Legend of Myrdia-UPDATED 2.19.09-ADDED PATCHWORK ENGINE, Build 5

[fruckert]

This is about the game that I am now working on, officially
It's still in the actual drafting stage, so it's very-not-done
It's also in Game Maker, cause what I'm planning on doing is all but impossible with RPG Maker
Anyways...yeah!
Here we go

[spoiler=Story]
My actual game story isn't really ironed out completely yet
But here's the basics
You wake up in the middle of a forest, which is in perpetual winter
You've lost all of your memory
...
That's about as far as I've gotten actually
Although I do know who you're going to end up being [/spoiler]

[spoiler=History]
Myrdia is a world that got split in half by a cataclysm, because somebody murdered a god.
IN DETAIL!:
Around 4'000 years from the games current present era, an elf named Gerrin came into power, as he is a really fricken powerful mage.
He decided he wanted more power, so he murdered a god.
The god's weren't very happy with this, so they struck down his empire with a 3 day long storm that flooded almost all of the world, except for the mountaintops and highlands.
Currently the game is in an almost Victorian era world, with guns and all that good stuff.
Not really much else to tell that is important, so...yeah...
There ya be
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Gameplay-Combat]
The game has traditional RPG top down travel, until you get into battle, or a dungeon.
Then the game goes into the battle mode, which is sidescroller. You battle in real time, have a Zelda style health system, and the closest description I have for the magic system is Fable II meets Ninja Gaiden. It charges up like Fable, has multiple variations of spells, and uses the Ninja Gaiden Ninpo charges. Each successful charge takes another icon out of your magic meter. I haven't devised a combo system yet, but I'm planning on one being in there.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Level Up System]
Very very stolen from similar to Dark Cloud.
You're weapons are the things that have the majority of your combat stats
A warrior is only good as the sword he carries after all
Anyways, you collect "essence" from you're fallen foes, which you then spend on combat stats, such as Damage, Range, and more.
Building Up won't be possible, but Melding will be
You'll combine 2 weapons to create a new one
You yourself will still have base stats, but they'll only go up to 10
[/spoiler]

That's about all I have for now
Tell me what you think, give ideas, help out with coding (I'll be your best friend), and other stuff

[Prpl_Mage]

I don't like the story so far.

Two things that have been used countless of times in games, books, RPs and web comics.

1. Waking up in a forest at the beginning.
2. Protagonist lacks memory, the typical "Cloud Amnesia".

You basicly doesn't have a story there so it's hard to say much about the game to be honest.

[Hell Angel]

I'd say building the bases of a game on cliche is perfectly fine, but only as long as you do it right. For example, if a game has the same ol' cover the land and find 7 shards of a something-something and save the world from the darkest evilest blah blah, it SOUNDS cliche as hell and boring, but that's what a whole lot of games are, anyway. They make it good by the way they lay it down. Example; Twilight Princess. Yeah, that utilized endless cliches including the ones I listed, but it's art direction alone made up for that. They found a solid way to lay out the clicheness, though.

Don't take Prpls statement to heart, I'd say. As much as I agree cliched clicheness is boring, there's definately always exceptions, whether you make your game look good, or you find a good way to get the player accepting it. If I'm going to be critisizing your plotline or anything else, it won't be until I play the damn game.

[fruckert]

Yeah...my story was worse however

Your village gets destroyed, then you go off seeking revenge
OH MY FABLE!

Also, instead of having the character go and collect some random miscellaneous holy object, you're going and speaking to gods to see if they can help you

Anyways, more interesting things about the game:
[spoiler=The first 10-15 minutes of the game]
After you go and explore the village you've woken up outside of, a child approaches you.
He asks you if you're the one Malikai sent for.
After you tell the boy that you don't know who Malikai is, he shows you to the "Laughing Dragon", the local Inn/Tavern to go see Malikai.
After you go inside of the Laughing Dragon, the first thing you notice is that there is a very old looking Copper Dragon laying down in a room full of Clockwork machinery
For those of you who don't know, copper dragons look like this:

