Wolves At White Lake - Horror (Demo updated 1/18/14!!)

[kingmakerspider]

John Kramer had a simple reason to come to this town: he's looking for someone. Although, he quickly finds that his intentions

for this trip may matter little in the grand scheme of things. The answers he sought to find in this place may not actually be those

most urgent to him now. White Lake seems to have its own questions in mind.

Something is happening here. Something unspeakable. Is there a source of this evil? Is it targeting him? Is it something about

this town? Is this all in his head? ...One thing is certain: If John intends to survive... he's going to have to find the answer for

himself.

Like I said... White Lake has its own questions in mind.  



White Lake is a small city. John doesn't know a lot about it... and doesn't particularly care. He's just following someone.

Now... it's certain that whatever is happening to this place is far from normal. The windows are all boarded up... the streets are

devoid of people and instead are filled with mist and shrouded by fog. One can only assume it wasn't always like this.

Spoiler

      

Here's the link to the demo. The BGMs are in a separate zipped file and must be unzipped and placed in the 'BGM' folder of the project. Enjoy!

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2hki7r0kmmetn23/Q1_002Vuiw

(officially released October 31, 2013)

(updated to a 2+hour demo December 8th, 2013)

CONTROLS:

A = Attack button

D = Firearm (handgun)

SPACE = Action button

0 (on the number pad) = Cancel/ Menu button

Spoiler

   

LEFT: John investigating outside of an old building. RIGHT: A scene during the opening credits. Check out that welcome sign!

   

LEFT: John's drive to White Lake wasn't exactly easy on his old, beat-up car. He had to walk the rest of the way into town. RIGHT: Items that can be picked up will TYPICALLY be

easy to find... they SPARKLE. There may be a 'hard' mode introduced int development where none of them sparkle. STILL, I urge you to interact with everything to have the

ultimate gameplay experience. Some story items, or clues will NOT be obvious, and some items may still be hidden.

   

   

LEFT: Exploring John's surroundings is imperative to progressing the game, and well-placed and hidden items reward observation and exploration.

   

LEFT: A flashback scene from John's past. RIGHT: Wolves at White Lake © contains many player's choice moments. Some of which greatly alter the game's flow and events.

So be sure to choose wisely.

   

LEFT: Investigating a small corner market in White Lake. RIGHT: mmmm... weapons. John can equip both a handgun (sidearm) and a melee weapon at the same time.

   

   ►Combat on the map, to allow for challenging game-play and intuitive tactics.

   ►Immersive, startling ambiance to keep you on edge

   ►Item placement to promote & reward exploration

   ►Highly interactive maps and objects

   ►Multiple paths to explore along the way—including alternate story routes and will include many side-quests (in the future releases)

   ►Puzzles galore

   ►Vivid, detailed locations to explore

   ►Will feature multiple endings (upwards of 5 endings) determined by players actions/inaction and what is uncovered on their journey

   ►W.A.W.L. Health System—for determining health without an on-screen gauge.

Spoiler

When John's health is in the normal range...above 50% health.





John's heart begins pounding as his health drops below 50%...the screen begins to fade into red...the red grows in intensity until...





...in this condition, John is clinging to life. His heart pounds faster, and louder.... Healing him with a curative item will restore his health as well as make it easier for you to see.

   ►Achievements & Rankings based on your play throughout the game:

Spoiler

The Ranking System in Wolves at White Lake will grade you in five separate categories (ranking 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D', and 'F'), and from those, determine your overall ranking. ('A+' is possible for the Total ranking if all five categories are given an 'A' Ranking individually. 

The Achievements will be handled in their own individual ways, depending on the Achievement itself.

For example, Avid Reader is given if the character collected all of the Journals in the game.

The requisites for each have been adapted to the demo length...so all of these are currently achievable...but some are pretty darn unlikely.

(the next version of this demo will include these Achievements and Rankings...but based on completion of the demo, itself...once the complete game is released in the future it will have higher values to accumulate to earn Achievements and Higher Rankings.) An example of this would be Achievements like Sadistic (more than 50 creatures killed) or Pacifist (less than 13 creatures)...in the full version of this game...these numbers would be greatly different than in their current form.

