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KickStarter ZED - surreal adventure from ex-Myst dev

Crooked Bee

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Codex 2013 Codex 2014 PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire MCA Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 BattleTech Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1368459285/zed

https://cyan.com/zed/




https://af.gog.com/game/zed?as=1649904300

ZED is a new Myst-like Kickstarter by a video game artist who apparently worked on Myst, and I really really want it to succeed: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1368459285/zed



The realms of ZED flicker between the edge of reality and that of fiction. You'll explore eccentric coastlines, mechanized landscapes, and secretive forests.

These worlds were built by the creative mind of acclaimed artist Chuck Carter If you've ever read National Geographic, seen a NASA press release, or watched Babylon5, there's a high chance you've experienced his work. However, world-building in video games is where he spent most of his life. From the groundbreaking environments of Myst, through the cinematic battlefields of Command and Conquer: Red Alert, to the futuristic terrain of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, Chuck has helped produce over 25 games throughout his career.

With deep roots in the Myst adventure-puzzle genre of gameplay, exploration and careful observation are key to unlocking the mysteries of ZED.

Find hints in the most unlikely places. Take note of everything - curiously chipped bricks, graffiti, scratched esoteric symbols on the walkways… even the most obscure drawing could change the course of your adventure! But beware - the dreamer knows you’re there and while he may help at times, he can also stand in your way.

Oh man, that sounds awesome. Unfortunately, it's not up to a particularly strong start, with just $3,500 out of $48,000 collected so far.
 
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ushas

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ZED is a new Myst-like Kickstarter by a video game artist who apparently worked on Myst, and I really really want it to succeed: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1368459285/zed
...
Oh man, that sounds awesome. Unfortunately, it's not up to a particularly strong start, with just $3,500 out of $48,000 collected so far.

Sounds interesting.
Have you considered to make a new thread about ZED (will it help it's visibility)?
They have posted 7 updates and are halfway funded since...

There is also an art demo for Windows, Mac and Linux. I haven't tried it yet, The download it's over 3GB.
ZED demo playthrough on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTMzHJNpNiA

28796605f2091b9dde5097d5988d7644_original.jpg
 

Crooked Bee

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Codex 2013 Codex 2014 PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire MCA Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 BattleTech Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
Made this into a separate thread. Meanwhile, the game has collected almost $28,000 with 19 days to go, yay!

I haven't tried the demo because it's just an art demo. I'm more interested in puzzles and exploration - which is what they're going to focus once/if they get funded, from the sound of it. I also like how their description of puzzles sounds.
 

ushas

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Thanks. :salute:
Yeah, I have it similar. I hope visualization costs and their ambitions toward VR will not undermine that. Most of the team are artists, and they have one programmer. Although, in the kickstarter video Chuck Carter said that he can easily design stuff using UE4 Blueprints.


Update #8:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1368459285/zed/posts/1600952
Chuck's Reddit AMA on Tuesday went really well and is still available for viewing. Calvin has been awfully busy the past days fixing our website and our downloads page. The Linux gaming community actually overwhelmed our servers trying to download it over two hundred times in a few hours and brought them down. It was super for everyone not involved with our website to see so much enthusiasm and interest in our demo! Chuck and Josh are working on releasing some new in-game puzzles, but in the meanwhile we've been working on a new level. Check out a small piece here:
f148bbd71aabfde4dd98e184fa1fbaf1_original.png

Hm, so perhaps an update about puzzles is in due soon...


Q: As an artist what are your thought on the increase of VR and its effect on game design?

That's a million dollar question. No doubt playing in a VR world is pretty amazing. Playing in ZED on an Oculus is something totally different than playing on a 2D screen. The first time we put on the headset and looked around - it was breath taking. You are in the world - and it behaves like a real world experience at least visually - so I think it may finally have staying power and honestly who knows where this tech will be just a few years from now. It presents a whole new set of challenges from a gaming perspective. when all your controls are now in 3D for the most part - you interact with them differently. And the game designs will have to take those enhancements seriously. 2D limits you - 3D challenges you to come up with all kinds of new ways to interact with your surroundings. I could go on about this...



Q: As an artist it seems like you've been given diverse opportunities to work on an array of games. However, ZED is in some ways drawing genuine comparisons to Myst although it's obviously also very unique and original in its own. Are you going back to this sort of style of game because it's the type of game you like to play, because it's the sort of story you'd like to tell? What is inspiring you to do this? What games do you prefer to play?

