Jump to content

Emzee

Premier Retired Staff
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,465

  • Joined

  • Days Won

    10

 Content Type 

Blog Entries posted by Emzee

  1. Emzee

    Fan Media Soundtracks

    By Emzee,

    Hi BZPers, I know it's been awhile since I've posted something. Well, here I am!
     
    I felt like rambling about soundtracks in Bionicle fan-works, and you're more than welcome to partake in the discussion with what you think.
     
    So about soundtracks, I'd say that there are three major methods (this probably isn't the word to use... I'll try and think of a better one later) to providing music in your game or movie:
     
    1) Use official Bionicle music (ie. MNOLG, Mask of Light, Bionicle Heroes, etc.)
    Pros:1.21 gigawatts of Nostalgia - especially if music from MNOLG is used.
    "Free" (in a sense)
    When trying to get that perfect tribal/techno/quasi-orchestral Bionicle feel, you can get much closer to that than the original music that established what we know as the "Bionicle feel"

    [*]Cons:
    Not actually free - there are likely copyright issues when ripping and using even the MNOLG music, much less the Bionicle Heroes soundtrack or something that you had to pay money for.
    Because the MNOLG was designed with dialup in mind (I know this, I remember those days of the Mata Nui clock and they usually only took forever where there was an awesome cutscene coming up), the soundtrack has lower bitrate and doesn't sound very good by today's standards (at least I don't think they do). To be fair, even some of the newer tracks I come across sound like they were recorded from a microphone. At any rate, most Bionicle tracks that weren't ripped directly from a CD seem fall short of the quality one would expect from studio-quality music.

    [*]Personally, neither of the cons really bother me all that much just because I'm a sucker for good ol' fashioned nostalgia. If you ask me, from a moral point of view, using music from these content creators doesn't do harm since this products are fairly obscure anyway. From a reality point of view though, how Lego, Templar, Miramax, and the other studios who made music for their products feel about you using their music is the only thing that ultimately matters. Even if Lego doesn't mind if you use their stuff for your little fan game or movie, the folks who made Bionicle Heroes might.


    2) License / Buy production quality music (lots of places online to do that -- even the Unity Asset Store has some tracks that would fit rather well with Bionicle media)
    Pros:Music sounds a heck of a lot better - with their super high bitrates intended for film scores and what not.
    Royalty free - a must if you don't intend to charge for your fan media (which I hope for your sake that you're not)

    [*]Cons:
    $$$$. The "you get what you pay for" rule generally applies. If you're not like me and still in High School or College, even the "budget" prices mind seem unreasonable. Always remember though, that, like artwork, you're paying for someone's talent and if they're starving to death, their quality of work isn't going to be as good as it will be if their living costs are taken care of. Basically, artists gotta eat too.

    [*]Not much to say here. If you get your music from a professional, you're going to get professional-quality music. Didn't know that now did you? Personally, I might go this route, simply because I have that good ol' disposable income. But the soundtrack (and by extension the overall feel of Power Lies Beneath) might not be nostalgic though.


    3) Reach out to the community for help
    Pros:Might be free. Even if not, you might get a good discount by hiring folks here on BZP.
    Obviously, BZPers will know the "Bionicle feel", which might be worth more than the film-quality production music.

    [*]Cons:
    I don't know of any truly professional music composers or producers advertising their services here on BZP. It's unlikely that you'll find film-quality music among these artists like you would with royalty-free music sites.
    Most patrons here are in school or are otherwise busy with their own lives. As such, they can be hard to get in touch with, or they might have trouble getting content to you on time (especially around finals time)

    [*]I realize what's considered professional-quality might vary from person to person, and indeed, a more accurate term might be "film-quality", except this term cannot apply to just films anymore as video games have had "film-quality" soundtracks for years now. But yes, I do mean "film-quality" in this case. This is a route that I probably won't take, as I have other options and would rather not take up so much of someones time like that if I don't have to. For those without a good cash flow, I think this is a great method, and yet another way to make a good friend.


