Silent Hill : The Return To Silent Hill

R4L · Thu 29/01/2004 22:27:34

Well I am making a game based on the same name of this game but I will have a different name and it won't relate as much to the actual story of the game.

This is the title screen and yes I am changing the name. It focuses on the strong points, which are going to be like, the difficulty changing on how well you play, the puzzles will get easier depending on how many times you attempted it.
There will be 4 endings and, like the real game, you can get different endings if you get certain stuff. The game's story will be its strong point, for I am not totally sure about the sounds and programming. The story is loosly based on what happend in the second Silent Hill, and the main character is Jason Dombroski. He is searching for his brother Eddie. He travels to Silent Hill, for he knows that his brother was sick of being made fun of and ran away to this town. He searches the town to find that his brother is dead, and that the town is full of monsters. He vows to kill the man or monster who killed his brother. He thinks he might have went to the next town, since the road to the main highway is blocked off by a gigantic hole, you will have to find a way to get there. I like this idea because it lets me expand the game, and most of the town's stores and bars will be excessable, expanding it more. I am trying to push AGS to the limit. More weapons and a improved melee and weapon attack mode is going to be improved. Its something big for me, and I haven't really any programming experience. I will practice and hopefully the game will be made.
My problem though is that I can't seem to animate Jason.

This is jason and I can't animate him in MS-PAINT. I think I wanna try Graphics Gale or MoHo.
Links to both would be appreciated greatly.
Corey

Darth Mandarb · Thu 29/01/2004 22:44:24

This could be interesting! I'd be curious to know how you're going to change the difficulty based on how you play. I can think of a few ways of doing it.

Sounds intrigueing!

:: Lost Marble - MOHO ::

R4L · Thu 29/01/2004 22:53:58

Thank you for the link Darth.
Yes, I barely have any idea of how that difficulty thing will work but I think this is a great way of practicing the AGS script commands. I might even release this game as a test of how good I can make a game.

EDIT: I tried MoHo and I don't like it.

ScottDoom · Fri 30/01/2004 07:15:32

Not to ruin your spirit, but the programming for such a project sounds a little difficult for a first project.

The story is really nice though, and I like your artwork so far. I'd say make the game, but without the extra programming that you wanted. Or at least make a small test game (without graphics, storyline, etc.) so that you can practice programming a situation in which a puzzle becomes easier or more difficult, so that you do not have to dump the project in its midstage.

R4L · Fri 30/01/2004 12:56:20

Yes ScottDoom, me and my friend are working on a test game where programming is at a high stake. the room is in white and a puzzle is on a clock. You will use it time from time to go back in time and to go forward into time. This practiced my animation skill and now I am working on how to use the flashlight program for AGS. So far, its not been too good but, I am working on it.

I am glad to see that some people are satisfied with my game and that I should continue with it. More support would be great, or any ideas anyone likes might be used in my game. I need some help for tricky puzzles. I have one where a door has a code and the clue to it is...
26 letters, numbers too.
RING RING RING!
Someone called to you.
Pick it up and look carefully,
At each little button you see.
26 letters, numbers too.
Which 4 seem right to you?
B,Z,J,D 4 letters for PASS.
Put it in right cause you only got one chance...

I think its okay. This is the puzzle for EASY mode. If you haven't guessed it now I will tell you that its actually four numbers on a phone. if you have one, you just use the number for the letters. Well I got 2 go so thank you all for your contributions to my game.
Corey

EDIT: Whew, finally just got done with the picture.

This is the test room. In it, the door will lock and you have to search carefully to get out. I am still having trouble animating the main char though, and my website I have been trying to get up on the net hasn't been sucessful since I got shitty dial up. It always freezes up aol when I go on freewebs, and I don't like geocities. But anyway, how do you all like it? The black line at the top is the cord to a broken ceiling lamp and the light blue you see is electricity. This little problem is the key to getting out. I won't tell you the answer though. I am going to make this room into a small test game (maybe) and if it is small enough I will upload it onto 2dadventure.com.
So far so good with our storyline and storyboard. Since I am good with writing and my friend is good at drawing I will direct the storyboard and contol most of the flexible points of my game, while my friend Jacob does some artwork and helps with the story and programming and all that good stuff. Morales are high for this project, well for me anyways. I have been thinking about the difficulty changing on how you do. I think I want the player to choose the difficulty level and then have the game go on from there. I know that there will be 3 levels and since this is a practice for me I thought that since 3 difficulties, means learning varibles and more advanced scripting to change the difficulty, depending on which one you choose. I have been thinking of delaying my other game that I haven't finished yet, since I lack my computer. I am using my friends right now and resources are very limited since I have no music cause I don't have my FruityLoops. Oh, for all of you who need a good music/sound maker, search FruityLoops on Google. It might still be on the net, being that I downloaded it long, long ago. Well I am going to go work on my game some more so peace out!
Corey

EDIT(again): Crying Flower offers uploading service doesn't it? I tried uploading my demo game, Cosmo Colatteral's Adventure, but that was like 3 months ago. Anyone know if that place still offer that?

sergiocornaga · Sun 01/02/2004 04:39:32

Looks sweet, should be a good game. Oh, and yes, you do need to change the name.

