Midnight - Enter the Survival Horror (DEMO + Teaser Trailer)

Midnight. This time there is no princess to rescue, there is no evil to vanquish, there is no world to save...

This time, all you have to do is survive...

RATED M for Mature
Contains: Foul Language, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence

...but if you can't handle all of that in 2D then you should seriously just get out of here now.




Story

"Devil's Island...

It's been in the news quite a bit lately. Apparently people have been going to Devil's Island...and are never seen again. The locals have been saying that they go to Devil's Island and are torn apart by the spirits of those lost at sea. Mind you, that's just local superstition. There's no such things as ghosts.

Naturally the police have investigated the island, but they found nothing. Still, Devil's Island is my only lead on the person I'm looking for. There's got to be something on that island that will give me some idea of what's become of her, so I'll be taking a trip there later this evening. I heard that a group of college students are getting ready for a trip there anyway, so maybe I'll hitch a ride with them.

I've got a bad feeling about this island, but I should be fine. I've had tougher cases before. Besides, no ghost will dare bother me as long as I bring my little "friend" along to keep the peace. It's almost 6:00 now, so I better head down to the docks to see if I can get myself a free ride with those college guys. Wonder why they're going to the island, anyway? It sounds like they're planning to spend the night there.

...(sigh)...I can already tell. I've got a long night ahead of me..."




Characters

Spoiler for:

Other Characters

Spoiler for:

Daniel Sorbens - A reporter at the Daily Times. Missing for two weeks now.

Alfred Skinner - A German geologist. Missing for three weeks now.

Gerod and Emma Thimons - Newly wedded couple. Missing for three weeks now.

Rasse Johansson - A local police officer. Missing for four weeks now.

Shadowy Figure - A dark figure seen on the balcony in the demo. Impossible to tell if it's even a man or a woman...

Woman in White - The mysterious woman seen in the teaser. Just who is she?

Screenshots

Spoiler for:

Highly interactive enviorment. You can examine almost everything.





Engaging active combat system designed for fast gunplay.





Upgradable weapon system based on number of trophy's you collect.





Multiple story paths and endings. Every choice you make will affect the way you play the game.





Over 3 hours of puzzles, traps, chases, and much more.





Mode Seven Chase Scene (beta). Sprite provided by Emidy.





A complex and changing story. What really happened on Devil's Island?





Only through uncovering the past will you stand a chance to survive the future.

DEMO is now available!
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=Q9VT09B7


Just keep in mind a few of the following things:

1. You can only explore the first floor and part of the basement in the demo. The most you can go to is finding the first two coins.
2. A lot of items were rearranged in the demo so that they could be easily found (including those normally accessible upstairs).
3. You are allowed infinite amount of pills and bullets in the demo.
4. It takes fewer hits to kill an enemy or blow its head up.
4. There are a number of bugs being worked out. If you find one, let me know.
5. It is a long download because I forgot to delete a bunch of things not used in the game. Sorry.
6. This IS a mature rated game, so if your mommy is looking over your shoulder and you get in trouble, it's not my fault.
7. You can save your game by examining the bibles.


IMPORTANT NOTE: Apparently some computers can't handle the Mode Seven intro, so if the above version does not work or is generally slow, you will be wanting to use the "Mode-Sevenless" version of the demo below:

http://rapidshare.com/files/96834140/Midnight_Demo__No_M7_.exe.html




Teaser is now available!
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HOLPAU7D

Just a short teaser to garner some attention and make people say "Work faster, you damn furry!"




Beta Mode Seven Scene
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=682FLPDE

This is a test of how mode seven might help my game out. Imagine this: someone has just activated some sort of self-destruct system on Devil's Island and you have only two minutes to escape before everything blows up!

The point of this "minigame" is quite simple: avoid the mines and stay alive for two minutes. It sounds easy, but it isn't.

Remember that this is just a test scene.




Credits

RMXP: Enterbrain (no kidding)
Mode Seven: MGCaladtogel
AMS: Dubealex.com
Facesets: Sozaimenu.gozaru.jp/english.html
Tilesets: TeamAnti.com
Sprites: Etorie, Ninesages.org, Emidy, Dertt, and Sozaimenu.gozaru.jp/english.html
Music: VGMusic.com, Master_of_Time, and HaloOfTheSun (Mansion ~ 2nd Floor)
Sounds: Partners-In-Rhyme.com
Icons: Phanx.com, Ninesages.org
Everything Else: Ninesages.org

If you find something in the demo that's yours and you didn't get credited for it, PM me and let me know so I can fix that.


Progress

Maps: 80%
Sprites: 85%
Puzzles: 85%
Enemies: 80%
Effects: 70%
Music: 100%
Story: 85%

Overall: 85%







Important Note:

This project has been lost/discontinued from its original form. However, you can find a remake of this project here: Midnight Remake. It is a complete overhaul of the original with updated graphics and mechanics, albeit still incomplete at this point of time. Feel free to play and enjoy it for what it is so far. :3

This looks pretty good, and like it could be genuinely creepy.

oooh just my type of game really. MYSTERIES!!!!

Good Luck got my eye on this

It's not going to be so much a mystery...
It going to be more like a:

"Oh s#$%! Oh s#$%! It's still f#$%^% after me! Gahhh! Where the f$%# did that OTHER one come from! @#$%!"

Lol, still going to be fun XD.

The two indoor screenshots where the light is dim are excellent, but then the mapping in the other screenshots can use some work.

I used to have that clock image as a wallpaper once

Oh and the game sounds brilliant. I like it when you step out of the box and do other kinds of stuff. Let's just hope it gets finished, eh?

Your larger maps are a bit empty. They could use some work.

Other then that, it looks great. Looking forward to a demo.

C:/RMRK/NewMembers/Zylos.exe has been moved to C:/RMRK/AwesomeMembers/

UPDATE! Demo now available!

I like feedback, both positive and negative. Just keep in mind that this is still a work in progress.

Very awesome. I believe I finished the demo and it rules so far!

Good job and I can't wait to see more!

BTW, it's probably very obvious, but the game is a lot creepier if you play on fullscreen (ALT+Enter) and with the lights out in your room. The whole point to a horror game is to be creeped out.

I belive i played through the whole Demo also. Not to be mean or anything but this was more MUST PLAY MORE then I think i wet myself game. (Just not easily scared, if it wasn't on RMXP i think i would be)

I still say its one of the best games out there.
Also i see why your maps are the way they are, there needed to stop the zombies for any period of time you can afford, also you need space to not get killed

But, i couldn't find the escape button o.o (Was on ALT + Enter)
Also, would be nice if i knew when the demo was over. (Didn't have anything left to shoot)

Yeah, the demo is "over" once you've inserted the second medallion.

So things I need to add:

1. More scare.
2. More zombies.
3. Shutdown button.

Anything else?

Not that i can think off.
One thing though, Do not change what your doing its a good game and challenging. 

Thanks! 

I have some more challenging puzzles finished that aren't in the demo, such as a music memory puzzle (where you have to pair off a bunch of jingles), a box pushing puzzle, a code decyphering puzzle, and some others that I don't want to spoil.

Another feature that's not in the demo is the Sudden Selection feature, which is shown in one of the screenshots. What happens here is that every once in a while during a cutscene, time will freeze and you will be asked to choose an action. The outcome of your choice may affect anything from simply how difficult the next part of the game will be, to affecting the plot itself (such as a character death or the very ending itself).

