Universal Nimian Legends : BrightRidge HD (by Robert Kabwe)

Never call a Dracozid a dragon, it offends them...





So I HAD to add in a Dracozid - Nimia's version of dragons - and she'll come into play in the mainstory

 

Approximately how many hours of game play are there?

 

Thanks for asking. I' not sure yet. The first release is a visual and detail upgrade to the original game, which will go free when the HD version launches. The original game, and the HD version at launch both have no quests. they're wilderness simulators just to explore, hunt, fly in.

The second update for the HD version will add in the storyline, and there are about 9 - 10 quests to complete. I'm guessing there will be around 1 to 2 hours of gameplay

 

So should I hold off for the HD release? How far off is the release? If it's far off I'll purchase this version now

Do we get to set up our own characters like in a traditional rpg?

Billy

 

Hi Billy. The HD version was scheduled for January, but now it looks like it will be at least 2-3 weeks before i can send it to apple. I am adding the new sountracks and fixing bugs that were introduced when i upgraded my code base. If you buy the original now you'll have to buy the HD version again, so it's really up to you if you want to wait. I had wanted just to update the original game with the new stuff, but I upgraded the code to Apple's metal, so I have to make a new binary. It's for the best though because there's no way i could run this on 32 bit devices

There's no character setup except in the HD version you can shapechange between a man and woman (there was only one man in he original). Aside from that in both versions there are bonuses to find like shapechanging into different animals, faster bows and staff attacks (violence isnt ecouraged but as a fact of life it IS possible to kill the animals in BrightRidge) and when the quests are added, there's the story of saving BrightRidge (or destoying it) and the mystery of a new tower called a Terrapin that's appeared towering over the landscape.

 

I'll be waiting for the HD version and I'll be slaughtering every creature I can find. I will be an agent of chaos in a land of peace and tranquility. Bright ridge will know suffering once I begin to play.

Lol

Billy

Edit- how much will the HD version cost? I think I'm just going to buy this now. I've been reading through this thread and you seem like the type of developer id like to support. It looks like slaughtering time begins now. Lol

 

a great reminder of how different people will approach it differently well you can definitely do that, and when the quests come theyre structured so that if you want to leave a destructive path it will have a very big effect on how the game ends. Im excited to get the wilderness and the quests out to share.

I dont know the final price but im going to offer it for 2$ US on sale for an undetermined time. I just have to make enough to believe i can do this more full time instead of a hobby, and i like low prices because i like the art to be as accessible as possible (i think of it like painting)

 

@leonilaturpen: re: how much playing time?
While Protopop writes 1-2 hours for the new quests, in my opinion you cannot judge Brightridge with the standard playtime yardstick.

The current version does not have any quests in the traditional sense. And yet I spent hours exploring the land in all kinds of ways. And I am still not sure if I found every little thing Proto put in.
And I come back to Brightridge frequently just to relax and enjoy the scenery flying around as a Raven, or because my kid loves to chase the giant Ents around

@LordShad0wz: While you of course can run around and kill everything, Brightridge is as far as away as you can get from the typical murderhobo approach of most (if not all) RPGs.
For me, it is all about exploration and experiencing & enjoying the landscape with all its details (and there are a lot). You'll see for yourself

@Proto: The dragon looks great indeed. Will it be a new shapechange option, too?

 

Thanks I cant take credit for the dragon since I bought it, but she fits in really well with the art direction of the game.

Did you mean the texture quality was low on her body texture? i have to keep resolutions lower where possible because of mobile, but if you meant the shadows block the view heres a pic of her standing with the sun shining on her

 

Thanks for the detailed response Its cool to hear directly from people what the enjoy about the game or how they interact with it.

