#gun twl

[chanstopher]

Minchan ✧ Give Me Your TMI

[nitrosodiumequilibriumproject]

Looking Forward

So far, I have a vague understanding of my next brief. It's gonna be on an arcade, and it's about Equilibrium. Now in the context of the brief, equilibrium seems to detail a symbiosis between mankind and nature. At a talk I went to, where I sat on uncomfortable wooden pews for hours on end, I saw that most of the games related to this concerned nature, but they were either slightly charming light shows or connecting tree branch PNGs together. Not exactly a stimulating gameplay experience. Now, I also had the idea of Equilibrium being more vague, i.e. the balance of two variables. Now I had a game before that emulated this idea perfectly, it was called 'Sweat Pursuit'. Basically, you were in a car in an infinite runner type scenario, being chased by another guy driving a car named Chubb. You could pick up burgers and coins on the road, and throw burgers behind you at Chubb. Each burger you throw slows him down and decreases his Hunger meter, which also affects his speed. So, you'd have to balance Chubb's hunger and the amount of burgers you were carrying; because of the way Chubb's AI works, he'd only continue to get faster. Eventually, burgers didn't even slow him down, just push him back. So I thought of redoing this equilibrium idea in a more natural setting; you'd be driving some sort of sci-fantasy truck through a savanna, but there would be predators, lions or something, following you. So you could drop your cargo on the lions, which would affect the ecosystem, and also decrease your end-of-level rating. Conversely, you could stop to pick up more cargo to get your rating back up, but you'd be slowing down and allowing the lions a free hit on you. But I felt like this idea was forced and questionable; a non-linear infinite runner is very different to the physical, linear games i'd previously made and I'm not sure whether I would understand the technology enough. It'd kind of be a TWL gun scenario, where I focused too hard on making the technical game rather than the playable game.

So, my new idea pulls away the curtain a little and leans harder into the theming of nature. It'll be a basic platformer with some fantasy elements, and less unique technological things. Here's how I got the name. Equilibium = equus librum. Freedom Horse. So, my first idea is to have you play as a centaur. You can trot, gallop, jump long distances and shoot arrows, because centaurs always use bows. To bolster the theme of nature - not only because you're both human and animal as a centaur - but because you'll be using friendly animals to progress. Ride a pollinating water-elephant through a lake, or use some sorta giant sugar-glider to go through a long cavern. You can absolutely kill these animals, but you shouldn't, because then you'll be stuck. Some animals will be against you, like other fantasy creatures, satyrs/fauns perhaps. It'll be technologically similar to TWL, but I need a good idea of what will be in the game so I don't get bogged down. Because, chances are, I will if I don't allocate my time.

EDIT: Turns out I'm incredibly stupid, and equus librum means The Horse Book. However, this could be interpreted as "story of horses", which works to make this whole analogy seem deep and not just a corruption of barely-understood pig latin.

[nitrosodiumepicfps]

A Level Of Reflection

I would say that I've reflected well on the experience that was Overdeath. On a basal level, I've learned key 3D modelling tools, but on a more personal level, I've seen the differences between 3D programming and 2D programming, and the crux of what I've learned, making the key gameplay loop before anything else.

I understand that Overdeath has the key components of what I planned for it to have - multiple guns, shooting, enemies, movement, a level you can proceed through, and notes to tell a more cohesive story. Issue is, it's a machine without gears, a car without wheels. There's no gameplay in there to make everything fit together. This, in my opinion, above anything else, is why TWL succeeded and Overdeath did not. TWL, even in its early stages, was a platformer. You jump around and get to the end. Everything from that point was layered like a delicious lasagna, first the collectibles, then the damage sources, then the interactive elements, and then enemies. With Overdeath, wherein the key element was shooting enemies, first I did level geometry, then actor tags, then landscaping, then moving platforms, then enemies, and then it took fine-tuning the AI to even have something that could be called playable. It's something I want to remedy with my Equilibrium game; I'll make a really good platformer as a base, and then add hurt triggers, and then friendly animals to help you get over the obstacles, and then enemies, and then a way to fight back. Obviously, first will come sprites and map design. But the important thing is... Now I Know How.

[tommierz]

stop getting your ass grounded what did you do this time shoot the cat with a salt gun

yiu cmat twl me wgat to do fuck yiu ‼️😡

[nitrosodiumofficialuses]

Toxic Waters Lite: Trimming The Fat

Today is the last day of development for the project. No more feature creep, no more deliberation. I'm finishing TWL today.

Firstly, Nicolas has no more gun. Enemies (there is only one type, the Drain) act as roving hazards, which must be avoided by jumping over them, or studying their patrol routes and ducking in and out of them.

