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Work in Progress / Geisha House RPG update - pictures and a video. Plus a paid animation request!

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Cash Curtis II
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Posted: 27th Mar 2009 15:28 Edited at: 27th Mar 2009 17:06
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Hey everyone! I wanted to post a bit of Geisha House progress. For those that don't know and the others that have forgotten Geisha House is an action RPG that doesn't skimp on character interaction or story.

The view is an Ultima / Diablo inspired 3D isometric style extravaganza of insanity. It has full RPG elements like spellcasting, inventory, lots of items and weapons, lots of NPCs, animals, monsters, lots of buildings and locations, a dynamic environment, and so on. It has a strong action oriented combat system that relies more on the player's skill rather that acquired stats, though stats are important. Using your shield and sword properly it's possible to defeat enemies much more powerful than you.

I did a bad thing this summer - I played Oblivion. I didn't just play it, I perfected it. Once I beat the game I started to mod it. I had a legion of deadly beautiful lady elves that would follow me around and decimate the legions of demons that came from the planes of Oblivion. Only one of them would help me kill guards though. Bitches.

Some bad things happened. I lost sight of my goal for Geisha House. It mutated into an Oblivion clone. I spent lots of time planning an even bigger monstrosity of a game. It's a fine plan, indeed.

It's taken some time and I've gotten back to basics. There have been some improvements though. My plant system is pro now. Oblivion taught me that it's okay for plants to pop in and out of existence unrealistically. This isn't a holodeck, after all, it's a freaking indie RPG.

This was made on a shoestring budget of about $1000 and my marriage. I showcased it at the TGC Convention two years ago. After that I had to do a complete engine recode. It's definitely paid off.

Here is a relatively boring new video showing some new characters and locations. It's only two minutes so don't worry...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IzkfQ1RTCk

(btw, those cups aren't props, they were put there by the bar maids)


I didn't include any combat. Here's an old video showing a fight...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP6WycqDqFk


Here are some pictures of new locations...

Casino

[img]
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Jester

[img]
[/img]

Store

[img]
[/img]

... and now some older pictures you've probably seen before...

Marauding Wench

[img]
[/img]

Spells

[img]
[/img]

Lightning

[img]
[/img]


Award (Courtesy of Deathead)

[img]
[/img]

Detractors, bite me. I get it. I've been working on it FOREVER. I'm not guaranteeing anything. It is a masterpiece that's got a bit of water damage but I can and WILL fix it. Geisha House has damaged me. I can't work on another game until I finish this. I wanted to enter the contest that's going on but I can't until I finish this damned thing.

This is part of a bigger plan. I'll release part 1 for free, the future from there isn't certain. This will precede the release of my RPG editor. I hate editors and engines that claim that you can make a full RPG game but doesn't have a real game to speak of. Worse are MMORPG editors. I've had that capability for years now. The cookie cutter MMORPGs that they produce lack real RPG elements and the combat sucks so much it should take up a career in porn. Seriously, you wave your hands at someone with an axe and do damage to them. Screw that.

Remember too, this video is still showing an RPG tech demo. When I release a real commercial for it then it will be much more exciting.

Right now I will not be posting progress for a while until I have crossed the next game creation threshold. When? Who knows. What? Something good, but who knows.

Now for the real purpose of this thread, the employment request.

[b]********************************************************************
[/b]

I need some help with the game. I've got lots of characters and animations but I need something more. The common skeleton I'm using needs some more animations. Here's what I need...

Drinking
Sitting down in a chair
Talking
dancing
walking (my walk and run cycles aren't all that good, I'd like some more detailed ones)
running
Feminine walk
attack (I have two attacks already, I'd like one more somewhat more detailed one)
block with shield
juggling

I'm offering $100 for these 10 animations. Here are the terms - I have an existing skeleton which I would like animated with these. I'm going to combine these new animations with the rest, but I can do that myself. That should make the work easier. I have the model in .x format, .ms3d, and Fragmotion. I want one of those formats in return. The number of frames should be in the range of 20-60 for the shorter animations, no more than 100 for the longer ones. I'm flexible though, it's ultimately up to the artist.

Maybe that's too cheap. Maybe it's a fortune. Let me know. I'd like you to contact me here and at my e-mail, cash.curtis at gmail.com (it's at the bottom). I'm good for the money and I'm willing to pay 1/3rd up front and each remaining 1/3rd upon completion of (that's right!) 1/3rd of the work. I require some example of past work and current ability. It doesn't take much, it could be something you whip up for this very job. Hopefully I get more than one bid, I'll give it a few days before I decide.

There will be more work in the near future. Probably $500 worth of related work in the near future.

Best of all I've included the unanimated skeleton as an attachment to the bottom of the post for your previewing pleasure. Higgins made him, I textured him and rigged him to the skeleton.

Here it is...

If I decide to hire you for this job then I'll send you the animated version for your reference.

Thanks everyone!


Come see the WIP!

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zapakitul
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Posted: 27th Mar 2009 16:16 Edited at: 27th Mar 2009 16:19
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WoW Geisha House is back! Great Cash! It's been such a long time since i heard anything about it.
Edit: Wow good luck finding an animator. The pictures are just awesome. Keep us up to date!
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tiresius
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Posted: 27th Mar 2009 16:23
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Glad to see this project is still running. When doing a big project it is quite easy to get distracted. Stay the course!

I'm not a real programmer but I play one with DBPro!
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Bizar Guy
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Posted: 27th Mar 2009 16:24
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I'm glad to see this is back! Looks like you've done a lot of work, and it's quite impressive. Did it really cost you your marriage though?

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Cash Curtis II
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Posted: 27th Mar 2009 16:31
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Thanks for the fast replies and continued interest!

At this point in the project it's easy to get frustrated with an aspect of the game. Recently I renovated the water system to match the plant system but I couldn't get the tiles to contour properly to the terrain (at a given height). There were gaps in the tiles. I'm using vertex manipulation to glue the tiles together, the result is a system that isn't all that visually superior to the original but is practical, fast, and much more natural looking. I finally broke down and separated it into a mini project and got it working yesterday. I have to do that with the inventory system. There's code there that's four years old and has grown mold and rust over the years. I've nearly fixed the NPC schedule system, before the NPCs couldn't find their drinks and the bar maids wouldn't refill empty mugs. Now they do. I just have to add extra job animation support and everything will be okay. They do everything else I need them to.

It didn't cost me my whole marriage, just a down payment from it


Come see the WIP!
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tiresius
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Posted: 27th Mar 2009 16:37
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Hi Cash-
This might not be the thread for it but can you list out the features of your RPG Editor (that I assume Geisha House is built with)? How much customization will be possible? LUA scripting of events? Home-made media importing, etc.?

I'm not a real programmer but I play one with DBPro!
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Cash Curtis II
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Posted: 27th Mar 2009 17:05
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I'll give you an idea of its features here. The full thread will contain an editable version of GH episode 1, after the release of the standalone version of episode 2.

The scripting system uses LUA. The possibilities are limitless. Any game action can trigger a LUA action which in turn can call a user written function. Every single DBP command and every single engine function has been exposed to LUA thanks to Barnski's LUA plugin. Also you can optionally add an active LUA scripted loop to any NPC you want to, as well as to the main loop. The scripting system is very developed and very capable.

You can import any media that you want to. You just have to set up the .rpge file for it and it has to meet certain requirements. Characters just need to be bone animated and their animation ranges and the model's scale needs to be specified. It's basically like FPSC entities. Model packs will be made available just like FPSC. I'll also include an FPSC>RPGE converter. I wouldn't recommend it though as the FPSC models have lots of useless animations and are bloated for an RPG. I can convert existing model packs for proper use with the engine, it shouldn't be a problem for TGC to include an RPGE version for download after I convert it. I've converted both fantasy model packs for my own use. The elf that asks if you owe her money is from an FPSC pack.

I'll include 3rd, 1st, and top down views with the editor. I'm not going to worry about it for episode 1. The controls will be Oblivion style.

The editor is visual, of course. You import and edit your terrain, add plants, buildings, entities, etc. You can edit their properties. You can build a game without any scripting, or by just editing NPC schedules. It's converted to scripts but you don't have to deal with it personally. Real scripting opens up limitless possibilities.

That's why it's taken me so damned long to make this stupid game. I was able to whip out a fully featured RPG / RTS in about three months based on GH's technology by hard coding most features. Nothing is hard coded in this.


Come see the WIP!
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Gil Galvanti
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Posted: 27th Mar 2009 17:28
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Great to see you haven't let this die. I was just wondering the other day what happened to it. It's looking great, and your ability to code and weave something so complex together like this amazes me. It's nice to see you've gone to scripting instead of hard coding, it will make future editing and modding much easier. I'm in the process (nearly finished now) of doing the same thing in PoPR right now. Keep up the good work!


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Airslide
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Posted: 28th Mar 2009 01:17
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Looks great!

If you can, I'd recommend looking into utilizing Enhanced Animation. Since you can export characters without animations and save animation files externally, it takes a bit more work but you can share animations between characters and you don't have ALL those frames loaded for each character.

Out of curiosity, how do you reference entities in lua? If you do some trickery with tables, you can end up with an awesome system that basically gives each entity it's own table. You can add all the default functions into it, and from there each entity can add additional functions and variables to "itself". If you don't already have something like that, and are interested in it, I can send you the code I have for it. The majority of it is LUA based, although the engine has to call a special function to call an a function in an entity, as Barnski's plugin doesn't allow for pushing/popping tables.

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Cash Curtis II
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Posted: 28th Mar 2009 02:01 Edited at: 28th Mar 2009 02:03
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Quote: "If you can, I'd recommend looking into utilizing Enhanced Animation. "


That's actually why I'm requesting the extra animations. Not all of my animation skeletons are compatible, once I have those animations I can share the skeleton between every character and use EA. It will save memory and will enhance the game's capabilities.

Quote: "Out of curiosity, how do you reference entities in lua? If you do some trickery with tables, you can end up with an awesome system that basically gives each entity it's own table."

It's function based. For example, you would only call the function 'charDamage(char, damage)' for a character entity. Each entity shares similar characteristics, you wouldn't confuse a plant entity with a character when you call a function, for example. If you did then it wouldn't do anything anyway.

Also, each entity is parent/child based. For example, a character's parent is an item, and you can interact with a character in any way that you can as an item.

Each entity does have its own table. You can programatically create tables using 'Lua Load String'... with the right syntax. The trick is you have to create every single table element, you can't just declare a range of elements.

The other option is to simulate a table. For some things, I use something like this...
Quote: "
lua set int "character->"+fast lower$(char(char).name)+"->health",char(char).health"


This is borrowing the old Lua plugin's syntax, Unity, for use in Barnski's. I have no idea why Unity decided to use '->' to separate tables. I have to say, it was plain stupid. The only advantage is that it was backwards compatible because native Lua treats it as one long integer variable name. So, using this syntax, it's possible to simulate the creation of dynamic tables that contain entity data (when in fact it's just a long dumb integer variable name). For character entities I store lots of information this way. Using wrapper functions I let the user retrieve it a bit more elegantly.

Lua is fantastic. I changed the entire engine to use entities, you can reference anything by handle or name to interact with it. It's because Lua allows dynamic string variable creation, something most languages aren't capable of.


Come see the WIP!
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Airslide
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Posted: 28th Mar 2009 03:24
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Using the method I use, you can basically do stuff like this:

Quote: "
self:SetPos(Vector(1,1,1))
self:Kill()
selfowhatever()

ent = collision.RayCast(pos1,pos2)
ent:Something()

function ENT:CustomFunction(par1)
self:SetPos(Vector(1,par1,1))
end
"


The ID numbers are all handled behind the scenes. This is the same method (at least in usage) that Garry's Mod uses, I find the programming style nice. Although for massive games, it may be more memory efficient to keep the functions outside of each entity's table - although I believe if the function is duplicated as I do it then it will simply reference the original.

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Butter fingers
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Posted: 30th Mar 2009 00:18
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Yo Cash,

about that animation request above... I did this 6 hit combo attack animation :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZIw3oCLjIM

If you like it you can have it.

I want robotic legs.
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Garion
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Posted: 30th Mar 2009 01:10
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I can do the animations for you, at least try So if anyone isn't up for this yet, I offer my help.

contact me on divinelight@o2.pl if you're interested.
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Cash Curtis II
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2009 08:58
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@Airslide -
The same function code is duplicated in each character's table? I don't think it will reference the original in that situation. It is nice because it encapsulates each character. I guess it just comes down to how many lines of code you're having to duplicate.

@Butter fingers -
Hey, thanks for the offer. The animations are good. I've actually got all of my game meshes and they're all animated, I'm just looking to do away with multiple skeletons and share one that has every animation I need.

@Garion -
Do you have any work I can see?


Come see the WIP!
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Bizar Guy
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2009 11:09 Edited at: 2nd Apr 2009 11:10
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Quote: "It didn't cost me my whole marriage, just a down payment from it "

Ah, that's a relief.... I think?


Game looks very good again, the engine sound impressive.

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Cash Curtis II
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2009 15:32 Edited at: 2nd Apr 2009 15:40
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I've got it, it came to me. Exactly what this game is missing. It isn't special right now, it's just a weak clone of some moderately successful commercial games (successful enough to put Richard Garriot in space, mind you). It is missing an RTS element.

