$12256 / $11500
I am looking for detailed documentation on how to build new levels, add new art, and in general make a new game with the Flare game engine. So far I have found this nearly decade old thread that links to an equally old stagnant wiki made by Clint Bellanger: https://opengameart.org/forumtopic/how-can-i-make-a-game-with-flare
I have tried to use RPG Maker MV that was heavily modded to make a somewhat 3D action RPG and the result was this:
https://youtu.be/r2Bw3xeV1Po?t=222
I cancelled that game for it was too clunky to develop and it was ultimately far too limiting to keep stacking mods to add new features that are pretty much found in the Flare Engine.
I tried to hire some people to work on improving some various Unity based RPG and third person controller templates and assets. I keep searching for these RPG interested people much like how I am doing here, by going into their respective community forums and asking around. Yet my efforts have been a bit fruitless for I am still searching for people to work with to create a 3D physics based RPG controller template.
It is quite strange for I can find lots of people who are willing to work on a 3D physics based tank game in Unity but not an RPG. Thus I currently can not find anyone talented and willing to work on such an RPG even if they are paid. I am wondering if I should try and learn how to properly use the Flare engine to make a RPG like Diablo, but with my own RPG Setting Universe and do most all of the work myself.
My major concern is the lack of proper documentation to learn how to make and or implement new content such as maps, new character sprites, new items, basically everything for a near complete graphical recreation but with the mechanics still intact running underneath with the Flare engine. I talked with Clint Bellanger back in what feels like eons ago in ancient history although I want to get a fresh take and reevaluate the capabilities of the Flare engine as a possible RPG engine to make a proper RPG worth playing.
The Flare engine has enough features for an RPG to fulfill the depth and mechanical power to drive proper gameplay that I seek. Yet I am hung up on how to even use the engine in the first place? RPG Maker and Unity have at least some levels of ergonomic semi-visual tools to aid in map creation, new skins and visual asset additions and a general framework / template to organize the underlying inner workings of the game engine. Where can a person learn how to properly use the Flare engine to create a new RPG?
I want to make a commercial game to sell on digital game stores like Steam. Thus I do not develop many mods for other RPGs like Baldur's Gate even though I can make high quality new areas, new item art, new characters and nearly everything to make a new expansion. Yet the amount of work and the money spent verses money earned from the work does not make any sense to do in a major investment of time and resources.
Now what I really do not understand is where to learn how to make maps, what tools are used and in what order and how they interact with each other? Who do I talk to who has experience; who could I ask for help? Is there even anyone who is willing to undertake commissions for odds and ends in places that require expertise? Is there anyone who I can talk to who knows how to make new maps, add new art assets, new character sprites, items etc?
Is there a Discord page for the Flare engine? I use Discord quite a lot and so does everyone else I work with. I am found on there almost daily as: Matthew#3194 . I am looking for any kind of help to see how new content is made with the Flare Engine. I am still wondering if it is even a viable idea to pursue such an endeavour to make a new commercial RPG from the Flare engine? Or should just focus my efforts on my 3D physics tank game developed with Unity; then later on when I have more money just straight up hire a team to make a RPG from scratch? I am aware that I need more income to fund more game development (~100K per game at least, up from ~10K).
Also in the past few years I have been actively investing and developing my other businesses. I am starting to become more creative and financially powerful as an individual. I have been for the past year able to financially support active development of my Unity 3D physics based tank game while building two houses while also simultaneously fully purchasing heavy equipment, installing, retooling and expanding my cedar mill and heli-salvage corporation during a pandemic. Also just this first quarter as an individual with my own personal sovereignty I was able to develop heavy industry manufacturing and repair with a steel shop that I built myself. Everything I build is fully paid for and is without any debt. All I need is time and the opportunity to keep working hard. Bit by bit, piece by piece.
I am trying to find a way to develop an RPG worth playing based upon my decades of books of world building, designs and illustrations and to do it right and sell it as a proper honest RPG worth playing. Yet I keep struggling to find talented people to collaborate and work with. I still keep struggling year after year to find game engines powerful, intuitive and commercially viable enough to take bold action with and drive proper development for an RPG worth playing. It feels as if I perhaps need to make a commercially viable game or two worth playing in the 3D physics based Unity tank game department before I can develop a proper RPG. Although maybe the Flare engine can work? Even if so I still need proper documentation and community support to properly pursue such an answer.
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If you go to https://flarerpg.org/get-involved/ and scroll down to the "Modding" section, there are some useful links there on getting started with making your own game with Flare.
Thank you kindly.
create a demo of your idea, by yourself, then present it to the public by looking for helpers.... it's the way to find collaborators :)
You're welcome.
I have figured out how to make new maps and add new damage types, new attributes, level scaling enemies, item rarities, item types, more inventory space, new gui and armour and weapon / animation graphics.
I write it also here: congratulations for having learned all these things, and don't make you problem to ask (always) when you have doubts or other (at least also this forum section is a little more active) ^^
Im very interested into level scaling enemies and multilayer maps, could you tell me how you did it?
