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Showing results for tags 'Masks of the Elders Production'.
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Well, we're still in testing. Apparently there were a few little coordination issues to sort out, but hopefully that's all worked out by now. Anyway, I mentioned that next game update in a post in the topic, and I've decided to reveal another little feature that'll appear there, one that I've been working on for the past few days: A minimap for the overworld, to make sure that you don't get lost while exploring. If you've played Final Fantasy VI, you know the kind of minimap I'm talking about, since it's modelled closely on that design. For those who haven't played that game, it's a small map in the lower-right corner of the screen that shows the islands you've visited, where you are, and where towns and other points of civilization are. I am adding one extra element to it, though: New islands, other than the ones the characters would already know about from the start, will be added only when you reach them or learn about them. For instance, the first time you enter the overworld, you'll only see Zakaz, Xia, and maybe another major island or two. You won't see Loro-kava, or Aigo-kava, Icosa Nui, etc. and these islands will appear on the map as you learn about them. As a side note, I decided to make the minimap because I was a bit too lazy to add actual game content this week. Ironically, it's taken about six hours to get the 50x50 pixel minimap this far, about the same amount of time it took to make Piraka Mania's final map screen, which was 320x240 pixels... so deciding to be lazy made me work more to get less... oh well. Oh, and a note to the Beta Testers: Even if you're not through with the game, could you please check in with me, if only to tell me how far you've gotten thus far? The sooner I know about any glitches or issues you've encountered, the quicker the game can get released.
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First off, the Beta has been in testing for a little bit now, and that's all good news, although I think this may take longer than I had anticipated, since we've been running into some technical hiccups getting the program to even install or run on some of the computers involved. As for what I've been doing since, I can't say everything, but I have been working on things like the mp3 version of Act III's music, including the theme for a really epic piece of music, among other themes here and there. Now, as for the update I mentioned in the topic, the one that will be after Act III, there are a few adjustments to make (like encounter rates), as well as a few more things that I have left to flesh out before I can call the game finished, like a quick overhaul of the system for learning To-hun moves, as well as re-working how Kanohi work so that you have more entries in that battle menu than "Vitality" and whatever Toa you're summoning. There will be a bit of additional content added here and there, but I don't want to spoil anything, especially since I've already spoiled so much a couple of paragraphs ago. Also, a note to the Beta Testers: Please don't spoil anything you might find while testing.
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All right! I've been keeping this system secret for so long, but It's finally time to reveal what it is: You will, as of Act III, be able to summon the Toa, Guardians of old, to aid you in battle. During your quest, you will find Great Kanohi, which belonged to various Toa. Each of these, when equipped, will teach a Kanohi skill (something I'm revamping for Act III) and a Summon skill, which allows you to use that Toa's signature ability. These powerful attacks will use a lot of Stamina with each usage (often a third to half of the character's maximum), and its cost will increase as your maximum SP does. However, their attacks will increase in power as well. Gather more and more Kanohi to find more Toa and Toa skills - you never know what powerful combinations you might find. Summonable Toa (NOTE: this list is intentionally left incomplete) -The Guardians of Peace (Dua): Gera*, Riila*, and Ikuru* -The Guardians of Life (Mata): Tahu, Onua, Pohatu, Lewa, Gali, and Kopaka -The Guardians of Virtue (Metru): Vakama, Whenua, Onewa, Matau, Nokama, and Nuju -Other Guardians: Lhikan, Nidhiki, Karii* Pohatu's attack: Meteor Shower *-New Toa that had been created during Elders' history. MINOR EDIT: I know I said last time that I'd restart the topic on Monday... but it looks like that will have to wait a bit. I overestimated what I'd be able to do over Spring Break, so it'll take through next week (hopefully less than that) to get the game to testing condition - but the Beta won't go out until I give it a once-over to make sure the game is continuously playable (i.e. no bugs that prevent normal progress). So, in the mean time, I should have the topic up next Tuesday. MINI-UPDATE: Getting closer now... Only three things left on the list before that first test. One of them, programming the Crafting Centers, might take a while though... Just getting the elemental weapons and armor programmed is already starting to get remarkably tedious... 30 different crafting stations to edit... still, this isn't nearly as tedious as programming the summons system, and hopefully won't take as long. So anyway, progress is being made! Now, to go back to work. MINI-UPDATE 2: I've started the first test a bit earlier than expected - I figure it's best to get at least up to Act III again (conveniently [/sarcasm], my save files were wiped recently...) before I start doing the final balancing for Act III's enemies and bosses. So far, I'm right near the sewer in Xi-Metru. This part may take longer than expected.
