Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Pinkie Pie's Mini Game Booth

In Spike's Quest you can return to Ponyville where Pinkie Pie will have a Mini Game booth. These are just a few of the games that you can actually play there. (note: this post will be updated whenever I actually think up a cool mini game to add. If you have any ideas for a mini game feel free to add it in the comments section! :)
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Name: Pinkie's Balloon Adventure

Description: Inspired by the mini game 'Balloon Trip' from Balloon Fight (on the NES and Gameboy) Pinkie will be floating around the screen dangling from a couple of balloons while the screen scrolls forward. The goal is to dodge electric spiky balls, pop some random free floating balloons and see how far you can make it without getting fried (or drowned in the sea below) The further you go and the more balloons that you pop the higher your score will be! (try to beat the top score!) One hit from the electric spikies and its game over.

Production Start-Up Log for 8-31-2011

Stayed up late again tweaking the dialog system. I now have a working yes/no prompt and a few other simple goodies that improve the flow of the dialog. Also done dome heavy graphics work that makes this system all the more visually pleasing ;)

Next few days will be crunch time meaning I'll be trying to work more harder and faster on the game in order to get things ready for the 4th demo which is due out in 7 days. That deadline alone is what's got my nerves in a huge knot... I hope I'll have everything ready by then. If I dont I may have to delay. but let's pray it'll never have to come down to that. :P

On a positive note, I've got just a few more days before I get to go home! :D I'm a happy brony.

er... I hope my apartment hasnt burned down or got robbed while I was away this past whole month D: that would suck!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Production Start-Up Log for 8-30-2011

Oh what the heck? Ponychan's offline? o.o It seems the service is having some issues and the admin needs to use some migration tool... I hope this doesnt effect my production thread there...

EDIT: Nevermind, its back up now. :P

On to the update...
I have succesfully put together an in game text system that allows me to use a custom font from a PNG file. this of course would be used for dialog, reading signs and in game prompts. I stayed up til 3 this morning working on it. Now all that's left for this function is to creat a border and a few other little things.

That's all I have for now.

cheers!


Last Edit: I'll have to brag a bit. I designed the font myself :3 while to some that may seem a small achievement, but to me its not everyday that I get to put my font designing abilities to the test.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Production Start-Up Log for 8-28-2011

This is probably one of the greatest updates I've made in a long while. Some major accomplishments have been made on the game and I need to brag about it. :3

First up, I've finally got a descent screen resolution system working. I had it working just fine before the BMax transfer but after that (and the grand majority of this month) I've been working with a tiny little game window. Now you can resize it or even go full screen with it! So far the new system has been tested on two computers and works on both w/ no problems.

Second major update, the game is now compatible with a PC game pad (see crappy pic)! :D that and I'm just a few steps closer to piecing together a custom keyboard scheme so y'all wont be stuck with one setup. In Demo #4 you will be able to pick what keys to use for jumping, shooting and moving around.

So, with those two major things in working order I need to start working on the new config system so y'all can set this stuff up to your liking ;)

More to come soon!

(and sorry for the crappy picture... the Nintendo 3DS camera really has been disappointing me lately...)

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Random Test Post


According to Blogger Stats, I get quiet a few page views daily, but I'm never really too sure whether I should trust those readings. So to feed my curiosity I'm making this post to see if all those page views arent some kind of spambot clusters or if they are actual human individuals.

To do this, I'll borrow a post concept from Equestria Daily that seems to generate certain interest...




You are now Gummy the Alligator... Wat do?

Friday, August 26, 2011

Production Start-Up Log for 8-27-2011

Its not even the 27th yet but I wanted to post this early anyway to get it off my shoulders , so here we go :P

I've been doing some thinking and I cant help but feel that the code is a complete and redundant mess. Yes, it works, and it feels so much more advanced than what it did over a month ago. But its still a huge mess and filled with many redundancies and unused variables.

That's why I've decided that after the 4th test demo, I'm going to be rewriting huge chunks of it to make it look more cleaner and readable. Most of the planned rewrite is for the map system entirely, the player controls and tile collision system are both perfect as they are but I may could touch them up as well.

