Under A Killing Moon SE - Potential Remake. (1stScreenshot!)

Last edited by mr_cyberpunk on April 10, 2009 • 2:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Alright I'm writing this post up because I've done a bit of research on how to go about attacking a remake of Under A Killing Moon- similarly to the post not long ago asking for money to get the rights from Take 2, I've instead come up with a better solution and here it is.

I've called it Under A Killing Moon Special Edition (Similar to the Star Wars Special Edition :D)

First off, no contributions at all are needed by this community because all the tools we need a free and available right now. Secondly, the game WILL be a commercial product aimed at swaying Take2 and getting a pitch going so that we can hopefully get them to publish the game... Unless Take2 falls to bits, but that's a worst case scenario and hopefully if that does happen Big Finish will be able to buy their rights back dirt cheap. Thirdly, the Engine that will be required is IDTech3, or as you'd all know it better as Quake3, I'd love to work with IDTech4(Doom3) but unfortunately it won't go GPL for another year or two- I'm waiting for it so that I can go on with other game projects I have in the can right now waiting for development.

Ok so why IDTech3, well simply because its the easiest Engine to work with, its GPL so everything we need is available FREE on the internet but lastly a commercial license for the engine is around $10,000 US and once Doom3 goes GPL will probably be around $5000 or less- so its a very good engine to be targeting.

I've learned a bit of 3D Modeling, I'm using Blender, also GPL and also Free ;) no commercial license needed. The great thing about UAKM is that its geometry is so damn simplistic that to replicate it with modern technology isn't too complicated. Unfortunately for now we'll have to make do with the original FMVs and Sound from the original game because I doubt we can get hold of the masters until the rights are secured.

The objective of this remake would be simple really, to fix a lot of the "Criticisms" people had with UAKM- Whilst it doesn't mean we can put in a Non-linear storyline (though it'd be awesome) we can improve the graphics quality and fix chris' GUI designs quite a bit- A lot of them were fixed in Overseer but I still think they created a stack of problems that just shouldn't have happened.

As for the 2D actor sprites that appeared in the game, They probably won't appear until we either again get the masters or we can find a talented 3D modeler who would be able to render high quality high poly cinematics- though due to the commercial nature of the project would incur a fee- however I'm not thinking about that now until I need to :D.

Ok so first things first, I'm going to talk about how to attack the development in the short term.

What I'd like to do is get a basic demo of the game, UAKM is a small game by today's standards- so I'd like to get Day1 completed, because its only Chandler Avenue, so it'd be very very easy to make AND even better can be reused.

If it ends up easy to do, the rest of the game can be completed. I question how hard it will be code wise, but in my head the level design, modeling and textured is pretty damn easy really.

Main Benefits for doing this:
* Will work natively in Windows XP and Vista
* No more 2D Sprites
* Seamless instant loading
* Easy to use interface, less cluttered, FULL SCREEN VIEWPORT! (like Overseer)
* OpenGL/D3D Rendering (Like Overseer)
* Higher Texture Resolutions == Better Looking Levels.
* Complete Revised Control Scheme.
* NO BLOODY DISC SWAPPING! :D
* Creates Awareness of Tex

Main Disadvantages:
* Having to deal with 2K :P (it'll be hard and annoying)
* Risk that 2K could fold over- resulting the the rights ending up in the hands of an asshole company like EA.
* Risk that no one will care and that the game will be a financial flop. (Because I've noticed Mainstream Gamers lately are jerks who don't care about anything unless its produced by Blizzard :P, I need to seriously stop going on major gaming forums- its really not making me feel too good. Too many assholes.)

Also its April 3rd-- so NO THIS IS NOT A JOKE.
mr_cyberpunk wrote:Also its April 3rd-- so NO THIS IS NOT A JOKE.
I wouldn't expect a joke like this from you anyway...

Sounds like you are on the right track, that's a great plan you've laid out... I'm sure I speak for most if not all when I say We Support Your Efforts and Wish You Luck In Your Project...
Be sure to keep us up to date...
The Paved Straight Road, Won't Always Get You Farther Than The Winding Dirt Road...


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*Note, Not All Games Have Been Tested & Therefore May Not Be Listed...
I'm sure you know I support this a 100%, although there's little contribution I can bring to a project like this. I can help you deal with 2K though, this is more my area.
Part-Time Nomad
Chandler Ave is huge to recreate, why don't you remake one of the levels with one room? That'd be much more simple
I personally don't think any of the levels need to be recreated and would focus more on adding gameplay from the masters if you can get them. And getting the source code as well.
Bjyman wrote:I personally don't think any of the levels need to be recreated and would focus more on adding gameplay from the masters if you can get them. And getting the source code as well.
No, the original engine is grossly out of date.

-Cub. =o)
Will it have stodgy mouse movement (or the SMM™ engine, as I call it)? I'm addicted on that :D
"Wer ein holdes Weib errungen..."

"My religion is the one in which Haydn is pope" - by me.

