Isometric games can look damn good

[Sirnaq]

Isometric games can look damn good

Last time i posted kickstarter link i was warned, but what the hell others also posting kickstarter links, im not begging for money i want to show something.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1473965863/sui-generis

This game is not complete yet but it use modern engine and looks really damn good, from physics to lightning. There is stereotype that isometric games looks like 2d turn based crap, but as you can see not necessarily. Im sure that with great cdpr art direction and advanced engine we could have really great looking isometric game with awesome gameplay. Technology!

 

[FoggyFishburne]

Well I have to admit, that engine of theirs seem to be able to do some pretty nifty shit. Pretty cool, especially considering that this isn't their full time job. I don't trust kickstarter for a second but I wish those peeps the best.

 

[Blothulfur]

Certainly does look impressive, though character movement and combat look a little stiff.

 

[soldiergeralt]

sure, you just can't get close enough to the objects to fully appreciate them, and there's zero detail.

 

[nandusso]

Oh well, here we need to clarify what we mean by isometric. For me it means 2D, and that game is 3D!
It's the same old story: with a good plot and a good storytelling every game is good, even if it's 2D. I venture to say that it would be also better than 3D because more is left to the imagination of the player.
Anyway the game looks interesting... there are skeleton warriors!!

 

[Sirnaq]

uhh, no... there is tons of 3d isometric games.

 

[Kodaemon5924]

nandusso is right, this is not isometric. Isometric projection ignores perspective.

 

[Pangaea666]

Still though, that looked damn impressive and I hope they succeed. If they can get interesting scenery and cities plus a great story into that game, I'd love to play it. The editor looked professionally made as well, so all kinds of opportunities for modding and custom made adventures there.

 

[luc0s]

This isn't isometric.

It's damn impressive though. I backed it. Being a young game developer myself with an affection for RPGs, these kind of projects gives me a warm feeling and I certainly hope to see this project becoming a fully realized game.

 

[Sirnaq]

This isn't isometric.

So what is it then?

 

[drunknmunkey666]

From wiki:

"In video games, "isometric" refers to some form of parallel projection (commonly, the form of dimetric projection mistakenly referred to as "isometric") where the viewpoint is rotated slightly to reveal other facets of the game environment than are visible from a top-down perspective or side view, thereby producing a three-dimensional effect. The terms "3/4 perspective", "2.5D" and "pseudo-3D" are also commonly used."

Interesting game concept, though I have a hard time believing that he made most of the game code by himself in his spare time over a time period of one year without utilizing anything like Havoc etc., if I heard him correctly in the video...

 

[Sirnaq]

Ok so top-down whatever. Still it's same kind of gameplay. Alternative to 1st and 3rd person games.

 

[Geralt_of_bsas]

It does look good, but i guess its actually easier to make games look good in that type of camera since textures and detail is so far away.

 

[Aver]

It does look nice, but I found out that everything that has dynamic lighting and good physics gets bonus "+10 to good looking". Nonetheless I will keep an eye on this game.

 

[TheFawz]

Wow, that project looks very very promising. Thanks a lot for sharing, wouldn't have heard about it otherwise.

Building good tech with the right focus first can be of immense help to making a really memorable game (TW2 is a perfect example). I really hope they succeed and manage to push the industry forward. Their level editor looks especially well made and that pure physics combat is pure genius.

 

[freakie1one]

Interesting game concept, though I have a hard time believing that he made most of the game code by himself in his spare time over a time period of one year without utilizing anything like Havoc etc., if I heard him correctly in the video...

He isn't using any physics engine that I recognize. No other physics engine (that I am aware of) takes into consideration every items weight, momentum, shape and balance. Watching this video demonstrates these things:

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPrOonmaG00[/media]

 

[Pangaea666]

Wish the guy who updates their kickstarter learned to spell. He's far from the only English-speaking person who can't use "its" correctly, but it makes him look amateurish when something that elementary is incorrect on a project funding page.

Sorry for being a spelling nazi, but stuff like that annoy me, especially in 'official' channels.

 

[freakie1one]

I was browsing their forums and read this post from the guy who wrote the game engine:

The animation system is really quite unique and uses a number of techniques, much of it has more in common with robotics technology than games. It features many dynamic behaviours that are not animations. The physics system behind it is significantly more evolved than typical ragdoll physics. There certainly is no blend between modes, all character motions are driven by physics 100% of the time.

This aspect is the part that I find most impressive, and it pretty much confirms he didn't use 3rd party software for the physics. Instead of having the same, repetitive animations playing over and over in combat the game uses dynamic behaviors... meaning the AI is actually reacting to your actions instead of just playing a predetermined animation. This makes combat much more dynamic and exciting!

 

[Pangaea666]

Had a look through their forum, and this piqued my interest.

We are not doing a typical quest with reward system but being hired to perform tasks will certainly be there. I will give an example of what might transpire in the game.

You are offered a valuable object to complete some task. This could be a lie, it could be a way to lure you into a trap and rob you, for example. If the reward does exist, you might decide to find out where the person offering it lives and look for it in their house rather than completing the task. You may get caught doing this, or you may even be hired by the same person to retrieve the stolen item.

It sounds like they want to create something truly unique, with more actual role playing than most RPGs offer. You may become powerful, but the world and its story doesn't centre around your person. Rather, you're one of many inhabitants in its world, and can influence some aspects of its story and people. It sounds very interesting, and could be quite groundbreaking if their KS succeeds. "Only" at 10% for now, but I hope it will increase substantially if gaming magazines and -sites pick them up, and they reveal more details about the game. It seems they don't want to reveal much of the story, so it must be of substantial importance, but I hope they get out more details about the world, gameplay, mechanics, etc. Whatever they need to succeed, because this game (idea) looks bloody awesome!

 

[Aver]

This aspect is the part that I find most impressive, and it pretty much confirms he didn't use 3rd party software for the physics. Instead of having the same, repetitive animations playing over and over in combat the game uses dynamic behaviors... meaning the AI is actually reacting to your actions instead of just playing a predetermined animation. This makes combat much more dynamic and exciting!

It sounds impressive, but so far animation looks bad and clunky. Especially guard in Kickstarter video moves terribly.