Here’s a new video from the upcoming beta for Creeper World 2. This shows the first story mission. It’s essentially a brief tutorial and sets up the story and a brief bit of game history. For the sake of video length, I don’t pause very long on the text. You’ll have to pause the video unless you are a speed reader…
Story wise CW2 takes place around 30 years after the events of CW1. The “Commander” is now “Former President Abraxis”. You get a little taste of some of the history of events in those 30 years in this first mission. Two new characters are introduced; Cmd. Dax Joven and Lt. Varro Hale. You learn that humanity has built a thriving colony on the final world of CW1, developed amazing new tech thanks to Dr. Aliana Abraxis (the daughter of President Abraxis), and has constructed a fleet of ships that are being dispatched to reclaim its former empire.
Without further delay, here’s the video:
Do you have a release date for CW2? If so, when? Thanks.
I’m shooting for sometime in February…
First post! 😛
Also, very, very nice Virgil. I can’t wait!
Winds and air pressured shambers would’ve been a cool aspect of the game, guess its to advanced
and may have been some sort of unliked thing of the game…
There are “fields” that can push the creeper around in some interesting ways… see the first dev video earlier in the blog.
Yes but i am talking about some more “natural” movement that will take walls or digging into count.. its hard to explain
(and yes i saw the first dev video introducing fields :P)
I can’t wait!
Are there any chances for a alpha version for people who buy a pre-release version?
I hope to have a beta ready by the end of Jan and a release sometime in Feb. So we are just a matter of weeks away…
Also note that I will most likely do continued updates to the game after the initial release…. all free of course to anyone who has bought the game. For CW1 I did updates for the better part of a year after the release.
So just hold one a little bit longer… the party is about to start!
let me guess: You play minecraft?
Lookin’ good! Post a note on facebook so we can hype it a little – singing to the choir is great and all…
There should be a note here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Knuckle-Cracker/111968493585?v=wall
😀
I CANNOT WAIT.
Also, what do you use to record?
If it’s been asked before then sorry.
I use Blueberry Flashback. There is an express edition that is free. http://www.bbsoftware.co.uk/BBFlashBack/CompareEditions.aspx
It does a super job. I record at 30 frames per second, GDI mode, and have it export straight to a flash video. I set the quality on high. You can upload this video straight to youtube.
I Tried that, but it was jumpy so I turned up the frame rate and the audio failed to sync properly.
It would probably help if I had a newer Computer though.
I’ll continue to mess around with it, see if I can get a good balance between frame rate, and good audio syncing.
looks awesome!
Also, is it strange I had a dream about a blog post telling the game is out?
I love that you can actually kill a creeper generator now
you mean emitter
It looks freking awsome.
AWESOME!!!!! but will reactors actually only cost 5 packets? because that may be too cheap unless they don’t produce a lot of energy. This story really sounds great!! Can’t wait for the release
Reactors are pretty cheap… but you do need a healthy number of them to maintain your economy. Running beacons and tech domes constantly consumes energy… along with whatever weapons you may have. Also you have to spend lots of energy excavating the terrain.
Lastly, you have to find places to build the Reactors, so the price isn’t the only limiting factor.
Without any further excavation, you’d need 1 spot for packets, and with 32 spots, that’d be 31 spots for reactors. So 31*0.25 = 7.75 per 2 lines, since the reactors need to be anchored, right?
That sounds about right. Note that a similar row of Tech Domes would consume on average 1.86 units per second (just to maintain them).
If you have to dig a row before you can build on it, you would have to spend 96 energy to dig the row (that’s at the weakest terrain). At the hardest to dig terrain you’d have to spend a whopping 32*25 = 800 energy.
So the cost of building a reactor is 5 for the reactor, and then whatever the excavation cost was to make the real estate to build it on (which could also include the weapons cost it took to secure the area).
All that said, I may still lower the reactor energy yield just a tad… mostly because there is an upgrade that increases the reactor output…
is there a tech upgrade that reduces excavation cost?
so… most favorable would be 261 total energy spent on a reactor row, meaning it’d take 32.3 seconds (calculating purely trough seconds) to get your energy back from it…
Unfavourable side: 955 energy spent, making for 123.2 seconds….
