I am just envious of his talents. He is able to attempt so much on his own. I have more than just ideas, but not the technical know how to do it. "Go learn it!" you say. "Sorry, I just don't have the mental fortitude to accomplish such a feat," I say.
I am just envious of his talents. He is able to attempt so much on his own. I have more than just ideas, but not the technical know how to do it. "Go learn it!" you say. "Sorry, I just don't have the mental fortitude to accomplish such a feat," I say.
It's just as much bull-headed stupidity on my part as anything. Find an engine, buy artwork, build a game? How hard could that be I thought. Keep in mind that was 3 1/2 years ago and at least 2 major flops since.
We'll see. I'm hoping 3rd time is the charm. At least it's starting to look pretty :-) Well, sort of.
EDIT (so I don't bump onto homepage)... Psyched about tech test on Friday. Just wrapped up zone population, tweaking out servers and getting ready. Yay! *crosses fingers*
Ken Fisher - Semi retired old fart Network Administrator, now working in Network Security. I don't Forum PVP. If you feel I've attacked you, it was probably by accident. When I don't understand, I ask. Such is not intended as criticism.
First tech test is now live. This is an alpha test for client stability and performance.
I am not planning a character wipe prior to release. However, if something breaks... it could garbage the characters. Probably won't have problems, but No guarantees.
Ken Fisher - Semi retired old fart Network Administrator, now working in Network Security. I don't Forum PVP. If you feel I've attacked you, it was probably by accident. When I don't understand, I ask. Such is not intended as criticism.
It certinaly seemed like you dislike people who don't do something unique. And I wasn't insulting you, I simply said I doubt you have the commitment to pursue a MMO to completion (neither do I). Since you asked like such a gentleman to not be "insulted" further, I will happily oblige.
I agree that Devalon's post sounded negative but your explanation of not insulting him is similar to saying, "Hey, you are as ugly as my dogs ass (but so am I)". I am not trying to rub you wrong, It just gave me a chuckle and thats how my strange mind works and I wanted to share
It is pleasant to see a dialogue between 2 people not end up as a 50 page back and forth insult fest that was resolved as simply asking to not insult in a polite way.
Back on topic, I have been following your progress Ken and as an old time ex EQ player I will hopefully find time next week to give your game a go. Thanks for being passionate about your work.
It is one thing to say you are going to build your own ship to sail around the world, it is another to actually build the ship.
Ken Fisher - Semi retired old fart Network Administrator, now working in Network Security. I don't Forum PVP. If you feel I've attacked you, it was probably by accident. When I don't understand, I ask. Such is not intended as criticism.
When is the planned date for you beta test? even though you change your ideas alot, it's nice to play an old school game.
End of September, and it looks like things are on schedule.
Tech test started this morning and it went off with no server crashes or client performance issues (one tester had a client bug with the patcher, still tracking that down). Still a bunch of work to do but it's getting there.
Ken Fisher - Semi retired old fart Network Administrator, now working in Network Security. I don't Forum PVP. If you feel I've attacked you, it was probably by accident. When I don't understand, I ask. Such is not intended as criticism.
this is amazing. if i had done this i would be bragging everywhere.
give yourself some credit this is great.
"There are at least two kinds of games. One could be called finite, the other infinite. A finite game is played for the purpose of winning, an infinite game for the purpose of continuing play." Finite and Infinite Games, James Carse
is it possible for someone else to create art for you to use? or is that too difficult. i'm completely ignorant of game development.
"There are at least two kinds of games. One could be called finite, the other infinite. A finite game is played for the purpose of winning, an infinite game for the purpose of continuing play." Finite and Infinite Games, James Carse
is it possible for someone else to create art for you to use? or is that too difficult. i'm completely ignorant of game development.
Models from outside artists can be adapted for game use. Low poly and proper UV texture mapping is really all that's required.
The ingame art is done in 2 different formats.
One is .map / BSP files created in QuArk (or others) like is used in id Software games and games like half-life. Those are constructive solid geometry models (convex shapes "brushes") added together and textured. For my game I have software that converts .map to .DIF which is the engine's native format. These are used for buildings and building interiors.