@Danimal, do you mean this, with the "multilayer"?
Yes, i kind of though it would be like that, thanks for showing. Do you know something about the enemies scaling?
no, regarding the scaling of the enemies I don't know what you are talking about XD
I don't remember, but you can scaling the level of enemies based on that of the character, or based on other parameters... maybe that's what you mean?
@Danimal It is a pain a bit to scale the levels of the enemies for you have to make separate instances of each enemy and you have less command options but it does work; you just have to work two or three times harder each enemy than with the default campaign.
Say you want an enemy to give half xp after so many levels below the player, you need to spawn all enemies as events (like the surprise zombies event in the graveyard map). Use the ~'Requires level' event thing with the events on the map for the enemies. Then with your half xp version of the monster you spawn that once the player is above a certain level. Then have the 100% xp version spawn for if the player is below the desired xp 'cutoff' level. This is a 'hack' and it (as far as I can currently tell) 'disables' the enemy layer and enemy commands so no wandering; but it works. It can get more complicated (more enemy versions) but that is the simpler version.
The multiple layers is a 'hack' / glitch / bug / thing I found after brute force experimenting with the maps to get them to work after making new tileset definitions. A person can have duplicate layers with the same name in Tiled then still being compatible with Flare. Then have all of the ~'stacking layers' named as "object" (I think) and layer all of them the way you see fit. Also 'background' works as usual.
How hard is it to make new armour / weapons for the player hero / heroine and monsters? I downloaded pretty much ~3/4 of the rpg assets on Opengameart (one by one, list by list, artist by artist organized by individual artists folders to give proper credits; ~2,000 assets yesterday alone). Although I am going to have cross the bridge with more enemies and arts assets probably sooner than later and I have some experience with blender; but I need to get better in general to work efficiently. I really like your https://opengameart.org/content/charging-minotaur .
Im noticing this now, sorry for late answer. Your method of scaling is a bit hard but i see potential to do something i had on mind; some kind of abandoned city ruins, and while crossing the streets statues coming to life to attack you. I could use a % chance to trigger, erase existing object prop (the statue prop) and replace/spawn statue enemy that wont wander around and will only move to attack player. Its like that how it works?
To make new equipment the best way is to use the existing equipment blend files and work over the 3d models, scale is so small that minor details are not important and some others need to be exaggerated to look good. For adding a weapon/armor model you downloaded, just import, scale and parent to bones, check if it has the emit shadows property checked (figuring this was a headache for me at the start). Run script, use imagemagick to stitch together and create animation file detailing frames.(check one to see).
For new enemies, get animated ones if possible, its best to always stick to a fixed quantity of frames for each action so you can reuse animation files by just changing a name. Like 3 frames for idle, 8 for walking, 6 for attack... check my wolfs, they became my base when animating, most of my new models follow te exact frame number and order. Learn how to use action editor and nla tracks, so you can take a long animation, make it a nla track that can be shortened and ordered.
To get the art repository you need to download it from Flare github, there are the bases for weapons, armors... which you can directly import and replace with new models. Also a nice item camera to make item icons, its inside the rings folder.
@Danimal I have not tinkered with chance to spawn enemies but I do think that is an option for random spawns based upon % chance. Although I am not sure if it is for events or enemies. Also the enemies who are spawned in by events have a random north / south / west / east etc. direction and do pursue and reset if they are unable to find the player after a pursuit. @dorkster To my knowledge the wander / pathing commands for only for enemies and not event commands. I wish there were also working event commands for wandering range and pathing for events so that the event spawned level scaling enemies can do more than stand in one spot. I like the ruined settlement + statue idea, much like the campaign in Path of Exile.
Also what is the work flow / pipeline for making a new animation asset for a Flare compatible enemy / npc / hero from start to finish; is there a ~video / gallery around for visual learners? Specifically what script(s) is/are used and all of the little tricks used along the way? I feel that there is a trick to this process and once a person understands from start to finish all of the enemies / creature animations can more or less be cranked out in a similar efficient process to convert art assets in blender into finished working Flare creature / armour / weapon animations. Is there a tutorial or a guide or something to follow before I start stumbling around in the dark XD?
Also how is it possible to use the hero / heroine armour animation customization but for enemies / npcs? Like in World or Warcraft they use player models as enemy 'bandit' and or 'evil cultist' but it uses the same hero / heroine model. I am aware that there are pre-baked villains that use a non-customizable hero / heroine animation but it is limited and cannot be remixed and matched for a huge variety / possibilities like if there is a way to use hero / heroine animations for enemies. Has anyone in Flare used hero / heroine animations for enemies / npcs successfully?
Yep, got the idea from POE as well.
Nothing of the short, poke around some of my files, its easy to get it going after learning it.
You can use the hero/heroine to make new enemies, but they wont be created by mix and match on the fly by the engine. In the art repository you have the model with diferent sets of armor, you can render them and use as an enemy. Look for undead quest, the creator did just that and there is an enemy per armor set. You can mix the sets, but the result is fixed to what you mix.