The Magic Tower (My Hack'n'Slash Project)

[kingazrandom]

Calling All Brave Adventurers!
This is a project i have been working on for a little while now, Very 'In Progress' still but i just would like to show the community what i have done so far. It is supposed to a fun little Hack'n'Slash game where you kill stuff, level up, find secrets and all the usual adventurer stuff. You play a Knight who, while on his travels, stumbles across a note written by a 'Damsel in Distress', being held in a tower by an 'Evil Wizard'. Can you conquer the Tower and Save the Girl, or will become another mindless slave to the towers Master.

I would Like to thank you all again for your support of this project, and putting up with my slow progress. If you do get a chance to download and try out the game dont forget to send me feedback, Im always keen to hear peoples ideas and suggestions.

There are still many features that are unavailable in the current demo too, such as elemental monsters, more advanced bossfights, elaborate side quests and of course more than 3/4s of the tower itself still remains undiscovered. Keep in touch for updates, the engine itself is now almost complete, so soon it will just be content making.
New Video:

New Screenshots:





Link to download The Magic Tower. -Updated 13 feb 2012
http://www.blahware.com/pages/downloads.html

[drpunks]

Approved!

XD!

[kingazrandom]

Thanks man,
Here is a Video to give you all a better idea of what the gameplays like.

[bauriema]

Very good work man. Loved all the details you already have, such as the inventory and the skills tree. Are you alone in this?

[merc-ai]

Impressive WIP. Thumbs up.

[kingazrandom]

Thanks for the positive feedback, and yeah so far its all just been my project, my brother has been letting me bounce ideas off him, and has done some voices for me, but thats about it, all the content has been created by me, which is why its a bit half-assed at the moment.

[Max Power]

First up, this is pretty f'n dope work.So much gameplay, custom art and sound implemented takes a lot of work, and that's worth respecting.

Most of the sound effects are very old school (character sfx are clearly your or some guy's voice). As explained, a lot of this is WIP, as with everything else. Considering this with the idea of focusing on strengths, it would be worth adjust the art style to something simple as well. For example, torchlight, LoZ: Wind Waker, and I also feel a bit of a "Ghouls and Ghosts" vibe from the character.

I feel this would save a lot of dev time and allow people to accept a more simplified gameplay coming from a single person.

[kingazrandom]

Sorry for late post, been sorting out web site and download hosts. Happy to announce the website is up now, and you can see some artwork and get some more information on the game and myself.
http://www.blahware.com/
Will have the demo link on the website within the next few days, a bit more cut down than i was hoping, but im currently working on setting it up in the latest UDK, so upcoming images/videos of the game should look a bit more polished.

[DanBrigido]

Very impressive work sir. Keep it up.

[kingazrandom]

And heres the demo!
http://www.blahware.com/pages/downloads.html
Issues with the Download Link and Mozilla Firefox are now resolved, sorry for any inconvinience.
Please Enjoy and feel free to send feedback if you wish.
Extra Information:
Level Cap is 10 in the demo versions.
Known Issues(Bugs):
*Pawn Rotation not updating on Character Load.(have to do something before it can become "Idle".)-FIXED
"Idle" State calls player to face base rotation.(always looking backwards when not doing stuff.)
Small Delay on updating rotation on movement.(only really an issue when running on low framerate.)
*Dying while Falling causes your pawn to stop moving every time he falls after you Revive.(loading a new/saved game will fix your pawn.)-FIXED
Lack of Voice Overs/SoundFX. Due to the no-budget and crappy recording equip.
*Clutter Variety. -ADDED
*Terrain warps severely when you switch from/to full-screen.-FIXED
*Monsters bug out on walls/steep slopes.(AI does not have a PathFinding system at the moment.)-FIXED(kinda, they still try to climb walls sometimes but they should force stop after a few seconds.)

[kingazrandom]

In the hope that people have checked it out, ive set up a poll for yous to give some quick feedback on the game. The areas of the Tower are getting a full graphics revamp as we speak and ill have some screenshots to show you soon. Thanks for Playing.

[reinrag]

Great Job Mate,

[Max Power]

This game is great within it's early state.

I feel strong, there were some tougher fights, but the option of kiting or going right into the fight. This is a general feeling these types of games need, and it seems you've got it.

First encounter with gargoyles was tough. This is where I first used kiting.

Really like how attacks stun some mobs allowing for combos.

Upgrades didn't seem to have a lot of visual feedback, but I felt stronger in the game.

Wish there was more visual feedback on attacks and what mob was targeted.

I'm still curious if this is meant to be slightly humorous or not. Character proportions are cartoony, mob have an infectious laugh, yet some source art is dark and photoreal.

Oh, forgot about the whole intro. Those trees and such aren't so great. And as alive as they are the sound of wind should be stronger than footsteps.

