Recruits - Shoot'em Up

[3dRobbo]

Just want to let everyone know that the Alpha version of Recruits is available now!
Help support our development and head over to Desura to grab it and give it a go now.

Please remember that it is currently in Alpha, and it will be updated regularly!

Well, check it out.

What is Recruits:

Recruits is a squad based top down shooter that puts players on the front lines of the battlefield to accomplish your missions through any means necessary. Fast paced and pack with explosions, Recruits offers a wide variety of features that allow you, and your friends, to to take command of the action and lead your men to victory.

Features:

* Fast Action Gameplay:
Action packed shooting, fast paced killing, explosions, booby traps and moral decisions, all make for an exciting and fun gaming experience.
* Simple, Fun Controls:
Using WADS to control your squad, your mouse for controlling your weapons, you have all the fire power you need at your finger tips.
* Wide Range of Weapons:
Machine guns, grenades, explosives, melee. Everything your team needs to complete your missions.
* Variety of Levels:
From Jungle to Urban, to Snow to Desert. Many war zone will be covered. Destructible objects and interactive elements immerse the player in their environment.
* Level Up System:
Level up with ranks, starting off as a low class soldier and working your way up through to Captain and General.
* Group Morale:
Having a morale system for traumatic events in the game. The more you can help people in missions the more points you gain and the more effective your team is, the more traumatic events you cause or witness and your team start to feel emotionally affected, hindering your performance and risking your chances to survive..
* Command your Team:
Having the ability to give basic commands to your team members such as Defend, Attack, Search and ReGroup allows you to tackle all situations.
* Special Abilities and Upgrades:
Gain points to level up and earn special abilities and upgrades such as napalm strikes, reinforcements, accuracy upgrades, and much more.
* Single Player and Co-Op Multiplayer modes:
A single-player mode puts the player straight into the action and fighting for their country. A multiplayer Co-Op mode puts you and your friends into the war together with survival mode and the ability to replay single player missions.

Feel free to contact us:
contact [at] recruitsgame.com
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[3dRobbo]

We are slowly getting out tactical gameplay happening, you can see it in action in this video:



and check us out on IndieDB for all the updates! Wish Us Luck!

[bauriema]

Wow dude! Very nice game! Seems a lot of fun to play!

[White Paper Games]

Wow guys! Really nice level of production there. Seems like you've really nailed the project! Good luck with Indie of the year comp Definitely a strong contender!

[ironbelly]

Beautiful work here.. Not only an accomplishment from a game dev perspective but from a gamer's perspective this looks like a hell of fun, especially with Co-Op in mind

[3dRobbo]

Hey Everyone,
Long time no post for us in the Epic Forums and we want to catch you all up on our progress.

If you follow us on IndieDB or Youtube you would have seen a lot of new features getting into the game.
I hope to post on here more often to get you all involved in the production and design process of Recruits so expect to see more of us. We are full steam ahead and working towards a playable release.

We hope that you are able to come and join our forums and show us how excited you are to play Recruits, Spread the Word!
The Recruits Website

Video Log 7


Video Log 6


Take a look at our facebook, youtube, indiedb and twitter pages:

- Like Us!
- Watch Us!
- Subscribe!
- Follow Us!

It helps us out the more you talk about and share our work. If you have any questions about anything our coders and artists visit these forums often so we should be able to give you any answers you might need.

I'll be posting again soon about some open positions in the company so keep an eye out.

Cheers Guys!

[3dRobbo]

Hey Everyone, want to give you all an update on our progress.

I want to take a moment to show you guys some images of our new features and lighting.

If you are interested in Recruits, let us know in our forums, sign up and join the fun. The developers will be able to answer any questions you might have about the game. Also, give us suggestions and ideas, or just come in for a chat.

Check out the Forums at this link:
Recruits Forums
You can reach the forums from our main web page also.

Cinematic Support
One of the features we have added to Recruits is the ability to trigger cinematic events and hook up subtitle information to the scaleform HUD. Take a look at the picture below. You are still able to move around and play the game, but the classic 'cinematic bars' can be turned on and text/ voice over played to give you the player information about what's going on or when you are being spoken too. This system is very diverse and we can do many things with it.



