Zelda III Online

[Fox]

Hi all RPG fans!

I'm looking for people willing to make a Zelda-like MUD (online-
RPG). Like Graal if
anyone knows -.-" However, I'm planning for a Direct3D-based
engine so we can make effects like transparency, rotations and
such...

I'll need people that can do:

• Server Programming (game classes, accounts, DPlay,...)
• Client Programming (whole DirectX, gfx engine, GUI,...)
• Graphics (tiles, objects, characters)
• Music (background music)
• Sound effects (various kinds)
• Design (levels, enemies, GUI...)
• Story (background story, races, ecomony,...)

We can make the talking here or by mail. However, please do
not join if you won't have the time to work on it! I want it to be
done soon.

Fox

[DaoK]

It will have a lots of Zelda???

[Fox]

No surely not

Like in other online games people can chose their own clothes, buy them in-game respectively. The same for weapons, we'll have more than just a sword, a master sword, 2 kinds of bombs and a bow.. -.-"

You may ask: So why's it Zelda then? Well simple, because of the graphics style and the engine. It'll be Zelda-like, but not Zelda itselves.

(And btw: The guy's called Link, Zelda's the princess -.-+)

[DaoK]

(And btw: The guy's called Link, Zelda's the princess -.-+)

I know that

well I do not have a lots of knowledge about DirectX but I have some with VB maybe I can help you for some code but I can not be an important develloper :\

Btw, I really like your idea, I like a lots Zelda games.

[stickman373]

are you planning on having ppl pay like at that Graal site?

[stickman373]

Yah if this one would take off you definatly need a good server.

I would like to help in anyway that i can, never done DX before though

I liked the old zelda games too

[flame_211]

Ill join...

I can work on the background information, and design levels..

And if worst came to worst, I could learn DX...

I also enjoyed the old zelda games... Infact, I still have the old nintendo
hooked up to my TV... lol

-Andrew

[stickman373]

I would try to help in following:

• Client Programming (GUI)
• Graphics (tiles, objects, characters)
• Music (background music)
• Sound effects (various kinds)
• Design (levels, enemies, GUI...)
• Story (background story, races, ecomony,...)

[DaoK]

I can only help on everything who is not programming coding like winsock... and these code about health..weapons.. all "back" code that we need to run the game.

[flame_211]

Are we gonna do this or not... I REALLY REALLY like the idea...

I think we should get started very soon...

Im not trying to be rude or anything, but if Fox doesnt come back,

then I think we should start with out... Of course we would still

give 'em credit...



-Andrew

P.S. We probably need more people, so MORE PEOPLE JOIN!!!!

[Fox]

I can't hang around here every day

Well first thanks for the feedback. I mentioned Zelda because it's a kinda simple RPG and so Graal is and ours will be. But: I wan't it to be flexible so we can later make it more complex.

Well any more people for the team out there?

[stickman373]

How many ppl you figure we need?

[DaoK]

Am I in or not ?

[aliboss]

hi i want to help. i pritty much know most of the vb lang and some of c++, ive just applyed to uni to studie computer game development (advanced directx and c++). i know some directdraw but hardly any direct3d. hope i can be of some use

[Fox]

How many ppl you figure we need?

I'd say for each of the 7 areas I mentioned at least 1 person...

aliboss: You could make the client programming

DaoK: You could make the editors we'll need

Stickman: Which of these is your favourite?

[stickman373]

Originally posted by Fox



Stickman: Which of these is your favourite?

any of them would be fine. Whatever we need done, not like we just have to have 1 person focus on 1 area, we can spread around to help each other

[aliboss]

i think we need about 2 people for each section, but everyone helps each other as well. im quite happy to be working on the client code fox but i cannot do anything more than display a triangle in direct3d (ATM). once i see the code to do stuff i can pick it up very easy so im hoping to help on the direct3d as well. what parts will you be doing fox?

[flame_211]

What about me?

[Fox]

flame211: story + level design is O.K.

stickman: Nice, can you take the sound / music part then?

aliboss: It's not more you need In fact it's still a 2D game, but instead of drawing rectangle bitmaps you'll draw 2 textured polygons that form a rect...

[flame_211]

Thanks, Im glad too help


Anyways... I dont know if you said it but what language are we gonna program this in? I know HTML & VB

[aliboss]

yeh im mainly a vb programmer, i can do quite abit of c++ as well. i think we should do it mainly in vb and add c++ dll's if we need to do anything in C++. but its up 2 fox

[Fox]

I think we can do it all in VB. Oh well, I forgot one important part:

• Website + Design

Anyone for this part?

---

Another thing: We could use my Nocturne2D - tile/level/player/obeject-editors So we don't have to start from 0. Also -for the server part- we could use my independant script-class.

[DaoK]

I think we should work more as a team.

[stickman373]

I say once we get started more people will probably want to help once we have a little something started

We can pool our knowledge for now, not really have to be confined to the certain task.

That's just what i think

BTW, do we have a name for the game?

[Fox]

Sure, as soon as they 'see' something they'll beg us to join

Well erm, Zelda3 Online is a nice work title, we'll change that later.

[stickman373]

cool, when do ya want to get started with this?

[DaoK]

DaoK: You could make the editors we'll need

I will need more information because I really do not have an idea of what is that lol

[Fox]

Well as common we need a level editor, object editor, account editor and such...

As for the rest: I think the coding part is the most important, and as soon as this works we can make the grapics, sounds, shortly said the game upon that.. and people will more likely want to join the group as soon as we can show results.

So let's concentrate to the server/client part for the moment. And to keep things compatible I'd say we talk about everything here in the forum! Let's make say 2 threads, Z3O server+client programming, and we'll post our ideas and later code there.

I want to start out soon so .. any better ideas?

[flame_211]

Sorry I wasnt able to get on this weekend...

Anyways, I know how to program in VB, so if you
need help with programming I can do that too...

-Andrew

P.S. I also know how to make websites, but we should probably
work on that AFTER we have something...

[Fox]

P.S. I also know how to make websites, but we should probably work on that AFTER we have something...

Sure, but its nice if we can show what we have as soon as possible. However, I'd say we make a small and simple concept now and then start out with the basic things so we get on fast.

I repost who's in atm:

• Fox
• DaoK
• stickman373
• aliboss
• flame_211

Everyone ok with this?

[DaoK]

Yes

[stickman373]

sounds good

[flame_211]

Ok... I got 2 ideas, but they both go in opposite directions...

You guys can either not pay any attention to them (hich would be
fine with me) or listen to them (which again would be fine with me)

1. Maybe when you engage in battle between you and another person, it goes to a different scene, where you and that person go at it head to head, where there is no one else to distract you, just you and the other player fighting til one is dead( unless one chooses to chicken out and runs )

or...

2. Have a sort of base, you can either be by your self, or on a team(with a base) and you can defend your base the whole time, or go out on your own and fight for your team, or you and several of your team mates can go and attack other teams.
The team would decide on a captain, and the captain can control the other players (only when they are not logged on) and lead them in to battle, and the captain would choose people to be in a certain rank (this would determine who would take control of the guys who are offline)





If any of this makes sense to you let me know, OR if you want me to elaborate on an area of my explanation, let me know...


The reason they go in opposite directions is because the first idea would be if their were no teams(if their were teams the team would be able to take out one guy(obviously))

Again if I make no sense at all, let me know And I'll shut up

-Andrew

[stickman373]

I think it would be neat to have community type villages, sort of like clans like you see for a lot of games.

I think the fighting idea is good too, not sure what would be the best way, but i think a large up close battle would be a nice

can't wait to get started!

[DaoK]

person fight each others or vs computer???

[flame_211]

Im glad you like my ideas... I cant wait either...

DaoK:
I dont know if we should have computer players in the game...
I havent actually programmed AI, but I have heard it is REALLY REALLY hard, so I think it would be just Human vs. Human...

-Andrew

[Fox]

Since we're going to make a tile-based engine we're very flexible. Also we can add any properties to objects, tiles or characters at any time we want. Therefore it shouldn't be a problem to implement a Guild system or however you call it (I'm pointing to Ultima Online).

However, to your ideas: I think fights shouldn't be in extra screens (or levels how it's technically managed). I don't like this Final Fantasy -style at all.. so fights will be realtime and just on the same maps as everything.

Not to misunderstand the fight system, people just walk around in the world and can fight anyone they want. So there's no really PvP or PvComputer fights, it's just fights... As in UO, Anarchy, even Diablo2 or any of these.

[DaoK]

So a player who play sinec 1 years can kill a newby player with 1 shoot because he will had a lots more strenght ?

[Cander]

Sounds very intersting but Id like to make some suggestions:

Have you considerd as far as graphics style using tile sets not in the SNES Zelda style? That would make it look too much like you are ripping off Graal. Perhaps use the SNES Final Fantasy style tile sets!

And PvP. PvP is so much ignored in games today it is rediculous. Inadiquate PvP protection for low level players is used and eventually an online game of this nature becomes nothing more than an blood bath run by high level player killers. Something has to be in place to prevent newbies from getting slaughtered becuase they wont come back and number will dwindle. Ive seen it happen all too often.

I am kind of interested in joining this. I dont really have any DX knowledge yet, but I can pick it up. I cant draw, but I can program. I am particularly experienced in client/server porgramming with winsock and can probably easily pick up Direct Play.

[DaoK]

I agree with Cander about the NPC but you will need to explain me how battles will work. ?