Empire

[Dragonium]

This is what's been keeping me busy recently.

Firstly, this is a mini-project. When finished I'm aiming for a playing time of 4-6 hours, perhaps more depending on how everything goes. As such, I'm hopeful I'll be able to finish it. There may well be plenty of coding involved, but since I now have 11 weeks of free time, I'm prepared to go the distance. Just for you people out there at Charas.

Also, this does not replace Radiance. Radiance, as of yet, is MIA; it's all on the hard-drive of my old computer, which exploded in spectacular style, and I'll maybe pick it up and carry on with it, once I get some ideas and figure out to get rid of all the bugs and clichés that were eating into it.

Also, yes, it is a little like Outpost. Please don't make that comment, because I know. If anyone makes this comment you will be coated in sugary water and dropped in a vat of wasps. Please show consideration.

But enough talk. On to the good stuff. Because that's the way, uh-huh uh-huh, I like it. Ooh yes.

~~~Story~~~

Ivor, son of Godvor, is the archetypal villain.

His is the Kingdom of the East, a land where Ivor reigns as a tyrant. He rules by fear, giving orders to his people and placing those who oppose his rule under arrest. Throughout the known world, Ivor's arrogance is unmatched; drunk on power and with unrivalled skill as ruler, he spends his days plotting how to further extend his Empire's reach.

One day, a day like any other, Ivor comes up with a scheme on a grand scale.

Quickly, he throws together what soldiers he has to spare, and sets off at a march, sweeping westward. The lands in the mid-west have long been known for their fertility and refuge, a land of milk and honey, ruled by a warrior king. Deciding that his Empire is now sizeable enough that to expand would pose no risk, and motivated by the thought of being the ruler of a grand empire, Ivor seeks to seize control of the mid-west and reap the rewards for his own.

His presence, however, does not go unnoticed. His rag-tag band of leftover soldiers draws attention in the mid-west. Word spreads. Finally, news of a hostile presence reaches the mid-west's King, Edward the Supplanter (So named for having overthrown the previous ruler of the mid-west, a vile tyrant, and taken his throne to lead the people to glory). Edward decides that Ivor's intentions must not come to fruition, for the good of the people, and so leads his own army to meet Ivor's army.

In a pre-emptive strike, Ivor's army is attacked, and crushed.

In the chaos of the battlefield, Ivor realises that he is now the only man from the East. Humiliated, defeated, and faced with the threat of death, this once-proud King turns on his heel and flees.

After several days of wandering, lost and alone, through the hostile mid-west, he stumbles upon a relic of an ancient time, a ruined fortress set into a forest, and with no other option, takes shelter within.

Stranded in the very centre of a nation that will not tolerate him, Ivor begins plotting. He will build an Empire here, train a new army, take the battle to Edward the Supplanter's doorstep, and regain his glory.

~~~Features~~~

Empire Building - Ivor needs to build a new Empire in the mid-west in order to rise in power, and in order to finally take revenge on Edward the Supplanter. He will need to build, grow, and become feared throughout the mid-west to do this. Progress through the game by completing missions (Scenarios) to build your Empire.

Management - As well as taking on Scenarios in the mid-west to build your Empire, it is equally important to use the fortress to its maximum potential. When you have the resources available, you may renovate the various empty rooms in the fortress, to do what you see fit. Do you build a Barracks to train soldiers to assist you in battle? Do you research Magic and train Mages to assist you with an elemental assault? Do you create a Smithy to create new weaponry and equipment for you, or do you hire Chefs to cook you stat-boosting meals? How you run your Empire, and the decisions you make, are entirely up to you.

Non-Linear (Sort of) Storyline - The numerous Scenarios on the Scenario Map can be taken as you progress. You can unlock new Scenarios by completing others, or by completing various objectives within the fortress (Perhaps hiring Scouts would reveal hidden places?). There's no pressure to do anything - you can take Scenarios any time you like, and complete them in any order you like.

Scenarios - In building an Empire, the Scenarios you'll have to complete will be varied. They are split into three main types - Battle, Reconnaissance and Puzzle. Battle Scenarios require for you to defeat a target or carry out certain objectives on the battlefield; Reconnaissance Scenarios require for you to explore and area and complete objectives within it, and may involve using stealth; and Puzzle Scenarios require you to complete a Puzzle to continue. Choose the Scenarios you take wisely in order to play to your strengths - or just do whatever you feel like doing. Remember, there may be more than one way to complete an objective.

Tactical Battle System - On the battlefield, the use of tactics will be your greatest advantage. As a ruthless master tactician, Ivor can play to his strengths on the battlefield; command your soldiers to use them for maximum effect, experiment with different strategies, and use your environment to your advantage. The freedom is yours - do you lead from the rear and use your soldiers, or do you lead by example and charge?

~~~Screenshots~~~



At the fortress, Ivor spends a moment to form a plan.



The fortress is a big place, so you should spend some time to explore it.



On the Scenario Map you can select the Scenario you want to play.



The town of Falrick provides your "first steps" into building an Empire.

~~~~~~

That's about all I have for now. I'm going to work a little more, figure out my TBS, get some more screenshot-worthy material, and get back to you. Constructive criticism would be much appreciated.

Thanks for reading.

[clockworkroutine]

I'd love to hear more about what you are planning for your TBS.

I'm so intrigued.

I'm thinking about TBS's that I've played where you've had to mobilize vast armies.  Suikoden Series - had a small system where you issued out very simple commands - and then watched your troops collide and reak whatever.

Dragon Force for the Sega Saturn - had much the same system - but their were generals that had these one special moves that shot down the battlefield before all the soldiers and cut through the ranks.  But you also moved your generals around the map conquering kingdoms spawning friends and enemies and reaching hidden special events.

Der Langrisser for SNES had a system - where you moved around a flat map - with complete freedom of movement unlike Dragon Force which was like walking around on tight ropes.  The generals were their own units - and the soldiers were their own seperate units.  Being close to the general strengthened the units.  Battle played the same - but you had magic you could cast outside of battle as well that healed and did whatnot.

Heroes of might and magic - you got to recruit different types of creatures and fighters into your generals party.  Advance a kingdom like you said.  Defend like you said.  Buy equipment.  Be sneaky.  Find resources to build - which required conquering territory and the territory got taxed everyday - all profits going to you.

I don't know - I hope that helps you with your game and coming up with Ideas.  Whether its a combination of ideas or just on spurts.  I do hope you complete this - even if it is small.  TBS's are hella hard or simply long to program - at least for me.  good luck - persevere.

[Dragonium]

The concept of the TBS I'm planning is very much up in the air at the moment, since I'm not entirely sure how to do it.

The TBS I'm planning is in a way similar to that of FF Tactics, in some respects at least. What I was planning to do was to use a system similar to that of a Chess game: each "team" can move one unit per turn, and different units are capable of different movement patterns and different attack ranges (For instance archers could attack from further away).

From there, with regards to attack damage, etc, it'd be a simple sequence of Variable operations. For example attack damage would be calculated by:

(Attacker's Base Attack + Additional Attack Bonuses + Random "Luck" Modifier of 0-3 Damage) - (Defender's Base Defence + Additional Defence Bonuses)

So, rather than one "piece" taking any other, as in Chess, the Variable operations used would keep it RPG-style, with stronger and weaker units, attack/defence bonuses from spells or equipment etc., and luck coming into the equation to keep things interesting.

But as I say, I pretty much have no idea how to do it as of yet. Still, I'm experimenting with RPG Maker coding, working on it, and I'm hoping I'll figure something out.

Thanks for taking an interest, anyway.

[Moosetroop11]

TBSs are incredibly difficult to make. Saikar got part way there, though.

Good to see you've finally posted about this XD I think the idea of a villain as the good guy is a fantastic move, but you'll have to make sure that the person playing the game still likes him- it's no fun playing an rpg if you don't care if you win or not.

Looks great so far ^.^

[Meiscool-2]

The systems sound fun. Tactics can take a lot of time to code, especially what you are looking for.

Sounds very Ages of Empires-ie.

Your interior screen sucks, no putting that differently. Your exteriors are good. Nice chips there

BTW, I lead from behind!

[Prpl_Mage]

Sounds like a more Rpg-ish Heroes of Might and Magic game to me. And that´s not something bad, it sounds great!

I will keep an eye on this.

[A Forgotten Legend]

The fortress is a big place, so you should spend some time to explore it.

Empty... so... empty... its... argh... I... can't... look... at... it... anymore....

[Dragonium]

That chipset is the best, most suitable one I have. I have tried to edit it, but I find pixel editing with MS Paint difficult. Mostly I just take the set and perform some slight, simple edits to make it more suitable for purpose.

Also, I could fill up that room with stuff, but it wouldn't be an abandoned, ruined fortress room any more. It would be a fortress room containing lots of pointless clutter.

Even though my excuse is perfect, I have edited that screen just to appease Misters Meiscool and AFL.



Feel free to comment. Your response will dictate whether your genitalia remains intact.

Also, just to get some more people posting, I have more screens.



The Scenario Description allows you to see the objectives, type and difficulty of the Scenario.



What better place to find willing helpers than at Jeffries' Bar?

That's your lot for now. Comment!

[Yhtomitsu]

the screens look good you gonna have a demo out soon?

[Meiscool-2]

Enjoy: http://asutoranagan.hp.infoseek.co.jp/battlecharset.html

[Dragonium]

Well, due to the nature of the "select a Scenario" storyline, I don't have to code a linear storyline - which means less coding. However, there's still a bunch of stuff I need to do, including (But not limited to):

 - Making the TBS (This is the biggest obstacle).
 - Finishing fortress (Won't take long)
 - Making the Renovation System (I think I have this figured out, and if I'm right, this should be easy).
 - Making a suitable number of Scenarios for a demo (I'm thinking maybe 5-10).

For a time frame, I dunno. I have 11 weeks free, give or take some odd days, and depending on whether I'm forced to get a job or not. Another hurdle is how long it takes me to find out how to make a TBS. It could take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. I'll keep folks updated on how it's going, but in return people have to post in this thread so I have encouragement and motivation. xD

Anyway. I will keep working. First Scenario, rather delightfully, is almost done.

EDIT: Err. Thanks Meis. Much appreciated.

[Yhtomitsu]

ohh ok good luck with that i only have 2 weeks off.

[DNAForAll]

i like the sound of the tbs, it makes the game more unique and interesting.
sounds fun, good luck