2019-05-13 22:36:53

Yes, I was wondering the same as post 225. Also, I can't wait to even hear a trailer of Crimson Eclipse. Then, I can't wait to of course play it. Then to finally be able to start on my on game thoughts. Yaaaaay!!!

2019-05-13 23:44:39

Hi,

In answer to posts 225 and 226, thanks for the question about the name. we decided on the name Sable, as in the heraldic term for the colour black. As we wanted something which both tied in with the company name Ebon Sky  Studios, but also we’re all big RPG fans and knew we wanted to  create games which had a dark edge to them as well, so because of all of that Sable tied in nicely with each point and that’s how we came up with the name Sable. Ebon Sky Studios was similar in that we knew we wanted to produce games with that dark edge to them so Ebon as in ebony or black worked well for that, Ebon Sky was also the name of a Dungeons and Dragons campaign world that a close friend of one of the members created  in the past and we all liked the name and it seemed to again tie in nicely with the types of games we wanted to produce.

Thanks again for all the positive comments, its great to see people so excited about both crimson Eclipse and Sable.

The Ebon Sky Studios Team
email: [email protected]
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/ebonskystudios/
Twitter: @ebonskystudios

2019-05-14 04:19:00

What if you complete your first game, but failed to release it as a standalone executable?

2019-05-14 19:23:53

Hi,

@number 228, As mentioned previously it’s too early to discuss specifics like packaging at this stage, the video series was more designed to just give an overview of Sable, more detailed information about these kind of finer points will be detailed nearer to the release of Sable. I can assure you however we will definitely be  releasing Crimson Eclipse as a standalone game/executable. We set up Ebon Sky Studios  as we wanted to create our own immersive RPG audio games, Sable was created to allow us to create these games, but we also wanted to share our development tools Sable with the community  so others could build their own games using our software too. As mentioned in the first post in the topic we want to create RPG audio games which have immersive storyline, exploration and strong battle mechanics . Crimson Eclipse is a chance for everyone to see what Sable is Capable of, but also a chance for us to show the types of games we want to create here at Ebon Sky studios. so to answer your question yes we will definitely be releasing Crimson Eclipse  as a stand alone game so everyone  can play and enjoy the game, we just don’t have a release date set for this yet.  As mentioned yesterday, although we don’t currently have any more specifics to share about Crimson Eclipse as soon as we do have more details we’ll be sure to share them here and also on our social media pages too.

The Ebon Sky Studios Team
email: [email protected]
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/ebonskystudios/
Twitter: @ebonskystudios

2019-06-07 19:39:16

hi
maybe is news about this project?
thanks

2019-06-07 23:23:21

Not yet.

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @thecoolgamer4 and subscribe to my Youtube channel

2019-06-09 01:02:29

which is odd in my opinion...

2019-06-09 01:27:18 (edited by Mads 2019-06-09 01:28:33)

Guys. It has only been a month and they have already said that they are done with the videos. It doesn’t even come close to being odd if you ask me... so maybe try and calm down a bit, the less time they use updating when nothing major has happened, the less coding gets done.

We live on a hunk of rock and metal that circles a humdrum star that is one of 400 billion other stars that make up the Milky Way Galaxy which is one of billions of other galaxies which make up a universe which may be one of a very large number, perhaps an infinite number, of other universes. That is a perspective on human life and our culture that is well worth pondering.
Carl Sagan

2019-06-09 01:36:33

So where to download this sable engine?

2019-06-09 03:28:44

It’s not downloadable yet. It’s still being developed.

I would rather listen to someone who can actually play the harmonica than someone who somehow managed to lose seven of them. Me, 2019.

2019-06-09 06:35:59

Be patient!!!

