Lurking II: A Madness

Towne Crier:

06:18:18 – v1.3 RELEASED!

06:05:18 – v1.2 RELEASED!

05:19:18 – v1.1 RELEASED!

04:23:18 – Lurking II: A Madness RELEASED!

03:11:18 – Lurking II has gone Beta on itch.io!

02:02:18 – Lurking II: A Madness early access is now available on Itch.io!

 

LURKING II: retro-styled classic fantasy computer role-playing experience

• Character creation with modifiable skills and attributes.
• ‘Paper Doll’ style character representation.
• Hundreds of items including  clothing, musical instruments, custom forged weapons and armor and various other loot.
• Dozens of magical spells and songs.
• Party of up to 5 interchangeable characters.
• Drop off or pick up PCs during quest at adventurer guilds in towns.
• Tactical turn-based combat.
• Vast 900 x 900 tile over-world map.
• Expansive multi-layer underworld and structure interiors maps.
• Over 500 individually hand-drawn tiles create a diverse and stunning world.
• Beautiful and unique retro pixel art style.
• Nonlinear story progression with completely open world exploration.
• Hundreds of NPCs with extensive keyword-parsed conversations.
• 50+ monsters with unique skills, attacks, and behaviors.
• Plenty of noncritical secrets and hidden areas to find and explore.
• Engaging original musical score.
• In-game mapping function.

PLOT : After a short time of peace, the lands are threatened anew by a magical prion known simply as “The Madness” which has been spreading among the people and turning them to evil. Your party of adventurers sets out to discover the source of the infection and to find a remedy if they are able.

DOWNLOAD LINK: Lurking II: A Madness

 

 

 

 

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VIDEO:

Release Trailer: L2 Release Trailer

Teaser1: L2 Teaser #1

Teaser2: L2 Teaser #2

Soundtrack: L2 Soundtrack

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ADVENTURER HALL OF FAME: The following adventurers have completed the quest set forth in Lurking II and saved the realm from darkness (at least for now):

01: Mattu

02: CryptRat

03: ShaggyMoose

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YE OLDE DEVLOG HISTORY:

09/12/16 Work on Lurking II: A Madness has begun.

Some goals..

Improved combat with more variety in monsters, special attacks, and such. We are toying with the idea of not cutting to a battle scene. Also, we may try a system where monsters will continue to move and attack even if you don’t make any moves. Spells and such need to be more visually interesting. We have some interesting ideas regarding missile fire weapons as well but that is top secret.

We are also looking at a possibility of being able to custom order weapons of various metal and wood materials from the smithy. You would of course need to return a few days later to pick up your special order.

Character creation: You will be able to customize the appearance of your adventurers (sex, hair color and length, color of clothes, etc.) in a paper doll style… but using tiles.

Trying to put together a layout and look, this is a VERY ROUGH mock-up of the game view… If you want to weigh in, now is the time before I get too far. I kind-of want to stick with the black background but I am willing to listen.

Monday October 10, 2016

These following screen shots were generated with the Map Editor, unlike those above that were put together with MS Paint…

10/16/16: There is now a Lurking II executable. It has a temporary menu and titlepage and allows for selection of the exit game or create character options. I wanted to get rid of all of the windows stuff  like forms and buttons so i made fonts and graphics and started in on the character creator. Not using the wiondows controls and adding in the paper doll character graphics makes coding this portion much more involved than Lurking I coding but it’s looking good and it will be worth it. When it is functional I will post a download link so you can check out the progress.

10/22/16: Though very rough, the character creator is now working.

10/29/16: You can now create and view characters, select characters for a new quest, and walk around the world. Next a need to save created characters and allow for saving and resuming quest… Generating   characters every time i want to test new code is getting old.

