9/22/13 - Rings Defined

I finally figured out what sort of rings Spike will be able to acquire throughout the game. Below are eight different rings each with their own magical properties. There may or may not be a ninth mystery ring [a quest item], but I wont go into detail about that one ;)

Rings described from left to right / top to bottom:

Heart Ring:
Slowly reginerates your health, at the expense of your magic meter.

Green Orb Ring:
Slowly reginerates your magic.

Blue Orb Ring:
Reduces the use of your air meter by 1/2, enabling you to swim beneath water or lava twice as long.

Silver Diamond Ring:
Increases your luck in finding bombs / arrows / health hearts / and magic jars

Shield Ring:
Decreases the damage you receive from enemies by 1/2 (not effective on spikes, drowning, or roasting in lava (when you dont have the fire charm)

Morning Star Ring:
Decreases your magic usage by 1/2

Mirror Ring:
Reveals hidden paths and ghost blocks [at the expense of your magic meter.]

Gold Diamond Ring:
Increases your luck in finding coinage (money)

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Again, let me remind you all, you can only have one ring equipped at a time. So there's no mixing of the varying powers.

9-12-13 - Inventory Screen Preview

Its high time that I should post another update. And show off some progress :P

Its still a bit early in development and its the reason I havent posted any updates in the past week. This has been one tedious bit of the game to work on, having to integrate an actual inventory screen to the game. And while it looks good now, its still missing quiet a few important elements which I may start updating on since I've revealed it here just now.

A few things to go over here...

The top bar is the actual in-game hud bar which I've also added to the inventory screen (perhaps the laziest thing I've done in the game so far instead of just adding a proper stats panel :P ) Here you can view your HP which is displayed in the visual form of hearts. Then you can view your current fire breathing power (first little window next to the hearts) and then eventually your current item-in-use in the second little window (not yet properly integrated) After the item and power windows you see your current MP useage. I've explained how this works in another blog post, with the use of a proper magic meter and then the magic container jars which acts as your max-magic increase system (you collect these magic jars throughout the game each one increasing your maximum magic usage)

Moving away from the game's hud bar and to the Fire Power panel, you see your five major fire powers that your able to select here on the inventory screen (as well as toggle through them on the game via the L and R trigger buttons and the keyboard buttons 1 through 5). This panel is pretty self explanatory and is currently the most functioning of the current three panels.

Moving down to the next panel, this is your Items panel.  Here you can see all the major equipment type items that you'll be able to collect and use throughout the entire game. I'll go over this more in depth in another update (but I suppose you can guess what most of these items are and maybe even have a vague idea on how they work). There are five jars that you can collect, used to store certain potions and other things (I left one jar out just to show what the empty jar slot looks like... simple cosmetics, that.). The question Mark item is a placeholder for your quest items, which will not be function-able in Demo #5 (quest items as in the items that you collect from certain npc's, take them to other npcs to collect the next item and so on... Ex: most Zelda games, Donkey Kong Country 3, etc)

That last little panel just displays the Ability Charms that you've collected. I've explained how these little charms worked in another blog post and I think I've also explained that you dont have to equip them. Once you've collected them, they auto equip themselves and your able to use their functions instantly.

That's all I've got for now. I'll post more updates on this development in later days. As always, stay tuned!

9-1-13 - Magic Rings

Three rings for the Alicorns in their great halls.
Seven for the Earthly Ones in their wooden barns.
Nine for the Pegasi in their cloudy lofts.
Four for the Unicorns in their Magic Circles.
One Ring for the Dark Lord on his Evil Throne.
In the world beneath Equestria where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all. One Ring to find them.
One Ring to bring them all and in the darknmess bind them.
In the world beneath Equestria where the shadows lie.

lol, just kidding. None of that has anything at all to do with this game. 9_9;

But there are a few different magic rings to collect and each one has its particular use.

Magic rings in this game are used to increase luck, whether it be for collecting certain objects such as magic crystals (used to replentish your MP) or heart crystals (for replentishing your HP)

Or they can be used as a regen item (health or magic slowly regenerates)

You can only have one ring equiped at a time and as to hows many types of rings there are and how they will all work, its a system I'm still working on.

