Character Concept Art - The first two characters

Hello everyone!

It’s been two weeks since our last post and here we are with more concepts!

Although this time, we’re actually flexing our muscles even more, by presenting you with some of
the main characters taken right from our story!

So, let us share some insight on who/what you see, by beginning with Albert :

Albert - Full Body Concept Art

An engineer and physicist by study, having attended Eaton college in his younger years and King’s
College after that. His unquenchable passion for all things mechanical, as well as his unwavering
resolve concerning his experiments are the driving force behind this young genius.

Yet, a dark and heavy burden looms on this young man’s shoulders. A burden that remains to be
brought to light…


Introducing our second character, Alma:

Alma - Full Body Concept Art

What do you get when you cross a kind, poetic heart with the luck that August’s stars can bestow
upon a certain person?

The answer lies before you.

A kind-hearted girl, born to a rural family near Reading, the only daughter of her family - and the
only one to inherit the great secret arts that her family’s women possessed. The person whose love
is selfless - devoid of any notion of corruption. A pure-minded girl grown into the perfect kind of
woman that any man would desire to have by his side…

In the end, we are the masks that we choose to wear, are we not?

Doors, Stealth, AI and some Art

Hello!
How's everybody doing?

Project AH is on its' way to becoming even better, day by day!

At the moment, the door mechanics are being designed and coded into the game, as they have offered quite a challenge for the programming department. You see, it's not a matter of opening or just closing a door. You will have to calculate the position of the player, their direction, and whether they are looking the front or the back of it. All this included, we are working on creating an absolutely natural door-opening mechanic.

Once this is done, we will move on to implementing this mechanic on double doors and thereafter, on locker / wardrobe objects (That will be used as the main mean to actually use stealth in the game).

That would bring us closer to the AI of the monsters. But then again, that would require some monsters designed, and then some puzzles, and then, and then... It's a BLAST! Such projects require time to handle and be developed properly.

So we will keep you informed on how that goes! As you see there is much to be made, and the team is so excited about the development! It's like our little baby, growing up day by day!

For example, here is a sample baby monster concept:

And that's how the story goes

So, how exactly did we get inspired to make a horror game?

What runs into our minds by the time we are visualizing our dream of creating a bone-chilling horror story? Let me introduce you to a brief overview:

A funny-looking figure was walking up and down a narrow corridor, filled with objects from another time. He would often pick up different objects and look at them with a faint spark in his eyes, then he would lose his cheerful expression and dive back into his chair, in front of a huge leather-bound book. Next to him, a series of pages with schematics of ingenious contraptions, all born of the master puzzler’s twisted mind and behind all that, a series of paintings, portraying people of different ages and genders. 

The funny looking man would look at all these carefully, then consult the great leather-bound book and scribble some notes in scraps of paper here and there. He would then proceed to read even more of that huge book, go fetch more books of its sort, consult them too, write even more scribbles and so on… 

Just as he was beginning to figure one thing out, another thing would pop up and concern his deeply disturbed mind, creating more problems that need solving. 

And when the final pieces of the grand puzzle were set, he just yelled “ah yes!” and gathered all these scribbles, to write them all down in the order they were meant to be, creating a monstrous book, not quite the sort of masterpiece one would expect, but still devilishly looking and perverse as it ought to be. 

“It is done!” He said in a slow, quiet hum and he would turn to his masters looking for approval. 

But alas, his masters were not beings of flesh, at least no more. So all he could do is write a letter to one, giving it unto the Raven, whilst waiting for the Great Old One to claim the Book of old.

That is, more or less, what happens in the writer’s head during the process of production. A state of convergence of the old with the new, where his influences must be harnessed into something new and completely different, giving birth into a new form. When the form is almost complete, the storywriter will have to combine the fine artistry of the concept artist, with the mind-blowing game mechanics and puzzles of the game designer, enriching his writings with the flow and pace that would make the story really shine.

During the final stages of conception, the storywriter will have to do the one most difficult task there is: Hide the main bulk of his story, along with tons of the game designer’s flow and the artists’ concepts and paintings, letting the ones that are courageous enough to brave through the hazards of the programmer’s sadistic machinations discover the truth behind the veil of lies, and see things as they really are.

This, is the art of narrative design in games.