11/04/16: Busy week but made some progress. Had to back up and redo a few things. You can now equip and unequip clothes. Redid the trees as well as made a whole bunch of tiles and graphics. Created an items data file to hold all of the clothes, weapons, armor and such. Recruited help to make the title screen art and start the musical score. Made a list of monsters and a bunch of monster tile art as well. Character file now saves and loads. This weekend I hope to either start working on cleaning up the overworld converted map or start in on combat. Also could work on item equip and unequip for gear other than clothes. I will try to post more pics soon.

11/12/16: Hard at work. Justin has begun cleaning up the converted map and adding detail. I managed to add some weather events that came out very nice. Added some functionality to game view including view character stats and view roster stats. Added music functionality (mp3 rather than midi this time) and a friend (Paul) is working on scoring and recording some music. I delivered a rough sketch of what i envision for title page to my artist (Cassie) and will hopefully have the temp title page art replaced soon. I have been considering how to handle settlements a great deal and after a brief discussion with Justin I think we have a plan ready for trial. Very pleased with progress. Back to work…

11/23/16: Quick check in… Happy Thanksgiving. Busy and slow but progressing none the less. Created part of one of the towns which i have decided will go directly on world map. This will mean less ‘trackless wilderness’ but at 900×900 there will still be plenty and it looks more realistic and to scale… Looks great i think. Locked down some code and started some data files so you can walk into one of the buildings (view changes) and the one npc i made is inside. Npcs use all the same paper doll tiles as chars so lots of data to enter for each but the variety available is great and will make each npc unique. Hopefully you will be able to chat with him by the end of the weekend.

12/01/16: A fantastic story line begins to take shape. More progress on executable as the UI is developed further. Seasons manifest visually and snowfall events have been added. Detail is being added to the map and towns and buildings are slowly materializing. Ideas are being born faster than I can code them. If you enjoyed Lurking I… Just wait and see what we have in store  for you. Thanks to the many visitors to this site. Please comment and let us know your thoughts and input.

12/07/16: Still working… Been many different directions with mountains and I am at a loss trying to get a good look that works. Going to leave it for now and come back to it. Progress has slowed during a busy spell of life but it will pick up again soon. Much base code is in place that just needs data to really show progress. Very pleased with progress after less than 90 days.

12/27/16: Hope you are enjoying your holidays! Here is a peek at the progress…

1/13/17: Hello. It’s been a bit so I wanted to provide a quick update and assure you all that progress on Lurking II: A Madness continues. Many rudimentary systems are now in place such as vendors and conversations and only await more data. The magic system has been laid out and it is actually possible to cast light spells and protection spells at this time. I have moved on to beginning to implement combat. There are two ‘phases’ to this. First, monsters must spawn and move during game play. This aspect is in place and monsters will spawn and make their way toward the player party. I am not happy with the appearance of their movement so I have been working on making this look better. Also, they need to be able to attack and harm characters as the party moves nearby and I am also working on this. The monster types move at different speeds but even the quickest can be evaded by running away should the player choose not to enter combat. This does not prevent your characters from being harmed should they move within striking distance of enemies. Secondly, the party may choose to enter ‘combat mode’ where party movement ends and turn-based combat begins. The party can currently enter and leave combat mode but that is as far as I have gotten here. Hopefully I will accomplish much this weekend. I also see that Justin has begun doing some work with the maps and game story.

02/11/17: I have not checked in a while so wanted to post and assure you that work on Lurking II is progressing nicely. Primarily, work over the last month has been keyed in on battle. I have been very involved in working on the UI to accommodate both keyboard and/or mouse input, sound effects, monster special attacks, game play balance, etc. Justin has been working on map editing and development as well as the story details. The story is now about 75% finalized and soon he will begin working on [town] building interiors and adding NPCs /conversations. I have always held a personal goal in my mind of a September 2017 release and as things are going I still find this reasonable. Thanks for checking in. I will try to post a GIF of battle for the next development update.