Ok - where to start. ZED is based on some old ideas that actually predate MYST. I've seen the comparisons to MYST and am very flattered to be compared favorably to my earlier work on it. I'm not consciously trying to recreate it so to speak - but I just think my own artistic sensibilities are coming through in the design and art I'm making for ZED. If I was doing Myst now it would look something like ZED I'm sure. I think some of my stylistic choices back then and now are still evident.

As for the reasons I'm doing ZED - Yes. I like that style of game - but only because it is a way to get my personal vision out there. I'm in a position to share this idea with others and let them play a game world I want to play in. And the story is very personal... and now with the game engines like Unreal being available to anyone who wants to make a game - we are seeing a new art form emerge that lets everyone tell a story - not just people like me who've been doing this stuff for such a long time. I think with VR too - we will see something new emerge in the game industry as non-gamers starter discovering the technology and perhaps a new art form will emerge - it's exciting.

I like Dear Esther, Doom, The Stanley Parable, Antichamber among others...



Q: Can you tell me why you've chosen Kickstarter? You said you were funding your project with NASA money. Do they not pay well anymore, or what happens next?

Well a game requires a lot of things and most things cost money. NASA pays all the basic bills and my living expenses. Kickstarter will help us with raising money for adding some levels of optimization and more content. We chose KS because we felt we had the best chance to achieve our goals with it.



Q: In your Kickstarter FAQ you say that the game will be released in Q1 2017. That seems like an impossibly short amount of time. It gives you less than a year to do a substantial amount of work, from programming to debugging. Your old employer Cyan recently ran a Kickstarter for Obduction and they had to delay their game by a substantial amount of time. As a backer of that game, I don't mind the delay, but I am worried that the game will be rushed. Kickstarter projects often have very demanding customers who try their best to get products rushed to their doorstep.

So my question is this: Is early 2017--less than a year from now--truly a reasonable timeframe for this project ending? I ask because I wouldn't mind backing someone with such an interesting aesthetic, but seeing such naive claims makes me feel you are somehow still inexperienced in the managerial aspects of game development, something that frequently plagues the Kickstarter community.

I enjoyed your surrealist artistic taste in Myst. They went away from that in sequels, perhaps for good reason, but I certainly wouldn't mind a return to that sort of world.

That's a great question. At this point we've done an incredible amount of work on ZED, and we feel comfortable giving a 3-month time window for release. As you know, a lot of games do have their release schedules pushed back, and I have worked on numerous games where that has been the case for innumerable reasons. I've been on this road a long time.

At Eagre we want to create the _best_ game possible and provide you with as much value as possible, and release on time. This may seem lofty, but we've been setting the framework for this for a long time.

Bug testing is being done with agile development - like cooking a huge meal - as you complete each dish you stop for a second and clean up as you go a long. This saves tons of time downstream in that anything that could be a legacy issue is nipped in the bud while it's fresh and at the end of development, debugging goes very fast.

We are also using a mature game engine in Unreal Engine 4. Programming is something that is much easier when working with their nodal editor - Blueprints.

With full Kickstarter funding we can help focus from getting the bills paid through my NASA work to working full time on ZED and still have enough time to do proper programming and debugging. My team has a lot of experience in game design and development as well and we have a road map which we are comfortable with and confident in.

As for the surrealistic aspects of my Myst work, I believe ZED will continue with an even more refined aesthetic. After Myst I was no longer with the company and they took a different artistic approach to the game. ZED is all mine visually.

Again, thanks for a good question. I hope you'll support us and we will return you to a unique world that is as rich and new as Myst was at the time.



Q: Also, I see that you're using Unreal Engine 4 for ZED. This seems to be growing more common these days, with games like Obduction, Xing, and a few others also using it. So how do you plan to set ZED apart from the others, both in terms of concept, and also potentially in terms of visuals and gameplay?

We chose Unreal because it's, in my opinion, the best tool set out there for making games. ZED will stand apart for numerous reasons - art style, game and puzzle interactions and some things we really can't talk about right now. The story is going to be compelling and not intrude into the game play in a way that takes away from the immersion. The visuals are inspired from numerous sources including my own dreams and we all have a pretty unique set of dream worlds that are very personal. I'm just able to share mine in a very public way. Gameplay is not Myst like in the least - but involves helping the dreamer even though he isn't aware you're necessarily helping him. I'm bring 25 years of working on games into ZED - so it's going to be at the very least - unique. And Mikronaut go and make a game! Just do it as they say!



Q: Hi Chuck -- Max here -- so what are the chances of your adding a small multiplayer online capability to ZED in a downstream release -- just 2 or 3 close friends exploring the ZED universe together all with VR headsets?
 

