Castlevania Dungeon Forums

The Castlevania Dungeon Forums => Fan Stuff => Topic started by: VladOfWallachia on December 27, 2017, 09:01:53 PM

Title: Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi
Post by: VladOfWallachia on December 27, 2017, 09:01:53 PM
(https://i.imgur.com/6uHLBGD.jpg)

Steam Page
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1445740/Carpathian_Night/ (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1445740/Carpathian_Night/)

Twitch
https://www.twitch.tv/tezcatek (https://www.twitch.tv/tezcatek)

Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdKwzC4rNnppdRiNUh08j7Q (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdKwzC4rNnppdRiNUh08j7Q)



(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: Jop on December 27, 2017, 09:36:51 PM
This looks awesome and im interested to be a tester :3
Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: BLOOD MONKEY on December 27, 2017, 09:49:52 PM
looks neat, but the music is very unfitting imo
Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: VladOfWallachia on December 27, 2017, 10:40:37 PM
looks neat, but the music is very unfitting imo
Hmm, this isn't the first time I've heard this. I'd be interested to know why you feel the track is unfitting.

Thanks Jop, I'll notify you when I release the demo. If you prefer that I contact you via email, PM it to me.
Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: BLOOD MONKEY on December 28, 2017, 08:00:12 AM
Hmm, this isn't the first time I've heard this. I'd be interested to know why you feel the track is unfitting.

It sounds fairly simple and quiet. It sounds more like gameboy music than anything. It does, however, seem to take inspiration from the proper source (Bach organ music!) and the melody sounds nice. The instrumentation and lack of an audible bassline/counter-melody is a tad jarring though. What program are you using to make it?
Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: VladOfWallachia on December 28, 2017, 10:07:36 AM
It sounds fairly simple and quiet. It sounds more like gameboy music than anything. It does, however, seem to take inspiration from the proper source (Bach organ music!) and the melody sounds nice. The instrumentation and lack of an audible bassline/counter-melody is a tad jarring though. What program are you using to make it?

Good ear, that piece was made for the gameboy hardware. It's just a gameboy version of Vivaldi's Winter, and I haven't done much else on my side to get the ball rolling with the music so far. I am not very experienced with music at all, so this is one aspect of the game I will probably need the most feedback on. The individual who made that Winter track is interested in composing for this game, and he wishes to use the Japanese Castlevania 3 soundtrack as a primary source of inspiration.

Thanks for the feedback, keep it coming.
Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: BLOOD MONKEY on December 28, 2017, 11:05:40 AM
Good ear, that piece was made for the gameboy hardware. It's just a gameboy version of Vivaldi's Winter, and I haven't done much else on my side to get the ball rolling with the music so far. I am not very experienced with music at all, so this is one aspect of the game I will probably need the most feedback on. The individual who made that Winter track is interested in composing for this game, and he wishes to use the Japanese Castlevania 3 soundtrack as a primary source of inspiration.

Thanks for the feedback, keep it coming.

O:
I didn't even recognize it! I'm ashamed of myself
Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: zangetsu468 on December 29, 2017, 12:38:23 AM
So is the player Vlad himself? The game looks interesting, I like the part where the statue of armour comes alive, it reminded me of CV64
Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: aensland on December 29, 2017, 01:26:34 PM
The light effect coming from the windows is clever and it looks great, waiting eagerly for a demo!
Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: VladOfWallachia on January 03, 2018, 02:03:19 PM
So is the player Vlad himself? The game looks interesting, I like the part where the statue of armour comes alive, it reminded me of CV64

The similarity between the playable hero and Vlad Dracula is intentional! Glad you caught that. But no, Vlad is not the hero, but is definitely in this game.
Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: VladOfWallachia on February 20, 2018, 09:58:30 AM
Short video demonstrating the opening area of the game:

Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: VladOfWallachia on February 22, 2018, 06:55:09 PM
I've got a more interesting video for you guys today, gameplay footage demonstrating some of the monsters and other aspects of the game!

Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: BLOOD MONKEY on February 23, 2018, 09:19:20 AM
The gameplay looks stiff, while the environment looks like it was made for a free-moving character.
Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: VladOfWallachia on February 23, 2018, 10:34:02 AM
Could you elaborate further? I am aiming towards recreating the gameplay style of Super Castlevania IV, which is stiff compared to the Metroid-style Castlevanias, but the least stiff among the classic Castlevania series. The freeform controls of SCIV are one of the main reasons I enjoyed it so much.

Further details would be appreciated!
Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: BLOOD MONKEY on February 24, 2018, 01:28:37 PM
mostly the speed at which the character moves. if you wanna keep that the same then i'd recommend you study the level design in CV3. the gameplay would benefit from tighter level design I think.
Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: VladOfWallachia on February 24, 2018, 02:08:19 PM
Thanks, you aren't the first person to mention the walk speed actually. I'm trying to keep the lance character close to Simon, but my second playable character, Irina, is still in early stages of design. I do know for a fact that I want her to play very different from the lance hero, and the feedback that keeps coming back is the movement speed. I think I'm going to experiment with her a lot to make sure she fills in the gap of fast playstyle, while keeping the lancer slow and Belmont-like.

I'll be sure to show some videos of Irina once I feel confident that she's a good alternative character.
Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: Dracula9 on February 24, 2018, 03:16:54 PM
if you're going for a pseudo-retro look and sound, then get rid of the angling-based rotation on that spikeball platform circler

for one the angling rotation isn't going nearly fast enough for how fast the enemy/hazard itself is actually moving, and it draws unnecessary attention to itself

it also just doesn't look very good

it immediately detracts from the intended pseudo-retro vibe (the above plays into this also), which is a problem when everything else seems to know what it wants to be

it's one little geometrically simple spiker enemy--having actual frames for that shouldn't be any kind of trouble, hell even the CV this draws inspiration from had a twoframe for its version of the same enemy
Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: aensland on February 24, 2018, 05:44:52 PM
I'll be sure to show some videos of Irina once I feel confident that she's a good alternative character.
A female character lead in a game with "Wallachia" in the name? nice Migami reference there!
Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: VladOfWallachia on February 24, 2018, 08:40:18 PM
Quote
if you're going for a pseudo-retro look and sound, then get rid of the angling-based rotation on that spikeball platform circler

Okay, I didn't know that people would be distracted by the tween animation. Noted.


Quote
nice Migami reference there!

I'm not familiar with their work nor have I ever played their games. I've been asking for feedback for Wallachian Night online since 2016, back when it was just a side hobby project of mine. I'm clearly taking many ideas from other games, but I've been transparent about the source material this whole time, namely Super Castlevania IV, first and foremost. Last year I did an interview describing the various movies and games that have influenced my design of Wallachian Night, and that interview can be found here:

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: aensland on February 24, 2018, 09:21:39 PM
I'm not familiar with their work nor have I ever played their games. I've been asking for feedback for Wallachian Night online since 2016, back when it was just a side hobby project of mine. I'm clearly taking many ideas from other games, but I've been transparent about the source material this whole time, namely Super Castlevania IV, first and foremost.
This will be my last post regarding this coincidence since it could be a thread derailment, but that part kinda ticked me off because
(click to show/hide)

Anyways, my point is that you should be careful of people not confuse both project, would harm both of Migami people and you in the end if potential players get confused about which game is which
Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: VladOfWallachia on February 25, 2018, 08:37:07 AM
Quote
This will be my last post regarding this coincidence since it could be a thread derailment, but that part kinda ticked me off because

Similarly, this will also be my last post on the name as well. So it seems they mentioned a game called Wallachia in 2015, and that's fine. If you consider that the historical prince Dracula of Wallachia has been connected to the fictional Dracula since Stoker's novel from over a century ago, and that Castlevania incorporates the location of the games into the title of the game (Castle+Transylvania = Castlevania), it could only be expected that fan games would have either Transylvania or Wallachia as a setting and within the title to make the tribute to Castlevania clear. In fact, my game development folder for this is still called Transylvania Legends, which was the title of the game before I found out that a mobile game with that exact name already exists on the app stores.

I don't know how the Migami guys feel about it, they may see it as unfortunate that they have to worry about a competing product with a similar name, but that's just the hand we were dealt. With the recent increase in Castlevania's popularity due to the Netflix show and Bloodstained, we can probably expect to see more indie games with similar names to ours. I have only shown kindness to the Migami guys since they first notified me of their game, and I will continue to see them as fellow Castlevania fans more than anything.

But yes, let this be the final post about this, because so far, I've really appreciated all of the feedback I've received and I wish for this thread to continue being primarily for that.
Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: Dracula9 on February 25, 2018, 09:00:25 AM
just a detail clarification, wanna confirm that the other project's been in the works since at least late 2011, but it went by a different name then (setting/plot was largely the same though)
Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: ProjectDread on February 25, 2018, 02:49:22 PM
I don't believe that because this game has "Wallachia" in the title and features a female character to play as means he took the idea from Mig, or even that his project was inspired by it. As Dracula9 brought up, it certainly looks like Mig's game has been around for some time, but I don't think that really matters. It's a project heavily inspired by both Castlevania and Vlad Tepes, so it's not unusual that Wallachia or Translvania could be used in the name. It's also possible that Vlad was completely unaware of Migs game.

Seems like a silly thing to talk about, but maybe that's just me.

*shrugs*
Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: VladOfWallachia on February 26, 2018, 05:17:02 PM
The second playable character, Irina:

(https://i.imgur.com/dWma7GC.png)
Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: Briraka on February 27, 2018, 02:18:56 AM
cool, is she going to be the belmont of the game or something different?
Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: VladOfWallachia on February 27, 2018, 08:52:39 AM
Quote
cool, is she going to be the belmont of the game or something different?

I'm still test playing various weapons and playstyles for her, so I'm not sure exactly how she will turn out yet. But yes, the whip is one of the weapons I'm considering.
Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: VladOfWallachia on February 28, 2018, 12:09:48 PM
Plot and Character details below:

Plot:
(click to show/hide)

Characters:
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: VladOfWallachia on March 16, 2018, 10:26:58 AM
I'm making an announcement about a major change in the design of this game.

In a previous reply, I explained that I have changed the name and setting of this game once already. My announcement is that I will once again be changing the name of the game and it's setting. While I feel happy with the progress we've made with the gameplay, art, music, and programming, the story seems to be the one aspect of the game I can't ever find myself satisfied with. I feel like placing the game in a real world setting with real historical figures limits my creative freedom, and every writing sessions feels like I have to stay within self imposed confines.

This game will now take place in a completely fictional world, with a different storyline and characters. Stay tuned for updates on the new name and story.
Title: Re: Wallachian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: VladOfWallachia on March 20, 2018, 10:32:25 PM
This will likely be my last update before releasing the demo to you guys. Below is a more recent gameplay video showing some graphical improvements and a new section of the opening level:


https://youtu.be/OYSN9HTIef8

Let me know if you guys have any questions or feedback, and thanks!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: VladOfWallachia on April 09, 2018, 11:25:05 AM
Name change is official and permanent- Carpathian Night. The story will revolve around the fictional Bram Stoker Dracula, not the historical prince of Wallachia. However, like the movie Dracula Untold, I will attempt to combine the fictional and historical Dracula into one.

Update on the game:
I quickly hacked together a simple speed run mode, and streamed my Level 1 attempts on the Castlevania fan group Facebook page a few days ago. I'm going to leave this feature in for the demo.

I lost some dev time over the last few weeks due to personal issues, so unfortunately, the demo will be delayed. Despite the setback, I am very confident that the demo will be ready at the end of April, or beginning of May. End of May at the latest.

Additionally, while I was speed running the game, I felt that some parts of the mechanics need refinement. This is also part of the reason the demo will be slightly delayed.

Stay tuned.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - A SCIV style game
Post by: VladOfWallachia on May 16, 2018, 10:18:06 AM
Demo Releases JUNE

Updating this as once again, I think I need to push the release date back a bit. I've been working very hard to get this demo released on time, but I am now certain that it will not be ready by my announced date of June 1st.

That being said, based on the current state of the demo, the most likely target will probably around the 15th. Once again, sorry for the delay and I will continue to do my best to release the demo soon.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo June
Post by: X on May 28, 2018, 06:11:19 PM
That's okay. Best to take your time and be ready rather then push something when it isn't.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo June
Post by: VladOfWallachia on May 30, 2018, 12:09:18 AM
Quote
That's okay. Best to take your time and be ready rather then push something when it isn't.
Thanks, I try to keep that in mind as I continue to polish the game.


I uploaded a "live" (non-chiptune) version  of our opening level theme, Castel Lui Dracul. Check it out!

https://youtu.be/ZGPs4pv7Fks (https://youtu.be/ZGPs4pv7Fks)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo June
Post by: VladOfWallachia on June 12, 2018, 04:22:49 PM
In the spirit of E3, we have released a short trailer for Carpathian Night. I hope you enjoy!

https://youtu.be/whQGhnDHBJo (https://youtu.be/whQGhnDHBJo)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo June
Post by: X on June 12, 2018, 10:55:36 PM
I'd be using Irina. She looks to be the Belmont of this game  8)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo June
Post by: VladOfWallachia on June 13, 2018, 10:02:37 AM
Quote
I'd be using Irina. She looks to be the Belmont of this game  8)

She's my favorite of the two as well. There's something about the fire on the end tip of her censer attack that helps me gauge the distance between myself and the monsters. I originally added the fire in there just as an artistic thing, but it really helps with the actual gameplay. For some reason, the golden flame on Dorin's lance doesn't give the same feeling/effect. Her sprite is also a bit smaller, as well as her hitbox, so she feels a bit more nimble as well, despite having the same movement speed as Dorin.

However, I think I like Dorin's special attack more. Irina's is good for defensive situations but I've played this game so much that and don't need to be defensive. Dorin's offensive phantom attack is more fun for quickly clearing out a group of monsters.

We shall see what everyone else thinks when the demo is ready! I feel like we are taking too long so I decided to bring in some additional help. Hopefully the demo will be out very soon. Stay tuned!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo June
Post by: VladOfWallachia on June 14, 2018, 01:08:50 PM
(https://i.imgur.com/I71H7wP.png)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo June
Post by: darkmanx_429 on June 14, 2018, 02:18:32 PM
(https://i.imgur.com/I71H7wP.png)
Your game is looking great!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo June
Post by: VladOfWallachia on June 18, 2018, 11:29:41 AM
(https://i.imgur.com/bTuEt6i.jpg)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo June
Post by: BLOOD MONKEY on June 18, 2018, 02:31:25 PM
d e m o    r e l e a s e s   j u n e
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo June
Post by: VladOfWallachia on June 18, 2018, 04:27:39 PM
d e m o    r e l e a s e s   j u n e

:o We are very sorry about missing the June 1st release date, but I promise that we have been working very hard to get this done. The scope keeps bumping up as I feel the need to add new things (such as Irina and a new section of the level) but the constant delays is one of the reasons I brought a couple of new people on board recently to lend a hand. I feel like all of these time consuming changes do make the game better overall, so I feel like the delays are worth it.

We will keep grinding away at this until its ready, which may or may not be June. We are definitely in the final stretch, I can't possibly imagine a scenario where the release date would creep past July and into August. Again, my apologies, I wan't to put this game in the hands of everyone here at the dungeon, but its going to have to wait just a bit longer.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo June
Post by: BLOOD MONKEY on June 19, 2018, 05:44:48 PM
:o We are very sorry about missing the June 1st release date, but I promise that we have been working very hard to get this done. The scope keeps bumping up as I feel the need to add new things (such as Irina and a new section of the level) but the constant delays is one of the reasons I brought a couple of new people on board recently to lend a hand. I feel like all of these time consuming changes do make the game better overall, so I feel like the delays are worth it.

We will keep grinding away at this until its ready, which may or may not be June. We are definitely in the final stretch, I can't possibly imagine a scenario where the release date would creep past July and into August. Again, my apologies, I wan't to put this game in the hands of everyone here at the dungeon, but its going to have to wait just a bit longer.

oh no i'm not upset i'm just hype
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo coming very soon!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on June 22, 2018, 11:13:07 AM
(https://i.imgur.com/M3woQkH.jpg)

Don't get too close to this beast! He will always win a short range exchange of blows. Keep him at the tip of your lance/censer or risk getting torn up!

