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Emzee

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Blog Entries posted by Emzee

  2. Emzee

    'friday'

    By Emzee,

    Hardly the worst song ever. All who say so either aren't BIONICLE fans or are ex-fans who dropped out before 2006.
     
    *cue slew of comments referencing songs even worse than Piraka Rap*
  5. Emzee

    *pew Pew Pew*

    By Emzee,

    Hey, you guys might wanna check this out. It's just a prototype, but so far, it's shaping up to a really fun 3D game. Feel feel to share you thoughts!
  7. Emzee

    2002 - 2003

    By Emzee,

    Don't ask why, but I spent a great deal of time in Storyline and Theories. I think this is because that forum was the first to show up on my address bar whenever I typed in bzpower.com (I didn't know how to bookmark at this time), plus every forum looked the same to me so I didn't really pay attention to what forum I was in (yes, I was one of those members). So most of my first few posts were in S&T, with this one being my very first (as far as I know - I got up rather late the next day).
     
    BZPower was cyber-attacked in November 2002. The forums were offline for quite a while after that and I was sure the era of BZ had met its end. Fortunately, I was wrong.
     
    So, you may remember last entry when I mentioned Flow of the River. That's how I discovered the RPG Forum, which I thought was an odd name for a forum that had computer games. The forum was populated with game project that were doomed to fail (FotR could possibly be included in this, since the game was only half-finished by this point and the creators had gone on hiatus). Still, I checked out the 3D C++ game topic, and many other topics using RPG Maker to make their stuff. I really wanted to believe I could find something to fill that void of no Legends of Mata Nui PC game. Well, since the game projects (most of them at least) weren't going anywhere, I decided to start making RPGs myself.
    Now to shamelessly parrot from my site's About page:

     
    This actually sums up my first year well. The rise and fall of an aspiring RPG Maker. I also enjoyed the luxury of learning more about the BIONICLE storyline and other facets that I would've never found on Bionicle.com. I had gotten used to simply visiting BZPower first, then, if LEGO posted an update, I'd check out Bionicle.com through the link that BZPower posted.
  8. Emzee

    2003 - 2004

    By Emzee,

    Oh boy... what is it about second years never living up to the fourth? Beats me...
     
    Anyway, between July 23, 2003 and July 23, 2004, BZP's member base grew exponentially. I imagine many of them joined after getting the beta of MNOLG2 (which was programmed poorly, and thus makes it a sucky game IMO). MNOLG2 and Mask of Light were the main foci of this year, pretty much overshadowing the Rahkshi (at least it looked that way to me...) My game, The Saga Continues, sort of fell by the wayside in terms of popularity. This may have been because so much attention was being brought to my next game, The Legend of Mata Zuto: Genesis. The game was an overall success, and it took nearly half the time it took to complete TSC to finish it. I felt compelled to make yet another RPG; a sequel to "Genesis": "The Bohrok Saga". When making this game, I wanted to merge the Mata Zuto universe with the universe established in The Saga Continues (The Infestation is actually an even mix of elements from both TSC and The Bohrok Saga). This was also the year that I wanted to expand my creativity. I began writing epics and making sprite comics - all connected to the Mata Zuto story. I was about halfway through Mata Zuto 2 when I released it for download. My fanbase was booming, and many wanted to help with the RPG. I let a few members take the RPG and work on the next version that was due in a couple weeks or so. They disappeared off the face of the Earth and my topic died since there weren't any updates.
     
    Meanwhile, members from all over the web came pouring in (in part because BIONICLE.com linked to us in 2004). This is the year that, with so many new faces, the forums began to lose their community feel. This was compounded by the fact that us, still being tweens and kids, couldn't role-play to save our skins, so the RPG forum was pretty much dead. There would be the occasional "interesting" project that would garner lots of posts from members (this was before the "proof" rule was implement), but eventually, it would die off. People also didn't seem to have the same affection for RPG Maker-made games like they did when I joined. Soon after the death of Mata Zuto 2, I released "TSC-REVISED", the first RPG on BZP to be made with RPG Maker 2003. The very first Matoran Battle Sprites also spawned from that game. It did okay, considering how dead the RPG forum was. After that, I began working on the MZGRPG - a remake of "Genesis" - with a completely different story. This completely tanked and it seemed like the age RPG Maker-made games was clearly over.
     