Zarniwoop

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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
I wonder what Zed has to say about this blatant cultural appropriation of his name.

Game looks p. interesting but I'm well past Kickstarter stuffies. Will buy when it's released in 5 years. Or when it's on Steam sale in 7 years.
 

ushas

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https://www.gamingonlinux.com/articles/an-interview-with-eagre-games-about-their-new-game-zed.7407


An interview with Eagre Games about their new game, ZED

GOL: It’s probably best to address the elephant in the room right away: is ZED a modern take on Myst? The Chuck Carter connection seems to be there…

Seth Mantye: ZED is being compared to Myst in many ways, and in many ways that's a fair assessment, and in other ways it's not. Our studio founder and lead creative director, Chuck Carter, did half the artwork on Myst, some of the level design, etc. There's a great clip of 'the making of Myst' where Chuck actually talks about how they were building Myst. And in the last 25 years technology has changed so dramatically that it's allowing us to create ZED. A game like Myst where you need to point and click to move probably wouldn't go over too well these days. Chuck likes to say that this game is similar to what Myst would be like if they had 2016's technology back then, but realistically ZED stands far apart from Myst. We have beautiful and immersive worlds, but we also have a narrative and compelling story which includes a lot of emotion in it.

Chuck Carter: Is ZED a modern day MYST? Well not intentionally, though I have to say it’s being construed that way by a lot of people. I can say it’s Myst like in that it’s a strange set of worlds and there are puzzles that affect the entire game. Atmospherically, it’s much different - richer and more dynamic in how we’re designing it, and it will be much more alive. It’s roots actually predate Myst by a couple years. But to be honest - if we had the level of tech we have today I’m guessing my part of Myst would look a little like ZED.

1465758666zed5.jpg


GOL: I played the demo and can say that the atmosphere feels appropriately surreal and dream-like. What sort of inspirations are you drawing upon for the game?


Seth: ZED is very much a collaborative effort between a lot of us. Chuck, Joe, Stephanie, Joshua, Calvin and myself have all made contributions here and there, and each one of us has different inspirations. I spent a lot of time in Maine growing up, and the rocky shores, lush forests, and breathtaking mountains really set out in my mind. We've really drawn on some of that in a few of our worlds, and you can definitely spot the Maine-inspired rocky coasts in our demo. Chuck is the driving force behind almost all of the art though, so you can really see why some of the Myst comparisons come from there, too. Chuck is completely self-taught and a true student of art, he'll randomly mention artists from every era as people who have great styles and the rest of us will need to look them up to keep up with him. Google Image Search has definitely come in handy for me. The guy is like a walking art thesaurus. I couldn't even begin to tell you where he gets his ideas from.

Chuck: I pull a lot from my own dreams visually. A lot of my dreams are very vivid and have stayed with me for my entire life. The symbology of my dreamscapes is part of what drives some of the ideas and visuals. What you see in the demo is a very small sliver of the game obviously. As for other inspiration - the real world has plenty to offer by way of strange and amazing places. I’m always online looking at stuff - my Pinterest Pages are filled with inspiration - so much to choose from online - artists, photographs… so much stuff to soak in and I’m sure a lot of that seeps into my own ideas or gives me ideas… also I have some favorite artists that are exciting to me. I have tons of favorite artists - Moebius, Shaun Tan, James Harris, Jack Kirby, Michael Kaluta, Frazetta, Charles Schultz, Bill Watterson… so many more. Inspiration is everywhere. Too much to list in an interview.

GOL: It strikes me as notable that Eagre Games describes itself as a developer of “non-violent, beautifully immersive, story-driven games”. Plenty of your developers have experience working on more action-focused titles such as the Command & Conquer series and Bioshock Infinite. So why choose that niche?

Seth: The thing that binds most of us together is actually our love of First Person Shooter games. Several of us played a lot of Unreal Tournament back in the day (a point which I'll probably reference later) and I still try to play every Sunday. That's great, but games don't need violence to be great. We want to create a game which is an experience everyone can enjoy, and something we can be proud to give to kids and adults. Essentially, our target market is 'everybody' rather than a specific niche.

Chuck: I choose it because the Genre is both satisfying for me personally and with all of the violent games out there - there is a need for games that challenge your mind and senses and desire to live in a story without fear or pressure of just trying to survive long enough to finish the game. I want to help people slow down - enjoy the strange scenery, smell the 20 foot virtual flowers - disappear in world for a while and look around. And then look forward to exploring more - go down paths and not knowing whats around the bend is exciting for me - in ZED you can actually go into some of the houses and get a glimpse of what the dreamer left behind as you explore dark hallways and old rooms. The point is - with the puzzles to slow you down a bit you will still have a series of world to explore and discover.

