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Devlog Weekly News - TR Run Progress and Art, KAG Modding

Discussion in 'Announcements' started by Geti, Sep 15, 2015.

  1. Geti

    Geti Please avoid PMing me (poke a mod instead) THD Team Administrator Global Moderator

    Messages:
    3,730
    Original: http://www.thd.vg/post/129121579945/weekly-news-tr-run-progress-and-art-kag-modding

    Hey guys, sorry for the delay on the update. Last week was a trying time, but we’ve gotten back on track. So, lets get to it.

    Trench Run News:

    TR development has been going along strong. The Run mode testing has shown that playing in a team on bigger maps gives the game a totally fresh feel. Run allows for much more depth than the free-for-all skirmish mode, but requires a bigger commitment.

    Some issues that we’re addressing include:
    • runs being hard to deny
    • missing feedback for when a run is being threatened
    • some connection-transfer issues between game servers.
    Of the issues from last week:
    • Engineer air-striking is harder but still possible ; you just cant sit right at spawn and rain hell on the map.
    • The medic is more useful even in the hands of an idiot. You can pick up a wounded medic as a living teammate - which then allows the medic to heal the rest of the wounded.
    However, the big news is not related to gameplay…

    When we first started making Trench Run, it was meant to be a fast, quite small, 2-6 month project. More experimental graphics that we could produce quickly were settled on at the start of the project. However, as the project exits its first year we are at a point where the game should probably at least pay for itself. As such, we’ve decided to rework the graphics to be more appealing to a wider audience. They’ll still be lo-fi, but less abstract, and with room for team colours to help readability. Our graphical aim is “a game made from 2015 styled like the 90s, not a game from the 90s released in 2015”.

    [​IMG]
    Current pass over The Forest biome (new on the left, old on the right, full size x2 pixels here). We hope the extra time shows, because getting all this in game is going to take some doing!

    This is quite a frustrating decision for us to make. It pushes game code work from me on to Michal, and it will take a few weeks of full time graphics work at least for me to get a full game’s worth of art reworked. However, its a decision needed the good of the game’s financial success. The game being more accessible should mean you guys have a bigger crowd of people to play with instead of another small clique of die-hard fans.

    We’ll be doing more experimentation and polishing of the current mockup graphics this week, but I think we’re set on this direction now. We’ll keep you updated as the game and its art style develops, and we trust you’ll bide your time alongside us as we work towards a better Trench Run!

    KAG News:

    Verra has got to work on investigating various modding “annoyances” and smoothing them out:
    • Error messages in the console now refer to the right line even for included files, and dont miss errors when the error occurs at the end of the file.
    • The “infinite mod redownloading” bug.
    Progress is looking good and we’re happy to have him aboard!

    Until next time,
    Max

    Forum Addendum: We're looking for feedback from you guys on the art. Those who didn't like it before, do you like the new direction? Those that liked the old art, is the new art still appealing? Try not to focus too much on details like "the placeholder green guy jumping looks a bit crap" but more on the overall feel. Do you like the less abstract, brighter look?

    (Also, the default font is pretty crap and doesn't seem to want to go bold. What gives?)
     
    Last edited: Sep 15, 2015
  2. Klokinator

    Klokinator Such Beta
    1. Aphelion's Roleplay

    Messages:
    1,443
    I remember playing the original version of Trench Run and thinking "This is pretty clunky, I miss KAG". The new graphics and the gameplay are way better now, you guys are really becoming fast working high-end developers.
     
  3. Good job. The brighter colours bring the game to a new light!
     
  4. Geti

    Geti Please avoid PMing me (poke a mod instead) THD Team Administrator Global Moderator

    Messages:
    3,730
    OK the edits should have calmed down now, this posted a little before it was ready. Looking forward to your feedback.
     
  5. TheDirtySwine

    TheDirtySwine Haxor Staff Alumni Donator

    Messages:
    818
    Didn't really think that the old graphics were bad, but the new graphics definitely give it a greater appeal. I'd honestly like to get my hands on another single or multiplayer demo. From the looks and sounds of things I think this game has the potential to reach a much wider audience. I'm glad to know you guys are working on skins and other custom items. I'm really looking forward to playing it soon.
     
    Noburu and SirDangalang like this.
  6. Darknighte9

    Darknighte9 Bison Rider Staff Alumni
    1. KAG Competitive League

    Messages:
    89
    Well after seeing the new graphics I am actually heavily considering getting the game now. The main reason I was planning on not getting it initially was because of state of the old graphics and how they just didn't seem as vibrant. After seeing the work that's been done to make the overall look less abstract, my opinions have greatly changed. ::):
     
    Sytoplasma and Sky_Captain_Bjorn like this.
  7. Powse

    Powse Haxor

    Messages:
    37
    Are there going to be fixed sprites, or are you going to apply some kind of post processing for colors to make it like, for e.g. in Dwarf Fortress, where you can apply color schemes?
     
