[7.x] Guilcera - custom map

[Peonso]

BETA ended, advertisement thread here. Starts Friday 25.

Hello OTLand, I'm Peonso, a low profile member of OpenTibia communities since 2005. I started messing around with a map editor, and ended up learning the basics of programming through those years. I got motivated by dream of coming up with my own game world, by have players running though dungeons I designed myself. This dream came with reality with Guilcera, many iterations went online through years of 2005 and 2006, and once again at 2012 hosted in home PCs, using those old xml based engines with tons of bugs, where me and my local friends had good time. You can check the changing in the world map here: Imgur Album. By the end of 2015 I joined Kungenn for the 5th iteration of Celestia, people liked it a lot, it was a blast.

Despite being older now, messing up with OpenTibia files still a hobby I love a lot, and I'm always thinking about removing the dust and spider webs from Guilcera files to bring them back to life again, that is what this thread is about. This time now, doing it in a more rationalized way, inspired by theory from channels like Extra Credits and Core-A Gaming, I made a manifesto aiming to guide the server development, so I can more easily identify problems and goals, and also keep track of where I want to go with the server itself. Keep in mind that my goal is not to please everyone and have the most populated and popular server of all time, I want a 7.72 OpenTibia server that pay tribute to the old era by having similar mechanics. What I want is to figure out the best execution possible with my limitations.

The Manifesto

Guilcera is meant to be a OpenTibia server for protocol 7.72 that pay tribute to the 7.x era game mechanics. It will have an custom map, the aim with that map is to focus in exploring and questing, while having it balanced for both PvE and PvP.

And those are the main characteristics I will focus on:

• Gameplay from 7.4-7.72 era
• 7.4 spell system with x4 mana regen
• High exp rate (starting around 20x)
• Skills and Magic rates are staged, you advance much more faster in the beginning.
• RPG content: lore, quests, puzzles, dungeons

Those common problems should also be addressed:

1. Players at oldschool servers achieve so high levels that the content become trivial, there are no monsters for them, no quests directed to them, even damage formulas aren't developed taking so high levels in consideration, wich end up ruining PvP also.
2. Grinding rotworms is 10 year old boring mechanic. People can't be arsed doing that for hours and hours, even more in servers they know won't last forever. So they just avoid it or bot.
3. Servers die. I will take in consideration the server won't last forever, and the game will be developed with this in mind. The idea is to develop some kind of main quest that can be solved, so you can actually beat the game and move on with your life.
4. A lot of map content is ignored since players has nothing to do there after achieving a higher level. Nearby the entirety of the map will be aimed to players at maximum level.
5. Resources are scarce, with lead to multi-client and cheating.
   
6. Obtaining good equipment is too easy, what also decreases the value of it.

And my thoughts: Points #5 and #6 can be addressed by having a low drop rate for good gear (as it was on real thing) while giving resources as quest rewards, not exclusively because unique rewards are what is actually rewarding, but to give more access to supplies. Still regarding #5, selling supplies at shop is a good solution, oldschool players tend to go against it (but they like to multi-client runemakers, as if it is the correct way), it also works as a money sink and control economic inflation. For #2, high exp bonus for lower levels, people want action, lower level OpenTibia characters are too limited on what they can accomplish. Regarding #1 and #4, I think the solution is to standardize players strength, by limiting level, force heavy diminishing returns to experience around level 100, so it actually works are a level cap, while also having most of the map made for level 80+ characters, with high exp rate at lower levels you don't need tons of rotworm caves. Regarding #3, Path of Exile leagues seems the most perfect solution for this issue, having a secondary server where all characters are sent before the next reset would work wonders, but it would be a long term solution and not the focus, since it's a single server.

Manifesto end, first draft 2017/07/17.

I will update the thread as I make progress or have some thoughts to share. Feel free to follow it and share your own thoughs or ideas.

Current map

 

[StreamSide]

ok I wanna play a lil bit

 

[Worr]

The minimap looks interesting. Feels like we always have a big continent in the middle with islands on the side but this one gives me Bermuda triangle vibes with the three islands on the sides and a small one in the middle.

Imgur GIF

 

[Znote]

I love the Extra Credits youtube channel. Your map also looks very interesting, with lots of headroom for expansion if that would become neccesary.
Looking forward to try out this server once beta ends.

Too many custom projects out there that start with a bigass map they intend to fill out (they all fail hard). It is much better to start small and make that good, then expand. That way you can focus on creating the best experience at any stage of the development.

 

[Thin Small Fist]

cute mini

 

[Worr]

@Thin Small Fist What's in the cave? Rats?

 

[Thin Small Fist]

octopus boss

 

[assassinho]

i'll test when i have time i promise

 

[Antony Cordeiro]

I will try that, havent played that much customs maps for a while.

7.72 ! Sick!!!!! Are you using realots engine? :O

I suggest this rates

From 8 To 20 - x20
From 21 To 40 - x15
From 41 To 51 - x10
From 51 To 70 - x8
From 71 To 90 - x6
From 91 To 150 - x5
From 151 To XXX - x3


I see it is on Beta, tell me if you need help on advertise.