I'm drooling over this man. I forgot to mention, Garrett is a pretty cool character. I don't think much characters are like him. And good luck with everything else i'm watching.

A demo finally!
I am downloading now, can't wait to play it. 

Now that my game has garnered at least some notice, I have a request from you guys.

I need a name for the following character.



He is a sinister but respectable looking man, who is absolutely paranoid about security and is borderlining schizophrenia in the incident on Devil's Island.
His first name should reflect his aristocracic personality, while his last name should reflect his dark nature.

PM me for name ideas.


EDIT: Strike that. Someone gave me a good name to go with.

UPDATE!

While the demo remains the same, I've completely finished the entire mansion and basement areas. I've also added a new experimental mode7 chase scene, which should now make my game seem more intense. Once I've worked out the bugs on it (and have made some appropriate chase sprites), I should be able to finish the remaining 40% of the maps and start working on everything else.

I'll also try to upload the demo to another host, since I personally think Megaupload sucks. I should have that done by tomorrow.

Edit: Should this be moved from New Projects?

It should. I think the Demo is 15 minutes long. And before i forget, YAY UPDATES. lol

Since it's not an RPG where you have to spend hours leveling up and wandering around dungeons, the game itself will be fairly short. You could probably finish it in a couple of hours, if even that.

The length of the demo depends entirely on the player. If you know what you are doing, it could take you about 5-10 minutes. But if you've never played the game before, it could take you anywhere from 10 minutes to a half hour. It's all up to the player.

Lol, i think it also depends on our luck. The rolling balls of death took me 2 trys lol, and it took me awhile to find the basement.

It was very good. I must not be that good at it LOL. I got to a part where you go into a room, a door behind you and a door in front of you. and when you go a litle bit forward, a zombie comes in. I wasn't fast enough and was on low health. Very creepy. It kept me on the edge of my seat. I also like the creepy Game Over music.

EDIT: I made it to the part in the room with all the spike traps. After killing the dog thing, and the door opened, I got scared and tried taking out my gun, when it was only the girl. XD

Downloading now. Will comment when I have time to play through the demo. For now I will move the project to the regular section as it meets requirements

The rolling balls of death took me 2 trys lol

 

You made me giggle.

lol, you actually got the joke XP. i was being serious but i had to try that XD A.K.A (Serious Joke)

Oh a question, in the full game -

1) How much Ammo do we have before we reload
2) Will we be able to hold catridges(However it's spelled)
3) Will we get new guns, i belive it's john who had a shotgun.

Just curious.

The answers:

1) 15. However, I'm still working out a reload button, so right now you don't have to worry about reloading as long as you have some bullets left. You'll find them scattered throughout the mansion and from fallen monsters.
2) I don't quite understand what you mean by holding cartridges. If you mean carry around the bullets as an item, then the answer is no. There'll be a display of how many bullets you have left under your HUD.
3) Right now, you only get the one handgun. However you will be able to upgrade your handgun to better versions that deal more damage and have a higher chance of blowing up an enemy head.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to work on my game as often as I'd like since I'll be heading home for the holidays tonight. My house only has one computer, and my twin is usually on it more often than I am. But don't worry! I promise some sort of update soon anyways, even if I have to throw my brother off the computer by force. So...

So long, and hopefully I'll be back tomorrow without having to murder my brother!

Alright, lol looking forward to your return.
Well you answered my question(2), i actually ment it like - A resident evil 4 thing, where you have a box of ammo and carry it around. But your way is better 

Okay, I just finished playing through the game. It took me half an hour, but that's partly because I couldn't remember where the broken grandfather clock was. Anyway, I think you're really onto something great here. This game has one of the best real-time combat systems I have seen. It's extremely fluid and user-friendly. The game wasn't really scary, in my opinion, but I definitely want to play more. I love how you would return to old rooms and encounter new enemies that weren't there before. There is a very Resident Evil feel to this game; lots of stuff reminds me of the original RE. Your health display, the way you are asked if you want to pick up every item, and...well, the zombies of course.

The things you really did well: (1) Combat. Magnificent. I would like to see some more challenging enemies later on in the game, however. (2) The ball-and-spike puzzle thing was amazing. I only barely dodged that first ball, but I ended up dying soon after. It was very well put together. (3) The lighting effects in the basement. Very eerie...it really helped establish the mood. The painting that watches you was great too.

Things that could be improved: (1) A way to exit the game, although someone already brought this up. (2) The creaking doors get a little annoying after awhile. Might I suggest only playing the sound during cut-scenes and when you can actually see the door swinging open? But it's your call. (3) The dialogue. It was a bit awkard at times...no one seemed overly concerned about finding the dead body in the wolf room, and if they couldn't get out the front door, then how did they know the boat had sunk? Other than that I didn't have a problem with it.

All in all, a very worthwhile game, even if it's a bit on the short side, even for a demo. I'm looking forward to seeing this one develop. Keep it up.

I'm back! My brother isn't coming home until thursday, so I have the computer mostly to myself until then. 

In reply to Erk64's comments, there are tougher enemies than zombies. As the game progresses, you'll notice that corpses will start returning to life (the one in the demo was toned down a bit), dogs will become more frequent, and newer enemies will start appearing, such as the Bandersnatch (the green monster in one of the cutscenes, I won't say any more for those who haven't seen that scene yet), and some others I haven't named yet.

I will add a shutdown button, but right now that's pretty low priority on my list of things to add.

Yes, that creak can be annoying, but it doesn't feel right without it. The most I can do lower the volume of that.

One thing you'll notice about ALL games is that they tend to have corny dialogues that occational don't make sense. But I'll see what I can do to make it a bit less awkard without ruining what I already have. It's a bit difficult to do since there are many different dialogue paths (for example, if say you head upstairs and trigger another cutscene first, the cutscene in the wolf room would then refer to that cutscene upstairs), but I'll work it out.

I'll post a real update soon. For now, I need to get some sleep. I've been on a train for nearly 12 hours now, and the only thing I want to see is my pillow. Later!

You know what? I can't believed I screamed in front of my computer. My parents must have think of me a weirdo.
I luv your games! can't wait to see more of those creepies~XD

UPDATE!

I have now finished the mode 7 scene. All I need to do is find that good motorcycle sprite I saw a few months back, so once I find that I should be able to start work on the remaining maps. I have also added three more characters, but as they are all plot related I will not disclose details.

I have also taken all comments into consideration and made numerous edits to what I already have done. The doorcreak is less annoying, the dialogue is still corny sounding but is at least consistant, there are more zombies but they are in places you won't expect to find them (be wary of windows, paintings, suits of armor, cracks in the wall, and most importantly, be aware of what's behind a door before you open it...boo), there are now enemies added that can instantly kill you by decapitation, and I am currently working on a second set of buttons (one to reload, one to change directions while your gun is equiped, and one that will allow you to shutdown or return to the title).

It's actually a smaller update than it sounds, but it's an update nonetheless!

ooooh one hitters, i'm gonna have to get ready to run like a little baby then  also great updates looking forward to this even more, also Poor emidy 

Also!!!!!!! Those lines WERE NOT CORNY! i enjoyed them but everyone else will kinda or maybe agree 

Well, some people thought the lines were corny. I won't change much of the dialogue, only enough to make it seem more real and consistent.