     
    So, those are my thoughts on the matter. What are yours? Before I close out, I should probably give a shoutout to OverClocked Remix - quite a few of their (recent) tracks are studio-quality, and some even fit with the Bionicle feel. You can use their music for free as long as you give credit, don't edit the music files, and aren't charging for your work. I've already claimed quite a few of them for Power Lies Beneath though.
  2. Emzee

    Ohhh boy.

    By Emzee,

    Well, at least I'll be able to contribute to discussions about this now.

     
    For real though, one way I felt I could get a feel for what to do (and what not to do) for Bionicle-themed games is by experiencing an official one (I've only ever played the online Bionicle games. Yeah really). It was crazy cheap too.
     
    I mean, how bad could it be?
  3. 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!
  4. Emzee

    War is Coming

    By Emzee,

    It's been awhile since I posted an update on my upcoming Bionicle game. During the period of silence, I've actually gotten a lot of features completed (though they're still virtually all core game features). Anyway, I just thought I post some updates to my project. Check out this entry to learn more about what I'm working on.
     
    Character Customization System
    You can probably guess what this does. In Power Lies Beneath, players, upon creating a new character / save file, will be able to choose their character's gender, name, primary color, secondary color, mask color, and mask shape. I may put in other customizable parts like arm and leg type, but these would take considerable amount of work, so we'll see. Also, you can zoom in/out and pan the camera to get a good view. Lastly, the character will do some sword movements to give an idea of how he/she moves.
     
    Spinning Main Menu
    If you've played Secret of Mana, then that's pretty much what you can expect the main menu to look like. Five or so icons rotating around the camera. It's one of the very few scripts that managed to be carried over from Influx (that's one of the main reasons that I'd like to keep it, plus it looks cool).
     
     
    Dialogue System
    Dialogue in this game will be simple. Player says something, NPC says something, then player says something, etc. This is an action adventure game, so the branching dialogue isn't really needed, except perhaps exposition. Though I would prefer to do almost all of my plot-explaining through discovery of objects and clues, with some slide shows here and there for massive events that took place in the early days of the Bionicle universe.
     
    Ranged Combat
    Your character, lacking any innate elemental powers, must use the objects on the mysterious island of Mata Nui to his advantage. Among these objects is the Madu Cabolo fruit. For enemies who are difficult to fight up close, you can simply throw an exploding fruit at it using the same "sword attack" key, but with your sword sheathed. Also, enemies can shoot their own balls of dark energy. That script has a couple glitches that need fixing though.
     
    Bionicle-themed GUI
    I've been taking pictures of my own sets in order to incorporate Bionicle set pieces into the menus and GUIs, like in the cancelled PC game. So far, it looks goooood.*
     
    *Not quite good enough to post yet. Still needs more pieces.
     
    More Sound FX
    As per my last entry, I need snag some free-to-use sound FX for the character and enemy's actions (e.g. unsheathing sword, shooting poison blob, throwing madu fruit, walking).
     
    While this may seem like a lot of progress (and it certainly felt like that), all of these accomplishments are, in fact, a mere drop in the bucket in what's needed before I release the public beta. There's still so much to do, but the fact that I'm making semi-consistent progress is really helping me stay motivated.
     
    Right now, I'm working on two major things:
     
    A Complete Walking, Talking NPC Matoran
    So far, unfortunately, it looks like I'll have to custom script each and every NPC if I want them to do more than just walk in a circle, which I do. Very much. Ideally, every moving NPC in the game will have places to go and people to see, like in MNOLG2. Otherwise, they'll be behind a table or inside their huts. The pathfinding system I have set up works. Now it's just a matter of programming exactly where I want my Matoran to go, and what that Matoran will do when he gets there.
     
