• Register
Post news Report RSS Last Update of the Year & Story Mode Ideas

Details about Original Mode, estimated release date, some other news and a bunch of ideas. Big idea for a story mode mechanic too!

Posted by on

Original Mode

So far Original Mode levels 01 to 05 work fine; despite the game getting quite easy towards the end of level 05 (Don’t worry tougher enemies will appear from 06 onward). The weaker enemies get tougher too based on your teams average level.

The random event system I have implemented is working well and playing through I get different experiences every time. As it stands difficulty effects the items, ammo and weapons you get in the game. But I may add a random chance to this too to vary ammo type found or even quantities. Overall the battle engine and items are working but I still think there is a lot of refining to be done.

Original Mode should be finished in January for definite. I get a crucial week off work in January which I will use in wisely. As for a set release date I still don’t want to give one but the way things are I could have a first release by April/May Time IF I keep going as I am. No setbacks I hope.Original Mode has 12 levels. I estimate it will take 5 to 6 hours to complete. It is a fun remake of the original thing RPG I made and I hope that you will all feel the same way about it.

Graphical / Audio Changes

I have secured an artist to create some enemy graphics for me; I hope to show you some as soon as any progress is made there. I have also paid for some audio work to be done for the player created story mode hero. That has turned out pretty well so far.

Story Mode

While this has not been started the story and map ideas are already drafted out. The success of Original Mode and its mechanics will greatly influence this mode.

The Main idea of this mode is uncovering the truth about what has happened. You do this by targeting locations that could hold key information (like raiding a US Military Comm Tower for example). You do this via a main base that you set up.

In the concept design for the Computer Artworks cancelled Thing 2 Video Game they appeared to have wanted to create an interactive oil refinery town. I hope to achieve something similar with the main base idea. Basically you can find stuff to unlock/repair parts of the base and upgrade building functions. NPC's that you have will be scattered across your base. They would be able to offer you side missions and bonus perks (Such as free items). Vice Versa Infected ones would hinder your base progress.

I hope to work really hard on this mechanic to bring something useful and fun to play around with. I am aiming for 6 – 10 hours Game play here.

Miscellaneous

Considering giving the Researcher an “Item Crafting” Skill. This would make that class more useful and allow some extended game play mechanics. There is already a “Weapon Craft” skill but you need a Crafting Station to use it. This would be a skill that would be usable at any time and would include things such as turning 2 Bandages into a more useful medical etc.

If Item Crafting was added, considered recipe for new item (Obtainable only through Item Craft) “Molotov Cocktail”. This would be J&B Rare + Bandages. Would be an additional useful thrown weapon in the game.

I also was sorting through my expenses today and you may find it useful to know that I had no budget for this game. I only intended to pay the $90 for the engine but I have spent $180 and estimate the final cost to me will be around $350-$400. These costs do include the RPG Maker VX Ace engine. I never intended to sell this game as I like to make it, it’s a hobby that I enjoy (an increasingly expensive one) and as such the game will still be available free to anyone who wants to play it. I just hope people enjoy it. I assure you it is far superior to the original RPG (which you can still find in the downloads section!)

Besides imagine if I tried to sell this game, Universal would sue me to try and make up the loss for the 2011 Thing Film…

Post comment Comments
TheUnbeholden
TheUnbeholden

combat? I thought this was going to be story based, if there is combat will it be turn based or real time? I just thought that you can't really "kill" those things except with fire.. so how exactly do you have "types of ammo", or different weapons besides a flamethrower or some kind of homemade fire bomb. I just don't really see this as that type of game except if you borrow some overhauled real time system with sequences where you use the fire to hold them back while you run to the exit and maybe have order your guys to hold them off and unbar a door or some kind of mini puzzles, mainly I'm expecting psychological tricks and paranoia about your own team mates and how interact with them while desperately trying a find a way to a comm room or get parts for a vehicle or a good place to hide.
Having a repetitive TB combat system where you just go through the motions killing them in droves doesn't seem like "The Thing" to me but just another JRPG with graphical replacements.

Reply Good karma Bad karma+1 vote
Richard2410 Author
Richard2410

What would you have done differently?

Reply Good karma+1 vote
TheUnbeholden
TheUnbeholden

Well I'd borrow a combat system from elsewhere, a real time based one and overhaul for your own ends. Then modify what you have now in your mod to be compatible with it. Rpgmakervx.net
Scroll down to find some battle systems, the main point here is to use somekind of custom battle system. I liked the one in Avarice.
Perhaps firearms can be used to knock enemies back but not kill them. Shotguns in particular for that purpose, perhaps make guns usable for killing purposes once you craft Phosphorus rounds, or explosive rounds like Magnesium tipped. Grenade launchers, rocket launchers, home made molotovs, and oil drums.

Reply Good karma Bad karma+1 vote
Richard2410 Author
Richard2410

I cant script I am flawed. If I understood it I would.
VX scripts are incompatible with VX Ace.
Scripts also have a nasty habit of conflicting with one another and causing the game to crash.
Originally I was using Gubids TBS before I moved to vx ace, But even that was quite unstable.
The thing never truly dies even when you do burn it with fire (like the one in the Norwegian camp in the 1982 film, the one that kills Bennings) Personally I like the way it is at the moment, its actually quite hard.

Reply Good karma+1 vote
Post a comment

Your comment will be anonymous unless you join the community. Or sign in with your social account: