Pro RPG - The Broken Hourglass

[MaximB]

The Broken Hourglass is a professional RPG in the latest stages of development.
TBH is deeply inspired by the Buldar's Gate 2 RPG game.
And making mods for TBH is very easy as the developers used to make mods for the Baldur's gate 2 game.

The Broken Hourglass is a new CRPG in development for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux computers. You become an ordinary citizen of Mal Nassrin, fading star of the Tolmiran Empire, with an extraordinary purpose. The city is under siege by some unexplained and unidentified magical force--no one may enter or leave, and the city's water supply has been reduced to a trickle. Caught in a devastating explosion which obliterates a large area of the city, you begin the game as a recuperating refugee caught up among an eager group of vigilantes and makeshift militiamen hoping to put the city to rights before complete chaos takes hold.

The Broken Hourglass takes place in the Tolmiran Empire, a world defined by political intrigue, economic decadence, and a disinterested pantheon. Mal Nassrin, long ago a wealthy independent city-state, is now just the nominal capital of a backwater province, the unfashionable Narimir region of Tolmira. Tens of thousands call Mal Nassrin home--but few boast of vacationing there.

You aren't alone in The Broken Hourglass. Nine party-joinable characters and countless citizens stand ready to help (or hinder!) you in your quests. Some are lifelong residents of Mal Nassrin, while others are simply trapped by circumstance, looking for a way out. Each brings a unique skillset and outlook to your party, along with personality, byplay, and even the occasional flirtation.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Website : http://www.planewalkergames.com/content/view/32/46/

Interviews (don't forget to check those) :

rpgdot : http://www.rpgdot.com/index.php?hsaction=10053&ID=1226
sorcerers : http://www.sorcerers.net/Main/Articles/broken_hourglass_interview.php
P1 : http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/741/741953p1.html
P2 : http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/743/743177p1.html
Mac : http://www.insidemacgames.com/news/story.php?ID=15873

[Ardrias]

Sweet! Too bad it isnt out now, it's just what I need :D

[MaximB]

Yeah, and the funny thing is that they don't have an headquarters like most companies.
Most of the developers there already have jobs, and they are developing this game as a part job - they are all interacting thou the internet - like the community projects.

[Steveway]

What has this to do with Ubuntu? The FAQ says that they'll consider porting it to Linux and OSX (very inlikely).
And I have not seen any occurence of Open Source or the GPL there.
It's just another Windows game.

[Artificial Intelligence]

Steveway, your post doesn't really make sense.
This is the game forum for which OS? Linux. Ergo OP's post is valid.

Open source or not have nothing to do if it's a linux or not. There's plenty of linux game out there which are non-GPL.

[MaximB]

This game will be 100% for GNU-Linux/Mac and Windows - so don't worry about that.
The fact that they will sell this game and not GPL it (maybe they will consider open sourcing the game or the engine - but as they have no forums yet this have not been discussed).
Anyway their business plan it's their own, we cannot judge them, we need to be thankful to them as they considered making a multi platform game and not abandoned us the GNU/Linux users.
Every program or a game that is made for GNU/Linux is a little victory for us - even if it's not free.

[Steveway]

Didn't you read the FAQ?
Q: Which platforms will The Broken Hourglass run on?

A: TBH will run on Windows 2000 and XP, and we expect it to be compatible with future versions of Windows as well as library support allows. Compatibility with Windows 98 and Me will be determined at a later date. We will explore options to make TBH available for Linux and Mac OS X as well.

So, they will possibly make a Linux-version. But don't count on it.

[MaximB]

Didn't you read the FAQ?

So, they will possibly make a Linux-version. But don't count on it.

I'm aware of the FAQ , this FAQ is 2 years old.
they had several interviews since then and they said that they are making a Mac version (on the Mac world interview) and they also said that they are doing testing on all of those platforms (Linux/Mac/Windows) , I never post news about games which I am not confident 100% that they will have a GNU/Linux client.

So trust me on this, they will have a Linux client.

[Steveway]

Well, then I'll trust you.
I hope they don't update their game as frequently as their FAQ.

[KhaaL]

This looks sweet. I'm not fond of this type of graphics, but as long as the gameplay will be entertaining and captivating, I'm ready to look over the graphics :)

[MaximB]

Well, then I'll trust you.
I hope they don't update their game as frequently as their FAQ.

But they do update their developers diaries.
If you love to make mods, there is a very good info on how to do this with their new engine.
It's Baldurs gate 2 style of gameplay - I never got to play it because it doesn't have a GNU/Linux client, but this one will.
This game will focus on interaction of party members and NPC's....and yeah there will be fighting and magic ;)

[MaximB]

A few weeks ago I've sent an email to TBH developers and today I have received a reply :

maxim wrote:
> Hello !
> My name is Maxim.
> I publish some Linux games to our community sites and forums and TBH
> cough my eyes.
Interesting. Which sites are those? Would you like us to add you to our
press information list?
> 1. Is it true that there will be a Linux client for TBH, when we can
> expect it to come out ?
Yes, there will be a Linux (and OSX) client for TBH and we expect all
three platforms to ship simultaneously.
> 2. As a Blender user I have seen that you also make use of that great
> program, is it your main 3d graphic tool ? what other programs are you
> using to develop this game ?
Our artists primarily worked in Blender and 3DSMax. Photoshop was used
for much of the true 2D art.
> 3. The engine looks a lot like other RPG games, will your engine have
> some unique things for the users (not behind the hood) like zoom in/out ,
There is a basic zoom capability, but as the images are all true 2D,
zooming in too far isn't really a recommended way to play the game. The
zoom out capability, in place of a "minimap", will probably be more useful.
> what about loading zones ?
I'm not sure I understand your meaning here.
> 4. There was a game by the name "Fable" that introduced new things like :
> having the ability to play evil or good , to get married, to have
> children, to have fame which had a huge impact on the NPC's which
> could run off, or joke at you, or joy when they see you.
> Are you planing something similar in TBH ? can you explain it in more
> detail please.
We are not simulating the lifecycle of an adventurer as a game like
Fable would. The events of TBH take place over the course of just a few
weeks.
> 5. This game focus on choices, to be able to chose how to react to
> NPC's, what to tell them etc...
> Therefor we can expect that every decision we will make will have a
> huge impact on the game, and moreover there be several ways to finish
> the game , can you explain it ?
This is a somewhat complicated question. Game developers tend to
exaggerate when they say every decision has a huge impact on the game.
We believe in critical-path storytelling and we practice it. That said,
yes, there are different approaches to some quests which will result in
different short-term rewards and long-term consequences.
> 6. From what I understood your finance model is to sell your game either
> online or on DVD's (boxes) , have you thought about other model , like
> selling the source code and art to the community for the big bucks and
> GPLing it ? (followed the Blender example).
Our real assets are in our storytelling. We haven't explored any sort of
model which would involve parceling the engine and assets out. I doubt
that would prove very successful, as there is far more demand for a new
game than there is for pieces of a game.

------------------------------------------------
I didn't ask the other questions about gameplay because they were already been asked in their last 10 interviews or so ;).
But I did send them another email.

[Elvish Legion]

I'll buy it, looks pretty good

[argie]

I like those graphics actually. I like it.

[MaximB]

A few days ago I've sent another email to the developers and I've received a replay, I didn't ask too much questions because most of the questions were already asked in the past interviews.

