Kaetram

Kaetram is an open-source game-engine created to aid those interested in entering the game development realm. The codebase is simple, clean, and intuitive. This project is intended to be used as a learning tool. The original idea is based on Little Workshop's demo game—BrowserQuest (BQ). This game uses original BQ assets as well as custom-made ones. The entire code-base has been written from scratch, using more modern approaches.

Live Version – https://kaetram.com

Join us on Discord – https://discord.gg/MmbGAaw

Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/kaetram

Table of Contents

• Kaetram
  • Table of Contents
  • Technologies
  • Get Started
    • Prerequisites
      • NOTE: Node.js
      • NOTE: MongoDB
    • Installing and Running
    • Configuration
  • Features
    • Regions
    • Tilemap
    • Map Parsing
    • Kaetram Hub
  • Roadmap
    • TODO
      • Gameplay
      • Code-base Development
      • Miscellaneous
  • License & Commission

Technologies

BQ was intended as an experiment to showcase HTML5 capabilities, since then, technology has only served to advance. Kaetram contains a lot of ideas and features that builds on top of its predecessor, a couple are:

• Multiplayer using Socket.IO.
• Enhanced rendering engine (includes dynamic lighting, overlays, animated tiles).
• Region system (client receives only necessary data and saves it).
• Questing and achievements system.
• Plugin-based combat system (for bosses/special enemies).
• Supports RESTful API.
• Discord server integration.
• Cross-server private messaging and interactions.
• Yarn v2 workspaces for monorepo packaging.
• And much more!

Get Started

Prerequisites

You must first install Node.js to run the project, and optionally install MongoDB to store user data on the server.

NOTE: Node.js

You need to use a Node.js version greater than or equal to 12.0.0 to have the most stable experience when developing/experimenting with Kaetram. Older versions would not work with our current dependencies.

NOTE: MongoDB

MongoDB is a requirement for Kaetram to run with all the features enabled, but you can still run your own limited version if you do not want to install MongoDB. To do this, see Configuration, and set OFFLINE_MODE=true in the server configuration. If you do choose to install MongoDB, a user is not necessary, but you can enable authentication with the MONGODB_AUTH setting.

You will then need to install Yarn using

npm install -g yarn

After installing Yarn, install the dependencies by simply running

yarn

Installing and Running

To run a live development build, run

yarn dev

To create a production build, run

yarn build

Then, to run each production build, use

yarn start

Configuration

Optionally, if you would want some additional configuration, in the server and client packages, A file called .env.defaults will be used unless overridden by a .env file. Create and modify the .env file to fit your needs, make sure the network settings in the client match those in the server.

Features

Regions

The region system sends data to the client according to the map data of the server. The collisions are checked both server-side and client-side to avoid cheating. The region system makes use of dynamic tiles, which are unlocked according to a player's progress. Furthermore, there is integrated support for instancing, where we can use a section of the map (or clone it) and reuse it for certain groups of players. The instancing is perfect for activities such as minigames, where we will want to run multiple instances in parallel.

Tilemap

Kaetram is built with modularity in mind, as such, the client supports multiple tileset parsing. The tilemap can easily be constructed using Tiled Map Editor. Using our map parsing tool located in packages/tools/map/exportmap.ts you can easily export your creation to both the client and the server.

Map Parsing

Once you finish modifying your map in packages/tools/map/data/ you can parse the map data by executing yarn exportmap inside the packages/tools/ directory. Example command:

yarn exportmap ./data/map.json

To build the current game map you can run

yarn map

Kaetram Hub

There is also support for a hub server. This can help connect servers across one another, allowing players to interact with their friends across them in a variety of ways (private messaging and guilds). Furthermore, the hub serves as a gateway for determining what server to place players in. If a server is full, it simply returns another server that has room for the player.

Roadmap

Here we have The Roadmap Project Board. This is the main board of the Kaetram-Open project. A kind of Kanban tasks board for tracking and presenting the progress to the community. Here we plan, prioritize and track our work.

See also the open issues for a list of proposed features (and known issues).

TODO

Gameplay

• Finalize the new map.
• Polish mob attributes.
• Have a consistent storyline that goes with the game.
• Implement special abilities and weapon perks.
• Improve anti-cheating detections.
• Add PvP
• Add minigames (PvP, Capture the Flag, Hold the Base)
• Improve client/server synchronization for all players
• Add player trading abilities
• Transition to a more suitable WebGL framework
• Add friends list
• Improve the enchanting system
• Make bosses more responsive
• All trees in the world must be cuttable

Code-base Development

• Write documentation outlining the entirety of the source code.
• Improvements and optimizations to the lighting system.

Miscellaneous

• Add (continue) to NPC talking—spacebar when talking

License & Commission

For all inquiries about purchasing a different license or commission work, please contact @Vanity on Discord.

This project is distributed under the Mozilla Public License Version 2.0. See LICENSE for more information.