Furcadia Dream

    This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse this site, you are agreeing to our Cookie Policy.

    • Furcadia Dream

      I've been planning on creating a dream for Roleplaying Shard on Furcadia for quite some time. Though my free time is limited due to work and is spread out over various pursuits, I have managed to create a skin as well as edit some patches and an older dream to get started. I thought I would share some screencaps of the work done thus far.

      Due bear in mind that I am not a graphic artist and mainly edit things others have done for my patches and skins. I do not mean to step on anyone's toes by doing so.

      Anyway, this skin may need a few buttons changed especially now after Furcadia just updated on me:

      i153.photobucket.com/albums/s203/Targath/shardskin.png

      I am actually using an edited version of an older Forest dream I created some years ago. In its original form it looked much like this:

      i153.photobucket.com/albums/s203/Targath/orforest.png

      With the recoloring of patches to make it more how I would imagine Dardunah's forests to look it now appears as:

      i153.photobucket.com/albums/s203/Targath/forest.png

      I also did some quick edits to some default creature patches to make them appear as suthra: (Furcadia has birds and draconic creature items.)

      i153.photobucket.com/albums/s203/Targath/suthra1.png
      i153.photobucket.com/albums/s203/Targath/suthra2.png
      The spider changes color using animation to give it more a 'glowing' feel. Note also that a default termite mound from a desert patch has been edited to look more crystalline.
      i153.photobucket.com/albums/s203/Targath/suthra3.png

      Finally, with the newest update Furcadia added in Effect overlays that allow smoke, fire, rain etc. to cover other things in your dreams. Using a couple default effects I was able to add in an animated vent for a crystal volcano where Janah can explore:
      i153.photobucket.com/albums/s203/Targath/volcano1.png
      i153.photobucket.com/albums/s203/Targath/volcano2.png

      I'm looking forward to using this dream when I have some things wrapped up and ready to go. I hope it inspires others here to look into using nontraditional mediums like Furcadia to play Shard.

      As we say in Furcadia, "Happy Dreaming!"
      -=Targath=-

      The post was edited 2 times, last by Targath ().

    • RE: Furcadia Dream

      That's really cool, Targath!

      Two of my good friends are essentially the founders of Furcadia (Talzemir and Felorin), and have been staunch supporters of SHARD since its beginning (way back when we called the game itself Dardunah, in fact)... I've even run demo games of SHARD for Felorin and his friends and family at his house when he used to live near me in Austin, and I've done RPGs of various kinds with Talzhemir on numerous occasions too... Great folks, both of them!

      If you don't mind, I'd very much like to share your work with them...

      I'm delighted and honored that you're doing this cool stuff, and I know they'd be as well...

      Scottie ^^
    • RE: Furcadia Dream

      Yeah, I've chatted with Felorin a few times and even more so with Emerald Flame... though Talzhemir is often busy. I'd be more than willing for you to share what I am working on here with any of them. I'll probably try and hold some sort of offical in game event for attracting new players when I am ready to start uploading. I once ran a social guild with over 60 members, so I know how to get others interested... I just need to work on how to keep them!

      I'd like to add in some city elements, which will be easier now with the update DEP just did. (Regions now allow interiors and exteriors to exist side by side without having the chat from both interfere in the other.) I also need to finish my Dragonspeak coding for storing character sheet info. I was really excited about doing this when I started, but I left it alone for far too long when it started getting tedious.

      So basically, I have a few things to finish on the dream side of things, then come up with a plan for a campaign, though I may also allow some freeform outside of that to attract players who prefer that type of RP. Strict (rules w/dice & char sheets etc.) RP is still not as popular on Furcadia, though there are some groups for WoD or D&D around. Shard would make an excellent addition, especially given the anthro characters.

      I'm glad you approve and hope this brings others to purchase the book. I plan on adding at least one small OOC room/scene/?? including a link to the site to do just that, BTW. I've already had this planned and included in another dream where I was going to just use a table in a room for traditional table-top gaming.

      [Blocked Image: http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s203/Targath/book.png]

      Yes, that really is a stack of Shard books on the table! :) Bumping the table would emit a link to the site where a real copy can be purchased.

      This is the room for the traditional table-top game: (I may still include this in the dream for use by those who choose to join the official campaign.)

      [Blocked Image: http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s203/Targath/shardroom.png]
      -=Targath=-

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Targath ().

    • RE: Furcadia Dream

      Yes, links to webpages are built into the client. Personalized buttons may also be used to emit text or do other things, though direct linking is not possible because of security concerns.

      I have entertained the notion of perhaps allowing players who cannot buy a copy of Shard directly because they are young and do not have a credit card, (or some similar reason,) to trade Dragonscales (Furcadia's game currency which is purchased with real money) to me in exchange for me buying them a PDF copy of the book. The scales could then be used to purchase a dream package on Furcadia which allows it to stay uploaded, have additional space and avatars, as well as database storage.

