Mavdoc
For some time now, I've told people at the Dev Meats about my biggest regret since leaving Gaia.
After I left, Deadman's Shadow was almost complete but was still able to be fully finished and released to the community by the remaining devs. 3nodding But there is one other area that wasn't released, even though it was completely created and just needed to be plugged into the game. gonk
This is the Halloween Hangout AKA Graveyard Pier as seen in the Flash file:
Click links for full-size image
Graveyard Pier Full
This was something I originally created for the main Gaia site for the 2010 Halloween event: Grave Danger. I was taken off of zOMG! for a while to help with the Halloween event. So I made the backgrounds for Grave Danger, and also this hangout space which was going to be released after the event ended. Even though it was meant for the main site, zOMG! was still my main concern, and I planned to make it something that could transfer over to exist in zOMG! after the event was over. emotion_awesome
Problem was, internal issues inside Gaia at the time meant that no programmer was available to launch this hangout space! emotion_facepalm I was pretty peeved since I had spent so much time on this. emotion_0A0 But I just tried to remember, there is always zOMG! too. Right...?? xp
Well that never came to be either. After I was laid off, the remaining zOMG! devs were too busy with other tasks to work on this, all the way up until the time they too were let go from Gaia.
So I can finally share it in this form at least! biggrin Halloween has always been my favorite time of year, and I love the colors and setting of that season. This small hangout space was really a labor of love for me then. Even though I had to find ways to re-use existing zOMG! assets due to time, I tried to add as many details as possible and even experimented with new techniques like the varied lighting.
Starting at the top of the area, the water glistens with the last rays of light. The leaves gently lap back and forth along the shore. Moths circle the lantern while birds are heard in the background carrying over the water. Orange-red tinted light casts down over your avatar and the environment at certain spots. The west side of objects are cast in heavy shadow. Random whips of wind blow by carrying leaves with it. Moving further south you see and hear ravens perched up high watching you while the sounds of owls are heard in the background past the gates of the cemetery.
I tried hard to make this a place where I'd love to go hangout and soak in the sights and sounds of the area while making it a little spooky as well as cozy.
Not all the lighting effects and animations are able to render properly without viewing it in-game, plus some extra details were added at the end. So here are room by room screenshots of the area in zOMG! itself:
Graveyard Pier 01
Graveyard Pier 02
Graveyard Pier 03
The original implementation of the area for the Grave Danger event was going to contain all the NPCs across the rooms, along with a couple new ones: the angel and reaper with their respective modes of travel on the water. xd
Grave Danger - Halloween Hangout 01
Grave Danger - Halloween Hangout 02
Grave Danger - Halloween Hangout 03
I had even made a custom loading screen with an animated raven on a tree with a rotating leaf icon:
Grave Danger - Halloween Hangout load screen
Unfortunately, none of this content was ever made public to Gaia or zOMG!... until now.
People have asked me over the years what environment in zOMG! is my favorite since that was my main task during my time at Gaia. Even though it was never released, this small hangout space always comes to mind first.
Even now this area sits on Gaia HQ's network drive all complete and ready to be launched. I had always figured you'd access it somewhere in Buccaneer Boardwalk. It would only take a programmer versed in zOMG! to upload and link it to a clickable spot or NPC dialogue in the game. neutral
01 - Dream sketch world
02 - User interface redesign
03 - Undersea
04 - Splash screens & cards
05 - Halloween hangout
After I left, Deadman's Shadow was almost complete but was still able to be fully finished and released to the community by the remaining devs. 3nodding But there is one other area that wasn't released, even though it was completely created and just needed to be plugged into the game. gonk
This is the Halloween Hangout AKA Graveyard Pier as seen in the Flash file:
Click links for full-size image
Graveyard Pier Full
This was something I originally created for the main Gaia site for the 2010 Halloween event: Grave Danger. I was taken off of zOMG! for a while to help with the Halloween event. So I made the backgrounds for Grave Danger, and also this hangout space which was going to be released after the event ended. Even though it was meant for the main site, zOMG! was still my main concern, and I planned to make it something that could transfer over to exist in zOMG! after the event was over. emotion_awesome
Problem was, internal issues inside Gaia at the time meant that no programmer was available to launch this hangout space! emotion_facepalm I was pretty peeved since I had spent so much time on this. emotion_0A0 But I just tried to remember, there is always zOMG! too. Right...?? xp
Well that never came to be either. After I was laid off, the remaining zOMG! devs were too busy with other tasks to work on this, all the way up until the time they too were let go from Gaia.
So I can finally share it in this form at least! biggrin Halloween has always been my favorite time of year, and I love the colors and setting of that season. This small hangout space was really a labor of love for me then. Even though I had to find ways to re-use existing zOMG! assets due to time, I tried to add as many details as possible and even experimented with new techniques like the varied lighting.
Starting at the top of the area, the water glistens with the last rays of light. The leaves gently lap back and forth along the shore. Moths circle the lantern while birds are heard in the background carrying over the water. Orange-red tinted light casts down over your avatar and the environment at certain spots. The west side of objects are cast in heavy shadow. Random whips of wind blow by carrying leaves with it. Moving further south you see and hear ravens perched up high watching you while the sounds of owls are heard in the background past the gates of the cemetery.
I tried hard to make this a place where I'd love to go hangout and soak in the sights and sounds of the area while making it a little spooky as well as cozy.
Not all the lighting effects and animations are able to render properly without viewing it in-game, plus some extra details were added at the end. So here are room by room screenshots of the area in zOMG! itself:
Graveyard Pier 01
Graveyard Pier 02
Graveyard Pier 03
The original implementation of the area for the Grave Danger event was going to contain all the NPCs across the rooms, along with a couple new ones: the angel and reaper with their respective modes of travel on the water. xd
Grave Danger - Halloween Hangout 01
Grave Danger - Halloween Hangout 02
Grave Danger - Halloween Hangout 03
I had even made a custom loading screen with an animated raven on a tree with a rotating leaf icon:
Grave Danger - Halloween Hangout load screen
Unfortunately, none of this content was ever made public to Gaia or zOMG!... until now.
People have asked me over the years what environment in zOMG! is my favorite since that was my main task during my time at Gaia. Even though it was never released, this small hangout space always comes to mind first.
Even now this area sits on Gaia HQ's network drive all complete and ready to be launched. I had always figured you'd access it somewhere in Buccaneer Boardwalk. It would only take a programmer versed in zOMG! to upload and link it to a clickable spot or NPC dialogue in the game. neutral
**********
zOMG! concept postings:01 - Dream sketch world
02 - User interface redesign
03 - Undersea
04 - Splash screens & cards
05 - Halloween hangout
