Dark Forester
Story about developing Dark Forester
In this story, I am going to describe the difficulties, social aspects, and problems an indie developer may face. Also, I can’t help mentioning Moscow, poker and sports, without which this story would be incomplete. Now, to excite the reader’s interest before I begin my tale, I gained 22 kg during the development period from 2013 to 2015 and transformed from an athletic guy into one who hardly recognized himself in the mirror. Over the course of a year, I drank about one thousand cans of Red Bull. It all started with one or two. Now I rarely have less than three. I was sleeping sometimes four or five hours. For two years, I woke up on weekdays at five in the morning and rode the early train to work in another city, so that I would have time to work on the game in the evenings. I stupidly turned down an offer of 250,000 euros to develop the game. This was probably the cause of a case of severe pneumonia and a court trial with a former employer, as well as serious back problems due to my constant, sedentary lifestyle. Ah, and if that isn’t enough, I quit university and my job!
Alright, let’s start…
full story you can rean under following link here
Dark Forester Released
- A Fully 3D world, where the weather and time of day affects spells from the five schools of magic.
- Every object can be destroyed.
-The storyline is done in an abstract style, thanks to the modular system, and it will tell the main character's long history.
- Maximum character level: 15
- Infinite number of raids.
- More than one hundred unique monsters. From invisible characters that attack only your character and monsters that hunt livestock to powerful, inimitable bosses. There are also heavy artillery from ground catapults, cemeteries and other structures.
A hardcore game essence, where your death, the loss of your forester's home or decay of the trees in your forest will cause you to lose levels or even to the irreversible death of your character.
- Huge number of traps, buildings, trees, mushrooms, animals and creatures.
- Living forest with neutral birds and beasts.
- Heroes
- Any objects that your protagonist builds or buys can be improved.
- Werewolves equipped with a learning system, so information about their deaths, who killed them, etc., will be saved in the database and these monsters will use it to improve their abilities.
- PvP attack and destroy other players' forests. Use your magic and 15 unique abilities to attack other players' forests.
- A huge number of skills will help you to diversify not only your forest, but your character as well.
A completely three-dimensional world awaits you, where the weather and time of day affect the strength of some of your character's spells Any object in your forest can be destroyed.
- Rating system.
- PvP and PvE Seasons.
- MMO elements
- Sessional Inventar
Weather and time of day
In the game, there are spells, runes and traps that cause more damage when it is raining. The main character can find several types of tornado scrolls.
At night, undead have more health and some characters or heroes, such as the OtherSide, become much stronger. For PvP, there are special structures that are closely tied to the dark time of the day. In addition, some spells that scare enemies are more effective in the dark.
PvP
Upon attacking an enemy forest, you have 200 seconds to destroy all enemy buildings. For each enemy structure, you receive 5 coins and 5 experience. Plus, you get honor points, rating points and other resources for a victory. For a defeat, you will lose honor points and rating. During the attack, you will have 15 unique abilities. So at level five, you will have 5 abilities during an attack. One new ability will unlock with each new level. A PvP building improves your abilities when attacking an enemy forest. There are several buildings and even creatures in the game designed to play only against each other.
There are 8 heroes in the hero pool at the moment that you can encounter in your forest. One of the heroes becomes available for attacks on enemy forests for three weeks.
This hero is available for attacking an enemy forest: Other Side
Improve and destroy
Anything in your forest can be destroyed or improved. You can improve anything in your forest after each enemy raid, from trees, mushrooms, and buildings to heroes and creatures. During battles, when a creature is directly involved in the fighting, it gains experience. Your creatures and heroes, as well as your main character gain levels in this manner. They gain 5 skill points for each level and possibly even new abilities.
Scrolls, weapons, items, plans, resources, and phials
All inventory items are divided into six types and all six types are available only during the game session.
After killing monsters, certain items often drop. They can be one of six types of resources, mana phials, health or experience, plan for a structure, one-time use magic scroll, summon tornado, trap, or something else. At the moment, there are a just over a hundred items drops in the game.
The forest
Even mushrooms and trees have a purpose in your forest. Trees can be used for more than just protection and barriers. They are very important. For every tree in your forest, all your objects, including the main character, can evade physical damage by a certain percentage. Mushrooms affect the ability to evade magic damage.
Many heroes become stronger next to trees or mushrooms, and some can even heal themselves by destroying trees.
Important: Remember that if the number of trees in your forest falls below 30, you will lose the game and have to start over.
Heroes and Higher beings
At the moment, the game has 8 heroes and 3 higher creatures, similar in nature to heroes, but do not require any resources (creatures or heroes).
Your heroes, like the rest of your creatures, can gain experience in combat. They acquire a new ability at every other level. All characters patrol your forest. The first hero arrives after reaching the fifth level.
Heroes: Imp, Otherside, Witch, Orc Traveler, Mishka, Making Money, Kaba and Winterstale.
Ancient, Evil Mushroom and Warlord. The first two creatures do not require creature resources. If an Ancient is a very expensive creature that costs a large number of resources, Evil Mushroom costs just 50 mushrooms growing in your forest. Also remember that one elder is available to you at the very beginning of the game. the Ancient and Evil Mushroom do not patrol the forest like your heroes and can obey your orders outside of combat. Both have full view of the forest. Accordingly, when battle begins, they attack the closest target. In the case of the Ancient, of course, only if it is awakened. The Warlord is a PvP-exclusive creature. You can summon him only by attacking other's forests.
Unfortunately game release shifted for a few month.
Beta Patch 5.0
Graphic:
- night was redesigned.
- grass and trees looks realisticer now.
PvP is now availaible
- character has 1 PvP skill for each level:
1. Summon Ogre
2. Summon Archer
3. Summon Dark Torturer
4. Surprise MF
5. Dungeon Portal
6. Dragon Breath
7. Flock of Wolfs
8. Summon Shaman
9. Explosive Rabbit
10. Walls
3 New unique heroes were added:
- Witch is a caster hero. Witch has 6 different spells, which she casts randomly. Witch has also 3 teleportation skills, which makes her more powerful. Level 2+: if her health is 2 time lower then maximal amount of health, she teleports to the goblin. Level 4+: if her health is 3 time lower then her maximal amount of health, she teleports to the Forester House. Level 6+: if her health is 4 time lower then her maximal amount of health, she teleports to the random side of the forest. She still can be onehit. Each skills can be used automatically 1 time during the fight.
- Imp is a mighty flying creature. Imp is connected with your forest. If he fights close to the tree, he strikes stronger and restores health. For every meter distance from the closest tree imp becomes penalties. If closest tree is 9 meter or farther his damage is 10 + attack damage. For every meter close to the next tree he becomes +10 damage, so if he is 1 meter or close to the tree, his damage is 90 + attack damage. Level 2: if imps health lower than 40 health, he automatically destroys 20 random trees in your forest and restores his maximal amount of health. Level 4: if imps health lower than 55 health, he automatically destroys 10 random trees in your forest and restores his maximal amount of health. Level 6: if imps health lower then 70 health, he automatically destroys 5 random trees in your forest and restores his maximal amount of health. This skill still does not help against onehit.
- Otherside is an undead wolf hero. Otherside is much stonger during the night. Level 2: every hit restores 1 health during the night. Level 4: every hit restores 3 health during the night. Level 6: every hit restores 6 health during the night.
Soundtrack was completely redesigned
Character level cap: 10
New session always starts in the night.
Trees level 5 can be upgraded with night lamps.
26 new art of mushrooms were added.
5 new enemies were added.
Enemy graveyard were added.
Enemy portals with guards were added.
Shadow enemies drop dark souls. Dark souls have 100 health and explode in 5 sec if you do not kill them.
Burning enemies were added.
Few new scrolls were added.
Release Date and last beta patch information.
5.0 patch content (only essential changes in overview):
- PvP. You can attack any other player forests in the game. Required character level 5.
- 4 new unique heroes: Imp(range), Witch(range), Spirit Shaman(range) and Other Side.
Release Date: 6. April 2018
Beta Patch 4.0
- All units, heroes, buildings and almost everything in your forest can be upgraded now.
