I haven't posted here in a couple of months, so I thought I'd drop a line to say why: there hasn't been anything I wanted to play (other than JA2 for the 5th or 6th time) in a looong time, so while waiting for Eschalon I decided to make my own game in Flash, in order to learn something about scripting in Action Script 2.0. I'm a 3D graphics guy so I figured a simple language like this would be a good place to start.

The original concept was a pirate game which would incorporate a dozen or so different mini-games, including ship-to-ship turn-based combat. But the more I discovered one could do in a Flash game, the more I started to think about a turn-based RPG, heavy on combat, like Helherron or POWS, but with more dialogue, quests and purpose. And better graphics.

I started scribbling down ideas, especially for various new monster types. Like any kid who grew loving the C-64, I fantasized about making my own game. After a couple of days I convinced myself the amount of work to be done was just too staggering and that I should put it aside. My knowledge of if/else statements was basically the limit of what I knew about coding.

In any case, I told myself, if the player can't save his game it would never work. I investigated how I could implement a saved game in Flash. Turns out there is a kludgy way to do it.

I started working on one level of a dungeon. Since graphics is my thing it was a lot of fun, and not very frustrating. Soon I had a level where my PC could roam around, open doors, not walk through walls and the rooms would light up as he went.

Then I got discouraged again at the shear scope of the project. I wasn't worried that it would take too long (although it most certainly will), I was worried that eventually I would meet an obstacle that I just couldn't overcome, a limit of either Flash or my complete ignorance of coding. I thought to myself What would be the single hardest part of developing this game? The combat. So I started working on combat, which would pop-up in a new screen with a similar but zoomed-in layout, so you can't just run off through the entire dungeon. My sprite already had a slate of statistics I determined, a barebones system derived from the usual inspirations. I got my sprite running around, attacking enemies, hitting or missing and wounding them according to numbers built from his stats and held weapon.

But what about enemy AI? I had to build a template class for every possible monster statistic, establish an initiative order based on stats, have the enemy identify targets and move toward them, and work out a logical combat system. With some suggestions from a friend doing a PhD in Computer Science, I wrote some very simple pathfinding. They already knew not to run over their friends or the walls, now they could do workarounds for a square or two.

Since then I've implemented classes for weapons and armour, a routine for adding an NPC, and a functioning inventory with character class-based weapon and armour restrictions, and a multiple-choice dialogue interface. To come: ranged combat, world map navigation, quest arrays and content. Ohhh, the content.

Anyhoo, since I don’t have a website up yet for the game, this was the only place I could think of to spout off about it. There won’t be a functioning demo for a long time yet, long after Eschalon is out I’m sure. Or maybe never at that. Here are a few screenshot. The interface isn’t finished and it isn’t pretty, so don’t cringe.


The only dungeon, at present

Inventory

Combat

Very cool! Get it done so I can play!

A Flash-based RPG? Thats quite a impressive idea! And for what i can see, it can be done! It looks fantastic. So go on an give us starved Hardcore RPGers a Demo!!!!

Dude, nice!

This looks very good! Definitely an accomplishment, especially if you don't have much programming experience. I am ashamed to admit I've never gotten that far with a game (yet), and I have a degree in CS.

I have never used Flash but I know that there are many games made in it. I will caution you that many of those that I have seen are limited in scope, due to, I suspect, the limitations of the language.

Looks cool!

Concerning your comments about combat being the hardest part of the game... it certainly can be, but it's also more that it's the one part of the game you can't afford to screw up, because many CRPG's have a lot of it.

With my vintage gaming project, I'm finding that the file logistics and game screen setups are consuming a lot more time and causing me a lot more headaches, for example, than combat. Although I'm sure combat will give me it's fair share of Tylenol ES days...

Adam

Wow, looks pretty cool Screeg!

I have been designing a game myself but am just at the very beginning. Did it take you long to get that far? (Just curious what I have got myself into).

That's why I was so reluctant to really go for this project, but the more I do, the more I find I'm actually able to do. At first I said to myself If it could be done, how come no one has done it yet? But now I'm thinking it's just a matter of committing the time.

@Saxon1974: I worked on this game's predecessor for about 8 weeks, which gave me some grounding in the code mechanics but not any usable content, and on this game 30-35 hours/week for about 10 weeks. I do have quite a lot of graphics assets I could use for the dungeon, but everything else, including the sprites, I've built from scratch.