Forge: Ymil’s Revenge
Program-Ace blended the best MMO features to create a compelling 2D class-based combat experience
Background Info
Forge is an adventure game that allows the player to cruise through Medieval-style locations and fight monsters with a unique set of abilities. Being a PC-oriented game, it is an unorthodox outlook on combat mechanics, thanks to a neat conjunction of 2.5D and 3D modes, which allow the players to vary the dynamics of combat.
With an initial goal of creating a compound MMO experience, the class system was a key element to be added into the game for providing enough depth and progression, therefore, to preserve its longevity and keep the players' involvement at a high level. Each character can unlock a number of abilities in the talent tree via in-game currency, which can be obtained by continuously playing the game. The economy model, however, is fairly loyal, thanks to making only XP buffs available for buying, unlike a whole progression system, that stayed intact from non-gameplay elements.
Considering a core MMO nature, the Program-Ace team of professionals was determined to create an entertaining and fast-paced game for players all around the world who appreciate slasher-style mechanics, gameplay variety, and the old-school feeling of the 2D environment.
With an initial goal of creating a compound MMO experience, the class system was a key element to be added into the game for providing enough depth and progression, therefore, to preserve its longevity and keep the players' involvement at a high level. Each character can unlock a number of abilities in the talent tree via in-game currency, which can be obtained by continuously playing the game. The economy model, however, is fairly loyal, thanks to making only XP buffs available for buying, unlike a whole progression system, that stayed intact from non-gameplay elements.
Considering a core MMO nature, the Program-Ace team of professionals was determined to create an entertaining and fast-paced game for players all around the world who appreciate slasher-style mechanics, gameplay variety, and the old-school feeling of the 2D environment.
SAVE THIS SUCCESS STORY
Ian Natzmer
Vice President of Development
I was very happy with the entire process with Program-Ace. We worked with them using the scrum development methodology, and I was very satisfied with the delivery each sprint. They worked very hard not only on the project but also ensuring that I was happy at every step.
I really had a great experience with working with them. One of the difficulties I had was finding developers that could pass my technical interviews and make me feel comfortable with my project. They were the only group that did both. I cannot recommend them enough and will definitely use them again if given the chance.
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Business Challenges
1
Multiplayer Availability
Involving players in "multiplayer" battles was a key feature to add, given how much the initial game relied on a group of friends to enjoy.
2
Monetization System
Developing a free-to-play game has applied an obligation to somehow make it fun for players without implementing a money-grabbing system and keeping it lucrative.
3
Original Board Game Port
One of the primary goals was to ensure a smooth transfer of key game elements from the board game to appeal to the original lore fanbase.
Approach and Solution
With having enough information about Forge War performance, the Program-Ace team of professionals decided to craft our own game in this series that would be a more casual version of its predecessor. Another important factor was to make the game a more engaging and fun experience, and for that matter, we implemented a deep progression system that would be compelling for a general audience and serve as one of the reasons to come back to the game.
We chose Unity as a primary development tool due to both its graphical and technical capabilities; moreover, our dedicated team of professionals is a proven unit when creating stunning projects with this engine.
The next step was to provide a decent stability level during multiplayer battles during the peak player counts, given the dense combat with a large number of abilities being constantly used. For that purpose, uLink was a great solution to create a solid game and reliable servers, thanks to C# language being one of our major areas of expertise and is an essential tool for the uLink network library usage. It allowed us to set up the game locations and synchronize the players' interaction with the server in a very smooth manner.
To make combat mechanics a more simplistic and engaging experience, our developers have implemented a diminishing return feature for stun effects that would be fully neglected once the player's stun bar is full. This would allow for more player control over characters and to prompt them to plan their combat tactics beforehand.
We chose Unity as a primary development tool due to both its graphical and technical capabilities; moreover, our dedicated team of professionals is a proven unit when creating stunning projects with this engine.
The next step was to provide a decent stability level during multiplayer battles during the peak player counts, given the dense combat with a large number of abilities being constantly used. For that purpose, uLink was a great solution to create a solid game and reliable servers, thanks to C# language being one of our major areas of expertise and is an essential tool for the uLink network library usage. It allowed us to set up the game locations and synchronize the players' interaction with the server in a very smooth manner.
To make combat mechanics a more simplistic and engaging experience, our developers have implemented a diminishing return feature for stun effects that would be fully neglected once the player's stun bar is full. This would allow for more player control over characters and to prompt them to plan their combat tactics beforehand.
Technical Information
The game for a PC platform united the efforts of 2 developers, one 3D artist, a 2D artist and took almost 6 months to be fully produced.
Audience
This nline MMO and FPS class-based combat with compelling 2.5D graphics that provides an unforgettable multiplayer gameplay experience can be interested for:
Original Board Game Fans
Old-School 2D Game Enthusiasts
Casual MMO players
Slasher Game Genre Followers
Value Delivered
After the game was finished and deployed for the end users, it has managed to fulfill a set of goals that were designated beforehand.
- The game has been downloaded more than 1M times;
- Re-created the spirit of an original table game in a 2D digital realm;
- Implemented a fair and balanced monetization system that doesn't impede the players' enjoyment level;
- Elaborated a complex, yet easy-to-learn ability structure for players of any skill level;
- Provided a stable multiplayer performance for the servers, even during peak player numbers.
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