Upcoming 'Technical' week (database)

As I wrote on our Trello board, we have two cycles of development: Gameplay weeks and Technical week.
While gameplay weeks take 3 of 4 weeks in a month, technical week takes one. 3:1 is good ration for technical vs gameplay features.
Of course, it is not that bold and technical features affects gameplay and gameplay features have technical and so on, but you got the idea - keep the balance between gameplay and engine/ GUI/ data works.

Concerning upcoming technical week I have one BIG work to be started. Game should be able to keep world data in a client-server database. It doesn't mean, it should be on a external server, of course, but the game should work with it this way.
We need it for:

• game save / load.
• quests. Game can issue a quest, using world data.
• real server routines. It would be nice to allow other players' games to affect your gameplay.

It means that main game may:

• Upload its current state to the database.
• Load specified local level from it.
• Get any information game needs from it. (Do specified level has necromutans? Its seed? or specified workshop? etc)

The most important part, main game doesn't care how database going to do it. Saves it to local drive, keeps in memory or uploads to fallenroguelike.com server.
For the game it would be 'a server'.
The development of game database can't be delayed for any longer.
Nearly all our upcoming gameplay features need it. It is as important as implementation of widgets.

We start discussing its architecture and prototyping. If you have any interesting suggestions, articles to read or very good with databases, you are welcome.
Any advise matters!

Procedurally Generated Quests

Let’s discuss this very interesting topic.

How do Quests can be procedurally generated?

I think Quests should be a combination of premade basic scripts, our game situation and random content.

Premade basic script means a part of a task, like deliver, hunt, find, patrol, craft and so on.

Quest will have 2+ basic scripts. For example hunt Mutants, find artefact and deliver it to city.

Game situation means quest maker should respect current game development.
Does city exist at specified location, monster lair or tribal village.  Necromutants activity and so on.

You will get more peaceful quests if situation is calm and more dangerous combat tasks at real frontier.

 Random content is simple - Find one artefact or two carrots.

Okay. Let’s try to generate a quest.
We create quest in a city. It has low necromutants activity, 2 bandits camps nearby and one mana lagoon.

Game randomly selects four blocks for a quest:

•         Defeat # troublemakers.
•         Develiver an artefact.
•         Defeat an Important Enemy.
•         Explore location.

Then game forms a task.
It takes bandits as foes.
Bandits’ important items as artefact and removes “explore location” because this location is already explored by Player (for example).

Final task will be: “We have big problems with outlaw gand ‘Knives Of Aged Minotaur’ from ‘Fearful Caves Sealed By Ancient Ghosts’. You have to go there and  defeat their leader, fearful John ‘Evil Eye’ Beckon. Bring back his log book, because it helds important information. Also we will pay you additional 5 coins per every gang member you will put to Justice! Finish it in a less then 67 days and get additional bonus!”.

Of course, it is just a sketch, but it is the way I see random quests in Fallen.

Sleep, Swim, make Fallen and Fruits

I try to give Fallen project as much time as I can. Squeezing it whenever possible.

I can't say it is simple, because I have to sleep for at least 7 hours a day to be productive.
It is a rule, because every hour "stolen" from sleep backfires ruining hours of productive time. 

So, it is not an option. 

The same I can say about sport, it doesn't take a lot of time like sleep, but vital.

My 'official' job is time consuming too.

It eats up a lot of time, but very exciting! Damn, I love my job! I have two games and Jackpot system in current production. Couple of games at 'concept,close to  production stage'. 

I work at slot machines and casino games development. 

These games may look smaller, comparing to bigger AAA games, but I assure you, it doesn't make them primitive or simple.
There are literally thousands of games with nearly the same rules and you have to give player experience pleasuring enough to play your game! (Heh, Like anywhere else).

For example, here is a couple of screenshots of one of "my" projects (of course, it isn't mine. A team worked hard on this game.). It is already in operation, so I will not lampshade any 'super secrets' ^_^.

It is 'just' a fruit game. Fruit games are very interesting type of games. They grown up from chewing gum vending machines, if you don't know.
There is one interesting feature in fruit game: they are expected to be simple. Both gameplay and graphically, but!
Don't miss simplicity and primitiveness. Here is the trick: you have to make game simple, easy to play and 'classic' from one hand.
From other hand, you should keep your game at peek of technology (yes, fruit games are simple, but it doesn't mean they should look like games for ZX spectrum 48) add feature to make it different enough.
Have we succeed? 

