Cropling

Hi guys !

I just want to raise awareness of my game i've been developing for over a month now:

"Cropling"

Cropling is supposed to be a mixup of Harvest moon and Zelda, so its basically
an action adventure game with heavy harvesting/farming influences.

I will update this thread soon, but for a first quick impression I'll rudely paste my
already prepared text, forgive me dear reader:


What is Cropling ?

Well, do you remember gaming classics like "Harvest Moon" and "Zelda"?
"Cropling" is the best of both worlds and you are in for a treat if you like them.

Gameplay


Cropling is designed to be a role playing game with strong harvesting and farming influences.
It will be released on mobile platforms, PC(Win&Linux) and Mac.

Besides managing your own wonderful farm you can explore the exciting world of "Cropling",
master perilous quests and fight ravenous Monsters.

I want you to be creative, and to come up with your own ways
to cope with difficulties,
to personalize your farm and style and discover the secrets,
treasures and plots in the world of "Cropling".

Decide what and when to plant !
Veggie-friendly? Plant, water and harvest a wide range of vegetables, fruits or
even foliage that only provides raw materials for house constructions.
Your decisions directly affects the future of your farm and the ones
of the adjacent towns.

Extend your Farm !
Personalize your farm and boost your business by building a shed,
barn, mill, brewery tank, greenhouse and more !

Keep your own livestock !
Take care of cows, chickens, horses and/or other animals.

Befriend with pets !
Accompanying you and helping you out with your daily duties,
each animal comes with unique ability and teachable skills.
Trust your dog with guarding the livestock or let your cat chase away
harmful rodents.

Go on adventures !
Explore the world of "Cropling", discover great treasures and solve challenging riddles.
Defend the nearby city from raging beasts,
challenge them on their hunting ground or defeat them in their lairs.
Start a family !
Find the partner of your dreams and become a dad or a mom.
Raise and take care of your children.


Story

You're a young boy/girl on the way to your uncles farm.
Simply because your parents sent you over to help out for spring season.
Well, kids can be adventurous sometimes, so when you find your uncle's farm deserted
you simply write a letter to your parents that you arrived and are well -
Eventhough you realize that this circumstance is out of the ordinary.

But still the question about the whereabouts of your uncle waits to be answered!
So you make contact with the citizens of a nearby village but everything you
come to know is that they don't know where your uncle is neither.
He cant be gone for to long ! There should be some fresh traces around...
You find some footprints who are leading to a riverside. Unfortunaly you
have to cross the river to keep following them, but you cant swim yet.
Mmh... Maybe you should come back in winter, when its frozen !

Apart from that you cant let your uncles lifework go to waste and take on
responsibilty for his farm, for as long as he isnt to be found.

To solve the mystery of the current whereabouts of your uncle,
you need your common sense and good investigation skills.
For keeping you fed and maintaining the farm you need devotion and patience.





Oh, and some screens, if you dont mind :

screenshot1
screenshot2
screenshot3
screenshot4

(I also have started an IndieGoGo Campaign, if you want to now... the sound of the video is horrible. i know.)


What do you think about the shown pictures, where can I improve ?
Do you know Harvest moon and zelda ?
Would you be interrested in "Cropling", therefor?
(questions over questions to you )


Thank you for reading, I'll keep you updated about Cropling!

 

Those screenshots look promising, I really enjoy the art style you've chosen. It sounds solid too, keep workin' away!

 

The art looks nice, especially the indoor part. Good luck with your indiegogo!

 

@ Shinkiro: Thank you very much, and yes, thats a very good point, concerning the transitions. I will definately update the ground tile-textures later on. about RuneFactory: I didnt even knew it ! Looks like a game I would enjoy, eventhough all gameplay videos that I saw were showing the player walking around in the town or fighting. Is there much Harvesting/Farming included ?

