Bionicle Fighter: Broken Virtues

[Van Hohenheim]

I'm just gonna take this time to point out that

 

 

• The occasional use of non-English languages or leet is allowed to add flavor or emphasis to your text. Examples such as, 'hola,' 'sayonara,' and 'hax,' would be fine as long as the majority of the post is made in clear and easy-to-read English. Excessive usage will be removed and repeat offenses with result in Administrative action.

[Makuta Luroka]

Thank you for pointing this out. I have since removed the Norwegian part of my last post, per these parameters.

Edited December 9, 2013 by Makuta Malignus

[Katuko]

Meh, I did not intend this to turn into a thing. Let us just go back to discussing potential color settings, then. What should I include as "always standard color" and what should be affected by glow color? I'm thinking solid stuff such as rocks and iron will stay as they are (maybe with some faint glow as they appear instead); but there is room for some tweaking in plant-life (could designate flower colors) and certain energy beams. Colored air, water, gravity waves or similar can be confusing. White gravity could be confused for sound waves at first glance, and it would be hard to distinguish between orange fear and red fragmentation. If the fear beam becomes more smoke-like and fragmentation gains other "flashy" effects around the core, though, they can be differentiated even if the color varies a bit.

 

But there is something that just seems off in my head about bright pink or blue fear beams. I think I might have to keep most powers as a standard color.

[Makuta Luroka]

I feel like fragmentation beams ought to look the way they do in MoL, but then we'd just get rainbow lightning.

[Katuko]

I initially planned to make Fragmentation beams have a purple hue, but I wanted to attune them to the color of the Rahkshi itself, which is more brown/orange. Color-Coded For Your Convenience. If you're color-blind or has bad contrast on your screen, though... well, that's why the effects should be somewhat distinguishable even in black-n-white, not just because pink rocks look silly.

[Makuta Luroka]

I feel like I'd spam the "rainbow lightning frag beams" while shouting anything along the lines of "Taste the rainbow!"

[Lemony Lepid]

I feel like I'd spam the "rainbow lightning frag beams" while shouting anything along the lines of "Taste the rainbow!"

I agree. wait, what are/were we talking about?

[Van Hohenheim]

 

I feel like I'd spam the "rainbow lightning frag beams" while shouting anything along the lines of "Taste the rainbow!"

I agree. wait, what are/were we talking about?

 

The ability to change the different colors of attacks

[JacobLazer]

 

I see elemental powers can also be color-customized now, that's a nice touch.

At the moment only some of them can: Psionics and Laser Vision, off the top of my head. I am a bit torn on whether to allow such things as green fire, but I figure that since I plan to add a setting for "show only canon colors" it won't be a problem if I do. If someone finds green fire to be distracting they can then just turn it back to normal fire on their end.

 

YES! ABSOLUTELY YES!!

This is a great idea, definitely do this! besides, in real life fire can be any color, it just depends on what's burning. as for water and iron, however...

[Katuko]

With glowing things, picking black as the color is also a problem, because it then becomes invisible in-game. Of course, glowing stuff is already hard to see on a bright background, so I figure I will have to fix the glowing things anyways.

 

I guess it's a "yes" to re-colored energy beams and stuff, though it will be a toggle in the settings menu once it goes in-game.

[JacobLazer]

With glowing things, picking black as the color is also a problem, because it then becomes invisible in-game. Of course, glowing stuff is already hard to see on a bright background, so I figure I will have to fix the glowing things anyways.

 

I guess it's a "yes" to re-colored energy beams and stuff, though it will be a toggle in the settings menu once it goes in-game.

YAY!

[Aurora the cat]

Woah, 41 pages. Even with the resent timeslip, this has come a long way.

 

When will we be able to do the ultimate goal of this game? And will the servers be internal or dedicated?

[Katuko]

I will have to rent server space somewhere, to host a list of available games. This is not a real problem (and is very cheap for small-scale stuff), but takes some setting up, and I will not do it until the game is capable of online play. For the sake of programming (and my sanity) matches will be hosted on one of your computers. This will be similar to how one hosts a basic LAN game. I have done a few small attempts at network programming, but I have not gotten a full system up and running how I like it. It is still some time in the future, I'm afraid.

