Quite a lot of developments have been made in the past week, and I would like to use this as an opportunity to highlight a few exciting changes that will positively impact the development of the Black Falcon Saga (tentative). Hardware: Our current hardware woes might just be coming to an end over the next few weeks. I am currently in talks to acquire a development capable system. This would mean much higher quality updates, and far less development bottlenecks. Screen capture would also be made possible, and gameplay videos can be shown off. I have also received a nice donation from a close friend, which is a M708 Graphics Tablet, which would especially be useful for digital painting, concepts and even sculpting:
Many Thanks to Miss H. Samora for the kind donation.
Engine: As you might already know, the Unreal Engine 4 is now free for all projects. We have had some hands on experience with the engine in the past, but never committed to it due to hardware requirements. Now the engine is free, it takes our focus aware from licensing, and places it on productivity, as the initial investment to access the engine is $0 (provided you already have a decent hardware setup).
After thinking about it, I have decided it would be foolish not to take advantage of such an easily accessible and robust engine. The Unreal Engine is probably the most capable engine on the market and is used extensively across the gaming industry. Although we have listed C4 engine as our target, we are happy that the asset creation and world building phases of development do not require any commitments to a specific engine, thereby giving us a flexible choice.
Seeing as I am currently feeling the UE4 vibe, here are a few screen shots from my time with UE4:
Should the system be secured, then the choice of engine quite simply be the Unreal Engine 4.
Branding and Naming: So far I have used the 'Black Falcon saga' as a promotional phrase to propel our crowd funding campaign to potential funders. However this was only a tentative working phrase, as I am aware a trademark exists against the word 'Saga' in the Video Gaming Industry.
For this reason, I would like to explicitly state that the final name of the game (released product) will not be titled 'Black Falcon Saga'.
The project will now be known as:
'Black Falcons Rising' as that ties in with the story (and removes all future disputes). Thank you very much for your time, And feel free to drop us a donation @ http://rkthb.co/53488 Many Thanks InnerSanctum Games Ltd (2014)
Today, I'll be showing you the early 3D concepts of one of the many enemy classes being designed for the Black Falcon Saga. For those of you who missed it, please view the link to catch up on the last update: http://goo.gl/PEIa2O
Development has been progressing nicely in spite of financial & hardware shortcomings, and since the last update, the following has been set in stone: 1) Story & Art Elements: I have decided that the Black Falcon Saga will be an incomplete experience without strong story elements to give meaning and substance to the Khoa-lan (tentative) universe. For that reason, human characters will be featured in the game. One of these characters is Captain Anka, who will pilot of one of the Falcon Jets. Captain Anka will be modelled in the likeness of a real human being.
Provided I can raise money for a competent development system, the story behind the Black Falcon Saga will rely on 3D Renders and in-game cutscenes to convey the story across with an emphasis on good voice acting and plot twists.
2) The Falcons: 3 Falcons have been shown so far with their gradual upgrades from MK01 models to MK04 models. These are a work in progress and not the final Falcon designs (3D AO Renders). I can confirm that there are a total of 5 Falcons, 2 of which have not been disclosed (yet). Work is being carried out on the Falcon in game branding (logos and outfits for the human characters).
3) Legitimacy: It has now come to my attention that many KickStarter and IndieGoGo campaigns have left funders in an unfortunate position regarding the product they thought they supported. In some cases, no product is delivered even up to 2 years after being funded. I can in all honesty tell you that my decision to go down the crowd funding route is not based on any money hungry antics (I've been at this non-stop for over 2 years now in spite of fluctuating financial conditions and I don't Intend to stop). For verification, please view all my previous works. Please bear in mind this is all from a 1 man development studio.
4) Enemies: I will be paying a lot of attention to the enemies in the BFS to ensure they are engaging in their design and behaviours. Gamers will be happy to know that there are many enemy classes in the game, and each enemy class is specialised with regards to offence, defence and in-game behaviours.
Below are AO Renders of the Optical Drone (O.D.) enemy class, which so far has the following sub-classes:
Each Drone Sub-class will have its own distinct and shared abilities, seeing as the drone design is modular in nature, thereby allowing for spare parts to be interchanged to implement features and amplify abilities (Inheritance characteristics & cross compatibility).
For example the Globule Optical Seeker Drone model is not an offensive sub-class, and was designed to provide and almost 360 degree surveillance and to alert other enemy craft in the surrounding area. However, the G.O.S.D is extremely lethal in large numbers, as they are able to generate a collaborative E.M.P. (electromagnetic pulse) that can disable the Falcons flight controls for a short period of time, thereby making it easier for other offensive drone models to strike.
