Hand Of Odd announced at Game City Nights

[smeghead25]

I'll stay critical of JAW until they release something that is not an HD touch up. So far I don't really like their concept art for Abe HD or the direction they're trying to (apparently) steer the franchise.

The Abe HD concept art was pre-production 3D. The pre-production stuff is just them making sure they can build something in the engine. You can bet your ass they'll be doing a lot more texture work and modelling on that, as well as some anti-aliassing. It'll end up looking as good as, or better than, Trine, with an Odd touch.

[Xavier]

I'm genuinely curious about how OHOO is ultimately going to end up. I simply hope they don't go for a too cartoony approach...

Oh and by the way, having a FB game doesn't mean your favourite licence is going straight to hell. Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy was quite entertaining.

[Daxter King]

Funny how everyone jumped onto Facebook and ignored the iPad, Android tablet, PC & Mac part.

[Xavier]

Probably because FB is the platform that seems the most restrictive...

You can still imagine a game nearly as rich as StrarCraft2 running on iPad, Android tablet, PC & Mac. But announcing that the game may also be released on FB kind of dashes those hopes.

[Sekto Springs]

Awesome news! I hope this endeavor doesn't fall through, as OW projects tend to do.
Hand of Odd was the game that wasn't that I always wished was.

[STM]

[rant]

After calming down suficiently from my last post (yer it took that long!) I can now say that the amount of respect I have for JAW has risen! Who gives a flying fuck what they say about the platform a whole year before it comes out. You people who are here knocking down the card house need to remember we've had nothing to look forward to since SW came out and now that our franchise is finally being kicked into life again, you're anal raping every little bit of info you get. So as my father said to me when I whined that I didn't like my dinner; You'll get what you're given and like it. So nut up.

[/rant]

[Phylum]

We're allowed to complain if the game's bad, it's just we have no indication of that yet.

The Oddboxx was exciting for me, as I've never played SW or MO. I haven't bought it yet, but it's still exciting. I'm looking forward to SWHD and AOHD, too.

So nut up.

[Dynamithix]

Facebook and iPad.

*sigh*

[Manco]

Funny how everyone jumped onto Facebook and ignored the iPad, Android tablet, PC & Mac part.

Yeah, I noticed this too reading through the thread.

I also love how everyone assumes that the game will be the exact same across all platforms.

Come on, guys, there's no way a Facebook app is going to be playable to the same extent as a PC/Mac game; it'll likely be a dumbed-down port, the same way you can have the "same" game on the Wii and the DS.

[Crashpunk]

Yep. I wasn't expecting The Hand Of Odd last night and when it was annouced I was over the moon

[Manco]

Hey Max, can you elaborate on the Hand of Odd booklet Stewart was showing off? You tweeted a picture of it, but did you get to look inside it?

[Wil]

It's a design document that describes the mechanics of the gameplay. There's also art and code in it. I didn't get a good look, but I can tell you it's obviously much too fleshed out to describe or even read in any single sitting.

[Manco]

Sounds interesting.

You say it's fleshed out; would you say that that bodes well for the game's development? Folks are pretty apprehensive over the whole Facebook thing, so does the detail in the design document reassure you in that regard?

In other words, does big detailed document = quit worrying about it being Farmville 2.0

[Michael]

Well, according to JAW's Twitter, in response to someone asking about HOO and Facebook, they replied 'No, we did not mention Facebook'.

Perhaps Stewart Gilray only mentioned it to draw comparisons between games such as farmville, not to imply it was going to release on Facebook as a platform

[Wil]

I didn't get enough of a look to pinpoint any actual knowledge about the game's mechanics. Even if I did, those designs are going to be reworked for the game's new format, so it's highly up in the air.

What I will say is that they are reworking the existing C&C-design rather than shoving Oddworld graphics into a FarmVille clone. I have no doubt that it won't be a Click Sim or Spam-'Em-Up like FarmVille and its retched ilk.

[Havoc]

Well, according to JAW's Twitter, in response to someone asking about HOO and Facebook, they replied 'No, we did not mention Facebook'.

Perhaps Stewart Gilray only mentioned it to draw comparisons between games such as farmville, not to imply it was going to release on Facebook as a platform

Probably just Eurogamer who made some stuff up because JAW mentioned Farmville. Assholes getting us all worked over nothing...

[enchilado]

Well, according to JAW's Twitter, in response to someone asking about HOO and Facebook, they replied 'No, we did not mention Facebook'.

