News Archive
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Long time, no speak, tasty morsels.
Some months ago we gave you a glimpse of our gameplay in the form of a short trailer video. Since then we have been working non-stop to improve upon those mechanics and basically do everything we can to make combat feel natural (and visceral) for both sharks and divers. We felt it was time to give all of you a more in-depth (ha! get it?) explanation of exactly what goes on when a shark attacks a diver.ie. How does he find the diver? How does he kill the diver? How does the diver defend himself? These questions will all be answered if you read on!
So to begin with :
As a shark you hunt by looking for glowing orange things.
This probably sounds almost insultingly simple, doesn't it ? Well, the ocean is not your typical first person shooter arena. It is a dark and confusing place, stuffed with things that could easily be mistaken for a diver's body. It's no wonder that sharks in the real world sometimes confuse surfers for seals.
To help our shark find his prey we have come to the conclusion that 'color' equals 'scent'. Human prey glows a vibrant orange / red color, Allies glow sort of lemon-lime, and neutral creatures (swarms of fish) have an intense white tint. Everyone still following?
When you see that glowing diver, the first thing you're gonna want to do is pick which part of him to bite. Primary fire will target his upper body (one of his arms) while secondary fire while target his lower body (whichever leg is available). This might seem like a trivial decision, but it does have some tactical significance, which we will get to a little later on when we discuss dismemberment. In general, attacking the legs is good for slowing a diver down, and attacking the arms is good for removing his defensive/offensive capabilities.
Once you have the diver in your jaws, shaking your mouse will 'thrash' him, dealing damage to the limb you decided to grab. Wider 'thrashing' motions result in greater amounts of damage, removing the limb quicker. When a diver has lost enough blood due to limb loss (or suffered too much general trauma) he will die. Divers are fairly resilient though, and can withstand the loss of one or sometimes even two limbs without dying (let's chalk that up to .... the strength of the human spirit! or something :) )
So that's all great, for the shark - But what is the diver doing while all of this meanness goes down? Simple :
He's trying to stab the shark in the eye.
Yep, sharks have one unfortunate weakness and it's their eyes. (well, also their gills - but you're not gonna be able to reach those, sorry : ( ) When you are locked in combat with a shark, you will automatically equip your trusty diving knife and primary fire will plunge it into the shark, (assuming you can line it up with the shark's head while you're being shaken around like crazy) .
It only takes a couple of stabs to force a shark to drop you.
Which might not seem like a big deal, but consider this : A great white shark can remove a limb in around 4 seconds. If you want to escape from the shark with your arms and legs in one piece, you will have to be handy at aiming that knife.
Inevitably, you will lose limbs. And when you do, you start to bleed quite alot. Bleeding is dangerous for two reasons : It drains your health and it gives your position away to sharks. Here are the results of limb loss :
Lose a leg : -25% swimming speed (per leg)
Lose an arm : Cannot hold two handed equipment ( Spear gun, for example)
Even if the limb does not come off altogether, you will notice visible damage on your diver's body after an attack. Each part of the diver can have the flesh peeled away in various stages which demonstrate the relative health of that limb. Below is a demonstration of the 'stages of gore' using our ever helpful seeker class diver as a model. Thanks seeker, your pain is our knowledge!
So that about covers the basics of a shark attack in Depth. We feel that we have worked hard to make the process feel simple and fun for both sides while still allowing for some tactical gameplay.
Can you think of a way we could improve the shark attack process? Let us know in the comment thread!
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Greetings, beloved prey!
We have been lurking around at the bottom of the ocean since August last year, invisible to the human eye... silently plotting, working and waiting for the moment to strike. That time has come. You should probably get out of the water.
In September of last year we were joined by veteran Epic Games programmer Ron Prestenback, who has proven himself a master of coding shark attacks. The shark attack feature was one of the most technically challenging and complex systems any of us have had the opportunity of developing in Unreal Engine. But now it's finished, and we are overjoyed. Recently we promised you a demonstration of this long awaited Shark attack system in action. Well, here it is.
