July 6 - Putting it Together
We're back! The previous absence was due to a number of things, but all those have been cleared up now. Progress is still being made on this game, and it's happening faster than ever. Currently we're adding detail to Ga-Koro in the form of pottery, beds, and other things being placed inside of the Ga-Koro huts. I can assure you that everything is looking beautiful, more so than before. Keep checking back for more updates!
January 26 - Plan, Plan, Plan
We've been doing a lot of planning over the last few days. We're working on deciding how we want the skill system to work in BIONICLE: Universe. Currently, we're thinking about having a skill system similar to that of Skyrim, where you have to gain a level in a certain number of skills to progress to the next character level, although you can gain these levels in any skill. The exact skills we'll include are still undecided, although a few have been set in stone. Here's a quick breakdown of the skills so far:
Physical Attack - This skill determines your prowess with physical weapons, like swords and bows. Increasing it applies a higher damage multiplier to these kinds of weapons, even an elemental weapon like a fire sword, but only to the damage from the sword, not the fire. It also increases the hit chance from these kinds of weapons. You gain experience points for each point of damage you do to an opponent, meaning that the rate at which it levels up remains fairly constant throughout the player's journey.
Physical Defense - This skill describes how well a player can defend themselves against physical attacks, like those from a Rahi or a hit from a Makuta's staff. Increasing it decreases the hit chance of your opponent as well as decreasing a modifier applied to the damage you take. You gain Physical Defense experience per point of damage you take.
Elemental Attack - This skill represents the player's ability to use his or her elemental powers.When you're a Matoran, it's practically impossible to advance, although when you become a Toa it skyrockets. Increasing this skill increases a modifier applied to any elemental attacks the player makes, including elemental damage from an elemental weapon, like a fire sword. Like Physical Attack, this skill gains experience when you deal elemental damage.
Elemental Defense - This skill is actually six, one for each element. As you fight enemies representing a certain element, like Rahi native to Ga-Koro or a Gahlok, you gain experience in the corresponding Elemental Defense skill, in this example Elemental Defense (Water). This skill also factors in slightly when fighting various enemies, giving you combat bonuses when fighting an enemy you're skilled at defending against. Like the Physical Defense, this skill gains experience per point of damage you take.
Mask Use -Finally, masks. This skill makes the effects of your masks more powerful, and allows you to sustain them during combat easier. Whenever you take damage and are using a mask, you have a certain chance of "forgetting" to maintain that mask, meaning that its effects fade out. This chance is made higher with higher damage but decreased with a higher Mask use skill. For example, if you were using a Hau, the Mask of Shielding, a high Mask Use would let your shield block a lot of damage and would let you maintain your shield in the middle of a heated battle. This skill gains experience based on the amount of time you use your mask for.
If you'd like to help us decide these skills AND have a useful skill to offer (3D model creation, Unity knowledge, programming experience, 2D texture creation, music composing, dialogue writing, etc), head on over to the BIONICLE: Next Generation official site, register an account, and head on over to Projects>BIONICLE: Universe RPG and make a post in the RPG planning topic introducing yourself.
Physical Attack - This skill determines your prowess with physical weapons, like swords and bows. Increasing it applies a higher damage multiplier to these kinds of weapons, even an elemental weapon like a fire sword, but only to the damage from the sword, not the fire. It also increases the hit chance from these kinds of weapons. You gain experience points for each point of damage you do to an opponent, meaning that the rate at which it levels up remains fairly constant throughout the player's journey.
Physical Defense - This skill describes how well a player can defend themselves against physical attacks, like those from a Rahi or a hit from a Makuta's staff. Increasing it decreases the hit chance of your opponent as well as decreasing a modifier applied to the damage you take. You gain Physical Defense experience per point of damage you take.
Elemental Attack - This skill represents the player's ability to use his or her elemental powers.When you're a Matoran, it's practically impossible to advance, although when you become a Toa it skyrockets. Increasing this skill increases a modifier applied to any elemental attacks the player makes, including elemental damage from an elemental weapon, like a fire sword. Like Physical Attack, this skill gains experience when you deal elemental damage.
Elemental Defense - This skill is actually six, one for each element. As you fight enemies representing a certain element, like Rahi native to Ga-Koro or a Gahlok, you gain experience in the corresponding Elemental Defense skill, in this example Elemental Defense (Water). This skill also factors in slightly when fighting various enemies, giving you combat bonuses when fighting an enemy you're skilled at defending against. Like the Physical Defense, this skill gains experience per point of damage you take.
Mask Use -Finally, masks. This skill makes the effects of your masks more powerful, and allows you to sustain them during combat easier. Whenever you take damage and are using a mask, you have a certain chance of "forgetting" to maintain that mask, meaning that its effects fade out. This chance is made higher with higher damage but decreased with a higher Mask use skill. For example, if you were using a Hau, the Mask of Shielding, a high Mask Use would let your shield block a lot of damage and would let you maintain your shield in the middle of a heated battle. This skill gains experience based on the amount of time you use your mask for.
