We Have Not Yet Been Formally Introduced

Hello everyone!

It has been a while since our last update as the holidays have been proving to be quite the distraction for all of us. From work, seeing family, and spending even more time sitting in traffic, we haven’t been able to put as much time into EDGAR as we would like. We also have been working on a lot of organisational stuff that, while crucial to the game, is not very glamorous or fun to read about. All I’ll say on that front is we have been creating a structure so that networking can be built alongside singleplayer instead of tacked on at the end, and have been creating even more space efficient spritesheets which means more LPSI (loot per square inch).

The team behind EDGAR is composed of volunteers from across the globe and up till now have only been referred to as “the development team behind EDGAR”. That wasn’t good enough for us so we decided to come up with a devteam name. So now, everyone’s favorite pixel lootfest starring Edgar Allan Poe is being created by Wrought Iron Games. Fancy, no?

Within Wrought Iron Games we have a producer/designer, a programmer, an artist, a composer, a sound designer, and a web programmer. We think this would be a good time to introduce ourselves one by one to the community.

Producer/Designer

My name is Kyle Reid, or CptSteam, and I’m the producer and designer for EDGAR. I’m a graduate of Cal State University Long Beach (CSULB) and  have been fortunate enough to have done contract work for Walt Disney Imagineering. The multiple roles I’ve had with them over the years have given me valuable experience in creating interactive experiences. Theme parks and video games have a lot of similarities when it comes to interactive storytelling and I’m putting everything I’ve learned into making EDGAR a unique and memorable journey.

My goal for EDGAR is to create a game that appeals to both gamers and readers; blending history, imagination, and good old fashioned hoarding into a scotch-flavored delight for the mind and the senses.

Programmer

My name is Patrick Fires, but you can call me Azreaal. I am the lead (and sole) programmer for EDGAR, and I’m just here to tell you a bit about myself. I’m currently attending school for Game Design and Simulation, with a focus on C# Programming. I’ve been doing basic programming since middle school, just playing around with Python and C, but when I discovered how powerful and straightforward C# was, I knew it would be my favorite language. I do know a bit of Java/Script, C++, and XNA, but EDGAR will be running C# all the way.

I’ve been working with Unity for about a year now and I’m constantly learning that I know nothing of Unity’s true power, discovering more and more each day. While EDGAR will be the first full-length game that I’ve programmed using the Unity game engine, I have made a plethora of other cheap just-for-me games, from text-adventures to 2D tank wars to 3D starship battles. I am truly blessed with this opportunity to learn more about Unity and game programming in general, and I look forward to passing all of my knowledge on to you through EDGAR.

Artist

I am jackjackthejack, or just Jack for short, and I am the lead artist for EDGAR! I am currently studying Design at the University of Otago in New Zealand where I have learned a lot of creative skills that I am now applying to my passion, video game design. I love games such as Sword & Sorcery and Lone Survivor. With their pixel revival art style and their ability to create tonnes of atmosphere through it, these are two games that have definitely influenced my artwork for EDGAR.

Through my artwork, I hope to create a rich and crazy world for the player to get lost in, that is enjoyable and interesting to explore each and every moment.

Composer

Hi, I’m John J. Harvey, and I’m one half half of the audio team behind Edgar. I’m responsible for the musical content in the game, and hope to create an atmosphere of Victorian London, with a modern and often comedic tint. I like long walks on the beach, deep conversation, cheesecake, and my star sign is Sagittarius. You can visit my website at http://www.johnharveymusic.com or my soundcloud at https://soundcloud.com/johnharveymusic.

Sound Designer

My name is Dan Pugsley (Captain_Dan) and I am the sound designer for EDGAR. I’m a freelance audio designer / editor and I make sound for pretty much anything – games, commercials, idents, films and corporate stuff! A lot of my time recently has also been spent helping out with sound design for YouTube channels such as TomSka, Eddsworld and Corridor Digital.