Of course, those are purely for building themselves… And I already see I’ll need a lot more energy to keep my infrastructure runnning
yeah, i’d say maybe to around .17-.20
if its .25 now
wicked – loving the video.
DO you think i could pull a sickie just to play the game??
Oh god sexy yeah! 😀 love it, lots of little coding technicalities it seems.
are the sketches final in the game or just ‘stand in’
The skecthes are not final. They are yet to be painted in. The only one painted currently is Cmd. Joven’s…
idk if this was because i just didn’t notice but what are the 3 settings for the creeper maker when you clicked on it
1x, 2x, and 4x. They control the amount of good creeper emitted (and ore consumption).
Wow! This looks simply amazing; maybe even better than the original. I cannot wait for the game to come out. Thank you Virgil.
I really like the bar on the side that shows where different creeper is on the map horizontally. its an effective little map of the very long battlefield without taking up too much space though it could be elaborated a bit. maybe adding something like a flashing dot to indicate damage to your buildings so the creeper doesn’t go on a rampage while your somewhere else, and darker purple/white to indicate emitters
Good ideas… I’ll put them on the list (not high up, but still something to add at some point)
If you can, i think it would be great if you could put a thumb on the story map selection page because it seems sort of dull with only the numbers and scores.
Not a bad suggestion either. I’ve been wondering where to put “Achievement” feedback and little visual rewards. The mission buttons might be a good place to put something (like an achievement star).
oh and i agree with djcian
Wow, I can’t wait until it is released! It all looks really great!
I have some questions:
1) Can weapons (mortars, launchers) move outside the lit area? (I hope not)
2) Can they shoot outside the lit area?
3) Is there any disadvantage of having all creeper makers on 4x speed? I know, this will deplete your ore faster, but if it has the same efficiency (ratio ore cost / friendly creeper made), and ore is not being used for anything else, there’s not a single disadvantage, is there? Or was one of my assumptions false?
4) I see you have changed your mind about the disability to build on undiggable terrain?
5) Will a maker make the same amount of creeper independent of the density of the friendly creeper?
1: Nope, you can’t move into the unpowered area. If your units find themselves in an unpowered area because a beacon is destroyed, they are stuck till you do something about the situation.
2: Blasters and nullifiers can. Their beams can shoot into the unpowered area. Launchers cannot fire their missiles into or through an unpowered area, though.
3: Right now their is no disadvantage on 4x (other than using ore 4 times faster). I’m right on the edge of changing this,though. I may add a very slight disadvantage to making ore faster.
4: Yes, this was one of those “frustration” moments in game development. By frustration moment, I’m always on the look out for things that seem like a good idea in game design, but just cause frustration for the player when they play. This was one of them. I found myself constantly making missions where I had used too many rocks and there wasn’t any place to build a beacon. Now, that said I am still considering adding an “unbuildable” attribute to some terrain cells. But it would be a completely orthogonal property to “undiggable”… and it would be used very sparingly.
5: Yes, right now it strictly adds to the cell underneath the Maker. So if you put it in a sealed chamber (sealed with a shield), the pressure will get greater and greater.
Firstly I would like to say, I am a big fan of CW1, like alot of others here, and I have an idea that I personally think would be a nice addition, if you have not already added it. I was thinking, that in some levels, there could be two or more diferent colored creepers (Example: one blue, one red) and these two would fight each other like the good creeper fights the bad. I personally think this would be a neat addition.
I always thought that they would both be bad but not attack each other, but rather mix…
Hmm… Now that I think of it, that would be sorta pointless. But if they would mix like you stated, it would be alot stronger? I think that would be pretty neat, having to keep the two creepers apart or else have one heck of a fight.
Oh, I forgot to ask, I know you can scroll up and down on the maps, but will there be a left and right scrolling too?
Just up and down… simplifies the interface so you can use the mouse wheel to go up and down quickly.
Oh, alright. Left and right would be neat, and you could use the arrow keys to move around the screen, but I’m happy with a scrolling screen.