@ SilentDeveloper: maaaaan, thank you. :>
I'm happy to see that there are people which are into this kind of artstyle too ! I love

@ ZASkaggs: thank you very much Skaggs ! Jep, its my dream... I really hope that I can convince enough people to support me.


Well, I also have a quick preview of the wolf with animations for you !

some Info about it:
The wolf wont behave aggressive towards you or the villagers,
but you will be able to interact with him of course.
Maybe you even can rescue one from vicious traps, so that you gain his trust and
becomes your ally in the end?
Who knows ?


No behavior or AI so far which is why he still is shufflin' on the spot.


Hope you like it !



comments or thoughts are - of course - greatly appreciated !

 

@ Shinkiro :

The Rune factory farming "mechanics" alter pretty much from title to title some of them look awesome some a bit creepy...
I just took the newest (rune factory 4) as reference, eventhough its just handheld: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fnui8Vek8aM
And I'm happy to say that cropling will differ alot from that. a hell lot. ._.



Also I was prototyping for the menu background:




Of course this is just a rough sketch, but you can already tell that I plan a panorama view
which scrolls from bottom to top, so you'll at first see a forest with birds flying up, then the mountains with their snow covered tops, and lastly just plain sky were the title of the game is waiting.


I think immersion already starts in the menu, thats why its so important to me.

I also did alot of character creation, which ill show you very soon...

 

Might I introduce you to someone ?





This is Talon !
As one of the playable Characters he naturally comes with alot of strength and courage !

The blue feather was given to him by his tribe, for bravely mastering a dangerous and long lasting ordeal.
Therefore it is also a symbol for his special abilities which you will surely find useful later on in the game.
He wears it with great pride, so dont lose it !

Please keep in mind that he will be posed properly.
(well... you probably know since you're Game Devs yourself...)


I also deleted and enlinked some images from the first post.
Scrolling through this monstrosity sure was also an ordeal...
You all deserve a blue feather.

Thank you for reading, and please comment !

 

Love the style of the textures!

 

Thank you very much, Peter !

Currently theres no shading applied, so I hope he wont be looking to strange ingame...
otherwise -> unique character shading.

unity is fun.

 

Well.

I had NO idea how powerful Unity3D Pro is.

HOLY ****. I'm so reliefed to know that I chose the right engine for my project. This thing is beyond CryEngine and Unreal.

Unfortunately this will only remain a graphics test as long as I struggle with finding a way to pay for the Pro License.

Enough babbling,
I present to you : Cloudy Days !
Weather plays a huge role in Cropling.
After all your Harvest heavily depends on good climatic conditions.


Strolling through your estate


Oh Look an über huge wolf !

I want your Opinions !
(Are the pictures to big ?)

Edit: rofl, its almost hilarious how good this engine is... when I compare those 2 pics with the older ones on top...

 

I cant believe no one is replying to your last post.
This looks stunning and beautiful. I really like your art style. Its fitting pretty well.

Keep up the good work. C:

 

This looks amazing! I'm really looking forward to a demo. Is any combat implemented yet?

And also, right when i read "Harvest moon and Zelda" I instantly thought of rune factory (I loved that game) I got a chuckle when someone mentioned it in the first comment. Whether or not it bears similarities of Rune Factory, it still looks amazing!

 

Wohoo ! Finally some feedback thank you guys !

@Lewnatic: I also think that the artstyle fits this kind of game pretty well.
Lucky me... Since I'm not really capable of drawing any other styles. lol. Thank you for your initial comment <3

@pickle chips: Are there really such things as pickle chips ? Sounds pretty tasty, tbh...
Im hungry now, thx. Concerning your Question:
No, I have not even started the combat system yet, but I can say that it wont
be to complex, no tekken7 or anything. (But there will be different weapons and fighting skills)

The first Rune factory games look really good ! I cant believe that I never stumbled across them...
Thank you for your comment ! (If I release a demo I will let you know)
Im a feedback whore.