maxim bar wrote:
> And yes I would love you to add me to the press list.
Have done so. We just haven't had any updates lately, December and
January have been slow months.
> 1. In my 3rd questions I've asked if there going to be any loading
> in-game like in fallout when you enter a new zone.
I'm not sure I understand the question. Are you talking about
zones-within-zones, like visiting a town but there being "east side",
"downtown", and "west side" discrete maps?
> 2. When do you think TBH will be released ?
We're not giving release estimates anymore, sorry. We're always very wrong.
> 3. will there be a demo ? if so when would it be released ?
The exact scope of a demo hasn't been determined yet, but it would
likely be released simultaneously with the commercial product.
> 4. Do you think about making forums for TGH on your site ?
We do plan to have user forums, yes, but closer to the game's release.
We want to be able to be actively involved with any user community we
start, but right now our resources are better focused on creating the game.
> 5. fighting system - will there be several attack options for fighters
> and archers, like hitting in several ways, different moves and so on...?
We're still experimenting with a "combat stance" system which at its
most basic lets you trade an offensive advantage for a defensive penalty
(or vice-versa). That may or may not be a finalized feature. Your squad
tactics count, of course, as do your equipment and itemset selections.
There's no "left-click for jab, right-click for uppercut" system.
> We are dying to see more media updates in your website, like more
> screenshots and videos, it would be great if you can provide us with that.
We will continue to work on providing these types of materials in our
updates.

-----------------------------------------------------
If you have other questions to ask, please ask me and I'll email the questions to the developers.
Please read all the past interviews before asking the questions because most of the things were already been covered.

[MaximB]

New screenshots and interview.

New interview and screenshots taken from gamebanshee.
You can find the full interview here : http://www.gamebanshee.com/interviews/thebrokenhourglass1.php

Screenshots :

[jcompton]

To clarify some of the questions from earlier--yes, the game really runs on Linux. That's what our engine developer uses and it is the first binary built in every source checkin.

MaximB sent along a few other questions which I thought I would simply answer here. Thanks for your interest in the game.


In our last "mini interviews" I asked you about loading zones, what I mean by "loading zone" is very simple :
Let's take Fallout for example , when you go to different places of the city you have to wait for the game to load this zone first before moving to this zone, in Dungeon Siege however there were no loading zones at all.
So what I'm asking you if TBH will have a lot of loading zones and if they will take a long time to load on today's computers.

Our map systems work very similarly to Infinity games and to a certain extent Fallout, yes, so each interior is a discrete map and each of the eight city neighborhood zones are a discrete map. Loading time for the interiors is negligible. For the larger areas (the exteriors) it's a bit longer, depending on CPU and disk speed, but we're still talking about just a matter of seconds.


In Baldur's Gate you could level-up only till level 7, in Diablo you could level-up up to level 80.
What will be the level limit of TBH and how fast you could level-up?

Because this is the first time our RPG rules system is being used anywhere, we are still experimenting a bit with level tiering. Because we know people enjoy leveling up, however, expect there to be about 15 opportunities to do so in the game, give or take a few.


How will the quests solving will influence the game ?
Will there be several endings to TBH influenced by the choices you have made or will there be only one "true" ending and no matter how you solved the quests the game ending will be the same ?


In certain cases, how you solve one quest will impact how you can solve another--for instance, you can acquire gsumina (as seen in the GameBanshee interview) through an alternate path if you solved a particular quest in a particular way earlier in the game. The epilogue of the game will be different depending on how some quests were solved (or ignored.)


Shops and loot.
A. In Eschalon: Book I you can't sell a sword to a mage or a potion to the blacksmith , how will it work in TBH ?
B. Will there be night/day shifting and are the shops going to be closed at night ?
C. In some games if you kill a wolve he can drop you money or some armor which seems very unrealistic , what about TBH , will mobs going to give you drops they shouldn't have ?


A. Most shopkeepers will buy most things--the major exception being that you can't sell back any item of a given type if you have stolen one from the shopkeeper. (So if you steal a generic longsword from Merchant A, you can never sell any generic longswords to Merchant A.) We could put steeper prohibitions on shopkeepers but it's not clear that makes the game more Fun.
B. Day/night shifting: generally no.
C. No, we're reasonably careful with that sort of thing. You should not expect to have to kill incongruous enemies to obtain keen treasure.