That being said, I predict that that project may be a few days hard work, but since I'll be home by then I wont have any distractions from family to slow me down. You might not see a 5th test demo until a month after the 4th release...

But Once this project is complete I am strongly considering making it completely open source for the coding curious so I'd like to at least make it easy to understand :) It'll be well worth the extra time!

Also I plan to translate it to Lua script so that I can port it to the PSP as a homebrew project. So a nice clean code here would be very helpful when it comes to that project :)

Opinions?

edit------------------------

And a final note before I go to bed...

This is possibly some potential bad news for Linux users... I may or may not be able to get tdemo #4 ported to Linux in time before the official release date. I've been doing a bit of reading up and apparently its not easy to port the game without some additional coding.

But dont take my word for it just yet. I dont currently have a Linux OS on hand to attempt anything and I wont have one until I get back home in just a few days so there may still be some hope.

I'm really hoping that the Mac port wont be such a bother as well. :P

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Main Six Pony Log

In this little adventure, Spike must rescue all six of his Pony friends. Each pony will have her own purpose to the game. Below are the descriptions of their purposes and the order that Spike must rescue them in.

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Pony: Pinky Pie
Rescue Order: 1st
Boss Rescued From: None

Game Notes: Pinkie's rescue is almost instant from the start of the game. Upon falling down into the cave's entrance you'll see her cage dangling from a low ceiling. From here, she'll begin to instruct you in a few ways of the game and how you can rescue her. As the story goes, her rescue is the easiest and the first because the Diamond Dogs found her to be exceedingly annoying (yes, even more annoying than Rarity's whining) so they caged her up and left her at the cave's entrance. Pinky's purpose throughout the game is to be to Spike what Navi is to Link in Zelda. She'll pop in from time to time to clue you in about how to do certain things or maybe even give you a few clues about the other Pony's whereabouts. Also once you find your way back to Poyville you'll find that she set up shop where you can play several little mini games.

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Pony: Applejack
Rescue Order: 2nd
Boss Rescued From: Undecided

Game Notes: After rescuing Applejack you can return to Ponyville where she'll have her little apple shop and from there you can purchase apples and apple related goods that would benefit your health throughout the game. Aside from that she doesn't serve much purpose other than to occasionally move the story along with a few tidbits of knowledge.

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Pony: Fluttershy
Rescue Order: 3rd
Boss Rescued From: Undecided

Game Notes: Once rescued Fluttershy can be summoned via the Magic Flute. But her abilities can be a bit limiting. Basically it goes like this... throughout the caverns you may actually run across some nasty baddies whom you simply cannot defeat with any weapon or device. They wont attack you but rather they'll keep their position and block certain paths that you'll need to gain access to. Summon Fluttershy and let her work her magic. They'll certainly move for her! :3 Also you might walk into locations that seem to have some horrible dark and evil vibes to them. Fluttershy's magic can calm these settings and you may actually find a nice item or two once the darkness has been lifted.

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Pony: Twilight
Rescue Order: 4th
Boss Rescued From: Undecided

Game Note: Upon rescuing Twilight you gain access to her personal library (in Ponyville) and you can summon her via the Magic Flute to move certain blocks or obstacles that have her cutey mark emblem on it (these either open passages or create new platforms to hard to reach areas)

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Pony: Rainbow Dash
Rescue Order: 5th
Boss Rescued From: Undecided


Game Note: After rescuing Dash you can summon her via the Magic Flute which then she'd suddenly fly across the screen snatching Spike along the way. And then the map screen will come up giving you a selection of certain locations that she could drop you off at. She simply serves as a method of teleportation. Of course, the locations would first need to be discovered by Spike before being added to the teleport list.


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Pony: Rarity
Rescue Order: 6th
Boss Rescued From: Undecided


Game Note: As suggested by a fan recently I've decided to make Rarity the last pony that you rescue because in the cartoons she is a kind of love interest to Spike. As to how she may help you along the rest of the game is undecided. At one point I figured I'd just make her function a little 'extra' in that she'd actually throw together some cool little outfits for Spike. But the problem that I dont find the use of armor defense a necessity for this game has me a little puzzled about how these outfits could be of any use.

