For Creepers and things alike...

   Hello all and welcome back! It's been just over a month since my last update to this series but I promise this one will keep you thoroughly entertained as we will touch on some well tuned new details and focus on Minecraft's flagship mob; the Creeper! Hold on to your seats(or computer/cell phones) this one gonna be good!

   It seems to be that time again. The year has flown by and so many things have happened in such a short ammount of time that I dont even know how to explain it. Many are probably scrambling to get their homes set for the holiday by cleaning and fighting the lines in grocery stores just so they can cook up whatever amazing concoction they have in store for their families. But, wheather you're traveling far or staying put, I just wanted to extend my thanks to all of you and wishing you a safe and Happy Holiday!

The 'live' feed

   In my last post, I mentioned some new things that could be added to the main game that would keep things very interesting and I went into detail on what they are exactly and how they could work. These "things" were 'Quests' and 'Adventures'. But this time around I am unveiling another new feature that would fit right in with those two:

'LIVE events'. 

 Yes you read that right. And now you're probably thinking "How could that even work in a minecraft game?" Well if I could answer that question, it would be that they would work just as they do in other games. This feature would have to require internet connection to play with others obviously, but heres what I'm thinking specifically: you're playing the game just as you would normally but then a red exclamation icon pops up on the HUD, so you open up your map and search for the icon which will pin point the exact location of the event. Once you have located the event you will see a timer counting down how much time before the event launches. You can click on the event to track it(all in the map still) and now a waypoint can be seen in the sky above the event location making it easy for you to navigate there. 

  This initial indication on your HUD should pop up atleast 5 min before the event starts in order to give players the chance to travel to the event area before it starts. Once started, the actual Live event sequence could vary each time. For instance, one time the event could require you to take on a horde of mobs but you must slay a certain ammount of specified targets in the time limit in order to win, whilst the next event you take part in you may have to defend a village from a dragon or pillagers. If a player dies in the event they will spawn wherever their set spawn point is. This means that players better bring their A-game as dieing mid event may require you to travel a long distance in which the event may have ended by the time you reach it again and a reward will not be available to you since you were not present at the time it completed. But, if you do make it to completion a chest will drop where all players who participated from start to finish can recieve their reward(s). 

  The reward chest displays different items for each player and only that player can claim the reward in their chest. That means no racing to the chest to get all the good items first. Everyone has an even chance! Rewards could consist of event specific items like potions, armor, weapons, etc. and has a chance at dropping legendary items. 

   Better yet, these events could be tackled alone or with a group of players as the difficulty adjusts to how many players are on the world. Internet connection is only required in order for the game to set these events in real time.

Going green?

  Since //ZERO is a project that takes place in the Minecraft universe the Creeper was bound to make an appearance one way or another and in case you somehow missed the title, this blog post is all about our green little freak of nature. But why does this guy deserve an entire blog to himself? Because our good ol' friend has been up to no good and well, for a lack of words, hes growing up and going places no one thought he'd ever go. So without a further-a-do heres the creeper-ish madness...

Things that go boom! 

             ...or poof.

CREEPER

   

   When re-designing the Creeper, I wanted to stay true to the classic design that we all recognize while combining it with my own style. Seen on the Left is the current updated model that I am going with for the creeper while on the Right is the older model I rendered. I wanted to update the older model with a set of almost spider-like legs that come from under the creeper rather than stay with the old stick leg style that I started off with. I reworked the older model and boom! The //ZERO style creeper was born... but wait theres more?

BIO: Creepers have long roamed the surface of the Overworld and have successfully earned themselves the title as the most destructive monster, with good reason. Within their bodies lies a rupture sac that is filled with a combustible fluid. Up until recently most green Creepers were believed to be aggressive but recent studies haven proven this wrong as they are now believed to follow people out of pure curiosity and rupturing due to excitement. Though, this does not prove that it is the case for every Creeper, it does explain a lot. When a creeper becomes over excited its body produces a chemical that chain reacts with the fluid within the rupture sac and results in spontaneous combustion.

SHADOW CREEPER

   What birthed this guy was the thought of what would happen if a spider and creeper had a child? It sounded ridiculous but looked good on paper (well, screen to be exact) so I continued working on the model. I wanted it to retain the body structure of a Creeper but have the appearance of a cave spider. Naturally it would have to be smaller in size as cave spiders are smaller than normal spiders. It took a while to get the right flow and balance between the two, but eventually this is what I came up with.  (New model on the left, old one on the right.)

