*Edit #1 - Uploaded new video to reflect newer physics and gameplay changes. Also uploaded early playable version! (See below for notes regarding the demo)  Tough to Kill 

*Edit #2: Reached the minimum funding mark! Thank you very much to everyone who showed their support, either through backing or sharing the link on facebook or twitter. It really means a lot to me.

*Edit #3: Reached the first stretch goal (thanks Norb for the push!). This means there will be a larger variety of monsters to blast! I already made a new lava-based monster that promises to turn up the heat.

*Edit #4: Reached the second stretch goal (thanks Sarkazein!) This means that I will be able to make some basic animations for the monsters so they won't just glide around the screen. Further, there will be more perks to choose from!

*Edit #5: Reached third stretch goal (thanks Steven and Josiah for putting it over the top!) - With this, I can put more time into developing a larger variety of weapons, add more environment pieces now that I can afford the art resources to do so, and add more variety of constructable objects. Thanks for everything guys!

*Edit #6: Thanks to WrathoftheAngels, we just flew by the fourth and fifth stretch goals! Major thanks for that big push, and to everyone else who helped bring it this far! This means more art for bigger, badder boss monsters, an recruitable NPC to help your efforts (or perhaps sentries? We'll see!) as well as added physics support which will be very useful for adding any vehicles. A big thank you to all of you!

*Edit #7: Thanks to last-hours contributions, we surpassed the 6th stretch goal! This means I can acquire the necessary support to implement car physics into the game, which means a sweet ride to run monsters down!

Tough to Kill

You are Kristopher Mercier. Zombies, monsters, and other horrible beasts are coming by the thousands. You have more guns and ammo than an NRA convention. And let's face it, you are one tough son of a b____ to kill. If you are going down, you are taking them with you.

Top-down shoot-'em-ups have always been a particularly fun genre of game. For Tough to Kill, I ultimately wanted to cross Left4Dead with Red Faction and make it a top-down arcade-style shoot-'em-up. This means destructible and interactive environments coupled with randomized objectives and, of course, tons and tons of monsters to explode - all from the comfort of your own internet browser! There is nothing for you to download or install - just play it whenever you like!

Why not try it out yourself?

I uploaded an Alpha build demo for people to try out for themselves. You can play it here: Tough to Kill 

Controls: Arrow/WASD keys to move, mouse to aim. Left click to shoot, right click to lay landmines if you have any, and middle mouse button to place barricades if you have a toolbox.

Notes about the Demo: This Alpha demo only has 4 types of monsters, 4 types of weapons, and physics that still require tweaking, but they are there all the same. All of the perks work EXCEPT for Explosive Ammo and Piercing Ammo at the moment; Superior Construction is not 100% implemented either: no special toolbox for Superior Construction yet, but the other parts of the perk works. The layout of the neighborhood level is fairly much in place. Pretty much everything is destroyable except the trees at the moment. Also currently missing is the fancy HUD and fancy pop-up effects, the better, refined art that would come from succcessful funding, and sounds among some other featuers that will be put into the final version of the game.

What makes Tough to Kill different?

What makes Tough to Kill different from other top-down shooters is the fact that you will be able to strategically use the environment. Push a couch or chair in front of a door and zombies won't be able to get through, or push a fridge and take cover behind it to block enemy projectiles. Place barricades and barbed wire in windows to prevent those undead fiends from getting in! With Box2D physics combined with randomized objectives, monsters, weapons, and destrucable environments, it means that your gameplay will be different and action-packed every single time you play. With the addition of the Perks system, you can customize your strengths to your liking and vary your gameplay even further!

Features:

• Perk/Upgrade system - unlock Auto Shotgun to delivery devastating damage, Body Armor to increase your health, Impact Vest to absorb explosive blasts, Handyman to build bigger, stronger barricades, and more!
• A cache of weaponry to pump flesh-eating fiends full of lead, shrapnel, or just plain blow them to pieces!
• Hordes and hordes of bone-crunching monsters looking to prove that you are not so tough to kill after all.
• Boss monsters appear periodically to really make your day suck.
• HTML5, Browser-based; play from the comfort of your own favorite internet browser!
• Free to play!
• Dynamic environments with Box2D physics.
• Construct Barriers and lay traps!
• Other features depend upon funding.

Goals

The goal for Tough to Kill is to create a top-down zombie run n' gun shoot-'em-up survival experience. The most fun I've had playing Left4Dead is surviving the final assaults at the end of a particular stage; the rest was just filler. Bring on the endless waves of zombies and keep a good strong grip on your gun!

Currently, here is what is planned for the final version of the game at the minimum funding:

• Large zombie-infested neighborhood - multiple houses, sheds, a small park, trees, cars, etc.
• Destructible environment - walls, windows, furniture, etc, can all be destroyed.
• Some basic perks and upgrades available to help customize your character and gameplay experience.
• A small arsenal of weapons ranging from the typical (pistols, shotguns, machine-guns) to the not-so-typical (flame thrower, landmines, airstrikes).
• Hordes of flesh-eating monsters to make your life a nightmare.
• Score tracking for all players.
• Objectives - find all of the parts to assemble a radio to call in your airstrikes for bonus points, or save a trapped neighbor and escort them to safety for even more bonus points!
• Randomized objective layouts - no two games will spawn with all of the objectives in the same locations, or the same monsters or weapons in the same places for that matter.
• Constructable barricades and upgradable barricades with barbedwire to slow and damage enemies.
• A pretty HUD and eye-popping arcade-style pop-ups for critical hits, bonus points, multipliers, etc.