Spoiler

STORY

KingmakerSpider

EpicViper

MUSIC & SFX

Cloud_525

Apoc

Sinahkai

Kain Vinosec

Gyrowolf

Enterbrain

SH series

SPRITES

KingmakerSpider

Mack

Snipah

TITLE & LOGO ARTWORK

Oni

CHARACTER ARTWORK

Ricifidi

ANIMATION GRAPHICS

Enterbrain

Timmah

KingmakerSpider

TILE GRAPHICS

Enterbrain

Celianna

Lunarea

Mack

EB

IceDragon

Painhurt

PandaMaru

MAPPING

KingmakerSpider

SCRIPTING

Enterbrain

Khas

Vlad

Woratana

BulletXt

Reedo

OriginalWij

Moon

Deadly Dan

Kylock

Mithran

HanzoKimura

Synthesize

STILL MORE TO BE ADDED, I'M SURE...

 

[hiromu656]

This is looking really cool. I especially like the map design, and the characters look really interesting. Particularly the first screenshot looks nice, the character bust is great there. I'm really liking Kayla for some reason, something about her is intriguing (?)

 

[kingmakerspider]

Thank you very much, Hiromu. I'm glad to get a warm reception for the map designs. And I think Kayla is my favorite character so far... and there is definitely something intriguing about her... there is supposed to be. and the artist did a very good job, i think, conveying that for her.

 

[kingmakerspider]

Over 300 views in 9 days... I can dig it. I'd love some feedback from anyone else who has some. 

I posted to add a few more screenshots... like these examples:

Spoiler

 ...and to state that the Trailer is coming along well, I'm excited for the upcoming release. Soon I plan to have an update to go over some of the  demo's game-play features.  

 

[kingmakerspider]

The trailer has been released, I've also added a few screenshots... both of which can be found in the original post. Check it out and let me know what you think.

 

[MyLordRobinson]

I'm really interested in seeing this game come to fruition. 

 

[kingmakerspider]

Thank you, sir(?). I'm interested in bringing it to fruition, myself. As is stands now... I should have a playable demo ready by my tentative timeline set for October 31st. 

 

[kingmakerspider]

To celebrate the first 500 views of the topic I've released an update on some of the more important features in the demo...

Also...I'd like to announce that I'm 5 days away from a demo release date. I am confident I will be able to release a demo on this deadline. So check in frequently for a demo release.

 

[kingmakerspider]

DEMO RELEASED. Happy Halloween... Samhain... whatever it may be to you. Enjoy...

 

[Matseb2611]

Hello there. I've been playing a bit of your game's demo and I must say that is some really impressive work. The atmosphere is probably the best part. You really get that eerie feeling that something is wrong in this big empty city and makes you want to find out why. A lot of stuff is interactable too, so that is a plus. On-screen combat seems to be nice too. Usually I am not fond of that type of fighting where you have to outclick the enemy by fighting it on the map, but it seems to work fine here and there's enough health items to go around too. Also I like the whole 'You're saved' message when you save your game.

At the moment at the Opera House bit, so I'll keep posting my thought as I get further.  

 

[kingmakerspider]

Cool. The part that matters most to me is that you're in the game... you know, really iiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnn the game. So I hope that atmosphere is doing it for you. So, totally, let me know your thoughts whenever I'll just hope you enjoy the ride.

 

[Matseb2611]

Heya again. Yeah, the atmosphere is really great and makes you want to know more about this city.

 So I've come across that full moon safe combination puzzle and I can't figure it out.

Spoiler

I understand what the notes show, that each phase can be represented as a number that shows how many more phases left till full moon. However, when I interact with the safe, its illustration doesn't make sense to me. There are those words 'the full moon' in the top right corner, but I am not sure which dial/section they refer to. I also noticed there are vertical lines in between the dials. I thought those were boundaries representing when the full moons occur, but when I put the dial combinations that should make sense with the above, I don't get anything happening. Maybe it's worth giving more clues for this puzzle or to make the safe illustration a bit clearer. Because after fiddling with it and trying out everything that should make sense, I don't know what else to do and am essentially stuck.

