Hey everyone,
I felt its about time I key a everyone in on what I've been doing as I have been in and out constantly asking questions and having requests with a lot of feed back and little to no return from me.
I cant invest so much time into this project which is bigger than I originally intended. So it will no doubt take much longer to complete.
But I would really like to get this game finished as its been a dream of mine for the past 13 years or so to make a game of this type and scale.
My programming skills have dwindled and has my free time. Most of what I have completed for this game has been done on paper, code moding, skill balancing, class balancing, mob balancing, ect... (i think you get the picture) with still more to come.
I'd also like to improve the art to have more original art.
I intend this game to be an online game using BABS and RMOS.
I also intend to release this game in increments. raising the level cap,adding items,adding equipment, and story events each sort of 'Patch'
I'll Start with the basics of the game.
The Story:
roughly 40 years ago on a large content with many kingdoms and stubborn rulers there was of coarse, War.
A man named Valada managed to seemingly single handedly unite the many kingdoms.
This created peace for many years. The people were happy, the central city flourished and became the new 'Capital' of the kingdom.
The people appointed Valada as their King. This was not desired by Valada, He felt he was to old and incompitant.. however he accepted as he felt it was his responsibility.
Shortly after becoming King Valada had a son. 'Usna'.
When young Prince Usna was of age, King Valada promptly passed leadership to his son, as Valada never desired such a position in the first place.. leaving King Usna to be the youngest King, Lord, Bishop in history of the continent.
The people had quickly adopted Ancient beliefs as their own, and to no surprise 'The Faith' had been modified to fit current cultural views and living conditions.
Born within 'The Faith' was a young girl named 'Uo'.
Uo was seen as a symbol from birth. A gift from the gods a symbol of prosperity.
Later in Uo's life she was labled a paragon. An example of perfection and purity.
as Lady Uo approached the appropriate age for becoming a High Priestess of The Faith, the people grew eager to support her.
As history often reminds us..if there is nothing to fight, humans create a cause or find an enemy.
A Militia had been forming the past few years. The Militia had made many fanatical claims of heresy to say the least!
King Usna knew the force of this group of beggars, farmers, peasants were nothing to fear. Usna left the militia alone seeking no form of retaliation.
The time for Lady Uo's ceremony to Priesthood was approaching and over the years the militia had only grown in numbers.
Word of the militia attacking during the ceremony was a buzz.
This is where you come in...You are an experienced soldier with the kings army sent to patrol the outskirts of the militias camp.
During your mission you discover Lady Uo has gone missing before her ceremony and has been labeled a heretic!
Lady Uo is now public enemy number one and YOU are burdened with the responsibility of tracking her and bringing her to justice!
What Happened?! One can only assume....
The Classes:
The game will focus on 8 class types
I have something known as a 'Core' class. these core classes have slightly different base stats.
Each core class can re-class within boundaries maintaining the core stats. this allows people to play different rolls and to not always be stuck to one roll.
-Knight:
Knight will wear the strongest armor. complete with a sword and shield. knights are the leader of the pack charging forward redirecting the
damage from the party to his or her self. most abilities are damage mitigating skills.
-Berzerker:
Berzerkers use brute strength to overcome enemies. wearing heavy armor carting a large two handed weapon they are a fierce opponent.
Berzerkers use mostly offensive skills and have no defensive abilities.
-Marksman:
Marksman know to keep their distance. They don't benefit in anyway durring close combat. With medium armor for flexibility and agility they
prefer to keep out of the enemies site but the enemy in their own.
-Rune Carver:
Rune Carvers are specialists in an ancient technique using magic at a close range. By carving runes on the enemy they can form spells that
restrict the enemy or damage them by a great deal. Rune carvers need to get in and out fast and carve with accuracy so they wear
medium armor to make sure they dont falter.
-Wizard:
Wizards are fragile in body but not in mind. The power of a wizard is one to be feared. never get on a wizards bad side, and by bad side i
mean a few paces away. Wizards cant wear heavy armor because of their weak physical bodies. metals can be used to focus
magic aswell. so to cover yourself in metal will short the channeling of magic.
-Heretic:
Heretics are priests who have defected their faith. Turning their back on the light and walking into the shadows. Heretics can still use the
light but not to the same efficency as they could before their defection. Heretics wear light armor because of Black magic.
-Priest:
Priests receive their power by submitting to the light. The light grants abilities no other has. Priests stand to protect their team as
guardian angels. Priests refuse to wear armor. wearing armor is a willingness to fight. priests desire peace most of all they aid their team
but stand aside to defend their conviction.
-Crusader:
Crusaders are guardians of the light defenders of justice! soldiers of god! Holy power is not phased by metals. metals are as the light, from
god! These soldiers Wear heavy armor using the light for defense and offence.
Design:
As an avid MMO player I have become partial to the system i originally hated. the 'Trinity' system.
for those who may not know, the trinity system is the dependence on one another as 3 class types.
Damage, Tank, Healer
-Damge is as it says. does damage.