Extra Note: One of the costumes I pictured for Spike would pay homage to Link's tunic and cap from Zelda.


Production Start-Up Log for 8-25-2011

For this morning's little showcase I have for display is the heart system located at the top left of the screenshot there.

So what's so nifty about it? well, they function just like the hearts in Zelda for one, meaning 11 of those heart pieces have to be collected. you originally start with 3 heart pieces in the game and you gradually level up with additional ones throughout the game.

I believe that I'll actually make that a challenge in the 4th test demo. y'all will get to go on a little scavenger hunt trying to locate all additional 11 heart containers whilst exploring an extensive map and avoiding obstacles (and other things)

Did I mention that the each heart piece also consist of 4 pieces and the current heart flashes (making it visually easier to see)?

:)

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Production Start-Up Log for 8-24-2011

Added a simple explosion animation for the item blocks for after Spike destroys them and then tinkered around with the sound effects again.

will be adding a health bar today.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Production Start-Up Log for 8-23-2011

the game's sound folder is currently junked up with random bleeps and bloops and the code could probably also use a little sprucing up as well but its all good, really :)

Added a hazard system so now Spike can get hurt. Currently the only existing hazards are spikes (on ceilings walls and floors) but despite the ability to lose health, Spike still cant die yet. That would only require just a few additional lines of code, a death sequence and a restart prompt screen.

Aside from the hazard system, there really isnt much else to report on. I've tweaked the code here and there, added a few new tiles to the beta tileset and edited my todo list.

Maybe I'll get enough done today to have something worth showing off tomorrow, but no promises...

In other news, I only have 9 to 10 more days before I get to go home [/flutteryay]. And I'm really excited about the most recent Pony updates for season 2. I'll be stocking up on M&Ms, Popcorn and cream soda for each new episode :) Who else is excited?

Monday, August 22, 2011

Production Start-Up Log for 8-22-2011

Yesterday was a day for much work and progress :)

You can now crouch and crawl under narrow spaces in the game. Unfortunately you still cant shoot flame while you crawl and I'm still not sure how I'm going to fix that. Fact is, the keyboard is a very limiting device and only so many key presses can be detected at once. The problem wont exist with a gamepad however.

Once after I finished the crouch and crawl functions I then advanced the flame breathing function. What was once just a static red oval is now a flaming projectile with a neat-o looking particle tail (still needs work, but it looks effective for now )

Also while enhancing Spike's flame breathing ability I started to get the idea of acquiring different types of flame breathing techniques. With Spike being a young dragon and all flame breathing will be his primary weapon throughout the game. One of the flame upgrades he'll pick up in the game is Ice Breath which would enable him to shoot cold fire that would freeze his enemies. This would function like the weapon upgrade system in Metroid pretty much. :P

I'll post a log about the many fire breathing upgrades later on. But for today I have other plans for production time. I'll keep you all posted as things begin to progress! :)

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Spike Crawls!

See Spike crawl!

okay, it aint perfect yet but it'll do for the time being. thr animation is kinda smooth though and I'm 'somewhat' proud of it :)

Production Start-Up Log for 8-21-2011

> puts in some code for crouching
> crouching code successful. adds additional code for crawling
> crawling code half done, hits a snag where player cant seem to shoot fire while crawling
> spends several hours trying to solve problem
> head desk after figuring that the program may actually have a keyhit limitation ('down' key[crouch] + 'left'' or 'right' key[crawl] + 'shoot' key may be too much to detect all at once)
> hopes my figuring is wrong. consults help from Blitz Basic community

oh the joys of programing... :P

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Production Start-Up Log for 8-20-2011

Alright, so I've had my fun and now its time to get back to work. today I'll be adding new entity functions such as springs, that health system I promised a few days ago, a counter function that would enable me to create a counter with an image font and use it to display item quantities, a new jump and gravity system, a hazard system, a door system that would link maps together and possibly a brand new tile-map specifically for the game and an entirely reworked config system since the BMax settings are almost entirely different from the B3D settings...

I have my work cut out for me and I have a deadline to have a working demo by the 7th of next month.

Wish me luck! I'll need all I can get of it!

