Games My FIRST Ever Unity Game (work in Progress) Dead Rising Virginia Beach Rescue (Fan-Game/Free-Game)

HELLO EVERYONE! My name is Joe Winko from YouTube and this is my first ever project that I'm starting with the Awesome program UNITY. This is actually going to be a non-profile free fan game inspired by the Dead Rising Games that I love so much: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW67q6pOuyvSV1-RrIf_davetxjpiLdLL

This game will be called Dead Rising: Virginia Beach Rescue. It's going to be more of a Beta/trial experiment I'm doing but it will be a long game. It will mainly focus on rescuing survivors and defeating villains. I have no experience with Unity but I am going to try to learn it

it seems a bit complex but it should be doable but I'm also posting this so I can get any recommendations or advice.



THE PLOT: The game is about me, Joe Winko, going on vacation in Virginia Beach, Virginia (I was actually there last month ) Then a zombie outbreak occurs! I manage to make it to safety along with a few other survivors and then it's up to me to search the streets of Virginia Beach to find the other survivors stranded all over Virginia Beach and guide them back to the safe room because the Rescue helicopter comes in 24 hours.

THE SPECIFICS:
These are the certain things I want the game to have. I was thinking someone here could give me advice on how to do some of these in Unity or post tutorial videos here so I could learn. Anyone who is familiar with the Real dead rising games should know how this will work:

• The game will be timed and scaled down. After the opening Mission, the rescue helicopter will come after 24 game hours (4 hours real time) regardless of Any missions being complete.
• The main focus on the game will be rescuing survivors which is not mandatory. Survivors can die and not make it back but the game will still go on, you just won't get a high score or level up at all (I plan on having 33 survivors in the game total and 3 or 4 psychopaths/villains and 6 or 7 victims who can not be saved).
• There will be A LOT of zombies but they'll all be slow and stupid and able to be killed with weapons scattered around the map.
• The survivor rescue missions themselves are all timed but Many of them occur at the same time, but the game will be set up so you have enough time to rescue all of the survivors. (those of you who are familiar with the Xbox 360 version of Dead Rising will know what I mean by this...)
• The game will contain music and cut-scenes and sound effects.
• The game will be in a 3D world, but with 2D overlays like gifs for blood squirting...
• I also wanted the game to include a 'photo taking feature' where you can score points and level up by taking photos of certain things (like zombies and people) like dead rising.
• I also wanted a game to include a zombie kill count and where you level up based on how many zombies you kill.

That's it for the specifics, I might add more when I think of them. There's just a lot of planning that goes into this...

WHAT I AM CAPABLE OF DOING:
These are things that I am capable of doing for the game so far. I plan on learning more stuff though, but any tutorials pasted here would be appreciated:

• I know how to make Custom character models and add joints to them in the program 'milkshape 3d'
• I know how to build locations in the program 'milkshape 3d'
• I'm able to animate 3d models in Milkshape but I imagine it should be pretty similar in Unity...
• I also know how to make animated gif files in photoshop (like for blood squirting)
• I'm also aware that in Unity there is a way to import custom 3d models
• I'm also aware that in Unity you can have a 'guide arrow' to point to where your objective for the quest are, just like in Dead Rising:

So as of now, that's all I have to say about it... Any tutorials, advice, or suggestions would be appreciate it feel free to share your thoughts ♥
It's probably going to take me a VERY long time to make this but it shouldn't be too difficult

- Joe Winko

 

So most people will either say "This is too ambitious to do, choose something easier." or they may offer some actual advice. I'm going to try and offer some actual good ol' fashion advice. I'm wishing you all the best on this road of learning and crazy headaches that is indie development. But when you get to where you want it's worth it.

Keep learning and pushing forward.

Tip 1: Assets are key!
****Even if you can model yourself you'll want to invest in the asset store as an indie developer. It saves you time and essentially money (which by the way is time if you have a full time job). It'll get you prototyping as you go. Plus you can skip basic things like trees, environment, etc.

Tip 2: Make a dev log (NOT BLOG)
****Not a blog, a log. This is for you and you alone. No one can nor will develop your game for you unless you have money. That means this is up to you. So note what you want, what you do, and what you need to do. No day is a 0% day even if you put 0.3% towards it you are still moving forward.

Tip 3: Keep things simple
****I know you want the game based off a real time scenario. The easiest way to do this is to limit the amount of data inputted from the very beginning. The less data the better for you. Makes it easier to track and easier to modify. So stick to one style of code, in this case C# is better than Java as it has more open options in my opinion, and uses enumerator's. Just look into that and that will handle the day's spent in game.

