Chimeras, Frankenforms, Breeds

[Vandar]

Lately I was playing a game that was heavy on a sort of whitchcraft, to enhance creatures either by chirurgical (frankensteinish) or magical means which alter their body (and at times also magical abilities). The player did not have such ability, but faced a lot of enemies which were either "enhanced" humans (often not-so-happy with their new forms) and at times chimeras, which were assembled from several species.

Looking at OpenDungeons again, I began wondering if it could be a interesting twist to the gameplay - insted of attracting creatures, a keeper could also breed creatures, or order some medical/magical minions of his, to create chimeras from other minions of his.

Chimeras could be more powerful and very loyal (made, so that they must obey at all cost), but the drawback is, fewer creatures will join, because some might be anxious also to be dissected and reassembled. So a keeper must balance the frequency of creating chimeras to gain more powerul minions with the number of new creatures they need.

Breeding creatures on the other hand might just be a resource sink, and not scare the rest of the minions. But unlike chimeras which gain the abilities of the used species in their construction, breeding creature will be random, and some breeds might unusable, others even harmful, to make it more of a gambling activity for the player (resources as input -> luck -> good or bad breed as result).

[hwoarangmy]

IMHO, considering the time we are aiming for multiplayer games, around 30 minutes, this feature would slow down the games (ATM, games are already pretty slow). Moreover, technically, it would be difficult to merge creatures.

However, it could be interesting for a campaign. For example, for allowing the player to enable creatures. At the campaign start, only basic creatures would be available and more will become (your idea would be a way to introduce new creatures). Moreover, it would allow to use the concept much more than what we could do in one game.

You seem to have some imagination so if you could find an interesting story that could fit with introducing creatures (using your frankenstein idea or not) for a campaign, it would be cool

[Vandar]

The display of chimeras is definitely challenging. If I had a good idea, I'd try it also for my Imp City project. In 3D it seems a bit easier, to use separate models for limbs and bodies, and have joints where to attach them again. Animating them is probably as much horror for the coder as for the player to watch them. A pity.

I'll see if I can produce a story A campaign includes several maps, I assume, so a possible story arch could be like:

- Keeper discovers or hears of chimeras among his enemies.
- Keeper begins research or orders minions to gather intelligence on their production.
- Keeper must develop a laboratory - this could include several quests for the required items and furniture.
- Keeper must attract one or more mad scientists who will be working in the lab.
- And then ... ready, set go for the final battle!

I'll try to package that into a nice story. These days I have a surprising lot of time, but very little motivation to actually do coding or graphics work, so this might come handy to keep my head busy.

[Vandar]

The beginning:

-----------------------------------

A minion of yours asks for an audience. He seems to be very discomposed about something.

"Master, Master!", his voice toppling, "A creature which just arrived told us of horrible things happening in another dungeon. The keeper there is slaughtering his minions, and puts the pieces together again with some magical means, so they become alive and even more powerful than before, but their minds are all empty and dead."

He looks at you, seemingly deeply scared, "Now we are afraid you will slaughter us too. Promise you won't, will you?"

With a soothing voice you reply, "Sure, I won't. In my dungeon you are completly save, my small ones.", and petpat him a bit while your thoughts already race - powerful and completely enslaved minions down to their last fiber? You need those! But how, without scaring your current minions away ...

With a sudden poke of your steel gauntlet you command the creature, "Bring me one of those chimeras, so I can see what is going on there. We must be prepared!"

-> Start map with enemy keeper. Goal: Bring at least one chimera into your prison.

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Someone with better English skills must adapt the wording. My English has become too rusty for good storytelling.

To be continued.

[Vandar]

Your most educated minions study the imprisoned chimera, and it really seems to be made of several creatures (... maybe insert list here, if the program can resolve such information about a random chimera ...), and whatever they try, the chimera stays loyal to its owner, even during the final tortured to death. But even if your minions tried really hard, they couldn't find out what made the chimera alive. From all they know, creatures sliced and dissected the way those were, usually don't come to life again, even if carefully stitched together.

Upon hearing this you visit the prison to watch the remains of the chimera. They still look somewhat intact, even after all the research done on them. These chimeras sure are tough creatures.

You grab the nearest wizard and shake him, "You useless lazybuggers! Take those parts and put them together again. Make them live! Dig into your old books, and find out how. What for do we have a library?"

The wizard stutters, "But, but, our library has no books about necromancy, and we never had necromancers here ..."

You dump him to the ground, point and shout, "Then see that we get such books. How hard can that be?"

-> New map. Goal: Steal necromancy books from the enemy keeper(s). Learn necromancy. Bring the chimera back to (un)life.

[Vandar]

Your minions watch your process with the chimera, and you notice, that no new creatures have joined your dungeon since a while, even that it is a big and well-furnished dungeon. Seemingly the word spread, that you did research how to make chimeras, and no one dares to join you, just the few that you had before still stay loyal. But how long?

You remember an old story about soul stones, to keep the soul of a creature even beyond its death. Maybe this could be a solution? Some of your minions were always eager to become better fighters, and if you can promise them a better body while keeping their souls, the might be willing to sacrifice themselves, without making all the others revolt. The body parts you hope to get from slain foes.

You order one of your dragons to your throne room, "Dragon. You dragons are the oldest race, you surely know the legends of the soul stones. Bring me some of these!"

The dragon bows, but replies, "Yes Master, but you must know, that all known soulstones are kept by upperworlders in some sort of temple. We'll have to raid this temple, and get them for you."


-> New map. Half open, filled with upperworlders and the temple building. Raid the temple, retrieve at least one soulstone.

