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[Neonivek]

I want to use the Scholar concept though. Dressed in Grey as to essentiate how "faded" he is. I just like the idea of the Hero concept. (Maybe I should make a better version of the concept sketch. It will take a few hours of non-stop effort though... and I can NEVER draw skirts or dresses)nned.

Spoiler: Why not just take a third option (click to show/hide)

and combine the two?

O_o

That actually... really really works. In fact it is almost genius Darvi.

It hits every note and you seem to have keyed into the concepts of my pictures (Assuming you even drew that and I wasn't so predictable you got that off the net).

It allows an intelligent and less physical character without sacrificing the "hero/main character" aspect or baring him from being involved.

[Neonivek]

Evander's Story (obvious spoilers)

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Evander was born to a prestigious rancher in the farming community of Lavedale. Taught the ways of ranching Evander didn’t take to his father’s line of work wishing to instead live a life of intellectual pursuits instead of the tough and gritty life of a rancher. When Evander was 13 his father gave him his prize steed and enough money to start his own ranch ensuring Evander a long a prosperous life. Evander instead used this to join the university to study a variety of subjects and languages hoping to become a chancellor or librarian.

When Evander finished he married his childhood sweetheart, a brutish woman by the name of Glade who others often saw as dimwitted and uncouth. Evander knew better and using the rest of his inheritance started a life on a small farm as he awaited news of his future employment.

The nobility in the kingdom has long since been corrupt. Their constant spending on luxuries at the expense of its people taxed everyone’s patience. As well the nobility and its cohorts constantly abused those of a lower stature. It was when they started to replace grand generals with pompous nobles who had no practical experience that the military itself revolted. They slaughtered the noble lines as well as any held office or studied position hoping to start a rule of practicality and wisdom rather then a corrupt ivory tower separate from the real world around them. In their final act to solidify this rule they destroyed the university.

Evander was devastated and was forced to live the rest of his life in dreary. Still he had a child and things seemed to look brighter. On a morning walk with his baby son in hand he was jumped by a pack of wolves who snapped at his legs making him fall to the ground and lose hold of the baby. A pack of wolves between him and his child Evander picked up a stone ready to protect his child like any father would, risking his own life being natural… The wolf howled and Evander threw the rock at the wolf but not the one about to harm his child. In his fear, in his weakness, he protected himself instead of his child. Glade stepped in and chased off the starving wolves. Evander was forlorn and withdrew from everyone around him.

In the Kingdom the lack of intellectuals started to show its effect. Taxes were taking in clumsily and spent poorly. The new lords were often just as corrupt as the previous one. As well without trained diplomats the civilisations that were once their allies were starting to become cold and untrusting. Quick to reverse this unfavourable tide they sought out those still living from the university.

Evander was much older then, his son already left to join the military. He was contacted and “offered” a job as a diplomat to the Dwarven Kingdom “Axes of Mending”. Long ago such a prospect would have interested Evander but the life from his eye was long since lost. When informed that if a battle was to get out that it would be his own son on the front lines, Evander had to agree.

Though by all means this job was much worse then it seemed. Evander was only there to play lip service to the dwarves to make it seem like they are keeping up their diplomatic ties. Evander wasn’t to make deals, offer support, or even relay messages while there. In short all Evander was to do was sit and look pretty. To Evander’s surprise however he was sent to the dwarf capital of “Whisper Spear” and spoke to the king directly.

If there is any story questions go ahead. As well everything I do is always pending so to speak. I could change the story at anytime.

Next I think I'll get to the concept description of the Dwarven King as well as a write up of the opening scene of the game. As you know I am writing everything down first before I actually create it.

Questions, Comments, Additions, Subtractions, are all appreciated. Thank you.

I am probably going to need to consult someone who is better at writing Dwarf Dialog then I am.

[Sergius]

Before you start actually developing, consider Wintermute and Visionaire as alternatives to AGS. The latter doesn't scale up so well (it seems stuck on 320x200 pixels with some pretty terrible support for higher resolutions).

Wintermute has a nice tutorial in a help file.

[Neonivek]

What is the difference between Wintermute and AVS?

