Arcanum 2 Total Conversion?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RPG_Maker

It's the perfect editor if you want to make JRPG's.

 

IMO a good start for a serious fanmade project would be to reverse-engineer the arcanum
map, script, art and proto formats. AFAIK the proro and art formats are known already so
that makes it easier, we just need to find the specs for these two. The maps would be the
biggest problem.

Reading the original campaign and converting it to a more readable format is a lot better
then rewriting it all from scratch. Also writing an engine capable of running a game of such
complexity might be easier if we could see exactly what needs to be done (read).

Of course getting sierra to release the source code would be an even better solution, but I
don't think anyone counts on that anymore. Still, if someone is willing to send (another)
group petition aobut that, I'm in.

On the original total-conversion note - maybe it would be possible to write a shooter in the
arcanum setting, since then we could get away with quite simple magick/tech mechanics,
also the wierd stat system wouldn't be much of an obstacle. Mage/Neutral/Tech classes to
pick at the start and a generic steampunk setting. Could take place during the age of
legends, there are enough stories outlined in he game to make decent games. Dwarven clan
wars, destruction of vendigroth, tarant/cumbria war, the story of Torian Kel.

The question is what would this have to do with arcanum, other then the name and setting -
maybe just stick to short 1-3 mission episodes telling stories of the battles introduced in the
main game. Not really the second Arcanum, but should be fine too.

 

for the sake of clarification, what's in arcanum.exe, and most exes for that matter, is known as machine code - not really human readable, especially not in large quantities. It can be relatively easily translated to assembler using some programs, but computers aren't really good at translating things. While it might even compile after that, it would take great skill and experience with assembler to make sense of a translated exe. Small modifications may be possible, as max levels or other numerical constants. Adding support for 3D models or 3-element schematics would likely be harder then rewriting the whole game from scratch.

A source code is the collection of high-level language files that the game was originally written in - probably C or C++, with some M$ Visual studio quirks. The main reason for which I believe Sierra is reluctant to release this are some restricted codecs or technologies that were used in the game - like the .bik codec or maybe the mp3 decoder they used- to release the source they'd have to pay someone to look through the code and remove fragments related to payed technologies, whatever they may be - codecs, multiplayer components, script interpreters etc.

Still, even a crippled source code would allow us to improve on the original engine and make the fan made Arcanum 2 feel pretty much like the original - also possibly allowing people to play the original campaign in the improved engine. By improving I generally mean not making the compromises the original programmers had to make due to performance limitations - we could have more open tech/magick system, 3D animated characters and structured, human readable scripts. Oh, and by 3D I don't mean FPP, might be just the fixed isometric view like the original, but 3D animations - with visible weapons/armour pieces and more complex animations.

And, yeah, whenever a discussion about Arcanum 2 / serious Arcanum project pops up, I think about the source code. A best way to get at this IMO.

As for Unreal 3 engine - It sure would be possible to make an Arcanum-like game in that, back in the day, people made a strategy game based on the Quake2 engine, and it was a lot more restrictive then that of U3.

It's just the sheer amount of work it would take to make the project anything like Arcanum - which is what makes me dismiss the idea. The user interface, point and click path-finding, world building blocks, models, textures, sounds, turn-based mechanics, a base for some scripting environment used to control a specific game. Simply a lot of work before it even starts to look like anything other then some messed up project aspiring to do something. Once we get past that point it should be easier, mostly adding in content and features - simply a lot of work, but it would be a lot easier to find help at that point.

If it's going to happen, it should be made in a community project fashion, so that it can withstand the loss of interest of key project members. When the current team gets bored, at some point someone else will get the determination to make Arcanum 2 and hopefully will pick up where the previous team left - possibly getting some of them involved as well. This way, it might eventually get off the ground - be that now or in 3 takes.

Games are made during 2-4 years, generally, by teams of professional programmers payed to do that - the lifespan of a typical fan made project is much shorter then that, and if the goals are set too high, the project has really small chance of getting off the ground before everyone on the team gets bored/a life/a girlfriend/a job.

Having a giant TO-DO list online, attached to some working base (with traces of someone taking on some of the simpler tasks) makes it a lot easier to get people involved, also the effort is not lost when there's no one interested for 6 months.

Being here for a while, and browsing through the arcanum 2 section, I can easily tell there have been, and will be, enough people interested in doing this to eventually get somewhere. But it lacks guidence, with some people starting little projects of their own, others stating they want to help but don't even know where to start, the wasted effort and potetial will eventually exceed that needed to actually make a fully functional Arcanum 2.

Damn that's a long rant.