BrowserQuests Online RPG

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tvance929
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Re: BrowserQuests

Post by tvance929 »

Fantastic! I'm a software dev too so I look forward to the engine being opened up!!! Great project, best of luck!!!
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Senyors
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New BrowserQuests Module/Game Reset

Post by Senyors »

In development for over three months, a brand new origin-story module "Coming of Age" has been uploaded to the BrowserQuests™ server and is now ready for play! Because the story takes place BEFORE the original story developed back in 2016--and to integrate a wide variety of new updates and features into the game engine as well--the entire server has also been reset; previous players can still log in as before, but all past play is gone in favor of the new module and new experience.

The "Coming of Age" module introduces players to the Sisalus fantasy world and primary Mairigan continent where all game play takes place. After deciding on an initial player class, race and gender, players find themselves within the Village of Tabin Sislan Church, summoned there to accept a new quest and begin their career as an adventurer. The module is heavy on storytelling and light on combat, as it's intended to provide a general introduction to the overall BrowserQuests™ experience and how a text-based game can still be a lot of fun.

Again, the intent with the game is to provide the feel of a single player having a conversation with a separate gamemaster (GM). So, rather than build yet another graphics-based, action RPG (as there are already hundreds of them out there), a "conversational" RPG was developed instead, one that plays out like a standard tabletop, paper-and-pencil experience with a player interacting with a GM and leveraging the Basic Fantasy RPG ruleset. Note that the BrowserQuests™ engine is completely web-based, meaning that future content--potentially developed by new authors wishing to take advantage of the system and develop their own modules and quests--can do so simply through their browser (more about the authoring capabilities of the system soon).

Next up will be the rebuilding of the original content (a total of four quests, to be repackaged as a single module entitled "To Watch It All Burn"). That work has already started and the goal will be to have it in place by the end of April. For now, create a new character, embark on some new quests, learn about the history and culture of Mairiga, and help your home village of Tabin in its time of need!
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Scott Mark Huelsman
Waunakee, WI 53597
https://browserquests.com
https://scottymark.com
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Senyors
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Beta Version of BrowserQuests™ Now Available!

Post by Senyors »

I wanted to let the Basic Fantasy RPG community know that my initial BETA version of BrowserQuests™ is now LIVE and available at http://beta.browserquests.com.

For those who may not know, the BrowserQuests™ online RPG allows an individual player to interact with a virtual gamemaster, a single-player experience that reads almost like an interactive novel but features common rules and elements from the Basic Fantasy RPG system. I started working on the platform over six years ago, originally building an "alpha" version that served as a proof of concept. After spending this past summer rebuilding the framework, I now have an improved and fully redesigned beta version available for anyone who'd like to try it out--the game is free and only requires a valid email address to register. Note that if you did register for the original alpha version, you'll need to register again for the beta release.

From a player perspective, I've redesigned the game so that players can actually build a new character from scratch, choosing from the four classic races (dwarf, elf, halfling and human), the four primary classes (cleric, fighter, magic-user and thief), generating random ability and behavior scores, then selecting a gender, visual avatar and name. The user interface has also been redesigned, simplified to be more intuitive and easier to play. The original two modules developed for the platform remain but the introductory story has been changed somewhat to allow new players to first equip their characters.

Under the hood, the entire system was augmented to allow outside, vetted authors an opportunity to develop, build, playtest and manage their own quests, modules and even entire campaigns. While all such content will be assigned to the default "Sisalus" fantasy world, the system is basically wide open for new development (see http://beta.browserquests.com/Authors/Authors-Overview for introductory details regarding potential authoring). I've also added details regarding the Sisalus fantasy world to the game's ruleset at http://beta.browserquests.com/Ruleset/Fantasy-World.