That was me. The idea that Oddworld might turn into a stupid Facebook game really worried me, because I love Oddworld and I detest Facebook games with a burning detestation. JAW's reply has abated my fury somewhat, but I'm still uncertain. They apparently didn't mention Facebook, okay, but that doesn't mean they're not considering it. I really hope they're not.

[Manco]

Well, according to JAW's Twitter, in response to someone asking about HOO and Facebook, they replied 'No, we did not mention Facebook'.

Perhaps Stewart Gilray only mentioned it to draw comparisons between games such as farmville, not to imply it was going to release on Facebook as a platform

Ah, in that case I'm now very much looking forward to this!

I didn't get enough of a look to pinpoint any actual knowledge about the game's mechanics. Even if I did, those designs are going to be reworked for the game's new format, so it's highly up in the air.

What I will say is that they are reworking the existing C&C-design rather than shoving Oddworld graphics into a FarmVille clone. I have no doubt that it won't be a Click Sim or Spam-'Em-Up like FarmVille and its retched ilk.

Hopefully the original ideas behind Hand of Odd still make it into the final game - I'd hate to see Oddworld reduced to a pure C&C clone.

[Crashpunk]

It won't be a pure clone of C&C beileve me.

[RoryF]

I would be cool it had an MO style. It seems like the MO characters and graphic style is more for this type of game.

[Manco]

It won't be a pure clone of C&C beileve me.

Anything in particular shown last night that makes you say that, or is it just a gut feeling?

[Crashpunk]

More of a gut feeling, We didn't really get shown that much but knowing OWI and J.A.W. they will make more of an original game not a clone.

[Steamer_KING]

See people? Why overreact for some info? And a wrong one, as it seems. Eurogamer, continues to fuck it up, like always. *shrugs*

[Havoc]

All RTS's are basically the same anyway. Bases. Units. Combat. Will be interesting to see how this is going to work in Hand of Odd. Somehow I don't really like the idea of both sides having standard units including tank like creatures/vehicles.

[Michael]

For HOO, I doubt units on both sides would be evenly matched, identical with different character skins (slig, mudokon etc). This would go against the premise of Oddworld I think, that the weaker race stands up against the... >cough< odds. I imagine mudokons will be weaker one on one, focusing more on defence, while the industrial side probably focuses more on firepower.

The game should be evenly balanced of course, but I just imagine this being in more creative ways than usual. For example, maybe muds build defences from natural resources they can re-grow quickly, whereas the sligs will have a finite number of resources to compensate for being stronger?

Also, the game's title has always seemed to imply some kind of spiritual, god-like power. Perhaps the mudokons can call on natural events to help? Pure speculation of course

[Xavier]

The game should be evenly balanced of course, but I just imagine this being in more creative ways than usual. For example, maybe muds build defences from natural resources they can re-grow quickly, whereas the sligs will have a finite number of resources to compensate for being stronger?

Funny I thought exactly the same thing. I think the different sides should play very differently, not have the exact same units and strategies.

[STM]

I think the game will not be your standard RTS, maybe infrastructure and building a city is as important as waging war, a little like AoE but not much.

[enchilado]

Industrial

The Industrial team starts with a stockpile of resources which they must rely on early in the game. Expensive but powerful machines, each specific to a resource, can be constructed once the required technology is achieved. These must deliver the resources to a Supply Depot stockpile building.

Industrial soldiers are ranged and deal high damage, but they are inaccurate and move slowly across many terrains (with the exception of Flying Sligs). There are also some very powerful units such as the Slig Tank which are also very expensive. Almost all Industrial units also cost population room which must be provided by Camps.

The Industrial team should train an army as soon as possible to attack the Natives before they have gathered enough resources for their own, or build strong walls around their base, fending off the Natives while they train an army of very powerful units, like Slig Tanks, which even the largest Native army could not overcome.


Native

Natives begin with no resources and must gather everything they need. Though slow early on, later in the game the Natives may gain resources at a very fast pace. Most Native units can gather resources, and there is are both stationary and moving stockpile units to deliver the resources to.

The Native army is weak, and will be easily defeated by an Industrial army the same size as itself. Enough units gathering resources will allow the Natives to train a much larger army, however, and many of their units do not cost population room.

If the Natives can survive the initial Industrial army, they should be able to destroy the Industrial base before they have time to gather enough resources for another.

[STM]

Is this just Ench's story of Oddworld or is it actually quoted?

[Wil]

Removed the quote tags because it's not a quote.