Hearthstone Tag ID: RobotWizard#1265216

2019-06-21 22:51:23

Hi Everyone,

So although the video series showing how you can create an RPG audio game using Sable has ended, we wanted to share a new video about status affects with everyone since  we’ve just finished some work on status affects and its something we often get asked about  how they work and are created in Sable. . I want to apologise to the people which have posted since the last video  which I haven’t  replied too, since the video series came to an end me and the whole team have been really busy working away on sable and crimson eclipse  so I haven’t been on the forum and didn’t see the posts, so  again I apologise for not replying, but assure everyone we are as mentioned all still busy working away and  you can always follow us on social media to stay up to date on news and updates. We also wanted to take the opportunity to thank everyone who watched our Holman video about Sable, the video was viewed almost 5000 times and received over  1100 likes, which was truly phenomenal .  many of you may know we made it to the semi-finals of the competition , Sadly we have unfortunately not made it to the finals , but despite this getting as far as we did and making it to the semi-finals was incredible, the video was shared a huge amount of times and created a lot of awareness about not only our project but audio games in general which is really fantastic, so a big thanks  to everyone for all your support, it really was appreciated  from the whole team.  As mentioned previously the video series itself has ended, but I’ve put video 11 in the topic title just so people were aware there was a new video to watch, , even though its not part of the video series since that ended with video 10. Anyway, below is the link to the latest video, it shows how status affects can be created in sable and then demonstrates a few status affects in action in a battle:

Sable demo - Status Effects
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv313eYcawg

We  hope you all enjoy this latest video.

The Ebon Sky Studios Team
email: [email protected]
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/ebonskystudios/
Twitter: @ebonskystudios

2019-06-22 05:43:29

Just curio8us, would you add the ability to assign sound  sets to status affects? Also, I guess Sable won't be releeased alongside your first game

Power is not the responsibility of freedom, but it is actually the responsibility of being responsible, it's self, because someone who is irresponsible is enslaved by their own weaknesses.

2019-06-22 10:47:30

Can you tell us when sable will be released.
I am so excited and I want to see this project.

2019-06-22 14:17:05

Liked your new video. Two things.

1: I sa that the status effects are based off of rounds. Can you add an option for timers? I know that a hero's call does timers.

2: I noticed that the party's status effects wore off after the battle was over. Is there an option to keep them active after the battle? Of course this is again assuming they were running off of a timer in the first place adn there was extra time.

Really good video great to hear from you again!

2019-06-22 14:23:26 (edited by mohamed 2019-06-22 14:24:33)

this is impossible   for them  to put a official  release  date

2019-06-22 21:52:53 (edited by lemm 2019-06-23 00:20:34)

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the comments, I’ll try and answer some of the questions below:

- regarding release dates for Sable, we don’t have a specific date for its release yet, our focus is on producing our first game title (Crimson Eclipse’ which will be created using sable, this will allow us to hone, tweak and really road test sable. We don’t plan to release Sable alongside crimson eclipse, at this stage I don’t have any further details to share about our first game title, but we are all definitely busy working away on it and will be sure to share details here and on our social media pages as soon as we have more details to share.
-@number 238, I think sound sets   for abilities is a good idea, since they are now there for most other sounds in sable.
-@ number 140, really pleased you enjoyed the latest video. To answer your questions. All status abilities can be set to permanent or non-permanent, for non-permanent affects these last a certain number of rounds and then fade, or they will automatically fade at the end of the battle if still active at that point (like with the protect status affect in the demo). Permanent affects on the other hand will last until the status affect is removed/dispelled from the user or the user dies, permanent status affects will not fade at the end of battle  and will stay with the character as mentioned until they are removed/dispelled. When selecting a status affects duration, in sable it is always done on rounds, rather than a physical  timer. I’ve played a hero’s call (I really enjoyed the game too, it’s got a truly fantastic soundscape in game),I saw and used their timer system, but wasn’t a big fan of timers with a specific time duration in battle,  don’t get me wrong I’m not knocking a hero’s call (as mentioned  earlier I think it’s a great game), but personally it seemed timers in a turn based battle seemed a little out of place, so we’ve opted  for the more traditional turn based RPG style of basing it on rounds, so sadly there isn’t an option for timers in sable, but as mentioned you can have status affects set to permanent so they will last  past the end of a battle, plus you can create abilities which can be used outside of battles too.

As ever I want to say a huge thanks to everyone who’s watched the video and really pleased people have enjoyed it.

