Some questions on a wide range of subjects

[Windexglow]

This project really excites me. So, I have a few questions on well, a 'wide range of subjects'. Quite a few, actually.
Along with that, I enjoy making archetype models. I'm messing around with scythe at the moment, just messing around in general.

AI
How well does the AI handle combat pathing? (Does ai run at you in a straight line and hope you die?)

Can AI form their own squads? Divide? Combine? Or are these groups simply created?

How intelligently does the AI move in squads at local level? Straight line to objective, or try and avoid things?

How intelligently does the AI move at far-level? (out of sight) Does it become turn based, real time, or do they simply stop moving?

If the AI sees a better item, will they drop their current item and pick it up?

Does the AI receive quests too?

Does the AI form alliances with groups/factions? (You help me, and I'll help you style thinking)

Does the AI 'see' what you look like? If you're rich and they need money, are they more likely to attack? If you have a sword out, are they more likely to see you as hostile? (having a dagger equipped would be seen as a much less threat?)

What kind of stats does the AI have? (Aggressiveness, courage, ect)


Items
What kinds of items will there be? Swords? Shields? Magic potion of +3 stat? Bows? Primitive Guns (Had to say it :p)

How rare will items be? Can you expect to find the Grim Reapers Sword of +5 damage in a heap of trash? Or will the 'best' items be found carried by others?

Are there any stat-increase items? Or are all items based largely around combat?

Will there be a currency(s)?

If there is a currency, does the value of it change over time? Certain items cost more, ect.

Do items have quality? Repair?


combat
How fast is combat? Is it waiting for the enemy to make a weakness, or simply do as much damage possible fastest?

Are there body parts (hitting the sword-arm might make it swing slower and weaker for example)

Are there ranged weapons? (I understand no magic, but arrows? Bolts? Lead?)

Can you poison weapons? (assassination ftw)

Can you simply knock out someone? (For the goody-two shoes of us)

If you're using fists, can you grab the sword off someone (At the cost of self damage)

Do different types of weapons give different attack styles? (Dagger better at concealment)


general gameplay
Is there a 'police'? What happens if you break a law? Is it oblivion's "Oh god, you stole a tomato. PREPARE TO DIE" Style of thinking, or will they react intelligently?)

Besides combat, what else is there to do? Can you set up a business? Trade?

Can you bribe people? Army? Police?

Is there just one army, or multiple state armies? (War?)

Can you join a squad, instead of just make one?

Can you get a 'job' besides army?


Dungeons
How ranging are dungeons? Will we expect oblivion's style of thinking (Man, they won't even notice every dungeon looks the same!) or is one a bit different flavored?

Are any dungeons friendly? Can they be empty? Blocked off?

What will be a dungeon, anyway? Just a hole in the ground? A massive nuclear bunker which the government has been hiding for the past 2000 years?

Will dungeons have traps meritoriously working after hundreds of years? What kind will they be?


terrain
How is the terrain generated? Does it generate randomly? Randomly generated when the game was being made, but the same for each installation?

What kinds of terrain can we expect? (Desert, mountains, ect)

Is there weather?

Any terrain events? (Earthquake, flash flood)


towns/cities
Can squads set up camp? Any chance of that camp becoming permanent and grow? (Squad sees friendlys, comes to bunk with them. They trade, another group comes in. Trade. Another group comes in, trades, ect)

How many towns and cities are there?

How large is the average town and city?

Can you take control of a town? Count.Windexglow of Chocoholic Town?

How unique are each town? (Gee, where have I seen that house before!)


graphics
What texture types will this game use? Diffuse is a given, but bump? Spec? Deform? Ambient?

What is the average texture size (diffuse)?

What graphical effects will there be? (The hdr shot looked amazing)

What is the expected hardware requirements (I know it's bad to answer this early on, but you must have some idea.)


misc
Will this game cost money?

If you could, would you call this game early in development, middle, or close to finish?

