Status Update #21 – Hello again!

Been quite some time since the last update, but a lot has happened since then.

I took a few weeks off the project and reflected on the big picture. I saw a few pacing problems and the story I had attached to the mod wasn’t really working out as well as I thought it would.

Some of the new stuff:

Back to open world!

I saw a lot of people enjoyed the shortcuts that were in map 2, so I decided to connect (almost) the entire island up with interconnected passages. This wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. It was done by taking advantage of ZDoom’s hub system.

This gave me the opportunity to add a central safe house like area. Somewhere to store excess in inventory and it even has a machine that can cure you of radiation exposure.

Speaking of radiation.

Sanity mechanics

 

These didn’t turn out too great…

There was going to be a proximity based sanity system where standing near some objects would cause the player to gradually go insane. Instead of removing this, I decided to add a radiation stat (which also ties in to some elements of the story).

Sanity still remains, however this is a more passive gameplay element. As you progress through the mod, old level layouts you thought you once knew will change on you. Some hallways will open, and close, and even bend in on themselves.

It is a bit hard to explain, but if you’ve ever seen the latest portal tech in newer ZDoom/GZDoom versions, you’ll know what I mean.

Weapon overhaul

A lot of the weapons have been completely reanimated from the ground up to allow support for multiple FOV settings.

There have also been a few extra weapons added to the roster.

There is also a shotgun now, an extremely limited use item that can only be found once. There are also a limited amount of shells for it.

Release!?

I said earlier that I was aiming for a September release, however its more looking like end of October as a full open beta. I don’t expect there to be much difference between the beta and final release other than any glaring bugs that need to be resolved, so I’m happy to say it will be the full release.

All I can say is thanks for sticking with this. It has been a long haul but we’re almost there!

Status Update #20 – Not Quite Done

I was hoping to be posting this update saying the mod is released, hurrah! Here is the download link….. however after doing a few play-tests, I feel we’re not quite there here.

Several problems arose after playing the mod from start to finish. A few mechanics, did not gel together as well as I was hoping, and I feel releasing the mod now with these half baked mechanics would only do harm to it.

I’ve decided to put a few more months work into the mod to get it up to a higher standard. Although it may be a slow burn.

All I can say, it will release this year, but with RL getting in the way of progress, I cannot put a proper release month on this yet. Could be next week, next month, August… I can’t quite say.

It is not all doom and gloom however. Soon, we will be doing some closed beta testing. I still need to figure out how we’re going to distribute this to you guys, so until then, stay tuned.

Status Update #19: The Final Stretch

This time next week, Total Chaos will be complete.

It is a strange feeling getting to this point, after 10 years on and off, it has been a big part of my life. Everything I’ve learnt about making games came from this project, and it is hard to let it go into the wild.

There was a lot I wanted to do with this beast, quite a bit of content that didn’t end up making it into the last iteration, but if I tried to accommodate everything, then the mod will never get done.

After the mod is complete, I’ll be starting the closed-beta process, and if all goes well there, then the mod will be released in its entirety!

I think its safe to say that this will be the last blog post until then.

A few things I should mention:

• Duration is roughly 2-3 hours, depending on your play style
• Will require DOOM2.WAD to play in the meantime, will try and make it standalone in future updates
• About 1.5-2GB in size, I am yet to create the final PK3 file so I am unsure of how large it will be
• No official system requirements as of yet. It is safe to say if you can run the latest Alpha, then you should be able to run this
• Currently only compatible with GZDoom

See you at the finish line!

Enemy Bio #4

Status Update #18: Ground Floor

Thought I’d post a batch of new screenshots from the level following Entryway, but first…

Delays!

I’ve decided to push back releasing the mod by a month or two. The best I can aim for at this stage is late April/early May. As soon as the mod is ready and tested, I’ll set a release date.

Level 3 screenshots

The two levels released within the Alpha represent the entire underground of Fort Oasis. The rest of the mod (with the exception of the mines) will be above ground, exploring the streets, shops and living quarters of those who once lived on the island.

I was going for a more closed in feeling with these areas, drawing inspiration from the famous Hashima Island, mixed with a few places of my home town of Christchurch, New Zealand.

Lets Plays of Alpha 2

Over the past week a few lets plays of the latest alpha have appeared!

The state of Alpha 2b

I was hoping to release this last week, although I’ve delayed it for the meantime to see if I can fix up a few balancing issues. It seems I have made a few weapons a bit too weak…

Alpha 2 Released!

After constant delays, our 2nd milestone has been reached!

Once again, thanks for your on going support.

Download – Requires doom2.wad and GZDoom
(Epilepsy warning! – Less flashy lights, but still a couple here and there)

Mirror 1: MEGA.nz
Mirror 2: ModDB

This alpha originally was slated to focus on the technical side of the mod, but I’ve managed to squeeze in some extra content over the last week.

What to expect in this Alpha:

• Native view rendering, resolves aspect ratio problems
• Added new weapons and inventory items
• New enemy reveal
• Improved Brute/Drifter AI and animation
• Persistent inventory between levels
• Reduced amount of flickering lights
• Cleaned up a lot of static meshes
• Revamped combat system

A screenshot gallery of this Alpha can be found here (enemy spoilers):

Total Chaos Alpha 2 Gallery

Please email me if you come across any bugs while playing, or you can contact us via the official social media channels.

Thanks again, have fun!

Alpha 2 Releasing Tomorrow!

A few last minute bugs has pushed back the release of this by another day. I’ll also be releasing a new gameplay video to accompany this. Spoilers beware!