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[cuyahoga]

Is this a game still in development or did you guys just turn this into some weird commentary performance art about how DNF was in dev hell forever?

 

[cosmicblizzard]

Is this a game still in development or did you guys just turn this into some weird commentary performance art about how DNF was in dev hell forever?

Still being made. It's been going at a brisk pace in fact.

 

[Jocchan]

Is this a game still in development or did you guys just turn this into some weird commentary performance art about how DNF was in dev hell forever?

Most of us have demanding jobs, which means the time we can devote to development is very limited and things necessarily take much longer than they would if we could afford to be 100% on it.

That is pretty much the only thing slowing us down, development has been going very smoothly otherwise since the switch to 2D. No stops, no blocking issues, no changes back and forth, clear view on what the game needs to be and what still needs to be done. So, I'd say we couldn't be the furthest away from DNF's development hell. It will just take a bit more.

By the way, a few weeks ago, a mysterious GAFfer outside the team got to play a recent build of the game

 

[Dascu]

By the way, a few weeks ago, a mysterious GAFfer outside the team got to play a recent build of the game

I don't have a curly enough moustache to be considered mysterious.

But yeah, what I played was pretty great. It was a solid demo of a big level, which I was free to explore and play around in.

I think the main fear on people's minds would be: What differentiates this from other over-the-top action 2D indie games?

I would say it's just all-round fun and filled with meticulous detail. There's something interesting and unique going on in every room. The enemy variety is pretty good and they all have their little patterns and idiosyncrasies.

As for John Dudebro himself, he's a joy to control. Running, jumping and gunning feels perfect. Something that I found incredibly well-done was the varied move-set. There's a great deal of area interaction possible and the weapons are incredible. All of them are, as expected, ridiculous, like a 7-barreled snake shotgun, but they all have secondary uses other than shooting. Many of them allow you to do weird tricks like airdashes and jumping on rockets mid-air. Really cool and creative stuff. That alone, I think, sets it apart from many other 2D indie shooters that I find to become a bit shallow and repetitive after a while. Dudebro instead hints at almost puzzle-like features in how to efficiently defeat enemies and traverse the levels with your wide array of multifunctional tools of destruction.

Development may not be progressing much on the surface level, but the core gameplay is absolutely stellar and packed with creativity.


The pixels are kind of blocky though and I would appreciate more DLC pre-order bonuses.

 

[Ubersnug]

I hope there will be a season pass available to help us save some valuable beer and junk food pennies when you guys unveil the intricate DLC plan you guys have planned!

 

[Jocchan]

I don't have a curly enough moustache to be considered mysterious.

But yeah, what I played was pretty great. It was a solid demo of a big level, which I was free to explore and play around in.

I think the main fear on people's minds would be: What differentiates this from other over-the-top action 2D indie games?

I would say it's just all-round fun and filled with meticulous detail. There's something interesting and unique going on in every room. The enemy variety is pretty good and they all have their little patterns and idiosyncrasies.

As for John Dudebro himself, he's a joy to control. Running, jumping and gunning feels perfect. Something that I found incredibly well-done was the varied move-set. There's a great deal of area interaction possible and the weapons are incredible. All of them are, as expected, ridiculous, like a 7-barreled snake shotgun, but they all have secondary uses other than shooting. Many of them allow you to do weird tricks like airdashes and jumping on rockets mid-air. Really cool and creative stuff. That alone, I think, sets it apart from many other 2D indie shooters that I find to become a bit shallow and repetitive after a while. Dudebro instead hints at almost puzzle-like features in how to efficiently defeat enemies and traverse the levels with your wide array of multifunctional tools of destruction.

Development may not be progressing much on the surface level, but the core gameplay is absolutely stellar and packed with creativity.


The pixels are kind of blocky though and I would appreciate more DLC pre-order bonuses.

Oh wow, man. That's way too kind. Glad you had an enjoyable time.

I hope there will be a season pass available to help us save some valuable beer and junk food pennies when you guys unveil the intricate DLC plan you guys have planned!

