Darkwood (Survival horror)

[Raapys]

Indiegogo campaign link: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/darkwood
Game homepage: http://www.darkwoodgame.com

=================

Just discovered this and couldn't find a thread, looks pretty awesome.

Darkwood is a top-down, oldschool, sandbox survival horror set in a procedurally generated, open world. It features RPG and roguelike elements, with intense combat and a eerie atmosphere. Gameplay wise, it has features in common with games like Project Zomboid, Don't Starve and Teleglitch. As for the atmosphere and story, it's inspired by the works of David Lynch.

 

[Cowboy Moment]

Looks good, and the fact that the developer didn't feel the need to include any combat in the footage bodes well. Just don't have any zombies, please.

 

[DAT]

THAT GUY IS A REALLY SHITTY BURGLAR. WHY WOULD YOU GO TO SOMEONE'S HOUSE TO BOARD UP THE DOORS AND WINDOWS?

 

[Aldebaran]

I am going to keep an eye on this. If that was at all indicative of the in game ambience, then this should be quite good.

 

[barker_s]

Acid Wizard Studio (turns out they're a potato company) has set up an Indiegogo campaing and they're aiming for 40000$ - http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/darkwood . Pretty bold if you ask me, but I hope they succeed.

 

[Berekän]

Looks nice, we'll see how's the actual game

 

[Gustaw]

Hey guys,

I'm one of the devs of the game. We have our own forums that recently launched - http://forums.acidwizardstudio.com, but I'll be happy to answer any questions you might have here

Looks good, and the fact that the developer didn't feel the need to include any combat in the footage bodes well. Just don't have any zombies, please.

Don't worry, the game is not about zombies

 

[Infinitron]

Hey, nice avatar.

 

[Gustaw]

:D Thanks, your also! Is that Melnorme from some kind of HD version? He looks pretty creepy! Anyways, SC2 is probably my favorite game of all time and is a big inspiration for Darkwood in terms of making exploration really deep and satisfying.

Oh, and the campaign is also available on www.darkwoodgame.com, with links to the presskit and other stuff you might find interesting!

 

[Mother Russia]

Hey guys,

I'm one of the devs of the game. We have our own forums that recently launched - http://forums.acidwizardstudio.com, but I'll be happy to answer any questions you might have here

Looks good, and the fact that the developer didn't feel the need to include any combat in the footage bodes well. Just don't have any zombies, please.

Don't worry, the game is not about zombies

Hey there, welcome to Codex.

My main question is: Will there be combat in the game? I certainly hope so. Also, will there be rpg elements? What about magic use?

One of my fave horror rpgs is Legacy: Realms of Terror (old DOS game from the 90s). Any chance that was an inspiration?

Finally, are you truly a potato (Polish) company? Just wondering...

 

[MisterStone]

looks hella better than that slender BS

 

[Ninja Destroyer]

The logo reminds me of Alan Wake.

The focus on the sound and top down graphics are really good. I wonder how will the monsters behave, can you lure them into traps or use a flashlight on them . Is there a sanity meter in the game, probably yes, but interested in this. Voice acting, or plain text?

Why Permadeath? Can't you make it optional?
Nope, it's a core mechanic and we won't make it optional. Don't worry, dying is a integral part of the game. We want the gameplay to be as intense as possible, and permadeath forces you to think about each decision and plan ahead. In the event of you character's death, your next playthrough will be very different from the previous one thanks to random generation, and not everything will be lost - some things will carry over to your next life.

Very good feature.

 

[Gustaw]

Hey guys,

Hey there, welcome to Codex.

My main question is: Will there be combat in the game? I certainly hope so. Also, will there be rpg elements? What about magic use?

One of my fave horror rpgs is Legacy: Realms of Terror (old DOS game from the 90s). Any chance that was an inspiration?

Finally, are you truly a potato (Polish) company? Just wondering...

Hey! Yes, there will be combat, you can check out our pitch video at our site to get a glimpse. No magic in a fantasy way (even though we are wizards and cast spells on a daily basis), but there may be paranormal stuff happening around you. And yes, RPG elements with skills and abilities!

Can't remember the game you mentioned, sorry.. And yes, we're from Poland. Don't know what that has to do with potatoes?

The focus on the sound and top down graphics are really good. I wonder how will the monsters behave, can you lure them into traps or use a flashlight on them .

Thanks, enemies have very different behaviors and will be attracted to certain elements, and can indeed be lured into traps. Don't really know what you mean about using a flashlight on them, but there will be some types that react to light, or sound.. or smell.

Is there a sanity meter in the game, probably yes, but interested in this.

There will be "sanity effects", but no "meter". As gamers we like to immerse ourselves when playing, and a meter telling you "you're kinda normal" or "you have no contact with reality" give away too much. We want you to question a lot of stuff in the game and rarely come with a clear answer, so you'll be encouraged to dig deeper.

Voice acting, or plain text?

Plain text - we want Darkwood to be closer to reading a book, so your imagination starts working. You can look up some comments to the trailer - almost everyone has a different opinion on what the Kid or Generator characters really are. Thanks to NOT using voice acting, you have a much more personal experience while playing Darkwood, something we really want to put a lot of focus on also using the art style and random generation.[/quote]

 

[Ninja Destroyer]

Don't really know what you mean about using a flashlight on them, but there will be some types that react to light, or sound.. or smell.

I meant the Alan Wake like thing, where you put light on enemy to weaken him and then do something more lethal.

Don't know what that has to do with potatoes?

It's one of codex memes, where all people from Poland are : x. It's a part of the game here, don't be discouraged by this .


Legacy was cool, although not much loved title from Microprose. But it's clear that you are making a whole diffrent approach.

