Beyond Sunset - Early Access on Steam!

[MetaCorp]

 

EARLY ACCESS AVAILABLE ON STEAM NOW

 

Beyond Sunset is a story-driven standalone game powered by GZDoom set in a retro-futuristic alternate reality. 

 

Get the Soundtrack

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Features:

• 5 hub maps.
• RPG Elements including skill trees, NPC interactions, side missions and more.
• 5 weapons.
• Lots of mobility, dashing, sliding, double dashing.
• Enhanced AI.
• Original Soundtrack by Synthwave legend Karl Vincent

 

 

Edited November 8, 2023 by MetaCorp : updated to announce ea

[⇛Marnetmar⇛]

I've been following this on the doom pictures thread for a while and I'm so psyched for it! This looks amazing!

[dmslr]

Are these weapons sprites made of 3d models?

[MetaCorp]

3 minutes ago, dmslr said:

Are these weapons sprites made of 3d models?

 

Nearly all of my sprites are made from 3D models.

[MS-06FZ Zaku II Kai]

@Janitor Hot damn man, this looks amazing! Gives me a lot of Ion Fury vibes with the level of enviromental details, what´s the story about and how does it play to other similiar cyberpunk games?

[MetaCorp]

More WIP images. 

 

Edited April 23, 2021 by Janitor

[MetaCorp]

12 hours ago, MS-06FZ Zaku II Kai said:

@Janitor Hot damn man, this looks amazing! Gives me a lot of Ion Fury vibes with the level of enviromental details, what´s the story about and how does it play to other similiar cyberpunk games?

 

I was hoping to avoid comparisons to Ion Fury, but honestly it was kind of inevitable. 😅 

 

Regarding the story: The original book (and by extension, this game) was inspired by the novel Snow Crash. The story is about a new-age religious cult whose core belief is that Xanadu, a virtual reality computer network, is the true reality. The cult blackmails individuals into enacting their shadowy agenda in Sunset City (future San Francisco/San Jose, essentially.) The player takes on the role of Lucy, an individual blackmailed by the cult to systematically assasinate high-profile members of the Yakuza crime syndicate and METACORP.

 

Regarding gameplay: It's a little closer to Strife than to Doom. I've been using the Strife dialog system mostly to deliver exposition and handle upgrades. I've been trying to create a gameplay experience with lots of mobility, akin to games like Ultrakill, and a skill tree similar to Bioshock Infinite. I think I can name Bioshock Infinite as the biggest influence on the game.

[Arl]

Looking good, very nice atmosphere.

 

 

Any idea of how long you think development will take? Are you working by yourself? 

 

 

[MetaCorp]

Status Update 5/31/2021

• As of today, the first level for the demo release is complete. All that remains is to refine the gameplay further, tackle a pretty long list of bugfixes and address feedback from playtesters. I can tentatively say that the demo is on track for a planned August 1st release. I should have a page up on Steam and Itch.io before the beginning of July.
• The most common feedback I have encountered is that the difficulty is fairly steep. I'll be working closely with my playtesters to refine the difficulty to be more accessible for new players. 
• I am updating this thread to include images previously shared in the 'Post your pictures' thread. Going forward, I'll be using this thread to post WIP screenshots.
• Gameplay footage is coming, but I wouldn't expect it before July. I want to present the best possible version of the game I can.

Music

• Currently, the soundtrack is comprised of licensed music. However, I would like Beyond Sunset to feature an original soundtrack. I've been reaching out to musicians to compose an original soundtrack. If you are a musician with a knack for Synthwave/Outrun tunes, please send me a DM!

 

 

 

[Arl]

Me wanna play...

 

[Dusty_Rhodes]

This looks insane man, I'm excited!

 

[1Destro3456]

This just looks so great, that style looks awesome as hell, patiently awaiting that download link even if I have to wait years

Edited June 2, 2021 by 1Destro3456

[Murdoch]

Looks intriguing.

[Terrcraft]

Is the demo 6 maps long or is that the amount of maps for the commercial release?

[MetaCorp]

On 6/2/2021 at 6:40 AM, terrcraftguy695 said:

Is the demo 6 maps long or is that the amount of maps for the commercial release?

 

The demo will include only the first hub area and the tutorial stage.

Edited June 4, 2021 by Janitor : clarity

[MetaCorp]

[MetaCorp]

 

A question for the Doom community, can you recommend video capture software? I normally use Fraps but it seems to cause performance issues and adds stutter to the captured video.

[Arl]

Fascinating!

 

Regarding a video capture software, I would recommend: https://obsproject.com. it's free, ease to use and will give you good quality captures at good performance.

[Death Bear]

This looks awesome! I'm excited! Keep it up!

[MetaCorp]

Soundtrack is now available for pre-order on Bandcamp!

Pre-Order OST

 

I'd also like to thank the community for all the support and encouragement. This project certainly not exist without all the amazing people in the Doom community.