If you don't believe us, here is a brief sketch of how is one of monsters portrayed by our Concept Artist :

If you cannot see clearly what this monster is about,
then you may as well Imagine seeing it in front of you.

The Roster of Blackthorn Manor for Imagine Cup!

Revealling two more characters for Dementia : Tales of Blackthorn Manor, to enter the house, and join the roster of explorers!

Metal Guitarist Jake

Jake is a musician with an affinity to heavy metal ! Huge and heavy woofers, a stage, lights, cameras and hundreds of people attending his metal concerts with his band "BROTHERS OF DESTRUCTION" is a typical of Jake. He has adopted punk style, just to be different. Unique appearance, piercings and a lot of spikes could merely describe his looks. He may be taunting everyone around, he may be the bully at school, but Blake holds a secret in his heart : He is sensitive as hell. No matter how intimitating his face might be, even the evil-looking ghost is enough to startle him up. Many visits to the local psychologist suggest that he faces his fears, and he seeks to do just that, by getting in Blackthorn Manor. But everything has to be done his way, thus, his favorite electric guitar will join him in this trip. He intends to rock the whole place up, and bring the house down with his skill. Can he conquer his fears and infuse the whole Manor and make even the darkest demons bang their heads to an endless headbanging sequence or get engulfed by the darkness?

"Everybody, put your hands up in the air! LET'S ROCK YOUR WORLD!"

Scientist Max

The endless pursue of knowledge. Research papers scattered around his lab. The seeker of Scientific Knowledge and pure Intellect. That's Scientist Max, for you. This man conducts every little experiment you can possibly imagine, ranging from powerful biochemical injection to dead bodies, deadly gases to a room with virus-infested, man-eating plants, and object transmutation from any type of matter. Why? Because he wants to know it all. Some say he is dangerous, some say he is a genious, but Max sure is a strange fellow. He purely seeks to find out about the world, merely as a pilgrimage towards Ultimate Intelligence. He is a detail-freak. A true perfectionist. But noone can understand a word he says. He lives in a world of his own, neglecting the real joys of life, such as friendship, love or family. Hearing about the Blackthorn Manor, Max is intrigued to get in the house for pure research. He heard one of the dead masters of the house was once a scientist himself and he seeks to take a peek from the Laboratory of the house, should he find it, but will he quench his thirst of knowledge or will ghostly abominations feast upon his huge brain?

"I would like to see if the house is full of ghostly apparitions or not.
 Is the legend true? Could a spirit be captured in mirrors?
I MUST KNOW!"

With these two additions, the roster of our Imagine Cup Project is complete!

A Bold Policeman, a Faithful Bishop, a Tinkering Mechanic, a Mysterious Doll-Addict, a Rocking Metal Guitarist and a Curious Scientist!

All of those will enter the house together. One question remains : Who will betray the rest? Who will transform in a monstrocity? Anyone could be possibly dangerous to others. Muscles or Brains don't matter. You never know the outcome when you venture in Blackthorn Manor. Some may do escape from the house, others may meet their demise, and sometimes nobody ever survives.

Which Character would YOU chose and WHY....???

The First Female Characters Revealled and Project Blueprint Honourable Mention!

Before getting into the post specifics, we would like to announce you that Genesis Game Studios has won an honourable mention at Imagine Cup's Project Blueprint Challenge!

Project Blueprint Challenge is all about creating a stunning business model, analyzing stuff such as competition, user personas, concept of the game as well as market segments. We are very happy for being in the top teams of the world submitting our business model and we hope to get this even further..!

We thank you for your support, your likes, comments and views are giving us the strength to carry on and deliver much more stuff and content to you!

You can see us here: http://bit.ly/1jFgJUI

And now, on to the fancy part:

The other two following Policeman Sanders and Bishop Eric :

Mechanic Emma

"All those years fixing cars and mechanical contraptions has given her enough muscle to wield heavy tools and carry them around with ease. A classical mechanic. Never afraid to get her hands dirty and fix everything, even if they are completely broken, Mechanic Emma has a favorite quote : "As long as I can get my hands on it, I can fix it." - She never lets people down. From the broken watch to the most peculiar machinery in every house, any generator, any cogwheel contraption, she can do it all. She loves her tools and can easily fight with any tool on her hand. But what if she can fiddle with any machine to use it against others? Will she use her powers for the sake of good or to aid the evil forces? Blackthorn Manor is a place where noone gets forgiven, and that's why she decides to venture in the house, to find new challenges, to fix any broken stuff, and to see the machinery residing in the house..."