What are some of the big features you're planning?

[Captain Deathbeard]

Man thats a lot of questions. Think I'll add it to the faq page.

How well does the AI handle combat pathing? (Does ai run at you in a straight line and hope you die?)

Well yeah, but thats the essence of melee combat. The AI can get around obstacles and allies, and if they outnumber the opponent they will spread out and try to surround him. If a character has a bow, they will try to find a good position to fire from.

Can AI form their own squads? Divide? Combine? Or are these groups simply created?

Haven't thought about that actually, but its a good idea. Certainly they will be able to regroup and merge decamated squads.

How intelligently does the AI move in squads at local level? Straight line to objective, or try and avoid things?

How intelligently does the AI move at far-level? (out of sight) Does it become turn based, real time, or do they simply stop moving?

They will take the shortest path and avoid objects, and take into account danger areas that should be skirted around, eg battles, enemies. At greater distances nothing changes, except internal optimisations.

If the AI sees a better item, will they drop their current item and pick it up?

No, unless they are specifically out looting. If they drop their weapon (eg hit in the arm), they can pick it back up or look for another. If their weapon breaks they will look for another, or ask a buddy for a spare (I'm not kidding, the AI system allows me to add things like this pretty easily).

Does the AI receive quests too?

You don't really get 'quests' like in traditional RPGS. "Go to the random dungeon and kill everything there again!" yay! None of that. Its a bit different, more like dynamic missions, and village protection contracts, and even cooler things. I should write a separate article on this really. Anyway lets say the AI will make its objectives and go for them, on a faction level, squad level, and individual level. This isn't implemented yet, but the idea is something like this : If you kidnap an enemy, the faction may send a squad to rescue them (depending on faction personality). If it decides not to, maybe an individual will break from that squad to rescue his friend.

Does the AI form alliances with groups/factions? (You help me, and I'll help you style thinking)

There are fixed factions that can form alliances, wars etc. But they will all be moddable by players, because of the construction set.

Does the AI 'see' what you look like? If you're rich and they need money, are they more likely to attack? If you have a sword out, are they more likely to see you as hostile? (having a dagger equipped would be seen as a much less threat?)

I thought of this actually. Maybe.

What kind of stats does the AI have? (Aggressiveness, courage, ect)

Aggression/level headedness, warrior spirit, teamwork, good/evil, fear/morale, pain, panic, as well as personal relationships.

Items
What kinds of items will there be? Swords? Shields? Magic potion of +3 stat? Bows? Primitive Guns (Had to say it :p)

Swords, armour, clothing, bows, maybe crossbows. No shields, because quite frankly, they're not cool. Shields are like the water-wings of melee combat. No magic, no potions, no magic healing. No guns, but primitive harpoon guns are used for turrets. No +1 nonsense.

How rare will items be? Can you expect to find the Grim Reapers Sword of +5 damage in a heap of trash? Or will the 'best' items be found carried by others?

The best items will have to be bought for a fortune, stolen, or made by your own smith. Unless you can take down a minor celebrity and get one from him, general soldiers and enemies will have bog-standard equipment. Its not so much of a loot-fest as traditional RPGS. If you want something good, you have to work hard and save up for it.

Are there any stat-increase items? Or are all items based largely around combat?

No magical increase stuff, like 'cloak of strength'. Maybe natural stuff, for example glasses would increase a low perception.

Will there be a currency(s)?

Yes. Don't know what to call it yet.

If there is a currency, does the value of it change over time? Certain items cost more, ect.

Possibly. I want a trading/business side to the game, so its likely.

Do items have quality? Repair?

Quality yes. Repair... not sure, probably not because it would create a lot of annoying micro-management when you have an army. Certainly weapons can break, but more likely from a heavy strike from a really strong guy. If your weapons break, you are getting too strong for them and should upgrade (ie you need a weapon strong enough to handle your opponents).

combat
How fast is combat? Is it waiting for the enemy to make a weakness, or simply do as much damage possible fastest?

