Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'Taluka Chronicles Gold: the Official Production Blog'.
Found 10 results
-
Just a note: This entry isn't going to be a very fun one. It's more of a history lesson. Also, there will be some bad news, but also some good news, toward the end of this post. Now, to all those aspiring gamemakers out there who haven't been on the forums very long (if Piraka Mania was the first game of mine you noticed, listen up): Good gamemaking takes lots and lots of practice. It may not seem like I've had much at a casual glance, but go a bit deeper, and you'll realize just how much I've had over the past five years (yes, I've been gamemaking that long). Here's a brief list of those games of mine that made it to completion: Taluka: A Ta-Matoran's Tale (2005): Yes, there was a Taluka game before the current iteration, meaning that Gold is a remake of a remake (more on that later). This one was fairly simple, though it was just starting to get interesting when my hard drive got wiped in the spring of that year. The Taluka Chronicles: Book 1 (2006): I got right back on the horse, though, and with a new plan, a new set of programming skills, and a bold new vision, The Taluka Chronicles began its epic journey. The Taluka Chronicles: Book 2 (2007): Immediately after completing the first, I began on the second, an even more ambitious game that, unfortunately suffered from overzealous design and generally being too big for its own good (500 maps and fields that frequently went over 300x300 units each). The Taluka Chronicles: Book 1 Silver Edition: Not a real remake, just a re-skin and some extra challenges added and some revamped dungeons. This is a lesson to everyone: NEVER RUSH A GAME PROJECT! This was rushed, and it shows. It's also half the reason I'm going with the total remake approach with Gold. Piraka Mania (2009): Two years in the making (read: delay), this is my most recent game, and the design clearly has improved across the length of the game, as the early challenges are far less interesting, in my opinion, than the later ones. It was also my first time in a long while that I attempted to use the classic-style RPG battle system. Now, that may seem like a lot, but there's more. The games I'm about to speak of have never been fully released. For one reason or another, they just didn't make it. This is the hall of the Canned Games. Taluka: A Ta-Matoran's Tale (2004): My first real attempt at RPGmaking, it started with RTP tilesets and crude charsets based on the Rayge Kit 2.0 masks. It never got very far, because a virus found its way onto the computer, and the hard drive had to be wiped. It managed to escape, though, on a CD with the compressed .lzh file from saving the gamedisk. Unnamed Takanuva RPG (2005): This was a direct precursor to the second version of Taluka, and it was set in a post-Mask of Light Mata Nui, where Takanuva went around the island performing various quests. It didn't get very far, since I realized the things I was having Takanuva do were better fit for a Matoran than a Toa, so I re-worked the setting and character and Taluka rose again. Taluka: A Ta-Matoran's Tale Part 2(2005/6): I originally planned a sequel to the first released Taluka game, which went along with the flashback story of the time, telling Taluka's story from the beginning. That aspect was revamped and started as Book 0 Taluka: A Ta-Matoran's Tale Part 3(2005/6): I just couldn't stop... This one was barely formed, and was supposed to put Taluka and co. on Voya Nui, where they would somehow have adventures and become Toa. It progressed to a point where you could walk up to a crude map of the island in the middle of a cave, and that's it. TOA (Unknown): This was actually two games. One was in Gamemaker, and barely worked (you had to jump in order to move, and the best you could do was run around and try not to die). The other was in RPGmaker, and was set to feature linear levels, each one contained on a different map. Level 1, Tahu on a beach, wasn't even completed. TOA 64 (2006): So I tried again, modelling the quest of the Toa off Mario 64. I had just gotten into the swing of production when the hard drive crashed, wiping the computer. I tried again using the coding techniques I had learned from Taluka Book 1, but projectile code was still new to me, and it didn't really work right. The structure of gameplay may yet... maybe... come to fruition. I shouldn't say anything more on it, though. INIKA (2007): This project was one that only two people on BZPower knew about: Me and co-conspirator 401K. The plan was to make a hybrid RPG/Shooter in either RPGmaker (what it was decided to be on) or Gamemaker. It was set to be dark, gritty, and generally an awesome game. It even had a moral choice system planned that yielded both different endings and different semifinal bosses. It got to the point of making a basis map from which the maps with enemies would be copied and modified, and some graphics were made, but the tech demo part of it didn't quite materialize, and when 401K disappeared, the project quickly faded. Unnamed RPG with Moral Choice System (2007/8): This was another ambitious project, recycling