Secondly, no more healthbar. One hit from anything and you're dead.

Thirdly, no more metroidvania and RPG mechanics. The upgrade station is removed, as is every health pickup and ammo pickup. All you've got is your wits and agility to survive.

This creates a tighter, slicker experience in my eyes. Perhaps, it's even closer to the original idea, without the tacked-on combat mechanics. I'm keeping this short too, since I need to build level 3, and I can't find a version that I like. A small lobby with a security door seems nice, after which you dodge (or don't) enemies to get to the next floor. I also want to add:

A level where the crane is at the top, meaning you have to climb all the way up and then down again.

A horizontal level where you traverse waterways using platforms.

Something with moving floors.

Or I won't. Three levels might be enough. Hopefully.

[margseliserobbie]

Check out an Exclusive Behind the Scenes Featurette for The Suicide Squad starring John Cena, Margot Robbie and Idris Elba! Let us know what you think in the comments below.

[datastate]

honestly though a key part of why the pale beings are so scary (to me) is just how much they’re revered as perfection by their people in spite of their obvious atrocities. they are embodiments of some higher power, yes, but in that they also encompass the flaws of their element. but because of the pride the higher beings often carry, and the power these two in particular wish to hold over ‘hallownest’ (the entire area), they will never acknowledge it and instead reinforce themselves as “king and creator” as if they’re beyond reproach or any justified criticism of what they’ve done to people outside of hallownest on this basis alone. and if you outright challenge their right to rule (or the reasoning of their commands) in any capacity - especially within the city - there Will be a feeling that the king will know. his symbol is engraved into hallownest’s design, and the minds of the people. it’s why xero was made out to be an example. he dared to act where others wouldn’t - or couldn’t, for whatever reason they hold. hell, who knows if xero could’ve ever managed to act on this had he not been infected. the resentment was clearly there, it was just radiance who enhanced it and urged him to strike rather than take it with sense.

and he’s implied to not be the first to begin to have doubts on this presumed purity - the five knights and dreamers wrt their connection with the vessel/s. they aren’t stupid, and with those who aren’t even native to hallownest they are allowed more skepticism, but there’s still that weight that hangs above them if they dared to object and act on it beyond civil debate. and not how they’d socially be impacted, but like... there’s a gun at their back, and maybe not just theirs! the five knights may have cared for the vessel. if they were to be killed, would their replacement, if any, treat the vessel with as much subtle care, or would it be subjected to the same cold treatment it received from its creators? it may not be alive by their standards, but if you have seen them grow there’s just... little doubt you’d be able to reason it away as nothing more than a construct. and while this may be a perfect plan at the time (or, rather, the only plausible plan; how long can you wait for the sanctum? at least monomon has somewhat backed up the supposed foresight the wyrm used) it was built on cruel means. this is one of the few moments you see your gods at their barest. where they make the hard, but ‘right’, decision and you must follow along or risk taking on the guilt of knowing this otherwise-flawless plan failed because of your own disobedience and lack of faith

idk man. just in general the idea of any characters who portray themselves as ‘perfect’ with little to no words against them within the circle they actively personally interact with really gets me on edge. too unnatural. too unsettling. i love calm and composed characters as much as the next, but there’s a point it crosses that and don’t get me wrong it’s Very cool seeing just what tactics they’ve used to put off this aura and what chips at their demeanor (seeing them break...catharsis; altho we never see twl/pk ever hit that point of course, aside from their obvious cowardice), but in general just... damn dude. you’re fucked up aren’t you

[kirbychan234]

21?

21. “I’m bulletproof…but please, don’t shoot me.”

That had to be one of the stupidest lines they had everheard. This purple guy was big and looked kind of intimidating, but he wassurrounded, back against the wall and at least five guns pointed his way. Therewas no getting out of this one.

“Don’t worry, we won’t,” the leader said with a shrug andlowered his pistol only slightly. “All you have to do is give us your money.”

“Isn’t this a bit excessive?”

“We’ve always been thorough.” One of the gang memberslaughed. “And it always gets results!”

The big guy didn’t seem amused; in fact if they didn’t knowany better, they could have sworn he rolled his eyes behind that stupidpompadour. “Look, just take it from me, you’re wasting your time. I told youbullets won’t do anything to me, so can we just-?”

“Oh is that right?” The guns clicked at the same time andtheir target took a small step back. “What do you say, boys? Should we test outol’ Superman here?” Another round of laughter rang out. At this time of night,nobody would be around to hear this. “Let’s see how bulletproof you really arethen.”

“Wait-!”

