Posted October 20, 2020
Behind the Horizon..
- is an epic role playing game with 50-200 hours of gameplay and a mystical story
- is based on a nature simulation that simulates climate, weather, soil, plants and animals
- is a farm game with crafting and housing
- has a huge handmade very lively and ever changing world
- includes large underground caves and catacombs with traps, puzzles and many monsters
- has 5 weapon types and a complex magic system
- has many residents who go about their daily business and with whom you can talk and who let you participate in their lives
------------------------------------
Here you can find all links to my RPG, Farming and Nature Simulation Game:
The old trailer of the game can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2plFjXjQKU
Because a lot has changed already (the trailer is about 1 year old) I have recorded some more gameplay videos:
Fighting in the Caves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hheDmkw0i4
Take a walk in the wilderness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1UqIAkAIlQ
Visiting Woodhome: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9C1hD0wEac
The Farm: https://youtu.be/pJ9xXtgniO4
..and here the most actual Gameplay Video: A new day: https://youtu.be/bipJLAzlw7I
My link to my page on itch.io with all articles, sceenshots and devlogs and currently the only place to test and buy the game:
https://jadawin1.itch.io/behind-the-horizon
Link to the Wishlist her on GOG:
https://www.gog.com/wishlist/games/behind_the_horizon
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I would be glad to get your opinion and every feedback on the game :-) !
Hello, community,
Today I would like to tell you something about the graphic in Behind the Horizon. Since I am mainly a game designer and programmer I had to start from scratch in the graphical area and often had to rely on other generous artists who provide their textures and sprites as OpenArt. Therefore there are inevitably different graphic styles in my game, which is perceived as disturbing by some. But I have found that after a short time it doesn't matter anymore and in some "magical" way ;-) everything fits together again. It's the athmosphere that carries the game and the many possibilities and stories that Behind the Horizon is focused on.
It was especially difficult to find animated sprites, which had to be available in many ariations (NPCs) for my game. The NPCs should be easily distinguishable and in the end I decided to use an OpenArt Online Sprite Generator and then manually enhance them and add animations if needed. This serves its purpose well. I would have liked to add more animals of the wilderness, like squirrels, foxes, wild cats etc... but unfortunately there was little choice and creating my own
animations proved to be so time-consuming that it would have doubled the already giganitic time needed for the game. In the caves I decided to use the technique of ambient occlusion, because it's simply more exciting if you don't see everything immediately and turn around a corner and discover a surprise (good or bad) there. The corresponding part of the program was quite complicated, because it should be fast enough to handle many light sources and it is calculated on the CPU. With the third attempt it worked and I think it does its purpose and contributed a lot to the atmosphere in the dark caves.
The graphical interface is almost completely designed by myself and it is colored in earth tones matching the theme of the game. I tried to make it clear and not overload it with too much information. It was also important to me that the handling is fluent and comfortable and one does not spend too much time in the inventory or other elements of the interface.
Hello, community,
Today I want to tell you something about the nature simulation in Behind the Horizon. In the beginning programming the simulation was my only goal and it is now the base of all other systems in my game. At first I tried a very complicated approach with many parameters, but I soon realized that this would become much too complicated for the player. So I created the simulation based on 4 essential factors. These are: ...temperature, light, humidity and nutrients. All plants have a "feel-good" area for each value in which they grow and a duration of days they can endure extreme conditions. If there is no improvement afterwards, they die.
Nutrients are in a constant cycle and are absorbed and released back into the soil after death. A lack of nutrients is the quickest way to kill a plant. Animals also belong to this cycle by eating plants and excreting them again. Some farm animals can even be used selectively to fertilize the soil.
Water enters the soil through rain or snow, but also through fog and through adjacent water or swamp fields. Many desert plants can survive almost indefinitely without water, but then they also stop growing. Depending on the type of soil, part of the water gained seeps away again and is not usable for the plants. In sunny weather a lot of water evaporates. Ground cover and trees help to minimise evaporation.