Calvin Moisan: Today’s market is dominated by fast paced shooters and action games that rely on reflexes. We think there are many gamers out there who are looking for a more relaxed experience; worlds to get lost in, narratives to engage, and puzzles to promote critical thinking.

...

There is more about linux support, how it's simple to provide that with the recent UE4 build (perhaps Epic is slowly starting to be more serious, well, we will see).
But altogether the interview doesn't say much.
 

ushas

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Update #9:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1368459285/zed/posts/1603835

Update #9 - Concept Art, PortCon, and More!
As you may know, ZED is a game which our founder and creative director, Chuck, has been kicking around for decades. Many years ago when he was working at Westwood Studios on Red Alert II, Chuck even came up with some concept art for ZED in his spare time. It's our pleasure to share some of that with you here now, and we'll be releasing some more periodically on our Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook.
94d9c79c95d8d758ecdf3d32a2636892_original.jpg


... We'll have some major announcements once E3 is over, and will be releasing new puzzle content soon. We're excited to announce that Chuck, Calvin, and Seth will be at PortCon this year
....

Soon must come to an end soon :argh:
 

ushas

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Yet another interview:

http://ind13.com/welcome-to-a-world-of-dreams-an-interview-with-eagre-games/

Eagre Games doesn’t seem to make the usual games. More immersive story driven environments. Can you tell us more about this?
We aren’t trying to make usual games, we’re trying to make great games. We are using an art-style which is incredibly surreal, yet strangely realistic at times. This art style surrounds this user with something which is truly beautiful and creates a completely awe-inspiring experience. The first time I played ZED I was glad I was sitting, because things just look so good. The stuff that is being worked on now which we haven’t released to the public is even better. This all ties in with a story we’ve come up with, and that story is actually a very deep story. A friend of ours, Joe Fielder, was one of the lead writers on Bioshock Infinite and several other games. He’s currently working on Underworld Ascendant, and he’s helping us flush the story out in a more user-friendly way and it’s shaping up to be terrific.

The two games that you have made currently, Zed and Curio, are artistically amazing to look at. How do you balance the the visual and the gameplay?
As for balancing the gameplay, we have a lot of environmental interaction. You can’t see it in our art preview (demo), but later worlds we’ve built allow the player to explore virtually everything they can see. You can get sort of a feeling of this by walking on the rocks near the lighthouse in our preview, but it’s just a small taste of things. Our puzzles are also designed in such a way that players need to interact with them in order to interact with the world, and players need to explore the world to collect the Dreamer’s memories. The visuals are very much a part of all of that, and since exploration is so key to our gameplay it puts the visuals front and center and essentially makes gameplay and visuals go hand-in-hand. Every piece of this ties in with the story and helps players get a true gaming experience, rather than just gameplay.


Zed_02_IND13.jpg


You have a few Contributing Artists, is it daunting (at first anyway), working with someone like Chuck. Or is it more like being around a Mr Miyagi type character (without the waxing of cars probably).

We have a lot of younger contributors on our project, you’re right. In fact, some of the people on our team weren’t even alive when Chuck worked on Myst and probably don’t understand how formative it was for a generation. One of our musicians saw our original trailer and called it “Myst-like” even though he never played Myst, and Myst was released when he was two.

“Myst-like” has become a term in itself and the fact that people who don’t know Myst know what it means speaks volumes. However, Chuck’s presence is very modest as I said earlier. He accepts and encourages input from everybody and allows a lot of room for expression and room to grow, so I don’t know that anyone has felt like the experience has been daunting.

Zed_04_IND13.jpg


What are the plans for Eagre Games moving forwards?
As for Eagre’s next steps: Once ZED is done we begin work on a game called Curio. Curio is like ZED, but ten thousand times more amazing. We need to raise money for ZED so we can complete ZED, and then use the money from ZED to make Curio. I can’t give you any details about Curio at this point because Chuck will actually kill me if I do, but suffice to say you will appreciate it.


Huh, Curio?

