My RPG/RTS hybrid

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#1

I’ve been working on this game for some time. It started out as an RPG, but then when I moved it outdoors, it started becoming more of an RTS. So, I started putting focus on the RTS aspects of it while still keeping it more about controlling smaller numbers of units.

It will play more like Company of Heroes than Age of Empires. So, less focus on building stuff, and more focus on defending the land and using the land strategically.

Anyway, here is a screenshot and video. This is a solo project. I’ve been working on the terrain, some new props, more animations, and some other small stuff here and there lately. I make all assets myself except for shaders. So, the animated water shader and the highlight on mouse over were the only things I bought. Everything else I made from scratch.

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And here is the latest dev log video. It ran a bit longer than I wanted, but I had a lot to talk about. Also, I recorded it at about 3AM, so hopefully I still sound clear.

Anyway, let me know what you think! Also, feel free to check out my older youtube videos if you want to see how the game has progressed.

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#2

This looks really good! How did you make the models? Did you use blender or some other software package?

The graphic style immediately reminds one of age of empires II, which I consider to be a good thing :slight_smile:

#3

Thanks!

I use Modo for modelling and animation, and I use Substance Painter for my texture work.

I had originally created the character models in Zbrush, but I ended up remaking them from scratch in Modo to make them cleaner and more efficient. The average character model in this game is about 2k tris. I also created my own rig in Modo to do the animations.

All other models (rocks, tables, etc.) were made in Modo from scratch, trying to keep the poly count low.

I’m a huge fan of Age of Empires, so it’s not surprising that a little of that sneaked its way into my game.

#4

I really enjoyed your video and learned a lot from it. Your scene looks great and your game seems to be faring in the right direction. It is actually a type of game that I will really look forward to play.

I also checked out Modo based on your other reply. It really looks easier than blender to make character models and rig them. Pity the price is too steep. Did you actually use the licensed version or can you export with the trial as well?

#5

Thanks!

Modo is fairly easy to use. That was one of the reasons why I got it. That, and it was about half the price of Maya and whatnot. Though the indie/LT version of Maya may be worth looking into.

I’m not sure what the limitations are of the trial version of Modo because it has been too long for me to remember. I have owned it now for, hmm, at least 3 years and even upgraded it since then to a newer version (when it was on sale at a discount).

I suppose you could always download the trial and see, but I wager it will not last long enough to learn the program and get any serious work done, unless you are a quick learner and already good at 3d. Modelling is pretty straight forward, but creating a rig is hard work if you want a good one.

My rig has many controls and features to make my life easier, but it came at a price of a long time to set up (not to mention learning how to rig in the first place!). If you can make do with a lesser rig, then I’m sure you can build a quick one in no time at all. It just won’t give as good results.

For a while, I had a subscription to Digital Tutors (whatever they call it now, they changed the name) to learn rigging and animation in Modo because I wanted a serious rig that can do professional looking animations.

Of course, Modo has addons you can buy like ACS that come with a pre-built rig. I forget the price though (probably not cheap).

#6

The price on Modo was four figures when i checked it.

My wife is learning Blender now but it seems very time consuming to put together humanoid models. I really liked the quick touch and change feel of Modo.

By what percent shorter do you think it would take for you to design the same soldiers in Blender than Modo?

#7

I had tried Blender when I was first looking into 3d, but it just seemed cluttered and confusing. Honestly, I didn’t spend much time with it. I tinkered with it a bit, but that’s about it. I just decided to buy a program and be done with it.

Maya and Cinema 4d were twice the price of Modo, so I decided against those, I had heard recommendations for Modo, so I gave it a shot.

It is a steep investment. I would recommend looking up some youtube tutorials on Modo (preferably recent versions) and compare it to what you’ve experienced with Blender. Unfortunately, I didn’t spend enough time with Blender to give a comparison.

However, I can say that you should use the program that “feels” right to you. If it looks intuitive, and you feel more comfortable with it, then choose that one. You want to be able to get work done quickly and done well. If you are fighting the program, then you are just making it harder.

There are people who do good work with Blender, but I personally didn’t care for it.