What this means is that you will need to avoid G.O.S.D clusters.
Rest assured, there are more exciting drone sub-classes in the works :-)
Last week, I made a discovery that bodes extremely well for this project. In fact it has me a little bit excited :-)
Last year, I was creating assets for a 2D game titled " The NightShade Chronicles ". This was a game based around my cat, and has since been halted due to other project priorities.
During the time I spent making the NightShade Chronicles, I designed quite a lot of 2D concepts of Robots and Mechs that were meant to be in the game. Today, I can confirm that those 2D concepts are now being translated to 3D models, and they will feature in the Black Falcon Saga. There will also be noticeable upgrades too. Here are a few 2D concepts that will make the cross over to the Black Falcon Saga:
Hello Everyone, I guess after all these developments on our social networking profiles, it's only right I officially introduce the Black Falcon Saga to the gaming world. .....Plus it's been a while the blog has been officially updated. I must admit, I really did miss it, and I wholeheartedly apologize for the incommunicado :-)
The concept of the Black Falcon Saga was born out of a 2D Blast em up named 'Pixolz', which I was developing as a RAD (Rapid Application Development) solution.
According to the official promotional description: " Pixolz is a 2D retro-styled fast paced indie blast 'em up developed by InnerSanctum Games Ltd. The game has adopted a unique and simple visual style which is reminiscent of the golden age of 2D gaming. The protagonist is Pixol, a lonely Pixel warrior that must navigate the tunnels of Pixon and survive the trials of the JargonPixolz, who will stop at nothing to 'Pixolate' our brave and lonely warrior, Pixol. Luckily, Pixol is armed with an automatic Pixolium Pixolator, a powerful weapon designed to Pixolate the 'JargonPixolz'. Pixolz is in it's last phases of development and already runs at a steady 60 fps (Frames per Second) with a visually appealing style and intense gameplay. Alternative power ups and abilities will be included in the final release of the title. "
Pixolz is currently in it's Alpha.
By no means which I can currently give account of, the concept of the Black Falcon Saga suddenly took over my creative work flow, with a strong sense that Pixolz should be a 3D game.
I initially thought it was absurd (seeing as I hadn't done any serious 3D work for months). Furthermore, my current development system is a meagre Intel Celeron Processor N2840, Intel HD Graphics, 4 GB DDR3 L Memory.
It didn't seem plausible...
However, creative minds tend to ponder, refine and work at what they love best regardless of the circumstances, and that is exactly what I did.
Enter the Black Falcons
The Black Falcon Saga is a unique and visually appealing aerial combat game developed by InnerSanctum Games Ltd. Gamers will take control of the legendary Black Falcon Jet Fighters in an epic battle to defend planet Khoalan against waves over highly advanced extra-terrestrial invaders.
While there will be other factions that will feature in the game, the story is centred around the Black Falcons, and the pilots that command the different Falcon Phenotypes.
I've already designed the Falcon concepts up to a MK04 upgrade, and further refinements will lead to the final model which will be featured in the game.
So where am I up to?
As it stands, not only have I designed all the Black Falcon Phenotypes, I've also been able to design a few enemy Phenotypes that will be featured in the game.
I have also began terrain design, as well as real-time atmospheric weather effects that will really set the mood for this ambitious and unique title. Real-time weather effects include; real-time fog, rain, reflections , 3D Clouds that receive light (Yes!) and real-timeshadows.
I am currently developing the 3D particle effects that will give this title a visual edge to complement already abstract visuals.
The Black Falcon Saga will feature human characters (Captain/Pilots) that will play an integral role in the games storyline. One of these Characters is Captain Anka (pictured below) , who will be the face of one of the Black Falcon Captains. She will pilot her own specific vessel.
We would like to thank all the gamers and developers on Twitter and Facebook who have given this project an overwhelmingly positive feedback.
Your positive words are an encouragement and has motivated me to work harder, and at the same time feel confident about the project.
To Gamers around the world, I truly do need your help as the current development situation and all other development factors are proving to be a burden on this creative effort. At the moment, the highest FPS I get in-engine is 7fps (even with all effects turned off).
I have set up a funding campaign for a humble target of $10,000 on RocketHub. Please take time to view the media below and support this project at http://rkthb.co/53488
It is a genuine effort to bring a fresh aerial combat experience to the independent gaming scene.
For any questions, please feel free to use the contact box to the right of this page. More information can be found on the campaign page.