The first bullet made their target slam against the wall,while the second and third were enough for him to slump. The fourth made himstart to slide down the wall. He made no noise, or at least none that theycould hear from him over their laughter, as the boss sauntered over, kneelingdown and he placed the barrel of his gun directly on their target’s forehead,lifting his head up in the process. His eyes were closed, most likely alreadydead. “Guess you were a little wrong in your assumption, huh?” The leadersneered before pulling the trigger.

The head fell forward once he pulled his gun away, still nota sound to be heard. He joined in the laughter for a moment before looking overthe body. He frowned when he realized that something was wrong. At first hethought it was because it was so dark outside, but looking a little closer…therewas no blood. Not a speck of red to be found, even after being shot five times.

That was…weird. And slightly troubling.

“Hey boss, everything okay?”

“…Yeah, fine. Just zoned out for a second.”

“A’ight but let’s grab his stuff and get the hell outta herebefore people start noticing.”

They were right. There was always a chance that someonecould have heard something or someone could walk by. He shook the strangethoughts out of his head. Must be his eyes playing tricks on him. With the waythis guy was dressed, the blood could have sunk into that purple vest and itwas just too dark to notice.

The leader reached his hand out to search their target’spockets. He had to be loaded though, dressed as fancy as he was. If they werelucky, maybe they’d even find some keys on him as well, and then maybe-

His thoughts cut off when a large hand swiftly grabbed hisarm and he stopped the scream of surprise.

"̨Oh ̛I̴͡͝ d̀o̸ǹ̵͜'́t̶ kno̴̡ẃ͠à̷͞b͢͡͝òu̸̵t ͝͞t́͡ha͘t.͞"̀͡

The entire gang watched in horroras their target slowly lifted up his head. A black void was all that wasvisible in his open eyes, aside from vicious irises that glowed like fire, and a wicked grin broke out on thedead man’s face. "I̛'̛m pe̶͞r͢͝f̡ę̸̡ć͠͏t̴l̸̷̶y̡ ̷͠F̸̧͟I̴N̵͏̕E̶͜.̴"̵

He could do nothing as he waspulled to his feet by this –whatever thehell it was! As they rose, the dead man’s “skin” began to sizzle, untilmagenta fire erupted over every inch of him, causing the whole gang to screamin horror. It engulfed his entire body, until nothing but a skeleton remained.

A skeleton in a suit.

"NOW̸̴ ̷́̕W͠H̕A̵͠͞T ͠WAS̶̀ ̷́T͝H̶́̕A̴͠͞T͏͏́ABǪ͞U̷̕T̢͞ ̡͘͠T͞RÝ͝ŅG̡ ́T͜Ờ̶ ͘R̴Ǫ̴B́͟ ̴̛M̨E̵?̢"̀͡ The skeleton bellowed as he tightened his grip on theleader’s arm, singeing it slightly. The screams increased and the lackey’ssplit in all directions to make a run for it.

They didn’t get very far. A ringof magenta fire surrounded all six of them and cut off all means of escape. “L-l-letGO of me, y-you damn d-demon!” Theleader yelled, squirming in the burning grip.

"͜D͘͝͝È͞M̷O̕N̵͝?!͡" The ring of fire closed in. "I̛͝'͟͢M͜ ͢N͡O̢̢T̢̧͜T̨͜H̶͟Ȩ̡ ON̕͜Ę ̧̢WH̸Ǫ̷ SHÒ̧Ơ̧T͏S ̡I̡͝N͠͡N͢͞OC̡͢E͡N̷̷͜T̀ ̴͘P̶͘͢EOP̛L̴͘E̷͜!̶̢͢͝I'̕M̴ N̢͘O͜T̴ ͜TH͝͡E͝ ̵̢D̛̛E̶M̛O͘N̴͟ ̶͘H́͡ERÈ̶͏!͟͢"̛͠

Effortlessly, the skeleton threwthe leader into his group of lackeys. "T̷h̸́í͢s̵͏ ̴̧i͜͞ş ́w̷͝h̀͘a̢͟t͝de̡͝ḿ͘͠o̶̷n̸͠ś̶ ̴͞͞l̛i͏͝k̢è ̶̨y̵̧̕o̕u̢ ̢͟G̸͜ÈT̨̀͜."̴͢͟

--

“What in the world…?”

Calls about gunshots had driventhe police here, and the suspects they found certainly did have armed weapons at their disposal…

But all of the terrified babblesleft them all confused. They only watched for a moment before bringing them allin. One of them even begged for it to be safe from the “demon”.

Hoo boy…bunch of nutcases, theseones.

