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[rekcah]

rComplex is a game project that a friend and I started working on only 8 days before before the IGF 2010 entry deadline. Some how, even with such a short time window we made the deadline in time. It all started when my brother and I were coming up with simple game concepts that we thought would be good IGF entries the same night we started the project. 8 days later rComplex was born!

rComplex is a game about a man who's only goal is to make it out alive. As he makes his attempt to escape he recalls previous events and questions his situation in his thoughts.

You can download the game HERE and enjoy!

REQUIREMENTS:

OPERATING SYSTEMS: Windows XP or Vista

RAM: 256M

PROCESSOR: 1.3 Ghz Intel Celeron M or any comparable AMD/Intel Processor

GPU: ATI 9000, Nvdia Geforce 4MX 32 MB or equivalent OpenGL compatible GPU

CAPACITY: 180 MB of hard drive space is required !

CREDITS:

Roger Hicks - Code, Music and Sound Effects

Brian Terwilliger - 3D Art and Animation

Special Thanks to Ryan Hicks and Jonathan Chevalier!

[cactus]

Since I don't have the required specs, I'd love to see a gameplay vid

[rekcah]

what are your specs? It might work even if you have a crappy Intel GMA card. I can play the game fine on my MSI Wind Netbook which is pretty crappy LOL. You should give it a try.

Other than that, I will try to get a video posted soon!

[Christian Knudsen]

I only have a crappy Intel card and it worked fine on my system. I really liked the style of the game, but feel that the re-playability is pretty low for two reasons: it was really annoying to have to listen to the exact same voice-over every time, and the obstacles are always in the same place. It would really up the re-playability factor in my book if the level was randomly generated each time.

[rekcah]

I only have a crappy Intel card and it worked fine on my system. I really liked the style of the game, but feel that the re-playability is pretty low for two reasons: it was really annoying to have to listen to the exact same voice-over every time, and the obstacles are always in the same place. It would really up the re-playability factor in my book if the level was randomly generated each time.

I'm glad you like it!

I sort of pre-calculated the issues you mentioned when we started working on the game. But, if it was randomized it would be almost I'm possible to beat unless you implement it near perfect. And I think it would have been nearly impossible to implement in the time that we had. I wouldn't mind expanding on this in the future though. Who knows maybe rComplex 2?!??.... HAHA..

[cactus]

The game switched resolutions on my computer then it seems it gave up and quit. Too bad

[mr. podunkian]

the style is cool, but the voice acting completely ruins it -- it's not so much the writing or anything as it is just how frequently the character speaks, and how hammy the delivery is.

also, jumping while sliding down the side of the building feels really sloppy, and i the 12 bullets mechanic is a little unclear, since it seems as if firing the bullets all at the start should be just as effective as using them at different times?

besides that though, i thought the game had a strong aesthetic and the narrative had me wanting to figure out what was going on, but i couldn't get myself to get through the game as i kept dying at the same place and i couldn't stand hearing 'ugh, only 12 bullets left' over and over.

a suggestion i've got would be maybe to reward better play -- give the player a boost or something if they successfully avoid a trap, otherwise it becomes more or less a war of attrition against the player, which can get really annoying since once the enemy gets to a certain point, you will inevitably lose regardless of how well you play.

[rekcah]

.... yeah people seem to either hate the voice acting or find it funny *face palm*. The vocals were meant to be from the characters thoughts; not him actually talking aloud as he's running! Hopefully that makes a difference?..... LMAO!

Excuses:
Living with other people makes it hard to record clear vocals at 4 AM in the morning before you to go to work. I couldn't be as loud as I wanted to so that's probably why it came off as cheesy. But, I hope people at least got a few laughs. Hell, my friend and I laughed our asses off at the "I'm Dead Man!" line. But, I decided to keep it in there despite that lol.

After thoughts:
We knew it was going to be a short game from the start. We really only wanted to create an awesome experience while it lasted. But, regardless it was fun to work on and it definitely challenged us to the end. If only we had time to rest after we finished this project, but nope! Its back to work on WoAX  !

[mluongo]

First thoughts: wow, this is stylish as hell.

(Actually my first thought was damn, 180 MB?)

I liked the animations, especially the guy reloading. And again, I think it's very stylish. Didn't mind the voice acting, thought the music fit well.

After a few tries I got as far as the end of the garage where I slid underneath a truck and then the monster caught me because I was out of bullets. Then, of course, I was all the way back at the beginning. Ack.

Don't know how long the game is, but perhaps a checkpoint is in order (once you jump out the window?) Maybe you don't want to implement checkpoints, but I was getting sick of hearing the same voice overs at the beginning several times.

Sliding down the building was very clunky.

Also didn't like how if I jumped right before the stairs I'd be stuck right down to the stairs once I hit them. In other words, jumping to skip the stairs wasn't possible.

It seems the bullets are actually very important to win the game. When is it best to use them? Does it matter if the bullets hit the monster? These things were unclear to me. BTW, the bullets fly sort of awkwardly, as if they are bags of sand or something.

[rekcah]

First thoughts: wow, this is stylish as hell.

(Actually my first thought was damn, 180 MB?)

I liked the animations, especially the guy reloading. And again, I think it's very stylish. Didn't mind the voice acting, thought the music fit well.

After a few tries I got as far as the end of the garage where I slid underneath a truck and then the monster caught me because I was out of bullets. Then, of course, I was all the way back at the beginning. Ack.

