One Week...

No Budget...

No Engine...

Click here to download

And a goal to make an RPG...

On a dare, I created an RPG in one work-week (40 hours), using all open-source / freeware tools, no established code base or engine, all by my own li'l lonesome. Just to show that it doesn't take tons of time, money, expensive tools, a team of specialists, or years of training to develop games. All you need is a will to make it happen.

READ THE ARTICLE!

The complete article with the hourly blow-by-blow was published by gamedev.net. It shows the complete game development process scaled down to a single 40-hour work week. Having worked on several AAA games in the past, I can tell you that the same thought processes, time budgeting, trials, worries, and labors of a full-scale project were reflected in this 40-hour project. Which means it's a good exercise for beginners wanting to get their feet wet before embarking on a larger project, or by veterans wanting to get a quick exercise of their project management skills.

PLAY THE GAME!

Once you've read the article (or maybe even before), download and enjoy the free game. It's fun for a couple of minutes, at least. Play the game. Or better yet, change the game, fix the game, or go ahead and use the source code for your own project. It's free. It's not polished. It's not balanced. There are only six rooms. The art is crappy and it is buggy. But it's fun for a few minutes, and it was whipped together in a week to prove IT CAN BE DONE. Besides, when you are done, you can download the source code and modify it yourself to your heart's content. Make it better!

!

To Install:

Unzip this in a directory of your choice. Then double-click on "hackenslash.exe"

To Play:

The goal is simple --- survive as long as you can.Click on an empty space to move. Click on your icon (the guy in armor) to bring up the player menu. Click on monsters or items to bring up a menu to interact with them. Hit escape to bring up the main menu. And no, "New Game" doesn't work.

Your goal is to kill as many goblins and take as much treasure as you can before you die. You can rest back in the original room whenever you choose - but the dungeon repopulates each time you do. Sometimes it's better to negotiate with a goblin than fight him. Watch out - chests are sometimes trapped, and monsters that you've bribed won't like to see you steal their treasure. IF they see you, that is...

DOWNLOAD THE SOURCE CODE!

Want the original source code? Either to play with, or maybe you are running on Mac or Linux?Click on the link above and download it. Use this version only if you already have Python and PyGame installed on your machine! Let me know how it runs! (I already know I have some directories set up wrong for Linux. Ah, well!)