BIO: Gaining their name from their dark appearance, shadow Creepers can only be found in dark caves where old mine systems have been left behind and reclaimed by cave spiders. They are a strange and very rare occurrence where a Creeper and cave spider have had offspring together, making them a scientific marvel as this should technically not be possible. A Shadow Creeper is smaller than the normal Creeper and also cannot explode, but instead they are able to spit poison at their prey in order to immobilize them for a quick and easy snack. 

CONSUMED CREEPER

     

  Of all the Creeper varieties, the consumed Creeper is probably the most interesting, atleast in my opinion. In essence, it is a zombie that spreads infection. It is by far one of the weirdest variants that I bet no one saw coming. //ZERO's main threat is going to be the forces that emerge from the End. This unfortunate creation was a victim of the assault that took place, given the fact that he once was a normal little freak of nature that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I created the Corrupted Creeper to resemble something that you'd see while in the End and I think it gets that point across perfectly. (New model on the left, old model on the right and old model animation on the bottom.)

BIO: Corrupted Creepers are a result of catching illness due to being infected by a creature of the End. The creeper slowly starts to mutate as the virus takes over its body, eventually killing it. Once dead, the virus completely takes hold of the Creepers body, reviving it as a mindless, psychotic creature that has an only goal to infect life further more. Consumed Creepers do not explode in a destructive detonation, but will now explode into a large plume of sticky toxic particles and gas, infecting every living thing within the "Poof" radius. If infected and not treated immediately, the victim may meet the same grim fate...


STALKER

   Minecraft already has a Creeper so it was only fitting to come up with the Stalker. This guy was an interesting one to try to come up with. He Evolved atleast 5 times before I finally came up with a design that I felt fit in with the Creeper family (unfortunately I only have these two images to show as I directly edited over the old models). At first my inspiration for the Stalker was the Demogorgan from Stranger Things, but after designing him with the flower like jaw(s) I decided that was not the look I wanted to go for as it didn't really look like it was related to the creeper other than its color. I liked the body I had come up with but I erased the head and tried again... time after time. Eventually I came up with a face that looked like an older, grumpier Creeper and that was it. I had finally hit what I felt was a home run with his design. He is larger but more stocky than the creeper and stomps when he walks, but his ability is even better...

BIO: The Stalker otherwise known as the juggernaut, is a very close cousin of the Creeper, that has been around for just as long. They can be found wandering the Overworld day or night but their numbers are more slim than that of creepers due to the fact that they mate for life and can only have one or two offspring in their lifetime. Stalkers stand much taller than creepers but are just short of being the same height as Endermen. Typically they are docile but will prove to be very aggressive if they feel threatened. Every now and then, Stalkers have been known to follow their prey for several days before attacking them without reason. When a Stalker attacks, it does not sacrifice itself in an explosion, but actually releases a concussive blast around itself, pushing and destroying the objects around it. This attack has proven very destructive and deadly meaning that Stalkers must not be underestimated. 

   Well, that about rounds things up for the Creeper update. Designing these guys was fun and I hope you like their designs and Bio's! But, until we meet again, let me know what you guys think of this months blog in the comments and most importantly, THANKS for stopping by! 

Happy Thanksgiving!!! 🍗🍽🥧

<3 Viper

The drawing board

   Hello all and if you're returning, welcome back. If you haven't read my previous blog summarizing the new things coming, what this project is and how it began, then you can get caught up by using the link at the bottom of this blog or by using this link:

http://projectmzero.blogspot.com/2018/09/it-starts-with-zero.html?m=1

This time around things are going to be full of original pixel art, story details and other goodness! So sit back, grab a bag of potato chips (or something healthy if that's your thing) and let your eyes do the reading thing.

  When this project first began, my original intention was for Zero to be a comic series. I recently got into drawing pixel art and just for fun I translated some of my characters into 16 bit versions. I was actually surprised with how well they turned out so I continued to roll with it. From bosses, to items, to mobs and armor. Let me say I've made quite a lot. I animated some of the sprites I made by using an app that's basically the 'photoshop' of pixel art. Though I won't be revealing any sprite sheets to you guys today, I will be showing off a handful of character/mob designs below...

