House Party Beta 0.4.0.0 (Updated 2/17/17)

[mistacorn]

Hey everyone,

The Ashley model is almost finished, and she is looking really good! I will be posting her when she is finished in probably just another couple of days.

In the meantime, I wanted to show off some of the Physics and AI interaction that I've been working on for the characters in the upcoming build of House Party.

Here's a video showcasing some of what's to come, and the description of what's happening is below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5jFBnrrZP8

The characters in the game are going to be much more variable depending on the mood they are in, and also how much they like you. In the video, we see that I first introduce myself to Madison, and she has a very plain expression when she first chit-chat's with me. After I find out her phone is missing (and I creepily happen to already have it on me), I give her the phone, and she is ecstatic and thanks me. Now you'll notice when I walk up to her again, since I am familiar to her, and she likes me much better now that I returned her phone to her, she will now smile when she sees me approach her. This can also unlock other storyline options.

Notice she also decides to walk around the house periodically, and chooses a new spot to hang out.

After following her downstairs, I decide to do something to make her mood take a turn for the worse (and also show off some physics of the game). You'll see that you can now pick up and move any object in the game. I pick up a chair and walk it over to Madison, and I kick it at her feet, causing her to fall over. The first time it happens, she writes it off as a clumsy mistake, and she is in too good of a mood to care because she got her phone back, so she shrugs it off and doesn't make a big deal about it. The second time it happens, she gets agitated, and you can see the angry look on her face after she falls over. She then decides to leave the room. I follow her upstairs and approach her, and instead of smiling when she sees me, she frowns letting me know something's wrong. I try to talk to her, and she tells me "not now".

Madison's bad mood is a temporary thing, and will increase over time during the game, or I can use certain mechanics of the game and dialogues to increase her mood. She still has a completely separate feeling about how much she likes me, and when she is in a better mood, she will start talking to me again. This will be different from previous versions of the game, where you could sometimes back yourself into a corner by making a girl angry with you. Now, instead of permanently being angry, if you do upset a girl to the point where she doesn't want to talk to you, you can wait it out, or try to cheer her up, and she will eventually warm up to you again.

Enjoy!

[mistacorn]

Hey guys,

Here's another character reveal in the redesign! This time it's Ashley, Madison's sister! Her design is loosely based on Emily Ratajkowski. Note that as the graphic designer and myself are moving along, we are refining the process and the models are getting better and better. Ashley is definitely his best work yet, and after further discussing with him, we will be going back and revamping the first few models after we get the whole lot of them done to bring the quality to its fullest all around the board!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbOzo8qmrFw

In this video, we also see some new AI behavior, where the characters are aware of their surroundings and respond to things like items being thrown around or waved in front of them. They can also respond to things like characters walking into a room, other characters falling down or being hurt, and also to lights being turning on and off in the house. These things can also affect their mood. Notice how by the end of the video, between what was said to her, and the annoyance of the objects being tossed around, Ashley starts pouting indicating she's not happy. This adds another layer of realism to the sim and AI that really helps the immersion!

If you're new to the House Party game, you can download the latest build here:
http://games.eekllc.com/index.php/category/downloads/

[mistacorn]

Hey everybody!

The new Frank model is almost done, and when he is, it will allow for me to start really putting some storyline together as Frank is a major component and the main antagonist to the game.

In the meantime, I wanted to show off some Social AI that I've been working on. This is a really cool feature of the game that is really going to skyrocket the immersion and realism.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T82JjZbLo0I

In this scene, we see Brittney and Ashley in the kitchen, and they both look at me as I enter the room. From there, they engage each other in conversation. A little while later, Madison walks by and they take notice of her, but she passes right through, so they keep on talking to each other while Madison goes and hangs by the fireplace for a bit.

Madison gets lonely and joins the conversation, and now there are three girls going back and forth together. Notice that when I go up and start a conversation with Madison, the other two girls continue to talk to each other, but they leave Madison out of the conversation. Once, I dismiss Madison, she rejoins the conversation.

The cool thing about this is that it's not scripted. The characters will seek each other out to hang out or converse based on their relationships, and a conversation can strike up at any time and in any part of the house. If a character is in a bad mood, they will seek solace and find a non-crowded place to hang out and sulk. On the flip-side, if they are in a good mood, they will seek out social interaction, and stay in conversations longer. This will allow me to do re-write some story-lines much more realistically instead of locking some characters in a room where they won't come out until triggered. I can have the character be upset about something, and they will pout by themselves in a corner somewhere, and you can try to enhance their mood to join the party. A much more realistic situation.

A new demo version is going to be put out to supporters only, and a new public demo is not far off as well, since once I have the Frank model, I can start re-writing the story.

If you're looking for the latest release of House Party, you can find it here:
http://games.eekllc.com/index.php/category/downloads/

Hope you enjoy!

[mistacorn]

Hey guys,

Here's another video showing off more of the new AI that will be built into House Party and future projects by Eek! Games. But first off, I just wanted to note that for this video, I popped in the old Daz models, and I'd like to get some feedback from all of you as to whether you like the direction of the new models, or if you prefer the Daz models better. I've been getting some mixed feedback, and I wanted to officially ask to see if I can get input from more of you.

I am pretty much stuck designing new models for the males in the game, as the Daz models will prohibit me from getting creative in some ways, but for the women, I'd like to know what you guys prefer. I'm kind of torn, and when doing this video, I am noticing that my frame rates are not dropping all that much even using the Daz models. It's a little slower, but it's not anything deal-breaking. Keep in mind also, that the new models have been getting better and better as we've been going forward, but I would definitely like to hear your opinions.

Here's the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_0D8O0tuPY

Now let's talk about what's going on in the scene a bit:

First off, I am developing personalities for the characters. This means that when they have interactions with each other, their relationships will be affected. If they are a personality match, the outcome of the chat will most likely be positive on each, but if they have opposing traits, an argument may ensue. This will change the mood and relationship toward that character.

In this scene, we see how we have the room with the stereo set up, and any character at any time might decide to go dance depending on a few things. For starters, their mood. Characters in a better mood are more likely to want to dance. Secondly, who else is on the dance floor, people they like, or people they dislike? Thirdly, their personality. Are they the dancing type or not? Their decisions to dance don't affect anything else. They can still hold conversations while dancing, and if you chat with them they stop talking to other characters and dancing, and resume after they are dismissed. This is much different from the old setup where one character was designated as the dancer. I am going for a much more open world where any character can decide to do anything, just like a real party, but it also does't feel like it's too chaotic for the player to talk to who he wants to talk to when he wants to.

Looking forward to your comments and opinions on the models!

If you're looking for the latest release version of House Party, you can find it here:
http://games.eekllc.com/index.php/category/downloads/

[powuivnpeb]

Looking forward to the beta version

[mistacorn]

Hey guys,

I finally got the Frank model, and I wanted to make a video to show it to you guys, and I figured while I was at it, I can show you a lot of the cool AI stuff I've been working on as well. I've got the AI to a pretty cool place right now, and I'm going to start shifting my focus to writing some story now that I have Frank and Stephanie is on the way, so I should have a public release for you guys very soon!

For my supporters, you will receive a playable version of the game at the beginning of the month and you will be able to see all of this first hand, and check out the interaction.

One component that's been added are personalities. The players now have varying personality profiles, and their relationship toward one another is affected by it. For instance, Madison is kind of a bitch, so she generally doesn't get along with too many people. But Brittney is very nice, so even though Madison is a bitch to her, she tends to overlook it most of the time. As the characters interact with one another, it changes their relationship and their mood. If two characters have a nice conversation, both of their moods will go up, and they will like each other more, and be more likely to hang out with each other later on. Vice verse, if they have a negative conversation, their mood will decrease, and they will avoid each other. Their mood also affects the outcome of the interactions, so if a character is nice, but in a bad mood, they may have a negative conversation with another character, and make a bad first impression. So with multiple play-throughs, it's possible to have a scenario where everybody is getting along, and in other play-throughs, everybody may hate each other. And of course, you as the player, can alter the moods by interacting with them. I plan to open up certain lines of story based on the outcome of certain character's moods.

Here's the video link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WysnF21i9QE

Some things to note in this video:

Everything is procedurally generated. The characters figure out what to do on their own, so where they go and who they talk to is based on a some variables. Notice in the beginning when I'm talking to Frank, Madison storms by. She bumps Frank as she moves by, and Frank moves closer to me to get out of her way. The characters are responsive to one another in this sense as we will see more of later on.

Next off, Brittney and Madison start a conversation. Frank is over by the side, and he notices them talking, and he joins the conversation. This is based on his feelings toward who is in the group. A little later, Ashley joins in the conversation as well. Now watch the characters shuffle around to find comfortable spots to stand and talk to each other. This is not an accident, it's all computed with AI!

Next I throw the pizza box on the table, and you can see how it distracts Frank and Madison. They check it out but then go back to hanging out. I bump it one more time and Brittney stops in her tracks and looks to see what's going on, but then goes back to what she was doing. Brittney now decides to go dance.

At this point the group breaks up, and now the characters will seek each other out based on their feelings toward one another. Another thing to note as I focus in on some more conversations, is that you can see now the characters are reacting with their facial expressions based on whether they're having a good or bad conversation, and when a person is talking, they will react differently to one another.

Now that Brittney's done dancing, she seeks out social activity again, and two smaller groups form. One with Ashley and Frank, and one with Madison and Brittney. You can see how, when the house starts getting full of characters, this will be a really cool dynamic.

As I'm ease-dropping on Frank and Brittney's conversation, Frank notices me and turns toward me.

If you haven't checked out the game yet, you can find the latest build here:
http://games.eekllc.com/index.php/category/downloads/

[senryu-sensei]

Great game so far, can't wait to try out the re-worked version! =)

[mistacorn]

Hey guys,

We're getting close to having an actual game to play here. We just finished up Stephanie, and she's looking great! She's loosely modeled after Katy Perry. As you can see, with the new model, we're able to bring Stephanie to life a lot more, including the cloth physics on her dress. There's still a little tearing where the skin is showing through the dress here and there, but we'll iron that out. She's fresh out of the oven!

Here's the video link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELjfLBGDHII

You'll notice that the AI and the conversations are a lot smoother, and there's a lot more interaction going on between all of the characters. The movement and path-finding scripts have also been worked on and updated, and you'll notice there's a lot less sliding around, and the movements and turning are looking a lot more natural.

Another thing to notice is that we have a gauge for Friendship, Romance, and Drunkenness. All of these factors will affect how a character interacts with you.

Let's talk about the scene a bit.

Stephanie's character loves to dance, so she hangs by the living room where the speakers are a lot. She'll occasionally still come out to mingle, but she prefers the back room and dancing. None of this is scripted however. She decides where she wants to hang out based various things.

For those of you who have played my first release, you'll notice the familiar story-line of Stephanie asking to do some whip-its.

On the way to the fridge, I see Ashley and Madison not too far away from each other. I talk to Ashley and tell her she's hotter than her sister. This increases my relationship with Ashley, but Madison overhears, and she's pissed at you now!

Notice how this changes Madison's choice of dialogue when she randomly comes up to you a little later on. She tells you find somewhere else to hang out.

We give the whipped cream to Stephanie and she goes off to dance, and then rejoins the party after a minute or so. She would stick around and dance longer, but nobody else was there, and this makes characters more likely to get bored and change locations (unless they're in a bad mood, then they prefer isolation).

From here, we're observing a little more interaction and you can really see the party come to life when all of the characters get in the same room and start interacting with each other. You'll notice however, it doesn't detract from game-play, as the character you want to talk to immediately shifts gears and interacts with you as soon as you summon them.

Madison's cooled down a bit, and you ask her about Frank. She tells you about him to which you reply "What a dick", but Frank happens to be right there and hears what you said, and decides to kick your ass. Game Over.

Supporters pledging $10.00 or more will have access to this build within the next couple of days, and as you can see, we're getting very close to a new public demo.

For more information on House Party, and the latest public release, visit the Eek! Games site here:
http://games.eekllc.com

Enjoy!

[mistacorn]

Ok, so after a lot of debate and collecting all of your input, it seems that you guys are preferring the Daz models in the game over the redesigns. Given that information, I have been spending a lot of time working on ways to make these Daz models be everything I need them to be for the scope of the game, and I've made a lot of progress. The coolest thing to note is that we are past the point of restructuring a lot of the game, and we're getting to the point where the game is very playable. This means I should be putting out another public release pretty soon. I would say it's maybe a month or two away.

Let's take a look at this new video and some things to note about it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGe999ymxNo

I've been spending a LOT of time on getting these characters to move and act realistically. Pay close attention to the eyes. In previous videos, you'll notice that when the characters look at you, they just turn their head and their eyes straight at you and stare with a blank look. In the newest version, you'll notice that the eyes and head move separately, and there's a lot more going on including micro-movements of the eyes. They don't simply hold a staring glare at an object anymore. Their eyes wander, and they use a combination of their eyes and their heads to look around at things.

First we walk up to Ashley and talk to her a bit. You can see some of this newer movement here. Then we talk to Steph. She's busy dancing, so we move on to Katherine. She doesn't seem to be in the greatest of moods, so we move over to Frank. He, of course, is his charming sense and talks about beating people up. Let's move on to upstairs.

You'll notice that by the time we talk to Madison, we can ask her about some of the other characters we've already met. You will need to collect information from characters about each other to progress in the game. We ask Madison about Ashley, and we get a bit of backstory. Then Madison asks us to grab her phone since you're heading to the bathroom.

From there we go and talk to Brittney. Brittney's hiding out in the study because she's embarrassed about her new top. Then we head to the bedroom and talk to Patrick a little. He's got a headache and wants some aspirin. We duck into the bathroom and find Madison's phone. Let's go return it to her.

After we give her back the phone, you try to get a little flirty with Madison, and she wants you to help her embarrass Ashley, and you see she's already started the proceeds, and wants your help to see it through. Head over to talk to Ashley, and she's got other plans to get the jump on Madison first. You'll have to decide which of the girls you'll be siding with. Each play-through of the game will be a series of choices, and you will be able to make different choices that will affect your progress with each girl. This is different from the linear nature of the first beta where you could unravel each story-line as you played through the game.

I will have a build ready for supporters only very soon, and as I mentioned before, I will have another public beta out in another month or two.

If you're looking for the latest public release, you can find it at:
http://games.eekllc.com/index.php/category/downloads/

Enjoy!

[DragonG]

can0t find the garage key

[musical74]

Garage key is in the locked box where Brittney first hangs out - Ashley will give you the code after you've moved her along a bit.

I've gotten to the strip high card, and I've noticed that it either gives me great cards or really lousy cards. And when I have a high card - say a Jack - someone always seems to have a Queen or a King... Also feel that the rules favor the women somewhat, since it's one guy vs three girls. That being said, Brittney is HOT!! Now, if I could just get her naked...(panties is as far as I can get before losing)

[Jeno]

Great game Almost got through but got stuck at some point and used the walkthrough on your forums.
I got the full ending with the strip game in the end It's not too hard, if you position yourself behind them as they pick their cards, you can cheat and look at what they drew if you're fast

Quick question though, is it a matter of taste or is there some other reason why every single girl is shaven down south? Like there's not a hint of pubes on the girls. I'm personally really into some hair down there, so would be nice to have at least one girl with some pubes
Also some younger (innocent?) girls would also be nice Just food for thought and my opinion though Keep up the good work!

[mistacorn]

Quick question though, is it a matter of taste or is there some other reason why every single girl is shaven down south? Like there's not a hint of pubes on the girls. I'm personally really into some hair down there, so would be nice to have at least one girl with some pubes
Also some younger (innocent?) girls would also be nice Just food for thought and my opinion though Keep up the good work!

In the new version there will be more variation to that effect.

