Windows Top Down Medieval RPG

[Bruno A.]

Greetings,

This is about a project that i've been working on for some time, it's been my learning project but i also want to make something out of it.
In it's current state the game is just a foundation/concept for a game, it's already playable but not much going on. Here's my thoughts for this:

Basically the goals are to gather resources, build your camp, defend your camp, explore the island, fight creatures, fight bandits, trade with ships (The main goal is still not clear yet).
It's set in a cold climate island during the middle ages, the main character is there because he seeks precious metals that were said to exist on that island.

I'll be uploading a playable Demo soon, when at least 50% of these features below are complete:
(90%) normal & combat modes,
(30%) gui,
(90%) main menu,
(85%) graphics,
(75%) fighting,
(50%) loot,
(10%) enemy ai,
(done) picking up items,
(5%) inventory,
(done) day night cycle,
(done) shaders,
(done) lighting,
(5%) crafting,

Any suggestions or advice are very appreciated and will have a great influence on the development of this project.

Thank you.

 

[Explosive Photons]

Hey, this game looks interesting and i'd love to play it. Maybe you could have a sort of story mode that isn't that complex but provides some backstory and context. Just a suggestion. Hope to play the demo!

 

[Bruno A.]

Hey, this game looks interesting and i'd love to play it. Maybe you could have a sort of story mode that isn't that complex but provides some backstory and context. Just a suggestion. Hope to play the demo!

Thanks for the reply, i'm glad you liked it.
I agree with the story mode, that's what i was thinking as well, a small presentation of the story, gameplay and graphics. I'll see if i can make something playable by the end of the week.
Until then here's a few more screenshots, updated the trees so now they are snowy(more realistic) and new river textures.

Things i'm planning to do today:
- Finish the mountain textures
- Setup the objects for the demo room
- Start writing the story

Tomorrow:
- Add an animal to the environment (open for suggestions)
- Code basic AI
- Finish writing the story

 

[Explosive Photons]

Cool! I'm making an RPG too and have an experience in stories. Feel free to ask me for any ideas.

 

[Bruno A.]

After much consideration we decided to change plans, the depth of the project was too much for this team of two. Obviously the work done so far will not be wasted, we will just have to change the design.

The focus will remain heavily around atmosphere and game feel but the design will have to be allot simpler. On the other hand we came up with a totally innovative design that, if doable, will surely draw some attention!

Currently we are working on map drawing optimization and graphics in general, i'll be posting images as we progress. The demo unfortunately will have to wait a little longer, just until we create a scene with the right atmosphere to get the game feel across.

 

[Raining_Indoors]

After much consideration we decided to change plans, the depth of the project was too much for this team of two. Obviously the work done so far will not be wasted, we will just have to change the design.

The focus will remain heavily around atmosphere and game feel but the design will have to be allot simpler. On the other hand we came up with a totally innovative design that, if doable, will surely draw some attention!

Currently we are working on map drawing optimization and graphics in general, i'll be posting images as we progress. The demo unfortunately will have to wait a little longer, just until we create a scene with the right atmosphere to get the game feel across.

Hey, I like the look of the game. The textures are crisp and give the world kind of a pristine, dreamy feel.

I don't know if the plans for adding a plot have changed with your latest post, but I'd like to add a suggestion.

Try not to treat the plot as an afterthought, or just filler to carry the gameplay. There's plenty of medieval RPGs out there with similar plots to each other, so you'll want to stand out. Even if the plot isn't epic in scope, there are still ways to make it different. From the look of the graphics, the game looks like it could be fairly immersive. With the right music, sound effect, and plot, the atmosphere could be that much better.

Additionally, coming up with an off-the-wall story can be hugely helpful for marketing your game.

Just some thoughts.

 

[Bruno A.]

Hey, I like the look of the game. The textures are crisp and give the world kind of a pristine, dreamy feel.

Thanks, the goal is to create easy on the eye graphics that along with the music, sound and environment code, immerse the player right from the beginning. I'm glad to know we are on the right track.

I don't know if the plans for adding a plot have changed with your latest post, but I'd like to add a suggestion. Try not to treat the plot as an afterthought, or just filler to carry the gameplay.

I agree this branch is often forgotten and i know how important it is since two of my top games are Gothic I and II, which by the way could be used as an example for the type of atmosphere i'm trying to achieve. The game will most definitively have a plot, the depth however will either have to be short or very short but interesting and unique.

Thank you for the feedback and suggestions, i hope you continue to follow this project.

 

[Bruno A.]

UPDATE

Unfortunately, the project is still in the design stage. A lot of design ideas were unrealistic in scope for a team this size. However, the project is NOT going to be abandoned, I'm working on a design that may go well with the 90 degrees top down perspective, which is focused on combat and survival. This team is now a one man team.


