next »

[eobet]

I apologize the rant, but hopefully it'll contain some sort of insight.
Also, my anger was not directed at you, SolarLune, but rather at the cookiecutter trend of RPGs.

Nah, it's cool, I get you. You're right that the quests could be less chore-based and more story and skill-based - quests that play into the specific role of the hero. It'd be interesting if the quests changed depending on what type of hero you are. For example, a swordsman's quest could be to participate in a gladiator's quest, while an archer could direct an ambush on a flying enemy (distance attacks).

Wait... am I getting it right that you guys just want to ignore the voxel based engine and try to do a blocky version of Skyrim?

[rek]

Wait... am I getting it right that you guys just want to ignore the voxel based engine and try to do a blocky version of Skyrim?

There's absolutely nothing about using a voxel engine that necessitates building (or digging for) things as a central part of game play.

[BlueSweatshirt]

Precisely.

I'm not saying ignore the voxel-based engine, I'm saying create gameplay/quests that compliments the direction he wants to take. He wants an action RPG. Voxel-based building/destruction can be much more meaningful to gameplay than Minecraft-esque block placement. It simply allows for a more dynamic world more naturally. For instance, you may recall the troll boss he created. When it smashed the ground it would leave a crater. That's cool! That's using the voxel engine to add to the game. Et cetera.

[Alpha3lob]

Alright...

Firstly, in my opinion you should keep building out of this game. Same with mining. Crafting is a different thing, because you could craft things like swords and armor, so I wouldn't mind seeing that.
So instead of building your own home, what about having some homes for sale in villages, but once you arrive other villagers might buy those as well.
Or, if it's not too difficult to code, you could make it so you can befriend other villagers, for example by helping them with quests, and then you can sleep and rest in their house(s).

*EDIT*
What I would allow is for furniture to be bought and moved around though, so you can make each house you buy very unique.
*EDIT END*

Secondly, I agree with eobet about the more complex quests, although SOME kill-and-return quests wouldn't hurt. Just maybe not too many.
I know you already said (Wollay) that you wanted to make the quests more complex, on the FAQ of your blog and your "First Quest" video.
About the quests that eobet suggested that include (or at least can include) building, you could maybe allow building only in that area. Of course, the player won't have anything to build with, so you'd have to allow digging or something similar in the area as well.

Anyway, those are just my thoughts. I can't wait for the game, and I'm going to definitely buy the Alpha as soon as I see that it's out.

Oh and Wollay, if you already know the payment methods that will be available, it would be cool if you'd tell us.
I mean in a general way, like: Steam, Paypal, etc.

Alpha3lob

[paladin_t]

The graphics are awesome! Are you using a self made engine or something like ogre / irr? I prefer the cloud to be alpha blended with the scene, and I'm supposing what would voxel water look like.

[wollay]

Thanks for the quest suggestions! The grind quests are just the first quest type that I added because they're the easiest ones to implement. I plan to make more interesting quests soon.

But to be honest, I like grind quests. In RPGs I just love to test new weapons and combat skills. I also think that a mighty level 100 player with epic weapons shouldn't do things like e.g. helping a farmer on the field. I'm planning to have many combat-focused quests in the game. Someone had a nice idea of enemies invading a town and you have to defend it. I was thinking about waves of mobs with a big boss like a troll at the end. Or you have to keep the mobs from destroying a shrine etc.

The graphics are awesome! Are you using a self made engine or something like ogre / irr? I prefer the cloud to be alpha blended with the scene, and I'm supposing what would voxel water look like.

A self-made engine based on Direct3D 9. I'll rework the clouds when I add weather effects.

[wademcgillis]

Congratulations on being hired by Mojang!

https://twitter.com/#!/notch/status/154952055809781760

[Christian Knudsen]

And only a few days after Notch writes a blog post about why more programmers won't be hired to work on Minecraft... I wonder what wollay is going to be working on? Can you talk about it?

[DragonSix]

If you can't defeat them, hire them. 

[happymonster]

Well done Wollay!

[John Hutchinson]

Whoa!  This is looks GREAT!  For what it's worth, I fully support the direction you're trying to go with this.  More focus on action = better!

[KennEH!]

This looks great, keep it up.

*back to lurking*

[Felix0]

Things I hope to see in the final release:

- Better music. That mushy, elevator-worthy tune isn't going to cut it. An RPG needs something more suitably stirring and grandiose.

- More forceful sound effects. Everything sounds like a wet slap. I want to hear some heavy thuds and metallic clanks.

- Smaller environments with distinguishing landmarks. You said yourself this isn't like Minecraft--don't make the world a repetitive sprawl.

