Valrahk

Oh my. Will one of the bosses be the insane bookkeeper? -

Sadly, no. The boss you will encounter, though, will be awesome enough to suffice (so much so that I wouldn't dare even mention its name here). There will be security staff for enemies, though, if that helps.

Seriously, the Library's second (technically third - there's a miniboss hidden away in there as well) boss fight is going to be awesome. Also, if you want its name spoiled earlier in the dungeon, bring Ikuria along. Actually, bringing Ikuria changes the story part of that entire dungeon quite a bit. It all ends the same way, but the details that emerge will be drastically different.

I'm going to go with... the dungeon was collapsing and something turned it back to endless-ness during the minigame. Also, why are you taking something in Piraka Mania seriously?

Also, as a side note, today I made some events that pushed the Storyline variable up over 100! 105 as of this writing, to be exact. It doesn't really hit you how much story material is in this game until you see stuff like that, and then realize that, especially in Act III, you literally can't experience all of it in one playthrough because of how the dialogue works out.

One last thing: I've written up a schedule for development to help speed things along, and it seems to be working - the boss of Act III's second dungeon just needs to be balanced, the story segments through the cutscenes after that boss are all set up, and I've even started doing things I had scheduled for next week. So... hurray!

2 questions:

1: How's progress on the demo going?

2: How would one disable the GM phantoran random encounters? I only ask because I was almost done with level ? when the game closed itself.

 

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1. Funny you should ask... Turns out I forgot to add some battle graphics in, namely Lauenna's weapons and two status ailment graphics... So... whoops. The status ailment graphics are done and implemented now. Better to find out now than later, I guess...

2. Well, they're not really random encounters, actually - they're enemies wandering around like the others, but they're invisible. As far as avoiding them, open in RPGMaker, hold control, and walk on the walls. That's the only real way to avoid them, other than to defeat every single one in the room, but they'll just respawn once you enter another room, so it doesn't help much.

1. Cool. Doesn't sound like it'll be too long.

2. HPPhdaaaaaaah...

but i thought the walktrough said they were random ._.

 

Also please delete my double post.

 

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It'll be a bit longer yet. My schedule suddenly went haywire, but I'll try to get the Demo out this weekend. It's already zipped, but I won't have time until then.

2 questions:

1: How's progress on the demo going?

2: How would one disable the GM phantoran random encounters? I only ask because I was almost done with level ? when the game closed itself.

 

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1. Funny you should ask... Turns out I forgot to add some battle graphics in, namely Lauenna's weapons and two status ailment graphics... So... whoops. The status ailment graphics are done and implemented now. Better to find out now than later, I guess...

2. Well, they're not really random encounters, actually - they're enemies wandering around like the others, but they're invisible. As far as avoiding them, open in RPGMaker, hold control, and walk on the walls. That's the only real way to avoid them, other than to defeat every single one in the room, but they'll just respawn once you enter another room, so it doesn't help much.

Next week, unfortunately. I've got too much to do this weekend, mostly homework (a lot of homework) and heading back to college.

If it's any consolation, I don't think Act III will take nearly as long, since there's no 95% custom-made chipset to... scratch that, actually. I forgot about that first dungeon... again, no spoilers, except it'll be awesome...

Switch every character you have access to and report back anything weird that happens - as an example that (I already fixed), something like the first elemental ability not being added to the list, or, as may possibly happen, the character's battle sprites look weird (i.e. like the wrong character). I may leave some class debugging information in the game when it's sent to testing, to make things easier (I'll explain later).

I sensed that irony months ago...

As I learned this morning, it's not so much that it's time-consuming, either--daunting is the best word to describe it. The code manages to get very unwieldy very quickly - I actually saved myself a lot of headaches with some clever tricks (namely, moving the actual coding process away from the event that will house the code, and reorganizing the mechanics behind the character/class selection code), but even with that, the numbers are pretty staggering: each character has about 6 1/2 screens* worth of code to handle the class switching and level adjustment (the place where the time and energy really gets eaten up), and all totaled, there's over 70 variables and switches to keep track of. Right now, I just learned how important going into the programming with a specific game plan (and knowledge of alogrithms) really is, and now I think it actually was a good idea to take that AI class... amazing what can happen in less than an hour, huh...

