Voyages of Eternity DX
Introducing a brand new CRPG system
Voyages of Eternity DX is a Computer Role Playing Game (CRPG) system based off of old-school, 2 dimensional hack-and-slash, open-ended RPGs of the NES and SNES glory days.
My inspiration for this project
Most of the games coming out today don't interest me nearly as much as those old console-based RPGs. I still play Final Fantasy 1, Final Fantasy 5, Final Fantasy 6, Dragon Warrior 3, Destiny of an Emperor, some of which I have even taken the time to modify the game data a bit to keep the game fresh to me. Here are some of the reasons why I loved those games:
- » The games of this era didn't mind letting you use your imagination. Games didn't (and still don't) have to completely immerse the player in order to be fun.
- » Many games in this era weren't afraid to give you an open world, and simply bid you to explore.
- » Your mission wasn't just handed to you; you needed to peace together your mission, and figure out how to get make that happen, if you survived the opening dungeon, of course.
- » The quest didn't have to take 200+ hours of your life to complete, and that meant you could complete them over and over again with different character combinations.
- » And of course, there were still plenty of statistic-based damage calculations for math geeks like me to get into.
A Meta-RPG
With the Voyages of Eternity gaming system, this type of RPG and more can be created. As it is the project of one programmer, it is far simpler in nature than Neverwinter Nights, but it is my hope that the Voyages of Eternity project will capture your interest and imagination, and gain a community of enthusiasts dedicated to creating graphical enhancements, scenario development and story telling. I don't want to just relive the days of 2-D RPGS, but help forge the way for a new generation of 2-D RPGs.
Features
- Hack-and-slash with a gameplay similar to classic console RPGs like Final Fantasy 1, and Dragon Warrior
- Comes with a level editor which is capable of customizing gameplay. It can create maps, monsters, items, spells, and quests, with more functionality planned.
- Customizable background music... just place your favorite MP3s in the directories which correspond to the situations you would want the songs to play!
System Requirements
These are simply guidelines as I haven't exhaustively tested VoE3 DX on many PCs. However, these should serve as decent guidelines. As I don't have a true release yet, these figures are also a work in progress.
- 500 MHz Pentium III or better (1.6 GHz Pentium 4 recommended)
- At least 200 GB of hard drive space. More will be needed for your own MP3s, for scenarios that you create, or for custom graphics that you place in the correct directories.
- Windows 2000 or Windows XP with 256 MB of RAM (512 MB recommended). I do not know whether it will work in Windows 98, but it may.
- A video card capable of 800x600 resolution at 32-bit color depth, and 32 MB of RAM. A resolution of 1280x1024 is recommended for use with the level editor. Any modern video card should work fine.
- DirectX 7.0 or later is required.
Note: For best font rendering, I suggest turning on ClearType if you are using Windows XP. The link will take you to Microsoft's website where you can choose the font rendering that looks best to you.
Screenshots
Here are a few screenshots I have of actual game play. You can click a picture to view it at full size.
Game Engine
Level Editor
Help Wanted on the Project
The project is quite playable in its current form. It has one glaring weakness, however. I am a programmer, and my interests and best skills serve toward that end. I do not have the mad pixel-twiddling skillz of a graphic designer.
I have used graphics from various other games to cover up from my lack of ability/patience with graphic editing programs. About half of the graphics in the game are graphics that I have found from other sources. In particular, these graphical elements need replacing:
- » Many monster sprites
- » Character portraits
- » The little animated walking characters
- » Shop graphics
- » Town/castle backgrounds
I have to admit, I do not have a fat bank account and cannot pay any one for their help; what I am asking for is for people who have enjoy computer RPGs to engage with me in a labor of love. Whatever help you can offer would be welcome. Right now, I'm looking for monster pictures, faces for characters, item graphics (swords, suits of armor, etc.), to name a few. I would be happy to elaborate for people who would like to know more. If folks would like a playable demo of what I have through the first couple of levels, I can provide that as well (it would provide three to four hours of entertainment). You will be fully credited in the game credits.
If you have a love for the old school Role Playing Games of the late 80's and early to mid 90's, and have talent drawing two dimensional fantasy art (especially digitally), please contact me. I would love to get in touch with you!
Downloads
A playable demo (though not a current version) will be available here shortly.