Gobaith Reborn is a remake of the old pre-VBU state of the Illarion roleplaying game.
In 2024, I launched the Selene Worlds project, aiming to create an extensible framework for isometric online roleplaying games. For prototyping purposes, I imported maps and scripts from the open source roleplaying game Illarion, using a bridge bundle that implements the Illarion Lua API and translates its calls to the Selene Server API.
This prototype eventually grew into what’s available now, with an AGPL-licensed fork of old scripts updated to be Lua 5.4 compatible and a recreation of the old client layout and controls using web technology and open source assets. Out of respect for the original license, every Illarion-related bundle is published under the AGPL license, even in cases where sources weren’t derived from Illarion repositories.
I will say: While it’s great to walk through Gobaith again, this state of the game is extremely unintuitive for new players - worsened by the fact that there are no established players to lend a hand and guide others, and the fact that several things, such as monster spawns, had to be reconstructed from memory. You will probably be frustrated by clunky controls, a lack of ingame feedback, and occasional empty dungeons. I never played the adventuring kind, so the most I know is the crypt and upper floors of the graveyard. Feel free to share your tales and wisdoms for any reconstruction efforts.
As a long term plan, I want to largely preserve the original feel of the game. The main thorns I’ve encountered while playing a legitimate non-admin character, that I plan to address:
- Item interactions are inconsistent and unclear. Sometimes I have to use the item, sometimes the furnace, sometimes I get a message, sometimes the game stays silent.
- NPCs do not react to even the simplest and most obvious triggers that a newbie would want to ask, such as finding out where to get copper from Sorgan.
Another thing I want to avoid is having the running world be bottlenecked by developers. A lot of the original scripts used hardcoded branches for things like custom items, quests, secret doors, etc.; the majority of these I’ve already changed to use data-driven approaches instead. This means any present GM can quickly create a new item for their event or to accomodate a player request. In fact, the Irundar quest in its entirety can be replicated through Selene’s dynamic registry and Event-Condition-Action systems, all within the ingame editor.
Either way, everything I’ve encountered so far is functional and the game is open to everyone right now, playable directly in the browser. Tell your grandpa.
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