computer games forum

I just saw a picture you posted on deviantart (yes found your profile there!) about Tower of Destiny, regarding races selection (even if it seems you changed it).
Noticed the nice characters art - that will be the final art present in the game? they're very well done, reminds me of the Baldur's Gate series...!

Those drawings were made almost 5 years ago... when I wasn't yet an "expert programmer" so in the meanwhile I lost a bit the contacts with those artists. I'm not sure, I'm just using them right now as "placeholder" but probably I'll need to change them in the final game.

Heh funny combination, today just got an email from one of the artist, saying that she would try to finish the missing artworks for the game. So maybe not all is lost!

Sort of off-topic but I was just curious.

For ToD, have you planned everything out onto a notebook (or something similar) before you start programming, or do you program one section at a time, plan the next section, then program it?

I have planned the general idea, but when I come to the point of actually programming it, I rethink each single step carefully!
I use openoffice spreadsheet, so I can do all the tables/statistics typical of RPG (and my other games).
So for example I can sum all the values of a class/race combo and make sure that no class/race is totally more powerful than another

Thanks for the info.

Most of the focus usually goes to games and how to improve them, but it is also nice to know, from time-to-time, how a game came to be from a programmer's point of view.

jack1974 wrote: So for example I can sum all the values of a class/race combo and make sure that no class/race is totally more powerful than another

Well remember that the stats also have a utility value. So for example, fifty points of charisma may be equivalent to one point of intelligence in a typical RPG.

In most RPGs, offense is greater than defense and hitpoints are better than high resistances.

Of course, it's hard to make the stats have equal utility yet all do different thigns at the same time.

Yes it's hard to assign the same importance for every stats. That's why, to start, I am making in practice a hack'n'slash rpg where battles are the main part...so almost every stats has an influence in the fight