"Want me to tinker with anything broken?"

Doll Addict Molly

"What a beatiful collection of dolls you have there Molly!" - Yet Molly goes sits in her corner silently, playing with her dolls in ways that only she can understand. She never laughs... Or speaks in general. You never see her feeling any emotions. She has no fear. No remorse. No happiness. No anger... What kind of girl is she? She only talks to her dolls with her mind. And we don't know if the dolls respond back to her. She loves toys in general, any kind of beautiful dolls or teddy bears are bound to be her best friends. And maybe even fight by her side? But that happens only in her dreams... Who really is Molly? And why is she addicted to her dolls so much? She overheard from the grown-ups that Blackthorn Manor is a dangerous place of a murdered family, that many people around town go to visit it, and she heard that there is a room with old toys. She is destined to find that room, and inspect the toys, no matter what....

"Come Out and Play with me......"

Stay tuned. More stuff coming next week....!!!  

The first two behind the curtain...!

It's Friday. Creepy Friday to be precise.
And we have even more to share.

Today I will reveal to you the first 2 characters that you will be able to pick and explore the blackthorn manor.

Policeman Sanders

"The guy with the guns. The badge. The honor. Justice. Sworn to bring all thieves in jail, Sanders just receives a new mission : To reveal the secret of Blackthorn Manor and investigate a possible hostage situation right inside the house. But noone seems to be living in the house. Is it a local legend? What resides in Blackthorn Manor? The Police should know, and the boldest of them should go, one who has no fear of ghosts, spectres or haunted beings, one who should be able to bring justice even in the darkest hour. That's... MR Policeman Sanders to ya... But will he manage to return? Noone ever has actually..."

"We got a situation here, call for reinforcements...!"

Bishop Eric

"The believer. The one whose only might can come from his faith. The Devout. Bishop Eric is an old man, respected by many, in the land of Dementia, and he is one of the very few people that know everyone's little dirty secrets, through confessions. Eric seeks divine knowledge and a spot in heaven even for the sinned. The Parish sends Eric to the Blackthorn Manor to exorcise every room of it from the evil spirits that inhabit it. This way, the Manor will be just an old peaceful abandoned house, ready to accept a new family, a new beggining. But will Eric succeed in his duty as a Bishop, or will darkness engulf him and take him to the other side?"

"Have faith, my child. Let's purify this Manor, together."

The Question of the week is this:

Which character do you think would fit your playstyle?

Stay tuned for more characters will be revealed next week!

Experience the curse...!

The Setting of Dementia : Tales of Blackthorn Manor

It's #CreepyFriday! Time to get you the latest of our dark project.

The Blackthorn Manor is an old house, aging back to the 1920s, the environment sure is telling us a lot about the house itself, you can see broken objects on the ground, debris, junk. The house is creepy, dark and noone knows what happened inside. With the fear of breaking evil seals and triggering a horrific curse, we tread lightly as we explore the rooms of the manor. Dark, Dusty rooms which are now infested with hordes of insects and bats, are some of the places with cracky floors that we will be exploring.

You never know what horrors can occur in the Blackthorn Manor...

The house has internal and external sections. For example, you may find yourself picking up objects at the Junk Room, or you may witness the impossible, while being out in the graveyard of the house. Some rooms also can be outside facing, which gives you a greater grasp of where you are standing right now. But then again, being right next to a window is not a safe option when exploring Blackthorn Manor, is it?

Some Rooms may hold a secret, while others may be keepers of cursed items..

The rooms seem so natural, and the furniture seems so cosy, but noone has ever been to Blackthorn Manor without seeing his friends taken over by a horrible monstrocity trying to backstab them at some very crucial point of the night where everyone's flashlights go out and there is no escape from the manor.

Sometimes you may end up witnessing a vision of the dead owners of the house as a mere warning, other times you may find a lockbox with items inside, and sometimes, nasty ghosts or the evil undead may be tempted to attack you based on your will not to freak out when you see them.

...But can you NOT freak out, when you see a burning man running straight at you, or when an animated table is hurled at you? That's up to YOU. 

See you next week, where we will be showcasing some of the characters who have the guts exploring Blackthorn Manor.

...Experience the Curse!