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[Lidfrid]

After more than two years of development we have finally released our game on Steam and Humble Store.

It's been a long journey and it's the first title released by LKA. There are many things we could say but we suggest to discover Renée's story by yourself first.

We want to share some new contents with you, starting from the new launch trailer:





and some new screenshots:








If you want to get ready for the game, you can read Renée's diary on our website or by downloading it from Steam at no cost along with the artbook and the original soundtrack

The game is already supporting the VR with a separate test branch compatible with the Oculus Devkit 2.

The VR support is still under development and we will work on it to provide a satisfying experience in time for the headesets launches of this spring.


That's it!

We really want to know what you think about the game
just leave a comment, spread the word and show some support!

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and our thetownoflight.com.


OLD FIRST POST ->



The Town of Light is a first person psychological experience with locations and characters inspired by real events, made by indipendent studio Lka.it.
Our goal is to recreate experiences, fears and anguishes that patients lived the past century in this sanatorium, the pain of mental disease and horrors from the istitutions.
Our history takes place in one of the biggest asylum ever existed in italy, with more than 5000 internees, set in the city of Volterra.

We accurately recreate one area of this asylum, that includes two pavillions called Charcot and Ferri, with “authorized” inspections and with depositions from former patients, doctors and nurses.

Watch the teaser + gameplay:


Download the trailer for Oculus VR: Trailer Oculus VR

we have been Greenlit on january and now we are searching for funds on Indiegogo.
If you want to support us, share with your friends or simply take a look at the page, we would be very happy


Indiegogo Page




See ya

[Lidfrid]

Shakepub just made a gameplay video that shows the first part of The Town of Light, thanks to him, he made a great job! :D







What do you think about that? Critics? Comments?
We need your feedback

[Lidfrid]

In this video we want to compare the two asylums, the real one with the one of The Town of Light.
The environments of "The Town of Light" have been perfectly recreated and furnished with vintage elements from XXth century.

[Lidfrid]

New settings are going to be completed: bathrooms.

This setting is especially important, here Renèe’s memories become alive!

Asylum’s memories were deeply creeping:

“Peeled walls, floors deteriorated by years of dust; sick people urinate in sinks. Toilets are deeply incrusted with filthiness, but nurses are not responsible for this, they don’t have tools to face this situation ( brooms, sponges, tatters, buckets, detergents, even hydrants are needed).

Everything stinks like urine: nurses say it can’t be eliminated, in despite of cleaning, it has soaked the floors. In many cases the institution itself, with its deficiencies, favors and helps the sicks self destruction, also their self control.”…

“Toilets are far from adequate, and filthy (eight toilets, nine sinks, and one shower for one hundred and fifty five people).

In the ward there is no hot water except for the shower; the nurses “loan” the soap every time and then get it back; there is no toilet paper.”

From “La fabbrica della follia, relazione sul manicomio di Torino” edited by Fight against mental diseases Turin association. Einaudi 1971.

For other development news, follow us on our Indiegogo Page:

The Town of Light - Indiegogo Campaign

[Lidfrid]

Aesthetic evolution of the game environments through various phases:

 1 Assembly of the models
 2 First "aging" intervention and first level of "details"
 3 Visual style definition
 4 Second "aging" intervention and "balancing" of the elements

The district of "old women" is located in a beautiful pine undulating forest. The numerous palaces are called "pavilions" and have pleasant appearance. But through those roads covered with a fragrant carpet of pine needles and grass, no one walks. [...] They're almost all mothers who were brought there to die by their sons.



Many decrepit and "dirty" people foul the air with their stench, several are istupidite, but there are quite a few completely lucid. Nothing is allowed to them except their usual meal. [...] They can rely rarely on relatives, and most of them comes during or after the extreme unction, to follow a coffin and attend reluctantly the burial in the cemetery hospice, without any flowers.

From: Irene Lizza, “Invito al manicomio”  ed.Macchia 1952.

Comparisons:



As always, check our Indiegogo page to support us!
Indiegogo page

Thank you

[Lidfrid]

New areas of the park surrounding the Charcot pavilion and the area of access:



We are enhancing our culling system to be able to add more detail without overloading the scene.

 The asylum was a sort of permanent exhibition of human misery, where each one exposed their fear, their despair, their limits. Just like a trade show there were vendors who exhibited their goods proclaimed with fanfare and those who tried to hide it, locked in their corners, judging themselves not worthy of the public. Renèe, defeated by the inner pain, tried to hide away from everything.



When she was allowed to go in the park she always look for hidden corners and she huddled up there for hours. Immersed in nature, everything seemed distant in both space and in time.



It was hard to remember, but impossible to forget.
Support the game on Indiegogo:

The Town of Light - Indiegogo Campaign


Comments are well received :D

[Lidfrid]

New screenshot showing how the vegetation is growing inside the environment.







To know more about last development news on The Town of Light please visit:
Vegetation grows and new localization system

Bye!

