next »

[happymonster]

I like the graphics and the idea also. The problem here is the number of Devlogs mean a Diary can be top of the boards in the morning and on page 2 or 3 by the evening.. 

[Bones]

I am mostly a hardcore A, but I am also B as I've made 18 game prototypes while making this game as I needed to learn game maker.
I did however get the video games desktop icon tattooed on my body so...
Not to mention this game has become a snowball of ideas and content, it would be nice to like sort out all the mess and clutter.

I'm ADHD and can become very obsessive as the content of this game should show.

I think I'm going to try a month of Game Maker: Studio and try making the new prototype and see if I can at least get the Platforming engine re-written.
Everything else exists already, it's easy enough to port over but if I tried to just convert the GM8 file into GM:Studio it would take way more time likely sorting out what is wrong.
Rather than just start from scratch in the new platform.

I feel the game has to be what I feel it needs to be, any less and I would feel like I let you all down.

I'm motivated to get this game done as long as I don't die accidentally first.
I do live chaotically and not at all within my limits.
Trying to sort out my life as a full-time starving artist in my city.
While also finding time to work on the game. ^^;

It'll happen.
If the Game Maker: Studio shows no promise for me, I will just keep on making it in the original GMK.

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

they are improving studio all the time, so if it's crashing for you, make sure to report those crashes in the gm studio bug tracker, and they'll fix them

i am still working in gm7 for saturated dreamers though. it's just too much of a hassle to port it to new versions each time one comes out, especially because it'd involve a lot of changes to the graphics and code. i plan on porting it to studio for the mac port *after* it's released

also: remember that you *can't* port it to mac even with studio unless you own a mac and a software license for that mac (which costs 99$). that's a big drawback

[JLJac]

Hehe well the tattoo stays where you put it, so I guess you're the commitment kind of guy.

When it comes to the way you live your life, this is obviously not at all my thing to get involved in as a random guy on the internet, but have you thought about changing your approach? Instead of living chaotically and on the verge of starvation, you could perhaps pick up a job. Granted, it will rob you of 8 productive hours every day. But a job provides you with two things, structure and food - and in the end it might be that getting up in the morning and not starving increases your productivity so much that your monthly output is greater compared to your current life style. Just give it a thought.

I feel the game has to be what I feel it needs to be, any less and I would feel like I let you all down.

Well, you probably know about the Allegory of the Cave - the perfect form of your game only exists in your head, and what you can create will always just be a shadow on the Cave wall. No matter how good you make it, you can only approximate the ideal. It might take twice as long to reach 99.5% of perfection than it takes to reach 98%, and you'll never reach 100% - ask Tarn Adams. So you might as well relax and not think about this too much.

I don't know about GM, but if you're just updating to a new version of the same software, maybe some code can be moved over straight? Also, it will of course be much quicker to write everything the second time. Just be sure to not get stuck in an infinite rewrite loop:

[Bones]

also: remember that you *can't* port it to mac even with studio unless you own a mac and a software license for that mac (which costs 99$). that's a big drawback

I don't have a mac but I have lots of access to them.
And I did do an indie-gogo campaign that earned me $750 over two years.
I still have some of this saved up for just that purchase.

Well, you probably know about the Allegory of the Cave - the perfect form of your game only exists in your head, and what you can create will always just be a shadow on the Cave wall.

I actually wrote an extensive paper on Plato's Allegory of the Cave and compared it to Galaxy Quest for Art Humanities.


This makes a lot of sense actually, it's like how an experience curve works in RPGs.

It's as if after so long of looking at something you begin staring at this huge grey wall.
And you can't see the flaws, and so you spend so much time just looking for what you should even be working on.

And this reflecting on what to even work on takes time.
Then you need the time to actually work on what you've reflected on and then time to reflect on what you have made.
I can certainly say without a doubt that this game is obviously over ambitious for me to even take on by myself.
I have people willing to offer help but my problem is I'm so unorganized and unstructured in my game design process that it's kind of just a trial and error approach. So I don't even know where I would put them to work.

