Three Dead Zed

N

Netrat33

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Aug 6, 2004
Messages
4,894
Hey everyone,

First thing I want to do is give very appreciative "Thank you!" for Kyle giving me the green light to post this on his forums. I've been a long time member of the forums and I'm really proud, and nervous, to present a game I've had the pleasure to be lead designer on working with a small dedicated team. We're obviously what one would classify as an indie game developer and this is our first real push trying to get into scene.

Going by thread title, Three Dead Zed is the name of our game. You can check out our website at www.threedeadzed.com to check out some pictures, trailer, and facebook page. Any questions of you have, I'm here!

I speak for the team when I say I hope you all take interest our game and hope you think it looks fun. We've done a local beta test and are currently implementing the polish. Our development ends on 12/29 and hopefully we can make it on Steam shortly after. We'll also try to launch our game on a few other indie friendly sites.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by :)

http://www.threedeadzed.com/purchase.html

Thank you for your support




Update: 3/3/2012
We're calling today the beginning of Three Dead Zed week? Why?

- 3/3/12 (1+2) get it?
- 3 Platforms: Windows, Mac and Linux
- Version 1.3 Released
- Three controllable zombies
- 33.3% off making it $3.33


CrushingPrices.jpg

http://www.threedeadzed.com/purchase.html

Free Stuff:
  • Desura is really great for helping indie developers and give overall suggestions. If you buy the game from there and rate us, you'll be in raffle to receive a free t-shirt.
  • Follow us on twitter and you might find a code dropped here and there for the game on Gamersgate or Desura.
  • PM me throughout the day and you'll be in the running for a free copy of the game too! Ends 3/3/12

PIRATES: Hey thanks for playing the game :) Understand we have no demo...yet...but if you had fun with the game, we can use your support whenever we have sales. We are really small team and are hoping to make more and bigger games. Can't do that without funds. Most payments from Indievania.com go to us directly. Help them out too ;) And stay current! Keep seeing too many 1.1's out there! THAT drives us really nuts.

Patch fixes 1.3
  • Reduced "slippery" effect and added "weight" to each character. Characters faster as a result, but more responsive.
  • Reduced "ground pound" activation time.
  • Corrected more pistons that did not crush zombie and would leave player stuck in wall.
  • Textual - Story Continuity: "Project Zed is learning..." text changed to "Subject Zed is learning"
  • Balanced stage 18 (office level 8) - Added a check point after large pit of spikes to reduce frustration
  • Balanced stage 4 (office level 4) - moved laser barrier away from wall to reduce death from missing wall.
  • Minor texture re-alignments.
  • Rendering of breakable surfaces now behind characters.
  • Enable controller in options menu instead of false "error" if joystick was not plugged in.
  • "A" button on controller now selects menu items.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Early Reviews (version 1.2)
Note: Fraps will hinder performance making the game seem incredibly slow and buggy. Avoid if you want to record.

desuraQuoteBanners_igm.jpg
79%
This is a very creative, funny game that gives players the chance to help zombies finally get some payback. Players who enjoy 2D platformers and have a few evenings to spend chomping on brains should take a look
http://www.indiegamemag.com/three-dead-zed-review-triad-of-terror


desuraQuoteBanners_dp.jpg
2.5/5
I definitely had a fun time with your game (ref Three Dead Zed.) Looking forward to the next one! – Twitter quote
http://defaultprime.com/video-game-review/three-dead-zed


desuraQuoteBanners_g.jpg
3.5/5
Three Dead Zed is a great first release from Gentleman Squid Studio, and we really wouldn't mind seeing a sequel. A fresh take on a tired genre.
http://www.gamezebo.com/games/three-dead-zed/review


desuraQuoteBanners_jig.jpg

While the storyline leans on the strange side (yes, even for a zombie game), you'll still feel compelled to get to the end of the level just to see what the game will throw at you next. Three Dead Zed is a great platformer, and with all the hidden rooms and computer logs to find out more of the backstory, there's motivation to come back to it more than once to get the complete experience.
http://jayisgames.com/archives/2012/02/three_dead_zed.php


desuraQuoteBanners_ea.jpg
Worth a buy
Overall, Three Dead Zed is an interesting little game with a nice challenge. I recommend playing with a controller and some music of your own. Worth a buy.
http://www.emptyapartment.net/home/review-three-dead-zed.html


desuraQuoteBanners_gf.jpg
3/5
(whole review site and youtube channel gone unfortunately)
 
Last edited:
Oh look another zombie game...:D Just had to do it.

