Insomnia Revival - The Zombies Are Coming

[Tyhm]

(I know It's bad form to have two threads going for the same thing at once, but the old one's still called Area Z for Bruges' sake...)

The Zombie Server Lives - Again!

Ahem. So I got the zombies up and running, got the map built, got shotguns that can kill the zombies...hell, go on and check it out yourself. It's coming back from an abandoned project. Most importantly, I pulled Terazel Tenjin (The Original Game Coordinator, or at least the one who harassed me into making them an official staff whatsit back when Classic mattered) (halfway) out of retirement to write the plot for this server. It's gonna be awesome; 3 outposts around an abandoned city rich with yet-untapped resources, endless waves of zombies crawling out of the woodwork, we're gonna have Granfaloon style boss-zombies raiding the outposts, we got the framework for a gun customization system (and another system that means that even though YOU'RE gonna die, your gun gets passed down to your next character) - and in true Survival Horror Tradition, it's all about who makes it the longest as supplies dwindle and the zombies keep on coming, culminating in a desperate last stand. (Then the winners get a Very special, Very secret prize, and the other two outposts start over with all the supply depots re-opened).

And naturally, we need all the help we can get...anyone who remembers The First Graalympics knows that I'm fully capable of making an entire server by myself, but it's better when there are people who know what they're doing in charge of graphics, ganis, levels and NPCs...

Oh yeah, here's the map. Shhh, it's totally original, you're just imagining that it looks familar. ;-D

[zibou]

Great
Tyhm already made a good part, but it'll be easier if he gets some help.
If someone wants to help, you'r welcome

[maximus_asinus]

can I fish in Nafet's River?

Did you sort out that issue you were having with the tiles on 3D terrain?

[Tyhm]

Hah, yeah, by going back to 2d terrain. And SHHH, IT'S A SECRET.

Though I did make it clear that the source in question had a terrible apocalypse some hundreds of years before the game started; this is that apocalypse, and this is why there were no guns in that unnamed game. They all get used fighting zombies. ;-D

[Bell]

I like it, if all else fails, change the storyline to hide the epic fails

[maximus_asinus]

Very interesting Tyhm, I almost want to drop my Classic project to work on this.

Are you going to have different types of zombies? I seen the swarming zombies (which is quite enjoyable), but that could get boring quite fast. I'd like to see the typical swarm zombies, who'll occasionally be accompanied by a few speedy types to make mob encounters more interesting, and maybe a way to make additional random mob appearances during mob encounters so it isn't just a matter of seeing a single mob and staying away from them. Maybe these random mob entrances would come from doors, that would make indoor battles very interesting.

Also you're basing mob levels on number of zombies in the mob itself. Why not make it possible for mobs to combine and become a new, high leveled mob. Lets say 20 zombies are swarm mobs, 30 turns into a mob with a few fast guys mixed into it, 40 is composed of more fast guys and a larger swarm group, and when 50 combine a tough baddy is formed (lets say you allow zombies to use the chainsaws and that is the tough guy) along with 20 or so swarmers.

[Tyhm]

The zombies have a group-combine algorythm just to keep the overhead down; one NPC can be up to 80 zombies, and while the theoretical limit is much higher when you go more than about 80 it just looks silly. There are already a few different types, I just can never remember what numbers I assigned them - but there are fast ones as well as the swarmers, and there will be Boss Zombies that have unique powers and are harder to kill but spawn much slower; Granfaloon (nickname) is a giant zombie made up of lots of regular zombies, can absorb other zombies to heal itself, and can throw its component zombies for an instant grapple, allowing it to cross impassable terrain; there will also be an infilitrator mage and a nearly unkillable engineer. Exploring the ruins of the city is a fair way to gather supplies, but unlike Classic it's not the focus; every moment you're exploring is another moment outside the safety of the walls, and when you die, you're dead. Granted, you immediately spawn a Next of Kin and inherit your predecessor's weapons, and your Next of Kin probably looks just like you and has the same name, but still - your former self has become a zombie!

[MysticX2X]

Nice Idea, but I hope this server isn't a grind grind grind type.

Looking foward to the progress.

[Deas_Voice]

Originally Posted by MysticX2X

Nice Idea, but I hope this server isn't a grind grind grind type.

Looking foward to the progress.

instead of looking, why not help?

[zibou]

Originally Posted by Deas_Voice

instead of looking, why not help?

Agreed

[MysticX2X]

Originally Posted by Deas_Voice

instead of looking, why not help?

