new RPG MISTMARE

arxeltribe · Post by **arxeltribe** » Fri Feb 22, 2002 11:57 am

Hi !!

http://mistmare.arxeltribe.com/

Here's a link to our new RPG named Mistmare .... and since the game is still under heavy construction we have the time to ask around about your ideas, comments and just about everything that could help us make a better game...

so see you around and take care

Matej

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Fri Feb 22, 2002 2:39 pm

looks like an absorbing game

If it is possible, I would suggest that players have at least some control over the creation and skill development of the pc.....this is one of the reasons why most of us here are addicted to the Baldur's Gate series.....

VoodooDali · Post by **VoodooDali** » Fri Feb 22, 2002 4:01 pm

@dragonwench. I went and signed up on their forum and posted suggestions there--wasn't sure if Matej would be looking here again. He does seem to be the main mod there. I told them I wanted a new RPG more like BG, non-linear with lots of NPC's with good dialogue and romances.

fable · Post by **fable** » Fri Feb 22, 2002 4:17 pm

Originally posted by VoodooDali
@dragonwench. I went and signed up on their forum and posted suggestions there--wasn't sure if Matej would be looking here again. He does seem to be the main mod there. I told them I wanted a new RPG more like BG, non-linear with lots of NPC's with good dialogue and romances.

That pretty much sums up my concerns. There are plenty of CRPGs out there with tons of monsters, lots of NPCs with whom you can have "interactions" (gives name, offers quest, offers reward, bye), and all sorts of weapons and spells. True interactivity among and with your party members, and unusual quests, possibly with multiple solutions--these are much, much harder to find.

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Fri Feb 22, 2002 6:56 pm

Originally posted by VoodooDali
@dragonwench. I went and signed up on their forum and posted suggestions there--wasn't sure if Matej would be looking here again. He does seem to be the main mod there. I told them I wanted a new RPG more like BG, non-linear with lots of NPC's with good dialogue and romances.

thanks, I may do that

Like Fable I would concur with your ideal of what makes a good game.... It seems that most of the games out there are just too focused on hack and slash, with little or no npc interaction.....

That being said, I am currently replaying SoA/ToB with a monk...and I have to confess....... I'm enjoying the spectacle of various beasties exploding into a many pieces after a single punch......

*considers seeking professional help due to this sudden interest in bloodletting*

ThorinOakensfield · Post by **ThorinOakensfield** » Fri Feb 22, 2002 9:31 pm

Yeah i signed up too. Although i doubt it will be like Baldur's Gate. Who knows. Its going to be new and probably totally diferent from anything else.
Anyway the requirements are a bit high for my pc, and i don't plan to get another one in the next few years.

fable · Post by **fable** » Fri Feb 22, 2002 9:38 pm

@Thorin, we don't even know if the game will be pausable for battles and inventory, or how many characters you'll run. Nevermind being like BG2, at this point we only know that it will have some RPG, strategy, and action elements. Talk about vagueness...!

arxeltribe · Post by **arxeltribe** » Wed Feb 27, 2002 3:50 am

OI guys !!!

Thank you for your visits ... the answers for your questions will be posted soon... I forwarded them to our main game designer ...

but why am I here...

Right now the choosing has begun on:

http://mistmare.arxeltribe.com/

Under conceptual art section a special voting system is opened which allows anyone to choose from 40 pictures his own favorite 10.
The votes will be processed and results updated daily... 15 monsters with most votes will go directly in the game ...

If there are any questions about a specific monster you are welcome to ask us on our forum.

Thank you ....

P.S. Don't wote for rotten vermin ... I hate zombies ... they're borring ...

Matej

fable · Post by **fable** » Wed Feb 27, 2002 9:27 am

PR. (That's almost a cursing acronym, these days.) Votes by passers-by on which monster images to include are just designed to garner advanced interest in a rather chessy fashion, IMO. If the developers can tell us more hard, concrete facts about the game, as indicated above, they're welcome to post. But this voting tactic has the air of a publicity campaign. We need more substance.

arxeltribe · Post by **arxeltribe** » Wed Feb 27, 2002 10:44 am

Fable ... it's kinda true what you said... not that I would want to explain more about the game ... but see, I'm a bloody artist ... not a game designer ... I could easily give out a wrong information. As I said I gave this link to Matija who's our main guy for playability and sincerely I realy don't know why is it taking so long... 'm gonna kick his butt a little ...

