Has it really been nearly a year since my last update to Alien Arena? Indeed, it’s been nearly 10 months, so I guess I have some explaining to do…
Obviously much of my time was spent on Frenzy and the Frenzy Engine over the past year, but I also have been minorly(or not) pre-occupied with RC cars and monster trucks, a long-time passion of mine. I did get Frenzy into a very solid, working state, but the game really just never caught on in any fashion, and I just couldn’t justify spending any advertising money on it to get it “kickstarted”. That’s not to say it was a waste – I developed a very efficient, yet robust game engine with VR support that will allow me to do many other projects(when I find spare time from RC racing and fishing!).
Taking extended breaks from Alien Arena development is nothing new to me, but this was a little different. After my visual update last December, I came to several conclusions about that game, the engine, and the genre in general. One, I had taken Alien Arena absolutely as far as I humanly could both visually and otherwise, and it still wasn’t good enough(I will get into that later). Two, being such a long-running “franchise”, I was constricted heavily by it’s past successes(and failures), and drastic changes were completely out of the question. Three, the engine was ancient, and while employing more modern rendering techniques, it’s entire structure and backbone was archaic and complicated. Lastly, the Arena FPS genre in the traditional sense is completely dead. It’s a premise that has too much chicken vs egg mentality in regards to it’s player base to be successful in today’s overcrowded game climate. You need players to attract players, so without players, you cannot attract players.
Alien Arena has been part of my life for 18 years or so, and it’s something that will always be part of me, and something that I am very proud of. I’ve pontificated on this many times, even in my last post. I don’t have much more to say to that, that hasn’t already been said, dozens of times. It’s a good game, it’s had admirers, fans, and it’s share of shade and even hate thrown it’s way. That’s just how it is in the gaming world, and especially in the Arena FPS culture, which is often toxic, putting it mildly. What I will say now is, with dearest certainty, is that I will no longer be contributing to development of Alien Arena – it is officially in Archive Mode. Support is now maintained by Alien Arena community members, and I will only provide guidance when needed. There is just simply nothing left to do from my perspective.
So then, what’s this about “Generation 4”? Well…
About a year or so ago, while working on the visual updates to Alien Arena, and finishing up Frenzy, I had this crazy idea of making a little VR game using the Frenzy engine and Alien Arena assets, something very simple, with “rocket arena” style game play, that could be played with or without a VR headset (hey, kinda like Frenzy). At the time I thought it was something that the existing community might have an interest in, but there didn’t seem to be too much really. As experienced each time I did major changes, there would be backlash, and fracturing of the community. For many years I kept the game compatible with previous releases out of fear of that, and the one time I broke it, the predicted result took place, and it was ugly. I still LOVE creating sci-fi art, and I can only build so many RC cars and fishing lures…so I really needed some kind of outlet to return to what was my passion for nearly two decades. Maybe you can see where this is going….
So here I have this shiny new game engine that has VR support, built in map maker, Steam Workshop, and all these nice features…and here I have this universe that I created that I cannot take any further on the old game engine…and here (we) have this genre that is not just dying, but life support has been removed and it’s in hospice. It’s a genre that constantly says it needs new ideas, or friendlier learning curves, but then rejects every new game that isn’t Quake 3. It’s no wonder that games like Fortnight or League Of Legends explode overnight while games like Quake Champions and Diabotical struggle to get enough players to even have viable gaming experiences. It’s also one of the major reasons Alien Arena failed to regain a viable player base upon it’s Steam release in 2017 – if you don’t follow the formula, you are DOA. Check that, you can still follow the formula, and be DOA if you’re not named Quake. What shall I do?
Trying to appeal to existing communities is a dicey proposition at best. The most successful games don’t cater to current standards, they set new ones. They break new ground. Simply trying to do(or re-do) a past idea “better than it’s ever been done” will only result in failure and heartbreak. Trust me on that one. Of course most “better” ideas are either flawed, not as good as you think, or just a rehash – and that includes Alien Arena, something that is just hard to admit for me. Taking 10 months off completely disconnected was something I had to do to reflect(for like the 100th time probably) on why Alien Arena couldn’t get any traction. Was it the genre? Probably. Was it a case of too many clones competing for a small community? Sure. Was it the game simply wasn’t as good as I thought? Most definitely.
