The retro gaming news hasn't finished with us just yet, as after already featuring a number of games for you to enjoy. Here comes another Doom like announcement to keep you occupied throughout the rest of the week! If you remember our previous article regarding the work in progress project of 'Grind'; A game that John Tsakiris and team is aiming to bring a Doom-like experience to the Amiga as the holy-grail of Amiga gaming. Then as of today we have some brand new info, and some lush new graphics to go with the upcoming Doom like Amiga game of 'Grind'.
And here's the latest. "Welcome to Dev Arena! This is the brand new version of the previously named 'TestArena' map. Originally made for testing new enemies, items, systems etc. as well as a showcase of all the new features added into the game. Lately I decided to give this map a little more love and care, with a fresh coat of visual paint and polish, making it a far more interesting playground for players to experiment and explore!"
"As was the case with the previous version it is strongly recommended to only try it on a1200+Fast Ram (or above) setups. The map was originally created as a stress test of the engine, with no constrains on the geometry complexity and number of active or visible objects on screen (you can release to the arena up to 80 enemies at once!). Worth noting is that this map might (eventually) find its way into the game as a secret level (with some drastic changes and optimizations, so it can be playable on a500 as well). Parts of it might also find their way to the main game, spread throughout (f.e. Easter eggs, or specific rooms)".
Featuring:
- A massive expansion in regards to things you can interact with, showcasing the recent in-game messages feature.
- A complete overhaul of the starting area with new rooms and locations.
- A big overhaul of the 'Arena' area with new textures, decoration and architecture.
- An overhaul of the switches that spawn enemies within the Arena.
- Inclusion of the new 'Fallen' and 'Undertaker' enemies that can now be unleashed into the Arena as well.
- Various tweaks and changes to other areas.
- New, cool secret rooms to find.
- Game design, gfx, sfx, map design : John Tsakiris
- Original engine code: Krzysztof Kluczek (KK/Altair)
- Additional engine code : Temisu, Remz
- Additional logic code : Remz, Temisu, BSzili, John Tsakiris
- Music : Christoffer Magdalus, John Tsakiris
- ST Music : DMA-SC
- Additional GFX : Dennis Ramberg
- Minimum: any PAL or NTSC a500 with 512k CHIP and 1mb OTHER ram
- Recommended: a1200 + fast ram
- Minimum: any PAL or NTSC a500 with 1.5mb free RAM (512 free chip) + Hard Drive
- Recommended: a1200 + fast ram + Hard Drive
Links :1) Source - Please note the latest downloads are still stuck behind a patreon paywall. Hopefully we get a public download in the new year ;)
Looking superb and by the looks of it plays as well. Would like to se an Atari version too ;)
ReplyDeleteThere is an Atari st version?
DeleteLooks and sounds great this. But what kind of Amiga is running this on the video?
ReplyDeleteUnsure.. However I've added spec requirements to the article :)
DeleteRuns well even on a A500, so long as you have the memory. Runs a touch smoother on a A1200, mostly hits 60fps I think.
DeleteGrind look superb - now that KK has rejoined the project. I'm hopeful he eventually proceeds with doing a proper version of Doom at some point - using OpenDoom maybe with the target of the A1200, so it can have a bit more fidelity and use the original games color palette. I would still like to see where Dread might go, with unique maps and some fresh ideas. The possibility of three awesome games, once the first game has been finished.
DeleteWith KK back on the project there's a mentioned plan that he'll go back to working on the Dread version 2 engine, which will offer the 3D elements of Doom as part of the engine - e.g. different ceiling heights, steps, ramps, the ability to look up and down etc.
Quite impressive!
ReplyDeleteThis looks like the bitmap brothers version of doom.
ReplyDeleteWow!
ReplyDeleteIf that was running a bone stock A1200 it is amazing...
ReplyDeleteIt is most probably 1200+fast ram. But this map is insanely heavy, with complex geometry and an absurd amount of objects, enemies & particles on screen (most notably inside the arena area). Normal maps are expected to perform similarly on 1200, especially with the latest 020 optimizations.
DeleteI am very happy to see what seams like a demo of what to see from a full game. Powerups, weapons, Hud, new enemy etc. Everything seams to be in place. Now you can concentrate on the maps and we will have one hell of a game maybe for next Xmas. Keep on the great work!
ReplyDeletePixelGlass should probably make a new avatar for the player character, the current one is just a bit too close to home (Quake guy) for my tastes in terms of copying ID assets.
ReplyDeleteLook great,ST/Mega drive port is coming too?
ReplyDeleteNew Generation Vaperware, milking ppl behind Patreon to never be released and keep getting a paycheck. lol Just look how long it's been in development... you're a fool if you believe this will ever release.
ReplyDeleteArena combat is fine, but when are they going to release the final version with the complete campaign. I agree this seems to be stuck behind a paywall forever, asking for money on a monthly basis. It's like... here's your yearly update. I thought this would have been released by now. I doubt this will run well on a stock A500 with all the upgraded particle effects etc...
