This isn't just another mod of Cave Story with the same old enemies and the same old weapons and the same old characters in different maps using the same old tiles.
In fact, it might not be considered a mod at all, as the goal of this project is to
prevent most differences from normal Cave Story.
What is it, then?
The Echidna Tribe presents... Agora's Legends.
Minnasan Monogatari. Everyone Story.
This is a complete engine rewrite. Designed with extensive moddability and compatibility specifically in mind. I am taking the useful tables, object-specific programming, and so on that was in the executable, Doukutsu.exe, and turning them into their own separate files.
All of the weapons and objects (including the player) will be programmable using Lua scripting. New objects will be able to specify the sheet they use such that the object can be used on any map, regardless of the map itself specifying the necessary sheet.
New Org files can be used in your maps, new sound effects can be played by your scripts, new and epic boss fights can be produced. This is everyone's story.
What that also means, of course, is that everyone can play it. On any system they like, as I am coding it in such a way that it will be easily ported. As any character they like. I intend to keep characters and weapons separate from mods, though the mods may choose which weapons are available and if you are forced to use a specific character.
The size of the sprites in the character sheets will be per-character as well. No longer are you limited to tiny 16x16 pipsqueaks. People will play as Balrog. In fact, I already mentioned that the player's programming can be changed. You can make your character behave however you like. You can fly around like Misery shooting off magic beams every which way if you wish. I will not limit you.
Most importantly, though, I wish for everyone to create and play
together. Thus far, I have been coding on the trust that you, the English-speaking Cave Story community, will use the power wisely. My last gift to you in Agora's Legends is that of netplay. The ability to host and join networked games together, where each client determines what their character is doing and what other characters it effects and what NPC scripts run for them. This is still only a little more advanced and complete than weapons at this point, I still have a long way to go in very many aspects of the project, but I hope for many good things to be had as a result already.
Unfortunately, I fear that everyone in the community has begun their own rendition of this project in the time between when I began myself and when I announced it. Thus, I may be forced to do everything on my own, and when that happens I can no longer guarantee this project will ever fully meet these ends. For now, all I can do is leave you a link and hope you will see. I will be keeping my own forum and the website up to date on the project there, for anyone who joins me...
http://JTE.KidRadd.org/AGL/
The Echidna Tribe welcomes all.