This selection of the monsters has been made inhouse previously... but the results were terrible ... "zombie has to be in" ... "we need a dragon" ... and of course, "make a skeleton with armor" ... 't was boring ...so I fought out to give voice to the people

to let them decide ... just to prove zombie kinda AD&D stuff is dull in just about every game...
This could be advertizing, it's true ... but every comment is read and thought over and this forum stuff is realy helping us ... I cannot promise you that all top ten monsters will go in the game ... but it will help us a lot when we'll be making the real final selection. (Rotten Vermin will have to go over my dead body to get in)...

so as long as Matija (game designer)is absent here I can answer just about anything regarding the monster behavior their models and textures ...

no hard feelings Fable ... we're just a simple garage band making games....

Matej

fable · Post by **fable** » Wed Feb 27, 2002 11:51 am

no hard feelings Fable ... we're just a simple garage band making games....

No hard feelings.

But you're not just a "simple garage band," you're a bunch of folks woh include highly sophisticated programmers. And you've elected to create one of the most difficult kinds of games, a CRPG. For what little my opinion is worth (and I mean that), I would suggest creating a completely detailed storyline and design document, explaining (for yourself, and others) what you intend to have in this game, and a realistic timeline for achieving it.

It'll save on a lot of wear and tear in the long run if you know what you want to do, and what you're getting into, in the beginning.

Vicsun · Post by **Vicsun** » Wed Feb 27, 2002 12:58 pm

Hi axeltribe.

You still serious about that T-shirt you promised on the other forum?

Well anyways I also know a couple of other good forums... If you want links to them Private Message me, since I might get in trouble with mods (hi fable & aegis

) if I post links here

Yshania · Post by **Yshania** » Wed Feb 27, 2002 3:28 pm

Originally posted by dragon wench

That being said, I am currently replaying SoA/ToB with a monk...and I have to confess....... I'm enjoying the spectacle of various beasties exploding into a many pieces after a single punch......

*considers seeking professional help due to this sudden interest in bloodletting*

Tell me about it!!!

I play a multiplayer, then worry about my chars survival in DF?!

charon@ss · Post by **charon@ss** » Sat Mar 02, 2002 6:28 am

lil'bout'mistmare

Greetings to you all.

Since Matej promised some answers to your questions from me, he's been nagging and poking me around (and yes, as he told you, "kicking my sorry butt") , decreasing my potentiality to concentrate on the game code

, so I am giving in.

First some explanations: about the garage band. Oh yes. Consider me. I am one of the game designers & authors. At the same time, I lead the Mistmare programming team of me, myself and a novice... Yes yes... we're highly sophisticated, especially me, with all that years and years of University time behind.

Heh heh, looking at our vast and expanding team right now, I feel warm emotions of satisfaction... ID, EA, GOD, Blizzard, hide! You stand no chance against our sophistication, masses and financial resources. ;] ;]

Ok... sorry about that small burst of irony. I won't do it again, promise

So let's talk about the game.

It's going to be a FRP game, but not like most of those that I've played. It's going to be a game in a way *I* (myself as me) would *want* to play. Easy if you're a gamer and a programmer at the same time

You just do what you want (if there's enough time).

I want Mistmare to be (and I first helped designing it to be like that, now I am coding it to be like that):

- A fantasy adventure with a linear main story, just like of a good mystery movie or a fantasy book which is not just about smiting dragons, but about wondering the mysterieis of the fantasy world and its inhabitants as well.

