Ways of Darkness (3D project)

Ways of Darkness is a video game project currently in the process of being designed and having its engine developed. It is Zsolt Tóth's ambition to bring the Ways of Darkness franchise into what he always intended it to be.

Project history
Zsolt Tóth intended to create a 3D Ways of Darkness game as early as 2014, but his lack of programming knowledge prevented him from doing that. Afterwards, it was the business of his studies, his laziness and devotion to other hobbies that kept him back. In that very same year, he began studying the C++ and Lua programming languages, trying out quite a few game engines before deciding that it would be the best if he wrote his own - hence working on the Haruka Engine.

Plot and Potential Characters
There is no concrete plot yet, but the game is intended to start at 855.6468172485. While the player is intended to be given a wide range of choices who to side with, their decisions are also intended to have ramifications and consequences - nevertheless, so far, the plot is intended to revolve around a potential Third Demonic Invasion or an Undead Invasion of Artograch, with vilains and heroes alike from previous manifestations of the franchise (the FRPG, the unreleased 2012 game, the unreleased 2013 game) making a comeback.

Both Ignatius the Necromancer - the antagonist of the unreleased 2012 game - and his FRPG counterpart Ashrám Wegnard will potentially make a comeback, with one of them acting as the leader of the undead faction. Stephánus Tavilrond - as well as his friends Gnarog Dougfrál, Nemezish, Morthen Orden'Ath Ildor and Ladislaus Dominus are all intended to make a comeback, with Stephánus being intended to be the main companion of a light-sided protagonist.

System
The game is intends to be an open world action role-playing game similar to the The Elder Scrolls series, albeit with a bit more emphasis on co-operation with companions and developing relationships with them, taking influence from the games such as Baldur's Gate II and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II (where the player's dialogue choices may affect their companions' attitudes, willingness to co-operate, may even trigger bonus quests, or cause the companion to betray/leave the protagonist's party) - in other words, while the game is intended to be an action role-playing game with an emphasis on real-time combat, there is also intended to be an emphasis on companions, with the combat balanced in a manner that would make solo gameplay unfeasable in most combat situations.

The protagonist is intended to be a player-customizeable character, with the player chosing the protagonist's gender, race, features and class - albeit a class system may not necessarily get included. The intended playable races are Humans, High Elves, Wood Elves, Dark Elves, Orcs, Lizardmen, Dwarves, Gnomes, Halflings - it is also intended that the player be given an option to became a Vampire, Lich or Therianthrope.

Another intended feature of this future game is making a mortal protagonist require regular feeding, drinking and rest in order to survive. Other intended features are weapon-crafting, ships, buying property, building a house, getting married and romance.