next »

[Bones]

This weeks updates:

• I managed to get jumping through platforms to work so now I wont have the low roof issue with the clouds and mushrooms.
• Furiously studying level design
• Fleshed out most of the entire game
• Began working on a radial drawing effect

I've been attempting to dissect the second level, as it's general feel is something I need to really work on throughout the whole game.



Started working on a few radial type effects.






This effect seems to have a few uses like drawing multiple objects in a ring.

[happymonster]

Looks cool!

[namragog]

Very, very nice~

[Bones]

The firesword at the moment when rotating becomes rather temperamental when moving about.
I'm going to make it's behavior a bit more suitable, perhaps make it a bit smarter.

There were issues with the collision it was like this [-o----] and the o was the part that did the collision.

By creating this new object to do come collisions for me, hopefully I can get the sword to work a bit better.





[ooooo]

Now I can do something like this, at the moment it is [o o o] but it is easy enough to modify and make the circles smaller and more of them to be in a straight line.

[Bones]

Decided to make the in-game quotes easier to to read by giving them a background.
I don't currently like how the curl looks on the scroll.

[Linkshot]

That is Mario 1-2 you silly goof.

[Bones]

Whoops your right, total error in details on my part.  
I can always edit the image so no one will ever be the wiser.  

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

watching a few of the most recent videos (but not having read most of this thread, or tried the demo) a few questions:

- is the gun that destroys stuff going to be limited somehow in the game? like with limited ammo or something? because otherwise i can see any level being too easy since you can just blase your way through anything

- if you do damage to an area, and leave and return, is the damage repaired, or is it still there?

- do the procedural trees that grow up from the ground do anything, or are they just for cosmetic purposes?

anyway, been looking forward to this game for a while. (i'd rather wait and play the full game before trying out the demo though, so as to get the full experience all at once.)

[namragog]

Decided to make the in-game quotes easier to to read by giving them a background.
I don't currently like how the curl looks on the scroll.

Why is the in-game image different than the one on the left? The left one is much better.

[Bones]

- is the gun that destroys stuff going to be limited somehow in the game? like with limited ammo or something? because otherwise i can see any level being too easy since you can just blase your way through anything

There is a limit in the ammo.
The gun it's self has an overheat and can only be shot for so long.
I'm trying to make many of the bosses fights indirect so you aren't just shooting it for a while till it dies.

I certainly wont make it easy for the player to directly shoot all enemies.
The gun was really only intended for destruction of terrain.
Which I'm trying to create a more focused game design based upon while also including the enemies I've created.

- if you do damage to an area, and leave and return, is the damage repaired, or is it still there?

At the moment the damage is still there when the player returns to old levels.
I'm not too sure the tree's will stay if you close the game and return, but the terrain will likely stay broken.

- do the procedural trees that grow up from the ground do anything, or are they just for cosmetic purposes?

At the moment they are strictly aesthetic, although I was considering adding some bird objects that interact with the tree.
I just spent an hour or so figuring out how to create fruit objects on the branches, was harder than it should have been.

I was planning on creating a couple tree types so the fruit will change depending on the tree.
Or I could just have one fruit that simply heals the player when you use it in the inventory.

anyway, been looking forward to this game for a while. (i'd rather wait and play the full game before trying out the demo though, so as to get the full experience all at once.)

Thanks, I've been doing my best to not let the story devour the game, which is what has been happening.
I don't think it's a bad thing, but it's slowing down the creation process cause I just keep finding new stuff and want to add it right away.

I know a few people who wont play it until it's done, likely the best choice.

[Bones]

This might be an extremely rare item that may be fun to play with.




I've been productive this week, made 2-3 levels.
Been looking at my old videos for some inspiration.

I'll hopefully release a new demo in the next month or so.

[Bones]

Updates

• Restricted meditation to only when the player is standing on solids.
• Restricted the ability to meditate underwater, instead now when you hold or press down you swim down.
• Added oxygen to the game when the player is underwater.
• The player now heals slowly over time while meditating.
• Astral projection will not occur unless the player is full health.

[Panurge]

I love the concept and the whole aesthetic of this. So many interesting ideas and details (one I've just noticed is the 'eden' in your logo - nice touch!).

[sonjool]

Decided to make the in-game quotes easier to to read by giving them a background.
I don't currently like how the curl looks on the scroll.

It might be because the curl is very round whereas the main body of the scroll is very rectangular with a slight curve. Try incorporating that kind of shape language to the curl part by making it resonate the main shape of the scroll better.

[Bones]

(I've just noticed is the 'eden' in your logo - nice touch!).

"Eden" in the title was totally coincidental.

Here is a new destruction tile I'm working with.

[Bones]

Started working on these decorative dollar bill things seen on the great seal.
Can't quite get them exactly how they appear on the bill, but close enough.

[Bones]

Got some more pixel pushing done this morning.

Here is a list of updates I've made in this past month.

• Roughed out 4 new levels
• Began creating the Astral Plane
• Added an asteroids/jezzball type object that splits when shot.
• Added a Bullet Bill type object.
• Created a teleporter object (the black rectangles)
• Pixeling more foliage and scenery

[Bones]

Not much progress lately I'm sad to report.
I'm at a fork in the road where I have to choose if I start to develop the game in GM:Studio for the mac release and better level editor.

Or do I do I continue to work on the GMK that I have been working on for 4 years while I've been learning Game Maker.
The existing GMK has become messy, I've forgotten what some things do, and often look at it unsure where to start.

I now know more about game maker than I did when I started.

The con to GM:Studio is it's often unstable and crashes on me.
The con to staying with GM 8 is no mac release and crappy level editor.

Pro to GM:Studio mac release + and zoom function in level editor and the GM8 version still exists to work from.
Pro to GM8 I don't have to rewrite anything and just keep working on it how it is in the flawed and broken shambles it is.

Also lack of responses from anyone has left me without much motivation to do either.
As I have been the last one to post here in the last couple months...
Many of my friends have been preparing me for the first re-write of the project.
I assume it's natural for many large projects to need to do so after a certain amount of time.

Fez got restarted like three times I think, so I'd only be working on second version.
Luckily not many of the levels are too intensely developed for it to be hard to recreate them in the new version again once it's all working and in order.

[JLJac]

It's a difficult problem. I guess it comes down to what kind of person you are - if you are A: the type who likes a proper marriage to a project and can work on it for ever, or if you B: have new ideas all the time and the difficulty is finishing anything.

If you're an A, it might be worth it, because you want to create one game, and make it perfect, and you know that you are commited enough to continue. I've no idea what it looks like in an A's head, but I can imagine that they would be dissapointed to release something flawed, making it worth it to work even longer in order to get it right.

If you're a B, like me, it's under no circumstances worth it to restart! B comes up with four new ideas every day, it's finishing them that's difficult. So to the B ideas are not a valuable resource, but work is. Which makes it a bad bargain to trade away many hours of work in order to save an idea.

As I totally dig the style of your game, I'd prefer that you'd just wrap it up and finish already! 

[Panurge]

Wisdom

I love the look of this game. It's interesting and original and there seems to be a refreshing amount of substance behind its style. Onwards!