Edited my previous post with results Seems to be 100MB of ram free when maxing all settings and leaving resoulution alone
Cool Jakeopp - that's very helpful feedback, especially about the ram and the settings. Thanks for taking the time to post this - I appreciate the help
I really wonder how it is going to run on such a variety of hardware. Must be one titan of a job. Good luck!
A quick clip of Nimian Legends : Vandgels Grand Plateau. This area is about as big as all of BrightRidge was. This is from my initial tests with an environment 4 times the size. In the background near the start is the DecaPin - a new tower type - and below it are the ruins of Vandgels Citadel - where our story begins. This is a place very high altitude in the mountain range, there's also very deep valleys to explore, and more mountain peaks. It's a much more vertical world.
Wow! I'm loving the new area! How cool would it be to have a Zelda: Breath of the Wild type game with your game engine? I think it'd be a guaranteed hit!
Looks great as usual A new tower type, and a ruined citadel? I smell adventure... Do you have a rough ETA already? Also, fingers crossed that Apple releases a new iPad Pro soon, so we can crank up the graphics even more.
Thanks! It's kind of heading that way - i keep adding in more mechanics bit by bit - but the main two things i always follow is 1) its about nature and 2) its about story. Wats great is i have almost finished BrightRidge 7.0 - long story short the big change is i completely rebuilt the adventure in a new quest engine that is super flexible. I can now drag quests around at will, copy and paste them, even drag the quest components like cinematics, carryable items, pets etc from one quest to another and it all works. I plan on using this new version as the basis for Vandgels, the next game. In parallel im working on the Vandgels content in a newer version of unity while i finish optimizing BrightRidge 7.0 and the final version, BrightRidge 8, then i will be working full steam on Vandgels. But already with the new engine it is going a lot faster than i thought, which is good. And in every update there are a bunch of new improvements and items, so i just see it growing over the next year. Im building Vandgels in the same project file as BrightRidge, so as i improve things in one game (like better running and jumping animations) it will caryy over into the other. This way i can update both games at once - they are structurally kind of like two levels inside the same gae - in fact, you wint be able to do this, but last night i walked from Vandgels to BrightRidge in the same world The game has its roots as an explorer game, so i am working to add more mechanics to that part so here is more emergent game play. Its all about perfecting and simplifying the component peices (animals, ai, etc..) so it comes together as a more complex whole.
Adventure awaits Vandgels is set in the theocratic nation of Tiviscus, and the story covers the themes of Individuality vs community, and progress vs preservation. I wanted to keep some conflict and action, but avoid the simple good vs evil tropes and overt violence- life is more complicated than that, and i hope to tell some important things without being preachy or acknowledging there are two sides to most stories. The new quest engine is almost ready and it will help by letting me focus on a btter story - until now i swear i spend 60% of the time just building the code - and i am glad to see that coming to an end. I wa able to rebuild the whole Ballad of BrightRidge in just a week or so using the new "lego block" system rough eta is this summer because i am concurrently finishing BrightRidge 7 and 8 (the final version), but as i mentioned above to macatron the two worlds exist in s single "super game" over here, so i can upgrade mechanics i one and then they will be better in both. I just export only one world at the end when i publish it Oh and a big thing that is very VERY coo and fun to work with is the citadel is parametrically procedurally generated - this let me create quite a massive and detailed citadel by generating it without having to place everything by hand. The landscape is generated too, and it is 4 times the size of BrightRidge. here's some preliminary screenshots It's Giska in the pics, but the main character will be Nepto Suvika, a character ive had in mind for years, and im creating her myself.
Awh, so no inquisition, crusades, and fun communal activities for the whole family like witchburnings? Jokes aside, this sounds really interesting. From the technical side, procedurally generating stuff like the citadel sounds awesome. Repeating myself here, but you really should wrap all your stuff up in a game engine expansion for Unity and offer it on their store. Also, I am curious if newer iThingies could handle both the Brightridge and Vangdels world in one game. With an area transition between the two, it shouldn't be a problem at all. But having them both as one huge area would be great. Thinking ahead: If that's manageable, it should earn you an Apple feature for "biggest open world available on iOS". Heck, if the rumours are true that Apple will present a new iPad Pro in May, you should contact them right away: show off how you can push even the newest devices to (and past) their limits, and fingers crossed for a keynote feature. I still remember the "whoa, AWESOME!" jaw-dropper effect the Infinity Blade demo had during that keynote. And compared to Nimian Legends today IB looks pretty crappy. Sidenote: Maybe someone from TA staff can even help you with getting a foot in the door at Apple. Definitely worth a try. As for the screenshots: Well, awesome as always These specifically stand out, and I'd use them for advertising / in the Appstore: #4 - Giska in front of the window: the lighting is just great. #2 and #6: They show off the hilly nature of Vangdels pretty well. #2 looks a bit better in my opinion, mostly because in #6 the vegetation suddenly stopping at that ridge on the right looks a bit odd. Sidenote: That what would be a very minor detail in all other games immediately draws attention here shows again how amazing your stuff is #7: Epic view. I wonder if the gorge is even deeper than suggested by the screenshot (I can see treetops at the bottom already). If yes, adjusting the view a little downwards to show that better could further improve it. P.S.: Sorry I didn't reply to your last email yet, bunny-hunting and work kept me pretty busy the last week or so.
Youre always filled with great ideas! the background story does touch on Crusades and inquisitions actually - and i love the witch burning part. Im not afraid to add something thats violent if it suports the story - i guess what i mean is i dont run for the gun off the bat, but things like crusades are actually high o my list, becasue i think anything that is socially relevant today makes a good adventure - universal themse like oppresion, greed etc... I think the new I devices could handle it - the plan is to build all 5 worlds as seperate games, and then at the end if i have resources to publish a full version like you said that would have all 5 worlds connected by those roads that currently just have invisible walls I would add in some extra content and call it Nimian Nations. That window shot is one of my favorite - and it is 99% going to be the opening shot for Vandgels. the entire tower is generated from procedural seeds and objects and its pretty cool. The gorge is deeper - she is standing about 3/4 of the way up, and the ground where you see the trees below is another plateau about 1/3 above sea level - ive made it about as vertical as it can handle
Wow. It is looking fantastic! I've been so busy lately, but whenever you're ready to test it, I'll drop all my other gameplay so I can help. If you need it. Also, it's so encouraging seeing this much progress so quickly.
Thanks Curtis - i love the support In the next update there are not as many forward facing changes as before, but the focus was to rebuild the game code so i could build new games faster, make new stories faster. Its been a lot of somewhat tedious work, but it is paying off - with the new system im able to make terrain, buildings and stories in a fraction of the time. more importantly, the new system lets me change things simply. Im able to change an entire landscape in moments literally, same with buildings, and the story engine is now completely modular - before it was very very hard to even move or add a single chapter. Now i can drag chapters around at will, add and delete them, and the system will just scan and handle it, so im really looking forward to it. That will be update 7 which is almost ready. Then update 8 will be the last main update, and it will be the version that i use as the base for the other worlds - whcih are already under construction in a side project
And now, for something completely different: Just had this idea out of the blue, that a few recurring themes and elements would be nice. Like those smaller statues that are scattered through Brightridge: Vangdels doesn't look that different, it still has trees and such, so they'd fit right in. And I can see them in the desert of Doonpillar just as well. But the real idea was to have a Gnome house everywhere: obviously, in the desert it won't be a mushroom, but a hollowed out cactus Ah, just learned that the low round ones are called barrel cactus. Lo behold, gnome villages