Having support for cameras and subtitle/voice-overs, gives us a great range of ways to tell you guys the story of the game. We can move cameras, show scripted events, have emotional movie like scenes, epic battles, alternate points of view. It really does give us a great base to take you through our story and let you*experience*the game as we intended.

Recruits Lighting Style
We are also working on a specific lighting style, something to give you the old mood for the game we want. Dirty, dated, and also bright and vibrant like a jungle should be.



Jungle Feeling
We are also working on getting out jungle to look more like... well a jungle. We notice a lot in some games the jungle scenes don't tend to feel dense and jungle like. I think we are getting somewhere with ours, I hope you all find it to be a decent representation of dense vegetation.

Let us know if you would like to help out with Recruits, we are always looking for talented people.
Contact Us:
contact [at] recruitsgame.com
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[3dRobbo]

Hey everyone,

Just want to spread the word about us at Commotion Games winning the "Best Game Prototype" for Recruits today.

You can check out the MassDiGi website here:
Massachusetts Digital Games Institute (MassDiGI)

and their Official Press Release:
Click here to read the press release announcing the MassDiGI Game Challenge winners

Also their Facebook and Twitter:
www.facebook.com/massdigi or www.twitter.com/mass_digi

We had one of our Programmers represent us there today, and did a great job showing off our current game and having a great time doing it. I want to thank MassDiGi and Microsoft for hosting the event and giving us the chance to spread the work about our work and UDK. Thanks Epic Games for such a cool product!

Don't forget to check us out too:

Contact Us:
contact [at] recruitsgame.com
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[aRny]

well done guys

[3dRobbo]

Thanks aRny! Been following Critical point for a while now too! I wish you guys all the best!

Just some pictures from Recruits:




Above are pictured: - thanks to quick help from Laurens Corijn

Tanks
- M48 Patton Tanks (in the green) that are a part of the C.A.F (Combined Allied Force - This is who you will be fighting FOR!) and
- Captured M41 Walker Bulldog Tanks (in grey) that are a part of the A.L.G (Armed Liberation Group - This is who you will be fighting AGAINST!)

Keep in mind that these tanks are still Works in Progress and are subject to changes before release.

We are also hard at work getting some fresh art work into Recruits, including new characters and assets. Also working on the levels that we are releasing with the demo, and are testing all the features and gameplay that we want you guys to have fun with.

Features
We have a few interesting game play features coming into the game soon, so we can't wait to show these off to you all and hopefully you will all like them.

- Being able to carry wounded soldiers
- Loads more rag doll effects - Explosions will cause rag dolling as well as damage if you are too close
- Personal per character upgrades - Upgrades for personal stat's, accuracy, speed, clip sizes, amour
- Higher level commander upgrades - Upgrades for the team, Air strikes, Air support, Weapon Packs, commanding ability

As you can see a lot of stuff being worked on, we are a Tiny team, so please help us get the word out and Like our Facebook page, its helps us spread the word about Recruits and opens up the amount of people this game can get to!

Contact Us:
contact [at] recruitsgame.com
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[3dRobbo]

Hey everyone,

See our latest update here: IndieDB
We wanted to keep everyone in the loop of what we are doing, have done, and are going to do. We are still hard at work fixing bugs and preparing the a level for our Pre-Alpha Demo.
We have mainly been working on getting a the demo to our internal testers, so that we can better QA our own work, and find out what needs fixing and what needs changing. This is a very important step for us as it will really show the major bugs and problems that we, as the developers might not have picked up on.

So here are some pics from me going through the game and just tearing the place up! ENJOY!













http://www.youtube.com/embed/KZUTaUUBfM0

[Private Tux]

This looks fun.

[purot]

Looks pretty cool and seems to be progressing rather nicely.

[3dRobbo]

Thanks Tux Android and purot. Yes it is fun!

Have a look at the IndieDB post here along with our newest video below:



Just want to keep everyone up to date and let you all know that we are still very active and progressing well.

Keep in mind that this is still a Work In Progress. Our characters are not in game yet, sounds are not final, art and HUD are not final... basically everything will be improving! But enjoy the shooting and explosions.

