Hello everyone.
I've got the idea of making a fan-based Gensokyo server, using the Ragnarok online/eAthena server platform. The Ragnarok game in combination with eAthena server software is to my opinion very well suited to make a Gensokyo world. I have the idea that people are begging for a good game which is going more in-dept about the fictional world 'Gensokyo'.
What i have in mind is a game, where people can pick as human a class such as 'Shrine-maiden', (gate)Guardian, Knife-thrower, 'Medician', 'Ordinary Witch', and much more, which resemble a lot like our favorite heroines from Touhou. People would be able as these classes to discover and enjoy adventures in Gensokyo, and find out how the various areas in gensokyo really look like in a 3-d envrionment. There will be a part in the server where people can enjoy role-playing, and follow/read stories and quests scripted by fans. People can communicate with each other, and people can hunt sprites, monsters and evil, powerful bosses in gensokyo. As the server develop, people can also enjoy a (restricted, so just at certain places) PvP part, and it is possible that 'incidents' will happen, such as monster invasions or even wars. (scripts to do this are already present in eAthena software)
The parts where people can create/edit content for are:
- 3d maps (which makes the realm Gensokyo)
- playable characters/jobs.
- NPC's. These allow players to do certain things such as selling/buying items, quests, but are also highly use-able for stories/role-playing parts. The Ragnarok engine allow also using additional images inside the game, and more advanced options, if the scripter wish so.
- Items. (part of the game)
- Monsters. This are by ragnarok the things players need to hunt. In Gensokyo they should be fairies, but can appear as anything you want.
- Music and sounds. Changing this is perhaps the most easy part.
- Loading screens, items, and much more.
To give you a impression what Ragnarok online looks like, I've add here some screenshots about the individual graphics Ragnarok is capable of. For each of these graphics there are tools available to modify them in a most doable way:
3-d world inside Ragnarok:
Someone made a 3-d editor, which allows people to build maps from scratch.(or edit existing ones in the game) The content available to build up Gensokyo is in fact enormous, and ready for use. The tools to create these maps combine moderately easy usage with a pretty good visual display. It do takes quite some time to build a quality map, but this part of the project is not to be done by just one mapper. Just search out for Ragnarok, and you will find out that forests, dungeons, houses, everything is possible by the editor and Ragnarok itself.
Player sprites as used by Ragnarok:
Aside from the sprites, everything else inside the software is also editable without the need of programming. Skills, stats, what weapons to use, special properties. So it is fully customizable what the 'shrine-maiden' or the 'guardian' class is capable of. The server allows full customizing to what items every class can use.
NPC sprites as used by Ragnarok:
Linked to the NPC sprite is also a script inside the server which contain the option/quest/story the NPC have to offer. This way you can use NPC's to fill up villages and offer people way's to get the gensokyo feeling by following a story.
Monster sprites as used by Ragnarok:
- Shown here is a typical sprite sheet with the kind of sprites used in the game. It is possible to add new monster, and fully customize their behavior. Some parts of Gensokyo are dangerous to humans after all, and you should only go there, if you are well prepared. Monster can also appear as part of an story. Think about a quest, venturing out to the Scarlet Devil Mansion, or Former Hell. Guess who lives there, and don't like to be disturbed?
In fact, all parts of ragnarok are customizeable/replaceable in some way.
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My question here is:
Do people have interest for such a server where players can play in Gensokyo, and take jobs resembling known characters from the Touhou game?Do know, there are a lot of conditions which need to be fullfilled in order to have a pleasing and eye-catching Gensokyo. This is a matter of the amount of love put in the project. I need people who are willing to make maps, sprites who are willing to make good looking sprites for monsters and the player characters, and scripters who like to fill Gensokyo with NPC's for the stories and history of the land. In short, i want this to be a fan-based project where everyone from the community is able to add something in it. Think of it as a sort of wikipedia project, where everyone can edit parts, but then as a playable server.(there is of course an experienced staff who keep an eye on effects of mods on the gameplay ingame) Do realize, we are talking about a project which may take months to release, and years to slowly develop, as Gensokyo will continue to grow as the server makes progress in time, and people keep adding content in the server. I am now just looking out if there is interest in such a project.
Is the fan-base of Touhou big enough for a Touhou server? I look forward to people their reactions.
Tell me also here if you are more then just interested, and actually like to work on a part of the server. Because i definitely would need people who create sprites for the playable character and monsters, and maps to create Gensokyo.
With kind regards,
Nithalm