    Fortunately, in June 2003, a BZ Moderator (with the help of Black Six and other members) started up the BZPRPG. This would mark my first role-playing experience, and it help to dull the pain of the complete lack of interest in video game RPGs. This was very fun, but the RPG was too strict in my opinion. Granted, we all sucked at RPing, and god-modded everywhere, but the method of handling it was not like it is today. Though, I must repeat, the beginning months of the BZPRPG was very fun, and a great pastime. It's too bad they were lost.
     
    In general, the BIONICLE storyline was cool during this time, but it felt like BZP was getting a tad bit cluttered.
     
    This year was also notable for being my favorite year in BIONICLE. Everything was climatic and it felt cool. Plus the urban setting of 2004 was beyond awesome. It's just too bad we didn't get a "MNOLG" for that year...
  9. Emzee

    2004 - 2005

    By Emzee,

    Ah yes, my third year at BZP. It had now become permanently part of my e-routine, checking posts in the RPG forum as well as browsing the other boards. The last half of this year mostly was about the 2nd movie - the best BIONICLE move, IMO. I lot of people weren't sure on what to expect, considering the setting was entirely different. All-in-all though, the movie was very well-received (minus a few naysayers, but I will get to them later in this entry.
     
    You may remember me mentioning an MNOLG for the Metru Nui saga. Well, a BZPer named -Takua- apparently shared my desire for another adventure game, and the Metru Nui Online project (known as MeNOL) was born. I didn't take part in this, and at first there wasn't really much to show from the project. -Takua- was a beginner, but it was great to see such an ambitious project be started. It also wasn't the only game being created in the Software forum. Since no FCG forum existed, any video game that wasn't an RPG went in the Software Forum, and several other projects had sprung up there - all using the application called Game Maker. Thus, near the end of 2004, the "game company fad" had started. Everyone wanted to start a company and hire strangers off the street to create interesting content, much like people are doing now. No doubt, it was a great way to make new friends, but what came of it? Well, surprisingly, a lot more than you think. Most of these game companies actually were able to release something, and many times they were able to release multiple games. I was truly inspiring to see such interest in fan-created games, and I was glad to see the fade last a long time.
     
    On the other side of things though, other parts of BZP and the BIONICLE fandom as a whole weren't doing too hot IMO. Criticism of the line increased exponentially, mostly from people simply entering their mid to late teens and naturally losing interest in such a "childish" hobby like BIONICLE. Granted, not all the critics thought like that, but it easy to tell which side a critic was on by looking at their criticisms in 2004/2005 and seeing if they're actually still around. If they're not, chances are they were just bitter about growing up and not seeing the line mature with them. I of course, loved the line at this point. 2004 was one of my favorite years because of its urban feel. It felt more sci-fi, and thus, familiar to me. BIONICLE was in its prime, and it was disappointing to see so many people refer to it like it was a childish toyline with a cheap storyline. Nowadays, I've just accepted all of that and am content with enjoying my childish hobby, but I was 15 then - you know how 15 year olds are.
     
    Stay tuned for next year's summary: when the fandom strikes back!
  10. Emzee

    2005 - 2006

    By Emzee,

    This is about the time when the Game Company fad drew to a close. MeNOL was finally released, and it was awesome, though it only had one level. Unfortunately, free time for -Takua- and Tula began to become more scarce, and there simply wasn't enough time to get an update out. On top of that, there were foundational issues in the programming, and the creators realized that in order for the game to improve, they would like have to start from scratch (yes, I've been there many times myself).
     
    In other regions of software forum, we had the laughable rivalry between Biotech and Anaglyph. I don't really want to explain that in detail, since it was so long ago and again, we were fifteen year-olds.
     
