Thursday, December 12, 2013

OCEAN F.A.Q.

== ENGLISH ==

Q: What is Sergei Savenko’s Ocean?

A: It’s an indie first person shooter for Windows, MacOS X and Linux, developed by Sergei ‘EinhanderZwei’ Savenko.

Q: Which engine does it run on?
A: Aleph One (http://source.bungie.org), which is an open-source continuation of the Marathon 2 engine; enhanced by the fan community.

Q: What are the system requirements?
A: They are extremely low by modern standards - please see the system requirements for Aleph One on the official site above.

Q: Are you the single developer?
A: Yes and no. All the design (gameplay and visual), scripting, mapping, graphics are handled by me. The soundtrack is taken from the collections of Andrew ‘Necros’ Sega (http://necros.gibdon.com), with all credits provided. Several Wikimedia Commons images are also utilized; primarily the ecology-themed stock photos and portrait shots of Cillian Murphy.

Q: Cillian Murphy?
A: Yes. The main character’s visual design is traced over Cillian Murphy. The reason is thematic and visual similarity between Ocean’s plot and two movies he starred in - Sunshine (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448134/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) and 28 Days Later (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289043/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1).

Q: Any other movie influences?
A: Of course! Aside from the movies above, they include:
* The Abyss (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096754/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* Leviathan (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097737/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2),
* Aliens (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090605/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* Day Of The Dead (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088993/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* Outbreak (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114069/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* Resident Evil (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120804/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* Virus (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120458/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3),
* The Thing (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084787/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* Jurassic Park (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107290/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* Gravity (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1454468/?ref_=rvi_tt),
* ...and plenty other underwater / survival horror / alien / zombie movies.

Q: How about gaming influences?
A: Obviously, the Marathon Trilogy (http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/marathon-series), and also System Shock (http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/system-shock-series), BioShock (http://www.mobygames.com/game/bioshock), Alien-licensed games (http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/aliens-licensees), Resident Evil (http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/biohazard-resident-evil-series) series, Parasite Eve (http://www.mobygames.com/game/parasite-eve), Half-Life (http://www.mobygames.com/game/half-life), Dead Space (http://www.mobygames.com/game/dead-space).

Q: What is Ocean essentially about?
A: You play as Sean Crichton, a security guard on the underwater complex named Oberon 1. One day, a terrorist attack results in an outbreak of deadly experimental mutagen that turns all the personnel into flesh-devouring half-zombie half-aquatic creatures. Your task is to escape alive, punish those responsible, protect as many survivors as possible and even resolve some mysteries from Sean’s past.

Q: Who are those ladies constantly present on the concept arts?
A: Marina (a mermaid-like girl) is one of the love interests Sean can obtain. Nataliya (a short-haired ‘regular’ girl) is another one. Svetlana (a girl in the business suit) is a supporting mentor/coordinator character, sort of like Ms Martin in Leviathan.

Q: Two love interests?
A: Yes, the game has two endings dependent on which girl Sean ends up in a romantic subplot with. To simplify things, the choice would be given mid-game, and the following events would be affected by it.

Q: Sounds like a spoiler! Any more plot twists up your writer’s sleeve?
A: Plenty of them! I guarantee I will deliver on that aspect. ^_^

Q: What is the current development status?
A: I have finished the main story skeleton, including the tricky parts that depend on which lady Sean joins up with. Next up is the character designs and writing detailed specifications for each map - which part of the plot would it be responsible for, some mapmaking drafts, terminal text, all that jazz.

Q: But is anything ready for now?
A: Yes! The main character designs, some weapon sprites, the weapons list are complete and won’t likely change.

Q: When would we expect the release to happen?
A: According to the trailer, tentative date is Q2 2014.

Q: Oh my! A trailer?
A: Yes, you can view the Ocean Teaser Trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-cmC-v1vMc (please force enable the subtitles though, or it will be unclear).

== RUSSIAN ==

Q: Что такое Sergei Savenko’s Ocean?
A: Независимая (инди) компьютерная игра в жанре “боевик от первого лица” для Windows, MacOS X и Linux, разрабатываемая Сергеем ‘EinhanderZwei’ Савенко.

