Nevergrind - HTML5 Action RPG

[Maelfyn]

Hey guys, I wanted to share this game here at P1999. I've been developing it for over 30 months in my spare time. Nevergrind is like a cross between classic Everquest, Diablo 2, and Phantasy Star. In fact it was originally designed to be a lot like Everquest. Everything from zones, quests, races, classes, and even NPCs. But over time it changed due to IP concerns and a desire to eventually monetize. Nonetheless, the game is still heavily steeped in Everquest stuffs. Check it out and see what you think. Maybe finish a few quests in between corpse runs or medding to FM. :cool:

Nevergrind (http://nevergrind.com)

Right now game data only saves locally, but I launched a Kickstarter in part to celebrate the launch of server accounts which come out next month. It's also free-to-play aside from some premium features. Any feedback you have would be cool, too.

Nevergrind on Kickstarter (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nevergrind/nevergrind-html5-action-rpg)

[loramin]

Looks interesting, and I wish you the best of luck in your endeavor.

Personally however I think I'll pass, because:

A) it seems like the entire game is just the "fight" sub-section of a real RPG
B) I'm not a fan of the name. Maybe the title is a clever riff on meta-game design, but to me ... I want to immerse myself in a fantasy environment; I don't want to just "not grind". I didn't start playing EverQuest because I wanted to grind, I joined because I wanted to quest forever ;)

But that's just my two cents, hope you find lots of folks who feel differently.

[pharmakos]

nevergrind has the pharmakos seal of approval. been playing this for almost two years now, and it has come a long way. it started out using all art from classic EverQuest (here's an old video of a Vox fight from back in those days https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8GF7Dkppoo). now Maelfyn has all original art and lore, here's a video of what its like now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djnBBZ6tv4E.

the kickstarter already has $1000 pledged to it after just a day and a half of being open, which surprised me a lot, but is pretty awesome IMO.

and yeah loramin, NeverGrind as a word is almost the opposite of what this game is. can pretty much grind forever in this game.

[jarshale]

Any game with some sort of f2p currency always makes me wary. What are these Never Crystals in the rewards?

[Manticmuse]

Will definitely check it out. I really wish Iksar was a choice though.

[Millburn]

You can't just keep bringing this to my attention all willy nilly like you keep doing Maelfyn. Each time you do I dump like an entire week into it.

[Maelfyn]

The Never Crystals are the in-game currency which will be used to purchase premium features. They won't be in the game until server accounts are released. They'll also be transferable to other future games I make (if any). In any case the game will still be completely f2p on normal difficulty.

[Maelfyn]

Loramin, if I add an overworld and random battles a la Final Fantasy, will you like it more?

[loramin]

Loramin, if I add an overworld and random battles a la Final Fantasy, will you like it more?

Well, first off I'm not sure you should even listen to my opinion :) I mean, look at Tetris: you could say "well that's just the /gems part of EverQuest without all the other good parts", but (obviously) Tetris mops the floor with EQ in terms of popularity. Similarly here, plenty of people would probably love a pure-fight game.

For me though what it all boils down to is just having some imaginary meaning to the fights. That could come in the form of a Final Fantasy-esque overworld, or it could be something entirely different. But at the end of the day I want to rescue a princess (and kill the monsters guarding her), or deliver a message a bard gave me (and kill the monsters in my way) or save up coins (that I get by killing monsters) to buy a magic sword +42. I don't want to just kill monsters.

When I think back on RPGs I've enjoyed, from Fallout 3 to EverQuest and even back to Wizardy, I remember enjoying more than just the tactical challenge of the fights. I also enjoyed exploring dungeons, seeing a new world, and talking to NPCs.

TLDR; my opinion is worthless, but if you want it then give the fights some meaning, somehow.

[Maelfyn]

Oh, I hear you. You definitely have a valid point. If I had more time and a bigger budget this game would have an overworld. At one point I actually started working on a sprite map for the overworld tiles, but ended up deciding against it. I probably never would have finished if I put the overworld in. But maybe I'll add it later. Who knows?

In any case that's the reason I focused on the battles. Plus it's a browser game and I think people expect more simplicity from a browser game. Though I'm sure HTML5 games will become more complex over time. I could basically make any 16-bit RPG in HTML5 if I had the time and budget.

