Game Development

So, those following the progress of Middlecrest have probably noticed I haven't updated the source recently. Actually, that's an understatement since my last update was... November (had to go back and look).

Most of the reason is due to contract work I picked up. I underestimated the lack of time I have to devote to projects outside of my day job, which technically is also another project I work on :) I get paid at my day job. I don't get paid to develop Middlecrest.

The other part of it is that the Middlecrest source code hit a brick wall.

I haven't been the architect of a large and complicated project before. I'm used to taking code written by others, sussing out how another organization's codebase works to do whatever update I am assigned to do, and getting it done. There is a world of difference between doing that and architecting the codebase yourself.

While the codebase is great at generating locations (caves, landscapes, etc.), it is horrendous at generating areas (provinces, which are groups of locations). The codebase wasn't nearly as extensible as I thought it was. I've devoted time to correcting the deficiencies in my object model and it has forced me to re-vamp the code considerably.

I will have a fix for the province issue soon. However, since the re-engineering was so extensive, the roadmap has changed. I will release the province generation code in a bug release (a stripped down version featuring just the province code) and add the old functionality and features incrementally, in future updates.

Hopefully, that explains a few things. Middlecrest is still in development, even though it is in fits and starts :)

Continuation of an earlier post, detailing the races of Middlecrest in the latest release.


Lytans - Once possessing the largest empire in Mitrayan history, it stretched across the lands of The Levat, Ispanda, and Zakra. It lapped the shores of Nordlund and claimed portions of both modern Brytholm and the Southern Desert. Ingenious tactics and an open mind to technology and learning allowed them to conquer and lay the groundwork for much of Mistrayan civilization. Most Lytans are educated to a basic level and they were the first civilization to urbanize to a massive degree. They delight in public works and oratory. Their houses of debate served as the seed of the modern Ispandan political system. Their civilization is proud, laying to the east of Ispanda. Ongoing skirmishes with the Levatians have caused bad blood between the two peoples for centuries.

The Lytans are a combination of Ancient Rome, Byzantium, and the Qin dynasty. I wanted an imperial civilization, like Rome, that had once controlled the continent and passed down a legacy of cultural innovations. I also have a fascination with ancient empire cultures that are pre-scientific but still technology-centric.

Abilities and Bonuses: They are one of the only widely literate cultures in the continent. They are bureaucratic and imperial and so many of their other affinities are political or weapon/legion based.

( Levatians and Amoricans )

Middlecrest update to version 0.1.87

Additions:
*Rudimentary quest system
*Character disposition
*Basic guild support
*Look command
*Ranged weapon targeting
*Basic talk menu

Bug Fixes:
*Many!

Updates:
*SQLite to v3.7.6.2
*Significant code overhauls and miscellaneous updates.

This will be it for a while. If anyone wants to contribute to keep the ball rolling, feel free to contact me. Information is in-game and in included readmes. As soon as I'm back on my feet, development will continue.

Thanks and enjoy!

Middlecrest update to version 0.0.83

Additions:
*Simple auto-mapping (press 'f' to toggle on/off)
*Support for Lua scripts
*Building data structures (allows things like name of the business/building to be displayed when you walk near it)

Bug Fixes:
*Bug fix: Fixed random movement so not all characters move the same direction

Updates:
*Boost library to v1.46
*Race descriptions (corrected some nits)
*Improved rng and combat damage algorithms so the same number won't be continuously generated in some instances
*Many more internal code improvements

Seems I didn't release v0.0.82 more than 2 weeks ago, but alas it was more like a month ago! :) I've been updating as much as I can, although I spent most of this last month researching Lua and integrating it into the project. Also, spent a ton of time doing many internal updates to the code. Although this release doesn't contain piles of new stuff that the player sees, there are some interesting updates nonetheless.

Thanks and enjoy!

Updated Middlecrest to version 0.0.82

Additions:
*Added FoV (test by pressing 'f' to toggle on/off).
*Triggers for floor tiles and tied it into the message screen. Now player will be updated if the tile they are standing on triggers an event.
*Intro screen before splash screen to alert players of bugs and important information (feature will only stick around for alpha).
*Color support.

Bug Fixes:
*Altered the starting values of buildings in town to prevent crash at beginning of game.
*Safer type conversion and variable initialization to proof against future bugs.

Updates:
*Updated UI so player messages scroll.
*SQLite v3.7.5
*Refined creature/shopkeeper generation code.

Had a relatively free weekend and I took the time to take a break from working on shopkeeper code. I've included a slough of updates and some bug fixes.

I've decided to hold off on buying/selling for a moment. NPC interaction will be a more monumental undertaking than I originally thought it would be (I thought, hey, I can just get some buying/selling done for shopkeepers... but then realized I needed more generalized interaction capabilities first before I even started the buying/selling code) so I'm going to regroup and figure out my next plan of action.

There's honestly a billion new features I could work on next or code that I could re-factor and extend. I hadn't thought much farther ahead than the current state, in terms of project management. The project is at a place where I could re-tool some of the code, add a few more features, some content, (all told, roughly another month or two worth of work) and I basically would have a fully functional roguelike. This is assuming I don't have any more serious bugs.

I'm beginning to delve into areas where I can start to add some actual Middlecrest features, which is very exciting! But, it's also daunting since these features are the more complicated and involved ones.

Alas, this is a good place to be. I feel like I have accomplished a fair amount, a little bit faster than I thought it would take. I'm excited for the next few months of development.

Updated Middlecrest to version 0.0.81. This release includes several things:

Extensions
* Basic shopkeepers (although buying and selling not enabled yet)
* Rudimentary skills listing

Bug Fixes
* Doors now open correctly
* Solved crash while on wilderness map
* Entrances/Exits between wilderness, towns, and dungeons now connect correctly
* Items are now removed from inventory when dropped
* Minimized (and hopefully solved) crashes shortly after the title screen

Updates
* Updated SQL library to 3.7.4
* Significantly reduced memory footprint (work still in progress)
* Many small, miscellaneous code improvements

Continuation of an earlier post, detailing the races of Middlecrest in the next release.


Ispandan - After being overrun by various tribes and races for nearly a millenia, Ispandan culture has reaped the benefits. They have evolved to be the foremost cultural force in the world with a burgeoning mercantile culture. Being experienced traders and hagglers, their great fleets ply the seaways of distant ports forming trade alliances. They have taken the best of their cultural influences over the past centuries and have experienced a growing renaissance of arts and culture that has infected the rest of the continent.

Mostly an excuse to feature some Rennaisance-era technology in the game (i.e. primitive firearms, various arms and armor, etc.) and swashbuckling-types, they are mainly a mash-up of pan-European Renaissance culture. Other inspiration includes Spanish culture during the Age of Discovery and AD&D's Sword Coast.

Abilities and Bonuses: They have an aptitude for commerce and trading, seemingly almost second-nature to them. Firearms and long-bladed dueling weapons are fashionable with all levels of society, although more so with the upper class who actually have the means to afford them.

( Nordlundians and Zakrans )

Released a small, incremental update of Middlecrest here.

Mostly bug fixes and BOOST updates, but also some additions to the magic system.

A first post, just to introduce a few things...

As somewhat described in the profile, Middlecrest is a pet project I've been working on. One of the things that always fascinated me about open-ended games like the Elder Scrolls series is that, unlike traditional RPG's, linear story lines are not the focus; how you progress in the game world is completely at your whim. You can decide to advance through their guild system, earn reputation with various nobles, or advance through other factions within the game. Level increases were determined by how much you used your skills and not by how many experience points you farmed. While some of those features are somewhat ubiquitous now, back then they were essentially unknown to most gamers and it gave the games a unique draw that was all their own.

The Elder Scrolls release that always fascinated me the most was Daggerfall. It was probably the most ambitious release in all of the Elder Scrolls Series (although, other releases contained small innovations of their own). Unfortunately, due to time constraints and somewhat due to the borders they were pushing, many of the ambitious features weren't implemented. What was implemented, was the quest generation system, the procedurally generated dungeons, landscape, and weather, and spell maker.

What wasn't implemented was the constantly evolving world. Daggerfall split its game world into different provinces that could war and conquer each other. Whereas in traditional RPG's, the world changes as you advance through the mainline quest, Daggerfall took the opposite approach and attempted to implement a game where the world changes independently of you.

Why a roguelike version of this type of game, you may ask? Well, I'm a software developer, not an artist, nor would I want to take on a project that would require such an immense amount of work as a graphical game without a team (which, I don't have). Even with a team, games can take years to develop. Not for me, thanks :)

I wouldn't say no to possible graphical upgrades (I even have some possible ideas if it were to go that way) but I would need more manpower and expertise. I do have experience with 3D libraries and some OpenGL programming, although I'm no expert.

What I can do really well, however, is design data structures and algorithms that the game relies on. A roguelike allows me to concentrate on those endeavors. Additionally, much of what Daggerfall promised was on-the-fly generation of content. Roguelikes are the same way.

I've coded up many aspects of the game, including fledgling magic systems, basic level generation, and various character types. Many more things are designed, but not implemented.

One of the first things that needs to be done is get the code up in some way for people like you that are reading this blog to download. That is the first order of business. My first "release" will be an alpha version that will show funtionality -- it will not be a full game (maybe a simple minigame). I'm closing in on my first release and will always have updated links for whatever stage the project is at. I don't have a current unix-like environment to test it out on, so I can only say that the code works on Windows-based platforms (although my choice of languages and coding style was chosen so ports would be easy).

As I update where my project lives, I will add entries to the dev blog. Unfortunately, you will have to suffice with reading about it :)