After speaking to some of the patrons, to find out who Malikai is, they point you in the direction of the Dragon
You go and speak to him, he pulls a prank on you (you're first fight, against some Clockwork Orbs), then after he remarks at you're fighting skills, he asks you why you've come
You tell him that, according to a child, he's sent for you
He thinks for a second, then has you follow him into a room underneath the Inn
He has you stand in the middle of an altar, which then starts to glow
He then remarks that you definitely are the one he's sent for, then without pausing, tells you to go to the town mines, and venture upwards into the mountain and go into his lair, where he has something for you.
That's all I'm willing to release right now, as I'm still writing it out
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=More on Magic]
The magic system, as stated earlier, uses a simple charge system
Each successful charge level in your spell takes another charge out of your magic meter
And, as in Fable II, you have different variations of each spell
If you target downwards, you'll do a Surround attack
If you target to the side, you'll do a Target attack
If you target neutrally you'll do a Shield attack, which surrounds you in whatever spell you selected
And if you target upwards, you'll augment your weapon with whatever your spell was

Target attacks have the most range and damage, while surrounds have the most hit potential, shields protect you, and have the longest durations, and augment spells do a great deal of damage, but have a limited lifespan and range
Pretty simple, but I don't yet have all of my spell types drawn out
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Some of the characters]
Mr. Smiley-
Mr. Smiley is a demon who starts following you after you meet him, when you're about to leave Dester, the forest in the start of the game
He telepathically communicates with you, and only you, and keeps calling you Master.
No, you're character is not Gerrin re-incarnated
Or the murdered god

The Wemic Princess whose name I can't make yet, because I haven't made their language yet -
As you could guess, she's the Princess of the Wemic tribe you visit to contact the Nature God, Rishar.
She joins your party after you're done with that

Fruckert the Dwarf-
Fruckert was actually my dwarven hunter on WoW, and I decided to throw him into the NwN game, because...well...I could...
He's perpetually drunk, as a dwarf should be, and has a type of Great Cat...thing...as his pet, which will be able to be summoned to help in combat
He fights with dual axes
[/spoiler]

[fruckert]

Sorry for double posting but I had to see if this idea was good

[spoiler=The White Knights]
The White Knights are currently the people who are ruling the world. They're called that because they are considered holy by most of the public due to the fact that they each received a guardian from the god that they pledged their allegiance to. They aren't tyrannical rulers, and are actually incredibly involved with the public, each village having their own White Knight representative. Their guardians are incredibly close to the Knights, even dying when the other dies. They can change shape, as long as it's within the realm that their god commands. Not much else that I can tell about them, without ruining my story completely, so, as you can tell, they are the keystone in my story.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Oblivion]
Oblivion is a type of metal indigenous to The Quarvian Desert, which is extremely close to the area in which you start in. The Dester forest is smack-dab in the center of The Quarvian Desert. Anyways, this black metal vibrates at an extremely high frequency, making it cut through most things with little-to-no strength. Only the beyond-noble and the White Knights can afford to have weapons made of this material, as it is very hard to forge. If you leave it on your skin for long enough, your bones will weaken to the point of breaking, which makes it nearly useless as armor, unless it's made correctly.
The way that the metal will affect the game is that it renders Defense useless, dealing direct damage, plus your Strength and Weapon Attack bonus
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=The Races]
You'll only be able to play human .

ELVES: Elves are extremely hated, due to their unending devotion to Gerrin when he was in power. They have their own district in each city, which is also basically the slums. There are still Elven White Knights, but they are not viewed upon highly by their peers, or the populace.

GNOMES: It's a gnome. They are extremely curious about mechanics, and have fairly long lifespans

ORCS: The Hermits. They live in an interesting Island in the Eastern chain, called Daeken, called "The Ring of Teeth". It's a ring of mountains, obviously, and the coldest region in the game. Orcs aren't seen often, and when they are seen, theres usually a panic, due to their scary appearance. They are, of course, the strongest out of the races.

KENDER: The Kender vary a bit from Krynn. They aren't chronic kleptomaniacs, but are still highly infatuated with everything. They also have an obsession with large hats, probably to compensate for their height.

HALFLINGS: Viewed as the Offspring of Gnomes and Kender, they aren't very highly thought of. As the legend goes, back when Myrdia was formed, the Gnomish god and the Kender god had sex, while in their Corporeal forms, as a rebellion against their father. This angered Daivori, the God of Light, and their father, so he cursed the Kender god to become impregnated. The result was a halfling.