--

Lewis sighed as he finally madehis way back home and closed the door. “Oh Lewis!” Vivi ran up and hugged himaround the waste. “What kept you so long?”

“Yeah man.” Arthur was leaningover the top of the couch, looking a tad worried. “You said you were gonna behome like an hour ago.”

“Uh…” He was never good at lying;Lewis knew this better than anyone. He kind of wanted to lie, but Vivi andArthur would see right through it. Lewis looked down at Vivi and brushed somehair out of her face. “Long story. Let’s just say that sometimes I can’t help being a little spooky.”

[myrecordcollections]

Turn It Over ? Play It Loud is the full name of this album I believe, and this is an obvious reference to the arrival of Jack Bruce into an otherwise unchanged Lifetime. A very black cover (almost more so than VU's White Light album of the previous year), and the album has a definitely angry, psyched-out snarls at the establishment. The linernotes mention Williams wanting to do is MC5, but I'm much more partial to Vanilla Fudge being his prime in fluence for this album. Despite being known as Cream singer and one of the bazssist that rewrote the rock bass playing book, Bruce is originally a jazz musician as his formation in Graham bond Organization, but jack will not sing on this album, but rather McLaughlin (if you can believe THAT) and Tony Williams himself. Starting on the double Corea's two-part To Whom it May Concern, TWL is definitely attacking from the starting gun, and you know right away that their first album was no fluke with their incendiary hard-psyched jazz Indeed the track is slowed down, much like Vanilla Fudge did, to allow plenty of dramatic effects and McL's twisted (by effects) voice. Larry Young does not much different than Emerson did with his Hammond in The Nice, whipping it back, tearing its guts out, something that VF's Stein did quite well too. McL's guitar is as fiery as you've ever heard it before, like on the future Devotion or Tribute to JJ. If Trane's Big Nick sort of sticks out from the album's general psychedelic folly. But just after that, the short Right proves to be the most VF-esque number and the low organ groans spill-over Once I Loved (sung by Williams, this time), sprawling itself over five minutes. Not for every ears, I'll say.

The 5-mins Vuelta Abajo sounds like a very early heavy metal track, and it puts to shame Blue Cheer. With a heavy repetitive riff and searing guitar The funeral (graveyard background voice) Famous Blues is more an organ-lead track, despite being McL-penned, while the closing Allah Be Praised is very much predating Mahavishnu Orchestra. The superb bonus track One Word is showing how much greater this album would've been if Jack had taken over the vocals, as he does one of his most spectacular and dramatic showcase. Musically, the track is completely in the album's spectrum, too.

More than a jazz-rock album, TIV-PIL is a full psych-prog album that some jazz roots , one that some 40 years later can still shock and surprise. Ifnot a must have, thisis at leasta must-hear, even if some forewarned progheads might still wonder on which album they've fallen upon.

[lakotasafeco-blog]