ReplyDeleteAssumptions & speculation like the above can't be more divorced from reality. Especially considering what is in front of your very eyes.
ReplyDeleteIn the PC world indie games take several years to complete. Grind is in development for 2 years now (or roughly 3 if you count Dread, even though this was a different project) and it is currently one of the biggest productions in the Amiga scene, doing something none ever though possible before (with -arguably- spectacular results). Given the difficulty and scope of this project, it is expected to take this long and people that support the development (or have any clue on what it takes to develop games like that, especially on an underpowered retro system) understand this pretty well.
On top of that (and unlike other projects) Grind has a pretty open & transparent development so far. Not only Patrons of the game get several updates every month but the broader community also remains well informed. There are zero excuses calling this a 'vaporware' when the project showcases progress that frequently, with several milestones getting finished and its original roadmap getting completed. The devs have shown (and continue to show) incredible commitment to the project with their hard work so far. And people who follow the game's development closely, fact checking what has been promised with what is getting delivered can testify to that.
The problem I see, if this requires an A500 with 1.5mb of Ram then this is not what 'most' people have as a setup. Clearly this game is aimed at an A1200 with Fast Ram and preferably a Hard Disk. It probably would benefit from an accelerator at some point in the development cycle. Why advertise it as an A500 game when in reality it is for the A1200. Yes, Dread did run on the A500, but this is not that game anymore. This looks more like a re-creation or enhanced version of Wolfenstein 3D for the Amiga. Anyway, now they need to concentrate on mapping and if they are going to include extra things such as stairs and lifts etc. What they have achieved is good, but what are they aiming for now with Grind.
ReplyDeleteYou seem a little confused, which is understandable though. Let's take your points one by one:
Delete- In regards to 1.5mb requirements : this is for this particular map and this particular release only. Dev-Arena is a testing map the devs use to proof various elements and features and it is made as a stress test of the engine (as already explained in the text above). The map currently includes all 8 enemy types which makes it exceed the ram block reserved for enemies and is the primary reason it doesn't fit at the moment in 512+512k. But even this map will fit in 512+512k soon, as a ram restructuring and further ram optimization is pending. This is explained in the readme file from the release (not included in the above description). To have a better comparison, the original Dread demo included just 2 enemy types.
- In regards to particle effects : the game already contains an option which handles the amount of particles seen on screen. On a500 setups the game auto configures this option and selects the minimum amount to keep performance unaffected.
- In regards to the claim that this game is aimed at an A1200 with Fast Ram and preferably a Hard Disk: this is clearly untrue. All releases so far are both for ADF and Hard Drive, plus Fast ram was never a requirement.
- In regards to a500 performance : all previous releases beyond this experimental 'Dev-Arena' map (which is clearly marked as an exception due to the sheer amount of objects on screen and complex architecture) play on a500 fine and with similar performance to Dread. Obviously the sweet spot remains a1200 and above but this was the exact same deal with Dread as well. Nothing has changed in that regard.
- Is Dread really faster than Grind on a500? Here we come to a bit of speculation. The last 'Darkenward' map release (which is supposed to be a map that is to be included in the final release) seems to perform slightly worse than the original Dread Demo, but only marginally while still remaining pretty playable on a500. However the map includes a massive amount of decorations (that were absent from the original Dread demo), more complex architecture, plus a shit ton of extra features. Similarly, more complex Dread maps also had the exact same performance drop back then. Now, from what is known the devs plan to include more options (like removing excess decorations) which should bring performance back to previous levels on low-end machines. Also a new round of a500 optimizations has been promised that (allegedly) should make the game exceed performance on a500 compared to Dread, even with Grind having much more to show for. All these remain to be seen (obviously) but given what we've shown so far and how reliably the team has handled development there's no reason to question that. One thing -for sure- is that Grind absolutely decimates Dread in regards to performance on a1200 and above right now (as originally promised). Fingers crossed we see that for a500 as well ;)
- Does Grind looks more like a re-creation or enhanced version of Wolfenstein 3D for the Amiga? I don't know what to respond to that. Dread was exactly the same in that regard. Other than that you need to refresh your memory in regards to how Wolfenstein looked and played. Besides elevation and in regards to features and gameplay both Grind and Dread are a LOT more closer/comparable to Doom than they are to Wolfenstein.
Thank you for taking the time to respond. I think it is better to reserve judgement until the final release. A stress test of the engine is a good idea in theory. I own an Amiga 500 (1mb Ram) and an Amiga CD32 with fast ram so it will be interesting to see the results / difference between both setups. I did play the Dread demo on my Amiga 500 and was impressed at the time. I hope it turns out well, as the only new Amiga game I really enjoyed over the past three or four years is Shadows of Sergoth which I purchased and would recommend to avid Amiga fans. Anyway, I'll be back once more info is available for Dread/Grind. In the meantime, happy Amiga gaming! and New Year and all that jazz. :)
ReplyDelete