Update for the Progress of Everlasting Journey
3-1-2006
News Update:
Wow, I can't believe where the time has gone. If there is anyone
out there that ever runs across the pages, just wanted to let them know I didn't fall off the face of the Earth. I have been engaged in other business matters and gone on a long break for the game. I DO plan on finishing the game some day, but
I don't forsee it being anytime soon. Luckily, it's written in Java, so everything will be fine for years to come. Upgrades in Java will mean automatic updates to the already existing game code. I still have big plans for this tremendous RPG...
10-2-2003 Tasks
that have been completed: From left to right, we have Human Swashbuckler, Human Monk, Human Samurai, and Human Politician.
9-2-2003 Tasks
that have been completed: The fire-breathing dragon is now complete.
8-10-2003 Tasks
that have been completed: Adding to our collection of creatures: Horse, Wolf, Cat, Dog, Raptor, Android, and Giant Frog.
7-13-2003 Tasks
that have been completed: We now have an Ogre, Human Sage, Human Psionic, Human Alchemist, Gazer, and Treant.
6-26-2003 Tasks
that have been completed: We now have the Human Valkyrie, Plantonian, Goblin, Ghoul, Human Assassin, Human Avatar, and Human Barbarian done.
4-29-2003 Tasks
that have been completed: Here are more lifeforms I have created. From left to right, top to bottom we have: Elf Ranger, Drow Elf Ranger, Human Fighter, Human Knight, Human Ninja, Human Myrmidon, Human Ranger, Human Sorceress, Demon, Human Bard, Human Assassin, Human Civilian, Human Druid, Halfling Civilian, Devil.
4-13-2003 Tasks
that have been completed: I have completed 4 other figures' graphics now. I now have the tools to make animated figures quite easily, so I will be busy creating graphics for the next several months. Here is a picture of a halfling who appears to be in trouble by a devil... Run!!!
3-15-2003 Tasks
that have been completed: Once again, it's time for an update. This time I have some graphics for you! I've completed a lot of the base programming for the game, so now I'm going to be doing some graphics also. Below is a picture of SOME of the weapons in the game. There will be hundreds of variants, but this will give you a feel. See if you can figure out what types of weapons they are. I'll give you a hint and list them all: magic sword,kama,dart,zwiehander,cleaver,giant hammer,knife,club,dagger,hand-axe,long sword,broad sword,ball & chain,claymore,spear,great-axe,short bow,dirk,small shuriken,large shuriken,elven blade,halberd,arrow,blowgun,lance,rapier,morning star,long spear,bo staff,mace,quarterstaff,pick-axe,shotgun,sai,battle-axe,hammer,katana,bardiche.
1-5-2003 Tasks
that have been completed: Happy New Year everyone! Again, it's been a very long time since my last update! Even though I've been extremely busy, I have managed to get a fair amount done on the game. I've created many quests which are uniquely generated around several themes. The main conceptual themes so far are: assassinate, create something, destroy something, make peace, rescue a kidnapped person, find treasure and bring it back, discover information (like the coordinates of an evil leader's camp), capture someone/something, and finally, teach someone something. As you can see, they are very generic. This will allow quests to be created that I won't even know how to solve or where to go! One example of the find treasure quest is that the local guards of a town are running low on certain types of gear, and the leader wants you to go find 5 Long Swords somewhere and bring them back. If the game would happen to randomly generate another treasure quest for guards, it may be 6 Maces next time. Even though the chance of finding the same "type" of exact quest is very unlikely, if it does happen, it will still be different because of all the randomness to them! Another treasure quest example may be if an old wizard is collecting magical items and he is looking for a Flaming Sword. If you can track it down and return it, you will get a great reward. Of course, you could always find it and not give it to him, but usually the worth of completing a quest far outweighs the treasure that is obtained. Think of all the random combinations with just these 9 types of quests. Of course there will be thousands of combinations, but this just gives you an idea. One last word I will leave you with is an example of an Assassination type quest. Maybe there is a haunted house in town that everyone is afraid to go by and the mayor wants someone to destroy any hauntings inside. This can be considered an Assassination type quest. Now we are getting to the fun part of the programming! I'll keep you posted.