The other is polysoup. Models created in a normal modeller like Max, Maya, Milkshape, etc. These sort of models are raw mesh with textures. I have software that converts them into .DTS which is the engines native polysoup. All the character artwork, weapon models, rocks and trees use this format.
The only thing in game that doesn't use either format is terrains (the ground in the game). These are modelled in the engine using heightmaps (bitmaps with elevation data) or by hand with tools.
Terrains end up looking like this. The tower on top is a DIF model (QuArk). The trees are are .DTS.
I'm okay hyping the game after it's finished and running. It's a huge job. Honestly it's sort of easy to get overwhelmed. You have no idea how many times I wanted to just throw the whole freakin thing out the window because of technical issues. I'll be glad when it's open. I don't even care about money, it's all paid for. I just want it done :-)
Ken Fisher - Semi retired old fart Network Administrator, now working in Network Security. I don't Forum PVP. If you feel I've attacked you, it was probably by accident. When I don't understand, I ask. Such is not intended as criticism.
^^^ this is one I tracked down that's free. Non-spyware and doesn't steal bandwidth.
I use firefox which has a download manager built in. If you have it, give that a try. If it stalls, press pause to break the stream then pause again to resume. It should pick right up where it left off. The server does support resume.
I'll check the server to make sure the file is intact, but I'm pretty sure it is because others are running it.
Ken Fisher - Semi retired old fart Network Administrator, now working in Network Security. I don't Forum PVP. If you feel I've attacked you, it was probably by accident. When I don't understand, I ask. Such is not intended as criticism.
C for character window, tabs at top click commands, click "attack" button and click on your action bar where you want it placed (suggested is top left) A # will show on the button. Thats the # to press to toggle attack on and off.
I need to have that pre setup for players by the time beta gets here.
Ken Fisher - Semi retired old fart Network Administrator, now working in Network Security. I don't Forum PVP. If you feel I've attacked you, it was probably by accident. When I don't understand, I ask. Such is not intended as criticism.
I'm okay hyping the game after it's finished and running. It's a huge job. Honestly it's sort of easy to get overwhelmed. You have no idea how many times I wanted to just throw the whole freakin thing out the window because of technical issues. I'll be glad when it's open. I don't even care about money, it's all paid for. I just want it done :-)
meh. screw hype. im just talking plain old kindergarten pride in the making of something. 'mommy! put this on the fridgerator too!'
that's what im talkin' 'bout.
"There are at least two kinds of games. One could be called finite, the other infinite. A finite game is played for the purpose of winning, an infinite game for the purpose of continuing play." Finite and Infinite Games, James Carse
WAC is a micro-budget MMORPG that is probably under the radar for most MMORPG players. It's unique in the MMO genre in that it is not a corporate driven game and is being solo-developed.
How bad could it be? Well it's not going to win any awards for graphics, and it's certainly not loaded with modern features. However, the engine and client are doing well and it should be relatively bug-free.
Gameplay is single faction PVE with dungeons and crafting. The design is loosely based on classic RPGs. It is intended as a true "Massively Multiplayer" gameplay with NO INSTANCING.
Access will be Free to Play. No cash shop is planned, but might happen in the future. Intent is to support the game with web site advertising for sponsors.
It runs well on old and new hardware, tested and functional as far back as a 2002 Celeron 1.5 laptop. Windows 2000 or better with 64 meg video and 512 meg RAM, DX9 drivers required (looks much better at max settings on modern systems).
Hype?? haha... none at all. This is one of those games that will take a miracle to even get to release.
You know - the Mythic team did an amazing job back in 2001 when they put three factions together. I'll bet, with the tech you are using, and your excellent coding savvy, that you could introduce the same.
As one example, you could, in theory, allow players to start in a stone age or early bronze age environment. Let them tech up over the first year or two into an Iron Age. Let them fight over territories that are surrounding their full leveling zones (surrounding, not just free for all run into my realm and grief players - sorry teens)...let players enjoy a culture uniquely their own. Eventually, wooden forts shift to stone, and so forth.
Very Age of Empires sounding I know - but I'm talking from a very early version of Dark Age of Camelot as well. Just a thought, salute!
