Welcome to the first development blog for Solivium, my indie game project that seeks to capture the magic of old-school RPGs while shedding the constraints of technical limitations. This project is a personal love letter to the early Ultima series and the games that shaped the golden age of computer RPGs.

What is Solivium?

Solivium is a turn-based RPG built in C, leveraging a CGA-inspired palette for that nostalgic retro aesthetic. My goal is to create a game that feels like it belongs to the early 1980s but with the freedom to design without the hardware restrictions of the time. The game combines classic mechanics like grid-based movement, stat-based progression, and turn-based combat with modern refinements to provide an immersive and challenging experience.

Progress So Far

Building Solivium has been an exciting journey so far. Here are the key features I’ve implemented:

• Renderer: I’ve set up a custom renderer using GLFW and glad. This forms the foundation of the game’s visuals, showcasing the CGA-style graphics and maintaining the old-school charm.
• Map and Console UI: The game now has a working map and console interface, allowing players to navigate the world and receive feedback as they play.
• Player Mechanics: The player character is functional with movement.
• Turn-Based Logic: I’ve implemented turn-based mechanics, ensuring that both the player and enemies act in turns.
• Enemy AI: I’ve begun work on enemies. At this stage, they can follow the player.

What’s Next?

Moving forward, I’ll focus on refining enemy behavior, adding combat mechanics, and expanding the game world.

Thank you for joining me on this journey. I’m excited to share more updates and hear your thoughts as the game develops. Stay tuned for the next post, where I’ll dive deeper into the combat system and showcase more of the world of Solivium!