Infection 1 (FINISHED)

[WHAM]

The Infection - Part 1 - The ship

The Infection - Part one - The Ship
Finished - See Completed Game Announcements later this evening (7.4.2008)

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IMAGES




Infection - episode 1 - The Ship, my first game, will be the first in a series of three games telling the story of Michael Owen, a spaceship mechanic working aboard the Pelican transport vessel. The first game has about 30 rooms to explore and the future episodes will have much, much more!

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Features:

*/   Beneath a steel sky - like user interface

*/   Full voice acting (Over 600 lines of it)

*/   A peculiar storyline that will make sure you want to see the sequel

*/   Several easter eggs to find, which reveal things about... well... you'll see, eh?

*/   Great music, created by Tony -Ferrara- Caven

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The first part, "The ship", is now NOT ready. To be released between 30.04 - 30.6

Checklist of things to be done below

[100%] Beef up the background graphics by adding lights, shades and details

[100%] Recreate the doors and basic layout of the ship and correct all past glitches in their operation

[100%] Recreate the elevators and correct all past glitches in their operation

[100%] Create hotspots and their functionalities

[100%] Create the game's events (Triggers and such)

[50%] Self-test the games function and correct visible errors

[IN PROGRESS] Have the game beta-tested by someone else

[70%] Create voice acting for the game and add the pre-created music (Music half-done)

[100%] Music

[99%] Add the intro

[25%] Add the outro

[ ] Release the game (final version)

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EDIT: Fixed the post as requested, and added a bit more info.
EDIT2: Added notes to the game completion percentages, to explain what's going on. As it is, the game may be finished before july, or it can wind up all the way to christmas. Slow and steady people!
EDIT#cheese: added a link to website and to the demo
EDIT#pizza: Game back from the dead and going through a serious reworking!
EDIT# Who cares?: Rewrote the whole post, to better reflect the current state of the game

[Darth Mandarb]

Please post another "in-game" screenshot.  Menu/Title screens do not count as the two required.  I'm not going to lock this yet, but please update it soon.

Thanks for the update!  I like the look/feel of the game.  While the story isn't overly original, it still looks like fun!

[Fee]

Looks interesting. Ill be giving it a shot

[thewalrus]

     Good looking first attempt at an AGS game. Sounds like the kind of story I enjoy and with voice acting and everything, it seems like your really serious about making a high quality game. Good luck and carry on, mate!!! 

[WHAM]

Thanks for the update!  I like the look/feel of the game.  While the story isn't overly original, it still looks like fun!

The first part story might not seem highly original, but as I said: Its only a prologue for the later games. I have a whole and, in my high opinion, interesting story evolving in the background. There WILL be twists and turns later on in the game(s). Also: Whereas the first game only has about three characters, the later games will contain dozens of characters you can talk to, and interact with. (Although I have decided NOT to use a dialogue in a way that the player has a choise of what he says. I think its just no use, as the game only has one ending, and the player just ends up going through all conversation options anyway.)

[Maverick]

I think it is pretty damn good for a first attempt at making a game. Looking forward to the final product.

[LUniqueDan]

Wow WHAM!

Maybe I got a crush for Space Marines / Colonial Marines / Starship Troopers or anything who wake up from an HS chamber, but this is looking marvelous.

Plz - Tell us more!

LUnique"M40 pulse Rifles Rocks"Dan

[WHAM]

Wow WHAM!

Maybe I got a crush for Space Marines / Colonial Marines / Starship Troopers or anything who wake up from an HS chamber, but this is looking marvelous.

Plz - Tell us more!

LUnique"M40 pulse Rifles Rocks"Dan

Hahaha! As you probably guessed, I got the idea for the games space travel methods from Alien moves's hypersleep pods. I'll probably be releasing a proper background story for the game soon, the same thet will be in the games README, as the background story will not be looked into during the game itself.

Im positively suprised that people are interested in the game. Thanks guys! You gave me a ton of new enthusiasm to work on this thing!

