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81

Graphics / Re: Koh's Sprite Joint

« on: August 21, 2013, 05:40:09 pm »

Yes you did =).  I've updated most of what you were talking about already.


Finally trying my hand at Panoramic Backgrounds again, since I've little to no experience with them.  I figure it's best to make the panorama similar in style to the foreground, keeping it "blocky."  The hardest part was shifting the colors towards the sky...

82

Coding / Re: What's the Most Efficient Way to Program This?

« on: August 09, 2013, 09:50:39 pm »

I don't see a point in assigning a probability in a 2D array. You can easily make a structure or a class that holds a probability variable inside to go against this.

-List<Weapon>
-Weapon has probability, quality, etc.
-Roll some sort of percentage
-Go through list and choose the one that fits.

Simple. Sort of efficient. Not messy. Not confusing.

Actually, now that I think about it, Game Maker's ds_list functions more like that kind of list.  If I were to make each weapon a ghost object to make use of inheritance, that would work nicely.  The problem is, all objects inherit from an invisible Object superclass, which houses all the default variables objects have in Game Maker.  It just seems less memory intensive to have a few lists/arrays/vectors/etc. that are cross referenced, rather than a bunch of bulky ghost objects floating around, who are just accessed in a ds_ist.

83

Coding / Re: What's the Most Efficient Way to Program This?

« on: August 09, 2013, 02:40:37 pm »

I understand, it's just this isn't an inventory that infinitely expands, but rather a simple 25 slot inventory that stores all the qualities of items.  The only thing I'd have to backtrack to update is the max value for the 2nd tier, since more attributes of an item could come in my head, such as resistance boosts, buff effects, etc.  Game Maker DOES have ds_lists, though, which I guess is similar to a C++ vector?  Maybe I could use that...

84

Coding / Re: What's the Most Efficient Way to Program This?

« on: August 09, 2013, 02:10:49 pm »

@Starforsaken101
Oh, you totally reminded me of the existence of ENUM in C++.  I haven't used that since I took the first level programming class, despite how insanely useful it is.  I'm sorry, though, because I should have specified I was doing this in Game Maker.  I've never attempted to build a game in C++, though it IS something on my to do list, since I'm getting much more familiar with the language deep down as I climb the programming language classes (finished Object Oriented Programming two semesters ago, and totally understood it all, because of my experience with Game Maker).

@Aero88
The second half regarding a list of attributes and IDS is what I was leaning towards the most.  A 2D array, where the first value represents the inventory slot, and the second value represents each specific attribute as you listed.  The modification to this is I have the IDs set up first, at which the stat values will be read from a text file (instead of loading in a massive array of ALL the weapon stats into active memory) into the correct array locations.  Like this:

Code: [Select]

/*
2D array for storing items.  First value represents the inventory slot
number of an item, the second represents specifics:

Second Value Meanings
00 = Is there an item here or not (boolean).
01 = Item class (0 = knives, 1 = swords).
02 = Item ID of the item class.
03 = Special Quality ID (used for equipment).
04 = Name of Item
05 = Level Requirement
06 = Power Modifier
07 = Fort Modifier
08 = Mystic Modifier
09 = Stamina Modifier
10 = Energy Modifier
11 = Sprite for the item in the HUD.
*/
global.inventory[25,10]=0;


85

Coding / What's the Most Efficient Way to Program This?

« on: August 09, 2013, 01:07:42 am »

So I've been thinking about a little something I want to program into the World of Chaos games, and that's randomized equipment drops.  Like for example, when a monster is about to drop a Knife, instead of just getting a Knife, you have a chance to get a Polished Knife (which would be better than the regular Knife), or a Damaged Knife (worse than the regular Knife), and other tiers of such.  I was mostly thinking about how the heck I should approach this efficiently.