- The combat needs to be more like Demon's/Dark Souls. Slow it down, make each hit count for much more damage, add a lock-on system. What you've got is very imprecise and floaty, and battles seem to involve little beyond running into the enemies repeatedly and hoping their HP drains before yours does. If you really want to try something different, you could make combat like in the classic Ys games, where there's no attack button and you have to run into foes at precise angles.

- Graphics that look less like 3D Dot Game Heroes. Make the characters less stout and boxy, give them some facial detail. It's not impossible with voxels.

- Your current focus on small individual quests is depressingly MMO-like. A selection of sidequests is fine, but we really don't need another "virtual life" game like Minecraft and Terraria with no final goal in mind. I want an engaging, overarching storyline that carries through the entire game. Hire some writers out of the IF community or whatever if you need to.

- A better title than "Cube World." It communicates nothing about the game besides the shape of voxels.

[Deidril]

GG for your new job.   

But don't forget your fan base here... We're waiting for your game.

[Alpha3lob]

Firstly congrats on being hired at Mojang
It's probably great to see your Ideas together with theirs. I wonder what will be the result of that

Things I hope to see in the final release:

1. Better music. That mushy, elevator-worthy tune isn't going to cut it. An RPG needs something more suitably stirring and grandiose.

2. More forceful sound effects. Everything sounds like a wet slap. I want to hear some heavy thuds and metallic clanks.

3. Smaller environments with distinguishing landmarks. You said yourself this isn't like Minecraft--don't make the world a repetitive sprawl.

4. The combat needs to be more like Demon's/Dark Souls. Slow it down, make each hit count for much more damage, add a lock-on system. What you've got is very imprecise and floaty, and battles seem to involve little beyond running into the enemies repeatedly and hoping their HP drains before yours does. If you really want to try something different, you could make combat like in the classic Ys games, where there's no attack button and you have to run into foes at precise angles.

5. Graphics that look less like 3D Dot Game Heroes. Make the characters less stout and boxy, give them some facial detail. It's not impossible with voxels.

6. Your current focus on small individual quests is depressingly MMO-like. A selection of sidequests is fine, but we really don't need another "virtual life" game like Minecraft and Terraria with no final goal in mind. I want an engaging, overarching storyline that carries through the entire game. Hire some writers out of the IF community or whatever if you need to.

7. A better title than "Cube World." It communicates nothing about the game besides the shape of voxels.

Now to this post...
I must say I disagree with you on a  lot of things, but you also have some valid points.
Btw, I numbered your posts so they're easier to relate to my responses...

1. Firslty, about the music. I personally like the current music when I'm just wandering around. Where that strong music you're talking about would be pretty cool is if there's a big monster, like a troll or a blue crab (I don't know what other big monsters there are yet)

2. This is not only an RPG but also an exploration game, so I think the Sound Effects fit quite nicely. I mean they can be improved, but I like the main Idea.

3. The landmark thing is great, I agree with you there. Adding some distinguishing random landmarks to villages or even at random places would be great. It would also be great if these Landmarks each had a little quest/story type of thing with them

4. The combat can be improved, you're right about that. It should be a bit more skill based, but it's not pure luck at the moment either. I mean just watch his videos. As the game progressed, he added Dodging, Parries, and I am sure that there will be a few more things added. What about counters, that have to be well timed? Anyway I again like the general Idea where the combat system Wollay Created is heading, so I wouldn't change too much of it, but it sure still has room for some improvement, to make it a bit more skill-based. I don't like your Idea of changing the entire combat system though.

5. Do you know what a voxel game is? Voxel comes from combining "Volume" and "Pixel", which therefore creates 3D pixels, aka Voxels. That's what this game is for. I really like the Characters. They have smaller voxels than the landscape, for example, and are more detailed, but still keep that voxel feel. Using Voxels is (correct me if I'm wrong) also what allows the world to be randomly generated, because they are not so hard for PCs to render

6. I agree that there should be some kind of stories, but only small ones in each village/landmark/whatever. Not a huge story. What makes this game so special and great is the fact that it doesn't have an end, but still has RPG features. Of course that might get boring over time and you'll stop playing. But let's say it gets boring after 6 months (only an example), then you stop playing. If It had a story, you'd also stop playing after the story finished, which also as an example, could take 6 months. Therefore it doesn't matter that if it doesn't have a set story with an ending you'll stop playing after a while cause it might get boring, because IF it had a story with an ending you'd stop playing at one point anyway; when the story is done.
Most people here, I believe, Don't want to see a story. That's what differs this game to other RPGs. That it doesn't have a story, but still has that exploration feel. Now it still differs to Minecraft and Terraria, because it has RPG elements, and it's not based around Mining, Crafting and Building, but more around Fighting, Questing and Leveling Up.
To Wollay, You can try to add some things that will make the game diverse, so that it doesn't get boring once you reach a certain level, but PLEASE don't add a story that ends the game once it's complete.
Again, I wouldn't mind seeing small stories in some villages or around some landmarks.