Instant Classics: Best New Handguns for 2019

Instant Classics: Best New Handguns for 2019

Source: Washington Times  TAURUS TX22 22LR POLYMER Taurus sporting pistol shoots and feels every bit like a custom-tuned competition model without any costly upgrades or modifications. From the short, smooth pull of its precision-designed Taurus Pittman Trigger System (PTS) to the built-in comfort of its ergonomic grip, the TX22 is one performance-driven full size that’s ready to race RUGER LCRx .357 MAGNUM 3” barrel features a monolithic frame is made from 400 series stainless steel. Patented friction reducing cam is a next generation design in fire control systems that results in a smooth, non-stacking trigger pull WALTHER PPQ M2 Q5 MATCH is built for the production class competitive shooter. Built around our award winning PPQ platform, the Q5 Match features an optics ready slide that comes with a Trijicon RMR, Leupold Delta Point, and Docter Optics ready mounting plate in addition to the standard competition iron sights already included. Coupled with a ported slide, Carl Walther signature ergonomics, and a blue quick defense trigger, the Q5 is the firearm that gives you match performance in a production class firearm SMITH & WESSON M&P BODYGUARD .38 SPECIAL Revolver is double action only and features a 1.875” stainless steel barrel with a lightweight, one-piece aluminum alloy upper frame, making it an ideal choice for concealed carry and personal protection. The revolver also features a pinned, black ramp front sight, ambidextrous cylinder release, and a smooth trigger pull with a 5 round stainless steel cylinder GLOCK 48 in caliber 9mm Luger is of similar length and height as the G19 but the width of the pistol is reduced for increased concealability and high carrying comfort. The magazine capacity of the slim 01 magazine of the G48 is 10 rounds. It comes with a silver colored nPVD coated slide with front serrations CZ USA CZC AO1-LD frame is hammer-forged, CNC-machined and then blued. It combines classic CZ 75 ergonomics with purpose driven features ideal for competition. The slide is machined from 4140 bar stock and features front and rear serrations and CZ Custom low-mount rear sight and fiber-optic front. A 4.925” match-grade bull barrel made from 416 stainless steel. Built for the higher capacity P-09/P-07/P-10 magazine platform SPRINGFIELD ARMORY XDM 10MM 4.5 full-size pistol is the latest variation in the series, now chambered in the popular 10mm round for more power in the highly accurate and reliable XD-M platform MOSSBERG MC1 SC is a polymer-framed, striker fired, 19-ounce, 9mm+P, sub-compact pistol. Tests proved the gun to be reliable and comfortable to shoot FN 509 MIDSIZE is the ideal combination of a four-inch slide and barrel with a midsize frame retains full-sized pistol performance in an easily-concealed package. The 9mm pistol ships standard with 15-round capacity and is compatible with all FN 509 magazines with use of a sleeve. The improved controls aid in manipulation, the new improved texturing on the two included backstraps provides better recoil management and a new, flatter faced trigger allows for more controllable trigger press and cleaner break GLOCK 43X SUBCOMPACT - The silver finished slide of the G43X combines its short and slim dimensions to the extended slim frame size of the G48. A perfectly balanced slim fit for nearly all hand sizes with a satisfying magazine capacity and high concealability. The magazine capacity of the slim 01 magazine of the G43X is 10 rounds. COLT KING COBRA .357 is reincarnated for 2019 as the 6-Shot .357 Magnum big brother of the Colt Cobra Double Action revolver. Sporting a heavy-duty frame, 3-inch barrel, and brushed stainless steel construction, the King Cobra secures a new place in the legendary heritage that makes Colt double-action revolvers some of the hottest collectible firearms today LONE WOLF DISTRIBUTORS TIMBERWOLF TWL-L is a fully customizable Glock-based handgun. The demand for these comes from Glock shooters who prefer to make their own modifications to the grip, as well as custom slide cuts ORDER NOW AT: SHOP.LAKOTASAFECOMPANY.COM Read the full article

[nitrosodiumequilibriumproject]

A Level Of Reflection

I would say that I've reflected well on the experience that was Overdeath. On a basal level, I've learned key 3D modelling tools, but on a more personal level, I've seen the differences between 3D programming and 2D programming, and the crux of what I've learned, making the key gameplay loop before anything else.

I understand that Overdeath has the key components of what I planned for it to have - multiple guns, shooting, enemies, movement, a level you can proceed through, and notes to tell a more cohesive story. Issue is, it's a machine without gears, a car without wheels. There's no gameplay in there to make everything fit together. This, in my opinion, above anything else, is why TWL succeeded and Overdeath did not. TWL, even in its early stages, was a platformer. You jump around and get to the end. Everything from that point was layered like a delicious lasagna, first the collectibles, then the damage sources, then the interactive elements, and then enemies. With Overdeath, wherein the key element was shooting enemies, first I did level geometry, then actor tags, then landscaping, then moving platforms, then enemies, and then it took fine-tuning the AI to even have something that could be called playable. It's something I want to remedy with my Equilibrium game; I'll make a really good platformer as a base, and then add hurt triggers, and then friendly animals to help you get over the obstacles, and then enemies, and then a way to fight back. Obviously, first will come sprites and map design. But the important thing is... Now I Know How.

[nitrosodiumepicfps]

Looking Forward

So far, I have a vague understanding of my next brief. It's gonna be on an arcade, and it's about Equilibrium. Now in the context of the brief, equilibrium seems to detail a symbiosis between mankind and nature. At a talk I went to, where I sat on uncomfortable wooden pews for hours on end, I saw that most of the games related to this concerned nature, but they were either slightly charming light shows or connecting tree branch PNGs together. Not exactly a stimulating gameplay experience. Now, I also had the idea of Equilibrium being more vague, i.e. the balance of two variables. Now I had a game before that emulated this idea perfectly, it was called 'Sweat Pursuit'. Basically, you were in a car in an infinite runner type scenario, being chased by another guy driving a car named Chubb. You could pick up burgers and coins on the road, and throw burgers behind you at Chubb. Each burger you throw slows him down and decreases his Hunger meter, which also affects his speed. So, you'd have to balance Chubb's hunger and the amount of burgers you were carrying; because of the way Chubb's AI works, he'd only continue to get faster. Eventually, burgers didn't even slow him down, just push him back. So I thought of redoing this equilibrium idea in a more natural setting; you'd be driving some sort of sci-fantasy truck through a savanna, but there would be predators, lions or something, following you. So you could drop your cargo on the lions, which would affect the ecosystem, and also decrease your end-of-level rating. Conversely, you could stop to pick up more cargo to get your rating back up, but you'd be slowing down and allowing the lions a free hit on you. But I felt like this idea was forced and questionable; a non-linear infinite runner is very different to the physical, linear games i'd previously made and I'm not sure whether I would understand the technology enough. It'd kind of be a TWL gun scenario, where I focused too hard on making the technical game rather than the playable game.

