Portal

Wash-in-Place

Sun, 08 Jul 2012 02:26:36 +0000

*Ding!* One short but juicy new update coming right up!

A few weeks ago, we revealed IA!'s awesome new logo and rebranded IndieDB profile, and included two in-game screenshots to show you the progress our artists have been making thus far.

On that same note, we have a handful of props and modular assets they've created that we'd like to share with you today. While you may have already noticed a few of these scattered around the level we showcased last time, most of them are used in a different section of the same mountain-based level (the mining area).

Our new approach to level design (i.e. large open areas instead of narrow corridors and small rooms) may seem like a lot more work for our artists, but since most of our assets are designed to be easily reusable, the number of unique ones that need to be created isn't insanely high!

Speaking of level design, we're currently putting the finishing touches on the first of two Spotlight blog entries describing how and why areas are constructed in layers. We plan to release part one in the next few weeks alongside a few new IA! music tracks you'll absolutely love, so be sure to check back soon.

In the meantime, remember to leave us your feedback on the images we've included above and to drop by our community forums to take part in this month's Ask the Team! event. Until next!

Want to work on an awesome project with a fun, talented, experienced and insanely dedicated team? Why not join us! If you believe you have what it takes, read the posted information about our openings and send us a message; we'd love to hear from you!

Overwatch 1.5.0 (& OST) Released!

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 04:29:00 +0000

It's finally here! After a whopping 555 day wait since our last release, version 1.5.0 is ready for the masses!

→ What is Overwatch?
Overwatch is a cooperative asymmetric multiplayer Real-Time Strategy Shooter (FPS/RTS hybrid) powered by the Source engine and set in the Half-Life² universe. It pits a team of rebels playing cooperatively in first-person (the Resistance) against one player who assumes the role of commander to the Combine forces (the Overwatch), controlling units and the environment around them from a bird's-eye view.

→ What's NEW in 1.5.0?
With 515 changes made to the code, level and game files, 1.5.0 packs quite a few surprises! Check out all the juicy details and six in-game screenshots in the previous news post, or skip right to the action-packed trailer below! (Changelog)

You can also watch the video above in HD on YouTube.

→ Grab the Game!
Already have Overwatch installed? You can use the included Game Updating Utility to update to the latest version with only the click of a button (click here for instructions). On the other hand, if you're new to Overwatch, hello! Just grab the installer right here and you'll be up and running in no time.

→ Listen to the Original Soundtrack!
If you love listening to the high-intensity in-game music that plays while you dominate Combine forces or pound on rebel fighters, you definitely need to get your hands on Overwatch's 68 minute-long OST! All 18 tracks are currently available on CD Baby and are coming soon to iTunes, Spotify and many other stores and music streaming sites.

Want a small taste? Then listen to the two preview tracks included in the last news post!

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→ What's Next?
While this will likely be the last major update we release for the mod, the Overwatch saga is far from over. Version 1.5.5 is already being put together (and is targeted for release within a few months of 1.5.0), and aside from tweaks and minor improvements, it'll feature a fourth new level created by a member of our community!

And let's not forget Intruder Alert! which packs the same popular and fun gameplay found in Overwatch. We have a tall stack of plans for IA! (and are working hard to get that first release out), so be sure to follow our progress on its awesome-looking IndieDB profile.

→ Time for Fun!
Join us on one of our official Overwatch servers (listed here) and get ready to duck when you hear that mighty Strider roar!

We'll be scheduling playtime events on our Steam Group every now and then, so be sure to keep an eye on that calendar. We look forward to playing with you all!

Enjoy the release!

Big Exclamation Point!

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 04:20:12 +0000

Notice anything different? You're right! This is a new evil hat I'm wearing. How can a hat be evil you say? Who cares! You're here for some juicy IA! news, not fashion tips!

Surprise! We're back with a bang and a bottomless bagful of IA! media and information that we plan to share with you over the coming months as we inch closer and closer to that anticipated first release!

It was only six short months ago that we announced Intruder Alert! on IndieDB, and to kick off the next six exciting months of our indie adventure, we decided to brighten up our profile there with the game's brand new logo and an orange-centric theme. Take a look around!

If you like what you see (and even if you don't), be sure to let us know! We still plan to make a few tweaks to the logo and additions to the page's design over time, but we'd love to get your feedback on what we have so far.

Moving right on to (much) more interesting development-related matters, you'll be happy to know that IA! is coming along quite nicely! With our team still hard at work implementing more of the game's core features (this week: GP Roles) and making good progress on building IA!'s first level, it won't be long before you finally get your hands on that pre-alpha build.

The biggest piece of development news comes from our artists who've been working their tails off on the game's overall look and feel, focusing a bit more on functional design and slightly less on just "making things pretty".

You'll notice that while the art style itself hasn't changed (compared to in-game screenshots we've released in the past), the areas are now bigger, more open and much more interesting! Not only is this new direction much more visually appealing but it is also a big improvement in gameplay terms. We'll be putting together a blog post very soon explaining it all in more detail!