Be alert when he uses his rolling attack. The incoming direction of his special move can be unpredictable. Use your dash slide to quickly evade him, and try to predict his angle of attack to intercept him mid-air.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo coming very soon!
Post by: BLOOD MONKEY on June 22, 2018, 11:30:38 AM
(click to show/hide)

This does spark a thought:

Both your characters are longer-ranged characters.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo coming very soon!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on June 23, 2018, 08:55:34 AM
This does spark a thought:

Both your characters are longer-ranged characters.

Are you interested in seeing a Grant-like character in CN? Short range, fast attack speed, plus a few other special abilities...
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo coming very soon!
Post by: BLOOD MONKEY on June 24, 2018, 03:33:04 PM
Are you interested in seeing a Grant-like character in CN? Short range, fast attack speed, plus a few other special abilities...

That would definitely offer a variety to the playstyles available
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo coming very soon!
Post by: Jop on June 27, 2018, 09:57:36 AM
Its like Eric Lecarde & John Morris join forces again to fight the evil :3
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo coming very soon!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on June 28, 2018, 09:31:53 PM
(https://i.imgur.com/N77opbO.png)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo coming very soon!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on June 29, 2018, 10:22:53 AM
...and of course, the suave, seductive villain of Carpathian Night:

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo coming very soon!
Post by: BLOOD MONKEY on June 29, 2018, 02:13:03 PM
that looked like guts for a second
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo coming very soon!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on July 05, 2018, 10:01:26 AM
I started letting some close friends test play CN, and I’m starting to see some problems with the difficulty balance. These guys are having a really hard time getting through the demo. At the same time, none of these guys are big Castlevania fans.

I’m interested to see how hardcore Castlevania fans fare on their first attempt through the level. I need a couple of people from this forum to record their first and second play through so I can study it from a game design perspective. I have Jop on board so far, if anyone else is interested in sending me a video recording of their first play through, let me know. I want to watch these videos and make some adjustments before I make a formal public release of the demo.

Also, guys like Jop know how to record high quality gameplay footage, but for those that don’t know how to record gameplay footage and are still interested in helping, I would be okay with poor quality video, such as recording your computer monitor with your cell phone camera or whatever. It just needs to be clear enough for me to see what’s going on.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo coming very soon!
Post by: BLOOD MONKEY on July 05, 2018, 12:45:02 PM
I started letting some close friends test play CN, and I’m starting to see some problems with the difficulty balance. These guys are having a really hard time getting through the demo. At the same time, none of these guys are big Castlevania fans.

I’m interested to see how hardcore Castlevania fans fare on their first attempt through the level. I need a couple of people from this forum to record their first and second play through so I can study it from a game design perspective. I have Jop on board so far, if anyone else is interested in sending me a video recording of their first play through, let me know. I want to watch these videos and make some adjustments before I make a formal public release of the demo.

Also, guys like Jop know how to record high quality gameplay footage, but for those that don’t know how to record gameplay footage and are still interested in helping, I would be okay with poor quality video, such as recording your computer monitor with your cell phone camera or whatever. It just needs to be clear enough for me to see what’s going on.

I'll do it, but I don't have screencap tools available. I do have a stabilized camera, so I could set that up and try and get the best picture.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo coming very soon!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on July 05, 2018, 01:20:59 PM
Okay, that would be fine. I'll send you the PM sometime within the next few days. Just a heads up, it's not ready for release, so you will probably encounter some bugs, but it should be stable enough for you to go through it a few times without incident.

One more thing! The controls aren't the best with an analog stick at the moment, I still need to change a few things. Use of a d-pad is highly recommended!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo coming very soon!
Post by: BLOOD MONKEY on July 05, 2018, 01:46:35 PM
Okay, that would be fine. I'll send you the PM sometime within the next few days. Just a heads up, it's not ready for release, so you will probably encounter some bugs, but it should be stable enough for you to go through it a few times without incident.

One more thing! The controls aren't the best with an analog stick at the moment, I still need to change a few things. Use of a d-pad is highly recommended!

I've been using a keyboard for years, so I should be fine lol.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo coming very soon!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on July 05, 2018, 02:15:05 PM
That will work, and you can customize your keys with the launcher.

Also:
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo coming very soon!
Post by: X on July 07, 2018, 10:53:03 AM
LOL! That cat wants attention  ;D

Cat: You're working too hard! Take a break! Pay attention to me! Me!!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo coming very soon!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on July 11, 2018, 09:53:57 AM
Got some feedback from Jop, it seems the game isn’t too difficult at all for Castlevania fans.

I saw some graphical bugs in the videos he sent that I need to fix. I think I’ll be ready for a bigger, but still limited release of the demo for Castlevania Dungeon members within a week, but hopefully less.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo coming very soon!
Post by: Belmontoya on July 11, 2018, 10:31:44 AM
Congrats on making good progress!

Best wishes!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo coming very soon!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on July 11, 2018, 10:35:43 AM
Congrats on making good progress!

Best wishes!

Thanks! Looking forward to seeing more Wallachia RoD as well!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo coming very soon!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on July 13, 2018, 03:32:25 PM
The demo is here! Download at:

https://carpathiannight.itch.io/carpathian-night (https://carpathiannight.itch.io/carpathian-night)

Feedback is greatly appreciated! Let us know what you like, dislike, or anything else in between.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: X on July 13, 2018, 06:37:27 PM
Nice demo! I had to chuckle at the opening theme as it was the same tune used in the original Mummy staring Boris Karloff. Playing the game I didn't notice any bugs worth reporting. Everything seemed to play fine. But then again I've not put the demo through a solid ringer of tests either. But casually it plays well enough. I was also getting a CV Legends vibe during the play-through. Might have been the musical composition that was doing it.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on July 13, 2018, 06:54:36 PM
Nice demo! I had to chuckle at the opening theme as it was the same tune used in the original Mummy staring Boris Karloff. Playing the game I didn't notice any bugs worth reporting. Everything seemed to play fine. But then again I've not put the demo through a solid ringer of tests either. But casually it plays well enough. I was also getting a CV Legends vibe during the play-through. Might have been the musical composition that was doing it.

Several of the classic Universal monster films used that for their intro, including Dracula! I definitely wanted that reference in there. I love those movies.

I still haven’t played Legends, but I see the strong similarities from the gameplay footage I saw. It was completely unintentional though.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: Aceearly1993 on July 14, 2018, 02:22:48 AM
Played through the demo, everything is amazingly solid and intact, and it seems there's no major "fatal" problem action-wise, but from my personal view the knockback track after being hit seems a bit off and it's hard to resume the position of player character
I don't think the hit detection of whip (chain?) round swing special skill is good enough, could be a bit better
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: ProjectDread on July 14, 2018, 10:02:21 AM
Just finished the demo. I'll post my thoughts a bit later, but overall the impression was good!

The main menu theme sounded really familiar so I did some digging, and I finally found it online (it starts at about 03:20):



Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: X on July 14, 2018, 10:17:31 AM
Who'd ever though that Swan Lake would end up being the musical choice for monster mashes, lol.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on July 14, 2018, 03:03:33 PM
Thanks for the feedback everyone, it’s highly encouraging.

From other gameplay videos I’ve seen, I think I’m not doing a good enough job of teaching the mechanics. For anyone that plans on playing the demo, here are some of the moves that some players aren’t figuring out on their own.

First, there’s the 8 way attack. Up + Attack for Up attack, Up+forward for diagonal attack. While in mid-air, you can also do down and down diagonal attack.

If you push down + jump, you will perform a dash move that provides a quick boost of speed. It takes a few seconds to recharge, as shown on the green meter on the top left of the screen.

Finally, Irina’s special move can’t be modified, but Dorin’s Phantom attack can. Push a desired direction + the special attack button to launch the phantom in that direction. It works the same as the regular attack, you have 8 directions total in which you can launch the phantom.

I’ll probably be expanding the intro area a bit to do a better job of teaching these mechanics. And again, thanks for the feedback everyone, it’s extremely valuable to us as we continue to improve the game.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: X on July 16, 2018, 09:31:20 AM
Quote
First, there’s the 8 way attack. Up + Attack for Up attack, Up+forward for diagonal attack. While in mid-air, you can also do down and down diagonal attack.

If you push down + jump, you will perform a dash move that provides a quick boost of speed. It takes a few seconds to recharge, as shown on the green meter on the top left of the screen.

These two as well as the special attack I discovered on my own, although the slide ability I had some trouble with since I couldn't figure out how to repeat it  ;D  At least now I do  ;)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo coming very soon!
Post by: darkmanx_429 on July 16, 2018, 04:12:33 PM
The demo is here! Download at:

https://carpathiannight.itch.io/carpathian-night (https://carpathiannight.itch.io/carpathian-night)

Feedback is greatly appreciated! Let us know what you like, dislike, or anything else in between.

Didn't know you made this in Unity. That is pretty cool.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on July 19, 2018, 04:03:42 PM
Didn't know you made this in Unity. That is pretty cool.

Yup, its a Unity game. I picked that engine mainly because I already had some professional experience with it. I love how easy it is to use compared to some of the other things I've tried in the past.

On a side note, we plan to release an improved version of the demo in time for late September or early October. Some of the features/additions/improvements we plan on adding are:
-Casual, Hard, One-Hit-Death modes
-A remixed level designed to be extra difficult
-An expanded tutorial area, adjustments to the rest of the level based on feedback
-Better compatibility with Xbox and Playstation controllers
-Hidden secrets (think wall meat)
-Story and lore introduction scene
-Bug fixes

And if we manage to get all that done in time, we are also experimenting with a "Monster Rush" mode, where you go through as many monster filled rooms as you can before dying.

Thank for your support and stay tuned!
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on August 09, 2018, 03:16:56 PM
I'm making an announcement about the future of Carpathian Night.

Carpathian Night will definitely not be ready by the end of 2018. However, we are currently working on a short, hour long prologue game that takes place about 100 years before Carpathian Night. The game stars the dark prince himself, Count Dracula, before he became lord of the vampires. The gameplay style will remain mostly the same as the CN demo, but with some light RPG and exploration elements, similar to Simon's Quest.

This short prologue game is targeted to release before the end of the year, or early 2019 at the latest. This prologue game will set up the events of the main game, which stars Irina and Dorin and follows their journey to castle Dracula.

As always, stay tuned!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on September 05, 2018, 04:42:43 PM
First screenshot of prologue:

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: X on September 05, 2018, 05:28:57 PM
Like the screen shot! Got some good coloring going on there.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: Darkmoon on September 05, 2018, 07:10:49 PM
I'm making an announcement about the future of Carpathian Night.

Carpathian Night will definitely not be ready by the end of 2018. However, we are currently working on a short, hour long prologue game that takes place about 100 years before Carpathian Night. The game stars the dark prince himself, Count Dracula, before he became lord of the vampires. The gameplay style will remain mostly the same as the CN demo, but with some light RPG and exploration elements, similar to Simon's Quest.

This short prologue game is targeted to release before the end of the year, or early 2019 at the latest. This prologue game will set up the events of the main game, which stars Irina and Dorin and follows their journey to castle Dracula.

As always, stay tuned!

I'm intrigued and interested in it. I really enjoyed the demo I played.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on September 06, 2018, 01:07:30 PM
Like the screen shot! Got some good coloring going on there.

Thanks, this adjustment was made after feedback from the demo came in. The demo is a little too dark, and if Rondo taught us anything, its that you can retain that eerie horror atmosphere while using bright colors.

I'm intrigued and interested in it. I really enjoyed the demo I played.

The prologue will be even better!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: X on September 06, 2018, 04:42:58 PM
Quote
Thanks, this adjustment was made after feedback from the demo came in. The demo is a little too dark, and if Rondo taught us anything, its that you can retain that eerie horror atmosphere while using bright colors.

They also did that in SCV4 and Bloodlines  ;)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: Guy Belmont on September 08, 2018, 01:38:53 PM
This is amazingly made, the controls are smooth as ice,  And the whip action, Ohhhhh, ohhh that whip action is amazing. oh in all directions. and the art all direction out standing, I love how the whip lights up at the end. same goes for the spear of Couse. its Just in most of the fan games I've played  you rarely see the whip get anyone love. So it does my heart when  I see this sort of thing. I can't wait to play the full game thanks so much for your hard work.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on September 11, 2018, 10:00:45 AM
I can't wait to play the full game thanks so much for your hard work.

Thanks, very hard work is the reason the game is turning out so well, and we will continue to work hard until the game is finished.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on October 01, 2018, 02:34:09 PM
More art of the hero of CN Prologue, the young (human) Dracula:

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on November 23, 2018, 09:39:21 PM
I was not planning on giving an update this soon, but unfortunately, I have some very bad news.

All of the hardware that I have been using to develop Carpathian Night has been stolen. My computers, monitors, drawing tablets, development 2DS, absolutely all of it has been stolen. Luckily the game itself is safely stored in our source code repository, but this tremendous setback makes the future of Carpathian Night uncertain. I do not know when I will be able to obtain all the equipment I need to get up and running again, so as of now, development of CN will be suspended.

I'm sorry this happened and I hope justice comes to these despicable people.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: Aceearly1993 on November 23, 2018, 10:42:25 PM
I'm so sorry to hear that and as well as I believe everyone who have read the reply above. Pray your best luck bravo.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: Dark Nemesis on November 24, 2018, 07:15:12 AM
So sorry to hear that, i hope they get caught up and brought to justice.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: X on November 24, 2018, 10:32:16 AM
Put those theives' nutz in a vice will ya  >:(
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on November 24, 2018, 05:36:13 PM
Put those theives' nutz in a vice will ya  >:(

I would if I knew which nuts to crack.

 I am immensely depressed over losing my desktop. The other things can be replaced, but so much pertaining to Carpathian Night was on that machine and wasn’t version controlled, so now it’s lost forever. For example, I’ve been recording videos of the game as it progressed in development from the very beginning. I had hours of videos of the game back from it was Wallachian Night up until our progress on Carpathian Night Prologue, now all of that history is lost. Many other artifacts like concept art, storyline details, storyboards, all lost. A significant part of the history of this game has suddenly been lost forever and I feel like part of me has died, as I’ve been pouring my heart and soul into this game for the past year.

I can get over losing material things, but that PC was much more than a material thing, it had the history of Carpathian Night’s development saved on it. I don’t know how long it will take for me to get over this.

Thanks for the support everyone. I hope one day I can look back on this and say it wasn’t enough to put an end to Carpathian Night. I’ll update this as soon as I’m able to work on the game again.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on December 03, 2018, 09:04:38 AM
It's going to take a while to replace everything I needed, but I have enough to get up and running again! We are back in business (with crappier hardware than before) and the grind to finish Carpathian Night Prologue has resumed!

So I guess I'll describe Prologue a bit more, as this is a good opportunity as ever.

Prologue will take place before the demo that is currently available, and it will star a young, human Dracula and will follow his quest to find a cure for his younger sister, who has been cursed with a terrible disease. Despite his wealth, he has been unable to cure her with the best doctors and medicine money can buy. The only hope that remains are legends passed down from generation to generation, legends of an angel that rests deep in the Carpathians and grants divine wishes to those who worship him. With no other hope remaining, the young Dracula sets out into the wilderness of the Carpathians, hoping to find this legendary angel and trade anything in exchange for saving his sister.

Gameplay wise, it will use the exact same mechanics seen in the demo. The same controls and gameplay as the CN demo. However, there is one big difference in terms of level design. While CN demo was designed as a traditional linear style action platformer, Prologue will be more like Simon's Quest. There will be a mix of traditional linear levels, but also "dungeon" levels similar to the mansions in Simon's Quest. These will have backtracking and a bit more emphasis on exploration. To support this style of level design further, there will also be a bigger emphasis on RPG elements, so more unlockable skills and decisions to be made with money you acquire throughout your journey.

The scope has increased since I originally announced it, so it will take us longer than initially expected to finish it, but its for the best. The mansion levels really compliment the linear levels, and the whole experience feels more varied as a result. Despite the scope increase, it will still remain a fairly short game, and will serve to hold fans over to the much bigger main game.

Currently, we have 2 linear levels and 1 mansion level mostly complete. My goal is to have 3 mansions, and 5 linear levels, plus a central town for the final release. I am very happy with the way its turning out so far and I am excited to show some videos and screenshots soon.

Stay tuned!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: X on December 03, 2018, 09:40:29 AM
Glad to hear you're back on you're feet  :D
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on December 18, 2018, 06:58:59 AM
This post isn’t an update about the game, but something related.