The great thing is that I've already coded this in its entirety for another game. Here's a video, I won't explain that project other than to say it was a combination RTS RPG where you can control every tribe member and produce children who grow up into warriors. Elements behave independently and gain experience and increase skills by fighting and working. It's still a full RPG with a huge map you can roam, lots of items, spells, and a fully working inventory system. It is Geisha House with RTS elements.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJVJQGvZy2I&feature=channel_page



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJVJQGvZy2I&feature=channel_page



Geisha House needs to be an RTS. The Captain of the Guard wouldn't arrive at Marauder's Bay alone, he'd arrive with a team of specialists. His Myrmidons, if you will. There would be a Navigator, a Medic, an Engineer, and a Weapons Master. Like RTS elements they have buildings they can build and special actions they can perform. Medics obviously heal others. Engineers will build battlement structures and siege weapons. The Weapons Master will build anvils and create and repair weapons. The Navigator is a sailor, ship captain, and map reader / cartographer.

Walker Creel, the Commander, has been given a mission : wipe out the orcs by raising a local army. The strange evil is being blamed on the orcs and it's necessary to wipe out the tribe in order to fix the problem.

In the end the orcs will simply have been victims of a bigger plan.

In game you can hire RTS units to fight with you. You can build battlements like walls and traps and siege weapons (like the cannon in Warcraft). When you fight the final war they'll try and overrun you. Medics will run around and heal, weapons masters will repair armor and weapons somehow. Maybe not. They could just fight.

How does an RTS / RPG appeal to everyone?


Come see the WIP!

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Airslide
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2009 16:59
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I like the idea of an RTS/RPG. Adds more combat-oriented strategy. I've always disliked most RPG's because of their combat systems being repetitive and often not giving any benefit to actual skill over your character's stats.

As for the LUA thing - based on how lua handles tables, my guess is that it references the original. I can do some tests to check for sure, but all I basically do is cycle through the original table, then set the new table's value for each index. From my experience with Garry's Mod it seems that both functions and tables behave in a similar matter in this sense - if you set bob2 to bob1 (a function) with bob2=bob1, changing bob1 changes bob2 because bob2 is just a reference. I could be wrong, but I know for sure that's how tables work.

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tiresius
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2009 17:43
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The only thing harder than making an RTS or an RPG is to combine the two to make an RTS with true RPG like elements.

Some people I know didn't like Warcraft III because an RTS requires hotkeys and fast action to play it well, and an RPG should have the ability to do complex actions (use items, specific spells, etc) without pausing the game. When you combine them you may get frustration.

Sometimes the RPG elements get softened to a point that there's not much of an RPG left, see Hinterland as an example.

But it sounds like you got a lot of it done already, so I look forward to seeing it put together. Just a warning it's tricky to pull it off.

I'm not a real programmer but I play one with DBPro!
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Roxas
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2009 19:10 Edited at: 2nd Apr 2009 19:14
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I think you should go more into Oblivion style of combat, and view but nah its just my opinion as i dislike RTS games in general (Only liked original Command and Conquer games...)

//Oh i see its another game with this engine

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Garion
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Posted: 2nd Apr 2009 21:47 Edited at: 2nd Apr 2009 21:51
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Cash Curtis II
Quote: "Do you have any work I can see?"

Ymm, dunno, maybe this short animation I did for a movie contest in last year.

http://millionyou.com/index.php?id=161&no_cache=1&film=FBYGXHSIQ05WFCHH

Hm?

Btw. I personally think that you should stick to the oldest concept of HoG (lol), which was an RPG. I watched the progress before I even had DB and enjoyed the videos and screens. I fear that if you go like this, changing the game so often, it will never be finished.
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tha_rami
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Posted: 30th Apr 2009 02:30
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Never expected this to die, and not surprised to see it hasn't. Welcome back in action, Cash, good luck on wrapping things up!


A mod has been erased by your signature because it was larger than 600x120
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Lost in Thought
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Posted: 30th Apr 2009 14:57
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Hey man glad to see you working on this still

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Alfa x
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Deathead
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Posted: 27th May 2009 03:08
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@Cash: You still got that award thing? I feel special now.



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Omen
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Posted: 31st May 2009 16:32
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Nice to see you back at work, Cash - it's looking better all the time


Lakehome Games
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Ortu
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Are you still looking for animations?

I was playing around with your unanimated jester the other day and did up a quick set of drink, sit, stand, and 3 short talk's which can be randomly strung toghether for a long talk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPLX88EHSGU


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greenlig
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Posted: 11th Jun 2009 10:11
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Looking good Cash. Good to see that the RTS elements will be making their way in, I did like that about the game from the clip you showed. That demo is still getting a lot of use!

Take your time, make it brilliant.

All the best,
Greenlig

Blender3D - CS3 - VISTA - DBPro
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Potassium
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Posted: 28th Jul 2009 18:40
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How's the progress on the RTS/RPG?

But the game looks cool, i have yet to see this finished someday.

YOWZA:

http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=118375&b=8
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