I really hope your project will go well. From the screenshot that you posted the graphics are definitely workable. they didnt seem super pixelated or annoying so thats a nice feature ill have to try it out sometime. i look forward to beta. work hard and keep reaching for your dreams, take eve for example it started very very small and now has a couple hundred thousand players. if you strive for it I imagine you will attain success . biggest thing I have to offer is NEVER be like the big companies that tell their customers to fuck off. never ever shun the people that fix/play/help with your world The moment that players turn rabid is when they know the one making the game doesnt care what they think and just wants their money :P
You know - the Mythic team did an amazing job back in 2001 when they put three factions together. I'll bet, with the tech you are using...
Is DAOC really 2001? I've played trial. Impressive stuff.
I kicked around 3 factions, and for a while was working on developing a semi-seamless to do so. That ran into tech issues because the zones were so large, the servers didn't like having thousands of mobs per zone.
Given my timeframe, the current world design is something I'm forced to stay with. The layout is sort of like GuildWars with towns linked together by zones (but in WAC these are not instances).
I've been kicking around how to introduce a PVP system that's worth having. My solution is leaning toward NPC owned factions that players could join. PVE content would develop faction reputation progression leading to things like opening up vendors with reward items. It would also play right into PVP where contested zones would autoflag these factions in Zerg (not balanced teams) based PVP. Since these zones wouldn't be tiered based on player level, it would become part of endgame content.
One PVP design I've always thought was fairly well done was Halaa (spelling?) in WoW's BC. Factions fought to control or defend an outpost. Once controlled the outpost would spawn NPC guards enough to hold it from enemies even if defenders were not present. One big difference would be that Halaa used bombing runs to kill guards. I'd much prefer ground based combat because it allows defenders to work with guards in holding back invaders.
If controlling that outpost was important... perhaps a reward of say 50% increased XP and gold in combat rewards for everyone in that faction, then there would be a reason to try to keep control. Given 3 factions, there would (on average) be a 2:1 ratio of invaders to defenders (example red and blue faction trying to kill off the green). However since there is only one faction to hold the outpost, eventually red and blue would have to fight it out, while green tried to recover also. Could make for some wicked battles.
edit: typo
Ken Fisher - Semi retired old fart Network Administrator, now working in Network Security. I don't Forum PVP. If you feel I've attacked you, it was probably by accident. When I don't understand, I ask. Such is not intended as criticism.
New screenie. This was shot in one of the new town zones, outposts in between wilderness zones.
In normal zones I can't push environment density this high because it slows down framerate and I don't want to mess up combat. In town zones I figure there's less pressure on the client, so I tried it as an experiment. I wish I could do this everywhere.
Ken Fisher - Semi retired old fart Network Administrator, now working in Network Security. I don't Forum PVP. If you feel I've attacked you, it was probably by accident. When I don't understand, I ask. Such is not intended as criticism.
Haven't finished the video yet, but one thing I would like to say upfront: you have a mature radio voice! If the MMORPG business doesn't work out you can always host your own talkshow, haha. Editing this post with some helpful feedback after I've watched the video and read the thread.
Haven't finished the video yet, but one thing I would like to say upfront: you have a mature radio voice! If the MMORPG business doesn't work out you can always host your own talkshow, haha. Editing this post with some helpful feedback after I've watched the video and read the thread.
I did several years in commercial broadcasting. Good ear!
I almost ditched that vid because of "uhms" and a large "errrr" in the middle when I stumbled. Old voice coach would have kicked my butt around the block if I did that on air.
Ken Fisher - Semi retired old fart Network Administrator, now working in Network Security. I don't Forum PVP. If you feel I've attacked you, it was probably by accident. When I don't understand, I ask. Such is not intended as criticism.
Comments
I am just envious of his talents. He is able to attempt so much on his own. I have more than just ideas, but not the technical know how to do it. "Go learn it!" you say. "Sorry, I just don't have the mental fortitude to accomplish such a feat," I say.
It's just as much bull-headed stupidity on my part as anything. Find an engine, buy artwork, build a game? How hard could that be I thought. Keep in mind that was 3 1/2 years ago and at least 2 major flops since.
