Has a month gone by already?

Sorry for the delay, I've been consumed by my most recent project, "Aurora"!

It's taking me a little while to get back into the swing of things, but soon I will be back to my regularly scheduled programming.

The big game changer

This update is taking a little longer than usual, as there are some big gameplay changes coming. Namely:

• Doors will only open / close when you use them
• Ammo will no longer be unlimited
• You will be able to melee enemies to knock them back
• Ammo pickups
• Embiggened (which is totally a word) viewable area around the player
• Quick look left and right
• Enemies will no longer simply drain health on contact, but take a chunk out every time they attack
• Enemy health will be lowered

Prior to v1.3.6, the game had a more arcade style feel. With unlimited ammo, there had to be a lot of enemies to make the game challenging, and the simple health drain attacks meant distance was key to survival.

With the new update, there's going to be some rebalancing necessary as the game transitions into a more realistic gameplay style. This also means that the current levels will need some reworking to include the ammo pickups.

I'm also prototyping a new "greyed out" system that will show areas that you have explored instead of it just being all black. It won't be in this update, but it is coming. It's a tricky thing, as the old rouge / RTS fog methods don't work with this type of view. I'm inventing a whole new method that, as long as it works, will be very cool to see in action!

v1.3.5a is now available!

Download v1.3.5a for Windows

Changes:

• New gradient FOV "Shadow" which is much nicer on the eyes.
• The area around the player is now visible
• New enemy by Sidney Durant that replaces the green placeholders.
• Due to "Sticky Keys" issues, the controls have been switched to E for use and Space for fire.

I wanted to add quite a bit more, but unfortunately I came down with a nasty cold that has had be rather out of it for most this week. All those goodies will have to wait till 1.3.6!

Also, I put together a new level called "The Loading Dock". It's not the one I had originally intended to complete this time around, as I decided to hold off on that one until there was some better friendly NPC functionality, but I think it's pretty fun.

Download "The Loading Dock"

FOV blending is on the way

Early test conclusion: Not quite right yet

v1.3.5a is going to have some big visual changes. The area immediately around the player will be visible, so you can see what is biting you in the butt and where, and the FOV "shadows" will have a slight gradient so that they aren't quite so jarring on the eyes.

The first new enemy sprite by Sidney Durant will also be introduced, replacing the existing green blob / ant / tentacle monster.

I'm also trying to add in some more useful functionality to the NPC characters, but it's still questionable as to whether that will make it into this build.

New addition to the Dread team

I'm happy to announce that we have another talented artist joining the development team: Amiran Gorgazjan

There are lots of great things in the works, and we really appreciate all of the feedback that you have given us so far.

I am working on a new level for you that will show how to do multi-floored buildings, so there will be more for you to play with soon!

7seg - An Engineer's Toy

Download the 7seg map (7kb, Requires v1.3.4_1a)

An optional update: v1.3.4_1a

Download v1.3.4_1a

Found one last bug in the new "Every time / Once" feature involving the "Check Value" Trigger which caused it to not activate its designated follow trigger (Does not effect any of the currently released levels, but will cause headaches for level designers).

I've also added the option to press F4 to switch between full screen and windowed modes for both the game and the level editor, and the option to press F5 to check for updates to the game.

It is recommended, but not necessary to update to this build.

v1.3.4a is finally out!

Click here to download v.1.3.4a (14.6mb)

Despite the bug fest that I discovered on Friday (which was when it was supposed to be done), v.1.3.4a is now available!

Complete Change log:

1. ESC now opens the in-game menu with SFX volume, Music toggle, Mouse sensitivity, Key Sensitivity, and Return to Menu options.
2. Menu options are saved in the "settings.cfg" file.
3. Awesome new Title Screen music by Chris Kukla
4. New Title screen (now with buttons! How cool is that?)
5. 10 new backgrounds by Cody Jernander
6. Doors can now be opened while facing away from them
7. Internal Background optimizations (areas outside the built level no longer have a background)
8. Fixed a plethora of bugs in the level editor
9. Fixed a nearly equal plethora of errors in the game
10. Added a new feature for certain Trigger types that allows them to either be activated everytime or only once
11. Edited documentation to include new features
12. Friendly NPC characters now wander around aimlessly
13. You can now scroll around the Level Editor with the WASD keys
14. I've expanded the level that comes with Dread. It now uses the new backgrounds and also has a completely new ending, so I recommend playing through it again.

The new level editor will automatically update any levels that have been made with v1.3.3a. Simply load your level into the editor and save it again. So if you try to play a custom level, and it doesn't load right, try updating it with the level editor.

Last minute setbacks

As I was packing the next version up for you guys, I decided to do one last play through and found a gamebreaking bug in the new Single Activation Triggers feature.

So, unfortunately, I'll have to delay the release a day so I can implement the fix. Thanks for your patience!

v1.3.4a is on track to be released Friday evening (3/16)

In addition to the changes already listed, I've fixed a few more minor bugs and added a new feature to the Level Editor:

Certain trigger types now have the option to either be activated every time their condition is met, or just once. This was doable with the previous level editor, but required 2 additional triggers. Now it is much easier to handle one-time events like switches, dialog events, etc...

I'm working on a new level for this release as well. It's not part of the eventual campaign, but just a little something to help keep you entertained between build releases.

The Dread team is growing!

I'm thrilled to announce that we have some great new talent joining the Dread Development Team:

Cody Jernander - Environment Artist
Jay Bramhall - Character Artist
Sidney Durant - Character Artist
Chris Kukla - Musician

So expect to see a significant leap in graphic and sound quality in the coming months.

What's coming in v1.3.4a

Progress is going well on the new update. I'm adding a couple new things, fixing a few bugs, and optimizing some of the code. Here's a breakdown of what's to come so far:

1. Pause Menu with Sound Volume, Music Volume, Mouse Sensitivity, and Quit to Menu options
2. Pressing ESC will open the pause menu instead of closing the game
3. Doors can now be opened while facing away from them
4. Friendly NPCs now wander around aimlessly
5. Changed the way backgrounds are handled internally to improve performance
6. Fixed an error in setting variables [Level Editor]
7. Fixed an error involving quotation marks in the Show Dialog trigger [Level Editor]
8. Added documentation for Background tab [Level Editor]
9. Added level1 background to Background tab [Level Editor]
10. Added "false" condition for variable check trigger [Level Editor]
11. Fixed the included level so that it will load properly in the level editor

A Review and a Level

YouTube user GnarvinAttacks did a great video playthrough / review of the first Alpha release (Thanks Gnarvin!):



And yesterday I had the pleasure of playing through an awesome new level by "Megafont". He did a great job of showing off the story potential of the editor, and his level is just the right combination of size, difficulty, and fun!

Download Megafont's level

Want to help keep everyone entertained while I work on the next build? If you have a cool level you've designed, or a Dread related YouTube video, send them to berickcook@gmail.com and I'll showcase them here for you.

Music Re-Enabled

It has come to my attention that background music was disabled. I have corrected the error. If you have downloaded the game prior to seeing this, please re-download the current version.

Sorry for the inconvenience!

Version 1.3.3a is now available

You've seen the trailer, now try it for yourself!

Download v1.3.3a for Windows

Dread - Alpha Trailer

Welcome!

My name is Berick Cook, and I am the developer behind "Dread". Nice to meet you!

This blog will serve you well as a portal into the ongoing development of the game. I'll be doing frequent updates regarding progress, new builds, dev screenshots, and anything else related to Dread.

I hope you enjoy playing the game as much as I have enjoyed making it!