About

This page describes everything about the project: the idea itself, the history of making and the abstract things. If you wish some technical project info, you may be interested in Development Lab as well as in User Guide if you wish some how to play and what’s the game info. While User Guide page is intended to help users get started and describes all about the game, this page however describes all about how this game has been created, what concepts and ideas it follows and other general information on the project.

Contents

• About
  • Ideas and concepts
  • Game plot
  • Way of Arts
  • Software
  • History

Ideas and concepts

BTP is typing text-based rpg game, written in python using pygame. Really great game feature is that alongside with gaining experience, new levels, clothes and having a good time you will actually be mastering real life skills in fast keyboard typing because of battle system, walking system and all other which are typo-like (touchtyping guys will be able to handle some bosses at start).

This game is basically a keyboard trainer, but fancy keyboard trainer. You don’t need anymore these stupid programs like “Keyboard SOLO” or any touchtyping teaching programs, now you can learn how to type touchtypingly through a game with fun and joy.

Typing

The game is made on ‘typing’ system - you need to type on your keyboard to get results.

• You need to type ‘left’ to go left, you need to type ‘talk to Katie’ to talk to Katie. All possible options shown onto the screen at the place you are currently located.
• Battle system is typing system. You need to type words faster that it do mobs so you can kill them. It sounds strange, but it’s perfect in action.

Text-based

Text-based games are usually quest-games which shows description about current place you located at, upon background image describing current place. You read about it, your imagination blends text and image and you’re choosing any option to do from an actions list. The next scene shown is based onto your actions.

RPG

Role-playing game is a game where player takes a ‘role’ into a game, playing as character with lots of skills, intentory, some items, hitpoints, experience, level and other stats. It’s usually very addictive type of games where you can level up constantly and gain more profit.

Python and Pygame

This is the carcass on which this game is builded: python is a programming language, when pygame is a cool library for easily making games (it’s a wrapper upon SDL by the way). You can read about it more at Development Lab page.

Game plot

Distant future. All kinds of creatures (daemons, elfs, angels) were actually existing all this time but in the other worlds, on other planes. As far as noone could reach another in eternity. Time passed, civilisations rised and faded. But then the big Disaster happend: all the worlds blended together by the hand of old powerful creature, so the great grief war begun between all kinds of creatures including humans and our world - the Earth. The Earth was destroyed, as well as all other worlds. It was “Common world” now. There was 200 years of bloody quarrels and battles for survival, until peace was made. You had been born 20 years after that, after the peace was made in new cruel world, but it’s still dangerous out there. It is not the Earth nor one of the other planets now. All our technology, trains, cellphones had long gone as well as knowledge of that, other civilisations faded too. It’s just ruines and villages and swords and shields now. And some magic, of course, for another worlds have had one. And the sharp fangs of deadly foes waiting in dark forests. And you, fighting for survival.

Way of Arts

I am very much all-rounded person, I like everything to do. I like bodybuilding, I like programming, I like cooking (and cookies), building electronics, recording my own music and lots of other stuff. So when the question came to music and paints, I’ve decided to make them all by myself (of course, you can help me if you want). Yes, it’s hard, and long, and I don’t paint well (at all), but I don’t have many options here, and when I tried to draw something - (it came out pretty ugly) I liked the process itself. So these are my ways of arts in making the game:

• Coding - this is an art in some kind, really. I love making perfect and beautiful code
• Music production - I know how to do a song
• Painting - that’s my lame side, I get it. But it’s never late to learn something new! :)

Software

I prefer using free opensource software, so I needed to find something to fulfill my requirements. And I have found everything I need.

• Coding. For coding I use my Arch Linux plus ViM editor with Jedi plugin for python autocompletion. You can read more on software at the Development Lab section.
• Music. In the past, I’ve had some experience with Image-Line FL Studio, I downloaded really cool VSTs and made metal songs. But in real life they are all cost around 500 bucks, and now I’m an opensource man. So I’ve decided to use Linux MultiMedia Studio (LMMS) alongside with it’s default instruments which is capable of making epic symphonic and orchestral music like I need.
• Drawing. As for painting, I’ve found awesome program called Krita (it’s opensource and crossplatform) which some do call “Photoshop killer”. It has really awesome capabilities of drawing graphics, and I liked it. Now I’m going to buy a graphics tablet and going to draw all the graphics needed for my game.

History

Finally, I’m going to tell you briefly what and how have inspired me to do such a thing - write text based rpg game in nowadays world, and what stages I have been through while developing it. I’ve been developing it since 2008. It was my pro-skill to create a game as a way of learning new programming language. It’s funny, it’s interesting. And it’s significantly useful! Cause, you know, the best way to learn language is to practice it. I set my goal - I do that and I learn new language. So, I were developing games firstly in Basic, Pascal, Delphi, then in lots of other languages such as C, C++, Java, then I started creating web-browser games using php, mysql and javascript (html and css are stylesheet and markup languages, which I do not count as programming languages). So there was lots of languages, I don’t even remember all list of them.

I were developing this games and learnt different things. From how to read files up to how to create inventory and skills and items... This was really great practice. Why was? Because now I am actually writing The Game. The real one. Because I’m in love with python and I don’t think that I’ll find anything more suitable for my current goal.

In the past it was Big Supernatural Project - big supernatural roleplaying text-based game based on CWTV Supernatural show. One version of the game was even capable of playing with two characters at once - Dean and Sam (two brother, main heroes of Supernatural TV Show).

But when I had thought to make it real (last time it was with C++ and QT) - I understood that there’re lots of licences in real world, copyrights and other crap. So, even if my game will be opensource and free (which I am direct to), if it will become awesome and famous (which is not likely to happen) some companies might be offended, maybe even litigate with me and other crap. So that was when I decided to make a game based on Supernatural world, but without any characters from TV Show (actually I was intended to make some cross-reference with them). And I thought that it would be great to have the action going in other age - in 16th, for example.

At last, when I fell in love with python and decided to make a real game like real real game, I comprehended that this was not a good idea to make a supernatural-based game. I need to write my own story - that’s the way of art. I’m currently watching, reading and enjoying (in all prospects) the great saga of George R.R. Martin “A Song of Ice and Fire” (widely known for “Game of Thrones” caption - first book’s name and TV show’s name). He have inspired me that great storyline must consist thousands of characters entwined each with other (and dying in packs). And I am intended to write such a story, but within the game. Well, who knows, maybe I’ll write a book based upon this plot. Always wanted to write my own book.

The last thing I had needed to do is to find epic music themes for my game, free sounds for game effects and fantasy images for my storyline. At first I had managed to find some images and music, but it was too hard to find and alongside I had realised that they are all non-free like Supernatural TV Show, for all in our world has its patents and licences :) And I’ve solved my problem by making my own music and images (at least, I’m going to try).

Note

Anyone capable of drawing and interested in, please contact me for I need help :) Of course this will benefit you only with your name in the titles, for I don’t have much money. Any musicians and programmers are welcomed as well.