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Post by (Spartan322) Sedine on Aug 14, 2014 9:50:27 GMT -5
Well I am a programmer and I am into gaming specifically but I was thinking about how the Cycle never got a good reputation into media. It pretty much crashed and burned so because I am pretty in to the Inheritance Cycle and Game Programming, I thought I try to make an RPG for it. Now my issue is that the idea is already thought out but I wanted to practically build the entire thing (the game engine) from scratch. For those who don't know, that's pretty unwise especially without a team or a group. Unfortunately I haven't been able to assemble a team (I haven't gotten anyone to yet respond) and so I am working on it by myself. If anyone wants\can help with anything at all goto github.com/Radiation-Games/SpartanEngine
The organization that is developing it is called Radiation Games
The Spartan Engine is what I aim the game to work on.
Now the engine will probably be renamed (if anyone can help with even the name I would appreciate it) and if anyone wants to help with the graphics or audio or anything at all could you pm me. I am currently doing this as a hobby (thought I am continually working on it). Now the engine needs a lot of work but as soon as it becomes possible I will be working on the game.
The project's name is currently After Inheritance.
Now here is what I want to put in the game:
- Visually Satisfying Graphics
- Multiplayer (later on development)
- Every single Description accounted for
- Every Location accounted for
- No real storyline for your character, you make your story (its a bit after Inheritance and you get Quests but there is no Main Quest)
- Mods will be possible
- Multiple Characters that if you kill off can stay dead and be found by other characters (this will be an optional thing)
- Complete and Utter character customization from race and face to whether his a rider (though on multiplayer it might be restricted)
The irc for discussion is hereI will explain more of it when I have more time. Hope you can help. |
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Post by Quetzal on Aug 15, 2014 9:26:53 GMT -5
This sounds pretty cool, I like it! Are you going to be able to choose your characters race (urgal, human etc), and become a Rider if you want to? You could make different factions with different storylines to go down, so you could make your character evil or a thief or a hero or whatever. I'm afraid I have no knowledge of coding or making the 3D models for games, so I can't be of any help to you with the construction of the game engine itself, but I'll happily give opinions on things. I'm usually honest when I speak my views on things. I'm very impressed that you're doing this, it sounds difficult. Good luck!
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Post by (Spartan322) Sedine on Aug 15, 2014 9:36:52 GMT -5
This sounds pretty cool, I like it! Are you going to be able to choose your characters race (urgal, human etc), and become a Rider if you want to? You could make different factions with different storylines to go down, so you could make your character evil or a thief or a hero or whatever. I'm afraid I have no knowledge of coding or making the 3D models for games, so I can't be of any help to you with the construction of the game engine itself, but I'll happily give opinions on things. I'm usually honest when I speak my views on things. I'm very impressed that you're doing this, it sounds difficult. Good luck! These are all what I planned to have in the game but the rider stuff is going to take a while to get right. I want the riders to be possible to chose in single player and multiplayer but I'm wondering if/when I make multiplayer, whether I should restrict the rider choice or allow anyone to be them. I'm pretty sure i will restrict it based on how many people are already riders on the server and some other I haven't decided yet. Also the game shouldn't be as much a problem in difficulty as the engine being completely developed by me currently. That is the biggest headache |
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Post by Quetzal on Aug 15, 2014 9:56:09 GMT -5
Idk if it would be a good idea to allow Riders in multiplayer. Everyone would want to be one, so it would be a lot harder for the few people who wanted to try doing different things. There would be dragons everywhere and it would get a bit boring and maybe unoriginal as people did the same thing. I'd say Riders would be good for multiplayer between a few friends, but bad for MMOs.
Sounds like a lot of work, even still. How is it all going with the engine so far?
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Post by Rhythm on Aug 15, 2014 10:12:04 GMT -5
I think it's an awesome idea, but I have to agree with Quetzal. Dragon riders are supposed to be rare and special, so having them become common would be a bit of a letdown.
Might I suggest that the riders are available only to those that donate to help develop the game? Make them cost, say, $10 or $20. That way you wouldn't have a lot of non committed members playing as Rider and Dragon, and also have at least some money coming in to speed up the game's development. You could also have the race unlock itself if the members have been an active part of the community for x amount of time, if you so wished.