And that's just the tip of the iceberg! You can expect more in-game screenies, new concepts, gameplay videos and much, much more in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we encourage you to participate in this month's Ask the Team!, and don't forget about Overwatch's big release, too!

On a final note, we've decided to make a small change to our news release schedule. Rather than posting once every two weeks on the dot (whether we have much to show or not), we'll instead be a bit more unpredictable and only post when we've gathered enough awesome media and info to share with you. In short, our updates will be slightly less frequent (at least once a month) but much juicier.

That's all for today! Remember to track our profile on IndieDB (or on any of the social networking sites listed below the site menu above) to be notified of any updates!

To all evil masterminds, spies and spyettes out there: hold on to your hats!

Brand New Update (1.5.0) & OST: in 7 Days!

Sun, 27 May 2012 07:01:55 +0000

And here we are, kicking off a hot and sunny summer season (or a cold and cloudy winter season for some) with a drool-inducing triple bill!

That's right! In under a week, we'll be unveiling three awesome surprises we've been keeping somewhat secret for a while:

The long-awaited next Overwatch update (1.5.0),
Overwatch's very own OST (which is pure ear candy, by the way),
A pretty sweet Intruder Alert! news post (IA! being Overwatch's spiritual successor).

We'll keep the details of the IA! surprise under wraps for now, but read on to learn more about all the Overwatch goodies coming your way in under seven days!

→ What's New in 1.5.0?
Version 1.5.0 is Overwatch's first big update since 1.3.5's release at the close of 2010.

As we explained in our previous news post, we've been hard at work on Intruder Alert! for the past year or so, and even though IA! is essentially a bigger, better and more complete version of Overwatch, we weren't ready to simply give up on the Half-Life² modification you've all come to love and enjoy (all 100,000+ of you!).

For that reason, we've worked very closely with members of our community to bring you exactly what you've been asking for: more stuff! What stuff? Well keep reading to find out!

▪ In the Spotlight

Breach & Breached: The original Breach, one of the first two levels released, always ended with players' screens fading to black and revealing a cryptic "To Be Continued.." message. In addition to completely revamping the original level, part two of the series (which we've named Breached) is finally ready, featuring the mighty Strider, a fun new objective type, and a train ride rebels won't want to miss!
Super Fortress, Traverse & Outbreak: Designed and built by three of our very own community members in collaboration with our development team, these brand new levels are just what the doctor ordered. Each features a unique environment, tons of unpredictable enemies and traps, and fun objectives to boot. The addition of these three levels brings Overwatch's total up to eight!
Strider (& Warp Cannon): Available in Breached, the Overwatch-controllable Strider comes equipped with a powerful Pulse Cannon, Spiked Limbs (to stomp rebel daredevils), and a "Warp Cannon" ability. Let the screaming begin!
Carpet Bombing: Those pesky rebels giving your Hunter-Chopper a hard time? Annihilate them with a salvo of timed explosives using the new "Carpet Bomb" ability!
RiotShield: Originally a simple prop from Half-Life², the Defender role's bullet-blocking shield is now a fully-modelled and textured weapon hashed together by the great minds in the Resistance camp (with a little help from our wonderful community).

A much more complete list of additions and changes can be found right here, or just wait for the goody-packed release trailer to see it all in action!

→ Overwatch: Original Soundtrack
Composed by our lovable Swedish ~~Chef~~ friend and fellow developer Sebastian Aav, Overwatch's 68 minute-long soundtrack is packed full of the stuff your ears crave. It includes 18 tracks: 12 used in our levels (of which two are being released in 1.5.0), two used exclusively in promotional trailers, and four that we've never shared (of which one was created specifically for the OST).

We'll have much more information posted about the OST soon. In the meantime, here's a small taste!

Assault (OST Track #4) - Originally intended to be used in the Citadel level, we instead opted for the much more subtle tones of the aptly-named Citadel track (OST #6). You'll notice that there are still many similarities between the two!

Prometheus (OST Track #18) - Only ever used in one of our first trailers, this variation of the Main Menu track has a much faster beat. Echoes (OST #15), which is also a variation of the main theme, can be found exclusively on the OST and is definitely one of our favourites!

→ It's Not Over Yet!
While this will likely be the last major update we release for the mod, the Overwatch saga is far from over.

Version 1.5.5 is already being put together (and is targeted for release within a few months of 1.5.0), and aside from tweaks and minor improvements, it'll feature a fourth new level created by a member of our community!

And let's not forget Intruder Alert! which packs the same popular and fun gameplay found in Overwatch. We have a tall stack of plans for IA! (and are working hard to get that first release out), so be sure to follow our progress on its news page.

In the meantime, keep yourselves busy with Overwatch!

We hope you're as excited as we are for what's to come! Don't forget to return when that week is up!

Warp Speed

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 03:38:18 +0000

A fortnight after our last news post comes an ever quicker update:

It's bound to happen every once in a while, especially with news being posted twice a month: we have nothing new to report! That's not to say we haven't been making of progress. We have, very much so. And while we've been light on new media releases as well for the past few weeks, don't worry, this drought won't last for long; we'll have your fix of awesome artwork, in-game screenies, gameplay videos and music tracks delivered to you soon!

