Resident Evil: Behind the Mask [+Hazardous Battle]

[SheyGrell]

Probably because the Dreamcast versions were next to definitive in their release. For a start, the VMU had it's own HUD that was a handy bonus. Secondly, due to the controller it was analogue compatible from the word go. Not that it was a particularly good thing for RE2 though, as the sensitivity for turning is ridiculously high. You'll be drunkenly swerving all over the place.
Resi Evil 2 = Extreme Battle & various touches like a unique options screen. The GC version is essentially this one, minus that options screen.
Resi Evil 3 = Uhm... Well it had the your health status on the VMU... ^^;

Basically, they're good solid versions & the hardware could be advantageous, graphics wise. However, this is just a bit of information & even speculation, rather than an argument for you to do more work than you already are. I think it'd be nice to simply see it released before making any decisions on ports, no?

[Gemini]

Everything is possible, but I'm not sure I understand why so many people ask for Dreamcast ports.

[skyrunner14]

I found about this project after seeing BZork having favorited a video of it on his YouTube page. This is really impressive! I swear, the effort you and your team are going through for this is incredible. Also, a quick question: I know it'd be REALLY far along before you'd give something like this any serious thought, but would a Dreamcast port be possible? It'd be cool to play this along with 2, 3, and CV on there.

[RaccoonSurvivor]

^ Oh yeah.. I know that (about the camera problems and stuff) I was talking about the game difficulty would be easier with a partner (5 and 6 I felt could have been so much harder if they were fully Solo)

[Gemini]

If you get creative, this will definitely get people's head scratching trying to figure out how to get the best time possible through battle mode. I'm still confused how the time attack idea will play out.

It gives you a total time to complete certain tasks. If you succeed your final rating is drastically increased along with Biohazard Points, otherwise you get a penalty. It's just a little mode to spice the game up a bit, like most extra options you can set before you start a mission.

Hey Gemini, what's the news on your pre-rens? Sonic still hard at work with the restaurant or am I behind on this news? I'm sure your trying to not throw out too many spoilers.

Sonic will post something when there is something relevant to show.

Out of curiosity what tools did you use to rip the DS models and textures? Can't seem to find any info on it.

I convert models to COLLADA with my own code. Console Tool can view them, but it can't extract anything due to the way the DS draws polygons via OpenGL commands.

I love how that 2 player video demonstrates that co-op in RE doesn't work well...

There is a much bigger problem: manage camera changes and backgrounds, not to mention hardware resources. The only way to make a coop mode is to use a cable link and even in that case it needs to have a heavily simplified gameplay (like support players in RE2). No wonder why Kamiya was "fuck it" about the whole idea.

[biohazard_star]

I love how that 2 player video demonstrates that co-op in RE doesn't work well... look how easily the zombies were killed (instead of having Jill or Chris alone in the middle of the 2 zombies)
No wonder 5 and 6 were a breeze - imagine the difficulty if you could force Solo properly (like Outbreak Lone Wolf Mode)

The reason why the zombies were so easily killed is because RE1's enemy setup was designed as a single-player experience; in the same way, the reason why Outbreak is so difficult on Lone Wolf Mode is because it's designed as a multiplayer experience. If someone were to apply Outbreak's gameplay mechanics such as cheap enemy mobs and respawns to the older games, you can bet they'd be a lot harder as well.

[RaccoonSurvivor]

I love how that 2 player video demonstrates that co-op in RE doesn't work well... look how easily the zombies were killed (instead of having Jill or Chris alone in the middle of the 2 zombies)
No wonder 5 and 6 were a breeze - imagine the difficulty if you could force Solo properly (like Outbreak Lone Wolf Mode)

[Ultimacloud123]

Hey Gemini, what's the news on your pre-rens? Sonic still hard at work with the restaurant or am I behind on this news? I'm sure your trying to not throw out too many spoilers.

Out of curiosity what tools did you use to rip the DS models and textures? Can't seem to find any info on it.

[Kegluneq]

Correct about the DS model and animations. This is the other Chris which was originally used for chrome tests:

In spite of all my frustration playing with this model countless times in Extreme Battle, I still can't help but love it. Please, keep it as an optional.

