42 replies to this topic

[idefix]

Hi all

As some of you might've already heard, I've been working on a new alternative OL game server for the past 3 weeks.My intent is to implement a similar game to OL main, with some differences and with many new features.The new server is not based on EL code, so I believe I could potentially make it fully open source, if there are others who would wish to contribute.Why did I start this project? Here are 10 topics from this forum where there were great ideas suggested years and years ago, which essentially just died in the forums. (I bet there are 100 more topics like these ones, just linked these 10 as example).

• Party system: https://www.other-li...arty-system-v2/
  
• Mobs that can summon: https://www.other-li...moner-monsters/
  
• Guild castle/capital: https://www.other-li...n-the-capitals/
  
• Equipment variety: https://www.other-li...uipment-please/
  
• Engineering to build structures: https://www.other-li...sts-guild-wars/
  
• Bosses with heals: https://www.other-li...552-boss-heals/
  
• More variety/diversity: https://www.other-li...more-diversity/
  
• Forge/anvil required for mixing: https://www.other-li...opic/991-forge/
  
• Backstab mechanic for multi combat: https://www.other-li...ange/#entry9527
  
• Different death mechanics: https://www.other-li...7-when-you-die/

In the first 3 weeks of development, I've implemented half of those suggestions, and will continue working on the other ones.Here is a short video I created, demonstrating the new features I've added: https://www.youtube....?v=8iY8ij33RbM.

I would be very interested in hearing thoughts and suggestions from the community. If you could have anything implemented into the game, what would it be and why?

---

I will be keep updating this thread with the current status/progress of the project.

NEW FEATURES IMPLEMENTED SO FAR

• Party system: exp and drops are shared with the team.
  
• Instances. Each party gets their own instance of a dungeon, and each guild gets their own instance of the guild map.
  
• New monsters: archers, mages, priests and summoners.
  
• Backstab mechanic: deal extra damage when hitting a mob in the back.
  
• New death mechanics: instead of immediately teleporting to the Underworld on death, players stay dead where they died for 1 minute. The player can stay dead and wait for a party member to #revive the player when out of combat. Alternatively, after 1 minute, the player can respawn to the respawn point of that map.
  
• Equipment upgrades. Crafted equipment starts at +1, and can be upgraded all the way to +10 for extra stats.
  
• Guild map and guild levels. High level equipment can ONLY be manufactured and upgraded at the forge/anvil on the guild map. The guild needs to be upgraded to a higher level, to gain better tools, to create higher level items.
  
• Guild map invasions. Weekly invasion that the guild must defend, in order to access the anvil. Invasions will be harder for higher level guilds.
  
• Hireable and upgradeable mercenaries on the guild map to help defend the fort against the invasion.
  
• Different weapons having different attack range and attack speed. Different weapons will be stronger in different situations and against different monsters.

NEW FEATURES PLANNED NEXT

• [DONE] Implementing Harvesting skill in a completely different way, to make high level harvesting/mixing more team-based, instead of being solo/afk content. I am planning on making high level ores really heavy, so that you will need a mule/caravan to carry the ore from the mine to the storage. There will be high level mobs attacking the caravan, so you will need a few fighters to defend/escort the caravan to safety.
  
• PK Tournaments and/or guild wars.
  
• Allow players to create their own structures, e.g. harvest stone to be able to build a stonewall.

HOW TO CONNECT TO THE NEW SERVER

Connecting to the new server works basically exactly the same as connecting to the test server. However, the new server is not included in the servers.lst file, so we need to add it there first.

• First, you need to locate the servers.lst file in your Other-Life installation. By default, the file is located at C:\Program Files (x86)\Other-Life\servers.lst (on linux, this file should be found in ~/.olc).
  
• Take a backup of the file, just in case something bad happens (copy&paste the file).
  
• Edit the original servers.lst file in any text editor, e.g. Notepad. You most likely need to run the text editor in Administrator mode to be able to save it.
  
• Replace the last line of the file to be the following content. Alternatively, comment out the last line of the file by adding a '#' character to the beginning of the last line, and then add the following as a new line to the file:
  

• idefix-ol	 idefix-ol	 ec2-34-220-194-146.us-west-2.compute.amazonaws.com 8888	 Other-life (idefix)

• Create a new shortcut for the game, just like you would for the test server.
  