I was browsing a comic book store last weekend when I spotted this on the shelf:

(https://d1466nnw0ex81e.cloudfront.net/n_iv/600/4814503.jpg)
http://aftershockcomics.com/brothersdracul/ (http://aftershockcomics.com/brothersdracul/)

Brothers Dracul by Aftershock Comics. I was immediately interested and picked up all five issues. Those who have been following Carpathian Night since the beginning will remember that the game use to be called Wallachian Night. The villain of the game was a vampire version of Vlad Tepes, and the hero was his half brother, Vlad the Monk (who eventually became Dorin). I thought the combination of the historical Dracula with the Stoker Dracula was a cool idea, but I was never satisfied with what I could do with the idea story wise. I have since abandoned the idea in favor of focusing on the Stoker Dracula combined with my own original characters, and I am much happier with the result, but it’s so cool to see somebody else take roughly the same concept I had and actually execute it well.

Brothers Dracul starts off as a seemingly accurate portrayal of the young Vlad Tepes and his brother Radu, but shortly after the story introduces vampires and it basically becomes a vampire hunting comic with Vlad and Radu playing the role of the hunters. The characters and setting are a perfect fit for vampire stories in my opinion, and it’s refreshing to see Vlad Tepes as the protagonist with vampire elements being incorporated into his story, as opposed to what we always see instead, the Bram Stoker Dracula taking on attributes of the historical Dracula.

The story moves along pretty quickly, overlaying plenty of vampire hunting action on top of the interesting historical backdrop. Ive always thought Vlad Tepes was more terrifying than the fictional Dracula, and they do a good job here of not just portraying him as a madman, but they give historical context to why somebody would turn out the be the person Vlad was- the world he was born into and raised in was horribly chaotic and violent even without the vampires. Vlad and Radu basically spent their entire childhood and teen years as hostages to the Sultan, and after Vlad became free, the freedom of his homeland was in constant threat by overwhelming foreign military power and backstabbing fellow countrymen. In this comic, Vlad is rightfully a reflection of the horrific world he was born into, and he takes this rage into his battles with the vampires, and the factual mixes well with the fantasy.

Of course, I would recommend this to any Castlevania fan, especially those with any interest in the real life Vlad Tepes. It’s a good combination of what we love about Castlevania and the historical figure that inspired its main villain. Check it out!

Also, this guy reminds me of Dorin:
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on December 21, 2018, 02:13:51 PM
Gameplay footage of the introductory level of CN Prologue:

https://youtu.be/ArZtj4dX9oI (https://youtu.be/ArZtj4dX9oI)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: X on December 21, 2018, 08:23:24 PM
It reminds me of Game Gear with all the colours onscreen :)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on May 02, 2019, 07:45:31 AM
Making video games is hard.

I've been quiet for a while, and I decided its a good time for an update.

We are still making steady progress on the game. One obstacle for us has been trying to manage scope- I can get too ambitious at times and its been slowing us down. Those who have been following this thread over the past year will see that I will announce something then a month later I pivot to something completely different. It's an inevitable part of the game development process, but I'm trying to get better at keeping scope under control.

That being said, the change I'm announcing is the order in which we plan on releasing the games - the original Carpathian Night, the one staring Dorin and Irina, which I released a demo of last year, will be released first. After the release of this game, we will finish up Prologue, and release that sometime in 2020. The reason for this is simple- the RPG elements I wished to introduce in Prologue increased the scope far more than I initially thought it would, so we simply need more time to refine that game than original CN.

That being said, I've missed every target release date I've posted in this thread, but I think the Halloween season is a realistic goal for the full release of Carpathian Night. I will do my best to have it completed and released by October. Prologue could take up to another year to complete.

I'll try to post art, screenshots, and videos more frequently. As always, stay tuned!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: X on May 02, 2019, 09:26:45 AM
You're only human dude. Do what what you feel you can do  :)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on July 04, 2019, 07:56:27 AM
I plan on releasing another free demo, with a different level and boss from the previous demo. After that, I may put Carpathian Night up on Steam Early Access, but not until all of the outdoor levels leading to Dracula's castle are finished. Luckily, we are making good progress and all of this shouldn't be too far off in the future.

Stay tuned!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on July 15, 2019, 07:25:25 PM
(https://i.imgur.com/I0KZxkt.png)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: X on July 16, 2019, 09:20:17 AM
I'd hate to be the satyr who got that in his face  ???
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on July 24, 2019, 05:55:06 PM
More artwork/screenshots:

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: X on July 24, 2019, 06:30:54 PM
That's some good sprite work you've done on the main characters!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on July 25, 2019, 05:39:07 AM
That's some good sprite work you've done on the main characters!

We recruited a pixel artist, he’s remaking all of the stuff I did, which is the playable characters and the monsters (but not the bosses). I think he’s doing a great job and can’t wait to see more of his work.

Also, if we have any Texan Castlevania Dungeon crawlers here, be sure to drop by our booth at Let's Play Gaming Expo on August 10-11!
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on August 07, 2019, 09:14:22 AM
(https://i.imgur.com/rHavYGT.jpg)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: X on August 07, 2019, 09:18:41 AM
That image looks like it has a touch of Vincent van Gogh in terms of the colouration. Looks good!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: piscesdreams on August 07, 2019, 05:09:55 PM
(https://i.imgur.com/rHavYGT.jpg)

Damn, that's really cool.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on August 13, 2019, 07:31:39 PM
Some photos from our first expo booth, at Let's Play Gaming Expo 2019!

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on August 28, 2019, 04:56:30 PM
Count Dracula, lord of the vampires:

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on September 03, 2019, 07:57:41 PM
(https://i.imgur.com/bGNhxzA.jpg)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: X on September 04, 2019, 09:29:23 AM
You got some nice sketches going on there. Although I have mixed feelings about Dracula's look. I can't really explain it, but his look doesn't seem to mesh well with everything else that I've seen of this game so far. I dunno  :-\
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on September 04, 2019, 11:09:40 AM
You got some nice sketches going on there. Although I have mixed feelings about Dracula's look. I can't really explain it, but his look doesn't seem to mesh well with everything else that I've seen of this game so far. I dunno  :-\

Search your thoughts, try to understand why you dont think it meshes well, then let me know. A lot of thought has gone into our design of Dracula, but there may be something we are not seeing or considering. Or maybe it will come together more once you see him in the game.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: FanOfDracula on September 04, 2019, 12:41:32 PM
Well, I think he does not look so imposing, so strong, I mean his look looks noble and sad, as nostalgic, he looks more like a comon vampire of the nobility, but does not reflect that dracula stunner character, that violence in the spirit, i dont know, just my point, or maybe is a young dracula... just i talk for me, i dont know what is the point of X  :P
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on September 04, 2019, 02:40:47 PM
Those are some good points, we will keep them in mind as development continues.

The challenge for us then will be to get the contrast right between the human Dracula at the beginning of the story, and what he becomes, the lord of the vampires. As a human, he held a close relationship with the two heroes, Dorin and Irina, so he does need to be somewhat relatable as a normal person. But I will remember to make the transition more stark and more clear for when Dracula turns to his iconic vampire self.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: X on September 04, 2019, 07:20:12 PM
Quote
Search your thoughts, try to understand why you dont think it meshes well, then let me know. A lot of thought has gone into our design of Dracula, but there may be something we are not seeing or considering. Or maybe it will come together more once you see him in the game.

Got my thoughts together since this morning. Hopefully it'll clear up what I mean.

I think his vampire look doesn't mesh well as he's just a bit too pretty-looking. The real Dracula wasn't very attractive; that luxury goes to his brother; Radu the Handsome. I know that vampires are supposed to have that ethereal beauty-thing (although that was actually a Victorian era invention for their vampires), but for Dracula I feel it is a bit too much. Also his hair is way too curly rather then the natural wavy hair we see depicted on his infamous portrait. The look makes him more western European then Eastern European (like he came out of Spain or something). Granted this is a game and not directly following real life so in the end it's not up to me. I just feel that Dracula -both human and vampire- needs to have that imposing look to them and that's not exactly something that can be done with a pretty face.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on September 05, 2019, 08:30:15 AM
Those are all good points, and there is still much work left to do on the game so that commentary will definitely help shape our version of Dracula.

That being said, I don't completely agree with the notion that pretty faces are not a good fit for intimidating villains. I feel like whats on the inside is what really determines the effectiveness of a villain. For example, characters like Joffrey Baratheon, Ramsay Bolton, and Cersei Lannister are some of the most vile and frightening villains I've seen in recent memory, and none of that evil is portrayed through their outward appearance. Another example I'm personally a fan of is Freiza from Dragon Ball Z. He very convincingly carries himself as the most powerful and evil being in the universe (at that time in the canon anyways) but his outward appearance is that of a small, androgynous alien. I like how Toriyama often reverses the outward appearance with the actual strength of the character, Nappa and Vegeta being another example of this.

But moving towards a more specific example, I'm highly influence by several Dracula movies, including some of the less popular ones. One that has influenced our own Dracula is the Frank Langella version. Sexuality played a much bigger role in this version, and that actually made Dracula a more convincing villain in my opinion. In this film, we see Dracula employ centuries worth of wisdom as a weapon, and he is able to easily seduce and manipulate others, all while having a "pretty" outward appearance. In fact, that attractive outward appearance just makes it easier for him to get what he wants, including prey. Compare this to a more popular version of Dracula, like Bela Lugosi. In that film, there is a scene where Dracula simply walks up to a random woman on the street and almost immediately starts attacking her. Although Bela is more outwardly villainous, his actions often aren't as convincing and thus less intimidating to me overall.

I could talk about all the other influences later, but another big factor as to why our Dracula is young and attractive is because again, he will be a playable character, the hero of his own game (Carpathain Night Prologue/2) so we need to make him appear more relatable, at least during his pre-lord of the vampires days. A big part of the reason we want a young Dracula and his origin story is also simply because we wanted our Dracula to be different from the one in Castlevania. That version varies a lot too, but he often looks like the ancient being we are all more familiar with. Carpathian Night is a tribute game, but we want to breath life into the Classicvania genre with our own interpretation of the characters, and that includes how to portray Dracula.

But don't take the long response as a rebuttal to your commentary, it has a lot of weight because the examples I gave are all from works that have much more room for character development than a video game, so I will use your critique to ensure the vampire lord version of our Dracula is sufficiently different and outwardly intimidating compared to his playable form. That being said, the story is definitely taking place during Dracula's youth, so his more traditional outward appearance will have to wait until future games, and hopefully this game series will become successful enough to make that a reality one day.

Edit:
Another point about Dracula not looking sufficiently eastern-european. That's also a good point, and you are actually on target. Another big influence to me personally is Hideo Kojima. One thing that designer has always done is base the outward appearance of his characters on a movie actor. We are doing something similar for many of the characters in Carpathian Night, including Dracula... however, the person we picked is not eastern-european so you hit the mark on that one. I'll keep that commentary in mind and forward it to our character artist. Thanks. 
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: X on September 05, 2019, 09:23:29 AM
Quote
But don't take the long response as a rebuttal to your commentary

No worries there dude. The conversation's been professional which is how I like 'em.

I just checked out the Frank Langella version of Dracula via screen shots. The actor isn't all that handsome either. I think in the end it'll be the dark magics of Dracula's Magnetism/hypnotism that'll draw in victims rather then his straight-up looks. I also think that with regards to art (the villains you've mentioned though looking pretty) are more defined by their words and their actions. I have seen my fair share of pretty boys in anime but their looks just don't do the villainy and due justice. Instead it is all succeeded by their personality and actions. That's not to say one can never achieve a successful look for their villains. But it is a rare thing to come by/create. I wish you luck  ;)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on October 09, 2019, 02:11:06 PM
Update:

(https://i.imgur.com/LxXfcrK.jpg)

I am feeling confident that the new demo will be ready for release by Halloween week. This demo will also be free and will contain all new content, including a complete graphical overhaul.

We will also be announcing an Early Access build soon, scheduled to launch early 2020, which will have much more content than either demo.

I'm excited to show what we have been working on very soon, so stay tuned!

Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on October 27, 2019, 07:48:07 AM
Updates

We showcased the latest build at Retropalooza in Arlington, Texas last weekend, and it was a huge success! It was quite popular and the booth was always busy.

(click to show/hide)

However, during the show we found several bugs that have delayed the release of the demo. If we don't finish fixing all the bugs soon, I'll release what we have in time for Halloween, then just release an updated version in November or December. Some things to know about the demo:


So no matter how unfinished the demo is by Halloween, it will be available to download, with bug fixes, gamepad support, and playable Irina coming in the form of an update over the next moth or so.

Horrified Board Game
Unrelated to the demo, I saw this game while browsing my local gaming store yesterday:
(https://i.imgur.com/NW6myuH.jpg)
As soon as I saw it I had to buy it. I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but the reviews on Board Game Geek seem fairly good. From what I understand, this is a Co-Op game and the victory conditions change based on which of the iconic Universal Monsters you are trying to defeat. For example, if Dracula is in the game, your task is to find and destroy all of his coffins. The tasks for defeating any of the other monsters is completely different, so each monster should provide a unique experience.

I'll try to find the time to play it on Halloween and give further thoughts.

Son of the Dragon
(click to show/hide)
Zydalc brought this new comic to my attention, and I picked up a copy when it released earlier this week. I haven't finished it yet, but it's very interesting so far. It's more similar to my original Wallachian Night story than anything else I've seen, including the Brother's Dracul comic I mentioned earlier in this thread. I'll try to find the time to give a full review, but at least for now, I would recommend it to Vania fans.

Steam, Early Access, and Kickstarter
Last of all, sorry for the long delays, but making games is hard. Thank you for your patience. We will not make the fans wait so long for updates in the future. Once the Halloween demo is released, we will continue to update it until it's feature complete. Once the demo is bug free, has playable Irina, and gamepad support, we will move from Itch.io over to Steam. We hope to have the new Carpathian Night demo up on Steam before the end of the year.

Early next year (around March or April) we will have an Early Access/Kickstarter build with a minimum of three complete levels, and hopefully a few optional secret levels. Those who support us by purchasing a build will continue to receive updates and new content often throughout the development of Carpathian Night. We haven't finalized a price, but it will most likely be $10 for the Early Access/Kickstarter build as well as the full game.

The delays have been long and updates infrequent, but I assure you we have been quite busy trying to make CN the best game it can possibly be.

As always, stay tuned!

Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on October 30, 2019, 07:10:46 PM
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! The new Carpathian Night demo is now available for download! Follow the link and let us know what you think!

https://carpathiannight.itch.io/carpathian-night
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: Scarlet starlet on October 31, 2019, 10:27:42 AM
The core gameplay is definitely there but there are some things I think should be reworked/improved
- Make environments a bit smaller (sometimes it feels like a country walk, action should feel tighter)
- Zombies should move faster to account for the big environments. They should notice the presence of the player character and chase after him; right now they're just standing there, expecting to be hopelessly slain. You already have gems for the "role" of stationary enemies.
^Coincidentally the best part of the demo is the boss fight, where you are locked in a small space with a relatively fast-moving and fast-attacking enemy
Also:
- Enhance the boss' sprites
- Candles should give +5 hp instead of +10 (maybe this was intentional since it's a demo, but damn that's a lot of health)
- Lock the player in place when the satyr/goatman/whatever it is plays the flute (minor thing)

Overall it has great potential. Looking forward to play the final version.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on November 04, 2019, 11:05:48 AM
Thanks for the feedback Scarlet. I can assure you the enemy behavior will grow more complex as the game progresses. I'll also take note of the comment on the compactness of the levels.

Thanks to everyone else that gave it a shot, we will be releasing updates much more frequently now. Next up, big fixes, special moves, and Irina in the next update.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: X on November 04, 2019, 06:14:32 PM
I gave this demo a try as well. My only issue here is the controls. Sometimes they fail to execute on command. I've noticed that attacking diagonally I will have to attack a second time before the command actually registers. Other times I've noticed that the character will not move depending on the attack I just executed. It's tough to explain this without an actual hands-on demonstration.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on November 05, 2019, 04:37:00 AM
X, those are known bugs. I have to refactor our character state machine to fix that, which is currently in the works. It should fix both problems. If you see any other issues let us know so we can fix those as well. Thanks for the feedback.

Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: X on November 05, 2019, 09:25:38 AM
So far those were the only issues that I noticed.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on November 05, 2019, 01:06:37 PM
(https://i.imgur.com/b4Tkm6m.jpg)
Prince Dracula- Seasoned veteran, master alchemist, graduate of Scholomance, and Lord of the Vampires.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: X on November 05, 2019, 07:08:19 PM
That's lookin' good  :)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Demo now available!
Post by: golpebaixo on November 09, 2019, 06:16:22 AM
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! The new Carpathian Night demo is now available for download! Follow the link and let us know what you think!

https://carpathiannight.itch.io/carpathian-night
it doesn't support gamepads? why?
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on November 10, 2019, 06:37:55 PM
it doesn't support gamepads? why?

We are working on a new system for gamepad support and we simply didn't finish it in time for Halloween. The original demo from a year ago had gamepad support, and we plan to have the feature back in the game soon.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on January 09, 2020, 04:44:49 PM
? ? ? ? ? ?
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on January 13, 2020, 02:25:03 PM
Upcoming CN t-shirt:

(https://i.imgur.com/3zE13so.jpg)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: X on January 14, 2020, 09:37:57 AM
That'd make an awesome T-shirt!  8)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on February 18, 2020, 02:34:00 PM
(https://i.imgur.com/M0eJJ6Q.gif)

Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: X on February 18, 2020, 05:33:30 PM
Diggin' the cave! (not literally mind you, lol). Simple in design but also expressive at the same time  8)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on February 20, 2020, 08:07:46 PM
Diggin' the cave! (not literally mind you, lol). Simple in design but also expressive at the same time  8)

These caves will be part of the upcoming Early Access demo!

Also, some footage of level 2. Experimenting with a SNES style version of the song we have been using:
https://youtu.be/oh8WqgMWuPk
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: BLOOD MONKEY on February 22, 2020, 09:10:48 AM
These caves will be part of the upcoming Early Access demo!

Also, some footage of level 2. Experimenting with a SNES style version of the song we have been using:
https://youtu.be/oh8WqgMWuPk

i dig that snes style music

i really love the way the game looks, although i can't help but feel that there's a difference in quality in some of the artwork
the characters and most of the monsters are smooth, detailed, and accurately shaded. i think these guys are pretty much perfect
the environments and some other monsters, however, honestly feel lacking in comparison. the shading is flat, there isn't much detail, and the colors a bit boring.

to say the game looks bad would be a massive overstatement. but it does look a bit uhh,,, uneven.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on February 25, 2020, 06:40:00 AM
i dig that snes style music

i really love the way the game looks, although i can't help but feel that there's a difference in quality in some of the artwork
the characters and most of the monsters are smooth, detailed, and accurately shaded. i think these guys are pretty much perfect
the environments and some other monsters, however, honestly feel lacking in comparison. the shading is flat, there isn't much detail, and the colors a bit boring.

to say the game looks bad would be a massive overstatement. but it does look a bit uhh,,, uneven.

I agree, although it would be helpful to point out some specific monsters or environments etc. A few examples of things that we are going to touch up are the wicked snake and ghost (both blend into the background and are hard to see). There are other aspects we are also going to rework, such as some of the death animations for some of the monsters. I think a game like Castlevania Bloodlines has really satisfying monster death anims/reactions, and we want to capture that level of detail ourselves. 

CN's development has always been shaped by feedback, so feel free to drop more suggestions or critiques.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on March 04, 2020, 06:10:31 PM
Please select your character:

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: X on March 04, 2020, 06:25:17 PM
Character select menu looks good  :)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on March 25, 2020, 07:03:40 PM
Past the Borgo Ruins lies a secret path to an abandoned mansion, known as 'The Guest House'. Abandoned for years, yet nobody dares to enter. A friend from an older time awaits you there.
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: BLOOD MONKEY on March 25, 2020, 10:08:35 PM
that is a GOOD LOOKING ENVIRONMENT

i'm really excited to see this game to completion man
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: X on March 26, 2020, 09:59:25 AM
That image reminds me of CV Bloodlines. It has that genesis look to it. I think it works well.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on April 13, 2020, 07:35:05 AM
It’s a secret:
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: X on April 13, 2020, 10:49:44 AM
Lovin' the look of the secret  :D
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: AlexCalvo on April 13, 2020, 05:42:33 PM
This is looking incredibly cool.  Will it be available on consoles?
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on April 13, 2020, 07:33:30 PM
This is looking incredibly cool.  Will it be available on consoles?

I definitely intend it to be, especially Switch.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on April 23, 2020, 09:16:34 AM
Another version of the Guest House preview, just a few touch ups and a little more of the level shown:

https://youtu.be/u2x5Jj8HKWk
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: BLOOD MONKEY on April 23, 2020, 10:51:21 AM
Another version of the Guest House preview, just a few touch ups and a little more of the level shown:

https://youtu.be/u2x5Jj8HKWk

fucking sick
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on April 25, 2020, 10:02:51 AM
fucking sick

(https://i.imgur.com/SMGITiU.png)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: darkmanx_429 on May 01, 2020, 06:28:55 AM
Yeah I like the art style of this game.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on May 26, 2020, 08:19:11 AM
SCHOLOMANCE
The fabled school of the devil
(https://i.imgur.com/GK2yLPW.png)
It's entrance lies hidden among the mountains surrounding Lake Hermannstadt, where aspiring disciples of Scholomance gather from all over the world.

Scholomance is composed of six different branches of dark magic. Rarely do students master more than one branch... only incredibly gifted students, such as Prince Vlad Dracula, have mastered multiple branches.

The six branches of Scholomance are as follows:

PYROMANCY: On the creation and manipulation of hellfire.

NECROMANCY: Animating and controlling the dead.

DEVIL'S ALCHEMY: On brewing deadly poisons and powerful medicine.

CONJURATION: Using portals to summon demons from the underworld.

SHAPE SHIFTING: On transforming one's body into that of an animal or demon.

WITCHCRAFT: Ancient dark magical arts that bend the will of nature.

The devil teaches these arts to his disciples so that they may spread his influence throughout the world. Many kings and emperors began their quest for power in the halls of Scholomance, and used the wicked arts to secure power and wealth.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: X on May 26, 2020, 09:33:41 AM
Well we do know that Dracula was able to master them all  8)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on June 03, 2020, 08:23:57 AM
Old SKOOL:

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: golpebaixo on June 07, 2020, 05:39:42 PM
yep, looks great.
However the dash bar is awkward.
It's such a wimpy dash that it makes no sense.
You should make it stronger with the ability to hit enemies, or change it into a tackle that can knock back the enemies.
If you want the player to use it only for faster movement, change it into a sprinting animation. That would make more sense, he would get exhausted after running as fast as he can for a few seconds.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on June 08, 2020, 10:12:46 AM
yep, looks great.
However the dash bar is awkward.
It's such a wimpy dash that it makes no sense.
You should make it stronger with the ability to hit enemies, or change it into a tackle that can knock back the enemies.
If you want the player to use it only for faster movement, change it into a sprinting animation. That would make more sense, he would get exhausted after running as fast as he can for a few seconds.

The design of the dash comes from one of my frustrations with other Classicvanias- many times, I see an enemy attack coming, I immediately begin to move out of the way, but I get hit regardless because those games tend to have slow walking speed. However, I don't see the slow walk speed as a problem, I think its a fundamental part of why Classicvanias force the player to play in a more intentional and strategic manner as opposed to faster paced "twitch reflex" games, but regardless, it has its own set of flaws that I try to mitigate.

The dash will enable the player to move out of the way when you see an incoming enemy attack, but it cannot be spammed or abused enough for it to convert the game into a faster paced action game. Giving the player too much freedom with increased movement, like Maria in Rondo, will completely break the level and enemy design which was modeled after the slower paced, more methodical style of play from the Classicvanias that inspired this game.

All that being said, yes, I have though about dashing attacks, particularly for Dorin. It is an idea we are experimenting with, and it may make it into the game if it ends of pairing up well with other special attacks.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on June 12, 2020, 10:44:31 AM
(https://i.imgur.com/23RRiIy.png)

Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: Holy Diver on June 12, 2020, 11:51:44 AM
(https://i.imgur.com/23RRiIy.png)


Ooooo, pretty
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: X on June 13, 2020, 07:22:34 PM
I find it quite amazing at how little one can put into pixel image and yet it comes out looking extraordinary! A work of art!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on June 16, 2020, 09:16:09 AM
I find it quite amazing at how little one can put into pixel image and yet it comes out looking extraordinary! A work of art!

This artist previously only made our poster and t shirt design, but now he is more committed to the project and will contribute in-game art as well. I’m looking forward to see what he comes up with, this wolf scene is just an early test for him.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: Kamirine on July 09, 2020, 10:51:18 AM
Oooo, I’ve been stalking this game on YouTube!  I can’t wait for it to release, I’m really looking forward to it!  (I need the soundtrack stat, lmao!)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on July 09, 2020, 03:53:28 PM
Oooo, I’ve been stalking this game on YouTube!  I can’t wait for it to release, I’m really looking forward to it!  (I need the soundtrack stat, lmao!)

Wow, good timing, I was just about to post a question here regarding our youtube channel. Thanks for the feedback.

Currently, we just upload short gameplay clips to our youtube channel, but I am interested in trying to make a development vlog series for Carpathian Night. I don't have experience making dev vlogs, so I'm not sure what people would want to see in them. Currently, some of my ideas for the content include:

-Exclusive gameplay footage
-Interviews with members of the development team with a focus on their specific contributions to the game
-Concept art work
-Concept level design sketches
-Commentary or reviews of the games, movies, comics, books etc that have inspired certain aspects of this project
-Storyline/Lore discussion
-Answer questions from our followers

Does any of this sound interesting? If so, which sound the most interesting? Which sound the least interesting? Is there something not on the list that you would be interested in seeing? If you already follow a dev vlog, why do you follow it and what are your favorite parts about it?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: BLOOD MONKEY on July 09, 2020, 08:14:46 PM
make a patreon
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: Kamirine on July 10, 2020, 11:48:40 AM
All of that sounds interesting!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on July 18, 2020, 08:11:17 AM
In this podcast, we talk about everything Carpathian Night! Check it out to find out more about our upcoming Steam demo. We also go over many related topics such as the sources of inspiration for CN and other details about the project.

https://wearepodcasts.podbean.com/e/we-are-bagu-s01e13-carpathian-night-with-cesar-hernandez/?fbclid=IwAR15f7T9v11JrLDogMPL9Zj7I3qIOIbo5oW592Kw8CBZT4M0SXboPVN94AE (https://wearepodcasts.podbean.com/e/we-are-bagu-s01e13-carpathian-night-with-cesar-hernandez/?fbclid=IwAR15f7T9v11JrLDogMPL9Zj7I3qIOIbo5oW592Kw8CBZT4M0SXboPVN94AE)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: Zydalc on July 29, 2020, 12:01:43 AM
Vampire version:
(https://i.imgur.com/rQLDbef.jpg)

Hopefully I'm not too late on this but I remember reading that this game is going to combine the historical Dracula with Bram Stoker's Dracula but yet this concept art is once again rehashing the Hamilton Deane Dracula with the lack of facial hair and high collared cape although iconic but it's actually nothing how Dracula is actually described in the novel where he actually looks much closer to the historical Vlad Tepes ironically enough.

This is what he actually looks like how's actually described in the book

As you can notice you've been wondering where Count Orlok from Nosferatu's look came from....Since in the novel, he's actually described being clad in black from head to toe without a single speck of color and he first appears as a old man in the beginning of the novel but he grows younger after drinking blood once he arrives in England.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on July 29, 2020, 07:12:48 AM
Hopefully I'm not too late on this but I remember reading that this game is going to combine the historical Dracula with Bram Stoker's Dracula but yet this concept art is once again rehashing the Hamilton Deane Dracula with the lack of facial hair and high collared cape although iconic but it's actually nothing how Dracula is actually described in the novel where he actually looks much closer to the historical Vlad Tepes ironically enough.

This is what he actually looks like how's actually described in the book

As you can notice you've been wondering where Count Orlok from Nosferatu's look came from....Since in the novel, he's actually described being clad in black from head to toe without a single speck of color and he first appears as a old man in the beginning of the novel but he grows younger after drinking blood once he arrives in England.

Thanks for the commentary, we will keep this in mind. We have been getting questions about our version of Dracula, so I'll elaborate here.

First, in our lore, we consider the Bram Stoker novel to be 100% canon. When this project originally started, our Dracula was not the Stoker Dracula at all, instead it was the historical Dracula, Vlad Tepes. However, we felt there was far more creative freedom when working with the fictional Stoker Dracula, so we changed the antagonist as a result.

Do we consider our Dracula to be the same person as the historical Dracula, as seen in the Coppola version of Dracula? No. We read through a lot of commentary about this topic. Many make the argument that there is enough evidence in the novels to say that Vlad Tepes and Stoker's Dracula are the same person, but I felt like the counter arguments were more convincing. In addition, sticking purely to the fictional Dracula gives us more creative freedom, so it made the most sense to make the two people separate.

Regarding Dracula's appearance. You're right, the Dracula described in the Stoker novel looks different from Dracula's mainstream image, but our excuse is that the novel takes places in the 19th century, while Carpathian Night takes place in the 15th century. If we ever need to portray Dracula in the time period of the novel, I do fully intend to portray him as he is described in the novel. We are using Carpathian Night as a sort of origin story for Dracula. In this time period, Dracula has only been a vampire lord for a few years, and before that, he was a living, breathing human leading his army against the invading Turks. However, against such overwhelming force, even the brilliant and gifted Dracula fell to the might of the greatest empire in the world... but death will not stop the young prince, it will only strengthen him as he returns later as Lord of the Vampires, with an army of the dead at his back, and finely harnessed dark magic learned at Scholomance, from the devil himself.

As for the Count Orlok version... we don't plan on referencing that in this game, but if there is ever a CN sequel, I already have big plans for a villain that takes heavy inspiration from Orlok's design.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: Zydalc on July 29, 2020, 09:58:13 AM
Thanks for the commentary, we will keep this in mind. We have been getting questions about our version of Dracula, so I'll elaborate here.

First, in our lore, we consider the Bram Stoker novel to be 100% canon. When this project originally started, our Dracula was not the Stoker Dracula at all, instead it was the historical Dracula, Vlad Tepes. However, we felt there was far more creative freedom when working with the fictional Stoker Dracula, so we changed the antagonist as a result.

Do we consider our Dracula to be the same person as the historical Dracula, as seen in the Coppola version of Dracula? No. We read through a lot of commentary about this topic. Many make the argument that there is enough evidence in the novels to say that Vlad Tepes and Stoker's Dracula are the same person, but I felt like the counter arguments were more convincing. In addition, sticking purely to the fictional Dracula gives us more creative freedom, so it made the most sense to make the two people separate.

Regarding Dracula's appearance. You're right, the Dracula described in the Stoker novel looks different from Dracula's mainstream image, but our excuse is that the novel takes places in the 19th century, while Carpathian Night takes place in the 15th century. If we ever need to portray Dracula in the time period of the novel, I do fully intend to portray him as he is described in the novel. We are using Carpathian Night as a sort of origin story for Dracula. In this time period, Dracula has only been a vampire lord for a few years, and before that, he was a living, breathing human leading his army against the invading Turks. However, against such overwhelming force, even the brilliant and gifted Dracula fell to the might of the greatest empire in the world... but death will not stop the young prince, it will only strengthen him as he returns later as Lord of the Vampires, with an army of the dead at his back, and finely harnessed dark magic learned at Scholomance, from the devil himself.

As for the Count Orlok version... we don't plan on referencing that in this game, but if there is ever a CN sequel, I already have big plans for a villain that takes heavy inspiration from Orlok's design.

More than anything, I guess Dracula in Carpathian Night can look more like this (https://www.artstation.com/artwork/YwbbY) perhaps? Imagine him wearing all black armor

All I'm saying is ditch the mainstream Hamilton Deane Dracula since it's far been overused and there's no need to rehash it. 

As for Orlok I never said to include him at all in this game but rather I was trying to point out that Orlok's all clad in black suit attire is exactly how Dracula himself is described in the novel therefore Dracula himself should reclaim that image that is now usually associated with Orlok.