Zero's black smiths have developed new armor styles. One of the most infamous being the 'Obsidian set' which is a testament to your power and inspires a modicum of darkness within its wearer.

           

Silver fish

             

   You probably cant help but to notice not one, but two different slime models. Well that is because one of these guys is simply a subspecies. Introducing the 'caustic slime' (right). The difference between the two is not only their appearance, but their traits as well. The caustic slime (hints the name) is a highly acidic foe that is easily under estimated due the reputation of it's less corrosive counterpart. Caustic slimes can melt straight through most armor and deal burn damage to their target(s). And to make things even "better", if this mob comes into contact with fire they will explode like TNT! Not exactly a foe you want to misjudge!

 Meet one of the inhabitants of the Nether, the Lantoon! These shy little guys are distant cousins of the blaze. Lantoons are mostly docile creatures and can be found hanging from the ceilings of Nether fortresses like bats. They also provide a reliable source of light, but if provoked they will fly around dropping liquid flame upon those who disturbed them.

   This mob hasnt agreed to have its physical identity revealed on any social platform yet but has agreed to allow it when the time is right. May I introduce one of the many new additions to the End, the Reaver! Reavers prefer to levitate rather than stand, as doing this makes them more agile. If not stopped from charging it up, they will fire a strong energy bolt from their hands quickly immobilizing their target for a brief period of time. Once their target is immobilized they summon smaller, faster reinforcements with a high pitched screech to outnumber and overwhelm their prey while they're down... Quite the cheap shot.

 
   Another native to the hellish Nether,  is the new soul shroom(above) which has one of the most interesting backgrounds of any of the designs I've made so far. Most noticeable about the soul shroom is its grotesque appearance, which resembles a bloody skeletal torso with multiple heads. But why does it look like it has a cluster of skulls for its cap? When a soul shroom begins its life cycle, it does not have these "skulls" but actually a small spikey red flower. This flower is said to absorb the souls of those that have met their end in the Nether. As each soul is absorbed, a new "head" appears from the flower, resembling the souls previous appearance. The flower will continue to collect these souls until a full cap has formed. Though, not technically considered a mob, this fungal-like organism can be very dangerous as it will release poisonous spores when disturbed. The materials collected from a soul shroom sell for a high price as they can only be collected from a fully matured specimen, and are a vital ingredient in brewing a 'Nether Potion'.

   Zero's alchemists have discovered a breakthrough in potion brewing; the 'Nether Potion'. This potion is made by fermenting the muscle-like tissue that hangs from a mature soul shrooms skeletal stipe, and combining it with a long list of other ingredients that I'm going to hold off on for now. Once consumed, the potion allows one to travel to the Nether as if they used a Nether portal. The effects of a typical brew will last about 15 minutes while some higher grade brews have been known to last for a full hour. Once the effects of the potion ware off, its user will be returned to where they originally consumed the potion.

   Seen above are two medals of the new medal system I would love to see implemented. Medals are earned by completing certain tasks and are a great way to earn a lot of coins fast. On the left is the 'Geologist' medal which can be earned by collecting one of every ore, while on the right is the 'Monster Hunter' medal which is rewarded for slaying 3 or more monsters in three seconds or under apart from each other. Medals are a good incentive for players to complete tasks, as the coins rewarded can be used at the tavern to purchase special weekly items.

  The Lance(above) is just one of the new craftable weapons in //Zero. The lance is a great weapon that allows the user to wield a shield in one hand and the main weapon in the other hand and offers a greater range of combat than the sword. The shield cannot be used to block, but instead adds an extra notch to the players defense. The lance can be used by slashing and stabbing or by the player engaging sprint and driving the lance into an enemy. You can obviously see 2 different models for the lance. The model seen on the left is the render for //Zero and the model on the right is what the lance could look like if added to the main Minecraft game.


Towns and Villages 

   Yes, they are both very different from eachother. Villages are a familiar face to minecraft as they will practically remain the same as before. You can trade with villagers here, gather food from farms or grow your own food and even alter the village using some good ol' creativity. You cannot accept quests at villages but you can help establish trade routes in villages by leveling them up through a specific vendor.

