Omegapolis Devlog #0 - The plan, history and goals of the project.
Omegapolis Devlog #1 - Character design process and some initial art.
Drones In Omegapolis
Last Time I talked about my character design process. This time I thought I'd show it in action on a smaller scale and talk about the drones in the project. Humanity basically went from what we know today to a city that spans the Earth, all terrains, underwater, and everything, in about 100 years time. This would not have been possible with 'manpower' alone. Huge leaps in robotics and power sources made it possible.
These robots, drones as I've called them mostly, are AI controlled and have greatly varying purposes. The evolution also never stopped so as time went by they got more and more advanced. They are all programmed and controlled by a group called The Architects. A mysterious collective that more or less designs and builds the Omegapolis.
The drones have been unofficially classified into a tier list of sorts. Ranging from F to A with special exceptions getting tagged, S, S pluses, and even Z. But these are generally rare and can really just be labeled as S Class.
Drones are also usually defined by their purpose of creation. While different types of drones can be ranked all across the classes, they do tend to fall in certain ranges based on their original purpose. For instance, most construction drones will fall in the F-D tiers. The age of the design also will play a role in this. Older combat drones will not be much higher than construction drones but more advanced 'warrior' drones will be toward the top of the list. Anomaly drones will almost always be S tier, not necessarily because of their destructive capabilities but just because they are so unique.
All drones are originally sanctioned by The Architects. However, as time goes by, they get decommissioned, stolen, repurposed, etc... It is very common to find drones that were rewired and reprogrammed into attack drones for a bounty target, more intelligent AI, or some other nefarious being that you, the player, will be hunting in the reconstruction zones.
Currently my goals are to finish 7 drones for the eventual 'demo' milestone. I have already completed 2, Class F construction or worker drones. One is a Saw Drone and the other is a Drill Drone. The others on the list to do are a Class D combat drone, Class C combat drone, Class B warrior drone, Class A warrior drone, and a Class S anomaly drone.
Here are some of the original sketches and ideas I had for the drones (as well as other ideas from a long time ago.)
Initial Ideas & Sketches
With a main character, this process would be more involved. I would draw a lot more. Do a lot more animations. But as these are just Class F drones that are essentially the experience fodder for the player, there is not a lot to them. I still think they turned out pretty well. :D
Saw Drone
First up is the Saw Drone. Its purpose is just that. To saw things! After finalizing the design a bit, I jumped straight to the animating. In this case it was actually not so much work. I didn't do a traditional frame by frame approach. I created the body, the blades, and the glows. Rendered them separately into a spritesheet. Now in the game I can just rotate the blades programmatically under the body and control the glows however I want.
In the game, the Saw Drone will be the simplest enemy. It slowly, but relentlessly, pursues the player. If it manages to hit, it will deal damage constantly based on a cooldown, so it is wise to not stand still! It does take 'feedback' damage though, so likely will not survive too long itself. There will be many of these in the game so it will be difficult to avoid if you don't keep up by destroying them quickly!
Drill Drone
Next up is the Drill Drone. These are much less common than the Saw Drone. Their purpose was to simply drill holes in anything. Including the player! The animation in this case is just a 3 frame drill cycle overlay of the shape. The glows are separated one by one because I wanted to be able to control them programmatically.
In the game, the Drill Drone will also relentlessly pursue the player but in a much more reckless and speedy manner. It will first lock onto its target, rotate to face it, then blast off at high speed to try to plow through. When it passes its target it will recalibrate, rotate and do it again. It will also take feedback damage. In fact, it will take a multiplicative amount of feedback damage to reflect its suicidal charging nature. If hit by this drone, the player will take a lot of damage instantly but it is also likely the drill is destroyed by feedback damage. It is important to keep moving or they will lock you and land their charges.
More To Come
The other drones are not quite done yet so I can't say or show much more. However, the next devlog I have planned is showing the game itself! A prototype of sorts. I am nearing its completion and eager to make a video showing what it will be like to play the game. The Saw Drone and Drill Drone will be featured as well as Wade Watson, one of the first main playable characters. Shortly after that I will probably also do a little spot light on Wade for more info and more art.
So as usual, feel free to follow me if you like what you see and want to keep up with the progress.