 

How I figure it will work: One person is the host. This person selects match settings etc. and starts up. The map enters waiting mode at this point, waiting for LAN connections (like in many other games). By clicking a menu option, the host makes the game "online", either public or closed with a password. This works by sending a network message containing the host's IP to the server space I'd have to set up. The server will then keep a list of these IPs. It should probably ping them every now and then so they can be removed if they no longer respond.

 

Now, all this list really is needed for is so that you can see which games are available when you try to join one. Otherwise you can just share IPs directly via copy/paste in some chat program, like people usually do on private matches. In-game you would ideally be able to click "Join game", then wait for a few seconds to let the list fill out. Pick one, and the game connects to that IP.

 

Potential problem with this method: The host will have to devote their machine both to hosting and playing at the same time; and it requires port forwarding, which I foresee I will be forced to explain way too many times. Anyone can host, though, with their own settings, and I do not need to rent servers or set up dedicated matches.

[Aurora the cat]

I will have to rent server space somewhere, to host a list of available games. This is not a real problem (and is very cheap for small-scale stuff), but takes some setting up, and I will not do it until the game is capable of online play. For the sake of programming (and my sanity) matches will be hosted on one of your computers. This will be similar to how one hosts a basic LAN game. I have done a few small attempts at network programming, but I have not gotten a full system up and running how I like it. It is still some time in the future, I'm afraid.

 

How I figure it will work: One person is the host. This person selects match settings etc. and starts up. The map enters waiting mode at this point, waiting for LAN connections (like in many other games). By clicking a menu option, the host makes the game "online", either public or closed with a password. This works by sending a network message containing the host's IP to the server space I'd have to set up. The server will then keep a list of these IPs. It should probably ping them every now and then so they can be removed if they no longer respond.

 

Now, all this list really is needed for is so that you can see which games are available when you try to join one. Otherwise you can just share IPs directly via copy/paste in some chat program, like people usually do on private matches. In-game you would ideally be able to click "Join game", then wait for a few seconds to let the list fill out. Pick one, and the game connects to that IP.

 

Potential problem with this method: The host will have to devote their machine both to hosting and playing at the same time; and it requires port forwarding, which I foresee I will be forced to explain way too many times. Anyone can host, though, with their own settings, and I do not need to rent servers or set up dedicated matches.

Will there be a dedicated match server that I could run? I have the space to, and it would be generally fun for me (ok maybe). As for port forwarding, you could probably use hamachi if you got lazy.

 

 

Also, the current version of the game's iu stretches off the screen. Really annoying, 'caus I can't see my ammo with things like a cordak.

[Katuko]

Will there be a dedicated match server that I could run? I have the space to, and it would be generally fun for me (ok maybe). As for port forwarding, you could probably use hamachi if you got lazy.

 

Also, the current version of the game's iu stretches off the screen. Really annoying, 'caus I can't see my ammo with things like a cordak.

I suspect that it will run the same regardless of match type. As far as I know all a dedicated server really is is the networking code separated into a smaller program, which is then left running on a computer 24/7.

 

The HUD stretches? What is your screen resolution and aspect ratio? I plan to make this a setting soon enough, but some issues with crummy view code has left me annoyed enough to skip it so far.

[Makuta of Time]

I'm already anticipating the new map. But I see you already updated it so Yay! I'm going to download it right now.

[JacobLazer]

I don't understand any of this server talk, I'm going to need to talk to one of my more tech-savvy friends.

 

Are you ever going to finish the Ta-Koro map? I noticed that in the concept art for it that you had in your Dropbox it's a multi-floor map, while so far the only hint of that in the game is the wood beams with an MNOG-style "Matoran at work" sign.

[Geardirector]

Also, that corridor at the far west with iron bars. A door, perhaps

[Katuko]

Are you ever going to finish the Ta-Koro map? I noticed that in the concept art for it that you had in your Dropbox it's a multi-floor map, while so far the only hint of that in the game is the wood beams with an MNOG-style "Matoran at work" sign.

I simply don't have a working design for the fortress, so it's been left as-is.

 

Also, that corridor at the far west with iron bars. A door, perhaps

That's the exit from the crater. I put it there mostly so I could have a reason to include a certain drawbridge and the mechanism for it, but since the map is only half-way done there is just a boring red rectangle serving as lava, currently.

[JacobLazer]

 

Are you ever going to finish the Ta-Koro map? I noticed that in the concept art for it that you had in your Dropbox it's a multi-floor map, while so far the only hint of that in the game is the wood beams with an MNOG-style "Matoran at work" sign.

