gaming
I spent the past few weeks binging Oblivion and now I want to make a scrolls-like set in Feudal Japan. Would you play this?
Footage is still super early, just put it together to get an idea of how the game would feel. Think I'll get rid of the floating text cause it looks weird.
I've always wanted to make an RPG in the elder scrolls style, and I've been thinking it's more achievable nowadays.
I'm a tiny indie developer so obviously can't make something on the level of oblivion. But I think I can make something smaller which captures the same feeling of a living world filled with lore and stuff to discover. I may be delusional.
What do people think? Want to explore fantasy feudal Japan, fight yokai, be a ninja or a mage or a samurai, maybe commit seppuku or something?
Discussion
I would play it. But you might need a writer for the RPG aspect.
Yes- this, in particular. Writing is easy, but GOOD writing is hard, and especially for an open-world game. You'd need to find ways to integrate it with the gameplay, but more than that, to make it FEEL integrated into the gameplay, even when it actually isn't.
The palace courts in Daggerfall felt like they were humming with complex plotting and decadent intrigue, even when they actually were just densely packed groups of NPCs at the grand entrance to an enormous dungeon (looking at you, castle Sentinel!).
I find all writing to be exceptionally easy, except dialogue. It is insane how difficult it can be to have an organic conversation in a way that the character would actually speak.
As a writer, I agree.
OP, DM me if you need one!
just don’t slap cutscenes and dialog dumps. do it the from software way and put the story in the environment and let players engage with it if they want
That doesn’t really work well outside of souls games. When you’ve got a big interactive rpg you have to put lore in places people can actually experience. The fact that in fromsoft games the player character basically can’t interact with the world whatsoever is why that style of storytelling works so well for those games. It’ll just make the game feel empty in most other rpgs
I'd honestly say you need a mix of cutscenes dialogue but also books and notes you can find to explain the story like most larian RPGs do.
So basically just don't have a story then
tl;dr make a soulslike yeah no thanks
Really evaluate how BethSoft rewards exploration (Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout 3)
While it doesn't have to have as big a scope, try to avoid a big place with big empty. Fields with items you need for crafting, a random well hole that leads to a bandit cave, buildings or statues or something like barrels with loot in them that dot the landscape. It's okay for some places to have empty but avoid it when you can.
This is a great point, I think the most exciting parts of Bethesda games are when you find things that it feels like not every player would find. It really encourages you to explore even more
and try to keep longer main roads engaging to gameplay for the same reason. Overturned cart filled with food items or something, a dead guy with a nice sword, a clown that sprints up to you shrieking about joining the dark brotherhood, have a dude run from you while being chased by bees.
Gotta bring that world to life, too. Can you tell I've been playing Elder Scrolls too long?
There's so much cool Japanese lore that works perfectly with these random events. Like a priest whose neck stretches up like a giraffe if you look at him, and then he bites your neck out. Or a tanuki who shapeshifts into a fake chestnut seller just to spook people.
I'm really hoping I can bring that stuff to life
Make sure you add a beastiary that unlocks info on the yokai you run into that will give you hints on how to better handle them or be rewarded by them next time. Also maybe actual real life lore about them.
Ha ha, sorry. This is your game. Give us updates if you decide to pursue it.
Wow, this comment kinda makes me want to learn game development. It'd fun as hell researching a folk lore and implementing my take on it in a game.
Just have zero idea on where to even start learning how to make a 3D game. I wonder how hard it would be to make a passable, balanced Tower Defense with zero knowledge...
All I want out of an rpg is the ability to create a large number of characters with different playstyles and SECRETS.
oh and you MUST put chests behind the waterfalls and only ONE can be empty...actually one has to be empty.
Check out Tainted Grail Fall of Avalon for a good, modern take on an Elder Scrolls RPG
Nah. Because the elder scrolls series is a masterpiece even bethesda cant recreate (starfield). The amount of work and content in the games is not something just any studio can do.
The worldbuilding, lore and environments are what keeps drawing me back, I dont see anyone replicating that formula.
Take TES4 for example, there have been interviews with the environment designers, where they'd spend days/weels in the wood just to get the foliage as believeable as possible. Thats the level of detail every inch of this type of game demands and none can replicate imo.
I dont think one person can make that you should scale it down and make art style simpler so you dont have to worry less about Performance
I think I can hire a few people, not a Bethesda size studio obviously but I think it's doable in a semi-real art style.
