MMORPG or simply PW - GG::IoM(Blog2);

Ok folks, it's blogtime again and not only because it fits some contest deadline but because a lot of things are going on right now for our team, and I have a lot inside I have to pour. If nothing else, then at least to see it in writing and reflect on the comments that 'could' pass this way!




Afterthoughts!
As it is not up to the developer(s) nor publisher, distributor or posters at the rail station to define if a game succeeds in becoming a MMORPG. One can only as a humble indie developer hope to complete a Persistent World (PW) and let the audience decide what it ends at. I was not aware of this simple fact years ago, so when I first presented the thought of me, and non coder, non modeler indie making a mmorpg on the GG Irc channel, I was stunned by the comments the dinosaurs there made. Looking back on the problems, the progress and what I've learned I am much more realistic in what we face today, and I can understand every word, skeptics and slapping I received back then -and along the way!

There is no make my game button software out there!
Yet it is easy for us indies to ass-pat, and back-rub ourselves into some sort of lullaby and blindness due to our lack of insight. While ignoring the fact that turning our dreams into something deliverable to others is extreme hard work and takes immeasurable efforts, and PW's being on the closed cell candidate level for indies, not realizing that producing costs is the major risk of getting stuck and not going anywhere.

Realizing this and trying to get things done on share points and future royalties really takes a master of persuasion, as well as a project that in itself is on the brink of human understandable terms in its innovative level, to get teams built that can put up the hands where the mouth write checks and create kickass content and stunning stuff. And lastly, offering payment in advance in the form of software licenses, hardware tools, shares and small fees for snippets, functions, routines, etc. can't compete with hiring people for real cash and tying them to the desk 7 hours a day. The latter a cost we simply cannot afford.

So doing a PW like we are is the road to some evenings spent in the couch staring blindly into the dim lights outside with totally blank mind. A strong urge to waste all the cash in the bank in the lottery to get the huge wins to pay a team. And the feeling that it's all in vain and dissolving the crew and pulling down the banner is the best solution. But no way, simply said, no way am I going to quit or give in -I believe in my game concept and mechanics!

Even to such extent that I did quit my well paid day job to work on it full time, and now also applied for a 2.5 year code based education so that I can DO what's needed to get this baby moving along at a speedier pace stepping in doing the much urgent code. For no matter if one uses TGE/TGEA, Gryphon/Titas, MoMTech or whatever the biggest task of them all is actually to tweak the engine to fit the game idea.So its going to take a long time, and a extremely huge effort to get there!

-With the above in mind -It's no wonder mmo's are for the big'uns!


Our game!
It seems that I haven't been quite clear, or done a proper job describing a main factor about our game. I apologize about this and will here try to elaborate on the issue.

Our game is classless, there simply are no professions and all skills are learnable, changeable, and doable to every character in game. We have parted the skills into 2 major realms, and those are skills known to any character and those skills characters have to find a trainers to learn them off. Trainers of skills can be both NPC's and players, and what skills are presented to you in a trainers portfolio depend whether the NPC's like you current faction standing or not, or if players like your performance and tradeoff suggestion enough to open up for the goodies. The skills in our game can thus all be learned and used by anyone and all it takes is play style presented, and seeking up trainers to learn from.

Developing the skills learned happens via actual game play. Both through the abilities of the character and through time spent doing them. Thus are all the skills placed in 3 groups due to the characters current stats. All these 3 groups do is determine what algorithms are used for calculating action failure, success and gain. Making a primary placed skill easier to use and less actions to improve in than a tertiary placed skill which are harder to succeed with, takes more actions to raise and needs usage more often than a primarily skill to keep it's level up. The changing of stats during gameplay affects how the skills are placed so keeping an eye on things and focusing on certain areas can be very beneficial and speed up the process. So should anyone suddenly want to, or have a need for totally different game style -then simply change it!