I like the idea of having a ring that increases your luck as well as having other rings used for regeneration and other things, but its a system that needs to be perfectly balanced for this sort of game. Perhaps I should study up more on such things from the Castlevania games. :P

If anybody has any suggestions for this system, please let me know something! I'll actually be making another such post once this system is all figured out. So stay tuned!

8-26-13 - Magic Meter Usage and Fire Power Select

In today's this morning's update I'd like to go over the usage of the magic meter and the three ways you will be able to select your fire breath powers.

The magic meter functions like most magic meters resembling that of the ones from Zelda but with a slight difference.

throughout the game you will be able to collect four magic upgrade jars each one increasing your magic ammount by a whole bar. These four jars will be displayed above your magic meter and according to how much magic you still have, the jars will show either full or empty (this would resemble the health meter from the metroid prime series)

The meter has already been put in place and it already also has its usage. currently certain fire breathing powers use the magic meter such as Magic Breath, Ice Breath and Spark Breath . And there may be some items that may put your magic meter to use too.

Speaking of fire breath powers, I've added the convient feature where you can toggle which fire breathing power you want by tapping the secondary left and right shoulder buttons on your gamepad (or the left and right alt buttons on your keyboard)

You can also select your power by tapping numbers 1 through 5 on your keyboard (1 is for your default fire breath, 2 is for ice breath, 3 is for magic breath, 4 is for spark breath and five is for the dragon blade) think classic Doom here with the gun selection method. ;)

Cureently I am in the process of building an inventory screen where you will be able to also select your fire power as well as your in game items as well as a few other things you'd normally see in an inventory screen. Also, I must brag, the in game's hud looks rather spiffy! Wish I could show you guys what this stuff looks like, but I already swore to not reveal anything until my birthday on October the 8th... So I ask that you be patient. I'm at least updating the blog here about the progress. so be happy with that ;)

Anyway, that's all I've got for this update. We just finished having a birthday party here at my apartment for my cousin... the place is a disaster and I'm sleepy as all heck. :P I'll post more for you guys later so keep checking in!

8-21-13 - Multi-Directional Control and Different Types of Firebreath

I've just finished applying the mechanics for multi-directional aiming, no longer will you be limited to the default left/right fire scheme of old.

I've borrowed this new system from the Metroid series (Super Metroid and the two GBA Metroid games) where you press and hold the left shoulder button to aim diagonal (up and down and in the direction that your looking) or aim directly up while standing still. This should make killing certain enemies or destroying certain objects from a certain angle much easier.

The aiming system does kind of vary depending on what the situation is:

When crouching:

- if left shoulder is being pressed and according to the direction the player sprite is facing you automatically aim at  diagonal up direction (when facing left you face upLeft ; when facing right you face upRight)

- when the left shoulder button is not being pressed you default to left and right directions.

When climbing a grate or a ladder:

 - if left shoulder is being pressed, climbing is halted and the player engages in aiming mode enabling you to aim before firing. In this mode you are able to aim in six different directions: (left, right, Diagnal:(up-Left, down-Left, up-Right, down-Right))

 - if the left shoulder button is not being pressed, directions are defaulted to left and right only. And also you cant shoot while in the process of climbing

When climbing/sliding on walls or hanging on ledges:

- depending on which way the wall is facing (left or right) the player would be limited to 3 different aiming angles. Example: if the wall is facing right then you'd be limited to aiming left or when the left shoulder button is being pressed, you may select left or diagonal(upLeft, downLeft). If the wall was facing right, it would be the same, only with it being in the 'right' direction

When moving across monkey bars:

- while not pressing the left shoulder button, the directions default to standard left and right

- while pressing the left shoulder button and depending on the direction the sprite is facing you automatically aim at a diagonal down direction (if facing left, you face downLeft ; If facing right you face downRight)

When swimming in water or in lava:

 - When the left shoulder button is pressed you will be able to aim diagonal (upLeft, downLeft, upRight, downRight)

- when the left shoulder button is not being pressed then you default to left and right directions

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I'm still in the process of applying fire breath to this new aiming system. And since I'm in the process of doing that, I've taken the opportunity to work on different types of fire breath (Spike will learn new fire breathing techniques throughout the game. You will have five different types of fire powers to collect which would come in the form of a magic scroll (or Fire Scolls as I call them) or in the final weapons's case, an actual sword) Here's what I have in mind so far... (keep in mind, I'm still brainstorming on these and nothing is yet final. Feel free to give me your input on these.)