And now, or just select your favourite from this excellent assortment: http://kotaku.com/5905611/

Conglaturations!

Update (13/05): Good news! We'll finally be breaking radio silence on June 2nd, and we have a bag full of goodies that we can't wait to unveil. Hang in there!

Want to work with a talented, experienced and insanely dedicated team, a proven development process, custom tools and one heck of a project? Why not join us! We're always looking to expand our small team, so if you believe you have what it takes to work with us on this very demanding (and very gratifying) project, read the posted information about our openings and send us a message; we'd love to hear from you!

Fast and Furry-ous

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 04:03:26 +0000

Right on the heels of our last news post is a very quick update:

The past few weeks have been quite crazy for us (and fun!), still hard at work on our lovable game. While we don't have any new media for you today (*shock*), we do have two bits of information worth sharing.

In development news, we recently kicked off the implementation of some of IA!'s most important features: the resources system and, more importantly, proper OP unit spawning. While we'll be describing each feature in much more detail over time, it's worth noting that we've redesigned both from scratch and, unlike the way unit spawning was handled in Overwatch where Combine units were spawned using buttons in predetermined rooms blocked by force fields, units in IA! will be coming out of vents, walls, floors, windows, elevators, and.. doors (to name a few), and will be spawned using a really sweet radial menu and area system. GPs: You won't know what hit you.™

We've also just posted our answers to the dozens of community questions in the April Ask the Team! thread, where we shared some details about level objectives, third-person view for GPs, modular asset sets, accessibility to community-created content, Alexander the Great, and much more. Here's an excerpt:

Quote

I keep saying OP(s) in my posts and questions; are several OPs planned or are you going to stick to one per round like in Overwatch (though micromanaging could be a tad easier with multiple OPs)?

We've discussed creating a game mode (and levels) specifically for more than one OP, but it'll very likely not happen for a long while (our current priority is to get everything working great with just one OP). Compared to a typical RTS, there's much less micromanagement involved, and we're making sure that the features we introduce don't add too much complexity, keeping the OP accessible (and scalable) to both veteran RTS and hardcore FPS players.

It's definitely worth a read, so be sure to check it out!

Quick, wasn't it? Road Runner quick. More free bird seed?

Want to work with a talented, experienced and insanely dedicated team, a proven development process, custom tools and one heck of a project? Why not join us! We're always looking to expand our small team, so if you believe you have what it takes to work with us on this very demanding (and very gratifying) project, read the posted information about our openings and send us a message; we'd love to hear from you!

Short & Sweet

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 04:39:12 +0000

Another two weeks have flown right by since our last news post and (just like clockwork) we're back with an update, one that's light on text and heavier on media:

While the rest of the development team has been focused entirely on building IA!'s gameplay, our trio of artists has been hard at work creating tons of modular assets, textures and props for our levels, starting with the hidden mountain launch site.

Their first order of business was to create the Corridors, since they'll be used to interconnect the various rooms and areas within the base. Assets (like walls) were separated into sections so that corridors of varying shapes and lengths could be built using the same set of assets.

Not long after that came the Computer Lab and the sets of objects (desks, chairs) and clutter (sheets of paper, mugs) used within. As with the corridors, this section's assets were created with modularity in mind so that rooms of different sizes and configurations could easily be built with reusable pieces.

Our art team just recently began working on the hidden lair's missile Launch Chamber, which is the area that will very likely contain the level's final objective and miniboss fight. All we need now is a big monkey-like bad guy that can jump around the rocket with robotic finesse.

Remember: all of the areas showcased above (and in our Gallery) are still works in progress!

April's Ask the Team! event starts exactly one week from today, so if you have any questions about the images above (or IA! in general), be sure to post them in the appropriate thread when the time comes. No question will be left unanswered!

And don't forget to check back often as we'll soon be posting our third and fourth FbReq threads (covering Objectives and Routes), some new concepts, our very first gameplay videos, and much, much more!

Want to work with a talented, experienced and insanely dedicated team, a proven development process, custom tools and one heck of a project? Why not join us! We're always looking to expand our small team, so if you believe you have what it takes to work with us on this very demanding (and very gratifying) project, read the posted information about our openings and send us a message; we'd love to hear from you!

Keep On Truckin'

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 02:23:22 +0000

Here we are poking our heads out of the development ~~dungeon~~ bunker to share with you our biweekly update on IA!'s progress (also: hello, sunlight!) and, just in case you've been distracted for the last few weeks by this year's GDC and/or the ME3 release (and all the glorious controversy surrounding it), we'll throw in a recap of the previous news post in the mix for you too:

We kicked off our last communiqué by mentioning our first Feedback Requests. The two topics, posted a few weeks ago, covered GP Roles and Pawn World Markers, and our wonderful community has since sent us some great input. It's never too late to chime in, so if you haven't done so already, be sure to share your comments, ideas and suggestions by replying to those threads. You can also start your very own discussions regarding features you believe belong in the game by writing in the appropriate section of the IA! forums.