Friday, August 19, 2011

Production Start-Up Log for 8-19-2011

So yesterday was a day filled with fun, sand, fish and civil war history. I even brought back some nice little trinkets to remember the trip by (see crappy 3DS pic) and I took plenty of pictures which I'll be posting up later on! 

Today is casino day and I may go blow the rest of my month's budget on the slot machines (wish me luck, bronies!)

Tonight when I get back home I plan to go full speed ahead on the project and get stuff done for once! Stay tuned, tomorrow may have a nice update! :D

In the meantime here's a question to my fellow bronies: After the casino trip, What should I do with my winnings? Should I go blow it all on Ponies? Or should I go blow it on Ponies? chose my actions wisely for I take this question very srsly... liek teh internetz.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Production Start-Up Log for 8-17-2011

Yeah, I almost skipped a day on updating things. Let's just face the facts, I have nothing new to post about and things probably will continue to be slow until I'm home free from my little 'vacation' in Mobile Alabama. Family will continue to demand my attention with trips to the beach or some sweaty yard work plucking weeds and other fun stuff like that.

And because things will continue to be slow and nearly unproductive, I may not have much to post as far as updates go.

I swore I'd never skip a day in updating and trying to keep this project alive but I may have to break promises for some very logical reasons.

The good thing is that this project aint dead! And it wont ever be dead unless for some silly reason I get a cease and desist letter from Hasbro or The Hub or the whole fanbase suddenly tells me to stfu and gtfo (which I just cant see happening)

I guess the purpose of this update is to just notify everypony interested in this project that there may be days that you wont see any actual updates and all because I really just dont have anything to say.

I almost missed a day. No biggie. Life still goes on and we can all rejoice to see another lovely day in this crazy world. :)

Tomorrow and Friday I'll be doing actual vacation stuff. A lovely trip to Dauphin Island where I'll get to explore a large old Civil War fort (Fort Gaines, rumored to be haunted) and go fishing on the beach with my ma and step pa and on Friday I'll be going to Boone Town where I'll get to waste my money on the slot machines and eat an expensive buffet. If any pony is interested I may actually post pictures of my little adventure in my next few updates to fill the void of production-less time. ;)

If anything, these fun little trips are always inspiring me with my projects so maybe I'll get a proper boast of confidence and inspiration for Spike's Quest

Oh, and to keep things interesting, I'll post Fluttershy :3

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Production Start-Up Log for 8-16-2011

Added a few sound effects to the game last night. Had to tweak a few of those sounds for it to sound right. Will continue to work on this later this evening when things quiet down around my surroundings here.

I may even add a health system and a few little traps here and there.

More to come soon!

Monday, August 15, 2011

Production Start-Up Log for 8-15-2011

Not much to report on today been busy, of course. Still tweaking a few bugs and pondering where to go next.

Feeling kinda homesick but I've still got a little over half a month to go before I get to go home :P

So to put this update short: "Meh"

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Production Start-Up Log for 8-14-2011

Not much to update on today. yesterday was a full day down in Gulf Shores with family (which was costly on my budget but fun!)

I went to bed around 9 last night and woke up just a couple hours ago (around 12) I guess a full day at Orange Beach and then a huge meal at The Original Oysterhouse (of Travel Channel's Man Vs Food fame) consisting of gater bites, shrimp gumbo, a burger and fries can really take it out of a guy :P

So now that I'm up (and still a bit sore and burned from the sun) I can now go get a quick shower, have a late breakfast and commence work on the game.

I feel that yesterday's little tropical adventure was well worth losing a bit of production time over. :P

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Production Start-Up Log for 8-13-2011

Yesterday I spent several hours adding a few additions such as breakable blocks and the ability to spit fire (still a work in progress)

and this morning I've been up a few more hours fixing a few bugs that came with the new additions. And right up to now I've taken a break from code to work with a nice piece of software called Tone Pusher.

This software is capable of outputting random 8bit like sound effects and exporting them into .wav format. It comes in rather handy and I believe that it was once used to create the many sound bits for Cave Story.

