ThirtyMinutes

So here's a demo level of a, let's say, psychological game The story: the player, a psychoanalytic, is persecuted by somebody who seems to be one of his patients. The pervert thing about it is the fact that this BIG BAD UNWNOWN is detemined to kill you in thirty minutes, as if life was a game.)

I don't know if this demo is super-impressive, just, that the basic thing is hidden and not visible. Behind the scene there is a very complex AI engine working which emerged from SmartTalking nodes. So we cared about the visual, but in this stage this was not the core thing.

In spite of an extensive jpg and ogg compression, the demo is quite huge (38 MB), so be aware of that.

http://www.superfluxus.de/ThirtyMinutes.zip

One of the reasons to publish in such a premature state was that I am loking for some really gifted modellers and animation specialists.

I have dealt with biovison and have seen that this would be absolutely great in conjunction with the node architecture of the SmartTalkingNodes engine. If you feel capable of doing some really stunning thing, don't be shy to contact me.

Hmm well I think the demo doesn't work as it should on my pc. The structure of the ZIP is very confusing, maybe you've packed something you didn't want? If I remember correctly, you own the pro version so I shouldn't have access to all of the files, should I?
When I start the .exe, I get an error that the _setup.dll is not a correct windows file or something similar to that. And ingame, I can walk arround but nothing happens except some bubbles moving upwards.
Could be my PC, because I have a Radeon 7000 atm...

same for me. but it should run on my hardware, ive got an ati radeon mobility 9600 (pro?) so i guess that cant be the problem.

strange, maybe you missed the setup file, it does everything automatically.
You don't habve to worry about anything, setting up files or directories.

1) Unzip the file,
2) run Setup.exe

that's it.


I have to admit, zhe sheer number of files (520 or so) is abhorring - one reason to buy the pro.

Somewhat too fast I had the idea that I could have placed a wrong zip version on the server, but it was fine and working as described above. Nervtheless I have deleted this file (just in vain - but it's gone), and it will take an hour or so to transmit it anew.

Does this work for anyone else? I'm not sure what your supposed to do. I clicked on the "screen" at the end of the first level, and was taken to some room with a couch and a window, and it locks up. Can't move the cursor or nothing. Task Manager shows that the memory for it keep creeping up, like its allocating something over and over again in a loop.

I have the exact same problem.

yes, you did what you were supposed to to. But the room should open, instead of blocking you.
it's an extremely huge level, so it may take a minute or so to load all the extures. t's tested on GForce 4, ATI Radeon. The graphic card should have 128 MB. GeFoce 2 would load the level - and when everything is read in, it would even run. But it's no fun with a frame rate of 5 fps.

A GeForce 4 and a RAM of 512 is fine, it should run without any problems.

On thing to mention is: I have added the ogg DirectShow Graph of Tobias Waldvogel (having used intensively ogg files to diminuish space), so you should run this first. - But t shoudl even run when the DirectShow graph is not isntalled (in a mute state).

ok, it's back on the server again (and I hope I will get some positiv installation feedback). The first two posts seem to have overlooked that there is a setup file, so that's a minor problem, I think. And the last two ones? Frankly: I don't know. Maybe yozu can give me some feeback. - I won't have too much time to follow this topic since I am leaving for a trip tomorrow, so tonight's the night...

Well if the level is really that huge memory consuming, I'm not surprised that I cannot move and the engine freezes because, remember, I have a Radeon 7000 installed currently Executing the setup file was in fact my missing point with the first problem, after the installation the game started normal.
Sorry that I cannot help you any further, but I guess my hardware is too limited for this task.

for me is working. but i don't understand the game

nice to hear that it's working.

Just a few explaining words what's it all about (and this is my last post before I leave).

What you see is the starting point of a bigger project. You're in the situation of a psychiatist/psychoanalytic, beging haunted by a former patient. Or maybe it's paranoia, maybe it's youe imagination that is hauntig you and things run wild. You can never be sure. But imagined or not - strange thing are going on, with the effect that you won't survive 30 minutes.