5. Will TBH will be suited to the more mature audience like Fallout was ?
Could we find blood, drugs nudity or mentioning of sex ?


Blood--not really, it's shown in the scenery a few times but there are no exploding bodies, etc.
Drugs--Yes, they do appear in some instances.
Nudity--No.
Mentions of sex--Yes.

[Artificial Intelligence]

How will the support of The Broken Hourglass be for 64-bit users?

[jcompton]

Explicit 64-bit OS support is not something we have looked into and likely won't be something we explore before initial release. Although I realize increasingly the world is going 64-bit native, every time we change the number or type of binaries we compile, it's proportionally a much bigger investment of time and money than it is for a larger company. We'll be doing well to support 32-bit Win32/x86 OSX/32-bit Linux, I'd say.

[MaximB]

Explicit 64-bit OS support is not something we have looked into and likely won't be something we explore before initial release. Although I realize increasingly the world is going 64-bit native, every time we change the number or type of binaries we compile, it's proportionally a much bigger investment of time and money than it is for a larger company. We'll be doing well to support 32-bit Win32/x86 OSX/32-bit Linux, I'd say.



I am very disappointed to hear that you won't likely to support 64-bit OS's , I was actually sure you would support it till this post.
My PC is pretty old but should be able to run TBH , but my next PC will more likely to be 64-bit and when I buy TBH I would like to know that it would work when I buy a new PC.
Today's PC's are all 64-bit compatible, people are "forced" to use them as a 32-bit due to lake of 64-bit programs in the recent years.
But time is changing and even today more and more people are using full 64-bit PC's. ( ask A.I ;) ).
Anyway there are unforgettable games which you will play even after 5 years, I would like that TBH will be one of those games, in order to do so it needs to support 64-bit as in 3-5 years from now I think most people will have full 64-bit PC's and your game will soon be forgotten as they wouldn't able to play it.
I ask you to please reconsider and make a 64-bit clients so all PC users could enjoy your game.
Remember 64-bit is not just GNU/Linux , now windows has 64-bit versions also and more and more people are using it, so please make the effort and build a 64-bit version (or 32-bit with 64-bit version as it now goes).

This off course would be too much to ask , but we at the GNU/Linux world very support open source, if you would open source your game I'm sure that many people will help you to make a 64-bit version at no cost and make this game "live forever".

Please consider those to topics.

Regards
Maxim.

[ELD]

I can't wait for it to come out, will hopefuly be buying it if i don't forget!

[RumorsOfWar]

Its nice to see interest in TBH. It may interest you guys to know that most of the sprite animations (characters and animated effects) were created with Blender on Linux. (Not area maps though. MaxG uses 3DSmax -beautiful areas they are! )
The game engine is closed souce, but almost all script that control game content are XMLish, just to make modding easy.
Dr. Wes Wiemer seems to have an appreciation for Linux and last I checked is keeping a Linux .bin up to date along with the .exe.

Trust me, a lot of great ideas have gone into TBH.

[Zopiac]

Possible lack of 64bit support will aggravate me greatly. Of course, this world is turning into a 64bit place, so there's bound to one sometime, right? 32bit processors are becoming very rare finds in new computers. With windows giving the 64bit option, and in fact, promoting it, and Apple pretty much 64bit exclusive, i believe, and many linux distros offering 64bit versions, i'd think it would be silly not to add 64bit support. But, of course, yes, it would take a lot of time and resources, so it may be more economical to release a 32bit version and later come out with a 64bit version. I would hate to see this game puched back to accomidate 64bit, of course, but at some point 64bit MUST be an option, yes?

[ELD]

I don't care if the engine is closed source, as long as they port to Linux and it works.

Anyone got an update on a release date?

[MaximB]

I don't care if the engine is closed source, as long as they port to Linux and it works.

Anyone got an update on a release date?

Unfortunately they do not update their site often, but I've emailed the main developer and the game is still under development.
So do not fear, it will come out some day and will have a Linux client.

[ELD]

Good news, can't wait to give it a spin.