Bionicle Fighter: Broken Virtues

[Katuko]

I think you need a sound effect for Toa of Sonics attacks. Something like the sound of a gravity hammer in Halo maybe?

I need sound effects for a lot of things, so if you have any good ones I'd be delighted to hear. Just know that I don't loot effects directly from other games; they are often too recognizable.

I think I remember someone saying to add different boss music earlier. Well, I think you should use some music from Shadow of the Colossus. If there aren't any copyright issues and stuff, that is. That game has awesome music.

I try my best not to use music from other games either. I've used BIONICLE music only because it's related to the game I am making, apart from that everything is royalty free from web archives.

 

There a almost surely copyright issues... Music laws are incredibly convoluted and don't make much sense...

Then how did the BioMedia project get hold of Bionicle Heroes music?

 

The BioMedia project breaks copyright law. It's convenient for us fans, but LEGO would have the law on their side if they decided to shut down the whole or parts of it. The music of BIONICLE Heroes is legal for you to use in the following situations:- You have bought the game and the music plays as you are playing it.- You have bought the soundtrack and you play the music in private.Sharing the files for free online so that people like me can grab them is illegal. Didn't stop me from downloading it anyways, but my use of the music in a freely distributed game is also illegal. Heck, a fan game at all is pretty much illegal, since I'm copying characters, locations, and other parts of their intellectual property by making it. Of course LEGO doesn't seem like the kind of company which would smack down on fans like that, but if I started charging money for this game, I would likely see action taken the moment LEGO caught a whiff of it.I trust LEGO to let fans be creative and that they encourage us to make fan works like this. It's mostly free promotions for LEGO, isn't it? Still, I imagine that trying to profit off of LEGO's own property would cause problems. Those guys who mold new weapons and such for LEGO figures? They are making their own molds and designs, so it's fine that they sell the parts they make. Someone printing Tahu on a cup and selling it? That would be trouble, even if they made the rest of the cup themselves.

Yeah... I flat out loath copyright law. It doesn't stop illegal activity, it just makes it really hard to use legally in ways like this.

But it is not legal. If I paid them for the rights to use the music that they commissioned in the past to market their product, it would be legal.If we didn't have copyright laws, then you could compose songs for a CD, sell 1 copy, and then everyone else in the world with an internet connection would have the music files for free without you having anything to say about it. Meanwhile, there exist services such as the Norwegian TONO or NCB. If I want to use music that I don't own the rights to, I can contact these people, because they are in charge of organizing music rights.So I might say: "Hey, I wish to play this song during a local concert, is that all right?" and they will be like "Let's see, roughly 300 people attending, you'll play the song only once? Is it the full song or just parts of it? I see. Well, estimations come to around X dollars for the rights to play this song. Y percent of the money goes to the artist, and Z percent to our company to further our work."I would pay the cash, and have secured the rights to play the song on that concert. Similarly, making a song available with my game would require me to pay a cent or two per download, adjusted by how much of the song I'd be using. Full song playing during a stage or in the credits, that's full price. Cut out 5 seconds and use it in an intro sequence, that's much less to pay.Of course, big-time companies can easily afford shelling out a few hundred bucks when making a game and selling it to so many people. Amateur programmers like me with a free-for-all project can't... and probably shouldn't be allowed to just stick whatever files I want wherever.Now, enough copyright talk. I'll be using royalty-free music and sounds wherever I can. Using BIONICLE Heroes music was an emergency solution because I didn't have anything else that was both free and fitting at the time. Edited August 20, 2013 by Katuko

[~Shockwave~]

Tat's what I meant. And it's so easy to illegally download... It's quite sad...

I have legally obtained most of my music. But it's fairly easy to justify downloading the stuff I do because I can't buy it. But it's still illegal. which is where copyright starts failing.

[Arzaki]

So I assume BH music will be present for quite a while, then?

[Katuko]

Tat's what I meant. And it's so easy to illegally download... It's quite sad...I have legally obtained most of my music. But it's fairly easy to justify downloading the stuff I do because I can't buy it. But it's still illegal. which is where copyright starts failing.

The only real justification you may have to pirate something is such as with games like Bioshock 2 and Diablo 3; both of which had the extremely annoying feature of forcing you to be connected to a game server all the time in order to validate your purchase. If you lost internet, you'd be kicked out of the game. In a single-player game!Thus I have Bioshock 2 on a legal disk... but I run a pirated version so I can avoid Games For Windows Live.But yeah, final word on this here: I'll use as little copyrighted material as I can. BIONICLE Heroes music will get replaced if I can find something better. I may still toss in the classic tune from MNOG in the eventual Makuta battle, though.