[loramin]

I could basically make any 16-bit RPG in HTML5 if I had the time and budget.
*nod* totally. Hell, if you really wanted I bet you could make any 16-bit RPG in HTML 4 (I created the basic engine for an 8-bit one when I was bored once). It probably wouldn't perform very well, but you could do it :)

It's amazing what web tech can do nowadays.

[Maelfyn]

What? Come on. It would perform well! I can move thousands of particles on the screen at once.

[xKoopa]

game is annoyingly addictive, but i cant see the whole thing on my screen (bottom of game goes past my monitor)

also cant close bank lols

[Maelfyn]

You must have a really small monitor. It's only 768px tall. You can shrink the browser window and it will scale to fit. That might help. Also space bar should close any window. Or just click empty space somewhere.

[loramin]

What? Come on. It would perform well! I can move thousands of particles on the screen at once.

I meant an HTML4 version, ie. no Canvas, no SVG, just JavaScript moving DIVs around the page. I guess you might be able to make a performant 16-bit game that way, but I'd be nervous about it.

[Maelfyn]

Oh, oh, I see what you mean. Well, believe it or not, Nevergrind was entirely div-based about a year ago. Then I turned my brain on and started using canvas. It runs way better now than a year ago.

[loramin]

Then I turned my brain on and started using canvas. It runs way better now than a year ago.

:D

Oh, and I did try wind up trying the game, and it looks great. Still not my cup of tea, but at least there was more to it than just the fight screen. You might want to consider including a few shots of other screens (eg. the map screen, the inventory overlay, the talking to the guard who looks like a pirate screen, etc.) on the kickstarter page/video. Even if the fight screen is 95% of what the game is about, showing some of the other parts could make it look like more of a complete game.

[Zadrian]

I'll get it if you ever release it, but I've paid for tons of early access games - and they are somehow still in "early access" 3 years later.

[Maelfyn]

Really? Well, that's better than nothing. But I have several players already testing the actual product. It's already completed, but we're just testing for bugs. Pharmakos is one of the testers. Plus it would be a shame to miss out on those unique rewards ;) or the cupcakes.

[Klendathu]

I've dumped more time than I care to remember into Nevergrind. I play it for a week, leave it alone for a few, and when I come back, it's snazzier! (although my toons are always gone /sniff) I am looking forward to seeing what this game looks like when it's fully released.

[Zadrian]

I think I did play this when you first linked it. There were no animations as far as i can remember. Just some EQ models here and there.

[Tiggles]

Anyone else getting spam Pms from this dude?

http://i.imgur.com/wy3Uyz3.png

No i'm not going to play your shitty browser based MMO keylogging garbage.

[Maelfyn]

I don't think a single message to the exact audience most likely to be receptive to trying it would constitute spamming. Sorry you feel that way, but I either get reactions like yours or "thank you so much for sharing this". Part of the fun of marketing, I suppose.

[Tiggles]

I don't think a single message to the exact audience most likely to be receptive to trying it would constitute spamming. Sorry you feel that way, but I either get reactions like yours or "thank you so much for sharing this". Part of the fun of marketing, I suppose.

Private messaging is not to be used for marketing, you are breaking forum rules and should be banned.

[Maelfyn]

I double-checked the forum rules (https://www.project1999.com/forums/showpost.php?p=822434&postcount=5) and I didn't see anything about sharing a link to free, highly relevant games via PM. Particularly ones that have no advertising or pay wall.

If you could provide a citation, I would be happy to make adjustments. Not to get pedantic, but sharing any information could be construed as marketing, so I think that's a wide net to cast.

[stavio]

Great time killer, I enjoy myself from time to time with the game. Looking forward to see what the future holds for the game. Good Luck Maelfyn!

[Millburn]

Private messaging is not to be used for marketing, you are breaking forum rules and should be banned.

lol chill your panties Tiggles

[nilzark]

Is there more than ever clicking my mouse? I don't get it. In fact I was thinking it should be called Everclick. You can use that free of charge.

Maybe it is more fun on a phone or something, but I pretty much hate all games except Everquest, Diablo 2, MechWarrior 2, and Half-Life.

I respect your coding skills though.

[Maelfyn]

Everything is hotkeyed. 1-8 and you can use shift 1-8. There's really no need to ever click while playing this game.

[Zadrian]

Will there be a classic server?

[Maelfyn]

Sadly, no. Maybe some day.

[pharmakos]

$125 and 8 days to go. nevergrind totally deserves your money. go pledge!