10-3-2002 Tasks
that have been completed: It's been a very long time since my last update! I have been extremely busy, but have got a lot done on the game. I have finished several building interaction types over the past month or so. I have the structure of temples, banks, shops, and inns finished. Temples are used to help or benefit the party by having a temple working cast beneficial spells (healing, armor protection, strength, etc). Banks are used to deposit money and items for safe keeping and to "get a load off" the party members. Shops are used to buy gear, items, weapons, etc. Finally, inns are used to rent a room to sleep in if the party doesn't have a place of their own and want a "safer" resting area. This doesn't mean it is 100% safe. People can still break into inn rooms, but it's a lot harder and it's illegal so the law can catch up with you! I have many other building types to finish, so I'll keep you up to date on the ones I do and what their purposes are.
6-9-2002 Tasks
that are being worked on: I have begun working on the speech/conversation engine for the game. This engine will allow each life form in Everlasting Journey to have very complex AI capabilities, even memory. The life forms will remember (for certain periods of time) things that have been said in certain conversations and know who that conversation was with. You will be able to speak to any life form (as long as you know their language and they are capable of communication) about many topics and items as you would in everyday speech. For example, if you wanted to know the person's name, any of the following would work: "Who are you?", "What is your name?", "Can you tell me your name?", "May I ask for your name?", etc. As you can see, I am trying to take the most common phrases people use and make the life forms respond to these. Obviously it's impossible to program a "real" human's language ability in a game of this kind (or any other program at that), but I will do my best. Player characters are always controlled by the players of the game, so they can say whatever they want when talking amongst each other. If a player asks or says something bizzar to the non-player characters however, the computer will do it's best to place that in context of the current conversation.
5-20-2002 Tasks
that are being worked on: I have converted over 350 spells to Java now. This includes the different selection ranges such as single, caster, area, line, and cone. In fact, I have played around with a bunch of them and recently cast 'Control' on a Vampire and had it run around and kill things. :) Another "interesting" spell I recently tested was 'Vanish' which transports a selected object to the Lost Plane where it can later be retrieved by the caster (or someone else) by casting 'Reappear' in the original physical world location (nice safeguarding spell for hiding items or removing clutter temporarily). Pretty soon I am going to begin programming quests and events for the game. With the way I have designed the game, quests are fully encapsulated by themselves, so I will be able to make extremely realistic quests where the people and events remember exactly what has happened in the past and they will be able to interact accordingly. I will have the programming of the game done way before I have all the graphics for the game, so stay tuned.
3-28-2002 Tasks
that are being worked on: A majority of the code has been converted to Java now. I still have a few components I need to convert over so stay tuned.
2-3-2002 Tasks
that are being worked on: I am in the process of converting all the code over to Java code. I have decided to do this for several reasons, the main one being the stability and cross platform capabilities of Java. After the conversion of all the already existing code is done, I will continue the development of the rest of the game. After the game is converted to Java, it will be able to run on Windows, Macintosh (Mac OS X), Linux, AIX, HP UNIX, Solaris, and any other platform that supports the 1.2.2 Java Runtime environment. This will be a totally awesome accomplishment! It will allow me to make even better games in the future with the reusability features of Java. Stay tuned!
1-21-2002 Tasks
that have been completed: Objects may be picked up from the map
and objects may also be dropped onto the map from the party. Party members may also trade items
to each other through the character information screen. Computer controlled lifeforms can also
look for useful items laying around or near them and acquire them. A magician, for example, might see a mushroom reagent that may be useful in casting a spell laying nearby. The magician might make a decision to pick it up. A fighter may look at it and pass it by because it isn't useful for him. Some lifeforms in Everlasting Journey have the ability to carry objects and others do not. Almost all humanoid type creatures can obtain and carry objects, but lifeforms like alligators, griffons, or dragons cannot carry items because they do not have the hands to do so.
