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[Zack Bell]

          Schism is a newly formed idea by both Juan Carlos Andrés (herror) and myself (Zachary Bell). At this point we are only revealing that it is an adventure/metroidvania title being developed using Game Maker 8.1. The gameplay is influenced by both metrodvania-style games as well as the original Megaman series.

          The title for our game is a work-in-progress and is definitely not set in stone. Right now, it is influenced by our common interest in the band, Tool. Schism also came up as a synonym for one of the themes included in the plot, so this is what we are using for now.

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UPDATE (8/16):
 
          The gameplay will focus on orthogonal shooting and a balance between platforming and large battles. The platforming sequences will be more about environment; exploring large areas while avoiding any dangers presented by nature, while the battles will be much more fast-paced.

          Herror also posted two new concept sketches as well: one of the player character, and the other of a few steampunk-inspired elements which may or may not be included in the final game.
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UPDATE (8/17):
          This is our first screenshot that we have decided to reveal. Hope you like it

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UPDATE (8/20):
          Ok guys, here's the scoop: What we are working on is a playable demo of a larger scale game. Essentially, what we are going to do is throw the player into a middle portion of the game to avoid revealing the plot and too much other stuff that shouldn't even be important when it comes to testing and demos. We want to give the player a solid level that shows off the gameplay and a few other elements. I figured that now is a good time to start a to-do list and a have-done list, so here you go  

What we have so far:

• A player character and all related sprite assets
• All of the basic controls and gameplay elements (running, jumping, shooting, room transitions, etc)
• Several tilesets for the two different areas that we will be showcasing in the demo
• Simple AI for one enemy type (states: patrol, aiming, shootig)
• Level design concepts and other enemy/boss concepts

What we need to finish:

• Fine-tune the player controls, jump heights, and firing speed (after implementing lvl design)
• Sprites for at least one more enemy type and one demo boss
• Finalize level design concepts and implement them into the game
• Clean up and add misc. items like title screen and menu

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We will be updating this DevLog often, so be sure to check in.

Here are a few sprites to get things rolling:


Mystery Symbol #1



I hear you like walk cycles?

[herror]

Hi. In the aesthetics of the game I'll try to mix a proto-industrial world, fantasy elements, punk ideology and a bit of wabi-sabi phylosophy.
So here's a quick illustration I made today.

[Inanimate]

I'm going to reserve this until I got something to say. Yeah.

Symbol #2?

[s0]

Not much to say except the sprite looks pretty good and the symbol looks a lot like the Quake logo.

[Zack Bell]

@Inanimate: Actually, no. Nice guess though.  

@Sinclair: Thanks for bringing this to my attention, I actually haven't played a Quake game. I'll be sure to bring this up tomorrow before we post another update.

[s0]

Yeah I figured it was unintentional. 

[Nix]

Did you know about the game out there already called Schism? I don't think it's a huge deal though.

[C.D Buckmaster]

Oh good, so I wasn't the only one who thought about Tool, when I saw the title.

[Zack Bell]

@Nix: We probably won't keep that title. And...they spelled it wrong anyway

[herror]

Some pencil sketches, elements that could be/are in the game.

[Inanimate]

Oh wow, those are gorgeous sketches. I like the... barrel... steam-dragon... guy...

[herror]

Thanks Inanimate. Actually we are developing ideas for a boss, so I did a small sketch. I'm trying to add more 'feasibility' to the design
And more symbols.

Btw, did you mean this one, or the biped?

[oahda]

Wow. I can't say more than that.



Actually, I can. The symbols. Do they actually mean anything, and is there actually a language that goes with them, or are they just in there for the æsthetics? I would greatly encourage you to make a language, that's not a cypher of English, if it fits the story, to go along with them. It's a lot of fun, and you'll add so much depth!

[Inanimate]

Biped, but I love that one too!

[herror]

@Skomakar'n: Nope, its not a language. But we talked about it, and would be an nice idea, and will enrich the world. If we have some time, we'll do it. 

@Inanimate: Actually they are different versions of the same concept
And yes, I like the biped more. Kinda mecha-ish. The other looks more like a little piggy (lol), less agressive.

[oahda]

@Skomakar'n: Nope, its not a language. But we talked about it, and would be an nice idea, and will enrich the world. If we have some time, we'll do it. 

Nerdgasm-o-meter rising intensively.

[BattleBeard]

 I say make it translatable, and then maybe even add ciphers for that language, which you have to ceaserian de-cipher in English.

 That's be SO rad. Then again, you're not Jadusable.

[oahda]

Yes. Yes. Definitely translatable through clues given in the game as well, at least to some extent, regarding some isolated piece of text, or simply a translation given by a character. That would be awesome.

If you do decide upon creating a language, and want any help, feel entirely free to ask me. I am a fairly experienced hobby linguist, and I find this stuff to be a lot of fun!

[moi]

you should recreate a whole library using the language, that would be fun.
It should contain the complete shakespeare works as a  minimum

[Zack Bell]

Thanks for the nice words, guys. We're considering the implementation of a language of some kind, but that is something that will come MUCH later. If we have time and are still interested in it a few weeks from now, we may try to add something like that.