New this month are our answers to the dozens of community questions posted in the March Ask the Team! thread, where we shared some details related to OP unit races, types and configurations, GP and OP loadouts, customization and much more. Here's an excerpt:

Quote

How will you enable the OP to surprise (future) veterans of the game?

We want each side to be able to surprise the other, keeping every round interesting no matter how many rounds you play. With the varieties available for GPs (weapon and equipment loadouts, roles) and OPs (unit and trap loadouts, map-wide unit spawning and trap placement, minibosses), level layouts (multiple paths and objectives, randomized unit "entry" points) and individual player strategies, we're positive this can be accomplished.

We're also planning to release new content (levels, units, etc..) frequently to add even more variety to the game over time.

It's definitely worth a read, so be sure to check it out!

Featured in our last news entry is IA!'s very first teaser trailer which we've reincluded below for your viewing pleasure (every frame, sound and note were created by the talented people that make up our team!). We'll be releasing many more videos over the coming months to promote Intruder Alert! and to showcase its gameplay and many features, complementing our Spotlight/Development blog.

You can also watch the video above in HD on YouTube.

In development news, we've been hard at work building more modular art assets and props for our levels, improving the OP's view (added zoom in/out functionality with a gradual slope), implementing more core functionality (added the very first weapon: a simple submachine gun) and further prototyping key features like resources, roles, spawning, objectives, rounds and traps/sensors.

Finally, our focus for the next few weeks will be almost entirely on building a playable level which will combine all the functionality we've implemented so far, allowing us to more accurately test and perfect IA!'s features and gameplay mechanics, and bringing us closer to having enough content ready for the inaugural pre-alpha public release.

That's all for today! Remember to check back often as we'll soon be posting our third and fourth FbReq threads (covering Objectives and Routes) and releasing brand new in-game screenshots of a Computer Lab and the Launch Chamber seen in IA!'s early concepts and the video above.

And back to the bunker we go!

A Nice Little Surprise

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 09:33:04 +0000

Exactly three months have passed since we announced Intruder Alert! to the world, and we've been making tons of progress since. Here's an exciting new update to kick off the next quarter in style:

Let's begin with a quick recap of the last two weeks before we reveal our surprise (assuming you haven't already skipped ahead). As promised in the previous news entry, we posted the first batch of Feedback Requests a week ago covering GP Roles and Pawn World Markers.

GP Roles - which are similar to classes but with a few important distinctions - were first introduced in Overwatch, starting with the Defender and followed by the Medic. As the feature itself is quite popular (and definitely has plenty of potential), it was one of the first non-core gameplay elements to be designed and prototyped in IA!. We have tons of new ideas for it (including three brand new roles) and have detailed many of them in the first FbReq thread.

→ Feedback Request: GP Roles

Pawn World Markers are a simple but extremely important aspect of the players' HUD; they have two main purposes: highlighting in-game characters (to make them easier to spot) and giving the OP valuable information about his/her units at a quick glance. Our implementation of the feature in IA! is almost the same as it was in OW, with only a few minor differences which we've described in the second FbReq thread.

→ Feedback Request: Pawn World Markers

Keep an eye out for new FbReq threads (added often) and be sure to share as many of your comments, ideas and suggestions as possible on the topics described above by posting replies. We're also counting on you to start your very own discussions regarding features you believe belong in the game by writing in the appropriate section of our community forums. Last but not least, get any and all questions you have about our projects and team answered by taking part in our monthly Ask the Team! event. By working together, we can make IA! a truly great game!

And now, the surprise! As we'd hinted in our last communiqué, we've been working on some videos for IA!, both for promotion and to showcase gameplay and features. Today, we'd like to present you with Intruder Alert!'s very first teaser trailer. Enjoy!

You can also watch the video above in HD on YouTube.

With the teaser out of the way, we plan to start releasing new gameplay videos (shot in-engine) every few weeks to complement our Spotlight/Development blog.

Want to have your work showcased in those videos? Why not join us! We're always looking to expand our small team, so if you believe you have what it takes to work with us on this very demanding (and very gratifying) project, read the posted information about our openings and send us a message; we'd love to hear from you!

On a final note, you can now show your support and more easily keep track of IA!'s progress by joining, following, liking and subscribing to us on these brand new Steam, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube accounts.

And remember: the latest IA! news and information is always served first right here on the rM Community site, so be sure to check back often!

Sneak Up from Behind

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 04:47:12 +0000

Time flies! It's hard to believe that two weeks have already passed since our last news post - but they have - which brings us to yet another media-packed update:

Let's kick things off with some brand new in-game screenshots! If you recall, we unveiled IA!'s very first screenies just two weeks ago, giving you a very early preview of what we'd been working on behind closed doors. We're still hard at work, and we have a few brand new ones for you today (which you'll notice show a major improvement to the overall look and feel):

You can now also spot many of the assets we've posted concepts of in our Gallery some time ago. We're definitely getting closer! Within a few weeks, we hope to have enough content created and implemented to be able to show you some actual gameplay action! Pew pew and all!