11-11-2001 Tasks
that have been completed: It's been a little while since
I updated the news page so I figured I'd do it now. I have got a lot of things done in
the previous month and a half. Many of the things are tightening up pieces that were
unfinished, and now I've moved on to the graphics and interaction with the user. Before
the game is released, I plan on having a small demo where everyone can try out a very
limited piece of the game, just to get a feel for it and to help with beta testing. The
demo probably won't be done for a while because I don't have the necessary graphics to support
a good demo yet. Email me at
[email protected]
to be added to the list of people to get a copy of the demo. I just wanted to check in so everyone knew I was still working hard. 9-22-2001 Tasks
that have been completed: Summoning type spells
are now complete. More combat
special abilities have been completed also. The spell casting is in pretty good shape at this time so I
have begun to move on to other aspects of the game. Looting of dead bodies
is finished for the computer controlled lifeforms. Monsters and non-player characters will loot the dead bodies
after combat for items, weapons, money, etc. Sometimes they will find everything, other times they will
not. This is where the Looting
skill can really come in handy! Tasks
that are being worked on: I have begun creating
random quests and missions for the game.
These quests are generated at random and are different every time a new
game is begun. They may include
finding a special item, killing a certain enemy, destroying a certain building,
rescuing a hostage, etc. The
variance of the quests will be huge and make interesting “subplots” during game
play. More than one party may
attempt to finish the same quest, so whoever finishes first will get the
reward. Remember, however, that
the computer will also control a few parties. This means the computer can actually compete against you to
finish quests! No, I’m not going
to make the computer “cheat” and know where the quests are and go directly for
them. They will have to figure it
out for themselves like you would. 9-2-2001 Tasks
that have been completed: Most of the spells have
been implemented for combat. There
are approximately 365 spells currently.
All four realms (Alchemist, Magician, Priest, and Psionic) and levels
have been implemented for the computer to choose from while making
decisions. Some of the spells are
pure damage type spells like Meteor Swarm, Mind Fray, and Acid Rain. Others may be attack spells like
Insanity, Petrify, Charm, etc.
I’ve also created intelligent decision making for other defensive,
protective, or beneficial type spells for the lifeforms. For example: A monster in a monster
group may become blind from an enemy casting a blind spell at them. If one of the monster’s in its group
has Remove Blindness, it may choose to cast it on it’s friend to help. This mainly depends on alignment, and
what the computer chooses is the most important survival type spell. It may be wiser to cast a huge area
spell and try to wipe out the enemies before casting Remove Blindness on its
friend. Another spell type that
may be chosen to aid a person is Cure Light Wounds. If a friend is injured, the caster may choose to aid his/her
friend by casting this spell. The
computer will not keep recasting the same spell if it will have no effect. I’ve seen many role-playing games that
have this bogus logic. There are several
target types for the spells. Some
spells only work on the caster.
Others may target a single lifeform. Some will execute with an area effect and others will travel
in a straight line from the caster.
The last type is a cone shaped effect. The cone effect travels away from the caster in a line
initially and gets wider the farther it travels. All of the target types can make spell casting very tricky
and strategic. With attack spells,
you want to be able to nail as many enemies as you can without hitting any of
your friends and use the spell with the greatest effect for the least amount of
stamina, magic points, and reagents. I will continue to test
the various spell types for the next month or so to create a super real
artificial intelligence. 8-10-2001 Tasks
that have been completed: Monsters now attack
other hostile monsters, party members, and NPC’s when they move within a
certain distance of each other.