Don't worry, we're setting up built-in incentives for bank loans as we speak

 

[whitehawk]

I don't have a curly enough moustache to be considered mysterious.

But yeah, what I played was pretty great. It was a solid demo of a big level, which I was free to explore and play around in.

I think the main fear on people's minds would be: What differentiates this from other over-the-top action 2D indie games?

I would say it's just all-round fun and filled with meticulous detail. There's something interesting and unique going on in every room. The enemy variety is pretty good and they all have their little patterns and idiosyncrasies.

As for John Dudebro himself, he's a joy to control. Running, jumping and gunning feels perfect. Something that I found incredibly well-done was the varied move-set. There's a great deal of area interaction possible and the weapons are incredible. All of them are, as expected, ridiculous, like a 7-barreled snake shotgun, but they all have secondary uses other than shooting. Many of them allow you to do weird tricks like airdashes and jumping on rockets mid-air. Really cool and creative stuff. That alone, I think, sets it apart from many other 2D indie shooters that I find to become a bit shallow and repetitive after a while. Dudebro instead hints at almost puzzle-like features in how to efficiently defeat enemies and traverse the levels with your wide array of multifunctional tools of destruction.

Development may not be progressing much on the surface level, but the core gameplay is absolutely stellar and packed with creativity.


The pixels are kind of blocky though and I would appreciate more DLC pre-order bonuses.

This is awesome feedback! First game play impressions I've heard from someone outside of the development team.

 

[RumblingRosco]

I don't have a curly enough moustache to be considered mysterious.

But yeah, what I played was pretty great. It was a solid demo of a big level, which I was free to explore and play around in.

I think the main fear on people's minds would be: What differentiates this from other over-the-top action 2D indie games?

I would say it's just all-round fun and filled with meticulous detail. There's something interesting and unique going on in every room. The enemy variety is pretty good and they all have their little patterns and idiosyncrasies.

As for John Dudebro himself, he's a joy to control. Running, jumping and gunning feels perfect. Something that I found incredibly well-done was the varied move-set. There's a great deal of area interaction possible and the weapons are incredible. All of them are, as expected, ridiculous, like a 7-barreled snake shotgun, but they all have secondary uses other than shooting. Many of them allow you to do weird tricks like airdashes and jumping on rockets mid-air. Really cool and creative stuff. That alone, I think, sets it apart from many other 2D indie shooters that I find to become a bit shallow and repetitive after a while. Dudebro instead hints at almost puzzle-like features in how to efficiently defeat enemies and traverse the levels with your wide array of multifunctional tools of destruction.

Development may not be progressing much on the surface level, but the core gameplay is absolutely stellar and packed with creativity.


The pixels are kind of blocky though and I would appreciate more DLC pre-order bonuses.

I recall playing an early demo of the 3D version (I still have the link actually, but it just gives a 404 error now unfortunately... you can see screenshots of it on their website though) and, while it was nice, paled in comparison to what you're describing. Really cool seeing how the game has evolved over time. Until I get hands on an alpha/beta/full release, I'll just bide my time lurking this thread/the main website.

 

[Jocchan]

I recall playing an early demo of the 3D version (I still have the link actually, but it just gives a 404 error now unfortunately... you can see screenshots of it on their website though) and, while it was nice, paled in comparison to what you're describing. Really cool seeing how the game has evolved over time. Until I get hands on an alpha/beta/full release, I'll just bide my time lurking this thread/the main website.

Honestly, the 3D version never got far enough to become actually fun to play with. Near the end of its existence it was starting to look like a game, and clearing that one mission in the helicopter crash site did already feel somewhat rewarding, but it was still a very early prototype with almost nothing truly remarkable or unique yet. Even the weapons were just standard guns or explosives, and the controls felt way too slippery and imprecise.
This version did have a lot of potential in my opinion, though. The basic design was supposed to be something I've never really seen realized myself, a lot more layered and interesting than what made its way to the build, but all the dropouts in our team prevented it from happening.