Looks pretty cool. I still enjoy sidescrollers and playing as a zombie could be fun. Looking forward to seeing what the final product will be. Will there be a demo?
 
WarriorX said:
Oh look another zombie game...:D Just had to do it.

Looks pretty cool. I still enjoy sidescrollers and playing as a zombie could be fun. Looking forward to seeing what the final product will be. Will there be a demo?
Click to expand...

Hah. Didn't expect the joke/comment so fast. Maybe like 3 posts in but nope! First one :D

Honestly, we were VERY close to naming it similar to that. But with some research, I think that name was actually taken or too many pages to similar is style. When we initially cooked up the idea for the game (almost 3 years ago) there wasn't this huge wave of zombie themed games. It made us nervous to be in a sea of zombie games, but we felt we had to just stand out with our idea of "We're controlling the zombie. It's sidescrolling. Our style is unique."

We initially wanted to have a demo, but depending on our time vs budget, it doesn't seem likely. The game isn't going to be expensive though, so if someone hates it, regrets should be small. We're all really into games and definately putting a lot of love and time into this. Making a bad game though doesn't help with building a reputation either. If you like sidescrollers with element of puzzling, I feel we nailed something unique here. Of course I'm baised! But initial feedback has been really positive.
 
Interesting looking game. I'll keep an eye on it, been a while since I've played a side scroller and it'd be nice to play another.

I do have one question that might seem strange. In the screenshots it seems one of the zombies you control is missing half his head. Generally, the idea behind zombies is that the brain is all that keeps them going, no brain = no zombie. Is this discussed somewhere in the lore behind the game, (if there is even lore, for all I know it could just be a game with no real story, which is fine really :p) or is the idea of zombies in the game different from the "standard" zombie? Another reason I ask this is because the brains in the top left appear to be your health (correct me if I'm wrong) and it doesn't really make sense if you play a zombie who doesn't have a brain to begin with.

As I said, it may sound strange to comment on but that was the first thing I noticed when I looked at the screenshots. That, and it's really slow at work right now so there isn't a whole lot to do lol.

Regardless, game looks interesting and I like the art style. I hope it goes well for you and your team.
 
Netrat33 said:
Hah. Didn't expect the joke/comment so fast. Maybe like 3 posts in but nope! First one :D

Honestly, we were VERY close to naming it similar to that. But with some research, I think that name was actually taken or too many pages to similar is style. When we initially cooked up the idea for the game (almost 3 years ago) there wasn't this huge wave of zombie themed games. It made us nervous to be in a sea of zombie games, but we felt we had to just stand out with our idea of "We're controlling the zombie. It's sidescrolling. Our style is unique."

We initially wanted to have a demo, but depending on our time vs budget, it doesn't seem likely. The game isn't going to be expensive though, so if someone hates it, regrets should be small. We're all really into games and definately putting a lot of love and time into this. Making a bad game though doesn't help with building a reputation either. If you like sidescrollers with element of puzzling, I feel we nailed something unique here. Of course I'm baised! But initial feedback has been really positive.
Click to expand...

Sounds good. I do like the unique spin that was put on the game. Good luck with the sales, Ill keep my eye open on steam.
 
Noxxville7 said:
Interesting looking game. I'll keep an eye on it, been a while since I've played a side scroller and it'd be nice to play another.