Games have always been a huge interest of mine, and working on audio for games seems like a very good way to justify the huge number of hours I’ve spent playing them. I’ve only just started using Unity but I’m looking forward to learning the ins and outs of the audio side of it, and hopefully make EDGAR sound as awesome as it will look!

Web Programmer

Hey everyone, I’m Lucas from Argentina. Most of my experience is on web development, but recently I’ve started getting into game development too, and I plan to start contributing to EDGAR with Unity asap!

In the meantime, I’m preparing a website for EDGAR!

I’m also a Go player and I practice ninjitsu, so watch out

So now that we know each other better, it shouldn’t be awkward if we take this relationship to the next level. A movie, a fancy dinner, maybe a little holding hands. We can take it slow if you like. Whatever you do though, we’d love to hear from you with ideas, comments, concerns, or questions, and you can do so by talking to us on Twitter or on our newly created Subreddit.

That’s all for now! (Unless you want to schedule that date now)

Sincerely, Wrought Iron Games.

In which we Reveal Player 2′s Character

We reached 50 Twitter followers today, and as promised, have revealed the second playable character! This famous author will accompany Poe on his adventure in a co-op fashion. Why, it’s none other than the father of steampunk literature, Jules Verne!

Outnumbered but not overpowered

Co-op for Edgar will be playable both online, with anyone in the globe, or on the same computer, hopefully with someone you know. The game’s difficulty scales when a second player is present, meaning stronger enemies, and a greater number of them.

I’ll light the way, don’t stop SHOOTING!

Having a second player also makes for new game mechanics, like allowing one player to illuminate the path while the other fights, or pulling two switches at the same time to reveal hidden passages. Not only are players able to show off their loot while playing with friends, but they are rewarded with new experiences.

Duels, the ultimate gentlemen’s sport

We would also like to implement a dueling mechanic, where players can challenge each other to a (not so) deadly game, and find out who has the fastest reflexes.

Thanks again to everyone following us on Twitter (@EdgarAllanPwnd) and to everyone who has been spreading the word about our game!

Gameplay Teaser Video

Well, enough of you asked to see some gameplay footage that we decided to actually put the pieces together and show you what we’ve got. So here we are, the first gameplay video from EDGAR.

There are a few things missing from this scene, namely the Health and Ink bars. Health will be lost when Poe takes damage, and Ink will be used as “ammo” for every type of attack. Ink can be found throughout the levels and is also dropped in a gooey mess from defeated Foes.

This is also the first time we’ve released any of the original music for the game, so we hope you enjoy it!

As always, we’d love to hear what you guys have to say, so feel free to do so in the comments below, or on our Twitter, @EdgarAllanPwnd!

‘Tis a Brief Post, Nothing More

They may not have money, but they have feelings

This will be another short update, for we are all working our hardest to be able to show off something soon. Our artist is working on a new environment, a piece of which you can see in the image above. He’s also working on new Foes, animations, and our inventory screen. Our programmer is continuing his work on combat, which had to be redone somewhat as we decided to split Poe’s arms into separate sprites and separate layers. The reason for this is to not only allow the possibility of dual wielding, but to give more natural looking, context sensitive animation to the hand not holding a weapon. New pieces are being written by our composer, and they’re sure to be quite marvelous when finished. Our sound guy is giving the game that extra touch of immersion and making killing bats even that much more satisfying.

That’s all for now, but expect big things soon!

As always, thank you for taking interest in EDGAR!

Bats, Combat, and (even more) Hats

Last week we told you a little bit about the direction we plan on taking EDGAR, even giving you an example of a literary character we will be including: Dracula. I opened up my browser today to discover Google’s Doodle, informing me that today is Bram Stoker’s birthday. In celebration of this, here’s a screen of how Dracula will appear in our game.

Count Pixula

Even though the version of Dracula with the clean-shaven face and the slicked back dark hair is the more recognizable one, we’ve decided, in this instance and in all others, to stay as true to the literature as possible. Not only is this great fan service to our well-read gamers who will pick up on the subtleties, but will serve as our own little shrine to some of our favorite authors.