03/09/17: I have not posted in a while so here goes… Combat is working well but for a few minor things to clean up. Character skills allow for special attacks like multi-attack, backstab, and hiding in/leaping from shadows. Character spells are almost 50% done and many monster special attacks and spells have been implemented and are working. The entire map overworld/underworld is finished except for cleanup and small additions. Work on interior structure maps is well under way. Some specific gameplay ‘unmentionables’ have also been completed. I know I mentioned a new gif last time so I will try to get to that soon.

03/18/17: The party handles some skeletons…

And some views of towns…

03/23/17: Progress slowed a bit over the past week as I had to fix up some issues with L1 and get an update out. Still I was able to fix up quite a few bugs, added a game settings mode that took some suggestions for L1 into account, improved the monster flee AI, and added that monsters flee from you when you obviously outmatch them. Also built in an algorithm that calculates temperature based on day of year/season and latitude that affects precipitation events (rain or snow). I think I would like to put together a second YouTube teaser soon. On the other side, Justin has finished up all of the maps including interiors and begun working on NPC conversations.

04/11/17: The UI has been tightened up and lots of little bugs have been fixed. More game quest specific items and procedures have been added and/or set up. A deal of side work has gone into preparing documentation files and extra ancillary info to accompany the game with release. More story details have been added and several have been adjusted. We have decided to add a sort of ‘crafting’ aspect which will be handled by qualified NPCs in the game as per player specifications. Not yet sure how many options this will include. Bard songs are all set up and most bard songs are working but for a couple that are used for specific purposes in the game. Rather than audio for each different song this time around, I have elected to try using the same ‘representative’ audio bite for each bard song. However, there is a different audio bite for each instrument reflecting the sound of said instrument. Justin is now working on NPCs and conversations which is a monumental task. Teaser #2 has been posted to Youtube and you can watch it here.

05/16/17: Heeded multiple recommendations and tried to fix the mountains a bit…

05/23/17:

Working on adding a ‘map’ function…

Not completely committed to just how it will be integrated but currently calls up a miniature of the  surrounds and displays only terrain which the party has visualized in their travels. Have done some more details such as stumbling upon enemy encampments at night. May take this aspect further with chances to attempt to loot the enemy camp undetected but just kicking around ideas on that. Justin  recently informed that he is about 25% done with conversations and much quest-specific mechanics await the population of the land by NPCs. Meanwhile I have been focusing on cleaning up details, fixing bugs, and bettering combat… such as adding backing out or sidestepping bad positions to monster AI. My original estimate of a Fall 2017 release will likely be pushed back for several reasons. Both of us will be visiting Scotland for a bit over a week in August with the extended family and while not much work on Lurking will be done then, we hope to get some great inspiration and ideas to incorporate. Taking time to make sure everything is as pristine as possible will also be a better approach than last time and this will also give RPG fans time to get their fill of Grimoire and Bard’s Tale IV. 🙂

06/23/17:

Lots of work on game data files lately. Added most of special items to data files along with art and made a great deal of them able to be obtained in the game. Some of them will have to wait until the NPCs are in place. Changed map file storage so maps now take up about 20% of their former memory space and map changes are nearly seamless – no noticeable load delay. Added quite a few small details as well that will hopefully keep things fresh and interesting as you play — such as random things that your characters say from time to time based on circumstances. Everything is running quite smoothly and really at this point the major mountain is finishing up NPCs and convos and putting them in place and then completing all the details of game play to render the game able to be completed. This is no small task, however, as the devil is always in the details. I still look optimistically for a release of some fashion by year’s end.

07/26/17:  Every day brings us closer to importing the NPC data into the game. This will be a huge leap forward in progress. Meanwhile I continue to add content and detail as well as tighten up. I have rewritten much existing code whenever I thought of a way to make things cleaner and easier to update. Soon will begin an admittedly scary rewrite of some combat code to update the turn paradigm. PC and monster turns will mix in order of descending agility and each will get from 1 to 3 successive actions per turn based on the agility group into which they fall. For example, a character or monster in the highest bracket will get three successive actions and might move to approach an opponent, attack, and then steps back out of immediate range for one example. I believe this will really make combat more flexible, tactical, and engaging.