Tip 3: Saving features
****Your game will be single player if it's like the game that inspired it. Look into Unity saving data on google. Google the H*** out of saving in Unity to decide what is best for you. There are plenty of options, but maybe just look into Binary Formatters. Start with that, but I'm sure you'll be busy up to that point

Tip 4: Saving survivors and multiple zombies
**** Using Booleans for the surviors and save them in the binary formatters for the survivors. In fact just look into booleans and arrays in general, as it will save a ton of work later down the road.

Tip 5: Start with the above before moving on, PROTOTYPING IS KEY
****Prototype as much as you can. You will start and restart project after project just to complete something simple and stupid. But that is okay, because it's progress. Unless you have instant knowledge and know the how of computer science (or street science, LOL) this will be slow going and a learn and relearn as you go kinda thing. So make a project, learn what you need and move on. That's how I progressed. It's not the best or fastest way, but it works.

 

Thanks for the advice
and i see what you mean at Tip #2. I wouldn't want anyone to do it for me. I'd want to do it myself. I just wanted to post about this to ask for advice.

and for Tip #4, i honestly never heard of booleans before, could you link me to a source or a youtube video that explains them?

and for tip #5, I totally agree about the prototyping too. I wanted to start out with making 1 short game where you have to escort a character to a safe place and protect them from danger or else they die. (that's basically how Dead Rising Virginia Beach rescue will be the whole time). Do you know of any tutorials of doing stuff like that in Unity?

The animations and combat system i should be able to figure out and making the settings.

 

This Sounds awe-some, do you have some pictures from Virginia beach, so we Get in mood ?



Hi, yes there is an easy way to get models in the game, when you have exported from Milkshape3d into .FBX format, you can just drag and drop into ' Asset folder ' ( called PROJECT Window ), in Unity - - Animating them is harder but, there are many Tutorials - -

You should know one thing, Unity requires you to learn coding, but it's rather simple - - but, at first it's very daunting . .

In C-Sharp ( C#) Programming language, there are four types of fundamental ' Data-types' - - Boolean, Integer, Floating Point number and, String - -

Boolean - IS a memory unit that can Contain ' False' Or, ' true ' Statement . .
Integer contains a number with, 0 Decimals . . Like 3, 5 , 8 ,9 - -
Floats contain number but, with decimals, like 2,7892 or, 3,879233 . .
String can contain text, like ' Hello world ' or, ' I Love games ' . .

But, there's also a bit of Unity that's Not coding, it's more like Drag and drop, like dragging a .FBX Character model directly into Assets folder, then you can Pull it in-to Game scene - - There are Good tutorials - -

When mentioned booleans above, I think that was what he meant - -

Okay, I Love your Story, but who's the Main character - --

The name ' Dead Rising ' is copyright another firm, why not give it another interesting name - -

Dead Man Coming - The Virginia Beach Incident X X it's more scary and, maybe sets it apart - -

Dead Spring Break Or, Dead summer break - -

If you want to tell a story, it pays to have a more complicated idea because, then you can make more stages and, have an idea of Highs and, lows and, Necessary characters /Stories - -

To make it simple, you could make a first stage, where you are trapped in a Ware-house and, there are Zombies - - No one else, that way you will only have to make those characters and, you can test and, build that stage, then with that experience, you can make a second stage, where may-be there are cops, that shoot and, throw smoke grenades, causing Havoc - -

My point is, the sooner you can make some-thing you can play and, enjoy, the more Fun it will be - -

My advice is, watch 1 - 3 Tutorials each day, on Things you need And, Some That you find Fun or, Want to learn more about . . Match that with making 3D Models And, Searching for Concept art, use Google ! For instance, if you Start in an abandoned Ware-house, Google crate, Warehouse materials, Etc etc - - That's a Good start - -

Most of all, do what Feels fun and, Keeps you going, if that's Making hot, Rather-scantily Clad Female zombies, Then That's it, if you want to go All in on Texturing and, Normal maps, then do that - - It has to do with your goal, if you want to make a game, start building it In the most fun way and, Expect to Use tutorials - - Unity uses C# Programming language and, you can't avoid using that, even making the character move, in the game, requires a little programming but, it only takes a few minutes, when you understand it . .. In the beginning one just copies and, hopes to learn . .