In the meantime, we'll keep showering you with all kinds of media, like some more concept art:

It's likely blatantly obvious by now that one of our primary goals is to create a unique world for Intruder Alert!, a world which will come to life in the many official and community-made levels built specifically for IA!.

Sounds (whether they be ambient, foley or miscellaneous effects) play a very big role in animating the environment, which is why we hired not one, but two experienced sound designers to work closely with the team and define IA!'s identity from an audio standpoint, ultimately creating sounds that complement the game's theme and art style perfectly.

In our latest Spotlight/Development blog entry, IA!'s sound designers describe (in quite a bit of detail) their process for designing, recording and editing the sounds created for the game, and hint at an upcoming teaser trailer!

→ Read: Spotlight: Designing Sounds for IA!

Next week, we'll be posting a few threads in the Feedback Requests section of the IA! forums, where we'll be asking for your input on some of the discussions we've been having internally regarding upcoming features (like Roles). You can also contribute by posting your very own ideas and suggestions in the aptly-named Ideas & Suggestions forum. Help us make IA! the most kick-ass game it can be!

We have quite a few more surprises lined up (videos!) as we get closer and closer to a first public release. We hope you are as excited as we are; be sure to check back soon!

Full Speed Ahead!

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 06:28:03 +0000

Another fortnight, another update! Here's what's been going on in the imaginary offices of the redMatter development team for the past two weeks:

In our previous Spotlight/Development blog entry and news post, we unveiled IA!'s first pieces of concept art and an audio style test, giving you a taste of what to expect when you finally get your hands on a playable build. The stack of concepts, showcased in our Gallery, were just the first step in the art creation process for IA!.

In a follow-up blog entry posted just a few hours ago, IA!'s art lead explores the process our artists follow while creating the many assets for IA!'s first level. In it, he details our choice of art style, describes the modular nature of the assets we're building (and how useful they'll be to content creators in our community), explains the creation process for the many 3D objects we'll be using in-game, and also talks about the texture maps that are applied to those models.

To show you how it all comes together, and as promised in our last communiqué, he's also included IA!'s very first in-game screenshots, giving you a very early look at our work so far!

→ Read: Spotlight: Designing Art for IA!'s First Environment (Part Two)

In addition to 2D/3D assets (and sounds/music), we've still been hard at work on IA!'s core functionality and gameplay. In fact, with approximately 200 tickets on our task manager and 250 updates to our code and assets in January alone (compared to 80 tickets and 125 updates in all previous months combined), we've been making tons of progress!

Some of the features we've implemented so far include:

General
- Main menu
- Spawning (GPs and OP units)
- Team system (currently 1 OP, multiple GPs) + friendly fire
- OP opt-in system + automatic OP selection
- Round system + basic victory conditions (OP wins, GPs win, draw)
- Weapons
Overhead Players (OPs)
- Top-down view
- Navigation (by moving the cursor to the edges of the window, holding down a button and moving the mouse around, or even using the WASD keys)
- Dynamic occlusion (allowing the OP to see through walls)
- Unit spawning + HUD button
- Unit selection (including box-selection)
- Unit commands (move, attack, stop) + HUD buttons
- Unit world markers (including health indicators and selection circles/effects)
- GP world markers (glow that can be seen through walls, targeting effects)
- Minimap (including markers for both GPs and OP units)
- Ability to issue move/attack orders on the Minimap to selected units
- Ability to navigate around the level by clicking on the Minimap
Ground Players (GPs)
- First-person and third-person views
We're also currently prototyping objectives, roles, traps and dynamic music!

We've given plenty of control over much of the above functionality to our level designers via Kismet actors, nodes and objects, which will also be very useful to community content creators.

It's worth noting that most of these features still need a few iterations before they can be considered "complete", but we're definitely close to having enough implemented to be able to give you all early access to the game. Be sure to stop by our IRC channel to track our progress LIVE!

In the coming weeks, we'll be posting a few threads in the Feedback Requests section of the IA! forums, where we'll be asking for your input on some of the discussions we've been having internally regarding upcoming features. You can also contribute by posting your very own ideas and suggestions in the aptly-named Ideas & Suggestions forum. Help us make IA! the most kick-ass game it can be!

We're all anxiously counting down the days to our first public release. We hope you are as excited as we are and we look forward to seeing you all in-game very, very soon!

All Is Not What It Seems!

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 02:43:30 +0000

After breaking our silence and announcing Intruder Alert! to the world just over a month ago, and with development pushing forward at blazing speeds, we can now turn our attention to you, our growing community!

As we've mentioned time and time again, we pride ourselves in our efforts to keep IA!'s development as open as possible, sharing progress with you as we make it (you can actually track our progress LIVE by joining our IRC channel).

One of the main ways we'll be doing so is through IA!'s Development Blog in the form of Spotlights, Progress Reports and other miscellaneous entries. The blog's media-packed inaugural post, written just a few hours ago, describes the process we followed to design the art for IA!'s very first environment: a secret lair hidden deep inside a volcano, a perfect fit for the theme and art style we chose for the game!

→ Read: Spotlight: Designing Art for IA!'s First Environment

Completing that lair will bring us one step closer to reaching our next major milestone and finally being able to release IA!'s first public build to the world.

