Deathground News

[h3]Some exciting internal news! We’ve been having weekly playtests over the past couple of months, experiencing all the different cogs we’ve been working on coming together in the latest builds.[/h3]

A handful of our devs attempting a “selfie” to say hi to you before splitting into groups for a session.
Enjoy the awkward jazz hands, dino dance moves and a surprise doggo.

Of course, each department has been running their own playthroughs to test their areas of work, alongside having resident QA testers running through the builds, but we hadn’t played altogether as a Jaw Drop Games family until this summer. It’s been awesome!

The features are starting to come together now and the world is shaping up. The Kill System in particular has given everyone a boost to see working. But like most things in life, not everything goes to plan. Naturally, with all this playtesting, we’ve come across a bug or two. Until we can show you some gameplay, we thought you’d appreciate some dev stories that have come out of our internal sessions.

[h2]From jump scares gone wrong[/h2]

A little studio insight, Ray is usually really chill!

“I was polishing an internal visual test, to which there are quite a few components. So, the majority of my day was spent running around looking for problems. I would spawn in, check a couple of things, take some notes then quit out and fix any problems. Rinse, repeat. It was near the end of the day so I thought I'd update to the latest changes. just in case anyone's work had affected what I had been doing and just generally have a final run-through.

So, I grabbed the latest build, loaded the engine back up, took a quick fly around and then decided to hop into the game to do a final run-through. I checked out a bridge, checked some cargo containers to make sure they were sitting properly, no weird holes, rain working right and then I turned around to walk through the rest of the space. I turned around to....a Raptor. In my face, right in front of me.

I don't think I've ever screamed that loudly before, my partner ran to me to make sure I was okay. It was not cool at all. It's one thing to get spooked, it's another thing when it happens so unexpectedly, I was just trying to work. Damn dinosaurs!!” - Ray, Environment Artist



“I came around the corner between two █████████ while sneaking past Raptors. I had completely forgotten that I'd put the T-Rex spawn there. So, when I came in, suddenly I was face-to-knee with the T-Rex! It leaned forward and roared at me. I immediately ran between its legs to get away. All I could hear was it thundering about behind me, turning around and trying to catch me!” Morgan, Level Designer

[h2]To things that are just plain strange[/h2]



[h2]But success strikes too[/h2]
As many “Oopsie” style moments as we’ve had, there have equally been some perfect playthrough moments too. Can’t beat this feeling when we played last week:



Building the AI for this game is no easy feat but we’re determined to get it right! As challenging as this game is to build, bugs are actually essential for us at this point in development. We’ll happily tackle as many bugs as possible now if it means the overall game experience for you at launch will be of a higher quality!

[h3]Until next time...[/h3]
As the game reaches a new phase of critical development, we're going to be slowing down on community updates to focus our efforts on the game itself. In the meantime, join us and the rest of the community over on Discord to stay connected. (Don’t forget, you can also find and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.) We're excited to work on a global marketing campaign with our new publisher, and we're really looking forward to talking more about Deathground on a broader scale when this campaign kicks off. The team is hard at work to make sure we deliver the best possible experience to our fans. Thank you for your support and patience, please stay tuned for a lot of exciting stuff in the future!

- Jaw Drop Games -

[h3]When you’re outside in Deathground, it’s any dino’s game. Now that you’ve seen how our art team have been building up the elements out in the Jungle, let’s talk about what else we’ve been working on indoors. [/h3]

Building tension through the terrain
As you already know, we’re going for a dark and deadly vibe. Lighting is a high priority for us to nail as it will naturally play its own part when it comes to building up the anxiety-inducing ambience in all playing areas.

Despite the darkness and low lighting, our artists aren’t cutting any corners when it comes to texturing Deathground’s playable areas. The environments have evolved a lot since the pre-alpha demo and what you’ve seen in our earliest trailer. While we need to keep some things a surprise, for now, here’s another sneak peek at one of our indoor spaces.

Deathground’s indoor areas won’t just be buildings, we’ve gone underground too...

We may be leaving you in the dark about what our other areas might look like for the time being. But it should be clear now that we’re working on a realistic art style for Deathground. After all, things always feel much scarier when you believe them to be real.