- A role playing game which allows you to develop your character in any way you want, thus in term allowing you to play your own game, different from any other player. Depending on the way you developed your character, your tactics in combat, conversation and problem solving will have to differ. Depending on your tactics, your character will change. This is the circle that I want. If you're a fighter, you fight and so become a better fighter. If you're a diplomat, you buy your way out of fighting, and so become a better diplomat. And so on, in contrast to many other games: I am a fighter, and the game is easy cause I just beat up everybody. I am a diplomat and the game is tough because everybody beats up I.

- A role playing game in which the development of your character doesn't only influence combat. If you're an acrobat in Mistmare, you'll climb or jump out of many 'embarrassing' situations, but will also be able to strike faster attacks. If you're a ranger, you'll find your way out of a dark cave, but will also regain stamina in combat faster. And so on and on.

- A role playing game in which you do not build your character by distributing XP. Character development is integrated into the non-linear adventure part of the game. You work at the blacksmith's, gain some money and some strength. Spend hours in the library to improve your Lore, the skill of wielding all magic items (and at the same time the skill for reading old manuscripts), and your spiritual aspect will grow as well, but if you do that all the time, your character may end up corporeally feeble, forced to rely on spells and magic items in combat.

- A role playing game which is not all about numbers. Instead, there will be generated descriptions, astrological charts, and other visual influences of your character's growth. Have you seen the growing tree in the movie (website)? It's your corporeal aspect, and the three little circles around it are your affinity spheres... Read the "Gameplay" topic on the website to learn more.

- A role playing game with rules so complex that intuition *has* to come in when playing it. Yes. Everything influences everything. The blacksmith in the village has a high Forge skill, so all the swords he makes are sharper (but might broke sooner, who knows?). There's an excellent magic sword you found, but then you have an old axe from the beginning of the game, which is exceptionally aligned to your character by its astrological chart, and you've been upgrading it in every weaponshop you ever found... Your reputation of helping the rejected becomes so high that a group of rebels in another city approaches you and asks you for help, allowing you to end the episode in a completely other way than most other players will. Improve your healing spell (very useful during combat

) enough that you may heal a lethally ill king much later in the story, and never ever have any financial problems more... Etc. This is just a crumb, I could ramble on for hours.

Ok, there's much, much more... But this post is now already big enough... Save something for later.

Have fun, all of ye...

Vicsun · Post by **Vicsun** » Sat Mar 02, 2002 12:37 pm

Re: lil'bout'mistmare

Originally posted by charon@ss
Greetings to you all.

Since Matej promised some answers to your questions from me, he's been nagging and poking me around (and yes, as he told you, "kicking my sorry butt") , decreasing my potentiality to concentrate on the game code , so I am giving in.

First some explanations: about the garage band. Oh yes. Consider me. I am one of the game designers & authors. At the same time, I lead the Mistmare programming team of me, myself and a novice... Yes yes... we're highly sophisticated, especially me, with all that years and years of University time behind.

Heh heh, looking at our vast and expanding team right now, I feel warm emotions of satisfaction... ID, EA, GOD, Blizzard, hide! You stand no chance against our sophistication, masses and financial resources. ;] ;]

Ok... sorry about that small burst of irony. I won't do it again, promise

So let's talk about the game.

It's going to be a FRP game, but not like most of those that I've played. It's going to be a game in a way *I* (myself as me) would *want* to play. Easy if you're a gamer and a programmer at the same time You just do what you want (if there's enough time).

I want Mistmare to be (and I first helped designing it to be like that, now I am coding it to be like that):

- A fantasy adventure with a linear main story, just like of a good mystery movie or a fantasy book which is not just about smiting dragons, but about wondering the mysterieis of the fantasy world and its inhabitants as well.

- A role playing game which allows you to develop your character in any way you want, thus in term allowing you to play your own game, different from any other player. Depending on the way you developed your character, your tactics in combat, conversation and problem solving will have to differ. Depending on your tactics, your character will change. This is the circle that I want. If you're a fighter, you fight and so become a better fighter. If you're a diplomat, you buy your way out of fighting, and so become a better diplomat. And so on, in contrast to many other games: I am a fighter, and the game is easy cause I just beat up everybody. I am a diplomat and the game is tough because everybody beats up I.