You've probably noticed our brand new Gallery by now. We'll be filling it with all kinds of concepts and screenshots throughout development, so be sure to keep an eye on it! And now that you've had a chance to take a look at the first pieces of artwork that we've posted in it, your imagination must be going wild.

Want more? Of course you do. Hit play on the track below, close your eyes, and let your imagination do the rest!

This is just a small taste of what's to come. We'll be putting your imagination to work by sharing with you similar stacks of images, audio tracks and videos, every two weeks and for the foreseeable future! So be sure to check back every so often as we'll have tons to share with you, more and more as we get closer and closer to that first release.

Remember: Your feedback is paramount to IA!'s success in becoming the best game it possibly can be, so we're counting on you to post as much of it as you can. And be sure to let your friends know about it too; you'll be playing with them soon enough!

We hope you're all as anxious to play as we are. In our next post, we'll be shedding some light on some of the features we've implemented so far, and will be sharing with you IA!'s first ever in-game screenshots!

Planned Theme & Art Style

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 03:58:37 +0000

Two weeks ago, we unveiled Intruder Alert! to the world in this announcement and included tons of additional information on this page. We had intentionally left out any mention of IA!'s planned theme and art style as we felt it best to post about them separately.

⇒ Strategy
Before we begin, I'd like to go off on a ~~small~~ tangent and talk about two of the most important decisions we made early in Overwatch's development (IA! is the spiritual successor to Overwatch, our previous project), and the similar decisions we've made this time around with IA!:

Release Early, Release Often, Gather Feedback: We've no doubt in our minds that Overwatch is the game it is today thanks to its amazing community and the tons of valuable feedback we've received since the initial announcement and first release back in the Summer of 2010. Having such a tight-knit relationship with our fanbase during development was also a huge source of motivation for our team.

Those are two of the main reasons why we're aiming for a similar approach with IA!, even taking it a step further and announcing/releasing sooner than we did with OW. As we've mentioned in the announcement, our target for an initial (pre-alpha) public build is Q1 2012 (which is a mere few months away!). IA! will still be pretty raw at first but will definitely grow with each subsequent release, and we'll again be counting on your uncensored feedback to help us build the best game possible!
Gameplay Above All Else: No matter how stunning a game looks, you'll likely not want to play it for very long if it isn't a lot of fun, which is one of the main reasons why we'd restricted ourselves to only using Half-Life² assets during Overwatch's development. We focused our entire effort on designing and prototyping various features and gameplay mechanics and figuring out what works and what doesn't in an asymmetric RTSS, information that is also invaluable to us as we build IA!.

But IA! isn't an OW remake; while its core gameplay is similar, it's a brand new title with much bigger goals, which means we still have quite a bit to figure out. Our top priority will always be gameplay (which is why it's been our main focus since we kicked off IA!'s development), but as our plans are to produce a complete game worth your hard-earned cash, looks will also be playing a pretty big role (and don't forget that, in addition to our own art style, we'll be building assets from scratch specifically for IA!, which means you can expect some darn cool stuff!).

And that brings us to the main topic of this post: IA!'s planned art style and theme. You'll notice that the following information is very raw; it's only meant to give you a small taste of what to expect. Over the coming weeks, we'll be describing each aspect in more detail with the help of a few renders and pieces of jaw-dropping concept art!

⇒ Theme
One of the key features we have planned for IA! is to offer tons of character personalization options for both the GP and OP sides, so when we set off to look for an appropriate theme, our primary goal was to find one that would allow for tons of different locations, environments, characters, weapons, gadgets, items (etc..), all within the same world.

And we did: a 60s Spy Film Parody (à la Austin Powers), with the GPs playing the good guys and the OPs playing the forces of evil. The possibilities for content are endless!

⇒ Art Style
Our search for the perfect art style was a bit simpler. We needed one that would fit the above theme while also allowing us to produce assets quickly (to offer a wide variety of content for players to choose from). We found that an illustrative/NPR style (similar to TF2 or BF Heroes) would be a great fit: nothing too realistic or too detailed, but still great-looking!

⇒ Music!
As I mentioned earlier, it'll still be a few weeks before we can unveil the first pieces of concept art from IA!, but rather than leaving you empty-handed, we've attached one of the prototype tracks our amazing composer (the same one from Overwatch!) has recently put together. Just close your eyes and put your imagination to work!

Enjoy!

⇒ Closing
Some of you might have already guessed our choices, which would be a great sign! In fact, one of you did just a few days ago: View attachment: Comment.png
It's great to know that the relationship we have with our community is so tight-knit that we've apparently developed some form of telepathy!

2011 Best Upcoming Indie of the Year Award!
In closing, I'd like to point out that thanks to you, IA! made it to IndieDB's Top 100 list this year, just like Overwatch did last year! If you like our plans for IA!, please put a huge smile on our faces by helping Intruder Alert! make the Best Upcoming Indie list of 2011 (click the image below and scroll to the bottom of the page, then click on the Vote button to the left of the IA! image):

Happy Holidays and see you in 2012!