-Tank is a high armor absorber of damage who holds the enemys attention from the party.
-Healer is supposed to restore the HP to the party.
success is built on team work.
Only problem with the MMOs i love so much is that i never feel involved in the story.
This game will be linear in story progression.
many areas will be accessible even if not of the level however some will be patrolled by mobs of higher level.
some things will be gated by story progression.
There will be choices to be made durring the game. These choices by enlarge will effect the next 'Patch' release (not yet implemented)
so for example if the content ends on a choice... if 30% of players pick A..and 70% of players pick B...then next release will be based on B events.
This all ties together in making you feel involved with the story. (or in hopes of that lol)
Dungeons:
I'm quite the fan of Dungeons in MMO games. I have always hated questing. that tedious go kill 12 spiders...bring me 3 mutton chops. blah blah... oh the humanity!!!
Originally i was planning to take the idea of 5 man dungeon. however, i cant assume my game will be so popular that we can easily form 5 man parties.
so for the time being normal dungeons will be attuned for 3 man parties these can be done without a full traditional 'trinity' party with the way i'll have designed the classes as a finished project.
Dungeon monsters will not be wimpy.. they will hit hard and often have a tricky skill or so.
many MMOs you charge in holding 10 mobs...tho thats fun i want a tactic and teamwork. also lag is another concern from too many events.
Also I'd like to add that i don't want run and gun dungeons. I'm planning to make some zelda type co-op dungeons.
Side Quests:
Side quests will be simple. there is no accepting quests.
if an NPC says "bandits robbed my bread cart" there is no "Will you help me?" "yes, no" option. you remember it with your own brain..you by chance kill a mob that drops his bread or money pouch ...when you speak to him he will try to claim the item. you can give it to him or not.
this also means you can by accident receive a quest item before knowing the mans bread cart was robbed. upon approaching he will mention his item and you can choose to give it or not.
Raids:
as of now "Raids" will be 5 players. Due to not knowing the scale of things. i say "Raid" because i may have a different name in the future. Difference in "Raids" is there must be the 'trinity'.
monsters will have high HP and stronger techniques. with a few gimmicks.
Talent Trees:
NO. there will be no traditional talent trees. There are other ways to custom your play style.
i may include a skill trainer that allows custom to skills but as of now they will remain simple.
Classes earn skills at levels... and thats it.
I will however include a status point distributor by Blizzard. so as you level you can increase stats you deem worthy or valuable.
I hope to make those points resistible in the future as well.
Gear:
So gear is always something thats difficult to work with. heres how i have planned it.
first off, there will be a common idea of gear Head, Hands, Shoulder, Body, Legs, Cape so far.
there will be 6 gear qualities.
Gear will be dropped in 4 types
1. Junk
2. Common
3. Rare
Next there will be a Low drop chance 4.'Epic' Quality (id really like another name for that lol... im sick of the word epic)
for the most part 'Rare' quality gear is going to be the average im looking to seat ppl and it will be upgraded by a smith into 'Epic' quality
these upgrade materials will be mostly common but they will require things from dungeons or raids. (no massive material grinds with weeks of limitations tho.)
The reason I decided on this idea was the fact that some times gear JUST WONT DROP! This makes things easier and more custom seeing you can also trade items.
5. Mythical
6. Forgotten
are the next tier. mythical and forgotten may not have stat differences from one another.. its mostly about prestige or a 'look what i got!'
Professions:
Professions wont be by character. How i would like to do professions is by 'Guild'.
Each guild will build professions within their own guild HQ (or id hope to make this)
inside the HQ you can find vendors of all types including a smith and perhaps a guild trader sharing items and weps among the guild mates.
Auction/Vending:
-In most cities you'll find vendors who will sell items of low quality or buy items of any quality to never be retrieved again.
-In the Hub City i plan to add a small vendor who will be the master of trading. He will buy items and sell them as a semi free market.
this man will have his own bank he can not buy just anything or he will run dry.
if this vendor does well, he will actively upgrade his trading booth and expand his market! (becoming accessible in other cities)
Screen Shots:
***UPDATE APR 11***
So I have added some screens of some of the areas.
These screens include a custom made wep or two and some char set modifications I made for swinging, casting, and other such animations.
There is still a lot of artwork that needs to be done..this includes other class animations, enemy animations, Icons, ect.
Original music is being produced that I'm currently overseeing as well.
Balancing seems to doing well at the moment. These low numbers have been a bit difficult to work with but I think i've gotten used to the math
The game currently has about 18 minutes of solid play time. keeping in mind that i know exactly where i need to go and what i need to do. things that are already placed in the game are to be modified later. mods will include more graphical scenes, blending current events in game to not feel so rushed with perhaps hand drawn "comic" like scenes in some places when revealing story (currently producing them..but untested). Also the language needs some brushing up. Language is there to get the gist of the scene across at the moment, so its not as elaborate as id like it.
Thanks for reading!
More to come in an Edit....