<sub>follow us on Twitter:
@thetownoflight

and Facebook:
facebook.com/thetownoflight</sub>

[acatalept]

The thought of this place (and the treatment of so many of the mentally ill) is heartwrenching.  But your work so far is incredible, the exquisite detail and feel of the environments make me really feel in the pit of my stomach what it must have been like to live (or work) there.

Can't wait to see how the final product turns out.  Good luck!

[electricmonk]

Great job on the environment and lighting. Good Luck!

[Lidfrid]

It's been a while since our last update but here we are to show you something new.

         

We started the development of one of the most important elements of gameplay:
the medical record. It will tell not only the story of the protagonist, but will allow us to make choices that will change completely our experience, giving rise to several different endings.

The work on the historical accuracy of the location continues







We also receive the new Oculus development kit! Can't wait to add some features using the new camera.



Lka.it

[acatalept]

This continues to look incredible.  I really like the "feel" of the medical record interaction in the first GIF.

Can't wait to go there with my DK2... any chance of an in-engine teaser video in VR for those of us with a Rift?

Keep up the great work!

[AegarPyke]

The atmosphere of those environments is perfect. Looks like you're on the right track!

[Lidfrid]

any chance of an in-engine teaser video in VR for those of us with a Rift?

There's something you can try with the rift, you can download the Oculus trailer of the game here:

The Town of Light - Oculus TrailerIt's an old version, later on we will update the build


Thanks guys, we really appreciate!

[Lidfrid]

Other images from the dining hall, and some considerations:



Until the first half of the '70s, homosexuality was considered by the scientific community a "mental illness."
They admit to an asylum a healthy homosexual and then, when the patient was able to repress his instincts, they released a disturbed person!

The dividing line between normality and abnormality is not clear. The no man's land is vast.
Who governs this land and lays down the rules?



 

Lka.it

[Lidfrid]

Techincal issues and solutions - choose the next update in the comments!

With Unity3D with are able to use Umbra as our culling system. Although we felt like it could be “improved”. We already make another culling enhancement (we told about it in this news), but we added a new local-culling system. This gif shows how it works:



We dislocate various triggers in the building that enable/disable objects that can’t be visible by the player. This gives us way more control than before.
We had to do this not only because of the furniture and other things presents within the Charcot but also to be able to hide windows of the edifice.

This is our first enemy:

Windows.

Charcot has 150 windows, and every one consists of 710~ polygons and 1220~ vertices  (LOD 0). They are dynamic (because you will be able to open and close them) so they can’t be culled correctly by the Umbra system. With our enanchement it can be done, and the framerate thanks.



Our second enemy:

Vegetation trough windows.

In any time you will be able to look outside of a window and stare at the beautiful tuscan vegetation under a warm and shining sun. It’s very hard to mantain good looking 3D assets while rendering a lot of trees and bushes on the outside and we can’t hide trees in the night, nor behind a closed window.
It won’t be realistic and will not create the right atmosphere.
This is why not so many games let the player look outside buildings.



Feedbacks and critiques are, as always, well accepted!

Lka.it
www.thetownoflight.com

[acatalept]

There's something you can try with the rift, you can download the Oculus trailer of the game here:
The Town of Light - Oculus Trailer  It's an old version, later on we will update the build

Awesome, it was just kind of wishful thinking on my part   I sold my DK1 to fund my DK2, however this older demo does work with the DK2, albeit lacking head tracking... but as long as I held my head very still and treated it as a passive experience, it was very immersive, and does so much more to convey the concept than images or even videos.  Thanks!

Technical issues and solutions [...]

I hope you continue to persevere and overcome these hurdles, it will be well worth it.  Really looking forward to playing this!

[Lidfrid]

In the meantime we have been selected as "Best Storytelling" videogame for Game Connection Paris 2014!
We'll be there from 29th to 31th october!

Check out our new trailer

[Lidfrid]

Project is going forward and we reached the alpha stage.
Here's a gameplay video showing the first part of the game.

We just upgraded to Unity5 and we are using enlighten too.

Check it out:

[chriswearly]

this just looks so so good, can't wait/hope there's a playable alpha soon

[Lidfrid]

After more than two years of development we have finally released our game on Steam and Humble Store.

It's been a long journey and it's the first title released by LKA. There are many things we could say but we suggest to discover Renée's story by yourself first.

We want to share some new contents with you, starting from the new launch trailer:





and some new screenshots:








If you want to get ready for the game, you can read Renée's diary on our website or by downloading it from Steam at no cost along with the artbook and the original soundtrack

The game is already supporting the VR with a separate test branch compatible with the Oculus Devkit 2.

The VR support is still under development and we will work on it to provide a satisfying experience in time for the headesets launches of this spring.


That's it!

We really want to know what you think about the game
just leave a comment, spread the word and show some support!

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and our thetownoflight.com.