DragonKnight: The Begining

[Gold Dragon]

The Story So Far

Over all Plot:
You set out on an adventure and eventually find a dragon egg and when it eventually hatches it is stolen away by an evil wizard. Which you then set out to rescue it.

Story Details and notes
*You are a young man raised by a blacksmith you now call father. You were dropped off at his door step very little and have no idea of your origins. The only life you know is that of a blacksmith's apprentice.

The Legend

There is an old Legend. Some just call it a myth. It was the story about the bond between human and dragon. The beginnings of the Dragon Knight

Long ago in ancient times, humans and dragons were rivals. Both competing for land, to hunt and to live upon, and water to drink. They fought and killed one another till the land was torn of battle and bloodshed.

Finally the great leaders of both races met. The humans feared the dragons as vicious power hungry beasts, and the dragons saw the humans as a petty nuisance and annoyance. But they both knew they had to find a way to co-exist.

So it was decided that they would live in different planes and lands. Places and regions with unmarked boundaries, so that neither could be knowingly found and crossed again.

For ages it was like this, until the memory of dragons among the human race was mostly forgotten and they became fairy tales and myth.

Until one day a young boy wondered far from home. As youth usually are, he was curious about the world and went out to explore and seek adventure.

He wondered far and crossed the forgotten unmarked boundaries of long ago. There he found another young creature of youth. A gold dragon fledgling, whom it self was curious about the world and went out to explore it.

Soon the two became great friends. Day after day month after month the two would sneak off with one another and go on grand adventures together. As they spend more and more time together. Their bond grew until it was an impenetrable by anything.

Eventually the king of the dragons and dragon counsel found out about the two misfits. They were observed and watched. Thinking this might be a human trick or a traitorous dragon. But realized this bond was something genuine and special. So The Dragon King and many of the high counsel members changed their minds about the human race and that maybe the age of separation between man and dragon should end and a new one, begin.

The Dragon King then blessed their bond of friendship between man and dragon. Where as such, the hearts, souls and minds of the two should become one.

Thus the Dragon Knight was born.

Then the decision that was meant to bring the two races together once more war. Civil war. Members of both races thought that such a move was uncalled for and dangerous. For years this war raged. But the Dragon King stood by his decision. But eventually the dragons and disappeared again and this time there is no memory of why or how they did so. With no dragons, there can be no Dragon Knight and for a millennia it has been this way.

Until now…….

***Screen Shots***








Some Game Updates

5/26/08
*Added some more Puzzle elements

5/25/08
*Added new background for the inside Blacksmith room and re-did the walk area/walk behind area/hot spots for the room as well
*Fixed hourglass not animating during messages

5/23/08
*Added Torch like flicker effect to Black Smith Windows
*Created a way to display messages over different kinds of GUI's through further coding in SpriteFont
*Created a close up GUI to pick up an item.

5/20/08
*Currently the game now as six rooms.
*Added Item interaction with hot spots and inventory items. A beginning of a Puzzle I'm setting up.
*Game currently has 4 different inventory items
*Added window Lighting to buildings and smoke to the chimneys.
*Fixed up a few 'walk behind' areas and walk areas.

Click here if you want to download a walk and look around demo of the game. Keep in mind that the Character and animation is just the default one, until I can make or find some one to make one. So I haven't worried about distance scaling either. To EXIT click 'Main Menu' on the icon bar. See if you can find and figure out how to sharpen the Axe, find the gold coin, and Find and feed the bird.

I still need Background artists, Beast and character Concept Art/Artists (If you can draw Anime style characters, GREAT!! But not required.), Character Portrait Artists, Animators, and Fantasy Story developers.

With me working on everything at once I just haven't been able to get a head on any one thing.

Check out my request for help here

If you want to keep up on my updates and leave comments plz register at my game development forum, www.freepowerboards.com/DragonKnight

[scalad]

WOW! The game looks fantastic!

[Snake]

Yes, it sounds and looks great!

I was going to comment on not seeing any in-game screenshots (to see the character art, cursors, GUIs) but I realized there was a little demo to download which I can't wait to get!

//--EDIT--//
Downloaded and played for a few.
I love the art, especially the trees!
I like the glow of the shop while standing outside of it and the "wait" animation. I would like to see the river animated.

One thing that I would like to see changed is the sign for the roads. It's very confusing which way is which when the road is an "X". So instead of looking at the sign and getting all four directions, you could make a sign with four arrows and have the player choose which arrow to look at and get only that desription, ie; "This way will lead to the Woods".

