The Past
Zity is the project of solo developer Frank Norton (me). It has been my ambition for a little over two years and though it has gone through many hurdles and changes it still remains my passion.
Zity first came to me as an idea. I can't name the place or time but I remember the feeling of excitement I had when I thought of top-down game where you sneak around a continent filled with zombies, animals, items, and most importantly - multilevel buildings. The thought of multistory buildings with smooth transitions as you ascend the stairs (or elevator) struck a chord somewhere in me. I wanted to see this happen.
So I set off to do it. I had programming experience from a technical college I attended back in high-school. During that time I also did a lot of tinkering with my own small game prototypes so I wasn't completely unaware of how games were created.
My first prototype was just that. I got the basics of a map down and even managed to get as far as a two story building you could ascend, the second level fading in. Getting that far is what really kick-started Zity. I knew I needed to start again as my code was a mess, so I did.
At this point I had started learning a lot about how game systems work and about incorporating other libraries of code into my project. I stumbled across the Farseer physics engine and spent a lot of time working on adding that to my game. In this second prototype I got as far as a city being generated with streets and all, cars to race around in, bullets, and walls. It was quite an achievement for me. Unfortunately I needed to start again. Despite all the things I learned this second time around I still hadn't gotten a handle on the scope of Zity. I had too many ambitions and not enough working knowledge of how to make it all work. I was shooting in the dark.
Third time around it got better. I learned about menu systems, AI systems, GUI systems, Physics, and other aspects of a game. This time around I added zombies, proper cars, inventory, equipment, animations, trees, path-finding, and even went as far as dabbling in procedural generation.
It was better. A lot better. I had something that resembled a game on my hands. All these systems were in place, but they weren't very good. Trying to add new content was getting difficult and my code was all over the place in various folders and files. It was a mess again! What really led to me starting over was my realization that I wanted this to be a multiplayer game. After doing considerable amounts of research into game networking I realized all of my objects and code was going to be incredibly hard to translate to multiplayer. It made sense to start again.
I know, at this point I should have started to wonder if I was at all qualified to create Zity, but I was determined.
The fourth time did not last long. I tried to get creative with code sharing between projects and it turned to junk really fast.
This leads me to where I am now, still working on Zity.With this latest incarnation I am being as careful as possible that anything I add to Zity is in a final, working state. No more code mess, no more do overs, this is to be my final draft. I've learned so much through my trials and errors that I can hardly call them a waste of time, but now I'm ready to get this done.
My first prototype was just that. I got the basics of a map down and even managed to get as far as a two story building you could ascend, the second level fading in. Getting that far is what really kick-started Zity. I knew I needed to start again as my code was a mess, so I did.
At this point I had started learning a lot about how game systems work and about incorporating other libraries of code into my project. I stumbled across the Farseer physics engine and spent a lot of time working on adding that to my game. In this second prototype I got as far as a city being generated with streets and all, cars to race around in, bullets, and walls. It was quite an achievement for me. Unfortunately I needed to start again. Despite all the things I learned this second time around I still hadn't gotten a handle on the scope of Zity. I had too many ambitions and not enough working knowledge of how to make it all work. I was shooting in the dark.Third time around it got better. I learned about menu systems, AI systems, GUI systems, Physics, and other aspects of a game. This time around I added zombies, proper cars, inventory, equipment, animations, trees, path-finding, and even went as far as dabbling in procedural generation.
It was better. A lot better. I had something that resembled a game on my hands. All these systems were in place, but they weren't very good. Trying to add new content was getting difficult and my code was all over the place in various folders and files. It was a mess again! What really led to me starting over was my realization that I wanted this to be a multiplayer game. After doing considerable amounts of research into game networking I realized all of my objects and code was going to be incredibly hard to translate to multiplayer. It made sense to start again.I know, at this point I should have started to wonder if I was at all qualified to create Zity, but I was determined.
The fourth time did not last long. I tried to get creative with code sharing between projects and it turned to junk really fast.
This leads me to where I am now, still working on Zity.With this latest incarnation I am being as careful as possible that anything I add to Zity is in a final, working state. No more code mess, no more do overs, this is to be my final draft. I've learned so much through my trials and errors that I can hardly call them a waste of time, but now I'm ready to get this done.
The Game
Zity is at it's heart about surviving in a zombie apocalypse. I know, it's been done to death - and so has that pun - zombies are what Zity is all about. If you want a quick comparison, Zity is like Unturned but in 2D.
Survival -
Staying alive will always be at the back of your mind in Zity. At it's most basic you'll need to collect food and water to keep from starvation. There are also weapons, clothes, equipment, cars, and other objects you'll find to keep you alive. These will be spread across Zity's large, semi-random map for you to find.
The map is a single island with animals, wildlife, cities, and zombies. Each city is created when you start a new game so they will never be the same on each play-through. Cities are populated with shops, homes, parks, and other buildings to scavenge from.
Zombies are an ever-present threat in Zity. They start slow, but when riled up they are terrifying.
Zombies can find you by sight, sound, smell, and by following other zombies. They are relentless and dangerous. They heavily populate the cities and outlying regions, and only rarely show up in the forest regions. There you will have other problems.
Animals can be a food source, sure, but you are also a food source. As much as zombies want to eat you for brains, animals want to eat you out of shear hunger. You'll be on the watch against predators like bears and wolves. Chickens and other herbivores however, will be there for you to try and catch for food. Successfully surviving outside the city is a possibility, but a slim one.
There's a lot more to Zity- stats, classes, unlocks, achievements, game modes -but I don't have them fleshed out fully yet and I'd rather not excite people with feature promises and then never deliver.
The number one thing to expect is updates. I will be working on Zity long after it's released and I have a host of improvements and ideas that will shape and mold Zity for years to come. Things like subway stations, multiple islands, laboratories, pet taming, point-of-infection mode, and reverse mode are all things I would love to see happen in Zity in time.
So stick with me and I hope I can deliver a game that will have you just as excited as it has me.
Staying alive will always be at the back of your mind in Zity. At it's most basic you'll need to collect food and water to keep from starvation. There are also weapons, clothes, equipment, cars, and other objects you'll find to keep you alive. These will be spread across Zity's large, semi-random map for you to find.
The map is a single island with animals, wildlife, cities, and zombies. Each city is created when you start a new game so they will never be the same on each play-through. Cities are populated with shops, homes, parks, and other buildings to scavenge from.Zombies are an ever-present threat in Zity. They start slow, but when riled up they are terrifying. Zombies can find you by sight, sound, smell, and by following other zombies. They are relentless and dangerous. They heavily populate the cities and outlying regions, and only rarely show up in the forest regions. There you will have other problems.
Animals can be a food source, sure, but you are also a food source. As much as zombies want to eat you for brains, animals want to eat you out of shear hunger. You'll be on the watch against predators like bears and wolves. Chickens and other herbivores however, will be there for you to try and catch for food. Successfully surviving outside the city is a possibility, but a slim one.
There's a lot more to Zity- stats, classes, unlocks, achievements, game modes -but I don't have them fleshed out fully yet and I'd rather not excite people with feature promises and then never deliver.
The number one thing to expect is updates. I will be working on Zity long after it's released and I have a host of improvements and ideas that will shape and mold Zity for years to come. Things like subway stations, multiple islands, laboratories, pet taming, point-of-infection mode, and reverse mode are all things I would love to see happen in Zity in time.So stick with me and I hope I can deliver a game that will have you just as excited as it has me.
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