 

Hello dear Unity3d users !

I recorded a short Mood-video for you !
Just to show off animations and particles, etc.
I generally think there should be more mood-videos out there !

Please enjoy:
(HD recommended)

Have a nice day !

 

Implementing weather factors like rain, clouds, storms and frost.
And also positive effects, like watering and fertilizing.

The picture doesnt show much of it I guess... I think I'll add a video, that would be more comprehenseble, lol.

 

This is,,,,,,,,, wowowoowowow amazing nice!!!

 

This looks fantastic!

 

Now, thats what I call a positive reaction.
Wohoo, thank you very much you two !

 

hsdwhijdlkfdhf. GIMME NOW

 

This character looks brilliant! Did you make the textures by yourself? Do you know any good tutorials about texturing for Unity?
And do you have separate objects for winter, or just handle it automatically?

 

Hey Konrad !

Sry for replying so late... I had an unintentional one-week vacation.
Not pleasant.

For the character:
Thank you very much for your kind words.
Yes, I painted the texture with my wacom within photoshop, but I dont know what you mean by "texturing for Unity".
Any texturing expierence is applicable to any engine, and for that I would suggest good old practice.
Did you unwrapped your caracter for River town ?

If so you could take a look at this: http://www.poopinmymouth.com/process/false_geometry/false_geometry.htm
Concepts of stylized texturing. Not on detail yet,
but its great for understanding the approaches for drawing a stylized texture for lowpoly models.

For the actual drawing methods: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-i9YhV5jTg
(I dont know if you use Blender, though ^^)


For the winter objects: Its a mixture of shaders, models and texture sets, yes.
Some plants only grow in spring, some only in winter...
The stones, for example, are the same. They just have a shader that paints all normals that point upwards white,
on per pixel level... Many games do that actually. (Just search for "snow shader", but i guess you already know ).

I could just aswell post a little update:

I worked on the backpack (inventory).
The backpack graphics are still blank and unfinished, ofc.


But hey ! there are already slots and little amount-indicators... n' stuff.
btw: I implemented it as a rotating menu like Zelda: Ocarina of time had one.
4 sides for: inventory, character stats, map, and mainmenu.

hope you like it.

 

Oh and thank youKheltonHeadley for your motivating set of consonants ! ;D

 

Thats the rotating menu I was talking about, btw:

 

This looks really cool!

 

god damn this looks great man, im a huge fan of these kinds of games!

get it on steam so i can instabuy it and waste my life

 

Looks really awesome!
Would buy it in a heart beat : )

 

Hey rbx! Wow you're making a lot of progress as well! Looks amazing!! You nailed the exact "Style" that I have been aiming for. Looks like this is going to be a lot of fun to play. I'm sure its already been asked but I'm at work and can't read through all the posts , But.. Do you do your own art and models? I wish I had some talent in artwork! >.<

 

Superb art style, looks amazing so far!

 

Very nice!! I really like it, more updateees!

 

loool. I feel you man...
I could play the whole day through without accomplishing anything useful
Because fml, thats why. Its hard to focus when there are so many great distractions out there. =D
Well thank you for your motivation, keeps me running !

Btw your lovely game could be also one of those mentioned distractions once its ready.

=D thank you so much for the boost !

hehe, thanks !
And Im still tweaking it... I really want to work on the "color temperature" via ColorCorrection and ColorBleeding.
But thats still something for the future.

Yeah, I also like stylized art. =D

Regarding your Question: Yes I made everything myself so far (well besides copying of from some script examples).
I worked for ubisoft as a graphic artist, ironically I mostly learned coding stuff there, which I now happily put to use.
Everything artwise is almost self-taught by the years.
Everyone got the talent of self-torturing... - errrrr - self-teaching.
If you really want to create your own assets Id suggest you patiently work through some 2D and 3D tutorials even if it seems like a neverending odysee at the start.
Every drawing technique that leads to - any artstyle really - can be broke down into small steps, so that even beginners can understand how it works.
Sense for anatomy and proportions will also be "stamped" into your head by trail&error.