We'll see. I'm hoping 3rd time is the charm. At least it's starting to look pretty :-) Well, sort of.
EDIT (so I don't bump onto homepage)... Psyched about tech test on Friday. Just wrapped up zone population, tweaking out servers and getting ready. Yay! *crosses fingers*
First tech test is now live. This is an alpha test for client stability and performance.
I am not planning a character wipe prior to release. However, if something breaks... it could garbage the characters. Probably won't have problems, but No guarantees.
I agree that Devalon's post sounded negative but your explanation of not insulting him is similar to saying, "Hey, you are as ugly as my dogs ass (but so am I)". I am not trying to rub you wrong, It just gave me a chuckle and thats how my strange mind works and I wanted to share
It is pleasant to see a dialogue between 2 people not end up as a 50 page back and forth insult fest that was resolved as simply asking to not insult in a polite way.
Back on topic, I have been following your progress Ken and as an old time ex EQ player I will hopefully find time next week to give your game a go. Thanks for being passionate about your work.
It is one thing to say you are going to build your own ship to sail around the world, it is another to actually build the ship.
You sir, are building the ship
Work hard Play Harder
She sails this morning. Geesh, I hope it floats.
When is the planned date for you beta test? even though you change your ideas alot, it's nice to play an old school game.
End of September, and it looks like things are on schedule.
Tech test started this morning and it went off with no server crashes or client performance issues (one tester had a client bug with the patcher, still tracking that down). Still a bunch of work to do but it's getting there.
this is amazing. if i had done this i would be bragging everywhere.
give yourself some credit this is great.
"There are at least two kinds of games.
One could be called finite, the other infinite.
A finite game is played for the purpose of winning,
an infinite game for the purpose of continuing play."
Finite and Infinite Games, James Carse
is it possible for someone else to create art for you to use? or is that too difficult. i'm completely ignorant of game development.
"There are at least two kinds of games.
One could be called finite, the other infinite.
A finite game is played for the purpose of winning,
an infinite game for the purpose of continuing play."
Finite and Infinite Games, James Carse
Models from outside artists can be adapted for game use. Low poly and proper UV texture mapping is really all that's required.
The ingame art is done in 2 different formats.
One is .map / BSP files created in QuArk (or others) like is used in id Software games and games like half-life. Those are constructive solid geometry models (convex shapes "brushes") added together and textured. For my game I have software that converts .map to .DIF which is the engine's native format. These are used for buildings and building interiors.
The other is polysoup. Models created in a normal modeller like Max, Maya, Milkshape, etc. These sort of models are raw mesh with textures. I have software that converts them into .DTS which is the engines native polysoup. All the character artwork, weapon models, rocks and trees use this format.
The only thing in game that doesn't use either format is terrains (the ground in the game). These are modelled in the engine using heightmaps (bitmaps with elevation data) or by hand with tools.
Terrains end up looking like this. The tower on top is a DIF model (QuArk). The trees are are .DTS.
I'm okay hyping the game after it's finished and running. It's a huge job. Honestly it's sort of easy to get overwhelmed. You have no idea how many times I wanted to just throw the whole freakin thing out the window because of technical issues. I'll be glad when it's open. I don't even care about money, it's all paid for. I just want it done :-)
I tried all weekend to get a copy of the client... but around the halfway mark the download would freeze
That has to be my lame ISP where the web site is hosted. One tester used a download manager.
http://www.freedownloadmanager.org/index.htm
^^^ this is one I tracked down that's free. Non-spyware and doesn't steal bandwidth.
I use firefox which has a download manager built in. If you have it, give that a try. If it stalls, press pause to break the stream then pause again to resume. It should pick right up where it left off. The server does support resume.
I'll check the server to make sure the file is intact, but I'm pretty sure it is because others are running it.
Just got a download now to complete... to bad I go back to work tomorow
how long are the servers up for?
Just got in doesn't look bad, don't know how to attack or anything though.
C for character window, tabs at top click commands, click "attack" button and click on your action bar where you want it placed (suggested is top left) A # will show on the button. Thats the # to press to toggle attack on and off.