The Ebon Sky Studios Team
email: [email protected]
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/ebonskystudios/
Twitter: @ebonskystudios

2019-06-23 18:55:15

I just stumbled across this topic and watched some of the demo videos. Sounds really promising so far and I'm feeling rather optimistic about the future of this project. For what I see the approach is quite thorough, professional and with a clear end goal in mind.
I'm very much looking forward to the releases.

I have one question about Sable because I don't quite understand the business model behind it for now:
Can you already give a rough figure on its purchase price? Will it be like Super Mario Maker about the costs for a normal video game and thus affordable for private use? Or is it more meant for commertial use only and its price would make normal people sick? big_smile

Sorry if this already has been asked, I don't feel like browsing 10 pages of threat right now.

2019-06-24 00:51:21 (edited by lemm 2019-06-24 00:52:37)

Hi

@number 243, thanks for the post and also the praise about Sable, pleased you stumbled across the topic and have enjoyed the videos. Regarding pricing structures, I can’t confirm an exact cost at this stage. One of the key concepts behind Sable though is that no coding or scripting is required at all, in doing this we hope to open the door to anyone who’s ever wanted to try their hand at making an RPG audio game even if they have no coding experience, because of this we want Sable to be available to everyone, so although as a company we do intend to sell Sable  (since a lot of work and time has gone into creating it),, but we want to do so at a reasonable cost too so that it is open  and available to everyone. so to answer your question, yes its just as much for private people  to use, I know I’ve had a ton of fun just creating my own random maps/worlds for testing purposes and I hope loads of others get to enjoy  creating their own maps even if its just for fun , so no it definitely won’t be as you put it ‘a price so high it would make normal people sick‘ (haha), it will definitely be something reasonable  and we hope to be available to everyone, it’s just that we haven’t yet finalised  an exact cost  for sable.

Again huge thanks for the positive comments about Sable, its really great to see people so excited about the project.

The Ebon Sky Studios Team
email: [email protected]
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/ebonskystudios/
Twitter: @ebonskystudios

2019-06-24 08:41:04

as you said ability out side the battle I wonder though
what type of ability can we create when not in a battle
do we can create freely ability as we want or ability that you fix it for gameplay such as doing quest or searching items

the bestest reward for people who are working so hard they should receive their experience of their own life.
everyone can collect in everyday.
:d

2019-06-24 08:50:09

Hi, I am strongly in favour of being able to change some of the basic names for things. Such as the currency or the standard statistics. Picture this, what if I wanted to create a scifi rpg wherein you walk around as the pilot of a robotic mech suit? i would want to make the currency be "credits", and instead of hp I'd want to have integrity, instead of mana you'd say energy, stamina becomes ammo etc. While levels would become ranks, which would aughtherize you to better abilities? Or say I wanted to be in a modern day crime fighting setting, I would want my character to use dollars for payments, not gold. tongue

I used to be a knee like you, then I took an adventurer in the arrow.

2019-06-24 13:00:14

There should be an option to lock any exits when quest is givven. When quest is on the same map, like in dragon quest.

see ya later. Hope you don't fall off a roof.

2019-06-25 13:38:11

hi everyone,

thanks for the comments, I’ll try and answer some of the posts below:

@number 245, so although damage/affliction type abilities can only be used in battle (since they would require an enemy to target), restorative, enhancement and party abilities could be used outside of battle, for example you might have abilities which heal, restore mana/stamina, revive dead  party members or enhancement  abilities which increase stats etc and remembering that it is also possible to equip weapons and armour with on equip status affects too, so for example you could equip some armour which offers a regen affect to its wearer. There wouldn’t be a way of creating an ability  which allows you to search for items, but you could always create a quest where someone asks you to go find something.
-@number  246, thanks for the suggestion, its actually come up before on the forum and on our social media pages too, I think it’s a good idea  and would add an extra level of customisation so users could Taylor these things as you mentioned to the specific type of game environment they are creating.
@number 247, although there isn’t a way currently in Sable to prevent a player  going back the way they came, you could prevent them going any further in the map until they completed a quest and unlocked the way forward. Maybe a trigger event which would block off a path to somewhere you have already visited would work, I’ll mention the idea to the team.

As ever thanks for all the positive comments.

