It all started three months ago with a simple suggestion. My wife, Jianhong, knowing my deep love for RPGs and fantasy fiction, recommended we watch a Chinese TV series called Guardians of Dafeng. I was instantly hooked. The world, the characters, the intricate plot—it was the perfect material for the kind of classic RPG I grew up playing. She particularly loved the antagonist and the members of the academy, and the more we watched, the more a crazy idea began to form in my head: what if I could bring this world to life as a playable game?

That idea became a passion project, and today, I’m excited to share the progress on Guardians of Dafeng, a fan-made RPG built with RPG Maker MZ and a little help from some powerful AI tools.

From TV Series to Playable World

The goal was to create a classic, story-driven RPG that captures the essence of the TV series. This meant building a rich world with detailed maps, a compelling narrative with cinematic cutscenes, and a full roster of characters, items, and skills. The project has grown to a scale I never initially imagined:

• 48 Hand-Crafted Maps: From the tranquil Tutorial Village to the majestic Imperial Capital and the treacherous Shadow Emperor’s Throne Room.
• 70+ Visual Assets: Including detailed map mockups, 14 cinematic cutscenes, and 10 character portraits with multiple expressions.
• A Rich RPG System: Featuring 5 playable characters, 30+ skills, 88 unique enemies, and over 90 different items, weapons, and armors.

Here’s a glimpse of the aesthetic we’re aiming for, blending traditional Chinese art with classic RPG pixel art:

The Tools Behind the Magic

Bringing a project of this scale to life in just three months wouldn’t have been possible without some powerful tools. My development workflow has been a blend of classic game-making and cutting-edge AI.

1. RPG Maker MZ: This is the heart of the project. It’s a fantastic engine for creating classic RPGs, providing a solid foundation for maps, events, and database management.
2. AI-Powered Development: This project has been my playground for exploring AI-assisted development. I’ve leveraged a variety of AI tools (like Manus, Claude.ai, and others) for a huge range of tasks, from generating stunning map mockups and cinematic cutscenes to writing code that automates tedious jobs. This experience was a major inspiration for building my own NVIDIA GPU-powered, self-hosted AI server. You can read more about that journey in my other post: Part 1: Introduction and Planning Your Home AI Server.
3. GitHub: The entire project is hosted on GitHub, which has been essential for version control and keeping everything organized. It allows me to experiment without fear of breaking things and provides a central hub for all project assets.

Current State and What’s Next

The game is incredibly close to being feature-complete. All the core systems are in place: the UI is polished, every item and skill has a unique icon, and the narrative arc is defined with 14 cinematic cutscenes. The main task remaining is to finalize the in-game maps, using the detailed mockups as a guide to ensure every location is as beautiful and immersive as it deserves to be.

The biggest hurdle, however, isn’t technical—it’s legal. As a fan project, I’m now navigating the challenging process of identifying the copyright and IP holders for the original TV series to seek permission for a public release. It’s a difficult path, but one I’m committed to pursuing.

Check Out the Project!

This has been an incredible journey of creativity, learning, and passion. It started as a way to engage more deeply with a story I loved and has become a full-fledged game that I’m immensely proud of.

I invite you to follow the project’s progress on GitHub. You can see all the assets, dive into the code, and watch as the final maps come together.

Project GitHub Repository: https://github.com/XinleSA/god-manus

Thanks for reading, and may your own cultivation path lead to immortality!

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References and Further Reading

About the Original Series:

Guardians of the Dafeng (大奉打更人) is a 2024 Chinese television drama adapted from the web novel Dafeng Nightwatchman by Mai Bao Xiao Lang Jun (卖报小郎君), also known as “Newspaper Seller.” The series follows Yang Ling, a modern office worker who is transported to the Da Feng Dynasty, where he becomes Xu Qi An, a “copper gong” night watchman. Using his modern knowledge and reasoning skills, he solves mysteries and battles supernatural forces in a rich fantasy world.

 

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This is a fan-made, non-commercial project created out of love for the original series. All rights to the Guardians of Dafeng intellectual property belong to the original creators, Mai Bao Xiao Lang Jun, and the production companies involved in the television adaptation.