HUMANS: No need for explanation

WEMIC: The Wemic are extremely tribal, and refuse to be governed by The White Knights. They aren't often seen in cities, because they prefer the openness of the Quarvian Desert. That is an area of difference from other D&D Wemics, as they don't live in plainlands, but instead in the Desert. BECAUSE they live in the desert, and their fur insulates them from the heat, miraculously, they have little need for clothes. There are a couple Wemic White Knights, but they aren't part of the official order, and instead work for the Gods' Teeth, the Wemic Version.

SHADES: Black skinned people, who are universally hated, even by the elves, for their association with Kalik, the god of Darkness. When I say Black Skinned, I mean that they actually absorb light. They make perfect assassins, as they cannot be seen at night. They actually aren't inherently evil, but they are still viewed that way, because of their Patron Deity

There is more, I just haven't found a name for it/don't want to write it right now.
[/spoiler]

I'm probably going to release a demo of my health and movement system tomorrow, after I tinker with it for a bit, and sneak in my battle system

[Rahl]

Actually I really enjoy the background story of this, keep working on I would like to play it.

[fruckert]

Sure, and thank you

I'm probably going to release a demo later today, after I put the finishing touches on my magic
All it does right now is make a pretty light, then has you make a pose -_-

EDIT: What the hell, I might as well post a couple of new things

[spoiler=Quarv]
Quarv is the southernmost "island" in the Western chain, which is called Daiker.
I say "island", because it has two hundred miles wide rivers running through it, splitting it up into three basic areas
These are the areas

Quarvyster, said with a roll, the northernmost area, is a swamp. My reptilian race, which I haven't named yet, claim this as their homeland. They also mainly live in a series of underwater tunnels, throughout the Split, which is the ocean in the middle of Myrdia. But, anyways, the swamp is very bright, and colorful, and the reptilian race will do anything to protect it's natural beauty.

Quardai, the middle region, is mostly mountainous forest. The Dwarves claim this area to be their homeland. It is extremely rich in natural minerals and gems, which explains why the Dwarves claimed this land after the Split, which is the cataclysm that split the world in half. They have an interesting animal here, which is what Fruckert has for his pet. It's closely related to panthers, except for it has bony plates all over it's body, as well as a humongous mane going down their spine. It's a very dangerous animal. If anyone can think up of a none-descriptive name for it, your name will go into my special thanks.

Quarzek, the southernmost region, is the Quarvian Desert. There are only 10 major cities in Quarzek, the capital of which spans miles in size. The people here refuse to be governed by The White Knights, so they made their own Monarchistic government. The current ruler is currently trying to find a way to bring down the White Knights, as he is wary that they're going to become drunk with power and become tyrannical. FYI, Quarzek is *never* called by it's true name in-game. The people call it "The Great Nation of Quarv". Anyways, the main anomaly is Dester, a 3 kilometer wide Evergreen forest surrounded by a stone wall. The place is currently in the middle of a perpetual winter, due to them angering the Ice god, Darax. That is your first main quest, going and speaking to Darax to try to find out why he is so angry. There's also a River splitting Quarzerk into three, that formed during The Split. It's called The Scar, and due to the high amount of Clay in the soil, the river is red, making people highly superstitious of it.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Malikai]
Malikai is a very eccentric Copper Dragon who lives in Dester. He is the proprietor of The Laughing Dragon Tavern. He is highly curious about Clockworks, the Autonomous Golems that mages create when they become old, and release their soul into the machine. He plays with them constantly, and has them play pranks on various visitors. He is also unique among his race, being the only dragon in existence that sheds his scales. He sells Dragonscale Armour at a very high price. He is a couple thousands of years old, and actually remembers the Split.
[/spoiler]

My brain is starting to hurt, so I'm going to stop

EDIT: Changed the name of the desert, cuz it sucked, and added a bit to Malikai's section
NOTHER EDIT: My Demo is taking alot longer to finish than I thought, so you won't see my combat engine for awhile...

[Prpl_Mage]

Well, keep frucking working on this. I expect to see a demo and not a message stating that "I got bored and stopped".
These are the kind of games that catch my attention so I'll tie you up and force you if you don't finish.

[fruckert]

From

I don't like the story so far.

Two things that have been used countless of times in games, books, RPs and web comics.

1. Waking up in a forest at the beginning.
2. Protagonist lacks memory, the typical "Cloud Amnesia".

You basicly doesn't have a story there so it's hard to say much about the game to be honest.

