Part 1: IntroductionProject DAS (“Dyson Asteroid Shell”) is a working name for a new game project I am working on - the final name has yet to be determined. The project has been in development for a while but is still very early.
WIP Titlescreen
Inspirations and Gameplay IdeaThe game has three main inspirations, mixing elements from all three and adding my own elements/story to the mix:
Guardian Legend (NES),
Blaster Master (NES) and
Super Metroid (SNES). Your character flies a top of the line, single person spacecraft with three main modes/views - top down side scrolling shooting (similar to Guardian Legend but scrolling horizontally to take advantage of widescreen displays), top down 8-directional flying and ¾ view close up view when walking around.
Tech InfoThe game uses a 480 x 270 internal resolution to support widescreen and approximations an 8bit-ish palette and have the same “feeling” as DOS 320x200 or 16-bit generation consoles. The core palette is only 64 colors but the engine allows real time lighting with an expanded palette using hand drawn normal maps for each tile/sprite.
The game uses a custom C++/OpenGL engine and in-engine level/tile editor (which is disabled for “release builds.”). All graphics are 2D and the engine supports up to 8 layers, which is useful in the close up ¾ sections, so that multiple height levels and jumping can be supported.
Rendering is always “on the grid,” sprite scaling and rotation are supported but are used sparingly.
Part 2 : Story & First GameplayGameplayThe initial “Corridor” level - first arriving at the asteroid base (see Story below) - is the furthest along, so I will show it first.
Some of the art shown, such as the explosions, are still placeholder.Excuse the poor framerate in the GIF, it was recorded at 60fps but the GIF is still rough for some reason.
Launching from the carrier. Click the images for a larger view.
StoryThe story is very much a work in progress, so I will just provide a short summary:
February 17, 2053:A promising asteroid in the ‘belt was identified – provisionally identified as 2053 DB. At first it appeared to be a regular asteroid, though several interesting features were hard to explain – it appeared to be both hollow and metal rich. Some of the early samples appear to be processed metal constructed of unknown alloys. Scientists scrambled to determine a natural cause – all sorts of interesting theories came of it but none of them stood up to scrutiny.
March 21, 2053:Several more capable, specialized probes were launched – packed with sensors and equipment for blasting into the asteroid in the hopes of opening one of the hollow pockets detected within. It will take about 2 months before the probes reach the target.
May 25, 2053:Very little data was released in the first few days once the probes arrived – outside the “safe” elements such as pictures of the exterior. But it is now clear that this anomaly isn’t natural…
April 1, 2053:Our ultimate question – “are we alone in the universe” has finally been answered. On April 1st, of course! the entrance was uncovered…
This is a giant ship or station built into an asteroid and parked in our solar system a long time ago. Our best guess is that it first arrived around the year 3000 B.C.
April 2, 2053:The first human mission plan begins. Using modern reusable rocket technology and advanced fusion engines, the trip time to the asteroid site should be approximately one month. So, the mission plan begins.
January 1, 2055:The first manned mission to explore alien technology launches. Not since the original Apollo moon landing has a single space mission generated so much interest and enthusiasm.
February 7, 2055:The manned mission has arrived, and exploration of the interior has begun. It seems that only a limited area is accessible, and no amount of drilling, explosives or other means are effective. Many artifacts are retrieved and sent back to Earth for study, but so far, the technology seems to be completely dormant.
May 10, 2067:Over 10 years of study. And yet very little of value has been learned after the exciting first few months of rapid discovery.
In a lab in the middle of New Mexico, one key new discovery has been made. A single device that seems capable of interfacing with both human and alien technology. With this tool, the alien technology can finally be used by humans without needing to understand the principles behind it. For the first time in history, humans manage to activate an extra-solar technology - dubbed the “Omega* device.”
* Name will be changed once I figure out what to actually call it.
May 11, 2067:Panic. Technology once dormant becomes mobile and attacks every human in sight, targeting not just the people themselves but also their technology. Our weapons are virtually useless. Will they attack Earth? Will nuclear weapons be enough? What have we done?!
May 15, 2067:The decision has been made and you have been called in. The “Omega device” seems to be the only option to find answers. Using its power, weapons can be augmented to increase their effectiveness against the technology. It can be used to integrate alien technology and perhaps allow someone to enter deep enough to find answers. You are that someone. We have only one device and one craft capable of handling the “Omega device” and we cannot create any more. It is a huge risk – if the device is destroyed, we will never figure out how it works and many are opposed, some are even calling it illegal. But we have no choice, you have no choice.
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