[JME] Changes

WIP games, tools & toy projects
#1

Hello folks!

First, sorry for my English, I hope there will be no need to cast healing spell on your eyes. Second, I am not a veteran of java-gaming, I read it quite often, but I don’t have publish experience here. Correct me if I am wrong anywhere.

Let’s start :slight_smile: .

I present a small indie but very ambitious WIP project - Changes. Our team of 4 men working around jMonkey Engine 3.1b during 10 months. We have very little funding sources (our pockets) but still trying to work much and put our souls at the altar. Personally I want not only produce a great game but also prove that it can be made via favorite language.

Changes. Can we make roleplay great again?

Changes is an online roleplaying game mixed with a modern survival sandbox experience and deep focus on social interactions. The setting encompasses 9th century Europe where all myths, fairy tales, folklore, gods are true with a modified course of history, historical characters and events. It uses social roleplaying and open game world as the core feature.

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[center]If you like RPG you should watch it. It was made after multiplayer session. After it, I have added a story about the Orb of Odin. [/center]

Features:

  • Multiplayer. Changes is designed to be MMO-like game. And we are working to support 100+ players. Currently we tested 5 players with Hamachi. And it worked very well even for Hamachi. In January we will have our own server and try much more massive online.
  • Open world with a partly random generating environment. Scenegraph of the game loads nearest voxels. Type of biomes like mixed forest, meadow, coniferous forest, etc depends on type of the terrain. Currently terrain is not modifable/destroyable but trees, rocks, grass, bushes and other game objects are fully destroyable.
  • Building. Characters can create and join factions, conquere territories, build their villages, fortresses.
  • Social roleplay. It is still in progress but we want to make it as you are playing D&D or other tabletop RPG with your friends. So communication is a core part of the game. We are working on character’s gestures, voice chat, fame system, faction & family system to make players tightly connected.
  • Graphics. Currently we don’t have professional shaderboys and use primaly engine’s features. However, games supports fancy features like PBR materials, dense world because of in-house optimization mechanics.
  • Roleplay system & survival system. We are mixing traditional roleplay system, based on stats, perks with hunger, thirst, fatique. However, RPG part is more important and developed.
  • Unique main storyline quests for each character. To support social activity we decided to make an unique set for each character based on personality. For example, a player that made their character greedy and adventurist might get the following goals: Achieve 10 level, Collect 100, 000 denarius, Find the Bag of Endless Gold, Achieve 15 level, Become an alchemy master – craft the Philosopher’s Stone, etc. These will all be covered by interesting stories and the developing of the character.
  • Folklore! Player will be able to explore world, find runic stones, scrolls, fabulous creatures. And then talk about their adventures in the tavern :slight_smile: .
  • Dungeon Master Toolbox. We know there are a lot of roleplayer companies that like playing and developing their own servers, settings, stories. In Changes we prepare a special toolbox for gamemasters so they can easily build towns, rename territories, have power over other players.

Where are a lot of other minor features. Better visit our website’s Library.

Where we begin? Setting

The story starts between the death of Charles the Great in the year 814 up to 901. Frankish empire became the most powerful force in Europe. But after death of it greatest ruler Charlemagne, it has all chances to fall apart. Meanwhile, after Empire of Franks defeated Saxons tribes and converted them to Christianity, pantheon of Germanic Gods give command to Vikings to start a holy war against Christians. Their first victims became shores of England, Saxony and Normandy. Lords of these regions were so unprepared and they found themselves in an extremely difficult position.

For our first playable build we are preparing north shores of Frankish Empire and south of England. We are researching early Medieval and local folklore to add it into the game. So when a player joins the server, he will plunge into the fantasy Medieval world with magic, dragons, evil nobles and landlords. Different character storylines generate unpredictable conflicts and friendships. And it should come so natural that if you invite your girlfriend or friend who is far from roleplay, he will sit and enjoy the game with you ;).

You can visit our website http://changesrp.com/ and read more about a project. https://twitter.com/changesrp - Twitter. It was unused before last big update but for now it will be active http://www.indiedb.com/games/changes - Here you can look at the articles and the evolution of the game. How it's developed from a very simple game to more complex. Thanks for reading. Please, share your thoughts, ideas and opinions about the game and we will make it better!
#2

Graphics look very nice, keep posting updates as the game looks pretty interesting

#3

Thanks, ziozio .

