@Protopop: If you ever want to expand into a full-fledged RPG, this might interest you: http://orkframework.com , an RPG engine for Unity. Catacomber (another dev I really like) uses it for her current game Wizzard's Island, and seems quite happy with it. You might like that, by the way; their graphics style is quite similar to yours, i.e. feels like a real world (but you still take the cake ).
Thanks! The skies to a long time to get right. I wanted the drama of a sunset, but i also wanted some areas with blue sky. So when you look towards the sun you get this 'brightridge' sunset, but you see blue skis when you're running in the opposite direction - so kind of the best of both worlds
A dynamic weather system is a great idea. Right now the weather changes depending on where you are, but it would be great if a storm could roll in. I spent last night going through all the Touch Arcade feedback and collected it into a road map for updates 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 and 1.5 (after 1.5 im releasing DoonPillar - the next chapter) and i will add this in too. One of the upcoming quests im testing out involves staying inside the inn while a storm rages outside so maybe this will be a great opportunity to combine the two. I would love time of day cycles. The issue i have is that the lightmaps for the terrain are baked in, and memory is tight so i would have to figure out if i can change day time without needed multiple rendered skies and clouds. But i am researching it - maybe in DoonPillar I'll use real clouds as objects in a clear sky, then i could change the time of day much easier. Dynamic shadow scare me because in my tests the iPhone can't handle it. But with iPhone 6 coming who knows? Ive already planned to add resolution changing to the upcoming quality control panel (im testing it now to see if it causes any memory leaks) and ill add the dynamic shadow option too, but ill test it to make sure i can add the option in a way that doesnt freeze the phone if it cant handle it - probably ill disable certain quality settings on certain devices based on their capability. Thanks
I hear you. After testing the camera i was thinking how it just gives you more control over how you experience the world, and i think expansive quality settings are another way to give the player more control. I think that plays in with the core of the game which is exploring - the more power i can give you to experience things the better that aspect of the game becomes - so hearing about high quality settings options as a request is very insightful.
I agree, i would pay more for an IAPless version that just let me play quickly. But i understand the IAP tempation. I just read this really interesting article about Appstore sales http://thegamebakers.com/money-and-the-app-store-a-few-figures-that-might-help-an-indie-developer.html It's also a sobering article that makes me question weather i can really make a living off my game, and then all these ideas ran through my head "add in app purchases otherwise it's not sustainable!..." and so on. I guess if you're going to use IAP it needs to be done thoughtfully and with respect for the players flow if you want them to enhance the game experience and not cripple it.
Thanks Nullzone - I feel that you're always looking out for me and I appreciate it Wizzard's Island sound interesting - do you have a link to find out more about the game?
Almost forgot: When you reach the current map edges (e.g. at the bridge past the Ents), you run into an invisible wall. Which was quite the "Huh? What now?" experience. Might I suggest to let the borders disappear in mist? Crow is a great example for that: The mist gets thicker and thicker, at first you only have some wisps, then a full-fledged mistbank where you cannot see a thing. And then you get turned around towards the game area automatically. Not very important, though, just some food for thought.
You're always welcome, Robert! Just trying to help a little, in return for the great experience you provide. Sure, here you go: http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=237014 Note that I gave poor Catacomber a really harsh dressing-down for their UI And I took the liberty to recommend you to Cat, in case they need a graphics artist. If I overstepped with that, please say so and I'll delete that post. Sorry I didn't think about asking you first, which in hindsight would have been the right thing to do.
Breinstein you are the bearer of great news I just left them a comment - pocket gamer is a great site and i'm plain and simple thrilled for the coverage. Thanks for sharing this with me.
No that's great. I always appreciate recommendations Thanks. WizzardIsland looks pretty cool. From the video it reminds me of Elder Scrolls Daggerfall and Ultima games. You can see there's a large quest system going on there and i think that's impressive.