As with the original alpha version of the system, I'm basically looking for anyone who has a little time to give the game a try and let me know what they think. While I'm considering this a "beta" release, it's all very new so there are bound to be bugs and things I missed. So, please try the system if you can, and feel free to reach out to me with your comments (appropriate links are provided at the bottom of the BrowserQuests™ player interface if you're so inclined). Thanks everyone!
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Scott Mark Huelsman
Waunakee, WI 53597
https://browserquests.com
https://scottymark.com
Rosisha
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Re: BrowserQuests Online RPG

Post by Rosisha »

Hey I just signed up! I wrote the Shepherds of Pineford in AA1, so saw that you had mentioned it was on the system. Is it? I'd love to see it in action!
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Senyors
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Re: BrowserQuests Online RPG

Post by Senyors »

Sorry, Jason, but I only included one of the quests from AA1 ("Beneath Brymassen"), doing so more as a test to see what I could do with it. Honestly, I'm not sure where BrowserQuests is headed, but the system could certainly accommodate your module if you wanted to build it. I could even integrate it into my original campaign. If that interests you, let me know and we can talk about it!
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Scott Mark Huelsman
Waunakee, WI 53597
https://browserquests.com
https://scottymark.com
Rosisha
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Re: BrowserQuests Online RPG

Post by Rosisha »

Absolutely! I'm really liking this and plan on showing it to other people too if that's okay! This is awesome and super fun!
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Senyors
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Re: BrowserQuests Online RPG

Post by Senyors »

I'm really happy to hear that! Yes, by all means, share with whomever you can, especially here within the BF RPG community!

While I've developed an entire form-based online toolset to implement and manage quests, modules and even entire campaigns (https://beta.browserquests.com/Authors/Authors-Overview), there's a LOT to know and you'd certainly need to be dedicated; just like a regular tabletop gamemaster needing to do a lot of work to prepare an adventure for a group of friends, the BrowserQuests system requires just as much work (if not more) to create and manage a quest or module (small collection of quests) online (although with BrowserQuests, your stories can potentially reach a world-wide audience). So, we'd want to talk about expectations before doing anything else.

We can continue this thread here if you wish. Alternatively, feel free to email me at gamemaster@browserquests.com or message me live on my Discord channel at https://discord.gg/crcHcdC.
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Scott Mark Huelsman
Waunakee, WI 53597
https://browserquests.com
https://scottymark.com
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Blazeguard
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Re: BrowserQuests Online RPG

Post by Blazeguard »

Just checked this out today and am having a blast with it.

A couple of things that I noticed (so far).
1 - On the mini-map, it would be nice if the whole square was clickable instead of just the number in the square. Some of them (like the '1') are pretty small and can be a little hard to click on.
2 - I just got to Kathleen and defeated the monsters at the gate but even though Redfern has a sling, when I selected ranged attack, it said he had no ranged weapon.

Great work on this so far!!
The problem with doing something really stupid to impress people is that they may just be impressed by how stupid you really are.
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toddlyons
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Re: BrowserQuests Online RPG

Post by toddlyons »

I finished the cellar adventure and am just about to venture out into town.

Good job!
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Senyors
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Re: BrowserQuests Online RPG

Post by Senyors »

Thanks for the wonderful feedback--it's very much appreciated!

Honestly, I'm struggling with BrowserQuests at the moment. While I've poured close to seven years into it now, the fact is that for every person who plays through it, there are some 15-20 who abandon the game even before they leave the initial shopkeeper encounter. Something is wrong with the game's presentation I fear and I'm not sure of how to proceed (or even IF to proceed).

So, any feedback regarding how to make the game more interesting and playable would be most welcome. For example, would it help if I added voice narration to the game? Is it too wordy? Should I think about replacing a lot of the interface with something more visual, such as a first-person view of the current area (or, similarly, displaying a large grid on the screen)? At this point, I'm open to any and all suggestions!

But thanks again for trying BrowserQuests and passing on the great feedback!
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Scott Mark Huelsman
Waunakee, WI 53597
https://browserquests.com
https://scottymark.com
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