork (plus throwing in some dreadful jokes just in case mine aren't bad enough, and probably solving my coding issues!). I won't say anything about his graphics as the screenshots below speak for themselves.

We will also be welcoming back some of the voice acting crew from Stomping Boots while introducing some new voices. TheBitPriest will be part of the project as well, since obviously it wouldn't really be Captain Disaster without my co-dev from Stomping Boots!

Nearer the time I will be recruiting some testers to round off the team.

Captain Disaster and the Two Worlds of Riskara features an epic story in which our hero is not quite so much of a disaster... or is he? Answering a distress call begins a chain of events involving a planet with an amazing history, an attempt to unite two races driven apart for so long that no-one can remember why, and an ancient race thought to be long extinct...

While not exactly a follow-on from Death Has A Million Stomping Boots, there will be allusions to events from it and at least one returning character apart from Zero-Bit and the Captain himself.

Parody has always been an important part of the Captain Disaster DNA, and that's just as true with this games. Books that will definitely have some kind of influence on the game's storyline include Dune, 1984, Ender's Game and Timelike Infinity.

Epic story
Intriguing characters
Gorgeous visuals (1280x720 resolution)
Fiendish puzzles
Fiendish voice cast
Beautiful soundtrack
Lots of very, very bad jokes

Marvel at the refitted Disaster Area!

Delight in the aliens you will meet:

Collapse under the weight of sci-fi references hidden in the game (okay, probably hidden in plain sight, but still)...

(Also spend many sleepless nights wondering if this is a typo of a clever corruption of a word...)

Gasp at the dramatic cut-scenes!

Did I mention it's Available to wishlist on Steam now?

Knoodn · Wed 01/02/2023 21:25:14

Hey Dave and Team Disaster.

It is good to see that the Captain is back!
Everything sounds and looks very promising. I am really looking forward to it.

Keep up the good work.

CaptainD · Fri 03/02/2023 17:12:09

Thanks Tino!

cat · Mon 06/02/2023 12:04:57

Wonderful news! Will Clotilde have a cameo? They seem like the perfect couple - she is clever but happens to stumble into trouble whereas he is not so clever but manages to stumble out of trouble.

FireFlower · Tue 07/02/2023 09:57:50

Didn't know you are working on a new game. It looks cool!

CaptainD · Tue 07/02/2023 20:23:24

@cat - we have talked about Clotilde making an entrance, but not sure yet. They do seem like the perfect couple though!

@FireFlower - well now you know!!

FireFlower · Wed 08/02/2023 00:37:16

Yep

Gurok · Wed 08/02/2023 12:14:53

Hope you get this one done, Dave. I love Captain Disaster's new style. I've been following this one on Twitter too. All the best!

lorenzo · Wed 08/02/2023 20:08:11

Hey, everybody! Thanks for the kind words on the game!
The demo is coming along nicely, it should be ready soon (if we manage to stop us from adding more things to it

).

cat: we discussed a hypothetical game with both Captain Disaster and Clotilde, but nothing concrete yet. Who knows, maybe we can find her later in the game, shipwrecked somewhere.

eri0o · Wed 08/02/2023 21:54:27

Hey, this looks good and sounds good, a nice pairing of humor and art here. Also a good motivation for me to read Timelike Infinity.

Spoiler

I like the idea of hidden Lorenzo characters in the backgrounds in different places, it could be a fun easter egg. Maybe clicking all of them gives an achievement

[close]

cat · Thu 09/02/2023 08:42:59

Quote from: eri0o on Wed 08/02/2023 21:54:27
Spoiler
I like the idea of hidden Lorenzo characters in the backgrounds in different places, it could be a fun easter egg. Maybe clicking all of them gives an achievement
[close]

Spoiler

Like Ilaria and his family stuck in a space highway jam with their ship

.

[close]

It's always fun to have those tiny details that fans will recognize but look completely normal to outsiders. It's not even necessary to have interactions there, more a visual wink.

lorenzo · Thu 09/02/2023 12:44:11

Quote from: eri0o on Wed 08/02/2023 21:54:27Hey, this looks good and sounds good, a nice pairing of humor and art here. Also a good motivation for me to read Timelike Infinity.

