The new video looks great as usual, and interesting to boot Also, 50 story chapters? Color me quite me impressed. Fingers crossed you get enough sales to continue with NM. If you need some folks to test the update before you make it public, you know where to find me Also, funny typo in your 3dfoin post: Will that be a sidequest? "Find the lawyer in the Inn and engage him to sue the makers of the Firepillar Statue in the southwest desert"
Warning-story spoilers in this link funny - i just wrote that i was "suing something" yesterday instead of 'using' and because its a real word spell check didnt catch it. I have to be careful i dont accidentally start a litigation against someone yeah im very happy with the story. im extra happy how it was coded. its very modular and flexible - i may even offer a make your own quest option in a future update. For the beta if i can i will upload it to itunes connect and share i actually really like the idea of a lawyer and lawsuit in one of the games. ive been realizing that real world situation can make very compelling stories. it would be a nice background intrigue to have a legal action going on in the background. Maybe in Residi Bay side-quel - it takes place during the preparation for an international meeting of leaders to sign an unprecedented treaty, and there could be some interesting side stories based on the legal aspects of it.
Urgh, now I have to start digging for historical stuff again and I still didn't even manage to write up all the things I found about old wood way back when the new windmill was our subject of discussion. Why I say that? King of Dragon Pass makes rather heavy use of Law and lawsuits, one even against a ghost. With so much of it being inspired by what I think are Celtic/Germanic traditions, I wouldn't be surprised at all if at least some of that has a basis in reality and old customs.
im not sure that im looking at the same game after i watch the video. just cant believe how much this game has been improve. proto, you not just add some quest to the game, but you change the whole atmosphere and the experience inside the game. this is truly awesome man. and of course i want to try it on a new apple device. this should be a new game? or an update?
Cool I checked out King of Dragon Pass and it has some really interesting themes. Its neat about them going to war with the environment if you make certain choices - thats kind of a running theme in BrightRidge's overarching lore. I think a trip through my history book is a good idea before working on the next game.With BrightRidge almost done, knowing what i know now and because i will be using the BrightRidge engine for the next game so i dont have to actually build all this stuff again anyways i would like to incorporate some history enhanced verisimilitude into the story.
Thank redribbon Its an update, version 3. There will be one more update v4 after that to polish some last things, like adding saving for settings, fixing swim jitter - things like that. yeah, its neat because the story took months to flesh out. I spoke with my neighbour nightly and hes not a gamer at all but he sees things very directly and he helped me keep it simple. When id get lost we would come back to basics and ask what is BrightRidge trying to say? Whats cool is that as the story took shape and i started building it, it was like teh environment is this pre existing character ready to go. suddenly you might be exploring a tiny corner of the land for like 10 minutes, but it gives it context and history and makes it feel richer. its amazing how a story can flesh out a place and take advantage of its static components to make something greater than its parts. I mean the story is not shakespear or gods gift to humanity or anything but its just neat how any story can add something tangible to a place. I'd say 80% of the story is peaceful and nature based - the video above is some of the more epic chapters. But even the peaceful ones i have tried to add some epic wonder to what you will be seeing. But this is balanced out a lot by quiet moments. one of my favorites is when you get to pollinate a field as a butterfly, as you do it the flowers chime in tune with a beautiful haunting piano piece - one of several new songs in the soundtrack - and its just you ineteracting with nature, growing flowers. The other tentpole is the friendship between Giska and Rando, the two main characters. I would have liked to have the technical and narrative skill to flesh that out even more - maybe in an update? - but i hope the game manages to convey at least a bit of the relationship between them The quiet momments
I really think you'd do well to add the ability for people to create their own adventures. I think it would definitely help make your game standout too.
