House Party Beta

[xviii]

I noticed that too but forgot to comment on it. I think this might be to do with shaders or lack of applied to the skin. There is less of a shine and slight textured look to it than the daz models had. Shaders add detail without actually adding 3d detail, so the lighting will create effects on the skin which appear to make it vary in texture more, especially when lit by strong lighting. The texture for the skin could also be the reason but not many of the girls had a varied skin tone previously... still, slight tan lines and smooth transitions to lighter colours are natural on most people as well as freckles in certain more readily exposed areas on people with lighter complexions also.

[mistacorn]

New model looks good, the hair especially. The one thing that I keep noticing is the skin of the characters. This time around I thought it was especially noticeable around her cleavage/tits; they're quite hard to notice! Not because she has a smaller bust, but because there's no shade/depth/structure or something. I can't really put it to words but it was the one big negative that stands out to me.

It's actually more due to the lighting. I've since tweaked the lights and things are looking much better, but I'm going to talk to the graphic designer also and see if he can do something to make sure they look ok in different lightings because the way the game works, the fireplace puts off a more yellowish/reddish light, and some lights just look better giving off more of a warmer color than just straight white. But it's something we're aware of and working on. We plan to go back and touch up all of the models after we have the full set complete.

[mistacorn]

I noticed that too but forgot to comment on it. I think this might be to do with shaders or lack of applied to the skin. There is less of a shine and slight textured look to it than the daz models had. Shaders add detail without actually adding 3d detail, so the lighting will create effects on the skin which appear to make it vary in texture more, especially when lit by strong lighting. The texture for the skin could also be the reason but not many of the girls had a varied skin tone previously... still, slight tan lines and smooth transitions to lighter colours are natural on most people as well as freckles in certain more readily exposed areas on people with lighter complexions also.

Good observations. Similar to what I was explaining in my last post. But yes, we're aware of it and we will be working on it.

[Stormy]

just checked the youtube videos. it looks have a great potential, but 3d games are hard to developed,take a lot of time compared with prerendered games. anyway goodluck.

[mistacorn]

Hey everybody!

The new Frank model is almost done, and when he is, it will allow for me to start really putting some storyline together as Frank is a major component and the main antagonist to the game.

In the meantime, I wanted to show off some Social AI that I've been working on. This is a really cool feature of the game that is really going to skyrocket the immersion and realism.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T82JjZbLo0I

In this scene, we see Brittney and Ashley in the kitchen, and they both look at me as I enter the room. From there, they engage each other in conversation. A little while later, Madison walks by and they take notice of her, but she passes right through, so they keep on talking to each other while Madison goes and hangs by the fireplace for a bit.

Madison gets lonely and joins the conversation, and now there are three girls going back and forth together. Notice that when I go up and start a conversation with Madison, the other two girls continue to talk to each other, but they leave Madison out of the conversation. Once, I dismiss Madison, she rejoins the conversation.

The cool thing about this is that it's not scripted. The characters will seek each other out to hang out or converse based on their relationships, and a conversation can strike up at any time and in any part of the house. If a character is in a bad mood, they will seek solace and find a non-crowded place to hang out and sulk. On the flip-side, if they are in a good mood, they will seek out social interaction, and stay in conversations longer. This will allow me to do re-write some story-lines much more realistically instead of locking some characters in a room where they won't come out until triggered. I can have the character be upset about something, and they will pout by themselves in a corner somewhere, and you can try to enhance their mood to join the party. A much more realistic situation.

A new demo version is going to be put out to supporters only, and a new public demo is not far off as well, since once I have the Frank model, I can start re-writing the story.

If you're looking for the latest release of House Party, you can find it here:
http://games.eekllc.com/index.php/category/downloads/

Hope you enjoy!

[mistacorn]

Hey guys,

Here's another video showing off more of the new AI that will be built into House Party and future projects by Eek! Games. But first off, I just wanted to note that for this video, I popped in the old Daz models, and I'd like to get some feedback from all of you as to whether you like the direction of the new models, or if you prefer the Daz models better. I've been getting some mixed feedback, and I wanted to officially ask to see if I can get input from more of you.

I am pretty much stuck designing new models for the males in the game, as the Daz models will prohibit me from getting creative in some ways, but for the women, I'd like to know what you guys prefer. I'm kind of torn, and when doing this video, I am noticing that my frame rates are not dropping all that much even using the Daz models. It's a little slower, but it's not anything deal-breaking. Keep in mind also, that the new models have been getting better and better as we've been going forward, but I would definitely like to hear your opinions.

Here's the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_0D8O0tuPY

Now let's talk about what's going on in the scene a bit:

First off, I am developing personalities for the characters. This means that when they have interactions with each other, their relationships will be affected. If they are a personality match, the outcome of the chat will most likely be positive on each, but if they have opposing traits, an argument may ensue. This will change the mood and relationship toward that character.

