The Kepler Experiment (formerly The Kepler Incident) is progressing well.
Work has been focused, these last few months, on completing art passes of the game’s second level, screenshots of which can be found in this post. All screenshots show work in progress levels, but I think you’ll agree that they’re starting to take shape.
An important aspect of the level design – an ideal I’ve strived for since Dissolution – is to create settings that feel plausibly like real places, and then immerse the player in those places by having them scavenge for resources. As with my previous mod, The Apocalypse, the player will be collecting items to solve environmental / adventure-game style puzzles. To progress, players will have to repair machines, override security locks, overcome environmental hazards and so on. This, combined with survival-horror combat, means players must search the levels for essential supplies.
Those of you who played The Apocalypse will perhaps notice that the art style of Kepler is quite similar. As Kepler is my first venture at making a full-fledged, standalone FPS game, I wanted to have an art style on which to build upon, rather than trying to establish a whole new one, so that I can focus on the gameplay systems. However, I am trying to incorporate more central hub areas (the lobby below is a good example of this) – grand connecting areas the player will pass to and from while going about solving the level’s puzzles.
I’m very happy to announce that Stefan has done excellent work on the game’s original soundtrack. This you will get to sample when we release our first gameplay trailer (which I’m hoping will be within a few months), but I can say that the atmospheric, ominous music is pleasantly reminiscent (though still distinctly its own style) of something from a John Carpenter movie.
Until next time. Don’t forget to follow us here for updates!