    Another memorable point in this year was when fandom, having finished it reeling from the massive backlash of 2005. In 2006, they fought back in droves, and the Bionicle subforums changed from complaining about BIONICLE to complaining about people complaining about BIONICLE and complaining about people complaining about people complaining about BIONICLE and... (etc.)
     
    Yeah, it was whirlwind. When it all came down to it, it seemed like people just didn't respect each others' tastes. I think we're a little better about it now, but then again, we're also older now.
     
    That's pretty much now I remember this year: lots and lots of tension. My 4th year pretty much marked the end of my browsing through general BIONICLE subforums, and sticking mostly to RPG Forum due to all the bickering. Unfortunately, not even the BZPRPG was safe from that though. Stay tuned for tomorrow when I fully explain why I left the BZPRPG, and also go over my huge comeback in game development with the debut of The Legend of Mata Zuto: Fall of the Conqueror.
  11. Emzee

    2006 - 2008

    By Emzee,

    hehe, missed a day!
     
    Anywho, let's not waste anymore time! With anniversary week almost over, I decided it may be best to just do 2 years today and 2 years tomorrow! Not much happened during my recent years, so these entries should still be at a bearable length.
     
    In 2006, I was working on my biggest JRPG to date: The Legend of Mata Zuto: Fall of the Conqueror . The last half of 2006 was admittedly frantic because of this. In RPG Maker, you generally have to use the default menu system that it provides, but I wanted to create my own using only the resources provided by the engine (so external scripting was available). A lot of time was taken away from the BZPRPG because of this, however, I honestly was not too bothered. Ego trips and bouts of drama took out much of the fun for me (no names will be mentioned). So I effectively spent even less time on BZPower, trying to pique interest in the video game RPG fans by making something truly original.
     
    I also kept close watch on the BIONICLE storyline. Vezon was my favorite character for that year - everyone else kinda annoyed me. The VNOG had great potential, but was ultimately too tedious and boring to complete.
     
    In January 2007, I officially resigned from the BZPRPG (though I didn't make an announcement -- the people who cared would learn soon enough where I had gone). So that really opened up more time for me to make my comeback in the RPG Maker community.
     
    In February 2007, I released the first demo of The Legend of Mata Zuto: Fall of the Conqueror. It was a great success - one that, all-in-all, I was satisfied with. Keeping close watch over my game's topic and giving hints and help where needed, I continued working on my game. Later that summer was when BZPower created it's best forum: Fan-Created Games! *dodges tomatoes and shoes* I helped make it happen too, it was easily my biggest accomplishment of the year. Yup. Nothing would surpass that for the rest of the 2007...
     
    *clears throat* =P
     
    2008 was mostly dull for me BZP-wise. The BIONICLE storyline's recent turn had completely jumpstarted my interest, but the general BZP reaction of indifference (added with a lot of people who just didn't like it) just led to me spending more time involved in the BIONICLE story than BZP for once! That hasn't happened since 2003!
    Anyway, in February 2008, I had finally finished Fall of the Conqueror. It was an absolute roller-coaster of a project, and it was thanks to it that I pledged never to make another game with RPG Maker 2003. I would using a real coding language from then on, like BASIC. Yes, I still had a lot to learn when it came to picking good tools for game development. Right after Fall of the Conqueror was finished, I spent the next four months transferring my other RPG Maker 2003 game (The Infestation) into an RPG Maker XP game. That was another huge success, and with both my games that I've been working on since 2002 FINALLY done, I was ready to start on the project I've been trying to do since I started making games. I was going to fill that void created by the cancelled BIONICLE PC game, and I would make a 3D Action RPG of my own.
  12. Emzee

    2013

    By Emzee,

    Thinking over 2013 reminded me that despite certain issues, this year was pretty good. Not better than 2012, or 2011 (or any other year except 2007 and 2005) but still pretty good. It started off disappointing, then awesome, then horrible, and has been steadily getting better ever since. I'm glad I was able to make it to PAX East, BrickFiesta, and Brickfair VA this year. The BZPRPG is (in my opinion, both in writing and community) the best it's ever been. Lastly, I got a new job in Austin, which is cool, even if the lack of college ties in this city makes it hard to find a group to repeatedly hang out with.
     