Don't know how long the game is, but perhaps a checkpoint is in order (once you jump out the window?) Maybe you don't want to implement checkpoints, but I was getting sick of hearing the same voice overs at the beginning several times.

Sliding down the building was very clunky.

Also didn't like how if I jumped right before the stairs I'd be stuck right down to the stairs once I hit them. In other words, jumping to skip the stairs wasn't possible.

It seems the bullets are actually very important to win the game. When is it best to use them? Does it matter if the bullets hit the monster? These things were unclear to me. BTW, the bullets fly sort of awkwardly, as if they are bags of sand or something.

YAY! Someone who didnt mind the voice acting!

And yeah, the download is only 43 megs but when it installs it ends up being 180 megs :/. We used the panda3D engine to make the game so the engine took up the most space.

Yes, the bullets are VERY important to beating the game. You'll hit the monster no matter what when you shoot. Make sure you keep track of how many bullets you ration your bullets!

[supershigi]

Hi Roger!  I just wanted to let you know that I downloaded your game and I'm going to play it soon.  I'll make sure to leave you some feedback when I finish... I'm actually quite looking forward to this voice acting that everyone is talking about, hehe!  I didn't realize you worked on this game with your brother, that's really cool.  I've recently been trying to pull family members into the world of video games... I've had the most success with my Mom (she's actually playing WoW and Animal Crossing DS now, hehe). 

[rekcah]

AAHA yeah.. My brother eats and breathes video games . Mom and Dad? Not so much...

That's so funny that your mom plays wow ahaha, yet awesome at the same time!

Anyway, cant wait for the feedback. 

[TheDustin]

I haven't given it a shot yet, but from what I'm hearing the constant rehashing of the voiceovers has been a problem. Maybe you could change it so that the voiceovers don't start up till you get to an area you haven't been to before?

[Christian Knudsen]

Yeah, it's not that I didn't like the voiceovers themselves -- I think you did a pretty good job on them. It's just the repetition of them every time you restart.

[X3N]

Cool game! the blue part after the first ramp is kind of hard to see. The monster seems to warp/get reset at certain checkpoints, so you can save ammo. Haven't beaten it.. how much longer after the second ramp? Restarting is kind of irritating. Great aesthetics!

[rekcah]

Cool game! the blue part after the first ramp is kind of hard to see. The monster seems to warp/get reset at certain checkpoints, so you can save ammo. Haven't beaten it.. how much longer after the second ramp? Restarting is kind of irritating. Great aesthetics!

It's not too much longer after the ramp.

[supershigi]

Hi Roger, I played the game today and wanted to leave you some feedback! 

1.) It was quite fun.  I liked how the music and clean scrolling really made the pace feel fast and exciting. 

2.) I actually got a kick out of the voice acting because it was so funny.  I really look forward to the voice acting in games like "Time Crisis" or "Typing of the Dead" for that very reason; it's cheesy, but that's what makes it so cool.  I totally busted up at the "I'm a dead man" part

3.) I could not get past the part where you're sliding down the side of the building because I wasn't sure at what point I was supposed to jump in order to avoid the blue barriers.  I tried jumping right before the barrier, and I also tried jumping from further back (thinking that gravity might help me jump further), but I failed both ways.  Where are you supposed to jump from in order to not die there?

4.) I wasn't sure how much my bullets were actually affecting the monster because sometimes it seemed as though they didn't knock him back at all.  I also started realizing that the monster's position reset at certain locations.  Perhaps graphically showing the monster reeling back after getting shot would help the players get a better feel for how to ration their ammo.

5.) You did this in 8 days??  Awesome.

Overall I really enjoyed it, great job!  Good luck in the IGF and thank-you for sharing this with us!

[cactus]

Just saw clips of the game on ByteJacker. Looks sweet, too bad it doesn't work on my computer

[rekcah]

Awesome! rComplex on bytejacker!!? damn..

And here I'm thinking it was forgotten about already! AHAHAH.

Hi Roger, I played the game today and wanted to leave you some feedback! 

1.) It was quite fun.  I liked how the music and clean scrolling really made the pace feel fast and exciting. 

2.) I actually got a kick out of the voice acting because it was so funny.  I really look forward to the voice acting in games like "Time Crisis" or "Typing of the Dead" for that very reason; it's cheesy, but that's what makes it so cool.  I totally busted up at the "I'm a dead man" part

3.) I could not get past the part where you're sliding down the side of the building because I wasn't sure at what point I was supposed to jump in order to avoid the blue barriers.  I tried jumping right before the barrier, and I also tried jumping from further back (thinking that gravity might help me jump further), but I failed both ways.  Where are you supposed to jump from in order to not die there?

4.) I wasn't sure how much my bullets were actually affecting the monster because sometimes it seemed as though they didn't knock him back at all.  I also started realizing that the monster's position reset at certain locations.  Perhaps graphically showing the monster reeling back after getting shot would help the players get a better feel for how to ration their ammo.

5.) You did this in 8 days??  Awesome.

Overall I really enjoyed it, great job!  Good luck in the IGF and thank-you for sharing this with us!

LOL thanks!

By the way, you can only knock the monster back but so much so thats why it might look like the bullets dont have an effect after awhile. You have to kind of whatch your bullets and make sure you use them at the right time when you think you're gonna get caught.

[X3N]

Yer, hint: iirc you don't have to actually shoot the monster till the third room or so? Because it resets its position at doorways. That's if you hit all the jumps/slides correctly.
Cool game