|
Post by BloodKnight on Jun 29, 2006 13:15:07 GMT -5
The shooter demo has been updated! If you liked 2D shooters and haven't played the last demo, I suggest you check this out: www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=35EB114E3C4EB75CHere are some other things I'm sure some will be excited about. I updated Chou's Prophecy. -A shopping cart system for shops. You can hold 3 different types of items and quantities in your "cart", and remove any items you don't want. -A map system, with a dungeon to explore! The map system is explained when you find your first map. -Expanded on the footstep sounds! In the first dungeon, you can now walk on and experience different sounds on different surfaces, well, 2 anyway. And of course, you can turn the sounds off. -You can now extract items from the bag in battle, and put them into your character's inventories... up to a certain amount of times. *evil grin* -Bonus point system is implemented! This system rewards those who fight intelligently(guarding attacks at the right time for example). When you get enough for a character, they can choose a stat boost upon level up. The next is for Plasma Dreams. -Magic stone system is in! Instead of finding stones and consuming them with one use(making players spend hours to stock up on them), you can now use them as "materia", in up to 3 slots in any way. For now, players will have the fire, ice and "strike" magics when they start out in the demo. In the finished game though, they won't get any. I've also completed the entire outline of the main quest for the game. Basically, it covers everything you're supposed to do to move the story along, who you'll fight and so forth(lots of boss battles). I have 8 acts planned, and from the looks of things there'll be a lot to do, so I expect 3-5 hours at the least for the main quest to be completed by the player. Now that I've written how the story will go, production will go faster, I bet I'll be done before this winter. Any takers? When the new updates will be up, I don't know for sure. Things are... "heating up" for me this summer, so I'll be kind of... um... busy... Another thing. Since I've went through Game Maker for another time, things seem to look up. I've gotten used to GML, the Game Maker's scripting language, quite easily, and I was able to make some awesome stuff. Also, RPG Maker 2 is now an inferior medium to me. It seems more practical to move all my other projects to either RPG Maker XP, or Gamer Maker. However, I won't abandon it, I'll just move a few "out of the box" projects to the other mediums. I appreciate it still, so I'll keep the projects that I've had significant progress on for it(which are like, 2 or 3). RPG Maker XP is more of a "professional" tool as far as the gaming communities are concerned, and Game Maker allows RPGs like Star Ocean to be made surprisngly easily. So that's it. Life seems to be going in a positive direction for me. I wish the same for everyone else as well!
|
|
|
Post by Jugem on Jun 30, 2006 16:51:49 GMT -5
What do you mean by XP is more "professional"? Is it more powerful than game maker? I've never used XP or played any XP games. And how is XP for creating games in other genres (other than rpgs)? Although I much prefer game maker to rpgm2, I wouldn't exactly call rpgm2 inferior, since it does have its strengths. Most notably of course with respect to 3D games, and the kind of atmosphere that can be created with that. However, I've stopped using rpgm2 completely the last month or so. I tried out the shmup you created, and it was pretty fun. But does it ever end (aside from losing all your lives)? I assume this is just a demo. And assuming you finish this, will it end up being level based? With bosses? Maybe some level music? If you do finish it, I'd look forward to playing the complete game. And on a side note, the pause feature was very buggy. And using the "Alt" key brought up the menu whenever I pressed a directional button after (Windows issue). So maybe another button should be used instead.
|
|
|
Post by BloodKnight on Jul 1, 2006 1:47:46 GMT -5
What do you mean by XP is more "professional"? Is it more powerful than game maker? I've never used XP or played any XP games. And how is XP for creating games in other genres (other than rpgs)? I meant as far as many gaming communities are concerned, as in some regard it commercial game-making-worthy, moreso than Game Maker. As far as other genres are concerned, RPG Maker XP is very flexible. The only thing that really needs to be considered is how much time are you gonna put into X game? For example, while a 2D fighting game like Street Fighter is reasonable on RPG Maker XP, it's gonna take A LOT of scripting. And I mean, RUBY scripting. Well, RPG Maker 2 is inferior to me, like others, I won't just completely abandon a game making software just because of a change of heart after so long, it still has it's charm over me with its various strengths. I'll still develop RPGs and some more practical games on it. I just decided to develop more games that aren't even close to the RPG genre(like puzzle or shmup games) on the PC, because there are programs that allow more artistic and a little more technical flexibility, with less limits on certain aspects(like script space). For example, a puzzle and shmup game RPG Maker 2 while certainly possible, requires a little more tolerance of the game's limits. Scripts could only hold so many commands(999 I think) in them. In one game I needed maybe, 200 more due to the way action and content scripts worked. Just little things like this are the reasons why I feel it's better to develop a shmup game on something like Game Maker. The game you played took about 3.5 weeks to make(that's with making all the sprites from scratch, ripping and mixing all the sounds, as well as using GML code(with no copying, pasting or referencing from other shmup examples/tutorials I might add), about 10% of the game uses drag and drop events, and only because in order to use certain blocks of code, they had to be in an event of some sort). As far as the process went, it's almost like using RPG Maker 2 in a way, it's just that I didn't have to work around by disabling certain features, or worrying about scripts only working in certain situations. That same game you played could've taken many months using RPG Maker 2, although it's easier to finish a game using RPG Maker 2 than Game Maker once you have the basic engine done, since you have to script a good save/load function and various other features from scratch in Game Maker. It's only a demo, it's a basic engine to test my shmup game with various features. It generates an endless supply of enemies until you lose. The only goal is to beat the record score. I beat it without cheating and took a picture of it. I could never do it for some reason, until my birthday two days ago. I was like, in the zone or something. Yes, it'll be very solid once I finish it, I have great plans for it. A few play modes, about 20 levels and maybe a few giant monsters or something. As for music, I really don't know of a good medium to develop it with. Got any ideas? I guess I'll use the mouse or something. And the pause feature doesn't keep items from floating away or losing combo time on purpose. I'll fix it in the future though.