If you'd like to help us decide these skills AND have a useful skill to offer (3D model creation, Unity knowledge, programming experience, 2D texture creation, music composing, dialogue writing, etc), head on over to the BIONICLE: Next Generation official site, register an account, and head on over to Projects>BIONICLE: Universe RPG and make a post in the RPG planning topic introducing yourself.
December 21 - A Quick Update
Hello, everyone! If you're reading this then chances are you came back to this site. Congratulations! I just wanted to give you a quick overview of all the progress we've been making recently on the RPG.
We're currently fleshing out the crafting system. It looks at this point that crafting will initially be done primarily be other Matoran, but once you gain a few levels you'll find an item that lets you craft weapons and armor in your home. You'll be able to make weapons with powerful elemental abilities, armor that provides special bonuses to elemental abilities, and tool to aid you in day-to-day life as a Matoran. Scripting all this will take quite some time, but once it's done you're sure to love it! I'll try to make a new post every two weeks or so, so check back often to get all the latest news on BIONICLE: Universe.
We're currently fleshing out the crafting system. It looks at this point that crafting will initially be done primarily be other Matoran, but once you gain a few levels you'll find an item that lets you craft weapons and armor in your home. You'll be able to make weapons with powerful elemental abilities, armor that provides special bonuses to elemental abilities, and tool to aid you in day-to-day life as a Matoran. Scripting all this will take quite some time, but once it's done you're sure to love it! I'll try to make a new post every two weeks or so, so check back often to get all the latest news on BIONICLE: Universe.
December 3 - Welcome!
Welcome to the official website of BIONICLE: Universe, the first Role-Playing Game produced by BIONICLE: Next Generation.
What is a Role-Playing Game?
A Role-Playing Game is a game in which you can choose to do many different things. Popular examples of games in this genre are The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, The Legend of Zelda series, and the Final Fantasy series. Games in this genre often feature large virtual worlds to explore, immersion quests to complete, and a wide selection of skills to level up. BIONICLE: Universe aims to include all of these features.
Role-Playing Games sound cool, but what about BIONICLE: Universe? What exactly is BIONICLE, anyways?
The word "BIONICLE" refers to a toy line manufactured by The LEGO Group from 2001 until 2010. This toy line featured customizable action figures, collectible masks and disks, and an action-packed story. Explaining it all would take too long, so it is reccomended that you read the BioSector01 Wiki Timeline article.
So how will you turn that into a game? The BIONICLE story is obviously written for six main heroes, not one. Will I have to play with my friends?
No. Although BIONICLE: Universe won't stray from the canon BIONICLE world, the story it includes will be non-canon, meaning that the development team is creating the story from scratch. Many of the canon characters will be used, but they will be used in such a way as to allow for a single player. No multiplayer mode is currently scheduled for development, although that idea is not completely off the table.
What all will I be able to do in BIONICLE: Universe? You mentioned quests, skills, and world exploration. How will these be implemented?
There will be one main story quest, which is necessary for unlocking areas other than the starting area. That story quest will take you in search of a lost friend, but will quickly reveal a large, complex plot. We can't tell you very much now, but suffice to say that the main story will keep you entertained for many, many hours. If you happen to finish the main story quest (or if you just want a break) there will be many small side quests, which will be things like traveling to a certain location or talking to certain characters. Side quests can only be completed once. For people who enjoy repeating simple, mindless actions for minimal reward, there will be a lot of tasks, such as gathering wood or killing certain enemies. Tasks can be repeated as much as one would like.
The skills of BIONICLE: Universe are based around actions in the BIONICLE world. There will be one skill for "physical" combat, meaning both melee and ranged attacks. Weapons that use this skill are swords, disk launchers, a bow and arrows, etc. In most Role-Playing Games this skill is split into two skills, ranged and melee, but the development team feels that the unique nature of the BIONICLE universe demands that ranged and melee be combined. In addition, there is an "elemental" skill which allows you to harness the power of either Fire, Air, Water, Ice, Stone, or Earth. These elements were chosen because they are the six main elements in the canon BIONICLE universe. There will be separate defense skills for physical and elemental combat, meaning that a character could have very good elemental defense but still be weak against physical attacks.
The BIONICLE universe, however, is not crafted around combat. Usually, the challenges that characters in the canon BIONICLE story face require reasoning and intellect to conquer. Thus, most of the skills available in BIONICLE: Universe are not combat-related. There will be skills for riding animals, talking to people, searching for goods, bartering prices in shops, and many more abilities. The skill selection draws inspiration from the skills of the popular tabletop Role-Playing Game Dungeons & Dragons as well as a few online Role-Playing Games.