With the 2D version, most of the limits we had (complexity, need for a much bigger team, extremely slow asset creation) disappeared, so we could get the build to an advanced enough state to start experimenting, build on gameplay mechanics, and fine tune everything. Especially character physics. Man, you wouldn't imagine how many times we've fiddled with the parameters and modified/worked around the physics engine until we got to satisfying results (read: responsive, precise and weighty). We've never stopped tinkering actually, as it's extremely important to make the main character enjoyable to control. Too many games forget that, which is a damn shame imho.

 

[Rest]

I remember when this was first coming together that they wanted voice actors, did they get everything that they needed in that department? Is voiceover still part of the game?

 

[Jocchan]

I remember when this was first coming together that they wanted voice actors, did they get everything that they needed in that department? Is voiceover still part of the game?

We did auditions, cast roles and recorded a lot of voiced lines, but quite a bit of time has passed and the game has undergone significant changes, so we'll probably need more work there. This time near the end of the development, though.

 

[OnPoint]

Still no need for chiptunes? I've improved some and I'm still willing to make songs.

 

[RumblingRosco]

Honestly, the 3D version never got far enough to become actually fun to play with. Near the end of its existence it was starting to look like a game, and clearing that one mission in the helicopter crash site did already feel somewhat rewarding, but it was still a very early prototype with almost nothing truly remarkable or unique yet. Even the weapons were just standard guns or explosives, and the controls felt way too slippery and imprecise.
This version did have a lot of potential in my opinion, though. The basic design was supposed to be something I've never really seen realized myself, a lot more layered and interesting than what made its way to the build, but all the dropouts in our team prevented it from happening.

With the 2D version, most of the limits we had (complexity, need for a much bigger team, extremely slow asset creation) disappeared, so we could get the build to an advanced enough state to start experimenting, build on gameplay mechanics, and fine tune everything. Especially character physics. Man, you wouldn't imagine how many times we've fiddled with the parameters and modified/worked around the physics engine until we got to satisfying results (read: responsive, precise and weighty). We've never stopped tinkering actually, as it's extremely important to make the main character enjoyable to control. Too many games forget that, which is a damn shame imho.

I didn't mean that post as a negative by the way; yeah, the 3D version certainly was very early especially when I played it and clearly the 2D version has come a very, very long way since then. Maybe a low-gravity cheat code can exist some day so we can see just how wonky the physics really could have been in the wrong hands! =D

 

[Jocchan]

I didn't mean that post as a negative by the way; yeah, the 3D version certainly was very early especially when I played it and clearly the 2D version has come a very, very long way since then. Maybe a low-gravity cheat code can exist some day so we can see just how wonky the physics really could have been in the wrong hands! =D

Oh, I know! I just wanted to weigh in on the fact it never got as far as it could have
A low gravity cheat code is actually a pretty good idea, I hope we can put a few of them to let people just have some silly fun.

Still no need for chiptunes? I've improved some and I'm still willing to make songs.

We're using real recordings, but some of them do incorporate chiptune elements. Get in touch with whitehawk, as he, helio and Lyles have been doing some cooperations and even remade other tracks with better sounding instruments. As long as the composition is good, chiptune is not really a limit

Here's an example of one of their collabs, League of Extraordinary Bros: http://www.grimoireassemblyforge.com/dudebro2/site/?p=2570

 

[nullset2]

My heart skipped a beat when I saw the bump, I thought it had finally released. Back then, at the inception of this idea, I didn't even have a NeoGAF account lol.

 

[Dash Kappei]

John's 2D fat and blocky art has finally given the mc a lot of personality, heaps and bounds above the 3d render.
Found it so generic and plain before, now I can say with confidence that love it!

 

[Jocchan]

Thanks
Moving away from realism to a more stylized look was done primarily to give things more clarity with a lower graphical fidelity, but I agree it gives more personality, and also allows to get away with crazier stuff.

 

[OnPoint]

Oh, I know! I just wanted to weigh in on the fact it never got as far as it could have
A low gravity cheat code is actually a pretty good idea, I hope we can put a few of them to let people just have some silly fun.