   Towns are much larger than villages and are the main hub for buying, selling, crafting and taking on quests. You can shop here at multiple shops and vendors, establish your own business, visit a pub, buy a home or maybe even join a guild. Multiple towns can generate in a world. Due to town laws, players are prohibited from placing any blocks inside the town as they believe in keeping things uniform, however, you can furnish any home that you have bought within a town. But why would you buy a house when you can just build one elsewhere, you ask? Because owning a house within a town gives you special skills that vary by town, that's why. Now if you plan on getting into any mischief you can expect guards to be suspicious of you. Get caught causing mayhem and they may attack you.


  

 






Quests and Adventures 

  Among the other cool new ideas, are Quests and Adventures! Both quests and adventures can be accepted by speaking to certain individuals at towns or by finding and speaking to travelers in the open world. Quests offer a story driven experience to the players world, while Adventures focus more on providing a treasure hunt that will lead to rare and Legendary items that can help you boost your arsenal and reputation. Consider yourself an entrepreneur? Take up a role as a shop owner! Shop owners unlock a new questline designed to help you maintain your new shop. So if you prefer unraveling a story woven with secrets or hunting for rare treasure, or even just running a shop or pub, theres something here for everyone!


That New, but Familiar feeling...

   //Zero would stay true to the minecraft main game but would also offer new and exciting experiences. This time around, the game would take a more Elderscrolls open world approach while staying true to everything the main game was built upon. Creativity is Minecraft's most unique feature and //Zero would focus on creativity just as much as the first game. //Zero is essentially the same as the first Minecraft but with a more story driven and live environment approach and is an extension of everything I would have loved to see added into the main game.

   Every time you create a new world you start off by waking up in the middle of no where (dont worry you'll get to choose why in later dialogue). You recieve your first main quest which will focus on getting new players adjusted to building a shelter and gathering materials. After you have completed your shelter, and gathered materials to start your exploration , your second main quest will appear which is where the story really kicks off, requiring you to find a town where you will eventually build a name for yourself and unravel the story through quests given to you.


Exploring a new world

  Every world you create is still randomly generated but will always offer you the storyline (if you choose). Your world is YOURS, there are none like it. Everyone will always be able to experience the storyline regardless of how many worlds you make. But each time you create a new world your experiences do not have to be the same! The world will be so rich with quests and adventures that you could spend your entire time completing side quests without ever touching the mainline quests. Better yet, just like traditional minecraft you can tackle things in an open world with up to 16 of your buddies.

   Team up to complete quests, explore dungeons, or just live out the classic minecraft experience. The shared world would be completely optional and not a required experience meaning that if you prefer the lone wolf route or teaming up to slay hordes of monsters, everybody has a home in //Zero!

   Creative mode also takes a new spin as creating a world with creative mode active disables all quests permanently, but enables the player to create their own quests from scratch. Just like the main game you would have the option to make super flat or generated worlds and place blocks as you would before.

 

Experience points and perks

   The experience that you gather throughout your journey no longer goes into brewing potions and enchanting items. Instead you can invest your hard earned points into skills. Everybody's stats will start at zero for each skill. As you progress into your skill sets, you will become stronger and unlock new abilities. For instance the blacksmith skill is one of these skills which can be upgraded. At Blacksmith level zero the armor and weapons you craft will resemble the traditional minecraft style but as you upgrade this skill, the defense stat, attack stat, and durability stat will gradually increase as well as altering your gears appearance. Doing this also unlocks new crafting recipes and armor/weapon styles. (Seen above is how the same set of armor changes depending on Blacksmith level.)

The horizon 

   I would love for my designs/ideas to catch the attention of the official dev's. I'd say my goal would atleast be for some of my ideas/mobs/items to be translated into the main games blocky style or have an influence. I have made nearly 100 original designs. I've poured my heart and soul into designing them for the past 6 years and spent countless hours of time on them. What you guys have seen is only the beginning!

  Let me know what you guys think of these ideas and designs. I hope you like most of them, and if this is something you could get behind then help me get the dev's attention so that some of these things could actually exist in game!

It starts with Zero...

"Time has been your greatest ally, but now it has deserted you..."

 All great things start somewhere. But where was the beginning to start with? I'm sure that's a question we all asked at some point. But what am I even referring to in the first place? To properly understand this story let me take you back. Back to 2011 specifically.

Its 2011, a time much different than now... well perhaps not too different, but personally, it seems like ages ago. Things have changed so much since then. I'm now happily married, have a daughter and trying to further a career, but this story isn't of my life it's about something entirely different. But shall we get back to point?