Cactus gnome homes for the desert - im gonna do it Thats a great idea. The desert world is called The Bone Sea (DoonPillar is what the local call it - im so flattered you remembered the name) and these will fit right in. The vegetation will be different for Vandgels, as well as the lighting and skies. I am waiting for approval for version 7. It includes mostly behind the scenes updates that will make upgrading the game MUCH easier form here on in. It was a kind of tediuous update because i really just involved rebuilding the Ballad of BrightRidge, and it looks the same (although now there are some cinematics and small touches with the new engine added) Here's a list for what's new in version 7: + NEW: AdventureGen Engine 3.0 - a huge behind-the-scenes upgrade. Adventures are now built using modular, object oriented blocks. This is to allow building new adventures and new environments in a fraction of the time. It also allows dynamic re-ordering of quest objects, making changes to adventures simpler. The previous version contained a hybrid adventure manager that has now been fully moved to a single system. + NEW: Map Hover mode - Options > Map > Hover + NEW: Splash screen option to use default or saved custom quality settings. Use this to reset quality to default if you choose quality settings too high for device + NEW: Start message saying game autosaves + NEW: Several quality settings are now saved during sessions. Added option to reset saved quality settings to default + NEW: Change Music - Options > Playground > Music + NEW: Popup tooltip shows options (previously many player did not know it was an options button) + NEW: Very experimental GamePad support - currently works with joysticks and single button only. Will work toward full support for version 8. Activate gamepad support in Options > Settings > Controls > Gamepad + NEW: Adventures are now divided into checkpoints and chapters. There are many more checkpoints so your progress is saved more frequently. Checkpoints are grouped into chapters, which can be accessed anytime in Options > Chapters + NEW: Skippable Cinematics added to Ballad Of BrightRidge adventure + NEW: Save settings : Shadow distance + NEW: Save settings :tree distance + NEW: Save settings :terrain quality + NEW: Save settings :draw distance + NEW: Save settings :grass density + NEW: Save settings :grass distance + FIXED : Hid Objective marker when not needed + FIXED : Noon Skybox black on one side in certain cases + FIXED : Shapechange was bringing back action buttons + FIXED : incorrect background target for some buttons on select + FIXED : size options panel flow + FIXED : bushes with blue leaves instead of leaf textures + FIXED : Man animation playing too fast on direct load only + FIXED : Dozens of additional bug fixes + FIXED : Extra details floating in air when spawning above terrain + CHANGED : More neutral textures for action buttons and joysticks + CHANGED : Removed slight time freeze when destroying orange Puffids + CHANGED : Separated Quality from Playground effects - each now has its own dedicated options panel, with a shortcut to switch between them. Quality relevant settings are now located in Options > Settings > Quality + CHANGED : Spawn override points allow setting of separate respond points after death per checkpoint (previously death would respond you in the same position - the new default will respond you at the beginning of the checkpoint or at custom spawn point) + CHANGED : Ocean is now global (in anticipation of new environments which will now share a global ocean, simplifying future upgrades to water) + CHANGED : Reduced number of flowers to pollinate in Pollination quest + CHANGED : Joysticks now invisible by default. Can be turned on in Options > Settings > controls > show joysticks (thanks rrvirus and nullzone) + CHANGED : Less intrusive Skip Cinematic button + CHANGED : Moved Show/Hide corrupted into Options > Playground > Objects > Corrupted + CHANGED : Objective marker design + CHANGED : Shapechange harsh clicking sound removed + CHANGED : Love and Tin is now the primary adventure + CHANGED : loading image from posters to nature scene + CHANGED : Solar system hologram now remains after supernova cutscene + CHANGED : Removed slow walking when speaking with characters or running through Info Dots + CHANGED : UI buttons now have mouse over effect - for future gamepad integration + CHANGED : auto centre view off default - you can look up down (thanks rrvirus) - you can re-enable it in Options > Settings > Controls + CHANGED : Name is now Nimian Legends : BrightRidge (removed the HD) + IMPROVED : Skrall has world space explosions, so it doesnt move once scrap is deactivated + IMPROVED : AdventureGen engine scans for changes to content and builds adventures