Presidium- An SF Citybuilder

WIP games, tools & toy projects
#21

I’m tempted to wax lyrical about how that tower defence game was the apex of their creative genius, but I’m actually not averse to turn-based strategy myself. I’m just skeptical that Majesty’s key gameplay features either can or will be faithfully adapted to the context.

In the meantime, here’s a crude quickie screenshot showing work in progress. (EDIT: Also, some walls.) Renovations to the AI have obliged me to axe substantial portions of the gameplay (namely, all the missions/flags/bounties,) until I can restore them in proper working order. However, the core AI has been greatly streamlined, making it rather more reliable, so adding functionality should be less painful now. I also need to polish up the UI considerably.

My next major concern would be to add models/animations for a few more ambient critters (aliens, robots, mutant primitives and what have you.) Then I can get into the meat of combat/diplomacy. On the subject of 3D file formats… …I’m leaning toward using the Cal3D format and shudder Blender as a fallback system. No choice, really.

#22

I loved Majesty, I just got Majesty 2 and tried to play it online. It’s horribly broken, and I Googled why and found that the developers themselves said something like “multiplayer is horribly broken, and will never be fixed.”

That’s completely and totally fucked. If you make a game like Majesty then I will love it, just don’t do the same shit.

#23

I really enjoyed Majesty MP, but it’s a little outside the scope of what I have planned at the moment (particularly if you insist on more elaborate cheat-prevention measures.) My main concern for the present is on reasonably solid single-player.

#24

Oh yes, I wouldn’t expect you to have multiplayer right away - I just expect a game I buy that says “online multiplayer” can actually do it.

#25

Revised versions of the Former Plant:

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/3900/formerplant.png

I thought it might be best to have a few, smaller versions to sprinkle around, but I’ll have to see.

Here’s the standard housing continuum:

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/5705/basichousing.png

Still not entirely happy with the ‘blue’ tier, but this should do for beta purposes. I also mean to do some dreg slums and fancy high-rise arcologies for the nobility at some point.

Also, WIP on the shipyard (shipwright? Launch silo?) The idea is that it provides a kind of scaffolding/cradle for vehicle construction. Possibly the base for a space elevator or launchpad…? Looks kinda drab ATM, tho.

http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/7238/shipwright.png

#26

Hi Morgan. Is all your artwork just for use by yourself? Or are you posting it in such detail because you’d like to see it get used in a game - yours or otherwise?

Also how do you make your buildings? Do you model them in 3D first?

#27

[quote=“charlieg,post:26,topic:37009”]
I’m- slowly- developing my own game for this purpose, so yeah the art is for personal use. I suppose that posting just helps me to collect my thoughts.

These are all done strictly in 2D (though I use some isometric guidelines.) I either sketch-and-scan, or use a tablet, then colour in photoshop elements. Though I’m flattered you might confuse the two. :slight_smile:

#28

I suppose- if you wanted a more detailed explanation- that I tend to go through a couple of steps when I try to come up with a finished sprite.

  1. Look for prior examples.
    To take an example, the Tyrell Corporation building from Blade Runner kinda influenced the Bastion design, particularly since the pyramid structure/sloped-egyptian-walls is faintly evocative of a ‘futuristic retro architecture’ look. Which is good, since Dune features a ‘futuristic retro society’- feudalism in space, abandonment of most automation, etc.

  2. Think about form vs. function. What does this structure do?
    Again, to take the Bastion, I want to give the impression of a structure designed to really take a beating. The sloped walls are intended to weather shock-fronts from a nuclear attack, shutters over the windows, multiple lines of defence, and there’s a sort of ‘pillbox emplacement’ look to the whole thing.

  3. Aim for fractal complexity.
    There should be some areas that are very plain and unadorned, and some that are detailed. Then, within those detailed areas, there are other areas of even higher detail, and within those, and so on down 2-to-4 levels of complexity (or whatever’s appropriate to the size of the structure.) It helps to draw the eye.

  4. Pick a good colour scheme.
    I find more than 4 basic, primary colours or so tends to be confusing, but I add my colour afterwards, so I wind up trying to fit the colour to the form. Reds are sort of warm and/or belligerent, blues are cold and/or non-threatening, greys and blacks are industrial, whites and pinks are sanitised, greens and yellows look busy and/or lush. Obvious stuff, generally, but there are always occasional exceptions.