On a side note, I seem to be getting mixed replys as to how scary the game is. Some people seem to think that it's not scary enough while others think it's already too scary.

lol, well then i guess you should keep it as scary as you had it before. I also know some people thought the lines were corny, just saying my opinion.

If you make it to scary for others i don't think you'll get as much play as you would if it was original way. I would still play no matter what  now, back to waiting for you to finish this lol.

UPDATE!

Probably the last one for a little while, as my brother comes back today. 

Anyway, I've made a good number of new maps to explore, including the graveyard and the laboratory. Still need to add the enemies to them, but that should be easy enough. I wonder how many people will freak out in the graveyard when zombies can suddenly grab you from the ground?

Needs a Machette.

What?! Zombies from the ground! Uh...I'll be fine...I'll be fine...
Scary or not, they're surprising for sure. I guess that's how a horror game should be.
(PS. You'll make a good horror movie director.)

Emidy, i don't think we want him directing movies, he might really unleash his creative sides. 

Zombies from the ground makes me think of resident evil for some reason...

Actually I'm a college student with a Film/Video major, so you never know what the future holds for me, Emidy.

Actually I'm a college student with a Film/Video major, so you never know what the future holds for me, Emidy.

Seriously? So am I! It's a tough major, so I wish you the best of luck.

Anyway, I would like to clarify what I said before. I never really meant to imply that the dialogue was corny. In fact, it is very well written. However, I did find that in one or two places the dialogue didn't seem perfectly natural; there were places where the dialogue seemed to move too quickly and jump from one topic to another. I guess that's to be expected, however, considering it is a game.

I think the new additons sound fantastic. The zombies that can grab you from the ground sound great...I can't wait to see it in action. Has the demo been updated with these new freatures? I'm really looking forward to playing.

I got stuck. 

Where are you stuck? o_O

Well, I've got the heart medallion and club medallion, and I've opened up the basement, but it seems like the only place to go is in circles. 

I'm back!

No, the demo itself has not been updated, only the real game. When I'm most of the way through the game, I might make a new demo that allows you to go a little bit further but remove some of the cutscenes so that it doesn't spoil the plot.

Okay, the demo is technically "over" when you've USED the two medallions. You can keep playing if you want to but there's nothing else to do after that. If you're stuck on where to use the medallions, I'll give you this small hint: the Crown Key was originally called the Fountain Key, and someone on the island the has that key. Or should I say HAD that key...

The only thing I've worked on since the last update has been making more zombie sprites out of the RTP characters. BTW, a big thanks to Emidy for making an awesome chase scene sprite for me. I've added a screenshot in the first post of what the scene might look like before I've added some details and obstacles. Once again, thanks Emidy!

Oh, and just a side note to EVA, there is no machete. You do get to have a knife, but you can't use it against the zombies. I originally intended for you to be able to use it as a weapon, but I decided against it since it would mean reworking my battle system to include a melee weapon PLUS having to make some difficult ABS sprites for it. That's like a day or two's work for a weapon that would only be used as a last measure attack anyway, so screw that. Your gun should be enough to get you through the game without too many problems.

Anyway, it's been a hassle trying to be on the computer for more than an hour now that my brother's back, but like I said I'll try to keep you up to date as much as possible. If I don't post by tomorrow, have a merry Christmas everyone!

Minor Update!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=682FLPDE

This is a test of how mode seven might help my game out. Imagine this: someone has just activated some sort of self-destruct system on Devil's Island and you have only two minutes to escape before everything blows up!

The point of this "minigame" is quite simple: avoid the mines and stay alive for two minutes. It sounds easy, but it isn't.

Remember that this is just a test scene, and don't feel bad if it takes you several tries to beat it. It's very difficult.

Wow Zylos, I normally don't post in the RPG Maker section, but your game looks very interesting.

I will be keeping an eye on this one.

*Enabled Notify, for the first time*

Update!

I was able to create some more playable characters that can use guns. But you will only get to play as some of them depending on certain choices you make throughout the game. For example, if you didn't get a key item before entering a part of the game that requires you to have it, you might have to play as another character in order to quickly obtain that item.

There will only be one section that actually requires you to play as another character. All other chances are just optional. But keep in mind that playing as another character is not always a good thing, because sometimes playing as that particular character might bring about that character's death later in the game. Then again, it might save them instead. There will be no way to know if you made a good choice or not until long after you've already made your choice.


I also managed to track down some interesting monster sprites and am now experimenting with bosses. I'm trying to find different ways of killing them besides just whipping out the gun and wasting all your ammo. One of the bosses you'll have to time a trap mechanism carefully in order to temporarily disable the monster, otherwise your bullets won't penetrate its skin. Another boss will require you to actually dodge its attack before it becomes vulnerable, but it will only be vulnerable for a split second so you'd have to be damned fast. It's still a work in progress, but if all goes as planned it should be challenging and fun.


On a side note, no one has said anything about what they thought of the M7 Scene yet. I want your feedback, people!

You want us to die in that crazy place :'(

Nice updates though.

The M7 Scene is a bit challenging...but it IS beatable. You just have to have quick reactions. I'll probably tone it down a bit in the real game, but I want people's opinions first as to how fun it is, how difficult it is and if anyone found any bugs.

Damn, Zylos, that was amazing! It was very tense, but I really liked it. I haven't seen the RPG Maker used quite like that before. I'm impressed. Personally, I like the current level of difficulty, and I don't think it needs to be toned down much, if at all, for the final game. It took me four attempts to get through it, but the first time I died almost instantly because I didn't know what to expect. The only thing I would say about it that you may need to fix, is the controls. They seem a little too sensitive; once or twice I wanted to move to the middle, but I shot all the way across to the other side. After a while I got used to it, but it was slightly too sensitive for my tastes. But overall, this was really great. It was fun.

Sensitivity has now been fixed. I'm experimenting with adding a monster chasing you down the passage. What would happen is you would avoid obstacles in the passage like in the M7 Scene, but hitting them won't kill you. It will, however, slow you down a little, and if the monster catches up to you, it's game over.

I've not been able to work on everything as much as I'd like to (thanks to my brother), but things are progressing, albeit a bit slowly. Considering how much I've gotten done in only a little more than a month, I don't think I'm doing too bad so far.

I'll try to keep you up to date on my progress.

  go Zylos, and i ment the boss not the M7 Scene, i just find the gun a bit hard to use for a split second.
But then again what i played was a demo, and i'm sure playing the game more when its done, we'll get use to being able to do that. So disregard my previous post.

Would you believe that I had the computer to myself for almost the entire day? YES!

UPDATE!

The graveyard is completely finished. You'll need to be careful where you step, otherwise a zombie might grab you from the ground. I'm also working on zombie sprites that pop out from the ground entirely (it's harder than it sounds). Next on the list of things to do is the laboratory.

I'm still experimenting with the bosses, but I like what I have got so far. It should definitely make for some intense combat. I'm also trying to experiment with human bosses. Obviously it won't take dozens of bullets to bring a human down, but what if the human was quick enough to avoid being in the line of fire AND had a gun to shoot you from a distance? You'll definitely have to be on your toes to beat that one.

