Pre-KS Update

[itsdat]

I never liked puzzles. Though maybe your game convinces me otherwise. I know they are part of the genre history, but my origin is in P&P roleplaying and there were not a lot of puzzles in the games that we played. So I guess it is just habituation.

Yeah, that must be it.

Looking at what's currently available, it sort of looks like a bigger budget, more complex Age of Fear, and that series has been modestly successful considering the production values.

Age of Fear is a tactical strategy game [like Fantasy General for example - perhaps Pierre heard about that], it is not an RPG.

[galneon]

Looking at what's currently available, it sort of looks like a bigger budget, more complex Age of Fear, and that series has been modestly successful considering the production values.

Age of Fear is a tactical strategy game [like Fantasy General for example - perhaps Pierre heard about that], it is not an RPG.

As someone who has played AoF and Fantasy General, I disagree and so does Steam, but thanks for that bit of out-of-place pedantry.

[feanor89]

I'd love to be downloading new modules 15 years from now.

Mee too and I just can't wait to try to make my "Order of the Stick" module

[itsdat]

As someone who has played AoF and Fantasy General, I disagree and so does Steam, but thanks for that bit of out-of-place pedantry.

Huh? AoF & FG are turn-based wargames, while KotC 1. & 2. are turn-based cRPGs. Totally different genres.

[SilentLion]

Great trailer! It is very exciting to see KotC2 finally getting realized, can't wait to get my hands on it I wish you a very successful Kickstarter, Pierre!

[BlueSalamander]

Thank you very much for the kind words, calmforce, itsdat, SilentLion and galneon!

I'd love to be downloading new modules 15 years from now.

Yes, that's the plan!

On puzzles: many people really like puzzles in video games (see how popular the Broken Sword series is). That is, as long as they're not frustratingly difficult. So I think that they can really help the RPG category.

it is a gfx related feature. It would be cool to have it later on [if it's not too hard to implement].

Well, I thought about it some more. We could have a flexible system that would use the image's file name to indicate to the game how the image should be processed. For example:

* If the image is Warrior.png, process as a normal token.
* If the image is Warrior_S.png, process as a non-animated transparent sprite (so do not display a black circle around it)
* If the image is Warrior_SRL_R.png, process as a non-animated transparent sprite that exists in two orientations, Right and Left (and the game will expect that another file called Warrior_SRL_L.png exists)
* If the image is Warrior_SRLTB_R.png, process as a non-animated transparent sprite that exists in four orientations, Right / Left / Top / Bottom (and the game will expect that files called Warrior_SRLTB_L.png, Warrior_SRLTB_T.png and Warrior_SRLTB_B.png exist)
* If the image is Warrior_SRLTBD_R.png, process as a non-animated transparent sprite that exists in eight orientations, Right / Left / Top / Bottom and the four diagonal directions (and the game will expect that files called Warrior_SRLTBD_L.png, Warrior_SRLTBD_T.png, Warrior_SRLTBD_B.png, Warrior_SRLTBD_TL.png, Warrior_SRLTBD_TR.png, Warrior_SRLTBD_BL.png and Warrior_SRLTBD_BR.png exist)
* If the image is Warrior_SF3RL_R1.png, process as an animated transparent sprite that exists in two orientations, Right and Left, with three movement-animation frames in each direction (and the game will expect that files called Warrior_SF1RL_R2.png, Warrior_SF1RL_R3.png, Warrior_SF1RL_L1.png, Warrior_SF1RL_L2.png, Warrior_SF1RL_L3.png exist)

One way to have (somewhat) inexpensive animated sprites would be to limit them to the Right and Left directions. Then we just need three walk animation frames in the Right direction; the Left frames being a mirror version of the Right frames. Example from Heroes of Might and Magic 3:


With the system above, we could have a mix of static tokens, static sprites and animated sprites all in the same module. Feel free to comment on this. Thank you!

For now I’m fixing some bugs in KotC 1; after that I can start recording gameplay and then make a video for KotC 1.

[fabgrass]

yes oriented sprites is imo important.
In fact I have to play to know if I naturally forget this.
I think I can forget this, but coundn't be the case of lot of candidates players.

no 3s-isometric, but simple top / down sprites, with rotation handled by the program, could easily resolve the problem : only one sprite.
it s not expensive, then even basic animations sequences could be added : Idle, walking, strike, shoot,cast, etc. there are difficulties if we add falling, dying; can be skipped
bitmaps rotation works well in some libraries, with antialiasing etc.

All can be packing in a single image if you publish prerequisites and a smal conf file iventualy (sequence present or not, position and size etc. in the bitmap, ...)

I have a huge list of that sprites, cracked from an old game, representing all soldiers of ancient and medieval armies
Not really useable here, but internet is full of that kind of ressources



sprite & Animation sequences can also be done from 3d models or vectorial tools. For example it s a common task on blender-3d modeler I read on internet

But I dream , I dream...

[itsdat]

it is a gfx related feature. It would be cool to have it later on [if it's not too hard to implement].

Well, I thought about it some more. We could have a flexible system that would use the image's file name to indicate to the game how the image should be processed. For example:

* If the image is Warrior.png, process as a normal token.
* If the image is Warrior_S.png, process as a non-animated transparent sprite (so do not display a black circle around it)
* If the image is Warrior_SRL_R.png, process as a non-animated transparent sprite that exists in two orientations, Right and Left (and the game will expect that another file called Warrior_SRL_L.png exists)
* If the image is Warrior_SRLTB_R.png, process as a non-animated transparent sprite that exists in four orientations, Right / Left / Top / Bottom (and the game will expect that files called Warrior_SRLTB_L.png, Warrior_SRLTB_T.png and Warrior_SRLTB_B.png exist)
* If the image is Warrior_SRLTBD_R.png, process as a non-animated transparent sprite that exists in eight orientations, Right / Left / Top / Bottom and the four diagonal directions (and the game will expect that files called Warrior_SRLTBD_L.png, Warrior_SRLTBD_T.png, Warrior_SRLTBD_B.png, Warrior_SRLTBD_TL.png, Warrior_SRLTBD_TR.png, Warrior_SRLTBD_BL.png and Warrior_SRLTBD_BR.png exist)
* If the image is Warrior_SF3RL_R1.png, process as an animated transparent sprite that exists in two orientations, Right and Left, with three movement-animation frames in each direction (and the game will expect that files called Warrior_SF1RL_R2.png, Warrior_SF1RL_R3.png, Warrior_SF1RL_L1.png, Warrior_SF1RL_L2.png, Warrior_SF1RL_L3.png exist)

One way to have (somewhat) inexpensive animated sprites would be to limit them to the Right and Left directions. Then we just need three walk animation frames in the Right direction; the Left frames being a mirror version of the Right frames. Example from Heroes of Might and Magic 3:


With the system above, we could have a mix of static tokens, static sprites and animated sprites all in the same module. Feel free to comment on this. Thank you!

Sounds good! Well, I am not a programmer, but it sounds easy to implement as well. The reason I come up with this is because I love the top-down tilesets, and token/sprite facing is a must have for those.

Example: Top-down sprites from Fantasy Grounds:




I wanted to use the [spoiler] tag, because the images are quite big, but unfortunately the forum software isn't supporting it. Perhaps you should upgrade it later on Pierre.

PS

For now I’m fixing some bugs in KotC 1; after that I can start recording gameplay and then make a video for KotC 1.

Argh Pierre...please hurry, I must get my hands on the first KotC 2. module + the toolset as soon as possible. This waiting is painful.

PPS
Like I've said, I will create a module [which will take lot of months to complete for sure]. Am I correct that someone will work on a LotR module? I think that I read about that on the forum, but I might be wrong. It would be cool to have a LotR module.

[feanor89]

For now I’m fixing some bugs in KotC 1; after that I can start recording gameplay and then make a video for KotC 1.

Argh Pierre...please hurry, I must get my hands on the first KotC 2. module + the toolset as soon as possible. This waiting is painful.

Ah itsdat, you took the words right off my mouth

PPS
Like I've said, I will create a module [which will take lot of months to complete for sure]. Am I correct that someone will work on a LotR module? I think that I read about that on the forum, but I might be wrong. It would be cool to have a LotR module.

That would be super cool, count me in for beta testing
As I said, I will try to make a Order of The Stick module, but I also guess it will take some time.

PS
A quick question Pierre, is an optional point-buy system for the stats off the table?

[BlueSalamander]

Thanks all. I'm not a fan of looking at characters and monsters from above, I prefer the side view as in Pool of Radiance.

is an optional point-buy system for the stats off the table?

Well, the various races will keep their total starting ability-score points and starting ability-score limits. Within that framework I might add buttons to allow allocating the points instead of having them distributed randomly.