Resident Evil: Behind the Mask [+Hazardous Battle]

[Mikhail]

I'm really looking forward to this as Ark Thompson is my favorite protagonist in the series and I thought Gun Survivor was a great game in its own right; all of my complaints stem from it being first-person perspective with no light gun support, which this will obviously address.

The Japanese and PAL versions of the game allowed use of the Namco GunCon.
The American version did not allow the use of the GunCon, or any other light gun model, so as to avoid controversy after the then-recent Columbine High School Shooting.

[NemesisGenesis]

So far, so good. Thank you for thinking outside the box! This is a cool fan project, getting Gun Survivor in a style similar to the 1st three games. Though I have to wonder...are there gonna be puzzles? If so, how will they work?

[Ultimacloud123]

It such an amazing project that you got the thumbs up from Team IGAS. 5his will be the next best thing after 1.5.

[Zombie_X]

I'll do some sketches for this project. I'm pretty good with drawing stuff IMO.

[Gemini]

Well, here comes the very first public video:

• Ark should have proper basic movements with acceptable speed variations;
• Limping is also there with quick turn and other minor tweaks to increase the level of complexity of what players should do depending on health levels;
• Zonbi-chan reaction to hits and general movement - health levels are randomized and so is the number of bites it can deal (there's a secondary timer to shake it off of you).
• 3D stereo sound, currently only applies to Zonbi-chan and the Glock - Ark will have to wait a bit more for new code which handles terrain properties and footstep SFX.

1) Will you do covers so we can make our own cases?
2) How is the aiming going to work, like it did in Dead Aim?

1) It depends entirely on the quantity of artworks that can be produced, but it's not my main concern right now. This will be revisited muuuuuch later.
2) So far it works exactly like RE1-2-3. I was considering the idea of a Dino Crisis like aiming style, but that would need a nice amount of retooling of the animation driver, something that can combine leg and arm movements.

Though I have to wonder...are there gonna be puzzles? If so, how will they work?

The original had no puzzles whatsoever - big bummer. I'll do what I can in order to add real puzzles that don't just involve "look for key X, use on door Y, proceed to the next room Z until end of game". I have a few ideas, but they are mere concepts, like adding something to the grandfather clock in the church segment.

I'd probably also recommend trying to "blend" all of the scenario paths together into something more cohesive, even if it means adding new areas. I think GS was rushed rather than deliberately intended to have such varying paths. I'd also suggest creating brand new files that contain information from the official guidebook relating to the characters, creatures and setting. There are some things that are just completely in the dark (Hypnos-T Type) or misleading (the nature of Beta Hetero Nonserotonin) due to a lack of proper information in the game.

I was thinking of adding a bestiary of sorts, something that would render the enemy on screen in a static pose and some text over the model with a brief description of the enemy. As for the scenarios, I agree - the multiple route system doesn't work very well with the non-linear progression of classic RE games. Some less important areas will be removed while others will be expanded. Definitively going to make the Umbrella Mansion worth a damn.

[Carnivol]

The original had no puzzles whatsoever - big bummer. I'll do what I can in order to add real puzzles that don't just involve "look for key X, use on door Y, proceed to the next room Z until end of game". I have a few ideas, but they are mere concepts, like adding something to the grandfather clock in the church segment.

Been fiddling around with games like "The Room" on iOS lately and also (re)playing some old and new Point and Click adventure games, and I must say ... games like those really remind me of how lackluster the puzzles in the Resident Evil games usually are (dare I say "casual" )

[LeonSK]

Wow! Dreaming about Survivor in classic style a long time. Go, Gemeni, Go. Russia with you)

[Akimbo]

I remember thinking about how Resident Evil Survivor would be if it was in the same style as the original games and whether it would be as well known and received as the original three games. I can't wait to see more on the project, it's looking awesome, good job.

[AleX_Red_07]

Great job, thank you! Resident Evil in the original - it's awesome)))

[Mr.BioHazard]

So what it's for ps1?...

Would there be a eboot for PSP available as well?

[Carnivol]

Would there be a eboot for PSP available as well?

As long as emulator compatibility isn't broken, doing an EBOOT of it probably wont be a problem; although, it'd be really neat if Gemini would do native console ports that'd be able to utilize the extra juice of various platforms.

[Gemini]

Behind the Mask seems to perform fine on my PSP when converted to an EBOOT, made a bunch of tests in the last few days. As for a port, I've just started reading bits of PSPSDK and the GE seems capable of working in a manner that mixes characteristics of OpenGL and GTE. The best thing about the GE is that it can work with palettes just fine, so as long as I can keep track of texture allocation the majority of rendering tasks should be fairly easy to translate, while the basic abstraction layer remains unaltered. Another point if favor of a PSP port is the sound chip since it's capable of reading VAG data out of the box.

[Mr.BioHazard]

Behind the Mask seems to perform fine on my PSP when converted to an EBOOT, made a bunch of tests in the last few days. As for a port, I've just started reading bits of PSPSDK and the GE seems capable of working in a manner that mixes characteristics of OpenGL and GTE. The best thing about the GE is that it can work with palettes just fine, so as long as I can keep track of texture allocation the majority of rendering tasks should be fairly easy to translate, while the basic abstraction layer remains unaltered. Another point if favor of a PSP port is the sound chip since it's capable of reading VAG data out of the box.

Oh awesome! Love some more classic RE on my PSP! My excitement for this just peeked even more

[Zombie_X]

Looking at the video, I see light sourcing is working fine. I might be hyped for this more than anything.. looks promising for sure.

[Ultimacloud123]

Most impressive! You ought to consider setting up a Facebook page rather then a Twitter but that's just my opinion. Now it's a race to see what finishes 1st, 1.5 or Survivor and considering your starting from scratch you seem to be making a ton of progress in a short period compared to 1.5 at this point in time. Is Behind the Mask the official name of your "rebirth" game or just a code name?

Is anyone curious to see a Gaiden remake?