Ok, so the POE project built me a solid core for my game engine, but I didn't really like the setting, and I didn't want to make another third person shooter game, I wanted more to it than that.
This is where I started thinking about expanding my game-vision!
I'm gonna do a bit of a brief for the game, so if your not really that interested, just scroll to the screenshots, but I would appreciate some feedback on the concept!
Back Ground.
South London, 2025AD.
Since the early part of this millenium London saw a huge increase in crime, especially amongst youth, and mainly located in the South East of the capital. As time years passed the problem became increasingly bad, with government and law enforcement at a loss for how to deal with the situation.
With prisons filling up, new alternatives to the current Punative system had to be developed, and after the Lewisham riots in 2023, the government put in place the CCB - Crime Containment Bill. Entire bouroughs of the capital were turned into ghettos, surrounded by concrete walls. With the increased risk of terror attacks, gun crime and general youth disruptiveness, these ghettos became a dumping ground for anyone society didn't want to deal with.
You play [name to be decided]. You have been sentenced to life in the Contained Area. You must survive any way you can. Forming allegiances with the various factions, trading narcotics and weaponry, and avoiding the draconian law enforcers.
Game Play
The game plays in pseudo real time (one second in real time=one minute in game time). There are day and night cycles and random weather, with rain, sleet, drizzle, mist sunny etc. You must sleep, and rest.
There are no set missions or objectives. The player is entirely open to act as they wish (although the onyl really profitable activities are criminal). Missions will become implicit as the game progresses (for example, a rival gang may posses the drugs you require to sell).
You will have to do a fair amount of asset management, from protecting territory (once you have the respect to own some), to dealing drugs and firearms.
Law enforcers are draconian in their approach to crowd control and are best avoided.
Current Progress.
Level design
Most of the basic structures for the first quarter of the 1st district are in place. I need to add much more detail, like trees, dumpsters, bins, trash etc. The feel is there though. Currently the entire city is only 8000 polys. Sure it's low poly, but the idea is to create a large "playground" in which the game operates.
Environmental controls.
Day/Night Cycles have been created using the Real Time Sky system from Extends, although I have heavily modified this, so that it not only cycles day to night, but also alters the ambience depending on time of day and sunlight. The actual weather is randomised between various types so far : sunny, clear, rain ,shower, overcast and misty. Future additions will include a thunder storm and snow.
Also implemented shadow shading on all non-dynamic objects, which looks very swish but kills the framerate once you put in a bunch of peds.
AI.
The AI is pretty basic and there are no pedestrians (only gangs). Currently gang members attack the player only when they (or a nearby buddy) are attacked. THey roam the level, can hunt, search and react to various "triggers" such as gunfire, or a friend being shot.
Currently in the process of creating a to-do list style AI, where most characters will have a list of pre-defined things to do in the current day such as : sell drugs, walk to the factory, meet tim whatever. This should open up possibilities for interesting gameplay. GTA's pedestrians never had a purpose, they just wandered. I eventually want to have it so that if you follow anyone for long enough, you'll find their journey had a purpose.
Traffic
There isn't any yet, and what with it being an enclosed ghetto, traffic is going to be pretty sparse, but there will be some, and police cars too. I have the arrays in place for characters to use vehicles, but I'm going to wait and see how much of a strain NPCs are alone before I venture into the nightmare of vehicles.
I have a long way to go, and this is the culmination of around 2 weeks work so far. There are no peds in the current screen shots. Just wanted to show some of the environment. Quite proud of the building textures!
I'll have some more shots of the peds/gangs and a video of the weather system up later.
For now I leave you with these
***If you liked that and you want to help***
I'm in desparate need of some help! Nvidia has a free object bloom shader on it's website, but it's not compatible with DBpro. If anyone could re-write it in a syntax that dear old DBpro could handle, then I'd love you forever, and paypal you £10 ($20). It's really important to the game, as fullscreen bloom totally kills the FPS, and I only need the bloom on things like muzzleflash and streetlamps. Any help would be much appreciated.
