I don't have money or connections to japan - so I'm not sure, if "real DM3" will be even created, but who knows?
My primary platforms are Amiga and PC, because of keyboard and mouse, but if we're talking about real market, we should consider consoles and also iPad for example. On gamepad it's possible to recreate gameplay with minimum loss, if we implement pause system ála Fallout 3 (but atmosphere of fights will be much different). Touchscreen is no problem to implement - it's only question of multitouch GUI - we should reorganize basic icons, but for gameplay it should be fine. Especialy fighting and magic - simultaneously.
My texts ARE long, I'm aware of it. But I cannot help it - when I'm writing, I have to put everything from my head to keyboard
. But I try to summarize it up for you.
First of all - my vision is creatible in Return to Chaos engine, but primary I'm thinking in modern 3D engine ála Crysis, but with step-by-step walking as usual. All GUI and basic controls will be the same, but 3D engine provides more immersive details, like looking above your head (see game Atlantis for example) and if you are looking up at some object (trought eye icon in inventory), you will see your character holding object and you can rotate and zoom it. But again - it's probably creatible in oldschool RTC engine too. I'm just refering to my dream in first place and - I'd like to create locations
like this, which is almost impossible in traditional engine with same atmosfere.
About story - I'm trying to create regular fantasy story with a twist - no attempts of filosofical Planescape Torment storyline. I'd like to tell things, which was not spoken ever before. So it should be compatible with other games. Dark fantasy motives for most parts of game - see Demon's Souls for example. Dark and depressing, with little hope at the end - Chaos's army is close...
Story - my main intentions are to tell story about Grey Lord and Lord Chaos before original games. Because I have no other clues, I created a vision of Conjoined Twins, which were separated because of two sword - NIght sword and Might sword. And thus they hated each other a long time - original Dungeon Master, Chaos Strikes Back a Dungeon Master 2 happens. In DM3 Lord Chaos create a machine "Zo-Neta" (or something), which can re-create destroyed object. Simply put ashes of Firestaff for example and you can re-create diamond with Lord Chaos's inner soul - so he can free himself for real and last time. "Zo-Neta" is not a time machine, but making things younger in term of history is primary goal. Only problem - to power this machine you need "essence of heroism". So Chaos sends his minions to capture fifteen kings of main lands in a world. Those kings are in fact old heroes from previous games - but they're older now and much powerfull - they're mighty kings or queens. But they are captured and waiting to death, when Chaos activates Zo-Neta machine.
Fortunately - young girl Thera finds all captured kings in cavern under Zo-Neta tower. Grey Lord appears and tell her to free four kings with four gems he provides. (At this point of game there will be almost no GUI, so player has no exact clue, what awaits him). Unfortunately - after freeing third king, Zo-Neta activates and kills other kings. So this is your starting party - young Thera and three powerfull kings. They run to Zo-Neta machine to destroy it, but Lord Chaos prepare a trap - whole party will be "youngered" by Zo-Neta machine (energy depleted), so all kings become young and un-experienced heroes (Thera has a fourt gem from Grey Lord, which saves her before certain prental death). So the game begins.
Story has two main points. One is secret to player from a start - Grey Lord figures, he can use Zo-Neta to re-create Might Sword to finally kill Lord Chaos. So he sends four heroes to quest, so they can return with essence of heroism in them. He wants to abuse them, to kill them, because of this powerfull sword - for a good reason. Second point is based on quest provided by Grey Lord. Every king - now young hero - have to return to his / her country and save it from Chaos. Every king has own level - kingdom - to save, so yes - based on party members you are playing different levels of game. After finishing three main quests, Thera and her companions returns to Zo-Neta tower. Grey Lord tells them to sacrifice themselves for higher good. Now it will depends on characters, what happens. In a nutshell, Thera refuse to kill herself, Grey Lord Activates Zo-Neta with ashes of Might Sword - and.. Chaos is not really stupid, and he prepare ashes of Night Sword too, so they are her fighting face to face for a last time. I'm planing few different endings - main important is killing both of them, so harmony will be restored.
Story has one more twist - after killing both of them you can put their dead bodies into Zo-Neta machine and kill yourself - putting Thera to freezer. In final animation you will see small conjoined twins, almost horror-like look.
Whole game - so tutorial, three main levels and final level - should be finished in ten hours or so, but replayability is high, because of fifteen kings and fifteen different levels. After finishing game with all kings, there will be secred level, something like "mini Chaos Strikes Back" - prequel to all games. One ultrahard dungeon, where you are plaing for both Conjoined twins - Chaos and Librasulus / Grey Lord. They will be on maximum level, so it will be skill based dungeon. At the and, there will be two Swords, but also a "Indiana Jones trap", which separated them by force and Librasulus escapes with horrible blood loss and so they become enemies for whole life.
Fifteen huge levels - each has own theme and quest. Imagine one level under water (king Hissssa Lizar Of Makan - he can breathe under water, but there will be a spell for it), mountain level with saving prisoners (king Stamm Bladecaster), praerie level (king Tunda The Surefooted), cloud level, desert level, small towns or vilages (in heir of Seri Flamehair queen), dark woods (druidic queen Tresa Vulpes) or amber caverns (king Cletus). Every level has own NPC, merchants, weapons, history, stories, architecture. But there will be some similar things under that. I'm thinking about world BEFORE Chaos and Grey Lord was born. There were old ancient race of Celtic like peoples, but they were slayned or escaped from wars between Chaos and Grey Lord. So you can see runes, stonehenges or abandoned temples with typical designs. Magic weapons old hundreds of years with celtic designs - see photographs in my las blog (Part 3) - for example.
I want to create believable world and dungeons. That's why I'm not trying to create absurd labyrinths, but pretty simple and realistic caverns, but with new natural dangers - non breathable air (CO2) can be detected by torch, small and narrow spaces, which some of your partners will refuse to go trough (did I mention it? You can divide your party in DM3
) etc etc etc. I have plenty of ideas so I'm creating original and separated levels now.
After finishing game for a first time, you can go to so-called "arcade" mode, where you can explore your world with your own and unique party, every level instead of three, to maximize your power.
So this is my vision of DM3 in a nutshell.