    I'm not so glad my first job out of college was a waste of my time and theirs. I'm not glad that it's apparent that certain problems I've had since childhood will never be going away (nothing quite like learning that there are somethings in life that you will never be able to do well). Ironically, life in Austin has been borderline lonely. There's not a lot of people where I work and constantly trying to find a new group to chill with is quite draining to an introvert like me. The fact that I'm a lot more selective of who I hang with and less tolerant of certain mindsets doesn't help matters there either.
     
    There were a lot of lessons learned this year, and overall, I'd label 2013 as one giant learning experience. Lots of people are going through issues that I didn't even know existed just a couple years back. Lots of people I know also struggling with the high demands of adulthood, and being harshly criticized for not meeting the mark. Sometimes I really miss living in Houston - not because those days came with a lot less stress and expectations (they didn't), but because the consequences of not always making the best decision weren't nearly as harsh then as they are now. Young adults everywhere are realizing we now have a lot less room for error then we did before.
     
    2014 will basically be about what I do with what I've learned, and what decisions will I be making in the future, now that I know more then I did before.
     
    Happy New Year to you all!
  13. Emzee

    24 Club

    By Emzee,

    Hey I was thinking... is there already a 24 club? I know there's quite a few fans here, and if there is one I'd like to join (heck, there's a LEMON club here! ). If there isn't a club, I'm proposing that one gets started!
     
    That's all for today.
  14. Emzee

    4000

    By Emzee,

    Well, after many years, I've finally done it. 4000!
     
    Just 8000 more to go and that Vahi is mine!
     
     
  16. Emzee
    So today is that dreaded day, the only day in the year where it's perfectly acceptable to lie to someone's face or do some horrible thing to them. It dangerous, as you never know what's around the corner.
     
    I find that if you just interpret everything as the opposite of what they're saying, that'll pretty much protect you from the GULLIBLE stamp. For example:
     
    You're gullible. (You're not gullible)
     
    Opera is coming out with a patch that will lets you perform frequent browsing operations with natural and easy to make face gestures. (Opera ISN'T coming out with a patch that will lets you perform frequent browsing operations with natural and easy to make face gestures)
     
    See? It's that simple. (It's NOT that simple) ( )
  17. Emzee
    Hello everyone, I'm back with another entry.
     
    I never thought that I would get to this point, but I can't say that I'm surprised. Since I started working last year, I have been able to get a steady cash flow, which means that I can set some income aside for savings and for feeding my hobby. This has led to me buying assets that I normally would not have purchased (mostly graphical assets, but sometimes I do spring for robust coding solutions like this AI code package that I bought).
     
    Obviously, this income requires a lot of my time, so I don't have the free hours I once had trying to hack together an AI system or a 3rd-person character system. And that's just coding! There's still all of the modeling and animating that has to be factored in (fortunately, thanks to old friend Mihunai I don't have to do that much 3D modeling. Hope to see you around the forums again someday!)
     
    So, I thought I'd share a visual of my progress since my last entry. The bare, bare basics of the combat system are done, there's still a lot to be done though, including:
    New and accurate sound FX (the ones there came with the AI package)
    possibly altering the enemy's AI (right now it just looks a little awkward, though that may actually be due to the size of the monster. I have no issues shrinking certain Rahi to make things more smooth)
    Graphical indications that a character has been hit (e.g. sparks, color flash)
    A "death" (the Rahi's actually just disoriented ) sequence for the enemy. The player model already has a death sequence that isn't shown in this video.
    An actual HUD
    Other aesthetics that will come during the polishing stage of development.