Q: На каком движке она построена?
A: Aleph One (http://source.bungie.org) - модификация движка игры Marathon 2 с открытым исходным кодом, дополненная и расширенная поклонниками.

Q: И каковы системные требования?
A: Чрезвычайно низкие по сегодняшним меркам - можете обратиться к требованиям для движка Aleph One как такового на официальной странице выше.

Q: Ты один всё разрабатываешь?
A: Вроде да, а вроде и нет. Весь дизайн (геймплея и визуальный), сценарии, создание карт, графика лежат на мне. Саундтрек собран из работ Эндрю ‘Necros’ Сига (http://necros.gibdon.com), с указанием авторства, разумеется. Также используются стоковые изображения и фотографии с Wikimedia Commons; в частности, хроникальные фото на экологическую тематику и портретные фото актёра Киллиана Мёрфи.

Q: Киллиан Мёрфи?
A: Да. Внешность главного героя основана на нём по причине тематической и визуальной схожести Ocean и двух фильмов с его участием: “Пекло” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448134/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) и “28 дней спустя” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289043/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1).

Q: А другие влияния кинематографа есть?
A: Конечно! Помимо двух вышеуказанных, они включают такие фильмы, как:
* “Бездна” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096754/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* “Левиафан” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097737/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2),
* “Чужие” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090605/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* “День мертвецов” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088993/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* “Эпидемия” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114069/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* “Обитель зла” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120804/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* “Вирус” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120458/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3),
* “Нечно” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084787/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* “Парк юрского периода” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107290/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* “Гравиация” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1454468/?ref_=rvi_tt),
* ...и множество других фильмов с подводной / инопланетной / зомби-тематикой.

Q: А влияния других игр?
A: Очевидно, трилогия Marathon (http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/marathon-series), а также System Shock (http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/system-shock-series), BioShock (http://www.mobygames.com/game/bioshock), игры по лицензии франшизы “Чужой” (http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/aliens-licensees), серия Resident Evil (http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/biohazard-resident-evil-series), Parasite Eve (http://www.mobygames.com/game/parasite-eve), Half-Life (http://www.mobygames.com/game/half-life), Dead Space (http://www.mobygames.com/game/dead-space).

Q: Итак, о чём, по сути, идёт речь в Ocean?
A: Персонаж игрока - Шон Крайтон, сотрудник службы безопасности подводного комплекса “Оберон 1”. Действие начинается с того, что на станции происходит террористический акт, в результате которого высвобождается смертельный экспериментальный мутаген, превращающий всех подряд в плотоядных наполовину зомби, наполовину гибридов морских существ. Ваша задача - сбежать в целости и сохранности, покарать виновных, защитить как можно больше других выживших и даже разгадать кое-какие загадки прошлого главного героя.

Q: Что это за девушки, постоянно присутствующие на концепт-артах?
A: Марина (девушка, похожая на русалку) - одна из возможных романтических линий Шона. Наталья (“обычная” девушка с короткими волосами) - другая. Светлана (девушка в деловом костюме) - типичный персонаж-обозреватель и координатор вроде Мисс Мартин из “Левиафана”.

Q: Две романтические линии?
A: Да, в игре будут две концовки, зависящие от того, с кем из девушек Шон сблизится в итоге. Чтобы упростить этот процесс, выбор будет незаметно происходить уже в середине игры, и от него будут зависеть последующие события.

Q: Похоже на спойлер! Наверняка это будет не единственный внезапный сюжетный поворот, правда?
A: Да, сюрпризов будет много! Я гарантирую, что не разочарую. ^_^

Q: И на каком этапе разработки сейчас всё находится?
A: Уже готов основной костяк сюжета, включая и развилки в зависимости от напарницы Шона. В ближайших планах - утверждение дизайна персонажей и написание подробных спецификаций для каждой карты - как будут разбиты части сюжета, черновики для редактора, тексты терминалов и всё такое.

Q: А нечто готовое уже есть?
A: Да! Дизайн основных персонажей, спрайты некоторых видов оружия, список вооружения уже закончены и уже вряд ли изменятся в будущем.

Q: Когда же ждать релиза?
A: Согласно трейлеру, произойдёт он во втором квартале 2014-го.

Q: Ух ты, трейлер!
A: Да, его можно посмотреть здесь: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-cmC-v1vMc (правда, не забудьте принудительно включить субтитры).