So, my new idea pulls away the curtain a little and leans harder into the theming of nature. It'll be a basic platformer with some fantasy elements, and less unique technological things. Here's how I got the name. Equilibium = equus librum. Freedom Horse. So, my first idea is to have you play as a centaur. You can trot, gallop, jump long distances and shoot arrows, because centaurs always use bows. To bolster the theme of nature - not only because you're both human and animal as a centaur - but because you'll be using friendly animals to progress. Ride a pollinating water-elephant through a lake, or use some sorta giant sugar-glider to go through a long cavern. You can absolutely kill these animals, but you shouldn't, because then you'll be stuck. Some animals will be against you, like other fantasy creatures, satyrs/fauns perhaps. It'll be technologically similar to TWL, but I need a good idea of what will be in the game so I don't get bogged down. Because, chances are, I will if I don't allocate my time.

EDIT: Turns out I'm incredibly stupid, and equus librum means The Horse Book. However, this could be interpreted as "story of horses", which works to make this whole analogy seem deep and not just a corruption of barely-understood pig latin.

[nitrosodiumofficialuses]

Toxic Waters Lite: Sprite Refinements

I know that in previous blog posts, I went on and on about not giving Nicolas a machine gun, but now, I do think the layout of his weapons needs to be altered. The current pistol sprite looks weird; Nicolas fires with his non-dominant hand, making him either look ridiculously inept or additionally, like he's attempting a cowboy-esque hip fire. Nicolas may not be a Pistol Pete-esque gunslinger, but he knows his way around a firearm. Therefore, I'm cutting the pistol and making Nicolas start with the shotgun. Its properties will be slightly altered, giving it medium damage and a cooldown after firing, as Nicolas needs to pump another shell into the chamber. His newest weapon, the machine pistol, will bridge the gap a little, firing quicker at the cost of a smaller projectile and less damage. I think the main thing that made the pistol sprite suck was that it was too small. It only took up a sliver of the sprite, meaning Nicolas barely moved the rest of his body. With the shotgun or bio-mine launcher, Nicolas uses the full breadth of his body to hold the gun, wrapping his hands around the grip and barrel. To create a similar wide-aiming effect, the machine pistol will be extended across Nicolas' chest, with a folding stock and large silencer/muzzle brake to make it longer in the front. One thought I have, however, is if the machine pistol will be able to hit shorter enemies like the flowdogs - after all, Nicolas holds it up to his chest, and you can't aim vertically. This could mean people fall into a rhythm of using the shotgun for Flowdogs and Snapsprouts, while using the machine pistol for everything else. Not only does this dumb down the combat, but it makes the bio-mine launcher useless. I might add some sort of projectile spread feature to the machine pistol, making it less unreliable and more like a "first strike" tool, allowing you to chip away at an enemy from a distance, while disallowing over-reliance on the tool. Then, the shotgun is for single enemies and the bio-mine launcher is for groups and armoured foes, with a bit of variation induced by combat puzzles and creative enemy placement - for example, you might have to take an elevator up to an infested floor, but stick a bio-mine launcher on it and you've got yourself an explosive payload.

I'm also considering changing the touchscreen level-load sprite into an evacuation flume, as was previously planned. I'm ditching the sprawling metroidvania gameplay for a series of Hexen-like, interconnected hub worlds, with short levels peppered between large maps to keep things interesting. You restrict your game design if you're forced to have every setpiece and puzzle area connect into each other - at that point, you're not building a platformer, you're building a network of hamster tubes, and if you don't, you're sacrificing the playability of your one big magnum opus level. This is why level-to-level is going to work better, with each exit and entrance maching up - for example, if you check my beta footage, you'll see you exit Level 1 in a yellow-plated corridor with hanging wires, and enter Level 2 via the same sort of corridor. Older games like Blood did a similar thing, giving the illusion of an interconnected world, right before Half Life actually did it. As much as I'm inspired by the 1998 GoldSrc gem, TWL isn't Half Life. The pacing, both literal gameplay speed and story-wise, is radically different, and as mentioned above, one big map would be a pain to play and develop. So, I'll probably make a flume sprite, a machine pistol pickup, and a sprite of Nicolas holding it tomorrow. Although, I've got to fix the current shooting issue too. As of my last build, Nicolas launches valve handles straight out of his chest, either blocking his path or getting stuck in his body and making him freeze. It's absolutely busted, and why you don't actually encounter any Drains head-on in the beta footage.