[WHAM]

Just wanted to bump this to tell people that the project is alive and kicking. Although some redrawing was just done for the intro sequence, and some more is still underway, the scripting part is now 100% working, and I only need to add the same scripts, and variations, to different rooms to make the game properly work.

The Infectiong games, my pet project at the moment, are also getting a website (little something simple, nothing massively new or never before seen here) in the near future (trying for July). Check http://www.kopteri.net/koti/tomi.kahkonen/ for details. This website will house info for all three Infection games in time, but will mostly be limited to Infection 1 in the beginning (as the others have not been made yet!).

The website will also house my contact information in the future, in case anyone wants a part in the creation of the game. More detailw will be posted on the website in due time, and of course: here!

[Jon]

I like the look of this game, similar to 7DAS.

[Hudders]

Looks really cool.

Can't wait to see how it plays out.

I have decided NOT to use a dialogue in a way that the player has a choise of what he says.

Or you could give the player a choice, but have each dialogue option amount to the same thing:

1. "Blow it up!!!?"
2. "What do you mean you're going to blow up the supercomputer!?"
3. "I don't understand!"

[WHAM]

Or you could give the player a choice, but have each dialogue option amount to the same thing:

1. "Blow it up!!!?"
2. "What do you mean you're going to blow up the supercomputer!?"
3. "I don't understand!"

What's the point here? It just allows you to pick a different way of saying the same thing, and doesn't allow you to effect the game OR storyline at all anyway. If this was trying to have role playing elements I would add the player selectable dialogues, but as it is not, there's no point. I'll just create the characters and the dialogue will play itself out in a way I, as the writer, see best.

[Hudders]

Or you could give the player a choice, but have each dialogue option amount to the same thing:

1. "Blow it up!!!?"
2. "What do you mean you're going to blow up the supercomputer!?"
3. "I don't understand!"

What's the point here? It just allows you to pick a different way of saying the same thing, and doesn't allow you to effect the game OR storyline at all anyway. If this was trying to have role playing elements I would add the player selectable dialogues, but as it is not, there's no point. I'll just create the characters and the dialogue will play itself out in a way I, as the writer, see best.

That's fair enough, it's your baby, I understand.

I just think some kind of interaction is essential for immersion into the character. I could see myself feeling a bit disconnected if I didn't have any part to play in how my avatar goes about his business.

[WHAM]

True, but you have control of the charactrers actions, although the game is forced to limit them, otherwise the players would just shoot everything... ^^

Again, the first part will mostly be a simple prologue and practice, and not a fully fletched game. That's up in the second part.

[R4L]

Sounds cool, like a game I used to play. (Overblood on the PSX).

Hope you finish the game!

[LUniqueDan]

Hudders : I got your point about immersion, but I should agree 100% with WHAM.

There's although lot of situations where dialogues kill immersions. (mostly on non parody game)

1) "Guys, we are in a big rush to avoid dying - how's your wife?
2) "We works together since 10 years - It's our vessel - I'm a mecanic, but can you repete me what I'm suppose to do with the reactor."
3) "I have a 300 rnd/min gattling minigun, but sure I'll do the 3 fairy tales task you wanted me to do before you let me in."

WHAM : Your game looks great - Can't wait for the first part. But take your time :
"Shoot straight, conserve ammo, and never ever cut a deal with a Xenomorph, mostly the orange ones"

Over and out.
Dan

[Hudders]

Hudders : I got your point about immersion, but I should agree 100% with WHAM.

There's although lot of situations where dialogues kill immersions. (mostly on non parody game)

I think if you're going to have dialogue, you ought to provide the option to have a character repeat what they just said. Especially if it's mission critical. Also, if it's a long piece of dialogue, it's nice to break it up into manageable pieces and allow the user to quit out of the conversation at regular intervals.

You can get away with not having dialogue options by only having each character speak one line, which they speak every time you click on them: nothing more, nothing less. Otherwise you run the risk of boring and / or alienating your audience.