We're using real recordings, but some of them do incorporate chiptune elements. Get in touch with whitehawk, as he, helio and Lyles have been doing some cooperations and even remade other tracks with better sounding instruments. As long as the composition is good, chiptune is not really a limit

Here's an example of one of their collabs, League of Extraordinary Bros: http://www.grimoireassemblyforge.com/dudebro2/site/?p=2570

I'll reach out. Thanks man.

 

[Dorimukyasuto]

any news?
Go ahead and kill me for bumpin', my friends. I didn't know the thread was so old.

 

[RumblingRosco]

any news?
Go ahead and kill me for bumpin', my friends. I didn't know the thread was so old.

Well, the website is still updated regularly. One of their updates from back in May described The Money Shot.

 

[Jocchan]

Heh, I've been meaning to give more updates around here but work has been crushing me and eating me with a very small spoon (and it got worse in the past 3 months), leaving barely enough time to do stuff on the game, most of which during weekends.

There has been a lot of progress, in fact we've been working on content to show off in a new trailer for a while (no ETA yet). Last April we also had a playable build floating around PAX East (some impressions here).

Well, the website is still updated regularly. One of their updates from back in May described The Money Shot.

Here's a few more from the past months:

MORE CONTROL FOR YOUR SHOOTING

One recent addition to the array of Dudebro II’s gameplay mechanics was allowing the player to shoot faster by tapping the button instead of just holding it.
This may seem like a minor detail at first, but it can actually make a world of difference, saving Dudebro’s gentle buttocks in a wide variety of situations.
In fact, it allows the player to either focus on spewing bullets faster and more precisely, possibly as a means to survive a heated firefight; or instead to focus on mobility/aiming while still keeping a constant – yet slower – rate of fire.

However, this mechanic doesn’t actually apply to all weapons. Some may already have a fast enough firing rate or, in certain cases, may be too peculiar for faster shooting to make sense in the first place. For the weapons that do allow tapping, though, finding the best rhythm to tap the button with, which may differ from weapon to weapon, is a good first step to mastering their usage.

FOREST SNEAK PEEK

Here’s a first look at a previously unseen location.

A lush forest somewhere in Cuba, with pollen floating lazily in the wind. A dream to some, a nightmare to others, depending on how much they enjoy inhaling allergens.
No one knows who ever came up with the idea of trimming a bush into a Dudebro shape, but we’re certain it helped making our protagonist’s ego a little bit bigger.

THE BRONERS, THEY RISE

In Dudebro II’s lore, Broner is a catch-all term for the undead, who rise from their graves to feast on brains and keep partying even when the party is long over.

One specific, and especially disgusting, type of Broner are the Zombros, decaying corpses of fallen SkullPros brought back to life by a certain character‘s brodiocity.
They slowly drag their decomposed remains reeking of alcohol and rigor mortis with only one goal: get their revenge on the one person responsible for their demise.
Going by statistics, there’s a 99.4% chance that person is John Dudebro.

FIRST LOOK AT THE PLAZA

Cuba is a magical place, and a perfect destination for bros willing to take on a spiritual path… or to just have fun and spend a great vacation.
Dudebro’s mission will eventually lead our hero to this location, and — as the final website update before we take a short Summer break — we decided to post a brand new screenshot from a previously unseen part of the Cuban chapter.

This picture shows the main plaza from a small Cuban town, with Generalissimo Carnassus’s mansion in the background. Although the place may seem empty at first, it will be getting crowded sooner than you can say “cigar”.

Website updates will stop for the Summer, and resume August 23rd.

Fun fact: the "tap to shoot faster" mechanic is a consequence of some of the feedback we've gathered from the PAX build

 

[Orbis Tabula]

Every time I am reminded of this game, I smile. Keep up the good work, team. Can't wait to get my hands on it.

 

[Jocchan]

 

[XenoRaven]

I was just wondering what happened to this the other day. Thanks for the update!

 

[More_Badass]

I didn't even know this game was still alive! Here's an update from a few days ago
http://www.grimoireassemblyforge.com/dudebro2/site/?p=3891

 

[Dash Kappei]

I didn't even know this game was still alive! Here's an update from a few days ago
http://www.grimoireassemblyforge.com/dudebro2/site/?p=3891

Yep, the website is updated more regularly but the game is still alive of course.