This funny video shows live gameplay of the last patch in an unusual way. Yes, many moments like NPC death animation and wolves’ movement are raw but I have laughed hard! Information about all the changes is written below.

Hot gameplay in two minutes. Worth watching!

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Major Update

A year has passed since the beginning of development. And there were so much funny moments. And we continue to develop our game constantly.

What have we done in last 3 months? Pretty much.

[i]The most important thing — AI![/i] Now the world of Changes is not just an empty place. You can easily lose your life there for now. The boxing wolves can prove my words.
[i]Second one — Improved physics.[/i] Have you ever heard about stoneball? No? It is like football but you play with a stone instead of a ball. Now server calculates physics and characters can manipulate it.
[i]Environment manager.[/i] It is the dark side of a server — it spawns hostile NPC and creates the global events like cold weather or magical storm in future.
[i]Voice chat.[/i] Yes, now players are able to tell others what they think of them right during the fight without a need to type words.
[i]Professions and new crafting system [/i]— We are going to realize 16 professions at the moment (Weapon Crafting, Armor Crafting, Blacksmithing, Tailoring, Leatherworking, Enchanting, Alchemy, Cooking, Brewing, First Aid, Herbalism, Husbandry, Fishing, Mining, Building). For example, craft of an iron sword requires both weapon crafting and blacksmithing skills. More skill character has – more chances that he can forge a sword. And new crafting system provides you two options: using character’s father recipe and using character’s own recipe. Father’s recipe gives a higher chance of successful crafting but if a character uses his own recipe then it gives more experience and fame each time. Moreover, character has a chance to improve his recipe. It will increase chance of successful crafting. In short, your own recipe becomes very profitable in the long run.


[i]Better UI[/i] — We re-designed the character's menu taking into account further additions.
Many new objects, optimizations and other minor stuff.

Story of Changes

We decided to change the history of the game world a bit. It was based on a historical fantasy topic. But we felt that it narrowed the scope of our imagination and the uniqueness of the game world.

I present to you the final version. Further lore of Changes we will base on it.

867

In 809, in one of ancient monasteries in the Pyrenees, the exclusive caste of priests has to summon to this world a true embodiment of fear and horror – the Satan by order of the emir for a victory in this bloody. All the preparations were done, for all this long time all monastic altars were profaned, a lot of sacrifices had been made, but in their ranks it wasn’t without traitor who has told to the enemy all the plans of this nasty group of cultists. Contradictory forces also have dared to try to summon the God on this transitory earth to clear the world of filth and to win the war. War was very hard, and evil forces have practically won, but there were also other forces that kept order on this earth, there were pantheons of Slavic and Scandinavian Gods, and also Dragon Keepers, and they simply couldn’t allow an appeal of so powerful structures. They have managed to stop such rough intervention in natural order of things, but it wasn’t and without loss – one of Gods has been killed, and great magic force of him has extended on all the planet, erasing a side between the real world and astral therefore the magic became available to each person and all could see mythical beings from now.

Dark times for this world have come, people have started to see things that they should not, some have become crazy, some have tried to use what allegedly has been granted to them, but died in terrible torments of ignorance of all subtleties of sorcery, others tried to pretend as if nothing has occurred. Wisest and strongest of them have tried to comprehend this supernatural power in the beginning before subordinating it, and some were successful in it. Also, old religions have been reorganized, various cults and other organizations have begun to appear. 58 years were required for people to restore greatness of the lands and to recover after the events of War of Gods. Darkness and obscurantism have gradually begun to part, presaging an era of Changes. Now the mankind is looking forward to a better future.

Finally
Don’t forget to visit our website http://changesrp.com/promo/ . It is WIP but contains a lot of useful information.
Also. If you want to help us and take part in testing - please write in comments or anton.starastsin@gmail.com . You will need to make small interesting task in a game, send a screenshot and a review. After it every tester will receive small reward like credits as a good tester and something else.

Requirements for testing:
8 GB RAM minimum. Windows 64 bit 7/8/10. You need to be an advanced user because it is very raw and buggy version. Such high requirements are relevant only for this version. Obviously we are going to support Linux and Mac as soon as game will be optimized and polished.