[Vandar]

After retrieving the soulstones, and meanwhile with some expert necromancers among your wizards and vampires, you select your most brave and loyal minions to become chimeral warriors of yours. In a big ceremony they become sacrificed, and their souls kept in the soulstones. Now you need to power up again, and raid an enemy dungeon to retrieve bodies, so that the remaining minions of yours learn, they do not need to run (now), but you prefer to kill other creatures for their bodies (now).

You gather them in the dungeon temple, "With the soulstones and the souls of our bravest, we are close to domination about all keepers, even that one, who made the mindless chimeras from his minions. Our chimeras will be strong, and they have souls! They will be ou ultimate weapon and defense. Now, minions, bring me bodies, to complete the work!"

-> New map. Bring at least as many enemy creatures to your prision as you have soulstones.

[Vandar]

So close! Close to domination. It feels so good. Only a few more days till the work on your chimeras is completed. Hope, nothing bad happens till ... the sudden yell of the alarm wakes you from you train of thoughts, "Alarm, we are under attack! They are strong and they are many. And they have chimeras!"

You rush to order your defenses, let your creatures fortify the dungeon ... you need time, till you chimeras are ready.

-> New map.
-> Goal 1: Hold your dungeon till your chimeras are done. Several keepers have united to attack you and stop your plans.
-> Goal 2: Gain control over all other dungeon hearts (temples) on this map once your chimeras are ready for battle.
-> Goal 3: Keep at least one of your chimeras alive. There are no more soulstones to make new ones.

[Vandar]

Happy coding, guys. I know I'd like to play this campaign

[hwoarangmy]

Indeed, you have imagination ^^

But please keep in mind OD is a spare time project and we have to use the creatures we already got. We already have 12 creatures per faction (some are not final) and only 1 active artist ATM. We cannot put too much on his shoulders or he will flee the project (unless slapped enough).

The display of chimeras is definitely challenging. If I had a good idea, I'd try it also for my Imp City project. In 3D it seems a bit easier, to use separate models for limbs and bodies, and have joints where to attach them again. Animating them is probably as much horror for the coder as for the player to watch them. A pity.

In reality, it is possible. I've had a look at another open source project called "summoning wars" and they have a model used with Ogre3D that works like that. However, I think you will only find that in RPG games where you can build your main character. Basically, they have a skeleton with the animations and the rest of the body can be attached. I've not looked too deep into the model, though.
Indeed, in OD, we don't have such things (only for weapons).

Concerning your story, I think it is pretty nice. I would probably add some heroes at some point (because it will be a waste of half our creatures to not use them ).
If you want to put your hands in the dirt, you can have a go at doing 1 or 2 maps. We are really lacking data content right now and it would be nice to have some more maps (which could be part of the campaign or not, as you prefer). If you need some help, feel free to ask as our documentation is pretty poor. Basically, to build a map, you have to copy "levels/template.level" in the skirmish or multiplayer path dependeng on what you are doing. Then, you change the map size (line 80). Then, you can open the editor and let your imagination do the rest ^^
Many stuff is not available in the editor but if you ask, we can help ^^

[hwoarangmy]

Also note that concerning your idea, we already have skeletons and liches (imported from summoning wars). We also have some Creatures ingame or to be integrated that could more or less fit your story (for example, the Troll, the Kreatur or the lizard man).

ATM, skeletons and liches raises from the prison/crypt. But in the campaign, we could have a different version. Or somehow try to merge the concepts.

[Vandar]

I'm sure among your creature selection there will be matching ones. I'm just not up to date with it, and so just took examples from Dungeon Keeper, because I know that fairly well.

Instead of the Wizard any magical reseracher will do, and instead of the dragon any ancient race will to. The kreatur sure can count as chimera.

I didn't know that you have liches already. They could fit into the story at the pojnt where the wiazrd wimpers "We never had a necromancer here ..." - once the book of necromancy (I imagine that as such a knowledege box which goes into the library) has been retrieved, the crypt room will be availbale, and with that liches and skeletons, as sign that the knowledge of necromancy is now available. A problem might be that the story assumes the prison is a room only to keep captured enemies, and not one where creatures rise again.

I feel really lazy these days, but there is a chance that I'll look into the map editor once I become more active again.

[Danimal]

Those are some nice ideas for a campaign, it would be interesting to mix and match creatures, but we are already progress strained, i can think of a few creatures to use as chimeras instead:

http://www.blendswap.com/blends/view/72625 - This one would actually look good as a monster rogue/assasin

http://www.blendswap.com/blends/view/72596 - Mr Stitches from ancient beast

https://sketchfab.com/models/qiZwkauNCs ... bpliN0K5up - Hornhead also AB

Since we already have a liking-hating system in place we can make all other creatures heavily disliking all chimeras types and not joining our dungeon. About the rooms, they could just spawn from the cript, you dont need to jail them since they are undeads created from pieces of corpses, perhaps adding a % chance to get one kind or another at spawn time.

[hwoarangmy]

FYI, the currently final list of creatures can be seen here:
viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5961#p66511

I'm sure among your creature selection there will be matching ones.

I also think so. Moreover, we need 24 final creatures and we are missing many (ATM, we have many creatures with not enough details). If we have a concept, we can choose some that match a little bit more with it (like the creatures @Danimal shown).

Instead of the Wizard any magical reseracher will do, and instead of the dragon any ancient race will to.

ATM, we have no final creature that can research on the keeper faction (level 2 creatures - even if the lizardman is good enough IMHO)

A problem might be that the story assumes the prison is a room only to keep captured enemies, and not one where creatures rise again.

IMHO, it is not a problem if we use some creatures in a way different from how they are used in game. After all, that's how many games do...

I feel really lazy these days, but there is a chance that I'll look into the map editor once I become more active again.

Some new levels would be welcome if you feel like it
If you need some help with the editor, do not hesitate, we will happily help you ^^