Edited August 15, 2021 by MetaCorp

[MetaCorp]

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Beyond Sunset is on hiatus until further notice.

[Redneckerz]

On 8/15/2021 at 4:30 AM, MetaCorp said:

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Beyond Sunset is on hiatus until further notice.

Gosh darn it! And it just aired at Realms Deep. This cannot be!

 

I hope that, whatever it is, you are okay.

[Smoothandz]

Sad to see this encounter delays, but I give my best wishes to the team. Hopefully we will see a comeback in the near future.

[MetaCorp]

6 hours ago, Smoothandz said:

Sad to see this encounter delays, but I give my best wishes to the team. Hopefully we will see a comeback in the near future.

 

The delay is due to some uncertainty around the viability of the project. This has been, for the most part, a one-man self-funded project. I had some real doubts going into Realms Deep stemming from some overall anxieties about the project. During the livestream, I got pretty overwhelmed. There is an absolute deluge of new shooters coming out in this style that easily eclipse Beyond Sunset. That triggered a bit of a panic response. And that's largely because Beyond Sunset doesn't stand out in an apparently crowded space.

 

I've never had to think much about the business of indie games in the past, but the sobering reality is that this project does need to be a viable commercial product for me to move forward. Given the sheer number of GZDoom projects also hitting the market soon, it really dropped my confidence in the project. I felt that there was not much room for another GZDoom game and that Sunset could not succeed in such a crowded space. None of the publishers I've contacted (or those who have contacted me) have wanted to move forward with the project, and that hit my confidence in the project pretty hard too. Most of the conventional publishers I've spoken with do not view a PC-only game as a worthwhile investment. The lack of console support has killed even the most promising talks. But overall, the bottom line is that Sunset needs more of my time to truly stand out, and I don't have more time to give it.

 

But, after talking to people within and without the Doom community, the feedback was both encouraging and sobering. After feeling a bit burnt out, it's clear that I just need to get more people working on this to really get it to a place I'm happy with. I was operating under the assumption that I had to work on this alone. It's my baby, and I didn't want anyone else to touch it. I also don't trust anyone to make substantive and meaningful contributions; the only other contributor really failed to deliver, despite being a truly talented person. So, all these things taken together, I had a moment where I lost confidence in the ability for the project to succeed.

 

But... actually there's a simple solution I haven't paid much attention to. Some amazingly talented people have reached out over the past few months and offered up some assistance. I feel comfortable saying that it's time for me to assemble a team. Once I've got enough manpower, this thing will start moving again. I'm currently reaching out to the people who have very kindly offered to lend their talents to the project. I'm looking to keep the team small. I am not actively recruiting at the moment. But if that changes, I'll update this thread. I'll also get a Patreon up and running to help me spend more of my time on this as well.

 

TL:DR: I felt pretty overwhelmed trying to take on such an ambitious project alone, but the obvious solution is just to bring on more people. I've ignored some talented people who wanted to help, and I'm reaching out to them to see if they'd still like to help.

 

To round out this (waaaaay more-introspective than originally planned) wall of text, here's what cyberspace looks like right now:

 

[MetaCorp]

Also, here's the Realms Deep trailer. Subscribe to my channel or something.

 

 

[Redneckerz]

@MetaCorp~I very much appreciate your response! But on some things i have to set some things straight, as much as it pains me to say (And by doing so i am in no way disregarding the efforts of others who have been featured at RD.)

 

6 hours ago, MetaCorp said:

There is an absolute deluge of new shooters coming out in this style that easily eclipse Beyond Sunset. That triggered a bit of a panic response. And that's largely because Beyond Sunset doesn't stand out in an apparently crowded space.

As much as i understand your anxiety (Being featured/sanctioned on a 3D Realms produced stream is no small feat and it means they see a lot of potential in your work!) i am vehemently disagreeing with the bolded, and its rather the contrary. In a sea of RD games, Beyond Sunset stands out rather heavily, being only one of two games to feature a cyberpunkish universe (The other being Turbo Overkill).

 

Furthermore, your core look is visually distinctive. I loved every single game out of the Realms Deep conference, but if there is one minus point i have to point out (And i do not think this is 3DR's fault, perse) is oversaturation and similarity. Amany games on display on RD featured artstyles that looked very similar to one another and even the same sort of gameplay. It has gotten to the point that when i have to describe such a game, i would rather point out to a more known title that looks and plays similar (Case in point: Wizordum: Nightmare Reaper. Angkara: Graven.)

 

Beyond Sunset's trailer reminds me of different things: Namely the opening sequence of Unreal Tournament (The big building of Liandri Corp looking similar to Beyond Sunset's MetaCorp building) meshed in with Deus-Ex and Cybermage: Darklight Awakening.
 

 

It has its own identity. That's why it is noticeable.

