Bionicle Fighter: Broken Virtues

[Volatile]

I think the power of calix is kinda wrong: the mask makes you perform at the tip of your abilities (wich helps you dodge) but I guess allowing it to max out ALL your abilities for a short time and then requiring a cooldown would be better than just dodging

[JAG18]

Katuko,

 

This is a fun action packed BIONICLE game that I've played and enjoyed many times, and think you've done great work on it. I think the actually game play, if not overwhelmingly challenging, is my favorite part, along with the rad character building options and decent graphics.

 

Judging by all the new features and changes you've been mentioning in the past few pages, I think Bionicle Fighter has nowhere to go, but up and up.

 

Keep up the good work and I'm looking forward for the next update.

[Katuko]

oh goodness this game looks fun! imagine if you could make it browser based!

I can not do that, for the following reasons: [ Post link ]

 

I think the power of calix is kinda wrong: the mask makes you perform at the tip of your abilities (wich helps you dodge) but I guess allowing it to max out ALL your abilities for a short time and then requiring a cooldown would be better than just dodging

That's one possible way to do it, yes. I've just been reluctant to list it as such in the current engine, since that would make it a lite-edition of the Pakari/Kakama/overcharge. With a separate mask bar and some other tweaks there will be more room for the Calix.

 

[snip]

I'm glad you like it.

[Aurora the cat]

Feature suggestion: Windowed play.

[Makuta Luroka]

Feature suggestion: Windowed play.

Press F4 and you discover that it's been implemented already.

[Arzaki]

 

Feature suggestion: Windowed play.

Press F4 and you discover that it's been implemented already.

 

Hold down ALT while you do that. It'll give you max stats.

[Rahkshi Guurahk]

 

 

Feature suggestion: Windowed play.

Press F4 and you discover that it's been implemented already.

 

Hold down ALT while you do that. It'll give you max stats.

 

You do realize everyone knows what that does, right?

[Aurora the cat]

 

Feature suggestion: Windowed play.

Press F4 and you discover that it's been implemented already.

 

LOL didn't know.

[Arzaki]

 

 

 

Feature suggestion: Windowed play.

Press F4 and you discover that it's been implemented already.

 

Hold down ALT while you do that. It'll give you max stats.

 

You do realize everyone knows what that does, right?

 

Did you know that if you say oranges slowly it sounds like gullible?

[Katuko]

Did you know that if you say oranges slowly it sounds like gullible?

In any case, please don't mess with people regarding the controls. It serves no purpose and is only annoying to those who may not know better.

 

F4 is indeed the fullscreen toggle button, while Alt+F4 does nothing -- in this program. For those who don't know: Alt+F4 is a standard Windows shortcut for closing programs.

 

 

 

Here is something cool I worked on today. It was supposed to just be a test run of new particle graphics, but I ended up making a playable demo instead. Here's a Toa put into a preliminary version of new animation system. He is wielding a Laser Crossbow, which "forced" me to draw a few frames of animation for it. I've programmed him to be quite similar to what I envision BIONICLE Fighter's "aim mode" for projectiles to be.

 

 

Laser Crossbow shooting test:

Download from Dropbox (2.27 MB)

Preview screenshot (115.14 KB)

 

The controls are listed at the bottom of the screen, but I will put them here as well:

Arrow keys to move left/right and shift your aim up/down. Press or hold Space to shoot, and hold Shift to make a laser sight appear. Hold Control to aim faster. After shooting 10 Nui-Rama, you can press Enter to activate your overcharge ability, which causes your gun to fire much quicker and gain 2 additional projectiles for 5 seconds.

 

 

In the new engine, gun-type weapons will be carried normally until you press the Attack key, in which case you go into Aim Mode. While in this mode you will move slower, but be able to shift your aim up and down a bit. Keeping the Attack key pressed (or tapping it, or holding then releasing it, based on the weapon) will fire a projectile. Guns will never run out of ammunition, but they will have an energy bar or an ammo count that needs to recharge every so often. For example: After firing 6 Cordak shots, you will have to wait for the gun to reload.