The temperature depends on the weather and the season and peaks in midsummer. Plants that prefer a cooler climate usually grow only in the north. At temperatures below zero degrees, rain falls as snow and gradually forms a solid snow cover, which also thaws only slowly. Ponds also freeze at low temperatures and can then be entered.
The light intensity changes according to the season and is of course lower under trees. Some plants do not tolerate direct sunlight in summer.
Possibilities:
To adjust these four natural values and to grow all plants successfully on the farm there are many possibilities of influence from fertilizer and water buckets to magic crystals and spells. However, you can also make a lot of things possible by observing nature and finding combination of plants which can grow in symbiosis. For example, the temperature under trees is always a bit higher than on the bare earth.
Soils:
The quality of the soil is slowly evolving because of the plants that grow on it. The quickest way to do this is for the player to plant a field himself, because the crops give the soil the most experience. If the soil quality increases by one level, its ability to store water and nutrients usually increases, and often it is possible to plant certain more demanding crops on it.
However, as a result of certain events or natural disasters, the soil can also degenerate and thus loose quality again. There are the following soil types in my game which are important for farming: rock, loose stones, gravel, sand, sandy soil, clay, hard clay , red earth and black earth. Beyond that there are the swamp and the waters and a few more, but they do not play a big role.
Plants:
There are three different plants that can grow on a field at the same time and therefore there are many more or less successful combinations. The lowest level is formed by the ground cover, followed by the cultivated plants and above that by bushes and trees. Each plant has its individual characteristics and also produces something. These can be fruits and vegetables or flowers and alchemical substances. Everything can be used in any recipe, or sold for coins. All plants sow themselves according to the direction of the wind and reproduce themselves. If a plant is harvested, it will not multiply. The life span of a plant varies from 1 year to 10 years in the game. After that the plant dies and returns its nutrients to the earth.
Last Words:
This was a small insight into the mechanics underlying the simulation of nature. I can guarantee that every world will look different. Depending on what the player does (and there are many possibilities) and which way the plants themselves choose, the landscape changes constantly. I had already had one year where a mass death of pine trees started and large areas emptied. This area was then gradually conquered by other plants.
- is an epic role playing game with 50-200 hours of gameplay and a mystical story
- is based on a nature simulation that simulates climate, weather, soil, plants and animals
- is a farm game with crafting and housing
- has a huge handmade very lively and ever changing world
- includes large underground caves and catacombs with traps, puzzles and many monsters
- has 5 weapon types and a complex magic system
- has many residents who go about their daily business and with whom you can talk and who let you participate in their lives
------------------------------------
Here you can find all links to my RPG, Farming and Nature Simulation Game:
The old trailer of the game can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2plFjXjQKU
Because a lot has changed already (the trailer is about 1 year old) I have recorded some more gameplay videos:
Fighting in the Caves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hheDmkw0i4
Take a walk in the wilderness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1UqIAkAIlQ
Visiting Woodhome: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9C1hD0wEac
The Farm: https://youtu.be/pJ9xXtgniO4
..and here the most actual Gameplay Video: A new day: https://youtu.be/bipJLAzlw7I
My link to my page on itch.io with all articles, sceenshots and devlogs and currently the only place to test and buy the game:
https://jadawin1.itch.io/behind-the-horizon
Link to the Wishlist her on GOG:
https://www.gog.com/wishlist/games/behind_the_horizon
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I would be glad to get your opinion and every feedback on the game :-) !
Hello, community,
Today I would like to tell you something about the graphic in Behind the Horizon. Since I am mainly a game designer and programmer I had to start from scratch in the graphical area and often had to rely on other generous artists who provide their textures and sprites as OpenArt. Therefore there are inevitably different graphic styles in my game, which is perceived as disturbing by some. But I have found that after a short time it doesn't matter anymore and in some "magical" way ;-) everything fits together again. It's the athmosphere that carries the game and the many possibilities and stories that Behind the Horizon is focused on.