*-A "screen" of code is, here, the amount of vertical space of the event window's code screen. For me, that's about 33 lines, though other screen resolutions may be different.

Both of those are done. They've been done for... about a week now, I think.

The programming here really isn't that hard (especially after a brutal first project in my AI class), but it's more boring and repetitive. Also, my schedule for the rest of spring break here is getting tight. I've got three acts of Shakespearean tragedy left to read in the next three days, plus three other assignments for my other English class, most, if not all, due Monday. I probably would have been done with Act II by the end of February if not for my class schedule this semester...

The to-do list for Act II (and there is a file, and it's updated regularly) has just two things left to do before I send the demo off to beta testing: Finish the class-switching code, and finish programming and balancing the enemies. I can't at the moment remember exactly what the other big things are, but they're either done, or I just listed them. Also, one of the things, if I haven't mentioned it here, I'm saving for the next update.

And the big ugly monster is in no way related to the plants, with the sole exception that it uses some recolorations of the vine graphics. Other than that, I can't say... mostly because surprise is the keyword with that particular creature...

Drat! My clever vagueness has been fooled by the obvious facts of that location's tent-ness!

And not quite - it's a Silver Olmak - to go with the Gold Olmaks. And that particular village wasn't important enough to get a Gold Olmak. Why? You'll figure it out when you get there.

Also, as a mini-update, the class-switching system is about halfway done - the actual code that handles the act of switching the classes and updating the levels of the characters is complete. Next is the code that allows you to choose what class to change to.

This looks awesome! When do you think Act II will be released?

The only real answer I can give to that is when it's done. As for a timeframe, I'm hoping to finish Act II sometime in the next month, then have it sent off to the Beta testers.

The good news right now is that the pieces are starting to come together, and that'll hopefully speed things up a little bit.

I wouldn't start the new topic until you have Act II done. Restarting topics that died when there's no new game play to discuss isn't a good idea.

 

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I was hoping to get the topic at least back up before then, since Act II's still quite a ways off (at least a month, if I'm lucky, and Finals are coming up soon, so... yeah...). Still, you do make a good point. I may start up the topic just before the Beta goes out, though, to hopefully recruit some more Beta testers.

I think, maybe (BIG maybe) I might put the link to the updated Act I in the Blog somewhere. Maybe. Not now, though. With Thanksgiving coming up, and lots of people travelling and shopping this week, very few people (especially in America) would have time to download, much less play, the game. If I do release it on the blog (or in an updated topic), it won't be until next Sunday or Monday, even though it's done and in a zip file as I type.

Hey, I haven't checked up in a while. This game seems to be coming along well: I look forward to the beta.

 

BTW, if you ever need extra music to revamp...Sonic 4 Episode 1 is pretty much a gold mine for remixing. Sonic Colors has good music right out the bat.

 

Neya Out.

Actually, any music that's going to be updated is basically being enhanced from the original MIDI versions of the soundtrack, and speaking of which, it's mostly complete, at least 80%, right now, with a few gaps here and there, mostly late in the game. I should keep some Sonic stuff in mind for some later boss themes, though. There's one I have right now that isn't quite working out (mostly because of tempo issues), and I can't say any more than that because even the title is a massive spoiler.

Woah! That's good. It looks much more BIONICLE-ish than the previous one, and since I didn't post there, I would just like to say that the harakeke = <3. Personally, I think the houses were great in PM, but they seem so out of place here. It's probably to do with the way the population of the town. It's not much of a big city (or at least, that's what I thought), and it doesn't seem like it should have anything more than huts. Yanno?

 

The familiar rahi should include as many classic 2001s as you can possibly add. The more nostalgic, the better. If you can make someone cry tears of joy, that means you've added enough. Also, a creative thing to add would be events that walk randomly around the map, but, when you get within three or so spaces away, run away slightly faster than you can move. You could give them sprites that make them look peaceful. Perhaps look on Biosector for non-aggressive rahi, and add those?