So I assume BH music will be present for quite a while, then?

Feel free to suggest free alternatives if you can find any. PM me any links.

[Aurora the cat]

There are some music making programs I have used in the past. They are most likely out of your price range. I am sure there are some free versions though.

[Katuko]

I'm in no way a composer, so mucking around with music creation myself would probably just add a few more years of development time.

[Makuta Luroka]

I'm in no way a composer, so mucking around with music creation myself would probably just add a few more years of development time.

One idea would be to enlist the assistance of a BZPer who can compose music. Also, I think that the artist for the abandoned BQOT project released all of their music to the public domain. You should check it out. If you are not entirely sure you can use it, you can ask Lewa11 for permission.

Edited August 21, 2013 by Malignus

[Arzaki]

This is going to be the first multiplayer Bionicle-based game ever, right? I don't think LEGO made any official multiplayer Bionicle games.

Edited August 22, 2013 by Arzaki

[Makuta of Time]

Reznas is good in composing music. Why not try him for your music Katuko.

[Katuko]

@Arzaki: No, alpha123 had a working multiplayer demo some time back, though his game was admittedly a lot simpler than mine. I have that netowrk test I posted earlier in this topic, that was about the same level if I recall correctly. I mostly have trouble with actual internet connection; LAN works decently.@Flaredrick: I might try getting in touch with him. In the meantime, I'd like to remind everyone that I have a blog post about things people can help me with, if you want to quicken the development of this game.

Edited August 22, 2013 by Katuko

[Arzaki]

Well, changes from within 2 months ago are gone, but you still have the most recent download, right?

Also, this wouldn't technically be revival, would it?

Edited October 31, 2013 by Arzaki

[JacobLazer]

Well, changes from within 2 months ago are gone, but you still have the most recent download, right?

Also, this wouldn't technically be revival, would it?

I don't think so, but I guess we'll leave that up to the admin. unfortunately, I'm now back to 15 posts. I was so close to 100

 

On another note, I've got some stuff for the game!

First, a Noble Kiril. I would have made it thinner if I could have, but it looked funky that way.

Here's a more set-accurate electro-blade.

Here is the result of an awesome weapon idea that I had.

And here is a fun little hairstyle for the Vortixx!

Edited October 31, 2013 by JacobLazer

[Katuko]

It is not revival when the topic was not outdated before the backup had to be brought in. I used to keep a backup of the first post, but I don't think my backup is up to date either this time. I will have to recreate the changes I had done. In the meantime, download links etc. for version 14 are still up and running on my blog:http://toakatuko.wordpress.com/2013/09/29/bionicle-fighter-v14-0/Here are the Vortixx sprites I posted recently, for those who want them. Game discussion from the last month of this topic is unfortunately lost.JacobLaser, could you please re-link the sprites you posted earlier? I realize I didn't get as far as to save all of them, only a few. Regarding the new stuff, it looks interesting. The elemental staff effects you list are pretty much what I will be making default for any non-powered weapon, though: The ability to channel your own power through it.

Edited October 31, 2013 by Katuko

[JacobLazer]

JacobLaser, could you please re-link the sprites you posted earlier? I realize I didn't get as far as to save all of them, only a few. Regarding the new stuff, it looks interesting. The elemental staff effects you list are pretty much what I will be making default for any non-powered weapon, though: The ability to channel your own power through it.

Sure thing, here they are.

Compilation 1

Compilation 2

Toa Crast version1

Toa Crast version 2

Armor poses

Hordika Jackhammer

Noble Jutlin

miscellaneous weapons

 

As for the elemental staff, i didn't realize that you had plans for something like that for all weapons. Are Rahkshi going to be able to channel their power?

 

Also, I have an idea for the game. When I create a Toa and I give him/her a Rahkshi staff, It would be nice if I could choose what type instead of getting a random one. however, getting a random staff is still pretty cool, so that should still be an option.

 

Also, here's an animated weapon I made!

[Katuko]

Sure thing, here they are.

Thanks. :)I recently got a new laptop too, so I have to recreate my folder structure for graphics etc. I habven't ported everything over yet, but once I get my GameMaker installation running again I'll try to punch out something new. At the moment, though, I've got a semi-working version of the Psionic Shield ability. O'll screenshot it for you guys later.

As for the elemental staff, i didn't realize that you had plans for something like that for all weapons. Are Rahkshi going to be able to channel their power?