Scale is definitely gonna be reduced compared to elder scrolls, I think small map but well packed with stuff to discover
Maybe go the Dragon Age 2 route and focus on a single city, rather than an entire region?
Even then it’s a huge project to undertake. You should definitely think of setting your sights shorter
You'd be surprised what 1 man dev teams can accomplish today, but in general I agree. Don't overdo it. Build the framework first, then expand if you feel confident. Don't start with huge ambitions you might never be able to realize. Focus on combat and exploration. Too many people these days don't care about the story anyway (sadly), but if those core mechanics are good that goes a long way to achieving success.
Combat needs to be better than oblivion. Something like this needs really solid sword play
Nice, keep it small, keep it focus, then iterate
I'd like to see more first person adventure games in general. So much so I started to make my own game (different theme and setting). You are correct that making a full world like that is overwhelming. Which is why I settled on a mega-dungeon that has some NPCs scattered about.
I really like that you have extra combat abilities. I want to see more of it when the player’s sight is limited. Especially if you have dungeons with narrow corridors.
Good luck to you. Making a game is hard and it might not make the sales you hoped for but at least you can be proud you made something you always wanted
It really is a huge project, maybe if you can scale it down to sort of an indie game, just find what you like about it and condese it
I'm glad you wanna pursuit a creative idea like that though
Check out Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon, basically a Smaller Scale The Elder Scrolls game, it has everything a game like yours needs to succeed, rewarding exploration, nice enough combat with lots of different unique loot and enemies.
I heard your mustache is crazy so I think you can do it
Will add large moustaches to at least 50% of the characters
Dang I love that. They should be called Tanaka or jorgen
yea id go with none of those ultra fake attack effects. i think this little tech demo clip would look much better without the flashing and numbers. the idea is cool and the combat seems fun.
It'll be the unofficial The Elder Scrolls Akavir game and I would absolutely play it.
When I played oblivion as a kid I would always pretend to be a samurai, akaviri are cool as hell
any character i made that was running a sword would get that akaviri blade from (three brothers?) asap. such a cool sword haha.
Probably not
Play other scrolls-likes, like Ardenfall and Dread Delusion, to get an idea of what your competition is.
Not with graphics like that.
no
Why does everything have to be a 'something'-like anymore? Can't you just make an RPG set in Japan without it being a 'scrolls-like'?
Because it is just letting people know where the inspiration is coming from.
its a lot harder in innovate every time a game releases with a new mechanic?
but for real some genres have been nearly perfected and if a lot of people enjoy it its not a bad idea to "copy" some aspects. Like OP im a huge fan of bethesdas formula and if I was a dev id be working on something similar i imagine.
My point was less about the innovation and more calling it out as such. People have been making derivative games since gaming was a thing, but the trend of calling it a something-like is new. I'd rather you just make your RPG and have some things inspired from another game without having to call it a whatever-like.
Yes yes yes
I would 100% love this.
Give it the classic "increase as you use skills sets". So running increases movement speed. Maybe a permanent perk for getting it to 100. Jumping, attack speed, power, defense, etc. would all be increasing over time.
Then have classes the character can level into with skill points. Skills and magic can depend on class. Martial arts and combat classes like Samurai would more focus on Stamina use. Where Shinobi would have ninja skills that use MP for shadow magic, and SP for skills like throwing kunai or shurikens.
"Would you play a Scrolls-like that..."
Yes.
you could make a mod for skyrim or something, that's how a game like forgotten city got made i think
Looks sick asf
Will this have various Yokai or will it only have human foes?
I'll definitely add lots of different yokai. One of my favourites is the nurikabe which is just a big wall that's usually invisible. When you can see it though, it's this giant melted marshmallow looking thing. It just sits on roads and blocks your path
Alrighty.
So... Akavir? It's pretty clearly inspired by feudal Japan.
It was definitely part of the inspiration, although I want to make some that feels more authentic to the setting. Creating yokai from folk tales, using historical accurate weapons and magic that fits the theme
Sounds awesome! One game I’d take a look at maybe for some inspo would be Way Of The Samurai, not just ‘cause of the theme Ming but I think the way it handles it’s quasi-open world might lend itself to something smaller like this. You definitely lose out on the exploration side but it’d allow you to keep things a bit more contained and easier to present the lore ya want
I've always loved RPG's, and Oblivion is one of my all time favorites. I would definitely play a "Scrolls-like"(I love that term, it needs to go viral), set in Japan.
