Game News Aeolwyn's Legacy is a Might & Magic VI-like blobber by New World Computing veteran Tim Lang

[Timbecile]

Timbecile

I have two legit questions. First being: why 'brap games'?

The second question is why you chose to go for 3D when you know your budget is so slim. Wouldn't it not only be easier to go for static images of enemies and labyrinthine levels in either 3D or 2D but also more cost effective? If you contracted an artist to churn out some monster sprites for you wouldn't they look better than these 3D models? Basically, wouldn't it make more sense to emulate the earlier Might and Magic games?

Good questions. Ones that are going to have long answers complete with pictures and unnecessary backstory. So gather 'round youngsters!

Way back in the halcyon days of the early 90s, before the Tomorrow-Morrow and the pox ecplise, I was but a youngster with dreams of a career in music. So a friend and I started a record label called Brrapp Records. We put out a couple records and pretty much closed up shop. Fast forward to when I started the game studio it seemed like a natural progression to use Brrapp again as the studio name, so I did.

Ironically, a few months ago, I'd been thinknig that it was time to change it's name. Not because it sounds like a wet fart, but because it doesn't really say anything interested as a company name, and there's some other companies that use similar names to sell motorcycle stuff, and urban clothing (because it also sounds like motorcycles and gunfire - two things I don't really wanna be associated with).

But I couldn't think of any names that I liked, so I stuck with it. Now before you say "Literally anything would have been better" - go bite a dick. Then feel free to say it. But I guess there's still time to change it, so maybe I will, or maybe I won't just to spite you.

But why 3D asshat?

Because I'm not an artist. believe it or not, it's easier to do a 3D game because there's shitloads of 3D assets in the world I can draw from rather than try to use my shitty art skills. Sure I could try to find an artist to help, but as you guys so eloquently put it "looks like zero budget". So I can't hire any artists, nor have I found anyone with enough passion for making RPGs I can rely on them to help.

Now, when I first started this project I wanted to do a lower rez sort of 3D art (because I can do some 3D modelling - though character modeling is beyond me) in a similar vein to Minecraft. I just found an early version of that and took some screenshots:

and this:

I made every model in that scene. (Except maybe for the sword)

Then I got overwhelmed, worked on a few other things, and when I came back to it I decided I wanted to do a 2D version sort of like the original Ultimas and Questron. That game looked like this:

It looked awful, played clunky and just wasn't fun. So I decided to go back to something closer to my comfort zone and jumped into the current blobber, which looks like this:

Someone earlier on called it a 'Tech Demo' which is more of what it is, since I've spent about 95% of my time working on the game systems and about 0.1% of my time on the art.

So stop complaining and play the demo.

 

[Timbecile]

Go back to MM1-2 format or 3-Xeen (or XL) instead? How about more like HOMM 1-3 tactical rpg with hexes? (But not massive armies though I did like Disciples of Steel final battle).

I've thought about some tactical gameplay, but my preference would be more like X-Com or Fallout 1 than like Heroes.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Indeed, excellent tactical. As long as a party based game has some form of tactical I can sip a beer on and think is fine. Even Ultima got on my nerves and i can't recall how many times in battle I'd just hit z(stats) esp if the doirbell rang or i had an incoming call. (Albeit ya gotra laugh to see your PARTY IS DEAD! Popup.)

 

[Timbecile]

Indeed, excellent tactical. As long as a party based game has some form of tactical I can sip a beer on and think is fine. Even Ultima got on my nerves and i can't recall how many times in battle I'd just hit z(stats) esp if the doirbell rang or i had an incoming call. (Albeit ya gotra laugh to see your PARTY IS DEAD! Popup.)

The idea that I had was that you would be able to split your party during combat and move them independently (still in the first person) and the camera would jump to each character when it was their turn. Waiting characters would have a model placeholder to show their position.

It's in the plans for the future, but it's a complicated system that will take up a chunk of time to implement so I punted it to down the road.

 

[Mortmal]

This looks like an actual 0 budget game.

This literally looks like completely amateurish shit. Which by the unwritten law of the Codex means it could turn out to be a beloved cult classic.

...Or Ultima Ascendant 2.

Wow... resurrecting those M&M VI-VIII abomination... Whats a reason?

That is one of the ugliest game trailers I have ever seen, and the low framerate in the trailer harkens back to the glory days of Underworld Ascendant.
A genuinely amazing statement to include in your marketing pitch.

Oh god, my ears. What did they do to deserve that assault?

Thanks guys! your lovely comments have warmed my heart!
So thanks for the warm welcome and I look forward to hearing you continue to lather me with praise!

Codex thread delivers that's for sure

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Last game I booted up to split my parties was Realms of Darkness (SSI); well, that I recall from the last year.

 

[Mightmagic]

You didn't play 8? Neither did I TBH. I've heard good things and bad things about it. I probably should dig it out and play it one of these days.

As for MM9, it was definitely the worst of the series, though I had some big huge ideas for it at the time (just not the support or finances from 3DO). We knew we were under the time-gun so we had to cut things where we could, which included the art. I gave the artists a pretty limited polygon budget because we were already pushing the boundaries of what Lithtech could do, and Jon always wanted us to have lower minimum specs.

