daggerfallunity Mod ideas: Might & Magic / ZDoom sprite ports and etc.

[sttr413]

Hi there,

Let me say right off the bat I have a hard time getting into DFU due to gameplay reasons. I mean no disrespect, this game is just not for everyone it seems. Hence, I am putting this ideas on hold and releasing them here, though I really kinda want to work on them myself. Feel free to use. In fact, I am currently studying C# and Unity, among other things.

Idea 1: to port Might & Magic VI-VIII sprites into DFU

Might & Magic has some beautiful sprites that do not get distorted while in motion and look very vivid and detailed, adding them into DFU, especially if additional steps are taken like AI upscale, can greatly enhance the visuals of the game. There is way more monster/villager types in MM6-8 compared to Daggerfall, so there is more than enough material to work with. There is not enough sprites to replace static daggerfall NPCs though, since MM doesn't really have "NPCs" apart from basic villagers of various ingame races - so no bartenders, bards or other indoors characters. Software to extract those sprites is available and fully functional, and there is proof it is possible to port them to other games, for example Doom: https://forum.zdoom.org/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=61221 . Looks fantastic, doesn't it?

Idea 1.5: to expand on previous idea

Not just replace sprites, but add new monster types using MM6-8 sprites. Those three games have a ton of iconic creatures you might've also encountered in Heroes of Might & Magic III - like Manticores, Dragons, Titans, Nagas, Medusas, Troglodytes, Minotaurs, Skeletal Dragons and a great many others. Link above has some videos. Please note I am not the author of said content, Alpaca is: https://www.youtube.com/c/AlpacaNox/videos

Idea 2: to port GZDoom engine weapon sprites into DFU

Doom community has a wealth of content accumulated over 27(!) years. There is a ton of various 1st person melee weapons/bows/staves sprites available, like the ones from Hexen and Heretic. Those can replace certain DFU weapon sprites, since, face it, just as the monster sprites, those are very basic in Daggerfall, even with well-known mods. Those don't really have enough animation frames to attack from different angles, like it is possible in DFU, but I see it as a necessary sacrifice to improve on visual fidelity.

Idea 3: to expand on Doom influence by overhauling combat in DFU towards projectile-based combat

Compared to ideas above, this one if very vague, but it's what would've drawn me personally into the game instantly. Once again, no disrespect to purists, you do you after all.
Projectile-based combat means having monsters of various types have a range of different projectile attacks (different by speed, spread, projectile shape, AoE, number of projectiles, etc, etc), so that player have to move skillfully around / away from monsters to dodge them and find windows, opportunities to attack. While I totally understand this is an RPG game of purest kind, I do strongly believe synthesis is possible, but this, oh, it will require quite some effort, especially given the fact DFU locations are not really suited for such things (see: https://www.doomworld.com/25years/the-roots-of-doom-mapping/). Needless to say, this is a grand endeavor that will touch a lot of areas in the game, from enemies to player mobility, weapons and controls. Basically, a big combat overhaul. This is something that requires a dedicated big brain developer like you, %username%.

Thank you for your time.

[Pellape]

Cool ideas. We could be able to do anything as nothing is impossible but we also have the Lore to think about, which is my first thought. What should we add? I did play MM 6-8 myself and I do like it a lot, much more than Heroes 3.

Edited February 18, 2021 by Pellape

[blackraven3000]

I love the idea of using artwork from other games in DFU. The only problem is if it's copyrighted you may run into issues being unable to host it on nexus or the DFU forums.
You'd likely have to host them outside the USA in a more privacy minded country.

 

In regards to projectiles, I think the spells system already has the foundation for something like this. They talked about spell projectiles over on the DFU forums I recall.

Edited February 21, 2021 by blackraven3000