Judging from all the things I have to work on, I'd say the game itself should be finished by early february. In the meantime, I'm working on a second demo which should demonstrate the freedom of choice. It won't tie in with the actual game plot-wise (so as to not spoil the actual plot), but you'll quickly see just how choices will affect the way you play.

Actually i don't belive it!!!!

lol, man you gotta be working hard man. The graveyard thing is something i'm looking forward to.

Spoiler for:

I'm guessing the Human we'd be fighting is the one that we saw on the roof outside the mansion.

Perhaps, perhaps not. You'll just have to wait and see.

...I love being so mysterious. 

Aww man, now i have to wait!!  darn you and your mysteriousness.

Out of curiousity, has anyone had an error with my demo saying "the script is hanging" or something like that? One person PMed me about it but said that it only happens when he has another program running at the same time. I've investigated but I can't find anything wrong with the demo. Does anyone else have this problem?

No i haven't but i'll see if i get the bug to. I'll either post or edit this one.


<Edit>

After i download it again lol.

<Edit2>

Alright, i didn't get any error while playing.
I had Internet Explorer up, My project up, Msn Messenger, and Yahoo Messenger up.
Not sure what else i could do to get the the error, how far was were they before they got the error?

He said that he couldn't even play the game. I have a feeling that it's just a problem with his computer or something, but I need to make sure, otherwise I might have some big problems later on if there really IS a bug.

BTW, happy new year, everybody!

lol happy new years to you to.
I'm sure it's just a problem with his computer, unless i just got lucky. I played the game and had all sorts of things on and not all sorts of things on. And it ran well, i even killed 4 zombies and got a head shot.

It's late for me to say this, but...happy new year, everyone.
I've tried as well, nothing bad happened to me except that I get more freak out with your new scene...
I like the challenge though, don't mind with my scream (it's a must for a horror game!).

Oh...and if an error really occured because of some program running at the same time, he should just turn it off and try it again. As for me, I'm fine.

UPDATE!

I've now got some bosses up and running, most of whom have a strategic way of being defeated. And no Ruzu, you don't have to be super fast with your gun to beat them. That would be making it too difficult.

Speaking of difficult, I'm adding hordes of zombies now. In the demo, you only took on one or two at a time, but towards the end of the game those numbers are going to increase drastically. I've even made one area have twelve zombies coming at you! That should add some scare, when you think you're all alone in a room and suddenly zombies start crawling out from everywhere. I foresee some people repeating "Oh s%!#, oh s%!#, oh s%!#...." to themselves...

I've got a lot of work ahead of me, but Midnight's still alive and kicking!

I love this game! I downloaded the demo last week, but I got stuck when looking for the second coin, but it was still awesome.

Keep it up Zylos!

You still stuck?

I don't think it's a bug, I think it is just me not thinking straight, but I do get a sense of "I have been everywhere" while I am looking for it.

Which coin did you find?

The Charlmagne(?) coin.

You'll need to find the basement. The entrance is hidden somewhere in the library.

Remember, when in doubt, examine EVERYTHING! You never know what you may find.

That is why I love this game.

Yay! People like my work! 

Try playing the Resident Evil series, it's my main source of inspiration.

I knew it... BTW, have you ever play Fatal frame? there is a ghost which cannot be defeated in some area. When he touches you, it's the END. You need to run away from it, and it's actually kinda fun. It can be some kind inspiration eh?

Hopefully his inspiration isn't resident evil 4, that game was all action and barley any scare.(The breathing got from the Iron Maiden and the Regenarators).
Also have you played "The Convent" it has no fighting in it but just the athmosphere of the place is pretty scary  (it's an rmxp game btw).

Also for the updates, s@#%$ freakkin 12 in one room?  i foresee everyone needing at least over 20 retrys.
lol, still love your game. 

I knew it... BTW, have you ever play Fatal frame? there is a ghost which cannot be defeated in some area. When he touches you, it's the END. You need to run away from it, and it's actually kinda fun. It can be some kind inspiration eh?

I've never played it, but I do have something similar in store. Unfortunately it's plot related I can't say much about it.

@Ruzu: I played "The Convent", and I must say I was impressed with it's graphics and ambience, but it seriously lacked in it's story. That's one of the big differences between Midnight and the Convent; my game has a definite story to it.

Also, RE4 was a survival action, not survival horror. My game is not all about action, it's mostly about puzzles and scares. The twelve zombies is supposed to get your adrenaline running, but you're supposed to run away from them instead of fighting them. Remember that in the game you have limited ammunition, so if you wanted to you could TRY taking them on, but the best way is to take a deep breath and run through them very quickly.

The goal of RE4 was to kill everything that moved. The goal of Midnight is just to effing survive.

@Tezuka: Are you still stuck or did you figure it out?

Sadly I haven't been playing lately, but I'll start playing again tommorow.

heh, this looks sweet
makes me want to get back with my friends and work on our mindfuck of a game >.>
I'll be sure to dl this one when it's finished

UPDATE!

Well, no, not really. But I made a short teaser to hopefully entice more people to come on in and take a glance.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HOLPAU7D

Tell me what you guys think.

PS. lol I just noticed that someone went through this thread and replaced the word "c-o-r-n-y" with "SAUSAGEy".
Methinks there be a mod on here who likes sausages 

No, no mod has done it. My guess is Irock decided that c-orn
should be replaced with SAUSAGE in every instance. It is no longer possible to post on this forum

Irock must have a SAUSAGE fetish. Perhaps he just likes his SAUSAGE-on-the-cob a little too much, or maybe he's strangely proud of the fact that he has a painful SAUSAGE on his foot. He probably goes to movie theaters and asks for a large bucket of popSAUSAGE, then complains about the movie's SAUSAGEy dialogue. He just has SAUSAGE on his mind.

Also, I updated the teaser trailer because I found a bug in the first version. Use the link in the first post.

I can see why, we should mob the one responsible. 
Also i forgot to check out the Teaser thingy on that now.

<Edit>

After watching the teaser I want to play this even more! lol, nice teaser

What's with the trailer video?  I only get an unopenable .exe.
I'm on my mac at college though, will that be the problem or am i missin' somethin'?  If it's just the mac that's corning it up then i'll check it when i get home tonight....

Can't play it? Hm, are you able to play any other RMXP downloads or are you just having a problem with mine?

It's just the teaser video i was tryin' for, i'm too busy to play the game just now (says as he ignores college work) but i thought i'd watch the teaser.  I tried mine and it worked fine, downloaded it as a wmv, played it on this mac, saved and all (but mine was 2k3...would that really make a difference to the video though?) but when i downloaded yours it came out as a .exe and won't let me play it at all....

...um, do you realize that it's not a video but rather an RMXP game.exe?

Interesting trailer. That woman in white at the very end looked very suspicious...I wonder who she is? Guess I'll have to wait and find out. Nice job, as always.

the trailer was so short ;-;

It's a teaser trailer, not a real trailer. It's like one of those 30 second trailers that movies put out a year before the film does because they lack enough material to make a real trailer. Thankfully you won't have to wait a year for mine.

The teaser was the game itself?  That'll be why i couldn't view it on my mac at college.  I'll check it later on my computer and it should work then.

Alright, here's my thoughts on the demo.