I need to have that pre setup for players by the time beta gets here.
meh. screw hype. im just talking plain old kindergarten pride in the making of something. 'mommy! put this on the fridgerator too!'
that's what im talkin' 'bout.
"There are at least two kinds of games.
One could be called finite, the other infinite.
A finite game is played for the purpose of winning,
an infinite game for the purpose of continuing play."
Finite and Infinite Games, James Carse
You know - the Mythic team did an amazing job back in 2001 when they put three factions together. I'll bet, with the tech you are using, and your excellent coding savvy, that you could introduce the same.
As one example, you could, in theory, allow players to start in a stone age or early bronze age environment. Let them tech up over the first year or two into an Iron Age. Let them fight over territories that are surrounding their full leveling zones (surrounding, not just free for all run into my realm and grief players - sorry teens)...let players enjoy a culture uniquely their own. Eventually, wooden forts shift to stone, and so forth.
Very Age of Empires sounding I know - but I'm talking from a very early version of Dark Age of Camelot as well. Just a thought, salute!
/support
I really hope your project will go well. From the screenshot that you posted the graphics are definitely workable. they didnt seem super pixelated or annoying so thats a nice feature
ill have to try it out sometime. i look forward to beta. work hard and keep reaching for your dreams, take eve for example it started very very small and now has a couple hundred thousand players. if you strive for it I imagine you will attain success 
. biggest thing I have to offer is NEVER be like the big companies that tell their customers to fuck off. never ever shun the people that fix/play/help with your world 
The moment that players turn rabid is when they know the one making the game doesnt care what they think and just wants their money :P
besides that im really excited for you!
Give me a beta key NOOOWWWW xD. keep up the work sounds really good, i hope to help you with testing and who knows what.
Is DAOC really 2001? I've played trial. Impressive stuff.
I kicked around 3 factions, and for a while was working on developing a semi-seamless to do so. That ran into tech issues because the zones were so large, the servers didn't like having thousands of mobs per zone.
Given my timeframe, the current world design is something I'm forced to stay with. The layout is sort of like GuildWars with towns linked together by zones (but in WAC these are not instances).
I've been kicking around how to introduce a PVP system that's worth having. My solution is leaning toward NPC owned factions that players could join. PVE content would develop faction reputation progression leading to things like opening up vendors with reward items. It would also play right into PVP where contested zones would autoflag these factions in Zerg (not balanced teams) based PVP. Since these zones wouldn't be tiered based on player level, it would become part of endgame content.
One PVP design I've always thought was fairly well done was Halaa (spelling?) in WoW's BC. Factions fought to control or defend an outpost. Once controlled the outpost would spawn NPC guards enough to hold it from enemies even if defenders were not present. One big difference would be that Halaa used bombing runs to kill guards. I'd much prefer ground based combat because it allows defenders to work with guards in holding back invaders.
If controlling that outpost was important... perhaps a reward of say 50% increased XP and gold in combat rewards for everyone in that faction, then there would be a reason to try to keep control. Given 3 factions, there would (on average) be a 2:1 ratio of invaders to defenders (example red and blue faction trying to kill off the green). However since there is only one faction to hold the outpost, eventually red and blue would have to fight it out, while green tried to recover also. Could make for some wicked battles.
edit: typo
New screenie. This was shot in one of the new town zones, outposts in between wilderness zones.
In normal zones I can't push environment density this high because it slows down framerate and I don't want to mess up combat. In town zones I figure there's less pressure on the client, so I tried it as an experiment. I wish I could do this everywhere.
Haven't finished the video yet, but one thing I would like to say upfront: you have a mature radio voice! If the MMORPG business doesn't work out you can always host your own talkshow, haha. Editing this post with some helpful feedback after I've watched the video and read the thread.
For a lone developer u doing a nice job m8!!!
I wich u good luck in your project
I did several years in commercial broadcasting. Good ear!
I almost ditched that vid because of "uhms" and a large "errrr" in the middle when I stumbled. Old voice coach would have kicked my butt around the block if I did that on air.
http://www.teraonline.info.pl Polski Poradnik Gry Tera Online