KickStarter Solarix - SS2 wannabe

[toro]

Someone is trying to recreate the SS2 experience with a little bit of Riddick.

[link]



Edit: I feel nostalgic seeing that bounding box selection.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

It feels like System Shock 2 borrowing elements from Thief.

Looks VERY interesting.

 

[Cowboy Moment]

Well, they're certainly saying all the right things. They want to the game to be like SS2 so much that they even made the gunplay equally bad.

 

[FuelBlooded]

Isn't this ancient?

 

[mindx2]

Yeah, the gunplay didn't exactly seem... smooth or precise. I got more of a Thief In Space vibe from the gameplay footage with some SS2 sprinkled in.

 

[AlexOfSpades]

Meh. Everything in that engine looks the same. The animations are poor, and crouch to stealth is BAD BAD BAD! But it has come to such dark times where any stealth game sounds interesting, just because it dares to use stealth.

 

[toro]

RPS has a short article about this project: [link]

Meh. Everything in that engine looks the same. The animations are poor, and crouch to stealth is BAD BAD BAD! But it has come to such dark times where any stealth game sounds interesting, just because it dares to use stealth.

The second video is a Game Proof of Concept aka early prototype. There is space for a lot of improvement as the game is scheduled for Q3 2014.

Isn't this ancient?

Apparently not. Their Facebook page is from August 2013 and the game was added to the indiedb a couple of days ago.

Tbh there is not a lot of info about the company except that is written on their homepage:

Pulsentense Game is an independent video game studio based out of Istanbul, Turkey and the UK. The studio is currently working on its first game, Solarix. We specialise in the use of Unreal Technology to create realistic world whilst offering compelling gameplay and engaging narrative.

Yeah, the gunplay didn't exactly seem... smooth or precise. I got more of a Thief In Space vibe from the gameplay footage with some SS2 sprinkled in.

It feels like System Shock 2 borrowing elements from Thief.

Looks VERY interesting.

The project is described as:

Solarix is a first-person survival-horror game set in a beautiful (yet chaotic) science-fiction setting. The game follows the story of an electrical engineer on an off-planet colony, desperately fighting not just for his life but for what defines him as a human being. The game, story, and design are influenced by iconic science-fiction/horror games & films such as Alien, System Shock, Dead Space, and 2001: A Space Odyssey, while the gameplay is in part inspired by the stealth of Thief and Dishonored.

 

[toro]

http://www.indiegamemag.com/preview...ror-game-solarix-in-latest-development-video/

Pulse Tense Games also released a number of screenshots and concept art to go along with the environment reveal. Everything is available to check out on the game’s official website.

Solarix is Pulse Tense Games’ first title. Plot details are sparse, but Pulse Tense Games mentioned that the game focuses on an electrical engineer on an off-planet colony who is “desperately fighting not just for his life but for what defines him as a human being.”

Drawing influence from both Dead Space and Dishonored, Solarix is set to present players with a stealth-based experienced, while also including sci-fi thrills.

“Our vision for the game is simple: horror that goes beyond jump-scares, into a deep feeling of unease and insecurity,” Pulse Tense Games says on Solarix’s official website. “Central to both story and gameplay are the monsters—human, yet totally inhuman—as well as the level design—humbling in scale and filled with detail—both of which are integral to the overall atmosphere of isolation and desperation.”

Planning for a Kickstarter in the near future, Pulse Tense Games is busy polishing Solarix to be ready to officially present to the public. A gameplay trailer is also in the works, more than likely to accompany the Kickstarter campaign.

 

[toro]

Edit: The previous links were broken therefore is better to put the direct link to their site.

[link]

 

[DalekFlay]

Complaining about those graphics makes you an asshole, FYI.

 

[agentorange]

Looks promising. I like that they are using the SS2/DX style of object interaction. Project probably won't be completed like 99% of this stuff though.

 

[potatojohn]

I see the protagonist is using Garrett's tap dancing shoes.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

They could at least spend 10 minutes or so and tweak the fucking materials/shaders, unless this 'shininess' is actually a result from the ingame rain.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

One thing about the gameplay video that irked me is how he uses the hacking tool to unlock the door and access the terminal - and it seems to be using the Lockpicking minigame from the first two Thief games for it.

Namely, hold down the mouse button and wait. :-/

 

[Borelli]

One thing about the gameplay video that irked me is how he uses the hacking tool to unlock the door and access the terminal - and it seems to be using the Lockpicking minigame from the first two Thief games for it.

Namely, hold down the mouse button and wait. :-/

Nothing wrong with that. The point of Thief's minigame isn't the minigame itself but the fact that you can get caught while picking the lock.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

Too much bloom, but a good effort nonetheless.

I still think Routine nails the whole eerie and sterile look of Shock 2 better.

 

[toro]

Too much bloom, but a good effort nonetheless.

I still think Routine nails the whole eerie and sterile look of Shock 2 better.

Indeed. Routine looks very polished compared to this.

 

[sea]

I do like the obvious holes in the levels and T-poses the models are using, seems legitimately rough to the point where I don't suspect bullshots at all. Looks nice considering how early it is.

 

[Melan]

There is now a Kickstarter campaign for this game. Looking at the work you can see from their videos, it seems legit. They really need a better soundscape, which is one of their objectives. Not happy about how editing tools are tied to a high funding tier, since it'd be really cool to have a game where you could make SF/cyberpunk fan missions, but hey.

I'm doing my part.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

Loot, stealth, clunky shooting and all that talk about old skool. Finally someone who understands LGS's legacy.