I haven't read Timelike Infinity myself, so if we don't like it, we can blame CaptainD and his reading choices

Quote from: eri0o on Wed 08/02/2023 21:54:27
Spoiler
I like the idea of hidden Lorenzo characters in the backgrounds in different places, it could be a fun easter egg. Maybe clicking all of them gives an achievement
[close]

Quote from: cat on Thu 09/02/2023 08:42:59
Spoiler
Like Ilaria and his family stuck in a space highway jam with their ship .
[close]
It's always fun to have those tiny details that fans will recognize but look completely normal to outsiders. It's not even necessary to have interactions there, more a visual wink.

These are good ideas! Let's see if I can sneak in some of those characters somewhere in the game

CaptainD · Thu 09/02/2023 21:25:56

I have to admit the influence of Timelike Infinity is quite subtle, and even if you've read the book you could miss it. At the risk of going off-topic that book is, conceptually, one of the most astonishing works of science fiction I've ever read.

Trying to stay on-topic, here's another screenshot:

And some news - we are looking to release the demo in around 2 weeks. Not setting an exact date just yet. The demo will not feature voice-acting or Steam achievements - I'm afraid you're going to have to wait for the final game for those.

The reason for this is that in terms of our own workflow and consistency of audio quality, it's going to be much better to put that in right at the end, all in one go. Lessons learned from the previous CD game!!

cat · Fri 10/02/2023 08:56:28

Regarding the screenshot (completely OT, that's why in spoiler):

Spoiler

My sister and her family visited the Austrian town of Hallstadt, which is very famous especially with Asian tourists. They sent me a photo of a vending machine selling "Original Hallstatt Air" in cans for 10€

[close]

lorenzo · Sat 11/02/2023 11:00:46

cat: haha, that's crazy! If some social media celebrity passed by Hallstatt and happened to breathe near the place where they make the air in a can, we could have the same product as in the game

heltenjon · Sat 11/02/2023 14:18:15

Yeah, it's off-topic until you decide to include it in the game.

Spoiler

Perhaps as a solution to a puzzle with regards to breathing in space or on a planet with a toxic atmosphere.

[close]

Anyway: [offtopic]I actually know a guy who, for a joke, posted a bag of "glacier air" on ebay. (He works with tourists doing glacier walks.) To his astonishment, someone actually wanted to buy it, for a stiff price.[/offtopic]

lorenzo · Sun 12/02/2023 20:31:25

Quote from: heltenjon on Sat 11/02/2023 14:18:15Yeah, it's off-topic until you decide to include it in the game.
Spoiler
Perhaps as a solution to a puzzle with regards to breathing in space or on a planet with a toxic atmosphere.
[close]

That's a fun idea for a puzzle! I think the line was originally only a description/joke for one of the boxes, so I don't know if something similar could be added. But it could make for a neat puzzle.

Quote from: heltenjon on Sat 11/02/2023 14:18:15Anyway: [offtopic]I actually know a guy who, for a joke, posted a bag of "glacier air" on ebay. (He works with tourists doing glacier walks.) To his astonishment, someone actually wanted to buy it, for a stiff price.[/offtopic]

[offtopic]Haha! Got to have that fresh glacier air during the hot summer!

[/offtopic]

CaptainD · Thu 23/02/2023 21:53:31

The demo trailer is here!!

CaptainD · Wed 01/03/2023 16:46:05

Demo released!!

Currently only on Steam, we will be building an Itch page soon.

AGS Game Page

lorenzo · Thu 02/03/2023 18:53:29

In case you've missed it, here's a reminder

I tried to make the image clickable, but no luck. So, you'll have to click on the link to the right, instead -> CLICK ME!

Knoodn · Fri 03/03/2023 12:28:09

Is there a chance for a STEAM free version? I would really like to play the demo.

lorenzo · Fri 03/03/2023 13:22:50

Hey, Knoodn! We intend on making an itch page for the game as soon as we can

We'll put the demo there too.

Stupot · Fri 03/03/2023 23:32:13

This is looking great. Keep them screenshots coming x

CaptainD · Sat 04/03/2023 19:42:41

Thanks Stu! We're currently discussing exactly how to develop the architectural style of one set of aliens, should have something more to show fairly soon. But in the meantime don't forget to play the demo (unless you already have of course!).