Three cheers, highly deserved! The - short - article is here: http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/iPad/Nimian+Legends%3A+BrightRidge/news.asp?c=60970
Seems to run ok on iPad 2, so far at least. Doing full reboot before I open it. Pretty cool stuff. Only a few minutes into it but I'm enjoying not having to kill zombies or look out for snipers. Just a nice relaxing walk/run observing this amazing environment. It's a nice way to unwind after I use my FPS trigger finger on a few bad guys and after saving the world I can explore this world peacefully
Thanks mzinn - I'm glad to hear that I had some real success with the first batch of optimizations in version 1.1 (it would always crash in version 1.0 on A5 devices like iPad Mini) and that encouraged me to keep optimizing. As i research and learn (things like combining skinned meshes etc...) i hope to squeeze even better performance out of A5 devices. One of the trickiest parts about releasing BrightRidge is that many expectations are for a mini Skyrim (one of my top 3 fav games btw - tons of quests, battles etc. and I am trying to be careful communicating the exploration focus so it manages expectations. Whenevre someone enhoys the exploration aspect it gives me a big mental boost! I'm actually adding some quests in the upcoming 1.4 update and am not averse to violence, especially if it's integral to the world and story, but i have to admit my real favorite passion is in designing the world and just experiencing it. The current update 1.2 that is coming soon adds mechanics like jumping, sliding and new camera views - things that will let you experience the world in more ways.
Cool stuff. Any chance you add the ability to flip the screen over. I hate having the headphone jack where I need to place my hand. Most games allow you to play either way horizontally. Sorry if you referenced it already. Just realized I didn't scour the thread first. Yikes. Here come the haters
No pitchforks here mzinn Yup it's on my list. Unity allows you to change this with a simple setting so as long as it tests out OK it will be in the next update. I actually noticed it last night to when i restarted my ipad and had to flip it around so it's a good thing to fix. Hearing feedback is kind of like having an army of beta testers. thats something i couldnt afford so please keep feedback coming because it's basically worth gold
I think san andreas has a dynamic weather system which was pretty good,the ps2 version even has better effects like there is this blur when the days are very hot and stuff.I think you can achieve one if that's the quality you're aiming for they were pretty good systems in gta games imo. Anyway please do dynamic weather because exploration is the basic element here and that would really add to the game,I'm not sure how the game will shape whether if yoh want it to be like skyrim with combat and stuff or do you want it to be like journey(vaguely) or a mixture. I don't know how much use it will be but I found this video,Ofc the people are from ue and you're using unity but it might be useful- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br7qVnzxzv8 Anyways good luck man.
I got curious about dynamic weather systems, and googling for "weather cycle unity" brings up a lot of stuff, even some video tutorials right on page one. Just in case you need some inspiration or additional resources. Here's a short discussion, with an interesting link to another thread: http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/day-and-night-dynamic-weather-system-how-to-start.150433/ Second post leads to here http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/dynamic-weather-day-night-cycle.55093/ where folks really start to go overboard They dicuss how to change grass movement in reaction to variable wind speed, and post 37 has a link for "how to make grass work with directional light". The poster made his framework available for free, might be something for you. Note that the threads are old, though, from 2012 and 2010; so no idea how much of them is still valid.
Thanks for the link Dynamic weather is something i think will be a great addition. I think as i've been working on the game and reading feedback and making updates the type of game this is is slowly forming more clearly. I know that personally i am really in it for the nature design and scenery. I also like interaction so there is definitely a desire to add some action, some quests. I think though the core of the game i'd like would be closer to Journey, or the exploration aspects of Skyrim. I just know that although there is some combat and id like to refine that, the focus is on exploring nature. How exactly that plays out is something i think will become clearer by the time i add the quests in update 1.4. It's a work in progress
Thanks for this - there's some good information in there I the original island there was a location called SeftCliff - it had dynamic weather and used scripting like in your links to control the speed of plants blowing etc - it will be cool to bring that kind of procedural weather element back into the game.