The jungle is not the only playable area in Deathground
There’ll be a lot of places indoors for you to take refuge from our larger dinosaurs. Whether or not you manage to survive for long enough to reach them is another story!

Generally, you’ll find a variety of spaces to run through and hide in. From large rooms to narrow passageways, alongside areas to overlook the chaos and nooks where you won’t fully see what’s coming. Our level designer has made sure that there will be ample opportunity to run into trouble or equally find a quick escape route. But we’re not letting you off the hook that easily with being able to avoid the big beast by being inside. Just because you’re not exposed to any roaming Allosaurus or T-Rex there, doesn’t mean you won’t have to deal with the smaller dinosaurs that can fit into indoor spaces.

Over the past few months, our art team have been texturing every surface of these indoor spaces as well as adding more flavour to our final dino models. Everything is being dressed for chaos and it’s all coming together!

*cue evil laughter*

Until next time...
If you like what you’ve seen and heard so far, don’t forget to join our community on Discord and talk about all things Deathground. We also need your help to spread the news about Deathground’s development on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. We really appreciate the support while we develop this beast of a game. Let us know if you’ve wishlisted already!

- Jaw Drop Games -

[h3]As well as developing our dinosaurs and playable characters, our 3D artists have also been busy dressing up Deathground’s environments in-engine. Since our February update ‘Levelling the Playing Field’, the world has started to come alive. Let’s take a look outside. But first, dim the lights.[/h3]

Moonlight peeking through the dense jungle.

Have we told you that Deathground will be in a night-time setting? It can be difficult for humans to see in the dark and that will be no different for you as a player in Deathground.

Of course, we’re not suggesting that you’ll be playing blindly through the dark. It just might feel like it at times. There’ll be lamps lining some pathways, there may even be firelight. You’ll have a torch as well as moonlight, should your game objectives lead you to venture outside.

A lamp-lit pathway cutting through the jungle terrain.

There’s a lot of detail hidden beneath the darkness, especially in this dense jungle, now teeming with life and art textures. From the mud and dirt in the terrain to the peculiar plants sprouting up from the embankments or dangling down from high trees. There’s life beyond the fauna that will surround you. Some of you may even spot plantlife from a different time.

We’ve planted Gnetophyta and Asteroxylon, from the Cretaceous period, in Deathground’s terrain.

Waterfalls and rivers will also carve through Deathground.

Regardless of whether you’re surviving indoors or out in the elements, we’re crafting a dark map for you to play in. When you’re in the darkest areas of Deathground, you may not always see what’s coming and you’ll most certainly never be alone.

Remember that dino texture teaser we gave you last month? Well, here are a couple more teasers to keep you going. This time, a shadow and silhouette of our feathered Utahraptor in Deathground.

The silhouette of a feathered Utahraptor in the distance…

An approaching shadow of a Utahraptor coming around the corner…

Until next time...
Keep an eye out for more 3D art teasers dropping on our social media channels over this month. Join our community on Discord, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok and help spread the future chaos. If you haven’t wishlisted Deathground already and like our monthly dev updates on our progress, please wishlist! We really appreciate the support while we develop this beast of a game.

- Jaw Drop Games -

[h3]As you may have learned in our ‘Animating the Utahraptor’ dev update in March, we’ve been delving deep into what happens if you’re caught by our savvy dinosaurs. The consequences can be dire. And for all of you survival-horror fans, we want the experience to be as thrilling and terrifying as possible when those moments arrive.[/h3]

Dinner-time
The rule of “Don’t play with your food” does not apply to Deathground’s dinosaurs. Here are a couple more work-in-progress animations of what our Utahraptor could behave like if you dare to freeze in a moment of panic…

WIP animations of our Utahraptor’s killing players with just one bite.

As you can see, it’ll take just one Utahraptor to kill a player. They’re strong enough to lift you off of the ground, bite your head off and then some. Their powerful legs mean they can launch into their attacks too.

P.S. Don’t be alarmed by the mannequin body you can see as the stand-in character. Deathground’s character classes are being developed too and starting to shape up.

Critical critters
While some dinosaurs are heavy hitters, our Compys are small and agile. Their tiny size means that these pesky creatures can find you in smaller spaces. They also flock together. So, if you come across one Compy in Deathground, expect more to immediately follow.