    Addition Enemy AI features like dodging
    Honestly, the dodge / deflect mechanism is really the only big thing I need for this enemy AI script. Outside of some glitches and animations that I need to make. The enemies in this game are almost complete. The dodge mechanism won't be very complex at all. I intend to mostly use random values along with a little bit of logic (e.g. it the enemy's at a corner or near a cliff, don't bother dodging, but deflect if possible).
     
    Most of my attention is being given to this NPC Matoran (who is Kongu -- he'll likely be the first Matoran you speak to in this game). I want to know what all it takes to get this character operating like it should. Hopefully I'll be able to use at least some of it for a template for other NPCs.
     
    Lastly, I'm doing more storyline stuff. I may have to change the synopsis slightly when it's all done. Basically, I want Power Lies Beneath to have no ties to my past games. There's no point.
     
    Well, I hope you enjoyed reading these updates, and I'll catch y'all later!
     
    Visit my Gallery to see the screenshots!
  5. Emzee

    BrickFair 2013

    By Emzee,

    It was awesome and weird* and refreshing. The con featured great MOCs, great presentations, and great people. It was a pleasure meeting all you. Special thanks to those who came up to say hi to me.
     
    I'm still kinda tired since I got in very late and had to continue my job today. Caffeine is keeping me in good shape for now though. Back to normalcy, I guess.
     
    *=in a good way of course
  7. Emzee
    My home forum is finally getting another contest if its own. And guess what? You don't even need to be a programmer or an artist! No, the entries in this contest are going to be detailed ideas for games that (if they're BIONICLE) will probably never get made. (Of course, OTC game ideas are allowed as well, but make sure those go into the OTC forum).
     
    Here's the link to the advert topic. The only thing I can say now is that this contest really needs the skills of non-FCGers in order to work. If you written up an idea for the RPG Contests, what I expect for this contest isn't terribly different (mostly that it's not text-based and that you can't edit your entry once it's posted).
     
    Putting this entry in all three categories because YEAH!
     
    SIE SIND GERMAN GERMAN GERMAN (that's German right? Or is it Spanish? )
  8. Emzee
    I will be attending Brickfair in two weeks, from Friday to Sunday (I leave Monday morning). I look forward to putting many names to faces, as well as seeing Chantilly set the bar on LEGO conventions once again.
     
    You will likely find me either with Black Six's crew or the BZPRPG crew, or both, if we merge, haha. I hope to meet everyone who's attending sometime that weekend!
  10. Emzee
    Hello BZPers,
     
    If you happen to be in the Dallas/Fort Worth area on the weekend of July 5th - 7th, I recommend making a visit to Brick Fiesta. I will be there on the public hours on Saturday (around 10:00 am and leaving at 4 PM). I believe Toaraga also is planning to be there. You'll know it's me because I'll be wearing one of the BZP shirts that I own.
     
    Definitely consider it, if you have an opportunity to attend. More info on Brick Fiesta is here.
  11. 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!
  12. Emzee
    Man, so many good things this week:
    BZPRPG 2012 arc is finally over
    I'm working on fan games again
    Found at that the BZPRPG staff will likely be rolling deep at Brickfair VA (yes, I'll be attending this year).
    I scheduled a video interview with Google yesterday
    Found out today that I'll be moving to Austin, home of Rooster Teeth, Bats, Brick Fiesta (sometimes), and "Austin Java" (don't know much about that) because I accepted a job offer there.
    I'm still doing the Google Interview though; just to see how well I hold up.

    And we're not even halfway done with the week yet. Yay!
     
    Anyone else having awesome weeks?
  13. Emzee
    As soon as I announce my devlog I realize that I'll be quite busy these next couple of weeks studying for this Google Interview, finding an apartment, packing, and moving to Austin. Ah well, this time next month should be smooth sailing. Of course, that's not to say these aren't exciting times.
  14. Emzee
    Hi everyone!
     