Even with more time and money, i don't think that M&M IX would be better because the core was bad.
One example is level design. In M&m IX, map are tiny and filled with corridor. It's the opposite of M&M series with open world like in M&M III and World of xeen.

Bottom line is that some people enjoyed it despite its issues. If you're brave enough to slog through it, you might enjoy the mechanics that lay under the dogshit. I can tell you that under the hood it's systematically nearly identical to MM7 so it might be fun for you. But if you don't want to risk it, let it be. Life is too short to do stuff that doesn't make you happy.

I have played M&M IX with nearly 75% completion based upon walkthrough and I have not finished because I disliked this game.
I have truied anew two years ago but I can't. IA is very bad, lots of bugs, combat mechanics mixing real time and turn by turn are bad, graphics are too ugly and I still play very old game like M&M III.
I like very much M&M III, IV, V and it's my favorite rpgs. M&M 6 and 7 were average but not bad even if M&M 6 was very disappointing for me. M&M Ix is for me like the underworld ascendant of the series idest a bad game even if underworld ascendant is worst than M&M IX.

If I want to play anew a Might&magic since M&M 6, I play M&M X which is my best episode since world of xeen.

 

[Jack]

Sure I could try to find an artist to help, but as you guys so eloquently put it "looks like zero budget". So I can't hire any artists, nor have I found anyone with enough passion for making RPGs I can rely on them to help.

When I said I had legit questions I meant it. It doesn't look like a zero budget game, just low budget. Which is why I was wondering if you wouldn't have been better off contracting an artist instead of buying stock assets. I'm not saying that I know this to be the case for a fact because by divine providence I've never been a game developer. But the zenith of the blobber genre, Grimoire, was developed by one man thal on a budget of melonhead relics, thal toenail clippings and loot acquired during a career as a crackerjack programmer and he managed to get great 2D art.

Those lower budget japanese Wizardry games on the PS3 had neat 2D art.

There's a bunch of weeb blobbers with rather nice 2D art.


Etc... And finally there's the underrated Might & Magic homage by another one-man-band, Charles-cgr, which does suffer from scaling issues but has proper art.


The only recent and decent 3D blobber I've played was M&M X ironically enough. Anyway, I know it's too late now and I'm not telling you to start over and that your game is shit, I was just wondering if you had explored the option since so many other blobbers are doing it and it seemed to be the logical way to go. Like what would like a dozen monster sprites and a couple of backgrounds cost? How much have you invested in unity store assets so far? In comparison to that "Minecraft" styled prototype it sure is an improvement though and your post was rather enlightening.

But I couldn't think of any names that I liked, so I stuck with it. Now before you say "Literally anything would have been better" - go bite a dick. Then feel free to say it. But I guess there's still time to change it, so maybe I will, or maybe I won't just to spite you.

If you really want to spite the Codex then you can always rename your company to 'Braphog Studios'.

 

[Timbecile]

I’m not married to the current visual style. I’m still looking at options to give it some style, including getting some suggestions from The Animation Director from the most recent Spider-Man among some other industry pros

 

[DrChopper]

That's cool. I was wondering if you were working on that new Gear of Wars game. Anyway, I am just happy there will be a new game similar to Might and Magic 6. I liked quite a lot of aspects of that game: the free movement; the way you pick objects in the containers/inventory; the realistic visages; the spellbook, the way you gain spells, the diversity of the spells and the types ( 4 elements, light and shadow); only big dungeons and big quests; the simplicity when you enter an house in the village (you only just click on the people, no need to search for stuff for hours); the huge map; the time of the day/year; no races (no dwarves and elves who are in every fantasy games). The weakest point of the game was definitely the combat because it was lacking of strategies. If you were not cheating by blocking monsters in the doorways and killing them while they couldn't, you were always lacking of mana and you had to always return to the village. But well, the game has more than 20 years now.

I don't know why people thought it was a trailer when it was obvious that it was only just some kind of teaser to show the progression of the game and put it on the map. It's a lot of work to use those engine and it's going to be quite hard and long to be able to have something really satisfying alone. Continue to promote it, maybe some professional programmers or artists will want to help you or another company will want to finance the project. You can always ask the people who were working on Grimrock if they would be interested by the idea (I think they were on a break for a few months). It's better to ask than not!

Good luck on the project!

 

[Joined on the 4th of July]

there's some other companies that use similar names to sell motorcycle stuff, and urban clothing (because it also sounds like motorcycles and gunfire - two things I don't really wanna be associated with).

If you add motorcycles and urban clothing to your game the studio's name will be a better fit! Probably lot of ready to use stuff in asset store for them too.

 

[Curratum]

That last screenshot with "Skeleton missed Paluka" is Unity, isn't it? I just know it is. I can smell it through the screen.

 

[LeStryfe79]

One of my best friends in high school played MM6 and I thought to myself that this bloke was a loser. 25 years later, he makes 7 figures as a high powered attorney and I'm homeless...

 

[iZerw]

Blobers are always welcome. Good Luck!