next »

[JamesNewnorth]

The Developer Adventure is a server based MUD with an open API so that developers can create their own interfaces and bots for the game. While developing the game, we're making a text based interface which one can play the game with.



Why make it and who would play it?
I'm a huge fan of game jams and hackathons and during my travels around the world attending them I've found that the most interesting ones (for me) are the ones that focuses on challenging the developer in a very controlled environment. That is what this project is for, creating an environment in which developers can be challenged to compete within at a limited period of time. The typical player of this game is not a gamer, but rather a developer, no matter the amount of skills which the developer have. It will take programming, graphic and sound/music skills to create a sweet interface.

The team
We're currently 2 people in the team, it's me the programmer and a friend of mine, which writes the API documentation. None of us are really into game design and creating elaborate puzzles and think of awesome features. I much prefer just to make elegant programming solutions and make what others may deem not possible.

The plan
If there's a plan, then the plan is to be able to finish a usable prototype sometime during 2015 and host a sweet game jam/hackathon where people will be competing using the API, to create their interface with the server and make their own representation of what the game is, graphically.

Is it possible to try it?
Yes.

Where can I try it?
http://www.thedeveloperadventure.com/

Do you do livestreaming of the development?
Yes I do, you can find it at http://www.twitch.tv/trikisatan.

Do you need help?
We're looking for someone to do music and sfx (paid) and story writing/game design.

Will you post updates here?
Yes

Is the API available yet?
No

Will the API be avilable before the project is complete?
Yes

Where can I read more about the game design?
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UzjLnxaD1x_NiGinuZprp2bIeRghX-TzVqI2aBln03E/edit?usp=sharing

[JamesNewnorth]

Update

Fixed bugs:
Backspace now works in Google Chrome.
Case insensitive when trying to use item in inventory.
System now tells user what's the problem if item isn't found in inventory, instead of a generic error message.

New features:
Added "help"-command.
Added ctrl+c to abort current process.
Added attributes to the players character.
Added phobias to the players character.
Added "attributes view"-command
Added "phobias view"-command

Attributes
The characters attributes will be working in a fashion similar to D&D, it will help the characters chances to perform certain actions as well as increase passive bonuses. The game will not have a typical system for levelling, instead attributes will be increased temporarily depending on what the player has been doing lately. That way, it's all based on what the player does and how much it has been done, and if the player would be inactive for a while or just not use certain skills, the attributes will slowly change back again.

Initial value is 10, minimum value is 1 and maximum value is 99.

Phobias
The characters phobias is a lot like attributes, but works in a negative fashion. For example, a high level of rhabdophobia will increase the character's chance to be influenced by magic or panic in the precense of magic. A high level thanatophobia might cause the player to panic in battle when wounded.

Initial value is 5, minimum value is 1 and maximum value is 9.

[JamesNewnorth]

Had a super sweet live stream session tonight, much thanks to a person at Mojang tweeting about the game, so I had tons of new viewers comming with input and thoughts about the game.

Fixed bugs:
When turning to an incorrect direction, it said you turned to it, even though you didn't.
When turning to an incorrect direction, it displayed a generic error, instead of saying it's an invalid action.
When moving in an incorrect direction, it displayed a generic error, instead of saying it's an invalid action.

Changes:
The map is now made up with hexagon tiles rather than square tiles.
Changed "move <direction>" to "walk <direction>".
Changed "inventory use <item>" to "use <item>".

New features:
Added the "look"-command.
Added the "read"-command.
Added a "Quest board"-item.
Added an "Apple pie"-item.
Added "IsCarryable"-property to items.
Added "Read"-method to items.
Added the "drop"-command.
Added the "take"-command.
Added "Map"-item.
Added "Quest journal"-item.
Added an overlay that creates the feeling of an old CRT, sort of.
Added "> " to indicate that the user should write something.

Hexagon map tiles
I've made the choice to have hexagon tiles instead of square tiles since I think it will bring greater depth to the battle tactics later, also it looks a lot sweeter when doing something graphical for it.

[JamesNewnorth]

I wasn't suppose to work on the game due to having tons of customer work to do, but I did anyway.

Fixed bugs:
Sending the "Look"-message without being logged in caused an exception on the server.

Changes:
Seperated input and output (read more below).
Removed "prompt"-sequences and instead sends all unrequested input as commands to execute.
Updated the help sections design and content.

New features:
Added multiple view functionality, accessable via tabs to the bottom right.
Added "isInvokable"-property to sequences, so that not all sequences is accessable by command.
Added "requiresLogin"-property to sequences, so that they can't be invoked if not logged in.
Added "say <message>"-command, will send chat message to nearby players.
Added "yell <message>"-command, will send chat message to nearby players, has longer distance than "say".
Added "whisper <name> <message>"-command, will send a private chat message to nearby player. Nearby players will be notified.
Added "slap <target>"-command, will slap either a player, or just something in general. Nearby players will be notified.
Added a loading screen.
Added functionality to press arrow up and arrow down to navigate previous input.
Added functionality to press page up and page down to navigate view content, doing so will disable auto scrolling, which is enabled again if the user scrolls to the bottom.