Yes to the shapechanging into the Dracozid - but in the quest update it will involve a bit of a choice. Until then its available by exploring and/or using the cheats

 

CreakMill

The last piece of new content - CreakMill - an abandoned, overgrown, but surprisingly still functional windmill overlooking The Open Coast. My original windmill had the same problem as my original inn. Because i bought them as is i coulc't alter them or optimize them. So i built a new windmill from the boards, walls and building elements i created for the inn. With the windmill back in (in a new location) and the Dragon added i'm going to focus now on finishing the bug fixes and optimizations. Fun stuff



The raw project item

 

Nimian Legends BrightRidge HD - Environments - iPhone 6

Environments and some of the shapechanging abilities in BrightRidge HD. I've been working on the update for over a year and it's almost ready. One of the new additions is time of Day - this takes place during the morning with the sun rising in the East. It's captured on an iPhone 6 with medium detail. On the iPad Air 2 you can set the detail a lot higher. The game generally runs at 29-30 frames per seond, but the video capture is a a bit choppier.

 

Almost overlooked your reply there. I'm not sure what you mean with "toon/simple look", but I wouldn't go that far in a first step for "kid version". Could be I am wrong, and he's only one opinion. But I think my kid likes the fact that it's not cartoony. Maybe, and even that's just a maybe, replacing the adult character models with children is an idea.

Living in windmill land now, I can tell you that keeping a windmill operational requires constant maintenance. One storm, and the sails will be torn and ragged. Here, they take the sails down most of the time.
What I want to say is: If it still looks like this, despite being abandoned, something's up with it. Haunted? Protected by something/someone? Who knows...

Also, I do not see that any part of the mill that can turn with the wind. Each windmill I've seen so far can turn; either the top only, or the whole mill.
Don't have the time for proper research now, so I'll just refer you on to the Wikipedia article for starters.

In short, you have 3 basic designs:
The oldest seems to be with an inner shaft, where "the whole body of the mill that houses the machinery is mounted on a single vertical post, around which it can be turned to bring the sails into the wind." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_mill
A variation is the Paltrok mill, the German article has a good picture of the mechanism: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paltrockwindm%C3%BChle

Then you have one where the mill is split somewhere around the middle, and the - still relatively large - top half/third turns.
The newest design is where only the top part turns with the wind, called "tower mill" in English: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_mill
Going by your screenshots, you'll want a tower mill. A post mill wouldn't allow for the support pillars in the front. Bonus points if the mill head and sails actually turn depending on wind

 

This game looks good. Will it work well with my iPad 2?

 

You mean the old iPad2, not Air2?
It should work on an iPad2, but with reduced graphics/details only. See e.g. Proto's explanation here: http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?p=3381025#post3381025

The Brightridge HD version will be Metal only, if I remember right. Which means only iPad Air and newer.

@Protopop: Lots more details on an Air2? Don't tempt me like that, I really want to wait till the Air3 comes out. Or go all-out and get an iPad Pro (or Pro2 if they release one this year)

 

Update on the windmill:
I stand corrected. There were windmills where you could not turn the sails depending on wind direction.
The German Wikipedia article on tower mills explains that early ones (13th / 14th century) were built with the sails fixed for the main wind direction in their construction spot.

Sometime in the 15th century a mechanism to turn the towertop from the inside was invented. Couldn't find any details on that yet.

The 16th century then saw another invention called "Steertnachführung" in German. Need to do more research on details, but I assume it's what you can see on this picture. The huge "steering wheel" connected to the white beams is used to turn the top from the outside; I've seen this in action myself, so I am pretty confident my conclusion is correct

 

Thanks Cameroth - i sent you a PM with a code for a free version. The original / current version SOMETIMES works on iPad 2, and as Nullzone mentioned the HD version will only work on 64 bit apple devices, ipad air+, ipad mini 2+, iPod touch 6 and iPhone 5S+

 

Neat - thanks for the research, and for answering Cameroth Ill keep this in mind for my next windmill - i think its too much for me to move to a new design now, but i love that idea of a turnable top section, maybe in GoldenWood which will be a lot more pastoral.

That's cool about living in the land of Windmills

I thought a somewhat toony look would look pretty cool as open world, but if you think it wold be good as is and just stripped down to a "safe mode" i might try that instead.

Good inspiration about the haunted mill - The sails are made from Dracozid skin that is rumored to be enchanted. And the grindstone and pillar inside are from the same ancient wood that he crossing log near the game start area is made of, inhumanly tough when treated it lasts a century or more. While the body of the mill decays further year after year, the main components resist change, almost supernaturally, endlessly blowing in the wind and grinding and empty mill that will never see grain (or will it...)