   The year is 2011. Sophomore year of highscool. At the time people were all caught up in political nonsense and who  they were going to vote for president. For us "kids" at the time, we only cared about video games and food... and maybe some exercise. Stirring up in this video game industry was a game that recently emerged in 2009 as a PC title. At first it was immensely popular with kids in elementary school. My reaction to this title was to be expected I guess. I thought it was stupid and like others I made fun of it at first. Well jump forward a few years to 2013 and my wife who was my girlfriend at the time begged me to purchase this same title for her as it had just released on the Xbox 360 and her group of xbox live buddies were all playing it. I gave in. She loved it which eventually gave me a curiosity in which I tried it out for the first time. Being a huge Halo fan I had standards, and this? This was almost comical to play. The animations, the graphics. "Why is this garbage so popular" I said. Well after a few days I understood...

  The creativity, the urgent survival, the open world influencing that itch for exploration, all the unusual blocky-beauty of this simulated world. Eat or starve. Fight or be killed. It finally hit me. I actually understood. Deep down this wasn't just a kids game. It was a game of nightmares, wonder, creativity... and passion, all bundled up behind the veil of bad graphics that you'd swear was inspired from a retro 80's game. This game opened up my mind to so many questions. Why were you just starting off in the open world to fend for yourself? What were all these things that were trying to attack you? What was the purpose behind all these places you went and the things you fought? There has to be a back story to this. But there isn't... or was'nt one from what I could find. And this is where the true story begins.

I embarked on this journey over 5 years ago. I wanted to explain why this and that were happening in the game instead of them just being there and you just aimlessly doing all these things without any actual reason. What am I talking about you ask?
                 An origin story!

   That's right, you read that correctly. 18 year old me decided to take on this task behind the scenes. Code named "Zero" to represent that this takes place before the game. Not during, not after. And most certainly not based off of the side game or games that have released since then. This is the story that set the events of the main game in motion. After many years of planning and designing I've decided to share some details after being hesitant to do so in fear of copy cats stealing my ideas. With that being said, going into this project I already knew the art direction I'd be going in. Let me explain below...

Things remembered...

  The story is based in the world we know and love but most of the time will not have the traditional blocky look that we are used to. Its a brave move but let me explain that this does not mean within my story that the traditional look does not exist. There is a solid reason for why I wanted to express this vivid change into my story and the most simple answer is because this story does not focus on the player but the NPC- 'Non Playable Character'.  The world appears more "smooth" because this is the story through their eyes, not the players or ours. In short it's how they perceive the world they exist in. Infact, none of the characters are aware that they are part of a simulated world and they live their lives just as we live ours in the "real" world.

Enemy lines.

   Zero will introduce a lot of new enemies but specifically, the forces of the End will be the main threat in this story. You will see more enemies than ever before with more than 40 new enemies being added to the universe, with 11 of them being new inhabitants of the End. Theres a lot to worry about with numbers like that.

Advancing advances.

Zero will take the series in many unexpected directions, one of them being new advances in technology! Well technically old advances. Diamond armor and weapons? Pshhh! That's boring! Ever wonder what obsidian armor would look like? Leave that sword behind and take up a gunlance! Also, what's pumpkin soul armor? Zero's black smith's have dabbled in new ways to construct their gear and let me say it's pretty flippin' noice.

Dark past, ancient evil

  As stated before, the main threat in this story will be the creatures that inhabit the End. In the main game we only saw two main threats arise from the space-like dimension. Endermen and the Ender dragon. This time around we will see atleast 11 different species that originate from the End. Some of which will make it their goal to corrupt life on the Overworld and even the Nether. Yes I said Corrupt. Once a life form is corrupted, it will mutate into a hollow version of its original self and will be used to infect more life forms further more. Behind this is an ancient being that created the End, and it will stop at nothing until it consumes all life.


As for the story itself, it is in the beginning stages but I am at a point where I basically know the flow of how things will take place and how they end. "Great things from small beginnings".

If you have stumbled upon this post and read this far, I want to thank you for taking time out of your busy day to acknowledge my little blog. And if you dont mind taking the time to leave feedback on how you feel about these things, it would be greatly appreciated!


Well, thats about all for this week. I will share more details in the near future. For now, thanks for stopping by. Always chase your dreams! Peace out.

<3 ChromeViper