My primary thought is to have an array that represents an inventory (naturally) of 32 or however many slots for each class of item I want:  Consumables, Weapons, Armor and Key Items.  Inside this array is stored an ID number to represent an item.  My main focus is the Weapons (since the same could be done for the armor) array.  The values stored here would be ID numbers that represent an item...for example, 0 could be a Knife, 1 could be a Machete, 2 could be a Bronze Sword, etc.  However, I'd need another array that's adjusted alongside this that stores the adjusted "class" of the item.  0 would mean it's a plain old Knife, for example, 1 would mean it's a Polished Knife, 2 would mean it's a Damaged Knife, etc.  And finally, I'd need to create two lookup arrays; quite possibly 2D-arrays.   One with all of the weapons having their base values for each stat stored.  For example, 0, 0 would represent Knife's base Power stat, 0, 1 would be the Knife's base Fort stat, and etc.  The second 2D-array would be for the special classes, and how  much they modify the other values by percentage.  So 0, 0 would represent how much Polished affects the Base Power, 0, 1 would represent how much Polished affects the Base Fort stat, and etc.  The only problem I'm seeing with this method (besides being a bit weird to keep track of once the tables get pretty big) is...what if I want weapons to get random bonus stat increasers as well.  For example, you may pick up a plain old knife again, but this one has a +2 Power bonus.  Do I need to make the array that stores the special classes of each specific weapon in the weapons array a 2D array to store bonus changes too, also creating a bonus lookup table as well? And is this the most efficient route, or way more work than necessary?

I hope I'm being clear enough...this is boggling my mind.

86

Graphics Requests/Archive / Re: [Request for:] Link's Awakening: Link shooting bow + arrow sprites

« on: July 19, 2013, 11:04:20 am »

Here you go, just whipped these up for you quickly; hope they help.

87

Entertainment / Region Locks Are So Silly.

« on: July 12, 2013, 08:44:20 pm »

Seriously, they do nothing but cause trouble.  The GB(C)/GBA/DS were all region free, but the 3DS is regionlocked, and there are many games that won't be localized to other countries of varying origin.  Say I want to get a JRPG.  Too bad, I can't give them my money to do so because of the accursed lockout chip in there that says "Sorry Koh, but I can't let you do that.  You are going to find playing this Japanese game on your American system rather difficult."  What is the purpose of this?  Is it of any such significance that it can't be done in another fashion, rather than limiting consumers?  Is it just a stupid power show, just to show what companies are capable of?  Has anyone else had a problem with region locks on a game they've wanted to purchase before?  How the hell is someone supposed to know it's region locked anyway if they've either never heard of it, or did the proper research to know?  So they wind up spending money in a futile manner for a game they will be unable to play....

88

Graphics / Re: 3D WIP Graphics (For my indie RPG and various projects)

« on: July 10, 2013, 01:24:30 pm »

Models are definitely looking superb here =).  You even made the floppy disk look well enough with a low amount of polygons x3.  If anything, I'd suggest doing more original work; fan work is nice and all, but how about allowing us to see what's joggin' in your noggin' =3?

89

Graphics / Koh's Sprite Joint

« on: July 07, 2013, 09:11:07 pm »

No, you can't smoke this thread, don't even try .

I guess I should have my own general place where I can get some feedback on my work.  As you all know, I'm an aspiring game developer, and have a few projects underway.  However, I've mostly halted the other projects in favor of working on my own.  There are two primary original projects I have going on at the moment, being World of Chaos 1:  The Jewels of Life and World of Chaos 2:  Kenta's Journey.

Here is a basic screenshot of what I have done so far with the new version World of Chaos 1.  Some of you may remember the last time I worked on it a few months ago before I lost the data.  Due to that, I've started from scratch, but it has also allowed me to make various changes and updates to my ideas for the game.  So that said, here's an early preview screenshot; how does the graphical style look to you?



Just a note:
-I'm aware that the sky and panoramic backdrops are missing.  I've yet to draw them, and have very little to no experience in doing so...so I'm basically putting it off for a bit while I build the base engine.  Doing the code to get them to move around based on the screen is easy; actually drawing them is far more difficult o.o.

90

Graphics / Re: Animal Crossing GB!!!!