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Alright! We have more progress going on. As of now, the only puzzle-type gameplay left to do is a little bit in the Library. Other than that, there's a bit of story work left to be done at the very end, the tileset I mentioned earlier, and a few other little bits to round up here and there. As far as teasers and things to show, I don't have anything at the moment, what with half of Act III being top-secret, but there is one bit of good news: I've decided to re-open the topic a week from Monday, to make sure I can get some more Beta testers before that phase begins. I've also decided I'll be revealing that whole battle system enhancement at around the same time, both in blog post form (the full announcement with details of how it works) and in the topic's first post. Now I just hope I can keep up with my schedule next week - with a whole bunch of major tests/projects all due around the same time, free time will probably get a bit less frequent.
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Well, I said I'd update when that dungeon was in a screenshot-worthy state, and sorry it took so long, but here we go: That's right - you haven't found all of the secrets of the Library yet. I also have another bit of good news: Aside from some small very-end bits, whose tileset I haven't even made yet, Act III is fully mapped. All of the dungeons, islands, towns, etc. are in the game right now. Most of what's left is puzzle and story event programming, with some minor graphics (apparently "entirely custom-made chipset" now counts as "minor" ) and some programming bits on the side. Also, every weapon graphic in the game has been made (and some of them look just plain awesome) and I've been working on that still-secret battle enhancement. I'll reveal what it is soon enough, though, probably before testing begins. As a side note, I'm thinking of changing how To-hun abilities are acquired - the current system, looking back, just feels too clunky, and if I can work it into the class system, I think I'll change to a level-up method instead. So, yeah. Massive progress. Here's hoping for even more before next time. By the way, I'm hoping to get Act III ready for Beta testing sometime late March/early April. If I manage to keep to the schedule I've made, I should be able to, with a bit of luck.
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Whew... Brickshelf finally got over its server issues, so I can finally make this post properly (I was originally planning to do this on Monday, maybe Sunday). So, without further ado, the new title screen for Masks of the Elders: The logo will also appear in the opening cinematic. I'm also thinking of adding some animations to more clearly show transitions between acts. More on this as it develops (or doesn't, but I'm leaning toward adding them in right now). Also, the second dungeon of Act III is mapped, and it gets a bit weird - remember that little "endless staircase" effect from Piraka Mania? Well, I've been putting that effect to far better use in Elders, in multiple locations. It will also be put to a more spectacular use later on, but that involves some colossal spoilers, so I won't say any more until that point. Progress is still being made, just a bit more slowly at the moment - adjusting to my new schedule and getting distracted by Zelda: Majora's Mask have taken a bit of a toll on my gamemaking time and ability. Hopefully, though, my workload won't get too crazy this time around, and I can get more done. MICRO UPDATE 2/8/12: In a sharp change from the previous paragraph, progress has picked up tremendously. The third dungeon of Act III is being mapped (all the architecture is done, and the details need to be filled in), and I actually will reveal what that third dungeon will be... next time. I want to get it to screenshot-ready status before I go and announce what it is.
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What's this? An update not too long after the last one? Scandalous! Absurd! An affront to all that is... I think you get the picture. Anyway, I've been busy with a couple of things in Elders. One is mapping the pre-dungeon area of Stelt, which is looking excellent, by the way. Oh, here's a preview: The image is too big to put into the post itself. The other thing I've been working on is updating the title screen. I recently added a graphic for an in-game item (whose identity I cannot reveal because of massive spoilers, which includes the battle system), and then realized: This item, if I were to make a larger graphic of it, would make an excellent logo for the title screen. Now, I can't post a teaser of it here, since it's not in presentable shape quite yet - it needs a lot of shading before it's done, and there's some work elements (color pallette, guide lines, etc.) still in the image. However, I can say that it's looking good, and will definitely be worthy of adorning the game's screen on bootup. Also, I should have the title screen done by next time (whenever that happens to be). Until then, farewell. EDIT: The title screen logo is done, but still needs to be implemented in the opening cinematic. I'm still waiting until the next blog post to show it, though.
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Good news: Work on Elders has picked up its pace over the last week or so (translation: work is actually getting done), and I've made some good progress, most notably: I've gotten the first dungeon of Act III to the point where I can test it properly (for continuity, difficulty, balancing, etc.). Unfortunately, I didn't balance the dungeon very well, and a quasi-boss battle ended in disaster. The balancing part still has quite a bit of work left in it, apparently... I've also gotten some more work done on the Stelt section of Act III, mostly mapping the area before the dungeon and doing some cutscene work. Speaking of which, here's a screenshot of one such cutscene: You may look at that and have some questions, but rest assured: I won't answer any of them until I'm good and ready, y'hear? Anyway... I'll be working more on that second dungeon in the near future, as well as making sure the crafting system is properly implemented. Speaking of which, does everyone remember that one building on the Na-koro docks you couldn't enter, the one that just sat there without so much as a sign to tell you what you weren't seeing? Well, that's the new Crafting center for Na-koro, though you won't be able to enter until Act III, since there will be some new weapons that can be crafted there. Also check back with the merchants in Na-koro, since at least one will have some new items for sale by then. EDIT: One last thing: As part of Act III, I'm severely nerfing the Stunned condition - it now goes away much quicker and easier, and is more of a nuisance than a crippling ailment.