- A role playing game in which the development of your character doesn't only influence combat. If you're an acrobat in Mistmare, you'll climb or jump out of many 'embarrassing' situations, but will also be able to strike faster attacks. If you're a ranger, you'll find your way out of a dark cave, but will also regain stamina in combat faster. And so on and on.

- A role playing game in which you do not build your character by distributing XP. Character development is integrated into the non-linear adventure part of the game. You work at the blacksmith's, gain some money and some strength. Spend hours in the library to improve your Lore, the skill of wielding all magic items (and at the same time the skill for reading old manuscripts), and your spiritual aspect will grow as well, but if you do that all the time, your character may end up corporeally feeble, forced to rely on spells and magic items in combat.

- A role playing game which is not all about numbers. Instead, there will be generated descriptions, astrological charts, and other visual influences of your character's growth. Have you seen the growing tree in the movie (website)? It's your corporeal aspect, and the three little circles around it are your affinity spheres... Read the "Gameplay" topic on the website to learn more.

- A role playing game with rules so complex that intuition *has* to come in when playing it. Yes. Everything influences everything. The blacksmith in the village has a high Forge skill, so all the swords he makes are sharper (but might broke sooner, who knows?). There's an excellent magic sword you found, but then you have an old axe from the beginning of the game, which is exceptionally aligned to your character by its astrological chart, and you've been upgrading it in every weaponshop you ever found... Your reputation of helping the rejected becomes so high that a group of rebels in another city approaches you and asks you for help, allowing you to end the episode in a completely other way than most other players will. Improve your healing spell (very useful during combat ) enough that you may heal a lethally ill king much later in the story, and never ever have any financial problems more... Etc. This is just a crumb, I could ramble on for hours.

Ok, there's much, much more... But this post is now already big enough... Save something for later.

Have fun, all of ye...

Wow, that DOES sound nice. I just hope that your stats will not only matter during combat (as it is in the BG series), but you'll also have other uses for them. IE having a high inteligence allowes you not only to be a better mage but also to be able to talk your way out of situations.

fable · Post by **fable** » Sat Mar 02, 2002 12:56 pm

@Vicsun, in the future, could you just quote a few lines, or perhaps assume people understand you mean the preceding post, when you only reply with a sentence or two? It makes it easier to read your responses, and takes up less space in Buck's drive. Thanks.

charon@ss · Post by **charon@ss** » Sat Mar 02, 2002 7:24 pm

To Vicsun: about the stats. Yes, that is exactly the idea.

Beside the many non-combat situations where the game mechanics itself makes decision based upon your character's stats/skills, the scripting engine (for the story, conversations, training spots, items and similar) allows any conditioning to be done upon RPG properties of the game (including your character's stats). The script itself is full of such conditioning, actually, much of the game's non-linearity comes out as a result.

KidD01 · Post by **KidD01** » Sat Mar 22, 2003 7:29 pm

The demo is up !

I just stop by their site again after some time. They finally release a demo version for it ! Nice looking screen shot BTW reminds me of NWN.

fable, have you try it out yet ?

fable · Post by **fable** » Sat Mar 22, 2003 8:09 pm

No, I'm reviewing Galactic Civilizations at the moment. Typically, I don't look at demos, since they often leave out features that are in the actual game; but I may make an exception, here. When I get a chance.

Meanwhile, what did you think of it?

garazdawi · Post by **garazdawi** » Sun Mar 23, 2003 5:17 am

Originally posted by charon@ss
To Vicsun: about the stats. Yes, that is exactly the idea.

Beside the many non-combat situations where the game mechanics itself makes decision based upon your character's stats/skills, the scripting engine (for the story, conversations, training spots, items and similar) allows any conditioning to be done upon RPG properties of the game (including your character's stats). The script itself is full of such conditioning, actually, much of the game's non-linearity comes out as a result.

Sounds like a great game

, just make sure that all those generic script etc don't become to processor hogging. I can't stand lag and if I expience lag in someway it really pulls the outlook of the whole game down IMO.

I'm downloading the demo as I type, I'm gonna try it out and see what it's like....