08/22/17: NPCs are getting closer but the shear quantity of required data is dragging this milestone down. Still, a bit closer every day. I continue to do what I can do to prep the code for the final stages. Although this two man team was never on a strict schedule, I was always hopeful to near completion at some point this Fall/Winter. To be realistic, using our Lurking I experience was not a good metric to make estimations about Lurking II completion… the scope and scale is just not comparable. To give ‘the faithful’ some sort of estimate, I would say loosely that this now means sometime in the Spring of 2018. That is about six months beyond what I initially hoped for.

09/21/17: Good news to report. NPCs are added and the change in aesthetic is astounding. The paper doll tile system has allowed us to create about 300 NPCs that each look completely unique. Each one can be conversed with and all shop vendors have inventories that can be fully interacted with. We are now working on quest specific mechanics (many of which have been completed as the code mechanics were already in place), adding content and items and secrets, and adding more tiles and detail. For example, you will now find some bits of garden in town areas that reflect the changes in season. Colored leaves and ripened pumpkins and corn in Autumn are one example. The world has become truly beautiful to behold and explore. The detail is deep. Development pace has definitely undergone a recent acceleration. Still much to be done but things are rolling now.

10/12/17: Here is a sample of just a few character look possibilities resulting from Lurking II’s ‘paper doll’ system…

10/21/17: A huge “Thank You!” to our faithful fans who continue to visit this site to monitor our progress. We have been working hard to put L2 in front of you for your RPG playing pleasure. Much progress has been made over the past two weeks regarding the handling of in-game tasks and accomplishments that cause the story/quest to progress… I would say that the game is somewhere around 50% playable as far as the ability to complete the game. While there remains much to be done, we are continuing to work at making Lurking II: A Madness an incredible cRPG experience for you. On a side note, Lurking I has been set up on itch.io to now accept donations and, while we make games for our pure enjoyment and yours,  any donation to our cause would be much appreciated. If you haven’t got the cash, that’s ok… a quick email letting us know you are interested in our work is even more valuable than money to us!

11/06/17: The weekend past was very productive. Work was done on a few key areas and events leading to the end game. A few bugs were id’d and promptly dealt with. We roughly sketched out our path to the finish and started in. There is much yet to be done, of course, but things are on track and running smoothly as we prepare to enter month 15 of production in a few short days. I remain optimistic about getting an alpha to testers by spring. Thanks for checking in.

 

11/14/17: Good news… Literally flying (well, not literally) through end game. Lots of time consuming items to deal with like end game sequence but the to do list is growing shorter. I am now (optimistically) very hopeful that an alpha will go to select testers by the end of January.

12/14/17: now 15 months since the start of the project. Was just looking at a mock-up from last year of a “stacked tile” isometric view workup that obviously didn’t happen here. I am amazed at how far the project has come in this relatively short time. The amount of work I have put in on graphical assets, music, and coding (as well as sitting and thinking) is crazy… Not to mention the work Justin has put in. The game is quite large and somehow the storyline we knew was risky seems to be taking shape and falling into place. It’s good. We are getting very close to initial completion. Though not planned from the start, we now realize that L2 is our Ultima IV. I don’t know how it will be received but I know that somehow my vision has nearly come to life. What a journey.

01/04/18: The game is “finished” and we have begun test play through from the start. Lots of minor issues popping up that are being fixed as they are identified. The world is large and the play through is long but we are on the doorstep.

03/06/18: Lurking II is now available early access and has been since early February. This is going well and has allowed for some minor (and major) fixes and tweaks as issues are discovered and feedback rolls in. As soon as the lead tester is through the game we will be switching over to beta status. Looking back, it’s hard to believe the two of us put this amazing game together from scratch with no third party engines in only 18 months. That is some serious old school!

More soon…