"Set a course, take it slow, make it happen."
It will have the same movement system but it'll be improved, such as combining movements- so whilst in Move mode, you'll move like on a single plane- then in investigate mode you can move the camera around like a FPS in freelook- it would rely on the cursor moving towards the edges of the screen. In move mode you would only need to press a toggle button to hide- rather than "Melt" towards the ground. Its those kind of controls that I've never really liked about the series as they seem very useless- it was improved a bit with Overseer but still needed a lot of work.

I'm thinking it won't be standalone though now that Aaron has said what he has said- I may think of working with a better engine. I only selected Quake3 not because I knew how to use it but rather knew the license could work.

Chandler Ave is huge to recreate
Not really- Firstly I'd be getting Tex's office done, and then building it up from there. As I said the objective is to just get Day1 done which was only a few buildings in Chandler Avenue.
No, the original engine is grossly out of date.
yep- Cub knows it, and it won't work with his awesome music enhancements that I'd love to put into this project. I have all of his work on my Ipod and love them to death, so much more bass over the originals.

If worst came to worse I'd "Animate" my own sprites for the 2D characters- I can be pretty good at drawing photo realistically so its always an alternative over having to make models of the characters- which I'm in no condition to do..
I know he didnt say it directly, but from what I read from Aaron's post yesterday, is that no one has to bug MS/Take 2 or whoever about the rights anymore... What I read into that is that they don't own the rights anymore.
Tex Murphy: Australia
http://www.texmurphyaustralia.net/wp
I would strongly recommend porting the game into an engine that would be compatible with current and/or future generation consoles. With most consoles heavily relying on their online marketplace (particularly the 360 and PS3) more titles and HD remixes are becoming available to gamers. The amount of retro title remakes that are cropping up on the Playstation Network for example is astounding, and often I am finding myself purchasing these titles just to re-live the games, only this time with updated visuals and sound.

Like I have said before, I have always been for these kinds of ideas... but I am no where near in a position to head up something like this. I can however lend a hefty amount of resources to the cause in many areas if it were to make it off the ground.

-Cub. =o)
Cubase wrote:
Bjyman wrote:I personally don't think any of the levels need to be recreated and would focus more on adding gameplay from the masters if you can get them. And getting the source code as well.
No, the original engine is grossly out of date.

-Cub. =o)
If they released a new Tex Murphy game with Under A Killing Moon's engine I'd be in Heaven.
Bjyman wrote:If they released a new Tex Murphy game with Under A Killing Moon's engine I'd be in Heaven.
It isn't going to happen like that... lol

According to what AC said in that one interview it's possible that the next Tex won't even be in FMV like the last 3 either...
The Paved Straight Road, Won't Always Get You Farther Than The Winding Dirt Road...


Can You Run Your Game??? Click Here And Find Out...

*Note, Not All Games Have Been Tested & Therefore May Not Be Listed...
Bafitis wrote:
Bjyman wrote:If they released a new Tex Murphy game with Under A Killing Moon's engine I'd be in Heaven.
It isn't going to happen like that... lol

According to what AC said in that one interview it's possible that the next Tex won't even be in FMV like the last 3 either...
I personally think that a decent FMV game would be ripe in the market, especially towards the end of the year. Take the new Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3... the FMV sequences in that look great, and with more and more demographics starting to get involved with console gaming, you will see more mature users wanting the kinds of games that were big in the FMV days (minus the bad production values of course!).

Quote me on this, please. I will be right one day.

-Cub. =o)
Cubase wrote:
Bafitis wrote:
Bjyman wrote:If they released a new Tex Murphy game with Under A Killing Moon's engine I'd be in Heaven.
It isn't going to happen like that... lol

According to what AC said in that one interview it's possible that the next Tex won't even be in FMV like the last 3 either...
I personally think that a decent FMV game would be ripe in the market, especially towards the end of the year. Take the new Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3... the FMV sequences in that look great, and with more and more demographics starting to get involved with console gaming, you will see more mature users wanting the kinds of games that were big in the FMV days (minus the bad production values of course!).

Quote me on this, please. I will be right one day.

-Cub. =o)
I can agree with this, especially as games are now being produced on DVD instead of CD-ROM. Give it a couple of years and they'll be moving onto blu-ray. This shift can only be a good thing: better quality video + sound plus more room on the discs for some decent gameplay. I don't know how quick it will come around, but I think there will be a revival in FMV.

Just look at the comeback that vinyl records are making in the wake of the digital music revolution.
Joel wrote: I can agree with this, especially as games are now being produced on DVD instead of CD-ROM. Give it a couple of years and they'll be moving onto blu-ray. This shift can only be a good thing: better quality video + sound plus more room on the discs for some decent gameplay. I don't know how quick it will come around, but I think there will be a revival in FMV.

Just look at the comeback that vinyl records are making in the wake of the digital music revolution.
Keep in mind, every PS3 game is already using Blu Ray.

-Cub. =o)