OSRIC PC Game

[BeckyRose]

Hi

Some of you are already aware that I am working on a PC Game utilising the OSRIC rules.



You Tube Video Preview

This weekend work started on the production version of the game code and art assets and as part of the development process I wanted to open up and include as many interested people as possible both with the latest news but more importantly to hear your thoughts and comments as the project develops.

To make this happen I have started a Facebook Group where I shall post to you regular updates of what is happening inside the studio.

The OSRIC PC game represents a significant part of my life spent planning, commissioning work, designing and building prototypes until the concept was fined tuned to something that not only was a good game to play but was also was true to the original rules - which is something that was very dear to my heart. The game design introduces very few "computer" style elements and stays as close as possible to the foundation of OSRIC with as few "digital" compromises as I could make.

If you are interested in the project please come and join the Facebook Group, the more people who join in (and spread the word) then the better this game will become through your involvement and interest.

Thank you
Becky Rose, Lead Developer. OSRIC PC Game.

[EOTB]

I am waiting with anticipation for this to be finished. For the first time in several years, I'll be able to play a computer game in my "native langage"!

[Juju EyeBall]

Looks pretty cool. I assume you'll be able to run a full party?

[BeckyRose]

I am waiting with anticipation for this to be finished. For the first time in several years, I'll be able to play a computer game in my "native langage"!

Well if your native language is geek then prepare to be amazed!

Looks pretty cool. I assume you'll be able to run a full party?

The idea has always been to design the game for multiplayer, albeit not in a regular MMO way. For a while I faced a game play design challenge of what would a player controlling just a fighter actually "DO" in an Osric game where the computer roles the dice. In the official AD&D Online they use 4th edition which comes with a host of skills that players can "click" during combat, which I call "combat clickies". These interactive elements aren't there in Osric, so the fighter just stands next to a monster whilst the computer rolls dice.

To counter this I was going to move over to a real time tactical model and have players control a party of 4, this would have meant the multiplayer would become more of a mass battle thing which I didn't like. It also presented a host of other issues such as reworking lots of the art assets which had already been created for a 1st and 3rd person perspective such that they could then be viewed from an isometric perspective. This would have caused about a year of delays and likely a financial cost in getting new assets made to spec.

Obviously roleplaying is mostly about interactively story telling which computers don't really do well (The Knight of the Old Republic game did it well in an online format but that costs millions). Then I had a blinding "flash of the obvious", which is that fights in Osric aren't just mathematical wargames: The players interact with the combat in a non-systemic way by describing actions other than attacks.

It struck me when thinking about the old Everquest concept of "Taunt" where a fighter could encourage a monster to hit them instead of the dress wearing wizard (for which there is no precedent in the Osric system) that this "combat clickie" isn't a skill, it's a "roleplayed action".

So all I needed to do is formalise a few systems for "roleplaying" in the combats, with actions like "Taunt" and "Get round the back" or "Coupe de Gras" or "Gang up"...

By adding this functionality into the computer "GM" the fights become interactive even though the computer is doing all of the dice rolling.

And now for the short answer: No, you control a single character but do so in a multiplayer environment with quests designed for 4 and 12 players

[TRP]

So all I needed to do is formalise a few systems for "roleplaying" in the combats, with actions like "Taunt" and "Get round the back" or "Coupe de Gras" or "Gang up"...

• Form Shield Wall
  Charge
  Fighting Withdrawal
  Withdraw
  Overbear
  Grapple

[thedungeondelver]

Did you build this all from scratch?

[Werral]

Looks really cool.

As TRP mentioned above there are lots of things a fighter can do, not to mention bonuses for flanking. Also rules that slow down a tabletop game, such as weapons vs armour, are perfect for a game where a computer rolls all the dice.

Another thought is that if the game includes henchmen and men-at-arms the fighter players are the natural choice to direct their actions - this would be quite cool in a first-person game, where the fighter can bark orders (from a short list of options) but the NPCs check morale and obviously how they interpret them may vary.

[PapersAndPaychecks]

Did you build this all from scratch?