The Ebon Sky Studios Team
email: [email protected]
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/ebonskystudios/
Twitter: @ebonskystudios

hi everyone,

thanks for the comments, I’ll try and answer some of the posts below:

@number 245, so although damage/affliction type abilities can only be used in battle (since they would require an enemy to target), restorative, enhancement and party abilities could be used outside of battle, for example you might have abilities which heal, restore mana/stamina, revive dead  party members, enhancement  abilities which increase stats etc and remembering that it is also possible to equip weapons and armour with on equip status affects too, so for example you could equip some armour which offers a regen affect to its wearer. There wouldn’t be a way of creating an ability  which allows you to search for items, but you could always create a quest where someone asks you to go find something.
-@number  246, thanks for the suggestion, its actually come up before on the forum and on our social media pages too, I think it’s a good idea  and would add an extra level of customisation so users could Taylor these things as you mentioned to the specific type of game environment they are creating.
@number 247, although there isn’t a way currently in Sable to prevent a player  going back the way they came, you could prevent them going any further in the map until they completed a quest and unlocked the way forward. Maybe a trigger event which would block off a path to somewhere you have already visited would work, I’ll mention the idea to the team.
As ever thanks for all the positive comments.




The Ebon Sky Studios Team
email: [email protected]
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/ebonskystudios/
Twitter: @ebonskyst

2019-06-25 15:27:55 (edited by Honk 2019-06-25 22:50:18)

Hi Ebon Sky Studio team or probably just Lemm,

first of all it is great how much transparency and customer communication you show even in this early stage of your projects. I think or at least hope that this approach will help your studio accumulate some needed credibility amongst the audio gamers community.
Also I strongly believe that it can help you shape your endeavor much more towards the customers needs. A game is a piece of art and doesn't need to meet everyones expectations. But a game engine is a tool to create art instead. So the degree of creativity an artist can come up with is highly limited by the tools versatility.
Due to staff and time restrictions you can't possibly make such a mighty programm as for example RPG Maker or Super Mario Maker. Unless you somehow get the opportunity to continue your work on it for several years and still have food on your table somehow this will never be able to meet everyones needs. I appreciate that and want to encourage everyone reading this to adjust their expectations to that.
I also know that we haven't seen alot of it during the demo videos so I can't be sure about the following:

But there seems to be one thing that could benefit a lot from a higher degree of customisation: The combat core mechanics. What do I mean by that? Basically all stupid, boring math behind the fancy explosions and powerful magic. What we've seen so far is that we can input our own variables into existing formulars. But we can't create our own. For example you can determine how many sides your die should have and how many of them to roll. But what if you want to have another completely different approach on calculating numbers?

A combat driven rpg has you spend a lot of time in battle. So its the developers highest priority to make the combat system as engaging as possible. Round based combat is all about decisions, planing and synergizing skills, and most importantly careful balance!
If the developer doesn't have extensive control over the combat core mechanics he can't build his own unique take on a key component of his game. Even with the probably quite mighty ability/magic system you have in place I fear combat in different Sable iterations could become quite samish really soon.

T. l. d. r.:
I have a couple suggestions to help making Sable combat much more customizable and hopefully much more fulfilling for future creators:

1. Let them choose between a simple dieroll system as you have it in place right now or entering their own formulars. Something like this: 100 + 6D20 * str/3. You can build much more suffisticated combat systems with that.
2. Get rid of the custom defend, flee and probably even attack option in your combat menu and make them optional. Probably even give an option to inhibit eq and item usage in combat. This all already are already game defining and thus creativity limiting options.

And also some stuff I'd love to mess around with but whats probably not necessary to have:
1. Multi-Hit skills like e.g. that monk flurry in entombed (I know you played that one) where the attacks impact is split in multiple smaller hits. Would be stylish but is no must-have.
2. Combo-skills that need to be build up across a couple rounds or divided between different characters. This probably can already be achieved with clever usage of the vulnerability system though.
3. A way to make enemies change their behavior (abilityset) according to their hp condition. E.g. going rampage after dropping down to half hp. Boss fights with different combat phases are a staple in rpg's and an option to achieve that in your engine would be great.

Have fun with this wall of text tongue

2019-06-25 16:46:46

I saw you said in topic one that you will cell sable in the future. What will the cost be?