By Jim Rossignol on October 12th, 2009 at 1:08 pm.
Zero Point Software have released a clever new preview asset of their game, using the Unity plugin. It’s a kind of “3D screenshot” that they’re calling The Vault. You can go in and have a look around, and see some of the titular marines in 3D, frozen in time fighting some manner of shark monsters. It’s pretty neat, and the dates on the vault walls suggest that more of these 3D vignettes will be revealed in the coming months. The sci-fi co-op shooter has been in development for quite some time now, so we’re hoping this indicates the start of a more concerted reveal of just what’s going on with the title the studio are calling a “AAA Indie” project.
Folks who can’t be bothered installing Unity (and given the amount of cool stuff it’s throwing up now, you probably should be bothered) can get a taste of the vault via a new teaser trailer which I’ve posted below.
12/10/2009 at 13:23 Hermit says:
Graphically doesn’t look half bad considering I downloaded it in Firefox in less than a minute. There’s also a really neat hologram effect if you walk through a model.
Course, this is no indication at all of how the game actually plays. Points for originality though. This’d be a really cool way do demo game features in general – some sort of skirmish between the AI, for instance, or a room with some boxes to show off the physics. All that’s a lot more to download though, which is the main issue.
12/10/2009 at 13:23 Jockie says:
The Landsharks are awesome. I’m suprised no publisher has picked the game up yet, because it’s looking rather nice. More power to Zero Point if they can publish it themselves though.
12/10/2009 at 13:24 Hermit says:
Ah yes, I also approve of more games using land sharks. Too rare a breed, in my opinion.
12/10/2009 at 13:38 Glove says:
Initially, after looking at the few screenshots around the site, I was getting a bit worried, but as soon as I saw those sharksm I exhaled a lung-collapsing “ohthankgoditsnotseriousnowIcanenjoyit”.
12/10/2009 at 13:39 toni says:
as pointed out many times (even during installation) this is not a final render for the game, just an “approximation”. I supported zero point long ago and somehow already thought that my money’s gone down the drain, another indie dev going down but was pleasantly surprised when I got the newsletter a few days ago with a sneak preview area. btw, if you wonder who the voice is:
It’s SHODAN !!!! teri brosius will/has done voicework for the game in her best Shodan impersonation. if that is not enough reason to get the game, I don’t know.
12/10/2009 at 13:40 Benny says:
Ack! another reason why unity should port their web player to linux based OSs already. Being stuck with my Linux Netbook these past few weeks is becoming a pani now. Guess i’ll have to wait till i get my desktop back before i can view it properly.
12/10/2009 at 16:18 foop says:
Almost works in Unity in Safari on Leopard, but can’t see any of the marines or other participants, apart from shadowy blobs. Don’t hold your breath for a Linux port of Unity.
12/10/2009 at 14:11 The Sombrero Kid says:
2009, the rise of the word ‘vignette’ in the games industry!
12/10/2009 at 14:25 678 says:
No, i don’t want to register.
12/10/2009 at 17:31 Mad Doc MacRae says:
This. Doesn’t this seem like a really bad to get the word out for an indie crew?
12/10/2009 at 14:44 LionsPhil says:
Dear indie developers: you are not Hollywood. Less stupid text effects and dramatic music, more game, plz.
While everyone loves ED-209 “homages”, this trailer couldn’t have made me less interested.
12/10/2009 at 18:11 l1ddl3monkey says:
You have 20 seconds to comply…
12/10/2009 at 15:35 mootpoint says:
Phwoar! Sharks! The only thing missing for this to be geek heaven are some frikkin lasers.
I was hoping for it to be x-com style, not “co-op shooter” though, turn based could use some of that tongue in cheek.
12/10/2009 at 15:54 Jockie says:
The devs are going for military realism in terms of weaponry and have said ‘No lasers, no needle guns, etc” Think they’re emulating the kind of weaponry found in Aliens to an extent.