Curio_Logo.jpg

“Curio” is a more than a game. It’s more than a story. It’s an expedition into what happens to our creations when we are no longer there to tend them – or when we willfully forget them. With ties to “Zed,” it is a venture into an alternate overgrown reality of sorts. The Creator becomes a stranger in their own drawings and imaginings.​
 

ushas

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https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1368459285/zed/posts/1610226

Update #11 - New video, interviews, and countdown

If it wasn't clear by now, Eagre Games founder and Creative Director, Chuck Carter, worked on Myst back in the early 1990's. We took some footage of him talking about the making of Myst and compared it to what he's saying today. In it we've released new footage and you can see a little glimpse into some behind-the-scenes development.

Do you notice any homages to Chuck's previous work?

This week Chuck sat down with Ben Sprague of The Maine Show to discuss game development in Maine. It's not as easy as you might think and well worth a listen.

Next, Chuck and Calvin joined Indie Game Riot's Friday liveshow to discuss ZED and his career. View their 45+ minute interview here. They also discuss our friends and fellow Kickstarter mates Cultic Games, who are close to achieving their goal on Stygian.

As we enter the last stretch of our campaign we're putting together some final announcements for later in the week. Stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter accounts for the most up-to-date information.



So two more interviews, a little bit more informal pieces but perhaps in a way more informative.

The ZED interview at Indie Game Riot podcast starts at 0:17:45
(I haven't listened to the rest of the show, but there is also Stygian on the dessert menu etc.)




I like the melancholic description* of ZED, which Chuck Carter gave in this interview.

* something akin ~ helping to fix memory issues from within the dream world of dying man, who suffers from dementia [after waking up from coma I think]; Chuck adds that beside other games and his own dreamscapes the inspiration also comes from friend - older mentor of his - who is suffering something similar, and cannot remember him any more.

I don't know why but before I haven't connected dots up To the Moon. If memory doesn't betray me, that one also explores the concept of fulfilling old man's dying wish (to get closure) and looking back at ones life. They said that they are fans, so hopefully ZED will be able to pull the Moon's mood again...

Btw. They are also discussing how ZED's overall puzzle design philosophy differs from The Witness, and mention other games [with nonviolent conflict and exploration?] like Dear Esther, its spiritual successor Rapture, The Stanley Parable, Obduction, Curio. Calvin Moisan lists as his favourite indie experience playing Undertale. And in case of not successful kickstarter they are not going to give up on ZED (though that doesn't automatically imply the second Kickstarter round).
 

ushas

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https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1368459285/zed/posts/1610571

Update #12 - Announcing Our Animator and Progress Update

Happy Thursday!

For over a month now Eagre Games has been speaking with one of the most talented animators in the industry about joining our team. We're extremely excited to announce that we'll be bringing on our good friend Pete Paquette to join us. Pete is among the most celebrated animators in the industry and has vast experience ranging from several films in the "Ice Age" franchise to "Rio," "Horton Hears a Who," and games such as Bioshock: Infinite, where he served as Senior Animator. He has also taught at the New England Institute of Art and is currently contracting to Riot Games. Pete will be assisting us with character and puzzle animation and having him on board will be a key piece of making ZED the best game it possibly can be.

We are beyond thrilled to have the chance to work with him later this summer. In order to contract him for as long as possible, we've created a $4,000 stretch goal. If we hit $52,000 in funding we can get almost everything we need done perfectly by one of the best. Please help us in achieving this.

68339012a978fd8ab88e232ac8ab1a93_original.png


...

It's nearing $37k right now.
 

ushas

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https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1368459285/zed/posts/1615833

Update #15 - Announcing our voice actor and new stretch goals
Some big news just broke in the world of ZED. Eagre Games has committed to working with Stephen Russell,the talented voice actor behind 'Garrett' in the Thief series, Nick Valentine in Fallout 4, and the announcer of System Shock. Mr. Russell is another New England native who has appeared in games and movies for nearly twenty years and we cannot contain our enthusiasm for working with him. He will be bringing our Dreamer to life in a way which only he can, and has expressed his interest in our story, plot, and the challenges that come with it.
...
In addition to this terrific news, we are also announcing a change in our stretch goals for this project. It is imperative to us that we make ZED the best game we possibly can given our funding, and so we have shifted our priorities slightly. See below:

68339012a978fd8ab88e232ac8ab1a93_original.png

As announced last week, veteran animator Pete Paquette will be joining our team. He did the animation of Elizabeth in Bioshock: Infinite, and worked on three of the "Ice Age" films. In our opinion he is one of the very best in the industry and his work will bring life to ZED in new places.

60ea5bcab128d93899be71fb1966aebd_original.png

With this, we are announcing the addition of physical copies of the game, which we will make available for ordering if we reach $60,000 in funding. Many backers have requested this and we'll be happy to accommodate!

