[Ell678]

Forgotten Ruin Zone is a level made in the Unreal Development Kit, using the codebase from Xaklse's SGDK. I started working on this in January, learning about UDK as I go and I'm ready to show it off properly (and stop shitting up the General Progress thread )

Obviously, everything is subject to change. It is far from finished, and unfortunatly a couple of bugs can be seen in the videos. Also, I'v been having sound problems within UDK, so some things don't have sounds applied (or are just placeholder) but they will be rectified soon.

There will also be a camera system depending on your input. If you play with a mouse and keyboard, the camera will be 'free' as you can see in the videos. However, if you opt to use a pad, there will be more focused cameras, like in traditional Sonic games. I feel this is a good compromise for those that prefer the standard style, and those that would prefer complete control. Now, without further delay, some footage!

Latest -



Older videos -



First, apologies for the bad audio quality in the videos. My internet connection is pretty naff, so I had to lower the quality. Yes, the majority of the assets are stock UDK stuff. I'm learning UDK as I go, and I can't create models myself or create materials (although if I do another SGDK project after this, I would learn these skills). Level design is a huge interest to me, so that is what I am focusing on.

Again, I'd like to emphasise this is very WIP. I can't wait to see what you guys think of it!


Credits
Xaklse for SGDK
Epic for the UDK
Sounds from www.freesound.org
3D Buzz for their tutorials and assets
http://udkresources.com/ for their free resources
Sonic Team and Sega for the Rusty Ruin music, the Colours model, and all things Sonic!

This post has been edited by Ell678: 15 May 2013 - 06:31 AM

[NickonAquaMagna]

This is wonderful. It has, like... just about everything I've ever asked for in a Sonic game. At a glance, some bits seem linear, but they're all interwoven so well it's just a giant playground. I love all the little touches, like the flowerbeds shown off about 3 minutes in. Even the later "loopy" bits were so fun to watch because we see them WITH Sonic, and don't just observe from a distance. I don't even mind the 2D areas, because it's all so well made. The setting is so detailed and alive, it's just cool to see Sonic in such a place.

[P3DR0]

It's always great to see people working with GDK, but goddamn the default light settings are terrible. Play arround with your light actor, give it some color. Work with the Lightmass settings in the World Properties, change the color of the shadows, make 'em a little brighter.

Besides, some custom textures would be great, I mean, you don't have to be an artist to do so. Quick google search will give you tons of results.

[InfinityAlex]

This is quite impressive! I like how you've implemented certain designs in this level!

Would you like me to create some music for this? I have a few ideas burning away in my head. I'm thinking of a violin/harp combo with some piano and acoustic guitar thrown in...
Anyway, it's your call, so just let me know!

This post has been edited by InfinityAlex: 15 May 2013 - 02:04 AM

[Azukara]

Really awesome stuff here. The cinematics and level design are pretty exceptional. Like P3DR0 said, it'd be cool to see some different textures or lighting for once, but I think it fits the stage's overall theme well enough that it doesn't need a change.

This post has been edited by Azukara: 14 May 2013 - 04:52 PM

[Verse]

This is fantastically well done. The underwater section blew my mind!

[Dark Sonic]

The only complaint I have is that it looks a little bit too dark, which just makes it kind of hard to see (could be your computer or youtube though). It looks really cool though, can't wait to see more.

[Faseeh]

Oh man, this is so great.

I'm happy to see many people finally taking up GDK and doing great things with it, wish I could run GDK better at HD resolutions :/

I'd love to help with music but I can see you're pretty done with it! and I model a bit ahaha

Anyways, real nice job and this really looks unique! :D

This post has been edited by Faseeh: 15 May 2013 - 02:00 AM

[Ell678]

Thanks for the feedback! The lighting actually is slightly different, but not much. I intend to play with it a little more later on. The textures for the landscape and some meshes are from http://udkresources.com/ (which are much more suitable for large areas of ground).

Watching the video, it does look darker than it does ingame. It doesn't help that the video is low quality either :/

[TheInvisibleSun]

This looks wonderful. I think I'll need a new computer soon to actually be able to run it when it comes out!

[Xaklse]

Awesome! Looks like we all want to play it, so that's a good sign that you're doing things well. Keep an eye on scene scale though, sometimes it feels like it's too huge, but may be deliberate.

This might be useful for you (found this without searching): LINK

[Ell678]

So, an update for those interested.

This project is on hold. Why? I got so sick of working on this shortly after uploading that second video. There are bugs everywhere, it's made really sloppily (I was learning UDK as I went with this) and in my personal preference I just don't think it's that much fun to play. This does not mean it is cancelled. I will go back to it eventually. Which is probably after I finished my new project.

This new project is Sonic GDK based again, but it's fully 2D. After working on 3D levels I realised my strength lies in 2D design, which I showcased when I made Sonic 1 Alt. It has a lot more originality, is rather fun to play already and is overall better. I'm not ready to show anything off of this yet, but I believe you will see why this has taken precedence over Forgotten Ruin.

[Rainbow bacon]

Welp, too bad it's on hold, but I'm glad that it's not scrapped, and this new project sounds great anyway, so I'll be watching for it.
Aaaaalllwaaayys waaatchiiinngg...

[TheKazeblade]

I gotta say, it looks like an absolute blast to play. No joke, this is some of the best designed 3D Sonic gameplay I've ever seen. It really does feel like a step forward from Sonic 3&K translated to 3D. But you gotta do what you gotta do, looking forward to your next project