  

 

[kingmakerspider]

Did you pick up the notes from the Garden too? By deciphering those by linking them to the 'key' in the safe room you'll get the answer. you'll also notice that each safe dial has a Roman Numeral from 1-5 (I-V) these will show you what numbers go on which dials... be aware that turning a dial causes every dial below it to turn, as well.

 

[Matseb2611]

Heya. I don't remember coming across any garden areas in the Opera house. Do you mean the bit at the entrance?

Spoiler

The only note there that I recall was one that was stuck to the ground, but I accidentally ripped it in half when I tried to pick it up. I don't think I saw any others.

 

[kingmakerspider]

If you don't have an item called the Garden key...look around the Opera House for it. Hint look for it East of the theater itself...then once you find it head to the west of the theater and start using it on doors until you find the Garden. There is a couple pieces to different puzzles out there that you will need before you can open that safe. One should be a mask, another...a note.

 

[trexrell]

This is really cool. The mapping is pretty good. The objects that are around are pretty eye catching. I find myself paying attention the the smallest details on the maps because it is so well done. Great job.

 

[Matseb2611]

Heya again.

Spoiler

So I've been playing more and I've managed to find the garden. I've done the painting puzzle as well, which was pretty cool, and went through the secret passage. Now in the B3 floor I found a supplies room key and I unlocked that room on B2, but there doesn't seem to be anything there apart from the pickaxe which is used as a weapon. So not sure where to go next. Is there more stuff in B3? I noticed there was a door there, but it was locked. I also tried to leave the Opera House to go to the police station as that NPC woman said earlier to meet her there, but it's locked. Is there more to do in the Opera House? Really loving the spooky atmosphere btw. Though I wish there was less of those spider-looking creatures about. They take too long to kill and avoiding them isn't always so easy.

 

[kingmakerspider]

Spoiler

That pickaxe is your answer. Try walking up to the boarded up door and chopping it with the pickaxe.

 

[Matseb2611]

So I got to the end of the demo and here's my feedback.

Spoiler

I think that boss fight was a bit too hard. I went in without any healing items and ended up dying twice. The third time when I've beaten him, I walked away with a mere 15 HP. I think at least one healing item somewhere in the room or just before it would've been nice. Onscreen combat can be a bit frustrating at times, because the enemies keep walking in the square patterns and the room is quite small. I notice there isn't a way to aim your gun in a direction you want without actually walking at least one step in said direction (or is there?), which means that I always end up getting hit by the enemies as I always walk closer to them when I need to shoot them. Also I didn't quite understand what was happening when the boss turned into a spider form. The spider would circle around the room manically and then get stuck in a corner. After I shoot him 3-4 times, the game takes control away from me, the spider does his little dance, and then once again I have to shoot him. Is that supposed to be like that? It was kinda weird.

So perhaps I can summarize the good point and the bad points

The Good:

 - Excellent atmosphere and some nice scares

 - Great mapping

 - Lots of things are interactable

 - Very interesting plot and setting

 - Most puzzles were pretty good and fun to solve

 - Overall presentation and attention to detail is impressive

The Bad:

 - Sometimes not clear where to go next

 - I don't really like onscreen combat (maybe if your character could move in the diagonals, it'd be better)

 - Lack of healing items closer to the boss that's at the end of the demo

Can't really comment on alternate paths since I haven't tried them, but it does make me curious. Overall the game is really good and I'd be interested to play it through to the end once it's complete. Good work.

 

[kingmakerspider]

First I'd like to say thank you very much for playing through the demo, and for all the feedback along the way and upon completion! I appreciate it more than you know, and i'm sure you understand how helpful all that feedback is, yourself. so thanks! I am curious about what beginning path you took and if you found out either the only currently available side-quest or the first part of another involving a particular leather-bound book... but those are discussions to be had another time, i suppose. I will definitely look into adding/changing locations of some healing items to accomadate that boss fight better. i think i'll toy with the eventing in it some more too... clean it up a bit. unfortunately i won't be pursuing 8 directional movement, but i might look into helping with the where to go next conundrums... any particulars that stick out to you? also, were there any puzzles specifically that you feel could be either changed or employed better? again thanks for playing, and i'm glad it was an enjoyable experience!