I simply don't have a working design for the fortress, so it's been left as-is.

So that's how it's going to stay?

[Katuko]

So that's how it's going to stay?

Not forever, but at the moment, yes. The current AI doesn't work well with anything that puts walls between themselves and the target, either. If I add a fortress with several floors, I will need to tweak the AI as well to take advantage of it.

 

EDIT: I have restored the front page.

Edited December 13, 2013 by Katuko

[Volatile]

does anybody know how to use the "emanate" powers?

[Geardirector]

press and hold R and then the "down" cursor

[Aurora the cat]

I suspect that it will run the same regardless of match type. As far as I know all a dedicated server really is is the networking code separated into a smaller program, which is then left running on a computer 24/7.

The HUD stretches? What is your screen resolution and aspect ratio? I plan to make this a setting soon enough, but some issues with crummy view code has left me annoyed enough to skip it so far.

A dedicated sever would also has some extra administration commands. You can prob. just include the dedicated server as an exe w/ the game, and have the game autorun it when a player chooses "Host a game."

 

Yes the HUD stretches. I got mine set at 1366x768 (my laptop). I can see that your game can reads some local settings, why don't you just have it read the resolution, and auto-set it.

[Katuko]

Yes the HUD stretches. I got mine set at 1366x768 (my laptop). I can see that your game can reads some local settings, why don't you just have it read the resolution, and auto-set it.

Because I have been stupid and let the view code live its own life of spite towards good monitors everywhere.

[JacobLazer]

 

Yes the HUD stretches. I got mine set at 1366x768 (my laptop). I can see that your game can reads some local settings, why don't you just have it read the resolution, and auto-set it.

Because I have been stupid and let the view code live its own life of spite towards good monitors everywhere.

 

AAAHHHH!!! COMPUTER TALK!! CAN'T UNDERSTAND!

[The Lonesome Wanderer]

 

 

Yes the HUD stretches. I got mine set at 1366x768 (my laptop). I can see that your game can reads some local settings, why don't you just have it read the resolution, and auto-set it.

Because I have been stupid and let the view code live its own life of spite towards good monitors everywhere.

 

AAAHHHH!!! COMPUTER TALK!! CAN'T UNDERSTAND!

 

Translation: Katuko did the sizing a long time ago, and forgot to add that.

[alpha123]

I feel like I'd spam the "rainbow lightning frag beams" while shouting anything along the lines of "Taste the rainbow!"

For some reason I keep reading your posts in this voice. Must be the caps.

 

 

Wow Katuko, color me impressed. I remember when I first started following this game around Alpha 4. I had high hopes and low expectations. You’ve definitely delivered!

 

There are a couple bugs I found in Alpha 14, but unfortunately I can’t recall them right now. One thing that would be nice is if laser vision hit the first thing that collided with any part of the beam, because currently it is very hard to hit anything. So if an enemy flies into the middle beam (or more likely the beam is simply fired as the enemy is falling) it would get roasted, but anything behind the first enemy would not.

 

I’ll see if I can remember any of the bugs. That mask stacking still works is one of them, but at this point I’d almost call that an undocumented feature....

Edited December 31, 2013 by alpha123

[Makuta Luroka]

 

I feel like I'd spam the "rainbow lightning frag beams" while shouting anything along the lines of "Taste the rainbow!"

For some reason I keep reading your posts in this voice. Must be the caps.

Mine is significantly deeper though. It is because muffin button.

 

There are a couple bugs I found in Alpha 14, but unfortunately I can’t recall them right now. One thing that would be nice is if laser vision hit the first thing that collided with any part of the beam, because currently it is very hard to hit anything. So if an enemy flies into the middle beam (or more likely the beam is simply fired as the enemy is falling) it would get roasted, but anything behind the first enemy would not.

That sounds like it would be pretty neat.

I’ll see if I can remember any of the bugs. That mask stacking still works is one of them, but at this point I’d almost call that an undocumented feature....

What is this "mask stacking"

[Katuko]

Wow Katuko, color me impressed. I remember when I first started following this game around Alpha 4. I had high hopes and low expectations. You’ve definitely delivered!

Hate to disappoint, then, but I actually announced the end of BF development a few pages back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...

 

Kidding.

 

I have taken a month-long vacation from anything that has to do with programming, though. Time to get back to work.

