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[ORPG] Shadows of Everwood

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Level 6
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An ability preview of the Berserker will arrive... eventually :)

I'm busy until Thursday, so a wild guess would be that it'll be ready next Friday or so.

A little update on script progress:
The_Witcher has been working on a couple of systems, namely a fog system and a text-display system!

The map is now fully "//! import"-based, which should make it easier for us coders.

Item Generator has been updated to support this change, and I'm going to set up armor-type items during the next two weeks.

I've edited some systems to be a little more robust, but most of my efforts have been focused on the classes.
 
Level 17
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Yes, as Tukki said, you can look forward to the berserker's skill table on Friday! Hopefully you all come to love it as much as I do!

Quick date change - the developer report will also be this weekend. Sorry, but I kind of underestimated my homework hehe.
 
Level 5
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Lovely work guys, this ORPG will be the 'one'.Seriously i cant wait for pure support/heal class.
Or some kind of a burst melee damage ( 'similar' to Rogue class in WoW ).
 
Level 17
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Berserker post has been updated with a table full of skills. Be sure to check it out!

@-Bloody Hound-
Glad to hear your enthusiasm! There wont be a 'pure' healing class, but we do have two classes specializing in different types of support. However, all classes are capable of assuming a supportive role in some form, even the more 'offensively' tuned classes. As for a burst melee class, we have one of those too. ;)
 
Level 17
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Hehe, yes tomorrow I'll be posting some info on conditions.

Vulnerability is basically taking more damage (physically and magically).
 
Level 3
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Hehe, yes tomorrow I'll be posting some info on conditions.

Vulnerability is basically taking more damage (physically and magically).

I've got to say, this looks pretty awesome. I've been looking for an ORPG of Gaias's quality, and it looks as though this could be said RPG.

^_*.
 
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BannerEverwoodFinished3.png

Developer's Report #1
Combat & Customisation, 25/02/2012
Hey guys,

So this is our first Developer’s Report. I suppose I should introduce you to what the Developer’s Blogs are going to be about and how they’ll be structured.

First things first, these are monthly. They won’t be posted on the exact same date each month, but I will try to get one out once a month for you guys. While we’ll be posting dribs and drabs of smaller progress reports here and there, these blogs will be pretty much full of information and progress. Their purpose is to keep you guys informed and to answer all of your questions.

Each Dev. Blog will have a spotlight. A spotlight is basically an aspect of the game which the blog covers mostly and explains in detail. Every blog will also have a screenshot gallery and an FAQ section which will be built over time with questions asked in that month, so check back if you’ve asked something. Lastly, each blog will have a progress report (your favourite part, I’d wager).
But anyway, I don’t want to bore you!

This month’s spotlight is COMBAT & STRATEGY.

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… an Introduction

In Shadows of Everwood, combat is a pretty pivotal part to the game. You’re most likely always going to be engaged in it. So we’re working on creating a fast, efficient and strategic system of combat involving various skill types and sub-systems, such as coded projectiles and ‘threat’.

We aim to make combat:

  • FAST-PACED
  • DYNAMIC
  • STRATEGIC
  • UTILISE MOVEMENT AND POSITIONING
  • VISUALLY STUNNING
  • EASY TO COMPREHEND

To achieve this, we're incorporating a lot of systems and investing a lot of time into combat and how it works. In recent tests, we've noted the fluency of combat which is something we're very happy with. We want players to feel that combat is challenging them, rather than them sitting there and spamming some buttons. We want every foe to be a challenge and for fighting that foe to be a game in itself to be enjoyed individually or as a team. Now, onto some of our key combat mechanics and systems that accompany them.

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Basic Knowledge

Before I continue, I should stress that ATTACK SPEED IS NOT A FACTOR IN COMBAT, nor does it have any stat or any player buffs associated with it. Each class has the same attack speed, which is decreased depending on what weapon type you are wielding. For example, if you were wielding a sword (-10%) and a shield (-25%), you’d have -35% attack speed. While a greatsword would reduce attack speed by 50%. However, auto-attack is also something we don’t want players to be constantly relying on. Standing there with auto-attack is boring. So it is also not an important factor to us. However, having a dynamic and fun arsenal of skills to use is a very important factor to us so to help make skills more ‘a part’ of combat, there is no ability that exceeds a cooldown of 20 seconds (there are, however, exceptions such as Tundra Dome and Unbridled Fury).