 

A quick tap of the Block/Shield key will break you out of Aim Mode, returning you to normal controls. If you try to Block with a gun as your only weapon, it will only offer low Damage Resistance and it will take more damage than other weapons when struck. The ability to block will be sorted from complete protection (no damage taken, resists incoming force), to barely any protection (low damage reduction, can still be knocked around). From best to worst:

Shields > Double weapons/staff > Single weapon > Projectile weapon > Bare hands

 

Blocking will allow you to keep moving, but it will slow you down the same way entering Aim Mode does. I hope to make the transitions between everything smooth and intuitive. You will not struggle with the controls.

 

The actual level of protection will rely on other things as well, such as the armor you wear and whatever you chose to spend your stat points on. More details on that later. The point is that while projectile weapons will allow you great range in your attacks, your ability to block will suffer for it unless you also carry a shield. Two-handed weapons like the Lightstone Rifle or Disk Launcher will force you to stop shooting in order to bring up your shield, and the shield will be hampering your aim ever so little.

 

One-handed projectile weapons can be fired while blocking, but you will move even slower than normal and your gun will still be a bit inaccurate. Therefore, if you are trying to shoot down a foe who is chasing you, they will be able to catch up rather quickly even if they raise their own shield while closing the gap. Getting hit will throw off your aim. You'll still be able to hit someone who is right in front of you, of course. If you are trying to aim at someone else while being attacked from behind, though, that will make your task a lot harder.

Edited February 23, 2014 by Katuko

[JAG18]

First, *Likes*,

 

Second, man I'm really impressed by the amount of work your putting into this (Bionicle Fighter); give the game a quality others lack.

On, the actual aiming system, I still need to try out that demo some time, but from your description I can't wait until it's integrated into the game.

 

The first thing I'm going do is play a Toa with a shield and some ranged weapon so I can advance on my enemies like a one Toa phalanx.

[Makuta Luroka]

First, *Likes*,

 

Second, man I'm really impressed by the amount of work your putting into this (Bionicle Fighter); give the game a quality others lack.

On, the actual aiming system, I still need to try out that demo some time, but from your description I can't wait until it's integrated into the game.

 

The first thing I'm going do is play a Toa with a shield and some ranged weapon so I can advance on my enemies like a one Toa phalanx.

Until a Vorahk soars in.

[Katuko]

Shoot it before it reaches you.

 

Or take the Unarmed Combatant perk plus Improved Weapon Power, then kick it in the face with your energy legs.*

 

 

*May or may not be an actual thing.

[Makuta Luroka]

Shoot it before it reaches you.

 

Or take the Unarmed Combatant perk plus Improved Weapon Power, then kick it in the face with your energy legs.*

 

 

*May or may not be an actual thing.

I would be the Vorahk bruiser.

[Aurora the cat]

Shoot it before it reaches you.

 

Or take the Unarmed Combatant perk plus Improved Weapon Power, then kick it in the face with your energy legs.*

 

 

*May or may not be an actual thing.

Must. Have. Energy. Legs.

[Katuko]

We're almost at the end of February, so I guess a new main game update is in order as well. I've been busy with other things, but at least you will get a few new powers and some minor fixes. I'll have it up by the end of the week.

[JacobLazer]

We're almost at the end of February, so I guess a new main game update is in order as well. I've been busy with other things, but at least you will get a few new powers and some minor fixes. I'll have it up by the end of the week.

 

Yes, finally!! It seems like forever since the last one.

[Toa Of Anarchy]

 

oh goodness this game looks fun! imagine if you could make it browser based!

I can not do that, for the following reasons: [ Post link ]

That makes total sense. Thanks.

Really good game!

[Katuko]

I'd be happy to get some feedback on the Laser Crossbow testing range, by the way. As I mentioned it is a WIP version of one fundamental part of the new game engine, so knowing what you - the players - like and dislike about it would be great. Even if that is just something minor such as "I like the sound effects".

[Makuta Luroka]

I really like the crossbow test. I think the idea is wonderful. What I suggest, however, is that you enable players to aim the other way without having them leave aim mode. Perhaps give players a very wide arc to aim. This would also enable players to aim at a target above them, as the current aim demo would make such a player highly vulnerable from above.

[Katuko]

I'm thinking maybe pressing the key normally would make you walk backwards, while double-tapping it would cause you to turn around. And yes, you are supposed to have a somewhat hard time aiming straight up (although I'll likely increase the limit all the way to 80 degrees rather than the current 60), or at least switching your aim rapidly to target something moving quickly.