I do have one question that might seem strange. In the screenshots it seems one of the zombies you control is missing half his head. Generally, the idea behind zombies is that the brain is all that keeps them going, no brain = no zombie. Is this discussed somewhere in the lore behind the game, (if there is even lore, for all I know it could just be a game with no real story, which is fine really :p) or is the idea of zombies in the game different from the "standard" zombie? Another reason I ask this is because the brains in the top left appear to be your health (correct me if I'm wrong) and it doesn't really make sense if you play a zombie who doesn't have a brain to begin with.

As I said, it may sound strange to comment on but that was the first thing I noticed when I looked at the screenshots. That, and it's really slow at work right now so there isn't a whole lot to do lol.

Regardless, game looks interesting and I like the art style. I hope it goes well for you and your team.
Click to expand...

haha! That's awesome. Love you looking deeper into zombie lore :)

While we did put a lot of background story into the game that sadly, some information wont really be presented, I don't think we ever put that much thought into zombie lore aspect of it all. I think the only real zombie "rule/lore" I'm aware of is it can't be a virus closer to 28 Days Later type. You should not be able to just catch it, and the person has to die and come back.

However, I think all zombies have a brain, it's just working at a primal level: Eat. They have to have some sort of brain otherwise how do people kill them by just destroying their head? We do however break the rule that enemies don't have to smash your head. That part gets relegated to "It's a platformer" ;) You mentioned how our zombie is missing part of his head but no brain. In the trailer, when he crawls up ladders towards the end, you see the whole backside of his head is missing and see the brain.

You are correct about the three brains on the top left of the screen being health. Depending on the zombie you are using, it affects how much damage you can take. For example, the big strong woman is our juggernaut and she takes and delivers the most damage.
 
Zombie thread - two reasons

1) Oldish thread
2) Zombie game

Game we developed is out now. We didn't make the Steam cut unfortnately. We are however on Desura and Gamersgate.

http://www.threedeadzed.com/purchase.html

We are working on a few other digital stores that seem to be going along good so far.

We have a new trailer to accompany the release located here:
http://youtu.be/Hw5jht0HBsU

As I stated earlier, we're a start up indie team. This game isn't going to really push your rigs. Doesn't support widescreen either. Any questions you have, I'm here.

If you give it a shot, I hope you enjoy it! :)
 
That's awesome. Good for you. :) I'll make a point of getting to this thing hopefully later today.
 
Don't give up on Steam -- seems like if you have no prior exposure either via indie game awards, gaming conventions, PC gaming websites (RPS and PCG), or gaming reviews, then you can automatically expect to be rejected the first time around by Steam.
 
Thanks Q-BZ and AmberClad :) We know we are nobody right now. First game. Completely new at everything when making and marketing a game. We took no offense and understand we have to earn our stripes.

We've sent out the game to some smaller review sites who responded to use and hopefully the reviews are good. It's scary, but if we can't make something somewhat fun, we know we shouldn't be in this business.
 
AmberClad said:
Don't give up on Steam -- seems like if you have no prior exposure either via indie game awards, gaming conventions, PC gaming websites (RPS and PCG), or gaming reviews, then you can automatically expect to be rejected the first time around by Steam.
Click to expand...

Seriously. Pound on this door and keep working on it.
 
Thanks for the update Netrat. I'll check out gg when i get home tonighy and support you guys.
 
bump for the sake of keeping the profile high in the forum (oh, and I'll take a look myself too)
 
Mokkat said:
sooo, basically The Lost Vikings with zombies? :)
Click to expand...

Unintentionally yes! Then we thought, "Opps. Well Lost Vikings hasn't been around for a long time. People would be excited for something similar."

Then Trine came out...
*sigh*
Game development on hold for work reasons.
We were back on development. Come close to releasing...
TRINE 2 release
*cussing*

:) *shrug* At some point I'm going to write a post mortem of our game development and history. Originally I was leading the game to more of a Commodore 64 "The Goonies" type of game where the zombies would have to do specialized tasks to help the other zombie through. Which, reality, is more like Lost Vikings. Then as time went, we thought dynamic swaping of character could keep the pace up instead.
 