« on: June 20, 2013, 02:36:55 pm »

Looks like this could be an interesting project =).  I like how you chose the original monochrome Gameboy for the graphical style.  The only thing I'd like to point out is that the original Gameboy screen resolution is 160x144.  Good luck, and keep us abreast~

91

Entertainment / Re: Video Game Physics, Controls and Rules

« on: June 18, 2013, 08:10:39 pm »

At least with those games, you have extra lives and continues (except NG3, which can burn in hell).  There's room for human error, and certainly more leeway to not have to see the same first sets of levels over and over again.  That's all I need.  Give me extra lives and continues, and I'll gladly try to beat a hard game.  Take it away, and I won't ever touch it.  If it's going to be a long game like Kid Chameleon, give me a save system.  Otherwise, I'll be making my own through save states, so I can actually turn off the game and do other things while being able to pick up where I left off later.  I shouldn't have to make my own save system through the use of save states.

92

Entertainment / Re: Video Game Physics, Controls and Rules

« on: June 18, 2013, 12:09:45 am »

But there's a difference between being challenging and just being a pain in the ass.  I liked Double Dragon 1 and 2, for example, but 3...just a waste of time.  Constantly having to see the same first levels again simply because there are no extra lives or continues, and the game is hard.  That's just sadistic =x.  I love a challenge, but I also like it to be fair.

93

Entertainment / Video Game Physics, Controls and Rules

« on: June 17, 2013, 04:11:18 pm »

Let's discuss some major aspects of games that greatly affect how one would play them.

Controls
I feel like the controls shouldn't be too stiff, and the movement engine should be setup in such a way that it works with the game system.  For example...I feel the first Legend of Zelda's controls are way too stiff.  Link walks like he's on a grid (because he is), and that kind of movement just isn't suited for that type of combat system.  The same sort of problem occurs with Final Fantasy Adventure on Gameboy, and don't even get me started on the first StarTropics with that grid movement system.  Also, the controls should be responsive and not delayed to perform actions.  It's totally inexcusable to make a game where the action performs a second or two after you've already pressed the button.  There are many games I could use as an example that have bad control, such as Dark Castle on the Sega Genesis and any of the Action 52 games on NES.

Physics
As for the Physics...well they shouldn't be too floaty.  I can't stand it when you jump in games, and it's like...you're on the moon.  Cave Story is a good example of this, even though I love the game.  The objects should also have the same rules...it's really awkward to see the character push a crate or rock off of a cliff, only for it to fall like it's made of styrofoam or paper.  Also the character sliding around a lot like they're on ice, even when they aren't, is also something that's awkward.

Rules
The biggest offenses to gaming with this category are long games that don't have any sort of saving system, hard games that don't have any sort of extra lives or continue system or games that simply put way too much difficulty on the game.  An example of the first scenario would be Kid Chameleon on the Sega Genesis.  That game is long, and although you have extra lives and limited continues, it's still rough to actually finish it in one sitting, and once you turn off your Genesis, there's no way to get that progress back.  For the second scenario, Double Dragon 3 on NES is an example of that.  You get a health bar that drains fast, and no continues.  What some would call "extra lives" comes in the form of alternate characters who suck, except the Ninja.  The guy in a business suit is totally useless and slow against faster enemies.  As for the third and final scenario, Silver Surfer on NES is the ultimate example.  Anything you touch instant kills you (enemies, projectiles, walls, ceilings and floors), it's impossible to tell what's background and what's foreground, what you are and aren't allowed to touch, and the game is just maddeningly difficult.

---

What sort of expectations and limitations would you place on each category?  What would you consider the perfect balance and/or harmony between all three?

94

Entertainment / Nintendo's Stance On Used Games

« on: June 14, 2013, 04:21:34 am »

http://www.polygon.com/2013/6/13/4426338/nintendo-if-youre-worried-about-used-game-sales-make-better-games

It's worth the read.  I say it's the perfect solution and makes perfect sense.

95

Entertainment / Re: Seems Microsoft Can't Count

« on: June 12, 2013, 06:03:53 pm »

Microsoft's Response:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yC8FbgGnd0
Sony's Ownage:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgSQtY7_VLE

96

Entertainment / Re: How Do You Approach Games You've Finished Again?