 

[Gustaw]

I meant the Alan Wake like thing, where you put light on enemy to weaken him and then do something more lethal.

Oh, right. I don't think so, as I said some enemies will be afraid of the light, but that';s about it

Legacy was cool, although not much loved title from Microprose. But it's clear that you are making a whole diffrent approach.

Looks cool, too bad I haven't heard about it before. Could have had a lot of fun back in the day. And ruined some pants..

 

[Gurkog]

Game looks cool and I hope the campaign is successful!

 

[barker_s]

Another trailer released - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSjnDKBLZbc and it looks fucking fantastic. $25k of 40k raised and 9 more days to go though, so I'm afraid they might not make it this time.

 

[Jarpie]

Campaign has been doing well lately, 37k from 40k and several days left. The trailers looked to be great and will get the goal.

 

[Ninja Destroyer]

What happened here? A little time and they are almost funded. Glad to hear it.

Little copy-paste from:
http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/05/11/d...and-primal-terror-with-an-indiegogo-campaign/

Darkwood tries to balance old-school gameplay and primal terror with an Indiegogo campaign

The last time we saw Darkwood, we knew it looked downright creepy. What we didn’t know is that Darkwood is going to try to reinvent the ’90s survival horror game with a unique perspective, a dark setting, and a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo.

Created by Polish developer Acid Wizard Studio, Darkwood will be a top-down survival game in a large procedurally generated world. The game will be deliberately punishing for new players, according to Gustaw Stachaszewski, programmer for Acid Wizard. Permadeath, creepy atmospherics, and brutally difficult enemies are all part of an effort to recall a feeling that, according to Stachaszewski, is hard to find in modern games.

“We were raised on our Amigas and Commodores and miss the days when games posed a real challenge and sometimes kicked your ass pretty bad. Sometimes we return to the titles we remember very fondly, but most of the time we can’t get past the first level because of the difficulty.”

A team made up of three college friends, Acid Wizard is embarking on its first big project with Darkwood. Earlier this year, they won Best Design Award in the Global Game Jam for their game, the hilarious and bizarre Kevin Costner’s Tatanka Hunting Simulator 2013. Survival genre staples like barricades, crafting, and scavenging all make an appearance, but Stachaszewski rejects over-reliance on jump-scares found in other “scary” games. He thinks the startle reflex is used too often in horror. “The fear of the unknown… like in the works of David Lynch or Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining—that’s the kind of thing we are aiming for.”

That fear of the unknown is built right into the game’s bones. The top-down perspective deliberately obscures parts of the environment. Is it a corpse? It is a dog? You don’t know, but you’re certain it’s trying to kill you. “[The perspective] hinders your ability to clearly identify what you see on the screen,” Darkwood’s Indiegogo page reads. “We embrace it. It’s much less literal that way, and it forces your imagination to work and visualize things you can’t clearly see in the game.”

For Acid Wizard, making a difficult game isn’t about being sadistic to players—it’s about that moment when players break through to the other side, when they earn a story they can share with friends. It’s a feeling that only comes when they’ve been punished often enough to start to understand the moving parts underneath the creepy visuals.

“In Darkwood, we don’t want to punish the player [too] badly. Instead we want to give him a good challenge but at the same time be fair,” Stachaszewski says. “This means you will have a hard time surviving at first, but once you learn the mechanics and how Darkwood operates, it gives a deep sense of accomplishment.”

Darkwood’scrowdfunding effort will end on June 5. The game is currently planned for a mid-2014 release.

I don't get the difficulty thing. Old games were fun and required bigger skills, but are too hard for us now ? Please explain Gustaw

 

[Ninja Destroyer]

$57,323 from 40,000 nedeed. Good luck on making the game.

The last video from them was funny.

 

[LESS T_T]

http://www.acidwizardstudio.com/?p=159

Skills and perks
Greetings!

Today we’re gonna talk a bit about the leveling system in Darkwood. You will come across mutated flora & fauna, from which you will be able to harvest it’s essence. The more mutated it is, the more essence you will be able to gather. Here’s how the menu for this activity looks like:

You select the items you want to “cook”, filling up the syringe with essence. Once it’s full, you can inject it’s contents into your bloodstream, triggering a reaction from your body, enabling you to choose the direction you want to mutate. Most of these cookable items also have other properties and istead of harvesting them for essence, you can use them to heal yourself of wounds, poison, add temporary boosts, or lure creatures with it.

By mutating, a set of new random skills or perks will be presented to you, from which you can choose one. Sometimes, you will have to select a negative mutation. These skills range from basic modifiers like attack damage, health and stamina, to additional abilities like new attack types, effects that last for a limited time, or perks that affect how others react to you.

This means that on each playthrough, you will have to adapt your playstyle to the way your character mutates, while having some control over it. For example, it may happen that you’ll get to play a tough, strong and fast, but also paranoid and almost deaf character. We find this to play a really big part in replayability, so that each time you start over, you get a unique experience. Also, worth noting is the fact that a part of the essence you have gathered lingers on to your next incarnation when you die.

Keep in mind, however, that injecting too much essence in a short period of time may have also other, mostly dire consequences..

 

[Broseph]

So, Early Access is apparently over and Darkwood just got released on steam. Anyone play it yet, and is it worth it?

 

[Cromwell]

So, Early Access is apparently over and Darkwood just got released on steam. Anyone play it yet, and is it worth it?

its still early accees am I doing something wrong?

 

[Crooked Bee]

Well, there's this review by Rock Paper Shotgun: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/07/25/the-wicked-and-the-weird-darkwood-impressions/

 

[bonescraper]

It's still in Early Acces, i played it and it's worth it. There, i hope you're satisfied.