Both. Equally matched characters will take longer to fight it out and will be looking for weakness and openings while gradually accumulating minor wounds. A strong character outnumbered by weaker opponents will be taking them out in one or two swipes, but get gradually worn down by minor wounds, exhaustion and blood loss.

Are there body parts (hitting the sword-arm might make it swing slower and weaker for example)

Yes http://www.lofigames.com/devblog/?p=24

Are there ranged weapons? (I understand no magic, but arrows? Bolts? Lead?)

Yes, lots of bows, maybe crossbows. They're very important for defending towns.

Can you poison weapons? (assassination ftw)

Maybe, we will see

Can you simply knock out someone? (For the goody-two shoes of us)

Yes, with blunt weapons or unarmed combat, you could play a man who never kills (an overwhelming disadvantage, fighting unarmed and not killing, but fun if you want to try something new). The game would recognise this, and you will get a reputation. Even enemies may become friends, moved by your compassion. You can also control whether your characters specifically finish off their opponents, or leave them to fate.

If you're using fists, can you grab the sword off someone (At the cost of self damage)

Maybe.

Do different types of weapons give different attack styles? (Dagger better at concealment)

Yes.

general gameplay
Is there a 'police'? What happens if you break a law? Is it oblivion's "Oh god, you stole a tomato. PREPARE TO DIE" Style of thinking, or will they react intelligently?)

They are more intelligent. There are police, but they only have jurisdiction in their own town or nations town. Depending on the nation, they will usually try to knock you out and arrest you. If you are deemed dangerous enough, they will aim to kill. If you are wanted enough, you will get a bounty. Bear in mind they see your characters as individuals, so only the criminals themselves get arrested, your other characters can always bail them out. Or bust them out. Of course if you happen to have a character in the police force, maybe you can get them let off.

Besides combat, what else is there to do? Can you set up a business? Trade?

Lots. Think of the combat as a tool. You can live and grow rich without ever lifting a sword. Own a shop, trade, join factions, be a doctor, a spy, a smuggler, a mercenary, a bounty hunter, a guard, an assassin, a smith, a thief...
You can even build your own town or outpost.

Can you bribe people? Army? Police?

Maybe

Is there just one army, or multiple state armies? (War?)

Many different armies, nations, factions, sometimes at war, sometimes not. You can join one if you want, even tip the balance of power. There are no 'good' or 'bad' nations, they're all different shades of grey.

Can you join a squad, instead of just make one?

If you join the army, but perhaps I might be best leaving this out for a separate game.

Can you get a 'job' besides army?

Lots.

Dungeons
How ranging are dungeons? Will we expect oblivion's style of thinking (Man, they won't even notice every dungeon looks the same!) or is one a bit different flavored?

Are any dungeons friendly? Can they be empty? Blocked off?

What will be a dungeon, anyway? Just a hole in the ground? A massive nuclear bunker which the government has been hiding for the past 2000 years?

Will dungeons have traps meritoriously working after hundreds of years? What kind will they be?

No such thing! You have a vast open world instead. There WILL be unique and strange places to explore, and places no man dares to tread, but it will all be part of the land. I hate dungeons. "Hey, lets put these random sections of indoor pointlessness in the game!".

terrain
How is the terrain generated? Does it generate randomly? Randomly generated when the game was being made, but the same for each installation?

What kinds of terrain can we expect? (Desert, mountains, ect)

Terrain is all pre-made. Mostly desert, but possibly also grasslands and snow, I'm still thinking about it.

Is there weather?

