makrohn, I think that some of your ideas could definitely help balance. Right now I don't think we're terribly concerned about balance, since Flare is still basically a demo, but I think Clint is open to ideas.
As far as the XP equations are concerned, those would need to be changed in the source code, not the data. With the amount of content there is, really Flare is a game for up to level 8 or so. Anything past that is certainly a terrible grind.
As far as bows are concerned, I think the original Flare concept actually had additional items called bowshields and mageswords or something like that, so you could get all the benefits simultaneously. I'm pretty sure that idea was abandoned in favor of what we have today.
As far as melee damage is concerned, with those balance changes you made, you could create a new mod that overrides some of the items in items.txt and post it here for other people to try. Clint has said that if a mod is really well made, he'd probably merge it in. If you'd like help making a mod, I'd be happy to give some tips.
There's always Ren'Py, while mainly used to make visual novels, it can be easily extended to build out games. I've always wanted to make an RPG based on it. It's written in Python/Pygame and has been proven to be easily extended to add in minigames.
I think it's under the MIT license, with some LGPL components.
kintantee, you'll notice there are files inside the tilesetdefs folder that have data describing each tile's dimensions. The tiles are then made by loading the rectangles defined by the tilesetdef.
Glad to hear back from you! Let me try to answer your questions and issues:
Is base data things like music and characters and animation and art?
Correct. There is no code in the base data, but they contain default creatures, powers, items, interface images, sound effects, etc. Unless you plan on completely customizing the game (like building a futuristic post-apocalyptic zombie survival game), you won't need to edit this.
File types and editing:
You are right; the .po files are translations. You won't need to mess with those at all. As far as the other files are concerned, you probably won't be able to edit them properly in Notepad. For Windows users, I recommend the free/open-source editor Notepad++. Open up the files in that, and you'll see them as they are supposed to be. While the fields in those files may not make sense, I can explain those more in-depth as you need it.
Why are maps the biggest part of the job?
Mostly because you'll want lots of maps. From my experience, making interesting maps with interesting events takes the most amount of time. Since it sounds that you don't want to change very much about how Flare works, nearly all of what you'll do is make new content and maps.
I've wanted to make a Tiled tutorial for Flare for some time now. Maybe I'll actually get to it since there's obviously interest.
Hi, I'm one of the devs that work on Flare from time to time. Flare's documentation is quite lacking so far, but you can typically reverse-engineer the existing data files to create the effects that you want. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about Flare.
It's totally possible to create a full game without touching any code. All you need to do is edit the data files and create maps, and the engine will do the rest. If you're interested in very advanced features the engine doesn't support (ask me if you're unsure), you'll need to know C++.
But to answer you question a little bit more fully, to create a completely new game using the Flare engine, you'll need to do the following:
Create New Art: Flare currently has a wonderful (and ever more polished-looking) set of base art assets. If you want to use this base art, feel free; it will save you a ton of time and effort.
Edit the Core Mod: This will include a lot of things, like the base look of the interface, the power list, the default enemy types, item types, music, etc. Once again, feel free to use the base data that Flare contains; it's quite good and ever improving.
Create a new Adventure Mod: You'll notice in the "mods" folder, there are two mods called "Averguard" and "Living Bones." Those are adventures in the game. These will contain maps, quests, npcs, and even special enemies like bosses. You'll probably spend most of your time creating the adventure portion of the game. Maps are the biggest part of this job. Clint and I both use a great map editor called Tiled to build the maps. I can go into mapmaking more later, if you'd like.
None of these steps are trivial, but only step 3 is required to make a new game for Flare. I'd recommend creating a short, new adventure that connects into the existing game to cut your teeth on. By the time you finish that, you'll basically be skilled enough to build a game how you like it.
Fenris, the problem you are facing is a symptom of the fact that Flare is essentially just a tech demo at this point. Now that you've completed the Averguard quest, there is no more storyline.
If you haven't already, you should check out the caves attached to the inside of the Averguard Keep. They have higher-level monsters than the rest of the dungeon. I think the caves consist of maybe 2 maps?
After that, there is only one more side quest you can complete - the Cave of Living Bones - if you can find it. It's past the Averguard Keep, somewhere in the Yddraka Pass.
Once you've completed that, you've essentially beaten the game. We could always use more content, but up until now, we've been focusing on the engine. (Though that might change soon!)
I'd prefer to finish a game, but I think there are a few technical limitations that need to be addressed as that game is made.
The first thing that is lacking in Flare is a good power system where you choose powers instead of get them based on your stats. Currently, it's common to get a power you can't or won't ever use or to not get a power at all.
Secondly, I think that the current release needs to be finished up (advanced enemies). No sense in halfway doing what we are working on.
Also, as Anon mentioned, we need rudimentary cutscenes so we can tell the story better.
It's likely that Game 2 will have features that are backwards compatible with the first game, so the engine will probably need to be bundled with the game anyway. The first game should be a standalone game with a different version of the engine. If we keep tweaking the engine, we'll have to update all the content, even as that content grows.
Another argument for building a game: I like the feeling of finishing things. Having a finished game in mind and a date to do it by would be welcome, even if that doesn't mean the end of the Flare engine development (in preparation for game 2).
Congratulations, you've made a good first step towards modding FLARE! I just played through your new quest. It worked great for me, though that graveyard could be a serious deathtrap for unsuspecting 1st-level players on their way to the goblin encampment.
