RMMV Wytches and Wyverns

[Bakuda]

I'd like to know as well. The dev did say that the lockdown hit them pretty hard. I can relate. I do hope this project is still moving forward. It looks awesome!

 

[Ellie Jane]

Ah sorry, I really should update this thread more.

I have been working on this, but I wanted to make sure I had something substantial before updating you, because there's been a snag.

When I say a snag, more an absolute paradigm shift.

What Happened?

In doing some normal bug testing, using the console, I noticed a line saying that one of my functions has been deprecated and that it will stop working soon.

It turns out this function was the one that my entire game was based on, and it's rendered everything I have done up to this point MMO-wise unusable.

Now. I could remake the online system, in the process having to remake every other system I've made for the game and change the entire way I go about things. That would take months, and what I really want to do is actually get into some game development.

As you can imagine this was pretty soul destroying. My online system was complex and pretty damned well functional, as I've shown. But it's not the way t go about making an MMO, and it means my super simple online system no longer works (or at least won't work in say a year's time, or however long it takes to remove deprecated functions).

So where does this take us?

In the end I caved in and decided to no longer make an MMO.

Oh dear.

I realise this is what brought most of you to this thread and that I've completely bottled it.

However, this has given me time to work on the actual game.

So, I'd like to introduce you to the new format of my game.

What do we get?

I have gone away from the mobile aspect and instead it's a standard sized game screen, that scales perfectly to (almost) all dimensions, big or small.

Getting rid of chat has meant we get a lot more screen space, and rationalising my hud and menus into one bar across the bottom gives us a clutter-free screen.

A lot of my systems were immediately applicable to the new game (but not to an online system done differerently) and I think you'll agree they're prettier.

I've had a lot more time to work on mapping this time around.

And on polishing up things such as the introduction, with new animation and cutscenes.



Demonstrating the resolution changes:



So.

I don't know if I've won you over and I don't know if this no longer being an MMO is going to be a game changer (no pun intended but welcomed).

I spent a lot of time weighing up the pros and cons.

PROS:
- I don't know when lockdown will come so I don't have time to spend remaking system after system.
- Larger screen resolution due to removing chat window.
- Less clutter on screen by losing all these little systems
- Can distribute the game as an executable, meaning better longevity
- Offline games can't suddenly disappear like MMOs
- Less time making systems unhackable
- Less cost to host the game
- Can distribute via Steam and app stores

CONS:
- Game is no longer online so loses its entire USP
- Limited in terms of updates; you'd have to download any new stuff for the game
- Game now requires a solid, single-time release, rather than the MMO structure of one quest at a time
- There is a lot more expectation for an offline game

So...

We'll see how this goes down.

 

[Biestmann]

Steam's Early Access would offer a great platform for you to develop your game and receive feedback as you do. The update process is seamless for owners as well, and barring sweeping plugin changes, save states rarely go amiss. Been doing it that way myself and can whole-heartedly recommend the approach. You always work so hard on all of these systems, you deserve to get your work out there even if it isn't finished yet. And since this project is large in scope and will take some time to finish, doing that would make a lot of sense.

 

[Switz]

I almost never play games I see with this style/tileset, bit you have REALLY molded them together successfully into a game that I can't wait to play! Love your UI and direction you are taking this. Keep up the solid work!

Don't worry about it not being MMO. Diablo single player was more than enough fun and your game will be as well

 

[MasterofRevels]

Thanks for the update! I think I personally actually prefer the single-player experience to MMO anyway, so you definitely haven't lost my interest

I love those ships btw! Absolutely gorgeous!

 

[Ellie Jane]

Thanks guys. The more I develop the world, the more I am feeling liberated not having to work out how my mapping and events impact on multiplayer experience and such (although autosave is something I need to plan carefully).

It also means that with no leaderboards to worry about, things such as the crafting system can have a finite ending, which gives the player a feeling of accomplishment - you can work towards a clear end goal.

I have a lot of planning to do as now everything has to lead towards a polished, finished game rather than a quest-a-week structure. I like the idea of regular campaigns that introduce new content, like Factions in Guild Wars or Dragonborn in Skyrim, but I'm not going to focus on that as I want to actually finish the game first.

With that regard we're in very early steps, with a lot of work ahead.

 

[Ellie Jane]

I think this is my new favourite map in the game, the Port. It's based on the first map I ever made in RMXP, back in 2004, hence the diamond tiles and the sea wall.

This one needs a little work to get it to the same standards but is a little extension of the same area.

And potentially this is the entrance to this town from the High Road.

The High Road is important in creating a realistic world, but I don't want it to be boring. I'm experimenting with textures and such, not there yet, but getting better.

 

[RyeBreadedCooder]

I would not feel bad about it not being an MMO - single-player experiences are what define this genre of game, after all, and your desire to make each quest a proper story runs somewhat contrary to the longevity-incentivising grind that a lot of MMOs find themselves ending up as. They require a lot more content, and it cannot all be wonderful.
To reiterate what somebody else wrote on this thread, you've really moulded all these graphics together (seeing how the menu changed from page one to your last post was incredible) and it seems like a really exciting world to adventure. It's hard to explain, but the style just feels comfortable: like I know I can sit down, explore this rich world, and just feel like I'm looking at a 90s game again, but improved by 'the future!'

 

[Ellie Jane]

I have managed to turn my textures, which includes a load nicked from RPG Maker RTPs and PVGames, into brushes, which is making mapping a lot easier (but has potential to just look dirty/smudgy).

Example in use:

And here's a bit of progress on a wizard's tower.

Because of the size and shape of the map it will start zoomed out at the top and then slowly pan downwards and zoom in, so not all the map will be shown at one time; I'm not worried about the broken perspective therefore.

 

[DavePerry]

Nice job this is great. You mention you're using Rexal's Visual Equipment plugin? Might I ask how you got that to work with diagonal movement as well as Extra / Idle poses? I could not figure that out haha. Keep up the good work and good luck!

Edit: nevermind i figured it out.. Qsprite is amazing i should of used it sooner hehe.