    I'd like to take this time to unveil a new project that I've started today. Some of you may remember way back when I used to make fan created games in my spare time. I was attempting to do a 3D RPG follow-up to my first two jRPG-style games. Tragically, I undertook this endeavor right as I started my college career studying to be a Software Engineer. The fact is that I simply couldn't attempt both and still expect to get a degree.
     
    I think I made a wise choice to go with the whole get-a-degree thing too, since I now have the paycheck to buy a few more prefabricated game assets and scripts, things which I couldn't hope to afford on a college budget.
     
    Anyway, here's the description of my project, followed by a synopsis:
     
    Working Game Title: Power Lies Beneath (alt titles include: The Power Lies Beneath and BIONICLE: The Legend of Mata Zuto - Episode 3: The Power Lies Beneath)
    Genre: 3rd-person Action-Adventure
    Game Locale: Mata Nui
     
    To better understand the story, it's best to assume that nothing revealed after 2002 is canon. When I first wrote this story (and subsequently, the series as a whole), the only information I had regarding the 2003 storyline was the promotional poster of the Toa Nuva and the "bumps". This poster showed some large cavern or chamber full of protodermis, and I used that to kick-start the game's villains' motivation (and thus, the plot).
     
    The game's story is set right after the Bohrok saga (or, after the events of Mata Zuto 2). In this alternate universe, there is another island in the Endless Ocean that's more technologically advanced. The Matoran on this island (named 'Zuto Nui') worship a god that they built themselves, and in this game, this god wants them to take over Mata Nui and colonize it. Why? Because of the "power that lies beneath" a.k.a. the energized protodermis that was discovered underground. It should be noted that references to the other two games will be minimal; optimally, anyone will be able to play this game without knowing anything about the other two games.
     
    Here's the synopsis I have so far:
     
     
    On the island of Mata Nui, the discovery of energized protodermis has lead to the technologically advanced nation of Zuto Nui (led by the enigmatic Recruiter on behalf of the Great Being Mata Zuto) to launch a full-scale invasion to take the vital liquid for themselves. After sending eight mysterious beings called the Kanorak to steal the six Nuva Symbols, the Toa Nuva are captured, leaving only a single False Toa and his friends to save the island from colonization by Zuto Nui.
     

    “In the time before time, the Great Spirit descended onto our world from Paradise.



    He illuminated us with the Three Virtues, and in gratitude, we named our home ‘Mata Nui’, in the Great Spirit’s honor



    However. Not all of our brothers accepted the Great Spirit’s generous gifts...



    A sect of our people gave more credence to building and rejected the Virtues.



    Instead, they accepted Independence for Unity, Perfection for Duty, and Liberty for Destiny.



    This sect continued to build, inventing contraptions for their own benefit, each one more terrifying than the one before.



    They kept building... until one day, they had built the Perfect God”


     
    Who is the Recruiter and who is the False Toa? I'll explain all of that in the next entry. In the meantime, enjoy the screenshot of the Le-Wahi level that I'm carving out right now (credit for Toa model goes to BZP member Mihunai)
  15. 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.
  16. Emzee
    Giving my shout out to Ninjo, the former admin here at BZPower. During his time, he was the Admin that seemed least threatening. Certainly counts for something.
     
    I hope you're doing well, wherever you are.
  17. Emzee

    OMG Texans

    By Emzee,

    This... this could've been epic, this could've been... anything but what was seen tonight on national television.
     
    Excuse me while I go sulk in a corner.
  18. Emzee

    This Is It

    By Emzee,

    I can't believe that in just two days, my days at the University of Texas at Dallas will be over. It's crazy really. I gotta say that I'm really happy about it though. The coursework was really hard, and at many times it wasn't very rewarding at all, but I managed to complete this degree and land a full time job!
     
    While my GPA isn't anything to brag about, I personally that achieving this Software Engineering degree in four years and getting employed more than makes up for it.
     
