LOMSE-style game app for modern OSes

[entangledloops]

Hello everyone,

I'm a software developer who really loves LOMSE. I've been interested in re-creating a similar game that would have modern networking capabilities. In the past, I have reached out to Sierra on multiple occassions to inquire about the status of the IP rights for LOMSE to either license or purchase them, but have received no response from their team. Instead, I have decided to create a new game with very similar dynamics, and will hire a few artist/musician friends to help recreate the same feel that LOMSE has.

However, one problem I'm running into is recreating the combat and experience systems, since I don't have access to their original source code. If anyone here has good intuition or real knowledge regarding the game's dynamics, I would be interested in hearing from you. For example, the post-combat experience equations, marauding party random generation, trade-dynamics, etc.

Would be great to hear feedback on any of this!

Thanks

[Boaster]

Experience gained from combat is directly related to a unit's "Barter Value."

Between the original and the modded version of the game, a unit's "Barter Value" is calculated very differently. However, I'm of the opinion that with the mod the "Barter Value" equations were more balanced and had many fixes... if you ever played the game, an Assassin Lord can get a "barter value" over 20,000 alone, which is the equivalent of a robust army. He could literally auto-calc up to level 5 dungeons alone, and the auto-calc system wasn't very forgiving for solo armies.

Basically, for experience systems, you want to have it be mathematically tied to the unit's overall calculated worth.

The document that will be the most help to you will be 'gs\formpc.gs' in the GS.mpq.

The game uses a static scale, rather than a linear scale. Just as a rather simple example, say your unit has 40 attack. That 40 attack is looked up in 'combat_lookup_table'. (/attack_value{combat_lookup_table bv_attack 1 sub fixgetvalue get 2 get}bind def).

40 - 1, is 39. In the combat lookup table, we have [39 375 2496 2496]. We're getting the second value, starting from 0. 0, 1, 2... 2496. So for having 40 attack, your barter value is increased by 2496. But it's not nearly so simple, there are other multipliers and modifiers that will adjust one way or the other.

So Barter Value is calculated based upon the unit's stats.

Combat experience has a multiplier on it, where... depending on the difficulty level, and depending on what version of the game you use, provides what experience multiplier from combat you get. I think the default is 1.35.

And the original LOMSE is flawed with regards to a experience from combat in multi level dungeons.

I hope this helps someway.

[entangledloops]

Thank you Boaster, that's great information. I'll have a look at 'gs\formpc.gs' when I get home from work tonight.

Without access to the source, it would be a really mammoth task and potential lawsuit to try and recreate an exact
replica of the original. However, I am definitely interested in capturing the essence of LOMSE and trying to stay
true to the game's original behavior as much as possible. Not sure how active these forums are, but I will post
the first alpha version here.

Do you know if Mantera is still around? He was really into the game and managed an active forum.

[Boaster]

That would be me actually.

If it were possible, I would say just create an entirely similar game (with improvements and new stuff to make it unique) and call it something else.

I thought once about making a game called "Lords of Wagic" where the world/realm would be called Wagic (instead of Urak), and almost be an LOM2.

Each of the 8 Faiths would have a playable "God" (Champion type character), similar to a Balkoth for Death. "Legend" difficulty would have all other AI faiths with "God" Leaders.

And in similar vein as Age of Wonders 2, have a "Cosmos" type magic. And also to MTG, have some cross over spells that pool from multiple faiths (Gold card type magic).

The ideas that swirl in my head.

[entangledloops]

Oh, hello again Mantera! I posted to your forum (maybe this same one?) a few years ago about something, but I forget what my username was. I must say, I'm floored by your dedication to this game.

Basically, what you suggested about making a similar game is the road I've chosen to head down. I have a musician re-creating the entire original soundtrack at the moment, and I will share the audio with you as it comes out. Conveniently, my full-time job entails development in a game engine, so I have a modestly-sized and growing base of code already written for this project. Of course, my time is always stretched between work/wife/other, but this is something I've been wanting to do for a long time and have always returned to.

If you think of any other files I should have a look at for guidance, or if you have any other pointers, naturally I'm all ears. You probably know the game as well as the original developers at this point. And of course, I'll also be sure you're among the first to get copies of betas versions as they become testable.

On a side note, have you ever played this game? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disciples:_Sacred_Lands
It's basically a LOM rip off that came out 2 years later with worse graphics and less sophisticated game-play. However, it did admittedly have some nice features and if you like LOM you would probably enjoy it.

[orzie]

I remember that game. I don't remember much references to LOM there though. Age of Wonders took more from it.

[entangledloops]

There weren't direct references to LOM, it's just that the games are incredibly similar. Even the number of units you can group together is the same limit. Basically the same resources and exchanges, places to explore, etc. IMHO, LOM handled it all much better and had much more to offer.

[Boaster]

Aug 7, 2015 21:21:38 GMT -6 entangledloops said:

Oh, hello again Mantera! I posted to your forum (maybe this same one?) a few years ago about something, but I forget what my username was. I must say, I'm floored by your dedication to this game.

Basically, what you suggested about making a similar game is the road I've chosen to head down. I have a musician re-creating the entire original soundtrack at the moment, and I will share the audio with you as it comes out. Conveniently, my full-time job entails development in a game engine, so I have a modestly-sized and growing base of code already written for this project. Of course, my time is always stretched between work/wife/other, but this is something I've been wanting to do for a long time and have always returned to.

If you think of any other files I should have a look at for guidance, or if you have any other pointers, naturally I'm all ears. You probably know the game as well as the original developers at this point. And of course, I'll also be sure you're among the first to get copies of betas versions as they become testable.

On a side note, have you ever played this game? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disciples:_Sacred_Lands
It's basically a LOM rip off that came out 2 years later with worse graphics and less sophisticated game-play. However, it did admittedly have some nice features and if you like LOM you would probably enjoy it.

I can sympathize with work/wife/other. Imagine having multiple jobs, multiple hobbies, with a new house and trying to get into better physical well-being through chiropractic care.

Honestly, if I could have one job to replace all my existing ones which was also a hobby, I'd be set!

I appreciate you wanting to include me in testing. I've tested other games, to my credit. Such as the new Enhanced Edition for Baldur's Gate, and also Hinterland (from Tilted Mill, the folks who used to be Impressions Games). Do Beta testers get paid (that'd be nice right)?

I know quite a bit about the game as it stands, but I don't know all of it; and I doubt the creators retained all the information that we all seek in modifying the executable. I'm no programmer, but if I were offered a programming job with some training, I'm sure I'd be valuable (in my own estimation).

I have overcome some of the obstacles in things I wanted to modify in LOMSE, but couldn't at one time. I could potentially overcome others in time.

Nevertheless, I'd love to be a contributor and of help.