[WHAM]

I have my ways of getting past this problem. In my opinion the system I'm using works like a charm, although it doesnt get used muck in the first game as most conversation is scripted and cannot be skipped. I also keep the player's goals very clear at all times, so they dont have to go back and get the NPC:s to repeat what they just said.

[LUniqueDan]

Hudders :

I think if you're going to have dialogue, you ought to provide the option to have a character repeat what they just said.

Yeah your right! (English is not my mother tongue...so  you're right x2 - how many times I restored a save game only to got the point on a too fast monologue).

For the other point : I think it depends on how WHAM will deal it. Some games a have agenda for that purpose.

I think I just was on my 'No-Talk-to-button-day' (  )
Cheerz

EDIT : I downloaded the 'tech demo' hidden somewhere in the Forum... only the door opening alone rushes me to play that game...

[WHAM]

Hahaha! At first I thought that the doors opening by just walking closer to them worked easily and were great, BUT...

They have proven to be a pain in the ass scripting wise. The main problem with them being the fact that if you are near a door and use an object far away from the door, your character walks away and the door doesn't close. This causes a nasty glitch in door animations, which I am working on to repair. The doors went from few lines of script to dozens of lines in a few days of testing... sheesh...

But then again, I like them so much that I wont give them up. Not now and not in the future sequels. (I keep blabbering about the sequels alot, but that just to ensure myself that I WILL make a next part and not waste all the planning effort I've had just to have some nice stuff in the first part that will not open up to the player before the second. Continuity is pretty important to me here.)

To test out the scripts and such I will probably be looking for playtesters to try out a mute version some time this summer. Voicework will be added as a finishing touch and then...

ALSO: Whoops... I'd forgotten that bit of work was still out there! And I was supposed to be so secretive about it now that it was properly underway! ^^ Oh well, might as well put it up here:

DEMO REMOVED - GOING THROUGH A REMAKE

This contains a highly incomplete and buggy version of the game, without any real stortyline scripts and such. Its just the raw basic version I made to start with. Perhaps this will give people a better image of what the game is like in motion.

[WHAM]

Bumping to notify that the demo on my website has been updated a bit. Its still lacking quite a lot but should give you a better image of what coming up. Also it allows you to roam a large portion of the game's rooms, so if anyone spots buggies there, let me know.

Try it out! (please)

DEMO REMOVED!!!

[WHAM]

Well I'll be darned! I'm back on the project again!

An update on the situation of Infection 1 - The ship follows:

The game is facing a complete "start from scratch" phase, concerning the games script and sounds. Only the old graphics are being reused from the original project. Also, it has been given a concrete deadline which, if crossed, means I dont graduate from school this summer! The deadline is now set to 30.04.2008, and has a tiny little bit of extra just in case I need it.

Expect:

- More frequent updates concerning the game's developement.
- A higher quality voice acting than was originally planned.
- More fancy script things (such as: actually functioning motion detecting doors! (they didnt't quite work before))
- New original music, as I might have found someone willing to do music for the game!

Sorry for allowing the project to cool of for so long! Its been bothering me, and I'm really looking forward to making the second and third part too, seeing how far I've planned the story developement and such in the series, but the struggling I've encountered in the first part turned me off on the matter.

Also: the website linked to earlier in this thread should be modified some time in the coming two weeks time!

[WHAM]

Okay, here's a developement list to be completed ASAP:

[90%] Beef up the background graphics by adding lights, shades and details

[100%] Recreate the doors and basic layout of the ship and correct all past glitches in their operation

[100%] Recreate the elevators and correct all past glitches in their operation

[100%] Create hotspots and their functionalities

[1%] Create the game's events (Triggers and such)

[ ] Self-test the games function and correct visible errors

[25%] Create voice acting for the game and add the pre-created music (Music half-done)

[ ] Add the intro and outro to the game

[ ] Release the game (hopefully in time)

Here's a couple of images to show you how the backgrounds are being updated.