Conditions

Shadows of Everwood has an elaborate system of debuffs called ‘conditions’. Conditions vary and come in different durations and effects, but also scale according to hero level. This system was implemented to make tooltips a lot simpler and straightforward while also giving players a better understanding of the debuffs in the game rather than a skill that deals ‘xx damage per second for y seconds’.

Condition.jpg

Conditions:

  • Burning – short-lasting, high damage
  • Poisoned – long-lasting, small damage
  • Bleeding – a medium duration with medium damage
  • Crippled – movement speed reduced by 50%
  • Immobile – rooted in place, unable to attack or move
  • Chilled – movement speed reduced by 25%, attack speed reduced by 25%
  • Blinded – successful strike chance reduced to zero
  • Vulnerable – resistance to magical and physical damage reduced
  • Silenced – unable to cast spells or use abilities

Boons

Mirroring conditions, we have boons. Boons are, in a nutshell, buffs. Fewer than conditions and affecting stats, boons are still quite affective. Like conditions, boons scale according to hero level. The current boons we have are:

Boons:

  • Vigor: increases maximum health
  • Stamina: increases movement speed by 25%
  • Power: increases attack/spell power
  • Regeneration: restores health over time
  • Accuracy: increases attack/spell power critical chance
  • Stealth: become invisible, exclusive to ???
  • Protection: increases magic resistance and armour, every third attack done against you is absorbed, exclusive to ???

Skills

Every class has 14 skills they can access. You cannot access all of these abilities at once, however. Players are able to choose five skills in our custom skill interface:

  • an attack skill
  • a healing skill
  • three additional skills

Attack skills are innate abilities which are basic and quick. They have no cooldown as they were designed to act as something to help break up combat, especially since every class has the same attack speed. Players have three to choose from. Healing skills are pretty self-explanatory. Players have access to two different heals.

It is important to understand that in Shadows of Everwood, skills utilizing magic are called spells and skills which use pure physical force are called abilities.

Talents

Upon reaching level 10, players begin to accumulate Talent Points every second level. Players can choose from ten talents to put points in. Additionally, we also have Trait Lines. Each class has two trait lines with five specialized traits focussing on a key aspect of the class, concluding with a skill. Once you choose a trait line, you can’t build into the second one.

Attributes

As in all ORPGs, Shadows of Everwood features stats. These stats do not influence the classic WarCraft 3 stats Strength, Agility and Intelligence. These stats have been eliminated and replaced with the following:

Attributes_Interface.jpg

Power – increases damage (affecting abilities)
Tenacity – increases health & energy regeneration
Endurance – increases your health pool
Intellect – increases damage (affecting spells)
Dexterity – increases critical strike chance

Threat

Personally, I think this is quite self-explanatory and is possibly the simplest of the systems. There isn't much special about our threat system compared to others except something called threat manipulation. Threat manipulation is the use of threat to benefit yourself. This aspect is found in most class, such as the Berserker with skills like Angerstrike. We also have a class who relies on this kind of manipulation to survive in a battle but I wont go into it too much.

To reiterate:

The Threat System handles boss & creep attack and retreat decisions, with a powerful AI-script for each unit, providing intense and action filled battles!

Units will often attack the most threatening player, and in order to become targeted you must burst up to 30% more threat than the current threat holder.

Projectiles

In Shadows of Everwood, projectiles can be manipulated in almost any way you can think of. Their forward-movement is restricted to the xy-plane, with a curve along the z-axis however they cannot arc in this plane.

Every flying object in SoE is a projectile, and thus can be affected by certain abilities and spells.

Projectile_Dodging.jpg

All ranged attacks are projectiles, and very few of them are homing. However, ranged attacks are generally very powerful and carry with them some sort of secondary effect or condition. This makes projectile dodging pretty important in order to save yourself from taking a lot of damage.

However, since moving around isn't allowing you to do much damage, there are a few abilities and spells that may help you shrug of these projectiles. But these skills are often considered quite powerful, and thus held back by a long cooldown (these skills are the aforementioned exception to the 20 second cooldown rule). This will force you to decide whether to play your card now, or wait for a better opportunity – which of course, has a great impact on combat.

Due to the long cooldown, you’ll need some other viable strategy to actively move around the battle field. Which is why we have movement skills. These skills are your main tools for dodging deadly projectiles and escaping foes, and are much faster than having your hero run out of the way to dodge the projectile. All movement skills are interesting and have some sort of benefit to them. Examples of this are Shockwave, Wind Lash, Edge of Heaven, etc. This is something that fits nicely to the “easy to grasp, hard to master” type of combat that we’re currently designing.