You did a great job on the atmosphere, it all comes together well to make the player keep on his toes. Puzzles were also good. I do suggest you put hints though, it took me a while to find where the books were meant to go.

That said, I was horribly disappointed on the battles, it's too easy to die, you get trapped in the corner and it's over, you should be able to dive or something. In addition, the gun was poorly thought out, a small room is suicide, I got tired of running away, and stopping to find I turned the wrong way, and I can fight. The menu should also be on a separate key, I kept opening the damn item menu when I wanted to fire.

I suggest giving: An extra health, different weapons (primarily a shotgun so you don't have to be directly in front of your opponents), moving with a gun (slower though), and being able to turn when you take out your gun.

Finally, someone with some constructive criticisms. BTW, there are hints, but they weren't in the demo. Sorry!

I can easily add another level of health or two. Adding a shotgun might be difficult, but I can probably manage it. I can also add the ability to turn while you're equiped with the gun, but I refuse to let the player move anywhere with it. The whole point to drawing the gun is to get the player to react fast on when to pull it out (and fight) and when to put it away (and run away). Lol, yeah I had problems with the item button too, so I already reset it to another key.

Thanks for your input, Falcon.

Even though they're weren't hints, everything was pretty much easy to figure out, the clock and the books were the only things which gave me trouble, you should do something to mark anything of importance. It's all Legend of Zelda like issues, you just don't know what to do, but the answer is very obvious.

I'd also suggest making a room where you can find all the people, from a story perspective, it doesn't make sense for unarmed people to run around with zombies are out, but you seem to far to throw that in.

All the hints are given in the form of journals and diaries. Most of it will just give you some insight to daily life on the island and what happened on Devil's Island before you (the player) came on the scene, but there will also be some small hints that put emphasis on a nearby puzzle and sometimes even show you how to solve it.

You are able to meet the others outside in the courtyard (again, not in the demo), but only after you find all of them.

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I'M WORKING ON IT! Sheesh Anski, these things take time.

I have a question. Why is this image pointing to 11:07ish, when the game is called "midnight"?

It was the best image I could find of a mechanical clock that could signify that time was running out.

Wait, I just realized...I never explained why the game was called "Midnight", did I?

Spoiler for:

One of the major plot points is that something terrible happens at exactly midnight and you have to try to escape the island before it happens. As it draws closer and closer to midnight, tension will start rising and the choices you make will start becomming more and more critical.

Wait, i might've over looked this. but does this happen all in one night lol?

also i was playing again, was someone trying to drink that wine?

I still have't ahd a chance to play this yet.  I can only get online in college and i can't download it here.....damnit..... 

@Ruzu- The entire course of the game (that you play) happens in only one night. It's that way for most survival horror games, so it shouldn't be that surprising. And no, no one was trying to drink that wine. I should probably change that event description.

@Brady- If internet access is a problem, you could always try downloading it from a public computer from like a local library or something and then transfer it to your computer via flashdrive or something.

Finally, I've found the error! I think this happened on computer without RPGXP.
After the title screen, I still can hear the intro song but it's blank and.... 'the script is hanging'.
...still don't know what's the cause. I'll try figure it out if I can.

Script is hanging basically means there's a shitload of lag. It can be the game, or your computer.

Well, I might be able to solve that problem in this update.

UPDATE!

I'm approximately 85% finished. It's taking a while now because of the sheer number of possible scenerio's from the choices you make throughout the entire game. Based on your choices, it's possible to obtain 6 different endings (each of which can also vary depending on which characters you saved), 3 different methods of escape, and 2 different final bosses. In terms of features I haven't added anything new, but at this point in the game I doubt I'll really add anything.


Now then, I'm planning releasing 3 seperate versions of the game due to certain technical problems.


Version One:

    It includes everything I've already told you about, EXCEPT for the merchant and upgradable guns. I'm having a slight problem with the system, so for this version I'm just gonna remove it altogether. But to make up for having only one weapon I'll give the player unlimited ammo, just like in the demo (medicine will still be limited). I expect to finish it by the end of February.

Version Two:

    The exact same as version one, except that I'll remove mode seven from the game due to some people having a problem with the lag that it causes for slower computers. It's not imperitive to the game, so screw it. I'll release version two the same time as version one.

Version Three:

    This version is basically the one I imagined when I started making Midnight. It will include everything I've mentioned so far (version one plus merchant system and limited ammo), AND give the player access to different weapons. I'm experimenting right now with creating a shotgun (wider range), uzi (faster rate of fire), revolver (greater power), and the famous RE rocket launcher. In addition, I'm also going to include a mini-game that you can play after you've beaten the main game. It basically puts you in the role of the antagonist and explains what he/she/it was doing while you were slaughtering zombies.


Whew, that was a long post...

Next person to post here gets their real name added to my game.

Hello

What name would you like added to the game?

Rasse Johansson-Collignon

and yeah that's my name

honestly man, instead of rushing to get a version of your game out that isn't complete, you should hold off and just shoot for Version 3

but that's just what I think

I'm seperating version 1 from version 3 due to the fact that I'm not sure about my capablities and time. It could take months for me to get these extra's working properly, and since they are not necessary to play the game I'm just going to release a version that does not include them. Think of it like Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix. The additions in Final Mix were nice but not necessary.

And Officer Rasse Johansson has now been added to the game. The character does not actually make an appearence in the game, but there are frequent references to Rasse in several of the notes you find lying around the mansion.

This game got like twice as interesting now B) It's looking good anyways, man.

Take a look at this: http://rmrk.net/index.php/topic,24433.0.html

Awesome game!

Great game, demo size to big... 

Rasse Johansson-Collignon

and yeah that's my name

Candlejack told me that Skankers real name is Ras-

I watched the teaser in the midst of sleep deprivation and now that creepy sped-up lullaby is burned into my subconcious mind.

Rasse Johansson-Collignon

and yeah that's my name

Candlejack told me that Skankers real name is Ras-

You can't trust Candlejack, once he tried to tell me that

I watched the teaser in the midst of sleep deprivation and now that creepy sped-up lullaby is burned into my subconcious mind.

Perfect! That's what that little song is supposed to do; it's supposed to be kinda sweet but haunting. Bare in mind that that song is also somewhat important to the story, but you'll have to wait to find out how. Anyways, progress is slow-going thanks to the amount of work I've got right now, but I'm still going. I don't think I'll finish by the end of February as I had originally planned; it will probably be finished by April.

That reminds me, I'm probably going to need testers soon to try out the first half of the game (the stable half of the game). I'll probably post something in the next couple of weeks, so keep an eye out for that! Just one last thing though...who the hell is Candlejack?

Candlejack is a guy. When you say or type his name, soon after you disap

hm...I've finally taken the time out to try this. one thing, I really dislike megaupload, becuase I have to wait for like a hour between each download. you and derret both using them didn't make things easier thats for sure.

anyways, onto the demo itself. the mode seven was really bad, it lags like hell and from a graphical point of view it just doesn't look that good. The lag crashed me, so I couldn't play past John? leaving the room to radio the station.