|
|
|
Post by Jugem on Jul 1, 2006 4:43:03 GMT -5
I meant as far as many gaming communities are concerned, as in some regard it commercial game-making-worthy, moreso than Game Maker. Do you have any idea why that is? Is the Ruby scripting more powerful than GML? I'm also doing almost everything in code/GML, from scratch. Once you start coding, you don't even really consider using the drag and drop actions anymore. Record score? I don't recall seeing one. Well, I thought I saw my high score, but not a default one. I'll have to play again and take a look at it. Maybe try to beat it. Good to hear that this will become a full-fledged shmup. As for music, do you want midi tracks? And are you fairly knowledgeable in music theory? If the answer to both is yes, then I have a couple suggestions. You can find and download a free version of Winjammer, which is pretty good. It's what I use at home to create midis. However, a couple years ago, I took a university music composition course, and we used Finale to create the midis. This software is better than Winjammer, and easier to use (if I remember correctly). However, it's probably more expensive. If you're not familiar with sheet music notation, then I don't know what to suggest. Oh no, I don't mean to suggest using the mouse. In fact, I'd advise against using the mouse. Something about using the mouse in a shmup seems wrong to me. The "Alt" key issue I brought up earlier doesn't occur in full screen mode, so that's another option. If you stick with the windowed mode, I'd just sugggest using a different key. The items floating away was just one issue with pausing, and if it was intentional, I guess it's not an issue. The other was in not recognizing me pressing the pause key (or recognizing it one too many times). I can only assume you're aware of this bug though.
|
|
|
Post by BloodKnight on Jul 1, 2006 12:16:29 GMT -5
Do you have any idea why that is? Is the Ruby scripting more powerful than GML? It's probably because a commercial game can be made more easily in Game Maker than in RPG Maker XP. A platformer can take about an hour to make. GM does a lot of the hard work(even using GML) for you. I'd say that Ruby is a little more flexible, although both languages share some similarities. Ruby is more of a programming language than GML IMO. Yeah, the code is so easy to use! I even use scripts for simple drag and drop actions. I don't keep track of score records(I think that requires use of the default scoring system, and I don't like that). The one that shows up when you lose is the record. I made sure to keep your current score up so you could compare them. Music -WHA? lol I'd prefer to use WAV files for all music in my game. But if I'd have to use ... MIDIs... then I'd guess I'll do it. Thanks for the suggestions, I'll look into them. While I did have problems with the pause button, I thought I made it work so that it executes on a button press, and not holding it or something like that, because Game Maker is too lenient on button pressing.
|
|
|
Post by Jugem on Jul 31, 2006 18:11:29 GMT -5
So how's the shmup coming along? I've started working on the pause system for my game maker project now, and I've run into some trouble (this is using a game controller, not the keyboard -- I haven't implemented any controls for the keyboard yet). The drag and drop button input event seems to work the same as the joystick_check_button(id,button) function. And when I use this function to check if the pause button is pressed, it seems holding the down the button for any length of time is equivalent to rapidly tapping the button for the same length.