Roles & Functions

In Shadows of Everwood, we have incorporated the ‘holy trinity’ as most call it. However, we haven’t designed classes thinking that ‘oh, this one will be the best tank’ or ‘this class will be the best damage dealer in the game’. In truth, classes are pretty equal in those fields. With healing skills and movement skills, any class can be self-sufficient and not rely on a pure ‘healing’ class (which doesn’t exist in SoE). With this in mind, classes have been designed to excel in different functions rather than roles. For example, the wizard excels in being versatile and being a consistent kiting class. The berserker excels in getting a lot of threat in a short period of time thanks to his area of effect potential. Essentially, whether your hero is the highest damage dealer or has better heals doesn’t depend on your class. It depends on how you build your class.

To finish off this part of the report I'd just like to remind you all that, as always, everything is subject to change.

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Progress Report
Basically, what's been happening lately is quite a lot. Presently, the terrain is in the hands of one of Hive's most esteemed terrainers Keiji going through a bit of a polish. Recent developments in the terrain include the Duvant Bastion (the new starting zone, 1 - 9) and the Brightriver Keep & the Etienne Peak area (a training area and hub for crafting, quests as well as the passage into a the higher level zones). There are two screenshots in our little mini-gallery which show a sneak preview of both areas!

As recently announced, The_Witcher and Magtheridon96 have joined us as coders. The_Witcher is taking a bit of a break after coding a typewriter system for us and is currently waiting for Tukki to write up some documentation regarding skills so that he can start coding our third class, the PYROMANCER. Our main focus at the moment is getting a lot of content finished. At the moment, we're working on Duvant Bastion and an event called 'Sylvanwood Cleansing'. This is also the case for myself, who is currently designing events, bosses and more quests to fill up certain gaps.

But anyway guys, that's our monthly report. Stay tuned for the 10th of March when we show off the Pyromancer. :)

Regards,





Everwood Entertainment

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Feb-March FAQ
Ask away guys. :)
 

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Level 10
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Nov 24, 2010
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Very nice information about map, makes me want to play it even more.
You should bring us some information about quests. Will they be repeatable? Will they save? Each player must pick it or when one pick it every player accept it? And what about quest chains? Will there be main quests that affect story and unlock special features for your class? (so it makes you really want to do quests):p
 
Level 17
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Hehehe well, there is a main storyline. These quests can only be accepted by yourself, but done in a group and accomplished as a group. Special features for each class... eh, not really. Factions, on the other hand, may have some impact on your class.

Main storyline quests are not repeatable and are saved as part of your code. Every other quest (there may be exceptions) will be repeatable so long as you do them in the next game. In-game, we do have some repeatable quests. Mostly faction quests, but yeah there are some and they're kind of a bit of a grind but still relatively fun.

Quest Chains are a big part of quests, so yes, they're there. :)
 
Level 3
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45
Haha i must say i love the second screenshot. The footmen are hiding behind the mage and riflemen? Shouldnt that be the other way around?
 
Level 17
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Unit placement is not final, and for argument's sake - you don't see riflemen bullets anyway. So... yeah.

Just some progress: finished mapping out Duvant Bastion, Kravengarde and the Vinoscan Bulwark with their quest setups. :)
 
Level 17
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We're just interested in a skinner atm. I'll think of something and then PM you.

Guys, Pyromancer reveal set for the 17th of March. :)
 
Level 6
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Feb 10, 2008
Messages
300
Specialization Interface

I'm currently finishing the update on our specialization interface.

The system is pretty much redone, however not much has happened to the UI.
Some new features are:
  • Click on the active / innate slots to deactivate the current ability.
  • Sound responses when you change pages, activate and deactivate abilities.

The current [highlight]experimental[/code] build looks like this:
Info.pngSpecialization.pngTalentPage.png

The term "active abilities" is probably going to change, due to its misleading name.

The ability layout, i.e where innate healing, innate attacks and active abilities are placed, is of course very easy to change.
(The current layout is only for testing purposes)

As you might see, you have:
  • 3 innate attacks and only 1 innate attack slot.
  • 2 innate healings and only 1 innate healing slot.
  • 9 active abilities and only 3 active ability slots.

In short this means that you'll have to chose which spells to engage in combat with (you cannot change in-combat),
and sort of weight different ability types against each other: i.e utility vs. damage, support vs. survivability.