Check a few pages behind, there should be a brief summary of the features and some other random ideas.

I'm really interested in seeing how the whole puzzle thing will play out. That's a static element though, unless you offer alternative routes (skip some puzzles but travel through larger and more dangerous areas?). If you get creative, this will definitely get people's head scratching trying to figure out how to get the best time possible through battle mode. I'm still confused how the time attack idea will play out. If you do add the randomness factor to the battle game, a sub time attack mode could be specifically created to set some things in stone - which was one of the most limiting elements from Extreme Battle since it was impossible to get the 4 bombs where you wanted except through trial and error (and ultimately why that mode doesn't have a lot of competitive play compared to RE2's 4th Survivor or RE3's Mercenaries).

[Gemini]

Is that a combination of Chris' DS model with Resident Evil 2's animations? Also, I noticed that seemed to be Chris2 costume, which begs the question as to what you have planned for Chris1 since that should be standard.

Correct about the DS model and animations. This is the other Chris which was originally used for chrome tests:

You said something like Extreme Battle and The Mercenaries with Time Attack involved. I'm not following it. Are you talking about the random factor of Extreme Battle or just the general design of the mini-game (different stages and different routes)?

Check a few pages behind, there should be a brief summary of the features and some other random ideas.

In light of the RE1 timed/triggering events discussion, that would be interesting to see you include in your game Behind the Mask. Also, decision points and multiple endings based on the decisions you make.

Sonic and I already thought about that possibility due to GS being linear (even with branches preventing you to go back and 'different' cutscenes) and BTM giving you way more freedom of exploration.

[RetroRain]

In light of the RE1 timed/triggering events discussion, that would be interesting to see you include in your game Behind the Mask. Also, decision points and multiple endings based on the decisions you make.

[Kegluneq]

Is that a combination of Chris' DS model with Resident Evil 2's animations? Also, I noticed that seemed to be Chris2 costume, which begs the question as to what you have planned for Chris1 since that should be standard.

How are you planning on doing the mini-game? You said something like Extreme Battle and The Mercenaries with Time Attack involved. I'm not following it. Are you talking about the random factor of Extreme Battle or just the general design of the mini-game (different stages and different routes)?

[Gemini]

Took me some more tweaking to achieve this:
YouTube video:

Show YouTube video

I found a way to make it work as intended, even if it's not yet an optimal solution. The only real issue is that you need to set your TV or PSP to zoom mode and center the vertical coordinate as necessary (there is an option to do so within the game). Zooming in also means that I need to redesign some menus in a way that works both in 4:3 and wide screen because the zoom simply removes the empty borders of the screen to make it fit with a proper ratio.

This still needs a few more minor adjustments, like make sure the player's head is always visible in narrow cameras or long corridors. Bezier interpolation already makes it a lot more pleasant to look at, especially when the player position suddenly changes and the camera needs to gradually adjust.

I noticed something really odd. Some of the camera angles get a little "jumpy" as you walk past them. Is this something that still needs adjusting or is it for dramatic purposes?

Like I said, camera scrolling position was calculated depending on Chris' hip position on screen. If the hip bounces, the camera follows.

I would like to see you keep it, if it's not too much work to make it work right. Widescreen tellys are so common these days, I'm sure plenty of people would get a kick out of this feature.

Well, the nice thing is that ePSXe can play this just alright with no fine adjustments even on HD resolutions. Should be satisfying for those who like filtering the crap out of PSX games.

[Northman]

I'm not even sure if this option will make it to release, but given most people would rather play BTM and Hazardous Battle on an old TV, I'm thinking of scrapping it entirely in favor of just a regular 4:3 aspect ratio lockdown.

I would like to see you keep it, if it's not too much work to make it work right. Widescreen tellys are so common these days, I'm sure plenty of people would get a kick out of this feature.

[Ultimacloud123]

That is awesome work you got there. I noticed something really odd. Some of the camera angles get a little "jumpy" as you walk past them. Is this something that still needs adjusting or is it for dramatic purposes?