Good point:P. But I'm not willing to pay 50 dollars a year to help any server.

[Luda]

Looks hot

[Tyhm]

Yeah, no grinding. Unless you count "go on another raid" to be Grinding. ;-D

[Tyhm]

*quietly disables the "reset everyone just in case they still have stuff from Reptilia" code* Well, you don't Need to be gold to log on, and you don't Need gold to make graphics...;

[zibou]

We would need some new zombie head, if someone wants to make some

[Tyhm]

Now with 100% More Chainsaw!

[MiniOne]

Lol sounds like fun
What staff position do you need?

[Tyhm]

Graphics, NAT, ganis, sounds, everything. We got a couple of LATs and some NAT lightweights, but nobody strong enough in scripting to head up the department. (Or if they are, they haven't told me...)

[DutchGuy]

If you could supply interested people with more screenshots or something... that would be nice. A good story and a mini map don't do it for me.

[Tyhm]

Kay. :-D

Almost got pvp up. Still running down a bunch of really weird bugs - the standard Early Kingdoms Invincible Bunny kinda bugs, stuff that doesn't show up on findareanpcs for one NPC but will show up on another, or stuff that can hit you but you can't detect it...

[Darugo]

Tried the server today and I really liked how I killed zombies and I loved stabbing Tyvm :]
Hope to play again when more devving comes along

I would help myself but im a sack of **** when it comes to latting/gatting/graphics/sounds etc

[maximus_asinus]

Originally Posted by Tyhm

Kay. :-D

Almost got pvp up. Still running down a bunch of really weird bugs - the standard Early Kingdoms Invincible Bunny kinda bugs, stuff that doesn't show up on findareanpcs for one NPC but will show up on another, or stuff that can hit you but you can't detect it...

Blood almost looks like fireworks. Is it possible to have a cutdown on blood spray, and add a few chunks of brain matter?

[Tyhm]

Oh yes, definitely. It's just an animated gif (the best one I could whip up in under 5 minutes while working on the NPC and the gani, :-P); so it's easy to replace.

[papajchris]

cool idea and server! Just some things that i think could be fixed, but im sure you already know about them:

1. Don't have the baddies stack up, not sure if its possible, but it would be nice to have them surround you. When they only come from 1 direction, i just sat back with a chainsaw and cut them all cut ez.

2. Its difficult to move with using arrow keys and mouse. Maybe switch it to the W,A,S,D keys?

3. The zombies get stuck on cliffs. So i just ran around a cliff until they got stuck and then lamed them

Wow i had a few more but im drawing a blank, ill add them as i think of them

[Darugo]

Yeah I agree with them needing to be grouping out a bit more and the fact chainsaw needs to be nerfed or given very little ammo.
But about the WSAD keys you can map those yourself.

[Tyhm]

Thanks for the feedback!

The baddies stacking up is part of what makes the game work; 8000 zombies in 100 NPCs is a lot less processor-heavy than 8000 NPCs. I might create more spawnzones on the demo though - each mob moves at a slightly different speed, and each color-coded mob is incompatible with the others, so it's quite probable that they will wind up in a multi-type mob, then seperate out into waves as the player flees (a viable strategy) - but if the player flees into Another mob of zombie, instant pincer attack. Add to that how they'll (relatively) soon be able to discriminate targets based on noise, ie going after anyone with a chainsaw from across the map while having trouble locating the ninja with the silenced PPK...

Ultimately we'd like to have it fully customizable, but right now an Options GUI Screen where you get to set up your keys is towards the bottom of the list...if we could hire some more scripters we could put one of them on it, but it being a volunteer setup I'd have to find a scripter that Wants to invest a day into making an Options screen...

As for cliffs, I'm still going back and forth on that one. The Very Best would be to set them up with the A* Pathfinding Algorythm™, but 1) it's a hassle and 2) they're zombies, they're not supposed to be smart. I could set them up with an internal timer so that, after hitting a wall a certain ammount of times, they wander off for a while, then start looking for players fresh...but depending on the timer, that either cuts their effectiveness in half or makes them rush the same wall over and over again. I could map in preset waypoints so that, for instance, when they get stuck the next target they value is a the foot of the stairs, then after that the top of the stairs, but again, Smart Zombies. The bosses can be Smart, but the mobs should be cannonfodder.

Still, I think I'll put some more spawners down. :-D

PS - works, I got flanked. Downside: The chainsaw's supposed to be the Ultimate zombie-killer, so they didn't manage to do too much damage. Debating toning down the chainsaw or upping the zombies' damage, as it stands they'd have to mob you for 50 hits (at about 3 seconds a hit, 2 and a half minutes of getting chewed on!)...