Yes, they will be able to do that. The Rahkshi Staff itself will undergo some changes in the new engine. To quote my BZP blog entry from back in June:

Currently, Rahkshi can fly at will at no penalty. This makes them pretty much immune to fall damage and allows them to reach any location on the map without trouble. Basing their flight off what is seen in the movie Mask of Light, and what seems to be their tactics in other media, I have decided that the Rahkshi will have their flight style changed. A tap of the Kanohi button (which is not used for anything in Rahkshi) will make them switch into flight/glide mode. In this mode, they hover above the ground and travel at a higher speed than normal. They can fire off their projectile powers, but are more limited in terms of melee attack.Also keeping with canon, a Rahkshi's staff will allow propulsion, thus making them able to take full flight. Otherwise, they will not be able to gain as much height or speed. Gravity will still pull the hovering Rahkshi downwards a bit, though it will not crash into the ground and take fall damage. Due to the way powers and stats will be set up, the staff will no longer have the +1 level boost. It will keep the ability to channel a weaker version of the set Rahkshi power (or full-power if wielded by the proper Rahkshi), as well as be a formidable melee weapon with good range and decent blocking capabilities.

When activated, the Staff will glow in a color appropriate to its power. When swung, it will have a chance of inflicting status effects etc. based on the power in it. If a Rahkshi of the correct type swings it, they get a much more potent effect. For example, a Staff of Hunger when used by a Toa would act similar to the Lifeblade; stealing HP by touch. A Rahkshi of HUnger would be able to drain energy from slightly further range, as well as use the staff to block with the power activated. This would then drain some slight amount of EP while blocking, but steal HP/EP to refill from any attacker that strikes the defender with melee.

Also, I have an idea for the game. When I create a Toa and I give him/her a Rahkshi staff, It would be nice if I could choose what type instead of getting a random one. however, getting a random staff is still pretty cool, so that should still be an option.

I made it random mostly too keep players from using it as another free power. Toa already had the edge on Rahkshi with two attacks + Kanohi, so I felt the need to limit their options for a third.

[JacobLazer]

Wow that sounds awesome! I can't wait for the new engine!

[Katuko]

Yesterday I was almost forced into a new engine anyways. My external harddrive died in the process of moving all my stuff to my new laptop. I only lost some old school work and a bunch of scanned drawings, but that's still left me rather sour. At least it didn't die with all my stuff on it. Ironically enough that disk was the backup, and it failed first. I will need to keep at least three copies of everything from now on to feel safe ever again.

[JacobLazer]

That sounds like enough trauma for one week!

 

by the way did you see the buzz saw staff I made?

[Katuko]

by the way did you see the buzz saw staff I made?

I did. Haven't animated it via GM yet, but it looks well enough at first glance.

[JacobLazer]

By the way, did you ever talk to Eljay about sprite poses like I recommended?

[Katuko]

No, I completely forgot; I will get around to it. I also realize I have forgotten to fix my topic's front page as well. I will put a reminder for myself to do so.

[Zacian]

63 MB? Now that's an awful lot.

[Van Hohenheim]

it's worth it, though

e: My computational device is stating that the file for it "appears malicious". I know it isn't, but is this happening to anyone else?

Edited November 11, 2013 by Sheogorath

[Katuko]