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This past couple of weeks has been incredibly busy for me, so unfortunately Elders got pushed out of the way to make room for all the frantic game designing and Finals that dominated this week. Between all the classwork I've had to do (which spontaneously included writing most of a game soundtrack from scratch) and finishing off Skyward Sword, well, I think you get the picture... Luckily, I managed to get most of Act I's first dungeon finished off before the madness began, so there's just one room and some bug checking to do before that's finished off, and Act III gets one giant step closer to getting done. After that, there's the segment on Stelt, which is already partly mapped, another dungeon on an already-explored island (which, thankfully, already has the necessary graphics, so that should speed up production), and then another area that I cannot at this point reveal. As far as stage design goes, there's a lot to do yet, but it should go smoothly once I get momentum back up again. Now the new enhancement to the Battle system... that could take some time. It's got a lot of new animations attached to it. Now, for one last little detail: A new character who will appear sometime in Act III. Also, the spoiler tags are necessary, as the brief description does in fact spoil part of the story. Whew... Finals are finished, I've kept up at the very least enthusiasm for Elders, and... I'm tired...
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I figure it's probably a good idea to get in as much progress as I can manage before Skyward Sword (not Skyrim - I don't have much interest in The Elder Scrolls at the moment) devours what little free time I have left, so how about some details about the first dungeon of Act III? I'll be as non-spoilery as possible, mostly because I don't want to reveal what this dungeon exactly is (like that one dungeon from Act II). First off, the dungeon is divided into three parts: Caves leading to its entrance, the main dungeon itself, and, for lack of a better term, the "catacombs." The first two parts are mapped and being populated by events, and the third is slowly being put together. That third part is the most unusual of the three, since that section will focus entirely on story, with no combat until the very end. There will be seven chambers to go through, one introducing the ideas of that part of the dungeon, and then one for each character (you'll only be able to see four of these rooms, however, since you have to have that character in the party to reach that room), and each character's chamber will delve deep into their psyches, possibly deeper than you want to go, bringing their personal issues and backstories to the surface. In one instance, the character will have to grapple with things even they aren't aware of. What goes on in the chambers will eventually tie into each character's side quest later on. Also, once you reach the dungeon proper, head in the "wrong" direction for a little cameo appearance. It'll also get you a rare piece of equipment (there's actually just the one - you'll see once you get it). On a more serious note, and to reveal one more little detail, the Taluka Book 1 remake is pretty much canned at this point. After Masks of the Elders, I don't think I'll realistically be able to fit RPGMaking for BZPower into my schedule, especially not remaking the same game I've remade way too many times before... and as part of this, I've re-appropriated one of the boss ideas from Taluka Book 1 Gold into Masks of the Elders as the boss of the second dungeon of Act III. Which one is it? Well, it's one of the main dungeon bosses, from the first half of the game, but past that, I won't say what it is. And with that, happy Thanksgiving (for those who celebrate it) and happy questing (for those in Skyloft or wherever you are fighting evil).
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Well, before I begin, I have to say that progress has been slow lately. The semester's getting really busy, and time to work on Elders has been in painfully short supply, mostly because I've been working on homework for game design courses in the time I had originally set aside for working on Elders. I actually just now had to remind myself where I was and what I was supposed to be doing in regard to the gamemaking. Thankfully, there are still plenty of things to talk about in these updates, not the least of which being more details on that Crafting system I mentioned earlier. For starters, I've been programming the crafting devices, and while the initial creation of them is a bit on the obnoxious side(and just now I realized I could have made it so much easier... oh well), a lot of the devices are simply copy/paste to different locations, since certain craftable items will be available pretty much everywhere, such as Berry Juice and Leaf Powder. Those two items are actually ingredients to make more crafted items, and a very good reason to stock up on Cholo Berries and Haiga Leaves. Speaking of ingredients, how about some recipes for the items in Za-koro's Crafting Center (the first one in the game): -Berry Juice*: Cholo Berry x1 -Leaf Powder*: Haiga Leaf x1 -Zakaz "Sand Float"*: Berry Juice* x1, Water* x1, Sand* x1, Mud* x1 -Throwing Axe*: Sharp Rock* x1, Stick* x1 -Crude Shelter: Stick* x2, Rahi Hide* x4 There will also be some equipment to craft: -Weighted Disk*: Practice Disk x1, Metal Weight* x1 -Sharpened Staff*: Short Staff x1, Stick* x2 -Heavy Armor: Guard's Armor x1, Metal Weight* x1 -Focus Armor: Guard's Armor x1, Empty Focus* x1 -Empty Focus*: Empty Vial* x1, Odd Crystal x3 *- Items new to Act III's release. You'll be able to get crafting ingredients in a variety of places, including the crafting centers themselves, since they'll sell things you don't normally find (like Metal Weights and Empty Vials). Other items can be obtained by defeating Rahi, like Rock Ussals now giving you Sharp Rocks and Lightbugs giving you Lightstone Shards. Also notice that there are new weapon upgrades, in this case between the original first and second stages of each character's respective weapon. There are a lot more different weapons for each character now, though some you won't have access to for quite a while (more on this next time - it deserves its own post). You'll also be able to craft new kinds of armor, but you'll need the low-end armor to make the better one, so choose wisely. Also, as part of this, I'm increasing the cost of purchasing the higher-end equipment, to make crafting the primary focus of upgrading your characters. In case you didn't notice at first, one of the items is a drink native to Zakaz (though not a good one). This will be a recurring thing for all populated islands in the game: Each city will have its own unique beverage, sometimes two. They can be crafted, and possibly purchased, and have some really interesting flavor text. Their effects will be proportional (a percentage of HP or SP will be healed), so don't worry if it doesn't do much in the beginning - it'll heal more later on. NOTE: I may change the throwing axe in the Zakaz Crafting Center to something else, but for now, that's what's planned to be there. Okay, I think I've revealed enough for one night. See you next time.