Although at the same time though Orlok has a different origin than Dracula who was a spawn of Belial according to the film and there isn't much more than that so I guess he can fit somewhere in a sequel though being a more twisted and rat like reflection or mockery of Dracula himself whose a carrier of the black plague that is given the fact he was originally created as a Stand In character to avoid copyright issues but failed miserably when Stoker's Widow ordered all copies of the film to be destroyed but only pirated versions survived of course.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on July 29, 2020, 11:01:10 AM
More than anything, I guess Dracula in Carpathian Night can look more like this (https://www.artstation.com/artwork/YwbbY) perhaps? Imagine him wearing all black armor

All I'm saying is ditch the mainstream Hamilton Deane Dracula since it's far been overused and there's no need to rehash it. 

These are all good points. It will make me consider this aspect more. In CN, Dracula is fresh out of Scholomance, so maybe his costume should reflect that. What would the lord of the vampires and recent graduate of Scholomance be wearing in the 15th century? Interesting things for me and the team to think about.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: Zydalc on July 29, 2020, 11:31:57 AM
These are all good points. It will make me consider this aspect more. In CN, Dracula is fresh out of Scholomance, so maybe his costume should reflect that. What would the lord of the vampires and recent graduate of Scholomance be wearing in the 15th century? Interesting things for me and the team to think about.

Well since he's a Vampire Dark Overlord, I guess should be wearing all black armor with dragon imagery therefore alluding his future novel description.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: X on July 29, 2020, 06:30:48 PM
You guys can also study up on armour and noble outfits of 15th century Romania and see what designs you can cook up.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on August 20, 2020, 07:05:55 AM
Few are capable of surviving the horrors that await in the Borgo Pass... those who endure will reach the gates to the ancient Castle Dracula, where the nightmare truly begins!

(click to show/hide)

Other updates:

The next demo will likely contain some remixed levels I have been experimenting with. I call them "Wicked" levels- they are remixed versions of the regular levels designed to be extra difficult. I will modify the level geometry, and the lineup of monsters, traps, and obstacles. Here is a short preview of the Wicked version of Borgo Ruins 1:

https://youtu.be/Ez5IKRNjU-s (https://youtu.be/Ez5IKRNjU-s)

If these Wicked levels are received well in the upcoming demo, I'll move forward with my plan to make a Wicked version of every level in the game.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: X on August 20, 2020, 10:00:37 AM
You were doing so good until the torch fire knocked you into the pit! Old school death right there  ;D

What you have looks good. And also the enemies redesigns look good too.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: Zydalc on September 01, 2020, 11:20:34 PM
You guys can also study up on armour and noble outfits of 15th century Romania and see what designs you can cook up.


BTW I think I've found some

(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/7a/0e/62/7a0e6244ef4db0861a78b17110b70133.jpg)

(https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/923e6cbe-6d12-4daf-990b-8b42b755d297/db2tihp-7d80811c-1f6f-4c82-9780-d1286717b9e8.jpg/v1/fill/w_1024,h_570,q_75,strp/vlad_iii_the_impaler_prince_of_wallachia_by_thelastparanoid_db2tihp-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD01NzAiLCJwYXRoIjoiXC9mXC85MjNlNmNiZS02ZDEyLTRkYWYtOTkwYi04YjQyYjc1NWQyOTdcL2RiMnRpaHAtN2Q4MDgxMWMtMWY2Zi00YzgyLTk3ODAtZDEyODY3MTdiOWU4LmpwZyIsIndpZHRoIjoiPD0xMDI0In1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.wsC22hoVnSWnfQiCmuSsMeifOciZWq66ZYRlnTn60G0)

(https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/08a850a8-2d0a-44d0-a266-e5e3e15d30da/d83sk5p-ed228c7b-4409-4bf3-8972-3716894cdddc.jpg/v1/fill/w_1024,h_1230,q_75,strp/vlad_the_impaler__monster_or_hero__by_dashinvaine_d83sk5p-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD0xMjMwIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvMDhhODUwYTgtMmQwYS00NGQwLWEyNjYtZTVlM2UxNWQzMGRhXC9kODNzazVwLWVkMjI4YzdiLTQ0MDktNGJmMy04OTcyLTM3MTY4OTRjZGRkYy5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTAyNCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.BZ8cghi6dFFPN1_tjkPSJ8y1X1H73FJURnzGqfn6fc8)

(https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/092ed945-7be4-4d35-8beb-bf65931f2fbf/d6mvv18-0b71670b-5a26-426f-ab4f-14692dc47ee1.jpg/v1/fill/w_1024,h_1707,q_75,strp/vlad_the_impaler___personal_project_by_catalinianos_d6mvv18-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD0xNzA3IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvMDkyZWQ5NDUtN2JlNC00ZDM1LThiZWItYmY2NTkzMWYyZmJmXC9kNm12djE4LTBiNzE2NzBiLTVhMjYtNDI2Zi1hYjRmLTE0NjkyZGM0N2VlMS5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTAyNCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.RGqBnEMSwTBRmp45sTWDxBAvCZ7MwUwfq2Is-alZPSw)

(https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/092ed945-7be4-4d35-8beb-bf65931f2fbf/d8tbv5f-c4593fcb-64f8-445c-b44c-9922bd6f1b41.jpg/v1/fill/w_1024,h_607,q_75,strp/vlad_the_impaler___fantasy_art_by_catalinianos_d8tbv5f-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD02MDciLCJwYXRoIjoiXC9mXC8wOTJlZDk0NS03YmU0LTRkMzUtOGJlYi1iZjY1OTMxZjJmYmZcL2Q4dGJ2NWYtYzQ1OTNmY2ItNjRmOC00NDVjLWI0NGMtOTkyMmJkNmYxYjQxLmpwZyIsIndpZHRoIjoiPD0xMDI0In1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.z6g8LPXu4zr7WCNDvnPT3RuiFsS8eGeSxkRqf13ONb0)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on September 02, 2020, 04:56:38 AM
DOPE reference images. Thanks a lot!

Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: Zydalc on September 02, 2020, 10:33:15 AM
DOPE reference images. Thanks a lot!

You're welcome, well I guess I'm hoping for Dracula to appear in a full suit of black armor with the Order of the Dragon Symbol on it's chest plate or something.

Another thing according to Stoker's notes that Dracula can also change his size at will meaning he can appear very tall, menacing and imposing as Mathias Dracula was in the Castlevania series therefore players can a have a better detailed look on his sprite.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0228814294/?coliid=I1B8U8VAHXRNDS&colid=3N8HM7HAGAQT9&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0228814294/?coliid=I1B8U8VAHXRNDS&colid=3N8HM7HAGAQT9&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it)

 
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on September 11, 2020, 07:27:37 AM
The battle against Dracula begins long before the castle gates-first you must traverse the horrors of the Borgo Pass.

Below is a preview of our level select screen for the opening act of Carpathian Night, the Borgo Pass. As the player, you will be able to freely choose which level to play, as long as you have unlocked it. If you missed any of the secret items, hidden lore, or hidden passages within a level, you can always simply return and replay at any time.
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: X on September 11, 2020, 09:23:38 AM
That image looks like a classic arcade screenshot!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Halloween 2019 Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on September 15, 2020, 12:44:51 PM
Twitch and YouTube update!

(https://cdn.iconscout.com/icon/free/png-256/twitch-20-721977.png)

For those interested in some behind the scenes look at the development of Carpathian Night, we will begin streaming game development sessions on Twitch starting in October. As always, I will be happy to discuss any aspect of the game, and its sources of inspiration, with anyone watching the stream. I will try to make the experience interactive, so be sure to drop by once we finalize our schedule. I will be the host, but I do plan on rotating in other members of the team onto the stream as well.

For those of you who can't fit the stream into your schedule, we also plan on posting short development vlogs on YouTube as well.

More info coming soon!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on September 22, 2020, 06:20:08 PM
Transylvania - 1451.

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: Zydalc on September 28, 2020, 10:38:32 PM
So that means we're playing as a Vampire in this game?

Also I wonder if we're going to fight demons and mythological creatures just like the Castlevania games assuming Dracula also has control over the forces of hell due to being the "Prince of Darkness"?

I guess it also means once we reach inside the Castle we're going to fight the undead usurpers that Dracula slaughtered and resurrected as bosses? Also what about battling the Weird Sisters/Brides as well?

Also I wonder if you got that book (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0228814294/?coliid=I1B8U8VAHXRNDS&colid=3N8HM7HAGAQT9&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it) I've linked which details about Dracula's powers and weaknesses which can be implemented in this game?
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on September 29, 2020, 08:01:10 AM
So that means we're playing as a Vampire in this game?
If you choose to play as Irina, yes. In place of subweapons, each of the two playable characters will have a distinct set of special abilities, Irina's reflecting her vampiric powers and previous training in Scholomance, while Abbot Dorin will conjure miracles and other types of blessed/holy magic.

Also I wonder if we're going to fight demons and mythological creatures just like the Castlevania games assuming Dracula also has control over the forces of hell due to being the "Prince of Darkness"?

The monster lineup will be quite varied. Demons in particular would represent the Conjuration school of Scholomance, but there will be many other foes that represent the other five schools. So the school of Necromancy will represent Necromancers, skeletons, zombies, vampires etc. while the Shape Shifting school will represent werewolves, werebears, and were-anything else. Some monsters will be a combination of multiple schools, such as the Lych being a combination of Witchcraft and Necromancy. Dracula in particular will be a crossover of all six schools of Scholomance, since he alone has mastered all six of the dark arts.

This game is also a tribute to classic horror cinema, so we hope to work in some of those monster icons into this game as well.

I guess it also means once we reach inside the Castle we're going to fight the undead usurpers that Dracula slaughtered and resurrected as bosses? Also what about battling the Weird Sisters/Brides as well?
8)

Also I wonder if you got that book (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0228814294/?coliid=I1B8U8VAHXRNDS&colid=3N8HM7HAGAQT9&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it) I've linked which details about Dracula's powers and weaknesses which can be implemented in this game?
I do have a lot of reference material, and I did plan to include this book into my collection as well. Whatever is canon in Bram Stoker's novel for Dracula's abilities is fair game as far as which abilities he will use against you when you battle him.

Since Dracula's powers are so varied, we do intend to have more than one battle against him in this game... at least two.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on October 28, 2020, 05:40:44 AM
Updates!

Progress on the Steam demo is going well. This next demo will be our final demo, but it will be the best yet.

Playable Levels:
Borgo Ruins I (updated from 2019 demo)
Underground Passage (new)
Borgo Ruins II (new)

I also plan on adding the "Wicked" version of each of these levels, for a total of six levels.

Other features:

Lore Pages: There are pages of lore hidden throughout each level. We plan to include 12 hidden pages in this demo.

Languages: The demo will include English and Spanish options, possibly more.

Level Select Screen: As demonstrated above, the player will be able to navigate a level select map.
(click to show/hide)

Rating System: Your performance for each level will be graded and shown at the end of each level. You can always replay levels to improve your rating.
(click to show/hide)

Dorin and Irina playable : Both characters will be playable for this demo.

Skill Unlock System : In place of subweapon pickups, you will be able to unlock special attacks and equip your preferred skill at any time. We will also include new special attacks for each hero.

Save feature: You can now save your progress, and the demo's % complete will be displayed on that save file entry, similar to how Rondo keeps tracks of your % completed

Difficulty Levels: When creating a new game, you can select a difficulty level. However, it cannot be changed after the save file is created.
Easy - Enemies do half damage, health pickup values x2
Normal - Difficulty seen in previous demos, the default.
Hard - Enemies do x2 damage, health pickup values / 2
One Hit - You die from a single hit from any enemy or hazard

Music: This demo will contain new tracks that have not been shown before

Other Updates:
Rebalancing some of the monster behavior
Playable Characters move a bit faster
Environmental art updates

Twitch
We finally got our Twitch setup ready, but we have not started streaming yet. We are currently at 0 followers, so I encourage you to follow us!
(https://i.imgur.com/2NbC0QQ.jpg)
https://www.twitch.tv/tezcatek (https://www.twitch.tv/tezcatek)

As mentioned above, we plan for this to be the final demo. After this demo is released, the next big release will be Early Access, which will include the entire Borgo Pass section of the game. The Early Access build will not be too far off, as we have a lot of the levels for it already done.

I apologize for the long wait between updates, but we want the Steam demo to be as good as it can possibly be, because we plan on looking for a publishing partner or starting a crowdfunding campaign, which would boost development speed significantly. Thank you for your patience and stay tuned!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: Zydalc on October 31, 2020, 08:15:31 PM
I was wondering if you could make the game very gory as Blasphemous was?

Like for example gory death animations for the enemies, fatalities, etc?
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on November 02, 2020, 08:11:54 AM
I was wondering if you could make the game very gory as Blasphemous was?

Like for example gory death animations for the enemies, fatalities, etc?

We want to avoid an M rating from the ESRB, so that would be unlikely. We do intent to spruce up our monster death animations, because we feel they are a bit plain at the moment, but we won't go into fatality territory. When we demoed CN at conventions, people of all ages lined up to play through the demo. We wish to maintain the wider appeal the game currently has, especially considering that I have very fond memories of discovering Castlevania as a kid back in the NES days.



Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on December 09, 2020, 01:20:56 PM
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on December 31, 2020, 11:33:37 AM
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on January 21, 2021, 09:59:29 AM
Carpathian Night Steam page is up! Wishlist and follow as we prepare the next demo build!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1445740/Carpathian_Night/
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on January 22, 2021, 08:25:13 AM
Development Update video is up!

https://youtu.be/Mv3LZ4ui4lM

We moved to this new youtube channel, so be sure to subscribe!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: Zydalc on January 22, 2021, 01:14:59 PM
Development Update video is up!

https://youtu.be/Mv3LZ4ui4lM

We moved to this new youtube channel, so be sure to subscribe!

In 1:28 in the video, that's still the typical Hamiltion Deane/Bela Lugosi Dracula and not how he's actually described in the book.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: Kamirine on January 22, 2021, 01:54:04 PM
Carpathian Night Steam page is up! Wishlist and follow as we prepare the next demo build!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1445740/Carpathian_Night/

Neat!  I’ll wishlist it as soon as I get home!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on January 22, 2021, 03:05:45 PM
In 1:28 in the video, that's still the typical Hamiltion Deane/Bela Lugosi Dracula and not how he's actually described in the book.

Our Dracula isn't finalized, this is our current placeholder.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on February 16, 2021, 08:05:58 AM
Irina Dracul
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: X on February 16, 2021, 09:13:58 AM
Oooo, nice  ;)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: Zydalc on February 18, 2021, 12:43:24 AM
I actually quote disagree to call vampirism objectively a 'curse' which the brand from the Scholomance actually isn't where it's just a easier way to achieve immortality via cheating mortal death and raising from the dead I would assume and plus they have the "best verson" and most powerful forms of vampirism available as well compared to others.

The whole "curse" narrative is just a modern day vampire invention from Anne Rice and VtM with "woe is me" angst although it was originally a perspective like Varney the Vampire for example viewed his to be such hence why the light of the full moon keeps resurrecting him for example where the universe wants him alive to pay for his crimes well just like Lord Ruthven similarly enough who instead revels in his murderous habits with women.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on February 18, 2021, 06:58:20 AM
The use of "curse" in my wording doesn't have much significance outside of trying to keep a dark tone running throughout the paragraph.

To be more specific for our in-game lore, there are three types of vampires.

1) Vampires - These are the weakest type, and are created by other vampires. Their mind can be manipulated and controlled by their master, if the vampire that created them is sufficiently capable. These vampires are basically minions and slaves to other vampires.

2) Greater Vampires - Irina Dracul is a greater vampire. These vampires are much stronger and capable than regular vampires, but they can only be created by Satan himself. Just like the devil carefully hand picks those worthy of studying at Scholomance, the devil is equally selective at deciding who to bestow these powers upon. Hard requirements aren't explicitly stated anywhere, but those who have been transformed into greater vampires are usually people who are wealthy and powerful, adept and dedicated to the dark arts, and committed to spreading the influence of the devil throughout the world. Greater vampires answer only to the devil himself, and the devil's greatest ally, the Lord of the Vampires. 