The monster groups attack with super realistic tactics and maneuvering
capabilities. I have yet to
implement spell casting in combat, but I have implemented a few special attack
and defense abilities. Giant
spiders, for instance, have a fairly powerful poison they secrete when they
bite their enemies. I had a horde
of trolls attack a horde of giant spiders, and the trolls were victorious! It was interesting to watch the
monsters’ tactics with the monitoring tool I created. With the aid of this tool, I will be able to make extremely
realistic artificial intelligent decisions for the computer. I’m going to create many monster types
and NPC’s and have them fight in an all out brawl after I get spell casting
finished. Spell casting increases
the complexity of combat greatly, so I’m not expecting that to be done for at
least a few months. One more interesting
note: When a party is stranded in
a multi-player game (or the player quits in an unsafe area), the party is open
to attacks from computer controlled and human controlled life forms. I intentionally did this a few times to
see what happened, and the party members tried to defend themselves from
attackers! The party was wiped out
by the monsters, but they tried to fight back. You can just imagine the crazy situations a player can wind
up in with Everlasting Journey. 6-23-2001 Tasks
that have been completed: I finally have an
animated lifeform completed! Ed
has created an amazing skeleton for the first character. The skeleton has extremely smooth
animation (20 unique frames per walking angle) and comprises of 8 various
angles: Up-Left, Up, Up-Right, Left, Right, Down-Left, Down, and
Down-Right. The various angles
leads to a total of 160 frames for walking animation alone. I have shown a couple skeletons walking
on one of the pictures below. Now
that he has the walking animation frames complete, we should start seeing other
various humanoids much quicker.
Every
NPC’s home can be quite interesting and unique.
A
deserted campfire is found in a small, creepy, graveyard. A couple skeletons investigate... 5-27-2001 Tasks
that are being worked on: I’m still working on
NPC and monster personalities.
This is one of the most complicated pieces of the game so I will
continue to work on this for the next few months. So far, life forms eat, drink, and sleep according to when
it is required. This is affected
by endurance and constitution directly. If they run out of food or drink, their
stamina will continue to decrease until they fall unconscious. Eventually, if they are not fed or
replenished, they will die. If a
life form avoids going to sleep, its stamina will also continue to decrease
until it looses consciousness. I am also mixing in
work on the battle engine. This
will also be one of the most complicated pieces of the game. Every NPC and character in the game can
have “friends” or “enemies”. Party
members can become friends or enemies to the various NPCs according to how they
interact with them during the game.
If you attack someone and then run, you will be considered an enemy to
that NPC. If you save someone from
drowning, you will become a friend to the person. The possible interactions with NPCs will be huge and
random. The “wild” monsters in
Everlasting Journey are either considered hostile or non-hostile. If any NPC or character comes within
sight range of hostile monsters, they will be attacked. If the monsters are non-hostile, you
will most likely not be attacked, unless you do something to become an enemy
toward the monsters. 5-4-2001 Tasks
that are being worked on: Ed has recently
obtained a 3D scanner that he will be using to introduce 3-Dimensional
lifeforms into the system. Ed has
made several models which he will scan in pretty soon. We are hoping this scanner will greatly
increase the production speed of creatures. Meanwhile, I have recently bought a house and have been very
busy moving and setting things up there.
After things settle down in the next couple weeks, I will be focusing
intensely on the game. I have
recently been working on the lifestyles and behavior of children in Everlasting
Journey. While I’m thinking about
it, yes, you will be able to kill children if they get on your nerves. I would just make sure no one else was
around…
4-5-2001 Tasks
that are being worked on: I have begun creating
the lifestyles and patterns for the unlimited NPCs (Non Player
Characters). The various non
hostile beings in Everlasting Journey don’t just work or sit around. They will travel to various places at
different times, just like people would in the real world. For those of you who have played Ultima
6, it will be similar, but much more advanced than that. A store keeper for
example, may close his/her store at 6:00pm or so and head over to the local
tavern for a bite to eat. Then,
after having a little meal, the store keeper may head home and stay there for
the night. When the morning comes,
the keeper would head back and reopen the store maybe around 7:00am. Another example may be
some local heroes or bounty hunters staying at a town somewhere. They might stay at an inn where if you
broke into their room forcefully, they would greet you rather violently. You might observe this small band of
adventurers leave the inn and go looking for monsters to kill. The possibilities will
be virtually endless because of the size of the game and the random variance
produced. 3-2-2001 Tasks
that are being worked on: I have started creating
various objects and furniture to be randomly placed inside buildings. I have created barrels, chairs, tables,
beds, cups, dishes, fireplaces, etc. All of these items make the buildings in Everlasting Journey
seem unique and rich with variance.
