Devlog 001 / Recovered Build Archive
I Recovered My First Game
Legend started as the first game I ever came up with: a fantasy RPG written entirely in Windows Batch. It was rough, strange, menu-driven, and full of placeholder ideas, but it already had the bones of a real RPG.
The surviving file appears to be LegendTFC release 1.0. It had account creation, saving, combat, shops, inventory, armor, weapons, a bank, skills, quests, monster drops, and a Stronghold boss named Lacoyx.
I remember later versions existing. I remember classes, new skills, and even holiday events. Those versions seem to be gone now, but that ended up giving the remake its identity.
The goal is not just to remake the original batch game one-to-one. The goal is to preserve its spirit and build the version it could have become.
The Original Build
The original Legend was not just a tiny test. It already had systems layered on top of systems. There was a main town menu, combat, equipment progression, shops, drops, skill training, a bank, and a dangerous Stronghold. It was clearly inspired by old-school RPGs and browser-era fantasy games, but it was made out of batch commands, labels, variables, and a lot of determination.
Surviving Systems
Combat, inventory, shops, skills, banking, enemy drops, quests, and boss encounters survived in v1.0.
Missing History
Later versions are remembered but currently lost, including classes, more skills, and holiday events.
The Remake Idea
Instead of pretending the missing versions never existed, the remake treats them as part of the story. Legend is now a recovered world. Some systems survived. Some were lost. Some are slowly being restored.
Varrock, RealmBank, the Quest Hall, the Skill Plot, and the Stronghold are no longer just menus. They are pieces of an old game world trying to remember what they used to be.
That means the real-life history of the project becomes part of the game’s fiction. Missing updates become lost lore. Old placeholder systems become ancient ruins. Forgotten features become things the player can recover.
Recovered Build v0.2
The current browser version rebuilds Legend as an HTML5 game with a new interface, class selection, a Quest Hall, recovered memories, a better battle screen, and the first version of the Stronghold encounter.
It is still early, but it already feels like the beginning of something real. The old batch-game structure is still there, but now it has room to become a proper browser RPG.
Current Build
Recovered Build v0.2 adds the title screen, classes, improved menus, Quest Hall, memories, and Lacoyx.
Next Build
v0.3 will focus on exploration, selling enemy drops, the Trading Post, Smuggler, and D20-style choices.
What Comes Next
The next major update is planned around exploration. Instead of simply grinding battles, the player will be able to explore roads, ruins, campsites, forests, and strange events outside Varrock.
Choices will matter. Random encounters will feel closer to a tabletop RPG, with risk, reward, class-based checks, and better reasons to return to town.
The Trading Post and Smuggler are also planned so players can sell enemy drops, make money, hear rumors, and interact with the world in more interesting ways.