R4L · Sun 01/02/2004 05:24:03

Yes, Sergio I am going to change the name to uhh... actually I can't think of a name. lol im stupid as hell. Well can anyone give me a hint?

evilspacefart · Sun 01/02/2004 19:50:43

your graphics abilities are turning out nicer. keep it up.
my only gripe on the pic... the door looks too big, (takes up the whole wall) but oops - this isn't critics lounge.
oh yeah... change the title to anything else. even "Silent Hill Adventure" sounds good. (well... maybe not that good...but do change it)

Nine Toes · Sun 01/02/2004 20:00:37

Hmmm... I might be interested in this. I like Silent Hill.

Yes, yes. Very nice artwork. I like the stars on your title screen.

ScottDoom · Sun 01/02/2004 20:29:27

Call it Silent Mountain. Mwuahahaahah.

Rincewind · Sun 01/02/2004 23:35:21

I like the look of that room you posted - I don't know why, but it gives me the creeps... Like something is about to happen there but you don't know what...
I'd love to see more bg's from this one!

EDIT:
Wrote "why" and meant "what"...
Ouch, I'm tired... Too much cola and too much listening to "Dark Acid profecy" with Warhorse... Ooh... Drat...

R4L · Mon 02/02/2004 00:53:50

I came up with a title, I think it sucks but oh well. I called it Torn Souls : The Search (TS TS). Sucks don't it. I am having some big problems with the script.

Ok, when you come in, the door locks behind you and you can't get out. Even the window won't open. So using very few resources, you must find a way out of the room. Ok, heres my problem...
When you check the hole in the wallpaper, you get a item called TV PLUG. In the room by the television, there is a cord, and it is cut at the end, but the TV is still on. Now when you use the TV PLUG on the cord, the TV will stay on and you will be able to put something through the keyhole in the door. The problem is, you have nothing to use. After searching the couch you will get the SWISS ARMY KNIFE. You use it to leave, but before you leave, the phone rings. A woman is on the phone. Jason questions why she called him. She then says that Jason called her and yells at him. Then she says his name, and Jason asks how she knew his name, but she hangs up. Then he picks the lock, and leaves...
MY PROBLEMS:
1.) When you look out the window, it shows a car in the lake, then a very quick scene of a black screen with red glowing eyes. On this screen, its supposed to play a sound, but I get an error saying that it can't play it. I made it in Sound Recorder on Windows.
2.) Jason walks like a wannabe trying to crip walk and no matter how many times I try to fix it, it still doesn't look right.
3.) It's too easy. I can't make it any harder than it is. I was considering making a weak spot on the east wall and when you knock it down, A puzzle box is there, and when you solve it, you get string. Then you use it on the pizza box to take cheese and stick it to the end of the string. Then, you use it on the hole where the TV PLUG is, then you can reach it and grab the TV PLUG.
I think I want to change the room around, or add different items and more puzzles.
4.) My friend Jacob isn't helping me with this anymore, so I have no artwork help, no programming help, no nothing. I have no support except from fellow AGS-ers.

Please, anything or ideas or whatever you want to say to me, please e~mail me at Xpac3491@aol.com or post it here. I really need some help with this. $:-\$
Thank you very much!

aurora_noir · Sat 07/02/2004 07:50:08

Please please please please please please please PLEASE!
Don't use MSPAINT for this game!!!
It's silent hill! Half the atmosphere is in the games' 'realistic' graphics.. Sure the 1st game suffered from the psx's capabilities, but the 2nd game (and 3rd).. The textures are photorealistic from what i can gather, because the character is plunged into what seems (at first) as a real place..
Not to mention the fact that the graphics are awesome and display genuinely creepy scenes.. To try this in a cartoon format (other than say anime MAYBE...) would so cheapen the whole production..
Use photoshop. Steal textures if you must (i do all the time) Use the clone stamp tool. Use layers for lighting effects (and to help you build your scene)..
Use silent hill images from previous games to help you perhaps (and or to get textures from).. If you can't get your hands on a pc version of the 2nd ( or 3rd?) game, use a psx emulator, or a tv capture card..
You wont be sorry

Just no Paintbrush (win 3.11 users know what im talking about).. that's for the MSpaint game

Nine Toes · Sat 07/02/2004 14:37:51

...