Only real operation in long run can answer this question for sure.

But, I think yes.

YARRR! 

Of course it is challenging, but.. It is sheer pleasure.

Don't forget about studies. If you want to progress, you have to learn and learn.
Project management, game design, storytelling, new programming languages don't learn themselves!

AND, as I wrote few posts ago, I have small side board game project...

Ugh. you got, but this wall of text isn't an attempt to find an excuse for avoiding development of Fallen. 

NO! As I mentioned in previous post, I am implementing 0.4 features. I have about to finish inventory refactoring. I have spent 3 hours on it and 4-6 hours left. I have moved it to widget/ state machine platform of revised Fallen code. (First version of inventory eaten up more then a month!).
After this, I'll turn programmer mode OFF and start huge game design stage.
We need to expand the story of antagonists and locations from sketches to development specification for next versions.

0.3 TODO list;

I'll lampshade remaining stuff for 0.3.

Art:
New items art;
Mushroom Stalk, corpse (small, norm, big), corps of mutant (small, norm, big), stone, meat (norm, mutant), Kitchen Knife, Sharp Stick, Makeshift Hammer,
Stool, piece of wood, Capacitor, Small Spring, Coil of wire, Filament, cogwheel, Revolver Chamber, Sheet Metal, Small Steam Engine, spool of Heavy Wire,
Thermometer, Eyeglasses, fiber straps, Enhanced Jacket, handgun parts, Rifle Butt, Broken Rifle, Broken Revolver, Screwdriver, rifle barrel, pistol barrel,
machine gun barrel, leather straps, Big Revolver Stock Mounted, Small Revolver Stock Mounted, Metal Scrap, Small Wood beam, Broom, Home Radio,
Fridge, locking pliers, Hammer, monocle, Coin Holder, Microscope, Magnetic Anti Bullet vest, Electroblade, condensed milk, canned meat (snail),
paper bag of fried truffle, canned_meat (roach), sausage, bag of cookies, jar of juice, bread loaf, meatloaf, truffle (on the ground), Deep Heaven pamphlet,
History book, Book (Misc), Skeleton (from creature on the ground), Sword_Cane, iron pipe, Heating Chamber, Lens, Reinforced Leather_Armour,
Light Leather Armour, Advertisement pamphlet;

Street light;

Furniture: shelf, display;
new Inventory doll;

Creature:Human info sketch;

Creature:Necrotitan info sketch;

Additional tileset: Necromutants lair;

Character creation UI graphics;

Character: Steam Knight sketch and game figurine;

UI: steam pressure gauge (steam knight interface feature; You can see test variant of pressure gauge on screenshots below);

UI: abilities buttons.

UI: crafting buttons (construct, disassemble);

Coding:
Inventory refactoring. Add widgets to inventory.
Implement new tileset.

Game design and UI:
Inventory interface upgrade.
Character design: finalize list of Steam Knight abilities for 0.3 (SK will start with a selection of pretrained abilities for ver. 0.3; It will differ from real SK skill set, starting from 0.4)



----
I'll prepare 0.4 list today or tomorrow. So, we will see. I'll start implementing 0.4 stuff if art wouldn't be done simultaneously with remaining 0.3 coding and game design stuff. It obviously shouldn't ^_^

14 days before the 2nd playtest

We have two weeks until the second playtest release.
I read the Development page and feel satisfied.
It looks like, we have fixed nearly everything we have planned and added couple of useful features.
Yet, Fallen didn't a finished game with a solid gameplay, of course.
But it wasn't a plan for the second playtest.
First playtest revealed a bulk of sharp edges, mostly technical ones!

It would be the same Fallen you have seen, but fixed and polished.
The third playtest will have gameplay enchantments. That's for sure.

About development progress:
Mostly technical, like game menu, fixed timers, press key mouse key once go dozen of tiles and so on.
This is important changes, but could be noted if they aren't done well. ^_^

Future history of Fallen

It is the sketch part of “About Fallen” page. It would be edited, steamrolled and placed there.

I plan to make this blog real citadel of Fallen, until it would need personal site.
Don'd hesitate to point me something or ask question. It would be really helpful!

History of Fallen the Roguelike

Fallen was completely different game or better say games during its development.

I want to write here short story of this project.

Wish it would be interesting for everyone, who like roguelikes, roguelike development. Would be helpful to roguelike developer to avoid my mistakes and at least, but not the last, would help me to put everything together.

So.