Feudal Japan scrolls like would definitely be interesting if well-executed
Though what I'm seeing in this gif doesn't really in any way scream scrolls
Key to elder scrolls to me is the immersion aspect and the interesting exploration
Can't comment on exploration from this quick clip, but already seeing elements that diverge on the real feeling world immersion factor, nothing massive and I expect easy enough to resolve but...
- there is a reason none of the elder scrolls have overlayed anime-esq attack effects (the flashing and such) and damage numbers/words like block, it just looks bad in this type of game
- when the enemy aggros and despite being 3 feet away does a weird flex and scream (guessing scream as no audio) that feels like an MMO, you want your AI to react semi naturally, and this isn't it
Seems like nitpicks especially at this point where you clearly are just playing with a concept but I figured worth mentioning anyway
Others have commented on looking at how scrolls rewards exploration etc, but don't skip on the actual feel of the game, yeah scrolls is renowned for some jank and weird faces etc, but its atleast in part popular because the people and world feel grounded to some degree, its not over the top anime, its world doesn't feel like it exists for your adventure, it all looks and feels so what believable
If it's portable enough (preferably one of the Switches although I can fall back on Deck as long as Steam actually sells the game here) and offers what Elder Scrolls hooked me with (like variably meaty in-universe books to collect and cool stuff to discover), I would certainly be in the market for it. Especially since Japanese folklore and mythology is a particular treasure trove for such games.
Nah, surely because I'm not into this type of games
JJ says it needs more lens flare.
Go play sekiro
Honestly? I’m 100% in. A scrolls-style RPG set in feudal Japan with yokai, samurai, magic, and deep lore sounds incredible. You don’t need AAA polish, just atmosphere, interesting worldbuilding, and the feeling of discovery. Oblivion wasn’t perfect either, but it felt alive. If you can capture even a slice of that in your own style, people will love it. Keep going, floating text or not!
Nope
Yeah id play this in the same way id play that science based dragon mmo
Nope
Whoa awesome!!!
This will be modded with anime girls in no time.
I welcome my fate
The idea seems promising!
Be careful with the Japanese culture aspect. Japanese history is heavily idealized. The reality tends to be a lot more brutal. You might even go so far as to say that Japan was one of the most brutal, and straight up "evil" countries for most of its history. The concepts of "good" and "evil" essentially didn't exist.
This creates a bit of a storytelling minefield. If you want to be accurate, you're gonna have to portray the Japanese in a rather unflattering way.
Though it does open up some very cool storytelling options. The tv-show Shogun is probably one of the better representations of historical Japan of that period, though even that is arguably quite heavily toned down from reality. It's a good watch if you want to get some ideas. Though you're probably going to want to get a writer who actually knows what they're doing. Would heavily recommend getting at least one consultant who's an expert on Japanese history.
I'd be interested in 'a' game that was set in feudal japan that was 'scrolls' like. But in order for it to stand above what's already out there, that's already really good, it needs a well written story in a very open world, mechanics deeper than a puddle, unique art assets, and voice acting. If it doesn't, slam all of those things, it loses the appeal of having a giant world I want to explore, and all the sudden becomes worse than any other style of game simply set in feudal japan.
That's a lot for a little project.
I would really like it if there wasn't a stamina bar that you used for swings etc in combat... I'm kind of over that at this point
Absolutely. I'd love to stay up to date on this project.
100% would. Sounds awesome
no
Hell yes, I would.
Thanks, now I want it - IMMEDIATELY!!!!
Yes but no need to make the graphics ultra realistic. Find a nice art style and stick to that.
No, who has time?
Handcraft everything and get a team of weeb historians to think of questlines for free
If I make this, the part I'm most excited about is working with 3D modellers and bringing the yokai to life.
There are so many cool monsters that have never been shown in any media before, they only exist on old woodblocks. I want to recreate them faithfully.
I'm all about player-dev interaction so of course if there are weebs providing questlines I will happily receive them
I'd definitely try it out
I'm definitely intrigued with this! I think what made me hooked on oblivion is how the world feels so alive. How long do you think this will take to make that's enough to be in early access? It looks so sick!
I feel like you might like Morrowind.
Go to modding-openmw and check out the total overhaul mod list.
Never heard that term before, is this something people say? I never thought of it as a style of game, what would you consider to be the key aspects of a scrollslike?
I think it's a semi new term, until recently studios other than Bethesda haven't really tried to make that kind of game.
