Ecspel

Ecspel is a 2D farming and adventure RPG built with Unity, inspired by Stardew Valley. Experience a rich farming simulation combined with exploration, combat, quests, and a deep story in a handcrafted pixel art world.

Tech Stack

Features

Core Gameplay Systems

• Farming & Agriculture

  • Grid-based farming system with soil tilling and watering mechanics
  • Crop planting, growth, and harvesting with multiple growth stages
  • Seasonal crop rotation and plant lifecycle management
  • Watering can, hoe, and other farming tools
  • Farm plot management with customizable layouts

• Resource Gathering

  • Tree chopping with axe tools and dynamic damage system
  • Stone breaking with pickaxe mechanics
  • Collectable resources scattered throughout the world
  • Resource spawning and regeneration in designated areas

• Building & Construction

  • Placeable objects and structures on a grid-based system
  • Fence system with smart placement and rotation
  • Interactive buildings (chicken coops, forges, etc.)
  • Customizable farm layouts

• Crafting & Forging

  • Comprehensive crafting system with recipes
  • Recipe unlocking and discovery system
  • Forge mechanics for tool and equipment creation
  • Material requirements and item combining

• Inventory Management

  • Full inventory system with drag-and-drop functionality
  • Quick slots for fast item access
  • Chest storage system with persistent data
  • Item stacking and organization
  • Bin/trash system for unwanted items

• Quest System

  • Dynamic quest tracking with multiple objective types:
    • Go to location objectives
    • Talk to NPC objectives
    • Give item objectives
  • Quest rewards (items, coins, experience)
  • Quest log with detailed information
  • World markers for quest objectives

• Dialogue & NPCs

  • Rich dialogue system with multiple NPCs
  • Dialogue trees with player choices and responses
  • Dynamic dialogue changes based on game progression
  • Character relationships and story progression
  • Named NPCs: Bob, Andrei, Ana, Maria, Mihaela, Marilena, Valentin, Victoria, and more

• Combat System

  • Player combat with weapon mechanics
  • Enemy AI with pathfinding (Skeleton, Eye, Giant Eye, Spitter)
  • Enemy spawning and wave systems
  • Player health and death mechanics
  • Projectile-based attacks

• Animals & Wildlife

  • Birds (chickens, ducks, swans) with AI behavior
  • Fish spawning and AI in water areas
  • Animal pathfinding and natural behaviors
  • Day/night cycle affecting animal behavior
  • Chicken coop management

• Skills & Progression

  • Skill system with multiple skill trees
  • Skill leveling and power upgrades
  • Player stats (stamina, health, speed)
  • Fatigue and slow effect mechanics
  • Experience and level progression

• Shop & Economy

  • Currency system (coins)
  • Shop interface for buying and selling items
  • Item pricing and value system
  • Economic progression

World & Environment

• Day/Night Cycle

  • Dynamic time system with day/night transitions
  • End-of-day events and save system
  • Time-based NPC schedules
  • Speed up time mechanic

• Dynamic Lighting

  • Campfire lighting system
  • Environmental lighting effects
  • Shadow rendering for objects

• Weather & Atmosphere

  • Wind effects and particle systems
  • Visual atmosphere and ambiance
  • Environmental storytelling

• Multiple Locations

  • Diverse areas to explore (caves, forests, villages)
  • Location-based grid systems
  • Teleportation and waypoint system
  • Scene transitions with fade effects

UI & User Experience

• Comprehensive UI System

  • Tab menu system with multiple panels
  • Inventory UI with item details
  • Crafting interface
  • Quest log and tracker
  • Skills menu
  • Pause menu

• Visual Feedback

  • Item pickup animations
  • Particle effects for actions
  • Hover tooltips and item details
  • Visual indicators for interactable objects

• Audio

  • Sound effects for actions (chopping, mining, item pickup)
  • Background music system
  • Ambient sounds

Technical Features

• Save System

  • Comprehensive save/load functionality
  • Persistent world state
  • Grid state serialization
  • NPC and quest progress saving
  • Inventory and chest data persistence

• Procedural Systems

  • Object spawning in designated areas
  • Resource regeneration
  • Dynamic enemy spawning

• Event System

  • Area enter/exit events
  • End-of-day events
  • Story-driven triggers
  • Special event handlers (flower pillars, campfires)

Handcrafted Art

All sprites and artwork in Ecspel are 100% hand-made, including:

• Character sprites and animations
• NPC designs
• Enemy designs
• Environmental tiles and objects
• UI elements
• Item icons
• Building and structure graphics

Screenshots

Player Character with Stats

View your character's health, stamina, and equipment in real-time.

