There is always something about fantasy games. Then allure of medieval times, steel on steel and the possibility of mythical creatures is enough to get anyone saying ‘cool’. Avalon is a great example of this. As a third-person fantasy MMORPG, Avalon boasts a vibrance and fullness to the genre. Originally a Web3, I was brought in to continue development for a Web2 release on steam, refactoring inventory systems, mounts, and more.
The core loop of Avalon is surprisingly simple:
Naturally, the game has many secondary loops including a player-to-player economy of better weapons and ingredients to forge your own. This economy allows players to gain extra wealth by selling the weapons they no longer need. The game also includes property purchasing, management, and storage benefits for your loot depending on whether you by a house or a mansion.
Mini games abound in Avalon, from fishing to target practice, the isles are full of things to do and see.
Avalon boasts an 8-player raid system including tons of fun with every fresh wave of enemies, there raids occur in forests, death arenas or even shallow coves! With more being added toward Avalon’s release.
Gameplay consists of several classes such as the Druid, Knights Templar, Vikings etc. These classes have differing base abilities and stats that can be buffed with proper loot. Otherwise, Avalon has a whole host of swords, shields, axes, bows, and daggers, each providing their own playstyle against the variety of mobs, bosses, and combat players encounter throughout the islands. The game’s campaign consists of following the Knights Templar through their exploits on the islands.
Throughout the several quests received from villagers, players will have the opportunity to earn their coin and purchase land, stores, boats, mounts, and more
Mounts and companions are ways that players can travel about and engage in exciting combat.
Avalon is made up of 12 islands, each a different vibe and piece of the story, full of vivid colours and enemy encounters!
And then also, DRAGONS!
Avalon was originally built in Unreal Engine 4 using C++ and blueprint, it is equipped with the Gameplay Ability System. The project is multiplayer-replicated and required large refactoring to ensure the game’s network features and raids were better performing. Developd worked on the refactor/development of several key systems:
Work on this project involved diving into a huge codebase left behind by several developers, building new features on top of this somewhat shaky foundation, and fixing gaps within the foundation where necessary. Assisting in bringing more designer-friendly blueprints into the game’s project for previously tucked away C++ hardcoded values/functionality. Overhauls were done on the way camera tracking worked for interactions, and how enemy AI perceived the player/s as well as their core functionality for attack selection.
The project demanded the use of:
This project has been a pleasure to work on and gets more and more exciting as it progresses in development to this day.
Avalon has gone public on Steam for wishlists and is coming soon.