30 minutes - that means 30 ways to die. It's like a phrase of the old Paul Simon song: Fifty ways to leave your lover.

In the current state all this is just a conceptional nucleus. So this demo is much more a look and feel thing, more a promise than a finished thing.

What I was looking for is a maximum of interactivy. - As I said, the basic thing is behind the scene, a very flexible AI structure, which allows to define an ever changing environment. In a way it is a desideratum, that you don't know what's is all about - you have to find out, bringing all the pieces and details together. This is the reason why nearly everthing in the room is interactive, that you can read books, files etc.

THINK, that's the motto (and this might be really depressing for all the shooter fans).

I guess that the users of our softare tools (Tiny Tings, Mobile Rooms, SmartTalkingNodes) will have a notion, what I am talking about and how an intense atmosphere could be created by this.

So this is the project which brings all these software preliminaries together.
It will emerge rapidly, since it's getting concrete now - but that enough promising now. Time for rest and vacation.

No probs here, even with GForce2MX and what an intriging litle game.
Good graphics and all BUT, why did you not use WASD as well? or did I miss something.
Anyway, back to this intellectual stuff(hurrrmmmphhhh...)

Oh my god! I got stuck in this dark part of the level and kept running and running and screaming and screaming!....

I like the music...it reminds me of Silent Hill a bit. Sounds right at home there. I'm still trying to figure this darn thing out.

I know if you press crtl brings up a panel for what time you have left and your intelligence.

This game has so many files and I could only load the first level which you can't seem to do anything at except for click the clock and have it tell you what the game is about.
I just stood there and waited for my physical damage to go all the way down, and then the screen went black and nothing happened.
How do I play all the other levels?

I clicked a bunch of times no the clock and was taken away to a dark room with the clock and some other kind of structure. The game froze after a few seconds, so I don't know what was going on. Also, in the first room there is a box on the outside of the level. I'm not sure what that's all about, either.

After clicking on the clock, I then clicked on the screen behind the clock and went to the Flat.
Clicking on one of the background images sent me into the darkness.
Might help.
Cheers.

I just tried the demo on my notebook, Centrino 1,5 GHz, 512 MB RAM and Radeon 9700, and I got the freeze again when entering the room with the window. There has to be a problem in this level.

I liked the demo but was a bit confused. I didn't get any dialogues except the one at the clock. I went behind the curtain, found the box, some sort of entry was made in the grid screen of that very cool interface (very very cool). I managed to spot some walls in the dark by looking at the base of the particle effects and eventually I saw a few 'pinholes' -not sure if by design or accident- and followed them. I managed to get wedged in and trapped somewhere as a result. I also found the curtains in the dark but try as I might to follow them or to conduct a circular search pattern I couldn't find the lit area.

I did not that the "F" key beeps and the 'switch player view' key (F7? I'm at work) gives you a quick glimpse of the lit areas but that's all I got.

The particle effects were very cool -like being inside a lava lamp. Think I'm going to download and try the TinyThings particle generator when I get home.

Looks like it could be interesting but it locks up right after you enter the "main" play area.

P4 2.4
1GB DDR
GF3 Ti200

I've clicked on the clock and it put me in a room and froze my whole computer. I had to pull the plug out. I've tried it again and it did the same thing.
Sorry, but I'm not going to run this exe again, do you know what the problem may be?

Froze my pc up too, seek the root of the prob dude!

and one more time: froze my computer, too.

How about another? My computer froze also. I even let it sit for like 1/2 an hour to make sure. I wonder if he gets the point yet? Hey MB! Does it work on your computer?

MB had said he was on his way out of town if I remember correctly. Sure he'll get it when he gets back.

Same thing at the couch room.... locked up, task manager reporting 94-98% CPU use. This was for 20 minutes. Did not have to reboot, tho.