In this scene, we see how we have the room with the stereo set up, and any character at any time might decide to go dance depending on a few things. For starters, their mood. Characters in a better mood are more likely to want to dance. Secondly, who else is on the dance floor, people they like, or people they dislike? Thirdly, their personality. Are they the dancing type or not? Their decisions to dance don't affect anything else. They can still hold conversations while dancing, and if you chat with them they stop talking to other characters and dancing, and resume after they are dismissed. This is much different from the old setup where one character was designated as the dancer. I am going for a much more open world where any character can decide to do anything, just like a real party, but it also does't feel like it's too chaotic for the player to talk to who he wants to talk to when he wants to.

Looking forward to your comments and opinions on the models!

If you're looking for the latest release version of House Party, you can find it here:
http://games.eekllc.com/index.php/category/downloads/

[flinter5215]

Most impressive, the speed of evolution from the early versions is breathtaking.
Don't wish to carp, but is Mammoth Mammary Syndrome beginning to flop in?
Your game, your art; your way i can only enjoy.

[mistacorn]

Most impressive, the speed of evolution from the early versions is breathtaking.
Don't wish to carp, but is Mammoth Mammary Syndrome beginning to flop in?
Your game, your art; your way i can only enjoy.

Thanks! Haha, no, if I do go back to the Daz models I intend to spend some time making them look different from one another. I just didn't do it for this demo.

[Natali]

The idea of the game is good. However, I found it is a little difficult to control the main character. Maybe it is innate problem with the unity.

[mistacorn]

Hey guys,

I finally got the Frank model, and I wanted to make a video to show it to you guys, and I figured while I was at it, I can show you a lot of the cool AI stuff I've been working on as well. I've got the AI to a pretty cool place right now, and I'm going to start shifting my focus to writing some story now that I have Frank and Stephanie is on the way, so I should have a public release for you guys very soon!

For my supporters, you will receive a playable version of the game at the beginning of the month and you will be able to see all of this first hand, and check out the interaction.

One component that's been added are personalities. The players now have varying personality profiles, and their relationship toward one another is affected by it. For instance, Madison is kind of a bitch, so she generally doesn't get along with too many people. But Brittney is very nice, so even though Madison is a bitch to her, she tends to overlook it most of the time. As the characters interact with one another, it changes their relationship and their mood. If two characters have a nice conversation, both of their moods will go up, and they will like each other more, and be more likely to hang out with each other later on. Vice verse, if they have a negative conversation, their mood will decrease, and they will avoid each other. Their mood also affects the outcome of the interactions, so if a character is nice, but in a bad mood, they may have a negative conversation with another character, and make a bad first impression. So with multiple play-throughs, it's possible to have a scenario where everybody is getting along, and in other play-throughs, everybody may hate each other. And of course, you as the player, can alter the moods by interacting with them. I plan to open up certain lines of story based on the outcome of certain character's moods.

Here's the video link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WysnF21i9QE

Some things to note in this video:

Everything is procedurally generated. The characters figure out what to do on their own, so where they go and who they talk to is based on a some variables. Notice in the beginning when I'm talking to Frank, Madison storms by. She bumps Frank as she moves by, and Frank moves closer to me to get out of her way. The characters are responsive to one another in this sense as we will see more of later on.

Next off, Brittney and Madison start a conversation. Frank is over by the side, and he notices them talking, and he joins the conversation. This is based on his feelings toward who is in the group. A little later, Ashley joins in the conversation as well. Now watch the characters shuffle around to find comfortable spots to stand and talk to each other. This is not an accident, it's all computed with AI!

Next I throw the pizza box on the table, and you can see how it distracts Frank and Madison. They check it out but then go back to hanging out. I bump it one more time and Brittney stops in her tracks and looks to see what's going on, but then goes back to what she was doing. Brittney now decides to go dance.

At this point the group breaks up, and now the characters will seek each other out based on their feelings toward one another. Another thing to note as I focus in on some more conversations, is that you can see now the characters are reacting with their facial expressions based on whether they're having a good or bad conversation, and when a person is talking, they will react differently to one another.

Now that Brittney's done dancing, she seeks out social activity again, and two smaller groups form. One with Ashley and Frank, and one with Madison and Brittney. You can see how, when the house starts getting full of characters, this will be a really cool dynamic.

As I'm ease-dropping on Frank and Brittney's conversation, Frank notices me and turns toward me.

If you haven't checked out the game yet, you can find the latest build here:
http://games.eekllc.com/index.php/category/downloads/

[mistacorn]

Hey guys,

We're getting close to having an actual game to play here. We just finished up Stephanie, and she's looking great! She's loosely modeled after Katy Perry. As you can see, with the new model, we're able to bring Stephanie to life a lot more, including the cloth physics on her dress. There's still a little tearing where the skin is showing through the dress here and there, but we'll iron that out. She's fresh out of the oven!

Here's the video link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELjfLBGDHII

You'll notice that the AI and the conversations are a lot smoother, and there's a lot more interaction going on between all of the characters. The movement and path-finding scripts have also been worked on and updated, and you'll notice there's a lot less sliding around, and the movements and turning are looking a lot more natural.

Another thing to notice is that we have a gauge for Friendship, Romance, and Drunkenness. All of these factors will affect how a character interacts with you.

Let's talk about the scene a bit.