3) Lord of the Vampires - There is only one Lord of the Vampires at any time. The only beings that can achieve this form are greater vampires that have earned the title of "Keeper" within Scholomance. The keeper student of each class is the student that has achieved greater mastery over the dark arts than any of his peers. However, the keeper is not required to become Lord of the Vampires - for the only way to earn the title is to challenge and kill the current Lord of the Vampires. Only keeper students have the ability to challenge the current Lord. What else differentiates Lord from a greater vampire? Only the Lord of the Vampires has command over the army of the dead, an army that grows stronger as it spreads and is reinforced by demons from hell.

Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on March 09, 2021, 06:44:44 AM
Quick update.

I'll be doing Twitch streaming of CN Development several days per week now. I haven't finalized what time of the day I'll be doing it, but I'm going to experiment this week. I'll be on around 1:00pm US Central time.
https://www.twitch.tv/tezcatek (https://www.twitch.tv/tezcatek)

Also, we are moving forward with attempting a Kickstarter campaign. I'll ask for feedback from you guys before it goes live, because I don't have experience with crowdfunding and I need all the feedback I can get. A lot of work goes into making these campaigns, so launch is planned for three months from now.

As for the demo, sorry about the wait, but it will certainly be ready long before the Kickstarter, as it will be a fundamental part of the campaign.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on March 12, 2021, 08:58:17 AM
(https://i.imgur.com/RvZxCQR.png)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: theplottwist on March 12, 2021, 11:57:35 AM
That lookin' super nice ????
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: X on March 12, 2021, 10:07:06 PM
Agreed!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on March 19, 2021, 01:04:55 PM
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: X on March 19, 2021, 06:13:05 PM
Very Noice.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on March 20, 2021, 06:52:32 AM
Very Noice.

Thanks, I'm also quite happy with how the character art turned out.

In other news, the demo is coming along really well. Again, sorry for the wait, but it will be worth it for this demo. It will have a lot more content than anything we have released before! In general, development speed has picked up lately due to my schedule being freed up and the addition of new members of the team.

Stay tunned!


Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on April 20, 2021, 06:19:21 AM
UPDATE

I'm cutting the scope of the demo so I can release it sooner. It won't have all of the features mentioned previously, but it will still have 3 levels, and I will also try to include the Wicked variants of each level. Considering that we have to launch our Kickstarter in early June, we will probably release the next demo somewhere around May 15th, to leave us a bit of time for additional bug fixing and polish before the KS campaign begins.

(click to show/hide)

The best way you can help us is by playing the demo and notifying us of any bugs you encounter. General feedback is also always appreciated. Again, sorry for the long wait, but making games is hard and I don't like to release anything until I'm satisfied with it.

I will post updates here leading up to the launch of the demo, but MID-MAY is our can't-miss target date range.

Stay tuned!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on April 28, 2021, 11:08:26 AM
We are happy to announce that Carpathian Night will be coming to Xbox!

(https://i.imgur.com/qMydUiu.jpg)

Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: Gunlord on April 29, 2021, 06:48:56 PM
Nice!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on May 05, 2021, 07:35:11 AM
(https://i.imgur.com/fDkKy6w.jpg)
Prince Dracula (1416 - 1446)
Seasoned veteran, graduate of Scholomance, commander of the Army of the Dead, and Lord of the Vampires.

The undead prince commands his army from his ancestral home, the ancient Castle Dracula. He is tremendously gifted, one of the very few to have mastered all six of the dark arts.

In life, Dracula’s brilliance, ferocity, and ruthlessness struck terror into the heart of the invading empire. In death, Dracula is unquestionably the most powerful and dangerous being in the world.

Relics

The Life: A vampiric sword that answers only to the Lord of the Vampires. It cuts cleanly, immediately absorbing any blood it touches. It's wielder can absorb the stored blood to grow stronger and age backwards, and each successful strike drains the life and stamina of its prey.

Plate of the Dead : A set of armor forged in the pits of hell, completely invulnerable to mortal weapons. It was created for the commander of the Army of the Dead, and any wicked being that sees it knows to obey without question.

Mantle of Scholomance: The most adept and able student of Scholomance is deemed "Keeper" by the devil, and becomes his most loyal and dangerous servant. The Mantle of Scholomance symbolizes the Keeper status of its wearer. It is indestructible, and can shield its wearer from divine forces. Other students of Scholomance are granted enchanted capes similar to this one, but only the Mantle of Scholomance has the enlarged collar, making its wearer easily identifiable as the Keeper student of the devil.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: X on May 05, 2021, 09:31:34 AM
Interesting choice of dates. It's almost as if he isn't Dracula (Vlad III) but Dracul (Vlad II).
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on May 05, 2021, 10:18:05 AM
Interesting choice of dates. It's almost as if he isn't Dracula (Vlad III) but Dracul (Vlad II).

Almost. You are correct in determining that this is not the Wallachian prince Vlad Tepes Dracula, as he would still be a child/teen at the end of that time range. However, this Dracula is not Vlad Dracul either.

For Carpathian Night, our Dracula is the Bram Stoker Dracula. As part of the research for this game, I read many debates between scholars on the subject of whether Stoker's Dracula is actually meant to be the historical Vlad Tepes- regardless of which side is correct, we wanted our Dracula to be a separate person from the historical Dracula for many reasons, but most importantly, because using a purely fictional character gives us more creative freedom. If you look back at the beginning of this thread, back when the game was called "Wallachian Night" and featured the historical Vlad Tepes as the main antagonist, I expressed my frustrations with the lack of creative control I had due to selecting a real life person as one of the main characters.

We will mention the historical Dracula in the game, as part of a lore entry, mentioning that he was taken hostage along with his brother, but that will be the extent of the historical Dracula's presence within Carpathian Night. Additionally, the lore will mention that the (Stoker) Draculas did not take their name from a church organization (Order of the Dragon), but comes from the family's long standing association with Scholomance, and the ability of the Keeper student to ride the bone dragon.

The confusion will be inevitable, but we will be sure to clearly separate the Stoker Dracula from the historical Dracula within the game. 
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: Zydalc on May 17, 2021, 02:41:51 PM
(https://i.imgur.com/fDkKy6w.jpg)
Prince Dracula (1416 - 1446)
Seasoned veteran, graduate of Scholomance, commander of the Army of the Dead, and Lord of the Vampires.

The undead prince commands his army from his ancestral home, the ancient Castle Dracula. He is tremendously gifted, one of the very few to have mastered all six of the dark arts.

In life, Dracula’s brilliance, ferocity, and ruthlessness struck terror into the heart of the invading empire. In death, Dracula is unquestionably the most powerful and dangerous being in the world.

Relics

The Life: A vampiric sword that answers only to the Lord of the Vampires. It cuts cleanly, immediately absorbing any blood it touches. It's wielder can absorb the stored blood to grow stronger and age backwards, and each successful strike drains the life and stamina of its prey.

Plate of the Dead : A set of armor forged in the pits of hell, completely invulnerable to mortal weapons. It was created for the commander of the Army of the Dead, and any wicked being that sees it knows to obey without question.

Mantle of Scholomance: The most adept and able student of Scholomance is deemed "Keeper" by the devil, and becomes his most loyal and dangerous servant. The Mantle of Scholomance symbolizes the Keeper status of its wearer. It is indestructible, and can shield its wearer from divine forces. Other students of Scholomance are granted enchanted capes similar to this one, but only the Mantle of Scholomance has the enlarged collar, making its wearer easily identifiable as the Keeper student of the devil.

Edit: I just now read this is Prince Dracula not the actual Vlad the Impaler and I've just jumped into conclusions lambasting that this isn't exactly accurate to the novel.

Although I think he still needs to loose that High Collared cape since that originated from a stage play from Hamilton Deane.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on May 17, 2021, 04:07:56 PM
Although I think he still needs to loose that High Collared cape since that originated from a stage play from Hamilton Deane.

We considered many options for this, but the idea I thought was most fun was to add our own lore to the cape and give a story reason for why Dracula would be wearing it. You are correct, the cape was never in the novel, but comes from the stage play and popularized by the films. Since Carpathian Night pays tribute to the classic monster film era, it only made sense to keep the collared cape. To bridge the gap between the films and original novel, we added the explanation that the cape symbolizes the keeper student of Scholomance, giving Dracula a reason to wear it. Finally, it doesn’t directly contradict the novel because our Dracula story takes place in the 15th century, while the story of the Dracula novel takes place in the 19th century.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: Zydalc on May 17, 2021, 04:34:46 PM
Since Carpathian Night pays tribute to the classic monster film era, it only made sense to keep the collared cape.

I think this is where the main problem lies since the classic monster films had nothing to do with the original novel at all and it's what exactly tainted Dracula's image forever and you're only continuing it. Count Orlok from Nosferatu is actually the closest to how Dracula is actually described in the book minus the rat like face.

Quote
Finally, it doesn’t directly contradict the novel because our Dracula story takes place in the 15th century, while the story of the Dracula novel takes place in the 19th century.

Actually it does and just in case if you're wondering what I've originally written about the design above, it's also completely inaccurate to how Dracula is described in the book not only the high collared cape but also he lacks facial hair and looks like a typical goth pretty boy than anything resembling Vlad the Impaler himself that is.

It seems that my previous concept (https://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/index.php?topic=9395.msg212135#msg212135) suggestions (https://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/index.php?topic=9395.msg212267#msg212267) have all been ignored here and you had every opportunity to portray a Book accurate Dracula but instead you've once again fallen into pop-cultural omasis.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on May 18, 2021, 06:52:45 AM
I think this is where the main problem lies since the classic monster films had nothing to do with the original novel at all and it's what exactly tainted Dracula's image forever and you're only continuing it.

I don't think that's a fair assessment. As inaccurate as the stage and film adaptations can be, they certainly helped cement Dracula as a timeless horror icon that is easily recognized the world over, and made the character successful in different mediums outside of the original novel. These successful films and plays only helped to immortalize Stoker and his vampiric creation. I also find no reason to be upset over the collared cape being more recognizable than Stoker's design, as nothing will stop the original novel from being considered a timeless classic that will be read worldwide for generations to come.

Actually it does and just in case if you're wondering what I've originally written about the design above, it's also completely inaccurate to how Dracula is described in the book not only the high collared cape but also he lacks facial hair and looks like a typical goth pretty boy than anything resembling Vlad the Impaler himself that is.
 
The book describes a 19th century Dracula who has already been a vampires for centuries, while our story serves as his origin story in the 15th century. Since there are several centuries between the two versions of Dracula, it only makes sense that they would look different and have a different costume.

And no, we don't want our Dracula to look like Vlad the Impaler because he is not Vlad the Impaler. Again, as part of our research, we saw many argue that Stoker's Dracula was literally meant to be the historical Vlad the Impaler, while others argue that Stoker's Dracula is merely inspired by the historical figure, but was never meant to be considered the same person. We are less interested in which side of this debate is the correct one, and more interested in which side is a better fit for our game. For many reasons on top of the one's I've already explained, we felt like it was a better choice to make the two Draculas separate and distinct in our version of the lore. 

As far as his "pretty boy" looks, since our story serves as an origin story, we wanted a young Dracula, a human in his physical prime, young and strong enough to charge out into the battlefield against the invading empire. He is also a prince from an old and wealthy family, so its not a stretch to believe that a young, human Dracula would be handsome looking during his early adulthood.

It seems that my previous concept (https://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/index.php?topic=9395.msg212135#msg212135) suggestions (https://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/index.php?topic=9395.msg212267#msg212267) have all been ignored here

That is not true, as our Dracula is completely covered in armor. Your suggestions did help guide the design of our Dracula. Want further proof that you aren't being ignored? Look below.
(click to show/hide)

you had every opportunity to portray a Book accurate Dracula but instead you've once again fallen into pop-cultural omasis.
From the very beginning, Carpathian Night was meant to be a tribute to Super Castlevania IV, the classic era of the Castlevania series, and the classic monster films that inspired them. We have never deviated from that, and our current build of the game already includes several monsters from those films including many other references. We never meant to prioritize accuracy of the novel above all else, this game was built on the foundations of the "Monster Mash" trope.

If the project isn't to your liking, all we can say is that we're sorry, but we can't satisfy everyone. I do in fact listen to everyone's suggestions, and they do help guide the design of Carpathian Night, but the team has the final say on which details best fit the vision of the project. Sorry that it's not turning out how you hoped, but we are happy with the choices we have made so far and will continue to interact with the community to help guide us to the conclusion of this project.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: Zydalc on May 18, 2021, 10:02:31 AM
I don't think that's a fair assessment. As inaccurate as the stage and film adaptations can be, they certainly helped cement Dracula as a timeless horror icon that is easily recognized the world over, and made the character successful in different mediums outside of the original novel. These successful films and plays only helped to immortalize Stoker and his vampiric creation. I also find no reason to be upset over the collared cape being more recognizable than Stoker's design, as nothing will stop the original novel from being considered a timeless classic that will be read worldwide for generations to come.


Although this doesn't mean that the Stage/Film version of Dracula has to keep getting rehashed over and over again therefore never having any opportunity to take Dracula back to his roots before all of that while Stoker's original design is subconsciously keeps getting regulated to Count Orlok.

The reason I don't like that High Collared cape is because it's exaggerated and elaborate if not very hammy outside the context of a Stage play it originated from where it's actually implausible for Dracula would be wearing something like that at all.
 

Quote
As far as his "pretty boy" looks, since our story serves as an origin story, we wanted a young Dracula, a human in his physical prime, young and strong enough to charge out into the battlefield against the invading empire. He is also a prince from an old and wealthy family, so its not a stretch to believe that a young, human Dracula would be handsome looking during his early adulthood.

Well Dracula in the original book wasn't described as a goth pretty boy since he originally sported a large, bushy mustache and having a profuse head of dense, curly hair, massive eyebrows, hairy palms and clawed hands and even when he grew younger in London he wasn't anywhere near that at all since I've already posted pictures what Dracula was originally described.

Well here's how Dracula is described in the book:

Quote
Within, stood a tall old man, clean shaven save for a long white moustache, and clad in black from head to foot, without a single speck of colour about him anywhere. His face was a strong, a very strong, aquiline, with high bridge of the thin nose and peculiarly arched nostrils, with lofty domed forehead, and hair growing scantily round the temples but profusely elsewhere. His eyebrows were very massive, almost meeting over the nose, and with bushy hair that seemed to curl in its own profusion. The mouth, so far as I could see it under the heavy moustache, was fixed and rather cruel-looking, with peculiarly sharp white teeth. These protruded over the lips, whose remarkable ruddiness showed astonishing vitality in a man of his years. For the rest, his ears were pale, and at the tops extremely pointed. The chin was broad and strong, and the cheeks firm though thin. The general effect was one of extraordinary pallor.


Quote
If the project isn't to your liking, all we can say is that we're sorry, but we can't satisfy everyone. I do in fact listen to everyone's suggestions, and they do help guide the design of Carpathian Night, but the team has the final say on which details best fit the vision of the project. Sorry that it's not turning out how you hoped, but we are happy with the choices we have made so far and will continue to interact with the community to help guide us to the conclusion of this project.

Well I consider myself more of a Book purist if anything else that is.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on May 18, 2021, 02:49:26 PM
We are excited to announce that Carpathian Night will be coming to Playstation platforms!

(https://i.imgur.com/oyx1gBB.jpg)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: theplottwist on May 19, 2021, 06:44:14 AM
Congrats dude! Can't wait to see it!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on May 19, 2021, 02:02:11 PM
Congrats dude! Can't wait to see it!

Thanks! Hopefully we will have another similar announcement coming very soon...
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on May 28, 2021, 05:51:26 AM
Demo update! We are nearing completion on the demo, but we will need some additional time for bug testing. For those who don't want to wait, here is a very small teaser below (spoiler):

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: X on May 28, 2021, 09:45:52 AM
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on June 01, 2021, 02:54:42 PM
And finally, we would also like to announce that Carpathian Night will be coming to Nintendo Switch!

(https://i.imgur.com/TQIfgv9.jpg)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: Gunlord on June 02, 2021, 08:50:01 AM
Nice! :D
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on June 18, 2021, 03:21:24 PM
The Carpathian Night OST is on Apple Music and iTunes! Spotify in the near future! It's not the complete soundtrack but we will continue to add new songs over time.