241f5297c9c7cbcd2af26fb30b0a8c05_original.png

Virtual Reality is a very important stretch goal for us. Everyone who tuned in to E3 saw how big VR looks to be in the coming years, but it is still expensive to develop for. Thankfully we've gotten some support, and HTC is sending us a complimentary Vive this week! Even so, we anticipate costs for VR-ready hardware and optimization will range towards $14,000.

bbdf69d173924f7a94fde4d4ee13b6a9_original.png

Lastly, localization has been very important to many of our international fans. We want to make ZED as accessible as possible to the entire world by creating menus and captioning in major world languages.
They also got this mysterious supporter who matches any $100 pledge up to $2500...
It's nearing $46k with time to reach $48k till Friday (11AM EST). If nothing bad happens, looks like secured. :greatjob:
(ups time for me to decide)
 

Crooked Bee

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Codex 2013 Codex 2014 PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire MCA Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 BattleTech Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
Funded, yay! :incline: I hope they reach 52k for an additional animator, too.

Update #16 - THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.
f48ec62d7535975edcbd9baba73d3d6b_original.png

Because of your support we have been able to initially reach our $48,000 funding goal with two days remaining on our campaign. Now is the time to help us reach our all-important stretch goals! We are still aspiring to reach 1700 backers!

Our team wants to share their gratitude with you:



"Thank you from the bottom of our hearts." - Chuck

"Thanks to your generosity we've done it! You are a part of this now, and I'm happy for that. With the Kickstarter campaign coming to a close I can finally slink back into the dark depths of the CalCave and get back to programming (it's like the batcave, but I do programming in it, I don't fight crime...yet)." - Calvin

"Congrats!! Sorry, I've got a noon deadline for a casting report" - Joe

"Thank you so much to everyone who backed or helped spread the word! I'm thrilled that we were able to meet our goal, and humbled by the number of people who resonate with our game. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Maybe now I can break the coffee habit...ha!" - Steph

"I was going to basically write what Stephanie wrote but I don't have a coffee addiction. I can quit any time I want. ----- but seriously, thanks to everyone who has helped our campaign in their own small ways. Your small (and large!) contributions have amounted to great things. It has been great for me to see so many wonderful supporters talking constantly about us on social media (I get our funding progress updates from Twitter because it's easier and more up-to-date than going to our campaign page now) and sharing their support with us." -Seth

Thank you for joining us on this journey and in celebration of our goal, let's work hard over the final two days to make as many of our stretch goals as possible. All backing will help immeasurably with improved graphics, animation, and more.
 

ushas

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Funded, yay! :incline: I hope they reach 52k for an additional animator, too.

Yaysqueak! That's fast. :brodex:

Edit: And the first stretch goal is also in. Looking forward to animated puzzles.
 
Last edited:

ushas

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http://www.indiehangover.com/early-impressions-on-eagre-games-zed/
Early Impressions on Eagre Game’s ZED
ZED-Featured-750x400.jpg


Recently, I had the chance to visit the Eagre Games studio, and was lucky enough get an early look at the work they are doing on ZED. Since we’ve discussed the game before, I thought it’d only be appropriate to share my early impressions!

Chuck Carter and Kyle Frick were the two developers who talked to me about the game’s current state and walked me through a very early, rough demo. While they couldn’t discuss everything about the game, they were wonderfully open about the process, their current aims and goals, and how they’d like to see ZED develop. The game was very rough around the edges, but that’s to be expected in such an early state.



From the very beginning of the demo, ZED felt dreamlike. Things began in an apartment, then I opened a door that led me into a lush wooded area, which then transported me to a pseudo-industrial maze, before being thrown into a hall of doors. My last glimpse of the world ended in a surprisingly scary Victorian mansion that seemed one part hotel, one part subway station and one part Stephen King homage.

The variety of environments and art in ZED, even at this early stage was astounding. The games environments, assets, and style was varied and surreal. There’s a superb use of normal, everyday objects and items in odd ways that make things feel…a little bit off. ZED is absolutely nailing the dream-like vibe it’s aiming for, and that makes me VERY optimistic about the game as a whole. It’s dreamlike, slightly off and slightly creepy, and just like dreams, even the most beautiful pieces often don’t seem right once you start looking at them.



One major thing that had not been implemented yet was the game’s narrative, but I saw the first markers of how you’ll make your choices in the game’s story. Peppered throughout a couple of the levels I saw were a series of what I’ll call “Choice Towers” (see above). These marked points where you’d have to make a decision based on the information you’d gathered thus far. No narrative yet implemented, so my choices had no context and boiled down to left or right, but I like the idea.