63 MB? Now that's an awful lot.

I've seen many games with less content that are 100 MB, so I'm not concerned. On a regular broadband connection it should take about a minute to download, and your average computer today has several hundred GB of storage space. 63 MB for a game is almost nothing nowadays, at least not for one with as many different graphics and sound effects that I have to include. I am programming many Toa and Rahkshi powers, and each of them need their own graphics. I reuse assets wherever I can, but I obviously can't make a fireball look like a lightning bolt. Rendering lightning at run-time is also very CPU inefficient, so when using pre-made graphics increases file size by 1 MB but decreases CPU load tremendously, I go with the 1 MB of file size.Maps are likewise very large because of their unique features. I re-used the same generic wall piece for a lot of Onu-Koro to save file size and RAM in Onu-Koro, but stuff like shaped walls, huts, cranes, lightstones etc. still made that map around 5 or 8 MB. In my opinion 5 MB for a map is more than worth it given their size, but I suppose someone with a data cap might be a bit put off by it. Still, it's very hard to juggle file size vs game content, and I'm doing the best I can.It would probably take a load off if you didn't have to re-download the entire game file for every update, but since Game Maker only really exports to single EXEs I can't make a proper "patch" system without still forcing you to replace the 45 MB EXE every time.In any case, the size of this game is currently divided as follows:- 12 MB of music.- 50 MB of graphics (sprites, menus, backgrounds and map terrain) and sound effects.- Roughly 2 MB for the main code runner.- A few kilobytes of code and character text files.Perhaps I could save some space by compressing sound files even more and to make maps smaller or less featured, but I won't make any more sacrifices there. I could have used tile sets for maps, but then they would be more "square" have an entirely different feel than they have now. BIONICLE deserves grand environments, I think, and once the game modes become more developed they will need the space. At least the open air of Karda Nui doesn't use any space at all. :lol:I estimate that once I add more sound effects and maps, the size of this game may see a total increase of maybe 50% before it's done, so that we end up somewhere around the 100 MB mark by the time everything has been added and polished. This will be a gradual change of course.Speaking of changes: I have a new laptop now. It is very nice; good processor, graphics card, HD screen and all that jazz. However, there has been some minor trouble in porting things over. I've been using Game Maker 8.0 to create BIONICLE Fighter. That is the version I started the project on, and porting it to version 8.1 of the program messed up the game's fonts and a few other things. If I were to port it to the new GameMaker:Studio program, I would pretty much be require to rewrite everything. That is also what I will be doing with the new engine I keep speaking about, but I'm having trouble getting character saves to work properly with Studio's new "sandbox" way of doing things. Long story short, though: My GM 8.0 license can no longer be activated on any new computers, because Softwrap (the licensing company) no longer delivers. On new computers I am therefore restricted to 8.1 and Studio; with my old laptop being the only one running 8.0.Needless to say, I got a new computer because my old one really needed to be replaced. It's looking more and more likely that I will simply have to pump out the new engine and only do minor changes on the current version. Therefore, I would like all of you to only report bugs or glitches you may find in the current version of the game (14.0b) so that I may work on those. Please do not suggest new attacks or mechanics until I get my new system going. You may comment on existing mechanics and suggest changes. :)I can copy a lot of stuff over from the old engine, but because a new and more efficient engine will take time to create (and I'm mostly swamped with my studies and writing assignments until the middle of December...) I can't promise any actual releases this month or the next. Stick around, though. I will try to squeeze in some sprite work here and some coding there.

My computational device is stating that the file for it "appears malicious". I know it isn't, but is this happening to anyone else?

Any EXE downloaded file will usually produce a warning like that when you try to run it, especially if it's an indie game like this with no licenses or well-known program authors behind it. I will try to set up a better EXE in Studio, so that it will include program creator etc. and maybe avoid false alarms. I can attest that the program does not contain any code that will harm your computer, though in some cases it might freeze due to CPU strain on low-end computers or due to a bug in my code. Edited November 11, 2013 by Katuko

[Makuta Luroka]

Bugs list as of yet:

 

--paranoid Turahk

 

--certain attacks cause game crashes in windows 8

 

--dropping non-nuva armor causes character freezing

 

--Nui-rama still "see" characters for a while after becoming invisible.

 

If you think of anything else that is a bug, post it.

[Makuta of Time]

It's been a while since I played the game, but I'll re-download it and check for any bugs that I get.

[JacobLazer]

I've been having a few problems with the Kanohi Hau. Here are the things that I have found it ineffective against: Toa and Rahkshi of Plasma attacks, Magma Sword, at least one of the long-range Inika weapons (couldn't tell which one) Fire Sword, Toa of Light attacks, Disk Launcher, Rahkshi of Poison powers, Toa of Gravity attacks, Stone Hammer, and Throwing Knives. There may still be others that I haven't seen yet, so everybody keep looking.

[Katuko]

Confirmed bugs:- Turahk shoots fear beams even when not targeting anyone.- Certain attacks do indeed cause crashes on my computer when running Windows 8.1.- Dropping non-nuva armor causes character freezingI can't confirm the Nui-Rama issue quite yet, as they will often keep their ramming speed for a few seconds after losing their target. The Kanohi Hau should have the fire swords and most other melee types listed, especially the Stone Hammer as that one just uses the basic melee hit mechanic. If it hits, then other melee attacks should hit as well, but they don't. I was also fairly certain that I had patched the light attacks passing through the shield in the latest versions, but I might have to re-check that. Are you sure that they did not pass through the shield from behind?

[JacobLazer]

Are you sure that they did not pass through the shield from behind?

It actually was from behind. It could be that that was the case with with the other things as well.

[Makuta Luroka]

Also, this may have been patched, but the stone hammer always turns white when wielded.

[Hexann]

Yes, an update I didn't notice! Hopefully download today and maybe give it a review or something.

[JacobLazer]

I'm having another problem with the Hau. This has only happened with one character though. The mask works, but when I use it the shield is invisible, and the only indication that the mask is working is the fact that it's glowing.

 

Also, this may have been patched, but the stone hammer always turns white when wielded.

That glitch has been fixed. are you sure you have version 14?