I'll be there day 1 when it's ready whenever it's ready

 

[Extra Sauce]

I haven't been keeping up with this thread so forgive me if this has actually been discussed, but has anyone suggested the idea of placing an old computer/console in a level somewhere to let Dudebro play the "original" Dudebro game, using even older-looking, super basic graphics?

 

[Jocchan]

I haven't been keeping up with this thread so forgive me if this has actually been discussed, but has anyone suggested the idea of placing an old computer/console in a level somewhere to let Dudebro play the "original" Dudebro game, using even older-looking, super basic graphics?

Heh! I won't delve into the details to avoid spoilers, but we've considered something like that pretty much from the beginning

I need to dig up some "flashback" assets we had for the top-down version. They look very PS1-ish. Maybe they are already somewhere in this thread.

I didn't even know this game was still alive! Here's an update from a few days ago
http://www.grimoireassemblyforge.com/dudebro2/site/?p=3891

Here's that update in full:

ANOTHER LOOK AT THE PLAZA

What better way to resume from the website Summer break than an updated look at the same location we chose to show in our last post?

The plaza now features more detail, including a majestic beer fountain for Dudebro to quench his thirst with, and… wait a minute. What’s up with the sky?

...plus a newer one:

STORY OF A PRO AND HIS KNIFE

Back when Dudebro II was still a top-down shooter, the first enemy type we came up with were the SkullPro Soldiers, foot soldiers equipped with guns pretty much identical to John Dudebro’s own Razor Blood. To complement them effectively, we soon realized that melee enemies, larger in numbers and with movements significantly faster to better flank the player from multiple directions, would have been ideal.

So, we came up with a SkullPro variation… Enter the Inuits.

They were originally only meant to be used in the first chapter, set in Alaska, and later replaced by other enemy types. For this reason, to differentiate them further from the gun-wielding SkullPros, we decided to make them ice themed, and gave them a frozen salmon as their weapon of choice because that looked just ridiculous enough.

After they were added to the game, though, we realized that fighting them felt good enough to warrant their use in later levels as well. Even more so after Dudebro II became a 2D sidescroller: their role as weak, expendable enemies that could get surprisingly dangerous when attacking en masse proved itself essential rather soon.

There was only one problem: their looks. In Dudebro’s globetrotting adventure, finding some Inuits stranded in unexpected locations, possibly all sweaty for the higher temperatures, would have been funny… but masses of them? They would only have looked out of place.

So, we came up with a variation of the variation… Enter the KnifePros.

Besides their appearance, how exactly they differ from regular Inuits will only become apparent after playing the game.

 

[Jocchan]

I need to dig up some "flashback" assets we had for the top-down version. They look very PS1-ish. Maybe they are already somewhere in this thread.

Well, here they are:

 

[Zomba13]

Still hyped for this. Even using the Dudebro Mii in Smash (Gunner of course).

 

[Jocchan]

Still hyped for this. Even using the Dudebro Mii in Smash (Gunner of course).

That's amazing. I'd love to see a screenshot

 

[Cardon]

I'm always happy to see this thread bumped since Dudebro is still one of my most anticipated games.

 

[JumpJeff84]

So, the term 'Dudebro' originated here on GAF, from that post in the Imagine Babyz thread?

That's hilarious, it's become so ubiquitious in the gaming press now.

 

[bounchfx]

It's kind of incredible seeing months go by between each posts, just two pages ago has stuff from 2012!

Really excited to see this is still going. Man, it's been a while. Pumped to see the result.

 

[FantasticMrFoxdie]

Trailer still gets me. The music lolol

 

[cosmicblizzard]

So, the term 'Dudebro' originated here on GAF, from that post in the Imagine Babyz thread?

That's hilarious, it's become so ubiquitious in the gaming press now.

Nah, was around before that.

Don't know if Dudebro II made it more widespread in the media or not. Maybe?