    Noburu and SirDangalang like this.
  8. heX_

    heX_ Bison Rider

    Messages:
    193
    New graphics look much much better, they're not only more appealing but also much easier on the eyes. Will definitely give the game a broader appeal, good work!
     
    Darknighte9 and Noburu like this.
  9. EhRa

    EhRa Ooooooof Staff Alumni Donator
    1. KRPG

    Messages:
    810
    I love the new art. I really want another demo sooooon.
     
  10. FuzzyBlueBaron

    FuzzyBlueBaron Warm, Caring, Benign, Good and Kind Philanthrope Global Moderator Forum Moderator Donator Tester
    1. The Young Blood Collective - [YB]

    Messages:
    2,508
    I've always liked how the strong flavour of the 90s retro art complemented the (actually rather modern) stream-lined play; it felt like a fully realised nostalgia package where everything looked the same, but the gameplay matched my memory ("things weren't that fiddly/clunky, where they?") rather than the reality ("Yes. Yes, they bloody were").

    All that said, I have to echo others here that the new graphics definitely makes it more a game I could introduce to a wider range of friends/family and be assured of a positive response. Things feel 'lighter' and more approachable. A good move. ::)::thumbs_up:

    ...

    That said, here's hoping for a oldschool texture pack for when I want to get my full nostalgia bent going. ::P:
     
    Geti, Noburu and trainchaser like this.
  11. Mazey

    Mazey Haxor Global Moderator Forum Moderator Staff Alumni Donator Official Server Admin

    Messages:
    1,914
    They're using color schemes/shaders.


    Like the new art, but tbh both of them have their good points, but I guess the new art is visually more appealing to the average user. Would be cool if you make it possible to switch to "Retro mode", which shows you the old art, just like KAG retro/8bit mode was planned at some point
     
    franek123 and EhRa like this.
  12. EhRa

    EhRa Ooooooof Staff Alumni Donator
    1. KRPG

    Messages:
    810
    Whenever I look at the new art, It reminds me of a pixelated star wars for some reason.....
     
  13. Fellere825

    Fellere825 KAG Guard Tester

    Messages:
    890
    I am probably an outlier but I liked the old palette better. The colors were brighter and more cheerful. The current palette used in the mockup makes everything seem like it has been filtered out.

    Just my opinion though, so don't worry about it too much. I can't articulate it into complete words but something is lost with the newer art. Right now I'm sticking with the idea that the color palette is too bland in comparison with the colorful gypsy music you described the game music to be. Or The difficult times translated into Geti's art... Or it could just be because it is right next to an old screen with the brighter colors. I'll probably fiddle around with the colors later today and see if it's what I feel is off.
     
    DatNobby, 8x and franek123 like this.
  14. heX_

    heX_ Bison Rider

    Messages:
    193
    You know the graphics on the left are the new graphics, right?
     
  15. Fellere825

    Fellere825 KAG Guard Tester

    Messages:
    890
    Yup. Thus my statement of me being an outlier when I expressed my non standard opinion. I don't know why you felt the need to clarify. It was explicitly stated multiple times that the one on the left was the new one.

    Edit: Unless my statement of brighter colors was taken as an overall descriptor of the piece instead of the palette which I thought I was explaining? Then I can see where the confusion might originate.
     
  16. Bint

    Bint Haxor

    Messages:
    536
    But each map has it's own palette, I'm not that big of a fan of the mockup's palette either. I assume once it's released each server will have it's own custom palettes for it's different maps tho.
     
  17. Noburu

    Noburu Dirty, DRUNK, Hillbilly Forum Moderator Donator Tester

    Messages:
    1,809
    I like the new colors much better personally.
     
  18. MadRaccoon

    MadRaccoon Haxor

    Messages:
    268
    They're two difrent styles, I like both alot, so I feel sad for te old one to get removed...since its a type of style where theres such a low number of colors and yet with the most detailed and nice looking job possible, wich was something really well achieved by Geti.
     
    Last edited: Sep 15, 2015
    8x, franek123 and FuzzyBlueBaron like this.
  19. Sturm

    Sturm Base Burner

    Messages:
    13
    I paid 1400 RUB for the right side of this screenshot ::(:
     
    8x likes this.
  20. Yagger

    Yagger Kouji's bitch 5eva Staff Alumni Tester
    1. SharSharShar - [SHARK]

    Messages:
    646
    funnier way to fix would be using the new color palette as a day-based map, and the old one for night-based maps.