Of course, if the majority of folk here dont like the 8bit retro sound then there are some nice chaps offering their help in making some proper sound for the game. Either way, Spike's Quest is destined to have some awesome sounds! :)

Now concerning music. I've mentioned before that I wish to put together a development package with music in mind and post it out to the public to the advantage of any potential composers out there. The current choice of software is called OrgMaker which is freeware and again was also used for the music of Cave Story. I've already had a few nice brony-folk approach me wanting to compose music for the game so I'm feeling kinda confident in that portion of the project :) I'll post more about the music package when it becomes ready.

Stay tuned!

Friday, August 12, 2011

Production Start-Up Log for 8-12-2011

Another late update and again with the lacking of anything to update about. Yesterday was just another busy day helping gramps with that rusty old greasy lawn mower so naturally I havent been able to get anything done on the game.

I know this could start making me look bad (and I hope it doesnt) I've heard the comment before that no fangame ever gets finished because the creator's get so caught up with life. I really dont want you nice folk to think that way about Spike's Quest. I want you all to know that this game is still fresh on my mind and I am NOT making excuses to not work on it.

Every little chance I get, I try to do something with the project and I try to post an update every day. that should let you know that I'm still strong minded about this game.

So I ask y'all to please be patient.

More will come soon, I have huge expectations for this project.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Production Start-Up Log for 8-11-2011

Not muchto report this morning... yesterday was a busy day (away from the game) gramps needed my help replacing a belt on a lawn mower which involved removing the chassy. (however you spell that) and one of my distant cousins had a huge birthday party.

So no.. nothing at all was accomplished on the game...

...

Oh stop looking at me like that! I have a life beyond this silly project ya know!

I shall commence work on the game today if I'm not pulled away from it again. If it keeps your faith a little longer I've done some new map work this morning so not all is lost :)

On a second note, today is the one month anniversary for the start-up of this project!

Pinkie Pie would be pleased if we threw some kind of silly internet party or something. :P [Pic semi Related]

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Production Start-Up Log for 8-10-2011

Getting a late start on everything today. Video will [probably] be ready later on but unless your new to this project then dont expect much in surprises.

The video will only be showcasing the engine running on Blitz Max code with a few simple bug fixes and the addition of alpha layer support.

Speaking of bugs, I've just about eliminated them all. Now the only problems I can see is that the engine could use a bit of speeding up.

I'll have more soon so stay tuned!

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Production Start-Up Log for 8-9-2011

I'm happy to let everypony know that the game seems to be functioning near 100% to what it was before the BMax transfer. I even managed to fix a few of the bugs that were reported from Demo #3!

Just a few more tweaks and I'll start to add new functions such as spitting flame balls and a door system that would enable me to link maps to each other.

I is a happy brony!

Still, since I am visiting relatives for another week and a half, progress will continue to be a bit slow going. The next test demo isn't due out until possibly next month (when I'll be able to purchase the full license for Blitz Max) But I do plan on releasing videos on an official Youtube channel for this game.

Stick around and I'll keep you posted! :3

(I couldn't come up with a good pic for this update so have a cool picture of Derpy instead!)

Edit: I forgot to mention, I've added three new items to the Health Items log. Check it out if your curious!

Game Sequence: Saving Your Game



All save points will appear as mailboxes with a flashy little arrow above it in small one screen rooms. When you walk up to the mailbox and hit the up arrow button on your keyboard this is what happens.

- Splash screen appears prompting if you want to save your game or not

- Upon selecting 'yes' the flash screen vanishes and the in-game music fades out and the red flag on the mailbox goes up.

- Derpy Hooves falls from the ceiling out of nowhere helplessly knocking Spike out of the way. A little goofy jingle plays for her for the duration of the sequence.

- Derpy glances back at Spike who appears baffled by her odd entry. She then turns back to the mailbox.

- The red flag on the box goes down and Derpy flies straight back up with a mouth full of mail.

- Derpy bumps her head on the ceiling on her way up causing her to drop a health muffin.

- Small splash screen displays text letting you know that your game has been saved and a short little tune plays before the main game's music starts back up. 

Monday, August 8, 2011

Production Start-Up Log for 8-8-2011

The good news is that I almost have the game's engine running perfectly.