Fire Breath [default]

This is the fire power that you start the game out with. And its Spike's average green fire breath which acts as a standard weapon in the game. Also it would be used to light torches in dark rooms and destroy item blocks.

Ice Breath

With this fire power you would be able to turn certain enemies or objects into ice cubes which you then could use them as platforms or carry them around the current map area and place them wherever convenience. Ice breath would also be used as a weapon that would instantly kill certain fire based enemies (they wont become ice-cubes, but rather just explode upon impact). Ice breath does require the use of your magic meter though, so use sparingly.

Magic Breath

Magic breath does twice the damage on enemies as your standard fire breath. It also travels farther (as far as the edge of the screen) and it can destroy certain 'magic' blocks. Also, like fire breath it can be used to light lanterns in dark areas but with an added bonus: in some rooms, hidden 'ghost' platforms are revealed when lanterns are lit with the magic flame. And when this fire collides with a wall or other types of obstacles, it splits into four smaller projectiles and fly out in four seperate ways. But like the ice breath, magic flame also requires the use of your magic meter. Again, use this sparingly!

Spark Breath

This is a more electrified version of fire breath. That being said, this fire power can be used to stun certain enemies, or turn on power to certain electric powered devices in the game. This fire power also uses the magic meter... And I'm still thinking of other uses for this power, if you have any suggestions, let me know :)

The Dragon Blade

I've mentioned this final weapon in other blog posts before (specifically the mini-game posts from several months back) and I've been brain storming on how such a weapon could be used. I rather liked the sword weapon in Cave story, and I also liked how in most Zelda games, you throw a magical mimic of the master sword while at full health. So I've decided to use the dragon blade accordingly... This is the most powerful fire power in the game, in that it literally makes the other fire powers a bit useless. It does not require the use of the magic meter, and it does four times the damage as the standard fire breath. When equipped, it still takes the form of a sort of fire breath, but with a mimic image of a dagger within the flames (the way I visualize this, it looks kinda cool, so trust me on this...) This weapon will not be showing up in demo 5 however. It is strictly reserved for the final game. It still deserves a mention here though. :P

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That's all I have for now. I'll keep updating as things progress! Also, I'm still looking for more volunteer testers. It wont be long for the first engine test release, so sign up while you still have a chance!

Update: 8-16-13 - Blocks and other VERY Important News!!!

For the past couple of days I've been busy revamping the code for item blocks (those blocks that you shoot and they occasionally drop items and stuff). they look better graphically, and they have a few slight improvements as far as their existence goes. Recently I thought it would be an interesting idea to include the mechanic of head bumping these blocks [Mario-style] as well as ground pounding them [also Mario-ish] which would also get you the items inside them. Its not a neccesary mechanic, but it kinda does look neat.

Also I've been adding the functionality of other types of blocks. As mentioned in recent blog posts there are some blocks that you'd need certain ability charms to get past. So far there are only three of these types of blocks.

 - bomb block: when a bomb explodes in its vicinity it too would explode, and if there are other bomb nearby they too would activate causing a chain reaction of sorts. [this was actually featured in the old engine before I quit on it]
 - lizard block: You can only get past these tiles by performing a crouching slide. They will vanish temporarily and then reappear when the player sprite isn't overlapping it.
- anvil block: Performing a ground pound on these blocks would have the same affect as a crouching slide would have on the lizard blocks.

Of course, getting past these blocks would require having certain items in your inventory. Bombs for the bomb blocks, the lizard charm for the lizard block, the anvil charm for the anvil block and so on...

Last (but probably not least) of the block types are the boxes.

There are two types of boxes and both of them take the visual appearance of wooden crates. there's the small box and the large box.

the small box, you can pick up and carry around in the current map [this also introduces the new mechanic of being able to carry certain items/baby ponies/etc]. You will also be able to push it when not carrying it and then when need be, you can use it as a platform.

the large box would obviously be too heavy to carry around and therefor could only be pushed. And like the small box, it can be used as a platform.