- After every wave all objects (even trees and mushrooms) in the game receive 1 skill point. You can skill one of 6-7 attributes: defence, magic defence, health, attack, detect range and attack distance(only range units).
- All units and heroes become experience during the fight.
- Levelup give units and heroes 5 skill points.
- Archer level 2 receives fire arrows. Archer level 3 receives homing arrows.
- Upgrade usability feels now much easier to understand and work with.
- Colored onhover and onhover information helps player to feel comfortable in the game.
New art of units are now available in the game: Heroes
- Heroes can not be bought.
- Heroes come in your forest only if you character has level 5 or higher.
- Heroes have unique characteristics and become level 2,4 and 6 unique abilities.
- 5 new heroes are available now: Ogre Money Maker, Orc Traveler, Wintertale, Mishka and Kaba.
- Heroes stay in your forest not for free. Few of them like Money Maker and Traveler must be paid every wave. Another like Wintertale, Mishka and Kaba kills every wave different animals in your forest.
- Not paid heroes leave your forest immediately.
- What kind of heroes come in your forest depends on different factors, like buildings, killed units, wild animals and units under your command.
Heroes Overview:
Kaba is an evil boar race coming from southlands. This creature patrols your forest. Every time the fight begins it kills first one neutral creature. Kaba randomly chooses his animal victim. Thanks his aggressive behaviour, Kaba also gains more experience. His additional damage is equals of the amount of killed monsters of all time, but can't be more than 100.
Mishka is an old bear race coming from north. This creature patrols your forest. Every time the fight begins it kills first one neutral creature like rabbit, hare, stag, old stag or deer. Mishka randomly chooses his animal victim. Mishka does additional damage for every bear in your forest. Level 2: Every attack movement has a chance of 1% to damage enemy with powerful attack, where damage = count of trees in the forest; Level 4: 3 % Chance; Level 6: 5% Chance.
Called Money Maker not for fun. This hard defensive warrior takes every enemy wave so much money as his level is, but only if he is involved in the fight. He patrols your forester. If you can not pay, Ogre Money Maker will leave your forest. Level 2: redroper 2; Level 4: redroper 3; level 6: does triple damage.
Orc Traveler has 2 magic weapons, which restore foresters mana and health after level 4 and 8. Orc takes every enemy wave 1 gold, but only if he is involved in the fight. He patrols your forester. If you can't pay, Orc Traveler will leave your forest. Level 2: restore 1 health by forester for every hit; Level 4: restore 1 mana by forester for every hit; level 6: +1 experience for hit.
Wintertale is a beautiful strong wolf race coming from north. This creature patrols your forest. Every time the fight begins it kills randomly one of your livestock or a wild animal. Wintertale restore his health every bite: 10 health + 1 health for Wintertales level. Level 2: restore 1 health for the bite; Level 4: restore 3 health for the bite; Level 6: restore 6 health for the bite.
Secondary skills were completely overwritten.
- All skills now make sense.