I like ZaneMenloe’s idea about a third creeper but I’m not sure how that would fit in story wise.
Maybe an emitter (or a group of emitters), seeing the new weapons that the humans have devised and that its kind is being hunted to extinction, rebels against the other emitters hoping that humanity will reward it by sparing its life. So its effect would be to damage evil creeper, but still destroy human buildings (it isn’t the reverse engineered good creeper).
I also really like the idea of having multiple, warring creepers. It even opens up possibilities of missions where you have to save rebel creeper emitters from evil creeper. (Un)fortunately, I’m sure the story is all but finished by now. Might be a cool addition somewhere down the line.
so, if you put a maker in a “cave” with a shield on tyhe enterance, and used the good creeper to keep the ore rigs safe, you have a self-sustaining cycle that lasts forever, right?
Ore deposits have a finite amount of ore…
WOW!
I love the minimap on the right-hand side
a left and right scroll would be nice but i dont think it will be inclued if its not already in there
i don’t think a ‘third’ creeper faction would fit in any-wise. besides, this is a fight against evil (creeper) and good (humans). it isn’t a meta-game with multiple different sides and stuff.
Yeah, that would be cool, but I think it would be too much stuff for that one game.
If it isnt included into story, it would irritate much people if it appears in the following parts.
Maybe that would be a good idea for CW3? 😀
If CW3 will come some day.
I hope so 😀
But let’s wait for CW2 first 😀
hmm, so the beacons produce phantom fields? got something to do with phantoms?
More correctly, phantom fields, phantoms, and a few other things all have to do with something else.
You should make the mini map a bit better. More exact and shows more than just creeper.
Do weapons other than the creeper maker need to be anchored? (i imagine some experimentals would at least)
Yes, at least one other weapon does.
that video looks pretty good
awesome type of feel with the talking about new technology
I am interested in the creeper meter (bar on the right side of the map that shows the amount of creeper).
I understand basically how it works, but only some of it:
1. I saw in the beginning of the video two seperate bars for the two seperate pools of creeper (bad creeper). Is there a bar for every pool/emitter?
2. Does it measure the height or amount of creeper, because at some point the two bars seem like they will connect? And if they connect, will it because they are at the same height, or because it connects? Actually, now that I write it, it sounds complicated. Maybe it is best if you can explain… =P
The creeper map on the extreme right shows where there is creeper on the terrain. So if there is Creeper at the bottom of the map, you will see Creeper at the bottom of the mini-map, etc. It shows both evil and benign Creeper. The brightness of the color also varies with the intensity of the Creeper.
It isn’t necessary to reference the minimap, but it can be useful to monitor the thickness of deep Creeper while you are fighting at the top of the map.
Oh, and I noticed that in the forum topic for this you said Former President Abraxis was the Commander from cw1, but on the picture of him the caption just says President Abraxis. Is that a mistake or what?
A former president can still be referred to as “President” when introduced… so I chose to simply label Abraxis as “President” Abraxis in the caption. (That and “Former President Abraxis” would be too long of a title 🙂 )
I watched the video on my tv and it was awesome!
I’ve watched it on an Ipad, but a TV sounds a lot better…
Looking amazing, Virgil. Any decisions on the final price of CW2? With continual updates and/or patches, i’d be willing to pay as much as $50, though i’m sure it’ll be much lower than that.
I’ve not decided on the final price, but it will definitely be much, much lower than $50. It will be very comparably priced to CW1…
All of the subsequent updates will also be free (just like with CW1)
Gah! The wait for this is killing me! So since I haven’t seen this anywhere (though I may have missed it in all the comments floating about). Will you be considering a vs mode of any sort in a future update?
i bet… lets say a virtual 10 bucks that thats a not.
:P:)
I agree *slams head into desk* the wait is killing me too
Not for CW2… it will be a single player experience, with community generated custom maps and score competitions.
http://knucklecracker.com/forums/index.php?topic=4697.75
Lots of MP talk there
Can you give me an email when CW2 comes out?
Andi ve got somtihing. Why not do a versus mode where someone CONTROLS the creeper, like to focus some where or posistion spores and emitters, eh?
