Category Archives: Videos

Dev Update – SplinterMites on the plains

Hello again!

You may recall a couple of weeks ago we showed you the SplinterMite enemy model.

Tonight, it is our pleasure to show you some (very rough) footage in-game of the little critters scampering around in the desert without a care in the world.

As we have said before, please be aware that this is pre-alpha footage and all assets, animation, and behaviour is work-in-progress and is subject to change. In the video below, we must stress that there is no AI at work here, and we’re currently working to get their sneaky, predatory behaviour working in our environments. There are some really cool things we’re planning on doing with them.

Our environment artists and level designers are moving forward in leaps and bounds with the persistent map, and it’s becoming populated with some great looking foliage and other assets to enhance your exploring, destroying, hunting, and being hunted.

Two weeks ago we were at EGX Rezzed in Birmingham, where we had a great time meeting gamers, fellow Indie Developers and Games Industry veterans. We showed off the Pre-Alpha Demo, and talked about how Eden Star is evolving. You can see a great interviews with John and Kyle below!

 

 

 

Thanks to everyone both public and press who talked to us, and we look forward to delivering more news to you soon!

Playing With Fire

Hello again!

We’re excited to announce that a couple of our team are flying out to San Francisco next week to show our Pre-Alpha Tech Demo at GDC!

gdc logo

If you’re going there too, it’d be great to meet you!

Playing with Fire

Tonight, our PFX Artist, Marcin has volunteered to show you a few of his fancy particles!

Please be aware that everything you see in the images below is at a very early stage, and all props, PFX, and environments are block-out versions only!

 

Hello Everybody,

It’s Marcin again with quick, but very exciting news. Recently I’ve had a chance to explore a bit more of what the Unreal Engine 4 has to offer in the world of dynamic particles and I am very happy to tell you that in Eden Star you will be able to interact with the world in some ways you may not have thought of. What I am working on at the moment should allow players to use the MATA-Tool not only to push around solid blocks, rocks, and enemies, but also to affect other more dynamic phenomena, such as fire, fog, snow, photon cannon rays of doom… erm …I get carried away. For more realistic example I want to show you how the Pioneer can play with fire, literally.

eden star pfx pull

There are many different moves that you can perform with your MATA-Tool, some of which you probably already know from the Combat Tech Demo. You can push and pull things, throw them around, destroy them, etc. and I want you to be able to see these actions reflected in the reactions of the world around you. On the images here you can see the Pioneer pushing the fire embers away with a quick, forceful blast, attracting them, and even blasting a hole in the wall of flame with the laser.

eden star pfx laser

Those mechanics are not very game-changing, I realise that, but what I am really hoping to create here is a whole other level of immersion, and let’s face it, what are visual effects for, if not the immersion. After all, we probably can’t make it so the embers you blow away can set things on fire…hmm? What do you think? Nah… we probably can’t… or can we?

Edit: Marcin’s been kind enough to render out a video for you!

I hope you are as excited as I am about this. Thanks for reading and see you next time.

-Marcin Dudkowski

eden star pfx fire

P.S. Be careful with fire.

 

Thanks for reading!

Pre-Alpha Demo Available Now!

eden star pre-alpha combat tech demo out now

The Pre-alpha Combat Tech Demo has been released!

This means everyone that has pre-ordered Eden Star will be be finding a download key in their inbox soon, and you’ll be able to play before Christmas!

“So, what will I be getting?”

Good question!

The Combat Tech Demo was designed to be a fully playable, enjoyable snapshot of the core game mechanics of Eden Star. You’ve got awesome physics-based combat, being able to throw around enemies like toys, blast them out of the air, throw one straight into another, and take them down by throwing crates at them.

You’ll be fighting the robotic Ika Drones. These training drones are programmed to attack you, your Eden Kit, and any gun turrets you build. Watch out for their ramming attacks, and when they land, their automatic weapons can do a lot of damage!

The Ika Drones will attack in waves, giving you a little time in between in which you can gather minerals, repair your base and your Eden Kit, construct defences and prepare for the next!

 

 

You’ve got a basic version of our Construction system, enabling you to materialise structures with ease, using resources manufactured from the minerals you’ve gathered throughout the destructible world.

 

 

Our Cornerstone mechanic allows you to place blocks at any angle, so you can build complex structures at any orientation!

You can also build powerful gun turrets to defend your Eden Kit. These robotic sentry turrets will track and destroy any Ika Drones within their range, so long as there are resources in your Eden Kit to power them!

 

 

You have a slow-mo ability, enabling you to perform amazing feats of John Woo-style slow-motion carnage!

You have a range of freerunning abilities; able to mantle up destructible environment without limitations, using wall-running to cross large gaps, fighting as you power-slide your way to victory!

 

 

Eden Star is not your typical first-person-shooter, so we have included a tutorial to show you what you can do, and how, using both keyboard and mouse, and controller. Control mapping can be viewed at any time in the menu.

 

A warning before you play, however: The Combat Tech Demo is Pre-alpha, and as such, may still have some bugs. We have tested and refined as much as time allows, and we’re confident that the game runs smoothly on most systems, and is still really fun to play.

An important note:

 The Combat Tech Demo represents the last iteration of Eden Star we are able to do in Unreal 3! All development from here on out is going to be made in Unreal 4. Because of this, we will not be releasing patches for The Combat Tech Demo, so we can focus solely on making an excellent full game.

Recommended minimum specs for running the demo are listed as follows.

  • i5 processor
  • 4 gigabytes of RAM
  • Nvidia Geforce 560 graphics card  (or the ATI equivalent)

Full Installation instructions, known issues, and a guide on playing the demo can be found in the Readme file linked below:

README.txt

 

We hope you’ll have a good time with The Combat Tech Demo and that it will give you an impression of just what we’re capable of in UE4, and what Eden Star can become, with your help.

Have a great Christmas, Pioneers!