[Galladin]

Risu2112, on Oct 21 2009, 12:37 AM, said:

Heh, didn't mean to nitpick, it is looking nice

Haha, no worries mate. It was a good point and I must admit it looks better. However, I do not believe the majority of people will even notice it. =)

[Padz]

The detail on those faces is amazing! You really have far too much talent for a single human

[Galladin]

Well, I want to keep them detailed but still compatible with each other so I can combine as many faces as needed for the dialogues. The dialogue system was one of the few things without mouse interface (the phrases were selected by using number keys), but the mouse support has now been implemented. Some rearrangements have also been made to gain more space for text.

[Galladin]

I have been quite busy with university and job interviews, but the situation is a bit more relaxed now.

The Journal has been finished and implemented. Tasks function is half finished. Notebook and Journal functions are both now accessible through a sidebar in the Inventory board.

[Jester]

Here are some ideas that IMO would push this project onward.

1. Scrap the battle board. There is no nice way to say this, but it's really crippled, confusing and not so fun. I know you have put a lot of time and effort into it, but really i think that if it's included it will make the game somewhat unbearable. Sure it's very unique, but very very unpractical. Plus carrying health packs that each consume one space in the inventory is a bad idea. And being able to "discard" items for good even if they are important is bad desing.

2. Combine the journal and taskbook. There is no reason to keep track of two separated notebooks when everything can be viewed in one. Once again a notebook where you can write your own notes is unique and innovative, but it's really unpractical and made obsolete by the Baldur's Gate-ish autoupdate journal.

3. Dividing the game in "Days" is a good thing. You could make it so that at the start of a new day the players inventory if cleared. The whole idea of having a chest full of items and rumbling through items that are of no use anymore and the needed items brings sadness into to the lives of everyone. Too many "red herrings" there. Every day you would only be able to get the items that are needed to finish the day would work much better. So i think that the chest idea should be scrapped also. Of course you could put few "red herrings" in every day.

I know that you have had a lot of ideas that you want to use in this game, but in the end it's all about what serves the game. Too many ideas usually means quantity over quality. You need to look at your creation and be critical.

IMO the reason why DM has been in production for so long is that Adventure games aren't really your cup of tea and you are a bit confused how to make an enjoyable adventure game. i suggest that you take a look at Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, Maniac Mansion, Secret of Monkey Island 2 and The Dig (haven't played this one, but i remember i heard that it was much more serious than other LA game.. i might be wrong.). These games would push you in the right direction ( gameplay wise, not story wise). Adventure games are all about story, exploration and puzzle-solving.

Remember that I'm saying this because i want to see this game finished and i really think that these changes would make your work easier and the game more enjoyable.

[Galladin]

Thanks for the ideas, criticism and support. I did not see this one coming, really.

Jester, on Nov 5 2009, 07:15 PM, said:

1. Scrap the battle board. There is no nice way to say this, but it's really crippled, confusing and not so fun. I know you have put a lot of time and effort into it, but really i think that if it's included it will make the game somewhat unbearable. Sure it's very unique, but very very unpractical.

I am very reluctant to remove the battles completely. Sure, it's partly because there has been a lot of effort put into it, but also because I believe it builds up for some extra context, adds a nice touch and can also carry the plot further. Think of it as a fill-in instead of a focus. The battles were never planned to be frequent or usual. What do you mean by confusing and unpractical? The mouse-based battle interface itself?

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Plus carrying health packs that each consume one space in the inventory is a bad idea. And being able to "discard" items for good even if they are important is bad desing.

I agree, that would be bad design. That is why here you can only discard items that are also consumable or necessary only once, such as the aforementioned bandages and received notes (the notes will generate an entry in the journal anyway). One thing you also must understand is that many items will disappear as you use them in the game. Therefore, the inventory should not get that packed at any moment - you would only carry the items you absolutely need continuously throughout the game.

Quote

2. Combine the journal and taskbook. There is no reason to keep track of two separated notebooks when everything can be viewed in one. Once again a notebook where you can write your own notes is unique and innovative, but it's really unpractical and made obsolete by the Baldur's Gate-ish autoupdate journal.

There's three similar functions here: A) BG-style Journal, B) Notebook where you can write yourself and C) Taskbook, where you will see the tasks you need to accomplish in order to finish the Day. I take that you suggest combining Journal and Notebook, not Taskbook? This would make sense and the only reason I did not delete Notebook yet was that there was a tiny bug in the Journal. Thanks for the idea, I will just remove the whole Notebook.

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3. Dividing the game in "Days" is a good thing. You could make it so that at the start of a new day the players inventory if cleared. The whole idea of having a chest full of items and rumbling through items that are of no use anymore and the needed items brings sadness into to the lives of everyone. Too many "red herrings" there. Every day you would only be able to get the items that are needed to finish the day would work much better. So i think that the chest idea should be scrapped also. Of course you could put few "red herrings" in every day.

Like I mentioned before, I do not believe there will be any problem with the inventory and having too much items, as they will be automatically discarded when used. If it is proven otherwise during the development, this will be taken care of.

Quote

IMO the reason why DM has been in production for so long is that Adventure games aren't really your cup of tea and you are a bit confused how to make an enjoyable adventure game. i suggest that you take a look at Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, Maniac Mansion, Secret of Monkey Island 2 and The Dig (haven't played this one, but i remember i heard that it was much more serious than other LA game.. i might be wrong.). These games would push you in the right direction ( gameplay wise, not story wise). Adventure games are all about story, exploration and puzzle-solving.

Good suggestions, I will take a look into those. Some of them I have played, but The Dig sounds very good to my liking - I will see what I can find. Keep in mind this was not originally planned to be an adventure game, but in the long run that is where it seems to be heading to. I agree though, adventure games could be regarded as one of my weakest areas. I actually would have liked to have you and Jauhis work on DM too, but that never came true and never will as you guys probably are quite busy with Stronghold. Plus, there's the distance.

[Padz]

"The dig" is an awesome game. everyone should have to play it at least once by law

[Hoof]

These:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9Fw5vTLlmo...&playnext=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn79hbjGPsI...&playnext=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpdcvb3iNWk...&playnext=1

Although, really, there's nothing more boring than WATCHING someone play an adventure game. But dammit it takes me back!

[Galladin]

Hey there. It's been a while since the last post, but there has been some quiet and slow progress.

As Jester suggested, the self-maintained notebook was scratched and a BG style journal was added to enable automatic updates and entries allowing the player to easily track down progress and clues.

Today I was working on some particular areas such as the Leman Street Police Station and the Mortuary. Some minor graphics details have also been implemented, as shown in the screenshot.

[Galladin]

Mortuary at the Leman Street police station.

[Sai'ke]

I'm very curious how this plays

[T-Bone]

Same here.

[Galladin]

Not sure if I already wrote this before, but previously the dialogues were controlled with the number keys. The mouse-controlled interface is now implemented in dialogue mode, too.

I am still not ready to scrap or remove the battleboard completely as Jester suggested. However, I do agree that the battle system should be improved, and lately I have been working on some ideas. The basic idea of the "1st-person-view" is something I'd like to keep - though the graphics will be changed - and I will try to concentrate on some other aspects of the system to make it more enjoyable. My original idea was to accomplish the battles in a manner which would require the player to do a bit more than just pressing the over-used "Attack/Defend/Escape/Magic" buttons.

[Galladin]

Bump! It's been a while!

My laptop died around 4-6 months ago, as soon as I get my lazy ass moving I'll try restoring/saving the HD. Not much progress had been done since the last times - some tweaking here, removing something there and adding a thing or two plus some boards, but nothing major. However, I am determined to finish this one some day, but I've had to focus more on working and studying as of late.

Hopefully the HD can be saved and hopefully that will be soon.