Illarion.org

The DEVs and GMs tend to spend much more of their spare time into the project than everyone would, or could, guess. One doesn't "see" most of what they really do.

Damien wrote:The DEVs and GMs tend to spend much more of their spare time into the project than everyone would, or could, guess. Kne doesn't "see" most of what they really do.

I think they really works hard

.... Do you know why the door,
behind the GEV's and the GM's works
a small slot have 30 x 5 cm have

I didn't claim that they necessarily worked very hard or very much, just that they put way more time into it than people would guess, or even imagine.
But the more people complain about something they don't like, which may originate in nothing but a matter of personal taste, the less "hard" others can work 'cause they'd be busily annoyed grumbling over pointless complaints.
While the most effective way to speed up the VBU would be to help by oneself, something that at least helps a little is not to demotivate those who are helping already.

Grrrrrrrrrr
Who demotivate those sedulous bees?!?

Less bickering + More help-offering = Earlier Release Date + More Screenshots

Llama wrote:Less bickering + More help-offering = Earlier Release Date + More Screenshots

Wisely spoken

The Llama has put into a single line of text the very essence of all the stuff up there which we hereby define as "all of the above".

I know it's a bit over due but that new battle music is BAD ASS.

Just out of interest:

Which skills/knowhow are demanded/required from a client developer in the Illarion team?

I'm studying software engineering, but do not exactly know, whether I'm just "suitable" for this job..

Client development is written in java. You'll need knowledge of using Java (of course), knowledge of Parrelilisation and that sort of thing is very useful too.

The client uses OpenGL for the GUI - so that helps. Nitram will be able to give you a better answer of course.

Yeah, client development is my part of the deal.

The client and myself can teach you a lot, how ever a few skills are needed anyway.

• A basic understanding in the usage of object orientated programming languages, preferred Java
  The entire client is written in Java, yet the concepts of OOP are equal for all those languages and if you know one you basically know all. You just have to learn the Syntax and this is not too hard if you know one of those languages.
• Basic understanding of multithreading
• Basic knowledge about OpenGL is useful, yet not needed

At the end the most important thins is that you have enough time and that you are able to motivate yourself. If you have the required skills and the needed time then I will gladly give you any help I can give you so you can develop the client. How ever I think you understand that I won't do this if you only can spare 2 hours per month for Illarion.

Nitram

Flux wrote:You, of course, realise that you're effectively talking about having an engine that on the fly converts 3d images to 2d or otherwise making millions of permutations of graphics for 8 directions for 6 races including animations and have the client have to load all this stuff.

Alot of hard work to make the game look nearly as good as Runescape did 5 years ago?
Surely there's a work around to it without making the game look so desperate?
I like the old school graphics

Runescape is a 3D game. You can just add stuff to the model and it's not difficult. Illarion graphics are made in 3d and then an isometric camera angle is taken of the model and it's converted to a 2d image. It displays frame by frame sprites. There is no workaround.

Graphicus, I'd like to inform you that Illarion was created by a halfhandful of university student as their term project and later on continued expanding thanks to the unpaid efforts of players of the community using their personal skills to enhance it and offer advancement to it.

You don't seem to realise the ridiculously impossibly gargantuan load of work that it would take to make Illarion a 3D game. We're having trouble pushing through the VBU which is still in "Illarion's desperate state" as you word it because we don't have just enough developers. Do you really recon we could get a 3D engine up and running and full populate the game before say.. 2015?

Unless you'd like to donate a few hundred thousand dollars.

Then I'll make it happen, promise.

Here are two more pics of the VBU which hopefully boost your motivation to help us a little bit to release the update this year.

SWEET.

I wish I had technical expertise with this sort of thing. Would help in an instant.

You don't need any. Just common sense and you should be able to get things done. If you get the logics of the easyNPC language, you can contribute immediately. The problem is usually not the lack of skills but the tendency to underestimate the effort one has to spend to realise e.g. a simple NPC quest. Some also have big show plans of massive dungeons with lots of riddles ( ), combined arena tournament series ( ), or even complete new magic system ( ) but do not get done even a simple "Bring me 10 apples"-quest...

So: Most important is endurance and motivation, then common sense, then creativity and then analytical thinking.

Well I could help in periods, for example during spring break (I'd basically be available from the end of March to the End of April). Would be happy to do anything I could then.

Cool screenshot!

I'm sure this has been brought up before, but in the interest of effective communication, I'll bring it up again. Yes, it is a reasonably large amount of work to type up a full NPC, but I don't think that's the major obstacle in creating NPCs.

While there is ample documentation on the 'how' there's not quite as much on the 'why'. Obviously I speak only for myself, but I think these sentiments might be common among possible volunteers.

There's very little (obvious) instruction as to what sort of NPC to make. While this does leave the possibility for creativity, I'm just left feeling confused. What sort of NPC should I make? Would this NPC even serve a useful role? Has someone else already spent the time to make this NPC? What is the environment this NPC will be in? Do we really need more NPCs spewing flavour text all the time? How many fetch quests will actually contribute to Illarion? Even if my NPC is of good quality, will there be any need for it?

All these questions leave me looking at that prospect of an hour or more of coding an NPC, and being overwhelmed by the feeling that the hour would be better spent playing the game.

I have to admit, I even have serious doubts that NPCs will get the VBU out any quicker. They won't speed up the coding of the client or the server, or the graphics work, and it doesn't seem like NPCs couldn't be added post release. What's more, there's been no request for certain 'essential' NPCs to be made.

My suggestion, is for someone who isn't otherwise busy to take a position directing the development of NPCs more directly. Communicate with whoever has the geographic vision for the future, and relay that information to the players. Have them convey what sort of NPCs are needed, what role they will server, where they will be. It's stiffling to try to create something without context.

Will the chars be left-handed or right-handed? Or can we choose? Or is it both?

Doesn't matter in which hand you put the weapon/tool, though if you attack the avatar of the char will always have the weapon/tool in his right hand. In the left hand are only shields and i think arrows (we don't know yet if this will be change until the vbu).

As Zot said, it does not matter what hand you put a weapon/tool in. Yet the paperdolling representation of your char will hold the weapon always in the same hand. That is done to reduce the amount of required graphics in the client.

Nitram

Ok...cause on the screenshots, you hold it in the left and the right hand, depending on the position of the char...

Kranek wrote:Ok...cause on the screenshots, you hold it in the left and the right hand, depending on the position of the char...

He's right DAMDAMDAAAA

Kranek wrote:Ok...cause on the screenshots, you hold it in the left and the right hand, depending on the position of the char...

The avatar with the items is just mirrored. This reduces the needed graphics by the factor 2, I think. It's a reasonable step in my opinion.

pharse wrote:

Kranek wrote:Ok...cause on the screenshots, you hold it in the left and the right hand, depending on the position of the char...

The avatar with the items is just mirrored. This reduces the needed graphics by the factor 2, I think. It's a reasonable step in my opinion.

Thats what i want to know
Will it stay this way or is it just first development-stage?

Kranek wrote:

pharse wrote:

Kranek wrote:Ok...cause on the screenshots, you hold it in the left and the right hand, depending on the position of the char...

The avatar with the items is just mirrored. This reduces the needed graphics by the factor 2, I think. It's a reasonable step in my opinion.

Thats what i want to know
Will it stay this way or is it just first development-stage?

Does it honestly bother you that much ?

To be honest...yes, i do XD

GEE KRANEK THANKS FOR THE VBU

I am expecting much from the VBU...seeing those mirrored chars just seems...seltsam XD

Sry, no offense to the guys working their asses off...i am the type of guy that recognizes a double "space" between to words