There will be quests, and thus rewards, for exploring the world you find yourself in. There will be a great many forests featuring a great many paths. Down these paths, available for the taking, will be rare masks and weapons. Through these simple ideas, BIONICLE: Universe will reward curious and thorough players.
Wow, that sounds like a lot of work. Do you guys need help?
We can always use more hands around the shop, so to speak. We currently employ two free programs, Blender and Unity3D, for most of the game creation process. If you are skilled with either of these programs, or are just starting to work with them, we can use your help. If you are able to create three-dimensional computer models using another program, such as Cheetah3D or Maya, we can certainly use your help. If you are skilled at making two-dimensional computer images, such as an image of the grain in wood or the skin of a fish, we can use your help. If you are able to write computer code in javascript, we can use your help. Head on over to the BIONICLE: Next Generation website and sign up! Then, send a private message to either DethRaid or Tosha96, or post in the RPG board, and the development team will help you get started working on this project.
What is a Role-Playing Game?
A Role-Playing Game is a game in which you can choose to do many different things. Popular examples of games in this genre are The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, The Legend of Zelda series, and the Final Fantasy series. Games in this genre often feature large virtual worlds to explore, immersion quests to complete, and a wide selection of skills to level up. BIONICLE: Universe aims to include all of these features.
Role-Playing Games sound cool, but what about BIONICLE: Universe? What exactly is BIONICLE, anyways?
The word "BIONICLE" refers to a toy line manufactured by The LEGO Group from 2001 until 2010. This toy line featured customizable action figures, collectible masks and disks, and an action-packed story. Explaining it all would take too long, so it is reccomended that you read the BioSector01 Wiki Timeline article.
So how will you turn that into a game? The BIONICLE story is obviously written for six main heroes, not one. Will I have to play with my friends?
No. Although BIONICLE: Universe won't stray from the canon BIONICLE world, the story it includes will be non-canon, meaning that the development team is creating the story from scratch. Many of the canon characters will be used, but they will be used in such a way as to allow for a single player. No multiplayer mode is currently scheduled for development, although that idea is not completely off the table.
What all will I be able to do in BIONICLE: Universe? You mentioned quests, skills, and world exploration. How will these be implemented?
There will be one main story quest, which is necessary for unlocking areas other than the starting area. That story quest will take you in search of a lost friend, but will quickly reveal a large, complex plot. We can't tell you very much now, but suffice to say that the main story will keep you entertained for many, many hours. If you happen to finish the main story quest (or if you just want a break) there will be many small side quests, which will be things like traveling to a certain location or talking to certain characters. Side quests can only be completed once. For people who enjoy repeating simple, mindless actions for minimal reward, there will be a lot of tasks, such as gathering wood or killing certain enemies. Tasks can be repeated as much as one would like.
The skills of BIONICLE: Universe are based around actions in the BIONICLE world. There will be one skill for "physical" combat, meaning both melee and ranged attacks. Weapons that use this skill are swords, disk launchers, a bow and arrows, etc. In most Role-Playing Games this skill is split into two skills, ranged and melee, but the development team feels that the unique nature of the BIONICLE universe demands that ranged and melee be combined. In addition, there is an "elemental" skill which allows you to harness the power of either Fire, Air, Water, Ice, Stone, or Earth. These elements were chosen because they are the six main elements in the canon BIONICLE universe. There will be separate defense skills for physical and elemental combat, meaning that a character could have very good elemental defense but still be weak against physical attacks.
The BIONICLE universe, however, is not crafted around combat. Usually, the challenges that characters in the canon BIONICLE story face require reasoning and intellect to conquer. Thus, most of the skills available in BIONICLE: Universe are not combat-related. There will be skills for riding animals, talking to people, searching for goods, bartering prices in shops, and many more abilities. The skill selection draws inspiration from the skills of the popular tabletop Role-Playing Game Dungeons & Dragons as well as a few online Role-Playing Games.
There will be quests, and thus rewards, for exploring the world you find yourself in. There will be a great many forests featuring a great many paths. Down these paths, available for the taking, will be rare masks and weapons. Through these simple ideas, BIONICLE: Universe will reward curious and thorough players.
Wow, that sounds like a lot of work. Do you guys need help?
We can always use more hands around the shop, so to speak. We currently employ two free programs, Blender and Unity3D, for most of the game creation process. If you are skilled with either of these programs, or are just starting to work with them, we can use your help. If you are able to create three-dimensional computer models using another program, such as Cheetah3D or Maya, we can certainly use your help. If you are skilled at making two-dimensional computer images, such as an image of the grain in wood or the skin of a fish, we can use your help. If you are able to write computer code in javascript, we can use your help. Head on over to the BIONICLE: Next Generation website and sign up! Then, send a private message to either DethRaid or Tosha96, or post in the RPG board, and the development team will help you get started working on this project.