the moral choices from INIKA. It faded primarily due to lack of interest on my part and the imposing force that was Piraka Mania. Certain aspects of it, though, including a world-spanning quest, a global disaster and a late-game tragedy among the heroes, are still in the mix for another project, which I won't name right now. The Taluka Chronicles: Book 2 Silver/Gold(2008): I had originally planned to remake both Books 1 and 2, but neither materialized. It's a shame, too, because there was an awesome idea for an arena-esque minigame planned for the remake. The Taluka Chronicles: Book 3 (2007): Yup. Here's the bad news. I've decided not to make Book 3--as a game. The reason is that the gameplay structure felt too stretched and stale to be worth making in that way, and didn't allow for nearly enough story. I may decide to make the game in a radically different form, or write it as an epic, but the version which was teased back in 2007 (before Piraka Mania caught the delay bug) will not be finished. Look back at that there: Counting all of the iterations, that's twelve games cancelled: That means that those games I've made are a pretty exclusive club. Now look at the number of iterations of Taluka: Not counting Silver, Gold is a fourth-generation remake. I think I can call myself a perfectionist now... Now for the good news I mentioned in the beginning: Part of the reason for Book 3's canning was another project, one that is still very early on and very secretive, but already, it shows remarkable promise. It has so much potential that I'm afraid it will eclipse Taluka in its epicness. All I can reveal right now is its codename: Project Terra, and it's one of four codenamed projects, each one at various stages of production. One of them isn't likely to come to fruition, but the other three... oh, it's going to be epic. BZPower had better last long enough to release these games. They are too amazing to be left by the wayside of the internet.
-
Okay, it's time for some major spoilers! In this entry, I'll be revealing the name of each Chapter boss in the game, and provide some details on their appearance and/or strategy. Prologue: Granja (Ta) If you've played the Demo, you'll realize that this isn't really a spoiler. Anyway, on to some tips: If he stops for a second, run away from him; he's about to do a jump attack. Also note that he does a second, smaller jump attack soon after. Chapter 1: None (Onu) Yup... there's no boss for Chapter 1. It's mostly story events that take place. There is a mandatory ambush fight, but it's a cutscene, and you don't do any real fighting. Chapter 2: Lokanna - Mutant Aquatic (Ga) I actually drew up some concept art for this thing, but have lost it since then (it was a while ago). Anyway, it's a combination of a sand shark and a squid--the tentacles replace the tailfin, and it uses those to attack from a distance. I'll try to find the artwork for it, but it's not that high on the priority list. Chapter 3: Kraatoka - Consumed Parasitic Host (Po) This is set to be in two stages, and will probably take longer due to the fact that you have to defeat the Kraata that accompany it separately. I can't be any more specific than that, since it'll spoil just a bit too much for my liking. Chapter 4: Vatuka - Mobile Biotic Geomass (Onu) Well, I did say it was returning, but this time, it's a very different battle, and will be a challenge for me to program, since it involves a lot of synchronized, choreographed rock movements. Chapter 5: Krystaal - Posessed Cryogenic Spirit (Ko) This one's a bit harder to describe: You'll be trying to dodge both the mobile ice spikes lining the walls and this chunk of ice, which is being controlled by a spirit through the Matatu inside. Chapter 6: Malu Nui - Predatory Mutant Fungus (Le) This is a giant fungus that's infesting the roots of the Great Twin Trees. I still have yet to plan out this fight, since it involves making fungus menacing (no easy feat) and incorporating that dungeon's Tool, which is not usually useful in a fight (unless...hm... that might work... sticky fungus would be disgusting but plausible...). Chapter 7: Twinblade* - Mechanical Swordsman (Ta) This is set to be a frantic battle: Just your party against a machine that has similar capabilities: Jumping, Dashing, Projectile attacks, etc., and, during later portions of the battle, is actually a bit faster than you are. Watch out, and bring plenty of healing items. Chapter 8: Granja - Rogue Matoran (None) I won't reveal the location of the final battle yet, but I will say that Granja is still the final boss, unless you've completed all of the major side-quests. Then, it's different, and not to be revealed now. Side-Quests: Klarex* - Gyroscopic Mechanical Defender I will reveal, however, that Granja's Hideout, the mini-dungeon where you meet Pokonas, is still in the game, and will be expanded for a side-quest, which ends with one of the toughest bosses in the game, second only to the secret final boss. *-Name may change before final release. There you have it; all of the main bosses in the game. The minibosses I'm not going to reveal just yet, as they are the means of getting the Tools that allow progress through