Monday, December 9, 2013

OneLiners - Issue #3

The Thing - Rewatched it for the millionth time, and eh, it's official now: I think it's my most favorite horror movie! I can't say anything about it that hasn't been said by everyone already, so just relax and enjoy this masterpiece of special effects and suspense if you still haven't. 9/10
Road House - Easily one of Patrick Swayze's best movies and one of the best action flicks ever made. I can't do it enough justice, so I'll just quote the slogans: 'Dalton lives like a loner, fights like a professional. And loves like there's no tomorrow', 'The dancing's over. Now it gets dirty', 'Dalton's the best bouncer in the business. His nights are filled with fast action, hot music and beautiful women. It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it'. Also, it has Sam Elliott and some of the greatest badass dialogue I ever heard. The last spoken line always destroys me with laughter. 9/10
Rampage - A good movie by Uwe Boll? Yeah, why not! I liked the opening act, even though it felt a little long, and to be quite honest, the rampage itself was not as gory and ultra violent as everyone made it out to be. Either I'm a desensitized sicko, or I remember Dredd being way gorier... or both. 8/10
Assault On Wall Street - Another movie from Herr Boll, another one not being a video game adaptation, another one surprisingly dramatic in tone, and like Rampage, it's a serious and realistic take on the concept of Postal, this time revolving around the world economic crisis no less. Loved the cast, the action, and one scene in the middle even made me cry a bit (won't tell which one, 'cause it will be a spoiler). Oh, and the last thing to mention - we got Edward Furlong and Michael Pare sitting at one table in a diner. Unbelievable! 8/10
Next Of Kin - I guess this little action flick suffers from the same thing that was in all John Irvin's movies that I've seen so far (Dogs Of War, Raw Deal and this one) - interesting opening and action-packed ending are bridged by an extremely boring second act. The only thing that made me sit through the boring parts was Liam Neeson as a crazy hillbilly version of Paul Kersey. He was great! But the lack of Swayze is desperately felt in this one. 7/10
Stone Cold - Amazing biker action flick from the director of Dark Angel no less! The action scenes, while not John Woo material, are pretty fucking badass and remind you why shaky cam technique should be banned. Loved the performances, loved the 1% biker culture shown, as dumb and stereotypical as it probably was, but especially loved the overall tone, how it starts off cheesy and over the top Cobra style and gets really friggin' dark and violent by the end. 9/10
Homefront - An interesting idea executed poorly. The action scenes are terrible, the plot is overlong, some characters are pointless, and please oh please don't have Jason Statham do family drama... The Mechanic, as batshit dumb as it was, still left more impact on me. The only thing I gotta give the filmmakers credit for is trying to carry a serious tone and write some memorable characters. They failed, but at least they tried. 5/10
Hunt For The Red October - Amazing thriller directed by John McTiernan, adapted from the Tom Clancy novel, starring Alec Baldwin and Sean Connery, constantly referenced in all the 'Top N Action movies' lists. What the hell was I thinking to never watch it before?! The last 15 minutes were pure action platinum. 9/10
Crimson Tide - Very interesting psychological (sort of) techno-thriller from Tony Scott. Hackman and Washington are great, and the whole moral dilemma the plot's built around results in the consistent feeling of suspense that makes you sit on the edge. Superb study on the risks and ideology of management as a profession. I had it on DVD for a few years but never watched... and hey, it finally happened! 8/10