Thank you for your time, and look forward to showing you more of this project in the next couple of weeks.
Until then, enjoy the media ;-)
BTW: Check out the MK04 Nemesis.. It's the latest upgrade of the Black Falcons.
Hello everyone, Above is a screen shot of some Vectors I was working on over the weekend. I've decided to make them freely available to everyone (both for personal and commercial uses). You are free to edit them as you see fit and use them in as many projects as you desire. Attribution isn't mandatory. However, it'd be nice if references were made, as I genuinely would like to see any projects that incorporate any of these Vectors. If you decide to attribute, please use the following format: 1) Original Vectors courtesy of InnerSanctum Games Ltd. And if you're feeling quite generous, you can always provide a link to this blog :-) I retain the copyrights to the original works. All the items in the screen shot have been split up into individual .SVG files in the Zipped folder, and are editable in any Vector graphics application of your choice. I will release free Vectors from time to time, and during development breaks. So keep checking back for more updates.
If you haven't already done so, please follow us on twitter at: Twitter Profile
Download link to the Vectors: http://bit.ly/1rfaYLU N.B.: Unzip with WinRar Any issues, please use the box to the right of this page to contact me. See you soon ? :-) Thanks
The past month has been extremely busy. And I thought I'd provide a very brief update on the NightShade Chronicles, which is a title currently in development, and has undergone a couple of concept revisions since it was announced a few months ago.
The current state of the project is very playable and very functional. I had a pretty big smile on my face watching NightShade jump across the screen as she had been programmed to, with all the sprites and animations working perfectly.....
An extremely early in engine screenshot of NightShades Idle and Jump statuses. The red box is the player hit box. This is not representative of the final game.
However I took a back seat and pondered if the current design needed any improvements, and if so, how these improvements would positively impact the outcome of the final game.
It was then I went back to the drawing board and made some interesting redesigns to the main character (version 1.0). I decided that version 1.0, while functional, was rather restrictive, and somewhat static. I felt it was a bit too basic, and prevented NightShade from executing certain in-game events and actions easily. Below is a comparison between the old and new character design:
It took me a few days to get used to the new design (version 2.0). But as the animation commenced, the redesign was tested in a game context and began to show some really satisfying gameplay benefits. One of the many benefits of the new design is the inclusion of more joints, which automatically enables a wider range of actions and animations. Looking back, version 1.0 was a necessary stepping stone to achieving much more mature and functional version 2.0. Look forward to showing you NightShade in action (video). N.B.: And yes, there is a story behind the game :-) Thanks Mr O. Shonibare InnerSanctum Games (2014) Twitter: @innersanctumgm Google+: http://bit.ly/1sSSow4
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hello guys, More good news. I present to you, the final Ninjato design. Mapped and Textured in Blender 2.71
I needed to get that grip right, as having the wrong materials and properties can drastically alter the overall look of the blade.
Won't be long now ;-) Thanks for your patience
Mr O. Shonibare InnerSanctum Games Ltd (2014). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Good Morning all, You might be wondering where the weapons pack is, as it was meant to be released before the weekend. The stringent mesh testing has taken longer than usual, and I was able to locate all inconsistencies and problematic geometry in a few of the more complicated looking weapons (Dragon Slayer Family and another secret weapon you haven't seen). Furthermore, some 3D applications really let me down big time :-( as applying operations to the meshes caused some rather peculiar artifacts. I made the decision to rebuild all the weapons from scratch, seeing as the original concepts you saw were not optimized for game engine use. I once again apologize for the delay, but I can assure you it will be worth it ;-) please follow @innersanctumgames for the latest updates. The results of the engine tests are now producing geometry standards that I am completely satisfied with, and I know are suitable for release and use. Here are a few things for you to keep in mind: 1) All weapons have been UV unwrapped and are currently undergoing material and texture modifications. 2) Optimizations are taking place in Blender 2.71. Blender produces high quality, low poly meshes. Blender is truly a live saver. I wouldn't be typing this without it. And once you get the hang of it, everything else will fall in place. 3) The only engine that is being used to test the weapons is the Unreal Engine 4. It is also an excellent way to cross check your UV's and see if everything else is in order. 4) I will hold off from providing an exact release time frame, however all hiccups have now been removed, and the release of the pack is imminent. You can guarantee I am working around the clock on this (I promise I only played a very few hours of +Resident evil 6 ) Below are grabs from the UE4 tests, and all other optimizations:
Thanks for your patience, and stay tuned at @innersanctumgames on twitter.
