Art of The Thunderbolt: A New Weapon
about 8 years ago – Wed, Feb 24, 2016 at 08:14:12 PM

Hello!  Before we get started, we want to give an EXTRA special thanks to Martijn from the Netherlands for being our first $8,000 backer!  We really appreciate it! 

For the remainder of this update, we're going to focus on one element of Overload: The art of making a weapon.  We'll be back Friday morning with a large update about the campaign.  Chris Claflin, our lead artist on Overload, will take it from here:

I'm excited to share some of what I've been working on lately. While the Overload campaign continues to gain support, development on the game has not come to a complete stop. Luke has shown off some prototype weapon development, and today I'm going to share some of the visual side of that process.

Revival is a lean and mean little development team, so we have to work as efficiently and collaboratively as possible to be successful. One way we do that is staging out asset development in a way that allows for rapid iteration and is flexible enough to allow things to evolve throughout the process. These images and timelapse videos give a peak at some of our process in action.

And here are the results of the process along the way.

Above are the quick concept sketches: We choose C as the primary direction.  Below is the first 3D concept pass.

You probably want to see how this weapon works in the game, and we'll be sharing some all-new footage of that (and many other weapons) on Friday.

Thanks for you support, and continue to spread the word about OVERLOAD!

- Chris

New Reward Tiers and Dan Wentz Interview
about 8 years ago – Mon, Feb 22, 2016 at 08:37:49 PM

We're excited to announce we've added 3 new reward tiers today, along with a couple physical add-ons.  Beyond those, we've also got a sneak peek at a song and a full interview from sound designer/musician/level designer Dan Wentz.

OVERLOAD KEYCHAIN & CREDITS - $75

The first new reward tier includes everything at the DIGITAL STRATEGY COMBO PACK level, plus a high-quality rectangular laser-engraved metal keychain with the Overload logo.  It also includes in-game credits.

All reward tiers above $75 will also receive the Overload keychain.  The $90 reward level is now essentially the same as the $75, but also includes PC Beta access (and has free shipping to anywhere in the world).

SNEAK PEEK FORUM ACCESS - $200

The next new reward tier includes the $150 tier rewards, plus exclusive access to a special SNEAK PEEK FORUM on playoverload.com.  In this forum we'll be posting behind-the-scenes updates throughout the entirety of the project, including raw gameplay footage and images of in-progress levels, weapons, art, robots, etc.  We'll also post about in-progress design and story work.

All reward tiers above $200 will receive SNEAK PEEK FORUM access.

LEVEL DESIGN ALPHA - $750

The final new reward includes the $500 tier and is limited to 25 backers.  With this reward, you'll gain access to the level editor months ahead of the release (before the game releases).  You'll also have access to a LEVEL DESIGN ALPHA forum, and at least 4 small group Google Hangouts calls with Luke Schneider and Dan Wentz to discuss the editor and level design.

All reward tiers at $900 and above have the option to join the LEVEL DESIGN ALPHA for no extra charge.

NEW PHYSICAL ADD-ONS: EXTRA T-SHIRT & EXTRA BOXED COPY

All reward tiers at $120 above now have the option of receiving an extra T-Shirt for $35 or an extra Boxed Copy (PC) for $30.

DAN WENTZ SONG & INTERVIEW

Dan Wentz has been around the Descent community for a long time, as he joined Parallax Software in 1995 and contributed both levels and songs to Descent 2.  He also designed many of the levels in the Vertigo series (expansion for D2) and made quite a few memorable custom multiplayer levels including Vampyro and Stadium.  Dan worked as a musician and sound designer with Volition until 2011, and we're excited to be teaming up with him again on Overload.

Before we get to his interview, let's take a listen to a sampler from a possible track in Overload:

1) How did you happen to work on Descent?

I guess you could say I lived a dual life. My prior background professionally was in computer-aided design where I became very comfortable working in and creating within the context of 3D rendering environments.

Also a lifetime musician, I played piano starting at a very early age. Classically trained, this eventually led to an obsession with synthesizers, and the world of recording, sampling, MIDI sequencing, etc.

Working on both fronts with the common thread of computers naturally led me to an interest in PC games. I still remember the first time I actually saw and played Descent in its then very early stages at the last Chicago CES show open to the general public.

But it was through a friend I met while playing in a band that I found out about a job opportunity working at Parallax Software.

2) Of all the Descent tracks, all versions, what is your favorite and who was the composer?  What about it stands out for you?

That’s a hard question. I guess it somewhat depends on my mood. But, I have to say the opening orchestral score of Descent ][, Base Return by Peter Rotter has always made a deep connection with me and is among my favorites of any game ever made.