their respective dungeons. I would like to (sometime soon) show one of the miniboss's inspiration--an old MOC of mine that I'm modelling it after. I suppose I'll reveal its name, if nothing else: The Krawkin. On the progress side, I'm currently mapping Ga-koro and working on an official banner. By the way, Demo 2 is going to cover up through Chapter 2, which includes the fight against Lokanna. Unlike Demo 1, however, it won't end at the end of the battle and leave you hanging. It'll end probably around the time you return to Ga-koro, and allow you to explore and tackle the first accessible side-quest of the game. Also, the side-quests I'm referring to are going to be based on a specific character, like the ones in Chrono Trigger. The one you'll be able to access in Demo 2 is Onuka's, and you'll be able to start Garan's, but not finish, since it will involve exploring all six Wahi to complete.
-
Well, progress has been painstakingly slow right now, but thankfully I've managed to get a decent chunk of time in to get somme serious work done on the first dungeon, the Pirates' Holdout. So far, the top two floors (F1 and B1) are fully mapped, with some programming left to do on them. Floor B2, however, is still only a sketch on paper, and is a bit more complex (and interesting) than the previous two floors (especially considering F1 consists of an empty cave and a staircase ). In all seriousness, though, it will be easily one of my best dungeons, and will be hopefully easily navigable even without a map to look at (not that it's necessary for a dungeon this small anyway). Also, I'm taking a bit of a different approach to how I map the dungeons, mostly to conserve programming time when it comes time to make the enemies work properly, in that I am putting multiple rooms on one map. Not all of the rooms on a given floor will be together, though--only those that are somehow related, like those that connect with each other along jagged or uneven lines that the square maps can't really work with very well. As a bonus, this makes the programming process easier to manage, since there are about half the number there would be otherwise, perhaps less in some of the larger dungeons (especially the last one, which currently has a rather large and dense labyrinth-like area for its middle basement. Note the words labyrinth-like. There will still be plenty to do there besides attempting to navigate the 150-by-120-unit... middle basement).
-
Well, here's a bit of a paradox: I go to college for a game design degree... which takes up so much of my time, I cannot design the game I'm working on... It's a miracle my head is in one piece right now, given that puzzle. Speaking of puzzles, I have good news: I finally managed to retrieve the dungeon plans I made for the first two dungeons of the game, which inexplicably managed to stay home when I came here. Anyway, let the dungeon-making commence! I may as well reveal a few details on these dungeons, even though only one will appear in the Demo. Dungeon 1: Pirate's Hideout This is the new dungeon of Hoi Island, a pirate-infested cave on the mountains of the isle. The puzzles here are going to be rather basic, and the emphasis is more going to be on combat and navigating the terrain (since Pokonas is not in the group, you can't jump over the ledges that separate parts of the rooms). It's going to seem a bit big given how early in the game it is, but it's also dense and going to have lots of little details (sort of like the various rooms in Rahkinni's Hideout from Book 2). Now, why are there pirates? I can't say yet. It's... a big surprise. You'll just have to see when you get there (and after when taking on Onuka's Side-Quest). Dungeon 2: Forbidden Caves In Silver, for those who had the patience to proceed, you found a rather familiar cave in Mount Vatuka. Well, it's back, complete with the Kraata chamber, but again, it's bigger and more dungeon-y. This will also likely be the creepiest dungeon in the game, given the (new, so no spoilers yet) story elements that take place here. On the gameplay side, the puzzles will be more interesting than the previous dungeon, since you will, by the end of it, have two different projectile-based tools to work with, in addition to your party. When I get the opportunity, I should probably take a picture of the model I'm using for the mid-boss of the caves. And, just because I'm in the describing mood... Dungeon 3: Abandoned Mine This will be off the path you follow to reach Onu-koro, and will be hidden away in the tunnel labyrinth. This dungeon will have a much more unified structure, based around a central shaft with tunnels going around it. There are actually some interesting side-rooms planned which will house various tools of the trade, and, if I recall, explosives... or not. There doesn't appear to be any, but that probably won't stop me. There's also a Kanohi-based puzzle and a link to another dungeon (I won't say which) in the design. Note that these designs are a bit old (at minimum six to eight months), but they're the best designs I've come up with. Well, I should probably get to making these instead of yakking about them, huh? That's it for this week.