Chuck Carter also confirmed that these choices will be found throughout the narrative and you’ll have to make these choices based on your understanding of The Dreamer and his world.

He also confirmed that the choices you make will effect the game’s ending.



While there was no voice acting or direct narrative dumps in the game at this point, there was a fair bit of passive storytelling. Throughout each area I walked through, graffiti was plastered across many of the walls. Much of it was place holder, but I still think that this is a wonderful addition and interesting way of telling you about this world and the character of the dreamer. Much of it was cryptic, and of course it’s all subject to change, but I loved the sense that you might be able to get some extra insight by paying attention to the writing on the walls.



However, of everything I saw and investigated, it was the music that surprised me the most. I’m not sure what kind of music I was expecting to hear in ZED, but it was not the haunting, almost Eastern melodies that floated into my ears as I wandered through these dreamscapes.

Just like the environments and visuals, the music was beautiful and inviting, but didn’t feel quite right, only adding to the surreal, dreamlike atmosphere of the game. Alex Parish’s work really blew me away and I cannot wait for more of it.

All in all, I’m astonished by just how good an atmosphere the team at Eagre Games have already constructed. The full force of narrative, scope and voice acting haven’t even been brought into the game at this point, and yet, even with this small slice of the game, the art style and atmosphere is cohesive and compelling, even with it’s variety. The environments and music work wonderfully together to make things feel surreal and dreamlike; slightly creepy and yet comforting and inviting. I’m beyond excited to explore this world of dreams, to be frightened by the nightmares in the corners of The Dreamer’s mind, and left stunned by the beautiful impossibilities of his imagination.
Doesn't seem coming anytime soon though.

A few additional screens from their facebook page:
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ushas

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Update #30
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1368459285/zed/posts/2080523

Dec 29 2017
Update #30: 2017 Year in Review and Update

Seasons greetings again, friends!
We hope everyone has been enjoying the best of the season and wanted to do a quick recap of the year. We’ve got some great news and not-so-great news, but in summary everything is going well.

e8dd11dd4860d172dd5770db4e90ee36_original.gif

We started the year fairly slowly, but had accomplished illustrator and friend Doug Goldsmith in the studio for a few weeks creating the illustrations that appear throughout the game. They’re beautiful, and you can see some of them in some of the teaser images we’ve released so far.

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Chuck Carter and Doug Goldsmith, January '17
This year we had some changes in our staffing as some of our original team found they couldn't keep up the commitments and stepped back, and so we brought in a great team of developers from our friends at Skymap Games to help push through some of the more difficult tech needs. They assisted with a lot of the more challenging mechanics for puzzles and some complicated systems we're implementing, and assisted with VR implementation as well. There isn't enough we can say to express our gratitude for the super hard work they put in and because of them we're in a much better place.

cc1e105a3094bb0b7ab25e881c19d11a_original.jpg

Seth, Chuck, and Terry
At this point most of our levels are nearly completed and we have a playable version of a portion of the game which we’ve had a few folks from outside the company play to positive reaction. That said, we have at least a couple months left of work to do but the finish line is in sight. More on this in a bit.

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In case you missed it, we did a Kickstarter livestream in December where we talked a little bit about what’s been happening and answered a few questions. We’ll probably do another one in the coming months as well if people are interested. We definitely enjoy the opportunity to interact with our supporters.

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Doug's work on display in one of our levels
The highlight of our year so far is that we got to record our main voice actor, Stephen Russell. Having him bring life to a character we’ve spent years working on was nothing short of phenomenal, and it would be impossible without the tremendous effort and talent of our writers, Joe Fielder and David Chen. Enjoy some raw footage of Stephen in the booth:


Getting to the unavoidable bad news: on Christmas morning our founder and creative director Chuck was hospitalized with a cardiac issue. He spent a few days in the hospital and was just released earlier today and is expected to be fine. He's been working 18-hour days on ZED trying to get things where he wants them to be and that's no good for anyone. Chuck is, and will continue to be, 100% involved in every piece of the game, production, and promotion and we do expect him back in the studio after New Year's, but going forward we're looking at taking things a lot easier and working at a slower pace. It's too soon to say exactly what this means right now, so we need your patience and understanding with us on this and we'll update again soon. We're still sticking to our commitments, showcasing at conventions, and finishing up soon, but we will need to scale some things back a bit, bring in more help, and not kill anyone while making a game. Please keep Chuck in your thoughts and send him well-wishes while he's going through this difficulty.