Take a look [b][url=http://knucklecracker.com/forums/index.php?topic=4697.0]HERE[/url][/b] about multiplayer, because your idea has been suggested many times. And aren’t you going to be checking here at least once a day? why would you need an email?
also, another question. will you have to click on an option to dig a cell, or will it just be a regular click, because i see many mistakes happining because of that.
yea i know what you mean, people have the double press thingy on the laptop and i find that it clicks at the most annoying times, also you could have a thing in the units menu or next to it that you have to click to go into mining mode so you can dig rocks
by rocks i mean the terrain
Currently you can click terrain, or click drag. This simply tags cells for excavation…. it doesn’t instantly excavate them. If you tag a cell that is “interior” (it has no exposed face), then it won’t even have packets dispatched until enough surrounding cells are excavated.
So, if you accidentally click a terrain cell it won’t be the end of the world. Most of the time it won’t matter, and even if you do accidentally click an exposed cell you can just click it again to stop excavation. You might waste a packet or two, but that’s all.
If u read the WHY multiplayer blog I had an idea for multiplayer cw.
its a thread, not a blog. and yeah, the idea was ok… not the best.
Just a little question, but if you move weapons or the assualt ship over the creeper, do they get damaged then, or only when they stand still and shoot?
They get damaged, so there is no “flying over”. Now you can dig a side tunnel, or literally hover above (higher up on the screen) the creeper (unless it completely fills a chamber).
could you put nullifyers in experimental tab? It just seems like they belong there. Also, if ore is finite, please change that, id prefer that a ore deposit gives infinite resources!
The experiments tab is reserved for special weapons that show up later in the story. Think “Thor”, but not Thor… and not so extremely mission-winning powerful. There are three things in that tab, but only two are directly weapons… I’ll let you think on that one for a while.
First off I’d like to say. Virgil you are the man! I find it amazing that someone like you of just one guy has made a game that surpasses mainstream games that take millions of dollars and man hours. Creeper world is by far my favorite game, and that includes massive games on ps3 and PC. Such a brilliant concept. You should be incredibly proud of yourself for what you’ve done.
One of the things I was wondering was if you dug it all out, would you be able to bring your drop ship all through the map? Or is it stuck to the top?
My other question is how did you get so awesome?
Well, I’m humbled by the compliments… Thank you very much.
So, yes you can move the assault ship anywhere on the map it can reach. It isn’t limited to a band at the top of the map. In fact, some missions start you deep underground.
The only rule is that you have to be able to move a 5×2 rectangular area (the footprint of the ship) around obstacles.
If ore deposits were unending the game would be unreal and how long do ore deposits last?
Ore deposits are variable in size. There can be really large ones, and really small ones. They also aren’t the only way to get ore. Just as reactors aren’t the only way to get energy…
There is another way to get each resource that also has another benefit… but it will all be clear once you get to play the game.
Is one of the experimentals an energy-to-mass producer that uses enormous amounts of power to produce additional ore? 😛
Wow, that really sounds soooo cooool.
At first I thought the technytes would increase energy/ore collecting. Now Im thinking there are eiter special technytes or special Buildings.But I just can’t imagine, so I want to play game to find out 😀
I want be first playing the game ^^
Or maybe first who will upload a map.
In fact, I want to be first in one thing of CW2 xD
well, if you upload the first map, make it a good one.
You cannot be first to play the game, as Virgil has already played it, then the beta testers get to play, then if it passes the public gets to play.
You can try to be the first to upload a map or you can be the first to beat the game, or maybe upload a score, you just have to try.
The techs are kind of like a third resource that isn’t used to construct anything. They are used kind of like a currency to “purchase” upgrades such as faster packet travel speed, increased energy production, etc. Kind of like the upgrades in the original game, but this time apparently you have more variety and control.