Did you notice the amazing reflection map on the T.V? Quite amazing really.

I am back again - and wondering what the reason was that let all these computers freeze (and others not). It has been tested on 3 different systems and worked without problems, so I am quite eager to find the problem.

We located and solved the problem of the demo download (it was something due to Windows XP), but decided, nevertheless, to postpone the demo relase for a while. The download would have been much more than the current 34 MegaByte, and that would block our site too much.

Here a few screenshots of two levels (a cinema, and the office rooms of a company).

Martin this is beautiful -well done!

Wow thats great looking,
If you want somewhere to host it pm me and we can set something up, I have a 10gb/mo bandwidth allowance so I should be able to.

Looks good, but I would work a little bit on the lighting of the cinema, just a sugestion

another shot, an underground garage.

I loved everything about those screenshots, just not the wood textures on those tables. Very good, extremly talented.

Outstanding work Martin! I really enjoyed the music in the demo. It really set and edgy, psychotic mood. Good work. These newest screen shots are looking great too.

Don

Excellent work!!!

I echo everyone here. Wonderful work. Looking forward to the demo.

I enjoyed your demo. It doesn't feel quite like any game or demo I've played before.

I liked your screenshots as well, but I think they could use some lighting changes. There's a lot of broad, white, ambient lighting in some of your shots; I think some more color, shadows and accent lighting would add some more to the general atmosphere you seem to be aiming for. Just a thought =]

John

thanks for the nice comments so far, which I take as a kind of moral support. For sure, you can always improve things - illumination, material and so forth. I didn't take much about it in the current state. You won't see any shader effects for example. So in this state everything is about geometry, modelling and texturing. Nothing special at all.

I am desperately awaiting the 6.303 version, which will allow the use of *.fx files - this will be the moment to tune up the visual quality.

The texturing, modeling and level design looks beautiful. In some places the lighting doesn't make much sense. This is most noticable in the cinema, where the light fittings down the sides are dark and the room looks like it is lit by a couple of large invisible lights sources in the middle of the room.

Despite that, it still looks awesome.

I see the point of previous posts about lighting. IMHO, though, not every game has to have dark, moody lighting to be good. I think that dark "look" is a bit overdone. Surely there is room for a game where you can see where you are.
So, yes, it can be improved. But, darn, it looks pretty good to me, overall.
Regards,

Agreed, but I'd have to say that dark, moody lighting is the only viable option for a demo like ThirtyMinutes. Cheers,

John

It's not the brightness I was refering too. It was the logic behind the light sources. The light fixtures are dark in the cinema and it appears to be lit from the middle of the room. I think it would be good with lights coming from the light fixtures and really long range, slightly dimmer lights in the centre for ambience.

You can see it in the other shots too. Like the dabbs of light on the stairs that don't seem to come from anywhere.

the game looks frigging beautiful but i cant even figure out how to get out of the first room, it jsut happens some times.

Very good work. Congratulations on great levels. How long have you been working on this game for?

Jeremy

I am leaving my underground and getting outside.
Geat feeling: that there's no need to care about lights and illumination, but only sky above and nothing else.
No, that's not true. What happened was, that I confronted some severe frame rate considerations.



So - going into complex geometry like these few (still unfinished) buildings, sucks framefrate and makes you wonder, what ways there may be to circumvent these problems. I really like the engine, but would love to see it running much faster.

@cumpterprogramer: Yes, all this is extremely time-consuming, but programming is worse and you don't see anything. What I found painful as well as extremely satisfying, was doing archiect's work: rebuilding these edifices, texturing them, things like that. It looks really habitable after a while.

Hope I can post a little scenery soon.

Quote:

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So - going into complex geometry like these few (still unfinished) buildings, sucks framefrate and makes you wonder, what ways there may be to circumvent these problems.

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Maybe, this could help you: Lutz Tewe's culling system