https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2106227726/code-of-the-savage-rpg/comments
Congratulations on getting the game funded! 15 more days to go
That's mostly why I haven't backed yet, I feel the dev is promising a lot without giving any info with regards to how does he plan to achieve his goal.
I really want to make a pledge, but I got burned with kickstarters one too many times already.
One of my biggest flaws is that I am terrible at selling myself.
Someone else mentioned it here I think: a "vertical slice" would be nice. Show off a quest, ways to solve it, writing, branching (?), the whole thing. If development has progressed far enough that you think you can present something like that, I think it's the way to go.
- Don't show any gameplay. You're selling dreams, not a game.One of my biggest flaws is that I am terrible at selling myself.
What type of updates would people like to see?
It's my first Kickstarter, so I am sure I'm not doing everything right. I can understand that it's a risk backing someone you don't know. I have a clear goal in my head, but communicating that to people who don't know me seems difficult. In the end, it is just some guy telling you he promises to deliver what he said he will. I'd like to be able to communicate this better
I am also pretty bad at selling my game. It usually works better if I let a fan or friend do it for me. You should probably ask your most dedicated tester how they think you should communicate about your game.That's mostly why I haven't backed yet, I feel the dev is promising a lot without giving any info with regards to how does he plan to achieve his goal.
I really want to make a pledge, but I got burned with kickstarters one too many times already.
One of my biggest flaws is that I am terrible at selling myself.
What type of updates would people like to see?
It's my first Kickstarter, so I am sure I'm not doing everything right. I can understand that it's a risk backing someone you don't know. I have a clear goal in my head, but communicating that to people who don't know me seems difficult. In the end, it is just some guy telling you he promises to deliver what he said he will. I'd like to be able to communicate this better
Exactly what I said before. Show some professionalism from the dev's side to gain my trust; as in:
Dialogue system overview. (and example)
Hi everyone!
1 week left for the campaign! I had some requests for a demonstration of the dialogue system and an example of one of the interactions you will have while playing the game. It also serves as a demonstration of the new character sprites in action.
This is an interaction between one of the brothel prostitutes and a priest of the Order of Leysar (Daneths prominent religion).
Enjoy!
Recently I've been working on lots of bug fixes I've also been creating new sprites for the monsters, including the Orge. Here is a preview:
I will try to get a new video out soon, which goes into more detail about the combat system.
Thank all again for your support!
~Geoff
We did it!!!
Words can't express how I'm feeling right now. My gf and I were sitting here watching the page count down to zero seconds
This past month has been a ride and a half. Thank you all so much for pledging, sharing the page and most of all for believing in me. I know it isn't easy to put your trust in someone you may have never met, and it means a lot to me.
There's a lot of work in front of me, but I owe you all big time, and I will work hard by doing everything I can to deliver the game as promised, and to deliver a game that you will love.
If anyone has any concerns, suggestions or questions during the development, please get in touch. I will keep you all updated on the development process here.
THANK YOU
Demo for alpha backers coming soon.
Hi everyone!
Development of the game is continuing smoothly and I will have an Alpha demo ready for backers of the General tier and above, very soon. The demo will allow you to explore the village of Clover and interact with its inhabitants. This demo will be updated throughout the development process.
Recently, I have been creating more artwork for the game, including NPC portraits (as well as updating some of the first portraits I did that were not quite up to scratch).
I've added new sound effects and improved the walking sound effect. The player step sound now differs depending on the type of surface they are walking on.
I have also been busy with general fixes and feature implementations in preparation for the demo launch.
Alpha demo coming soon
New NPC portraits
Alpha demo version 0.276
Hello everyone!
I am going to do an update roughly once per month (more or less).
This update is all about the sidebar. I have now added sidebar tabs! You now see equipment, stats, skills/spells, and a journal log tab. (the skills tab is still under construction).
The log tab will update automatically when new information is given to the player. When a journal entry is completed, it will turn green. You will also see a filter button that will switch between displaying completed, incomplete or both. Give it a try! speaking to some NPCs or triggering specific events will add a new journal entry.
The stats tab is just an area that will display more detailed stats such as hunger level and current effects the player is under (poisoned, cursed, bleeding, blessed, etc etc...) The effect icons are just placeholdersand are non-functional at the moment.
Some other changes/fixes:
Going forward, I will be uploading the new Alpha Demos to the same Dropbox folder each time a new version is available. The link to this folder will be emailed to eligible backers. Please read the README.TXT included in the zip file
- Arrows now splash if fired into the water
- Fixed an issue with the step sound
- A map and sextant have been placed at the start position. Move them to your inventory and then press M to bring up the map. This will show your location on the world map to give to an idea of the scale.
- The annoying wolf has been removed...
- Fixed issue with a crash on player death
- Many other smaller bug fixes...
Thanks again for everyone's support!
Alpha Demo version 0.296
Posted by Geoff Jones (Creator)
There isn't a lot visually to show, as most of the work I've been doing has been under the hood. I was struggling with some niggling issues in the magic system for a while, which was driving me insane... That's all fixed now, though.