I just got a really cool idea!
you click on your energy bar, and you get some kind of pie chart showing your sources of energy and how it is being used
that actually qould be pretty cool…
good for advanced energy statistics
like where your energy is coming in from
and where it’s going
the three packet types:
and when you click on one of the pie chart segments it gives you another pie chart\list showing individual unit\unit class consumption:
reactors/tech domes/repulsors
and when you click on that, you get an itemized list of every unit that can receive that resource, it’s co-ordinants, the amount of the resource it’s using, it’s health, and it’s current state (disarmed, deactivated, disarmed & deactivated, neither) and any other settings\info that could be useful (it’s uid, etc.)
Whoa, wait, how did you beat the levels in a few seconds.
Like you beat the first level in 3 seconds.
he probably did some sort of code that did that so he could show us… or he is just incredible.
I did it with a single key press…. as is common during development when you need to finish a level.
and is that same keypress going to be in the final release??
(can’t blame me for not hoping)
Not sure if it was asked before but as far as scrolling up and down….
Do I have to use the scroll bar or will my track/scroll wheel on my mouse work too!?
You can use the on screen scroll bar, the mouse wheel, or the arrow keys on your keyboard. I usually use the mouse wheel.
Did you come up with this game as in cw 1 and 2 on your own and what inspired it.
Yes, both CW1 and CW2 are original games. The heart of each game is the “Creeper” concept. It was inspired by cellular automata simulations of heat and fluid flow. That, and I also wanted to make a really right strategy game that brought something new to tower defense games.
Is there going to e an online version like the cw training sim?
yup
Yes, there will be a free flash version of CW2…
so… Is there an option to make certain things happen?
ex. No m.rifts or speed stuff, and a long fight down to an artifact. This forces you to go down through a shaft with your ship. When you reach the artifact, emitters appear on the top and you suddenly have a scene where you need to escape
Not currently… maybe something I will add in subsequent releases of the game and the map editor (it’s on my list of things to add in follow-up releases).
There should be a unit that suicides and is really cheap but doesn’t do much but is still useful.
I have a suggestion for Evil Creepers. I think you could somehow create Emitters that are different colors, that produce diff colored Creeper, with different abilities. Red emitters for example, could spawn red Creeper which could dissolve terrain faster, or Green, which could be immune to Freindly Creeper. This may be complicated i know, but could you think about it?
Also, could you give me some Flash Game lessons via e-mail?
I’d say start with some tutorials first. Like this:
http://gamedev.michaeljameswilliams.com/2008/09/17/avoider-game-tutorial-1/
Great idea stephonopolis ,but that is probobly way to complicated to add if it isnt already built into the game.Maybe it will be in cw3 if it is ever made.
Not only that, but the colours clould mix together, and the Creeper digs through terrain faster /and/ is invulnerable to good creeper.
Will it be possible to create a custom story campaign?
In CW 1 it was a problematic to publish 10 maps containing a campaign and it was also hard for players to download in that way to play a campaign.
I like playing campaigns. Because, they add a bit of depth to the game. Usually maps created by the same person are of the same quality. So after I play a first map out of a series. I know that the other ones in campaign will be good a well.
I’m looking at ways of linking maps together. Minimally, CW2 maps will have an embedded author stamp.
It would be nice it author could specify what the next map in the series is. That way game can download map automatically from the server once the first map is finished.
By the way. Is it going to be possible to download/search for maps directly from the game client?
am I the only one who thinks the big, glowing victory sign looks a little chopraider-ish
thats because chopraider is made by the same guy…
Do you have an exact release date yet? I am planning on forcing my Dad to get this….
he never has, and probably never will. He may like finish it and then say that it will be released two or three days after that to hype up people and give himself some time to get the release in the media.
The plan is for late February… an exact day is impossible to put.
Will the free Flash version be out before or at the same time as the real game?
The flash version will come out shortly after the desktop game comes out.
HE said before a week it’s 4-8 weeks to work.
And I think I will be first one uploading a map.
I already constructed a map.
In school I was bored, I took my clooge block and created one.^-^
And I read something about triggers here, that would be very cool.
Maybe if a unit or packet cross a special block a event is started.
I REALLY liked the final mission in CW1 because there were time triggers.
( The tech apperead after a special time)
So will something liek taht be in CW2 missions too? Like Time or passing Triggers?