Ramorama · Sun 05/03/2023 08:43:22

I've completed the demo yesterday and it was amazing. @lorenzo's art style and the animations are superb like always, the background music is fantastic and the humor is just right! Thanks to your demo, I was eating chocolate and chocolate chip cookies yesterday.

I definitely recommend playing the demo and your game which will come soon.

lorenzo · Sun 05/03/2023 21:57:44

Thank you very much for the comment, Ramorama! ...although now I want chocolate chip cookies too

CaptainD · Thu 16/03/2023 22:06:09

The demo for Captain Disaster and the Two Worlds of Riskara is now also available on Itch!

https://captaind.itch.io/captain-disaster-and-the-two-worlds-of-riskara

Knoodn · Fri 17/03/2023 16:48:13

Thank you very much for this. Now I can finally enjoy playing the demo.

CaptainD · Fri 17/03/2023 20:25:34

Quote from: Knoodn on Fri 17/03/2023 16:48:13Thank you very much for this. Now I can finally enjoy playing the demo.

Hope you (and anyone else who was waiting for a Steam-free version) enjoy it!

ThreeOhFour · Thu 23/03/2023 09:35:54

I've been keeping an eye on this since you first announced it. I think the art style is great, really nice comic style backgrounds that fit the character very well. Very cool stuff.

CaptainD · Thu 23/03/2023 12:47:22

Thanks Ben! Lorenzo's art is making the scenes really come to life, and we're able to do more with close-ups than we could with the previous CD game.

CaptainD · Fri 31/03/2023 21:03:40

Just a couple of very cool little animations Lorenzo's created that will be plugged into the game soon.

CaptainD · Mon 01/05/2023 09:56:21

A little peak at some of the locations in Act II of the game...

CaptainD · Tue 27/06/2023 15:19:42

I think it's time for an update!

Acts II and III are now fully playable in placeholder mode, and I'm starting to put things together for Act IV. Part of this will involve Lorenzo having to watch a classic early eighties film so that he understands what I'm using as reference, which he's really thrilled about as it stars an actor he doesn't much like!

Speaking of Lorenzo, he's been doing some amazing work on the graphics. Here are a couple of screens from Act II (well one is a smaller version of the scrolling in-game screen):

You may be wondering, looking at the above location, if we are going to be reunited with a character from Stomping Boots - and you may well be right!

Stupot · Thu 20/07/2023 14:44:48

Looking better and better with each update. Keep them coming.

CaptainD · Sun 20/08/2023 20:19:42

We made a silly video to help promote the game.

Ionias · Thu 24/08/2023 17:24:50

As a fan of the first game I'm really looking forward to this next installment.

I just played the demo and it was good. I got stuck, but that's ok. I'll wait for the full version of the game since the demo was missing the voice acting.

heltenjon · Mon 11/09/2023 01:49:13

I finally played the demo, and it was just as great as I had expected.

Hilarious writing and antics, stunning art and animation, and music that serves as a tribute to the other franchises alluded to. Good work, nay, great work all around!

I did manage to crash the demo. I didn't manage to replicate it a second time, though. What happened, was

Spoiler

that I entered the circuit minigame at once, in the chamber with the automat, and even if I solved it, it simply went back to the start. I got a congratulatory message only once. So I got stuck in a loop with no way to back out of the minigame.

[close]

CaptainD · Mon 11/09/2023 10:20:26

Thanks lonias and heltenjon!

Jon - I'll get in touch with you about the issue, never been reported before. Thanks for highlighting it!

dactylopus · Tue 12/09/2023 03:24:21

This game is looking beautiful! Great work so far.

CaptainD · Wed 25/10/2023 14:02:27

@dactylopus - thanks!

Just a little incomplete part of a location from Act III to let you know we're still alive...

CaptainD · Thu 09/11/2023 10:14:57

Right, thought it was time for a proper update. So here goes...

Acts I & II are essentially feature-complete (sans voicing and achievements)
Act III is fully playable in placeholder mode and several assets are already made, including a fantastic sweeping orchestral piece by Eric. Will just need final assets added and than a good polishing session and it should be all shiny.
Act IV is about 60% coded and the artwork is coming along very nicely.
Acts V & VI are being conceptualised, they look good already (in my head!)