    I almost didn't want to post this video because it's not that impressive, but then I looked at the combat video for my original 3D project, Influx. That video doesn't necessarily look worse (it has a lot of things that this video doesn't yet have), but some things like the player characters animation really highlight the need for buying solutions (as I know that natural looking animation isn't my thing).
     
    Check out my website's home page to see all three of my videos and make your comparisons between the first two and this one I just made.
     
    Next on my agenda, I plan to do much of the tasks that I listed above. Further down the road, I will start on the trap laying system or the NPC dialog system, whichever one is easiest. Thanks for reading!
  18. Emzee
    So I played Flow of the River for the few-hundredth time a few days ago.
     
    Honestly, my major inclination to play it again was really just to see if it even remotely stood the test of time. After all, that game, which barely runs correctly on modern Windows machines, is over 12 years old.
     
    Yes. 12 years.
     
    This game played a major role in me joining this community and getting into game development, even if said development was really just tinkering around with RPG Maker. While I disliked the idea that this game would only be laughable now, a game only of its time, made by a few teenagers, I had naturally presumed and accepted that this would be the case.
     
    Except it wasn't the case.
     
    This game, outside of the repetitiveness that comes with any Japanese-style RPG like that, still isn't half bad.
     
    A while ago, I played through the 1st MNOG, having the same reservations I had had before playing Flow of the River again. Yet, as you might expect, the game still gives me that positive feeling that it gives everyone else, hence why it's still to this day hailed as one of the better Bionicle games.
     
    That game is even older than Flow of the River (obvious considering much of the design of the Koros in Flow of the River were based off of the MNOG). It's funny actually, I remember back in the day, competing with these games, especially Flow of the River, pledging to and eventually believing that I had, in fact, created a fan game that was better than Flow of the River in every way.
     
    And then I played Fall of the Conqueror. Right after Flow of the River.
     
    Fall of the Conqueror is the closest thing I have to a magnum opus. It was the game that I decided to have everything I wanted to have, tell the story I wanted to tell, and feature new characters and Rahi born out of 3 years of role-playing alone in my room with my Bionicle and action figure sets. I had finished that project knowing that it would be my greatest and last game made with an RPG Maker program. How could it not surpass Flow of the River in greatness?
     
    Well, I soon realized after completing my recent playthrough of Fall of the Conqueror is that I needed to find an answer to that question, and fast -- lest I make another Fall of the Conqueror.
     
    That's not to say that I think my games are bad... but they're not Flow of the River, and they're definitely not MNOG (Fall of the Conqueror in particular had some rather shocking moments -- and not the good kind of shocking).
     
    Just today, a revelation appeared in my mind.
     
    Instead of trying to surpass the greatness of Flow of the River and the MNOG, maybe try matching them?
     
    It's an interesting thought -- one that I thought I'd just share with all of you.
     
    With that said... well... let's just say that I'm taking a hard look over the mechanics and storyline of Power Lies Beneath. As fun as making something I'd like is... maybe it's time to make something everyone would like.
     
    P.S. If the game will run on your computer, I highly recommend checking out Flow of the River if you've never played it.
    P.S.S. Character System update was a success. Power Lies Beneath is chugging along just fine!
  19. Emzee

    A Returning Story

    By Emzee,

    None of you remember, but a long time ago I started (and nearly finished) an epic called To Die For. Now, I'm proud to announce that the epic has returned, bringing you the untold story between The Infestation and the upcoming 3D RPG, Influx.
     
     
    First, some background history...
     
    Since late 2002/early 2003 I have been making a series of fan-stories surrounding the BIONICLE storyline. No different than what many others do. This series is known as The Legend of Mata Zuto, and it tells my version of the BIONICLE saga for the first three years of the franchise. Mata Zuto is a Great Being who, partnered with Metru Zutra, another Great Being, created the Matoran Universe. The two beings also combined their powers to create the Great Spirit Mata Nui and the Makuta (I should point out now that in this series, there can only be one Makuta in existence at a time).
     
    Now, to set you up...
     