I have added classes to the magic window. The classes can be selected via the 3 new buttons at the top of the window. Not all spells have been added to the game yet. (that is low on my priority list at the moment). I plan on adding a 4th class that deals in curses and pestilence.
The stats window has been updated to include elemental resistances, and the hunger system is more or less in place. (currently the hunger drains much faster than it will in the final game, due to testing purposes). I've placed food on the ground in the starting position. When the hunger meter goes passed the halfway mark, the players stats will begin to progressively lower. There is no health loss or death caused by hunger, only temporary stat loss.
Hovering over elements in the stats window will show a hover over window explaining what that element does.
World building - I have written scripts that automate how walls and fences are placed. Previously it was quite tedious to place a building or fence, as I needed to manually place the upper and lower portion of the wall, add two different types of directional blockers, add boundaries to prevent picking up items through walls, add the correct top wall edge, and then hope that I didn't make any mistakes...Now all I need to do, is place the top part of the wall, and the code does the rest automatically. This will make world building MUCH easier in future.
- added classes to the magic system
- fixed magic window scrolling
- new fire sprite and animation
- torches can now be toggled on or off
- hunger system in place
- fixed issue with tree top shadows
- hover over for stat page elements
- spell classes added
- effect icons in stat window now working
- added target-self for spells
- wall/fence placement automation
- fixed magic window scrolling
Alpha version 0.296 has now been moved to the Dropbox folder for eligible backers. As usual, let me know via PM if you need the link again.
Just a couple of things to note:
I hope everyone is having a good start to the year! I will be away for 2 weeks starting Feb 6th, so the next update may be delayed a bit.
- I would like to get your specific thoughts about the grid based movement. Does it feel natural to you? Would you prefer to see free movement similar to Ultima 7? Currently it is modeled more on Ultima 6.
- I have been getting the odd generic crash when I exit the game. Please let me know if you also experience this.
~Geoff
Alpha Demo 0.307 and 16x16 grid movement.
Posted by Geoff Jones (Creator)
Greetings backers!
I had a few weeks off, but I'm back in the thick of it now.
I have converted the 32x32 grid movement to a 16x16 grid. I felt the 32x32 grid size was too restrictive, and it also created other development issues. A huge portion of the game was built around the 32x32 grid size, so as you can imagine the conversion has been a lot of work. It involved reworking a lot of the game elements, including how the walls and doors function, but in other ways, it has made things much easier and more flexible. All in all, I'm very happy with how the new 16x16 grid works. As you will see in the demo, there are still bugs related to the change, such as NPC movement (they tend to wander off in random directions and not follow schedules)- that will be fixed in a future update.
Wall shadows now have a little more depth, and I no longer need to place them manually. It's all done automatically.
Wall shadow improvements
I have written much of the backstory of Daneths dynastic rule. Outlining some of its' tumultuous and brutal past, which shows what can happen when religious zealots take control of the crown.
Snippet of the dynastic history of Daneth
Portraits
I've painted a few new NPC portraits. So far I've finished about, 40 and expect to have well over 100 by the time the game is finished. I really enjoy creating these
New NPC portraits
Books
In the next update, I will be adding readable books to the game, among other things. Books will play a vital role, as they will be scattered throughout the land and contain various useful, interesting or useless bits of information and lore.
If anyone happens to have any scribblings or writtings they would like me to include in one of these books, please let me know, and I'll consider adding it to the game. It could be anything at all, from poetry, a short story, a recipe, diary etc etc. It just needs to be compatible with a medieval/middle-ages time period. You will be credited in the in-game rolling credits.
As usual, I have added a new version of the demo to the demo dropbox folder. Please PM me if you have forgotten the link. This release is quite buggy. I'm aware of the NPC movement issues, and the layer depth issues when two NPCs walk close to each other. The player also appears naked unless moving of certain areas.
Thank you
~Geoff
Update #16
May 9 2019
Alpha Demo 0.317 - Books
Posted by Geoff Jones (Creator)
Greetings everyone,
As promised, Books have now been implemented. To read them, you can use the "Use" command on them. You can also pick them up and put them in your backpack etc. They can be found all over the world and function very much like they do in Ultima 7.
I've revamped the bed objects to be a more appropriate size for the new NPC sprites. They are non-functional at the moment, but that will come in a future update.
New bed on the right, old bed on the left. NPC's were getting a little cramped.
I've also created some rocky outcrops and waterfalls. This is the desert biom version of the outcrops:
Rocky outcrops
I've been doing a butt load of refinements, and managed to increase the frame rate by about %40... yeah there were a lot of things that were not working as efficiently as they should have been...
One thing in particular that I am not happy with right now is the combat system... It needs a lot of work, and I really need to rethink it. If you have any suggestions on what you would like to see, or examples of combat systems you like (no, not JRPG combat), then please post it in the comments below.
I've updated the alpha demo Dropbox folder with version 0.317.
There will be a slight disruption to the development as I am moving from Canberra to Sydney next week, but will be back on track again as soon as possible!
Cheers,
~Geoff
