Hi!
You can think of this topic as sort of a really detailed "instruction manual" or guide/summary to explain every aspect of the game's features, current design decisions and outline of its content. This topic is designed to summarize the content in all of the other topics in this forum. You will be able to come here to read the answers to questions like "What is this game, exactly?" or "how will <this> work in the game?"
Basically, it's just an easy way to show everyone what the game's design is so far, what the game will be all about, how it will play and what it is trying to be, as an LBT game experience.
I will try to keep this as detailed as possible. I apologize if it isn't always updated to the absolute latest details but there is a lot to keep track of on my end.
First things first: Most of the features you will read about in this first section are NOT yet completed! The game is still early in development. These are just the goals and plans of the game so far.***This first post is an introduction to the game and what it actually is.***What is this game?We are making a single player/multiplayer (over LAN/internet) Land Before Time Adventure/RPG, featuring full 3D graphics. I am the lead designer and programmer for the game. For anyone who has played an MMORPG before, this will be quite similar and you should feel at home with the basic game design/controls fairly quickly (except we won't have a 24/7 server running. Players will create and join games instead). If you're not sure what an MMORPG is, don't worry. If you're worried this is yet another MMORPG, don't stop reading yet because this game is considerably different. Everything is explained in the next few sections:
When is the complete game coming out? Short answer: I don't know but not for a long time (years, probably).
This is a project that everyone is doing completely for free. I am also the only programmer and I plan on being the only programmer. Development should be quite smooth from now on because we worked out all the really technical problems. Now it's just getting all the game content in place.
A realistic estimate: Maybe a playable Great Valley-sized game with a fair amount of content by the end of 2009, with the full world being in continuous development for the next few years, possibly quite a few years
provided interest in the project remains.
Again, this is just a guess. I apologize if these dates cannot be met. I take no responsibility for any broken hearts as a result, blah blah blah...
What does the player actually do in the game?The player will be able to create a dino kid and go on adventures around the LBT world! Either on their own or with others, players will be able to explore the world, gaining respect and admiration of dinosaurs all around the world, conquering danger in whatever tactical way they can..or just wander around and have fun! There will be plenty of ways to interact with the world and your fellow players, including:
- Talking to computer-controlled, non-player characters (NPCs, for short) and getting adventures, learning new abilities, and gathering clues to help you solve your current task at hand.
- Gain experience points from exploring and completing adventures to improve your characters' stats and abilities. Abilities will range from helping you explore, to helping you access new areas, to helping you survive in emergencies.
- Interacting with other players in the world by being able to chat, group up as teams to work together, and even start random games of hide and seek, tag, etc. anywhere in the world, just for the fun of it.
First and foremost, this game is supposed to help players live their dream of spending quality time in the LBT world.
If it seems like something a player should be able to do in an LBT world, you can probably do it (or something as close to it as I was able to program
) in this game eventually.
How is this game like other MMO RPGs?The game takes place in a huuuge 3D world! For now, we're focusing on recreating the Great Valley as it is seen in the LBT films, as accurately as we possibly can. This will be our game world until its design is complete. Once we have a functional game in the Great Valley, we will open up the game to expand in to the rest of the LBT world as we know it...as well as some parts that have never been explored before! Imagine finally be able to explore the trail from Littlefoot's birthplace to the Great Valley, or even to the homeland of the farwalkers! That is what we have in mind eventually for this game, to give you an idea of how large this game will hopefully grow.
You are able to create a unique dinosaur character, of one of 6 leafeating types, each with their unique abilities, strengths and weaknesses. Players will control a dinosaur kid, of approximately the Gang's age (Littlefoot and company), of one of these types:
Longneck
Threehorn
Swimmer
Flyer
Spiketail
Fast-Runner (like Ruby from the TV series)
Once you have chosen a type, you may also choose a species. The species only affects the look of your character, it has no effect on your stats or abilities.
Your character grows stronger by exploring and taking part in the world, and by completing adventures.Your character will gain experience (points, basically). After so many points, your player will gain a "level". Each time you gain a level, your stats, such as Strength, Toughness, etc. increase. Some stats increase automatically and some are left to the player's choice.
It is unknown at this time what the level cap will be.
There are many adventures and things to do in the game that require or are designed for a group of players. Some tasks are able to be completed by yourself. Others, including accessing some locations in the world, will require assistance from other players. It is our intention to design the game to NOT penalize players for grouping together when on an adventure that can be done alone. For the best experience in the game, playing in a group all the time is recommended.
How is this game Different from other MMO RPGs?The major difference is that there will be much less focus on combat. Yes, there will be times when defeating your opponent by force is the only option however much of the game will focus on teamwork and problem solving, rather than brute force. Outwitting a sharptooth by being able to interact with the environment to drop a rock on him while distracting him with another team member, for example, is closer to the approach this game will take, rather than head-to-head combat.
You will be subjected to the tortures of a barren wasteland, moreso than most other RPGs. Hunger, thirst and harsh conditions will wear out your character. Your character will have to eat to stay alive and in their best condition. We completely understand how much of a pain eating has been in games before so we're doing everything we can to make it as natural and painless as possible. The concept behind eating revolves around your "Stamina" meter:
When you eat enough, your stamina meter rises to 100%. It will stay there until you use an ability that will use it up, OR a timer runs out, which starts the steady dropping of your stamina meter. Don't let this alarm you too much. It will be long timer, probably in the realm of 30 minutes or so, though the number hasn't been decided yet. After this time expires, your stamina will begin to steadily drop very slowly, say, 1% every 20 seconds or so. Again, the number hasn't been decided but it will be a long time.
What is Stamina?
Stamina is your "fuel", basically. Some abilities won't directly *consume/use up* stamina when they're used; Some will; however, ALL abilities will require your stamina to be at least a certain amount before it can be used. Also, the effectiveness of the ability will depend on how much stamina you have.
When your stamina reaches 0%, your HP/Life will begin to slowly drop. When your HP (health points) reaches 0, you die.
Quests/adventures will typically be much more interesting than "go kill 10 boars." or "bring me 10 logs from the lumber mill", typical of many MMORPGs.While some adventures in the game will have some relatively simple tasks involved, the majority of adventures will actually feel like 'adventures'. As a result, you will typically not be doing a lot of adventures at one time. Many MMORPGs have the player working on 10 or 20 quests at once. I don't suspect you'd have more than a few at a time in our game because they'll be considerably more in-depth than a typical MMO quest.
There is NO central server and NO monthly fee. When you install and run the game, you are taken to a main menu where you can either host or join a game. It's as simple as that. The game will be saved at regular intervals as well as when either the host or another player joins or leaves.
Oh..and it's Land Before Time.
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(For all your Mario Party fans, this will sound very familiar, but the variety in this game is much greater 
)
