February Goals & Progress Thread

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

Last day of the month... Progress has been pretty good actually. I've added descriptions for the command selection, added an observe skill/command to determine the properties of the enemy and did some bug fixing...

 

[Kes]

Last day of the month, so here's my final update too.

I'm starting to plan for the next big area, the capital city.  Anyone who knows me will know that, despite all my good resolutions, I'm now deep in making/editing new tiles for the place.  I've got one of the roofs sorted i.e. I started with just the flat auto-tile roof.  It now has a slanted roof, roofs joining the main roof at different angles, what I know as dormer windows, they're the ones that are up in the roof and have their own small slanted roof over a window that juts out.  I've got front and side views going both ways for those, and also gable ends for the roofs so that nowhere will you see a flat default style roof.  I've also started making walls with timber panels 

Here is a test house.  It's just for checking alignment and passabilities (you can walk behind all my roofs) rather than being a building which I shall use - though it might be okay as an Inn.  All those bedroom windows need a reason to exist.

Spoiler

EDIT

I know that the wall within the patterned wood needs shading.  Just haven't done it yet, is all.

 

[Marsigne]

@marsigne. It does look very empty. If you aren't planning on using the forest for anything then you could have cut the entire left of the screen off by about 15 tiles.

The thing is, that I have it because I want it (especially the camera when in-game) to have a seamless look, because if you've looked at my outside maps, they have some "empty space" which is intentional to have a seamless look to the left and below (although I haven't made the below part, mostly because I won't be going down, I think I'll do it eventually), like in how it would be in Open World RPGs and maps

EDIT: By your post, I understood VideoWizard's question, and this is the definite answer (if he meant that the west part isn't being used), so thanks for saying it

That's a lot of empty space, and I'm not talking about the part above the farm in the Northeast corner of the map. There should at least be something in the trees west of the farm. As it is, almost half the map is empty.

 

[Matseb2611]

Everyone's doing final updates, I see. Let's see what I've had in mine...

- Act 2 is pretty much done. Just need to playtest it more. Should have it fully ready for my special testers tomorrow.

- Did more reviews for RM games, as I wanted.

- Did a lot of things for ReStaff too.

Seems to be going well. Going to get thinking on my March goals now.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

before I forget, and since IDK when I'd be able to go surfing on the internet again... some screenshots

Spoiler

Spoiler

On a side note, I'm thinking of making character leveling in the game, story based...


Also, the VP is also still under thinking. It's basically MP with some other effects in case it gets lower like lower state resistances and so on. I'm also thinking of just removing it and just make more powerful skills slower and so on since the battles are using the DA-CTB system...

 

[mlogan]

Gonna make a last post here, which is basically a non-update. I've really struggled with motivation this month and posting here. I'm hoping that warming weather will change things!

@marsigne - Something to note about that mass of trees - the player will never see the majority of it, as only so much of it will be seen on screen. If you have no intention of putting things in there, you could really get away with make the map much smaller. It would also help out with the issue of the player having to walk that long road. It may not seem that big now, but stick an actor and try it out.

 

[hiddenone]

Wow, it's then end of the month already.  Looking at my goals, I did manage to complete them all... kinda.  I finished writing the story for one game, but ended up mapping for a different game.     But since I didn't really specify what I'd be mapping, I'm going to count this as a win.

Maybe for March my goal should be to focus on one game only. 

 

[Marsigne]

@marsigne - Something to note about that mass of trees - the player will never see the majority of it, as only so much of it will be seen on screen. If you have no intention of putting things in there, you could really get away with make the map much smaller. It would also help out with the issue of the player having to walk that long road. It may not seem that big now, but stick an actor and try it out.

The view of the camera in 640 x 480 resolution widely is 9.5 tiles away, so that's why it's long, and while it's longer than needed, I kept it like that for legacy because there's where I started the map. But it shouldn't bother because I don't either intend to make something on the left side of the map for now (because it will go to the forest instead) and they really won't be going to there (so it won't be seen) And yes, I've tried it out, and although it may be long, the actors simply won't be going to the left side of the map, so it's there mostly for seamless viewing

@Engr. Adiktuzmiko - Wow, that menu looks really nice and clean! keep it up!

 

[Another Ned]

My mind's a bit all over the place today, but before I forget it, let's do a reality check:

Goals VS Reality

• scribble and scan in placeholder graphics //placeholder scribbles for town, done. Even added colours for mood
• setup placeholder stuff in database //pretty much done, except for most functionalities
• get my evented random encounter system to work properly //only did more planning on how to implement it, but it's basically working
• figure out how I implement NPC conversations //I had it pretty much figured out and then realized that I was thinking way too complicated.
• map the first sixth of the game //placeholder maps to test out stuff are done
• get my characters names, or at least personalities, a plot outline that is less rough than the current one, and maybe at least a working title //Characters have names, personalities, basic backstory, I do have a plot outline but still no working title
• double check if everything works for the in-town menu //Oops, I knew I had forgotten about something

All in all, I can't believe I got this much done, even though most of it isn't exactly part of the goals list! Seems like my motivation tries to make up for the months of creative indifference and burnout last year.