• Edit the shortcut properties, and set the Target to be e.g.

  "C:\Program Files (x86)\Other-Life\ol.exe" idefix-ol

[ohmygod]

Fuken awesome bro!

Have to rethink about what might be suggestible as have been pretty disappointed over past few years and my ideas over that time have taken a beating to the point i have not even bothered to make suggestion posts to forums anymore.

Let me know when i can make a character there

[Mitch3]

Really nice! imo, these changes that you have already implemented should really just go on the main server. We have all waited years for something like this and to see it being done in 3 weeks is really impressive.

If possible, i think we should have a vote to have these implemented immediately knowing they can be done already

Thanks for taking the time to show what can really be done.

Would also like to make a char asap

[CoduX]

that's awesome! Great to see others attempting with improving what this game engine can offer.

I would like to make a char asap too, keep us updated

[Aine]

Wow Ide!! I have heard rumors of the existence of such a place!!!!  
   Thank you so much for sharing with all of us. I think this is just fabulous.  It is incredible that you have taken these community based ideas and turned them into something, I also really love that it still feels like the same game we all come to play everyday. I cannot wait to see your future developments!!  YAY Ide!!

[butler]

See if L passes up on yet another golden chance, as he's done so before. Open source is definitely the way to go. And hell, this being done in the time frame you've done it is a hell of a work ethic.

For once i'll agree with OMG, things have never moved for such a time I've given up on suggestions also. I'd look back at things from the first 2-3 years when people still had some hope in this project. Less and less community driven as time went on.

Good work Ide.

I'd also say run it as a monthly to tri monthly wiping server, and adjust exp curves for that sort of thing, that way it'll stay competitive, and people will be a bit more inventive with builds and such, and try to compete leaderboard wise. I think that's probably the best model atm, considering that was the most active time we had with OL, and it's a bit easier to maintain interest even if you can't keep the updates to the same speed you are atm.

Shout if i can help with anything. I've lost motivation with OL, but I feel like i could get behind you. You might want to set up your own forum also.

PS: L's had oppurtunities in the past, I actually have doubts of transferring code over, and L will throw up the same lines about radus code base, yadda yadda yadda. Keep the shit open source on your own server platform. That'll give more longevity than porting to L/radus base and then being locked out of it.

[Learner]

I do encourage him to work on it, and I can't be involved with the server code for risking contaminating with my knowledge of the substandard Radu code as I have told him since even the custom OL code had to be tightly integrated.

[butler]

Honestly, further away from the shit fest that is Eternal Lands, the better. I said it years ago.

Make it your own game, it'll be better than still putting the hope that it'll revive OL. OL can't be revived, it had it's chance to do well, and L let it slip away with some absolutely substandard community management (starcy diabocal, among other awful decisions he stands behind), and not seeming to put anywhere near as much love or attention into OL that say Zian or ide has done now. Keep working on it ide, maybe OL can end up using some of these things, but i think it'd be pointless to put all that effort in for it to squandered.

[Learner]

I don't have problems with this project, or I would have denied his request to post about it or removed it.

[butler]

never said that, i'm saying that he shouldn't be putting too much faith in OL or you. To keep at least a good bit of his build seperate so that when it falls through for getting things into OL he's not wasted his time.

I'd say his project is more of a passion project that OL is to you at this point. He's at least more serious about it.

[Learner]

I see this project going a different direction the OL based on whats been posted, since some things basically will REQUIRE teamwork/Guilds while OL tries to encourage not force. As it is, he & I have had and will continue to have interesting discussions.

[EatsAllLife]

Learner, on 22 September 2020 - 01:36 PM, said:

I see this project going a different direction the OL based on whats been posted, since some things basically will REQUIRE teamwork/Guilds while OL tries to encourage not force.

I think you've confused yourself. Considering I've seen far more in OL not doable until a team is there or even logged in. You state it's encouraged, not required? Then why have 90% of things suggested or made require a team to do? Even the feros spawn requires a team mate because of your arbitrary ideas that people would want a spawn to have 2 different maps.

Or the fact that any playable feature that you have added also requires teams. So you're wrong saying OL doesn't force it.

Where you are right, though. Is the fact that this project is taking a different direction. I couldn't agree more, because in less than one month, he's added several community driven idea's, and reached out for advice/tweaks and done them. Idefix's project is really community driven, yours is a "submit a ticket and I'll change it up and maybe work on it after 7 audits and 3 server changes."

