DevBlog # 4

Greetings everyone,


this summer Real Life has assumed direct control of the lives of many of the team, thus updates had been rather sporadic.
We plan on bringing you new editions of the DevBlogs at the end of the month from now on, usually on the last weekend of a month, however the exact date and time might vary a bit. You can stay informed on DevBlog updates and other news by joining MEC on Facebook, following us on Twitter, visiting the Forums or having a look at the MEC DevBlog Blog

next stop: Alpha
As you know Mass Effect Chronicles has spread from the Turian Project to include three stories that feature a turian, a salarian and an asari. However rather then going through a tutorial-like beginning with each of them, we decided to put an additional intro-mission up front. So once completed you can dig your teeth right into the main game(s). The Alpha will include this intro/tutorial and thus allow the players to encounter a variety of game-play elements from dialog to battles to the gathering of resources and more.
To honor the game's roots as the Turian Project you will assume the role of a turian called Vazill who some of you might remember from the pre-Alpha. Keep your eyes open for DevBlog # 5 when we will reveal more about the character.
Date for Alpha sign-ups opening to follow.

In the meantime have some fun on the Citadel by visiting the recreational areas or enjoying yourself in one of the clubs.

best wishes
The MEC-Team

Mass Effect - Matt Rhodes

if you're curious about art from the actual Mass Effect games and wonder what one of BioWare's concept artists is up to in his spare time have a look at Matt Rhodes' Blog

DevBlog # 3

originally posted on 2010 - 07 - 13


Greetings everyone from myself and the entire MEC team! We have dedicated a large portion of our lives to bring you a compelling story based on the existing Mass Effect games. In the Mass Effect Chronicles, you will play as three different species; Turian, Asari, and Salarian. While I can't reveal the story for you, I can give you a few things to expect from our team and the game itself.

-3 Playable characters (Each being a different species)
-Several recruitables (Both combative and non-combative)
-An interesting and compelling story that stays true to the Mass Effect games and heeds their historical references and data.
-Ability to visit locations from ME1, ME2 and several unique to this game.
-100% unique-to-this-game artwork and game art.
-An interesting mining system. (No planet spinning this time... sorry ;) )
-Planetary exploration.
-Paragon/Renegade system.
-Love interest system.
-An upgradable ship.
-Much, much more!

One of our main goals is to make this game a logical extension of the Mass Effect universe. With Alpha on its way, you'll finally have a chance to test this game out in its infancy. The best way to make sure you are included in the Alpha release is to be a part of the forums.

I must admit, we have been up to something...
In the darkest reaches of space, we've been working on something special.
And it is with much pride and pleasure that I reveal this secret to you.

Without further ado, I present to you....

The Mass Effect Chronicles Website !

Take some time and discover what we've been working on. Also, if you're a fan of Mass Effect, and want to help with the creation of this fan-game, take a stroll over to our new 'Jobs' section! Without people just like you, this game wouldn't even exist.

Also, please make sure to set your favorites at http://www.mechronicles.com instead of http://www.turianproject.com. Accessing the forums via the turianproject.com website will result in no stored username and passwords (making you sign in each time you visit).

This wouldn't be much of a development blog without a few screenshots.

Looking at the sun can be bad for your eyes.

Ah, welcome to the presidium, and our new menu system. (Trees are not original yet, but will be soon.)

A look at the statistics page.

There is still much to come, so grab a seat, register on the forums, and hang on to your butts; you're in for a ride. Oh...and please don't feed the space goats...they can get cranky.

DevBlog # 2

originally posted on  2010 - 05 - 14

What would you do if you could go back to the Citadel, Omega, and other locations within the Mass Effect™ universe; this time in the shoes of a Turian? While the answer will be up to you, we plan on making this more than just a question. Eventually, when these Dev Blogs are obsolete, you will have the opportunity to tell us exactly how your experience as a Turian went.
We’ve been hard at work to bring you the best gameplay experience possible within our 2D version of Mass Effect™. A majority of our recent work has been in the art department thanks to these amazing artists!