  5. Survival of the fittest.
    My initial sketches are often fairly crap. Once I get them into photoshop, I can stick bits and pieces of other doodles on top, copy and paste, tweak contrast, etc. I might invest an hour or two of work on some line of investigative development that I then throw away. Often, my best work just ‘comes out’ in one go, but sometimes I’ll file a sketch of something I don’t know what to do with and adapt it to a new function weeks/months later, and sometimes I go through 3 or 4 from-scratch revisions of a given piece until I’m happy with it.

In the meantime, here’s a basic sequence of crops/aura buildings for the botanical station.

#29

So I’ve affectionately nicknamed your project “Cybersty”. It’s completely tacky, but I’m well past the point of being able to change it in my mind.8) Oh, and I’m going to plug this thing everywhere I go, if you are ever able to get it in a publicly consumable state.

#30

I’m afraid to ask. :stuck_out_tongue: Well, when and if I manage to get it in a publicly consumable state, I’ll let you know.

In the meantime, I have finally managed to model, UV map, texture and animate the quud, vareen and micovore.

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/newuploads/f6049.png

…Which means I can finally implement hunting behaviours, once I finish sprites for animal lairs, ancient ruins, and native hutments. I’ve also revised the sprites for local flora and mineral formations. Hopefully I’ll have some properly populated landscapes to show for it soon enough.

#31

I really love the art you are using, I look forward to the finished product my friend! :slight_smile:

GeissT

#32

Oh, wait, I get it now! Cyber-sty! It’s maje-sty, but cyber! …I’m a bit slow that way.

Speaking of catching up slowly- Just so people don’t think I’m dead, I have a couple of images of the more interesting revisions/additions to the art lineup below. With any luck, I may have a basic gameplay video up in a few weeks.

Revised Town Vault:

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/newuploads/dqem5.png

New and improved Shipyard:

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/newuploads/fp6sz.png

The Runner’s Market (for trade in questionably legal goods and services):

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/newuploads/fe2pm.png

‘Satellite structures’ for the ecologist- in reading order, windtrap, power cell, aquatic nursery, solar array, botanical nursery, and another solar array.

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/newuploads/7vawv.png

Mantle Drills, and other mining/smelting-associated structures:

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/newuploads/vj5bv.png

In a different vein, various animal lairs to be scattered about the map:

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/newuploads/ztbg9.png

Oh, and last but not least, various vehicle models which I have managed to get modelled, textured, and rigged for animation-

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/newuploads/vbdsz.jpg

I can’t guarantee these will all see use in the initial alpha release, once it happens (to be honest, I’m not even 100% certain what all of them do exactly, just yet.) But I’ll work 'em in somehow, most likely…

Thanks for all your comments, and I do appreciate the support.

#33

Digging the art.

They would look incredible with a bit of shading and texturing… Any plans for that?

#34

Gorgeous art. It’s sad that you aren’t staying isometric/2D because that would showcase your art more than 3D imo.

#35

My plan is to use 2D/isometric for static fixtures (like trees, dropped items and buildings,) but use 3D models for mobile units (like citizens, alien critters and vehicles.) This is why I’ve avoided doing fancy shading/texturing for the 3D elements, since I don’t want them to look out of character next to the 2D stuff.

If I get access to some form of substantial funding in the future, I might consider converting all these assets to proper 3D, but even then I’d give serious consideration to cel shading. Then again, by the time that happens we’ll all be using voxel engines. …Probably.

Small changes made to the Culture Vats, Detention Bloc, Excavation Shaft and Field Quarters (or maybe Mess Hall?)

MCHQ (or Mercenary Company Headquarters.) Permits placement of universal bounties on offenders’ heads.

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/newuploads/tqgzn.png

Minder’s Ward. (I had trouble working this one out until I realised what it’s function was- as a sort of observation facility for toddlers. Hence the enclosed wee playground.)

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/newuploads/zsgcb.png

I have a good deal more on the way- the senate, the arena, the conservatory/pleasure-dome, and two new tiers of slum-style housing. I’m still working out highborn estate, but I think that might be modelled best as an extension of the player’s personal palace (given that they represent the ruling elite to begin with.) They’re still in need of a few finishing touches, but that should be the last of the art assets I want for now. (I’ve decided to leave off detailing the ‘casters’ of the setting (i.e, psions and friendly xenomorphs) for the near future- they’ll be reserved for either expansion packs/sequels/new versions.)

#36

I’d totally get on board with alpha funding this thing.

#37

Ah, sheesh… Now I feel even worse about not updating. I honestly couldn’t accept any money on this until it’s in much much better shape, not just in terms of code but in terms of userbase/feedback. Thank you, though.

