Support NeoGAF

[Grinchy]

Update: New interview linked to in post #114

This gorgeous game deserves to be seen and talked about. Please share your favorite screens/gifs/videos or anything you'd like to discuss about the game!

And here is an awesome IGN video about the making of the game and how these insane visuals are created.

With an Xbox One X coming my way soon, this game is a no-brainer.

 

[julrik]

Let's see how this thread turns out.

Either way, in terms of visuals, it's a beautiful game.

 

[MaximusPayne]

Beautiful game. Is there a release date?

 

[Grinchy]

Beautiful game. Is there a release date?

Nope

It's just a 2018 game as far as I know. I hoped it would launch this fall.

 

[Greatest Ever]

The creator (artist?) sure had a day when NeoGAF went down.

 

[FinalAres]

I am willing to give this game the benefit of the doubt at this stage, but by all accounts the creator seems like a scumbag, and if the game fulfils its initial promise of being a dystopian future where feminism won, its a hard pass from me.

 

[Grinchy]

It looks like it will play like an "Out of this World" kind of game. Does anyone know? I haven't delved too deep into interviews or sources that talk about how it plays. Based on the clips we've seen, I can only imagine that kind of gameplay (and that sounds like a good thing).

 

[Mr. RHC]

Developer and his community seem to be quite the fans of NeoGAF.

 

[Clockwork]

From the first time I saw this I have been simply enamored with this games visuals and art style.

I can't wait until releases so that I can see if the gameplay matches the presentation.

 

[Clockwork]

Developer and his community seem to be quite the fans of NeoGAF.

This guy was literally made out to be a piece of human garbage by many here (pitchforks and all). I can't really blame him.

Anyway, I know that getting into the politics of this is now frowned upon so I will leave it at that.


Edit: Oops. Sorry for the double post. I intended to put this into the other one.

 

[enfieldvball]

Is this XB1/Win10 exclusive or is it at least coming to Steam?

 

[Living Proof]

I always felt a little annoyed at the reaction this game got around GAF. Not that I don't find some of the stuff thats been discussed to be off-putting, just that the insatiable thirst for its creator's blood to be more so.

I felt the same about the reactions Yuka Laylee and Hat in Time, too, though those didn't go as far. I don't have a problem with rationalizing one's reason to boycott a game or the boycotting itself, but it felt a little more savage than that.

I find this game to be gorgeous, at any rate, and will gladly await more media coverage and reviews/impressions before deciding to purchase it (or smear it and its creator across the internet).

 

[Poona]

I don't know a whole lot about the story or anything but it looks interesting to me. Reminds me quite a bit of Flashback.

 

[jimboton]

It looks like it will play like an "Out of this World" kind of game. Does anyone know? I haven't delved too deep into interviews or sources that talk about how it plays. Based on the clips we've seen, I can only imagine that kind of gameplay (and that sounds like a good thing).

Only on the surface. According to the devs it's a strictly narrative/cinematic experience with any sort of platforming/puzzle solving (which are the core of the Another World/Flashback/Abe's Oddyssey genre) completely excised. Which means a hard pass from me...

 

[Basketball]

this is going to be a litmus test

Oh man that last thread.

 

[Grinchy]

Only on the surface. According to the devs it's a strictly narrative/cinematic experience with any sort of platforming/puzzle solving (which are the core of the Another World/Flashback/Abe's Oddyssey genre) completely excised. Which means a hard pass from me...

Interesting, and disappointing.

Hopefully there's at least some kind of challenge or game to it. The only recent "cinematic experience" type of game I've tried recently was the Telltale Game of Thrones game that was free on PSN. I hated it within 10 minutes. Yet, I liked Heavy Rain. So I don't know what to think yet.

 

[Typhares]

Need to learn more about this game but the esthetic alone is enough for me to probably give a try anyway.

 

[Noboru Wataya]

I am looking forward to this game so so much, although they have shown next to nothing gameplay wise which worries me, I'm hoping it lives up to my personal hype.

This is my kind of aesthetic, this and cuphead are blowing away expectations of indie visuals.

 

[MaximusPayne]

Wait, what? What's the deal with this game that everyone hated? The look alone sells this game in my book. Is it a political game?

 

[JaseC]

Is this XB1/Win10 exclusive or is it at least coming to Steam?

http://store.steampowered.com/app/612400/The_Last_Night/

 

[Kumorin]

That looks gorgeous and very Blade Runner.

 

[Clockwork]

Wait, what? What's the deal with this game that everyone hated? The look alone sells this game in my book. Is it a political game?

Prior comments from the dev suggest both him and the game contain gamergate/anti-feminist views.

Nobody actually knows what the actual final product will be.

Unfortunately this had distracted from normal discussion about the game and unrelated components (technology/art design/visuals/etc).