Oh, more progress from today (friday is paperwork day, so I needed a break):

• completely rewrote the plot for the first area

 

[bgillisp]

@Marsigne: I know what you are going for, so I have no problems with the empty space. Sometimes we get too obsessed with everything has to have something, and then go crazy when we see all trees, but yet want their games to be realistic. I wonder if these same people have ever driven through Western Nebraska sometimes. As it is, I see nothing wrong with empty space for a placeholder (or even some on the map too!) it sure beats trying to draw over it later.

@Chiara: I've had to redo my events on Chapter 1 as well to make my game flow better. Kind of interesting going back over them and going "What in the WORLD was I thinking when I made this event?"

2.28 Update: Finished off the tower, and started the Pit Sequence. I only need to touch up a couple passages in the Pit, so I don't anticipate having to redo the entire map like the rest of the game so far. Once that is done, write the few remaining events, and go from there.

Though, I have learned so far that with the changed plot and events, the Pit is now too easy (as you now have two different party members than before, which can KO those monsters quickly!). The monsters are barely scratching me. Looks like a little rebalancing is needed.

May keep plugging at it some today, but am moving over to the March thread now.

 

[mlogan]

@Marsigne: I know what you are going for, so I have no problems with the empty space. Sometimes we get too obsessed with everything has to have something, and then go crazy when we see all trees, but yet want their games to be realistic. I wonder if these same people have ever driven through Western Nebraska sometimes. As it is, I see nothing wrong with empty space for a placeholder (or even some on the map too!) it sure beats trying to draw over it later.

I don't feel I was getting obsessed with realism or "everything has to have something". I just don't see the point in putting things in maps that the player will never, ever see.  Which is going to be the case with these trees. And I only know that because I've done that before - in fact, I went through this big effort one time of painstakingly parralax mapping this beautiful tropical forest - and only realized after I plugged it in that 75% would never be seen by the player.

It was a waste essentially and that was my only point.

 

[Marsigne]

@Marsigne: I know what you are going for, so I have no problems with the empty space. Sometimes we get too obsessed with everything has to have something, and then go crazy when we see all trees, but yet want their games to be realistic. I wonder if these same people have ever driven through Western Nebraska sometimes. As it is, I see nothing wrong with empty space for a placeholder (or even some on the map too!) it sure beats trying to draw over it later.

That's my intention, and you got good points I'll be working on it today and hopefully cover the space that is placeholder to give a better idea of what I'm doing

I don't feel I was getting obsessed with realism or "everything has to have something". I just don't see the point in putting things in maps that the player will never, ever see.  Which is going to be the case with these trees. And I only know that because I've done that before - in fact, I went through this big effort one time of painstakingly parralax mapping this beautiful tropical forest - and only realized after I plugged it in that 75% would never be seen by the player.

It was a waste essentially and that was my only point.

Yes, you have a good point , but in this case, it can be replaced later (like bgillisp said) and it just take little effort to complete it, only a few tiles are there unnecessarily, because the others are in there for seamless viewing  I got run out of likes today, by the way xD (it may be able to like in a few hours or minutes, depending on when I liked posts yesterday)

EDIT: Oh, it got refilled xD

EDIT 11:41 PM:

February 28, 2015: Worked on the map more, for now it is complete, only the NPCs are left

 

[MisterTorgue]

@Oceaniqo - Sorry for not being able to participate in the Emotion in Motion contest, but... heh, I was going to say something like "try", but this is it: I WILL create a cinematic scene about the contest. While I won't participate, I will make it, and probably be part of the pack of cinematic scenes I have to finish first with the 2nd and 3rd cinematic scenes though, so this can probably be the fourth, depending if it ends well or not, hehe.

February 27, 2015: There've been a lot of stuff going, both IRL and other places, and unafortunately it led me to demotivation it's not all bad though, as I've had an adventure and have kept talking in Skype, although I was inactive for a few days before I need to get more discipline in being active, hehe xD so, by counting the goals:

• Return to the cinematic scenes territory - Started good but ended up not-so-good, but at least I'm more active than before on here
  
• Do at least 5 1 minute cinematic scenes - Unless I finish the second cinematic scenes I am making, it will be only 1 finished :/
  

I have got ideas and teachings about game-making by lurking around, and got motivated by something (lol *hides*) and started making cinematic scenes today here is a screenshot of a map of 2nd cinematic scenes being worked out. I would also like to thank Susan for giving me feedback on the maps (which were two, one is this one and other is a map that will be revealed later)

The events in the farm will be workers of the farm, and the empty space above the farm is a placeholder for something that I will put in there, because it won't be empty, of course xD

Create small grass areas in the forest with flowers and long grass and such, give it less of a blocky feel and more of a forest feel

(remove some trees to give enclosed areas that you cant get too but it still looks nice)

 

[Marsigne]

Create small grass areas in the forest with flowers and long grass and such, give it less of a blocky feel and more of a forest feel

(remove some trees to give enclosed areas that you cant get too but it still looks nice)

You forgot; it's not a forest XD actually thanks for the ideas, I can implement that inside the forest I'm going to make (that it's entrance will be in the upper part of the map)

 

[Kes]

Hey, everyone else is on the March thread now.

 

[Marsigne]

Hey, everyone else is on the March thread now.

Yep xD I guess he wanted to give me a suggestion of a photo of this thread, that's why

But it seems like wolfs keeps wandering around, lol jk xD