CALL FOR BETA TESTERS:

We're about to release a new patch soon and I'd like to get some unbiased people to test the new controls for the game. Can I get 30 people to send me a private message with their email and I'll send out an invite through Desura. This is the full game with just a minor disclaimer. So yea, 30 free copies pretty much :)

The game has received some pretty good reviews with overall recommendation to buy and play it especially if you like platformers. Acknowledging the reviews, the negative points lead to:

1) Slippery controls (mostly our fast zombie)
2) Bugs
3) Replayablity
4) Music is just OK

With this new version (1.3), we're hopefully addressing points 1 and 2. This is the version we're hoping to really push to reviewers and bring those scores up. We're dedicated to this game.

If you beta test, PLEASE, play by the end of day on the 29th and email comments by the 1st. Thank you all for your time.

PC and Linux users! If you have a Mac, let me know and I'll have to work something different there.
 
Thanks, I'll have it done tonight and get back to you in the am with feedback.
 
Fun litle game got to play it for a few hours today and it's worth the money.
 
tunatime said:
Fun litle game got to play it for a few hours today and it's worth the money.
Click to expand...

Thanks man! And thank you all who beta tested and provided feedback. We did some minor updates based on your suggestions and will continue to support our game.

We're calling today the beginning of Three Dead Zed week? Why?

- 3/3/12 (1+2) get it?
- 3 Platforms: Windows, Mac and Linux
- Version 1.3 Released
- Three controllable zombies
- 33.3% off making it $3.33


CrushingPrices.jpg

http://www.threedeadzed.com/purchase.html

Free Stuff:
  • Desura is really great for helping indie developers and give overall suggestions. If you buy the game from there and rate us, you'll be in raffle to receive a free t-shirt.
  • Follow us on twitter and you might find a code dropped here and there for the game on Gamersgate or Desura.
  • PM me throughout the day and you'll be in the running for a free copy of the game too! Ends 3/3/12

PIRATES: Hey thanks for playing the game :) Understand we have no demo...yet...but if you had fun with the game, we can use your support whenever we have sales. We are really small team and are hoping to make more and bigger games. Can't do that without funds. Most payments from Indievania.com go to us directly. Help them out too ;) And stay current! Keep seeing too many 1.1's out there! THAT drives us really nuts.

Patch fixes 1.3
  • Reduced "slippery" effect and added "weight" to each character. Characters faster as a result, but more responsive.
  • Reduced "ground pound" activation time.
  • Corrected more pistons that did not crush zombie and would leave player stuck in wall.
  • Textual - Story Continuity: "Project Zed is learning..." text changed to "Subject Zed is learning"
  • Balanced stage 18 (office level 8) - Added a check point after large pit of spikes to reduce frustration
  • Balanced stage 4 (office level 4) - moved laser barrier away from wall to reduce death from missing wall.
  • Minor texture re-alignments.
  • Rendering of breakable surfaces now behind characters.
  • Enable controller in options menu instead of false "error" if joystick was not plugged in.
  • "A" button on controller now selects menu items.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Early Reviews (version 1.2)
Note: Fraps will hinder performance making the game seem incredibly slow and buggy. Avoid if you want to record.

desuraQuoteBanners_igm.jpg
79%
This is a very creative, funny game that gives players the chance to help zombies finally get some payback. Players who enjoy 2D platformers and have a few evenings to spend chomping on brains should take a look
http://www.indiegamemag.com/three-dead-zed-review-triad-of-terror


desuraQuoteBanners_dp.jpg
2.5/5
I definitely had a fun time with your game (ref Three Dead Zed.) Looking forward to the next one! – Twitter quote
http://defaultprime.com/video-game-review/three-dead-zed


desuraQuoteBanners_g.jpg
3.5/5
Three Dead Zed is a great first release from Gentleman Squid Studio, and we really wouldn't mind seeing a sequel. A fresh take on a tired genre.
http://www.gamezebo.com/games/three-dead-zed/review