I am glad this thread has not turned into that.

 

[Sentenza]

Developer and his community seem to be quite the fans of NeoGAF.

Can you really blame him?
People on this forum tried their best to ruin his life and his professional career.

 

[MaximusPayne]

Prior comments from the dev suggest both him and the game contain gamergate/anti-feminist views.

Nobody actually knows what the actual final product will be.

Unfortunately this had distracted from normal discussion about the game and unrelated components (technology/art design/visuals/etc).

I am glad this thread has not turned into that.

Oh, I see. Well hopefully the game will be as good as the art that has been shown.

 

[Sotha Sil]

Can you really blame him?
People on this forum tried their best to ruin his life and his professional career.

Yeah, who could blame him? Proclaiming he's creating an alt-right wet dream of a game, supporting gamergate then being criticized and mocked for it, poor guy. I wonder how the assholes who dared to badmouth him can sleep at night.

 

[Noboru Wataya]

anyone have any idea how big the dev team is?

 

[VAD]

I am ashamed to share a citizenship with this man. I hope the game bombs.

 

[Soleil rouge]

Only on the surface. According to the devs it's a strictly narrative/cinematic experience with any sort of platforming/puzzle solving (which are the core of the Another World/Flashback/Abe's Oddyssey genre) completely excised. Which means a hard pass from me...

That's disappointing. It looks like a spiritual successor to AW/Flashback, so it had a lot of us super excited. It could still turn out good so I'll remain hopeful. Can't have enough cyberpunk games.

 

[Duxxy3]

Well it's a gorgeous game.

 

[Staf]

This game looks amazing. What type of game is it?

 

[Shifty]

Man, the style really is gorgeous.

I'm trying to figure out if those sprites are normal mapped- the ship scene assembly in that video looked too flat for the final lighting to have been done entirely by hand.

If so, it's a really interesting technique- roughly quadruples the amount of artist work per frame, but allows for some really beautiful dynamic lighting. I've been noodling around with it in unreal recently and can only imagine what someone with actual artistic talent could achieve.

Developer and his community seem to be quite the fans of NeoGAF.

Please don't start this. Too late.

 

[Grinchy]

I added a few more gifs to the OP. That damn trailer...it's like every clip they show is gif-worthy.

 

[Necro900]

Yeah, who could blame him? Proclaiming he's creating an alt-right wet dream of a game, supporting gamergate then being criticized and mocked for it, poor guy. I wonder how the assholes who dared to badmouth him can sleep at night.

Though the guy has apologized, clarified his ignorance of what feminism actually is (his opposition of both feminism and egualitarianism was also a dead giveaway) and we really do not know if this narrative will or won’t be in the game (he says it won’t).. and still people are out for his blood, ignoring all this.
Please, there’s a board for the spanish inquisition, it’s not this one anymore.

OT: The game looks great, though no puzzles sounds quite disappointing tbh. I was really expecting something along the lines of AW. That IGN video is brilliant though

 

[Clockwork]

This game looks amazing. What type of game is it?

There is a good overview of it via this video:

https://youtu.be/UJfeziEzSg4

Edited link as I originally posted the trailer and not this 11 minute video.

 

[Sentenza]

Yeah, who could blame him? Proclaiming he's creating an alt-right wet dream of a game, supporting gamergate then being criticized and mocked for it, poor guy. I wonder how the assholes who dared to badmouth him can sleep at night.

You can spare me the hyperbolic rhetoric.
He had some criticism about feminism and ALLEGEDLY some of that permeates the game to an uncertain degree.

Just because you disagree with him that doesn’t make his behavior criminal.
And contrarily to the dominant narrative on this forum to be critical of feminism (more specifically to a certain brand of it) doesn’t automatically translate in misogyny and contempt for women.

 

[TheTurboFD]

Day 1 buy, the game looks beautiful.

 

[AESplusF]

Man, the style really is gorgeous.

I'm trying to figure out if those sprites are normal mapped- the ship scene assembly in that video looked too flat for the final lighting to have been done entirely by hand.

If so, it's a really interesting technique- roughly quadruples the amount of artist work per frame, but allows for some really beautiful dynamic lighting. I've been noodling around with it in unreal recently and can only imagine what someone with actual artistic talent could achieve.

Please don't start this. Too late.

How does one achieve this? How would you create the normal maps?

 

[MoogleMan]

Can't wait for this. Looks amazing.

 

[civilstrife]

You can spare me the hyperbolic rhetoric.
He had some criticism about feminism and ALLEGEDLY some of that permeates the game to an uncertain degree.

Just because you disagree with him that doesn’t make his behavior criminal.
And contrarily to the dominant narrative on this forum to be critical of feminism (more specifically to a certain brand of it) doesn’t automatically translate in misogyny and contempt for women.