So good luck with the rest of the game and I am looking forward to updates!

Spoiler

I've sharpened the axe, found the piece of paper (not in inventory though) and have caught the worm. I've clicked all over the place with all of the icons but cannot find any more interactions. Two paths (North and East I believe) lead to the same place (the village).
Oh, you spelled "piece" as "pice" when picking up the paper...

[close]

--Snake

[Gold Dragon]

Thanks for the encouraging comments!! I've worked hard for what I have so for. So I am glad that you guys enjoy what I have so far. I'll add your suggestions to my 'to do' list 

Snake.... I'm extactic that you like it. Here a few more clues for you. As for the paper ,as of yet, don't worry about it. They are a set up of a puzzle later, so remember where you found it.

Spoiler

As to what you have to find to feed to worm too and to find the gold coin. There is something you have to look at more then once. Also you know how in some games a character or event happens at random in a room. Well that also applies here. 

[close]

Still need help? well here is a few more clues

Spoiler

'X' Marks the spot, and what do people make wishes into?

[close]

[Matti]

Just a point regarding the art:

I think you should work a bit on the paths, they don't fit the background. I think it would help not to outline them (though the houses and objects are outlined).

[Alarconte]

The game art has gained a lot since we saw for first at critics lounge! congratulations

But one apointments 'bout the history

Is too influenced by Eragon and Terramar, Rigth?

I'm downloading the game, waiting to play.

[Gold Dragon]

I've never heard of Terramar, but Eragon is an influence, only saw the movie never read the book. DragonHeart is also another inflence on the game. Everthing I have played and/or saw about Man and Dragons is influencing Story so yes there are some elements of Eragon. But this is a DragonKnight not a Dragon Rider. The overal story is going to be different from the story of Eragon

[Alarconte]

Well, Terramar (I only have seen the movie, a VERY BAD movie with Lana Lang and Jimmy from Smallville as protagonists xDD)

But Terramar comes from a very inspired fantasy-world series of books, if In't wrong.

Nah, I rememberd Terramar cause the protagonist is orphan and the adoptive father is a Blacksmither; From the first the prota discover his magic powers and special destiny..

[Alarconte]

well, I played a while, and I don't found nothing to do. Nothing to pick, anybody to talk, all the ways I tried was closed (I visited the first screen of woods, the first screen of village... Are all the houses closed?)

I think there's an excess of cinic comentaries ("This square wood thing is a door, dumbass!!"

I think if it is a medievalistic-game, there are too much cinic. Need to be more serious-epic (See Quest of glory, King quest...)

How you go in finding people to help? I sended a PM to you a month ago but no answer  arrives to me.

Aren't the walkable areas scaled, or you are waiting to have the final characters?

Salutations.

[Gold Dragon]

Your telling me you didn't like anything?

I think there's an excess of cinic comentaries ("This square wood thing is a door, dumbass!!"

Well I was trying to add a bit of cynical humor to the game like they have in the later King's Quest games. Does anyone else find these to be too much? Oh and BTW I didn't use the word Dumbass I don't talk like that it was "You know... that square wooden thing. OH YEAH! Its called a door. You use it to go inside."

well, I played a while, and I don't found nothing to do. Nothing to pick

So your telling me you couldn't find the axe, worm, bucket, bird and gold coin? Snake found the axe, worm, Bucket and how to sharpen the axe. Nothing to do? I did say "See if you can find and figure out how to sharpen the Axe, find the gold coin, and Find and feed the bird." Did you miss that part?

anybody to talk, all the ways I tried was closed

Now this I'll give you. No there is no one to talk to as this time. Mainly because I suck a drawing people, it takes me forever to do so, and I had other things higher on my to do list then trying to draw people. I wanted to get more of the core of the game set first and get more familiar with AGS. Also yes the door only door  you can go into at this time is the blacksmith shop. Once more its because it takes me along time to draw anything decent. You saw how good I did at the inside of the blacksmith shop. It was my uncle that did the finishing touches on that one. I'm now attempting to draw the inside of the library. It looks a lot better then my first attempt. I also did mention that the game as of yet only has 6 rooms. Most of them are the outdoor backgrounds my uncle drew. Here is a Map (just scroll down) That shows what have planed so far. There is alot to do. And I get to everything when it comes as needed. After I'm done drawing the inside of the Library I'm going to "need" put some one it it. So as I "attempt" to draw the character I might as well while I'm at it draw the player character and his dad in the shop.