The development of the project, that eventually morphed into Fallen had begun in very late 2008. Maybe 28-30 of November, maybe December. Frankly, it would be better to say, that I have started it in early 2009. Also, it doesn't mean, that it was in development for all this years. At least one year, 2011, I didn't even touched it.

From the very beginning I was the only developer of the game, full of plans and rather inexperienced for the project of that size. Both in programming and game design. I thought, that my previous vast experience of “hand-made” ^_^ board and small computer games would be more then enough.

Of course, I was wrong, but I'll write about it.

First of all, the design document wasn't a design document at all, it was mere “coll stuff” list. Like, we would have golems, labyrinths, robots, lot of items, materials, global map, realistic combat, poisons, factions, bodyparts, wounds, pain, craft, wood, demons, nuclear war, fruit trees and cookies.

Doubtlessly, it was a death march project.

The waves of understanding.

Wave of team

I think, it the most important one. That help me to endure others. I was doubtlessly lucky that GoodSir to join the team. Feel of friend's shoulder, brainstorming, support, art, teamwork etc.
As I wrote for many time, without team, Fallen would be one of many “died in defunct” roguelikes.

Wave of code

Programmist. You need at least one skilled programmist for your roguelike, no exceptions. Sounds rather obvious, isn't it?
Roguelikes looks like really easy program, until you try to make one. There are lot of cross linked data and you have to keep it running smoothly.
It could be you, member of your team, you found, hired, enslaved or mesmerised. But you need this person!
Reading McConnnell's books when you already have bulk of smelly Cobol-style code, could be rather painful. I knew lot of projects, that died on this stage and, it is really pity, would die.
Fall From Heaven the Roguelike (old name of Fallen) gone the same way. Except I was stubborn enough to revive it for many times.
I'll put myself together, overcome terrifying shame and post my old code or “the best” parts of it. Maybe, it would help you to avoid my mistakes. I wish it to be so!
You can learn programming or make roguelike, but not simultaneous.

Wave of game design

Writing a design document after a couple of years of active development is cool tradition of Russian gamedev (c).

My philosophy of game design is that you can create the greatest algorhythms -- but it's in vain if you don't have a REASON to have them.
For example, the Roguelike "Fall From Heaven" had a couple of relatively working versions. It had tons of features, lots of places to visit, monsters to fight, neat pixel art, and etc. There's one thing wrong with it, though -- it was unplayable. This overwhelming swamp of features ended up being boring and useless.
I asked myself a funny questions -- "Why is Fall From Heaven the Roguelike not fun? My previous games were hella fun, but they had 1/100 of Fall From Heaven's features!".
Answer beat me with ugly stick. Lot of features doesn't mean fun. Useless feature would take your work as any other, with one exception – it contributes nothing to aspect of gameplay.
It was the moment, when I armed with big rusty knife, started to cut feature, balancing and reworking the remaining one.

But. Poor project architecture stroke on this stage. It was so fragile and overburden, so 80% of my efforts was put to keep program running with new changes.

This can lead the project to couple of ends.

First, the grave one – the very end of the project. We have seen hundreds of them. To tell the truth, I was close to it.
And the second, put yourself together and move on, step by step:

The King has died, Hail to the King

Old project collapsed at the summer-autumn of 2013, under burden of its unsupportable code. Yes, it was mostly technical fail.
I put my best to refactor it, but.. well.. it didn't survived the operation. I took couple of units, nice algorithms and started Fallen Rebirth at autumn-winter of 2013.
It was Paradigm changing decision.

I was always saying: Don't rewrite your project from scratch and did it myself one day.

Frankly, is there any other way to progress? Learn rules and ideas your workspace has, form the paradigms and them move them on!

Want to be creative game-designer and invent something new? Learn existing rules at first, play great games, write down cool ideas, analyse them, don't hesitate to copy, study, be openminded and then be ready to move forward.

Fallen Rebirth.

It is young, but looks promising. It's design document has, maybe 1/50 of “wannabe features” of demised project, but it isn't an overweight monster on a death row.
It is already ten times more playable, then old, full of features game.
The time will show the results, but GoodSir and I will do everything that we can to make Fallen to rise.

Happy New Year!

It has been more than a year since 0.0.9 release. Fall From Heaven the Roguelike release.

You can say: “what a hella u were doin, man? One year is more than enough to create new version!” and you would be right, but…

Lets see. Upon the final release I understand that FFHtR is unfunny. I wrote about it lot of times. Additional features didn’t made game more interesting, conversely it became incomprehensible. So on, so on, so on.