Also on display in our brand new gameplay trailer is the treasure grab / cash system, sneak-gameplay, and "tagging", a crucial team-service offered by the "Watcher" class diver. Next, we'd like to announce the re-launch of our website now with tons of gameplay information and media. I think you will all agree it's a step up from our old site. Why not join our community forums while you're there?
But wait! There's more - Chris Latham of Engine audio, and myself - Alex Quick will be heading down to (hopefully) sunny San Francisco for this year's Game Developers Conference (GDC). If you also plan to attend, please drop either Chris or I a line! It will be a great opportunity to get some insider info on Depth, and booze it up with two celebrities. (Well, I'm serious about the first part!). See you in San Fran!
Love,
The Depth team.
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First, an apology.
It has been close to two months since our last news update! We hope you can forgive the radio silence though, because we have been working like madmen behind the scenes. In the last few months Depth has become a playable game with a strong competitive vibe and a creepy / sneaky atmosphere. Though it will be a while before any kind of release, we felt the least we could do was to put together a teaser video for you which embodies the tension of a typical Depth game. We truly hope you enjoy watching it and that it helps shed some light on what Depth is all about!
The fun does not end there, though. "Just Filth" , Depth's resident mapping guru has been battling hard to create above water scenery as spectacular as what he has created underneath. So far his results are a little *too* good. During play tests none of us want to leave the boat!
In addition to the mapping bonanza, we have been working on more tools for the divers to use against their fearsome foes. If you watched the teaser you probably noticed a certain aquatic firearm. Meet " The penetrator ", Carlos Santiago's weapon of choice. A direct hit on the gills or eyes of the shark is enough to bring down even the mighty white shark! Thank goodness! But one must aim carefully, this spear-gun is anything but a rapid fire weapon.
In the spirit of playing fair, our character artist "Linfosoma" has created a very nasty new set of chompers for each of the different types of shark. These teeth are visible on a shark player's heads up display and provide him with important hit feedback. Additionally, if the player has lined up a bite successfully the jaws will "close" slightly to signal it might be a good time to bite! We have gone to great pains to ensure that these teeth do not get in the way of visibility and only contribute to that sensation of "being a shark". Let us know what you think!
Finally, we are pleased to announce that Depth is now backed by the talent of Engine Audio a collaboration between a pair of veteran audio designers and musicians who have done audio design and implementation for everything from mods to EA titles. In the short time they have been working on Depth our audio has been transformed into a truly impressive aural experience.
And that about wraps up our news update! But for one last thing ...
We are looking to hire a talented unrealscript programmer into our ranks. If you are a programmer who has worked extensively with unreal engine before and are familiar with the UDK codebase, please send me an email! (jesusrocko@hotmail.com). This is a serious paid position and we would appreciate if only dedicated and professional individuals with a significant amount of experience applied. Thanks!
As always, watch where you swim.
Love,
The Depth team.
Don't forget to check us out here too:
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You know, it's been a while so let's start things off with a bang ...
Depth now has a fully functional sea life system! As you can see from the video we've already fleshed out the roster with some strange and wonderful fellows including jellyfish and manta rays.
The purpose of sea life in Depth is two fold. One : They look pretty sweet swimming around and add alot of life to our maps. Two: These creatures will actively participate in Depth's gameplay.
Jellyfish are dangerous to both sharks and divers for example. Swimming in to a pack of them is not advised! Other creatures like small schools of pilotfish make an excellent food source for shark players. Sharks who feed on these sea creatures will gain temporary bonuses to their senses. From a diver's perspective a school of fish is a great opportunity to confuse prowling sharks. Fire a spear into the school and they will scatter and set off a cavalcade of sonic pings that will confuse and bewilder nearby sharks allowing you to slip by unnoticed.