Aren't the walkable areas scaled, or you are waiting to have the final characters?

Bingo. I did warn that "Keep in mind that the Character and animation is just the default one, until I can make or find some one to make one. So I haven't worried about distance scaling either." Why should I spend hours getting all the scaling right when the defualt character is about half the size the real one is going to be and not focus on the other game elements... story.. design... programing. I did what I set out to do. have the "player" what ever he looks like now to be able to move around and interact with the environment. Slapping him with another skin and animation that looks better is easy. Once I have the art to do so.

Why did I put out such a "raw" demo? Well for one I was very proud what what I had accomplished so far. Especially for my first real attempt at an AGS game. And everyone likes to get a taste of what the game is going to be like. So.. I put out that one.  So I wanted people's opinion on what I "did have" so far. What what I "didn't have" so far.

[Alarconte]

Sorry if you found my comentary so hard, it wasn't the intention.

Really, I tried to play but I don't found nothing. Maybe will play another time, but I don't know is it a problem of pixel hunting or ain't discover a essential room.. But the unique thing I can did is walking a little between half-empty rooms with nearby no interactions.

(yes, I read about finding this things but in the game i didn't see anything without doing pixelhunting)

About the "dumbass", IS an exageration, but I get so tired of this continuos cinic comentarys. In Sierra there'nt too tiring. Cinic comentary about the chair, about the door, about a part of the few things interactuable out the blacksmith;

Think about my experience; I'm been exploring your rooms (luck you have the Speed adjust), finding anything to do, finding a lot of dead ends in the edges of the rooms, else reciving this cinic comentarys. Maybe weren't too much, but I get tired.

In the case of your home. The narrator laugths of you; "OH YEAH!! you use to go inside", but, You can´t go inside, and withouth a comentary like "I'm not going in now". It's frustrating.


I'm played again struggling my mind to find the things you said. If don't you say it, I would'nt noticed.

The worm Was already in my inventory at the start of the game... And error? I would'nt noticed before, thougth the inventory was empty.

The bucket... Well. It's a problem of Graphic art. The bucket seems to be part of the BG, doesn't seem to can be picked. This can be good (to enlarge the game duration and puzzle dificulty) or bad (can get the player frustated)

The axe... The first time I tried to go west from Blacksmith I can't. Maybe some problem of clicking correctling in the edge (could be mine problem or walkable area problem)

The piece of paper is pixel hunting. Have the same color of leaves. (worst player problem than the bucket)

The problem about thinking in sharp the axe, is that is no reason to sharp the axe. There's is no story that make player thing that need a sharped axe. Yes, the description says is a bit "dull", but it can be only a description.

Things I found good in your game? Well, Altrougth I found the interface popup a bit oversized (depending the character size it could be more adequated) I like the fonts, the text box, the bird draw..


ITS A GOOD START!!

Nobody starts knowing how to do all. But you demands criticism,and  I do criticism, If I get wrong with things, I realize and do it better.


The problem of your techdemo, and the result of my critic, it's that seems Only a outdoor (and one indoor) tech demo to see the graphics, nearby a non playable demo (the interactions are very few)


Syntax:

You're doing well. Go this way. Make all the things interact. Do a introduction, and we can do a correct critic. Sorry if I thougth about a normal techdemo critic.

[SuperDre]

Well, Terramar (I only have seen the movie, a VERY BAD movie with Lana Lang and Jimmy from Smallville as protagonists xDD)

But Terramar comes from a very inspired fantasy-world series of books, if In't wrong.

Nah, I rememberd Terramar cause the protagonist is orphan and the adoptive father is a Blacksmither; From the first the prota discover his magic powers and special destiny..

Terramar? oh you mean earthsea.. hmm looking at imdb it seems that it was only 90 minutes, so maybe you saw the heavily cut version as the one I have (and is available here in the netherlands) is 166 minutes, and IMHO it was one of the best hallmark miniseries, and it did won a lot of awards so I guess most people didn't think it sucked..

[Snake]

"You know... that square wooden thing. OH YEAH! Its called a door. You use it to go inside."

Well, I have to admit, I was a little taken back about it too. I almost felt offended.

I think you should leave the cinical humor out. The whole atmosphere was very... I don't know, adventurously mid-evil-ish. The door comment just doesn't fit.


--Snake

[Gold Dragon]

Alrighty then I'll take it out    thanks for your input