Trail of Schabbs - SDL

First topic message reminder :

It is time to start a proper thread for the new Trail of Schabbs as the old one is too out of date (you could say that nearly everything has changed after that).

So what is different? Well, compared to the False Spear SDL, there will be a bit more of everything, but to mention few key features:
- Two new types of syringes. The other one of them (purple) will give player a perfect accuracy with weapons for a limited amount of time.
- Armor. Player can now protect him-/herself from the enemy bullets, but in exchange enemies have become deadlier.
- Slightly edited palette (the left one is from TFS and old TOS - the right one is the new TOS palette):
(B.J's face in old and new palette)...
- More enemy types, e.g. doctors. Also there will be more different death animations.
- 25 regular levels and 5 secret ones. Also some of the leves are timed like the level 2 in Wintersturm.

Also I have been thinking of making TOS more episodic... Even though the game has seamless progression like TFS, it can be divided to a five level (+ one secret) long chapters that each one of them has their own main boss. After you have won the game, you can start the game from any chapter you like. Another idea is to bring back the Death Cam, but instead of ending the game, it will just end the level.

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I will be updating this post, and my blog, with the current status in every two weeks:

Maps:	0%
Walls:	59,43%
Objects:	0%
Enemies:	34,70%
Weapons:	71,43%
Music:	0%

Sorry for the late update... Anyway, first chapter is nearly finished.

Time for an update... 
There has been no progress to ToS as I have been working on the advanced shading demo... And now I think it is time to reveal what that demo is all about.

Well, basically I am making a survival horror mod: Basement (really original setting).

Idea of the mod is quite simple... We have four different floors that you need to navigate back and forth to find the necessary keys to unlock the exit and then escape.

You have no weapons but a flashlight... But like in the real life you need to find batteries to make it work. Also the amount of batteries in the levels is restricted so you need to think carefully when to use the flashlight.

Unlike your typical Wolfenstein-mod, there will be only one difficulty setting and few other things you that aren't so typical to the other mods.

WLHack wrote:
You have no weapons but a flashlight... But like in the real life you need to find batteries to make it work. Also the amount of batteries in the levels is restricted so you need to think carefully when to use the flashlight.

This part here blew my mind... 

Couple of weeks has passed again, and I have to apologize. As I have been running from job interview to another, no progress has been made. Anyway, hopefully next week I know whether I got recruited or not so I know what to do next.

Status update... I have been making mew textures, sprites and maps for both of the project, also I have been experimenting with a new coding feature (or to be exact, an improvement to an old one). Once it is ready, I will post you the tutorial so watch warmly until its done.

Corrected update:
I have spend most of my time running from one job-interview to another...
Anyway, what do you thing about crawling in air vents?

It seems you got an ace up your sleeve 'Hack.

WolferCooker wrote:It seems you got an ace up your sleeve 'Hack.

Well, you could say something like that.

lol

any news about the progress?? waiting for that mod.......want to play....NOW.... haha

snuffi wrote:any news about the progress?? waiting for that mod.......want to play....NOW.... haha

Well, slowly but surely I am making this mod. Currently I am experimenting with some features that will play major part in the gameplay if they are succesfull. Anyway, all the small enemies are done and most of the objects/textures for different level themes.

I can't wait to play this.  How many weeks or months until we get the release? 

linuxwolf wrote:I can't wait to play this.  How many weeks or months until we get the release? 

Not sure about the exact date, but I think it will need months of work still...

Time for something, not really ToS related, little I have been working on (I start a proper thread when there is more to show): Wolfenstein RL (roguelike)!

After my friend introduced me to this genre, I have wanted to make a simple roguelike game... Then I though: why not trying to convert Wolfenstein into a roguelike? If it worked with Doom, so why wouldn't it work with Wolf...

Anyway, so I started working on this game and I intend to release it within two months... Basically the game will only contain the first episode of original Wolfenstein and only one difficulty level (I am death Incarnate). Depending on how well this project goes, I will be adding the missing episodes and difficulty levels - also I might add randomly generated maps to the game.

To give you something to look at, here is two screenshots of the mapeditor I wrote this evening:

Spoiler:

Some of the mapeditors features:
- Taking screenshots,
- Locking the map to prevent editing,
- Layer you are editing is highlighted,
- You can toggle layers on/off,
- Tracking the ingame ratios and doors,
- Also tracking how many times you have saved map, when it was created and last edited,
- Smart editing: Editor prevents you from placing objects (except secret doors) / enemies on walls and vice versa.

Hi Salvador!

Heh, I actually started some work on a Wolf roguelike a while back. Nothing came of it though, although I still have the code sitting around (not that there's much of value in it).

Chokster37 wrote:Interesting editor. What language did you write it in? Can it work in Dosbox/Linux or is it for Windows?

It is written in C++ using SFML library so it works on Windows. I think it would be easy to convert it to Linux as well.

AlumiuN wrote:
Heh, I actually started some work on a Wolf roguelike a while back. Nothing came of it though, although I still have the code sitting around (not that there's much of value in it).

That sounds interesting... Too bad nothing came of it. Well, let's see if I can get something out of this.

I will release the sourcecode for both editor and game when the game is finished.