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Well, it's been way too long since the last update, but you all should be happy to know that Masks of the Elders is still being made, despite all of the forum problems. The next Demo should finally be up by Friday (more to give me time to prepare/do school work than anything else), and the teaser stories should start up on Wednesday. Now, for progress: The forum downtime got me thinking seriously this summer, and I've decided to make some fairly radical changes to the way Act III plays out. Originally, the idea for the middle section of the Act was to have a Metroid-esque progression, where going through a mini-dungeon would give you an item to go to the next mini-dungeon until eventually you could get to the next main dungeon - then I realized this would give the player too much too fast, so it would have to be changed... then I remembered that there were a few islands still unexplored, so now, you'll be going to the island of Stelt instead. Don't worry - the items from what would have been that part of the game will still be obtainable, but they'll be in a side-quest instead. Also, another radical change: I was looking through the equipment list and realized I had given far too few equipment upgrades to each character (a mere five each, at most), and that, in making those pieces of equipment, some characters were capable of wielding elemental weapons, and others weren't, and that only certain elements were represented, so I decided to add a new system, which will be implemented in Act III: Crafting. As part of this, each character will get a host of new weapons to use, including the full spectrum of elemental staffs, spears, disks, etc. You'll also be able to craft new healing items, and craft existing ones for much cheaper than buying them. Speaking of which: As of Act III, you'll want to craft all your new weapons, not buy them. It'll be much, much cheaper. Oh, and here's a screenshot of the new Za-koro crafting house: The building's still imcomplete, so there will be more crafting machines in there when it's done. Also, as far as Act II's release goes, I'm going to try to get both the regular and enhanced-soundtrack versions released simultaneously. Oh, and before I forget, I've got a bit of a weird surprise in store for Piraka Mania fans, and when I say surprise, I mean it: Don't even try to guess what's on its way. Just stay tuned, and hopefully next week it'll get posted.
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Good News! Act II was sent off to the Beta Testers last weekend, so release should be soon. In the meantime, I've started working on the first part of Act III, and while I can't say much about it, since it's going to be downright awesome (in every sense of the word), I can reveal that it will kick off one of the more unusual facets of the storytelling: Because there are going to be more than four party members playable in Act III, the script will have to accommodate this, meaning that you'll get different glimpses into the story depending on who is in your party. Not only that, but I'm going an extra step with the idea, and having a few points that will affect the story later on, particularly when it comes to sidequests. Don't worry, though: I'll be sure to put them all in the walkthrough. Also, be sure to check back soon for the next round of teaser stories, Another Destiny.
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For this update, I have a bit of a theme going: Audio/Video. What exactly do I mean by that? Well, for Audio: If anyone happened to find, in the music folder of the mp3 version of the game, the soundtrack, and listen to the music outside of RPGmaker, they might have noticed some strange things in the ID3 tags of the tracks--things like "V[number or letter]" at the end of the title, missing or inconsistent artist information, etc. Well, when the Act II mp3 version is released, I'll be recifying this, with consistent, WIP-information-free titles, and composer & context information (spoiler alerts in advance) for every track, and a bit more. Now, for video: In Demo 1, the opening cutscene was really just text against a black screen. Well, for Demo 2, and all further Demos, that sequence has, you guessed it, video: Now, the reason I waited until Act II to do this was that certain parts of the sequence, including the one above, hadn't yet been mapped, and I didn't want to work myself into a corner or have to re-do the opening movie because of it. Also, just to note: The second half of the opening, after the opening title appears, will be a black screen. It makes sense for that part, because it's very difficult to visualize that part of it without spoiling much of the story, including parts from beyond Act II. In terms of actual updates, the Class Switching System is coded, and partly tested. Because of my workload for this weekend, I won't be able to test it comprehensively, but since most of it is essentially identical, and since I inspected it as I was coding, there should be few, if any, glitches. As a note to Beta Testers (and I'll say this again in the PM): I will ask that you do extensive testing of the class-switch system. Other than that, there's just programming the Act II enemies and a bit of balancing out to do before being able to send the game off to the testers. Demo 2 is almost here!