The only thing that might be not teachable is creativity.
But hey, do you honestly think Cropling is innovative ?

Aaaalright ! =D


I always feel a little shabby about bumping that thread without any news nonetheless.
So here ares timbered houses and chests, mindlessly placed around !



(Still WiP)



These treasure chests will be hidden/placed throughout the world.
You have to climb, jump, crawl, swim, etc... for them, to find and loot them !
Golden chests will most likely hold a valuable item.
(there will be also silver chests and wooden chests)

Other rewards may be obtained by mastering quests or interacting with people.

Also big thanks to wksDigitalArtist GeneBox for the nice words, much appreciated.

 

Just throwing in some new screens and thoughts...

#1 Snow:



I experimented with various techniques to illustrate heavy snow fall...
(thick layers of snow on the roof)
This is a pretty humble attempt, its just hand modelled by beveling out the most obvious faces on the house
and catmull-clarking it to victory !

It looks pretty sloppy imo, so its not really worth to go any further with this attempt.
Also because I would have to make a fake snow-model for every unique object...
Maybe a script / vertex Shader which is capable of beveling and catmull-clark subdivisions
would provide better results. I think I will have a look into that soon !


#2 Selfillum and glowz:



are added. to teh gaim. (just wanted to post a pretty night screenshot...
I mean, come on, the selfillum shader is a standard asset. Who am I kiddin...?)


#3 Secret toad tech (who gets it?).



This little fellow will jump on you whenever he can.
what a prick omagerd.
I want to add a huge variety of animals which runs around and interacts with the player in some way.
So that I finally get some motion in the game !
(I also worship the great PC melt0r)

 

This looks amazing, man. Always been a fan of the early Harvest Moon games.

I just started attempting to learn how to develop games a couple weeks ago, I'm eons away from doing something on this level, mainly just trying to get a handle on the fundamentals of coding and blender etc. before I even dig into Unity, but I've been lurking the forums looking at what kind of stuff people are making... and I've gotta say, this by far is the most inspiring project I've seen. Damn fine work, can't wait to see more.

 

aaand I've gotta say, this by far is the most inspiring comment I've read.

Thank you very much, let me now if you have any specific questions regarding gamedevelopement, cookie.

 

hey Rbx,

Just wanted to say this looks really awesome. I love the mood your setting and the art looks really appealing and polished. Very much looking forward to following your progress here.

Keep it up and good luck!

M.

 

newb_quest, Thats very nice of you, well I hope I dont dissappoint (to much).
Im already suffering under Tunnel vision, so if you see something awkward dont hesitate to write down your thoughts ^^
But, yeah I'll try to keep it up ! Thank you mate...


I'm a graphic slave currently...

While creating and animating more and more animals I found the old wolf to be to lowres
to keep up with the new generation of 3D models I've done for Cropling.
So I didnt goofed around for to long and reworked him !
He even got a detailed face now ...
mainly for a fancy "dialogue-system" which shows facial close-ups. But that lies in faaar future. April 2074 Andromeda time

old:


new:


comparisen: (for techies)



Here ! Take some custom radial Blur Shader impressions, emitted from a non-existend torch
which he is not even holding !




collect all pages. (kidding.)

 

Awesome job, keep it up, i love harvest moon games.

 

Woww! The new wolf is beautiful, perfect. The night mood + your custom shader gave a really good impression!

Keep it up!!

 

hey man,

New wolf looks awesome. Are all the image effects you're doing Unity Pro stuff? It really adds a great visual softness and warmth. I'm thinking once I get my game a little further along I may upgrade to Pro and try to add some of this stuff, like depth of field etc. Keep it up!

M.

 

Are you still working on this?

 

Yeah, I'm wondering too! This looks totally awesome!