Edit:

£3,416
pledged of £10,000 goal 14 hours to go

Fuck what's wrong with people?

 

[Melan]

Fuck what's wrong with people?

They should have asked for a potato salad their project falls into the uninhabited no man's land between hipsterism and $300,000 cash-ins by people with name recognition.

Plus they probably thought their product was good enough to sell itself, and didn't get the hype machine rolling. That's a seriously bad idea.

Kinda sad, but it looks like it'll be made anyway, so I'll just buy the finished game.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

Okay this KS is a definitive fail, so I'd wager they'll jump into Early Access as the next inevitable step. Gets them Beta-testing for free and the extra cash to re-record the audio and whatnot.

 

[ghostdog]

Damn, they did a shitty job promoting it. This is the first time I even heard this game existed. If they did half of what Styg did right with Stasis, they could have easily gotten more than 10.000.

 

[praetor]

definitely shit job at promoting. i had no idea this existed until now.
plus: 50k stretch goal xbox port?! then 60k Oculus support and 80k mod support?! and 30k "RPG elements"?! who the fuck came up with this shit? will not pledge

 

[Infinitron]

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/08/07/shocks-to-the-system-solarix-interview/

Shocks To The System: Solarix Interview
By Adam Smith on August 7th, 2014 at 8:00 pm.

Solarix has all the makings of a Kickstarter success story in the making. A first-person psychological survival horror game set in a decaying science fiction setting, it draws its inspiration from System Shock and Thief. John and Alec have already cast their eyes over the game, but as I awoke this morning from uneasy dreams, I found myself transformed, at my desk, into a fervent supporter of sci-fi terror. Imagine the very real horror I felt when I noticed that the Kickstarter is just over 24 hours away from completion, with £7,000 left to raise before it reaches its target. I contacted the developers to find out more.


Producer Adrien David replied to my questions, one of which covered ground that the project page has already gone over. I wanted to be clear as to why the Kickstarter goal was set at an extremely low £10,000. The team have been working on the game for three years, and have already secured a publisher for assistance with marketing (more on that later), so the months until the expected January release will be spent applying the final touches to Solarix.

“We are mainly polishing the game now. Up until now, the team has been investing its time and Baris, the Founder, his personal money. We simply need a final push in term of funding to be able to cover the final details,” says David.

Those details include environmental design and audio. Of the former, David says the setting will always be ‘oppressive’ and ‘dark’ but there will be variety, ‘particulary in scale’. As for the audio, “it is like being alone in an old house in the dark, when you can hear the wood creaking. Replace the old house with a space station, and the wood with some fans and rusted metal.”

One of the game’s key features is the use of large non-linear spaces, which allow players to navigate freely. Horror games don’t traditionally make use of open-ended levels, often relying on a level of control over the player. David says that giving the player’s freedom as to how they want to progress and deal with confrontations won’t detract from the oppressive atmosphere.

“Resources are very limited on the Solarix station and that’s something [players] will have to keep an eye on and manage at all time. At the end of the day, players are free to use their ammunition how they like but they better not waste any bullets because there will be other situations when they could have been useful.”

Bullets aren’t the only thing in short supply in Solarix. Reality is wearing thin as well. “Imagine being on a spacestation where you’re never really safe and never know what to expect next and then imagine that you can never really believe what you see or what you hear. Reality is not something completely consistent in Solarix.”

Given the imposing nature of the two influences listed in the first paragraph, which are also mentioned on the project page, I asked if there were any other particular inspirations.

“The most unusual influence is probably our team! We’ve all put some ideas into the game that are from our own experience as players and spectators.” Quite what those experiences are might reveal too many surprises. Despite the game’s grand scale and ambition, David’s final words suggest that Solarix’ devil will be residing where devils always do.

“Our most memorable souvenirs are always made of small details.”

I’ve included some detaisl on the role of KISS, the publisher of Solarix. This doesn’t cover any specifics of the game but I’m always interested in the ways that Kickstarter and other changes across the industry are changing traditional roles. And also people’s perception of those roles. Crowdfunding was seen by many as a way to escape from publishers but it’s possible that it will also turn out to be a way of recalibrating what a publisher is.

The fact that the game has a publisher, yet is turning to Kickstarter for £10,000 of funding, is unusual but just as Kickstarter itself has become an ordinary part of the landscape in recent times, the role of publishers is changing.

Dave Clark, Head of Marketing at KISS, explained that his team work primarily with studios of around five people, assisting with marketing, and communication with press and distributors. The fees charged are taken as a percentage of sales, he says, which means that the publisher’s success is tied to the client’s success. Unlike a traditional publishing model, on funding is provided, although in the case of games using Kickstarter for crowdfunding, KISS provide use of their own Kickstarter page. For studios outside ‘supported’ countries, like Turkey-based Pulsetense, this is particularly useful.

In Clark’s view, the new breed of small publishers have more in common with independent record labels (he compares KISS to Stiff Records during our conversation) than traditional publishing models in the world of games. As well as providing access to digital distributors, KISS can help to deal with press and promotion at events.

“Not every developer has the skills to market themselves or their game, just as not everyone has the skills to create a game,” he says. “And every minute spent on marketing and distribution deals is a minute spent away from development.” He also points out that KISS don’t retain any rights to the IP.

In practice, much of the functionality sounds like the traditional role of a PR firm rather than a publisher. Clark points out that he’ll put together press packs and communicate on behalf of clients, but that KISS will never interfere with development. It’s a hands-off role.

Solarix has just over 24 hours left on the clock.