 

[Jocchan]

It's kind of incredible seeing months go by between each posts, just two pages ago has stuff from 2012!

Really excited to see this is still going. Man, it's been a while. Pumped to see the result.

Man, it's really been a while.

Also, a new website update just went up. This one is about a new enemy type (my favorite, actually):

ENTER THE STEALTHBOT

We’re proud to show for the first time one more enemy for Dudebro to shoot/slice along during his journey, perhaps one of the more interesting in the whole bunch: the StealthBot!

A deadly automated turret equipped with a 3-directional gun, hidden inside what looks like a regular cardboard box, until the player gets in their range. At first glance, the StealthBot may seem reminiscent of the countless incarnations of Mimics found in video games.

Except, it’s much more than just that.

While those enemies only disguise themselves as harmless elements of the scenery (usually treasure chests) until the player gets close enough to get ambushed, what the StealthBot can do is probably best summed up by this GIF, which shows it in action:

Not only the StealthBots can act as improvised platforms: they can be topped over, picked up and thrown around. By doing this, as evidenced by their change in color and disappearance of evil red eyes, they will get on Dudebro’s side, and kill other enemies for him.



But can they really be trusted?

What if someone else was capable of picking them up again?

Would they be fickle enough to…

…Uh oh.

Deception. Betrayal. 8 bit physics.

 

[Huggers]

So pleased this is still going ahead. Been hyped about it for years. Keep up the hard work!

 

[ratcliffja]

All the original images in the OP are broken because that image hosting site appears to be banned. Can somebody rehost them?

 

[Jocchan]

All the original images in the OP are broken because that image hosting site appears to be banned. Can somebody rehost them?

You're right. The first two images are these:

The others are all saved here: http://www.grimoireassemblyforge.com/dudebro2/site/?p=1828

 

[ratcliffja]

Thanks man. I hope the game's going well. It looks like you guys have made great strides.

 

[Zomba13]

That's amazing. I'd love to see a screenshot

Here are some pics I took.

 

[Jocchan]

Thanks man. I hope the game's going well. It looks like you guys have made great strides.

Here are some pics I took.

These look fantastic. Thanks for sharing!

 

[ratcliffja]

Unfortunately, Smash doesn't allow for gunners/swordsmen.

 

[Jocchan]

I haven't been keeping up with this thread so forgive me if this has actually been discussed, but has anyone suggested the idea of placing an old computer/console in a level somewhere to let Dudebro play the "original" Dudebro game, using even older-looking, super basic graphics?

Today's website update is a fake screenshot for the lost prequel set during World War II:

DUDEBRO MINUS ONE MOCKUP

Ever wondered what the gameplay for the lost prequel Dudebro Minus One looked like?

We did too.

While half of our team is currently busy digging in the deserts all over the globe to retrieve the rumored surviving copies, which by the way would be a pretty cool and original premise for a live action Dudebro movie, the other half interviewed WWII veterans and some of the surviving developers to try and reconstruct at least one screenshot of the game as accurately as possible.

Here’s the result of their year-long effort.

One of the interviewees, whose name is being kept confidential, claims to have seen this very map running at 1080p with a refresh rate of exactly 60 fps.

Which is kinda nuts if you ask me.

He also claims to be a time traveller from the future, for what’s worth, but don’t worry. The mental hospital is treating him well.

 

[RumblingRosco]

Dudebro needs to be an official character on Smash. The above screenshots really make me want it.

 

[Jocchan]

Dudebro needs to be an official character on Smash. The above screenshots really make me want it.

Same
With all the weird weapons we've put in the game, I'm sure you could get a perfect moveset for Smash.

 

[ZealousD]

Those are some pretty awesome gifs right there!

http://www.grimoireassemblyforge.com/dudebro2/site/?p=4056

 

[RumblingRosco]

The physics on that blood splatter are glorious.

 

[Azure Dream]

Not trying to be a jerk, honestly I'm not, but I feel like Broforce is the elephant in the room. I wonder if it's eaten up Dudebro's lunch, at least theming-wise.