Any terrain events? (Earthquake, flash flood)

Yes, and seasons too, that affect weather and wildlife migrations. The plan is in fact, to have a flood season, that will dramatically change the landscape due to water levels. Strange for a desert I know, but all will become clear.

towns/cities
Can squads set up camp? Any chance of that camp becoming permanent and grow? (Squad sees friendlys, comes to bunk with them. They trade, another group comes in. Trade. Another group comes in, trades, ect)

No, you can build towns or forts, like in an RTS. This opens up a whole new barrel of worms. You need a lot of money to get started, afterwards you can harvest resources, go into production, and have a source of income and a defensible location.

How many towns and cities are there?

How large is the average town and city?

I don't even have any building models yet. We'll just wait and see how they grow.

Can you take control of a town? Count.Windexglow of Chocoholic Town?

Yes actually. You can get a defence contract, where you control fortifications and protect the citizens, you can become mayor and own the town, or just take over by force. If you're a really nice guy, or want to control the balance of power, you can even take a village under your wing and protect them for free. You won't get paid, but you will make lots of friends, and if they can grow big and strong, you get a powerful ally for life.

How unique are each town? (Gee, where have I seen that house before!)

Due to my art budget being -9,000 pounds, I can't make any grand claims there. But there will be an element of procedural modifications, to help variety. I use programming to make up for my lack of art.

graphics
What texture types will this game use? Diffuse is a given, but bump? Spec? Deform? Ambient?

Normal mapping and specular.

What is the average texture size (diffuse)?

I'm making them all really huge, around 2048x, so when the game is nearer completion I will be able to decide on sizes based on how performance is going.

What graphical effects will there be? (The hdr shot looked amazing)

I don't have hdr yet! I intend to have hdr though. And fancy water, dust and sand effects, maybe physics blood effects. I would really like per-pixel motion blur, if Ogre supports it by then.

What is the expected hardware requirements (I know it's bad to answer this early on, but you must have some idea.)

I'm aiming high, but with a lot of scalability. There will be a lot of game world config options too, so you can set things like the population and size of armies to a smaller number for performance, or a stupidly high number if your system and you can handle it.

misc
Will this game cost money?

Damn right.

If you could, would you call this game early in development, middle, or close to finish?

early

What are some of the big features you're planning?

I just told you most of them!

[wazupwolf]

if i have a question related to his unarmed question....could u like learn some type of martial arts to defend urself if u had no weapon?like kung fu or ju jitsu or one of the other many styles?

[Captain Deathbeard]

Yes there will be an unarmed skill that can supplement or replace weapon skills. It will be a harder life, being a pure unarmed character, but you have the advantage that you are never defenceless, if you get captured, arrested, or some situation where weapons are not allowed...

[Windexglow]

Some new questions..

Is there a storyline? How 'epic' is it? (Is it going to sway from the repetitive "You're a farmer chosen by the gods to save the universe" crap we get lately?)

How civil is the world? Are fights rare?

What graphical features are you planning on implementing?

Can we customize our characters looks? Body type? Skin Color? Face details?

Is there anything non-realistic in this game? (I know you've said elves, dwarves, and so on won't)

Can we own 'armies' ? (Armies are controllable, squads can be told to guard, patrol, and so on in specific areas)

Is knowledge local, or universal? (If you kill everyone in a town with no one escaping or finding out about it, and you travel to another town will they know about it?)

[Captain Deathbeard]

Is there a storyline? How 'epic' is it? (Is it going to sway from the repetitive "You're a farmer chosen by the gods to save the universe" crap we get lately?)

There is no main storyline, as a story should be something unique to your character. There will be guild/faction based story arcs. And also there are different starting points to choose from, each with varying difficulty, backgrounds, and traits. You could start as a wanted criminal in a cell, a villager in a peaceful village, a villager in the middle of a bandit raid, a man who wakes up in the middle of a monster nest with no memory... And so on. The story/tasks associated with them will be optional, so if you are a peaceful villager and hear that bandits are coming, you can go out on a mission to get stronger and find warriors to protect the village. Or you could join the bandits. Or you could just leave town and get drunk.

How civil is the world? Are fights rare?

