In-Game Screenshots

New in-game screenshots from "Deep Blue" have been added to the web album. This is the first look at the user interface...most of it at least.

Video Update

So, here's what I've got at the present time. It's coming along but there's still quite a bit of work to be done on it. I did comment out the Co-Op mode and a few other things that still weren't solid yet. The question being thrown around here is...whether or not to submit it to the XNA contest.

Do I think it has any shot at placing? No. Not in a million years. But here we are. It's our 15 year anniversary tonight and we're preping to head out for dinner and possibly Six Flags. Danielle commented that if I submitted it that it would feel that I was doing something halfway, which is something I never do. And I have to agree with her.

And I guess that pretty much sums it up right there. I'll post my would be contest entry video and screenshots here but I think I'd feel better overall not sending them in. It's just not...me.

So...enjoy all and the development will continue. Having too much fun.

Successful Music test...sort of

The good news is that I finally got the two programs to talk to each other in order to combine the looped and MIDI music. The bad news is it took way to long for what was supposed to be a short cut for the score.

Sooooo, I may end up using the technique for the final music, but for this first cut it will be all looped. :(

Musical Score

At the moment, trying to throw together a quick musical score for the game. For now it will serve more as a placeholder and reference for tempo and feel more than anything else. The full score to come later.

I am trying something a little different even with the short timeline. I'm experimenting with going half loops and half original music to see if I can combine the two and see if that won't give a less mechanical...loopy feel to the score.

A Few Days Focus on Deep Blue

I'm taking a few days off my normal job. The main reason is it's our 15 year anniversary, but as an added bonus it also gives me a little time to focus on "Deep Blue". The XNA contest is wrapping up this Thursday (ironically the very same day as our anniversary) and I'd like to submit it to the contest...not so much that I think it has any chance of placing, but more because I'd like the 4 month subscription for entering. :)

Besides, if it wasn't for the contest in the first place I never would have gotten this far in the development. So I've spent today working on pickups and screen flow and taking out a few things (such as co-op) for the contest entry.

"Deep Blue" won't be..."done" by Thursday, but at least I'd like to have it in a stable and playable state.

Things taken out that I would still love to include in the final version.
- Signing in the the players to XBox Live.
- An achievement/ranking system, with a save state.
- a "Level" system with multiple levels including bad guys and environments
- and local co-op (saving XBox Live co-op for another project)
- oh...and a better timing system for entering and exiting a game.

So with all that it still may be a little while until "Deep Blue" is ready to hit the marketplace but if I can get all those in then I feel it will be a very "complete" game.

Enemy Mine...

...no, not the Dennis Quaid movie, these are simply proximity/radius enemies in Deep Blue. Whether or not they have movement yet is still to be tested.

Enemy Ship 2

Fresh on the heels of the armored enemy ZBrush design is this second enemy ship. This ship, which is still unnamed, is much smaller and faster than the bulky armored ship. It's oversized claws are inspired by the real-world "Pistol Crab" which can essentially create a sonic burst with it's claws so powerful it actually creates LIGHT and stuns it's prey (soon to be dinner) from a distance. Seriously, I'm not making this up, search for it online.

Anyhow, just like the Pistol Crab, the claws here are an excuse to have a ranged weapon. Yes, the first of our bad guys that actually fires back at you.