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/super-warmech/1572892388 (https://music.apple.com/us/artist/super-warmech/1572892388)

Additionally, our composer, Dan Aaron/Super Warmech just released his debut album, Rediscovery/Rebuild. If you dig the Carpathian Night soundtrack, be sure to check it out!

https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/danaaron/rediscoveryrebuild-2?fbclid=IwAR08VPXtyL_5jUCg4uodcHKafoNfn4R25OkEwKPFnYwvY-G50zJiuVCL_uw (https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/danaaron/rediscoveryrebuild-2?fbclid=IwAR08VPXtyL_5jUCg4uodcHKafoNfn4R25OkEwKPFnYwvY-G50zJiuVCL_uw)

Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on June 20, 2021, 10:02:17 AM
(https://i.imgur.com/UCwr4Pm.png)
Iscariot
An ancient Greater Devil, Grandmaster Pyromancer, and Dracula's most loyal and dangerous servant. Two centuries ago, Iscariot served Irina Dracul, but they eventually turned on each other when Iscariot discovered Irina's plans to defect. During the great battle, Irina, with the help of a Kelemen monk, was able to overcome the wicked devil and destroyed his body. The immortal devil has since regenerated once again in the pits of Hell, and his anger and hatred for Irina has simmered for centuries. He will aid Dracula in any way that will help them capture Irina and anybody that aids her. 
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on June 22, 2021, 02:01:34 PM
(https://i.imgur.com/SXsnPE3.png)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: X on June 22, 2021, 06:35:59 PM
With each update your game is shaping up to looking really well. Keep going!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on June 24, 2021, 05:30:27 AM
With each update your game is shaping up to looking really well. Keep going!

Our momentum is greater than it has ever been! We wont ever stop. The best is yet to come!

Demo Update
I'm running late, as usual. Found some remaining issues that need some time. It's really close to completion, and I'm really excited to release it. Strong possibility that it can drop as soon as next week.

The demo includes 3 playable levels (each with a boss battle).

1. Borgo Ruins - Same level from the previous demo, but with several updates.
2. Underground Passage - New level
3. Borgo Ruins II - New level

Stay tuned!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some legends refuse to die....
Post by: VladOfWallachia on July 02, 2021, 09:01:47 AM
(https://i.imgur.com/vK23GFT.jpg)
Sorry for the long wait! The Carpathian Night Steam demo is here!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1445740/Carpathian_Night/ (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1445740/Carpathian_Night/)

Notes
I am already aware of some newly found bugs, but this is still an early demo build so I'm okay with releasing it with a few bugs. Regardless, if you find any bugs, please let me know!

If you wish to help us evaluate the game, nothing helps me more than BLIND PLAYTHROUGH videos, which means a video of your first time playing through the levels. I closely watch blind playthroughs to identify flaws in the game and level design, so if you are able to make a blind playthrough video, we would greatly appreciate it!

And of course, please feel welcome to post any other thoughts, questions, or feedback here! Please let us know what you think and we hope you enjoy!

Happy hunting!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Steam Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on July 09, 2021, 09:08:29 AM
Borgo Ruins II boss:

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Steam Demo now available!
Post by: X on July 09, 2021, 09:36:35 AM
I gave your new demo a try and it seems to play fine.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Steam Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on July 14, 2021, 08:52:01 AM
Reward tiers for our upcoming Carpathian Night Kickstarter are listed below:

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Steam Demo now available!
Post by: Inccubus on July 21, 2021, 03:15:56 PM
Groovy! This is looking great. I'll keep an eye out for the kickstarter.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Steam Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on July 23, 2021, 01:23:49 PM
Below is a video playthrough of Wicked Borgo Ruins - as a reminder, every level in the game will have a "Wicked" variant, which can be unlocked by obtaining an S-Rank in the base level. This playthrough is for the Wicked version of the first level of the game, Borgo Ruins:

https://youtu.be/DqTbJejjz7c
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Steam Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on July 27, 2021, 11:31:48 AM
(https://i.imgur.com/aTYkWfj.png)

The Carpathian Night Kickstarter is almost ready to launch! Follow the link below and click on the "Notify Me" button to be reminded when the campaign launches in early August!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cesarhernandez/carpathian-night (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cesarhernandez/carpathian-night)

This is a huge milestone for us, and this community has helped get us this far! I hope you consider supporting this project to help make it the best Classicvania revival it can possibly be. Together, we can continue the great vampire hunting tradition!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Steam Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on August 11, 2021, 05:41:01 AM
(https://i.imgur.com/1qre6KE.jpg)

August 17th will be our launch date!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Steam Demo now available!
Post by: Zydalc on August 16, 2021, 12:30:13 AM
BTW I've now recently learned that Dracula was meant to look like Mephistopheles from Faust which is one of the characters that Irving played that inspired Stoker to the Dracula character from the book:

 Since Stoker meant to have Dracula to be a Devil like figure so he isn't meant to look like a goth pretty boy from the start.

Also it's implausible for Dracula wearing a high collared cape that originated from Hamilton Deane's play and if he was wearing a cape at all he would be wearing something similar to this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_the_Brave#/media/File:Misu_Popp_-_Mihai_Viteazul.jpg
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Steam Demo now available!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on August 16, 2021, 06:32:47 AM
That is interesting information. I hate to admit, but my entire experience with Faust is reading about the silent film in one of my horror film books, but I intended to at least go through that film during the development of this game. Also, that second image reminds me of our own devil villain, Iscariot!

You're right though, I'm sure the physical features of our rendition of Dracula never crossed Stoker's mind. Perhaps we can have character art for the true "human" version of Dracula, before he was killed and resurrected as a vampire. This version of Dracula would have to more closely match what the people of the time period looked like, similar to how Dorin's face was directly inspired by Vlad the Monk.

However, Carpathian Night will have a strong "otherworldly" aspect to it, because we are structuring the story around Scholomance, school of the Devil. Without revealing too much, this was part of what guided the character design - we did not want students of Scholomance to appear "worldly", they have to look like the came from a completely different realm of existence, in this case, the realm of the Devil. In our lore, Scholomance is not on earth, only the portal to Scholomance is physically located in our world. The rules for everything, including physical appearance, must differ in the realm of the Devil in order to make the two sides of the battle more distinct. This is why Dorin, who is an average person, looks like the people from his era, but Dracula and Irina, who spent years in Scholomance, have taken an otherworldly appearance. If we do go through with the character art for "Human" Dracula, I think it would have to much more closely adhere to what an actual person of that era looked like, but not when he's been living under the study of the Devil himself for five years.

Plus, we aren't only taking inspiration from Dracula, as this is a monster-mash story. The Bible describes the devil as being beautiful, a visibly perfect being, who then turned to evil. It would not be out of line for the Devil's primary disciple to be reconstructed in his own image, including the way he presents himself visually. If we choose to portray the Devil in Carpathian Night, brace yourself because he will be made to look like the divine being of beauty as described in the holy text.

I invite you to keep posting these bit of knowledge, because they are genuinely interesting, but just keep in mind that we definitely need to take creative liberties and fill in the gaps, because Bram Stoker never wrote a story about Dracula commanding famous Universal and Hammer horror film monsters, so we are working with a massive contradiction to the source material from the very start.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Kickstarter is live!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on August 17, 2021, 04:52:03 AM
The Carpathian Night Kickstarter is live!

(https://i.imgur.com/Z4wtken.jpg)

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cesarhernandez/carpathian-night (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cesarhernandez/carpathian-night)

The time has finally come! I hope to see many of you dungeon crawlers there! Thanks to everyone who has posted in this thread throughout the years, the feedback and encouragement has been our primary motivating factor, and we have reached a new milestone today! Thanks everyone, let us hunt some vampires together!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Kickstarter is live!
Post by: Chernabogue on August 17, 2021, 06:55:16 AM
Just backed it, good luck with the project! :)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Kickstarter is live!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on August 17, 2021, 02:00:40 PM
Just backed it, good luck with the project! :)

Thanks! The team is very grateful!

I updated the Steam demo today. Changes include:

-Ghosts now have a charging attack
-Wave Skulls now leave a trail and their speed and wave size varies
-Slime falling speed increased
-Spiral Skull enemy added to Borgo Ruins II
-Changed placement for some of the pickups
-Invisible Rogue AI adjustments
-Crouching attack bug fix

Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Kickstarter is live!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on August 19, 2021, 07:58:50 AM
We have reached 17% funding! Thanks to everyone that has donated so far and I hope to see many more of you join us on this vampire hunting adventure!
(https://i.imgur.com/HvZOek9.jpg)

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cesarhernandez/carpathian-night (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cesarhernandez/carpathian-night)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Kickstarter is live!
Post by: Inccubus on August 19, 2021, 01:26:04 PM
Bookmarked the kickstarter page.
I'll see about getting in on it this week.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Kickstarter is live!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on August 20, 2021, 09:38:33 AM
Bookmarked the kickstarter page.
I'll see about getting in on it this week.

Thank you!

We are inching closer to our goal!
(https://i.imgur.com/VrFOoDc.jpg)
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cesarhernandez/carpathian-night (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cesarhernandez/carpathian-night)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Kickstarter is live!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on August 23, 2021, 12:56:53 PM
We had a chat with DreadXP about Carpathian Night! Check out the conversation below:

https://www.dreadxp.com/interview/carpathian-night-interview-a-castlevania-inspired-sidescroller-on-kickstarter-now (https://www.dreadxp.com/interview/carpathian-night-interview-a-castlevania-inspired-sidescroller-on-kickstarter-now)

As for Kickstarter, I am happy to announce we are currently at 38% of our funding goal with 23 days left to go! Thanks again to everyone who has donated, and I hope to see more dungeon crawlers on the pledge list! 

Also, we took a trip to the National Video Game Museum this past weekend! Does anybody recognize this somber fellow in the background?
(https://i.imgur.com/m163uUu.jpg)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Kickstarter is live!
Post by: Gunlord on August 23, 2021, 09:08:07 PM
Ferris Bueller! :D
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Kickstarter is live!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on August 26, 2021, 08:29:39 AM
Kickstarter Update!
We are almost to the halfway point, at 47% funded! We also sold all six of the Castle Portraits! Things are still looking very hopeful and I feel very confident about reaching our goal.

We often get asked where our sources of inspiration come from - of course, we all know it starts with the Dracula novel, movies, and Super Castlevania IV, but there are countless others. Just looking at Dracula comics and graphic novels alone, we've got a nice collection going of great material, as seen below:
(https://i.imgur.com/LpjnYLi.jpg)

I haven't gone through all of them, but the all of the ones I have read are fantastic. The most recent of that lineup, the Bela Lugosi Dracula, is my current favorite of the bunch and I highly recommend it to any fan of Dracula or classic horror cinema. I also highly recommend the comic adaptation of the 1992 Dracula film, as the art style in that version is fantastic. I will commit to going through the others I haven't read during the upcoming Halloween season! This is one of the many reasons I enjoy working on this game so much, because doing research means having to read a bunch of great and captivating material.
(https://i.imgur.com/uzZ43qV.jpg)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Kickstarter is live!
Post by: X on August 26, 2021, 10:09:11 AM
Quote
This is one of the many reasons I enjoy working on this game so much, because doing research means having to read a bunch of great and captivating material.

I'll bet  :o
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Kickstarter is live!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on August 27, 2021, 07:56:44 AM
I was playing Zombicide: Black Plague when I came across this playable character....

(https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/034/661/741/9bc0dbb343670061d8ccb1770fd98bd0_original.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.0.2&w=700&fit=max&v=1630074156&auto=format&frame=1&q=92&s=ad3a2b3a1f6eef55708ca9585832a54e)

Details about our play session below!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cesarhernandez/carpathian-night/posts/3285404 (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cesarhernandez/carpathian-night/posts/3285404)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Kickstarter is live!
Post by: X on August 27, 2021, 09:49:22 AM
lol. They snuck him in eh? He's missing one more skill though; Impalement.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Kickstarter is live!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on August 31, 2021, 08:58:13 AM
Kickstarter Update!
We are currently at 55% funded! We are feeling confident about the second half of the campaign!

We posted another Tabletop Session update. You dungeon crawlers should check this game out if you haven't already:
(https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/034/703/796/7888e268d3dd4b8cabfb87831078c510_original.JPG?ixlib=rb-4.0.2&w=700&fit=max&v=1630424709&auto=format&frame=1&q=92&s=0eb0b0af190f33480c04d1802b660da6)

(https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/034/703/807/f8b8eb7d5335dc34ce524c4e92ad5f51_original.JPG?ixlib=rb-4.0.2&w=700&fit=max&v=1630424748&auto=format&frame=1&q=92&s=53e72e3b8f68e16b697e8d0d85c74f7a)

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cesarhernandez/carpathian-night/posts/3288686 (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cesarhernandez/carpathian-night/posts/3288686)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Kickstarter is live!
Post by: Darkmoon on September 01, 2021, 04:01:43 PM
I did my part and backed. :)

Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Kickstarter is live!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on September 04, 2021, 06:59:40 PM
I did my part and backed. :)

Thank you! We will do our best!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Kickstarter is live!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on September 09, 2021, 08:04:35 AM
We are in the final week! Will this resurrection spell materialize???
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cesarhernandez/carpathian-night (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cesarhernandez/carpathian-night)

(https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/034/815/746/b01bd21b2791a7323c64961a32618bc9_original.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.0.2&w=700&fit=max&v=1631195523&auto=format&frame=1&q=92&s=a9fea10ca548feb60e090074d4902ee9)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Kickstarter is live!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on September 10, 2021, 07:48:54 AM
I am happy to announce that we have reached our funding goal! Thanks to everyone who made a pledge, we promise to deliver our best work!

(https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/034/828/941/1c394fa99ced74551afcefca8855072b_original.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.0.2&w=700&fit=max&v=1631284609&auto=format&frame=1&q=92&s=fb81182d1724901abc3bd4894397e554)

With the time we have left in the campaign, we hope to reach our first stretch goal! Fans of SCIV should be excited about this one:
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Kickstarter is live!
Post by: Chernabogue on September 10, 2021, 02:54:31 PM
Congrats on getting funded!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Kickstarter is live!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on September 15, 2021, 11:41:52 AM
Congrats on getting funded!

Thanks! We also just reached our stretch goal as well, so that means we unlock the CASTLE TREASURY level!

There are only 16 hours left in the campaign! Thanks again to everyone who made the pledge. We will continue the tradition together, as a community.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cesarhernandez/carpathian-night (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cesarhernandez/carpathian-night)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Kickstarter is live!
Post by: Aceearly1993 on September 21, 2021, 07:46:34 PM
Hello devs! Here're some bugs and issues we've encountered in your demos.
- Game resolution cannot be changed.
- Keyboard and Controller controls cannot be remapped.
- The game cannot recognize my PS2 controller to USB port for some unknown reasons.
- At near the last green jewel of the second level, there's a chance you might end up getting stuck in walls if you respawn after dying:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pRVN3_Ym4bLZ2GShv6tqlR5uPq7sJoQ5/view?usp=sharing


That's all we could list and report. Kudos for your Kickstarter success!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Kickstarter is live!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on September 22, 2021, 08:11:25 AM
- At near the last green jewel of the second level, there's a chance you might end up getting stuck in walls if you respawn after dying:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pRVN3_Ym4bLZ2GShv6tqlR5uPq7sJoQ5/view?usp=sharing

That's all we could list and report. Kudos for your Kickstarter success!

Oh wow, haven't seen this happen before! Thanks for finding it for us.

As for the other notes, we will keep those features in the backlog, we do want to have them in the game. Thanks!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Kickstarter is live!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on October 18, 2021, 06:18:19 AM
Carpathian Night Discord is up!

https://discord.gg/WVTTE4HubC





Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Kickstarter is live!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on October 25, 2021, 06:50:22 AM
Had a great time at Retropalooza 2021! We took home the Indie Game Dev award!

(https://i.imgur.com/MufKpV4.jpg)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: X on October 25, 2021, 09:39:47 AM
Nice photo and congratz! Although I think someone tried too hard with the webbing on the candle holder.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on October 27, 2021, 06:00:01 AM
Nice photo and congratz! Although I think someone tried too hard with the webbing on the candle holder.

Haha, that someone would be me! I'll try to level up my prop design skills in time for the next con.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: X on October 27, 2021, 06:32:57 PM
Quote
Haha, that someone would be me! I'll try to level up my prop design skills in time for the next con.

