Friday, June 24, 2011

FOnline: 2077 -> FOnline: Wasteland 2155

Hello!

New forum was established for the project. Together with it, we have decided to change the project's name to the final one - FOnline: Wasteland 2155.

All further announcements about the project, as well as various requests for those who want to help develop the server, information about upcoming beta tests and other things will be put on:

www.wasteland2155.net

For now, only forum is there. Make sure you've read topic about Forum Rules before registering.

Soon, there will be a website as well.
This blog will most likely not be updated any longer.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Current progress

Our team is working at the moment on following features:
- dialogues - every single dialogue file is going to be written from the scratch, or completely rewritten from what was in Fallout 1. There will be no copy-paste; we're going to create a world with interesting NPCs and even more interesting dialogues. Part of them is already done and according to our testers, they are really good. Nevertheless, our writers have a big job and it will take some time before most of NPCs are ready,
- maps - various maps are being created and those already existing improved; we're not gonna stop till they are all of at least good quality,
- skills - they're almost done and need testing - this will happen in the next CBT; all non-combat skills were reworked and you can be sure that skills such as lockpick, steal, traps or gambling will be handy,
- encounters - they are being made from a scratch and you can expect many interesting encounters here and there; friendly ones and those who will be your deadly enemies; we're gonna make sure that some of them will be a challenge even for organised groups of high level characters, so beware!
- many others, smaller things - we'll keep you informed.

We planned CBT in April, but it was postponed and will happen as a bigger test later, with more content and game mechanics to be tested. As always, we'll announce it here.

Q: When can we expect the release?
A: We have a boring answer for you here, saying "When it's done". We're not gonna release completely bugged and partially done server - it'll be later and thus, it'll better.

Q: Is there any forum established for this project yet?
A: No, but it will be later, certainly, probably along with changing the project's working name from "2077" to the more appropriate, and final one. Of course it will be announced on this blog.

Q: I'm worried that 2077's ruleset will be to harsh. Will it be?
A: It might be harsh when compared to "open" servers, but there is no option that you'd get a warning for shooting someone without a reason. Ruleset will apply mostly to prevent using exploits, bots and other abuse, and less to your behaviour in game. Of course, going beyond a reasonable limit of insults and curses will not be tolerated, as well as insulting the player instead of his character. Same with not using out-of-character chat while talking about out-of-character things, or things like some nasty racist flood. While it may seem a bit uncomfortable at first glance, we're pretty sure you'll just get used to it. After all, we're going to make gameplay enjoyable and not painful.

Base maps

In the early concept of 2077, there was no place for individual players to set up a base, which would be invisible for others. Basing on players' opinions about it, we quickly came to a conclusion that we should include bases in the mod and started working on it. We have designed a simple but efficient mechanics of the bases, where one can set it up without putting much effort into it (as long as we're not talking about bottle caps, as more interesting bases are as always - more expensive), same with making it visible or invisible for others. Our mappers have already made some maps that are used as base maps:

Basement of a ruined house
An old shack
A small house

The first one is a part of a ruined house. Sadly, only its basement survived the Great War and is still intact, while the part on the surface is demolished a bit (and not included above).
The second one is an old shack, which can be your shelter in the desert. While not too comfortable, it's gonna be easy to be found and adapted as a base, so it might be the best option for a start.
The last one is an abandoned house in a quite good condition, though getting one will be probably not so simple.

All of these maps were made recently by Wichura, following the earlier designs. As you probably have noticed, they are all houses more or less - there are already few base types more (and very different when compared to them) but we're not gonna uncover all the details yet. We aim at about ten base types at the time of the release, but there will be no problem with adding more as long as they are of good quality.

Also, you'll be able to customise them a bit and by customising, we don't mean just putting junk of some sort on the ground.


FOnline UT Mod

Meanwhile, a side-project called "FOnline UT Mod" was created by John. It's a sophisticated script supposed to fulfill all the needs of those who don't care much about roleplaying, but rather want a piece of action in fast-paced arena battles. It allows you to set up a fight easily, using a map of your choice. Who knows, maybe one day we'll release a server with few maps designed for "FOnline UT mod", where you could jump into action in no time, without leveling your characters and worrying about picking up a wrong build, or getting your equipment. It would be connected to a website with statistics, listing best players (most kills, most critical hits, best kill/death ratio and others) or even containing a small league for team battles. Interesting, eh? Some screenshots from "FOnline UT mod" small testing here:

Screenshot 1
Screenshot 2
Screenshot 3
Screenshot 4

Keep in mind that UT mod is not a part of 2077 server - it's a side-project which might be released in the future as another server, PvP-focused.


Announcements

We're currently looking for a person that can make small fallout-style graphical details, as few scenery images for a mapper and also, few items images for inventory. If you think you're good at graphics editing, mail us at fonline2077@gmail.com. If it is good, we'll place it in the final release and you'll be listed in credits.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

To make some things clear

As most of you probably guessed, the last news was an April Fools joke :)

We are a bit surprised that we fooled so many people with our little joke and we hope also that you're not too deeply disappointed :P Do not take our last news too seriously :) However, the part about a working anti-alt system which is already implemented is real.

Also, as we mentioned long ago, "2077" has nothing to do with our server except being its temporary name, set in times where we had no idea about what we are going to design. As you might expect, action will take place closer to Fallout 1 times. The project will be officially renamed in the future.

For now, we're still busy with development and you can be sure that any beta test, where you could participate, will be announced in some better time than 01.04 ;)

Friday, April 1, 2011

A Big Day Tommorow!