There will be a Generation 4 of Alien Arena…except it won’t be built from the existing game…and it won’t be called Alien Arena.
I know that this article will be disappointing for what are *very* loyal fans of Alien Arena, and for that I am sorry. I simply cannot accomplish what I want using the CRX engine, and I do not want to further divide what is now just a handful of players. Maybe you’ll try out the new game and really like it, and maybe not. Alien Arena, for it’s flaws, has some unique quirks that make it a very enjoyable Arena FPS game for those who have stuck by it for all of these years.
As mentioned, I have spent the past year or so conjuring up something in my mind, to truly take this universe to the next level, both artistically, and in game play, as well as popularity. Gen 4 is tentatively called “Saucermen”, and will be using the Frenzy engine. It’s basic concept is that it’s a VR playable(but not required) game that can be played online with deathmatch and duel modes, or offline against bots in a survival “clear the level” mode. The gameplay will be a very simplistic Arena FPS style – one type of armor, health, only 3 weapons, no melee weapon, no trick jumping, and a very quick learning curve. Physics will be slower and more realistic than your typical Arena FPS game. Environments will be extremely detailed, with shadows and light, very immersive and complex. Levels will have secrets, and puzzles to solve to get certain things. Player characters will be horrifically gruesome looking, and terrifying. Levels will be saturated in blood and destruction in many cases.
The focus in general is going to be quality vs quantity. There will only be four characters(Alien, Human Male, Human Female, Cyborg). Each player will have a few skins to choose from. The weapons will be different for each players(and behave differently as well – but balanced). Players will have different characteristics, and each will have a special feature that can be unlocked. The character concepts are as follows:
- Alien
- Small stature, with bulky suit, enclosed helmet with air supply. Head will be a fetal human skull with bulging, massive eyes. Green glowing brain within the skull, visible through cracks and holes. Blood around eyes, nose and mouth, and dripping out of the mouth(using a shader animation).
- The suit will be well worn in appearance, painted yellow.
- The arms and legs will be complex, partially cybernetic(but not entirely robotic like Gen 3). They will appear to have living tissue within.
- There will be various hoses, vents, and some of the hoses will contain animated fluids.
- The inner part of the helmet will have readout displays, and various highly detailed panels.
- The suit will have some lights on the exterior.
- The hands will be bones connected with metal, with suction cup type fingertips.
- Human Male
- Larger stature(and larger hitbox) but more health and armor, and slower.
- Bulky “space marine” style suit, may use the Gen 3 Commander as a reference point. Clear enclosed helmet.
- Head will be badly bloodied, and partially cybernetic. May have tubes going into it supplying blood.
- Will have bulky armored boots, gloves, forearms, etc. There will be portions of legs and arms that are replaced with cybernetic pieces.
- There will be cracks and dirt on the clear glass of the helmet, but it will use a reflective shader, this will also be the case on the Alien.
- Various tubes will be all over, and some will be supplying blood visually with a shader.
- Proportions(such as the boots) will not be exaggerated like the Gen3 Commander, only slightly so.
- Human Female
- Smaller in stature than male(with smaller hitbox), less armor. Speed will be slightly slower.
- Suit will be similar to the male, and look like they are from the same fighting unit, but more feminine in proportions, etc.
- Other items to be similar as to the male.
- Cyborg
- A frightening visage mixed of human bones, parts, and cybernetic pieces.
- Will have a pair of human eyes, gruesomely attached.
- Will clearly be some alien created mash up of what was once a human, but converted into an alien fighting machine.
- The stature will be large, like the male, with similar properties.
- The theme will be modernized, but not like the Gen 3 Slashbot. It will have a bulkier profile, and it will be extremely gory and visceral in appearance.
- May have steam coming out of vents via shader.
This article is the first of a two part(or more) series. I didn’t post any pictures, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have any material! I actually have over the past year been slowly developing some things (very slowly), and in my next post will show some of it!