The Superfluous 
​A Voided Pixels Game
  • Home
  • Media
  • Press Kit
  • Demo

D E V   B L O G

It's All About the GamePlay

5/27/2016

0 Comments

 
Gameplay. You can have the coolest looking game, with the best soundtrack, and a kick-butt story; but if the game isn't fun, you failed. Gameplay is everything.
Picture
My Take on Rogue-likes:
I've like Rogue type games for a long time now.ROGUELIKE WIKI. Today we have seen an explosion of rogue-like games from indie game devs. Of course, if you really think about it, Rogue games were probably made because of the limitation of saving large amount of character and level data with 1980's tech :). 

The best games I think are those that make death a real penalty, but also rewards players time some way. Examples:
  • Type A: Player dies and loses everything (no saves). The player starts over with no real advantage except knowledge gained. Only the best will finish your game. Traditional Rouges
  • Type B: Player dies and loses nothing (maybe some currency or a little XP) and is returned to a previous save or checkpoint. Anyone can finish the game. Most current RPGs
  • Type C: Player dies and loses player progress. Somethings are saved; game or level progress general upgrades or maybe gold. Allows the best and/or the most persistent to finish your game. A blend between new and old
I prefer type C games. If designed correctly you can reward the hard-core players that finish the game the fastest with achievements or some sort of scoreboard. At the same time, you allow most people the chance to finish your game (it just might take them longer) regardless of skill level.

Most rogues-likes aren't known for their story (because so few finish the game to know the complete story), but with type C games I feel like the story can take more of a prominent role.

Picture
Our Game
Anyway... 'The Superfluous' is a type C Rogue-like; or what I like to call a rogue-lite. You start the game with a small crew and go on cave dives. If a crew member dies while on a dive that crew members level goes back to zero. This makes it possible to successfully complete a dive and return with the loot, but still suffer the loss of the crew's death. 

Levels reward crew with a random powerful perk (+max health, faster firing, faster reload, explosion proof, spike proof, etc). If all your crew dies on a dive you lose all the crews levels and perks as well as any loot you collected during that dive. You keep all the previous upgrades, the crew members you unlocked, and the 'check points' unlocked from previous dives. 

So at the end of each level you make the critical choice: do I go back home or do I try my luck on one last level?


Thanks again!  Like our Facebook, follow our Twitter and subscribe to our YouTube Channel to get updates.
0 Comments

It's All About the Story

5/25/2016

1 Comment

 
All games should have a story.  Story is everything.  Story can motivate and inspire or just be something fun and entertaining. In this game I am shooting for the later.  I know, I know, Indie games should make us feel something to be 'successful' (or so it seems to me nowadays); and I enjoy games with really in-depth emotional stories... but sometimes I just want to laugh and blow stuff up.

This is a VERY rough draft of the story and might change completely:
The year is 2121. Scientists have discovered an asteroid (BAR-101), half the size of the moon, on a collision course with Earth.  Normally this would cause great distress for the people of Earth, but because this asteroid will not make impact for another 1,000 years, most deem it as not important.  Although there remain a few people that are concerned(a fringe political group formally called Republicans).  To appease this minority group, the government of Earth spent billions of dollars to send a space shuttle to BAR-101. The shuttle crew’s mission is to place a Zero-Point-Energy bomb at the center of the asteroid and destroy it before it reaches Earth.  

The shuttle, your shuttle, is named “The Superfluous”.  This ship is equipped with state of the art cloning technology, in case you or your crew is met with an unfortunate end before the mission is complete.  New crew DNA profiles are available for purchase in exchange for any valuable metal (gold) found on BAR-101.* 

Your ship also has a research lab to upgrade your equipment using any minerals available. Though please note the upgrades are super expensive and don’t really make your gear that much more effective.

Your crew will be equipped with our most advanced environmental suits and super sweet jet packs to help them navigate through BAR-101’s many caves, chasms, crevices, crooks, and caverns.

You have approximately 999 years to complete your mission, so no procrastination. Remember the fate of the world might rest with you and your crew.  Though popular consensus says we will either kill ourselves through nuclear war, a super virus, or by proving to aliens we are useless/dangerous to the rest of the galaxy.**

* While you were in cryo-sleep the funding for this mission was cut in lieu of nicer toilet seats.  
**Consensus made through a social media poll.
Let me know what you think, what I should add, what I should take out, and if the 'Oxford comma' should be used.

Bonus below: Free LASERS!
1 Comment

Game Play Video - Alpha

5/24/2016

0 Comments

 
First attempt at recording with OBS.  This file has no audio (ok well it is recording my mic so you might here a sniffle or two).  This is the first level with just a few of the enemies in game.  Lower levels are a lot more intense.
0 Comments

A little Game Play Teaser

5/21/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
A little look at the game play.  This guy has the assault rifle and a grenade as a weapon.

I am also learning this video to .gif thing so bear with me.

Also is it pronounced:
  • gif (as in gift) ?
  • jif (as in jiffy)?

Below is Doc one of our medics.  He is armed with a pistol and a med-kit.
Picture
0 Comments

Here comes the Boom

5/20/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Squad mate in Exo-suit and jet pack
Welcome to our new game "The Superfluous" [soo-pur-floo-uh s].

I am super excited about this game and hopefully you will enjoy it when I finally get to share it with the world.  Stay tuned for some development videos and screen shots.

About The Game:
  • Sci-Fi - I love reading all types of science fiction {Asimov, Niven, Heinlein, Card, Howey, Clark, Wells, etc.} and have always tried to find away to include that genre in my games.
  • Rogue-like - This game is more like a rogue-lite.  There is perma-death if your squad members die: but gear-levels and game progress are persistent.  
  • Progress - Your squad mates gain levels through progressing through the cave, killing enemies, unlocking lore, missions, etc.  Each level will unlock Perks giving your squad mate special abilities or passive bonuses.  These perks are lost when squad dies.
  • Cave Diving - Without divulging too much of the story, this game takes place on a giant asteroid.  Inside this asteroid are many dangers and rewards for your men/women to find.
  • ​Story - Humor is the keyword here.  More on this later
  • Platformer - Side scrolling, cave diving, rocket jumping.

That's it for now.  Like our Facebook, follow our Twitter and subscribe to our YouTube Channel to get updates.
0 Comments

    Author

    Adam Truncale; Lead Developer of Voided Pixels Game Studio and The Superfluous

    Archives

    June 2017
    May 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016

    Categories

    All
    Superfluous

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Media
  • Press Kit
  • Demo