Skills Overview:
- Ogre: every hit has a 2% chance to increase attack +1 permanently
-Ogre: every hit + 1 experience
- If Ogre Money Maker one of your heroes, all ogres and orcs(except heroes) do additional damage. Additional damage is equals unit level. Also unit restores every hit health equals unit level*2
- Ogre: every hit has a 1% chance to increase def +1 permanently
- Ogre: every hit has a 2% chance to strike with triple damage
- Old Archer: shoots an additional fire arrow + 20 damage
- Old Archer: + 5 Distance
- Old Archer: every shoot + 2 experience
- Old Archer: + 5 Distance
- Old Archer: shoots after short break an extra homing arrow(10 damage)
- Old Archer: shoots an extra homing arrow(50 damage) against shadow enemies or werewolfs
- Treant heals 40 health points
- Treant heals all units
- Forester House and Fake Forester House Incoming: +1 gold; +2 coins
- Shamans collect trees much faster: -8sec Shamans and Imps destroy dungeon walls: -8sec
- All melee non hero units do twice damage
- All melee non hero units restores every hit health equals unit level
- All range non hero units (Shamans, Trolls and Old Archer): + 5 range
- All non hero units: every hit has 2% chance to restore full health
- All non hero units: every hit has 2% chance to increase defence and magic defence +1 permanently
- All non hero units: every hit has 2% chance to increase maximal health +1 permanently
- Goblin: +3 Health every 10 sec
- Goblin: +3 Mana every 10 sec
- Goblin: +3 Health every 7 sec
- Goblin: +3 Mana every 6 sec
- Goblin: -5 sec teleportation countdown
- Goblin: If character has lower than 50% health he teleports himself in the middle of the map. 180sec. countdown
- Goblin: If character has lower than 50% health he freezes the time to 90%. Forester inclusive, 180sec. countdown
- Goblin: If character has lower than 20% health he transforms closest enemy in the enemy chicken with 1/1 health.240 sec. countdown
-Goblin: If character has lower than 10% health he transforms closest enemy in the random tree. 300sec. countdown
- Troll: every spell cast restore 10 health
- Troll: every spell cast does additional 20 damage
- Trolls have increased range attack: +5
- Troll: every spell cast + 1 experience point
- Orc: every hit has a 2% chance to increase attack +1 permanently
- Orc: every hit has a 10% chance to increase speed +1 sessionally. Maximal 10x stackable
- Orc: every hit has a 3% chance to increase def +1 permanently. Ogre House should be min. level 3");
- Orc: every hit has a 7% chance to does double damage. Ogre House should be min. level 5
- Heroes only(Money Maker, Orc Traveler, Wintertale, Kaba, Mishka, Imp, Witch, Spirit Shaman): every hit +1 experience point
- Heroes only(Money Maker, Orc Traveler, Wintertale, Kaba, Mishka, Imp, Witch, Spirit Shaman): every hit restores 1 health point
- Heroes only(Money Maker, Orc Traveler, Wintertale, Kaba, Mishka, Imp, Witch, Spirit Shaman): every hit has 2% chance to restore full health
- Heroes only(Money Maker, Orc Traveler, Wintertale, Kaba, Mishka, Imp, Witch, Spirit Shaman): every hit has 2% chance to increase maximal health +2 permanently
- Dark Torturer: -5 sec Dark Passenger countdown
- Dark Torturer: -5 sec Lightning Teleportation countdown");
- Dark Torturer does every strike an additional damage: 20
- Cow: +1 gold incoming
- Chicken: +2 coins incoming
- Goat: +1 gold incoming
- Sheep: +1 crystal incoming
- Pig: +1 crystal incoming
Other changes:
- 5 new plans added in the game, all 5 are different kind of towers.
- 4 new traps added in the game: vortex trap, forest trap, first blood trap, bad teleportation trap.
- 14 Shadow enemies, 5 poisoned enemies and 8 invisible enemies are added in the game.
- 4 enemy portals added in the game.
- Hotkeys added. Like 'f' - for fences summon or 't' for trees summon.
also hundreds of bugs were fixed in this patch.
all data was reset.
max level cap 11.
The next patch comes out September. 24th (Beta Version 4.0)
- Redesigned update and upgrade system.
- Redesigned sessional item system.
- Hotkeys for trees, fences, mushrooms and other objects.
- Portals.
- Over 30 new 'shadow' and 'poisoned' enemies.
Patch 3.0 released
Maximal character level 11.
Character level for all spells were reduced.
2 new important characteristics added: Fear and Aggro.
Energy ball make sense now. Damage and mana costs was increased. Energy ball aggro enemy unit to attack you next 5 second.
Weather influences lightning. Lightning can be cast only during rain. Character level for Lightning reduced from 5 to 3.
Normal fear duration: 5 seconds.
Night influences fear. Fear duration 10 seconds during the night. Fear also does 15 damage during the night.
Night increase experience for undead units.
Repair added.
New level information after level up added.
Tutorial added.
Logbook added.
HP bars for all buildings added.
Mana and health regeneration increased. Its level depends now.
Sell sound added.
Waves are completely randomized.
New Building Fountain:
Allow you restore mana and health.
New Building: Prison
Prison is multifunctional, allow shaman to transform dead orcs, ogres and trolls, also ogre and troll bosses to skeleton. Prison has a 20% chance to block one enemy from fighting against you in this turn.