Gone batty

We’ve also begun putting combat into the game. We only have two basic attacks at the moment, a sword for melee and a pistol for ranged. Now that enemy AI is wrapping up and the bats and rats are actively chasing down Poe, it’s time to give everyone health and allow them to start beating each other up. This is one the last things we need to implement before getting a video out for everyone to see.

Some Digital Hobo Love

We also have Health and Ink bars ready to go. Originally we were planning on having an anatomically correct heart on the screen, but have decided that more traditional bars suit our needs better. Don’t worry, we still have plans to use it in a different manner. Currently the bars are broken up to a beginning sprite, a middle sprite, and an end sprite, meaning we can extend both of them as Poe gets stronger throughout the game.

So what are we working on now? There’s still loads to do with combat, but while our programmer is working on that, our artist is working on a new (less claustrophobic) level that we hope to show you soon, and, as always, hats, helmets, and every other type of accessory you can imagine.

Thanks for checking in on EDGAR’s progress, and as always, let us know what you think!

Phantasmagorical Poe Plot Post

This game is 100% historically accurate…

…is what I would say if we were making an entirely different game. But we’re not. We’re making EDGAR, a 2D adventure platformer starring Edgar Allan Poe. If you are unfamiliar with our project, check out our announcement post, though you may as well keep reading this update to learn about the game at a little bit deeper level.

He’s kind of handsome, in a strange, not-so-handsome way.

When we announced EDGAR, we were thrilled to see that people enjoyed the concept of it as much as we did, but we also received a lot of questions, so before I go on: Yes, I am aware that Edgar Allan Poe lived in Boston and, yes, I am aware that Poe died just under 40 years before the Whitechapel murders took place. There may be some people out there for whom these inaccuracies prove to be insurmountable  and to them I apologize. To everyone else, however, I hope to deliver to your machine a fun, funny, and all together fascinating journey through Victoriana.

Just because we have made the decision to forgo historical accuracy, does not mean that our game will not be educational. Quite the contrary in fact. We aim to immerse the player in an imaginative, 19th Century world that has a distinct, “Victorian” feel. We are taking inspiration from music, literature, art, and themes from one of the most culturally rich periods of history and shoving it through our Pixel-O-Tron (patent pending) for your consumption.

An image from our inspiration folder

An example of a literary concept with roots in the Victorian Era, which we have been drawing from, is that of detective stories. Arguably, the most well known detective is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes who first appeared in 1887. However, Poe himself dabbled in detective tales with his character Dupin. Dupin’s tales were a source of inspiration for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who asked, “Where was the detective story until Poe breathed the breath of life into it?” We’ve crafted the story of EDGAR with all of this in mind, so much of the game will revolve around Poe locating clues, each one bringing him closer to unraveling the mysteries of his wife’s disappearance. Yes, we have already stated that Jack the Ripper is the villain of this tale, but in a game where a brooding 19th Century poet can run around in silky pink pajamas while wielding a foam finger, I caution every player to expect the unexpected.

Victorian literature will also have many direct references throughout the game. We aren’t ready to go into too much detail just yet, but we will say that one character who will be stepping off the pages and into our game, is Dracula, from Brom Stoker’s 1897 novel. As Poe continue’s through his dark journey, he will encounter numerous characters familiar to the player (or English majors at least), some friendly, some not so much. Each cameo will serve as a glimpse into the expansive literary world that awaits those who may have always meant to read some of the classic novels but never got around to it.

I vant to make you use a continue

If all of this sounds ambitious, then great! We have big plans for EDGAR. If all of this sounds like gibberish, then you may have aphasia.

We hope you enjoyed discovering a little more about our game, and as always, we’d love to hear your questions and comments, either right here on the blog, or Twitter @EdgarAllanPwnd.

Aziz! Light!

We’ve had quite a productive week, and have a few new things to show and talk about.

Three (not so blind) Mice

First off, we’ve implemented real time lighting into the game. We’d like to thank @robotloveskitty for sharing his lighting solution for his game, Legend of Dungeon. What this means for EDGAR, is that we have new ways to achieve the Gothic atmosphere, as well as ways to implement new gameplay elements.