[kingazrandom]

Thanks again for the detailed feedback max/rein, the trees at the start are just quick speedtrees, i didnt spend much time on them ill admit, and yes there is supposed to be a little bit of humor, but just to keep the player entertained as well as challenged. Will hopefully be able to show this a bit more with some voices in the works.
And im Really happy that you noticed the stats working, they might not be perfect but its good to see even at such low ratings people can notice the difference.

Upgrades didn't seem to have a lot of visual feedback, but I felt stronger in the game.

Yes unfortunately because of the delay importing into the new udk, this demo version was a bit more cut down than intended. But this is still Pre-Alpha if anything, and i will be Releasing a more polished Alpha Demo. With another level it, And Some more Items.

there are also a few new game-related images on my deviantart that are not yet on the website if anyones interested.

[kingazrandom]

Just posting some WIP screenshots of the new tower interior, i hope you all approve.
I realize the current demo lacks an indoor feel, and i hope this is a little better.

*screenshots removed as to avoid duplicates*

[Razorb]

the game looks like a lot of fun! really awesome work!

[BloodBrothers]

There seems to be a bit of stretching, this is my opinion but, those ground textures would look better a bit more tiled/smaller.

I played through your game and I like alot. However I got a crit if you welcome it.
The gargoyles are way to hard to kill....took me 4 lives to beat them, could be just me but once again just my opinion haha.

[Black_Stormy]

Those new shots look very orange. Any chance of throwing some nice contrasting blues in there to make it more appealing? Windows letting in blue light from the sky, magical crystal lights, glowing mushrooms, any other cliches? Some fancy lighting would help you break the monotony of the textures. Also the textures are oddly scaled. Turn on texture density render mode in the editor (in the bar above the viewport) and I think you'll see that your texture density is all over the place.

[kingazrandom]

BloodBrothers : I played through your game and I like alot. However I got a crit if you welcome it.
The gargoyles are way to hard to kill....

This fight is supposed to be a challenge, i am interested to know if you collected the shortsword before the fight as at this low level its makes a massive difference. I have had varied results with this battle and im trying to avoid people kiting as much as possible. Kiting should be an Option not a Requirement.

Black_Stormy : "Those new shots look very orange." "magical crystal lights, glowing mushrooms, any other cliches?"

I thought so too, but being on the lower floors of the tower still i dont want to add too many "Enchanted" effects. These effects are going to be saved for the Upper floors closer to the Magician. Having said that though, i will be trying to make the area less 'Orange' but with changes to the environment rather than lighting. Ill post these same angles later on after ive added debris/clutter and we'll see what you think
Thanks For Playing!

[LordNelson7]

REALLY COOL! I like it!

[kingazrandom]

New/Updated screenshots, Most of the wooden objects and clutter features here are destructable too. Let me know what you think.








Also If anyone is having issues with game/install errors or missing files, First make sure that your DirectX is up to date, Then contact me if you have further issues.

[kingazrandom]

Hey guys, Just posting a progress update, no images this time. Haven't done much work on the game this week as i have had some hours at work for a change.
-Bosses now have stages(taunting, enraging, etc.)
-Destructibles have been fixed a little, also added some more variation.
-Larger 'Static Destructibles' have been added.(ones you cant kick around)
-Various graphics/texture changes.
-Non-Mouse aiming now works properly.
Details: added a slight offset to the base rotation, this was only an issue while attacking or blocking.
-Tweaks to the Damage Trace when you attack.
Details: Now traces from base of weapon to tip, instead of a preset arc.
-A slight targeting system was added.
Details: While attacking/blocking with a target under your cursor you will now center on the target rather than your mouse cursor. Im not sure if this is what you meant max, but it definitely helped me direct the strike a bit more. hence the damage trace tweaks, and you dont find yourself swinging at a mobs hand and missing completely :P

[drpunks]

good work man....

and i need help... u can teach me wich Unreal Scripts need for a Hack Slash.... i will thank u...

[kingazrandom]

More Screenshots and Images have been added to the website, direct links below.
All of the monsters at the start of the game have been remodeled a little bit, and i have tried to add a bit more variation to them.
Various areas have been touched up further, still adding fine details for a more complete look.
A few animation tweaks, with alot more to come.
Smoothed out some level transitions, added some new checkpoints.
http://www.blahware.com/pages/art.html
http://www.blahware.com/pages/screenshots.html

Also my Flash Scenes seem to have an issue with UDKs DX11, all my colours are off for some reason. So the new demo might still only be in DirectX9 if i cant fix it. Have not looked into it much yet though.

[kingazrandom]

Another Progress Update.
-Many animations have been added to enemies and character.
-More tweaks to skill and weapon tracing for both enemies and character.
-More textures added/changed, to try balance out the graphics style of the game.
-Areas starting to look up to scratch, will replace/bump the screenshots within a week or 2.(hopefully)
-Particle effect changes/upgrades.
-LoDs have been added to everything now, in hope it will run better on lower end pcs.
-Added a 'Swoop' to the zoom so that it levels out as you get closer to your character.(like diablo, torchlight etc.)to give more option the max angle when zoomed out is now a bit higher too.