 

[Groggy]

Desert and snow zone at the same latitude. Literally unplayable.

 

[Rekzai]

^ true.

I would like to test it, looks interesting

 

[Peonso]

I will try that, havent played that much customs maps for a while.

7.72 ! Sick!!!!! Are you using realots engine? :O

I suggest this rates

From 8 To 20 - x20
From 21 To 40 - x15
From 41 To 51 - x10
From 51 To 70 - x8
From 71 To 90 - x6
From 91 To 150 - x5
From 151 To XXX - x3


I see it is on Beta, tell me if you need help on advertise.

It's OTHire. The stages I have planned are even higher at lower levels, but lower at 90+.

stages = {
    {minLevel = 1, maxLevel = 29, multiplier = 20},
    {minLevel = 30, maxLevel = 39, multiplier = 18},
    {minLevel = 40, maxLevel = 49, multiplier = 16}
    {minLevel = 50, maxLevel = 54, multiplier = 15}
    {minLevel = 55, maxLevel = 59, multiplier = 14}
    {minLevel = 60, maxLevel = 64, multiplier = 13}
    {minLevel = 65, maxLevel = 69, multiplier = 12}
    {minLevel = 70, maxLevel = 74, multiplier = 10}
    {minLevel = 75, maxLevel = 79, multiplier = 8}
    {minLevel = 80, maxLevel = 89, multiplier = 6}
    {minLevel = 90, maxLevel = 99, multiplier = 4}
    {minLevel = 100, maxLevel = 109, multiplier = 3}
    {minLevel = 110, maxLevel = 139, multiplier = 2}
}

 

[jeboblaszke]

i want test

 

[Peonso]

@jeboblaszke @Manack

Invitations sent.

 

[Peonso]

Some update on last days:

2nd August
- Reviewed Ruins of Dodoma spawn
- Reviewed orc spawn northwest
- Revamped some Peonsville buildings

1st August
- Removed stairhop delay (was not supposed to be there)
- Added some missing tiles descriptions.

29th July
- Fixed wrong links in forum and guilds pages
- Went through entire My Account page, secondary characters can now be created
- Fixed all missing action scripts
- NPCs Sabrina, Cornehlia, Remere and Onilda correct scripts added

28th July
- Added Magic and Skill stages
- NPCs Jeska and Pierre correct scripts added

26th July
- Beta server running
- Added client mirrors to download page
- Magic page now show correct values
- Fixed spellbook bug
- Fixed invalid house doors
- Added minor quests
- Force open Game-Chat
- Added house names
- Added house images to website

 

[MC Kresha]

This looks good Peonso! When will you start the server?

 

[Peonso]

This looks good Peonso! When will you start the server?

Probably September, I will get some free time that will help with launch weekend.

 

[Worr]

Sent a pm in case beta is still up.

 

[Worr]

I like all the NPC references to famous ppl in the Ot community; Remere, Ferrus (Cornehlia = kornholi?) and Sabrina (the teenage witch, lol). Will explore some more later.

 

[Worr]

Played some more...

Bug:

• When I have a stack of meat (e.g 5 meat) and 7 other stacks of items in my bag and drag another meat into the stack I get an error message saying the bag is full, even though I still have cap. This bug doesn't appear in the same scenario with a stack of gps (e.g 34 coins and rest of bag is full).
• This might just be me being unaware with how modern Tibia works but spears only have a distance of 4 sqm. Meanwhile Amazon's and Elf Scouts shoots me from off-screen with their bows/throwing knife.

Suggestions:
The NPC conversations feel very full. They all open up with something like "I've been expecting you" but they have almost nothing to tell me. This could be anything from small "quests/jobs", some information about the world of Guilcera or just some lore.

• The boat and/or the post office NPC could tell you about the world/map of Guilcera, since they probably know something about that; with code words like "citiy/map/world/travel/west/north/east/south" etc.

• The NPCs in what appears to be some kind of mage guild could give you some information about magical things in the world. The Witch seemed to buy some strange items, and maybe they could also have some different task like quest/jobs (gather blue berries or what not).

• Remere could drop some references to the map (since he made the Map Editor) or some references to his server ClassicTibia (e.g "why I'm stuck here? I broke my shinbone , hehe. Classic me..."
  
  
• Ferrus could drop some references to his works for the OT community. I'm not sure I know everything but afaik he's most known for Avesta (e.g "what I'm wearing? A monk robe obviously, and under that a... A vest, a... Anyway I'm rambling... The source of your questions are out there." <turns towards the door>
  
  
• The prison is completely empty and could use a guard and maybe a prisoner, which would also be an opening for some kind of lore expanding quest.

• An easy way to expand the NPC's conversations is to let them respond to each others names. If you ask every NPC about Remere for example they could tell you something short about him, and so on for every NPC in the city.
  
  
• Just a random citizen or two walking around. Doesn't need to come with much topics of conversation, just to add some movement around the city – especially in the beginning of a server when it might not have many players online.