Most of all, since it's a game, Keep it fun - - If you want to Create Goofy, silly zombies, then do that . . What-ever You desire, go For that - -$

 

Hi,

Also consider, what style of game you want, if you make a first-person shooter or, third-person Over shoulder game, you need Very detailed textures to make things look Realistic and, have Consistent art - direction . .. I'm Also making a Game and, I've settled for a Diablo 3 Top-down Look, because I'm further away, so the Textures and, models don't need so much attention . . That makes Creating the Art more managable . . By making design statements that Decrease work-load, you can set realistic goals you, can Finish

My advice for first game, top-down 2D Or, 3D game, if you know some 3D Making - - This way, you can use modular kits, of 3D assets, like drag and drop 1x2 m Walls or, asphalt - - By Simplifying the process and, Keeping it simple, you have a chance of finishing your first game - - Then, with that experience, you can maybe make a first-person High-resolution game - -

 

I think it's a bad idea to make the game about you, the Game developer as, it Seems a Tad shallow, I don't think I'd play some-one's game, it Feels Vain . …

There have also been many games about zombies and, unless you have some-thing that stands out, your game might not Really be Popular, but it's Still fun Making them - -$

I'd make the first stage with just two zombie types and, a Player character, in Isometric zoomed out, like Diablo-games - - Then People can't see your bad textures and, as you learn, you'll get better at, making better textures - - Your first two weapons could be a broom and, a Hammer - - My Point is, if you make your first Goal, to make a simple introductory level, with managable amount of work, this makes it easier to make a second level, because you have experience and, a sense of succes - -

Last, if you make simple, polygon trees first and, just paint them Green and, brown, you can always put a nicer model in later, so you can start prototyping, the First level, With simple assets - - You can always go ham and, Go for photo-real, it's Really just Drag and drop, and you can work on making better trees, as you progress, when you have the time - -





Then you can drag in simple assets and, focus on building a world, get some ideas - - what do you want to have happen in this and, this building, do you want a particular character, Etc etc - -

 

a Little hint - Coding seems super -scary, it looks advanced . . All you're Doing is giving the computer commands, and telling it what to do, it's not a Programming language So, much as It is you Just giving the computer Commands - -$

 

Basically, the Computer becomes your slave and, you Tell it what to do - - The Precise words you need, are called the Language but, you're Really just Telling the computer what to do, like ' Paint that green ' or, ' Move That object ' - -

 

awww but i always self-insert lol. that's kinda what i became known for with my scary movies i make with the sims 2. I never made a video game before but it was really meant to be a gift for my online friends and my youtube followers i don't want to make money off of it at all either.

and it's going to be a 3rd person game. not really much shooting but more melee weapons (like bats, axes, machetes, knifes, hammers)

and i was honestly imagining that it was going to be a more vintage/old school looking game. kinda like resident evil from 1996 or GTA vice city. i like graphics like that because of the nostalgia but it will have lots of blood music and gore.

One major difference between it and the real dead rising is that the zombies don't 'bite' at all until they killed an npc, they scratch and claw at them until their health goes really low and then they jump on them and eat them.

and thank you I actually already know how to make 3d models of the buildings and trees i was planning on having the game have many different stages.

Also I was also imaging the game being timed. As in, the game ends in 24 hours (scaled down to 4 hours in the game time). And you just rescue as many as the survivors as you can to get the high score. i didn't really plan on it having a complex story line really.

 

I Think we should make a Nice story like, may-be Your girl-friend has been bit And, She's Very sick So, you Go looking for a way to cure her - - Or, may-be your dog and, your Younger brother has been bit, so there's Personal goals - - Zombie games have been done a lot, and there are many great ones out there, Chances are you won't make Some-thing better, take for example Resident Evil 6, Plenty Zombies and, it's Five years old - -

I think you should make some-thing that sets it apart, because saying you want a Zombie game is a bit bland, there have been so many Triple-A Zombie games - - If you get lucky your first game will be AA, not Triple -A - -

You could make werewolf game or, Vampire game, or mummy games - -$

You saying you want to make a copy, of an AAA game, like Dead rising, makes me think I Might rather buy that - -

I would like to hear your original ideas, so we can help you make Them happen - -$

 

that's a Great idea for a First game, Good luck, I'll Be watching - -§

 

Thank you <3 thank you for the advice too! i'll update this on it's progress too and if i have questions about anything

 

I Can't wait to See your game, Make It fast and, Quick - -

 

Alot of good advice here, biggest things are copyright/IP, dont use specific names/references (dead rising) or any reference to. Second, you really need to learn/get used to Unity itself, its functions and capability, watch alot of tutorial videos that apply to your project. Have a good storyline, and there are plenty of assets available out there. Believe me, months down the road, alot of this "advice" will come into play.