That piece has the same emotional impact with me today as it did the first time I heard it. I recently heard it for the first time without sound effects and voice, yet I could still tell exactly what the situation in the scene was based only on the musical cues. That’s not easy to do right, where it’s not too forced or deliberate. This piece just flows.

3) Of your own tracks, which is your favorite?  Can you describe the creation process?

The very first track I ever submitted by request from Matt was what became the MIDI briefing track for the Descent ][ demo! So it naturally has some special significance for me.

The mood was to be very dark with luring anticipation and have a steady constant pulse running through out. I submitted the rough draft after a few hours of working on it and together with Brian Luzietti at Interplay crafted it to what you hear in the game. Being a sequel everything on Descent ][ happened at a very accelerated pace. The basic game play formula had been established, we were refining it more this time.

4) Could you describe the overall style of Descent music?

Descent music is historically a mixture of orchestral, live, industrial and electronic elements all intertwined together. Very few hard rules apply, and you are just as likely to hear live guitar and processed human vocalizations as you are thumping cascades of electronic percussion and evolving arpeggiated synth/bass lines.

In short, it is a mixture of everything that I consider to be fun and awesome to work with. It is dark, haunting at times, distorted and a game where I can always go back to just the music and still relive the experience.

5) What equipment do you use?  How is it different from back in the Descent days?

I have about a 50/50 mix of devotion to hardware and software. I still use sequencing software to run external devices via MIDI for some tracks in any given project but am not afraid to tax my CPU with a few select plug-in instruments and effects.

While speaking of hardware, I love all things made by Apple, Access, Nord, Korg, Roland and Moog especially. Recently I’ve started to include more and more iOS tech into my pipeline, both as a sound generator and controller. On the software side, basically I try to stay away from the most popular/maybe over used instruments and instead try to dig deeper into the ones I have and have more experience using. Sometimes too many options at your disposal can lead to distractions so I try to limit myself to a defined pallet of instruments for a give project.

6) You're also well known for your level creation?  How did you get into that?

That goes back to my CAD background. I remember having a few days to get familiar with the editor before I began working down there and that was very beneficial. It was so much fun to use it became hard to put down.

7) I hear you were a good Descent pilot.  Are you still?  Did you ever try to design levels to give yourself an advantage?

I guess so, I became better by practice and playing a lot of multiplayer from home. Many close friends still play it to this day.

8) Everyone knows you did sound and music for FreeSpace.  How did that experience compare to Descent?  And how about Red Faction?

Well as I took on Freespace and eventually Red Faction, I was given the opportunity to take what I learned on the previous project and apply it in a more focused, emotionally moving direction. In the case of Freespace the most significant difference for me was the switch from strictly MIDI music to working with samplers and external music gear. Literally working and thinking outside of the box, I became more brave and bold. Freespace 2, at one point in development became something of a space opera and was so much fun to be a part of. It also contained a lot of world and tribal percussion elements.

And then there was the great story and cinematics, what really got me pumped up on FS2 was the inclusion of Hollywood voice actors. What an inspiration that was!

Red Faction was actually a big surprise to me, in that I didn’t think it was going to be so big. There, I kind of split down the middle and anything related to the protagonist was primarily driven by one style of music, hopeful and heroic; while the parts involving the antagonist where portrayed in a darker and menacing feel. That game also had many cases of player induced destruction which allowed for big climatic moments. It also had various styles of game play, from run and gun to stealth. All of these games were fun to work on for many reasons.

9) Are you going to be creating levels on Overload?  Do you think about fitting the music to the level?

Yes and yes! We’re going to be working very deliberately at raising the bar this time around in all categories. Paraphrasing from Mike put it in the Kickstarter video, “the feel of the game is right and everything else derives from there.” The atmosphere alone is going to provide a lot of inspiration.

10) Are there things about Overload that would make you want to create a different kind of music than in Descent?

Certainly, I am anxious to see what direction we take. Above all I want to make it memorable but it needs to fulfill the desires and expectations of those backing the game, the community. Working on the single player experience first will also allow for a more involved approach, tied more tightly to the environments and situations in the game. I certainly see more opportunities for locational/event-driven music in a single player experience and haunting ambient under tones mixed with driving percussion and instruments.

INFERNO 2 - Free to backers! (and Greenlight and Dev Video #2)
about 8 years ago – Fri, Feb 19, 2016 at 04:47:31 PM

Inferno was once the name for Descent.  It actually had a few names, starting with XYZ Bots (it was partially inspired by XY Bots).  Then the game was called Miner.  When it came time to send the game to publishers, we came up with the name Inferno.  Here's one of the early design docs.