As for living within my means, this is something I need to do.
But I can't find myself working with my hands if it isn't creatively productive or like mentally interesting.
I get that in the reality of things it's what a grown up does, but I've worked jobs - I'm sick of jobs. I just quit my job three weeks ago and opened up a Gallery for the week on the main avenue of my city.

So I'm focused and becoming more proficiently directed towards making a living as an artist and still being able to do what I love with the time I have to work on it.

[JLJac]

This makes a lot of sense actually, it's like how an experience curve works in RPGs.

I guess it's a little bit like approaching the speed of light; put in a certain amount of energy, and you get to 50%. Put in as much energy again, and you get to 75%. Put in as much energy again, and you get to 87,5%. And give it as much again, you get to 93,75%. To actually get there, it takes an infinite effort

It's as if after so long of looking at something you begin staring at this huge grey wall.
And you can't see the flaws, and so you spend so much time just looking for what you should even be working on.

I've run into this problem as well. Luckily, there's a very simple solution for it - make a to-do list.

As you encounter things that are not finished, put them on the list. Small and big, my list has things like "move the button ten pixels to the right" next to "rewrite the collision engine". When you don't know what to do, go to the list and pick something you feel like doing.

[Bones]

Went to a local chiptune show on Saturday and got some extensive play testing done from multiple random participants.
Gave me some great feedback, I made a lot of notes.
For the most part everything was coming natural to them.
The only problem most people found with my demo is that there is an item called
"Knowledge" and separate items called "Atoms"
When you right-click the Atoms a menu shows up that says "use your knowledge"
But this was me attempting to tell the player they have to use their knowledge... 

Most people just sat there clicking the atoms or dragging around the knowledge to the atoms.
They didn't really think of right-clicking the knowledge item and creating a gun with it.

The obvious choice is to just make the choice in the Atom's actually do the same thing as the knowledge thus removing any sort of mistake on any party.

[Bones]

Hey everyone, this project is still going!

During the Alberta Floods my laptop was stolen among many other things.
Dropbox doesn't seem to have the backup - Ironically when I originally released the Solstice Demo on IndieDB 25 people downloaded a version that contains the source code. So 25 people have a source code GMK that I no longer seem to have access to.

But it's no big loss just a years worth of work.
It's okay, now I can really focus on how to make everything run properly.
The game has come back on track - I'm working pretty efficiently considering my extended break from programming.

Stay tuned.

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

sorry to hear, but on the plus side it's probably less than a year because the second time you do something it's like half as easy as the first time since you already did it once

[Conker534]

Thats so sad, sorry to hear that. But like paul said you're going to be able to catch up real fast because you've already done it once, and at least now you can make changes or fix something that may have not been fixable before hand.

[Belimoth]

That's rough dude! I'm glad you're sticking with it.

[gimymblert]

I share the feeling, hope it does not bother you too long

[mokesmoe]

If the level editor is a problem, you should try 8.1, which has a better level editor than 8. (zooming and scrolling) I believe the 8 license carries over to 8.1.

I remember hearing complaints about 8.1, but I think they were about the free version and I haven't had any problems personally. 8.1 doesn't overwrite 8 so you can still go back anyways. (You can't load an 8.1 file in 8 though.)

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

the problems of 8.1, if i recall, were much greater than just problems with the free version of it. you'd have to ask teegee for details though; he's always recommended that people stick with 8 rather than 8.1 for their serious games

[Bones]

sorry to hear, but on the plus side it's probably less than a year because the second time you do something it's like half as easy as the first time since you already did it once

This is seriously true.

I have already re-implemented the inventory system and astral projection.
I've decided to re-make all the levels with less objects so it uses less memory.
I'm also noticing so many inefficient habits I picked up over the years.
Have a lot to clean up and organize, but it's coming together quickly.

Just making sure I use the Game Maker manual more and read up on anything I'm not sure of.

I will likely stay with GM8 as I know it pretty well.
I can live with the level editor, I've organized my objects in a more efficient manner.

[Conker534]

yay!

[gimymblert]

boost powa!

[DantronLesotho]

Glad to hear it's back on track; I was/am looking forward to this one.

[habadash]

This game is looking friggin' sweet. Where did you find that font?

[brettchalupa]

bones, are you still working on this?