 

Elemental powers will become possible to aim too, by the way. They will still be a bit limited - at most you will get the 45-degree angles based on what movement keys you press - because they do not enter Aim Mode and as such do not hinder you. Alternately, they will enter (a slightly different) Aim Mode, in order to balance them with other forms of attack and movement options. Or maybe an even better solution is to leave it in-between: You can aim at 45-degree angles, and using a continuous attack will slow you down a bit if you are moving. Being forced to slow down while spraying fiery death from your hands could allow me to increase the effectiveness of an attack that hits while also keeping it fair to others. You would be able to dodge or defend, unlike the current situation where a Lightning-user can run full-speed into you while also dealing full damage and having a chance to apply the Stun effect.

Edited February 24, 2014 by Katuko

[JAG18]

Oh wow, the Aim function will give a whole new life to ranged weapons...which I like. Overcharge was ridiculous; if you ever include multi-player I can see three or four guys with that devastating everybody else. I hardly used the CTRL or SHIFT keys, but I guys their fine as they are.

 

Simply put, I like where this is going Katuko.

[Katuko]

Fear not, only the single-shot version of the weapon will be available on a regular basis.

[JAG18]

Good ,because I somehow manage to clear the screen (for a brief second) by using the overcharge.

[Tattorack]

Will the win8 crashing problem be fixed in the next beta? The game is currently unplayable to me because of it

[Katuko]

Will the win8 crashing problem be fixed in the next beta? The game is currently unplayable to me because of it

It appears to crash primarily due to multiple fireballs or electric orbs being used at the same time. I will therefore add a "fix-it" button in the settings, where you can tune down these particular attacks. This is only a emergency solution, and a better one will be implemented later.

 

If you experience crashes related to any other features, please tell me and I will look into those as well.

[Tattorack]

 

Will the win8 crashing problem be fixed in the next beta? The game is currently unplayable to me because of it

It appears to crash primarily due to multiple fireballs or electric orbs being used at the same time. I will therefore add a "fix-it" button in the settings, where you can tune down these particular attacks. This is only a emergency solution, and a better one will be implemented later.

 

If you experience crashes related to any other features, please tell me and I will look into those as well.

 

Yes, firebolts and electricity cause this, but it isn't a few.

Any characters has to fire just once (an electricity bolt or fire bolt) and 2 seconds later the game crashes...

I'm really wondering why this happens... does it have something to do with Direct X support?

[Katuko]

I have no idea. Could be the legacy sound system, could be something else that is going on between the old GM8 runner and the newest Windows version.

[Geardirector]

I used to have this problem, but only with the Lightning balls, oddly enough. It hasn't happened in a while, though.

[~Shockwave~]

I like the aiming in the crossbow test. It doesn't seem hard to use and allows things to be shot out of the air. I still think a sort of rifle type weapon would be nice, especially with this system.

[Tattorack]

I have no idea. Could be the legacy sound system, could be something else that is going on between the old GM8 runner and the newest Windows version.

You can't export the game into a newer version of Game Maker?

[Aurora the cat]

I have only one problem with this. By using the up and down keys, people with Rahkshi as characters cannot fly.

[Katuko]

I like the aiming in the crossbow test. It doesn't seem hard to use and allows things to be shot out of the air. I still think a sort of rifle type weapon would be nice, especially with this system.

The projectiles of a weapon such as this would work pretty well as your go-to long range rifle. It's pretty fast (could be made faster still) and has an average power. I don't want to include projectile weapons that are like real guns, because that would turn this game into a pure shooter. Laser Vision would be the fastest laser-type power in the game, given that it hits instantly. I don't want every single character to be able to run around with something akin to a sniper rifle, as dying to insta-hit attacks from off-screen is pretty annoying. With a projectile - no matter how fast - you at least have a tiny window of time to react. Maybe it still won't be enough to get your shield up, but at least you get a few frames of warning before you're dead.

 

You can't export the game into a newer version of Game Maker?

I imported it to GM 8.1 the moment I got my hands on it, but already there I saw changes in the way the program works. People mentioned that my fonts suddenly looked awful, and certain things glitched when I tested my 8.0 project. Plus, some functions have changed and some extensions needed to be updated. It was too much work to port it over and too little to gain from a rewrite, so I kept going on 8.0 instead. Now, with GM:Studio and a lot of knowledge gained in the past few years, the benefits of rewriting the engine are far greater, while the ability to port an 8.0 project is getting even more pointless. Thus I will be doing an engine rewrite, which will hopefully turn out as well as I have said it will.