The bad news is that after porting the entire code to BMax I now have a huge bug infestation! That and not all the actions I had working in B3D are working as they should. I'll need to tweak the code a bit and get things underway. I hope to have a video up Wednesday of the working code and a few nice little additions :)

Also, I've started posting item logs, ad soon I'll start posting enemy logs and other neat things. Its the least I can do for boring you all to death with my programing updates :P

Item Log: Health Items



Item: Green Apple
Location: [Global]
Item Method: Inventory

Description:  This is a green apple fresh from the Apple Farm. It looks very delicious!

In Game Use: You can purchase this apple from Applejack's Apple Store after you rescue her from the caves. Once purchased you can use it to fill five heart containers of your health.

Likelihood of its existence: Absolute!

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Item: Red Apple
Location: [Global]
Item Method: Instant Use

Description:  This is a red apple fresh from the Apple Farm. It looks EXTREMELY delicious!

In Game Use: These items are dropped after certain boss battles or can be found in secret areas. One red apple will fill all your heart containers!

Likelihood of its existence: Absolute!

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Item: Apple Cyder
Location: [Global]
Item Method: Inventory

Description:  This is a bottle of delicious apple cider. Its made with fresh apples from the Apple Farm. Its cool and refreshing to the taste.

In Game Use: You can purchase this cyder from Applejack's Apple Store after you rescue her from the caves. One bottle fills 8 heart containers of your health and boasts your flame meter to 50%

Likelihood of its existence: Absolute!

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Item: Derpy Muffin
Location: [Global]
Item Method: Instant Use

Description:  Derpy drops this muffin after you save your game at a save point. You simply cant resist it!

In Game Use: As the description says, Derpy Hooves drops this muffin after you save your game at a save point. One muffin refills all your heart containers and boasts your flame meter to 100%

Likelihood of its existence: Absolute!

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Item: Heart
Location: [Global]
Item Method: Instant Use

Description:  These can be found after killing an enemy or destroying certain blocks. They simply float to the ground like a leaf.

In Game Use: One of these little hearts fills 1/4 of a heart piece

Likelihood of its existence: Absolute!


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Item: Large Heart
Location: [Global]
Item Method: Instant Use

Description:  These can be found after killing certain larger level enemies. They fall straight to the ground like a rock.

In Game Use: One of these hearts will fill an entire heart piece.


Likelihood of its existence: Absolute!

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Item: Heart Capsule
Location: [Global]
Item Method: Instant Use

Description: These are hidden throughout the game. They're larger than your typical hearts and somewhat decorative

In Game Use: You collect these to extend your life capacity. One heart capsule extends your life meter by one heart piece. There are 14 total heart pieces but only 11 heart capsules to collect since you start out with 3 in the game.

Likelihood of its existence: Absolute!

Item Log: Celestian Shield


Item: Celestian Shield
Location: Lost Shrine of Celestia
Item Method: Equip

Description:  The shield has the sun symbol of Celestia on it with a few battle worn scratches on its silver and bronze plating.

In Game Use: This is a powerful shield that can repel almost any attack between level 1 - 3 projectiles. It only defends Spike when he is facing the attack.

Likelihood of its existence: Absolute!

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Production Start-Up Log for 8-7-2011

I'll be honest. Yesterday I did not get much of anything done :(

Did some heavy work for the family, putting a bed together, helped gramps fix a lawn mower, moved a huge roll of carpet from the trailer to the shop in the back yard,did a bit of yard selling with my auntie. And by the time I was actually free from it all I was too sore to think about coding.

To top it off I just figured I may need to rewrite a certain chunk of the code and that was sort of off putting too... :P

But my fingers are crossed that today will be slightly different. Life will have to intervene every now and then. That's to be expected.

Anyway, its still very early in the morning and I should try to get a bit of work in on the game. Wish me luck!

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Production Start-Up Log for 8-6-2011


Map Editor has been finished, I can now begin work on the game itself. [/flutteryay]

I'll begin work on it later on in the day but for now I'm in a hurry with other things [life related]

But stay tuned!

