The Cursed Forest – they were still able to do it!
Hello Stopgamovtsy! I am glad to report that I returned to my column and this time, I think, I will still write more often and not only about games, but also about the aspects of their development. But this is not the main thing – the main thing is that the project I followed and actively helped than I could – The Cursed Forest: Remake finally went out!
How it all started?
To begin with, of course, I think it was fair to remind you of this project, and my interest in it. Initially, I touched it in my most successful article – a selection of domestic indie horror, but after that, I was so interested in the story of this game that I watched it for a long time, and even covered this topic already separately, but already on other portals. Now I saw how progress was literally before our eyes, how the “old forest” was transformed and a new, more dynamic and beautiful, completely new level of study and beauty appeared. Even if you yourself compare the two trailers on the page of the game in Steam, the second of which is an early glance at the remake and was used when passing the Green Light project, I think you will immediately see the colossal work that these guys did.
But we will not be praise, let’s start, perhaps, with the main. What is this game at this stage? On the “given” means that the game is in early access, but this decision was not always a priority for the team. She itself did not experience the first time of the acute need for money and even had a potential sponsor, but somehow the whole thing did not grow together, and the development became more and more sweet, showing that even such a short but high-quality game can be done for more than a year and at the same time have many problems with the development, as well as with the engine itself, which in his conversation, I told me The leader of the Noostyche team, calling himself Igor Hope, and who also described quite a few advantages of their choice:
“Early access gives many opportunities for iterative improvement of the game. Feedback from players gives a huge advantage in the speed of development than to reach one or another solution with their research. Many things that seem obvious and convenient for developers can actually be at all the same that it can create serious problems for players. Such things can ruin the whole game, as they are very difficult to fix when everything is ready. Such things are very often found in teams without experience or with a little experience, sometimes large companies sin, but with them there is more a matter of greed. We are just a small team with little experience, so iterative development with powerful feedback is the best solution for us.
The main thing here is to initially give players the installation that when buying the game in early access, they are recorded in assistants in development, and not just play and enjoy. Otherwise, in the best case, some have sincere surprise and indignation that it turns out that a non -finished game can work poorly 🙂 Want a game without errors? Then wait for the release and do not play early access, but there is no need to resent and swear 🙂
From plans for the future, we have a goal: by winter to release all four blocks of the game = full version of the game. Total should come from three hours of tense gameplay.
If by this time we do not have time to port on Linux, then we will engage in this. There are also plans to try to adapt the game under the Oculus Rift DK2, since this opportunity loomed on the horizon. After that, start making a new game, maybe even the second part. I also really want to try to realize one of my concepts on UE4, Cryengine is tired 🙂
There were a lot of https://sistersitescasino.co.uk/casinos/jaak-casino/ problems in the development, which was played by an important role was played by the Cryengine engine itself. Content development and organizational problems fade against the background of engine. They will fix one thing – another will break, and we have gray hair on our heads 🙂 We spent a lot of time to fight the errors in the engine and its various bloomers. From the side or for visualizations, it can look very good, but it is worth climbing into the wilds and hell begins on Dante. The choice on Cryengine fell because almost the entire current team of the team was dealing with him. Some even in those days modili Crysis 1 via Sandbox 2.
From the actual – you can’t just replace the most ordinary cursor! It is sewn into the bowels of the engine, and the necessary sources were not put, and in this case, an adequate replacement is possible only with the help of a hack, and this prohibits the license … The method through the “crutches” is still given rather unstable results that are not suitable for the release. As a result, a sharp desire to hold the developers of the engine behind the neck 🙂 Therefore, we already dream of finishing the game well and plunge into work with UE4. Now it’s too late to rush somewhere, since a huge number have been done. They chose ourselves – we ourselves bit your elbows, but we make the game successfully 🙂 “
After that, it seems to me that two things will understand anyone. Firstly, the early access is not as bad as it is described: in skillful hands, he is quite capable of not only getting money to continue the game, but also improve the game, based on the reviews of the players. This does not mean at all that all the developers see just such a tool in it, some are only interested in a thirst for profit, and they do not want to do any continuations, or there is simply not enough knowledge for this, which is why there are so many “life -seated” games in this early access. And I won’t even convince you here that the Noostyche team necessarily belongs to the first type, but given how I know them, I dare to assume that they will still go along the right and declared path, thus releasing an excellent product.
