A Roman Domus

[M. Demetrius]

More progress reports on the RPG?

[Decimus_Vitus]

Thanks all, Some updates and news...

My latest project is commisioned work from our very own MARCVS PETRONIVS MAIVS (Yuri). It is the complete landscape of Hadrians Wall, Pons Aelius at NewCastle. Complete with bridge, fort and vicus. It is a fair representation of what you all have discussed in this forum, existing evidence, and a bit of an educated speculation based on what we know about the Romans in Britain. Yuri will be using it for his WIKI project and I'll be using it on my site as an educational feature. I would post a screen shot but I better wait for an ok from Yuri first. I hope the project will be finished within a month , give or take a week or so.

The RPG game, I am still programming the game and database. I am nearly complete creating the city (Opacia). I decided to have everybody start as a citizen with an option to become a slave should the occasion arise. Some citizens would sell themselves as a slave in order to survive...this will give players the option to play the part of slave if they wish. I scaled back the scope of the game in order to make it possible to produce and if it does well then I will add more...umm adventures. Again it will be a "lunchbox game" a game you can play once a day for a limited number of plays. Something to do on your lunch break.

Other news: I am ready to close a deal with the Museum Victoria in Australia for the use of my virtual roman domus in an exhibition they are producing entitled "A Day in Pompeii". It will be a multi-media/format production walkthru of the domus I created on my site but it will contain more rooms and new features. So essentially a visitor will be able to actually walk thru a typical roman domus, use touch screens and stuff like that. It's exciting.

Other projects on the list, a roman bakery, shops typical of Ostia and Pompeii. Perhaps a scene of the Trojan horse (I would like to throw in somethink Greek). Other than that I take requests and if the idea is feasable I'll do it. The rest of the time is working on the game.

Pardon me for rambling on. :oops:

[SigniferOne]

I was going to suggest: why create a whole new game from scratch, which requires much more coding of the engine, and the backend (e.g. the database), than coding of the Roman cultural tidbits. I would recommend taking something like Mount & Blade, a very cheap indie RPG game, with a very, very well-developed combat and interaction system, and which people have already started modifying to the Roman time period. All you need to do is model a few houses, a few items of equipment, and you're already in the Roman period, without having all the back-end complications to worry about.

[Decimus_Vitus]

Thanks for the suggestions James. Your suggestions really help. My motivation behind this whole game is to provide the player with a sense of what it was like for the ordinary citizen live in Roman times. Romaphiles like us might enjoy the historical perspective. Historians and non-historians alike might enjoy the humor and fun. Either case will hopefully expose the player to amusement and historical fact combined....and fun. I suppose I could purchase or use open license software for a gaming engine but I prefer to make more unique than what is out there presently. Thus I program it myself, along with the wonderful suggestions you all contribute. If it's action you seek then you will find it in the Amphitheater, else you might find it in the streets and alleys of the city. It's not safe to travel the streets after dark.

Thanks for the ideas James! Greatly appreciated.

[Senovara]

Thanks for the progress report! Really looking forward to the game!

[Restitvtvs]

Wow! ) ) Another laud. Thanks! +r

[Aemilianus]

I just discover your project ang graphics wow!!!

Have you thought as a possibility of future development of the game that at one point in time we would be able to travel the roman World.

It could be a lot of fun to visit our Old european cities in the day of the Romans.

Maybe you could get some financing from the modern cities to appear in your game as they were 2000 years ago, as kind of advertising or something...

Anyway I can't wait to see and try your game

[MARCVS PETRONIVS MAIVS]

Yep, im definitely looking forward to it! Some good suggestions there for financing aswell.

As for previews of the Pons Aelius project, be my guest Steve. It should be ready within the month we hope. But I'll stick to the 'When its done' line 8)

[Arturus Uriconium]

Beautifully done! (Is that Decadence from Renderosity by the way?).

[Decimus_Vitus]

Well done. I shall keep returning for more - and get my wife to visit. She's a great Colleen McCullough fan who writes lots of words to describe various domii (?), so this will really bring it too life.

The rpg sounds fun - keep us posted!
Guido

Thanks Guido! , All, Yes I am familiar with McCullough! Actaully the virtual roman domus was inspired by her a little as well as A. D. 62: Pompeii by Rebecca East.

Yes still chugging through the game project. Slow going, I must have revamped about 2 dozen times but I still continue. I knew it would be slow progress. But this year has been a busy one. In fact my virtual domus will be on exhibit in Australia and New Zealand for the Museum Victoria coming in late spring 2009. I had to do some re-rendering and small fixes to accomdate the Museum. So I thought that was real exciting...for me at least. Also trying to finish up the reconstruction of the Pons Aelius Project at NewCastle. There is a sneak preview on my site in the forum....but that is almost done then I can move on. So much to do so little time!!!

Now the funny thing I am thinking of putting the Pons Aelius into the game....such the user would get a chance to live , and work in the fort...perhaps another level to compile?? !!



Yes Arturus it is I....Hello! I've got to get around to changing my name on that site.....Thanks all for your input. If you got any other ideas or suggestions let me know!!

[Arturus Uriconium]

Yes Arturus it is I....Hello! I've got to get around to changing my name on that site.....Thanks all for your input. If you got any other ideas or suggestions let me know!!

Hi Steve, sorry if it embarrassed you. I've actually joined your website forum and left a posting.

[Decimus_Vitus]

Yes Arturus it is I....Hello! I've got to get around to changing my name on that site.....Thanks all for your input. If you got any other ideas or suggestions let me know!!

Hi Steve, sorry if it embarrassed you. I've actually joined your website forum and left a posting.

Oh no not at all....it's an old... old screen name I used. I think I've been posting there for about 10 years now....scary. Probably time I changed that screen name to something more relevant to my passion - history. Hey thanks for coming the site. it appreciated!