[Ashes] Forgotten, but back in the works

resle · Jan 19, 2005

Hi, probably you won't remember about this little home-made rpg which I began coding a year and a half ago. The engine was almost finished, yet I couldn't get anyone to make some models/textures, so I lost interest and the project died. Lately, two circumstances brought me back on track: I've been ill and forced home - and in the last year I learned some (crappy) modeling. So I rewrote everything from scratch, helped myself with a few models of my own and textures created by photoshopping Ultima 7 graphics. Here's the current status of things.

The engine, in full 3d (powered by OpenGL), currently supports

- A huge, seamless world

- Virtually unlimited models/textures

- Dynamic shadows and lights

- Scriptable events

- Weather [rain, thunders, snow, fog, wind - sound effects]

- Day/Night cycle

- Npc schedules (Npcs go to sleep, do chores, wander around and so on)

Plus three major features which I'll keep secret since they are the real core of
the game, the three big little things which I think will make this rpg quite unique (although all are ideas recycled from other game genres). Finally I've also arranged an editor I can fruitfully use to build some scenes and begin assemble some "patterns" (houses, roofs, groups of trees and so on).

So what do I need? Useless to say: graphics. You can judge it by yourself: the lousy graphics I am using (except for that black knight, which I took from polycount.com) was all done by myself, and - simply - I can't "draw" - or at least I can't properly create/texture 3d models. I am looking for someone who can make fully textured low poly 3d models. I think this game has some potential, and I will hold my grip now that I've broken the barrier of 100,000 lines of original code... So, here am I, asking again for help.
Someone?
Thanks in advance,

- a.

Hajo · Jan 19, 2005

Hey, this looks very impressing to me! Your project looks a thousand times better than mine:

http://h-world.simugraph.com

Although I can't offer any help, I can tell that I admire the results of your work. Keep it up!
I wish you all the best for your project.

Twinfalls · Jan 19, 2005

Looks very promising - keep up the work. I especially like the change in lighting from day to night.

Edit: sorry, I thought you were asking for suggestions. I can't texture squat.

crakkie · Jan 21, 2005

Looks good. I just had a few questions.

It looks like you have a basic inker working (the models' outlines). Are you planning on cell shading everything, or going for an intermediate/pixmap effect with outlines and simple skins?

The engine uses OpenGL, but is it portable?

You say you need modelers/artists. Are you doing all the design by yourself?

The editor looks nice... is that terrain map generated or drawn?

Can you say anything about the story/setting, or is that one (or two) of the suprises?

resle · Feb 7, 2005

crakkie said:
Looks good. I just had a few questions.

It looks like you have a basic inker working (the models' outlines). Are you planning on cell shading everything, or going for an intermediate/pixmap effect with outlines and simple skins?

There will be no cel shading. Just the inking (which I reworked and now looks a lot better than in those shots) Everything is textured.

The engine uses OpenGL, but is it portable?

Unluckily it is not. Win32 only. Also, I used a few Gl Extensions available only to a certain degree of modern cards so old ones will be unable to render some effects.

You say you need modelers/artists. Are you doing all the design by yourself?

Yet. Frustrated, I decided to waste some more of my spare time by doing some basic 3d models - and reusing textures from other games. I hope to step not on copyright infringment but after all this is going to be a free game.

The editor looks nice... is that terrain map generated or drawn?

A mix. It's generated from a bitmap. The editor got twice better than what's in those screenshots: it has to get better for my mental sanity's sake, since I am building the world piece by piece all by myself

Can you say anything about the story/setting, or is that one (or two) of the suprises?

Oh no. The story is quite simple, and it's already written since it is nothing but a small fragment of then 13 years or paper RPG I played as a master: a technologically evolved world "sits" next to another, where the tech is still in it's medieval ages, yet magic exists. The distance between those two worlds is more or less like the one between Earth and Mars, so for over a century the technologically evolved people was only able to send probes to the other world - but still they didn't have the tech to actually plan a space mission and land on it. The story takes places when little strange things are happening all around your world (the fantasy one), as the result of the first contacts between the two civilizations, which is going to resolve into an holocaust..

DarkSign · Feb 7, 2005

Glad you go things going again.

Looks like a promising project and I hope all goes well. Good work youve done there.
If I didnt have so much work on my own projects Id definitely model or texture for ya.

Keep the faith and cant wait to hear more updates!

Fez · Feb 7, 2005

You'll probably get away with "borrowing" some textures for a free game. I've seen some fairly well known free games that have blatantly ripped off graphics from commercial games and no one has complained. The only exception I can think of is Games Workshop, who will stomp on any and all mods/games.

resle · Feb 15, 2005

Borrow here, borrow there, it may be time for another small update. This is the very
first "living" creature I could put in the game, thanks to a friend (hey, Walter!) who
helped me hacking my way into the neverwinter nights model file format.

By "living" I mean that "generator events" can spawn it, and it will go for the world
driven by it's little artificial intelligence, eventually disappearing when you can't see it
anymore

It breaths, looks around, walk, and eventually it dies.

It's just a deer, but as soon as I'll have the models ready (i.e.: borrowed), it could be
a dragon, a goblin, an NPC and so on. And as soon as I'll have 4-5 models to get
some wildlife roaming for the now deserted world of Ashes, I'll release a first tech
demo so that everyone will be able to see things in motion and get a feeling of the
final result (if there ever will be one, that is

)

Just in case you're curious:

- In the scene you can see a couple models and textures by me, trees from Ultima 7,
textures from Ultima 9, and of course the NeverWinter deer. Quite a frankestein game!