 

it's ok. i'm not selling it or making money off of it. It's also going to be quite different from the Dead Rising games too.

think of it more as 'fan fiction'

 

Thats great bro..I understand the "not making money/non-commercial aspect" , if so...then you have nothing to worry about, but please for you...learn more about unity, it will greatly help you in your vision, and end result....

 

Yes, Unity relies on writing ' Code scripts ', to do some stuff, it's not very complicated but, if you're new there's a lot of information and, tutorials rarely explain the code, very well - - You can always ask here and, We'll See if Can help - - But, Unity also has good drag and drop, for Certain things, like importing models, for DCC Software ( Digital Content Creation ) Programs, Like Milkshape3d - - Unity is actually a some-what Complex programs, that Beginners just can't use, but It's super-powerful, That's the trade-off - - I think Unity is the Best engine for you, But, Expect some Work - -$

 

Actually its not that bad, for you its a FPS based game, so pick/download a FPS "kit" like DarkTreeFPS or uFPS etc. and without code set up things, then modify as needed... You'll get it bro... hang in there, alot to learn, but worth it in the end...

 

I'm glad to see plenty of others offering advice in here as well. Really shows the community has blossomed in the Unity Forums.

You do actually have to worry about this from a legal standpoint even if it is a non profit project. Some companies (wont point fingers pokemon ) have still been known to shut projects down regardless because it can "take viewers away" from their releasing content which can hurt sales. It is a thing sadly, even if you're only paying tribute.

As for the tutorials, Speed Tutor has some really good videos on booleans and other stuff and is a great place to start. Essentially though jbb1979 hit in on the head.

There are plenty of others on youtube with great quality content. I'd pick something once you get past the log part and work hardcore on that. Maybe a character controller would be a good place to start or work on environment. Heck, even UI design is fun ranging from active menus to static.

Just remember to have fun with it and work towards what you would want to play. Chances are there are plenty of others who want the same thing. Happy dev'ing!

 

History showed us that making fan games around certain IPs... isn't really a great idea.

Dead Rising is the IP of Capcom and Capcom generally don't allow fan creations:

(Source: http://www.fuzeqna.com/capcomsuppor...n_KBSearch_repSearchResults_ctl00_lnkQuestion)

You could - if you want - try contacting them via phone, the number is on capcom.com/us, but don't expect much.

 

Yeah, don't make a direct imitation of another game but, you can get pretty close - -

A good name is " Dawn of the Dead ", or some-thing - - Pick some-thing no one else has used - -

Your whole project can get shut down, because of legal stuff, especially, don't copy characters directly, make your own . . The reason is the companies put a lot of work into writing and, making those characters, creating them slowly over months or, years, so they represent the companies time and, sweat . . You can make spin-off characters but, don't make them too close or, a clone - - Create your own stuff and, you'll own it, for-ever --

For instance, a hero in your game might be a young surfer - type or, some-one who's into bikes, motor-cycles and, scooters - - Maybe the hero originally is an ice-cream sales-man working on the beach - -

In the end, you have made a story and, you want to make a great character to represent the things you're trying to accomplish . .. So, what's the best possible guy, to take on and, destroy the zombies - -

I recommend start making the first level, with you the main character and, maybe two different zombie types with several different colors, so the 3D is the same but, the textures have different colors - - Then, let the first level be about the main character escaping these zombies in, a simple setting, like an abandoned, old warehouse or, a military warehouse, with a lot of wooden crates, like > >


This will give you a lot of experience with game development, when you're done you've got a playable game and, you can show it to others, even early, in process . ..

And, when you make more complex levels, you're confident it's possible, because you've build up your skills, first with manageable, rather simple levels and, concepts - - you'll know how to do basic animation, level building, character design and, game concepts - - and, your reward after all the hard work, is a game others can actually play and, enjoy - --

You'll probably want to make bigger, more advanced levels but, that will be based on your skill-set developed making simpler places .. So, make simplicity work for you and, finish a game - - you'll get a better over-view of all the work involved and, you have a cool, foreseeable goal, where you can say, I'm taking a little break and, the whole process becomes more easy to understand - - then you can start adding features to more advanced levels, maybe better zombie AI or, animations - -

Start simple, set a simple, easy goal, like a first, simple level, with only the basics, when you can make that work, you have a ' skeleton ' for entire game, because these things will probably have to be done in all the other levels too - -

Keep a simple goal, the first level, just you and a few enemies, make it fun and, fit the story .. Then you can also say, later, if you want to put more time into it, what's important - -