-
Well, I know I've been a bit inconsistent with keeping up the Taluka Blog posts (he said, addressing the void), but work has actually continued on the game, with the Bottom of the Bay and Hoi Island areas currently being mapped. With that in mind, the theme of this blog post is Digital Landscaping. This is probably going to sound very egotistical and snootily artistic, but… with Book 1 Gold, I'm trying to make the landscape look more realistic and natural than my previous games, and to get away from the sort of "square" look that tends to happen with the tiles used in the system. To that end, I'm using a lot of very random shapes for the terrain, with a lot of sudden shifts and odd corners and angles, to give the landscape a look almost like a topography map, but with all the details like trees and wildlife added in. I've also decided to not go in planning more than a vague idea of what features I want to add to a given map, so that the terrain sort of flows on its own to wherever it's going. This tends to make a lot of shapes that are very squiggly and random, which looks rather like nature, especially on ancient, weathered rock faces that have been at the mercy of fickle elements for millions of years. To demonstrate this, I'm posting an early screenshot of Hoi Island (sorry for the low resolution; it was the only way to fit it all in one screen). Hoi Island Map Note particularly the lack of symmetry in both the rocks on the island and the shape of the island itself (yes, I went the semi-cliche route and made it look like a turtle, but at least it's nowhere near symmetrical, and thus far more interesting to look at). Also note that it's not quite finished, and still has a bit of landscaping, especially on the outlying islands, to work on. For the programmers out there, look in the upper left corner. That zig-zag arrow-looking thing... that's all the events that are running while you're on that one map. Yeah. I would have added the Bay area as well, but its terrain is far less complete, even though it better exemplifies the random ways the terrain is placed on the map. Also, I'm definitely planning on re-opening the topic when the next Demo is ready, probably when it hits the testing stage (I'm doing testing with all releases now, especially after Piraka Mania's extended debugging problem). Well, until next time, I'll keep on makin' that game.
-
Well, I'll admit there hasn't been much progress on Taluka over the past couple of weeks. All that's really happened has been in improving the water tiles to look less blocky and mapping a little bit of the underwater area between Ga-koro and Hoi Island. In short, don't expect the next Demo to come rushing out anytime soon. Part of the reason for this is that I've had my attention stolen away by college (it's starting to get into full swing now) as well as another project that's too early to announce right now (and no guessing--I guarantee you'll get it wrong). All I can reveal about it right now is its codename: Project Terra. Oh, and Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story has been pretty prominent in my life right now (beat it on Friday--Woot!!!) Anyway, hopefully soon I'll get back into a groove for working on Taluka, and I'll be able to release the next Demo (and restart the topic) sometime before November... on the other hand, there is Brutal Legend on the way... so I have no idea, really. Just know that it's being worked on... very slowly. I'm also considering, as a little side-project, releasing a Bionicle-themed version of a text-based game I made in Programming class last year... not at the moment, but maybe sometime soon, possibly over winter.