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Post by (Spartan322) Sedine on Aug 15, 2014 12:02:07 GMT -5
I think it's an awesome idea, but I have to agree with Quetzal. Dragon riders are supposed to be rare and special, so having them become common would be a bit of a letdown. Might I suggest that the riders are available only to those that donate to help develop the game? Make them cost, say, $10 or $20. That way you wouldn't have a lot of non committed members playing as Rider and Dragon, and also have at least some money coming in to speed up the game's development. You could also have the race unlock itself if the members have been an active part of the community for x amount of time, if you so wished. Yea, maybe have players pay to be riders and after a good amount of development, have them be active for a certain amount of time to be riders. That could work well. Idk if it would be a good idea to allow Riders in multiplayer. Everyone would want to be one, so it would be a lot harder for the few people who wanted to try doing different things. There would be dragons everywhere and it would get a bit boring and maybe unoriginal as people did the same thing. I'd say Riders would be good for multiplayer between a few friends, but bad for MMOs. Sounds like a lot of work, even still. How is it all going with the engine so far? Now in an MMO thing (if I even get that far, which hopefully I can do without a server if my experiment is successful) I wouldn't give people power stuff like Riders with out a system which I have said soon after your post. Also the engine is going good but is very under developed and under managed so will take a long time unless it gets more programmers. If anyone knows someone who could help (even if they aren't programmers) please ask them to talk on either github or email me at Spartan322@live.com. |
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Post by (Spartan322) Sedine on Sept 3, 2014 21:02:04 GMT -5
One other thing, Rhythm, it might be illegal to earn money from this project (or even charge money for anything in it) the reason being that the movie and game are technically under 20th Century Fox which gave the rights of all things related to the movie (which includes book based things that go to media) to Vivendi Universal Games (only if it was game related) since they are the publishing company of it. This leads the problem of not only do I need legal permission from CP and Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. but now I have to go to Vivendi Universal Games, (and possibly, depending on their licenses and other legal crud) Stormfront Studios, and Amaze Entertainment and as well possibly 20th Century Fox just to not get sued out of my life and even then they may say no and I have to modify everything to make money or put a "There is something you could/have to pay for here" sign on it. (as it is not very often that companies like these will just let a thing like this slide) If I don't charge money, then there is less likely to be an issue but it could possibly still come up. Now if they don't give me a yes I could also pay them a certain percentage of the earned money and that might get them off my back (though it could kill me too unless it did real good) but I rather be independent (as it would be better for all) so my best bet if everything goes wrong is I could take many ideas out of the book, put them in a new game with different characters and secretly put resources (models and textures) of the original plan in it and make it so you could access all the stuff in it by modding the game though if people start calling an Inheritance/Eragon game then I would get busted and could get killed by lawsuits. Now that is my biggest problem.
(Sorry but just remembered what would happen if I succeeded in doing everything I wanted, I could also only give to a select few and if word got a around that it was good I could push it further and they might not mind but I doubt that I could go much farther then handing it to a select few. Also I could not sign it or put any labeling of a company in it and make it untraceable but then anyone could claim it and I have no legal standing and in fact someone could hack and make money off of it without much work and it be legal. Too many issues to solve)
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Post by Rhythm on Sept 7, 2014 14:53:32 GMT -5
It wouldn't be illegal if you considered them donations in order to run the game, I don't think, and made the Rider status a 'reward'. I think you could call it something in the Ancient Language and still be good, since the Ancient Language is modeled after Old English and the such.
I get where your concerns are, though. If that happened you could really be screwed. You could always call it 'Dragon Rider' or something of the sort, since that term isn't necessarily coined by CP.
Good luck!
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Post by (Spartan322) Sedine on Oct 2, 2014 21:42:02 GMT -5
Unfortunately, the characters are properly owned by 20th Century Fox and Alfred A. Knopf, Inc and if they don't say yes (which can either go make us some money or downright no) then I can't do anything but made altered assets that don't resemble the original characters unless modded heavily. Donations or any pay way is also illegal. Lets say I get legal permission anyway, I don't really have a team in game dev. I need a few people with any kind of experience in games (artists, modelers, programmers, writers, linguists and voice actors, and a lot of other things) I could use pretty much almost any skill to help develop this game though if anyone wanted to contribute something every so often or something it be cool. If it is not accepted as legal I could still develop it, show popularity of the idea and let someone else own the rights and my team of constant workers become the developers (though that would take a while)
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Post by David Lightningsword on Oct 3, 2014 13:29:14 GMT -5
Well, we are all writers here. So if need be we could always help write story and quest lines... payment being a Dragon free  lol. but if you need help with that stuff, I am sure all of us would help. |
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Post by (Spartan322) Sedine on Oct 3, 2014 14:43:25 GMT -5
The people that help me would probably get more then that. You would probably be able to help influence the game in many ways (though, I would prefer to keep it fully canon) and since I don't plan on there being a linear main story, story might not be something as common as other games.
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Post by David Lightningsword on Oct 3, 2014 15:56:29 GMT -5
When you say linear. do you mean the storyline in general, or you character's involvment? I think a good story would be needed, just not a set storyline for your character. Like for instance, Skyrim's civil war. Only instead of raising in the ranks by doing certain cannon quests, you level up my assaulting a stronghold here, a trading caravan there. For instance (jusrt a random story off the top of my head) Remnents of the empire still remain, who were loyal to Galbatorix. your character might decide to join them and take the fight to the Varden, or your character to chose to side with the varden and help them in wipping them out.. or your character might decide to stay neutral, and do his/her own thing, like furthering their knowledge of magic or something  |
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Post by (Spartan322) Sedine on Oct 3, 2014 17:42:11 GMT -5
Well my idea was you don't have to do anything (like there would be no "finishing" the game), you could chose plenty of options (starting like this would come later in development) to start yourself as like who you supported and to what extent and stuff like that (or you could (and at start of development, would) start with a character with very little under his belt, say a farmer or blacksmith, they don't do much and have done very little probably in the world and thus would have a more free story).