Frankly while AVS gracefully does a lot of the work for you... From what I seen, especially from the games made with it, there are a few hiccups.

Why I am not jumping into game construction just yet in spoiler

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The reason I am writing everything down first is so I don't settle on making my game less then I want it to be... Though I may end up doing just that anyway due to my distinct lack of experience. Though that is why I wanted the community support, so I would be able to at least attempt to get over these hurdles. That and I can't do all the aspects that are needed to create a game so I would have had to have help anyhow. Though I need to have enough material that I have a game for people to actually help. A lot of projects have been started here that went nowhere so I want to get a above that.

If anyone is wondering why I described Evander's wife that way... It is because I am trying to come up with a concept for his wife as I am hoping to make her a character in this or a possible sequel. She is misunderstood but I think I'll have to rethink it. Since by all means even women in poor rural areas worked hard often doing the jobs people associate men doing... and EVEN THEN it wouldn't seem unusual. People thinking she is dumb though... Yeah I can keep that in but it may be too heavy handed compared that I just wanted to create a difference in how both Evander and Glade think. Also I am worried that it could be considered insulting to women in general.

Evander is analytical and speaks with winded sentences. Glade on the otherhand should speak with as few words as possible and be more general with her observations.

[Sergius]

AVS? You mean AGS?

Well, honestly, I tried to use AGS and it kinda feels like a DOS program that has been ported to Windows. It doesn't play nice with hardware, specially video (it used to crash a lot if you tried to use any res besides 320x200. and even though it's probably improved a bit since then, it still only has fixed resolutions that you can use, like 800 x 600). There are some hard limits on the amount of things you can have (# of rooms, # of items).

Frankly, seems to me they got the retro part to the extreme, to the point that it not just feels "nostalgic" but you can't make anything that doesn't look dated. So it's ok for making games that look like this (pixelated), but has problems trying to make games that look like this (hand-drawn).

When it's loading, sometimes I feel it's going to ask me to add EMM386.EXE to my config or something.

[Neonivek]

Dear goodness... I'd never hope to do anything above Pixilated.

Heck I doubt I can even do pixilated.

[Neonivek]

I seriously wonder if I reached the natural end of this project or if I really abandoned it out of procrastination and fear of ultimately failing my project.

It didn't take very long for me to hit a technical barrier.

Not that I havn't been thinking about this. Every week I think about what this came could have been, extensions of the story, and even possible sequels.

As far as this project is concerned I'll consider it paused.

[Sergius]

I vote for procrastination

That's how I always end up canning all my projects, lol.

[Lord Dullard]

I have experienced several long periods of inaction while working on Cult (which has evidently been an ongoing project for 2+ years now, wow). The trick is not to beat yourself up when life (or lack of a muse) doesn't permit you to be creatively productive. Commit to something as a long-term project and eventually the bouts of inactivity will cease to bother you, since you'll just see them as part of the cycle of waning and waxing creativity.

[Neonivek]

Thanks for the advice Lord Dullard.

I don't exacty want to give up my chance of making a point and click. Even if this is going to take a lot longer then planned.

I want to at LEAST get up to the point where I cannot possibly continue.

[Neonivek]

Status update:

After giving it a lot of though I have to actually start over from the start in terms of how the plot is going to advance.

I want to sort of step away with the "trapped in a fortress plotline" and actually expand on the character more. Give him the ability to shine within his role in the story. As a diplomat

The issue here is that I am not sure how to continue. How do you make a story about someone trying to make sure that two nations do not go to war while at the same time his own nation is the villain who only gives passing word to peace only because it would be a drain.

It also is too complex to really be dwarf fortress anymore.

[zombie urist]

It also is too complex to really be dwarf fortress anymore.

More complex than dwarf fortress? 

[Neonivek]

It also is too complex to really be dwarf fortress anymore.

More complex than dwarf fortress? 

No just that it will include soo many elements that it sort of escape the bounds of being about dwarf fortress.

It ALREADY stretched things before.

I am not threetoe I cannot write anything I want and have it be Dwarf Fortress because I said so.