Roadmap Update
1 Year Today marks a year since the release of Ultra Cop. I want to thank you guys for giving my jank ass small game a chance, and hope it has been a fun experience. From one player to another, I sincerely thank you all for playing! Very grateful for the whole thing, especially w
1 Year
Today marks a year since the release of Ultra Cop.
I want to thank you guys for giving my jank ass small game a chance, and hope it has been a fun experience.
From one player to another, I sincerely thank you all for playing!
Very grateful for the whole thing, especially with how obscure my stuff is.
You guys are the real ones ːsteamthumbsupː
That being said, what follows is probably not going to sit well with everyone.
This is a long, messy update, but I really believe it needs to be done.
Hopefully you guys understand where I'm coming from.
You already know what you're in for if you've been here a while.
Amateur hour to the very end!
Roadmap TLDR
Less than a year ago I outlined what I thought the roadmap could look like:
Ultra Cop received quite a few notable updates, namely new weapons, enemies and vehicles, as well as quality of life updates. New content would be added later
Saturn's Gaze would be worked on at the same time
An idea for a Car Combat game
CARNAL Remake
That was the original idea, but things have changed a bit.
Here's the new order:
Finish Saturn's Gaze and release it first
Use that money(hopefully there is lol) to redo Ultra Cop's art, menus. improve experience and add new content like buddy NPC's, civilains, cutscenes and hire real voice actors.
Throw the Car Combat idea in the far future bin
CARNAL Remake
I'll try to explain myself below lol
Ultra Cop Updates
There has been a shift in focus with all of my projects.
Nothing is cancelled or scrapped, but I am changing the order a bit to better serve you dudes, at least to the best of my abilities/imagination.
The updates to the game are still real and being worked on, that will not change.
Some of you know of my hope of remaking CARNAL, improving everything basically.
That's what I'm going to do with Ultra Cop first.
I want to redo most of the game's art and menus and relaunch it as a big update, along with the maps and other content we talked about.
I also want to add real voice acting, cutscenes, civilians, and important buddy NPC's.
Problem is I can't afford to do everything I want to have for Ultra Cop, at least not yet.
Instead of going the crowdfunding route, I'd prefer to offer a cool game in return for funding.
I'm pouring what I can into Saturn's Gaze, sell that as the source for funding, and if that all works out, use those profits for Ultra Cop's update.
You Might Be Asking, Why?
Without trying to sound dramatic, I've gone through some stuff this year.
AGAIN.
Some brushes with mortality and what not, and recently back on medication I've left behind in 2018.
These last couple years have been trying times, never a dull moment honestly.
In a previous update I shared some the prototypes I worked on, trying to figure out what could be fun game ideas.
Throughout this process I've learned new things and skills, and I want to use them to improve my games for the long haul.
Basically I've rediscovered having SHAME and PRIDE.
I want to be somewhat proud of the things I make, and with everything that's happened, I want to ensure my games on Steam are of a higher quality.
A legacy of sorts.
I want to be able to look at what I've worked on and know that it was the best I could do.
I don't care about money, being known or any of that lame shit.
Even if no one buys any of my games ever again, I'm still gonna improve them to a better standard.
I might not have the resources of real game developers but that doesn't mean I shouldn't try right?
New Art Direction
Since working on the new version of Saturn's Gaze, I've established an art style for myself, one that I've always kinda had, but have leaned into for the first time.
I want to extend this art style to my other projects.
This is an example of how I've always done art, it was a drawing excercise I did in 2018:
This should look very familiar to you guys.
Ultra Cop's art was made with this method.
This style is often referred to as photobashing, it's the same practice used by Concept Artists.
You start with photo's or stock images, and then you manipulate and change the image either by drawing over it, or adding elements from other images and stitching/blending them together.
In all of my previous games (released or prototypes), I've used this style to get my games done in a somewhat timely manner, and I thought it looked alright, always been a huge fan of the medium.
But I now believe it's time to grow in a new direction.
Hand drawn style is my future.
I want to move away from the dependency on photos/stock images and rely more on drawing to have a unique art style. The problem with the current style is that it's messy, slap dash and low fidelity.
Pretty generic to be honest as well.
I am going to use the skills I've learned to improve Ultra Cop' presentation and enchance any textures that I feel look like ass.
I'm going to redo characters, weapons, props, vehicles and structures.
I'll keep it 6th gen in graphical fidelity, but it will be cleaner and more recognizable.
Here's some examples of characters I made to figure out an art style that felt natural to me that I could easily replicate going forward:
Saturn's Gaze Concept
I'm gonna hold off on going too deep into what the game is (don't want to bore you guys), but know it's very much in the same spirit as CARNAL.
In fact, this game is set in the same universe, four years before the events of CARNAL.
It's irreverent, dark, gross and hopefully hilarious.
It takes place during October, 1992.
The Player is Rocky, a 12 year old kid competing in Saturn's Festival.
If he survives and beats the Sets (levels), he gets to save the souls of Saturn's victims.
You will choose which Sets to take on, and every path will change the Sets you can choose to beat next.
It won't be a huge game, but it will have replayability.
You collect tokens and ticket stubs to buy weapons and powerups between Sets.
Whatever you pick up you keep, so your token and ticket wallet is persistent.
The visual style is also 6th gen, but like 2005-ish.
Imagine late Xbox or early Xbox 360 launch title look.
Model complexity of the PS2 with the shader capability from an Xbox 360.
Inspirations:
Duke Nukem 3D
Blood
F.E.A.R.
Redneck Rampage
Zombies Ate My Neighbors (as usual)
Here's some screenshots from one of the first Set Levels:
Here is a short video to show the vibe of what I've currently got.
Obviously still very much work in progress:
Conclusion
Thanks again giving my shitty games a chance, and for reading this far if you did.
I have enough self-awareness to know how scatterbrained this all seems, and I apologize for my unprofessionalism.
To be fair, I'm not a real developer anyways, I'm just some guy.
A fuckhead retard if you will :D
There will be some radio silence for a while, probably right up until the two weeks before releasing Saturn's Gaze.
God willing, of course.
Have a good one brothers.
Much love
-JG
