Bogarash[2d RPG]GM1.4

YanBG

Member
Dev notes: My initial goal was to make this game in the vein of classic isometric hack and slash action RPGs from the late 90s to early 2000s but since this genre doesn't seem very popular anymore(or there are too many competing games) i'm thinking about changing some of the mechanics to make it more fun.

Thus any feedback would be very helpful for me, also feel free to share your thoughts about the graphics and animations as well!

Gameplay
: You have to complete quests(listed in the journal) in order to progress. WASD or LMB for movement and LMB for attack or interaction(NPC dialogues, open chests). LMB for drag and drop items or automaticly picking them up. RMB on enemy to use active abilities(cost wisdom). F11 to hide the GUI, F12 to take a screenshot.

Test Mode: RMB on a trader NPC opens their shop window, on captain spawns a companion.

In the current version the end boss isn't added.

Features:
- Turn-based combat and real-time exploration.
- 3 classes(close combat male, female archer and a monk).
- Randomly generated dungeons.
- Loot and inventory utilizing multi-slot items.
- Skill and leveling system with 4 base attributes.
- Dozen quests and NPCs grouped into 2 towns/chapters.
- Voice-acted dialogues in english.

I'd like to hear your opinions on the UI windows and combat system, also on the terrain tiles and room design. Thoughts about the general gameplay, shops and inventory are also welcome.
 
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Looks well made. Don't mind the lack of response, here. I think a lot of members here are probably too young to remember these sorts of games. I think if you put this up on Steam Concepts or Greenlight, you'll get a much better response. Looks good to me!
 

YanBG

Member
Thank you! I plan to release it on steam, but i don't want to rush it. I got critiques on the graphics(terrain mixing, animations) and there are some bugs, so i have to polish pretty much everything. Starting with the menu, here is an update for the intro:
http://imgur.com/oTw9Vb0
 

Genetix

Member
That looks awesome so far, id play it! Looks like the smoke animation on that house could be slowed down a bit.
 

YanBG

Member
Thank you!

After a month break, i got around to make new cursors. Frames for 2-3 states for now but i'm thinking of adding several more, because i read from a topic in this forum that this is a good trick.

 

YanBG

Member
Thank you! I hope to put it on steam end of the year.

I'm updating the graphics. Sprites and tiles will be half the previous size but with better animations/designs(check the new wolf :D) and the UI more simple(rectangles and healthbars rather than custom sprites).

I've been testing designs for seamless tiles and the ones below work best. Each piece on the tile is modeled(or drawn if you do it that way) instead of a detailed texture.

The walls connect better as well, there will be variations with torches on them etc. Btw do you like their gray shadow?

 
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YanBG

Member
Some more updated models for enemies and the female character:



The environments need more work.
 
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YanBG

Member
An update on what i was working. Thoughts?



The paper doll system is from before but i updated it to the new model/anatomy and with a better rendering process it's easier to make more items and for more characters.

There are more than 2 options but they require higher values in the different stats. Also added mini-games like gambling(roll the dice).

Due to a popular demand there is a 3rd class, he is intelligent and can (en)chant or perform rituals to sway his enemies.
 
M

MEITdev

Guest
Hi there!

I have recorded a short "honest first impressions" feedback video for your game.

The reason WHY is explained HERE

The purpose of this video is for you as a developer to see how players play your game, what are their expressions as well as some likes and dislikes.
Basically the personal feedback is something that is hard to get, so I am hoping to help you just a little bit with this video.


Keep up the great work!
 

YanBG

Member
Hey, @MEITdev !

You pronounced the name very well, i was thinking of changing it(to differentiate the release from the development versions) but i liked how it sounded from you and i might keep it :D

I will implement all your suggestions for UI and sounds.

Thank you for praising the character sprites!

Terrains/tiles and environment is something i struggled with for quite some time but you gave me ideas on how to make it more natural.
 
M

MEITdev

Guest
Hey, @MEITdev !

You pronounced the name very well, i was thinking of changing it(to differentiate the release from the development versions) but i liked how it sounded from you and i might keep it :D

I will implement all your suggestions for UI and sounds.

Thank you for praising the character sprites!

Terrains/tiles and environment is something i struggled with for quite some time but you gave me ideas on how to make it more natural.
Glad I got the name right ^__^ and am very happy that it helped in your development process !!! :)

Keep up the great work and Stay tuned ;)
 

YanBG

Member
I've been working on a new version, apart from fixing the reported bugs and updating the graphics, i've added new features:

- you can switch between 2(primary and secondary) weapon&shield slots(E hotkey).
- there is an optional arena, with respawning enemies, in case you want to level up.
- 3rd class is properly implemented with his own unique skills.
- chat, which i use to enable a cheat for testing.

I'm most happy with the updated terrain system. To blend/mix them in isometric view you need at least 12 border/edge tiles. I plan to render my own versions but i used this set for testing: http://opengameart.org/content/grass-and-water-tiles
 
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YanBG

Member
I'm testing a turn-based battle system, it activates when the player is in range of atleast one enemy.