Seperation of input and output
It was a big but rewarding process to separate the input and output. I felt it had to be done now since I'll be using multiple views to separate public/private chat from the game view, otherwise the player might find the game unplayable should someone be spamming. It also allowed for some optimizations in the code and how I go about solving problems, so that's nice. The only loss is the super old retro feeling of typing right into the stream of text, like on C64.

[JamesNewnorth]

Fixed bugs:
If one would input text for a view, and then switch to another view, the text would follow in the input box but not in the input buffer.
If one would write too much input, it would go outside of the console.
Words longer than the view didn't break and went outside of the view.
In Google Chrome, if you switched view, "enter"-key didn't function.

Changes:
No longer command inputs, only if input is requested specifically.
Merged "Public chat" and "Private chat" since you won't be able to whisper to someone on the other side of the world anyway.
Changed "ctrl + c" to "escape"-key for aborting current operation / clearing input.
Added information about controls to the help-section.
Added a separate tab for the help-section and thus removed the help-command.
Changed back to square tiles from hexagon tiles.
Changed "inventory view" to "list inventory".
Changed "attributes view" to "list attributes".
Changed "phobias view" to "list phobias.

New features:
One can now use arrow left/arrow right to navigate the input, and write/remove text anywhere in the input.
Added functionality for the "delete"-key.
Added "default input" for views, so in "Chat" it has "say ".
Added filter to views, so game messages can be filtered. They are however not customizable at the moment.
Added "ctrl + 0 to 9" to change between views, 0 being the view #10.
Added "IsReadable"-property to items.
Added relative position to items returned when using "look".
Added characters to the result when using "look".
Accounts are now being saved on the server, so they still exist after a server restart.
Characters are now being saved on the server, so they still exist after a server restart.
Map are now being saved on the server, so they still exist after a server restart.

[JamesNewnorth]

I've bought the domain www.thedeveloperadventure.com and will be moving the game to that site. With this change, I will deploy 2 versions, 1 that is stable and 1 that is dev. I will also supply the servers with permanent host names so developers doesn't need to use an IP.

Fixed bugs:
No bugs reported.

Changes:
Rewrote how requests are programmed on the server, now a lot easier to make new ones, also, they are not in one big file.
Now logged into game automatically after creating account.
"look" now returns characters directions relative to the character performing the action.
"look" now only returns characters currently online.
Changed "whisper <name> <message>" to "whisper to <name>: <message>".

New features:
When logging in for the first time, you get to create your character, as it is now separate from account information.
Added "FamilyName"-property to characters.
Added "Gender"-property to characters.
Added "Title"-property to characters.
Added "AddressedAs"-property to characters, which shows "<title prefix> <name> <family name>".
Added "FullName"-property to characters, which shows "<title prefix> <name> <family name> <title postfix>".
Added body parts to characters.
Added eligibility system for commands through titles.
Added "createTitle"-command.
Added "grantTitle"-command.
Added "IsEquipable"-property to items.
Added "EquipableBodyParts"-property to items.
Added item "Dagger".
Added "equip <item> to <body part>"-command.
Added "unequip <item> from <body part>"-command.

Genders:
All genders are treated equally by the game. The genders are used to provide a more personal dialog in the game, there is for example both male and female versions of the titles achievable in the game.

- Male
- Female

Titles:
Characters can gain different titles in the game, how they are achieved are is dependant on which title it is. Each title has a name, prefix and postfix, and the title has variations depending on the gender of the character wielding the title.

- God/Goddess: <name> the God/<name> the Goddess
This is not a player title, but a title bestowed upon the higher hierarchy of developers. It will grant access to commands which can alter the world and its contents.
- Demi-god/Demi-goddess: <name> the Demi-god/<name> the Demi-goddess
This is not a player title, but a title bestowed upon the higher hierarchy of developers. It will grant access to commands which can alter the world and its contents.
- King/Queen: King <name>/Queen <name>
- Prince/Princess: Prince <name>/Princess <name>
- Duke/Duchess: Duke <name>/Duchess <name>
- Baron/Baroness: Baron <name>/Baroness <name>
- Knight/Knight: Sir <name>/Lady <name>
- Gentleman/Gentlewoman: Mr <name>/Ms <name>
A title given to players who has completed the introduction to the game in order to show people in the game what they can expect from this player.
- Guild Master/Guild Mistress: <name> the Guild Master/<name> the Guild Mistress
A title given to players who’s in charge of a guild.

Body parts:
Body parts is used for equipping items and are targetable during combat, their existence in the game as "objects" will allow for more intense and detailed role playing.