Details on Area changes: Though the layout remains pretty much the same, there have been alot more walls/doorways and more enclosed areas. giving it a more inside feel to it.

[kingazrandom]

Progress Update:
-Small Floating healthbars have been added to Normal and Elite Monsters, With a larger static healthbar that activates for Boss fights.
-Blocking the entirety of an enemy's damage now causes recoil on the monster, allowing time for a counter.
-Interface has had a touch-up and is now a Little bit more compact.
-Running out of energy during a block now causes a "Block Break" Animation on the player.
-"SoulBlade's" range has been increased slightly.
-"Repulsion"(3rd Skill) has had its area of effect fixed.

[drpunks]

why u use outline rendering?

[kingazrandom]

why u use outline rendering?

Earlier screenshots did have an outline filter, but it has now been removed, most textures still have that dark drawn outline but not as severe as 'Boarderlands'. Many of my textures are hand drawn in pencil, and then scanned, then coloured/polished/straightened in photoshop. Thanks to having a scanner on my mouse

[lebaje]

Love it

but for a hack/slash game, i don't see a lot of hack/slash

visually, the game look amazing. but it would be nice to see some gameplay with enemies to see how they react

[kingazrandom]

Hello again people, Another long gap between updates but with alot of progress this time.
New Features include:
-Enemy Counterable state now has proper animation/effects(for now).
-Attacking a Counterable enemy now plays its own counter attack animations, dealing double damage and ignoring armor.
-Executions added to bosses and some mobs. Making fights a little more interactive.
-Character Coloursets added, You can now choose from 8 'Stylish' tunic colours!
-Health Bars are now Toggleable with 'V'.
-Cooldown text removed, now the icon disappears and then 'Regenerates' as a faded image until its useable again.
-New Interface and Character Sheet layout. Screenshots Below.
-New Main Menu. Screenshots Below.




some things i just finished
-Using a Skill while attacking now instantly uses the skill so you can keep your combo going.
-Skills now have a Super and Ultimate version that trigger when you have a high combo.
-Countering range has been shortened and now moves the target into direct hit range.
-Attack Variation has been upgraded, and you shouldnt see the same animation twice in a row anymore.

[kingazrandom]

Hey there people sorry again for the delayed update, No new Progress notes, just tweaks and world editing. Have also been working on another project, so progress and updates will be even slower and spread out. Happy to announce though that a new version of the game is available. Click the link below to start the download straight away, or head to the website.
The demo features another level, and all of the updates that i have posted. Please give any feedback and suggestions. When i return to this project full time i will have alot more experience and knowledge so i will hopefully be able to apply/fix all of your requests.
Thanks again for your support.
http://blahware.com/UDKInstall-MagicTower.exe

[kingazrandom]

Hello again people, another progress update with some content to show this time. Have been working hard to try and maintain progress on this project while im working on another. Website has been updated, New Screenshots and a new Video has been added. And i am Trialing a title "The Magic Tower" not the most creative of title i know but it does represent the game fairly well.
Video at http://blahware.com/pages/videos.html
Screenshots at http://blahware.com/pages/screenshots.html

Some previews

[kingazrandom]

Just another quick update. I Re-Uploaded the newest version of the demo, and have hopefully changed all the links to it, Please ensure the install file is called UDKInstall-MagicTower. this is the latest version available at the moment.
Information:
- Inventory has been tweaked, mousing over an item will now enlarge the info display.
- Combo system has been tweaked again, should be able to maintain a combo better, and it shouldnt reset mid combat anymore.
- Counters have been tweaked, the 'slomo' effect should now be timed better, and shouldnt get stuck if you interrupt it.
- A few more monsters have been changed to BossPawns, making for more interactive fights.
- More animations for attacks have been added, along with a few more particle effects.
- Gamepad Support has been re-added, and you should now be able to play the whole game with it.
(note. The gamepad mouse gets a little slow on higher resolutions)
- Options menu has been added, and works for the most part. (Sound Options still not setup)
- A new addition to the arsenal, The Longbow.
- Options tab added "Controls" displays the keybard and gamepad control settings.
- Collision tweaks to monsters, should no longer get double traces on some enemies.

[dejocar]

Looking cool man, good luck!

[kingazrandom]

Hey there guys, For those of you who dont know, I have been working on another project for the last few months. As a result development on this project has been a little slow, but I will still be working on it. So remember to send your feedback and suggestions to me, there may also bugs that havnt been listed, so remember to let me know about those too. Have not had much feedback in the bug department so far, but i know theyve got to be in there somewhere (this is my first try at a game engine after all). So if something seems abnormal, let me know as it might not be doing what its supposed to.

For those of you who are interested you can check out the other game here, its a 1-4 player co-op shooter.
ToyWars Invasion by Web Interactive Solutions http://www.toywarsinvasion.com

[kingazrandom]

Updated the website with some more Concept Art. Including our first look at Princess Anabelle (the damsel) and a few other characters you may meet within the tower.