automatically - allows flexible changes to adventures + IMPROVED : Reorganize Shapechange options screen to be more logical - group humanoids, land animals, and flyers by the and size + IMPROVED : Moved Change Size button to shape change options - more logical Options > Shapechange > Size + IMPROVED : Restructured several options screens to be more logical + IMPROVED : Added more accessible platforms to dungeon Power Up level + IMPROVED : Signposting - Options button now glows green when the story asks you to use the options + OPTIMIZED : Storm Sequence. Removed extra effects, needed shadows and extra spirit serpents + OPTIMIZED : Scrolling script for rivers now auto detects bump maps + OPTIMIZED : Resolution is now set once during Main scene -exception to this is when you select custom qualities (working on this) + OPTIMIZED : Separated Resolution change from environmental detail per device + OPTIMIZED : Optimized and refactored code + OPTIMIZED : Quest choices now occur as sub quests instead of duplicate quests - more efficient and flexible + OPTIMIZED : Moved all old show/hide timelines to new Timeline Manager + OPTIMIZED : Deleted legacy Ballad of BrightRidge adventure and associated code. New remastered Ballad of BrightRidge adventure replaces it (uses new AdventureGen 3.0 engine) + OPTIMIZED : Foot dust and stomps are now pooled. Previously were instantiated which produced extra Garbage and instability + OPTIMIZED : Default quality settings are lower, and increased per device, instead of beginning high and ramping down (saves initial memory) + OPTIMIZED : Removed legacy tutorial texts - all text now handled by AdventureGen 3.0 + OPTIMIZED : Reduced texture usage memory + OPTIMIZED : Reduced unneeded animation imports to save memory + OPTIMIZED : Removed unnecessary shadows from specific particles + OPTIMIZED : Separated World specific audio (rivers, animals) from global audio (interface sounds, global sound effects) + OPTIMIZED : Split global objects from World specific object. In preparation for Nimian Legends : Vandals - allowing production of multiple worlds inside single project. This is so upgrades to one game world will improve all of them simultaneously. + OPTIMIZED : Reduced CPU pressure on final BOT scene + OPTIMIZED : Removed unused buttons + OPTIMIZED : Rebuilt and optimized map system. Map now uses same camera as player, making transition more seamless, and simplifying scene and code. + OPTIMIZED : Removed mip maps from skybox textures + OPTIMIZED : removed raycast target from title backgrounds + OPTIMIZED : Removed all unnecessary debugging scripts from production version + OPTIMIZED : optimized fps counter, removed garbage and improved performance + OPTIMIZED : Improved performance for extra detail manager Options > Playground > Effects > Show extra detail + OPTIMIZED : Explorateur mode is now a custom adventure behind the scenes - now all adventures use the same game management system + OPTIMIZED : Separated World specific water (waterfalls, rivers, splashes, lakes) from Global Ocean Water + OPTIMIZED : Removed all references to StoryMode - no longer differentiates internally between a story and an exploration - they are all variants of adventure mode + OPTIMIZED : New separate weather manager plugin + OPTIMIZED : deleted unused text fields + OPTIMIZED : changed AI to only set destination once when on patrol - still checks a lot if you are the target of the navigator + OPTIMIZED : Wagon code no longer running when not in use + OPTIMIZED : changed mainloop from coroutine to interval update based to avoid garbage generation + OPTIMIZED : Reduced Garbage generation in running code - especially at start + OPTIMIZED : remove tostrings and do int or enum comparison instead + OPTIMIZED : Consolidated multiple soundtrack managers into single Soundtrack Manager Im very excited to be working on version 8 - it will bring more Gamepad support, new animations, optimizations, several new features and the MAc/PC version. Then version 9 is for Apple TV and brings in Vandgels
Really happy that you like the gnome cacti And that's one bloody impressive changelist again. I got the notification for the new Testflight build yesterday or so and downloaded already, of course. Too bad I'm down with a nasty kidney infection, and have almost no energy currently. Can be a some days at least, depending on how fast the antibiotics get rid of it. When I'm feeling a bit better, I'll give it a twirl or two.
Oh man Nullzone - rest, rest, rest and let the antibiotics kick in. It sounds painful and very exhausting. Health always comes first so i hope you are able to really rest and take care of yourself. I'm thinking of you and it cant hurt to send you good thoughts, and hope you have a healthy recovery.
Thanks for the good wishes, Robert! And yes, it's really draining. But my girlfriend takes great care of me, things'll be okay again. Modern medicine is fantastic.