What is the money for? Why such a low goal?

The primary reason to seek funding is to finish gathering art resources. I have most of the art resources and the capacity to create what I need, but there are still a couple bits of art that will require a small amount of money. It would be nice to replace the black rectangles with real walls!

Further, I would like to add sound that really fills the game with atmosphere and do the genre justice. I want the guns to sound poweful and the monsters to sound frightening! Of course, the music is done by my friend from Note by Note Studios, Aakaash Rao.

In addition, there are License costs associated, but they are relatively small.

The minimum goal is just that: minimum. That is the amount I believe I can finish the game in its current form and do it justice and make it fun and playable and fulfill any physical rewards.

What about going over the minimum goal?

If funding goes over the minimum goal, it will allow me to expand the game and include some really great and nifty features! Here is a tentative (and by no means comprehensive) list of features I would like to put in, provided there is enough funding to do so:

$400 (ACHIEVED!) - A larger variety of monsters (zombie animals, exploders, giants, etc.), Additional mission objectives to do for bonus points.

$450 (ACHIEVED!) - Animation for monsters (so they aren't just sliding around!), more unique perks and upgrades for a better play experience!

$500 (ACHIEVED!) - More interesting and unique weapons, More constructable objects other than just barriers, more dynamic environment props.

$600 (ACHIEVED!) - NPC helpers who will fight along-side you. Bigger, badder boss monsters!

$650 (ACHIEVED!) - Better physics support (would need to hire someone to assist with this who has experience with Box2D physics).

$700 (ACHIEVED!) - Drivable vehicle - run hose flesh-chewers down!

$800 - Additional map layouts and levels! With this level of funding, I can create all the art necessary for even more levels that can be selectable from the main menu to play, complete with randomized objectives for bonus points! This might conflict slightly with the $700 goal, as not all levels may contain such a vehicle, but at least one or two will (and perhaps one dedicated to it!)

$1000 - Even more monsters, bigger bosses, environment props, animation, and other art resources as art budget permits!

$1500 - Multiplayer Co-Op support - this would take some time after the game is finished, but that is the beauty of having this an HTML5 game, the game will automatically update each time you go to play it.

Other miscellaneous stretch goals with no specific amount associated:

• Possibly support for touch-screen devices (this would require making a tactile keyboard on the screen - more research would be required to make this work properly).
• (ACHIEVED!) Improved monster handling and collisions
• (ACHIEVED!) Achievements
• Leaderboards
• Possibly making the game available to play via Facebook

Why choose Kickstarter?

From my past experiences with Kickstarter, I can honestly say that the community here is second to none in its helpfulness, honesty, and support. I've made some great new friends with my first project, Aleph, and thought what better way to get my free HTML5 game 'out there' than turning to the wonderful folk here at Kickstarter? This will allow me to create a better, higher-quality, and more-fun product for everyone to play, and allows for the great community to contribute to the creation of the game through the rewards offered (and perhaps pick up some swag!)

What is this swag of which you speak?

I am by no means a particularly savvy person when it comes to the production of physical goods, but I did spend some time designing some nifty physical rewards for those who choose them.

The T-Shirt is cotton and will come in the size of your choosing (S-4XL available). On the front, the Pioneer Valley Games logo is printed on the pocket area, and the back contains the Tough to Kill main image (the large picture at the top).

The Keychain has the Pioneer Valley Games logo on one side, and the Tough to Kill main image on the other.

And this comic mentioned in the rewards?

The digital comic is going to add a little backstory to the game, for those of you who enjoy context surrounding your zombie splatters, and will be filled with plenty of action and monsters creeping off their little digital pages!

Special Kickstarter Version of the game

For those of you who show your undying support at the $20 or above mark, you will receive access to a Kickstarter Exclusive version of the game, complete with special care package that will enhance your zombie-slaying abilities right from the start!

In addition to the care package, the Kickstarter Exclusive version will feature additional weapons, monsters, bosses, and special perks/'upgrades to use. You will still have access to the regular version of the game as well.

Who am I? Er, Me, not you...

I've been enjoying making games for the past two plus years. My first endeavor into the world of Kickstarter was a successful one, with Aleph, a WRPG-themed old-school yet new RPG with heavy flavors of Ultima, Baldurs Gate, with a spice of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest thrown in. That game is still under development at this time, but should be complete before the end of 2012, and is currently in Beta testing.

Tough to Kill is made with the power of HTML5 behind it, and I thought it would be nifty to take a genre of game that I have always loved and try to do it justice. It is my hope to have the game in testing by next month (June) and completed no later than the month after (July). Though, I will say this: it takes as long as it takes to get it right.

If you would like to know more about me, please feel free to visit my site:

www.pioneervalleygames.com

Have Twitter? Follow us!     Follow @PVGames

Please, by all means, spread the love and share this page with your friends/co-workers/future zombies! You don't need to pledge to show your support, just pass the link!

Thank you kindly!