From a developer's perspective, these creatures are incredible flexible. A mapper has only to place a "Squad" info somewhere in his map (represented by the three very happy little fish) and select which type of creature he would like to spawn from the drop down menu in the info's properties. Designers can also tailor the behavior of each squad to suit the situation.
Lobby System
Many multiplayer games have "lobby menus" where you can chat with your friends and hang out until everyone is ready to start the game. In games like Left 4 Dead and Killing Floor for example, these are simply 2D graphical menus with various check boxes and text fields so you can communicate and indicate that you are ready to start.
In Depth, the lobby menu is in the game itself. When you join a server you will pick your team and then be plunked down on a boat if you selected Diver, or dumped into a deep sea grotto if you chose shark. When the teams are balanced the divers can enter the dive cage on the back end of the boat to indicate that they are ready and the cage will drop. When the cage touches down at the bottom and opens, the hunt is on. So what are sharks doing during all of this, you might wonder. Well, their grottos are stocked full of juicy fish and other delicious sea creatures, so while the divers are hanging out waiting for the last player to finish making his sandwich, the sharks will be honing their hunting skills and boosting up their senses for the coming hunt.
In respect of the fact that some players just like to make life difficult for others and might not get in the cage at all, we have coded a timeout system into the lobby which teleports errant divers into the cage if the majority of the team is already in and waiting. Furthermore, if the entire team of divers gets cold feet, the timeout will begin as well, ensuring that the sharks won't have to wait long for fresh meat :)
That's it for now! Be sure to join our forums and speak your mind about our latest media! forums.depthgame.com
we've recently started posting additional media on the forums that is only visible to registered members, so now would be a great time to join our little community :)
As always, watch where you swim.
Love,
The Depth team.
Don't forget to check us out here too:
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It's been a while since our last update so we decided to make it up to you in force. We have been working hard behind the scenes creating a plausible underwater world and developing the game's all important stealth gameplay. Let's talk vision.
Night Vision
Deep in the ocean light is a scarce commodity. As a shark this isn't really a problem, they can see in the dark. But what about a diver? Well, the depth diving team has the latest in night vision technology integrated into their diving masks. With the flip of a button, the world around them becomes illuminated. This comes at a cost however as night vision is a somewhat imperfect art - Leaving the night vision on does not drain energy, but it sticks you in a high contrast world of static and muted colour. This video illustrates the importance of using NV in dark areas like caves.
Sonic Vision
And what about sharks? How do *they* see the world? This is something that has been discussed only briefly until now. Today we would like to treat you all to a video of the shark "sonic vision" in action. It is a combination of night vision, environment awareness and sensitivity to movement. Oh, and it's colourful.
The shark is a hunter and hunters seek out wounded prey first and foremost. A diver who is critically injured will emit a bright red sonic signature, making him an easy meal! Sharks also sense sonic vibrations in the water at great distances, a diver who moves too quickly will be a presentable target. But I'm sure the video did a better job of explaining the system than I could :)
DEP-Olmec
Last, but probably most important of all - We would like to present to you a dramatic new arena for our particular brand of hide and seek. "Olmec" is the sunken remains of an ancient mesoamerican city complete with sacrificial altars and giant god-head statues. There are plentiful hiding spots for sneaky divers amongst the ruins but there is also a lot of open water. Will you be able to extract the treasure in one piece?
That's it for now! Be sure to join our forums and speak your mind about our latest media!
As always, watch where you swim.
Love,
The Depth team.
Don't forget to check us out here too:
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www.depthgame.com
We have been working feverishly over the last week to develop a website for our game. We would have liked to have one sooner, but work on the game itself was using up 100% of our time! Well, we finally took some time out to develop a nice little space on the web! We hope you like the results.
Remember to stop by our forums and post what you think of the game so far!
You may also have noticed that we've got a new logo. We felt that the old one was getting a little long in the tooth (hurrrrrr) So we designed one from the ground up based on the concept of the original logo - but using a simplified design that we think better reflects the game's vibe. What do you guys think? Is it an improvement?