Here they are scenting for prey and trotting after it. Do you think that you could escape their speedy advances?

WIP animations of our Compy in idle mode and on the move.

Until next time...
As we’ve mentioned in other dev updates, our dino skins and textures are still to be revealed. Last year, we also told you that our dinos will be feathered and we know you've been waiting to see them since. Unlike the textured versions or concepts, we're going to reveal them in all their glory, in-engine immersed in the environment very soon. For now, here's a little teaser silhouette of how our Utahraptor is looking.

Silhouette of our Utahraptor model dressed in their feathered texture.

We wish we could show you more! Keep an eye out for the full reveal in a future update. In the meantime, if you’d like to dive into a discussion about any of our dino updates, head over to the 🦖│dinosaurs channel in our Discord server, or simply leave us a comment here.

Don’t forget, you can join our community on Discord, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. We really appreciate the support while we develop this beast of a game!
- Jaw Drop Games -

I think we all agree that the stars of the show are going to be the dinosaurs. But apart from what you’ve seen in our prototype trailers, we haven’t really told you much about the character classes that you can play as in Deathground.

Deathground will have three core character classes to choose from. Each brings something unique to the table and represents different gameplay strategies:

• Donald the Survivalist defends
  
• Vic the Scout explores
  
• Advik the Engineer manipulates the world
  

Within each class, we’ve been working on two different tactical outfit options (skins) for you to select from in the lobby before entering Deathground. It’s up to you and your squad on what strategies you’ll try and with what combination of special abilities. And if you decide to play solo, you have 6 different options to play around with. Let’s meet the gang.

Concept Artwork - Deathground’s character class line up art with their unique abilities.

The Survivalist
With a background in animal behaviouralism, this class is all about defending against Deathground’s dangerous dinos. You can choose to play Donald in either his ‘Rifleman’ tactical suit or in the ‘Pheromone Master’ alternative. As the ‘Rifleman’, you’re capable of using a high-calibre weapon for precision defensive shooting. Whereas the ‘Pheromone Master’ arms you with scent grenades to distract deadly dinos away from the area. As the shield of the squad, both options will allow you to help protect the group.

Textured models of The Survivalist’s special items - Rifleman’s high calibre rifle and the Pheromone Master’s scent grenades.

The Scout
While the Survivalist can help defend you in tricky situations, the Scout can help you avoid them by detecting what dangers are ahead or around you. This class is an expert in exploring and not being easily seen in the wild. As the rogue of the group, choosing to play in the ‘Motion Detector’ tactical suit or the ‘Super Quiet Step’ alternative both have their own benefits. The ‘Motion Detector’ tool is handy for sensing approaching danger. while the ‘Super Quiet Step’ suit allows you to move without a sound. Either option can help improve your level of sneak.

Textured model of The Scout’s motion detector special item.
Concept sketch of The Scout’s Super Quiet Step tactical suit trousers.

The Engineer
As an inventor, the Engineer is easily crowned the problem solver of the squad. This class is all about manipulating the world electronically or by physical means. You can play in either the ‘Hacker’ tactical suit or the ‘Pyrotechnic’ alternative. Playing in the ‘Hacker’ skin gives you the capability of hacking into the security system to open doors and passageways. Whereas the ‘Pyrotechnic’ gives you access to a dual system flamethrower, making you capable of creating and extinguishing a fire. Whichever skin you choose to use, either will help you find an escape route.

Textured models of The Engineer’s special items - Hacker’s Hacking Device and the Pyrotechnic’s flamethrower.

Until next time...
Thanks for checking in! We know this is just a teaser for now. But we hope the extra insight will help you start thinking about tactics. Right now, our PC models are being textured and item handling is being animated. So, there are plenty more dev updates to come. If you want to chat in real-time about their unique abilities, head over to 🏋│character-classes channel in our Discord, or simply leave us a comment here.

Q: Are you drawn to a certain character class already? If so, which tactical suit would you try playing in first?

Don’t forget, you can join our community on Discord, like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and tweet about us on Twitter. We really appreciate the support while we develop this beast of a game!

- Jaw Drop Games -