Radakan
From Libregamewiki
| Radakan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | RPG |
| Developers | Tinus, Sadr, MomokoFan, Digilante and others[1] |
| Code license | GPL[2] |
| Media license | CC-BY-SA[3] |
| Engine | jMonkeyEngine |
| Language | Java |
| Libraries | Undefined |
Radakan, formerly The Shattered Lands, is a single-player RPG in a dark dynamic setting, driven by a freedom-of-choice environment, with focus on true role-playing instead of combat.[4]
Contents |
[edit] Project Background
[edit] Past
First known as The Scattered Lands, and later The Shattered Lands, Radakan had its first recruitment post on march 4, 2006, and as such it is considered the starting date of the project.[5]
On march 9, 2006 Tinus joined the team. A couple of months later, it became clear that the project lacked progressive work and leadership, and Tinus became the factual leader.
The date when Tariqwalji, a fellow programmer, joined august 16, 2006, is considered the restart of the project. Elaborate work on the design document started shortly afterwards.[6]
In early 2007 it was decided that there should be an official leader for the project; Tinus.
On march 2008, we decided to start our codebase from scratch, applying what we'd learned so far to a clean slate. We finally decided to use the game engine jMonkeyEngine (Java), instating Momoko_Fan as lead programmer.
[edit] Present
The current milestone is finishing a playable demo that consists of certain features essential to the game.
[edit] Design
- No (typical) leveling – “Sorry, there will be no 'DING!'.” Unlike many games, Radakan doesn't use the traditional leveling model.
- Involving quests and storyline - “Sorry, collecting 10 rat tails will get you nowhere.” In Radakan there are no repetitive quests or compulsory quests that are mandatory for the player’s progress. Quests in Radakan will be a way to dig deeper into the main or side-plot, and also have an effect on the characters involved treat the player’s character from there on. Rewards will usually be involved, but not necessarily something material.
- No static «monsters» - “Sorry, killing the harpy will have consequences.” There will be what some might call monsters, but they will not be static enemies that are just there for kill&reward.
- Unique low-fantasy setting - “Sorry, there won't be any dwarves with fake scottish accents.” As mentioned in the setting section below, our setting separates itself from the typical, often Tolkien-inspired, settings with elves, orcs, dragons and the likes. “Our setting is what you might even call low-fantasy, as magic is a rarity, and even though we might "bend the rules" sometimes if it's keeping the player from having fun, we won't go far beyond the familiar boundaries of 'realism' as long as it adds to the setting and doesn't punish the gameplay.”
[edit] Features
Radakan’s special features will not be so much in special controls or fast-paced gameplay. Rather, it will be about unique interaction, and actual attachment to the characters in the player’s character surroundings.[7]
[edit] Current aims
Technical (design- and programming wise)
- Advanced conversation system
- Highly interactive environment (actions with consequences)
- GUI, mainly for inventory
- NPC Behaviour
- Camera
- Advanced AI
Content
- An engaging story that the player will take part in and shape.
- Multiple compositions and sound-effects.
- Complete 3D levels and surroundings.
[edit] Story and Plot
Radakan doesn't have a conventional storyline, but it will have several dynamic stories.[8]
[edit] Current aims
- The player starts in a mining field, populated by low-class houses where all the workers live.
- The player's main goal will be to find his way out of the working place, probably without any violent means as that would not be possible in the early stages of the game, seeing as implementing a combat system does not rank high on our list of priorities..
Challenges the player will face
- Convincing the residents of Moldan, his parents in perticular, that 'change is possible'.
- Getting the right people on his side, and avoiding too much interaction with the wrong kind of people.
- Ultimately finding a way to get to the upper levels of the city.
[edit] Setting
[edit] Unique Features
- No Elves and dwarves - The developers tried to completely avoid including cliché races such as dwarves and elves, instead focusing on completely unique fantasy races.
- Magic as a rarity - In the game universe, magic is a thing of oddity, the word hardly being spoken, and the power only used by the privileged or the lucky.
- Gods - Radakan was said to have been created by immortal beings, gods, in which the different tribes and species believe and worship.
[edit] Demo Setting
The demo takes place in the city of Moldan, known better as the "City of Cavum Aetnae", as most of the city's inhabitants are placed right in the middle of the great crater. At the bottom-middle of it the workers are placed, working hard for a lousy living, suppressed by the corrupted government and the higher class citizens, living secluded from the rest.
[edit] Developers
The overview of the members of the team can be viewed from our own wiki, as it is frequently updated with status changes, new additions to the team, and sadly, departure
[edit] References
- ↑ Radakan's staff members
- ↑ Radakan's code license
- ↑ Radakan's art license
- ↑ Radakan's (short) intro
- ↑ Radakan's first recruitment thread on GameDev.Net
- ↑ Tariqwalji's reply in a recruitment thread on GameDev.Net
- ↑ Radakan's feature set
- ↑ Storylines explanation