I will put up a few screenshots in the next month or so with some of
these random buildings. 2-5-2001 Tasks
that have been completed: 1-28-2001 Tasks
that have been completed: The algorithm for
creating semi-transparent objects is completed. This will allow me to create objects that can be partially
seen through. A few examples are:
flames, stain glass windows, water, etc. 1-24-2001 Tasks
that have been completed: The algorithm for
shadowing objects and people is completed. It is a quick algorithm that will allow me to still use
Direct Draw version 3.0 to keep compatible with Windows NT. A lot of the newer enhancements to
Direct Draw would make my job easier, but I don’t want to target specifically
Windows 95, 98, ME, and 2000. It always
aggravated me when I would see a cool game that would not run on Windows NT. 1-6-2001 Tasks
that have been completed: Finished with smooth
interaction of the Direct Draw surfaces and the Windows GDI surface for the
graphics engine. This will allow me
to easily display text boxes, list boxes, and other various Windows dialogs
with ease on the Direct Draw surfaces. 1-4-2001 Tasks
that have been completed: Movement of a single
character across the map is completed.
The character travels around the various objects according to the
movement algorithm. Tasks that
are being worked on: Ed is in the beginning
stage of animation for the characters, so expect to see graphics for a
character within the next month or two. 12-10-2000 Tasks
that have been completed: The algorithm for finding the
best path from the source to the target is completed. It works excellent in most cases where the terrain is
moderately complex to simple. It
always finds a path to the target if one exists, but I am going to make
improvements so that it will find the best path with extremely complicated
terrain. 11-28-2000 Tasks
that have been completed: Six buildings have been
created. I am planning on having
over 100 different buildings. The opening and closing of doors
on the buildings is complete. The entering of buildings is
complete. Depth perception when walking
behind objects. Object detection with mouse
pointer. Ability to determine transparent
areas in images to allow exact distances and coordinates. Ability for buildings to have an
owner by having an owner’s deed. Generation of random monsters
depending on the terrain of the map. 10-28-2000 The graphics and
animation for the game will be an ongoing process until the release of the
game, so I will post information in regard to the graphics as pieces are
finished. Tasks that have been
completed: Random character generation Guild functionality Temple functionality Shop functionality Party and group movement across
the map Multi-Player engine for the game The graphics engine for the game Some combat functionality
(swinging, thrusting, shooting, and throwing) The game editor to create
monsters, weapons, armor, spells, etc. Party member statistics screen
and information Capability to save a
Single-Player game (Multi-Player game saving will be accomplished later) Terrain graphics
Any type of object that isn't a set structure can be obtained by a lifeform (as long as they are strong enough to carry it). I always hated it when objects were "nailed down" in games and couldn't be picked up or moved.
The structures for the various types of building functions
are completed. The various types
of buildings are: morgue, shop, temple, inn, hospital, weaponsmith, armorsmith,
blacksmith, fletcher, bakery, city hall, museum, training hall, guild,
university, jail, hospital, home, arena, leatherworker, tailor, tavern, and
bank. I may add more in the
future. You will have the ability
to join and work for different businesses if you have the appropriate skills
required and you want to leave some party members to make some money. The businesses are going to be
extremely dynamic, and keep track of every possible worker and type of product
sold or rendered. This is a part
of the game that will make Everlasting Journey very interesting and forever
flowing with rich gameplay.
