A retro 2D RPG with turn-based elements. The game is set in a grungy, 90s style cyberpunk future. Based on an original board game concept.
N E U R O T R O N
Alpha Demo 0.1
Readme File
July 30th, 2014
CONTENTS:
=========
I. General
II. Bugs and known errors
III. The Story so far
IV. Control scheme
V. Neurotron in general
VI. Player character
VII. Demo mission
VIII. Credits
[ I. GENERAL ]
--------------
Neurotron is a 2D RPG, with turn-based elements. It's based on an original
board game concept of ours. The camera has a bird's eye perspective, reminiscent
of the classic PC role-playing and real-time strategy games. The platform is
Windows / PC only at the moment.
This alpha demo was mainly compiled by the project leader, Harri Jokinen. It was
built for the Gamedev compo of Assembly Summer 2014. The current in-game version
is fully software rendered, the menu's 3D objects use Direct3D.
Unfortunately, the demo does not support the saving or loading of character
progress, as there is only one playable mission.
Neurotron officially has no system requirements yet, but it has been tested on
Windows Vista, Win7 and Win8 operating systems. The game was created with
Clickteam's 'Multimedia Fusion 2 Developer', and it should run on the
following requirements:
* OS: Windows XP or later
* Processor: 1.5 Ghz processor or higher
* Memory: 256 MB or more
* DirectX 9.0 or later and compatible graphics hardware
[ II. BUGS AND KNOWN ERRORS ]
-----------------------------
The game is still in its early Alpha stage, so many glitches and errors may occur.
Game's not fully tested and optimized yet, which may result in slowing down and
low framerate, even on a very high-end machine.
If something very unfortunate happens, you can press Q + 0 (zero) to quickly
restart the current mission.
[ III. THE STORY SO FAR ]
-------------------------
Set in Earth during the 22nd century, the story tells about a small resistance
group called 'Phoenix Rebellion' which is locked in a mortal conflict against
a vicious corporate network known as 'The Family'.
Much of the Earth has been ruined by centuries of industrial waste, pollution
and smog. From the ashes of the Old Earth rose a new breed of capitalism, ran
by powerful AIs, which do business far better than Man ever did. Most of the
population on Earth now live inside huge, domed cityspaces. These domed sectors
have their own atmosphere processors and weather control units. Our story is set
in 'Amerac', the largest of these cityscapes.
The highest echelons of The Family are solely controlled by entities of
artificial intelligence, which roam the vast digital, non-physical planes of
'Mindweb'. The Mindweb is a three-dimensional neural simulation, a graphical
internet, a successor to the World Wide Web.
As the player, you take control of a solo or a group of fighters working for
the Phoenix Rebellion. You will have devastating weapons, exotic upgrades
and various equipment at your disposal. The mysterious leader of Phoenix,
'Cyryx', will be your guide through the missions.
[ IV. CONTROL SCHEME ]
----------------------
MOUSE LEFT - Interaction \ Move \ Attack
MOUSE RIGHT - Scan area & close open tabs
S - Searches the room or corridor
C - Opens the 'Character' tab
I or F - Opens the 'Inventory' tab
P or E - Opens the 'Power' tab
D - Opens the 'Infodex' tab
H - Instantly uses a Healing Stim
J - Instantly uses a Hazmat Suit
K - Instantly uses a Speed Serum
L - Instantly uses a Battle Stim
ESC - Quits immediately
Arrows on HUD - Nudge the screen according to their direction
[ V. NEUROTRON IN GENERAL ]
---------------------------
During one turn, players can perform a number of actions, depending on their
amount of 'Action points'. The amount of Action points are determined by
character's Dexterity and their maximum of Movements points.
The actions range from attacking and moving to using special powers or
searching an area. All of the actions take different amount of APs.
NOTE: The search function can only only be performed once in a certain
room or corridor.
Depending on the amount of Dexterity you have, you may be able to attack
more than once per turn. The higher the Dexterity, the more times you can
attack during one turn. Also, Dexterity level determines the skill which
you have to dodge attacks.
The Range stat will determine the distance which your projectiles can fly and
the Weapons stat determines how many of them you can carry at any time.
Attack deals with the damage caused by your attack.
After the player has ran out of Action points, the turn will move to the
next player. If there is only one player in the game (like in this Alpha Demo
version) the turn will stay with Player 1.