 

 

There are a couple bugs I found in Alpha 14, but unfortunately I can’t recall them right now. One thing that would be nice is if laser vision hit the first thing that collided with any part of the beam, because currently it is very hard to hit anything. So if an enemy flies into the middle beam (or more likely the beam is simply fired as the enemy is falling) it would get roasted, but anything behind the first enemy would not.

I have been thinking about it, but the laser is actually just a visual effect. The actual damaging line is applied the moment the attack appears, for a single frame of the game. While I could change it to linger for longer and also only accept a single target, the game balance is not done yet. Compared to other attacks, this one is pretty much impossible to block or dodge. It has no choreography to warn you before it fires, and it reaches its max range (and the target) instantaneously. If your aim is right, it's pretty much guaranteed damage from up to a screen's width away, until I add ways to block it. This happens to make it somewhat unique amongst the other powers in this game, being the fastest and most pin-point attack available. Adding leeway to aiming (such as allowing you to aim at a random point below a falling target and still hit it when it passes through the beam a few frames later) could potentially make it too good.

 

That said, the future power system is set to replace stat points with more specific "perks" or abilities. While "Damage Boost" will be a generic category to place your points into, each power is set to also have a few unique skills to invest in. For example: Poison could upgrade its duration or add extra item corrosion to its attacks. Laser Vision could potentially get a "afterglow" kind of effect, where the beam lingers in the air with a faint glow and damage/heat being applied if you pass through it. Another alternative could be to have it cause a burst of energy on impact, so that even if you can't aim for your opponent directly you could potentially take advantage of a wall behind them (like with fireballs when someone is using a Hau against you).

 

 

I’ll see if I can remember any of the bugs. That mask stacking still works is one of them, but at this point I’d almost call that an undocumented feature....

What is this "mask stacking"

 

Technical version: Toa use a script which checks what mask you have equipped, and then applies effects based on it. This script is just a big list. It will run until it finds the right mask, perform the appropriate actions, then in some cases abort so that the rest of the script doesn't run needlessly. Due to this, though, some masks can "stack", if you equip a mask that happens to have appear early in the script without deactivating the one you are wearing first. If that mask also has code that aborts the rest of the script the "un-equip" actions for the mask you wore before will not be triggered.

 

For example, let's say you are wearing the Kakama, and you activate it. The script goes like this:

 

"Is the equipped mask the Kakama?"

 

> If YES:

"Kakama is equipped. Is it activated?"

> If YES:

> Change speed variable to a positive number. (Speed boost granted.)

> If NO:

> Change speed variable to zero. (Speed boost removed.)

 

> If Kakama is NOT equipped:

> Change speed moderator variable to zero.

 

So the speed boost will be taken away if you do not have the mask activated, or if you don't have it equipped (I thought of that possibility occurring if you broke it via Disintegration, for example, so that the proper "un-equip" script never runs). In the case of a mask power aborting the rest of the script, though, sometimes you may have the Kakama equipped, but the "remove speed boost" code being skipped. After that, you will be wearing the new mask, which will then keep the Kakama bit of the script from being reached.

 

I know the error and how to fix it, but in several cases removing the "abort script" parts cause the rest of the powers to malfunction. Therefore I have been forced to keep certain bugs to avoid more severe ones, until I rewrite the whole thing.

 

It is therefore possible to stack these masks by going in the right order. First equip one mask, then equip another which happens to include an abort action that lies earlier in the script. I will naturally not be revealing exact details here (it's hard to predict the exact order, and you guys would exploit them like there's no tomorrow ) but a common combination that works is to equip the Huna and then change to a Kakama or a Miru.

Edited December 31, 2013 by Katuko

[Pupwa21]

I'm having a problem in the game, everytime I press a buttion, the game slows down to the point where everything barely moves. But when I'm not pressing a buttion, the game runs like Hot knife though butter.

 

 

Help?

[Katuko]

I'm having a problem in the game, everytime I press a buttion, the game slows down to the point where everything barely moves. But when I'm not pressing a buttion, the game runs like Hot knife though butter.

 

 

Help?

Without knowing details about the hardware in your computer and your operating system, I can't say much.

[Pupwa21]

 

I'm having a problem in the game, everytime I press a buttion, the game slows down to the point where everything barely moves. But when I'm not pressing a buttion, the game runs like Hot knife though butter.Help?