Contact Us:
contact [at] recruitsgame.com
Follow Us on:
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[aRny]

nice update, good idea with the developer notes and talk over

[3dRobbo]

Thanks aRny,
Yea, just wanted to save people reading a whole bunch, and show myself playing the game in the process. We are making sure to have the game be fun and play well, before we start making lots of art and stuff. Art is a major part of a game in setting mood and feel, however with a top down game like this, we can't hide the fact that gameplay is priority #1.

[RaPtOr_v9600]

excellent, something diffident it reminds me on jagged alliance, i hope that you will work on hud add some spice to it, maybe some portraits when select soldiers, and icons of weapons that are holding etc,

And as i said very good job thumbs up.

[3dRobbo]

Hey Everyone,

We have another video done, check it out below:

And here at IndidDB


Excuse the crudeness of the physics, we are just super excited to have destruction and well... wanted to share!

Feel free to contact us:
contact [at] recruitsgame.com
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[3dRobbo]

Hey Everyone,

We have a Teaser Trailer, check it out below:

IndidDB development blog

Feel free to contact us:
contact [at] recruitsgame.com
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[3dRobbo]

Hey guys,

Just want to let everyone know that the Alpha version of Recruits is available now!
Help support our development and head over to Desura to grab it and give it a go now.

Please remember that it is currently in Alpha and it will be constantly updated and made more fun with regular updates!

Well, check it out.

Feel free to contact us:
contact [at] recruitsgame.com
- Like Us!
- Watch Us!
- Subscribe!

[3dRobbo]

Hey everyone,

We just released our Recruits Alpha v0.021 over at Desura!

Head over to Desura now to buy it now and support the creation of this game.







Take a look at the change log notes below to get an overview of specific details for the release:
General Fixes
Fixed XP total now adds up
Fixed Missions load in correct order
Fixed Continue button at level end
Fixed Squad dont dismember when incapacitated
Added incapasitated flashig symbol
Fixed Countdown is now in minutes
Fixed Aiming at self shoot straight ahead
Fixed Abilities are hidden when ALT is not pressed
Added Delay to throwing grenades
Changed Shoot range
Changed Soldier names update
Levels:
Added Arctic Level (Mission 4)
Enemies:
Added RPG men as enemies (red characters)
Vehicles:
Added M48 Patton Tank (work in progress)
Weapons:
Added Claymores
Fixed Mines
Added C4
Effects:
Fixed Decals dont flicker much
List of useful buttons:
N - Places a Claymore
M - Places a Mine
V - is melee attack (no animations yet)
E - Use/Grab
G - Cycles through available grenades
1,2,3 - Weapon Hotkeys

Feel free to contact us:
contact [at] recruitsgame.com
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[3dRobbo]

Hey Guys,
Just wanted to share a Free wallpaper I made with everyone. 1920x1080




Check out some gameplay and help support us over at Desura!

Feel free to contact us:
contact [at] recruitsgame.com
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[aRny]

Hi Robbo,

this looks brilliant!! This takes me back to the C&C days.. Im sure many people simiarlise your game with that.
What would be your response to that, the unique selling point of Recruits and its differences.

Keep up the good work :-)

[3dRobbo]

Hey Guys!
Just a heads up, you can rate our development over at Steam Greenlight!
Hopefully we will make it there one day. It helps us get the word out about our game.

Check it out and support all your favorites!

[3dRobbo]

Hey everyone!
Recruits v0.030 is up and ready to play!



Survival Desert Level! See how long you can last!

[3dRobbo]

Hey All, Just wanted to share a new screenshot for our upcoming Stealth mission.

If you have steam check us out on greenlight!

[3dRobbo]

Hey guys!
Just want to let you know of our update on IndieDB:
Recruits Alpha v0.032 Stealth Mission

Take a look at the video and see what you think!

[3dRobbo]

Hey Guys, we had another update, Since the last one we had Andy help us out with a Jeep vehicle currently in our menu and soon to be in game:

You can check out details here:
IndieDB Page






Also vote Yes for us to get on Steam!

[Theller]

Hi there!