« on: June 10, 2013, 10:24:57 am »

Well, the latter just isn't something I'm fond of doing in RPGs....I've explained why previously on Spriter's Resource.

I dunno, RPGs with personal challenges like Main Characters Only wouldn't be hard for someone like me, because I'm the type of person who grinds a powerful team.  Even if I'm not aiming to max out the base level, but the job level to get the highest tier abilities, like Final Fantasy 5 for example, it happens.  Low Level runs aren't my cup of tea; it doesn't make the game harder, but rather, elongates everything, because you're spamming potions and/or healing spells every single turn while dealing what could be considered scratch damage.  Just a waste of time for me; I'd rather work to build a strong team and see the efforts of my labor than reset a lot trying to get the perfect potion and/or healing spell spamming luck run.

97

Entertainment / How Do You Approach Games You've Finished Again?

« on: June 05, 2013, 02:21:03 pm »

Not to be seen in a general light.  Basically, once you've been through a game once or more, and have seen everything there is to see in the "normal" way, how do you approach your replays?

I personally try to find ways to either break the game, or make the game faster.

Breaking the Game
-Not to be taken literally.  What falls under this category are bugs that developers didn't catch, by doing absurd things, such as bugs that mess up the maps and stuff.  This can be enteraining all on its own to see what kind of crazy things can happen.  A perfect example of this is using Link's Awakening's (Original) screen skipping glitch to get onto the top of the Southern Face Shrine.  If you enter the door from the top side, the game starts to read RAM as ROM and all sorts of crazy things happen.  The map bases are those of the official maps, such as Tail Cave, but the graphics are all messed up, and the treasure chests all contain shovels (but you can only open one once.)

Make the Game Faster
-Can go hand in hand with speedrunning if it's that sort of thing, but namely, glitches or in-game exploits that can be used in your favor.  For example, any version of Final Fantasy 2 (The REAL FF2, not USA's ultimate naming screwup of all time).  If you constantly attack an enemy, doing 0 damage, you still gain weapon exp, and can max out the levels quick.  You can also make it even easier by putting the weapons on the characters' "bad" hand, so that the damage and number of hits are decreased.

98

Discussion / Re: New Multiplatform Zelda Engine & OOT2D Project

« on: June 05, 2013, 03:55:56 am »

Sounds like you guys are still deciding on how to approach and handle things...all I can say is good luck.  Many have attempted a 2 dimensional Ocarina of Time Project, yet I don't think a single one has been completed.

Here are a couple of suggestions.

Don't Try to Follow the Original 1:1
-This tends to be the ultimate downfall of these sort of projects.  When you downgrade a game's dimension, there are many things that simply cannot be done in the same manner, such as the water Temple.  Feel free to take liberties to make it work in a manner that a 2D game should.

Make Hyrule Field Interesting
-The original was way too open and bland, and became a tedious job to run across, even with the faster backstepping.  Make the trips to the field not so stale; add some world detail and maybe some things to do out there.

99

Entertainment / Dragon's Lair

« on: June 02, 2013, 04:07:50 am »

I'm sure everyone's heard of this game in some form or another.  It's a game featuring the animated works of Don Bluth, a former Disney animator who made works such as the Secret of Nimh.  the original version, the Arcade version, was a game that plays more like a quick-time button-pressed movie, than an actual game, but holds a very high place in history.  Many other versions of it would follow, with the NES, GB and SNES versions considered one of the absolute worst games of all time.  Recently, it has been made available on Steam, updated with HD widescreen cinematics, I believe.

But.....it seems not many people know about the GBC version.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl8g5LpURNw" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl8g5LpURNw</a>

Does it not blow your mind to see the fact that the Gameboy Color was capable of all of that?

100

Graphics / Re: Animation warm-up! It's Link, and he's running!

« on: June 01, 2013, 02:13:44 pm »

Not bad at all; just looks extremely stiff .  But you learned from that, which is a good thing =).