 

Lastly, the Mata-Nui rock near the bottom-left owns.

 

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It's actually a sizable town, not nearly as big as Xi-Metru, but one of the bigger ones (maybe third largest), and I will say now that I might be using those PM house designs for a later town, though maybe with a more castle-ish variation. You'll see later.

As for Rahi, plenty of classics ('02 technically, from the Master Builder set) will appear on the Northern Continent, but there will be other places where they appear. Speaking of which, I've got all but one enemy for Act II sprited, and the last one I can't reveal, since it'd give the second dungeon away. As for events, I'd rather stick to a more traditional approach, especially for the overworld map. For the outside dungeon areas (cliffs, mountains, etc.), maybe... but not right now. I need to get the essentials down first. Also, tears of joy... well, there's one classic (classic-ish) Rahi set to appear as a 'normal' enemy in Act III, and it should make people cry... just not for joy. Kraawa and RPG mechanics can be a brutal combination...

That Mata Nui rock... it's actually a way to not have to repeat the whole Rainbow Pass going-under-the-bridge effect (excellent when it works, but frustrating until then), and there's more nearby, just out of view--talk to the guy next to them when Demo II comes out.

Sounds cool.

 

I would have saved the topic, but I didn't notice 'til it was too late, what with Reach and all.

 

So what game was the game you had the tournament with?

 

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Pokemon, and Brawl, except Pokemon didn't happen (3 people signed up, we all knew each other's teams, and it would have been no contest--I was the only one who put a significant effort into my team). As for Brawl, I lost. That was just for fun anyway.

Also, on a side note, I'll try to get the next update in sooner than the last few.

BTW, since the library review asked about the maps, could I suggest some stuff to help make them less bland?

 

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

1. Add moss and maybe a few Tallon-Overworld-esque fungal patches to the first cave. It would certainly help with removing the blandness aspect.

2. I'm working on some Vortixx sprites (granted they're going to need a compound event, but hey they work,) to put in Xia. You can quality control them (i.e. edit them) if you want. (Hey, maybe a few Vortixx enemies in Rayg would be good for the Xian Undercity...)

3. Add some birds of prey to Zakaz mountains. No enemies, just a few flying events and occasional hawk/eagle shrieks. You could also make a Bionicle seagull for Cho-Koro if you want.

 

Just some ideas. I definitely enjoyed this game in beta, and I'm just adding my share of extra tips.

 

Neya Out.

Wow. These are some pretty decent graphics...

Thanks. Wait until you see some of the battle graphics (namely enemies). I've worked pretty hard to make sure the colors get preserved in their conversion to the 256-color pallette, which isn't easy with some of these enemies (a Metru-Red enemy with green eyes gave me some trouble, as well as a Metru-Green with red eyes one). Although, in contrast, the battle animations are nothing special, and are mostly default ones (the really spectacular ones are coming much later, and will be involved in that second, super-secret battle mechanic I've mentioned).

Also, on the subject of graphics, I've only got one charset left to make (and some story stuff left to do), and then the game'll be ready to go into testing. It won't be long now...

Ah, yes, HeartGold and SoulSilver versions. Epic soundtrack, epic gameplay, epic graphics compared to even Platinum (barring the Distortion World, the most epic dungeon in the series anyway)...and even a useful and somewhat cool hidden item detector. Not to mention Pokeathelon, a dozen legends to catch (Kyogre/Groudon, Rayquaza, Latias, Latios, Legendary Beasts and Birds, Lugia, Ho-Oh, not counting two potential Dragon Trio members) and the best Safari Zone in the series...oh wait I'm trying to get you OFF it so you can finish this already. Um...dangit I can't think of anything against them. Curses...

 

Anyways, could I get access to the beta? It seems interesting so far...can you post another screenshot?

 

Neya Out.

