Forbidden - Update

I've been having fun flushing this out in UDK, and I really like the way the mood is going for this.  Super stark and high in contrast, which will be very different than the day time portion of the game. (Calm and warm) However, the most important part of this portion of the games environment is that the light in the center acts as a landmark. This serves as a focal point, and obvious goal for the player.

Another cool part is that if/when you get to the glowing figure, you'll have to use the clues from your missions earlier that day to determine if you have to shoot, or talk to it.  If you answer correctly, she will help you fight off the incoming swarms of enemies trying to take you out after you transform into one of the bosses.  If you do the wrong thing, she'll fight against you, and your life will most likely end...

Here are some screen grabs from the IP UDK development:  They are a little "lens flarey" at the moment, but there is a reason for that. I want to make the player actually squint and blink while playing the game.  It forces concentration and as they try to focus on the form, it will build tension.  It will also force their peripheral vision to lessen. If they look away from the light to other sections of the screen, they will see ghosting as their eyes try to adjust, making it almost seem like they're seeing ghosts in the shadows.  Most times it will be just that, but it might also be the ghosted characters trying to attack the player so they can come back from the dead...

Part of the challenge is getting through the maze without getting attacked by any of the players waiting in the mist to seek their revenge.  The player is actually about 75% into the made in the images above... yeah, makes for a pretty big maze.

[spoiler]

One clue as to how to get through the maze, is in the stars.  If the player looks up, he will see the path to take in the stars.   If a player waiting to attack sees your character's head looking to the stars, that will most likely be a great time for them to attack ;)

[/spoiler]

Here is a character model I made in Maya and Mudbox.  This isn't the only type of look for a character, just one possible that could be created by the player, like most MMORPGs.

Low Poly Model

Normal Maps on Low Poly

Textures, unlit

see the previous "Forbidden" post here.

Forbidden - Quick Pitch

This game is like Demon Souls in it’s camera and focus on mood, and like 99 Nights in its potential for on screen enemies.  Its focused platform is ps3/xbox rather than iPhone.  It’s an MMORPG, but not in the traditional type like WoW, and just in a way that it’s a lot of people playing, but not a huge world.

Story:
Every night, in the middle of the ever changing forest, a blinding light can be seen. Adventurers seek this light, as it equals massive power and transformation.  However, this light isn’t as simple to obtain as one might think.  Deep within the twisting pathways of the forbidden forest lies many creatures whose goal is to stop you from obtaining this ultimate power.  If you obtain this power, you will only stay on top for a short while, as other players in the game join forces to take you down from your reign of destruction.  Dying on your journey to grab the forbidden light, or after you have transformed will send you into the darkness where by you must escape your death prison, to rejoin the living, to fight again for supremacy.

Gameplay:
During the day, players will go on quest, slay beasts, and other similar tasks much like other RPG titles.  Doing this will allow them to level up their character.  At night, once the light is seen, the forbidden forest proving grounds are open.  It is a mad dash to get to the center of the forest, and (hopefully) pass the test.  If you pass, you transform into a creature 10x the size of you, and have massive strength, destroying players who challenge you in a single blow.  However, all the players who had died trying to be in your position, and all the players in “alive” states can join up to take you down from your spot of power, in hopes to get their chance.  There are “realms” in the game.  Day time realm where you play and improve your character, and death means a respawn in the graveyard.  Deadlands realm: where you go if you die trying to obtain the light, where the only ways out are defeating another player trying to obtain the light, helping take down a transformed player, or when dawn arrives.

Mechanics:
There will be spells, and weapons, and armor all upgrade-able as you level up.  The path to the light changes every day.  From a birds eye view the paths resemble a circular maze.  If a player tries to cross over the designated pathways (i.e. touches the walls), it spawns demons of great difficulty.  If they die along the way, they are banished to the “deadlands”, where they can try to kill an "alive" player in the forest, trying to get to the center of the maze where the light is located.  If you do so, you switch spots with them, and regain your “alive” state.  

It’s essentially king of the hill type pvp, with pve elements for half of the server time (day/night)  You gain exp for everything during the day, in the specific areas you use/train (i.e. use a sword, get better at swords, chop down trees, get better at your tree chopping level)  When in obtain the light and change into Forbidden form, you gain massive amounts of experience based on your time “on top of the hill” and the enemies you destroy.  The players are also ranked based on all their times combined as king of the hill.  It is also random, which type of transformation you will change into.  It's akin to having 10 different bosses in a game, or in a dungeon and all the other players need to adapt to the boss's weakness.  Also, the player who transformed into the boss needs to get good at fighting in the different forms.  The bosses will also have stages like a main boss in WoW.

General Thoughts:
This game relies heavily on other players playing.  If not, we’ll have to use bots, and bots just aren’t as cool.  Lots of darkness, and high contrast in the forest.  very mysterious and high tension, as you don't know if another player is going to sneak up on you, if someone else might get the light and come after you... 

In the maze, the center circle is roughly 100 yards of open space, and each of the hall ways are about 20 feet wide.  so plenty of room to fight while still keeping it contained....and it won't be gray walls like in the image below, it'll be trees and brush ;)

I really want the player to have the experience of being "a boss" and having them feel what it's like to be THE game, instead of just playing it. Here are some images... the art style will not be like dark souls, (at this time)  i really want to focus more on depth and atmosphere, and that simplicity to create the artistic style of the game. (and the light would be more white, and blue/purple as it gets later in the night... this would be at dusk. when the light first starts to appear.

See... if you get to the girl, you transform and get to be that big guy... cool, right?
(images courtesy of google ;) )