 

7 hours ago, MetaCorp said:

I've never had to think much about the business of indie games in the past, but the sobering reality is that this project does need to be a viable commercial product for me to move forward. Given the sheer number of GZDoom projects also hitting the market soon, it really dropped my confidence in the project. I felt that there was not much room for another GZDoom game and that Sunset could not succeed in such a crowded space.

Again, i vehemently disagree on parts of this. Yes, it is remarkable that new GZDoom standalones come out of the woodwork, but i see that as a good thing: It shows that GZDoom has evolved from modder-friendly to game-friendly platform and that the engine can play host to exciting new experiences, aswell as advancing Doom tech for a bigger crowd in general.

 

I wouldn't hold the amount of projects as something that should demotivate you, and this ties in with the examples given above. You have a visually unique project in your hands. I didn't even register it as a GZDoom project until i found out. That is how impressive it is - It geniunely looks and feels like a DOS project. Your game is easy to identify as to what it is.

 

However, i do agree and respect your position that, being a individual developer, the bar to push through is great. Ill lay it down later, but i am mighty surprised no publisher would want to deal with your project. Clearly, you need a team (as you mention yourself). Whether outside or inside this community, i am going to make a hefty statement and say nobody wants this project to go away. There is so many talent here, i am sure that people would want to help you.

7 hours ago, MetaCorp said:

None of the publishers I've contacted (or those who have contacted me) have wanted to move forward with the project, and that hit my confidence in the project pretty hard too.

Those publishers are quite blind if they can't see the potential. If so, then why does every other commercial GZDoom project out there not only see release, but is also mentioned in various high ranking newssites and seen success? I have to wonder what their mentality is: There are legion projects out there that defy what is claimed.

7 hours ago, MetaCorp said:

Most of the conventional publishers I've spoken with do not view a PC-only game as a worthwhile investment.

This reminds me of publishers of old (Well, some years ago) who would hold the same argument. But there are numerous retro shooters out there who remained PC-only, even in the GZDoom space.

7 hours ago, MetaCorp said:

The lack of console support has killed even the most promising talks.

Then i believe they aren't the right publisher. CULTIC comes to every platform out there no thanks to 3D Realms support. What you need, is a publisher that understands your situation and what you want with the project. Maybe Hyperstrange? Maybe Night Dive? Maybe someone else from the Doom community here?

 

Call me extreme but i feel there is no way that a project of this order with a unique atmosphere and feeling cannot be sustained.

7 hours ago, MetaCorp said:

But, after talking to people within and without the Doom community, the feedback was both encouraging and sobering. After feeling a bit burnt out, it's clear that I just need to get more people working on this to really get it to a place I'm happy with. I was operating under the assumption that I had to work on this alone. It's my baby, and I didn't want anyone else to touch it. I also don't trust anyone to make substantive and meaningful contributions; the only other contributor really failed to deliver, despite being a truly talented person. So, all these things taken together, I had a moment where I lost confidence in the ability for the project to succeed.

This is actually a rather normal response to have. Yes, it is your baby... and it remains your baby ever since then. What you need is a team that can speak your language, but can also deliver. You clearly showcase a talent for putting out an artstyle, aswell as modding.. now what you need are people who can augment that and understand that style.

Don't be afraid to write to some of the bigger names here. A many GZDoom project is composed of folks who frequent here and who have worked on projects themselves of high quality. If anything else, you have fallen into a flowerbed of potential talent who you can turn to.

7 hours ago, MetaCorp said:

To round out this (waaaaay more-introspective than originally planned) wall of text, here's what cyberspace looks like right now:

 

Just looks adorable. Very NES like!

[IvanDobrovski]

I would say don't worry about what other games are doing (seriously some of them aren't that great, all the shader gimmicks and filters take AWAY from the looks rather than ADD to them) and just do your own thing. This game is right up my alley, so I'm waiting for its release.

[Smoothandz]

2 hours ago, Redneckerz said:

-snip snip-

 

There is no way I could have said it better. The only thing I can add is backing up what @Redneckerz said. This game is fantastically unique. The moment I saw the screen shots I started following this thread.

(Insert epic LOTR type music)

My hope is our words of encouragement will fuel the fire and drive back the shadows of doubt. Godspeed @MetaCorp! 

[MetaCorp]

I'm growing a team to work on Beyond Sunset. I am currently looking for a skilled mapper who also possesses a strong graphic design skill set.

Requirements

• Must be familiar with Adobe Photoshop.
• Substance Designer experience is a big plus.
• Must be able to create your own textures from scratch. 
• Familiarity with Autodesk Maya or 3DSMax is a big plus.

If you are interested, please DM me with samples of your work. If your maps are part of a community project, make sure to indicate which levels you have contributed to.

[MetaCorp]

New trailer is live! We have a Patreon now! Not shipping any Patreon stuff until December, but you are welcome to give us your money before then:

https://www.patreon.com/beyondsunset
 

Tell your friends.