Bart! Why didn't you tell me that Orange Engine uses QML/JS? (Oh, you probably did but I wasn't paying attention.)
I'm actually quite good at QML; that's what I do at work. If you'd like some help there, I'd be happy to give it. (When I'm not working on Flare of course.)
makrohn, I think that some of your ideas could definitely help balance. Right now I don't think we're terribly concerned about balance, since Flare is still basically a demo, but I think Clint is open to ideas.
As far as the XP equations are concerned, those would need to be changed in the source code, not the data. With the amount of content there is, really Flare is a game for up to level 8 or so. Anything past that is certainly a terrible grind.
As far as bows are concerned, I think the original Flare concept actually had additional items called bowshields and mageswords or something like that, so you could get all the benefits simultaneously. I'm pretty sure that idea was abandoned in favor of what we have today.
As far as melee damage is concerned, with those balance changes you made, you could create a new mod that overrides some of the items in items.txt and post it here for other people to try. Clint has said that if a mod is really well made, he'd probably merge it in. If you'd like help making a mod, I'd be happy to give some tips.
Maybe the ToME 4 engine for roguelikes. If I recall correctly, there's even a Tiled plugin for that engine, so mapmaking would be easy.
http://te4.org/
There's always Ren'Py, while mainly used to make visual novels, it can be easily extended to build out games. I've always wanted to make an RPG based on it. It's written in Python/Pygame and has been proven to be easily extended to add in minigames.
I think it's under the MIT license, with some LGPL components.
http://www.renpy.org/
kintantee, you'll notice there are files inside the tilesetdefs folder that have data describing each tile's dimensions. The tiles are then made by loading the rectangles defined by the tilesetdef.
Anon,
Glad to hear back from you! Let me try to answer your questions and issues:
Is base data things like music and characters and animation and art?
Correct. There is no code in the base data, but they contain default creatures, powers, items, interface images, sound effects, etc. Unless you plan on completely customizing the game (like building a futuristic post-apocalyptic zombie survival game), you won't need to edit this.
File types and editing:
You are right; the .po files are translations. You won't need to mess with those at all. As far as the other files are concerned, you probably won't be able to edit them properly in Notepad. For Windows users, I recommend the free/open-source editor Notepad++. Open up the files in that, and you'll see them as they are supposed to be. While the fields in those files may not make sense, I can explain those more in-depth as you need it.
Why are maps the biggest part of the job?
Mostly because you'll want lots of maps. From my experience, making interesting maps with interesting events takes the most amount of time. Since it sounds that you don't want to change very much about how Flare works, nearly all of what you'll do is make new content and maps.
I've wanted to make a Tiled tutorial for Flare for some time now. Maybe I'll actually get to it since there's obviously interest.
Hi, I'm one of the devs that work on Flare from time to time. Flare's documentation is quite lacking so far, but you can typically reverse-engineer the existing data files to create the effects that you want. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about Flare.
It's totally possible to create a full game without touching any code. All you need to do is edit the data files and create maps, and the engine will do the rest. If you're interested in very advanced features the engine doesn't support (ask me if you're unsure), you'll need to know C++.
But to answer you question a little bit more fully, to create a completely new game using the Flare engine, you'll need to do the following:
None of these steps are trivial, but only step 3 is required to make a new game for Flare. I'd recommend creating a short, new adventure that connects into the existing game to cut your teeth on. By the time you finish that, you'll basically be skilled enough to build a game how you like it.
Fenris, the problem you are facing is a symptom of the fact that Flare is essentially just a tech demo at this point. Now that you've completed the Averguard quest, there is no more storyline.
If you haven't already, you should check out the caves attached to the inside of the Averguard Keep. They have higher-level monsters than the rest of the dungeon. I think the caves consist of maybe 2 maps?
After that, there is only one more side quest you can complete - the Cave of Living Bones - if you can find it. It's past the Averguard Keep, somewhere in the Yddraka Pass.
Once you've completed that, you've essentially beaten the game. We could always use more content, but up until now, we've been focusing on the engine. (Though that might change soon!)
I'd prefer to finish a game, but I think there are a few technical limitations that need to be addressed as that game is made.
The first thing that is lacking in Flare is a good power system where you choose powers instead of get them based on your stats. Currently, it's common to get a power you can't or won't ever use or to not get a power at all.
Secondly, I think that the current release needs to be finished up (advanced enemies). No sense in halfway doing what we are working on.
Also, as Anon mentioned, we need rudimentary cutscenes so we can tell the story better.
It's likely that Game 2 will have features that are backwards compatible with the first game, so the engine will probably need to be bundled with the game anyway. The first game should be a standalone game with a different version of the engine. If we keep tweaking the engine, we'll have to update all the content, even as that content grows.
Another argument for building a game: I like the feeling of finishing things. Having a finished game in mind and a date to do it by would be welcome, even if that doesn't mean the end of the Flare engine development (in preparation for game 2).
Congratulations, you've made a good first step towards modding FLARE! I just played through your new quest. It worked great for me, though that graveyard could be a serious deathtrap for unsuspecting 1st-level players on their way to the goblin encampment.
Bart! Why didn't you tell me that Orange Engine uses QML/JS? (Oh, you probably did but I wasn't paying attention.)
I'm actually quite good at QML; that's what I do at work. If you'd like some help there, I'd be happy to give it. (When I'm not working on Flare of course.)
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