After a long and fruitful development process, the FOnline 2077 Team is proud to announce that we are launching the Open Beta tommorow. To play on our server, you will be required to register via a form that is going to appear on this website exactly at 00:00 GMT+1.
To give you a taste of the things to come, here are some key features that we already have implemented:
- a working anti-alt system which was specifically designed to operate with our new and improved character mechanics; only 1 character per player is allowed!
- characters can advance to level 30 and can be tailored to suit your particular needs; now you can choose whether you want to be a mechanic, a scientist or a soldier
- no "jack of all trades" characters to increase realism and force player interaction
- a new and enhanced crafting system based on resource mining and inteligent use of time sinks to prevent flooding the wastes with hi-tech items
- an improved banking system accounting for things like inflation, deflation and stock exchange mood shifts
- over 80 new and exciting perks
- the ability to join both the Brotherhood of Steel and the Enclave and wield high tech weaponry in our redesigned PvP battlespace, including Powered Armors, Nuclear Grenades, Gauss Support Weapons and more
- a dynamic quest system assigning demanding tasks to player factions on a weekly basis
- an entirely new food mechanic, including starvation, dehydration and food poisoning
... and more!
Of course that doesn't mean we aren't going to add any features in future - expect at least monthly updates based on your feedback on our suggestion forums. We hope you're going to enjoy playing on our server as much as we enjoyed creating it.

Regards,
2077team

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Two desperate men and the postapocalyptic roulette

Kurt - a streetwise bouncer from Hub, or so he declares. His dream is to become a raider and gain fame as the greatest scourge wasteland has ever seen. Starting his own gang is going to cost him a lot of money. Getting 2500 caps together took him 5 months of hard work. He knows he was born for greater things. He can't afford to wait any longer. He is ready to make the bet of a lifetime.

Roy - says he used to be a Khan, but they weren't hardcore enough for him. His ambition is to be the sole beneficient of the entire pimp business of Junktown. Sadly, he's also a gambling addict - and he's in debt with the wrong people. To pay them back, he had to borrow from Gizmo. He knows it wouldn't be wise to get on the fat man's bad side. He knows he has to double up, or he's done for - and he's willing to go all the way.

Kurt and Roy are going to play a game. The rules are simple - two revolvers, two bullets in each one, the winner takes it all. They're betting 2500 caps on their lives in a game of post-apocalyptic Russian roulette. You, the readers of this blog, will be the first to witness this tragedy which undoubtedly gives testimony the harshness of post-nuclear California.

(Please watch using full screen)

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Summary of first CBT.

The first closed beta test on 2077 has ended. More than 20 testers selected for CBT participated in the test and during three days, more than 150 various characters were created and played. There were also two events lasting few hours each, where we could test team combat.



The results allowed us to make some changes to characters statistics, weapons and game mechanics. Few further changes are needed to create a well-balanced combat system for our roleplaying server.

Thanks to all testers - you all helped us much and without you, various tests wouldn't be possible at all. We will do our best to create roleplaying server with decent gameplay experience.

Right now, we'll start working on things other than combat - there is still much to work on. After we complete another large part of game's content, we are gonna to launch another test. Don't forget to visit our devblog from time to time to see what's new - we'll keep informing you about our progress :)

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

A news about upcoming CBT.

Due to the large number of applications for upcoming combat CBT, we have now enough testers to start it. Thus, please do not send any new applications, as they will be rejected. Thank you all for your interest, if you didn't make it this time, don't worry, there will be more tests coming in the future!

Our small combat test will start in several days, after we finish our preparations to start it. All players that were approved for it will be notified by an email containing the details.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Closed beta test & new models

You can sign up now for closed beta tests of combat system on 2077 server! Please send an email to fonline2077@gmail.com. Also, include your nickname and an answer to the following questions:

- how long do you play FOnline? (doesn't matter which server),
- what is your combat experience in FOnline?
- why do you want to participate in our test?

We will expect from our testers that they focus on helping us in balancing combat system, as well as report possible bugs. CBT will take few days.

The number of testers will be limited. Players chosen by us will be sent an email just before the closed beta test with additional info. We will contact with testers via IRC and in-game. CBT will most likely start in second half of February 2011.

As promised, today we show you few models that will be used in our mod. We do not show all, however; you will find others on your own :)

Models come from NMA and all credit for creating them goes to: x'il, .Pixote., Gr1m Reaper, Mash, Grayswandir and Lexx. There is also an old "Lou" model from Fallout 1 which you should remember well.










Sunday, January 23, 2011

New features: hotkeys and special items. First CBT coming soon!

We would like to present you some of new features on 2077 server, mostly involving combat:
- autoaim modes,
- reload hotkey,
- stimpak hotkey,
- autorun,
- mechanics of Motion Sensor,
- mechanics of Stealth Boy.

See our video below:



There are more such interesting items as Motion Sensor - we are going to show you some of them, and let you discover rest of them by yourself when OBT starts.

There will be a small Closed Beta Test on 2077 server in late February 2011. About 15-25 players will be invited to it. As we realise that proper balancing of combat takes much time, it will be focused on PvP only. We want to test and make changes (if needed) to:
- weapons, their damage, range and other properties,
- ammo modificators,
- resists and thresholds of armors,
- combat perks and traits,
- critical tables.

If you are an experienced player of FOnline and you are able to report bugs and balance issues effectively, we can probably use your help. However, don't ask us for it yet - details will be announced in a week or two, then you can apply. Right now, few testers are testing weapons and armors so we can start CBT with some basic PvP system.

Thanks for visiting our devblog, don't miss the next update! We'll show you some of additional player/NPC models that we put in the game.