My idea using the example you gave of remnants of the empire:
You start out with a strong support for the empire but it lost (and maybe the battle was lost a week ago or maybe five years ago, I was thinking that be another option thing) so you could try terrorizing Varden Loyalists, murder Varden supporters, or just try to start a new organization (like lets name it Anti-Varden for simplicity's sake) to attack and eventually overthrow the Varden controlled government, placing the new Anti-Varden in control (who really is just th original government with a new name and missing Galbatorix). You could do that or chose to not do anything. You have no main obligations, no requirements to do (NPCs would probably ask you to do things but you wouldn't have to do them, even if you were threatened, you don't have to do it). What you said David was close but instead of making a couple scripted and thought out plans for each choice, why not create system more like this:
Say Characters have a bunch of random variables for different things to track like happiness or loneliness (only examples probably not useful to waste resources on these intricate variables) Maybe they could have a loyalty percentage (how loyal they are to you or other characters, larger loyalty the more likely they will follow the one they are loyal to and other stuff like that) Say you made a charismatic character who hates the Varden and wants to kill it. You could say start him in an area where the Varden is not liked or the empire was loved for some reason, he could use his charisma to convince the people in that area to become loyal to his cause of destroying the Varden or maybe starting a new nation (kind of like Surda and its relation to the original Empire). This would increase the people's loyalty to him and he would likely get control of that area of Alagaesia.
There is more than that I want to add (and most freedom stuff surrounding NPC characters won't come for a while after beta at least if I can get it that far) but that is a good example of what I'd like to do. The script would also be dynamic(unfortunately modern day has issues with developing open-source software for creating artificial voices that sound authentic also I am not referring to AI reading/writing of script but instead of more like short collection of words that the player would be able to chose from in every conversation, like in a speech probably every 15 seconds you could add to the classic speech and I also though speeches would in some way be recorded in books or other text so maybe you could also be quoted, I might someday find a way to do the AI thing and if I do this would be modified to have it, if I had a team to help that is)
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Post by David Lightningsword on Oct 3, 2014 19:05:58 GMT -5
My only problem with that is, a lot of the people who will play would want to be loyal to the Varden. Maybe you should start as a blacksmith or something like that who has a hate-love relationship with both factions. he can then slowly rise and choose his own destiny, with either faction.
As for magic or Riders. I think it should be a random generation. Some characters have magic and some don't, like in the books. you would not start knowing this, but would have to quest to find out. and I think Riders should be part of it, but eggs should be hidden in places over the map, again randomly generated, and only a certain number at any given time. maybe 4 or 5. Players can either quest to find them, or chance upon them. Then there are two options..either if you find it, the dragon inside chooses you, or it could again be randomly generated if it does or not.
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Post by (Spartan322) Sedine on Oct 5, 2014 0:22:32 GMT -5
Well this won't originally be aimed for Multiplayer (if that is what you were thinking, that is something I'd add later) and the Rider/Magic User would be up to the player (in later releases, everyone could be Riders or Magic Users if they want, but in the beginning I would be experimenting and testing and certain people (which would probably be started here) would get access to them while most wouldn't yet) (except in Multiplayer, where only selected people, probably randomized could/would be Riders/Magic Users)
As for the Varden-Empire choice, I want to leave the world open like making decision in the game could have negative or positive consequences, like (only hypothetical) you had a kid, that would have many consequences or you could screw him over, never care, and he became a shade or a murderous bastard that you have to fight to complete an objective. Things would be left to the player and eventually, you will have to deal with some consequences like above of murdering your own son because you ignored him. That is just an example (hypothetically) of what could happen and is probably one of the darkest things that could happen if having children were to be in the game. Again everything (no matter how bias influenced the decision is) would be up to the player.
My reason for that is because games have always annoyed me by giving me one, two or three options that don't actually change much at all (if anyone played Mass Effect 3 and ended it, you should get the joke) and restricting the game too much (for me at least). The truth about video games is RPGs can never truly be RPGs (until AI is improved, Audio Computer Sciences are improved, and a computer can write its own story) but most companies have used the term way too wrong (the closest so far to get it right seems to be Skyrim). I know the fact is that Video Games (as of yet) can never be true RPGs but I want to push as far possible towards a true RPG by making the decisions completely based on the player (just like here, no breaking lore (mostly at least) but play with very little alternate rules. Also OP and Power-Gaming would be almost impossible in a game that focuses on real-time battles with both sides in control of their weapons at the same time, as the non-bias game physics and the player's skill would determine the match (though that means that player skill would influence how their characters do and I see that as good but not sure how others would feel)).
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lol. but if you need help with that stuff, I am sure all of us would help.