Now, I've figured out a solution that seems to work (that just detects the moment you first press the button), but I was wondering if you had an easier solution to this. In your demo, you seemed to have the pausing down with button 8.
|
|
|
Post by BloodKnight on Aug 1, 2006 0:35:09 GMT -5
My HD got wiped again, so I lost it. Fortunately though, I kept some of my notes. Anyway, I'll send my newest work to you if you want.
|
|
|
Post by Jugem on Aug 1, 2006 15:53:08 GMT -5
Definitely, I'd love to see your newest work. Would you rather send it to me via email, or do something like last time with yousendit? Well, I'll pm you my email address just in case that's the route you want to take.
|
|
|
Post by Jugem on Aug 5, 2006 17:47:03 GMT -5
Well, I played this again (the old version), and beat the record score with ease. I broke the 60k mark with full shields, and 8 lives in reserve, and then purposely killed off the remainder of my lives. Otherwise, I could probably have gone on forever. A little on the easy side, but a fun diversion nonetheless. Just makes me that much more interested in seeing where your shmup project is headed.
|
|
|
Post by BloodKnight on Aug 6, 2006 19:58:07 GMT -5
Oh RLY!? Man, you pwned my score. Unless you got over 72k. I'm thinking I should put a crude boss in there, but I'm not too good with large sprites(unless you can deal with REALLY LOW resolution sprites). I'm currently making sprites for the different elemental shots you'll be able to use. Also, an RPG, and I'm working on making a FPS, I'm learning how to use 3D in GM.
|
|
|
Post by Jugem on Aug 6, 2006 21:37:39 GMT -5
72k? If I'd have known that was your top score, I would have kept going a bit further! As it was, I think I spent a little over a half hour getting that score and quit right when I got over 60k because I didn't see anything left to prove in that. Now I'm going to have to play it again to beat your score. A fearsome boss would be nice, but it probably wouldn't fit well with your demo format (endlessly generating enemies). But I'm sure you could create some decent large boss sprites without too much trouble. Let me know how your ventures into 3D go... By 3D, do you mean using 2D sprite scaling, or do you mean fully 3D (polygonal models)? I'm thinking I might look into that eventually, if just to have a bit of fun, but I want to finish a good 2D project first.
|
|
|
Post by realitybites on Aug 6, 2006 22:03:18 GMT -5
Hey BK could you update the save? I would like to play this if possible.
|
|
|
Post by BloodKnight on Aug 8, 2006 16:52:13 GMT -5
By 3D, I mean a FPS. 3D backgrounds with 2D sprites. It requires more work than a 2D game. Also, I got an idea for a boss, so I might include that in an update. RealityBites, I'll refresh the link when that time comes okay? As a matter of fact, I might start on that tonight.
|
|
|
Post by realitybites on Aug 8, 2006 17:14:34 GMT -5
Sounds good to me!
|
|
|
Post by BloodKnight on Sept 9, 2006 6:13:09 GMT -5
Shooter demo has been updated. The only thing keeping this from being perfect is the lack of sound, which I'll add sometime later.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2006 8:48:51 GMT -5
OOOOOOH!!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D I just placed a bid on ebay for 3 new PS2 memory cards, and I'll definitely be playing this game/demo!!!! I'm EXTREMELY curious to see just how the poop you did this!!!
|
|
|
Post by Doan the Nado on Sept 9, 2006 9:56:17 GMT -5
Actually, will, this is not an RPGM game, so you don't need PS2 cards. All you need is Windows on your computer, and you should be able to download and play the game.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2006 11:10:35 GMT -5
Oh man! I could've/should've played the game a long time ago then. I'm sorry BK! edit: Well I'll be playin' it soon anyways then!
|
|
|
Post by Jugem on Sept 9, 2006 17:00:04 GMT -5
Back to the old background, eh? Only this time, the "horizon area" is a little crisper and more detailed. Looks nicer now. The water is without the old white spots, but is easier on the eyes that way.
You've got some nice weapon powerups there. I enjoyed the different types of shot effects the various elements had on the normal powerups. I ended up going back to the plain old normal triple shot though, as it seemed the most effective for me.
The boss almost seemed like it would never die! I did manage to beat it though, but it provided a nice challenge.
I'm curious as to the direction you're going with this. I think I remember you saying you wanted this to be level-based. If so, will the levels be like this with randomly spawning enemies and the boss only appearing when you collect the corresponding item? Or will the levels be more structured (enemy placements pre-determined with the boss at the end)?
|
|
|
Post by BloodKnight on Sept 9, 2006 18:05:18 GMT -5
Back to the old background, eh? Only this time, the "horizon area" is a little crisper and more detailed. Looks nicer now. The water is without the old white spots, but is easier on the eyes that way. That was to simulate the light reflecting off the water. It was a rush job to make the background, but I'm surprised it looked so well. My favorite's the spread+lightning combo, slow with little range, but has good destructive properties. And that's with the limited AI I gave it? Cool. The boss's HP is at the top right hand corner of the screen. The trick to surviving is to move forward while dodging the missiles, as they continue to move forward, regardless of them tracking you. I also made sure the boss would move with the player, as I anticipated that the player might try and get the rapid+lightning combo, and go above/below the ship where it couldn't touch the player. Enemy placements will be mostly predictable, with a few random spawns. I just haven't made enemy flying patterns yet. The boss icon was for testing, so you could build up your ship and test the stats against the boss.
|
|