Relentless Dark

This project has been a labor of love, and I’m so grateful that Steam allows me to share my passion with the community. I'm currently aiming to create the most intense and terrifying coop zombie horde experience possible, and I'd love for you to join that journey.

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After the baseline initial build is released, I plan to allow the community to help steer development as I continue working on it (based on ideas, feedback, concerns, etc.). This is truly my one beloved game that I plan to endlessly improve over the span of many, many years. I know, I know—it sounds like the classic never-ending "Early Development Beta" game that never actually fully releases. The difference, though, is that a lot of times those games never reach a fully stable or enjoyable state that meets the standards of a "released" game. All of the necessities to meet the standards of a "released" game will definitely be there in the near future—but the constant updates and improvements to simply make the game more fun (or scary) will never end! I just don't think I could ever consider this game "done" and set it on a shelf to collect dust. I have the mindset of: how good of a game can one guy make over the span of several years because he genuinely enjoys working on it? Have you ever sat and stared at your Steam library and then had no real burning desire to play any of them? I get that feeling almost every day because I simply have more fun working on my game instead. Every now and then though, I will definitely hop on a game or two with some friends on the weekends. But for Relentless Dark—the game modes, the mechanics, all of it—will be an ever-evolving journey of pursuing the absolute perfect zombie horde game.

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Peeking into my daily development life: I have a near-term scope and a far-term scope, and I try to spend at least 90% of my time focusing on the near-term scope. The near-term scope is more of the "necessities"—what I absolutely need to have in order to achieve an enjoyable gaming experience upon that initial release. My far-term scope involves things that are more of the "nice to haves" and "one days," such as a full story campaign and other crazy, far-fetched ideas. I'll eventually be getting closer and closer to working on those far-fetched ideas, and I honestly can't wait to finally get there. But once I cross that line of "no more necessities required" and I'm only focusing on those "cool ideas," I will transition this game out of "Early Development" and into a "full release" at a slightly higher cost. In the meantime though, I don't mind practically giving this game away for free because well - your feedback, ideas, and awesome support are genuinely priceless!

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Fortunately, I don't rely on this game for groceries, and I am able to squeeze time in between my job and being an awesome dad 😎

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Disclaimer: As one dude who is still learning as I go, I have absolutely leveraged every possible tool to assist me in reaching my goals. This mostly pertains to the art and graphical assets available in Unreal Engine. The majority of my time so far has been spent on the actual gameplay mechanics, animations, physics, AI blueprints, enemies, guns, maps, menus, networking, etc. I would not consider myself an expert on the graphical art side of things, so I have definitely used all of the free tools and assets available in Unreal Engine to help get me where I am today. But who knows—eventually, I could always do a big graphical asset/character overhaul if I wanted to. Fortunately, it is pretty easy to swap those things out on the fly with Unreal Engine. If you ever want to pursue developing a game yourself, I would highly recommend doing the same! Don't let the things that you may lack block you from reaching your goals! If you are the opposite of me and amazing at graphical assets/art but struggle on the coding side of things—there are so many awesome tools, guides, and tutorials out there that can help slingshot you through those struggles to help make your dreams come true too—thanks to the (sometimes) wonderful internet!

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*INSERT GENERIC STEAM DESCRIPTION BELOW*

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Relentless Dark is designed to be a pulse-pounding, 4-player cooperative zombie horde game, where teamwork and instinct are pushed to their absolute limits. With a haunting atmosphere, brutal combat, and unforgiving AI, every moment will feel like a fight for survival. Can you and your friends endure the relentless onslaught, or will the darkness swallow you whole?

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Thanks truly for reading!

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