Both box types can be destroyed and in a few different ways:
 - if they fall in lava
 - if they fall on spikes
 - if they fall from a long distance
 - exploding a bomb in their vicinity 
 - they cant however be destroyed by your fire breath (yeah, I know, screw logic. this is a vidyagame!)

Destroying boxes can also result in them dropping certain items. So its not all a total loss.

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Other News:

Ive recently been in contact with someone who wants to help me get my game featured in an upcoming convention [I wont go into full details without their permission]. Because of this recent achievement I've been set with an actual deadline for Demo #5.

The demo will need to be finished by the first of November (giving me plenty of time to get things done) and will be released on the same day as the convention.

Because of how important this event will be for the project I would like to make the engine as bug free as humanly possible. This would of course require some help.

For those of you who recently volunteered to bug test on the mini-games. I'd like to enlist you into the testing team for Demo 5 [with your permission of course]

I would also like to enlist new help for testing. So if your interested please e-mail me: bullockarts@gmail.com with the header: "Demo 5 tester"

I will be releasing bug test demos periodically to everyone on the testers list right up to the final release of Demo #5

Also, for everyone not involved with the testing: I will launch a production stream sometimes around my birthday [October 8th] to showcase most of the accomplishments so far and give you a preview of what to expect from Demo #5

More news to come. Stay tuned!

8-11-13 - Engine Reboot Update: Ability Charms and Lava

Got some more accomplishments over the past few days that I'll be touching up on in this update:

For a start, I have added functionality (and visuals) for lava pools in the game. Its not just a fall in and get hurt/death scheme here. As mentioned before, Spike has the ability to swim around in it and when he's acquired a certain item, he has full control and movement in it like he would with water.

However, a bit different than the water mechanics here.. While without the item for water, Spike can swim unharmed at the water's surface, Spike when without the item for lava will rapidly lose health while swimming at the lava's surface.

Once you've gained the item for lava Spike would be able to hop into the lava harm free and swim in it with full control. Also the lava will turn slightly translucent revealing hidden paths that  Spike can go to as he pleases. I thought this was a nice little touch to the game's engine and it looks pretty cool too! :)

Concerning items themselves:

I've set it up where Spike will need to collect Ability Charms throughout his quest in order to be able to do certain physical acrobatics and stuff. There's just five different charms here:

  - Lizard Charm
This charm will allow you to slide (and kick off of walls) as well as the ability to perform a slide kick while crouching on the ground. The slide kick could be used as an attack on certain enemies, and its also used to temporarily remove special tiles with the lizard icon on it (some of these tiles may be hidden in the main tileset via Metroid style)

  - Pegasi Charm
With this charm, you will be able to perform a double jump. Useful for reaching high and hard to reach places. Or transcend nasty death-pits that are too wide to cross with just a regular jump.

  - Anvil Charm
This charm will enable you to do a ground pound while in the air. While in 'flight' simply tap the down button and Spike will quickly pound the ground. I've considered using this also to temporarily reveal hovering ghost tiles when the  ground is pounded. The ground pound can also temporarily remove special tiles with the anvil icon on it (also potentially hidden like in Metroid)

 - Water Charm
As explained before, this charm will enable Spike to submerge himself into the depths of lakes. He can swim freely, up, down, left and right (with the ability to perform a swimming thrust in either of those directions). But while doing this your air meter will come into view and Spike will start to lose breath. So be sure to return to the surface asap!

 - Lava Charm
As already mentioned in this blog post, this charm will be that special item that Spike needs in order to swim harm free in the lava. the controls are similar to swimming in water and this charm allows Spike to see through the lava (as mentioned, the lava goes transparent while Spike is in it) revealing the secrets beneath the surface. But again, the air meter will also reveal itself and Spike will need to resurface to regain his breath.

currently the functionality of each of these charms are already hard coded into the engine. You cant yet collect them visually but I have a debug system that turns on and off their flags as I need them. I'm curently working on the visuals for these items and hopefully in the next day or so I'll have the system finished where you can collect them in the game instead of having to debug them into existence :P

More to come soon!