[nitrosodiumepicfps]

Overdeath, a Failing Idea

I feel as if Overdeath got off to a worse start than TWL, and as such, will not be a finished game. I think I've cracked why. Overdeath, as a concept, relies on shooting and enemies to work as a game. Without those things, it simply can't function as a game. With TWL, however, it was complex and layered-up enough that it could work with the most barebones prototype. If I didn't have time to make enemies, that's ok, it could function without them. If I didn't have puzzle elements, the game would work without. I know the game is a strong enough concept, because it was supposed to have metroidvania elements, combat and an item shop! What actually got made was about 1/3 of what I had actually planned. Overdeath though? Without enemies to fight, what's the point of my guns? Without an interesting level, what's the point of a whole gorge to run through? By this point in TWL's development, I had a game. You enter, you play, you're done. But here? It's a sandbox of buggy AI and half-finished ideas.

I think I'll have to get used to the idea that Overdeath won't be a finished game. I'm sure that TWL was an outlier, and many people didn't finish their own projects due to time constraints or issues with Unreal or whatever. But I don't know how lenient they'll be with Overdeath.

[nitrosodiumepicfps]

Going more in-depth with Sparkler's mechanics

Now I've laid the groundwork, I need to include some more things to make Sparkler stand out as a mascot horror game. Obviously, we have the combat, something that most mascot horror games shy away from. When your main selling point is interesting, recognizable characters, it doesn't pay to keep killing them off. If a mascot horror game decides to do combat, it'll either be somewhat poorly implemented or only used as a temporary stunning tool. The games and levels are set up as haunted houses first and foremost, you walk and sometimes run through the corridors, solving puzzles and escaping monsters while the story is drip-fed to you through audio logs, or, if you're especially lucky, environmental storytelling. The last mascot horror to get combat right was My Friendly Neighborhood, though that was more of an RE-like than a traditional mascot horror. But, if you're in a factory that makes toys, being pursued by toys, it makes sense for them to all be copies - they've all come off the same production line, right? You'll have to evade or kill them outright to progress, using your trusty ball-launcher and limited ammo that you find by scrounging around. I don't want to start too big like I did with TWL, there won't be any complex mechanics like smelting down toy parts to make more ammo for yourself. You only have what's in the level; you can choose to use everything you find, or stick to the path, but you're not forced to play it too in-depth.

Now that was a tangent. How about the combat? When your gun fires, the sound of it will alert Sparkler. He can't be put down like the other mindless wooden drones, only stunned for seconds. So, you can choose to not use your gun and simply run away from the enemies. This will prove difficult, but maybe possible. There will be secondary locations of interest available to access, although they are blocked with wood planks. These can be shot apart with your gun, but the sound will bring Sparkler too. So, you're making choices based on these combat puzzles; not just ammo conservation or "Which enemy do I engage first?", but decisions on how the game will progress. You can go through an enemy-filled room or take a shortcut through a barricaded corridor, but both will be alerting Sparkler to your presence. If you do choose the enemy-filled room, you can create even more noise by attacking the toys, or try your luck to sneak through undetected. And if you choose the corridor, something even worse might be waiting for you on the other side. You can't wait around to make these decisions, you're leaving a trail of noise in your wake and Sparkler is always on the hunt.

Along the way, I'll include safe rooms where you can restock your ammo from large brass pipes and read notes left by previous employees, their fates left unknown. Did they escape, were they turned into the toys, or did the machinery itself swallow them up? Further lore can be discovered if you're willing to look, sacrificing your own defense by breaking open side passages. Downtime is essential in a game like this; your player needs time to be introspective, thinking about their current situation or mulling over new story developments.

Now, for the less interesting stuff: the code. Some kind of random pathfinding system can be used for the workers, and for Sparkler, I have an idea for a patrol point system not unlike the Drains of TWL. Whenever you fire your weapon, a pointer is placed on you in the game world, and Sparkler will begin to make his way towards it. Firing again will update the position of the pointer. When Sparkler reaches the pointer, he will stalk the area at a slow pace. He constantly emits light and a crackling from his sparklers, so he can easily be avoided. On the other hand, a slow but persistent stalker enemy has proven many a time to be a dangerous foe - see the various iterations of Resident Evil's trench coat-clad Nemesis or the Xenomorph from Alien: Isolation. Where other annals of horror have succeeded, mascot horror continues to avoid this one trick: giving the player a competent enemy to fight. There's never a time when you're having a true one-on-one with a foe that matches you in skill; the closest we have in mascot horror is Hello Neighbor's titular mustached man of mystery. Let's talk about that.