 

Considering you've set the record for longest reply to a Project Terra post, and are the only one to ask so far, I'll say... yes, but with one condition: You'll be getting a different beta from the one I'm going to be sending to a friend here (where I am right now, not BZP). The difference is, due to time constraints, he'll be getting a version that won't have some non-essential bits (battle backgrounds, miscellaneous NPCs, opening title animation, etc.), and you'd get a version that (probably) has those in there, so it will take a bit longer to get it out to you. Also, prepare for the longest first demo of your life.

 

By the way, I'm training to beat Red right now, so there won't be as much intensity with Pokemon after that (I'm thinking Saturday I'll go and scale Mt. Silver to face him. I don't need to get Moltres since I already have it, so it'll take less time). On the other hand, my Dex is only 1/4 of the way full...

Oh, here's one thing against them: grinding. So... much... grinding... clock... at... 88 hours... and... rising...

 

Oh, and I've got a screenshot (actually saved on my computer right now), and I'll post it in the next update. I've also prepared for making the chipset to that second dungeon.

 

On a tangent, I realized that, technically, there are four dungeons in the Demo (depending on how you look at it), but two of them are small,one-map transitional dungeons (one actually leading directly to a larger dungeon, and one that everyone here should find more than a bit familiar). The logic behind calling it three dungeons is that one of the transitional dungeons has a boss at the end. Otherwise, it's literally just a path with some items on the wayside. Oh, I should mention that the early parts of the game approach FF13 levels of linearity. The difference is that Project Terra actually has you change direction every once in a while . Also, there are towns in this game.

 

On that note, I should probably get to bed and stop teasing this thing. I want to be refreshed for my gamemaking class (a.k.a. Astronomy) tomorrow .

 

Edit: Is that banner in your sig... your team? Remind me not to battle you...

 

Gira is level 52, everyone else is in the 60's. Yep. Currently trying to grind on Gym Rematches and find Ditto so I can get a Synchronizer with a good nature. Occasional Pokeathelon.

 

And with the aid of my Arcanine's Intimidate, Morbuzakh's (Victreebel's...) Sleep Powder (with a Choice Scarf as a speed booster,) and Vezok's (Feraligatr's...yes I named my entire team barring Steelix [Violet City link trade,] and Arcanine [named for a puppy I have named Marco,] after Bionicles...Gira is named Gorast, Yanmega is named Matau,) I beat the E4 rematch with no pokemon higher than Level 58 at the time, and without forcing any of Lance's team to use Struggle.

 

So your friend gets an "alpha-beta," I get the "beta-beta" after he's revised a few glitches and such. Okay, I can do that, and I have some experience already from Piraka Mania. The XP computer is back up and running, and I should be able to get on it for at least an hour a day...

 

Neya Out.

After I wrote that last part, I looked back and realized... wait a minute... I have a Giratina! It's level 1 right now, though. I need to get its move sets and everything figured out before I start training it, though. That's for summer, though. I should probably try to get a Riolu between now and then... maybe by breeding from a Lucario from the GTS (I really don't like the safari zone...). Yeah... the summer's going to be about team-building and dex-filling, at least with Pokemon. On a random note (as if this wasn't just one long one anyway), I've only named one of my Pokemon after anything Bionicle, namely Spherus, the Electrode I used to fight/catch Latios (who I call Picard, one of three Star Trek-named Pokemon in my box right now (the other two are Data, my Magneton, and Lore, my Porygon). If I ever catch a Latias, I've decided I'll name her Troi.). Wait... I just remembered--My Tauros is named after the second main boss of Piraka Mania, Kahne... Wow, that's an obscure reference... Also, I've beaten Red and gotten all the legendaries I can catch at the moment since then... My Feraligatr, Kraid, has now reached Lv 81, with most of the rest of the Red-beating team not far behind (except Dood, my Golem. He's been at Lv 72 since before the Red Battle). Also, just to randomly brag about this incredible stroke of luck: I caught Groudon in Soulsilver in 6 turns, first try, and no, I didn't use a Master Ball (that'd be for my Mewtwo).

Anyway, yeah, you'll be getting a "beta-beta," though the differences will mostly be additional, non-essential graphics, like battle-backgrounds. I say non-essential because they aren't necessary for testing the game, at least not at the moment.