[CosmoQueen]

Wow 0% on everything cept the GFX. We're going to be waiting a long time for this game aren't we?

[WHAM]

Wow 0% on everything cept the GFX. We're going to be waiting a long time for this game aren't we?

Deadline is now at 30.5.2008, so hopefully you wont! Also: updated precentages! no more all zeroes!!!

[CosmoQueen]

Wow that's sooner than I thought it would be! I can't wait!

[ShadeJackrabbit]

Man, you must work fast. Looks good though!

[m0ds]

Looking good! Should be a fun game

[Dualnames]

I recall seeing infection a year ago and I just lost truck of the topic. Glad that this game's back.

[WHAM]

The remaking of the bare bones of the game is now finished.

Infection now has all the rooms, hotspots, doors and elevators fully functional, leaving me only the storyline and triggers to script, before the game is ready for release.

This means that the game just might make it before its deadline!

At the moment the game is being tested by a few people, and I am not taking any outside testers YET, although I will be looking for a few people interested in beta testing in a month or so.

There is also a DEMO available of the game! Hope you like it! Compared to the old demo that was here a long time ago, this version has less bits of the storyline and more base functions in the game. Fiddle around and you'll see!

http://www.kopteri.net/koti/tomi.kahkonen/

I will be updating again in a week or two!

[WHAM]

NOTICE:

I said that the game was to be released in May, but this will change slightly.

The game itself will be finished in May, this meaning a full storyline, readme/manual, all items, voice acting, music, nearly everything.

The thing is: I might not have time to finish the game's intro/outro in that time, so those will be missing from that version for a while, hopefully to be added in a later version within the month.

At the moment the project is moving on smoothly and I have high hopes of finishing it in time!

[WHAM]

I though I'd add the background story's updated version so anyone can have a look. The same story will also be available in the game's README/manual file.

Some background for the game:

CHARACTERS:

Michael Owen
21 Years

Michael is the ships technician and the protagonist of Infection series.
He is quite a careless person, often neglecting his duties until he has no way to avoid them. This leaves the pelican in a constant state of disrepair. Mike is also a bit of a ladies man, although the ladies often disagree. He has been on the Pelican's crew from the very start and plans to stay in the job for ten more years, to make a good deal of money to retire young on some nice colony.


Jacob Pliskin
20 Years

Jacob is the young captain in command of the Pelican. He bought it together with Michael and started the business together a few years ago. Jacob joined the military when he was 16, but as his unit disbanded he took interest in the unit's cargo transporter, which he later bought and renamed the Pelican. The ship has then become more that a job for Jacob, who knows the ships systems bit by bit and has himsef reprogrammed most of the ships computer.


Ellie Adams
25 Years

Ellie is the medical officer in charge of keeping the Pelicans crew healthy. She was hired to work on the ship after a radioation leak had nearly killed the original two crew members. Ellie, although she looks young, is the oldest of the crewmembers and under constant bombardment of flirting from Michael. This bombardment has not yet been very successful, only awarding Michael with icy retorts and stingy comments about his appearances and behavior.


STORY:

It is 3118.

After humankind succesfully invented hypersleep and hyperstravel, man began rapidly colonizing their home galaxy. Mankinds first steps into space were lead by massive corporations with nearly endless funding. As the colonies expanded, several feuds were born between these corporations, which now began to hire personal armies and arm spaceships with new ranges of weapon systems. Not long afterwards the colonies were torn apart by wars, which cost millions and millions ofl ives and demolished entire colonies.

As the situation became dangerous enough, that it began to threaten mans survival in space, several of the largest corporations and governments united and formed a coalition, that is today known as the UEF - United Earth Federation. As the parties that formed UEF united their military organisations, they were easily able to push the smaller factions out of the main colonies and into the small border colonies at the outermost reaches of human space.