Best way to do that would be to check out those old black & white horror films. They always seem to have good visuals for webbing on old furniture and candle holders. When you find one you like then practice replicating the look till you like what you see.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on December 24, 2021, 07:08:27 AM
Happy Holidays!

Since our last update, we have made a lot of progress on building the first area of Castle Dracula. Below is a preview of what's to come!

(https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/035/919/564/c28dafffa86842d67b7717111791faaa_original.png?ixlib=rb-4.0.2&w=700&fit=max&v=1640357683&auto=format&gif-q=50&lossless=true&s=aec23350e06c6b6c6940e15332049803)

The ancient Gill Demon terrorizes from the depths of it's underwater lair, the resting place of it's countless victims. The beast can easily climb onto boats of any kind, and those onboard are powerless to stop it from dragging several to their watery grave.

The Castle Entrance level will be the first Private Screening build, more info coming soon!

Fan Art Contest Winner

The winner of the Discord Fan Art Contest is MIU, with this awesome rendition of Abbot Dorin!

(https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/035/919/595/1b4e2e6bb27790a0462eb0bec45d66f6_original.png?ixlib=rb-4.0.2&w=700&fit=max&v=1640358261&auto=format&gif-q=50&lossless=true&s=d43f8cfd469f6dca1e5ae59cdd93a5d6)

Once again, we wish everyone the best during the holidays! Stay safe!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: X on December 24, 2021, 09:21:01 AM
Quote
Once again, we wish everyone the best during the holidays! Stay safe!

Same here  :)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on January 05, 2022, 07:46:00 AM
(https://i.imgur.com/lWX1Gmk.png)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on January 19, 2022, 08:35:58 AM
(https://i.imgur.com/4cs06jC.png)

The Dracul family has no greater enemy than the monks of the Kelemen Monastery. They have waged war on each other for centuries, and now both sides are on the brink of extinction. Abbot Dorin is all that remains of his ancient order.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: X on January 19, 2022, 05:38:35 PM
Nice close-up image.  :)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on February 17, 2022, 11:30:36 AM
Irina Dracul!

(https://i.imgur.com/pqcLjMq.png)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: X on February 17, 2022, 09:08:37 PM
Nice!

The Order of the Dragon certainly doesn't hire slouches  :-X
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on February 18, 2022, 07:25:00 AM
Irina Dracul has no association with the Order of the Dragon. She was born centuries before the historical Dracul joined the Order and took the name Dracul.

Irina's family has no relation to Vlad Tepes of Wallachia. They ruled from their Transylvanian castle long before Tepes was ever born.

The family name 'Dracul' comes from the family's long association with Scholomance. Many members of the Dracul family have earned the title of "Keeper", the student the Devil deems most worthy. Only the Keeper student of Scholomance is given the ability to control the Bone Dragon, and rule from the skies unopposed. This old family of wicked Dragon riders chose their name Dracul, out of pride for their accomplishments in Scholomance.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on February 25, 2022, 07:29:39 AM
This update is not about the current status of Carpathian Night's development, but something much more important.

War, the greatest evil, has come to the people of Ukraine. It is always the working class people that must endure the horrors of the hell on earth known as war. I am saying these things not only because I am vehemently anti-war, but because two incredibly talented artists from Ukraine have played a huge role in the creation of Carpathian Night, and I worry deeply about their safety and the safety of everyone they care about.

The political games of the ruling class always push us towards war, and we, the common working class people, are always used as the expendable pawns. We should always speak out loudly against war and all of its ghastly incarnations, like many Russians are doing now. We should show support to those protestors in any way we can, and remember that what makes them brave is that they are resisting imperialism from their own government, a responsibility all working people across the world share in common.

Carpathian Night is just one example of what we can accomplish when people around the world come together in friendship. This game would not exist if not for the efforts of our team members, many of which reside outside of our US headquarters. Carpathian Night represents the combined efforts of working people from four different countries, including Ukraine. War destroys us, ruins us, and further enriches the rich. Conversely, international friendship enables us to accomplish great things together, for all of our benefit. Support peace, not war. Spread love, not hate. We are all one.

My greatest wish is for peace and safety for the people of Ukraine, including our current team member Helena, and our former team member Serhiy. The soul of Carpathian Night will always be part Ukrainian, because Carpathian Night would not be what it is without the efforts of Helena and Serhiy.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: Aceearly1993 on February 26, 2022, 07:23:30 PM
That sucks, man. The world is once again dragged into wars and chaos and it really is a pain. Hope it doesn't affect too far to your group's progress. Bless
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: X on February 27, 2022, 09:02:00 AM
War is never an acceptable alternative to anything when it comes to human-based conflicts, big or small. It's just a sorry excuse to commit mass murder in whatever name those responsible can think of. If only we could rid ourselves of our egos (as that's where the majority of our negativity comes from) then this crap we call war would be drastically reduced overnight.

VladOfWallachia@

I too hope that your Ukrainian colleges don't get wrapped up in this stupidity. They're too talented to be involved or possibly lost because of another of humanity's blunders. Best wishes and hopeful outcomes.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on March 15, 2022, 06:07:43 PM
Update!

This update is specific to the Castlevania Dungeon Forums!

I wanted to announce that we have a few new faces working on Carpathian Night. I am quite excited about it and have a lot of confidence that they will do great work!

First, a member of this community is joining the Carpathian Night team, the legendary, the one and only:
(click to show/hide)

Second, another great talent, who's name is familiar in this community:
(click to show/hide)

I have also hired a local college intern to help out with level design.

Thanks to everyone that donated to the Kickstarter, it is because of that campaign that we can bring such great talent onto this project. I can't wait to see how they will impact Carpathian Night. The game will be better for it.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on March 23, 2022, 10:16:33 AM
New gameplay footage!

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on April 06, 2022, 08:07:04 AM
Prince Dracula

(https://i.imgur.com/pckvVAl.png)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on May 26, 2022, 11:15:02 AM
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: X on May 26, 2022, 05:32:03 PM
Quote
(click to show/hide)

 ;D
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on June 14, 2022, 07:00:55 AM
We will be demoing Carpathian Night at TooManyGames this year! Come to our booth and demonstrate your vampire hunting abilities!

(https://i.imgur.com/cYMhF4W.jpg)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on August 03, 2022, 08:04:31 AM
The Library

(https://i.imgur.com/eaZevQi.png)
Dracula is immensely gifted. From a young age, the Prince obsessively consumed the books in this library, quickly mastering any subject he took interest in.


(https://i.imgur.com/tZwuJhs.png)
Dracula mastered the Devil’s Alchemy on his own, before ever setting foot in Scholomance. He inherited this library, which contains many ancient tomes regarding the craft.


(https://i.imgur.com/jxGx8U0.png)
Dracula is most unsettled by a wise opponent. He has no fear for the strength of others, but he takes a wise opponent very seriously.


(https://i.imgur.com/WG7UJ0p.png)
The Lich is an undead being that thirsts endlessly for knowledge. They are grandmasters of Witchcraft, harnessing terrible magic that can only be attained by those with several lifetimes worth of study.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on October 31, 2022, 07:26:45 AM
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

During our Kickstarter campaign, we reached the Treasury level stretch goal. Below are some screens of that stretch goal come to life! Thanks again to everyone that backed us and enabled us to construct this level!

(https://i.imgur.com/XdyXBkw.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/6lsLmCY.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/BQaKuu4.png)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: X on October 31, 2022, 10:11:52 AM
Nice! Not unlike the Treasury stage from SCV4.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on November 01, 2022, 07:34:13 AM
Nice! Not unlike the Treasury stage from SCV4.

Treasury is one of my favorite environments in that game, which is why I wanted to construct my own version. I also liked the idea of a treasury level because of what Harker said about Castle Dracula in the book, describing being surrounded by immense wealth:

Quote
When I had done, I looked for a bell, so that I might let the servants know I had finished; but I could not find one. There are certainly odd deficiencies in the house, considering the extraordinary evidences of wealth which are round me. The table service is of gold, and so beautifully wrought that it must be of immense value. The curtains and upholstery of the chairs and sofas and the hangings of my bed are of the costliest and most beautiful fabrics, and must have been of fabulous value when they were made, for they are centuries old, though in excellent order.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: X on November 01, 2022, 09:53:20 AM
Interesting. It's a shame that such a thing wasn't in the 1992 movie.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on February 27, 2023, 12:24:49 PM
The wealth hoarding monster of legend!

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: X on February 28, 2023, 08:25:28 AM
Oh darn  ???
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on March 30, 2023, 06:33:32 AM
Intro text scroll:

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: Sindra on March 30, 2023, 06:37:55 AM
Intro text scroll:

(click to show/hide)

I fucking love that you used the term "Scholomance". I've been delving more into Romanian folklore lately and this is a delightful piece.


I own this game and still need to play it. With all the free time I don't have, of course.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on May 09, 2023, 07:23:00 AM
This will be a short update, but we are happy to announce that we have something big coming in June. We have kept mostly silent these past few months, but we are almost ready to show you how far we have come. The game is nearing completion, and we have yet to reveal our biggest surprise.

Stay tuned!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: Kamirine on June 22, 2023, 07:03:31 AM
This will be a short update, but we are happy to announce that we have something big coming in June. We have kept mostly silent these past few months, but we are almost ready to show you how far we have come. The game is nearing completion, and we have yet to reveal our biggest surprise.

Stay tuned!

Is this still happening?  In June, anyway?
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on June 22, 2023, 01:58:45 PM
Yes!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on June 26, 2023, 12:32:58 PM
Big announcement coming tomorrow!

Get your oak stakes ready.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: Kamirine on June 26, 2023, 04:42:06 PM
Looking forward to it!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on June 27, 2023, 09:36:08 AM
Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi



We are excited to announce that the legendary stage and film actor, and classic horror star, Bela Lugosi, will be making his long overdue video game debut in Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi.

(https://i.imgur.com/fCl9JSr.png)

Bela will reprise his iconic role as Dracula, Lord of the Vampires, and will wield the night itself against any who dare to trespass into his domain! Players must reach the top of Castle Dracula to challenge the classic horror icon himself, but his Army of the Dead stands between you and the gates to the ancient castle.   

(https://i.imgur.com/geniaTy.png)

Tezcatek is working together with Lynne Lugosi Sparks and Lugosi Enterprises to bring this project to life. Bela Lugosi’s impact on the horror genre spans all forms of media, including video games. From the very beginning, Carpathian Night was designed as a tribute to the classic era of horror cinema, and Bela is among its greatest icons. Tezcatek is honored to bring Bela Lugosi into the video game realm for the first time in an officially licensed release, in a style of game that has long been associated with the horror classics.

More updates about Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi will be coming soon. Until then, stay tuned!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: theplottwist on June 27, 2023, 10:01:18 AM
Very nice and congratulations on getting one of the OGs!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi
Post by: X on June 27, 2023, 05:36:51 PM
Nice! The original 1930's Dracula himself.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night - Some Legends Refuse to Die!
Post by: VladOfWallachia on June 28, 2023, 07:25:12 AM
Very nice and congratulations on getting one of the OGs!

Special thanks to PlotTwist, who created the Lich boss seen in the trailer. He also helped with the initial design of the Dracula boss battle sprites. I hope we can work together again on future projects!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi
Post by: Chernabogue on June 29, 2023, 02:38:35 PM
Bela Lugosi truly back from the dead. Amazing, guys!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi
Post by: Aceearly1993 on July 07, 2023, 03:44:13 AM
Looks like the game greatly improves from previous progress reports. Looking forward to see how it will end up being.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi
Post by: VladOfWallachia on August 30, 2023, 07:09:36 AM
Thanks for the encouraging words everyone!

(https://i.imgur.com/6uHLBGD.jpg)

Also, for the Kickstarter backers:

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi
Post by: VladOfWallachia on September 13, 2023, 07:36:47 AM
Slightly off topic, but there is huge uproar in the game development community over recent announcements made by Unity:

https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/unity-to-start-charging-fee-pegged-to-game-installs (https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/unity-to-start-charging-fee-pegged-to-game-installs)

Carpathian Night is made in Unity, so this is big news for us. My personal take is that I do not see how these new fees for developers are legally or technically feasible, and Unity will likely roll back this announcement, but the damage has been done and I've completely lost my trust for Unity. It's a terrifying feeling to suddenly realize that years of work and investment in your creative passion project can be held at the mercy of greedy corporate decision making. Hard lesson learned. 

My advice to anyone thinking about diving into a game development project? Don't go with Unity. Carpathian Night will likely be the only Unity game Tezcatek ever makes. This experience will likely push us toward open source solutions in the future.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi
Post by: X on September 13, 2023, 09:17:51 AM
Wow  :rollseyes:

Corporate Bulls**t at it's finest. It's a real shame there's no 'Dragon hunting' allowed anymore. Back in the day when higher-ups like corrupt royals and elites were executed because they dared move against the people. Sadly, the laws that protect us also protect them too. Talk about a bum wrap.

Is it possible to relocate the game as-is to another engine? Transfer the code or something to that effect?
Title: Re: Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi
Post by: VladOfWallachia on September 13, 2023, 09:55:46 AM
Wow  :rollseyes:

Corporate Bulls**t at it's finest. It's a real shame there's no 'Dragon hunting' allowed anymore. Back in the day when higher-ups like corrupt royals and elites were executed because they dared move against the people. Sadly, the laws that protect us also protect them too. Talk about a bum wrap.

Is it possible to relocate the game as-is to another engine? Transfer the code or something to that effect?

We are way too far into development for that, Carpathian Night is forever a Unity game.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi
Post by: VladOfWallachia on September 19, 2023, 09:03:51 AM
One more convention (Retropalooza 10) appearance before release! And we also won Best Indie Dev of the convention again. Had a great time, as always.

(https://i.imgur.com/CWXd0TO.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/dUohZ8v.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/rt0TuZa.jpg)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi
Post by: VladOfWallachia on October 11, 2023, 07:38:48 AM
We are getting close to finishing the early Kickstarter build for our backers! Again, this build will contain the entire main campaign, minus a few storytelling elements still in development. Expect a big announcement within the next couple of weeks.

Sharpen your oak stakes! This long journey is finally nearing its end!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi
Post by: VladOfWallachia on October 27, 2023, 09:00:03 AM
The Private Screening build of Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi is available now! For our backers:

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi
Post by: VladOfWallachia on February 06, 2024, 08:01:34 AM
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi
Post by: Kamirine on February 26, 2024, 08:21:18 AM
(click to show/hide)

Cool!  Looking forward to playing the full version of this. Will double dip if it comes to console.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi
Post by: VladOfWallachia on February 27, 2024, 08:57:56 AM
Cool!  Looking forward to playing the full version of this. Will double dip if it comes to console.

Console versions will be ready closer to summer time.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi
Post by: VladOfWallachia on February 28, 2024, 09:21:00 AM
We are very close to being ready for the release date announcement, and unless something unforeseen delays us, the Steam version of Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi will launch in late March.

Now that we are at the end, I wanted to thank this community and everyone who ever posted in this thread for their contributions to this project. The development of this game was by far the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life. It was a relentless grind that lasted six years, and the only thing that kept me going and enabled me to endure was the encouraging words and feedback from people like you. If nobody cared about what I was doing, I would have quit this project long ago. I went through the grinder because so many of you convinced me that our project was something special, worth dedicating my entire being to. Considering how this journey is ending, with Carpathian Night as the debut video game of the legendary Bela Lugosi, I can't thank you guys enough for encouraging me to stay on this path. I couldn't be happier with how this all ended, and I wouldn't take it back for anything.

Thank you all for everything, I hope you understand how much of an impact your encouraging words has had on us and on our project. You will always be a part of Carpathian Night's story.

Title: Re: Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi
Post by: VladOfWallachia on March 11, 2024, 08:51:01 AM
Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi Steam Release Date:

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi
Post by: VladOfWallachia on March 11, 2024, 05:31:52 PM
Wicked Borgo Ruins II gameplay footage:


Title: Re: Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi
Post by: The Puritan on March 11, 2024, 08:00:34 PM
Day One purchase, here I come.
Title: Re: Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi
Post by: Kamirine on March 13, 2024, 06:54:54 AM
Day One purchase, here I come.

What he said.  8) Nice to have a new classicvania to play!
Title: Re: Carpathian Night Starring Bela Lugosi
Post by: VladOfWallachia on March 14, 2024, 07:18:03 PM
Irina Dracul gameplay footage: