Ascension Revolution (RPG TC for ZDoom)

[XCVG]

This project has been shelved indefinitely. See this post.

Apologies in advance: I copied this straight from my post on another board, and the markup and intended audience are both different. Give me a while to fix things up.

ZDoom.org thread: http://forum.zdoom.org/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=37114

CURRENT VERSION (RELEASED): Alpha 1
CURRENT VERSION (DEVELOPMENT): 20140524_2022

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: ascensionrevolution.com



Project Dysprosium (tentatively titled Ascension: Revolution) is a sequel to Ascension, my programming class text adventure RPG (yes, that's what I call it). It takes place in the 'magical' land of Rynn- a land plunged into turmoil by the sudden revelation of aliens and advanced technology. Less dramatically, it was a stereotypical fantasy world until the Terrans (as opposed to Rynn humans) showed up and introduced a lot of new ideas. Initially, the player is put into the shoes of the RPG fantasy hero, a pure and good type, but the tables shift after the title sequence. I'd say the strongest themes are the relativity of morality and the inevitability of change.

Gameplay-wise, Dysprosium will (hopefully) be like (a really, really ghetto version of) Skyrim, with some (horribly mutilated) Mass Effect thrown in. In other words, hybrid RPG. The player will have to complete quests to advance the storyline, delivered through static cutscenes, dynamic cutscenes, and gameplay. There will be a leveling system and an inventory and all that RPG stuff, though it will not be heavily emphasized. The actions of the player will directly affect the outcome of the story. To put it another way, the emphasis is on storytelling rather than shooting things or leveling up.

I started seriously considering doing a sequel or spinoff to Ascension when I cleaned it up for distribution back in July. The natural choice would be to hack something together with RPG Maker, but I was hesitant to do so for several reasons. My work wouldn't really distinguish itself, I didn't like the combat system, and it's $60. Still, it would have been the logical choice for this project. Me being me, I dusted off SLADE and Doom Builder and got to work.

It goes without saying that this is one Heck of an ambitious project and that there's no way I can do it alone. I'm terrible with any sort of art and worse with music, and I'm only so-so at coding. In the coming months, I will be putting out various requests here and elsewhere. For the time being, though, expect a lot of placeholder assets.

Licensing is tentatively CC BY-NC-SA, with the story itself CC BY-SA and the code under its own license (ZDoom’s licensing is... complex). It will be open source and derivatives will be allowed. I don’t believe in shrouding the development process in a veil of secrecy, and in fact you can already download development builds. It will never be a commercial game and it will always be free.

[spoiler=Planned Features]Total conversion. Nothing less will do. Expect placeholders for years though.
Cinematic conversation system (like Mass Effect but with low-res static sprites)
Full or partial voice acting
XP and leveling system (duh)
Inventory (also duh)
Dynamic and useful companions (and you can have more than one at a time)
Immersive and intelligent storyline (or so it claims)
Wide-open, nonlinear and interlinked environments[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Current Features]One incomplete chapter
A few sample and demo maps
One piece of a working game world
Two partially complete chapters
Tons of placeholder graphics
Awkward but working conversation system
Leveling system with working menu
Quest system with journal
Kludged UI
Ugly, but working companions[/spoiler]

MEDIA/DOWNLOADS

Ascension PCTARPG: Download

Design Document: Draft

Vision Trailer: Video

dev20130830 Demonstration: Video
Followers Demonstration: Video
Powers Demonstration: Video
Standalone Demonstration: Video
dev20131201 Demonstration: Video
Arsalz Gameplay: Video

Development Builds: Repository
Release 0.1R: Download
Release 0.2R: Download
Release MS1: Download
Release Alpha 1: Download

 

[XCVG]

Setting

Ascension and by extension Revolution really takes place in a setting within a setting. Either the pseudomagical land of Rynn or the science-fiction Milky Way could be a complete verse in its own right. However, the two are combined and interconnected. The ancestors of the elves on Rynn are the ancestors of the space elves or Salveli. The mysterious race that brought humans to Rynn still occasionally visits. Both the Alliance (humans) and Salveli Republic have a presence on Rynn after first contact.

Specifically, Revolution takes place in a region of Rynn called Egaloch. It’s a mixture of Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, and French in a relatively small nation (about the size of Belgium but smaller ingame due to technical limitations). The Kingdom of Egaloch is not part of the overarching Empire (which is now in some serious hot water) although it is closely connected to it- thing intermarriage interconnected. It’s a standard absolute monarchy, with a lovely feudal system to match. Technology is mid to late Middle Ages, but mixed with magic, and with much more advanced technology being smuggled in.

Times are changing. The introduction of enlightened ideas has sent shockwaves through the academic community, through the military command, and through politics. Dissent is spreading. People are beginning to question the status quo. Modern technology is being put to use alongside magic, legitimately obtained or otherwise. Egaloch is relatively backwards compared to some other regions, but even it is not immune to the events unfolding across the world.

Plot

For years, an evil man and his army of minions terrorized the land. They attacked the King’s men, subverted the peasants, and generally caused as much destruction and chaos as possible. In the destruction, a great hero rose up, leading the armies of good to destroy those of evil. Finally, with his army crushed and most of his resources spent, the evildoer gambled and used the last of his forces to kidnap the Princess of Egaloch. The hero raced to save her and crush the villain once and for all. He succeeded, and the villain was arrested, stood trial and was imprisoned for his crimes.

That’s what they would like you to believe. History is written by the victor. The villain is the loser and the loser is the villain.

One year later, that villain gets up in his cell to begin his daily routine of eating slop and reading the few books they still allow him to have. Suddenly, the alarm goes off, and the guards go to full alert. There are several gunshots, and the guards drop like flies. An armoured figure strides in and hands you a gun. You follow them out, fighting your way out of the prison, releasing the other prisoners, and escape to a safehouse kept just in case.

It’s a second chance to start over. But is this about power, revenge, or are you actually trying to make the world a better place? Are you going to try again? The King’s men are willing to murder an entire town to find you, and you refuse to let that happen. A few short but intense minutes later, they lie dead at your feet, and suddenly, to the townspeople, you aren’t the villain anymore.

You’re the hero.

Characters

The Hero

The great adventurer that broke the Villain's reign of terror, saved the Kingdom in its darkest hour, rescued the Princess and defeated the Villain. A strong fighter with a strong resolve, believes very strongly in what is “good” and “right”. To the more cynical, a naive pawn to be used for solving problems. Now engaged the the Princess, he is fiercely loyal and will stick to his ideals, no matter how misguided they may be, until the very end.

Princess Sabell Lorrain

The Princess of Egaloch, who is next in line for the throne. She was planned to be married to a noble of the Empire but he was killed during the revolt in Skarval. Now engaged to the Hero, she faces the same uncertain future as her nation, a fact which she is keenly aware of.

King Gostav Lorrain

The King of Egaloch. The latest in a long line of rulers, can trace his heredity back for generations. Gostav believes very strongly in two things: his divine right to rule, and preserving the status quo, which may in fact be one and the same. Unlike the Hero, he is willing to negotiate and bend the rules if it benefits his agenda.

The Villain

The player character. A cynical, bitter rebel somewhere in the spectrum from anti-hero to villain, depending on how you choose to play.

The Merc

A tough woman of mixed Russian-Hispanic ancestry (actually from Iowa). An ex-Alliance Marine and now a mercenary, she broke the Villain out of prison hoping for a share of the reward. Unlike some others, she is willing to wait and stick with the revolution in the hope of a bigger payoff later. Equipped with an accelerator rifle and combat armor, she is the most powerful of your followers.

The Avenger

Large, powerful man Heck-bent on revenge. An ethnic Skad, his family moved to Egaloch during his childhood. His brother Nels was executed when their family refused to pay their tithe to the Kingdom. As a result, he personally holds the King responsible wants him dead. With heavy armor and a Skad greatsword, he is very powerful at close range, but also loud and slow.

The Rogue

Known only as Shadow, this man is impossible to pin down. Steals secrets, treasures, and occasionally lives. Whether he only accepts jobs for the challenge or he accepts any work for pay is up for debate. No one has seen his face and lived to tell about it. Fast and stealthy but deadly with a punch dagger and crossbow.

The Elf

Viriila D'Asal is a high elf from the aristocratic D'asal family of western Vandermere. Rebellious as a teenager, she left home to seek adventure, eventually landing in Egaloch. Physically attractive, she also possesses a knack for analyzing people, knowledge of multiple languages, and powerful magic. Her light but durable armor and small but expensive dagger make her otherwise middling in combat.

The Trader

A reasonably successful trader in Remarius, Hadrae came to Egaloch to make his fortune, but was robbed and left without his goods. Unable to return to Remarius, he continued trying various unsuccessful ventures in Egaloch. Now he is in trouble with both the law and some people that don't believe in laws, but he can still get what a rebellion needs. With only an Earth-built revolver, he is the weakest follower in combat.

Locations

Cave Hideout

Cachot

Galia

Arsalz

Items

Dagger

Short and light, this piece of steel can be swung quickly but doesn't do a lot of damage.

Handgun

This handgun is an old design, firing cased 5.7SA ammunition. It's still deadly at close range, though less so further away.

Bow

A classic weapon on Earth and Rynn. Slow and weak in comparison to newer offworld weapons, but very common and cheap.

Kalashnikov

The latest in a long line of firearms that dates back over a century, this rifle is powerful and reasonably accurate at any range.

Leather Armor

Made of hardened leather, this simple armor provides limited protection, but is cheap and common.

Ballistic Vest

This vest, made from woven polymers, is highly resistant to bullets and arrows but is not very durable or cheap.

Gold

Although other parts of the galaxy have moved to entirely virtual currency, Rynn still operates on the gold standard, and Egaloch is no exception.

 

[Kickback]

An RPG on the Doom engine, interesting.

Will keep an eye out

 

[XCVG]

An RPG on the Doom engine, interesting.

Will keep an eye out

Believe it or not, this was actually done commercially way back in the day. It's called Strife and it was made by Rogue Entertainment, who doesn't exist anymore. I've played it and it's pretty cool. Unfortunately technology was kind of flax at the time so it's very much hardcoded and there are many, many ways to break the game. If I remember correctly, it was released just before Quake, and that overshadowed it heavily. Had they pushed it as an RPG, they would have had to go up against Daggerfall and a few other now-famous names... so yeah, the timing was flax.

 

[XCVG]

It's nice that ZDoom uses phpBB and MR uses phpBB, although they appear to be different versions. For the most part, I can just copy the post straight across, BBcode and all. The only issue is the handling of the spoiler tag- ZDoom forums uses expandable spoilers and MR uses the highlight type.

Building some maps. This is the castle prison level. Architecture is about 90% done, but that's the easy part. It's all the scripting to bring the level to life that's the challenge. I'm using some textures from Blasphemer- the eventual goal is to use only free or original textures.

Interior of your cell. Sparse, I know, but I felt any sprite-based thing would cheapen the effect, and I haven't made any appropriate ones yet anyway.

Staircase. The design is basically a wild guess on my part, since I don't know anything about medieval architecture.

Great Hall. Don't get excited, the doors don't open.

I haven't even started on the outside yet. I'm doing this Bethesda-style, using either separate maps or teleports to completely divorce the interior and exterior sections. The upside is that I don't have to worry about how interior and exterior architecture interact- I can do whatever with either. The downside, of course, is that you can't see or interact with the outside work from within a building. I know ZDoom isn't Creation, but I guess they are similarly limited in this regard.

 

[Zero]

Looks interesting, curious to see where this goes.

Also, as for the spoiler tag, that's because iirc phpbb doesn't include them by default. We had to add them in, and whoever did so decided to do the highlight type. Personally I do prefer the collapsible ones though.

 

[XCVG]

Looks interesting, curious to see where this goes.

Also, as for the spoiler tag, that's because iirc phpbb doesn't include them by default. We had to add them in, and whoever did so decided to do the highlight type. Personally I do prefer the collapsible ones though.

I find both have their uses. For actual spoilers, the highlight type is usually better, especially if you only want to obfuscate a word or two. For hiding entire blocks of content (spoiler or otherwise), expanding is the way to go. To the best of my knowledge few boards have both types available.

 

[XCVG]

First draft of the design document is up. If you want to see it, it's here. I should warn you, though, it's full of spoilers. If you skip the storyline section you should be okay.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BiK ... jDP2E/edit

 

[XCVG]

Demonstration video is now up.



There's not much to see at this point. The demonstration map works, showing off some of the functionality in the earliest stages of implementation, the prologue sequence is ugly but playable, and a few maps are in, but incomplete and empty.

On a side note, I've been trying to figure out how to do the overworld without introducing ridiculous slowdowns or running into hard limits. I plan on dividing Egaloch into regions or districts, with several fixed border checkpoints to cross between them. I'm not sure how it will work out story-wise, but gameplay-wise it also adds a sense of progression as more regions are unlocked. Thoughts?

 

[Kickback]

If you've ever played Might & Magic VI, it has the cities and areas and basically when you reach the 'end' of the map it asks if you want to travel to a different area and then loads it, probably due to a limited map size, it works fine and doesn't really break the flow of the game so it should be fine in yours.

 

[XCVG]

Reached another milestone! Copied from a post on another board:

After being delayed by a week, and then another week and a bit, 0.2R is finally finished. I'm going to be honest, despite the major version step it's not a very exciting update. Very little in the way of maps, things, or gameplay has been added. 0.2R was all about laying the groundwork. Followers work, leveling is in and the power system works. There's also some scripting that hasn't been used yet, but will.

I was going to make 0.3R the "Things Update" and 0.4R the "World Update", but now I'm just going to build the world and add in things alongside each other. There will be a very long period with only dev builds, and I apologize for that.

You can get 0.2R here: http://www.mediafire.com/download/hbdtc ... AR0.2R.zip

It's also functionally identical to the 20130928 dev build, if you prefer pulling from the Dropbox "repository".

 

[XCVG]

Now with 99% less IWAD! That means it's gone from mod to game... technically. Probably.



http://www.mediafire.com/download/lq2rwxfxn9o20hl/Revolution+MS1.zip

 

[XCVG]

Too lazy to copy the whole writeup and stuff, but there's a new trailer up and you can check out the website at http://ascensionrevolution.com.

 

[XCVG]

Alpha 1 is released: Download

It features two (mostly) playable chapters, mostly working RPG mechanics, a few items and enemies, and a whole lot of small changes. Still nowhere near complete, but it's tangibly something.

 

[XCVG]

I should probably remind everyone that this is not dead.



Targeting July for the "Bastille Day" demo release. It will be horrid, but hopefully will show a bit more of what I want to make.

 

[Zero]

Why does that thing keep spawning in front of you?

 

[grossaffe]

yeah, what's with the space marine?

 

[XCVG]

Didn't even realize there were replies, I guess I'm not subscribed to this one.

The space marine is a placeholder. I'd give you concept art of what she should look like, but I can't draw for flax. Actually, space marine isn't far off from what she is, make that space mercenary and you'd be correct. 90% of art is placeholders because I have no artistic talent and no artist.

I wanted to do custom music but I tried actually doing it the other day and... well, it wasn't pretty. I'll keep trying, but no guarantees.

 

[XCVG]

Finally, I'm to the stage where it's something resembling playable. Nowhere near finished, of course, but there's actual gameplay and not just a bunch of disjointed scenes.



Slated release for the beta/demo is Bastille Day. This will be the first chapter of the game. It will not be polished. It will still be full of placeholders and bugs and glitches. But it will be playable.

 

[XCVG]

Coming soon... not really.