Hello Everyone!
Since November of last year, I have been working with a programmer to take the ABD into a new direction. Originally, I was coding a Single Player experience to reflect the original era of ABD: A Beautiful Day. Some of the programming was entertaining, but I quickly became overwhelmed with some of the more advanced techniques, and I was unable to continue. Luckily, I met an aspiring programmer who helped launch things in a very exciting direction.
As some of you know, ABD: A Beautiful Day was never intended on being a singular era, similar to Empire Earth, you were intended on advancing through the ages.
Here is the art style and visual progress that has transpired, and the new direction under full public disclosure:
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/vRdW3
Here is a preview of what this art looks like if you don't trust ArtStation for whatever reason:
Here is the current asset list and it's UI (User Interface)(those little icons):
*Edit* Larger Preview:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ay3qfn4bkl0mxma/CurrentUI.jpg?dl=0
Everything you see here was farmed, crafted, transported, and placed In-Engine during runtime. The first five(5) screens reflect the current starter server, where players will be able to interact with the NPC system to exchange PFL (Player Found Loot) for goods and services. The screens to follow were development images that were captured during runtime.
ABD: 1851 C.E. follows the original timeline, except much later on, and with the same core gameplay in mind - except this is moving (at present) towards a MMOFPS than a MMORTS. ABD: 1851 C.E. operates a lot like a mix between Rust (www.playrust.com) and the original ABD. You begin with practically nothing but the clothes on your back and a few dollars in your pocket, starting out near the back end of town the first time you spawn in. Your initial goals are to head into town, find the Mayor's Office, and purchase a tent to respawn in. There is a temporary tent area across from the mayors office, which allows the user to place things like storage inside of your tent that will only be accessable to you. Upon placing a tent, further ingame tips are given to help guide you from A to B to C, and your life revolves around prospecting in the frontier as well as PVP in the frontier. From there, the world is your oyster. The town is rather large, and the map is an enormous desert, where you will have the option to build inside or outside of town. Building and operating inside of town has many perks, such as additional security and binding laws of the land.
ABD was always intended on being a franchise, a multi-scope platform to express my artistic interpretation of what I've always wanted to see in games. As of December last year, a new direction took hold, and we moved towards bringing a totally new concept to life. I had done some testing of my own, and the project became very promising; and quickly! Unfortunately, instead of announcing a public Alpha tomorrow, I am announcing a setback. My programmer, who wishes to remain out of this announcement, has decided to find ventures anew just short of the Alpha. Why? I have no idea..
I will continue on this path and it's development, and as of the state of the game, I can't promise it will be a quick turnaround but I can promise that it is an exciting new avenue. If you have questions or comments, please leave a note below and I'll address them.
Creative Producer,
-Robert Bonner