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In the words of a certain aging, lunatic mad scientist from the future: Good news everyone! Act II is almost done. Once again, I have to say I'm sorry for not getting this update out sooner. My workload from school really piled up this past month, which pushed Masks of the Elders to the bottom of the priority list. Fortunately, I was able to squeeze in little pockets of time where I could work on the game, and right now the three big things left to do for Act II are the story sections of dungeon #3, battle backgrounds for a few remaining areas (there's quite a few here - three for one dungeon alone!), and programming that class-switch system, which I hope to get done sometime during Spring Break. Now, to show you all some stuff I was hoping to reveal before the whole issue with the forums happened: Yes… that's an actual sign. Lhii, however, is not in the game. I just couldn't stop myself... Now, here's a more serious screenshot -- even though there's a spoiler tag, I won't reveal where or when this scene takes place. » Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... « I will reveal, however, that the Gold Olmak Post in the corner there is important to the scene. Now, as promised, the character profile for the new character, Lauenna: Lauenna (Low-wenn-uh): A huntress cast out from a swamp-dwelling tribe on Loro-Kava, Lauenna barely survives on her wits and prowess with the spear. She is intelligent, but ignorant of the world outside the trees, and often compares new situations with those of the jungle. Despite her Le-Matoran appearance, she is, in fact, a girl.
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First off, sorry for the long wait this time. Between school taking up far longer than I'd thought and getting sick not long after the last update, gamemaking hasn't been as big a priority. That said, this past week I've made some excellent progress, especially in the second dungeon—in fact, aside from a battle background and an overworld graphic (both of which are set to be done for all of Act II en masse), it's done. Hooray! To celebrate, here's a spoiler-censored screenshot: What's he not saying? I won't say either... I was originally planning on releasing a different screenshot, but that one had an even bigger spoiler in it, and by bigger, I mean several times the height of a Matoran. Also, in case you haven't figured out by now, I'm going to be keeping this dungeon's identity a secret until the Beta testers reach it. Now, in other news, you all may have noticed a lot of choreography in some of the game's cutscenes – everyone walking everywhere, changing places, bystanders wandering out of frame, etc. Well, there's a cutscene in Act II that takes that to an extreme: The script had the entire sequence as a single comment wedged into the script, that boiled down to: Chase scene. It's only about five or six seconds long, but it wound up incredibly complicated, with no less than six characters all moving at the same time. Now when I say moving, I mean running, jumping, changing course, panicking, and one guy that just stands there flabbergasted (he counts as moving, though, since he looks in a different direction ). The entire chase took between 45 minutes and an hour to complete, a lot of which involved re-working the characters' routes so they didn't bump into each other (which actually happened partway through the programming of it—Arikan and another character wound up shoving each other until Arikan got stuck on a fence – which, in the world of game programming, is almost a normal occurrence). Also, here's a screenshot from after that scene (since I don't want to spoil too much about it): For the record, the Matoran speaking is the Onu-Matoran. "Now hold on a minute!" You exclaim, "Who's that Le-Matoran in there (no, not the bassist, the other one)?" You'll find out more about her (yes, her) next time.