@Proto, re history stuff: If you need any help with that, just holler. I like digging around and see where I end up, as you should by now Re Giska and Rando: Hhmm ... I would be careful not to pack too much into this one game, runs the risk of overloading it. If you plan to make them recurring characters, maybe save it for a sequel? Storytelling: Here's a tidbit from my brain going into overdrive: forget the gods, the cool stuff very often came from their adversaries or mortals anyways. Prometheus, anyone? Thinking hard what else could be a good inspiration for your storytelling. Personally, I'd go with things less well-known in general (pop) culture. Nordic sagas like the Eddas, Mesopotamian, Egyptian, whathhaveyou. Heck, even the Arthurian Legends have some very interesting things once you get deeper than the "he got a sword from a stone, and Merlin was a cool wizard" thingie. Mists of Avalon is a really good movie to get started, in my opinion. Some great visuals, like the Wild Hunt at the beginning. And the best Mordred ever. Oh, and: Rando immediately makes my brain jump to another name
yeah, this would be a neat feature. I see BrightRidge as an evolving project - so as long as i have the resources to work on it my goal is to continue to refine it - the first open world version in 2014, the 2015 hd update, now the 2016 storyline - as i 'complete' features it lets me work on the next ones and given the way ive built my quest editor it could be possible. The main problem is making an interface to properly show all the quest options - maybe something where you actually walk through your quest in order to set it, instead of a drier set of menus to choose from, or a mix of both? Anyways for now i will finish v3 and also its super important i put out the Android version because there are a lot of people (a surprising amount actually) asking for it
Thanks for all this - O yeah, Rango Rando's the hero from my other Nimian Games (named after my friend Randy) - there's a recurring theme where he was involved in the destruction of a land long ago and he returned in Nimain Hunter to save it. Giska is an escaped slave in my other media, but here she's been repurposed. They are spiritual successors to the original characters, but will they survive BrightRidge? We'll find out. I definitely want to keep things simple Now that the story mode is done (i played through it last night and it took 2 hours) i want to focus only on polishing dialogue and gameplay, simplfying the code, tightening everything up. You should see my apartment - its so minimal i am a big believer in less is more I agree about the historical stuff. The video i posted earlier shows of some of the more bombastic moments - a lot of people really respond to this stuff (although i prefer the quieter moments) but i think the real meat of a good story is the small stuff, the real things from history like you say. To be honest the current story could be stronger, but i have to divide my time between coding, level design, story, gameplay, testing, marketing etc ... when its done i hope to have more time to revisit individual portions of the design process and improve them. Anyways i very excited just to be DONE i will celebrate because even though the game is not financially successful it still represents a lot of work and passion on my part and im proud of what i achieved. Right now i am clearing out the remaining bugs and looking for anything i missed, then upload1 i will also try to get it uploaded to itunes so i can send you a beta test link.
Here's an email i received today - not the first like this: "So I was extremely disappointed to see that the original app you made, which I paid money for, is now free. To top it off you make another app which is pretty much just the original app but you added a lot more to it, and you're charging money for it. So I bought your first app which in fact helps you grow as an app developer, and in return you make the app free and make a new one. So all you really did is just gave your loyal original fans a big slap in the face. I have no problem buying apps, clearly, I bought your first one. What I do have a problem with is when someone pulls something shady like you did. I'm clearly not alone because I've seen the reviews in the Apple Store. You should feel ashamed for all those people who got scammed buying the first app. I really hope you make it right, and show the original fan base some respect." Here's my response: I understand why you're upset, and thanks for letting me know how you feel. It definitely wasn't my intentions to have an entirely new game. A lot of people feel the way you do, and there was a big discussion in the comments section of this page if you're interested: http://toucharcade.com/2016/03/22/i-think-you-should-revisit-nimian-legends-brightridge-after-the-huge-upcoming-update/ The short version is that i couldn't upgrade the earlier game with the extras ive added now unless i used a new technology, but that meant i had to have a new game because we aren't allowed to upload a version that would not be compatible with the earlier phones that had already purchased the game (It's as convoluted as it sounds). So it was kind of either stop development on it or make a big upgrade. I have a big quest updated for the HD version coming out, and I've made a note to send you 2 free copies when it's ready. The new version will only run on a 64 bit device because they have the 1GB memory and the cpu needed to run it. If you dont have one there isnt much i can do now, but if you do get a 64bit device in the future, just write me and you will get new codes for a free version. I can tell you im not in this for profit - i have barely made any on this game, and much less than ive sunk into it from my own pocket - i just wanted to share a world - if i could afford to do it for free i would because i love it, and if i could have released the update on the original devices I would have done that too. Thanks again for taking the time to write to me. Rob I'll be honest, it really hurts me to receive emails like this accusing me of being a shady person. I grew up very shy, being called the F-word and the N-word, being bullied and finding refuge in fantasy games like dungeons and dragons. I would take my pain and turn to fantasy, and now as an adult it was my intention to make worlds that people can maybe get into and forget their problems for a while. I am one single person writing the story, building the world, creating the artificial intelligence, designing the levels, building the architecture, marketing, coding, all of it alone... and I am competing against corporations who can outspend and outwork me, and the only thing that keeps me going is my passion for sharing worlds. The pain i get from emails like this leaves me shaking and upset. I understand why they are saying what they are saying, but it is hurtful and destructive to my confidence and my ability to work on games. PS the Quest update is finished - i am doing a bug pass and then will upload it. But i have to say i am very hurt by all of the negativity sent my way about my game. I dont think paying a dollar or 2 should excuse people from sending unsolicited insults to game developers. We are people too, with feelings, passion, and for most of us, no money, no support,and no hope to ever make a living off of something we love doing so much.
