Lighting and a description of current features

Today I added lighting. Currently it is only graphical, but I think I may add a stealth element to the game and lighting percentage of a tile will be the chance of success for spotting hidden actors (modified by perception skill or augmentations). If I do add stealth elements, I'll probably add destroyable lights.

There's a screenshot. It's kind of hard to show off the system in action because it requires you to move around to get a feel for, due to the limited line of sight.

I've decided that I'll release an alpha version (v0.1 or something) once I make a few changes:

• A little more polish for the interface and menus
• Augmentation and supply vending machines
• Some minor bug fixes and rewrites of certain systems

This shouldn't take more than a few days, but I'll need to find a file host for it. Also it won't have saving yet. However I plan to eventually add saving once there's enough content to actually play in more than one sitting.

For those who are curious, here are some of the already implemented features:

• A small city of 2400 randomly generated screen-sized maps. They are stored in memory so when you leave a map and come back, it will be the same as you left it (but they don't update when you're off-screen).
• Various different NPCs separated into factions (Civilian, Police, Lunatics, Addicts, Thugs). Some are hostile by default. Some are hostile only after being attacked. Police go after you if you have a wanted level. NPCs can fight each other. Doctors have healing and augmentation services.
• Blood and severing of body parts (bionic replacement limbs will be added eventually).
• Dynamic health based on location and blood loss.
• ---> Explosive, movable barrels!!! <---
• Destructible walls, although no weapons in the game can currently destroy walls

First Post!

CyberRL
CyberRL is a personal project I started to practice my programming and game design skills. It is influenced mainly by Deus Ex, Ghost In The Shell, and my own imagination. Cyberpunk is an exciting genre because it represents a very plausible near future society. It makes me sad to see it so underrepresented.

I'm not certain how exactly the game will play out yet, but I'm planning to have it be set in a large city where you basically go around and pick fights. You can expect lots of human augmentation, hacking, excessive violence, and buckets of blood.

About Me

I'm a sophomore computer science student at the University of Texas and I'm looking to get into the game industry someday as a programmer, level designer, or game designer. If you're hiring in the area, let me know! :]

This Blog
 What should you expect from this blog? Well I'll be posting somewhat irregular updates of my progress, and I'll be sure to include screenshots in nearly ever post. At the moment it is missing a few key features required to be released in any form, but I may start releasing in-progress versions (alphas/betas/whatever you want to call them) in the near future.

For now, here is a screenshot of the current version of the game showcasing the very primitive state of the level generator, the WIP interface, and the gory aftermath of a multi-sided fight. A police officer engaged a group of thugs while a drug addict killed a civilian. I came in and finished off the survivors, except for the doctor who healed me and installed my sub-dermal tissue repair augmentation. Now I'm a wanted man; better avoid cops for a bit.