Teasers & Demos

Spider AI hunting and new gameplay mode!

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Finally, Spider AI for DoN is ready! This proved particularly challenging because I had to write a custom pathfinding system again (this time for land based creatures). I was hoping to use Unreal’s native navigation for this but understandably it’s geared more towards humanoids (so it doesn’t work beyond 90 degree slopes and slender foliage like plant stalks are not covered even with maximum cell precision settings).

In another important development, DoN has a new game mode!

Combat Survival is a game mode where players can quickly jump into short timed matches with simple objectives (eg: survival for prey, a successful hunt for predators). In the short-term, this game mode will be the primary focus of the game until I’ve built enough momentum to carry the core nature simulation work forward again.

I’ve written a detailed article about this change in direction on DoN’s IndieDb page, so be sure to check that out as well. (I didn’t want to rehash the entire content here a second time :P)

My current focus is to complete work on DoN’s Menus, HUD, SFX and BGM. The aim is to take all the content available in the game now and package it neatly into a playable build.

For now though, enjoy this video of DoN’s agile Jumping spiders absolutely trouncing prey in style!

More Living Flora! Watch Fern grow from fiddleheads to a thick forest!

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DoN’s Living Flora Simulation aims to approximate natural growth of various flora and it is against this backdrop that the Real-Time-Strategy gameplay of DoN thrives.

In its first leap towards covering non-flowering flora such as moss, fern, etc under its gambit, the Living Flora Simulation now supports spore based reproduction (as opposed to seed based reproduction that was the only mode of floral reproduction supported in previous builds of the game). This video shows Fern unfurling tiny fiddleheads into large roomy plants while reproducing via spores using pre-determined simulation parameters that influence the resultant growth patterns.

Another thing! The dream of running massive flora populations at an acceptable 60 FPS is also something I’ve been keenly working on and I’m thrilled to report that this is now reality! As demonstrated in this video, DoN can manage lifecycles of not just hundreds – but THOUSANDS of individual flora, all running at a smooth buttery 60 FPS!

In coming months the Living Flora Simulation shall further blossom, incorporating such key features as decay simulations, day-night cycles, weather and perhaps even seasons! The possibilities are endless and these are exciting times for DoN indeed!

Major Updates! RTS redesign, Future roadmap for DoN

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It’s been a while since the last update and here is the reason why – DoN has undergone a major overhaul! This transformation includes a renewed focus on the RTS (Real-Time-Strategy) elements of the game and other much needed gameplay improvements.

The real challenge from here is to create a sense of that much loved 4X strategy gameplay without sacrificing the sense of adventure which Third-Person action unfailingly delivers. In the coming months DoN will attempt to walk a tightrope balancing not just RTS and Third-Person, but also the “Living Flora” simulation elements of the game; The Living Flora simulation aims to provide an immersive, realistic and (most importantly) a warm stirring experience of nature’s floral beauty, pollinator lifecycles and their intertwined relationships.

This update offers a glimpse of new features added in recent months and provides a briefy summary of DoN’s roadmap so CHECK IT OUT! DoN is heading towards a Steam Greenlight submission somewhere in Q4 of 2015!

Like, comment, and share this video! You can also visit DoN on the Steam Concepts page which offers a preview of Drunk On Nectar’s Greenlight submission.

DoN’s Living Flora System revealed!

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I alluded to a ‘Living Flora’ system on DoN’s Steam Concepts page and there were many questions asked on what Living Flora meant and just how much of the map would live.

Well, finally here’s a video to provide a taste for Drunk On Nectar’s Living Flora system!

 

The Living Flora system is one of the cornerstones of DoN’s strategy gameplay. This system allows plants in the game to do more than just sway in the wind as pretty props; flora in DoN dynamically cycle through their natural lifecycle(s).

So what on earth does that mean? Plants in DoN first exist as seeds. These seeds take root, form shoots and eventually form one or many flower buds that blossom and bloom. If a flower is pollinated successfully by a pollinator (bees, butterflies, basically -You, the player!) then the plant forms seed pods around the flower bud while the flower itself withers. These seed pods are then carried around the game map (through a complex process to be described later) and these seeds take root to usher in the birth of the next generation of plants!

To make all of this easier to digest I will be creating a Living Flora playlist on DoN’s youtube channel where I’ll upload bite sized content so the Living Flora paradigm can be better understood, especially from a gameplay standpoint.

I will also be creating another youtube playlist on ‘The Basics of Drunk On Nectar’ which will focus on core gameplay rules, victory conditions, etc so that everyone has a much better idea of the overall gameplay.

Look forward to hearing your feedback and suggestions!

— Venugopalan Sreedharan