Dev Day Episode 59: I Can't See Outside Right Now Because The Blinds Are Closed. WAIT I OPENED IT IT"S SNOWING

so right now i'm pretty happy with the game, even though it's very unfinished, i'm going to start asking some people to play this prototype.

i want feedback on the character designs and how the game plays.

i will direct people to this post because it will contain the link for the game.

right here.

this will redirect over to dropbox where anyone will be able to view the file.

i know some people that would actually love to maybe get my game as a physical gift.

because they're fans of my work, some little kids, but they're pretty cool.

i'll burn that onto a disk, i think they'll like that.

i've been sketching up ideas for level one.

i need to make a setup that will introduce the core mechanics in separate safe environments.

i'll take a lot of inspiration from famous metroidvania games,

sections for combat seperated and linked with sections for platforming.

this core level design philosophy will hopefully lead to an optimal gameplay experience.

tomorrow still working on level

and today i learned a little bit more of how i'm going to share my game.

it costs a fee to put a game on steam, i've hear.

i could potentially sell physical copies of the game on disks, but i don't know if i would reach the right audience for it.

it's a lot to consider.

TO ANYONE PLAYING THE GAME, PLEASE LEAVE REVIEWS, COMPLEMENTS, OR CREATIVE CRITICISM IN THE COMMENTS.

Dev Day Episode 58: It’s Pitch Black Out Because It’s 7:48 At Night, Because I Had A Field Trip Today That Lasted Aaaaaaaaaaalllllllllll Day.

so i'm finding out my laptop has a dvd burner.

so i'm going to start making some prototype disks to give out to some testers so i can get feedback.

i've got my first prototype disk burnt and labeled.

it's on my dad's desk right now.

unfortunately, this is all i did today, on account of my being absent.

tomorrow, i'll be checking if the computers at school have the same disk drive i do, to see if i can make prototype disks there too.

...

i've already sent what i've completed up to today to some close friends of mine, i didn't expect the most in depth critique from them, but luckily i wasn't disappointed.

everything i heard was largely positive, they said it controls well, but it's a little hard to get used to.

i don't remember exactly what they said so i get some more people to test it out and see if i can isolate some comments.

i also managed to spot some bugs with other people playing it, like they're able to get the grabbling hook to go through walls.

this will be fixed.

Dev Day Episode 57: It's Cloudy Out, It Used To Be A Little Sunny Out Earlier.

so instead of working more on the rain, i worked on some lighting stuff because it would accomplish what i really wanted and more.

so this is what it looks like in game right now, because i finished it already.

but there might be a better place to show this off.

but i really like how this all looks.

there are two bits of particle ffects here, one for the light bit, and one for the magic bit.

here's the code for the light bit:

///the light bit

c_lampelightblue=make_color_rgb(60,188,252);

//particle system

part_light_sys = part_system_create();

part_system_depth(part_light_sys,0);

//particle

part_light = part_type_create();

part_type_shape(part_light,pt_shape_flare);

part_type_scale(part_light,1,1);

part_type_size(part_light,18,20,0,0.1);

part_type_color2(part_light,c_lampelightblue,c_lampelightblue);

part_type_alpha1(part_light,0.1);

part_type_life(part_light,1,1);

part_type_blend(part_light,1);

//particle emitter

part_light_emit = part_emitter_create(part_light_sys);

part_emitter_region(part_light_sys,part_light_emit,x,x,y,y,ps_shape_ellipse,ps_distr_gaussian);

part_emitter_stream(part_light_sys,part_light_emit,part_light,1);

and here's the code for the magic bit.

///the magic bit

c_lampelightblue=make_color_rgb(60,188,252);

c_lampdarkblue=make_color_rgb(60,288,252);

//particle system

part1_sys = part_system_create();

part_system_depth(part1_sys,1000000);

//particle

part1 = part_type_create();

part_type_shape(part1,pt_shape_flare);

part_type_scale(part1,1,1);

part_type_size(part1,0.25,0.35,-0.005,0.2);

part_type_color2(part1,c_lampdarkblue,c_lampelightblue);

part_type_alpha2(part1,0.75,0.25);

part_type_speed(part1,0.1,0.3,0,0);

part_type_direction(part1,0,359,0,0);

part_type_gravity(part1,0.2,90);

part_type_life(part1,room_speed*0.5, room_speed);

part_type_blend(part1,1);

//particle emitter

part1_emit = part_emitter_create(part1_sys);

part_emitter_region(part1_sys,part1_emit,x-10,x+10,y-10,y+10,ps_shape_ellipse,ps_distr_gaussian);

part_emitter_stream(part1_sys,part1_emit,part1,1);

and i learned everything from this video.

tomorrow, i'll, i don't know i'll start making the intro level.

the hubworld is pretty much done except for more universal mechanics.

Dev-Day Episode 56: It's Rainy And Pretty Cloudy Out Today

got myself a new naming convention, i'm going to name these blog titles after the weather i see outside.

come and get your healthbar overlay.

this is just layered over the healthbar in-game, with the same object using the draw_sprite command.

in-game it looks like this.

you may also notice that the rain doesn't go over the healthbar.

that's because of setting the foreground image to the room, i set it to an object with a set depth.

i make the rain fall by giving the object a downward speed, but the speed is not set.

i have a modifier so that every time the room is re-created the rain is moving at slightly different speeds.

it doesn't make much of a difference.

but at least it doesn't show up over the ui anymore.

i'm informed that the rain should stop when the game is paused.

i'll do more stuff with the rain tomorrow.

Dev-Day Episode 55: Three

tomorrow i might change naming conventions, i'm getting tired of this one.

quick and easy solution to get the healthbar in the foreground, make a new object.

the draw event is tied to an object's depth, and so if one object draws a healthbar, its depth can't be changed.

here's the code from the new object, and it's depth is at like -1000000000 so it's way up front.

not in front of the rain though.

nothing's in front of the rain.

i think i can fix that by doing something similar to what i just did.

also, the healthbar is dynamic and changes depending on if the game is paused.

here it is in the character ui.

and it totally works.

tomorrow i'll be sketching up some enemies, maybe some fight animations, and after that i'll be working on level 1.

like an actual level 1.

i'm picking up momentum again.

...

actually before combat stuff i'll just be polishing up the healthbar.

no biggy.

and i'm still learning about the importance of ui placement and such.

Dev-Day Episode 54: Madness Of Men

making a healthbar.

but.

when the code's in the draw event,

arlette,

she's not drawn.

this needs to be solved.

i can't have an invisible player.
...


...
alright.

fixed it.

the code is real simple.

draw_self();

draw_healthbar(x-640,y-320,x-40,y-300,hp,c_black, c_red, c_lime, 0, true, true);

i just originally forgot to include the bit where it draws itself.

it even works a little bit.

now instead of restarting the room when arlette falls out of the world, it restarts when hp hits 0.

if (y>room_height){

hp=hp-10;

}

if (hp<0){

room_restart();

}

now i just need to figure out how to get the bar at the top layer, and then i can start making it look good.

i'll be doing that tomorrow.

Dev-Day Episode 53: Phantom Pain

okay i'm not worrying about controller support for now, it's staying in the closet.

made some more musics things here and here.

they're just works in progress.

but they're coming along, with more development i think they could really be something.

i think that second one is just about done too, it's decent enemy encounter music.

maybe the instruments are wonky but w/e for now.

the instuments you pick, as i'm finding out are very important in the tone and setting.

a character's theme speaks a lot for their background and personality, it's what it's for it sets the tone.

tomorrow i might start making so combat stuff, or enemies, or a damage system.

a think a damage system is the way to go tomorrow.