Many years later, Luke Schneider started Radiangames in 2010 after working with us for 12 years at Outrage and Volition.  The first year Radiangames released 7 small action games on Xbox Live Indie Games, with the most popular being the twin-stick adventure-shooter, Inferno.  Three years later, Inferno 2 was released on iOS/Android and was Radiangames' most popular and best-reviewed game.  But the game is really best with a gamepad, and an enhanced version was released for Steam in July of 2015.  Here's some gameplay footage:

We're happy to announce that all backers (at $25 and above) will receive a free copy of Inferno 2 on PC.  We will send out Steam codes within a week of the Kickstarter ending, and everyone can enjoy the stylish 4-degree-of-freedom (aka twin-stick) adventure-shooter.

DEVELOPER VIDEO #2: PROTOTYPE WEAPONS

Luke spent some time this week working on a couple new prototype weapons for the game, and recorded the process. The video begins with some 40x timelapse development, then a quick look at the 2 new weapons at the end. Keep in mind these weapons might not make it into the final game, and if they do, they may look/sound/act quite a bit different.

OVERLOAD ON STEAM GREENLIGHT

Overload is now on Steam Greenlight.  Feel free to head on over and give us a Yes vote if Steam is your thing.

NEW TIERS & ADD-ONS COMING MONDAY

We've been compiling all the feedback and trying to figure out the best ways to add more tiers, rewards, and add-ons without overdoing it.  We'll be adding the majority of the new stuff on Monday, so look for details in that update.

- Mike & Matt

T-Shirt Mock-ups, #mOverload, and 1st Timelapse Dev Video
about 8 years ago – Wed, Feb 17, 2016 at 06:30:07 PM

Greetings from Revival!  We are one week into the Kickstarter campaign, with 23 days left to go.  It's been a big first week, but there's a lot left to do to reach our goal, and we're working hard to make it happen.

T-SHIRT MOCK-UPS

Check out the t-shirt mock-ups that Chris Claflin created!  None of these are final, but they give an idea of what we're thinking for the exclusive Kickstarter t-shirt reward.  Feel free to chime in with your favorite or feedback on what else you'd like to see on the T-shirts.  In a few weeks we'll have more refined designs, and we'll do an actual survey to let all T-shirt-level backers vote on their favorite design.

TIMELAPSE DEVELOPER VIDEO

Yesterday, Luke recorded some of his work on Overload.  He tackles some issues with the level editor, as a prelude to working on larger levels that combine multiple prototype levels in one.  It may not sound glorious, but even programming can be fun to watch when sped up to 30x normal speed.  We'll be doing more of these, hopefully with more level design, gameplay elements, and maybe some modeling/sketching as possible future subjects.

#mOverload

Luke, Chris, and Mike have joined forces to *not* shave until Overload is funded.  We're not sure it's the smartest idea, and Chris had a big head start, but either way it's all in good fun.  If you want to join in and maybe even help spread the word about the Kickstarter at the same time, tweet a pic of your growing facial hair and be sure to include #mOverload or @PlayOverload so we're sure to catch it.  Facebook, Instagram, Imgur, or whatever else you prefer will work too.

One Word: MULTIPLAYER!!!
about 8 years ago – Mon, Feb 15, 2016 at 08:21:22 PM

At Revival Productions, we've been consistent about our desire to make Overload a great single-player game, a high-quality 6-DOF shooter that everyone can enjoy. We are aiming to release it in March of 2017 on Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC/Mac/Linux. None of that is changing. However...

MULTIPLAYER EXPANSION; FREE TO ALL BACKERS!

Due to overwhelming demand, we are now committing (if the Kickstarter makes it) to making a MULTIPLAYER EXPANSION for Overload. We always wanted to have multiplayer and believed we would eventually, but we did not feel comfortable making a public commitment to it. It's too easy for something like multiplayer to blow up the schedule and adversely affect the single player game. We want to hit our single player date with a great game.

So, here's our plan: We will deliver the single player game in March, 2017. If the Kickstarter campaign is successful, we will deliver multiplayer as an expansion sometime after that (likely 6-8 months). Everyone who backs the campaign at the DIGITAL EDITION reward level and above will receive a free copy of the multiplayer expansion. We are not sure on the scope, but it will include the competitive modes and key features that kept Descent going for over 20 years.

REDDIT AMA NOW LIVE

Matt Toschlog and I will be starting to answer questions on our AMA on Reddit in a matter of moments.  The main topic is Descent, but we won't be surprised to get some questions about Overload as well.  Head over there right now and ask all of your burning questions.

FORUMS LIVE AND 25% FUNDED!

Two more quick things: We've launched our Forums on playoverload.com. We're excited to get some more interactive discussion going in one central location!

And: We just hit 25% funding this morning after just 5 days. We still have a ways to go, but we're expecting to make a big push this week and we want to thank everyone for their support so far!

- Mike Kulas