At some time in the 3080's the UEF had succesfully ridden 98% of used space of any resistance and piracy and a peace was finally declared, after over a century of raging war. In the decade that followed the peace declaration, UEF began to realise that it had massive amounts of funding being drained by military organisations that were now nearly entirely out of use. UEF began to retrain soldiers into police units to safeguard the colonies, while maintaining a certain level of military presence in the border colonies. UEF also began disbanding facilities that were established during the war to support the military machine: military research outposts, resupply centers and barrack worlds were abandoned and in some cases dismantled and disposed of. The massive transportation fleets of the UEF were also mostly disbanded, their mostly overused, damaged or simply outdated ships being sold to the highest bidders, who proceeded to create a thriving business of transportation companies.

One such one ship transportation company is the Pelican: a single ship with three crew members taking the transportation jobs of the highest bidders.

July 14.3118 (Earth time)
LR-05 Research colony (Disbanded a month earlier and now being dismantled and shipped to be disposed of)

"Welcome to LR-05 orbital station"
Michael stepped through the airlock and gazed at the gleaming steel corridors greeting him, nodding to the computer which had greeted him as he entered the station. He had been ordered by his Captain to enter the station and keep an eye on the personnel loading cargo onto the Pelican. Michael shrugged as he thought of the things he had heard of this place from his older brother who served in the military nearby. The stories of how soldiers had gone mad and killed... and worse...

As he walked, he thought of his next mission, of how the Pelican would have to travel across half of the galaxy, all the way to the core, just to drop the cargo off at the BH-01 Black Hole disposal facility. The massive metal colossus that was tethered to four planets so that it would not be drawn into the small black hole at the middle of the galaxy. Any ship going by the disposal facility would instantly get sucked into the black hole and there was no return. The facility was used to dispose of any materials that were never to be seen again. Why didn't they just leave it down there and bomb the place to vapor?

The corridor took a sharp turn and as Michael took the turn, his eyes were greeted by another pair of eyes. A pair of very deep, green, beautiful woman's eyes. A sight he had not expected on the station.
"Are you mr. Owen?" The woman asked, as Michael slowly digested her image in his head. She was a sleek woman, clad in a white jumpsuit that had been issued to all the low level workers on the orbital station.
"Yeah... that's me..." Michael said, his eyes still wandering on the beautiful figure of the woman.
"I have been instructed to take you to the viewing deck and to assist you if you need it. This way!" As the woman finished, she turned on her heels and walked down the corridor, with a small wiggle in her walk that just seemed to hypnotize Michael, who has suddenly forgotten all about his job here.


Outside the station, where the Pelican was docked and waiting for its cargo, two men clad in cumbersome spacesuits floated watching the moon below.
"Are the packages ready for transport?" One of the two men asked the other, while glancing at the massive green surface of the below moon, where the massive white domes of the research facility were barely visible.
"They are ready, and the captain has been advised not to take any other cargo that ours."
"Good..."
As they spoke, two large metal blocks were floating from the reaches of the moon's low-gravity atmosphere and towards the station, guided by small rocket engines. They were automatically guided so that they found their places underneath the Pelican and slid neatly into the open cargo slots of the ship. Michael never noticed how one of the spacesuit-clad men entered the empty space between the cargo compartments and exited after a few minutes...

The pelican was ready to start its journey...

[WHAM]

Announcement:

Infection 1 has now gone into beta!
The game, after having been in production for over a year, has today been played through for the first time and is now being tested for bugs (which there have been MANY!). Final release can be expected within the month!

[CosmoQueen]

That's awesome! I can't wait!

[WHAM]

Bumping to notify that release date has been narrowed down, music is completed (no sneak-peeks of that, although there is over 40 minutes of music in the game), voice acting is nearly completed (and about 60 minutes worth of that), intro and outro will be released in time with the rest of the game...

All in all: Infection will be released in two weeks time!

[WHAM]

This thread is ready to be locked, as INFECTION IS NOW READY!!! See the Completed Game Announcements later today for download link and more information!