desuraQuoteBanners_jig.jpg

While the storyline leans on the strange side (yes, even for a zombie game), you'll still feel compelled to get to the end of the level just to see what the game will throw at you next. Three Dead Zed is a great platformer, and with all the hidden rooms and computer logs to find out more of the backstory, there's motivation to come back to it more than once to get the complete experience.
http://jayisgames.com/archives/2012/02/three_dead_zed.php


desuraQuoteBanners_ea.jpg
Worth a buy
Overall, Three Dead Zed is an interesting little game with a nice challenge. I recommend playing with a controller and some music of your own. Worth a buy.
http://www.emptyapartment.net/home/review-three-dead-zed.html


desuraQuoteBanners_gf.jpg
3/5
(whole review site and youtube channel gone unfortunately)
 
if I buy your game now, if and when you get on steam, can I get a free key? if so I will purchase now to show support.
 
marylandman said:
if I buy your game now, if and when you get on steam, can I get a free key? if so I will purchase now to show support.
Click to expand...

Anyone here who buys the game I definitely would guarantee a code to Steam IF we ever get there. *crossing fingers* Desura is kind of like the indie version of Steam. Feels a lot like it.

We applied to Steam and we got rejected on our first run. They don't disclose why someone gets rejected. Could be because of bugs that were in 1.1. Could be because there already was a big named indie platformer coming out at the same time (Dustforce). Could be no reviewers so too risky. Could be they just thought it flat out sucked. We will apply again. We are getting better at marketing, patching and testing, but we are very green at the whole process.

There is a reason also why I wanted to post our game on Hardforums: You all are tough and usually through reviewers. Not many of you even applied for a chance for a free game. I'd like to know why? Hate the artwork? Just not your style? Fear marketing (I don't do anything with names)? Want to know more about the game? Simply not on Steam?

We take the good with the bad. :cool:
 
have just started running through it, thank you marylandman, and it's a lot of fun - this should be in the next humble bundle!!!
 
No reason to send me a key, my backlog is big enough as is.

But cool initiative! I hope the recipients will play this and have some good old lost vikings -fun
 
Just finished the game. While it wasn't particularly long it was pretty fun, definitely reminded me a lot of lost vikings. I see no reason why it shouldn't make it to steam, it's definitely good enough and I only found 1 bug in my play through, which I couldn't replicate afterwards (level with 3 pistons in a row that toss you, the third piston punched me through the roof to the later parts of the level).

Good work on the game, look forward to seeing more from you in the future. I'll be recommending it to my friends who're looking for something to pass the time.

Also thanks again to marylandman for the key, was very generous.
 
BigDov said:
have just started running through it, thank you marylandman, and it's a lot of fun - this should be in the next humble bundle!!!
Click to expand...

Thank you so much. That means a lot :)

Noxxville7 said:
Just finished the game. While it wasn't particularly long it was pretty fun, definitely reminded me a lot of lost vikings. I see no reason why it shouldn't make it to steam, it's definitely good enough and I only found 1 bug in my play through, which I couldn't replicate afterwards (level with 3 pistons in a row that toss you, the third piston punched me through the roof to the later parts of the level).

Good work on the game, look forward to seeing more from you in the future. I'll be recommending it to my friends who're looking for something to pass the time.

Also thanks again to marylandman for the key, was very generous.
Click to expand...

I'm so very thankful for marylandman's kind act. I thank you for the recommendation.

We're going to try again later (Steam) and see if maybe the reviews we have help us. Trying to "crack the code" for a slightly bigger review site to notice us while we pluck away improving the game.

We do have some surprises coming up for future patches. We're obviously very new to gaming, but this is my digital "home." Kyle let post this little thread when I had no clue how to market. Marketing and getting noticed is really tough. I'm thinking an [H] stage is in order as homage. I've been thinking of a way to do this and have some ideas...stay tuned.
 
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