Fast Recovery

My original project file had become corrupt. Fortunately, I've been able to get the scripts back. I'd started recreating the most difficult parts first.

I'm nearly done redoing the menus. I've made a slotted inventory that'll include various backings, such as coffins and dirty beds.

I've made a little script that lets me change the weapons that the victims drop, since they don't have an inventory of their own. Now, I just need to figure out a way of making it so that when a victim goes near a weapon they can pick up by using the script.

The stat system is now called SLASH - Strength, Logic, Agility, Senses, and Hardness. If you're a human, the stats default at all 5, but you can reassign them at a minimum of 1 or a maximum of 10. Other races can set certain stats between 0 and 20.

I'm trying to implement a weapon and skill proficiency system. Depending on what type of weapon you're using (bludgeon, sharp, projectile, or trap) or skill (sneak, lockpick, or social) you'll get a small bonus depending on your SLASH stats and the points you spend on them each level.

Clothing Setup

The way I have the clothing setup should be pretty apparent with the following image:

Each clothing section can have it's own color. This lets you recreate your favorite killers, such as
Freddy

Jason

Chucky

or create your own.

Soon I'll have the little additions for clothing, such as pockets, buttons, collars, etc. I'm also working on as many masks as possible. Each mask can be customized with one or two different colors. That list is after the jump.

Most of my (very small) traffic is coming from Cracked, mostly from the Tragically Non-Existent Game thread. So it looks like people are interested in the idea of the game. Comment on here, PWOTers. Your comments can only help... probably.

Game Engine and Scripts

The game engine for Slasher is RPG Maker VX. Don't get me wrong, there's some pretty bad games that've been made and put up on KickStarter. This is from "developers" putting in as little effort as possible, using the default graphics, and using 'retro' a lot. I'm using all of my own graphics. There won't be any default sprites or tiles used.

The scripts I'm using are Requiem ABS (Advanced Battle System) 12 and Modern Algebra's Composite Characters.

Requiem ABS allows RPG Maker games to be action RPGs, similar to Zelda. In other words, it lets you and enemies run around hitting each other, without that whole turn-based thing.

Composite Characters lets characters be extremely customizable, by layering sprite sheets on top of each other. This way you only need to make one sprite sheet for each piece, such as eyes, hair, weapons, clothing, etc, and they get put together. This is how your Slasher character is so customizable.

"But you're just using other peoples' engine and scripts! You're making money off of other peoples' work!" says no one, because there's maybe 2 people visiting this blog per week. Well, hypothetical, imaginary reader, I have 2 counters for that:

I have permission to use the scripts.
and...
Plenty of big games have been built off of preexisting game engines.

At heart I'm an artist. I can only learn so much coding and scripting and there's already free-to-use resources that exist. I do have to still modify Requiem slightly to fit the game. As stated earlier, I'm doing the graphics, among pretty much everything else (level design, item and armor databasing, etc.)

I'm working on this game solo because the more people you need to work on an indie game, the less likely it is to make progress. Some times your lead programmer drops off of the face of the Earth along with all of the code. I'm also a glory hog (not really.) It's really tough to keep wrangling people together while working on your own stuff, especially when they have their own stuff going on.

Here's a generic male character, just to get a rough idea of what the characters are going to look like.

I'm going to be working on a whole ton of options. It's going to be setup a little different than I've seen other games do it. Even though characters are constrained to a 32 x 64 size, I still want everyone to have a lot of control of how they want their character to look, even if it's only a couple of pixels.

Some Game Mechanics

I should probably go into some depth about how you can customize your Slasher character.

First of all, you have a choice of race:

Human

Undead

Spirit
Demon

Werewolf

Vampire
Hybrid

Each race has it's own perks and disadvantages. Next you have a class to choose from:

Prowler

Much like a rouge, the prowler relies on stealth and speed to get the job done.

Brute

The brute class is a generalist class, a Jack-of-all-trades type.

Trapper

Relying less on brawn, the Trapper class is a master of tricks, traps, and ambushes.

Dominator

The dominator class uses less physical means, such as minions, possession, or manipulation of forces.

Rampager
What the rampager class lacks in stealth and subtly, they make up with raw physical power.

When choosing equipment, you have the choice of one iconic item, such as certain masks, weapons, and clothing. An iconic item would have higher stat bonuses than normal items.

Introduction

I'm working on the kind of game that I want to play. I love horror films and I love customization. Slasher is the logical combination of those two things.

My game allows you to play as a slasher movie villain. Your only goal is to kill the 5 teenagers in each stage. The 1st kill might be simple, but the others may get alerted and run, hide, and/or outright attack you. After gaining enough experience points, you can upgrade your equipment, weapons, and skills.

When I complete one fully playable stage and a few equipment items and weapons, I will put this project on Kickstarter. I'll be using this blog as a way of updating my progress and receiving feedback, even if someone isn't backing the project.