#8

I just added a new video about resource gathering for the miner, and a portable base camp.

1 Like
#9

The game looks gorgeous, lovely assets and animations.

#10

Thanks!

#11

holy god, those graphics, i am totally blown off,
great work man, really great work is the terrain, made with unity standard terrain by the way, or something made in a different program such as blender and whatnot?

and i must say, insanely impressive, you made all of what on your own, that is just, brilliant man, please don’t stop and keep us updated, and feel free to join us on the discord server, would love to have a chat with you from time to time.

#12

Thanks!

The terrain is Unity’s standard terrain.

The only exception is the water that I bought which is Aquas Lite, I think. Not bad for 5 bucks, though I did spend a lot of time tweaking to values to get it the way I want.

The grass is standard Unity grass, but I tweaked it a bit in Photoshop.

The cliffs I made in Modo. I think Unity’s terrain leaves a lot to be desired in slopes. They even tend to blur/stretch the textures. So, I use my own cliffs whenever possible.

I make all models in Modo 10 (full version), and do my texture work in Substance Painter (indie version).

I need to look into what this discord server is.

1 Like
#13

really nice, and insanely impressive :slight_smile:
doing all of that work on your work, really great job. and it also is wonderful, how good your game looks, with as you said, a lot of the standard stuff.
one last thing i’d like to ask, since you mentioned modo, i just completed the very basics of modeling in blender, would you say, Modo would be easier for a beginner at that, or should i just stick to blender (i mostly believe, and know, it is about the user, and not the tool, but i just feel blender can be a big cluster).
and thanks for noting me on Aqua lite, it totally does look like it is worth the 5$ :slight_smile: i might be getting it, when i need some water.

#14

Well, like I said to the other guy, I started with Blender and just didn’t care for it that much. I found Modo and it said it was designed for artists, so it immediately appealed to me.

I liked the layout and the way it worked. It just made more sense to me. I hate how Blender is laid out. It just looks like one big mess to me.

Now, Modo isn’t perfect, but it’s been good enough for me. It IS fairly pricey, though nowhere as expensive as Maya. So, make sure you are serious about all of this before you make any big investments.

Remember that with any software, it will still depend on your artistic abilities to get good results. Choosing the right software will make a huge difference in how fast you learn, but it will still take work to make good stuff.

Modelling is pretty straight forward, and most of the work comes from the textures, which I make in Substance Painter.

Rigging and animation are where things start to get harder. I had a background in painting and illustration before I started learning 3d about 3 years ago or so, so I had a decent head start.

My recommendation is to try Modo since it has a trial, and try to follow some tutorials. There are lots of them, though most of the ones I followed were on sites like Digital Tutors (which is now called Pluralsight or something). You may be able to find some on youtube, but make sure they are decent. After you evaluate Modo, you should be able to tell if it will make your life easier or if you should stick with Blender for now.

As an alternative, you can also check out the Lite version of Maya. It’s like an indie version or something. I’ve never used it, but I know some people do. Either way, give yourself some time to play with it. Modo has definitely sped up my workflow, but I did follow quite a few tutorials on how to use it.

2 Likes
#15

It is looking really great Drew.

Keep us posted, and good luck with your progress.

#16

I’ve been working on a lot of stuff. I should have a new video out soon.

In the meantime, here is a screenshot. I’ve been working on some new props, textures, enemy, A.I., general refinements, a fog of war, and whatever else.

I bought the fog of war asset off the Unity store for like $15. It’s working pretty well so far.

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2 Likes
#17

pretty excited to see your new stuff, your is game is looking as pretty as ever :slight_smile: great work man.
Edit: the fog of war is looking really neat too, it looks like it totally is worth the 15$ especially after i checked it on the asset store myself.

1 Like
#18

Thanks! I should have a new video out any day now.

Edit: yeah, the fog works pretty well, and it only took a few minutes to really set up. If your game is overhead like this one, it is definitely worth checking out. If your game is more 3rd person though, it may not do as well.

#19

Great work! It looks really professional!!

1 Like
#20

Thanks!

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