I was confused, didn’t work for some and I would cancel the development if there would be no FFHtR team. I was unfair to trash out work of other people.

It was sort of creative search. We were discussing, trying different things, stiles, and concepts.

Lot of code made and removed. Gameplay features tried, removed, changed etc

I think we defined the final concept, well, maybe February 2013.

So, we are working on Fallen for 6 moths maybe.

But one year without release, well, it death for alpha stage roguelike. I think it is for good, let the FFHtR rest in Peace and Fallen to take its place.

From this week, I’ll try to finish unfinished =) and will work steadily at one direction. For this week it would be interface.

I think that full list of features scheduled for 0.1 version would be really helpful.
I mean, what we have left, because list of all changes... well it is huge. I think I wouldn't make list of changes for 0.1, but announce as basic release of new FFHtR.
What I was speaking about? Oh? yes. List of features that stay between us and FFHtR 0.1 "Age of Rebirth"!

• Heavy armor skills and abilities.
• Rest of abilities for weapons + basic balance.
• New melee weapon damage mechanics. it would be based on quality and material, limited by creature strength.
• Passive abilities routines.
• Skill screen merged with abilities.
• Purchasing abilities on level ups.
• Fraction generation screen.
• Additional interface options for items.
• Bitmaps for bodyparts.
• Warm tileset.
• Bunch of interface icons.
• Food refactoring.
• Adjusting global map interface.
• Ability hotkeys. Customiseable.
• At least two additional types of global objects.
• Repair guilds and followers.
• Finish item generator refactoring and repair magic item generator.
• Fix existing craft and link it to new interface.
• Fix dozen of nasty bugs.
• Talk/bump/change location routines.
• Tutorial. At least basic one.
• Allow player to chose options for global map genertor.
• Spawning zones on global map, encounters.

Maybe I forget something, but this is nearly full list.

 

Officially announcement:

We have started ARRP work on FFHtR 0.1 "Hell on Erebus".
we have about one month, I think we can do this.

Let me share my current progress.
Right now, I am working on sleeping, but I not sure, that we need it this Sunday. At first, we need infrastructure, inns, sleep-bags etc

The most important part of Fifth Sunday release is small random dungeons, bounties and  artefacts of ancient times. What does it mean? Look:
ELONA has cool, completely random and temporary dungeons on  the map, of course it is nice idea and I'll add them, but for next release it would be like this:
1. Game would be creating totally  random, small dungeons (about 4-6 rooms, only one floor. Also, I think I'll make current dungeons a bit smaller too.). This dungeons would have some main theme, for example: Lair of super NPC, hidden place for ancient artefact etc
2. Such  dungeons would be created from time to time around the world, but would retain hidden, until you will find them. Looking for good bounty.
3. Artefact dungeons would be different. You would be able to find some record, for example "Patrian tablet". Successfully decoded, it would provide you some odd secrets. For example: In the Age of Magic renowned mage created %artefact type% of enormous power, named %artefact name%. It was hidden in the cave %Cave Name%. 
And, It would be marked on your Global Map, you can visit this place, defeat mighty guardians and obtain item of true power.
Well, It looks easy, but the better the item, stronger guardians would be, maybe few Hero NPC!
And, the most funny think, ancient writing would be written of forgotten languages (For next release, only on ancient language would e added, Patrian). You should have language skill or pay NPC with such skill (full-fledged pile of coins!) for translation (Librarian NPC should be looked for...).

Yes, of course, It possible to add different languages, in to game, even for speaking, not only writing, but for me, it is real waste of time and totally useless feature , right now.

I am on the half way, right now, there a portion of bugs, so I am working really carefully, but, I think, that it is possible to fulfil all plans, until Fifth Sunday Release.

Updated development and future of FFHtR page.
Of course, I'll add more plans there, later.

After font refactoring, I thought about windowed mode.
I think, that lot of people would use it, because,  sometimes full screen works better, sometimes window. (Also, it could help with "INIT DD" error).
I tried to turn widowed mode on, well, it worked! There are some issues, but I think, that I'll handle them.
Next change, I have set default resolution of the game (in config.cfg)  to 1024x748. It is enough for FFHtR,  because fonts doesn't look like they come through meat grinder. Well, in far far future, we can make different hi-res sets of tilests, but until then, we wouldn't  throwaway our devtime.

I'll add gameplay plans for next version into this post, a bit later.