[idefix]

Learner, on 22 September 2020 - 01:36 PM, said:

I see this project going a different direction the OL based on whats been posted, since some things basically will REQUIRE teamwork/Guilds while OL tries to encourage not force. As it is, he & I have had and will continue to have interesting discussions.

I think that is a good observation; many of my plans are heavily based on teamwork/guilds.
There will still be plenty of solo-activities in the game, but my thinking was that the end-game content will require a team. Being able to solo the hardest dungeons, invasions and bosses in the game just doesn't sound right to me.
Nothing's set in stone though, and that was one of the purposes of opening this thread: to get feedback from the community and adjust the plans where necessary.

[Learner]

OL does encourage players to work together. The difference is encourage vs requires. IIdefix for example has proposed in his game in order to add +'s to an item, you must use an Anvil that is inside a Guild Hall/Area/Room. If peaceful access is restricted to Guild Members, that implies you need to be part of a Guild to add +'s to items. That's why I say this new game will require teams, not just encourage. But that's not a negative, and Idefix & I are having offline discussions much friendlier then people expect.

[WaterBottle]

Just dropping in to express compliments and support for this project. The implemented features so far are looking really cool and it'll be interesting to see the development of this alternative server as time progresses.

I know words have been spoken about a lot of suggestions over the years, so seeing some of them in action should allow the community to have firsthand data and experience to refer to in order to adjust/tweak as needed.

Sounds like L and idefix may have differing opinions on the fundamental gameplay philosophies (for lack of better wording) but doesn't mean they can't engage in discussions; understanding a different viewpoint can help from time to time as long as it is a mature and relatively friendly discussion.

At the end of the day, what get implemented in their respective servers is kinda up to them.

[butler]

Learner, on 22 September 2020 - 08:21 PM, said:

<snip> But that's not a negative, and Idefix & I are having offline discussions much friendlier then people expect.

Nobody is expecting unfriendly conversations between you's. Just not expecting you to do anything productive with yet another golden oppurtunity.

On the side of the games differing in terms of direction, Idefix is taking the community expressed ideas and desires and doing something with them, compared to... well here. I mean, the community driven bit of this games tag line has been a joke for years, and with the vaporware magic and perk updates, it really isn't surprising how all that excitement early on in the game is gone. You have your few cheerleaders such as AlddrA and a few others, same as radu had Aislinn.

Bare in mind, most commenting in this thread have also had quite a few conversations with you about the game. Good, friendly conversations. Ones that could have been productive.

I say Ide should go it alone. I think Eternal Lands and Other Life will drag him down.

[PandemiC]

Great proof of concept ide, good job so far

I'd be happy to contribute in anyway; sent you a pm.

[idefix]

Week 4 is over, so here is my weekly update.

What was done in week 4?

• First version of Harvesting and Manufacturing. There are only a few flowers and ores that are currently harvestable, and only a few recipes for mixing so far.
  
• Added mounts.
  
• Character creation & login is now working correctly.
  
• Save players and guilds into a database (before, progress was lost on server restart).
  
• Several technical improvements, reducing memory and CPU usage.
  
• So many bug fixes I won't bother counting or mentioning them.

Short youtube video showing the new harvesting & mule escort mission: https://youtu.be/1TixT37-GPo

Let me know what you think!

Next up: adding player & guild storage, and EMU constraint for inventory (currently inventory has unlimited capacity).

[ohmygod]

Maybe need a taunt feature so it makes it easier to get the enemy mobs off the caravan npcs and aggro on the players instead.

MAYBE:

have it work like the ranging skill when ranging with arrows from too far away. The mob will try/flee and attack the ranger who in this case is the fighter/tank casting/using a taunt spell/feature.

[idefix]

Good idea.

Offensive magic currently does pull the aggro, but only if you are in combat with the mob. Casting from range and the mob fleeing (or at least trying to flee) could be a nice way to do it.

AOE damage spell could work like an AOE taunt. The only AOE offensive spell in the game is "smite summoned"; maybe could try re-purposing it to damage all creatures, not just summoned ones.

Alternatively, a healer could be healing the caravan NPCs to keep them alive, or the bandits could prioritize players in range before attacking the NPCs.