OpanKnite: an open source, ambitious, 3D RPG

[Worldblender]

After about 3 years of some daydreaming, I will finally announce what I daydreamed publicly!

See my project's first document here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yBktkCltw2irppDIdEsxP8W-sEVJ4uOCYXO8L8I1WNo/edit?usp=sharing

Comments can be made here or on the website where the document is hosted. Feel free to make your own copy of that document, as it is licensed under the CC license. I may edit the document from time to time to add or update information on there.

This game does not have anything to showcase at the moment, so some volunteer help conforming to what is outlined in the above document is welcome.

Available assets:
Now updated with several versions of this game's first logo; all of the files below are licensed under the CC license.
Digital version:
https://goblinrefuge.com/mediagoblin/u/worldblender/m/first-digital-version-of-the-logo-for-opanknite/

Digital version with commentary:


Hand-drawn version:

[beoran]

Ho hum. sorry to say this, but this is not a game project but a pipe dream that you want others to realize for you. No chance in that ever happening unless you put in the effort yourself first. Learn how to program and implement something yourself, and when you have something to show for your work (source code, videos or even better a playable game) then perhaps someone will be interested enough to help you out. I know what I say sounds harsh but that's how it goes for open source games.

Secondly, I read your document and even now I don't know what kind of game you want to make. An RPG? A platformer? A racing game? You'll have to focus more on what you want to make exactly before you have any chance of proceeding.

Edit: a hint: for open source games by less experienced programmers, the Blender Game engine might be the easiest way to go at it. And don't even THINK of making anything that includes anything near Nintendo's character's, they'll sue the pants off you.
http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Doc:2 ... ame_Engine

[Worldblender]

I know that I will need to create something on my own before I start showing more people (maybe I announced it a little too early?). However, since I currently do not have enough free time to do this, I just decided to tell other people about my upcoming game ahead of time so that when I do have something else to show, they will likely become familiar with it then. For now, I may be able to make only graphical and related assets, as I currently do not have enough programming experience.

The game's main series will be an RPG. Other spinoff games can take the form of other genres, but the main series will always have a definite form. It will not use fully-copyrighted characters or other assets (at least try not to do so) so that the entire distribution can be freely (re)used.

Remember that I the document is never set in stone, meaning that I can still edit to add, update and/or clarify information in there. Wait for a while, and I may post my custom assets and diagrams that explain my reasoning behind what I picked.

[c_xong]

This may seem counterintuitive, but when selling an idea you need to be as clear as possible, as people are not interested in vague ideas. You might feel like it's better to leave unimportant things out to avoid alienating people, for example maybe this conversation played out in your mind: A: "I'm making a game, it has this this and this, and unicorns." B: "I don't like unicorns, not interested." A: "Wait, I can change it to ponies, come baaack!" But the reality is, vagueness puts off everyone, as it gives the impression that you have not thought things through. Surely after 3 years you have a very vivid idea of what this game is about? It's a long time to spend on an idea alone.

[beoran]

I'd agree with what c_xong says. To help you out a bit with focusing, you sau the "main series" will be an RPG. Making a 3d RPG takes over 10 years of work, so forget about the "series". You'll probably be able to make 1 3D RPG in your life and that will be it. So focus. Now the question is, what will the 3D RPG be like? Will it be an action RPG, a tactial RPG or a strategic RPG? What will the story be about? Who will be the characters exactly? How will they develop though the game? How is the world planned? Don't go too much into detail but focus on the great outlines. And then get designing 3D models in Blender and programming (whatever way you like Blender Game engine, OpenGL, etc.) to implement something.

[oberhamsi]

I have to agree with the others: your proposal is too vague.

You should think about what the player actually does while in the game. Which choices does he have? Which buttons to press? What would a 2min demo of the game look like?

[rogerdv]

Sorry to hammer another nail on your plans, but many people (including me) has presented more detailed projects and didnt got any help.
Design and implement at least a basic prototype before asking for help.

[Worldblender]

I now know that it is too vague, and it is a reflection of my mild autism (a kind of mental disability). I posted my document at a time where I did not have a lot of free time to actually work on it. I wanted to tell other people about my plans before I actually made something, not to try to make them do my work first. Once I find enough free time, I will try to work on creating something that is actually for this project, and by then, I should gradually be posting more stuff online or pointing to what I would like to reuse (it should include graphics, models, mock-ups, and a little bit of source code for now).
Keep in mind that I still do not have a lot of programming experience, so it may take a while before source code for my project appears. When that does start happening, I may need to be guided on how to use a version control system so that I don't have to keep posting new versions so constantly.

[rogerdv]

I would suggest looking at Godot, Urho3D or Unity3d engine to start learning.

[Julius]

How about helping out a bit with Terminal Overload and learning the insides of Torque3D the same time? I think that engine would work very well for an 3D RPG and by contributing small patches to TOL you can do some good while learning.

[DGMurdockIII]

look at the Grit Game Engine it would be a good fit for your game http://www.gritengine.com/

The Grit Game Engine is a community project to build a free game engine (and pipeline tool-chain) for implementing open world 3D games, such as the those in the GTA series, Saints Row, Crysis, Fallout 3, Just Cause 2, Mafia 2, Burnout, etc. Anyone can use the engine as a foundation for their game, and anyone can read / modify / integrate the source code.

While there are many open source game engines, ours is the only one that is being optimized for open world games. We support large maps (e.g. more than 30 square km, 50000 objects) with considerable diversity in geometry and textures, because game objects and scenery consume negligible memory / CPU resources when out of visual range. We also use deferred shading, which is essential for rendering the abundance of light sources that are needed in open world scenes.

[Worldblender]

To all users who read this:
Go to the first post, and there should be some graphical assets pertaining to my game's logo.

[Roots]

If you have little or no game experience, I strongly recommend you dial back your ambitions. Game development is a hard, long process. I started my first game ten years ago (a 2D RPG that is less ambitious than yours) and I'm still working on it, even with the help of dozens of people contributing over the years. I wish I would have started with something more simple, like making a basic puzzle game or platformer. Trying to do a full and complete title was a huge mistake. We managed to wisen up as we went along and released several demos that were like mini-RPGs to gain experience. And I started this project with four years of experience in programming.


I recommend you do the following if you are really serious about making this title happen:
1) Find an existing team to join. You'll learn a lot more working with other people that have the experience that you lack. Use it as a learning experience.
2) Go through a couple release cycles (or more) for that game. After you feel comfortable with it...
3) Make your own small game completely from scratch. Could be a tetris clone, platformer, maybe even a 3D puzzle game. Get it to a finished and playable state.
4) Now you might be prepared enough to start on an ambitious 3D RPG. Re-use the code from your small game to get a head start and get something very minimal running (able to run around on a basic map).
5) Now you have a very basic but working prototype. Figure out a detailed design of exactly what title you want to make, share it, and then start looking for others to help out.


I know that it seems like you're taking the long road instead of the straightest path to your primary goal following these steps, but really this is the best way to get it done. I took the "straightest path" and I regret it still to this day. The first 2-3 years of our project I had no idea about the proper way to do things, and almost all of the code from back then has been redesigned and rewritten because it was too difficult to make it work for anything more than a very simple RPG game. Learn from others mistakes and don't trip into the same pitfall as myself and so many others.