Hi fellow gamers/coders!
I'm new here and wanted to introduce myself. I'm anxiously waiting for my copy of DBPro in the mail, but have been checking out the forums to get a feel for the community and the language and I can say that I'm impressed with the level of cooperation and maturity members have shown here.
A little about myself - I'm an avid gamer and software developer by trade ( though it's really hard to find time to play/design games these days because I've been extremely busy ). My favorite genre is non-linear RPGs, but I'm also into FPS and the occasional RTS.
Favorite games:
TES: Arena
TES: Daggerfall
TES: Morrowind ( yeah, I like Bethesda
Ultima 7
Doom
X-Com
Pretty much any of the LucasFilm adventure games (SOMI)
*Early* Final Fantasy ( before it went J-Pop )
Dragon Warrior
Phantasy Star
Anyway, for my first project I want to work on an overhead 2D RPG. Graphically, it will be a little like a console RPG ( not as cartoonish ), but will be non-linear. I want to create a game world that is part handcrafted and part algorithmically generated, so that it will be a large territory to adventure in. There will be a main plot, which I'm working on now, but the player will not be forced down that road. There will be enough side quests to keep them interested if they decide to just play. Combat I'm not sure about - I'm really sick of console-style turn based combat, but I definately don't want to try to tackle real time combat situations. Maybe I can do something like the Magic Candle 1, where it is a strategic turn-based combat system where you position and advance your characters. Either way, unlike normal RPGs where everything is polarized as good vs evil, I want to make a game that is based more on reality - where rarely will your choices be obvious, and with each decision comes some sort of sacrifice. Honestly, it's a huge undertaking that I don't have the time for now but hopefully I can keep working on it. I liked the idea of using DBPro because it seems to be geared exactly for what I want it to do - to make graphics easy to work with. Considering I don't have the time to learn the nuances of DirectX, it seems to be the kind of rapid-development environment that will keep me interested in the projects I pursue, instead of making me frustrated. Also, I can grow into it; if I decided to take on a 3D game it has everything I need.
I think I've written enough here (hehe) so I'll close by saying it's nice to meet you guys.
The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.
- Bertrand Russel
