The Ancients

[azkanan]

* * *

**Project Terra**

* * *

~~Project Terra~~ The Ancients is a 2D MMORPG with touches of the Sandbox,
Simulation and turn-based tactical genres. The game is set
in 200BCE on Earth, in the old world. _(ie, Europe-Asia-Africa-Oceania)_.

The player will take the role of a character of their choosing,
whereas the player can customize the being from biological
appearance, an in-depth background that will generate the
character's starting location and skills, abilities, etc.

The player will meet 100% unique NPCs who have their own
agendas, skills, personality and family whilst traveling through
an absolutely huge world, totally able to shape it through
devastation or nurture, both naturally and man-made.

* * *

>! * In-depth and Personal NPCs; NPCs track how they like you by emotions, rather than a dislike-like bar. They will eventually forget you, but depending on your actions and length of time spent with them, is how long they will remember you for - for better or worse.
>! * Spending time with NPCs are rewarded greatly. If you are totally and all-loved by an NPCs, you can claim yourself as a demigod. Likewise, if you are totally and all-hated, you may form yourself a Nemesis, who may send assassins to try and kill you - or attempt it himself.
>! * Meet ancient heroes of time; The almighty Hannibal, the brilliant Scipio, the enchanting Plautus.
>! * Huge world, 1:4 aprox. ratio to real-world distances
>! * 70+ Skills
>! * 99 Equipment Slots, allowing for total customization of the player's appearance - be a Knight in Pauldrons, or a Jester with odd socks.
>! * Totally new combat enumerations where a player has very little HP, forcing the player to rely on skill, dodge and layers of armour.
>! * Characters that need to eat, drink, sleep, socialise, bathe and _poop_.
>! * **ALL** items in-world are crafted. The game will begin with elements, whereas NPCs will be given a head-start in crafting goods, taking into account their own crafting skills.
>! * **ALL** items stay in rotation. What you sell in one shop might be sold to a merchant in Syria.
>! * **TOTAL** freedom. Like that rock? Worship it. Like this field? Build a house and settle down. Don't like the ships on offer at the shipyard? Build your own.
>! * Sea-Travel! Be a pirate, be a Sea-fisherman, be a trade vessel.
>! * Climb the ranks of the political race and become a Senator, at which point you can influence the laws of the land and even the taxes.
>! * Form a Retinue of grizzly and dastardly NPCs, furnish a cavern in the mountains and form a bandit group.
>! * Form a Guild, a collection of people of similar tradeskills and offer your guildies for their services for a turn of profit.
>! * Be your own lord - Claim land in your own name, build a fortress and attract people to it to fight for you - be wary of the dire consequences of claiming land on Roman soil, though!
>! * Start a business; choose either the Source, Supply or Sale industry and take it from there - manage employees, buy better equipment, build a headquarters, handle contracts, and much more!
>! * Pass on the family name; become a parent and watch your child grow. As an immortal, they will inevitably pass. However, your child may one day take a child of his own, and your family will spread.

* * *

>! **All screenshots are of the development phase, so don't judge us too harshly by them!**
>! * * *
>! **Main Menu**
>! * * *
>! 
>! Each Character HUD displayed on this screen represents
a person in your retinue (Party). As such, only a full
retinue will show all of the character HUDs.
>! This is a feature **blatantly stolen** from Suikoden.
>! * * *
>! **Character Menu**
>! * * *
>! 
>! Top Left
These are general details about you and your character,
and to the second half below are details of important
relationships.
>! Center Top
These are details about the player's skills, which scrolls
left and right within the window.
>! Top Right
This is a portrait of your character.
>! Center Bottom
This is where you can view your character's abilities
and experiences.
>! Bottom Left
These are your character's attributes; Physique, Endurance,
Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Charisma, Constitution,
Piety.
>! * * *
>! **Belongings Menu**
>! * * *
>! 
>! Top Left
This is the main interface. You can access sub-sections of your
equipment through this, each icon opening a different window
where Top Right is.
>! Top Right
This window is not visible till a selection is made in Top Left.
Each window is different according to what layers that body
part allows, and what jewelry slots they make use of.
>! For example, hands have nine slots - four rings, one thumbring,
and then four layers - meanwhile, the Back slot only has two
slots, Armour and Over (Culets and Capes/Cloaks).
>! Bottom Left
This is a quick-display of your character's appearance.
>! * * *
>! **Relationships Menu**
>! * * *
>! 
>! Top Left
This is the list of NPCs and Players you know. On the left of
the name is a status of the player (Online, Offline | Alive, Dead, Unknown)
and on the right is their "Title" of emotion toward you.
>! Top Center
This is the Emotion Graph.
Clockwise from the top: Admiration, Trust, Resentment, Distrust.
>! Top Right
This would be an image of the selected character as you last saw him.
>! Bottom Right
These are the skills that you've learned the selected character has.
>! Bottom Center
These are general details of the character.
>! Bottom Left
These are the relationships that you've learned the selected
character has - allowing maybe a nefarious player to know which
person to take hostage or use them as blackmail.
>! * * *
>! * * *
>! **Portrait**
>! * * *
>! 
>! This is an adult male's generic portrait.
>! This is the image that goes into the Magenta slots seen above.
>! This image changes according to your hair, eyes, mood and equipment.
>! * * *
>! **Client-Server Connectivity**
>! * * *
>! 
>! _"I've now started on the client-server communications.
I've got the client communicating with the server, and aim
to get the server sending to the client in the next day or so.
In the meantime, I create a data buffer class which basically
holds a group of data, whatever the type. This can then be
sent to the server or client and parsed with a few functions."_
>! * * *
>!
>! Azkanan
Graphics
>! Lightning
Programming
>! * * *

[evilbunnie]

Holy shite, that is some impressive features you've got in the making.
What langauge is this programmed in?

Good luck sire, :tipshat:

[Yxxe]

@Captain:

> What langauge is this programmed in?

C++.

[ZoSo]

Seems awesome :). Post videos!

[evilbunnie]

@Lightning:

> C++.

That's what I thought.
Using WINAPI or what? DirectX or OpenGL?

[Yxxe]

@Captain:

> That's what I thought.
> Using WINAPI or what? DirectX or OpenGL?

Server is WINAPI, client is OpenGL at the moment. I haven't really done much in the rendering states at the moment, a texture rendering routing etc, so nothing much will need to be converted if I decide to go to DirectX. However, if myself and Azkanan feel that the current graphics API does all that we need it to do, then of course there is not much point in switching to DirectX. ;]

[evilbunnie]

@Lightning:

> Server is WINAPI, client is OpenGL at the moment. I haven't really done much in the rendering states at the moment, a texture rendering routing etc, so nothing much will need to be converted if I decide to go to DirectX. However, if myself and Azkanan feel that the current graphics API does all that we need it to do, then of course there is not much point in switching to DirectX. ;]

I see; I'm doing an OpenGL client also. Been in the works for a while now.

Good luck.

[ark0n]

Wow, this looks great, looking forward too seeing how this turns out!

[Myron]

About time you made a topic about this game, lazy bum. :)

[azkanan]

Thanks all the gratifying comments, all :D.

@Rusher:

> About time you made a topic about this game, lazy bum. :)

Shutup.

[Sickey]

Looks, and sounds great! I will for sure test this when its out ;) Best of wishes.

[aaaron]

Sweet! Looks good.

[Helpmeplz]

I remember this. You finally got a programmer I see lol.. Good luck Azk.

[shwamshwam1]

This looks great!
Ive recently been watching Lightning for any tiny bit whilst he has been coding this!
I expect great things!

[azkanan]

Concept Range/Elevation design.




[cheatking]

I DEMAND CREDIT!

[azkanan]

@Mr.:

> I DEMAND CREDIT!

Yes, Sean was a great help in coming to this solution :P

[Jeff]

Tiles look like shit, too much contrast.

I might suggest that you make water be -1 in elevation. Everything else seems pretty sex though.

[Helpmeplz]

@Azkanan:

> Concept Range/Elevation design.

Love it. More please.
@Eckhart:

> I might suggest that you make water be -1 in elevation. Everything else seems pretty sex though.

What good will that do? lol

[Jeff]

@LegendWeaver:

> What good will that do? lol

Dunno xD it seems like it'd be a good idea though. If there's a flood then everything up to x level will be filled up, and -1 is always filled with water. Could also be useful for boats.

[SawQuart]

@Eckhart:

> Dunno xD it seems like it'd be a good idea though. If there's a flood then everything up to x level will be filled up, and -1 is always filled with water. Could also be useful for boats.

Erm, a height map?

[azkanan]

New Cliff faces tiles I've made today. Long-ass work.

I'm going to add some additional floral bits and bobs to it to add natural variation… but I think it'll do for today ._.


[JeffSventora]

Very nice, I wish I had artistic skill o.o

[azkanan]

@JeffSventora:

> Very nice, I wish I had artistic skill o.o

I was saying that a couple of years ago, and that was when I was pixeling without a palette, but with filters instead. Practice makes perfect, man.

[Sickey]

Looks good, only thing I can think of is the stones on the cliff, they make my head spin around.. Like an optical illusion.