[Pimmeh]

If you're ever short of ideas, gimme a call, I would gladly help out with this the best way I can

[Tyhm]

Ideas we're good on, help is what we need! (And if that help wants to implement their own ideas, well, we're flexible. We better be!)

What can you do Pimmeh? Can you do triggers, scripting, ganis, tiling, graphics, tile-graphics, GUIs, set-pieces? I mean, I think it'd be cool to have a giant zombie made up of a whole writhing mess of smaller zombies, and it throws pieces of itself for massive glomp-damage, but I don't exactly have the graphics or ganis or scripting to pull it off...;

[Lyndzey]

Good luck Tyhm. It all looks great so far!

[Tyhm]

Thanks Lyndzey! It's a bit of a departure from what I'm used to, but I have high hopes. I hear there's another Zombie server under development, so I can't very well say this is a first or anything - I hope to get in contact with their devs at some point and work out what we're doing, what they're doing, etc. so there's no overlap...if they're all about a Resident Evil campaign exploring and escorting through zombie-infested territory, here, have some zombies, ours is a server about fortifying and surviving...if they're doing the same thing I guess we have to be competitors. :-D

Also, I don't suppose anyone's got advice on Scripted Guild Controls? I recall Kingdoms had a really good, well, Kingdom control...

[Pimmeh]

Originally Posted by Tyhm

Thanks Lyndzey! It's a bit of a departure from what I'm used to, but I have high hopes. I hear there's another Zombie server under development, so I can't very well say this is a first or anything - I hope to get in contact with their devs at some point and work out what we're doing, what they're doing, etc. so there's no overlap...if they're all about a Resident Evil campaign exploring and escorting through zombie-infested territory, here, have some zombies, ours is a server about fortifying and surviving...if they're doing the same thing I guess we have to be competitors. :-D

Also, I don't suppose anyone's got advice on Scripted Guild Controls? I recall Kingdoms had a really good, well, Kingdom control...

Sadly you're asking for stuff I cannot do, I do thinking, and not much more.

Anyway, Guild Controls should just be planned into the tiniest detail, and then scripting it should be easy.

[Tyhm]

Codein's back, we're saved! :-D

[Pimmeh]

Originally Posted by Tyhm

Codein's back, we're saved! :-D

You took my coder!!!

[Tyhm]

Haha, sorry! Can't we all just get along? Scripts share easy enough, and as long as you're not making a zombie survival server we ain't necessarily competitors...

Also, could the following staffers contact me? I never got their email/AIM/ICQ/etc's, and need some way to track progress (and what they're working on!):
xXPeoXx
MiniOne
thesmoothcriminal
Enfernal
Imperialistic

Zibou and Codein I already got AIMs for, and thems of you I can find on the forum I shall...As it stands Peo started organizing the Serveroptions into groups and in so doing pointed out that I don't even know everyone's divisions, let alone rank or task, :-P

[Pimmeh]

Originally Posted by Tyhm

Haha, sorry! Can't we all just get along? Scripts share easy enough, and as long as you're not making a zombie survival server we ain't necessarily competitors...

It's okay, you've got my support, man ^_^

[xXPeoXx]

Originally Posted by Tyhm

Also, could the following staffers contact me? I never got their email/AIM/ICQ/etc's, and need some way to track progress (and what they're working on!):
xXPeoXx
MiniOne
thesmoothcriminal
Enfernal
Imperialistic

dont have any thing to contact with.
leave a comment on RC?
like in /opencomments Peo
or something.

Edit: i made a ICQ, where do i find my numbers to it? xD

[Terazel Tenjin]

I know I'm more of the idea man (and Subject Matter Expert on the firearms department for technical advice), but if/when the technical team gets together, I wouldn't mind doing like a roundtable brainstorming with all the Devs/staff on some of this stuff to devise a more workable system for factions/outposts as well as other things relevant to the foundation of the project.

[LOA--Paul]

This looks great. I'll be active here.

[Tyhm]

Haha, mouseover the ICQ green-flower icon by the clock.

[kia345]

Hopped on Insomnia. Levels are ugly, graphics are meh, tileset feels washed up, the GUI and menus add nothing to the zombie server feel (yeah, I know it's heavily UC).


But dear God I loved it so much and wish I was a great developer so I could take part in its creation. It all seems to clash together so great, and I can't knife a horde of zombies without thinking "this will be the best server ever".