Last, but definitely not least : We would like to give you all a sneak peek of the Tiger shark. Known as the "wastebasket of the sea", Tiger sharks will eat almost anything. Young tigers sport a jumble of spots and stripes along the length of their body giving them their namesake.
In Depth, the Tiger shark class is the "happy medium" between the bulky Great white, and the agile but fragile Mako. His bites dish out a considerable amount of punishment, but he is also fairly maneuverable. Like all sharks, he is capable of regenerating health. Unlike his companions, the Tiger is able to sniff out enemy divers at a considerable distance - making him an excellent "detector" class.
Thats it for now folks!
As ever, watch where you swim!
Love,
The Depth Team
Don't forget to check us out here too:
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Greetings from the deep!
We realize it's been way too long since our last update. So to make it up to you all, we're revealing the last two diver characters at once! Say Hello to "The Watcher" and "Seeker".
The Watcher's role is to provide his team with information on the position of enemy sharks.
He keeps his team out of harm's way and if the situation calls for it can also employ devices which stun and confuse shark players. The Seeker only has one thing in mind : Find that treasure and grab it! She is the fastest swimmer on the diver team and so stands the best chance of slipping past enemies before she is detected!
DEP-Fractured
Work on Fractured is going quite well indeed, so we felt like we should also give you a glimpse into its depths. Props, including the boat were done by Myles Lambert. Level design is by JustFilth.
Some of you may have also been wondering about the "surface". Will players be able to go up there? Will it be safe? Are there going to be girls in bikinis? We can't answer the last two definitively, but yes players will be able to get a glimpse of the world above before they take their plunge.
From a technical and artistic perspective, having two very different "worlds" is quite a challenge. We have been working hard to recreate the various lighting effects, colours and sounds of each and make the transition between them as smooth as possible.
We are pleased with the results we have achieved so far and would like to share a brief teaser video with you all!This video shows the transition as the player moves from under the sea to just above the water level. Let us know what you think!
We hope you have enjoyed our media! Be sure to follow us on moddb to get all the latest updates as they happen :) And remember to watch where you swim...
Love,
The Depth Team
Don't forget to check us out here too:
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Hello folks!
We'd like to reveal the first of three playable diver characters - "The Hunter"
A fisherman turned drug trafficker, Carlos has a lengthy history behind bars. When he was offered his freedom by a man from the government, he grabbed the opportunity. There was a condition though - and it involved a mask,wet-suit, and the recovery of a very precious item from Davy Jones' locker.
Hope you enjoyed our Hunter render! We will be showing off the other two diver characters in the coming weeks, as well as releasing information about their special equipment, and abilities!
Stay tuned!
Love,
The Depth Team
Don't forget to check us out here too:
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Hello everyone!
The Depth crew has been working like crazy behind the scenes, and we felt it was time to give you all a glimpse of what we've been doing.
First up, some in-game screenshots of Justyn "JustFilth"'s map entitled "Fractured". Props in the map were done by Myles Lambert. Enjoy!
Next, we have some teasers of some of the Diver's equipment! The Dive Cage is the diver team's "home base"They are lowered into the deep inside this contraption, but must leave its safety to reach their goal!When they have secured the treasure,they can return to their cage and make their escape.The "Diver's Edge" is a serrated knife carried by all classes of diver.It isn't an offensive item, but instead a potential life saver. If a shark has grabbed you a well placed slash or stab with this knife might be just what it takes to free you from those jaws!
Finally, we would like to announce that we are still looking for talented and dedicated developers to join our project! We welcome anyone with expertise in their area, and a friendly disposition,but are looking specifically for
Character Animators
Environment Artists
Programmers
If you fit any of those descriptions, and are interested in contributing to the project, feel free to get in touch with us!
jesusrocko@hotmail.com
Check us out here too:
