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ACT Abandoned Black Star [Version 0.29 is out]


DarkExecutor

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Hi guys!

I guess that this thread is more related to developers than to players, but this forum is one of the biggest ones related to H-game development, so I’d like to post it here.

I’m developing the remake of Grimhelm’s game called Dark Star ( ulmf.org/bbs/showthread.php?t=26471 ) - a side-scrolling/platformer H-game with combat rape - though I would be happy to make similar game if I find some reliable and skilled artist in the future who will be ok with the fetishes that I’d like to include into the game itself and its whole concept itself. I assembled short test level for the technical demo and I would like to hear your thoughts about the idea of the game itself, just in order to understand should I continue or not.

I didn’t rip any DLLs or code of original game, so I only ripped some textures and sounds and I had to write whole application from scratch in Unity.

Download link:
mega.nz/#!u81WDBwL!h7posg0hbUUl0Q9X76eP4GXNuws1QWdSq0uiTAAShnw

Controls:

Arrows - movement
Z - shoot
C - sit
X - super-attack (if the player has enough lust)
Esc - pause menu

Known glitches:
  • Problem with platform edges ( I’m working on it)
  • Very rare land enemy AI collision ignoring during attack state

Small story about how it was started:
When Dark Star was published on one of Russian-speaking torrent trackers, some guys made lots of complaints about the game, so I helped one artist to make uncensored patch with red shoes, but when I looked at the game more and more after 1 year after that patch then I started to understand that if I want to make it really better then I will have to rewrite it from scratch and that gives me an opportunity to implement lots of stuff that wasn’t in Grimhelm’s latest game (Dungeon&Maid) and that wasn’t in original Dark Star. After all, if I find good artist and there will be demand for such project then it may become completely different commercial game (if I don’t find anyone in the nearest future then it will be released as open-source remake someday - yeah, I want to see more sprite-based hentai platformers, I’m a fan of Parasite in the city, Vosmug’s games and Kooonsoft ones, too, so publishing ready Unity project sources will help somebody to make more such games, I hope)

Plans for future version:
  1. Add detailed cumshot simulation using particle 2D collisions. The latest Unity version (5.3.4) supports that, but it is not stable enough to make good build, I’ll have to wait a little bit until they finally fix their internal bugs and make some version that will be worth to use;
  2. Add more enemies from original game with different group combinations;
  3. Make some interesting functionality for the fifth weapon (triangles) - my initial idea was to make them act as boomerangs, but I’m still confused, maybe I should try something else;
  4. Dash would be nice idea for additional player movement, but my implementation will be different from Dungeon&Maid a little bit, I didn’t like how it reacted on side keys pressing there;
  5. More powerups - creating powerup ideas is always tricky thing, so I’m open to additional ideas here, too;
  6. There should be definitely more decorations in the level, but their meaning should be connected with game plot, so that leaves me with lots of options because the plot itself is not written at the moment.

P.S. I’m aware of the lack of the frames in the sprites of original game, but I’m not good as artist ( I work as Unity developer at my day job), so I can’t fix that at the current moment. Also I’m sorry for my English in advance ( it’s not my native language ).

Looking forward to your feedback and thoughts, thanks!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

25/06/17 update:

Version 0.29 is here: mega.nz/#!WgVWlJDY!bVPgZugnf1-MCltGGxP5-cPjpwEiufZTEXDn4-2Wf7k

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

17/06/17 update:

New version 0.28 is here: mega.nz/#!i4kkmZCR!TPjXiFuxPmHMYWDSuN7qiy_d-mNC5Vq3Ljp6mCa5GUs
 

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Puttana

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Re: Black Star

I like your game. It's better than Dark Star and easier to manage. I wish you further progress. Rep+ :D
 
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HentaiWriter

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Re: Black Star

So is this like, being done with Grimhelm's permission/knowledge or?
 

Zodiark69

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Re: Black Star

So is this like, being done with Grimhelm's permission/knowledge or?
I would hope so. If not, someone's gonna have an angry person after them. xD

Unrelated note, I can't find a link to the original game. Tried in the actual thread, but it's been deleted. D:
 

Mistix

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Re: Black Star

Wow... one my wishes came true :')
I hope you get to finish this remastering ;)
 

Stiltzkinator

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Re: Black Star

So is this like, being done with Grimhelm's permission/knowledge or?
I would echo this question, because if not, this has the potential to become an unmitigated disaster.
 
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DarkExecutor

DarkExecutor

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Re: Black Star

So is this like, being done with Grimhelm's permission/knowledge or?
I tried to reach Grimhelm when Dark Star was released and offer help with its development, but he doesn’t respond on his blog:( I lurked for his email address or some direct contacts, but it wasn’t that successful, so I wish I would have an ability to notify him about this project directly in order to handle any problem if there is any.

I would hope so. If not, someone's gonna have an angry person after them. xD

Unrelated note, I can't find a link to the original game. Tried in the actual thread, but it's been deleted. D:
As you probably noticed, I included following label into main menu of tech demo: “Please note that this version is fan fiction and it's not intended for sale or commercial distribution. You can buy original game from Grimhelm on DLSite ( dlsite.com/ecchi-eng/work/=/product_id/RE144743 )“ and I suppose that it’s the best way to solve the problem because this statement makes clear explanation that:
  1. The game is fan fiction/mod, so some original materials used for it are not used for gaining profit;
  2. Author’s name and the link to original game. Basically this allows anyone who will launch this app to support author directly and buy original game from him on DLsite or any other game by the author (it’s not uncommon for any demo being re-uploaded from ULMF to other website/torrent tracker. For example, I found out about ULMF existence much later after I saw Dark Star on other website);
  3. IF I find any artist with enough skills, reliability and etc. to make separate commercial project, then there will be no usage of any Dark Star textures/any other assets in it, as well as the name of the project will be different, too. It’s evident and I don’t want to harm any H-game developer financially or create some kind of copyright drama. After all, this remake project can create positive effect like postponed free ad-campaign for the original game, from the point of view of the author, I guess :)

I’m not that familiar with copyright law stuff, but I hope that I made my intentions clear and there will be no problem with somebody misinterpreting them.
 

Barinade

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Re: Black Star

Whoa, vagina and penetration animations that actually looks realistic and normal.

Good stuff.
 

D-D

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Re: Black Star

Dude you should really be clear on whether you're doing this with the original makers permission because you would essentially be ripping his work for your own purposes.

It's generally considered a dick move. Even if you'd do it for no money.
 

PaladinZ

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Re: Black Star

Much better than the original, but I have to echo the others question about the original author signing off on this. Well done in any case.
 

Schaloper

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Re: Black Star

I do hope this is being done with the creator's consent.
 
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DarkExecutor

DarkExecutor

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Re: Black Star

Hi again! I'm still in 15 posts-premoderation term, so I can't reply quickly, sorry.

I'll quote my previous message, that still awaits moderation:

I tried to reach Grimhelm when Dark Star was released and offer help with its development, but he doesn’t respond on his blog:( I lurked for his email address or some direct contacts, but it wasn’t that successful, so I wish I would have an ability to notify him about this project directly in order to handle any problem if there is any.

As you probably noticed, I included following label into main menu of tech demo: “Please note that this version is fan fiction and it's not intended for sale or commercial distribution. You can buy original game from Grimhelm on DLSite ( dlsite.com/ecchi-eng/work/=/product_id/RE144743 )“ and I suppose that it’s the best way to solve the problem because this statement makes clear explanation that:
  • The game is fan fiction/mod, so some original materials used for it are not used for gaining profit;
  • Author’s name and the link to original game. Basically this allows anyone who will launch this app to support author directly and buy original game from him on DLsite or any other game by the author (it’s not uncommon for any demo being reuploaded from ULMF to other website/torrent tracker. For example, I found out about ULMF existence much later after I saw Dark Star on other website);
  • IF I find any artist with enough skills, reliability and etc. to make separate commercial project, then there will be no usage of any Dark Star textures/any other assets in it, as well as the name of the project will be different, too. It’s evident and I don’t want to harm any H-game developer financially or create some kind of copyright drama. After all, this remake project can create positive effect like postponed free ad-campaign for the original game, from the point of view of the author, I guess :)

I’m not that familiar with copyright law stuff, but I hope that I made my intentions clear and there will be no problem with somebody misinterpreting them.
Also I requested permission from the author in public today: grimhelm.wordpress.com/2015/09/25/sorry-guys-i-know-ive-let-you-down/comment-page-1/#comment-317 because I can't reach him in more private way.

I hope that this post answers all of your questions. After all, mods are common thing in game development world (I don't think that authors of Black Mesa asked the permission from Valve during the start of the development, they asked it much later, as well as lots of famous guys who started their first successful projects as mods) and in this forum, too (there are guys making modifications to Witch Girl, for example, and I doubt that they asked the permission from the author at the start).
 

DarkFire1004

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Re: Black Star

Sorry about that, DarkExecutor. The posts should be up. I think your posts only disappear like that when you try to put links in your posts without hitting the 15 post limit. Weird, but whatever. I guess try not to post links until you hit 15 posts, and they should show up normally.

So I believe that there's nothing technically wrong with what he's doing, with regard to the forum rules. It's a free modification of the game and it's his own code. Even if he's using assets from the original game, it's enough of his own work to constitute its own thread and link.

Ethically, I think this is pretty grey and until Grimhelm gets back to him, it's really sketch to have a link in the thread. It's kind of the same logic as posting a link to a game in a thread that the actual developer is talking in; we don't necessarily have to take it down until the dev asks us to, but it's courteous and in good taste to refrain from doing that. I don't think you have any ill intentions and I won't enforce it, but I'd like to ask, as a person, not as a mod, that you not have a link up until you get an actual okay from Grim. If Grim contacts us though, I'm gonna have to take the link down myself.

Like, I get the argument that it's a modification of the original game and we, as a forum, can't exactly stand on a moral high ground when it comes to sharing games, but as far as forum rules go, you aren't doing anything wrong. It's just that compared to larger companies, who aren't going to be slammed hard proft-wise by the introduction of modders, smalltime developers could actually lose large numbers of sales due to mods.
 
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DarkExecutor

DarkExecutor

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Re: Black Star

I think this is pretty grey and until Grimhelm gets back to him, it's really sketch to have a link in the thread. It's kind of the same logic as posting a link to a game in a thread that the actual developer is talking in; we don't necessarily have to take it down until the dev asks us to, but it's courteous and in good taste to refrain from doing that. I don't think you have any ill intentions and I won't enforce it, but I'd like to ask, as a person, not as a mod, that you not have a link up until you get an actual okay from Grim. If Grim contacts us though, I'm gonna have to take the link down myself.
Thanks for your attention to this thread:) I removed the link from top post until the situation with developer permission will become clear. Unfortunately, Grimhelm rarely responds on his blog, so it can take months:( , but I don't want any problems for the community, too.
 

DarkFire1004

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Re: Black Star

I mean, discussion is totally fine. Just take a page from some of the other games here and just talk about your plans for the mod and whatnot. I already took a look at the demo, so you've already fulfilled the proof of concept requirement, so it can stay in this section. And if Grim doesn't allow it, then I can't really allow it to be posted through threads.

Good luck!
 

Monkey Boy

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Re: Black Star

I hope Grimhelm replies to you in a positive way. I was too late to snag the download before the link went down, but from the screenshots and plans you posted, it looks like it could be great!
 

NLL

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Re: Black Star

Eh, so long as you don't make money out of it, I really don't see the issue.
 
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