And some more screenshots:
 
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YanBG

Member
Added more stats to the equiped items, they can be rare, unique or set piece(have to be identified). If the item is common there is a chance to have sockets, which can be filled with gems.
The inventory is now 2d array(instead of a grid), that allows each slot to have dozen interactive variables.
 

YanBG

Member
Hey all, finally i got around to make some good-looking house pieces for the starting village. Now is left to add them into the game procedurally.


I rendered them individually(to keep each one centered in the scene), there might be a faster way to have them all in one, but that's easier to edit the models later if needed. Then i used TexturePacker(has a trial version) to create the spritesheet(i add it as background in GMS) https://www.codeandweb.com/texturepacker
 
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Felipe Rybakovas

Guest
Hey all, finally i got around to make some good-looking house pieces for the starting village. Now is left to add them into the game procedurally.


I rendered them individually(to keep each one centered in the scene), there might be a faster way to have them all in one, but that's easier to edit the models later if needed. Then i used TexturePacker(has a trial version) to create the spritesheet(i add it as background in GMS) https://www.codeandweb.com/texturepacker

How do you are using TexturePacker spritesheets in GML ??

I have some in this format, but dont know how to use it inside gamemaker!
 

YanBG

Member
My walls, terrain and roofs are not objects. I add the spritesheets as background and then use tile_add to place only a part of it in the correct place.


Let me know, if you have more questions!
 
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Felipe Rybakovas

Guest
Thanks for this! But what I mean.... I've a spritesheet with the optimized sprite location.... So I have all the images set together and with a plist file to define the order! But i dont found how to decompress or use it on GML!

Unity have the TExturePacker addon that resolve this issue!


BTW, i played your game yesterday and is very good!

But i dont get it why when you enter in combat mode the enemies stay moving! It's looking a ARPG.
 

YanBG

Member
Do you mean how to use the code from your plist?

Oh i meant spritesheets saved in png(Publish sprite sheet in TexturePacker). Then i manually add the images to the resource tree in GMS:

Thank you for checking my game! Did you play the version from the OP or the one from Itch.io(it's older)? The combat is buggy yet.
 
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YanBG

Member
That wouldn't work, you need them placed on equal intervals/offsets. They are too tightly packed, you can't cut them automatically(there are some programs for the that too) in separate pieces either that way.

Edit: I get what you mean, you want to make a sprite/animation(that's why i said i don't use it for objects).

I've read about loading sprites from external images, so it could work but idk about the optimization/performance, check sprite_create_from_surface and the other sprite functions.
 
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Felipe Rybakovas

Guest
Do you mean how to use the code from your plist?
Thank you for checking my game! Did you play the version from the OP or the one from Itch.io(it's older)? The combat is buggy yet.
Ow i've played from Itch.io! Will look for the newer one.
 
W

weiner

Guest
Looks very nice. First screenshots remind me spells of gold. Good luck.
 
W

weiner

Guest
I do not know if I can get from dungeon, but I did not. First time I had only black screen with minimap so I restarted. Then they kill me and I restarted and third time hall between rooms did not create so I could not continue. Walking with mouse is bad because animations do not know what to do and path finding can not find way around grave. But WSAD is good and animations are very nice.
 

YanBG

Member
Thank you for the feedback! Spells of Gold looks interesting.

There should be exit in the last room of the dungeon(it's 20x20 rooms big though) but it might be bugged right now. I will try to fix the other issues too.
 

YanBG

Member
I've improved my coding with the turn-based strategy and learned a better way to structure this game. I've started over/redone the RPG(i can reuse some of the better parts so it's not that bad). Now it runs a lot faster, there isn't much to show yet but some of you might be interested in the progress.

With the previous project i get 90-120fps(can drop to 6 on old laptop), this one 300-400(might drop when i add more mechanics and sprites). The improvement is from deleting tiles outside of the view, also i stopped using ini files, csv tables are way easier to work with because they reduce the code i have to write with all the if checks. It's useful for dialogue trees too:

All icons for items, skills, menus etc will be combined in backgrounds(before i was making a separate sprite for each), i haven't gone through the chore to write their positions in the sheet to the csv file yet, but it shuold make it easier for updating in future:

 
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Felipe Rybakovas

Guest
I've improved my coding with the turn-based strategy and learned a better way to structure this game. I've started over/redone the RPG(i can reuse some of the better parts so it's not that bad). Now it runs a lot faster, there isn't much to show yet but some of you might be interested in the progress.

With the previous project i get 90-120fps(can drop to 6 on old laptop), this one 300-400(might drop when i add more mechanics and sprites). The improvement is from deleting tiles outside of the view, also i stopped using ini files, csv tables are way easier to work with because they reduce the code i have to write with all the if checks. It's useful for dialogue trees too:

All icons for items, skills, menus etc will be combined in backgrounds(before i was making a separate sprite for each), i haven't gone through the chore to write their positions in the sheet to the csv file yet, but it shuold make it easier for updating in future:

Glad that you come back with the project! Keep going!