Well, returning to conclusions, secondly, I think now the problem of developers and their tools as a whole is also becoming clear, which is significant obstacles, on the way to the goal and only complicate the terms. But we will not cry for sad, especially you players, because you do not like it and merciless when it comes to the quality of the games, so we proceed to analyze the game itself!
Impressions of the game:
First of all, I want to note that I have a copy of the game in my “steam store” and, of course, has already passed it, so consider it something like a review. Let’s start everything on the shelves.
When launching, the game meets us … with typical bugs of the new generation Cryengine engine, but it is practically impossible to fix them from my experience, and what Igor Hope also told about it, however, I want to express gratitude to the team, because even with all possible difficulties with this tool, they did not abandon the development of it, but brought to a completely playable state! And of course, special gratitude for the fact that the guys warn about bugs inside the game itself, reporting existing ones and ask to find new ones, which not many developers are doing today. As for the rest, the game itself with such strong disadvantages, such as the sadly known game Dreaming, does not abound, and almost nothing interferes with the beauty of these autumn forests. And perhaps this is all that can be said about the technical flaws of the game.
Now you can go to gameplay and history. I would also like to note that the game was visually prettier and in the gamed plan. Now the routes in this forest are more obvious and beautiful, and the beginning is completely bewitching, perfectly showing how it moves into the forest, it is becoming less hospitable. And I’m serious! Initially, you see a beautiful sunset in the forest with light haze and flocks of birds flying into the distance, but after some time, as you advent in the depths, the forest begins to acquire more and more gloomy shades, and this really overshadows the atmosphere of fear.
As for history, it has not changed since I covered this topic in the last article, and in general, it is not very strikingly different from the original free game. But for those who are not familiar with her, I still briefly remind the ties: here there is a “damned forest”-it is located somewhere in the CIS, and was formed as a working village during the construction of the railway, probably during the USSR, but the project was rolled up, and the workers settled in the village. However, one of these workers during the work found ancient ruins in which a certain demon was imprisoned, he got into the consciousness of the worker and began to manage it, and later in a “happy” circumstance, he was also elected the head of the settlement, then of course, an even more interesting action begins. All the inhabitants of the village followed his orders, which at one time, gave the demon to free himself, but at the same time he, of course, lugged everyone, which would give great power, for which many bought. This worker also had a daughter, by the name of Sarah, with whom something was not landing, but what exactly, and have to find out in this game.
By gameplay, we have something similar to Slender and similar games, only with a deeper plot and opportunities for interaction. It makes no sense to tell everyone about them, play and you will understand everything yourself, especially since the game is at the moment in less than an hour, and then at best, and it ends in the “most interesting place”, which only adds desire to support the developers and wait for the continuation. However, in short, our goal is to collect certain bones, as well as read notes to understand the events that took place here. And of course, there are various interesting KAT scenes, as well as something like screamers. But t.To. The game is essentially just the beginning of a real nightmare, in fact she could not scare me yet, because there was nothing in essence. But this is only from a number of surprises, but what and the graphic component and sounds, there really is, what can be caught up with stress. The atmosphere of the autumn forest is simply magnificent, and the sounds are 10 out of 10! Without jokes, the sounds compared to the last part were so prettier that it seems like I played the AAA now, they are so not typical of games, but realistic for life and cinema that they only can scare you, and for this separately plus! And music: Perhaps this is not the best soundtrack of all time, but clearly great compositions for the game. As a result, pleasant memories remain from all this, and the achievements integrated in Steam also make this passage, some kind of … significant or something 🙂
In general, this is all at the moment. But I would like to note that the game really has great potential, the ending only shows how far the developers plan to go and how they will expand this universe. And even if we talk about what is now, I will not beged to say that this is one of the best indie-crops made in the CIS! Well, I just have to wish them good luck, and ask you to support the children with a denyuzhka in Steam (especially since the game costs quite a bit and is now sold at a discount!), or a kind word in the group.
Well, I, as always, say goodbye to you, and I myself hope that I will return here soon again! 🙂
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