It was especially difficult to find animated sprites, which had to be available in many ariations (NPCs) for my game. The NPCs should be easily distinguishable and in the end I decided to use an OpenArt Online Sprite Generator and then manually enhance them and add animations if needed. This serves its purpose well. I would have liked to add more animals of the wilderness, like squirrels, foxes, wild cats etc... but unfortunately there was little choice and creating my own
animations proved to be so time-consuming that it would have doubled the already giganitic time needed for the game. In the caves I decided to use the technique of ambient occlusion, because it's simply more exciting if you don't see everything immediately and turn around a corner and discover a surprise (good or bad) there. The corresponding part of the program was quite complicated, because it should be fast enough to handle many light sources and it is calculated on the CPU. With the third attempt it worked and I think it does its purpose and contributed a lot to the atmosphere in the dark caves.
The graphical interface is almost completely designed by myself and it is colored in earth tones matching the theme of the game. I tried to make it clear and not overload it with too much information. It was also important to me that the handling is fluent and comfortable and one does not spend too much time in the inventory or other elements of the interface.
Hello, community,
Today I want to tell you something about the nature simulation in Behind the Horizon. In the beginning programming the simulation was my only goal and it is now the base of all other systems in my game. At first I tried a very complicated approach with many parameters, but I soon realized that this would become much too complicated for the player. So I created the simulation based on 4 essential factors. These are: ...temperature, light, humidity and nutrients. All plants have a "feel-good" area for each value in which they grow and a duration of days they can endure extreme conditions. If there is no improvement afterwards, they die.
Nutrients are in a constant cycle and are absorbed and released back into the soil after death. A lack of nutrients is the quickest way to kill a plant. Animals also belong to this cycle by eating plants and excreting them again. Some farm animals can even be used selectively to fertilize the soil.
Water enters the soil through rain or snow, but also through fog and through adjacent water or swamp fields. Many desert plants can survive almost indefinitely without water, but then they also stop growing. Depending on the type of soil, part of the water gained seeps away again and is not usable for the plants. In sunny weather a lot of water evaporates. Ground cover and trees help to minimise evaporation.
The temperature depends on the weather and the season and peaks in midsummer. Plants that prefer a cooler climate usually grow only in the north. At temperatures below zero degrees, rain falls as snow and gradually forms a solid snow cover, which also thaws only slowly. Ponds also freeze at low temperatures and can then be entered.
The light intensity changes according to the season and is of course lower under trees. Some plants do not tolerate direct sunlight in summer.
Possibilities:
To adjust these four natural values and to grow all plants successfully on the farm there are many possibilities of influence from fertilizer and water buckets to magic crystals and spells. However, you can also make a lot of things possible by observing nature and finding combination of plants which can grow in symbiosis. For example, the temperature under trees is always a bit higher than on the bare earth.
Soils:
The quality of the soil is slowly evolving because of the plants that grow on it. The quickest way to do this is for the player to plant a field himself, because the crops give the soil the most experience. If the soil quality increases by one level, its ability to store water and nutrients usually increases, and often it is possible to plant certain more demanding crops on it.
However, as a result of certain events or natural disasters, the soil can also degenerate and thus loose quality again. There are the following soil types in my game which are important for farming: rock, loose stones, gravel, sand, sandy soil, clay, hard clay , red earth and black earth. Beyond that there are the swamp and the waters and a few more, but they do not play a big role.
Plants:
There are three different plants that can grow on a field at the same time and therefore there are many more or less successful combinations. The lowest level is formed by the ground cover, followed by the cultivated plants and above that by bushes and trees. Each plant has its individual characteristics and also produces something. These can be fruits and vegetables or flowers and alchemical substances. Everything can be used in any recipe, or sold for coins. All plants sow themselves according to the direction of the wind and reproduce themselves. If a plant is harvested, it will not multiply. The life span of a plant varies from 1 year to 10 years in the game. After that the plant dies and returns its nutrients to the earth.
Last Words:
This was a small insight into the mechanics underlying the simulation of nature. I can guarantee that every world will look different. Depending on what the player does (and there are many possibilities) and which way the plants themselves choose, the landscape changes constantly. I had already had one year where a mass death of pine trees started and large areas emptied. This area was then gradually conquered by other plants.
Post edited October 20, 2020 by JanRobin