New Building: Witch House
Witch House allow you to upgrade trolls.
All Buildings receives few upgrade.
New Units:
Dark Torturer and Trolls
Archer has 4th upgrade.
Mutation added in the game. first mutation receive orc and ogre. Player can decide between upgrade or mutation after third upgrade.
Forest Soul Skills:
Mage path: alchemists, which tower, fountain.
Defender path: Ogre House, Tower, well,
Forester path: Well, hote, fountain
depends on buildings the forest decides which path you chosen and gives you bonus: spell, skills and stats.
Mage path gives you new spell: professional teleportation; and few stats.
Forester path gives you new spell: Queen of the flock; and few stats.
Defender path gives you stats.
Traps receive upgrades.
Forester House can't be sold anymore.
Player got no more aggro if enemy attack wild animal.
Items can be used as a button. (Just click on useful item)
Player receive more attention if allied unit get damage.
new UI elements added.
Undead health bug fixed.
Bear and wolf naming fixed.
Barbarians bug fixed.
Bug: running character after teleportation fixed.
Fixed some UI problem after spell casting.
Ancient tree save problem fixed.
Secondary skills were fixed.
Beta 2.01
Switching from 3d Mode to RPG Mode does not move character anymore.
After trees and objects explosion does not appear invisible collider.
Enemy Shaman counter was fixed.
Ancient Tree attack problems fixed.
Patch also contains preparation files for the next major patch.
Beta patch 2.0
Today's patch is in my opinion how the game, also Dark Forester should start in Early Access. Patch 2.0 change almost everything in the game. It has more changes than it was in all patches together. Pathfinding and AI works good. I overwritten experience system and added some sessional parts of the game, like items, wave for experience and wild animals. I did first steps in neural network (read more below in patch notes).
I start right now first PvE season with rating and prizes. 20 Player who reach level 7 first will win each 3 Dark Forester keys for friends. Just chat me after reaching level 7.
Season 1 until 01.04.2017: Best 5 Player receive each 5 Dark Forester keys. Also best 20 player will get an Ancient, the strongest unit in the game.
Rating: http://www.darkforester.com/bestpveplayeren.php
Darkforester page were redesigned: http://darkforester.com/
Please read carefully all updates and features of patch 2.0. I also want to thank many of yours for feedback and chat messages. I really appreciate that.
- First and the most important, path finding system was complete overwritten, works fine now.
- Session Items added. All items are sessional. Player can have only 1 item to each of the 6 item. types. Hotkeys for scrolls using are R,T,F,G,B.
- Item type Weapons (8 weapons added)
- Orc Axe
- Normal Axe
- Archers Joke
- Experience Staff
- Mighty Staff
- Ogre's Hammer
- Strange Fish
- Great Sword
- Item type 'R' - Magic Scrolls (4 scrolls added)
- Firehay Scroll (Instantiate the fire hay to the mouse pointer. 500 Damage)
- Tree Transform Scroll (Transform any enemy unit to the tree)
- Teleportation 1 Scroll (Teleport player in the middle of the map)
- Teleportation 2 Scroll (Teleport player to the mouse pointer)
- Item type 'T' - Weather Scrolls (4 scrolls added)
- Day Scroll (Set the Day)
- Night Scroll (Set the Night)
- Rain Scroll (Call the rain)
- Tornado Scroll (Call the tornado for the next 10 minutes, damage 50 every third second)
- Item type 'F' - Potions (3 potions added)
- Health Potion (Restore full health)
- Mana Potion (Restore full mana)
- Experience Potion (+ 50 Experience)
- Item type 'G' - Monster/Trap Scrolls (3 scrolls added)
- Bear Scroll (Summon Bear for the next 10 minutes)
- Explosive Rabbit Scroll
- Wolf Scroll (Summon Wolf for the next 10 minutes)
- Item type 'B' - Building Scrolls (1 Scroll added)
- Fake House Scroll (Fake House is like a Forester House Level 1. Fake House is not sessional and have all benefits of Forester House Level 1. Fake House has only 300 health.)