That is a shame to hear that, let me say that you have plenty of real supporters and fans who are not going anywhere! Brightridge is not THE SAME GAME and if that whiny nimrod took a few min to quit being a tightwad and download it for himself he would see that for himself. You accomplished a great feat as an indie developer and should be so proud of yourself. There are always going to be haters and whiners just know there are supporters and fans as well and the others you should give none of your energy to.
Thanks Repulsa. Its important for me to hear that i understand why they said what they said - a lot of us do not have money and every dollar counts. But its frustrating because i tried to keep one game file, but it just wasnt technologically possible. The people who are accusing me of being this shady business person understandably do not know why i took the path I did and there is no one general way to respond to them. Anyways in general i can appreciate the criticisms, but it's hard on me. That's why hearing support like yours is so crucial. Yes, i would like to make a living off this, but only so that i could devote 100% of my time to making better worlds, and because i am passionate about it. I think i am a very sensitive artist at heart The story mode update is JUST around the corner and i think some of my sadness has crept into the story. I hope that people will enjoy it - its really just about sharing a place with people where we can go for a few minutes and maybe forget about teh stresses of the world for a short time.
@Proto: the only answer to such an entitled spoiled brat is "f*ck off", NOT "I'll send you 2 free copies". I am one of your "original loyal fans" (yes, I am a screaming fanboi cause Proto's so kawaaii! ) and I don't give a flying f*ck that you made the original game free and want money for the "extended version". Quite the contrary actually, I can only repeat myself when I say you should charge more for it. You are showing your fan base a ton of respect, with every post you make here, every awesome screenshot you share, etc. Don't let any spoiled f*ckwads like the writer of that email tell you otherwise. Here's my email template for you for replies to future emails like this: "F*ck off" , followed by putting the sender on your blacklist. P.S. I am actually very serious about my first sentence, especially about the second half, just too tired to elaborate. In short, giving in just because someone throws a hissy fit and tries to belittle you is a very bad strategy in customer service - and everywhere else too. PPS: Missed the part about emails like this leaving you shaken and upset. Not good. The best reaction would be a shrug and a hit on the "delete & blacklist" button. But getting angry and/or annoyed, and then throwing them out is fine too in a pinch Dr.Nullzone prescribes a reading of notalwaysright.com, mininum dose 1000 posts, to build up some righteous fury in the patient. Seriously, go read that site. Idiots like the above are an epidemic, and there's no vaccine against brazen stupidity and asshole-ness.
And I almost missed the important part: you completed the quest update! Three cheers, hootin n hollerin, and do the happy dance Awesome job, most well done, my good sir. Oh, and if you still want help with the bug pass, throw it on Testflight. I'd be surprised if you don't find more volunteers here. Another P.S.: If you own a device that's more expensive than most people on this planet have in a month or even a year, you cannot tell me that "every dollar counts." That's just a cheap excuse for people trying to grab as much as they can.
Thank you for the colorful defense I just feel bad for everyone. The person who wrote is obviously frustrated and took it out on me, then im frustrated. But i am lucky to have such passionate support too and i love it. yeah, im very excited about teh story mode - it is just bug fixing, and i had to take a little extra time for the dragon flying - it plays a more important part in some chapters and i has to make sure the flying (and perhaps firebreathing?... worked well. Im going to rest tonight, and i am lucky to have gotten a few contracts - ill be working on them, and the final bug testing over the next week. It will be really great to get this out there because it is such a large update The Ramp Filter is new - kind of gives BrightRidge this swirly painterly feel when its on
Repeating myself again: Testflight. After you get your rest, listen to mommy Do your contracts, don't worry about bughunting. Put it on Testflight, and I am reasonably certain I am not the only one who'll gladly give it a twirl. Oh, and the colors in the second screenshot are gorgeous, "painting feel" is spot on.
Who needs Prisma when you can have this? If the Time allows me to choose again, I would not mind paying for the first version. It was fun! Com'on. Given the amount of backlog I pay to build up. Having some really nice work on my device worth it already.
Sorry about that email you received Pro but you have to understand some people dont understand the business side of these things. Let it go and do what you do best!
I'll have more to say on this later, but at present I am very tired an would likely trip over my words if I were to go on to long. I think what you ought to take from this is that this person, seeing the artistic mastery of what you created, saw fit to treat you as some large, callous developer rather than a struggling artist presenting a labor of love. Don't be disparaged by crap like this but be empowered. Edit: meant to quote #1211
