Resident Evil: Behind the Mask [+Hazardous Battle]

[RaccoonSurvivor]

Hmmmm sounds very interesting.

So, we would have a time limit, which we can increase using some sort of object (sand-timers) but there would also be goals, or a destination to reach.. Interesting..

[RetroRain]

Can't wait to play an old-styled Resident Evil game!

This is probably a stupid question, but you do plan on adding jump-scares right? If you need ideas on jump scares, I'll be more than happy to post them.

A zombie jumping out of a locker, a licker bursting through a doube-sided mirror (homage to RE2), a hunter crashing through from the ceiling, Mr. X obviously coming in through breaking down a door or bursting through the wall, a cerberus bursting through a lower-wall vent (homage to 1.5), etc.

[blackpower]

Gemini = you could enter the co-op mode, it would be interesting?
Aside from Resident Evil: Behind the Mask you can create with your plans for the PSX games, for example Medievil 3?

RetroRain = I remember in wax survivor of a zombie Cutscene that smashed a glass door to enter is you put an anxiety as you went quiet.

[Gemini]

So, we would have a time limit, which we can increase using some sort of object (sand-timers) but there would also be goals, or a destination to reach.. Interesting..

There won't be any countdown or items that increase your remaining time. A time attack mode is an idea, however.

This is probably a stupid question, but you do plan on adding jump-scares right?

What would be RE without jump scares? Sonic and I already brainstormed some of these.

Gemini = you could enter the co-op mode, it would be interesting?
Aside from Resident Evil: Behind the Mask you can create with your plans for the PSX games, for example Medievil 3?

No and no again.

[Gemini]

Time for a quick update because I haven't posted a video in a long while. For those who don't follow the Twitter page, I've tried having a completely useless feature implemented: the wide-screen mode (aka 16:10 display). There isn't an actual reason to this addition, other than pleasing those who like to play their PSX games in full screen on either a PSP or HD TV through PS3.

The wide screen mode works on a very simple principle: I still draw everything in 320x240, but the visual area is cropped to 320x200 and the vertical placement adjusted (the calculation is currently based on Chris' hip position on screen), finally I display only 200 scanlines out of the actual drawing environment. This is a rough video of what the effect would look like:
YouTube video:

Show YouTube video

Bugs aside with the display area arbitrarily resetting to random positions, the outcome isn't too bad and can definitively provide decent results on the intended platforms. The real issue is what I get on hardware:

Instead of displaying a nice 320x200 picture (16:10 aspect ratio, with overscan crops it should appear more similar to 16:9), all I get is still the visuals of 320x240 even more deformed due to the huge black strip at the bottom of the screen. The same exact thing appears on a PSP, no matter what values I use to center the visual area and force Zoom mode to eat away the black strip/s.

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.

PS: the video also includes a brief snipped of the Shotgun and Rocket Launcher in action. Make sure not to miss the sprite galore.

[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?

[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.

[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.

[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)?

[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.

[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.

[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).

[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.

[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)

[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.