My mediocre advice

use more dramatic lighting. Have a dark boarder if you think that'll give it a more good feel, honestly all it could use is some more darkened screen tone and maybe a fog. Simple things that would make it alot more dramatic.

when I was watching your intro, my basic thought was "I hope this gets better" (sorry if your already changing the intro, I'm jsut too lazy to read)

The thing that disappointed me the most about it was how you brought up the news paper articles. Those were such great resources, but they were brought up so dully.

the feeling I get from the game, reporting going wrong, the intro feels to me like an old styled movie, opening up with the cigarette smoking boss, typing into that clanky machine, narrating in that husky and desperate voice, "In the summer of blah blah blah" and then going on the spin up those articles, "And so, I have sent my best reporters to the job..." the scene flashing to the boat, cute Reporter and her crew, anxiously waiting to get in. This is just the image I had when I saw through it, but theres so many  ways to tell it.

lol, maybe it's to much coffee for me, but thats just what I feel on the intro.

I like your face set and dialog, it really brings the message across nicely and works well with those facesets. Gomurzu I think, can't remember for sure. hope I get to play this more in depth when you take out mode seven.

you and derret both using them didn't make things easier thats for sure.

Assuming you mean Dertt

Trailer
http://www.mediafire.com/?2myj4fyrxdx
or
http://files.filefront.com/Clericus+Trailerexe/;9585721;/fileinfo.html

Teaser
http://www.mediafire.com/?4lmitjxayey
or
http://files.filefront.com/Clericus+Teaser1exe/;9585818;/fileinfo.html

I haven't played Midnight since it was put in Mode7... what does it even look like?

it looks kindof awkward, but it's pretty cool, still, I didn't like it that much

and yeah, I ment you, lol, it's been to late XD I already finished downloading them both, so don't worry. gonna watch in a bit.

oh, btw, on the topic of this game itself, I opened it up again too see if my computer really is that bad, I had Ro open at the time, well, my computer sucks, but I really like the title music xD

There's only one scene that has M7 in the demo, and that's at the very beginning. I think that if you have a slow computer to begin with, the M7 scene will be lagging like hell. Oh well, that's why I'm making a final version without it. In the meantime, I can probably PM you a copy of the demo without the M7. But not tonight, I'm too tired.

As for the lighting, it already IS darkened, and I just didn't like any darker tone then what it already has. I could probably add a slight "border shadow" on the edges. I'll experiment with it. And I'll see what I can do about the newspapers in the beginning.

yeah, but the word horror just makes me want this game to be super scary XD

.....yeah, to much coffee....it's 1 in the morning and I've never felt better....O_O

I already PMed monkeydlu the M7-less version of the demo, but I figured that I should probably just post the link here for anyone else who is having the same problem as he did.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/3w33ea

No mode seven, and I've removed a lot of files that weren't used in the demo (makes for a shorter download). Other than that, it is exactly the same as the regular demo. If you try it, be sure to let me know if I accidentally removed an important file or not, since I really didn't check to see if it worked before uploading it.

Hey Zylos, what kind of creatures do you have in the game other than zombies and gargoyles? Because I have some pretty disturbing designs which I could put into sprite form.

These are non-plot related monsters, but you might not want to know what your're facing just yet. It ruins the fun...

Spoiler for:

Zombies - The average monsters that you see in the demo.
Neo-Zombies - The corpses that return to life, again seen in the demo.
Hell Hounds - The black wolf seen in the demo.
Bandersnatch - The green monster seen in the demo.
Demon Fly - A giant fly that senses body heat.
Behemoth - Midnight's version the El Gigante from RE4.
Blood Ghost - Slimey enemies resistant to bullets.
Damned Puppet - Mechanical enemies that can take your head off in one hit.

By all means, feel free to PM me if you've got any good resources.

Alright, sweet. This game makes me want to make a scary game, or something scary.

Minor Update!

• Went beck and fixed several errors that have been bugging me for a while.
• Thanks to Dertt, some of the monster sprites have been updated.
• Added an extra health level and a posion status which will lower your health over time.
• Changed battle system so that you can pivot on the spot with a gun.
• Just for fun, I've added a secret playable character who may look very familiar...

Hm, secret character -rubs chin- would it be you?  Darn the poison! You can't get away from it!

Also Dertt i know the feeling, I think your game Zylos is what made make my blood mansion thing.

Also i was playing the game (No A7 Mode) Demo and as i was in the basement and going back up to find the clue with clock the game froze just as i walked to the door. But note this may be just me and something i had might've caused this i'm going to go back and see if i can cause the error again to make sure it was just my fault.

Hm, secret character -rubs chin- would it be you? 

...maybe...

Er, apparently my last post was lost in the crash, so for whoever was asking for help I'll just repost my advice: You need to head outside to the back courtyard. Once there, I'm positive you'll see quite clearly what to use the Crown Key (a.k.a. Fountain Key) on.

@Ruzu - Were you ever able to get that error again? Because I've gone through and I see nothing out of place.

I didn't get it again.

But i did get a new problem, your missing a file where the armor guy is blocking the second floor. "Lancer" blah blah blah forgot what it was really.

FINISH THIS GAME FINISH THIS GAME FINISH THIS GAME FINISH THIS GAME FINISH THIS GAME

I dunno why, but I am tempted to play this for some "Ni Kai" Reason.

<shrugs>

@Ruzu - Okay, try this: http://rapidshare.com/files/96059709/Midnight_Demo__No_M7_.exe.html

@Anski - Have patience; I promise it will be released sometime this year.

@Caro Ru Lushe - What's "Ni Kai"?

Standing for "When They Cry/Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni" for some reason >__>;; (What I also have in my Avatar is related, thou, it ain't as pretty as that. >.>:;

If you want to fix errors I found a big one with the Garod scene. I'm not sure how I managed it, but I saved right before the scene and I have tried various methods to get it to run right but it never does. I did not kill the zombie down the hall, so I exit the save room and nothing happens. I think that is where the event is supposed to happen. It doesn't so I go down and kill the zombie. The animation happens right when I kill the zombie, and unfortunately I am almost always in Garod's path, so I have to turn my game off and try again because he does not have a 'ignore if can't move' and the event gets stuck. (I eventually got my way through it by making sure I would not be in Garod's way.) While trying to figure this error out, I found another error. If I enter the library instead of killing the zombie, the library scene after seeing Garod occurs and I never see Garod at all. I found my way through it, but I thought you might want to know that if you do not kill all the zombies beforehand this error occurs.

Thanks for letting me know about those errors. This version should have those fixed, if you'd like to transfer your saves.

http://rapidshare.com/files/96834140/Midnight_Demo__No_M7_.exe.html

Various Writings to Midnight

_____________________________________________________________


[A written letter found on a blood covered boat drifting from Devil's Island.]

Whoever finds this, please, destroy Devil's Island. The owner has to be dead, just firebomb it please.

But to begin with. I am Maxin Franzen, an artist from Chicago. My boat wandered upon Devil's Island.
If only if I hadn't. The moment I stepped onto that Island, I knew that I needed to leave. I went into the mansion,

and...

well what else is there to say?

I moved into the entryway in the mansion, and instantly was attacked. I got away, bleeding, beaten, and bruised. I'm now laying here on the bottom of my boat under the tarpaulin, and ther


[The rest of the text is unreadable, washed away by blood.]

-

[Poem inside the mansion]

Let me begin, let me end,
Some men wait, some men die.
The survivors must lend
if only to my surprise.

-

[Caption on a painting]

Of God and Men. 1797.