Inventory System

A comprehensive inventory system with drag-and-drop functionality, item details, and quick slots.

NPC Dialogue

Engage in rich conversations with NPCs featuring dialogue trees and player choices.

NPC Daily Routines

NPCs follow realistic daily schedules, moving between locations throughout the day.

Player Monologue

Story-driven internal monologues guide the player through the narrative.

Game Controls

• WASD - Character movement
• Left Shift - Run (consumes stamina)
• Left Mouse - Use tool / Interact / Place object
• Tab - Open inventory/menu
• R - Rotate placeable objects (fences, etc.)
• Escape - Pause menu

Project Structure

Ecspel/
├── Assets/
│   ├── Animals/          (Bird AI, Fish AI, pathfinding)
│   ├── Build system/     (Farming, construction, resource gathering)
│   ├── Building/         (Interactive buildings)
│   ├── Chest/            (Storage system)
│   ├── Crafting/         (Crafting mechanics and UI)
│   ├── Dialogue/         (Dialogue system and NPC conversations)
│   ├── Enemy/            (Enemy AI and combat)
│   ├── Environment/      (World objects and terrain)
│   ├── Forge/            (Forging system)
│   ├── Items/            (Item definitions and behaviors)
│   ├── Light/            (Lighting effects)
│   ├── Menu/             (Main menu and UI)
│   ├── Mobs/             (Mobile entities)
│   ├── NPC's/            (NPC characters and behavior)
│   ├── Objects/          (World objects)
│   ├── Plants/           (Crop and plant systems)
│   ├── Player/           (Player controller and stats)
│   ├── Quests/           (Quest system)
│   ├── SaveGame/         (Save/load functionality)
│   ├── Scenes/           (Game scenes)
│   ├── Shop/             (Economy and trading)
│   ├── Skills/           (Skill system)
│   ├── Sounds/           (Audio files)
│   ├── Sprites/          (All hand-drawn artwork)
│   ├── Story/            (Story events and triggers)
│   └── UI/               (User interface elements)
├── ProjectSettings/      (Unity project configuration)
└── Ecspel.sln           (Visual Studio solution)

Requirements

• Unity 2022 or higher
• Visual Studio (for C# development)
• Unity 2D packages:
  • Unity 2D Animation
  • Unity 2D Tilemap Extras
  • TextMesh Pro
• Input System package

Getting Started

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/severmanolescu/Ecspel.git

2. Open in Unity

1. Open Unity Hub
2. Click "Open" and select the Ecspel folder
3. Unity will import all assets and compile scripts (this may take a few minutes)

3. Install Required Packages

Unity should automatically install required packages. If not:

1. Go to Window > Package Manager
2. Install:
   • Unity 2D Animation
   • Unity 2D Tilemap Extras
   • Input System
   • TextMesh Pro

4. Build and Run

1. Open the main scene from Assets/Scenes/
2. Click the Play button in Unity Editor to test
3. For builds: File > Build Settings and select your target platform

Development Highlights

Based on recent commits, the game includes:

• Multiple NPCs with unique personalities and dialogue trees
• Extensive cave system with mining mechanics
• Builder and blacksmith NPCs with specialized functions
• Event-driven story progression
• Detailed interior spaces for character houses
• Trigger-based world events

Story

Ecspel features a rich narrative with:

• Character-driven storylines
• Relationship building with NPCs
• Discovery of special locations (flower pillars, magical caves)
• Progressive unlocking of game areas
• Endgame content and finale events

Credits

• Developer & Artist: Sever Manolescu
• All sprites and artwork: Hand-drawn by Sever Manolescu
• Engine: Unity
• Programming Language: C#

License

This project is proprietary. All rights reserved.