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Good news: Progress is happening! The first dungeon, in case I hadn't mentioned it earlier, is almost done, and just needs enemies to be inserted. The second dungeon's chipset is FINALLY complete (after all these months), and needs its earlier puzzles programmed. The third dungeon... it's a bit lower in terms of progress, but it's getting there. It needs three more puzzles designed and implemented, so it's getting there. Now for the bad news: I've misplaced the design document detailing the puzzles for the second dungeon... Hopefully I'll be able to find it tomorrow. If not, I'll try to reconstruct what I thought up for it. Also, speaking of the third dungeon, I will spoil what the first puzzle will be: That old standby from Piraka Mania: The ice slide puzzle. This one's shaping up to be a doozy, but hopefully won't be too overwhelming. I also have one of the last puzzles of that dungeon done, and while I can't say what it is just yet, it'll probably stump you for at least a minute or so. Once you figure it out, though, it's fairly straightforward. Last week, I did some programming on the class-switch system, and quickly realized something: Programming class switching is extremely boring and repetitive. Essential, but boring... and repetitive. So far I've gotten to the point where one character can get his level to where it needs to be, and where all playable characters, including those not available yet, can be initiated. I will probably go insane by the time I'm done with this system. Each character requires a huge chunk of code for this system, especially with the specifications I've placed on it regarding levelling and skills--in fact, the levelling alone is enough to use a Common Event to handle that, because the event where you'd actually switch classes would have an unwieldy amount of code, and would be nigh un-debugable... and on a lighter note, I may have just invented a word there. Sorry about not having a screenshot. Hopefully next time I'll have one. For now, here's some insight into the design of the game: » Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... « I'm trying something new with Elders that I haven't done before: Making the puzzles part of the atmosphere of the environment. If you're wondering why you haven't seen any block-pushing or switch-pressing puzzles in Act I, that's why--It doesn't make sense to be pressing switches in the middle of a mountain range, or pushing blocks in a winding cavern. In the second and third dungeons, such things will make more sense. Also, there's another bit of logic going on. With each dungeon, I have to ask myself "What is the logic behind this? Who is attempting to bar your progress, and why?" For example: The Mountain wants to bar your progress because it doesn't want you to reach the top, because it doesn't want you to take the Reverser Seed. Naturally, the puzzles there are about barriers of entry: Not being able to get up to the next cliff, go down the next tunnel, etc., without the proper equipment. Then consider Dungeon 2 from Act 2: The makers of this place are much more benevolent (as seen in their staircases), so why would they want to bar your progress? They want to make sure you are worthy enough to proceed, so they will test you with knowledge and skill. They do want you to proceed, but only if you are worthy of the prize ahead. » Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... « Moving on to Act 3, there will be a dungeon built by the villain, who has an entirely different motivation: He simply wants you dead. This dungeon, once created, will be entirely differrent from the previous ones, with much more focus on combat and making it to the next area alive. This dungeon will make you very, very grateful for save points. Okay, I think I've jabbered on enough about design philosophy for now... Time to get back to work.
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I'm sorry, but your Christmas present will be very late this year... Don't worry, though. I haven't forgotten. It's just that this particular present takes... a bit longer than most to prepare. It also is a bit big, so instead of wrapping it in paper, I've had to wrap it in a building. Specifically, this one: I will be giving out the key to it just as soon as it's ready. Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays from all of us. Signed, Garten, Royal Aide P.S. Please, don't mind the noise under the castle. Construction is going to be... a bit loud for the time being.
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Sorry about the long wait this time--Finals week was crazy. Essays here, projects there, madness everywhere else... so, I haven't gotten that much done this week with Elders, but something did pop up today: That is a screenshot from the Abandoned Island, the first area in the game. It's been completely re-mapped and revamped. I've also spruced up the Middle Island, the optional one near the exit to the Tunnel Network, but it's not as drastic and not as interesting. Then there's the Tunnel Network itself, which is only partway reworked, and here, the map itself is staying the same (except for expansions), but the floors and walls will be getting extra decorations. I'm thinking some Lightstones would look good there... As far as total progress for Act II goes, I think I'm at about 50%, probably more. That second Dungeon is mostly mapped, and needs to have its puzzles put in place, the first Dungeon is finished, and the third has its chipset made and I just now, as I was typing this, thought up some puzzle ideas for it. There's two "town" areas (I don't want to spoil it) that need graphics, but they'll be easy, and then it's mostly mapping and a pair of tutorials (one for multiclassing, which needs to be programmed, the other for an alternate use for those Olmak posts). There's a lot left, but a lot of it is connecting the pieces of what's already there. Oh, I probably need to finish programming and balancing out the enemies too. Also, with Act II, I might be able to put some visuals into the opening cinematic.