-

[Words etched into a wall]

Savemesavemesavemesaveme

-

[Note from Rasse Johanssan, carved into a wooden desk]

This desk is locked and the key was dropped into the basement.

I can't go get it, i'm too injured...


__________________________________________________________


:3 You could incorporate these into Midnight somehow, just as an extra, things that won't mess with the plot of the game, right?

Sure, why not. I might not word it exactly the same  as you did, but I'll fit it in there anyway just for the fun of it. I've already got some hidden references to Skanker, Irock, and Emidy, so adding another one shouldn't be too hard.

Huh? Why me? Don’t tell me because I was searching for someone there who stole my ice cream… >_>

Lol, no. But there's a certain painting of a woman named "Emily Athrylith" that might look strangely familiar...

Spoiler for:

Hm. Where have I seen her before...?

Who's that? O_o
Hmm.... too bad, that's not me. =)

Spoiler for:

Now that I think of it.. I don't have any pic of me for this past few years... >_>

Quick announcement.

I'm currently multitasking my GIAW entry and a shitload of midterms right now, and right afterward I'll be heading home for spring break, meaning that I won't have a chance to work on Midnight until I come back. But right after that, I'll be setting up a semi-closed testing session. I'll make a seperate thread for this later, but this is just an FYI in advance for anyone who wants help out. The only requirement I'll have is that you have at least 150 posts or more here on RMRK.


@Emidy - Are you SURE that's not you? It's tagged as "me" in your PB gallery.

Awesome Game

Heh everytime I go by this river I think about this game.

Mainly because the main characters last name is the same name as the river

The only requirement I'll have is that you have at least 150 posts or more here on RMRK.

I'm so signing up, I think I have 150 post... I'm not sure.

lol, yes I think you have enough posts, BOE.

The only reason I want people to have 150+ posts is so I know that you are moderately dedicated to RMRK and trustworthy enough not take the link and post it on some other site saying "Hey guys! Look at this great game I made!". Plus it makes sure that I don't get flooded with PM's from noobs saying "OMG! i wan 2 tes ur game!"

But yeah, tests will be coming up in about 2 weeks or so.

You're welcome to PM me a test when it comes out.

I'd love to test it, I forgot to tell you that I played through your demo, I couldn't really find a clear ending, but I got past where the guy who was trapped on the island gets killed by something big.

Yeah, people have told about that before. In truth, there is no actual ending to the demo (something I forgot to put in at the time I was making it  ). I guess you can consider the demo "over" when you've used the two medallions.

I only found the one from the bust D:

btw, that was a GREAT mini game, the hallway with the spikes and everything. You don't mind if I borrow the idea a bit do you? XD

Feel free. It's actually really fun, and I'd love to see it in another game.

And for the second medallion, you'll need to head to the basement. I'll give you a BIG hint as to where to find look...

XD I'll give that a try when I get another chance

Aw Zylos, you made me curious... I think there should be an explanation about the island. Why it's haunted and crawled with zombies. You wouldn't let us dying with curiosity would you?

Oh yeah, now I see your point about that pic on my pb. Those pics aren't me, "me" means "megumi",
my assistant, I called her Me-chan. I was too lazy to write it all. =P

My god. The only thing separating me from this is a hate of horrors.
Looking good.

@Emidy - If I gave all the plot details away now, what fun would there be to my game? You'll just have to wait like everybody else; and if you die of curiousity, I'm sure I can find some room for you somewhere in my game.

@Rune - Give it a try anyways. You might find that you like it.

Heh, I might do... hell, I got scared of Scary Movie 3, nightmares for three nights xD
But if it's got nothing that kinda jumps out at you and freaks you out, I might give it a try

Heh, I might do... hell, I got scared of Scary Movie 3, nightmares for three nights xD

I was too scared to go anywhere near that.
Yanno, for fear that the idiocy was contagious.

meh, I wouldn't want to be in a game like this anyways. lol, I'd rather be someone that actually lives for once XD

on the other hand, I was kindof disappointed when the Asian one was locked inside a room, I mean, seriously, you'd think with all our abilities at math we'd know how to at least use the dam door

This game is pure genuis. 
I like the idea of the game, and how it has been built, good luck! XD

@monkeydlu -

Spoiler for:

He locked himself into that room to escape from the zombies. He thought he would be safe...until it came crashing through the window behind him, taking him by surprise, and...well, you know what happened next.

@Flermza - Why, thank you!

Wow, very impressive. First horror game I've seen on RMRK where I'm actually interested. I'm downloading the demo as we speak, I can't wait to play. I'll give you a full feedback once I finish. If I spot any bugs I'll be sure to tell you ^^

 Right, I've decided to give this a shot. Will download now.

~Edit
Tried playing it, when I select New Game, I get a hanging script error.

Yes, apparently some computers can't handle the M7 intro, so you'll be wanting to use this version of the demo.

http://rapidshare.com/files/96834140/Midnight_Demo__No_M7_.exe.html

Perfect, will download when I get back from my dad's

I must say, I played it, & I can only say:

It's like a Combination of Indiana Jones with Kick-Ass House of the Dead Action nonstop!!! <3

This has been Approved By Caro Ru Lushe Herself D<

 ~ Caro Ru Lushe =3

Progress is slowgoing, thanks to real life issues, but my survival horror is still alive and kicking (zombie pun not intended). In the meantime for those of you who are interested, I've made a quick userbar/thing to put in signatures:

Code: [Select]

[url=http://rmrk.net/index.php/topic,23239.0/all.html][img]http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Zylos_2007/Midnight_Userbar.png[/img][/url]

This is just a post to let you guys know that this project is not dead. It's just on semi-standby mode due to my involvement in the guilds and my real life work load. However, in what spare time I do have, I am still working on this.

Now then, due to a couple of people not being able to handle the mode seven introduction, I'm scraping the mode seven and am experimenting with a new introduction scene to replace it (one that better ties into the backstory of the game). Some of you may have already seen this in the screenshot thread.



It starts out as a black screen. Blood is dripping down as the camera pans slowly upwards to the bloody knife and the mysterious hand holding it (opening credits playing all the while). The hand pulls away and for a split second all is silent. Suddenly, the word "MIDNIGHT" is carved into the screen and blood is splattered everywhere. The screen fades, and we pick back up where the non-M7 version of the demo begins.

This game looks like it could turn out to be a excellent survival horror., you just proved that you can make a horror game with RMXP. I like this intro, with the blood dripping around, it gives a more meaning to the genre of horror for the game. I'll download the demo, when I have some free time, I just hope the complete version of the game would be worth playing.

postin herr to say that your demo is borked =x
I press 'new game' and it plays the wave bgs, and then crashes with a 'script hanging' error

Yes, apparently some computers can't handle the M7 intro, so you'll be wanting to use this version of the demo.

http://rapidshare.com/files/96834140/Midnight_Demo__No_M7_.exe.html

I guess I forgot to update the first post. Just use this version and it'll play fine.

my computer is teh suck 

Just played it and it's awesome. Game has fail to scare me, even if it's a demo. 

Just played it and it's awesome. Game has fail to scare me, even if it's a demo. 

Well, it's kinda hard to do with a 2d game.

Yeah, you got to do the effects right. It won't make it really scary but may make you jump.

