Update:
1) I know that we stated in the final post of the old thread that we had a video of the main menu prototype, however we decided that we would be better off re-recording it with a screen capturing software instead of a camera. With that said, we are having some framerate issues with Fraps that we are trying to resolve. Hopefully we will have a video out sometime this week.
2) Staying off topic a bit, we are happy to announce that Derek, Co-Founder of Bonafide and lead UI designer of CR, has taken it upon himself to completely redesign the website. We decided to stray from the blog approach and go with an entirely custom website. Furthermore, we are also working on implementing some forums. Currently, the forums are installed on the server (we went with phpBB3), however no links are present because Derek is also hard at work redesigning the look and feel of those as well.
3) I have had a lot of questions as to what to expect as far as features go from this game, and how it will differ from pocket legends. Let me elaborate here for everyone so that it is clear:
Let me first do some comparison between CR and PL.
First off, I can, in fact, say that the graphics will, hopefully, be much higher than pocket legends. Because we will also be releasing this title on a plethora of other platforms--including the PC, PS3 (Most likely the PSN Store, in which case PSP may be a viable option as well), XBOX 360 (Again, most likely the online market, in this case, XLA), and, if we can get our hands on a few Mac computers, Mac and iOS--we want the graphics to be as high as possible in order to appeal to the players on the more "capable" platforms. With that said, finding the "happy medium" between high-end and mid-end graphics that allow for fast rendering on all of the aforementioned platforms will be quite challenging--or at least I am assuming so.
Another thing I can say in regards to comparison between the two titles is that, unlike Pocket Legends, which takes a more "rated everyone" approach, this game will be geared more towards the mature crowd. Gore, language, and nudity will most likley not be filtered out, as our story is a rather dark and gloomy one, and the cutting of such effects would only hinder the portrayal of the images we wish to convey.
In regards to the gameplay, the movement system will be quite similar to that of Pocket Legends. Due to the implementations of touch devices, and the lack of screen real-estate on the same devices and more, the use of a D-pad overlay was not considered. With that said, the best approach that we could find that would enable smooth movement on all platforms, while not reducing the mobile crowd to physical-keyboards, was the implementation of the click-to-travel system. Pocket Legends utilizes this same approach. The only exception to this would be the console variations (PS3/XBOX360) in which case the controller will be used for movement (Although a USB mouse may along with the click-to-travel system may be included as an option for these devices. We are still unsure as of right now).
The skills and magic that are used in the game are performed in an entirely new and innovative way, however. Instead of the traditional buttons located on the HUD, for the Android, PC, and Mac/iOS (if made available), gestures will become the method of delivery. For example, you set the particular skills or spell to a specific gesture, then to perform the action, you first click a gesture icon at the lower left- or right-hand corner of the game screen to open the gester overlay with which you can perform any skill/spell you wish by simply making one of the gestures you registered. This approach will cater heavily to the mobile crown, but could prove very efficient on the desktop/laptop and console crowds as well. Obviously, because the consols do not have mice or touch capabilities (unless a USB mouse is used), we are going to attempt to make use of the rotational capabilities of the joysticks in order to perform the skills/spells, so it is a similar approach as the touch/mouse gestures.
I am not sure of the features that are available on Pocket Legends, however I can assure you that there will be tons of things to do in the world of CR. Such past-times include, but are not limited to:
1) Crafts - Crafting will be presented in a sort of mini-game. Rather than letting crafting become the boring, grind-fest that it has become in various other MMORPGS, we have decided to make crafting more fun. Crafting will become a gesture-based mini-game that will prove to be a very entertaining past-time, thus giving mobile players something to do even when not granted the amount of time that they would like.
2) Houses - Although a few other games have implemented personal houses or "storage spaces" for players, not one has done so to the degree that we hope to achieve. In CR, players will be able to purchase (or perhaps quest) a "Housing Flag". these flags will be able to be placed anywhere in the world, aside from cities. In other words, you could place a houseing flag in the woods, on the beach, or in the snowy peaks of the mountains. Once a housing flag is placed, a moderated will be required to "Verify" the location of the house in order before building can commence. Once the house has been verified, the player that requested the location will receive a PM letting him/her know that the house is ready to be built. Once this PM is recieved, the player will need to gather resources such as stones, wood, nails (crafted from iron), etc.. to actually build the house. Once built, it will be possible to expand and even decorate the interior and exterior of the house to suit the needs and wants of the particular player. Due to the potential overpopulation of houses, we have decided to make the houses deteriorate over time. What this means is that houses will, in a sense, have their own health. Players who wish to maintain a house will be required to repair the house on a regular basis in order to keep the houses HP up. If a houses HP falls to zero, the house will be destroyed, and the property will become up for grabs again.
3) Gathering - As stated above, the construction of houses requires various resources. Because of this, CR required a method of gathering these resources. The idea that we came up with was that the player would interact with the "sources" of these resources. For example, a player uses an axe to actually cut down a tree, or use a pick-axe to mine stone and iron in a cavern, and so on. This is another thing that can be easily accessed on the go and be accomplished in small amounts of time. We also would like to add animations to the falling of trees, crushing of rocks, etc... that would further enhance the user's experience.
4) End game - Although the specifics are still uncertain, we can guarantee that there will be a very effective and entertaining end game available for players to partake in at the end of their journeys.
5) Class-Switching - Because we know that playing one class all of the time, can become quite boring, we have implemented a means for characters to instantly switch back-and forth between unlocked classes (at no cost). Specific skills and stats for each class would of course be saved. Furthermore, there are various common skills and stats that all classes share. These stats will not be altered when changing classes giving players a solid foundation to build upon, no matter what class that they are at the time. With that said, in order to prevent the creation of "noob-tanks" or over-powered low-levels, caps will be placed on all stats on a per-level basis.
6) A real story - Unlike games such as WoW and LoTR, we wanted CR to feel less like a grind fest and more like a real RPG. Because of this, we implemented a Mission system. Missions are like quests, except that there are only 40 or so missions in the original game (more will be added with expansions) and each mission is very long. For example, where an easy quest might take 10 min to complete, a simple mission would require a few hours. This is not to say that all quests will be short either, as some will be even longer than the average mission, but on average, missions are much, much longer and even tougher. Another thing to mention about missions is that, unlike quests which are random request with no relevance to the actual story, missions are directly related to the story. In other words, with each mission completion, more and more of the story will be unlocked (complete with cutscenes
).
7) Character customization - We also realize that looking at the same old character can become boring, so we decided to add a little fun to this area as well. Not only can you customize the look of your avatar upon creation, but you can also change certain features such as hairstyles and tattoos in their respective shops. Of course these events would require currency, but it enables players to change the look of their characters whenever they want!
These are only some of the things that will be available in CR. Keep in mind that all of this may not be available at release, but over time, we plan to add all of the above mentioned and more!