14 days left

Two weeks until ARRP. So, we have to concentrate on the most important issues of FFHtR.
Today, I was working on global map adding lot of different objects.
As I wrote before, we have cool BearLib build in FFHtR. So, the time has come to use its Map Generator seriously. So, you can explore caves, ruins, labyrinths, forests etc.
Also, I managed to fix annoying bug, so you can recruit wannabe adventurers.
Player would lose fame, if his/her follower dies.

We have to push forward and adhere to schedule of development.

Damn!
Two nasty bugs!
They should be fixed or game would be unplayable.
The most unpleasant, well, they born years ago, and showed themselves only now!!!! 

15 days left

First of all, good news! New pixelartist joined our team!

Used teleportation rune and stolen campfire from dungeon.
Added it to my home, so I can use it to fry food.
But, teleportation rune has some bug to fix.

Implemented PC fame.

He don't want to join us!

Added wannabe heroes, joining your faction.





 

Fixed very rare, but unpleasant freeze bug.

Plans for today: add fame gains/ loses for PC, fix teleportation bug and upgrade map generator a bit.

16 days left

Global map generator need some polishing and more objects to be ready for 0.1
NPC AI has some glitch, so, they can lose you. I think I'll keep it for enemies, so PC can outrun them, but would fix it for followers only.

GoodSir noted me some interface issues, so I fied them for good.

Also, money moved to special resource panel in upper left part of the screen.
One of the your goals would be collecting and spending resources.
Coins, Fame, Materials.

Coins, it is easy, well know money resource. It doesn't need lot of explanation.
Fame - new resource in FFHtR. You would gain fame by defeating sites bosses (for example in wolf cave - it would be direwolf), securing locations (killing all enemies there), completing quests. You can lose fame - losing your followers, failing quests. You can spent your fame - for recruiting wannabe adventures(they work for free, but cost you fame). Your fame level determines some rooms you can build, followers you can hire etc.
Material - We don't have complete list of this material, yet. They would be used for construction of your house, producing different items by you or your followers. You can buy them, find in the different locations, you explore (teleporting it by runes, or sending forages, when location secured), setting up camp and caravans (not in 0.1).

Plan for today.
Finish this teleportation runes! Fix AI glitch, Fame basics.

17 days left

I took a break from local map features and returned to global map.
It was my main fault in previous version, extremal concentrations on small features, but completely funless global map.

Future gamepame would need bigger map with lot of locations to explore, scaled danger level of zones etc.
So, I got a plan.I'll not make a mistake starting with technical features, like fractal landscape etc.
Maybe we would add this, but later, first of all, we need map to explore.
Generator would create big empty map, limited by mountains, add trees, lakes, mountains, etc.
 Then It would cut map on zones,  scale them by danger level and place locations.
After that, it would place players home in on this zones with low danger level.
Of course, it should be possible for hardcore players to start in difficult region.
It is small plan, but enough for 0.1.

Game works with merchant well enough. They come to your home and leave your home (This is basic routines for every visitor in your home).
I'll take a break and add teleportation runes, I wrote before.
 
So, next visitors:
* Wannabe adventurers. Low level potential followers, they would join you for free, if you have enough fame * Sturdy freelancers, they would want money for there work.

After that, I think I should work with global map generator.

Good, Merchants are ready to visit you, but they need special place in your home base to stay.
It version 0.1 you would have all your base upgrades preinstalled for free as a test of new gameplay.
Later on, you should pay in gold and meet different requirements for every special location in your house.
For example merchants guild would allow you to open merchants hall when your house would be Average House wealth level and for 2000 coins.

I am placing merchants hall token to the homebase, as you can see, walls prohibits this.

And here, troll merchant and his trusty chest generated where they should. They could be generated at the entrance, and walk there themselves, for example. I didn`t decide yet.

18 days left

Traveling merchants were the most difficult to create and the most interesting. So, I started them first.
Game created merchant, his chest and placed them into the map. I traded some items with them, worked well.
Then I attacked and killed merchant and his chest and looted remains. Frankly, it was too easy, merchant and chest would have guards and become stronger.

    Yes, yes, yes. Sapient pearwood chest is biting. :)

I have started mercenaries and traveling merchants. They would be visiting your home.
Well, there is no troubles with mercenaries, but traveling merchants has one potential problem - goods container.

Realistic game mechanics, damn it, don't allow to keep goods somewhere in outer space, whiteout dirty hacks (something like your faction hoard, but we have to do this. But I'll fix it dding special hoard chests).
It isn't real problem with static merchants, heave armored chest in the corner and no problems, but traveling one? They must curry goods with them. Link goods container to backpacks, pfff. nonsense, they can't hold big objects. Add super backpacks for merchants? Nope, it is dirty hack and also, they would be hunted down by player for this bags.
Maybe special porters? Or animals?
Ha! I got it!
Traveling merchants would be accompanied by walking chests, maybe from Sapient pearwood. =)
If killed they would leave chest with goods, also, as creature they would be following merchant and fiercely protecting him! And, this idea fits game mechanics very well!

20-19 days left

OK. I spent yesterday tweaking AI for new group actions. Oh, well, it gave me hell of a fight!
Well, It easy to code nice AI for roguelike, but a bit harder to don't allow it to clutter your computer with calculations.
You wanna report? It is done, your character isn't the center of the NPC universe, they are fighting each other with cheer.
Your follower don't stay passively, but rush into fight! Of course, I have to allow to order them passive behavior and running in fear.