Becky's in my gaming group in the UK; she's been working on this for a little while now. She's interested in creating game environments in 3d worlds so I imagine she's re-using techniques (and maybe even code) from previous stuff she's written, and there are stock models with stock animations involved. I think she's collaborating with a graphics person of some kind as well?

But yes, I've seen a working version of this, and Becky's written it. (There's quite a bit of talent in my gaming group, another person in the same group drew some of the illustrations for OSRIC.)

[thedungeondelver]

Did you build this all from scratch?

Becky's in my gaming group in the UK; she's been working on this for a little while now. She's interested in creating game environments in 3d worlds so I imagine she's re-using techniques (and maybe even code) from previous stuff she's written, and there are stock models with stock animations involved. I think she's collaborating with a graphics person of some kind as well?

But yes, I've seen a working version of this, and Becky's written it. (There's quite a bit of talent in my gaming group, another person in the same group drew some of the illustrations for OSRIC.)

Well I ask because there are freely available SDKs and plugin tools for different IDEs and I was wondering if she'd used one of those or hard-coded all this herself.

Either way it looks fantastic and I can't wait to actually play a game written with it and by the OSRIC rules.

[BeckyRose]

Actually P&P last weekend I had some new animations commissioned, a bargain at $800 US ! The problem I now face is my engine can't cope with the quantity of the animations, so I'm working on that. Well honestly I gave up and watched the first disc of The Hobbit if I'm honest, but I'll be working on it in a few days time:)

"From scratch" - difficult question to answer these days. I am not coding in assembler, I use an off the shelf 3D engine. I have various code libraries and some of them I made myself. But do I create each light, each partice of flame, and write systems for resource re-use and memory management - hell yes! Believe it or not, I actually find that stuff fun.

I think in terms of what most people meen when they ask that, yes I did. But if you were a programmer back in the Atari 2600 days I would have to say no.

[BeckyRose]

I love the idea about men at arms responding to hit keyed verbal commands! Great!

I'll figure out if it's technically possible to get men at arms in, and at what level the rule book lets us get them.

[TRP]

I'll figure ... at what level the rule book lets us get them.

At any level we can pay for them!

[thedungeondelver]

Actually P&P last weekend I had some new animations commissioned, a bargain at $800 US ! The problem I now face is my engine can't cope with the quantity of the animations, so I'm working on that. Well honestly I gave up and watched the first disc of The Hobbit if I'm honest, but I'll be working on it in a few days time:)

"From scratch" - difficult question to answer these days. I am not coding in assembler, I use an off the shelf 3D engine. I have various code libraries and some of them I made myself. But do I create each light, each partice of flame, and write systems for resource re-use and memory management - hell yes! Believe it or not, I actually find that stuff fun.

I think in terms of what most people meen when they ask that, yes I did. But if you were a programmer back in the Atari 2600 days I would have to say no.

THat's fine; I was honestly just wondering from a programming point of view what you were using for the 3d graphics. As it is you are awesome for doing this. I farted around with some 3d engine for visual basic 4 back in the day and couldn't do anything with it so I salute you!

Again, can't wait to plaaaay.

How does one become an alpha or beta tester for this.

[BeckyRose]

How does one become an alpha or beta tester for this.

The first thing I would say is to join the Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/osric/

I post all the development news in that group as it happens and Facebook for all of its sins does make two way communication easy - and I don't think we need to worry that the NSA can hear our conversation: The only flying lessons in Osric involve pixie dust - and i'm pretty damn sure that's not a code word and that I do mean the dust of ground up fairies

I am sure I will post news of major milestones in lots of places to try and drum up interest, but in the Facebook group you'll probably hear of it before it happens.

[thedungeondelver]

How does one become an alpha or beta tester for this.

The first thing I would say is to join the Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/osric/

I post all the development news in that group as it happens and Facebook for all of its sins does make two way communication easy - and I don't think we need to worry that the NSA can hear our conversation: The only flying lessons in Osric involve pixie dust - and i'm pretty damn sure that's not a code word and that I do mean the dust of ground up fairies

I am sure I will post news of major milestones in lots of places to try and drum up interest, but in the Facebook group you'll probably hear of it before it happens.

Joined as soon as I saw the link; thanks, can't wait for further developments.