Congo - Weapons! news

This week has been a landmark week for us... The weeks following up have been filled with meetings, presentations and lots of excitement. We spent a while securing 2 whole months of full time development for Congo. Which, to us, is huge. Over the last year and a half - we have been working part-time on our games (The Lawless, Biker Dash), trying to fit it in round our ACTUAL jobs so that we could fund ourselves. Which is good in one way but terrible in others. If you've ever been in a situation like this, then I'm sure you know exactly what I mean.

Money dictates everything... Even when you so strongly believe it doesnt. In the end, we all need money to live and its easier getting money from a paid job (in my case - web designer) than it is to make indie games, and as it seems that no games companies ever want to hire me, then I have to keep striking a delicate balance between using my skills for money (graphic design) or using my skills for passion (mekin' games!). One helps me survive but makes me saaad, one helps me be happy but hinders my survival rate (so dramatic)... Which one is more important?

...But there are moments when all of a sudden the balance changes for just a short period, and it's those moments that I genuinely believe you have to go 100% in or else you'll always be stuck in the middle, and for us that opportunity came when Unreal Engine 4 came out, and a few months later, after lots of meetings, discussions and agreements we have secured ourselves these next two months to be dedicated to developing - Congo. Which is pretty high on the badassery scale.

So what have we done in our first week? Well let me tell you.

We have modelled, textured and nearrrlllyyy finished the animations for the (first round!!) of weapons. If you are just joining us, you may or may not know that Congo is a survival game where team work is key. The dark jungles of the Congo are home to huge numbers of very vicious creatures that are desperate to get a taste of your juicy flesh.. But they are terrified of light.

There are a number of villages dotted around in the vast, dark and extremely dangerous jungle. Every village has been rigged up with huge floodlights to help keep the demons away, and are powered by diesel generators.

Unfortunately for everyone involved, the diesel runs out.... You and your team must work together to maintain the diesel generators by venturing out into the dark jungles to scavenge fuel, weapons, items and equipment.

The Machete

Every member of the team carries a machete (you can't be in a jungle without one!) and a very rudimentary torch. Machetes slash things up, and they're pretty good at doing that. This is your trusty back up. It never runs out of ammo, never has a battery life and is always your last resort. You will also always carry a flaming torch as backup (being British, it's often difficult to distinguish the difference between a torch and a torch... so it's now Flashlight and a Torch is the one thats on fire!).

The Torch

The torch is useful for lighting up the area you're in. It's good for checking out where you may be putting your foot next, but the jungle demons are old and ancient creatures and fire is something they're all too used to, so don't think it's going to do you much good in fending them off.. But at least you can see where you're going... That's a benefit.. I think.

Supply Crates

Emergency supply crates are what you're after. Thanks to previous expeditions, small settlements, international aid stations and old rebel outposts the jungle is dotted with supply crates filled with weapons, ammunition, electric supplies, items and fuel although decades of turmoil in the Congo have resulted in a varying level of usefulness for the supplies left in. Guns are scarce and ammunition is scarcer..(erer?) and all the while that fuel is slowly burning up inside that generator thats keeping you safe... So finding these crates are vital to your survival!

Ex-Military Walther PP

A gun! Finally, you don't have to get up close and personal to start smashing up some demons. The Congo is full of old military weaponry that has either been stolen or left by vicious conflicts from the decades of war and rebellion. So a pistol is a nice find, but ammo is scarce. Popping off shots randomly is a waste, and drawing that much attention to yourself and your position may potentially end very badly for you but sometimes you're going to have to pop some skulls to keep alive. Use teamwork, think tactically and share ammunition to make the most of these weapons.

The pistol is a one-handed weapon which means you can still carry your torch which will help you and your team in the dark areas of vegetation.

The Pump-Action Shotgun

Shotguns are a great way to bring down bush meat, and an even better way to bring down scary swarmy nasty chimpanzeemonkeyapekillerthings. Most of the same rules for the pistol apply to the shotgun. There are two main differences. The advantage a shotgun has over (say the pistol) is that with it's buck shot cartridges, accuracy isn't as big a concern. If you're getting swarmed your gonna be thankful for someone blasting off a few shots into the crowd and potentially hitting a number of different targets.

The second difference is that the shotgun is very much a double handed weapon, and you're not going to be able to carry your torch at the same time but strapped to the front is a flashlight. A beam from a flashlight is a very scary thing for these demons, so help control the flow of oncoming enemies by scarying them off with blinding flashlight light Shepard them into areas where you and your team can dispatched them easiest. The flashlight has quite a wide beam but doesn't travel very far, be smart with how best to use this asset.

Flashlights also need batteries.. If you're running low make sure you're close your mates if you want to survive. If you're in the pitch black, you will get swarmed and eaten FAST.

The AK-47

The AK47 is as iconic as it gets and it probably needs absolutely no explanation. On the front is another flashlight although this flashlight has a narrower (but stronger beam) Useful for splitting up large groups of demons and seperating them out into manageable groups.

If you want to be a badass you can fire off a whole magazine in a matter of seconds. Classic rule is if it's in front of the barrel, they stand no chance. But burning through all your ammunition in a few seconds is not good practice for surviving the jungle. Like with all the previous equipment, it's useful to learn the advantages and disadvantages of all the equipment and making sure you adapt your tactics to make full use.

So that's the first round of weapons and equipment. Once these are implemented and finished we can start getting the core gameplay refined and then many more variations can be added on later. Some of the things in the pipeline for later stages:

Droppable lights (block off areas outside of the villages by placing droppable lights)
Flare gun
Flamethrower
Machine pistols (uzi, mac-10, tec-9... that kind of stuff)
Electric lanterns
Lures
Hunting Rifle
Traps and remote explosives
Buildable fencing

They're just a few of the things we hope to integrate into the game once all the AI and gameplay flow is nailed. The light fearing aspect of the AI is going to be the most interesting feature, and making sure that is polished is a top priority and expanding on that concept.

If you've had any inspiration and would like to offer suggestions, we'd love to hear it!

We have implemented the crates, pick up systems, most of the animation system, created a reliable and adaptable way of spawning enemies and our menu! The AI is incredible simple at the moment, but that is our most fundamental elements. The next few weeks' updates are most likely going to be filled with that!

Thats it for now, I keep promising a video... its coming soon, I promise, I just want to make sure it's worth the wait.

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