I really like what i'm seeing, it seems well thought-thru and i really like the bloodsplattering! I've watched every video you posted in this forumthread and i've got two things. 1st, i think another cool thing would be to be able to set fire to the surrounding. I mean while using the the flamethrower for example. Just a bush here and there and perhaps those bamboo/tree houses. Secondly, the guards seems weirdly positioned. Sometimes it's like they are just standing there looking in the complete wrong direction. Well, obsiously the guard doesn't know where the player is, but they probably do have an idea of where he would come from.

Another thing on the same subject. There were also situations where there was alot of guards holding a position. I really like this since it means heavy-action, but i had the same problem here. Some of the guards only stood in the middle of nowhere. They weren't ready for combat, they weren't talking to eachother and so on, just standing there waiting to get kill. I would say rather place them in a more "realistic" way. For example two of them sits down at a table and drink some booze or playing cards. Another two stands in a position where they are ready for combat but talking to eachother.

Don't get me wrong here. I really like this, it seems cool and i am most likely a buyer, but just ask your self ---why is this guard standing here? Does it makes sence? Is that what i would do if i was the guard?---

Once again, i really like this and i am looking forward to a complete release. Meanwhile i wish you the best of luck!

[3dRobbo]

Hey Theller,

Yes we hope to get more work done to the Flamethrower once we finish up some new levels.

You are correct about the guards, and its definitely something on our list. We have patrolling guards and stuff in the stealth mission, and when they patrol near each other they stop... chat.. and then continue on..

Also, we want to share an awesome video first impressions by TheSparrow on youtube. It covers some of the game play aspects of Recruits and shows off a fair big of our special effects and levels.

There are a few bugs he gets in game but these are all fixed in the latest Alphav0.033 that is currently downloadable from Desura.

Check it out below, leave a comment, let us know what you think and enjoy the game!

[Kelt'ar]

Very noice...You guys will do wonders incorporating something like this to your project for character communication:

[lorendroll]

Inspiring! Can't say I'm a fan of this genre but your game looks solid and makes me think you made a good start! I'd like to recommend you adding and tweaking some BlendBySpeed animnode into your Animtree for soldiers. They slides on the ground when running. Enhancing a locomotion system would make your game much more attractive.

[theflamingskunk]

Very noice...You guys will do wonders incorporating something like this to your project for character communication:

Haha Picture In Picture Mode! That is very cool man! We will keep the idea for that form of communication open, I am just not sure how well It would fit into the game (Seems to fit better with Sci-Fi Type of games).

Inspiring! Can't say I'm a fan of this genre but your game looks solid and makes me think you made a good start! I'd like to recommend you adding and tweaking some BlendBySpeed animnode into your Animtree for soldiers. They slides on the ground when running. Enhancing a locomotion system would make your game much more attractive.

I definitely agree with you that having a nice locomotion system will significantly improve the feel and appearance of the game. It is certainly Something we are going to be working on, however, unfortunately since there is a whopping 3 people actively working on the game, Animations is one area we are lacking in as of now.
Keep Your seatbelt buckled however and stay tuned as we continue progressing at it becomes sexier.

[lentinant]

We will keep the idea for that form of communication open, I am just not sure how well It would fit into the game (Seems to fit better with Sci-Fi Type of games).

You can make it look like radio reciever or something like that (i think, if you will make something similar to reciever in Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, it will feat your game well)

[3dRobbo]

Just a quick video showing of one of the features that will be in our free demo of the game coming out soon. This is the beginnings of many other animals (and humans) that will be innocent bystanders in the battles of Recruits.

Jason our programmer has implemented some basic AI for the chickens to run around and peck on the ground, and when in ear shot of gunfire, they get startled and fly up in the air,*causing*them to get shot and 'explode'. Its very simple but we think it add a lot to the levels.


Head over to IndieDB and vote for us to be in the Top100 released games this year.

[XXWeaponXX7]

You are an unbelievable person...

That just blew my mind. I love you.

[orbitalatx]

cool game dude, goodluck!

[orbitalatx]

cool game dude, goodluck!

[3dRobbo]

Thanks guys, I dont think our FX guy posted his Napalm video here, so i'll do it for him.
Check it out and help us out at IndieDB.com with the Top 100 vote.

[Adrenen]

Very nice smoke and camera shaking.