ART!!
May 2nd, 2012
We are still here! John has been doing a lot of exam related stuff, so I (Trevor) have taken the opportunity to draw a lot. We are really starting to nail down Safe Zone’s art style and we want to share it with you before we get too far into it to change anything.
We definitely want to go with the old school, forced top down perspective, which is weird at first but you get used to it pretty quickly.
So check out this picture and let us know what you think. We’ll try to incorporate your ideas into a few sketches and share them this weekend!
Our Call With BobbyY
March 26th, 2012
Hey guys, we’re still plugging away at the basics to build you a playable alpha, but at the same time we are thinking ahead and continuing to hammer out the way the game is going to play when it’s finished.
In that vein, way back during the backing process of Safe Zone one of you backers picked the “sit in on one of our skype brainstorming sessions” reward, and we invited that backer (Kickstarter name BobbyY) to a call we had yesterday evening. We talked about a lot of stuff, got some great feedback, and came away with some great ideas.
We asked Bobby to write up a little something about the experience.
BobbyY writes:
“So I met with Trevor and Jon, the creative and technical minds driving Safe Zone. We went over a variety of subjects, which ran the gamut from psychotic personalities to the overall gameplay to narrative vision.
What I did notice was the creativity and enthusiasm both brought to the table. They’re obviously fans of the genres (gameplay and zombie setting), and in the creative conversation it was more an issue of selecting the great ideas from the good ones more than just coming up with good ideas. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that they had an idea of where the infection started, and were firmly set against any kind of item that could prolong or prevent infection.
Strong preferences and decision tend to create a more powerful vision and more interesting gameplay. It was also comforting to hear that both of them had a firm grounding in gaming and a real passion for what they’re working on. Although they have the daunting task of creating an entire game ahead of them, having had this chance to chat and plan with them as well as contribute my own ideas makes me even more eager to see what this game will be.”
We were really happy that he came away as excited as we are about Safe Zone, and that he was able to express his thoughts about our plans for Safe Zone and influence the course of the game.
Developer Diary – Entry #1
March 21st, 2012
CHeck out our first video developer diary entry here:
Here is the checklist for the first playable Alpha which some of our Kickstarter backers will have access to:
1. A level generator
2. The first alpha locations
3. Working enemies and collectibles
One these elements are finished, we’ll be able to distribute the alpha to everyone so they can give it a try. And of course we’ll be keeping you updated on each element of the checklist as we work on it.
Updates
December 13th, 2011
Hey everyone, it’s been a while since we’ve updated the website (lots of updates over on our Kickstarter page, though). From now on when we update the Kickstarter page we will be updating this site as well. See you soon!
Moving Right Along
August 29th, 2011
We are currently in talks with a publisher… More to come soon
Check Our Our Kickstarter Page!
July 1st, 2011
Updates galore over on our Kickstarter page, but not so many here. For now, to get the latest info on Safe Zone, head on over to our kickstarter page and click the “Updates” tab. We are updating it regularly with all sorts of fun stuff!
Morale (and Stress) in Safe Zone
June 19th, 2011
Another update over on our kickstarter page. This time we talk about Morale and its role in Safe Zone.
Check out this exerpt:
“Morale is a measure of an individual party member’s current state of mind. Basically it boils down to this: the worse you are feeling about your situation, the worse you will perform in and out of combat. So if your morale is low, your stats will be lowered to match, and vice-versa. Of course, if you are feeling on top of the world and confident, you’ll perform better than you would normally.”
There’s more on kickstarter!
Zombies Should be Slow
June 19th, 2011
We dropped that ball posting an update to this page, but check out our newest update over on our kickstarter page!
In it we answer the followng questions;
Why do zombies work so well as “the bad guys”? What makes them so iconic? What makes them terrifying, yet compelling? What sets them apart from other “monsters”?
And we talk a bit abut the zombies of safe zone, too!
Here’s an exerpt:
“Our zombies are slow and numerous. The challenge when fighting our zombies is 1.) to avoid being bitten, as you will become infected and soon die. There are few things more disheartening than having to fight a former friend. One of them happens to be fighting the rotting corpse of a former friend. And 2.) to avoid being overwhelmed by their sheer numbers. If you are planning on fighting a horde, you had better not only build fortifications, but multiples levels of fortifications, because the zombies’ corpses will inevitably pile up in front of your barricades, forming a ramp for the other zombies to simply walk up and over.