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Sorry about making everyone wait, but I have a good excuse, or two: 1. Things are getting busy around school, what with finals coming up and all, and 2. I've managed to get some serious work done on the game, including the code for one of the important systems (more important later, but it's necessary for the next Demo): The Character Select screen. I'd show a screenshot, but it's as exciting as watching grass grow (especially this time of year…), and you won't actually see it until the very end of the Demo, since it requires one playable character to be outside the party in order to reach the screen. If you're confused, well… the explanation is arriving in 3, 2, 1… I've also mapped out an area you've been to before, but haven't had a chance to explore: Varr's Ship. After Loro-Kava, you'll be able to roam around on deck, use the save point below, and tell Varr where you'd like to go. At first, that's really about all you can do, but at the end of the Demo (and after), you'll also be able to talk to the characters who aren't in your party, and you'll be given a prompt to switch party members then. This is a actually test screenshot; you won't actually see this exact one until all the characters are unlocked. Before that, you'll either see one or the other (or the third character who's near the bow off-screen). I've also been mapping one of the sub-dungeons from late in the Demo, and as an early Saint Nicholas Day* present, here's a screenshot of a nice forest area… I'm sorry. I meant an Ice Forest area (and I swear that's the dumbest joke I'll tell in this post). I'd been mapping it, and was about to finish up the area when I realized… I couldn't. The story elements for everything before just weren't assembled, so I had to start going back, so… the Loro-Kava dungeon is all but complete (just needs enemies), and I've been working on the Varr's ship stuff right after. I'll either be mapping the stuff around Na-Koro or working on finishing up that secret Second Dungeon next. Oh, and before I forget… Here's the Demo, with Enhanced Soundtrack! Hopefully it'll take less time for Demo 2's enhanced soundtrack to get released, especially since around half of it's done by now... Anyway, two things to note before you start up the game: 1. The music doesn't technically loop, but instead goes to an ending then re-starts from the beginning. I tried to make it loop, but the software I used won't allow it, and 2. The filesize is pretty big (around 55 MB), so if you have a slow connection, it'll take a while. *-I just remembered it's the 5th, not the 6th. And yes, Saint Nicholas day does exist, for those unaware... which means that Saint Nick actually has two holidays to his name... and the Easter Bunny's getting jealous...
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Another week, another chunk of progress. Like I mentioned in the last update, I've completed the enemy graphics for Act II and have started programming them (I'll get to balancing them a bit later). However, I've also been doing a bit of other graphics work, and got all three of the remaining characters' battle charsets DONE! Next in that department is to finish off the weapons graphics, which have the added benefit of not having to do any more of them for the rest of the game, since all the weapons are already planned out. Also, with the battle charsets, the Class System material in the database is done, though I need to make the class-switching code, which will end up being quite the undertaking. Now, that's the good news. The bad news is that none of this progress lends itself to screenshots, so I'll just have to make an update without one. Now, that said, I've been moving closer to re-opening the topic, which means that I've been working on Act I's updated soundtrack. Here's the other good news: As of this writing, there are only four tracks left to update: "Among the Sewer Rats" (Xi-Metru Sewers theme), "Never Sway, Never Stray" (Arikan's theme), "The Epic Fight" (the Boss Battle theme), and the one that's given me the most trouble, "Theme of the Ancients" (the Overworld theme). Also, as a side note, whenever I mention specific music tracks from the game in this blog, I'll refer to them by their in-program titles, in quotes, with parentheses explaining their context, as I just did up there. EDIT: 11/19: Just one more track to enhance... the boss theme... and it's putting up quite a fight. Hopefully soon I'll be able to re-start the topic.
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I was going to post an update on Friday, but I'm glad I waited--I've gotten some really good stuff done in the past hour or so with graphics, and ALL of the enemies for Loro-Kava and the last island of Act II, Icosa Nui, are sprited. and they are looking great (some of them ugly--the good, mutant-monster kind of ugly). I should probably mention that, just in terms of regular, non-boss enemies, Act II will have considerably more varieties than Act I, almost twice as many, in fact. There will also be enemies that you probably wouldn't expect (and that I won't spoil here). There will be some more familiar Rahi, though, particularly when you reach the Northern Continent... and I'm just giving out the information freely here, aren't I? Now, that's not all I've done. I've also done a bit of re-mapping of Na-koro to make it more Bionicle-y, and it's turned out great. Have a look: That screenshot was taken about one screen to the left of the last one, and is the transition point for the town's differing areas. I also started working on one of the sub-dungeon areas, the Ice Forest area (because this is an RPG; it must have an Ice Forest) of Icosa Nui. I'd post a screenshot, but it's just a couple of trees, a rock formation with a hole in it, and a random rockface sitting on the ground for no reason. In other words, I haven't yet gone beyond the test map on that. And as an unrelated aside, this weekend I went through my CD collection, and found something I'm a bit surprised I hadn't put on my mp3 player yet: The old Bionicle Power Pack, all the way back from 2001. Now, you young 'uns today may think "Bionicle Music" and hear Cryoshell in your head, but in my day (because apparently 19 is the new 70...), Bionicle Music meant three awesome techno tracks, by Lewa and Gali themselves (or some obscure, uncredited, probably Danish techno artist), and the granddaddy of them all, "The Bionicle Music." I remember my mind being blown to smithereens when I heard that track remixed for the Rama Hive fight in MNOLG, and how awesome it was when all the Vahki animations featured that track, in its finest form, driving their dark, mechanical personas home as they policed/oppressed the Matoran of Metru Nui. Good times. Okay, enough old-man ranting. Time to get back to work! Mini-Update (11/10): And just like that, all the enemy graphics are DONE! Nineteen of some of the ugliest Rahi, etc. you'll ever meet. Now to program them...