Some areas are more civil than others, some towns may be uptight and lawful, others dens of scum and villany. And then lots of wars on top of that. And faction-based internal wars. And then there's the wildlife.

What graphical features are you planning on implementing?

You already asked that! I'm currently working on HDR and desert grass.

Can we customize our characters looks? Body type? Skin Color? Face details?

Very much. You won't be able to tweek the face like in Oblivion, but you can tweek the whole body. You can be fat, thin, tall, short, and all different shapes and colors. You can choose from different pre-made faces. And then on top of all that, you can mod in your own textures and normal maps.

Is there anything non-realistic in this game? (I know you've said elves, dwarves, and so on won't)

There will be "monsters", but this is more like dangerous wildlife. Characters can loose more blood and sustain more damage than in real life. There may be a few different races, but nothing over the top.

Can we own 'armies' ? (Armies are controllable, squads can be told to guard, patrol, and so on in specific areas)

Yes, just get lots and lots of characters, you can get a whole army. The game will be designed for it.

Is knowledge local, or universal? (If you kill everyone in a town with no one escaping or finding out about it, and you travel to another town will they know about it?)

Hopefully as local and realistic as possible.

[wazupwolf]

Yes there will be an unarmed skill that can supplement or replace weapon skills. It will be a harder life, being a pure unarmed character, but you have the advantage that you are never defenceless, if you get captured, arrested, or some situation where weapons are not allowed...

sweeeeeet im gonna so own with unarmed

[Windexglow]

Some more questions.. (Don't you just love me!)

How does the Ai spend it's non-combat time? Will you see them sleep, sharpen their weapons, scavenge for food, put wood on fire, cook food? Or will it be more genetic tasks (patrolling, talking, ect)

How does one recruit new people? Is it a simple "Buy" button at a tavern? Do people automatically join?

What major features are you working on right now? (What? It's not like I've asked this before)

How easy is it to 'customize' your force? Can you switch from a hardcore front-line infantry to assassins in seconds, or does it depend on multiple factors (Unit stats, experience, ect)

Will units pick up better weapons automatically? For example if you pay them a wage, they may spend it on new weapons

How does controlling your units work? Do you micromanage each one, group select them like rtss'?

[Captain Deathbeard]

How does the Ai spend it's non-combat time? Will you see them sleep, sharpen their weapons, scavenge for food, put wood on fire, cook food? Or will it be more genetic tasks (patrolling, talking, ect)

As much as I can get the animations for. It won't be insanely detailed, but I hope to have stuff like going to the shops, playing, talking, sleeping, eating, drinking booze etc. I probably won't bother with cooking. There will also be more military type things like patrolling, sharpening, hunting.

How does one recruit new people? Is it a simple "Buy" button at a tavern? Do people automatically join?

I'm still not sure. Some people you will meet or rescue and they will join you. Maybe taverns and villages just have loads of people standing around you can talk to and persuade. I don't want a simple buy button, thats too impersonal. It would be nice if I could think of a way to create extra custom characters too.

What major features are you working on right now? (What? It's not like I've asked this before)

Grass, then terrain.

How easy is it to 'customize' your force? Can you switch from a hardcore front-line infantry to assassins in seconds, or does it depend on multiple factors (Unit stats, experience, ect)

Depends on stats and equipment. If you want to switch, you could just have 2 different squads, or make a multi-skilled squad.

Will units pick up better weapons automatically? For example if you pay them a wage, they may spend it on new weapons

You don't pay them wages (well, maybe some). They will pickup the nearest weapon if theirs breaks or goes flying. I don't want them to auto equip because it messes with the player.

[/quote]How does controlling your units work? Do you micromanage each one, group select them like rtss'?[/quote]
Like an rts, drag-select, click to move.

[gmat]

Sorry for bumping this but it was about to go off the forum world and it is one of the most informative posts I have ever found so I didn't want to loose access to it.