Game Mechanics!
Another thing about our game that's still in the description mist but is planned out is the Magic and Fylgia systems. I will try describe them a bit here;

Magic function by unleashing various planned effects in Mana threads. These threads will force Mana to flow from the surrounding Mana Sea through the caster. This flow will gradually build up the casters abilities as Mana portal and allow for increased unleashing of Mana amounts. These increased abilities as portal and container will allow the character to gradually increase the abilities as manipulator of the Mana Sea by using Futhark the old magic language.

The threads that define what an unleashed spell actually does are user built by carefully pathing the thread through a world realms elements thus forming the exact threads effects. Any thread can be built all the way to mastery at 9th level and can be torn apart again to twist it towards other elements at any level thus giving the thread a totally new direction (effect). (I will describe this fully in the next GG blog)


Fylgia is the spirit follower system. Do not confuse this with the pet system as it's nothing alike a pet. These spirits notice what players do and align themselves slowly to a player due to playing style. The system is built upon the ideas of one self and the surroundings, and the physical and psychological aspects of the universe. So there is an outer and inner sphere parted into Air and Sea areas simulating the psychological aspect of the universe we live in. And there is Earth divided into above and below simulating the public and private parts of the physical Human inhabiting the universe.

The different animal spirits are placed by the shamans in a wheel representing outer and inner spheres -divided into sky, water, above, below. These animals, 24 accounted for by the shamans all in all are furthermore aligned to each other and the universe due to their nature as shown in the wheel below: (Some might be changed out, and sorry for the real lousy graphics)



So as mentioned does the animal spirits tend to align themselves with the player over time allowing for some neat features, and even shape changing can be done if possessed and the spirit is willing enough. It will take quite some effort to please the animal spirits and even the slightest mistreatment of similar aligned species can make the spirit unhappy to such an extent that they leave -plain and simple!


We cant wait!
With stuff like the Forest Kit, Flower Power, Yack Pack and of course AFX being thrown at us at GG I actually DO believe that there is hope for a kickass game. And we cant wait to get our hands on what these guys have told us would soon be hitting a download near our neighbour. Making a viking themed PW there have to be mountains, valleys and rolling hills covered in trees and foilage. There have to be cool interactions between the player character and the NPC's and there have to be stunning effects.


Team work!
We are currently working on the vendor, trainer, banker, and guild master interactions. Tweaking with the horse, boat and vehicle functionality trying to get it all working. We are also working on enignes of construction. Operating tools and engines in our game will be essential to turn ressources (purity) into other ressources (purity), ingredients (purity) and objects. -here's an early version of our lathe;



We are also doing more concept art so that the last races will get pictures, work drawings of those missing races so that the modelers have a definite build line, textures for said models, models of whats planned for the intro demo and to fill in at the alpha server, animations for races, animals and engines, music and sounds, documentation, etc.


Team!
I know, if you look at our site it seems like we area ton of folks busting our asses. wEll we are, but as most in the team have real lives, other interests and are into other projects as well we could for sure need aid. What we need most, is code aid in the form of a lead coder grabbing the pole and running alongside Peter and I. I think Ill start posting some 'positions available' on our site but as written above, it's going to be a pest getting those seats filled for sure.


Technical depth!
I know that that these IoM .blogs are real tech and code light, and I will try and change that in the future. But as a non coder trying to have all aspects rolling along it can be hard to dig into unknown areas. It will start to creep in here thoug, of that I am pretty certain.


Hype!
Besides from the write a viking story contest on our site. Where we have just found May months winner: Congrats to the Fish for his short but well written entry. And added him to the pool of coming closed beta testers. We are now launching yet another hype'o'meter event!

A 2 month long Fan Site Art competition, where the goal is to create a web template for guild/fan sites havinf stunning Viking themed art. Wether it is Jelling style or other is not important. As long as it's less celtic/cristian influenced than a pure or mixed artline of viking styles.

All art must be in either .jpg or .gif.

And the winner price will be 250$ - umpire staff will be announced in our forum thread regarding this topic as they are found.

/pheww
That's all for today folks, have a nice month!