This was a short preview of the experimental version of our specialization interface.
Everything is object to change, and Wolfe will do the 'real' reveal later on!

However, if you have any good suggestions on how to improve layout, another set of textures or generally any constructive criticism: please fire away!
 
Ah. I see. You can have 3 actives, and 1 each for the attack and healing skills. :D
Since it is quite a good idea to not allow the change of the skill paradigm during battle, I guess my other suggestion wouldn't apply. :xxd:
As for the layout, you should separate the three categories (Which I'm pretty sure you will do) and mark the borders with the color of the ability type (Red border for Actives, etc).
Also, I have a question. Will the information of the skill be shown on the side, or will a floating box appear once you place your cursor on the ability icon?

As for the Berserker, I really like the Frenzy systems. :)
It makes him a powerful class with lots of potential. Though, are these bonuses permanent?
His skills are pretty awesome, I must say. The dude can kick ass. :D

Sorry if I asked questions that were already answered; I haven't really been reading here. :)
 
Level 6
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Feb 10, 2008
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300
Coloring borders was a good idea! Will explore it further :)

Yeah. Normally, every category (healing, attack, active) would be in a separate part in the UI.

I think information will be displayed in a floating box when you hover over an icon.

-------

As for the Berserker, I believe bonuses will be removed when you exit combat.
There is a small delay, 5-10 seconds?, so you can keep your stacks up if you engage in another fight quickly enough.
 
Level 5
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May 14, 2007
Messages
188
Ah. I see. You can have 3 actives, and 1 each for the attack and healing skills. :D
Since it is quite a good idea to not allow the change of the skill paradigm during battle, I guess my other suggestion wouldn't apply. :xxd:
As for the layout, you should separate the three categories (Which I'm pretty sure you will do) and mark the borders with the color of the ability type (Red border for Actives, etc).
Also, I have a question. Will the information of the skill be shown on the side, or will a floating box appear once you place your cursor on the ability icon?

As for the Berserker, I really like the Frenzy systems. :)
It makes him a powerful class with lots of potential. Though, are these bonuses permanent?
His skills are pretty awesome, I must say. The dude can kick ass. :D

Sorry if I asked questions that were already answered; I haven't really been reading here. :)

I will make a new design for the UI :B
thats the easy part. tukki will just have to move the buttons ^^
he already did the hardest jobs xD

As for the models, I am developing a new system for the attachments, this will support all kind of armour types and animations ^^
you can expect robes moving smoothly, capes, flails, and much more.
However, do NOT expect the massive weapons with lasers that WoW has, that shit sucks and does not belong to this map ^^

Some parts of your hero customization :)

-Custom hair styles and colour
-Custom beard styles and colour
-Custom skin colour
-Custom attachments for each weapon and armour :thumbs_up:

By the way, I may change models a little, as I have realized they have too many polies, which are not necessary for wc3 camera :grin:
 
Level 6
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Feb 10, 2008
Messages
300
Thanks! :D

I've been updating it and I'm pretty sure that the current version (r19) is going to be the somewhat final product.

Linking it again: pastebin (login required)
It's pretty hard to create this stuff, so if anyone wants something added, just PM me or post here and I'll do some thinking!

Edit:

Did some covert ops stuff.
The front page has been uglyfied with a link to the new one.
 
Level 17
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BannerEverwoodFinished3.png

The Pyromancer

"Touch me and you shall watch everything you cherish burn in hellfire."

As power-hungry magi unravel the many secrets of the arcane, they soon begin to pierce a dark and menacing veil. They soon see a new world, a hellish realm of chaos and fire known as the Infernace. Victims of their own curiosity, these novices begin delving in long-forgotten magic and become pyromancers. Pyromancers are infused with the blood of the daemons residing within the Infernace, commanding the element of fire in its most destructive of forms. These vicious spellcasters seek only to empower themselves, and through such daemonic empowerments, they find their true diabolical nature.

EverwoodThreadArtFinished.png

Daemonic State
Those who follow the true path to power often make pacts with daemons, acting as their vessels in the mortal realm in exchange for a greater deal of power. Pyromancers are able to allow a daemon to possess him, infusing his arsenal of destruction with even greater potential to destroy. However, these possessions do take their toll on the human host and are best used in small doses or else the very power the pyromancer has sought to grasp may be his demise.