SHORT DESCRIPTION
The world will be huge but not very diverse since most of it will be snow, ice, and mountains. On the mountains may be entrances to small caves or cave systems, where the player can and must take shelter, otherwise, he won't survive the outside cold for long. The reason the player is there is that this world offers something very valuable which other people also seek, but for that, they must confront the harsh climate, wild animals, and each other.

Since the world is huge and no one can stand outside for too long(especially without proper clothing), the biggest obstacle that prevents the player from reaching his goal is distance. To get close to the objective, the player must travel walking from shelter to shelter always conscious about hunger and cold levels. Once the player reaches the final destination he must be ready for the final challenge and win the prize which will give him power and riches.


SOME FEATURES
- Fight with swords, bows, and xbows
- Unique combat system
- Gather resources like wood, fur, and minerals
- Craft clothing and armor
- Make fires to cook food and warm up
- Eat, sleep, and treat wounds
- Day and night cycle
- Dynamic lighting system
- More...


CONCLUSION
I can't say for sure how long it will take to complete this project since I'm still trying to make a solid design. There are many things posted above(graphics and code) already done which may be of use to speed up development. Currently my professional and personal life leave me little time for development but I'm motivated and determined to continue this project with the spare time I have. I'll update on the progress next month.

 

[Fern]

The screenshots you have posted so far really don't look that bad but I'd agree with you that the scope may be a bit too much. Never be afraid of being realistic!

 

[Bruno A.]

I started testing a way to create a big open world, a feature this game will most definitely have. I created this huge room with a controller object showing only the backgrounds surrounding the player. The world I'm testing is currently 51200x51200 pixels in size and it's divided into 1024 pixels chunks. This means 2500 backgrounds, but of course, most of them(not sure how many yet) will be just copies of snowy grass, since it's a very homogeneous environment. The background part is working pretty well so far, with no noticeable fps drops or anything, but I'm still worried about possible problems with drawing 9 backgrounds of 1024px every step.

Heres an illustration of the world scale. Each square represents a 1024px chunk, white is not loaded, yellow is preloaded but not visible yet(out of sight), and green is the chunk the player is currently in. The controller loads and unloads chunks as the player moves around.




Made new trees and snowy grass. No shadow of the player, need to fix some issues related to glare engine.
He takes around 5 minutes of constant running to travel from one side to the other, it's a pretty decent size I guess. Unfortunately, we can only see trees and snow

 

[WarpDogsVG]

Something about that snow reads as sand to me. Perhaps worth making slightly more white? Perhaps I just need to hear snow footstep SFX to recognize it

 

[sitebender]

Yeah looks like sand to me especially with still green trees.

 

[YanBG]

Great concept! However, the graphics doesn't give me the medieval vibe. Maybe because it's just regular nature and i'm missing the fairytale style. What's left is a typical survival game but with a sword.

 

[zendraw]

love the graphics, but i hate the pure top down view. aways hated it. have you considered making it 2.5d?

 

[Bruno A.]

PRE-ALPHA v0.1

Download: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9-POOFekWBOS0h0ZVJFSTl3NVE

Let me say right away this first version is in a VERY early stage. Its purpose is only to show the general concept and gameplay that is expected and what features may or may not be included in the future because so far it has very few.

Features to highlight:
- Movement
- Collisions
- Animation style
- Graphics style
- Day Night cycle
- World size

In case you're wondering, those red squares will be creatures.

Something about that snow reads as sand to me.

Thanks for pointing that out, I changed the texture. If it's still not that good don't worry, textures can easily be changed anytime.

Great concept! However, the graphics doesn't give me the medieval vibe. Maybe because it's just regular nature and i'm missing the fairytale style. What's left is a typical survival game but with a sword.

Hopefully, I'll able to include the vibe as new features get implemented.

love the graphics, but i hate the pure top down view. aways hated it. have you considered making it 2.5d?

I chose this view because it's much easier to implement the combat mechanics I seek and like the way this view "treats" every angle the same way. Another reason is that since I'm a one man team it's much easier/faster for me to create graphics and animations.

 

[zendraw]

Trying to draw non-existing sprite.
at gml_Object_obj_player_Draw_0

also pls make a game reset button

 

[Bruno A.]

Trying to draw non-existing sprite.
at gml_Object_obj_player_Draw_0

also pls make a game reset button

That happens because when you press space you're entering combat mode which is not fully implemented yet. It's about 90% done for the player and 10% for enemies. For that reason, i did not include the combat mode, sorry. It will for sure be ready in the next build. I will also add more gui buttons for more functionality. Thanks for trying it out!

 

[zendraw]

oh i see, anyway i think youve done good jobe so far.

 

[Vxss57]

The tree shadows look amazing and really add depth to a 2d game