I would love that 😀 😛
That actually does sound like a good idea. But how could they upgrade packets? How about instead it makes units stronger when they are on that tile. Or tiles that make Creeper stronger.
Look back at some earlier blog posts and look for ‘amplifier’. There’s also a topic (http://knucklecracker.com/forums/index.php?topic=5251.0) that asked what happened to them. Look at those.
Virgil is making all of the missions with the editor that will be available to everyone, so whatever you find already in the game, you can do.
Nice video i would love to see all the units tho but along with the realse i cant.
Me, i DON’T want to see all units in a video now.
See, if I would see them, I wouldnt be any surprised in the game when I play it 😀
And if I see them now, I want to use them.
But I can’t, so I would be sad 🙁
So, please dont work at videos. Spend that time by working on the game so its released earlier 😀
i totally agree. don’t show us anything…. (but i love it when you do). Thats also why i never want to beta test games (at least big ones, that i’m looking foward to, like this!!).
two things
1 can micro rifts be moved?
2 will weapons get damaged if moved through creeper (like in cw1 where they didnt get damaged (yes i know the weapons in cw1 hovered when moved))
well you have to remember that in cw2 its a side-ways interface, so they will be hovering, but the ‘bottom’ for them that they’re hovering off of is the bottom of the map. so the creeper and the weapon will be on the same layer if you move it through the creeper. basically it will be damaged.
1.no
2.yes
me_me_me makes a good point. Wil the weapons be damaged when they go through Creeper? to get through it, they’d literally have to ‘swim’ through the Creeper instead of in CW1, where they hovered above it.
Also, I do not think you would be able to move a rift in space.
People have already answered this mutiple times.
Now I Know that the flash version of CW2 you mentioned will come after the full release, I wondered if the flash versions levels will be avalible in the game unlike CW1, or maby posted in an update later?
also do we get this great speed up option that you added into CW1 later on?
Will it be possible to download maps directly from the game? It was always painful to download them from firefox move them to the game and launch it for every map :/
Have you thought about making creeper world 2 to come out on other consoles at all, I think an iPad version would be brilliant!
I know your nearly done but navy after the relese try it out?
From a quick search Air apps should run with minimal adjustment, but it would probably require a new GUI and some specific code to handle the touch controls. but should be doable 🙂
hey when is the next post im so excited about this game ive been checking the blog every single day since the repulsers were mentioned
What would happen if you dug the ground under a built object?
This has already been asked. You can’t, you have to destroy the building before digging, and if you built on eroding terrain and creeper eats through it the building is destroyed.
It’s the same guy from the forums krell 😉
When will the map editor and the custom maps that you can download from online come out compared to the actual game? Will the release also have a map editor or is it coming out later?
In an earliere comment virgil said it would come max a few weeks after the game. Im sure there will be a healthy flow of maps from day 1 too 🙂
I want the editor earlier :p^^
I just created a map on paint :D, and i want bring it on the real editor^^
map 1, that will be mine xD
the editor comes at the same time with the game… You just have patience…
I call first good series!
(Already got it planned)
Actually it probably will be virgil’s (First map for #1 was his)
3 Questions.
1. will you start with all the units?
2. will the units appeard in the map?
3. If you answer yes to the 2, i tough that the dr.Aliana was the person who did all the units
When’s the next post coming?
It’s February! Getting so close to expected release date. I’m going to explode! I must have the game!!!
Same Same Same Same!!!!!!!!!
ME TOO!
But I think he said at late february.
BUT IM EXPLODING TOO!
I sent some e mails to him, he said I’m…umm, mom, what was the thing he called me…. ah yea : anxious
I am anxious^^
will you make CW 1 or 2 full versions for IPad????
The game is written in Flash or AIR and iPad does not support either.
Android’s next generation supports adobe flash 🙂
The unhacked version doesn’t, that is.
i love creeper world 2
It’s amazing how far the graphics ended up coming. We got what we have now from the bottlecap nullifiers, and the toadstool makers in this video…. and with games like this, graphics don’t really matter. I’m sure it was still an awesome game back then.
kool
when will it come out in the uk?