Hello again, folks! Fanica here, as humble as I could be, ready to present a new project that I have recently started to work on, namely Renaissance Warriors.
Features:
medium-sized campaign made of 3-4 scenarios
a mix of play styles that stay true to the AoE II core, which include, but are no limited to:
focus on difficulty balance and combat
historical accuracy to a decent extent; all modifications will be made to make the gameplay more diverse
one map for the whole campaign, to familiarize the player with the layout, piece by piece in each scenario, then slowly prepare for the last epic battle!
Setting:
The campaign takes place amidst the Italian War of 1521-26. Three main forces collide on the territory of Lombardy: the French armies, the Imperial-Spanish armies and the Italian locals.
You will switch sides of the battle numerous times to lead heroes such as Charles de Lannoy, Anne de Montmorency and many others to follow the course of history and finally take part in the Battle of Pavia.
Design & Progress:
Well, university life takes its toll on the time I actually have to put some decent effort into the project AND finish it in at least a month from now. What I aim to do is convince myself I am able to put together some great ideas and design an enjoyable game. By the end of it, all I want is to learn new things and delve into the nostalgia of a wonderful video game and its awesome community.
The first main goal I wanted was a plan, a structure to follow. I did some research (wikipedia, mostly) and came up with the storyline. I do not intend to make the campaign feel story-driven or create intricate mechanics that the player has to adapt to. The design is straight-forward, but hopefully polished enough to maintain a clean experience.
So I started by modifying a portion of the map of Italy, where the events take place, so I could create the map in-game.
Map of Italy, distorted and repainted
Blue lines are rivers, the southern one is bigger, the other are small and the blue patches all over the map are shallows scattered around the forests (green). White lines are the main roads (in 2018 lol), some of which I included as main trade routes and to connect the cities (yellow). Milan is the biggest city, then there is Lodi to the east and Pavia to the south. On the other side of the river there will be two little villages.
I insisted on creating this map as clean and balanced as possible, because my intention is to use it (differently, of course) several times, with restricted access firstly. The last scenario will depict a different version of The Battle of Pavia, where the whole map will be used, in a dynamic battle in which all of the forces will be present.
I would roughly estimate this project to be at5% completion , with the storyline, map and overall design and structure having been established.
After I finish the demo, which consists of the Prelude, I will ask for playtesting, either by email or by releasing it here on the Blacksmith, so that I could continue working after I get that SWEET feedback.
Some screenshots of the map so far. Only basic terrain and buildings, bridges etc. (it helps a ton to have it this way now, when it comes to designing it piece by piece):
Wooden bridge; Small northern road
Gates of Pavia; Rocky cliffs in the northeast
Walls of Milan, surrounded by shallows and forests; Bridge, trade route
Don't be let down by the quality of the map design. It's supposed to look like this, so I can have some basic shapes to model further.
I would love some initial feedback, any suggestions, questions, etc. I would really really love to answer and talk about it.
Renaissance Warriors is my first child, my only child, my spoiled child, but mine after all.
The 1st Most Improved Forummer of 2010.
The 3rd Most Improved Designer of both 2009 and 2010.
Obviously, member of the great and the well known BlackForest Studios.
Was host of Continous Screenshot Competition I at AoEHeaven.
- base defense
- build and destroy
- siege
- hit and run
- build and destroy
- siege
- hit and run
The campaign takes place amidst the Italian War of 1521-26. Three main forces collide on the territory of Lombardy: the French armies, the Imperial-Spanish armies and the Italian locals.
You will switch sides of the battle numerous times to lead heroes such as Charles de Lannoy, Anne de Montmorency and many others to follow the course of history and finally take part in the Battle of Pavia.
Well, university life takes its toll on the time I actually have to put some decent effort into the project AND finish it in at least a month from now. What I aim to do is convince myself I am able to put together some great ideas and design an enjoyable game. By the end of it, all I want is to learn new things and delve into the nostalgia of a wonderful video game and its awesome community.
The first main goal I wanted was a plan, a structure to follow. I did some research (wikipedia, mostly) and came up with the storyline. I do not intend to make the campaign feel story-driven or create intricate mechanics that the player has to adapt to. The design is straight-forward, but hopefully polished enough to maintain a clean experience.
So I started by modifying a portion of the map of Italy, where the events take place, so I could create the map in-game.
Blue lines are rivers, the southern one is bigger, the other are small and the blue patches all over the map are shallows scattered around the forests (green). White lines are the main roads (in 2018 lol), some of which I included as main trade routes and to connect the cities (yellow). Milan is the biggest city, then there is Lodi to the east and Pavia to the south. On the other side of the river there will be two little villages.
I insisted on creating this map as clean and balanced as possible, because my intention is to use it (differently, of course) several times, with restricted access firstly. The last scenario will depict a different version of The Battle of Pavia, where the whole map will be used, in a dynamic battle in which all of the forces will be present.
I would roughly estimate this project to be at
After I finish the demo, which consists of the Prelude, I will ask for playtesting, either by email or by releasing it here on the Blacksmith, so that I could continue working after I get that SWEET feedback.
Some screenshots of the map so far. Only basic terrain and buildings, bridges etc. (it helps a ton to have it this way now, when it comes to designing it piece by piece):
Don't be let down by the quality of the map design. It's supposed to look like this, so I can have some basic shapes to model further.
I would love some initial feedback, any suggestions, questions, etc. I would really really love to answer and talk about it.
Renaissance Warriors is my first child, my only child, my spoiled child, but mine after all.
The 1st Most Improved Forummer of 2010.
The 3rd Most Improved Designer of both 2009 and 2010.
Obviously, member of the great and the well known BlackForest Studios.
Was host of Continous Screenshot Competition I at AoEHeaven.
[This message has been edited by Fanica (edited 09-15-2018 @ 05:05 PM).]