Possible MMO

[Ellie]

I feel like I'm not achieving a lot at the minute.

Latest updates:

• Crafting can now give EXP, which is an array, so multiple skills can gain exp from that item (might use that later)
• Crafting requirements now implemented (skill levels)
• Created a bunch of recipes, so that now:

Every skill has one thing to do each level for the first five levels, apart from any that need nodes. The nodes I have left to create are:

- Mining, woodcutting, fishing - need to work out if I am going down a minigame route for these
- Gathering herbs (just needs exp adding)
- Spinning wheels and other utilities? Maybe? Looms, etc?
- Hunter exp for slaying livestock

Systems wise? Bit of background work for merchant skills - we now have exp. Not done enough with this though, I'm slacking.

Finally worked in chat push messages:

Two types, global (only ever handled server-side for obvious reasons) which go to all players, and local, like the one above.

They will be used very, very, very sparingly, just to tell you things like "you don't have the required level for that", basically giving you feedback you could have got by reading the level requirements before clicking anyway. So you shouldn't see many during gameplay.

 

[Ellie]

Took some time now to save some time later on; quick graphical switch. Promise I won't make a habit of this.

Whether or not I prefer the old icons is moot; the new icons I have literally 7,000 of, the old ones I had 500 or so.

Also some missing functionality (once again, "create merchant skills" is proving to actually be "make a game")

 

[Xhukari]

I feel like I'm not achieving a lot at the minute.

How much do you want to achieve in a minute?! :haha:

On the node front, you might want to decide how complex you want to make your crafting to be... on a previous project I was toying with, you needed Charcoal (not Coal) to make Gunpowder. Which sounds simple, but after some research... I ended up adding clay, so you could encase the log, to then put it in a fire to create charcoal, which was then used with Sulphur (Brimstone) to make Gunpowder for some Muskets... Don't let the it run rampant!

On the minigame front, I've always been a fan of those systems where you stop a marker upon a bar by timing it right. Turns out it is pretty flexible... as an example for those methods you listed:

• Mining: The classic system where you just time it so the marker lands within a predetermined area of the bar.
• Fishing: A bit like the Fable system, where you spam the button to fill the bar (bring the fish nearer), but give it slack when the fish pulls away or the line snaps.
• Woodcutting: Have it so the marker goes up and down the bar, but the predetermined area only activates when it hits the end of the bar, so you don't have much time to hit... simple way to simulate chopping both sides of a tree.

The icon update is a before & after right? Took me a moment to realise, haha! Overall I think I prefer the latter, though they do look a bit flat with no glow or background or something.

 

[Ellie]

On mining, I agree with you, but I'm trying to make it a bit more complex - is this taking it too far?

Two different variables that move at different rates.

How it would work:

- If you score an absolutely perfect shot you get a chance to get gems and other valuable items
- If you score reasonably accurately, but not needing to be too accurate, you get the rocks you were trying to mine, and the bars slow down for your next turn
- If you fail badly, you take actual HP damage and are thrown to the floor

There's a limit of how many rocks each node will give but this is random.

 

[Xhukari]

I like it! I think my only real issue is that you'd be focusing on two different bars simultaneously? Maybe have it so you do 1 bar, then the next, or have both with the same orientation and closer... or have bigger markers.

Some more ideas for the Mining:

• One bar, but it has multiple different areas, so depending on what they land on decides if they get hurt, rocks and / or gems.
• A more complex variant: one of those 'reward spinner' things, but it stops immediately. The segments can be different sizes for different outcomes. But have a secondary part where they must time the marker between the edge and center of the spinner for a chance to 'Crit' on that segment. Which can reward additional rocks, gems, or in the case of landing on a miss segment, negate the damage & knockdown.
• You could do something like a whack-a-mole, with ores, gems and hands as the 'moles'. Could even have it operate on a threshold... like tap 5 gem 'moles' for a gem, whilst 3 hands could damage you and knock you down (and out of the minigame).

 

[Ellie]

Having seen it animated now my thought is this:

- The green bar is your ore. If it's above 80% when you click, you get an ore.
- The orange bar is gems and other drops. If it is above 80% when you click and you got an ore, you get a gem.
- The closer they match, the better the gem.

That way, to do mining, you only have to watch one bar. To get gems you have to watch both, but then the skill reflects itself in the reward.

 

[Xhukari]

Ah, you have the bars moving instead of markers! Okay, that's interesting. So this sits above the skill bar, right?

 

[Ellie]

 

[Xhukari]

Ah the labels are a good idea! If I learned anything from my 3rd year of uni, involve as few taps on mobile as you can; for the final product, I wouldn't use the message windows for gathering.

 

[Ellie]

Yeah I wanna do something graphical with pop messages but I'd have to make a system for that.

Here's a mockup of fishing. I'm torn between the fish appearing at random, or, they are visible moving beneath the water - and every now and then they jump out when they become catchable.

 

[Xhukari]

The fishing spots move? That always annoyed me with RS, since no spots looked different, haha. Though I do like the idea of the fish jumping out the water -- maybe just up then down though? Could combine it with them moving underwater if that's what you wanted.

For the final animation, might want to shake them a bit, or flip them, or skew them... just to make them look more alive. :smile:

 

[Ellie]

I'm still here! And mapping, which may be seen as procrastinating because it is. But still. I hit the point where I need a map to implement things on because my events were looking too conceptual and needed context. So I've been doing some super simple level design.

Map is 100x100 tiles in size. No foliage yet because I do not know what form that will take...

http://afar.ws/mapviewer/map3.png

 

[Ellie]

Lot more detail.

http://www.afar.ws/mapviewer/map4.png

And how it matches up to my plans and needs:

So this is finished for now and I can move on. Obviously what's lacking is events which includes people, lots of people, and wildlife.

 

[Xhukari]

I spy with my little eye, something beginning with P! :D

Looks good! Excited to see how this is used!
Not sure why cannons are pointing at the church though, haha.

 

[ZenVirZan]

that looks super comfy :heart:

does the pathing work well on a 45 degree angle for the bridge?

i think it might need a bit more clustering for vegetation etc. but that can be done later

 

[Ellie]

Bit of proof-of-concept more than anything. Maps aren't grrrreat.

Still haven't worked out how to do access to the 1st floor.

Sails are a placeholder, gotta make them.

So this is a windmill-powered loom basically, or that's what it's supposed to be.

The stairs will lead to:

The spiders themselves look like this up close:

Another quick example:

 

[Xhukari]

Man, do I love the whole interior transition thing; always wanted to do that if I ever made an RPG!
I like the idea of the windmill a lot, but some things just don't seem right currently...

• Brickwork looks a bit undefined; the stairs blend into the wall, and the arches get lost in the floor and walls.
• Why does the 1st floor have the floor area of the 2nd floor -- surely the first 2 floors would match?
• Something about the Spider's idle animation is weird -- it reminds me of a dog panting... it's as if it's too vigorous. Aren't spiders stiller? I think if it patted a leg on the ground, and / or turned a bit on the spot it could look nicer?

How are you doing the exterior fade? It doesn't look proximity based?

 

[Ellie]

Will have to rework the bricks. Yeah the archway has no definition at all.

I didn't want to try and map a gable end, so I kept that as loft space I guess.

Spider - yeah they wouldn't exactly breathe as they don't have lungs. Ah well. At least it shows idle animations work.

Exterior fade - just a simple event on the path. The overlay is an event, that is faded in and out depending on which way you're walking.

Another quick example. Walls need help.

 

[ZenVirZan]

fuck that is so god damn cool

 

[Ellie]

Thanks!

Trying to churn these out quickly so I can move on.