-
The Entries Resume, And Miscellaneous Information Comes With Them
Valrahk posted a blog entry in blogs_blog_701
Well, I've been planning out side-quests lately, and have since decided to add yet another boss to the pantheon of hideous beasts I posted about a few weeks ago. Queen Hoto: Bloated Antipodal Insect This massive bug is the boss of Koraka's side-quest, which is the new place for the melting Ice Lake in Ko-Wahi. I've decided that this boss will be immobile, fitting with both its size/status and my inexperience with massive boss monster AI. Instead, the challenge will come from its environment, which will place a de facto time limit on the battle. Also, I may add a third side-quest boss into the mix, to add a bit more challenge to the quests. In other news, I've managed to bring myself back to working regularly, and have since completed the lengthy cutscene chain that occurs in Ga-koro (almost). Next is the underwater area linking Ga-koro with Hoi Island. Now, for the part that fits squarely into the "miscellaneous" part of the post: It's a minor feature/side-quest: Scattered in secret locations throughout the island (some maybe not-so-secret), you will find Protodites. They're invisible, but you'll know when you've found one, because they'll tell you... what happens if you find them all? I don't know yet! All I've figured out is that there's going to be about 60 or so (10 in each Wahi and a few extra, likely 4), and that none are going to be inside dungeons. Well, that's it for this week--Tune in next time for... something! -
Well, I never expected the forums to go offline, much less for as long as they did. That said, work on The Taluka Chronicles has proceeded at about the pace of forum posts over the past few weeks, probably due to lack of motivation (with no community with which to communicate here, and no other location in which the game is being released), and the fact that I was on vacation last week. So, basically, Taluka's been on hold for the moment, and will continue to be, unfortunately, for the next week or two, as I'll be moving in about a week, and my schedule for the week or so is only about half done, and I probably won't get much RPGmaking done until that's sorted out. In terms of progress, I managed to map about half of Ga-koro's exterior before the details of specifics on where buildings were and how they would relate to a cutscene would work bogged me down (forced mapping really kills a creative flow, as it turns out). Also, I may as well speak of the other 800-lb gorilla in the room, Piraka Mania. I'm doing some beta testing myself to make sure it gets done, though, once again, I can't quite say when it'll be released.
-
First off, no, I will not be translating The Taluka Chronicles into any other languages. I only know Spanish, besides. What I mean by "Lost in Translation" is that some material won't be making it into Gold Edition for one reason or another. -One thing that's not going to be added is the Elemental Damage system. With the complexity of the battle system already in place, adding elemental advantages would be too much work and wouldn't add enough gameplay value for it to be worth it. -On a brighter note, the repeating Vatuka bosses are also out the window. This is just to add more variety to both the boss designs and strategies. -The Emblem Temple section is being removed, but only as a mandatory segment. The emblems are instead being sent to side-quests. This also means that some of the mini-bosses associated with them are also being axed, but then, fighting Lava Rats and Takea swarms weren't quite the high points of the previous versions. Wait a second... as I recall, one of the Emblem quests will be part of the main story, and you'll see what I mean when you eventually play it (I can't reveal how just now--Too big a plot point to spoil). -The segment in Chapter 2 aboard the S.S. Takea has also been removed. There is, however, still a ship, still some pirate action (more so than previously, actually), and a much better dungeon design for Hoi Island. -The screen-by-screen progression for the Le-Wahi jungle has been removed, but I still haven't decided what will replace it--likely it will be similar to the technique used in the Charred Forest, where it's a continuous map but it doesn't appear that way. It should cut down on the amount of aimless wandering from the previous version. -Also, Le-koro isn't going to be in the game. This is to maintain continuity, and to keep with the darker feel of the game. There is still a village, but it's the Boxor encampment, since Le-koro has been invaded by the Bohrok. -The old final dungeon, the Mysterious Tower, has been axed. It was just a little too boring and repetitive to be honest. Its replacement will be close to the same length, but much, much more varied (and I'm not telling what it's going to be yet, but I will say that it's big enough to have three separate music tracks attached). -This should be obvious to those who have played