7. Read the FAQ. This is a quote directly from it:
"Q: Will the final game still be called "Cube World"?
A: Probably not. It's currently just the project name. I'll have to come up with a new name soon."

There are also other things in the FAQ, like what features he still wants to add.

Btw, I'm not saying your Ideas are bad, but they're just not what most people want to see in THIS game

Alpha3lob

[SolarLune]

Now to this post...
I must say I disagree with you on a  lot of things, but you also have some valid points.
Btw, I numbered your posts so they're easier to relate to my responses...

1. Firslty, about the music. I personally like the current music when I'm just wandering around. Where that strong music you're talking about would be pretty cool is if there's a big monster, like a troll or a blue crab (I don't know what other big monsters there are yet)

2. This is not only an RPG but also an exploration game, so I think the Sound Effects fit quite nicely. I mean they can be improved, but I like the main Idea.

3. The landmark thing is great, I agree with you there. Adding some distinguishing random landmarks to villages or even at random places would be great. It would also be great if these Landmarks each had a little quest/story type of thing with them

4. The combat can be improved, you're right about that. It should be a bit more skill based, but it's not pure luck at the moment either. I mean just watch his videos. As the game progressed, he added Dodging, Parries, and I am sure that there will be a few more things added. What about counters, that have to be well timed? Anyway I again like the general Idea where the combat system Wollay Created is heading, so I wouldn't change too much of it, but it sure still has room for some improvement, to make it a bit more skill-based. I don't like your Idea of changing the entire combat system though.

5. Do you know what a voxel game is? Voxel comes from combining "Volume" and "Pixel", which therefore creates 3D pixels, aka Voxels. That's what this game is for. I really like the Characters. They have smaller voxels than the landscape, for example, and are more detailed, but still keep that voxel feel. Using Voxels is (correct me if I'm wrong) also what allows the world to be randomly generated, because they are not so hard for PCs to render

6. I agree that there should be some kind of stories, but only small ones in each village/landmark/whatever. Not a huge story. What makes this game so special and great is the fact that it doesn't have an end, but still has RPG features. Of course that might get boring over time and you'll stop playing. But let's say it gets boring after 6 months (only an example), then you stop playing. If It had a story, you'd also stop playing after the story finished, which also as an example, could take 6 months. Therefore it doesn't matter that if it doesn't have a set story with an ending you'll stop playing after a while cause it might get boring, because IF it had a story with an ending you'd stop playing at one point anyway; when the story is done.
Most people here, I believe, Don't want to see a story. That's what differs this game to other RPGs. That it doesn't have a story, but still has that exploration feel. Now it still differs to Minecraft and Terraria, because it has RPG elements, and it's not based around Mining, Crafting and Building, but more around Fighting, Questing and Leveling Up.
To Wollay, You can try to add some things that will make the game diverse, so that it doesn't get boring once you reach a certain level, but PLEASE don't add a story that ends the game once it's complete.
Again, I wouldn't mind seeing small stories in some villages or around some landmarks.

7. Read the FAQ. This is a quote directly from it:
"Q: Will the final game still be called "Cube World"?
A: Probably not. It's currently just the project name. I'll have to come up with a new name soon."

There are also other things in the FAQ, like what features he still wants to add.

Btw, I'm not saying your Ideas are bad, but they're just not what most people want to see in THIS game

Alpha3lob

The music was fine to me, last time I recall watching the video. I think that some 'epic' music would be nice, but when some tough battles hits. Otherwise, the music can be laidback.

I pretty much like everything the way it is, though I think that an overarching story would be nice and would set it apart from other voxel-based exploration games. Terraria and MineCraft don't have stories, so I stopped playing them a lot faster than I really would have liked (though I go back every so often). I think it would be a good idea to have at least mini-stories that give some depth to the NPCs in the world.

[Sirron Kcuhc]

This is probably a topic for another thread, but I find those class types and specialties so cliché and boring it's an immediate turnoff.

Yes, please. Do not just stuff in clichè RPG stuff, put in those mechanics you think would really give more to the player!
You are creating a world after all, no need to do it assembling ripoffs.

Wow, people really jumped on that. I only was asking, in the first place... Besides, I was hoping for stealth-based gameplay, and I certainly doubt a class under the name of, "Mage," or, "Warrior," would fit such a part. It was probably best to assume a class named, "Thief" would get such a privelage, especially after seeing tons of roguelikes integrating a class of similar name in such a manner.

I think it shows there's interest in something new, even if it fits within the class/attributes paradigm – and within the fantasy genre. Warrior/Mage (White magic or Black magic! oooh)/Thief/etc can be found in a thousand games with minor variations.