Here are some (incomplete - in that objects etc may be missing) screens from Act III:

Lorenzo's work is, as always, amazing. He probably rates it as "quite good" because he's a very modest chap.

The demo of Captain Disaster and the Two Worlds of Riskara is available from:

Steam
Itch
FireFlowerGames

CaptainD · Wed 06/12/2023 08:47:27

What's happening here then? (I suspect most sci-fi fans will immediately know...)

Rik_Vargard · Tue 26/12/2023 20:50:49

I just finished to play the demo and I had great fun.
Notably how fast I got dragged into the story, the ambient, the characters.
This will be something.

keep up the great work!

CaptainD · Tue 26/12/2023 20:59:29

Thanks so much, Rik! Glad you enjoyed the demo.

CaptainD · Mon 05/02/2024 12:57:32

As always, life is hugely busy and just finding time to dev and talk about the game is a major challenge, but we have continued to make good progress on the game overall. Here are some highlights:

Development

Acts 1-4 are essentially feature-complete, minus voicing and achievements, which I plan to add when the game is otherwise completed.
Act 5 is in development, quite a bit of work has been done on the early puzzles for this. This act is probably going to be a bit more dialogue-heavy as a significant amount of the history behind what's happening is revealed here. I've been very pleased with the dialogues I've written so far - every character has a unique way of talking, and the information is portrayed in what I hope is an engaging fashion rather than an exposition dump. I'm delighted with the way all the plot strands are weaving together seamlessly (at least, it seems that way to me) and slowly revealed to the player throughout the game.

Testing

Acts 1, 2 and 4 have been fully tested and most bugs / issues found have been corrected already.
Act 3 is currently in testing. Although obviously this is to pick up bugs and issues, the main focus is to ensure that the game flow works as intended. I may add an extra small section to this act, although I am reluctant to open myself up to scope creep - I've got enough work to do already!! :-)
Game structure

As you already know, the game is split into 6 different acts (plus an epilogue cut scene). I've been trying to work out what I can tell you about the different acts without revealing too much. That's always a tricky business, but here's my attempt:

Act I

Correlates to the demo, if you've played that. Captain Disaster gets a distress call, meets some aliens, frees some aliens... nice easy puzzles and a bit of dialogue to get things started and set the scene.

Act II

CD lands on a planet with more aliens, and discovers that they have a significant problem Being a nice chap he decides to help out. He also finds that a character already known to him (from "Death Has A Million Stomping Boots" is on the planet, and is demanding an apology for certain events in the past!

This act has quite a number of characters to talk to and many puzzles involving inventory items. Just like in the good old days.

Act III

In order to help the inhabitants of the planet, we travel to another area to put a plan into action. This part of the game features only one character to talk to (unless you count remote communication with Zero-Bit, the ship's computer), and a handful of inventory puzzles, but the main focus here is more technical puzzles and use of interfaces for devices.

Act IV

We again journey to a different area, but this time (and because the screenshots give it away instantly, I don't consider this too much of a spoiler) Captain Disaster finds himself thrown into a digital world, having fallen foul of a security application. Obviously a skit on TRON, a movie I have always loved and made Lorenzo watch for reference even though he's not a fan of Jeff Bridges, it has a completely different look and feel to the rest of the game. You still have inventory items, but they are mainly things like mods and viruses. Defeating the security application is key to finding out about the history of the planet, however, and of course you have the opportunity to escape, because you need to get back to the real world for the next act...

Act V

This is where I don't want to reveal to much. I will simply say that we will journey to a very different part of the planet, and meet completely new aliens. The dialogue here will really give you a feel for what has happened over the centuries on this planet, what has led up to the present state of affairs, and why the stakes are so high. I have decided, for better or worse, to not include any of the screenshots from this act just yet. I don't want to say too much about the puzzles and other aspects of this part of the game, but let me just say this... you may well find yourself very surprised by one aspect of it.

Act VI

No screenshots for this one yet as we haven't made it! Don't want to say much about the plot here really, just that Captain Disaster will be largely acting as a peacemaker. Which won't be easy...

Planet location walkthrough

Just a little tour of some of the locations in Act 2. The park with the kids playing is one of my favourite places in the entire game.