Micro Men - Part reenactment, part documentary about Clive Sinclair and Chris Curry, detailing the competition between ZX Spectrum and Acorn computers in the late 80s UK. From what I've read about Sinclair as a person, I think they captured his personality really well, and some of the events depicted, as crazy as they were (ex. the pub fight) did actually take place! The soundtrack and humor were awesome, too. 8/10
Ender's Game - Never read the original book, but the movie was a mixed bag. I liked the whole idea and the twist ending, but I dunno, something didn't click with me. Probably, it had something to do with acting, which was some of the worst I've seen in years, and that includes Harrison Ford. What the hell was he doing there in the first place?! 6/10
The Graduate - You've probably all seen this one already, so I don't see much point in reviewing it; this movie is just too famous, and I liked what everyone liked about it - you know, the comedy, the drama, the message, the soundtrack, the ending, the bittersweet aftertaste it leaves... Legendary heartwarming drama that, after 46 years, still doesn't feel obsolete. 9/10
Dracula & Son - A pretty funny, yet boring at times, comedy with Christopher Lee as, surprise, Dracula! Not the best vampire comedy ever (I especially disliked the ending), but still a nice fun flick. 6/10
Psycho (1998 Remake) - It wouldn't be as bad as everyone says if someone else was cast to play Norman. Vice Vaughn is too intimidating for the role by his stature alone, and this really ruins the character. Although he was kinda cute in drag by the end, LOL. Still glad I saw it, though. 6/10
Land Of The Dead - My least favorite in George Romero's classic 4-part zombie series. Unlike Dawn and Day Of The Dead, it doesn't really seem to do anything new, and it had the misfortune to come during the same period as the Dawn Of The Dead remake and 28 Days Later, which managed to reinvent the zombie genre and make it batshit scary again, so Land Of The Dead seemed to be too dated to most viewers, me included. I mean really, the lack of anything special strongly distracts from the movie. Did like John Leguizamo and Dennis Hopper though, and Asia Argento is a hottie as always. Eh. 7/10
Species - This is one of those movies that prove why some Alien knockoffs (Leviathan, Species, Within The Rock) work and some (Carnosaur 2) don't. It's an interesting example of high-budget B-movie, something sort of a loose remake of Tobe Hooper's Lifeforce. Sexy seductive murderous alien killer babe? Check. Fun and memorable characters? Check. Classic British actor (Sir Ben Kingsley in this case)? Check. All around fast-paced entertaining flick; though I didn't like the kidnapped woman subplot, so much so I can't give it 8, as I originally wanted. Oh well... 7/10
Absolon - One of the worst movies I've ever seen, so hysterically bad it's good. Every post-apocalyptic cliche in the book is here, Lou Diamond Philips' acting is horrible, Ron Perlman has barely a cameo, the script is like a stream of piss in your face... The only things I liked about this trash bomb were Christopher Lambert's performance (as useless as he was in such a cheap movie), hot actresses (which doesn't really compliment the characters, eh?) and how cheap I bought the DVD (while Tanya managed to get it even cheaper!) 1/10
Eraserhead - David Lynch's feature debut and art house classic. The director himself stated in a rather recent interview that to this day, nobody managed to understand the full meaning of this movie, so I won't even try. But what I do have to say is that it's perfect to be watched in the dark at home; you feel like a portal to another world opens before you; well, much like the Radiator Theater... ???/10
Gravity - Best movie of 2013. The less I say the better. 9,5 / 10