Stephanie's character loves to dance, so she hangs by the living room where the speakers are a lot. She'll occasionally still come out to mingle, but she prefers the back room and dancing. None of this is scripted however. She decides where she wants to hang out based various things.

For those of you who have played my first release, you'll notice the familiar story-line of Stephanie asking to do some whip-its.

On the way to the fridge, I see Ashley and Madison not too far away from each other. I talk to Ashley and tell her she's hotter than her sister. This increases my relationship with Ashley, but Madison overhears, and she's pissed at you now!

Notice how this changes Madison's choice of dialogue when she randomly comes up to you a little later on. She tells you find somewhere else to hang out.

We give the whipped cream to Stephanie and she goes off to dance, and then rejoins the party after a minute or so. She would stick around and dance longer, but nobody else was there, and this makes characters more likely to get bored and change locations (unless they're in a bad mood, then they prefer isolation).

From here, we're observing a little more interaction and you can really see the party come to life when all of the characters get in the same room and start interacting with each other. You'll notice however, it doesn't detract from game-play, as the character you want to talk to immediately shifts gears and interacts with you as soon as you summon them.

Madison's cooled down a bit, and you ask her about Frank. She tells you about him to which you reply "What a dick", but Frank happens to be right there and hears what you said, and decides to kick your ass. Game Over.

Supporters pledging $10.00 or more will have access to this build within the next couple of days, and as you can see, we're getting very close to a new public demo.

For more information on House Party, and the latest public release, visit the Eek! Games site here:
http://games.eekllc.com

Enjoy!

[xviii]

Nice work, the interactions and overhearing look great. That definitely adds some strategy to the game even with the old story line still unaltered.

Personally I think Stephanie looks a little off. It is good that she isn't a clone of Katy Perry while still resembling her, but the combination of nose bridge width, eye spacing and jaw strength definitely make her less attractive than before to me. On the plus side she looks far less derivative and much more interesting, so in no way am I against what has been done, I just find her less attractive.

Other than that I think the 'angry' facial expression is a bit over the top. Yet it's good that it's hard to miss, but it's a bit of a mood killer to see people snarling like wolves every now and then.

[mistacorn]

So I was watching the last 3 videos and I must say that it's pretty hard to tell which model is better, Daz or the current version. This is partially because I don't know the possibilities and limitations to each model. You said you had troubles with Daz before, so if the new model is working out then I would just go with that.

Stephanie looks awesome! I can see how she's modelled after Katy Perry without necessarily looking like an exact copy. The dress is very nicely done, however the panties underneath are a bit of a let-down. They look like something a granny would wear! I take it that the character portraits will be updated later on? Because those don't really match as much any more.

I also noticed the tramp-stamp on Britney, which is pretty cool, if maybe a little bit big.

The AI seems to be working nicely, should really help make the part feel more alive if characters aren't in the same room the entire game.

One thing I did miss is that when Stephanie gets her whip-its you don't really see her use them. You hear a whipped cream sound, but that's it. This might be hard to animate though, I have no clue about that part, but animations like that make doing quests a little more rewarding.

Something that I would like to see character wise: a bit more of a plump/voluptuous girl. Gimme that booty!

Also wondering about the gameplay itself; do we still need to knock people out for certain quests? That worked kinda weird the last time because it made the models spaz our of control. Not to mention that it was kinda violent for a party AND I really don't want to take out Katy Perry/Stephanie!

Yeah I'm not crazy about the panties either. They are on the list when we go around and revamp all the models. We plan to do a final pass to make the models look more feminine, touch up their attractiveness, and fine-tune their appearances. Ashley's dress was another thing that I've been getting more negative than positive reactions to. I'm listening to all of your feedback.

I do want to eventually get the little nuances like doing the whip its. In the latest public build, I was able to have Patrick actually hand you the wine, so with some work, it can be done. There's just so much to do, that fine details like that often take the back seat.

Noted about a more voluptuous model.

The models spazzing out was just due to the code not being fine-tuned. I do like the element of having to knock somebody out here or there, but I plan to approach it more elegantly this time around.

[mistacorn]

Nice work, the interactions and overhearing look great. That definitely adds some strategy to the game even with the old story line still unaltered.

Personally I think Stephanie looks a little off. It is good that she isn't a clone of Katy Perry while still resembling her, but the combination of nose bridge width, eye spacing and jaw strength definitely make her less attractive than before to me. On the plus side she looks far less derivative and much more interesting, so in no way am I against what has been done, I just find her less attractive.

Other than that I think the 'angry' facial expression is a bit over the top. Yet it's good that it's hard to miss, but it's a bit of a mood killer to see people snarling like wolves every now and then.

I thought it was fresh and something you don't find in games. My goal is to make this next version of the game more of a situation where you can't just go around and get everybody naked (or if you do, it's a completely different storyline). In this version you may have to piss some people off in order to get in the favor of others, so each playthrough you would focus on a particular conquest or goal.

Yes, right now the angry faces are just simply on or off. I plan to scale them so they increase intensity with how angry the person is.

[Natali]

I saw those video. Good job. But must say that the dress is over dynamic. Plus I assume it takes a lot of time to develop such game. Maybe it is not worse it.