By the way, I should be getting Update #11 up tonight.

Ah, yes, HeartGold and SoulSilver versions. Epic soundtrack, epic gameplay, epic graphics compared to even Platinum (barring the Distortion World, the most epic dungeon in the series anyway)...and even a useful and somewhat cool hidden item detector. Not to mention Pokeathelon, a dozen legends to catch (Kyogre/Groudon, Rayquaza, Latias, Latios, Legendary Beasts and Birds, Lugia, Ho-Oh, not counting two potential Dragon Trio members) and the best Safari Zone in the series...oh wait I'm trying to get you OFF it so you can finish this already. Um...dangit I can't think of anything against them. Curses...

 

Anyways, could I get access to the beta? It seems interesting so far...can you post another screenshot?

 

Neya Out.

Considering you've set the record for longest reply to a Project Terra post, and are the only one to ask so far, I'll say... yes, but with one condition: You'll be getting a different beta from the one I'm going to be sending to a friend here (where I am right now, not BZP). The difference is, due to time constraints, he'll be getting a version that won't have some non-essential bits (battle backgrounds, miscellaneous NPCs, opening title animation, etc.), and you'd get a version that (probably) has those in there, so it will take a bit longer to get it out to you. Also, prepare for the longest first demo of your life.

By the way, I'm training to beat Red right now, so there won't be as much intensity with Pokemon after that (I'm thinking Saturday I'll go and scale Mt. Silver to face him. I don't need to get Moltres since I already have it, so it'll take less time). On the other hand, my Dex is only 1/4 of the way full...

Oh, here's one thing against them: grinding. So... much... grinding... clock... at... 88 hours... and... rising...

Oh, and I've got a screenshot (actually saved on my computer right now), and I'll post it in the next update. I've also prepared for making the chipset to that second dungeon.

On a tangent, I realized that, technically, there are four dungeons in the Demo (depending on how you look at it), but two of them are small,one-map transitional dungeons (one actually leading directly to a larger dungeon, and one that everyone here should find more than a bit familiar). The logic behind calling it three dungeons is that one of the transitional dungeons has a boss at the end. Otherwise, it's literally just a path with some items on the wayside. Oh, I should mention that the early parts of the game approach FF13 levels of linearity. The difference is that Project Terra actually has you change direction every once in a while . Also, there are towns in this game.

On that note, I should probably get to bed and stop teasing this thing. I want to be refreshed for my gamemaking class (a.k.a. Astronomy) tomorrow .

Edit: Is that banner in your sig... your team? Remind me not to battle you...

Sounds cool, though I prefer RTS games.

Well, considering I have very little experience with the genre (both making and playing), it'd be pretty hard for me to make one. Although, now that you mention it, an early idea for the game was to make it an RTS; the folders where I keep work-in-progress materials still go by its original codename, Project S1 (S for Strategy). Somewhere along the line, though, it melded with another idea and transformed into its current form.

That's actually how a lot of my really good ideas come to be: they start as separate, not-quite-as-good ideas and get mixed together, forming an amazing super-idea that eventually gets put into production. I think this was the first time it's happened to me for a BZP game idea, though.

Have I taken personal interest in the waysided one?

 

(best way I know not to reveal what one of them is. Here's another hint: It's the secret for beating Hard Mode in PM.)

 

Just wondering.

 

Hyper Neya out.

Actually, no. The one that, at this point, is pretty much canned is one nobody here on BZP has heard of, and I do mean nobody. Actually, I shouldn't say "canned." Maybe "shelved" is a better term, because I may reconsider making it once I'm a bit more skilled in the required programming areas.

Cool, you gots a blog! Glad to see you're still working on RPGs, and I assume Gold means that you'll finally be done with Taluka Chronicles after this.

 

It's not often a developer goes to the Blogosphere, so here's a house (or Blog)-warming present:

Thank you, Emzee. Now, how, exactly, am I supposed to add this to the blog? (I'm still a newbie at Blogging...)

And yes, this is going to be the final version of the game. I've got other ideas to take care of, but I shouldn't be saying anything about them yet...