I’ve gotten distracted by a side-project recently, (not entirely unproductive on it’s own merits, just not related to this particular endeavour- it has more to do with the planet-generation code I came up with many months back.) I have gotten more-or-less back on track this week, but I’m establishing a strict no-timeline-announcements rule from here on in.

#38

Highborn estate, and various stelae, flower beds, art installations, and other miscellaneous fancy-highrise-arcology-type features. I was thinking of a cross between Dubai and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Required for (or attracted by?) construction of the Pleasure Dome, Arena, or Senate Chamber. (Might adjust the colour scheme?)

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/4365/highbornestate.png

The Senate Chamber, featuring an inner sanctum for the House of Lords and an outer forum for the House of Commons- via telepresence. Also doubles as a courthouse for public trial and sentencing before a jury of elected counsellors. Boosts political standing but magnifies the effects of scandal, trains debating/diplomacy skills, and attracts Praefects.

“Apologies. An operative of the parliament will of course have full co-operation.”

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/3600/senate.png

The Arena, which adopts a more… pragmatic approach to dealing with crime and resolving civil disputes. Great entertainment, helps train combat skills, and attracts Janissaries. Also, a revised Imperial Fane.

“Mine honour is besmirched! I demand satisfaction!”

http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/2641/arenaun.png

Last but not least, a selection of ambient lairs scattered across the landscape- in reading order, ancient ruins or wreckage, a selection of primitive/native camps/villages in tundra, wastes, forest and desert terrain, an ancient Obelisk circle, and a Sporing Mass.

http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/4958/ancientruinlairs.png

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/8069/nativecamplairs.png

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/885/obelisk.png

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/9379/sporingmass.png

Okay. These, I think, are the last major pieces of static sprite artwork that I need to do for now. I’ll probably come back and revise these later, but this leaves me mostly free to start focusing on code.

#39

Holy … God!.. This is … so awesome… Please… Release … A … D.E.M.O…

#40

Thanks for the interest. I actually have most of the code done by now, to the point where I mostly have this long, long, rambling checklist of relatively small changes to make to the basic engine. Unfortunately, for some reason I find this kind of work very difficult to grapple with- a handful of big, meaty, neatly-encapsulated problems are often much better at holding my attention. sigh Well, I will get there eventually.

Some final, final, final tweaks and additions: The Colony Post (intended as a ‘starter pack’ for colonisation from orbit,) two new tiers of slum-housing added, a version of the Pleasure Dome that I’m finally happy with, and an array of Installation Sites for construction purposes.

Anyways. I’ll probably start up another thread and link back to this one once I have something playable available (partly because this thread is explicitly for art, and partly because it doesn’t seem to appear in the main forum listing when updated, possibly because of it’s age- I started it before the screenshot-thumbnail-generation feature was added to the site.)

For a second release of the game- which I stress I am not planning to actively work on for quite some time- I am hoping to eventually implement the following:

Seat of Power, Psyon Choir and Ansible- structures related to player-directed ‘spellcasting’ and long-range communications. (Might be loosely analagous to the ‘wizards’ guild’ in majesty, though I’ll probably abolish range restrictions and instead oblige the sovereign-character to learn required skills through practice.)

Sky Bridge and Hyperstructures- boost offworld commerce/migration, and create ‘basement levels’ for cramming in a larger population under poorer living conditions. (This would require a significant overhaul of the game’s basic pathfinding, topological representation, user interface and even command structure and AI routines, if very large populations are going to be managed.) I’d also like to be able to model deep-sea, aerial, and orbital or spacecraft habitats- possibly organically grown.

Schools for the Logicians, Initiates, Spacers, Shapers, Symbionts and Collective- These would be the setting’s primary ‘casters’ or ‘spiritual orders’. I’ve significantly revised my conception of their relationships and function since I munged them together from external sources, but I don’t want to go into too much detail at the moment. I will most likely be sanding down some of the rough edges.

Reservations for the Changelings, Krech and Jovians- friendly-ish alien races. The changelings are intended to be handy for stealth and infiltration, the krech for construction and defence, and the jovians for diplomacy and research.

So, for the present, that’s all the news fit to print. Though I did find a rather interesting quote in an otherwise unrelated article:

“Genre based RPGs codify and articulate unstated genre assumptions, which the player… uses as a matrix to create a shared narrative that in some sense resembles the original genre. The process of articulating assumptions tends intrinsically towards satire.”