Friday, August 5, 2011

Need Some Opinions


I've been giving this some thought and I think I might delay the 4th Demo until the first Wednesday of next month (September 7th) here's the reason why...

reason #1.) I dont actually own Blitz Max yet and I wont have the money to purchase the full license until the third of next month.

reason #2.) I dont currently have access to a Mac OS or a Linux OS atm, I have an old Mac laptop at home and a second PC I can install Linux on. I'd like to have the 4th demo ready for these OS's when its released and even f I did have these systems in hand I wouldn't really be able to do a Linux version as there's no BMax trial version for Linux. :P

reason #3.) I actually want to make the 4th demo worth your download with all sorts of awesome features :) more time = better stuff!

Opinions?

Production Start-Up Log for 8-5-2011






The map editor is almost fully operational. And by that I mean that I still need to tweak the save/load map functions. Everything else is almost perfected :)

I also added alpha layers to the beta tileset. As an example by alpha layers, see those lanterns in the screenshot? you can actually see through them! That's the beauty of BMax and alpha layers, you can use these things to create some pretty fantastic looking particle effects and other things!

Anyway, with the map editor nearing its completion I'm looking forward to working on the game itself :) I cant wait to see my hard work in action!

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Production Start-Up Log for 8-4-2011





After a full day of coding I've finished converting the 'Tile Data Editor' code to Bmax! It works exactly how it should allowing me to set each tile's depth layer and obstacle type by the click of a button.

Now I just need to finish the map editor and then I'll proceed on to the game itself

the good news is that the game's engine should be a straight and easy port :) much of that code will be just copy/pasta from the old B3D code. And the map editor was already half done while working in the tile data editor. I just need to add the functions to create and edit a map and then save it to the map data folder.

Things are looking up! I may just yet have something ready for the Wednesday deadline!

[/flutteryay]

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Production Start-Up Log for 8-3-2011


Re-coding progress is awfully slow going at the moment. But progress is still progress!

I've been putting many hours into the rebuild of the map and tile data editor which has been somehow exciting. The more I progress in this new language the more confident about this project I actually feel!

Still, slow progress is slow. I'm really worried about whether I'd have anything ready for a demo next Wednesday. I have a whole week to finish the tile and map system and then also have a functioning game engine to work with it.

To top it off, since I'm visiting relatives for the next couple of weeks, my production time is a bit hampered with the occasional chore or visiting time. That, and well my grandparents gripe about me being on this laptop all the time :P

Anyway, aside from life and the occasional stress over demo deadlines, I've recently started up a twitter account for the project and directed a blog feed to it if anypony here wants to subscribe to it:

http://twitter.com/#!/SpikesQuest

basically all you'll see there are the usual blog updates and the occasional random tweets here and there. I'm new to twitter so I really dont know how everything works. But maybe it'll grow on me over time...

More to come soon!

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Production Start-Up Log for 8-2-2011



Its just as I've feared... The switch from B3d to Bmax would mean I'd need to code everything again from scratch. (direct conversion is a buggy mess and can be totally overwhelming.)

At least I have the basics down and the graphics so that should cut down the time needed to recode all this.

The language swap will take a good deal of getting used to but so far it hasn't been so hard. :)

Anyway, time to get back to work. Wish me luck and I'll keep everypony posted on the recoding progress!

Monday, August 1, 2011

Production Start-Up Log for 8-1-2011

I've been kind of stuck on one of the bugs lately... and because of this I might actually have to delay Demo #4 for another day. Bad news aside, this should give me some time to improve on other things before the 4th demo release.

I'd like to actually make the next demo something more than just a few bug fixings and the new config system. In fact I'd like to expand things a bit.

That being said, I'm thinking about getting Blitz Max and upgrading the game into that language. I have the money and the time to do it, the real question is would I have the patience of the game's followers?

In the long run I feel it'd be well worth the investment! I'd be able to port the game to Lynux and Mac (no more Wine conversion issues! [FlutterYay] and I'd be able to do certain things I normally cant do in Blitz 3D.

As far as 3D backgrounds are concerned, there are ways to apply such but right now it is the least of my worries. :P

Anyway, to those of you who are following this project, would you mind maybe waiting another week for the 4th demo? And what are your thoughts about me changing to BMax?