Armour Class: Light
Weapon Types:
  • One Hand: Focus, Dagger
  • Two Hand: Staff
Innate Attacks: Fireball, Immolate and Flame Strike
Healing Skills: Spirit Raze & Dragon Word

As a pyromancer, your potential to destroy is vast and unrivalled. Building your class may seem simple, but complexity strikes when you must choose what style of play you will pursue and which spells and talents correctly fit that playstyle.

The Pyromancer Uncovered
Playing as a pyromancer isn't as difficult as the other classes. Your main objective is to destroy and believe me, you do it well. However, the thing to consider as a pyromancer is whether you're game enough to risk using Daemonic State and utilizing the bonuses your skills get from it. Certain situations may not warrant it, but in others the knockdown Daemonic State grants one skill or the extra boon may come in handy and ultimately save you. The major theme for the pyromancer is risk.

Fireball3.png


Launch a ball of fire which explodes on impact. When empowered, the fireball will continue to pass through foes and still explode on impact.

Though an innate, Fireball can still deal quite a reasonable bit of damage from range. When in Daemonic State, this skill does not just stop at one foe.


InfernalCircle.png


Conjure an infernal circle in a target area, damaging foes over time. When empowered, this explodes when it is cast.

An example of the various area of effect abilities made available to the pyromancer.


Pyrowind.png


Blast the area in front of you with a burning wind, destroying projectiles. When empowered, you gain accuracy.

Pyrowind is an excellent utility when faced with various ranged opponents. Despite its situational use, you still gain good damage output with burns.

EverwoodThreadArtFinished.png


Misc1.pngMisc2.pngMisc3.png
 
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Level 3
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I'm definitely going to main a Pyromancer.

Y U SO SECKSI WOLFE AND CO.?

Edit: But yes, I would also like to know some of the downsides of using Daemonic State. :)
 
Level 17
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Firstly, you gain an un-dispellable version of the burning condition. Secondly, your armour is reduced by 50% and thirdly, foes around you lose a small amount of health per second around you.

Naturally, with the passive damage you're doing and the added bonuses of the Daemonic State, you're going to generate significant threat.

All classes from now, included the Pyromancer, will not be revealed with a skill table. Wizard and Berserker were a one-off, now I'd like to maintain some sort of secrecy about the classes. Furthermore, the next class reveal will not be until after the Easter period, on the weekend of the 5th of May. The next class we reveal is our first medium-armoured class and our 'ranged specialist', the Mystic.
 
Level 17
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Watcher.jpg
Hey guys,

Just thought I'd bump the thread. Lately we've been discussing some things to do with combat and other things.

Some changes we're making are:

  • complete removal of auto-attack, innate attack skills are being altered to replace auto-attack
  • rather than five skills, players will be able to choose six of fourteen
  • addition of town portals
  • a resurrection system where players can resurrect their allies regardless of class by clicking on their graves and reviving their ally, incredibly useful for situations where you need your allies
  • a role assignment command which will allow players to indicate their role via hero glow (healer, damage, main tank, off tank) by typing -assign (mt/ot/heal/dps)
  • addition of a dodge command, which will vary between each class. Dodges will cost energy and have a one second cooldown

To further expand on 'class-specific dodges', look below:

Arctic Breeze - dodge out of the way, chilling foes in your path​

The Wizard is also undergoing some changes to skills. With the addition of the sixth skill slot, wizards are going to be able to use different elements. Due to this, I've expanded the uses of their utility skills (Tundra Dome, Static Field, Conduit and Flight) so that skills blend well. An example would be Static Field. Foes stunned by Static Field receive double damage when struck by water spells (in the wizard's case, Purifying Wave, Healing Rain and Ice Lance). Such additions also allow players to diversify their builds even more. Just looking at Static Field, I can become a very potent damage dealer by turning my area of effect healing skill, Healing Rain, into a damaging area heal. Additionally, Purifying Wave would also be able to do damage. Effectively, you could call this build a 'War Cleric' or something along those lines.

I am also aiming to get the opening post edit up before Easter.

Regards,



Wolfe
 
Level 1
Joined
Apr 9, 2012
Messages
5
Hello...

Just joined hive..

I read the whole thread of the Evergreen.. and this thread..

I saw the demo.. haha I thought I can download it.. unfortunately I can't..

I saw many screenshots.. and it just amazed me..

wee.. waiting for more screenshots :ogre_haosis:


Me still waiting this be finished :ogre_hurrhurr:

And I really like the banner.. =D
 
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