    Naturally, it still hasn't truly sunk in that I'm leaving this place. I wonder what I'll do then.
  19. Emzee

    It Never Stops

    By Emzee,

    I thought that graduation would hit me with a brick-like force. It turns out that I've gotten over with it quite well. My head-first dive into my new career is probably to blame for that.
     
    So I've spending much of the past month transitioning and getting ready for my change in scenery. I'm currently at a six-week training stint in Cincinnati, OH. I'm working for a software company, and I'll be moving (and staying) in San Antonio, which is alright I guess. This does mean that I have to learn yet another city (it took me a while to just learn Dallas). On the upside, I've met my future coworkers that are from San Antonio, so I won't be completely lost.
     
    Anyway, I hope everyone's enjoying summer so far, assuming it's a summer vacation and you're not busy like me.
  20. Emzee

    Blog Design

    By Emzee,

    I've been meaning to make a theme for this blog for some time now.
     
    I'mma be honest: I'm probably never going to get around to it.
  21. Emzee

    RIP Big Tex

    By Emzee,

    Sure, you were Nightmare Fuel that disturbed the minds of countless children (and some adults too), but you were also a 60-year old tradition and official mascot of the State Fair. Farewell, big guy.
  22. Emzee

    Rain is Poison Here

    By Emzee,

    My city can't handle rain.
     
    The people can't drive in this, streets flood everywhere, and the traffic lights go out. Because apparently San Antonio is a desert and the city wasn't built to withstand a thunderstorm.
     
    Leaving work was even less fun than normal.
     
    At least I'm home now though. Today is really a stay-inside-and-read kind of weather.
  23. Emzee

    New Car!

    By Emzee,

    Item by item, I'm getting the things that I require in order to lead a rather stable life.
     
    Life in San Antonio has been different... way different than I had expected. Work is work and will always be work, and I'm still getting used to my shorter evenings.
     
    The most recent item in my list of things I need is a new car. My old one looked okay, 2003 Ford Taurus, but it wasn't dependable. Going to work every morning was like playing a game of Russian roulette with being late. Had that not been an issue, I would've held off, but not that I have it, I gotta say I like what I've acquired!
     
    It's a 2013 4-cyl Nissan Altima. Redesigned, black, sleek, all black interior, and a cool display up front. And the ride's a lot smoother.
     
    I'm not a car guy so I won't be able to give you all the specs off the top of my head. I just know it has good MPG rating, automatic transmission (always - I'm never going stick), and 182 HP engine.
  24. Emzee

    Gah, Writer's Block

    By Emzee,

    This Wokapu role-playing post I've been trying to write for the BZPRPG isn't as easy as I thought. I don't want to spoil what happens, but it's supposed to be rather emotional. I'm currently searching the 'net to try and see if there's a similar story out there that can give me some inspiration.
     
    Only took about a month for this to happen -- I'd say that's pretty good.
  25. Emzee

    He Speaks

    By Emzee,

    Hi everyone. Remember me?
     
    I'm still a bit exhausted from exams and my senior design project. To get you guys up to speed, this is my last semester for my undergrad degree in Software Engineering. This was my most difficult semester (admittedly due to bad planning), but the good side is that I get to start my full time job this summer.
     
    I know what would typically post in all caps or use a thousand exclamation points at this news, but I'm not finished yet. Classes are over, but some hiccups in our senior design project has left us still working to complete it (it's an Android app). There's a good side to this too though: I'm fairly sure we'll all get A's for our are work. Long story short, we had to pick up some slack after a member dropped the course.
     
    I still don't have time to get completely caught up on here, but expect my activity to steadily rise through the remainder of the year.
     
    To those in the BZPRPG, sorry for going dark. Real LifeTM, as you know. Don't send me BZPRPG-related requests yet though -- I'm still trying to decide if I'll still be participating in the RPG.
     
    That's all for now. How have you all been? I heard something big went down about two weeks ago. And Staff Shipping's finally a reality. Anything else that's interesting?
×
×
  • Create New...