The neighbor's adaptive AI really made you feel like a stranger in his home; a place he knew like the back of his hand and you did not. Every run became one large environmental puzzle, to plan out where he would go, what actions would attract him to your location, and what areas he had fortified from previous attempts. It was a constant battle of wits in his labyrinth of a house, all while solving a slew of smaller puzzles to find out what was in his basement. Obviously, this was totally abandoned for the final game. The neighbor was relegated to a broken mess who could barely access 80% of his own house, the puzzles were nonsensical, the level design was non-existent and any approximation of a story was surgically removed to be replaced with a boring dead-kids tragic villain set-up. (If you read the books, as I did as a child, there's something about evil bird-men being harbingers of bad luck, and that's the cause for everything, but it's not shown in-game at all.) The neighbor was no longer the focus, he was essentially just another poorly-implemented puzzle hazard to be jumped over. However, this style of game, avoiding one central threat that can not be killed, only stalled, while you navigate a maze-like level and deal with other roadblocks on your way to the end, that's what I want to replicate. It's a particular style of mascot horror that hasn't really caught on in my opinion. Yes, they all have bizarre plots and puzzle-solving, but most of them take the Bendy approach and make their games in the narrative driven setpiece-to-setpiece style. That said, Sparkler won't be a gigantic multiple-hour game, it's a little experiment. Hopefully, it's fun.

[nitrosodiumofficialuses]

Games Research

Doing this now so I can focus on other things later.

Terraria is the first game I'll cover. Its art style, while immediately seen as "simple" from the fact that it is pixelated, is actually rich with detail. There are loads of variations for even basic dirt textures, accounting for whatever kinds of slopes and ridges can form when building or digging. Little insects fly about the screen, backgrounds scroll smoothly with little details like chinese lanterns and several transitory sub-biomes that the screen will change to when moving between regions. The colour palette is used to its fullest as you literally travel to Hell and back, going into multiple biomes with totally different aesthetics and colourings. This creates a good feeling of exploration, cementing Terraria as a fantasy game, with a reasonably fantastical setting to boot. It doesn't claim to be realistic, therefore it can go totally overboard with its world design.

Dave The Diver is a game I've seen on Steam, and supposedly it's quite good. Looking into it, it's got some great art direction. The deep blues of the ocean contrasting with the colourful coral bring me right back to my days of playing Subnautica in early 2019. The level architecture itself slips into the blocky, minimalist niche that Minecraft undeniably carved out, but there's something interesting going on with the depth of the game world (no pun intended). I think perhaps it uses voxels, which is always cool, though not a look that fits every game. Dave seems to control very snappily, instantly clipping to a position instead of smoothly moving to it. The way you catch fish in this game, lining up a target with a speargun before reeling it in with a quick-time event is very cool. As previously detailed, I planned a harpoon gun for TWL, but removed it. The weapon works very well in the world of Dave The Diver, as the titular diver is small compared to the level environment, hence aiming is more important.

Eternal Castle - Now this is a very interesting game, mostly as it claims to be a remake of an old 80s game that never existed. This one is relatable to me on several levels; I often watch MandaloreGaming videos on forgotten adventure games such as Limbo Of The Lost, made even stranger by Mandalore's tendency to add or remove sound effects from his videos, blurring the line between what is actually part of the game, and what's an editing trick utilized to mess with the viewer. Second thing, the artstyle. I couldn't quite explain it at first, but then it suddenly clicked. This game has "printer ink visuals", it only uses cyan, yellow and magenta primarily, and then combines them to make other colours that show up regularly like black. It's absolutely unique, and is just the sort of thing a low-budget 80s game might do to get around system restrictions. There are other interesting myhouse.wad-esque ARG elements within the game files, but that's not massively related to what I'm researching. From what I understand, the gameplay is mostly combat-related, resembling something akin to Prince Of Persia though considerably more minimalist. The animations and gunplay lend themselves to the kind of silhouetted rotoscoped nightmare fuel popularised by FAITH, and definitely creates a kind of uncanny fear expressed through a being your mind can't distinguish as a human: all you know is, it moves like a human, you can't see a face, and it's running towards you. The idea of not knowing being scarier is exacerbated through the anachronistic storytelling performed through the files released in preparation for the game.