So the idea is that this is an in game multiplayer level editor that is going to be used to build all maps in my next game. In addition to that this level editor is backwards compatible and will support building levels for my most recent game Revulsion which is currently on steam right now.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/719180/Revulsion/
My plan for this level editor is to make it a core aspect of Revulsion 2 before even getting into the games overall design. Revulsion 2 will directly attack all of the aspects that I feel were weakest in the first Revulsion. The greatest issues that hampered Revulsion 1 is :
No Multiplayer
This right out of the gate pretty much killed the project I think. If I had it all to do again I would have made sure multiplayer was a part of the game day one. However, with that said, Revulsion was and still is a learning experience. I firmly believe I lacked the ability to do a multiplayer game at the time anyway.
No death match or competitive multiplayer also greatly harmed the games potential as it was not allowed to be considered an arena FPS from which its roots firmly positioned. No Core audience, no coop PVE. The game kinda just missed the boat on this and suffers greatly even to this day. Never make a game like this unless you have multiplayer as a core aspect right from the start.
No Mod support
The game had no way for people to modify the game or even just make new levels. No community, no steam workshop. Nothing. People would play the game once and that was that.
Voxels
The graphical style was generally disliked by most people and with the above two problems the game was basically dead in the water anyway. "Lol it looks like minecraft" was so common as a criticism that I added a pickaxe to the game as a joke.
This also includes a General lack of polish in the first place. A lot of the UI still uses default UE4 elements ect. I was more focused on just making something I thought would be fun to play and simply didn't think much about the overall presentation. Some of this I think I will be addressing anyway as I near completion of the Revulsion 2 level editor. I am developing my art skills that I plan to use for Revulsion 2 and this will have a trickle down effect on Revulsion 1.
I half included a story
Really stupid that I did this when I should have just not had any story at all. It opened the flood gates for poor grammar errors and all kinds of random crap that fed into the general lack of polish aspect a lot.
No Marketing
Not even basic stuff like creating buzz on many forums or using reddit.
The final nail in the coffin.
I believe that there were a lot of other things that people brought up about the game.
- Lack of verity of enemies... I completely disagree on that, the game has a crap load of different enemies.
- The difficulty was too much... Have you played other games of the same genre? I advertised the game as being hard but its really not much tougher than most first person shooters. The difference is the death penalty honestly which I nerfed like 4 times this year. All Arena shooters have tough PVE content, all Revulsion did was make it so you cant quick save and quick load every 5 seconds. Honestly that is all you need to do to a game like Doom 1 to make it literally impossible for most people.
Out of everything I think, no multiplayer, no mod support, poor graphics, lack of polish and no marketing were what hurt most. People can fuck off with the "Muh default AI navigation used on every monster" stuff.
Its also worth mentioning that I experienced burnout with Revulsion 1 level design and that made it very hard for me to continue pumping out new content. Considering the above problems with the game it seriously felt like I needed to focus myself on something else. But, now I am back and I think its time to get serious.
Above is the current new title screen for Revulsion 2 (WIP)
Multiplayer
Revulsion 2 is being developed from the ground up to be multiplayer. Even designing the levels is going to be a multiplayer experience. The multiplayer level editor will make building levels for the game more simple and fun in general. The game will allow people to play the game even while people are working on the level for play testing as the map is actually being built.
PVE Coop will be expanded on and I even plan to add more elements such as making it so the fast travel zones can be like forts where you can build them up and defend. You can build the level with your friends then build a fort in the level you built!
Mod support
I want to make the game as mod friendly as humanly possible. Full stop. You will be able to build levels, make guns and monster types. You name it, I want it to be possible.
A new Art style
Heavily inspired by the art in Quake 1 and Project Warlock.
Here is a screenshot of Project Warlock. My goal is to find a unique niche that sits somewhere in this range for a unique art style.
I am still working on trying to find a balance I am happy with. Ultimately it will likely end up looking different than both Quake 1 and Project Warlock but general idea is a simple yet dark and gritty style gives the game a more appropriate feel. No minecraft anymore.
Random Rewards
What would you think if I told you it may be possible to have a looter shooter with RPG elements that has nearly zero RNG aspects to it? Would you believe me? I am actually planning to base all of Revulsion 2s random elements around using seed keys. You have the ability to input a 5 digit number at every fast travel station. Upon placing this number it respawns all monsters and things in the map based on that seed key.
The loot you get, the stats on the guns, the rare named spawn monsters, world loot and monster drops, all of it based on the seed key. Want to get a specific weapon? Play with a specific seed key and have a 100% chance to get that weapon. Want to experiment to find new things? Play with new seed keys. The game has been out for awhile and you want to get all the best stuff quickly? There will probably be a page somewhere that has full documentation of every seed.
Do you hate loot boxes and "SURPRISE MECHANICS"? Have you ever been burned by terrible drop rates for that one super cool item? Then support my work as I begin taking steps at making fun gameplay that does not involve random rewards.
No Story
I barely even want to use text, (outside of tooltips) I will convey as much as possible with images. The games story will be that there is no story. The main writer for the game was killed by a falling crate in the first room.
At least some Marketing this time
I am building at least a marginal streaming presence. Having multiplayer level editor and working with people will likely make for cool streaming content once I get things moving forward. Its a rare niche nobody else is doing and I feel like once I get my feet on the ground it will be cool to see what people think. The entire development of the game will be streamed.
So with all of the above said I plan to get the first proper release of my Multiplayer in game level editor out very soon. Possibly even this week. From there I will further develop Revulsion 1 to support the levels designed with the editor and begin doing live streams of level design collaborations. If you like the way I am taking things then buying Revulsion 1 is a great way to support my work. Keep your eyes out for more updates as I begin to ramp up with marketing my level editor.