3D RPG, The Ark

[rogerdv]

The Ark is a fantasy based RPG, with the usual elements you will find in any RPG: realtime combat, quests, dialogs, nothing innovative here, just taking the best of old classics like Fallout, Baldurs Gate, Diablo... The game offers an old style isometric view and also a more modern 3rd person view.
I have been working for a long time on this project, probably you would remember my post in the previous forum, the idea was to make a game with free software only, but recruiting free software users has proven to be a very difficult task. Currently, I have a Blender modeller working in architectural elements and also a texture artist creating some assets like world maps, new GUI skin, etc. The game is almost playable: you can walk, talk to NPCs, receive and complete quests, receive items, and even kill people. It uses Ogre engine, Lua and OpenAL, the programming language is C++. The source code is GPL and the art is under CC.
More artists and developers are welcome to join.

Some screenshots:

Normal map tests:



Inventory:


Dialog system:

[Skorpio]

Sounds interesting, maybe I'll check it out when it's playable, although I'd prefer a sci-fi/cyberpunk setting. BTW you said it's fantasy, but that character looks a bit like a robot or mech. Is that intended? A more detailed texture would be nice. And please scale the grass texture down. Those blades of grass seem to be one meter long.

[qubodup]

You forgot a link http://ark-rpg.sourceforge.net/

PS: trying to compile (`scons`) svn leads to

{l Code}: {l Select All Code}

$ scons
scons: Reading SConscript files ...
Checking for pkg-config... (cached) yes
Checking for OGRE >= 1.4.0... (cached) yes
Checking for CEGUI >= 0.5.0... (cached) yes
Checking for CEGUI-OGRE >= 1.4.0... (cached) yes
Checking for OIS >= 1.0... (cached) yes
Checking for lua >= 5.1... (cached) yes
Checking for openal... (cached) yes
Checking for bullet... (cached) yes
scons: done reading SConscript files.
scons: Building targets ...
scons: *** [strata/main.o] Source `strata/main.cpp' not found, needed by target `strata/main.o'.
scons: building terminated because of errors.


[charlie]

...that character looks a bit like a robot or mech. Is that intended?

I don't think it is intended as it looks like one of the test models that comes with Ogre3D.

[rogerdv]

Yes, right now I just have 3 characters, 2 of them are the robot and ninja that comes with Ogre.
@qubodup Solving that right now. Check again and try.

[Julius]

Never saw this post initially, but now noticed it via phoronix.

Have you though about using the Ryzom art for a bunch of stuff? It's CC-BY-SA so there is no problem using them.

http://media.ryzom.com/

except for sounds it should have pretty much all you need.

Edit: Ahh free software made only... well a noble goal but a pretty senseless one if you ask me (and I do only use free software to make my art ).
Using FOSS software is really good, but that shouldn't keep you from using freely licensed and already done art (and I guess your problems in finding contributors or art should be pretty self explainatory in that regard.)

[rogerdv]

Well, in the beginning the idea was to prove that a game could be developed using only free software, like the open movies from Blender Foundation. But they can raise the money to fund the movies, I cant do the same. I cant even fund my own hardware upgrades. But I have confirmed that yes, it is possible to make the game with free software only, if I had the right people.

[TheAncientGoat]

Well, nice placeholders are far better than not so nice place holders :P

[charlie]

You could also re-use assets from other games. For instance, JCRPG has a lot of nice models, Ryzom recently released a lot of GPL models, and there are other projects with models you could use.

[rogerdv]

Was checking the ryzom media, but they use 3dmax.

[charlie]

There was a project using collada but I forget what it is atm.

[Julius]

Was checking the ryzom media, but they use 3dmax.

That is a bit of a problem still, but I think there is some work being done to convert the models to a Blender friendly format.

@Charlie: Not sure which project you mean, but 0AD is using collada. But their media might not be really usable. Hmm... or maybe it is... this is also supposed to be a isometric RPG? Because I was really thinking about getting the trees and such from 0AD into the SummoningWars game for cool background graphics.

[rogerdv]

Do they have any usable trees? I still have to look deeper in opengameart.org, but seems ther are no good vegetation there.

[charlie]

I know the worldforge project has some good trees, shown here in the latest Ember release:
http://worldforgedev.org/archives/228

[charlie]

Here's a good tree:
http://opengameart.org/content/gum-tree

And some more:
http://opengameart.org/content/dims-arboretum
http://opengameart.org/content/dims-arboretum-0

Another place to look is the rather excellent looking Blender project Yo Frankie which has gorgeous foilage:
http://www.yofrankie.org/
http://www.yofrankie.org/gallery/

[rogerdv]

Im using the first one, but Im having troubles to make it look good in Ogre, shadows are not so precise and transparency is not so transparent (stay tuned for recent screenshots).
Also, I had problems too exporting dim's arboretum objects some time ago, Ill have to try again. Now I will also take a look at yo frankie trees.

[charlie]

Not a tree, but this well looks good:
http://opengameart.org/content/covered-well

[rogerdv]

Good suggestion! but it is already in the game and the author added to the credits.
Now Im looking for medieval houses. And of course, more trees.

[rogerdv]

The latest screenshots, showing the new character model (still work in progress) and some assets taken from opengameart.





The character model is an insanely hi poly version for testing, thats why the low FPS. Also, the normal mapping (the well, chest, characters) can not be fully appreciated.