    The very beginning of the epic takes place in the region simply known as the Western Region (Influx takes place solely in this part of the Matoran Universe). Zuto Nui is a massive city that's on the Southern Continent, and this is where Mata Zuto is said to hold favor over. Here, in Zuto Nui, a Matoran named Tarus sells his inner spirit to Teridax for ultimate power. Upon doing so, his named is changed to Ma-Taru, which means "Tarus of Death", (which means he is Death). However, here is when everything changes. Over twenty Toa from Gaia Nui, a neighboring city adjacent to Zuto Nui, go after the Spirit of Death and lock his spirit into a Kanohi Mask. So basically, Ma-Taru didn't last very long in his new form. The Kanohi Mask that his spirit is trapped in is taken to the island of Mata Nui for safe-keeping. Teridax finds out the location of Zuto Nuiian spies, and quickly goes to Mata Nui along with a hypnotized Mata Zuto and hundreds of followers.
     
    ...and that's the prologue!
     
    At this point, of course, you know hardly anything about Gaia Nui or Zuto Nui, and that's if you played Fall of the Conqueror. If you haven't, then those two names are completely new to you. That's fine, but as I said earlier, both these cities are in the Western Region. Here is a map of the area. Ignore Metru Hexi because I've changed some of that, but everything on the Southern Continent is accurate.
     
    I hope looking at that map gave you a little insight about the locations of Zuto Nui and Gaia Nui. I would also like to point out that To Die For has another chapter added: Chapter One. The view changes from that antagonist to the protagonist: Hahli. This story takes MNOLG2 and BIONICLE: Mask of Light and mixes them together, along with sticking to the Legend of Mata Zuto storyline.
     
    Once again I urge you to read To Die For. Even you don't play the games, this is a growing tale filled with betrayal, violence, romance, and lots of death.
  20. Emzee
    Here's a screenshot of the Character Stats menu that I've been working on:

     
    The Kanohi images need a little bit of tweaking, but function-wise, they're pretty good. For the Skills Panel, you click on the glassy orbs to choose your skill level (green is low, yellow is medium, and red is high). However, each level upgrade requires a certain amount of Skill Points. Clicking on the button will do nothing if there aren't enough SP.
     
    My biggest issues are coming from the Equipment Panel at the bottom though. Allowing an easy way for the player to change equipment in a highly visual manner is a lot more complicated than one would think...
  21. Emzee
    When I joined BZPower, I twelve years old.
     
    And today marks the twelfth anniversary of that late night decision (I had joined shortly after midnight after my folks were asleep. Still remember that, lol) to join the site I had been lurking for so long. Had it not been for this site, I honestly cannot imagine what kind of person I would have become. It was BZPower that formally introduced me to the glorious geek culture, and made me feel like that was an okay culture to be a part of (actually, it made me feel like it was the best culture to be a part of).
     
    All the best to both the veterans and the newbies. I still can't believe I've been a member of this community for almost as long as I had been alive when I joined.
  22. Emzee

    Almost There...

    By Emzee,

    We're almost to the end of this... interesting decade. Certainly glad to have been a part of it. Everyone born from tomorrow on will have missed all the fun! Also, y'know what'd make a good resolution? Try checking out the RPG forum, especially you Epic writers. Specifically, check out the all-new BZPRPG that'll be showing up in a few hours. Guaranteed fun or your money back!
     
    Anyway, I won't be online for New Years, so I hope you all enjoy the switch from 2000s to the '10s. Happy Early New Year!
  24. Emzee

    Am I a Wimp

    By Emzee,

    I got a pretty nasty cold from being outside too long in a temperature that wasn't cold enough to even be able to snow in, last week. It kinda sucks, but these sicknesses help with the immune system don't they? And maybe I'll avoid situations where I have to stand outside for a long time.
     
    I should point out that this is, of course, a south Texas winter; it couldn't have been colder than ~40 degrees. My body's just not used to prolonged periods of that temperature though.
     
    It's gonna suck when I (hopefully) move up north one of these days.
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