If you are planning on actually killing any zombies, you’ll need to shoot them in the head. A zombie with its legs shot off will pull itself along the ground by its arms. A zombie with no arms can still run up and bite you. We’re calling a zombie with no arms and legs a “snapper.” Watch out for those if you are planning on looting the battlefield after it’s all over.”
We’re posting regular updates over on kickstarter, every couple of days or so, so check back in every so often!
Vignettes
June 15th, 2011
Safe Zone
Here’s an overview:
A vignette is basically a “half-scripted event” that the player can either watch it unfold in front of him, or he can step in and interact with it.
Quick example: the player sees survivor being chased by a horde of zombies. She throws a molotov over her shoulder and barricades herself into a building. The player notices that the fire is spreading towards the building.
At this point the player might rush over, avoiding the zombies, and put out the fire near the building, or he could simply watch as the survivor either burns to death, or tries to make a break for it and is eaten by zombies.
These vignettes range from extremely simple to quite complex, and the player can interact with them any way he or she wants, at any time he or she wants.
For a more in-depth look at vignettes, check out our Kickstarter project page here.
The Press have been Released!
June 14th, 2011
NEW YORK CITY – June 14, 2011 – Safe Zone, a tactical adventure RPG created by Blind Eye Games LLC, is a realistic Zombie Apocalypse experience. Players must travel from them midwest across a zombie infested United States to a Safe Zone located on the West Coast.
You’re trapped on the wrong side of an army of the undead. Scavenge for supplies while trying not to attract their attention, as anything you do will increase the number of zombies following you. Eventually, you’ll be need to face the horde, but before then, stock up on weapons, craft traps, fortify barricades, fend off raiders, and create a party. You can’t stop them; there are too many. All you can do is keep going until you reach the Safe Zone.
A gameplay trailer can be found here: http://www.blindeyegames.com/media/
As seen in the available trailer, gameplay mainly consists of three parts:
* Top down free exploration when scavenging for supplies
* Side shooting defense when fighting hordes
* A menu based travel and encounter system as you cross the country
Other Features:
* Fist fights with raiders
* Puzzle based gameplay for moving traffic jams, disarming traps and hot-wiring cars
* Stealth based infiltration of raider camps
* Side scrolling beat-em-up gameplay during a frontal attack on a raider camp
* Innovative Morale system that affects your stats based on your party’s confidence, fear, and general mental well being.
* Random “half-scripted Vignettes” add a layer of realism to the world
* Much more!
As a side note, the zombies in Safe Zone are the traditional “slow zombies” of Romero fame.
Safe Zone is slated for release this Fall. Blind Eye Games is running a fundraising campaign on www.kickstarter.com to support the development of Safe Zone. Rewards for donations have been set up, from beta access, to the inclusion of a character based on contributors, to working with Blind Eye Games to add a special item or accessory to the game of your creation, and many more.
A playable tech demo will be made available in early July to the media as well as those who pledge $25 or more to the Kickstarter campaign.
Blind Eye Games is looking to raise $5,500 to increase production values (art assets, sound design, advertising, etc.), and also because it is numberwang.
“Safe Zone is once of the only realistic zombie apocalypse games out there. We are taking a lot of old school gameplay elements and adding layers of strategy and integration that will make Safe Zone really stand out.” said Trevor Scott, Co-founder and Creative Director, Blind Eye Games.
“We really want to allow users to create their own content through map editing, custom campaign creation, and more, but we need the community’s help to make this happen,” said John Sawyer, Co-founder and Technical Director, Blind Eye Games. “We’re really excited to get Safe Zone out in front of the public and hear the community’s feedback for the first time.”
About Blind Eye Games
Blind Eye Games LLC is an indie game company looking to make our mark with our first game “Safe Zone.” Though all team members have day jobs, they spend their free time developing “Safe Zone” in the hopes that they’ll eventually be able to work full time for Blind Eye Games LLC.
For general inquiries, please email us at info@blindeyegames.com
For media inquiries, please email Mari Self at m.self@blindeyegames.com
Website: www.BlindEyeGames.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Blind-Eye-Games/199924633383659
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/BlindEyeGames