Big News for 2012!

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 23:23:43 +0000

Overwatch is still alive and kicking, with huge plans for the upcoming year and beyond!

We've been so insanely pleased with Overwatch's popularity: so far, it's been downloaded over 90,000 times and is still played every week by fans from all over the world. These facts, combined with the amazing feedback we've received from our community, have kept us highly motivated to keep pushing forward with our plans.

We've hit a few bumps in the road in the last year but, bumpy road or not, we never even considered giving up. Instead, we made a few tough decisions, decisions that allow us to keep moving forward with our plans. The biggest one, explained below, is our switch to the Unreal Engine.

Why switch to the Unreal Engine?
Source is a fantastic engine and we definitely had a blast working with it and being a part of its community; however (and unfortunately), it wasn't designed to handle everything we were throwing at it (like the RTS aspects, numerous complex entity systems, etc..). It would have taken quite a bit of effort (and lots of code) to fix those issues, which would have been time taken away from developing the game itself. After a quick bit of prototyping in the UDK, it became obvious to us that UE3 is much better suited to handle our needs.

Our community has also come to expect a great deal from us (timely/frequent releases, for example), and many of you have also voiced your concerns that Overwatch's potential wasn't being fully explored (not enough maps and lack of custom assets built specifically for OW's type of gameplay, to name a few). Switching to UE3 gives us the opportunity to work on an Overwatch-like game as a commercial project which, even with a minimum amount of income, would allow us to dedicated more than just our free time to its development, producing more content at a faster pace (honestly, if we didn't have to eat and feed our families, we'd all be putting in every minute we have - and some of us already put in more than what is considered a sane amount).

The bottom line is, even though we've made a few big changes, we're working harder than ever to reach our goal of producing a fun and unique game that people can enjoy for years to come. That said, allow me to introduce:

Intruder Alert!
Intruder Alert! (or IA! for short) is a cooperative asymmetric multiplayer Real-Time Strategy Shooter and the spiritual successor to Overwatch.

Like Overwatch, IA! pits a team of GPs (Ground Players, playing cooperatively in first-person or third-person view) against one or more OPs (Overhead Players, commanding AI-controlled units and manipulating the environment around them from a top-down perspective).

We've taken all the valuable lessons we've learned while developing Overwatch and are using them to build a bigger, better and more complete game of the same genre, this time powered by Epic's amazing UE3 (using the UDK).

We've also gotten rid of the restrictions we'd set on ourselves during Overwatch's development. This time around, we're aiming for a complete gaming experience: bigger and better features, with levels, models and textures built entirely from scratch around a fun theme and an awesome art style.

Our plan is still to RERO and to get our community intricately involved in IA!'s development process every step of the way. In our minds, your feedback and suggestions are invaluable to IA!'s success, as they were to Overwatch's.

There's plenty more to say about our plans for IA! and we've organized it all in an easy-to-read format and posted it on this Details page. You can also read the official announcement here.

Is this the end for Overwatch as a Half-Life² mod?
Not quite. While getting that first build of IA! in our community's hands as soon as possible is our top priority, we still have at least one big release planned for Overwatch.

Targeted for early 2012, the update will contain all of the content found in the development build (which includes textured Breach, updated Crossroads and Canals, tons of other tweaks and bug fixes, and some awesome community-made levels) as well as a few new surprises like Breach II: the long-awaited second part of the Breach level (hint: STRIDERS!!), enough to keep you busy until you can play IA!.

Be sure to keep a close eye on our site as we'll soon be posting a complete list of changes that will be included in the upcoming release.

2011 Best Upcoming Indie of the Year Award!
In closing, I'd like to point out that thanks to you, IA! made it to IndieDB's Top 100 list this year, just like Overwatch did last year! If you love Overwatch as much as we do and like our plans for the future, please put a huge smile on our faces by helping Intruder Alert! make the Best Upcoming Indie list of 2011 (click the image below and scroll to the bottom of the page, then click on the Vote button to the left of the IA! image):

Happy Holidays and see you in 2012!

Intruder Alert!

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 05:01:24 +0000

It gives us great pleasure to finally be able to announce the project we've been working on for the last few months: our first standalone large-scale independent title for Windows and Mac!

Intruder Alert! (or IA! for short) is a cooperative asymmetric multiplayer Real-Time Strategy Shooter (powered by Unreal Engine 3) and the spiritual successor to Overwatch: a Half-Life² modification we developed and released in 2010 (which has been downloaded over 90,000 times in the last year, given a rating of 9.3/10 by its community and nominated to ModDB's Top 100 Mods of 2010!).

Like Overwatch, IA! pits a team of GPs (Ground Players, playing cooperatively in first-person or third-person view) against one or more OPs (Overhead Players, commanding AI-controlled units and manipulating the environment around them from a top-down perspective). As such, you'll be playing a very different game based on what side you choose!

IA! comes with many big new features and is also being built from the ground up to offer plenty of customization options and a unique playing experience each and every round. From the way we are designing our levels to the vast variety of units and abilities available, players won't be able to predict how a round will play out.