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Just like I said, I'm back with an update before another month has passed. I haven't gotten nearly as much done as I'd like, but considering the circumstances, it's a decent amount anyway. First, there's that window effect I'd posted last time. Remember how I'd said I wasn't quite satisfied with it? Well, I've pulled out all the stops, used all four graphical layers (outside of Pictures) and made a stained glass window that's about as realistic as RPGMaker will allow. Ah, but quit listening to me babble, and take a look: I also decided to map the next town area after that dungeon, Na-koro. I went a little overboard with it, though, and started filling it with a few too many Piraka Mania references... I guess that's what I get for repurposing those graphics... Speaking of which, I'll be re-mapping the entire town portion of the map, since I'm just not happy with the houses. They don't quite fit in with the rest of the gameworld. So, ignore the Toa Town-esque houses in the next screenshot. One thing I will keep, however, is this little cameo. Yes... it's that band. Also, if I haven't said it already, I'll be switching my plan up a bit, and I'll be mapping the rest of Act II first before I go back and do all the programming and such. Here's hoping it'll speed things along a bit. I almost forgot about the staircase! Whoops... Anyway, I first have to explain the logic behind it: When creating this dungeon, I had a thought that it should be bigger than something a Matoran would build (because it was built by a certain faction of Titan-sized characters), which led to the idea of the larger bricks. This, however, led to a slight problem: How does one handle stairs? If I used the Piraka Mania stairs, it wouldn't make sense, because the Titans' feet wouldn't fit on the steps, and that just doesn't work, but... if I went with stair made from the brick tiles I'd made for the dungeon, it would fit the scale of the environment, but then would be too big to climb to other floors. So... compromise--These Titans care about Matoran, and have accomodated them by providing smaller stairs on the edges of the larger ones that they use. Observe: It's amazing how much thought has to go into something as seemingly simple as a staircase. Oh, and Happy Halloween! I'm actually watching the Nightmare Before Christmas as I type. They're currently taking Santa to Oogie Boogie's.
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Sorry about all the slow updating. Things are just moving that slow on my end here. Unfortunately, as I predicted, the death of the game's topic really dealt a blow to my motivation, so I'm still on the same dungeon I was last time. Thankfully, I did manage to force myself to design the dungeon's sub-basements, one of the big roadblocks keeping me from completing it. I've also come up with some interesting puzzles to accompany this mysterious dungeon, but I won't spoil those either. One thing I will say for sure is that there are going to be some cool lighting effects going on here, something a bit more sophisticated than "Walk down a flight of stairs and things are suddenly darker." There will actually be spots where the lighting changes as you walk through the room. I've programmed and tested this little bit already, and it really adds to the atmosphere. I still have to add furniture, though. Also, I've got a lovely screenshot of this strange place right here: Note that this doesn't include much in the way of furniture (intentionally to avoid spoilers), but it does include a stained-glass window, complete with transparency to the outside—see those clouds? Those were moving when I took the screenshot. Depending on how ambitious (or OCD) I get, I may make the non-transparent parts of the window translucent… Actually, I probably should… Just for the record, the next dungeon (and town areas in between) won't take nearly this long, because I can modify some graphics I made for Piraka Mania and they'll work fine. For the second dungeon, though, I really had to make my own chipset because of the sheer scale of it (as you can see). Next time, I'll post a picture of the stair design I came up with. It's brilliant! Now, I do plan on restarting the topic before Demo II is released, but it won't be just yet. I've decided to go with an idea I had initially been hesitant about: I'm making an updated, mp3 version of the soundtrack for the game. I'll also be making the enhancements myself, so it'll take some time. I'm actually about halfway done with the Demo I soundtrack, though some tracks are a bit trickier to work with (the overworld theme for one). The ones I have now sound really good; the opening story theme now blends much better with the title theme, with some slightly different instrumentation. The game over theme sounds better too. I'll try to release the updated version of the Demo once the soundtrack for it is completely updated, unless I finish Demo II first (not likely). Once again, sorry about taking so long to post this. Midterms were this week, and between that and a gaming tournament today, I've been rather busy studying and preparing.
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It's been a while since the last blog post, and sorry about that--been busy with life and stuff. There hasn't been too much concrete progress, but what's there is going really well; that second dungeon's chipset now has two floor patterns and a rotunda with a compass rose in the middle (which will feature prominently in the gameplay of the dungeon). The rotunda still needs a bit of work, mostly in the form of decoration and bits of simulated age, but it's coming along very well. After that, there's the pieces of furniture for it that are too spoilerific to reveal (but other than that aren't particularly interesting), some little bits around the rest of the architecture (stairs, tables, etc.), and then... the lower floor variations of all of those. It's going to be a big dungeon, both in sheer size and in scale (its concept is that it was constructed by certain large beings, who wouldn't even think of using the small building materials Matoran would). As for teasers, nothing this time. Hopefully next time I'll be able to show that first Act II dungeon, and maybe throw in a related character profile as well.