Unlike in the Board Game version of 'Neurotron', the enemies are controlled
by an AI. The computer enemy also has a number of functions it can perform
during its turn, but usually it will just hunt you down and try to attack
you.
When you're running low on Vitality points, you can either find a Healing Stim
and use it, or use the Biometal patch to heal yourself. In the full version
the player characters have many skills and items for healing themselves
and others.
The Programmer can apply a Biometal patch once a mission for the
cybernetically-enhanced Mercenary character or herself. The Adept also has
a 'Recovery' update, which can be used for healing. The Stims can also be
either applied directly or given to other player characters.
If you run out of Vitality points, you are dead. If you're the only player
or there are no player characters standing, the mission has failed.
The main currency and most valuable substance in Neurotron (next to the
Vitality) are the Credits, a form of purely digital money. Credits can
be obtained throughout missions from storage cubes and secret stashes.
Players receive a bounty for every enemy they have eliminated.
NOTE: Beware of trap tiles, security sensors and hazardous environments!
The areas which the rebel players have to explore are often filled with
dangerous elements.
[ VI. PLAYER CHARACTERS ]
-------------------------
This Alpha demo only features one playable character, but the full retail
version will have a total of 4 players for you to choose:
* Programmer, the one seen in this demo. She has the special power of Bypassing
and applying Biometal patches for healing effect. Later purchasable upgrades
deal with robotics tampering and enhanced security systems hacking.
* Operative, an ex-agent of The Family. His body has been nanotechnically
enhanced to withstand dangerous environments. One of his special powers
is a subdermal active camouflage, which changes his skin to a mercury-like
appearance, resulting in a chameleon effect.
* Mercenary, a gun for hire. Before joining the Phoenix he had no real
affiliation to anyone or anything. He is a gun freak, cybernetically-enhanced
and very lethal. He is best used in the frontline at the beginning of attack,
but soon withdrawn, since he does not have the best dexterity. He has lost
almost all of his natural body in combat, and his organs are encased in armor,
coated with a pulse-resistant fake skin. It is said that only his head, lungs
and spine remain from his original human body.
* Adept, a scholar of psionic powers. After quitting in the service of GSC
as a PSI officer, she joined the sacred order of Ranamant Church. Trained in
the isolation tanks of the Chruch, she has learned the power of psychic
projections. The skills of clairvoyance and telepathy were long denied by
the scientific community, until The Family developed the first psionic
charger somewhere in the late 2090s. Adept is a supporting character in
the rebel fighter squad.
[ VII. DEMO MISSION ]
---------------------
This version only includes the first mission of the full 12 mission story
campaign: 'Communications tower'. It is supposed to give you a glimpse of
what the retail game might look and feel like. The mission is set in a
Family installation, built high above ground. The overall look has a
red hue coming from the smog of Xion City, and you can also see clouds
rolling over the installation.
Objectives:
- Find the Communications Uplink and use it to transmit a rebel signal.
- Return to the ship in one piece.
First you need to clear the enemy right in front of you (or below you,
depending on the perspective). Once you have destroyed the first
Overwatcher, move inside the first room and eliminate the second one.
Now you might want to search and loot the rooms and corridors for hidden
credits and helpful items. Once you've found the Comlink, you will need
to bring up your 'Power' menu and use your Bypassing skill. Once successful,
you may return to the ship.
[ VIII. CREDITS ]
-----------------
The 'Neurotron' team is:
Team leader / gfx / design / story
Harri Jokinen
Design / illustration / testing
Vesa-Pekka Koivisto
Sound FX / music
Eetu Suoranta
Music / technical direction / tech support
Miika Puurunen
Testing lead / QA
Joni Aaltonen
Additional game design / story / QA
Juha Peltom�ki
Story / spellchecking / testing
Tuukka Kuusisto
Sound FX / cinematics writer
Jyri Juhola
Live action intro / testing / voice acting
Petri Markkanen
SPECIAL THANKS
Clickteam
Erik Gustafsson
Anders riggelsen
Andos / www.andosmedia.com
xinok / www.xinok.tk
Aleks wilk
Greyhill
Developers of Irrlicht engine
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N E U R O T R O N � Rayhouse Productions
Contact :
[email protected]
www.rayhouseproductions.com
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