Fuel-Reaver
Job : Concept Artist / Cutscene Artist
Featured Art : link
Artistic History : I’ve been drawing since before I can remember, was always scribbling away at school as a kid, doodling during lessons, as well as drawing my own characters or pre existing ones all the time! I enjoy and dabble in many art mediums, but there is just nothing quite like bringing a character or world to life with pen, pencil or brush on paper!
Deviantart : http://fuelreaver.deviantart.com/

Criz
Job : Battler Artist / Face-Set Artist / All-around-do-everythinger
Featured Art : link
Artistic History : This goes back awhile, probably to the time since I can hold a pencil... sometime in 2003 I started doing digital art and things just went on from there. It's fun... it's relaxing and creative - and hopefully one day it will also pay bills ^_~
Deviantart : http://criz.deviantart.com

Scooter
Job : Tileset Artist
Featured Art : link
Artistic History : I've easily been doing art since around 2003, high school art is a joke. I more or less started photography. I do it for enjoyment, and I want to be a game artist as a 3D modeler but with the current state of the Australian game industry it seems unlikely to happen soon. I'm actually have qualifications in Photography, Design, and Game Art.
Deviantart : http://scooter79rs.deviantart.com

Shadee
Job : Sprite Artist
Featured Art : click
Artistic History : Since I could hold a pencil. I do it because I enjoy it. I'm in no way a professional artist, I just do it for fun.
Deviantart : http://shadee.deviantart.com

Without the help of these artists, we would have nothing to show you today. Thankfully, we do indeed have plenty to show.

Screenshots

-The new conversation system-

-C-sec Room-

-Dynamic Lighting adds shadows and lights to add further detail to the environments-

-Wandering the Presidium- (Please note that the trees are place-holders until we can put in our own.)

-A small room to test reflections and lighting-

-Finally, new Turian Sprites-

Video

video link
-The new dynamic battle system and active enemies.- (Yes, I'm aware that the sniper rifle is shooting machine gun rounds. :P ) Also, thanks to our Audio department for the music you hear in this video (by Rix Raw) and the Geth voices (by Treesnogger).

As you can see, we've been busy. With Open-Alpha coming in the near future, now is the time to get involved in the forums!

http://www.turianproject.com/forums

Until next time,
~Norton

DevBlog # 1

originally posted on 2010 - 03 - 23


Dear Community, Fans, and Casual Observers,

A few weeks ago we released a tiny preview of the Mass Effect Chronicles to the public. This small demo helped to show the dedication and capabilities of our newly founded team with a mere weeks worth of work. The pre-alpha demonstrated combat, movement, dialogue (though rushed), menu systems, and other basic game play elements. Thanks to all the interest in pre-alpha testing, we were given a plethora of responses detailing strong and weak points, bugs, and helpful suggestions. With those suggestions in mind, we have been hard at work to bring you an enjoyable Alpha demo in the coming months.

Team Feature
We are very lucky to have such a talented group of individuals working on this project. Two new additions to our team, Rix Raw and Treesnogger, have volunteered to create an original sound track to accompany the game.

Rix Raw never studied music, but began experimenting with it as he was inspired by his brother's music and the demo scene of the middle-late nineties. The year 2000 saw the start of his more serious attempts and a few years ago he updated his arsenal with a midi controller and started teaching himself to play the keyboard. You can hear some of his songs on his Myspace.
Also, be sure to check out this track made by Rix Raw Here!

Treesnogger has been making music for around 5 or 6 years and has been recording music for 4 years. His work on a few ambient soundtracks can be heard here. He also plays in a few bands such as ClickDeleteYes. "I'm still just an amateur..." he said when asked about his musical history. "...it's just my hobby."
Check out this track made by Treesnogger Here!

Features
Along with the original sound track, the Alpha will include;
-An immersing Story
-Paragon/Renegade System
-New locations (And some you may recognize)
-Characters of many different species to interact with
-New cut scenes
-Improved game play elements
-And a few surprises

Previews
Lastly, I would like to introduce our first 'Character Profile'. Those of you who played the pre-alpha should recognize this individual.

Please, if you have not already, join the forums and show us some love. We are always open to suggestions and new ideas, plus, we'd like to get to know you!

Until next time, take care and avoid angry Krogans.

~Norton

DevBlog Blog

with the release of the 4th issue of the Mass Effect Chronicles Developer Blog on the horizon we thought it's about time we made an actual blog as well.
The previous blogs will be uploaded and from now on the new blogs will be posted here as well, however you're always welcome to voice your opinions on our forums as well. 

For more information (okey so far it's relatively little actually since we can't really reveal that much now can we  ^_~ ) you can visit the fangame's homepage at www.mechronicles.com
If you want to keep up to date with what's happening either follow us on twitter or join us on facebook