[Makuta Luroka]

I'm having another problem with the Hau. This has only happened with one character though. The mask works, but when I use it the shield is invisible, and the only indication that the mask is working is the fact that it's glowing.

 

Also, this may have been patched, but the stone hammer always turns white when wielded.

That glitch has been fixed. are you sure you have version 14?

I simply was unsure whether it had been patched or not. I hadn't been using any of my hammer-wielding characters since version 13.

[JacobLazer]

IDEA TIME!!

what if, for when a character wins a point match, or when a team wins a match, they do a victory pose?

Edited November 13, 2013 by JacobLazer

[Katuko]

what if, for when a character wins a point match, or when a team wins a match, they do a victory pose?

The only reason they don't do that already is that my current animation system is kinda borked. When I tried adding a simple one-frame "absorbing energy" pose quite a few versions ago, I broke every other animation.

[JacobLazer]

 

what if, for when a character wins a point match, or when a team wins a match, they do a victory pose?

The only reason they don't do that already is that my current animation system is kinda borked. When I tried adding a simple one-frame "absorbing energy" pose quite a few versions ago, I broke every other animation.

Do you think you'll be able to do it in the new engine?

Edited November 14, 2013 by JacobLazer

[Katuko]

Do you think you'll be able to do it in the new engine?

Half the point of the new engine is to fix up my broken systems, so better sprite swapping is high on the priority list, yes. As I've mentioned before GM:Studio has shaders that will let me keep sprites in one piece rather than split them up for each color, so that should save me a lot of time. On the other hand, the ideal system still has me splitting sprites... but based on limbs instead of color. I guess you can say it will be the same amount of pieces, but divided differently for more flexibility. Instead of having torso and hands be the same sprite because they have the same color, I would now have "torso" be its own sprite and "legs" be its own sprite, because then I can make the legs stand/run/walk/jump while I switch the torso to attack/block/recoil/etc.Main problem will be the hassle of figuring out position data again, but at least it will not be as specific as it used to be. Instead of finding the exact mask connection point for every new sprite pose, I can just find it relation to the torso poses and then have it dynamically change along with the torso when it moves due to leg poses etc. Easy on paper, good in practice, extremely long-winded and boring to code. :lol:Also as mentioned: What keeps me from starting right now is the whole saving/loading of characters. I need to do some thinking to adapt it for the new system.

[JacobLazer]

 

Do you think you'll be able to do it in the new engine?

Half the point of the new engine is to fix up my broken systems, so better sprite swapping is high on the priority list, yes. As I've mentioned before GM:Studio has shaders that will let me keep sprites in one piece rather than split them up for each color, so that should save me a lot of time. On the other hand, the ideal system still has me splitting sprites... but based on limbs instead of color. I guess you can say it will be the same amount of pieces, but divided differently for more flexibility. Instead of having torso and hands be the same sprite because they have the same color, I would now have "torso" be its own sprite and "legs" be its own sprite, because then I can make the legs stand/run/walk/jump while I switch the torso to attack/block/recoil/etc.

 

Will this make it possible to attack while running?

[Katuko]

Will this make it possible to attack while running?

Technically you can already do that, but yes, you will be able to attack while moving. You will not be able to maintain a full run speed, but the plan is for you to be able to at least walk. Depends on the attack, though. A quick fireball throw can be done while running, like you do now. Using a shield or keeping up a stream attack will slow you down (alternately, moving while using a stream will make it scatter and thus not reach as far). Some attacks should be possible to charge. Charging a fireball, for example, will make it do more damage and have proper knockback effect. While keeping the button down to charge, however, you will be restricted to moving slowly.I've started working on a new trailer for this game, so even though I don't have a new engine to show yet I can at least show off concepts via moving sprites etc.

[JacobLazer]

 

Will this make it possible to attack while running?

Technically you can already do that, but yes, you will be able to attack while moving. You will not be able to maintain a full run speed, but the plan is for you to be able to at least walk. Depends on the attack, though. A quick fireball throw can be done while running, like you do now. Using a shield or keeping up a stream attack will slow you down (alternately, moving while using a stream will make it scatter and thus not reach as far). Some attacks should be possible to charge. Charging a fireball, for example, will make it do more damage and have proper knockback effect. While keeping the button down to charge, however, you will be restricted to moving slowly.

Sorry, I guess I should have been more specific. I was referring to melee attack specifically.

 

Also, when bots use long range weapons, they will still sometimes come right up to me as if it's a melee weapons. is it possible to make a minimum distance from a target for bots to use a long ranged weapon?

Edited November 20, 2013 by JacobLazer