Journey to the Center of the Sewer

We’ve given Edgar a Ruhmkorff lamp, which was an early portable, electric lamp, featured in many of Jules Verne’s stories. When hanging from his hip, the lamp casts a faint area light around Edgar, allowing him wield a weapon of his choosing to fight his way through the darkness. The player is able to wield the lamp as well, where the light becomes stronger, and more focused. This will prove a useful tool when encountering carnivorous subterranean men who are extremely sensitive to light.

Out of Fuel

We’re continuing to work on the Brighton Sewer level as well. While not the first level of the game, it is near the beginning, and we thought it would be a good first level for us to start creating. The multiple passages, the darkness, the stinky and slimy enemies, all of it is just so much fun to work on.

I can smell him already

That’s only some of the things we’ve been working on the past week. We’re continuing to create new enemies, weapons, hats, costumes, and animations. We’re also beginning to implement the combat system, so expect to see Edgar shooting and slashing his way through enemies in the near future. Speaking of which, we are even closer to being ready to release a gameplay video. It won’t reveal too much, but we’d like to show you what we can.

In the meantime, keep checking back here for updates and don’t forget to follow or talk to us @EdgarAllanPwnd.

The Post Announcement Post

This will be a quick update for the week, as one of us was off at the Food and Wine Festival at EPCOT (and ate and drank enough for the whole dev team).

Our programmer is fine tuning Edgar’s movement, making sure that he accelerates and jumps exactly the way we want him to. He’s also working on enemy AI. Currently our enemies consist of a gnarly looking sewer rat and this Lovecraftian creation called an InkDrink. Both of which we plan to have scurrying across the levels shortly.

Our artist is working on a handful of things, including animations for Edgar, experimenting with color palettes, and creating art for the HUD, like that wicked, anatomically correct heart above. The plan is to have the blood drain from the organ as the player takes damage.

In addition to those items,  we’re working on getting more assets into the build, including sound and music, so look forward to a video in the next week or so.

In the meantime, continue to tell your friends and family about EDGAR, and make sure you follow us on Twitter @EdgarAllanPwnd, or just click on the sidebar to the right. Its a great way for you to hit us up with your questions, thoughts, concerns, and ideas regarding the game. We’ll be using Twitter on a daily basis for smaller pieces of info but our major announcements will still be right here, on the devblog.

Until next time,

The EDGAR Dev Team

Announcing – EDGAR

With this post we are announcing the development of our 2D adventure platformer, EDGAR. We’ve been working on the game for a month now, and feel like its time to talk about what the game is about and what he have so far.

100% historically accurate.

In EDGAR, players will play as Edgar Allan Poe as he chases Jack the Ripper through an alternate Victorian London. Along the way he will build an arsenal of weapons, costumes, and accessories that will help him fight through increasingly difficult enemies. The loot in EDGAR is the primary source of character progression, and will be made up of both randomized and handcrafted items.

“They’re too spliced up!”

The loot will be one of the defining elements of EDGAR, bringing not only character customization and changing game mechanics, but a quirky style that will play off the game’s dark, Gothic atmosphere (more on that, especially music, another time!)

They have the worst pies in London.

The game is being made in Unity3D, though it is entirely 2D with pixel graphics. Our artist has done a fantastic job establishing the feel of the game and we’re still refining it further. We want players to experience the Victorian Era like they never have before.

The Victorian ‘Crate and Barrel’

So where are we at right now? Currently we have Poe running, jumping, and idling whenever you have to put on some pants and go answer the door. While the main story will be made up of handmade levels, there’s an “infinite dungeon” mode planned with randomized platforming elements, and currently, we have items spawning randomly. A new level is generated every time you reach the end of the one you’re in. We also have a quill cursor which will be used for combat and using the inventory.

At the moment loot will also spawn, but without the inventory, it automatically equips on pickup.

So there you have it, our first post about our game, EDGAR!

Make sure you check in occasionally for more updates!