Mystic Hall - Updated

[beomoud]

Mystic Hall is a Role playing Game set up in an epic-fiction world where the main character, you, is exiled and  left to survive in an unknown environment where nothing is what it seems. On the top of it the main character is alone to prove his innocence while mysterious forces work beneath the shadows against him...

I won't give out much about the game only what you should expect of it:

• A RPG that aims to implement as many realistic features in it's gaming system as possible and make it possible for the player to play the game any way he wants to meet his own preferences.
  
  
• An open ended, interactive story that will change as you go forth.
  
  
• The opportunity to built your own character choosing between 3 Races and 3 Classes and customizing him to fit your own visualization.
  
  
• A sophisticated battle system to battle with any character you choose to, providing unpredictable outcomes and giving you the chance to develop your own tactics (choosing among fighting abilities, spells or tricks) depending on your character creation.
  
  
• Many NPCs you can meet, talk to, try to make them like you, trade with them, steal from, fight with, cooperate or almost any other interaction you can think of. Keep in mind though that these are real people with their own schedule around the day and their own agenda. That's right, this is a world that's moving and the time is passing as you go, providing unique exploring opportunities at specific times of the day.
  
  
• An advanced stealth system that calculates many parameters and allows you to hide from others if they stalk you or in order to act undetected (like stealing). Keep your mind for enemy targets and notice the light sources in the area, use any tricks up your sleeve and choose your way of approach to stay undetected. Always watch out for witnesses as this is an unforgiving environment and the Guard patrol could be on your tail at any time.
  

Don't expect a large game for starters as this is a one man job but bare in mind that once the first game is completed it may be expanded many times. I won't give out anything else only that it will probably be ready for release around Fall of 2009.

overall progress: 85%

Screenshots (They look better in the game):

[Darth Mandarb]

Please post the screenshots so they are visible in the thread rather than links!

Thanks!

[beomoud]

This is actually my first game, the reason it took so long to come to the final stages is because everything is handmade, from the sprites to the 3D models and material. Currently the system is almost complete (and by that i mean all the necessary scripting) along with the character models and animations, the rooms, the videos and the music.

What remains is the completion of the hopefully several quests of the game which is actually one of the best parts of the design process. So this could be a good chance for all of you to let me know of any good ideas concerning the storyline! The main plot is already decided of course but some good ideas from here could still find a place in the game as side quests or so! So go ahead and let me know what you would or would not like to see in a RPG...

[Revonx]

Looks Interesting, looks like alot of work is going to go into it. RPG's like this can be quite difficult to accomplish successfully, the game I'm working on at the moment (Kingdom O' magic) requires some similar techniques, so I can appreciate how challenging it can be. I hope you're able to pull it off.

Best of luck

[Dualnames]

Reminds me a lot of those Black Isle games of the past..

[beomoud]

Yes, it does look a little like Fallout. My original inspiration has been The Elder Scrolls series from Bethesda and the new Fallout game these guys made. Unlike some Black Isle games like Baldurs Gate I'm trying to make it as less linear as possible. I'm a huge Adventure Game fan but it always bothered me when there was only one solution for every problem. I don't want the player to pick up any junk he finds only what he really needs (as a result of good thinking). That's the reason for example that i gave weight to every item in the game, you want to carry more? Simply increase your strength...

[beomoud]

Besides a presentation this was also meant to be something like a research. I wanted to know a little about what everyone expects of a RPG, any elements you recon are essential to be in there and what to avoid (i am referring more on the storyline). Are you generally into this kind of games or am i talking solely to adventure game fans?

[Ghost]

I bet you'll find several RPG fans here. Both genres had their golden age at almost the same time, for one thing. I can say for myself that you won me over when you mentioned Fallout and TES, both of which I played at their original release

[Rd27]

This seems to be an very interesting project. It is always nice to see more RPG-games made by AGS!!!

Can you give more details about the battle-system?

Good luck, I will definetly try it when you release it!

[beomoud]

First of all thank you for your support, it's always good to know that this game will have it's own audience once it is released who love this kind of games as much as i do.

The battle system is round based and that is because i wanted the player to have more options and the leisure to advance his own tactics instead of just hitting the same button until the enemy drops. During the battle which is closely connected to your character's advantages and disadvantages, you will have the opportunity to choose your weapon from your inventory and decide your battle manoeuvre, spell or trick among default actions or abilities you have picked through gaining experience. Of course a good armor is also a factor towards winning and if you want to play it smart you'd better take advantage of other factors as well, like poisons, the size of your opponent etc. As for your opponent be sure that he has his own abilities and he will change his tactics during the battle as well.

I hope that helped...
As i said earlier i don't want to give out much about the game but i want you to know that i intend to give the player as many options as possible, aiming at the Role-playing part of the game!

[MoodyBlues]

Wow, this looks great!  I really like the idea of giving NPCs schedules and agendas of their own; it makes the world more real.

If you ever need a beta-tester, I'm your gal.

[beomoud]

Thank you, i will let you know...
Also if you have any good input about the story i would appreciate it as well. I am currently working on it but i would really like to know what everyone expects from a RPG, i will take every idea into account.

[beomoud]

Just to keep anyone who is interested updated:
11/02/2009

-Most of the scrip is complete
-The Character animations are all complete
-Objects you can interact with are added in the rooms
-The introduction video is added in the game
-The first cutscenes are complete
-The main story is taking different directions
-More characteristics for the NPC that control pretty much every aspect of their behavior
-A new system is designed: when a crime is committed someone among the witnesses in sight runs to notify the guards
-Another system is considered: The NPCs exchange things during their day (This is not in for sure in this phase of the game)

Good News:

Surprisingly we are on schedule!

[Dualnames]

Good News:

Surprisingly we are on schedule!

Never say that, you'd be surprised that the universe works in a way, so that you won't be on schedule.

[dirk delshire]

It sounds awesome, The stealth system reminds me of game called Thief Deadly Shadows.
And yes I'm an RPG fan too. My favorite genres are Plat formers, Adventures, Action, and RPGs. But I'll play any type of game that's good. The only genre I hate is sports and I'll still play some of them like Mutant league football.     

[beomoud]

Yes, i know the system of "Thief", this one resembles the one in deadly shadows from many aspects. It calculates many of these parameters like light, proximity,ability to hide,ability to detect...

Also the way a RPG is developed you can expect that the screenshots above are not final, objects are added in the rooms and the interface is likely to change a little as the game reaches it's release date.

It seems though that i may have been a little over-optimistic about the release date, i have been busy with real life so this could take a little longer but not more than the delay for "Oblivion" (I'm joking the delay was all worth it).

[beomoud]

I am happy to inform you that the production of Mystic Hall is back on track and it looks more beautiful than ever. The project had been set back due to personal engagements and the graphics part took more time than expected but there are no regrets there, every part of the game is originally modeled and hand-drawn. I am currently working on the quests of the game so this would be a good time for anyone interested to let me know what you would or would not like to see in a RPG from the aspect of quests...

[Dualnames]

Anything similar to the quests of Baldur's gate would be nice. But to be more specific quests about retrieving volumes of certain book, always seem to be the ones i enjoy..