To

Well, keep frucking working on this. I expect to see a demo and not a message stating that "I got bored and stopped".
These are the kind of games that catch my attention so I'll tie you up and force you if you don't finish.

Awesome...

Anyways, unfortunately my dad has quasi-grounded me from GameMaker, because I am majorly behind on homework in...well...everything...so I won't be able to work on the game for a couple of days
All I really need to do is buffer up my magic and create the combo system for melee, and I'll basically be done with the demo

EDIT: I haven't posted anything new, because I don't really have much
Except for:

[spoiler=More on the Races]
DWARVES: The dwarves are a bit steretypical, I'll admit it. They love metalworking, and live inside of sprawling underground cities. They are pretty universal in where they live, but the Dwarven home country is Quardai, the middle region of Quarv. They're patron deity is Darax, God of Ice.

GOBLINS: Goblins aren't hated. They aren't liked, but they are tolerated in most of the cities. They are fairly tall, have hunched backs, and have skin that varies in color according to habitat. They're matron deity is Friskin, The Goddess of Decay.

DRAGONS: Dragons are incredibly involved with the public. Except for the Chromatics, because Chromatics are inherently evil. It's not uncommon for a Metallic to start living with races, usually in a mortal form. They're patron deity is Daivori, The Crystal Dragon, and King of Gods.

BLADELINGS: These interesting things are four legged creatures with an abnormal amount of Iron in their skin, giving them a metallic sheen. They aren't seen often, as they mostly have lost the will to live, as their god is the one who got murdered by Gerrin. Their patron deity was Styxin, God of Metal.

And I don't have my reptilian race all figered out so...yeah
You won't hear about them for awhile.
[/spoiler]

[Prpl_Mage]

*Prepares rope*

[fruckert]

I would say it's not my fault I'm lazy, but I'm not a liar

But still...
At least I'm still adding things

Look!
An edit!

[fruckert]

And now...behold!
The very very unfinished map of Myrdia!

[spoiler=It's big ][/spoiler]
Well...not as big as I thought it'd be but...
It's still pretty sizey!
Anyways, I'm now busy tracing this over in Gimp so I can edit in all of the landmarks, and cities, and all that good stuff
And you'll learn about all of the Islands in our next geography lesson

Hmm...somethings missing...
Ah well, I'll just add something in

[spoiler=How it's going to look]
*prepares for slap*


















































I'm going with cel-shaded looking sprites
It's not that I'm lazymaybe just a littleBut I really do actually like the look of it
It makes it not as serious
Which also makes it creepy!
Nothing is quite as scary as watching a little chibi rip your head off, now is it?

PLUS it's a good exercise for my novice-like spriting skills
So that the next chapter in Myrdia isn't as horrid looking
Oh, speaking as such, move on to the next spoiler
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=What was that at the end of that last one?]
I have decided to split the Legend of Myrdia into different era's
This is the start of it

The next chapter will take place before-hand, with you as one of the original White Knights
Then the next one will be in the future, with the after-math of my super secret story
Then I'll decide to go from there
[/spoiler]

I'll try to persuade my dad into letting me work on the demo, but no promises
It is possible you'll have it before next week is out, however

[blaman]

I don't really mind cell-shaded graphics, really. I kinda like them, to be perfectly honest. I'm lookin' forward to seeing a demo.

[fruckert]

Thank you Blaman

Anyways:
Small Update's
[spoiler=Slyth]
The Slyth are my reptilian race
They are pretty spread out in Quarvyster, there homeland, as they have no real fixed villages
They also live out for for a fairly long time, about 300 years is average

Appearance wise, they have a snout, a long frill going down the back of their neck and back, and also have a tail. Their scales are also usually multi-colored with one dominant color.
The patron deity of the Slyth is Aquin, the Water Dancer
[/spoiler]

And here's one of my spells:

Endothermia; Freeze spell:
Target Stats: Medium Range Damage, impedes enemy movement for 30 seconds
Surround Stats: Low Range Damage, impedes enemy movement for 20 seconds
Augment Stats: Covers blade in Ice, High Range Damage, does not impede movement
Shield Stats: Summons Ice Chunks around you, Low damage, stays active for 60 seconds, until all Ice Chunks are gone

I'd post more, but I'm kinda tired right now, and working with the music

[Prpl_Mage]

That's more like it.
Sounds like this is getting alogn fine even though you won't be able to work much.