Last, many games use ' modular kits ', meaning you have maybe a 3D model of a 1 x 1 meter brick wall, then you just drag a lot of them into the game scene, and can create bigger walls, like a 2 x 3 m brick wall can be made by taking 6 1 x 1 m ' modules ' and, Placing them, this also speeds up game development, in fact, most games have perhaps 5 - 6 trees that are made, and they are just dragged into game over and, over, and it looks really good, triple-A game developers use that to great effect, most of time - - also, if you make a ware-house first level, you might just need 3 - 4 different pre-made wood-boxes and, drag them in, scale them, rotate them, so the game looks really good - - Then you can make a few extra models, like a fire-extinguisher wall mount, some nice wall textures and, so on - - You want to apply your efforts to where they pack the ' greatest ' punch, so you get good mileage from your efforts and, sweat - - That's what I would do, I've had to realize I can't make a Triple-A Blockbuster looking game, I need to practice on making a simpler Concept level and, Enjoy that - - That way, I will have some-thing I can even show to others, within a foreseeable time and, it becomes much more fun - - The truth is, making Big-game quality worlds and, assets, it's a lot of work, you can literally spend 100 hours making trees, just the trees, if you want to make them like best games - -

Keep it simple, make a simple game, with recognizable objects, that way others can enjoy it and, you'll have fun

 

Not really: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawn_of_the_Dead_(2004_film)

 

Coming up with a Good franchise name, is really tough - -

" They're Alive ! ! " Sub - title, Virginia Beach Massacre > >






That Could be a fun game, with zombies Gnawing And, biting On all the Beach bodies And, Bodacious Women - -





This is sort of the concept stage, where we are throwing around ideas and, So on . . Maybe you can use them but, a Good thing is if you Start Getting Concept images of what you want, like what type of zombie do you look for - - Are they green, Blue or, Grey - - Are they fast or, Slow, Can they use items, like base-ball bats or, are they good old dumb zombies - -

If you have maybe 10 - 15 images, of the exact zombie type you want, it's easier for other people to know what you want, and possibly help . .

It's called finding concept art and, all the Big game studios do that, you can basically just ' Google ' things you want, like Google zombies and, find pictures of what you like, the ones that come closest - - Then you can make notes on the pictures, if it's a specific feature you want or, so on - - This will help you narrow down what you want, it's super-easy and, Will help - -

All games and, even movies begin with a concept art preparation, I think it's called a story-board in movies, where they make rough sketches, it's between writing the script and, starting to shoot scenes - - I hope I'm not wrong >



So, try typing zombies in ' Google ' or, in " pinterest " or, " instagram ", see what kind of zombies they have and, pick ones that are close to what you want, in your game - - the more clear an idea, of what you want, the more consistent the art - direction and, other people can help you, start making assets, based on your concepts or, just give help - -

 

So, here are some different zombie images, from googling it, so, which one do you think you want, to haunt your game - -







Knowing this, you can start getting a library of, what you want and, slowly start building a look or, ' style ' for your game - - The More concept images you have, the stronger the vision, in your mind becomes - -

Having these pictures, it also becomes easier for others to know what you want and, it becomes easier to help - - If there's a particular detail you like, maybe the nose or, mouth, draw a circle around it in your picture program, I use Microsoft Paint, it's free - - And, write a little text - - That way, months from now when you can't remember this stuff, you can open the images and, quickly get an over-view of, what you want - - It's like, a visual diary, of what you like, in Your games - -$

I have a lot of trouble remembering old ideas so, I find relevant pictures online when I have a good idea, at meme texts from meme websites, to work as notes or, go into paint a highlight certain things, to help me remember, the more accurate I am and, take time, the more I'll have later and, it's easy to find, I just make a folder called " Zombie massacre" and, store the images in there, for example, usually the title of the game - - Then you could make sub-folders, one for characters, one for environment, one for zombie designs - - that way, all your ideas are stored, for easy reference and, With notes - -

The Concept Art stage, of Game development, is where you find rough images, that help you get an idea of, what you want - - you can even create rough drafts over cut-scenes and, characters - - slowly adding to a full picture, of what you want - - Then, when you make the models, go into Design stage, of Development, you have a very clear idea and, it becomes easier . .

For me, the easiest way to do this, after I have concept images, I start drawing with a pen on, paper and, either take a picture after-wards or, photo-scan them, in a 2D scanner, they're cheap - - Then you can take these Final Concept images, put them into your 3D program and, begin drawing around them - - Almost all major game studios use that, some call it " pre - viz ", or pre-visualization . .

A video, from Capcom - -

The point is, you want to start doing this too, because it will make the project more clear, to your mind and, that will give rise to creativity, over-all it will also help you develop more stages and, with the experience from making a simple stage, you can make bigger, more advanced stages, because you know the bugs of making simpler, easier stages, in game