Will this new editor work on existing mods and mods in development?

No, as this editor doesn't read Wolfenstein-datafiles... My mapeditor uses completely different format.


Update:
Now I have basic Player movement, aiming-mode and dynamic lightsources...

RL update:
- Enemies can now stand and patrol areas, chase and bite/shoot player (shooting accuracy/damage depends on targets distance
and lightlevel of the spot target is standing), take damage, die and drop items...
- Player can also shoot, take damage and die (gameover when no more lives), but als opick up items, change weapons and operate doors...
- Both player and enemies have turns depending from their speed...

One thing is bit different than in original Wolf3D: I switched the amount of points yo get from dogs and guards (somehow killing dogs earned you more points)...

Small question about the RL... Should it be more like Castle Wolfenstein with Wolfenstein 3D-setting?

RL update: Now I have a working room generator (if I ever need one), also most of the levels for ep1 are done...

Started working on new improved weapon-sprites for ToS (not happy with the chaingun yet)... Later I might try to make hires versions of them and then scale them in game....

SICK!!!! I assume you still got to work on the Panzerfaust and Flamethrower?

I mean you did use the one of versions of the Doom single shotgun sprites in your revamped False Spear for the Panzerfaust.

WolferCooker wrote:SICK!!!! I assume you still got to work on the Panzerfaust and Flamethrower?

I mean you did use the one of versions of the Doom single shotgun sprites in your revamped False Spear for the Panzerfaust.

Yeah, I am redoing them aswell...

Small update... After all the reviews I got from TFS 2.1, I have started thinking the direction of ToS. Looks like I got blinded by all the new features I tried to add so the most essential thing, gameplay, suffered a lot.

Therefore I think I will drop some of the features like reloading weapons and everything stealth related and try to make the mod more like original Wolfenstein 3D with action as the main focus. Of course I am not discarding everything I have done so far, I am just trying to figure out how to make it more fun.

There's nothing wrong with adding features per se - but they have to be functional. Stealth, for instance, is something you can revolve a level around. Or sprinkle it throughout the mod, where the player can get a certain scenario where stealth is the solution, because otherwise you'd alert tons of guards.. or something. But.. if you feel like that doesn't add anything to the game, or doesn't improve it, or you can't think of more than 2 scenarios with this feature, or it just isn't fun.. than it's understandable that you let it go.

ronwolf1705 wrote:There's nothing wrong with adding features per se - but they have to be functional. Stealth, for instance, is something you can revolve a level around. Or sprinkle it throughout the mod, where the player can get a certain scenario where stealth is the solution, because otherwise you'd alert tons of guards.. or something. But.. if you feel like that doesn't add anything to the game, or doesn't improve it, or you can't think of more than 2 scenarios with this feature, or it just isn't fun.. than it's understandable that you let it go.

Well, actually some of the features were rather important part of the gameplay, but the way there were implemented watered down the whole experience... Anyway thanks for the feedback Ron, I try to keep that in mind when I plan how to continue from now on.

To prevent myself for giving you false hopes, I have decided to stop updating the status till I have something more concrete to show you... Basically this means that the next time you hear about my projects, I will be looking for beta-testers..

WLHack wrote:I will be looking for beta-testers..

I call dibs on that one. 

WLHack wrote:, I will be looking for beta-testers..

i would lke to test it ,too :-)

I will contact you two first when my projects reach the testing phase...

WLHack wrote:I will contact you two first when my projects reach the testing phase...

nice , thank you

Status update:
Progress has been slow again, but the good thing is that I finally landed a permanent jobs... Since the beginning of this month I have been working as a Junior J2EE developer in Accenture.

Good news! So nice to hear!
This is so important for you...

Can't wait for the mod as well

Some new walls I made for my upcoming mod:


Feel free to use them, but remember to give me credit.

Great art as usual

How your project is going?

doomjedi wrote:Great art as usual

How your project is going?

The progress of Trail of Schabbs has been bit slow, but the other project we talked about is progressing fine (should be done before the end of January, though I aim for New Years release)...

Great!

Those walls are looking quite good!

lilmanjs wrote:Those walls are looking quite good!

Thanks.

Small update...
I have been bit busy with my work, but I still have managed to get some modding done as well.
Currently I have been working on a small 13 levels mod that will be bit different from your typical Wolf3D-mods.

I am not going to spoil the actual content here, but one of the key features is a diary that you need to find pages to read. And if things go well, I might also include the advanced shading as a feature.

Currently working on new character art inspired by the New Order and Old Blood... Samples later this week.

Another palette-test, feel free to use.

Sketch for new super soldiers based on Hans Grosse, Mecha-Hitler and Hans "The Axe" von Schlieffen. Inspiration game from the Old Blood.

Nice, as usual

Wow, very impressive!

doomjedi wrote:Nice, as usual

ronwolf1705 wrote:Wow, very impressive!

Thanks...
The new demo is still months away, but no I have solid plan.
I decided that I'll go with the bare minimum of planned features and most of the new ideas will be used in some other mod as otherwise I just keep re-planning this mod over and over again.

This reminds me of my projects - it seems like it would be success if its finished in next 10 years