- Head
- Right ear
- Left ear
- Right eye
- Left eye
- Nose
- Mouth
- Neck
- Right shoulder
- Left shoulder
- Right arm
- Left arm
- Right elbow
- Left elbow
- Right hand
- Left hand
- Chest
- Stomach
- Groin
- Behind
- Right leg
- Left leg
- Right knee
- Left knee
- Right foot
- Left foot

[JamesNewnorth]

Launched the game on the new web page, and with that I also took the time to separate final and beta version of the game, and prepared for an alpha version to be used once an offical final version is in effect. Pushing out this update earlier than I wanted to due to stability issues (multithreading problem) which should be solved now.

Fixed bugs:
"walk <direction>" had problems walking in the correct direction.
Some multithreading problems.

Changes:
Final version moved to http://www.thedeveloperadventure.com/
Beta version moved to http://beta.thedeveloperadventure.com/
Server moved to ws://server.thedeveloperadventure.com/
Final server port is 32900
Beta server port is 32901

New features:
Added command "list equipment"
Added command "tell <name>: <message>".
Added command "ask <name>: <message>".
Added command "answer <name>: <message>".
Added command "dance".
Added command "dance with <name>".
Added command "smile".
Added command "smile toward <name>"

[JamesNewnorth]

This update took a while, did a "big" change to the interface, as it's now graphical text and not HTML-text, which wasn't 100% monospaced. Not sure if I will keep the current font, as it can be a bit hard to read at times, even if it does look a lot like the old school C64 font.

Got a bit stressed about having to pack stuff as I'm going to travel in 2 hours, so the attack system isn't really 100% yet.

Fixed bugs:
"Look" returns played character.
"Quest board"-property "IsUsable" is true.

Changes:
New interface!
Changed server request: CreateCharacter now also needs the parameter "race".

New features:
Ping/pong to check if connections is alive.
Server now saves data in a set interval.
Added server request: IsRacePlayable (name).
Added server request: Attack (target, attackType, bodyPart).
Added races
Added attack types
Added "Race"-property to characters
Added "Max health"-property to characters
Added "Health"-property to characters
Added "Max mental fatigue"-property to characters
Added "Mental fatigue"-property to characters
Added "Max physical fatique"-property to characters
Added "Physical fatigue"-property to characters
Added "Max stamina"-property to characters
Added "Stamina"-property to characters
Added "Alignment"-property to characters
Added "attack <target> with <attack type> toward <body part>"-command

Races
Humanoid (category / not playable)
- Human (playable)
- Dwarf (playable)
- Halfling (playable)
- Gnome (playable)
Spirit (category / not playable)
- Dark Elf (playable)
- High Elf (playable)
- Wood Elf (playable)

Attack types

Right arm thrust
An attack with intention of applying pierce damage to the enemy with a weapon. Doing this without a weapon decreases the chances of doing damage significantly and increases the chances of hurting oneself significantly.

Right arm slash
An attack with intention of applying slash damage to the enemy with a weapon. Doing this without a weapon decreases the chances of doing damage significantly.

Right arm strike
An attack with intention of applying blunt damage to the enemy, with or without a weapon.

Right arm uppercut
An attack with intention of applying blunt damage to the enemy without a weapon. Doing this with a weapon increases the chances of hurting oneself significantly.

Right arm hook
An attack with intention of applying blunt damage to the enemy without a weapon. Doing this with a weapon increases the chances of hurting oneself significantly.

Right arm elbow
An attack with intention of applying blunt damage to the enemy without a weapon. Doing this with a weapon increases the chances of hurting oneself significantly.

Right leg kick
An attack with intention of applying blunt damage to the enemy without a weapon. Doing this with a large amount of weight decreases the chances of doing damage significantly and increases the chances of falling over significantly.

Right leg sweep
An attack with intention of tripping the enemy to the ground. Doing this with a large amount of weight decreases the chances of success significantly and increases the chances of falling over significantly.

Right leg knee
An attack with intention of applying blunt damage to the enemy without a weapon.

Left arm thrust
An attack with intention of applying pierce damage to the enemy with a weapon. Doing this without a weapon decreases the chances of doing damage significantly and increases the chances of hurting oneself significantly.

Left arm slash
An attack with intention of applying slash damage to the enemy with a weapon. Doing this without a weapon decreases the chances of doing damage significantly.

Left arm strike
An attack with intention of applying blunt damage to the enemy, with or without a weapon.

Left arm uppercut
An attack with intention of applying blunt damage to the enemy without a weapon. Doing this with a weapon increases the chances of hurting oneself significantly.

Left arm hook
An attack with intention of applying blunt damage to the enemy without a weapon. Doing this with a weapon increases the chances of hurting oneself significantly.

Left arm elbow
An attack with intention of applying blunt damage to the enemy without a weapon. Doing this with a weapon increases the chances of hurting oneself significantly.

Left leg kick
An attack with intention of applying blunt damage to the enemy without a weapon. Doing this with a large amount of weight decreases the chances of doing damage significantly and increases the chances of falling over significantly.

Left leg sweep
An attack with intention of tripping the enemy to the ground. Doing this with a large amount of weight decreases the chances of success significantly and increases the chances of falling over significantly.

Left leg knee
An attack with intention of applying blunt damage to the enemy without a weapon.