      Players of all ages can earn scales in Furcadia by trading with others, doing art commissions, or even winning official contests, so everyone would have a chance to earn enough for a copy of Shard somehow if this was offered.

      I think I will wait to see what interest there is in the dream first, though the idea does appeal to me as a way to spread the game and include players in supporting the dream.

      As for the wall mural... I want one too! :) That would really be awesome as the art in the GM screen is top notch!

      In the dream pictured, that mural is made up of like 8 separate pieces. I love how it turned out, though some detail was lost in resizing and skewing it for the wall. It makes that RP room feel like it has a focus... "In Here We Play Shard!"
      -=Targath=-
    • Though I don't have a lot of free time lately, I have been continuing to work on this Furcadia dream.

      I've added in some local species (Extra avatars for use in this dream only,) as well as changed or fixed a couple of things on the skin:

      [Blocked Image: http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s203/Targath/Targath_2012-04-06_00-11-19.png]

      As you can see, Gajah, Paksin, and 2 different avatars for Sarpah have been added. These avatars and portraits were all made by other players of the game. The amphibian Sarpah will use an anthro fish that someone made. I know it is not quite right visually, but it does look cool and lets players know right away that those Sarpah wearing it are not reptiles like the others.

      I started work on building the city, though it is a slow process for me as I edit and tweak patches to use:

      [Blocked Image: http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s203/Targath/shardcity.png]

      Most of this map will be open for players to use for RP without having a GM to guide them, but I do plan to include a campaign room for those who wish to join the official gaming sessions.

      [Blocked Image: http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s203/Targath/shardbird.png]

      The above is inside the Tea House and shows a player wearing the Paksin avatar as well as my weak attempt at creating a juganu worm to light the place. :P (They're animated to glow and then stop at intervals.)

      [Blocked Image: http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s203/Targath/shardidol.png]
      Finally, I found this Devah idol in the Silver Sponsor showcase patch and recolored it for a small rooftop shrine. There will be others in temples or shrines elsewhere to enforce the Janah's devotion to the Devah in the dream.

      Though I do not have more screenshots to share at this time, I have added a couple more suthra to the forest area, including a plant mimic on the beach. More plants have been animated as well, including one that moves about. The forest is certainly not the typical one found on Furcadia. :)

      Anyway, thought I would share my progress on this project. It's been fun working on it.
      -=Targath=-

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Targath ().

    • Thanks, Scottie. :)

      I've always preferred colorful characters and patches on Furcadia, but when I think of how most of Dardunah is made of crystal, I can't help but imagine that the buildings of the cities would be constructed of different colored crystalline bricks or molded from melted and smithed crystal.

      Originally, the "Arabian" walls I have for the tea house were plain sand color... and though they still looked cool, they did not fit how I envision what a city on Dardunah would have. (Maybe some places they would, especially if the sandstone was rare enough to be of value.)

      As for my juganu worm... I did what I could with my non-artistic abilities. Maybe one day when I have some extra money floating around I can hire someone to make some better patches for the suthra. Until then, at least there is something to give the impression that the tea house uses juganu light instead of just candles. ;)
      -=Targath=-
    • This project was sort of put on the back burner because of work and other things, but I have had a little time to work on a few things.

      I recently just edited an existing lizard avatar and feral (non-anthro) frog avatar into a better amphibian Sarpah. I still need to see about getting one of the artists on Furcadia to do some decent portraits for it, but it does work.

      [Blocked Image: http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s203/Targath/amphibian.png]

      Also finished the bath house, some more exterior city portions, and started on the Spiral Arena. (It can't be Shard without that, can it?)

      [Blocked Image: http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s203/Targath/amsarpah.png]

      And hopefully Scottie doesn't mind me using his Spiral Arena spiral image to help give the arena the authentic look. I had to do some editing and patch magic to make it work... but I think it looks great. I know the seating is too close to the walls and the spacing is off in this portion of the map, but the actual game screen on Furc is pretty small and I wanted players to be able to see as much as possible from the seats around the arena floor.

      [Blocked Image: http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s203/Targath/arena.png]

      Anyway, still plugging away on this project when I am able and I will keep you posted if I have any other major progress.
      -=Targath=-
    • Video Run Through

      As part of Furcadia's very successful Kickstarter campaign, the game's creator Felorin (or Dr. Cat to those outside of Furc) did a Twitch.tv live stream where he visited various dreams on Furcadia and answered questions. One of my players invited him to stop by our Shard Dream while he was streaming, and he did so.

      I thought I would share a link to the recorded video of that stream so that those interested could see exactly what our little space for playing Shard really looks like. Do feel free to watch the whole video if you like, but just as an FYI, Felorin gets to us at about 2 hours and 9 minutes in and lasts around 15 minutes or so in the dream.

      twitch.tv/doctor_cat/b/347739013

      And if any of you helped Furcadia reach its final total by pledging to their Kickstarter, THANK YOU! :D
      -=Targath=-