My Top 10 Video Game Ladies (REVISITED)

Yep, this is a franchise reboot of this post, because hey, why not? :3

10. Nekolyss (OpenArena)

You're probably thinking I'm crazy to put an over-the-top 'sexy' player model from the open-source re-imagining of Quake 3 that I've barely played, but I have several reasons to do so: first, I'm a male subject after all, I find her hot and I still love catgirls, no matter how exploitative all those My Little Felicia Digital Art Tributes get lately; second, I love FOSS and everything about it; third, I love Quake 3 and id Tech 3 engine overall; fourth, and most importantly, she was created as a satire of over-the-top 'sexy' characters made up with a sole purpose of cheap drool-inducing eye candy and nothing else. Don't believe me? The OpenArena developers have stated it themselves!



9. Lara Croft (Tomb Raider series)

When Toby Gard's infamous cup of coffee fell on the Core Design office floor, and Laura Cruz's (sic!) breast size accidentally got three times bigger than the developers originally wanted, the ultimate video game sex symbol was born - just as Tomb Raider the game set the tone and template for all the games in what we now call action adventure genre. To be honest, it wasn't the best of its kind, but who cares when the game's protagonist is hotter than any video game heroine was before?!



8. Taki (Soul Calibur series)

No video game characters list is complete without a ninja, and Taki always nails the 'sexy kunoichi' fetish for me. It was a real catfight to pick from - can't we forget Nina (Saboteur 2), Ayane (Dead Or Alive/Ninja Gaiden), the unnamed protagonist from The Ninjawarriors, and so on. But the kunai-sliced cake goes to Taki, for several reasons: her combos are easy enough to be mastered by a beginner (remember, I suck ass at fighting games), her costumes are always stylish, and of course she's lovable to look at as the blue moon on the star-filled night with the sakura petals flying across the sky. ^w^



7. Eve (Parasite Eve)

Call me a retard, but the supporting cast is the major reason I never played the Parasite Eve sequels. Aside from all quirks, the first PE is one of the iconic survival horror games to me, and the majority of its charm goes to the main villain. Melissa/Eve (eh, calling it a spoiler - now that's retarded) has it all - sex appeal, raunchy personality, gruesome The Thing-inspired mutation cycle, disturbing biography (counting the Parasite Eve book, to which the game is a sequel), and just the fact that she does horrible evil things onscreen, right from the goddamn opening cinematic. Speaking of 'God damn', to any Adam this Eve is certainly one hell of a forbidden fruit.



6. Konoko (Oni)

One of the most badass action adventure heroines out there, this cyber cop doesn't really show off cleavage or anything, but her character and personality are what Konoko-chan is all about. Essentially, she is a walking nuclear reactor, ready to go off every minute and explode into a rainy cloud of blood and limbs (there was gore in the beta version), always aiming for heads and breaking the necks. Bravo Bungie for indulging our perverted fantasies yet again!



5. Cryss (Unreal Tournament)

What, another network FPS player model? Seriously? What's different this time? Well, unlike OpenArena, I've played the Epic Games' definitive multiplayer classic to death, so this Goth hottie has such thing as the nostalgic value going for her. The player model/skin I'm always playing is Necris/Malakai, so in the single player team events, Cryss is a frequent partner. You know, it's always pleasing to see a badass dark warrior princess running around fighting by your side!



4. Claire Redfield (Resident Evil series)

Hands down my favorite Resident Evil lady, since the day the (arguably) best game in the franchise was released. Unlike Jill Valentine, she's not a pinup sex symbol, unlike Ada Wong she's not forced to be considered a sex symbol at all, and unlike half of the other female cast, she's not pointless. Oh, and she also starred in another game that makes the RE2 supremacy arguable, and I'm of course talking about Code Veronica. Well, on the negative side, we also have all the newer games to wipe their feet on her by giving her lame attempts at badassness and dressing her up in glasses and cleavage, but I still love the gentle, sympathetic, humble self-defending-never-attacking-first young biker girl who was just forced to become a zombie slayer at Umbrella's mercy.



3. Samus Aran (Metroid series)

The late Gunpei Yokoi and his gang at Nintendo R&D1 were certainly watching too much Alien, otherwise they'd follow their own game manual and make Samus a man. But luckily (and shockingly for all the gamers back in 1986), the Metroid development team was the first to show that the girls in video games would never remain reduced to damsels in distress anymore. With her amazing full body armor and arsenal of deadly weapons, Samus Aran is permanently memorized as the first REAL video game heroine, from the groundbreaking original, through the epic Super Metroid, to modern days.



2. Rayne (BloodRayne series)

The final cut of 'sexy vampire' fetish and my all-time favorite fanservice-ready video game heroine. Rayne is a redhead vampress wrapped in tight leather, carrying a military arsenal and big, I mean BIG blades to slice down the Nazis, and not to mention her fantastic curves. What's not to like? Terminal Reality knew they came up with an awesome character, by making her moan like a porn star while drinking the Nazi gore and deliver F-bombs almost as frequently as gunshots, slashes, bites and stabs. Bad girls go everywhere!



1. Feena (Ys I&II)

Lovable, caring, tender, supportive - a complete opposite of what a typical female video game character usually is. No cleavage (for the most part), no sex hotline voice, nothing that can qualify as 'hot' and 'sexy', like, at all. What won me over about her was her character, so kind and gentle that nobody else will top her charm. Encouraging Adol to go fight the evil forces, praying for him, helping him out, expressing her gratitude for everything - never did I see a personality person so fleshed out by the writers and more likable because of her inner beauty, not only the exterior (which still happens to be cute as well), although ironically she's onscreen during, like, 15% of the time in both games. But seriously gentlemen, she's one of the best love interests ever in video games, period.