Without knowing details about the hardware in your computer and your operating system, I can't say much.

Never mind, I had too many programs on when I was playing.

[Katuko]

Never mind, I had too many programs on when I was playing.

Glad that works, then. Still: If you happen to be running any version of Windows 8, could you check if the game crashes when the Karda Nui boss fires its multi-fireball attack; or when a Toa of Lightning hits a foe with several instances of its secondary attack?

 

Me and at least one playtester has had trouble with this on Windows 8, so I'm trying to see if it's a widespread issue.

[Pupwa21]

 

Never mind, I had too many programs on when I was playing.

Glad that works, then. Still: If you happen to be running any version of Windows 8, could you check if the game crashes when the Karda Nui boss fires its multi-fireball attack; or when a Toa of Lightning hits a foe with several instances of its secondary attack?Me and at least one playtester has had trouble with this on Windows 8, so I'm trying to see if it's a widespread issue.

Sure thing, also can you put a setting that lowers the amount of particles on the screen, My computer isn't too strong when it comes to that.

[Katuko]

Sure thing, also can you put a setting that lowers the amount of particles on the screen, My computer isn't too strong when it comes to that.

I've been thinking of it, but I came to the conclusion that the extra checks for particle type/number may or may not be worth the effort in the current engine. The main cause of slowdown is inefficient code rather than the glow effects, and many of the effects are actually objects rather than particles. The embers and slime that results from melting an opponent, for example, are objects because actual particles cannot have collision with terrain.

 

But yeah, it's on the "I should really do this already" list, along with changing the view scale and some other fixes.

[Aurora the cat]

 

Never mind, I had too many programs on when I was playing.

Glad that works, then. Still: If you happen to be running any version of Windows 8, could you check if the game crashes when the Karda Nui boss fires its multi-fireball attack; or when a Toa of Lightning hits a foe with several instances of its secondary attack?

 

Me and at least one playtester has had trouble with this on Windows 8, so I'm trying to see if it's a widespread issue.

 

It always crashes on karda nui when using windows 8. No idea why it would do that, but it you set it to compatibility mode with windows 7 it seems to work.

[The Great Spirit DM]

Given that the game will be multiplayer, could there be a setting to turn off color-changed elemental effects, such that the people who want to see the different colors may, and the people who prefer the standard effects only may choose not to?

 

This way, the people who might be confused by all those different colors don't have to deal with processing too much if they don't want to.

[JacobLazer]

There's this one recommendation for the game that i keep thinking of, but I consistently forget it every time ill try to remember it next time.

[Katuko]

It always crashes on karda nui when using windows 8. No idea why it would do that, but it you set it to compatibility mode with windows 7 it seems to work.

 

Unfortunately compatibility settings doesn't fix the crash that occurs when many fireballs explode at once, but if it helps with some issues that is great.

 

Given that the game will be multiplayer, could there be a setting to turn off color-changed elemental effects, such that the people who want to see the different colors may, and the people who prefer the standard effects only may choose not to?

 

This way, the people who might be confused by all those different colors don't have to deal with processing too much if they don't want to.

Already planned out, so don't worry. "Allow non-canon colors" will be a setting for both the character and the element itself. They will be separate, and have three levels: Full restriction to canon, loose with canon (colors can be tweaked, but only to an extent) and completely non-canon (any color goes). There will also be another setting for allowing masks to take a non-standard shape. The settings will be client-side, so that players who want to see crazy colors can do so, while others will have their game auto-adjust colors to fit a "canon" view.

 

This way, Player A can make her character be a green Toa of Fire who shoots blue fire, while Player B would see a red Toa of Fire who shoots normal, orange fire. Player C could potentially have restricted only the element colors, so that she sees Player A's character as green Toa of Fire, but the fire still appears orange.

 

In order to make people have some control even when the restrictions apply to their character, I will make character profiles able to save two "sets" - one completely custom, and one with restrictions in place. For example, you might want your Toa of Air to be primarily white and purple, but you would also be fine with it being completely green - you happen to dislike lime. You can then save your white-and-purple color scheme along with the completely green scheme. Having a second color scheme to fall back on prevents "half restriction" views from going directly to the standard green-and-lime color scheme when there's still room from some variation. The element of Fire can have yellow and black as secondary colors, for example; so it's not necessary to force a red Kanohi mask just because the selected blue doesn't work - black could be an acceptable substitute to that player.