 

So yeah, until that happens the old engine is kind of unstable on Windows 8, and I am sorry about that. I am running Windows 8 myself on my current laptop, so I will at least be able to check out the same problems you are having -- I too crash when the Lightning Balls are used, for some reason. To be more precise, they seem to crash if a regular Lightning Bolt attack is used at the same time as the Balls. Dunno why. There is no special code in them compared to, say, the Olmak or the new Toa of Iron sawblade (which you will get this weekend, yay!), and they do not appear to have this problem.

 

I have only one problem with this. By using the up and down keys, people with Rahkshi as characters cannot fly.

Your ability to fly or aim will be somewhat hindered if you do both at once, yes. Carrying a gun will not stick you in constant Aim Mode, though. You can move and fly normally until you choose to start aiming, which you do by tapping the Attack button. Pressing Block will take you out of Aim Mode and into normal movement again.

[~Shockwave~]

I suppose. Though I bet a lot of the issues I have with the ranged weapons will go away once they start functioning as ranged weapons and not stabby guns that launch things. And if it becomes podsible to aim elemental attacks, the rahkshi of laser vision can do what I'm looking for.

[Tattorack]

You can't export the game into a newer version of Game Maker?

I imported it to GM 8.1 the moment I got my hands on it, but already there I saw changes in the way the program works. People mentioned that my fonts suddenly looked awful, and certain things glitched when I tested my 8.0 project. Plus, some functions have changed and some extensions needed to be updated. It was too much work to port it over and too little to gain from a rewrite, so I kept going on 8.0 instead. Now, with GM:Studio and a lot of knowledge gained in the past few years, the benefits of rewriting the engine are far greater, while the ability to port an 8.0 project is getting even more pointless. Thus I will be doing an engine rewrite, which will hopefully turn out as well as I have said it will.

 

So yeah, until that happens the old engine is kind of unstable on Windows 8, and I am sorry about that. I am running Windows 8 myself on my current laptop, so I will at least be able to check out the same problems you are having -- I too crash when the Lightning Balls are used, for some reason. To be more precise, they seem to crash if a regular Lightning Bolt attack is used at the same time as the Balls. Dunno why. There is no special code in them compared to, say, the Olmak or the new Toa of Iron sawblade (which you will get this weekend, yay!), and they do not appear to have this problem.

 

 

Ah right, so you're already working on that! Ok, guess I'll ust have to be patient *sits in corner*

Just for a curious question, what scripting language does Game Maker use?

[Jedi Knight Krazy]

Just for a curious question, what scripting language does Game Maker use?

 

I'll answer this: it's a custom proprietary language called GML. From what I remember, it's similar to JavaScript, except you can't make your own objects.

[Katuko]

Ah right, so you're already working on that! Ok, guess I'll ust have to be patient *sits in corner*

Just for a curious question, what scripting language does Game Maker use?

GameMaker uses GML, which is its own language. It's pretty similar to other languages, as it uses if/else/for/switch and similar statements. Though as flexible as it is, it still have some limitations compared to, say, C++. No proper data types, for example. I believe the developers are looking to change that. They have already made huge improvements in run-time efficiency since GM:Studio came out.

Edited February 26, 2014 by Katuko

[JAG18]

Hey, Katuko couple of quick questions, is it true that you are going to add some new species someday? I saw some Vortixx sprites a few pages back. I also wanted to know if you had any intention of adding a skakdi species to the game, because that sounds like something you discussed in this topic? I'm not complaining about a lack of player option, because Toa and Rahkshi works great right now, but I just wanted to know.

[Pupwa21]

Is it possible to hold 2 weapons at once?

[Tattorack]

 

Ah right, so you're already working on that! Ok, guess I'll ust have to be patient *sits in corner*

Just for a curious question, what scripting language does Game Maker use?

GameMaker uses GML, which is its own language. It's pretty similar to other languages, as it uses if/else/for/switch and similar statements. Though as flexible as it is, it still have some limitations compared to, say, C++. No proper data types, for example. I believe the developers are looking to change that. They have already made huge improvements in run-time efficiency since GM:Studio came out.

 

Right, so its a ot more limiting than python.

I was making a comparison to the Blender Game Engine.