Here, some random ideas that still conform to the typical archetypes:

Mauler - brutal strength and speed, fist/short blade/grappling/throwing/biting attacks, extensive helmet/armour upgrades, no magic but increased defence

Conjurer - terrakinetic magic to shape the land around him, uses telekinetic magic to wield any weapon or turn other objects (or sprites) into projectiles.

Puppeteer - necromantic magic, possession of NPC creatures, HP/MP drain/restore magic

Trickster – invisibility/shape-changing abilities, decoy/hallucination magic, uses traps instead of weapons.

Lithe - extensive immunity to magic, teleportation magic, walks on water and limited flight or really long jumps, archery.

No they aren't 100% original, but they are distinctly different from the clichés and each requires a different style of play.

But like I said, this is probably fodder for a different thread – I doubt wollay will be swayed.

I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to designing games, but in order to give the game more personality, I'd try to avoid stereotyped classes. I think it can be pretty fun and innovative.

For example: if voxels of the world can be destroyed by attacks, why not have a class that uses that as one of its defining features? Tunneling in order to attack from unsuspected locations and things like that. Obviously it would need some tweaks, but I think it could work

[Windybeard]

I have to say that this game looks amazing! i would but this on any format!

[Alpha3lob]

Now to this post...
I must say I disagree with you on a  lot of things, but you also have some valid points.
Btw, I numbered your posts so they're easier to relate to my responses...

1. Firslty, about the music. I personally like the current music when I'm just wandering around. Where that strong music you're talking about would be pretty cool is if there's a big monster, like a troll or a blue crab (I don't know what other big monsters there are yet)

2. This is not only an RPG but also an exploration game, so I think the Sound Effects fit quite nicely. I mean they can be improved, but I like the main Idea.

3. The landmark thing is great, I agree with you there. Adding some distinguishing random landmarks to villages or even at random places would be great. It would also be great if these Landmarks each had a little quest/story type of thing with them

4. The combat can be improved, you're right about that. It should be a bit more skill based, but it's not pure luck at the moment either. I mean just watch his videos. As the game progressed, he added Dodging, Parries, and I am sure that there will be a few more things added. What about counters, that have to be well timed? Anyway I again like the general Idea where the combat system Wollay Created is heading, so I wouldn't change too much of it, but it sure still has room for some improvement, to make it a bit more skill-based. I don't like your Idea of changing the entire combat system though.

5. Do you know what a voxel game is? Voxel comes from combining "Volume" and "Pixel", which therefore creates 3D pixels, aka Voxels. That's what this game is for. I really like the Characters. They have smaller voxels than the landscape, for example, and are more detailed, but still keep that voxel feel. Using Voxels is (correct me if I'm wrong) also what allows the world to be randomly generated, because they are not so hard for PCs to render

6. I agree that there should be some kind of stories, but only small ones in each village/landmark/whatever. Not a huge story. What makes this game so special and great is the fact that it doesn't have an end, but still has RPG features. Of course that might get boring over time and you'll stop playing. But let's say it gets boring after 6 months (only an example), then you stop playing. If It had a story, you'd also stop playing after the story finished, which also as an example, could take 6 months. Therefore it doesn't matter that if it doesn't have a set story with an ending you'll stop playing after a while cause it might get boring, because IF it had a story with an ending you'd stop playing at one point anyway; when the story is done.
Most people here, I believe, Don't want to see a story. That's what differs this game to other RPGs. That it doesn't have a story, but still has that exploration feel. Now it still differs to Minecraft and Terraria, because it has RPG elements, and it's not based around Mining, Crafting and Building, but more around Fighting, Questing and Leveling Up.
To Wollay, You can try to add some things that will make the game diverse, so that it doesn't get boring once you reach a certain level, but PLEASE don't add a story that ends the game once it's complete.
Again, I wouldn't mind seeing small stories in some villages or around some landmarks.

7. Read the FAQ. This is a quote directly from it:
"Q: Will the final game still be called "Cube World"?
A: Probably not. It's currently just the project name. I'll have to come up with a new name soon."

There are also other things in the FAQ, like what features he still wants to add.

Btw, I'm not saying your Ideas are bad, but they're just not what most people want to see in THIS game

Alpha3lob

The music was fine to me, last time I recall watching the video. I think that some 'epic' music would be nice, but when some tough battles hits. Otherwise, the music can be laidback.

I pretty much like everything the way it is, though I think that an overarching story would be nice and would set it apart from other voxel-based exploration games. Terraria and MineCraft don't have stories, so I stopped playing them a lot faster than I really would have liked (though I go back every so often). I think it would be a good idea to have at least mini-stories that give some depth to the NPCs in the world.

Did you even read my post?
That's pretty much what I said too...

[SolarLune]

Did you even read my post?
That's pretty much what I said too...

Man, that was a post fail for me! Sorry. I was referring to Felix0's post, I think. But now, I'm not so sure! Your points were spot-on.