[mistacorn]

Hey guys,

Today, I’m releasing a demo to my $10+ supporters only. For the rest of you, here is a video showcasing some of the stuff I’ve been working on. I included an audio commentary on this video so I can explain all of the new features I’ve been working on and adding, and for what to keep an eye on when you try out the demo.

We’re getting closer to being able to really move forward with the storyline, which means we’re getting closer to a new public build as well, which will be free for all to play. Here’s a link to the video

http://games.eekllc.com/index.php/2016/ ... ters-only/

For a link to play the latest free demo, click here:
http://games.eekllc.com/index.php/category/downloads/

Enjoy!

[mistacorn]

Hey guys!

I've got a new video preview for you, and some good news about the next public release! I’ve decided to change the way I am releasing demos, so that they will eventually all end up being public releases.

Here’s the scoop;

This demo will be available to my $25.00+ supporters to start. After I release the next demo, I will be making this demo available to my $10.00+ supporters, and then on the next release, this video will be available to my $1.00+ supporters, and then on the following release, this demo will go public. So it will be available to all of you soon! I know a lot of you have been asking when the next public demo is. Well, the countdown has officially started! After trying a few different reward method systems, I’m feeling like this one is making the most sense. I value my supporters and want to reward them, but I also want to keep this game free. Thank you all so much for your continued support. Here’s the video:

https://youtu.be/IaHbVTX-Pow

Details of what's new are discussed in the video. Enjoy!

To download the latest public build of House Party, click here:
http://games.eekllc.com/index.php/category/downloads/

[mistacorn]

Hey guys!

Just wanted to let everybody know that version .3 of House Party has officially been released to $25.00+ supporters. This is the first version of the game that will be adhering to a new release structure where, in a month, when I put out my next release, it will trickle down and be available to $10+ supporters, then to $1+ supporters the following month, and eventually be the next public release of the game. Future versions will follow in this manner.

I took an extra week or so putting this build together since this version will be the first public release soon, and I wanted to add a little more game-play, story-line, and some Easter eggs into it. There are a few story-lines you can start to head down in this version. I plan to mostly focus on story in the next few months to come, so we can start getting a solid playable game.

Details about the release and how to get it are here:
http://games.eekllc.com/index.php/2016/ ... upporters/

[powuivnpeb]

Oh shit, it finally happened

Maybe you should update your first post with the new release structure so everyone looking into the thread will see it.

[mistacorn]

Oh shit, it finally happened

Maybe you should update your first post with the new release structure so everyone looking into the thread will see it.

I'll update the first post when the next public demo is out and comparable in game play to the latest public build. There are still some people enjoying the old public build, and I still have a lot more game play to add to the new one.

[mistacorn]

Hey guys!

It’s been becoming a routine to put out a video at the start of each month, and then a release toward the middle of the month, so here’s the video showcasing the new House Party updates for this month’s demo release. The demo should be available toward the middle of September with some content and engine updates.

Details are in the video:
https://youtu.be/qF4k3YWQHrY

After some content updates, this build will be made into a new demo of House Party and released to $25+ supporters, at which time, the demo I released last month will be available to $10+ supporters.

To download the latest public release of House Party, click here:
http://games.eekllc.com/index.php/category/downloads/

Enjoy!

[mistacorn]

Hey guys,

I've just released House Party 3.0.1 to my $25.00+ supporters, and version 3.0.0 is now available to $10.00+ supporters. Some exciting new updates and story added to the new version! There's a lot more to do and play with, as well as some really cool engine updates.

To get the latest version of the game, visit the following link and you should be able to find instructions to get the version of the game you qualify for, or to download the latest public release if you are not a supporter.

http://games.eekllc.com/index.php/2016/ ... upporters/

Change Log:

Enhanced Lighting and optimized for better performance
Updated hair and created dynamic hair for some of the models.
Updated breast physics. They now respond to collisions in addition to model movement.
Updated path finding.
Added to Stephanie's storyline.
Added to Katherine's storyline.
Added to Madison's storyline.
Added to Ashley's storyline.
Added to Patricks's storyline.
Added more explorable areas and interactive items to the house.
Added touch/grab interactive hand that toggles with pressing ctr.