This AI upgrade was important for declared NPC (merchants, mercenaries etc ) at your home base. Because they need more independence from PC.
Now, my hand are free to do this.

Also, your followers start speaking. Right now, they are reporting wounds. Later on, NPC would be talkactive.

21 days left

OMG, OMG, OMG!!! 20 days letf!
Working on your home base. Help icons, glitches. All this thinks eats lo of time!
As a bonus, added name selection for your home base, based on value of furniture.

Well, you need great collection of valuables for better status. =)


For today:
Don't forget different titles for guild master. Lord/ Lady, you got it.
Visitors, mercenaries and merchants at your home base and teleportation runes.

You can add/remove walls and doors at your home.
Move items around, move them to your faction hoard etc

Also, fixed all bug with (Global Map --> Local map --> Global Map) travels.
Game stopped cloning your followers, switching you to other creature, freezing etc.

Also, your character would need some way to transfer items to your home.
It wouldn't be real problem, if you are buying them, they would be transfered directly to hoard.
But if you found cool statue in the dungeon?
You can buy special runes, they would move nearly any item into your hoard, so you can move it into your home. And of course, this runes wouldn't be cheap.
Of course, moving not empty containers would be a bit of cheat (you can put lot of items into chest and teleport it), so only single items could be transfered.

22 days left

Began home of your hero and his base of operations.
You can turn constructor mode, when you are at local map and rework your home as you wish.
Rebuild walls, doors.
Set tokens for your minions, and furniture.
For example, you can bring anvil to your home and set up a forge.
Also, you can change tileset for your home in one click:

Ok. You can access faction inventory from global map.
Open inventory of your followers on global and local map, change equipment.
Well, there are some glitches, because skill training, backfire from healing potions goes to PC only and should be fixed.

Next step, your faction base and more command for your followers.

23 days left

My avatar(1) giving order to my lizardnan minion (2) to attack (3) wolfling (4).
Icons would be changed from my madskills to normal, made by GoodSir.
Meat chunks are remains of my second minion, ripped by trap.


Next, access to followers inventory.
I decided to make faction inventory, you can access from global map. It would be better then different inventories for every group.

Bugs, bugs, bugs. Tons of them.

After command work on local map, I'll start "home base" gameplay.
Hoard, minions quarters etc.

24 days left

Good, my Lizardman minion followed me into wolfs caves and protected me.

Plan for today:
1. Minions use healing potions.
2. Additional orders for Minions.
and of course, minions should  follow PC from local map to global map.

PS
Your followers doesn't gain skill now, but it would be done, of course.

25 days left

As you can see,your minion exploring Map and sending you reports.
It means:
* You play as PC and can issue order (form groups and send them) to AI minions.
* Ai explores map, until you you order them something else.

Also, fixed unpleasant typo bug. it was removing all creatures from global map after save/load.

Plan for today:
* Allow minions to follow you in combat at local map (they would use dolls algorithms).

2012 ARRP

We have 27 days until ARRP 2012, so I start countdown timer with every day report about game development progress.

OK.
We had to last decision about gameplay.
1) You play as faction leader on local map.
Of course, it is a bit strange, when great %LEADER_NAME% fights monsters and finding treasures, but it works well in a lot of games
2) You don't play as your NPC minions on local map.
3) You give basic orders to your minions.
4) Minions spent more then one turn to accomplish missions.
5) Minions would sent you reports about results every turn
6) Important missions you can do yourself(don't forget, it is roguelike game). For example, you sent your minion on scout mission. Minion sent you report "Lord! I found cave with spiders and cool sword there!". You travel there and retrieve sword, killing wolfs.

Well, well, well.
Current goal isn't really easy,I can say, it is hard.

Made action report screen, game would show you detailed report about current action and would add it to game log.

Searched town for hidden objects and found criminal den. You would found everything with 100% effectiveness for now.

So, I should add "visit %CITY_NAME% site.", for example this criminal den.
We are working on basics for now, so, game would create empty  field and would add creatures, based on site population setting and other %CITY% sites (fro example, if %CITY% has temple, priest can spawn, even at criminal den map, etc). Later on, I would add different presets for sites, but now we need basics, only basics!

Socialization.

Yes, of course. FFHtR would need more interaction or even teamwork with NPC. Of course, I should enchant AI for group tactics, but, also, Player should speak, recruit, bribe, blackmail, deceive etc NPC.
So, we need some interaction system for NPC.
I don't want to invent something new, so, all NPC would have eight variables of vice and virtues.
So, seduction of some scum, like thiefs, bandits, maniacs to serve Evil would be relatively easy, and so on.

I stopped drinking coffee, so got some troubles with my activity.
Then, I have  recovered and returned to work.
15-16 of September is ARRP 2012 release date, I should finish 0.1 up to this time.

Some upcoming information:
Settlements (Global objects with population) would have grade, based on population size.
It would modify difficulty and possible actions (along with flags) for player.

*  It would be harder to conceal your actions in small settlements (hamlets, villages), because, most of the people in such settlements know each other, from other hand, they would generate less heat, because of small population to spread gossip.
*  It would be somewhat easy to find hideout in the big city, but from other hand. Big cites would have temples, mages, lot of guards etc.
*  Bigger groups would get more attention from guards, citizens etc. So, you shouldn't send more servants on a mission, then it needed.