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Ending on a positive note, we got a chance to speak with Stephen Russell about his work in games and what he's doing on ZED. It was an unbelievable pleasure working with someone who is truly an icon of his craft.

As always, you can also interact with us on Twitter and Facebook. Please have a delightful, prosperous, and happy New Year!

-The Eagre Games team

Hope he will be all right.
 

ushas

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Thanks. Looks really pretty. Glad to hear they are faring well.
So Spring 2019, huh.

Cyan's write up:
https://venturebeat.com/2018/11/15/cyan-ventures-will-publish-vr-narrative-game-zed/
Cyan Ventures will publish VR narrative game Zed
Dean Takahashi@deantak November 15, 2018 9:20 AM

Myst and Riven publisher Cyan has shifted into virtual reality games, and it is moving further in that direction as the publisher of an externally produced VR game dubbed Zed.

The Spokane, Washington-based Cyan has started a new publishing label, Cyan Ventures, to launch games that can foster creative narratives in VR and publish new titles by indie developers. The game is targeted for the PC as well as the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive VR headsets in the spring of 2019.

The move is part of Cyan’s ambition to exploit the new medium of VR to make storytelling games more interactive and immersive.

“Like with Myst, we know we are on the edge of something,” said Rand Miller, CEO of Cyan, in an interview with GamesBeat. “VR has a magical feel, where it takes you to another place. It still feels like we need to push it forward. We are saying let’s take the ball and help define this medium.”

zed-2.jpg

Above: Zed is gathering memories for Charlotte.

Image Credit: Eagre/Cyan
Zed is from Eagre Games, which Chuck Carter leads. He is one of the world-building artists who contributed to Cyan’s early games, The Manhole and Myst. He was at Cyan in the early 1990s. He left to work at various publishers such as Activision and Electronic Arts.

Carter worked on games such as Command and Conquer: Tiberian Sun, Command and Conquer: Tiberian Sun Firestorm, Emperor: Battle for Dune, Command and Conquer: Yuri’s Revenge and Red Alert 2, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, Snoopy Vs. Red Baron, and Pac-Man World Rally.

About four years ago, he started his own company. He pivoted through some ideas and then began working on Zed. Eagre partnered with Sky Map Games in New Hampshire on Zed.

“It is very much designed to work in VR, and the expertise we are getting from Cyan is a good fit,” said Carter, in an interview. “The journey has been a bit long. I tried with others, but felt Cyan was a much better fit and I am thrilled to be working with Rand again.”

Miller said the experimental nature of Zed, and Carter’s focus on building an immersive 3D world, was interesting. The game will work on Windows PCs, but it is very much designed for VR, Carter said.

“This is more than an indie game experience,” Miller said. “I love making worlds. This is what we do.”

zed-3.jpg

Above: Can you repair a crumbling memory in Zed?

Image Credit: Eagre Games/Cyan
Zed is the story of a man dying of dementia, desperately trying to reconnect broken memories to make a children’s book to leave behind for his yet unborn granddaughter, Charlotte. The experience is a blend of adventure game, narrative storytelling, moving sentiment, and fanciful world exploration.

Zed will put the user into the jumbled geography of a man’s crumbling memory in hopes of assembling enough meaningful images to create a book as a loving memento and final legacy to be remembered by. (Eagre is creating an actual children’s book to go with the game).

“We are trying to put you into the world and the mind of this man,” Carter said. “I don’t think we have seen anything like this in VR before. It touches on a very serious subject, but it also makes you want to explore this man’s life.”

zed-4.jpg

Above: Zed has a VR world for you to explore.

Image Credit: Eagre/Cyan
Zed is scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2019 and will be available as a computer title and as a VR title for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

25-year-old Cyan is currently working on its next VR adventure game Firmament. While the VR market has been struggling on the consumer side, Miller said he believes the opportunity for Zed is good.

“The early adopters are looking for things that push their experience in a lot of different ways,” Miller said. “It feels like early multimedia. I know we feel like we can push this in the direction that it should go. The big thing with Zed is the emotional side. We have heard everybody say VR engages your emotions like nothing else. We haven’t seen it in an interactive environment. Zed is trying to see if it can be done. It is a perfect time for this kind of experiment.”

Carter said that he has had writing help on the project from Joe Fielder (BioShock Infinite, The Flame and the Flood) and David Chen (Metal Gear Solid series, Narcosis), as well as others who contributed along the way.
It's a kind of PR style, so not sure what it means, whether they are handling only the VR side or so.

Btw.
Eagre is creating an actual children’s book to go with the game
 

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