|
|
|
|
Disciples II: Dark Prophecy
1-08-01
Like many people, I have always been intrigued by the idea of making video games for a living. After all, you spend all your time playing on a computer and you get paid for doing it! What could be better? Well, a little more than two years ago, I was hired as a programmer to work on Disciples: Sacred Lands, and I can now assure you that making video games is not necessarily all fun and games! (OK, sure, it's mostly fun, but anyway...) At times, it can be downright infuriating, especially when you have to recompile the whole game just because you made a simple mistake. As a programmer, the Dark Prophecy project is only the second game that I've had the opportunity to work on, and it's the first one as a lead programmer. This project has been a whole new experience for me, one that was full of great achievements and frustration, both of which taught me a lot.
Begin Countdown
Click to enlarge |
The Disciples team has been hard at work on the game's sequel, Dark Prophecy, for over a year now. During this time, we have accomplished a lot, but we have certainly had our share of problems and difficulties too. However, the team has always managed to find solutions to these obstacles, and we are now getting closer and closer to finishing another product. In fact, as of this writing, the game's programming is almost complete. We're currently putting the finishing touches on the last two features that are to be included in the game. The "export/import leader" feature was completed only a few weeks ago, a few days before our Christmas break. A campaign editor, which allows those with a good imagination to create their very own campaigns, will probably be finished by the time you read this. Once this is done, the only things that will be left for the programmers to complete are debugging the game and fine-tuning a few key areas.
Despite the fact that things ended up going very well overall, there was a time during the course of development when we had major concerns about our schedules, especially the programming schedule. We had to rethink our feature deadlines, reassign some tasks, and even put some features on a "maybe later" list because of various uncertainties. Well, the gods must have smiled at us, because in spite of our original concerns, we were constantly on or ahead of schedule from that point on. We managed to implement all the features on our list and even more! Hotseat, the ability to play with a friend on the same computer, was one of the features that we weren't quite sure how long it would take to implement. In the end, it took us only one-third of the time we had projected. I think that the only feature that took us longer than what was originally scheduled is the battle system. We had planned six weeks and we ended up using eight. With all the new attacks and features in battle, it wasn't much of a surprise that we needed a little more time than expected.
Anyway, being ahead of schedule allowed us to add features that were not originally planned for the game to make it look even better. For example, Dark Prophecy will have neatly animated water on its isometric map, and the units in battle will have idle animations when they're not doing anything. Those were relatively simple things to implement, but they make the game look so much more alive. A few friends of mine have seen an early build of the game, and they were amazed at the difference between the first Disciples game and this one.
Surprise, I'm here!
Click to enlarge |
One of the things that I enjoy the most about a project like this one is that it's full of surprises. Day after day, the game that was once a simple design document is starting to look more and more like a finished product. Every week, team members are surprised to find out that such and such feature, graphic, animation, or sound has been integrated into the game. This is especially true for us programmers, because we do not always have the chance to see what the artists or designers are working on. The first time I saw the battle interface with the newly rendered and animated units, I just couldn't believe my eyes. It is quite an improvement over the battle system from the original Disciples. The next few months will undoubtedly be very interesting, as more and more of the graphics, sounds, and story elements that are currently missing will make it into the game.
We have made every effort possible to create a game that lives up to its promises, and I think that you will agree with me when you see the game. Dark Prophecy is shaping up to be a lot more intense and involving than Sacred Lands. There will be plenty of quests, longer campaigns, and a more interactive world overall. The event system alone will allow for considerably more dynamic quests, even to the point that each race in a scenario can have its very own objective in order to win the scenario. How's that for replayability?
I'm very proud of what we have accomplished with this game, and I can't wait for it to be released. When the Dark Prophecy begins, I, for one, will definitely be there to witness it!
Back to Disciples II: Dark Prophecy Designer Diaries
More information on Disciples II: Dark Prophecy
| |