Following the amazing feedback we have received from Overwatch fans across the globe, we kicked off development of IA! mid-2011 and have been working hard on it ever since. We've taken all the valuable lessons we've learned while developing Overwatch and are using them to build a bigger, better and more complete game of the same genre, this time powered by Epic's amazing UE3 (using the UDK).

We've also gotten rid of the restrictions we'd set on ourselves during Overwatch's development. This time around, we're aiming for a complete gaming experience: bigger and better features, with levels, models and textures built entirely from scratch around a fun theme and an awesome art style.

Our plan is still to RERO and to get our community intricately involved in IA!'s development process every step of the way. In our minds, your feedback and suggestions are invaluable to IA!'s success, so help us by joining our community today!

There's plenty more to say about our plans for IA!, but rather than filling the announcement with a huge block of text, we've organized relevant information in an easy-to-read format and posted it on the IndieDB Details page, where you'll find answers to questions such as "What makes IA! fun and unique?", "When will I be able to play IA!?" and "Will IA! be utterly awesome?". As we're still in the very early stages of development, expect much more information (and media!) to be posted progressively in the coming weeks (we also plan on having an early build ready for you to play within a few short months!).

In the meantime, we encourage you to take a look at (and even play!) Overwatch, as it'll give you a taste of the kind of gameplay you'll find in IA!. Here's a small promotional trailer to get you started:

We hope you are all as thrilled about this new project as we are. If so, support us by voting for Intruder Alert! in this year's IOTY Awards! Making the Best Upcoming Indie list would put a huge smile on our faces!

The fun has just begun and we have quite a long and exciting road ahead of us. We are looking forward to interacting with our community and to soon be playing IA! with all of you online!

If you have any questions about IA!, you can contact us directly by posting on our Community Forums (we're always on there, come say hi!), through WebChat or by emailing us at: info -AT- redmatter -DOT- ca

-- Your favourite sleep-deprived development team, redMatter

Brand New Community Site is Live!

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:36:19 +0000

Hello everyone!

After tons of work and sleepless nights, the new site is finally here!

It's not quite perfect just yet, but we're getting there. If you encounter any bugs/issues, please report them in this topic. If you have any other kind of feedback (both positive and negative), feel free to post them in here.

We hope you enjoy our brand new home, and expect plenty more surprises coming soon!

Get Ready for the Future!

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:42:54 +0000

Hello!

It's been a while, hasn't it? Well, you'll be happy to know (if you didn't already) that we haven't been tanning on a beach in the Caribbean for the past year (and let's face it, no one wants to see us half-naked on a beach anyway); instead, we've been hard at work on many surprises that we'll be unveiling slowly over the next little while.

To kick it all off, we have a slew of site and server upgrades that we'll be applying soon, and I figured I'd give you all a quick rundown of what to expect (I'll be updating this thread whenever new information is available):

⇒ Server Upgrades

Our public sites (http://overwatchmod.com and http://community.overwatchmod.com + the pages you see in-game) will be moved from our partner's server to our very own VPS. This will give us much more control over the hosting environment and will allow us to make specific changes to it to improve site response time and speed. In short, you'll get a much snappier experience navigating our online content.
Before we move anything to our VPS, we'll be taking it offline and performing some maintenance/running some software updates on it. There will be a bit of downtime that'll only affect our IRC network (+ the WebChat page) and our public SVN repositories (so you won't be able to check for updates on the Dev build). The downtime will be minimal (~a few hours).

⇒ Site Upgrades

All of our sites are getting a huge face-lift. The current design is nice, but it's a bit too monochromatic (and is getting old). The new design is much more modern, will incorporate different colours and will (eventually) be spiced up with some art! You'll find a preview of the new design at the bottom of this post. Note that it's still a work in progress (it'll very likely go through a few more iterations before we settle on a final design/colour scheme), and I'll try to update the image every now and then to show you the changes.
The software that powers our community will be upgraded to the brand new 3.2.x branch (see below for details).

⇒ Community Site: What's New?

As mentioned above, the software that powers our community will be upgraded to its latest version. All the changes listed in this thread + a few others added in subsequent updates will be included.
Our entire URL scheme will change. I'll add more details over the coming weeks, but as an example: http://community.overwatchmod.com will change to http://community.redmatter.ca (we're basically going to be grouping all of our projects under a single community).
The 3.2.x branch of the community software we use removed some features you might have grown accustomed to. Here are some examples (off the top of my head):
- Topic Descriptions
- Manage Notes (in your UserCP > Settings)
- Online Status (can no longer see the status of a member when viewing a thread)
- Profile Picture/Avatar (now merged into one)
- Post Icons (they were terrible anyway -- the new Tags feature is much better)
- ...

⇒ Images

View attachment: Site111017.png View attachment: Site111017_2.png View attachment: Site111017_3.png View attachment: Site111017_4.png

⇒ Final Comments & Revision History

I'll be adding much more information to this thread over the coming weeks, so keep an eye on it!

As always, you're more than welcome to post any thoughts/feedback you have on all of this. There's still some time before we roll out the upgrades, so we can still make changes if needed.