So what are you saying?... Games with graphics drawn in MSPaint are no damn good?

James Kay · Sat 07/02/2004 14:48:30

I think what aurora_noir is trying to say is:
You'll be doing yourself a disservice naming your game after Silent Hill. Copyright issues aside, people will immediately compare your game to the original and you'll hear a lot more complaints re. the graphics.
If you were to just create an original game with an original title then it can stand on its own two feet and Silent Hill fans can appreciate it without getting all hoity-doity about the game's roots.

Minimi · Sat 07/02/2004 17:38:09

Euhm... aurora_noir, have you got any idea of the price of Photoshop? I don't care about the graphics, because they look very good, (i mean not the best, but it's good enough i.m.o.) But you might want to take a look at The Gimp, because with that free program you can just add alittle more L3NS FlARE!!1111!!!!1

And I'd also recomment to use an original name, like James Kay already said.

R4L · Mon 09/02/2004 00:10:27

I previously stated that I am changing the title and I am calling it Torn Souls : The Search. The town in the game is the town I live in. The test game that I am uploading to 2dadventure.com, is simple and is going to disappoint some people. I am considering on redoing it and working on the main char's walkview. I tried The GIMP, I didn't like it. I don't plan on using a lens flare because the whole game is in the dark. The flashlight will have a lens flare, that's about it. Items and other shiny stuff will gleam when the flashlight is shining on them. I am not using SH screenshots or photorelistic screens. I am trying to improve on my art and scripting so I might just put out a short game. I have Silent HillÂÂ 2 and I have been playing it. I think I am going to not use the mouse and try to use the keyboard, to make it seem like you have a controller. I am trying to find a sound studio so I can make some scary sounds. Because the button on my modem to open the disk tray is broken, I can't use my cd with all my sounds. A link to a sound studio or something like it would be good. In Silent Hill 2, there is a civil war prison that you visit. in the women's restroom, there is a closed stall. When you knock on it, nothing happens. When you go to the door to leave, you hear banging sounds and a madman screaming. I am looking forward to making the game scary while entertaining, a most difficult task for a first game. I am having problems with puzzles. Say I want the player to collect 3 coins and put them in coin slots in a certain order except, there is 5 coin slots. Now I want the player to be able to take the coin out and put it in but, I can't seem to think how I will manage having the coin in the coin slot after you use it. Wow, im confused.

Well, any ideas or shit like that?
HANG ON!
I just thought of what I forgot, I am concerned about managing the amount of monsters for each difficulty and I can't think of how I am gonna make monsters respawn or stay dead. Thinking of this made my brain explode and I started rethinkin this Survival/Horror thing. I think that AGS can't handle weapons shooting, like carrying a shotgun and bein able to shoot something. I said "Maybe I can use the If sprites are touching each other script command." cause I read something about this in someone elses thread. Can I do this?
Corey

R4L · Mon 09/02/2004 00:27:28

http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/TS_TS.zip
Here is the link to the test game. I AM STILL WORKING ON THE BETTER TEST GAME, so please don't be posting things like its too short or you didn't put enough work into it.

adam100 · Mon 09/02/2004 16:19:13

Well-to be honest that demo was quite a bit dissapointing.I think that you should have used higher resolution like 640x480 or something.You really should change that character.Especially his head-the rest of the body could pass altough it could use a bit of improvment as well.You should make him more grown up strong because that's what i think you're trying to do.Of course you gotta work on the animation as well.All in all-the game would be really cool if you could uprgrade the graphics and of course add some creepy sounds.You should take "5 days a stranger" for example-it really got me scared as if i was watching some horror movie.The black screen whith eyes lasts a bit too short.Well-i hope that you'll make it worthy sequel or prequel-whatever-to Silent Hill.Wish you luck

SLaMgRInDeR · Mon 09/02/2004 16:40:17

looking good so far, it sounds a bit ambitouse(sp?) for a first game but if it works then it will be good