BTW, how did you have done this minimap??? is really great.
 

YanBG

Member
Thank you! Since you asked me before how is it going i wanted to post an update :)

The minimap is a surface, first i draw on it using for loop and check the world grid, only for walls(with floor it will look filled), then fastest is to draw 1 pixel wide filled rectangle(backgrounds and tiles are slower). The isometric positions are the same as when you place the normal tiles but times the scale(i use .5).
To make the minimap move on the screen and the player dot(blue) stay in the center, draw the surface with offsets using the view borders.

I started from this tutorial:
 
Good to see you're still working on the project!
A side note: You can use spritesheet packer too, it's open source and does the same thing, if not more, than the free version of Texture Packer.
 

YanBG

Member
Thank you! I thought i could make it for couple of years, but i guess there is a reason people spent a lot longer to make a good game.

Now i'm working on perlin noise, because i like open world RPGs(no separate rooms) and it seems to generate reasonably fast. This is how the map looks with a few terrain types, they'll be repalced with bigger tiles:


I wonder how to implement traveling between the islands. In Gothic and later 3d RPGs the player can swim, but that might mess the gameplay balance. Other option is bying a ship from specific areas or just fast travel but that would ignore most of the map and i don't want to make it 90% land.
 
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zendraw

Guest
well, you can ask, what separates this land from that and then just choose or make up some transport. and depending on whats optimal, you can do workarounds that can prove to be good, like make a loading screen in form of a page with a picture and some writing. the adventurer travled through forests, on rocky roads, bla bla bla, and atlast got to his destination. etc.
 
I wonder how to implement traveling between the islands. In Gothic and later 3d RPGs the player can swim, but that might mess the gameplay balance. Other option is bying a ship from specific areas or just fast travel but that would ignore most of the map and i don't want to make it 90% land.
Make the ability to build boats. Additionally, make the option to pay for ship travel, which would take the player on a larger ship and automate the process for them?
Edit: can have fighting occur with pirates, sea creatures, etc. Make small islands that are worth exploring.
 
Just make it so you board a boat and it shows you a list of locations and you click on one, and it takes you there instatly (with a loading screen).
Swimming and boat driving is a bit of a feature creep at this stage, don't you think :D
 

YanBG

Member
Thanks guys! I'm not a huge fan of encounters, games like Fallout have that but they use separate rooms and that is against the open world feel. My plan is to have caravans/ferries which cost gold for each trip but the player will be able to go there by walking too.

I've added some of the tiles, what do you think of this sand/beach connection between grass and water? Maybe it's still too rigid, i can make the edges smoother.

 
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Felipe Rybakovas

Guest
The location on a world map with some kind of GTA V effect when change characters would be very nice!! =)
 

kburkhart84

Firehammer Games
Honestly, I think the water looks too bright. It seems like you have some "dark" vibes going on for most of the game, and the water just stands out in that last screenie.
 
Z

zendraw

Guest
to me, the water compared to the character, the character looks like a giant.
 

YanBG

Member
Honestly, I think the water looks too bright. It seems like you have some "dark" vibes going on for most of the game, and the water just stands out in that last screenie.
Agreed, i'm still experimenting with the colors and textures, made the new tiles a bit darker. Although water needs to be more interesting, some waves maybe.

to me, the water compared to the character, the character looks like a giant.
Tiles are 64x32, character size would have to be reduced because they now clip throught the thin house walls. But i like more defined gfx and i'm not sure with which size to go exactly.

Btw i'm happy with the improved AI. The pathfinding is with mp_grid but the movement is mp_potential_step to avoid the other living objects and the enemies won't bunch on each other or the player. They swarm around it, because everyone can occupy only free tiles. No collision events or physics involved.
 
Z

zendraw

Guest
wow, is the char really 64x32? can you post a frame of the sprite?
 

YanBG

Member
Characters are bigger, these are the 2 current variations. I had even bigger before but then the terrain tiles were 128x64.

 

Morendral

Member
If that is ocean the small bits of sand makes it look like you are zoomed out to space looking down. You would want multiple tiles of sand to scale a beach, at least. Real beaches can be very wide. Also tidal waves are necessary.
 

YanBG

Member
Yeah i'll add another set of border/transition tiles, to separate it into grass&sand and sand&water. The grass and desert/sand would need some small objects for variation too, now i have 16 tiles with only flat grass.

Any ideas how to animate the waves?

Edit: here is the general idea, only 2 types of terrain in border tiles(before it was 3: grass, sand and water), also new darker texture for the water.
Although the sand looks like it's higher than the grass and it's a bit strange i wanted it the other way around.



What do you think of these bumps on the grass? Tree shadows are yet to be added.



Btw finally interesting town generation, still needs streets but look the house cluster in the minimap:

 
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Morendral

Member
If you are using gms 2 you can animate your tiles easily, which would help you animate waves. The water looks better but it might help to add some whitecaps in, but those too should be animated. Also i like how the bumps add variation to the grass texture, but they look like someone threw a blanket over some small objects to cover them up in a hurry, not like terrain.
 
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