I would say it's defined by a detailed open world, a blank slate character who can become whatever you want, different races, multiple questlines (guilds) and first/third person
that's called an RPG, many companies make them and do them better than Bethesda already.
Sekiro at home?
Probably not, i'm tired of all the in flux of japanese fuedal games to be honest
Do it! Sounds awesome! I wish you luck if you go ahead with it~ would you add playable races? I'd love to play as a kappa
I was thinking kappa and tengu as playable races actually, along with a few different human races
this is 100% gonna fail as an indie studio unless you cut down on ALOT of features.
prove me wrong! I dare you! lol
so yes, I would play it. But only if it's good.
What I'm looking at here looks like it has a lot of potential and I would definitely try it out. I love the enemy's movement
lol
This would be cool, worth leaning into the more hardcore aspects a bit as well, like Kingdom come.
Yeah, feudal Japan is such a brutal setting so I think it would work well. I'm even thinking about having (optional) character deaths.
Maybe you're roleplaying a master criminal who finally gets caught and is forced to do harakiri. It would be cool to have a definitive end to your run
Reminds me of battlefield 1, where when you died during the story you took the place of some other soldier.
Edit: Ah, I see I misread what you typed.
Could just be a game option/difficulty to have a definitive end.
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Not really rogue like per se, just a nice way to wrap up a character's storyline if you want to move on to another one. As someone who likes trying out different playstyles it seems like a cool idea. My characters always end up kind of slowly fading out when I get bored of them
I don't like the setting. I find that it has been overdone recently. What draws me to the elder scrolls series is that it's not real world themed.
Earth is boring imo. Tamriel, Alagaësia, Middle Earth, all amazing.
I'm not really going for real world, essentially it would be just like tamriel or middle earth, but the basis would be Japanese mythology rather than western mythology. So instead of elves and cat people, you'd have kappa and tengu races. And of course all sorts of weird and wonderful yokai running around
The issue would be potentially running into westernified Japanese mythology, which can draw heavily from exoticism and anime.
If you really wanted to explore the east, you might also want to look at culture and mythology of other nearby nations, like Korea and China, to draw from. Kitsune Yokai, for example, aren't unique to Japan.
One game that I thought that did well in that department was Ragnarok Online, which managed to put a variety of monsters and creatures from all over the world, including Korean Kumiho foxes, Chinese Jiangshi vampires, Irish Duhallans, and even monsters from SE Asia and South America.
Fair enough. That's much more palatable.
Of course we would play this. The real question is if it is possible but with a small passionete dev team it could be, but of course it would be a smaller game than oblivion
I guess we'll find out. Hopefully we can make something cool at least
Why not just create mods for skyrim
Because, hear me out here: people might actually want to create something of their own without being shackled by the old game systems and engine. Or gasp they might want to actually make a living, instead of producing free mods. :)
Can't really get a loan for future projects with a mod ... but with your own product that you sold? Yeah, that's possible.
why the hell is this downvoted? no shade to modders but creating your own game from scratch is a different animal that alot of them probably couldnt do as well as modding.
Damn, that's such a cool concept! I really hope you can make it man. I'd definitely give it a try 👀
Thanks! It's kind of a dream game so I hope I can make it real too
Wish you the best of luck :) I'd really love to see what kind of lore you incorporate!
isn't this basically the new tainted grail game kind of play style?
Tbh I'd be looking for a more science based game.
Gimme an option to disable floating damage numbers and I will :p
Yeah I realised I hate those too after I made the video lol, it will be an option for sure
I liked the maneuverability in Tainted Grail and would love to see more Scrolls like.
Looks interesting. The closest AAA title to what your invisioning would be Nioh. Some say its more like DarkSouls but I think its more Oblivion style in a way. As far as leveling and weapon finding goes.
No since i dislike the setting. You asked a question, i answered.
No. Feudal Japan is one of my least favorite game settings. I find it very boring. Beautiful aesthetically, but boring.
It looks great mate, congrats!!! 😁😁😁
Hell yeah specialy if there are going to be steam achievements and what is the name?
If you make a good first person melee combat maybe ? check KCD2
Unlikely. I just don't have time for games that are a maybe. I buy 1-2 games a year, and often wind up playing older games anyway.
I also really hated the flash effect when you hit them, that's straight awful.
But is the main character black?
Because Real Asian Heroes are always black, as we all know.
It's certainly a very ambitious project, but I think there's definitely a market waiting for you if you manage to pull it off!