I quite enjoyed the demo so far, great work on the game Zylos

Yes, people have already mentioned that the demo's not scary enough. It's more than awesome enough, but just not scary enough. That's something I've been working to remedy, so don't worry. The finished project will be a lot more "jumpier" than the demo.

try using cosmetic fogs on the map to create shading, and hiding zombies in the shaded areas, another thing you could try, is dropping all sound effects to 70%, especially if there was background music.  Then when you wanted something to be scary, you play it at 100% volume, an idue to people turning up their speakers (they usually do) it'd sound like it's 130% volume, and much more surprizing.

it felt like more of a Resident Evil styled survival game than a Silent Hill or Fatal Frame to me.  Which is a good thing, if done right.  But the shock factor of RE was mainly monsters popping out of walls and such when you least expected it, and were -right- next to you in a matter of moments.

good luck with the future of the game

;p Wellm you need to like make mosters appear out of nowhere in the most "Unexpected" places, & enough, I am having trouble just massacring Zombies, d**n them!

yeah, that's something I found rather easy to do, was kill the zombies.
(I know it was a demo, looking forward to the more difficult final version)

;p Well you need to like make monsters appear out of nowhere in the most "Unexpected" places, & enough, I am having trouble just massacring Zombies, d**n them!

Yes that seems to be a goos idea... also you should make like some area monster running to you really fast (like Oven Man from RE4, in the Laboratory where you find the Regenerators monster)

try using cosmetic fogs on the map to create shading, and hiding zombies in the shaded areas, another thing you could try, is dropping all sound effects to 70%, especially if there was background music.  Then when you wanted something to be scary, you play it at 100% volume, an idue to people turning up their speakers (they usually do) it'd sound like it's 130% volume, and much more surprizing.

The fog shading is good for small rooms, but fairly difficult for long hallways. However, it is something that I will try. As for the music, I've already got most of the ambient music set to 80 and horror music set to 100. It feels like I'm cheating if I do it too much though, and it might do more to annoy a person rather than to scare them. I'll keep experimenting with it though.

;p Wellm you need to like make mosters appear out of nowhere in the most "Unexpected" places, & enough, I am having trouble just massacring Zombies, d**n them!

Monsters so far will be coming from around corners, from behind furniture, from behind doors (just as you'r about to open it), from under the soil, from the occational fireplace, rising from the floor (even though you thought it was just another victim), bursting through walls, and even one or two will drop down supposedly from the ceiling (such as how the Bandersnatch does in the demo).

The key to making the game ten times easier is making sure you have enough distance between you and the monster before you even attempted to kill it. If it's too close, put the gun down and run like hell!

yeah, if the Z butto wasn't that away from my hand to reach while I fire & take it out =)


&, the last is, i a way, like goa make the player go around every corner quiet, also, the fact to like, make the room look all clear & suddenly they appear when you thought you were alone x__X Ermm.

I just have some sugar rush . . . last night was just trying to not get squash by the boulders =X

Can't wait for full game. I remember in RE 4, the Regenerators and the Iron Maiden scared the s*** out of me.

I've downloaded the demo, and played it, it was great.

I liked the M7 intro, and esspecially the blood charsets, animations, etc.
The evented ABS is great, except that you can't move when you shoot, annoyed me. XD
Overall this game is good, and I hope that the full game is worth it.

Allright, I'm stuck. Any spoilers on how to get the Club medallion?

Awesome game so far. This is strange coming from me, but this isn't scary enough. I'm really looking forward to future demos, and good luck to you.

Notified and +rep.

Ok, to get the club medallion, you first need to head to the basement. If you're stuck on where to find the basement, think about which room could possibly have to do with those two books you found and examine everything in that room. Once you've found the basement, everything should be fairly easy to figure out.

Hey Zylos, since Clericus is at serious risk of dying to to a horrendous accident, I'm thinking of making a horror game. Care to exchange ideas/resources, my furry friend?

a good horror games is actually really difficult to make properly.

a good horror games is actually really difficult to make properly.

Yep.

Creepy sound effects (zombie moaning, doors cracking, crows, ect.) should help alot.

it's not just that, it's teh composition and how it all comes together.
It needs to feel like more than just anotehr LOZ clone with a different pallate and scary imagery

I'm trying to figure out how to respond her, as it's not really enough to simply inform you that I've been creating dark, surreal images for much of my life, and working in sound design for the past several years, and that I have general experience with real-life psychological horror.
Don't worry, though... my game shan't fail to creep you out. 

Ok, to get the club medallion, you first need to head to the basement. If you're stuck on where to find the basement, think about which room could possibly have to do with those two books you found and examine everything in that room. Once you've found the basement, everything should be fairly easy to figure out.

I'd already got the clock gear, I just didn't know where to use it Awesome game so far, I really enjoyed playing this.

You need to use the clock gear on a clock that's missing a gear. It's in the room next to where you found the blue book.

I'm trying to figure out how to respond her, as it's not really enough to simply inform you that I've been creating dark, surreal images for much of my life, and working in sound design for the past several years, and that I have general experience with real-life psychological horror.
Don't worry, though... my game shan't fail to creep you out. 

what I'm trying to say, is that creepiness isn't the only thing you need to take into consideration here.

You need to use the clock gear on a clock that's missing a gear. It's in the room next to where you found the blue book.

Yeah, I know now xD

Maybe you could have normal Zombies that randomly fall from the ceiling right in front of you and take you by surprise, like that thing that killed Gerod, might give the game more jump factor.

what I'm trying to say, is that creepiness isn't the only thing you need to take into consideration here.

Well, other than suspense, setting, characters, creepy atmosphere, narrative, plot, story, pacing, imagery... all hopefully culminating in the potential to unnerve and frighten you... should I be considering anything else?
Because I've already got those planned out.

what I'm trying to say, is that creepiness isn't the only thing you need to take into consideration here.

Well, other than suspense, setting, characters, creepy atmosphere, narrative, plot, story, pacing, imagery... all hopefully culminating in the potential to unnerve and frighten you... should I be considering anything else?
Because I've already got those planned out.

dont' forget to make it interesting to play through.  Not just a scary Legend of Zelda.  It's hard to put it into words, but it should feel immersive, and not just like you're doing a grocery list of things in order to get out of the mansion, or get to the police station or something.

you know what I'm trying to say?

The teaser is freaky. Mostly cuz of the music. Surprising ive been scared off of 2d games lol. Thats a first for me. Resident evil dont even scare me but this does. Great job keep it up!

I know this post is very old but can you reupload the demo again at least? I'm sure I'm not alone when saying you should finish making this game! Hopefully you still have the passion for it.

Through time and computer crashes and transfers and whatnot, I don't think I actually have the original copy of this particular version of the project anymore. If I did, it'd probably be on the external hard drive that I can't seem to get properly working. I apologize if anyone wanted to check it out for some odd nostalgic reasons, but it's unlikely at this point that I'll ever be able to get it back again (at least in it's entirety including the unseen areas like the upstairs rather than just the demo).

HOWEVER! I did get around to starting up a remake of the game about two years ago using seriously updated graphics and mechanics, including a totally overhauled version of the original demo. Currently, it's not going anywhere to due a creativity funk (or maybe just me being a lazy bastard, that too), but if you want to play and enjoy what's been done so far, feel free to check it out here:

Midnight Remake.

Thank you Zylos!!!!    ohh the nostalgia.