the Demo, but the old first objective, finding Takua's lava board, has been removed. Again, this was to keep the darker feel for the game, and to get right into the action. -The constant returns to Nokama for re-translating the Tablet are gone as well. Like the Mysterious Tower, it was just too repetitive and dull. -The mandatory quest to rid the Frozen Lake of Hoto is also gone, but like the Emblems, it's been moved to a side-quest. -The Matoran Assistance Program, as a system, is likely to be removed. The concept of minor side-quests to help Matoran is still there (Nislow in Ta-koro is part of the newer, less cumbersome system). -The frustrating (and technically broken) Oktus Nui boss has been replaced by a similar, but more interesting (and much harder to screw up on the programming side) battle, which I will reveal in the next update. -The minigames, unless I somehow find the time, may also be axed. Definitely the original ones are going to go, even if minigames are present in the game (except for Mine Cart Racing--That might require some serious tweaking, but it's on the list). -The Mangai Volcano dungeon is also set to be removed. It's been replaced by a much bigger and harder temple complex. -The frequent timed chase scenes against Granja have been removed. This comes largely from changes in Granja's character (he's become a much more compelling villain now, and constant bumbling and theft doesn't really add anything to that). Now, I know that's a lot of stuff removed, but trust me- the space left by those removals will be more than filled with much better material (the Emblem quests in particular are far superior to their predecessors in just about every way imaginable, even though two of them aren't even thought up yet). Now, on to some of the improvements, namely the equipment from the Onu-koro Mines. Here is a screenshot of the cablecar that takes you down to the bottom of the mines. It was based on the one from MNOLG, with a few liberties taken (namely the floor panel shape). Also, this graphic is really complex, taking up all three of the available layers in RPGmaker 2003. Here is that infamous drill with the missing control lever. Now, notice that odd-looking little thing beside it (on the right); That was the original drill from previous versions of Book 1. Needless to say, it's been improved. Also, the design for the new drill is based off the Brainwash-O-Matic from Piraka Mania, but has been completely reversed. and gotten an extended platform. NOTE: These screenshots are not final, and will have minor alterations when Demo 2 is released. As for progress, Ga-Wahi's jungles have been started, the necessary parts of the Great Mine have been mapped, and really that's about all I can say for now. Oh, except that the battle system can now handle up to 20 enemies on screen at once.
-
Well, for those who read the topic, yes, I meant that I'd get this blog up today. Now, on to the update. Since the Demo's release, I've found a couple of little bugs (but then, such is the nature of gamemaking): The training facility in Ta-koro doesn't have the event that enables jumping and dashing, and there is the other annoyance of not being able to die... perhaps not so annoying. Thinking of that, I should probably add some sort of warning for low health, like in Bionicle Paracosmos, as there is no other way to indicate that the hero is near death with the system... Anyway, on to progress: The tunnel leading to Onu-koro has been mapped, though only the parts accessible in Chapter 1 (no need to take care of the other parts until necessary, as that would slow things down too much). Enemies still need to be added, but for now, I'm focusing on Onu-koro, which is also mapped in part, with mostly buildings and other details to add. The western "wealthy" district (with the associated cameo) will be returning, but won't be accessible until later, and won't be added until Demo 3 begins (jumping is required). Also, I suppose I should mention that I'm planning on multiple versions of Onu-koro appearing, to be in line with the Bohrok attacks and subsequent recovery. This means that the dungeon in the Great Mine, where you first get the Tablet and » Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «will be returning to later in the game will be inaccessible for a couple of chapters. One last note: The dungeon order is being altered somewhat: the first real dungeon is in Chapter 2, and is the Ga-Wahi level, not the Onu-Wahi one. The dungeons will also be much more expansive than last time, with the first one having at least ten or so rooms and the rest increasing from there. I may also use the technique from the Charred Forest for some to cut down on enemy re-loading and therefore difficulty (as the current setup heals all enemies' health whenever you leave that map). I know it's a bit techno-babble-y, but I understand it, and that's the part that counts. Well, that was a bit longer than I thought. Well, see you next week with Update 2.