Quote from: Rap4Life42o on Fri 30/01/2004 12:56:20

This is the test room. In it, the door will lock and you have to search carefully to get out. I am still having trouble animating the main char though, and my website I have been trying to get up on the net hasn't been sucessful since I got shitty dial up. It always freezes up aol when I go on freewebs, and I don't like geocities. But anyway, how do you all like it? The black line at the top is the cord to a broken ceiling lamp and the light blue you see is electricity. This little problem is the key to getting out. I won't tell you the answer though. I am going to make this room into a small test game (maybe) and if it is small enough I will upload it onto 2dadventure.com.
So far so good with our storyline and storyboard. Since I am good with writing and my friend is good at drawing I will direct the storyboard and contol most of the flexible points of my game, while my friend Jacob does some artwork and helps with the story and programming and all that good stuff. Morales are high for this project, well for me anyways. I have been thinking about the difficulty changing on how you do. I think I want the player to choose the difficulty level and then have the game go on from there. I know that there will be 3 levels and since this is a practice for me I thought that since 3 difficulties, means learning varibles and more advanced scripting to change the difficulty, depending on which one you choose. I have been thinking of delaying my other game that I haven't finished yet, since I lack my computer. I am using my friends right now and resources are very limited since I have no music cause I don't have my FruityLoops. Oh, for all of you who need a good music/sound maker, search FruityLoops on Google. It might still be on the net, being that I downloaded it long, long ago. Well I am going to go work on my game some more so peace out!
Corey

EDIT(again): Crying Flower offers uploading service doesn't it? I tried uploading my demo game, Cosmo Colatteral's Adventure, but that was like 3 months ago. Anyone know if that place still offer that?

what do you use the electric wire on the phone to blow the door open or somthing?

Kweepa · Mon 09/02/2004 18:15:39

Torn Souls isn't a bad name by any means. I quite like it.
I'd drop the "The Search" from the end though.

R4L · Tue 10/02/2004 03:00:03

Yes Steve I will drop the end and have the title Torn Souls. I know it was a bit disappointing but I haven't really art skills and programming either. I will be working on this...

Adam100: the black screen is supposed to scare you but since I have no sounds on my computer I can't have screams. I made this test game on my friend's comp and they happen to live next to us but, the little button on the disk drive doesn't work so I couldn't upload sounds.

SlamGrinder: No, lol. It is very simple. I was using the tv plug part to test the flashlight thing for AGS. After like 2 days the damn thing still wouldn't work. You interact with the couch and you will get the swiss army knife. Use it on the door and you will win. Not too exciting. I also tried seeing if I could make a gun and be able to equip it and shoot a test monster. It did not go well at all. I am gonna practice the script. Well I g2g so PeaCe out!
Corey

Lazy Z · Sun 15/02/2004 22:20:25

After finally getting to download the test game you released, I'd like to ask you a few things...

First of all, if you don't mind me asking, why do you want to make a Silent Hill fangame? Is it because you love the franchise, or just because Silent Hill it's a cool game setting?

Moving on, I wanna say a few things about your game, based on what I've seen so far and also based on some assumptions of mine, which of course may be mistaken. I realize that your demo is a very early effort, but I found it underwhelming nonetheless. Please understand that I am not being critical for the sake of it here, I am just voicing my opinion on something that seems to be a promising project. My major gripe with it is the fact that it doesn't really feel like Silent Hill. There are so many aspects that make the Silent Hill games unique, even when compared to other â€œSurvival Horrorâ€ games, such as the use of symbolism and archetypes in order to make the game a more intense experience. Moreover, there's the fog. Not that it can't be implemented in AGS, but will it have the same impact on the game's atmosphere in a 2D game, as it does in the 3D ones? Not only that, but hand-drawn graphics will probably not be as scary as smoothly-animated polygon models . Hmm, â€œsmoothlyâ€ is not the correct word to use when describing the monsters' animation, but I can't think of anything else right now.

Getting back to my original question, I have to say this. Your game might end up (and I certainly hope so) being great, but you might run into a very big problem: It won't feel like a Silent Hill game. There are many things that make a Silent Hill game what it is, and that's more than cheap scares or gruesome monsters. I don't know how big a Silent Hill fan you are, for all I know you may have a really deep understanding of the games, so this rant may be completely stupid. But before I stop this rant, I'd like to say one last thing. Since you are inexperienced in game-making, perhaps it would be better if you did not try to make your game a Silent Hill game, that way you'll have more artistic freedom and you won't have to conform to the norms of the franchise.

I sincerely do not want to discourage you in any way, this is just my opinion and you may choose to ignore it if you wish.

R4L · Mon 16/02/2004 03:56:55

Hey Lazy Z, I respect your idea. I think I am going to use it too. I a very unexpierienced with scripting and art. I have the AGS plug-in that makes snow, rain and fog, well at leastI thinit make fog. I tried using it but once again my mind sucks. I think I am going to steer off the whole Silent Hill genre. I am thinking of more like running and solving puzzles. So far, this project has had some supply & demand. I can't really decide if I should continue with this, since the scripting is pretty heavy. Well I g2g right now cause I am about to play Warcraft II.
PeaCe