12/10/2009 at 15:56 Not-Self says:
Initially, with the position of the land sharks and the mecha in the introductory picture, I thought the game’s enemies would consist of robotic sharks with machine guns, or perhaps robots with sharks growing out of the side of them.
Then I would HAVE to buy this game.
12/10/2009 at 15:58 Heliosicle says:
apparently im in the beta for this, hooray for competitions, it looks kinda funky
12/10/2009 at 16:49 Pl4t0 says:
If the interactive screens are any indication, this is going to be an awesome game…..I’m just not sure what to expect. Is it a sim-ish kind of game, or a straight up action shooter?
12/10/2009 at 17:41 Untitled says:
You can make up your email for the registration as you don’t have to verify it
12/10/2009 at 17:55 Adrian says:
When i saw the screen above i was surprised to see a shark-robot enemy but now i’m kinda glad it just looks like it. i love the shark enemys and that vault thingy really got me exited about the game! i think the “interactive” preview is great no trailer ever made me this excited about a game. well except that modern warfare 2 trailer maybe when that guy took someone out on a snowmobile with a pickaxe…
12/10/2009 at 18:19 Linfosoma says:
Dear lord, I’ve just preordered the game but this makes me even more happy that I did.
It was not the video that got me to buy it, but the audio, which is amazing.
12/10/2009 at 19:43 Tei says:
the smoke trails are dramatized, but everything else I suppose will be in-game like. :-)
seems good. also, is not exactly a landsharp, more like a lion-shark.
12/10/2009 at 19:46 airtekh says:
Am I the only one that thinks ‘Interstellar Marines’ is the most generic title for a game imaginable?
12/10/2009 at 20:24 ZIGS says:
At least it isn’t Starship Troopers
*badum-pish*
12/10/2009 at 22:25 Hmm-Hmm. says:
There’s apparently (apparently in that I experienced it) an issue with OSX and the currently used version (or is it the latest version) of unity which results in the models to look transparent.
12/10/2009 at 22:52 Kakrafoon says:
Hmm, leaving aside the doubts you all seem to have against an indie shooter with legsharks and a very generic name – I think this vault presentation thing is very very good. The frozen holograms of the Marines, the mech and the sharks combined with the audio snippets really make it seem like a futuristic museum exhibit, like something that you could gape at and walk through in the Imperial War Museum (Marineris Valley Branch) in, oh, 2038. Has anyone gone into that side alcove where you can look at another small group of Marines frozen in a split-second during a firefight? For some reason, the whole Vault gives me goosebumps.
12/10/2009 at 22:59 Kakrafoon says:
I hope other developers will go that way in showing off their goodies that way. I’d like something like that for Dawn of War’s next installment, Chaos Rising. I want to walk around a gothicky Remembrance Chamber, presumably on Meridian, with the Blood Ravens frozen in suitably heroic poses, fighting the Emperor’s enemies, complete with unreliable spluttering holograms (Imperial technology, if the Machine Spirit is not pleased, your picture will be grainy). Does anything of what I just typed make any sense?
12/10/2009 at 23:42 Rane2k says:
I really liked the way the presented this, let´s hope the gameplay is solid.
Also: shark-cat-monster thingies AND mechs? Count me in! :-)
13/10/2009 at 02:05 DK says:
Those sharks are creepy as hell. It gives me a serious AvP marine campaign vibe.
13/10/2009 at 03:11 Inanimotioon says:
Ooooh
Definitely points for creativity.
Points for landsharks as well, which is something most RPS users seem to agree on.
Please keep posting about this game
13/10/2009 at 03:27 TeeJay says:
I think I saw someone with one of these in Streatham last week.
13/10/2009 at 03:51 Sharky says:
Looks cool. Hate the overused fadeout techniques though.
If they’re hosting it all online would they even need a publisher?? Wouldn’t Steam be enough?
13/10/2009 at 21:06 sal says:
WTF is ED-209 doing here?
12/01/2010 at 04:23 Zyrxil says:
I’m not a big fan of the art style, but the game looks interesting.