- Wild Animals added. About two dozen of wild animals live now in your forest. Wild animals system is important feature for the Dark Forester (and next patches). Also birds added in the forest. All animals are neutral and do not attack first. If wild animals health falls to the 10% of his maximum, then speed falls to the minimum. Wild animals bring less experience then enemies.
- Two new Buildings added for character level 1-7
- House on the Edge
+ 3 random wild animals.
10% chance to call a spectral wild animal after the start of the battle.
House is neutral
House works only on the edge of the forest. (Check: in the pond appears water)
Bonus: awakens ancient (just drop him in the pond)
- Alchemist's House (1 Update available )
-After every wave 50% chance to receive one of the following goods: Crystal, New mush room type, gold, coins, mana or health potion.
- Experience and level system was overwritten.
- Level on hover you can see how many experience you need before next level.
- After level 3 you need not only the experience, you should also complete 10 waves in one session.
- All enemies give you experience based on the power and health amount.
- Killing an enemies with Scroll Tree Transformation do not give you experience.
- Magic was redesigned. UI was also redesigned.
- energyball, fireball, waterball, hammerball, meteor, arcane size and collider fixed.
- energyball, fireball, waterball, hammerball, meteor, arcane fly to the mouse pointer on the fixed height.
First three magic schools were changed. Because it's now harder to rich level 7 (close to 70 waves). Your character obtain magic skills faster.
-progress has been reset.
- Few critical bugs was fixed.
- Performance by game loading is few time faster.
- Performance about 10 FPS more during normal phase in compare to Beta 1.0.
- Performance about 30 FPS more during combat phase in compare to Beta 1.0.
- Object Exploder was optimized, performance won about 5 FPS.
- Minicamera follow the camera now, not the player.
- Window mode display name was fixed.
- Main menu redesigned.
- 4 new mushroom arts (only in Alchemists House available)
- Damned trees appear during every fight. Only shamans can collect them. Damned trees is the only one chance to receive wood resource.
- Hotkeys updated
- Road collider was fixed.
- Game restart bug fixed.
- Infinity waves.
- Drag and Drop shower position was fixed.
- Monster drops only items which they can use.
- Maximal coins counter fixed.
- Gallow counter fixed.
- Forest Souls skills will be available after level 10.
- Heavy bug fixed. Enemy archer corpse gave +1 units counter.
- Lose if you have lower than 30 Trees.
- Fences burn effect removed.
- Well burn effect fixed, counter problem fixed, also explode effect fixed.
- Drag And Drop performance and some UI elements updated.
- Insurance after player death or forester house demolition.
- Few UI onhover mistakes fixed.
- Character Information UI updated.
- Barrel health onhover fixed.
- Skills reset bug fixed.
- Sound by animated trees fixed.
- Day is now 24 minutes, including 7 minutes night.
- Enemy waves do not set the night.
- Over 100 sounds effects added.
- Archer received 2 updates. first update: fire arrows, second update: homing arrows.
- Ogres have only 1 'redroper', after update 2 and then 3.
- Orcs have 2 'redroper', after update 3.
- 15 different enemies and 40 different enemy specifications were added in the game.
- Enemy shamans and caretaker added in the game.
- 6 bosses added in the game, few are really great like Reaper and Nightmare.
- And at least Werewolf added in the game. After completing path finding system, i begun working on different model behaviour for the enemy units. Right now Werewolf is the strongest and cleverest unit in the game. He attacks first livestock. If he lose half of his health, he is looking for stag in the forest, he kills him and recover full health, and then come back. In retreat phase his speed increases by 3. If there are no more stags in your forest he will attack wolfs and bears - it is fatal for your forest. But werewolf is not just character with unusual abilities.
Werewol is first char who goes also in neural network direction. With patch 2.0 werewolf collect in database 5 information's: who did last hit on werewolf, how long werewolf were in fight, how many time he was killed with fire hay, how many times he was killed with explosive rabbit, how many times he was transformed in the tree. This is Phase 1 for werewolf: Collecting Information.
All players worldwide by killing werewolf send information to one central place for analyse.
Next patches will collect more information's and then go in Phase 2: Cluster Analysis.
Last Phase is: Neural Network.