April Update - New stuff never looked this good!

Posted by urinal-cake 26/04/2008 at 20:15 29 Comments

We're back again, after our "viral" update, which gave insight into the beginning of Injection through the eyes of a punk mercenary, to crack open Injection just a little bit further! Injection is the second of two maps that will be along for the ride in the next version and features some of the most dynamic game play elements ever done in a Dystopia map. We first gave you insight into the fast growing development of Injection back in July, although much has changed since. So let us begin.

First, we'll take a look at the outside of the Quetzuku urban arcology into which the Punk Mercenaries must gain access. On the outside, the world is cut off due to the paranoid nature of Quetzuku. Fear of being attacked has led them to clearcut the surrounding neighborhoods. The arcology represents a bastion to all those wanting to taste an organized and civil life. But is it really that?

Inside the outer shell of the arcology lies a gate system which is the last line of defense against anything but the most serious incursions. After breaking through the outer defenses of the arcology, the maintenance decks provide access to the primary power systems.

The power control station is the next target of the Punks' malice. This device controls the amount of power that the generator feeds to the rest of the arcology, as well as its flow dynamics. Changing one simple variable could put a kink in the entire power system. Changing it to benefit your needs however...

At last, the core of Injection. At the base of the arcology, fueling its heavy power needs, is a specially engineered Electron-Injected Phase Burst Generator. This somewhat archaic but mammoth machine is the heart of the towering house of Quetzuku. Disable this, and you've given Goliath a major heart attack.

Not normal to our monthly updates, we'll be giving you a quick look at cyberspace for Injection. The firewall for the urban dwelling is visually partitioned from the rest of the system. The power control station is also visual in its raw system form, allowing the decker to interact with every aspect.

I'm happy to announce that there have been many progressive changes inside of the team in the last month. Take the time to congratulate Hyphen-ated on being our first Lead Programmer since the game's original coder. Mandibull, previously a tryout, has worked very diligently in the last month to provide the solution to many of our buggy issues, and has been brought aboard the team as a permanent addition! The ever talented Spire, whose work will be featured in the next update, has truly amazed the entire team beyond words. In a matter of weeks, he has produced models far surpassing visual standards that the team has set internally, and we are proud to have him on board as our newest artist! In addition, Venciera, the level designer for the popular third party map Cybernetic, has been brought on as a tryout, and is showing rewarding progress!

We would like to welcome all of the new help, and encourage that everyone take a look at our help wanted parts. We're especially in need of talented animators and sound engineers!

April Pre-Update - The Transcript

Posted by urinal-cake 14/04/2008 at 11:22 41 Comments

SEC-ORP SHARED AUDIO TRANSCRIPT.
QUETZUKU AFFILIATION. CLASSIFIED.

'Ey boss

Me apologies for the tardiness. I got held up at a sale at BigMax. I got me 'least twenty packs 'o Algae an twenty packs 'o Chocolate Pizza flavored NutriNoodles. If you want boss, you can take it off me bill.
Too business. I stuck around the target for bout say three hours? Just as you said boss, dey started showin' faces bout 18:50. Dey brought high levels 'o security, and seems like dey be protectin' it real good after that bomb threat you put in.
Here be the pictures of the [guard shack] for the arcology and dey got wit' em some new 'slicks,' a rapid response Trojan APC.

Entrance to the guard shack be really easy, defenses not so much. In there, dey gots a direct connection established with the arco's cyber security fire'all. Dey be able to control access to the arcology from it

Quetzuku's be havin some high security round this shack. But we be takin' it soon.

Dey be placin' snipes all over for any one who tries to slip by. Luckily, [-inaudible-] far.

Dis' be the best access at the moment for the arco. It's 'uge ain't it?

I couldn't be gettin' closer to the arco, but you can see how we gotta get inside. The shack be the easy part. After that, not so much.

Now all yah we's got to do is set off that fire'all security, and dey be runnin' inside after der precious generator. We corner 'em, and we got ourself one prette' littl' bow.

Boss, I see you when we gets the boys togetha.'
Oh boss, don' be givin away the frequency on these 'noculars. GLO be on me like nu-kids to Hazmat.

END TRANSCRIPT.


Stay tuned this week, when we crack open Injection!
Also, be sure to check out our need for more developers!

Above images have not been modified to change any in-game features. The effects given to the pictures do not represent actual game footage. Corps are not orange, and I don't know what a MIL is.

March Update - Dustoff!

Posted by urinal-cake 24/03/2008 at 15:11 133 Comments

We're back again, quickly, with an update for you. Busy things have been going on inside the Dystopia headquarters. I, myself, have been very busy with things to do so extra content such as podcasts and interviews have had to fall short. We originally intended to release shots of both our new maps, Exodus and Injection, however, that has de-railed when one of our level designers surprised us with some new things in an old favorite, Undermine.

First, we'll be taking a look at an area which makes the assault on the first objective a bit easier, the alternate path. The entrance, outside of the mine shaft, gives the Punks the easy opportunity to come in from different angles.



The newest addition to Undermine is the ability to use the deep chasms to your advantage. This particular area serves as an escape hatch for excess dust in the cavern, although, the Punks don't know that. When the infiltration has begun, the Corporate defenders cycle harmful gasses and open up the hatch. Down goes the scum!



Several areas have either been removed or redecorated. All the mines extraction units have been made larger to suit well placed combat, and areas around these have been remade. The oldest extraction unit, "EU2", serves as a dark area to ambush your enemies and take hold once more of this vital objective! Heavy combat areas have also been given a face lift to accommodate the mines general atmosphere, to convey that only the deepest, darkest souls reside in this abandoned mine. Tread lightly.



Combining all of these vital game play aspects together, the third EU is the level's most dangerous spot. The ability to battle over a large chasm, in the abandoned world where extraction units are king, and have a stealthy advantage over your opponent are apparent with the new look. May you only pray that you not become the soul, in which to fight on this hectic battleground.



In the spirit of things, mainly being forgetful, I have also taken the liberty to show off areas of all levels! I don't discriminate, but mainly because it was forgotten in the previous update! Accept this as our sincere apology; the new look of a bland spawning area from Silo now gains our attention right away!



We would also like to take the time to welcome three new tryout developers, and one permanent developer. Xiztence, a modeler, animator and texture artist, Spire a modeler, texture artist, and level designer, Mandibull a game programmer and Complications, one of our returning sound engineers! We would also like to welcome former tryout developer Hyphen-ated to the permanent spot of Team Dystopia as one of our great coders! The team is already busy at work, and we hope that we can have great things to show off for you in the next update!