- To extract that Deer took an original copy of NWN, a NWN modding tool, a converter
from NWN to Ascii, a plugin for 3ds Max to import Ascii NWN models, and a total
rewrite of my personal proprietary format importer. Hooray!

bjblasz · Feb 15, 2005

wao dats fukken ugly

u fail at life n00b

quit now nobody gives a shit about ur gaem

lolz

resle · Feb 15, 2005

bjblasz said:
wao dats fukken ugly
u fail at life n00b
quit now nobody gives a shit about ur gaem
lolz

yes, I know, but typing a lot burns calories.

Sarkile · Feb 15, 2005

Actually I kind of like the graphics for some reason. Especially the lighting. And you can feel free to ignore Retardo Land's newest inhabitant if you want.

Fez · Feb 15, 2005

It looks like an improved version of the Myth 2 engine at some points. Just reminds me of it.

But it is looking quite nice, you've done a good job of squishing all those components together. Is that a touch of cel-shading outlines on the deer?

Sol Invictus · Feb 15, 2005

I like the cell-shading on the deer. You really should use more of that. It'd be a really nice looking game.

Otaku_Hanzo · Feb 15, 2005

Yeah, definitely digging that look. Keep it up.

And I find it rather funny when someone who can't even spell has to make crappy comments about a game they no doubt couldn't make any better or faster.

resle · Feb 16, 2005

Thanks for the comments and suggestions! No, it's not cel-shading actually, just a self-illuminated texture. Of the cel-shading model I kept only the outline, because it helps a lot to distinguish objects expecially when they're far and/or small. Just think of Ultima 7, where all objects have this black contour.

Although cel shading would be nice, it would also be quite cpu intensive when a lot of objects are in the scene - and in certain lighting conditions it can also be quite annoying and colorful. Anyway I am trying not to add more eye candy, I am always tempted to modify or implement some feature, but I have to keep consistent with real "game engine" now

resle · Feb 26, 2005

A lot of code behind the curtains, and some little more to see. Mostly, I worked out the mechanics of party [npc following, special cases of pathfinding and so on] and an important revision of the scripting/events structure. As I think I am nearing the completion of an alpha demo, I may as well reveal the little "secret features" - since now I am 100% sure that I'll be able to include them in the final release. In the mean time, some screenshots

So, about the special features.

- Wandering random NPCs: In Ashes there won't be just the "premade" and scripted NPCs, but randomly generated walk-ons. Random names, random jobs, random appearance and portrait, and random dialogue. The random dialogue, in particular, will be powered by an intelligent grammar interpreter I wrote for a completely different purposes years ago: the results are surprising.

- Limited supplies: Shops, inns, blacksmiths and so on will always have limited supplies. If you buy everything they have in stock you'll have to wait for the day after to get some more things. Certain items will also need crafting on request so you may buy a fine piece of armour and have to wait 3 days to get it done.

- Buy buildings: You will be able to buy a house, a tower, a little shack - and owning a place to rest and store things will play a key role in the plot.

- "Wanted" level: As seen in Vice City! Steal things, kill innocent guys, and soon you won't be able to go near a city anymore without having loads of guards after you (either imposing you a little fine, sending you to Jail o trying to kill you, depending on your crimes)

- Characterized party: I wrote before about this, but I still consider it the most important feature of the game. You will create your party from scratch, classes, skills, names, portraits and all - but you'll also be requested to select a "role" for each of the four members. One will be the leader, one the "shy intellectual" guy, one will be the "wrangler" and so on. Each one will behave and have occasional dialogues depending on this role, but they'll still be characters you created, not in-game NPCs...

By the way... party creation has been completed already

Fez · Feb 26, 2005

Keep the updates coming, sounds interesting, and it reassures me that it has a good chance of being finished.

Screaming_life · Feb 26, 2005

This looks really great, keep up the good work.

NeutralMilkHotel · Feb 26, 2005

Looks cool, and sounds very interesting. Good luck with it.

Naked_Lunch · Feb 26, 2005

I like the graphics a lot. Gives them a very distinct style. These game sounds very intriguing, keep it up!

Country_Gravy · Feb 26, 2005

I like this. I would definately give this a try. Will you release the alpha build for people to try out?

Otaku_Hanzo · Feb 27, 2005

Yeah, no doubt. Need any testers, just give us a call.

resle · Feb 27, 2005

Thanks everyone again

I mostly post so that I know that there's a reason to go on - all that code grew up to something which gives me a headache each time I have to hunt event the littlest, most insignificant bug.

I have released an alpha to some real life friends because they'll record the soundtrack and they need some "inspiration"

As for the first downloadable demo I want to wait to hunt down some more bugs and add a little "structure" (Gui, dialogue, and a couple scripted events)

Naked_Lunch · Feb 27, 2005

Sweet. If you need any testers, I'm in also!

Fez · Feb 27, 2005

I think this thread is using up the whole Codex quota for pleasantness.

It'll be good to get my hands on a playable build of this, so keep prodding those testers with a pointy stick and we'll nag and whip you along to work faster.

[Ashes] Forgotten, but back in the works

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