I'm not sure you can call it "alleged" if the creator himself alleged it.

 

[Reineldinho]

Game looks amazing and I'll probably end up buying it if the reception is good enough

 

[NahaNago]

Looking at the gifs/screenshots i'm a little worried about gameplay. Aren't all these simply cutscenes.

 

[BanjoLayleeYookaKazooie]

You can spare me the hyperbolic rhetoric.
He had some criticism about feminism and ALLEGEDLY some of that permeates the game to an uncertain degree.

Just because you disagree with him that doesn’t make his behavior criminal.
And contrarily to the dominant narrative on this forum to be critical of feminism (more specifically to a certain brand of it) doesn’t automatically translate in misogyny and contempt for women.

This is all just blatantly untrue and you must know it. As said above, the guy himself openly linked the game to gamergate and we have nothing from the game to show that it is anything less than that. Just lots of gifs of the pretty art direction. If he is so insistent that his game has changed then... show us? Maybe?

 

[Shifty]

How does one achieve this? How would you create the normal maps?

Tech-wise you use a 3D renderer (Unity, Unreal, whatever you like) to draw flat-shaded sprites as quads on a flat plane using an orthographic camera, then apply a normal map and let the shading engine do its job.

In terms of generating the normals, you can either:
A. Hand-paint them using a facet palette if your sprites are small or have simple enough surfaces.
B. Use a tool to autogenerate a normal map from a set of directional lighting profiles. Here's some example output.

The gif above uses hand-painted normals for the tiles and an autogenerated map for the little smiley blob. No depth map or ambient occlusion, but they're very doable if you're so inclined providing your engine supports them.

There's a package out there called Sprite Lamp that had a successful kickstarter and managed to commercialize the technique (and may well be what this game is using), but from what I gather the engine integration for their extra features didn't work out so well and the developer is winding down on the project. Their kickstarter page has a more detailed run-down of how it all works.

This is all just blatantly untrue and you must know it. As said above, the guy himself openly linked the game to gamergate and we have nothing from the game to show that it is anything less than that. Just lots of gifs of the pretty art direction. If he is so insistent that his game has changed then... show us? Maybe?

You know, there's a forum called ResetEra that would be a perfect place to have this discussion.

 

[tkscz]

Can you really blame him?
People on this forum tried their best to ruin his life and his professional career.

I must've missed that. What happened?

Also I hope Project Octopath takes notes on the graphics of this game, mainly the lighting. It's far more subtle than Octopath.

 

[Clockwork]

This is all just blatantly untrue and you must know it. As said above, the guy himself openly linked the game to gamergate and we have nothing from the game to show that it is anything less than that. Just lots of gifs of the pretty art direction. If he is so insistent that his game has changed then... show us? Maybe?

I'm no mod, but iirc this isn't the place for that discussion anyway. Please don't shit the thread.

 

[pettson3816]

You can spare me the hyperbolic rhetoric.
He had some criticism about feminism and ALLEGEDLY some of that permeates the game to an uncertain degree.

Just because you disagree with him that doesn’t make his behavior criminal.
And contrarily to the dominant narrative on this forum to be critical of feminism (more specifically to a certain brand of it) doesn’t automatically translate in misogyny and contempt for women.

Thank you!

 

[Pejo]

hot damn, those gifs are something else. What style of game is this?

 

[Sentenza]

I'm not sure you can call it "alleged" if the creator himself alleged it.

I call it "alleged" because no one played the game yet and could tell in what form and to what degree his personal ideology permeates the narrative.

This forum decided he must be a nazi on the only basis of few generic statements he made in the past years.
I could end hating the game and its writing myself, but I'm not going to condemn someone aprioristically on something as vague as "being critical of modern feminism".

 

[BanjoLayleeYookaKazooie]

I'm no mod, but iirc this isn't the place for that discussion anyway. Please don't shit the thread.

I'm talking about the game am I not?

Or is this thread only for variations of 'so pretty'?

Spoiler

Glad to see confirmation you're not a mod lol. That'll be a dark day for this place.

 

[Clockwork]

hot damn, those gifs are something else. What style of game is this?

I'm not sure in terms of puzzles but it is somewhat of a throwback to games like Out of this World/Another World and Flashback.

The IGN youtube video I linked gets into this a little.

I'm talking about the game am I not?

Or is this thread only for variations of 'so pretty'?

Spoiler

Glad to see confirmation you're not a mod lol. That'll be a dark day for this place.

You're trying to steer it to the personal politics/personal views of the game creator and how you perceive that to have an impact on the game and/or how we should view it.

It doesn't lead to any healthy commentary as has been reflected in previous threads about this game.