Hi there! I would like to take the opportunity to introduce Cogito Colony, a project I am working on in its early stages (everything shown so far is WIP).
An ongoing devlog is also found on my twitter, where new stuff regularily gets posted too!Overview - A fresh take on classic metroidvania elements
So far, so good - the focus is on mostly non-linear exploration of a 2D sidescrolling world, with the map expanding both horizontally and vertically (with about a 2x weight on horizontal). Many elements that have stood the test of time will appear in this project too, such as dedicated save/restoration points, a map, and largely unhindered exploration. This project however will aim to keep "doors" as well as skill-based barriers of entry into areas down to a minimal amount if possible, in order to reduce dead ends whereever applicable. Instead, different enemies and thus implicit difficulty depending on your chosen playstyle are supposed to make you consider exploring other parts of the world first, without an actual leveling system.
The Setting - a hearty amount of cyber with a decent bit of punk
The planned world is based on a colonized planet in outer space, with areas ranging from rich native flora to glistering cityscapes, run-down industrial areas and claustrophobic underground passages, all interconnected. You play as Lynn, a cybernetically augmented protagonist with a basic kit of combat options including melee attacks, a dash and a ranged attack that you can freely upgrade. Upgrading is done via a simple but effective modular system - you will have up to 16 equipment slots (0x0 - 0xF), with individual pieces ranging from size 1-4, sometimes just boosting a particular value additively, sometimes changing how an ability works at its core. At every save-point, you can freely change your entire setup, as long as you found or crafted the equipment pieces you want.
The Art - a modern take on low-resolution
The game will play at a native resolution of 640x360 (360p 16:9), with several scaling and fullscreen options available. The reasoning for this is simple at its core - the lower resolution will allow for a higher abstraction level in design, while at the same time acknowledging modern aspect ratios and providing more detail than the classic 320x240 or SNES resolutions. The game art will not be true pixel art - in fact, the rendering pipeline is already rather complex, with ambient and dynamic lights, weather effects, realtime soft 2D shadows, optionally postprocessing and generally a large array of (settings adjustable) rendering methods that determine the final color of an individual pixel using modern shading and a full 32-bit palette while preserving a hint of retro appearance. This is also true for animations - most animations will run at a full 60fps, and important parts like the trails rendered by Lynn's signature weapon, the plasma blade, are not only physics-based in the visual department but also work this way in gameplay - if it looks like you hit it, you did hit it! And if you happen to be flying backwards as a result of a heavy enemy knocking you back while swinging your blade, then it will look just like that, drawing a trail based on the real physical position of your blade. Most of this is rather hard to describe - a few animated GIFs from early development probably better show this!
The Soundtrack - From neoclassical ambience to epic church-organ tracks
As an unique twist compared to most sci-fi settings, the soundtrack will not actually be electronic music as one would expect. In fact, I find that the areas you will explore in the world of Cogito Colony are all supposed to carry a specific flavor and atmosphere that is best reflected in what will amount to an unorthodox, but coherent soundtrack - from ambient strings and piano tracks for peaceful and melanchonic settings to choirs and church organ tracks (based on real samples) for epic key moments and getting the smothering vibe of towering skyscrapers across. I will be composing the entire soundtrack by myself, and while I am still learning, I have probably years of time left to do just that, given that release of the game is *very* far away still at this point
The Development - solo, no crowdfunding planned yet, no publisher responsibilities, "it's done when it's done or maybe not"
The title says it all - when the project will actually be completed is not foreseeable at this point. It could even fail. But I am not planning to take any money for it either before it becomes rock solid or even just not at all, and I'm not going to expand the team beyond just me - the main motivation for doing this game is actually as a hobby that combines artistic and engineering elements into a fun mix, with no clear timeframe given and no answering to any other entities, so yes, I can selfishly say that "I'm doing this for myself" - but if it actually ever completes, one thing is for sure: It'll be done with love
. And one thing right from the start: The game is being written in a completely custom, java-based engine, using openGL (lwjgl) and essentially implementing most things from complete scratch to get the exact result I want. This also means that consoles or other release options are excluded right from the start, but linux may just happen without much extra work! If you hate Java with a passion though, you will not like it - don't worry, I'll optimize where possible
Cogito Colony on twitter
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I'm content now with my homebrew animation framework and confident I can use it for somewhat fluid movements for Lynn, NPCs and enemies alike.
Most graphics (and this goes triple for animations and gameplay) are prototypes as the project is still at the beginning of its development stages. I definitely plan a functional map system either way! Here is some recent shots:
