ZFGC

Projects => Other Projects => Topic started by: Martijn dh on March 21, 2009, 12:14:36 pm

Title: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 21, 2009, 12:14:36 pm

(https://i.postimg.cc/gJf4467f/Horn-of-balance-capsule-art.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/dkj8VDwB)


Oh no! Your sweet and caring grandmama has been kidnapped by the villain "Heimgartner"!
It falls upon your shoulders, as the young and excitable golem "Linden", to bravely explore a labyrinthian tomb in exchange for her safety!

How can a golem have a grandmother?
Who is this villain doing such a terrible thing?
Why is there a quirky floating skull following you around everywhere?


All will be explained in the full game, coming in the future. This is a pre-Kickstarter demo that contains one of the early-game dungeons, in order to give a taste of what it's all about: vast non-linear level design in a classic Zelda-like style. Play this if you're looking for a sense of discovery, love the classic 2D Zelda games, or want a game that's not afraid to also challenge your spacial awareness a little.

[Demo]
Download (on Itch.io): https://hornofbalance.itch.io/horn-of-balance-pre-ks-demo

[Features]

(https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UvMjAxODc4OS8xMTg3NDMzNC5wbmc=/347x500/%2FjbKCQ.png)   (https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UvMjAxODc4OS8xMTg3NDMzNS5wbmc=/347x500/hP0Jcx.png)

[How to play]
Just unzip the game somewhere to start playing.
You can review the controls and settings from the starting menu, or by pressing ESC to bring up the in-game options.

[Content creators]
The following link provides several title pages for your convenience.
There is also a whole set of free to use emotes in case you feel like adding some extra streaming flavour.
Press kit (via Google drive) (http://'https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Vb4FcnYV9W0iPNrxt4lz2K2QZFDKucOY?usp=drive_link')

[Socials]
Kickstarter - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hornofbalance/horn-of-balance
Free demo (on Itch) - https://hornofbalance.itch.io/horn-of-balance-pre-ks-demo
Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I3jhNeF2VU

Discord - https://discord.gg/redHXyZ2Gc
Mastodon - https://mastodon.gamedev.place/@HornofBalance
Twitter/X - https://twitter.com/HornofBalance





(https://i.postimg.cc/RVy1M4YB/triforce.png)  The old fangaming days  (https://i.postimg.cc/RVy1M4YB/triforce.png)

Given the site we are on I've decided to leave up the last Zelda fangame demo I made.

Download:
Demo version: 0.25.11
File Size: 25,61 MB (Zipped)
Download (Mediafire): https://www.mediafire.com/file/reoml9ix5lwxd4d/Zelda+0+25+11.zip/file

Creator notes:
- This demo included 2 overworlds, 5 dungeons (+intro cave) and many more smaller locations.
- Shortcuts exist to access late game additions without playing through the whole game again. Calling a new file "boss1", "boss2" or "cape" will start you out at (or with) that specific content.
- While still far from complete, you CAN reach all the way until the credits screen.

Default controls*:
D - Action button (open doors / read text / grab / etc) + Confirm button (while in menus)
G - Attack button (hold and release for a full swing attack) + Cancel button (while in menus)
S - Perform run action (if you have the boots available)
R - Use item A
F - Use item B
Space - Brings up item menu
Enter - Brings up map menu
Escape - Pauses the game (can be used to exit the game)

* The controls can be personalized in the options menu at the start of the game.
* Native gamepad controls can be enabled in the options menu as well.

Back to the top (#post_new)
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Jeod on March 21, 2009, 01:01:35 pm
That name select background at the bottom is actually the file select background. ;)
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on March 21, 2009, 01:48:23 pm
Correct. The file selection screen, name selection screen and options screen have been done in a single room with one background. That way the view can move smoothly between them without interruption.

Maybe I should have mentioned this before, but this won't be a remake. Just (much like the other games on this forum) heavily based on an existing Zelda game. For instance I'm going to be working with subbosses. And I'll definitely get creative with the dungeon theme/mechanics and dungeon items.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Zaeranos on March 21, 2009, 02:57:57 pm
It looks nice, but the transition between rooms could be done faster. At those moment the music hampers, like a recordplayer gets stuck on one track. I also noticed, Link being able to walk under the roots of the trees. But is this really version 0.7.2, because the content feels more like 0.2.2, but then again that is just me.

Oh yeah before I forget. The sound effect for walking on stairs sounds really weird. But keep up the good work and I look forward to see you finish the dungeon.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on March 21, 2009, 03:32:15 pm
Thanks for the reply.

Somebody made the same remark on the transitions on a different forum and I'm glad you did the same. It means my work to fix it is meaningfull. I'm guessing the problem occurs only on some computers. Would you mind me sending you a link to a newer demo in a couple of days? To check if my solution works on your end.

The roots of the trees are a result of my laziness with the outside area. The outside area will be completely redone when the dungeon is finished, so I didn't put a lot of time in it. I've already moved the movement borders in the next demo.

Please don't get hung up on the numbers. It's my second attempt at a first game so in the beginning a lot of stuff has been redone as I learned more. Also, when I finish the first dungeon I'll consider that version 1, since that's my immediate goal for now. That may not be accurate for the whole, but that's something for later.

Could you give me a little bit more information about the music with the stairs? I'm guessing you don't mean the stairs in between the rooms. Did it sound out of sync? Was the sound incorrect? Or was it maybe something else?
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Xfixium on March 21, 2009, 04:07:58 pm
This demo shows promise. The engine has a solid feel to it. The enemy AI is very close or spot on in it's behavior. Link's movement and collisions are done in detail. For it being your second attempt it's commendable!

As for bugs, I also experienced the same slow down when transitioning. I don't know how it was done, but maybe checking the vertical sync check box in the Global Game Settings might help if it wasn't done. When I pressed the map button, I was able to hear the dungeon map open sound but it didn't show visually, when I was outside the dungeon. I know this option is probably not done all the way, but when changing Link's suit colors to the last one, his facing gets stuck in one position.

Overall it's nicely done, and will spawn an excellent game if it continues in the direction it is currently going.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Zaeranos on March 21, 2009, 06:17:59 pm
Thanks for the reply.

Somebody made the same remark on the transitions on a different forum and I'm glad you did the same. It means my work to fix it is meaningfull. I'm guessing the problem occurs only on some computers. Would you mind me sending you a link to a newer demo in a couple of days? To check if my solution works on your end.

Off course, I'd love to.

The roots of the trees are a result of my laziness with the outside area. The outside area will be completely redone when the dungeon is finished, so I didn't put a lot of time in it. I've already moved the movement borders in the next demo.

If you draw the tree (trunks) on the background and put the tree tops on the foreground, you won't have this problem. In other words the Z depth of the trunks and the tops have to be different and Link has to be in between them.

Could you give me a little bit more information about the music with the stairs? I'm guessing you don't mean the stairs in between the rooms. Did it sound out of sync? Was the sound incorrect? Or was it maybe something else?

It is not that is out of sync, but more that it just doesn't sound like stairs. It sounds more like someone quickly trying to clean a dirt road with a straw broom.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on March 21, 2009, 06:58:52 pm
Xfixium:
Excellent response. I'm glad you liked it.
The function you found isn't really part of the game. I use that for testing.
The problems with the transitions are probably because every room in the game is an actual separate room in gamemaker. So you have the illusion that all rooms are connected and the bare minimum of objects/background is active at one time. It seemed fine, but clearly isn't so I'm now recreating the entire dungeon in a single room. So far the gamespeed isn't suffering (on my computer at least).

Niek:
In the demo I'll send you you'll see I'm already making a lot of use of depths. Still, thank you for your willingness to help. I can see if the timing of the sounds can be improved, but other than that there's little I can do.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: kremling on March 21, 2009, 09:31:49 pm
Nice job making this engine. Works really well.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Zaeranos on March 21, 2009, 10:27:56 pm
Martijn, if your worried about gamespeed and the amount of resources in CPU. There is a function in Gamemaker, that disables all the instances outside a certain boundary (most of the time the view with a margin).
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on March 21, 2009, 11:57:08 pm
Niek: Yes, I stumbled across that function some time ago.
Except during transitions only the instances in the current room are active. I thought about limiting this to the view but that has downsides. An enemy who is (just) outside of the view should still be able to act. For instance a guard shouldn't stop running after you if you don't see him. The guards movement is determined by it's interaction with the walls etc, so in the end all the instances in the room are vital.
Currently the entire dungeon room is 2560x3840 (divided in areas of 320x320 or multiples of that). The gamespeed is 30 f/s. So far this only drops during the transitions (slightly), while playing movies/music and after starting the game several times. Maybe there is still something to be won in the handling of graphics/sound/data, but that's just thinking out loud. First I want to check how the game acts normally.

Kremling: Thanks!
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Colbydude on March 22, 2009, 02:41:56 pm
Pretty good engine so far, good job. Although once I got to the room with the flying floor tiles I go this error.

Code: [Select]
___________________________________________
ERROR in
action number 1
of Collision Event with object Dummy W8 H48 - 199
for object obj_Flying_Tile:

Error in code at line 3:
   instance_create(x-6,y-6,obj_Broken);

at position 26: Unknown variable obj_Broken

Other than that everything's alright. And slow down doesn't occur when changing rooms either.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on March 22, 2009, 02:54:13 pm
Good of you to show the message. I'm assuming this is an error that occurs every time a flying tile hits a wall. That would mean the demo was incomplete and it has already been fixed for the next demo. If I am wrong in my assumption, please let me know.

Thanks for your comments.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Colbydude on March 22, 2009, 09:22:14 pm
Good of you to show the message. I'm assuming this is an error that occurs every time a flying tile hits a wall. That would mean the demo was incomplete and it has already been fixed for the next demo. If I am wrong in my assumption, please let me know.

Thanks for your comments.

Can't remember exactly, but I believe it was whenever it hit Link, but I could be wrong. I also was wearing the Blue tunic while doing this, if that matters at all.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on April 04, 2009, 05:07:10 pm
First of all some news on my progress. I found a new job, am starting another education and am looking for an new apartment. Needless to say I'm a little preoccupied with these things and free time is scarce. Expect a new demo no sooner then the end of the next month. I'm still working on it, but only after the rest has been done.

Now that that's out of the way. I have a question about your preference as a player. Should the contents of pots (and other container) be predetermined or should they (sometimes) be selected randomly? And with random I mean considering the items Link has already collected. So no arrows without a bow etc. Obviously special occasions like a boss fight requires predetermined contents. I hate to get an arrow when the boss demands bombs etc.

Think about it for a second. Predetermining means predictability but strategic placing. Random can be used to only get needed items, which may come of as unrealistic.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on April 10, 2009, 09:05:30 pm
I'm looking for one or two testers who can give me some good constructive feedback. I'm interested in comments on glitches (if you can find any), dungeon design and framerate performance. Anybody willing?

Currently I've got a demo with four rooms (that you can access). You can check the first post for an added list of things I've done since the last demo. Obviously these include the thing I am looking to get tested. PB me or post a reply and I'll send you a link and more info.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on April 17, 2009, 05:24:19 pm
Well, that didn't work. Fine. Ive posted my progress as demo 0.8 in the startingpost.

Please be so kind as to leave a comment after playing. I'd appreciate user input. Also be sure to mention any and all glitches, should you come across any. Thanks in advance.

It may not show for everybody, but A LOT has been improved. The entire dungeon has been redone to smooth out room-to-room transitions. Right now about 25% of dungeon is finished. Obviously (most) of the transitions have also been redone. I'm still working on some transitions in between floors like the dwindelstairs, of which you'll see the result in the next demo. Finally I made it so that everything present in the game has a depth_scale in order to create the illusion of multiple depths (like in the original). These three things have been a lot of work and if you can't see that....thank you. I'll take it as a compliment that everything looks just right. XD

Other things I've added in this demo:
-Made some changes to movement on the stairs
-Perfected the interaction of your sword/shield vs flying tiles etc.
-Added bubbles/balls/cannonballs/something??
-Added rupees, hearts etc to collect from containers (=pots)
-You can now jump from ledges.

Oh, and before I forget. No flying tiles (can be accessed) in this demo. Sorry, but I'm still working on the rooms you need to get to them. I'll make sure you can play with them again next time.

-----------------------------------------

Update:
There are plenty of downloads, but no replies. Too bad. I could really use some player feedback.

Anyway. This weekend I redid the 360 sword swing, worked some more on movement through grass/water and added the ability to poke walls with your sword (see screenshot).

(http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/4882/version8screen2.th.jpg) (http://img16.imageshack.us/my.php?image=version8screen2.jpg)

Also I've been trying to improve the dungeon. Check out the screenshot below. How does new situation (lower half) stand against the old situation (upper half)?
(http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/1552/version8screen1m.jpg) (http://img16.imageshack.us/my.php?image=version8screen1m.jpg)
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: A Storm in the Desert on April 29, 2009, 06:05:28 am
I'll download and have a test play of this later on, but the tiling change you've shown looks a great improvement over the original.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on May 03, 2009, 11:24:42 am
And I'm done for the weekend. For like the first time in months I did everything I set out to do. Feels good.

A new demo will take a while (I want it to at least include picking stuff up and one or two more enemies before I post it) so just screenshots this time.

Guess what three things where added recently
(http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/8874/screenshot100gmi.png) (http://"http://img12.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screenshot100gmi.png")

Start of the 360 degree sword swing + some more changes visible
(http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/6005/screenshot102o.png) (http://"http://img12.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screenshot102o.png")
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Goodnight on May 05, 2009, 01:56:41 am
Wow, this demo has a lot of potential. Good to see somebody who knows how to use Game Maker a little beyond its basic built-in features. Very impressive work so far!

By the way, you may know me under a different name. ;) I don't check these boards much anymore and didn't know you were on here!

I did encounter some bugs on the name-select screen... something to do with a Link_Status variable when a button was pressed. I'll try to recreate it and give you the exact text. And I have two notes about the room transitions, which are quite well done. 1) I once got stuck in a loop that moved me back and forth between two rooms about 8 times, so you may want to have the transition end by "projecting" Link out an additional pixel. 2) I see you've taken the advice of disabling instances that are in other rooms, however if you want to keep this more true to the LTTP engine, then any hearts/rupees laying around should be destroyed once you exit the room. Pots (and enemies) tend to respawn themselves too in LTTP; I'm not sure if that happens as soon as you re-enter the room, or after you've been through a few other rooms.

As far as those tile & statue comparisons, the newer ones are very cool but I think both types have their place, all depending on the level design! Either way, the first ones could use recolouring so they don't look like live enemies, but I'd keep their type of position in places where you're about to enter a dangerous room and want to put some valuable pots at the top of the stairs.

Oh and, they're named "Cannon Balls" because that was the name found in an enemy FAQ at GameFAQs which had data ripped straight out of the game. Also, señor HelpTheWretched updated sword-spin attack sound (there are 2 sounds that play at once) and encourages users to edit sounds to their liking, ie. to alter the volume if one is difficult to hear.


PS. One more bit of advice I just remembered: perhaps you should enlarge the object mask of the pots. It seems a bit too easy to "corner-cut" around them - you almost need to be dead-centre to walk in and pick them up.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Zaeranos on May 05, 2009, 06:39:22 am
Hmm, your link to the demo seems to be broken. When I click on it I get this URL http://"http//www.savefile.com/files/2051862", which is obviously incorrect. but when I remove the http://"...." and follow the link I end up at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP. It seems as if wikipedia has highjacked your link.

Pots (and enemies) tend to respawn themselves too in LTTP; I'm not sure if that happens as soon as you re-enter the room, or after you've been through a few other rooms.

The pots respawn after you exit the room and reenter it. Enemies respawn once you change floors. For example: You kill all the enemies on 1F and they stay killed as long as you remain on 1F. As soon as you go to 2F or B1 and then return to 1F the enemies respawn themselves again. There are 2 exceptions:
1) Enemies dropped in a hole and not slain, will return once Link leaves the room. It won't wait until you change floors.
2) Rooms that require you to slay all the enemies to open the doors, remain slain even if you change floors. They will only return once Link leaves the dungeon and goes back to the overworld.

I hope to play the latest demo soon. I know I said to do it sooner, but I just didn't have the time for it.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Goodnight on May 05, 2009, 08:31:09 am
Good insight, Niek. I'd never taken the time to study those things about the game.

Proper link: http://www.savefile.com/files/2051862
(Just a formatting error on Martijn's part :P)
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Mamoruanime on May 05, 2009, 08:45:05 am
Well; Neik's sorta right. Correct in the times they respawn, but not quite understanding of why that happens :p

When you hit a new floor in lttp, it's loading a new array of rooms. It's the same transition as if you were to go from the overworld into a cave, or something along those lines. When the game has to load a new map array, the killed enemy values reset.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on May 05, 2009, 05:59:48 pm
Very nice, coming home and seeing positive and constructive posts. There's some really interesting subjects mentioned.

By the way, you may know me under a different name. ;) I don't check these boards much anymore and didn't know you were on here!

Nickslayer? Or maybe Chris (since there's no mentioning of stuff NOT in this demo)? I don't really give yoyogames forum as much attention as this one.

Anyway. On to the posts. I'll just go through it at a pretty random order.

1) Dissappearing rupees etc. Excellent suggestion. They normally dissappear on there own (just wait a bit), but moving from room to room pauses that. I hadn't even considered that would happen, but I can fix it by not dissabling the items in the old room. This will let them dissappear in real time. Those extra active objects aren't a lot compaired to the couple of hundred others active per room. I'll put it on my to do list for this weekend.

2) Respawning enemies/containers. Like the original game I work with separate area's containing multiple rooms. This will respawn enemies and containers when you move between gamemaker rooms. So when moving outside or to another floor. This will include ALL regular enemies. It doesn't have to be exactly like the original.
Right now the containers follow the same principle. If you'll remember pots respawn but the contents do not. I would be broken otherwise anyway, giving you limitless amounts of items from a single pot near a door. It would be more realistic to just keep it as it is, so I'm not going to change it (for now). I'll consider it though.

3) The transitions are done by taking links current location and a target location. The distance is divided by the number of frames it takes and link moves accordingly. If you got caught in between two doorways my first guess would be that I made a mistake setting the target location or accidentally moved a transition object. Was this a one time occurrence for that particular doorway? The distance should be about 2 pixels longer than it absolutely has to be. At what door did this happen?

4) There were some bugs in the starting menu but I already fixed those shortly after I posted the demo. I though it was after demo 0.7.2 but I guess it was this one. I see if I can round of some things this weekend and post a bugfree demo.

5) Cannonballs it is. I'm not changing the name in the game because that's more work than it's worth. So, error messages aside, it's now cannonballs.

6) The spin attack already uses both sounds, just not very noticeable. I haven't played the game for a long time but I didn't really feel like it sounded right. Maybe the second sound should be used not at the beginning of the sword swinging but a little later? Anybody else have any comments on this subject?

7) The masking of pots is something I'll look into. I kinda like the walking around them. It shouldn't interfere with your ability to grab them, but I could be wrong. I'll make a note on my list.

Excellent feedback!
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on May 15, 2009, 08:59:16 pm
PS. One more bit of advice I just remembered: perhaps you should enlarge the object mask of the pots. It seems a bit too easy to "corner-cut" around them - you almost need to be dead-centre to walk in and pick them up.

Well, I started working on this today, but it seems there wasn't much to fix. The easy "corner-cutting" will stay but that will not effect the ability to pick containers up. Moving uses precise sprite. Using the action button only checks the bounding boxes. So there's not much for me to improve. It'll all fall into place.

The issue of dissappearing items has been fixed and I've added another room, pressure plates and conditional doors since my last post. Unless someone specificly requests it I won't release a fixed demo. At least not untill I get a little bit more additions finished. Which will hopefully be in about two or three weeks.

----------------

Update:
Scratch that last bit. I've almost finished the regular cyclops enemy, but it just doesn't feel right yet. I'll probably post a demo tonight. Maybe you've guys got some suggestions.

----------------

2nd Update:
A new demo is now uploaded. The changes aren't too mayor. I'm just looking to get some new features tested. In particular the new enemy, which you can find outside and near the giant chest inside.

If you find anything wrong within the demo or you have other suggestions then be sure to leave a comment. Even if I don't adjust things directly (like the masking of the pots) that doesn't mean I haven't made a note of it for later. ;)
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on May 21, 2009, 05:34:49 pm
I took me a while but I figured out what was missing. Right before an enemy goes up in smoke you see two slashes across there body. The screenshot below shows exactly that (in my personal version, so don't mind the blue etc). It may need some more work though. Also I have yet to think up a way of inverting the enemy sprites when they get hit. Maybe it's not even possible. Oh well.

(http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/2305/screenshot103s.png) (http://img34.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screenshot103s.png)
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Sahittam on May 21, 2009, 11:02:21 pm
OK, I'll comment on some things...

(http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/9233/screenshot100t.png)
This is not supposed to happen, right? It happened quite frequently to me and got pretty annoying. I'm playing on Vista, does that matter in any way?

I found this game really good, with all the sounds, the original music, and the graphic effects. I especially liked the spin attack. Good was also, that I didn't experience any gameplay bugs. The game really felt like the original LttP.

I have some suggestions though:

You should be able to close menus with the keys you use for opening them.

It would also be nice if you could pick up things like rupees with your sword.

Pots should have square collision in my opinion. If you were walking against a row of pots you could get stuck between two pots. I mean, you could still move out again, but square collision would be better I think. You couldn't pick up pots either, could you? But you probably plan to add that anyway.

Another thing was no knockback for Link, but same as above, I think.

Also I found that the 'Royal Shrine' text vanished too quickly to read, if you aren't prepared for it.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Goodnight on May 22, 2009, 02:22:45 am
Hey bro, sorry I've taken so long to reply. I'm going out of town tomorrow morning and figured you'd want the feedback.

By the way, you may know me under a different name. ;) I don't check these boards much anymore and didn't know you were on here!
Nickslayer? Or maybe Chris (since there's no mentioning of stuff NOT in this demo)? I don't really give yoyogames forum as much attention as this one.
Well my real name is Chris, but I haven't been to the YoYoGames forum in ages. There I was known as HelpTheWretched.

Quote
1) Dissappearing rupees etc. Excellent suggestion. They normally dissappear on there own (just wait a bit), but moving from room to room pauses that. I hadn't even considered that would happen, but I can fix it by not dissabling the items in the old room. This will let them dissappear in real time.
This solution would be unlike the real LTTP engine because then you could exit and reenter a room to find the items still there. But, if you ask me, that's an improvement. I mean, why not let the rupees have their due time to be picked up? I'm willing to bet that this particular "staple" of the Zelda series began as a technical limitation before it was accepted as a regular part of gameplay.

Quote
2) Respawning enemies/containers. Like the original game I work with separate area's containing multiple rooms. This will respawn enemies and containers when you move between gamemaker rooms. So when moving outside or to another floor. This will include ALL regular enemies. It doesn't have to be exactly like the original.
Right now the containers follow the same principle. If you'll remember pots respawn but the contents do not. I would be broken otherwise anyway (...)
The containers is a valid point. The only reason I'd consider having their contents respawn would be if the dungeon design required you to break it a certain number of times to obtain X items, or if there would be some kind of puzzle that involves getting their contents in the correct order. In the case of the former, it would also be important to make it somehow puzzling to get back to the container in the first place. In other words, I'd keep it as-is unless you really want to go through that trouble to make something unique.

As I recall mentioning (though maybe I didn't), I hadn't studied how/when enemies respawn. I'd suggest respawning them after traveling to a certain number of other rooms, rather than just when changing Game Maker rooms, IF the dungeons are rather large. Walking around through large floors with all the enemies beaten could get boring. A thought just occurred: it would be neat to actually SEE them respawn via some magic power, rather than just being there when you walk in.

Also consider the overworld; most if not all enemies respawn when you change areas.

Quote
3) The transitions are done by taking links current location and a target location. The distance is divided by the number of frames it takes and link moves accordingly. If you got caught in between two doorways my first guess would be that I made a mistake setting the target location or accidentally moved a transition object. Was this a one time occurrence for that particular doorway? The distance should be about 2 pixels longer than it absolutely has to be. At what door did this happen?
With "target location" transitions, yes, extending the target just a bit might be the best fix, but he already seems to hit the target location a few pixels farther than expected, so it must be some other kind of bug. It was a one time occurrence for that door, but Link went back and forth a good 8 times or so before I freed him. It was the door between the room just after the 1st key, and the room to the left that's just a horizontal bridge with 3 pots.

If you're using division by frames to control Link's movement during the transition, then perhaps it was a perpetual rounding error. I'm not sure how your walking code works, but if it allows Link to be at a non-integer (x,y) position at any given time, then I'd suggest also rounding off his position before the transition begins.

This just in: I reenacted the bug by dashing at the upper part of the doorway so that Link passes through but still makes the collision noise. Took many tries but I made it work 3 times. Perhaps since Link is supposed to bounce back, the target position ends up getting pulled back a bit.

Also, where the 9 pots are just above that door, sometime in the midst of cutting them up and pressing D (I think) repeatedly to get infinite blue rupees out of one, Link's sword somehow got moved an entire 2 blocks to the left and 1 down. It stayed that way through every movement until quitting.

Quote
4) There were some bugs in the starting menu but I already fixed those shortly after I posted the demo.
Cool.  8)

Quote
5) Cannonballs it is. I'm not changing the name in the game because that's more work than it's worth. So, error messages aside, it's now cannonballs.
They do rather look like cannonballs, don't they? Well implemented, too.

Quote
6) The spin attack already uses both sounds, just not very noticeable. I haven't played the game for a long time but I didn't really feel like it sounded right.
The two sounds are supposed to play simultaneously. If you've got an emulator, try disabling the first 6 sound channels to leave just those two. #8 is the one I mainly hear, and #7 is the one I can't. It's like a quieter version of the beam-shot from the sword.

Quote
7) The masking of pots is something I'll look into. I kinda like the walking around them. It shouldn't interfere with your ability to grab them, but I could be wrong. I'll make a note on my list.
The last responder suggested square object masks. I'd go for almost square, perhaps 14x14 with very slightly rounded corners, since making them slightly easier to walk around is a nice touch. As long as it still feels like you're playing Zelda, why not improve the formula by a little bit? But getting stuck between them (which I didn't know about) and having trouble picking them up are significant problems.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on May 22, 2009, 07:31:01 am
Okay, time for another lengthy post. :) I'll try and work on every point this weekend. Hopefully that will result in an fixed demo sunday.

This is not supposed to happen, right? It happened quite frequently to me and got pretty annoying. I'm playing on Vista, does that matter in any way?
No, it's not. Vista is pretty hard on games (I couldn't even play this game when I first got it myself) but it is Vista compatible. There is a feature called freeze when the game looses focus. I've enabled that so it may be fixed now. Beyond that, there's little I can do for you.

You should be able to close menus with the keys you use for opening them.
Why didn't I think of this. Excellent suggestion.

It would also be nice if you could pick up things like rupees with your sword.
I was a little hesitant about this. Since the engines are done I just implement it. It isn't that much trouble to remove again when I don't like it.

Pots should have square collision in my opinion. If you were walking against a row of pots you could get stuck between two pots. I mean, you could still move out again, but square collision would be better I think. You couldn't pick up pots either, could you? But you probably plan to add that anyway.
The last responder suggested square object masks. I'd go for almost square, perhaps 14x14 with very slightly rounded corners, since making them slightly easier to walk around is a nice touch. As long as it still feels like you're playing Zelda, why not improve the formula by a little bit? But getting stuck between them (which I didn't know about) and having trouble picking them up are significant problems.

I don't believe you really got stuck as in image over image. I'm that confident in my movement system. But it is true that walking in between two pots can make it feel like so, depending on which movement arrows you're pushing.

I'll go with goodnight's idea on this one. A square mask would not feel right when you walk around a stand alone container. If the current masks are too rounded, I'll try and find something in between.

On a side-note. Picking up containers can be done using different masks that walking collisions. I still haven't found usefull pick up animations for Link (the ones on spriter resource are terrible), so maybe it's time I posted a request on this forum. After I  get those I'm going to make Link able to pick stuff up.

Another thing was no knockback for Link, but same as above, I think.
I'm not really sure what you mean. Knock-back against walls, enemies or something else. I guess I should add knock-back from enemies, but I'm not really sure how it was done in the original. Did it stop your movement every single time you hit an enemy?

Also I found that the 'Royal Shrine' text vanished too quickly to read, if you aren't prepared for it.
No problem. That's an easy fix.

As I recall mentioning (though maybe I didn't), I hadn't studied how/when enemies respawn. I'd suggest respawning them after traveling to a certain number of other rooms, rather than just when changing Game Maker rooms, IF the dungeons are rather large. Walking around through large floors with all the enemies beaten could get boring. A thought just occurred: it would be neat to actually SEE them respawn via some magic power, rather than just being there when you walk in.

Also consider the overworld; most if not all enemies respawn when you change areas.
Can't argue with that. This is somewhat of an hefty order though so it may take some time to implement. As for spawning enemies; I do want to add bones on the floor that turn into skeletons, but thats for the second dungeon.

With "target location" transitions, yes, extending the target just a bit might be the best fix, but he already seems to hit the target location a few pixels farther than expected, so it must be some other kind of bug. It was a one time occurrence for that door, but Link went back and forth a good 8 times or so before I freed him. It was the door between the room just after the 1st key, and the room to the left that's just a horizontal bridge with 3 pots.

If you're using division by frames to control Link's movement during the transition, then perhaps it was a perpetual rounding error. I'm not sure how your walking code works, but if it allows Link to be at a non-integer (x,y) position at any given time, then I'd suggest also rounding off his position before the transition begins.

This just in: I reenacted the bug by dashing at the upper part of the doorway so that Link passes through but still makes the collision noise. Took many tries but I made it work 3 times. Perhaps since Link is supposed to bounce back, the target position ends up getting pulled back a bit.

Also, where the 9 pots are just above that door, sometime in the midst of cutting them up and pressing D (I think) repeatedly to get infinite blue rupees out of one, Link's sword somehow got moved an entire 2 blocks to the left and 1 down. It stayed that way through every movement until quitting.
I haven't been able to recreate this bug but I did find some other really messed up things. For example, releasing your sword while doing a transition gets you stuck. That makes me wander what else I've missed so far.

Anyway. The story about rounding won't work. This routine is a stand alone from normal movement, making it easier to fix. It's just the Link objects moving from A to B with walking animation. The starting location isn't rounded but the speed isn't either. So moving left for A to B should make that in the and B is speed*pixels left of A, because speed/number_of_frames*number_of_frames = speed. If there is a rounding error it's so small it won't matter since movement is at least two pixels farther than needed.

The collision bit might be a reason but I have no idea how you managed to get it. :huh: When falling back through the air Link doesn't react with transition objects. :huh: I'll add in a line negating it, regardless. Let's hope that's the solution. You're a good glitch finder it seems.

The continues rupees is something I already found and fixed myself. At least that's what I thought. What demo where you playing when you got that? I don't suppose you could put something up on youtube or something?

The two sounds are supposed to play simultaneously. If you've got an emulator, try disabling the first 6 sound channels to leave just those two. #8 is the one I mainly hear, and #7 is the one I can't. It's like a quieter version of the beam-shot from the sword.
Sorry, no emulator. I'm using memory and youtube.


Now for some new info:
I'm working on customizable controls, but I'm pretty sure not everybody is going to like the menu. The point was that I wanted one screen to change all your controls, since scrolling looked dreadfull. As you move next to an action the title mentions the button associated to that action. It then switches back and forth to explain which button needs to be pressed to if you want to change the button. It's still in progress but I'm curious for your input.

ENTER, SPACE and ESC are standard buttons for confirm, confirm and cancel. These can't be changed. I'll also an automatic save feature for the controls.

(http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/4539/screenshot103t.png) (http://img132.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screenshot103t.png)

(http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/9286/screenshot104.png) (http://img132.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screenshot104.png)


Update:
Nope, didn't finish enough to justify a corrected demo by today (found a new appartment this weekend). I still need to add the "respawning" enemies. The rest is done, including the customizable controls. While I'm at it I'll also work on a global saving system which is completly new for me. And, if someone helps me with my sprite request, I should also be able to do the "pick up and throw" mechanism in about two or three weeks depending on free time. That should be enough for the next demo.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on June 02, 2009, 06:48:23 am
Even though I'm still busy moving, I did manage to work on the controls some more this weekend. There is one new noteworthy change I've made (the rest is just tweaks here and there). Esc only closes the program when you're at the starting screen. In every other situation it acts as the cancel button. The reason for this is the customizable controls. When you're in the procces of changing them the regular cancel button is no longer valid. With this change you can now also cancel in that situation since everything other than numbers, arrows or letters is not usable as a control button.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: FrozenFire on June 02, 2009, 08:27:40 am
Hey, this is pretty nice!
I'm guessing this is the game that you needed those lifting sprites for?

Well, good luck with moving and with the game as well! :)
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on June 02, 2009, 05:15:38 pm
Jup. And thanks again. Since this is a solo project, I really appreciate it when people are able to help like that.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on June 06, 2009, 04:44:26 pm
I'm currently working on respawning enemies/containers, but man ... that's a deceptively large amount of work. Anyway. I'll try and post a new demo tomorrow and I'd appreciate it if some of you could test the demo when it's out to see if I missed any obvious glitches.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: FrozenFire on June 06, 2009, 09:20:31 pm
I'm currently working on respawning enemies/containers, but man ... that's a deceptively large amount of work. Anyway. I'll try and post a new demo tomorrow and I'd appreciate it if some of you could test the demo when it's out to see if I missed any obvious glitches.

I have plenty of patience to REALLY test it hardcore. Also, I'm a perfectionist, which helps. XD

Btw, I will be testing it on WinXP. That said because there are some cases where games only have glitches on a certain OS. When it comes to testing, you can't really overdo it. Seriously though, I've found glitches in about half of the "professional" games (games that are sold) that I've played over the years. I always make it a point to test the heck out of any of my games before I consider them to be completed.

Anyway, this is a great project and I'd love to help out with it any way I can. :)
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on June 06, 2009, 09:57:22 pm
That sounds really good! I'm also a bit of an perfectionist so we'll get along nicely by the sound of things. ;)

You said you wanted to help in any way. Does that maybe also more like spritework and/or level design?
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: FrozenFire on June 07, 2009, 02:58:23 am
You said you wanted to help in any way. Does that maybe also more like spritework and/or level design?

Sure! I won't be able to do much this week because of finals, but after the 12th I will be on summer break and I will have much more free time. :)

I'm actually working on my own Zelda game this summer, but I'm sure I can find time to help with yours as well.

I'd be happy to help out with sprites. Just tell me what you're needing and I'll see what I can do. :)
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: FrozenFire on June 07, 2009, 06:47:58 am
So I was just doing a little testing and I already found quite a few glitches. Here are 5 that I've found so far:

[1] Pressing the menu button while Link is walking up or down automatically on the stairs:
Problem: Two stair sounds will play instead of one. Also, Link will sometimes reverse his direction. The menu will also shift up or down after the second sound plays, which seems to only happen when you press the menu button at the very bottom or top of the stairs.
Fix: The easiest fix would be to disable the menu while walking on stairs. The original game does this anyway. Actually, it pauses EVERYTHING in ALL auto transitions, even enemies, and it locks ALL buttons.

[2] Pressing the sword button while Link is walking up or down automatically on the stairs:
Problem: Two stair sounds will play, Link's sword sound will play but he does not slash his sword and Link will also freeze in place for a short time. After Link freezes, he will either continue walking upward or he will reverse direction.
There may be other keys that have a similar effect as in these first two glitches.
Fix: Obvious. Make sure Link can't do anything in the middle of auto-walking.

[3] Poking wall:
Problem: If you're powering up your sword (holding the sword button) and holding a directional key while poking a wall, then if you let off of the sword key while still pressing that directional key into the wall, Link will continue to hold his sword out, poking the wall. His sword will continue to charge up when doing this, even though you are no longer pressing the sword key.
Fix: Not sure how you're coding this so I haven't got much of an idea how to fix it.
However, I did notice that, in the original, poking the wall does not reset your powering up of the sword like you have it do in your game. Instead, the original game pauses the powering up for a short time every time you tap the wall, then it continues to power up. Just in case you want to make it EXACTLY like the original. If not, your way is totally fine.

[4] Spin attack sparks:
Problem: When doing a spin attack underneath a layer (i.e. floor above you) you will see the sword sparks above that layer.
Fix: Should be just a simple depth problem. On an interesting note, I found that the original game actually had a problem with depth in certain areas as well, but usually when swimming in the water. I just seem to stumble upon these minor things for some reason. ^_^

[5] Room scrolling:
Problem: If you press the sword or menu key when scrolling/transitioning into another room, BAD BAD things happen.
Fix: Don't let any key work during any auto scroll or walk.



Hope that helps! Even with all those glitches, I actually found your tech demo surprisingly solid. A lot of people don't realize just how complex something like this can be. Seriously, this demo is great. I'll continue testing and I'll let you know if I find more glitches. :)
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on June 07, 2009, 07:06:21 pm
[1] Pressing the menu button while Link is walking up or down automatically on the stairs:
Problem: Two stair sounds will play instead of one. Also, Link will sometimes reverse his direction. The menu will also shift up or down after the second sound plays, which seems to only happen when you press the menu button at the very bottom or top of the stairs.
Fix: The easiest fix would be to disable the menu while walking on stairs. The original game does this anyway. Actually, it pauses EVERYTHING in ALL auto transitions, even enemies, and it locks ALL buttons.
Oops, that one slipped through. I already fixed the sword vs stairs.
At first I made it like in the original, locking everything while you were moving on the stairs. After thinking about it for a while I felt that it was unnecessarily unrealistic, so I made it so that enemies etc. continues in realtime. The same also goes for jumping from ledges and during room transitions. For these events I'm using a variable called Link_Status_Special. Glitches like this appear when I forget to lock functions if Link_Status_Special does not have it's default value.

[2] Pressing the sword button while Link is walking up or down automatically on the stairs:
Problem: Two stair sounds will play, Link's sword sound will play but he does not slash his sword and Link will also freeze in place for a short time. After Link freezes, he will either continue walking upward or he will reverse direction.
There may be other keys that have a similar effect as in these first two glitches.
Fix: Obvious. Make sure Link can't do anything in the middle of auto-walking.
Found and fixed. See above.

[3] Poking wall:
Problem: If you're powering up your sword (holding the sword button) and holding a directional key while poking a wall, then if you let off of the sword key while still pressing that directional key into the wall, Link will continue to hold his sword out, poking the wall. His sword will continue to charge up when doing this, even though you are no longer pressing the sword key.
Fix: Not sure how you're coding this so I haven't got much of an idea how to fix it.
However, I did notice that, in the original, poking the wall does not reset your powering up of the sword like you have it do in your game. Instead, the original game pauses the powering up for a short time every time you tap the wall, then it continues to power up. Just in case you want to make it EXACTLY like the original. If not, your way is totally fine.
Hhmm. Interesting. I'll have to look into it, but it doesn't look to complicated to fix. My guess is that releasing the sword button negates charging, but not (yet) poking. I'm using a single variable called Link_Status for all of link's actions. It should be just a matter of adding a new condition to releasing the sword button. "If released while poking do the same as when released while charging", or something similar.
Continuing to charge while poking would cause some small problems I'd need to overcome so I'll leave it as it is.

[4] Spin attack sparks:
Problem: When doing a spin attack underneath a layer (i.e. floor above you) you will see the sword sparks above that layer.
Fix: Should be just a simple depth problem. On an interesting note, I found that the original game actually had a problem with depth in certain areas as well, but usually when swimming in the water. I just seem to stumble upon these minor things for some reason. ^_^
Okay, that shouldn't be too much trouble to fix. This is something left over from creating two walking depths. This is just the kind of stuff I wouldn't find on my own.

[5] Room scrolling:
Problem: If you press the sword or menu key when scrolling/transitioning into another room, BAD BAD things happen.
Fix: Don't let any key work during any auto scroll or walk.
Check point 1 and 2. The sword button has already been fixed. The menu button will be fixed shortly.

Hope that helps! Even with all those glitches, I actually found your tech demo surprisingly solid. A lot of people don't realize just how complex something like this can be. Seriously, this demo is great. I'll continue testing and I'll let you know if I find more glitches. :)
XD


I'll get on these glitches before I release the next demo. This will means some delay, but oh well. At least the next one will be glitch-free (*fingers crossed*)
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on June 07, 2009, 07:20:27 pm
PS: It seems like the map menu also causes problems when use during a transition etc. That's also been fixed now.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: FrozenFire on June 07, 2009, 07:52:33 pm
glad to help. btw, I just sent you two messages. I was in a hurry, so that's why I made mistakes... in both of them. lol
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Zaeranos on June 07, 2009, 09:38:04 pm
[3] Poking wall:
Problem: If you're powering up your sword (holding the sword button) and holding a directional key while poking a wall, then if you let off of the sword key while still pressing that directional key into the wall, Link will continue to hold his sword out, poking the wall. His sword will continue to charge up when doing this, even though you are no longer pressing the sword key.
Fix: Not sure how you're coding this so I haven't got much of an idea how to fix it.
However, I did notice that, in the original, poking the wall does not reset your powering up of the sword like you have it do in your game. Instead, the original game pauses the powering up for a short time every time you tap the wall, then it continues to power up. Just in case you want to make it EXACTLY like the original. If not, your way is totally fine.
Hhmm. Interesting. I'll have to look into it, but it doesn't look to complicated to fix. My guess is that releasing the sword button negates charging, but not (yet) poking. I'm using a single variable called Link_Status for all of link's actions. It should be just a matter of adding a new condition to releasing the sword button. "If released while poking do the same as when released while charging", or something similar.
Continuing to charge while poking would cause some small problems I'd need to overcome so I'll leave it as it is.


I don't really know anymore what the SNES version of ALttP did with sword poking, but the GBA version cancels the sword charge when the sword is poked against the wall.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: FrozenFire on June 07, 2009, 09:58:51 pm
[3] Poking wall:
Problem: If you're powering up your sword (holding the sword button) and holding a directional key while poking a wall, then if you let off of the sword key while still pressing that directional key into the wall, Link will continue to hold his sword out, poking the wall. His sword will continue to charge up when doing this, even though you are no longer pressing the sword key.
Fix: Not sure how you're coding this so I haven't got much of an idea how to fix it.
However, I did notice that, in the original, poking the wall does not reset your powering up of the sword like you have it do in your game. Instead, the original game pauses the powering up for a short time every time you tap the wall, then it continues to power up. Just in case you want to make it EXACTLY like the original. If not, your way is totally fine.
Hhmm. Interesting. I'll have to look into it, but it doesn't look to complicated to fix. My guess is that releasing the sword button negates charging, but not (yet) poking. I'm using a single variable called Link_Status for all of link's actions. It should be just a matter of adding a new condition to releasing the sword button. "If released while poking do the same as when released while charging", or something similar.
Continuing to charge while poking would cause some small problems I'd need to overcome so I'll leave it as it is.


I don't really know anymore what the SNES version of ALttP did with sword poking, but the GBA version cancels the sword charge when the sword is poked against the wall.

The SNES version is the one I was referring to, and it does not cancel the sword charge, it merely pauses it. I didn't know they changed it in the GBA version. Interesting.
I actually like the GBA version better and Martijn dh has already already told me that he's going to keep it so that it cancels the sword charge when you poke a wall, like the GBA one does, which I think makes more sense anyway. That's probably why they changed it in the GBA version. I didn't know if he wanted to make it exactly like the original ALttP or not, but I found that he is keeping it VERY close while improving on a few things as well.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: rhalifax on June 08, 2009, 07:21:48 pm
pretty good build, the stair sounds were weird like mentioned and it bugged me i couldnt pick up a bottle and throw it =P very good so far keep it up!
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on June 08, 2009, 07:45:57 pm
The throwing bit is something I've been putting off for ages. It's a lot of work and I want to do it right in one go when I release it. To give some more insight: So far I've got all sprites I need (just need to change the color for the different tunics), the walking with hands up is mostly finished, I've implemented two types of solids (to be able to throw stuff over small ledges but not through walls etc.) and there is a ton of notes with ideas for implementing the rest. I'll probably replace the containers (and other such items) with a dummy object so it can't break while held. All I need to figure out is how to work with different sized containers and different weights (=> gloves) and contain it neatly within one script.

The sounds on the stairs are the same as in the original. If you, or anybody else on the site, can get me some "better" sounds feel free to post them. If I like them I'll add them. Since I know nothing of creating my own sounds, that's the best I can do for you.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: rhalifax on June 08, 2009, 07:55:29 pm
the sound seems slower sounding than normal
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: FrozenFire on June 08, 2009, 10:52:06 pm
the sound seems slower sounding than normal

I didn't really notice. Though some of Link's actions did seem a tad bit slower than normal (mostly feels perfect though). And the breaking animation for the pots is faster than in the original. I really should play the GBA version instead of just the SNES and see how that one works as well. And the dashing doesn't feel right upon hitting the wall, probably because you haven't implemented the screen shaking yet. It also seems like Link shouldn't be able to recover so fast after hitting the wall, but I need to play the original to see how that one feels.

Just some thoughts. Like I said, I'm a perfectionist. XD

I understand that this is a tech demo, so you'll probably fix all those minor things when you get around to it.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on June 09, 2009, 05:54:26 am
It's alright. If you find more be sure to let me know. Just keep in mind that it doesn't have to be exactly the same as the original.

The screen shaking is already on my list. I could give it some more priority if you want.
The breaking animation is now 1,5 times as long.
I'll have to give some thought to the sound on the stairs and an additional recovery time after crashing.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: FrozenFire on June 09, 2009, 06:41:38 am
Just keep in mind that it doesn't have to be exactly the same as the original.
I'll keep that in mind. I just want to help you make this into a masterpiece. :)

You don't have to make screen shaking a priority, just as long as it gets done some time.
And thanks for fixing the breaking animation.

A few other things I noticed:
[1] When you're charging your sword and you touch a pot with it, it'll shatter the pot. It just feels weird that a simple touch would shatter a pot. Can't you just make it like the grass where only slashes cut it? The way you have it makes the pots feel like they aren't really pots. It almost feels like the pots are so fragile that you should be able to walk into them to break them.
[2] The speed of the slash animation while facing down is perfect, but left, up and right all feel a little slow. Is this just me?
[3] ALttP has it so you don't have to wait for the sword animation to finish completely before slashing again, but yours makes Link wait for the swing to be complete before he can swing again. It kind of makes the player feel like they have less control over Link. I found myself wanting to swing the sword more rapidly at times. Fixing this might help with problem 2 above.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on June 09, 2009, 07:27:52 pm
I had the day off today so I worked on the game a little. Luckely most of these suggestions aren't that hard to look into.

1) Pots can now only be destroy by the slash, the 360 slash, poking and/or running into them with the sword. However, when you poke a container to shreds it uses the normal poking sound and effect. This doesn't appear to be an easy fix so I'll leave like this for now. See for yourself when the next demo is out. If anybody finds it bothersome I'll look at it again.

2+3) The difference in swinging speeds has to do with the lengths of the animations. One is 6 frames, the others 9. I'm looking into it.

FrozenFire: I'll see if I can't take a look at the screen anyway. We'll need it for the boss fights anyway.

UPDATE: All swing animations have now been changed to 7 frames. It's a small difference but I believe it will be enough. I tested the alternatives but setting everything at 6 frames didn't feel right and cancelling an attack midway for a new attack didn't look realistic either.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: FrozenFire on June 09, 2009, 09:08:47 pm
FrozenFire: I'll see if I can't take a look at the screen anyway. We'll need it for the boss fights anyway.

True. btw, I hope you don't need those sprites soon. I've barely had a chance to get started. Though I have figured out what enemies to use as references. I was lucky to find an enemy that uses the exact armor, so I can use that for the sideways and upward directions. The head and feet will be the hardest, but still not too very hard.

UPDATE: All swing animations have now been changed to 7 frames. It's a small difference but I believe it will be enough. I tested the alternatives but setting everything at 6 frames didn't feel right and cancelling an attack midway for a new attack didn't look realistic either.

Sounds much better. When are you planning on releasing a new demo with all of these fixes?
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on June 10, 2009, 05:51:53 pm
FrozenFire: I'll see if I can't take a look at the screen anyway. We'll need it for the boss fights anyway.

True. btw, I hope you don't need those sprites soon. I've barely had a chance to get started. Though I have figured out what enemies to use as references. I was lucky to find an enemy that uses the exact armor, so I can use that for the sideways and upward directions. The head and feet will be the hardest, but still not too very hard.

UPDATE: All swing animations have now been changed to 7 frames. It's a small difference but I believe it will be enough. I tested the alternatives but setting everything at 6 frames didn't feel right and cancelling an attack midway for a new attack didn't look realistic either.

Sounds much better. When are you planning on releasing a new demo with all of these fixes?

No, I don't need the sprites anytime soon. The dungeon isn't even half finished yet. I can start programming the boss anytime I want but it'll be a while before he can be implemented anyway.

The next demo was planned for this weekend. The inbetween fixes took some time, but I may still make it. There are just a couple of problems left with the respawning enemies / containers that need fixing. Nothing too mayor.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on June 13, 2009, 12:33:22 pm
As requested the new demo. I'm still working on some small fixes but I figured I'm always working on some small fixes. XD

The largest changes/additions in this in this demo include:
- Another new enemy (the plant thingy)
- Customizable controls
- The game now closes by pressing esc on the game select screen.
- Respawning enemies and pots
- Added a random item generator (only actually used for the grass and the enemies)
- Lot's of other small fixes and changes.

Known issues:
- Walking outside will respawn keys.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Raen on June 13, 2009, 06:59:48 pm
Well, I just downloaded the demo. This is some really good stuff! I'm really glad to be working on it with you.

However, I did notice some things. First of all, there is some weird sprite distortion with Link's walking animations. Occasionally Link gets all blurred and messed up, I don't know why. Also, there is some weirdness with collision, specifically with how far away some enemies can hit you from (for example, the tentacle guys would hit me when I could have sworn I wasn't that close), and Link's sword doesn't seem to hit quite far enough. There are also some things that just feel a little off, like the default controls, and some of the animations (go play LttP and watch the speeds of animations and such in that game, it'll help you get the feel right here).

Also, is the dungeon completable (well, somewhat at least, I know you don't have some rooms done)? Maybe it's because I was trying to just blaze through, but I got to a room with a torch that I could have sworn I was supposed to light, but I didn't have a lamp.

Anyway, this is really, really good, one of the best fan games/engine's I've seen, and it's further along and more polish that most fan games get.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on June 15, 2009, 06:06:55 pm
Thanks for the compliments.

I don't own the original game anymore. I'll get it for the Wii again eventually but I find it best to not play and compare for two reasons. One: my self motivation would plummet. So much to do in so little time. XD Not to mention the complexity of the things not yet done. Secondly because I'm not trying to copy the game completly. That's impossible. The goal is to create a game that has solid gameplay on it's own. It'll always be considered a clone, but I look at it as a tribute.

PS: I know about the controls. That's why I moved customizable controls up on the list. Please, feel free to experiment with it and tell me what you feel are better controls. I might also do saving pretty soon to make it so you don't have to reset the controls every time.

Anyway. On to those issues you mentioned.
I can't fix the blurring or the collisions. The blurring is probably computer related and I can't help with that. The collisions are pixel perfect. It just feels inaccurate. I have noticed this before and I might look into it some more when the first dungeon is nearing completion. The same goes for the sword swinging. I noticed it and will look deeper into it when the dungeon is nearly done.

As for now. I'll be glitch hunting these comming days. After that I hope to include some more features again. Here are the glitches I found, have fixed or am working on:
- Respawning keys by exiting the dungeon (fixed)
- Not resetting of conditional doors and pressure plates when exiting the dungeon (fixed)
- Items dissappear but leave shadows behind (fixed)
- Map menu shows incorrect data (fixed)
- The Master Control Tile dissappears because dissappearing items (fixed)
- Items dissappear while in pauze mode (fixed)
- Reviving from death does not yet reset the image of a bottle very if you have that one equipped (fixed)
- Poking a container results in the poking visual and sound (???)

UPDATE: There is no end to the game right now. That room with the torch is as far as you can get. I haven't programmed the lantern yet so there isn't much to do. After we've finished those 4 rooms (one excluded) you'll be able to open the master chest and see a early credits screen which has already been made. Demo's after that will probably have the same goal but each time with slightly more stuff you have to do to get there. The final demo will feature the boss in the final rooms beyond.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: FrozenFire on June 15, 2009, 11:57:01 pm
...this is really, really good, one of the best fan games/engine's I've seen, and it's further along and more polish that most fan games get.

I totally agree, and that's why I decided to pitch in and help in any way I could. I think this project has tons of potential.

Also, Martijn dh, I have just finished my final exam and I'm officially on summer break! Yay! XD So I'm actually working on those sprites right now. I just wanted to let you know.

Also, I'm downloading the newest demo. I will see if I can find any other bugs in the game that you haven't already listed.

EDIT:

I just found a glitch. If you dash at a wall, hit it and bounce back then slash your sword right before you touch the ground, Link will remain levitated above his shadow. The more you do this the more levitated Link gets. I attached a pic of what happens when its repeated. You'll notice that Link is really high above his shadow. I'm guessing that you could probably press the menu button and have the same effect? Or possibly another button.
You just need to make sure Link lands back in place of his shadow before he can do anything else because it's stopping him from landing fully.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on June 16, 2009, 06:15:19 pm
Okay, that should be easy enough to fix. I'll get right on it. I've fixed the last problem with the sword poking on containers so you already consider all listed glitches fixed.

Btw, you can all call me Martijn if you want. The letters dh just stand for my last name.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on June 22, 2009, 04:43:13 pm
Just a small updating post this time. I'll post pics when I'm off this temperary datalimit.

I've now added a workable "sword beam" to the master sword (when you're at full health). I had to make some concessions on the visuals and the masking so I'm really eager to hear how you guys like it (when I release another demo). Just a question in between though. In the original game: what happened when you used the "beam" into the distance? I've now made it so that it keeps going till it hits something tall enough, but that might be a while in the larger area's. It's more realistic this way but maybe less fun probably. So does anybody know how they compensated it in the original?

Beyond that I'm working on implementing some of Raen's rooms and the surrounding area. So you'll definatly have more to explore next time.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Raen on June 24, 2009, 04:50:41 pm
In LttP I think the sword beam disappeared when it went off-screen. I'm not sure on that one, though, I don't have access to a copy right at this moment.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on June 24, 2009, 05:33:43 pm
Great. You're back. Time to formulate some more requests XD Well, I've got an exam tomorrow so it'll probably become tomorrow afternoon.

I figured as much with the beams. A beam now appears when you have the correct sword, full health and when no other beam object is active. I guess I'll change that last condition to "when there is no beam active within the visible screen". Or something along those lines if the sound still sounds okay with multiple beams.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Raen on June 24, 2009, 05:41:43 pm
I'm not back, per se. I'm still away from home, but with some access to a computer. I won't actually be home until the 27th.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on June 24, 2009, 06:16:56 pm
Okay, just send me a PB when you're back and ready.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: FrozenFire on June 29, 2009, 07:34:05 am
Martijn,

I just sent you a message. Have you figured out the sword beam thing? I own the original, so I can check on that, except I'd have to play pretty far in to the game to get the sword that shoots the beam. I guess I shouldn't delete all of my completed profiles, oops.

Anyway, like I said in the message, I should be getting more done on those sprites tonight, but I kind of need to know more about the movement and attacks for the boss.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on June 29, 2009, 08:02:00 pm
I've finished programming the sword beam thing. I could post a new demo of it when I finish the mechanisms for pick stuff up and throwing it. I'm guessing it'll be a good two weeks before that's done though. Picking up and walking with a container is practicly done for a couple of regular objects. Throwing, breaking, hurting enemies and using different weights and sizes will take more time.

Check your mailbox for more info on the subboss.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: FrozenFire on June 29, 2009, 08:48:15 pm
Check your mailbox for more info on the subboss.

Got it, and also the message with the sprite sheet. That will help out tons!  XD
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on July 03, 2009, 06:41:06 pm
FrozenFire: Today I stumbled across some new errors I've missed, namely objects not stopping when you pauze the game (= press esc). When walking on stairs, jumping from ledges, having items appear and grass break up the pauze mode is not integrated yet. Could you check (this demo or the next) wether or not I missed other objects/actions not pauzing?

As for the general progress so far:
- I'm changing the pick up actions so that you have to grab and pull an object before you pick it up. I'm not really sure how the original played, but I'll continue on this road and let you guys decide how it plays when the next demo's out. The only bother is that it requires me to redo the sprites and timelines. Oh well. Other than that, I'm just making small tweaks and fixes.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: FrozenFire on July 03, 2009, 11:45:18 pm
FrozenFire: Today I stumbled across some new errors I've missed, namely objects not stopping when you pauze the game (= press esc). When walking on stairs, jumping from ledges, having items appear and grass break up the pauze mode is not integrated yet. Could you check (this demo or the next) wether or not I missed other objects/actions not pauzing?

Sure. How about you post a new demo and I'll test that? Right now though, I'd like to finish up those sprites for you because they're taking me a while, ha ha.

As for the general progress so far:
- I'm changing the pick up actions so that you have to grab and pull an object before you pick it up. I'm not really sure how the original played, but I'll continue on this road and let you guys decide how it plays when the next demo's out. The only bother is that it requires me to redo the sprites and timelines. Oh well. Other than that, I'm just making small tweaks and fixes.

I will be sure to give you feedback when the new demo comes out!  XD


EDIT:

Martijn, I finally finished those sprites. I sent them to you in a message.  :)

Title: What's been happening with the ALttP game? Did it die? Nope. ^_^
Post by: FrozenFire on July 29, 2009, 11:20:32 am
I apologize for the double post, but I just wanted to let everyone know that this project is in no way dead!

We (Martijn, Raen and I) have decided to work on the project at The Daily Click.

As far as I know, Martijn plans on posting a new demo here and maybe some screenies every now and then, but updates here will probably be rare.

The project is coming along pretty slow, but very nicely!  XD
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on July 31, 2009, 05:11:20 pm
Jup, we've moved production there since I felt we needed some place where we could freely post idea's, dungeon maps and boss sprites without ruining the surprise. I'll post some screenshots when I get my router so I'm not bound by this stupid datalimit anymore.

Anyway, progress has always been slow since I'm the soul programmer (with a fulltime job).

So we are recruiting!

If anyone wants to join the team as an added programmer or as a spriter please send me a message. I'll make a topic in the recruitment area right after this.

Update:
Here are two images of some shading I´m experimenting with. What do you guys think?

(http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/3905/screenshot101b.png)

(http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/9286/screenshot104.png)
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Wasabi on August 01, 2009, 11:01:05 am
If you do use that sort of shadowing, it needs to be be above link with alpha blending.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on August 01, 2009, 11:36:16 am
It's already above Link. It's just a little hard to see on those screenshots.

I'm currently using:
draw_set_blend_mode(bm_subtract);
draw_set_color(c_dkgray);

There is one glitch with this I haven't figured out yet. At the start off the pause-state I use screen_redraw() directed at a surface. When I display that surface on the screen the shadow area is gone. Everything below the surface is gone as well. So if Link's head is under the shadow, then the surface shows him without a head. Similar things happen with enemy sprites. The tiles get displayed normally.

So, if you have suggestions then I'm listening.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: DJvenom on August 01, 2009, 02:05:22 pm
hey I like that shadow casting deal you got there!
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on August 08, 2009, 06:09:28 pm
I'm going on vacation soon so here's the latest demo to round of the last weeks of work. Some things are still under construction but then again .. they always are. I'll list the changes since the last demo since most aren't visual. Only for those interested.

Ooh and before I forget. The shading I already showed a screenshot of is not in the demo. It needs some more work (= glitch hunting and altered placement). The anti-fairy at the beginning is also gone. Instead the flying tiles have made a comeback. I improved the collisions between the tiles and solids but I also need to redo some work to get the shield collisions back up to the earlier standard. Finally basic throwing has also been included. You won't believe how long it took me to get it all the way I liked it.

Here is the list of changes:
- Keys no longer respawn if collected
- Doors and switches get reset when exiting a dungeon
- The shadow of items now dissappears along with the item when in another room
- Poking containers is no longer the same as poking a wall
- Death resets the sprite of an equipped bottled fairy
- Added a sword beam
- Redid the pause mode
- Improved the routine of enemies being getting back
- Added 3 more rooms to visit (and some more you can't visit >:D)
- Updated the collisions between flying tiles and solids
- Cannonballs continue to move from room to room
- Made some alterations to the Link walking through doors
- There are now conditional doors that only open when all enemies are defeated
- You can pick up / walk with / run with / throw containers and bushes
- Altered the way paths, rooms and timelines are referenced in the coding
- When link is hurt he turns transparent instead of invisible
- Enemies turn negative when hit
- Some lettering in the starting menu is now yellow
- Rupees etc now turn transparent before dissappearing
- Fix a whole lot of glitches and what not

For those wanting to help: I'm looking for some feedback on the cannonball puzzle room.
Also I'm still looking for a spriter and a programmer to join the team.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: FrozenFire on August 08, 2009, 08:27:28 pm
Oh, Martijn, I'm still getting around to checking out that cannon ball room. I just kept getting stopped by all of those glitches I kept accidentally finding (I was born to test video games XD). But with those fixed in the demo, I should be able to make it to the room and get right on that sound effect you want and I can also tell you what I think about the room.

Anyway, have a great vacation!  8)
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Martijn dh on August 31, 2009, 08:35:50 pm
Just to show I'm still working on it. The mechanics I'm working on still need more work before I can show them, but here are some other images for in the meantime.


(http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/1153/screenshot101v.png)

A room Raen designed. I'm still in the progress of implementing it, but it should be done by the next demo.


(http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/9018/screenshot102.png)

The dungeon map (2 out of the 3 floors). The light blue rooms are the ones that you should be able to enter during the next demo. The white one wil be furthest new room you are able to enter.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: Raen on September 02, 2009, 03:24:30 am
I just want to say: This game is going to really be something awesome, I think everyone here will enjoy it. I recognize my bias, since I'm working on it, but it really is one of the most polished, professional Zelda fan games around.
Title: Re: [Demo] Alttp-style game / tech demo -- No name yet
Post by: FrozenFire on September 02, 2009, 03:56:36 am
I just want to say: This game is going to really be something awesome, I think everyone here will enjoy it. I recognize my bias, since I'm working on it, but it really is one of the most polished, professional Zelda fan games around.

Ditto. ^_^

And this is why I joined the project.

Seriously, Martijn is doing an amazing job on programming this game.

 XD
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on September 05, 2009, 05:57:06 pm
I'm currently working on implementing the shovel. Believe it or not, but the shovel was actually kinda tricky at first because I had to decide how to handle the dirtholes it can create. It's almost done, but I have some questions about how this worked in the original Alttp to finish it.

So. On to the questions. What happens when ..

.. you try to dig in an area where you can't dig?
You some kind of rejection effect, right? If so, I don't suppose anybody can find me a screenshot or sprite.

.. when dig normally?
Does Link throw some dirt over his shoulder? I'm not really sure that was the case. If so, I'd appreciate a screenshot.

.. when you dig, while standing in the grass?
Does the digging get negated like when you are standing on a solid floor? This one is pretty interesting, since I can't recall ever having tried it.

.. when you cut down a bush and try to dig where the stump is?
I'm guessing the digging get's negated, but I'm not 100% sure.

.. when you dig while in shallow water?
Any different sounds? Maybe Link's action get's negated. Or does he scoop up some water and over his shoulder? Again, can't remember ever having tried stuff like this, since the shovel never was that big of an item.

--------------------

Also we've decided a working title might be in order, so the project will now be know as Horn of Balance.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Theforeshadower on September 05, 2009, 07:42:25 pm
I'm currently working on implementing the shovel. Believe it or not, but the shovel was actually kinda tricky at first because I had to decide how to handle the dirtholes it can create. It's almost done, but I have some questions about how this worked in the original Alttp to finish it.

So. On to the questions. What happens when ..

.. you try to dig in an area where you can't dig?
You some kind of rejection effect, right? If so, I don't suppose anybody can find me a screenshot or sprite.

.. when dig normally?
Does Link throw some dirt over his shoulder? I'm not really sure that was the case. If so, I'd appreciate a screenshot.

.. when you dig, while standing in the grass?
Does the digging get negated like when you are standing on a solid floor? This one is pretty interesting, since I can't recall ever having tried it.

.. when you cut down a bush and try to dig where the stump is?
I'm guessing the digging get's negated, but I'm not 100% sure.

.. when you dig while in shallow water?
Any different sounds? Maybe Link's action get's negated. Or does he scoop up some water and over his shoulder? Again, can't remember ever having tried stuff like this, since the shovel never was that big of an item.

--------------------

Also we've decided a working title might be in order, so the project will now be know as Horn of Balance.
As far as not being able to dig, you here a "tink" noise,kinda like when you hold down the sword button against the wall and I think two "sparks" come off the shovel.  That's if I remember right.  Hold on.  Let me see if I can get some pics.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on September 06, 2009, 08:23:05 am
If you can get me a screenshot of the spaks, then that would indeed be great.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Zaeranos on September 06, 2009, 08:40:17 pm
I have put the gba cartridge in my NDS, so no screenshots. Also I recommend you get a ROM of ALttP for the gba and use VBA to check these things.

.. you try to dig in an area where you can't dig?
You some kind of rejection effect, right? If so, I don't suppose anybody can find me a screenshot or sprite.
Link sprite plays normally, but there are sparks on the floor. You also hear a ting sound.

.. when dig normally?
Does Link throw some dirt over his shoulder? I'm not really sure that was the case. If so, I'd appreciate a screenshot.
It is hard to see, but there seems to be some dirt going over his shoulder.

.. when you dig, while standing in the grass?
Does the digging get negated like when you are standing on a solid floor? This one is pretty interesting, since I can't recall ever having tried it.
Grass and cut grass produce a rejection effect. No digging possible.

.. when you cut down a bush and try to dig where the stump is?
I'm guessing the digging get's negated, but I'm not 100% sure.
Rejection effect. When digging a plant, you dig the spot you are standing on.

.. when you dig while in shallow water?
Any different sounds? Maybe Link's action get's negated. Or does he scoop up some water and over his shoulder? Again, can't remember ever having tried stuff like this, since the shovel never was that big of an item.
Normal rejection effect, nothing special.

Also we've decided a working title might be in order, so the project will now be know as Horn of Balance.
Horn of Balance, huh. Sounds like a Zelda Title. I'm a bit curious to the story.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: FrozenFire on September 08, 2009, 04:13:50 am
I've attached the some screen shots to show how the sparks and dirt look.

I messed up while I was playing through the game and got the ocarina. So I lost my shovel and all I could do was play the shovel game for these shots. Anyway, hope it helps a little.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on September 08, 2009, 05:44:45 am
Okay, excellent. I can work with that.

Niek: If I remember then I'll post the intro story along with the next demo. I can't say when that will be though.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on September 20, 2009, 07:10:48 pm
Here is a new demo, since the previous one is no longer usefull.

I mentioned that I would post some story along with the demo, but I sadly don't have the time right now. I've been working on the game all day and I'm kinda beat. I'll have to see when I'll have the time.

So, what's new:
- Digging engine + 2 shovels. The difference is in the randomizing of items.
- Respawning after falling in a pit.
- Bridge shadows (I'd like some feedback on those svp)
- 7 additional rooms to visit
- Some secret action you can do with the boots (post if you actually find this one)
- You can now walk under containers  (= glitch in the previous demo)
- Tweaked the cannonball room / puzzle
- Fixed the credits glitch
- A lot resources are now placed externally (background sounds / character sprites / etc)
- Added the bug catching net
- Fixed a bunch of errors / glitches

I'd appreciate some feedback on the shadows, digging engine and tthe pick-up & throw engine.

PS: I also hid some rupees somewhere in one of the new rooms. Just something I wanted to try to program.

Woops. Wrong demo. I've just corrected the link.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on September 21, 2009, 05:59:57 pm
The opening story (as promised). This is just a very tiny part of the entire story, which I won't get into that for obvious reasons.

Story beginning (titelscreen intro):

The story starts with Link living with his uncle in the secluded the south west forest bordering Hyrule. The two usualy spend their days doing hard work like chopping wood and forging metal. It's a peacefull existence.

The sky is clear and the two are sitting about on a tree, enjoying nature and talking. Uncle starts on one of his stories. He has a million of them. Most of them about young hero's, princesses, fools, justice and exploring the world. "Today's story is about a young boy who accidentaly stepped onto a portal, taking him into the sacred world of the goddesses. The boy had heard of this world. About it's green lands and clear skies. What he found however was nothing but darkness and death. As he explored the world, he found that it had the strangest creatures walking about. Unnatural and evil. The water corrupted, the buildings destroyed, the ground almost dead. In the end he arrived at the source of the darkness. An enormous monster hellbend on the power of the world safely in his grasp. He started out human, just like the boy, but the power had corrupted and changed him. Now stronger then ever he had no intention of giving up his hold for the boy. The two fought, and the boy slew down the beast. Claiming his prize, the boy used it to transformed the world back to it's original state. Living happily ever after."

The fables and myths Uncle tells change from day to day but Link likes listening to them all the same. The parent in the villages tell them to their children all the time. It helps the little ones grow just and strong. Helping them distinguish right from wrong and teaching things like bravery and balance. Uncle usualy picks them up when they deliver goods. And sometimes he has his own stories.

After the story both Link and his uncle get back up, ready to return to work. There will be a royal festival coming up soon and they will need to work extra hard if they want to prepare there gift for the king's daugther, Zelda.


Story beginning (ingame):
Link wakes up, grabs his trusted boomerang and meets his uncle outside. Today is the day they will set out for Hyrule Castle. They've worked hard this last week. All in order to forge a masterpiece sword to present to princess Zelda on her 16e birthday. Rumor has it the princess will be considered of age during the festival and that she shall be wed off. Link has never seen this princess, much less set foot far beyond the forest borders. So he is eager to see the castle and help present the gift he too helped craft.

The two leave in the early morning and travel direct for Hyrule Castle. Nearing it's borders they are stopped by some soldiers. Appearently commoners visiting the festival are no longer allowed to carry swords or other weapons by order of the king. Gift or no, the rules are absolute and Uncle can not pursued the soldiers. Feeling there should be more to it he requests to be let by, hoping an adiance with the king will get everything sorted out. Instead he is forcefully taken arrested for his persistance as a suspicous character. The previous sword gets confiscated. The only reason Link is ignored is due to some good words from him Uncle and his young age. The boomerang he is carrying adds to soldiers feeling some pity. Before Uncle get's taken away he is able to tell Link that he should make is own way to the castle town. He still believes all will be right when he speaks with King and thus suggests they will meet again soon.

Uncle and Link had previously decided to meet in the town's square and now Link now takes the longer way around to get to this location hoping everything will already be alright when he arrives.

[Around this point, maybe sooner, will be when you take control of Link and thus this is where my story ends. There is plenty more, but I don't want to spoil anything more]
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 07, 2009, 05:47:55 pm
Here's a video I made out of boredom today (been sick this week so I've got far too much time on my hands right now). It doesn't show too much more then the last demo but it might be fun to watch if downloading the demo is to much of a hassle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX1QwfxvDwk

Note that this is done in my developers version. The demo doesn't have those colored backgrounds.

Sorry about the lag. My laptop somehow can't seem to handle the game at 30 fps when the recorder is on and it's at fullscreen mode. How is the performance on other computers?

Also sorry about the couple of small glitches you'll see. They took like 5 sec to fix afterwards but yeah.. some always slip through somehow.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: TomPel on October 07, 2009, 06:24:06 pm
Ahh, loved the video! Looks very professional, although the lagging was kinda annoying.
Keep up the good work!
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 09, 2009, 05:33:55 pm
Yeah, the lagging is pretty terrible. :-\

Thanks for the kind words. It's always nice to get a response once in a while.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 28, 2009, 06:17:35 pm
Just wanted to let you guys know progress will stop to a grinding halt for a while. I met a girl I'm starting to like more and more.... so yeah. Priorities right? Ooh well, it'll make waiting for GMare a lot more bareable.

For those who have been following my progress. Don't worry. I've been working on this for a year now. I finish what I start so do expect to hear more from me again after a while.

In the meantime. Here is a picture of one of the latest rooms I was designing. It's part of the waterworks / sewers below Hyrule castle. This area will be placed before the first dungeon from the demo and will hold some rather straightforward design and obstacles. Nothing too complex as it will be the first (sub)dungeon in the game. (It's still being developed as you can see by the colors here and there)
(http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/6532/underneathhyrulecastlep.jpg)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Raen on October 28, 2009, 06:24:08 pm
Lookin' good as always, Martijin!
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: FrozenFire on October 28, 2009, 07:00:42 pm
Just wanted to let you guys know progress will stop to a grinding halt for a while. I met a girl I'm starting to like more and more.... so yeah. Priorities right?

Yes yes, most definitely right. I was starting to feel bad that I was barely doing anything (meaning nothing) to help you with your project. Work and college take up most of my time, but I have used my free time to finish my CD cover and logo for the music album I'm making and I'm also in the middle of making the first song for it. On top of that, I've also been working on some custom Link sprites for my game, also finished planning what old and new items I will have in my game, stuff like that. As well as reworking my story and what little of the walkthrough I have.

So, with what free time I've had, I have used it mostly to work on my music and my Zelda game, but I haven't done anything with the project. When I have a break after this quarter of college is over, I will have more free time, so I'm pretty sure your game will get on my priority list again, but for now, it's off of it.

Anyway, when I'm ready to help test again, I'll let you know.

And good luck with your new special girl! ^_^  XD
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 28, 2009, 07:27:23 pm
Thanks guys. I already had the sewers pretty much worked out (= placements of the rooms and their approximate contents). Like the 1st dungeon floors. I could post that with the 3 others rooms in it on our forum if you're interested.

I also have the plans ready for the actual pushing and pulling of objects and switches. Along with some minor visual additions. So I can always just jump right back in.

You've been busy Frozenfire. If I can help you out for a chance, let me know.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: FrozenFire on December 14, 2009, 02:09:21 am
Hey guys, just an update on the link for the demo.
I KNOW THE LINK FOR THE DEMO IS DEAD.

I have sent Martijn a message, so hopefully he will get it soon and will be able to upload another demo for ya's! ^_^

(And maybe it'll have more content?? Martijn has been a bit busy, so we'll see what happens. :))
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 14, 2009, 06:22:26 pm
We'll, we just broke up so I might put more time into this hobby again. We'll have to see how things work out this month (with work and all) but I'll definatly continue this.

In the meantime: it's nice to see some interest in the game again. XD
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: FrozenFire on December 14, 2009, 11:30:30 pm
I'm really sorry you guys didn't work out Martijn. :(

I do hope you'll have a chance to get another public release soon, but don't kill yourself to do it or anything. :P
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 25, 2009, 12:15:44 pm
Just wanted to let you guys know that I'm still alive. I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to release another demo at the end of the weekend (v 0.9).
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: FrozenFire on December 25, 2009, 06:38:28 pm
Just wanted to let you guys know that I'm still alive. I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to release another demo at the end of the weekend (v 0.9).

Will this demo be in GM8 now?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 25, 2009, 06:52:14 pm
Yes.
Any errors or glitches with the previous demo so far?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: FrozenFire on December 25, 2009, 07:18:26 pm
None so far. It seems pretty solid. However, I haven't done a whole lot of testing because of Christmas stuff, work, life in general, and some family things (my grandpa died almost a week ago). It's been a little crazy to say to say the least.

And now it's Christmas time for me. So I won't be doing any testing for a few days. Actually, I should be getting off of ZFGC to get ready for all of the stuff with the family. :P

Good luck on v 0.9!
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Ethelon on December 25, 2009, 07:29:52 pm
eh, can someone upload to something other than whff since it's down?

Thanks
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 25, 2009, 07:30:14 pm
My condolences.
No worries about the demo and such. I'm sure we'll talk again afterwards.

Ethelon: That's why I'm working on finishing the next demo this weekend. Because the previous demo is lost. I'll make it more clear in the starting post.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 27, 2009, 09:28:01 pm
So, after a week of hard week I'm still not happy with the demo, but whatever. I said I'd post a new link and so I have. Man, I'm tired right now :-\

Now then. I am expecting several glitches and such. Since I have been changing a lot of things lately. So expect a fixed up demo in a couple of weeks for all the stuff you are able to find.

I DO APPRECIATE FEEDBACK!! All the feedback. XD

The latest changes for this demo are:
- Renamed and ordened all the ingame sounds
- You can now grab the large chest
- Added and tested multible dungeon(floor)s
- Finished (dwindel)staircase transitions
- Added more rooms (and a secundairy "dungeon")
- Chest appears through floorbutton
- Staircase appears through trigger
- Localised moving backgrounds
- Converted game to gamemaker 8
- Map menu can now handle single floored dungeons (+ now has a variable background)
- Converted all external sprites to .gmspr
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Ethelon on December 27, 2009, 09:56:53 pm
Whenever I load a file (or when I tried to make one), I got this:
___________________________________________
ERROR in
action number 1
of Alarm Event for alarm 2
for object obj_Master_Control_Tile:

File is not opened for reading.

Nice menu though =P, I don't like how enter is select however.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 27, 2009, 10:13:38 pm
Did you take out all the files? You will get that error if the program can not find the external resources like the sprites or music.

By select you mean the ok button? What is wrong with enter being select? Maybe I can fix it if it's a particular moment somewhere.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Ethelon on December 27, 2009, 10:40:30 pm
Take out the files? Like put every file you have in the resource folder and subfolders in there and put it in the same place as the exe?

I opened your exe and extracted, and ran it, and got the error when I pressed end after choosing my name, or trying to open one of your existing files.

And yeah, I mean the ok button, I'm not sure what your normal game control are, but I'd have preferred sometihng like Z or X, so I could select faster. Else I'm doing it all with my right hand.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 27, 2009, 10:55:18 pm
The folder next to the exe needs to be next to the exe after you extract it. It's really simple. The program looks for the needed resources based on it's own position. If you still have the problem after having done that, then I'll have to check myself. The principle worked fine the last 3 demo's so I see no reason why it should not work this time.

The enter button is not the only button for ok. You can use G since Enter is the extra. This is mentioned in the first post, the option menu and the in game info screen. Esc is an extra for the cancel button.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Ethelon on December 27, 2009, 11:14:53 pm
It is next to the exe, I never moved anything.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 27, 2009, 11:17:01 pm
Then I'll check it out tomorrow. Anybody else have this problem?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Xfixium on December 27, 2009, 11:34:10 pm
I didn't have the problem Ethelon is talking about. Could it possibly be a file permissions problem? I have played the first demo you brought out. It was very promising, and it looks like you've really built upon that. It does capture the alttp feel. In my attempt to debug, I did find some issues. I also attached images of them.

+ Link does get distorted at times.
+ Some surface artifacts appear at certain times. Maybe the surface not getting cleared out before using.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Sahittam on December 27, 2009, 11:41:39 pm
Anybody else have this problem?

No, it works just fine for me.

Now some feedback:

In door in the first attached Screenshot looks like it is open, but it's closed (collision works). I remember it is closed from previous demos.

When you stand right in front of a door to another room and swing your sword the sword beam doesn't "break", but continues flying in the other room.

In screenshot 2 I could walk while the textbox was there. When I opened another chest the textbox did stop me from walking, so it's the problem is only for this chest.

Once, when I shot a swordbeam at two pots standing in a line the swordbeam ignored the first pot and broke the second pot, but a second swordbeam then broke the first pot.

When you walk north with a wall to your right and then additionally press Right, you move north faster than if you had pressed only Up. This of course works in all other directions too. Or at least it seams faster to me.

OK, that's all I could find for now.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: FrozenFire on December 28, 2009, 01:25:02 am
Anybody else have this problem?

No, it works just fine for me.

Works great for me.

Besides what was already said by others, I have found no new errors.
However, I do think it feels weird that I can keep my sword charged even when I get hurt by an enemy. Because of this, I can back up with a charged sword straight through the enemies and kill them (attached pic is an example). I wouldn't consider it a glitch really, but it just doesn't seem right somehow. I think it's the way Link gets hurt; there isn't any "hurt reaction" from Link besides flashing. Link needs to bounce back a little or something, right?

Still, it looks like you've gotten a lot of glitches out. Nice work Martijn!



Ah! Just found a glitch. If you release a charged sword attack, you seem to be invincible(?). I was able to let those cannon balls pass right through me without taking damage, simply by releasing a charged spin attack (2nd pic attachment).
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 28, 2009, 06:10:29 am
Great. That's some valuable feedback guys. I'll take a look at them after work.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 28, 2009, 08:56:01 pm
Time for some answers.

Ethelon: I can't replicate the problems so I don't know what's wrong. I'll leave it at that till more people have trouble.

Xfixium:
- Ah yes. The distorted character. I remembered somebody (=Sahittam) making a comment about the same thing way back when. I just forgot about it along the way. NotAlphaMan from another forum was quick to help me out. It's fixed now, but the same thing might still occure with other moving sprites I've missed. Instead of going through the entire game checking all objects, I'll fix it as it pops up.

- The other two images are the same problem. It's fixed but I can't check the result since I do not have these problems. Could you please check again sometime when the next demo is out?

Sahittam:
- The door has been fixed. I've been redoing all the doors so that I don't have to use a sprite per direction, but only one sprite angled. I made a typo on that one.

-The swordbeam vs doorways took me a minute. XD This actually doesn't sound like a problem. The doors do not stop the swordbeam. It's the invisible transition below that stops it. So we are probably talking about a door that does not yet have an actually connection to the next room. Could you describe the location so I can be sure?

-The swordbeam vs containers is a choice of mine. I am using two sprites for the beam. One is a rectangle for hitting walls etc. Vs other things like pots it uses the actual sprite. So there can be freak instances where an object or small enemy is missed by the beam. It wasn't the original plan, but I kinda like it. Makes it a little more realistic and challenging.
Is this what happened in your situation, or am I way of?

------

I'll have to see about the rest of the issues tomorrow.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Sahittam on December 28, 2009, 10:23:49 pm
-The swordbeam vs doorways took me a minute. XD This actually doesn't sound like a problem. The doors do not stop the swordbeam. It's the invisible transition below that stops it. So we are probably talking about a door that does not yet have an actually connection to the next room. Could you describe the location so I can be sure?

No, it's a door between two existing rooms. I've attached pictures. To recreate this, walk through a door, then turn around and shoot a swordbeam, and as soon you can move, go through the doorway again. Then you'll see the swordbeam at the edge of the screen.

-The swordbeam vs containers is a choice of mine. I am using two sprites for the beam. One is a rectangle for hitting walls etc. Vs other things like pots it uses the actual sprite. So there can be freak instances where an object or small enemy is missed by the beam. It wasn't the original plan, but I kinda like it. Makes it a little more realistic and challenging.
Is this what happened in your situation, or am I way of?

Yes, I believe that's what happened.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 29, 2009, 06:30:48 am
In that case the two issues are probably the same. There is a tiny opening between a wall and an transition object. I did not believe it was possible, but I guess the beam sneaked past that.

I should have now solved it by using the rectangular mask for collision vs transition objects. Seeing as how that is broader.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 31, 2009, 10:11:30 am
Time for more fixing.

Sahittam:
-Being able to walk away from the large chest has now been fixed.
-Walking along slopes have now been altered (= you now walk slightly slower instead of faster, which would make more sense). It was indeed true that it would speed up the character. That's because walking diagonaly has a greater speed than walking straight and the coding did not compensate.

Frozenfire:
I'll take a look at your comments next. I agree but I also want to test the effects a little before implementing since it might make the game a lot harder. Being able to get hurt while spinning I mean. Not that that's a bad thing though. It's a choice between playability and realism I guess. Anybody have any comments on that?

Did you get a chance to read my idea on the other forum btw?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: ZFG on December 31, 2009, 01:22:48 pm
You mind telling me how you got the room transition?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 31, 2009, 01:49:38 pm
Sure, no problem. I'll just go over the basics.

For it to work you start with creating both rooms in the same (gamemaker) room. Make sure the path in between is placed above the character so you move under it and it feels like you're walking through the door.

So far it's just cosmetic. Next create an (in)visible object that has a collision effect with (the mask of) your character. When they collide you start a timeline that makes the character walk for a predetermined distance. Do not try to use a path. I personally use a function to pause the game while doing this and a variable to indicate the character is out of your control. Otherwise you would still be able to move him around and such and that is not good.

Now the tricky part. The view. In my game I have a object per dungeon. In that object I store coordinates and roomnumber per room. These are used to determine the upper left and lower right corner of the room. The view is centered on the character but every step I check wether or not the upper left corner of the view is past the upper left corner of the current room. If so then I reset the view. Think along the lines of view_xview[view_current] = room_topleft_x. That is how you only see the current room.

When you collide with the transition object simple turn this function of. Switch the number indicating the current room to that of the next room. And then turn it back on after the movement is done.

That's the most of it. Feel free to ask more details if it's unclear. I'm sure there are other (possible better) ways of doing this, but I kinda like this one.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on January 01, 2010, 12:46:53 pm
Okay. I've worked on the last of the comments and a fixed demo is now up.

Frozenfire: I've made it so you can now be hurt while swinging your sword, doing a full swing and sword charging. It does indeed feel a lot more natural this way. The effect of getting pushed back by the enemy is not yet included. That will require me to work on (or interrupt) the movement engine. If I'm going to do that then I want to do it right and also add sliding, swimming and pull so I'll do it at a later date. When I've figured out how to accomplice that.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: FrozenFire on January 02, 2010, 12:59:41 am
Frozenfire: I've made it so you can now be hurt while swinging your sword, doing a full swing and sword charging. It does indeed feel a lot more natural this way. The effect of getting pushed back by the enemy is not yet included. That will require me to work on (or interrupt) the movement engine. If I'm going to do that then I want to do it right and also add sliding, swimming and pull so I'll do it at a later date.

Sounds great Martijn. Btw, I'm going to do some major testing tonight (on version 0.9.1). If I find any errors, I'll post them on TDC.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on January 19, 2010, 09:34:18 pm
Just to show I'm still working on it.

There are three rooms I am currently working on, this being the first.
(http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/6081/screenshot103l.png)

Design isn't my strongest point (= still looking for a level designer), but I kinda like it. The green chest is a secret within the dungeon. One of two actually, but neither one will be needed for the completion of the dungeon. So don't feel bad if you can't find it. Think more along the lines of a heart container / trading sequence item.

A little hint for when the next demo is done: it'll become clearer with a map and boots.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on January 23, 2010, 06:50:21 pm
Just another screenshot to show progress. Three rooms turned to seven eight so now there are only seven six dungeonrooms left unfinished. Meaning the dungeon is slowly but surely getting finished from a design point of view.

(http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/7621/screenshot105c.png)

Frozenfire: There is some more stuff posted on our forum (2 topics).
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Wasabi on January 24, 2010, 01:08:55 am
wow... why so many doors?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Dark-Hylian on January 24, 2010, 04:05:19 am
Most likely for the rolling black balls, lots and lots of em apparently. DJ, looks great, can't wait to see this finished.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Zaeranos on January 24, 2010, 08:41:50 am
I have to agree with DL, why the many holes in the walls. They do not line up for cannonballs to shoot through. Do they serve any practical reason or are they for decoration.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on January 24, 2010, 10:09:47 am
Yup, they do have a purpose.

I was thinking of adding a trap room where you get flooded by enemies. And since enemies need to come from I've added so many holes. That's the underlying idea anyway.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on January 24, 2010, 10:28:39 am
Yup, they do have a purpose.

I was thinking of adding a trap room where you get flooded by enemies. And since enemies need to come from I've added so many holes. That's the underlying idea anyway.

how about making them come from crumbling walls? like in FSA
then one enemy group coming after another opening those holes
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on January 24, 2010, 10:36:55 am
I was thinking about small enemies like those plant things and maybe snakes (for there attack patterns). It is meant as a brainless flooding trap so the enemies will not do anything outside of their normal routines. I like the idea of waves, but that is best kept for another time. I've put it on my "idea-list".

Using crumbling wall? I assume you mean like the holes you can walk through yourself (it has been a long time since I played four swords). That would also be an option but you can't go through them yourself. With these holes it is clear that they are oneway. It fits the theme a little better too I think. And this is intented to come off as an designed continues trap. Like it is doing exactly what it was build to do. Namely trap and kill off intruders.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on January 24, 2010, 11:34:18 am
I was thinking about small enemies like those plant things and maybe snakes (for there attack patterns). It is meant as a brainless flooding trap so the enemies will not do anything outside of their normal routines.

With these holes it is clear that they are oneway. It fits the theme a little better too I think. And this is intented to come off as an designed continues trap. Like it is doing exactly what it was build to do. Namely trap and kill off intruders.

i don't think its clear one-way
some tile suggestions for "small enemies trap"

because it just looks like you'll have to run from a big black ball an not like something is inside these holes trapped until it's going to be set free i suggest a smaller entrance for enemies falling through or a cage which is opening

(http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/6082/hob.png)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on January 24, 2010, 11:52:20 am
Okay. I misunderstood.
These are great suggestions.

The first two look great. I'll definitely try those. The next two are a little iffy. Those probably only look right from above. The last are already used in the second area (=blue dungeon) so they are already associated with the water. The blue area will be positioned before the green dungeon. I do really like the idea of them opening like that so I'll save those for a later date. I already had somewhat simular planned, but these will add brilliantly.
...
I'll try it out. Thanks for the input!

Btw: There is a secundairy area with random holes in the wall. I might as well post it below since people are interested. The red indicates how the blocks need to be moved, but that will be removed later on. It's just there for me as reminder of how to program it later on. Any comments on these rooms. These holes are purely for decoration. They had a function but that got scrapped. These two rooms are connected.


(http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/5500/screenshot104k.png)
(http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/1541/screenshot103r.png)

------------------

Edit: Here is the revised room.
(http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/6389/screenshot107e.png)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Zaeranos on January 24, 2010, 03:17:15 pm
Hmm, letting enemies come out of it is also a nice idea.

(http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/7621/screenshot105c.png)

With this room I was think about that you need to go through one hole and you come out of another and thus need to do the correct sequence to open the doors.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on January 24, 2010, 04:00:05 pm
Interesting idea. I'll write it down for later.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Dark-Hylian on January 24, 2010, 04:47:59 pm
Maybe a series of "I shoot the arrow in here and it comes out over there" type things to hit a switch. Just an idea. Anyways, looks pretty nice.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on January 24, 2010, 04:57:22 pm
Yes. That would make for some interesting constructions. The same could be done with light (reflection) etc. Interesting.
I'm writing it down as well. There are also a lot of idea's I have myself that do not fit in the first dungeon. So I write down everything that comes to mind and save it for later. It'll be a while (read: somewhere between 2011 - 2015  XD) but everything will eventually make it's way into the game.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on February 01, 2010, 08:22:59 pm
Just another screenshot to show I'm still making progress:
(http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/3701/screenshot100z.png)

I've also got a question this time around:
Should Link be able to move blocks (etc) in a sidestepping motion?
Or will pushing ahead and pulling backwards be enough?


It's a little tricky to build, seeing as how the needed sprites of link don't exist yet.
I'm also not really sure if it's needed from a gameplay and/or nostalgic point of view. :huh:
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Zaeranos on February 01, 2010, 08:43:30 pm
I've also got a question this time around:
Should Link be able to move blocks (etc) in a sidestepping motion?
Or will pushing ahead and pulling backwards be enough?

I wouldn't do it, unless it is necessary for a lot of puzzles. But I think it can make puzzels to easy.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on February 02, 2010, 06:54:26 pm
Yeah, that's true. I'll just leave it out then. There is always time to add it in at a later date anyway.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: FrozenFire on February 03, 2010, 08:19:59 am
I've also got a question this time around:
Should Link be able to move blocks (etc) in a sidestepping motion?
Or will pushing ahead and pulling backwards be enough?


It's a little tricky to build, seeing as how the needed sprites of link don't exist yet.
I'm also not really sure if it's needed from a gameplay and/or nostalgic point of view. :huh:

I thought about it a little and I don't see any real point or much of a use for it. It just seems a bit unnecessary game play wise. I'm all for adding new things for a new experience and for fresh game play, but this is just one of those things that I don't see as being much of a contribution to the game as it would be a hindrance, if you get what I mean.

... I'll just leave it out then. There is always time to add it in at a later date anyway.

I often file away ideas when I think of something neat that just doesn't fit with what I'm doing at the moment. Who knows, it could later fit in just fine.

It's like video editing (how my brother and I do it anyway). Sometimes you get great footage that you want to keep, but it just doesn't contribute to the overall goal of the film. It gets cut out and set aside (but not deleted). Sometimes you go back to the scrapped footage and put it back in the film (or just part of it) because, after further editing, it seems to work with the film.
I'm basically saying, don't force it in if it isn't going to make the game better, but don't just scrap the idea because, as the game is further developed, it might become useful. Anyway, that looks like what you're doing and that's what I do too.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Ventlo on February 04, 2010, 12:00:41 am
 :)~Great game you made~:)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on February 06, 2010, 06:43:52 pm
Progress update:

>Adding the ability to pushing and pulling movable objects is basically done, except for the sound and a minor detail in the animations. Sound really isn't my thing so I'll leave that for now. The animation is something to look into. In the original game there is no animation for pulling apparently, so I have to make it myself. Only pulling left and right requires an edit so it shouldn't be TOO much work.

>Since I was working on movable object, I decided to implement them right away. Most notable is that movable objects now interact with floor switches. Meaning the next demo will have more rooms to explore since this was needed to advance.

>I've added in a warp tile. It's not exactly like in the original since I'm not really sure how it was done EXACTLY. But it close enough (for now :)). I'm not too confident about the sound though. I seem to recall sounds can get distorted when used while switching rooms. That'll need testing on computers other then my own.

I've attached some sequential screenshots to show how the warping goes right now.

FrozenFire: if you're reading this. I'll post a demo tomorrow. If you could warp around once or twice I'd appreciate it. Testing it fully can wait for later.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on February 06, 2010, 07:04:11 pm
look at this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORJJWJCtQ0M in that glitch video are both kinds of warp the first at the beginning and the second is in the middle of the video inside the swirl... both show now already a failure in your variant ;) the hud and links sprite isn't affected from the warp effects
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on February 06, 2010, 07:05:59 pm
Already fixed the HUD after posting. I'm not too sure about the character through. It works if the character stays in the center, but not in the other situations, so I'm still pondering on that.

-------------

Edit:
Tried it out, just to see, and it's okay. The character does however jump if the view is not identical in both locations. I'd have to redesign some rooms to make that happen and that's not really what I'm going for. Maybe I could add in a darkening effect as well making the transition less sudden. Not sure though so I'll try to leave it alone for a bit and ponder on it.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on February 14, 2010, 03:50:37 pm
Here is the weekly update:
(http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/3466/screenshot113o.png)

I've finished the key you need to ram of a pillar. For now anyway.
And as you can see more enemies have been added. It's just modest for now. I'm redoing all creation coding of the enemies in order to implement enemy weaknesses and immunities. Like these cyclopes being weak towards running into them and obviously arrows.

BTW. These enemies will not stay there. It's just for testing. This room will be a puzzle room just to get into the dungeon. I do hope to implement a lot more enemies in the next demo.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: FrozenFire on February 15, 2010, 03:59:15 am
Martijn, I just noticed the screenshots of warping, showing that it works perfectly fine for you. I wonder why mine messes up so bad with it?! Anyway, I pm'd you with screenshots of the problem and another glitch I found.

Also, the project is looking amazing, both here and on TDC. Great work Martijn! XD


Unrelated to the topic, 500th post, WHOOOO!!! Working toward 1000 now. :P
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on February 21, 2010, 07:04:30 pm
Just a little weekly update.
I've redone 3 out of the 5 enemies from the ground up so that we can now do this:

(http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/7960/screenshot100b.png)

Well. There are more benefits but as it stands right now the colors have become variable. The gray is just a placeholder till NotAlphaMan finishes mapping out all the needed colors.

Redoing the enemies also has the benefit of more uniform (= less complex) object relations. And I'll be implementing a new system to determine the damage Link and enemies do to each other. It'll be pretty much like it was in the original except maybe for the actual stats, but that's up to FrozenFire.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on February 28, 2010, 08:07:36 pm
Nothing much to report this week in the way of new features. I'm still working on grouping together the enemy objects and scripts (just one enemy left to do). It's a lot more work then you'd think but it's getting there. All enemies, hazards, projectiles and bosses should (more or less) use only one set of objects when I'm done. Beyond that is the damage system I'm working on as well. So all in all not progress that can be shown. Maybe next week.

Btw. There are two things that would help right now. I'm still looking for a sound effect for Link walking on metal. And I'm still looking for someone who is willing to done a couple of customized skeleton sprites (I've done some by now, but my spriting skills suck XD). Just thought I'd mention it again. I'll bump the respective request topics in a week or so.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Zaeranos on March 01, 2010, 07:26:03 pm
Congrats with the PotM.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on March 01, 2010, 07:51:16 pm
Thank you.
And now it's back to work to show some new content this month.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Aero88 on March 04, 2010, 05:47:49 pm
Okay I tried to demo and overall am very impressed.  It deffinatly feels like zelda.  Just a few suggestions.

-Link should walk faster
-Enemies seem kind of slow as well
-When you have the master sword and shoot the magical swirl it spins the wrong way when you are facing up or down.

Keep up the good work and congrates on Potm!  I look forward to seeing more.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on March 04, 2010, 06:12:32 pm
I see what you mean with the swirl. I'll put it on my list. It shouldn't be too much of an hazzle to edit. I need to do some revisions to the character attack means soon anyway.

As for walking speed and enemy speed. Gameplay tweaking is for later. I'm not too worried about that. Besides. You can only see the slowest cyclops gaurd and some weak plants in this demo. It'll become more challenging as I add more.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: FrozenFire on March 04, 2010, 11:10:57 pm
...
As for walking speed and enemy speed. Gameplay tweaking is for later. I'm not too worried about that. Besides. You can only see the slowest cyclops gaurd and some weak plants in this demo. It'll become more challenging as I add more.

And this is actually partly what I'm in charge of now, so thanks Aero88, I have noted those things. Luckily, I own Zelda 3, so I can play both the original and Martijn's simultaneously and get a better feel for what needs changing. This does not mean we're trying to mimic ALttP exactly, but I actually hope we can improve on a few things (after all, LttP was made a while back) and I think Martijn has already been doing a great job at making some things feel even better than in the original LttP. That is, imho.

Also, after Martijn gives me a new beta to fool around with, it is planned that I will record amazing gameplay footage for you all to see (good fps with non-choppiness, yay!). So, we're working on that ("we're" meaning Martijn XD).
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mirby on March 04, 2010, 11:20:47 pm
It looks highly faithful to LttP, almost like the SNES sequel that never was using the same engine. So that's frickin' awesome! Looks great; should've voted for this instead of Surface this month (no offense Mammy). I really need to check out threads before voting.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on March 06, 2010, 04:31:49 pm
:huh: I missed this post appearantly. Thanks for the comment. That is what I'm going for so I'm glad you like it so.

As for progress this week. I'm still working on it but the shield mechanic has now at least been redone. As well as the last of the enemies from the current demo. Man, that look a lot more work then I thought it would. With that done I can more one to finishing a new enemy and then the new damage system. I'll see about putting up a new screenshot of things by the end of tomorrow.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: kremling on March 07, 2010, 04:40:18 am
I found an error!
When you press control alt and delete an error will come up and can't be ignored. : (
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on March 07, 2010, 06:10:48 am
Yes, that is correct. Somehow surfaces get missing when that happens. The same thing also happens when your computer goes to standby while the game is running.

I do not yet know how to fix this.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on March 07, 2010, 10:34:10 am
Just a quick question. What looks beter? (I'm not talking about the colors).

(http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/1878/screenshot100n.png)

vs

(http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/9018/screenshot102.png)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on March 07, 2010, 11:07:32 am
Just a quick question. What looks beter? (I'm not talking about the colors).

(http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/1878/screenshot100n.png)

vs

(http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/9018/screenshot102.png)

and "what" are you talking about?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on March 07, 2010, 11:08:31 am
Room shapes.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mamoruanime on March 07, 2010, 11:12:01 am
I'd say go with the second one, simply because it'd probably be a lot less work for you in the long run.


Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on March 07, 2010, 12:20:23 pm
That's true. But aside from that.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Zaeranos on March 07, 2010, 12:21:32 pm
I have to agree. Rounded rooms and oddly shaped rooms just do not fit ALttP style. And it probably is more easier to make a generic tile set for the second one.

I do have to say that it was far more difficult to see the shapes on the first one than the second one.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Wasabi on March 07, 2010, 12:23:44 pm
second room shapes looks better. No need to have have it so detailed anyway. And if I remember lttp didn't have oddly shaped/rounded rooms.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on March 07, 2010, 12:28:32 pm
second room shapes looks better. No need to have have it so detailed anyway. And if I remember lttp didn't have oddly shaped/rounded rooms.

It did. I only noticed a while back otherwise I would have made it like that before.
I'll post a clearer image of the first image just to make a more fair comparission. (I keep running into tiny faults to fix while walking through the dungeon, so it might take a little while ::)). The comments so far seem pretty clear though.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Zaeranos on March 07, 2010, 12:36:52 pm
The only rounded room on a map was the boss room for the third pendant. But at least that one was large enough to warant it. Making rounded and oddly shaped rooms in such small size and with that lot next to one another kind of hurt the eyes a makes it somewhat more difficult to navigate.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on March 07, 2010, 12:45:24 pm
There were more situations, like in the dark world's swamp level if I recall correctly.
What you're saying however is true. I'll post a clearer image later on. And if noby changes there mind after that, then I'll go back to the previous style.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on March 07, 2010, 06:15:55 pm
These are all the rooms currently finished (with the excepting of the lower floor).

(http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/6132/screenshot101.png)

Everybody still likes the old situation better? With the square rooms?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Zaeranos on March 07, 2010, 06:35:55 pm
Everybody still likes the old situation better? With the square rooms?
Yup.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: FrozenFire on March 07, 2010, 08:10:40 pm
Everybody still likes the old situation better? With the square rooms?
Yup.
I also like the square rooms better.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on March 07, 2010, 08:13:45 pm
Thankfully. :) I'm already halfway in disassembling it again.
I am however planning on keeping the more detailed pathways between the rooms. I'll post another image once it's done to clarify.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mamoruanime on March 07, 2010, 08:35:44 pm
Yeah I'm pretty sure lttp's rooms weren't too jagged. I say this because the actual room data structure is set up to handle generic screen sized blocks of tiles that typically don't vary much outside of slightly angled room boundaries. Every now and again there's an odd angled wall somewhere, but it was never anything too disfiguring to the square shape.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on March 07, 2010, 09:08:42 pm
(http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/4025/screenshot100u.png)

Well, it's hardly any effort adding new roomsprites so if anybody feels a room somewhere could use editing just let me know. I'm not using a tileset btw since I'd have to store more data to retrieve a room's sprite.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: FrozenFire on March 07, 2010, 09:50:13 pm
Much better, but the pathways need to be about 3 pixels instead of just one; one is too small too see without straining the eyes. Check out this pic I found:

(http://www.flyingomelette.com/ezboard/pap/linkglitch_13.gif)

Hope that helps.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on March 07, 2010, 10:01:42 pm
We'll have to chat about that some time. Right now though it's late and you know already what kind of a week I'll have. I'll just leave it till next weekend.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mamoruanime on March 08, 2010, 04:10:45 pm
There's another inconsistency I should probably mention that only applies if you're going for true LTTP style design--

In the attached picture, the green colored rooms break the "room laws" of lttp; that is to say that the only way those rooms are possible is if the middle part of the room according to the map is a boundary to transition to the other side.

Each of the gray squares in the grid represent a 4 room quad; that's also the maximum amount that lttp can free roam the camera before you actually have a room transition. Crossing that gray boundary means a room transition has to ensue, since free roaming can only occur inside of the gray grid block. Ultimately the entire map would have to be shifted by one room size either to the left or to the right for it to work.

This all (of course) is only if you're going for that true-to-lttp sort of programming along with the gameplay feel.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on March 08, 2010, 05:47:50 pm
I'm not quite THAT hardcore. My engine does not have such a limitation, so it'd be more of a restriction then a gain. I'll just take what I feel are improvements on what I already have right now and leave the rest.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on March 14, 2010, 12:34:40 pm
Update report:
(http://img60.imageshack.us/img60/9789/screenshot105o.png)

It's still under construction but I thought it would be better if I posted now so I can still easily change stuff if people have usefull comments. You'll notice the lack of chests and arrows and such. That's next. I'm thinking of also making the light blue room color lighter and the gray gridlines darker.

Anyway. Does anybody have any input?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mirby on March 17, 2010, 09:42:18 pm
Looks like a very labyrinthine dungeon. I kinda like! Great work!
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: FrozenFire on March 18, 2010, 05:03:09 am
It looks great Martijn! As you suggested, making the gray lines darker might make it look even better, and it might help even more with making the passageways pop out more.

The light room color seems a bit more purple-ish than the dark blue, or something. Maybe I just stared at it too long. Really though, it's fine the way it is, but you can change it to a lighter color if you want to. It's not really a big deal.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on April 02, 2010, 02:23:58 pm
Just a little post to show I've haven't forgotten about you guys and to get some input.
I've been very busy lately and will be for some time to come, so sorry if I don't update very often. I did however manage to get some work done today. On the status ailments for enemies (since it's easter and banks consider that a holiday XD). Along the way while building that I got this idea of adding in an item to turn enemies to stone (and/or visaversa). I've been adding a stone status and it'd be a shame not to use it more then with just one type of enemy (=the cyclops guards). Anybody have any thoughts on this subject. And what I'm also very interested in: What kind of item would you want to use for this functionality? I was considering a rod/cane, but there are two of each already.

Just some gameplay idea's that come to mind:
-Turn a large enemy into a statue and push/pull it over a switch etc.
-Turn a small enemy into a statue and pick up / put down the statue. Or throw it for more damage, like with various frozen enemies.
-Turn NPC to life to get information, advancement or items.
-Remove the stone status from objects so their original function can be used. For example a tree can be crashed into against if you want to gain some apples items from it. A switch will be unstuck or a geyser will start flowing again.
-Stop / continue a time trigger event. For instance a pull switch that slowly reverts to it's original position. Stone it and the advance will stop, letting you progress.

Do keep in mind that this is all very much just in the planning stages and will not appear in any demo for a long time. So don't get you're hopes up too much.

Edit: Just a question in between. What happens when you run up against a frozen and/or stone enemy in alttp?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Dark-Hylian on April 02, 2010, 06:16:23 pm
Personally, what I think of, for stone transformation, I think shield. Perhaps, if you're doing a mirror shield, when you reflect light on them... they change. This would be effective against some types of enemies, npcs, and doors, like in MM / OOT. Persay, we have an eyegore. *now this doesn't have to be any old normal light.* There's a well of light, and you sit there with your shield, and you have to lure it near the light, and use either your mirror shield or other item of light magnifying ability.

Or it could be something like in MC, but controlled by being in, around or near some amplifying effect, where you charge up with the surrounding energy, and let loose a beam. This gives you many versatile options, such as, a firey torch for light, make it a fire beam. Plain light, affects stone beasties. Icy Torches, like in MM and OOT, shoot icy beams.

It could be an item or a sword, such as the shield in OOT, against the Twinrova sisters.

I don't know, it's just a though.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: FrozenFire on April 03, 2010, 04:15:20 am
(Oh dang, I came back from work and realized that I left myself logged on to ZFGC again! D:)

My ideas on stone stuff:

Like WW, you could have "dark" enemies that you could reflect light at from the mirror shield to turn them to stone (wait.. do you have the mirror shield?.. I forget). Personally, I think it should be a staff. I had a ton of ideas, but I had to leave for work and now that I'm back I forget...

Let's see:

As for your question on the frozen/stone lttp enemies. I believe that running into the has the same effect as any solid. If you dash into them, you bounce back. If you just run/walk into the stone ones then it's like a normal wall, but I think Link should get frozen if he touches a frozen enemy, whether LttP does it this way or not (I'm too lazy to check right now, lol).
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on April 03, 2010, 07:01:23 am
Interesting, on all accounts actually.

Dark-Hylian:
Having the shield's reflected light turn some specific enemies to stone is an interesting thought. Having it change people back to normal also seems logical. I'd be an additional function for the shield. It would be like the light is filtered/amplified by the shield and now has a cleansing effect. Mirror shield v2.0 :). Come to think of it. If I want to add in a reflection mechanic at all, I will probably need to make it so the shield can be used while moving, at your command and with angles (= 8 angles). That means giving the shield it's own button (like the boots) or turning it into an equipable item. Having it equipable would make it seem more realistic in the sense that he isn't carrying it in front of himself all the time.

I'm rambling on again, aren't I. XD

(Oh dang, I came back from work and realized that I left myself logged on to ZFGC again! D:)

My ideas on stone stuff:

Like WW, you could have "dark" enemies that you could reflect light at from the mirror shield to turn them to stone (wait.. do you have the mirror shield?.. I forget). Personally, I think it should be a staff. I had a ton of ideas, but I had to leave for work and now that I'm back I forget...

Let's see:
  • Small stone enemies can be picked up and carried like a pot, and they should press normal buttons.
  • Large stone enemies cannot be picked up and carried without an item that gives Link major strength but they can be pushed. These should be able to press down rusty buttons and can be used to block up waterways or lava flows or something.
  • There's got to be a boss that you turn to stone! You'd have to have an item that gives Link amazing strength so that he can pick up the boss and toss him into spikes or lava (something like that). Just an idea.
  • Turn lilies to stone so that Link can cross over water.. or something.. (I admit that I have no more ideas.. work and programming have used up my brain power for the day)

As for your question on the frozen/stone lttp enemies. I believe that running into the has the same effect as any solid. If you dash into them, you bounce back. If you just run/walk into the stone ones then it's like a normal wall, but I think Link should get frozen if he touches a frozen enemy, whether LttP does it this way or not (I'm too lazy to check right now, lol).

FrozenFire:
- I agree on the way we should handle large and small statues. However, picking up the large statues should be a choice, meaning you should not lose the ability to push / pull the statues after you collect bracelet number 2 or something. That might cause problems when people do the game out of order for instance. This can be done by making the bracelet also equipable of course. Hmm, there won't be many continues items left like this.
- A boss that turns to stone is a good idea. It could be a joke (sub)boss (one hit win after boasting it's strength, which might be funny), or as a way to temporarily stop it's advance. I'll put this up on our own forum as well to remember it.
- A rod is functional. I am planning to add some lore around the item, regardless of what type of item it will become. How it once belonged to a mage who used it to turn a kingdom to stone and hid it away at his final resting place. Something along those lines.


Edit: I nearly missed the freezing comment. Frozenfire. You want me to add in a freeze status for Link as well? Finishing the damage system requires me to redo large parts of the character system anyway so it's very much do-able (and fun to build), given enough time. Personally I was also thinking running against frozen enemies should break them. And that running and crashing against small stone enemies should push the statue back as well. No idea yet how I'm going to programm in that last bit though :).
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on April 04, 2010, 03:09:13 pm
It has been a while since I added something new (because of lots of time spend on coding revision) so here are some screenshots of an new addition. I just spawned a bunch of them after each other, which obviously will not be like in the endresult.


1. "It's raining men."
(http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/338/screenshot127l.png)

2. "Is he stretching or something? I don't care what he tells me. That does not look healthy."
(http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/2634/screenshot131t.png)

3. "Haha. Martijn hasn't allowing you to cross walls yet. Can't get to me can you?"
(http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/5808/screenshot132.png)

4. "Darn that Martijn."
(http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/3139/screenshot133.png)

5. "And that takes care of them. Now what's that guy doing?"
(http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/1545/screenshot135a.png)

6. "Hahahahaha. Not a very bright bunch are they?"
(http://img682.imageshack.us/img682/5662/screenshot134t.png)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Zaeranos on April 04, 2010, 04:34:32 pm
Hmm, it looks nice. Also reverse of what stalfosses usually do. First you kill the body then the skull. It is actually a refreshing use of that enemy.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on April 04, 2010, 05:56:55 pm
Oops. I was unaware you originally couldn't hurt the head before the body was destroyed. The way I've programmed it is that you can either kill the head or the body first. If you kill the head first then you get the sequence above. Otherwise the head speeds up after you. I'll make the head very hard to kill as opposed to the body to still get a somewhat simular effect like in the original.

Edit: Once the body is gone, the head's current health halves. That should make it even more like the original.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Zaeranos on April 04, 2010, 07:15:21 pm
Actually you could kill the head before the body, but that would destroy the entire stalfos. I actually liked your solution.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on April 12, 2010, 12:23:22 pm
I'm still in the middle of my studies for an exam this friday ( :-\ ), but I need a break so I decided to put up a new screenshot of what's been added last week. Namely the blue stalfos.

(http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/3471/screenshot114r.png) (http://img694.imageshack.us/i/screenshot114r.png/)

This blue guys walks around for a short distance turns his head and walks in the new direction. I've been tinkering with his walking routines so he doesn't continuesly try to walk up against walls and such. Maybe he'll need some more AI after that, but it feels right for now. Nothing too complex so far.

When you swing your sword near him he will jump up away from you before continuing to walk on like nothing has happened. The same happens if you run near him, hold out your sword in proximity or try to do a fully sword swing. I considered making him smarter then that, but it's a skeleton so it's credible that's he's lacking a brain.

Now that I'm posting this, I realise the skeleton does not get affected by the grass like Link does (by having grass appear over the feet). :-\ I'll fix stuff like that up if the situation actually happens in the next demo.

Anyway. I'm still planning what to do next (aside from further brushing up some of the latest new features). Chances are that I'll continue on this path and add some more enemies before continuing on with the damage system and redoing the character structure. That last bit needs some more planning anyway.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mirby on April 12, 2010, 04:35:37 pm
Silly Martin, skeletons walk on top of grass! Actually, it looks great! Nice work! You can still kill them with quick, rapid, successive slashes, right? I love killing Stalfos' with my sword...
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on April 12, 2010, 05:34:17 pm
Ooh right. Skeletons have 0% fat. I completely overlooked that fact.

Btw. I forgot to mention it earlier. IF FrozenFire has the time next week or so (and that's a big if since he's got his own game to work on) then we might have a new video for you guys some time after that. It's been more than a half year since the last one so it's a nice occassion. I can also do it myself, but then there'd be that terrible lag again :'(
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mirby on April 12, 2010, 05:39:35 pm
Just ask his evil twin BurntIce.

Also, I would love to see a new gameplay video. I am really looking forward to this. And it would be a fan game my brother would actually play! He loves the original LttP (yet hates the 3D Zeldas... hmmm)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: FrozenFire on April 12, 2010, 09:36:15 pm
Btw. I forgot to mention it earlier. IF FrozenFire has the time next week or so (and that's a big if since he's got his own game to work on) then we might have a new video for you guys some time after that. It's been more than a half year since the last one so it's a nice occassion. I can also do it myself, but then there'd be that terrible lag again :'(

Don't worry, I can do it easily and pretty quickly. A video doesn't take too much time to make, and I have some great video capturing tools and editing stuff to keep the quality good. So, no lag, yay!
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Random on April 13, 2010, 05:05:38 am
Awsome! Are you going to enter this into Z3?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on April 13, 2010, 05:31:36 am
Nope. Hadn't planned on it. I don't really get the whole set up of z3. I'm assuming it's something you have to physically attend and that's kinda hard to do if you're living on another continent.

FrozenFire: Great! There is a list of the added features in the starting post if you want suggestions. We'll talk some more in the weekend.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Zaeranos on April 13, 2010, 06:21:02 am
Nope. Hadn't planned on it. I don't really get the whole set up of z3. I'm assuming it's something you have to physically attend and that's kinda hard to do if you're living on another continent.
As far as I know you make a great webpage, that is your booth and show off a lot of stuff about your game.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Random on April 13, 2010, 06:25:42 am
Nope. Hadn't planned on it. I don't really get the whole set up of z3. I'm assuming it's something you have to physically attend and that's kinda hard to do if you're living on another continent.
As far as I know you make a great webpage, that is your booth and show off a lot of stuff about your game.
What happens if you win? Were do you submit?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on April 13, 2010, 11:12:23 am
Random: There is a topic in the updates section. Try there if you're interested in the z3.

I still won't be participating. Life's pretty busy (from time to time) and what time I do have for myself I'd rather spend on the actual game rather then building a website. I'd have to really put some effort into building a site since I know very little on the matter right now. Maybe next year.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mirby on April 13, 2010, 06:46:05 pm
I think that's a wise decision. Now you won't have to worry about rushing to get a suitable demo ready by then, and you can take the time required to make this truly awesome. Which shouldn't be too hard; it's already awesome.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on April 18, 2010, 10:25:33 am
Just another screenshot with a little bit of progress:
(http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/3395/screenshot102s.png)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mirby on April 18, 2010, 07:24:14 pm
YAY! PROGRESS! ^_^

Still looks sweet!
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on April 23, 2010, 04:38:23 pm
No progress report just yet (maybe a video one of these days but that's besides the point). No, today I've got a question.

What happens in the original alttp if you do a full sword swing but get hit while doing so? Or do you get hurt with the special effects still continuing? Or is Link invincible while doing that? Maybe it's the enemy that (at that time) gets hurt colliding?

I'm finaly breaking down and rebuilding the character structure so these question come to mind.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Zaeranos on April 23, 2010, 05:49:21 pm
I don't know if Link is invincible or not and enemies can actually reach Link during a swing. What I do know is that the spin special effect will continue to finish once started.

I often like to call the duck to fly away, quickly charge the sword and release right before Link gets picked up. The swirl effect will rotate in mid air while Link flies away with the duck.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on April 23, 2010, 08:29:15 pm
Thanks. Then I should make that an independant object (= controled seperatly from the character's control object).

Who knows what happens when Link's body collides with an enemy while doing his full sword swing?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Xfixium on April 23, 2010, 10:02:19 pm
I believe it cancels the sword swing and he goes into his hurt state.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on April 24, 2010, 07:08:36 am
Okay, thanks.

Also: here is the new gameplay video as made by FrozenFire. I've also put on the first post.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9zNPr7te28
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on May 02, 2010, 05:32:07 pm
Weekly update:
I WAS finishing Link's animations for the firerod/icerod when I noticed a small glitch in some collisions. It seems rotating and mirroring sprites does not go together with the standard collision event. So...guess all the rotations and mirroring need to be taken out again. Ooh well. There was no mentioning of this issue in the help or on the gmwiki so I figured it wasn't a problem. Right now I'm more then halfway done. Just about a half day worth of work left. After that it's back to working on the rods.

Btw. Here is an old screenshot I came across on the development forum. This room is available in the current demo but you have to use your key on the door in the upper left corner of the dungeon. You can also pass this room in case you where wondering. Is there anybody who figured that all out already?
(http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/4052/screenshot104e.png)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Zaeranos on May 03, 2010, 05:52:30 am
Nope I did not figure that one out already. But you do seem to love canonballs in this dungeon  :P
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on May 03, 2010, 07:33:58 am
That's the last (couple) rooms. I swear. XD

Edit: The thing is that cannonballs can cross multiple rooms. It gives you more of a feeling that the dungeon is more then just a bunch of random rooms thrown together. Like the moat as well. That's at least what I've been going for with this. Plus, I wanted to add in a puzzle. Just to try it out.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Xiphirx on May 04, 2010, 01:38:37 am
This engine looks really solid D:
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on May 04, 2010, 04:42:47 am
Thanks. And that is also why it is taking so long for a new demo to come out. I'm not adding all THAT much. I just want to make sure the engine stays solid.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on May 09, 2010, 06:43:36 pm
Weekly update:
Redid the sword charging using the new character structure and I just started on the sword swinging. I'm making it so the character actually keeps the sword in hand, so that's a little of a hazzle. But then again, I don't plan on redoing it a third so I might as well.
Also spend some time trying to recreate the icerod's magic, but... well... I'll try my again next week. XD
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on May 23, 2010, 02:55:16 pm
Weekly update:
Well, I skipped last week due to more pressing matters, but I'm aiming for weekly.
I finished redoing the character's regular sword attacks, making several small tweaks to his positioning and sword handling. I believe them to be improvements but I'll leave that up to my testers. FrozenFire: there is a new demo up on the other forum if you want to check it out some time.
I'm still working on the full sword swing. It's presentable, but I'm not fully happy with it yet, so I'll be coming back to it at a later date.
And finally the dashing with sword in hand has been redone. I'm currently finishing up the details like the dust below his feet, the running sounds, ordening the coding and removing obsolete resources.

All in all nice progress, but none of it presentable. Maybe I'll work on the fire and/or icerod next. NotAlphaMan got me the needed sprites so it's possible. I'll have to see what I feel like tackling first. Since it's also quite gradifying to remove newly obsolete resources, knowing you've build something more solid.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on May 29, 2010, 02:10:20 pm
Weekly update:
This weekend I'll be working on the pick-up mechanism some more. It needs to be recoded like all of Link's other actions, but I'm also going to expand it so more/any items can be picked up and carried.

(http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/7867/containers.png) (http://img72.imageshack.us/i/containers.png/)

Here are the items that I found that you could pick up, I feel you should have been able to pick up and a crate I don't remember where I found. These will be the things I plan on adding as throwable items. Did I miss anything essential or interesting?

Also, I am looking for a sprite for the crates as they shatter upon impact. Using the leaves from the bushes or rocks from the vases just doesn't fit. I don't believe alttp has any suitable sprites I can use. Is there perhaps a MC or FSA sprite that might fit? I'll cross that bridge when I get there, but if anybody could help me out right now then I'd appreciate it. XD
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mamoruanime on May 29, 2010, 02:41:49 pm
picking up chests allows for an interesting puzzle element you could add :P

The requirement to carry a chest to a certain location in order for it to be opened... Could be somewhat like that damned temple in lttp where you have to have that one !@#$% follow you around to the end :P
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Wasabi on May 29, 2010, 02:56:16 pm
picking up chests allows for an interesting puzzle element you could add :P

The requirement to carry a chest to a certain location in order for it to be opened... Could be somewhat like that damned temple in lttp where you have to have that one !@#$% follow you around to the end :P
only thing is having him follow you round didn't render you unable to attack, you'd have to account for that too. Could be interesting though.
Mind you any kind of escort mission whether it be a person or carrying a chest are tedious and generally frustrating, I've never enjoyed a single escort mission in any game.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on May 29, 2010, 03:05:27 pm
That is indeed an interesting concept. I was personally thinking you'd be able to pick up a chest after it's empty. For fun (just because  XD) or to reveal something underneath.

Being able to pick up a chest while the content is still in it is quit interesting. Though I'd probably use a different colored chest for playability. Instead of an regular escort you'd be able to attack with the object. (Somehow that makes me think a chest with Navi trapped in it >:D). Maybe you need to bring it somewhere but I can also imagine you'd need to break the chest by throwing it against something. Like a specific type of enemy maybe.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on May 29, 2010, 03:42:43 pm
Did I miss anything essential or interesting?

picking up fallen enemies
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on May 30, 2010, 09:10:20 pm
Did I miss anything essential or interesting?

picking up fallen enemies

Interesting. What are you thinking? Some special enemies maybe?

I will make it that enemies can be frozen or turned to stone. One or both of these can be picked up and thrown. So that's another thing.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on May 31, 2010, 03:55:51 am
Did I miss anything essential or interesting?

picking up fallen enemies

Interesting. What are you thinking? Some special enemies maybe?

I will make it that enemies can be frozen or turned to stone. One or both of these can be picked up and thrown. So that's another thing.

i think there was such a thing in lttp too but i mean something like in fsa here (5:52) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJZZ0khYCVs

couldn't find the one of lttp but it was an enemy type of the lost village too i think
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on June 06, 2010, 05:30:39 pm
Weekly update:
Spend some time on the finer details this weekend. Mainly because I need to spend more and more time studying and this makes it easier to switch in and out.

*Landing in water after crashing into a wall (etc) now produces a splash of water near Link's feet. Finally found a sprite I could use. The same will need to be programmed for jumping from a ledge or falling from the floor above, but that is for another day.

*Crashing up against a wall has now been tweaked to be different based on the container you are carrying. Heavier containers shorten the distance flying backwards.

*Redid the animation/sprites for grabbing, pushing and pulling objects. This one is by far the most timeconsuming of the bunch.

*Ooh, and I've now well passed the 100th unique body sprite for Link (and still counting)

Dotyue: I liked the youtube video. I'll see if I can add picking up stunned enemies and trees.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on June 06, 2010, 06:34:47 pm
Dotyue: I liked the youtube video. I'll see if I can add picking up stunned enemies and trees.

well, trees were fsa only... i only showed the vid because of the enemies...

but its your decision if you want to have an original lttp engine or not ;)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on June 06, 2010, 08:50:21 pm
Here's one more for the road:
Just finished redoing the delay before you pick up an container. Previously the delay variable would diminish every time you pulled on the object. So it would be possible to pick something up with only a series of small pulls instead off one normal pull. That's no more. You now either pick it up in one go or not at all. I now also take the three weight classes into consideration. The lightest class is picked up almost instantly. The second class has a subtle delay to it before it is picked up. The last class has a very noticable delay.

Dotyue: I don't believe you could pick up enemies in altp either. Except for the chickens maybe and frozen enemies. No matter though. I'll see if I can build it in. Can't say that I'll use it, but at least I will know that I have the option to do so with this engine. Much like with the trees.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on June 13, 2010, 08:25:30 pm
Weekly update:
- Redid walking on stairs. Both with and without a container either running or walking.
- Added the rod of medu (= yellow rod) to the item menu, shuffling the existing item order somewhat to do so and implemented it's swing animation.
- I'm about 70% into redoing the walking animations (both with and without a container).
- Worked a little on the area outside of dungeon 1 (= did some concept work). Currently I'm waiting on a mountain tileset to use

Work is progressing nicely. About half of the character's actions are now redone.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on June 17, 2010, 09:47:39 pm
I won't be working on the game this coming weekend. So, instead, I thought I'd try to explain a little why it is that I am taking all this time to work on the engine rather then add all kinds of new things. I also felt like writing my mind for a change XD

There are three mayor changes I'm trying to realise.

1. Implement a new damage system.

Previously all enemies did a fixed amount of damage to Link (which would diminish based on Link's tunic), a hp value and variables per possible hit against it (like a damage multiplier for fire or to turn arrows ineffective etc). This was the earlier situation.

Now the enemies are build of three prime components: Creator, Control, Sprite (with death sprite and shadow as support). These main objects are uniform for all enemies. When the enemy sprite and hero sprite connect the hero gets hurt, but no longer by a set amount of damage. Damage from the enemy to the hero is set in classes. A class holds a value of damage per tunic and a distance the hero gets pushed back. The enemy only stores the index to the damageclass for this. Special damage features (like fire/ice/stone/lightning/stun) will be dealt with through an additional variable. All of this has been been programmed a while back, except for the special damage. There are now enemies/sources to deal special damage yet, so there is no need to build already.

The character structure also needed to be redone. I'm in the middle of that right now. There is a control tile and there is the sprite. Sprites work with a parent tree. There is an object for sprites "attached" to the control tile and sprites with unattached locations. Under these is an object for the body and shield because they have unique features. The way the character hurts an enemy is if a character sprite collides with an enemy's. If the character has character sprites has it's variable turn on to interact with enemy sprites then that takes precedence over the enemy hurting the hero.

All of Link's attack types are also grouped into classes. The icerod is a class with only one weapon, because an iceattack is unique. Using the first sword in a default swing and throwing a bush share a class because there damage has the same nature and the damage value is comparable. Each enemy possesses a damage variable per class. So if you hit an enemy with a boomerang then that would be damage class 1. The enemy's damage value in that class is 1 so he takes 1 damage (and is thrown back a distance also in relation to the class). And if I want the enemy stunned then, instead of a damage value like 1, I could have the enemy variable hold a value like 101. 101 could be stunning, 102 getting frozen etc.

The damage mechanic is finished. There are 20 classes in total. 9 classes are being worked on or (almost) finished. The character structure is about halfway done, but it's still a lot of work. Special status attacks are not yet in effect, but will be added sometime after the character structure is finished. All enemy stats are default, meaning all weapons deal equal damage and all enemies have equal health. Tweaking the stats will be done at a later date, but if anybody is interested in stuff like that feel free to send me a message.


2. Restructure the enemy / hero build up

As stated in point 1 and especially 3, the enemy and character structures needed to be changed. The enemies needed to become more uniform to make it more manageable to add new enemies with more ease. Enemies can now share AI segments slightly easier (like movement scripts), and can be part of an class (projectile / non-projectile). All enemies now use one single sprite which is immensely valuable because you can now manipulate those with one piece of coding. I'm talking about the flickering colorschemes you see when an enemy gets hurt. That is now for all enemies the same. Finally (almost) all enemy sprites are broken down into layers (one per color in there original sprite). In other words, I've implemented the use of colorpallets for the enemy sprites. This makes the just mentioned  possible, but also frozen or stone enemies. The before mentioned has all be finished. Who knows. I might one day even use all of this to implement my crazy idea of making the tint of the enemy dependant on the shading he is standing in etc.

The character structure needed to be changes for roughly the same reasons as the enemies. It elimated a whole lot of objects, adds more uniform coding and makes damage and sprite manipulation a whole lot easier. Not to mention adding new items/actions. The hero sprite will also be using a colorpallet. The advantage of this is obviously an easier way of changing Link's tunic, but also to let Link be frozen or turned to stone. And I can do small details like color the gloves based on the gloves you've actually collected. Finally I separated the head sprites from the body sprites to help clear overlap. Most of what is mentioned here is still being implemented. To give you an idea of the work: I've just added my 40th head and 155th body sprite, and still counting. That comes done to about 300-400 subimages of previous sprites replaced by this new method not mentioning swords and shield.


3. Restructure depth system

And finally the change I won't be finishing before the next demo, but which I'm preparing for all the same. Namely a new visual depth system. I encourage programmers to read this bit as advise, because it'll save you time in the long run if you haven't come to a similar conclusion already.

In my game currently all enemies have depth x1 or x2 (based on lower floor or upper floor). This is the simple version. So if you create two bats then one will always be drawn in front of another. I could have handled that pretty easily, but there is another problem. In my game there are statues. They have a base of 16x16 pixels and you can walk either in front or around back. Naturally you expect to stand behind it when behind and in front when you are standing in front right. Doing so in normal circumstances is also easy. However, when you give the character the ability to pick stuff up his height increases. Now comes the question of depth for the container above his head. Simple trickery won't cut it anymore. When you are standing in front you really to do need to give the container/character a depth that is lower then that of the statue. Otherwise you will get ugly depth issues. (BTW: the original also has these problems. If you hold a container below and next to some specific pillars the top of the container will be draw under the top of the pillar).

So what I plan on doing is have the depth be variable based on the y coordinate of an object's sprite's lowest border. It's simple really. Just took me a long to realise it XD There are some small issues left, like what if you objects (enemy/character/statue/etc) share an y value. In that case you first need to add priority like Character > Statue. Secondly you can use creation order.

This last point has not been programmed yet, nor will it be before the next demo. It's too much work and I really do want to show some result for a while now. I'm also afraid that means you'll see some depth issues in the next demo :-\  What I am doing however is a bridging. Each character and enemy can have sprite components that already have a depth relation to one another. Like a sword being in front of a shield. Previously these depths where constant, now I'm basing all depths on the control object's depth. So each control tile gets a personal range of +5 and -5 to manipulate it's personal sprites in. When I want to implement this new depth system I can manipulate all the character sprites as well as every single enemy with just a single piece of code.

-------------------

Sorry for the spelling and possible ranting. It's really late right now. I hope someone amongst you has found it interesting enough to read it till to the end. XD Even better would be if someone found it usefull.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mirby on June 17, 2010, 11:55:27 pm
This sounds great! Glad to see all the progress made on it. Look forward to more!

Now to check the first post.. :D
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on June 28, 2010, 09:20:48 pm
Weekly update:
Wasn't really planning on posting anything this week cause of an exam in two days. After plenty of studying I'm unfortunately have come to the conclusion that I'm lacking the willpower to study for hours on end and I must confess I should have spend more time on it here and there in the last couple of months :-\ So I've decided to stop studying, not go to the exam and try again on the next occasion.

Anyway, since I had free time again I worked on this project again. Here are the results:
- walking animations has been done both with and without the containers above your head. Just needs some little tweaks based on container weight some other time.
- jumping of a ledge now has the character facing the direction he is about to jump in. I know this is unlike the original or my previous demo but with the new character setup this is easier.And I feel it makes more sense.
- I decided to skip working on trees, enemies, chests and swords to pick up and throw for the reason of progress. (I really want to bring a demo out, but it's just seems to take longer and longer so I'm looking for things to scratch of my list). I'll work on these things at a later date.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on July 04, 2010, 05:28:16 pm
Weekly update:
+ You can now jump off a ledge while facing a direction other then your jumping direction. (I know, nostalgia beat logic)
+ Walking on stairs now has a slightly different animation speed then walking normally.
+ Ledge jumping has now been fully recoded for the new character set-up
+ Landing in water after a ledge jump now results in splashing water.
+ Ledgejumping is now possible over extended distances.
+ Getting rupees / arrows / bombs from chests no longer generates a pop-up text.
+ When getting something from a small chest the player no longer raises his hands. And the item's location is based on the chest instead of the player. This should make things more like the original and should make the action more streamlined.
+ Getting an item from a chest has now been fully redone / moved too the character control object.
+ Grouped together the chest objects into a single new object.
+ The text you see when you enter a new area has been improved (I had been working on it
before for glitches on specific computers but the complexity is no longer needed anymore).
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on July 18, 2010, 09:11:25 pm
(Bi?)weekly update:
+ The character will sweat if he tries to run around with a heavy container above his head.
+ Grouped most earlier container related objects into one creation object and one container.
+ Both walking and running with a heavy container above your head results in a (slight) decrease in speed.
+ Replaced the character’s shadow object.
+ Redid getting hurt while carrying a container
+ Fixed glitch while stabbing walls
+ Fixed glitch for grabbing a round container while moving
+ The pick up sequence has been fully redone.
+ If shadows (character / item / container / enemy) are in contact with water and on the same depth_scale then the shadow turns from black to blue

Sorry about missing out last weekend. I've been really busy. The same goes for this week aswell actually, but at least I got some more work done.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on July 25, 2010, 07:54:32 pm
+ Fixed the glitch where you could grab items while looking in another direction.
+ You can now also ledgejump diagonally.
+ Added variable sized container shadow (during pick-up/carrying/etc)
+ Redid the throwing of containers
+ Redid drawing the digging/terrain surface (more flexible then the old system)
+ Added Pols Voice enemy (just cause I can 8) - still not finished though)

(http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/3357/screenshot106z.png) (http://img713.imageshack.us/i/screenshot106z.png/)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on August 01, 2010, 08:14:41 pm
Almost forgot the weekly update.
Not much progress this week. I just finished the new digging mechanic. The interaction with tall grass, pots/rock/etc and movable objects still needed to be added after last week. And I've started work on seriously simplifying the respawn mechanics. It's mostly glitch hunting with these things. Rhe further you get the more things are interconnected. Which is fun.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on August 12, 2010, 08:17:17 pm
Well, it's no weekend yet but I was in the mood to post something. I finally bought a decent desktop after some issues recently with the last computer. So I tried running gamemaker and what do you know? I can finally play the game like you all can. At the full 30 fps! Joy!!! Hahaha. I'm not completely happy with how the game plays at 30 fps but maybe it just needs to grow on me.

Anyway. Here's a new gameplay video to show off some of the progress I've been mentioning over the last couple of weeks/months even. I needed to find and install a new screen recorder anyway. It's no editing masterpiece or anything, but at least there's no noticable lag like in my last video. XD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6Jv9ZkdzD4
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Zaeranos on August 12, 2010, 09:27:01 pm
Wow, Link has one hell of a throwing arm if I look at the first thing being thrown.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Xiphirx on August 12, 2010, 09:37:07 pm
This has to be the most complete and legitimate looking engine ever made D:
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on August 13, 2010, 05:36:34 am
Wow, Link has one hell of a throwing arm if I look at the first thing being thrown.

If you're throwing something while walking/running then the throwing distance increases. During that first throw I moved Link slightly before throwing. I'm open for alternative suggestions but this seems to work alright/intuitive once you're actually playing it for a bit.


This has to be the most complete and legitimate looking engine ever made D:

I can't ask for nicer feedback. XD
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Zaeranos on August 13, 2010, 06:30:03 am
Wow, Link has one hell of a throwing arm if I look at the first thing being thrown.

If you're throwing something while walking/running then the throwing distance increases. During that first throw I moved Link slightly before throwing. I'm open for alternative suggestions but this seems to work alright/intuitive once you're actually playing it for a bit.

Oh yeah let me play  XD Please  :P Like Xiphirx said, this is easy one of the best looking engines yet.  But about the throwing distance I know that the distance increases when throwing while walking, I just don't seem to remember that the speed increased as well. Then again it has been a while since I played ALttP, thus I could be wrong.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Gedosemo on August 13, 2010, 08:00:32 am
Zelda alttp lifting and falling:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xo2DOgg35ZA

Imitate them.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on August 13, 2010, 01:01:10 pm
Neither jumping or throwing are exactly the same as in the original as they are pretty hard to get just right (as the video from gedosemo illustrates). I'm just aiming to improve them in there own right. Edits can also always be made later. The throwing distance however might be something I'll pick up right now. I'll take a look if it's easy to edit.

Sorry Niek, but there are some horrible looking parts to Link right now. It's not finished enough to release it for people. Maybe I can polished some thing up a little in the coming weeks so it's somewhat presentable again for testers (for those interested).
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Gedosemo on August 13, 2010, 03:08:15 pm
I needed to find and install a new screen recorder anyway.

BB FlashBack:
http://www.bbsoftware.co.uk/bbflashback/home.aspx

A good screen recorder.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on August 13, 2010, 03:41:21 pm
I'm good thanks. The program I used to make that youtube video worked well enough.

EDIT: Please ignore what was written here before. I mixed up the months :-\
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Gedosemo on August 14, 2010, 09:02:15 am
Your:
(http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/9018/screenshot102.png)


Original background only:
(http://a.imageshack.us/img291/6598/mapsu.png)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on August 14, 2010, 09:51:19 am
I don't get it. Both are my creations with the exception of the background in the second image. I've made several distinct differences when compared to the original alttp so it's very easy to spot.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Gedosemo on August 14, 2010, 04:59:11 pm
Train and switch in overworld:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Su1Zb6qFy0

Just watch it.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mamoruanime on August 14, 2010, 05:32:15 pm
Train and switch in overworld:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Su1Zb6qFy0

... Why are you spamming images and videos with little to no explanation? People would probably understand what you're trying to convey in your posts a bit more if you'd say why you're posting what you're posting :P
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Gedosemo on August 14, 2010, 06:06:43 pm

... Why are you spamming images and videos with little to no explanation? People would probably understand what you're trying to convey in your posts a bit more if you'd say why you're posting what you're posting :P

The video says it all.

Just look at the additional overworld objects in action.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: 4Sword on August 14, 2010, 06:15:10 pm
Your post content is not being made contextually relevant; by giving little explanation in your posts, you are either failing to give an explanation or there is no explanation to be given. Just because Martijn dh is working on a LTTP-style game doesn't mean it is sufficient to post anything LTTP-related. You need to explain what you are saying better or otherwise you will be put onto post moderation.

Essentially what you are doing is saying something and then leaving the burden of figuring out what has been said ambiguously to someone else.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on August 14, 2010, 08:50:58 pm
Gedosemo: Please don't spam up the place. Just create a new topic if you have some of your own work you wish to show off (since it is obvious that it's a video you yourself uploaded today). It's rude to do so in someone else's topic without cause.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Gedosemo on August 15, 2010, 06:32:20 am
I don't mean to spam like being rude.
Nice progress on your project anyways.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on August 15, 2010, 07:52:17 pm
This (and last) weekend's progress:
+ Finished reconstructing the digging mechanic
+ Fixed glitch: player can no longer use items while holding something about their head
+ Fixed glitch: items now appear in the correct location after destroying pots
+ Redid animation falling to the next floor
+ Redid animation falling into an endless pit
+ Simplified the current respawn mechanic significantly
+ Fixed a whole bunch of other recent glitches
+ Redid walking on straight stairs
+ Redid walking on standalone stairs
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on August 22, 2010, 04:46:16 pm
Current weekend's progress:
+ Redid walking on dwindelstairs
+ Fixed issues with container shadows during getting hurt
+ Redid “screen push” room transitions
+ Fixed sound issues common stairs
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on August 28, 2010, 03:02:03 pm
I'd like some feedback on the warping effect. It's not meant to be exactly like in alttp but I'm not really happy with it yet. I just can't put my finger on it.
No use looking for the video btw (if you don't have the link) 'cause it's just uploaded for some quick feedback.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyGkBFkn20I
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Zaeranos on August 28, 2010, 03:50:26 pm
If I have to give a personal oppinion then I would say the black fade effect / period half way the teleportation. I like it best when Link and the HUD would be visible from beginning to the end of the teleportation. But I don't know if that works or is even possible in Gamemaker.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on August 28, 2010, 03:55:24 pm
You mean the transition between fade in/out. I can try to work with that.
As for Link staying visible. It's easy to do, but you'd see him jump from location to location and that's nasty. The HUD always stays on top because it's position is nicely fixed.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on August 28, 2010, 07:01:59 pm
that's just a thing of leveldesign

if your level1 and level2 for warping is simliar then you can put link into the same place... thats what they did in the original and if there is a wall he stucks into the "portal" and jumps right back
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on August 28, 2010, 07:09:49 pm
that's just a thing of leveldesign

if your level1 and level2 for warping is simliar then you can put link into the same place... thats what they did in the original and if there is a wall he stucks into the "portal" and jumps right back

I've edited it so you can also warp to another room on the same floor. And warptile A does not have to be positioned at the same location as warptile B. It is not like in the original but it does make things a whole lot simpler to design. So it's a tradeoff. You'll get used to it. If you're talking about warping between worlds then I'll probably just copy the original. There is a more direct link between origin and target there.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on August 29, 2010, 07:27:30 pm
Here is this weekend's progress:
+ Walking from room to room with the fade out/in effect has been fully redone
+ The sword beam is now enabled to fly over warp tiles
+ Warping has been fully redone (and now with a subtle fade-effect)
+ Removed all of the old transition objects and previous references
+ Warping does not reload the room if that is your target.
+ Removed the last of character’s old visual objects
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Freki on August 31, 2010, 12:16:58 am
I tried to play the demo today but since my pc have a overheating problem, it shutdown before I could finish to play. Could you check the option "Freeze the game when the form loses focus" in your next demo?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on August 31, 2010, 07:05:57 am
I apparently already decided to enable that function somewhere along the way, since it's on in my latest version. No problems there then.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Alejo_89 on September 03, 2010, 01:26:48 pm

We ARE looking to recruit. If you wish to help with spiting, level design, programming or testing then let me know. No help is needed with the story. Any comments on the game will obviously also be greatly appreciated

Do you need help? I can help you designing the levels or creating sprites for your game (enemies, objects or tiles map).
I wanted to create one zelda's fan game but as not to be programmed very much, finish annulling it.
It looks like to me a good engine (Link’s to the past engine), always I liked the engine of this game of snes. I see that you take it very seriously, with the reports of bugs of every demo.


If you are interested, put in contact with me and say to me the help that you need, my address is:       alejo_martinez88@hotmail.com


One example of my work:

http://www.subirimagenes.com/otros-ejem-5107368.html (http://www.subirimagenes.com/otros-ejem-5107368.html)


Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on September 08, 2010, 06:48:58 pm
Sadly, my vacation is at an end again :'( So progress will drop a little in favor of work and studying. No worries though, progress has been good lately so there shouldn't be a problem to post a demo before the end of the month (it'll just be a matter of how much I can polish it before then).

Here is last week's progress:
+ There are now no more movement sounds or moving visuals if you are on special terrain (like grass) while getting hurt and pushing a directional button
+ Redid the death animation
+ Split up all of the character’s sprites to be able to use colorpallets
+ Added more tunics / changed the present tunics
+ The color of Link’s hands now changes depending on what gloves he is wearing
+ Added a pallet for being frozen and being turned to stone
+ Fixed up character head on the dungeon map (it now changes colors along with Link)
+ Redid the continue screen
+ Integrated the older terrain effects over Link’s feet into the new character structure.
+ Changed the sounds and visuals a little while pushing/pulling a movable object around in high grass.
+ Implemented constants for item recognition
+ Grouped together all the collectable items
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on September 12, 2010, 06:08:36 pm
Just added some small tweaks today:
+ Items after digging now move along a little arch instead of appearing just up and down . This change excludes the hearts.
+ Further tweaked the AI for the Pol’s Voice enemy
+ Added digging in shallow water
+ Further tweaked the implementation of sounds while walking through grass or water

Also: two post above this one is a reply from someone willing to help. I do respond to these kind of offers since I welcome help. Sadly though they hardly ever lead anywhere. Actually helping is often a bridge too far I suppose.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on September 25, 2010, 06:04:43 pm
Just a quick post to get some feedback. Which of the following two rooms is better looking?

(http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/4388/torchroomedit.png) (http://img837.imageshack.us/i/torchroomedit.png/)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on September 25, 2010, 06:07:08 pm
neither... the first has some ruins feeling... but its to random and the statues which are not broken are too clean for the feeling

look at the ?skeleton temple? in the lost woods of the dark world
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on September 25, 2010, 06:20:32 pm
Sadly I have to work with what's in front of me (since I'm no good spriting). Any advice on how to make these better with the sprites present?

Edit: How about option nr 3. This one is a middle ground without that one totally smashed pedastal.

(http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/4840/torchroomedit2.png) (http://img709.imageshack.us/i/torchroomedit2.png/)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Zaeranos on September 25, 2010, 08:07:45 pm
It sadly feels made. As if the broken statues are force in the room. I would say that if you have a broken pedestal, than the statue next to it should have things broken of. Not to mention that the pedestals lack the debris of the statues themselves. At the moment it looks like housecleaning has cleaned up the broken part but forgot to ring the repair man.

I also think you should put less statues in the room. It is as if there is nothing else but statues there. If you want to fill the room use more than just statues.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on September 26, 2010, 04:41:08 pm
Okay then. There is FINALLY a new demo out (v0.10). Like promised. Hope you guys/girls like it. Honestly I forgot what was in the last one so I hope nobody's dissappointed with the progress. Feel free to point out any glitches that need changing. I don't expect it to be perfect XD.

And here is a list of the mayor changes/additions since the last demo:
-Added more rooms
-Added breakable wall (hint: it's near the dungeon map)
-Added alternative chests + Edited the "Opening chest" sequence
-Finished renaming all the scripts
-Redid the overhead display (= less objects used, but the same visuals)
-Added keys from above and in pots
-Changed the jump down sequences
-Added stand alone stairs + accompanied transitions
-Added pushing and pulling objects (v.2)
-Added and implemented push / pull switches (15x)
-Added interaction movable objects and pressure plates
-Added teleportation tile
-Added key on pedestal
-Redid the coding for the cyclops gaurds (+ added a blue / red variant)
-Turned enemy colors variable
-Implemented new system of damaging enemies (+ damage from enemies)
-Changed the underlying health / magic values
-Redid all the existing enemies using a new structure
-Redid the old shielding mechanic
-Updated the dungeon map system
-The fade out screen effect is now draw as part of the HUD
-Added different hurt visuals for enemies
-Added in new blue, red and yellow Stalfos enemies
-Redid the entire character structure
-Added in ice rod, fire rod and rod of medu (no magic attack yet, but you can club enemies with them XD)
-Changed large portions of the pick up + throw mechanics
-Further refined the AI of flying tiles (and other projectile enemies)
-Landing in water will now result in a splash effect
-Added a series of new containers
-Container weight now has small effects on some actions (walking/running/picking up/throwing)
-Added the option for longer and diagonal ledgejumps
-Adjusted/improved getting items from chests
-Created a new digging system
-Added new Pols Voice Enemy
-Recoded/improved all the transitions between rooms
-Recoded large sections of the death sequence
-Added visuals for more tunics and a frozen + stone state
-Redid/simplified the respawn mechanic
-Fixed up a large (!) number of glitches/error/smaller issues
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Atom on September 26, 2010, 05:01:14 pm
Indeed there is to many statues in there.
I'm not really good at spriting, but perhaps your more looking for something like:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v668/atomicd1/example.png)

(still needs some work though)

Checked the demo:

first run got stuck at the statue right across then entrance of the dungeon.

controls feel a bit strange, though that may just be because I'm using a different layout for them myself.

Found one other thing that might need some work: I just left a room going through the southern door, but appear in the room below as walking through a locked door. Shouldn't that lock be in both rooms?

The graphics look likes its an official game.
I definitely like it
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on September 26, 2010, 08:15:14 pm
Thanks for the image.

About your comments. It's a little difficult to determine the problems.

Could you post an image of you getting stuck with the statue across the entrance. Does this refer to the movable statue outside? And if so, what did you do to get stuck? Did you pull it or push? I need to be able to recreate it to fully understand the problem.

Could you also post a screenshot with the southern door and it's locked door? I need more information to determine what door you are talking about and wether or not it is glitch/oversight.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Atom on September 27, 2010, 05:18:13 pm
Ofcourse I will make some screenshots for you if that makes it easier to see what I mean ( and to fix it ):

The place where I get stuck:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v668/atomicd1/room3.jpg)

when you walk up the ladder and then walk till you hit the statue and turn around you will find yourself to be unable to walk away.

Found another error:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v668/atomicd1/naamloos.jpg)

Same place as the previous one, using the D key just before you reach the statue.

Image of the non locked door:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v668/atomicd1/4.jpg)

Location and image of me entering the room through the locked door: ( top of the white room )

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v668/atomicd1/5.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v668/atomicd1/2.jpg)



Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on September 27, 2010, 05:52:05 pm
Yes! If only every comment was as nice XD

Fixed the first issue by moving the birdstatue up by 4 pixels.
Fixed the second issue by not allowing a grabbing motion while on the stairs.

I'm not going to edit the third situation. You are correct. It is an oversight on my part. But not in the long run. The dungeon is designed around the player having to first find 4 torches to light. That will move the bird statue with the stairs leading down. Once down you find the master key and that will allow you to open the big lock you used to get to this particular room. It looks sloppy right now, seeing a closed door when you walked through an open door. In the end you will not come across this situation though, as the small lock will have to be opened before opening the big lock.


I'll update the demo once more issues have accumulated.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: TC Gamer on September 30, 2010, 09:58:38 pm
It looks fantastic I might say, however there are 3 things that stopped me from playing very fast (mainly the controls).

First, controls are horrible (really really horrible), might want to consider something like A and S for action buttons, Q and W for items and map, E for switching items and D for running. The way you have it now is everything is in unlogical positions and spaced out all over the keyboard (I have to place my hand in a really awkward position to play).

Second, the way the view moves isn't right, it looks kind of wobbly.

And third I got stuck in the first room of the dungeon, but another member already posted some screenshots about that.

This seems really promising and I'd be sad to see such a great game still be shitty because of the controls.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Dark-Hylian on October 01, 2010, 12:51:29 am
Having not downloaded it myself, I would assume that your first and largest point is invalid. In the first post, it says you can press F1 and change the controls, though I havn't tested this out. Again, I havn't downloaded the demo, so I can't say for sure, but the wobbling might just be you. The latest video looks fine... Not to be all negative, this looks fantastic so far. I only wish I had enough time on my hands to even attempt to make something this great. Keep it up =)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 01, 2010, 06:15:12 am
Just a quick response before I head of to work:
1. Controls can be changed. The lay-out works great for me but obviously there are different keyboard settings out there and different preferences. So I added the option to be able to customize the keys. It's a temporary fixs for now till I add in an option to be able to save your custom settings.
2. Never had this problem and never had anybody else give me simular feedback. My first guess would be that it has to do with your machine's performance.
3. Already fixed it in my own version, so you won't have the problem anymore in demo 0.10.1 when that's finished.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: TC Gamer on October 03, 2010, 09:57:02 am
Just a quick response before I head of to work:
1. Controls can be changed. The lay-out works great for me but obviously there are different keyboard settings out there and different preferences. So I added the option to be able to customize the keys. It's a temporary fixs for now till I add in an option to be able to save your custom settings.
2. Never had this problem and never had anybody else give me simular feedback. My first guess would be that it has to do with your machine's performance.
3. Already fixed it in my own version, so you won't have the problem anymore in demo 0.10.1 when that's finished.
My apologies for not noticing controls can be changed. Having changed them I was able to play some more and weirdly enough the view wobbling wasn't there. It kinda sucked though that the controls don't get saved so when I died I lost them. One more thing I noticed is that some of the music fades out and then starts over again, it should be a continuous loop.

Overall it looks really solid. Too bad you are using aLttP graphics which are the ugliest of them all :(
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 03, 2010, 10:02:49 am
If you wish, then I can see about making the controls saveable in version 0.10.1. Do you really intent to play the demo multiple times?

Could you specify where the music fades unexpectedly?

It's probably cause I'm older then you (=childhood memories etc), but I like the feel of the Attlp graphics better then Minish Cap. They're not bad. The GameBoy styled graphics are far worse in that department.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mamoruanime on October 03, 2010, 10:06:17 am
aLttP graphics are the best IMO.

MC appeared almost prerendery at times, and it was pretty annoying. It doesn't capture the feel of Zelda as I remember it; only Zelda as TWW presented it.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mirby on October 03, 2010, 10:18:24 am
I like LttP. Mainly because it really was the inspiration for GB style. So it's responsible for two good styles.

And it looks great in this.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Gedosemo on October 03, 2010, 11:02:18 am
aLttP graphics are the best IMO.
+9999
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: TC Gamer on October 04, 2010, 12:05:08 pm
If you wish, then I can see about making the controls saveable in version 0.10.1. Do you really intent to play the demo multiple times?

Could you specify where the music fades unexpectedly?

It's probably cause I'm older then you (=childhood memories etc), but I like the feel of the Attlp graphics better then Minish Cap. They're not bad. The GameBoy styled graphics are far worse in that department.
aLttP graphics are childhood memories for myself too, but MC and the GBC graphics are much more appealing too me. aLttP graphics are too dark and you can't make nice looking areas with them :)

I don't get why everyone reveres aLttP like it's some kind of god, for me it's the worst of all Zelda's (excluding Majora's Mask since I never played that one).

On the point of the fading music, it fades when it reaches the end of the song, and then starts over again (I noticed it on the menu screen and in the room you spawn in iirc). You should just put in a copy of the song where the music doesn't fade at the end and blends nicely with the start of the song again.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mirby on October 04, 2010, 07:32:36 pm
I think the darkness fits the setting. Unless I'm mistaken, the Dark World had a lot more graphics than the Light World, and thus... DARKNESS.

And I think that this game proves that you can make nice looking areas.

As for your GB graphics, as I said, inspired by LttP. When Nintendo made Link's Awakening, they basically tried putting LttP graphics in a form that the Game Boy would handle. Thus, GB style was born.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 10, 2010, 09:45:40 am
Progress this (and last) weekend is a little bit different then usual. I was working on the buzz blob enemy but needed a change so I'm making a little sidestep into a custom room editor. Correction. Really really early version of room editor XD. This will be a program that I'll try to develop alongside my main program over the years (?) adding features as I go. Right now it can just be used to define rooms and areas. I hope to expand it over the coming weeks so that the output from the editor will fuel the ingame dungeon map. Once that's done I'll continue with the main game again.

Once I'm done with this first stage (in maybe two more weekends, depending on life and studies) I'll attach it to the demo download. I'll also leave it open for those interested to look around or improve. Not sure if anybody'd care, but still. Just don't be surpised to find somewhat messy coding habbits here and there.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Brutus on October 10, 2010, 09:11:12 pm
How do I download this? :huh:
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Gedosemo on October 10, 2010, 09:32:42 pm
Editor v 0.1.4.exe
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 11, 2010, 04:41:17 pm
Brutus: The game can be downloaded through the link in the starting post of this topic. There is also a direct download on this site, but I'm a little lazy right now. That editor thing I mentioned in my last post is not up for download just yet. You'll have to wait a couple of weeks if that's what you were referring to.
Gedosemo: Don't "quote" me like that, okay?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Gedosemo on October 11, 2010, 07:08:39 pm
Gedosemo: Don't "quote" me like that, okay?
Not in other forums too???
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 11, 2010, 07:29:02 pm
It's okay to quote me. Just don't post things I did not say and present it as a quote. It's not polite.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Brutus on October 12, 2010, 02:23:27 am
 :huh: which place do I click cuz still cant find the link.

PS hahaha : XD get it? link....
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 12, 2010, 05:33:33 am
 :huh: It's the first link you see when you look at the first post in this topic.

Here you go: http://www.mediafire.com/?cccbaal6hgz89kb
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on October 12, 2010, 06:45:04 am
when will you release 0.10+? since the links are still 0.9 ^^
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 12, 2010, 04:26:00 pm
The links are still 0.9? :huh: One post before your own is a link to version 0.10. You can find the same link in the starting post. You can also find the 0.10 download in the old project section. Is one of the links corrupt or something?

Download 0.10.x will come in a couple of weeks. Like I said, it will take me a little bit to finish the work on that little sideproject. I'll add it to version 0.10 when finished. The rest of the next demo will be pretty much the same as the current demo though. Aside from fixes for the found glitches and a smaller filesize.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on October 12, 2010, 05:19:36 pm
The links are still 0.9? :huh: One post before your own is a link to version 0.10. You can find the same link in the starting post. You can also find the 0.10 download in the old project section. Is one of the links corrupt or something?

Download 0.10.x will come in a couple of weeks. Like I said, it will take me a little bit to finish the work on that little sideproject. I'll add it to version 0.10 when finished. The rest of the next demo will be pretty much the same as the current demo though. Aside from fixes for the found glitches and a smaller filesize.


oops should'nt read posts in the morning

i've read only the demo link...
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 18, 2010, 05:18:20 pm
:-X
I've been working on the editor for a couple of weeks now and I'm starting to get fed up with it. It's just too boring to work on. If anybody wants to build the editor in my stead I welcome it, but I'm probably going to ditch it myself. Better to cut this early and focus on the engine again rather then waiting and stopping later on anyway.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Zaeranos on October 18, 2010, 06:00:03 pm
What was the exact purpose of the editor and what language was it written in?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 18, 2010, 06:23:05 pm
The editor's ultimate goal was to gradually phase out Gamemaker as the editor. Gamemaker would hold the engine, the editor would create it's input. I planned on breaking the creation up in a large number of sections. For example:
Step one would be to define areas and rooms within those areas and be able to alter various stats per room/area like it's dimensions, number, name etc.
Step two would be to define the floors / walls per room and have the program auto fill in the visuals and solids if possible. In other worlds: create the most basis backgrounds and solids.
Step three would be the creation of doorways between rooms.
And so on, going over to added features like adding doors/switches/enemies.

While doing this I had planned to also gradually replace the ingame's hardcoded room creation with the editor's output. This would then also have been a nice opportunity to make some large engine changes like updating the depth / floor mechanics, the handling of solid objects and grouping the area control objects further.

I started making it in Gamemaker as a proof of concept. (I choose Gamemaker because it was more accessable to others). I can definatly say vb now has my preference. (Other people would probably have other preferences).
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mamoruanime on October 18, 2010, 07:12:17 pm
The only thing that I don't like about using GM as the "engine holder" and another tool as the designer is the fact that you're essentially building a scripting language for a scripting language :P

Otherwise; I'm all for external maps and stuff :P I think there are wonders you can work when you're not using GM's IDE
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 18, 2010, 08:11:54 pm
And what do you want me to do then? Stop using GM, switch to a different language, get set back two years for no real benefit and finally quit after another two years due to real life with no finished endresult? Silly Mamoru. You should know far better then to suggest a switch in language to someone making a fangame. XD

Besides. You don't need another language to effectivly create an alttp fangame, as you should have already noticed.

Building a scripting language for a scripting language would have been a service to the little kids who keep asking me if they can use my engine. Too bad it's far more of a (boring) pain to build then I imagined.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mamoruanime on October 18, 2010, 08:18:39 pm
And what do you want me to do then? Stop using GM, switch to a different language, get set back two years for no real benefit and finally quit after another two years due to real life with no finished endresult? Silly Mamoru. You should know far better then to suggest a switch in language to someone making a fangame. XD

Besides. You don't need another language to effectivly create an alttp fangame, as you should have already noticed.

Building a scripting language for a scripting language would have been a service to the little kids who keep asking me if they can use my engine. Too bad it's far more of a (boring) pain to build then I imagined.

D: I didn't say anything about switching languages; you're doing a good thing with the one you've got :P

I just mean it's probably a bit overkill to write an interpreter for a system that's already doing that :P Externalizing maps and other files is good; but it sounded like you meant everything would be designed outside of GM leaving your engine to interpret the new content :p
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 18, 2010, 08:23:21 pm
Ooh, you red it like that. Nope. You'd be right in finding that dumb.
I was just talking about external maps, enemy placement, chest locations etc.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 19, 2010, 05:00:52 pm
Hhhmm. Maybe I was a little too testy (right word?) yesterday. Sorry. Deadlines and stuff wear me down every once in a while.

I've decided to make a recruitment's topic for the editor. Seems a shame to flat out end it before going others a go at it. I'm not sure anybody has any interest though, but that's another story XD.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 31, 2010, 11:38:23 am
Just a little post to mention I'm still working on it, as always.
I've basicly finished the mechanic behind getting shocked several days ago. The visual screeneffect that accompanies it is a completely different story though. It's not too hard to think up a solution. It's hard to do it with a minimal drop in framerate (it currently still drops to around 15fps on my pc). These two goals work together very badly it seems. The presence of uneffected sprites (in between layers of tiles) is especially hard to mimic with low costs.

When I'm more or less done (or giving up trying to further improve the speed) I'll post a crude demo for people to test the performance themselves.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: FISSURE on October 31, 2010, 10:30:15 pm
Just tried the Recent demo, here are some things;

- The naming thing is kind of annoying lol. I got stuck on like the second set of stairs, when you go into the place and go right, the stairs with the statue, got stuck in front of the statue. when you enter the Soldiers Shrine, the stairs right across from the Entrance.

- One of the Stalfos seemed like it died in one hit, i didn't really notice even hitting him.

- As i was entering one of the rooms, a stalfos was coming down and managed to start doing damage to me as i was coming out of the door, that's not very fair.

- Saving doesn't seem to work at all
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on November 01, 2010, 06:58:13 am
Thanks for the feedback FISSURE.

- The naming thing is like in the original, but I'll keep it in mind if I ever recode the starting screens.
- That one stair where you get stuck has been fixed in my personal demo (why does everybody try to go up there :huh:). I'll upload that demo once I'm done with the shock effects. That should be in roughly one week time from now.
- Could you tell me where it was, which weapon you had in hand and which color Stalfos died?
- This usefull information. Could you tell me the room and door you took? If it's the first time you entered that room then I'll have to adjust the enemy positioning or AI. If you just exited with a Stalfos on your tail and you reentered directly after then it's the way it's supposed to be. Also, did you get hit while you had not control over your character or only the instance you regained control?
- Saving does not work indeed. It's on my list (along with a million other things XD).

Here is last weeks progress btw:
- Tweaked the Pol's Voice AI some more (to repond better when getting hit).
- Finished the mechanic behind getting shocked by electric enemies (also possible through hitting the enemy with a sword/rod/shovel/net).
- Made progress on the "getting shocked" animation (I'm now at 20+ fps with a more consistent blurring effect, even when the screen moves).
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on November 03, 2010, 12:30:42 pm
"Vacation" started yesterday, meaning I'm studying these next two weeks for some upcoming exams. It's day one and I'm completely bored out my mind. Just ... 9 more days left :'(

When I'm bored I tend to work on my game off and on to keep my sanity and I felt like taking a screenshot of development. No reason really. I always like those inside looks into things you never end up seeing the end result. Ooh and that picture in the corner. That's me looking ordinary so it's usable for a pasport.... wait for it..... yeah, there go those few followers I once had.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: FISSURE on November 07, 2010, 01:06:10 am
Thanks for the feedback FISSURE.

- The naming thing is like in the original, but I'll keep it in mind if I ever recode the starting screens.
- That one stair where you get stuck has been fixed in my personal demo (why does everybody try to go up there :huh:). I'll upload that demo once I'm done with the shock effects. That should be in roughly one week time from now.
- Could you tell me where it was, which weapon you had in hand and which color Stalfos died?
- This usefull information. Could you tell me the room and door you took? If it's the first time you entered that room then I'll have to adjust the enemy positioning or AI. If you just exited with a Stalfos on your tail and you reentered directly after then it's the way it's supposed to be. Also, did you get hit while you had not control over your character or only the instance you regained control?
- Saving does not work indeed. It's on my list (along with a million other things XD).

Here is last weeks progress btw:
- Tweaked the Pol's Voice AI some more (to repond better when getting hit).
- Finished the mechanic behind getting shocked by electric enemies (also possible through hitting the enemy with a sword/rod/shovel/net).
- Made progress on the "getting shocked" animation (I'm now at 20+ fps with a more consistent blurring effect, even when the screen moves).


Sorry, i can't seem to reproduce the two things i mentioned, the only one i know for sure that happened was the Stalfos spawning and hitting me when i entered the room, but i can't seem to find the right one anymore, i entered a room that looked like it but the Stalfos spawned away from me. I've tried a few times and neither the 1 kill hit nor the spawn thing seem to be happening >.<
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Brutus on November 07, 2010, 02:53:05 am
the demo was fun for about a minute until it froze my computer
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on November 07, 2010, 08:43:52 am
Sorry, i can't seem to reproduce the two things i mentioned, the only one i know for sure that happened was the Stalfos spawning and hitting me when i entered the room, but i can't seem to find the right one anymore, i entered a room that looked like it but the Stalfos spawned away from me. I've tried a few times and neither the 1 kill hit nor the spawn thing seem to be happening >.<

Killing a stalfos in one hit will happen if you are playing with the upgraded sword I believe. It's like that in the original as well.

The spawning I can't help you with then. The stalfos enemies are programmed to move about random so it may indeed be hard to reproduce a previous situation exactly. If you can give me your best guess (who/where) then maybe I can look into that.


the demo was fun for about a minute until it froze my computer

Sounds more like an issue with your computer since you're the first to mention this. If you believe this is something I can fix on my end then I'll need more information. Stuff like: At what point did it freeze up? Did it actually freeze or was it just terrible slow? Did you do anything before? Can you reproduce it? Did you properly unpack the entire game from the compacted folder?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: The Boy on November 07, 2010, 10:54:02 am
Why in the Link game, can you lift up one of the heaviest rocks?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Zaeranos on November 07, 2010, 11:02:01 am
Okay I tried out your latest demo 0.10.8 I think. And these are my remarks.

- Serious lag when cutting grass and destroying pots or enemies.

- Link is standing on top of a statue instead of behind (see picture).

- Error message happend in windows XP, after Crtl+Alt+Del and starting the task manager. Then going back to the game. Second came after pressing ignore.
 
___________________________________________
ERROR in
action number 2
of Draw Event
for object obj_Terrain_Effects:

Trying to use non-existing surface.

___________________________________________
ERROR in
action number 2
of Draw Event
for object obj_Overhead_Menu:

Trying to use non-existing surface.


It also happens when entering and exiting the test area too often.

- Some unexplained actions happened. Link did a sword charge and than a spin attack, while moving down and faceing left. This happened without me touching any keys.

- The long I kept playing the more sluggish the game became and the more unresponsive to the keys it became. Which made it difficult to time the strikes on enemie right and Link often kept bumping into them without moving out. But my laptop isn't the fastest anymore, as it is already 4 years old. Although the task manager indicated that it only used about 50% CPU time and no I don't have a dual core. My laptop is still a single core.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mamoruanime on November 07, 2010, 11:13:07 am
I get those surface errors any time I enter the dungeon. IMO I don't think GM handles surfaces well at all, and I wouldn't doubt if they became depreciated in the next GM incarnation for a better system.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on November 07, 2010, 02:31:14 pm
Why in the Link game, can you lift up one of the heaviest rocks?

Because he has the needed gloves in his inventory at that time.


- Serious lag when cutting grass and destroying pots or enemies.

- Link is standing on top of a statue instead of behind (see picture).

- Error message happend in windows XP, after Crtl+Alt+Del and starting the task manager. Then going back to the game. Second came after pressing ignore.
 
___________________________________________
ERROR in
action number 2
of Draw Event
for object obj_Terrain_Effects:

Trying to use non-existing surface.

___________________________________________
ERROR in
action number 2
of Draw Event
for object obj_Overhead_Menu:

Trying to use non-existing surface.


It also happens when entering and exiting the test area too often.

- Some unexplained actions happened. Link did a sword charge and than a spin attack, while moving down and faceing left. This happened without me touching any keys.

- The long I kept playing the more sluggish the game became and the more unresponsive to the keys it became. Which made it difficult to time the strikes on enemie right and Link often kept bumping into them without moving out. But my laptop isn't the fastest anymore, as it is already 4 years old. Although the task manager indicated that it only used about 50% CPU time and no I don't have a dual core. My laptop is still a single core.

Seems like you discovered quit a bit. I'll try to take some time to look at them in more depth after my exams. For now:
-The destroying of bushes should not result in a slowdown (obviously XD). The only plausable thing that happens is a check wether or not the ground needs to be edited (draw the stump if cut and dirt if pulled up). Maybe that's the problem. Does this happen constantly from the very beginning of the game or only after you played a bit.
-The visual error behind the statue is known. There is an easy solution (like they did in alttp), but I know it's more of an illusion rather of an solution, so I plan on redoing the entire depth system to handle such issues. That is quit a bit of work so you'll have to bare with it for a long time.
-Ctrl+Alt+Del has that problem and I often use it as a means to cut off a frozen game during development. This is a result of how GM handles surfaces. A screensaver or in this case Ctrl+Alt+Del clears all surfaces. I'll see what I can do when I find the time.
-I need some info on the unexplained action. Can you recreate it and how did you do it? It sounds like a serious glitch.
-The slowdown sounds pretty serious as well. Could you do some testwork for me, maybe? Pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del before starting the game and then checking the CPU % at the start and during the game. (You can also look at the framerate number in the header but that's far less accurate). I'd do it myself but I haven't noticed such a slowdown on my own computer at all. I'm hoping the problem is caused by a surface or something I'm forgetting to free after use. If not, then I currently have no idea what the cause might be.


I get those surface errors any time I enter the dungeon. IMO I don't think GM handles surfaces well at all, and I wouldn't doubt if they became depreciated in the next GM incarnation for a better system.

How bizar. Could you post the error messages? If they are exactly the same as what Niek has then there is little I can do. Except maybe not use surfaces.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Xfixium on November 07, 2010, 08:12:05 pm
Quote
-Ctrl+Alt+Del has that problem and I often use it as a means to cut off a frozen game during development. This is a result of how GM handles surfaces. A screensaver or in this case Ctrl+Alt+Del clears all surfaces. I'll see what I can do when I find the time.

Handle this by checking if the surface exists before you draw it. (surface_exists()) If not, redraw the surface. Since surfaces are used in video RAM only, whenever the Direct3D device is reset (like for eg. Ctrl+Alt+Del, or screen savers), it clears those surfaces from video memory. This has always been a common DirectX thing.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on November 07, 2010, 08:48:38 pm
Thanks for the advise. I'd have to change the current use of the surface a little but it should work.
The problem I'm forseeing though is in the actual redrawing of the sprites. The overhead is easy enough but the dug up ground is a whole other story. It's a lot of options to go through which I normally mask by building the ground as you go (= only drawing the piece of ground you just dug up). I could still go through with it and then the player would get a slow framerate for a minute or so when they get back (which, granted, is still far better then errors). I'm also walking around with the idea of storing the surfaces as sprites while the game is inactive but I'm not sure if that's doable, timingwise.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Zaeranos on November 07, 2010, 09:11:55 pm
-The destroying of bushes should not result in a slowdown (obviously XD). The only plausable thing that happens is a check wether or not the ground needs to be edited (draw the stump if cut and dirt if pulled up). Maybe that's the problem. Does this happen constantly from the very beginning of the game or only after you played a bit.
The slow down happens right from the start of the game and the more patches you cut the longer the lag is.

-I need some info on the unexplained action. Can you recreate it and how did you do it? It sounds like a serious glitch.
-The slowdown sounds pretty serious as well. Could you do some testwork for me, maybe? Pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del before starting the game and then checking the CPU % at the start and during the game. (You can also look at the framerate number in the header but that's far less accurate). I'd do it myself but I haven't noticed such a slowdown on my own computer at all. I'm hoping the problem is caused by a surface or something I'm forgetting to free after use. If not, then I currently have no idea what the cause might be.
I was unable to reproduce the error. But what it seemed to me that at one point GM seems to que the key presses/releases and catches up from the lag and at another point it completely ignored it. I once could do a sword charge by rapidly pressing the sword key.

In the taskmanager the game had a CPU usage between 40% and 60% and the memory usage seemed to be stable as well. But the framerate indicator sometimes dropped to 10-14 frames and was most of the time about 22-24 frames and occasionally 30.

I''l try to come with details later, but now it is bed time. Have to get out 6 am again.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Brutus on November 07, 2010, 10:39:51 pm
I used IZARC but I didn't unpack the file at all. It just froze and when I tried to close it it just said not responding for about ten minutes, and then I just shut my computer down and after that it was fine
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on November 08, 2010, 09:42:45 am
-The destroying of bushes should not result in a slowdown (obviously XD). The only plausable thing that happens is a check wether or not the ground needs to be edited (draw the stump if cut and dirt if pulled up). Maybe that's the problem. Does this happen constantly from the very beginning of the game or only after you played a bit.
The slow down happens right from the start of the game and the more patches you cut the longer the lag is.

I tried the game on my own laptop (which also isn't stellar) and I got a simular slowdown. When standing outside the default framerate for me is 30fps. The flying tile decreases that to around 26fps, or at least it seems that way. Picking up stones or cutting grass decreases it as well. The reason for these last two is because the ground get's updated. The ground data get pulled from an external file and edited into a temporary external file. I might be able to speed things up if I discard the temporary external file and save all the grounddata in an object. Since I didn't have any performance issues I figured I'd save some memory. (I'll have to check that out if I find more time).
I'm using the text format for saving the data since I can't use a two dimensional array and each piece of land has more then ten possible states. Each row of land may consist of more then 128 blocks (meaning > 3 screens wide) so the use of numbers will need a pretty clever solution to work.

A little spinoff: The framerate is now better for rooms where you can not dig (my framerate increased from 12 fps to 15 fps). This is because I now discard the groundsurfaces completely in rooms that don't need them. It's completely useless for computers without performance issues, but that's beside the point. XD

Edit: After some testing I believe the slowly decreasing speed should have been fixed (or at least be a little better now). There were two instances in some older coding where I did not properly free up used surfaces. That's fixed now.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on November 11, 2010, 11:12:19 am
Sorry for the double post but the exams are over. Man, they sure didn't hold any punches this time around, but whatever. I've got more time to work on the game again.

Here is an overview of the recent comments and there status (I'll post it in the first post as well):

1. Game can become more sluggish as it progresses
--> Surfaces are freed up more thoroughly in the next demo. This should improve memory consumption a little.

2. Weird thing happen with the keys pressed while the game has slow framerate. This possibly due to the manor in which Gamemaker tries to catch up, with the key having been pressed, when it falls behind.
--> I'll remember the issue for now. A solution might be to handle keycommands in a different manor. Changing such a thing is easier as I continue tidying up the engine/coding. The problem also sounds like a result of very slow framerate so I'm not sure how many people have these issues and what priority I should give it.

3. A surface error happens when entering and exiting the dungeon too many times.
--> Solution in progress. Repeating the exact same action several times in a row should basically net you the exact same result several times in a row. I'm unsure why this is not the case. Maybe it's a Gamemaker problem with surfaces. :huh:

4. On slower computers serious lag may occur when you cut up (multiple) grass, pots or enemies.
--> I'm unsure why this happens with enemies, but I'll see if I can work on removing the slowdown for grass (and possibly pots). When objects like grass get destroyed the ground is edited. This is done by reading an external file and editing that data in a new temporary file. The reason for reading the external data every time you destroy something is to spread out getting the data as oppossed to reading in everything the instance you enter a new room (that could currently result in slowdown on better computers as well). I'll work on this problem.

5. Pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del deletes all surfaces (= Gamemaker mechanic), resulting in errors.
--> I'll see what I can do. Half the problem should already be solved when number 3 is finished.

6. Link looks like he is standing in front of a statue while standing behind it (= reoccuring problem with various other objects as well).
--> Solving this properly will require a thorough rewrite of some mechanics. This one will be pushed back to a later date.

7. The walkingsound will sometimes continue the loop while Link has stopped.
--> No solution ready right now.

8. The items created by flying skulls can not always be collected.
--> This happens if the items are created on a different floor then you are standing. Fixing it will required quite a bit of time but may also result in solutions for a slight problem with the Pol's Voice.

9. The dungeon can currently be done out of order resulting in unclear goals and closed doors you can walk through.
--> I'll try to adress this before releasing the next demo. This will require me to finish the firerod's magic and torches to light.


Brutus: The only thing that I can advise is that you try again. Not unpacking everything like intended might also result in weird behaviour. I've never tried it.


Edit: fixed issue number three (and one a bit more as well). There was another large surface that was not freed up properly which somehow resulted in the surfaces getting deleted all together. Maybe the overall memory needed for surfaces became to large for Gamemaker as it was a pretty bad memoryleak.

Edit2: Improved some mechanics and that eliminated the temporary decrease in framerate when I cut up multiple bushes at once (on my slow laptop). I'm unsure if this will also fully fix Niek's problem since his decrease was worse, but that will have to be tested when a next demo comes out. I'm considering number 4 closed for now.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on November 21, 2010, 08:12:39 pm
This weeks progress:
+ The hud now moves along with the item menu when it appears
+ Masks for overlaying bridges have been removed and replaced by a different system
+ The body of a headless skeleton no longer continuesly drifts away after taking a hit
+ Skeletons no longer jump out of the way from your actions if they are on a different floor
+ You now have a short recovery time after falling into an endless hole
+ Added a new system to determine the level of depth for items created by flying skulls
+ Fixed graphic errors with shadows during pause (FINALLY XD)

All of this took a whole lot longer then I first thought it would so I did not have time to implement the new skeleton sprites. Guess I'll wait till those are fully finished then. It would make more sense anyway.

I also worked on the Ctrl+Alt+Del problem a little, but I'm not going to continue with it. This is because I have yet to think up one solution for all possible problems that might occur with that combination. Maybe I'll take it up at a later date.

I'm also looking for at least one good tester. The changes made this week required several changes to the engine's code so it would be good to check if nothing got broken because of that. If anybody is interested then feel free to respond. I will not present a general new demo because the changes made so far are too minor to warrant it.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Alejo_89 on December 01, 2010, 01:59:18 pm

Added new things in Soldier Shrine room tiles:

[imgzoom]http://piczasso.com/i/e3yc3.png[/imgzoom]

-Sign of real family in soil
-New entry
-Stone description
-2 lamps
-New Stairs

I think that it remains better than the current room.

Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 01, 2010, 06:59:37 pm
This is a welcome surprise. I'll take your suggestions into consideration.
- The lights look better then the pots I placed there, though I'll probably use the default sprites.
- The entrance looks normal, not at all as if you're entering a dungeon. I like that. That was what I was going for. I like the ground there better also.
- The triforce ground symbol doesn't match the story, but it's very cool non the less. I'll probably keep it. You made this?
- The gravestone doesn't really fit. Also because the stairs on the right will only appear after you solve a little puzzle later on. I do know of another location where I could be more suited though.
- The stair I'll have to check the rest of the dungeon for first. I value consistency so I'll have to see what the rest of the dungeon would need changed to match this.

If you want to do more then feel free to tell me (again :) ). I'm pretty much teamless right now so the help would be welcome.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Alejo_89 on December 02, 2010, 10:17:50 pm

Posible new things to be added:

[imgzoom]http://piczasso.com/i/k35lv.png[/imgzoom]

Room A:
-Change statues in the walls (custom statues, not the typical)
-Change big chest --> small chest (Like the original)
-Change Symbol in the soil

Room B (Posible New Room):
-Puzle of statues, to open the door (You will have to programme if you want to add it in your game)

Mini boss room (Other posible room):
-Miniboss: Poe with sword and Poe with lantern (mising in the pic). You will have to programme...
-Dark Room



*A couple of questions about this game:

  -The Soldier Shrine will have some boss / miniboss?
  -Is Soldier Shrine the first dungeon?
  -That item will obtain in the Soldier Shrine? (Roc feather, Pegasus boots, boomerang...)
  -Where Soldier Shrine will be located?
  -Which is the aim in the history of Soldier Shrine?


Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mamoruanime on December 02, 2010, 10:38:54 pm

Added new things in Soldier Shrine room tiles:

[imgzoom]http://piczasso.com/i/e3yc3.png[/imgzoom]

-Sign of real family in soil
-New entry
-Stone description
-2 lamps
-New Stairs

I think that it remains better than the current room.



Looked like a nice contribution but the bottom comment is a little rude :P
Also I feel that particular variant is way too cluttered. Too much going on in one area.

Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 03, 2010, 06:35:09 am
Room A:
-Change statues in the walls (custom statues, not the typical)
-Change big chest --> small chest (Like the original)
-Change Symbol in the soil

Room B (Posible New Room):
-Puzle of statues, to open the door (You will have to programme if you want to add it in your game)

Mini boss room (Other posible room):
-Miniboss: Poe with sword and Poe with lantern (mising in the pic). You will have to programme...
-Dark Room



*A couple of questions about this game:

  -The Soldier Shrine will have some boss / miniboss?
  -Is Soldier Shrine the first dungeon?
  -That item will obtain in the Soldier Shrine? (Roc feather, Pegasus boots, boomerang...)
  -Where Soldier Shrine will be located?
  -Which is the aim in the history of Soldier Shrine?


I appreciate your attempt to help but I'm not going to use this.
- There already is a subboss room and concept (though I might remember your idea for a different dungeon)
- The puzzle room can't be used because all the rooms in the dungeon are already thought out (though I might remember your idea for a different dungeon)
- The changes to the treasure room I don't like.

If you really wish to help then it's better to work WITH me, rather then try to correct me. Some specific rooms still need to be filled in and there is also the overworld, hyrule castle and 2nd dungeon that I've started designing (highover for now).

To awnser your questions:
-The Soldier Shrine will have some boss / miniboss?
A: Yes, both. I'm still thinking out the details before I start programming.

-Is Soldier Shrine the first dungeon?
A: Yes. It's the first official dungeon.

-That item will obtain in the Soldier Shrine? (Roc feather, Pegasus boots, boomerang...)
A: The boots. They can already be collected in the current demo (regardless of which savefile you use).

-Where Soldier Shrine will be located?
A: In the south east mountains.

-Which is the aim in the history of Soldier Shrine?
A: Warriors and the king of the nearby kingdom are buried here. The shrine's first room is a ... well a shrine really. A puzzle will later need to be solved to see any more.The rest of the dungeon is a combination of traps, maze-like design and other dangers to protect the king's grave. You encounter various more soldierstatues inside. In life, these where the closest to the king and there presence is symbolic in that they still "gaurd" the path to him.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Alejo_89 on December 03, 2010, 01:03:26 pm

ok. if you can give me any map that is not finished and I will attempt to terminate (room design) or any idea to complete a map (sprite + designer). For example overworld map, Soldier Shrine overworld design, dungeon maps or Other sprites (npc's, enemies...). I show the map made and I give the tiles used. Pass the map reference or ideas by mail if you want. I do not know another way to help, tell me exactly where you want to help. I do not know how to help.

I do not try to correct anything in your game or change your game, just try to do better and more varied (New sprites, new things from Other zelda games and new mechanics not seen in ALTP), not always the same mechanical ALTP and same graphics, but without losing the style ALTP.

Thanks for answering questions and forgive me if I was rude.

Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: The Boy on December 03, 2010, 01:13:15 pm
Room B... looks a heck of a lot like the room in OOS- Lv3, Poison Moth's Lair
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 03, 2010, 03:57:23 pm

ok. if you can give me any map that is not finished and I will attempt to terminate (room design) or any idea to complete a map (sprite + designer). For example overworld map, Soldier Shrine overworld design, dungeon maps or Other sprites (npc's, enemies...). I show the map made and I give the tiles used. Pass the map reference or ideas by mail if you want. I do not know another way to help, tell me exactly where you want to help. I do not know how to help.

I do not try to correct anything in your game or change your game, just try to do better and more varied (New sprites, new things from Other zelda games and new mechanics not seen in ALTP), not always the same mechanical ALTP and same graphics, but without losing the style ALTP.

Thanks for answering questions and forgive me if I was rude.



You're not rude. I just meant you effort would be better spend working on things you know I'm looking for.
I'll send over a mail with some idea's when I find the time, okay?


The boy: A puzzle like that is seen in more game, but that's okay. I like that room. Looks fresh. I just can't use it right now because I already have the first dungeon all planned out.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 05, 2010, 08:27:55 pm
Worked on the game again this weekend:
+ Improved the AI for the Pol's Voice further (can now jump over various other objects / no more unwanted jumping over ledges / better response to getting hit / etc).
+ Fixed a nasty glitch (the detection of the terrain you stand in had one tiny imperfection which led to a nasty visual glitch in an entirely different object during screen redraws. Took me hours to hunt it down :'( )
+ Partially redid old coding behind the item menu, cutting a couple dousand objects
+ A couple of tiny tweaks

Most of it is refinement, but taking time for that is also important.

Edit: one more fix before going to bed.
+ Fixed glitch of getting stuck in action objects through pushing blocks
(one location where this can occure is in the basement with the pitfalls if you move the left most block of four)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 12, 2010, 05:30:58 pm
Not much progress this weekend (I had some interesting diversions) so you'll have to do with a new youtube video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9Gt1xfOLjI
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Zaeranos on December 12, 2010, 08:28:18 pm
I haven't seen anything new that was in the demo. The Polls Voice could still use some work. I saw it being drawn under the teleport pad (1:44) and moving around on the wall (6:50).
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 12, 2010, 08:44:17 pm
Yeah, like I said. Not much progress this weekend. Just felt like uploading something. Showing one or two things people probably hadn't found while I was at it.

I'm aware of the issues you mentioned and believe I actually made comments about them in the video.

Edit: Oops. Sorry. I forgot to publish the comments I made.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Xiphirx on December 12, 2010, 09:19:26 pm
My god, this has to be the best Zelda engine I've seen here.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 12, 2010, 09:32:16 pm
Let's hope this video can make people on other forums think the same thing. The people on the gamemaker forum in particular give little attention to anything other then a screenshot or video, so this seemed like a smart thing to do. With a little luck it may even entice one or two people to come over here afterwards ;)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: DJvenom on December 12, 2010, 11:05:13 pm
Very solid engine :) This game has come quite a ways! very awesome!
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Wasabi on December 13, 2010, 12:06:22 am
That is one amazing engine, well done :D
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 20, 2010, 10:30:00 am
Progress made in the last two weeks:
+ Finished the AI for the Buzz Blob enemy
+ Fixed glitch of Pol's Voice jumping through the air
+ Had another lovely date with the girl of my dreams
+ Made coding improvement to the startingscreen and item menu to save resource
+ Recoded some older code behind the credits

In case anybody was wondering why I'm less active lately with PotM and my project.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Zaeranos on December 20, 2010, 01:03:55 pm
+ Had another lovely date with the girl of my dreams
So we can expect some sort of cameo of her in the game/next demo  :P
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 20, 2010, 01:36:25 pm
There's an idea. I like little nods like that, so who knows. ;)

One more piece of progress since there weren't any trains to bring me to work today (from 08:00 all the way till around 13:30. WTF):
+ I found a glitch where you are almost instantly drained of life if you touch the buzz blob with your body. That's fixed in the next demo.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: shongshui on December 20, 2010, 05:58:57 pm
Great work on the engine. It feels just like the original game! But I have been wondering, what is the Rod of Medu and what does it do? I don't think that I remember seeing it in the original game.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 20, 2010, 08:20:27 pm
That's correct. It is one of the items I'm adding myself and it is to be read as "Rod once belonging to Medu". Much like the fire and ice rods it shoots magic projectiles, but I'm not going to spoil what type of magic (=not electricity). Well, I'm not going to tell you too much also because I'm still working out how feasable it will all be to program. The name Medu may give you a small hint as to what direction I'm thinking in.

Out of the three I hope to have two rods fully programmed in, in the next two months. Hopefully all three. That includes the statuseffects for the enemies (possibly the character himself) and effects on enviroments. Depending on life, work and studies offcourse.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on January 09, 2011, 12:59:50 pm
Progress has been slow lately due to other things playing, but I wanted to let you guys know I'm still working on my game.

I remember someone once asking me how many resources I'm using in my game. Today I figured out a relative easy way to answer that.

I'm currently using:
590 sprites
157 scripts
111 objects
72 sounds
22 backgrounds
9 paths
8 rooms
5 timelines


Update: Here is the progress made in the past weeks.
+ Prevented crashing backwards into transitionobjects, except for warptiles and pitfall
+ Made more coding improvements to the startingscreen to save resources
+ Walking over a fragile floor with sufficient weight now makes the floor break and you will fall through the hole that appears. (No breaking animation yet and the collisions needs tweaking)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on January 22, 2011, 08:03:03 pm
Made some progress today.
Finally finished the floor breaking beneath your feet as you walk over it. The little details made me continuesly put this one off.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on February 02, 2011, 09:02:36 pm
Made a little bit of progress today (I am trying to keep progress going no matter how slowly):
+ The new snake enemy can now be created as any other enemy, but also it can now be dropped from the ceiling. The snake's sprites have been finished and it's just a matter of programming the AI. Although that's the most time consuming aspect for an enemy.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Gedosemo on February 02, 2011, 09:12:28 pm
(I am trying to keep progress going no matter how slowly)
I will give you +reputation because you are alive and still working on the game, regardless how many years it will take to make it.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Zhello on February 02, 2011, 11:53:17 pm
hey if you need any sprites, I be happy to find some for you.  I some lttp styled sprites too.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Gedosemo on February 03, 2011, 03:11:48 pm
lttp styled sprites.
How would zelda oracle of ages and seasons look like in alttp style?
And then using graphics from it in a fangame that only accepts alttp styles tiles.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on February 03, 2011, 07:19:44 pm
Thanks for the support.
As for helping. I made a request for custom sprites a while back here: http://www.zfgc.com/forum/index.php?topic=37244.msg417513#msg417513
If someone would be able to help with that then I would be most gratefull. Beyond that I'm good right now.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on February 11, 2011, 01:19:21 pm
Made some progress over the last couple of days.

The credits screen and startingscreens have been recoded/improved saving some resources in the progress. All text used on those screens is now created using fonts instead of just sprites (I finally discovered font :)). Recoding textboxes is next on my list, but that will take a little longer to get right.

Aside from tiny visual edits I made two (functional) changes to the startingscreen:
1. When entering a new name delete can now shorten a name (where "AB DEF" would previously become "A  DEF", it now becomes "ABDEF").
2. On the option screen you now see the button associated to each action. I'm still pondering on what looks beter though, so I'll post the options for some feedback.

Option A
(http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/7875/screenshot109c.png)

Option B
(http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/7391/screenshot110pu.png)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Xfixium on February 11, 2011, 05:23:22 pm
They both seem fine imo. But I would have to say B just because it provides more space between the option, and the input.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Zaeranos on February 11, 2011, 05:46:35 pm
I have to agree with Xfixium in that B looks better because it leaves a wider space between the options. However A looks better in the fact that the key values are not plastered so close to the options. I would say either give shorter names to the options or make a scrolling screen or something. Which I prefer the former one.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mamoruanime on February 11, 2011, 05:57:40 pm
Could even colorize the outlines to the keys
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on February 11, 2011, 06:19:41 pm
I can change the drawing color so I haven't found a need yet. It's easy enough to add in though.

EDIT:
Reading your comments I made a version C using a temporary 2nd font.
(http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/5238/screenshot112va.png)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Xfixium on February 11, 2011, 07:30:30 pm
Looks much better with that spacing IMO (Letters butted up together). Which the original used that spacing from what I recall.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Zaeranos on February 11, 2011, 07:43:22 pm
Much better
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on February 14, 2011, 10:20:10 am
An image of Link when he's drunk.
(http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/4469/screenshot111o.png)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on February 20, 2011, 06:49:21 pm
Here are two more screenshot just for kicks.
Latest progress btw: finished recoding the textboxes from the ground up and I've added the book of mudora.

(http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/1379/screenshot113u.png) (http://img337.imageshack.us/i/screenshot113u.png/)

(http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/4049/screenshot114s.png) (http://img7.imageshack.us/i/screenshot114s.png/)

My vacation is over once again, so I'm afraid it's back to usual for me for the coming time. The plan was originally to create a new video showing the latest features beforehand, but that would just spoils the surprise. I do invite someone else to do. Let me know if you are intested. If somebody wishes to do some glitch hunting, then be sure to let me know as well.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on February 27, 2011, 08:29:24 pm
Not a lot of (visible) progress this weekend. I hadn't really planned for there to be any progress, but I opened gamemaker and well.. time flew. As a result more aspects of the item menu have been recoded and the amount of resources has deminished further as well.

I was wondering though. Since the last demo (that I actually made public) not a lot of visible progress has been made. You can find the overview in the startingpost if you're interested. Most of my time has been spend cleaning up coding, working of lessening the amount of resource and fixing glitches. That being said, several fundamentals have been touched and I'm looking for testers. My question is wether or not someone is willing to help me with this. Or is it wiser to just post a new demo? Again, I don't feel there is a lot actually added since the last demo.

Progress (while I'm at it)
590 sprites   --> 428 sprites
157 scripts   --> 155 scripts
111 objects --> 94 objects
72 sounds
22 backgrounds
9 paths --> 8 paths
8 rooms
5 timelines
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on March 06, 2011, 10:58:05 am
Latest progress report:
- Finished recoding the item menu (it's now just comprised of one object).
- Made some more coding changes to the startingscreen, saving more resources.
- Added in an auto-save function for the game settings. It should be a welcome addition for those that dislike the pre-set controls.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on March 13, 2011, 09:09:04 pm
Spend the last couple of hours working on a more elaborate saving system (using ini files). And then I started thinking up ways to prevent people from messing around with the savefiles. I may have went a little overboard, but at least the data in the ini files is impossible to crack now.

Currently I've implemented the actual saving plus encrypting of the data. Hopefully I'll get around to the loading aspect next week.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: FrozenFire on March 14, 2011, 08:53:55 am
Hey Martijn! First, it's great to see that you're still here on ZFGC. And your project is looking nice and strong as ever! Great work!

Spend the last couple of hours working on a more elaborate saving system (using ini files). And then I started thinking up ways to prevent people from messing around with the savefiles. I may have went a little overboard, but at least the data in the ini files is impossible to crack now.

Currently I've implemented the actual saving plus encrypting of the data. Hopefully I'll get around to the loading aspect next week.

Off-topic: I hate to ask, but when you figure it all out I would greatly appreciate your help with encrypting saved data and loading it in my own game. :P That's the only thing that I have no idea how to do and it would help me out TONS.

Back on topic, I am very glad to see how this has progressed. I haven't checked to see if there's a newer demo than the latest one I played (pretty sure there would be), but if there is, I'll try to set aside some time to test it out. :)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on March 14, 2011, 06:35:04 pm
Why hate to ask? You've helped me plenty in the past. I haven't forgotten.
Once I'm done figuring it out for myself you'll receive simular scripts.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on March 20, 2011, 02:54:39 pm
The weekly progress:
+ Finished the save feature for the character data (plus send FrozenFire a copy)
+ Further lessened the number of objects and variables needed for the startingscreen
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: TC Gamer on March 21, 2011, 11:35:00 am
It's great to see you make steady progress every week.

Can I ask when you think you'll be starting to add content? I'm really looking forward to that :)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on March 21, 2011, 07:14:26 pm
That's a though question as I have been without help for quite a while now :( I estimate I will be adding in new stuff in about 2 or 3 months time, depending on your definition of added content of course. It also depends on how the proposed "Design your own dungeon" contest mid April will work out.

Right now I have the following planned (in order) before releasing a new demo:
- Finish the saving feature to also include dungeon data (will also require me redefine the area control objects in a more uniform manor)
- Finish cleaning up the coding behind the starting screen (not essential but I'll probably continue my work on it anyway)
- Finish the snake enemy (more or less new content)
- Revisit picking up containers (worked on this a little yesterday. It's something I've been putting off for far to long already)
- Make some tweaks container shadows and stabbing of enemies
- Recode the sword's energy attack
- Add in magic attacks for the firerod/icerod/rod of medu (new content. This will be a major undertaking as it also means enemies should be burnable, get frozen etc)
- Make dungeon updates for the use of the firerod (new content. It should allow access to about 10 more rooms and it will straighten out order in which the dungeon is to be completed)

All in all, it's not heavy on new content. I'll see about adding more enemies and items for the demo after that one.

I must say, since I have little time to actually spend on the project I tend to work more on improvements rather then completely new content. It's not very flashy progress but I don't believe I've ever aimed for something like that XD.

PS: Having people help out with dungeon/area design would greatly improve the odds for new content in the near future. A tester would also be welcome.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on March 21, 2011, 08:01:56 pm
don't let youself force to add content, it seems you're the best project right now in kind of stable planning of a project and engine... most people just add gfx and features in a glitchy buggy engine

your updates are content enough to see that you are working on it, that should be enough to know for us ;)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: FrozenFire on March 22, 2011, 05:10:21 am
don't let youself force to add content, it seems you're the best project right now in kind of stable planning of a project and engine... most people just add gfx and features in a glitchy buggy engine

your updates are content enough to see that you are working on it, that should be enough to know for us ;)

Agreed. It takes time to get a solid engine, mainly because of testing lol. I'm happy to see that it keeps getting revised with less objects and more efficient code. That is VERY good in SO many ways. Of course I do look forward to the day when a story get's put in place and an epic adventure comes out of it, but every game must first have a solid engine in order to succeed.

... + Finished the save feature for the character data (plus send FrozenFire a copy) ...

And I thank you for that! I might not do it exactly your way, but I should be able to get a better idea on how to go about it after looking it over some more. Thanks again Martijn! ^_^
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on March 31, 2011, 12:42:17 pm
Plenty of progress in the last two weeks:
-All objects storing dungeon data have been converted into a single object
-All references to dungeon data have been adjusted to fit the new situation
-Started working on including all dungeondata in the savefiles
-Spend a couple of days tweaking the pick up mechanic, but I was unhappy with the result and scrapped all of the progress. :(


I've also been spending a number of days working on the room below. It's not much to look at right now, but I'll upload more images as it progresses. Personally I always like seeing something come to life like that. If anybody spots inconsistencies then feel free to point them out, but don't bother with comments on the green earth. That's gonna change anyway. The setting is a mountainpath up to dungeon 1. The goals of this room (and the once before it) are: give the player the feeling he is really moving higher and higher up a mountain and give the player the felling of discovering a far away hidden temple.

(http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/9467/outsidedungeona1.th.png) (http://img535.imageshack.us/i/outsidedungeona1.png/)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on April 09, 2011, 09:49:45 am
Made more progress lately:
- Saving dungeon data is done
- Textboxes can once again show all text instantly. This is present in all the current demo's but accidentally fell of as I recoded the textengine.

I also have a specific question for anyone willing to help:
What happens in alttp if you hold out your sword in front of you and walk into an enemy with it?
Can you go around stabbing the enemy until infinity or does something else happen?


Update: The following process has also been made.
- The attack button can now also be used to throw things
- You no longer instantly swing your sword instantly after a textbox (this problem had been bugging me for ages)

Another update:
- Added Life, Magic and Cure-All Medicine
Each new gamefile will (temporarily) start with one Life Medicine.
The first saved file will start with one of each type of bottle contents.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on April 10, 2011, 01:16:40 pm
Just one more day of freedom before I start work again tomorrow. Who can anwser my questions about alttp below so I can maybe get some more progress done before that happens XD?
1. How much does a fairy heal you if you die while having one in your inventory. How many hearts and how much magic?
2. What happens when you use a net to catch a fairy? Specificly: What is said? Which options are given (if any)? And what is said if you have no (free) bottles?
3. What happens if you hold out your sword in front of you and walk into an enemy with it? Can you go around stabbing the enemy until infinity or does something else happen? Does stabbing an enemy like so cancel out the swordcharge you had going?

I'm currently working on adding in collectable fairies. Can't really say when those will be finished as I have some questions left. Maybe in a week or so. It also depends on how much more time I'll need to spend on setting up the rest of the dungeon design contest.
Beyond that I'm working little on mapping again.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Sahittam on April 10, 2011, 02:20:16 pm
1: A fairy always heals 7 hearts and no magic, whether you are dead or not.

2:
You caught a fairy!(wait until text-continuing button is pressed)
What will you do?
-Keep it in a bottle
-Set it free

(if no empty bottles and 1st option selected:)
You don't have any empty bottles. You have no choice... Just set it free.

(if 2nd option selected, or 1st and you have a free bottle:)
textbox closes.

3: When you walk into an enemy, the enemy is hurt, but receives only half the damage of a normal attack.
Link once makes an animation as if stabbing a wall, then he stops holding his sword.

All taken from the European GBA version of ALttP.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on April 10, 2011, 02:29:52 pm
Thanks for the information. I really appreciate it!
Just a quick follow-up question about stabbing the enemy. Once Link hits an enemy and put away his sword, what happens then? Does he just move like normal instantly? Does he move and look like he is still holding out his sword (minus the sword obviously)? Or maybe something else happens?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Sahittam on April 10, 2011, 02:34:48 pm
After Link puts away his sword, he moves like normal, like he never held out his sword.
He doesn't ever have to stop moving, not even while he makes the stabbing animation (this surprised me, too).
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on April 10, 2011, 07:16:14 pm
The bottled fairies now only heal 7 hearts and no magic when you die.
Catching a fairy is giving some problems with consecutive textboxes. That'll have to be done somewhere next weekend. Same as the stabbing edits.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Zhello on April 10, 2011, 08:42:17 pm
Plenty of progress in the last two weeks:
-All objects storing dungeon data have been converted into a single object
-All references to dungeon data have been adjusted to fit the new situation
-Started working on including all dungeondata in the savefiles
-Spend a couple of days tweaking the pick up mechanic, but I was unhappy with the result and scrapped all of the progress. :(


I've also been spending a number of days working on the room below. It's not much to look at right now, but I'll upload more images as it progresses. Personally I always like seeing something come to life like that. If anybody spots inconsistencies then feel free to point them out, but don't bother with comments on the green earth. That's gonna change anyway. The setting is a mountainpath up to dungeon 1. The goals of this room (and the once before it) are: give the player the feeling he is really moving higher and higher up a mountain and give the player the felling of discovering a far away hidden temple.

(http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/9467/outsidedungeona1.th.png) (http://img535.imageshack.us/i/outsidedungeona1.png/)

hey if you need tiles for making outdoor areas, in one of my old threads about tiling there were some tilesets there if you want to use them.  I also have this tileset I am using for my game you can use it if you want. :)  If you need house tiles too I have some but I have to find them first.

Best used with ORE or Gmare. :D
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on April 11, 2011, 07:11:59 pm
Sounds good. Thanks. If you've got more then what's attached then I'm definatly interested.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on April 23, 2011, 08:31:47 pm
Last weeks progress:
+ Added collectable fairies to touch and catch
+ Fixed glitch: double creation sound for instant textboxes
+ Fixed glitch: incorrect loading of saved dungeon room data
+ Fixed the door in the dungeon you can walk through while it is closed from the other end
+ Finished work on the snake enemy
+ Tweaked the shield a little
+ Fixed glitch: endless death loop

(http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/3301/screenshot115.png) (http://img62.imageshack.us/i/screenshot115.png/)

(http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/2590/screenshot116d.png) (http://img130.imageshack.us/i/screenshot116d.png/)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on April 25, 2011, 02:12:42 pm
Here's another image showing some progress:
(http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/6216/screenshot117.png) (http://img850.imageshack.us/i/screenshot117.png/)

I made a start at adding in a functional magic attack for the three rods. Two are done, but I lack the sound and animation for the third (=Rod of Medu).
Anybody willing to help me out on that one? I have the rest of the day to work on the project and it's little effort to add in the third.

The request for resources can be found here (http://www.zfgc.com/forum/index.php?topic=38313.0)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on May 01, 2011, 12:34:56 pm
Accidentally cut myself in the hand yesterday so there has been pretty much no progress this weekend.
Beter luck next week I guess.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on May 07, 2011, 06:30:03 pm
This weeks progress:
+ Added ice magic
+ Ice magic may freeze some enemies
+ Ice magic can extinguish torches
+ Added fire magic
+ Fire can light torches
+ Stone magic may turn some enemies to stone
+ The rods used without magic now break pots
+ Some torches only stay lite for a limited time
+ Fixed glitch with pull switches
+ Getting the dungeon map now requires lighting 4 torches instead of killing enemies
+ Edited quite a bit in the first seven rooms in the sewers (which are now accesable)
+ Fixed glitch: Sword collisions
+ Added another locked door to prevent short cuts in the dungeon
+ Edited the main dungeon (the cellar is now unaccesable without lighting 4 torches)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on May 08, 2011, 01:36:11 pm
Working on the game again today as well.

Currently I'm mainly working on the three types of magic: ice magic from the icerod, fire magic from the firerod and stone magic from the rod of medu.
The plan is to all for enemies and some containers (all but the stones) to be turned to stone or ice. Changes a container may also change things like the weight and destruction animation. Changing enemies turns them into containers as well. The plan right now is to allow the player to pick them up when that happens. I know frozen enemies did not break in the original, but I intent thrown frozen/stone enemies to shatter upon impact. One final thing I might someday add in is the ability to turn frozen/stone enemies back to there regular self (through fire / magic powder), but I have yet to work out a feasible programming solution.. I'm also quite curious how you guys think about the idea.

Edit:
Today's progress: Frozen and stone enemies can be picked up and thrown (but it still needs plenty of work to perfect)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on May 15, 2011, 07:07:04 pm
Finished editing the draw events for containers both stationairy, carried and thrown. The Icerod should be finished shortly. The Rod of Medu still lacks an appropriate magic animation.

(http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/2082/screenshot119.th.png) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/171/screenshot119.png/)
(http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/7862/screenshot120s.th.png) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/51/screenshot120s.png/)
(http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/7369/screenshot121k.th.png) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/64/screenshot121k.png/)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: RetroRespecter on May 20, 2011, 07:23:12 pm
Rod of Medu?!  :huh:
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: The Boy on May 20, 2011, 07:25:02 pm
See his GMC posts.
http://gmc.yoyogames.com/index.php?showtopic=414234&pid=3750646&st=60&#entry3750646
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on May 20, 2011, 08:45:34 pm
The Rod of Medu is a rod with a similar working like the Icerod. Only instead of turning some enemies to ice, it can turn some enemies to stone. For now the enemies turned to stone can just be picked up and thrown to break them. I might change some of that to create some original puzzles later on.

While I'm at it: I've got a little bad news. My girlfriend's father is not doing well AT ALL so I don't really feel like working on the game this week. This has been going on for a couple of weeks already and it's turning really bad. Aside from that is my work and my studies. I'll probably be back at it in 2 or 3 weeks time.

Help is always welcome though :) Even now.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on May 29, 2011, 10:18:30 am
Still managed to make a little bit of progress on the game:
+ Fixed error when getting shocked while holding a container
+ Fixed glitch where getting shocked no longer worked
+ Added new room: Connector room on the upper floor
+ Fixed glitch: skeleton heads keep following you after you exit the room
+ Expanded the destruction animation and item creation for containers to handle more shapes
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on June 02, 2011, 06:52:45 am
Okay, I've good and bad news again. I decided to break up with my girlfriend (really it was her decisions that got me to do it, but whatever). Also the contest I was expecting to spend more time on did not produce any usefull results.

The good news here is that because of this I can spend a little bit more time on my game. Actually, I hope to be able to produce a new demo in about two weeks time. Finally XD

Also I'm set up a pole because I'm interested in what people get most excited about in new demo's.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: TC Gamer on June 03, 2011, 09:36:24 am
Okay, I've good and bad news again. I decided to break up with my girlfriend (really it was her decisions that got me to do it, but whatever). Also the contest I was expecting to spend more time on did not produce any usefull results.

The good news here is that because of this I can spend a little bit more time on my game. Actually, I hope to be able to produce a new demo in about two weeks time. Finally XD

Also I'm set up a pole because I'm interested in what people get most excited about in new demo's.
I voted for coding since it will help you a ton in the future :)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on June 05, 2011, 09:21:49 pm
Thanks TCGamer. I agree.

Here is this weekends progress:
+ Stone magic turns some containers to stone
+ Ice magic freezes some containers
+ Erased any noticeable slowdown that occurred when the player entered the main floor of the dungeon
+ Updated the cannonball routines to have make sure they don't just start as the room starts

And aside from that I spend time tinkering with a room's layout and the stone magic. Still no satisfying results on either of those.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on June 08, 2011, 08:10:02 pm
Had an somewhat interesting idea today about the map system in alttp. For reference: it currently looks like the image below. When you collect the compass the chests and boss location are displayed. I can imagine that this is done so the player doesn't get stuck too much, since showing those things might help the player progress. Other secrets, like keys from above, however are not displayed.

How about I the compass does not display the chests, but instead turns the rooms light green when all points of interest in that room are discovered? Or would that spoil the experience? I'm not really sure, but I believe my dungeon can be a little hard for some people to solve (or at least I haven't heard the opposite). I'm doing some scetches for the second dungeon and I'm not still pondering on how to make it challenging while not frustrating.

Anybody have any comments on the matter?

(http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/2255/screenshot122p.png) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/687/screenshot122p.png/)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: RetroRespecter on June 09, 2011, 12:15:37 am
A unique compass? How about when you enter a room it turns red when you have to defeat the enemies in said room to advance?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on June 09, 2011, 05:27:24 am
It would just be the default compass, but the function would change. The goal is not be to hold the player by hand, but rather to hint at places where "something" has not been discovered yet to prevent them from running in circles endlessly. Such things being chest and keys obviously, but also when the player has not yet discovered pressure plates / killed all the enemies / discovered that a statue can be moved to open a door etc.

The map could use just 3 colors:
dark blue: room never entered yet
light blue: room entered and fully explored
light green: room entered but not yet fully explored

More more colors then that would be difficult because roomscan hold multiple mechanics. Like for instance one door requires all enemies dead, there is a chest hidden and a second door requires you crash into a statue.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: RetroRespecter on June 09, 2011, 03:23:02 pm
Crash into a statue?  :huh:
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on June 09, 2011, 04:23:37 pm
Oops.... uuhmm. Yeah, you may need to do that in order to finish the dungeon. Actually, it's already possible in the current demo.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on June 10, 2011, 07:36:46 pm
Progress in the last couple of days:
+ Finished two more dungeon rooms (just one left)
+ Added three pressure plates that need to be activated in order
+ Added falling down two floor below
+ Fixed issues with doors closing and opening directly after entering a room
+ Fixed facing issues when falling down a floor
+ Redid the shadows for frozen/stone enemies/containers

With that I believe I'm more or less ready to release the new demo. Just need to remove the tester stuff. There are still two small issues that I'm working on, but that's always the case XD
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on June 11, 2011, 11:35:46 am

NEW DEMO OUT
(Also, I updated the first post quite a bit borrowing the setup FrozenFire thought up.)

Here is a listing of all the changes made since demo 0.10.8
-Added a bunch of new rooms
-Added the ability to fall through the floor with enough weight
-Rewrote part of the digging mechanic to improve efficiency
-Fixed surfaces errors when moving in and out of the dungeon too much
-The hud moves along with the (dis)appearing item menu (once again)
-Items created by flying skulls will fall to a more appropriate depth, based on what you'd visually expect
-Improved the Pol's Voice AI even further (it can now jump over various objects)
-Collissions on/under bridges are now handled differently/better
-Finished enemy: Buzz Blob
-Added new enemy: snake
-Recoded/improved the credits
-Recoded/improved on the item menu
-Recoded/improved on the starting screen
-Recoded/improved on the text engine
-Replaced all previous textsprites by custom fonts
-Added an (encrypted) save feature for controls and dungeon/game progress
-The attack button can now also be used to throw things
-Added new item: Book of Mudora
-Added new item: Life Medicine
-Added new item: Magic Medicine
-Added new item: Cure-All Medicine
-Added fairies to touch and catch (not fully satisfied with them yet)
-Bottled fairies now only heal 7 hearts and no magic when you die
-Added magic for ice rod
-Added magic for fire rod
-Added magic for Rod of Medu (the magic attack is just placeholder for now)
-Some enemies and containers can be frozen or turned to stone
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: DeathTailsz on June 11, 2011, 04:58:50 pm
Some enemies and containers can turned to stone

Can I expect myself yelling "Man, that guys looks stoned."?
I'ma downloading it as we speak. Edit my post afterwards. :D

Oh, and I love what you did with the first page, looks purdy.

Edit:
Best animation for a magic ability ever. I wanna play SMW now...
[spoiler=Already Known Issue](http://img848.imageshack.us/img848/3626/floatingonobjects.jpg)
I think the above is a known issue (He's floating on top of objects)[/spoiler]

I have a question: Is the beam-thing that comes from the sword delete itself after leaving the view or hitting an object? In long rooms you can hear the sound playing consistently until it destroys itself.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on June 11, 2011, 05:58:53 pm
Yes, stoned dudes can be found in this demo. Sort off.

The sword beam destroy itself if it hits a wall, enemy etc. If nothing is hit then it will just keep going. You hearing the beam even after it has gone beyond the visible screen is by design.

The depth issues are know. I have an answer ready but it will take a lot of effort to implement. Maybe in the next demo.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on June 13, 2011, 07:40:11 pm
This weekends progress:
+ Finished stone magic animation (used sprites by Nabeshin)
+ Slightly edited the Rod of Medu (edit by DeathTailsz)
+ The Pol's Voice can no longer be turned to stone
+ Redid the sword magic to be uniform with other type of character objects
+ Put together a full tileset for the second dungeon
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: FrozenFire on June 28, 2011, 06:59:29 am
I know it's been more than 2 weeks since the last post, but I just had to say it's been quite a while since I looked at this and the project is looking great! It's HUUUUUGE!

(...I updated the first post quite a bit borrowing the setup FrozenFire thought up.)
...
LOL, I see that. XD I'm glad it has helped you with organizing your project content here.

It's great to see this game continually making progress. I'm gonna have to check out the latest demo for sure!
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on June 28, 2011, 07:27:30 am
I've got an exam coming up tommorrow so I have been studying for that lately. Afterwards I hope to make a new small release within two weeks.
Some players on a different site found a small glitch preventing players from fully finishing the first dungeon, so that will be fixed. Also, I hope to add one or two canes by then.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on July 02, 2011, 07:48:08 am
No progress report today (though I am making progress again), but I do have some research questions.

- Cukeman:
A Buzzblob sprinkled with magic powder turns to a Cukeman and you can then apparently talk to it. Judging from that I'd consider it an NPC. On the other hand it also shocks you if you attack it. Does that make it is the equivalent to a villager who would react to getting hit by a sword etc? Or is it still an enemy (who does damage upon touching) which you can talk to if you stand a little away from it and press the action button?
Does it have electric sprites in it's animation, like the Buzzblob? I'm reading it can shock but have not been able to find a sprite for an electrified cukeman. If so, can someone get me those sprites?

On a sidenote: freezing and smashing a cukeman apparently turns it into a buzzblob. I'll not be copying that.

- Cane of Byrna:
How long does the magic shielding last for after using the cane?


- Cane of Somaria:
After creating a magic block and terminating it, four fire(?)balls are created. What is the impact animation like for those attacks? Something similar to stabbing a wall with your sword maybe? The fireballs should also be present in the dungeon dark world below the rundown village. The horse/dragon type enemies that spit them out at you if I remember correctly.


Edit: After some more research I found that the Cane of Byrna takes 16 mp to activate and 4 mp per 24 frames (based on 60fps). I may change those values up a little but not by much. The shield will end if you use the cane of byrna while the shield is active, while your magic runs out or if you do not have the cane of byrna as the currently selected item. The Cane of Byrna should be fully finished in about another hour. The only thing I'm a little unhappy about is the soundeffect. I do not believe I have been able to get it the same as in the original.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on July 02, 2011, 08:51:21 pm
Here is the latest progress report:
+ Fixed several textobjects that did not work anymore
+ Added the firerod to each new savefile (as finishing the dungeon requires it)
+ Fixed glitch in cannonball puzzle room
+ Build in the first two rooms for the second dungeon (with DeathTailsz - not yet in demo)
+ Added new item: Cane of Byrna (not happy with the sounds yet though)
+ Made various changes to the magic attack from the sword
+ Canes without magic can now hurt enemies, destroy containers, collect items and get you shocked by electric enemies
+ Enemies can not be turned to stone or ice if that will cause Link to get stuck
+ Fixed glitch: no longer able to push movable objects into staircases
+ Added new item: Cane of Somaria (not happy with the sounds yet though)

As I mentioned in my previous post I was unsure what destruction event to use for the fireballs created with the block from the Cane of Somaria. I tried a couple of things and ended up going with the burning animation I was already using for the firerod's magic. Not sure if that's what the original game used but it will work for me. Also, in the original the block from the Cane of Somaria itself was a means to hurt enemies. Upon to three times it would apparently hurt enemies before getting destroyed (?). Haven't build that in yet and I'm not really sure if I really want to. Anybody have any thoughts or information on that?

Now then, there are three things I could use your help with right now (in order):
1. What soundeffect is present when the block (created with the Cane of Somaria) is made to explode?
2. Can someone help me with the soundeffect for the initial use of the Cane of Byrna (and the continued sound for the magic shield if there is any)? I'm currently using a loop of the LTTP_Cane_Magic sound as found here (http://noproblo.dayjo.org/ZeldaSounds/), but it does not sound how I remembered it. The other sound effect there (I also attach them below), which is the LTTP_Cane sound, sounds a little more familiar but I'm not sure if that's it either.
3. Still looking for information on the Cukeman. Check my previous post.

I someone could help me rather quickly then I sound be able to implement it this very weekend and hopefully round it up enough for a new demo (in order to fix the issues found in the starting post).
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on July 03, 2011, 03:04:24 pm
Today's progress:
+ Added a new enemy: the Ropa

And I took the time to upload another video. It's been ages since I did something like that so why not. Please take a close look at the three new things I added and let me know what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qAev7nvnus
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Max. on July 03, 2011, 05:22:40 pm
I'm only speaking from memory, but I don't think you could talk to Cukemen. I think you could kill them, though, but as I remember, you couldn't walk into them without getting hurt, they just wouldn't electrify you. The way the buzz blobs worked was if you stabbed them, you'd go all electricy, and the screen would do that getting zapped thing, but the buzz blob wouldn't change. Probably because it's own defenses wouldn't electrify it, that would be a bad tactic.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mitsu on July 04, 2011, 03:56:21 am
You sprinkle the buzzblobs with magic powder and you can talk to them.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on July 04, 2011, 04:47:27 pm
Okay, so the cukeman does speak and it will hurt you upon walking into it.
Stabbing it does electrify you, but the enemy does not show any new sprite during this.
Hhmm, that'll make it a little harder.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Rayo on July 05, 2011, 07:03:24 pm
This game is awesome! :D
I hope you finish the game.

Only one question: How do you make this electric effect?
(http://img547.imageshack.us/img547/1766/screenshot102h.png)

Oh, and here is my vote: Do whatever you feel like. I'm sure it will be good. XD
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on July 05, 2011, 08:08:49 pm
Thanks. That's the kind of response I aim for.  ;)

Getting the effect the way it is was a little hard, but I'll try to explain.

I first save a screenshot to a surface, but not before redrawing all the constant sections perfectly black. (It is important that this black color is not used in the rest of your game). By constant I mean Link, the hud and the enemies so they can later be separated from the rest of the image and redrawn on top of the end result. I then save the screenshot as a sprite, turning the black areas transparent. I'll call this sprite A.

Then I draw spriteA back onto a surface in the same color black to have created an inverted image. I then draw this black area onto the original screenshot (using a new surface) and save it as another sprite, once again turning the black color transparent. With this I have isolated all the sections of the screenshot that I do not want to adjust. Or in other words: I have a transparent surface with ONLY the character, enemies and HUD drawn on it and only the sections you see in the original screenshot. I'll call this imageB.

For the blocky background: Sprite A has holes in it where the character and enemies were placed so I draw it 5 times onto a new surface: normally, with x+8, y+8, x-8 and y-8 (in reversed order). This mostly fills the empty areas with colors somewhat similar to the area around the empty spaces. You'll get really weird effects if you do not do something similar. I save this as spriteC.

All these steps are done at the moment the shocking starts (as to save resources since the following takes a lot of processing power). Next I start to created the main effect. From left to right I keep taking a vertical slice (every n pixels) from spriteC and draw it onto a new surface while stretching it the same n pixels in width. I do the same with the resulting image onto the actual screen, only then drawing horizontal slices stretched in height. n equals the size of the resulting blocks. The result is a blurred screenshot without having used the character, enemies and other constants. I must note that drawing lines and stretching them is WAY more efficient then doing it block by block, obviously.

Finally I take imageB again and also draw it also onto the screen.

Voila. Screen successfully distorted. Easy right?

I'd like to say that's all, but I'm still having problems with preexisting (partly transparent) surfaces in the original screenshot that are not saved to surfaces correctly. It's a gamemaker issue so I'm not trying to solve it right now.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on July 08, 2011, 05:42:25 pm
Today I only had to work for about half a day so I made some more progress:
+ Updated the Snake AI
+ Finished the Cane of Byrna (sounds and animation speed)
+ Fixed pressure plate in first cannonball room
+ Added pressure plate that alternate between active and disabled when you step on them

The Cane of Byrna was indeed not like in the original. After a long time searching I found a youtube video of the Cane in use and based my version on that. Ideally I'd do the same with the Cane of Somaria as I know it's not finished yet. So far a youtube video with that in it has been impossible to find though.

Not sure If anybody will up for this, but I just keep asking as it it's harmfull. Can someone here help find or upload a (youtube) video with the either on of these two specific situations:
A - The Cane of Somaria creates an energy block and enemies collide with it (getting hurt and hopefully even destroying the block)
B - The Cane of Somaria creates an energy block and the block is the willingly destroyed again, creating the 4 fireballs. It's the sounds at the moment of destruction I am looking for.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on July 10, 2011, 08:25:19 am
Not sure If anybody will up for this, but I just keep asking as it it's harmfull. Can someone here help find or upload a (youtube) video with the either on of these two specific situations:
A - The Cane of Somaria creates an energy block and enemies collide with it (getting hurt and hopefully even destroying the block)
B - The Cane of Somaria creates an energy block and the block is the willingly destroyed again, creating the 4 fireballs. It's the sounds at the moment of destruction I am looking for.

Also, here is the next WIP. It's still very early in development. Hopefully I can finish it next weekend.
(http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/1418/screenshot104t.png)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on July 10, 2011, 05:04:44 pm
Progress report for the rest of the weekend:
+ Fix error message while trying to pull a movable object into a staircase. You can still get stuck in a movable object while decending a staircase is the player placed the object akwardly. Currently that is only possible to accomplice with the block from the Cane of Somaria (and that's destructable) so I'll leave it at that for now.
+ Started work on the new enemy: Beamos
+ Made coding improvements in various movement scripts
+ The character will now be pushed back when hurt by an enemy


Also, I tried out a new screen recorder:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7OL4Ph34tM

I wanted to show 4 things:
- The Cane of Byrna is now finished.
- The Cane of Somaria is almost finished, but lacks a sound effect when the block explodes. Also, I managed to trap a Rope in the block. In the original game I believe the Rope would have been harmed by the block. Still searching for a reference on that.
- Catching fairies has been in there for a while. Not really intended to capture one, but since I was there I might as well. The collision checking still needs a little work.
- And finally my first take at having the character jump back when hurt. It'll need some tweaking, but that is for another time. Comments and suggestions are welcome.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: RetroRespecter on July 10, 2011, 08:50:56 pm
Not bad. IT already feels like "A Link to the Past". :D XD
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on July 15, 2011, 07:25:44 pm
Thanks. I'm currently really working hard on the game because I decided to submit it to the NFGC this year. It's likely that I will be busy with exams around that times so the majority of the progress has to be made in these next couple of months. That is also one of the reasons I (finally) downloaded an emulator and alttp. And I was doing so well. Hadn't touched the game in over 10 years. I avoided it up until now, but I needed some research done in order to progress on some issues. Now that I can compare in more detail I'll probably lean far more on the original then before :-\

Anyway. I'm somewhat beat again with a half day of work and a lot of tinkering on the game. Here is a pick of today's result (a burning status for enemies).
(http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/6052/screenshot109o.png)

And if anybody wishes to help: I made a sprite request here (http://www.zfgc.com/forum/index.php?topic=38456.0).
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on July 31, 2011, 05:19:10 pm
Hello all. Here is the progress made over the last couple of weeks:
+ Updated AI of the Buzzblob
+ Fixed glitch: Rope sprite during shock animation
+ Fixed error: hurt while carrying a container
+ Edited the entrance room to the first dungeon + added an explination (for if people need it) at the end of the sewer area
+ Movable objects may have attached instances that move along with the object
+ Finished the Cane of Somaria
+ Pushed back distance from getting hurt is now enemy dependant
+ Redid the Ropa AI
+ Added new enemy: Cukeman (you can't talk to it yet)
+ Can now set some enemies on fire with the firerod
+ Started work on a new item: Bombos Medallion
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on August 06, 2011, 08:34:45 pm
Hello all. Spend most of the day working on the Bombos Medallion and it's now finished. It looked like it was already mostly done, but as always it were those final touches that ended up taking the most time and effort.

(http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/7366/screenshot114a.png) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/269/screenshot114a.png/)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on August 07, 2011, 02:38:36 pm
Time for another update (plus request). The image below shows the main plaza of the desert palace, which I just finished. I'm not sure yet if I'm already going to try and it into the next demo. Probably not. As you can see the grass and trees may look out of place. Those are placeholders which I later hope replace with some suitable withered trees and plants. The idea is that the plaza once held a fully grown garden, but now it is neglected and dying off. There are also some statues akwardly placed. Those are also placeholders for now.

Anyway. If anybody knows of any suitable dead/dying plant sprites (or if someone is willing to make me some custom sprites), be sure to let me know.

Main plaza of desert palace:
(http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/7959/desertdungeoncourtyardv.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/29/desertdungeoncourtyardv.jpg/)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: RetroRespecter on August 08, 2011, 02:38:33 am
Whoa!  :o
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Max. on August 08, 2011, 02:45:07 pm
What kind of dead plants are you looking to replace the flowers? I don't know if I can do trees, although I could give it a try, but I'd love to try the other plants!
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on August 08, 2011, 05:01:57 pm
If you could help then that would be great.
For the dead plants something simular to the image below might work. Well, minus the pokemon.

EDIT: Wait. Now that I think about it, in alttp there is an old man that gives you the shovel and turns into a tree. That might also be editable.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Max. on August 08, 2011, 06:33:14 pm
It was actually a young boy you turned into a tree, sort of like the deku child from MM, actually. He's the first from the top left.

The middle row is what I came up with, they're all 16 pixels wide, which I'm assuming you're using?
Then the bottom right guy is a skinnier approach, which I could take if you'd like. Also, I could try shortening them so they'd be 16 pix tall, too, but... they wouldn't really be trees anymore, at least, I wouldn't be using the Flute Boy as a reference anymore, because he'd be too big.

(http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Zeypher/graphics/fluteboytree.png)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on August 08, 2011, 07:14:58 pm
Those look really good. If you could also make one to fit 16x16 then that would be perfect.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: RetroRespecter on August 09, 2011, 02:56:17 pm
Is this a desert dungeon?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on August 09, 2011, 05:07:35 pm
Yes, this is one of the rooms for the desert dungeon.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: FrozenFire on August 09, 2011, 11:50:33 pm
Martijn, I LOVE the idea of this dungeon. The design could really bring out some good atmosphere if done right, and you look like you're on the right track. AWESOME work. I want to help but I haven't even gotten around to doing anything with Drandula's story, or even my own game for that matter. D: .. But I'm rooting for you! ^_^
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Max. on August 11, 2011, 07:58:00 pm
Sorry it took a while, I haven't been able to get on the computer since last time until today. Haha, this only took like five minutes, too...

(http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Zeypher/graphics/fluteboytree2.png)

It's the three in the bottom left that are 16x16.
The furthest down out of all the 16x16 ones is my favorite, but you can use whatever you want.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on August 15, 2011, 07:11:35 pm
I'm sorry for the late reply. Thank you. I will see about finishing the garden when I have the time.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on August 21, 2011, 08:49:24 pm
This weeks progress:
+ Made a little progress on the Beamos enemy
+ No sword magic will be created if you already hit a container or enemy in the same swing
+ Added new item: Ether Medallion (almost finished)
+ Fixed errors when freezing a Cukeman + edited colors mouth while frozen
+ Frozen enemies now give of random sparkles
+ Flying / jumping enemies can now also be turned to ice / stone (and will fall to the floor)

Things are a little chaotic for me right now (with work and other stuff) so I did not work on everything I wanted to too. Maybe next week. Once I finish the Ether medallion fully I'll see about making another video showing it. I'm not truly happy with it yet and will be looking for feedback.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Nubcake on August 21, 2011, 09:10:21 pm
Wow , i'm impressed by the attention to detail this game has! The door/stair animation (finally someones using it) etc. The stalfos is a little jumpy btw and Link moves far too slow while holding his charged sword.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on August 22, 2011, 06:12:49 am
I'll see what I can do.
Can you give me some example about the jumpy skeletons?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Nubcake on August 22, 2011, 10:05:08 am
I'll see what I can do.
Can you give me some example about the jumpy skeletons?
When i was charging the sword inside the castle and cornering the Stalfos it sort of jumped every second i game closer.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on August 26, 2011, 06:44:50 pm
I'm was working on Nubcake's suggestions when I ran into a strange new glitch. Could someone check the following with the available demo: walk in the upper left direction using both the up and left key pressed in any order. That should work. Now try the same thing while pressing the sword button to charge to sword. My character does not move left. Only up. The Button_Held event doesn't even recognize the left button being pressed.

I want to determine if it's just me or if other computers have the same problem.

EDIT: Not really a solution I'm satisfied with, but it appear the problem is solved if I set left and up to letters like J en I. Right...... Anybody ever have a simular experience. Or beter yet. Does anybody know the reason behind something weird like this. :huh:
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on August 28, 2011, 12:15:04 pm
New video (the added medallions):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my3MkKOCji4

I'll post the progress made this weekend later.


EDIT:
And here is an overview of the latest progress made:
+ Finished the Ether Medallion
+ The walking speed while the sword is drawn has been slightly increased
+ The distance it takes for a Stalfos to jump away for you has been shortened by 1/3th if the character is charging his sword.
+ Enemies turning to ice or stone make a tiny hop into the air
+ The creation code for all Gamemaker rooms has been moved to a single script
+ Full sword swing (magic) now extinguished small torches upon contact
+ Edited cukeman: fixed glitch with one line repeating endlessly and adjusted the text speed.
+ Started work on a new item: Quake Medallion. Character animation finished.
+ Fixed glitch: if you change your custom controls to the default set it did not save the change.
+ Started work on a new item: Bow and Arrows (about halfway done now - character animation finished)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Xfixium on August 28, 2011, 09:21:37 pm
Quote
Could someone check the following with the available demo: walk in the upper left direction using both the up and left key pressed in any order. That should work. Now try the same thing while pressing the sword button to charge to sword. My character does not move left. Only up. The Button_Held event doesn't even recognize the left button being pressed.

I get the following results testing directional keys while charging the sword with the current demo:

Pressing up first does not allow left, but allows right
Pressing left first does not allow up, but allows down
Pressing down first does not allow right, but allows left
Pressing right first does not allow down, but allows up

I see a simple pattern here, perhaps it has to do with the key code values.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on August 29, 2011, 06:15:41 pm
Strange. My computer does not have any issues with the combination M, Down and Right. My older laptop appearently does not have any problems whatsoever ::)
Also, and this is something I did not notice earlier, when I press M, Up and Left a beeping sound can be heard. It would be my guess that the combination of keys is already in use by some other system. Gamemaker doesn't even recognize the last of the three keys being getting pressed (it not that it just skips the pressed event). I checking the  string of previously entered keycommands.

Since I'm now fairly convinced that this is not a problem I can neatly fix, I am inclined to just leave the things as they are. The players already have the options to edit any of the controls if they experience issues.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: King Tetiro on August 29, 2011, 06:25:00 pm
I noticed you're going to be trying to enter the NCFC 2011. I wish you luck martin and may the best man win. Just as long as one of us takes the Zelda crown back for NCFC
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on August 29, 2011, 06:29:27 pm
Same here. Let's bring that crown to zfgc ;)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: King Tetiro on August 29, 2011, 06:30:23 pm
Yeh I don't think the others stand a chance. A LTTP remake and a Steampunk inspired zelda. That crown is ours

(Plus I have a yeti wearing a purple top hat. How can we lose lol)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Nabeshin on August 29, 2011, 06:49:22 pm
Some keyboards have key priority issues and object to certain combos of keys. Other keyboards are amazing. XD But yeah, don't worry yourself about this as it's very likely a hardware-specific issue.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Rayo on August 31, 2011, 01:18:53 pm
Quote
A LTTP remake and a Steampunk inspired zelda.
And a MC fangame. XD Good luck Martijn dh and King Tetiro!
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: King Tetiro on August 31, 2011, 01:42:35 pm
Quote
A LTTP remake and a Steampunk inspired zelda.
And a MC fangame. XD Good luck Martijn dh and King Tetiro!
Looks like we have it in the bag ZFGC. I've actually finished the Auction mini-game today :D. After I've done the collectables in Hyrule Field and Hyrule Market, I'll be releasing a technical demo.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: The Boy on September 01, 2011, 05:29:21 pm
Hearing about all of the progress from you and Martijn dh makes me feel sad. I haven't done any work on my Zelda in ages... Might start from the beggining..
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on September 02, 2011, 08:58:52 pm
I just need to respond to that last one, because it's easy to relate.

There is no need to feel sad. I too feel a little discouraged sometimes when I see what someone like Xfixium posts here at times. It's easy to get like that when other people make it look easy. Just remember: your game is unique from everybody else's because it really is your game. No one else has one quit like it. I mean, you build it. You probably know it inside out and can do or build whatever you want with it now. Isn't that the whole reason why we all start these things?

When I'm discouraged and start thinking "why?", it's always comforting to remember the reasons why I started in the first place: Fun, creative freedom, challenge and perfection.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: King Tetiro on September 02, 2011, 09:01:39 pm
I just need to respond to that last one, because it's easy to relate.

There is no need to feel sad. I too feel a little discouraged sometimes when I see what someone like Xfixium posts here sometimes. It's easy to get like that when other people make it look easy. Just remember: your game is unique from everybody else's because it really is your game. No one else has one quit like it. I mean, you build it. You know probably know it inside out and can do or build whatever you want with it now. Isn't that the whole reason why we all start these things?

When I'm discouraged and start thinking "why?", it's always comforting to remember the reasons why I started in the first place: Fun, creative freedom, challenge and perfection.

I second what Martijn said. That's why I've developing my game at my own pace. Just so I can make it unique. It now has a top hat wearing Deku Scrub named Wal (nut)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on September 04, 2011, 04:49:13 pm
This weeks progress: finished the bow and arrows
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on September 11, 2011, 07:15:11 pm
Little progress made this weekend:
+ Added stunned status to enemies (jumping and flying enemies are uneffected)
+ The quake medallion stuns most enemies on the field
+ Tweaked the push swich in the master chest room
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mirby on September 12, 2011, 01:40:32 am
Ooh, nice progress! Can't wait to see more, man!
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on September 16, 2011, 08:48:43 am
Thanks.

Let's see here. It's about a month until the contest I believe. My exams more or less coincide with the event so now is a good time to stop adding stuff and present it for testing. Well.. maybe I can finish the hookshot during testing.... and tweak the gameplay a little... I know I can stop... I just need to do it gradually XD.

Kidding aside. I'm looking for testers. Any volunteers?
I know some might think it is a pointless idea to not just release the demo in the topic. There are two reason I won't do that: it's more fun to wait till the actual event and I don't want to influence any other contenders.
I'm looking for people with the critical eye and the ability to describe what they see or mean. So, if you feel like helping out just respond. Whenever I add or tweak something from this point forward I'll do it in a separated version.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mirby on September 16, 2011, 08:51:18 am
I'll see what I can do!
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on September 16, 2011, 08:59:26 am
Much appreciated.
I'll be walking 40 km this weekend so I'll probably present a demo either monday or tuesday.

Any more testers?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: King Tetiro on September 16, 2011, 09:15:22 am
I'll give testing a shot
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Max. on September 16, 2011, 05:53:22 pm
If there's any way to could get the demo to run on an iPad, I'd help... For some reason, my laptop refuses to connect with the house's Internet, so no downloading for me. If there's any other way I could help out, though, I'd be down.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on September 16, 2011, 06:59:19 pm
King Tetiro: Great. I'll send you a link as well then, when it's ready.

Donotfeedthemax: It won't work on the iPad, but I appreciate the offer. You can always try again when you laptop connection is fixed though. I doubt I've already gotten everything glitch-free right of the bat.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Malon on September 17, 2011, 01:58:52 am
Id like to give it a shot.  :)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on September 18, 2011, 05:18:09 am
So three testers:
Mirby
King Tetiro
Malonfan2012

I'll try and present the demo monday or tuesday, as mentioned earlier.
For those who want to know: I walked my 40 km and now I have a blister literally the size of my small toe  :'(.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mirby on September 18, 2011, 06:30:28 am
So three testers:
Mirby
King Tetiro
Malonfan2012

I'll try and present the demo monday or tuesday, as mentioned earlier.
For those who want to know: I walked my 40 km and now I have a blister literally the size of my small toe  :'(.
Thanks.

Also, much props for walking the 40km. I'd pass out from exhaustion if I tried that. ^.^
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on September 23, 2011, 08:12:32 pm
Working on the hookshot right now and I've got some questions.

What does the hookshot ledge on to?
Chest?
Pots?
Bushes???
Stones???
Anything else?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Theforeshadower on September 23, 2011, 10:01:41 pm
Trees I believe...could be wrong.  Wooden posts should be another one too.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: RetroRespecter on September 23, 2011, 10:30:47 pm
Stakes
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Max. on September 24, 2011, 04:55:39 am
The hookshot attaches best to high stakes. Haha.

But really, pots and rocks don't make any sense to me. But in alttp, I remember it being mainly convenient wooden posts. And eyeballs, it works GREAT on eyeballs.

Also, signs? They're wooden.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mirby on September 24, 2011, 05:36:43 am
In LttP, it attached to bottles, items (which were dragged to you), chests, signs, and posts.

It also grabbed pots, if memory serves.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on September 24, 2011, 09:17:30 am
The hookshot attaches best to high stakes. Haha.

But really, pots and rocks don't make any sense to me. But in alttp, I remember it being mainly convenient wooden posts. And eyeballs, it works GREAT on eyeballs.

Also, signs? They're wooden.

You mean certain enemies are subsectable to the hookshot, like the eyegores and that eye boss? Or do you mean something different?

ALL: thanks for the input so far. I should be able to make some more progress with this.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mirby on September 24, 2011, 09:32:59 am
I think he's referencing the Misery Mire boss there.

And yeah, keese also die instantly when hit by it sooo....
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on September 24, 2011, 10:53:06 am
I had some follow-up questions so I decided to play the original again. Here's what I found:
The hookshot ledges onto pots, bushes, small rocks, trees, torches (either 16x16 or 16x32), signposts, chests and small items.
The hookshot does not ledge onto frozen enemies, switches, those poles you can hammer into the ground and key items like heart pieces.

Upon closer look the hookshot is a lot more complex for me to do then I figured so I'll leave some aspects for later. Ledging onto trees, torches and signposts will have to wait till I have made more progress on each of those things. I also feel the character should be able to pull key items like heart pieces towards him (like a lazy ass). That'll have to wait as well. The rest I should be able to do. Hopefully today.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: King Tetiro on September 24, 2011, 01:02:32 pm
Apologies martin for not finishing my testing yet. I have been settling back into halls of residence
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on September 24, 2011, 01:09:13 pm
No worries. So far you have been the only one who has given me any kind of feedback anyway (which is a bit dissapointing, but still).

PS: While I'm at it anyway. Here's some random screenshots.

(http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/6081/screenshot103l.png)

(http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/4899/screenshot108jj.png)

(http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/7365/screenshot102zy.png)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Wasabi on September 24, 2011, 05:26:42 pm
This is one of the most solid LTTP remakes I've ever seen, glad to see it's still being actively developed after 2 years :)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mirby on September 24, 2011, 06:14:47 pm
As am I, Darklight. Too few games even live this long...
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: RetroRespecter on September 25, 2011, 03:02:10 am
Okay. Let's get things clear. Just because the game uses ALTTP sprites, doesn't mean it is remake of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Mirby on September 25, 2011, 04:08:31 am
Yeah, we know, Retro. Darklight simply misspoke; this is a very solid LttP-styled game though.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Wasabi on September 25, 2011, 01:08:59 pm
Okay. Let's get things clear. Just because the game uses ALTTP sprites, doesn't mean it is remake of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
Yeah I'm aware of that :P, I should have worded my post better.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on September 25, 2011, 06:45:14 pm
One more week and it's become 3 years of development. Man, I need another girlfriend XD

Anyway. Here is this weekend's progress:
+ Added new item: Hookshot
+ Edited the masking and mechanics of chests for the hookshot to ledge onto them
+ Fixed error in the credits
+ Extended the recovery time after getting hit from 25 to 30 frames
+ Fixed a glitch with the textbox surface showing distortion
+ Fixed a glitch when swinging the sword while getting in contact with stairs
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 02, 2011, 07:09:24 pm
This weeks progress:
+ Fixed: retracting hookshot no longer hurts enemies
+ Some enemies will now reflect a hookshot attack
+ Some enemies will now reflect  arrows
+ Improved the collision coding a little to improve efficiency
+ Added a new room to the sewers
+ Started work on connecting the desert palace to the overworld

Sorry, but all of this will not be in the next demo.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 09, 2011, 05:17:15 pm
This weeks progress (I was on a roll):
+ Some enemies will now reflect magic attacks
+ Enemies push Link back when immune to a sword swing (about halfway finished)
+ Fixed glitch: Hookshot can no longer grab items on the other depth level
+ Recoded/improved terrain mechanics (shallow water, grass, friction, floor buttons, various)
+ Recoded/improved the credits (once again). It is now far easier to edit or expand the text. Also, all previous credit objects have now been integrated into the central control object.
+ Added new terrain: sandpits. Once trapped your movement becomes severly gimped. You can escape the pull by running, moving diagonally or getting hit in a favourable manor.
+ Fixed glitch: Hookshot can no longer pass through passable solids (like railings)
+ Fixed glitch: Hookshot can no longer get you stuck in containers
+ Made adjustement: Character can now get hit while extending the hookshot.
+ Made adjustement: Character can no longer be hit while being pulled by the hookshot
+ Added new enemy: Blue Hardhat Beetle
+ Added new enemy: Red Hardhat Beetle
+ Added new enemy: Green Deibadora
+ Added new enemy: Blue Deibadora

Again, this will not be in the NCFC demo, but the one after that.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: TC Gamer on October 10, 2011, 10:17:05 am
Awesome, keep at it!
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Max. on October 11, 2011, 12:05:21 am
Oh no! Not hard hat beetles! Those pesky guys...

Honestly, I think not being hit while the hookshot is extending is an improvement, because I always found that obnoxious. But if you're trying to be super true to ALTTP, I can respect your accuracy. I suppose it might unbalance the game anyway...

I agree with TC though, keep it up! Your progress on this, as a single worker, is amazing.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 11, 2011, 05:47:41 am
It was in fact the original were you gain invincibility when using the hookshot. To me that just feels cheap and unrealistic so I changed it. Time will tell if if plays alright or not. It's easy enough to undo if I later find it's unplayable.

When the hookshot pulls you it makes sense to make you invincible. You wouldn't want to get hit by an enemy while flying in the air, only to get stuck in limbo.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: joelsandberg on October 14, 2011, 05:42:52 pm
this looks frikkin stable! looks like all the elements from altp are implemented and it looks great. The speed for spin-attacks looks a bit slow though. other than that, great!
also, I can't download any version
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 14, 2011, 06:39:57 pm
Normally I would look into the download problem, but in a week or so a new demo will become available.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 16, 2011, 11:07:18 am
This weeks progress:
+ Turned the pitfall object into a terrain type object
+ Fill in the stats for the Deibadora enemies
+ Added new enemy: Red Deibadora (which can spit out fireballs)
+ Made some progress on the Beamos enemy

Most of the time this week was spend on a building website to show of the game for the ncfc: http://martijndh.woelmuis.nl/index.htm (http://martijndh.woelmuis.nl/index.htm)
Please be kind with your comments. I've never worked with html before. XD
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: RetroRespecter on October 19, 2011, 03:45:25 pm
It is a plus.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Max. on October 19, 2011, 10:16:32 pm
I looked over your website, and am impressed considering you haven't worked with HTML, but maybe just because I never have either and don't know how hard it is. A couple things that stuck out to me, not HTML wise, were that there were a few typos, you might just want to look over the story, and the format or the story section.

If I wanted a general overview of your game's story, and I went to the story section, the first sentence tells me WAY too much detail, and shows that this will be a longer read. My recommendation is to provide a sentence to maybe three that are a much broader outlook before going into detail. Something such as, "The story follows Link as following his uncle's unjust arrest, he delves deep into the corrupt Hyrule Castle town, meeting the sympathetic Princess Zelda and ultimately embarking on a quest for three artifacts that may help restore his uncle's freedom and Hyrule's justice." (If you feel so inclined you can copy that verbatim, I don't care) And THEN you can go into the details.

Some of the story made me think, how is this going to happen in a video game? I'm excited to see how this works once that part of development is reached, because just from seeing your high standards and attention to detail, I know it will be great.

Oh also, I thought I saw some German words or something at the bottom of the page. Is English your first language, because you're one of the more grammatically correct people on these forums.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 19, 2011, 10:20:38 pm
If you found any typos feel free to let me know what and where. English is not my native language, but I'll see what I can fish out after work tomorrow. I'll take the other comment into consideration.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Max. on October 19, 2011, 10:48:03 pm
Yeah, no problem, I love editing. I can't even read unprofessional things without marking them up with corrections are suggestions. But for not being a native speaker, you're quite amazing, at least compared to many people on this site. I don't judge them or think they're stupid or anything, but you can tell that lots of people around here speak other languages, but not you.

Anyway, in the story section:
Paragraph 3 - ...make THEIR way... Arrived, THEY are stopped... But thought nothing OF it... Had not escapED his notice...

Paragraph 5- the HARD laws SHE issued the soldiers... To keep QUIET...

Screenshots
Soldiers shrine - the king had seen TOO much war... Situated high up IN the mountains it (delete repeated it) was BUILT...

Obviously, the ALL CAPS are the corrections. That's all that I noticed at first. You do switch between past and present tense a lot, which is actually a common mistake in lots of native speaker's papers (I often review essays), but fixing that is up to you.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 21, 2011, 08:06:00 pm
Thanks. I took the time to look through the site and fixed those (and some other) flaws.
Now it's just a matter of waiting to see how the game will be received. XD
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Sahittam on October 23, 2011, 07:28:48 pm
Awesome NCFC demo! Finally we can play through the entire first dungeon (I think)!

This game plays very smoothly, I encountered only very few bugs, and no major ones!
You said yourself that most of the work you do is improving quality, and this is clearly visible. The attention to detail is incredible (stair-walking animation and other room transitions (many games leave those out), 2 layers, which seem to be working perfectly, that electrocuted effect, etc.). All in all, the game feels so consistent, unlike many fangames.

I would like to give my vote to the last option in the poll, but haha ... I'm completely stuck. I also died twice and didn't save before ... had to start over. I'll definitely continue playing it, though, and try to finish it later.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

And now some small errors:

Quote
ERROR in
action number 1
of Draw Event
for object obj_Higher_Screen_Blending_Effects:

In script script_Area_Data_Draw_Upper_Blending:
Error in code at line 15:
   
        if (obj_Character_Control_Tile.Previous_Room != Dungeon_Map_Hero_Room) {argument[1] = 2} else {argument[1] = 1};
                                          ^
at position 41: Unknown variable Previous_Room

This happened after I died and pressed continue. It also happened constantly, even if I pressed ignore, it popped right up again. So I had to abort eventually.

The statue in the top right corner of the room with the big chest, when you have pushed it and then changed floors at least once, then you can push that statue even further, which closes the door permanently, because you can't pull the statue back! Exiting and Reentering the dungeon solved this problem (because all switches are reset).

When I entered the room with the many pots where you have to push 4 statues through the left door, that door closed (instantly, without animation), as soon as the scrolling transition began. It was just a graphical glitch, gameplay wasn't affected. (happened twice)

Frozen enemies can't be killed at all? At least not with the items I have ... That might be a problem if they block your way.

Some statues have dialogue. Most of them just say "[End]", but one told me to comment here and said this was version 0.8.5. You probably just forgot to remove it.

Sometimes when I entered rooms/floors I heard the sound of switches being pressed.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

That's it for now, I think. Maybe I'll edit this post once I've played through the entire demo.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 23, 2011, 08:00:29 pm
Thanks man. It's late so I won't be able to fix it right now. Tomorrow is going to be a LONG day as well. Hopefully I'll have a little time in the next couple of days. Also, feel free to also post something up on the NCFC forums (if you want) XD

1. The continue error is unfortunate. You don't actually continue if it were to work properly, but your progress should be saved making live a lot easier. I'll work on that first.
2. Good find. I'll fix it right up.
3. I'll check it out myself first, but I may ask for additional information on this one.
4. Frozen statues right now can only be destroyed by picking them up and throwing them. Hadn't really thought of other functions. I hope to have the hammer implemented in the next demo so that would be a secundary option.
5. Yeah. I had hoped to give all of the statues final comments (mostly lore related), but ended up forgetting about it. I'll see to finishing that for the next demo.
6. Could you give an example of a room where that happens. Maybe with a screenshot and/or a little description. I'll have to try to recreate the glitch first before I can fix it.

EDIT: already found the problem with issues 1 and 2. (couldn't resist)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: link125 on October 24, 2011, 09:49:50 am
Hey Martijn dh 

I was really keen to try out the NCFC demo for Horn of Balance but I can't launch the game!

It goes to load, then "Unexpected error occurred when running the game."

:(

Just thought I would let you know. I'll probably try and play it on my other computer when I get around to it. I'll let you know if the same thing happens.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 24, 2011, 05:50:38 pm
Just to make sure: You unpacked everything right?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 25, 2011, 05:06:28 am
The error after the continue option has been fixed btw. Just download the demo again and it will be gone.
(Forgot my password so I'm unable to post the message on NCFC just yet).
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Sahittam on October 26, 2011, 03:03:53 pm
3. I'll check it out myself first, but I may ask for additional information on this one.
4. Frozen statues right now can only be destroyed by picking them up and throwing them. Hadn't really thought of other functions. I hope to have the hammer implemented in the next demo so that would be a secundary option.
6. Could you give an example of a room where that happens. Maybe with a screenshot and/or a little description. I'll have to try to recreate the glitch first before I can fix it.

3: (If you haven't found it yourself yet:) See first attachment. The door was open until the scrolling transition started. This happens because the statues in the next room are reset to their default position if you change floors.

4: Okay, then the problem is that I couldn't pick the frozen enemies up! I tried it five times, three times with a blue skeleton, once with a rope, once with a Cukeman. But that's probably because I didn't have silver or gold gloves. So you either have to make ice statues pickubable without any gloves, or make sure that in the final game the player has to get a glove before he can get a freezing item.

6: See other attachments. In the second screenshot it actually happened in the room one floor above that, but I wasn't quick enough to press F9. I noticed that it only happens when you change floors. My guess is that some switches are activated as soon as you enter the floor/as soon as the switch objects are created (because you activated them yourself before) and make their clicking sound.

By the way, now I've finished the demo (that puzzle to get to the fourth torch ...  :o
Show content
The sound effect there though was very nice. Very subtle, yet noticeable. But at first I thought I had to use bombs ...
) and collected all bonuses ... at least theoretically. I got bonus 2 two times. One from
Show content
the chest where you have to fall down, and the other one from the chest where you have to dash against the wall twice.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 26, 2011, 04:46:22 pm
Thanks for the feedback. I'll look into it.
Sorry about the double bonus mistake. Those three bonusses were a last minute addition to be able to include all the programmed items, but I guess I slipped up. Should be a simple fix though.

EDIT: Fixed issue 3 (next demo) and issue 7 (current demo).
I won't be touching issue 4 just yet. I need some time to think about how I want to handle it.
Issue 6 is proving a pain. I have fair grasp about what the cause might be but touching it without causing new problems is... challenging.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 27, 2011, 03:14:56 pm
So, the NCFC is still going on, but I already received plenty of new advice from various directions. Following up on that I whiped up some fake screenshots to use as a temporary intro story (eventually I hope to convey the story either through cutscenes or through gameplay, but that's still a long time away). The idea I'm currently playing with is to show these screenshots in sequence after the titlescreen (when start is not pressed). Each image is shown for a few short seconds before a textbox appears partly over it to describe what is happening. Any feedback on this is welcome.


Intro description:
1. Link and his uncle are living together in the western Hyrule Forest. Things are peacefull enough. Though his uncle has officially retired he was once known far and wide as a brilliant blacksmith for the royal court. Now he is just content with living in peace and spending his remaining days trying to pass on his skills on to the younger Link. Life is good.

2. Not too long ago the king of Hyrule had declared that his one daughter Zelda be married one month after her 18th birthday. To commemorate this he ordered there be a huge coming-of-age festival to be held in her honor for all his people to visit. Link's Uncle, once a loyal servant, decided to go and he had prepared a wonderfull gift for the princess. A beautifull sword to honor her fighting spirit. His greatest work yet. Gift in hand he and Link headed towards Hyrule Castle.

3. Arriving at the edge of the Hyrule borders they are stopped by a patrol of soldiers. They had seen soldiers move through the forest more and more lately but thought nothing of it. The soldiers stopped them and informed them of a new law issued recently which banned all weapons till after the festival. No exceptions were to be made on order of the king himself. Reluctant themselves the soldiers are forced to arrest the uncle. Link is left alone, because they believe him harmless enough not to bother with. One of the soldiers turns as uncle is being taken away and warns Link to be carefull. As the festival comes closer stricter and stricter laws are being issued. Determined to help his uncle, Link takes the long way around to Hyrule Town.

4. Once arriving in Hyrule Town Link finds the town as busy as it has ever been. Link scouts the town and enters one of the more fishy shops. A merchant with gold in his eyes shows him around and instantly tries to sell him all his defective vases and pots for outrageous prices. Just wanting to move on Link tries to evade the man and in doing so bumps against some merchandice and breaks it. Before he has a clear understanding of what has happened the merchant demands a full (threefold) compensation. Broke as he is Link can not pay the man even if he wanted to and soldiers take not of the ruckus.

5. At this point it seems clear that Link too will be arrested, until the princess Zelda finally steps in from aways. Detesting the current state of affairs and the hard laws she issues all of the soldiers to stand down and the merchant to keep quiet. Upon hearing both parties she grants the merchant some coin and then quickly turns to Link to quietly reveal that she is not thrilled about the current state of affairs and her upcoming arranged wedding. Slightly impressed with his calmness she jokingly mentions a sewer accesspoint should Link want to save her. She leaves again, followed by her escorts. With no other options left to him Link decides to find this secret entrance into the castle......
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Max. on October 27, 2011, 04:13:08 pm
Sounds good. I feel like there's a lot of text compared to the number of screenshots, but I don't know what to do about that. Also, there's one typing error, Life should be good, not live is good. Other than that, this seems like a good temporary way of communicating your plot until you get cutscenes and gameplay. One thing with the last screen, why does Link have no other options? I mean, Zelda was being sarcastic about saving her, so he has the option of taking it rightfully sarcastically and leaving. Or is it no other option of how to save his uncle? Because THAT makes sense...

Also, am I to take it from these screenshots that Hyrule town is akin to LTTP Kakario village? Not built up and city like, like OoT Hyrule town?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 27, 2011, 05:10:46 pm
I'll adjust the intro text a little then.
Also. Yes, the city will mostly be in the LTTP style.

Edit: FINALLY found the reasons behind those sounds glitches. It has been fixed or the next demo.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 30, 2011, 01:15:00 pm
This weeks progress:
+ Fixed various glitches: continue error, floor panel sounds when changing floors and an instantly closing door.
+ Created dummy intro screenshots
+ Finished new enemies: Beamos + Eye Laser
+ The movement script for flying enemy projectiles has been edited for beter collisions
+ Flying enemy projectiles are now strong enough to also break crates and barrels
+ The program is now without timelines. I had been slowly converting them into scripts.
+ Turned all transition and stair objects into terrain objects, relinquishing the outdated parent_Solid object tree.
+ Restructured sections of the enemy movement AI / collission checking
+ Expanded the movement engine: getting pulled into holes

Actually got a lot done because I got sick and got bored staying in bed. Funny how that works: the worse I get the better progress I make.
I'm not sure how much I'll be doing next week though. Exams are coming up soon.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: RetroRespecter on October 31, 2011, 07:08:19 pm
Whoa! What happened to the King of Hyrule that he is invoking newer and stricter laws. I hope a fight against the king can be avoided.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on October 31, 2011, 07:43:48 pm
No, you don't have to fight the king. The story is a little more complex then that.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on November 12, 2011, 10:58:23 am
Tiny update on the game's progression:
I'm working on the subboss right now, which is proving a large pain to get more or less the way I'm invisioning it. You don't even want to know. Hopefully I will be able to have it mostly done somewhere next weekend (rather then this one). The opening and ending scenes will have to come at a later date.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on November 27, 2011, 10:37:20 pm
Latest progress:
+ Added new effect : screen rumble (for subboss + crashing into walls)
+ Started work on new enemy: Subboss + enviroment
+ Fixed depth issue with visibility terrain
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: RetroRespecter on November 29, 2011, 04:56:50 am
A new subboss? What does it look like?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on November 29, 2011, 10:38:29 pm
It will be a soldier swinging a pretty big flail around. (made a video about it for king Tetiro but I'm not sure if people will want to see it just yet as it won't leave much of a surprise lateron). Anyway. Currently I'm still working on the final details for the fight and I'll begin on the needed cutscenes shortly after.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 10, 2011, 03:23:14 pm
Hello all. Just got back from an entire week of SAS programming courses (5 days from 9:00 till 16:30) so I skipped on making any updates last weekend. I'll have to make sure to make up for it this weekend :). Also, I was too cheap to pay for expensive internet in the hotel so had some additional time to work on my game these last couple of days. Made some new progress on the subboss and a continue function.

Right now I'm just documenting what changes I made over the last couple of days and ordening my files a little. After that I'll see about updating the starting post with a new screenshot of what I'm working on and maybe a video. I've also spend some time already to re-prioritise what I should include in the next demo. I'll post that as well to see what people feel should or should not be included.

EDIT: A screenshot of the subboss. My laptop is rather slow so while I thought I finally had his entrance scene ready it now appears the speeds are all off. Ooh well. I've called this guy Vanmol. I'm also keen to hear what you guys think of the black bars (which indicate scenes happening).

(http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/7152/screenshot102r.png)

EDIT2:
And here is a video of the latest additions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZri6CdXJ7o
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: TC Gamer on December 11, 2011, 12:01:07 pm
Nice dude! Keep it up =)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 11, 2011, 02:10:43 pm
Thank you.
Here is the progress report from last week:
+ Finished subboss intro / fight
+ Allowed for scenes within the game
   - using black bars to indicate such scenes
   - blocking all character input during them
+ Added some more story in the form of text from a hand full of statues
+ Recoded portions of the Game Over screen (now just a single object and no more paths)
+ Made progress starting on a continue functionality
+ All text for textboxes is no longer saved in the individual sources, but centrally in a series of scripts.
+ The boss location on the dungeon map (for each dungeon) is no longer static, but can be changed or removed over the course of the game.
+ Tweaked Beamos range / stats
+ The health alarm no longer goes on when text appears or when you open up either the item or map menu.
+ When you save your game game you always restart with at least three hearts
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: RetroRespecter on December 14, 2011, 04:52:07 am
3 hearts?! Taht is like asking me to kill Link.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 14, 2011, 07:10:02 am
The boss does half an heart of damage upon impact and all the pots contain hearts. It should be a rather easy fight. This is the first real boss fight of the game afterall. The way I picture it you only have 3 hearts at this point in the game, but possible 4 if you explored for containers before heading to the dungeon.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 18, 2011, 02:19:20 pm
This weeks progress:
+ Finished the continue option
+ Choosing to quit on the game over screen now also saves your progress (which is mentioned beforehand)
+ Whenever you try to use the bow without arrows you will now hear an error sound
+ If you have the bow but no arrows then the equipment will sprite will change to just a bow. And visa versa.
+ Changed the magic dust the continue fairy uses when dead
+ Recoded parts of the starting screen (now there is just one object)
+ The game no longer uses any paths
+ Added new enemy: Wall Cannon
+ The efficiency of the enemy projectile movement script has been improved a little
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 26, 2011, 07:34:26 pm
Yet another week of progress:
+ Finished the subboss (scenes included)
+ Fixed glitch with death scene
+ Started early work on the boss
+ Improved enemy movement scripting (removing the last of the jerky movement)
+ Continued recoding more sections of the starting screen
+ Enemy shadows are now perfectly alligned with their bodies (the problem was only noticable on slow computers)
+ Added the victory animation for Link
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: RetroRespecter on December 26, 2011, 10:23:03 pm
This..is... :'(
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 26, 2011, 10:25:03 pm
 :'( ? I don't get it.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: RetroRespecter on December 26, 2011, 10:48:35 pm
I'm just ... :'(

tearing with joy!
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on January 01, 2012, 12:12:10 pm
Here is the last of last year's progress made:
+ Finished redoing the startingscreen (added a little animation to selecting a game file)
+ Improved the efficiency of the enemy projectile movement script a little again
+ Added the entrance scene(s) for the dungeon with Murray

And in case you are wondering who Murray is. He's my "Navi", only slightly different in the way he speaks and behaves. You'll see. ;)

EDIT:
Here is the final room I designed for the first dungeon. Any comments?
(http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/3467/finalroom.png) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/515/finalroom.png/)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Max. on January 02, 2012, 07:33:36 pm
I'm just ... :'(

tearing with joy!

Haha, Retro, your posts are so off the wall.  : D

Anyway, the final room looks sweet, I take it the player will receive some pendant/medallion/element here that they won't actually be able to use for anything, classic zelda style? Haha. It looks killer, though. Especially diggin the Ramos knights as statues, they look SWEET.

About Murray, though, do you mean he's like Navi for the player, or for you personally? Like, a friend that gives you lots of advice? Haha, but if he's in the game, I feel like Murray is kind of a wierd name for the zelda universe. In American television, at least, Murray is a slightly antiquated name that I associate with a middle-aged man who works in a cubicle and wears distasteful ties. He is also beginning to bald.

But if you think the name works in the context of your game, go for it. Are you gonna have him orbiting the player all the time?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on January 02, 2012, 08:40:27 pm
Yes, there will be a key story item located there at the end of the dungeon. Haven't found a sprite for it yet but a ring might be nice. Pendants, crystals, fragments etc have all been done already.

Murray is to my game what Navi is to alttp, in the way that he is Link's companion. He may or may not float around you as you explore the world. I can't comment on that just yet. I'm considering to have some fun with it, but it's a lot of work to do right (and not get old FAST) on the other hand. The name comes from a character in an (old) point and click series btw, which I happened to think off when I had finished the concept. It seemed appropriate.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: King Tetiro on January 02, 2012, 09:13:08 pm
Yes, there will be a key story item located there at the end of the dungeon. Haven't found a sprite for it yet but a ring might be nice. Pendants, crystals, fragments etc have all been done already.

Murray is to my game what Navi is to alttp, in the way that he is Link's companion. He may or may not float around you as you explore the world. I can't comment on that just yet. I'm considering to have some fun with it, but it's a lot of work to do right (and not get old FAST) on the other hand. The name comes from a character in an (old) point and click series btw, which I happened to think off when I had finished the concept. It seemed appropriate.

I think Murray is a good name for it. Im actually chuffed with how I sprited it. Yup people, I know what it is mwahaha

Nice work on the final room btw Martijn

Also, I won't be able to work on the titlescreen til I return to uni when I have access to a scanner. I have my reasons for this.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on January 08, 2012, 08:19:28 pm
This weekend's progress:
+ Added the sewers entrance scene with Murray
+ Added boss type enemy death (type A)
+ Improved collisions for the sword magic attack
+ Redid the entire general enemy collision system again. There are now two main ways to check collisions (depending on the enemy parameters). This allows the character to walk a little behind most enemies without making contact. This should (hopefully!) make the game a little bit more intuitive.
+ Tweaked the buzz blob / cukeman stats
+ Again improved the efficiency of the enemy projectile movement scripts

I'm a little worried about two thing right now:
- My game is starting to become a little slow so I've been prioritising efficiency more lately. Still, I'm worried about this. Maybe I messed something up in the last couple of weeks  :-\
- I'm also really anxious to find out how the new collision system will be received. I've spend a lot of time on it and the logic is there, but I needed some time to get adjusted to it myself. Just hitting a sprite is no longer enough for a collision. You now also have to take the "third dimension" into consideration.

BTW there will be probably be no progress next week because of an upcoming SAS programming exam.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: RetroRespecter on January 09, 2012, 10:48:23 pm
I just hope that you don't overdo it, or make it too much like the original Legend of Zelda games that you need a new computer in order to keep up.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on January 10, 2012, 07:15:02 am
I'll see what I can do. My brain has already been thinking a lot about what efficiency options I have left.
One thing I have not touched on a lot is disabling enemies outside of the screen. Currently only those outside of the room are dissabled.
I've also been working to remove sprite based collisions with collisions based on imaginairy rectangles (which would make it that you would no longer need 200+ different sizes masking sprites), but I'm not sure if it made things faster or slower. So that's soething I can look into.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on January 15, 2012, 08:19:43 pm
This weeks progress (even though I didn't want to spend any time on it ::)):
+ Solid objects have been repositioned in the larger half of the game cutting a total of 287 ingame objects and thus saving a tiny bit of processing power. Some pretty large sprites/masks were introduced to make this happen though, costing more memory. If memory becomes a problem in the future I will create and destroy the masks as the character moves from area to area. All the solid masks are now created at the start of the game instead of it being pre-created (cutting start-up time).
+ All sound effects are now stored externally and are retreived at the start of the game. This also cuts the start-up time a little.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on January 26, 2012, 10:38:05 pm
I am glad to say I have now finally found enough framrate issues to get my machine back to a fairly constant 30 frames per second again. It only drops tot 25+ when alternating between rooms so there is still a little room for improvement, but it does me good to fix some of the mess I created lately. Or at least, it felt as if I had made a mess of things.

UPDATE:
After some more digging it appears the slowdown I have been experiencing lately is not due to my most recent expections, but rather to my machine's performance (for the most part). I downloaded my currently released demo and under simular circumstances it plays equal or worse them the version under development. Strange :huh:
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Theforeshadower on January 29, 2012, 02:36:53 am
Some hardware could be going bad:
RAM
Processor
Video RAM
Or you could need a defrag/clean or even a complete Windows re-install.
It happens.  I have heard(not tested mind you) that to keep a pc optimal, you should do a refresh of Windows every 3-4 months if possible.  Dunno if that is true....
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on January 29, 2012, 08:48:09 am
Thank you. This is the type of information that is always welcome.
And I heard as well that reinstalling windows every so often does a lot for your performance (*bring on windows jokes*).

In the mean time I guess this is a good way for me to consider people with slower computers. Yesterday I discovered that converting to gamemaker 8.1 does a lot of good and I'm working on improving some key scripts.

UPDATE:
Thanks to a search on "Windows 7 improve performance" I found plenty of options to improve my performance and now everything runs like it used to. The only thing left is when you enter the B1 floor of the main dungeon, but that was always there and I believe I masked it decent enough for the player to not be bothered.

So, on to actually adding more things. Also, I noticed it's been a while since I released any images or video's in my latest posts since. It's just been text. :-\ I'll take a look at showing off Murray in a new video sometime later today.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Theforeshadower on January 29, 2012, 02:05:54 pm
BTW, has the reseting been fixed?  I played the latest release you have given out and got pretty far into it.  I hated how that every time I went to the basement or sometimes up certain stairs, the puzzles/switches got reset.  This is annoying as some of the puzzles take some time, such as the swastika looking puzzle.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on January 29, 2012, 02:07:40 pm
I believe I fixed a lot of those in the meantime, but I'll check it again just to be sure.
What other puzzles were bothering you in the same way?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Theforeshadower on January 29, 2012, 02:12:17 pm
The rest are just other switches/rooms with the spinning blocks that I had to sit through all over again.  Stuff like that.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on January 29, 2012, 05:07:13 pm
-Got around to checking out the swastika-ish puzzle. Once solved, it will remained solved while in the dungeon.
-I'll have to see about the flying tiles/blocks. How about I make sure they stay gone untill you change floors? Removing them untill you exit the dungeon might be a little much.
-The puzzle on F1 with the 3 floor buttons in sequence will be soled untill you exit the dungeon.
-Puzzle in the upper left section of the dungeon with the 5 buttons en cannonball paths: I'll have to check, but I'll also make it that it doesn't reset untill you exit the dungeon.

If there are any locations that I missed, then please mention them so I can do something about it.


UPDATE:
I actually ended up doing a lot of work these last two weeks. Little actually added but plenty has been tweaked or fixed. The plan is to focus more on new content again next week (= boss / enemies).

The progress made:
+ Finished repositioning all the solid objects (cutting another 147 objects)
+ Combined all the pitfall objects into a single object
+ Reversed some of the latest changes to staircase objects (for the sake of performance)
+ Reversed some of the latest changes to transition objects (for the sake of performance)
+ Idem ditto for "switch character depth" and "switch terrain visibility" objects.
+ Idem ditto for friction objects.
+ Idem ditto for fragile floors.
+ Idem ditto for endless holes.
+ Idem ditto for shallow water (with this the entire concept of imaginary rectangles for collisions has been abandoned)
+ Made a lot of perfomance improvements to various scripts, namely the movement scripts
+ Optimized the background used for the startingscreen
+ Changed to Gamemaker 8.1 (version 8.1.141) - mainly because of the performance improvement. Some (visual) glitches are now possible because the newer gamemaker version handles tiles/depths slightly different. Looking for testers.
+ Enemies can now walk over warp tiles.
+ Enemies can no longer walk over terrains with friction
+ Continued work on the boss (waking up)
+ Flying Tiles do not respawn untill you change floors or reenter the dungeon
+ The cannonball puzzle resets if you exit the room without solving the puzzle (noticable by an error sound)
+ The character is allowed to slide a little along walls while pushing/pulling a movable object.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on February 03, 2012, 02:47:10 pm
So, I mentioned last week then I'd show more of the game to make the topic a little more interesting to track. Sadly I decided to refrain from showing Murray a little while longer. I do however have two private video's of the subboss already uploaded to youtube. Here is the first one made public. If anybody is interested then I'll turn the other one public as well soon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JejLeAjcRkc
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: RetroRespecter on February 03, 2012, 06:46:37 pm
Looks easy enough. All you have to do is dodge the mace.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on February 03, 2012, 09:29:23 pm
Yeah, it'll be one of the first bosses in the game so I had to walk a fine with the difficulty. Making a hard boss is easy. Same for a push-over. Going somewhere inbetween so he's challenging, but no more then later bosses, is hard. I'm really looking forward to learning how people experience the fight. Same goes for the other boss fight I'm planning btw.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on February 05, 2012, 09:27:48 pm
This weekends progress:
+ Edited the the lower left part of the moat in dungeon1 a little bit to prevent you falling into a hole after going down a specific stairs.
+ Masked another room in the desert dungeon
+ Updated the digging mechanic to also work for the desert dungeon
+ Added new enemy: Armos
+ Added new enemy: Yellow Slime (creatable with the Quake medallion)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: TC Gamer on February 06, 2012, 10:49:01 am
There are only two certainties in life. Death and Martijn's weekly Horn of Balance update.

Keep it up :) Any idea how long before you have a new demo?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on February 06, 2012, 08:13:08 pm
Thank you.

I'm not really sure when I should release a new demo. Basically I want to finish the first dungeon completely before releasing anything, but even then I'm not really confident it warrants a new demo because little was added in the way of rooms/locations. I am still heavily focusing on the mechanics and enemies, rathers then new areas to explore. I'm afraid people will soon get bored from playing that first dungeon over and over. So, unless somebody asks me do otherwise, I will probably take more time and try to include a small amount of rooms from the second dungeon. Possibly with a goal to discovered (=master key), but I shouldn't promise too much.

To help with the waiting I could periodically mention what's left to do (though I often end up sidetracking :) ).

My checklist for dungeon 1:
- Building the boss fight and scenes
- Adding text to all the statues in the dungeon (to add some light lore)
- Adding the boomerang(s)
- Adding hit switches
- Adding skeletons with bows (that jump out of the way)
- Tweaking the collectable fairies
- Finishing the character bounce mechanic
- Editing the magic usage system
- Building a new depth system (!)
- Going through the all the rooms in entire dungeon (with testers) to tweak things like item/enemy placement and check performance.

Some feedback from the NFGC was that I needed to add more of a storyline. Before the next demo I'd also like to:
- Add a titlescreen (waiting on King Tetiro - no rush though)
- Add title intro scene (still images with text as it'll all be placeholder)

For the second dungeon I want to:
- Add (moving) spikes
- Add more enemies: Sandman, Leevers
- Add piles of stones (which you can break by running into them, making it so you need the dungeon1 boots before gaining access to dungeon2)
- Design and implement various more desert dungeon rooms
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on February 11, 2012, 09:20:59 am
Here is the other video I uploaded as private once. If you don't like low framerates and mouse icons in plain sight, don't watch it. Theforshadower offered to do one or several video's in the future so fear not if you dislike the quality.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qec57ZM3k1c
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: mbrown06 on February 11, 2012, 06:17:36 pm
He has "spend years"?  XD Anyway, looks really cool. Like his little monologue.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on February 11, 2012, 08:24:52 pm
He has "spend years"?  XD Anyway, looks really cool. Like his little monologue.

The wording is off? I'm not a native english speaker so feel free to point out any oddities.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Zaeranos on February 11, 2012, 08:32:48 pm
"I have spend years" It should be "I have spent years". See http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/spend?q=spend

I found that site very usefull when I had to write my master's thesis.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on February 11, 2012, 11:19:47 pm
I'd like to pretend it's just a typo, but I must admit I did not know (or at least forgot) there were two version. The text has been corrected.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance (working title)
Post by: Martijn dh on February 12, 2012, 09:34:28 pm
This week's progress:
+ Edited the enemy movement script again to streamline diagonal movement
+ The boss and subboss will bounce you back a little if hurt directly by the character
+ Added new enemy: Zol (for the most part. Some tweaks are still needed)
+ Worked a little on the character bounce/movement script (so external forces like quicksand or bouncing away are canceled out during certain character states like room transitions)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 19, 2012, 09:43:10 pm
This week was a good week so I had a lot of energy to put into development:
+ Finished Zol (stats / placement / AI tweaks / hides when attacked while peeking)
+ Enemies push Link back when immune to stabbing
+ Stabbing enemies cancels the sword charge mode
+ Enemies push the character back when immune to a running attack
+ If getting pushed back while running accumulates to zero movement during the step, then that is no longer interpretated as having hit a wall.
+ Settings and gamefiles are now positioned in the resource folder instead of the main folder
+ Optimized some more resources
+ There is now a visual distinction between a small soldier statues that can be pushed and one that can't.
+ There is now a visual distinction between floor switches that are activated and ones that aren't.
+ Changed the floor switch puzzle next to the fairy pond (a little)
+ Enemies push Link back when immune to a sword swing (added sound / animation)
+ Enemies push Link back when immune to a full body sword swing

I mentioned earlier that I would occasionally recap what is left to finish before the next demo. So here is that as well:
My checklist for dungeon 1:
- Building the boss fight and scenes
   > Boss entrance scene
   > Boss fight
   > Boss exit scene
- Dungeon ending scene
- Adding text to all the statues in the dungeon (to add some light lore)
- Adding the boomerang(s)
- Adding hit switches
- Adding skeletons with bows (that jump out of the way)
- Tweaking the collectable fairies
- Finishing the character bounce mechanic < -- now finished
- Editing the magic usage system
- Building a new depth system (!)
- Going through the all the rooms in entire dungeon (with testers) to tweak things like item/enemy placement and check performance.

Some feedback from the NFGC was that I needed to add more of a storyline. Before the next demo I'd also like to:
- Add a titlescreen (waiting on King Tetiro - no rush though)
- Add title intro scene (still images with text as it'll all be placeholder)

For the second dungeon I want to:
- Add (moving) spikes
- Add more enemies: Sandman, Leevers
- Add piles of stones <-- Idea scrapped. The first three dungeon will be playable in any order.
- Design and implement various more desert dungeon rooms

PS: There is a new poll
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 24, 2012, 09:02:11 pm
(http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/6264/dungeon2room6.png) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/594/dungeon2room6.png/)

I'm not really sure what is still missing. Any comments?
The red blocks represents wall light objects btw.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Jeod on February 24, 2012, 10:23:42 pm
The sand looks too neat. Try blending the sand and carpet/floor tiles some more to make it look more realistic overlap.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Kevin-1990 on February 24, 2012, 11:31:08 pm
I think it looks pretty good, but maybe try overlapping it with this? give it a shot
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 25, 2012, 07:13:41 am
Yes, that is the type of feedback I can use! Thank you both.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Zaeranos on February 25, 2012, 07:50:03 am
Well, this depends on how many enemies and how many pots you will be placing in this room. My suggestion is to place some dessert temple pot tiles on the sand areas.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 25, 2012, 01:33:33 pm
Here is what I currently have:
(http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/7650/dungeon2room6v2.png) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/846/dungeon2room6v2.png/)

Still not happy with it, but it's improving
I tried to work in a more realistic overlap but it felt really cluttered when all the line were bendy, so I reversed all of it. If somebody wants to do there own spin on the room let me know. I have no problems with posting the tileset used.
The pot locations are a nice addition.

As for enemy placement. I have no concrete plans right now. Just know that the sand area is generally a bad place to be standing.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Zaeranos on February 25, 2012, 02:35:42 pm
My suggestion is to just place some stalfoses, leevers and zols and the like in a mock up along with Link. And you have a better view of how full the area is. Even if you do not have any concrete plans yet, placing some enemies can give a better image.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 25, 2012, 03:48:03 pm
Agreed. I'll try out some variations tomorrow.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Kevin-1990 on February 26, 2012, 01:32:55 am
made two examples
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: tudgedooley on February 26, 2012, 02:49:52 am
The second one. Definitely the second one. It flows with the floor more. The other looks likes its just there not really sure how else to put it.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Zaeranos on February 26, 2012, 08:29:01 am
I don't think either of them are good with the ALttP style.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 26, 2012, 08:37:43 am
Yes, I'm sorry to say that I'm inclined to agree with Niek.
I tried out the second idea in the room as well but it still looked really crowded with all the bending.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Kevin-1990 on February 26, 2012, 01:01:29 pm
it's no problem, It was just a suggestion. :D
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 26, 2012, 08:33:09 pm
Good, cause I do appreciate the effort.

---

Here is this weekends progress (v 0.12.97):
+ Designed 3 more rooms for the desert dungeon
+ Fixed issues with calling ini file locations
+ Fixed corrupted enemy death .wav file, previously knocking out background sounds
+ Adressed "game exit" sound getting cut off weirdly
+ Killing invincible enemies through a kinetic attack no longer pushes the enemy back, resulting in errors.
+ Tweaked Armos and Red Hardhat stats
+ Dying enemies no longer hurt you

It's not a lot of progress, I know. I've been busy.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 03, 2012, 01:54:38 pm
Added a titlescreen to the game. No animations, sounds or music. Just a screen for now. Any comments?

(http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/4843/mockuptitlescreen1.png) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/841/mockuptitlescreen1.png/)

PS: The horn is actually some art for Lord of the Rings I believe. I just fell in love with it instantly.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on March 04, 2012, 02:42:50 am
It is the final titlescreen?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 04, 2012, 07:34:02 am
It will not be final in the sense that I am always open for suggestions or edits. Also, in the distant future, I hope to create an updated titlescreen with in the back various in-game locations (you've visited) and weather effects.

Today I will be working on a little intro sequence loosely based on the style from the original alttp. If I get it finished then I'll see about recording it. It's been a long time since the last video already anyway.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on March 05, 2012, 02:04:53 am
You could have someone blow the horn and an opening animation.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Gedosemo on March 06, 2012, 08:13:29 pm
A french horn chord?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Max. on March 06, 2012, 10:02:59 pm
I like the horn too, however it makes the text very difficult to read. Perhaps add a border around "horn of balance", or change something's colors somehow. Right now it looks good unless you want to read it easily.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 07, 2012, 07:08:23 am
I will see what I can do. Adding a horn sound effect might be a little out of place as I somehow plan to use to original alttp opening sounds, but I will try it out nevertheless. Last week I also made some progress with an opening sequence. For a temporary sequence (for the coming year XD) I'm rather happy with it. As soon I finish it, hopefully at sometime during the weekend, I will record and upload it for feedback.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 10, 2012, 09:29:48 am
Here is a new gameplay video made by Theforeshadower:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4bIRnU0KgA
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: King Tetiro on March 10, 2012, 09:40:53 am
Aces, when did you add the companion?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 10, 2012, 09:52:14 am
He offered to help me out about a month ago. Probably because he couldn't stand the bad quality of my own videos. XD
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: King Tetiro on March 10, 2012, 09:57:16 am
He offered to help me out about a month ago. Probably because he couldn't stand the bad quality of my own videos. XD

Haha I was talking about the skull companion I helped you sprite :P
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 10, 2012, 10:00:30 am
Ooh, right. My mistake.
Murray was added months ago. Not too long after you created the sprites actually (though he only appears in scenes). I had a hard time not showing him off in that time up till now.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Xfixium on March 10, 2012, 11:47:57 am
Looking very good. Murray seems like a great character, can't wait to see how much more involved with the dungeon he will be. Theforeshadower showcased  some of the basic functionality of the game well. Laughed a bit when that Stalfos dropped down and cruelly killed him off. The dungeon IS pretty difficult. From the video, the pot throwing looks like it's implemented decently. A question, does the sword allow for rapid button pressing like the original? I know the sword in the HOB demos I played previously didn't behave like the original LTTP. I liked that aspect when I played LTTP, and for me at least, it doesn't quite have the feel of LTTP without it.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 10, 2012, 12:22:47 pm
How to implement Murray into the gameplay is something I am still pondering on. Currently his function is to add some flavour text to the start of each area and to indicate if you have all the needed items to complete said areas. For instance, if you need the book of Mudora to fully complete a dungeon but you do not have it, then he will make a comment like "I don't know. You look pretty weak for this place. Well, whatever. I could use a partner to haunt together with". Something subtle like that. If you do have all the needed items he'll just tell you to get a move on already. There are currently no concrete plans for Murray in the actual gameplay.

I'm kinda glad you find the dungeon difficult. I don't wanna be the guy, if you catch my drift, but I do want it to be challenging where heart and fairy placements matter. The original was no walk in the park either (for me anyway). For the next release I hope to have to people playtest the game beforehand to tweak the difficulty. Also, there is now a save feature. That should help a lot in cutting the difficulty / frustration.

No button mashing sword swing implemented yet, but I'll take another look at the suggestion.

EDIT: Removed the restrictions on reactivating a sword swing while already swinging your sword. Well, mostly. I still made it so you can't do the same action instantly after the last to prevent it from becoming too ridicules how fast Link is moving. Just keep in mind that a reswing cancels your earlier swing, meaning your animation will not finish and there will be a blind spot where the end of your strike would reach. The original also has this, but covered it up better due to a higher framerate / faster swing animation. But yeah, mash all you want during the next demo Xfixium.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 11, 2012, 09:49:39 pm
Latest progress made:

0.12.98 (27 februari)
+ Finished the boss (re)entrance scenes
+ Added boss styled death animations

0.12.99 (3 maart)
+ Added a crude titlescreen to the game
+ Added text to some more statues
+ Fixed new glitch when dying enemies fly across the room
+ Tweaked Eyegore chase distance and he will now turn to stone again if chasing for too long
+ Fixed small issue with the Ether Magic sprite
+ Updated the text engine for use in the intro sequence

0.12.101 (4 maart)
+ Further adjusted the text engine for use in the intro sequence
+ Started work on a title intro sequence

0.12.102 (10 maart)
+ Finished the titlescreen and intro sequence

0.12.103 (10 maart)
+ Fixed error when you press action instantly after picking up a container
+ Added button mash sword attack
+ Boss now drops a collectable full heart container

0.12.104 (11 maart)
+ Tweaked title sequence
+ Restored various corrupt resources (caused by failing USB stick)
+ Edited enemy / boss hurt colors
+ Edited boss style death animation
+ Started work on collection animation dungeon treasure(s)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on March 12, 2012, 12:21:27 am
Wow! Its like you're a one man machine!
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 18, 2012, 10:09:12 pm
Latest progress made:

0.12.105 (15 maart)
+ Finished work on collection animation of dungeon treasure(s)

0.12.106 (17 maart)
+ Finished "Defeat boss" scene
+ Tweaked "Boss entrance" scenes
+ Tweaked action: collecting (dungeon) treasure
+ Started work on the "End dungeon scene"

0.12.107 (18 maart)
+ Worked on some basic (AI) mechanics for the boss
+ Tweaked boss death hurt/death colors (again)

Again, another recap of what is left to finish before the next demo:
Checklist for dungeon 1:
- Building the boss fight and scenes
   > Boss entrance scene
   > Boss fight
   > Boss exit scene --> now finished
- Dungeon ending scene
- Adding text to all the statues in the dungeon (to add some light lore)
- Adding the boomerang(s)
- Adding hit switches
- Adding skeletons with bows (that jump out of the way)
- Tweaking the collectable fairies
- Editing the magic usage system
- Building a new depth system (!)
- Going through the all the rooms in entire dungeon (with testers) to tweak things like item/enemy placement and check performance.

Some feedback from the NFGC:
- Add a titlescreen <-- now finished
- Add title intro scene <-- now finished

For the second dungeon I want to:
- Add (moving) spikes <-- abandoned the idea for the next demo
- Add more enemies: Sandman, Leevers <-- abandoned the idea for the next demo
- Design and implement various more desert dungeon rooms
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Theforeshadower on March 19, 2012, 04:21:50 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYUWcOMS1nA

New video.  Um the beginning part has me opening the menu alot as I was trying to figure out the unlock everything button.  I show case some various items, start of the new dungeon, and take the short video straight to end of the dungeon.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: DarkHearts on March 20, 2012, 01:00:33 am
Holy cow. This is absolutely incredible! The amount of detail and effort that has gone into this so far is astounding! I read bits and pieces, and your "minor updates" every week or so are massive! The system looks completely sound and as good if not better than the original LTTP engine! The original aspects, like the chain ball miniboss, those pieces of work are just fantastic. I'm just completely blown away by the level of care and determination you seem to have for this. Well done  :)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on March 20, 2012, 10:45:23 pm
There seem to be no animation for the Quake Medallion. This has to be fixed.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 21, 2012, 06:45:42 am
@DarkHearts: Thanks. Those type of comments always give me more energy to keep going :)
@ RetroRespecter: The quake medallion is indeed not finished. I am having trouble understanding the sprites of the purple quake effect. How there should be stored, randomly generated and drawn. No worries though. I do plan to crack the puzzle before the next dungeon. Either that or I'll create a close resemblance.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 31, 2012, 09:01:07 am
Hello all. I have got some great news. I've gotten some collegeas to finally help me out with my game and we've been working really hard pretty much all week (them mainly testing and helping a little with the coding) and we are on the verge of releasing a new demo. What's left right now is the depthsystem and some small glitches, but that shouldn't take too long. I'll see when we can get it finished. Here is the progress update:

0.12.108 (24 maart)
+ Worked a little on the boss again
+ Fixed glitch: cannonball incorrect reactivation in room 2
+ Fixed glitch: positioning collision reject effect
+ Fixed glitch: no crashing into walls after you get pushed back through a rejected attack

0.12.109 (25 maart)
+ The cannonballs at the start of the dungeon stop as you unlock the basement
+ Fixed glitch: Eyegore first encounter failing to following
+ Added a short delay before Eyegore opens it's eye

0.12.110 (25 maart)
+ Started work on a new item: default boomerang
+ Started work on a new enemy: skeleton with bow

0.12.111 (26 maart)
+ Finished new item: boomerang (default)
+ Fixed some glitches

0.12.112 (27 maart)
+ Worked on the quake medallion
+ Fixed issues with the flying fairies

0.12.113 (28 maart)
+ Worked on boss fight
+ Worked on ending scene
+ Finished new skeleton enemy

0.12.114 (29 maart)
+ Finished boss + boss entrance scene
+ Fixed various graphical glitches

0.12.115 (30 maart)
+ Finished quake medallion
+ Fixed glitch: throwing bushes
+ Fixed glitch: pauze while under shadows
+ Edited subboss fight
+ Finished dungeon endscene

0.12.116 (31 maart)
+ Fixed glitch: when collecting important items (like the dungeon treasure) using the hookshot
+ Edited: high level swords can't break light rocks anymore
+ Added + implemented hitswitches

EDIT:
And here are some new screenshots for good measure before I get back to coding:
(http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/2642/screenshot102v.png)
(http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/1533/screenshot103bj.png)

EDIT2:
Excellent progress made today. I'll release the demo first thing tomorrow (I'm tired now).
(http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/7976/screenshot104ul.png)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance [Demo 0.13 almost done]
Post by: RetroRespecter on March 31, 2012, 11:47:38 pm
I can't wait to try you new demo.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance [Demo 0.13 almost done]
Post by: Martijn dh on April 01, 2012, 05:51:58 am
And here it is: http://www.mediafire.com/?33mqj0gomrxggc1 (http://www.mediafire.com/?33mqj0gomrxggc1)

Like I said in my earlier post: some colleagues agreed to help me out and together we were able to do a massive amount of work this past week. Well, I did take a couple of days off just to finish it. You all have been waiting on it for so long now. Couldn't have you wait even longer now could I?

Please enjoy! And look forward to my eventual future work as well.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance [DEMO 0.13 IS FINALLY OUT]
Post by: FISSURE on April 01, 2012, 09:34:25 am
Sorry to say this, but so far the demo is pretty crap.

You post how you've fixed all these glitches, but really it doesn't seem like it at all.

- The boomerang's animation is horrible and glitches into the enemies a lot making the boomerang unusable.

- The statue on the second screen doesn't even have any text at all, it's only the 2nd screen of the dungeon and you already didn't put any text, come on man it's basic !@#$%.

- In the 5th room of the dungeon you have 2 of those annoying ass skeleton archer guys, except i can't seem to actually kill them. I think you !@#$% up their hit box's or something.

Not trying to be offensive or anything, but it seems like you should of spent more time perfecting the demo. Messed up Hitbox's, Horrible animations, missing text, tile glitches in the boss room.

- Not sure what's suppose to happen, but the demo glitch's as soon as i grab the quake medallion and the cutscene happens, right after the cutscene i can't even move.

- The sub boss, really, you had to use that as a subboss? It was a joke, i was able to beat the damn thing without even getting hit. You've played all these zelda games and you couldn't even make a subboss worthy of actually being a boss at all?

Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance [DEMO 0.13 IS FINALLY OUT]
Post by: Martijn dh on April 01, 2012, 09:49:52 am
This might sound weird, but thank you for the feedback. Even this I can use. (You do make it sound pretty bad though). It is my birthday today so I can't spend too much time on fixing things. Though I'd like to. I'll see what I can be done.

Also I do realise this demo might not be up to exact same level of quality you might be accustomed from me from the past, but that is kind of the tradeoff for rushing it a little at the end there I guess.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance [DEMO 0.13 IS FINALLY OUT]
Post by: FISSURE on April 01, 2012, 10:14:20 am
This might sound weird, but thank you for the feedback. Even this I can use. (You do make it sound pretty bad though). It is my birthday today so I can't spend too much time on fixing things. Though I'd like to. I'll see what I can be done.

Also I do realise this demo might not be up to exact same level of quality you might be accustomed from me from the past, but that is kind of the tradeoff for rushing it a little at the end there I guess.

Sorry to say, but the demo just isn't up to snuff for how long you've worked on it.

Edited my post because i realized i was being a little too mean to you over the demo, sorry. I really shouldn't have gotten so pissed at you about the demo.

The truth is, while the demo does have some issues, it's really not that bad. I can tell you at least put a good amount of work into it. I just hope that for the next demo you spend a little more time testing it before releasing it to the public.

I fought the dungeon boss. It's actually a lot harder compared to the subboss of the demo. The Subboss was a pushover, and the dungeon boss takes way too many hits to kill. Also a lot of Zelda bosses usually have patterns, your boss doesn't really have a pattern, it just seems to do it's attacks and movements randomly. You should probably be a little more consistent with enemy difficulty. Having a pushover of a subboss, then having the main dungeon boss be hard as hell doesn't help with difficulty.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance [DEMO 0.13 IS FINALLY OUT]
Post by: Zaeranos on April 01, 2012, 03:45:45 pm
FISSURE please watch your language, when giving constructive criticism. You don't need to antagonize Martijn, it will only lead to drama.


Martijn, I downloaded your demo and I must say that my first impressions are okay. It is not as bad as FISSURE made it out to be. I did nearly die at the subboss, while the final boss was an okay challenge. The boomerang is a bit jittery though. It is something you need to look at. For the rest it was a good play. Except for that room with all those hardhat beetles that you need to knock of the platforms. Some noticable slowdown in the framerate.

Keep up the good work.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance [DEMO 0.13 IS FINALLY OUT]
Post by: Martijn dh on April 01, 2012, 07:34:53 pm
Thank you for your post Niek.
I know this demo is not perfect, but from what I can tell the only problems encountered have to do with the most recent changes. Normally I'd be all over it already, but it's been a busy day so it will have to wait till tomorrow. Also, getting the difficulty right is kinda hard. While the game plays fine for me it may be unplayable for others. If anybody wants to help me out through playtesting and giving me feedback on things like enemy stats / placements be sure to send me a message.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance [DEMO 0.13 IS FINALLY OUT]
Post by: Jeod on April 01, 2012, 07:46:34 pm
AI can be difficult because, as the developer, you already know how they work and what you can to do take advantage of the system. You will definitely want playtesters.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance [DEMO 0.13 IS FINALLY OUT]
Post by: FISSURE on April 01, 2012, 08:06:27 pm
FISSURE please watch your language, when giving constructive criticism. You don't need to antagonize Martijn, it will only lead to drama.


Martijn, I downloaded your demo and I must say that my first impressions are okay. It is not as bad as FISSURE made it out to be. I did nearly die at the subboss, while the final boss was an okay challenge. The boomerang is a bit jittery though. It is something you need to look at. For the rest it was a good play. Except for that room with all those hardhat beetles that you need to knock of the platforms. Some noticable slowdown in the framerate.

Keep up the good work.

Yeah i realize that now, like i said, sorry about that. I was just annoyed, i didn't mean to take it out on him. But the enemy difficulty really does take a sharp turn, no clue how you almost died on the subboss and then had an easy time on the dungeon boss.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance [DEMO 0.13 IS FINALLY OUT]
Post by: 4Sword on April 01, 2012, 08:12:56 pm
I didn't think the enemy difficulty in the new demo was really that bad - if anything it just made it more challenging increasing its replay value. A lot of the time people forget that A Link to the Past was a difficult game and given that this game is in its style, one should expect that. If anything the sub-boss being difficult probably made the real-boss easier to handle because it taught you how not to lose.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance [DEMO 0.13 IS FINALLY OUT]
Post by: Martijn dh on April 02, 2012, 05:51:11 am
In case anyone was still wondering:
(http://sync.nl/wp-content/postpics/f_1639.jpg)

Not the most convincing story, but we still got 12 people to download. Thank you FISSURE, Niek and 4Sword.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 06, 2012, 04:52:00 pm
Time to get back to work I suppose. It's a 4 day easter weekend for me right now so I should be able to make some progress. No kidding this time. Before that though I guess I should post the real progress made lately along with the updated "to do" list.

Progress:
0.12.108 (24 maart)
+ Worked a little on the boss again
+ Fixed glitch: cannonball incorrect reactivation in room 2
+ Fixed glitch: positioning collision reject effect
+ Fixed glitch: no crashing into walls after you get pushed back through a rejected attack

0.12.109 (25 maart)
+ The cannonballs at the start of the dungeon now stop as you unlock the basement
+ Fixed glitch: Eyegore first encounter failing to following
+ Added a short delay before Eyegore opens it's eye

0.12.110 (25 maart)
+ Started work on a new item: default boomerang

0.12.111 (31 maart )
+ Finished new item: boomerang (default)
+ Fixed glitch: when collecting important items (like the dungeon treasure) using the hookshot
+ Edited: high level swords can't break light rocks anymore

0.12.112 (1 april)
+ Enemies now also get pushed back as the are getting stunned
+ Stunned enemies can no longer be stunned in a stacked fasion
+ You can now use stunning on enemies that are sometimes (jumping) in the air, but if you hit them while above ground they are attacked by a weak damaging attack instead of getting stunned.

0.12.113 (4 april)
+ A friend helped me out creating a "walking on metal" soundeffect


Still left to do till the next demo:
- Boss entrance scene
- Boss fight
- Dungeon ending scene
- Adding text to all the statues in the dungeon (to add some light lore)
- Adding the boomerang(s) <-- now finished
- Adding hit switches
- Adding skeletons with bows (that jump out of the way)
- Tweaking the collectable fairies
- Plant crowding room (if at all possible) <-- new
- Finish quake medallion <-- new
- Editing the magic usage system
- Building a new depth system (!)
- Going through the all the rooms in entire dungeon (with testers) to tweak things like item/enemy placement and check performance.
- Make sure about 4 rooms of the desert dungeon are playable


Update:
Just some progress.
(http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/9231/screenshot101g.png)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 09, 2012, 01:37:29 pm
I hope you guys like hard and/or complex boss fights. What started off fairly simple has since become a 5 stage boss fight. That is not to say you as a player will necessarily encounter them all (based on you playstyle / tactics), but it won't be a walk in the park either.

The fight will hopefully reach a beta status in a couple of hours. I won't release it publicly (because it will contain some slight graphical issues and possibly glitches), but if anybody is interested in playtesting the fight then let me know. Please only respond if you actually intend on giving me usable feedback and don't mind having the fight spoiled before demo 13.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on April 09, 2012, 03:32:12 pm
Wow! I don't know what to say about that one.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 09, 2012, 03:55:24 pm
Maybe 5 stages is a confusing wording. What I mean is that the boss will get an extended movement script as hp does down. So at first there is just a single pattern to take into consideration. (Along with what I can best describe as a stage hazard). When his healths drops a bit a second pattern is added at the end. Then later a third. And later still there will be a fourth pattern to override the third. Near the end all previous patterns are dropped to go with a final fifth attack pattern.

I've currently done four out of the 5 patterns and I'm pondering a bit on how others might experience the fight. As in: add in pauses in the patterns for the player to hit the boss and make the health value simple but high enough not to be able to kill the boss with one frenzy attack. Things like that. I'm really interested in getting some feedback when it is all fully programmed. :)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on April 09, 2012, 04:11:33 pm
OK. I think I get it now.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 09, 2012, 07:48:25 pm
I've decided the boss was too hard in its current form so I deleted sections and ended up with only three patterns. Still pretty hard, but easier then before. I'll work on the final details at another time. And again, if anybody wants to help out with playtesting feel free to send me a message.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 14, 2012, 07:37:10 pm
Still working on the boss from last weekend so here is a little video to at least have something to show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RSas_PHCRI

EDIT:
I am interested to hear what people think. Not so much the overall events, but more the wording and tone.

EDIT2:
Progress made these last couple of weeks:
0.12.114 (6 april)
+ Tried out more soundeffects and went with a different sound
+ Added sound effect for Zol's jumping out of the floor
+ Implemented metal terrain

0.12.115 (7 april)
+ Added and implemented hitswitches (just yellow ones for now)

0.12.116 (8 april)
+ Worked some more on the boss

0.12.117 (9 april)
+ Worked some more on the boss

0.12.118 (9 april)
+ Almost finished the boss fight

0.12.119 (14 april)
+ Edited falling through the floor (tweaked dust sprites / mask dimensions)
+ Fixed pulling force for falling through the floor
+ Finished boss entrance scene

0.12.120 (14 april)
+ Fixed glitch: incorrect background sound after being resurrected
+ Finished boss fight

0.12.121 (15 april)
+ Tweaked boss stats
+ Fixed issue with the game select returning to the titlescreen too soon
+ Tweaked subboss attack impact
+ Fixed glitch: throwing containers against dorment flying tiles
+ Worked some more on the first couple of rooms in the desert dungeon

Still left to do till the next demo:
- Boss entrance scene <-- now finished
- Boss fight <-- now finished
- Dungeon ending scene
- Adding text to all the statues in the dungeon (to add some light lore)
- Adding hit switches <-- now finished
- Adding skeletons with bows (that jump out of the way)
- Tweaking the collectable fairies
- Plant crowding room (if at all possible)
- Finish quake medallion
- Editing the magic usage system
- Building a new depth system (!)
- Going through all the rooms in entire dungeon (with testers) to tweak things like item/enemy placement and check performance.
- Make sure about 6 rooms of the desert dungeon are playable
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on April 16, 2012, 12:45:50 pm
Looks like you haven't finished the introductory video yet.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 16, 2012, 05:30:31 pm
Could you clarify?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on April 17, 2012, 12:29:42 am
The end of the video gave it away.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 17, 2012, 05:36:20 am
I still need more information then this. Could you be more specific?
I cannot improve it if I do not know what you feel should be improved.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on April 17, 2012, 06:05:21 pm
Go 3:04 and that will explain everything.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 17, 2012, 06:17:59 pm
Well, that is debatable. You know, just explaining what you're thinking might be easier then letting others guess. Well, whatever.

You're talking about the music fading out before all the text has been shown?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Zaeranos on April 17, 2012, 06:19:51 pm
The prologue movie seems finished to me. However I don't think this is suited as a prologue video. The "Enjoy!" at the end even suggests it is more a promotional video explaining the story than a prologue. When watching this video I kept thinking: "Show. Not tell." These events need to be played, because they involve Link the player character. Another thing I noticed is that the file select name is different from the movie name. Either Link is picked as the name of the character throughout the game or the file select name should be integrated in the movie.

But that is something you don't want to hear. About the text and wording, their are some comments I could make as it doesn't really sound epic. Some words are even a bit confusing. And some parts seem to be added to artificially lengthen the prologue. If you could provide me with a transcript of the text I will put some more detailed comments to them. However at the moment I'm a bit to tired and lazy to copy the text.

Was it the point to make a prologue anyway or is it for something else? Just asking.

@RetroRespecter: I have also a hard time figuring out why you would consider it to be unfinished?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 17, 2012, 09:57:53 pm
After the NCGC one of the pieces of feedback was to introduce more storyelements into the demo. It's not something that I was jumping at (as I do not believe my engine is finished enough), but I decided to come halfway anyway and make a temporary intro sequence. It will eventually get replaced with something better, but for now still images seemed appropriate (as the original did something simular) and easy. The text and images show what I will eventually try to implement as actual gameplay. For now it's soul purpose is (as you guessed) to explain the story a little.

Here is the text. Suggestions are always welcome:

switch (argument[0])
{
    case "Title1":
        message[0] = "The story starts off with Link as he";
        message[1] = "was living with his uncle in the vast";
        message[2] = "western forest of Hyrule. His uncle,";
        message[3] = "a blacksmith, was teaching him how";
        message[4] = "to forge metals and together they";
        message[5] = "spend weeks crafting a new sword.";
        message[6] = "A most beautiful ceremonial blade.";
        message[7] = "Elegant and perfectly balanced, it";
        message[8] = "was truly their finest work to date.";
        exit;

    case "Title2":
        message[0] = "It had been announced that princess";
        message[1] = "Zelda would soon be of age and wed so";
        message[2] = "a festival was at hand in her honor.";
        message[3] = "All things packed Link and his uncle";
        message[4] = "set out for the city with the intent";
        message[5] = "of presenting their blade as a gift.";
        exit;

    case "Title3":
        message[0] = "Upon arriving at the borders of the";
        message[1] = "city of Hyrule Link and his uncle";
        message[2] = "encountered soldiers everywhere.";
        message[3] = "By sudden decree of the king anyone";
        message[4] = "coming to the festivities looking";
        message[5] = "suspicious got arrested instantly.";
        message[6] = "Carrying his blade the uncle too got";
        message[7] = "grabbed and Link was forced to go";
        message[8] = "in pursuit via a different route.";
        exit;

    case "Title4":     
        message[0] = "When Link finally made his way into";
        message[1] = "Hyrule City he was tired and needed";
        message[2] = "to look for a place he could sleep.";
        message[3] = "Upon entering one of the many shops";
        message[4] = "he hoped to ask for directions, but";
        message[5] = "accidentally bumped over a vase.";
        message[6] = "The shopowner took note and chased";
        message[7] = "Link out where he started to cause";
        message[8] = "a scene for an absurd compensation.";
        exit;

    case "Title5":
        message[0] = "Various soldiers came and cornered";
        message[1] = "Link, but luckily they were part of";
        message[2] = "Zelda's escort as she walked near.";
        message[3] = "She called off her guards and took";
        message[4] = "a good look at the young boy before";
        message[5] = 'drawing closer to whisper: "Help me."';
        exit;

    case "Title6":
        message[0] = "Things go downhill from here on out";
        message[1] = "and the demo starts as Link has to go";
        message[2] = "and make things right again. Enjoy!";
        exit;
};


PS: The name of Link on the nameselect screen is completely seperated from the intro sequence. You only see the intro as you wait when you open the game, press esc from the select screen or wait a while from the select screen. It is not, as I am guessing you figured, so that the intro starts by selecting a (new) game.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on April 18, 2012, 04:58:59 pm
Okay. Forget what I said then...

Can you at least tell us who is behind these extreme laws?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 18, 2012, 05:33:46 pm
The king decreed them. Can't tell you anything about the underlying motives.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 22, 2012, 09:10:39 pm
I've been pretty busy so only managed a modest amount of progress this week. The flud room is now at an acceptable level. I'll be ready anxious to here what people think off it when they actually reach it. It's meant to make the player feel a little bit cornered / under a time constraint.
Also, I'm still looking for people to help with playtesting and for getting more feedback on the intro text.

0.12.122 (16 april)
+ Added a maximum value to creation objects continuously spawning enemies

0.12.123 (22 april)
+ Implemented plant flud room (= enemies keep gushing out while in the room)

Still left to do till the next demo:
- Dungeon ending scene
- Adding text to all the statues in the dungeon (to add some light lore)
- Adding skeletons with bows (that jump out of the way) < -- I'm ditching the idea of having them also jump as that would make them too difficult.
- Tweaking the collectable fairies
- Plant crowding room (if at all possible) <-- now finished
- Finish quake medallion
- Editing the magic usage system
- Building a new depth system (!)
- Going through all the rooms in entire dungeon (with testers) to tweak things like item/enemy placement and check performance.
- Make sure about 6 rooms of the desert dungeon are playable
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on April 23, 2012, 04:31:38 am
Keep it up at your own pace.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Max. on April 24, 2012, 02:32:46 am
I like the intro as a story setter, it works well, but... The intro is so slow! Super dooper slow, I got really bored. If I were playing, I wouldn't want to sit through all that, no offense. I think a major part of it was the extended text writing and erasing, will it be possible to skip through it to read at your own speed, like ALTTP? Because I read WAY faster than that.

Another thing is that you should have complete thoughts on each message, rather than awkward fragments. It's kinda weird to read story opens with Link...
As he was living with his uncle in...
The vast western forest of Hyrule. His uncle....

Et cetera, it's rath disjointed and awkward to read. Maybe have it scroll up like starwars? But faster, starwars is so slow too.

Also, if you'd like, I can make some revisions so your English is more correct.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 24, 2012, 06:13:44 am
I will take your comments into consideration. I should be able to adjust some things, though my goal was to have the intro somewhat match the background sound. Instead of adjusting the overall length of the intro (a lot) I could try to add more images or more engaging storytelling?

Suggestions for improvement in the text are always welcome.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Max. on April 24, 2012, 05:45:19 pm
Haha, I watched the intro without sounds, oops. I didn't realize that there was anything other than just like, the Zelda theme behind it :p

As for your text, here are some suggestions to improve the grammar and in a couple cases, clarity:


switch (argument[0])
{
    case "Title1":
        message[0] = "The story starts off with Link,
        message[1] =  living with his uncle in the vast
        message[2] = "western forest of Hyrule. His uncle,";
        message[3] = "a blacksmith, was teaching him how";
        message[4] = "to forge metals and together they";
        message[5] = "spent weeks crafting a new sword-
        message[6] = "a beautiful ceremonial blade.
        message[7] = "Elegant and perfectly balanced, it";
        message[8] = "was truly their finest work to date.";
        exit;

    case "Title2":
        message[0] = "It had been announced that princess";
        message[1] = "Zelda would soon be of age and wed, so
        message[2] = "a festival was at hand in her honor.";
        message[3] = "Link and his uncle packed all their belongings";
        message[4] = "and set out for the city with the intent
        message[5] = "of presenting their blade as a gift.";
        exit;

    case "Title3":
        message[0] = "Upon arriving at the borders of the";
        message[1] = "city of Hyrule, Link and his uncle
        message[2] = "encountered soldiers everywhere.";
        message[3] = "By sudden decree of the king anyone";
        message[4] = "coming to the festivities looking";
        message[5] = "suspicious was arrested instantly.
        message[6] = "Carrying his blade, Link's uncle was
        message[7] = "apprehended and Link was forced to go
        message[8] = "in pursuit via a different route.";
        exit;

    case "Title4":     
        message[0] = "When Link finally made his way into";
        message[1] = "Hyrule City, he searched for the prison
        message[2] = "where his uncle had been taken.
        message[3] = "Link entered one of the many shops
        message[4] = "to ask directions, but
        message[5] = "accidentally knocked over a vase.
        message[6] = "The shopowner angrily chased
        message[7] = "Link into the street, demanding
        message[8] = "an absurd compensation.
        exit;

    case "Title5":
        message[0] = "Numberous soldiers came and surrounded
        message[1] = "Link, but luckily they were part of";
        message[2] = "Zelda's escort. As she walked near,
        message[3] = "She called off her guards and took
        message[4] = "a good look at the young boy before";
        message[5] = 'drawing closer to whisper: "Help me."';
        exit;

    case "Title6":
        message[0] = "Things go downhill from here on out";
        message[1] = "and the demo starts as Link has to go";
        message[2] = "and make things right again. Enjoy!";
        exit;

I deleted the "; at the end of the lines I edited. I'm also presuming that you'll change title6 before the game is finished, because it doesn't match the level of how professional the rest of your game is.

Also, to expedite this story, you might get rid of the shop keeper, unless he's really important. Link could just happen to walk by Zelda, or walk where he didn't know he wasn't supposed to go.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Zaeranos on April 24, 2012, 07:52:37 pm
I took the liberty to change max's changes. I only put in the major things though.

case "Title1":
        message[0] = "This tale starts off with Link,         
Story sounds so fact, as if it is written down. Tale has a more folklore or legend aspect. Something passed by word of mouth.
        message[1] =  living with his uncle in the vast
        message[2] = "western forest of Hyrule. His uncle,";
        message[3] = "a blacksmith, was teaching him how";
        message[4] = "to forge metals. They";
Too long a sentence to carry the intonation right. Especially with reading pauses in between. Together is made redundant by the word they, because no other characters are introduced yet.
        message[5] = "spent weeks crafting a new sword-
It doesn't go well with the telling.
        message[6] = "a beautiful ceremonial blade.
        message[7] = "Elegant and perfectly balanced, it";
        message[8] = "was truly their finest work to date."; 
        exit;

    case "Title2":
        message[0] = "It had been announced that princess";
        message[1] = "Zelda would soon be of age. and wed, so
        message[2] = "A festival was to be held in her honor.";
The wedding stuff seems to be pointles as it does not tell the how, where, when and most important with whom. It is pointless and useless information. For a princess coming of age is enough of a reason to hold festivities.
        message[3] = "Link and his uncle packed all their belongings";
        message[4] = "and set out for the city with the intent
        message[5] = "of presenting their blade as a gift.";
        exit;

    case "Title3":
        message[0] = "Upon arriving at the borders of the";
        message[1] = "city of Hyrule, Link and his uncle
        message[2] = "encountered soldiers everywhere.";
        message[3] = "By sudden decree of the king anyone";
What is so sudden about it, when you haven't explained the situation before the decree. It seems a pointless fact to pad out the sentence.
        message[4] = "coming to the festivities looking";
        message[5] = "suspicious was to be arrested instantly.
        message[6] = "Carrying his blade, Link's uncle was
        message[7] = "apprehended and Link was forced to go
        message[8] = "in pursuit via a different route.";
, being left behind, followed the soldiers and his uncle into the city.
There is no explanation as to why Link couldn't take the same path. Why was the path blocked especially because the accompanying image shows a field area.       
        exit;

    case "Title4":     
        message[0] = "When Link finally made his way into";
        message[1] = "Hyrule City, he searched for the prison
        message[2] = "where his uncle had been taken.
        message[3] = "Link entered one of the many shops
        message[4] = "to ask directions, but
        message[5] = "accidentally knocked over a vase.
        message[6] = "The shopowner angrily chased
        message[7] = "Link into the street, demanding
        message[8] = "an absurd compensation.
        exit;

    case "Title5":
        message[0] = "Numberous soldiers came and surrounded
        message[1] = "Link, but luckily they were part of";
        message[2] = "Zelda's escort. As she walked near,
        message[3] = "She called off her guards and took
        message[4] = "a good look at the young boy before";
        message[5] = 'drawing closer to whisper: "Help me."';
        exit;
These two sections seem weird. The bumping over the vase seems really forced in order to get Link in a confrontation with Zelda's soldiers. Then again soldiers escorting an important person would not leave their side to break up some commotion. Instead they would take Zelda away from it, whether they guard her or hold her prisoner.

I think the story would flow better if you have Link asking around where prisoners are taken to and he would then bump into the soldiers escorting Zelda. Link recognizes Zelda and tries to reason with her about releasing his uncle. But the soldiers stop him. Let link seek out the confrontation in this matter, in order to put right some wrongs.

Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 24, 2012, 08:56:08 pm
I've rewritten some sections of the story, taking both your comments to heart. Most of it at least. A lot of the first draft had been written knowing more of the story then I am telling, but I realise that was somewhat dumb. It will be a long time before this intro can be made into gameplay so the here and now is more important. So I cut some things.

Looking at this great feedback I may post some more in-game text as well. All the statues in the dungeon are supposed to tell tales of dead soldiers and I'm having trouble coming up with (enough) engaging stories and good writing.


But that's for a near future. Here is the rewritten intro text:

    case "Title1":
        message[0] = "The tale starts off with Link as he";
        message[1] = "is living with his uncle deep in the";
        message[2] = "vast western forest of Hyrule.";
        message[3] = "His uncle, a well-known blacksmith,";
        message[4] = "took him in as his apprentice a long";
        message[5] = "time ago. They spend weeks crafting";
        message[6] = "a beautiful ceremonial blade.";
        message[7] = "Elegant and perfectly balanced, it";
        message[8] = "was truly their best work to date.";
        exit;

    case "Title2":
        message[0] = "It was announced that princess Zelda";
        message[1] = "would soon be of age and wed, so a";
        message[2] = "festival was at hand in her honor.";
        message[3] = "They packed all their belongings and";
        message[4] = "set out for the city with the intent";
        message[5] = "of presenting their blade as a gift.";
        exit;

    case "Title3":
        message[0] = "Upon arriving at the borders of the";
        message[1] = "city of Hyrule, Link and his uncle";
        message[2] = "encountered soldiers everywhere.";
        message[3] = "By decree of the king anyone coming";
        message[4] = "to the festival looking the least bit";
        message[5] = "suspicious was to be arrested.";
        message[6] = "Carrying his blade, Link's uncle was";
        message[7] = "apprehended. Link, being left behind,";
        message[8] = "followed the soldiers into the city.";
        exit;

    case "Title4":
        message[0] = "Link started asking around for the";
        message[1] = "possible fate of his uncle, but found";
        message[2] = "that noone was willing to help him.";
        message[3] = "Nobody was even willing to really talk";
        message[4] = "to him. Seemingly scared of getting";
        message[5] = "arrested as well if deemed suspicious.";
        exit;

    case "Title5":
        message[0] = "Soldiers pasted, while escorting";
        message[1] = "princess Zelda. Link recognized her";
        message[2] = "and attempted to get her attention.";
        message[3] = "The guards took note and stopped him";
        message[4] = "from getting closer, but the princess";
        message[5] = "stepped in and quietly spoke to Link:";
        message[6] = '"I do not know you, but you should not';
        message[7] = 'ask my help. I am but a mere prisoner,';
        message[8] = 'waiting for her arranged marriage..."';
        exit;

    case "Title6":
        message[0] = "Little options were left for Link.";
        message[1] = "Something had to be done...";
        message[2] = " ";
        exit;
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Max. on April 25, 2012, 08:08:24 pm
I figured there was probably some reason you were adding some of those details in : )

As for your new script, there are still a few areas that are gramatically unsound.

Title1message5: They SPENT, not they SPEND.

Title4message0-1: Asking for the possible fate of his uncle reads a bit awkwardly. Maybe "Link asked everyone where prisoners were sent" or something to that effect.

Title4message2: "noone" is actually two words. "No one".

T4M3: "No one was even willing to really talk to him." The really is unnessecary and kind of awkward.

T4M4-5 "Seemingly scared of getting arrested as well as if deemed suspicious." There isn't a subject in this sentence :/  Maybe you could say "They seemed to be scared of being arrested themselves if they seemed suspicious." If that's what you're trying to communicate, and if it fits.

T5M0 - Soldiers aren't "pasting" unless they're working on an art project :p Also, "while" is kinda weird here. Try, "Soldiers passed, escorting princess Zelda." If that's too short, I'd suggest putting something in the front to communicate that this happened as Link was asking around. A word like, "presently", or something.

T6M0 - I think options are left "to", not "for". But I'm not 100% on that, just pretty sure.



As for the statues of dead soldiers, how long are the stories on each statue? If they're long enough for each one to be engaging, I feel like I'd be wandering through the dungeon, look at the statue, then be treated to a really long story about some guy I don't care about and I'd be frusturated because I just want to get on with the dungeon.

Maybe you could have all the statues tell just a part of ONE person's story. Isn't the dungeon the tomb of a king? Maybe they could all tell little bits of the king's story, and the player would learn a little bit about the king at a time, and in the end if they found all the statues they could maybe even figure a clue to a puzzle out to find a piece of heart or something.

Just an idea. But I really do think, as a player, the info on each statue should be short.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 25, 2012, 08:27:03 pm
I'll take another look at the intro text this weekend. Are you sure all of these things are wrong and not just preference issues?

Reading the text from the statues is fully optional, for those wanting to learn more about the lore. Text length is between 3 lines (common) and 9 lines (uncommon). They'll talk about an individual soldier's life, death or perspective on events.

It's the soldier's tomb btw. Not so much (just) the king's tomb. Each statue represents one soldier's final resting place.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Max. on April 26, 2012, 01:14:50 am
Well, there are a couple that aren't strictly incorrect english.
T4M0-1 isn't technically incorrect, you couple probably get away with that one.
T4M3 Is kinda just a preference, but omitting the "really" would give your text a more consistant tone.
T5M0 Pasting definitely needs to be changed to passing, but I guess you would leave the while, it's not technically incorrect, it just reads awkwardly to me, so I guess it's a preference?

Yeah, I can understand why you wouldn't want to have to make the dialogue fit the same way if it wasn't necessary :p   So yeah, those corrections above are mainly just to give the text a more professional sound, they make it sound more natural to me. If you don't change it, it won't hurt my feelings, but if you wanted a second opinion on them that's what I'm here for :p

Also, though, I really like the idea of the soldiers' inscriptions. It kinda reminds me of Metroid Prime, where the plot was conveyed in completely optional, not-necessarily chronological snippets. It managed to develop quite nicely that way too, but I digress.

Anyway, you're kind of a hero for devoting such care to perfecting the gameplay while still developing such in-depth lore for your Hyrule. Your game will be a king among fangames, Martijn :D
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 27, 2012, 04:08:44 pm
And I appreciate the feedback. The story flows a lot better then the first version. Here is the latest version (in spoiler form to keep it compact):
Show content
    case "Title1":
        message[0] = "The tale starts off with Link as he";
        message[1] = "is living with his uncle deep in the";
        message[2] = "vast western forest of Hyrule.";
        message[3] = "His uncle, a well-known blacksmith,";
        message[4] = "took him in as his apprentice a long";
        message[5] = "time ago. They spent weeks crafting";
        message[6] = "a beautiful ceremonial blade.";
        message[7] = "Elegant and perfectly balanced, it";
        message[8] = "was truly their best work to date.";
        exit;

    case "Title2":
        message[0] = "It was announced that princess Zelda";
        message[1] = "would soon be of age and wed, so a";
        message[2] = "festival was at hand in her honor.";
        message[3] = "They packed all their belongings and";
        message[4] = "set out for the city with the intent";
        message[5] = "of presenting their blade as a gift.";
        exit;

    case "Title3":
        message[0] = "Upon arriving at the borders of the";
        message[1] = "city of Hyrule, Link and his uncle";
        message[2] = "encountered soldiers everywhere.";
        message[3] = "By decree of the king anyone coming";
        message[4] = "to the festival looking the least bit";
        message[5] = "suspicious was to be arrested.";
        message[6] = "Carrying his blade, Link's uncle was";
        message[7] = "apprehended. Link, being left behind,";
        message[8] = "followed the soldiers into the city.";
        exit;

    case "Title4":
        message[0] = "Link started asking around if there";
        message[1] = "was a way to help his uncle out, but";
        message[2] = "found that no one was willing to help.";
        message[3] = "Everybody was reluctant to even speak";
        message[4] = "with him. It was as if they were all";
        message[5] = "scared of being arrested themselves.";
        exit;

    case "Title5":
        message[0] = "Several soldiers passed, escorting";
        message[1] = "princess Zelda. Link recognized her";
        message[2] = "and attempted to get her attention.";
        message[3] = "The guards took note and stopped him";
        message[4] = "from getting closer, but the princess";
        message[5] = "stepped in and quietly spoke to Link:";
        message[6] = '"I do not know you, but you should not';
        message[7] = 'ask my help. I am but a mere prisoner,';
        message[8] = 'waiting for her arranged marriage..."';
        exit;

    case "Title6":
        message[0] = "Little options were left to Link.";
        message[1] = "Something had to be done...";
        message[2] = " ";
        exit;


Here is some more in-game text. This is the text for the four kings and a group of soldiers attached to the first king.
Show content
    case "BirdStatue1": // King 1
        message[0] = "Nahaj - 824 - The Wise";
        message[1] = '"A good ruler possesses the wisdom';
        message[2] = 'to protect his subjects from harm.';
        message[3] = 'In turn they shall protect him and';
        message[4] = 'grow closer together, which is the';
        message[5] = 'only way to open paths forwards."';
        exit;

    case "BirdStatue2": // King 2
        message[0] = "Taback - 862 - The Courageous";
        message[1] = '"I once traveled the four corners';
        message[2] = 'of the world in search of courage.';
        message[3] = 'It was only afterwards that I found';
        message[4] = 'it was the journey that gave it to';
        message[5] = 'me and lit up my way forwards."';
        exit;

    case "BirdStatue3": // King 3
        message[0] = "VanMol - xxx - The Strong";
        message[1] = '"I refuse to die!';
        message[2] = 'My thoughtfully achievements were';
        message[3] = 'those of a fool and I will shame this';
        message[4] = 'royal resting place when I do die.';
        message[5] = 'So I gave up my crown to my wiser';
        message[6] = 'brother and became his knight.';
        message[7] = 'I refuse to die. None shall touch him';
        message[8] = 'for as long as I still draw breath."';
        exit;

    case "BirdStatue4": // King 4
        message[0] = "Brahim - 915 - The Benevolent";
        message[1] = '"Have I faltered? Have I shamed the';
        message[2] = 'names of the great kings now resting';
        message[3] = 'beneath me?';
        message[4] = 'I die in the knowledge that I leave my';
        message[5] = 'kingdom behind turned half to stone.';
        message[6] = 'My only solice is that I believe the';
        message[7] = 'remainder of my people has been';
        message[8] = 'spared this madness of Medu."';
        exit;

    case "F1-03-Statue1": // Female archer
        message[0] = "Celeste - 797";
        message[1] = 'A female archer with skills rivaling';
        message[2] = 'most, if not all, others of her time.';
        message[3] = 'This often led to rival relationships.';
        message[4] = 'The most competative being with';
        message[5] = 'Atura. Died of illness far too young.';
        exit;

    case "F1-03-Statue2": // Male rival
        message[0] = "Atura - 827";
        message[1] = 'Master archer with a lifelong goal to';
        message[2] = 'surpass all others archers. He did,';
        message[3] = 'except with Celeste in their youth.';
        message[4] = 'To this day he resented her for';
        message[5] = 'dying before he could rival her.';
        exit;

    case "F1-03-Statue3": // Third knight
        message[0] = "Eternita - 831";
        message[1] = 'A bulky knight. Strong, respected';
        message[2] = 'and beloved by those left behind.';
        exit;

    case "F1-03-Statue4": // Father
        message[0] = "Sir. Bapel - 821";
        message[1] = 'First retainer to king Nahaj. Served';
        message[2] = 'long and together with of his son.';
        exit;

    case "F1-03-Statue5": // Fabled mountain fighter
        message[0] = "Hangre - 834 - The Mountain Giant";
        message[1] = 'Earned the nickname from his large';
        message[2] = 'physical appearance and strength.';
        message[3] = 'Was very well respected, even in the';
        message[4] = 'eastern lands, for his fighting skills';
        message[5] = 'with the axe.';
        exit;

    case "F1-03-Statue6": // Son
        message[0] = "Ivion - 838";
        message[1] = 'Retainer to king Nahaj. Followed his';
        message[2] = 'father in a long line of knights.';
        exit;
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on April 27, 2012, 05:13:12 pm
It is much better. I am somewhat relieved that you don't have to fight the King of Hyrule just to change the oppressive laws and propaganda.

One more thing: Will the Triforce, the lifeblood of Hyrule and the center of balance in the mystical land, be in play?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 27, 2012, 05:39:27 pm
There will be no Triforce or mystical land in play for at least the first 3 to 4 dungeons. Not even any mentions. Beyond that ... I can't say. I'm not going to use Ganon at all, so I might not include the other elements either. I'll just keep everyone in suspense on the subject... for the next year or so I guess XD
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Zaeranos on April 27, 2012, 08:14:45 pm
Here is some more in-game text. This is the text for the four kings and a group of soldiers attached to the first king.
Show content
    case "BirdStatue1": // King 1
        message[0] = "Nahaj - 824 - The Wise";
        message[1] = '"A good ruler possesses the wisdom';
        message[2] = 'to protect his subjects from harm.';
        message[3] = 'In turn they shall protect him and';
        message[4] = 'grow closer together, which is the';
        message[5] = 'only way to open paths forwards."';
        exit;

    case "BirdStatue2": // King 2
        message[0] = "Taback - 862 - The Courageous";
        message[1] = '"I once traveled the four corners';
        message[2] = 'of the world in search of courage.';
        message[3] = 'It was only afterwards that I found';
        message[4] = 'it was the journey that gave it to';
        message[5] = 'me and lit up my way forwards."';
        exit;

    case "BirdStatue3": // King 3
        message[0] = "VanMol - xxx - The Strong";
        message[1] = '"I refuse to die!';
        message[2] = 'My thoughtfully achievements were';
        message[3] = 'those of a fool and I will shame this';
        message[4] = 'royal resting place when I do die.';
        message[5] = 'So I gave up my crown to my wiser';
        message[6] = 'brother and became his knight.';
        message[7] = 'I refuse to die. None shall touch him';
        message[8] = 'for as long as I still draw breath."';
        exit;

    case "BirdStatue4": // King 4
        message[0] = "Brahim - 915 - The Benevolent";
        message[1] = '"Have I faltered? Have I shamed the';
        message[2] = 'names of the great kings now resting';
        message[3] = 'beneath me?';
        message[4] = 'I die in the knowledge that I leave my';
        message[5] = 'kingdom behind turned half to stone.';
        message[6] = 'My only solice is that I believe the';
        message[7] = 'remainder of my people has been';
        message[8] = 'spared this madness of Medu."';
        exit;

    case "F1-03-Statue1": // Female archer
        message[0] = "Celeste - 797";
        message[1] = 'A female archer with skills rivaling';
        message[2] = 'most, if not all, others of her time.';
        message[3] = 'This often led to rival relationships.';
        message[4] = 'The most competative being with';
        message[5] = 'Atura. Died of illness far too young.';
        exit;

    case "F1-03-Statue2": // Male rival
        message[0] = "Atura - 827";
        message[1] = 'Master archer with a lifelong goal to';
        message[2] = 'surpass all others archers. He did,';
        message[3] = 'except with Celeste in their youth.';
        message[4] = 'To this day he resented her for';
        message[5] = 'dying before he could rival her.';
        exit;

    case "F1-03-Statue3": // Third knight
        message[0] = "Eternita - 831";
        message[1] = 'A bulky knight. Strong, respected';
        message[2] = 'and beloved by those left behind.';
        exit;

    case "F1-03-Statue4": // Father
        message[0] = "Sir. Bapel - 821";
        message[1] = 'First retainer to king Nahaj. Served';
        message[2] = 'long and together with of his son.';
        exit;

    case "F1-03-Statue5": // Fabled mountain fighter
        message[0] = "Hangre - 834 - The Mountain Giant";
        message[1] = 'Earned the nickname from his large';
        message[2] = 'physical appearance and strength.';
        message[3] = 'Was very well respected, even in the';
        message[4] = 'eastern lands, for his fighting skills';
        message[5] = 'with the axe.';
        exit;

    case "F1-03-Statue6": // Son
        message[0] = "Ivion - 838";
        message[1] = 'Retainer to king Nahaj. Followed his';
        message[2] = 'father in a long line of knights.';
        exit;
Some are written in first person, some are written in the third person. Choose one of the two styles, not both. It seems confusing. The best thing to consider is who tells the story about these people to Link. If each individual tells their own story, use the first person. If someone else tells Link about these people use third person style. At least stay consistent.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 27, 2012, 08:47:32 pm
I figured each person is different and died under their own circumstances. Some have their last words remembered. Others have their text filled in by those left behind. As the kings are important there words are written in first person / last words. For the rest you can expect them to be more or less all in third perspective.

I'll take your comment into consideration though, but I do not see a problem with alternating the perspectives a little bit.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Zaeranos on April 27, 2012, 08:54:28 pm
Okay, but the first king is also in third person. But if it is a eulogy, then it is best to keep it as third person, because they are written after death. And dead people don't write much. No matter how much the person terrorised the one who wrote the eulogy.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Master Yoshi on April 28, 2012, 05:09:58 am
After watching the videos on the front page of this thread, I am speechless. Amazing work. I'll be reading the rest of this thread right now.  :o
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 29, 2012, 08:58:08 pm
I always like reading these kind of comments. :)

@ Niek: I'll be editing all of the text to third person.
Does anybody have any other issues with the text as it is written right now?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 30, 2012, 07:24:33 pm
Progress update for this week:

0.12.124 (24 april)
+ Edited the intro text / length

0.12.125 (27 april)
+ Fixed issue: continuing after death in the boss fight makes the boss fight dissappear
+ Fixed issue: Fairies move through walls and such if outside of the current room
+ Edited fairy movement routine slightly
+ Improved collissions checking with fairies
+ Edited the intro text a little again
+ Fairies can be created from containers and enemies

0.12.126 (28 april)
+ Bottled fairies can now be released
+ Improved movement engine for fairies. Default fairies can now ignore terrains.

0.12.127 (29 april)
+ Edited released fairy positioning to prevent it from appearing inside a wall or something
+ Edited the text for some statues

0.12.128 (30 april)
+ Edited the text for some statues
+ Edited the fairy room a little
+ Fixed issues with copying gamefiles
+ Added text to some more statues
+ Enemy shadows can now use an alpha value
+ Picking the repeat text option clears the textbox content before continuing
+ Made a fair bit of progress on the dungeon ending scene

Still left to do till the next demo:
- Dungeon ending scene
- Adding text to all the statues in the dungeon (to add some light lore)
- Adding skeletons with bows
- Tweaking the collectable fairies <-- now finished
- Finish quake medallion
- Editing the magic usage system
- Building a new depth system (!)
- Going through all the rooms in entire dungeon (with testers) to tweak things like item/enemy placement and to check performance.
- Make sure about 6 rooms of the desert dungeon are playable

EDIT: Here is also an image of the plant flud room I worked on last week.
(http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/3900/screenshot103f.png)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 03, 2012, 08:17:47 pm
I've rewritten some of the text for the statues. Here is all the text inside the dungeon (scenes and such excluded). Feel free to comment on anything you read. Feedback is always welcome.

The kings
Show content
    case "BirdStatue1": // King 1
        message[0] = "Nahaj - 824 - The Wise";
        message[1] = 'A kind king who used all of his wisdom';
        message[2] = 'and influence to protect the people.';
        message[3] = 'In turn they florished under his rule,';
        message[4] = 'loving him. He believed such a peace';
        message[5] = 'to be the true path into the future.';
        exit;

    case "BirdStatue2": // King 2
        message[0] = "Taback - 862 - The Courageous";
        message[1] = 'Before he became king, he ventured';
        message[2] = 'to the four corners of the world to';
        message[3] = 'find courage. It was upon his return';
        message[4] = 'that he finally realised it was the';
        message[5] = 'journey itself that brought it out.';
        exit;

    case "BirdStatue3": // King 3 - YEAR
        message[0] = "VanMol - ??? - The Strong";
        message[1] = 'Even as king he was widely known as';
        message[2] = 'strong and idealic. Unfortunatly, his';
        message[3] = 'was the rule to be plagued by season';
        message[4] = 'upon season of bad weather, nearly';
        message[5] = 'breaking the kingdom. After that he';
        message[6] = 'gave up the crown to his brother and';
        message[7] = 'swore to instead protect the people';
        message[8] = 'as head of the royal knights.';
        exit;

    case "BirdStatue4": // King 4
        message[0] = "Brahim - 915 - The Benevolant";
        message[1] = 'Where his brother, king VanMol, saw';
        message[2] = 'the kingdom weaken by the elements,';
        message[3] = "Brahim had to witness it's eventual";
        message[4] = 'destruction from within. The sight of';
        message[5] = 'his people turned to stone, without a';
        message[6] = 'doubt, broke his heart, but it never';
        message[7] = 'made him show anything but the kind';
        message[8] = 'and gentle ruler we had always seen.';
        exit;

The knights under King Nahaj
Show content
    case "F1-03-Statue1": // Female archer
        message[0] = "Celeste - 797";
        message[1] = 'A female archer with skills rivaling';
        message[2] = 'most, if not all, others of her time.';
        message[3] = 'This often led to rival relationships.';
        message[4] = 'The most competative being with';
        message[5] = 'Atura. Died of illness far too young.';
        exit;

    case "F1-03-Statue2": // Male rival
        message[0] = "Atura - 827";
        message[1] = 'Master archer with a lifelong goal to';
        message[2] = 'surpass all other archers. He did,';
        message[3] = 'except with Celeste in their youth.';
        message[4] = 'To this day he resented her for';
        message[5] = 'dying before he could rival her.';
        exit;

    case "F1-03-Statue3": // Third knight
        message[0] = "Eternita - 831";
        message[1] = 'A bulky knight. Strong, respected';
        message[2] = 'and beloved by those left behind.';
        exit;

    case "F1-03-Statue4": // Father
        message[0] = "Sir. Bapel - 821";
        message[1] = 'First retainer to king Nahaj. Served';
        message[2] = 'long and together with of his son.';
        exit;

    case "F1-03-Statue5": // Fabled mountain fighter
        message[0] = "Hangre - 834 - The Mountain Giant";
        message[1] = 'Earned the nickname from his large';
        message[2] = 'physical appearance and strength.';
        message[3] = 'Was very well respected, even in the';
        message[4] = 'eastern lands, for his fighting skills';
        message[5] = 'with the axe.';
        exit;

    case "F1-03-Statue6": // Son
        message[0] = "Ivion - 838";
        message[1] = 'Retainer to king Nahaj. Followed his';
        message[2] = 'father in a long line of knights.';
        exit;

Guardians daughter of king Taback
Show content
    case "B1-12-Statue1": // Younger guardian princess1 Taback
        message[0] = "Deman - 889";
        message[1] = 'Younger guard of princess Josiana.';
        message[2] = 'Moved with the princess to Hyrule';
        message[3] = 'upon her marriage and did not return';
        message[4] = 'till years later, after his duty had';
        message[5] = 'been fully fullfilled as a true knight.';
        exit;

    case "B1-12-Statue2": // Older guardian princess1 Taback
        message[0] = "Roysia - 865";
        message[1] = 'Older guard of princess Josiana';
        message[2] = 'Loyally protected the princess from';
        message[3] = 'birth till marriage, 26 years later.';
        exit;

Gatekeepers
Show content
    case "B1-22-Statue1": // Gatekeeper 1A - Remus
        message[0] = "Remus - 785";
        message[1] = 'Father of Sevrin. Famed for his great';
        message[2] = 'endurance in combat and succes in';
        message[3] = 'guarding the castle gates from all';
        message[4] = 'opposing forces.';
        exit;

    case "B1-22-Statue2": // Gatekeeper 1B - Reisan
        message[0] = "Reisan - 790 - Scar";
        message[1] = 'One of the few gatekeepers serving';
        message[2] = 'under both king Nahaj and Taback.';
        message[3] = 'His many battlescars were a clear';
        message[4] = 'testament to the many battles he';
        message[5] = 'fought to protect the kingdom.';
        exit;

    case "B2-08-Statue1": // Gatekeeper 2A - Cynewijn
        message[0] = "Cynewijn - 832 - The demon";
        message[1] = 'Daughter of Remus. Timid most of the';
        message[2] = "time, but a true demon in combat.";
        exit;

    case "B2-08-Statue2": // Gatekeeper 2B - Jeunan
        message[0] = "Jeunan - 852";
        message[1] = 'Guarded the gates of the kingdom for';
        message[2] = 'years after the passing of Cynewijn.';
        message[3] = 'In the end he was forced to retire by';
        message[4] = 'taking an arrow to the knee.';
        exit;

    case "B1-03-Statue1": // Gatekeeper 3 - Xapan
        message[0] = "Xapan - 902 - The gatekeeper";
        message[1] = 'As a young replacement for Jeunan';
        message[2] = 'he ended up serving longer then any';
        message[3] = 'other knight before him. And despite';
        message[4] = 'numerous attempts, not a single soul';
        message[5] = 'ever managed to best or pass him.';
        exit;

    case "B1-26-Statue1": // Gatekeeper 4A - Donnalto
        message[0] = "Donnalto - 903";
        message[1] = 'Secundairy gatekeeper under Brahim.';
        message[2] = 'Slain by Medu as he turned to warn';
        message[3] = 'his fellow knights of the danger that';
        message[4] = 'had come to their doorsteps.';
        exit;

    case "B1-26-Statue2": // Gatekeeper 4B - Folke
        message[0] = "Folke - 923 - The last";
        message[1] = 'Caught stealing out of poverty he';
        message[2] = 'was brought before Brahim. The king';
        message[3] = 'saw potential in the boy and offered';
        message[4] = 'a second chance as an enlisted man.';
        message[5] = 'He was eternally gratefull for this.';
        message[6] = 'In the end it was Folke who stayed';
        message[7] = 'behind as the last gaurdian for our';
        message[8] = 'now abandoned kingdom.';
        exit;

Ring of Eurus backstory
Show content
    case "B2-07-Statue1": // Eurus - YEAR
        message[0] = "Eurus - ???";
        message[1] = 'During his quest to find the golden';
        message[2] = 'land he stumbled upon a small ring.';
        message[3] = 'Whenever he held it in his hand a gust';
        message[4] = 'of wind came down from the east to';
        message[5] = 'put chills down his spine.';
        exit;

    case "B2-07-Statue2": // Notus - YEAR
        message[0] = "Notus - ???";
        message[1] = 'One of the four knights to bring the';
        message[2] = 'dreaded ring of Eurus to our kingdom.';
        message[3] = 'The ring was a cursed item, said to';
        message[4] = 'call the spirits of all its previous';
        message[5] = 'owners to haunt its current wearer.';
        exit;

    case "B2-07-Statue3": // Zephyrus - YEAR
        message[0] = "Zephyrus - ???";
        message[1] = 'The ring of Eurus was to be given to';
        message[2] = 'king Nahaj as a gift, but Zephyrus';
        message[3] = 'had doubts. He ended up locating an';
        message[4] = 'old mage to have her bind its power.';
        message[5] = 'The ring was hidden afterwards.';
        exit;

    case "B2-07-Statue4": // Boreas - YEAR
        message[0] = "Boreas - ???";
        message[1] = 'Younger brother of Eurus. They once';
        message[2] = 'argued over the ring that was found.';
        message[3] = 'Boreas put it on and instantly the';
        message[4] = 'skies turned dark with winds picking';
        message[5] = 'up. He never came near it again.'
        exit;

Misc
Show content
    case "B1-23-Block1": // Riddle info
        message[0] = "As king Nahaj renovated the tombs";
        message[1] = 'he called his five best workers.';
        message[2] = 'Each as strong as two regular men.';
        message[3] = 'The three working together best';
        message[4] = 'were allowed to go on ahead. The';
        message[5] = 'rest stayed to work on this room.';
        exit;
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 06, 2012, 05:43:52 pm
A LOT of progress has been made of the past couple of days. I am currently about halfway through implementing a whole new depth system. Let me tell you... it's a lot of work.

I'm playing it very safe by examining every single object and script in the game for depth usage, but that is no guarantee that I won't miss some new issues. If anybody is willing to do some testing then let me know. The checklist before the next demo is gradually shrinking and it'd like to have had some people test the game before I release it mid June.


Progress made this last week:

0.12.129 (1 mei)
+ Replaced the pendants with rings

0.12.130 (3 mei)
+ Edited ring sprites
+ More statues in the dungeon have something to say

0.12.131 (4 mei)
+ Finished dungeon ending scenes

0.12.132 (5 mei)
+ Started work on the new depth system (outside area is now fully converted)
+ Combined movable objects into a single object

0.12.133 (6 mei)
+ Continued work on the new depth system (sewer area is now fully converted)
+ Movable objects can now contain animated sprites
+ Tall torches / large torches / desert pillars have been converted into movable objects


Still left to do till the next demo:
- Dungeon ending scene <-- now finished
- Adding text to all the statues in the dungeon (to add some light lore)
- Adding skeletons with bows
- Finish quake medallion
- Editing the magic usage system
- Building a new depth system (!) <-- about halfway finished
- Going through all the rooms in entire dungeon (with testers) to tweak things like item/enemy placement and to check performance.
- Make sure about 6 rooms of the desert dungeon are playable

EDIT: And here is video to celebrate the progress made.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlYmVIcLu-w
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on May 07, 2012, 12:30:11 am
Somebody slap me. I forgot to check in.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Max. on May 10, 2012, 02:12:27 am
Retro- SLAP!

Martijn, I'd be interested in testing, but I have next to no time on my hands. I've never tested any games for anybody before, besides my own and lord knows that's FULL of bugs :p
How much time do you reckon I'd need to clock in to be useful to you?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 10, 2012, 08:02:59 pm
The time you invest in it is fully up to you. Two hours a week would be swell, but I'll generally take what I can get. Mad skills isn't a requirement either. It's more important that you are able to describe what you did to get certain situations. Trying out everything the game has to offer, like weird combinations and such, is a bonus for me.

I'm still working on the depth engine so I'll present you with new demo's as I convert more of the game into the new depth mechanic. Testing out specific sections of the game will probably make it easier for you as well. Expect a first demo in about 1-1.5 days time.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 19, 2012, 10:00:24 am
So I had two people from elsewhere help test the last testers demo. Taking their feedback to heart I am about ready to present a secundary testers demo with both the sewers and desert rooms available. If anybody is willing to help out in this second testing phase, be sure to let me know.

Here is the latest progress made:

0.12.134 (8 mei)
+ Edited some of the statue text
+ Eyegores can be affected by stone attacks again
+ The dungeon end scene now transitions into the credits sequence
+ Containers no longer destroyed by simple touching them with your sword while charging it
+ Link does not get pushed back while being shocked

0.12.135 (11 mei)
+ Continued work on the new depth system (converted nearly all of the character actions)

0.12.136 (17 mei)
+ Fixed graphical issue with character shadow when touching staircases
+ Scattered temporary chests / chest content around the game for demo purposes
+ Edited wall cannon enemies
+ Edited beamos enemies
+ The hookshot can now ledge onto small torches, visible text objects and movable objects
+ Made sure about 6 rooms of the desert dungeon are playable

0.12.137 (18 mei)
+ Tweaked several details outside and in the sewers
+ In a new game the correct items are now shown in the overhead boxes by themselves
+ Finished converting level F1 of dungeon 1 to the new depth system
+ Continued work on the new depth system (converted everything in the second dungeon)
+ Fixed collission issues between character items and enemy projectiles


Still left to do till the next demo:
- Adding text to all the statues in the dungeon (to add some light lore)
- Adding skeletons with bows
- Finish quake medallion
- Editing the magic usage system
- Building a new depth system (!)
- Going through all the rooms in the dungeons (with testers) to tweak things like item/enemy placement and to check performance.
- Make sure about 6 rooms of the desert dungeon are playable <-- now finished


Here is the edited intro scene:
(Nothing much to see here if you followed the topic, but I wanted to upload it for the first post anyway)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R52YwD-rvmo
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 28, 2012, 09:40:06 pm
Currently I'm more or less still on schedule to release a demo mid June. (Man, that Quake Medallion took forever). I hope I make my deadline, because otherwise it will become end July or later before I can show anything due to my vacation and some other stuff.

Again, if anybody wishes to help out: I could use people willing to playtest my game. I can produce a testdemo with about 2/3th of the content available whenever.

Here is the latest progress made:

0.12.138 (19 mei)
+ Optimized tileset dungeon 1

0.12.139 (22 mei)
+ Fixed glitch: using the hookshot on two enemies or items at once makes it move beyond
+ Converted most of the enemies over to the new depth system

0.12.140 (27 mei)
+ Added a quick Murray/game introduction text
+ Moved more enemies and items over to the new depth system
+ Made progress with the quake medallion

0.12.141 (28 mei)
+ Finished the Quake Medallion

Still left to do till the next demo:
- Adding text to all the statues in the dungeon (to add some light lore)
- Adding skeletons with bows
- Finish quake medallion <-- now finished (I'll try to upload a new video one of these days)
- Editing the magic usage system
- Building a new depth system (!)
- Going through all the rooms in the dungeons (with testers) to tweak things like item/enemy placement and to check performance.

EDIT:
And here is that quake video. I'm looking forwards to hearing what you guys thing about it. (The magic consumption is next on my list to fix. No worries there).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqEqnuJa-uY
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on May 31, 2012, 07:58:18 pm
If practically fells like an earthquake in there. Well done!
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 03, 2012, 07:13:34 pm
Here is the latest progress made:

0.12.142 (29 mei)
+ Tweaked Quake Medallion: Link's sprites now stay still while everything else shakes

0.12.143 (3 juni)
+ Redid the magic consumption set-up
+ Fixed depth issues while picking up containers looking north
+ Fixed errors when using the Quake Medallion during some specific circumstances
+ Edited character sprites during quake animation a little
+ More statues in the dungeon have something to say (50 statues left)
+ Fixed depth issues dungeon 1 - B2

Still left to do till the next demo:
- Adding text to all the statues in the dungeon (to add some light lore)
- Adding skeletons with bows
- Editing the magic usage system <-- now finished
- Building a new depth system (!)
- Going through all the rooms in the dungeons (with testers) to tweak things like item/enemy placement and to check performance.

EDIT: And here is some more statue text if you're interested or want to help proofread:
Show content
    case "F1-05-Statue1": // Sevrin - YEAR
        message[0] = "Sevrin - ???";
        message[1] = "Loyal knight to prince Gatialo. Known";
        message[2] = "and respected as his second shadow.";
        exit;

    case "F1-05-Statue2": // Prince Gatialo - YEAR
        message[0] = "Gatialo - ???";
        message[1] = "Long ago a lone farmer came from the";
        message[2] = "south to seek help for his village.";
        message[3] = "He told Gatialo how it had turned to";
        message[4] = "stone and the prince responded by";
        message[5] = "gathering his men to investigate.";
        message[6] = "They found the warlock responsable,";
        message[7] = "but the village had already been lost.";
        message[8] = "Gatialo seemed older after that.";
        exit;

    case "F1-05-Statue3": // Catiua - YEAR
        message[0] = "Catiua - ???";
        message[1] = "In this world of endless conflict the";
        message[2] = "greatest danger is hopelessness.";
        message[3] = "Kings war, men fight and nobles plot";
        message[4] = "from behind their walls. Catiua would";
        message[5] = "fight any to shield us from all of it.";
        exit;

    case "F1-05-Statue4": // Medu - YEAR
        message[0] = "Medu - ???";
        message[1] = "A childhood friend of Gatialo and one";
        message[2] = "of the knight escorting him to Wyv.";
        message[3] = "A warlock had been the cause of it's";
        message[4] = "condition and so they attempted to";
        message[5] = "arrest him. It was at that time that";
        message[6] = "Medu saved the prince from a magical";
        message[7] = "attack. For this act of bravery, he";
        message[8] = "was later rewarded the warlock's rod.";
        exit;

    case "F1-05-Statue5": // Eupalamos - YEAR
        message[0] = "Eupalamos - ???";
        message[1] = "Personal guard to Gatialo. Being the";
        message[2] = "ever optimist, he would bring his lute";
        message[3] = "everywhere. To accompany his many";
        message[4] = "songs and tales whenever there was";
        message[5] = "a fireplace and moral ran low.";
        exit;
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 08, 2012, 04:39:17 pm
I got a little bored today and spontaneously added the Vulture enemy. He doesn't really fit in the demo, but I felt like it anyway. Deviating from the plan is refreshing once in a while.

(http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/8035/screenshot109u.png)

Maybe I'll add some more enemies this weekend.

Edit: The cactus is now also added, though there are still some issues to be sorted out tommorrow.
(http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/8282/vulture.png)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: path on June 08, 2012, 06:57:42 pm
nice, this seems like a classic ! i came across ur youtube videos a month ago, nice job.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 09, 2012, 08:13:34 pm
Thank you.

Here is a new progress update:

0.12.144 (8 juni)
+ Added new enemy: Vulture
+ Added new stage-hazard: Cactus

0.12.145 (9 juni)
+ Fix glitch: Vulture AI during Ether Medallion
+ Improved AI: Vulture moves faster if far removed from Link
+ Fixed error: Vulture follows you while you transition into another room
+ You can now turn cactus to stone / frozen state
+ Deibadora are invincible while underground
+ Started work on new enemy: Sandman

0.12.146 (9 juni)
+ When turning enemies to containers invicible sprites are no longer taken into account
+ Fixed glitch: positioning sparkle effects for enemies turned frozen
+ Finished new enemy: Sandman
+ Added new enemy: Leever (green)
+ Added new enemy: Leever (purple)


(http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/4228/screenshot115e.png)


EDIT: How does the skeleton in the attachement look? I've been experimenting some with implementing a skeleton archer and this is where I'm currenly at. Mostly just sprites for now btw.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 10, 2012, 07:45:47 pm
And here is the final progress of the weekend:

0.12.147 (10 juni)
+ Leevers now surfaces closer to the character then before burrowing
+ Worked on new enemy: Blue soldier archer
+ Worked on new enemy: Blue skeleton archer
+ Leevers only burrows and reappear on diggable ground
+ Tweaked leever stats
+ More statues in the dungeon have something to say (49 statues left)

0.12.148 (10 juni)
+ Sandman only moves across sand
+ Tweaked sandman stats
+ You can now hookshot towards enemies / cactus XD
+ Tweaked cactus stats
+ Fixed desert dungeon digging grid

All in all there was a pretty nice flow with 4 new enemies finished (and 2 others started) in a about 2.5 days.
Next weekend I'll see about creating a new video to show all the new enemies in action.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on June 10, 2012, 11:47:19 pm
The Stalfos Archer may feel at home with this one. Do you plan on differentiating it from the Soldier archers?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 11, 2012, 05:53:53 am
Ideally I'd make the Stalfos archer laugh after firing an arrow and possibly make his AI slightly worse then a default Human archer.
In reality though, I'll have to see what is possible. I'm also open for any other suggestions.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 19, 2012, 09:09:46 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yKT40_ol9E
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Shane on June 21, 2012, 03:08:48 pm
I've always loved aLttP styled fan games, so this is most certainly something I need to keep my eye on for updates. Nice work!
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 24, 2012, 10:04:27 pm
Here is the latest progress made again. It will be a while before I can work on it again, with the upcoming vacation and all. Originally I had hoped to release the next demo around this time, but adding some additional enemies got me a little sidetracked. The next deadline will be August 1st.

0.12.149 (11 juni)
+ Fixed glitch: could kill cactus with dirt from digging
+ Using Bombos medallion lites all torches in the room
+ Using Ether medallion extinguishes all torches in the room

0.12.150 (14 juni)
+ Improved object destruction for solid enemies

0.12.151 (16 juni)
+ Worked some more on the (skeleton)archer -- default patrolling AI
+ Added new hazard: landmine

0.12.152 (17 juni)
+ Worked some more on the (skeleton)archer

0.12.153 (24 juni)
+ Tweaked positioning Sandman and Leevers on sandy surfaces
+ Edited cactus masking/collisions
+ Added arrows for enemy archers + finished sprites
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: thestig on June 24, 2012, 10:23:40 pm
Martijn, I wouldn't worry about being sidetracked. You've been working on this project with diligence for quite some time now, so I think you deserve to indulge yourself at least a little bit. That being said, the updates look promising. :)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 15, 2012, 09:02:35 pm
I'm back from my vacation so it's time for another progress update:

0.12.154 (28 juni)
+ Fixed error while destroying archers
+ Edited enemy arrows to interact with the character shield

0.12.155 (14 juli)
+ Designed the subboss rooms for the desert dungeon (for a later demo)
+ Tweaked default Armos AI
+ Tweaked plant AI: they now make a little hop as they appear out of the walls
+ Finished converting the last of the normal enemies to the new depth system

0.12.156 (15 juli)
+ Converted the bosses over to the new depth system
+ Converted the hookshot over to the new depth system

0.12.157 (15 juli)
+ Improved sprites of frozen enemies (now takes depth more into account)
+ Worked some more on the archer movements (it can now allign itself with the character)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on July 22, 2012, 01:15:52 am
Pants that pop out of walls?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 22, 2012, 07:56:03 am
You mean plants? XD

Yes, there will be a room in the game where enemies start gushing out of the wall as you enter. Come to think of it. It's been so long since I released anything that I'm not entirely sure if the (empty room) was even present earlier.

Originally I had planned to work on my game like crazy this weekend, maybe even finishing it, then that STEAM summersale happened. Now I've got about 20 new games that all need playing. Life is hard sometimes :'(
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: FrozenFire on July 30, 2012, 02:15:24 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yKT40_ol9E

I haven't been keeping up on this project and I just watched this video and saw Link turning things to ice, then picking up the frozen objects and throwing them to shatter them. :o I just had to comment saying how much I loved that. And the engine seems even more solid than I remember.

... Originally I had planned to work on my game like crazy this weekend, maybe even finishing it...

Wait... finishing it? Has that much really happened since I've checked this out?
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 30, 2012, 04:52:55 am
Finishing refers only to the first dungeon. There is still more then enough I want to add afterwards.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Crim on July 30, 2012, 05:28:58 am
any chance of multiplayer? like a co-op thing similar to 4 swords? actually, after typing this, i realize that's prolly not going to happen haha.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 30, 2012, 05:42:08 am
No, no multiplayer. Singleplayer is challenging enough already. Maybe in a couple of years if I want to try something new XD

Btw. Here is the latest progress report:

0.12.158 (24 juli)
+ Edited enemy arrows so they no longer interact with the shield after hitting solids
+ Worked a little on the text for the dungeon statues
+ Worked some more on the soldier/skeleton archers (sound/movement)

0.12.159 (25 juli)
+ Fixed some text issues with the soldier statues in the dungeon
+ Fixed getting the silver bow & arrow + net in the dungeon
+ When getting new items from chests the itemboxes are now updated
+ Fixed dust cloud positioning when breaking the floor
+ The quake medallion now provides a secundairy means to destroy fragile floors
+ Fixed issues with taking containers up or down a staircase and then throwing them

0.12.160 (26 juli)
+ More statues in the dungeon have something to say (46 statues left)
+ Max number of collectable arrows is lowered to 20 (for demo purposes)
+ Edited boss and subboss stats based on playtesting
+ Improved thrown containers masking / collision script

0.12.161 (28 juli)
+ Removed terrain movement soundeffect while pulling / pushing an object
+ Finished converting a bunch of more things over to the new depth system (last of the character actions + projectile / dungeon scenes / enemy death animations / various object)
+ Slightly tweaked the dungeon ending scene
+ Fixed some issues surrounding the doushing of torches using the full sword swing

0.12.162 (29 juli)
+ Fixed depth issues with dust clouds from fragile floors
+ Added two more scenes to give the player slightly more guidence with the torches
+ Finished converting all of the dungeon events to the new depth system


Still left to do till the next demo:
- Adding text to all the statues in the dungeon (to add some light lore) <-- pushed back till after the next demo
- Adding skeletons with bows <-- in progress
- Building a new depth system (!) <-- in progress
- Going through all the rooms in the dungeons (with testers) to tweak things like item/enemy placement and to check performance. <-- in progress
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Kienamaru on July 30, 2012, 06:44:35 am
Since no one else seemed to proofread your statue dialogue I did for ya.

Here are the few errors.

you mispelled responsible
a phrase or so after that you missed a comma after men fight. should say

men fight, and nobles etc
 You also neglected to capitalize Warlock's Rod. In the way you used it it sounds like an important item which would warrant capitalization.

lastly you mentioned the lute player. The word you meant to use was morale. There is an e after moral unless saying (moral of the story.)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: FrozenFire on July 30, 2012, 10:28:13 pm
Finishing refers only to the first dungeon. There is still more then enough I want to add afterwards.

Ah, ok, that makes sense, since you seem to be focusing on making tons of enemies, items, and working out the game mechanics before doing much of the world design. Which, imo, is a good way to go about developing a game. You're pretty much setting up your game so that it will all fall into place quicker with less difficulty as the game progresses, or so it seems. Or maybe I'm just thinking that you have my kind of thinking, ha ha.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 31, 2012, 04:44:49 pm
@ Kienamaru: Fixed, except for the warlock's rod. There it's meant as the rod from a warlock, which later becomes known as the Rod of Medu.

@ FrozenFire: Yeah, we still have a similar logic to these kinds of things apparently.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Kienamaru on August 01, 2012, 09:21:03 pm
ah, cool then. If you need any more proofreading done just let the world know and I'll check it out next time I'm here.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 03, 2012, 07:20:18 am
Thanks for the kind offer. In that case. Here are the last few piece of text I added to the game:

Show content
        message[0] = "Sir Leon - ???";
        message[1] = "After years of loyal service he was";
        message[2] = "promoted to protect this royal tomb.";
        message[3] = "For a knight it is the highest honor";
        message[4] = "as it also means to be entrusted with";
        message[5] = "all of the kingdom's secrets.";

        message[0] = "Sir Renji - ???";
        message[1] = "After his promotion to the tombs he";
        message[2] = "did much to improved the security.";
        message[3] = "Besides traps and blockades he also";
        message[4] = "added a room with statues to simply";
        message[5] = "draw attention from the real switch.";

        message[0] = "Sir Zant - ???";
        message[1] = "One of the prestigious guardians of";
        message[2] = "the royal tombs. Eventually given";
        message[3] = "the nickname Heavy Zant for falling";
        message[4] = "through a nearby floor under the";
        message[5] = "added weight from his armor.";
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Kienamaru on August 03, 2012, 10:34:21 am
Here we go.

Leon
msg 3- works either way... so (put a comma after knight) OR put a comma after honor

Renji
msg 2- change improved to improve
msg 3- place the word "away" after attention. (Example, to draw attention away from.. etc)

Zant
msg 5- change added weight from to "of" (You could also change the word added to extra)
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 04, 2012, 06:57:41 am
Thanks. I'll take a look at it.
Title: Re: [Demo] Tech demo - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 09, 2012, 06:06:06 pm
Originally I had planned to fully finish the archers before I'd release the next demo, but I'm a little bored with that piece of coding so I'll release the demo next sunday without them. Finally XD

Here is another listing of the recent progress made:

0.12.163 (2 augustus)
+ Fixed various more (depth) issues

0.12.163 (4 augustus)
+ Improved creation code of collectable items (like rupees) from flying enemies / containers
+ Fixed depth issues within the collision scripts
+ Edited text on a few soldier statues
+ Fixed depth issues with splashing water
+ Improved archer allignment coordinates in relation to Link
+ Edited shield masking to improve collisions with enemy arrows
+ Improved the digging mechanic in combination with (enemy)containers

0.12.164 (4 augustus)
+ Fixed depth issues with large soldier statues
+ Fixed depth issues with the boss

0.12.165 (5 augustus)
+ Finally finished new depthsystem (!!)

--------------------------------------------------

EDIT: Here is the summarised list of changes in demo 13
- Added rooms to the sewers and dungeon 2
- Finished the last rooms for dungeon 1
- Added text to a large number of statues in dungeon 1
- Enemies can now reject some attacks
- Enemy movement scripting has been improved
- Character and enemy collisions have been completely redone
- Improved the use of the hookshot in various ways
- Improved the character movement script (incl. adding a pull and reject force)
- All timelines and paths have been converted into scripts
- Added a save and continue functionalities
- Added the victory animation for Link
- Finished collectable fairies
- Build in a new depth system
- Improved container masking, sprites and collisions
- Redid the magic consumption set-up
- The game now features scenes
- Added a sidekick character (Murray) during the scenes
- All sound effects are now stored externally
- Changes the way (solid) masking is handled (saving lots of resources and improving performance)
- Optimized the used tilesets
- Converted the game over to Gamemaker 8.1 (version 8.1.141)
- Updated the digging mechanic
- Added titlescreen and intro sequence
- Added button mash sword attack
- Added collectable full heart container + dungeon treasure
- Added hitswitches (just yellow ones for now)
- Implemented plant flud room (= enemies keep gushing out while in the room)
- Added new terrain: sandpits
- Added new terrain: metal surface
- Added new enemy: Hardhat Beetle (Blue + Red)
- Added new enemy: Deibadora (Green + Blue + Red)
- Added new enemy: Beamos + Eye Laser
- Added new enemy: Wall Cannon
- Added new enemy: Armos
- Added new enemy: Yellow Slime (creatable through the Quake medallion)
- Added new enemy: Vulture
- Added new enemy: Sandman
- Added new enemy: Leever (Green + Purple)
- Added new enemy: Zol (Green + Blue + Red + Yellow)
- Added new subboss: Vanmol
- Added new boss: Last Remnant
- Added new item: Quake Medallion
- Added new item: Boomerang (default)
- Added new hazard: Cactus
- Added new hazard: Landmine
- And much more, but it's too much to mention. Seriously.
Title: Re: Tech demo - Horn of Balance [Demo 13.00 has now been released]
Post by: Martijn dh on August 12, 2012, 07:24:57 am
Like the title says. Demo 0.13.00 is out!
Check the (updated) first post or click the following link: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ifuh4aetkcyg96s (http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ifuh4aetkcyg96s)
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 19, 2012, 10:33:45 am
I must say. I'm a little dissappointed by the non existant feedback so far, but oh well.I anyboidy has any feedback on how to make the game more appealing to download or comment on then let me know.

In the meantime: progress continues. I've added the magic hammer this week and am now working a little on the desert dungeon's design and some new enemies.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Master Yoshi on August 19, 2012, 04:56:01 pm
I'm sorry to see the lack of feedback you've received from such amazing work. As soon as I have a working computer again I will give the demo a try. Any chance of a video to show where you're currently at, progress wise?
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 19, 2012, 06:16:11 pm
Thank you.
I will work to create a new video somewhere next weekend.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Freki on August 19, 2012, 07:04:12 pm
You're doing a great job in this game, it looks very promising. What needs a change it's the sword attack, in ALttP it is a little bit more easier to hit the enemy.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 19, 2012, 07:34:39 pm
Can you give me an example of an enemy and circumstance where you feel things could be improved? Changing the enemy collisions is a bit complicated, but I might be able to tweak things. That being said, I did recently alter the collisionhandling in order to make it more "realistic". It's not just a case of sprite A collides with sprite B anymore.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Freki on August 19, 2012, 08:10:01 pm
Maybe increasing the area of sword attack collision can make it better, I don't know... I just feel it doesn't give you too much reaction time compared to ALttP when an enemy move towards you.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: cheesepie on August 19, 2012, 08:52:10 pm
WOW THIS IS AMAZING!!!!,  ;) This has some serious potential keep it up, don't let non existent feedback hold you back. I can only imagine a completely new ALTTP zelda game with new dungeons! KEEP IT UP  8)
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Atrius on August 19, 2012, 09:59:03 pm
Very good work so far, It feels a lot like LttP.  The engine is coming along very nicely, and has a good level of polish to it.


There is room for improvement though, here are a few things I noticed.  My main complaint right now is the controls so the first few have to do with them.

- Why can the player have two items equipped, and there's one button for using one, and one button for switching between which one you use?  2 items, 2 buttons, why make it confusing, let the player assign one item to each button instead of making them have to worry about accidentally having the wrong one highlighted.  Or get rid of the second item slot to cut down on your number of controls since you probably have too many right now anyway.

- Why is the button used for activating/initiating interaction also a cancel button in menus?  It's like saying green means go, but also sometimes stop.

- I want to assign the item menu to the enter button, why does it also swing my sword anyway?


Anyway, enough about controls, on to the rest.

- Freki's right, something feels off about attacking enemies sometimes.  I don't think it's the range of the sword, I think it might have something more to do with the timing of it detecting the hit sometimes.  I don't know for sure though, it's kinda hard to say.

- The physics of item drops look awkward, like they're moving at a constant speed as they fall and bounce.  There should be more acceleration/deceleration to it.  Gravity speeds things up as they fall, and slow them down when they're moving up.

- Why can I throw a boomerang over this (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v698/AtriusV/Random%20Screens/WhyNoArrow.gif), but not shoot an arrow over it?

- Is it just me or is the beeping when your life is low even more annoying than it was in LttP?  Is it quicker, or something?

Also, I hope you get rid of the default F1 menu, I kinda face palm every time I see that used seriously in a GM game.

Keep up the good work, I can tell a lot of effort went into this.  I haven't beaten the dungeon yet, but I really like what I see so far.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 20, 2012, 08:02:28 pm
Thanks for the constructive criticism.

1. Sword collisions: I find it hard pinpoint what I should improved, but I'll see what I can do. Any further details from you or others is always welcome.
2. Altering between the two items... I'm not really sure anymore what my initial thoughtprocess was behind that. I do know nobody complained so I kept it XD I'll see about mapping individual buttons to the items. Downgrading to just one item is something I'll probably not do. I plan on connecting the lantern'' s light to wether or not you are carrying the item. Seemed like a nice little touch to add. Also, bosses or enemies requiring two items (like the water temple boss with hookshot + hammer) become much more user friendly.
3. Action button that is also cancel. Is it really that annoying? I'll listen to any alternative you might have, but I'm not for adding more buttons.
4. The enter button being reserved as the "okay" button (and inherently the sword attack). This was done so people can navigate the game with arrows, enter and esc in the very beginning. What I could do is map the enter as the secondary attack button, but have that functionality dissolve once the player chooses to map the enter key to some other function. It might feel a little counter intuitive to some though. Anybody have any feedback on this idea?
5. Items dropping with set speed only. I'll take a look at it. It shouldn't be too hard to alter.
6. Arrows blocked. Now that you mention it. Something went wrong there. I'll take a look at it,
7. Annoying health sound. Nope, similarly annoying to the original. That's not to say the original can't be improved upon. I've lowered the volume a little bit. That might help.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Atrius on August 21, 2012, 03:40:34 am
Quote
3. Action button that is also cancel. Is it really that annoying? I'll listen to any alternative you might have, but I'm not for adding more buttons.
Neither am I, the way I see it there are three options:

1) Make the sword button the cancel button, which is in line with many of the Zelda games using the B button for the sword & cancel.

2) Making the sword button and/or item buttons context sensitive so they can also activate objects, like many of the portable Zelda games did for the A button.  It's not terribly difficult either, basically just detect if the player can interact with something in front of them and if not perform the normal function of the button.

3) Turn the Sword into an item freeing up it's button for either action or cancel.


By combining some of these you could even get rid of a button or two further simplifying your control scheme if you do it intelligently.



Using the Enter button on the main menu is fine, but I don't see why it has to be mapped to anything the player doesn't want it to be in game.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 21, 2012, 08:52:48 pm
The next demo will now have the sword button as the cancel button and the action button as the confirm button.
I've also removed the pre-set functionality for the enter button (but kept the space button).

EDIT: The F1 functionality has been disabled. The text that was there will instead be readable in a readme.txt accomanying the executable.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 26, 2012, 07:47:15 am
Just a quick progress update:
(http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/2131/screenshot104ml.png)

I'm also working on the green patrolling soldier. Maybe I'll have a screenshot of that guy later today.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on August 30, 2012, 07:33:14 pm
Humph! I remember those electric jellyfish (if I knew their names, I would curse them by it). They're the most annoying enemies I have ever come across in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 02, 2012, 09:37:06 pm
Here's another progress report:

0.13.05 (19 augustus)
+ Worked some more on the blue buri
+ Worked some more on the design for the desert dungeon

0.13.06 (21 augustus)
+ Lowered volume of the health alarm
+ The attack button (instead of the action button) now doubles as the cancel button
+ The enter button no longer has a preset functionality

0.13.07 (24 augustus)
+ The F1 functionality has been disable and the text has been relocated to a readme file
+ Adjusted several things on the optionsscreen
+ Fixed issue: arrows blocked by passable solids while the boomerang is not

0.13.08 (26 augustus)
+ Implemented constants to indicate the character's base state (rather then just indexes)
+ Turning a cukeman to ice and then hitting it with a hammer turns it to a buzz blob
+ No random items can be gained through burning enemies
+ Finished new enemy: Blue Buri
+ Added new enemy: Red Buri + Tiny Buri

0.13.09 (28 augustus)
+ Improved enemy and character movement script (=corner cutting mechanic)

0.13.10 (2 september)
+ Fixed depth issue sometimes occurred when landing from crashing into something and continuing running downwards
+ Object speed is no longer used for character movements. Something I've been phasing out for a while now.
+ Also improved the character movement script when flying from crashing into something
+ It's no longer allowed to pause the game while being shocked
+ Enemies can now have more then one set of defensive stats
+ Started work on new enemy: Turtle

I'll post a new screenshot or video soon hopefully. (Helped my brother move to his new apartment somewhat this weekend).
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 09, 2012, 02:22:45 pm
Just a little screenshot showing the latest progress (turtle and goriya enemies).

(http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/9689/screenshot101y.png)

I'll probably update this post at a later time for another detailed progress listing.

EDIT:
And here is an overview of the latest progress:

0.13.11 (4 september)
+ Raised volume health alarm
+ Health alarm now starts when health is below 1/6th full health or below 1,5 hearts
+ Eyegore enemies can no longer turn to stone while in contact with Link

0.13.12 (8 september)
+ Finished adding new enemy: Turtle
+ Hitting an armored enemy with the hammer slightly pushes you backwards

0.13.13 (9 september)
+ Added new enemy: Green Goriya
+ Tweaked Turtle stats
+ Improved collisions between (some) projectiles and the character's shield
+ Fixed glitch: arrows do not respond properly to collisions with indestructable containers
+ Added new enemy: Red Goriya
+ Attacks can now also be fire attacks (no special benefits or penalties present at this time)
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on September 10, 2012, 03:57:56 am
Man those Goriya were a pain. They move the opposite of where you mive and the Red one spew fire at those intercepting their path.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: ALTTP Fan on September 12, 2012, 08:38:39 pm
AMAZING demo! Well done indeed! I still havent finished it yet(need to get my gamepad working) but once  do, I will return with some feedback.
About the sword, I remember using an already existing movement engine and getting the sword to be 100% accurate to ALTTP when cutting a bush and it took ages to get right. Wish I still had that .gmk....
I would like to help out if I can on little things like sprite animations/speed and collisions etc

1 quick question before I go - are you using links shadow as the collision mask or a 16 x 16 sprite?
Collision seems strange.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 12, 2012, 09:20:36 pm
If you want to help out with sprites and such then that would be great! I have some very specific sprite requests I could really use hand with. Shall I send you a list of the request within the next couple of days?

Getting the sword animation exactly like in the original is VERY hard because the original is 60fps and mine is 30fps. An approximation of the feel is best I can do given that.

The collisions are pretty complex. There is a mask sightly different from Link's shadow that is used for collisions while walking (= detect solids and such). Then there is a square mask roughly in the centre of Link to handle collisions with enemies in place of his body. Running also using this mask to determine if an enemy is hit. And of course there are separate collision sprites for his shield, sword and other damaging items.
Collisions on the enemy side are handled in one of three ways:
1. There is an invisible mask near the based of enemy somewhat different from the shadow.
2. The enemy sprite is used for collision checking. Or more specifically: any or all of the enemy sprites attached to an enemy control object can be switched on to do this.
3. Flying / falling / jumping enemies use the above mentioned methods to detect collisions with Link, but with the added condition that the enemy, placed at the ground, should also be in collision with the character. (I'm doing this from memory right now, but that's the idea).
That's all aside from a main mask used in the movement engine.

I'm actually planning on programming in the helmasaurus enemy some time during the next couple of weeks. To do that I'll also give the enemy sprites/masks an indicator to make them armored. This would mean that during collisions they take precedence over other sprites much like how Link's shield works in relation to Link's "body". If an arrow hits the shield before it hits the body then the arrow is blocked. The other way around means Link is hurt. For armored sprites you'd get: if a sword attack hits the armored sprite first then the attack is rejected, otherwise the enemy is hurt. This will make it possible for an enemy to be invincible from the front, but vulnerable from the back.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: ALTTP Fan on September 13, 2012, 02:42:53 am
Sure, send me the list and I will do my best :)
Collisions really do sound complicated! I wish I was skilled in coding and such but I'm still a complete beginner.
Even still, I think the shape and dimensions of the sprite mask is important for walking and stuff. For my walking collisions, I changed the mask from a shadow to a 16 x 16 square and the collisions are much more accurate to the way they are done in ALTTP.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Kienamaru on September 13, 2012, 10:29:36 pm
If you need any more proof reading done, I'll be available nearly anytime.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 14, 2012, 11:06:41 am
Thank you. I'm currently focusing more on enemy mechanics so it'll sadly be a while before I get to text/scenes. When I do get around to it though I'll be sure to posts what I have in this topic.

What I also can always use help with are sprites and mapping of the overworld.

EDIT: Here is the latest addition to the game:
(http://imageshack.us/a/img43/897/soldierrookiea.png)
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Kienamaru on September 14, 2012, 07:04:17 pm
Alright then. Sorry about the again. I may have confused this topic with another. But either way, I'll help when you get to it. I can't map or sprite so hmm, I'll just keep up with this. It looks great really.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 16, 2012, 03:36:18 pm
Here is the progress made this weekend. It's a work in progress so I'm still using placeholders for containers, wall lights, pillars and a chest. Let me know what you think.

For context: This route is the secret backdoor entrance for the second dungeon. You enter in the upper left and the lower right exits you in the dungeon's main garden. You progress by solving some puzzles or killing all the enemies.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 18, 2012, 07:02:55 pm
Worked on the website for NCFC. Which of the following site headers looks best?
(http://imageshack.us/a/img31/8015/naamloosun.png)
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: thestig on September 18, 2012, 07:33:53 pm
Bottom one. Top is way too plain with the font.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Zhello on September 18, 2012, 07:48:08 pm
Bottom one. Top is way too plain with the font.
Seconded. A plus in detail is always best  XD
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 19, 2012, 12:13:52 pm
Then that's what I'll go with.
You can see the current progress between the old and new website in the attachement. Feel free to comment.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on September 20, 2012, 01:00:13 pm
The new one looks more organized.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 22, 2012, 03:42:23 pm
In the attachment is another visual of the progress I am currently making.
This map will replace the one screen outside area from before. It's all just temporary till after the second or third dungeon is finished.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Kami on September 22, 2012, 03:49:45 pm
Ahh, that's kind of like a more expaned beta zone.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 22, 2012, 04:55:08 pm
Yes, that is correct. The small area was getting a little crowded while testing. And I figured players might appreciate it. You're dissappointed?

I'm currently working on outside screen transitions in order to split the area up. That should help keep the framerate low for user with weaker computers.

EDIT:
And ere is an another overview of the latest progress:

0.13.14 (14 september)
+ Added new enemy: Green rookie soldier (+ intergrated it's coding with that of the archer's)
+ Tweaked stats Goriya enemies
+ Changed colors skeleton archer

0.13.15 (21 september)
+ Expanded outside area (visuals only for now)
+ Worked on updating the website for the new NCFC
+ Worked on several new rooms for dungeon 2 + updated the map accordingly

0.13.16 (22 september)
+ Fixed depth issues when burning enemies
+ Recoded parts of the transition objects to make them more uniform
+ Altered running and walking animations (when not holding a container)
+ Finished masking the outside area
+ Added outside screentransitions
+ Altered walking / running animations during transitions

0.13.17 (23 september)
+ You no longer stop when releasing the run button. Instead you need to press a different directional button. (which is in line with the original game).
+ Fixed issues with vulture following you into a new area
+ Tweaked the default walking animation
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: ALTTP Fan on September 25, 2012, 07:23:44 pm
The new website and map look GREAT!! I really like your new outside dungeon map!  XD
Incredible work, my friend.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 30, 2012, 09:29:30 pm
Weekly progress:
Plenty of small improvements. Next week I'll attempt to actually add some more new things again.

0.13.17 (23 september)
+ You no longer stop when releasing the run button. Instead you need to press a different directional button. (which is in line with the original game).
+ Fixed issues with vulture following you into a new area
+ Tweaked the default walking animation

0.13.18 (24 september)
+ Fixed issues with disabling objects outside of the current room after using the item menu
+ Edited the digging grid for some rooms in the desert dungeon
+ Can't dig underneath cactus
+ Pulling power of sandpits has been decreased slightly. You can now escape through walking straight (with effort)
+ Fixed Goriya fireball shooting if it's standing with it's back to a wall and facing south

0.13.19 (25 september)
+ Adjusted the coding/animation for trying to dig in grass areas

0.13.20 (29 september)
+ Expanded the digging mechanic to be able to dig in up to 10 different surfaces on a single map where it was previously just a single type (desert sand / grass land / etc)
+ High grass now respawns simular to containers and enemies
+ Worked some more on the game's website
+ Finished the new outside area
+ Fixed issues with holding your weapon while getting shocked
+ Switched over to constants to keep track of Link Special Status

0.13.21 (30 september)
+ Altered grass masking
+ Altered hammer collisions + interaction with water
+ Improved sprites for broken walllights
+ Improved performance by combining high grass terrain objects
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 06, 2012, 10:50:45 am
It's been a while, but here is a new video finally.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om3hiv1fI18
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: ALTTP Fan on October 06, 2012, 03:10:04 pm
Awesome! :) I love that you can stun enemies by getting dirt in their face from using the shovel!! Thats a great little touch!
Does this update - "+ You no longer stop when releasing the run button. Instead you need to press a different directional button. (which is in line with the original game)." fix the glitch of causing Link to automatically keep walking forward when entering a room? I had that glitch happen quite few times.
Oh, and I havent forgot about helping with some of your requests. I will definitely get round to doing some as soon as I can.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 06, 2012, 09:16:53 pm
It's good of you to remind me of that issue. It might be fixed for running animations, but I'll have to check. I've already tried to fix the entire thing properly a couple of times now, but it's tricky not to do more damage then good. Maybe I'll try again soon.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: link125 on October 07, 2012, 12:27:07 am
Murray the skull

Monkey Island?
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 07, 2012, 07:00:24 am
Yes. Somebody got the reference XD
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: link125 on October 08, 2012, 08:12:01 am
Yes. Somebody got the reference XD
Haha nicely done :)
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 08, 2012, 09:35:50 pm
There is actually a second reference made with this character, through his appearance and the way he laughs. I thought anybody would get the monkey island reference so who knows if somebody finds the second one.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 19, 2012, 01:31:07 pm
Sorry for the absense of updates last weekend. XCOM came out XD
Basically I'm finished for the upcoming NCFC event contentwise and I'm looking for people to help me test and tweak the game. Anybody interested?
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Felix en co. on October 19, 2012, 11:23:26 pm
After a long period of absence, glad to see this game is still in production! Haven't tried out the lastest demo yet, but will try it out as soon s i have access to Windows. I would like to help test out the demo for the NCFC!

[dutch]Altijd bereid om een Nederlander te helpen he;)[/dutch]
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 20, 2012, 11:22:36 am
Thank you. Your help would be most appreciated. Let me know when you're ready and I'll set up a testdemo.

Come to think of it. I haven't updated the dutch gamemaker forum in ages. Might as well get on that as well this weekend.

EDIT: Btw. Does anybody remember who made the contribution in the attachement? I always intented to use it in dungeon two (which I'm currently working on), but it's been so long that I forgot who made it.
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 21, 2012, 04:19:58 pm
Another update:

0.13.22 (6 oktober)
+ Improved efficiency of interaction between enemies and terrain objects
+ Finished new enemies: Soldier / Stalfos archers
+ Made it easier to fall into pits
+ Tweaked the jumping Stalfos to land smoother

0.13.23 (7 oktober)
+ Started work on new enemy: Soldier Grunt Blue
+ Started work on new enemy: Soldier Grunt Red
+ Tweaked Buri masking
+ Improved Archer detection

0.13.24 (16 oktober)
+ Started work on new enemy: Stalrope

0.13.25 (20 oktober)
+ Recoded system for colors/pallets enemies and containers (the old one was getting bloated)
+ Altered interaction between shovel and poles
+ (Finally) managed to fix issues concerning continued walking after missed button releases
+ Tweaked overworld content slightly
+ Designed more rooms for the second dungeon

0.13.26 (21 oktober)
+ Designed and masked 4 more rooms for the second dungeon
+ Started work on new enemy: Spiked blocks


The attachment shows one of the four new rooms for dungeon2. (Will not be playable in the NCFC demo yet though)
Title: Re: [Demo 13] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 04, 2012, 09:24:04 am
In an attempt to learn from last years NCFC I have decided to release the demo one week early so people can playtest beforehand. Please let me know what you think. As always: any and all feedback is welcome.

Download link (demo 14):
http://www.mediafire.com/?4w4d2c4a8zxk0bk (http://www.mediafire.com/?4w4d2c4a8zxk0bk)

Things altered in comparison to demo 13:
+ Added new item: Magic hammer
+ Added poles (to crush with the hammer)
+ Added new enemy: Blue Buri
+ Added new enemy: Red Buri + Tiny Buri
+ Added new enemy: Turtle
+ Added new enemy: Green Goriya
+ Added new enemy: Red Goriya
+ Added new enemy: Soldier archer
+ Added new enemy: Stalfos archer
+ Added new enemy: Green rookie soldier
+ Added new enemy: Stalrope
+ Altered the outside area and dungeon 2
+ The attack button (instead of the action button) now doubles as the cancel button
+ The enter button no longer has a pre-set functionality
+ The F1 functionality has been disable and the text has been relocated to a readme file
+ Turning a cukeman to ice and then hitting it with a hammer turns it to a buzz blob
+ Improved enemy and character movement scripts (incl better movement along corners)
+ Recoded the transition objects and added outside transitions
+ Altered running and walking animations (when not holding a container and during transitions)
+ You no longer stop when releasing the run button. Instead you need to press a different directional button.
+ Tweaked the use of the shovel in various ways
+ Expanded the digging mechanic to be able to dig in up to 10 different surfaces on a single map where it was previously just a single type (desert sand / grass land / etc)
+ Improved game performance
+ Tweaked pull from pits dirt holes
+ Recoded system for colors/pallets enemies and containers
+ (Finally) managed to fix issues concerning continued walking after missed button releases
+ A large number of smaller things
Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 10, 2012, 01:41:05 pm
Just a little update. Here is the website voor the NCFC event:
http://martijndh.woelmuis.nl/index.htm (http://martijndh.woelmuis.nl/index.htm)

Did anybody find any issues in the current demo that needed fixing? I still have about 1 day to adress whatever is found.
Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: thestig on November 10, 2012, 02:47:36 pm
Such nice progress through unquestioned dedication. I surely do hope you get the recognition you deserve, Martijn.

Anyhow I'll check out the new demo to confirm freezing on my end later today. For now, I must go shave this god damn beard off.
Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Kienamaru on November 11, 2012, 02:39:34 am
does this demo play on any computer or do I need to install some sort of game player? Asking because I'll be getting it once I go over my friend's place. I know itll be too late for the event but I can still see if I find anything good or bad with the game so far..
Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: BlazeBigBang on November 11, 2012, 02:42:45 am
does this demo play on any computer or do I need to install some sort of game player? Asking because I'll be getting it once I go over my friend's place. I know itll be too late for the event but I can still see if I find anything good or bad with the game so far..

You can run it in any computer, it's an .exe file.
Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 11, 2012, 10:40:09 pm
Found and fixed a little glitch just in the nick of time. Here is a report of today's progress:

0.14.01 (11 november)
+ Altered Link's collision masking (now easier to get hit)
+ Tweaked Deibadora masking / AI
+ Tweaked masking cannonballs / popo / headless skeleton / bari's / cactus
+ Fixed issue: skeletons drop down during text as you light torches in dungeon 1 (also fixed in NCFC demo)
+ Fixed graphical errors in the overworld (also fixed in NCFC demo)
+ Tweaked arrows sticking to enemies
+ Finished new enemy: Spiked blocks (stationairy)
+ Finished new enemy: Stalrope
+ Tweaked Rope enemy
+ Added new enemy: Spiked block (automatic movement)
Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 16, 2012, 07:46:02 pm
So, the NCFC is almost over and I've once again been humbled. :-\ I'm not really sure what went wrong but out of 5 entries (of which only two had an actual demo) I'm currently standing second to last....Ouch. I'll continue regardless, but some positive feedback would have been nice ego boost. Oh well. Guess I'll just have to try harder next time again. If anybody has any feedback or advise then I'm al ears. As usual.

Here is a new overview of the latest progress:

0.14.02 (16 november)
+ Addressed sound issues with automatic moving spiked blocks
+ Tweaked Sandman AI
+ Made various small alterations to dungeon 2
+ Added one new room to dungeon 2
+ Added new enemy: Spiked block (triggered movement)

Move! Move!
(http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/2053/screenshot102n.png)
Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: FrozenFire on November 17, 2012, 10:10:03 pm
So, the NCFC is almost over and I've once again been humbled. :-\ I'm not really sure what went wrong but out of 5 entries (of which only two had an actual demo) I'm currently standing second to last....Ouch. I'll continue regardless, but some positive feedback would have been nice ego boost. Oh well. Guess I'll just have to try harder next time again. If anybody has any feedback or advise then I'm al ears. As usual.

Martijn! Hey, so you're in 3rd atm and you are close to Oracle of Secrets. It's EoA that's really killing it out there.

So, what I think happened is pretty simple. Your thumbnail presentation picture is probably the reason you haven't gotten more votes. EoA is made of eye-catching colors for one thing, and it's using graphics with more colors and it's just nicer on the eyes.

My advice for next year is this: Don't downsize your graphics to make a whole screen fit in the thumbnail. Keep the graphics scale at 1x, and of course, never let it stretch in any way. Use a screenshot of the most vividly colorful and interesting area, maybe capture some kind of fighting action or NPCs in the screenshot. Possibly overlay the game title graphic on top of the screenshot (placement depends on what is in the screenshot). Doing this will make it feel more like a representative graphic to the game as a whole rather than just a part. This makes a very subtle difference, but it's a very good way to go if done correctly. Next year, go ahead and put up your planned thumbnail here first, so the ZFGC community can give you feedback on what might make it look more inviting.

Besides the presentation, the only other thing I can think of as far as the actual game engine is that more people like MC graphics over the ALttP graphics. MC has more colors, the shading looks nicer, and the colors are more vivid. So my only other advice is to eventually make an alternate version that simply replaces the ALttP graphics with MC style, and possibly the audio as well. As long as you can easily grab the resources, this would be fairly simple to do. I believe that, if you did this, you'd get the most votes next time, easily. Your engine is solid and it's got a lot of content.
Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 18, 2012, 01:04:41 pm
Thank you. I'll keep that in mind for next year's event!

As for the minish cape visuals. I believe you are right in that it might be the way to get more votes. It just isn't for me. If that is the sole reason not to get to first place then I am perfectly at peace with it. I get that a lot of people care for those graphics more (maybe 'cause they are too young for alttp?), but there are also a lot of fangames based on the GBA and NES visuals so it's appearantly not for everyone. It also factors in that I like the alttp style far more myself as well.

Who knows. Maybe I will drastically change course in the far future, but changes are it will be to a public alttp game engine (like OpenZelda) or to a reskin/rebuild which could potentially make money (two completely opposite mindsets, I know XD).

While I'm posting. Here is the latest progress made:

0.14.03 (17 november)
+ Game starts now starts with 5 arrows
+ Fixed glitch with the spiked blocks
+ Fixed graphical issue picking up stones in the desert setting
+ Adjusted various things in existing rooms in dungeon 2
+ Tweaked Gel / Zol movement AI
+ Added more movable objects and chest contents
+ Added one of two pillar puzzles to dungeon 2's basement
Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on November 18, 2012, 02:12:29 pm
Don't give up! This could be a perfect game to re-introduce ALTTP to everyone.
Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: FrozenFire on November 19, 2012, 12:11:34 am
I'm actually very glad to hear that you are sticking to ALttP. I like both the ALttP and MC graphic styles about equally, but there really aren't enough ALttP games, since MC has become the 2D Zelda standard, er something.
Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 25, 2012, 09:34:59 am
Thank you both for the kind words. I meant to reply last week, but I've been busy (= now tutoring 4 children and on occassion working late).

The attachments seem to have been erased with the site migration so I'll repost the last one along with a new one.

Here is the latest progress:

0.14.04 (22 november)
+ Added second pillar puzzle to dungeon 2
+ Fixed glitch: missed release of the grab button

0.14.05 (24 november)
+ Tiles I use to visualise room borders are now always turned of ingame. So all screenshots and videos will hence forth be without those colored backgrounds.
+ Altered the titlesequence a little and added "PRESS SPACE"

Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 01, 2012, 10:17:48 am
Here is another small progress report from last week:

0.14.06 (25 november)
+ Added three new large crates as containers (require gloves)
+ Tweaked dungeon 2 room designs
+ Added (new) digging grid to several dungeon 2 rooms

*Also (since hyping is not a natural state of mind for me) I've promised myself to share one new screenshot or video each and every time I post in this topic. So check the attachement.
Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 02, 2012, 05:37:16 pm
This weekend's progress report:

0.14.07 (2 december)
+ Fixed error with containers positioned outside of a diggrid
+ Added and implemented a movable bookcase
+ Rod's magic attacks can move through torches
+ Tweaked Leever AI (now appears less close to the character and only appear if he's within a certain distance)
+ (Re)designed 5 more rooms for the desert dungeon
+ Updated map of dungeon2
Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on December 07, 2012, 03:51:41 pm
I can tell that there is a lot of effort in this one.
Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 07, 2012, 06:29:22 pm
Thanks. It was indeed a bit of work to cover all the possibilities.

@Linkwolf48: I've attached your request in the attachment.
Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on December 09, 2012, 01:24:05 am
A sandman?
Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 09, 2012, 07:25:16 pm
Yes, he asked me if I had those sprites and the forum seemed like a handy way of giving them to him.

Here is this weekend's progress. It's a little less then normal, because I'm also helping out another project for a while.

0.14.08 (9 december)
+ Tweaked Leever / Sandman AI (will now only appear if Link is standing (slightly) on sand)
+ Slightly tweaked the credits sequence
+ Added new type of hitswitches: can alternate between on and off
+ Finished backdoor entrance to dungeon 2
Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on December 16, 2012, 04:59:03 am
You are helping in another project? Who's?
Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 16, 2012, 07:46:19 pm
I'm also working on programming the ingame menu in Echoes of Aurelia. It's in exchange for custom sprites (you'll likely love the custom boss sprites) and some variations is good every now and then.

As always. Here is this weekend's progress along with attached screenshots.

0.14.09 (15 december)
+ Masked and finished 5 rooms in the desert dungeon
+ Started work on the kitchen entrance scene

0.14.10 (16 december)
+ Finished work on the kitchen entrance scene
+ Tweaked leever AI (adressed appearing / dissappearing outside of sandy areas)
Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 23, 2012, 12:52:19 pm
Here is this weekend's progress report. Along with another screenshot.

0.14.11 (22 december)
+ Screen refresh rate has been fixed to 60 fps
+ Fixed glitch with changing depths in sandy rooms (in some instances)
+ Optimized some backgrounds
+ Improved Leever AI (now stops following if you change floors and they are able to burrow)
+ Fixed surface errors in the hud
+ Fixed surface errors on the starting screens
+ Tweaked wall crashing

0.14.12 (23 december)
+ Tweaked AI soldier archers
+ Finished new enemy: Soldier Grunt Blue
+ Finished new enemy: Soldier Grunt Red
+ Added new enemies: Soldier Grunt Green + Yellow
+ Further optimized backgrounds
Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on December 26, 2012, 05:10:20 am
The soldiers now have new colors? Do they get new weapons as well?
Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 27, 2012, 12:37:11 pm
Well, I have been thinking about it but I haven't come up with any good ideas yet. I can think of other enemies like a sword, bow or spear (like a halbert) but those don't anything new to the gameplay. I'll listen to requests/suggestions if you have any though.

The extra color is because the world will be split into at least four areas. I seemed logical to already add the fourth version.
Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on December 28, 2012, 06:39:15 am
For weapon suggestions, try these:
Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 01, 2013, 03:55:53 pm
A soldier swinging an axe (or possible two handed sword) about might work well in a 2-dimensional space. I'll write it down to consider at a later time.

Here is last years progress report along with a new screenshot:

0.14.13 (29 december)
+ Further optimized backgrounds
+ Adressed error: Game throws "division by zero" error at the start of the game due to compatability issues with certain graphic cards.

0.14.14 (30 december)
+ Tweaked item placement from destroyed containers
+ Added new container: dark world skull
+ Added Armos variant that does not wake up
+ Added Armos variant that only awakens if you attack or try to interact with it

0.14.15 (01 jan 2013)
+ Added master chest room to dungeon 2

--------------

EDIT: Turns out that at least two people get a "divide by zero" error when trying to play my game. Maybe there are more people who encounter this, but I've decided to work on uploading a fixed demo in the next couple of days. For those of you who are interested: the divide by zero error occurs on some graphical cards if you use the gamemaker function sprite_create_from_surface() during the creation event of an object while the sprite you want to create has a width value that can be divided by 8. Go figure. ::)
Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: mickeyg on January 04, 2013, 10:31:05 am
I really love your work here, i've been following it for a while.(NL). but now i wanted to reply so i registered :P

1 question tho.. is it possible for you to tell me how you did the effect when shocked by the green chuchu?
i tried allot of stuff in gamemaker but can't seem to find out.

thanks man! good luck with your game :D
Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 04, 2013, 11:36:56 am
Yeah, I may have slightly neglected the NL forum.... When I release a fixed demo this weekend I'll update the topic there as well.

About the screen effect. I'm not going to lie... it's a little complex. I'm not sure how much use you'll get out of the explanation, but I'll give anyway.

1. Turn a switch which makes all the objects I want to remain unaffected draw pitch black. As in: Link's sprites, the HUD and enemies. This is handled in the draw events of the various objects themselves. Also the coloring is important. It has to be pitchblack and the same color can't be used anywhere else in the game ('cause then those pixels would also remain unaffected).
2. Save a screenshot to a surface.
3. Save the surface as a sprite (which I'll call A), also making the black areas transparent in the process.
4. Draw sprite A onto a surface as a fully black image. The result will be an inverted screenshot basically in the sense that all is black with silhouettes for the "constant" elements in the original screenshot (=Link's sprites, the HUD and the enemies)
5. Make a new surface and draw the screenshot and then the surface from 4 onto it.
6. Save this latest surface also as a sprite, again turning the black color transparent. With this you'll have isolated all the sections of the original screenshot that should remain unaffected. Or in other words: You'd have a transparent surface with ONLY the character, enemies and HUD drawn onto it and only the pats you see in the original screenshot. That last part is especially important, because without it "constant" elements on screen will always be drawn on the forground during the effect. If you have an enemy standing behind a bridge or tree you probably don't want to have him pop up in front of said bridge or tree. I'll call the latest sprite B.
7. Next we take sprite A (which had the holes in it) and draw it 5 times onto a new surface. Draw them at the following positions (the sprite should not have any offset values and also the order and placing is importanthere): draw at (0,-8), (-8,0), (0,8), (8,0) and finally like normal at (0,0). The result is sprite A, but with the empty spaces (mostly) filled up with similar colors as the surrounding pixels. You'll get weird graphical effects if skip this. I call this sprite C.

Basically step 1 through 7 have been preparation for the blocky effect. They can best be done just once at the initiation of the shock effect to save resources because the following takes a lot of processing power.

8. Next we created the main effect. From left to right I keep taking a vertical slice (every n pixels) from spriteC and draw it onto a new surface while stretching it the same n pixels in width. I do the same with the resulting image onto the actual screen, only then drawing horizontal slices stretched in height. n equals the size of the resulting blocks. So let's say you are at the start of you're shock sequence and want to create a blocky effect with blocks of 2x2 pixels. Create a drawing loop that draws every second vertical line of sprite C at the same location on a new surface, but with a width x2. Repeat this with the resulting surface to the actual screen but looping through the height rather then the width. Take every second horizontal line in the surface you want to draw. Draw it at the same position on the screen, but draw it with height x2. The result is the blurred screenshot without having used the character, enemies and other constant elements. I must note that drawing lines and stretching them is WAY more efficient then doing it block by block, obviously.
9. Finally draw sprite B (which held just the constant elemants) onto the screen.

And voila. Screen successfully distorted.

I'd like to say that's all, but I'm still having problems with preexisting (partly transparent) surfaces in the original screenshot because they are not saved to surfaces correctly. It's a gamemaker issue so I'm not try to solve it at this time. I'm also unable to get the performance to 30 fps (yet :)), but it's hardly noticeable because of the nature of the effect (luckily).
Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 05, 2013, 12:26:44 pm
Sorry for the double post. I've taken the time to create a new gameplay video that I wanted to share:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pamhU9j9jjQ
Title: Re: [NCFC demo] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Atom on January 06, 2013, 01:05:34 pm
Very, very nice, I deffinately like the ai of some of your enemies more then the stuff that I am working with myself. The soldiers really react well on link his presence. Just like in alttp itself.

well I'm off again, (have to find a way to fix my dodongo snake, yet have failed in that for several weeks), will check back on this project again soon.
Title: [DEMO 15] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 06, 2013, 03:52:50 pm
Thanks. I spend a lot of time trying the AI just the way I like it, so it's nice to hear it's appreciated.

Here is this weekend's progress report. No screenshot, but I will work on a new demo later today. Sadly I will exclude the recently added soldiers because the collissions with their swords still need work.

0.14.16 (04 jan 2013)
+ New Armos variant now also wakes if you touch it
+ Adjusted script that prevents enemies and containers from spawning into each other.
+ Started work on new enemy: Stal

0.14.17 (05 jan 2013)
+ Finished new enemy: Stal
+ Fixed oversight in coding that enables and disables objects outside of the current room
+ Fixed issue: ledge jumping over doorways
+ Fixed issue: incorrect trigger dungeon 2 cellar scene
+ Improved coding for screenpush room transitions to also be able to handle longer distances

0.14.18 (06 jan 2013)
+ Masked dungeon 2 main plaza and subplaza
+ Added new movable object: royal chair
+ Fixed new issues room transitions left / right

0.14.19 (06 jan 2013)
+ Enemy control objects and enemy sprites can now have their own (seperate) defensive stats
+ Updated enemy mechanics: Soldier swords/spears now reject the character (still needs work)

----------------------------------------

EDIT: Here is the new demo: http://www.mediafire.com/?qucof6ea0wtcfvg (http://www.mediafire.com/?qucof6ea0wtcfvg)
I'll update the starting post next weekend.

Changes based on demo 14:
+ Added new enemy: Stalrope
+ Added new enemy: Soldier Grunt (4 variantions)
+ Added new enemy: Spiked blocks (stationairy / automatic movement / triggered movement)
+ Added new enemy: Stal
+ Added more Armos variants
+ Added or changed various rooms in dungeon 2
+ Added more containers, movable objects and chest contents
+ Tweaked the masking or AI of various existing enemies
+ Fixed various surface errors
+ Fixed error: Game throws "division by zero" error at the start of the game due to compatability issues with certain graphic cards
+ Lots of smaller things
Title: Re: [DEMO 15] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: mickeyg on January 07, 2013, 12:19:02 am
Hahaha you where right  :huh: but thanks for the reply i think i could work with that.. if not i'll ask again! thanks allot ^_^
Title: Re: [DEMO 15] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Kami on January 07, 2013, 12:38:24 am
Just tried out the new demo, but right when it finished loading I got this error:
Code: [Select]
___________________________________________
ERROR in
action number 2
of  Step Event
for object obj_Game_Select_Control_Tile:

Error in code at line 13:
   if (Character_State = 1)
       ^
at position 6: Unknown variable Character_State
Title: Re: [DEMO 15] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Starforsaken101 on January 07, 2013, 12:44:21 am
Looks like somebody didn't commit all of their code ;)
Title: Re: [DEMO 15] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 07, 2013, 07:10:15 am
Just tried out the new demo, but right when it finished loading I got this error:
Code: [Select]
___________________________________________
ERROR in
action number 2
of  Step Event
for object obj_Game_Select_Control_Tile:

Error in code at line 13:
   if (Character_State = 1)
       ^
at position 6: Unknown variable Character_State

:huh: Could you give me more information about what you did before you got this error? Did you get this error on the titlescreen, intro sequence, game select or somewhere else? Can you reproduce it? I can't reproduce it myself and I have just confirmed that this variable is properly initiated when the mentioned object is created. So I'm scratching my head a little. Did you press Ctrl+Alt+Del or something to switch between screens? That shouldn't cause problems anymore either, but I could look into that further if needed.
Title: Re: [DEMO 15] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Kami on January 07, 2013, 08:05:16 pm
Right after the GM Loading bar finished loading I got that error.
It was before the game even started.
Title: Re: [DEMO 15] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 07, 2013, 08:31:43 pm
Did you have the same issue with the previous demo:
Link demo 0.14.00 (http://www.mediafire.com/?4w4d2c4a8zxk0bk)

Also, does anybody else have this problem?
Title: Re: [DEMO 15] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Atom on January 09, 2013, 08:59:23 pm
Not that problem, The first time I tried loading it, it gave me some error about not being able to find a certain file, ( but I fear that I forgot to save the error for you ) The second time I tried loading the demo it worked without a problem.
Title: Re: [DEMO 15] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 12, 2013, 08:49:01 am
Not that problem, The first time I tried loading it, it gave me some error about not being able to find a certain file, ( but I fear that I forgot to save the error for you ) The second time I tried loading the demo it worked without a problem.

That narrows it down a little. Would you be willing to try out some private testdemo's so that I can further pinpoint the problem?


------------------

EDIT: Also, I'm currently working on the game's control scheme. More specifically: I'm making it so each equipped item can be accessed via a different button. I'll add some related before and after screenshots in the attachments. Feedback is always welcome.

EDIT2: Also added HUD screenshots. The item boxes changed.
Title: Re: [DEMO 15] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Atom on January 12, 2013, 05:38:07 pm
Not that problem, The first time I tried loading it, it gave me some error about not being able to find a certain file, ( but I fear that I forgot to save the error for you ) The second time I tried loading the demo it worked without a problem.

That narrows it down a little. Would you be willing to try out some private testdemo's so that I can further pinpoint the problem?


Sure, I can do that.
Title: Re: [DEMO 15] The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 13, 2013, 07:22:23 pm
Expect a message shortly.

------------

Here is this weekends progress:

0.15.01 (12 jan 2013)
+ Fixed item menu surface errors
+ Slightly tweaked item menu / HUD
+ Changed the game's control scheme: now seperate buttons for the two equipable items

0.15.02 (13 jan 2013)
+ Added hidden staircase to bossroom dungeon2
+ Added and fully masked/finished additional room to dungeon 2
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on January 20, 2013, 06:46:07 pm
Hello all,

I've been a bit of a mess this week so I didn't do any of the things I had originally planned or promised. Instead I just did whatever I felt like to relieve some stress. So Atom and Gonken: I'll get around to error catching and Menu building shortly.

Also, I accidentally deleted the first post of this topic when trying to update the project's info on the main page. I'll piece it back together over time.

Here's the latest progress report with some accompanying screenshots attached.

0.15.03 (14 jan 2013)
+ Tweaked text Murray entrance scene
+ Tweaked some small issues in the option menu

0.15.04 (18 jan 2013)
+ Added new enemy: Large spiked block
+ Tweaked dungeon 2 main plaza

0.15.05 (19 jan 2013)
+ Enemy types are now referenced as constants rather then strings
+ Added new enemy: Medusa
+ Started work on new enemy: Trickbox

0.15.06 (20 jan 2013)
+ Fixed error in fireball collisions
+ Finished new enemy: Trickbox
+ Added new enemy: Wizzrobe (Default)
+ Added new enemy: Wizzrobe (Undead)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: RetroRespecter on January 21, 2013, 04:00:15 pm
Wow! That day must have been a mess for you.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Atom on January 26, 2013, 12:29:31 pm
Not a problem, just contact me when you are ready for it.
I know all about doing things to relieve stress, is January the most stressed month of the year. (or at least for me )
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on February 03, 2013, 06:30:28 pm
Thanks. I've got some choices to make with regards to my work (nothing bad though) and a week long course coming up, so I'll be taking it easy for a little while longer. With regards to the error: I've decided not to pursue it till more people report something similar, going under the assumption that the game is still fully playable regardless.

Here is the progress from the last couple of weeks.
+ Adjusted masking large spiked blocks
+ Added cyclops statue movable object
+ Added enemy variation: desert flying tiles
+ Designed 7 new rooms to dungeon 2
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on February 10, 2013, 05:30:27 pm
Not too much progress this week. Just another new enemy.

0.15.08 (10 feb 2013)
+ Added new enemy: Spiked Roll (horizontal / vertical)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on February 15, 2013, 09:19:20 pm
Here is another progress listing and screenshot. I'm still a little absent minded due to work, but maybe I'll get some more work done in the weekend.
For those that care: I applied for division head recently, but (due to circumstances out of my control) might just as well get a temporary downgrade from coordinator back to programmer/tester in the near future... Great... :-\

0.15.09 (15 feb 2013)
+ Added enemy variation: Beamos can now be switch on and off on a whimp
+ Finished programming beamos puzzle/trap in room 23 of dungeon 2
+ Fixed issue: item gets equipped twice after opening a chest
+ Fixed issue: equipped items no longer get refreshed if you get un upgrade from a chest
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on February 17, 2013, 07:31:32 pm
Here is some more progress done and another screenshot.

0.15.10 (16 feb 2013)
+ Added third pillar puzzle (room) to dungeon2
+ Designed another room for dungeon2

0.15.11 (17 feb 2013)
+ Fixed error: destroying flying tiles (with your body) while running throws an error
+ Combined locked doors into a single object
+ Simplified conditional door objects
+ Tweaked dungeon 2 pillar puzzles to stay permanently solved
+ Added in another huge staircase like at the start of dungeon 1
+ Finished another room in dungeon 2
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: RetroRespecter on February 19, 2013, 03:11:10 pm
Exactly how big are you trying to make this dungeon?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on February 19, 2013, 05:21:26 pm
Uuhm. Dungeon1 had 44 rooms. Dungeon2 wil have about 50 rooms. I honestly intented to make the second one smaller then the first one, but I keep have more idea's for rooms.

What do you all think? Bigger is better or Less is more? I'm curious.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Kienamaru on February 20, 2013, 11:23:47 am
That depends entirely on what you put inside the dungeons. You can make less more, or vice versa.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on February 21, 2013, 01:59:52 pm
Agreed.
Let me rephrase the question a little. Would you, as players, prefer a small dungeon with a few puzzles or a larger one with also some "pauses" designed inbetween the action and/or puzzles?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: FrozenFire on February 24, 2013, 06:00:57 am
Personally, I like fairly short dungeons in Zelda games, but lots of them. This is because I usually can't play for too long at one time, not like I used to when I was younger and had loads of free time on my hands. When I save and start the game up again, I'm at the entrance to the dungeon (in most Zelda games, this is the case), so that usually means that I have to go through a few rooms to get back to where I left off. Furthermore, if the dungeon is too big it might be a little hard to remember where I was last, though I doubt you'll make a dungeon massive enough for that to be much of a problem.

A good thing to do is to ALWAYS make the boss room fairly close/quick to access from the dungeon entrance, no matter how small or large a dungeon is (unless it's some kind of mini dungeon). That is especially important if you won't have quick saving or some way to save exactly where you left off. Another thing you might notice about Zelda games is that they tend to make previously ventured dungeon rooms a lot easier/quicker to navigate after you get the dungeon item, which is a neat little dungeon design trick to make backtracking not seem so boring or tedious to the player, but that's just part of good dungeon design, and it only works if you plan to follow the same system (i.e. getting an item mid-way through that is required to reach the end of the dungeon and will most-likely be required on the boss to win); if you don't design a dungeon to work like that then it obviously doesn't work, but you can do it on a much smaller scale with keys unlocking doors, or buttons that open up previously locked doors to open up shortcuts - stuff like that.

If you design a dungeon well using tricks like those, then you can have a much larger dungeon and still make people like me fairly happy as well as people that love really lengthy dungeons. Though I do still stand by shorter dungeons, but lots of them. ;)

-

Btw, I totally forgot about testing your demo until now. Do you still need any help testing? The latest I have is the "Zelda 0.14.13" test demo and I see you now have a demo 15 out, so I think I got a little out of the loop from being gone, but I'm healed up a lot now and I'm active again so I can help out a bit if needed. In addition to testing, I can easily record high quality and smooth gameplay. I could even put together a simple trailer if you ever need it. Or, if you don't have your own good recording software and you are looking to purchase a good one, then you can get Bandicam, which is what I use to record. There is another good one called PlayClaw, and it may even be better for you if you want all that third-party stuff and the various overlays. Both of those programs are far superior to Fraps, and all 3 are just under $40.

Guess I could've sent that last part as a PM, but I was already posting a reply... guess I'm a little lazy atm. :P
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on February 24, 2013, 08:19:42 am
Yes please! XD I'd love to get some help again. Both with testing and creation a trailer. Would you also be willing to brainstorm a little on good dungeon design (concerning both dungeon 1 and 2)? I haven't had anyone to bounce my ideas of in a while now so I'm not entirely sure the dungeons are all that they could be.

I'll wrap up my current version to present a private demo sometime later today.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: FrozenFire on February 24, 2013, 08:43:42 am
Yes please! XD I'd love to get some help again. Both with testing and creation a trailer. Would you also be willing to brainstorm a little on good dungeon design (concerning both dungeon 1 and 2)? I haven't had anyone to bounce my ideas of in a while now so I'm not entirely sure the dungeons are all that they could be.

I'll wrap up my current version to present a private demo sometime later today.

Sounds good. I can test some and I can make a trailer, but I'm not sure I can help much with the dungeons besides saying what I already pointed out in my previous post, but I'll see what I can do when I play the demo and check things out a bit.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on March 03, 2013, 04:03:25 pm
Another progress report:

0.15.12 (21 feb 2013)
+ Finished masking two more rooms for dungeon 2
+ Added hitswitch that only reacts to arrows

0.15.13 (22 feb 2013)
+ Items from above can now appear with a delay
+ Added some hidden rupees underneath a bridge and from shooting a cyclops statue
+ Tweaked pillar puzzle 3

0.15.14 (2 mrt 2013)
+ Started work on new enemy: Tektite
+ Added new enemy: Deadrock
+ Started work on new enemy: Octorok

0.15.15 (3 mrt 2013)
+ Finished new enemy: Octorok
+ Added new enemy: Slarok
+ Tweaked chase routine soldiers + hardhat beetles
+ Improved the movement efficiency of enemy projectiles some more
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on March 10, 2013, 10:33:07 pm
Time for the weekly update.

Lately I've been adding all kinds of new enemies from the original, more or less because I can. Well, this weekend I thought up a purpose for these out of place creatures: a hidden bonus dungeon (consisting of 9 rooms and without a boss). It's supposed to be a lot harder then the regular dungeons, but in return you gain the best items in the game (like the silver bow & arrows and the master sword). I'll link it to the overworld soon. Anybody feel like playtesting when that's done?

Ooh and I finally fixed all (known) surface errors that occured when pressing CTRL+ALT_DEL. 8)

--------------------------------------

0.15.16 (9  mrt 2013)
+ Fixed graphical glitch in the HUD after CTRL+ALT+DEL key combination
+ Finally managed to get rid of those pesky surface errors (in regards to ground surfaces) after pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL

0.15.17 (10 mrt 2013)
+ Adjusted AI Wizzrobe
+ Adjusted AI Large spiked block (chasing type)
+ Added "The gauntlet" mini dungeon (9 rooms)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on March 16, 2013, 08:06:50 pm
Hello all. Well, today has been an exceptionally productive day. FrozenFire did a "Let's Play" on my game yesterday (and found a bunch of issues with it) and I've working hard on analysing it and tweaking my game where needed. The results thus far can be read below.

No screenshots or video today. Maybe tommorrow.

0.15.18 (11 mrt 2013)
+ Added conditional doors to gauntlet dungeon
+ Broke up the gauntlet dungeon into two gamemaker rooms

0.15.19 (14 mrt 2013)
+ Fixed graphical issue in (some) warp transitions
+ Fixed graphical issue with soldier starting frames
+ Fixed hud issues with redetermining equipped items if no items are equipped yet
+ Fixed character collisions with fireballs while having the default shield equipped

0.15.20 (15 mrt 2013)
+ Fixed glitches with locked doors
+ Fixed hud issues with redetermining equipped items while dying
+ Changed contents for all green chests

0.15.21 (16 mrt 2013)
+ Tweaked dungeon 1 difficulty through altered enemy placement / numbers
+ Tweaked enemy stats: Stalfos headless, Stalfos floating head, Stalfos Archer
+ The room with the three movable small soldier statues in dungeon 1 now has the statues locked in place. They were only ever implemented as a red haring.
+ Removed some rupees from dungeon 1, because it was too easy to get lots currency
+ Changed the workings of the lower left and lower right doors in the master chest room of dungeon 1. You now have a permanent shortcut to this room from the lower part in the room to its right.
+ The creation positioning of magic from the rods has been altered.
+ Special chests are now displayed as green blocks on your dungeon map, rather then the regular yellow. This way players know what chest are and are not needed to progress through an area.
+ Tweaked text when lighting the first torch in dungeon 1
+ Fixed glitch: your character can no longer keep walking during the beginning of a scene unless explicitly stated otherwise.
+ Altered the chest contents of special chests in dungeon 1 some more
+ Fixed outside scene after dungeon1, along with the transition into the credits
+ Fixed slowdown when destroying multible containers in specific rooms in the desert dungeon
+ Added breakable wall to gauntlet dungeon
+ Adjusted the starting positioning of thrown boomerang
+ Adjusted the starting positioning of magic created by the various rods
+ Once you clear a room with just flying tiles in it the tiles now stay destroyed till you exit the dungeon. This goes for both dungeon 1 and 2.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: RetroRespecter on March 20, 2013, 01:50:22 am
Man, you are beyond human, Martijn dh. Do you have a team behind you or are you doing all this yourself?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: FrozenFire on March 20, 2013, 02:04:53 am
+ The room with the three movable small soldier statues in dungeon 1 now has the statues locked in place. They were only ever implemented as a red haring.

And anyone who could see my LP would laugh when reading this, ha ha. On that note: I should be doing another LP in a couple of weeks or so, and hopefully it won't be a fail so I can release it as public instead of keeping it private between Martijn and I. :P

Man, you are beyond human, Martijn dh. Do you have a team behind you or are you doing all this yourself?

Martijn is one of the very few people I know who is really efficient and committed. I really wish I was more like him in that regard. As far as I know, he has been doing almost everything himself. In the past, I have given him a very small bit of sprite work and he has had a bit of testing done by various people. Besides that, I think he's done most of it himself. Of course he's also gotten help by listening to the suggestions made by the ZFGC community.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Atom on March 20, 2013, 05:50:16 pm
He deffinately is the most committed one of all of us here. None of the others here ( including myself ) show this much progress all of the time. Its hard to keep on going all the time, to keep inspired to do more and not to let other fun things take most of that little spare time there is for this kind of things.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: RetroRespecter on March 22, 2013, 02:02:03 am
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on March 22, 2013, 06:00:49 pm
Man, you are beyond human, Martijn dh. Do you have a team behind you or are you doing all this yourself?

Nope, no team. FrozenFire send me a Let's Play last friday and that got me all fired up to better my game. Just two feedback issues left from that btw. They require quite a bit more effort then the rest, but I'll try to get them done this weekend as well.

    Now it is time to get serious.
    • What is the inspiration behind the gauntlet dungeon?
    • Will we see any more classic Legend of Zelda bad guys and good guys?

Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: arceusrules on March 23, 2013, 02:11:10 pm
Im surprised i havent seen this before O.O
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on March 24, 2013, 09:45:05 pm
Some of the progress made this week.

0.15.22 (17 mrt 2013)
+ Items will once again dissappear in real time after you exit the room.
+ Tweaked floor button in dungeon 1 to (de)activate cannonball spawning at the start of the dungeon.
+ Tweaked hinttext in dungeon 1 in the cannonball puzzle room
+ Added hinttext in dungeon 1 near the weakened floor puzzle
+ Increased the volume of the crumble effect used to point out fragile floors
+ Lowered volume health alarm
+ Adjusted Stalfos movement AI

0.15.23 (24 mrt 2013)
+ Containers no longer spawn their contents more then once unless you die or exit the area/dungeon
+ A little something something for FrozenFire concerning archers
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: FrozenFire on March 29, 2013, 03:49:36 am
LET'S PLAY!

Martijn gave me version 0.15.24 for me to do a "Let's Play", and I have done so. Before you watch, understand that it will not be a normal LP, because I already played through most of the dungeon in previous demo versions. Also, there are a few minor bugs I ran across while playing. Usually an LP will be of a game that is complete and also the person playing usually hasn't played much - if any - of the game, and that is not the case here, so in a lot of ways it just isn't as good, as it doesn't have that genuine LP feel to it for the most part.
Furthermore, it is over an hour... yes, I know, that's really long and even I wouldn't find it exciting to watch the whole thing. So, unless you are REALLY bored, a stalker of mine, or you are just that much of a Zelda fan, you will probably not really enjoy watching this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaO0aHQph60
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on March 29, 2013, 07:53:00 am
Thanks!
I'll be going over the demo today, fixed all issues that I find in the video, and then I'll release that demo for the others as well.

EDIT: Watched the whole thing and wrote down a bunch off things that I'll be tweaking in the near future. Also, I laughed my ass off after you beat the game! Sorry for that XD. We nearly made it though perfectly I guess. Hahaha.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: FrozenFire on March 29, 2013, 10:08:04 pm
Also, I laughed my ass off after you beat the game! Sorry for that XD. We nearly made it though perfectly I guess. Hahaha.

Yeah, that was actually the same error I got at the first start up (I didn't record that part). I just didn't realize that I got it again because it reset after the ending. So it wasn't the end of the game that triggered it, it was the beginning. And it seemed to be something to do with the bg sound turn off switch, which is not in any public version, so it's not a big deal. I tested the bg, turning it off and on and it was fine, so I should also be able to make a trailer pretty soon using that version. It won't be anything too fancy, but it should be a nice solid trailer. :)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on April 01, 2013, 11:25:43 pm
Here is this weeks progress:

0.15.24 (26 mrt 2013) - The one in FrozenFire's Let's Play
+ Added a testerfunction to be able to turn the background music off/on

0.15.25 (29 mrt 2013)
+ Fixed sprites for locked doors that need a master key
+ Fixed possible error after credits
+ Large chests that do not required keys to open now appear on the dungeonmap as yellow
+ Chests have been partly recoded for more efficiency
+ Fixed chest glitch in dungeon 2
+ Fixed HUD glitch: sometimes equipped items change incorrectly after gaining a new item
+ Fixed a small graphical glitch in the magic meter
+ Tweaked subboss difficulty (boomerang no longer damages him, magic damage to him is cut in half, his main attack does less damage, his opening is slightly longer)

0.15.26 (30 mrt 2013)
+ Tweaked dungeon 1 ending scene. Character now alligns before exiting.
+ Now using constants to define container type
+ Fixed error while freezing cukeman
+ Fixed small glitch with frozen enemy colors
+ Added an additional "hint"text near the crash switch in dungeon 1
+ Added new container: desert bush
+ Fixed glitch: freezing a bush draws a stump on the ground
+ Fixed error: using hammer on frozen bushes

0.15.27 (31 mrt 2013)
+ Recoded container destruction to draw using of colorpallets
+ Slightly optimised background sprites
+ Tweaked pushback direction for enemies: projectiles push in the direction they travel
+ Tweaked pushback direction for enemies: block of somaria pushes away from self
+ Fixed glitch: if enemies touch the block of somaria enough using the cane again doesn't create a new block the first time you use it

0.15.28 (1 april 2013)
+ Terrain surface is now saved as .bmp instead of .png for better speed
+ Fixed glitch: able to dig where bushes leave stumps
+ You will now get a little rejection effect if you try to stab stone containers
+ Added new container: pile of stone (the type you'll want to run into - two visual variations)

And two screenshot in the attachment
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on April 07, 2013, 06:16:26 pm
Not a whole lot to report this weekend. :( I tried all sorts of new things, but most of it backfired and eventually got scrapped again. Here is what got changed that's left in:

0.15.29 (6 april 2013)
+ Added tree object (= trees are no longer tiled + colors are now variable)
+ Optimized tilesets a little more

0.15.30 (7 april 2013)
+ Tweaked tree spriting
+ Optimized tilesets further
+ Fixed graphical glitch on the edges of dug ground surfaces
+ Combined the dug ground surfaces and the diggrid array within a single object
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: RetroRespecter on April 09, 2013, 07:19:19 pm
"Never give up. Trust your instincts.:
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on April 14, 2013, 06:11:55 pm
Thanks. It's a bummer if things don't planned and you have to undo earlier work (like this weekend as well), but not catastrophic. I'll just try new things next weekend.
Here is this weekend's progress:

0.15.31 (13 april 2013)
+ Fixed slowdown while destroying 4 or more bushes at once

0.15.32 (13 april 2013)
+ Improved efficiency during some room transitions
+ Redid tree objects, fixing a large number of issues

0.15.33 (14 april 2013)
<Build an system to handle object shadows dynamicly, but sadly it conflicted with the pause system. This is because blending effects don't work well with surfaces. Fixing that manually killed the framerate.>

0.15.34 (14 april 2013)
+ Turned back all changes made in 0.15.33 :(
+ Added shadows for trees
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: RetroRespecter on April 16, 2013, 08:59:35 pm
These snags can be a pain to deal with.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on April 21, 2013, 09:44:34 am
Weekly update + new screenshot:

0.15.35 (21 april 2013)
+ Added Pieces of Heart (in chests)
+ Added new connection room between overworld and Desert Dungeon's secundary entrance
+ Added new connection between overworld and Gauntlet Extra Dungeon
+ Tweaked torch creation event
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: RetroRespecter on April 23, 2013, 01:12:31 pm
Heart Containers? Those should be Pieces of Heart.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on April 23, 2013, 04:38:43 pm
You're right. It's been corrected.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on April 28, 2013, 09:18:47 pm
Here is another weekly update:

0.15.36 (27 april 2013)
+ Tweaked small tiling glitch in dungeon 1
+ The floorbutton in the the first cannonball room in dungeon 1 now creates a shortcut
+ Cukeman no longer shocks you if you hit it with dirt or a shovel

0.15.37 (27 april 2013)
+ Enemy positioning is reset once you re-enter a room
(More specificly: When entering a room active enemies are always destroyed and recreated at their original spawn locations if that position is free of collisions. Destroyed enemies still only respawn after you've traveled through enough other rooms. One-time only enemies (like enemies falling from the ceiling) always get permanently destroyed when you leave a room. Continuesly spawned enemies are uneffected.)
+ Added a couple of containers to room in dungeon 1 where you are supposed to fall through the floor. This done to give a reason to walk over the fragile floor and hear it crumbling.

0.15.38 (28 april 2013)
+ Projectiles outside of the current room get destroyed
+ Fixed small tiling issue in dungeon 1
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on May 05, 2013, 08:41:33 pm
And another weekly report + new screenshot:

0.15.39 (3 mei 2013)
+ Added new collectable item: heart piece
+ Status of collecting heart pieces is now part of the savefile

0.15.40 (4 mei 2013)
+ Simplified cannonball-puzzle in dungeon 1 (a lot)
+ Added optional warp tile hidden underneath containers (like a rocks)
+ Edited hinttext for entrance puzzle  in dungeon 1
+ Added small hole in the ground that hurt you

0.15.41 (5 mei 2013)
+ Added small hole in the ground leading to a room below
+ Added secret mini-cave containing 3 heart pieces
+ Added endless holes attached underneath containers
+ Added hole to next floor attached underneath containers
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Shane on May 06, 2013, 11:28:22 am
I know I said this already but I'm really looking forward to this. A Link to the Past (and Link's Awakening and the Wind Waker for that matter) is the best thing to ever happen in the Legend of Zelda series for me and making a game based off of it and yet making it more interesting is an instant look forward to.

Keep up the good work!
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on May 12, 2013, 03:36:35 pm
Thanks. I can't really make any promises with regards to a releasedatum for the next demo. If all else fails then it'll come out around the next NCFC I guess.

Made a moderate amount of progress this weekend. Also, I updated the enemy listing (to slowly get the starting post back in order... eventually) and I'll include another screenshot with this post.

Weekly progress:

0.15.42 (9 mei 2013)
+ More statues in dungeon1 have something to say (44 statues left)
+ Fixed graphical issues in cave to desert palace secret entrance
+ Started work on new enemy: Gibo

0.15.43 (11 mei 2013)
+ Finished new enemy: Gibo
+ Character weapons can now hit multiple enemies within the same step

0.15.44 (12 mei 2013)
+ Link can now only get damaged by one enemy per step
+ Added new enemy: Guruguru Bar



Latest enemy listing:
(http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/4310/planta.png) - Popo
(http://imageshack.us/a/img99/4485/ropa.png) - Ropa
(http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/9189/antifairy.png) - Anti-Faerie
(http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/9703/polsvoice.png) - Pol's Voice
(http://img830.imageshack.us/img830/5558/yellowslime.png) - Yellow Slime
(http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/9470/wallcannon.png) - Wall Cannon
(http://imageshack.us/a/img507/8153/turtleo.png) - Turtle
(http://imageshack.us/a/img59/1640/stalx.png) - Stall (new)
(http://imageshack.us/a/img203/5092/gibo.png) - Gibo (new)
(http://imageshack.us/a/img546/480/medusaa.png) - Medusa block (new)
(http://imageshack.us/a/img809/6816/spikedblock.png) - Spiked block (new)
(http://imageshack.us/a/img401/3511/trickboxa.png) - Trickbox (new)
(http://imageshack.us/a/img835/9938/deadrock.png) - Deadrock (new)
(http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/1526/beamos.png) - Beamos
(http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/2267/armosf.png) - Armos
(http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/8282/vulture.png) - Vulture
(http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/3226/snakeau.png) (http://imageshack.us/a/img809/1633/stalroped.png) - Rope / Stalrope (1x new)
(http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/8293/leevera.png) (http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/8097/leeverb.png) - Leever
(http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/1887/buzzblob.png) (http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/9355/cukeman.png) - Buzz Blob / Cukeman
(http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/4766/hardhatbeetlea.png) (http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/2994/hardhatbeetleb.png) - Hardhat Beetle
(http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/7935/sandmanx.png) - Sandman
(http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/8014/cannonballlarge.png) (http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/88/cannonballsmall.png) - Cannonball
(http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/4420/flyingtile1.png) (http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/6361/flyingtile2.png) (http://imageshack.us/a/img694/8894/flyingtile3.png) - Flying Tile (1x new)
(http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/9718/zola.png) (http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/1644/zolc.png) (http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/8163/zolb.png) (http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/3020/zold.png) - Gel / Zol
(http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/1448/cyclopsguarda.png) (http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/9393/cyclopsguardc.png) (http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/9012/cyclopsguardb.png) - Eyegore
(http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/3695/skeletonb.png) (http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/7917/skeletona.png) (http://imageshack.us/a/img52/9087/skeletonch.png) (http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/1663/skeletonarchera.png) - Stalfos
(http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/5565/deibadoraa.png) (http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/3250/deibadorab.png) (http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/6475/deibadorac.png) - Deibadora
(http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/219/baria.png) (http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/6821/bariby.png) (http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/9884/baric.png) - Bari
(http://imageshack.us/a/img528/3311/goriyaa.png) (http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/5446/goriyab.png) - Goriya
(http://imageshack.us/a/img692/3276/spikedblocklargea.png) (http://imageshack.us/a/img853/3088/spikedblocklargeb.png) - Large spiked block (new)
(http://imageshack.us/a/img62/5561/wizzrobe.png) (http://imageshack.us/a/img837/3516/wizzrobeundead.png) - Wizzrobe / Undead wizzrobe (new)
(http://imageshack.us/a/img208/5021/octorok.png) (http://imageshack.us/a/img824/1963/slarok.png) - Octorok / Slarok (new)
(http://imageshack.us/a/img209/5083/spikedroll.png) - Spiked roll (new)
(http://imageshack.us/a/img59/6537/tektitea.png) (http://imageshack.us/a/img839/7348/tektiteb.png) (http://imageshack.us/a/img842/3447/tektitec.png) - Tektite (new)
(http://imageshack.us/a/img94/5034/soldiergruntabcd.png) (http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/184/soldierarchera.png) (http://imageshack.us/a/img43/897/soldierrookiea.png) - Soldiers
(http://imageshack.us/a/img267/65/gurugurubarb.png) (http://imageshack.us/a/img62/6740/gurugurubara.png) - Guruguru bar (new)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Whitay on May 12, 2013, 03:44:58 pm
Wow, all that enemy AI is very impressive. Great job on this, it always looks professional with these updates.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: wildex999 on May 12, 2013, 04:06:33 pm
Love these updates =) Game looks great so far!
You seem to be making a amazing amount of progress each week  :o
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on May 13, 2013, 07:00:28 pm
Thanks to both of you! I'll try my best to keep this up then. XD
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on May 20, 2013, 11:23:34 am
No progress this weekend. I had two teeth pulled a couple of days ago and I haven't been in a mood to do much of anything because of that. (My cheek's all swollen) :-X
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: RetroRespecter on May 20, 2013, 12:29:43 pm
Get well, Martijn. We're pulling for you at Zelda Fan Games Central.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on May 27, 2013, 11:13:03 am
Well, I survived. Who would have thought :)
Also, I made some more progress on the gauntlet area (additional room to house the latest enemies) and overworld (a staircase hidden underneath rocks + the accompanying transitions). Sadly I don't have the progresslog on me this week so details/screenshots will have to wait till next weekend.

----------------

EDIT:
And here is the latest progress report. I was living in a hotelroom with far too expensive internet access this past week so I mainly focused on design for a change.

0.15.45 (26 mei 2013)
+ Added transition effects: fade out from floor starcase into default entrance (and visa versa)
+ Added staircase underneath pile of stones
+ Finished secret mini-cave
+ Fixed sprite of heart piece collected from chests

0.15.46 (27 mei 2013)
+ Tweaked gauntlet dungeon tiling slightly
+ Added additional entrance room to gauntlet dungeon
+ Fixed properties of (previous) gauntlet entrance room
+ Added entrance scene to gauntlet dungeon

0.15.47 (27 mei 2013)
+ Designed more rooms for dungeon2: staircase room and library room
+ Tweaked 4 roomdesigns in dungeon

0.15.48 (28 mei 2013)
+ Optimized overworld tileset some more
+ Removed a room from dungeon2 for later use in dungeon3. It was a bit too grandious for all the way in the back of the dungeon.
+ Redid large parts of dungeon2's grand design
+ Designed sleeping quarters for dungeon2
+ Redesigned one of the rooms at the start of dungeon2
+ Tweaked some more dungeon2 room designs

0.15.49 (29 mei 2013)
+ Optimized overworld tileset some more
+ Redesigned 3 more dungeon2 rooms
+ Designed another new room for dungeon2

0.15.50 (30 mei 2013)
+ Optimized the overworld tileset some more
+ Altered the dungeon2 basement setup
+ Changed the textmessages left in dungeon2
+ Designed 2 more rooms for dungeon2

0.15.51 (1 juni 2013)
+ Optimized the overworld tileset some more
+ Designed an additional dungeon2 room
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: RetroRespecter on June 02, 2013, 03:45:45 am
OK, I am now concerned. Do you even have time to rest from all this?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on June 02, 2013, 07:14:37 am
Well, this is kinda like resting for me. Coming back to the hotel after a LONG day of programming courses just fantasysing about what my game could be like (and then building it) is relaxing. Also gaming and sleeping in helped :) I'm not the type of person who likes to go out and hang around in bars and such so there wasn't all that much else to do anyway. Plus, the change of scenery did me good in the creative sense.

Thanks for the concern though. It is appreciated.


BTW: I noticed it's been 4 months since I last uploaded any kind of progress video on youtube. I personally prefer to spend my time on building rather then advertising. I don't suppose anybody else would be willing to record a new gameplay video or trailer for me? Using my latest personal version of course.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: wildex999 on June 02, 2013, 10:10:28 pm
Oooooohhh, secret mini-cave, now I'm curious  XD

Design is a good ting to focus on, you need to program around what you design =P

I would help you record if my computer didn't seem to hate everything GM related -_-
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: RetroRespecter on June 03, 2013, 01:29:13 am
Matijn dh, you don't need to advertise your game. I can tell that this will replicate The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past most accurately.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Max. on June 25, 2013, 11:55:49 pm
It's been forever since I've ventured out of the KoT forum (it's scary out here! D: ), but it's super impressive to look at Horn of Balance again after so long! You're doing a fantastic job, martijn, it's really mind blowing, and your game is turning out great. Keep up the good work, and especialy the enthusiasm, the most impressive part about all this is that you've kept at this for so long. It's awesome!
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on June 26, 2013, 05:37:03 pm
Thanks. I have been a little dormant this month, but that's due to life. The game is still on my mind though and I'll continue working on it in the near future. I'm especially interested in implementing/showing of the boss for dungeon 2. The sprites look awesome and the concept (if it ends up like I'm envisioning it) is quit unique.
So, again, thank you and expect more awesomeness in the future XD.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on July 06, 2013, 08:25:41 am
It's been a few days since my last post again. Progress is slow but I wanted to post something to show that there is movement. Check the attached image for the latest new enemy I'm working on (which is clearly still a work in progress). Also here is an overview of the latest progress.

0.15.52 (2 juni 2013)
+ Fixed issue with non appearing heart piece text
+ Fixed some graphical issues dungeon2
+ Added puzzle to get the master key in dungeon2
+ Finished starting area dungeon2 completely

0.15.53 (3 juni 2013)
+ Tweaked wall cannon shooting sound (it's now a little weaker if far off)
+ Started work on new enemy: Lanmola

0.15.54 (23 juni 2013)
+ Tweaked object properties torch objects
+ Fixed error when picking up / throwing frozen enemies
+ Worked some more on new enemy: Lanmola

0.15.55 (30 juni 2013)
+ Worked some more on new enemy: Lanmola


Maybe it's good if I explain a little bit why things are progressing slower then before. For those that are interested I mean. At my work I'm part of a kind of talent program with my personal goal being that I grow towards an official coordinating function. I'm most definitely a loner in a lot aspects in my life so the natural result of this is me being faced with weighty selfreflecting and such. (And it's still even in the early stages of the program). You can imaging I come home drained after work when such sessions have taken place and don't feel like tinkering in software for a while after.

On the other hand: I also want to say that I care a lot about this project and that I will continue it. Like I mentioned in the last post I am really looking forward to implementing boss 2 (because the sprites and concept are awesome). Also I'm assuming the NCFC will be back again this year and I also really want dungeon 2 to be presentable to redeem last years results. You know.. ego and stuff.. XD It'll all continue. Just maybe with a little bit more leisure if I feel that's best.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on July 29, 2013, 01:00:45 pm
Hello again. The latest enemies are now almost done (check the screenshot). There are only a few more issues to tweak, which I'll hopefully get around to next weekend.

0.15.56 (6 juli 2013)
+ Worked some more on new enemies / (sub)bosses: Lanmola, Sanmola

0.15.57 (7 juli 2013)
+ Worked some more on enemies / (sub)bosses: Lanmola, Sanmola

0.15.58 (13 juli 2013)
+ Worked some more on new enemies / (sub)bosses: Lanmola, Sanmola
   - Now includes appear / dissappear (sand)animation
   - Enemies can now hurt and be hurt
   - Sanmola responds to damage like a boss

0.15.59 (21 juli 2013)
+ Fixed glitch in boss 1 collision scripting
+ Worked some more on new enemies / (sub)bosses: Lanmola, Sanmola
   - Added default death for Lanmola and boss death for Lanmola

0.15.60 (29 juli 2013)
+ Worked some more on new enemies / (sub)bosses: Lanmola, Sanmola
   - Quake medallion kills it instantly while underground
   - Ether medallion doesn't hurt while underground
+ Enemies can now be linked to multiple shadow sprites
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Max. on July 29, 2013, 02:14:27 pm
Quote
   - Sanmola responds to damage like a boss

Responding like a boss being, taking it like a man?

Haha, twisting your updates into weird american similes aside, your game is getting more and more fantastic all the time. So impressive! Keep it up, amigo!

Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Atom on July 29, 2013, 07:35:42 pm
Nice, more progress. I always enjoy reading these new updates of yours.
Though there is something strange about that Lamola shadow, the heads shadow seems to be slightly misplaced.
At the side, I have to admit that I failed to make the tail function myself and replaced this boss with something else. So if that shadow thingy is the only minor problem it has, then I can only say: well done.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on July 30, 2013, 04:43:50 pm
Once again, thank you both for the kind words.

The snakes are still in progress. The body finally flows through the air somewhat acceptable, but the shadows are still set at a fixed distance from underneath the tailpieces. I still have to fix it so their y position is based on the corresponding tailpiece height. Also, there are some depth issues to sort out for specific situations.

After that.. well I guess it would be smart to have them tested for glitches and difficulty. With them having pretty complex AI and all. Anybody interested in helping me out?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: shongshui on July 31, 2013, 05:22:13 am
Hmm, it seems like the game's dungeons are turning out to be very similar in design to the original Lttp. Do you have any ideas in terms of new dungeons, bosses, items planned?


I have to agree with atom here. The sprites for the lanmola look a little off. In the original, the parts of the body appeared to be more closely linked together. In addition, the boss had a sort of 3D-ish feeling to it while this one seems a bit flat, but it may be more helpful to look at a video instead of a single image.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on July 31, 2013, 10:05:50 pm
Dungeon sprites are the same as in the original, but the designs are fully original. This deliberate, but I'm considering deviating for dungeon 3 to make that a water dungeon.... The boss for dungeon 2 will be fully original as well (both in sprites and AI). There are no new items planned aside from the rod of medu. There are some ideas in my head (like the bunny cape), but it way too far off the mention them.

I'll see what I can do about the head's placement. The 3d-like effect I believe I've already mimiced quite well, but it doesn't really show on a single picture.

Thanks for the feedback.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: shongshui on August 01, 2013, 03:42:10 am
You're welcome  XD.

I guess I will have to see it in action then. The movement of the Lanmola seems very intriguing to me, especially since I've recently gone from trying to emulate the movement patterns of another snake-like boss (Gleerok from MC). I am not entirely sure yet, but my guess is that the boss follows some sort of sinusoidal movement pattern, at least for the sprites, since its shadows seem relatively stable enough.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on August 04, 2013, 03:45:22 pm
So I'm currently attempting to switch over to Gamemaker Studio (because of the *MASSIVE* performance increased and shorter/no start up time for the resulting exe). There are a ton of issues and annoyences already discovered in Studio though so it's probably be a while before I can fully release a (test)demo running via Studio to show the results. Also I had planned to use the convertion to also upgrade the game to 3x scaled graphics and 60 fps in the same go (using the newly available processing power), but I've abandoned that idea for now due to extra developmenttime needed. Maybe next year. I WILL be adding an edit mode to the game though since all the game's features need to be retested anyway. If anybody fells like helping out with all that testing be sure to let me know. XD I would be most gratefull.

This weekend's progress.

0.15.61 (2 augustus 2013)
Getting ready for convertion to Gamemaker Studio Standard
+ Removed "obselete" functions:
   - variable_global_exists
+ Adressed:
   - resources getting distorted during import (due to naming issue) and subsequent issues
   - switch can no longer handle variable case values
Default progress:
+ Altered background music for the caves and bonusdungeon

0.15.62 (3 augustus 2013)
Getting ready for convertion to Gamemaker Studio Standard
+ Removed "obselete" functions:
   - variable_local_exists (some)
+ Adressed:
   - sounds in studio are better stored ingame
Default progress:
+ Fixed issue with resolution setting on option screen
+ Tweaked Goriya AI (now detecting Link better to shoot fireballs)

0.15.63 (4 augustus 2013) *Compile errors*
+ Imported file into Gamemaker Studio (All further changes will be made in studio)

0.15.64 (4 augustus 2013) *Compile errors*
Addressed issues due to conversion to Gamemaker Studio Standard
+ Backgroundmusic in studio is better stored ingame
+ The old system for background music has been removed
+ All sound_ functions have been converted over to audio_ functions
Default progress:
+ Renamed all sound resources to snd_ or mp3_
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: hawthorneluke on August 04, 2013, 03:52:28 pm
I must admit, gamemaker's recent progress/changes really do intrigue me. Good luck with the rest of the switch over :D
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on August 11, 2013, 08:11:18 pm
This weekend's progress:

0.15.65 (10 augustus 2013) *Compile errors*
Addressed issues due to conversion to Gamemaker Studio Standard
+ Adressed:
   - surface dimension can no longer be 0 by 0 (some)
   - altered font seperation space
+ Got the titlescreen / intro fully working like old
Default progress:
+ Renamed obj_Partical into obj_Particle
+ Fix surface errors (due to ctrl+alt+del) in the text engine

0.15.66 (11 augustus 2013) *Compile errors*
Addressed issues due to conversion to Gamemaker Studio Standard
+ Adressed:
   - surface dimension can no longer be 0 by 0 (some more)
   - altered font seperation space (for more fonts)
   - Fixed font issues (with spaces) on starting screen
Default progress:
+ Set up debug overview textfile
+ Renamed a few rooms and objects to make more sense
+ Edited text engine to be able to include (heart pieces) sprites
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: RetroRespecter on August 11, 2013, 10:08:21 pm
Looks like you're getting the hang of Gamemaker Studio.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on August 18, 2013, 07:03:57 pm
Weekly update. I'm running into the most bizar glitches right now (and straight out crashes due to studio) but it's coming together ever so slowly. Finally got the main game running again if I turn some features off. XD The idea is to upload alphas in the near future in case people want to help me with debugging. The first one will probably (only) have a working startingscreens, textengine en creditscene.

No screenshot this week. I'll still have to see about being able to create those in studio.

0.15.67 (17 augustus 2013) *Compile errors*
Addressed issues due to conversion to Gamemaker Studio Standard
+ Adressed:
   - switch doesn't seem to be able to handle variables that might be string or integers
   - surface dimension can no longer be 0 by 0 (some more)
+ Got the game select screen working like old
+ Added a fourth option for the screensize
Default progress:
+ Renamed a number of scripts
+ Added constants for most of the settings of the textengine

0.15.68 (18 augustus 2013) *Compile errors*
Addressed issues due to conversion to Gamemaker Studio Standard
+ Adressed:
   - surface dimension can no longer be 0 by 0
+ Got the creditsscreen working like old
+ Moved more object actions to scripts
Default progress:
+ Renamed master control object
+ Renamed character control object
+ Renamed area control objects
+ Introduced a debug object
+ Added debug commands:
   - End game
   - Restart game
   - Start / stop / status background music
   - Start creditscene
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on August 25, 2013, 02:33:32 pm
Weekly update + screenshot debug room
(Yeah I know. Studio messed some graphics up. It's on my list).

So phase 1 of the transfer is now pretty much finished. The starting screens, text engine and credits now work like old (or better). I've also added a debug room and debug options. The only thing I'm still pondering on is wether or not to allowing the player to type in their name on the "enter name" screen. It might be weird to have the game controls switch all of a sudden. Let me know if any of you have thoughts on the matter. If anybody wants to help with testing.

Phase 2 will start next weekend and will focus on the ingame menu's and HUD. I'm guessing it will take over a month to complete because of the various improvements I have in store (as in: structure overhaul / more menus / overworld map menu / less buttons needed). If anybody wants to help me with spriting some additional hud icons, items and/or menu layouts be sure to drop me a message.

-----------------------------------

0.15.69 (24 augustus 2013) *Compile errors*
Addressed issues due to conversion to Gamemaker Studio Standard
+ Removed "obselete" functions:
   - Replaced set_automatic_draw with draw_enable_drawevent
+ Moved more object actions to scripts
+ Fixed surfaces errors during the credits
+ The composed textengine frame got all messed up, so it's just a single sprite now
Default progress:
+ Added debug commands:
   - Display character name
   - Textengine: created various test textboxes
+ Added debugroom (if the character is named debug)

0.15.70 (24 augustus 2013) *Compile errors*
Addressed issues due to conversion to Gamemaker Studio Standard
+ Got the entire starting screen working like old
+ Started using scaled sprites for masking the largest solid objects on the maps
+ Tweaked textbox frame
Default progress:
+ Added debug commands:
   - Exit. Does the same as End, namely exit the game
+ While in debug mode no other objects can handle key commands
+ Renamed area control objects

0.15.71 (25 augustus 2013) *Compile errors*
+ Continued using scaled sprites for masking the largest solid objects on the maps
+ Got the text engine working like old
Default progress:
+ Added debug commands:
   - Screenshot
   - Display room data
   - Textengine: create/fill/close freeform textdisplay
+ Made default masking sprites transparent for more user friendly room building
+ Debug can not proces key commands while the text engine is active, unless the text engine is opened as freeform with the debug object
+ Fixed debug area properties
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Atom on August 27, 2013, 04:54:52 pm
hm, still sounds like a lot of work converting it to game maker studio's.
I wonder is it really worth it, yes it loads faster, but it gives so much extra work to replace things that no longer work or which functionality has changed.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on August 27, 2013, 05:25:15 pm
True. The convertion time has always been the reason why I didn't move over to an "superior" language earlier. After some days of testing it actually ended up in a draw between studio and 8.1, seeing as how both have big advantageous and big disadvantageous over the other. Studio however is the future and I felt it was the right time to jump aboard. Also I felt it was a plus to take the opportunity to go over my coding again to clean, improve and expand (like with a debug mode). I'm still discovering things I like (=scaling in the room editor) or hate (= can't only view tiles on one specific depth in the roomeditor) every weekend so the verdict is still out on wether or not it was a good idea to switch. XD

If you're on the fence as well then I could list some more ups and down for you if you want. You'd better hurry though. Studio version 1.2 doesn't support 8.1 import anymore I believe.

Also. I'll try to upload an alpha build (containing only the starting screens and debug room) so people can get a first impression of the result. I'm interested to find out if it indeed runs as well on other machines.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Atom on August 27, 2013, 06:33:22 pm
Well, I did think about it for a time, but then I noticed that it doenst support the room transitions and several other functions that I use.

Considering how far I am with my project and experience with previous conversions ( when I started with Chaos Rising gamemaker 5.3.a was still new so I already did several conversions. ) I dont think it to be a very good idea to make do the conversion.

But I hope that in the end it will be worth it for you.
Just let me know when you are ready for some testing. I always have the ability to find time for testing.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on September 01, 2013, 09:17:37 pm
Weekly update: I had familiy over this weekend so there is less progress then normal. I've implemented a far more simple pause mechanic (which unlike gamemaker 8.1 can handle blended visuals). There are still some issues to work out though so I was not able to also build a public alpha demo yet.

0.15.72 (30 augustus 2013) *Compile errors*
Addressed issues due to conversion to Gamemaker Studio Standard
+ argument variables are only allowed in scripts (from the studio v1.2 update onwards)
+ Continued using scaled sprites for masking the largest solid objects on the maps

0.15.73 (1 september 2013) *Compile errors*
Addressed issues due to conversion to Gamemaker Studio Standard
+ Fixed overflow errors that came up because of Studio v1.2
+ Changed the pause mechanic (still has issues in combination with the text engine and (changing) screen resolutions)
+ Renamed a number of scripts to something more logical
+ Removed the old pause scripts and objects
+ Textbox, hud and pause screens are now drawn to the GUI
+ Removed "obselete" functions:
   - sprite_create_from_screen
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: RetroRespecter on September 02, 2013, 06:46:13 pm
It seems that Gamemaker Studios is causing you some trouble and setting your work back. Why not switch to your old Gamemaker?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on September 03, 2013, 05:04:04 pm
You're correct. The latest Studio update did set me back a bit. Quite frustrating actually, but I've made the decision to go down this road so I might as well continue and do it right. I guess I could push a the bulk of the planned improvements back till after the conversion. That should save a lot of time.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: RetroRespecter on September 04, 2013, 02:18:09 pm
That would be wise.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on September 08, 2013, 08:43:13 pm
Weekly update: The pause system now works (!), I figured out how to handle multible screen resolutions (!), the save&quit options work again and the hud + item menu are nearly back to their old states. Next weekend I'll finish wrap up the old menu's+hud, add a bunch of debug functions and create an alpha debugdemo.

0.15.74 (6 september 2013) *13 compile errors remaining*
Addressed issues due to conversion to Gamemaker Studio Standard
+ Fixed the latest graphical issues when changing screen resolutions
+ Fixed some issues with changing screen resolutions
Default progress:
+ Further optimized overworld tileset
+ Continued using scaled sprites for masking the largest solid objects on the maps

0.15.75 (7 september 2013) *13 compile errors remaining*
Addressed issues due to conversion to Gamemaker Studio Standard
+ Finished implementing the new pause mechanic - Finally!!
+ Adjusted HUD to draw correctly on all screen resolutions
+ Adjusted text engine to draw correctly on all screen resolutions
+ Fixed glitch when ending text engine
+ Fixed save and quit functionality
Default progress:
+ Added debug commands:
   Depth - Change character depth
   d - Change character depth
   Screenres1 - Screen resolution is set to 320x240
   Screenres2 - Screen resolution is set to 640x480
   Screenres3 - Screen resolution is set to 1280x960
   Screenres4 - Screen resolution is set to full screen
   Rupee1 - Max rupees set to 100
   Rupee2 - Max rupees set to 500
   Rupee3 - Max rupees set to 999
   Rupee+  - Gain 100 rupees
   Rupee-  - Lose 100 rupees
   Link Victory - Perform victory swing
+ Continued using scaled sprites for masking the largest solid objects on the maps
+ Renamed HUD object/scripts/sprites to make more sense.
+ All HUD actions now relocated to scripts.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: RetroRespecter on September 09, 2013, 03:59:50 am
Maybe you can fix the "Game Over" screen. When Link loses all of his hearts, the "Game Over" screen is overlaped by the options to either Save & Continue, Save& Quit, or Quit.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on September 09, 2013, 05:32:57 am
It is? I'll get right on that.

EDIT:
So far I have been unable to reproduce this issue. Can you explain how you can?

BTW: After yet another weekend of random errors and frustration I've given up on Studio. Maybe I'll try again in two year or so if it becomes more stable but for now I just want to forget the ordeal. Studio has a lot of advantages but it's counteracted by: 8+ minutes of compiling (for me at least), a very slow save feature that does not even save under the correct name (unless you use save as) and various issues I can't be sure of isn't a problem within Studio itself. This also means all progress over the last month or so is gone and I'll need to go over various things in my old code so see if they still work.
Looking at it from the bright side however: I'm back on gamemaker 8.1 and with a newfound love for it's userfriendly design. Expect me to be fully up and running again in a week or so. XD
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on September 15, 2013, 05:32:59 pm
So, as stated in the previous post: I've given up on Studio and switched back to gamemaker 8.1. Below is a listing of today's progress (as all progress in Studio is useless now) followed by a link to an alpha build.

Progress made

0.15.78 (15 september 2013)
*Moved back over to Gamemaker 8.1 because of unstability in Studio (nullifying all progress since 0.15.61)
+ Delete and Backspace now do the same thing as Escape on the title and gameselect screens
+ Adjusted intro text slightly
+ Added extra screen resolution (1280x960)
+ Renamed gameselect object
+ Renamed HUD object / scripts / sprites / surfaces
+ Fixed item menu drawing slightly
+ Renamed particle objects
+ Fixed surfaces errors in the text engine (it's quit possible you'll lose the text already shown, but it's still better then game breaking errors)
+ Renamed some of the game's rooms
+ Renamed some more scripts and resources
+ Improved efficiency while selecting a saved file
+ Text engine can display item sprites
+ Improved Goriya AI

0.15.79 (15 september 2013)
+ Renamed obj_Master, obj_Character_Control, obj_Area_Control and parent_Control objects
+ obj_Master old debug functions now only work if the character is named debug and left ctrl is held down. I'll include leave these feature on in future releases. You'll find a textfile with instructions in the next release.
+ Added death debug function
+ Added debug room for alpha/debug releases. It's big and empty, but I'll add contents over the next couple of weeks.
+ Fixed surface errors during Credits
+ Renamed scripts / sprites / objects associated with obj_Deathscreen, obj_Item_Menu and obj_Dungeon_Map
+ Fixed small graphical issue in the itemmenu


Alpha build

Please note that this (http://www.mediafire.com/?qu2glnav8fq9giq) download only contains one large empty room. Please only download it if you have a interest in helping debug the engine. I wouldn't want to dissappoint anybody looking for more. Also, please excuse the filesize. I'll cut some fluff out of the next one.

The following requires testing:
- Titlescreen
- Gameselect / options / name enter
- Item menu
- HUD
- Save & Quit
- Credits (check the attached debug file for how to get this)
- Death (check the attached debug file for how to get this)

If you find anything that needs fixing, be sure to let me know.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Atom on September 15, 2013, 05:44:12 pm
Good to see your back to gamemaker 8.1.
I think you will make a lot more progress this way then you have done in the last month with all the bugs.

Downloaded test room:

- in debug file: I character does should be I character dies
- when you die and save and continue, rooms restarts without the link object and health is still 0
- when you equip 2 different items, on f the bug catching net, then release a fairy and recapture it using the net on f, you will have the net equipped on both action buttons.

something you cant fix: it only runs after I set the properties of the .exe to run as administrator.

further then that I see no bugs at the moment.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on September 15, 2013, 07:19:26 pm
Downloaded test room:

- in debug file: I character does should be I character dies
- when you die and save and continue, rooms restarts without the link object and health is still 0
- when you equip 2 different items, on f the bug catching net, then release a fairy and recapture it using the net on f, you will have the net equipped on both action buttons.

something you cant fix: it only runs after I set the properties of the .exe to run as administrator.

Thank you for the quick feedback!
1. Adjusted
2. Fixed
3. Fixed

You'll find the fixes in the next alpha, which (since they are just alpha's) shouldn't be too long from now.

Did you have the administrator thing with the earlier versions as well? And with other games?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Atom on September 15, 2013, 07:28:40 pm
Thats some fast fixing you do there.
Well, when there is a new alpha I will do a new test.

The administrator thing is new, I had usually had issues with loading the first time because of a save game problem, but didn't see that this time.
Haven't had it with other games, but then I have to say I haven't played that many games made with gamemaker 8.1. Could still just be my pc acting strange.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: GieVeNT on September 16, 2013, 07:09:09 am
Seems like a solid engine.  Messed around a bit; the only 'problem' I found was if I attacked and held the sword out (but before it is fully charged up) and open the menu then close it, Link will continue charging his sword even if I've let go of the sword button.  This is really small and probably doesn't matter.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on September 16, 2013, 05:54:00 pm
No, it does matter. Thank you for the comment. I'm a bit of a perfectionist so this is exactly the type of feedback I am looking for.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on September 23, 2013, 08:55:35 am
Another weekly update. I'm on a break this weekend so expect more updates then normal in the coming days.

After the menu's I'm currently focussing on the game's movement engine (and terrain_types).
The engine could already handle:
-walking
-running
-carrying (while walking/running)
-pushing/pulling
-friction (horizontal/vertical)
-using the hookshot
-getting pulled (into holes)
-pushback from damage or armored enemies

The following will be added:
-moving platforms (check screenshot)
-sliding on ice
-getting pushed by objects
-swimming (+drowning)

Did I miss any movement options?


Progress made:

0.15.80 (16 september 2013)
+ Fixed typo in debugfile
+ Fixed continue after death in the debugroom
+ Fixed: catching a fairy in a bottle display one item twice in the HUD

0.15.81 (22 september 2013)
+ Added obj_Moving_Platform
+ Moving plaforms can take up to three (90 degree) turns before returning

0.15.82 (23 september 2013)
+ Being transported by moving platforms prevents you from falling into endless pits underneath
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Atom on September 23, 2013, 01:16:41 pm
hm, I don't see the option jumping down. In alttp you already had the option to jump down a ledge.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on September 24, 2013, 08:05:57 am
Right, thanks. I forgot that one. I'll go over ledge jumping as well.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: shongshui on September 24, 2013, 07:22:28 pm

...
-sliding on ice
-getting pushed by objects
...


Personally, I absolutely hated the ice movement in Attp. Didn't really feel natural to me and it felt really week in compaqrison to something like MC's ice movement. Is it possible, maybe, to revamp the ice movement to better match the latter?

As for getting pushed by objects, do you mean those blue bouncy balls, or are you referring to objects really pushing you as they move along?

Oh yeah, and I think you forgot being pulled by treadmills (this could be handled by the moving platform engine though).

Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on September 25, 2013, 07:54:10 am
Personally, I absolutely hated the ice movement in Attp. Didn't really feel natural to me and it felt really week in comparison to something like MC's ice movement. Is it possible, maybe, to revamp the ice movement to better match the latter?

As for getting pushed by objects, do you mean those blue bouncy balls, or are you referring to objects really pushing you as they move along?

Oh yeah, and I think you forgot being pulled by treadmills (this could be handled by the moving platform engine though).

I've never played MC, but I'll include a new alpha below so you can review what I've cooked up so far.

By pushing objects I mean objects really pushing the player as they move themselves. I'm also contemplating wether or not I should allow Link to get crushed between objects (like between walls in a trap etc).

I'm not really sure what you mean by threadmills. Could you post a picture/screenshot/further description?


Progress made:

0.15.83 (24 september 2013)
+ Named all sound resources mp3_ or snd_
+ Optimized overworld tileset some more

0.15.84 (24 september 2013)
+ Added ice terrain / ice movement

0.15.85 (25 september 2013)
+ Tweaked ice movement


Alpha build:

Download link (http://www.mediafire.com/?neq6e8r3100gn92)

Two new concepts are added:
- Moving platforms
- Icy floors

The issue GieVeNT found is still open
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Atom on September 25, 2013, 11:28:00 am
Looks like some interesting progress again.
Though you might want to check the platforms.
When you walk at the bottem side of the pit, as near to it as you can without falling in, and stop moving at the moment a platform moves by, it will take you with it while you are not standing on it.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on September 25, 2013, 02:27:02 pm
Check the attachment for something new I was working on earlier today (lower right). The additions are not too intrusive I hope? I'm keen on getting some feedback / improvement suggestions.

@ Atom: I've adjusted the collisions between the character and moving platforms a little. Thanks for the feedback.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Atom on September 25, 2013, 04:01:29 pm
Always a pleasure helping you finding the smaller things.

Not certain what to think about those new buttons though.
They don't fit in with the Hud that is for sure, they should have been larger for that.
But more then that I question the need for such buttons, you already have r and f as action buttons.
And having G for an attack button is a bit strange unless you also plan to do other functions with that button, the same goes for the menu button. I think it be enough to tell people the menu button once when they get the first item, I doubt it to be required for them to see a reminder all the time.
But it is your game, if you think they add value to it you should implement them.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on September 25, 2013, 04:46:48 pm
Well, I wanted to try out a dynamic action button like in OoT. The other buttons came later.
I'm still pondering on wether or not it should be kept, scrapped or adjusted.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: shongshui on September 25, 2013, 04:54:02 pm
I've never played MC, but I'll include a new alpha below so you can review what I've cooked up so far.

Yeah, I just played it. There seems to be an issue with the ice movement when you change direction. Like if you move left on the ice then move up, for some reason you will be moving slightly diagonally. Also in Lttp, Link's animation speed increases when he is moving on ice and his speed comes to a complete halt upon entering the ice in normal movement.

Quote
I'm not really sure what you mean by threadmills. Could you post a picture/screenshot/further description?

Perhaps treadmills wasn't the best word, but I don't know of any other. I mean those animated floors, where you stand on it and get tugged in a direction. Like an assembly line in a factory.

Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on September 28, 2013, 12:16:31 pm
Below is the latest progress report.
Both the feedback from shongshui and Atom has been adressed.
I tried to fix the issue GieVeNT found but was unable to recreate it.

Progress made:

0.15.86 (25 september 2013)
+ Tweaked collissions between character and moving platforms
+ Added command buttons to HUD

0.15.87 (26 september 2013)
+ Movementspeed is (partly) reset as you enter onto icy surfaces
+ Movementspeed on ice is slightly increased
+ Tweaked movement direction while on ice somewhat
+ Tweaked coding of textengine somewhat

0.15.88 (28 september 2013)
+ Removed latest HUD additions again
+ Further optimized tilesets dungeons
+ Added conveyer belts
+ Renamed most of the character movement scripts
+ Made it so you never respawn on conveyor belts

Alpha build:

Download link (http://www.mediafire.com/?y8621664amr1q7u)

Three changes made:
- Moving platforms have been tweaked
- Icy floors have been tweaked
- Conveyor belts have been added
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: shongshui on September 28, 2013, 10:31:01 pm
Oh, conveyor belts, thats the word! I suck at descriptions, but anyways, with regards to the update, the movement is much better now. The diagonal movement still exists though, but only when I am trying to move right from moving downwards. Are you using some sort of directional based movement for Link's movement? If so, that could be the problem.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on September 29, 2013, 05:24:23 am
Yes, I am using eight direction character movement, but all other movement sources (such as getting pushed back by enemies) can alter that to any random direction. I'm not sure how this will be a problem, but maybe I'm missing something. What were you talking about?

As for the ice. I can adjust it further but feel some sliding is required. If I go out in the winter and start running on ice then I too will keep sliding if I make a hard right/left. More so than in the game because gameplay shouldn't suffer.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Theforeshadower on September 29, 2013, 02:08:43 pm
The issue with the sliding is because ,as far as I can remember, it was never used in a scrolling room.  What I mean is, in LttP the ice was used in single room areas.  I think it was used in a vertical scrolling room.  The camera only moved on one plane so it didn't jitter.

Also, I think Link's animation speed increases(the walking cycle anyway) when he gets on the ice.  It helps it look like he is slipping.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: shongshui on September 29, 2013, 04:29:20 pm
Yes, I am using eight direction character movement, but all other movement sources (such as getting pushed back by enemies) can alter that to any random direction. I'm not sure how this will be a problem, but maybe I'm missing something. What were you talking about?

I was referring to a 360-directional movement, where 0, or 360 refers to right. Given the fact that the problem only occurs when I am moving down, then right, and not up then right, the problem could be that the direction isn't able to reset itself. I have no idea whether or not Lttp uses it, but I am pretty sure that games like MC use it.

Quote
As for the ice. I can adjust it further but feel some sliding is required. If I go out in the winter and start running on ice then I too will keep sliding if I make a hard right/left. More so than in the game because gameplay shouldn't suffer.

Go ahead. You shouldn't try to emulate the game perfectly. If you feel like there is potential for improvement, then by all means do it.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on October 06, 2013, 08:05:43 pm
Here's another progress report. Some more stuff has been added to the alpha for you to check out.

Progress made:

0.15.89 (29 september 2013)
+ Tweaked ice movement (illusion of faster walkcycle)
+ Tweaked ice movement directions some more
+ Fixed error with landmine object
+ Tweaked sandpit creation code
+ Attached terrain types to moving platform (like ice)
+ Allowed for movement on ice on top of moving platforms and endless pits.

0.15.90 (5 oktober 2013)
+ Improved the transition between standing on ice and conveyor belts
+ Tweaked metal floor
+ Fixed jumping from ledges (including diagonal and from greater height)
+ Altered stairs object to be more flexible
+ Tweaked change_depth terrain object

0.15.91 (6 oktober 2013)
+ Added new terrain: spiky floor
+ Renamed various terrain scripts


Alpha build:
Download link (http://www.mediafire.com/?zg4shphohjae1b8)

Latest additions to the debug room:
- Staircases
- Metal floor
- Spiky floor
- Sandpits
- Landmines
- Ice attached to moving platforms
- Ledge jumping*
* The testing area in the upper left of the debug room is just a visual illusion to test ledge jumping extended distances.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: RetroRespecter on October 17, 2013, 06:32:12 pm
Did you say "Conveyor Belts?"
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on October 20, 2013, 08:27:20 am
So I just came under the sudden realisation that the NCFC IS going to be held this year. (I figured they quit or something). Guess that means that I have to step up my game considerably if I want to participate this year. In short: expect to see actual game releases again real soon.

If anybody wants to help me out: I'm looking for a writer (for soldier backstories) and one or multiple testers (for feedback on enemies and dungeon2's design).

EDIT:
And here is an overview of the latest progress. There's no new alpha download to save time, but I am including a screenshot in the attachment.

0.15.92 (19 oktober 2013)
+ Added idle animation for Link (waving)

0.15.93 (20 oktober 2013)
+ Added shield to iddle animation
+ Made sure idle animations are not interrupted by pause
+ No idle animations allowed during scened
+ Fixed issue with room transitions
+ Transition objects no longer use optional variables (for Studio)
+ Renamed transition scripts
+ Expanded debug area for transition testing
+ Fixed dungeon floor indicator in the HUD
+ Increased wait before idle animation starts
+ Tweaked dwindelstair animations (east and south)
+ Fixed issue with walking up straight stairs (east and west)
+ Fixed surface error when picking up quarter key
+ Tested various terrain objects (friction / swithing visibility / (jumping into) shallow water
+ Tweaked visuals broken fragile floors
+ Redesigned a room in dungeon 2
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Atom on October 21, 2013, 04:16:09 pm
Well, there is only so much time in a week, but if you need some help so you can participate at NCFC ( and I think registration will open up soon ) I guess I could miss an hour or 2 a week to help you out, without delaying the release of a demo of my fangame at NCFC.( and around the same time the beginning of alpha-testing of the completed version )

Just let me know what you need to be done and I will see what I can do.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on October 21, 2013, 08:30:45 pm
Thanks. I really appreciate the help.
I'll send over a demo soon to try out the new (bonus) gauntlet area to test for difficulty.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on October 27, 2013, 07:41:48 pm
Here's this weekends progress:

0.15.94 (21 oktober 2013)
+ Tweaked design for one dungeon 2 room
+ Masked 2 dungeon 2 rooms

0.15.95 (26 oktober 2013)
+ Designed one more room for dungeon 2
+ Updated dungen map for the latest added rooms
+ Masked one more room
+ Fixed error when you slash a projectile shot by an octorok / slarok

0.15.96 (26 oktober 2013)
+ Altered Octorok / Slarok attack pattern (to reduce difficulty)
+ Adjusted volume of health alarm
+ Adjusted volume of magic refill sound
+ Expanded Goriya AI: they now also mirror your movement while you are charging your sword
+ Fixed error with showing the Gauntlet dungeon map

0.15.97 (27 oktober 2013)
+ Masked three more rooms in dungeon 2
+ Updated dungeon map for more rooms
+ Fully finished two more room for dungeon 2
+ Masked another two rooms for dungeon 2
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on November 03, 2013, 02:06:17 pm
Another progress report:

0.15.98 (31 oktober 2013)
+ Cane of Byrna now uses double magic power
+ Fixed error with using the shovel

0.15.99 (1 november 2013)
+ Designed two more rooms for dungeon 2 (only 3 remaining)
+ Masked three more rooms for dungeon 2
+ Finished contents for two more rooms for dungeon 2

0.15.100 (2 november 2013)
+ Designed another room for dungeon 2 (2 remaining)
+ Tweaked some older rooms in dungeon 2
+ Remasked dungeon 2 basement rooms
+ Improved shaking camera
+ Finished dungeon 2 secret wall mechanic
+ Implemented some more conditional doors to dungeon 2

0.15.101 (3 november 2013)
+ Adjusted subboss rooms (redesigned + remasked) somewhat
+ Expanded dungeon 2 tileset
+ Altered dungeon 2 chest contents somewhat
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on November 08, 2013, 09:39:32 am
Another short update.
Due to an upcoming vacation and the NCFC I will round up development in the next couple of days. So expect a public demo for testing soon.

Progress update:

0.15.102 (4 november 2013)
+ Added diggrid to 20 rooms in dungeon 2
+ Redesigned and masked boss room dungeon 2

0.15.103 (5 november 2013)
+ Fixed digging issues
+ Fixed missing ledge in dungeon 2 room
+ Fixed glitch: able to grab invisible ledge object
+ Fixed issue: not saving overworld chest status
+ Adjusted dungeon 2 enemy and container placements
+ Tweaked dungeon 2 kitchen scene

0.15.104 (6 november 2013)
+ Fixed issue: possible to get locked in subboss rooms
+ Designed, masked and finished last two rooms in dungeon 2
+ Finished dungeon 2 map and chest locations

0.15.105 (7 november 2013)
+ Finished contents/mechanics for another room in dungeon 2
+ Added secret sound when the vault in dungeon 2 is unlocked
+ Fixed various tiling issues dungeon 2
+ Added testertext in the debug room
+ Fixed issue: Choicing the repeat option in a textbox multible times messes up the text engine
+ Fixed issue: Murray does not always face the correct direction
+ Simplified the dungeon 1 cannonball puzzle further
+ Added scenes to the conclusion of the dungeon 2 subboss rooms

0.15.106 (8 november 2013)
+ Finished final dungeon 2 puzzle room
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: FrozenFire on November 08, 2013, 11:18:09 am
Loving the demo, but I have one problem with the way some pushing puzzles work:

There are a lot of pillar pushing puzzles and most of them are similar to one another (not sure if they are all planned to stay as is or not), and pushing/pulling them is very slow going. Now that I think about it, I felt like having to push those 4 statues in the first dungeon was a bit much as well (maybe keep it as is, but just take away 2 buttons?). Also, you have to be very precise on some of the pillars for them to actually fully lock in place. There have even been times that I've found myself wondering which one wasn't quite in place because it was only off by a pixel or so vertically, so I had to try to push and pull all the pillars around to find the culprit.

For me, the important and rewarding part of a puzzle is figuring out the solution and seeing/experiencing the result of the solution, but with these puzzles you pretty much know the solution right away, yet you still have to take a lot of time putting the pieces into place before you get the result of figuring out the solution, so it's kind of like the puzzle solving part is over at that moment, but then you're still stuck with having to push things around, so it ends up feeling like the "filler" that those long animes tend to have, needlessly boring you, making you just deal with it until it gets good again (my mind is thinking a bit oddly right now, but I expect you see what I'm trying to say), but obviously this isn't as boring/bad as most anime filler, lol. Maybe I'm just a bit impatient these days, or just an action junkie. :P Whatever the case, the current way that pillars work is something that needs fixing up in some way.

Solution idea 1:
For the ones that need to lock into position, it'd be nice if they slid into place when close enough. It might be slightly tricky to get it working well, but making the player get it exact seems to kill the fun factor at that moment, making it more of a chore than it should be.

Solution idea 2:
You could have the pillars slide like in OoT and other 3D Zelda games (I don't recall if any of the 2D ones did this). Basically, they lock onto a grid and slide in chunks (not explaining it very well, but I expect you already know how they move?). However, this would be unlike ALttP and I'm not sure how it would feel or if other people would like it that way. Is there a reason to keep the precision movement in the blocks? I can't think of one, but maybe others can. Even if you could only push blocks in 8 pixel chunks, I don't see that there would be any lack of important options for puzzles or strategies, etc. It seems like the best argument for keeping it as is would be to keep it the same as ALttP, unless I'm overlooking an advantage for precise block movement.

So those are my thoughts on the matter. All I know is that it's a bit annoying and tedious as is. But I have no other issues; loving the demo. And there's more to it than I thought! For example, I never saw the gauntlet before! I died pretty quick though, as I was trying to rush around and get good video. And on that note, I'll get back to making that trailer now. ;)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on November 09, 2013, 12:22:23 pm
I'm proud to present the new trailer FrozenFire made for the NCFC 2013 event:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6bQuObwECI

I'm still working ard on the upcoming demo, so expect to see that hopefully in about half a day's time.

@FrozenFire: I'll definitely see about adjusting the puzzles, though I can't say if I'll get around to it for today's demo.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 15]
Post by: Martijn dh on November 09, 2013, 08:43:00 pm
Finally. After a little less then a year there is a new public demo release:
http://www.mediafire.com/?g5k90zgfflxrbz5 (http://www.mediafire.com/?g5k90zgfflxrbz5)

I will be submitting the game for the NCFC 2013 shortly but last year has tough me you can never get enough testing done. I have two more days before I leave on vacation so please see this as an invitation to play and try to break the game as much as possible before then. If at all possible I'll try to incorperate all the feedback.

Here is a list of the larges changes compared to demo 15:
+ Fixed all known (surface) errors and issues in the previous version
+ The game now has seperate buttons for the two equipable items
+ Massively expansed of dungeon 2 to near completions. (It still likes bosses but it can be fully completed beyond that)
+ Balanced out dungeon 1 through things like enemy stats, placements and (puzzle) designs
+ Spend a lot of time making the coding simplier and/or more efficient
+ Tried to convert to gamemaker studio, got fed up and discarded over a month of work
+ Added another mini dungeon called the gauntlet (meant as a hard mode)
+ Added a one screen mini-cave to the overworld
+ Changed the contents of all the green chests
+ Added a debug mode which can be called by calling your character debug
+ Added new enemies: medusa, trickbox, wizzrobe (alive and undead), large spiked block, more flying tiles, spiked roll (vertical / horizontal), deadrock, tektite (3 versions), octorok / slarok, gibo, guruguru bar
+ Started work on dungeon 2 (sub)bosses: Lanmola and Sanmola
+ Adjusted / improved existing enemy AI for: soldiers, hardhat beetles, stalfos, beamos, cukeman, goriya
+ Enemies can now shoot each other
+ Added desert bushes, piles of stones and trees
+ Added heart pieces and heart containers
+ Added three new types of room transitions
+ Containers can now hide things underneath like holes, stairs and warptiles
+ Optimized the existing tilesets
+ The game's engine now includes: moving platforms, icy floors, conveyor belts and spiky floors
+ Added extra screen resolution (1280x960)
+ Added new character action: idle (=waving to the camera)
+ Added hitswitch that only reacts to arrows
+ Room with flying tiles stay cleared during a dungeon visit
+ Enemy positioning is reset once you re-emter a room
+ Containers spawn their contents only once per dungeonvisit
+ Lots and lots of other smaller tweakes, fixes and additions
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 now out!]
Post by: Theforeshadower on November 10, 2013, 09:47:45 am
Suggestions:

Fix the sword mechanics.  In LttP, if you hit something while slashing or while the sword is held out, it resets so that you have to slash again.

While scrolling from room to room, the enemies should not be getting updated(IE moving and such).

Do not know if it is your engine or not, you cannot move up-left while holding out the sword, at least while in the Desert Palace.

Work on your camera system.  Link like "vibrates" as the view scrolls and such during movement.

Slightly increase Link's movement?  It feels as if I am moving slow when compared to LttP.

Work on corner-cutting.  I can get within about 3 or 4 pixels or so of straight edge and Link won't corner cut it.

Movement in general feels a bit stiff.

Enemy deaths are too fast.  The monster should be blown back, wait a half second or so, then play the death sound and animation.  You seem to have it getting slightly blown back and the sound playing as soon as it gets hit.

Add a black fade in/out when going up and down stairs to different levels.  it just looks weird to have instant change of scenery.


ERROR in
action number 2
of Other Event: User Defined 15
for object obj_Container:

In script script_Update_Terrain_Surfaces:
Error in code at line 114:
   switch (argument[7].array_terrain_type[argument[1]])
                       ^
at position 22: Unknown variable array_terrain_type or array index out of bounds
Getting that all the time whilst trying to slash pots with sword after descending to B1 then coming back up to the pots surrounding the statue in the huge main room.

Also, attached is an error image.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 now out!]
Post by: Martijn dh on November 10, 2013, 11:56:19 am
Thank you for the feedback Theforeshadower.
The error (and I believe also the simular errors that Atom ran into) should be fully fixed in the following v16.01 demo:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/clqtn7spycab4yk/Horn_of_Balance_0.16.01.zip (http://www.mediafire.com/download/clqtn7spycab4yk/Horn_of_Balance_0.16.01.zip)

Due to time constraints I'm only able to go after the major errors/issues/glitches right now. ALL other feedback is (as always) also more then welcome (!). I'll just have to look at it in more detail once I get back from my vacation.

The up-left combination does not work probably due to your keyboard. Mine's the same in that regard. I believe the exact problem is that most keyboards can't handle three buttons at once. Back when I looked into it I was sadly unable to discover a workaround, though I'm still open for suggestions in case I missed anything.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Theforeshadower on November 10, 2013, 12:12:12 pm
Thank you for the feedback Theforeshadower.
The error (and I believe also the simular errors that Atom ran into) should be fully fixed in the following v16.01 demo:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/clqtn7spycab4yk/Horn_of_Balance_0.16.01.zip (http://www.mediafire.com/download/clqtn7spycab4yk/Horn_of_Balance_0.16.01.zip)

Due to time constraints I'm only able to go after the major errors/issues/glitches right now. ALL other feedback is (as always) also more then welcome (!). I'll just have to look at it in more detail once I get back from my vacation.

The up-left combination does not work probably due to your keyboard. Mine's the same in that regard. I believe the exact problem is that most keyboards can't handle three buttons at once. Back when I looked into it I was sadly unable to discover a workaround, though I'm still open for suggestions in case I missed anything.

It's not my keyboard.  I can go in any other diagonal direction whilst holding the sword out except Up-Left.  When I play other games and emulators, I can move up-left and hold the sword fine. :/
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on November 10, 2013, 12:32:38 pm
We ran into the same problem about two years ago:

I'm was working on Nubcake's suggestions when I ran into a strange new glitch. Could someone check the following with the available demo: walk in the upper left direction using both the up and left key pressed in any order. That should work. Now try the same thing while pressing the sword button to charge to sword. My character does not move left. Only up. The Button_Held event doesn't even recognize the left button being pressed.

I want to determine if it's just me or if other computers have the same problem.

EDIT: Not really a solution I'm satisfied with, but it appear the problem is solved if I set left and up to letters like J en I. Right...... Anybody ever have a simular experience. Or beter yet. Does anybody know the reason behind something weird like this. :huh:

I get the following results testing directional keys while charging the sword with the current demo:

Pressing up first does not allow left, but allows right
Pressing left first does not allow up, but allows down
Pressing down first does not allow right, but allows left
Pressing right first does not allow down, but allows up

I see a simple pattern here, perhaps it has to do with the key code values.

Strange. My computer does not have any issues with the combination M, Down and Right. My older laptop appearently does not have any problems whatsoever ::)
Also, and this is something I did not notice earlier, when I press M, Up and Left a beeping sound can be heard. It would be my guess that the combination of keys is already in use by some other system. Gamemaker doesn't even recognize the last of the three keys being getting pressed (it not that it just skips the pressed event). I checking the  string of previously entered keycommands.

Since I'm now fairly convinced that this is not a problem I can neatly fix, I am inclined to just leave the things as they are. The players already have the options to edit any of the controls if they experience issues.

Some keyboards have key priority issues and object to certain combos of keys. Other keyboards are amazing. XD But yeah, don't worry yourself about this as it's very likely a hardware-specific issue.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: 4Sword on November 25, 2013, 10:02:57 am
As with Chaos Rising, I haven't been able to play Horn of Balance's NCFC demo yet but wanted to say thanks for representing ZFGC and entering into the event. You have always put a lot of consistent, high-quality work into this project and I hope that others at the event can appreciate that too.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on November 29, 2013, 01:14:09 am
Thanks. I got back from Indonesia yesterday but judging by what I've seen so far the love on NCFC is far to be found. Guess I'll have to try again next year.

In the livestream recording of my game various solid objects seem to have dissappeared (probably due to surfaces not getting created due to too much memory usage). Has anybody else encountered simular problems in the game?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Atom on December 02, 2013, 07:04:28 pm
Its not as bad at it seemed at first, you are still receiving votes even now NCFC has ended. You are at 13 votes now.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on December 15, 2013, 05:14:40 pm
And here is another status update. The last few weeks have been a little rough for me so that's why there wasn't any news last weekend.

Progress update:

0.16.01 (10 november 2013)
+ Fixed error: destroying containers in rooms where digging is allowed sometimes throws errors

0.16.02 (1 december 2013)
+ Edited hinttext for cannonball puzzle in dungeon 1
+ Further optimized overworld tileset

0.16.03 (10 december 2013)
+ Further optimized overworld tileset

0.16.04 (15 december 2013)
+ Fixed pick up animation while looking left
+ Further optimized overworld tileset
+ Added new item: Magic Mirror ("return to beginning" effect only)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on December 29, 2013, 07:21:39 pm
Sorry for the lack of updates lately. It's the holiday season and all.
I've attached some screenshots of the new darkness system I've been working on (as I've been working to add it). Nothing too flashy, but it ended up being a lot more complex to integrate, amongst everything, else then I had expected. I'll need another weekend to finish it I'm hoping and maybe some more time to tweak the light area sprites.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: FrozenFire on December 31, 2013, 08:33:13 am
Interesting. How is the lighting system going to work? From the screens so far, it doesn't really make sense or seem consistent, but I'm pretty sure that's because it's just set up for testing stuff? And I'm pretty sure everyone's projects slow down during the holidays, so no big deal, no need to be sorry.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [NEW POLL ADDED]
Post by: Martijn dh on December 31, 2013, 09:16:18 am
Well, I've been pondering on various systems and I'm now working with three layers of darkness. The lower floor (= the hole in the 2nd image), the upper floor (= the dark area in the 2nd image) and the highest floor (the red area). If a lightsource is on the lower floor then the light only effects the lower darkness. If the source is on the upper floor, it effects both the upper and lower floor. The highest floor is only effected by room wide light sources... That's the theorie anyway. It's a work in progress. The hard part is defining the three surfaces efficiently (which what the screenshots show).

I'll create a video to show the concept soon.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [NEW POLL]
Post by: Martijn dh on January 05, 2014, 09:35:05 pm
@ FrozenFire: Finally got around to (almost all of) your feedback from two months ago. Would you be willing to test the new situation after the next weekend?

Progress report:

0.16.05 (22 december 2013)
+ Started work on darkness engine
+ Reorganised how area data is defined

0.16.06 (29 december 2013)
+ Continued work on darkness engine (fixed a ton of issues and added interaction with medallions)
+ Integrated higher blending effects with darkness system to cut resources

0.16.07 (1 januari 2014)
+ Fixed error when turning plant enemies into slime enemies using the quake medallion
+ Redid part of the darkness system to prevent glitches when moving between floors / areas

0.16.08 (2 januari 2014)
+ Improved darkness system: added light sources for light (with and without lanturn as equipped item)
+ Fixed glitch: darkness engine can now handle lightsources with alpha values
+ Added darkness to dungeon 1

0.16.09 (4 januari 2014)
+ Fixed glitch: darkness engine no longer throws errors when ctrl+alt+del is used
+ Link's light cone can now handle diagonal directions (while on dwindelstairs)
+ Link's light cone now takes height above ground into consideration
+ Added new type of pressure plate (=needs continious weighted pressure), though I ended up scrapping actually using it anywhere. Hahaha. Maybe at a later date.
+ Made the three pillar puzzles (and another small puzzle) in dungeon 2 more forgiving with regards to their placement requirements
+ Altered / simplified pillar puzzle 2 in dungeon 2

0.16.10 (5 januari 2014)
+ Redid third pillar puzzle in dungeon 2
+ Redid "movable small statues" puzzle room in dungeon 1
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Whitay on January 05, 2014, 10:44:02 pm
Really love how the lighting turned out, looks very nice and more realistic. Care to give a little insight on how the system works?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [NEW POLL]
Post by: FrozenFire on January 06, 2014, 09:27:32 am
@ FrozenFire: Finally got around to (almost all of) your feedback from two months ago. Would you be willing to test the new situation after the next weekend?

I'd be happy to. And the latest progress on the lighting looks nice. ;)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on January 06, 2014, 10:54:03 pm
Really love how the lighting turned out, looks very nice and more realistic. Care to give a little insight on how the system works?

Check my posts on the 30th and 31th of december.

One downside to the system though is that the character's light will shine through walls that are narrow enough. I'm not sure if I want to build something elaborate to counter that, compensate via room design or just ignore it.

Does anything in the attached images bother anyone?

@FrozenFire: Thanks. I'll contact you when I've addressed the last of the suggestions.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Whitay on January 07, 2014, 12:18:58 am
I feel like it should just stay that way, as otherwise the light also may be too limited when in complex built rooms. You have gotten very far and made a really cool system for the lights here, and i feel like any more would just be wayy to much for the result of something like that small of a detail.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Kami on January 09, 2014, 12:08:49 am
Sorry for the lack of updates lately. It's the holiday season and all.
I've attached some screenshots of the new darkness system I've been working on (as I've been working to add it). Nothing too flashy, but it ended up being a lot more complex to integrate, amongst everything, else then I had expected. I'll need another weekend to finish it I'm hoping and maybe some more time to tweak the light area sprites.
This looks pretty good and it looks like it could be used well with different kinds of things for example if you end up makeing a fire temple/dungeon you could use the lower lightsource for rooms with lava on the bottom.(2nd, 3rd, and 4th examples) and hte last one obviously being for a dark area below the room. This is getting pretty big, and it's looking really good, kinda like sequal to lttp on the snes in it's own way but with alot more things and a completely different plot. I'm looking forward to seeing how much more effort you put into this project~
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on January 12, 2014, 12:21:02 pm
Just a quick update inbetween. I've smoothed out the sprites used for light sources (check the attachments), but now I'm wondering wether or not this clashes too much with the tone of the game.

What do you guys think?

@FrozenFire: A testdemo is coming within the next day or so. I'm just finishing up some loose ends and adding lanturns.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Whitay on January 12, 2014, 07:48:06 pm
I liked the smooth style better actually, although it somewhat clashes it does make it look alot better and less pixel like. i like the newer one
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on January 12, 2014, 09:08:33 pm
Good to hear. I'll keep it for now then.

Here is this weekend's progress report:

0.16.11 (11 januari 2014)
+ Further optimized tilesets
+ Removed old test pop-up after dying + selecting continue
+ Increased speed of fireballs created from Somaria blocks
+ Added (placeholder) additional lightsources for the darkness engine

0.16.12 (12 januari 2014)
+ Improved darkness engine:
   - Surfaces no longer get refreshed during pause modes
   - Fizzling fires are now also a lightsources
   - Smoothed out sprites used for lightsources
+ Fixed issue: pause the game destroys all active projectiles
+ Added new item: Lantern
+ Added new item: Fairy lantern (can damage enemies)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Atom on February 09, 2014, 07:27:45 pm
it has been almost a month since the last update, thats a longer time then you usually let us wait for a new update. So for the curious ones: you got any news on this project?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on February 09, 2014, 09:30:34 pm
Thanks for asking.

The project has kept going these last couple of weeks, but rather slowly. And a large portion of that time has been dedicated to removing functions that are obsolete (in Studio). Some was also lost on trying to implement a new idle animation (juggling). I'm not 100% procent happy with the animation yet so that hasn't really resulting into anything tangible either I'm sad to say.

(Gaming might have also taken a large portion of my time lately. Starcraft - Zerg, Heartstone, Rogue Legacy, L.A. Noire, Knight and Merchants etc etc. Uuuhm... I mean I was researching a lot of game design in other games. Yeah, that's what I meant.)

On the positive side though:
After much pondering I have finally settled on a concept for the boss of dungeon 2. I incidentally started work on him yesterday. Much like with the boss 1 the boss will be a fully unique thing not like in the original, with a few attack patterns and a ramping difficulty. This also means it will be weeks before I'm finished. Heck, I'm at around 200 lines of boss specific AI coding and pattern one isn't even fully finished. XD All in all I'm very excited with the (very) early results and I'm really looking forward to find out how people will eventually respond. I'll request a few testers here once I'm fairly close to finishing the fight.


Here is the latest progress report:

0.16.13 (19 januari 2014)
+ Reviewed the following objects and updated them to the latest coding standards:
   - Collectable items
   - Action objects
   - Last of the terrain objects
   - Misc. objects
+ Finished breakable walls (finally)
+ Fixed enemy sprites for slarok enemy
+ Replaced more uses of the function local_variable_exists

0.16.15 through 0.16.16 (detailed notes lost)
+ Mostly worked on coding efficieny and preparations for an eventual transition to studio

0.16.17 (7 februari 2014)
+ Started work on the dungeon 2 boss
+ Tweaked dungeon 2 boss room

0.16.18 (8 februari 2014)
+ Renamed some objects for more consistency
+ Made progress on boss 2: Added basic first attack pattern

0.16.19 (9 februari 2014)
+ Made progress on boss 2: Added collisions and boss death
+ Made progress on boss 2: Fixed a number of issues with attack pattern 1
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: RetroRespecter on February 09, 2014, 10:56:01 pm
Dungeon #2 is almost complete. I see that Gamemaker Studio is not giving you any problems, Martjin dh.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Atom on February 12, 2014, 05:43:02 pm
Slow progress is still progress and I like progresss  :D
I wonder what that boss will be, 200 lines of coding for only its first part sounds interesting.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on February 23, 2014, 09:58:25 pm
The latest progress:

0.16.20 (23 februari 2014)
+ Made progress on boss 2: Edited shadows + grouped sprites closer together
+ Redesiged 6 rooms around the subboss fights in dungeon2 into one new large room
+ Enemy sprites can now be drawn rotated
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: RetroRespecter on February 25, 2014, 06:09:03 pm
Are these dungeons going to be in the full-fame or are they just for testing?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on February 26, 2014, 08:29:02 pm
No worries. Both dungeon 1 and dungeon 2 will be fully playable in the next demo.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on March 03, 2014, 05:53:58 pm
Here is last weekend's progress. More was planned but Gamemaker suddenly has issues starting for me. It now takes 10+ min before it actually starts after the appropriate starticon has been clicked and I have no idea why. :huh: I don't suppose anybody else has had such issues (since a week or so)?

0.16.21 (1 maart 2014)
+ Removed the last uses of the function local_variable_exists( ) - finally!

0.16.22 (2 maart 2014)
+ Integrated room floor data within the darkness engine
+ Fixed creation error Stalfos Floating Head
+ Fixed small issue darkness engine: darkness indicator now used properly
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: RetroRespecter on March 07, 2014, 02:13:51 am
These things often happen. The best way is to take care of it and move on.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on March 09, 2014, 08:06:58 pm
This weekend's progress:

0.16.23 (9 maart 2014)
+ Added additional idle animation: juggling
+ Did some more work on boss 2

Check the attachment for the animation.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Atom on March 10, 2014, 05:01:55 pm
that's a lot of work for an idle animation, especially as it is not even the first version of it.
I wonder, can we expect to see a glimplse of the boss anytime soon or do we have to wait till you have finished working on it.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on March 10, 2014, 05:56:26 pm
Yeah, I was running up against some brainscratchers with the boss so I added the animation for some variation. It's custom made by Dervilacus and I edited it over time.

The boss... well I really really want to show it off. But I also want it to be a surprise for the people that want it to remain a surprise. If I post it here everybody will see and it'll ruin the mystery. Like with the dungeon 1 boss I am spending a lot of time on it to make it a real reward for the player who reaches it.

What to do? What to do? I don't suppose you'd want to help me out as a tester for this boss?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Atom on March 11, 2014, 06:48:32 am
sure I will test it for you, that gives you a chance to show it off and I get to see it early and I can help you find any remaining glitches.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on March 11, 2014, 07:47:36 pm
Deal. I'll send you a demo in a few hours. Let me know what the first impressions are.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: FrozenFire on March 12, 2014, 07:07:36 pm
The boss... well I really really want to show it off. But I also want it to be a surprise for the people that want it to remain a surprise. If I post it here everybody will see and it'll ruin the mystery. Like with the dungeon 1 boss I am spending a lot of time on it to make it a real reward for the player who reaches it.

While reading that, my reaction was kind of like this..
Show content
(http://i.minus.com/iYsy8FhC0d1RV.gif)
Except I'm not a cute girl.

To me, good boss fights really help make games more fun and to shine in a little extra special epic sort of way, so I'm excited to see that you are putting some effort into it. I'd rather wait to experience it in game. ;)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on March 23, 2014, 10:32:46 pm
Here is the latest progress report:

0.16.24 (12 maart 2014)
+ Improved alternation between idle animations
+ Improved boss 2 (attack pattern 1):
   - Improved collisions
   - Fixed depth issues
   - Improved settings for the sprites

0.16.25 (15 maart 2014)
+ Fixed glitch: ín some instances the balls from the idle animation don't dissappear
+ Added a room options to turn off items from digging (like in the boss 2 room)
+ Tweaked boss 2 sprites

0.16.26 (16 maart 2014)
+ Fixed shadow issue with boss 2 death sequence

0.16.27 (22 maart 2014)
+ Added second attack pattern to boss 2
+ Added boss 2 roar
+ Edited the last of the boss 2 sprites for the hurt coloring effect

0.16.28 (23 maart 2014)
+ Improved boss 2 AI:
   - Finished second attack pattern
   - Added sand visuals
   - Randomized first attack pattern
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on March 30, 2014, 10:34:50 pm
Here is the latest progress report:

0.16.29 (29 maart 2014)
+ Remove one of the last two uses of the sleep function ('cause Studio removed it)
+ Improved boss 2 AI:
   - Reversed visuals sandpit + removed pull effect
   - Improved pattern 2 spawning locations (for better flow)
   - Sped up pattern 2 attack speed
   - Adressed various depth issues with pattern 1 and 2

0.16.30 (30 maart 2014)
+ Improved darkness engine:
   - Connected rooms now can have different room darkness values
   - Room darkness values are now dependant on the various available lightsources
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on April 06, 2014, 08:26:13 pm
The good news is that the boss creation is now getting into it's final stages (=tweaking stats and adding finishing touches). XD

Here is the latest progress report:

0.16.31 (5 april 2014)
+ Fixed glitches with the darkness engine:
   - During pause
   - During room transitions
   - In the first room of the game
+ Moved some more code to scripts
+ Made progress on boss 2: Added introduction pattern

0.16.32 (6 april 2014)
+ Made further progress on boss 2:
   - Redid room (smaller / bare)
   - Improved spawning locations
   - Fixed some more depth issues
   - Tweaked collission boxes
   - Added introduction scene
   - Improved alternation between attacks
   - Added collectable heart
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: RetroRespecter on April 13, 2014, 01:06:04 am
Wow! No bad news.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on April 18, 2014, 08:28:12 am
Here's another new progressupdate + screenshot.
I've got some extra free time this weekend so expect more progress soon.

0.16.33 (12 april 2014)
+ Made further progress on boss 2:
   - Tweaked boss spawning locations
   - Fixed glitch: boss isn't fully destroyed
   - Added treasure upon defeat

0.16.34 (13 april 2014)
+ Moved more coding over to scripts
+ Removed the last uses of the sleep() function

0.16.35 (18 april 2014)
+ Tweaked subboss fight 1 (longer delay after main attack)
+ Fixed small issue: grabbing to your left and right was sightly out of sink
+ Added new container: breakable beer bottle (see attached screenshot)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: RetroRespecter on April 18, 2014, 07:18:45 pm
Beer bottles?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on April 18, 2014, 07:23:12 pm
Those red and blue bottles on the counter. You can now break those. Also, if I place them on the floor somewhere you'll also be able to pick them up to throw.

This all doesn't have any function though. I just added them because I can XD
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on April 21, 2014, 04:32:41 pm
And here is more progress to report:
I finally came around to doing some tricky chores from my to-do list

0.16.36 (19 april 2014)
+ Optimized dungeon tilesets some more
+ Changed boss positioning on the dungeon maps
+ Implemented three new subboss rooms (fully replacing the old 6 rooms)

0.16.37 (20 april 2014)
+ Redesigned parts of subboss rooms (floors / entrance / object placements / etc)
+ Cleaned up dungeon temporary condition variables
+ Added hidden switch to "trap" room in dungeon 2

0.16.38 (21 april 2014)
+ Walking into solid objects will now make you push them
+ Edited the difficulty curve for dungeon boss 2 (+ tweaked stats)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on May 10, 2014, 10:02:06 am
Sorry about the lack of activity these last two weeks. I don't have much time for my hobby this weekend either, but I did want to share a little progress. Currently I'm working on a shop like in A Link Between Worlds (just buying, not renting). Hopefully it'll be done next week. And of course the boss of dungeon 2 is almost done thanks to the feedback from Atom.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on May 24, 2014, 05:59:31 pm
I'm still not back to my old routine, but I did want to share a new picture to show that the project is being worked on. Check the attachement. Also, the boss for dungeon2 has been tweaked and I'm comfortable saying it's now finished. (No picture 'cause I still don't want to spoil it).

@Atom: I'll send you a private demo shortly.

That just leaves the dungeon scenes and midway fight before the next release, but I'm thinking about cutting some corners to be able to show a beta version of the dungeon next month or so.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: RetroRespecter on May 28, 2014, 02:20:29 am
Why are you talking about "cutting corners", Martijn? You never cut corners before.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on May 28, 2014, 05:11:45 pm
I'm just a little tired from both work at work and on this project, I guess. Also, cutting corners might have been a little poor wording on my part. I should have chosen something along the lines of: push some ideas back to a later date, for an earlier next release. It feels like ages since I released a demo.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on June 09, 2014, 11:17:44 am
Just a quick update on the latest progress. Currently I'm working on simple NPC's for faster the shopkeeper and faster scene building. There isn't too much progress to be shown because it's lot's of planning ahead before actually building those.


0.16.39 (26 april 2014)
+ Designed sprite for dungeon NPC (Queen)
+ Worked on custom sprite NPC (Roy)
+ Worked on ending scene dungeon 2

0.16.40 (10 mei 2014)
+ Expanded the overworld a little
+ Started work on overworld shop (9 items to buy)

0.16.41 (24 mei 2014)
+ Finished boss fight dungeon 2:
   - Added final "stage" to boss fight
   - Tweaked stats
   - Added some more sound effects / subtle tells
   - Tweaked interaction with the medallions (while underground)

0.16.42 (25 mei 2014)
+ Finished text in the overworld shop
+ Added contextual textboxes (useful for NPC's and such)

0.16.43 (29 mei 2014)
+ Added proper "get item" animation after buying items in the shop
+ Tweaked shop prices
+ Speed up rupee value changes in the HUD by x3

0.16.44 (30 mei 2014)
+ Tweaked shop: items don't show up if you already own them
+ Edited contents secret chests in the dungeons

0.16.45 (9 juni 2014)
+ Started work on simple NPC's (stationary / able to talk)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: FrozenFire on June 09, 2014, 12:30:44 pm
It feels like ages since I released a demo.

Just wanted to say, I'd like to do a new "Let's Play" with the next demo. That first one I made is SOOOO long and really boring. It wasn't really intended to be casually watched. :P I'd like to make something more interesting and better quality with better commentary. I noticed you linked my LP in the last NCFC booth of yours, but I think it may have done more damage than good, ha ha. Anyway, I'll try to keep an eye on this project so I can do that whenever a new demo rolls around. ;)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on June 09, 2014, 12:51:24 pm
I'd really like that! I'm always interested to watch someway as they play my game.
You plan on making it a series of smaller video's this time?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: FrozenFire on June 09, 2014, 03:25:08 pm
You plan on making it a series of smaller video's this time?
It really all depends on how my play through goes. I might end up doing a lot of editing (mostly cutting boring footage) and just make a sort of highlights video of my playthrough. But if I can avoid being boring or annoying, I can minimize cutting and I would likely end up making a series if that was the case. For games with puzzle elements and stuff, it's hard not to make it boring for a viewer if I get a little lost or have to back track too much.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on June 09, 2014, 04:35:45 pm
Cool! If at all possible I'd also like to take a look at the uncut version. Screwups are also very important information... for me as the creator anyway  XD
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on June 17, 2014, 08:03:56 pm
I was unable to get to this site last weekend so it's a little late, but here is the latest progress again. The boss + boss scenes are now fully finished. This leaves the subboss (scenes) and glitch hunting before I can release the next demo.

0.16.46 (13 juni 2014)
+ Finished simple NPC's (stationary / able to talk)
+ Implemented NPC: shopkeeper (also looks at you while describing items)
+ Implemented NPC in scene: queen

0.16.47 (14 juni 2014)
+ Fixed some tiling issues
+ Started work on boss entry and dungeon end scenes

0.16.48 (15 juni 2014)
+ Implemented NPC in scenes: Roy
+ Allowed for slightly more complex NPC's: they can now also walk in scenes and turn to energy like subboss 1
+ Finished dungeon end scene (get heart / get treasure)
+ Finished boss introduction scene
+ Tweaked color mouth boss2
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: AimesGames on June 20, 2014, 05:57:31 am
Love it!
I like the cheesy start to it.  It reminded me of the start (just a bit) of Majora's Mask because of how things got strange/awkward at the beginning. ^_^ I love it.  It's just like LTTP.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on June 23, 2014, 02:53:50 pm
Thanks. It always does me good to hear people like my game.

I've taken the week off to relax and stuff, so expect some more progress then usual the next couple of days (despite soccer and steamsales going on right now  XD). I've attached a picture of of some progress below. I was actually do to a glitch that there are some many enemies on screen. I won't be THAT evil in the actual game. XD
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: AimesGames on June 23, 2014, 10:30:42 pm
Very nice!
I am surprised on how you got it exactly to be like Link To The Past's engine.  Very good!
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on June 27, 2014, 04:04:31 pm
Just a little update. I'm looking into moving so progress was/is a little delayed. But not to worry. I'm only working doing some final playtesting and balancing. I should have the new demo ready in the next 1 or 2 days... probably.

Also, I fixed some broken links on the starting post and added the following to the enemy listing:
(http://cdn.imghack.se/images/ea289c936e34709b157646cbd92ee6e9.png) - Sanmola (NEW in version 0.17)
(http://cdn.imghack.se/images/26198e1938df1e1a40f623dba3c1aa70.png) - Lanmola (NEW in version 0.17)

Further progress report:
0.16.49 (17 juni 2014)
+ Fixed error: quickly alternating between grabbing and escape buttons can sometimes throw an error
+ Started work on subboss introduction scenes

0.16.50 (22 juni 2014)
+ Worked further on subbboss introduction scenes

0.16.51 (23 juni 2014)
+ Did lots of laytesting and tweaking in dungeon 2:
   - Altered some chest contents
   - Added or fixed various diggrids (=digfunctionality) in rooms
   - Tweaked enemy placements
   - Tweaked dungeon beamos puzzle
   - Altered a room so are now prevented from jumping into a movable pillar
   - Removed a locked door so all dungeon rooms will always be accessable
   - Added entrance scene
   - Finished mechanics after subboss fight A
+ Simplified the dungeon 1 entrance scenes to just one version (with less text)

0.16.52 (24 juni 2014)
+ Did lots of laytesting and tweaking in dungeon 2:
   - Finished mechanics after subboss fight B
   - Added victory swing after a victory over a subboss
   - Made progress with subboss introduction B

0.16.53 (25 juni 2014)
+ Did lots of laytesting and tweaking in dungeon 2:
   - Finished subbboss introduction scene A
   - Finished subbboss introduction scene B
+ Worked to improve new enemies: Lanmola / Sanmola
   - Finished enemy shadow positioning
   - Lanmola have larger shadows then Sanmola
   - Fixed depth issues (incl. sand effects when coming up or burrowing down)

0.16.54 (27 juni 2014)
+ Finished new enemies: Lanmola / Sanmola
   - Lanmola has a slightly more wavy movement pattern then Sanmola
   - Fixed more depth issues
   - Added more variation to starting position
   - Added rock attack for Lanmola (if low on health)
+ Added + renamed shadow sprites
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: AimesGames on June 27, 2014, 09:26:41 pm
 XD :D

Yayyy!
Also, does this website seem low on people? Is it dying? :( Because I know people would be like ":oooo amazing!"
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on June 28, 2014, 05:56:01 am
Well, feel free to invite those people over XD

Actually, judging from the posts and messages I receive there is a small loyal following for the game. I've been working on this project for years though so most of them have already stated there impressions once or multible times. Following something for years is an achievement in it's own right obviously (which is why I try to give regular updates to read). And also, I don't really go out of my way to promote the game beyond.

I find that feedback on this site has always more sparse then on other forums anyway, but that quality is also FAR better as well. As in: people are generally more constructive and almost always want to help via suggested improvements.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Atom on June 28, 2014, 05:29:41 pm
So, any idea when dungeon 2 will be fully completed? I believe you should be ready to finish working on it soon.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 16 out now!]
Post by: Martijn dh on June 28, 2014, 06:43:40 pm
As always I find tons of small "issues" when playtesting, but the good news is that I'm practically through those. I'm currently building in some last minute design improvements (like altering the players starting position and adding a little learning curve). Next up is finishing up the subboss fights (spawning, respawning, destruction check) and tweaking the stats of Sanmola en Lanmola. The first of these three things should be done in the next couple of hours. The last one is something for tomorrow morning. So expect the demo in between 12 to 18 hours.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 29, 2014, 09:43:17 am
Hello all. Here is the next demo (also updated in the starting post and there is a new poll):

Demo version: 0.17.00
File Size: 19,78 MB (Zipped)
Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 (Changable)
Download: https://www.mediafire.com/?p1qp8vvf3zd36t9 (https://www.mediafire.com/?p1qp8vvf3zd36t9)

Notes:
- The goal is to reach the end of both major dungeons
- An gauntlet mini-dungeons is included as a hard mode and to display additional enemies and items

Default controls*:
D - Action button (open doors / read text / grab / etc) + Confirm button (while in menus)
G - Attack button (hold and release for a full swing attack) + Cancel button (while in menus)
S - Perform run action (if you have the boots available)
P - Pauses the game (can be used to exit the game)
R - Use item A
F - Use item B
H - Brings up item menu
E - Brings up map menu

* The controls can be personalized in the options menu at the start of the game.

What's changed since the last demo?

+ Added darkness engine (implemented in dungeon 1)
+ Walking into solid objects will now make you push them
+ Added NPC's (and contextual textboxes)
+ Added shop set-up
+ Changed starting game's equipement

+ Added new item: Magic Mirror ("return to beginning" effect only)
+ Added new item: Lantern
+ Added new item: Fairy lantern (flame can damage enemies)
+ Added new container: breakable beer bottle
+ Added new character state: idle animation (juggling)
+ Added new enemy: Boss dungeon2
+ Finished new enemies: Lanmola / Sanmola
+ Finished breakable walls

+ Tweaked dungeon 1:
    - Redid "movable small statues" puzzle room in dungeon 1
    - Tweaked subboss fight 1 (longer delay after main attack)
    - Edited hinttext for cannonball puzzle in dungeon 1
    - Tweaked secret chest contents
+ Finished dungeon 2:
    - Altered / simplified pillar puzzles in dungeon 2 (now also more forgiving)
    - Added, tweaked or fully redesigned a ton of rooms
    - Tweaked dungeon order + chest contents
    - Added boss, subbosses and scenes
+ Tweaked / expanded overworld:
    - Now contains a shop building + extra outside "room"

+ Optimized tilesets further for better performance / filesize
+ Made some preparations for an eventual transition to studio
+ Tons of small tweaks / coding improvements / errorfixes / bugfixes
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: FrozenFire on July 03, 2014, 09:45:46 pm
Alrighty, started a play through of the latest demo. Failed pretty hard at going any place, but hey, at least it's not an hour like my other video and it has better mic quality and it's edited to avoid it being stupidly boring.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyQ3Xb1M2cE

Martijn, you should PM me and tell me some key things, like, where each dungeon is and what areas to avoid due to being incomplete or something. And let me know if I need something from one area before going into a certain place to avoid getting blocked or something - anything that might cause me to back track a lot. Those things force me to edit the video and it's a waste of time, and I don't get a lot of time to play games these days, so things like that would be a great help. :)
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 03, 2014, 09:57:05 pm
Sure. I'll see what I can do tomorrow.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Theforeshadower on July 03, 2014, 10:02:36 pm
I played Demo 17 on an ultra-portable that I recently acquired.  The second area runs very slow.  I'd say about 15 FPS.  I wonder if it is the amount of objects in the area?  I can jam on some emulators with filters and such without issue as well as some regular game titles on this machine.

Windows 8
2.1/2.6Ghz AMD A6 + 7500g APU
4GB DDR3

Just letting ya know. 

What version of Game Maker are you using these days?  I know I finally switch to GM:S.  Many things seem to run much better than GM 8 and 7.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 04, 2014, 05:56:21 am
Thanks for letting me know. I'll try to get right on it. Could you answer a few followup questions?

By second area you mean the second dungeon, right?
Is the slowdown consistent or does it only occur as you enter a new room?
Are there rooms or instances where the slowdown does not occur?
Does the slowdown occur outside or on floor B1 of dungeon 1?
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Theforeshadower on July 04, 2014, 04:20:42 pm
Thanks for letting me know. I'll try to get right on it. Could you answer a few followup questions?

By second area you mean the second dungeon, right?
Is the slowdown consistent or does it only occur as you enter a new room?
Are there rooms or instances where the slowdown does not occur?
Does the slowdown occur outside or on floor B1 of dungeon 1?

By second area I mean the area beyond the switch wall as soon as you start a new game.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 04, 2014, 04:49:51 pm
I'm still using Gamemaker 8.1. Converting to Studio has proven to be a nightmare / disaster last time due to dreadfull backwards compatibility. I'm gradually preparing a second attempt, but it'll still take a long time to complete.

Based on your information the issue must be caused by either the digging mechanic, objects in the room or possibly Windows8 (since that seems to be the only notable difference between our machines).
Mind if I send you some other demo's in the next couple of days to try and pinpoint the cause further?
Also, I assume the framerate does not get back up towards 30 fps after a while?
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Theforeshadower on July 04, 2014, 06:12:12 pm
Sure, I'll test some more demos.  The frame rate gets back to 30 when I go to another area that is smaller such as the first dungeon or houses.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: FrozenFire on July 05, 2014, 11:55:55 am
Just wanted to note that I have windows 8 as well and have not seen slow downs there. However, my computer is quite new and has a lot of processing power and RAM and pretty much everything else is very good.

The problems about the menu that I mention in that LP video which I just posted was due to a strange fluke where a certain program crashed but did not close and it did some really weird stuff. Actually, you can see a thing at the end of the video that looks like a slight graphical glitch located in the center of the desktop coming out of the desktop character's sun glasses (that's actually why I kept clicking and dragging the selection, to sort of highlight it at the end when I noticed something odd. Though I didn't say anything about it, I was thinking "WTF?", lol).
I have tested the game a bit more with no problems in the menu, and - since other programs were freezing/crashing/lagging during this time as well - I can only assume it was because of that one program's problem and it has nothing to do with this game.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 05, 2014, 12:24:34 pm
That's good to hear. I'm sending TheForeshadower a private demo right after this message to see if I can speed up anyway so he can enjoy it at the same speed as the rest.

I'll also release a new public demo later today (in the next 6 hours or so) fixing the error FrozenFire found and tweaking some other small issues / suggestions.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Kienamaru on July 05, 2014, 02:59:21 pm
How do I get this to run? I downloaded the demo... do I need some kind of special system to play it on?
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 05, 2014, 03:55:14 pm
Unpack the file and run the .exe. That should be it (for default Windows devices).

My advice: wait about an 15-30 minutes for the next version which I'm preparing right now. Playing that version will make keep you from running into an annoying error in dungeon 2.

==========================

EDIT: And here is improved version

Demo version: 0.17.02
File Size: 19,78 MB (Zipped)
Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 (Changable)
Download: https://www.mediafire.com/?nn1745af2xx35i4 (https://www.mediafire.com/?nn1745af2xx35i4)


Progress log:

0.17.01 (4 juli 2014)
+ Only when a hole beneath a container leads to another room will the secret sound be played when it is created
+ Edited scroll speed of "room below" background
+ Fixed surface issues in obj_moving_layer during ctrl+alt+delete situations

0.17.02 (5 juli 2014)
+ Fixed error: when you solve puzzle in room 23 in dungeon 2, leave the blocks gone as you leave the floor and later go back to floor B1
+ Tweaked some tiny tiling issues in dungeon 2
+ Fixed invisible wall and tiling in the overworld
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Sahittam on July 06, 2014, 06:41:25 am
SPOILERS BELOW  -- DO NOT READ IF YOU WANT TO PLAY IT YOURSELF FIRST

-----------------------
-----------------------

Show content
Okay, I found some time to play through it now. Took me a good 4.5 hours; that means a lot happened ... let's see if I can remember it all.
(Also makes me wish I recorded it. Not a full let's play with commentary, like FrozenFire, because I don't think I'd feel comfortable doing that. But it would help me remember things ... and you could see exactly what happened. Might do that in the future if I remember.)

I made some notes and screenshots though, so let me go through them ...

First I'll list all the bugs I found and then I'll give some general feedback/impressions.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Overworld

I started the game by pretty much buying all items right away. I collected the 45 (?) rupees under the stairs in the first dungeon over and over again, so I had the money to do that.


1. (Minor)  -  I noticed that the shop theme doesn't repeat properly. After it fades out, there is a long period of silence before it starts again.


2. (Major (though not for this demo))  -  Bombs didn't work at all. I could equip them, but if I pressed the item button nothing happened (not even an error sound).


3. (Major)  -  When I was hit at the edge of a screen and the knockback moved me outside of the screen (so a scrolling screen transition starts) I got the following message:
"Unknown Link status. Please report."
If I pressed OK (or enter) I got the message again the next frame. By continuing to do this (hold Enter), the scrolling transition happened normally (except for the message). During the transition Link wasn't visible. After the transition was completed, the message didn't appear again and everything was normal again (I could continue completely bug-free).


4. (Crash)  -  When I entered the 3rd room of the Waterworks I got a game maker error. I tried to get through this by pressing Ignore repeatedly, but this time that didn't work. Each frame I got a couple of errors (not always the same error, but after a while the errors repeated themselves); even after the room transition was completed (the scrolling happened normally). So I had to Abort eventually.

I have the whole error log in the attachments, but Ill Ive analyzed it a bit more:

The first 2 errors are unique:

Show content
ERROR in
action number 2
of Other Event: User Defined 15
for object parent_Enemy_Creation:

In script script_Enemy_Create_Default:
Error in code at line 30:
   
last_created_id.destroy_creator_at_end = destroy_creator_at_end;
                                            ^
at position 43: Unknown variable destroy_creator_at_end


ERROR in
action number 2
of Other Event: User Defined 15
for object parent_Enemy_Creation:

In script script_Enemy_Create_Default:
Error in code at line 30:
   
last_created_id.destroy_creator_at_end = destroy_creator_at_end;
                                            ^
at position 43: Unknown variable destroy_creator_at_end

After that the following errors are repeated each frame:

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ERROR in
action number 2
of  Step Event
for object parent_Enemy_Control:

In script script_AI_Bari:
Error in code at line 20:
   
    if (status = c_Status_Stone or status = c_Status_Frozen or status = c_Status_Burning or status = c_Status_Stunned)
           ^
at position 10: Unknown variable status


ERROR in
action number 4
of  Step Event
for object parent_Enemy_Control:

Error in code at line 2:
   
if ((status = c_Status_Stone and ignore_container_stone = false) or (status = c_Status_Frozen and ignore_container_ice = false))
        ^
at position 7: Unknown variable status


ERROR in
action number 6
of  Step Event
for object parent_Enemy_Control:

Error in code at line 4:
   
    if (status != c_Status_Frozen and status != c_Status_Stone and status != c_Status_Burning)
           ^
at position 10: Unknown variable status


ERROR in
action number 8
of  Step Event
for object parent_Enemy_Control:

Error in code at line 4:
   
    status_counter += 1;
       ^
at position 6: Unknown variable status_counter


ERROR in
action number 10
of  Step Event
for object parent_Enemy_Control:

Error in code at line 2:
   
for (i=0; i<=attached_count-1; i+=1)
                ^
at position 15: Unknown variable attached_count

However, after some time (presumably after the scrolling finishes) the following errors ALSO happen each frame:

Show content
ERROR in
action number 7
of End Step Event
for object obj_Character_Control:

In script script_Character_Event_Collisions_Center:
Error in code at line 53:
   
                        if (argument[3].ignore_collisions = false)
                                           ^
at position 42: Unknown variable ignore_collisions


ERROR in
action number 1
of End Step Event
for object obj_Character_Collision_Center:

In script script_Character_Event_Collisions_Center:
Error in code at line 53:
   
                        if (argument[3].ignore_collisions = false)
                                           ^
at position 42: Unknown variable ignore_collisions


I don't think I saw everything on the overworld. I found 3 heart pieces overall.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Dungeon 1


5. (Minor)  -  In one of the torch rooms I experienced some light-related bugs:

(http://zfgc.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=33701.0;attach=12929;image)

That only happened during the transition. Before and after that everything was normal.
When I walked up into the torch room again, the dark overlay flickered on again, but only for a split second (too fast to take a screenshot).

When I walked up the stairs, the overlay appeared as well:

(http://zfgc.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=33701.0;attach=12931;image)

However, those bugs only appeared after I visited the torch room. And if I went up the stairs and down again, the bugs didn't appear again UNTIL I walked into the torch room. After that the transitions were bugged until I changed floors.

(The torch was lit during all of this.)


6. (Minor)  -  The following gap appeared in the wall:

(http://zfgc.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=33701.0;attach=12933;image)
(http://zfgc.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=33701.0;attach=12935;image)
(http://zfgc.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=33701.0;attach=12937;image)

As you can see it changes size depending on Links position. If Link moves down, the gap size gradually increases until it is about 16 pixels long, then it jumps back to about 8 pixels long. Then it increases again ...


7. (Minor)  -  I was in the room AFTER the room with the 5 switches and the iron balls. The balls in my current room had no sound.


8. (Minor)  -  The bottle you get along with the Rod of Medu overwrites the first bottle slot. I already had a bottle in that slot (the one I bought). Basically, it says I found a bottle, but I had 3 bottles before and 3 bottles after I opened the chest. But this is very minor, as that chest (most likely) won't be in the final game.


9. (Major)  -  I got the following error while fighting the dungeon 1 boss:

Show content
___________________________________________
ERROR in
action number 2
of End Step Event
for object parent_Character_Sprite_Detached:

In script script_Detached_Arrow:
Error in code at line 47:
           creator_id.attached_count += 1;
           ^
at position 10: Unknown variable attached_count

It happened at the transition of the first phase to the second phase (and by second phase I mean the phase that is like the first one, except that the grey knights jump around as well occasionally).
I think I hit him with an arrow at that moment, but it was pretty hectic so I can't be sure. I was definitely shooting arrow though.


That's it for that dungeon, on to the next ...

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Dungeon 2

Oh boy, that dungeon. I'm surprised I made it through, actually. I hit so many (bug related) roadblocks, but in the end I somehow managed to get through it.
I did enjoy it though, even if it was frustrating at times.

First, let me ask something. Are you supposed to be able to lift the large wooden crates with the power glove? I kinda think that's the case, but I could't do it.
The power glove did enable me to pick up the small crates and the pots however. I could smash the large crates with them, so I got through most obstacles.


10. (Minor)  -  Graphical glitch in sanmola room: just a black bar:

(http://zfgc.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=33701.0;attach=12939;image)


11. (Major)  -  Cutscene freeze. This was the first roadblock I hit:

(http://zfgc.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=33701.0;attach=12945;image)

Basically, after lighting both torches with the lantern the cutscene started (black bars appeared), but then the cutscene didn't continue. The itself game didn't freeze; the torch animation continued and F4 still worked. I had to close the game with the task manager.
I retried this a few times but then gave up and continued through the dungeon.

Much later I tried something different and was able to trigger the cutscene correctly.
I lit the first torch, then walked all the way to the south wall and lit the second torch with the Fire Rod. The cutscene then played normally.

Maybe (This is what I thought) the cutscene froze because the moving wall was mostly outside the view. By positioning Link at the south wall, the moving wall was completely inside the view, and therefore didn't cause a freeze. That's just my theory though (and it worked for me).


12. (Major)  -  I mentioned that I could't pick up large crates. Well after I got the power glove I was stuck:

(http://zfgc.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=33701.0;attach=12947;image)

So it was Save+Quit for me.


13. (Annoyance)  -  A lot of switches don't stay permanently pressed. I mean they're semi-permanent. They stay pressed when you change floors, but not when you save+quit and reload the game. This includes the levers after the sanmola and lanmola fights:

(http://zfgc.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=33701.0;attach=12949;image)

So the door is closed even though I'm up there (I used the shortcut warp to get in).
This isn't that problematic, but I had to replay some parts of the dungeon every time I quit the game (and I had to do that quite often). So it's annoying.


14. (Minor)  -  When some autopilot enemies (aka enemis that mindlessly charge at you), like leevers, are at the end of some stairs ... then you can't go up/down those stairs:

(http://zfgc.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=33701.0;attach=12951;image)

The enemy hits me right back up the stairs every time. In this case it wasn't a problem, because there was another way down.


15. (---)  -  This room: (Btw, this isn't really a seperate bug; I just wanna tell a little story here XD)

(http://zfgc.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=33701.0;attach=12953;image)

This was the bane of my existence. Normally (I expect) this is easy. You just lift those crates, go to the room below, press the switch, lift the crates again, and continue onwards.

However, I couldn't lift those large crates. I had to pick up one of those small crates, walk past two beamos without getting hit, and throw the small crate at a large crate.
The first beamos wasn't a problem. If I just kept walking I was fast enough to evade the beam.
The second beamos was much more difficult, because it's eye is higher than that of the first beamos. That means he could see farther over the edge, so he had a larger attack area. Example:

(http://zfgc.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=33701.0;attach=12959;image)
The first beamos doesn't see me.

(http://zfgc.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=33701.0;attach=12957;image)
The second beamos saw me even though I'm standing much further away.

I found a way to consistently get through, though:
First you have to stand in the 2.5 tile hallway, far away from the beamos, and wait for him to attack.
Dodge, then run clockwise around the beamos (so south of the beamos). Then you have to throw the crate as early as possible, just as the hallway gets narrow again. Then you can just make it in time.

I have to say, if I'm wrong and this is the intended solution ... then this is one hell of an evil puzzle XD.

But it doesn't end there. After I go to the next room and press the switch, the crates have respawned. So now I'm trapped. I can warp back to the beginning of the dungeon with Save+Quit, but that also resets the switch (because of Bug 13), so that's pointless. Finally I have the idea to use the Mirror. Because then the switch should stay pressed. I do it and discover this glitch: ...


16. (Major)  -  Bugged Mirror warp point:

(http://zfgc.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=33701.0;attach=12955;image)

You can't really see it there, but Link is stuck in the wall. Nothing I did could get him out of there (Not even dashing).

So this means I had to Save+Quit and do the beamos room again. And this was before I discovered the consistent method...

(The way I did it was using the other entrance. Because that mirror warp works correctly.)


17. (Minor)  -  Also in that beamos room (although that had nothing to do with it) I got the following error:

Show content
___________________________________________
ERROR in
action number 4
of End Step Event
for object parent_Character_Sprite_Detached:

In script script_Character_Event_Collisions_Detached:
Error in code at line 422:
                                                   switch (argument[3].weight)
                                                                       ^
at position 70: Unknown variable weight

It appeared when I hit a skeleton with a crate.


18. (Minor)  -  The item text doesn't consider remapped keys. I had my map key set to T, but when I found the map it said to press E to open it. Yeah, very minor.


Okay, that was all the bugs I found ... now some general impressions + feedback:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

I'll focus on the second dungeon, since that one is new, but first let me say something about the first one:

I thought the hint plates that were a nice in-universe way to help with some of the more difficult puzzles (the 5 switches + balls room; the carry pot over cracked floor room). Those weren't there the last time I played.
You have generally done a nice job to explain everything in-universe and I love that.
Both dungeons had both; a reason to exist before they became dungeons, and a reason why they became dungeons.
Those sort of details I appreciate very much.

In both dungeons you also had elements that would make sense to be there:
In the first dungeons it was the knight tombs/statues everywhere, and in the second dungeon you had things like the secret entrance which used to be an actual secret passageway, the sleeping quarters, etc.
I liked the improved the atmosphere brought by those things.

Related to that: I love the subtle storytelling in the second dungeon. You hear about all those things, ... that they didn't have enough food because the desert spread; that they had to abandon the palace. You also see this knight multiple times, could this be this Roy that has left messages everywhere? And at the end it is all revealed. I very much enjoyed that, despite some frustrations.
I found the boss reveal to be kind of funny, in a oh-!@#$% kind of way. First you have one, which is scary (and awesome!) looking enough, then comes the second. I honestly thought that was it, two seemed enough, but then the 3rd and 4th appeared :) Made me laugh a bit.

The boss fight itself was kind of easy though, I thought it was easier than the lanmola fight. I don't exactly know why though.

I also loved the fact that you can actually see the power glove in Link's sprites. Awesome detail.

I thought the second pillar-pushing puzzle in the secret entrance was really clever. Because at first I didn't look at the color of the pillars and was confused for a short time.


Now about that pillar-pushing puzzle:

(http://zfgc.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=33701.0;attach=12941;image)

I found that to be kind of unintuitive.

It's clear that the solution is:
  -  put the pillar up if the top pillar is black,
  -  and down if the top pillar is white.

But I thought this was the solution:
  -  put the pillar up if the top pillar is of a different color,
  -  and down if the pillars' color matches.

That would look like this:

(http://zfgc.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=33701.0;attach=12943;image)

I think I thought this because
 1. the top pillars and the bottom pillars share the same colors, (impiles importance of comparing top with bottom colors)
 2. the left group and the right group of bottom pillars have a different color (implies color of bottom row is important)

Both of those assumptions are obviously wrong.

I think the best solution would be to make all bottom pillars an entirely different color (grey?? (because it is a mix of white and black), brown?? (because it already exists in the dungeon)), or at least make both eighter black or white.
The bad thing is that it wouldn't look as nice...

You could also argue that it makes the puzzle easier, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.

In this puzzle you have multiple valid-seeming possible solutions, the difficulty is just trying out all solutions until you find the right one.

I think that the solution to a puzzle should be two things: it should be hard to find, but once you find it it should be obvious that it is the right solution.

Aaagh, what the hell am I saying ... other types of puzzles are ok as well, but this is a trait I like to have in some puzzles...


Eh, take from this whatever you want. It's very possible that I don't make sense anymore, I'm kind of tired now...

Btw. I played version 0.17.02. Feel free to ask for clarification. Sometimes I tend to word things awkwardly.

Edit:
specs:
 - Intel QuadCore Q6600 (4 x 2.40GHz (not entirely sure...))
 - 3 GB RAM
 - Nvidia GeForce 8600 GT
 - Windows Vista 32-bit

I experienced no noticeable constant slowdown.
When entering a new room there sometimes were some slight hiccups in the framerate (could be my computer; it does that in other games as well).
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 06, 2014, 07:08:25 am
Thanks man!
It's a little annoying that so many glitches got past me, but C'est la Vie I guess. I'll get right on it.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: FrozenFire on July 06, 2014, 12:37:04 pm
Whoo, yeah. Nice work on finding all those bugs, Sahittam!
I actually had #11 happen to me in a previous demo. I must've forgotten to tell Martijn about it.

If it's any consolation, Martijn, the original ALttP has its share of bugs that allow for some really odd glitches which can be pretty big game breakers, giving incorrect palettes, filling rupees to max for no reason, wrong warping Link and confusing the game about whether you are in dark or light world, and a lot of other stuff. I expect there are still a good number of bugs to be found in your engine, but you have a remarkably solid engine, all things considered, especially since your engine is like ALttP+ or something with the extra stuff.
It seems like even the most solid game can be broken, even professional games with paid testers, and the more complex and large a game is the greater the chances are of such bugs occurring. And a Zelda game is definitely not a game light in content.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 06, 2014, 06:08:43 pm
Yeah, I've given up on trying to achieve absolute perfection before my releases because that's simply not possible. It's be nice if it was errorless though :)

Here is today's progress:

0.17.03 (6 juli 2014)
+ Fixed: visual glitch in dungeon 2 subboss room 1
+ Fixed: visual glitch on F1 of dungeon 1
+ Tweak: bombs are not yet implemented so their price to buy has been upgraded to 9999
+ Fixed: error in room 3 of the sewers
+ Fixed: various solved puzzles did you save properly for your next gamesession
+ Tweak: door in room with pillar puzzle 2 in dungeon 2
+ Fixed: magic mirror spawn location in dungeon 2
+ Tweaked: enemy placement in the plaza of dungeon 2
+ Fixed: large crates can now be picked up with the silver gloves (or better)
+ Tweak: Edited the text when getting a dungeon map or boots to also handle customized controls.
+ Started proces to remove all argument variables that will not be accepted by Gamemaker Studio (only a few thousand left :S)

@ Sahittam: That should fix issues 2,4,6,10,12,13,16 and 18. I'll work on it some more over the coming days.
Issue 1 (the shop music) is something I don't believe I'll fix anytime soon. Blame my lack of experience with editing sounds / mp3 music.

Having read your post several times now, I must again say thanks. All those details are very (!) usefull.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: FrozenFire on July 07, 2014, 08:48:51 pm
Issue 1 (the shop music) is something I don't believe I'll fix anytime soon. Blame my lack of experience with editing sounds / mp3 music.

I checked it out, and it doesn't seem like the mp3 is the problem..? How are you managing the looping of music? The mp3 file does not have all that extra silence at the end, just a few seconds, so something else is definitely off in the way it's being told to loop. I'm kind of curious why it takes so long to start over.

Edit: Oh, also just had a thought/question: Are you planning on converting to Studio sometime, or do you think you'll stay in GM 8.1 until the end? If you plan on doing it eventually, then it makes sense to do it sooner rather than later. I say this because I finally looked at the poll and noticed that conversion to GM Studio was on there.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Theforeshadower on July 07, 2014, 09:55:16 pm
The easiest way to fix the mp3s is to load them into Audacity(freeware) and cut off the excess or the trailing off end of a song.  Save as a .wav unless you have the plugins for mp3 or ogg. Load the wav into the demo version of Fruity Loops Studio then save as an mp3.

At least that's how I edit my stuff.  :D
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Kienamaru on July 08, 2014, 02:20:30 am
I wouldn't say these were bugs  but more like things that I felt were out of place. I didn't play too long though, maybe 25 minutes or so. 20 minutes of the first dungeon until I found my way out of there, and about 5 minutes of the overworld until I went into the Waterworks and had a crash.

1. Link doesn't thrust when he hits an enemy with his spin attack charged.
In LttP Link would actually poke at the enemy when he got to him. That would let him clash with their sword if they had one, and it just looked a bit neater.

2. Frozen enemies can't be hit or even clanged on by sword or fire rod.
Not sure if this is intended, but you basically have no choice but to throw pots at frozen enemies to kill them. I got stuck in a hallway because I froze one of those tentacle things. Of course leaving and coming back solved that. Just wanted to point it out that they should either thaw over time, or be killable somehow.

3. Can't jump off ledges or go up/down stairs while holding spin attack outward.
In Lttp, When holding a spin attack's charge, Link could jump from ledges or go up and down stairs with his sword still out. This let you go safely up or down if an enemy was right there waiting for you.

4. Being hit completely stops you from attacking until the animation is over.
Just feels weird when you get hit and can't act out of it. It basically forces you to run from whatever hit you so you can recover and THEN attack.

5. Stunned cactus dudes still electrocute you if you slice them
I noticed that when I boomeranged a cactus guy who showed no signs of being electric, I sliced him and even though he was stunned I took damage.

6. When the skeleton guys jump back though don't actually avoid your sword vertically. They only avoid it if they actually jump too far for Link to reach.
In Lttp, they would jump OVER Link's sword swipes and could only be hit on the ground by it. Though this could just be design choice, I dunno.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: FrozenFire on July 08, 2014, 03:43:08 am
The easiest way to fix the mp3s is to load them into Audacity(freeware) and cut off the excess or the trailing off end of a song.  Save as a .wav unless you have the plugins for mp3 or ogg. Load the wav into the demo version of Fruity Loops Studio then save as an mp3.

At least that's how I edit my stuff.  :D

I would have suggested that kind of stuff too, but it made no sense why it would take so long because the mp3 clearly did not end with as much silence as the game gave it before looping. Nevertheless, I edited off the fade of the mp3 and resaved it. It now loops in the game with no pausing and it even sticks pretty much on beat while I tested it (it may differ on slower computers; not sure how GM deals with timing). I looked closer at the original mp3 and I expect it was the odd bitrate that threw GM for a loop (pun not intended, but it sure worked out well). I'm attaching the edited mp3, so you can use it, Martijn. If there are any other songs in need of this or any kind of correction, I can very easily do that for you. And I've already got the software to do anything that might be needed.

On another note, while I was testing the mp3 looping, I ran into an error on my way to the shop. I discovered that it does not like it if you hold out your sword while going into a screen wrap.
Show content
(Image only appears if logged in, due to being an attachment)
(http://zfgc.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=33701.0;attach=12968;image)

Edit:
5. Stunned cactus dudes still electrocute you if you slice them
I noticed that when I boomeranged a cactus guy who showed no signs of being electric, I sliced him and even though he was stunned I took damage.
I believe that's actually how ALttP works as well. No matter what, hitting those guys with a sword will shock link. I know that's how the SNES version works. I'm just not sure about the GBA version, and if there are other versions, not sure about those either.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 08, 2014, 08:39:24 pm
I would have suggested that kind of stuff too, but it made no sense why it would take so long because the mp3 clearly did not end with as much silence as the game gave it before looping. Nevertheless, I edited off the fade of the mp3 and resaved it. It now loops in the game with no pausing and it even sticks pretty much on beat while I tested it (it may differ on slower computers; not sure how GM deals with timing). I looked closer at the original mp3 and I expect it was the odd bitrate that threw GM for a loop (pun not intended, but it sure worked out well). I'm attaching the edited mp3, so you can use it, Martijn. If there are any other songs in need of this or any kind of correction, I can very easily do that for you. And I've already got the software to do anything that might be needed.

Great. Thanks. That fixed Sahittam's 1st issue perfectly.
Could you do the same for the other background sounds. They all have rather awkward looping right now.

@ Kienamaru + FrozenFire: I'm currently working on Sahittam's and Theforeshadower's comments but I'll get to these new onces eventually. Especially that error. I kinda just bought a house so it might take more then a few days.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: FrozenFire on July 09, 2014, 07:11:05 am
Great. Thanks. That fixed Sahittam's 1st issue perfectly.
Could you do the same for the other background sounds. They all have rather awkward looping right now.

Sure! I looked over the rest of the songs and realized that most of them definitely could use some edits. Of course, if you really wanted to do music looping really well, the game would not loop back to the very beginning of most songs, due to the "intro" part that each song tends to have. I don't remember if Gamemaker 8.1 can be told to start at a certain position of an mp3 upon looping though. If not (or if getting the loop position proves too difficult), the way to do it would be to split up each song into two parts, one being the "intro" and the other the "body" or "main" part. Once the intro ends, the main part starts and once the main part ends it simply loops the main part and does not go back to the intro. This creates a smooth music experience while having awkwardly looping music can be a bit jarring and distracting to the player.

Let me know if you can or want to improve the music in this way. It won't require much extra effort on my part to divide songs up into two parts and to get loop timing right, but you'd have to do some changes to the code for playing music. It should be a fairly simple change, though some songs would not need to be split while others would, so that would mean code for playing songs would not always be the same. Not a big deal though.

And, of course, the other option is for me to simply try to make each song loop as best I can without having the two part songs idea. It would be better than it is now, but many of the songs will still be pretty awkward upon looping, and a fairly fast fade out might still be best on some of the songs, if looping will always go back to the beginning of each song.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 09, 2014, 10:44:03 pm
Splitting the sound for better looping options might be something I can implement. Sounds good. Let's try that first.

=============================

Here's another progress report btw:

0.17.04 (8 juli 2014)

+ Only draw trees that are fully inside the current view (for better performance)
+ Used FrozenFire's shop .mp3
+ Removed some more old argument[] variables (= titlescreen + starting screens)
+ Updated credits listing

0.17.05 (9 juli 2014)
+ You no longer have a starting bottle (to prevent item override by buying the same item in the shop)
+ Fixed error: screen is pushed to the next room while sword is charging
+ Fixed error: screen is pushed to the next room while you get hurt
+ Added contingency for missed released attack button while your sword is still starting

This fixes issues 1,3 and 8 mentioned by Sahittam and the error mentioned by FrozenFire.

======

UPDATE: I believe I've now fixed all of the reported game breaking issues so expect a updated version sometime tomorrow.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 12, 2014, 11:22:39 am
And here is another update. There is now a new demo available which fixes practically all of the issues reported by FrozenFire and Sahittam.

This leaves the following feedback:
(5) The darkness graphical glitch in the basement of dungeon 1. It's proving to be a real headscratcher, but I'll solve it eventually.
(11) The freeze during on the top floor of dungeon 2. I am unable to reproduce the problem.
(17) Damaging skeleton's with crates. I am unable to reproduce the problem, but it likely this problem is also solve with the solution to issue 12.
- Dungeon 2 (sub)boss difficulty
@ Sahittam: Did you feel the boss was too easy or that the subboss(es) should have been simpler?
- Kienamaru's feedback
@Kienamaru: I'll take a closer look at your feedback soon.


=================================

Progress report:

0.17.06 (11 juli 2014)
+ Fixed: cannonball sounds in room 25 (B1)  of dungeon 1
+ Some small tweaks to enemy placements
+ Fixed error: killing boss dungeon 1 with arrows
+ Fixed error: be able to push (or pick up) something while already carrying something
+ Fixed error: Starting scene in dungeon 2 main entrance only triggers if you entered via the main entrance.

0.17.07 (12 juli 2014)
+ Edited some dungeon 2 rooms so leevers will no longer keep camping near stairs if you HAVE to use that staircase.
+ Tweaked beamos placement in room 12 (F1) of dungeon 2
+ Altered colors pillar puzzle 3 in dungeon 2
+ Made each torch in the overworld (caves) individual objects
+ Removed some more old argument[] variables (= map menu + death screen + game select)

=================================

NEW DEMO:
Demo version: 0.17.08
File Size: 19,61 MB (Zipped)
Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 (Changable)
Download: https://www.mediafire.com/?95csx6rqt6u6m55 (https://www.mediafire.com/?95csx6rqt6u6m55)
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: FrozenFire on July 13, 2014, 10:51:38 pm
Splitting the sound for better looping options might be something I can implement. Sounds good. Let's try that first.

Ok. I'll see about getting the songs split up properly and I'll probably just PM you a link to the edited mp3s. If for some reason this idea ends up not working smoothly in GM 8.1, it would very likely work in GM Studio because of the new audio engine it has. But it really would be nice to get it implemented sooner than later.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Sahittam on July 19, 2014, 02:07:12 pm
It's been a while since I played it, but I'll try to remember.
(Also, I forgot the name of the boss... this makes my sentences a bit confusing, sorry)

The difficulty of the subbosses is fine. The boss was easier (I think) because it is larger, which is a disadvantage in multiple ways:

It needs more room to fly around, which means the room had to be larger, so everything was more spread out.
Essentially the result was that I was fighting one boss, sometimes two, at a time, while the rest of the bosses were far away.
In comparison: When I fought the subbosses, I was fighting 3 or 4 at once.

Another disadvantage of its size is that it makes for a bigger target. When the subbosses entered/exited the ground you had about 1/1.5 seconds to hit them. When the boss did that you have a much larger timeframe to hit it.

Related to that, because each segment of the boss is damagable, each time I managed to slash at the boss while it entered/exited the ground, it lost a large amount of health.
This means  that individual bosses died quickly while other bosses still had (almost) full health.
Basically, the damage wasn't spread across all bosses evenly, which means bosses died early in the fight, which reduced the difficulty further.

The boss is also slower (relative to its size) than the subbosses. This helps in causing all the problems mentioned above, and it means that the player has more time to think.

So I felt like this battle was slower and less chaotic than the subboss battles.

Thats how I remember it at least.

This also sounds like this fight has many problems, but that's not it exactly. It's just one problem that has multiple effects. I just tried to describe it very thoroughly.

About (17)... it only happened once. The other times when I threw crates at monsters, nothing happened if I remember correctly.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 26, 2014, 11:32:50 am
It's been a busy couple of weeks on the homefront, but I managed to get some progress done.

@ Sahittam: I believe I've now addressed all of your comments (for as much as possible). The boss has been made harder by making it a little faster and more resistant to ranged attacks. Wailing on it is also harder because each hit now send you back a little. For a second boss it can already get very chaotic so I'm a little reluctant to add more to that. Maybe after I've received feedback on the difficulty from more players.
@FrozenFire: I'm also REALLY looking forward to your playthrough for this XD

@ Kienamaru: With regards to your comments. I'll take all of them into consideration going forwards. The only one I'm not going to change is the 5th one, with the electric cactus. It's like that in the original as well.

On a final note: I'm planning to release the next demo relatively soon (=in a few months). The main goal for that one will be to have fully functional boss fights for the 3rd dungeon. (And maybe some more overworld or swimming mechanics to get to it). It's a bit of a reversed approach to first building the dungeon itself, but it gives more players the opportunity to actually reach the fights. Also, I don't have anything "epic" planned to really hold back this time.
The second reason for shorter interval release is the preparations for an eventual convertion to Gamemaker Studio. That requires a lot of recoding and releasing frequently hopefully helps me catch newly resulting issues earlier rather then later.


Progress report:

0.17.08 (25 juli 2014)
+ Fixed: darkness issue in the northern basement of dungeon 1 (finally!)
+ Replaced more argument[] variables (for Gamemaker Studio) Specifically: item menu, HUD, text engine and saved data.
+ Some smaller tweaks

0.17.09 (26 juli 2014)
+ Replaced more argument[] variables (for Gamemaker Studio) Specifically: all terrain objects, action objects and collectable items
+ Fixed glitch: darkness dissappears after you respawn from falling into an endless pit
+ Made it so ALL enemies can now potentially bounch Link back as the hero damages them with his sword etc. (Also makes the Molgera boss slightly harder).

0.17.10 (26 juli 2014)
+ Made it so enemies can push Link back based on the position of the sprite that made contact (if so desired), rather then always the enemy control object's position.
+ Made boss 2 (Molgera) a little faster and better resistant to ranged attacks.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: logicalmayhem on August 05, 2014, 03:45:52 pm
Nice game so far, you have done an awesome job on the sword play!
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on August 06, 2014, 06:43:29 pm
Looks like you're almost finished with the engine. I have one nitpick: The "Game Over" animation appears after you select your option, when in the original, it appeared before. Can this be fixed?
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 06, 2014, 08:45:42 pm
I'll see what I can do if it really bothers you. I'm participating in the ZFGC challenge this month though (with a game called "March of the Gorons"), so it will have to wait untill next month I'm afraid.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 05, 2014, 11:14:54 am
Just to let everyone know.
Now that the Game Jam is finished I'll be coming back to this project in what I call operation Studio XD.
The goal is to get the project converted succesfully to Game Maker Studio before the next NCFC (if possible).

It's my biggest undertaking yet, so I'll be handling it in fases:
1. Get the starting screens up and running
2. Get a single empty room working
3. Get all the menu's up and running
4. Get the movement engine working again
5. Get all the character actions/items working again
6. Get all the terrains working again
7. Get all the enemies working again
8. Get all the dungeons / game's original rooms working again
9. Other stuff I'm currently forgetting

After each stage I plan to release a demo of that current version so people can help playtest stuff if they want to lend a hand. So after fase 1 for instance you'd see a version that ONLY has the starting screens in it.


UPDATE:
Here is the latest progress report. Don't be fooled of by this update. Literally thousands of lines of codes / variables have been corrected this weekend, so it's actually a great milestone.

0.17.11 Studio (5 september 2014) - errors starting menu
+ Imported project into Gamemaker Studio
+ Replaced a massive amount of argument statements with local variables

0.17.12 Studio (6 september 2014) - errors starting menu
+ Replaced a ton more argument statements with local variables

0.17.13 Studio (7 september 2014) - errors starting menu
+ Replaced ALL the remaining argument statements with local variables. Trust me when I say my project used A LOT of argument statements.
+ Fixed some of the issues with giving too many or too few arguments to a script
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: King Tetiro on September 10, 2014, 06:50:11 am
Glad to see this project is still going on :)

And awesome to see you are returning to NCFC. Do you need any help making the conversion? I would be happy to help.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 10, 2014, 05:44:55 pm
Help with testing is always welcome! Especially now that every single aspect of the game is touched in some way, shape or form. I'll posti a demo's after every mentioned phase. If you could go error hunting in those then I'd be most greatfull.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 15, 2014, 04:38:28 pm
Another status update. I'll hopefully be able to release a demo next weekend. Just expect nothing but errors at this point XD

0.17.14 Studio (8 september 2014) - errors starting menu
+ Fixed tons more issues with giving too many or too few arguments to a script

0.17.15 Studio (10 september 2014) - errors starting menu (game now starts)
+ Fixed rest of the issues with giving too many or too few arguments to a script

0.17.16 Studio (11 september 2014) - errors starting menu (titlescreen now error free)
+ Adressed all implicit surface_target_reset() uses
+ Adressed all surface creations sized 0 by 0

0.17.17 Studio (13 september 2014)
+ Fixed default font spacing / text engine
+ Removed all sound_replace functions
+ Switched to the new sound engine / audio functions
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on September 18, 2014, 03:04:59 pm
You seem to be busy fixing everything.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 19, 2014, 11:12:11 am
Yes, getting the program to at least start again was really important for me. Beyond that there will probably be tons of other issues left, but I decided to take my time for that. Having done the Game Jam challenge I feel like just taking it slow. That project had a TON of programming put into it, but became last because not enough effort was pas put into gameplay. So I could rush for a another month to get a demo out for the NCFC, but then the result would most likely still be bugfilled and thus another disappointment I feel. Instead I'll enter the current demo (in the starting post) in the NCFC and just take my time on the next one.

The good news:
Since I'm taking it at a leisurely pace again I also have time to brainstorm on new stuff or to update existing stuff. For instance: adding a night/day cycle or going beyond 30 fps. I'm not making any promises but I might do some of such improvements along the way, considering every part of the game will have to be combed through anyway. If anyone else has any requests for me to consider for the next demo, (like always) let me know.

Finally:
Phase 1 is done (=getting the starting screens up and running again)
This weekend I'll be working on phase 2 (= getting a single empty room to work)
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 21, 2014, 03:07:07 pm
Sorry, but I won't be releasing a testerdemo yet. Every time I get around to creating an executable I find another thing that needs fixing. The worst of which is a consistent full crash (specifically in the overworld luckily - for as far as I can tell), probably due to Studio needed greater care to resource handling or something :'( I'll crack it eventually, but it might be a while before that happens I'm afraid. On the plus side: I'm about half way into making the menu's working like old again. Also, I've been tinkering with some core mechanics to get the pause mode working again. XD

Progress report:

0.17.18 Studio (19 september 2014)
+ Debug functionality is now on in debug runmode by default
+ Fixed issues in room creation scripting - rooms now start without errors/issues
+ Fixed graphical glitch in character terrain effects
+ Fixed error in running script
+ Fixed error in pushing script
+ Fixed error in idle animation script
+ Fixed a number of graphical issues on the map menu
+ Tweaked game settings to avoid tearing
+ Fixed some graphical issues with magic meter

0.17.19 Studio (20 september 2014)
+ Replaced set_automatic_draw() functions
+ Fixed graphical issues text engine bounding box
+ Fixed graphical issues sprites item menu
+ Got the pause mechanic to work again (and simplified the coding significantly)
+ Made it so the HUD is displayed corrected in the GUI draw event
+ Made it so the item menu is displayed corrected in the GUI draw event
+ Made it so the text engine is displayed corrected in the GUI draw event
+ Made it so the map menu is displayed corrected in the GUI draw event

0.17.20 Studio (21 september 2014)
+ Displaying screenshots now integrated into the master GUI object (=less resources / better performance)
+ Replaced obsolete room_caption functions
+ Some testers functions now also work in the starting screens of the game
+ Cleaned up coding during titlescreen / intro scene to make it more manageable
+ Adding tester functions to be able to check masking on the fly while in game
+ Renamed solid objects
+ Removed creation of masking sprites at the beginning of the game (based on new insights into the Studio's mechanics)
+ Fixed error when Murray's dissappears
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 07, 2014, 10:48:28 am
Just a short update to let people know I'm not dead or anything XD
My graphics card died about two weeks ago (and I've yet to gain access to my old computer / files) and since then I've begone moving over to my new house. All in all I'm pretty busy with life right now, but I'll be back in few weeks times.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on October 07, 2014, 07:37:09 pm
Did you backup anything?
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 07, 2014, 08:23:32 pm
I make usb backups every few weeks so the project will never die, but that still means I would loose a few weeks of progress if I can't restore the old computer. And since I made a lot of progress in those last weeks I prefer to waiting for a colleague to recover the harddrive before continuing.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Theforeshadower on October 07, 2014, 10:29:27 pm
SATA/IDE to USB cord.

Profit.

I always keep one around in case something happens.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 15, 2014, 09:48:33 am
It's been a while, but here is a new progress update.

I've recovered all my older work and am now again working on the conversion to Gamemaker Studio. This will require me to go over every aspect of the game for testing so I might as well take a few extra months to also convert the game to 60 fps and add some long planned improvements to the underlying mechanics (like simplifying the coding structure and other things *cough* weather system *cough*). "If not now, then when" you could say.

Right now I'm working on the starting menu. If anyone want to help test that aspect let me know. Any and all help is appreciated.

0.17.22 Studio (31 oktober 2014)
-Textengine is now set to 60 fps
-Implemented constants for textengine settings
-Recoded textengine to make it easier to understand and work on later down the line
-Moved more coding over to scripts

0.17.23 Studio (9 november 2014)
-Edited the controls on the starting screens. You can now also type in your character's name on the "enter name" screen.
-Entering name now works at 60 fps

0.17.24 Studio (11 november 2014)
-Tweaked response to pressing space while entering your name
-Fairy on starting screen set to 60 fps
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 20, 2014, 08:53:30 am
With the holiday times coming up things at work are starting to relax a little and I'm finally finding enough energy to work on my project again. Currently I'm tweaking the starting menu. Cleaning up the coding, documenting variables, fixing memoryleaks and making subtle changes.

See the attachement for a slightly updated "enter name" screen. Anybody have any comments on the added text / font?

EDIT: Now also added the idle animations to the file selection screen if you wait long enough. Just for fun really.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on December 21, 2014, 03:58:28 pm
Hahaha! That juggling animation is funny.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 04, 2015, 02:16:05 pm
Just a quick post to show I'm still working on the project. Once I'm done for the day I might post a more detailed progress report, but for now there are some screenshots of the edited starting menu in the attachments. Like always: slow but steady progress is still being made.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 11, 2015, 05:42:27 pm
Another quickie. Got the death sequences working like old again. I don't have any screenshots showing new features added but there is a progress report for the last periode below.

Code: [Select]
0.17.25 Studio (15 november 2014)
Added confirmation sound for every character entered on the “enter name” screen.
Cursor no longer moves when entering the spacebar on the keyboard during the “enter name” screen.
The following animations now use the same animation(script): gamefile selection, victory swing and sword release attack

0.17.26 Studio (16 november 2014)
Cleaned up the coding behind the file selection screen (also opening up the way for multible character animations)

0.17.27 Studio (30 november 2014)
Started work on editing the optionscreen setup
Spead up screen movement on the starting screens

0.17.28 Studio (19 december 2014)
Fixed memory leak starting screens
Fixed canceling copy/delete modes at file select
Fixed copy and delete surfaces on file select screen
Fixed sword effect in victory animation on file select
Tweaked cursor controls on enter name screen
Further cleaned up coding behing starting menu

0.17.29 Studio (20 december 2014)
Victory swing on file select converted to 60 fps
Added idle animations to the file select screen
Idle animations on file select converted to 60 fps
Edited timers on file select screen
Fixed a bunch of errors due to the Studio 1.4 upgrade

0.17.30  Studio (21 december 2014)
Redid the HUD object (fixed errors/memory leaks, cleaned up the coding and improved efficiency). Also set to work at 60 fps.
Fixed errors with in-game idle animations
Tweaked Victory animation slightly

0.17.31  Studio (1 januari 2015)
Tweaked HUD speed to 60 fps (rupees/health/magic)
Documented all HUD variables
Edited all room settings to 60 fps
Upgraded to Gamemaker Professional
Optimized dungeon tilesets for dungeon 1 and 2 further

0.17.32 Studio (2 januari 2015)
Credits work properly again (and now at 60 fps)
Tweaked the controls and working of the 'enter name' screen a little again
Fixed ingame juggling animation speed
Broke the options screen up into two screens (controls and other)
Added tileset for dungeon 3

0.17.33 Studio (3 januari 2015)
Finished work on the optionsscreen. Now fully functional again and at 60 fps
Added volume options to sound/music engine
Replaced last sound_volume functions
Tweaked enter name and file select screens again
Documented all variables in the starting screens
Added tileset for dark world dungeon 1

0.17.34 Studio (11 januari 2015)
Redid the death sequence(s) to work once again like before (and now in 60 fps)
Tweaked idle counter on the titlescreen
Tweaked idle counter during death
Cleaned up various character item variables (for more flexibility in the future)

I must say that it's quite daunting converting to Studio sometimes 'cause every issue solved is replaced with several more found. Still, I keep going, making small progress and making small (programming) improvements where I can. As off now the following features have been fully restored in Studio and work at 60 fps:
- Starting screens (title/intro/fileselect/enter name/options)
- Sound engine
- Text engine
- HUD
- Death sequence(s)
- Credits

If anybody wants to help out (and they can look past huge errors in other areas) then feel free to let me know so I can work on releasing a tester demo. I'd really appreciate it if someone would be willing to test the sections I believe to be finished. Again, don't expect anything to work properly beyond what is listed above... yet.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: GodsTurf on January 12, 2015, 04:47:48 am
I need to play this again so I can critique it. I think I meant to my first time playing it, but I never got around to it. I do remember that it's fun though, so I'll have fun playing it a second time. :P
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 08, 2015, 10:17:27 pm
Here's another progress report. Basically I redid the entire digging engine (including something of an ingame editor) because Gamemaker studio handles external files differently then before. And I've now discovered the power of ds_grid as opposed to arrays.

0.17.35 Studio (24 januari 2015)
Fixed errors when picking up heart containers or get chest contents
Fixed images displayed in the new text engine

0.17.36 Studio (30 januari 2015)
Build diggrid editor system to help recreate the old diggrid system

0.17.37 Studio (7 februari 2015)
Halfway done with fazing out the old digging system for the new one.
Fixed error when cutting up bushes on the overworld
Tweaked the diggrid editor further
More memory leaks plugged

0.17.38 Studio (8 februari 2015)
Replaced old diggrid mechanics with new mechanics (still a number of issues left to fix)
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 24, 2015, 09:34:39 pm
Just another progress update. I'm continuing to learn more and more about what is causing the problems since the conversion. Big fixes include getting the enemies to move again, reintroduction of projectile collisions and lessening the number of undetailed errors (mostly caused by incorrect surface usage apparently).

The next big things I intend to tackle, now that the digging mechanics are fully up again, are the item menu and all terrain types. If anybody feels like helping; let me know what type of terrain/floor mechanics you feel are still missing in this game. Now that I'm focused on that aspect of the game I might as well add everything still left. Mechanics not in alttp that you want to suggest regardless are also welcome.

Progress log:
Code: [Select]
0.17.39 Studio (11 februari 2015)
Fixed digging ground visuals
Fixed error when walking into the gauntlet area
Fixed diggable stumps after cutting bushes
Fixed error upper debug room

0.17.40 Studio (14 februari 2015)
Fixed error when using stairs
Added fail-safe so the game can recreate used terrain surfaces on the fly if ever lost during gameplay
Fixed last known issues with new digging mechanics
Documented all new changes / variables / objects in the last months

0.17.41 Studio (15 februari 2015)
Added full tileset for swamp dungeon
Started work on tilesets for the dark forest and ice palace dungeons
Edited the creation coding of various terrain objects (to lessen the number of unspecified ingame errors)

0.17.42 Studio (17 februari 2015)
Fixed error when getting items from chests

0.17.43 Studio (19 februari 2015)
Fixed enemy animations
Fixed error when cutting up bushes with holes underneath them
Fixed error with character standing on diggable ground while enemies are around the move through the ground
Fixed collisions for friendly projectiles

0.17.44 Studio (22 februari 2015)
Recoded sections of the item menu for more efficiency and less memory leaks

0.17.45 Studio (24 februari 2015)
Recoded parts of the item menu for better efficiency and 60 fps
Tweaked item menu item text slightly
Recoded conveyor belts, ice and spiked floor for better efficiency, 60 fps and no more memory leaks
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 10, 2015, 05:30:17 pm
Sorry for the long wait. After a couple of vacations in the last months, I'm back on the case. Also all the terrains types have now been fully recoded to work within Gamemaker Studio and at 60 fps 8). I plan to release a public engine test next weekend if anybody wants to help me out testing it.

DISCLAIMER (to prevent disappointment on your part): I'm still far removed from converting the entire engine over to Gamemaker Studio so please don't expect anything near as complete like in the past. The next demo will only contain a single room filled with terrain mechanics to keep focus. Also: character movements and animations are still at 30 fps (which I'm working on) and you might run into a few errors / glitches (which is why I'm releasing it so those can be found and fixed).
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 17, 2015, 08:17:34 pm
Sorry that there was no engine test release this weekend because I ran out of time. Since I didn't know if anybody was even waiting for the release I decided to push it back on week to finish up some new features I started tinkering (see the screenshots in the attachement) with first. And like always things tend to take more time than originally planned. I do plan to release the engine test next week though as personal milestone.

Progress report lately:
Code: [Select]
0.17.46 Studio (25 februari 2015)
Recoded shallow water terrain for better efficiency

0.17.47 Studio (28 februari 2015)
Recoded additional terrains:
– Metal Grate
– Landmines
– Sandpits
– Alter character depth
Fixes character+enemy interactions with:
– Shallow Water
Sped up death wrap up speed for better game flow
Fixed gittering view
Fixed error when fairy saves you from death
Fixed HUD item visuals
Simplified section of the item menu coding

0.17.48 Studio (1 maart 2015)
Recoded additional terrains:
– Fragile Floor
– Moving background below pits

0.17.49 Studio (7 maart 2015)
Started recoding additional terrain: Endless pits
Fixed errors obj_Moving_Layer
Fixed error in sandworms AI
Fixed error in Desert Boss AI
Fixed errors with (de)activating enemies with multible shadows
Reorganised included files
Tweaked visuals for diggrid editor
Removed several sprites that have recently become obselete
Implemented actual correct diggrids for all the rooms in the game
Fixed some mixed op chest content texts
Fixed error in Beamos AI
Fixed error in collisions with “change depth” terrain

0.17.50 Studio (8 maart 2015)
Fixed error with the terrain surfaces while using dwindelstairs going upwards
Fixed error with Leevers coming after Character while doing specific transitions
Finished tileset Thief's dungeon
Started work on the tileset water dungeon

0.17.51 Studio (14 maart 2015)
Continued work on new tilesets
Finished recoding endless pits
Tweaked terrain collision masking
Fixed error using Cane of Somaria

0.17.52 Studio (15 maart 2015)
Recoded additional terrains:
– Pressure Plates
– Change Visibility

0.17.53 Studio (20 maart 2015)
Recoded additional terrains:
– Moving Platforms

0.17.54 Studio (22 maart 2015)
Worked more on darkworld dungeon tilesets
Fairies are no longer used if you touch them while at full health
Fixed last known “gamebreaking” issue since conversion to Studio: objects in the next room would not spawn reliably. Finally :)
Recoded additional terrains:
– Staircases (also cut time needed to implement on map)
– Friction Terrain

0.17.55 Studio (29 maart 2015)
Recoded additional terrains:
– Grass

0.17.56 Studio (5 mei 2015)
Finished cave + turtlerock tileset
Started work on the different indoor house tilesets

0.17.57 Studio (8 mei 2015)
Finished house en shop indoor tilesets

0.17.58  Studio (9 mei 2015)
Did more work on tilesets
Started recoding the collision checking with terrain objects to clean up the code and make it more intuitive

0.17.59  Studio (10 mei 2015)
Fixed error when walking over landmines
Finished recoding terrain collision scripting
Recoded additional terrains:
– Ledges
– Transitions

0.17.60  Studio (17 mei 2015)
Redid action object: Poles (smashable by hammer)
Added new terrain testing room for public engine test
Added newterrain type:
– Tiles falling underneath your feet. Two types: timed and triggered
Started work on new terrain type:
– Starswitches (makes pits appear / disappear)
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on May 18, 2015, 06:06:44 pm
There's no need to rush. Take your time.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 18, 2015, 08:06:01 pm
Okay. I *might* release it next weekend. XD

It won't be too fancy considering I still have a ton of work to due for the Studio and 60 fps conversions, but it'll feel like an accomplicement to release something again, you know?
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 05, 2015, 09:23:59 pm
Still alive XD
See the screenshot for the new functional conveyor belts (lower right) and starswitches (upper left). I've also pushed the tester demo back a while so it'll be less broken then currently (although there is still months and months of work left to get it back up to the pre-studio level). If anybody wants to see it anyway or wants to help with testing to speed things up then feel free to send me a private message.

Progress log:
0.17.61  Studio (25 mei 2015)
Worked on tileset dungeon 12
Added NEW terrain type:
– Conveyor floor (like seen in the alttp ice palace)

0.17.62  Studio (26 mei 2015)
Worked on tileset dungeon 12
Worked more on starswitches (still trouble (de)activating all types of objects reliably)

0.17.63  Studio (30 juni 2015)
Fixed falling tile colission detection upon destruction
Further populated debug area
Adjusted movement speed of moving plaforms

0.17.64  Studio (2 juli 2015)
Streamlined room creation coding a little
Finished starswitch functionality

0.17.65  (A/B/C/D/E) Studio (5 juli 2015)
Far along with a MASSIVE overhaul of a central game mechanic. There will now only be a single object to regulate all area data and processes instead of multiple.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on July 06, 2015, 02:26:51 pm
Old School:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVS3WNt7yRU

New School:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adg6iEz3-Ow

Either way, the message is the same. Welcome back, Martjin dh.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 06, 2015, 04:19:02 pm
Thanks man. I appreciate it.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 19, 2015, 07:02:10 pm
Statusupdate:

Code: [Select]
0.17.66  Studio (11 juli 2015)
* Redid entire saving mechanics

0.17.67 Studio (19 juli 2015)
* Finished replacing old area control objects with new singular object
* Cleaned up code designed around old area data set-up
* Areas are now reference to via constants rather then hardcoded numbers
* Edited gamemaker roomcreation scripts
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Heartless on July 24, 2015, 08:16:18 am
This makes me wanna get back to developing a zelda fangame myself. Keep it up!


p.s If you still need testers, I would like to sign up for it, way to much free time on my hands atm. :)
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 24, 2015, 06:09:23 pm
Great. I can always use help with testing. I'll set up a private demo with some dummy rooms tomorrow.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Heartless on July 24, 2015, 07:51:29 pm
Glad to hear!
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 26, 2015, 06:45:11 pm
Statusupdate:

Code: [Select]
0.17.68 Studio (21 juli 2015)
* Fixed errors due to new area constants
* Redid more action objects:
– Locked doors

0.17.69 Studio (24 juli 2015)
* Redid more action objects:
        - Conditional doors
        - Chests

0.17.70 Studio (25 juli 2015)
* All chest contents are defined via a single script
* Created *very* basic placeholder light- and darkoverworlds
* Cleaned up gamemaker room creation coding

0.17.71 Studio (26 juli 2015)
* Further developed the placeholder overworlds. This is skeleton set-up to based the rest of the game on later.
* Added placeholders for ALL dungeons in the new overworlds
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 02, 2015, 06:38:20 pm
Here is another progress report. This fixes some tricky issues. One of which had been bothering me for years, so I'm quite excited. This also fixes almost all of the issues Heartless was able to find.

I'll see about adding in some completely new features next week to break up this string of converting and recoding.

Code: [Select]
0.17.72 Studio (27 juli 2015)
* Fixed graphical issue during fileselect (on some machines)
* Fixed error messages experienced with a certain hitswitch

0.17.73 Studio (1 augustus 2015)
* Tweaked pause mechanics and GUI drawing
* Restored the warping sequence by rebuilding it from scratch

0.17.74 Studio (2 augustus 2015)
* YES!! Finally managed to fix a long running issue with transparant tiling not displaying correctly
if handled by surfaces in (for instance) transition effects. Appearently the blending mode bm_normal can't handle such situations and I needed to switch over to a custom blend mode without actual blending. Go figure.
* Did some more work on the pause scripting
* Redid all uses of overhead shadows (now created via tiling rather then scripting)
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 12, 2015, 05:16:49 pm
Another status update. See the screenshots for a visual representation.

Code: [Select]
0.17.75 Studio (5 augustus 2015)
* Added new transition effect: blue warptile into dark world – still some visuals tweaking needed

0.17.76 Studio (9 augustus 2015)
* Tweaked walking speed while walking up a staircase in the floor (fixing an issue found by heartless)

0.17.77 Studio (12 augustus 2015)
* Finished work on dark world warp
* Fixed error while grabbed walls in some areas (fixing an issue found by heartless)
* Can no longer walk through some trees (fixing issue found by heartless)
* Fixed some visuals issues with trees
* Fixed some tiling issues in old overworld
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 23, 2015, 08:35:06 pm
Another update. The shock effect is now live again. With this done there is only a hand full of old action objects left to convert to Studio. After that the two largest remaining pieces of the engine to convert will be the character and enemy scripting.

Code: [Select]
0.17.78 Studio (16 augustus 2015)
* Added coding to allow terrain driven movement while getting shocked
* Started redoing getting electricly shocked (the screen redraw function does not work so I'm trying out working with multible views)

0.17.79 Studio (22 augustus 2015)
* Finished work on the shock screen effect
* Fixed some small issues on the background tilesets
* Fixed conveyor belts / water moving faster while getting shocked
* Removed some more old obselete resources

0.17.80 Studio (23 augustus 2015)
* Redid another of the old action objects: Text objects
* Made progress on icecave tileset and overworld tiling
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 30, 2015, 04:17:31 pm
And yet another update. As you can see in the screenshot I've added a day-night cycle. There are plans to expand upon this with various weather effects, but I'm still pondering how all of these systems can work together best.

Code: [Select]
0.17.81 Studio (26 augustus 2015)
* Started work on day-night cycle

0.17.82 Studio (29 augustus 2015)
* Finished day-night cycle
* Added visuals for (almost) all the conditional and locked doors in the game
* Renamed all dungeon tilesets and area backgrounds

0.17.83 Studio (30 augustus 2015)
* Documented the day-night mechanics
* Added the remaining conditional and locked doors for towns
* Added special conditional and locked doors for caves
* Finished ice cave tileset
* Tweaked placeholder icecave area in temp overworld
* Tweaked mechanics behind welcome text
* Added welcome text to all the new placeholder dungeons
* Fixed issue with placeholder lightworld masking
* Fixed issue with transition in ice temple
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on September 01, 2015, 07:20:14 pm
Will we see lights on at nighttime?
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 02, 2015, 05:43:36 pm
I plan to add the option to the engine as well, yes. First I'll integrate the previous darkness engine with this new day-night time set-up. I find blending mechanics a little difficult so I'm not yet sure how long this process will take me.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 20, 2015, 01:51:13 pm
Still alive and making progress. I'm also fixing up my house some more these days so it might be a little less then usual for a while though.

Code: [Select]
0.17.84 Studio (3 september 2015)
* Fixed digging issues in desert dungeon

0.17.85 Studio (15 september 2015)
* Temp chest contents are now stored in seperate script
* Added testfunction for trying out different ingame texts on the fly

0.17.86 Studio (19 september 2015)
* Redid more action objects:
Breakable walls

0.17.87 Studio (20 september 2015)
* Added visuals for a large part of all possible breakable walls
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Wobmiar on September 21, 2015, 04:57:19 pm
Just passing by, saying that I LOVE this game, and I enjoy it completely. I'm currently speedrunning it, and I have one thing to say: continue your awesome work, you awesome guy :D
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 21, 2015, 07:57:32 pm
Thanks man. I really appreciate it.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Theforeshadower on September 25, 2015, 05:19:48 am
I am curious if you are interested in a more "vibrant" day/night system.  I wrote my own that functions nicely and provides a more "realistic" approach to day and night colors.

It's still just a color overlay similar to most systems.  However, my system actually uses RGB values that change. 
As the day closes, my engine uses an orange into red, then as it becomes night, the red turns into a dull but dark purple, then it fades into a gray color to simulate a morning fog. 

I don't have it 100%.  Everything cycles as it should.  It runs off a simple script that continues to flow unless the game is paused or if the player enters and area other than the Overworld.  The issue is coming out of night into morning.  It happens somewhat abruptly, but could be remedied with the actual fog overlays from Link to the Past when you are in the Lost Woods.

Just tossing the offer out there.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Miles07 on September 25, 2015, 11:26:17 am
I am curious if you are interested in a more "vibrant" day/night system.  I wrote my own that functions nicely and provides a more "realistic" approach to day and night colors.

It's still just a color overlay similar to most systems.  However, my system actually uses RGB values that change. 
As the day closes, my engine uses an orange into red, then as it becomes night, the red turns into a dull but dark purple, then it fades into a gray color to simulate a morning fog. 

I don't have it 100%.  Everything cycles as it should.  It runs off a simple script that continues to flow unless the game is paused or if the player enters and area other than the Overworld.  The issue is coming out of night into morning.  It happens somewhat abruptly, but could be remedied with the actual fog overlays from Link to the Past when you are in the Lost Woods.

Just tossing the offer out there.

Whether that's something for HoB or not, it'd be a great little snippet for any game, really. Could you make it so it's basically a plugin for any project? I'm sure there are plenty of people who would love to use it for their projects.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: SpritingBrad on September 25, 2015, 11:50:24 am
Yes for example in KOT!

The project is awesome BTW :)
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 25, 2015, 05:01:38 pm
I am curious if you are interested in a more "vibrant" day/night system.  I wrote my own that functions nicely and provides a more "realistic" approach to day and night colors.

It's still just a color overlay similar to most systems.  However, my system actually uses RGB values that change. 
As the day closes, my engine uses an orange into red, then as it becomes night, the red turns into a dull but dark purple, then it fades into a gray color to simulate a morning fog. 

I don't have it 100%.  Everything cycles as it should.  It runs off a simple script that continues to flow unless the game is paused or if the player enters and area other than the Overworld.  The issue is coming out of night into morning.  It happens somewhat abruptly, but could be remedied with the actual fog overlays from Link to the Past when you are in the Lost Woods.

Just tossing the offer out there.

Sure, I'll take a look. Getting the cycle to run smoothly is challenging so I'd appreciate to also see a different take on it.

I'll upload my own results in a bit as well.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Theforeshadower on September 25, 2015, 05:33:16 pm
Attached are the two scripts I wrote.  I didn't really comment anything as it should be easy to follow and there isn't too much there.  They could be optimized more if needed.
 The numbers in the timer script deal with how long you want the day to go.  It's just based on per-step.
 The other script deals with variables that are Red Green Blue values.  If you want to change the color, you either need to know the 255 spectrum or open up your favorite image editor and find a color you want to find the RGB values.

Don't forget these globals to initiate before the object:
global.In_overworld = true;
global.Time_of_day = "day";
global.Time = 1200;

In order to use the scripts, I have a single persistent object created in the first room of my projects(I have used this day/night system in 4 on going Zelda projects of mine).

objDayNightController
CREATE EVENT
Code: [Select]
color = 0;
colorR = 0;
colorB = 0;
colorG = 0;
image_alpha = 0;
STEP EVENT
Code: [Select]
if (global.paused == false)
{
    x = view_xview;y = view_yview;
    scrDayNightTimer();
    if (instance_exists(objHUDcontroller))
    {
        depth = objHUDcontroller.depth + 1;//objHUDcontroller is always at the closest depth, so we want the overlay to be drawn under it
    }
}
DRAW EVENT
Code: [Select]
scrDrawDayNight();


https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B49_4X0jDFp8QnJqSXY1VDRpMVU/view?usp=sharing
If you want to see it in action in a project I have been working on, you can mess with my Zelda II project.  It'll take some time, but just move around and such and after some time, you'll see the transition.

As I said, coming out of morning needs some work.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 25, 2015, 05:48:52 pm
Thanks. I'll try it out.

Here's my cycle in action:
https://www.mediafire.com/?6y9cbr94p6j02d2 (sorry about the large filesize)

EDIT:
Nice looking menu by the way. I really like it.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Theforeshadower on September 25, 2015, 06:18:30 pm
Thanks. I'll try it out.

Here's my cycle in action:
https://www.mediafire.com/?6y9cbr94p6j02d2 (sorry about the large filesize)

EDIT:
Nice looking menu by the way. I really like it.

Thank you.  I wanted something that still felt like Zelda II but had the control of Link to the Past.  The borders aren't fancy, but they serve their purpose.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 27, 2015, 03:36:23 pm
Looked at the engine in more depth today, but Ill be sticking with my own coding. It's less reader-friendly but it already fits with the other systems and the results seems acceptabel. (See the link in my last post if you want to judge it). I'd have to rebuild/intergrate your concept from scratch if it'd want to use it.

Thanks anyway.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Wobmiar on October 04, 2015, 12:29:44 am
Me and another speedrunner are trying to make a route for any% of this game, but we can't find any way to reach end credits. Is there some end credits? If yes, how can we reach it?
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 04, 2015, 07:31:14 am
Please send me a link to your footage if you're uploading anything. I really love seeing stuff like that. XD

Yes, there are end credits if you finish both dungeons (=green and yellow). I can give you directions if you're stuck, but I'll need more information about where you currently are.

Also, some people have experienced a bug on the top floor of the desert dungeon while in the left bedroom. I haven't experienced the issue myself, but my advise would be to save on the top floor of the desert palace just in case.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Wobmiar on October 04, 2015, 05:40:22 pm
Here is the speedrun.com leaderboard of this game:

http://www.speedrun.com/hob

And here is the link to my youtube playlist with the 2 runs I made:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCf7gguccllEiy8Qbv-ieohPAxQwvlGoW

Have fun :)


I did play with everything in the current demo, I got all pendants and even finished the Gauntlet dungeon. I didn't upload my any% run yet because we are still reconsidering the rules, seeing we don't get the end credits :P
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Wobmiar on October 04, 2015, 05:51:50 pm
Also, some people have experienced a bug on the top floor of the desert dungeon while in the left bedroom. I haven't experienced the issue myself, but my advise would be to save on the top floor of the desert palace just in case.

Yes, there is a high risk of softlock there. I'm still trying to figure out the safest way to light the torches, because in a speedrun you can't crash your game ^^
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 04, 2015, 06:24:27 pm
Those video's are frigging awesome! I didn't even know about that missing wall in the second dungeon. Well done!
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Wobmiar on October 04, 2015, 09:05:29 pm
This missing wall becomes solid if you take the dungeon map :3
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 11, 2015, 06:42:44 pm
Latest progress report:

Code: [Select]
0.17.88 Studio (26 september 2015)
* Tweaked duration of day-night cycle
* Added wolf and rooster sounds to day-night cycle

0.17.89 Studio (26 september 2015)
* Converted the walls and pillars that subboss 1 destroys

0.17.90 Studio (3 oktober 2015)
* Finished a number of area/dungeon tilesets:
   – Hera's tower
   – Swamp dungeon
   – Ice cave
* Cut 5 older obselete tilesets
* Added alternative shallow water sprites for swamp dungeon
* Tweaked the placeholder new dungeons
* Worked on the ice temple tileset

0.17.91 Studio (11 oktober 2015)
* Tweaked warp tile animation speed
* Made coding improvements to destructable walls & pillars
* Added new stuff: wall decorations to cut up (= curtains / vines)
* Fixed glitch: character collision mask of center upon sword release or victory swing

Also, here is my global convertion roadmap (not including new stuff and improvements I'll can't refrain myself from adding XD ):

Code: [Select]
== Phase A (goal: 1-1-2016)===
Convert action object: obj_Movable_Object
Convert action object: obj_Switch
Convert action object: obj_Container
Convert trees
Convert darkness engine
Convert light sources
Convert all collectable items (incl. fairies)
Convert obj_Master
Convert obj_Particle
Convert last area data & script
Convert camera / view scripting
Convert final misc objects / sprites

== Phase B (goal: 1-3-2016)===
Convert character movement engine
Convert character states
Convert character transition animations
Convert character projectiles
Convert character shield mechanics
Convert scenes
Convert obj_Character remaining scripts / resources

== Phase C (goal: 1-6-2016)===
Convert enemy collision mechanics
Convert enemy movement scripts
Convert all default enemies (AI / etc)
Convert all bosses (AI / etc)

== Phase D (goal: 1-8-2016)===
Rebuild Item menu
Rebuild Map menu
Manage fully restored old demo in time for NCFC
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 22, 2015, 04:05:06 pm
Just a quick question. I'm currently adding in the dark world trees. (See attached screenshot)
Does anybody understand why in alttp they sometimes spit out bombs at you? I'm not really sure it's worth my time to add myself. Maybe back in the day it was intended as something random to highlight the strangeness of the dark world?
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: fictionaldogs on October 22, 2015, 08:33:05 pm
Those are called Talking Timbers. They'd spit out a bmob as a defense mechanism, but also if you dashed into them. Sometimes they'd talk to you after you dash into them, and provide you with random information. Or spit out another bomb...
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 23, 2015, 08:02:15 am
Okay. I'll lay the groundwork for now then and come back to this after bombs have been added to the engine.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: fictionaldogs on October 23, 2015, 07:00:09 pm
I can't believe you have been at this for 6+ years and still going so strong, it's sick dude. Loving your enthusiasm! I sincerely hope it doesn't turn into another Shadowgazer thing
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on October 23, 2015, 08:49:38 pm
I can't believe you have been at this for 6+ years and still going so strong, it's sick dude. Loving your enthusiasm! I sincerely hope it doesn't turn into another Shadowgazer thing

shadowgazer was only short around... and when you love something you always come around in one way or another ;-)

ontopic: you could use the same mechanic for light world trees that they drop rupees or apples on dashing
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 23, 2015, 10:02:12 pm
I can't believe you have been at this for 6+ years and still going so strong, it's sick dude. Loving your enthusiasm! I sincerely hope it doesn't turn into another Shadowgazer thing

Thanks for the support. I like to finish what I started and it's, amongst things, comforting to think I can work on something others might enjoy... when the project is finished.... in 2023... give or take 5 years XD. That being said; the whole Gamemaker Studio conversion is a pretty big test. I'll be glad when it's done and I can actually work on things like new dungeon designs again.

ontopic: you could use the same mechanic for light world trees that they drop rupees or apples on dashing

That shouldn't be to hard. Today I made it so events can be triggered by crashing into trees. I'll just need to pondering on some details like respawning and then animate the appear arch.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 25, 2015, 09:19:39 pm
Here is the latest progress report:

Code: [Select]
0.17.92 Studio (22 oktober 2015)
* Redid obj_Particle_GUI
* Converted / simplified trees
* Also added dark world trees

0.17.93 Studio (23 oktober 2015)
* Hitswitches can be attached to trees (for adding itemdrops to trees later on)
* Some trees will look at you and can be talked with
* Fixed issue: you do not always fall if the floor falls away underneath you
* Fixed error: game not finding external digging data
* Converted obj_Particle
* Fixed error when pushing/pulling movable objects
* Fixed error in creation script of destructable sprites
* Fixed error in subboss 1 fight when walls get destroyed
* Fixed error during subboss 1 fight if Link is perfectly inside spiked ball

0.17.94 Studio (24 oktober 2015)
* Day-night cycle no longer active inside houses / caves
* Converted view positioning scripting
* Fixed a number of graphical issues within old overworld
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Wobmiar on October 26, 2015, 10:49:46 am
If you pause the game while changing screens (between 2 rooms) the game crashes. I don't know if you corrected it or not, but I think I should tell you ^^
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 26, 2015, 06:06:08 pm
Thanks for letting me know. I'll see about fixing it in my current version.

There was also an error in either your speedrun of your friends' with the first subboss fight. That one's been fixed last week (in my version).
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Wobmiar on October 26, 2015, 09:52:10 pm
You should be ashamed to work so well, took me a long time to find that glitch  :-X
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 01, 2015, 07:04:18 pm
And here is another progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.17.95 Studio (1 november 2015)
* “Fixed” error when pausing while moving downwards during a screen transition: the pause function has been disabled during screentransitions (because this is downtime for the player anyway)
* Converted / optimized action object: Movable object
* Made progress in combining the shadow objects for containers, items, enemies and the main character

With this being the roadmap I'm following:
Code: [Select]
ROADMAP

== Phase A (goal: 1-1-2016)==
(DONE) Convert action object: obj_Movable_Object
Convert action object: obj_Switch
Convert action object: obj_Container
(DONE) Convert trees
(DONE)  > OPTIONAL: Added darkworld trees
(DONE)  > OPTIONAL: Some dark world trees can be talked to
 > OPTIONAL: Some trees can be crashed into for items
 > OPTIONAL: New collectable item: apple (from trees)
 > OPTIONAL: New enemy: (golden) bugs (from trees)
 > OPTIONAL: New “item”: enemy bombs (from tree mouth)
Convert darkness engine
Convert light sources
Convert all collectable items (incl. fairies)
Convert obj_Master
(DONE) Convert obj_Particle
Convert last area data & scripts
(DONE) Convert camera / view scripting
Convert final misc objects / sprites

== Phase B (goal: 1-3-2016)==
Convert character movement engine
Convert character states
Convert character transition animations
 > OPTIONAL: Stairs up/down have black transition fade up/down
Convert character projectiles
Convert character shield mechanics
Convert scenes
Convert obj_Character remaining scripts / resources

== Phase C (goal: 1-6-2016)==
Convert enemy collision mechanics
Convert enemy movement scripts
Convert all default enemies (AI / etc)
Convert all bosses (AI / etc)

== Phase D (goal: 1-8-2016)==
Rebuild Item menu
Rebuild Map menu
Manage to fully restored old demo in time for NCFC
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: 4Sword on November 16, 2015, 08:35:05 am
I just wanted to say that at the time of me posting this, this project will have received 1000 replies and will have had 99,889 views (111 views short of 100,000) - and all things considered it is one of the most frequently and consistently updated projects in ZFGC's recent history. Keep up the good work!
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 16, 2015, 06:18:07 pm
Thanks!
I feel all proud now XD
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 09, 2015, 09:48:47 am
Just a quick message saying I'm still here.
The last couple of weeks I've been working on house maintenance (hurray for questionable personal carpentry skills XD), work and personal matters so there is less progress then usual. Also, consolidating all the character shadow objects + coding is taking weeks rather then days. No worries though: I've almost fully cracked it.

===============

And here is a more proper update:
Code: [Select]
0.17.96 Studio (8 november 2015)
* Made further progress in combining the various shadow objects / scripts / sprites for containers, items, enemies and the main character

0.17.97 Studio (15 november 2015)
* Made further progress in combining the various shadow objects / scripts / sprites for containers, items, enemies and the main character

0.17.98 Studio (22 november 2015)
* Made further progress in combining the various shadows
* Fixed graphical issue during warp effect
* Fixed tiling issue in dungeon 1
* Fixed warp tiling not appearing during puzzle in dungeon 1
* Fixed error when freezing enemies

0.17.99 Studio (9 december 2015)
* Finished combining the various shadows
* Fixed issue with settings of a transition in old overworld

0.17.100 Studio (9 december 2015)
* Simplified coding surround creation of character shadows
* Added new collectable item: apple

With the roadmap now looking like this:
Code: [Select]
== Phase A (goal: 1-1-2016)==
(DONE) Convert action object: obj_Movable_Object
Convert action object: obj_Switch
Convert action object: obj_Container
(DONE) Convert trees
(DONE)  > OPTIONAL: Added darkworld trees
(DONE)  > OPTIONAL: Some dark world trees can be talked to
 > OPTIONAL: Some trees can be crashed into for apples and other items
(DONE)  > OPTIONAL: New collectable item: apple
 > OPTIONAL: New enemy: (golden) bugs (from trees)
 > OPTIONAL: New “item”: enemy bombs (from tree mouth)
Convert darkness engine
Convert light sources
Convert all collectable items (incl. fairies)
Convert obj_Master
(DONE) Convert obj_Particle
Convert last area data & scripts
(DONE) Convert camera / view scripting
(DONE) Convert final misc objects / sprites

== Phase B (goal: 1-3-2016)==
Convert character movement engine
Convert character states
Convert character transition animations
 > OPTIONAL: Stairs up/down have black transition fade up/down
Convert character projectiles
Convert character shield mechanics
Convert scenes
Convert obj_Character remaining scripts / resources

== Phase C (goal: 1-6-2016)==
Convert enemy collision mechanics
Convert enemy movement scripts
Convert all default enemies (AI / etc)
Convert all bosses (AI / etc)

== Phase D (goal: 1-8-2016)==
Rebuild Item menu
Rebuild Map menu
Manage to fully restored old demo in time for NCFC
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on December 10, 2015, 05:01:46 pm
Don't overwork yourself. It may be hazardous to your health.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 10, 2015, 05:25:24 pm
Thanks for the concern. Sadly I know all too well. I'm suffering from a burn-out for a number of months now. (My situation is already FAR better then in the beginning btw)

As for my progress on this project: I work on it less days but when I do it gives me more energy then it takes so it's all good.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 13, 2015, 09:14:46 pm
Here is another status update:

Code: [Select]
0.17.101 Studio (12 december 2015)
* Added more items to collect: bombs (5), arrows (10)
* Added more items to collect from chests: rupees (100,200,300), bombs (3)
* Collectable arrow items now change sprites if you have collected the hero bow + silver arrows

0.17.102 Studio (13 december 2015)
* Added animated tilesets
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on December 17, 2015, 02:01:56 am
 8)
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: MG-Zero on December 17, 2015, 02:27:08 pm
Looking good, man! keep it up!!
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 20, 2015, 09:05:27 pm
Thanks for the support!

Here is this weeks progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.17.103 Studio (20 december 2015)
* Added more animated tilesets: flowers (light world/dark world), darkworld village pond, fairy water, lightworld mountain pebbles, darkworld mountain rocks + pillars
* Made more progress working on the new dungeon tilesets
* Converted obj_Master
* Fixed issue with death fairy shadow positioning
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 01, 2016, 07:39:37 pm
Happy new years everyone!

Here is a little bit more progress made during the holidays. Also, I've included an almost finished visual of the newly designed fairy cave (feedback is always welcome) and an updated roadmap for 2016.

PROGRESS MADE:
Code: [Select]
0.17.104 Studio (29 december 2015)
* Add animated desert flowers
* Finished dark forest dungeon & ice temple tileset
* Added dark forest conveyor belt
* Converted last area scripting
* Fixed last known error with continious enemy spawning

0.17.105 Studio (30 december 2015)
* Finished expanding cave tileset
* Added lava as background

0.17.106 Studio (1 januari 2016)
* Redid item generator scripting (and added “luck” states which alter spawn rates / items)
* Designed cave for fairy queen

ROADMAP:
Code: [Select]
== Phase A (goal: 1-12-2016)==
DONE Convert action object: obj_Movable_Object
DONE Convert trees
DONE  > OPTIONAL: Added darkworld trees
DONE  > OPTIONAL: Some dark world trees can be talked to
DONE  > OPTIONAL: New collectable item: apple
DONE Convert obj_Master
DONE Convert obj_Particle
DONE Convert last area data & scripts
DONE Convert camera / view scripting
DONE Convert final misc objects / sprites

== Phase B (goal: 1-2-2016)==
Convert darkness engine (+tweak day-night mechanics)
Convert light sources
 > OPTIONAL: Added new terrain: (in)visible floor
Convert character movement engine
 > OPTIONAL: Added new object: bumper
Convert all collectable items (incl. fairies)
 > OPTIONAL: Some trees can be crashed into for apples and other items
 > OPTIONAL: Added fully functional fairy pond
Convert last action object: obj_Switch
 > OPTIONAL: Added new “terrain”: blocks on/off from the ground

== Phase C (goal: 1-5-2016)==
Convert character states
 > OPTIONAL: New enemy: (golden) bugs (from trees)
 > OPTIONAL: New “item”: enemy bombs (from tree mouth)
Convert action object: obj_Container
Convert character transition animations
 > OPTIONAL: Stairs up/down have black transition fade up/down
Convert character projectiles
Convert character shield mechanics
Convert scenes
Convert obj_Character remaining scripts / resources

== Phase D (goal: 1-8-2016)==
Convert enemy collision mechanics
Convert enemy movement scripts
Convert all default enemies (AI / etc)
Convert all bosses (AI / etc)

== Phase E (goal: 1-9-2016)==
Rebuild Item menu
Rebuild Map menu
Manage to fully restored old demo in time for NCFC
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Wobmiar on January 02, 2016, 06:01:11 pm
Really really really nice. Oh btw, I posted a video of an any% speedrun, if you wanna watch. As you can see, no credits at the end ^^

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN0jDJjv3DI
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 02, 2016, 07:01:29 pm
Yeah, I saw it appear in my subscriptions. Very nicely done.

It's been ages since I last checked but perhaps you also need to finish the gauntlet as well for the credits. I'm not sure. Either that or it broke in one of the last public versions.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Wobmiar on January 02, 2016, 07:13:10 pm
As far as I can remember, finishing the gauntlet dungeon does not give credits... On the other hand, is there an end? I'll check out.

Oh, btw, are you interested to some video about your game? Maybe a trailer, or anything really, I'll love to do something for you ^^ I could also beta test if you still need testers :)
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 02, 2016, 07:38:30 pm
Looking at my current version the credits should have been starting after finishing dungeon 2 or both dungeons. So it is most highly likely that there was a coding issue in the last public demo.

Recording extra video's is always appreciated. Trailers in particular are great since I am not good at making those at all. Video's on new stuff (like the day-night cycle) in the current build are also appreciated since people like seeing such progress in action.

As for testing: Heartless also offered help so I'll send the both of you a demo in 24 hours (give or take). Try and break it in any way you can ;). Do be warned that the current version will definatly contain issues with: character actions, enemies and scenes. This is because those all still need to be properly converted to 60 fps and gamemaker studio logic. For instance: enemies and Link still act at twice the normal speed.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Wobmiar on January 02, 2016, 07:54:22 pm
Should we report those obvious bugs?
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 02, 2016, 07:59:59 pm
A list of known issues helps as a checklist to check after the convertion, but I'd understand if the list is too long or boring to make. I'll leave it up to you.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Wobmiar on January 03, 2016, 01:02:06 pm
Oh, and I'm wanting to do a TAS (Tool Assisted Speedrun) of this game (by the help of Hourglass). I doesn't work with the current game, mostly because of the little loading at the beginning. Do you think it will work with the demo 18 since you change some things (engine)?
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 03, 2016, 01:07:59 pm
Not sure, but you can test it on the testdemo that I'm sending later on. It'll have the same beginning as any future demo's.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Wobmiar on January 03, 2016, 07:11:29 pm
It works, yeah! :D
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 03, 2016, 10:17:07 pm
And here is the last of the progress during my free days this holiday period. Also see the attached screenshots for the new terrain type.

Code: [Select]
0.17.107 Studio (2 januari 2016)
* Tweaked odds item generations script
* Started work on converting darkness engine

0.17.108 Studio (3 januari 2016)
* Tweaked positioning falling into (endless) pits
* Added new terrain type: Invisible Floor

0.17.109 Studio (3 januari 2016)
* Fixed error with falling snakes
* Fixed depth issue movable objects
* Added walllights to fairy cave
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 13, 2016, 09:54:09 pm
Here's another little update report.
I had planned to continue progress according to the roadmap, but instead Wobmiar has helped by testing my latest build and a good amount of errors/issues have been solved as a result of that.

Code: [Select]
0.17.110 Studio (5 januari 2016)
* Fixed error: containers containing arrows try to spawn items upon destruction while you do not own the bow yet.

0.17.111 Studio (8 januari 2016)
* Solved a series of found errors/issues (via a workaround) by not allowing enemies to be active outside the current room

0.17.112 Studio (9 januari 2016)
* Fixed errors in scenes subboss 1

0.17.113 Studio (13 januari 2016)
* Fixed error during dungeon 2 secret entrance scene
* Fixed error shieldblocking enemy arrows
* Fixed Leevers burrowing in places other then sandy tiles
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 24, 2016, 10:36:21 pm
Here's the weekly update again.

I'm happy to report that I've succefully started work on a major overhaul of the movement systems. The current system uses a large number of collision objects with sprites to check if for instance a wall is blocking the way. This new system will ALSO use a grid based collision system when it's finished. Check the attached image for a visual representation. Bottomline: This approach will save me a lot of time when masking new areas, allow for the deletion of 100-200 ingame resources, allow me to add world switching with the mirror later on and it *should* make for a more stable engine.

PROGRESS REPORT:
Code: [Select]
0.17.114 Studio (14 januari 2016)
* Fixed issue: persistent enemies (such as cannonballs) where not allowed to exist outside of the current room
* Fixed incorrect depth for released caught fairy
* Fixed issue with visuals created Somaria Block

0.17.115 Studio (23 januari 2016)
* Fixed error when picking up frozen enemies
* Cleaned up character movement scripting a little for future developments
* The game now always starts with day-time lighting
* Added tester functions to jump to a specific day-night time and to speed up/down day-night cycle
* Started building editor for upcoming collision grids

0.17.116 Studio (24 januari 2016)
* Day-night status is now included in the save file
* Finished adding collision grid editor (for new collision system and *eventual* magic mirror world hopping)
* Added functional diggrids to some rooms

ROADMAP:
Code: [Select]
== Phase A (goal: 1-1-2016)==
DONE Convert action object: obj_Movable_Object
DONE Convert trees
DONE  > OPTIONAL: Added darkworld trees
DONE  > OPTIONAL: Some dark world trees can be talked to
DONE  > OPTIONAL: New collectable item: apple
DONE Convert obj_Master
DONE Convert obj_Particle
DONE Convert last area data & scripts
DONE Convert camera / view scripting
DONE Convert final misc objects / sprites

== Phase B (goal: 1-3-2016)==
Convert darkness engine
Convert light sources
DONE  > OPTIONAL: Added new terrain: (in)visible floor
DONE Tweak+save day-night mechanics
Convert character movement engine
 > OPTIONAL: Added new object: bumper
 > OPTIONAL: Added new character state: Swimming
 > OPTIONAL: Added new character state: Diving
 > OPTIONAL: Added new character state: Drowning
Convert all collectable items (incl. fairies)
 > OPTIONAL: Some trees can be crashed into for apples and other items
 > OPTIONAL: Added fully functional fairy pond
Convert action object: obj_Container
Convert action object: obj_Switch
 > OPTIONAL: Added new “terrain”: blocks on/off from the ground

== Phase C (goal: 1-5-2016)==
Convert ALL character 36+ states (add list later on)
 > OPTIONAL: New enemy: (golden) bugs (from trees)
 > OPTIONAL: New “item”: enemy bombs (from tree mouth)
Convert character transition animations
 > OPTIONAL: Stairs up/down have black transition fade up/down
Convert character projectiles
Convert character shield mechanics
Convert scenes
Convert obj_Character remaining scripts / resources

== Phase D (goal: 1-8-2016)==
Convert enemy collision mechanics
Convert enemy movement scripts
Convert all default enemies (AI / etc)
Convert all bosses (AI / etc)

== Phase E (goal: 1-9-2016)==
Rebuild Item menu
Rebuild Map menu
Manage to fully restored old demo in time for NCFC
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on January 27, 2016, 04:11:44 am
Do you know that there are 2 on your borders?
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 27, 2016, 08:07:46 am
The 1 and 2 in the screenshot are a graphical representation of the new solid system. I'm creating arrays/grids per room with values per 8x8 pixels. In the screenshot I have a tester function active that draws the values in this grid for debugging etc. The 1's represent blocked terrain that some items can still move over (like the boomerang). The 2's respresent completely blocked terrain.

When a character moves I'll next have to check with new grid if the new position is collision free, rather then checking against various actual "wall" objects. Well, I'll still be doing the later for things like curved walls etc cause of the shapes, but the number of checks against other objects should be diminished by 80-100% per room by this change.

Also, it'll hopefully be less likely that exploits can be found where players are able to walk through walls under VERY specific conditions (like in the desert dungeon). Sorry Wobmiar XD
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 31, 2016, 09:00:48 pm
And here is this weeks progress report:

Code: [Select]
0.17.117 Studio (30 januari 2016)
* Made it so character default movement now also checks the collision grids

0.17.118 Studio (31 januari 2016)
* Tweaked diggrid editor furter for faster use
* Improved item shadow positioning script
* Finished converting character default movement scripts (excl. move speed)
* Implemented collision grids for ALL rooms (except dungeon 1) in the game
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Wobmiar on February 07, 2016, 07:03:57 pm
Also, it'll hopefully be less likely that exploits can be found where players are able to walk through walls under VERY specific conditions (like in the desert dungeon). Sorry Wobmiar XD

*Insert Darth Vader voice here* NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 09, 2016, 08:28:16 pm
It's all good. I'm sure I'll mess up somewhere again eventually and add in all new unintented issues for you to find XD
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Miles07 on February 09, 2016, 11:46:50 pm
It's all good. I'm sure I'll mess up somewhere again eventually and add in all new unintented issues for you to find XD

Consider us your QA team.  ;)
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 14, 2016, 09:39:30 pm
I'll release a work in progress soon then. Maybe next weekend. I'm at a point now where errors *shouldn't* be happening anymore so it seems like good time to start the early testing anyway. Be aware that all character speeds are still all 2x since the AI's still need to be converted (to 60 fps).

Progress made:
Code: [Select]
0.17.119 Studio (7 februari 2016)
* Implemented collision grids for almost all remaining rooms
* Cut 140 masking sprites that are now obsolete as a result of the new collision mechanics (and hundreds upon hundreds of instances)

0.17.120 Studio (12 februari 2016)
* Further optimized tileset water dungeon
* Implemented collision grids for the last dungeon 1 room
* Fixed issue with diggrids missing in the old overworld
* Fixed issue with staircase appearing in dungeon 2
* Fixed error in sandworm AI script
* Finished expanding ALL collision mechanics (enemies, projectiles, items etc) to also account for the new collision grids.
* Reorganised older terrain and masking sprites

0.17.121 Studio (14 februari 2016)
* Fixed visuals rupees
* Integrated fairy object with other collectable items

Roadmap:
Code: [Select]
== Phase A (goal: 1-1-2016)==
DONE Convert action object: obj_Movable_Object
DONE Convert trees
DONE  > OPTIONAL: Added darkworld trees
DONE  > OPTIONAL: Some dark world trees can be talked to
DONE  > OPTIONAL: New collectable item: apple
DONE Convert obj_Master
DONE Convert obj_Particle
DONE Convert last area data & scripts
DONE Convert camera / view scripting
DONE Convert final misc objects / sprites

== Phase B (goal: 1-3-2016)==
Convert darkness engine
Convert light sources
DONE  > OPTIONAL: Added new terrain: (in)visible floor
DONE Tweak day-night mechanics
DONE Convert character movement engine (excl. speed settings)
DONE Convert all other generic movement engines (excl. speed settings)
 > OPTIONAL: Added new object: bumper
 > OPTIONAL: Added new character state: Swimming
 > OPTIONAL: Added new character state: Diving
 > OPTIONAL: Added new character state: Drowning
IN PROGRESS Convert all collectable items (incl. fairies)
 > OPTIONAL: Some trees can be crashed into for apples and other items
 > OPTIONAL: Added fully functional fairy pond
Convert action object: obj_Container
Convert action object: obj_Switch
 > OPTIONAL: Added new “terrain”: blocks on/off from the ground

== Phase C (goal: 1-6-2016)==
Convert ALL character 36+ states (add list later on)
 > OPTIONAL: New enemy: (golden) bugs (from trees)
 > OPTIONAL: New “item”: enemy bombs (from tree mouth)
Convert character transition animations
 > OPTIONAL: Stairs up/down have black transition fade up/down
Convert character projectiles
Convert character shield mechanics
Convert scenes
Convert obj_Character remaining scripts / resources

== Phase D (goal: 1-9-2016)==
Convert enemy collision mechanics
Convert enemy movement scripts
Convert all default enemies (AI / etc)
Convert all bosses (AI / etc)

== Phase E (goal: 1-10-2016)==
Rebuild Item menu
Rebuild Map menu
Manage to fully restored old demo in time for NCFC
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 20, 2016, 07:59:16 am
Just a little heads-up for those following my posts:
Life is getting in the way this weekend so there won't be any progress / demo for the near future.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: FrozenFire on March 04, 2016, 06:25:16 pm
(snip) I'm creating arrays/grids per room with values per 8x8 pixels. (snip)
When a character moves I'll next have to check with new grid if the new position is collision free, rather then checking against various actual "wall" objects. Well, I'll still be doing the later for things like curved walls etc cause of the shapes, but the number of checks against other objects should be diminished by 80-100% per room by this change.

I'm quoting a slightly old post from January, but hey, I've been gone for a while and just now saw this. XD
I just wanted to say that I really like this move to using arrays for the main solid collisions. I wonder what other awesome updates I've missed so far? Haha, not sure if I'll be able to catch up on it all. :P

I hope to get involved in helping with this again, at least in testing for bugs, but possibly in other ways too.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 04, 2016, 07:17:07 pm
You haven't missed too much in the way of new content I believe. I've mainly been working on a conversion to Gamemaker Studio and 60 fps for about 1,5+ years now. This includes recoding nearly every line of code I come across since everything needed to be looked at anyway. It has been taking WAY longer then planned, but it least the engine is more robuust, clean and futureproof when I'm done. Also I've also been slowly building the framework so it allows for future mechanics like mirror warping between worlds (which was straight out impossible to do efficiently in the old situation).

The plan was/is to finish converting the collectable items this weekend and then release a new techdemo for public testing. Coding related to Link, enemies, scenes, ingame menu's and some smaller things still needs converting (which is about 20% of the game), but it is really starting to feel like the old demo again. And any fatal errors *should* have been dealt with by this point.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 06, 2016, 06:05:33 pm
Here is another progress report (also check the attachment for some visuals):

Code: [Select]
0.17.122 Studio (5 maart 2016)
* Fixed surface stack issue after depth change
* Fixed depth issue key falling from ceiling
* Fixed depth issues pull switches
* Edited speed after using saving & quiting option
* Converted collectable items
* Fixed infinite small keys exploit
* Crashing into some trees nets you apples / items
* Fixed transition underneath large rock in old overworld
* Crashing into trees can also spawn one-time only items like heart pieces and such

0.17.123 Studio (6 maart 2016)
* Combined character step events into one
* Fixed collectable fairy depth issues
* Fixed visuals while grabbing downwards
* Combined character body and head draw events
* Fixed graphical issue while wall crashing

Some things in the roadmap have been pushed back by a month due to the recent delays ('cause of life):
Code: [Select]
== Phase A (goal: 1-1-2016)==
DONE Convert action object: obj_Movable_Object
DONE Convert trees
DONE  > OPTIONAL: Added darkworld trees
DONE  > OPTIONAL: Some dark world trees can be talked to
DONE  > OPTIONAL: New collectable item: apple
DONE Convert obj_Master
DONE Convert obj_Particle
DONE Convert last area data & scripts
DONE Convert camera / view scripting
DONE Convert final misc objects / sprites

== Phase B (goal: 1-4-2016)==
Convert darkness engine
Convert light sources
DONE  > OPTIONAL: Added new terrain: (in)visible floor
DONE Tweak day-night mechanics
DONE Convert character movement engine (excl. speed settings)
DONE Convert all other generic movement engines (excl. speed settings)
DONE Convert all collectable items (incl. fairies)
DONE  > OPTIONAL: Some trees can be crashed into for items like apples
 > OPTIONAL: Added fully functional fairy pond
Convert action object: obj_Switch
 > OPTIONAL: Added new “terrain”: blocks on/off from the ground
Convert action object: obj_Container

== Phase C (goal: 1-7-2016)==
Convert ALL character 36+ states (add list later on)
 > OPTIONAL: New enemy: (golden) bugs (from trees)
 > OPTIONAL: New “item”: enemy bombs (from tree mouth)
 > OPTIONAL: Added new object: bumper
 > OPTIONAL: Added new character state: Swimming
 > OPTIONAL: Added new character state: Diving
 > OPTIONAL: Added new character state: Drowning
 > OPTIONAL: Added new “terrain”: magical tracks
Convert character transition animations
 > OPTIONAL: Stairs up/down have black transition fade up/down
Convert character projectiles
Convert character shield mechanics
Convert scenes
Convert obj_Character remaining scripts / resources

== Phase D (goal: 1-10-2016)==
Convert enemy collision mechanics
Convert enemy movement scripts
Convert all default enemies (AI / etc)
Convert all bosses (AI / etc)

== Phase E (goal: 1-11-2016)==
Rebuild Item menu
Rebuild Map menu
Manage to fully restored old demo in time for NCFC

And finally: I've added a demo for those wanting to see the current state of development. Be mindfull that the following is not yet fully converted: Coding related to Link, enemies, scenes, ingame menu's, darkness, hitswitches and containers.

Downloadlink: https://www.dropbox.com/s/3cxyfz74hlm9aoy/Zelda%200%2017%20124%20tester%20demo.zip?dl=0
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: FrozenFire on March 08, 2016, 06:27:04 am
So I was thinking a couple days ago, and I've been wanting to help out with this project and I realized there is one big way I can help. Because during my time away from here, I was certainly not away from GameMaker: Studio.

I've actually got some code and some tweaks I'm wanting to suggest to you which would achieve the following in your game:
1) Increased user input responsiveness; faster input response (such an important thing, yet GM users rarely address it, probably because they aren't aware they can control it)
2) More fluid gameplay, smoother than a baby's buttocks
3) Increased efficiency and game FPS (i.e. not the graphical FPS, but the logical 'FPS')

But instead of barfing up the code here right now in a rather haphazard way, I'd like to give it in a very nice and concise way. I think I mentioned some place that I'm trying to get a GameMaker:Studio tutorial thing written out with the plan to post a topic in the code section, and I'll be including the code I'm talking about in there. So I'll be sure to let you know when I get it up (or you'll just see the topic, so I guess I don't need to tell you...). So I'm just giving you a heads up. It will be the part that talks about disconnecting the drawing from the logic. It makes use of frame skipping.

Of course, I'm saying all of this assuming you achieve the 60 FPS simply by setting the room speed to 60. And you probably don't have any kind of frame skipping implemented yet? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I played the latest tester demo yesterday and realized the physics/movement speeds and animation speeds are still needing to be tweaked and slowed down a bit (I'm guessing that's because of the transition to 60 room speed from 30?). I was actually reluctant to even mention this stuff about tweaking it with frame skipping and whatnot until I had played the demo, because if all your speeds were already perfected, you'd have to change them again to implement my suggestions, if in fact your room speed is only 60 and not set higher. I say this because I will be suggesting upping the room speed to 300, XD and it should be obvious that a faster room speed means more executed cycles of events per second, which means more movement will happen per second, making everything faster, so things need to be made to move less each step to compensate. Pretty straightforward.

BTW, faster room speed is how you gain better user input responsiveness. This is something I will explain in that topic I mentioned. I hope many GM users catch on to this, because the slightly sluggish controls of GM games are hurting so many games. Input response is ultra critical to a proper and great gaming experience.

So anyway, I'll be trying to write out all this stuff as fast as life allow me so I can get that topic up for you and all the GM users. I expect it will help the project a lot and it's really not hard to implement. BTW, it's less than 10 lines of GML to add. The time-consuming part of implementing it would be to slow down all of your movement and animation speeds to compensate for the room speed up.
Of course, it'll be up to you to implement or not, but I'm just throwing the suggestion out there, because I seriously think it would be more than worth the trouble of implementing it.

Possible complications after implementing:
It would not break anything unless you're putting logic inside of the draw event that doesn't belong there, because frame skipping will often times not even execute anything in the draw event; it's not like it just skips over drawing functions, but it skips the draw event entirely.
You would have no worries of my code breaking game logic. My method does not control speeds by multiplying movements by delta time, as that gives slight inaccuracies in your movement logic, unless you do some overly-involved code. But it's seriously not worth it at all, and the extra logical processing required for that overly-involved code would likely give worse CPU performance than my way in the end. Even if that weren't the case (which I'm pretty certain it would be), you'd still get more complex code that could even lead to nightmare testing and headaches if you make a tiny slip up, or worse, you might even miss a screw up that causes logic to be inconsistent and may even make the gaming experience unfair at random intervals... uh, yeah, just too many downsides with delta time movement, especially since GM already has stuff 'under the hood' of its room speed control to maintain timing quite well.
Over the course of about 1.25 years, I was off and on trying various things with delta time and frame skipping until I arrived at the code I have now, and it's just a really good solution, given the way GM works. Some other GM users also have done a lot of work testing and trying various things out in this area and have concluded that frame skipping is the way to go as well.

Ah, but I'd better shut up. I always talk too much when it comes to these things. Sorry, haha. :P I really hope this info - and the stuff I plan to share with you later - will help you take HoB and any other future GM projects further. :)

/ wall of text XD
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 08, 2016, 07:11:16 am
Sounds interesting!
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 08, 2016, 09:22:18 pm
Here is a more expansive awnser now that I don't have to rush getting to work:

The game is set to 60 FPS. I'm tinkering with the game logic still so the character movement, enemy movement and all collisions will be all performed within the same step in the next demo. That should help with smootness / experienced fps as well since in all the demo's thus far enemies move after the character but before the collisions have been checked. (So basically you've been responding to the enemy afterimages)

Last year I experimented with a higher fps, but my monitor couldn't handle it so Gamemaker did not seem to support it in response. (I'm quit interested in how this might be bypassed). Thus I never saw the need for screenskipping because the game already ran soothly at what I figured was the max fps.

Everything except for enemy and character movement and actions has been converted from 30 to 60 fps so introducing a higher fps will require a large time investement I fear. Still, I'm very much interested in learning more about the concepts you've learned.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 13, 2016, 07:46:48 pm
Here is another update. This week has mostly revolved around examing and fixing a few long standing isues and laying the groundworks for next week.

Code: [Select]
0.17.124 Studio (7 maart 2016)
* Ordened begin step event character control objects further
* Fixed bizar depth issue character shield while on lower floors around depth 20000000. Weird stuff.

0.17.125 Studio (13 maart 2016)
* Organised enemy control step events
* Further organised character control step event
* Fixed issue: falling into abyss when on movable platform while dying or using medallions
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on March 14, 2016, 08:54:21 pm
Wow! My mind is blown.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: FrozenFire on March 16, 2016, 06:31:18 pm
(snip)
Last year I experimented with a higher fps, but my monitor couldn't handle it so Gamemaker did not seem to support it in response. (I'm quit interested in how this might be bypassed). Thus I never saw the need for screenskipping because the game already ran soothly at what I figured was the max fps.

Everything except for enemy and character movement and actions has been converted from 30 to 60 fps so introducing a higher fps will require a large time investement I fear. Still, I'm very much interested in learning more about the concepts you've learned.

Just wanted to say, I've been more busy than expected, but hopefully I'll be able to post more properly later. The thing I've been writing about GM ended up becoming far more in depth than I had planned, so I just recently decided to focus only on this code I'm talking about and I can always post the other GM stuff later.

But yeah, if your monitor runs at 60 Hz (which is pretty standard) and you set the room speed to over 60, GM will try to draw faster than the monitor refresh rate. This is obviously wasteful as far as the graphical side of things goes. Also, if you have checked the box "use synchronization to avoid tearing" EVEN YOUR LOGIC WILL BE LIMITED TO A MAX OF 60 EVENTS LOOP CYCLES PER SECOND, in my experience. But it may depend on your monitor, since it's waiting for v sync? Not sure about that, but all I know is, it's best to avoid using that option at all costs because it will hurt user input response and the gameplay often takes quite a hit and it's simply not worth it. It'd be better to have a little tearing and keep the input response fast and gameplay smooth.

But anyway, the issue with GM is that - by default - drawing and logic are tied together. If you have a room speed of 30, that's 30 events loop cycles per second, and drawing is one of those events, so it also goes 30 times per second. This also means each key press and whatnot is checked 30 times per second. This may sound fine, but it's actually not. In fact, even 60 input checks per second has a noticeable difference between that a room speed of 300, especially with twitch games or touch screen games, but also with action games such as this, even if it's to a lesser degree, it's certainly enough to make an important difference. So this is the reason why I highly recommend a room speed of 300, among other reasons which I won't go into now about syncing and how it's an important number that divides evenly by most standard monitor refresh rates.

But anyway, the issue this is that - if you simply up the room speed to 300, then GM by default is also going to try to draw 300 times per second, which is just flat out ridiculous. So that's where frame skipping comes in. Anyway, I'll make a topic later, but I wanted to give you my code for now. So here it is:

First, do these two things:
1) Set your room speed to 300
2) Ensure that "Use synchronization to avoid tearing" is OFF

Second, use this code:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
VARIABLES TO SET IN CREATION CODE
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Code: [Select]
timing_fps = 60; //or whatever fps you desire
timing_frame = 1/timing_fps;
timing_frame_count = 0;
----------------------------------------------------------------------
CODE FOR STEP EVENT
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Code: [Select]
//IT'S DANGEROUS TO GO ALONE , TAKE THIS FRAME SKIPPING CODE I MADE ! XD
draw_enable_drawevent(false);
timing_frame_count += delta_time/1000000;
if timing_frame_count >= timing_frame{
    timing_frame_count -= timing_frame;
    draw_enable_drawevent(true);
}
----------------------------------------------------------------------

And that's it!

Unfortunately, I'd like to say more, but I'm rushing right now because I have to go to work, but I definitely plan to explain things further whenever I'm able to make that code topic about GM. In that topic, I plan to cover things like what all is happening when you change the room speed, explaining how and why it affects "real FPS". That and many other things. Definitely wanting to shoot down some harmful misconceptions about GM. Ah, so many things I want to do, but alas, life responsibilities don't really allow me to get around to it so quickly.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 16, 2016, 09:15:09 pm
You do realise that if this work that I'll have to also credit you for additional programming don't you? If you'd ever decide to also help with level design and story I'd have to credit you a little bit on literally EVERY aspect of the development XD

I'll definatly try out your coding (though I'm going through a little bit of a rough patch medically this week so it might take a little while).
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: FrozenFire on March 17, 2016, 05:48:17 am
You do realise that if this work that I'll have to also credit you for additional programming don't you? If you'd ever decide to also help with level design and story I'd have to credit you a little bit on literally EVERY aspect of the development XD

 :P Well, I don't know how much more I will be trying to help from here on out. I really don't expect I'll be trying to help with story though, and probably not level design either. But I am thinking I'd like to do some more testing here and there and to possibly make a new trailer video for you after the conversion to GM:Studio is more complete.

Quote
I'll definatly try out your coding (though I'm going through a little bit of a rough patch medically this week so it might take a little while).

Yeah, no problem. There's no rush or anything. I hope that rough patch gets over quickly and that things go well. And if you end up not wanting to implement my code for whatever reason, don't worry about it. You won't hurt my feelings. XD
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 19, 2016, 03:17:07 pm
I've been thinking about the suggested improvement and I'll not be implementing it (in the near future). I really like the concept though.

My reasoning:
I'm not convinced the increased game logic will be of sufficient use if the screen fps stays behind. Keeping the visuals at 60 fps means the player will get the player at best 1/120th of a second faster feedback. This based on the assumption that  there is a frame of delay between inputting commands and the gamemaker step and draw events (which I do not believe is the case making the improvement 0). Also (and most importantly) after some experimenting I estimate the change will require about 0.5 to 1 years worth of additional work so that's kinda painfull. I don't believe I'd be able to handle another year of delays.

PS: The gameplay will slow down a lot pretty soon when all the characters return to their original speeds. Hopefully that'll help with the game's feel.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: FrozenFire on March 20, 2016, 11:07:16 am
Ah, I'm not quite sure I understood what you weren't convinced about or if you even understood all of what I talked about (I may have failed a bit in explaining everything properly)? Forgive me if I misunderstood your reply, but it sounds like you say you're disagreeing about a part that I've actually proven to be true. I wasn't theorizing on faster room speed giving faster input response. Maybe I can try to explain in a different way.

I guess here is one way you can test that input is not registered between room steps:
In some kind of test project, set the room speed to something like 2, then you will be able to press the keys in between frames (i.e. during the points inside of a second when code isn't executed) and it simply won't register the key press at all. So that's the very hands-on way to do it. But it can also be seen when just observing what GM is doing in the code.
There are two different timings in GM: One is the room speed timing. Any code the GM user puts in their game is bound by this timing, only executing upon a room step. But there is also another timing, and it's running MUCH faster than the room speed, and this is because it is the timing engine that is 'under the hood' which actually controls and maintains the room speed that the GM user sets. So this second timing I'm talking about is the "fps real". The real fps is the actual speed the game/program is running, but that's obviously not the speed the room is running, and all code - including input checks - are only executing upon a room step. So what happens is that the CPU can get around to the game only to skip over all the code because it's not time to execute a room step. This is why fps real runs much faster than room speed, because it's used as a sort of padding to maintain room speed, regardless of CPU spikes or lags, because that 'under the hood' stuff is checking how much time has passed.

But anyway, sorry, I felt like I should explain it, even if you aren't using it, I still wanted to clear up any misunderstandings (and hopefully I said things clear enough.. I'm really wiped out from work today). But obviously, yes, please don't implement if you don't want to and if it would be too much work. ;) I only suggested it in the first place just to let you be informed so as to decide if you wanted to take the option or not.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 20, 2016, 12:43:33 pm
So what happens if I set the room speed (and thus the key detection events) to 300 fps and only execute the draw AND step events at 60 fps? Will that still have the same response improvement?

To clarify. My coding situation would be as follows:
1. (from 60 fps to 300 fps) key detection events (=stores key state to variable)
2. (60 fps) step events for AI (=key response / execute movement / execute collisions / etc)
3. (60 fps) draw events

I ask because this approach cuts down conversion time considerably. It could easily cut it in half since I'd only still really have to worry about alarms and earlier draw_enable_drawevent() usages.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 20, 2016, 06:40:21 pm
And here is another progress report for this weekend.
Lots of progress made simplifying the enemy mechanics.

Code: [Select]
0.17.126 Studio (19 maart 2016)
* Combined all types of enemy sprites into a single object
* Fixed error when using the hammer on the solid ground near turtles
* Fixed issue where the game doesn't detect enemy sprites the instant you warp into a new room.
* Fixed the way the game detects all enemies killed in a room
* Fixed masking issues in the dungeon2 and subdungeon2
* Fixed some tiling issues dungeon2

0.17.127 Studio (20 maart 2016)
* Fixed masking issue in the dungeon1
* Organised the background resources a little further
* Fixed masking issue F2 Dungeon 2
* Combined enemy control objects into a single object
* Converted enemy sprite object
* Reorganised enemy sprite creation coding
* Tweaked enemy visuals cutting down on gamemaker resources
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: FrozenFire on March 20, 2016, 08:03:40 pm
So what happens if I set the room speed (and thus the key detection events) to 300 fps and only execute the draw AND step events at 60 fps? Will that still have the same response improvement?

To clarify. My coding situation would be as follows:
1. (from 60 fps to 300 fps) key detection events (=stores key state to variable)
2. (60 fps) step events for AI (=key response / execute movement / execute collisions / etc)
3. (60 fps) draw events

Funny you mention this, because I've tried this before. But the answer is, no, it unfortunately wouldn't help one bit.

The reason why is because - even though the input is detected at the super fast speed and stored at that moment into a variable, the game will still delay in reading that variable and responding to it to make something happen. So you end up with almost exactly the same problem. Even though the input is getting registered earlier, it means nothing if the execution related to the input isn't executed at the same time.

The only thing you'd gain in that case would be totally useless, but it would allow you to lower the room speed to stupidly low levels, then you could hit keys in between room steps and you'd never have any unregistered key presses - everything would always register and execute. But, as I said, this is totally useless because you never want your room speed that low and this is simply no issue at all with 60+ room speed anyway. Even on 30 room speed, it's quite hard to hit a key only in between a room step.
-
EDIT: I came back and reread what I said. WTF was I thinking right here?... Um, obviously if the room speed is super low, then the input checks will also be low because input check frequency is determined by room speed. I seriously have no idea how I was being so brainless here. Wow, I must be overworking myself.
-


But anyway, honestly Martijn, I'm kind of sorry I brought this up now, because it's really not THAT good of an improvement, and - after hearing what you've been saying - I believe it's just not worth it, considering how far along your game is. Now, if you were just starting a game, it'd be a different story. I'd totally suggest doing it in that case.
If people have a keyboard with "squishy" keys, it's likely that they couldn't even feel the difference between 60 and 300 room speed anyway. It's a bit more on the subtle side, even in the best case; even if the gamer is totally aware and has a keyboard with tight keys. In many cases, if you were to do some kind of side by side comparison between the old 60 speed version and the new 300 speed one, and if you had people blind test them, they would likely say something like the following about the faster running one: "This feels better, but I don't really know why. Seems a little smoother somehow." But it's actually possible some people might just not feel a difference if they're tired and/or the keyboard is not so tight on the keys. I kind of say this because I just did a test last night while tired and with a crappy keyboard and I couldn't tell the difference myself between 60-300, but I could tell the difference between 30-300 and even between 30-60. However, in the case of 60-300, even though I didn't feel difference between input response, the game still looked noticeably smoother on 300 vs 60, even though in both cases I was drawing only 60 FPS.

But my conclusion after all our conversing is to just forget it anyway. Your game is fine without it. I'm just one of those people who has stupidly high standards. :P
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 21, 2016, 04:59:53 pm
It's all cool. Conceptual conversations can be fun in there own right and who knows what future developments hold.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 03, 2016, 08:08:59 am
Just a little update to mention there is little (noticable) progress untill next week.
Again: personal stuff is preventing me from finding the time/energy to do more.

I did however update my personal roadmap to make ik more realistic, changing up the development order somewhat. And I started the dawnting task of converting all enemy spawners and sprites in the game

Code: [Select]
ROADMAP (changed up on 03-04-2015)

== Phase A (goal: 1-1-2016)==
DONE

== Phase B (goal: 1-4-2016)==
DONE

== Phase C (goal: 1-7-2016)==
DONE Convert enemy draw order and draw events
IN PROGRESS Convert enemy spawners
Convert enemy death objects
Convert enemy collision mechanics
Convert enemy damage / health systems
Convert all default enemies (AI / etc):
  – Hazards
  – Projectiles
  – Skeletons
  – Soldiers
  – Other humanoids
  – Flyers
  – Blobs
  – Sand enemies
  – Bosses
  – Other

== Phase D (goal: 1-9-2016)==
Convert action object: obj_Switch
 > OPTIONAL: Added new “terrain”: blocks on/off from the ground
Convert action object: obj_Container
 > OPTIONAL: Added fully functional fairy pond
Convert darkness engine
Convert light sources

== Phase E (goal: 1-11-2016)==
Convert ALL character 36+ states (add list later on)
 > OPTIONAL: New enemy: (golden) bugs (from trees)
 > OPTIONAL: New “item”: enemy bombs (from tree mouth)
 > OPTIONAL: Added new object: bumper
 > OPTIONAL: Added new character state: Swimming
 > OPTIONAL: Added new character state: Diving
 > OPTIONAL: Added new character state: Drowning
 > OPTIONAL: Added new “terrain”: magical tracks
Convert character transition animations
 > OPTIONAL: Stairs up/down have black transition fade up/down
Convert character projectiles
Convert character shield mechanics
Convert character (other) collision mechanics
[IN PROGRESS] Convert character draw order and draw events
Convert scenes
Convert obj_Character remaining scripts / resources

== Phase F (goal: 1-12-2016)==
Rebuild Item menu
Rebuild Map menu
Manage to fully restored old demo in time for NCFC
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 17, 2016, 07:13:43 pm
There have been some delays, but I'm back to making progress again.

The thing was: I across a gamebreaking bugs 3,5 weeks ago that seemed to defied programming logic. To be more specific: enabling and disabling the same object within a single event lead to Gamemaker functions not recognizing that object after a random number of times, even though I would still be drawn. (Studio frustrated me sometimes :-\)

Anyway, I've realized a stable version once again and will continue work on the enemies. I'll release a new testdemo after the first batch enemies have been converted and set to 60 fps.

PROGRESS MADE:
Code: [Select]
0.17.128 Studio (25 maart 2016)
* Edited a lot of enemy sprite resources (behind the scenes)

0.17.129 Studio (26 maart 2016)
* Renamed enemy spawner objects

0.17.130 Studio (10 april 2016)
* Combined all types of enemy creation objects into a single object (just 300+ instances to check and/or edit in response – no joke)
* Continious enemy spawners converted to 60 fps
* Set flying tile activation timing to 60 fps
* Set cannonball activation timing to 60 fps
* Fixed tiling issue in dungeon 1
* Fixed masking glitch in dungeon 1

0.17.131 + 0.17.132 Studio (13 april 2016)
* Fully finished combining enemy creation objects into a single object
* Fixed glitch: pausing game outside room with cannonballs freezes cannonballs upon entering their room
* Fixed masking issue dungeon 1

0.17.133 A/B/C Studio (17 april 2016)
* Fixed a wide array of weird errors due to tempering with enemy objects: enemies disabling randomly, not being detected by gamemaker at random, the game turning black after using Save & quit option a few times etc.
* Medium & large cannonballs now move and animate at 60 fps
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 24, 2016, 07:50:19 pm
Here is another progress report: I was able to start converting some of the easier enemies in the game.

PROGRESS REPORT:
Code: [Select]
0.17.134 Studio (20 april 2016)
* Animated overworld flowers
* Add animated desert flowers
* Edited more enemy sprite resources (behind the scenes)
* Converted special enemy states: burned, ice, stone, stunned

0.17.135 Studio (23 april 2016)
* Edited more enemy sprite resources
* Converted enemies:
     – Guruguru bar (red / blue)
– Cannonballs (large / normal)
* Fixed depth issue cannonballs dungeon 1

0.17.136 Studio (24 april 2016)
* Converted more enemies:
– Trickbox
– Medusa block
– Wall cannon
* Fixed graphical issue Purple Leever

ENEMIES CONVERTED:
(http://sk.uploads.im/t/WvHtp.png) (http://sj.uploads.im/t/kJjcU.png) - Wall Cannon
(http://sj.uploads.im/t/lpR2e.png) - Medusa block
(http://sm.uploads.im/t/tRQh2.png) - Trickbox
     (http://sm.uploads.im/t/Xq7h8.png) (http://sm.uploads.im/t/rlFoW.png) - Cannonball
(http://sm.uploads.im/t/PGgru.png) (http://sl.uploads.im/t/w2GNP.png) - Guruguru bar

ROADMAP:
Code: [Select]
== Phase C (goal: 1-7-2016)==
DONE Convert enemy draw order and draw events
DONE Convert enemy spawners
DONE Convert enemy special states: stunned, burning, stone, ice
Convert enemy death objects
Convert enemy collision mechanics
Convert enemy damage / health systems
Convert all default enemies (AI / etc):
  – Hazards
> DONE Guruguru bar (A/B)
> DONE Cannonballs (normal / large)
> DONE Trickbox
> DONE Medusa block
> DONE Wall cannon
> [[IN PROGRESS]] Spiked block (stationary / moving / triggered)
> [[IN PROGRESS]] Large spiked block
> [[IN PROGRESS]] Spiked roller
> Beamos
> OPTIONAL: Winder (A/B)
> OPTIONAL: Spark (A/B)
> OPTIONAL: Wall laser eye
> OPTIONAL: Bumper
> OPTIONAL: Boulder
> OPTIONAL: Chain chomp
> OPTIONAL: Rabbit beam
  – Projectiles
> [[IN PROGRESS]] Fireball (trailing)
> [[IN PROGRESS]] Small cannonballs
> [[IN PROGRESS]] Magic waves
> [[IN PROGRESS]] Octorock / Slarok balls
> Molgera rock
> Skeleton bones
> Laser (beamos)
> OPTIONAL: Laser (wall eye)
  – Blobs
> Break down later on
  – Flyers
> Break down later on
  – Sand enemies
> Break down later on
  – Skeletons
> Break down later on
  – Soldiers
> Break down later on
  – Other humanoids
> Break down later on
  – Other minions
> Break down later on
  – Bosses
> Break down later on

== Phase D (goal: 1-9-2016)==
Convert action object: obj_Switch
 > OPTIONAL: Added new “terrain”: blocks on/off from the ground
Convert action object: obj_Container
 > OPTIONAL: Added fully functional fairy pond
Convert darkness engine
Convert light sources

== Phase E (goal: 1-11-2016)==
Convert ALL character 36+ states (add list later on)
 > OPTIONAL: New enemy: (golden) bugs (from trees)
 > OPTIONAL: New “item”: enemy bombs (from tree mouth)
 > OPTIONAL: Added new object: bumper
 > OPTIONAL: Added new character state: Swimming
 > OPTIONAL: Added new character state: Diving
 > OPTIONAL: Added new character state: Drowning
 > OPTIONAL: Added new “terrain”: magical tracks
Convert character transition animations
 > OPTIONAL: Stairs up/down have black transition fade up/down
Convert character projectiles
Convert character shield mechanics
Convert character (other) collision mechanics
Convert character draw order and draw events
Convert scenes
Convert obj_Character remaining scripts / resources

== Phase F (goal: 1-12-2016)==
Rebuild Item menu
Rebuild Map menu
Manage to fully restored old demo in time for NCFC
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 14, 2016, 09:24:56 pm
And here is another progress report. Things have been a little rough lately, but it's still continuing slowly but steadily.

PROGRESS REPORT:
Code: [Select]
0.17.137 Studio (26 april 2016)
* Converted more enemies:
– Spiked blocks (default)
– Spiked blocks (large)
– Spiked roll

0.17.138 Studio (30 april 2016)
* Converted more enemies:
– Projectiles (= 7 types)
* Fixed projectiles being block by the solid object they are spawned on top of
* Integrated thrown stalfos bones with default projectiles
* Edited more enemy sprite resources
* Converted projectile movement scripting (fixing projectiles moving through some specific walls and transition objects)

0.17.139 Studio (4 mei 2016)
* Converted more enemies:
– Beamos lasers
* Fixed graphical issue when multiple beamos shooting at the same time
* Fixed issue with lasers moving through walls during specific combinations of angles, distances and speeds.
* Converted about half of the enemy end step AI
* Edited more enemy sprite resources

0.17.140 Studio (14 mei 2016)
* Worked on level designs for: Hyrule town, tutorial cave and sewers tutorial
* Converted more enemies:
– Deibadora
– Anti-Faerie
– Cactus (the ones which Vultures sit on top of)
– Beamos

ENEMIES NOW CONVERTED:
(http://sl.uploads.im/t/9Zd7y.png) - Anti-Faerie
(http://sj.uploads.im/t/apXQj.png) (http://sj.uploads.im/t/kJjcU.png) - Wall Cannon
(http://sj.uploads.im/t/lpR2e.png) - Medusa block
(http://sm.uploads.im/t/dyKVu.png) - Spiked block
(http://sm.uploads.im/t/tRQh2.png) - Trickbox
(http://sk.uploads.im/t/MwV2m.png) - Beamos
     (http://sm.uploads.im/t/Xq7h8.png) (http://sm.uploads.im/t/rlFoW.png) - Cannonball
(http://sk.uploads.im/t/OoxAN.png) (http://sl.uploads.im/t/sEPG7.png) (http://sk.uploads.im/t/yv5zw.png) - Deibadora
(http://sk.uploads.im/t/DhUNw.png) (http://sk.uploads.im/t/ZKFg5.png) - Large spiked block
(http://sj.uploads.im/t/UZHLK.png) (http://sj.uploads.im/t/3aSPs.png) - Spiked roll
(http://sm.uploads.im/t/PGgru.png) (http://sl.uploads.im/t/w2GNP.png) - Guruguru bar

ROADMAP:
Code: [Select]
== Phase C (goal: 1-7-2016)==
DONE Convert enemy draw order and draw events
DONE Convert enemy spawners
DONE Convert enemy special states: stunned, burning, stone, ice
Convert enemy death objects
[[IN PROGRESS]] Convert enemy collision mechanics
Convert enemy damage / health systems
[[IN PROGRESS]] Convert all default enemies (AI / etc):
  – Hazards (undamagable)
> DONE Guruguru bar (A/B)
> DONE Cannonballs (normal / large)
> DONE Trickbox
> DONE Medusa block
> DONE Wall cannon
> DONE Spiked block (stationary / moving / triggered)
> DONE Large spiked block
> DONE Spiked roller
> DONE Beamos
> [[IN PROGRESS]] OPTIONAL: Wall laser eye
> [[IN PROGRESS]] OPTIONAL: Winder (A/B)
> [[IN PROGRESS]] OPTIONAL: Spark (A/B)
> [[IN PROGRESS]] OPTIONAL: Boulder
> [[IN PROGRESS]] OPTIONAL: Chain chomp
> OPTIONAL: Bumper
> OPTIONAL: Rabbit beam
  – Hazards (damagable)
> DONE Anti-Faerie
> [[IN PROGRESS]] Deadrock
> [[IN PROGRESS]] Flying tiles
  – Projectiles
> DONE Fireball (trailing)
> DONE Small cannonballs
> DONE Magic waves
> DONE Octorock / Slarok balls
> DONE Molgera rock
> DONE Skeleton bones
> DONE Laser (beamos)
> [[IN PROGRESS]] OPTIONAL: Laser (wall eye)
  – Sand enemies
> DONE Deibadora
> DONE Cactus
> [[IN PROGRESS]] Sandman
> Leever
> Sanmola
> Lanmola
  – Blobs
> Break down later on
  – Flyers
> Break down later on
  – Skeletons
> Break down later on
  – Soldiers
> Break down later on
  – Other humanoids
> Break down later on
  – Other minions
> [[IN PROGRESS]] Wizzrobes
> [[IN PROGRESS]] Hardhat beetle
> [[IN PROGRESS]] OPTIONAL: Wallmaster
  – Bosses / NPC
> Break down later on

== Phase D (goal: 1-9-2016)==
Convert action object: obj_Switch
 > OPTIONAL: Added new “terrain”: blocks on/off from the ground
 > OPTIONAL: Added new “terrain”: magic tracks
Convert action object: obj_Container
 > OPTIONAL: Added fully functional fairy pond
Convert darkness engine
Convert light sources

== Phase E (goal: 1-11-2016)==
Convert ALL character 36+ states (add list later on)
 > OPTIONAL: New enemy: (golden) bugs (from trees)
 > OPTIONAL: New “item”: enemy bombs (from tree mouth)
 > OPTIONAL: Added new object: bumper
 > OPTIONAL: Added new character state: Swimming
 > OPTIONAL: Added new character state: Diving
 > OPTIONAL: Added new character state: Drowning
 > OPTIONAL: Added new “terrain”: magical tracks
Convert character transition animations
 > OPTIONAL: Stairs up/down have black transition fade up/down
Convert character projectiles
Convert character shield mechanics
Convert character (other) collision mechanics
Convert character draw order and draw events
Convert scenes
Convert obj_Character remaining scripts / resources

== Phase F (goal: 1-12-2016)==
Rebuild Item menu
Rebuild Map menu
Manage to fully restored old demo in time for NCFC
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 18, 2016, 08:13:21 pm
Here is another quick progress update: There were a few holidays the last couple of days so I was able to more progress then usual (=14 out of 38 normal enemies are now converted). Also, I finally discovered the power of shaders (which I just had to try out somewhere). Lastly, the starting post has been tweaked a little to slowly restore it to old glory.

Quote
0.17.141 Studio (15 mei 2016)
* Fixed beamos targeting sometimes being obstructed by self
* Edited / converted more enemy sprite resources
* Converted more enemies:
   – Hardhat beetles (red / blue)
   – Deadrock
   – Sandman

0.17.142 Studio (16 mei 2016)
* Tweaked hardhat beetle animation slightly
* Started work on new enemies:
   – Wall Eyelaser (2 versions + accompanying laser)

0.17.143 Studio (18 mei 2016)
* Implemented shaders for better performance during warp events
* Implemented shaders for better performance while getting shocked
* Edited diggrid usage to prevent warnings
* Fixed sounds and visuals when warping while standing in water
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: 4ndaKava on May 18, 2016, 09:53:25 pm
Well, I don't have much to say, but telling you that you are doing a really great job right here. :D
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 19, 2016, 05:58:14 am
Thank you
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 25, 2016, 08:12:02 pm
Here is another quick update.

PROGRESS REPORT:
Code: [Select]
0.17.144 Studio (25 mei 2016)
* Converted more enemies:
– Gibo
– Stall
– Armos (default / sleeping / constant statue)
– Wizzrobes (alive / undead)
– Vulture
– Flying Tiles
* Edited / converted more enemy sprite resources
* Wizzrobes can no longer damage (or be damaged) while not fully visible
* Fixed tiling issue in the gauntlet area
* Fixed a few situational graphical issues with trees

ENEMIES NOW CONVERTED:
(http://sl.uploads.im/t/9Zd7y.png) - Anti-Faerie
(http://sj.uploads.im/t/apXQj.png) (http://sj.uploads.im/t/kJjcU.png) - Wall Cannon
(http://sm.uploads.im/t/siq0W.png) - Stall
(http://sl.uploads.im/t/KG7EA.png) - Gibo
(http://sj.uploads.im/t/lpR2e.png) - Medusa block
(http://sm.uploads.im/t/dyKVu.png) - Spiked block
(http://sm.uploads.im/t/tRQh2.png) - Trickbox
(http://sl.uploads.im/t/TCYPU.png) - Deadrock
(http://sk.uploads.im/t/MwV2m.png) - Beamos
(http://sl.uploads.im/t/omrjG.png) (http://sj.uploads.im/t/rVd3D.png) - Armos
(http://sk.uploads.im/t/h8Iqy.png) - Vulture
(http://sj.uploads.im/t/LxEDi.png) (http://sk.uploads.im/t/3LO2e.png) - Hardhat Beetle
(http://sj.uploads.im/t/bvs64.png) - Sandman
(http://sk.uploads.im/t/hiDTc.png) (http://sl.uploads.im/t/zma0u.png) - Wizzrobe / Undead wizzrobe
     (http://sm.uploads.im/t/Xq7h8.png) (http://sm.uploads.im/t/rlFoW.png) - Cannonball
(http://sl.uploads.im/t/Eaqp2.png) (http://sl.uploads.im/t/uR3W8.png) (http://sj.uploads.im/t/NGbXt.png) - Flying Tile
(http://sk.uploads.im/t/OoxAN.png) (http://sl.uploads.im/t/sEPG7.png) (http://sk.uploads.im/t/yv5zw.png) - Deibadora
(http://sk.uploads.im/t/DhUNw.png) (http://sk.uploads.im/t/ZKFg5.png) - Large spiked block
(http://sj.uploads.im/t/UZHLK.png) (http://sj.uploads.im/t/3aSPs.png) - Spiked
(http://sm.uploads.im/t/PGgru.png) (http://sl.uploads.im/t/w2GNP.png) - Guruguru bar
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 05, 2016, 07:57:20 pm
PROGRESS REPORTED:
Code: [Select]
0.17.145 Studio (5 juni 2016)
* Lost a full day worth of progress :(
* Converted more enemy sprite resources
* Converted more enemies:
– Turtle
– Octorok / Slarok
* Fixed issues with fireballs from trickbox / medusa block

NEW ENEMIES CONVERTED:
(http://sl.uploads.im/t/h6ELO.png) - Turtle
(http://sj.uploads.im/t/D7q31.png) (http://sl.uploads.im/t/5cKnO.png) - Octorok / Slarok
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Atom on June 06, 2016, 05:29:15 pm
Lost a full day of progress? One can not lose a full days progress. Even if you lost what you have done for the game, you still would have gained either knowlage or ideas in that same time.
But still putting in a lot of work in this I see. Already looking forward to the next demo.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 02, 2016, 09:27:00 am
Just a little update to show that I'm still alive and that the project is not dead. I've been on vacation for a few weeks and after that I've been focusing on more home improvements so that's why I've been offline this least periode. Expect new updates again starting next weekend .
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 03, 2016, 08:34:19 pm
PROGRESS REPORT:
Code: [Select]
0.17.146 Studio (6 juni 2016)
* Converted more enemies:
– Goriya

0.17.147 Studio (8 juni 2016)
* Converted more enemy sprite resources
* Converted more enemies:
– Bari
– Buzzblob / Cukeman
– Leevers

0.17.147 Studio (11 juni 2016)
* Finished new enemy: Wall Eyelasers (2 versions + accompanying laser)
* Fixed issues with red bari death
* Started work on new enemy: Winder
* Tweaked visuals guruguru bar

0.17.148 Studio (12 juni 2016)
* Converted some enemy movement scripts
* Made more progress with new winder enemy

0.17.149 Studio (3 juli 2016)
* Converted more default enemy sprites
* Finished new enemy: Winder
* Started work on new enemy: Spark

NEW ENEMIES CONVERTED:
(http://sl.uploads.im/t/I2xZ3.png) (http://sm.uploads.im/t/ahPnj.png) - Leever
(http://sj.uploads.im/t/1N7lU.png) (http://sm.uploads.im/t/uSUN0.png) - Buzz Blob / Cukeman
(http://sk.uploads.im/t/eTaFm.png) (http://sj.uploads.im/t/IKZL4.png) (http://sk.uploads.im/t/cNBuJ.png) - Bari
(http://sm.uploads.im/t/wUIWc.png) (http://sl.uploads.im/t/V6A0Z.png) - Goriya
(http://sj.uploads.im/t/Tu2nJ.png) (http://sl.uploads.im/t/zj3rV.png) - Wall lasers (NEW in version 18.0)
(https://s31.postimg.org/qap9n42vf/Winder.png) - Winder (NEW in version 18.0)
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 10, 2016, 08:04:25 pm
Just wanted to note that adding the wall hunging enemy Spark was desceptively tricky and timeconsuming. Has anyone else ever added such an enemy types to their own game? And if so, how did you manage it?

Also: a new demo will be released next week (if nothing bad happens). The main character and a portion of the enemies will still move at 2x speed, but it SHOULD all be playable now. New content (=the new enemies) can only be found in an extended debug area, but I'll include instructions for those that want to see and/or test them.

PROGRESS REPORT:
Code: [Select]
0.17.150 Studio (9 juli 2016)
* Finished new enemy: Spark

0.17.151 Studio (10 juli 2016)
* Improved spark movement scripting to also be able to handle non-integer speeds
* Converted another enemy: Eyegore (3x)
* Converted more default enemy sprites
* Finished converting all boss sprites
* Combined various terrain collision scripting
* Started work on new enemy: Snapdragon

ENEMIES NEWLY CONVERTED / ADDED:
(https://s32.postimg.org/rjxlcuex1/Eyegore_A.png) (https://s32.postimg.org/y9tee9vt1/Eyegore_B.png) (https://s31.postimg.org/ki59i4ft7/Eyegore_C.png) - Eyegore
(https://s32.postimg.org/b8itvx54l/Spark.png) - Spark (NEW in version 18.0)
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 17, 2016, 01:25:06 pm
So, as mentioned, here is a new demo this weekend so here you go. I'll been bugbashing but there, but I still can only recommend the download if you are more interested in the developement proces then the end result and/or you like to help playtesting.

So be aware that this demo is ALPHA STATE. Expected crashes etc.
Please report stuff like that though so I can start fixing it.

Link demo (alpha state): https://www.mediafire.com/?qoboeceph16ayy7 (Zipped = 21+ MB)

Default controls*:
D - Action button (open doors / read text / grab / etc) + Confirm button (while in menus)
G - Attack button (hold and release for a full swing attack) + Cancel button (while in menus)
S - Perform run action (if you have the boots available)
P - Pauses the game (can be used to exit the game)
R - Use item A
F - Use item B
H - Brings up item menu
E - Brings up map menu

* The controls can be personalized in the options menu at the start of the game.


THE STUFF NOT YET WORKING CORRECTLY:
> All bosses (= Move at 2x speed so VERY hard to beat)
> All soldiers
> All stalfos
> All slimes and plant enemies
> Rope / Stalrope
> Tektites
> All sandworms
> Pols Voice
> All character actions (incl. room transitions and scenes)
> All containers (=pots etc)
> Hitswitches
> Item menu / map menu (except some small graphical issues)

For access to the debug area: name you character "DEBUG".
In the upper right of the debug cave are two warps. The left leads to the default game. The right leads to the (mostly empty) new placeholder overworlds / dungeons. I generally use these areas to test new enemies and to file them away as an example for later use.

Finally, here are some functions that work in debug mode to mess around with if you enjoy breaking games :)
Code: [Select]
// Ctrl + O = music on/off
// Ctrl + P = restart
// Ctrl + L = display diggrid
// Ctrl + Y = display collision grid
// Ctrl + C = open diggrid creator
// Ctrl + V = perform victory swing
// Ctrl + S = perform shock animation
// Ctrl + I = link dies
// Ctrl + X = change character depth layer
// Ctrl + Q = quit
// Ctrl + Z = gain rupees
// Ctrl + K = gain various items
// Ctrl + N = change equipment
// Ctrl + U = start credits
// Ctrl + T = open text debugger
// Ctrl + B = display solids
// Ctrl + A = open collisiongrid creator
// Ctrl + W = stop day-night time progress
// Ctrl + E = day-night time state switches to a random different state
// Ctrl + D = deactivate all outside of current room
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on July 21, 2016, 03:16:02 pm
Another alpha? You made good progress on this, but I'll pass.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 22, 2016, 06:35:21 am
It'll still be a while before the demo from before the conversion to GMStudio will be up and running like in the past.

Generally I forsee four phases:
- Finish all enemies (about 60-70% done now)
- Finish all character actions
- Finish the last few strangling mechanics / menu's
- Start building an entirely new world / dungeons

I'll probably release new demo's after each phase (or when I finish the next major boss fight) so you'll have to sit out during the next 2 demo's as well, probably.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on July 26, 2016, 08:43:31 pm
Understandable, but why would you release a demo of a game before the move to GameMaker Studio?
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 27, 2016, 06:09:29 am
Because during the conversion always had a high chance of making the project die. It's been hash. Basically I completely rebuild the game in a section from the time. And because any future demo would take ages to release. I honestly didn't think it would take this long either, but that's life I guess. No use quiting now.

The idea to completely redo the overworld and some dungeons after the conversion came about during the conversion itself. Looking at it for so long made me release the designs could be better. In terms of gradual buildup of complexity and difficulty. In terms of better guiding players through hints while still having it be open world like. And so on. For example: Before I was building dungeon for dungeon, but it is actually better to also constantly look at the game as a whole to make sure mechanics return in multiple dungeons, gradually becoming more intricate. I hope I'm making sense.

I personally really consider it a good thing that I am willing to let go (which I can tell you is no easy choice) of sections that I've been building on for years just to try and make the game more enjoyable in the long run. The old demo will be restored beforehand and I'll still continue updating that to some extent as well. The new overworld and such will be released in sections, much like an early access game would I suppose.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 30, 2016, 08:19:36 am
Here is another progress report.

Code: [Select]
0.17.152 Studio (16 juli 2016)
* Fixed collision errors with some specific terrain instances
* Further worked on church tileset
* Accidentally deleted personal development wiki – as you do
* Fixed various masking issues in dungeon 1 and 2
* Fixed missing transition object in throne room dungeon 2

0.17.153 Studio (17 juli 2016)
* Fixed fairy and enemy movements when outside current room
* Fixed slow framerate in right side of the moat in dungeon 1
* Fixed error in the room before 2nd subboss in dungeon 2
* Fixed depth issues leever surfacing
* Fixed more masking issues in dungeon 2
* Fixed error in entrance scene dungeon 2 boss fight
* Fixed error when boss dungeon 2 dies while projectiles still active
* Fixed error while collecting full heart items after boss fight
* Fixed error from NPC dissappearing in dungeon 2 end scene

0.17.154 Studio (18 juli 2016)
* Finished new enemy: Snapdragon
* Fixed main enemy movement script to also consider transition objects correct again

0.17.155 Studio (19 juli 2016)
* Tweaked coloring for Snapdragon enemies
* Started work on new enemy: Wallmaster

0.17.156 Studio (21 juli 2016)
* Finished converting all default enemy sprites
* Further worked on sewers tileset

0.17.157 Studio (25 juli 2016)
* Made it so wall masters respawn upon death
* Started work on next boss

0.17.158 Studio (28 juli 2016)
* Made more progress on new wall master enemy

0.17.159 Studio (30 juli 2016)
* Converted more enemies:
– Rope / Stalrope

NEW CONVERTED ENEMIES:
(https://s32.postimg.org/uk6hzumqt/Rope.png) (https://s32.postimg.org/mw4nv81x1/Stalrope.png) - Rope / Stalrope

NEW ENEMIES:
(https://s31.postimg.org/wkz5croqj/Snapdragon.png) - Snapdragon (NEW in version 18.0)

ENEMIES LEFT TO DO:
- Popo
- Ropa
- Pol's Voice
- Yellow Slime
- Gel / Zol (multi)
- Stalfos (multi)
- Tektite (multi)
- Soldiers (multi)
- Sanmola
- Lanmola
- Subboss 1
- Boss 1
- Boss 2
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on August 04, 2016, 09:54:17 pm
It looks like you're almost finished. By the way, why are you adding monsters from The Dark World?
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 05, 2016, 06:26:29 am
Because I'm also going to be adding a darkworld. Many enemies (bosses especially) require me to expand my engine mechanics so it seems logical to try and add most of those at this time in the development. With the current mechanics still being fresh in my mind and all I mean.

Also, it's just fun to add new stuff rather then only convert existing things. Makes me feel like I'm making more progress.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 07, 2016, 09:02:57 pm
And here is the latest progress:
Code: [Select]
0.17.160 Studio (31 juli 2016)
* Fixed / streamlined Rope AI
* Made more progress on wallmaster
* Converted another enemy: Popo
* Added new enemy: Ku / River Zora
* Sped up world warp animation

0.17.161 Studio (7 augustus 2016)
* Started work on lightworld tileset
* Worked some more on boss 3 (added more bodyparts – some of which are destructable)
* Converted another enemy: Ropa

NEW CONVERTED ENEMIES:
(https://s32.postimg.org/c5xchzp9h/Popo.png) - Popo
(http://sj.uploads.im/t/bLoFG.png) - Ropa

NEW ENEMIES:
(https://s31.postimg.org/fvpzsgvsb/River_Zora.png) (https://s32.postimg.org/avfd20ip1/image.png) - River Zora / Ku (NEW in version 18.0)

ENEMIES LEFT TO DO:
- Pol's Voice
- Yellow Slime
- Gel / Zol (multi)
- Stalfos (multi)
- Tektite (multi)
- Soldiers (multi)
- Sanmola
- Lanmola
- Subboss 1
- Boss 1
- Boss 2
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 14, 2016, 08:57:51 pm
And here is the progress from this week. Check the starting post for the complete overview off all enemies converted + added so far.

PROGRESSLOG:
Code: [Select]
0.17.162 Studio (14 augustus 2016)
* Updated enemy stat sheet with latest enemies
* Expanded collision mechanics to allow for enemies that deal no damage while remaining damagable themselves
* Converted more enemy mechanics:
– Resource release upon death
– Character action button interactions
– Create item after death
* Tweaked darkworld warp animation a little more
* Added new enemies:
– Sandcrab
* Fixed enemy bounce collision scripting to correctly detect transition objects again
* Converted more enemies:
– Tektites (also greatly expanded the AI)

NEWLY CONVERTED ENEMIES:
(https://s4.postimg.io/z9wv9u7jx/Tektite_A.png) (https://s3.postimg.io/66py10wyr/Tektite_B.png) (https://s4.postimg.io/6vhq99w3h/Tektite_C.png) - Tektite

ENTIRELY NEW ENEMIES:
(https://s3.postimg.io/s0jynlk0z/Sandcrab.png) - Sandcrab (NEW in v18.0)

ENEMIES LEFT TO CONVERT:
- Pol's Voice
- Yellow Slime
- Gel / Zol (multi)
- Stalfos (multi)
- Soldiers (multi)
- Sanmola
- Lanmola
- Subboss 1
- Boss 1
- Boss 2

EDIT: Added some screenshots of the next stuff I'm working on
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 21, 2016, 08:09:59 pm
Here is another progress report for you to view. Also please check out the new poll.

Code: [Select]
0.17.163 Studio (17 augustus 2016)
* Made further progress on light world tileset
* Added additional type of enemy fireball projectiles
* Converted more enemies:
– Yellow slime (also fixed previous appearance issues)
– Zol (four types)
* Added new enemies:
– Kodongo (green / red)

0.17.164 Studio (18 augustus 2016)
* Converted character actions:
– Dying
– Use item (book of mudora)
– Use item (hookshot) (also tweaked max distance)

0.17.165 Studio (19 augustus 2016)
* Converted character actions:
– Fall down into next floor
– Fall in endless pit
* Tweaked visuals for ice tiles attached to moving platforms
* Made more progress on the wallmaster enemy
* Movement speed is slowed if walking in tall grass

0.17.166 Studio (20 augustus 2016)
* Converted character actions:
– Use item (firerod)
– Use item (icerod)
– Use item (rod of medu)

0.17.167 Studio (21 augustus 2016)
* Converted character rod magics (3x)
* Rewrote some sections behind the characters to (hopefully) prevent earlier rare inconsistent errors while pushing/pulling
* Fixed errors boss 1 entrance scene
* Fixed some issues with Studio within the boss 1 coding

NEWLY CONVERTED ENEMIES:
(https://s4.postimg.io/fzaeqe94d/Yellow_slime.png) - Yellow Slime
(https://s3.postimg.io/aeicxy6fn/Zol_A.png) (https://s13.postimg.io/fzkraxjsn/Zol_B.png) (https://s9.postimg.io/rk0dvr6rj/Zol_C.png) (https://s3.postimg.io/x9c6vgdgj/Zol_D.png) - Zol

ENTIRELY NEW ENEMIES:
(https://s3.postimg.io/475nypivn/Kodongo_A.png) (https://s3.postimg.io/kavnujfur/Kodongo_B.png) - Kodongo (NEW in v18.0)

ENEMIES LEFT TO DO:
- Pol's Voice
- Stalfos (multi)
- Soldiers (multi)
- Sanmola
- Lanmola
- Subboss 1
- Boss 1
- Boss 2
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 11, 2016, 06:43:33 am
Still alive and kicking.

So a few minutes ago I realised this past week marked the two years point since I started working on demo 18 / the conversion to Gamemaker Studio. Sorry for the wait for those that have been checking out the project every now and then during that period. Truly. The sad thing is though that I am still several months away from fully restoring the old demo :( (before I can fully commit to working on a completely new world/demo, which I'll call demo 19). I have been stepping up the work this week, but it does feel a little bit like a negative achievement. If anybody wants to help me speed things up (in whatever way you are talented) then feel free to send me a PM.

Progress made:
Code: [Select]
0.17.168 Studio (28 augustus 2016)
* Converted more enemies:
– Boss 1 (also cleaned up and tweaked some things)

0.17.169 Studio (9 september 2016)
* Made more progress on overworld tileset
* Converted more enemies:
– Soldiers (grunts / rookies / archers)
– Stalfos (archer)
* Started work on new enemies: Tarosu (blue/red)

0.17.170 Studio (10 september 2016)
* Converted character actions:
– Victory swing
– Get item
– Idle animations
– Shocked
– Use item (quake)
– Use item (ether)
– Use item (bombos)
* Bottles now only consumed if not yet at full health/magic
* Fixed glitch where the character stays invisible after falling in an endless pit
* Fixed collision grid boss 1 room
* Fixed collision grid secret entrance desert dungeon
* Fixed masking issue specific staircase in desert dungeon

NEWLY CONVERTED ENEMIES*:
(https://s3.postimg.io/qs9d012pv/Stalfos_Archer.png) - Stalfos archer
(https://s21.postimg.io/6fv4fss0n/Soldier_A.png) (https://s10.postimg.io/zb67qgneh/Soldier_B.png) (https://s21.postimg.io/xz75yni5z/Soldier_C.png) (https://s17.postimg.io/bxa81f0lb/Soldier_D.png) (https://s13.postimg.io/rpn40qyo7/Soldier_E.png) (https://s11.postimg.io/3qr3gthkj/Rookie_A.png) - Soldiers
Show content
(https://s4.postimg.io/9zqs4ft0t/Armos_Knight.png) (https://s14.postimg.io/6tl15500x/Armos_Boss.png)
- Boss 1
* check the full enemy listing in the starting post

ENEMIES LEFT TO DO:
- Pol's Voice
- Stalfos (multi)
- Soldiers (multi)
- Sanmola
- Lanmola
- Subboss 1
- Boss 1
- Boss 2

CHARACTER ACTIONS LEFT TO DO: 24+
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 18, 2016, 08:21:16 pm
And here is this weeks progress.

Progress made:
Code: [Select]
0.17.171 Studio (11 september 2016)
* Tweaked light effect while using Ether medallion
* Tweaked Kodongo health values
* Finished new enemy: Wallmaster

0.17.172 Studio (17 september 2016)
* Converted character walking speeds to 60 fps
* Converted all subboss scenes dungeon 1
* Converted more enemies: subboss 1 (+small fixes and gameplay tweaks)

0.17.173 Studio (18 september 2016)
* Fixed transparancy issue after getting shocked
* Added a small pedestal for subboss 1
* Tweaked subboss 1 difficulty
* Converted all boss scenes dungeon 1
* Fixed AI glitch in boss 1 fight
* Updated collision grids debug area and subboss 1 room
* Converted most of the character screen transitions
* Added screen fade to using stairs between floors

NEWLY CONVERTED ENEMIES*:
Dungeon 1: Subboss 
Show content
(https://s21.postimg.io/7ewxu2093/van_Mol.png)

* check the full enemy listing in the starting post

ENTIRELY NEW ENEMIES:
(https://s14.postimg.io/8ld61ny81/Wallmaster.png) - Wallmaster (NEW in v18.0)

ENEMIES LEFT TO DO:
- Pol's Voice
- Stalfos (multi)
- Sanmola
- Lanmola
- Subboss 1
- Boss 2

CHARACTER ACTIONS LEFT TO DO: 24 --> 20
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 09, 2016, 03:48:33 pm
Here is another update (after a few weeks of vacation). I've made some good progress this period with the darkness system and enemy death systems now fully converted. Also I spend a full day exploring shaders to maybe set up a better pallet swapping system, but that didn't really get anywhere. Since almost all the enemies are now done I've also listed the next large piece that needs to get converted. After that there will only be few misc systems left before a new demo can be released.

Progress made:
Code: [Select]
0.17.174 Studio (27 september 2016)
* Converted last character screen transitions
* Rebuild the ledge jumping mechanics entirely
* Converted character actions:
– Use item (hammer)
* Added splash effect for slamming the hamer onto water

0.17.175 Studio (1 oktober 2016)
* Tweaked boss 1:
– Better transition into angry mode
- AI is now location independant
– Wall knights are better properly alligned agian
– Boss now better accounts for character out of bounds

0.17.176 Studio (2 oktober 2016)
* Added multiple spawn location functionality for the following enemies: Ku, Zora, (Undead) Wizzrobe

0.17.177 Studio (6 oktober 2016)
* Failed at building/implementing a universal pallette swap shader
* Fixed darkness graphical issue for rooms without darkness but with elevated bridges
* Finished converting darkness engine

0.17.178 Studio (7 oktober 2016)
* (Most) enemies now get pushed back before actually dying (like in the original)
* Tweaked Gibo timing
* Tweaked dungeon 1 boss appearance scene slightly
* Ku/Zora enemies now only react to character if onscreen
* Tweaked appearance speed and health for Ku/Zora enemies
* Ku/Zora enemies are now killable

0.17.179 Studio (8 oktober 2016)
* Added additional boss 1 (in the debug overworld)
* Arrows no longer stick to dying enemies
* Converted enemy death object
* Converted more enemies:
– Pols Voice
– Stalfos (headless body and rotating head)

0.17.180 Studio (9 oktober 2016)
* Added new enemy:
– Floating green stalfos head
* Converted more enemies:
– Stalfos (normal & bone throwing)
* Tweaked stalfos to throw bone *after* jumping out of the way
* Tweaked settings various thrown projectiles

NEWLY CONVERTED ENEMIES*:
(https://s22.postimg.org/lzwg1a84x/Pols_Voice.png) - Pol's Voice
(https://s12.postimg.org/n2znx9799/Stalfos_A.png) (https://s21.postimg.org/o9oagarwn/Stalfos_C.png) (https://s18.postimg.org/9k27v1lzt/Stalfos_B.png) - Stalfos
* check the full enemy listing in the starting post

ENTIRELY NEW ENEMIES:
(https://s15.postimg.org/px69chnhn/Stalfos_Head_A.png) - Stalfos head (NEW in v18.0)

ENEMIES LEFT TO DO:
- Pol's Voice
- Stalfos (multi)
- Sanmola
- Lanmola
- Boss 2

CHARACTER ACTIONS LEFT TO DO: 20 --> 17
- Getting hurt
- Grabbing/pulling
- Open chest
- Sword charge
- Sword poking
- Sword release
- Sword swing
- Use item: boomerang
- Use item: bottles
- Use item: bow
- Use item: cane of somaria + cane of byrna
- Use item: bug catching net
- Use item: shovel
- Throw item
- Pick up containers
- Running
- Walking

REST LEFT TO DO: Various
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 16, 2016, 08:11:56 pm
This week's progress is somewhat modest, focussing mostly on polish rather then passing any particular milestone. Also I'm holding myself back adding too much new stuff before the conversion is fully finished (considering the current pole results).

Progress made:
Code: [Select]
0.17.181 Studio (16 oktober 2016)
* Improved fairy movement script (= smoother movement + fairies can now ignore pits)
* Converted character actions:
– Use item (bottles)
– Use item (net)
* Converted hero item collection script
* Converted exploding landmine
* Converted character landing in water scripting
* Tweaked net usage for better visual flow to/from idle standing

NEWLY CONVERTED ITEMS*:
(https://s16.postimg.org/40jcxv6b9/Bug_Catching_Net.png) - Bug-Catching Net
(https://s13.postimg.org/8w8sughlz/Bottles.png) - Bottles

ENEMIES LEFT TO DO:
- Sanmola
- Lanmola
- Boss 2

CHARACTER ACTIONS LEFT TO DO: 17 --> 15
- Getting hurt
- Grabbing/pulling
- Open chest
- Sword charge
- Sword poking
- Sword release
- Sword swing
- Use item: boomerang
- Use item: bottles
- Use item: bow
- Use item: cane of somaria + cane of byrna
- Use item: bug catching net
- Use item: shovel
- Throw item
- Pick up containers
- Running
- Walking

REST LEFT TO DO: Various
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 22, 2016, 07:33:33 pm
The progress report is a little earlier this week because I might be taking it easy for a number of days. Progress is still on track so a restored demo 18 early in Q1 2017 shouldn't be any problem at this point.

Progress made:
Code: [Select]
0.17.182 Studio (17 oktober 2016)
* Converted character animation “library” script

0.17.183 Studio (21 oktober 2016)
* Tweaked dwindelstair transition animations slightly
* Converted character actions:
– Getting hurt
* Started work on converting the walking states

0.17.184 Studio (22 oktober 2016)
* Converted character actions:
– Walking (normal / while carying)
– Running (normal / while carying)
– Use item (boomerang)
– Use item (cane of byrna)
– Use item (cane of somaria)
* Fixed slowdown during full screen by disabling new gamemaker anti-tearing function
* Converted movement sounds (+fixed running sounds during menu's)
* Started work on new item: Red Boomerang
* Converted walking on default stairs
* Disable terrain effect while dying in the water (etc)
* Fixed error from throwing a bush into a hitswitch
* Fixed being able to damage enemies while running into them while carrying something
* Fixed glitch where soldiers are able to chase through bushes
* Made soldier less adept at chasing Link for more fairness

NEWLY CONVERTED ITEMS*:
(https://s21.postimg.org/p073e1lc7/Boomerang_A.png) - Boomerang
(https://s21.postimg.org/arb8ie2uf/Cane_of_Byrna.png) - Cane of Byrna
(https://s15.postimg.org/a1ddpug0r/Cane_of_Somaria.png) - Cane of Somaria
(https://s22.postimg.org/cox6f0aup/Pegasus_Boots.png) - Pegasus Boots

ENEMIES LEFT TO DO:
- Sanmola
- Lanmola
- Boss 2

CHARACTER ACTIONS LEFT TO DO: 15 --> 10
- Getting hurt
- Grabbing/pulling
- Open chest
- Sword charge
- Sword poking
- Sword release
- Sword swing
- Use item: boomerang
- Use item: bow
- Use item: cane of somaria + cane of byrna
- Use item: shovel
- Throw item
- Pick up containers
- Running
- Walking


REMAINING FEATURES TO CONVERT: To be listed later
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Tonydaderp on October 30, 2016, 12:31:01 am
Here!
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on October 30, 2016, 01:19:03 am
Here!

But why?  :huh:
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Tonydaderp on October 30, 2016, 01:42:24 am
martijn asked for it.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 30, 2016, 06:29:40 am
I did. Tonydaderp made the offer to help me out with stuff so I handed him a short wishlist.
Thanks Tonydaderp.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 30, 2016, 08:09:32 pm
And here is this weekend's progress. Slowly we are still chugging along to a full demo restoration in Q1 as planned.

Progress made:
Code: [Select]
0.17.185 Studio (30 oktober 2016)
* Converted character actions:
– Use item (bow)
– Use item (shovel)
– Sword swing
– Sword charge
– Sword poke
– Sword release
* Converted some misc character effects
* Tweaked hookshot visuals / spd
* Finished new item: red boomerang

NEWLY CONVERTED ITEMS*:
(https://s16.postimg.org/b5i9emen9/Bow_Arrows.png) - Bow & Arrow
(https://s17.postimg.org/eso3in7z3/Shovels.png) - Shovel
* check the full item/enemy listing in the starting post

NEWLY ADDED ITEMS*:
(https://s11.postimg.org/848ip8fvn/Boomerang_B.png) - Red boomerang
* check the full item/enemy listing in the starting post

ENEMIES LEFT TO DO:
- Sanmola
- Lanmola
- Boss 2

CHARACTER ACTIONS LEFT TO DO: 10 --> 4
- Grabbing/pulling
- Open chest
- Sword charge
- Sword poking
- Sword release
- Sword swing
- Use item: bow
- Use item: shovel

- Throw item
- Pick up containers

REMAINING FEATURES TO CONVERT: To be listed later
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Tonydaderp on October 31, 2016, 12:46:32 am
Martijn! I got another direction done!!! XD Here u go. Happy Halloween! :)
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Tonydaderp on October 31, 2016, 12:56:59 am
Heres the last direction. Thanks for telling me about font_add_sprite and draw_text_ext, it really helped me out.  :)
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 31, 2016, 06:55:34 pm
Thanks.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 06, 2016, 09:32:22 pm
Another week. Another patch of progress.
I'd finally mustered up the courage to tackle the second boss. And I've become re-acquinted with the coding I've also made a large number of changes to the fight in an attempt make it more accessable / enjoyable. Maybe I'll continue next week since since I'm still on the fence on whether it sufficiently improved. (Send me a PM if you want to help playtest the second boss).

Progress made:
Code: [Select]
0.17.186 Studio (4 november 2016)
* Converted more enemies:
– Sanmola
– Lanmola

0.17.187 Studio (5 november 2016)
* Converted more enemies:
– Molgera

0.17.188 Studio (6 november 2016)
* Heavily edited Molgera fight
* Converted damage taking character scripting

NEWLY CONVERTED ENEMIES*:
(https://s14.postimg.org/pwkcgolsh/Sanmola.png) - Sanmola
(https://s14.postimg.org/ovelbdf29/Lanmola.png) - Lanmola
Dungeon 2: Boss 
Show content
(https://s15.postimg.org/uou79wbtn/Molgera.png)

* check the full item/enemy listing in the starting post

ENEMIES LEFT TO DO:
- Sanmola
- Lanmola
- Boss 2


CHARACTER ACTIONS LEFT TO DO:
- Grabbing/pulling
- Open chest
- Throw item
- Pick up containers

REMAINING (CONVERSION) BEFORE DEMO 18.0 [15]:
- Convert Murray
- Convert spirit NPC's / shopkeeper
- Convert final sprites
- Convert item menu
- Convert map menu
- Convert enemy remaining movment + misc scripting
- Convert character movement scripts
- Convert all character scenes
- Convert character misc scripting
- Convert containers
- Convert hitswitches
- Convert torches / various light sources
- Convert misc scripting
- Add in a small new dungeon to display the new enemies in demo 18.0
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 13, 2016, 07:49:12 pm
This week's progress report.

Progress made:
Code: [Select]
0.17.189 Studio (11 november 2016)
* Converted Murray
* Converted NPC's (spirits + shopowner)

0.17.190 Studio (12 november 2016)
* Fixed shopowner not facing the correct way while talking
* Converted new state: get items from chest
* Converted all character scenes

0.17.191 Studio (13 november 2016)
* Converted several of the final sprites (now handled via backgrounds)


CHARACTER ACTIONS LEFT TO DO:
- Grabbing/pulling
- Open chest
- Throw item
- Pick up containers

REMAINING (CONVERSION) BEFORE DEMO 18.0 [15]->[12]:
- Convert Murray
- Convert spirit NPC's / shopkeeper

- Convert final sprites
- Convert item menu
- Convert map menu
- Convert enemy remaining movment + misc scripting
- Convert character movement scripts
- Convert all character scenes
- Convert character misc scripting
- Convert containers
- Convert hitswitches
- Convert torches / various light sources
- Convert misc scripting
- Add in a small new dungeon to display the new enemies in demo 18.0
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 20, 2016, 10:09:10 pm
And here is another weekly progress report. I'll be take a break next weekend to rechange a little, but slowly but surely the v0.18 release is coming closer. Personally I'm getting excited about almost finishing the conversion to Studio (despite Studio 2 having just been announced. Go figure). What I estimated at 2 months actually ended up taking 2,5 years. Granted, this is also due to me wanting to introduce 60 fps and clean up the coding, but still. Just a little while longer and then I'll be able to fully focus on new stuff again. New enemies, bosses, locations, mechanics. Can't wait.

Progress made:
Code: [Select]
0.17.192 Studio (18 november 2016)
* Fixed shadows for flying enemies in room with bridges
* Converted bridge collision mechanics
* Fixed shield depths when walking down straight stairs
* Converted wall lights
* Lights produced by wall lights now animated

0.17.193 Studio (20 november 2016)
* Animate lights from torches and other sources
* Lights produced by small/tall/large torches now animated
* Converted all remaining enemy scripting


CHARACTER ACTIONS LEFT TO DO:
- Grabbing/pulling
- Throw item
- Pick up containers

REMAINING (CONVERSION) BEFORE DEMO 18.0 [12]->[9]:
- Convert final sprites
- Convert item menu
- Convert map menu
- Convert enemy remaining movment + misc scripting
- Convert character movement scripts
- Convert character misc scripting
- Convert containers
- Convert hitswitches
- Convert torches / various light sources
- Convert misc scripting

- Add in a small new dungeon to display the new enemies in demo 18.0
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: 4ndaKava on November 22, 2016, 11:43:15 am
Which version of GM Studio are you using? If it is 1.4 it should not take too much time to make it work in GM Studio 2.
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 22, 2016, 07:53:36 pm
I'm on Studio 1.4 right now. I hear they might have some kinda auto code conversion setup even, but I'll have to see how reliable that'll be for a project as big as mine.

The new room editor in Studio 2 looks very cool by the way. The amount of time those new brushes will save me on tiling is worth the money alone I think. And the inheritance setup seems perfect for a light/dark world mechanic XD

Is anybody on the forum part of the beta? If so, can sprites be manipulated layer by layer with the new code?
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 04, 2016, 08:29:04 pm
So I know I said I wasn't going to add in anything new before the next demo.... but I added bombs. I'll need to spend some more time on them next week as well to fully complete them (like having them also explode while picking up / carrying / throwing)

Progress made:
Code: [Select]
0.17.194 Studio (3 december 2016)
* Added new item: Bombs
* Bombs can now be bought at shop
* Converted character action button scripting
* Converted character grab/push/pull state
* Converted collision scripting for detached character sprites
* Fixed visuals of Somaria block dissappearing after enemy interaction
* Fixed errors when grabbed object suddenly disappears


CHARACTER ACTIONS LEFT TO DO:
- Grabbing/pulling
- Throw item
- Pick up containers

REMAINING (CONVERSION) BEFORE DEMO 18.0:
- Convert final sprites
- Convert item menu
- Convert map menu
- Convert character movement scripts
- Convert character misc scripting
- Convert containers
- Convert hitswitches
- Add in a small new dungeon to display the new enemies in demo 18.0
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 11, 2016, 08:00:53 pm
And here is this weekend's update. The bombs should now be fully finish. And I must say that they feel fun! They're a little different from the original, but also enjoyable enough that I ended up just throwing them around for no reason during testing, so I'm happy. Also, the complexity surrounding containers has been survived. XD Only a few more tricky hurdles left and then I can officially call the old demo restored. Considering the progress being made I'll aim for a release on 1-1-2017.

Progress made:
Code: [Select]
0.17.195 Studio (4 december 2016)
* Fixed small issue with grabbing/pulling walls
* Tweaked bomb visuals while walking around with them

0.17.196 Studio (10 december 2016)
* Can now pick up and walk with bombs (that can blow up)
* Tweaked bomb spawning placement
* Converted containers
* Converted more character draw events
* Converted character action: throwing
* Converted character action: picking up
* Added additional bomb functionality

0.17.197 Studio (11 december 2016)
* Tweaked animation frozen/stone enemies being picked up
* Fixed various found issues
* Add new bomb specific damage class
* Expanded container collision scripting for bombs
* Added a little hop to thrown bombs
* Both frozen buzzblobs and cukemen coming back to live with a hammer hit
* Converted terrain visuals as part the character visuals

CONVERTED / NEW ITEMS:
(https://s17.postimg.org/4btxdl6wv/Gloves.png) - Gloves
(https://s18.postimg.org/616vp9jqh/Bomb.png) - Bombs (new in V18.0)

CHARACTER ACTIONS LEFT TO DO:
- Throw item
- Pick up containers


REMAINING (CONVERSION) BEFORE DEMO 18.0:
- Convert final sprites
- Convert item menu
- Convert map menu
- Convert character movement scripts
- Convert character misc scripting
- Convert containers
- Convert hitswitches
- Add in a small new dungeon to display the new enemies in demo 18.0
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on December 12, 2016, 05:53:08 pm
I see you're bringing back old items as well as adding new ones. Will there be new types of NPCs as well?
Title: Re: [DEMO 17 out] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 12, 2016, 09:18:59 pm
I'm not entirely sure what you mean when you say types, but I do also have various unique NPC's in mind.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 18, 2016, 10:18:21 pm
Just a little quicky: here is this weekends progress.

Progress made:
Code: [Select]
0.17.198 Studio (18 december 2016)
* Converted map menu
* Converted item menu
* Fixed graphical issue in the HUD

REMAINING (CONVERSION) BEFORE DEMO 18.0:
- Convert final sprites --> Will be fixed later when converting to studio 2
- Convert item menu
- Convert map menu

- Convert character movement scripts
- Convert character misc scripting
- Convert hitswitches
- Add in a small new dungeon to display the new enemies in demo 18.0
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 28, 2016, 11:02:41 am
And here is last week's progress. It's going to be close but the new demo should be possible before the end of the year still (if I don't find any more glitches to fix). Check out the new poll if you want to weigh in on what my focus should be for januari / februari. Also, if been tinkering with Studio 2. It's still pretty buggy, but the potential is excellent. Can't wait to start working with it when they (fix and) release it proper.

Progress made:
Code: [Select]
0.17.199 Studio (24 december 2016)
* Converted (and combined) hitswitches

0.17.200 Studio (27 december 2016)
* Made progress preparing tilesets for gamemaker2
* Tiled small new area for placing the latest enemies

0.17.201 Studio (28 december 2016)
* Fixed glitch item menu
* Masked + populated small cave for displaying new enemies
* Converted remaining character sprites

REMAINING (CONVERSION) BEFORE DEMO 18.0:
- Convert character movement scripts
- Convert character misc scripting
- Convert hitswitches
- Add in a small new dungeon to display the new enemies in demo 18.0
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 30, 2016, 12:19:08 pm
And here is demo 0.18.0:

Demo version: 0.18.00
File Size: 21,24 MB (Zipped)
Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 (Changable)
Download: http://www.mediafire.com/file/1n5o4cbbr7n4r31/Horn_of_Balance_version_0_18_00.zip/26_maart_ZFGC_resources.zip (http://www.mediafire.com/file/1n5o4cbbr7n4r31/Horn_of_Balance_version_0_18_00.zip)

Default controls*:
D - Action button (open doors / read text / grab / etc) + Confirm button (while in menus)
G - Attack button (hold and release for a full swing attack) + Cancel button (while in menus)
S - Perform run action (if you have the boots available)
P - Pauses the game (can be used to exit the game)
R - Use item A
F - Use item B
H - Brings up item menu
E - Brings up map menu

* The controls can be personalized in the options menu at the start of the game.


What is different from demo 0.17?

Fully converted the game over to Gamemaker Studio

Fully converted the game over to 60 fps

New enemies:
(https://s5.postimg.org/u1lolp553/Spark.png) - Spark
(http://sj.uploads.im/t/Tu2nJ.png) (http://sl.uploads.im/t/zj3rV.png) - Wall lasers
(https://s5.postimg.org/5xlq5x7wn/Winder.png) - Winder
(https://s5.postimg.org/44s0931hj/Snapdragon.png) - Snapdragon
(https://s5.postimg.org/dy97lw3lz/River_Zora.png) (https://s5.postimg.org/c56axkifb/image.png) - River Zora / Ku
(https://s5.postimg.org/7n405h2dj/Sandcrab.png) - Sandcrab
(https://s5.postimg.org/k5beukklj/Kodongo_A.png) (https://s5.postimg.org/yd13j7xaf/Kodongo_B.png) - Kodongo
(https://s5.postimg.org/pyq28vlmv/Wallmaster.png) - Wallmaster
(https://s5.postimg.org/h7eg0vcxz/Stalfos_Head_A.png) - Stalfos head

New items:
(https://s5.postimg.org/nkbyto9jb/Bomb.png) - Bombs
(https://s5.postimg.org/3utoh81mv/Boomerang_B.png) - Red Boomerang

New terrain:
+ Tiles falling underneath your feet. Two types: timed and triggered
+ Starswitches (makes pits appear / disappear)
+ Conveyor floor
+ Blue warptile (into dark world)
+ Invisible Floor

New misc:
+ Day-night cycle
+ Animated tilesets
+ Trees that can talk (and some that drop items if crashed into)
+ Wall decorations to cut up (= curtains / vines)
+ Added more items to collect: bombs (5), arrows (10),  rupees (100,200,300), bombs (3), apples
+ Additional enemy projectiles

Gameplay / misc tweaks:
+ Made it so ALL enemies can now potentially bounch Link back as the hero damages them with his sword
+ Redesigned Molgera boss fight (+tweaked boss 1 and subboss 1)
+ Made it so enemies can push Link back based on the position of the sprite that made contact (if so desired), rather then always the enemy control object's position
+ Added idle animations to the file select screen
+ Streamlined starting menu's
+ Fairies are no longer used if you touch them while at full health
+ Collectable arrow items now change sprites if you have the hero bow + silver arrows
+ Added “luck” states for item spawn rates (to be altered by a fairy pond in future versions)
+ Bottles now only consumed if not yet at full health/magic
+ Tweaked transition effects within dungeons
+ Lights produced by wall lights now animated
+ A ton more I'm probably forgetting

Technical stuff:
+ Streamlined large sections of code to ease future development
+ Build new collission system (now only using just a few sprite resource)
+ Surfaces are now handled better (= plugging memory leaks)
+ Sounds are now handled via the new sound engine
+ Game (incl. screen effects) are now displayed using the GUI (=less resources / better performance)
+ Started using constant far more consistently
+ Set up / implemented guidelines for scripts and other resources
+ Documented all variables and depths used in the game
+ Added and optimized various tilesets
+ Build developer editors for diggrids and collisiongrids
+ Greatly cut back on the number of object types used
+ All area data is now handled through a single
+ Build more expansive debug area's
+ Started using shaders for complex screen effects
+ A ton of small things


A massive amount of bug fixes


What's next?
The first priority is to fix whatever bugs or issues you guy may find in the current demo. So feel free to report whatever things you might notice while playing, no matter how small.

After that I plan to spend januari just adding whatever I feel like. After that (in februari) I'll go back to a more directed schedule. Check the poll above to give your opinion on what that schedule should focus on.
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on January 06, 2017, 12:51:53 am
That sounds like a plan.
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 15, 2017, 03:52:30 pm
Just finished adding a new boss fight: Moldorm (but different). Check the attached screenshot.
If anybody wants to help playtest this guy, feel free to let me know so I know to set up a new demo.
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: PendulumSwing on January 17, 2017, 07:45:53 am
I think there's a mistake with the download links for demo 0.18.
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 17, 2017, 05:56:12 pm
I think there's a mistake with the download links for demo 0.18.

Thank you for notifying me. I had no idea. In fact, I was feeling pretty disheartent that absolutely nobody seemed to try the link XD

The links have been updated. Please enjoy and feel free to comment on whatever you might notice or find. All feedback is welcome.
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on January 17, 2017, 06:48:34 pm
Just "tested" the 0.18 for a few seconds  :P
And i noticed a few things... since i made a PinncaleGameProfiler Profile for my USB-Snes Controller, i noticed that the Main-Menu uses enter/space, which it doesn't use ingame... so i had to make a shift mode in the profile "only" because of those two buttons.
maybe it would be possible to use the map/item menu buttons as standard on enter/space? would be less unimmersive ;)

then the full screen mode gives me a big black border on the left side (attachment) of the screen and the large mode lets the window open with the upper left edge in the middle of the screen

so third thing is possible because i've gone the wrong way i guess? the entry of the cave of courage has invisible blocks not letting me in or out... maybe at least let the player outside again when the don't should go inside?

btw. i attached the profile too for anyone who has pinnacle game profiler


edit:
played a little further... its not a link to the past but when the boomerang stuns "Bow Soldiers" shouldnt it stun "Sword Soldiers" too? (Snapdragon isn't stunned either) and when the Electro-Chuchu (?) is stunned in a non-electring state, it still hurts the player when attacked

edit2: bought the red shield and attacking "Sword Soldier" on the second screen with the boomerang gave me a fatal error

Quote
___________________________________________
############################################################################################
FATAL ERROR in
action number 1
of  Step Event2
for object parent_Character_Sprite_Detached:

Variable parent_Character_Sprite_Detached.condition2(100242, -2147483648) not set before reading it.
at gml_Script_scr_Char_Collisions_Detached
############################################################################################
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
stack frame is
gml_Script_scr_Char_Collisions_Detached (line 0)
gml_Object_parent_Character_Sprite_Detached_Step_2

Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 17, 2017, 07:19:22 pm
Thanks for testing XD. I should have all the glitches fixed by the weekend.

Editing the buttons is probably no issue. I'll try it out.

The enemy responses to the boomerang is a matter of me not comparing to the original. Stunning all soldiers makes sense since their all human so I'll add that. The buzzblob stopping to electrify when stunned I'll have to think about. You don't feel it's more logical this way?
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: PendulumSwing on January 17, 2017, 07:29:36 pm
(http://i.imgur.com/cPX49tb.png)

I find myself stuck in this spot as I enter the cave, unable to move in any direction, not even backwards to exit the dungeon. Getting caught by the Wallmaster doesn't fix it either.
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on January 17, 2017, 07:40:40 pm
Thanks for testing XD. I should have all the glitches fixed by the weekend.

Editing the buttons is probably no issue. I'll try it out.

The enemy responses to the boomerang is a matter of me not comparing to the original. Stunning all soldiers makes sense since their all human so I'll add that. The buzzblob stopping to electrify when stunned I'll have to think about. You don't feel it's more logical this way?

the thing with the buttons is just, that it shouldn't use more than the original don't you think? can be used any of them as long as the amount of buttons doesn't reach a certain point... its useless to use buttons one time and then never again anyways right?

how should a player fight the buzzblob? i always stunned them so i can attack... they don't even indicate in their graphics that they electrify when they are stunned, they just hurt D:
too me the logic is either they stop "buzzing" when stunned or just can't be stunned.

the post of PendulumSwing is exactly what i've talked about too ;)

also. fatal error (seems to be the same)
normal shield, attacking a bush while boomerang is still flying
Quote
___________________________________________
############################################################################################
FATAL ERROR in
action number 1
of  Step Event2
for object parent_Character_Sprite_Detached:

Variable parent_Character_Sprite_Detached.condition2(100242, -2147483648) not set before reading it.
at gml_Script_scr_Char_Collisions_Detached
############################################################################################
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
stack frame is
gml_Script_scr_Char_Collisions_Detached (line 0)
gml_Object_parent_Character_Sprite_Detached_Step_2

edit: a suggestion... since the player can farm rupees in front of the store very fast, maybe put a timer of some sort to the bushes and grass? so that it  doesnt instant respawn when leaving and entering the screen?

`(took me 3 ingame days to shop every item)
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 17, 2017, 07:56:57 pm
the thing with the buttons is just, that it shouldn't use more than the original don't you think? can be used any of them as long as the amount of buttons doesn't reach a certain point... its useless to use buttons one time and then never again anyways right?

People once complained that I should the keyboard more fully. Never considered controls before though.

how should a player fight the buzzblob? i always stunned them so i can attack... they don't even indicate in their graphics that they electrify when they are stunned, they just hurt D:
too me the logic is either they stop "buzzing" when stunned or just can't be stunned.

Bombs, arrows and rods should work. Then again, that would limit me from placing buzzblobs in the overworld in the final game (since the player will not have those later on only). I also like the argument about visuals hinting. I'll see what I can do.

the post of PendulumSwing is exactly what i've talked about too ;)

Working on it as you're reading this. Thanks for the screenshot PendulumSwing. The issue behind this is that GM Studio doesn't always "remember" recently included files when you save a project under a new name. It's bizar and pretty annoying. Hopefully GM2 will have fixed that.

also. fatal error (seems to be the same)
normal shield, attacking a bush while boomerang is still flying

I'll look into it.
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on January 17, 2017, 08:21:26 pm
 the keyboard functions like the typing and the control changing is cool and should be there for pc, but its still the fangame of a snes game. i see no reason to use keys "only" once and don't  have any form of action button used ingame used for the menu... if the ingame controls for menu and item menu are used for the menu too, then its more consistend

visual hinting is a thing most zelda games use, if an enemy is immun to something or is attacking should be indicated.

XD same fatal error boomeranging a red lance soldier

edit: btw. i really like the wolf sound when night comes =)

edit2: Royal Tombs, the Green Soldier with Dagger(?) and small shield ignores the player... i don't know if that because its an older dungeon of yours or he is a weak version... also the flying blue jelly(?) are killed instantly when hit with a bow instead of splitting in two

edit3: "that" thing (attachment) can only be killed when its "together" with its other part and only by the sword. but its immun to the sword beam of the L-2 Sword found in the same dungeon?
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 17, 2017, 09:42:42 pm
edit2: Royal Tombs, the Green Soldier with Dagger(?) and small shield ignores the player... i don't know if that because its an older dungeon of yours or he is a weak version.

I believe that's simular to the original. Those are the rookies, which are meant to be simplier then the regular soldiers. In the final game, they'll be placed before you'll encounter the tougher soldiers.

Also, I fixed the cave issues on my end (along with doing some tweaks to enemy properties). I was thinking I should release a new demo a.s.a.p. but considering the amount of feedback I think it's best if I take my time and release a more robust update by the end of the weekend. That'll give me a chance to also add the new boss somehow as well. (Also, it's late for me and work starts early).

Thanks for the feedback so far. I'm loving it.
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on January 18, 2017, 09:43:28 am
I believe that's simular to the original. Those are the rookies, which are meant to be simplier then the regular soldiers. In the final game, they'll be placed before you'll encounter the tougher soldiers.

Thats what i've thought =)

Quote
Also, I fixed the cave issues on my end (along with doing some tweaks to enemy properties). I was thinking I should release a new demo a.s.a.p. but considering the amount of feedback I think it's best if I take my time and release a more robust update by the end of the weekend. That'll give me a chance to also add the new boss somehow as well. (Also, it's late for me and work starts early).

Thanks for the feedback so far. I'm loving it.

Take your time, its "just" the boomerang issue which is annoying


A Feature Suggestion: Since the Fire of The Firerod and the Lamp collide with Bushes... could we have the feature to burn them?
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 18, 2017, 09:09:09 pm
Just a little warning with the current demo:
While fixing reported issues I discovered potential errors with the map menu. It may be best to avoid the map menu in the current demo to prevent progress loss. The next demo will have the issue fixed so it may be best to wait for that in the weekend all together.
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 21, 2017, 09:30:20 pm
So here is a nice little progress report and updated demo:

New download
Demo version: 0.18.09
File Size: 21,25 MB (Zipped)
Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 (Changable)
Download: http://www.mediafire.com/file/r0duo5tykdw4x5p/Zelda+Horn+of+Balance+0+18+09+Public.zip (http://www.mediafire.com/file/r0duo5tykdw4x5p/Zelda+Horn+of+Balance+0+18+09+Public.zip)

Notes:
- The goal is to reach the end of both major dungeons
- An gauntlet mini-dungeon is included as a hard mode and to display additional enemies and items

Default controls*:
D - Action button (open doors / read text / grab / etc) + Confirm button (while in menus)
G - Attack button (hold and release for a full swing attack) + Cancel button (while in menus)
S - Perform run action (if you have the boots available)
R - Use item A
F - Use item B
Space - Brings up item menu
Enter - Brings up map menu
Escape - Pauses the game (can be used to exit the game)

* The controls can be personalized in the options menu at the start of the game.

What's new?
* Mini Moldorm - (https://s5.postimg.org/ks6buamkn/Mini_Moldorm.png)
* 3rd Boss -
Show content
(https://s5.postimg.org/xyml2c3if/Moldorm.png)

* Changes to the (default) control setup
* Fixes for pretty much all the other reported feedback

What's stayed the same?
* Buzzblob's still shock when struck while stunned. --> I might edit this in a future version
* Blue Bari does not split when killed --> This is deliberate. I the original only red bari split upon death
* Item farming is still possible --> Great idea and will be looked into when game is nearing completion. For now I view the demo as a semi-sandbox so I'm okay with rupee farming.
* No burning of bushes just yet --> I'm not against the idea but I'd want to do it right (like explore the idea of letting the fire spread) and that'd take a lot of time. I may look at this again for a later demo.

(Boring) details
Code: [Select]
0.18.01 Studio (2 januari 2017)
* Started work on new item: magic powder
* Did work on tilesets and new dungeons

0.18.02 Studio (8 januari 2017)
* Did more work on the magic powder

0.18.03 Studio (14 januari 2017)
* Started work on new boss: Moldorm
* Plug small memory leak sandsnakes
* Fixed minor found visual issues boss 2

0.18.04 Studio (15 januari 2017)
* Finished new boss: Moldorm (boss)
* Added new enemy: mini-moldorm

0.18.05 Studio (17 januari 2017)
* Fixed collision issue cave of adventure
* The following enemies are now stunned if hit with the boomerang: Human soldiers, Snapdragon
* Made progress fixing screen glitch full screen mode

0.18.06 Studio (18 januari 2017)
* Fixed errors with the map menu
* Made more progress adjusting all mis-alligmnent during full screen mode
* Fixed visuals issues map menu framing while in full screen mode

0.18.07 Studio (19 januari 2017)
* Corrected all found fullscreen mis-allignment
* Fixed boomerang errors when colliding with red soldier's shield (and simular issues)
* Fixed boomerang going through bushes and cutting them multiple times

0.18.08 Studio (20 januari 2017)
* Added option to enable name typing (rather then it being ON by default)
* Edited default control set-up (see the controls on the option screen for the new controls)
* Enter, Space and Escape are now allowed as options for key binding
* Window is centered at start up and screen size changes

0.18.09 Studio (21 januari 2017)
* Gibo core can now be damaged by projectiles (like the sword beam)
* Added 3rd boss to demo (+ mini-moldorm)
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on January 22, 2017, 06:12:13 pm
 XD yay new bugs :D

- Name Select Screen Selection is behind the words and background (attachment)
- fullscreen is better, yet not perfect (attachment 18.09vs18.00 )
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 23, 2017, 05:28:44 pm
Bugfixes just make the game beter and beter so feel free to keep 'm coming.

That fullscreen issue seems to be hardware dependant. I'll do some research to see if any project has had simular issues with GM Studio.

EDIT:
- fullscreen is better, yet not perfect (attachment 18.09vs18.00 )

Turns out I needed to toggle off Studio's "keep aspect ratio" option because it's glitchy in combination with full screen GUI usage. It's fixed on my end now. I'll release a new demo next weekend (which'll give me some time to hopefully finish the magic powder as well).

EDIT2:
- Name Select Screen Selection is behind the words and background (attachment)

Now also fixed this one on my end.
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on January 24, 2017, 07:06:56 am
 XD
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 24, 2017, 07:59:39 pm
Thanks. Implementing additional collectables will take a couple of days so I'll put in on the suggestions list (=starting post) for now.

PS: Did you reach the new boss in the new cave? It's not too difficult is it?
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on January 24, 2017, 09:52:28 pm
PS: Did you reach the new boss in the new cave? It's not too difficult is it?

i've got no time to test this week (Late Shift) but the beginning stuff had no game breaking errors till now
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 25, 2017, 06:30:08 pm
Sorry, didn't mean to push or rush
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on January 25, 2017, 10:32:40 pm
Sorry, didn't mean to push or rush
no sweat, just answered your question so that you know what to expect the following days
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: 4ndaKava on January 26, 2017, 04:09:26 pm


i've got no time to test this week (Late Shift) but the beginning stuff had no game breaking errors till now
[/quote]

Same thing for me
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 05, 2017, 09:24:00 pm
Just a quick update, because I'm very tired from work and such: I've finally finished adding the new Magic Powder (based on Tony's sprites). XD This includes the various transformation effects for enemies. Players get direct access to the powder when starting a new game.

Progress made:
Code: [Select]
0.18.10 Studio (23 januari 2017)
* Fixed surface issue name selection screen (after changing screen dimensions)
* Fixed full screen GUI issues better

0.18.11 Studio (28 januari 2017)
* Simplified coding behind usage of area welcome text
* Started work integrating the option screen into the item menu

0.18.12 Studio (4 februari 2017)
* Spend time designing new rooms / areas

0.18.13 Studio (5 februari 2017)
* Finished adding new item: magic powder
(including exceptions for: Anti-Faerie, Buzzblob, turning enemies to slime, effects on torches)
* Made powder available for all starting players
* Fixed area text displaying too often on overworld
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 08, 2017, 09:47:30 am
To let you guys know: I'm back working on this game again after a short break. (Work related deadlines got me really tired and down so I needed it).

So here's a couple of things regarding new progress:
- I'll not be following the plan decided by the last poll. To prevent burning out on this project I'll be working on whatever I feel like for the coming months instead.
- Just finished adding a new mechanics: magic / unlimited mazes. Think along the lines of the forest maze in a link between worlds.
- Good progress has been made starting up a new dungeon (see the early screenshots in the attachments).
Here's the pitch: You enter a massive mansion belonging to the man that set you out to conquer your various dungeons. The place is filled with statues, paintings, hallways, a central lobby, libraries, a dark prison-like basement and offcourse a luxurious garden. Some rooms have guards, others smple servants. And the master himself must be working on something on the floors above.
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 26, 2017, 07:12:02 pm
Still alive XD
Between the new Zelda and the new Gamemaker Studio actual gameplay development has pretty much stopped right now. (Loving both distractions by the way!). I expect I'll need about another month for the conversion to Gamemaker Studio 2. After that I'll finishing up with the new swimming mechanics, connect the new magic maze and tweak the Moldorm bossfight. Once all of that is done I'll see about releasing a new demo for testing.

Code: [Select]
0.18.14 Studio (4 maart 2017)
* Made progress designing new dungeons

0.18.15 Studio (5 maart 2017)
* Made progress designing new dungeons
* Started work on magic maze mechanics

0.18.16 Studio (7 maart 2017)
* Finished added magic maze mechanics

0.18.17 Studio (8 maart 2017)
* Further tuned magic maze mechanics

0.18.18 Studio (17 maart 2017)
* Did some trailruns for conversion to Gamemaker Studio 2

0.18.19 Studio (18 maart 2017)
* Fixed visuals during credits screen for larger screen sizes
* Game longer does trickery with foregrounds for less code in GMS2
* Changed various naming conventions and subscribt for cleaner code in GMS2

0.18.20 Studio (19 maart 2017)
* Switched to GMS2
* Edited code regarding camera usage (and blend mode usage)

0.18.21 Studio (20 maart 2017)
* Started implemented room inherentance tree
* Started defining generic room layers

0.18.22 Studio (24 maart 2017)
* Finished implementing room inherentance tree
* Reorganized the game's macro's

0.18.23 Studio (25 maart 2017)
* Made lots of  progress setting up 3th generation tilesets to take more advantage of GMS2 functions
* Moved various development logs into Gamemaker

0.18.24 Studio (26 maart 2017)
* New dev layers visibility off during default play
* Completely went over all the layers of the titlescreen, gameselect and credits (also cutting now obselete resources)
* Map menu now uses proper gms2 functions for getting room backgrounds
* Fixed shock animation
* Started documenting naming conventions in GMStudio
* Further improved new tilesets
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on March 26, 2017, 07:37:38 pm
Take your time, friend.
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 28, 2017, 10:42:43 am
Just a little update to show the project is still alive.
I hit a little snag earlier this month with the new inherentance options of GM Studio 2, which caused all the new tileset usage to get scrambled (see screenshot). But I'm almost done fixing it and truly finishing the conversion to the version of GM. Aside from that I'm working on adding a small intro cave to the game and making progress on the next dungeon (=A lofty mansion complete with garden and underground cells). The plans for these rough designs for these new area's are done, though it will take several months to fully add all intented functionality (which I'll add in phases).

Progress made:
Code: [Select]
0.18.25 Studio (27 maart 2017)
* Implemented JSDoc for all script arguments

0.18.26 Studio (29 maart 2017)
* Made further progress on tilesets
* Did more experimentation on layers

0.18.27 Studio (2 april 2017)
* All objects are now (first) created on a single layer

0.18.28 Studio (8 april 2017)
* Populated layer_Shadows for all rooms
* Started implementing newly optimized tilesets

0.18.29 Studio (9 april 2017)
* Made a lot more progress on the new tilesets and implementation
* Fixed glitch where enemies can move over some types of terrain
* Replace almost all usages of obselete function: instance_create

0.18.31 Studio (15-26 april 2017)
* Cleaned up (faulty) coding behind dynamic depths enemies/character/various objects
* Removed last remaining usages of obselete function: instance_create
* Implemented enum() for floor numbers
* Made further progress on new tileset (implementation)

0.18.32 Studio (27 april 2017)
* Added cave on adventure (=new intro cave)
* Made more progress on mansion dungeon
* Chest types now handled via enum values
* Lots of smaller room changes
* Fixed depth issue HUD
* Made more progress on retiling with new tilesets

0.18.33 Studio (28 april 2017)
* Made more progress on intro cave and mansion dungeon
* Made more progress on retiling with new tilesets
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 08, 2017, 08:07:51 am
And here is last week's progress:
Code: [Select]
0.18.34 Studio (29-30 april 2017)
* Added various generic helper functions for checking room conditions (like if all enemies are dead). Mainly done to save time and complexity in the future.
* Made pressure plates simpler/faster to implement
* Finished version 1.0 of intro cave
* Made lots of progress on the mansion dungeon
* Edited the way visuals are determined for locked and conditional doors
* Cut large blue chests that do not require a the master key
* Magicly appearing staircases now handled differently (cutting some duplicate sprite resources)

0.18.35 (1-7 mei 2017)
* Made more progress on retiling with new tilesets
* Made more older functions obselete
* Added drowning in deep water
* Fixed visual issue map menu
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 14, 2017, 08:29:57 pm
And here is this weeks progress. I made some good progress on adding the swimming mechanics. I'll likely take a break next weekend and continue the week after. Would anybody be interested in playtesting it once it's done? If so post a reply or send me a message.

Code: [Select]
0.18.36 (12 mei 2017)
* Added new single scripting for adding one-off items to dungeons
* Made a little progress on implementing Mansion Dungeon
* Made more progress on retiling with new tilesets
* Reorganised external files more logically
* Fixed a few minor masking issues
* Finished tilesets for all the (new) dungeons

0.18.37 (13 mei 2017)
* Fixed issues after new Gamemaker update (Those unasked updates really annoy me sometimes)
* Fixed glitch with collectable heartpieces+keys
* Added collectable flippers in cave
* Silver arrows now shoot faster
* Further expanded water/swimming mechanics
* Added error sound when trying to use bottle when already fully healthy
* Fixed issue with effects starswitches
* Made more progress on retiling with new tilesets

0.18.38 (14 mei 2017)
* Made more progress with the swimming mechanics
* Made more progress on retiling with new tilesets
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Theforeshadower on May 14, 2017, 10:56:55 pm
Toss it to me.  I'll break, erm, test it on my stream.
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 15, 2017, 04:56:36 pm
Will do. Thanks in advance.
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 28, 2017, 08:27:26 pm
And here is the latest progress report:
Good progress was made on the swimming mechanics, but it's not yet finished.

Sorry Theforeshadower, but it needs a little bit more polish before I can send it out. Specificaly: I kinda didn't realise water in the overworld used slanted edges :o, whereas my water mechanics (so far) only take rectangles into consideration. If that makes sense. I feel kinda silly for missing it.
I could send what I already have, but the water looks very much out of place in the overworld without custom tiles. So it's not ready it yet to bother your streamfollowers with I think. I'll toss it over as soons as it's also fixed.

For all: I DID add a diving mechanic. This also wasn't in the original appearantly (Not sure what was up with my memory this week), but I really like the results so I'm keeping it in. As it uses the action button diving will replace the faster swimming motion from the original.

Code: [Select]
0.18.39 (21-28 mei 2017)
* Made more progress on swimming mechanics
* Made more progress retiling using new tilesets
* Added diving mechanics
* Made it so you're forced to come up for air eventually
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 05, 2017, 01:37:00 pm
@Theforeshadower: Still working on the swimming mechanics. It turns out adding it to my existing collision system is a bit of a headscratcher, but I'll get it done eventually.
See the screenshot for the current situation.
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 11, 2017, 07:49:48 pm
Yes! Finally finished the swimming mechanics as seen on the attached image. (I might still tweak it a little based on feedback, but for now it's done). Time to pick a new challenge to tackle next week.

PS: I've also added a simpler cave right of the starting area for the player to find the flippers. The Moldorm cave has been shifted to the lower right of the map.

Code: [Select]
0.18.40 (2-4 juni 2017)
* Made decent progress on the tilesets for the overworlds (now about half way finished)
* Fixed depth issue with shadows during death

0.18.41 (5 juni 2017)
* Added triangles to deep water surfaces
* Made it so you can moothly swim from one deep water area to an (adjacent) other one

0.18.42 (9-10 juni 2017)
* Made progress on the overworld tileset
* Expanded ligth world visuals
* Expanded the overworld with a makeshift swimming area
* Mechanics now account for running directly into deep water
* Changed projectiles being blocked by deep water
* Made it so you also get proper hurt recovery time while  swimming
* Edited swimming speed / gamefeel a little more
* Fixed various other smaller bugs with swimming mechanics
* Fixed visuals Ku/River Zora
* Made it so Ku/River Zora will now damage swimming players on contact

0.18.43 (11 juni 2017)
* Finished documenting all variables used in software
* In dungeon 1 and 2 you can now activate shortcuts to/from the dungeon entrance. (Mainly added because the bosses are already hard enough).
* Made more progress retiling using new tilesets
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 09, 2017, 06:48:24 pm
I'm still alive. XD
Sorry for the month of absence. I needed some time away from the project, but I'm back again. (Check the attachements for new screenshots). And if anybody want to help testing the new dungeon and mechanics I'm working on feel free to reply or send me a PM. The NCFC will probably be happening in a couple of months so any and all help to get the next release done before then is greatly appreciated!

Progress made:
Code: [Select]
0.18.44 (16-25 juni 2017)
* Made lots more progress retiling using new tilesets
* Expanded red boomerang to be able to collect multible items at once

0.18.45 (1-9 juli 2017)
* Made A LOT of progress on the mansion level
* Made more progress retiling using new tilesets
* Added unlockable cell doors
* Added keyblocks (like in Link's Awakening)
* Expanded on the breakable wall objects
* Entirely rewrote magic maze mechanics to fix some issues
* Red boomerang better grabs items
* Red boomerang can now pass over deep waters
* Connected Mansion 2nd and 3rd floors to lobby
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: neike60 on July 09, 2017, 09:18:31 pm
I did some modification on your mermaid statue.
(http://img110.xooimage.com/files/b/4/7/mermaid-statue-2--52a30ef.png) (http://img110.xooimage.com/views/b/4/7/mermaid-statue-2--52a30ef.png/)
What do you think?
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 10, 2017, 08:24:47 pm
I was looking for some more statue variation. Thanks. Looks good.
Any chance you'd be interested in making some more custom sprites for the game?
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Tonydaderp on August 12, 2017, 06:23:24 am
Hello! Long time no see, Martijn! I see you have made a ton of progress! Looks great! Keep up the great work. Im such a fan.
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 12, 2017, 08:34:47 pm
Thanks man. Really appreciate it.

On a side note:
Progress has been slow last month due to being on a long vacation but I'll start it up again shortly.
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 25, 2017, 03:32:56 pm
Hello again. Work started back up again properly last week, but I just wanted to let people know I'm back at it more seriously now. Also, I made a personal schedule in preparation for the NCFC participation (since I know some of you like it when there is progress to follow).

If anybody wants to contribute with spriting, music or testing in order to make the NCFC entry even better be sure to send me a message.

The plan
27 aug:
> Finish bugfixes/tweaks as mentioned in youtube comments
> Add various more NPC's (+expand NPC object functions)
> Tweak mansion cells
> Tweak demo enemy placements
> Finish more mansion rooms: shed / fairy room / lobby

3 sept:
> Connect mansion to the demo overworld
> Add some kind of ending to the mansion level (=nothing special, just functional)
> Add bouncing boomerang

10 sept:
> Finish library sections
> Add on-off blocks

17 sept:
> Finish mansion garden
> Finish retiling overworld

24 sept:
> Finish remainder of mansion F1
> Release early demo

1-15 okt:
> Tweak all bosses
> Handle forum feedback + whatever I missed

22 okt:
> Release pre-NCFC demo
> Handle new forum feedback + whatever I missed

29 okt:
> Final NCFC demo
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: MG-Zero on August 27, 2017, 02:34:45 pm
it makes me happy to see this project still going :)
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 27, 2017, 08:10:33 pm
Thank you. Glad to hear it.

And here is this weekend's update:

Progress:
Code: [Select]
0.18.46 (14-15 juli 2017)
* Simplified wall light object creation scripting
* Made more progress retiling using new tilesets
* Edited Murray welcome speech
* Connected garden shed in Mansion level
* Added master key to collect from the ground

0.18.47 (16 juli 2017)
* Made lots of progress on the new overworld tilesets
* Made lots of improvements to mansion dungeon

0.18.48 (13 augustus 2017)
* Finished the new lightworld overworld tilesets
* Started retiling all overworld tilesets

0.18.49 (14-27 augustus 2017)
* Day-night mechanic now also enabled for mansion garden
* Made some edits to mansion cells
* Expanded NPC objects
* Made progress retiling overworlds / caves
* Added some NPC's and other hints to dungeon entrances and mansion
* Connected mansion to overworld
* Made progress on the mansion garden
* Made improvements to the overworld tileset
* Added a functional ending scene to the mansion (just to indicate the area is conquered)

Schedule:
Backlog:
[IN PROGRESS] Finish bugfixes/tweaks as mentioned in youtube comments
- Add various more NPC's (+expand NPC object functions)
- Tweak mansion cells
- Tweak demo enemy placements

[PUSHED BACK] Finish another mansion room: shed
[PUSHED BACK] Finish another mansion room: fairy room
[PUSHED BACK] Finish another mansion room: lobby

3 sept:
- Connect mansion to the demo overworld
- Add some kind of ending to the mansion level (=nothing special, just functional)

- Add bouncing boomerang

10 sept:
- Finish library sections
- Add on-off blocks

17 sept:
[IN PROGRESS] Finish mansion garden
- Finish retiling overworld

24 sept:
- Finish remainder of mansion (F1/F2/F3)
- Release early demo

1-15 okt:
- Tweak all bosses (prio for Moldorm)
- Handle forum feedback + whatever I missed

22 okt:
- Release pre-NCFC demo
- Handle new forum feedback + whatever I missed

29 okt:
- Final NCFC demo
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 03, 2017, 08:06:13 pm
This weekend was a little slow due to XCOM2's expansion. (A little overpriced but worth the time).

Progress:
Code: [Select]
0.18.50 (3 september 2017)
* Gibo cloud can no longer get stuck around corners
* Made more progress retiling overworld
* Expanded red boomerang to also bounce off walls
* Red boomerang can be recalled mid flight (and eager to get feedback on it's gamefeel)
* Fixed issues with boomerangs not correctly collecting items
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 14, 2017, 08:13:08 am
I'm currently enjoying a week off from work to relax. And since working on my game is a way to relax extra progress has been made over the past few days.
(Also: new screens in the attachment)

Progress:
Code: [Select]
0.18.51 (9 september 2017)
* Fixed several tiling and collision issues in debug area
* Integrated hitswitch for colored on-off blocks into general hitswitch object
* Removed red boomerang recall functionality
* Finished adding colored on-off blocks

0.18.52 (10 september 2017)
* Added pushable windrooster statues
* Added first of a series of statue puzzle to the garden
* Added conditional blocking objects
* Added graves

0.18.53 (11 september 2017)
* Found and fixed small memory leak in an idle animation
* Tweaked some of the garden transitions
* Added more statue puzzles to garden
* Made more progress retiling all the overworld area's
* Improved consistency grid collision systems

0.18.54 (12 september 2017)
* Made more progress retiling all the overworld area's
* Made more progress on mansion garden
* Removed several (now) obselete tilesets
* Added text to garden graves

0.18.55 (13 september 2017)
* Made more progress retiling existing area's
* Replaced + expanded all animated lightworld tiles
* Replaced obselete background_assign function
* Removed several more (now) obselete tilesets
* Added soldier statues for mansion inside rooms
* Added some ponds to the mansion garden

Updated schedule:

17 sept:
- Finish bugfixes/tweaks as mentioned in youtube comments
- Finish another mansion room: shed
- Finish another mansion room: fairy room
- Finish another mansion room: lobby
[DONE] Add bouncing boomerang
[IN PROGRESS] Finish library sections
[DONE] Add on-off blocks
[IN PROGRESS] Finish mansion garden
[IN PROGRESS] Finish retiling all areas

24 sept:
- Finish remainder of mansion (F2)
- Finish remainder of mansion (F3)

1 okt:
- Finish remainder of mansion (F1)
- Release early demo

15 okt:
- Tweak all bosses (prio for Moldorm)
- Handle forum feedback + whatever I missed

22 okt:
- Release pre-NCFC demo
- Handle new forum feedback + whatever I missed

29 okt:
- Final NCFC demo
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 14, 2017, 01:24:24 pm
Just a quick question:
Are the sideways bookcases in the attached screenshot distracting?
I've added some space between them and the other bookcases, but I'm still doubting myself on this one. Outside input is welcome.
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 17, 2017, 08:11:22 pm
And here is the rest of the progress made last week.
So I'm running quite behind on schedule to get a full demo out for NCFC. To cut some corners I'll be using placeholders enemies (for now), cut the Moldorm bossfight tweaking (for now) and push building the Mansion F1 rooms past the first october demo. The reason I still plan on releasing a demo october 1st is to allow anybody who want to help test the option to do so.

Progress:
Code: [Select]
0.18.56 (14 september 2017)
* Discovered and implemented new setup for animated tiles
* Finished retiling overworlds
* Improved boomerang interaction with hitswitches
* Finished mansion library area

0.18.57 (15 september 2017)
* Finished mansion fairy room
* Made progress tiling mansion F2 further
* Made more progress retiling dungeon area's

0.18.58 (16 september 2017)
* Finished garden shed
* Made more progress retiling dungeon area's

New schedule:

17 sept:
[CUT] Finish bugfixes/tweaks as mentioned in youtube comments
[DONE] Finish another mansion room: shed
[DONE] Finish another mansion room: fairy room
[DONE] Finish library sections

24 sept:
[IN PROGRESS] Finish mansion garden
[IN PROGRESS] Finish retiling all areas

1 okt:
- Finish remainder of mansion (F3)
- Finish remainder of mansion (F2)
- Release early demo

15 okt:
- Finish remainder of mansion (F1)

22 okt:
[OPTIONAL]: Add boss fight to Mansion + tweak all bosses (prio for Moldorm)
- Handle new forum feedback + whatever I missed

29 okt:
- Final NCFC demo
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 01, 2017, 08:04:32 pm
Sorry guys, no demo this week. I had planned to, but I don't want to release a dungeon with (still a few) completely barren rooms in it. It'd also break the dungeon order. Next weekend I'll be helping out familie but I'll likely be able to finish up in the week+weekend after.

Latest progress:
Code: [Select]
0.18.59 (22 september 2017)
* Made more progress retiling dungeon area's
* Made more progress designing F2 of Mansion

0.18.60 (30 september 2017)
* Made more progress retiling dungeon area's
* Finished mansion F3 floor
* Made more progress on mansion F1 floor
* Added breakable walls for mansion

0.18.61 (1 oktober 2017)
* Almost finished mansion F1 floor
* Made more progress retiling dungeon area's (just a few room left now)

Latest schedule:

1 okt:
[IN PROGRESS - ALMOST DONE] Finish mansion garden
[IN PROGRESS - ALMOST DONE] Finish retiling all areas
[FINISHED] Finish remainder of mansion F3
[IN PROGRESS] Finish remainder of mansion F2

15 okt:
[IN PROGRESS - ALMOST DONE] Finish remainder of mansion (F1)
- Release early demo

22 okt:
[OPTIONAL]: Add boss fight to Mansion + tweak all bosses (prio for Moldorm)
- Tweak mansion enemy placements and overall difficulty (based on feedback)
- Handle other forum feedback + whatever I missed

29 okt:
- Final NCFC demo
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 10, 2017, 11:19:15 am
Hi guys. Good news. It looks like I won't have to push the next demo any further past the last schedule (=okt 15th). XD The mansion level can now finally be played from start to finish and the last couple of days I have left can now into to tweaking the puzzles, room visuals, maskings and so on.

If anybody wants to help out once the demo is out then..

..please playtest the demo and report any issues found.
I'll try my best to fix all feedback before the NCFC event. Most likely issues may be found within the mansion dungeon (as that is completely new) and the tiling of the older area's (as the entire game has been completely retiled these last few months.

..please record gameplay or a trailer to showcase during the NCFC.
Given the limited time till the NCFC (and my lack of experience/talent on the matter) I had to set priorities and so I won't be coming around to doing this myself. I'll link your recordings directloy on the NCFC booth if you're interested in the views. (Should be a couple of hundred views depending on the quality).
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 0.19 OUT]
Post by: Martijn dh on October 15, 2017, 01:19:38 pm
And finally a new public demo. Please enjoy and be sure to post your feedback if you want to contribute. Check my previous post if you want to help in other ways.

New download
Demo version: 0.19.00
File Size: 19,07 MB (Zipped)
Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 (Changable)
Download: https://www.mediafire.com/file/3iihlfw332f2bn5/Horn%20of%20Balance%20version%200.19.0%20Public.zip

Notes:
- From the start of the game move right for a small intro cave, down for the new mansion dungeon and upwards for the older (harder) content
- Beat both nothern dungeons to reach the game's credits

Default controls*:
D - Action button (open doors / read text / grab / etc) + Confirm button (while in menus)
G - Attack button (hold and release for a full swing attack) + Cancel button (while in menus)
S - Perform run action (if you have the boots available)
R - Use item A
F - Use item B
Space - Brings up item menu
Enter - Brings up map menu
Escape - Pauses the game (can be used to exit the game)

* The controls can be personalized in the options menu at the start of the game.

What's new?

* Added new intro cave
* Added new dungeon: Mansion Dungeon
* Added new item: Magic Powder
* Expanded functionality of Red Boomerang
* Added swimming + diving
* Added new mechanics like: keyblocks, celldoors, (on-off) blocks (=like in Tower of Hera in the original) and a magical maze.

* Converted over to Gamemaker Studio 2
(including: implementing new inherentance system, redoing all tiling, reordering all objectdepths, creating all new tilesets, rewriting all scripting, cleaning up (now) obselete scripting and other resources, documenting all variables used)

* Plus a ton of smaller stuff
Title: Re: [NEW DEMO OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on October 30, 2017, 07:47:13 pm
Thank you for the marvelous gift.
Title: Re: [NEW DEMO OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 30, 2017, 08:03:28 pm
You're welcome. Please enjoy.
Title: Re: [NEW DEMO OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 02, 2017, 07:09:50 pm
Just a little update about my future plans. Knowing myself I'll likely deviate pretty soon, but it's good to have something to strife for. Let me know if anybody has additional suggestions/feedback.

Release 20 (januari 1st)
- Fixes to demo 19 based on feedback from NCFC and youtube. (Also any feedback you guys post here)
- Replace current overworld with a new (temporary) lightworld / darkworld
- Rebuild diggrid mechanic, hopefully resulting in better performance

Release 21 (march 1st)
- Tweak / finish mansion level
- Adding additional bosses
- Add magic mirror warping between LW/DW
- Start on new dungeon: water prison

Some day:
- Finish water prison dungeon
- Add forest dungeon
- Simplify dungeon 1: Royal tombs
- Simplify dungeon 2: Desert Palace
- Add weather effects
- Combine all ingame menu's into one (OoT style)
- Add context sensitive action button indicator (OoT style)

==================

Weekly update:
So I've been looking over the NCFC livestreams closely and I've made a list of things to fix. Expect an updated demo when I'm done (or post here if you want an earlier copy to help do more testing.

Progress report
Code: [Select]
0.19.01 (31 oktober 2017)
* Fixed several tiling errors noticed in NCFC lifestreams
* Fixed not increasing max arrows if collecting the silver bow&arrows before the normal bow&arrows
* Fixed being able to swim without flippers (if first walking through shallow water)
* Fixed visuals Desert Palace F3 secret wall (can't reproduce any kind of soft lock though)
* Fixed small visual glitch for mansion garden map

0.19.02 (1 november 2017)
* Fixed depth issue entrance room dungeon 1
* Fixed sound desert bookcase entrance moving still set to 30 fps

0.19.03 (2 november 2017)
* Fixed depth issue with transition secret bookcase entrance desert palace
* Removed fps and room index in caption (=small performance increase / not really used all that much anyway)

0.19.04 (3 november 2017)
* Optimized/cut more resources (so less texture groups are used / performance should improve slightly)
* Fixed some compiler tile layer warnings
* Started work on overworld 2.0

0.19.05 (4 november 2017)
* Digging effects are now drawn to tilelayers instead of large surfaces (improving performance when moving to/from large rooms; also gives better performance)
* Additional scripting to deactive most enemies outside of current view (=big performance boost)
* Reorganised some more resources
* Fixed darkness issue encountered in debug area's

0.19.06 (5 november 2017)
* Improved (chasing) spiked block enemy AI / speed
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 19, 2017, 10:44:13 pm
So I've finally handled all the feedback I gather from the NCFC. It's too late for today, soI'll likely release a patched download next weekend. Also, I started on an additional (tutorial) bossfight: Supreme Overlord Murray.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.19.07 (17 november 2017)
* Edited Goriya to be weak to bombs
* Bombs now push back enemies further/longer
* Edited hint about library in Heimgartner Mansion (+added sign to better indicate where that is and is not)
* Tweaked enemy placement in Mansion slightly
* Made it slightly easier to keep distance with soldier grunts
* Fixed shield not working
* Reworked puzzles in intro cave
* Tweaked texture usage some more for another slight performance boost

0.19.08 (18 november 2017)
* Started work on boss for the intro cave

0.19.09 (19 november 2017)
* Fixes some missed visual glitches basement desert palace
* Reorganised common variables enemy AI's
* Made it impossible to enter the gauntlet area before getting the desert treasure
* Fixed lock in bedroom scene in desert palace. (Finally was able to replicate it by getting uneven x coordinates)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 0.19 OUT]
Post by: Martijn dh on December 03, 2017, 06:51:00 pm
Sorry for the small delay, but here is an updated demo

New download
Demo version: 0.19.11
File Size: 19,07 MB (Zipped)
Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 (Changable)
Download: https://www.mediafire.com/file/bd389qbhjqgby6l/Horn%20of%20Balance%20version%200.19.11%20Public.zip

Notes:
- From the start of the game move right for a small intro cave, down for the new mansion dungeon and upwards for the older (harder) content
- Beat both nothern dungeons to reach the game's credits

Default controls*:
D - Action button (open doors / read text / grab / etc) + Confirm button (while in menus)
G - Attack button (hold and release for a full swing attack) + Cancel button (while in menus)
S - Perform run action (if you have the boots available)
R - Use item A
F - Use item B
Space - Brings up item menu
Enter - Brings up map menu
Escape - Pauses the game (can be used to exit the game)

* The controls can be personalized in the options menu at the start of the game.

What's new?
* Lots of bugfixes and balancing changes
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [UPDATE ON DEMO 19 RELEASED]
Post by: Martijn dh on December 24, 2017, 10:02:40 am
Weekly Bi weekly Tri weekly update:
Progress has been relatively slow, but still ongoing. So there are basically three things going on with development right now:

1. A german student has offered to translate the game into German and possibly Russian. While the full game is still 2 years (fingers crossed XD) from completion I agreed to this because it helps him as a translator and because the engine shouldn't be any worse off. The way I'm picturing it is that I could release all ingame texts in a seperate file later-on so people can translate it into other languages as well if they feel like it.

2. I got bored with the stuff I was working on in november and started work on a new dungeon: the underwater prison. Ultimately it will be placed somewhere between the soldier tombs and desert palace in terms of difficulty. (With the mansion being the 4th difficult). So far the tiling is mostly done, with the masking coming next. The dungeon is planned to introduce the following new mechanics: following NPC's and switches to raise/lower the water level. Given all that I hope to be able to release the results (along with the new overworld) in march.

3. I've expanded the HUD to display the context of the action button (like in OoT and beyond). Check the attached screenshot. It shouldn't be too obtrusive and can be disable through the option menu otherwise. I feel it's implementation can be improved further so if anybody is willing to help playtest it let me know for a new demo.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [UPDATE ON DEMO 19 RELEASED]
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on December 24, 2017, 11:31:12 am
1. A german student has offered to translate the game into German and possibly Russian. While the full game is still 2 years (fingers crossed XD) from completion I agreed to this because it helps him as a translator and because the engine shouldn't be any worse off. The way I'm picturing it is that I could release all ingame texts in a seperate file later-on so people can translate it into other languages as well if they feel like it.

Klingt gut! (Sounds good!)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [UPDATE ON DEMO 19 RELEASED]
Post by: Martijn dh on January 01, 2018, 09:54:05 pm
LATEST PROGRESS:
Code: [Select]
0.19.10 (2 december 2017)
* Improved shadow scripting performance
* Reorganised textfiles some more
* Made more progress on next dungeon (=water prison)
* Fixed a few tiling issues in debug areas

0.19.11 (3 december 2017) PUBLIC SMALL RELEASE
* Made more progress on next dungeon (=water prison)
* Reorganised textfiles some more

------------------------------------------

0.19.12 (9 december 2017)
* Made more progress on next dungeon (=underwater prison)

0.19.13 (10-22 december 2017)
* Made much more progress on underwater prison dungeon (tiling + design mostly done for now)
* Made some more progress designing temp overworld replacement(s)

0.19.14 (23 december 2017)
* Added visual representation for context sensitive action button and attack button to HUD (needs more work to finish)
* Expanded options menu to allow the disablement of added buttons to HUD

0.19.15 (24 december 2017)
* Fixed oversight in option menu expansions

0.19.16 (27 december 2017)
* Improved performance action button usage slightly
* Finetuned action text added to HUD (also now distinguishes between read/talk/check)
* Made more progress working on underwater prison

0.19.17 (29 december 2017)
* Made more progress working on underwater prison

0.19.18 (30 december 2017)
* Made more progress working on underwater prison

0.19.19 (1 januari 2018)
* Made lots of progress on underwater prison (various more rooms masked + various doors/switches/chests placed)
* Game now allows the player to collect multiple bundles of bombs from chests without repeat intro text
* HUD now also detects “open” action possibility
Title: Re: [DEMO 0.18 NOW OUT] Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on January 02, 2018, 07:54:37 pm
Just a quick question:
Are the sideways bookcases in the attached screenshot distracting?
I've added some space between them and the other bookcases, but I'm still doubting myself on this one. Outside input is welcome.
The bookcases aren't distracting. If anything, they add something new.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [UPDATE ON DEMO 19 RELEASED]
Post by: Martijn dh on January 03, 2018, 06:59:56 pm
Good to hear. Thanks for the feedback.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 07, 2018, 06:20:11 pm
Weekly progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.19.20 (6 januari 2018)
* Fixed a long running visual glitch where, if you stop pushing and directly time to try to the sides, you may be shown pushing nothing
* Started work on (water level) push switches (post screenshot)

0.19.21 (7 januari 2018)
* Finished (water level) push switches
* Tweaked puzzles in water prison
* Started working on dynamic water levels triggered by push switched
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 15, 2018, 07:01:29 pm
Weekly progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.19.22 (13 januari 2018)
* Can now dive to collect items
* No more errors if you walk towards jumpable ledges from an invalid direction

0.19.23 (14 januari 2018)
* Added visuals for transparent deep water
* Fixed small bug in deep water generation scripting
* Fixed small saving bug
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [UPDATE ON DEMO 19 RELEASED]
Post by: Martijn dh on January 28, 2018, 06:26:23 pm
Hi all, here is another progress report.

So I've finally settled on a method for "raising water levels". Check the screenshot for an inbetween frame of what I'm talking about. Next I'll be adding some sound before implementing such watereffects all across the dungeon.

Next, I was playing around with some of the coding when I noticed opportunities to massively improve performance, so please enjoy those results in the next demo.

Finally, the German (and Russian) translations didn't pan out. It's fully dead, but I did write down the required reordening of ingame texts while waiting. Who know. Maybe I'll revisit the idea when the game is fully done.

Update report:
Code: [Select]
0.19.24 (19 januari 2018)
* Improved collisions while swimming in deep water
* Redid setup for getting out of deep water via jump
* Interaction ledge jumping and landing in deep water added
* Tweaked jumping in the deep water from broken ladders

0.19.25 (20 januari 2018)
* Cleaned up the coding a little regarding water object creation
* Added water animated water flow from the wall

0.19.26 (26 januari 2018)
* Loving the studio profiling options: The engine has been tweaked all over to achieve a whooping combined performance increase of 41% (while in the debug room)

0.19.27 (27 januari 2018)
* Improved performance of room transition coding quit a lot
* Performance in debug room improved by another 7.5%
* Performances boosted by another 17,5% if room doesn't contain darkness mechanics

0.19.28 (28 januari 2018)
* Added raising waterlevel (single body of water for now
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 11, 2018, 07:00:42 pm
The plan was to more or less finish raised water in the prison this weekend, but life and new ideas came up. Also I'm noticing the game drop below 60 fps quit frequently now (probably because my pc is slowly dying) so I'm really getting into code optimization again. For those that want to help out: I'll be releasing a new demo next weekend for feedback on framerates on other machines.

EDIT: The next demo won't contain actual new content; just some tweaks and engine optimizations as the new prison dungeon hasn't been connected to the overworld yet. Just mentioning it as to not dissappoint anybody.

Code: [Select]
0.19.29 (2 februari 2018)
* Tweaked water animation from the water spewers

0.19.30 (4 februari 2018)
* Improved collisions for jumping out of water
* Tweaked specific ledge jump objects
* Added more water level raising scenes

0.19.31 (11 februari 2018)
* Improved efficiency of darkness engine (for 6,7% overall performance improvement while stationairy in debug room)
* Further improved prison dungeon tiling
* Increased game performance in debug room by another 5% recoding various misc. Mechanics
* Improved Anti-Faerie AI performance by about 30%
* Further optimized performance for trees and enemy general AI if outside of the screen
* Fixed boomerang not being able to fly over small outside holes in the ground
* Improved performance snapdragon movement script
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [UPDATE ON DEMO 19 RELEASED]
Post by: Martijn dh on February 18, 2018, 11:08:02 pm
A started I planned to release an improved demo today so people could help test performance, but a small glitch in the boomerang's bouncing behaviour bothered me so much (because I couldn't find the cause) that I ultimatly ended up spending the better part of the day just rebuidling the entire bouncing mechanic from scratch (also improving performance for that script by about 60% so it's not all bad). It's all about that polish.

Expect the improved demo by the end of next weekend. Sorry about the delay for those looking forward to it.

Weekly progress:
Code: [Select]
0.19.32 (12 februari 2018)
* Greatly reduced the use of (inefficient) view functions (that got in due to the Gamemaker migration)
* Increased efficiency some more collision scripts
* Tree drawing made more efficient

0.19.33 (13 februari 2018)
* Replace more of the inefficient view functions from the gamemaker migration
* Made more trees more efficient

0.19.34 (17 februari 2018)
* Various more coding improvements to boost performance
* Fixed tiling issue in the sewers
* Fixed issue in blob AI; now correctly only chases you if close enough
* Fixed collision magic powder vs anti-faerie

0.19.35 (18 februari 2018)
* Improved red boomerang wall bouncing performance and fixed bug where it would rarely bounce backwards
* Fixed boomerang being able to destroy walls (in specific situations)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [UPDATE ON DEMO 19 RELEASED]
Post by: Martijn dh on March 28, 2018, 08:04:06 am
Hi everybody. Sorry about the long absence. Aside from a brief vacation I got swamped with new projects at work and really needed to focus on that and other things for a while. That being said: no worries, the project is not dead.

The last thing I promised was an updated demo so I'll share that now. Basically it's exactly the same as the last demo, but with less glithes and a ton of performance improvements. You'll see fps counter at the top while in-game to keep track of the second one. If you feel like helping me out then please report any instance the fps drops below 60 fps so I now what area or actions I should try to improve further. Bugreports or other kinds of feedback are (as always) also always welcome!

New download
Demo version: 0.19.40
File Size: 19,24 MB (Zipped)
Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 (Changable)
Download: http://www.mediafire.com/file/oljka3zb73puydo/Horn%20of%20Balance%20version%200.19.40%20Performance%20Test.zip
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [UPDATE ON DEMO 19 RELEASED]
Post by: Martijn dh on April 02, 2018, 06:48:41 pm
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.19.36 (24 februari 2018)
* Fixed red bari not splitting correctly

0.19.37 (18 maart 2018)
* Edited various rooms in the underwater prison dungeon

0.19.38 (25 maart 2018)
* Fixed glitch: visuals pushing containers not triggered

0.19.39 (26 maart 2018)
* Finished several rooms in the underwater prison dungeon
* Expanded functionality obj_waterfall_sprite
* Implemented new GML cleanup events
* Fixed room design where you could ledge jump into a wall
* Fixed a masking+depth issue for locked cell doors

0.19.40 (27 maart 2018)
* Water objects now better destroy attached objects when destroyed themselves
* Fixed forgetting to refresh water collisions ds_grids in some circumstances
* Found and fixed GML warnings: “ds_grid out of bounds during initialisation”

0.19.41 (28 maart 2018)
* Added sound effects to rooms filling up with water

0.19.42 (2 april 2018)
* Added new variant of conditional doors: cell doors without keyhole
* Made a serie of redesigns to underwater prison (=tiling, objects, enemy placements, etc)
* Added dungeon shortcut warp
* Improved deep water collisions
* Added water filling animation for more rooms
* Slowed down room flooding animations
* Added simple end scene for prison dungeon
* Tweaked some collision grids

Current progress on underwater prison: 2* / 16
* Meaning all enemies / objects / grids / scenes / etc finished for that room

Dungeon rooms done:
- Entrance room
- Final treasure room
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 19]
Post by: Martijn dh on April 15, 2018, 08:51:58 pm
Another progress report for those interested.

Code: [Select]
0.19.43 (6 april 2018)
* Added spiked rolls to underground prison
* Tweaked some collision grids
* Added new object: cracked blocks (destructable with bombs)

0.19.44 (7 april 2018)
* Transition objects are now also detected while in water
* Added transitions for swimming or diving to another screen

0.19.45 (14 april 2018)
* Added the ability to swim “under” some floors/walls while diving – still need to iron out some depth issues
* Redesigned underwater prison puzzle room

0.19.46 (15 april 2018)
* Added more room flooding animations
* Fixed visual bug due to mini-moldorm spawned at unintented specific positionings

Current progress on underwater prison: 3* / 16
* Meaning all enemies / objects / grids / scenes / etc finished for that room

Dungeon rooms done:
- Entrance room
- Final treasure room
- Final water trigger room
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 19]
Post by: Martijn dh on April 29, 2018, 08:26:59 pm
And yet another update:
Code: [Select]
0.19.47 (22 april 2018)
* Made lots more progress on underground prison
* Tweaked ledge jumping (so less placement limitations remain)

0.19.48 (23 april 2018)
* Made more progress on underground prison rooms

0.19.49 (24 april 2018)
* Expanded save/load script so I can save more digits per variable (so I can also fit room coordinates when needed)
* Found a (gamemaker?) visible bug when an object depth becomes 4.699.880. No solutions in mind apart from redoing the entire depth system :S

0.19.50 (28 april 2018)
* Fixed some tiling oversights
* Added the last of the flooding animations
* Fixed oversight in game loading script
* Character can now walk over water if on a bridge
* Added visuals for waterfall stopping
* Added raising waterlevels for all other switches in waterprison
* Added first of the water draining sequences

EDIT: Screenshot of diving under bridges attached
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 19]
Post by: Martijn dh on May 13, 2018, 04:03:12 pm
And here is another progress update:
Made lots of progress finishing the new dungeon and adding NPC's that can follow you (like Zelda in the lttp intro section). Also, I added some more NPC's. I made custom graphics for the right one (=Florince) since she'll play a larger part in the game and I needed something memorable. Feel free to give me some pointers as I feel there is still plenty of some room for improvement..

Progress made:
Code: [Select]
0.19.51 (30 april 2018)
* Made some more progress populating dungeon rooms with various objects
* Added various push objects / puzzles to the dungeon
* Fix issue: invisible Link if you jump out of the water instantly after coming up for air
* Now also correct depths while diving under the floors
* Fixed issue: jumping out of the water for a fraction if damaged by an enemy while swimming

0.19.52 (6 mei 2018)
* Added yet another room draining animation. (Almost done with these for thios dungeon)
* Redesigned my garden this weekend and achieved both enjoyment and soar hands and knees :)

0.19.53 (10 mei 2018)
* Added last remaining water flood and draining animations
* Populated dungeon with metal floors

0.19.54 (11 mei 2018)
* Added NPC reactions after text (like starting to follow you)
* Finished more areas of underwater prison
* Finished all minor cells in underwater prison
* Implemented some more minor room goals

0.19.55 (12 mei 2018)
* Added the ability for NPC to follow the player (although I still need to expand the NPC movement animations for this)
* Made progress designing the last prison room to add

0.19.56 (13 mei 2018)
* Almost fully implemented new NPC: the damsels from lttp
* Almost finished custom visuals for new NPC: florine
* NPC's will now continue to follow you as you walk to other rooms on the same floor

Current progress on underwater prison: 9* / 16
* Meaning all enemies / objects / grids / scenes / etc finished for that room
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 19]
Post by: RetroRespecter on May 22, 2018, 05:37:30 pm
How much longer until the game is complete?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 19]
Post by: Martijn dh on May 22, 2018, 06:02:37 pm
A friend asked me the other day as well. I'm kinda had two anwsers for him:

This next demo (end of next month hopefully) I'll have the third major dungeon done. After that I plan on reshuffling the overworld and making it feel more like a 1.0 release by the end of the year. It'll end on a cliffhanger storywise, but it should feel more like a short but full game.

After that... I think I might start on some dark world dungeons ideas or continue adding to the light world. Not sure yet. Honestly I've got so many idea's that I can spend many more years on this. I've also been thinking about quiting after version 1.0 to turn the engine into something completely original, but that might be a bridge to far without an actual  team.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 19]
Post by: Martijn dh on May 27, 2018, 08:38:50 pm
And here is another update report:
So basically I'm working on the last major mechanic needed for the new dungeon (NPC's following you around). After all that the dungeon should be finished in a few days.

Status report:
Code: [Select]
0.19.57 (22 mei 2018)
* Fixed error when NPC tries to follow you to another floor
* Corrected NPC animations while following

0.19.58 (25 mei 2018)
* Improved NPC movement visuals furthers
* NPC now stops following if you walk into deep water
* Interacting with NPC's is now displayed as more then just “read”
* Finished map menu details for underwater prison
* Added extra secret room to underwater prison

0.19.59 (26 mei 2018)
* Added NPC respawn mechanics (=they follow you to another room and can still be found in that room if you leave them there – unless leaving a dungeon / area entirely)

0.19.60 (27 mei 2018)
* Added some prisoner messages for light lore
* Did some bugfixing in regards to NPC respawn mechanics
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 19]
Post by: Aero88 on June 01, 2018, 03:37:52 am
It is awesome that you have been able to get so far with this project!  Looking forward to seeing the finished product!  XD
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 19]
Post by: Martijn dh on June 08, 2018, 07:30:10 am
Some good and bad news.

BAD:
Got the Flu for over a week now. It's slowly passing already but game progress is obviously halted shortly.

GOOD:
Since I've been bored so much recently I ordered an SNES mini and a (PC connectable) wireless SNES controller. Why is this good news? Well, I should now be able to look into making my game (better suited for) playable with a controller. Anybody interested in me spending time on that after this next demo?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 19]
Post by: RetroRespecter on June 13, 2018, 07:37:17 pm
Continue onward, my friend. You make excellent progress on the game. The flu is a sign that your body needs rest and relaxation. After which, you will be stronger by it.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 19]
Post by: Martijn dh on June 14, 2018, 06:02:04 am
Thank you for the support.
I will be back with a new update next weekend.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 19]
Post by: Martijn dh on July 08, 2018, 10:20:34 am
Just a post to mention that the next release is still being worked on. I got a little burned out on the project, between getting sick again, finding issues with NPC's following you, and getting a new project of the ground at work. But I'm back at it.

Currently the dungeon order is being edited. Players could appearently (to my shock) lock themselves out off finishing the prison through key usage, so that definatly still needs fixing. Not sure how long it will take since tiling, scenes and so on might all need editing depending on the solution I go with.

-----

EDIT: And here is an overview of the latest progress made.
Code: [Select]
0.19.61 (28 mei 2018)
* Fixed funny bug allowing endless NPC spawning
* Did more bugfixing in regards to NPC respawn mechanics

0.19.62 (1 juni 2018)
* Added Florine to Underwater Prison
* Finally made it work with all the various other mechanics: NPC's can now also follow you to other Gamemaker rooms (=different floors/dungeons/etc) uninterrupted.

0.19.63 (2 juni 2018)
* Enemies can now interact with pressure plates (but only turned on for NPC's)
* Tweaked dungeon map some more

0.19.64 (9 juni 2018)
* Fixed character state when instantly changing to opposite direction while stopping to push pushable object
* Added extra intro scene with Murray
* Fixed: Murray not always laughing correctly during some scenes

0.19.65 (10 juni 2018)
* Connected dungeon to overworld
* Adjusted default screen transition to better account for following NPC's (so they get stuck less in closing doors)
* Fixed NPC walking into you if you walk in tiny bursts for a little bit

0.19.66 (17 juni 2018)
* Made more progress setting up Florine's scenes.
* Discovering more issues with NPC respawning that will need to be fixed

0.19.67 (29 juni 2018)
* Fixed a number of issues found with NPC respawning

0.19.68 (1 juli 2018)
* Rewrote Florine dialoog
* Fixed last (?) issues with NPC respawning
* Fixed Underwater endscenes not triggering based on NPC positioning

0.19.69 (7 juli 2018)
* Fixed errors when suddenly switching into the push state (from a walk state without a shield)
* Further tweaked Florine conversations
* Fixed error when a third textbox instantly follows others but has a different display speed.

0.19.70 (8 juli 2018)
* Tweaked breakable walls in prison
* Edited content of most chests in prison
* Retiled a number of rooms slightly
* Tweaked some drops and room layouts to hint at bomb usage at places
* Populated dungeon with containers
* Moved conditional doors, locked doors and keys around, changing the dungeon order a bit
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 19]
Post by: Mariotag on July 09, 2018, 07:26:23 am
Well, do try to not get totally burned out permanently. I'm hoping to see this reach completion!
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 19]
Post by: Martijn dh on July 09, 2018, 05:21:28 pm
Well, do try to not get totally burned out permanently. I'm hoping to see this reach completion!

Those are goals that we share XD

I'll probably skip on the NCFC this year so I don't have to rush the overworld after this dungeon. That'll give me the freedom to just add whatever for a while. Like chickens! Or more idle animations. Stuff like that that's fun to add just because I can. Working on a single dungeon for so long ideas have been piling up again.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 19]
Post by: Martijn dh on July 26, 2018, 10:07:20 am
Almost there! My project at work is now well and good of the ground and going strong (after weeks of overtime) so I've finally got some time for a proper breather XD

I've finished the last dungeon scene last weekend. Expect the next demo after this next weekend.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 19]
Post by: Martijn dh on July 29, 2018, 10:20:46 pm
I promised myself I'd release a new demo by the end of the weekend so here it is:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/3d0g14vp7lw029e/Zelda_0_20_01.zip/file

Note that I have only had time to do final playtesting on parts of the new dungeon. If you encounter any issues, or have feedback, be sure to let me know. I love to hear your opinions so I can keep making things better and better.

As for directions: To access the latest new dungeon walk up two screens from the starting position. You'll see an added entrance in the wall in the upper left.

I'll provide more information when I can.

========

EDIT: As expected (sigh) playtesting is yielding various minor bugs (and a few major ones). I'm already working to fix them (=8 of the 20 found are already resolved). Expect an improved demo in a few more days.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 19]
Post by: Martijn dh on August 03, 2018, 12:32:33 pm
Go figure: I just finished the second to last issue I found and now my fps tanks to 45 (from 58-60) due to the latest GM:Studio update. Go figure ::) I really hate these newer GameMaker versions sometimes.

Anyway, I'll need some more days to fix stuff. I don't suppose any of you have tips to keep the Gamemaker Finish_Frame engine processing value of games in check?

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.19.71 (9 juli 2018)
* Fixed character shadow turning blue when walking over over while on a bridge
* Tweaked some doors after more playtesting

0.19.72 (21 juli 2018)
* Fixed a few minor depth issues
* Finally finished final Florine scene in Underwater Prison

0.19.73 (26 juli 2018)
* Fixed case of dissappearing staircase during water raising
* Populated the dungeon with all remaining containers

0.19.74 (27 juli 2018)
* Fixed some small depth issues
* Populated the dungeon with last enemies

0.20.00 (29 juli 2018)
* Finished area around the last of the cells
* Made it possible to collect arrows from chests without a bow
* Fixed blob spawning + added additional spawn state
* Tweaked some more small tweak to the dungeon
* Added extra state to default stalfos so they can now also fall from above
* Fixed issue with Stalfos getting stuck in cell doors

==================================================

0.20.02 (30 juli 2018)
* Intro cave: Removed unfinished Murray Boss fight
* Intro cave: Flipper item replace by collectable bomb
* Intro cave: Removed door sound if entered from the outside
* Underwater prison: Added last missing containers
* Underwater prison: Removed map/compass pre-collected status (=was for testing; forgot to remove after)
* Underwater prison: Fixed some last tiling issues
* Underwater prison: Fixed blue blobs reacting to you while on a different floor
* Underwater prison: Blue blobs from above trigger sooner if link nearby
* Underwater prison: Tweaked a bunch of smaller stuff
* General: Reorganised how GML room data is stored (=data like bg music to play)
* Underwater prison: Fixed left door of boss not closing based on dungeon action order
* Underwater prison: Collisions with default transition terrain now only trigger if on the same depth plane
* Underwater prison: Fixed boss music not stopping after kill
* Underwater prison: Fixed end scene moving you to a placeholder location on overworld
* Underwater prison: Fixed oversight in escape puzzle once solved and returning
* Underwater prison: Fixed issue when getting flippers from main chest
* Underwater prison: Fixed some area's not getting displayed as flooded as intended

0.20.03 (31 juli 2018)
* Underwater prison: Fixed not being able to use the sword while walking on the walkway over water

0.20.04 (2 augustus 2018)
* Underwater prison: Improved performance for enemy movement
* Underwater prison: Improved performance for container drawing / detection
* Underwater prison: Improved performance further for mini-Moldorm AI when offscreen
* Underwater prison: Improved performance further for enemy sprite drawing

0.20.05 (3 augustus 2018)
* Underwater prison: Fixed some enemies getting stuck in solid action objects and terrain objects
* Overworld: Fixed tiling issue
* Sewers: Fixed tiling issue
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 19]
Post by: Broojo02 on August 03, 2018, 04:29:44 pm
Are you using Game Maker Studio 2 now? I got the first one for a great price so don't really feel like dropping more money on a new version.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 19]
Post by: Martijn dh on August 03, 2018, 05:16:16 pm
Yes, I'm using GM:Studio2. Basically it's nice software and an improvement over GM:Studio1. If you're a serieus user that spends time optimizing games and such then I would recommend it. Just be mindfull that it comes with a few quirks:
- It contains annoying DRM where you have to log in (=2-step) every so often. On several occassions I've had to wait hours/a day for the software to recognize a reset password.
- The move from 1 to 2 might require you to up some of your coding habits (like declaring arguments before use in scripts). It'll make you a better coder through, just expect some time investment there.
- The software is constantly being improved which means every 6 months or so might find that you'll have to perform (minor) updates/optimization to previously functioning code.

As for my issue earlier today: I found more people having issues with this latest update so I ended up going back to an earlier version.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 19]
Post by: Martijn dh on August 05, 2018, 04:12:43 pm
Hi guys. So I was aiming to release this next demo asap but because I had more free time then usual I decided to first do a full playthrough as extra testing. Well... I got reminded of the scope of this game. Without testers some area's haven't been properly played in years and thus I found more bugs then I'd dare to admit.

So, basically I'll be taking more time to polish things up.

Also, performance at places has somehow become a slight issue on my machine (=some dips between 58 and 60 fps). I've implemented a series of improvements, but I doesn't seem to fix much as it's the black box GML engine that already takes up at least 86% of the resources. If anybody want to help test the fps on different machines, please let me know.

Progress made:
Code: [Select]
0.20.06 (4 augustus 2018)
* Overworld: Removed some usages of draw_rectangle to boost performance a little
* Debug area: Fixed memory leak during some room transitions
* Starting screen: Removed all draw_line() functions for performance
* Gameselect: Fixed memory leak with obj_Character surfaces not getting flushed
* Further optimized HUD drawing
* Combined effects from getting bows and/or arrows
* Combined code, that turns some of the objects outside of view, into one
* Massively rewrote the terrain collision scripting

0.20.07 (5 augustus 2018)
* Fixed sporadic error when cutting multiple bushes
* Fixed error when shooting enemy with arrow
* Improved performance collisions woth character projectiles
* Arrows now also ignore holes in the ground below bushes
* Fixed some issues with exiting water
* The collision masking when running into breakable walls/stone piles is now more forgiving
* Breakable blocks can now also be destroyed by running into it
* Further improved efficiency enemy movement scripting
* Tree drawing performance further improved
* Mansion: Fixed master chest being inaccessable
* Mansion: Fixed small shed tiling issue
* Mansion: Tweaked dinning room tiling
* Desert: Tweaked chest placement in secundairy entrance to make it harder for people to miss the actual entrance
* Desert: Fixed tiling issue on F3
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 19]
Post by: Martijn dh on August 12, 2018, 07:52:33 pm
Weekly update:
Sorry, but no demo this week either. The more I test the more I find to fix or tweak. So the current state is that there are still about 6 issues on my list that are noticable to game-breaking (and about 20 that are minor to nitpicky).

What I did manage to do was improve the overall performance so that framedrops seem relegated to the largest / most heavily populated area's. (It's somehow quite fun to slowly chip away at such a large problem, learning as I go).

Progress made:
Code: [Select]
0.20.08 (6 augustus 2018)
* Desert: Fixed tiling issue door upper left of main plaza
* Improved performance of containers, shadows and various enemy movement scripts

0.20.09 (7 augustus 2018)
* Mansion: Secret treasure now contains the blue tunic
* Slightly improved performance warp draw event
* Mansion: Fixed masking issue in shed
* Fixed tunic colors not drawing correctly during warp animations

0.20.10 (8 augustus 2018)
* Mansion: Updated masking issue in diner
* Combined most HUD surfaces for a little better performance

0.20.11 (11 augustus 2018)
* Textures now increased form 2k to 4k (aka 64 MB)
* Combined more surfaces in HUD
* Optimized more tilesets so the game now runs on a single texture
* Small optimization to enemy draw scripting
* Made wall crash destruction more lenient, in how it's detected, yet again
* Fixed visuals while stationary in deep water with upgraded tunic
* Fixed issue in shock animations

0.20.12 (12 augustus 2018)
* Slight improvement to enemy AI + drawing performance
* Big performance boost to context button text detection
* Tweaked tiling and object placement in Mansion Shed
* Tweaked character collisions for performance
* Fixed issue where you can continuously crash into a bookcase to move a key endlessly
* Fixed a few more masking oversights
* Fixed visual oversight in item menu
* Tweaked fairy masking to make it less likely they get stuck in walls etc
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 19]
Post by: RetroRespecter on August 13, 2018, 07:42:40 pm
I'm glad to see those who actually look back and take care of earlier problems before releasing something to the public.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [demo 19]
Post by: Martijn dh on August 19, 2018, 09:06:05 pm
Weekly update:
Bugbashing is going great with a huge amount of extra issues solved, but not enough to call it finished just yet. There are still about 10 desert dungeon rooms to playtest before calling it quits. After that I'll stop the testing and just put up the new release.

All major and gamebreaking issues I've come across have now been fixed. There's just some visual tweaks left and some minor random stuff (like bombs shattering like glass instead of exploding if you get hit while carrying them).

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.20.13 (13 augustus 2018)
* Desert palace: Fixed depth issue flying tiles

0.20.14 (17 augustus 2018)
* Improved performance of spiked block enemies
* Improved performance of general enemy step event
* Improved performance of container draw event
* Improved performance of use of collision grids
* Desert palace: Tweaked bedroom scene
* Desert palace: Fixed minor masking issue
* Desert palace: Fixed secret entrance scene
* Your character name now gets trimmed
* Desert palace: Fixed subboss scenes not triggering
* Desert palace: Fixed a hole's masking on F2

0.20.15 (18 augustus 2018)
* Spend the full day fixing the shock, darkness, warp and day-night scripting ( which I appearently all broke while improving their performance – whoops :S )
* The context button now also shows you “open” tekst for doors (if you hold the needed key)
* You can now also grab locked doors and keyblocks

0.20.16 (19 augustus 2018)
* Mansion: Fixed maze mechanic + masking issue
* Mansion: Improved camera system to cut screen distortion during screen transitions
* Made default movement scripting pixel perfect (again)
* Mansion: Tweaked endscene so link doesn't walk through a solid object
* Small optimization boost to obj_GUI step event
* Squeezed more performance out of the HUD
* Mansion: Fixed doorway for returning from the boss fight
* Fixed visual inconsistency on game select screen
* Fixed error when trying to read from statues
* Tomb: No longer able to get stuck in first bird statue
* Fixed not being able to continuously read from statues
* Tomb: Improved performance cannonball room
* Tomb: Fixed a few tiling issues
* Tomb: Green eyegore now insta killed by bombs
* Tomb: Red and blue eyegore are now damagable by bombs
* Tomb: Fixed error when killing a floating head
* Tomb: Fixed conditional door room left of F1 torch room
* Tomb: Fixed cannonball trajectories in cannonball puzzle
* Tomb: Fixed scene when first torch gets lit
* Tomb: Fixed scene when fourth torch gets lit
* Desert palace: Fixed error in scene bossfight 2 intro
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 20 FINALLY RELEASED]
Post by: Martijn dh on August 25, 2018, 06:22:13 pm
And here it finally is: Demo 20!

Please enjoy and be sure to post any and all feedback you might have, so that I can continue to make the game beter for you guys.
As for the next steps: I'm still pondering on that. Feel free to weight in using the poll (that I'll add shortly).

---------------------------

New download
Demo version: 0.20.18
File Size: 18,97 MB (Zipped)
Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 (Changable)
Download: http://www.mediafire.com/file/qokjknmocwdcem8/Zelda_0_20_18_public_demo.zip/file

Notes:
- From the start move straight up north to reach the NEW "Underwater Prison". (It can be beat without doing any of the other places first)

Default controls*:
D - Action button (open doors / read text / grab / etc) + Confirm button (while in menus)
G - Attack button (hold and release for a full swing attack) + Cancel button (while in menus)
S - Perform run action (if you have the boots available)
R - Use item A
F - Use item B
Space - Brings up item menu
Enter - Brings up map menu
Escape - Pauses the game (can be used to exit the game)

* The controls can be personalized in the options menu at the start of the game.

What's new?

* Added new dungeon: Underwater Prison
* Added ability for NPC's to follow you
* Added ability to dive for items and/or under bridges
* Added the raising and lowering of water levels
* Added room transitions for when swimming
* Added cracked blocks
* Added cell doors

* Added context sensitive actions display to HUD (which can be disabled)
* Polished several aspects of the last dungeon: Heimgartner Mansion
* Slightly polished starting cave
* Tweaked various enemy stats

* Made a ton of (major) change for a massive performance boost
* Fixed various mechanics that had broken over time
* Far more playtesting then the last release

* Lots of smaller tweaks, performance increases and bugfixes
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 20 FINALLY RELEASED]
Post by: Martijn dh on September 16, 2018, 04:29:12 pm
(Semi)Weekly progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.21.00 (26 augustus 2018)
* Made progress finishing the overworld tilesets

0.21.01 (8 september 2018)
* Upgraded to GameMaker:Studio2 version 2.15 (and got a massive performance drop as thanks  –.- )
(= fps now tanked from 60+ to about 45)
* Screen size and positioning now saved using global variables (for better performance)
* Switched from default collision functions to the new list collision functions from the latest Gamemaker update (for “simpler” / faster code)
* Cleaned up older collision functions for a little bit better performance

0.21.02 (9 september 2018)
* Dropped back from Gamemaker 2.15 to 2.14, because 2.15 capped the fps to 45 fps regardless of my coding solutions.
* Screen size and positioning now saved using global variables (for better performance)
* Removed various uses of the draw_rectangle functions for better performance

0.21.03 (14 september 2018)
* Keypart of the HUD now always in front of screen transitions while in a dungeon area
* Started work on extra idle animations

0.21.04 (15 september 2018)
* Added dancing idle animation
* Added guitar idle animation

0.21.05 (16 september 2018)
* Tweaked dark world warp animation
* Started work on new “enemies”: Cucco (alive / dead)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 07, 2018, 08:18:09 pm
I was on vacation last week so there's not too much progress:
- Still working on Cucco's. They're so much fun to play around with.
- Now also almost fully finished with all the overworld tilesets (finally). This should be the last time I'll ever  need to touch those again; fingers crossed.
- Added a dropbox download link for the demo.
- Made good progress designing the new (placeholder) overworld on paper. I'll likely make implementing those plans the main goal for the next demo, along with trying to improve performance further (as that now has the most votes in the poll).

Periodic progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.21.06 (17 september 2018)
* Made cucco weak to all types of fire

0.21.07 (22 september 2018)
* Made more progress on the cucco's

0.21.08 (6 oktober 2018)
* Made big progress finishing the light and dark overworld tilesets

0.21.09 (7 oktober 2018)
* Added dropbox download for latest demo
* Finished light overworld tileset (incl all animations; excl mountains)
* Made more progress with the dark overworld tileset
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 28, 2018, 12:29:26 pm
Hello again, still alive out here.

So the reason I haven't posted the last couple of weeks was because I was working om trying to get quick overworld done for the NCFC. This weekend though I decided to stop rushing and just skip this years event. It's taking far more time to tile then expected and some rooms are turning out pretty bland and uninspired (also and I'd have to cut a ton of rooms) so I'm just going to relax and take my time again. Btw: if anyone wants to help out with tiling let me know.

As for a sneak peak: check the attached images for some work in progress. And yes, I am working on a small light AND darkworld for this next overworld. They'll both be about 12 rooms large and compatible with the mirror item.

Progress made:
Code: [Select]
0.21.10 (13-28 oktober 2018)
* Finished light world mountain tileset
* Finished dark world mountain tileset
* Finished dark world tileset
* Made progress tiling a new overworld
* Polished up the tilesets a little further
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 25, 2018, 08:01:06 am
Just a quick update to explain why I haven't posted last month:
I'm still alive, but dealing with software development crunch over at work. (=Insurance branch, not game-development sadly :) ) As a result I haven't found the time and energy to also work on my own project for much more then just a few scattered hours a week. I expect this to continue till around the start of januari, so expect a new true update by then.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 06, 2019, 07:10:33 pm
Back again.
Finished upgrading to the latest gamemaker version, tinkered around with optimization idea's and I'm now starting back up the overworld tiling. 'Cause this tiling often takes a lot of time I'll periodically share the overall progress (see attachment) for those of you that like seeing something gradually coming together. (As you can see I like to start design pretty abstract like the middle section before implementing it further like the top parts).

Progress:
Code: [Select]
0.21.11 (3-4 november 2018)
* Made more tiling progress on the new overworlds
* Added DW high grass object
* Cutting grass now can be any colors needed
* Added visuals for when character walks through DW grass
* Now able to walk around in the DW overworld

0.21.12 (5 november 2018)
* Added extra dark world bush

0.21.13 (15 december 2018)
* Upgraded GM version (Now the 45 fps cap is finally fixed)
* Game performance improved via various coding updates

0.21.14 (16 december 2018)
* Fixed some minor issues related to GM upgrade

0.21.15 (21 december 2018)
* Improved tree draw event performance

0.21.16 (23 december 2018)
* Further improved tree draw events performance
* Fixed font spacing issue due to GM upgrade
* Made small coding progress on new overworlds

0.21.17 (26 december 2018)
* Made some small progress on the new overworlds

0.21.18 (5 januari 2019)
* Made minor overworld tiling progress

0.21.19 (6 januari 2019)
* Made more overworld tiling progress
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 13, 2019, 09:45:22 pm
Just a quicky update this week, as I've only been working on the tiling this weekend.
Check the attachment image for the current state.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on January 14, 2019, 09:24:51 pm
Is that going to be the final overworld in The Legend of Zelda: Horn of Balance?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 15, 2019, 07:12:42 pm
No, this one will also be a placeholder till the final update once every single dungeon is done. Basically development made it far enough where the old quick fix overworld wasn't going to work for that much longer. There wasn't really any greater design behind it yet, in that one.

The new world keeps things like dungeon orders, roadblocks, (moderate) sequence breaking and other plans in mind. The tiling process might seem random but it's mainly a creative process to add cosmetics and theming to the functional plans.

Also I'll be working a light and dark version of this overworld at the same time. And I'm also connecting to every eventually planned eventual dungeons (a.k.a. "better to plan big now and cut stuff later on in development"). For the next update each new dungeon will just be 3 standard square rooms with some area enemies, a dungeon treasure and possibly the area gimmick. That way players can already try out the macro design of the overworld. And it allows me to also work on end and mid game area's / bosses / etc in the future.

All in all I consider this a milestone as I never figured I'd actually reach this point.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 21, 2019, 07:09:40 pm
Weekly report:
Check the attached image for the progress on the dark version of the overworld.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on January 22, 2019, 01:25:43 am
How will the dark world factor into all this?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 22, 2019, 05:59:15 pm
Mechanicly it'll function as a distorted mirror to the normal world, just like in alttp. I'm adding it 'cause I have plans to also add some dark world themed dungeons, as well as for story and puzzle potential down the line.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 04, 2019, 09:10:26 pm
Progress report
Code: [Select]
0.21.20 (12 januari 2019)
* Made more progress on the new overworlds
* Added blue trees

0.21.21 (17-27 januari 2019)
* Made more progress on the new overworlds

0.21.22 (3 februari 2019)
* Made more progress on the new overworlds
* Rewrote the coding behind how scenes are handled (for more ease in use later on) as well as cleaned up various other coding found along the way
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 10, 2019, 08:49:10 pm
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.21.23 (9 februari 2019)
* Fixed issue found in new event system
* Fixed issue in HUD text for conditional action button

0.21.24 (10 februari 2019)
* Fixed issue in character terrain collision scripting
* Added new object: overworld doors (various types)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 17, 2019, 10:04:03 pm
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.21.25 (16 februari 2019)
* Edited context button interaction with overworld doors
* Made it so overworld doors can trigger during scenes
* Cleaned up some older coding for better performance
* Made some more progress on tiling the new overworlds
* Fixed error when warping to some darkened rooms
* Started tinkering around with warping between light and dark worlds

0.21.26 (17 februari 2019)
* Can now warp between light and dark worlds with the mirror. (Still needs a a lot of polish and checking to prevent getting stuck and such)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: FrozenFire on March 08, 2019, 03:28:51 am
It's been a while since I tried a demo, so I just played about 20 minutes of the latest (0.20.18) one. I love what I've seen of the new stuff so far!

Of course, you know me, so I've got a bug to report. ;)

~ BUG ~
I tried to exit some water via a ladder while in a dive state and got this fatal error:
Show content
(https://i.imgur.com/19M8kLG.png)
Looks like this bug really upset Link. As you can see in the image, he's beside himself (I can't resist making a bad joke).
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 08, 2019, 08:56:03 pm
Thanks for the praise!

I can't seem to reproduce the issue on my latest dev version so I've probably already fixed it since that last demo. Thanks though. I always welcome bugreports XD

For everybody else btw:
I haven't been working on the game these last weeks (and possibly for the near future) because I'm replacing my kitchen. It's proving a lot more work (and costly) then I had planned, so I'm giving that higher prio. Man, kitchens are stressfull.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 22, 2019, 10:24:51 am
Just a little update
Check the attached image for the progress on the dark version of the overworld.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 24, 2019, 11:24:37 pm
Update report after some time off from work and home improvement:

Code: [Select]
0.21.27 (9 maart 2019)
* Fixed issue of some rolling pins no longer drawn while still partly on the screen
* Made some more progress on the new overworlds

0.21.28 (10 maart 2019)
* Made some more progress on the new overworlds

0.21.29 (19 maart 2019)
* Fixed saving issue due to new randomization function
* Cleaned up some coding concerning enemy interaction with some terrain objects
* Fully implemented mirror warping between light and dark world (incl return warp if the target is not an open space)
* Fixed visual issue with the shield during warp effects

0.21.30 (20 maart 2019)
* Edited original cloud tiles
* Added variables to allow turning on/off full dungeons for later on
* Finished mountain placeholder dungeon
* Standardized dungeon goal collection scenes
* Added quake medallion to the overworld
* Tweaked new mirror warping sequences
* Fully finished + connected tall mountains area

0.21.31 (21 maart 2019)
* Lots more tiling progress on the new overworlds
* Tweaked new mirror warping sequences
* Fixed interaction hookshot and action objects
* Added pull interaction between hookshot and wooden poles
* Made it so blue warp tiles only activate several steps after warping onto them
* Adjusted hookshot stretch lengths

0.21.32 (22 maart 2019)
* Made more progress tiling and masking the new overworlds
* Tweaked various things concerning the mirror warp between worlds
* Warp tiles now spawn at depth above tall grass
* Cleaned up coding behind how chest contents are stored
* Fully masked and connected the LW and DW forest overworld areas
* Fixed visual issue when finding an important chest item
* Connected the LW and DW forest dungeons
* Fixed cukeman talk area masking being visible

0.21.33 (23 maart 2019)
* Made more progress tiling and masking the new overworlds
* Connected duo towers dungeon to overworld
* Made it possible to have one dungeon be divided into a LW and DW section

0.21.34 (24 maart 2019)
* Made more progress tiling the new overworlds
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 08, 2019, 05:57:41 am
Update report:
Code: [Select]
0.21.35 (30-31 maart 2019)
* Made more progress on the new overworlds
* Expanded the dig mechanics to also include dark world soil visuals
* Expanded ground layer to also be able to handle dark world cut bushes
* Handles all syntax issues that became visible due to upgrading to the newest GML version

0.21.36 (5-7 april 2019)
* Made more progress tiling, masking and otherwise populating the new overworlds
* Tweaked various overworld tilesets
* Fixed some tiling issues in the desert dungeon
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 28, 2019, 06:55:26 pm
Update:
My kitchen is FINALLY finished to at a point where I can focus on my project again. Phew. What a relieve. That really kept me up at times, with all the unexpected added costs and delays. You'd figure you'd just pay a company to buy and place it, but not quite.

Anyway: I'll be making more actual project progress again next week.  XD
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 05, 2019, 08:58:42 pm
Hello again. I've been making some good progress on the new overworlds this weekend. Tiling always takes far longer then I would like, but it finally nearing an end (excepts for caves, houses and so forth at least). Once that's all done I can finally start the real work of making all of work in engine via stuff like masking, object and scripting.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.21.35 (30-31 maart 2019)
* Made more progress on the new overworlds
* Expanded the dig mechanics to also include dark world soil visuals
* Expanded ground layer to also be able to handle dark world cut bushes
* Handles all syntax issues that became visible due to upgrading to the newest GML version

0.21.36 (5-7 april 2019)
* Made more progress tiling, masking and otherwise populating the new overworlds
* Tweaked various overworld tilesets
* Fixed some tiling issues in the desert dungeon

0.21.37 (12 april 2019)
* Made more progress tiling the new overworlds

0.21.38 (20 april 2019)
* Made more progress tiling the new overworlds

0.21.39 (3-5 mei 2019)
* Made lots of progress tiling the new overworlds
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on May 06, 2019, 04:57:17 pm
just to reply inbetween your updates xD

progress is rly looking good... cant wait for the next release
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 07, 2019, 05:15:34 pm
Glad to hear it. Thanks for the confidence.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: FrozenFire on May 11, 2019, 01:19:46 pm
Just another reply praising your progress.  XD
Your tiling is looking quite nice.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 12, 2019, 07:16:48 am
Just another reply praising your progress.  XD
Your tiling is looking quite nice.

Thanks.
How's your own game progressing? That's looking quite promising as well.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: FrozenFire on May 12, 2019, 12:26:16 pm
Thanks.
How's your own game progressing? That's looking quite promising as well.
It's been going well. I've been working on it pretty consistently each week, but every time I thought to post a new update on here, I was always too worn out from the extra hours at work or something else. I should be posting an update within the next few days though, hopefully.

Back on the topic of your game:
Do you have any idea when you might roll out a new demo? I'm thinking I might want to do a new play through video. If not that, at the very least, I'd like to do some more testing. XD
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 12, 2019, 01:37:27 pm
Good to hear about your progress.

As for my next demo. I really love it when people record playthroughs or offer help with testing so that's like music to my ears. XD

If I cut corners then I should be able to produce an unpolished private version in about 5 weeks from now. But honestly, I'd rather not rush it. Maybe you can first record a playthrough of the last demo (= the blue underwater prison dungeon). Seeing gameplay and reactions for just that area is already invaluable (!) to me.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on May 12, 2019, 11:47:03 pm
i would to love to stream it... but its been a while since the last demo and i would feel bad to represent an old copy...

would have been genius after my lttp -> sekiban playthroughs :(
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 13, 2019, 06:01:34 am
Don't feel bad. I'd love to see you play the latest version, because nobody recorded gameplay of the blue dungeon before.

While I can produce a testing build in about 5 weeks, it'll likely be around 3 more months till it's been properly finished and tested.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: FrozenFire on May 15, 2019, 06:14:43 am
---
If I cut corners then I should be able to produce an unpolished private version in about 5 weeks from now. But honestly, I'd rather not rush it. Maybe you can first record a playthrough of the last demo (= the blue underwater prison dungeon). Seeing gameplay and reactions for just that area is already invaluable (!) to me.
---
While I can produce a testing build in about 5 weeks, it'll likely be around 3 more months till it's been properly finished and tested.

Alright, sounds like I should try for that blue underwater prison dungeon then. XD

I'd like to make a true first play video of that dungeon, since I haven't played it yet (I don't think?), but it might end up being in bits and pieces, since I'll probably only get to play for a little bit each time.
I have to focus on my own game for now, since I'm a bit behind where I wanted to be this week on game dev, due to some unforeseen hindrances (I totally did not spend hours overlooking a simple lack of updating an x position value in my particle system array which in turn made various bugs occur... nope), so I'll probably play a bit in between work this weekend, if I have energy, lol. If not, hopefully next week.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 19, 2019, 07:27:10 pm
I'm a little worn, so here is just a quick update.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.21.40 (12 mei 2019)
* Fixed text spacing after GML update
* Added transitions to the new overworlds (you can now alk through the whole thing)
* Tweaked overworld tiling
* Connected overworld to some more placeholder dungeons
* Fixed return to Dark World always activating on a delayed timer (=no only after coming directly from the Dark World)
* Added placeholder houses / shops to the new overworld

0.21.41 (17 mei 2019)
* Added and connected placeholder rooms for almost all planned cave areas
* Made some more progress tiling the overworlds

0.21.42 (18 mei 2019)
* Made more progress tiling the overworlds
* Reorganized (and added some more) heart containers
* Altered the contents of some secret chests

0.21.43 (19 mei 2019)
* Added extra customization option to screen transitions
* Added extra customization option for ledge jumping objects
* Made some progress masking area's
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 26, 2019, 08:33:40 pm
No overworld screenshots this weekend as I've not made too much of a leap to justify it. Instead I've been working on a new mechanic, cause I felt like doing something different: a chest mini-game.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.21.44 (24 mei 2019)
* Made small coding improvements
* Made progress masking and tweaking the overworlds

0.21.45 (25 mei 2019)
* Made progress masking and tweaking the overworlds
* Finished mushroom cave (tiling / masking / objects)
* Started work on a dark world chests mini-game room
* Fixed issues with a few overworld transitions
* Fixed being able to use the magic powder with only the mushroom collected

0.21.46 (26 mei 2019)
* Added gamehost NPC
* Finished dark world mini-game room
* Tweaked overworld tiling some more
* Finished light world village shack
* Expanded creation options for several objects
* Tiled another caves interior
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 03, 2019, 03:58:27 pm
So the Darkworld main room tiling has finally been finished. Jay!

@FrozenFire: Not to rush you or anything, but are recordings still planned?

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.21.47 (30 mei 2019)
* Made progress tiling the overworlds

0.21.48 (31 mei 2019)
* Made tiling progress
* Expanded the overworld tilesets

0.21.49 (2 juni 2019)
* Made progress tiling the overworlds
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: gcatgrey on June 04, 2019, 01:50:02 pm
Bonjour je ne peux pas jouer à cet jeu avec windows 7 .Peux t_on m'aider ou trouver une solution .Merçi
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 04, 2019, 02:56:22 pm
You're the first to report this issue. Can you send me a screenshot of the issue? Long live Google Translate btw.

============

Vous êtes le premier à signaler ce problème. Pouvez-vous m'envoyer une capture d'écran du problème? Longue vie à Google Translate
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: astralnebula on June 10, 2019, 08:15:44 pm
Your really an outstanding developer, I'm loving all of the work you've put into this so far.
I'm thinking of doing a run of this once it's complete, would be awesome.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 10, 2019, 08:23:27 pm
Your really an outstanding developer, I'm loving all of the work you've put into this so far.
I'm thinking of doing a run of this once it's complete, would be awesome.

Thanks man. I really appreciate it.

---------

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.21.50 (3 juni 2019)
* Finished tiling the DW overworld room

0.21.51 (9 juni 2019)
* Replaced various overworld statue tiles with objects for dynamic depths
* Fixed issues of credits now being drawn in the center of the screen
* Edited credits trigger (=now a terrain in the final dungeon instead of after beating the first 3 dungeons)
* Tweaked the DW town content a little
* Tweaked overworld to fix a collision issue
* Handled the last depth challenges in the overworld central rooms
* Fixed issues while ledge jumping diagonally
* Finished tiling the LW overworld room
* Added masking for outside of witchhut
* Finally finished replacing all “and” and “or” statements with shortcircuit. (= minor perfomance improvement)
* Edited the last room of the sewers
* Fixed issue with a hookshot hitting a hitswitch

0.21.52 (10 juni 2019)
* Added hidden heart piece to LW town
* Torches can stay lit for far shorter (for more puzzle options)
* Added puzzle to enter the dw town dungeon
* Finished another lw cave + mudora puzzle
* Added some more screen transitions for staircases
* Tweaked stats of the blue tunic
* Added new poison resist tunic
* Made progress masking the overworlds
* Fixed endless world warping issue loop
* Edited collision masking of return warp to Darkworld
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 23, 2019, 09:56:27 pm
Just a little update this weekend as I'm also following a software course that's claiming up a lot of my free time for a little while.

Progress log:
Code: [Select]
0.21.53 (15 juni 2019)
* Connected the old gauntlet dungeon to the new dark world
* Made coding improvements to the handling of torches
* Started recoding to use instance variables(rather then passing values via creation coding – which was a workaround from before the GML feature existed)
* Recoded deep and shallow water objects

0.21.54 (16 juni 2019)
* Tweaked overworld tiling
* Edited caves to fire/ice temples
* Added another heartpiece to DW world
* Added all (remaining) warp points between the light and dark world
* Tweaked overworld masking
* Fixed puzzle oversight in DW town
* Fixed collisions hookshot vs invisible ledges
* Rewrote ledge jump detection (so various items can fly over)
* Added new object shallow poisonous water
* Added new object deep water

0.21.55 (18 juni 2019)
* Tiled first half of cave to dungeon 1

0.21.56 (21 juni 2019)
* Finished tiling and masking of cave to dungeon 1
* Added a light puzzle(s) to cave to dungeon 1
* Seperated and removed part of the old overworld GML rooms
* Added extra room below breakable floor area
* Redid creation coding for fragile floor objects
* Added cave visuals for breakable floors
* Redid creation coding for some more terrain objects

0.21.57 (22 juni 2019)
* Finished cave to dungeon 1
* Added NPC to hint/explain dungeon 1 puzzle(s)
* Added NPC to block main warp to the darkworld (till LW dungeons beat)
* Implemented water to overworlds

0.21.58 (23 juni 2019)
* Made more progress tiling the temple entrances and caves
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Tonydaderp on June 28, 2019, 09:17:08 pm
I can't believe its been just shy of three years since i started following this project. Brings me an unexplainable joy to see it still being updated.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 29, 2019, 07:44:12 pm
I'm happy to hear that!

Also, while I'm posting and as an adress to everybody: I'll be adding a small number of NPC's to the demo. Anybody want a cameo of some sorts? Rather then using random names I'd like to see if I can have some fun with this.

-----

EDIT: And here is the progress report from las weekend

Code: [Select]
0.21.59 (29 juni 2019)
* Replaced creation coding of all metal floor and sandpit terrain objects
* Added new terrain object: desert special sandpit
* Tweaked friction values of all sandpit terrain types
* Tweaked some overworld and town rooms
* Fully completed cave up to the northern mountain

0.21.60 (30 juni 2019)
* Expanded breakable wall object creation coding
* Solved problem of breakable wall divided over two areas still needing to connect
* Added more breakable wall sprite variants + implemented them in the new overworlds
* Old GML constant image_single replaced with new GML constant image_index
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 07, 2019, 06:51:54 pm
Hello all. The new demo is progressing little by little. It feels a little like "Two steps forward one step back" but at least my development list is now finally short enough that I'm somewhat comfortable sharing it. I'm doing that so you have an idea of what I'm working with and to provide a new progress indicator now that the overworlds have been finished.
Also check out some newly tiled dungeon entrances in the attachments.

Stuff left before releasing an untested demo:
*I'll likely release an untested version when all the non-optional stuff is done and then the real demo when everthing is done and testing.

[IN PROGRESS]- Tile/mask/finish fire temple entrance
- Tile/mask/finish lightworld cave to the desert
- Tile/mask/finish darkworld cave to the swamp
[IN PROGRESS]- Fully mask both overworlds
- Add diggrids to both overworlds
- Add scene to enter the mansion dungeon
- Add scene to enter the final dark world dungeon
[OPTIONAL] - Add character visuals for standing in waterfall
[IN PROGRESS] - Connect the mansion dungeon to the overworld
- Edit the lightworld shop with different items
- Add a new dark world shop
[OPTIONAL] - Add the magic granting devil
- Tile/mask/finish fairy cave
[OPTIONAL] - Add the fairy pond mechanic
- Check all area's introduction texts
- Check and edit all enemy placements
- Add all remaining heart pieces
- Evaluate and update all (secret) chest contents
- Tile/mask/finish witch hut
- Add witch hut potion shop
- Add ability to exchange the mushroom for powder
[OPTIONAL]- Add Link's starting house
[OPTIONAL]- Tile/mask/finish lightworld village house 1. Inn?
[OPTIONAL]- Tile/mask/finish lightworld village house 2. Random NPC house?
[OPTIONAL]- Add NPC's to lightworld town outside area
[OPTIONAL]- Tile/mask/finish fortuneteller house. (= heart piece hint system)
[OPTIONAL]- Fully complete overworld tilesets (=death mountain lightning+ custom tiles)
- Add last chest to the dark world overworld
[OPTIONAL] - Add NPC to the dark world town outside area
- Make link's spritework dependent on the type of water interacting with (=normal/green/poisonous)
- Tweak masking of water flower objects
- Tweak collision scripting when jumping into deep water
- Edit overworlds to allow easier deep water exiting everywhere
[OPTIONAL]- Have Link only hold his sword out while running when actually started moving
- Fix collisions between link and enemy projectiles
- Fix error when in character movement script when detecting poisonous water

Progress made this weekend:
Code: [Select]
0.21.61 (5 juli 2019)
* Added new tree type
* Optimized tree creation coding
* Upgraded to new GML runtime file
* Added extra room to backdoor entrance to the desert palace
* Connected desert palace to the new overworld
* Recolored some overworld tiles
* Reimplemented image_single variables
* Fixed some of the issues with water body edges
* Fixed some tiling depth issues
* Fixed vulture depth issue vs overworld tiling
* Fixed visual oversight to newly added sandpit terrain
* Updated some of the overworld masking
* Worked to remove part of the old overworld GML room

0.21.62 (6 juli 2019)
* Finished tiling medu entrance area
* Added and connected placeholder medu dungeon
* Added additional overworld tiles
* Finished tiling tomb dungeon 1 entrance area
* Connected tomb 1 dungeon to the new overworld
* Fully phased out the old overworld rooms / coding
* Updated intro scene
* Fixed error when flying back from wall crash onto center of new sandpit terrain
* Added some hinttext to the overworld
* Made progress tiling the fire and ice temple entrances

0.21.63 (7 juli 2019)
* Finished ice temple entrance area
* Improved sprite for collectable crystals outside of menu's
* Game's goal switches to crystals after first entering the dark world
* Connected the fire and ice temples to the overworld
* Added 8th crystal to the game
* Added alle remain overworld breakable wall sprite variants + implemented them in the new overworlds
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 14, 2019, 04:55:10 pm
Hello all. I got a little sick last friday so there is less progress then I'd like. Still, we are still moving along.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.21.64 (13 juli 2019)
* Connected mansion dungeon to the new overworld
* Spend ages bughunting only to discover all found issues trace back to a recent GameMaker update that appearenly broke instance variable usage in creation coding. (Well, at least a fixed update was available by the time I discover I figured it out).
* Tweaked lightworld water edges some more.

0.21.65 (14 juli 2019)
* Fixed forum starting post images
* Fixed error when jumping into deepwater and landing in between water maskings
* Enemy sprites / projectiles no longer damage or interact with Link while under water
* Fixed incorrect water overlay sprite on Link when walking in shallow water in caves in the dark world
* Tweaked Ku spawn positioning
* Completed additional visuals for interaction with dark world and poisonous water

Stuff left before releasing an untested demo:
*I'll likely release an untested version when all the non-optional stuff is done and then the real demo when everthing is done and testing.

[IN PROGRESS]- Tile/mask/finish fire temple entrance
- Tile/mask/finish lightworld cave to the desert
- Tile/mask/finish darkworld cave to the swamp
[IN PROGRESS]- Fully mask both overworlds
- Add diggrids to both overworlds
- Add scene to enter the mansion dungeon
- Add scene to enter the final dark world dungeon
[OPTIONAL] - Add character visuals for standing in waterfall
[IN PROGRESS] - Connect the mansion dungeon to the overworld
- Edit the lightworld shop with different items
- Add a new dark world shop
[OPTIONAL] - Add the magic granting devil
- Tile/mask/finish fairy cave
[OPTIONAL] - Add the fairy pond mechanic
- Check all area's introduction texts
- Check and edit all enemy placements
- Add all remaining heart pieces
- Evaluate and update all (secret) chest contents
[NOW OPTIONAL]- Tile/mask/finish witch hut
[NOW OPTIONAL]- Add witch hut potion shop
- Add ability to exchange the mushroom for powder
[OPTIONAL]- Add Link's starting house
[OPTIONAL]- Tile/mask/finish lightworld village house 1. Inn?
[OPTIONAL]- Tile/mask/finish lightworld village house 2. Random NPC house?
[OPTIONAL]- Add NPC's to lightworld town outside area
[OPTIONAL]- Tile/mask/finish fortuneteller house. (= heart piece hint system)
[OPTIONAL]- Fully complete overworld tilesets (=death mountain lightning+ custom tiles)
- Add last chest to the dark world overworld
[OPTIONAL] - Add NPC to the dark world town outside area
[DONE] - Make link's spritework dependent on the type of water interacting with (=normal/green/poisonous)
- Tweak masking of water flower objects
- Tweak collision scripting when jumping into deep water
- Edit overworlds to allow easier deep water exiting everywhere
[SCRAPPED]- Have Link only hold his sword out while running when actually started moving
[DONE] - Fix collisions between link and enemy projectiles
[DONE] - Fix error when in character movement script when detecting poisonous water
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 21, 2019, 08:37:19 pm
And here is the latest progress report. I had hoped to do a lot more this weekend but I kinda felt drained after encountering another GameMaker issue for the second weekend in a row. Somehow the engine now thinks 176+0,6=176,600006103516 after the latest update (which leads to some visuals stuttering here and there). :-\

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.21.66 (19 juli 2019)
* Did some bugbashing and cleaning up in the hammer usage script
* Tweaked enemy placements
* Fixed error interacting with deep water diagonal edges
* Tweaked diving visuals depth
* Tweaked water rock and water flower collision scripting

0.21.67 (21 juli 2019)
* Added second entrance icon to mansion dungeon map
* Added extra type of deep water objects for use inside caves (= user darker shallow water visuals)
* Fixed issues with water objects in the bottom of the prison dungeon
* Tiled and completed shortcut cave to desert
* Tiled and completed shortcut cave to the final area
* Fixed little sound inconsistency when entering the intro cave

Stuff left before releasing an untested demo:
*I'll likely release an untested version when all the non-optional stuff is done and then the real demo when everthing is done and testing.

[IN PROGRESS]- Tile/mask/finish fire temple entrance
- Tile/mask/finish lightworld cave to the desert
- Tile/mask/finish darkworld cave to the swamp
[IN PROGRESS]- Fully mask both overworlds
- Add diggrids to both overworlds
- Add scene to enter the mansion dungeon
- Add scene to enter the final dark world dungeon
[OPTIONAL] - Add character visuals for standing in waterfall
[IN PROGRESS] - Connect the mansion dungeon to the overworld
- Edit the lightworld shop with different items
- Add a new dark world shop
[OPTIONAL] - Add the magic granting devil
- Tile/mask/finish fairy cave
[SCRAPPED] - Add the fairy pond mechanic
- Check all area's introduction texts
- Check and edit all enemy placements
- Add all remaining heart pieces
- Evaluate and update all (secret) chest contents
[OPTIONAL]- Tile/mask/finish witch hut
[OPTIONAL]- Add witch hut potion shop
- Add ability to exchange the mushroom for powder
[OPTIONAL]- Add Link's starting house
[OPTIONAL]- Tile/mask/finish lightworld village house 1. Inn?
[OPTIONAL]- Tile/mask/finish lightworld village house 2. Random NPC house?
[OPTIONAL]- Add NPC's to lightworld town outside area
[OPTIONAL]- Tile/mask/finish fortuneteller house. (= heart piece hint system)
[OPTIONAL]- Fully complete overworld tilesets (=death mountain lightning+ custom tiles)
- Add last chest to the dark world overworld
[OPTIONAL] - Add NPC to the dark world town outside area
- Tweak masking of water flower objects
- Tweak collision scripting when jumping into deep water
- Edit overworlds to allow easier deep water exiting everywhere
[NEW]- Fix found issues with moving through deep water terrain
[NEW OPTIONAL]- Finish new enemies: chickens
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 28, 2019, 06:50:49 pm
This weekends progress:

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.21.68 (26 juli 2019)
* Added remaining heart pieces to the demo

0.21.69 (27 juli 2019)
* Added bomb/arrow capacity upgraded (as chest contents)
* Added two additional tunics (for mid and endgame)
* Evaluated and rearranged dungeon secret chests contents
* Added last DW chest left to add
* Update various chest contents opening texts
* Finished tiling and masking fire temple entrance
* Tweaked masking of rocks in the water
* Fixed issue with not being able to enter cave to desert via the water
* Masked some more rooms
* Fixed issue with conditional door conditions in 1st cave up the north mountains

0.21.70 (28 juli 2019)
* Fixed issue with not being able to enter cave to desert via the water
* Tweaked LW shop contents
* Added DW shop (shopkeeper to come later)

Stuff left before releasing an untested demo:
*I'll likely release an untested version when all the non-optional stuff is done and then the real demo when everthing is done and testing.

- Tile/mask/finish fire temple entrance
[IN PROGRESS]- Fully mask both overworlds
- Add diggrids to both overworlds
- Add scene to enter the mansion dungeon
- Add scene to enter the final dark world dungeon
[SCRAPPED] - Add character visuals for standing in waterfall
[IN PROGRESS] - Connect the mansion dungeon to the overworld
- Edit the lightworld shop with different items
- Add a new dark world shop
[OPTIONAL] - Add the magic granting devil
- Tile/mask/finish fairy cave
- Check all area's introduction texts
- Check and edit all enemy placements
- Add all remaining heart pieces
- Evaluate and update all (secret) chest contents
[OPTIONAL]- Tile/mask/finish witch hut
[OPTIONAL]- Add witch hut potion shop
- Add ability to exchange the mushroom for powder
[OPTIONAL]- Add Link's starting house
[OPTIONAL]- Tile/mask/finish lightworld village house 1. Inn?
[OPTIONAL]- Tile/mask/finish lightworld village house 2. Random NPC house?
[OPTIONAL]- Add NPC's to lightworld town outside area
[OPTIONAL]- Tile/mask/finish fortuneteller house. (= heart piece hint system)
[OPTIONAL]- Fully complete overworld tilesets (=death mountain lightning+ custom tiles)
- Add last chest to the dark world overworld
[OPTIONAL] - Add NPC to the dark world town outside area
- Tweak collision scripting when jumping into deep water
- Edit overworlds to allow easier deep water exiting everywhere
- Fix found issues with moving through deep water terrain
[OPTIONAL]- Finish new enemies: chickens
[NEW] - Add DW shopkeeper
[NEW OPTIONAL] - Tweak masking for run wall collisions with breakable walls
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 04, 2019, 08:41:29 pm
Weekly progress report:
Code: [Select]

0.21.71 (2 augustus 2019)
* Tweaked visuals bottles in chests
* Tiled witch hut
* Added LW potion shop contents (NPC's come later)
* Fixed HUD not updating after drinking potions

0.21.72 (3 augustus 2019)
* Fixed issue with particle objects not animating
* Started work on little devil summoning

0.21.73 (4 augustus 2019)
* Added a series of NPC's: Oni guy, witch, witch assistant, moss guy, little devil
* Finished DW shop
* Finished potion shop
* Implemented oni in the DW town
* Added witch to trade mushroom for powder
* Made progress with the little devil summoning scene

Stuff left before releasing an untested demo:
*I'll likely release an untested version when all the non-optional stuff is done and then the real demo when everything is done and testing.

[IN PROGRESS]- Fully mask both overworlds
- Add diggrids to both overworlds
- Add scene to enter the mansion dungeon
- Add scene to enter the final dark world dungeon
[IN PROGRESS] - Connect the mansion dungeon to the overworld
[ALMOST DONE] - Add the magic granting devil
- Tile/mask/finish fairy cave
- Check all area's introduction texts
- Check and edit all enemy placements
[OPTIONAL]- Tile/mask/finish witch hut
[OPTIONAL]- Add witch hut potion shop
- Add ability to exchange the mushroom for powder

[OPTIONAL]- Add Link's starting house
[OPTIONAL]- Tile/mask/finish lightworld village house 1. Inn?
[OPTIONAL]- Tile/mask/finish lightworld village house 2. Random NPC house?
[OPTIONAL]- Add NPC's to lightworld town outside area
[OPTIONAL]- Tile/mask/finish fortuneteller house. (= heart piece hint system)
[OPTIONAL]- Fully complete overworld tilesets (=death mountain lightning+custom tiles)
[OPTIONAL] - Add NPC to the dark world town outside area
- Tweak collision scripting when jumping into deep water
- Edit overworlds to allow easier deep water exiting everywhere
- Fix found issues with moving through deep water terrain
[OPTIONAL]- Finish new enemies: chickens
- Add DW shopkeeper
[OPTIONAL] - Tweak masking for run wall collisions with breakable walls
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 19, 2019, 11:34:43 am
Hello again.
Sorry about the lack of progress this month. I just got back from a 2 week vacation (which I never mention online till after for security reasons). Expect progress to continue next weekend.

Also, I think I need about 3 more weekends till the next demo now. Anybody still interested in doing playtesting and/or recording?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on August 19, 2019, 05:59:40 pm
I'll be soon away, but after those Weekends i could stream/play it and link you the vod maybe clip some bugs from it
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 20, 2019, 10:08:52 am
Thanks. I'd appreciate it.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 25, 2019, 09:43:34 pm
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.21.74 (17 augustus 2019)
* Fixed south and east wall collisions while swimming

0.21.75 (24 augustus 2019)
* Tweaked overworld tiling (and tilesets)
* Recoded obj_Deep_Water objects
* Added diagonal jumping out of deep water
* Added collision checking while jumping into deep water

0.21.76 (25 augustus 2019)
* Added visual indication for locked overworld doors
* Spend 8+ hours ironing out all known tiling/masking/coding issues with the overworld water edges that were accumulating over time. Nice milestone!
* Never mind: Found several new bugs in the GML software itself again that mess up some water interactions :(
* Fixed house doors so they only reset offscreen

Stuff left before releasing an untested demo:
*I'll likely release an untested version when all the non-optional stuff is done and then the real demo when everything is done and testing.

[IN PROGRESS]- Fully mask both overworlds
- Add diggrids to both overworlds
- Add scene to enter the mansion dungeon
- Add scene to enter the final dark world dungeon
[IN PROGRESS] - Connect the mansion dungeon to the overworld
[ALMOST DONE] - Add the magic granting devil
- Tile/mask/finish fairy cave
- Check all area's introduction texts
- Check and edit all enemy placements
[OPTIONAL]- Add Link's starting house
[SCRAPPED]- Tile/mask/finish lightworld village house 1. Inn?
[SCRAPPED]- Tile/mask/finish lightworld village house 2. Random NPC house?
[OPTIONAL]- Add NPC's to lightworld town outside area
[OPTIONAL]- Tile/mask/finish fortuneteller house. (= heart piece hint system)
[OPTIONAL]- Fully complete overworld tilesets (=death mountain lightning+custom tiles)
- Tweak collision scripting when jumping into deep water
- Edit overworlds to allow easier deep water exiting everywhere
- Fix found issues with moving through deep water terrain
[OPTIONAL]- Finish new enemies: chickens
[OPTIONAL]- Tweak masking for run wall collisions with breakable walls
[NEW]- Think up some sollution for the latest GML bugs I found :(
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 01, 2019, 07:46:28 pm
So, I'm sorry to say that I'll need another weekend for the next demo due to time/energy spend on two new Gamemaker Studio bugs:
1. the WITH(..) functions sometimes does not detect all instances in the room. I've recoded the most critical usages of the function but given that I use WITH(..) in 1600+ places in the project, that's just painfull.
2. When I save the project under a new title (like "public demo") some external files are not recognized in the new project. Even though they show up in the workspace and windows explorer, and can be opened from both locations. And (for as far as I was able to detect) this only occurs for some of the latest files.
...
And then I discovered I was not allowed to run with the runtime version I used before.
...
GameMaker updates breaking more then they solve again really bummed me out this weekend man.  :'(

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.21.77 (30 augustus 2019)
* The GML WITH(..) function is bugged. Switched back to the older INSTANCE_NUMBER(..) and INSTANCE_FIND(..) alternative where the results where definitely off.
* Fixed issues with swimming below the overworld bridges
* Tweaked ocotrok AI to only shoot out rocks while the character is not too far away
* Improved collision detection between wall crashing and breakable walls
* Tweaked dark world containers
* Finished overworld masking
* Finished all overworld diggrids
* Checked / edited all room hud texts
* Improved collisions when jumping into water
* Tweaked overworld tiling here and there
* Fixed sounds when jumping off a ledge into deep water

0.21.78 (31 augustus 2019)
* Lost another half day due to Gamemaker not recognizing (some) external files if you save the as a new version. :(
* Finished little devil summoning scene
* Fixed visual issue with enemy depth object
* Add 1/4th magic upgrade item to the gauntlet
* Added functional altars in front of mansion to place rings on
* Started mansion entrance scene

0.21.79 (1 september 2019)
* Made good progress on the mansion entrance scene

Stuff left before releasing an untested demo:
*I'll likely release an untested version when all the non-optional stuff is done and then the real demo when everything is done and testing.

[IN PROGRESS]- Fully mask both overworlds
- Add diggrids to both overworlds
[IN PROGRESS] - Add scene to enter the mansion dungeon
- Add scene to enter the final dark world dungeon
[IN PROGRESS] - Connect the mansion dungeon to the overworld
[ALMOST DONE] - Add the magic granting devil
- Tile/mask/finish fairy cave
- Check all area's introduction texts
- Check and edit all enemy placements
[OPTIONAL]- Add Link's starting house
[OPTIONAL]- Add NPC's to lightworld town outside area
[OPTIONAL]- Tile/mask/finish fortuneteller house. (= heart piece hint system)
[OPTIONAL]- Fully complete overworld tilesets (=death mountain lightning+custom tiles)
[OPTIONAL]- Finish new enemies: chickens
[OPTIONAL]- Tweak masking for run wall collisions with breakable walls
- Think up some sollution for the latest GML bugs I found :(
[NEW] Handle GM:Studio2 issue with unrecognized external collision files


EDIT: Correction on last weeks update XD :
I am informed by YoYo Games that the main bug I found in their recent updates, is in fact not a bug but only a small new feature that nobody will be bothered by.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: FrozenFire on September 08, 2019, 08:46:44 am
Looks like some nice progress has been made, as always, but it sounds like things have been pretty troublesome for you lately with GameMaker. Sorry to hear that.

The main reason I'm posting though is because waaaay back in the middle of May I said I was going to try to record a play through of the blue underwater prison dungeon. Sadly, that didn't happen. But now that I'm 'back', I was wanting to try for it again. However, now it sounds like you're close to releasing a new demo (?), so maybe I should wait a bit more for that. In any case, it's going on my to-do list this time. :P
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 08, 2019, 09:32:53 am
Hi Micah. How's it going?

Gamemaker is a real pain in the butt right now. I had hoped to get a release done last weekend, but now I'm wondering if I can even make it by the end of the day. Most of the big Gamemaker problems I have circumvented, but there is one blocking issue left with a few included textfiles (=external collision grids) not getting reads somehow. Meaning Link can't move in some rooms, effectively locking the game.

I'd suggest first playing the current demo. It'll still be very much appreciated and more stable the upcoming demo.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 08, 2019, 07:38:32 pm
And here is the new demo:
https://www.mediafire.com/file/vzh0paloew8aqle/Zelda_0_21_83_public_demo.zip/file

WARNING: This is an early version for testing only! I have NOT yet been able to playtest (the whole thing) so expect plenty of bugs and so on. I'd advice saving every so often.

Also note that the water and masking in the final area (=see screenshot) is bugged. I did not have the time to finish this area fully yet. It is ALL the way at the end of the game though and you CAN walk into the dungeon to end the game.

Progress log:
Code: [Select]
Code: [Select]

0.21.80 (3 september 2019)
* Fixed character stuttering while on moving platforms

0.21.81 (7 september 2019)
* Added fairy cave
* Added 2 story starting home
* Tweaked DW House tileset
* Tweaked overworld masking

0.21.82 (8 september 2019)
* Fixed issue with some external files not getting detected
* Tweaked overworld deep water masking
* Game now actually starts in the starting home
* Finished mansion entrance scene
* Finished connecting the mansion to the oveworld
* Started work on the scene to access the final dungeon
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on September 08, 2019, 09:21:29 pm
i played for just a few minutes... and there are for now just a few minor issues:

- the shield to the "tutorial dungeon" in the north can neither be grabbed (like its indicated) nor read
- the item drop animations seem rather fast
- the "water dungeon" to the south has a rather big issue: link spawns into the second staircase so he just steps up and down the stairs endlessly
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 09, 2019, 05:44:16 am
Thanks. I'll have a fixed version out by next weekend.

EDIT:
- Fixed the reported bugs on my end now. (Except the item sequences - that's as intended)
- Also fixed the water not showing by the waterfalls in that 2nd screenshot
- New bug found just now: the sword beam does not animate in all directions
   (I'll go fix that tomorrow) => Now also fixed
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 15, 2019, 06:37:27 am
Here is the updated demo:
https://www.mediafire.com/file/wpir7agyjg94g2t/Zelda_0_21_84_public_demo.zip/file

WARNING: Still an untested (potentially buggy) version

Progress log:
Code: [Select]
0.21.83 (9 september 2019)
* Fixed doorway positioning in underwater dungeon
* Added text to intro cave entrance signpost
* Fixed first bodies of water not displaying in underwater prison
* Fixed sword beams not animating in all directions

0.21.84 (14 september 2019)
* Fixed swimming issue in the final dungeon area
* Fixed chickens (and other enemies) ignoring ledges while walking about

Stuff left before the true demo:
[IN PROGRESS] - Add scene to enter the final dark world dungeon
- Check and edit all enemy placements
[OPTIONAL]- Add NPC's to lightworld town outside area
[OPTIONAL]- Tile/mask/finish fortuneteller house. (= heart piece hint system)
[OPTIONAL]- Fully complete overworld tilesets (=death mountain lightning+custom tiles)
[OPTIONAL]- Finish new enemies: chickens
- Fix fairies getting stuck on friction terrain
- Fix water near final area not working
[NOW IN PROGRESS]- Playtest entire game

====

EDIT: I'll likely release another demo in the next 12 hours because of some more bugs I found while playtesting.

Example: The sewers dungeon can't be explored yet because one of the torches you need to open the first door has the incorrect starting state. Get this. Appearently (since updating) the GM room creation code is triggered AFTER the creation code of SOME objects but not others. So in the sewer area 12 torch objects exist and of those 7 get created before the correct area data is set, while 4 are created after. Like wtf?! You can't make this stuf up XD
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on September 15, 2019, 12:21:07 pm
oh =( that's sad... i looked forward to testing it since i replay LttP before the LA3D Release and it would have been fitting to put it after that  XD
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 15, 2019, 12:48:28 pm
What would be your cut-off time (=time after this post)?
I'm working at the problem already, but maybe I use a quick workaround in the meantime? (I really look forward to seeing the recordings so its no problem at all XD).

EDIT: Solved the creation coding problem. Let me know when you want the demo for recording (if you're still open to that anyway) and I'll see that as my deadline for the day.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on September 15, 2019, 01:40:37 pm
What would be your cut-off time (=time after this post)?
I'm working at the problem already, but maybe I use a quick workaround in the meantime? (I really look forward to seeing the recordings so its no problem at all XD).

EDIT: Solved the creation coding problem. Let me know when you want the demo for recording (if you're still open to that anyway) and I'll see that as my deadline for the day.

I will pm you on Discord for easier communication  ;)

but i will continue my LttP playthrough in about 1 1/2 hour (maybe a bit earlier) and still have 2 Dungeon, a few Items, Ganon and the four Swords Dungeon... so you have enough time and i'll write when i reach the end.

From your earlier post it sounded like you'll release the demo exactly when i have to go to bed  XD
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 15, 2019, 05:21:13 pm
And here is yet another version:
https://www.mediafire.com/file/m76muxm0dkqlavf/Zelda_0_21_85_public_demo.zip/file

I solved all the latest issues but I sadly also found some new ones:
- You will not be able dive beneath bridges and such in the underwater dungeon (in the left direction)
- You will not be able to exit deep water in some of the exits in the underwater dungeon (in the left direction)

Progress report for the weekend:
Code: [Select]
0.21.85 (15 september 2019)
* Tweaked Murray intro text slighlty
* Fixed issue with the first closed door in the sewers area
* Closed door to fortuneteller house (for now)
* Fixed an unneeded door close sound upon repeat passing through the cave to dungeon 1
* Fixed error when entering B1 of dungeon 1
* Fixed some missing water visuals in underwater prison dungeon
* Fixed deep water object depths
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 06, 2019, 08:51:24 pm
Another update report.
Sorry about the absence the last couple of weeks. I needed to take a break to clear my head for a little bit giving some personal stuff going on. That being said: testing has continued and resulted in a bunch of bugfixes. There is still plenty of testing left to do, so I'm releasing another testdemo for anybody that wants to help. Just play the demo as far as possible while trying to break the game ;)

Here is the updated demo:
https://www.mediafire.com/file/5ipdie9mudt1mtu/Zelda_0_21_91_public_demo.zip/file

WARNING: Still not fully playtested and probably buggy at points (specifically in regards to the green dungeon and mansion dungeon)

Progress log:
Code: [Select]
0.21.86 (15 september 2019)
* Fixed being unable to dive to under bridges etc in a left direction
* Edited diving and water depths

0.21.87 (16 september 2019)
* Fixed staircase to the lowest level of the underwater prison
* Fixed Moldorm eye directions

0.21.88 (27 september 2019)
* Tweaked / fixed a serie of smaller issues found during twitch stream testing

0.21.89 (28 september 2019)
* Partially fixed water collission issue near LW tower
* Added overworld signpost for more directions
* Fixed some NPC's disappearing after walking away 2 rooms

0.21.90 (5 oktober 2019)
* Fixed swimming issue: exiting water diagonally sometimes resulted in trying to swim in the floor
* Fixed jumping out of deep water in the east direction when their is in incomplete stair present
* Fixed swimming collision with walls (for smoother transition into jumping out of the water)
* Fixed random issue: getting stuck in the first d1 bird statue
* Fixed outside scene after finishing dungeon 1
* Fixed tomb 1 entrance opening / staying open
* Fixed error when collecting keys collected by thrown containers
* Fixed spiked block and rolling pins being killable

0.21.91 (6 oktober 2019)
* Fixed visual water tiling issue in bottom floor of the underwater prison
* Fixed error when collecting updated dungeon secret chest contents
* Tweaked d3 basement tiling
* Fixed enemies damaging hero during scenes
* Fixed south wall collisions in the secret cave to the desert area
* Fixed visuals while pushing something after first grabbing and destroying a create
* Fixed stairs down to midboss 1 in the desert dungeon
* Fixed more staircases in the desert dungeon
* Lessened sanmola and lanmola hp values
* Fixed desert dungeon shallow water visibility
* Fixed glitch where throwning a container against another in a very specific way causes it get destroyed endlessly
* Fixed error when letting a bomb explode while carrying it
* Fixed getting stuck in the wall when ledge jumping when partly moving over a doorway
* Made updates to several collision grids
* Fixed d1 fairy room tiling depth issue
* Fixed staircase issue in d1 also
* Fixed detached attacks being able to attack the same enemy multiple times
* Fixed magic shield depleting during menu's

Stuff left before the true demo:
[IN PROGRESS] - Add scene to enter the final dark world dungeon
- Check and edit all enemy placements
[SCRAPPED]- Add NPC's to lightworld town outside area
[OPTIONAL]- Tile/mask/finish fortuneteller house. (= heart piece hint system)
[OPTIONAL]- Fully complete overworld tilesets (=death mountain lightning+custom tiles)
[OPTIONAL]- Finish new enemies: chickens
- Fix fairies getting stuck on friction terrain
[NEW]- Fix fairies getting stuck on some action objects
[NEW]- Fix Stalfos briefly getting stuck in stairs
[STILL IN PROGRESS - TWO DUNGEONS LEFT]- Playtest entire game
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on October 06, 2019, 10:04:36 pm
D:

that are a hell lot of fixes...
will test it when i've got the time... ;)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 14, 2019, 08:32:59 pm
Yeah, between your testing and mine there is still plenty of fixes left to do. I had inteded to spend extra time on it to make the NCFC event, but now that it looks like event+site are dead maybe I'll take a little breather the coming days.

Progress log:
Code: [Select]
0.21.92 (11 oktober 2019)
* Fixed exit scene placeholder forest dungeon
* Removed duplicate sword upgrade in placeholder forest dungeon
* Fixed tiling issue dungeon 1
* Fixed tiling depth issue in dungeon 1 cannonball rooms
* Fixed depth for the warp shortcut to the dungeon 1 boss
* Tweaked wall running crash collisions
* Fixed error at start boss dungeon 1 intro scene

0.21.93 (12 oktober 2019)
* Tweaked timing in mansion entrance scene
* Fixed mansion dungeon maze collision grids
* Also fixed the straight staircases in the mansion
* Fixed tiling issues in the mansion garden
* Fixed mansion boss music continuing after the fight
* Switched mansion secret chests contents
* Fixed missing blocking door on mansion op level
* Added missing final treasure to dw dungeon 1, 2 and 5
* Fixed bari enemy turning to stone after boomerang hit
* Lessened octorok hp value
* Added a backup mirror to the dw in case to enter without having collected it yet
* Fixed sprite on textbox if collecting quarter heart 5+
* Fixed error when collecting a heart piece with the boomerang
* Edited overworlds so one of the heart pieces can only be collected with the upgraded gloves (as originally intended)

0.21.94 (13 oktober 2019)
* Added failsafe for when collecting the golden shovel before the regular one
* Tweaked cave to DW final dungeon
* Fixed water exiting near final dungeon entrance
* Tweaked DW placeholder town dungeon entrance requirements
* Fixed error when collecting DW dungeon 3 treasure
* Fixed menu display of collected crystals
* Fixed DW tiling issue near tower dark world
* Fixed endlessly spawning chest in the dark world tower
* Fixed tiling issue entrance DW placeholder forest dungeon
* Fixed scene end of DW placeholder forest dungeon
* Fixed tiling issue on LW death mountain
* Fixed invincible container on death mountain
* Fixed medalion not spawning on death mountain
* Fixed error when using hammer on a container on the first frame after warping to a the LW/DW (during the warp sequence)
* Fixed invisible character components (like item masks) becoming visible for a few frames during warp animations – in very specific circumstances
* Added missing golden glove item to the game
* Fixed some tiling issues in the dw version of the starting area
* Fixed dw forest tree spawning a full heart instead of a heart piece as intended
* Fixed text engine visuals when collecting a piece of heart
* Added missing visual on the file select screen for the 8th collected crystal

Stuff left before the true demo:
[IN PROGRESS] - Add scene to enter the final dark world dungeon
[NOW OPTIONAL]- Check and edit all enemy placements
[OPTIONAL]- Tile/mask/finish fortuneteller house. (= heart piece hint system)
[OPTIONAL]- Fully complete overworld tilesets (=death mountain lightning+custom tiles)
[OPTIONAL]- Finish new enemies: chickens
- Fix fairies getting stuck on friction terrain
- Fix fairies getting stuck on some action objects
- Fix Stalfos briefly getting stuck in stairs
- Playtest entire game
[NEW] Fix latest liferstream glitchs found
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 22, 2019, 08:51:11 am
Seems like the NCFC will still continue in about 7 days. (They went black for a number of days but things seems to have been fixed now). So that means I'm going to have put in extra effort to get the demo fully done before then. Below is the latest demo version for those of you that want to help out with playtesting.

(Almost fully completed) demo download:
https://www.mediafire.com/file/mw8dnt47fyglo9n/Zelda_0_21_95_public_demo.zip/file

Progress log:
Code: [Select]
0.21.95 (21 oktober 2019)
* Fixed error when warping into some cleared dungeons
* Fixed some specific ledge jumping issues in Underwater Prison dungeon
* Fixed missing water visuals while floating in the water
* Fixed being able to activate push switches by pulling
* Tweaked final water bodies in underwater prison dungeon
* Added some small shortcuts to the underwater prison
* Made progress on the scene to open up the final dungeon entrance (= the part in case of missing crystals is now finished)

Stuff left before the true demo:
[PARTLY DONE] - Add scene to enter the final dark world dungeon
[SCRAPPED]- Check and edit all enemy placements
[OPTIONAL]- Tile/mask/finish fortuneteller house (= heart piece hint system)
[OPTIONAL]- Fully complete overworld tilesets (= death mountain lightning+custom tiles)
[OPTIONAL]- Finish new enemies: chickens
- Fix fairies getting stuck on friction terrain
- Fix fairies getting stuck on some action objects
- Fix Stalfos briefly getting stuck in stairs
[DONE]-Fix latest liferstream glitchs found
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: gcatgrey on October 25, 2019, 03:02:43 pm
Peux t-on me dire ooù est le marteau et le canne de comarra dans le démo
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 25, 2019, 04:50:03 pm
Vous devez atteindre les donjons d'espace réservé du monde obscur pour les deux objets.
Où en êtes-vous actuellement?

(=You need to reach the dark world placeholder dungeons for both items.
How far along are you currently?)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: gcatgrey on October 25, 2019, 04:58:13 pm
J'ai recupéré la botte et la première bague
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: gcatgrey on October 25, 2019, 05:00:31 pm
Ils sont où les donjons du monde obscurs
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 25, 2019, 05:36:01 pm
Dans le sud-ouest de l'overworld se trouve le cachot bleu. Si vous avez les bottes, vous pouvez également accéder au donjon du désert en traversant le bac à sable.
------
In the south west of the overworld is the blue dungeon. If you have the boots you can also access the desert dungeon by crossing the sandpit.

PS: The darkworld is accessable on the west side of the overworld after beating the mansion dungeon (aka dungeon 4)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: gcatgrey on October 26, 2019, 09:57:54 am
Peux t-on m'aider à cet démo j'ai recupéré le gant, les palmes, l 'épée n°2 et je suis bloquéée car il me manque le marteau et la canne.Merçi
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 26, 2019, 10:47:50 am
D'accord, c'est peut-être à cause de la barrière de la langue.

Il y a un manoir à droite de la zone de départ. Le voyou fait allusion à quoi faire. Fondamentalement: en face de la maison il y a 3 piédestaux. Vous pouvez y placer les anneaux pour déclencher une cinématique.

=========

Okay, maybe it's because of the language barrier.

There is a mansion to the right of the starting area. The thug there hint at what to do. Basically: in front of the mansion there are 3 pedestals. You can place the rings there to trigger a cutscene to continue.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 now out]
Post by: Martijn dh on October 26, 2019, 02:29:34 pm
And here is finally the download link that I will be showing off at the NCFC event.
I believe that it is now nice and stable, but please let me know if you find anything that I might have missed.

Download
Demo version: 0.21.100
File Size: 19,16 MB (Zipped)
Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 (Changable)
Download (Dropbox): https://www.dropbox.com/s/bqfjjeubpfdbc7l/Zelda%200%2021%20100%20%28public%20demo%29.zip?dl=0
Download (Mediafire): https://www.mediafire.com/file/27j0opxu4hlpli1/Zelda_0_21_100_%28public_demo%29.zip/file

Default controls*:
D - Action button (open doors / read text / grab / etc) + Confirm button (while in menus)
G - Attack button (hold and release for a full swing attack) + Cancel button (while in menus)
S - Perform run action (if you have the boots available)
R - Use item A
F - Use item B
Space - Brings up item menu
Enter - Brings up map menu
Escape - Pauses the game (can be used to exit the game)

* The controls can be personalized in the options menu at the start of the game.

Differences compared to the last version:
Show content
Build an entirely new lightworld
Added equally big dark overworld
Added (magic mirror) warping between worlds
Added placeholder dungeons for the dark world
Added more heart pieces to find and collect

Added tunic upgrades
Added more scenes
Added more shops
Added more NPC's
Added chest mini game
Added more idle animations
Added devil shrine for the magic upgrade
Added bomb/arrow capacity upgrades (as chest contents)
Altered contents of all secret dungeon chests
Added option to hookshot yourself towards wooden poles

Added a ton of dark world variations for existing things like:
   trees, digging, water, character effects and so on
Added new terrain types: poisous water & desert quicksand

Upgraded to latest version of GameMaker Studio 2
   (and spend months fixing the damage)
Made a ton of (extensive) performance related updated
Fully redid all tileset usage

And a ton of smaller tweak, fixes and additions


Progress since the last update:
Code: [Select]
0.21.96 (22 oktober 2019)
* Fixed doorway issue in the bonus gauntlet DW dungeon
* Fixed several more specific swimming area wall collision
* Made good progress on the final dungeon entrance scene

0.21.97 (23 oktober 2019)
* Fixed some more specific swimming issues
* Finished scene to open up the final dungeon entrance
* Shadows now adjust in color based on the (shallow) water underneath
* Improved warping back to the light world for pixel perfect positioning
* Fixed fairy & enemy collisions vs several terrain types
(= the collision_rectangle() seemed to not work for precise collision checking anymore in some common situations due to the floating point value errors I complained about earlier. Customer support says they'll put my suggestion for a better rounding function into consideration so maybe that'll help at some time the future)

0.21.98 (24 oktober 2019)
* Fixed Molgera not being drawn near the edge off the screen (due to it's huge size)
* Fixed recently added shotcuts in the Underwater prison already being triggered upon starting a new game

0.21.99 (25 oktober 2019)
* Tweaked shadows outside of dark world tower
* Improved collisions when entering deep water from shallow water
* Made hinttext for crossing the desert pit more explicit
* Made one of the Molgera attack a bit slower
* Fixed a visuals hickup in the desert dungeon ending scene

0.21.100 (26 oktober 2019)
* Tweaked credits
* Tweaked collision grid outside of LW tower
* Fixed collisions when jumping into deep water while hugging the right wall
* Improved collisions vs diagonal walls while swimming and diving
* Fixed some misalligned pixels in the sprites while swimming left and up while wearing upgraded tunics
* Tweaked several water edges south of the LW and DW towers
* Added a smooth time out option for walking out deep water in unintended ways
* Tweaked exiting deep water into shallow water checks to make them more lenient
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on October 27, 2019, 12:22:08 am
nice one! sorry, i couldnt test the earlier versions... but looks like you really made progress here!
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Martijn dh on October 27, 2019, 04:31:09 pm
Thanks and no worries. The videos you made helped enormously.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Martijn dh on November 10, 2019, 07:05:28 pm
And here is the latest update. Basically I'm currently trying out several idea's for a new boss. (Check the attachment for a screenshot).

Any thoughts on the boss visuals? I'm trying to give it a bit of a scorpion feel. Also, like the other bosses, the mechanics will only be partly based on the original. Still unsure about the claw's colors though.

Progress report
Quote
0.22.00 (27 oktober 2019)
* Started work on new boss

0.22.01 (28 oktober 2019)
* Made progress on newest boss
* Added more standardized boss variables (=full_hp etc)

0.22.02 (3 november 2019)
* Made progress on boss

0.22.03 (9 november 2019)
* Made progress on boss

0.22.04 (10 november 2019)
* Made progress on boss
* Fixed pulling sweat effect not disappearing
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: RetroRespecter on November 19, 2019, 06:45:02 am
The claws clash with the rest of the body. The tail doesn't look like a scorpion's.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Martijn dh on November 19, 2019, 06:19:08 pm
I'll see what I can do
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Martijn dh on November 23, 2019, 06:51:13 pm
Beter?
The arms will eventually be drawn below the mask so please ignore the inconsistency there.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Efrainess on November 28, 2019, 01:13:34 pm
I kind of like his arms this way as well. Way scarier. haha
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Martijn dh on November 28, 2019, 09:43:48 pm
Thanks.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Martijn dh on December 01, 2019, 09:49:34 pm
Sorry, I don't have a lot of progress to report currently as I'd like to have seen. Mostly life stuff happen (=work, failed teeth fillings, the dating scene, etc).

Also, I'm trying out some more complex mechanics for the new Helmasaurus boss. Initially I was going to keep it simple to pump out a new boss every month or so, but wouldn't you know it.... It's becoming the most complex boss yet. With a tug of war type of gimmick followed up by a desperation fight. Hopefully I can show it off for testing in a few weeks.

Latest update:
Code: [Select]
0.22.05 (16-24 november 2019)
* Made progress on boss:
  finalised sprites, sprite positioning and retreating

0.22.06 (1 december 2019)
* Extended enemy projectile object functionalities
* Added Helmasaurus fireballs
* Started work on Helmasaurus flamethrower
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Martijn dh on December 16, 2019, 09:25:46 pm
Sorry about the lack of updates these last 2 weekends. The exact same stuff from the last post is still ongoing on so progress has been really slow. I hope to get back to things by the next weekend again though.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Mariotag on December 17, 2019, 01:12:06 am
No hurry. Certainly looking forward to the finished result though!
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Martijn dh on December 17, 2019, 06:06:52 pm
Thanks. That really helps me stay motivation.
I'll aim to have this latest boss fully done and playable by the end of the year.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Martijn dh on January 05, 2020, 06:33:18 pm
Hello again and welcome to the first update post of 2020.
So, I ended up getting the flu mid december, getting knocked me out for over a week. So I didn't quite meet that last self imposed deadline of jan 1st. Also (like is often the case with me) there is some *slight* scope creep going on XD.

That being said, progress still isn't half bad. The boss area has now been fleshed more (as seen in the attachment). It's all placeholder but the core dungeon feeling should be there. Also, the boss is getting along as well. The attack patterns are about 80% done and the stuff around the boss (like spawning, testing, scenes etc) is about 60% done. What's left now is adding the latest attacks, finishing the scenes etc and a whole lot of playtesting.

For those interested in helping with playtesting: the updated expectation is to release a new demo in about 2 weeks time. In it you can spawn directly in the boss area (with upgraded gear) by naming your character "boss". Just to save you the time of going through an hours long game to get to the new stuff.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.06 (29 december 2019)
* Added boss helmet damage and destruction
* Added boss damage visuals
* Added boss custom death sequence

0.22.07 (3 januari 2020)
* Designed/updated B05 dungeon area around introducing latest boss battle (up from 3 to 7 rooms)

0.22.08 (4 januari 2020)
* Fixed issue with Helmasaurus death sequence
* Added new object type to force character into 2nd half of Helmasaurus boss fight
* Fixed some boss area tiling issues
* Added feature to skip directly to the latest boss area by naming a new character “boss”. (You'll also get some upgrades you might have at that point. Expect the game to have issues if you explore beyond the boss area because of this – obviously).
* Fixed camera issue after dying while fighting Helmasaurus in stage 2
* Added dungeon goal to appear after Helmasaurus fight
* Redid room to get mines dungeon treasure

0.22.09 (5 januari 2020)
* Tweaked room collision grids
* Added roars to boss AI
* Added new terrain object to trigger condition checks on collisions
* Added some light puzzle mechanics to Helmasaurus area
* Started work on Helmasaurus encounter scenes
* Started work on Helmasaurus chase sequence
* Added a bunch of smaller tweaks and fixes
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Martijn dh on January 30, 2020, 06:22:30 pm
Sorry, no progress. I just wanted to post about why I haven't posted these last couple of weeks for those following the topic. I don't want anybody thinking it's dead or anything.

The bad news: Basically I've been extra busy with work for about two months now. With this last month mostly working overtime and in a few the weekends. And after such days I tend to be beat and not feeling like doing additional programming.

The good? news: This current business at work *should* get back to normal in a few more weeks. Probably. I've also got a "time for time" arrangement, so when things settle down I will be taking some time off to re-energize and then return to this hobby of mine.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Mariotag on January 30, 2020, 10:59:14 pm
Eh. Everyone has times that're difficult. I'm looking forward to what you come up with eventually!
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Martijn dh on February 23, 2020, 09:14:35 pm
Just a little message to show that I am (albeit slowly) starting to get back into the project.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.10 (12 januari 2020)
* Cleaned up some minor boss depth issues
* Added custom shadows for latest boss
* Finished Helmasaurus encounter scenes

0.22.11 (15 februari 2020)
* Made progress on Helmasaurus flamethrower attacks

0.22.12 (23 februari 2020)
* Finished Helmasaurus flamethrower attacks
* Redid + finished Helmasaurus tail attacks
* Fixed tail death animation
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [NEW BOSS playable]
Post by: Martijn dh on March 08, 2020, 09:30:08 pm
So I've FINALLY managed to finish the Helmasaurus King boss fight. Or at least, I decided to cut it off at whatever I wasn't able to fully build/test/polish by the end of the weekend. That means I had to cut out a chase sequence across multiple rooms, but seeing as how I've been stuck in "development hell" here for (gulp) almost half a year, I'm kinda itching to start new stuff to keep it going again.

All in all this is definitly the most complex creature to date so I'm quite curious what you guys think. Any and all feedback is welcome, as always.

You can find the boss in the demo below if you want to try him out. Just create a new gamefile and call your character "boss" to get transported to the boss's mini-dungeon. You will also start with some extra hearts and equipment to represent the midgame progression. Please keep in mind that exiting the dungeon locks you out of re-entering it - it's just a quick & dirty heck to save you some time getting to the fight.

Download
Demo version: 0.22.15
File Size: 19,22 MB (Zipped)
Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 (Changable)
Download (Mediafire): https://www.mediafire.com/file/nrqo6mygqhawdem/Zelda_0_22_15_%28Helmasaurus_King_boss%29.zip/file

Default controls*:
D - Action button (open doors / read text / grab / etc) + Confirm button (while in menus)
G - Attack button (hold and release for a full swing attack) + Cancel button (while in menus)
S - Perform run action (if you have the boots available)
R - Use item A
F - Use item B
Space - Brings up item menu
Enter - Brings up map menu
Escape - Pauses the game (can be used to exit the game)

* The controls can be personalized in the options menu at the start of the game.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [NEW BOSS playable]
Post by: Martijn dh on March 15, 2020, 10:14:52 pm
Just a quicky: Started work on the next boss as seen in the attached image. They're GBA visuals but I think I can make it work.

Last week I considered dropping work on more bosses alltogether, but with the corona / wuhan virus disrupting life more and more now we'll be homebound anyway. (= not sick, just following preventative voluntary self-containment as requested by employer and government). Might as well take on a bigger feature to pass the time :-\. Anybody else in a simular boat?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 23, 2020, 03:03:26 pm
Just a quicky update. Had a little accident and messed up my left foot + lower leg recently. So I'm not quite as productive as I had hoped, but it's still going.

Recent progress:
Code: [Select]
0.22.13 (1 maart 2020)
* Fixed Helmasaurus depth issue of tail vs claws

0.22.14 (6 maart 2020)
* Fixed Helmasaurus depth issue of claws
* Added Helmasaurus attack pattern

0.22.15 (7 maart 2020)
* Recoded helmasaurus code substantially to solve several depth issues
* Fixed some issues when tail is destroyed before body and boss tries to attack with its tail
* Fixed helmasaurus projectiles being deflectable by swordslashes
* Fixed boss full retreat triggering unintended
* Fixed boss sprites sometimes dissappearing near the screen edges (=due to being disabled for performance)
* Fixed being able to exploit boss by damaging it in an endless attack loop
* Tweaked Helmasaurus attack patterns
* Prevented boss bodyparts from spawning small items upon destruction

0.22.16 (8 maart 2020)
* Tweaked boss stats
* Fixed masking issue in dungeon B5 entrance room
* Fixed bombs not being able to hit multiple overlapping enemies at the same time
* Tweaked Helmasaurus attack patterns
* Added extra hint sound to tail attacks
* Tweaked Helmasaurus appearance scene to prevent damage if standing near room edge
* Finally finished the Helmasaurus boss fight
* Intentially made first helmasaurus fight unwinnable
* Dropped Helmasaurus chase sequence

0.22.17 (15 maart 2020)
* Started work on new boss: Witch

0.22.18 (16 maart 2020)
* Made progress on new boss: added default movement pattern

0.22.18 (17 maart 2020)
* Made progress on new boss:
– fixed depth issue
– added animations
– added dynamic coloring

0.22.19 (18 maart 2020)
* Made progress on new boss:
- tweaked frozen/damaged coloring

0.22.20 (21 maart 2020)
- added boss stages
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Mariotag on March 23, 2020, 10:59:58 pm
Oof. Hope your leg and foot heal well.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Martijn dh on March 24, 2020, 07:08:34 pm
Thanks! Luckily it didn't up being broken.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Martijn dh on March 29, 2020, 10:02:26 pm
And here is yet another quick progress update.
By the way: did anybody happen to try out that last Helmasaurus boss? Was it manageable? How was the difficulty trying to figure out how to fight it?

Recent progress:
Code: [Select]
0.22.21 (28 maart 2020)
* Made progress on new boss:
- added death animations
- added attack charge state
- started work on attacks

0.22.22 (29 maart 2020)
* Made progress on new boss:
- finished adding first attack
- added option for agrahim style enemy projectile return bounce
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Samyur on April 02, 2020, 04:15:25 am
hello everyone, first things first, congratulate Martijn dh and the staff of the game, very good so far, i wrote this few words cause i has an issue with the character it get stuck mansion to the right of the starting area. in front of the mansion there are 3 pedestals. You can place the rings there to trigger a cutscene to continue, the problem is when you finish this mansion the player get stuck in the doorstep and i can go outside or inside, if someone of the staff can please help me with this, cause i already play for a while, and dont want to star over again, thanks in advance.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Samyur on April 02, 2020, 04:31:25 am
And here is yet another quick progress update.
By the way: did anybody happen to try out that last Helmasaurus boss? Was it manageable? How was the difficulty trying to figure out how to fight it?

thank you for the update. answering your question, The Helmasaurus boss the one u have to fight twice, is easy, keep distance and throw him bombs for crack the mask, when it drop the mask, stay in the middle keeping the distance and shoot many arrows when it stand at front of you. so far is easy to beat it only it do some damage with fire shoots that spreads.

when will be available, the last update 0.22.22
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Martijn dh on April 02, 2020, 07:05:08 am
Thanks for the replies. Also it's good to hear that the newest boss was doable.

About the next demo: The next boss will take me 1 or 2 more weekends to complete, so I'll probably release an small update by the end of the weekend regardless. To save your progress between versions you will have to move the savefile for the old to the new version manually. I'll explain it further when the next demo is here.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Samyur on April 02, 2020, 05:55:53 pm
Thanks for the replies. Also it's good to hear that the newest boss was doable.

About the next demo: The next boss will take me 1 or 2 more weekends to complete, so I'll probably release an small update by the end of the weekend regardless. To save your progress between versions you will have to move the savefile for the old to the new version manually. I'll explain it further when the next demo is here.

thanks for the quick reply, maybe you can help me its my player is stuck between the door and an invisible barrier,
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Samyur on April 02, 2020, 08:24:38 pm
What can i change in Resources\Saved data\set.ini or statA.ini to go back in the savefile to another location outside the mansion or move to another location because dont want to star over again
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Martijn dh on April 02, 2020, 08:30:45 pm
No worries. I'll look at the problem tomorrow / this weekend.
If you could attach statsA.ini to a reply then that might speed things up.

For now I suggest making a backup of the files found in that Saved Data folder.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Samyur on April 02, 2020, 09:05:22 pm
No worries. I'll look at the problem tomorrow / this weekend.
If you could attach statsA.ini to a reply then that might speed things up.

For now I suggest making a backup of the files found in that Saved Data folder.

already done backup, here is the savefile, thanks

PS: u dont have Discord?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Martijn dh on April 03, 2020, 01:03:55 pm
You can find me on Discord as will, but I rarely log in, so sending me messages over here will contact me faster.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [NEW BOSS playable]
Post by: Martijn dh on April 03, 2020, 06:27:44 pm
Here's the fixed version.
@Samyur: Just start the game once (so that the Save folder is created). Exit and just copy your earlier savefile into this new saved data folder.

==========

Download
Demo version: 0.22.24
File Size: 19,74 MB (Zipped)
Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 (Changable)
Download (Mediafire): https://www.mediafire.com/file/rpmlb4577e7ii6f/Zelda_0_22_24_%28bugfix%29.zip/file

Default controls*:
D - Action button (open doors / read text / grab / etc) + Confirm button (while in menus)
G - Attack button (hold and release for a full swing attack) + Cancel button (while in menus)
S - Perform run action (if you have the boots available)
R - Use item A
F - Use item B
Space - Brings up item menu
Enter - Brings up map menu
Escape - Pauses the game (can be used to exit the game)

* The controls can be personalized in the options menu at the start of the game.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Samyur on April 03, 2020, 07:45:55 pm

You can find me on Discord as will, but I rarely log in, so sending me messages over here will contact me faster.
[/quote]

Thanks Martijn dh for the fix, hope you finish the latest version soon, waiting for it,
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Martijn dh on April 03, 2020, 08:46:43 pm
Its already up. Check the last post before yours
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Samyur on April 03, 2020, 09:08:46 pm
thanks, dont have to chance anything cause it was the same version number, thanks again, and the changelog of this version is the same than 0.22.15 release. or there is something new?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Martijn dh on April 04, 2020, 08:48:41 am
I just forgot to update the name of the actual file then. This update is the same as version 0.22.15 plus a fix in the creation code of that one specific room you got stuck in. Some prep work was done for the next boss, but thats hidden until I'm finished.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Samyur on April 04, 2020, 08:24:00 pm
I just forgot to update the name of the actual file then. This update is the same as version 0.22.15 plus a fix in the creation code of that one specific room you got stuck in. Some prep work was done for the next boss, but thats hidden until I'm finished.

hi again, here is another bug that i found in the darter cave of the dark world when you purchase any item it get stuck and cant do anything else only save and quit. thanks
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Martijn dh on April 05, 2020, 10:02:22 pm
Sorry. I'm unable to recreate that issue so I can't fix it yet.

Does the money counter go down after holding up the item?
Do you hear the sound of the paying rupees?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Samyur on April 06, 2020, 02:16:19 am
Sorry. I'm unable to recreate that issue so I can't fix it yet.

Does the money counter go down after holding up the item?
Do you hear the sound of the paying rupees?

ok, the paying rupees sounds when you purchase the item, but the money counter no go down cause i has 999 and dont go down even if i pay another stuff like the chest game that you pay 40 rupees and dont go down.


PS: found another bugs to fix, 2 of then, the first is in the boss king Helmasaurus, when you kill it you get stuck inside the wall of blocks that runs forward when you destroy his mask. the music of the boss keep playing even when it already destroy.

and the second one is a tiny bug that you get stuck in the water, when you past in front of the darter cave in dark world, here is the error message and the photo of the exact point.

my regards

___________________________________________
############################################################################################
FATAL ERROR in
action number 1
of  Step Event1
for object obj_Character_Control:

Variable obj_Solid_Lower_Unpassable.poisonous(100198, -2147483648) not set before reading it.
at gml_Script_scr_Char_State_Diving
############################################################################################
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
stack frame is
gml_Script_scr_Char_State_Diving (line -1)
gml_Script_scr_Char_Step_Visuals
gml_Script_scr_Char_Step_Begin
gml_Object_obj_Character_Control_Step_1
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Martijn dh on April 06, 2020, 05:26:47 pm
I'll upload a fixed demo tomorrow morning.

The helmasaurus fight is now fixed on my end.

About the buying thing: did you edit the rupee values in the savefile? I don't mind, it just sounds like your rupee value is actually far above 999 behind the scenes. If you hacked your file then I'll just add some failsaves to let you continue playing on.

For the swimming issue I need more information as I have no idea how you ended up swimming/diving over at that location. What were you doing in order to get there?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Samyur on April 06, 2020, 07:23:23 pm
I'll upload a fixed demo tomorrow morning.

The helmasaurus fight is now fixed on my end.

About the buying thing: did you edit the rupee values in the savefile? I don't mind, it just sounds like your rupee value is actually far above 999 behind the scenes. If you hacked your file then I'll just add some failsaves to let you continue playing on.

For the swimming issue I need more information as I have no idea how you ended up swimming/diving over at that location. What were you doing in order to get there?


About the buying thing: i just have to much money,  XD XD XD, there is nothing to buy in the game so i play a while and earn to much, in the chest game to much 50 rupees prices, i will never touch the savefile values,

and about the swimming i just pass by from the left deep water hole link jump to land, and fall in lower water after that, it get stuck swimming/diving over in lower water. dont know if it was just a random glitch or bug.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [NEW BOSS playable]
Post by: Martijn dh on April 07, 2020, 07:24:38 pm
Here is the newest version.
The helmasaurus was fixed. I might have fixed the rupee issue. The swimming issue I haven't been able to reproduce yet. So far it seems like a random glitch.

==========

Download
Demo version: 0.22.26
File Size: 19,74 MB (Zipped)
Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 (Changable)
Download (Mediafire): https://www.mediafire.com/file/2numqxt0kf4tc13/Zelda_0_22_26_%28bugfix%29.zip/file

Default controls*:
D - Action button (open doors / read text / grab / etc) + Confirm button (while in menus)
G - Attack button (hold and release for a full swing attack) + Cancel button (while in menus)
S - Perform run action (if you have the boots available)
R - Use item A
F - Use item B
Space - Brings up item menu
Enter - Brings up map menu
Escape - Pauses the game (can be used to exit the game)

* The controls can be personalized in the options menu at the start of the game.

==========

Progress report
Code: [Select]
0.22.23 (30 maart 2020)
* Made progress on new boss:
further expanded on attack sequences

0.22.24 (3 april 2020)
* Fixed issue: getting stuck in door when after beating mansion dungeon

0.22.25 (5 maart 2020)
* Made progress on new boss:
– added second attack
– fixed depth issue first attack

0.22.26 (6 maart 2020)
* Added extra checks to handle edited rupee savefile values
* Fixed soundtrack continuing to play after boss fight
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 21 released]
Post by: Samyur on April 08, 2020, 12:10:59 am
Thanks for the update, Already beat the boss king Helmasaurus, about the bug in the water, you have to swim from the south deep water near land to nortnwest land, already done 3 times for check.

for the rupees issue, dont go down, even if i spend many times in the chest game, get in pay and go out over and over.

and the bug when you purchase any item in the darter cave of the dark world still get stuck and cant do anything else,

thanks a lot, waiting for the new boss.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 11, 2020, 02:16:45 pm
Just a quick update:
Finally found and fixed both issues. Thank you for reporting them. It motivated me to not be lazy and just keep looking for the root causes.

The shop thing ended up happening because you reached 999 rupees. That must have been in there for over a decade now XD.

The chest game chances have been toned down. It's now statisticly a money sink instead of money maker.

The water thing I've partially patched. The game detects you wanting you transition into the water (because you touch the deep water, which is correct). The problem is that the game does not (yet) detect you walking over a corner of the water rectangle and thus returning back on land while in the transition animation. So I've added a check at the end of the animation that returns Link to his default state if not in deep water anymore.
EDIT: Nevermind. Also fixed the swimming in solid floor fully. (That earlier half-measure was bugging me).

I'll upload a new demo in about 3 days time after I finish some more things. If there are any other bugs to fix, let me know.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Samyur on April 11, 2020, 11:09:05 pm
Thanks for the report, waiting for new stuff, there is not much to do anymore, because already devoured all XD XD, if there is something more to fix i let you know, maybe a few sugestions, for example:

-Put an extra miniboss between the cristals rooms because is to easy take the cristals behind 2 doors, it must be a challenge not a gift.

-Can do some Minigames or some Quest for obtain some of the items that you sell in the shop, for example, some NPC, give you a quest to kill a especific miniboss that is in someplace in particular, and the price is for example the bomerang or another that you want, for example in the cave that the only thing you have to do is fall in if you pass thru with a pot on your hands. or maybe put a riddle that an NPC or a few NPC can give you info about, maybe some item hidden in the floor, that you can use the shovel and give purpose to it

Again thanks for the review and news, waiting for another update. kind regards
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [NEW BOSS playable]
Post by: Martijn dh on April 13, 2020, 10:20:26 pm
And here is the fixed version

Download
Demo version: 0.22.27
File Size: 19,74 MB (Zipped)
Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 (Changable)
Download (Mediafire): https://www.mediafire.com/file/krgpnhqxltzmeaa/Zelda_0_22_27_%28bugfix%29.zip/file

Default controls*:
D - Action button (open doors / read text / grab / etc) + Confirm button (while in menus)
G - Attack button (hold and release for a full swing attack) + Cancel button (while in menus)
S - Perform run action (if you have the boots available)
R - Use item A
F - Use item B
Space - Brings up item menu
Enter - Brings up map menu
Escape - Pauses the game (can be used to exit the game)

* The controls can be personalized in the options menu at the start of the game.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Samyur on April 14, 2020, 04:12:27 am
thanks for the fixed version, lets find the new boss and see what is new, hope you find ok my recomendation for future updates.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 14, 2020, 10:24:13 am
Just to temper expectations: this new boss isn't in this one yet. It's coming, but I just had to other stuff this weekend. Being couped up in social isolation for (over a month I'm guessing) was starting to wear me down a little.

And no problem if you continue your feedback. I welcome it!

In regards to bossfights before the crystals: It's mostly a matter of time. Each new boss takes me a few months to build fully so I'd need to add repeating fights. I'll look into it after the latest boss is finished.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Samyur on April 15, 2020, 04:59:58 am
Just to temper expectations: this new boss isn't in this one yet. It's coming, but I just had to other stuff this weekend. Being couped up in social isolation for (over a month I'm guessing) was starting to wear me down a little.

And no problem if you continue your feedback. I welcome it!

In regards to bossfights before the crystals: It's mostly a matter of time. Each new boss takes me a few months to build fully so I'd need to add repeating fights. I'll look into it after the latest boss is finished.

already has almost every cristal, only one left, searching for the lastone, one thing that is in the last minidungeon, open 3 chest in the same room with almost all the last power ups in the game XD XD.

and i found a bug in the potion shop in the last version, when you pay for the any potion, it crash and close the game here i send you a pic with the error.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 18, 2020, 08:59:00 am
The shopping bug is now fixed on my end.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Samyur on April 18, 2020, 11:30:13 pm
ok man waiting for the next update
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Samyur on April 27, 2020, 06:58:50 pm
The shopping bug is now fixed on my end.

a quick question, the last cristal is available to get?, i mean, it is in the game already, cause i cant find it.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 27, 2020, 07:02:01 pm
Yes, all crystals should be in there. I could give you hints if you want.

(Currently working on releasing a BETA of the new boss btw, hence the quick reply. It should be downloadable in about 3-4 hours or so).
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance (new boss beta)
Post by: Martijn dh on April 27, 2020, 08:56:54 pm
And here is a download with the new boss in it. Call your new character "boss2" to warp directly to the boss area. (Naming your character boss1 for the Helmasaurus fight also still works). Just stay inside the buildings untill you get the crystals.

NOTE: I'm not fully happy with the new fight yet, so feedback is more than welcome.

Downloadlink: https://www.mediafire.com/file/97tgaj9kh6q0qnn/Zelda_0_22_29_%28Witch_boss_beta%29.zip/file
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Samyur on April 27, 2020, 10:52:48 pm
I Will when i finish The search of The cristal
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 28, 2020, 12:20:09 pm
If don't want to spoil anything for you, but if end up getting stuck then look ahead:

Dungeon list:
Show content
Number - Codename
B01 - Swamp
B02 - Graveyard
B03 - Ice cavern
B04 - Tower
B05 - Mining town
B06 - Woods
B07 - Medu
B08a - Fire temple
B08b - Ice temple

Small hint:
Show content
B08a and B08b have something in common.

Big hint:
Show content
B04, B07, B08a and B08b have something in common.


Happy hunting!
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance (new boss beta)
Post by: Samyur on April 28, 2020, 09:59:08 pm
NOTE: I'm not fully happy with the new fight yet, so feedback is more than welcome.

Already Beat the new BOSS The dificulty is very good but no problem with my advance gears XD.  The problem is that i already had that cristal as i told you before only one left that don't really know where The hell is ir. I found even with teh shovel in The ground, XD XD. So thanks again for The update if found any issue let you know, but for some reason there is no storyline, i think more NCP for guidence is needed.   
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 30, 2020, 08:21:34 am
Good to hear about the boss.

So for the other feedback is:
- add some more challenging to the placeholder dungeons without a boss
- add more story to make sense of it all
- add more hints to find the tougher dungeons

What dungeon haven't you found yet? Or can you screenshot your item menu? So I can add some hints for that one in a future demo.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Samyur on May 03, 2020, 02:55:38 am
Here is my inventory, what i mean with some storyline to follow because you can do anything and the game is meaningless, waiting for the next addon. my regards
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Samyur on May 03, 2020, 04:18:54 am
already found the last crystal it was in b08a XD XD. thanks
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Samyur on May 07, 2020, 06:11:14 pm
Good to hear about the boss.

Hello again already won The demo Nice final mop XD XD, there is nothing new yo add?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 07, 2020, 07:56:02 pm
Currently still thinking about how to improve that last boss some more.
Also I FINALLY succeeded in making a true palette swapper shader for Link to cut down on future development times (but that's not something you'll notice as a player).
And I'm now starting work on the semi-last usable item: the Magician's Cape. As in: doing research and prototyping. It'll probably be several weekends of work before that's anywhere near finished, because I have to take a lot of Link's states and other interactions into consideration.

(Also I'm pondering about overhauling the menu structure to add overworld maps somewhere in may/juni)

I'll likely post an update by the end of the weekend if there is anything significant to show.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Samyur on May 08, 2020, 04:08:25 am
Thanks for the update, a quick question you have already the script of the game, or some storyline, for the game?.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 08, 2020, 07:22:13 am
Yes, there is a master plan in regards to the story.

Some parts (like the intro and scenes between the mansion and dark world) are thought out in more detail but I'm limited by my shitty spriting skills so making new NPC's is very time consuming. Also, Gamemaker wil soon release a 2.3 update which introduces Sequences which will MASSIVELY reduce scene creation times. (It does take a few months to properly convert to it though).
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Samyur on May 11, 2020, 05:20:57 pm
Well then have to wait the next update, for some sugar, XD XD
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 11, 2020, 05:37:29 pm
Sorry, I forgot to post the progress report again.
The cape implementation is progressing quite nicely.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.27 (11 maart 2020)
* Fixed issue where Link got stuck swimming outside of water
* Fixed shopping issue if you have 999 rupees
* Edited chest game chances
* Edited animation of smoothly transitioning into water more extensively
* Made progress on new boss:
smoothed out boss (dis)appearing visuals

0.22.28 (18 maart 2020)
* Fixed potion shop text error

0.22.29 (19 maart 2020)
* Added shortcut to newest boss: name your new character “boss2”

0.22.29 (25 maart 2020)
* Added boss entrance scenes

0.22.29 (26 maart 2020)
* Tweaked boss entrance scenes / texts / animations
* Created new variant on poisonous shallow water object
* Made progress on new boss:
added last 2 attacks
added vulnerabilities
tweaked stats
bugfixes, testing and tweaks

0.22.30 (1 mei 2020)
* Spend another full day working on a palette swapping shader – complete failed

0.22.31 (2 mei 2020)
* Spend half day working on another palette swapping shader – minor succes

0.22.32 (3 mei 2020)
* Expanded palette swapper shader for various uses and started implementation for character sprites.

0.22.33 (5 mei 2020)
* Finished implementation of Link character palette swapper (cutting about 1725 images and a ton of variables)
* Started implementation of Magician's Cape (= instead of original Magic Cape)

0.22.34 (9 mei 2020)
* Added bunny sprites, animations and triggering by cape

0.22.35 (10 mei 2020)
* Tweaked latest boss:
– added small delay to attack patterns
– only main boss can self heal
* Added shortcut to getting the cape: call a new file “cape” to have it from the start
* Slightly updated witch boss sprites
* Made progress implementing cape item

---------------

Update:
And here is last weeks progress

Code: [Select]
0.22.36 (16 mei 2020)
* Finished new item: Magician's Cape

0.22.37 (17 mei 2020)
* Worked on sprites for bunny Link (trying out improvements / gathering feedback)

0.22.38 (20 mei 2020)
* Worked some more on (implementation of) cape sprites

0.22.39 (22 mei 2020)
* Added ability for enemies to transform Link into a bunny
* Effects of cape are boosted if you stop moving

0.22.40 (23 mei 2020)
* Started work on new enemy: Rabbit beam

0.22.xx (27 mei 2020)
* Started first testing in the Gamemaker 2.3 beta: the game starts but it looks like there are a bunch of problems to solve to get it fully working again.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 30, 2020, 02:08:34 pm
An early progress report this week. Due to some work/corona/house related stress I started working on something completely different to let of some steam: a new dungeon, the mining town.

You can find a VERY early draft in the attachment. Don't worry, I'm not on drugs! While it may look like abstract art, I always like starting this way (with paper graphs and sketches already made) because it's fast to start general outlines and the messiness gives me lots of unintended new idea's while I'm working on it. Also, I image it can be fun for onlookers to see things slowly start making sense over time.

The things I was working on (=the cape and rabbit beam) will be completed in a little bit (=next weekend hopefully) and then released for playtesting.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 01, 2020, 07:31:13 pm
And here is the report at the end of the weekend.
I'm fully beat right now so I'll implement the bunny beam enemies (see attachment) into actual dungeons next weekend.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.41 (30 mei 2020)
* Started work on new dungeon: Mining town

0.22.42 (31 mei 2020)
* Made progress on mining town dungeon
* Added chest with cape in it into the game

0.22.43 (1 juni 2020)
* Finished adding new enemy: Rabbit beam
* Improved diggrid editor performance
* Tweaked witch boss fight some more
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Samyur on June 09, 2020, 01:37:14 am
great advance in the cape, when you finish adding an update, please upload a new version to try new stuff and feedback
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 09, 2020, 09:11:22 am
Apologies, as I had to push that back again due to a shorter weekend than expected.
I'll prioritize the demo when I get time to work on it again.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 12, 2020, 05:36:23 pm
And here is the new demo. After this I'll likely only release a new demo if major bugs are found or the new dungeon has finished enough.

Download
Demo version: 0.22.47
File Size: 22,68 MB (Zipped)
Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 (Changable)
Download (Mediafire): https://www.mediafire.com/file/3g4uscnlsdrz88h/Zelda_0_22_47_%28public_demo%29.zip/file

NOTE:
-You can find the new cape in the witch shop. (Or by starting a new file called Cape)
-The new bunny beam is found in the mansion dungeon (and the Helmasaurus area)


Latest progress
Code: [Select]
0.22.44 (5 juni 2020)
* Made progress on mining town dungeon

0.22.45 (6 juni 2020)
* Made progress on the early tiling of the mine area of the new dungeon
* Rabbit beam enemies can now spawn from under pots/bushes etc

0.22.46 (11 juni 2020)
* Rabbit beam enemies can now spawn from lowered on-off blocks
* Made more progress on tiling mining town dungeon
* Tweaked enemies in mansion dungeon

0.22.47 (12 juni 2020)
* Tweaked enemies in mansion dungeon
* Made more progress on tiling mining town dungeon
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Miles07 on June 13, 2020, 08:04:42 am
Just tried out the demo, got stuck in a place, tried to escape via save-and-quit, hit an exception, can't load the file.

The location:
Show content
Area in the Overworld that lets you hookshot to a hammer peg and you can pick up a Piece of Heart.


Error:
Show content
Hookshotted the hammer peg, then got stuck. Might've bumped me into the wall, and I couldn't get out.


When trying to load file:
Show content
___________________________________________
############################################################################################
FATAL ERROR in
action number 1
of Alarm Event for alarm 0
for object obj_Master:

Push :: Execution Error - Variable Index [0,8775] out of range [1,147] - 8.<unknown variable>(100580,8775)
at gml_Script_scr_Go_To_Room
############################################################################################
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
stack frame is
gml_Script_scr_Go_To_Room (line -1)
gml_Script_scr_Death_Continue
gml_Script_scr_Master_Alarm_0
gml_Object_obj_Master_Alarm_0

Other than that, there are a couple of sequence-breakable places. Unsure if intended.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 13, 2020, 08:49:57 am
Thanks for playing. I'll see if I can recreate the problem.

============

The overworld is intented to be fairly open-ended. So you can (for example) beat the first 3 dungeons in "almost" any order. The mansion is mandatory, but after that you can again follow various routes in the darkworld. I feel Zelda games are best when they feel like an adventure rather than paint-by-numbers. It provides replayability and I'm guessing (most) players feel good when discovering options "the dev did not intend". Like extra secrets. Achievements also feel more like achievements when you here where a lot of different options.

I'll probably clearly hint at this freedom in a future demo.
Still, feel free to post examples when in doubt. I do make mistakes sometimes. XD
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Miles07 on June 13, 2020, 09:00:48 am
The manor is mandatory? I'm not sure to what extent, as it seems I can enter the Dark World without placing the rings in their pedestals. Unless you mean a different mansion?
When I have time next week, I'll probably start working on a Boss Keys chart for this demo version.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Martijn dh on June 13, 2020, 09:03:49 am
The manor is mandatory? I'm not sure to what extent, as it seems I can enter the Dark World without placing the rings in their pedestals. Unless you mean a different mansion?

Whoops.

Did you start by calling your character "boss1" or "boss2"?
If not, can you recap your item/dungeon order?

When I have time next week, I'll probably start working on a Boss Keys chart for this demo version.

Great. I'll look forward to it.

========

EDIT: Fixed the hookshot issue. I'll upload an updated demo by the end of the weekend, so I can fix some other things as well.
Just to be sure: the saving issue is related to the hookshot issue I assume? Or were those two stand alone occurances?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Miles07 on June 13, 2020, 04:32:25 pm
Nope, named my character Miles. The thief guarding the Dark World warp moved aside after I had all three Rings in my possession. Beat the Adventurer's Cave first, then the water prison dungeon, then desert dungeon, then the soldier tombs. Got some distance into the waterway dungeon, up to the Fire Rod, also beat the forest dungeon to get the L. 2 Sword, all before placing the rings on the pedestals.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Martijn dh on June 13, 2020, 09:11:29 pm
Found the problem. The thug moves when you get the lv2 sword. Originally it was found at the end of the mansion, but that changed in demo 21 and I forgot to update the thug dependancy.

I'll change it to trigger from the mansion treasure instead (meaning you can skip halve the mansion - for now) and solve it properly once I've switched to Gamemaker 2.3.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 14, 2020, 08:32:44 pm
And here is the updated demo (+updated dungeon progress):

Download
Demo version: 0.22.49
File Size: 19,66 MB (Zipped)
Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 (Changable)
Download (Mediafire): https://www.mediafire.com/file/rn9wg2q2a15dple/Zelda_0_22_49_%28public_demo%29.zip/file

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.48 (13 juni 2020)
* Fixed instances where you can get stuck in walls while hookshot moving towards poles
* Fixed bug in hammer collisions against poles
* Fixed collission checking when running into sloped walls
* Restructured boss enemy initialisation variables
* Fixed thug in the overworld moving before exploring the mansion dungeon

0.22.49 (14 juni 2020)
* Expanded conveyor belt functionality
* Made more progress on tiling mining town dungeon
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Miles07 on June 15, 2020, 03:56:02 pm
Bug list so far (haven't completed):
Show content
1. Overworld, 1 screen south of Home Sweet Home. The octoroks are apparently loaded into memory upon entering the "room", which means they'll start shooting around. This produces some UX issues like hearing a bush get destroyed or a rock hitting a wall, even off-screen.
2. Jumping off a ledge while the sword is extended, returns the sword to sheath. If you want to mimic ALTTP, this isn't how ALLTP behaves.
3. Regarding Bomb and Arrow capacity upgrades, should the messages be different if the player hasn't collected the Bombs or Bow (or even Arrow) items yet?
4. Underwater Prison, two chests have the same "opened" flag. The chest in Florine's cell, and the one to the east of the first big room (the chest in the lower pit where you have to push the columns to reveal stairs). Both have triple bombs in them, but opening one will open the other and make it impossible to mark completed. The other will show up as an unopened chest on the map + compass.
5. Underwater Prison, after you use Florine to hit the two switches simultaneously, and after she escapes, after you defeat Moldorm and reenter that room from the doorway that that third button opens, Florine appears there again, standing on the upper button.
6. Underwater Prison (and possibly others), going through a door while walking on a grate will still have the sfx of walking on a grate as Link transitions through the doorway into the next room.
7. Would be nice to have, but not required: some timer or meter or gauge to show how much diving time Link has before he has to come up for air.
8. Going up or down stairs in ALTTP pauses all enemies and other entities. In here, the enemies keep going. Sometimes that causes unavoidable collisions and health loss just because of RNG.
9. Unsure what's the trigger, but visiting the cave leading to the Soldier Shrine after collecting at least one ring(?) will have the pot button puzzle solved. I never did this puzzle the right way.
10. At Switch's Shop, you can keep buying the Red Tunic even if you are already wearing it. Finding the Blue Tunic permanently makes the Red Tunic disappear.
11. Soldier Tombs, floor B1, the pit room to the west. There's one section with Medusas and a single staircase. I tried throwing a bomb across a gap to kill one of the Medusas, and the bomb clipped through the staircase and stayed on the same Z-axis level as Link. Arrows collide correctly with the staircase, Bombs do not.
12. Soldier Tombs, I lit all four torches, then backtracked to the dungeon entrance to enter the hidden staircase. Only three of the torches were lit, and the staircase was covered. I saved and quit, reentered the dungeon, and all four torches were lit, and the staircase was uncovered. Only happens occasionally. Maybe it's dependent on torch order?
13. Soldier Tombs. In the boss battle room, one of the statues near the entrance says [End]. Intentional?
14. When Link starts his idle animations, he puts his shield away. This can be problematic against flying tile rooms like those in Soldier Tombs. How bout if Link's shield gets hit, it resets his idle timer?
15. After picking up the Boots, initiate a run. Then hit the Inventory menu button. If you unpause, Link will continue running. If you swap out any of the equipped items, though, Link will stop running once the menu is closed.
16. Desert Palace central plaza, can't reenter kitchen.
17. Desert Palace, room west-southwest of central plaza. There's a locked door that gains access to a button, but you can walk over the barrier to press the button, so the locked door is pointless. Unintentional missing collision?
18. With regards to the L.2 Sword, it's hard to tell whether I'm at full health if an enemy can damage me and I receive (I assume) 1/4th heart damage. It doesn't register as "less than full health" on the health gauge, but I still can't use my sword beam unless I for sure pick up another heart. Maybe have health be "rounded down" instead of rounded up?
19. Toadstool has disappeared from the bombable cave in the Overworld. Event flag issue?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Martijn dh on June 15, 2020, 05:37:46 pm
Thanks for the extensive list. I'll see what I can do.

EDIT:
I gave them numbers to help progress updates.
-Numbers 14 and 18 have now been handled.
-In regards to number 7: You noticed the decreased movement before having to come up for air?
-Number 8 is the only one I'm going to leave as is (for now). Mainly because I don't like enemies freezing and solving it another way is a major time investment. If there are cases where you HAVE to take damage then I prefer to look at the leveldesign first.

Show content
1 Overworld, 1 screen south of Home Sweet Home. The octoroks are apparently loaded into memory upon entering the "room", which means they'll start shooting around. This produces some UX issues like hearing a bush get destroyed or a rock hitting a wall, even off-screen.
2 Jumping off a ledge while the sword is extended, returns the sword to sheath. If you want to mimic ALTTP, this isn't how ALLTP behaves.
3 Regarding Bomb and Arrow capacity upgrades, should the messages be different if the player hasn't collected the Bombs or Bow (or even Arrow) items yet?
4 Underwater Prison, two chests have the same "opened" flag. The chest in Florine's cell, and the one to the east of the first big room (the chest in the lower pit where you have to push the columns to reveal stairs). Both have triple bombs in them, but opening one will open the other and make it impossible to mark completed. The other will show up as an unopened chest on the map + compass.
5 Underwater Prison, after you use Florina to hit the two switches simultaneously, and after she escapes, after you defeat Moldorm and reenter that room from the doorway that that third button opens, Florina appears there again, standing on the upper button.
6 Underwater Prison (and possibly others), going through a door while walking on a grate will still have the sfx of walking on a grate as Link transitions through the doorway into the next room.
7 Would be nice to have, but not required: some timer or meter or gauge to show how much diving time Link has before he has to come up for air.
8 Going up or down stairs in ALTTP pauses all enemies and other entities. In here, the enemies keep going. Sometimes that causes unavoidable collisions and health loss just because of RNG.
9 Unsure what's the trigger, but visiting the cave leading to the Soldier Shrine after collecting at least one ring(?) will have the pot button puzzle solved. I never did this puzzle the right way.
10 At Switch's Shop, you can keep buying the Red Tunic even if you are already wearing it. Finding the Blue Tunic permanently makes the Red Tunic disappear.
11 Soldier Tombs, floor B1, the pit room to the west. There's one section with Medusas and a single staircase. I tried throwing a bomb across a gap to kill one of the Medusas, and the bomb clipped through the staircase and stayed on the same Z-axis level as Link. Arrows collide correctly with the staircase, Bombs do not.
12 Soldier Tombs, I lit all four torches, then backtracked to the dungeon entrance to enter the hidden staircase. Only three of the torches were lit, and the staircase was covered. I saved and quit, reentered the dungeon, and all four torches were lit, and the staircase was uncovered. Only happens occasionally. Maybe it's dependent on torch order?
13 Soldier Tombs. In the boss battle room, one of the statues near the entrance says [End]. Intentional?
14 When Link starts his idle animations, he puts his shield away. This can be problematic against flying tile rooms like those in Soldier Tombs. How bout if Link's shield gets hit, it resets his idle timer?
15 After picking up the Boots, initiate a run. Then hit the Inventory menu button. If you unpause, Link will continue running. If you swap out any of the equipped items, though, Link will stop running once the menu is closed.
16 Desert Palace central plaza, can't reenter kitchen.
17 Desert Palace, room west-southwest of central plaza. There's a locked door that gains access to a button, but you can walk over the barrier to press the button, so the locked door is pointless. Unintentional missing collision?
18 With regards to the L.2 Sword, it's hard to tell whether I'm at full health if an enemy can damage me and I receive (I assume) 1/4th heart damage. It doesn't register as "less than full health" on the health gauge, but I still can't use my sword beam unless I for sure pick up another heart. Maybe have health be "rounded down" instead of rounded up?
19 Toadstool has disappeared from the bombable cave in the Overworld. Event flag issue?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Miles07 on June 15, 2020, 11:20:57 pm
New bugs, one gamebreaker:

Show content
20. Heimgartner Manor: entering the Main Library from the courtyard will have Link clip-transition through a locked door. Might be in conflict with behavior of how Link otherwise enters a building from "outside".
21. Heimgartner Manor: same as above, just with the locked door leading to / the open door leading from the Main Library to the entrance hall. Link clips through the locked door.
22. Heimgartner Manor: 2F, heading towards the stairs down to the first floor. If I walk on the bottom section of the stairs object, I can actually clip through the stairway, so now I'm walking on air. Walking back along the same lower portion of the stair sprite transitions me back to solid ground. Link does not fall to the floor below.
23. Heimgartner Manor, 2F, east hall: Hitting a crystal switch with a L.2 Sword and fully healed, will cause two hits to register instead of one, like how ALTTP does it.

24. The Gauntlet, saving and quitting in here is apparently game-breaking, since attempting to reload the file will throw an exception.
Code: [Select]
FATAL ERROR in
action number 1
of Alarm Event for alarm 0
for object obj_Master:

Push :: Execution Error - Variable Index [0,2601] out of range [1,147] - 8.<unknown variable>(100582,2601)
at gml_Script_scr_Go_To_Room

############################################################################################
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
stack frame is
gml_Script_scr_Go_To_Room (line -1)
gml_Script_scr_Death_Continue
gml_Script_scr_Master_Alarm_0
gml_Object_obj_Master_Alarm_0

25. Red Tunic collection text (from Switch's Shop) clips out of the bounding box.
26. Heimgartner Manor, 2F, east hall: Unable to traverse the top portion of the room. I can get the key with a good boomerang shot, though.
27. Darkworld, Chest Game. Some of the chests cause a message with "Unknown chest contents" to pop up.
28. Hookshot projectile should stop at edge of screen. I just softlocked out of yet another file because it just kept going forever.

Regarding number 7, no I had not noticed. Might be too subtle, then?



EDIT:

Also, starting the Boss Key chart album for the dungeon designs. Let me know if something doesn't seem right, and I'll take a look at it.

https://imgur.com/a/G8nC4L4
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Martijn dh on June 16, 2020, 07:15:05 pm
Fixed issues 15, 16, 17, 24, 25 and 28 today. (+10, 27)
Here's what's left:
Show content
1. Overworld, 1 screen south of Home Sweet Home. The octoroks are apparently loaded into memory upon entering the "room", which means they'll start shooting around. This produces some UX issues like hearing a bush get destroyed or a rock hitting a wall, even off-screen.
2. Jumping off a ledge while the sword is extended, returns the sword to sheath. If you want to mimic ALTTP, this isn't how ALLTP behaves.
3. Regarding Bomb and Arrow capacity upgrades, should the messages be different if the player hasn't collected the Bombs or Bow (or even Arrow) items yet?
4. Underwater Prison, two chests have the same "opened" flag. The chest in Florine's cell, and the one to the east of the first big room (the chest in the lower pit where you have to push the columns to reveal stairs). Both have triple bombs in them, but opening one will open the other and make it impossible to mark completed. The other will show up as an unopened chest on the map + compass.
5. Underwater Prison, after you use Florine to hit the two switches simultaneously, and after she escapes, after you defeat Moldorm and reenter that room from the doorway that that third button opens, Florine appears there again, standing on the upper button.
6. Underwater Prison (and possibly others), going through a door while walking on a grate will still have the sfx of walking on a grate as Link transitions through the doorway into the next room.
7. Would be nice to have, but not required: some timer or meter or gauge to show how much diving time Link has before he has to come up for air.
9. Unsure what's the trigger, but visiting the cave leading to the Soldier Shrine after collecting at least one ring(?) will have the pot button puzzle solved. I never did this puzzle the right way.
11. Soldier Tombs, floor B1, the pit room to the west. There's one section with Medusas and a single staircase. I tried throwing a bomb across a gap to kill one of the Medusas, and the bomb clipped through the staircase and stayed on the same Z-axis level as Link. Arrows collide correctly with the staircase, Bombs do not.
12. Soldier Tombs, I lit all four torches, then backtracked to the dungeon entrance to enter the hidden staircase. Only three of the torches were lit, and the staircase was covered. I saved and quit, reentered the dungeon, and all four torches were lit, and the staircase was uncovered. Only happens occasionally. Maybe it's dependent on torch order?
13. Soldier Tombs. In the boss battle room, one of the statues near the entrance says [End]. Intentional?
19. Toadstool has disappeared from the bombable cave in the Overworld. Event flag issue?
20. Heimgartner Manor: entering the Main Library from the courtyard will have Link clip-transition through a locked door. Might be in conflict with behavior of how Link otherwise enters a building from "outside".
21. Heimgartner Manor: same as above, just with the locked door leading to / the open door leading from the Main Library to the entrance hall. Link clips through the locked door.
22. Heimgartner Manor: 2F, heading towards the stairs down to the first floor. If I walk on the bottom section of the stairs object, I can actually clip through the stairway, so now I'm walking on air. Walking back along the same lower portion of the stair sprite transitions me back to solid ground. Link does not fall to the floor below.
23. Heimgartner Manor, 2F, east hall: Hitting a crystal switch with a L.2 Sword and fully healed, will cause two hits to register instead of one, like how ALTTP does it.
26. Heimgartner Manor, 2F, east hall: Unable to traverse the top portion of the room. I can get the key with a good boomerang shot, though.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Martijn dh on June 17, 2020, 07:09:26 pm
19. Toadstool has disappeared from the bombable cave in the Overworld. Event flag issue?

I can't seem to replicate this issue. The coding also looks fine as far as I can tell: The mushroom only spawns if you do not own it, or the upgraded magic powder, yet.

Are you able to reproduce the issue on your end?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Miles07 on June 17, 2020, 07:25:35 pm
No, it just happened in one playthrough and then not again. Unsure what I did to cause that. The toadstool just never showed up. (Unfortunately, that file is unable to be opened now, so... we might not ever know.)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Martijn dh on June 17, 2020, 08:24:44 pm
Oke, I'll remove it from the list for now then.

Also issue 13 and 22 now also solved.
Show content
1. Overworld, 1 screen south of Home Sweet Home. The octoroks are apparently loaded into memory upon entering the "room", which means they'll start shooting around. This produces some UX issues like hearing a bush get destroyed or a rock hitting a wall, even off-screen.
2. Jumping off a ledge while the sword is extended, returns the sword to sheath. If you want to mimic ALTTP, this isn't how ALLTP behaves.
3. Regarding Bomb and Arrow capacity upgrades, should the messages be different if the player hasn't collected the Bombs or Bow (or even Arrow) items yet?
4. Underwater Prison, two chests have the same "opened" flag. The chest in Florine's cell, and the one to the east of the first big room (the chest in the lower pit where you have to push the columns to reveal stairs). Both have triple bombs in them, but opening one will open the other and make it impossible to mark completed. The other will show up as an unopened chest on the map + compass.
5. Underwater Prison, after you use Florine to hit the two switches simultaneously, and after she escapes, after you defeat Moldorm and reenter that room from the doorway that that third button opens, Florine appears there again, standing on the upper button.
6. Underwater Prison (and possibly others), going through a door while walking on a grate will still have the sfx of walking on a grate as Link transitions through the doorway into the next room.
7. Would be nice to have, but not required: some timer or meter or gauge to show how much diving time Link has before he has to come up for air.
9. Unsure what's the trigger, but visiting the cave leading to the Soldier Shrine after collecting at least one ring(?) will have the pot button puzzle solved. I never did this puzzle the right way.
11. Soldier Tombs, floor B1, the pit room to the west. There's one section with Medusas and a single staircase. I tried throwing a bomb across a gap to kill one of the Medusas, and the bomb clipped through the staircase and stayed on the same Z-axis level as Link. Arrows collide correctly with the staircase, Bombs do not.
12. Soldier Tombs, I lit all four torches, then backtracked to the dungeon entrance to enter the hidden staircase. Only three of the torches were lit, and the staircase was covered. I saved and quit, reentered the dungeon, and all four torches were lit, and the staircase was uncovered. Only happens occasionally. Maybe it's dependent on torch order?
20. Heimgartner Manor: entering the Main Library from the courtyard will have Link clip-transition through a locked door. Might be in conflict with behavior of how Link otherwise enters a building from "outside".
21. Heimgartner Manor: same as above, just with the locked door leading to / the open door leading from the Main Library to the entrance hall. Link clips through the locked door.
23. Heimgartner Manor, 2F, east hall: Hitting a crystal switch with a L.2 Sword and fully healed, will cause two hits to register instead of one, like how ALTTP does it.
26. Heimgartner Manor, 2F, east hall: Unable to traverse the top portion of the room. I can get the key with a good boomerang shot, though.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Martijn dh on June 18, 2020, 08:20:35 pm
Also, starting the Boss Key chart album for the dungeon designs. Let me know if something doesn't seem right, and I'll take a look at it.

https://imgur.com/a/G8nC4L4

Those must have taken you a while to make.

I didn't even realise I messed up with the mansion keys there, so they've already been proven to be usefull. Thanks.
I'll also keep these on hand for when I eventually have to simplify the early areas for an actual difficulty curve.

===

And the buglist is slowly nearing single digits now. 11 more to go:
Show content
1. Overworld, 1 screen south of Home Sweet Home. The octoroks are apparently loaded into memory upon entering the "room", which means they'll start shooting around. This produces some UX issues like hearing a bush get destroyed or a rock hitting a wall, even off-screen.
2. Jumping off a ledge while the sword is extended, returns the sword to sheath. If you want to mimic ALTTP, this isn't how ALLTP behaves.
3. Regarding Bomb and Arrow capacity upgrades, should the messages be different if the player hasn't collected the Bombs or Bow (or even Arrow) items yet?
4. Underwater Prison, two chests have the same "opened" flag. The chest in Florine's cell, and the one to the east of the first big room (the chest in the lower pit where you have to push the columns to reveal stairs). Both have triple bombs in them, but opening one will open the other and make it impossible to mark completed. The other will show up as an unopened chest on the map + compass.
5. Underwater Prison, after you use Florine to hit the two switches simultaneously, and after she escapes, after you defeat Moldorm and reenter that room from the doorway that that third button opens, Florine appears there again, standing on the upper button.
6. Underwater Prison (and possibly others), going through a door while walking on a grate will still have the sfx of walking on a grate as Link transitions through the doorway into the next room.
7. Would be nice to have, but not required: some timer or meter or gauge to show how much diving time Link has before he has to come up for air.
9. Unsure what's the trigger, but visiting the cave leading to the Soldier Shrine after collecting at least one ring(?) will have the pot button puzzle solved. I never did this puzzle the right way.
11. Soldier Tombs, floor B1, the pit room to the west. There's one section with Medusas and a single staircase. I tried throwing a bomb across a gap to kill one of the Medusas, and the bomb clipped through the staircase and stayed on the same Z-axis level as Link. Arrows collide correctly with the staircase, Bombs do not.
12. Soldier Tombs, I lit all four torches, then backtracked to the dungeon entrance to enter the hidden staircase. Only three of the torches were lit, and the staircase was covered. I saved and quit, reentered the dungeon, and all four torches were lit, and the staircase was uncovered. Only happens occasionally. Maybe it's dependent on torch order?
23. Heimgartner Manor, 2F, east hall: Hitting a crystal switch with a L.2 Sword and fully healed, will cause two hits to register instead of one, like how ALTTP does it.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Miles07 on June 18, 2020, 09:48:08 pm
Also, starting the Boss Key chart album for the dungeon designs. Let me know if something doesn't seem right, and I'll take a look at it.

https://imgur.com/a/G8nC4L4

Those must have taken you a while to make.

I didn't even realise I messed up with the mansion keys there, so they've already been proven to be usefull. Thanks.
I'll also keep these on hand for when I eventually have to simplify the early areas for an actual difficulty curve.

For how many times the game died on me and became unreloadable, it didn't take too long.
I'll update the charts with each future demo, as best as I can. Is there any additional information missing or that needs special emphasis on these charts, to help you out?
I know the album is missing a few dungeons, I just... haven't been able to get to them because of those particular issues.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Martijn dh on June 19, 2020, 06:31:21 am
Is there any additional information missing or that needs special emphasis on these charts, to help you out?

The only thing would be to make the charts a little more compact.
You're showing the powder and lamp as separate paths for lighting a torch. Maybe those can be combined into a single route. Later charts will really balloon otherwise, as you get to the firerod, bombos medallion and cane of somaria. Same applies (to a lesser extent) for the boots and bombs.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Miles07 on June 19, 2020, 06:43:00 am
Okay, I'll find some way to standardize those abilities.

One for "lighting a torch on fire". (Lantern, Toadstool?, Magic Powder, Fire Rod, Bombos, Cane of Somaria)
One for "busting down a wall". (Bombs, Pegasus Boots)
One for "hitting something from a distance". (Boomerang, Bow, Bombs, L.2 Sword, Cane of Somaria, Fire Rod, Hookshot)

Any missing?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Martijn dh on June 19, 2020, 07:01:48 am
Okay, I'll find some way to standardize those abilities.

One for "lighting a torch on fire". (Lantern, Toadstool?, Magic Powder, Fire Rod, Bombos, Cane of Somaria)
One for "busting down a wall". (Bombs, Pegasus Boots)
One for "hitting something from a distance". (Boomerang, Bow, Bombs, L.2 Sword, Cane of Somaria, Fire Rod, Hookshot)

Any missing?

Well, not to make it more complex, but there are cases where you can only lite all torches with the cane or bombos. And where you can only hit something from a distance with half the items.

Hmm. Well, maybe it's better to just wait and see if it becomes a problem like this. With the rate I'm going it'll be a while before more dungeons get finished.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Miles07 on June 19, 2020, 07:58:51 am
I'll definitely condense the obstacles based on what each item can unlock (breakable walls, torches, and switches from a distance). I'll wait for the next demo so I can redo the manor chart based on your layout fixes.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Martijn dh on June 19, 2020, 01:25:01 pm
I haven't been able to reproduce issue 12, but I added some extra failsafes so it *should* be solved now.

8 5 4 more to go:
Show content
1. Overworld, 1 screen south of Home Sweet Home. The octoroks are apparently loaded into memory upon entering the "room", which means they'll start shooting around. This produces some UX issues like hearing a bush get destroyed or a rock hitting a wall, even off-screen.
2. Jumping off a ledge while the sword is extended, returns the sword to sheath. If you want to mimic ALTTP, this isn't how ALLTP behaves.
7. Would be nice to have, but not required: some timer or meter or gauge to show how much diving time Link has before he has to come up for air.
9. Unsure what's the trigger, but visiting the cave leading to the Soldier Shrine after collecting at least one ring(?) will have the pot button puzzle solved. I never did this puzzle the right way.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 21, 2020, 06:29:04 pm
The last 4 issues I'm leaving be for now. [1],[2],[7] I'll consider after the next demo. [9] I couldn't reproduce. So here is the new demo.

Download
Demo version: 0.22.55
File Size: 19,69 MB (Zipped)
Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 (Changable)
Download (Mediafire): https://www.mediafire.com/file/0tpy8yq0x2libmp/Zelda_0_22_55_%28public_demo%29.zip/file

Latest progress
Code: [Select]
0.22.50 (15 juni 2020)
* Character idle counter now gets reset when the shield blocks projectiles
* Changed “health bar”: You only have full hearts when undamaged and your remaining last heart is worth slightly more than the rest.

0.22.51 (16 juni 2020)
* Fixed loading errors after saving when first entering in the gauntlet mini-dungeon
* Fixed running sequences stopping when using arrow keys while in the item menu or textboxes
* Adjusted text for buying the red tunic
* Fixed hookshot going on endlessly when colliding with something off screen twice
* Fixed depth of stairs to the desert palace kitchen
* Fixed masking issue in desert south entrance to west basement
* Tweaked text for host of dark world chest game
* Fixed text when getting single rupee from chest
* Fixed being able to rebuy red tunic

0.22.52 (17 juni 2020)
* Fixed statue text in dungeon 1 boss room
* Fixed main staircase masking in mansion dungeon

0.22.53 (18 juni 2020)
* Improved conditional wall conditions on tight side of mansion F2
* Fixed mansion order slightly so you can't potentially lock yourself out of keys

0.22.54 (19 juni 2020)
* Add secret sound when cutting curtains to reveal a doorway
* Adjusted bomb masking
* Added short invincibility timer to hitswitches
* Altered collisions between thrown containers and staircases
* Added some failsafes to the lights in the true entrance room of the soldier tombs
* Fixed chest in central jail in the prison dungeon
* Adjusted text when collecting bomb/arrow carry capacity before getting the bombs/bow.
* Fixed walking sounds during screen transitions when only starting walking on metal grates.
* Fixed florine reappearing at her last location in the underground prison dungeon

0.22.55 (20 juni 2020)
* Made more progress on tiling mining town dungeon
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Miles07 on June 22, 2020, 09:22:05 am
Updated album... I was able to actually complete the demo this time!
https://imgur.com/a/G8nC4L4

New bugs:
Show content
29. Desert Palace, B1. When entering the kitchen, the doorway back towards the cellar will not work.
30. Heimgartner Manor. Sword Beams are deflected by Soldier's swords. Also, using Pegasus Boots and trying to attack a Soldier makes Link bounce off the Soldier's sword if it hits Link's sword.
31. Heimgartner Manor, Big Chest room. The "puzzle solved" jingle sounds, but I cannot see any reason why. Just for going through the doorway?
32. The Gauntlet. Red Eyegores (Arrows only) can sometimes get stuck in the environment when they round a corner to chase Link.
33. Darkworld, the mining town area. Picking up the Piece of Heart from the chest in the ruined house, the Piece of Heart appears underneath the roof graphic layer.
34. Dual Tower, enemy turret that shoots fireballs when Link swings his sword. Doesn't shoot if half of the sprite is off-screen.
35. Waterworks, I can't get past the room with the Fire Rod. Are those areas meant to be accessible?
36. Dual Tower sequence. If I haven't gone to the Waterworks to find the Mirror, I wouldn't be able to escape the area once I'm transported to the Darkworld after the first Florine battle. Otherwise, I'm able to make my way here without it. Maybe the two-way warp in the area isn't a good idea to have? Still, there needs to be some way for the player to know to use the Mirror at a specific location in order to progress.
37. Darkworld, outside area where Cave of Adventure is in the Overworld. There is a sign I can't interact with. Intentional?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Martijn dh on June 22, 2020, 03:40:18 pm
Talk about record time.

Regarding [36]:
If you did not collect the mirror in the light world then the first chest in the dark world will contain it instead (rather then some rupees). A trick copied from the lamp location in the original. But I get what you're saying. Just in case.

Note that you access the tower via purple tunic+hammer, purple tunic+hookshot or hammer+hookshot.

As for the rest: I'll take a look at fixing the issues in the coming days.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Miles07 on June 22, 2020, 06:09:22 pm
Note that you access the tower via purple tunic+hammer, purple tunic+hookshot or hammer+hookshot.
Ah, yeah you're right. I've revised the appropriate charts to factor in some routes to the tower.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Martijn dh on June 23, 2020, 08:46:19 pm
Fixed 29, 31, 34, 35 and 37.

With regard to number 30 I get your point, but don't really consider it an issue. More of a happy accident I decided to leave in. (Though I may reconsider this when I add in the remaining humanoid enemies - and will thus have to review their AI again anyway). My reasoning currently: the boots are pretty overpowered already and this adds a little more strategy to handling soldiers. And historically, in the Zelda series, they are designed to entice/require attacks from the side and in the back.

With regard to number 33, I left it that way because I thought it would look more silly if an item was displayed over everything else without seeing link. It would be closer to the original and functional like that, but I the current situation more realistic (=more consistent with the world) and it's acceptable for "smaller" items with text for now. Though I might change if it ever involves chests with unique contents or without text (like a key or something).

The remaining number 32 and 36 I'll work on next.

===

While I'm at it might as well show the recent (visual) progress on the mining town as an attachment.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Martijn dh on July 05, 2020, 11:53:54 am
And here is the newest demo:
- A warppoint has been added in front of the dark world tower
- The eyegore AI seems to work intended (during my testing, at least). They may look like the have gotten stuck (due to the sprite being slightly larger then the masking), but the thing is that they will simply try to walk the shortest distance (=horizontal or vertical) to you. I've got some idea's on how this can be improved, but for now I'd rather focus on the new dungeon.

Download
Demo version: 0.22.59
File Size: 19,70 MB (Zipped)
Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 (Changable)
Download (Mediafire): https://www.mediafire.com/file/2qm76cpqwc5pivl/Zelda_0_22_59_%28public_demo%29.zip/file
Download (Dropbox): https://www.dropbox.com/s/jic1qxcall250ye/Zelda%200%2022%2059%20%28public%20demo%29.zip?dl=0

----
Full progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.56 (23 juni 2020)
* Fixed doorway (depth)issue in desert kitchen area
* Fixed secret sound in master chest room in mansion
* Removed unaccessable room from sewers map
* Added missing sign to dark world area near ice caverns dungeon
* Edited trickbox / medusa enemy AI near screen borders

0.22.57 (28 juni 2020)
* Made more progress on tiling the new mines dungeon
* Added more breakable wall sprites
* Expanded cave tileset
* Simplified creation coding for objects to let you fall to another room a little more

0.22.58 (4 juli 2020)
* Expanded DW mountain tilesets
* Made more progress on tiling mining town dungeon

0.22.59 (5 juli 2020)
* Added warp back in front of the Dark world tower
* Made more progress on tiling mining town dungeon

Also check the attachment for the latest tiling progress.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Miles07 on July 06, 2020, 06:39:11 am
Returning issue:

Show content
9. Unsure what's the trigger, but visiting the cave leading to the Soldier Shrine after collecting at least one ring(?) will have the pot button puzzle solved. I never did this puzzle the right way.


New issues:

Show content
38. Underwater Prison. Double-check Florine's dialogue for grammar mistakes.
39. Heimgartner Manor. Pegasus Boot running through Rabbit Beam in the courtyard.
40. Darkworld / Overworld, area outside of Ice Cavern. I don't know how to solve the puzzle with the two buttons in the Overworld version of this area. Is it currently stubbed?
41. Goriyas mimic a reflection of Link's movement, right? In Graveyard Cathedral's first room, there's a triplet of Goriyas. I walk Link towards against wall and the Goriyas will walk in the same direction Link is moving, until Link begins his pushing animation. Then the Goriyas will stop.
42. Northern Mine, first Helmasaurus King battle. Sometimes the music doesn't end until you leave the room.
43. Godessess Shrine. Check spelling of dungeon and text for Golden Armor.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Martijn dh on July 06, 2020, 07:04:43 am
I'll see what I can do during the week. Some followup questions for now:

Show content
9. Unsure what's the trigger, but visiting the cave leading to the Soldier Shrine after collecting at least one ring(?) will have the pot button puzzle solved. I never did this puzzle the right way.

What dungeon/item order did you progress through?

Show content
40. Darkworld / Overworld, area outside of Ice Cavern. I don't know how to solve the puzzle with the two buttons in the Overworld version of this area. Is it currently stubbed?

I don't think I touched any button coding recently. Are you using the Cane of Somaria?

Show content
42. Northern Mine, first Helmasaurus King battle. Sometimes the music doesn't end until you leave the room.

Meaning the music in the first or second room?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Miles07 on July 06, 2020, 04:19:35 pm
Show content
9. Unsure what's the trigger, but visiting the cave leading to the Soldier Shrine after collecting at least one ring(?) will have the pot button puzzle solved. I never did this puzzle the right way.

What dungeon/item order did you progress through?
Wait, I got it. It's collection of the Weird Toadstool that triggers it. Guess they use the same collection flag.

Show content
40. Darkworld / Overworld, area outside of Ice Cavern. I don't know how to solve the puzzle with the two buttons in the Overworld version of this area. Is it currently stubbed?

I don't think I touched any button coding recently. Are you using the Cane of Somaria?
Oops. Forgot that existed. I guess it feels like a very long trek back since (and I've updated my charts (https://imgur.com/a/G8nC4L4) to show this) you need the Cane to get to here, but in order to get the Cane you'll need the Blue Mail, and either the Hookshot or the Hammer. Since the Dark World version of this area (Ice Caverns) gives you the Hookshot, you basically have to leave to go find the Cane of Somaria and then come back, which might be difficult for people to remember about.

Show content
42. Northern Mine, first Helmasaurus King battle. Sometimes the music doesn't end until you leave the room.

Meaning the music in the first or second room?
Boss battle music, in the room with the Small Key in the chest.

Show content
44. Collecting the Quake Medallion plays the "dungeon treasure" jingle, and then the music goes silent (does not return to Overworld music) until entering another area (like the Dark World).
45. Any Darkworld dungeon. Using the Hookshot on the Crystal lets you collect it. Intentional?
46. Is the Waterworks area complete? There still seem to be two doors I can't get past, with two rooms inaccessible. I just want to make sure I'm not missing anything important behind those doors.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Martijn dh on July 06, 2020, 06:01:39 pm
Show content
9. Unsure what's the trigger, but visiting the cave leading to the Soldier Shrine after collecting at least one ring(?) will have the pot button puzzle solved. I never did this puzzle the right way.

What dungeon/item order did you progress through?
Wait, I got it. It's collection of the Weird Toadstool that triggers it. Guess they use the same collection flag.

That would explain why you reported issues with the mushroom in the first run, but issues with this path in the second. I'm not sure why I missed it during my testing, but now I should be able to target the problem directly.


Show content
40. Darkworld / Overworld, area outside of Ice Cavern. I don't know how to solve the puzzle with the two buttons in the Overworld version of this area. Is it currently stubbed?

I don't think I touched any button coding recently. Are you using the Cane of Somaria?
Oops. Forgot that existed. I guess it feels like a very long trek back since (and I've updated my charts (https://imgur.com/a/G8nC4L4) to show this) you need the Cane to get to here, but in order to get the Cane you'll need the Blue Mail, and either the Hookshot or the Hammer. Since the Dark World version of this area (Ice Caverns) gives you the Hookshot, you basically have to leave to go find the Cane of Somaria and then come back, which might be difficult for people to remember about.

Agreed. I don't mind sporadic backtracking, but it's bad if players get too few hints. I'll adjust the text of the signpost at the base of the mountain to hint at the treasure. (It feels appropriate to combine two (previous) oversights to solve each other XD)


45. Any Darkworld dungeon. Using the Hookshot on the Crystal lets you collect it. Intentional?

Yes, in the sense that it was an oversight that I left anyway, because it a little fun thing to discover.
As long as it doesn't break anything I don't mind leaving it in. It might also have some puzzle potential down the line, come to think of it.

46. Is the Waterworks area complete? There still seem to be two doors I can't get past, with two rooms inaccessible. I just want to make sure I'm not missing anything important behind those doors.

You're not missing anything (though I might as well remove those south rooms from the map, same as the west room earlier).
I've build those extra sewers rooms years ago, but with the updated overworld they didn't fit that well anymore. Hence the closed doors. I eventually plan to update the overworld and sewers, so I'll leave the tiling as is for now.

==

EDIT: You can also reach the ice caverns with the golden mits
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Miles07 on July 07, 2020, 06:23:32 am
You can also reach the ice caverns with the golden mits
Chart updated to address this.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Martijn dh on July 14, 2020, 09:14:00 pm

42. Northern Mine, first Helmasaurus King battle. Sometimes the music doesn't end until you leave the room.

Meaning the music in the first or second room?
Boss battle music, in the room with the Small Key in the chest.

I don't understand this issue yet.
Show content
You encounter the boss in the room with the keychest and are meant to run. So the boss music not stopping until you exit that room is intended. I find it more odd that you are staying the music sometimes DOES stop while in the "bossroom". Unless ofcourse you actually beat that unfavourable fight. In which case nicely done (and are you saying the music sometimes doesn't stop after that win?).


I'll need to think about the Goriya AI and if/how I'd like to change that. The rest has now been fixed / updated.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Miles07 on July 14, 2020, 09:22:27 pm
Show content
Yes, I'm able to defeat that boss rather easily. L.3 Sword against the claws and the tail, then against the mask and the face. Pretty easy. I never got the impression that I was supposed to run from the room, at all. And yes, the music did stop in one run, when I defeated that boss.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Martijn dh on July 15, 2020, 04:44:13 pm
Guess I'll have to make the boss a lot tougher then XD
Maybe by adding the hammer as a mandatory way of countering the rush attack.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Martijn dh on July 21, 2020, 06:33:18 pm
Quicky update. I'm currently enjoying some days of vacation so the next demo might take one or two more weekends before release.

Progress update:
Code: [Select]
0.22.60 (6 juli 2020)
* Made more progress on mining town dungeon
* Expanded broken wall object visuals per dungeons

0.22.61 (7 juli 2020)
* Fixed shared flag between mushroom and a cave puzzle
* Hid unaccessable sewers rooms on it's map

0.22.62 (14 juli 2020)
* Bunny beams now also transform you while running
* Edited several Florine conversations
* Fixed a few more minor typos
* Added better hinttext for medallion up the northern mountains.
* Altered Quake medallion collection sequence

0.22.63 (15 juli 2020)
* Collectable items are now affected by conveyor belts
* Made more progress on tiling mining town dungeon

0.22.64 (16 juli 2020)
* Made more progress on tiling mining town dungeon

0.22.65 (17 juli 2020)
* Made more progress on mining town dungeon
* Expanded conveyor belt object settings
* Fixed fairy collissions versus pits

0.22.66 (19 juli 2020)
* Made more progress on tiling mining town dungeon

0.22.67 (21 juli 2020)
* Made more progress on tiling mining town dungeon
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Martijn dh on August 09, 2020, 06:19:54 pm
Just a quick message to let you know that I'm back from vacation. (Which I ended up extending a little). Just finished hanging up a giant whiteboard in my hobbyroom so I'm all ready to continue with development.

I'll like upload the latest hotfixes in a simple demo next weekend. After that I'll stop releasing for about one or two months so that I can fully focus on the new dungeon. (Because keeping the placeholder Mines up conflicts with the new work). Or at least untill I'm comfortable showing of the new rooms in practice.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.68 (23 juli 2020)
* Expanded Goriya movement script

0.22.69 (26 juli 2020)
* Containers, bombs and frozen/stone enemies are now effected by conveyor belts
* Edited bomb masking

0.22.70 (29 juli 2020)
* Made more progress on tiling mining town dungeon
* Bunny Beams now never drop items upon death
* Reorganised container variables
* Hammer can now destroy “light” rocks (and such)
* Added new container object: ore
(which can be thrown without breaking – if no enemies hit)
* Containers and bombs are now destroyed when landing on holes or deep water

0.22.71 (9 augustus 2020)
* Made more progress on tiling mining town dungeon
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Martijn dh on August 16, 2020, 01:17:33 pm
And here is the lastest hotfix version. Bugreports and feedback are still welcome, but after this I'll not release a new demo untill the new dungeon is finished.

Download
Demo version: 0.22.74
File Size: 19,76 MB (Zipped)
Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 (Changable)
Download (Mediafire): http://www.mediafire.com/file/lx81zpumrj11hdk/Zelda+0+22+74+(public+demo).zip/file
Download (Dropbox): https://www.dropbox.com/s/q622t19ahitc7pt/Zelda%200%2022%2074%20%28public%20demo%29.zip?dl=0

----
Full progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.72 (14 augustus 2020)
* Collectables items (except fairies) are now also destroyed when landing on deep water or holes

0.22.73 (15 augustus 2020)
* Added proper disappear effects for interactions between containers, bomb and items with deep water

0.22.74 (16 augustus 2020)
* Added proper disappear effects for interactions between containers, bomb and items with holes
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Martijn dh on August 23, 2020, 05:40:01 pm
This weeks progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.75 (18 augustus 2020)
* Made more progress on tiling mining town dungeon

0.22.75 (20 augustus 2020)
* Made more progress on tiling mining town dungeon

0.22.75 (23 augustus 2020)
* Removed overworld connection to the placeholder mining dungeon (and added connection with the new dungeon)
* Added mines doorway
* Made more progress on tiling mining town dungeon
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Martijn dh on August 30, 2020, 09:26:34 pm
Spend a lot of time tiling this weekend and working out if I'll be able to release before the NCFC. It's going to be tight, not counting inevitable life stuff and issues even. Maybe I'll have to scale back the dungeon a little. Not sure yet. If anybody wants to help out: A trailer/gameplay video will be first on the chopping block so if someone wants record something that I could share / link to that'd be great.

Weekly progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.78 (29 augustus 2020)
* Made lots more progress tiling the mining tile dungeon
* Improves masking starting cave
* Tweaked masking in cave to Medu Palace

0.22.79 (30 augustus 2020)
* Made more progress tiling the mining tile dungeon
* Fixed issue with mine boss that get's you pushed into the boss by accident
* Moved over assets and code from placeholder mine dungeon to the new mine dungeon (= placeholder map now deleted)
* Masked a few mining town rooms
* Made various tweaks to existing mining town rooms
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Martijn dh on September 13, 2020, 07:49:32 pm
Hello again. Here is the latest progress report, with 44 days lefts till the NCFC. (It's going to a large challenge to finish the latest dungeon in time for the event (let alone leave some time for testing) so I've starting cutting a few of the smaller idea's. :o That being said, some of the first dungeons room are now finally fully completed (= all tiling, masking, objects and logic are finished).

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.80 (6 september 2020)
* Expanded mine tileset
* Made more progress tiling the mining town dungeon

0.22.81 (12 september 2020)
* Made more progress tiling the mining town dungeon
* Added visuals for dark overworld destructable walls
* Fully finished 1 minor dungeon room (now at 3 of 31)

0.22.82 (13 september 2020)
* Made more progress tiling the mining town dungeon (2 more rooms tiled)
* Dropped one of the mine rooms (now at 3 of 30 fully done)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Mariotag on September 13, 2020, 10:54:32 pm
I'd sooner see a quality game than one that was severely constrained.
Nice job as always!
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Martijn dh on September 14, 2020, 07:22:20 pm
I'm not making drastic cuts just yet, but I get what you're saying. I'll not put the deadline over everything.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 26, 2020, 09:48:12 am
Just a quicky update while I'm not overly tired from developing;
It'll be a real challenge to get the next major demo out before the next NCFC, but it could still be possible. Rather then scrap idea's I'll be pushing back features so that there is actually still some time left to playtest before the event (if anybody wants to help with that). And by pushback I mean: use some placeholder enemies, scenes and dialogue that can also be added during the last stretch. My reasoning: a typo or generic soldier won't be as distracting as a game breaking bug.

I'm planning to release the first build for playtesting here on october 5th.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [DEMO 22 out]
Post by: Martijn dh on September 27, 2020, 09:30:39 pm
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.88 (25 september 2020)
* Tiled and finished one more room (now at 6 of 30 done)
* Added locked town doors
* Edited area naming
* Made more other progress tiling the mining tile dungeon
* Finished another room fully (now at 7 of 30 done)
* Connected some more rooms together

0.22.89 (26 september 2020)
* Added new feature: conveyor belts can pass through walls
* Finished another room fully (now at 8 of 30 done)
* Fixed character sprite stuttering while on conveyor belts
* Fixed ore shadow placement issue
* Tweaked rolling pine enemies
* Tweaked some earlier rooms
* Fixed visuals for pits leading to the floor below
* Added extra variant of pole to hammer down
* Finished another room fully (now at 10 of 30 done)

0.22.90 (27 september 2020)
* Made more other progress tiling the mining tile dungeon
* Finished another room fully (now at 11 of 30 done + 3 more almost done)
* “Fixed” gamemaker rounding floating point issue in round(..) function in character movement script
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on October 02, 2020, 12:35:39 am
Wow! This is getting a little bit too ambitious.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 02, 2020, 07:01:56 am
Thanks for caring.

After today I have a full week off from work, about half of which I'll likely spend on development.
While I generally don't announce my vacations online before or during, in this case it should be fine since I'll just be staying at home anyway.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 05, 2020, 08:35:16 am
Sorry to dissappoint, but I'm not releasing a test demo just yet. I found that the latest additions needed more polish to work correctly - and I couldn't help but tweak things like that as I noticed them - delaying the tiling and masking work. Before, the planned deadlines looked unlikely but possible. Now it's clearly gone to unrealistic.

Also, I seem to have made a mistake with the dates. I had planned to release a demo on october 12th but appearantly wrote down the 5th in my earlier post. October the 12th will still not be possible to release anything.

I did make a ton of progress over the recent period of time so at least the rush hasn't been for nothing. Now that the NCFC is a no-go I'll likely slow development down again.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.91 (28 september 2020)
* Made more other progress tiling the mining town dungeon

0.22.92 (29 september 2020)
* Started work to fit the dungeon onto the dungeon map somehow

0.22.93 (30 september 2020)
* Fixed small tiling issue
* Finished mining town dungeon map
* Made more other progress tiling the mining town dungeon

0.22.94 (3 oktober 2020)
* Combined two gamemaker rooms into one
* Implemented broken walls that only show a crack in only one side
* Made more other progress tiling the mining town dungeon
* Made adjustments to dungeon order
* Adjusted room maskings
* Added visuals for lower level cave tileset breakable walls
* Implemented various chests and locked doors
* Expanded town dungeon tileset a little bit
* Worked on depth issue with conveyors going through walls
* Fixed some minor issues

0.22.95 (4 oktober 2020)
* Added transport object to bring conveyor objects into other room
* Made more progress tiling the mining town
* Tweaked how conveyors worked
* Fixed depth issues for ore going through walls
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 11, 2020, 08:39:37 pm
Sorry about the lack of lots of progress this week. Having missed the NCFC window (for the upcoming demo at least) my motivation slumped a bit. Or rather, I spend more time on life and relaxation.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.96 (5 oktober 2020)
* Improved item allignement on conveyors going through walls
* Fixed bug: Link sporadic stuttering when on conveyor at a certain speed and positioning
* Finished another 2 rooms fully (now at 12 of 30 done)
* Fixed a few masking issues

0.22.97 (11 oktober 2020)
* Combined several tile layers for efficiency
* Made more progress tiling the mining town dungeon
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 18, 2020, 05:32:55 pm
Here's the latest update. You can check the attached image to see the design proces of this latest room across the day. (I've lowered the quality to keep it sizable and to hide the details for when you actually encounter it ingame).

Weekly update:
Code: [Select]
0.22.98 (18 oktober 2020)
* Finished another room fully (now at 13 of 30 done)
* Added a few more floor switch sprites
* Made more progress tiling the mining town dungeon
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Samyur on October 19, 2020, 02:44:08 am
Long time no see my friend, how much you has progress, im glad. since when you dont put a demo, for test your progress. regards
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 19, 2020, 01:54:44 pm
Thanks for the support.

I don't fully understand that last sentence, but if your asking about the date of the next testdemo: I'm not entirely sure myself. The corona measures are up again in the Netherlands so that's also messed with my planned a little bit. What I could do is post the actual tasklist I'm working with, so you can see it shrink alongside me.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Samyur on October 22, 2020, 04:39:31 am
Thanks for the support.

I don't fully understand that last sentence, but if your asking about the date of the next testdemo: I'm not entirely sure myself. The corona measures are up again in the Netherlands so that's also messed with my planned a little bit. What I could do is post the actual tasklist I'm working with, so you can see it shrink alongside me.

Thanks for the quick update cause dont really has much time of internet lately, but keep working bro, its amazing what you already done. hope you can finish soon enough for us to test.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 26, 2020, 05:35:31 pm
So here is the latest progress report and my tasklist to consider the newest dungeon ready for release. With alpha meaning the dungeon can be fully completed and beta meaning all aspects should actually work as intended. (Don't be discouraged by the length of the list though; most alpha points are already being worked on at once).

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.99 (22 oktober 2020)
* Made more progress tiling the mining town dungeon

0.22.100 (23 oktober 2020)
* Made more progress tiling the mining town dungeon

0.22.101 (24 oktober 2020)
* Made lots of progress tiling the town room
* Slightly update tiling LW/DW overworlds
* Slightly expanded DW overworld tileset

Stuff left to do:
Quote
Alpha components:
- Add multiple following NPC's to dungeon
- Add NPC conversations
- Add failsafe for exiting the dungeon with NPC's following
- Fix conveyor belt depth issues
- Fix depth issues of cell depths
- Finish last house before mine entrance
- Finish "dual house" room
- Finish "hotel" room
- Finish town house lower left position
- Finish town house house center position
- Finish mine "generator" room
- Finish mine room before boss
- Finish mine room lower right B2
- Finish mine room upper right of entrance
- Finish tiling town area
- Add digging to the town
- Add all remaining keys/locked doors/dungeon map indicators/chests/conditional doors
- Add secrets chests

Beta components:
- Add signposts texts
- Adjust gauntlet dungeon to prevent repeat treasures
- Fix issue with continuous boss music
- Add visuals to make the NPC's look different from each others
- Add shadows to rooms and houses
- Add bombs / enemies falling from above
- Add shortcut warps back to the entrance
- Add interaction (some?) enemies with conveyor belts
- Add (some?) enemies falling into water / endless pits
- Add interaction NPC's with conveyor belts
- Add NPC's falling into water / endless pits
- Finish chickens (+ related enemy)
- Add new enemies (various)
- Add dungeon entrance scene
- Add dungeon end scene
- Add NPC scenes
- Add scene after boss fight
- Tweak boss fight
- Adjust hammer masking (?)
- Add extended boss sequence (potentially)
- Add proper enemies and placements to the dungeon
- Balance container contents
- Add further balance to the dungeon
- Tweak bomb throw (?) and/or allow bombs to be gently lowered
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Miles07 on October 29, 2020, 10:22:04 pm
Can't wait for that! Excited to test it out, chart it out.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 01, 2020, 10:22:14 pm
I'd like that as well. I'm interested to see how our charts will compare on this new dungeon.

-------

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.102 (30 oktober 2020)
* Fixed tiling town overworld room
* Fully masked town room
* Made progress tiling mine rooms
* Fixed various smaller things

0.22.103 (1 november 2020)
* Added diggrid to overworld room
* Expanded mine tileset more
* Expanded mine tileset
* Scrapped gauntlet dungeon adjustments
* Fixed several tiling depth issues
* Fixed helmasaurus boss music continuing after defeating boss on the first attempt
* Fixed last known depth issue with conveyors transporting through walls

Stuff left to do:
Quote
Alpha components:
- Add multiple following NPC's to dungeon
- Add NPC conversations
- Add failsafe for exiting the dungeon with NPC's following
- Fix conveyor belt depth issues
- Fix depth issues of cell depths
- Finish last house before mine entrance
- Finish "dual house" room
- Finish "hotel" room
- Finish town house lower left position
- Finish town house house center position
- Finish mine "generator" room
- Finish mine room before boss
- Finish mine room lower right B2
- Finish mine room upper right of entrance
- Finish tiling town area
- Add digging to the town
- Add all remaining keys/locked doors/dungeon map indicators/chests/conditional doors
- Add secrets chests

Beta components:
- Add signposts texts
- Adjust gauntlet dungeon to prevent repeat treasures
- Fix issue with continuous boss music
- Add visuals to make the NPC's look different from each others
- Add shadows to rooms and houses
- Add bombs / enemies falling from above
- Add shortcut warps back to the entrance
- Add interaction (some?) enemies with conveyor belts
- Add (some?) enemies falling into water / endless pits
- Add interaction NPC's with conveyor belts
- Add NPC's falling into water / endless pits
- Finish chickens (+ related enemy)
- Add new enemies (various)
- Add dungeon entrance scene
- Add dungeon end scene
- Add NPC scenes
- Add scene after boss fight
- Tweak boss fight
- Adjust hammer masking (?)
- Add extended boss sequence (potentially)
- Add proper enemies and placements to the dungeon
- Balance container contents
- Add further balance to the dungeon
- Tweak bomb throw (?) and/or allow bombs to be gently lowered
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 08, 2020, 09:05:55 pm
Weekly update. I was on my way to make good progress but ran across a number of new bugs that needed my attention first, for gameplay purposes.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.104 (2 november 2020)
* Made more progress tiling the mining town dungeon

0.22.105 (3 november 2020)
* Made more progress finishing another room

0.22.106 (8 november 2020)
* Tweaked mine entrance room
* Finished room upper right of mine entrance room
* Streamlined room logic coding around conveyor floors
* Made mine ore dispensers permanently available after activation
* Tweaked speed of thrown items after wall collisions
* Fixed error when jumping down a ledge with ore in hand
* Fixed effects when turning into a bunny while carrying ore
* Items and containers can now be pushed into the water by conveyor belts

Stuff left to do:
Quote
Alpha components:
- Add multiple following NPC's to dungeon
- Add NPC conversations
- Add failsafe for exiting the dungeon with NPC's following
- Fix depth issues of cell depths
NEW - Finish town cell house
- Finish last house before mine entrance
- Finish "dual house" room
- Finish "hotel" room
- Finish town house lower left position
- Finish town house house center position
- Finish mine "generator" room
- Finish mine room before boss
- Finish mine room lower right B2
- Finish mine room upper right of entrance
- Add all remaining keys/locked doors/dungeon map indicators/chests/conditional doors
- Add secrets chests

Beta components:
- Add signposts texts
- Add visuals to make the NPC's look different from each others
- Add shadows to rooms and houses
- Add bombs / enemies falling from above
- Add shortcut warps back to the entrance
- Add interaction (some?) enemies with conveyor belts
- Add (some?) enemies falling into water / endless pits
- Add interaction NPC's with conveyor belts
- Add NPC's falling into water / endless pits
- Finish chickens (+ related enemy)
- Add new enemies (wall shooters / humanoids)
- Add dungeon entrance scene
- Add dungeon end scene
- Add NPC scenes
- Add scene after boss fight
- Tweak boss fight
- Adjust hammer masking (?)
- Add extended boss sequence (potentially)
- Add proper enemies and placements to the dungeon
- Balance container contents
- Add further balance to the dungeon
- Tweak bomb throw (?) and/or allow bombs to be gently lowered
NEW - Fix bug: Containers / items can be affected by multiple conveyor belt at a time
NEW - Fix bug: Ore respawns at last known location if destroyed while carrying
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 13, 2020, 02:13:42 pm
Just a quicky update image, cause I had it lying around from last week and felt like it.
(I'm currently slightly further along than this).
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 15, 2020, 07:31:10 pm
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.107 (13 november 2020)
* Fixed destroyed ore spawning at last known location
* Items and containers are now only affected by one conveyor belt at a time
* Tweaked mines fairy room

0.22.108 (14 november 2020)
* Fully tiled and finished cell house in the mining town
* Corrected some smaller tiling issues
* Tweaked fairy room a little further
* Tweaked the rolling pin enemy starting states
* Finished mine lower room B2

0.22.109 (15 november 2020)
* Added some shadows to the town houses
* Tiled and finished last house before the house (for now until more enemy types are added)
* Made more progress tiling the town “dual house”
* Finished adding secret chests

Stuff left to do:
Quote
Alpha components:
- Add multiple following NPC's to dungeon
- Add NPC conversations
- Add failsafe for exiting the dungeon with NPC's following
- Fix depth issues of cell depths
- Finish town cell house
- Finish last house before mine entrance
- Finish "dual house" room
- Finish "hotel" room
- Finish town house lower left position
- Finish town house house center position
- Finish mine "generator" room
- Finish mine room before boss
- Finish mine room lower right B2
- Add all remaining keys/locked doors/dungeon map indicators/chests/conditional doors
- Add secrets chests

Beta components:
- Add signposts texts
- Add visuals to make the NPC's look different from each others
- Add shadows to rooms and houses
- Add bombs / enemies falling from above
- Add shortcut warps back to the entrance
- Add interaction (some?) enemies with conveyor belts
- Add (some?) enemies falling into water / endless pits
- Add interaction NPC's with conveyor belts
- Add NPC's falling into water / endless pits
- Finish chickens (+ related enemy)
NEW - Finish town house upper left position
- Add new enemies (wall shooters / humanoids)
- Add dungeon entrance scene
- Add dungeon end scene
- Add NPC scenes
- Add scene after boss fight
- Tweak boss fight
- Adjust hammer masking (?)
- Add extended boss sequence (potentially)
- Add proper enemies and placements to the dungeon
- Balance container contents
- Add further balance to the dungeon
Fix bug: Containers / items can be affected by multiple conveyor belt at a time
Fix bug: Ore respawns at last known location if destroyed while carrying

NEW - Fix bug: Rounding issue in fairy/enemy movements scripts
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 22, 2020, 08:44:17 pm
Apology's about this next demo taking so long to produce. I had some extra days off to clear most (if not all) of the Alpha items this week but personal things ended up asking more of my attention than intented (=nothing bad, just grown up responsibilities you know).

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.110 (16 november 2020)
* Added remaining locked and conditional doors to the mining town houses
* Made progress tiling the “dual house” in the mining town
* Tiled and finished house in the top left of the mining town
* Made progress tiling the other remaining mining town houses
* Tweaked mining town dungeon map

0.22.111 (17 november 2020)
* Tweaked mining town tiling further
* Finished mine generator room (except for enemies)
* Made progress on the library side of the dual house

0.22.112 (22 november 2020)
* Made progress on finishing the ”dual house” room
* Expanded the functionality of destructable curtains

Stuff left to do:
Quote
Alpha components:
- Add multiple following NPC's to dungeon
- Add NPC conversations
- Add failsafe for exiting the dungeon with NPC's following
- Fix depth issues of cell depths
- Finish "dual house" room
- Finish "hotel" room
- Finish town house lower left position
- Finish mine "generator" room
- Finish mine room before boss
- Add all remaining keys/locked doors/dungeon map indicators/chests/conditional doors

Beta components:
- Add signposts texts
- Add visuals to make the NPC's look different from each others
- Add shadows to rooms
- Add bombs / enemies falling from above
- Add shortcut warps back to the entrance
- Add interaction (some?) enemies with conveyor belts
- Add (some?) enemies falling into water / endless pits
- Add interaction NPC's with conveyor belts
- Add NPC's falling into water / endless pits
- Finish chickens (+ related enemy)
- Finish town house upper left position
MOVED - Finish town house house center position
- Add new enemies (wall shooters / humanoids)
- Add dungeon entrance scene
- Add dungeon end scene
- Add NPC scenes
- Add scene after boss fight
- Tweak boss fight
- Adjust hammer masking (?)
- Add extended boss sequence (potentially)
- Add proper enemies and placements to the dungeon
- Balance container contents
- Add further balance to the dungeon
- Fix bug: Rounding issue in fairy/enemy movements scripts get's them stuck in terrain
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on November 24, 2020, 08:01:30 pm
Don't Worry, life happens and you have the best fangame in the scene right now... hope to see the next demo soon, i'm always lurking around for your updates here and it's looking good so far :D
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Mariotag on November 25, 2020, 12:14:28 am
Ye. Take what time you need.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 25, 2020, 12:33:02 pm
Thank you both. It's good to receive feedback every now and then :)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 29, 2020, 07:51:50 pm
Weekly update:

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.113 (23 november 2020)
* Made more progress on finishing the ”dual house” room

0.22.114 (24 november 2020)
* Made good progress tiling the last remaining houses
* Tweaked mining town dungeon map and town room
* Masked and finished another dungeon room

0.22.115 (25 november 2020)
* Masked and finished another dungeon room
* Made progress adding in multiple captured NPC's

0.22.116 (26 november 2020)
* Made progress adding in multiple captured NPC's
* Added signposts to the mining town dungeon
* Added dungeon warp shortcuts

0.22.117 (27 november 2020)
* Fixed NPC depth issue that can happen during specific transitions if they are following you
* Added failsafe to prevent NPC's from leaving dungeons with you

Stuff left to do:
Quote
Alpha components:
- Add multiple following NPC's to dungeon
- Add failsafe for exiting the dungeon with NPC's following
- Finish "dual house" room
- Finish "hotel" room
- Finish town house lower left position
- Finish mine room before boss

Beta components:
- Add signposts texts
- Add visuals to make the NPC's look different from each others
- Add shadows to rooms
- Add bombs / enemies falling from above
- Add shortcut warps back to the entrance
- Add interaction (some?) enemies with conveyor belts
- Add (some?) enemies falling into water / endless pits
- Add interaction NPC's with conveyor belts
- Add NPC's falling into water / endless pits
- Finish chickens (+ related enemy)
- Finish town house house center position
- Add new enemies (wall shooters / humanoids)
- Add dungeon entrance scene
- Add dungeon end scene
- Add NPC scenes
- Add scene after boss fight
- Tweak boss fight
- Adjust hammer masking (?)
- Add extended boss sequence (potentially)
- Add proper enemies and placements to the dungeon
- Balance container contents
- Add further balance to the dungeon
MOVED - Add NPC conversations
MOVED - Fix depth issues of cell depths
- Fix bug: Rounding issue in fairy/enemy movements scripts get's them stuck in terrain
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 07, 2020, 05:17:04 pm
Development was delayed again, but the next demo is still getting closer and closer. XD

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.118 (1 december 2020)
* Added all the remaining shadows to the new dungeon
* Tiled central town house

0.22.119 (2 december 2020)
* Finished central town house

0.22.120 (5 december 2020)
* Added failsafe when trying to leave the area while an NPC follows you
* Fixed error when entering some houses on other depth level, while NPC's following you

Stuff left to do:
Quote
Alpha components:
- Add failsafe for exiting the dungeon with NPC's following
- Finish "dual house" room
- Finish mine room before boss

Beta components:
- Add visuals to make the NPC's look different from each others
- Add shadows to rooms
- Add bombs / enemies falling from above
- Add interaction (some?) enemies with conveyor belts
- Add (some?) enemies falling into water / endless pits
- Add interaction NPC's with conveyor belts
- Add NPC's falling into water / endless pits
- Finish chickens (+ related enemy)
- Finish town house house center position
- Add new enemies (wall shooters / humanoids)
- Add dungeon entrance scene
- Add dungeon end scene
- Add NPC scenes
- Add scene after boss fight
- Tweak boss fight
- Adjust hammer masking (?)
- Add extended boss sequence (potentially)
- Add proper enemies and placements to the dungeon
- Balance container contents
- Add further balance to the dungeon
- Add NPC conversations
- Fix depth issues of cell depths
- Fix bug: Rounding issue in fairy/enemy movements scripts get's them stuck in terrain
NEW - Fix error when using warp tiles while NPC's follow you
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance (alpha out)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 13, 2020, 10:46:09 pm
And here it is, the alpha version. Name your character "Boss" to directly playtest the new dungeon area. Just don't leave the area by going directly north (or you'll have to solve the puzzle to get back in).

Download
Demo version: 0.22.121
File Size: 19,89 MB (Zipped)
Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 (Changable)
Download (Mediafire): https://www.mediafire.com/file/us6w9kl0tzltkyw/Zelda+0+22+121+alpha.zip/file

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.121 (13 december 2020)
* Fixed error if you warp with NPC's following you
* Disabled NPC's following you if you use the mirror to jump to the dungeon entrance
* Added placeholder NPC's to save (incl placeholder scenes when they reach their target locations)
* Added extra type of screen fade effect
* Fixed a serie of issue with following NPC's
* Tweaked some more tilework
* Masked and finished last room before the boss
* Tweaked mining town objects and masking

Stuff left to do:
Quote
Alpha components:
- Finish mine room before boss


Beta components:
MOVED - Finish "dual house" room
- Add visuals to make the NPC's look different from each others
- Add bombs / enemies falling from above
- Add interaction (some?) enemies with conveyor belts
- Add (some?) enemies falling into water / endless pits
- Add interaction NPC's with conveyor belts
- Add NPC's falling into water / endless pits
- Finish chickens (+ related enemy)
- Add new enemies (wall shooters / humanoids)
- Add dungeon entrance scene
- Add dungeon end scene
- Add NPC scenes
- Add scene after boss fight
- Tweak boss fight
- Adjust hammer masking (?)
- Add extended boss sequence (potentially)
- Add proper enemies and placements to the dungeon
- Balance container contents
- Add further balance to the dungeon
- Add NPC conversations
- Fix depth issues of cell depths
- Fix bug: Rounding issue in fairy/enemy movements scripts get's them stuck in terrain
NEW - Fix error when using warp tiles while NPC's follow you
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Mariotag on December 14, 2020, 07:36:06 am
Nice! I'll probably wait till the finished product myself, but it's one I'll definitely look forward to!
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 14, 2020, 12:19:48 pm
I'll likely release a new demo every few weeks as feedback rolls in and beta components get added so hop on whenever you feel like  ;)
I appreciate the support either way.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Miles07 on December 15, 2020, 07:50:13 pm
Oh sweet, new demo! I'll give this a try this week.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Miles07 on December 17, 2020, 11:36:44 pm
Okay, tried the demo. Currently, it's not completable. Found bugs are as follows:

Show content
A1. Some tiles and sections of the world are missing or solid red. [1] (https://imgur.com/uPFN1d1)[2] (https://imgur.com/07h4m46)
A2. Poor Switch doesn't change his dialogue when his shop is empty. [1] (https://imgur.com/W6Mdtpn)
A3. Waterworks, last room. You successfully removed the unused rooms from the map, but at the cost of turning a door upside down. [1] (https://imgur.com/WFHSYDU)
A4. Florine's dialogue in the Underwater Prison needs to be proofread. [1] (https://imgur.com/cStwjDg)[2] (https://imgur.com/Bsi2hGa)
A5. Underwater Prison toggle switches sometimes have a graphical glitch depending on where Link is facing. [1] (https://imgur.com/AxqjMTZ)[2] (https://imgur.com/YhbDt6g)
A6. The Soldiers Shrine researcher also could use some proofreading. [1] (https://imgur.com/oWyk2ul)
A7. *than [1] (https://imgur.com/S3RXxyQ)
A8. *its [1] (https://imgur.com/4Y4OvhT)[2] (https://imgur.com/eWUS41H)[3] (https://imgur.com/EtNGnGR)[4] (https://imgur.com/SAvpOAg)[5] (https://imgur.com/lCWstGy)
A9. Incorrect tile layers during Link's stair-climbing animation in some locations. [1] (https://imgur.com/tfQz3xu)[2] (https://imgur.com/E98stjx)[3] (https://imgur.com/5amwTRz)
A10. *built and *controlled [1] (https://imgur.com/IkADjyB)
A11. *halberd [1] (https://imgur.com/Xl0dyi4)
A12. *similar [1] (https://imgur.com/nfYjGHp)
A13. *grateful and *guardian (later in the conversation) [1] (https://imgur.com/FaEjIzc)
A14. Fairies can sometimes get stuck on stairs, or other pieces of the environment. [1] (https://imgur.com/RBWwRMk)
A15. *us [1] (https://imgur.com/cq7zRu4)
A16. The button on the Solders Shrine side of the access cave, is in its normal state after entering this cave, even though it should be depressed and turned off. Lifting a pot and standing on the switch activates it again, but the barrier remains down. [1] (https://imgur.com/UijE6nS)
A17. Overworld, outside Heimgartner Manor. I'm able to blow up the wall to the prison even though the thief guard is still there. (No rings placed on the altars.) Intentional? Okay? [1] (https://imgur.com/nNkhRTX)
A18. *walls [1] (https://imgur.com/pMKiAdg)
A19. *defile [1] (https://imgur.com/ULWWezd)
A20. "there was little *she could do" [1] (https://imgur.com/Gu1ygU2)
A21. *must have [1] (https://imgur.com/HuKZiFs)
A22. *a second chance [1] (https://imgur.com/iyfPICW)
A23. *valiant [1] (https://imgur.com/A5sHvne)
A24. *bear no ill will [1] (https://imgur.com/Lc6kAUH)
A25. *price [1] (https://imgur.com/zrGJL1l)
A26. *goddesses' (with an apostrophe) [1] (https://imgur.com/ok7lpQE)
A27. *no one (two separate words) [1] (https://imgur.com/Gofy7IP)
A28. Heimgartner Manor, Magical Labyrinth isn't marked as "visited" after solving it. [1] (https://imgur.com/9SqkMxu)
A29. Heimgartner Manor, Garden. Sometimes the barriers don't fall when they are supposed to? [1] (https://imgur.com/rSpZ3tl)
A30. *and / *safe , plus double-check the rest of this conversation [1] (https://imgur.com/64npKvF)
A31. *thieves [1] (https://imgur.com/TsWZQRj)
A32. Darkworld, the dash-rocks have the Overworld green grass sprite border. [1] (https://imgur.com/A7MtwJK)
A33. Double-check the AI of the fire-snakes. I've been watching one hug the left side of the room indefinitely, and the other was just circling the room. Intended? Or are they supposed to have some sort of RNG? [1] (https://imgur.com/YubKf9q)
A34. Check allcaps during Enraged Florine pre-fight speech. [1] (https://imgur.com/Ek6TPoF)
A35. Check collisions on some of the Mining Town structures. [1] (https://imgur.com/h6RiYc8)
A36. Check sprite layers for Mining Town jail bars and other nearby assets. [1] (https://imgur.com/sBK67Mi)
A37. Mining Town, entered a house and I can't move. Had to save-and-quit or use the Magic Mirror to escape softlock. [1] (https://imgur.com/QZRT7YQ)
A38. Mining Town, maidens have placeholder text. Unsure where I am supposed to bring them. [1] (https://imgur.com/vLeNoLp)
A39. Mining Town, reloading the file or using the Magic Mirror, resets any button presses, removing the shortcuts. [1] (https://imgur.com/aeV6oSa)
A40. Mining Town, used the wrong Bomb items for pickups. [1] (https://imgur.com/RfDspeN)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 18, 2020, 09:49:19 am
Wow, you really helped me out with this! Thank you.

I should be able to fix most of these by the end of the weekend. Can't call it an alpha if you can't reach the end, now can I XD

Fairy/enemy collisions (14+33) and Cell depth (36) were known issues and got pushed back to the beta. I'll give those priority.

EDIT:
#17 - Being able to interact with the wall is no problem so long as you can't bypass the guard. I actually like that the world is what it is, regardless of whether or not you triggered a cutscene. Like how dark souls enemies don't just spawn in. Maybe I'm reaching but to me it feels more immersive. (Uuhm. Just ignore NPC's tanking bombs to the face though XD)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 19, 2020, 07:35:48 pm
@Miles07: I can't replicate issue 5. Was it reproducable?

While I'm at it. These are the issues still left on my end:
Show content
A2. Poor Switch doesn't change his dialogue when his shop is empty. [1] (https://imgur.com/W6Mdtpn)
A5. Underwater Prison toggle switches sometimes have a graphical glitch depending on where Link is facing. [1] (https://imgur.com/AxqjMTZ)[2] (https://imgur.com/YhbDt6g)
A14. Fairies can sometimes get stuck on stairs, or other pieces of the environment. [1] (https://imgur.com/RBWwRMk)
A16. The button on the Solders Shrine side of the access cave, is in its normal state after entering this cave, even though it should be depressed and turned off. Lifting a pot and standing on the switch activates it again, but the barrier remains down. [1] (https://imgur.com/UijE6nS)
A28. Heimgartner Manor, Magical Labyrinth isn't marked as "visited" after solving it. [1] (https://imgur.com/9SqkMxu)
A29. Heimgartner Manor, Garden. Sometimes the barriers don't fall when they are supposed to? [1] (https://imgur.com/rSpZ3tl)
A32. Darkworld, the dash-rocks have the Overworld green grass sprite border. [1] (https://imgur.com/A7MtwJK)
A33. Double-check the AI of the fire-snakes. I've been watching one hug the left side of the room indefinitely, and the other was just circling the room. Intended? Or are they supposed to have some sort of RNG? [1] (https://imgur.com/YubKf9q)
A36. Check sprite layers for Mining Town jail bars and other nearby assets. [1] (https://imgur.com/sBK67Mi)
A38. Mining Town, maidens have placeholder text. Unsure where I am supposed to bring them. [1] (https://imgur.com/vLeNoLp)
A39. Mining Town, reloading the file or using the Magic Mirror, resets any button presses, removing the shortcuts. [1] (https://imgur.com/aeV6oSa)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance (alpha out)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 20, 2020, 11:23:45 pm
And here is the update. Almost all issues have been fixed. You should be able to fully complete the new dungeon now.

Download
Demo version: 0.22.124
File Size: 19,89 MB (Zipped)
Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 (Changable)
Download (Mediafire): https://www.mediafire.com/file/m4st96uvvs8nfyl/Zelda+0+22+124+alpha.zip/file

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.122 (18 december 2020)
* Fixed various language issues
* Fixed various tiling issues
* Fixed masking issues in mining town and mining town dual house
* Fixed incorrect collectable items from specific containers
* Started work on cell bars depth issues

0.22.123 (19 december 2020)
* Finished handling cell bars depth issues
* Fixed tiling issue underwater prison
* Tweaked end coordinates for a few transitions
* Adjusted some more minor masking issues
* Edited mining town dungeon order a little to prevent may to get stuck
* Fixed chest not spawning
* Fixed diggrid values in part of the overworld

0.22.124 (20 december 2020)
* Made mining town door shortcuts permanent
* Added in the hostage conversations
* Fixed shopkeeper not detecting his shop being empty
* Fixed visual hickup in mansion dungeon map
* Tweaked a few minor tiling issues

Stuff left to do:
Quote
Beta components:
- Finish "dual house" room
- Add visuals to make the NPC's look different from each others
- Add bombs / enemies falling from above
- Add interaction (some?) enemies with conveyor belts
- Add (some?) enemies falling into water / endless pits
- Add interaction NPC's with conveyor belts
- Add NPC's falling into water / endless pits
- Finish chickens (+ related enemy)
- Add new enemies (wall shooters / humanoids)
- Add dungeon entrance scene
- Add dungeon end scene
- Add NPC scenes
- Add scene after boss fight
- Tweak boss fight
- Adjust hammer masking (?)
- Add extended boss sequence (potentially)
- Add proper enemies and placements to the dungeon
- Balance container contents
- Add further balance to the dungeon
- Add NPC conversations
- Fix depth issues of cell depths
- Fix bug: Rounding issue in fairy/enemy movements scripts get's them stuck in terrain

Reported issues left to adress:
Show content
A14. Fairies can sometimes get stuck on stairs, or other pieces of the environment. [1] (https://imgur.com/RBWwRMk)
A16. The button on the Solders Shrine side of the access cave, is in its normal state after entering this cave, even though it should be depressed and turned off. Lifting a pot and standing on the switch activates it again, but the barrier remains down. [1] (https://imgur.com/UijE6nS)
A29. Heimgartner Manor, Garden. Sometimes the barriers don't fall when they are supposed to? [1] (https://imgur.com/rSpZ3tl)
A33. Double-check the AI of the fire-snakes. I've been watching one hug the left side of the room indefinitely, and the other was just circling the room. Intended? Or are they supposed to have some sort of RNG? [1] (https://imgur.com/YubKf9q)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on December 21, 2020, 07:58:28 pm
Didn't really play the last two demos but....

Code: [Select]
-very first door/stairway: tiling issue ( Link steps behind the "door" but above the "wall" )
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 21, 2020, 08:12:09 pm
Thanks. Fixed it (on my end just now).

------

UPDATE: @Miles07
Got around to looking at issue 29, but after testing (and looking at your screenshot) it seems to be working as intended. Or did you mean to say that this puzzle did not trigger consistently?

A29. Heimgartner Manor, Garden. Sometimes the barriers don't fall when they are supposed to? [1] (https://imgur.com/rSpZ3tl)

------

UPDATE 2:
To save people time listing this issue: I found that the staircase tiling issue is pretty widespread so I'm currently checking all staircases in the game to fix it properly.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Miles07 on December 22, 2020, 04:23:07 pm
Not consistently. Not sure why, I think it has to do with the enemies not being in the right trigger area for the barriers to go down? Still unclear.

Just downloaded the demo update. With the holidays being what they are, I likely won't be getting back to it until after Christmas at the earliest.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 22, 2020, 07:51:35 pm
I think I found what you meant. On the right side of the garden the soldier pack was able to walk outside the area that is checked before lowering the right blocks, so I've added invisible walls to keep that pack relatively nearby.

Also, I'll work on releasing a new demo in the weekend after christmas so you can skip all the issues I've already patched in the meantime.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance (alpha out)
Post by: Martijn dh on December 24, 2020, 09:50:23 pm
And that is all the reported issues solved. At least for as far as I can tell. And since I probably won't be working on it this weekend due to the holidays and a leaky roof ::) might as well upload the fixed version already.

Two notes:
- You can name the gamefile "boss" to jump directly to the new content
- In the north part of the mining town is a house with curtains. I'm aware that there is an object overlapping one of the curtains. It's on my beta todo list.

Download
Demo version: 0.22.127
File Size: 19,89 MB (Zipped)
Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 (Changable)
Download (Mediafire): https://www.mediafire.com/file/2ogi444l0bzxf6s/Zelda+0+22+127+alpha.zip/file

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.125 (21 december 2020)
* Fixed some more staircase tiling issues

0.22.126 (22 december 2020)
* Went through the entire game looking for (+fixing) other staircases where the tiling might have been messed up. Results not fully tested yet.
* Made button before dungeon 1 consistently pressed down once used
* Fixed animation of correctly positioned rooster statue in left side of the mansion dungeon garden
* Confined enemies in right side of mansion dungeon garden so east blocks always open upon defeating nearby enemy pack
* Potentially solved collission floating point issues in rolling pin enemies (= needs more testing to check stuff didn't break elsewhere)

0.22.127 (24 december 2020)
* Improved winder enemy movement AI to better bypass the gamemaker floating point errors
* Fixed fairy collisions with terrain/staircases
* Fixed collisions with icy floors on moving platforms

Stuff left to do:
Quote
Beta components:
- Finish "dual house" room
- Add visuals to make the NPC's look different from each others
- Add bombs / enemies falling from above
- Add interaction (some?) enemies with conveyor belts
- Add (some?) enemies falling into water / endless pits
- Add interaction NPC's with conveyor belts
- Add NPC's falling into water / endless pits
- Finish chickens (+ related enemy)
- Add new enemies (wall shooters / humanoids)
- Add dungeon entrance scene
- Add dungeon end scene
- Add NPC scenes
- Add scene after boss fight
- Tweak boss fight
- Adjust hammer masking (?)
- Add extended boss sequence (potentially)
- Add proper enemies and placements to the dungeon
- Balance container contents
- Add further balance to the dungeon
- Fix bug: Rounding issue in fairy/enemy movements scripts get's them stuck in terrain

Reported issues left to adress:
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Miles07 on December 27, 2020, 12:53:49 am
EDITED -- Still unable to complete.

Show content
A5 new information: If Link pushes the water switches partway, in a manner that causes the "switch movement" animation to pause halfway through the animation (i.e. starting to push the switch, but not completing it, not pushing the switch long enough), then there's a 50% chance that the graphical glitch occurs where the lever is set based on the direction Link is looking (left or right only so far. Haven't observed this glitch when looking up or down.).
A14. Fairies are still getting stuck on terrain.

A41. Cave of Adventure: defeating the Stalfos doesn't get rid of the Boss icon on the map, as it would if any other boss is defeated. [1] (https://imgur.com/8k1Nq5A)
A42. Underwater Prison: scribbles on the wall might need to be proofread. Unless the point was for the text to be rambling? [1] (https://imgur.com/LHQRxvn)
A43. Soldier Tombs: returning to the room where access is granted to the basement (after lighting the four torches), sometimes the central statue isn't moved. [1] (https://imgur.com/wtGBpoJ) Reloading by exiting the dungeon or using the Magic Mirror solves this, though. [2] (https://imgur.com/NPABpeH)
A44. Desert Palace: Incorrect tiles in some of the rooms. [1] (https://imgur.com/89PaSom) [2] (https://imgur.com/4rnF5hy) [3] (https://imgur.com/3SSb5ef) [4] (https://imgur.com/VC3PvqM) [5] (https://imgur.com/Kx3t7vj) [6] (https://imgur.com/GvDM0Rj) [7] (https://imgur.com/fPzsoHx) [8] (https://imgur.com/SFedTyg)
A45. Darkworld, area outside of Swamp Ruins: when going underwater, it looks like one graphic layer is placed on top of Link's sprite in some parts of the room. [1] (https://imgur.com/9raPHlC)
A46. Is Mining Town supposed to keep the day-night cycle like the rest of the outdoors areas (like Heimgartner Manor)? Because I entered the Mining Town area at night, and the location is lit up as if it's daytime.
A47. Mining Town: key didn't spawn. Unable to complete, out of keys. Might be similar situation to A29, where the slimes aren't killed in a triggerable area to have the key drop down? [1] (https://imgur.com/Tkh3APS)
A48. Starting with BOSS name, I load into Mining Town but then am stuck. Similar as in issue A37.
A49. Mining Town: I've only been able to find 3 keys, and 4 locks. One of the locked doors can be circumvented, which leads me to believe there is softlock potential here. Solved. Sometimes the key fails to load. Resetting the game solves it, it seems.
A50. Mining Town: more tiling issues. [1] (https://imgur.com/DFGfn7N)
A51. Mining Town: warp tile not functional unless the dungeon is reloaded. [1] (https://imgur.com/YcXItYt)
A52. Derelict Mine: tiling issue hiding a Weight Crystal switch. [1] (https://imgur.com/FsNWp7e)
A53. Derelict Mine: I keep getting stuck on some of the doorways. Always need to Magic Mirror or Save&Quit to get out of it.
A54. Derelict Mine: Appear to be stuck here. Unable to get the Weight Crystal to the right side of the room. Unless there's something I'm missing? [1] (https://imgur.com/V4sRlsA) From what I've been able to tell, saving after flipping the switch, then reloading, will cause the room to keep loading the enemy slimes on the lower level, making it impossible to move the Weight Crystal to the right side of the room.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 27, 2020, 10:12:42 am
Sorry about the amount of issues. I'll take a look as soon as I can.

[44] = Now fixed. I forgot to turn a layer back on.
[54] = Maybe the masking is messed up. I'll have to playtest later. Though I don't understand how the enemies play a part. Are you trying to move the crystal through the upper right doorway?

--

EDIT: Could you give an example location for issue [53]?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Miles07 on December 27, 2020, 06:14:51 pm
Lower right. No matter what, it seems the buttons don't do anything, since the floor keeps alternating up and down.

For A53, I keep getting stuck on the south doorway of the room before the first Helmasarus King battle. The room with the four floor switches you need to put the torches onto.
Secondly, there's the room south of the imprisoned maiden you reach after the first Helmasaurus battle / right after the purple pegs in the room where you get the Master Key. When you walk through a doorway with an NPC following, Link gets propelled forward into the room quite a bit, causing him to get stuck in the railing of that south room (has a moving floor with a pit in it).
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 27, 2020, 10:27:00 pm
So it was quit a productive day today. (I didn't intend to work on the game even, but I couldn't help myself). Only 4 issues remain. The problem though is that 3 of those are real headscratchers.
[14] is caused by floating point errors and might take a longer time to solve.
[53] and [45] are simple enough problems, but fixing them also affect lots of other places in the game so I'll have to thread carefully.

I'll release the updated demo when at least [53] is solved since that's the one game breaker. Not sure yet when that will be.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.128 (27 december 2020)
* Fixed tiling issues desert palace
* Fixed tiling issue derelict mine
* Fixed tiling issue cell house in mining town
* Edited wall text in underwater prison
* Fixed spawn location if filename is “boss”
* Added day-night cycle to mining town
* Fixed mining town dual house to require master key
* Fixed mining town key overlapping indexes
* Naming gamefile “boss” also gives silver gloves
* Fixed tiling issue in mining town (door to house before cave entrance)
* Fixed trigger of mine entrance scene triggering exiting the house before through the south exit
* Fixed mining town shortcut warp not being useable before leaving the room first
* Fixed error when walking down rare type of stairs to another room with an NPC following
* Fixed more tiling depth issues in mining town if you have NPC's following you.
* Fixed starting visuals of torches in dual cell cave in mining town (upon returning after solving the puzzle)
* Fixed serie of issues with boss icons not being present or not dissappearing
* Fixed depth issues near first ore dispenser in the derelict mine
* Breakable wall in mining town dual house now better hidden
* The conveyor floor in the B2 south east corner of the derelict mine can now still be operated after returning from leaving the floor
* Visuals for pushswitches are now better determined

Remaining reported issues:
Show content
A14. Fairies are still getting stuck on terrain.
A43. Soldier Tombs: returning to the room where access is granted to the basement (after lighting the four torches), sometimes the central statue isn't moved. [1] (https://imgur.com/wtGBpoJ) Reloading by exiting the dungeon or using the Magic Mirror solves this, though. [2] (https://imgur.com/NPABpeH)
A45. Darkworld, area outside of Swamp Ruins: when going underwater, it looks like one graphic layer is placed on top of Link's sprite in some parts of the room. [1] (https://imgur.com/9raPHlC)
A53. Derelict Mine: I keep getting stuck on some of the doorways. Always need to Magic Mirror or Save&Quit to get out of it.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Miles07 on December 27, 2020, 11:16:00 pm
Just as you posted, I was about to report another bug that crashes the game:

A55. Soldier Tombs: Fighting Guardian VanMol sometimes crashes when a blow is given while he's beginning to swing his flail. Able to do if I immediately run up to him and swing the L.1 Sword as fast as I can.

Show content
___________________________________________
############################################################################################
ERROR in
action number 1
of  Step Event0
for object obj_Enemy:

Cannot apply sqrt to negative number.
at gml_Script_scr_AI_Boss_Soldier_Flail_Chain
############################################################################################
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
stack frame is
gml_Script_scr_AI_Boss_Soldier_Flail_Chain (line -1)
gml_Script_scr_AI_Boss_Soldier_Flail
gml_Script_scr_Enemy_Step_AI_Select
gml_Script_scr_Enemy_Step
gml_Object_obj_Enemy_Step_0

Maybe at some point I need to stream myself playing the game to show you what's going on. Maybe on Discord, one of these days.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 28, 2020, 09:10:21 pm
Just give me a sign when (and how) I can view the stream.

EDIT: Found and fixed the subboss issue.
Title: Alttp - Horn of Balance (alpha out)
Post by: Martijn dh on January 03, 2021, 11:12:47 am
Download
Demo version: 0.22.134
File Size: 19,89 MB (Zipped)
Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 (Changable)
Download (Mediafire): https://www.mediafire.com/file/xnz35aancfviokn/Zelda+0+22+134+alpha.zip/file

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.129 (28 december 2020)
* Tweaked depth of (normal and locked) overworld house doors
* Fixed error when getting too agressively up close in subboss 1's face
* Added extra failsafe to dungeon 1 basement opening

0.22.130 (29 december 2020)
* Added more failsaves display correct torch states near to dungeon 1 basement opening
* Made progress finishing the mining town dual house

0.22.131 (30 december 2020)
* Extended functionality of cuttable curtains

0.22.132 (31 december 2020)
* Finished mining town dual house
* Streamlined code for connected breakable walls that have different indexes

0.22.133 (1 januari 2021)
* Edited tiling depths concerning water/diving areas to fix depth issue in darkworld poisoned swamp area

0.22.134 (2 januari 2021)
* Edited room transitions while NPC is following you
* Tweaked NPC follow scripting

0.22.135 (3 januari 2021)
* Tweaked mine tiling issue when NPC's are following you
* Further tweaked NPC follow scripting

Stuff left to do:
Quote
Beta components:
- Finish "dual house" room
- Add visuals to make the NPC's look different from each others
- Add bombs / enemies falling from above
- Add interaction (some?) enemies with conveyor belts
- Add (some?) enemies falling into water / endless pits
- Add interaction NPC's with conveyor belts
- Add NPC's falling into water / endless pits
- Finish chickens (+ related enemy)
- Add new enemies (wall shooters / humanoids)
- Add dungeon entrance scene
- Add dungeon end scene
- Add NPC scenes
- Add scene after boss fight
- Tweak boss fight
- Adjust hammer masking (?)
- Add extended boss sequence (potentially)
- Add proper enemies and placements to the dungeon
- Balance container contents
- Add further balance to the dungeon

Reported issues left to adress:
- Fairies get stuck in terrain (floating point error issue)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on January 08, 2021, 06:58:55 am
It's been too long since you popped out one of these bad boys.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 08, 2021, 01:56:00 pm
Thank you. Makes me want to double my efforts next weekend. XD
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 10, 2021, 09:42:18 pm
Not too much progress this week as I got a little ill, but I did make progress on the new custom hostage sprites. (5 of the 6 hostages will be these children - the 6th will remain the maid looking NPC).
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Mariotag on January 10, 2021, 09:54:51 pm
So, Link finally gets to rescue hostages?
Nice!
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 17, 2021, 09:42:28 pm
Weekly update: Lots of tweaks have been made after Miles07's streaming session. Expect more tweaks as I continue going over the footage.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.136 (9 januari 2021)
* Sprited custom sprites for hostages

0.22.137 (15 januari 2021)
* Implemented custom hostage sprites

0.22.138 (16 januari 2021)
* Fixed basement entrance in soldier tombs not triggering if last trigger torch was on the same floor (+fixed related misalligned statue in final dungeon room)
* Fixed a few typo's in dialogue
* Added some missing shallow water objects in mining town
* Fixed a few tiling issues in mining town dungeon
* Fixed misalligned room transition for first house encountered in mining town
* Altered breakable walls in mining town mine B3 – lower right area
* Fixed chest index in mining town mine B2 lower right room
* Shortened hookshot-able gap and adjusted masking in mining town mine B2 room
* Fixed enemy arrows changing colors when blocked
* Adjusted flying tile enemies to properly respawn after subboss in dungeon 1
* Added and used extra tiles for showing when conveyor transport items to the room above/below
* Fixed slowdown during some staircase transitions
* Adjusted type of rocks separating the two halfs of the desert dungeon
* Light blue rocks can no longer be blown up by bombs
* Almost finished implementing new hostage visuals

Stuff left to do:
Quote
Beta components:
ALMOST DONE - Add visuals to make the NPC's look different from each others
- Add bombs / enemies falling from above
MIGHT DROP - Add interaction (some?) enemies with conveyor belts
MIGHT DROP - Add (some?) enemies falling into water / endless pits
DROPPED - Add interaction NPC's with conveyor belts
DROPPED - Add NPC's falling into water / endless pits
- Finish chickens (+ related enemy)
- Add new enemies (wall shooters / humanoids)
- Add dungeon entrance scene
- Add dungeon end scene
- Add NPC scenes
- Add scene after boss fight
- Tweak boss fight
- Adjust hammer masking (?)
- Add extended boss sequence (potentially)
- Add proper enemies and placements to the dungeon
- Balance container contents
- Add further balance to the dungeon

Other reported points left to adress:
- Fairies get stuck in terrain (floating point error issue)
NEW - Can't bring one of the hostages to the target location
NEW - Various minor issues
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 23, 2021, 09:03:02 pm
And here is the weekly progress report. The one gamebreaking issue Miles07 found has been solved. There are now (for the most part) only floating point error / collision issues left to solve after the last recording session. As it stands right now I'll likely wait a few more weekends to get those sorted as well before releasing the new demo.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.139 (18 januari 2021)
* Switched around some chests in the mining town
* Improved sewers dungeon map
* Fixed being to use powder with only the mushroom collected

0.22.140 (19 januari 2021)
* Finished adding new hostage visuals
* Significantly lowered item spawn chances from bushes, grass, digging and pots with random items
* Fixed Leevers detecting you during screen transitions
* Fixed graphical glitch with waterfall near last water switch in underwater prison during east transition

0.22.141 (21 januari 2021)
* Randomized mansion magical maze
* Tweaked mansion garden tiling (+diggrid) a little

0.22.142 (22 januari 2021)
* Added mining town dungeon intro scene

0.22.143 (23 januari 2021)
* Dropped room in mining town mine (+ moved a locked door)
* Redesigned a mine room to allow all hostages to their target location
* Added new enemy: Arrow trap

Stuff left to do:
Quote
Beta components:
DONE - Add visuals to make the NPC's look different from each others
- Add bombs / enemies falling from above
DROPPED - Add interaction (some?) enemies with conveyor belts
DROPPED - Add (some?) enemies falling into water / endless pits
- Finish chickens (+ related enemy)
- Add new enemy (humanoids)
DONE - Add new enemy (wall shooters)
DONE - Add dungeon entrance scene
- Add dungeon end scene
- Add NPC scenes
- Add scene after boss fight
- Tweak boss fight
- Adjust hammer masking (?)
DROPPED - Add extended boss sequence (potentially)
- Add proper enemies and placements to the dungeon
- Balance container contents
- Add further balance to the dungeon

Other reported points left to adress (after the beta):
- Fairies get stuck in terrain (floating point error issue)
DONE - Can't bring one of the hostages to the target location
- Various smaller issues

NEW ENEMY:
(https://i.postimg.cc/nrQPQ8KC/Arrow-trap.png) - Arrow trap
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: gzas on January 27, 2021, 10:39:40 am
Guys can you help me? i downloaded the demo but the Resolution of the window is so small i can't see anything. Is there a way to fix that?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 27, 2021, 11:29:31 am
Guys can you help me? i downloaded the demo but the Resolution of the window is so small i can't see anything. Is there a way to fix that?

On the file select screen you can navigate to the options. You'll see the option to adjust your screen size. (If you have trouble finding it let me know).
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 31, 2021, 08:21:09 pm
So this week I *completed* the new cucco enemies that were originally plan 2 years ago (including angry mode). But then I remember that you could also pick them and throw in the original so I'm still pondering on how best to include that feature. Still, I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. Also, in my game you can turn cucco's into undead cucco's and visa versa with magic powder (cause I felt like it). And a very select few humanoid enemies can even be transformed into cucco's with the powder (cause I thought it was funny).

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.144 (24 januari 2021)
* Finished scenes for bringing hostages to target locations
* Fixed depth issue in mine B2 room if NPC is following you

0.22.145 (25 januari 2021)
* Fixed collisions between bunny beam and trees

0.22.146 (26 januari 2021)
* Fixed pots not spawning over bunny beams anymore after bunny beam update

0.22.147 (30 januari 2021)
* Fixed error when freezing cukeman
* Added ability to switch between cucco types with magical powder
* Finished new enemies: Cucco (alive / bone version)
* Added abilty to turn more enemies into cucco's (with magic powder)
* Cleaned up block pushing code slighlty

0.22.148 (31 januari 2021)
* Adjusted movement script fairies (also used by various enemies) to prevent terrain collision issues
* Adjusted anti-faery movement to auto-correct endless movement loops (slowly)
* Started work on ability to grab and pick up cucco's

Stuff left to do:
Quote
Beta components:
- Add bombs or enemies falling from above
(MOSTLY) DONE - Finish chickens
- Add new enemy (humanoids)
- Add dungeon end scene
DONE - Add NPC scenes
- Add scene after boss fight
- Tweak boss fight
- Adjust hammer masking (?)
- Add proper enemies and placements to the dungeon
- Balance container contents
- Add further balance to the dungeon

Other reported points left to adress (after the beta):
DONE - Fairies get stuck in terrain (floating point error issue)
- Various smaller issues

NEW ENEMIES:
(https://s5.postimg.cc/ss1a0nuev/Cucco.png) (https://s5.postimg.cc/ctskaki7b/Cucco_Undead.png) - Cucco / Undead Cucco
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on February 04, 2021, 12:53:24 am
But then I remember that you could also pick them and throw in the original so I'm still pondering on how best to include that feature.

What about a Cucco Catch Sidequest/Minigame like the one in Minish Cap?

and another idea: Cucco Gliding, like the Minish Cap Function where you could glide with your hat from cliff to cliff in some regions because of gusts
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 04, 2021, 08:36:20 am
Adding a cucco mini games sounds like fun. I'll look it up and take it under consideration for demo 24.

The engine isn't quite ready for gliding just yet. Maybe at a later date.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 07, 2021, 09:19:00 pm
Small update ('cause I took a few days to relax).

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.148 (1 februari 2021)
* Added ability to pick up and carry cucco's

0.22.149 (3 februari 2021)
* Fixed bug where Cucco's fly north endlessly if grabbed with specific timing

0.22.150 (7 februari 2021)
* Finished additional cucco features

Stuff left to do:
Quote
Beta components:
- Add bombs or enemies falling from above
DONE - Finish chickens
- Add new enemy (humanoids)
- Add dungeon end scene
- Add scene after boss fight
- Tweak boss fight
- Adjust hammer masking (?)
- Add proper enemies and placements to the dungeon
- Balance container contents
- Add further balance to the dungeon

Other reported points left to adress (after the beta):
NEW - Add small helmasaurus enemy
- Various smaller issues
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 13, 2021, 09:36:59 am
A little bit of bad news - good news:

The bad - To my surprise Gamemaker forced me into the latest release ( = I can't return my project to previous versions). The plan was to schedule march/june to make that transition and deal with the fallout, but I guess that's been pulled forwards. :(

The good - Gamemaker improved the automated transition and I can at least launch and play without instant errors. (The upgrade attempt last year ended in a nightmare). There are a number of visuals issues now (likely due to a specific outdated feature I was meaning to get rid of anyway) and I'll still have to comb a massive number of scripts, but it looks WAY better than expected. XD

So all in all I'll have to postpone finishing the latest dungeon for now. At least untill the most glaring visual hickups are dealt with. I'll also release the current state after the weekend for those that want to help with bughunting new issues after this update.


EDIT: Uuuhm. Found out why I didn't remove that one outdated feature earlier. It's used literally thousands of times. Welp, it's going to be long weekend. XD
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance (alpha out)
Post by: Martijn dh on February 14, 2021, 08:28:16 pm
As stated, here is the current state after the gamemaker update. It took all weekend going over tons of scripts but I'm hopefully optimistic that the game is fully playable again. Based on past experiences I was honestly expecting this thing to take closer to a month so I'm really happy about it. Haven't had time to also playtest though, so if anybody finds any kinds of new issues be sure to let me know.

@Miles07: In regards to your feedback and bugreports: the results are in here too except for two outstanding: the underwater prison dungeon alternative order (=which I'm still thinking on if/how to handle) and the underwater prison dungeon diving collisions (which I haven't gotten around to looking at yet).

Download
Demo version: 0.22.151
File Size: 20,00 MB (Zipped)
Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 (Changable)
Download (Mediafire): http://www.mediafire.com/file/4bfbenskpqfxcjg/Zelda+0+22+151+alpha.zip/file

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.151 (12 februari 2021)
* Mandatory upgrade to latest Gamemsker 2.3 version
* Cleaned up unused dungeon skip functionality
* Replaced array_length_1d()

0.22.152 (13 februari 2021)
* Replaced array_length_2d()
* Replaced array_height_2d()
* Removed gml_pragma()
* Renamed depth_scale to depthLevel
* Converted / cleaned up code for audio scripting
* Converted / cleaned up code the first few misc objects
* Settled on new coding standards

0.22.153 (14 februari 2021)
* Converted / cleaned up code for various terrain objects
* Phased out image_single usage for image_index
* Experimented with first usage of new structs features

Stuff left to do:
Quote
Beta components:
- Add bombs or enemies falling from above
- Add new enemy (humanoids)
- Add dungeon end scene
- Add scene after boss fight
- Tweak boss fight
- Adjust hammer masking (?)
- Add proper enemies and placements to the dungeon
- Balance container contents
- Add further balance to the dungeon

Other reported points left to adress (after the beta):
- Add small helmasaurus enemy
- Various smaller issues
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 22, 2021, 03:05:48 pm
Wasn't feeling great yesterday evening, so a delayed progress report.
I'm not entirely sure, but I'm currently suspecting the Gamemaker upgrade created new issues beyond my earlier estimation (= I suddenly encountered an array related error when destroying pots/grass  - which makes no sense since Miles07 tested that not too long ago). :huh:

Weekly progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.154 (17 februari 2021)
* Settled on coding standards for Struct usage
* Converted / cleaned up more terrain objects

0.22.155 (20 februari 2021)
* Added placeholder scenes for end of game

0.22.156 (21 februari 2021)
* Tweaked the underwater prison dungeon order
* Added third secret chest to underwater prison
* Fixed visual issue textbox
* Fixed error when stunning enemies
* Fixed error when destroying containers

Stuff left to do:
Quote
Beta components:
- Add bombs or enemies falling from above
- Add new enemy (humanoids)
- Add dungeon end scene
- Add scene after boss fight
- Tweak boss fight
- Adjust hammer masking (?)
- Add proper enemies and placements to the dungeon
- Balance container contents
- Add further balance to the dungeon

Other reported points left to adress (after the beta):
- Add small helmasaurus enemy
[NOW ONLY 1 ISSUE LEFT] - Various smaller issues
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Samyur on February 23, 2021, 05:08:19 am
Wasn't feeling great yesterday evening, so a delayed progress report.
I'm not entirely sure, but I'm currently suspecting the Gamemaker upgrade created new issues beyond my earlier estimation (= I suddenly encountered an array related error when destroying pots/grass  - which makes no sense since Miles07 tested that not too long ago). :huh:
[/quote]

Hello there my friend long time no see, great to know that you are progressing so much in the project, that i have to download the newest version to try it out, and see what is new, i'll feedback, and thanks again for your great work.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 23, 2021, 07:44:27 am
Thanks you for your continued support!

Note that the game crashes upon destruction of grass and pots so be sure to save often. Also, picking up containers has a similar issue (=found late last night; also already fixed on my end). Sorry about releasing it in that state. I was unaware.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Miles07 on February 23, 2021, 03:05:45 pm
I'll wait for the next stable version before demoing again.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 28, 2021, 08:49:38 pm
Had some days off so there has been decent progress.

Weekly progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.157 (22 februari 2021)
* Finished scene for end of game
* Fixed HUD being draw during credits
* Tweaked room near mines boss encounter
* Added placeholder scene for mines boss encountered
* Fixed error in container destruction script

0.22.158 (23 februari 2021)
* Finished scene after mines boss encounter
* Added placeholder scene for mines completed
* Started work on new enemy: boulder trap

0.22.159 (25 februari 2021)
* Finished new enemy: inside boulder trap

0.22.160 (26 februari 2021)
* Added boulder traps to mining town dungeon

0.22.161 (27 februari 2021)
* Improved text engine to also work with moving camera
* Finished mining dungeon end scene

0.22.162 (28 februari 2021)
* Tweaked mining town dungeon end scene
* Made it so all enemy body parts show the same colors when damaged
* Started adding new enemy: hokkubokku

Stuff left to do:
Quote
Beta components:
DONE - Add bombs or enemies falling from above
- Add new enemy (humanoids)
DONE - Add dungeon end scene
DONE - Add scene after boss fight
- Tweak boss fight
- Adjust hammer masking (?)
- Add proper enemies and placements to the dungeon
- Balance container contents
- Add further balance to the dungeon

Other reported points left to adress (after the beta):
- Add small helmasaurus enemy
- Test underwater main prison room collissions while diving

New enemies:
(https://i.postimg.cc/TwGTmrZ5/Boulder-trap.png) - Boulder trap
(https://i.postimg.cc/brw8VqYz/Hokkubokku.png) - Hokkubokku (Work in progress - not located in mining town dungeon)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 14, 2021, 08:30:09 pm
Currently (also) working on some non-demo related aspects cause I need some variation to keep things fresh.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.163 (1 maart 2021)
* Made distance enemies get pushed back from damage customizable
* Finished adding new enemy: Hokkubokku

0.22.164 (3 maart 2021)
* Started work on new enemy: Helmasaurus

0.22.165 (13 maart 2021)
* Finished new enemy: Helmasaurus

0.22.166 (14 maart 2021)
* Added more options to the way enemy depths are determined
* Started work on new early game boss

Stuff left to do:
Quote
Beta components:
- Add new enemy (humanoids)
- Tweak boss fight
- Adjust hammer masking (?)
- Add proper enemies and placements to the dungeon
- Balance container contents
- Add further balance to the dungeon

Other reported points left to adress (after the beta):
DONE - Add small helmasaurus enemy
- Test underwater main prison room collissions while diving

New enemies:
(https://i.postimg.cc/brw8VqYz/Hokkubokku.png) - Hokkubokku (Now finished)
(https://i.postimg.cc/Pq8VnS4g/Helmasaurus.png) - Helmasaurus
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 21, 2021, 09:05:43 pm
Currently almost finished with a new boss for the intro cave: "Evil overlord"

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.167 (20 maart 2021)
* Made progress on new boss
* Fixed issue with boss sequences (as a result of latest GML update)

0.22.168 (21 maart 2021)
* Added green chest and shortcut to starting cave
* Added scenes surrounding new boss
* Nearly finished new boss (just a depth issue and stats left)

Stuff left to do:
Quote
Beta components:
- Add new enemy (humanoids)
- Tweak boss fight
- Adjust hammer masking (?)
- Add proper enemies and placements to the dungeon
- Balance container contents
- Add further balance to the dungeon

Other reported points left to adress (after the beta):
- Test underwater main prison room collissions while diving
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 28, 2021, 08:33:59 pm
And here is the new weekly update:

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.169 (25 maart 2021)
* Improved masking in starting cave
* Finished new early game boss

0.22.170 (26 maart 2021)
* Adjusted depth of stalfos body pile
* Tweaked power switch room in the mining town mines
* Tweaked Helmasaurus King stats slightly
* Helmasaurus King helmet can now only be damaged if cracked first
* Tweaked hammer collision masking when facing up

0.22.171 (27 maart 2021)
* Reorganised enemy soldier scripting
* Started work on Tarosu soldiers

0.22.172 (28 maart 2021)
* Made progress on Tarosu soldiers

Stuff left to do:
Quote
Beta components:
IN PROGRESS - Add new enemy (humanoids)
DONE - Tweak boss fight
DONE - Adjust hammer masking (?)
- Add proper enemies and placements to the dungeon
- Balance container contents
IN PROGRESS - Add further balance to the dungeon

Other reported points left to adress (after the beta):
- Test underwater main prison room collissions while diving
NEW - Add NPC's to intro cave

New boss:
Dungeon A0: "Evil overlord" 
Show content
(https://i.postimg.cc/N087bcqD/Murray.png)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 05, 2021, 09:18:38 pm
So I've basically added everthing I wanted in order to complete the next demo for release.. except that I ran into a few more minor bugs while playtesting. So I'm keeping it to myself just a little bit longer. Here's to hoping I don't find any more issues during playtesting this coming week.  XD

Also, I'm considering to enter the SageExpo this year:
https://www.sonicfangameshq.com/forums/ams/the-sage-21-guidelines-and-deadlines.34/

Hit me up if anybody wants to help out with create a trailer or booth visuals.


Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.173 (2 april 2021)
* Finished new enemies: Tarosu soldiers

0.22.174 (3 april 2021)
* Started adding NPC's in the starting area and cave

0.22.175 (4 april 2021)
* Edited various NPC's texts in the mining town
* Added old man NPC
* Made more progress adding NPC's to the starting area and cave

0.22.176 (5 april 2021)
* Finished adding NPC's to starting area
* Finished adding missing containers to mining town dungeon
* Reviewed and edited enemy placements in mining town dungeon

Stuff left to do:
Quote
Beta components:
DONE - Add new enemy (humanoids)
DONE - Add proper enemies and placements to the dungeon
DONE - Balance container contents
DONE - Add further balance to the dungeon
NEW - Fix bug where NPC's sometimes go missing if you reenter area's

Other reported points left to adress (after the beta):
- Test underwater main prison room collissions while diving
DONE - Add NPC's to intro cave

New enemies:
(https://i.postimg.cc/zvrWXJfg/Tarosu-A.png) (https://i.postimg.cc/rsN4DvdY/Tarosu-B.png) - Tarosu soldiers
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance (demo 23 out)
Post by: Martijn dh on April 11, 2021, 09:23:57 pm
And here it finally is: demo 23 is out
I've playtested the game from start to end this weekend and all known errors and game breaking bugs have now been fixed.

After this I'll likely take a little while to just tinker around before setting a new scope for demo 24. The poll has the graveyard cathedral as the highest so that's something I'll take a serious look at. Also, I have some more boss ideas and might still further improve the mines and mansion dungeons. We'll see how it goes and what your feedback will be.

Download
Demo version: 0.23.00
File Size: 24,27 MB (Zipped)
Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 (Changable)
Download (Mediafire): https://www.mediafire.com/file/1a3ovts2ic2vfsb/Zelda+0+23+00+(public+demo).zip/file

Differences in v23 compared to v22:
Added a fully finished new dungeon: Mining town
Added new boss and (custom) NPC's to starting area
Added new 8 enemies (including Cucco's !)
Upgraded to latest version of GameMaker Studio 2
   (and spend months fixing the damage)
Items and enemies now effected by water / pits
Added special ore and pressure plates
Added conveyor belts to transport items through walls and to other rooms
   (conveyor belts now also effect items and can change directions)
Added scene at the end of the game
Added a ton of fixes, tweaks and smaller additions


Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.22.177 (10 april 2021)
* Slightly tweaked text of children in the starting cave
* Tweaked desert palace central room slightly
* Fixed visual hickups with sandpits as used by desert boss and Deibadora enemies
* Tweaked stats of some enemies
* Fixed GML error bug when destroying seperated Stalfos head before the body
* Upgraded to latest GML version
* Fixed error related to one specific sandpit in the desert palace
* Fixed visuals of a few wall lights
* Fixed error when breaking floors while carrying pots
* Fixed NPC's dissappear under certain conditions
* Fixed error with Beamos enemies
* Lots of small tweaks

0.22.178 (11 april 2021)
* Tweaked stats of some more enemies
* Made various changes to the mining town dungeon
* Fixed error when dying while being followed by NPC
* Soldier weapons no longer block (most) projectiles
* Switched visuals of two hostages
* Fixed two breakable walls using the same index
* Fixed visual issue Florine fight
* Tweak some dialogue in scenes
* Fixed trigger issue in final dungeon opening sequence
* Fixed trigger of credits music
* Tweaked some tiles in final dungeon
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: gcatgrey on April 18, 2021, 10:53:19 am
Pouvez vous me dire comment tuer le monstre au début du jeu car je n'y arrive pas .Merçi
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 18, 2021, 08:19:11 pm
Pour tuer le seigneur maléfique, vous devez l'attraper avec votre filet.
(Désolé, les indices sont uniquement en anglais).

---

To kill the evil overlord, you have to catch it with your net.
(Sorry, the hints are only in English).
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 25, 2021, 08:56:56 pm
I've been working on added worldmaps finally (=See attached image for the status on the spriting progress).

I've also been trying to replicate the mode7 map style, but the Gamemaker camera's seem to break all of my surfaces for some reason. :huh: They all either reset or get drawn upside down, funnily enough. Building mode7 via shaders is a bit too complex for me just yet, so I'll likely just implement the world map as a plain image (=like in the original after the mode7 view).

Weekly progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.23.01 (13 april 2021)
* Tried out the new 9-slize functionality and cleaned up item menu and textbox draw coding

0.23.02 (15 april 2021)
* Upgraded to latest Gamemaker version
* Also cleaned up map menu draw coding

0.23.03 (17 april 2021)
* Played around with camera's to recreate mode 7 – appears to really messes up the game / surfaces

0.23.04 (18 april 2021)
* Experimented with shaders to fake a 3d worldmap – couldn't get it to work

0.23.05 (23-25 april 2021)
* Started tiling worldmaps
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 02, 2021, 08:39:51 pm
Made progress adding a worldmap, as you can see in the attached image. It's not "exactly" the same as in the original, but I believe it catches the spirit well enough. Still a long way to go though as I still have to think up a way to determine Links positioning and center the camera on that.

Weekly progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.23.06 (27 april 2021)
* Made progress finishing the worldmap sprites

0.23.07 (30 april 2021)
* Made progress building custom mode7 shader

0.23.08 (1 mei 2021)
* Scrapped shader idea
* Fixed issues with surfaces while using cameras

0.23.09 (2 mei 2021)
* Started implementing overworld map menu
* Redid game goal tracking set up (so goals also show up on the worldmap)
* Tweaked a little bit of text for kids in the intro cave
* Tweaked coding to detect game goal progression
* Made progress spriting the LW overworld map
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Theforeshadower on May 09, 2021, 01:58:42 pm
Looking good.  I am curious to how you faked mode 7.  I know I ended up just putting the map on either a plane/cube then putting it at an angle to the camera similar to an appearance as mode 7.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 09, 2021, 08:49:54 pm
Sure, though it's a little bit less elegant than I would have liked.

First I defined some variables in a create event:
Code: [Select]
// Map menu camera settings
cameraModeOn = false;
iX = 160;
iY = 120;
cameraViewMap = matrix_build_lookat(iX, iY+10, -70, iX, iY, 0, 0, 1, 0);
// cameraViewNormal; <-- This is not needed because views reset this value by default
cameraProjMap = matrix_build_projection_perspective_fov(100, global.view_w/global.view_h, 1, 1000); // Draw distance, aspect ratio, near, far
cameraProjNormal = matrix_build_projection_ortho(global.view_w, global.view_h, 1, 100000); // Draw distance, aspect ratio, near draw distance, far draw distance

Basically I'm defining a special camera (which is hardcoded to always display the top left op the room) and a recreation of the default cameras.
Next I override the camera of the main view I'm using with these stored values

Code: [Select]
cameraModeOn = true;
camera_set_view_mat(view_camera[0], cameraViewMap); // Values get reset on map menu object destruction
camera_set_proj_mat(view_camera[0], cameraProjMap); // Values get reset on map menu object destruction

Then I draw what I want to draw above all other visuals in the top left corner of my screen. And when I am done I reset the camera back to the normal settings.

Some things to note:
- This messes up some surfaces (= they get drawn upside down). Compile take up to 10~15 minutes so I didn't feel like spending the time to problem solve further and just drew without them.
- I move the map, rather than the camera. When drawing there are some simple xCorrection and yCorrection variables. This way I don't have to consider the actual roomsize (not sure if it was needed though - didn't want to spend the time to find out).
- By default my game draws views to a surface rather than to the screen. And then I expand that surface to the fit screen (or whatever screen size the options dictate). This didn't play nice with custom cameras so I had to turn those off while in mapmode.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Mariotag on May 09, 2021, 11:01:38 pm
I still dunno code, so it all looks confusing to me.
But props!
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 10, 2021, 08:38:28 pm
Thanks. But it's fairly easy if you want to try it out for yourself. (*cough* Says the man that a few spend hours researching *cough*) The actual complex stuff is done by gamemaker for you, so you can get a long a way with just experimenting if you get the general gist.

I like teaching so, let me see if I can explain (without going into too much detail):
Consider your game as having phones floating above your rooms to determine what gets drawn on your monitor/screen. We'll call the phone we normally use "view[0]". Normally the phone copies (=not films) a little part the room directly below it and then resizes it like you would a screenshot.

Now, you can tell gamemaker to stop making things easy for us and just turn on the phone´s camera instead to get the image. The phone will record like in real life: with depth and perspective.

First you tell the phone you want to display with this perspective.
Code: [Select]
camera_set_proj_mat(view_camera[0], matrix_build_projection_ortho(global.view_w, global.view_h, 1, 100000));
You don't have to understand the functions really. Just know that view_camera[0] is me telling gamermaker the reference to the phone, which was view[0]. Next there is a specific function to tell the game that we want to display stuff with perspective. Again, you don't have to understand what it does, just that it needs 4 pieces of information from you: how wide and tall the image should be (= I use the screen width and height), and what the draw distance should be (= I want to display everything between distance 1 and a milion away from the camera - so I basically just want to see everything). The distance thing is more relevant for 3d games where you don't draw people very far away from you, or the wall directly in front of the camera.

Next you need to tell the game how your phone is pointing to your room.
Code: [Select]
camera_set_view_mat(view_camera[0], matrix_build_lookat(iX, iY, -70, iX, iY, 0, 0, 1, 0))
Picture the room as a piece of paper on the floor. First I again tell the game that I want to adjust something about my specific "phone" by referencing it with view_camera[0]. Next I need to tell it how I'm holding it with 9 values. The first 3 values represent the point you want to look from; meaning the x,y,z position. I want to display from height 70 above room position iX, iY. The next 3 values represent the point I'm looking towards. I want to look directly down so I'm looking at the same iX,iY room at height 0 because I'm looking AT the room. Finally it is asking me how I'm holding my phone in x,y,z terms. (0,1,0) means I'm holding it like normal. (1,0,0) means I'm holding it sideways. And (0,0,1) means I'm standing on the room like it was a piece of paper and then start looking at a wall or something rather then down to the floor. I want to look at the room normally so I´m using (0,1,0)

And finally:
Code: [Select]
camera_set_view_mat(view_camera[0], matrix_build_lookat(iX, iY+10, -70, iX, iY, 0, 0, 1, 0))
Now I'm slightly changing the location I'm holding the phone at (by adding +10), while still looking at the same point in the room. So instead of looking straight down I'm looking at an angled. And voila. You're done.

All the other code is just to tell the phone to go back to it's default settings when you're down. And you can play around with the values to adjust the angles and stuff.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 14, 2021, 02:56:42 pm
Quicky update:
Finished the world maps sprites.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 16, 2021, 08:26:04 pm
The world maps have now been fully finished. I considered starting work on the cathedral / graveyard level but choose to work on a new boss instead. (Level design notes are still continuing but that's generally an ongoing process on the side). Given that I want to enter Sonic Expo this year it seems smart to work on smaller features and tweaks for now.

Weekly progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.23.10 (8 mei 2021)
* Finished LW worldmap spriting

0.23.11 (9 mei 2021)
* Made progress on the DW worldmap spriting

0.23.12 (14 mei 2021)
* Finished DW worldmap spriting
* Started early work on new boss
* Reorganised how boss item drops are set

0.23.13 (15 mei 2021)
* Made progress on new boss
* Hp value after continuing increased to 3/4 of full health

0.23.14 (16 mei 2021)
* Remove some obselete dev rooms
* Implemented system to show player (and return warp) position on the worldmap
* Finished implementing worldmaps
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 24, 2021, 03:10:10 pm
Weekly progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.23.15 (19 mei 2021)
* Made health alarm less annoying

0.23.16 (24 mei 2021)
* Tweaked dungeon 1 (=Tombs) a little for better flow
* Started work on new item: flute
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 06, 2021, 09:21:13 pm
Nearing the completion of the final equipable item: the ocarina. I'll likely release a new demo pretty soon for anybody wanting to help out with testing.

Weekly progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.23.17 (29 mei 2021)
* Made progress on the map displayed after using the flute
* Fixed incorrect goals displayed on the game select screen

0.23.18 (4 juni 2021)
* Fixed error with negative flute target selections
* Made progress with flute transitions

0.23.19 (6 juni 2021)
* Tweaked map goal visuals slightly
* Almost finished implementing flute
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 11, 2021, 09:44:40 pm
A screenshot showing the birds from the ocarina fast travel system I've almost fully implemented. You'll have to wake them up first so you will need to reach a location before that fast travel spot becomes available.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 13, 2021, 09:24:39 pm
Made decent progress this weekend. I'll likely release a new demo at the end of the next weekend (after tweaking the mining town difficulty a little). The map and Ocarina will be accessable at/near the start of the game so you will easily be check out the new content for yourself.

Weekly progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.23.20 (8 juni 2021)
* Implemented bird variants

0.23.21 (11 juni 2021)
* Finished implementing flute
* Added new terrain / mechanic: Overworld locations where you play the flute in order to remember it as a flute destination

0.23.22 (12 juni 2021)
* Tweaked bird activation sequence
* Added special DW ocarina transport
* Tweaked tilesets slightly

0.23.23 (13 juni 2021)
* Overhauled setup surrounding enemy defense values
* Added seperate damage classes for the hammer and thrown objects
* Tweaked defense stats for a few enemies
* Mini helmasaurus and taurus enemies slightly easier to kill
* Hitting enemies with the hammer results in a slightly larger enemy pushback
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance (demo 24 out)
Post by: Martijn dh on June 21, 2021, 11:10:51 am
And here is the inbetween release: demo 24 is now out

You'll find the new worldmap and ocarina (birds) at the start of the game. Aside from that some time has been spend on streamlining the mining down dungeon (based on the earlier feedback).

As for the next steps, I'll likely first finish adding the final boss and move on to more bosses or the voted on graveyard dungeon. Also, I'm cautiously looking into setting up a kickstarter to turn this into an original work. Maybe set a year from now, if the game is received well enough within the SAGE event. I don't suppose any of you already have experience with the business side of kickstarter and/or indie development? (As in: setting up the company, advertisement and selecting suitable hires)

Download
Demo version: 0.24.00
File Size: 24,85 MB (Zipped)
Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 (Changable)
Download (Mediafire): https://www.mediafire.com/file/jzzwd6tz4u1x8te/Zelda+0+23+027+(public+demo).zip/file

Differences in v24 compared to v23:
* Added overworld map
* Added new item: Ocarina
* Added fast travel creatures to work with the ocarina
* Tweaked soldier's tomb dungeon a little for better flow
* Tweaked mining town dungeon and enemies a lot for better flow
* Enchanted boomerang can be called back on demand
* Health warning has been significantly lessened
* Dying respawns you with more health
* Hammers and thrown objects now have their own damage stats
* Upgraded to the latest Gamemaker version
* Cleaned up the coding practices more


Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.23.24 (15 juni 2021)
* Cleaned up coding style

0.23.25 (18 juni 2021)
* Cleaned up coding style more
* Made changes to a large number of mining town dungeon rooms for better flow
* Tweaked death signal further
* Fixed some doors not opening after boss ecape scene

0.23.26 (19 juni 2021)
* Cleaned up coding style more
* Made changes to more mining town dungeon rooms for better flow
* Fixed endless collisions with water in some situations while not having the flippers
* Tweaked dungeon map blinking
* Tweaked taurus visuals moving north
* Tweaked mini-helmasaurus movement speed and masking
* Lv2 boomerang can now be recalled at will

0.23.27 (20-21 juni 2021)
* Stopped health alarm during scenes
* Started researching kickstarter idea's
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: gcatgrey on June 24, 2021, 01:41:53 pm
Bonjour,
Pouvez-vous m'expliquer comment arttraper le crane avec le filet car je n'y arrive pas .MERCI
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 24, 2021, 01:52:00 pm
"Spoilers" for the fasttravel points:
Show content
Vous utilisez la flûte devant les oiseaux (= debout sur le bloc de notes de musique devant). Après cela, vous pouvez utiliser la flûte pour fasttravel à ce point. Dans le monde sombre, vous avez besoin d’un élément différent pour activer le point de voyage rapide.

You use the flute in front of the birds (= standing on the music note block in front). After that you can use the flute to fasttravel to that point. In the dark world you need a different item to activate the fasttravel point.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: gcatgrey on June 24, 2021, 01:59:38 pm
Martin
je ne parle pas de la flute c'est comment attraper le crane pou ravoir la clé et avoir la flute car je n'y arrive pas avec le filet
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 24, 2021, 02:08:37 pm
Peut-être que les sites de traduction sont médiocres, mais je ne comprends pas de quoi vous parlez. Pourriez-vous le décrire différemment. Peut-être que cela peut aider.

Maybe the translation sites is poor, but I do not understand what you are talking about. Could you describe it differently. Maybe that can help.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: gcatgrey on June 24, 2021, 02:20:42 pm
au début de la nouvelle démo il y a un premier petit boss qui faut détruire pour avoir la clé qui ouvre la porte pour avoir l'ocarina c'est le boss qui je n'y arrive pas  avec le filet .
Peux tu m'expliquer comment détruire le boss avec le filet car j'ai bon essayer je n'y arrive pas .Merçi
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 24, 2021, 02:24:46 pm
Vous devez l'endommager suffisamment jusqu'à ce qu'il se retire. Ensuite, vous utilisez le net. Faites cela 3 fois.

Le combat est essentiellement un jeu entre amis jouant à faire croire. Mais il triche les 2 premières fois. Faire des excuses pour lesquelles il n'a pas été "vraiment" touché. Comme la « personne » enfantine qu'il est.

=============

You need to damage him enough untill he retreats. Then you use the net. Do this 3 times.

The fight is basically a game between friends playing make belief. But he cheats the first 2 times. Making excuses why he wasn't "really" hit. Like the childish "person" he is.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 04, 2021, 07:42:57 pm
Hello all.
With demo 24 now out I have decided to focus on adding more bosses. Starting with the final boss (cause I felt like it). And later getting to the cathedral boss (cause the cathedral dungeon design centers around getting help for that fight - so it needs to be stable before adding actuals rooms etc).

Final boss teaser image (WIP)
Show content
(https://i.postimg.cc/K8fkYzgD/Decanexx-boss.png)


Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.24.01 (25-29 juni 2021)
* Made progress building a latest boss
* Cleaned up coding practies a further
* Calculated various kickstarter business cases

0.24.02 (30 juni 2021)
* Made progress building the new boss
* Made small amount of changes to some tilesets
* Cleaned up coding practices further

0.24.03 (1 juli 2021)
* Finished most recent plans for coding clean up

0.24.04 (2 juli 2021)
* Made progress on the final boss attack patterns
* Improved Helmasaurus king flamethrower attack pattern
* Bounced back boss projectiles are now seperated into a seperate damage class
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 11, 2021, 09:23:55 pm
Weekly update:
The final boss scope is creeping bigger again, but at least all the attacks are now finished. Next weekend will be all about playtesting those and locking in the stats and weaknesses.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.24.05 (3 juli 2021)
* Solved visual issue when electricuted while endless depths are on screen
* Added more attack patterns to final boss

0.24.07 (9 juli 2021)
* Tweaked existing final boss attack patterns
* Expanded darkness engine
* Added glowing eyes to boss
* Added more boss attack patterns

0.24.08 (10 juli 2021)
* Fixed error when defeating floating skull heads
* Tweaked collision making for thrown containers
* Fixed issue with enemies being pushed back in wrong direction when hit with stun while airborn
* Added additional boss attack pattern
* Added one more enemy type (=boss related)

0.24.09 (11 juli 2021)
* Added wall master enemy variant (= boss related)
* Finished final boss attack patterns

NEW ENEMIES (IN DEMO 25)
(https://i.postimg.cc/hjSHH9kB/Homing-Bat.png) - Undead kees
(https://i.postimg.cc/HkDJfjPs/Wallmaster-Handson.png) - Wallmaster (special edition)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 18, 2021, 09:42:16 pm
Weekly update:

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.24.10 (13-14 juli 2021)
* Upgraded to latest Gamemaker IDE and runtime versions --> FPS tanked from 60 to around 43. The MyCode part accounts for 2-3% of that.
* UPDATE: Found the issue to be only with the new runtime update (=the IDE/compiler update is fine). Rolled back and will look to see if things have improved sometime in the future.

0.24.11 (16 juli 2021)
* Final boss stun state now given visual effect
* Added boss stats and weaknesses
* Finished implementing building the new boss

0.24.12 (17 juli 2021)
* Added (placeholder) familymembers for Murray
* Tweaked boss death scene
* Tweaked boss stats
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 01, 2021, 09:39:01 pm
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.24.13 (30 juli 2021)
* Started implementing new dungeon: Cathedral
* Fixed gamedepths to stay within new Gamemaker limitations
* Started reorganising Gamemaker rooms

0.24.14 (31 juli 2021)
* Made progress on mockups of Cathedral rooms

0.24.15 (1 augustus 2021)
* Started work on cathedral room transitions and dungeon map
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance (demo 24 out)
Post by: Martijn dh on August 06, 2021, 08:47:38 am
And here is the final tester demo before the SAGE event.
This is just a quicky update for demo and testing purposes. In short: The final boss has been included (without intro scenes - for now), an error is fixed when trying to  swim without flippers and the depth system has seen some updates.

EDIT:
Found a major issue in the demo so I'm pulling it. I'll release a patched version in a few days.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 08, 2021, 08:52:21 pm
Currently playing the game through from start to end to limit any other surprises bugs. Only just reached the mansion right now, so I'm going the need yet another few days to finish the process.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.24.16 (6 augustus 2021)
* Fixed layer depths that got changed during latest gamemaker update (+ renamed some layers for better consistency)
* Fixed water overlay issue in lower level cell room of underwater prison dungeon

0.24.17 (7 augustus 2021)
* Fixed ocarina being able to spawn birds indoors
* Fixed visual hickup in underwater prison dungeon map
* Make a few puzzels in the underwater prison slightly more obvious
* Default game resolution changed to fullscreen
* Fixed collisions in doorway in northern doorway of B3 level of underwater prison dungeon
* Add more indication of what to do during first boss fight
* Fixed lingering layer depth issues in the starting house
* Added a better indication of how to equip items in the item menu
* Tweaked masking while throwing containers
* Fixed issue where some Zol shadows did not display properly if you try to attack it before it becomes visible
* Zol collisions with thrown containers dissabled while hiding all underground
* Zol and mini-moldorm enemies now weaker to thrown objects
* Fixed Florine respawning on escape button upon room reentering
* Fixed being able to get stuck on ON-OFF blocks while positioning Florine NPC onto target switch

0.24.18 (8 augustus 2021)
* Fixed some more tile layer depth settings
* Tweaked counter bottle masking slightly
* Fixed not auto pushing objects correctly when not explicietly grabbing it while moving horizontally and hugging a northern pushable object
* Fixed tiling layer depth issue in basement entrance in desert palace
* Fixed new doors functioning properly in tomb dungeon flying tiles room
* Fixed sword interaction with floating stalfos heads while both on a bridge.
* Flying enemies can now be hit by arrows and other weapons regardless of height above ground
* Fixed small tiling issues for shadows of flying enemies in specific room
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 15, 2021, 07:54:24 pm
And here is this weeks update: I've played the game again from start to finish, fixed a bunch of things and submitted a public demo for the SAGE 2021 event. I believe that event'll go live on the 18th, but I'm not sure in which timezone exactly. Expect a link on this forum to there around the same time as well.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.24.19 (11 augustus 2021)
* Fixed masking issue in right room of main library in mansion dungeon
* Tweaked main staircase target positions

0.24.20 (12 augustus 2021)
* Added extra shortcut outside cathedral dungeon
* Tweaked moving platforms in NW cave in Darkworld
* Tweaked pit visuals in top floor of DW cave up the northern mountain
* Fixed DW crystals not loaded correctly when coming back to the game
* Fixed boss icon not blinking properly on the DW overworld map
* Fixed being able to refind the mirror in the LW if you skipped it and came back after collecting it in the DW
* Fixed mining town dungeon intro scene trigger timing

0.24.21 (14 augustus 2021)
* Fixed activation depth of enemy in hotel of mining town dungeon
* Fixed masking in mining town room before boss encounter
* Fixed depth issue of bush stumps in outdoor area of mining town dungeon
* Tweaked some smaller things in mining town dungeon

0.24.22 (14 augustus 2021) -- SAGE 2021 DEMO
* Fixed arrows being blocked by destroyed bunny beams
* Soldier swords/spears/etc no longer block character projectiles (like arrows/fireballs/boomerang)
* Tweaked some bush placements in mining town dungeon
* Fixed water exiting inside one of the mining town dungeon rooms
* Fixed mining town dungeon shortcut appearing via wrong flag
* Fixed a room not being displayed at correct position on map
* Fixed hostage text typo
* Fixed typo making the mining town boss invincible.
* Fixed error when presenting crystals to the final dungeon entrance
* Made wallmasters slightly easier to kill
* Tweaked final boss water attack trajectories
* Added failsafe to prevent continued character transparancy if dying while midway being shocked
* Tweaked final boss death sequence
* Fixed error while catching strange ghosts

==================================================

0.25.00 (15 augustus 2021)
* Game now starts in full game by default on first boot up
* Finished cathedral dungeon map
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance [SAGE DEMO out]
Post by: Martijn dh on August 21, 2021, 07:26:03 am
Just a quick post to let you all know that SAGE2021 started. A new demo of my game is also present if you want to check it out and show it some love.

Horn of Balance booth:
https://sonicfangameshq.com/forums/showcase/legend-of-zelda-horn-of-balance.978/

General SAGE link:
https://sagexpo.org/#/games
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 29, 2021, 08:22:58 pm
And here is the latest progress report.
Also, the SAGE expo is now "over", so I'll be taking a few weeks to comb through the available livestreams to tweak and bugfix. Overall I'm quite happy with the results. Though I was a little surprised that native controller support was such a mandatory thing for some people to even play. (Guess I was a little out of touch on that one). Also: Zelda fangames get featured far less (most of the week) because plenty of streamers seemed go down their lists starting with A. Go figure. Maybe I should rename my game to "A link to the past fangame" next year instead. XD

EDIT: I hope to release a hotfix demo by the end of the next weekend. That one will be made available on this forum again.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.25.01 (21-22 augustus 2021)
* Made a bit more progress tiling out the new cathedral dungeon

0.25.02 (24 augustus 2021)
* Rusted floor button in cave to soldier tomb dungeon given special color to make it clearer it's different (for people not talking to NPC's)

0.25.03 (25 augustus 2021)
* Restructured coding behind the options menus a little
* Lowered starting audio settings to 80%
* Fixed a few minor NPC dialogue typo's
* Decreased cucco health significantly
* Started experimenting to add controller support

0.25.04 (26 augustus 2021)
* Tutorial boss now waits longer to loop attack pattern
* Text upon death now shows the entered username
* Experimented a lot with adding controler support, but couldn't get my SNES or Switch pro controller to work with my PC
* Finished tiling first 2 rooms of cathedral

0.25.05 (28 augustus 2021)
* Fixed spacing deviation in some text in options menu
* Tweaked dialogue entrance kid and glasses kid in intro cave for better guidance
* Fixed being able to get stuck in bridge south of towers in light world
* Decreased full magic item spawn from enemies slightly
* Fixed warp tile back to entrance in dungeon 1 from transporting to the wrong depth level
* Decreased volume boss death sound
* Fixed 2 minor visual oversights in tomb dungeon map
* Tweaked minor tiling oversight in desert palace
* Fixed minor visual glitch left side of lightworld
* Adjusted desert boss spawn area (preventing it from potentially spawning in walls)
* Fixed incorrect ring being removed from map upon completion of the Desert palace or Underwater prison
* Fixed typo in desert palace F2 hint block
* Fixed being able to come up for air underneath the edges of the east bride in the underwater prison
* Fixed some spelling errors around the tombs boss
* Made it slightly more obvious how to access the green chest in the mansion garden
* Updated item text for enchanted boomerang to make it clearer what it does
* Fixed some more typos
* Fixed error after falling into abyss after breaking breakable floor above

0.25.06 (29 augustus 2021)
* Fixed Link and warp icon not drawning at correct locations on the worldmap while inside (or directly outside) the potionshop
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on August 31, 2021, 02:59:06 am
Sorry, couldn't find time to play it... but the SAGE demo is on my pc for it
Future Controller Support is sexy though
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 31, 2021, 06:02:33 am
No worries.
If all goes well then I *should* have controller support out by the end of this next weekend as well. Though I only have a basic model lying around to test with, so different models migth still take a workaround if they use different standards (like the Switch Pro controllers do apparently).
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance (demo 25 out)
Post by: Martijn dh on September 06, 2021, 05:15:43 pm
Demo 25 is out below
After SAGE 2021 I've been taking a little bit of time to hotfix and tweak the game further before releasing this updated version. You'll notice that the game now has autosaving and native gamepad support. Enjoy!

SIDENOTE: I'll add more settings (and clean up the added options layout) in demo 26. First I'm looking for player feedback on how this iteration actually works for their controllers.

Download
Demo version: 0.25.11
File Size: 25,61 MB (Zipped)
Download (Mediafire): https://www.mediafire.com/file/reoml9ix5lwxd4d/Zelda+0+25+11.zip/file

Differences in SAGE 2021 demo compared to v24:
* Added a final boss fight
* Added 2 new enemies: variant bat and variant wall master
* Seperated damage stats for thrown objects and for bounced back projectiles
* Fixed all known errors
* A ton of tweaks and fixes

Additional differences in v25 compared to SAGE 2021 demo:
* Added autosaves (every screen transition)
* Added native gamepad support (= enabled in the options menu)
* Fixed all known errors
* Lots of small tweaks and fixes


Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.25.07 (30 augustus 2021)
* Fixed error when calling the bird in the mansion garden
* Made more preparations to add controller support

0.25.08 (2 september 2021)
* Tweaked small tiling issue in the lightworld
* Made more progress adding controller support

0.25.09 (3 september 2021)
* Finished adding controller support
SOME NOTES ON THIS:
– I´ve being playtesting with the one gamepad I own that actually works on PC. Different brands might require a different mapping so if the button layout feels off for you, please let me know what brand/type controller you are using and what buttons you feel need switching on it. The more information the better.
– Showing the gamepad controls in the HUD and so forth will be added later
– Further gamepad will also be added to the options menu later
– For those following the game for a while: I might end up editing the default keyboard controls a little to improve the gamepad controls

* Game now only closes via keyboard controls: Escape,
* Fixed error when trying to kill cucco's
* Lowered angry cucco intensity
* Fixed map not showing as subboss room as visited upon first entering
* Fixed incorrect damage stats used when running into enemies (=enemy could be stunned or turned to stone where not intended)
* Lowered amount of money hidden under tombs staircase (to prevent easy rupee farming)
* Tweaked subboss royal tombs stats and health a little
* Fixed pushing air when opening a locked door while moving towards door

0.25.10 (4 september 2021)
* Edited hinttext for the cape item
* Tweaked mining town boss defense stats
* Added hint(text) for beating the final dungeon boss
* Tweaked mining town enemy placement ever so slightly
* Increased the cost of the red tunic
* Tweaked a hinttext near the second to last key in the tombs
* Fixed diving issue (caused by edits for gamepad support)
* Fixed error when jumping into specific water tiles from specific directions while not being equipped with the correct tunic

0.25.11 (5 september 2021)
* Fixed minor depth issue with door near big chest in the mining town
* Tweaked overworld tiling lower right of mining town
* Changed default screen resolution to large (from fullscreen for better performance)
* Tweaked some barrel placements in mining town houses
* Tweaked hinttexts a little from the day before
* Added autosave feature to the game (=triggered by room transitions)
* Dropped “save & continue” option
* Cleaned up the coding behind the options menu some more
* Gamepad controls can now be viewed in the options menu
* Added option to enable/disable native gamepad support
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance (demo 25 out)
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on September 07, 2021, 01:03:42 am

SIDENOTE: I'll add more settings (and clean up the added options layout) in demo 26. First I'm looking for player feedback on how this iteration actually works for their controllers.


Just looked at it for a few minutes:
1. the "full" screen option streches the picture to my resolution, instead of 4:3
2. the xbox one x controller, seemed to work fine, just that if i press the analog stick to far to the right, link autowalks right. if i just press it slightly or any other direction or use the dpad, it doesn't
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 07, 2021, 06:30:54 am
1. This has always been the case. You want me to (add an option to) keep it at 3:4 by adding sidebars? What specific screen size do you have?
2. So the problem is that moving the stick to the right means that Link doesn't stop again?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on September 07, 2021, 01:18:45 pm
1. This has always been the case. You want me to (add an option to) keep it at 3:4 by adding sidebars? What specific screen size do you have?
2. So the problem is that moving the stick to the right means that Link doesn't stop again?

1. The last build i had, had the largest setting at "large" window. i have an 27" at 1080p
2. yes
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 07, 2021, 07:50:36 pm
Interesting. If moving the stick to the right is the only controller issue you have, then it might be related to the specific controller. Since moving the stick down is handled exactly the same in code. Maybe the game's set to sensitive for some (used?) controllers? Hmm. I'll have to read up on this. I'll see what I can find out during the weekend.

@All: Does anybody else have this, or similar, controller issues?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 12, 2021, 08:42:20 pm
Currently still working through the SAGE observations and feedback. Had a case of mild food poisoning so it went a little slower then I'd hoped but it's progressing. Hopefully I can finish up next weekend, so that I also get back to the new cathedral level soon as well.

As for controller support: I had to return my cheap testing controller earlier because of buttons failing. So I'm putting that on hold for a little while until I get another (fixed) unit. Well, I might still work to expand the options, but it's a little too risky to release something without any testing.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.25.12 (7 september 2021)
* Added scene for when you bring Florine to the underwater prison exit room
* Corrected overlapping water visuals in underwater prison B3

0.25.13 (10 september 2021)
* Upgraded to latest Gamemaker versions

0.25.14 (12 september 2021)
* Game now asks for confirmation before closing
* Added little reward to the “arrow in the knee” joke statue
* Added map goal indicator after beating the mansion
* Added beter NPC guidance in front of the mansion (directly after beating the intro cave)
* Made the chasing soldier AI slightly less efficient (to make it easier on players)
* Fixed scene not triggering in the mining town, when bringing a second hostage to their target location from the left
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: OtherBlue on September 14, 2021, 12:41:44 am
Hey, I'm playing the SAGE demo and I think I soft locked in the mining city dungeon, I'm missing a key and all the chests left are behind a locked door, anything I can do about that?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 14, 2021, 06:42:56 am
Hi OtherBlue,

Welcome to the forum.

For a walkthrough of the mining dungeon you could check out this playthrough:
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1131276659?t=01h01m24s

Alternatively I'll give away where you can find the different keys (in order):
Show content
1. In central cave; kill all the enemies and activate the conveyor belt
2. In the town center enter the restaurant, walk over the outside walkway to find the chest in the broken house a little left of the center
3. In town area carried by soldier in upper right
4. In the town top middle grab the key on a bookcase in the library
5. Inside the mines, in the room where you bring the children is a chest down the left staircase.
6. Inside the mine where the gaurds are patrolling is a chest with a key on the top pathways
8. The chest in the broken chicken farm in the south of the town
7. Inside the mines (B3 - lower right corner of the map) is a room with rolling pins and a key at the end of the path. Bomb a wall to access that room from the north.


If you are still stuck afterwards let me know which keys you were able to get so that I can dive deeper into the issue.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 19, 2021, 09:26:20 pm
Just a minor update this week. Mainly I've added gamepad options to set the button/stick deadzones (=% you need to activate controls for the game to register).
@pxl_moon (dotyue): could you check if changing the deadzone values fixes the stick issue you experienced? (We can at least rule it out as a cause).

Download: https://www.mediafire.com/file/n1es3bfewhjn6ev/Zelda+0+25+18.zip/file

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.25.15 (13 september 2021)
* Tweaked page layout for gamepad controls a little

0.25.16 (17 september 2021)
* Restructured option menu code some more
* Added options to adjust gamepad deathzones

0.25.17 (18 september 2021)
* Hud/menu button indicators now made gamepad appropriate based on choice in options menu
* Made underwater prison shortcut warp easier to find
* Added a few more hints to the underwater prison

0.25.18 (19 september 2021)
* Fully tiled and masked two rooms in the cathedral dungeon
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on September 21, 2021, 01:48:05 am
@pxl_moon (dotyue): could you check if changing the deadzone values fixes the stick issue you experienced? (We can at least rule it out as a cause).

Played a little bit around and i think it had to do with my up/right directions... maybe the stick is a little "used"  >:D
Well, at least the standard setting is not making a problem (sry if thats the same setting you used before ) and the maximum setting shows control over the left/down directions, but not the up/right directions

At least it is now playable for me \o/
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 03, 2021, 08:09:21 pm
Quote from: pxl_moon (dotyue) link=topic=33701.msg454903#msg454903
1. the "full" screen option streches the picture to my resolution, instead of 4:3
This is now editable in the options menu

==========

This weekends progress report:

Code: [Select]
0.25.19 (25 september 2021)
* Tweaked visual issues of water in bottom level of final waterways room
* Fixed oversight where you were able to receive massive damage when connecting to multiple enemy sprites in the same step while not not yet hurting
* Tweaked some more dialogue
* Made more progress tiling the new dungeon

0.25.20 (1 oktober 2021)
* Reorganised the option menu pages some more
* Fully added extra option to disable screen stretching while playing in full screen mode

0.25.21 (2 oktober 2021)
* Tweaked coding behind option menu some more
* Fixed frame flicker when switching between world map modes
* Added throwable pews
* Added solution for re-entering the underwater prison if failed to activate the shortcut warp tile
* Fixed overlaying switch sound effect when re-entering F2 room with third pillar puzzle, after fulling solving the room beforehand
* Tweaked solution for upper most left room of F1 desert palace
* Lowered minimal and upgradable amounts of bombs and arrows
* Tweaked desert boss fight slightly
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Aero88 on October 04, 2021, 06:03:15 pm
I just want to mention how impressed I am that progress is continually being made on this project.  I used to hang out here probably 10 years ago and I remember seeing progress updates it seems way back then.  Every couple of years I pop in again and see updates on this project. Way to stick with it!
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 04, 2021, 07:41:06 pm
Thank you very much! Reading this after a long day at work really made my day!

I'm actually preparing to make this a legit game with fully custom resources. Just need to find one (or more) affordable spriters to round out the team and hopefully next time (in about 8 months from now) there will also be a kickstarter demo for you to check out. ;)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: FrozenFire on October 05, 2021, 07:15:06 am
Martijn knows I've been lurking ZFGC on occasion to keep an eye on this game, but I figured I should make a post so my interest is on record. I think I've said it once or twice before, but I hold the same sentiment as Aero88's last post above. I am both amazed and inspired by this project.

I recently started playing the newest build. It had been a while since I played a demo and I had remembered the game fondly, especially the dungeons. The first dungeon is just like I remembered, and my appreciation for the dungeon design is even greater now. I'm really enjoying the new demo, so much that I'm having to force myself not to play it so I can get other important things done, ahaha. XD
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 05, 2021, 05:34:52 pm
XD And thank you very much, as well ofcourse!
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 17, 2021, 09:27:10 pm
And here is the latest news:
I've pretty much fixed every known bug this weekend. And now I'm trying to figure out how to best add in the new enemy/mechanical variations I wanted to see in the next cathedral level.

Aside from that, the rest of the time has been spend expanding the design document for future developments. I do apologize if the progress reports become a little bit shorter in the coming months. I've found that commisioning art takes a lot of prep work and reference materials, so I'm taking my time with it.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.25.22 (9 oktober 2021)
* Started work on new enemy: Cathedral Cyclops

0.25.23 (16 oktober 2021)
* Increased minimal jump distance for ledge jumping from bridges / elevated platforms (for more consistent gamefeel compared to jumping of walls)
* Fixed door to the final boss not opening
* Expanded snd scripting to remove sound stacking for container destruction, item collection (and a few specific other cases)
* Fixed issue where you would spawn in a pile of stones if you entered the area from a staircase beneath that pile and then died before entering another area
* Fixed issue where Link looks to be frozen while pushing some of the outmost corners of masking rectangles

0.25.24 (17 oktober 2021)
* Moving platforms now have a little delay after moving (to allow easier getting on/off)
* Fixed moving platform residual movement effect on character at end of paths
* Made slight progress tiling new cathedral level
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 24, 2021, 07:41:06 pm
Weekly progress report:
Made a lot of progress tiling the cathedral level. Here are some of the intended rooms.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 31, 2021, 08:29:01 pm
Weekly progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.25.25 (22-24 oktober 2021)
* Made progress tiling cathedral level

0.25.26 (30 oktober 2021)
* Upgraded to latest Gamemaker version
* Made progress tiling cathedral level
* Added new container: vase
* Book of Mudora can now also be used on text that does not require decrypting

0.25.27 (31 oktober 2021)
* Made progress tiling cathedral level
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 07, 2021, 09:17:52 pm
Weekly progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.25.28 (6-7 november 2021)
* Made progress tiling cathedral level
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on November 17, 2021, 02:31:52 pm
Wait a minute! You're adding a cathedral to this game?
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 17, 2021, 04:00:47 pm
Technically it's more of a temple, because I'm not aiming to include religious imagery and so forth, but yeah. As a dungeon setting. Together with the graveyards outside.

PS: Also working to maybe turn this into an original IP in the future (via late 2022 kickstarter).
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 21, 2021, 10:39:42 pm
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.25.29 (13 november 2021)
* Tweaked a few more typo's
* Switched some controls so that the attack key now confirms choices and the action key now cancels. (For better feeling consistency for gamepad users.
* Fixed returning to the titlescreen upon catching and releasing a fairy
* Tweaked pillar placement in underwater prison
* Fixed endless sound loop on key rebinding page (which likely got introduced around the time of added controller support)
* Expanded debug key combinations

0.25.30 (14 november 2021)
* Masked another cathedral room
* Added new type of moving platform that does not follow a movement pattern (but can be controlled via buttons)

0.25.31 (15 november 2021)
* Tweaked mining town masking issue
* Tweaked some mining town visual oversights
* Fixed masking issue in dark world near barter cave
* Fixed small tiling issue when first entering Dark World
* Fixed poisonous water effects not showing the correct colours when needing to come back up for air

0.25.32 (16 november 2021)
* Fixed new error when waking up and using birds (introduced by a recent Gamemaker update)
* Disabled item/map menu while getting dungeon treasures

0.25.33 (17 november 2021)
* Made a few smaller tiling updates to the mining town dungeon
* Made directional pressure plates stand out more
* Tweaked smaller bugs when collecting children to mining town target locations
* Tweaked contents of some minor chests in the mining town
* Tweaked some mining town hostage conversations
* Fixed error with falling boulders

0.25.34 (18 november 2021)
* Tweaked chest location in lower left side of mining town dungeon
* Shortened amount of time enemies can transform you into a bunny
* Tweaked DW Slarok enemy projectile stats

0.25.35 (21 november 2021)
* Tweaked controller button mapping based on feedback
(mapping and button indicators now based on xbox controllers)
* Fixed error with final boss; due to latest gamemaker upgrade. Also made a ton of coding tweaks to pre-empt similar issues elsewhere in the game
* Made changes to the entrance for dungeon1. You now require the lantern to enter. Also added bombs to collect once inside. Both changes make it that the player will not have to run back to buy items to (fully) finish the dungeon midway through.
* Fixed masking issue during final boss death animation
* Fixed issue where you are unable to pick up bombs
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 22, 2021, 10:00:43 pm
I was a little too tired to add commentary yesterday, but the focus last week (and next week) is on polishing up the existing dungeons and bugfixing. To add a little development variation before going back to new content (and other plans). So if anybody has any unmentioned feedback about the existing demo, feel free to share so that I can consider it as well.

Finally adding some more visual indicators to the cannonball puzzle in dungeon 1 btw. Almost everybody I see recordings off seems to have trouble grasping that one somehow.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 05, 2021, 09:44:45 pm
And here is the latest progress report.

Honestly, most progress has been going into preparing the plans for the original IP variant of this game. Now that the design document is coming along nicely, I've already been putting out small art commissions to get experience with that whole proces. It's both fun and terrifying to send out an assignment and wait to see how artists interpret my words and examples XD.

On that note, now might be a good time to show the intended hero Itin that I've already been spriting myself. I might go for brighter clothing eventually, but overall I'm pretty happy with the concept. What do you guys think? Does it spark the imagination? Does is come across as a kid / young adult?

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.25.36 (22 november 2021)
* Made changes to dungeon 1 entrance room (for more logic consistency)
* Added visual indications to better show what is going on with the buttons in the cannonball puzzle in dungeon 1

0.25.37 (25nov-4dec 2021)
* Worked on more detailed darkness engine. Ended up scrapping this entirely for getting to complex and confusing.

0.25.38 (5 december 2021)
* Redesigned house with cell in the mining town dungeon
* Added failsafe for getting stuck in conditional blocks
* Darkness engine can now also handle angled walls
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: gcatgrey on December 10, 2021, 04:01:58 pm
Bonsoir,
Je suis où il y a la prison mais dans le dernier donjon je n'arrive pas pas à taper dans le deuxième cristal car devant il y a une tablette et avant 1 premier cristal que je tape avec le boomerang et je orends aussi les 2 diamants verts
Peux t_on m'aider et m'expliquer comment faire
Merçi
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 10, 2021, 04:25:25 pm
Si vous avez trouvé le boomerang amélioré, vous pouvez le faire rebondir sur les murs en diagonale.

--

If you have found the upgraded boomerang then you can bounce it off walls diagonally.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: gcatgrey on December 11, 2021, 04:48:35 pm
Bonsoir
Peux t-on me dire où est la clé du grand coffre après la prison car je pense que c'est le boomerang plus fort car je l'a cherche partout et je ne l'a trouve pas .
Merçi
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 11, 2021, 05:08:19 pm
Consultez le lien pour un excellent playthrough qui peut vous aider si vous êtes coincé
---
Check the link for an excellent playthrough that can help you if you are stuck

https://www.twitch.tv/warnev3rchanges/video/1132647317
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 12, 2021, 08:33:31 pm
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.25.39 (9 december 2021)
* Mining ore can now be walked through

0.25.40 (10 december 2021)
* Mining ore no longer destructable with weapons
* Fixed error when picking up cucco's
* Fixed cucco masking
* Ore in the mining town dungeon is made (almost) unbreakable now

0.25.41 (11 december 2021)
* Made progress working on the cathedral basement rooms

0.25.42 (12 december 2021)
* Made more progress working on the cathedral basement rooms
* Character movement on moving platforms is now (finally) pixel perfect in all known situations
* Moving platforms can now also transport pots, bombs and somaria blocks
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 20, 2021, 12:47:43 pm
And here is a slightly delayed progress report, as I have been sick and spending a lot of time preparing tileset commissions.

On the topic of kickstarter preparation progress: I'm pondering how best to build hype with a larger audience for that in the future. Check out the poll, or reply, if you want to share your thoughts. Also, I love this forum and all you silent lurkers, so I will continue posting here regardless.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.25.43 (17 december 2021)
* Updated hinttext about ore usage in mining town
* Removed some redundant puzzle elements in mining town dungeon for better flow
* Made a few more smaller tweaks to the mining town dungeon

0.25.44 (18 december 2021)
* Fixed issues when retrying Witch boss fight
* Major update to Witch Boss AI (+ updated the stats)
* Witch projectiles now need to be bounced back before they can damage other enemies (and also have different colors to differentiate between normal and bounced back projectiles

0.25.45 (19 december 2021)
* Split off all pixelart progress into a seperate file for executable size reduction from 31 to 26,3 MB
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 02, 2022, 08:26:29 am
Happy new year everybody!

Here is the latest progress report:
A lot of time has been spend experimenting to create a combined menu like in OoT. The mockups are there and somewhat functional, but not yet ready to show off I'm afraid. So instead, like me show you some progress on a new area I had been planning for quit some time. This is the first room of yet another dungeon. Were the cathedral area is designed around theming this dungeon is designed around functionality (and therefor will be far faster to implement).

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.25.46 (20 december 2021)
* Edited sounds during Witch bossfight to better indicate what to (not) do

0.25.47 (24-26 december 2021)
* Been experimenting with one combined in-game menu
* Recoded parts of the existing options menu

0.25.48 (31 december 2021)
* Designed more rooms for ice mountain dungeon
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 09, 2022, 07:57:43 pm
Weekly progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.25.49 (2 januari 2022)
* Designed more rooms for the ice mountain dungeon

0.25.50 (8 januari 2022)
* Designed more rooms for the ice mountain dungeon

0.25.51 (9 januari 2022)
* Designed more rooms for the ice mountain dungeon
* Added extra version of winder enemy for clockwise and counter-clockwise versions
* Fixed landing sound when falling onto a pit when falling from the floor above
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 16, 2022, 08:54:45 pm
I won't be posting the more finished rooms in the new dungeon because of potential spoilers if you have all the information together, but here is another "work in progress" image for one of the dungeon floors that is progressing nicely.

Weekly progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.25.52 (15 januari 2022)
* Tiled more rooms for the ice mountain dungeon
* Masked some of the ice mountain rooms

0.25.53 (16 januari 2022)
* Fully finished some of the rooms for the ice mountain dungeon
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 24, 2022, 12:24:45 pm
Weekly progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.25.54 (22 januari 2022)
* Fully finished some more rooms for the ice mountain dungeon

0.25.55 (23 januari 2022)
* Made more tiling progress
* Added all keys, doors and chests to the ice mountain dungeon
* Finished ice mountain map
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 30, 2022, 10:08:36 pm
Lots more tiling progress got done this weekend. I've added some more images for people that like to see how these maps are put together. The actual progress is further along than this though. I'm omitting the final screenshots to keep parts of the dungeon a full mystery for when you get to play it in future dungeons.

Weekly progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.25.56 (29 januari 2022)
* Fully finished tiling ice mountain dungeon

0.25.57 (30 januari 2022)
* Added additional enemies and logic to the ice mountain dungeon
* Fixed triggered blade traps AI movement on return trips
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 06, 2022, 07:49:40 pm
And here is the latest update. I'm still heavily editing the ice mountain dungeon based on early feedback and selfcritique. So that's going to take a little while longer them expected.

Also, slowly but surely early progress is being made on the first sprites, music and coding to turn this project into an original IP. It is my hope to open up a dedicated discord server on the topic by the end of the month, depending on demand and progress. So look forward to that XD

Weekly progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.25.58 (5 februari 2022)
* Finished tiling ice mountain dungeon expansions

0.25.59 (6 februari 2022)
* Added pushswitches to ice mountain dungeon
* Added hidden stairs to ice mountain dungeon
* Fixed series of tiling depth issues in ice mountain dungeon
* Added a few more chest to ice mountain dungeon
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on February 08, 2022, 05:26:06 pm
Good luck with that. I'm sure more eyes will be opened to this fanwork.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 13, 2022, 09:45:00 pm
Thanks. Hope to see you there as well ;)

------

As for the regularly schedule progress report.

Weekly progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.25.60 (12 februari 2022)
* Finished masking the ice mountain dungeon
* Added all the entrances and remaining chests to the dungeon map in the ice mountain dungeon

0.25.61 (13 februari 2022)
* Replaced two pressure plates puzzles in the mining town dungeon
* Made numerous tweaks to the ice mountain dungeon while playtesting
* Changed AI of green kodongo enemy
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 20, 2022, 10:08:58 pm
Weekly progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.25.62 (18 februari 2022)
* Added kill triggers to ice mountain dungeon
* Big code rewrite to make staircases appear
* Improved bladetrap movement AI to handle more situations
* Updated to GML januari version (without the new collision settings)

0.25.63 (19 februari 2022)
* Edited two of the mining town dungeon rooms inside the mine
* Added extra type variant enemy projectile
* Connected the new ice mountain dungeon to the overworld (and deleted placeholder assets)
* Fixed final boss projectile destruction error that can occure rarely
* Added breakable wall visuals for icy cave lower floor
* Fixed all dungeon backgrounds (= yet another GML update breaking stuff)

0.25.64 (20 februari 2022)
* Playtested new dungeon and fixed a large number of small issues. Dungeon now more or less finished (excluding some unimplemented enemy types)
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 27, 2022, 09:40:19 pm
Lots of progress has been made this week. :)
Also, like I announced: I have been setting up a Discord channel. It still needs some testing and tweaking, but I'll likely open it up shortly (=at the end of the next weekend, hopefully).

Weekly progress report:
Code: [Select]
0.25.65 (21 februari 2022)
* Painstakingly fixed bugged room background settings, since GM update (again)

0.25.66 (23 februari 2022)
* Started work creating new dungeon maps for all area's

0.25.67 (25 februari 2022)
* Tweaked dungeon progress order just a little bit
* Fixed bug in options menu
* Made a ton of progress creating a custom tileset (with the help of earlier commissions)
* Fixed a few bugs in the latest dungeon

0.25.68 (26 februari 2022)
* Fixed staircase visual bug in the latest dungeon
* Made a ton of tiling / masking / logic changes to the latest dungeon
* Standardized code how enemies are spawning falling from the ceiling
* Did another full playtesting sweep of the newest dungeon (and fixed a whole range of minor oversights)
* Fixed new error when breaking stoned/frozen enemies
* Removed potential for enemy death sounds from playing multiple times simultaniously

0.25.69 (27 februari 2022)
* Finished adding in the options menu into the ingame menu (placeholder menu visuals for now)
* Fixed broken and overlayed sound effects in starting menu options menu
* Recoded data structures behind item menu equipable items
* Started work on new style of item menu
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: 4Sword on February 27, 2022, 10:06:29 pm
I wish I could say something more substantial other than awesome job on all the effort you make and progress you do.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Mariotag on February 28, 2022, 02:06:32 pm
Would I be allowed in said discord channel to admire progress?
Also, nice work!
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 28, 2022, 05:55:44 pm
I wish I could say something more substantial other than awesome job on all the effort you make and progress you do.

Thank you very much!

Would I be allowed in said discord channel to admire progress?
Also, nice work!

Ofcourse! I just need a little bit more time to split off developer channels; add a small welcome text. Those types of things. After that the discord will be free to join.
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 06, 2022, 07:45:05 am
And here is the invitation link to join the new Discord server: https://discord.gg/redHXyZ2Gc

It's open for anybody to join. Feel free to send me some feedback on the set-up, once you're there, if you have tips to improve it further. Also, I will be slowly sharing the link on a few more sites in the coming month, so ZFGC has the scoop on this one ;).
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 07, 2022, 09:00:06 pm
So today marks the TRUE beginning of project Horn of Balance, as I have finally actually started removing existing Zelda assets to make room for the new code and resources. The point of no return, you could say.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
Switched over from fangame to project “Horn of Balance”
(=point of no return)

v0.26.00 (2 maart 2022)
* Finished new item menu page (+ split off parts for later quest menu page)
* Fixed HUD displaying “space” when one of the equippable items is mapped to the enter key
* Started work integrating dungeon map menu into general ingame menu

v0.26.01 (3 maart 2022)
* Made progress integrating dungeon map menu

v0.26.02 (4-5 maart 2022)
* Started massive rewrite of map roomdata setup (behind the scenes)

v0.26.03 (6 maart 2022)
* Finished map roomdata rewrite
* Started expanding types of information found on map menu
Title: Re: Alttp - Horn of Balance
Post by: Mariotag on March 07, 2022, 10:40:16 pm
So, is the fangame complete, and just the original project needs to be finished?
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 08, 2022, 08:31:53 am
Progress on the fangame has "stopped" and only work on the original project will continue.
Meaning, I will no longer add things straight out of Alttp and will work to replace all visuals and audio already copied from the original. Additionally, I'm also reconsidering some design choices from aLttp to make the original game stand more on it's own. Combining the menu's, and integrating the options into them, is an example of that. Same with the earlier autosave functionality. So to in short: the game will stay mostly the same, but with a different coat of paint and design improvements.


It is my intention to now first focus on a new demo with all new assets, in order to launch a kickstarter in the second half of the year. This demo scope will be set to the first dungeon (=soldier's tomb). Possibly with some dungeon tweaks, if time allows it.

A minimal kickstarter success will be used to rework all the existing dungeons (=incl the cathedral and ice caverns not yet released) for a steam release. This route allows me to hire artists for assistance and lets me justify spending more of my own time and money on the project. So you would get the existing game with all new visuals, audio/music, 2 new dungeons and various design improvements.

A more successfull kickstarter will be used to, well basically end up making the full final game I always invisioned. Depending on the amount raised I could add all the remaining dungeons I had planned, with much more custom music, a massive overworld, various translations and so on. Hopefully we'll even reach enough for a physical release. I'm not one for self promotion or sales pitches, but I hope it's coming across how excited I am about this possibility. A lot of current restrictions on development would get lifted.  XD XD XD

====

Also, the new discord server just opened to join: https://discord.gg/redHXyZ2Gc   ;)
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 14, 2022, 12:16:47 pm
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.04 (9 maart 2022)
* Made more progress to the new dungeon map menu
* Map button now reroutes to the new menu, while in dungeons

v0.26.05 (11 maart 2022)
* Recoded parts of the new item menu for more intuitive navigation
* Started work on displaying detailed dungeon map information (= adding boss, fairy ponds, entrances)

v0.26.06 (12-13 maart 2022)
* Started work on displaying more detailed dungeon map information (= adding chests, entrances)
* Combined variables behind locked doors, cells and blocks
* Added more detailing to dungeon map room shapes
* Added in more information to dungeon maps (= locations of goals and locks)
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 21, 2022, 07:22:18 am
And here is the latest progress update.

Really spend a lot of time developing. It's giving me a lot of energy currently, so that was nice. Hope you like the various pieces of extra types of information I managed to add into the dungeon maps. (Everything is still very much work in progress btw - some visuals for example are still placeholder).

Overall the time needed to fully complete the new menu's (and especially the systems behind them) is taking a bit longer then expected however. I feel it is best not to rush this part though. Menu's should feel good to navigate; especially given the time players will be in them in-game. The good news is that I have some days off from work coming up, so I guessing one more week or work should be enough to get the setup and coding fully wrap up.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.07 (15 maart 2022)
* Added quest menu navigation logic

v0.26.08 (16 maart 2022)
* Cleaned up coding behind permanent upgrade items
* Quest menu item display logic now added

v0.26.09 (18 maart 2022)
* Spend a full day adding staircase indicators to the map, but ended up scrapping it because it got too cluttered and problematic in the later dungeons
* Tweaked map menu controls again for better feel
* Finished converting all existing dungeon maps to the new format

v0.26.10 (19 maart 2022)
* Replaced static quest menu visuals with conditional ones
* Experimented a bunch with font usage in the ingame menu's
* Tweaked menu tab positions and size

v0.26.11 (20 maart 2022)
* Can now switch between swords and tunics in new menu
* Escape button now also rerouted to the new menu (=options page; save&quit option pre-selected)
* Completed replacement of menu font usage
* Fully finished integrating dungeon map menu into new menu
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 28, 2022, 11:45:02 am
This week has had some good and bad news.

Sadly, Micah has decided to leave this project (and others) for personal reasons. Making this once again a solo effort. While this is disheartening and will have a negatively effect on the timetable, obviously life is more important than hobbies and work. I once again wish him the best.

In practical terms I will need to take some time to properly re-evaluate the full effects. Finding pixel artists that are skillful (and communicative), has proven to be a bit time consuming. So I'll likely focus on additional music and sound commissions later down the line. Although, if anybody already has connections that are interested in payed audio work, I'm all ears. Same goes for pixel artists; there's plenty of work to go around.

On a more positive note; the new in-game menu is now fully functional and feature complete! Which also applies to the coding behind the scenes. Feel free to share any feedback you might have.

Progress report:
Quote
v0.26.12 (21 maart 2022)
* Logic behind bomb and arrow (upgrades) values restructured
* Redirected old menu button to new menu (and cleaned up obselete coding and other resources)
* Finished adding movement logic behind quest & items menupages
* Menu items (like bombs and the bow) now dynamicly show the collected amounts on their spriteture behind journal menu page

v0.26.13 (22 maart 2022)
* Implemented additional font for menu's
* Edited the set-up behind the journal menu page

v0.26.14 (23 maart 2022)
* Extended on journal entries (and added scroll option for larger numbers of entries)

v0.26.15 (24 maart 2022)
* Fixed error in new placeholder world map menu page

v0.26.16 (25 maart 2022)
* Further tweaked journal menu page set-up
* Information on journal menu page is now only displayed as you encounter/kill more enemies
* Added a WIP disclaimer text to the game's debugmode (so I it's clearer that I'm not sharing final product screenshots)
* Reskinned HUD area welcome text

v0.26.17 (26 maart 2022)
* Replaced more sprites in dungeon map menu with custom sprites
* Replaced visuals for the first ingame HUD components
* Updated font for area floor indicator
* HUD no longer slides down as the ingame menu appears
* Fixed some surfaces breaking while changing screensize while in the ingame menu
* Added Murray to some of the ingame menu pages
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on March 30, 2022, 10:19:46 am
joined your discord to keep seeing the progress of your game.
i'm curious how the non-zelda sprites will gonna look
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 30, 2022, 03:08:14 pm
Glad to have you. And thanks for the support.

I'll make it a point to show some main character sprites soon.
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 04, 2022, 04:27:32 pm
Weekly progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.18 (27 maart 2022)
* Minor menu coding updates

v0.26.19 (30 maart 2022)
* Sprited some new hero/boss icons for the map menu

v0.26.20 (1 apr 2022)
* Spend the day spriting a hero archery animation

v0.26.21 (2 apr 2022)
* Further tweaked archery animation (and implemented ingame)
* Implemented earlier icons in the map menu
* Tweaked HUD sprites a little further
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 11, 2022, 08:24:26 pm
And here's the weekly update. Mostly just finished implementing the archery animation. I also spend a lot of time trying to add in an in-game .gif recorder, thinking it would save me time in the long run. But it ended up clashing too much with my other systems for it to be worth it time wise. Oh well. Best to cut my losses now and get back to actual demo progress again.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.22 (8 apr 2022)
* Further tweaked new archery animation

v0.26.23 (9-10 apr 2022)
* Now fully implemented the new archery animation
* Added custom arrows for hero and enemies
* Updated to the latest version of Gamemaker
* Spend a fair amount of time setting up an ingame GIF recorder function. Ended up scrapping it because it required a rethink of the custom draw setup (which wasn't worth the time)
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 17, 2022, 10:09:48 pm
As for this weeks progress update: I don't have new visuals to share, but I did put out a new commission some days ago. so  things should pick up again next week. I AM working on a HUD rework, but that´s using quick and dirty placeholder sprite work, so I'm not confident enough to share that just yet.

A while back I said I would re-evaluate the project now that Micah left. Basically, combined with the overall pace of things, it is not feasible to get a demo out by the end of summer. I was working on the assumption that I would have 2 team members to help out by early Q2, but that did not happen. As a result I'm going to be aiming for a december demo, with a smaller scope. Things can still pick up rapidly with the right supporting members, but it seems prudent to plan more cautiously this time around. And by smaller scope, I mean I'll not be spending energy on kickstarter preparation anymore until the demo is out. And that I'll not be spending too much effort into promotion of this server and the game until then either. You can still expect the customary weekly progress reports. I've been posting those for so many years now that they've become like second nature by now 😆

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.24 (12 apr 2022)
* Further cleaned up coding behind Link's dynamic tunic coloring
* Made some more progress on the new HUD setup

v0.26.25 (15-16 apr 2022)
* Put out a new batch of sprite commissions
* Changed mp and hp HUD indicators. Placeholders graphics for now
* Magic usage no longer cut by 1/2 and 1/4th upgrades. Instead the magic values get increased.
*Magic 1/4th usage upgrade changed to 1/3th usage
* Removed sound overlap when cutting multiple grass patches at once
* Edited screen position of HUD counters
* HUD bomb/arrow/rupee counters now only shown after picking up when collecting more (or paying)

v0.26.26 (17 apr 2022)
* Minor changes made to new tileset
* Tweaked positioning HUD counters
* Got sick
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 24, 2022, 08:43:02 pm
I've been taking it a little easy this week, due to life. But there was still decent progress: on the tiling front, with tweaks to last week's commission results and with the formation of the next batch of work.

I've included early versions of the item menu sprites that came in from, last week's commission, in case anyone wants to chip in with feedback on the style and so forth. I was looking for bright colorful images, limitating the artist in the amount of colors she could use, also. Given that, I am fairly happy with the results. Not sure I'll be able use all of them,  but most should make it into the game in one form or another.

Also this week I finally finished a tricky new idle animation of the main character doing his morning arms stretches. It's pretty frustrating to develop a movement not in the orginal or other example materials, but oh so delightfull if you finally get it to work. Slowly I'm getting more and more comfortable animating this little guy XD

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.27 (18 apr 2022)
* HUD rupee counter always visible in shops

v0.26.28 (22 apr 2022)
* Made progress on the hero idle animations
* Made progress on the menu item sprites

v0.26.29 (23 apr 2022)
* Worked on new tileset commissions

v0.26.30 (24 apr 2022)
* Removed atk button indicator from HUD
* Finished new tiling commission
* Tweaked results from menu item commission
* Made own progress on expanding tomb tileset
* Started work on extra hero idle animations
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 02, 2022, 10:42:58 am
Here the first gameplay screenshot from the new game to share. So what can we see?
I've changed the HUD quit a bit to make this game stand more on it's own. The health and magic bars are now represented via leafs, which I felt fit more with the main character. Also the items counters have been moved and only (briefly) show up when you collect items or when it's helpful for the room you are in; like with the key counter in dungeons.

As for tiling. You will notice that just the floors and walls are different so far. The first dungeon has close to 50 rooms so it's taking a lot of work doing just that much, but it's getting there. Eventually I will be redesigning the first dungeon to be more compact, but for now I want to save time getting to a demo and leaving the actual rooms as is. You will see me gradually phasing out more and more of the original tiles as things progress.

And as a final bit of good news: I finally found a skilled spriter that I like to work with. It's a big milestone and a huge relieve on my part.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.31 (27 apr 2022)
* Made progress building the new tileset and implementing the ceilings in the demo dungeon

v0.26.32 (29 apr 2022)
* Tweaked and implemented new commission results
* Made more progress expanding and implementing new tilesets

v0.26.33 (30 apr 2022)
* Made progress implementing parts of the new tileset in dungeon 1

v0.26.34 (1 mei 2022)
* Made progress implementing parts of the new tileset in dungeon 1
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: pxl_moon (dotyue) on May 05, 2022, 07:55:00 am
Maybe you should make a small difference between health and magic... like: Apples for Health and Leaves for Magic
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 06, 2022, 07:54:59 pm
Experimented with a few options but the simplest idea seemed to work best. How's this?
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 08, 2022, 08:23:42 pm
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.35 (3 mei 2022)
* Made progress implementing parts of the new tileset in dungeon 1

v0.26.36 (4 mei 2022)
* Made progress expanding and implementing the new tileset in dungeon 1

v0.26.37 (6 mei 2022)
* Tweaked HUD
* Continued updating the dungeon 1 tiling

v0.26.38 (7 mei 2022)
* Tweaked HUD (hp now displayed with autumn leaf colors)
* Continued updating the dungeon 1 tiling

v0.26.39 (8 mei 2022)
* Continued expanding and implementing the dungeon 1 tileset
* Implement new visuals for cannonball opening bars
* Fixed visual oversight in the door display script
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 16, 2022, 06:16:08 pm
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.40 (14-15 mei 2022)
* Put out new tiling commissions
* Put out first music trial commission
* Added diagonal walls to tileset
* Continued expanding and implementing the dungeon 1 tileset
* Implement new visuals for a few objects:
– small pushable statues
– Dungeon fairy statues (also added animation)
* Fixed broken push trigger
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 22, 2022, 08:11:13 pm
Code: [Select]
v0.26.41 (18-20 mei 2022)
* Tweaked commissioned spritework
* Implemented new broken pedestals
* Fixed room layer depth issue due to inherentance
* Fixed some boss 1 sound effects from stacking
* Started implementing new visuals boss dungeon 1

v0.26.42 (21 mei 2022)
* Finished implemented new visuals boss dungeon 1
* Tweaked boss 1 AI to work better with the new visuals
* Redid parts of the setup behind enemy stone/frost/damage pallets

v0.26.43 (22 mei 2022)
* Tweaked and implemented more dungeon 1 wall decorations
* Tweaked and implemented new sprites for breakable wall
* Worked more on spritework
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: WeezoMaster on May 27, 2022, 06:33:21 pm
Hi Martijn,

I've just tested the demo in v.25.18.  I haven't been back on the thread for almost ten years, so many changes, it's great!
I made it to the end, to the room just before the final boss.

But it's impossible for me to continue. No matter how hard I pull the lever, the door doesn't open. However, the sound that indicates that it's opened is played.
I found a let's play on twitch but it seems it's another version as the closed door is replaced by a locked door.

Can you confirm that this is not a bug?

Show content
(https://i.postimg.cc/Vkwy3Bbh/Horn-Of-Balance.png)


Thank you!
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 27, 2022, 06:38:17 pm
That's a bug. The door should open after pulling the lever. Sorry about that.
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: WeezoMaster on May 27, 2022, 06:45:51 pm
Thank you for your answer.

Is there a possibility that there'll be a new version that fixes this bug, or have you definitely switched to Horn of Balance?
I have to say it's kind of frustrating  XD
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 27, 2022, 06:48:58 pm
I'll see what I can do. I've switched development to a newer version of gamemaker though, so I might break other things in the process.
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 27, 2022, 08:44:00 pm
The door can be properly opened in this version: https://www.mediafire.com/file/bk2y1hyd0tw6zpv/Zelda+0+25+13+(GM+update).zip/file

You can copy over your savefile into this game.
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: WeezoMaster on May 27, 2022, 10:49:01 pm
Thanks a lot, it worked !

Meanwhile, I tried an old version (24.22) with my savefile, and it worked too.  ;)
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 30, 2022, 06:38:52 pm
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.44 (28 mei 2022)
* Further expanded spritework for dungeon 1
* Tweaked various dungeon 1 room designs

v0.26.45 (29 mei 2022)
* Further expanded dungeon 1 tileset sprites
* Tweaked boss sprites
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 03, 2022, 06:25:23 am
I'll be on a mini-vacation after today, so there won't be any progress update for 1 to 2 weekends.

To make up for that 😁 :
I'm including the audio track that came back from the music job I described earlier. The assignment was to create a track fit for the boss fights, so I don't think it was successful. The audio quality and composition themselves aren't bad though so I might give the creator another chance with more directions. What do you guys think?

On a final note. The new animator I was looking at earlier didn't pan out, so that hunt still continues. Made some more additional small animations myself last week, so there is still a fallback plan if needed.
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 12, 2022, 08:31:14 pm
So there's been lots of nice progress last week.
- I had planned to not work on this project much during my days off from work. Working basically two jobs can drain a person pretty badly. But this free time was just what I needed get energized again.
- I promised screenshots over on Discord, so you can find those attached. Let's see where we are at:
So the last batch of dungeon 1 tiles are now being worked on via commission. Work is also already started on some enemies (like the smaller cannonballs in the screenshot) and objects (like the destroyed wall in the other screenshot). I'm not showing latest stuff just yet, but know that there is more progress.
- Overall I'd say about 95% of all the dungeon 1 tilework is now done. Just the hardest parts left  XD. Objects are about 40% done. Enemies about 5%.
- Purchased the GML Live extension. Haven't had time to play around with it just yet, but it'll probably save 1 or 2 days (!) of development per year. This game is so large already that I have to wait between 10 and 30 minutes for the engine to compile whenever I want to test any type of edit or bugfix. That should now go down to mere seconds, if the code is already running and I've got things set up correctly. Wonderfull!!
- The latest music and spritework weren't ready for this update post just yet, but I've seen the work in progress and it looks and sounds good. For the boss music I gave some Hollow Knight examples so look forward to hearing that in a future post.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.46 (5 juni 2022)
* Fixed encountered boss 1 bug
* Added masking for new wall pillars
* Finished adding new tiles for doorways and staircases
* Tweaked character collission masking slightly

v0.26.47 (7 juni 2022)
* Fixed (and tweaked) ledge jumping collisions in south direction
* Fixed character shadow turning invisible after diving
* Updated textengine:
   > Can now handle infinite lines of text
   > Made it simpler to add and edit textinput
* Removed enemy/boss death sound overlap

v0.26.48 (8 juni 2022)
* Implemented new warp tile sprites

v0.26.49 (9 juni 2022)
* Implemented replacement sprites for small cannonball enemy
* Improved animation of new warp tiles
* Cannonball spawn sounds no longer overlap
* Expanded dungeon 1 tileset some more
* Created custom sprites for flying tiles in dungeon 1
* Fixed overlapping flying tiles sounds
* Implemented new sprites for NPC at start of dungeon 1

v0.26.50 (10 juni 2022)
* Further expanded dungeon 1 tileset
* Adjusted dungeon 1 schadow layer for new tiling
* Implemented new flying tile sprites in more locations
* Replaced some more of the last tiles in dungeon 1
* Implemented replacement sprites for breakable floors in dungeon 1 (+expanded object draw functionality)
* Made minor visual tiling edits to dungeon 1

v0.26.51 (12 juni 2022)
* Made a bunch of edits on incoming dungeon 1 tiles and sprites. As well as creating some own new sprites.
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 20, 2022, 11:07:15 am
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.52 (13 juni 2022)
* Tweaked some more object spritework
* Implemented new sprites for conditional doors in dungeon1

v0.26.53 (14 juni 2022)
* Updated map menu sprite for collected secrets

v0.26.54 (15 juni 2022)
* Implemented new sprites for locked doors in dungeon 1

v0.26.55 (18 juni 2022)
* Edited and implemented one of the last sets of dungeon 1 tiles and objects
* Improved some small masking issues

v0.26.56 (19 juni 2022)
* Updated sprites of wall candles
* Updated tiles for smaller dungeon walls
* Finally managed to animate fire believably. Yes!
* Replaced spritework for a few more objects
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 27, 2022, 10:16:28 am
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.57 (20 juni 2022)
* Fixed issue with mp bar not refilling in certain circumstances
* Fixed small tiling depth issue in dungeon 1
* Fixed issue with door not opening after coming back to subboss 1 after defeating boss 1
* Fixed issue with sewers entrance not triggering
* Fixed issue with sewers masking not loading
* Fixed item menu navigation oversight

v0.26.58 (22 juni 2022)
* Fixed Murray talk animation directly after opening the item menu and not having a valid item available under the cursor
* Further implemented setup to add menu descriptions per collected item
* Fixed issue with interaction torches vs fire magic
* Tweaked masking of small torches
* Fixed incorrect cannonball animation speed
* Tweaked walllight animation speed

v0.26.59 (25 juni 2022)
* Tweaked and implemented new sprites for big cannonballs

v0.26.60 (26 juni 2022)
* Demo now limited to only the first dungeon
* Implemented the new boss music
* Implemented some new sound effects
* Recoded and cleaned up credits (= contributers, of content that I can't leave in the final product, have been moved or removed)
* Tweaked and implemented new sprites for tall torches
* Made adjustments so my engine actually plays nice with the new gmlive extension
* Tweaked credits speed and added speedup option
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 03, 2022, 09:28:46 pm
Here is an updated version of an earlier screenshot, to show the progress that is being made.
Both the tilework and objects (=doors/pots/switches/etc) for dungeon 1 are now nearly done. Also, the first tester is playing through dungeon 1 to check for stylistic inconsistencies and so forth. Shouldn't be too long now before I'll feel confident enough to send out private build to other testers. Feel free to send me a message if anybody wants to contribute with that.

Once the tiles/objects for dungeon 1 are done, I'll be switching to the next big batch of work. Which will likely be the enemy sprites or the character animations. Depending on how the early sketches pan out.

As for the boss music I mentioned last time: Good news! We now have our very first fully custom piece of music implemented into the game! Along with a few needed jingles. The boss track has a strong opening and a decent tempo so I'm quit happy with the results. And I'm getting a better sense of what questions and information to include when putting out requests / picking composers.


Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.61 (29 juni 2022)
* Game now tracks various more player stats
* Added visuals for pits to the floor below

v0.26.62 (30 juni 2022)
* Further simplified coding behind the credits sequence
* Added stats screen (as part of the credits) at the end of the game/demo
* Fixed surface memory leak
* Fixed screen flicker when returning to the title page from ingame

v0.26.63 (2 juli 2022)
* Created and implemented new visuals for dungeon textpoint
* Tweaked chest visuals

v0.26.64 (3 juli 2022)
* Added and implemented animation for large fires
* Tweaked some animation speeds
* Fixed some dungeon 1 tiling inconsistencies
* Cleaned up some old coding behind the various torch objects
* Fixed being able to use some items while not yet collected
* Fixed a number of small dungeon 1 tiling oversights
* Fixed itembox button indicators misaligning in specific circumstances
* Fixed positions of two d1 chests being swapped
* Tweaked placements of a few d1 objects
* Expanded starting items during the dungeon 1 demo
* Tweaked allignment for some rotated conditional doors
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 12, 2022, 06:52:20 am
A quick week summary:
- Had some more time off from work, so there has been a bit more progress then normal. The dungeon 1 tileset is now fully completed and I'm tackling the last objects next. Need about 5 more sprites for those; two of which will take some extra time because I'll have to get help on them.
- Another enemy has been given a facelift. For dungeon 1 that leaves about 8 more enemies to do next. Including the more complex humanoid enemies which I'll also need an animator to help with.
- Commissioned a length overworld music track from a new composer earlier today. Which is very exciting to hear the results of.
- I'm also in contact with a pixel animator, who's getting a first small commission to see what he can do. Hopefully this will pan out well, so we can finally start making rapid progressing on the character animations.
- Preparing a new commission for the established object/tile artist. Still working out the request details, but I'm considering to have her start work on the next area already.
- I'll probably write up a more wordy progress report soon, to also post on other forums. I'm not actively advertising the game before the first demo is fully done, but it can't hurt to slowly get into the habit of posting more.

Also, here's another screenshot to show the progress compared to an image I shared

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.65 (4 juli 2022)
* Fixed flickering at the end of idle animations on the file select screen
* Tweaked and implemented new sprites for pots

v0.26.66 (5 juli 2022)
* Tweaked sprites and colors of chests (to make them stand out more against the tilework)
* Created and implemented the last missing dungeon 1 tiles:  pit edges
* Made progress fasing out now obselete old dungeon 1 tileset resources

v0.26.67 (6 juli 2022)
* Tweaked HUD coding slightly
* Cleaned up various (now) obeselete tilesets and other graphics

v0.26.68 (7 juli 2022)
* Added some more niche tiles to dungeon 1 tileset

v0.26.69 (8 juli 2022)
* Removed more (now) obselete tilesets (= resources are now also condensed to just a single texturepage)

v0.26.70 (9 juli 2022)
* Implemented new sprites for shallow water
* Fixed room dimensions of one of the dungeon rooms

v0.26.71 (10 juli 2022)
* Added new visuals for destroyed flying tiles snd pots
* Fixed small textbox depth oversight
* Created and implemented new sprites for pressure plates in dungeon 1
* Minor tweaks to the demo after first full dungeon playthrough
* Fixed error in dungeon1 subboss fight
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 17, 2022, 08:50:25 pm
Just a quicky update this week. The commission results from last week are in but both require a number of revisions, so I can't show or implement them just yet.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.72 (16 juli 2022)
* Tweaked visuals flying tiles
* Tweaked small allignement issue on menu quest page
* Fixed situation where Murray talks on the journal page without actual text to speak
* Improved guidance and hints in demo's first room (temporarily)

v0.26.73 (17 juli 2022)
* Spend the day on titlepage mockups, and writing commission descriptions and feedback.
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 25, 2022, 12:50:48 pm
Just a quick little update that a malicious third-party actor has flagged one of my topics, on a different forum, as IP infringement. The issue is already being addressed, but it is a good reminder that there are all sorts of people out there. And that it can be risky to publicly release information and builds that still contains placeholder assets. Not a big risk or a big problem, but still. Best to be prudent.

As a result I am going to postpone sharing a public demo for a number of months. Or at least until I believe it to be fully ready. I do apologize for this. People interested in private demo's for engine testing and so forth are always free to contact me directly.


Additionally I'm debating with myself whether or not it's also best to make a seperate topic on here as well for all posts going forward. I'm curious to learn what the rest of you think about this situation. :-\

Also, to end on a happy note: got the new title in. How does it look?
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 31, 2022, 08:22:14 pm
Here's another quick update to complete the week:
- Had a few days off from work so I was able to make more progress then normal.
- The animator I mentioned earlier delivered good work, so I've asked him to work on the other hero movement cycles next. While I can animate our little adventurer myself (check the attachment) I'm very slow at it. This artist also take quit a bit of time to deliver, but having twice the production speed is still a huge step up from before. XD
- The overworld track is in and ended up as quit the earworm. (Keeping it a surprise for now). Since the next demo won't have an overworld just yet I've been using it as the new title music instead.
- All demo dungeon objects are now fully finished. So that's yet another milestone done.
- As for progress to reach a full demo by SAGE in september.... It´s seeming less and less likely that that's possible.
Completing the music, menus and engine should be doable. Items (=rupees etc), sound effects and enemies might be possible if I really go all in and drop the rest. Character animations are taking way longer than I had hoped, so I don't see that getting done. I'll see how it goes for another few weeks, and then make a final decisions on whether I'll skip the event or try for a showing with placeholder assets.

Code: [Select]
v0.26.74 (19-23 juli 2022)
* Worked with various artists on commissions

v0.26.75 (24 juli 2022)
* Implemented destructable wall and pillar in d1 subboss room
* Implemented destructable lights in d1 subboss room

v0.26.76 (25 juli 2022)
* Edited code behind bow usage, so old and new hero visuals can be switched on/off
* Cleaned up the few forum topics that I maintained to clearly seperate this new project from my old fangaming activities
* Lost and recreated one of the new idle animations
* Further cleaned up now obselete tile resources
* Implemented visuals new hitswitches

v0.26.77 (26 juli 2022)
* Tweaked and implemented first new idle animation (= waving)
* Tweaked and implemented second new idle animation (= stretching)

v0.26.78 (27 juli 2022)
* Recoded and title intro sequence and applied new title visuals
* Implemented recent music into the game
* Added new mini menu directly on the titlepage
* Disabled attract mode (for the forseeable future)
* The credits are now also available directly from the options at the start of the game

v0.26.79 (28 juli 2022)
* Moved options screen from file select room directly onto the title page
* Further refined connection between credits and title page

v0.26.80 (29 juli 2022)
* Fixed issue with missing music after credits
* Further changed the starting menu visuals
* Implemented new visuals for menu cursor

v0.26.81 (31 juli 2022)
* Implemented new (placeholder) credits music
* Updated credits
* Put out new art commission for death screen and some other future plans
* Implemented new visuals for the text engine frame
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 07, 2022, 08:41:11 pm
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.82 (1 aug 2022)
* Further tweaked “Enter Name” and Title page details

v0.26.83 (3 aug 2022)
* Further tweaked visuals “Enter Name” page

v0.26.84 (5 aug 2022)
* Tweaked character movement animation for some directions
* Edited visuals for hitswitches
* Created and implemented new visuals for keys
* Fixed a broken button in the demo dungeon
* Put out new animation commissions
* Put out new music commissions
* Further tweaked visuals “Enter Name” page
* Updated splash screen and game icon
* Tweaked tiling in demo dungeon basement

v0.26.85 (6 aug 2022)
* Updated game installer mode visuals (in case I ever want to enable an installer)
* Tweaked visuals dungeon map page slightly
* Fixed issue with ledge jumping in one of the demo dungeon F1 rooms
* Updated and implemented visuals for new dungeon map, compass and key/chest
* Fixed sound issue when entering the demo dungeon basement
* Alligned character arrow colors

v0.26.86 (7 aug 2022)
* Tweaked and implemented new visuals for bow, arrows and arrow upgrades
* Tweaked and implemented horn sprite
* Tweaked HUD visuals
* Further tweaked visuals starting page
* Replace one of the smaller fonts
* Slightly tweaked item menu visuals
* Music files are now stored inside the executable
* Tweaked visuals ”File selection” page
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 14, 2022, 08:30:07 pm
Quick weekly update:
- I've decided not to try to attend SAGE this year anymore. I really wanted to just crunch in order to make it in time, but the harder I push myself the less productive I seem to get so that's going to work. The full public demo with ALL original assets is going to have to wait. (For those disappointed, you are always free to contact me for private demo's in the meantime).

- Having made that decision, and to recharge my energy a little, I've decided to also work on fun things not needed in the upcoming demo. For example: the final boss of the game. I'm quit proud of the final boss concept and coding that's already there. Maybe you've even seen the video of it on twitch from the older demo's. Now image what I could do with an actual artist helping me out.  >:D
The spriter is currently working on the first batch of sprites and it's looking awesome, trust me.

- Also, all music for the demo is now done and implemented. Next I've started working on replacing the various sound effects, though it'll be a while before that is done (without throwing lots of money at the problem).


Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.87 (13 aug 2022)
* Worked with artist on walk animation
* Implemented new dungeon music track
* Worked with artist on final boss sprites (=not in demo)
* Did a lot of reseach and planning

v0.26.88 (14 aug 2022)
* Worked with artist on final boss sprites (=not in demo)
* Replace small amount of sound effects
* Did a lot of reseach and planning
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 21, 2022, 09:41:51 pm
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.89 (18 aug 2022) – GML update
* Replaced a few more old sound effects
* Upgraded to the latest GML version

v0.26.90 (19 aug 2022)
* Wasted almost a full day due to new encounter GML debugger bugs
* Tweaked and expanded new final boss spites
* Started work on implemented final boss neck sprites
* Fixed final boss depth issue

v0.26.91 (20 aug 2022)
* Implemented new final boss neck and head visuals

v0.26.92 (21 aug 2022)
* Encountered a very severe bug in the GM:Studio version 2022.6.xx instance_create_layer function. Rolled back to 2022.5.2.13 and that seems to be able to continue development
* Finished work on final boss so everything is tuned to the (first batch of) new visuals
* Put out next animation commission
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 23, 2022, 10:47:39 am
Just a quicky update to let you all know that I am now also present on twitter: https://twitter.com/HornofBalance

It's still brand new, so feel free to share any good follow recommendations related to game development.
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 28, 2022, 03:45:11 pm
Had the week off so quit a bit of progress was been made over the last couple of days:
- Murray has been redesigned to better fit with the new artstyle. (Still has the same personality though. Some things are just impossible to fix)
- The makeover for the final boss is now halfway done (with the next batch of art to be commissioned soon)
- Implemented new animations. Our hero can now walk, carry around items and transition between rooms with the new assets.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.93 (22 aug 2022)
* Tweaked floor button sprites while pressed
* Implemented new visuals for stunned effect
* Tweaked final boss visual indicators
* Reorganised number of custom sprite resources
* Tweaked HUD fonts
* Money counter now also shows up when collecting something while at max value (to show that you are at max value)
* HUD counters now show green numbers when at maximum
* Counters on equipable items now also turn green when at maximum
* Switched HUD hp and mp bars
* Added option to flip HUD element placement horizontally
* Finished “Enter name” screen edits

v0.26.94 (23-24 aug 2022)
* Created new sprites for Murray and his family

v0.26.95 (26 aug 2022)
* Implemented new visuals for Murray and his family
* Spend some cleaning up the stable unavoidable syntax error warnings as part of using GMLive extension
* Added facial expressions to Murray (during scenes)
* Replace sprites for dark world dungeon treasures

v0.26.96 (27 aug 2022)
* Restructured how new character animations are stored and implemented behind the scenes
* Tweaked and implemented new sprites for walking
* Added some extra debug functions that will help with future .gif creation
* Worked on sprites for walking while carrying

v0.26.97 (28 aug 2022)
* Tweaked and implemented new sprites for walking down winding stairs
* Implemented new sprites for ledge jumping
* Implemented new sprites for picking up items / opening chests
* Implemented new sprites for walking while carrying
* Simplified character shadows: now drawn as semi-transparent sprites, rather then via sprites with color manipulation based on collisions with underlying terrain types
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 04, 2022, 08:37:18 pm
Changed the HUD some more. Also, you can see the new item that replaces the book (and will replace the lantern lateron).

progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.98 (31 aug 2022)
* Replace a few more sound effects
* Added better quality versions for a few sound effects

v0.26.99 (2 sep 2022)
* Implemented new visuals for Book of Mudora
* Fixed error in text engine for text longs texts that need to be displayed instantly

v0.26.100 (4 sep 2022)
* Combined lantern light effect into the new translation item
* Reading ancient languages now longer requires you to use the translation item. Just reading while having the item is now enough.
* Cleaned up old book coding
* Updated visuals text engine cursor
* Repositioned HUD item boxes
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 18, 2022, 05:42:18 pm
Got a little drained last weekend, so I had to skip the progress report. But now I'm back and making some nice progress implementing the latest art commissions.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.101 (10-11 sep 2022)
* Worked with artists on several new sprites and animations
* Refined “mirror” replacement animation

v0.26.102 (16 sep 2022)
* Tweaked final boss sprites
* Put out new animation commission

v0.26.103 (17 sep 2022)
* Implemented new visuals for falling into abyss and falling to a lower floor
* Implemented new visuals for victory animation on file select screen
* Recoded parts of the code behind drawing the main character on the file selection screen
* Implemented new visuals for victory animation upon collecting dungeon goal items
* Dropped old dancing idle animation (=new game will have 1 less replacement idle animations)

v0.26.104 (18 sep 2022)
* Implemented new visuals for king NPC
* Tweaked and implemented new frames for reseacher NPC
* Tweaked dungeon 1 goal collection scene
* Fixed visual issue with new Murray visuals
* Fixed NPC's not correctly looking sideways while talking to them
* Fixed error after the scene to close off the demo dungeon
* Made progress implementing more new sprites for final boss
* Replaced a few more sound effects
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 25, 2022, 08:50:32 pm
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.105 (23-24 sep 2022)
* Animated (and implemented) growing health/magic bars
* Recoded logic behind gaining more maximum mp
* Fixed error encountered on title menu
* Fixed issue with max health value not saving properly
* Implemented new visuals for wall master style enemy
* Tweaked wallmaster timing and masking to accomodate new visuals

v0.26.106 (25 sep 2022)
* Updated visuals for currency (after lots of experimentation)
* Changed currency values
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 02, 2022, 08:39:41 pm
Quicky update as I'm feeling a little sick atm.
Making good progress on character animations this week. I don't want to celibrate to fast but it seems like I've found 2 reliable animators I might be able to work with more in the future (if there agenda's allow it). Also, put out a commission for the first few tiles needed in the overworld.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.107 (30 sep 2022)
* Worked with artists on a few more animations

v0.26.108 (1 okt 2022)
* Worked with artist on another hero animation
* Implemented few tweaks based on tester feedback
* Fixed HUD button indicators not updating directly after switching controls in the ingame menu
* When interacting with locked doors/blocks without (the correct) keys you now get an explaination text instead of the hero starting to push it
* Made new sprites for the early dungeon treasures

v0.26.109 (2 okt 2022)
* Put out new tileset commission
* Worked with artist on another hero animation
* Tweaked existing character animations
* Tweaked dungeon 1 entrance room
* Recoded parts of destructable objects
* Due to popular demand from testers: added option to cut up the banners in the demo dungeon
* Performed minor fixes and tweaks to final boss AI
* Made progress implementing last new sprites for final boss
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 09, 2022, 06:31:17 pm
Finally finished the updated final boss and even managed to add in a simple intro phase.
Also, playing around with shaders again to build a replacement screen transition for warping between worlds. The attached gif is of the WIP results, using some screenshots I had lying around.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.110 (7 okt 2022)
* Finished implementing all new final boss sprites
* Tweaked a few minor aspects to final boss fight
* Tweaked masking for grabbing/interacting with action objects (=now need to stand closer to interactable objects, but gives better consistency with action button context text)
* Added additional intro phase to final boss fight
* Added transition between final boss phases
* Added extra signaling to highlight boss final weakness (after a little while)

v0.26.111 (8-9 okt 2022)
* Worked with artist on new character frames
* Figuring out how to better record gifs
* Got back into shaders to develop a replacement screen transition for world warping
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 23, 2022, 08:06:30 pm
Took a little vacation last weekend, but I'm back to developing again.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.112 (12 okt 2022)
* Minor visual tweakes to map menu page

v0.26.113 (17 okt 2022)
* Made minor tweaks to new incoming tiles/sprites
* Worked more on the new warp transition effect

v0.26.114 (18 okt 2022)
* Worked more on the new warp transition effect

v0.26.115 (19 okt 2022)
* Implemented new visuals for health upgrades (+updated coding to match new terminology)

v0.26.116 (20 okt 2022)
* Tweaked visuals for health upgrades
* Implemented new visuals for wealth in the menu

v0.26.117 (22 okt 2022)
* Implemented new visuals for magic upgrades (+adjusted text when getting them)
* Implemented replacement sprite for mirror item
* Made progress on the file selection screen

v0.26.118 (23 okt 2022)
* Animated (last) idle sequence
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 30, 2022, 08:07:47 pm
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.119 (27 okt 2022)
* Tweaked content of two dungeon 1 rooms
* Changed normal/rusted floorbutton colors
* Experimented with walk animation to make it feel more intuitive while walking north

v0.26.120 (29-30 okt 2022)
* Updated menu colorpallets
* Wasted nearly a day trying out new shader warp effects – not happy with the results just yet
* Made progress updating the pallet swapper shader to also work for the new hero sprites
* Settled on new tunic color pallets
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 06, 2022, 10:42:04 pm
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.121 (4 nov 2022)
* Implemented latest idle animation
* Finished file selection page setup
* Tweaked idle stretching animation
* Dropped old idle animations
* Added new tunic items
* Recoded setup behind tunics to be able to switch between them, with each now having pro and con properties
* Fixed tiling issues in debug areas
* Made progress implementing pallet swapping setup for the main character

v0.26.122 (5 nov 2022)
* Finished implementing character pallet swapping
* Dropped health alarm sound for diagetic feedback via the character sprite

v0.26.123 (6 nov 2022)
* Tweaked menu color pallets
* Tweaked character tunic color pallets
* Made it easier to read and talk via the action button
* Tweaked file select visuals slightly
* Tweaked walking animation visuals
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 13, 2022, 07:22:12 pm
Not sure how many still follow me on here with my Discord and Twitter channels also existing. (Well, we don't know for how long in the case of Twitter I guess  XD). But here is another screenshot of a new animation frame and some hints for new item visuals.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.124 (8 nov 2022)
* Implemented new item visuals for cloak

v0.26.125 (11 nov 2022)
* Implemented item icons replacements for fire and ice weapons (and updated flavortext etc)
* Implemented new item: flintstones (as pre-firerod item)
* Fixed visuals when wearing monocle in the dark

v0.26.126 (12 nov 2022)
* Put out new sprite commissions
* Made ingame cursor colors conditional

v0.26.127 (13 nov 2022)
* Implemented new character animation for replacement warp item
* Tweaked flint usage to prevent flame spam
* Fixed tiling issue demo dungeon
* Fixed world warping so there is even less chance to get stuck in walls (or exploit the game)
* Made minor visual tweaks to the ingame menu
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 20, 2022, 09:28:10 pm
There a still a few lurkers on the forum it seems. Good to know!
Here's another screenshot of some progress.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.128 (18 nov 2022)
* Tweaked ingame menu colors some more

v0.26.129 (19 nov 2022)
* Edited and implemented new visuals for one of the old demo dungeon enemies

v0.26.130 (20 nov 2022)
* Fixed small longstanding masking oversight in a demo dungeon room
* Fixed freeze after trying to open big key doors without a big key
* Disabled journal menu page (for now)
* Replaced a few more sound effects
* Fixed missing effect if return warping between worlds after colliding despite using the return warp tile
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 27, 2022, 10:36:41 pm
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.131 (23 nov 2022)
* Made progress animating another enemy

v0.26.132 (25 nov 2022)
* Created/edited new visuals for hammer, shovels and net items (+ implemented them with flavour texts)
* The shovel can now be bought from the shop near the start of the game
* Made progress implementing new enemy sprites

v0.26.133 (26 nov 2022)
* Worked with artist on new sprites
* Implemented new menu icon replacement visuals for flippers, gloves, boots and rod of medu

v0.26.134 (27 nov 2022)
* Worked with artist on more spritework
* Slightly tweaked menu visuals some more
* Murray now has a single line of description to say for many menu items
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 04, 2022, 07:46:38 pm
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.135 (1 dec 2022)
* Create and implement new HUD visual for bombs

v0.26.136 (3 dec 2022)
* Tweaked several colors in the HUD and menu slightly
* Updated menu descriptions for several menu items
* Added new visuals for the bomb capacity upgrades
* Added menu descriptions functionality for a few more quest items
* Added new visuals magic attack rod of Medu

v0.26.137 (4 dec 2022)
* Tweaked visuals rod of Medu magic attack
* All quest page items now display a description text
* Updated text for collecting bomb capacity upgrades
* Visuals for collecting bomb/arrow capacity upgrades now better take into state and amount of bombs/arrows collected
* Implemented replacement item for the mushroom
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 11, 2022, 10:58:25 pm
Sorry, no screenshot this week. There's lots of good progress in several areas, but not everything is fully completed yet. And I don't want to spoil things like the revamped subboss that has now been finished. Also note that I´ve also spend a good while to lay the groundwork for further progress during the rest of the month via new art commissions.

Finally I´m happy to report that my favorite spriter `Kohari` is now an actual teammember. Meaning she´s become THE spriter for this project and will be helping me prepare with the Kickstarter etc when the time comes. We´ve already worked with each other 9 times by now, so I´m quite happy to have been able to make the cooperation a little more official.

For those of you that (also) like to see list shrink over time. Here's what's still left before the next demo is fully done:
- 6x enemy visual + tweaking
- 16x character actions visuals
- New Hp/Mp items
- Collectable fairies
- 8x effect visuals
- 67x sound effect to replace
- Demo dungeon flow tweaking
- Text engine tweaking + font update
- Update PC controls to better match industry standards
- Full playthrough for testing

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.138 (5 dec 2022)
* Created animations for demo subboss

v0.26.139 (6 dec 2022)
* Tweaked character tunic colors, to better stand out
* Prepared new art commissions
* Made progress implementing new subboss sprites

v0.26.140 (7 dec 2022)
* Formulated new sprite commissions

v0.26.141 (8 dec 2022)
* Tweaked demo subboss room tiling slightly
* Made progress implementing new demo subboss spritework
* Fixed small visual during appearing of subboss 1

v0.26.142 (9 dec 2022)
* Finished implementing new demo subboss visuals (including scenes)
* Edited subboss entrance scene
* Hero now rotates into ingame victory animation
* Cleaned up some of the coding behind the older character visuals

v0.26.143 (10 dec 2022)
* Made progress implementing new visuals sword attack animation
* Further formulated art commissions

v0.26.144 (11 dec 2022)
* Tweaked new visuals for upgraded swords (about 1/2 of the sword visuals now updated)
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 02, 2023, 11:52:15 am
And here's the latest progress update.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.149 (26 dec 2022)
* Implemented pallet swapper for bunny visuals
* Implemented new sword menu icons
* Finished implementing new statue enemies and tweaked their stats
* Fixed oversight where you were able to “talk” to more enemies then intended

v0.26.150 (27 dec 2022)
* Standardized and finished the all (=96) new sprites for the character swordsin all common directions
* Implemented new sword visuals during file select / victory animations
* Made progress implementing new sword swipe animations

v0.26.151 (28 dec 2022)
* Replaced a few more sound effects
* Tweaked character animation of file select screen
* Tweaked sword attack animations (+implemented sword and pallet swapping)
* Fixed flint item usage not overriding idle animations
* Fixed terrain overlay visuals reseting between character animations
* Fixed phantom after images during some animations (which were caused by alpha values used on screen surfaces)

v0.26.152 (29 dec 2022)
* Finished implementing new sword swipe attacks (all directions and swords)
* Worked a little on future animations

v0.26.153 (30 dec 2022 – 1 jan 2023)
* Created and implemented new visuals for all the grab, push and pull animations

With the following list left before the next demo:
- 6x 5x enemy visual to replace <-- PROGRESS: One more type of enemies converted
- 16x 12x character actions visuals <-- PROGRESS: The default sword swings for all swords are now done. As well as the grab/push/pull animations
- New Hp/Mp items
- Collectable fairies
- 8x effect visuals
- 67x 63x sound effect to replace
- Demo dungeon flow tweaking <-- Finding it too hard to delete existing rooms so I'll be moving existing rooms too hard for the demo to later dungeons
- Text engine tweaking + font update
- Update PC controls to better match industry standards
- Full playthrough for testing
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 08, 2023, 10:48:26 pm
Just a quicky update today as it's gotten pretty late before calling it quits. Do check out the attached .gif if you want to see the latest new animations added.

Progress log:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.154 (6 jan 2023)
* Edited item spawn system so bushes and rocks no longer spawn bomb and arrows
* Recoded some parts of the textengine to allow for multiple more symbols and more than one foreign language
* Added a little extra pause in the text engine after sentences.
* Expanded textengine and textfiles to show who is currently speaking during the various conversations

v0.26.155 (7 jan 2023)
* Spend the day organizing (and expanding) media presence -- Got totally drained. It's a lot more taxing then game development

v0.26.156 (8 jan 2023)
* Spend the day experimenting to learn some basic functionality in Audacity
* Replaced a few more sound effects (not all for next demo)
* Contacted a sound artist
* Fixed text engine visual oversight
* Implemented extra debug functions for sound testing
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 15, 2023, 09:23:45 pm
The good news this week is that I've contacted a sound engineer and we're now cooperating to replace the large amount of original sound effects still in the game. The bad news: this game be big and complicated joh. I've been spending a large number of hours documenting and describing all the sounds and sound uses that need replacing. So I don't have any visual progress to show of right now.

Code: [Select]
v0.26.157 (10 jan 2023)
* Fixed error while throwing containers

v0.26.158 (13-15 jan 2023)
* Documented all sound uses in the game
* Implemented new sounds for opening and closing the ingame menu
* Found and removed some obselete textengine coding
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 22, 2023, 09:27:54 pm
And another weekend of development is behind us. Progress on the sounds is going swimmingly. Animations are going a little slower, but are coming along as well.

And I "finally" decided on a visual approach for the game's health pick-ups, magic pick-up and fairies. The concept from way back in my design document has always been that all things in this game's world are brought to life via sprites (= as in tiny magical spirits). It's still all subject to chance, but I pictured these sprites as small fireflies, that also acts as the player's basic hp/mp pickups. And spirits can also combine in the wild to turn into larger elemental sprites (which you can capture and carry along). One type (which I now added) will mechanically replace the standard alttp Fairy. Other future sprites will replace potions, a few items, and will maybe also add some extra functions in the future. Maybe I'll tell you some more about it in the future.

And to close out.
Here's the latest list of what's left to do before the public demo:
- 5x enemy visual to replace
- 12x 11x character actions visuals <-- PROGRESS: The pick up / throw animations are now done and implemented
- New Hp/Mp items <-- PROGRESS: Technically finished it this weekend but I want to add some extra detailing still
- Collectable fairies <-- PROGRESS: Technically finished it this weekend but I want to add some extra variations
- 8x effect visuals
- 63x 60x sound effect to replace <-- PROGRESS: With another 11 sounds incoming
- Demo dungeon flow tweaking
- Text engine font update
- Update PC controls to better match industry standards
- Full playthrough for testing


Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.159 (17 jan 2023)
* Fixed visual oversight during boss appearance scene

v0.26.160 (20 jan 2023)
* Fixed bug where containers could get destroyed multiple types in sequence
* Fixed sound overlap during subboss attacks
* Worked with sound engineer
* Implemented new visuals for hearts and small magic bulb
* Tweaked new visuals for breakable walls further
* Hero now turns around gradually into idle animations and opening master chests
* Replaced one more menu sound effect
* Hero turns around gradually when picking up, or buying, an important treasure
* Phased out one of the menu sound effects

v0.26.161 (21 jan 2023)
* Animated new visuals for picking up containers
* Made good progress implementing new animation
* Spend good deal of time researching the business side of things

v0.26.162 (22 jan 2023)
* Further edited and fully implemented pick up animations
* Created and implemented fairy replacement sprites
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 29, 2023, 09:39:43 pm
So I made a few additional changes to the mp/hp items this week. (In an effort to set my game slightly further apart from the original Zelda game). One thing let to another and it kinda sorta ended up taking the entire weeks development time to fully complete. I AM very happy with the results though. It feels polished and consistent now. XD

My journey down the rabbit hole went a little bit like this (for those interested):
I added the ability to fly to the small hp/mp items and in different ways to help colorblind players. Next I realized it would be inconsistent to let players only catch larger spirits, so I rewrote a good chunk of coding to also allow mp/hp items to get caught in your net. Which let me to having to update the saving system. But I also wanted to add in more larger sprites so that could be done together as both types where now handled the same. But to add those bigger elemental types I needed to update the item spawn rates to take them into account. And to do that I needed the game to tell which spirits would be suited for which cases. (To prevent a fire enemy to spawn an ice spirit down the line). And to do that I needed to add an element stat to enemies (and objects). And so on...

I love game development at times like this. To stumble down a hole like and crawl back out without loose ends feels great.

======

Anyway. Here's also the list again of what's left to do before the public demo:
- 5x enemy visual to replace
- 11x character actions visuals
- New Hp/Mp items <-- Now fully done
- Collectable fairies <-- Now fully done
- 8x effect visuals
- 60x  49x sound effect to replace <-- PROGRESS: Implemented the last batch and started detailing the next one
- Demo dungeon flow tweaking
- Text engine font update
- Update PC controls to better match industry standards
- Full playthrough for testing


Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.163 (23 jan 2023)
* Implemented 11 more sound effects

v0.26.164 (27 jan 2023)
* Cleaned up coding behind common items more
* Finished implementing new common mp/hp items
* Small mp/hp items can now also be captured with net
* Small mp/hp items will no longer be picked up if you are already fully restored
* Added more (placeholder) fairy replacements
* Started implementing replacement items for bottles

v0.26.165 (28 jan 2023)
* Finished implementing new bottle replacement visuals (with sketches for demo excluded items – for now)
* Game now also tracks and saves # uses of new bottle replacement items
* Updated the credits end page to also show stats new bottle replacement items
* Updated shops to sell nests instead of bottles (=not in demo)
* Went through all text to rename rupees in gems
* Big magic bulbs have been removed. The fairy replacements will now offer you bigger mp or hp restoration than normal mp/hp items
* Random item generation (like from bushes/enemies/digging) can now also spawn sprites with a small change of occuring
* Updated the overall item spawn rates in the game to reflect these latest changes
* All enemies now have a stat for connected element(s) to determine what type of sprite could potentially get spawned upon defeat, if any

v0.26.166 (29 jan 2023)
* Switched up what type of sprites spawn in dungeons
* Tweaked allignments of text on credits page
* Prepared next batch of audio commissions
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 12, 2023, 10:42:01 pm
So here's this weekends update post. Man, it's gotten late again. I've been sick for over a week (nearly fully recovered now) and I just couldn't help myself from trying to squeeze everything out of the time left before sleep and work again.

But anyway, let's talk game development progress:
The focus his been on two aspects lately: adding in more custom audio effects and improving the demo dungeon rooms slightly. It was only a few weeks ago when a whooping 60+ audio files still needed to be replaced and now (with the latest batch outstanding) we're almost at half. I don't want to go for too generic or arcade style audio so a lot time is going into finding the right direction and overall feel. Which stressful at first, but now that more and more sounds are getting replaced it's feeling very rewarding to hear things working together.
The dungeon tweaks I describe a little more extensively in next weekends update, when it's fully completed.

-----

And here's the list of remaining items till the next demo again:
- 5x enemy visual to replace
- 11x character actions visuals
- 8x effect visuals
- 49x 38x sound effect to replace <-- PROGRESS: Another batch has been implemented. The next one is already started, but might take a week or two due to scheduling
- Demo dungeon flow tweaking <-- PROGRESS: Mostly finished. It's just some coding left to update and testing.
- Text engine font update
- Update PC controls to better match industry standards --> Finally DONE
- Full playthrough for testing


Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.167 (30-31 jan 2023)
* Finished preparing next audio commission batch

v0.26.168 (3 feb 2023)
* Moved three demo dungeon rooms down to a later area
* Restructured some code concerning area room data

v0.26.169 (5 feb 2023)
* Prepared next batch of sprite commissions
* Made good progress designing 2 new rooms in the demo dungeon

v0.26.170 (9 feb 2023)
* Changed default keyboard controls
* Made some progress adding in the new rooms into the demo dungeon

v0.26.171 (10 feb 2023)
* Made slight tweaks to coding flying tiles and most doors
* Tweaked switch sounds
* Tweaked fountains sprites
* Made progress replacing more sounds with sound engineer

v0.26.172 (11 feb 2023)
* Finished implementing last batch of audio files and put out new commission batch
* Tweaked door and switch audio files slightly to work together better
* Made more progress on latest demo dungeon rooms

v0.26.173 (12 feb 2023)
* Tweaked coding behind flying tiles
* Finished tiling and masking latest demo dungeon rooms
* Updated breakable floor to break via more methods
* Tweaked some more demo dungeon components slightly
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 19, 2023, 09:27:19 pm
Just a quickie update this weekend as (like clockwork) I'm pretty beat from working on the game all day again. You would think I'd change my ways by now, but when I get started I tend to go until I'm done.

So the biggest news this week is probably that I've finally found a suitable name for the main character: Linden.

Why do I find it to be such a suitable name? Well, the Linden is a type of European tree. Clever right? Well, it gets way better: back in the medieval days it was considered a holy tree by some pagans and the early church. Being seen as a symbol of truth, peace and justice. And if you add the fact that it matches quite well with the HUD tree and has heart shaped leafs... it's just too perfect not to use XD.

-------

Here's the list of remaining items till the next demo again:
- 5x enemy visual to replace
- 11x character actions visuals
- 8x effect visuals
- 38x sound effect to replace <-- STATUS: The next commission batch is still delayed due to scheduling issues.
- Demo dungeon flow tweaking <-- PROGRESS: Now fully done
- Text engine font update
- Full playthrough for testing

---------------------

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.174 (18 feb 2023)
* Further refined coding behind breakable floors
* Further tweaked hint texts in demo dungeon
* Added extra type of converyor belt
* Tweaked masking tall torches (+ added extra variant)
* Finished coding latest demo dungeon rooms
* Added 2 additional NPC's from later in the game to the demo dungeon for extra (optional) player guidance
* Switched to different HUD font
* Tweaked menu controls a little

v0.26.175 (19 feb 2023)
* Worked with Kohari on new visuals
* Tweaked demo boss and cape stats
* Started implementing new shield (menu) sprites
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 26, 2023, 11:02:18 am
I'm not sure how much time I'll be able to spend on development today so here's an early update post. Also, I'm not completely tired while writing these for once. Yay, progress!

So I've finally been able to finish spriting the character death and revival animations. It took a long time to get it to feel all nice and smooth so I'm really happy about it. All the remaining items are the toughest things that are left so each step feels like a big triumph. The animation ended up being a nice nod to the original SNES Zelda while still being different.

Also, I've finally decided to cut the demo scope a little bit by excluding sword charging (and thus also the sword release and wall poking). I don't want to rush things and go for a lower quality, just to get the demo out there sooner. So these features will be included in a second demo way later in the year. Depending on how things progress during March I might cut down the scope a little further.

And finally the progress on sounds: development is back on track for this week and the next. Which is great because I can focus more on other things again. The progress during March will be slowed down significantly however due to scheduling and life. This was taken into account beforehand this time so I should be able to complete the sound needs by myself via sound packs and edits. If not then I might consider placeholder sounds to not let the demo development get pushed into April.

-----

Here's the list of remaining items till the next demo again:
- 5x enemy visual to replace
- 11x 5x character actions visuals <-- PROGRESS: I've pushed back a few character actions (like sword charging) and finished the death/revival animations
- 8x effect visuals
- 38x sound effect to replace <-- STATUS: The last batch of 8 sounds are practically done. The next batch of 8 will be commissions within the next few days.
- Text engine font update
- Full playthrough for testing

---------

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.176 (21 feb 2023)
* Improved sprites elemental sprites

v0.26.177 (22 feb 2023)
* Worked with sound engineer
* Shortened wall crash sound effect a little again

v0.26.178 (24 feb 2023)
* Tweaked and implemented visuals various elemental sprites
* Tweaked visuals new conveyor belt
* Tweaked audio levels
* Animated Linden death and revive character animations

v0.26.179 (25 feb 2023)
* Worked on sound effects and started work on next commission pack
* Tweaked music volume levels
* Started work on the new death sequence
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 05, 2023, 10:21:52 pm
Last week I said we were on track with the sound effects. This week I decided to really make sure of that. So basically spending a lot of time finding (and creating) sound effects on my own to bring the remaining work down as much as possible. I'm quite proud of the jump in remaining work, given how challenging sound engineering is for me (and how time consuming asset hunting can be). The sound engineer should easily be able to complete the remaining work this month. And if not, then I've already picked out 4 sounds that can be pushed back to the next demo without too many players really noticing.

-------

Here's the list of remaining items till the next demo again:
- 5x enemy visual to replace
- 5x character actions visuals
- 8x 7x effect visuals <-- PROGRESS: New enemy death visuals finished and implemented
- 38x 14x sound effects to replace <-- PROGRESS: Good progress has been made. One batch of sound effects is already being worked on by the sound engineer. With another smaller final batch planned during the rest of the month.
- Text engine font update
- Full playthrough for testing  <-- PROGRESS: Expanded the pool of early playtesters a little. Tweaked the demo based on their feedback

------

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.180 (26 feb 2023)
* Finished implemented death and revival sprites
* Disable sword charging (for the upcoming demo only)
* Added extra demo boss impact effect
* Fixed potential visual issue when switching windows while dying
* Made progress working on the new death sequence
* Implemented new batch of sound effects
* Put out next sounds commission package

v0.26.181 (28 feb 2023)
* Created and implemented two sound effects

v0.26.182 (3 mrt 2023)
* Fixed and tweaked a number of small points after playtesting sessions
* Reversed descision for some health and magic items to not dissappear after a certain time
* Tweaked hinttexts slightly
* Expanded collission coding behind ledge jumping
* Player can now push objects while standing on small stair tiles
* Worked with sound engineer

v0.26.183 (4 mrt 2023)
* Replaced more sound effects
* Fixed issue where thrown containers would break against “the floor” before falling into an abyss or deep water

v0.26.184 (5 mrt 2023)
* Replaced more sound effects
* Implemented new enemy death visuals
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 12, 2023, 09:31:04 pm
A quicky update this weekend. I've got some good and bad news to share.

The bad: It has become clear that the last required sound effects will not be available by the end of March, as intended (due to personal circumstances for the sound engineer). Despite the challenges that exist he did deliver more sounds this week and expects to deliver more by mid  April. There are more challenges still to tackle so it´s not all due sound effects (!), but it is what has made clear that the next demo will have to be delayed past April first. By how many weeks is still unclear.

The good: Massive progress has been made on the enemy visuals. I had expected it to be a fairly easy affair, but ended up spriting over 50 frames this weekend. Complete one boss battle (including small tweaks) as well as two regular enemies. With the spritework for two more enemies already progressing quite nicely.
Also, another playtesting session has been completed and the demo is proving to be quite stable.

Here's the list of remaining items till the next demo again:
- 5x 3x enemy visual to replace <-- PROGRESS: Two more enemies finished. Spritework for two more has already been started.
- 5x 4x character actions visuals <-- UPDATE: Dropping the net item from the next demo to save time
- 7x effect visuals
- 14x 10x sound effects to replace <-- PROGRESS: Yet more sound effects replaced
- Text engine font update
- Full playthrough for testing <-- PROGRESS: Yet another session finished.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.185 (6 mrt 2023)
* Tweaked small tiling oversight in demo dungeon
* Worked with sound engineer

v0.26.186 (10 mrt 2023)
* Created new sprites for common skeleton enemy actions
* Created various skull sprites

v0.26.187 (11 mrt 2023)
* Tweaked skeleton sprites to make the movements more readable
* Replaced visuals (+tweaked) Murray boss fight (NOTE: not in upcoming demo)
* Fixed credits not triggering at the end of the demo
* Fixed incorrect music playing after boss fights
* Made various more smaller tweaks/fixes based on the latest playtest session
* Boss helper death now brought more in line with regular boss deaths
* Made more progress on updating character death sequence

v0.26.188 (12 mrt 2023)
* Created and (almost fully) implemented new visuals for two more skeleton enemy types
* Implemented new sound effect
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 26, 2023, 09:31:02 pm
Well, the last couple of days really flew by this weekend. It´s nearly midnight again as well. To quickly summarize: some really good progress was made (meaning I got stuff done and at the level of quality I wanted), but it's also very much clear that a demo will never be ready by April 1st.  Still working my ass of regardless.

I have been in contact with a few animators that maybe could help out with the effects animation, but it's still too early to say if it's going to result in anything, let alone anything usable.

Here's the list of remaining items till the next demo:
- 3x enemy visual to replace <-- DONE! It feels good to fully close this chapter
- 4x 1x character actions visuals <-- PROGRESS: Lots of progress on this front as well. Now it's just the hardest animation left.
- 7x effect visuals
- 10x 3x sound effects to replace <-- PROGRESS: Replaced a few more sounds and dropped another. The next sound batch is getting worked on this week.
- Text engine font update <-- PROGRESS: Added characters for a custom foreign language. I'll likely leave it at that for now and replace the font itself in a later demo.
- Full playthrough for testing

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.189 (17 mrt 2023)
* Tweaked skeleton sprites
* Replaced a few more sounds
* Had another playtesting session
* Added shine to key drops, to make them more noticeable
* Tweaked item drop rates
* Tweaked intro hinttexts
* Fixed small masking oversight
* Flintstones usage requires magic again
* Tweaked music calls a little
* Further tweaked hinttexts and a few more visuals

v0.26.190 (18 mrt 2023)
* Simplified coding behind the ingame menu navigation (also to slightly simplify usage)
* Fixed small visual hickup when equipping uncollected items
* Player starts with a one time usage caught sprite
* Tweaked existing skeleton soldier sprites
* Created sprites for another skeleton enemy type
* Cleaned up some old skeleton/skull movement scripts
* Finished implementing new visuals headless skeletons and floating skulls
* Added extra effect for soldiers when noticing the hero
* Floor indicator stays visible slightly longer in the HUD
* Worked on hero hurt sprites

v0.26.191 (19 mrt 2023)
* Cleaned up the coding for default soldier enemies further
* Created (and almost finished implementing) new visuals for skeleton bowman enemy type
* Worked with sound engineer to replace another sound effect

v0.26.192 (20 mrt 2023)
* Made some progress implementing sprites crossbow wielding skeleton
* Created new visuals for crossbow
* Tweaked some hinttexts
* Dropped bombs from the upcoming demo (for now)
* Tweaked some demo container contents

v0.26.193 (21 mrt 2023)
* Tweaked final boss color pallet
* Updated foreign language font
* Updated credits

v0.26.194 (24 mrt 2023)
* Finally finished implementing new visuals crossbow wielding skeletons
* Added new visuals for skeleton thrown projectile
* Nearly finished work on the spider eye enemy visuals and AI

v0.26.195 (25 mrt 2023)
* Finished work on the spider eye enemy visuals and AI
* Cleaned up a pallet swapper issues with the latest enemies
* Worked on new hero hurt sprites

v0.26.196 (26 mrt 2023)
* Finished and implemented new visuals for: getting hurt, getting shocked (for now), wall crashing, and the dying starting frame
* Fixed error when trying to use non-existent weapon
* Implemented one more new sound effect
* Disabled a few sound effects (for now to be replaced later)
* Implemented visuals for another elemental sprite
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 02, 2023, 08:55:49 pm
This weekends progress has been small due to a birthday and needing some time to recharge. I will be working a little more then usual throughout this week though, so expect more progress by the end of next weekend.

As always, here's the list of remaining items till the next demo:
- 1x character actions visuals <-- PROGRESS: Got a first draft done for one of the 4 movement directions.
- 7x effect visuals <-- UPDATE: Been tweaking a few things to work up to the actual effect sprites.
- ~~3x ~~ 2x sound effects to replace <-- PROGRESS: A small new batch of sounds has been implemented. My sound engineer is too busy to do more this month, so I'll have to look for the rest elsewhere. While sounds were delivered I found 2 more sounds to replace while playtesting.
- ~~Text engine font update~~ <-- UPDATE: I'm pushing this beyond the next demo.
- Full playthrough for testing <-- Just needs one final pass I think

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.197 (28 mrt 2023)
* Configured earlier hurt sprites to work with the pallet swapper (which I forgot to do earlier)
* Played around with an enemy pallet swapper to reduce future implementation time of (complex) enemy visuals
* Tweaked eye spider visuals slightly

v0.26.198 (29 mrt 2023)
* Applied a pallet swapper to (almost all) the containers (cutting out 42 resources and making future additions far easier to add and maintain)

v0.26.199 (30 mrt 2023)
* Applied a pallet swapper to the remaining containers (cutting another 13 supporting resources)

v0.26.200 (31 mrt 2023)
* Applied new enemy pallet swapper to more enemies (to cut another 137 resources)
* Tweaked DW frost pallet

v0.26.201 (31 mrt 2023)
* Found a major issue with the latest changes and rolled back changes to v0.26.196

v0.26.202 (1 apr 2023)
* Fixed the remaining issues resulting from rollback
* Fixed issue with hero shadow after use of revival sprite
* Tweaked sound timing when pushing/pulling objects
* Added destruction sprites for bones, frozen+stone enemies and banners
* Worked with sound engineer
* Finished character revival sequence

v0.26.203 (2 apr 2023)
* Started work on new running sprites
* Implemented a few more sounds
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Mariotag on April 03, 2023, 01:51:04 am
A birthday. Yours?
If so, happy belated birthday!
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 03, 2023, 06:38:44 am
Yes it was. Thank you very much. XD
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 09, 2023, 08:54:10 pm
Before I get into the proper update:
This game now has a kickstarter page:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hornofbalance/horn-of-balance

Even if you have a passing interest in this game be sure to show your support by pressing the little notification button over there. To be notified of when the event actually goes live, but also to make a difference in making my dream a full reality.


So.. I've had the past week off from work and was able to tackle many of the remaining spriting challenges. Which is a great relieve for me as I still do not consider myself a great pixelartist or anything. Each animation is new and a new puzzle to solve. Especially the abstract effects I find hard to wrap my head around before getting started. That being said, once done they are done. Unlike enemies and tiles I´ll only need single variants so that's a relief as well.

Also, after literal days of experimentation I've finally gotten the run animation to be just the way I had envisioned it beforehand. Will anyone care how each wind pixel has a reasoned position? No, properly not. But I like to think all the small details will all add up in the end. To leave people with the impression that this game is more than just the sum of it's parts you know.

Anyway, here's the ever shrinking list of remaining items till the next demo:
- 1x character actions visuals <-- DONE! Just don't ask me how many days I actually spend working on it. It was all worth it okay. 😆
- 7x 3x effect visuals
- 2x sound effects to replace
- Full playthrough for testing <-- One more outstanding playtest request

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.204 (3 apr 2023)
* Made progress on new run animation
* Implemented visuals for another new elemental sprites
* Altered enemy crossbow colors for better readability
* Fixed depth issue when subboss destroys northern wall pieces
* Created replacement sprites for 3 more effects: floor destruction and spirit energy orbs and run effects

v0.26.205 (4 apr 2023)
* Tweaked visuals run effects and elementals
* Added new visuals for running in water
* Tweaked hurt and crash visuals
* Added extra debug function
* Added new visuals for landing in water
* Fixed small demo tiling and masking issue
* Tweaked demo dungeon tileset
* Worked on better visuals for another elemental sprite

v0.26.206 (5 apr 2023)
* Tweaked and implemented visuals for one more new elemental sprites
* Implemented replacement visuals for cape use
* Added new item to demo starting equipment: revival elemental sprite
* Made more progress with the hero run animation

v0.26.207 (6 apr 2023)
* Made more progress on the new run animations (with and without carried objects)
* Improved carried object sprite allignment

v0.26.208 (7 apr 2023)
* Recoded and expanded hero movement engine to cut across large corners more smoothly
* Fixed issues with frozen floors connected to moving platforms
* Made more progress on running animation

v0.26.209 (8-9 apr 2023)
* Finished and implemented new run animations
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 16, 2023, 11:13:40 am
More great news this weekend!
The first demo in the new style has finally been completed and is now downloadable over on Itch.io. Here the link: https://hornofbalance.itch.io/horn-of-balance-pre-ks-demo

Please show it some love so it can reach as many people as possible. XD

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.26.210 (10 apr 2023)
* Applied hero pallet shader to new running animations
* Can now also stop running by pressing the run button again
* Replaced three sound effects with placeholder sounds
* Dropped part of the run follow up frames for more responsive controls

v0.26.211 (11 apr 2023)
* Created and implement new boss death sprite

v0.26.212 (12 apr 2023)
* Created and implemented flintstone fire effects
* Added extra check to prevent you burning through your mp too fast using the flintstones too fast
* Created hero water terrain overlay sprites and started implementing
* Improved (optional) text during demo starting room for newer players
* Polished cape usage a little

v0.26.213 (13 apr 2023)
* Finished implemented hero water terrain overlay sprites

v0.26.214 (14 apr 2023)
* Improved overlapping sprites between hero and water-grass
* Tweaked and implemented ice and fire elemental sprites
* Added kickstarter link and references in the demo
* Recolored wind elemental
* Made boss harder
* Cleaned up code behind item menu slightly
* Updated credits

v0.26.215 (15 apr 2023)
* Fixed error when lighting key demo dungeon torches
* Renamed extra control options
* Now auto detects controlers at all times
* Game now works with multiple controls at once (=use whichever you want if you have multiple plugged in)
* Updated credits
* Options to only show a partial HUD now takes effect immediatly when selected
* Shift button now also valid for button mapping
* Slightly edited button mapping process
* Sped up default room transition sequence
* Increased default gamepad stick deadzone
* Fixed visual hickup while falling down to the floor below
* Updated tilework in one of the early demo rooms to better signal sideroom
* Put out next sound commission
* Switched controller A and B button functionality
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 18, 2023, 12:43:12 pm
Just a quicky update.

It had come to my attention that the previous demo had issues a good while into the dungeon. I have just uploaded demo version 0.27.01 to Itch. All know issues have been resolved in that one.

Link: https://hornofbalance.itch.io/horn-of-balance-pre-ks-demo

While I'm at it. If you want to see a nice playthrough of the game also check out:
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1796342153
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 23, 2023, 08:14:13 pm
Skipping the bigger status update this week. Just working on a range of things right now as I adjust the plans for the next goals.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.27.00 (17 apr 2023)
* Fixed masking issue beyond the conveyor belts in the demo dungeon
* Put out new sprite commissions

===== Released update 1 =====

v0.27.01 (18 apr 2023)
* Fixed small issue where one early staircase may appear prematurely
* Fixed placeholder text on left statue in the entrance room
* Fixed a number of shattered typo's
* Restored missing “secret” sound – Gamemaker bugs strike again!
* Fixed collission error between items spawned from flying enemies vs collission grids
* The game now shows gamepad controls in the textengine if you have a gamepad plugged in
* Skeletons now have the shocked sound effect when they discover something missing
* Flipped hitswitch visuals for more intuitive puzzle
* Fixed shield showing up on the first frame of the dying animation
* Slightly lowered volume when breaking containers

===== Released update 2 =====

v0.27.02 (19 apr 2023)
* Dropped the old cane of byrna item
* Added menu descriptions for the hero shields

v0.27.03 (20 apr 2023)
* Tweaked ice elemental sprites
* Implemented ice elementals as usable items

v0.27.04 (21 apr 2023)
* Worked on some new wall tile mockups for future dungeons
* Edited menu navigation (= can now move more freely to/from the tabs with the up and down buttons)
* Fixed quest page right side navigation from the quivers
* Made preparations to implement fire and stone elementals

v0.27.05 (22 apr 2023)
* Created updated version of the side push animation
* Created new visuals for hero during fast travel system
* Worked on refining new visuals shield use
* Made early mockups for fire/ice item usage

v0.27.06 (23 apr 2023)
* Finished visuals for bringing out the shield
* Updated visuals for stone elemental
* Dropped new push animation again
* Implemented new hero sprite for fast travel system
* Made progress implementing new visuals for bringing the shield out
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on April 30, 2023, 09:07:52 pm
Hi all,

So you have noticed that the progress logs have been a lot longer these past few weeks. That is because I've taken a few months off from my regular job in order to work on the game (and just enjoy a bit of extra freedom). It was getting a bit much doing both things together and this will buy me some more peace of mind to look at the bigger picture again. I do not have grand plans to do this fulltime. It's just a little something that I've been saving up for for myself. Long story short: expect.

As for progress on the actual game:
- I believe I fixed the random movement issue that was reported. I've been hesitant to release an update yet though as I don't have a tester available right now. If anybody feels like helping out with that, please let me know.
- The next demo will also include the shield as an equipable item. Check out the screenshot. It won't stop enemies from walking into you, but it will stop their nasty projectiles.
- I've also been able to make really good progress with the inclusion of the 6 NPC's originally in your hometown, as well as new visuals for the fast travel system. I don't want to spoil anyone so I'll only be showing screenshots little by little over time.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.27.07 (24 apr 2023)
* Implemented new visuals for getting shield out
* Tweaked fast travel sequence slightly
* Cleaned up old shield coding/resources
* Fixed error with specific enemy type in the overworld
* Fixed small visual issue after titlescreen
* Tinkered around with bird animations

v0.27.08 (25 apr 2023)
* Edited and implemented new large bird
* Tweaked overworld tileset a little
* Worked with spriter
* Added more variant “birds”

v0.27.09 (26 apr 2023)
* Implemented book menu items
* Put out new sprite commissions

v0.27.10 (27 apr 2023)
* Added more variant “birds”
* Tweaked some overworld tiles
* Put out more a few more sprite commissions
* Fixed new visual issue on the fileselection screen
* Added extra measure to prevent floating point errors in the movement script

v0.27.11 (28 apr 2023)
* Created movements visuals for new child NPC visuals
* Trinkered around with colors in overworld tilesets

v0.27.12 (29 apr 2023)
* Worked with sound engineer
* Made sound for breaking vases quiter

v0.27.13 (30 apr 2023)
* Finished and implemented child movement animations
* Deleted unused non/original NPC visuals
* Reorganised and expanded debugging functions
* Updated the demo to start with the shield available
* Created and implemented florine movement animations
* Fixed boss icon not showing up properly on the demo dungeon map
* Implemented florine laugh animation
* Dropped several (now) obselete sprites
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 07, 2023, 08:47:48 pm
I've got some family things going on right and it got pretty late again while writing this. So please do excuse any typo's and such. 😅

The good news is that more tricky hero animations have been completed and implemented: jumping into water, using the net and using the staff. I really spend a lot of time to make those feel good and to not just go for something too generic. I'm keeping it a secret for now, but if you look at the gif for example you can see that the lady is actually holding up her dress in order to walk around. It's that level of detail that I'm talking about.

Speaking of NPC´s. A lot of progress has also been made on sprites for the game´s main villain group. This will (mostly) be like a mercenary group, so expect a wide range of colorful characters. 😉 They will not be shown of for a long while, but I like to work backwards with bosses and such. So starting with the goal and then making sure the rest (like the setting and level) fit it. And thus there is already progress being made on this front.

On the demo side: I had hoped for the next small update to also include the shield and net items (as both have recently been completed). This will fall through though as the required custom sounds are not ready yet (=my scheduling mistake) and I have to wait one or multiple months until I can ask for more. So, for now unless I find good placeholder sounds, those features are pushed back to the next big demo update.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.27.14 (1 mei 2023)
* Tweaked new NPC's to only look sideways when talking to them from the side
* Improved new NPC's depth compared to hero
* Put out next sound effect commission
* Disabled shield in the demo again, because I forgot I'm still using placeholder sound assets
* Tweaked sprite moon book
* Restructured the way most scenes are set up
* Fixed small visual oversight when moving from titlepage to options menu
* The ice shield now does ice damage
* You can now use the fire elemental to apply 80% extra damage when doing physical (related) attacks
* You can now use the stone elemental only take half damage
* Recoded parts of the keyboard and gamepad controls pages

v0.27.15 (3 mei 2023)
* Created new hero visuals for jumping into water
* Started work on new visuals for using more items

v0.27.16 (4 mei 2023)
* Made more progress on new hero visuals for more items
* Fixed small oversight with the new NPC visuals

v0.27.17 (5 mei 2023)
* Created new hero visuals for using the Staff of Meliae and the net

v0.27.18 (6 mei 2023)
* Worked with spriter on the new villain group sprites
* Tweaked visuals for dress wearing following NPC's slightly
* Slightly tweaked a few menu items
* Implemented new hero visuals for using the net
* Implemented new hero visuals for using the Staff of Meliae

v0.27.19 (7 mei 2023)
* Worked more with spriter on villain group
* Implemented new hero visuals for jumping into water
* Worked on rebindable gamepad controls, but did get my gamepad working for testing, so gaving up for a little while
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: gm112 on May 19, 2023, 06:19:25 pm
One thing that always puts a smile on my face is seeing you diligently still working at perhaps the longest running project in this sites history! Well, aside from Demo 4. ;) I look forward to the big demo update
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 19, 2023, 06:44:52 pm
At your service ;)
Thank you for the many years of support.
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 20, 2023, 11:04:19 am
Just a quicky update this weekend to let you know that I've just released demo 1.1 over on Itch.
Link: https://hornofbalance.itch.io/horn-of-balance-pre-ks-demo

It's a small update containing the following new features:
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.27.20 (8 mei 2023)
* Worked with spriter on villain group
* Implemented new visuals for other fast travel system
* Added extra sounds and effects to using the staff

v0.27.21 (11-13 mei 2023)
* Upgraded to better hardware
* Upgraded to Gamemaker - LTS version (for a more stable dev platform)
* Video capture and editing proof of concept completed
* Worked on next art commission

v0.27.22 (14 mei 2023)
* Performed demo performance by a lot (= own coding needs dropped from 4+Ms to <1 Ms; system performance remains at 16,5 Ms)
* Removed obselete debug functions
* Fixed intro boss text type
* Fixed small memory leak
* Fixed a few errors resulting from new gamemaker version
* Enemy hurt sounds no longer stack
* Rewrite how spirits are caught with the net (for better visual feedback and better gamefeel when sprites are grouped very closely together)
* Tweaked masking of latest NPC's
* Tweaked intro boss masking slightly
* Create new character animations for using the fire and stone elementals

v0.27.23 (15 mei 2023)
* Created new character animations for charging the sword (+walking with charged sword)
* Created new character animations for the sword release (excl special effects)

v0.27.24 (16 mei 2023)
* Removed (now) obsolete sprites
* Tweaked hero sprites in side sword swing animations
* Finished implementing new visuals for using stone elementals (excl. sndfx)
* Made progress implementing new visuals for sword charging (+ walking with charged sword)
* Made progress implementing new visuals for sword release (excl. special effects)
* Finished implementing new visuals for using fire elementals (excl. sndfx)

v0.27.25 (18 mei 2023)
* Finished implementing new visuals for sword release (excl. special effects)
* Put out new commission for pixel artist

v0.27.26 (19 mei 2023)
* Finished implementing new visuals for sword charging (+ walking with charged sword)
* Added ability to rebind the gamepad controls (= buttons only; excl. select/start)
* The sword beam is now only available when you have the strongest sword
* Did a full demo playtest. No gamebreaking bugs found. (Just one or two small issues)
* Fixed being invincible while running
* Fixed error in terrain debug display function
* Discovered and fixed long standing issue where skulls would be able to damage hero hiding under the bridge in the big chest room
* Added the net, shield to the demo; but disabled sword charging
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on May 29, 2023, 08:01:06 am
Here's a first ever: video gameplay of the new gauntlet items I'm currently implementing.
Now, would it have been simpler and faster to just stick with a rod or something to produce fire? Yes. But! Linden is so young and excitable. Of course the only option available is to produce fireballs with the most badass pose that comes to mind. ;)

As a general update:
I've been heavily focusing on character animations these last few weeks. My goal is to get it all fully completed before moving on to the other aspects again, as I've more or less gotten into a good flow at the moment. Most of it will not be visible in the next demo, but it IS all critical progress for the final game. Special effects and sound effects will have to follow later due to scheduling, but I'm quite excited to be nearing full completion of one of the game's core aspects.  XD

I'll leave it at that for now, with hopefully more good news next weekend.

Video:
https://cdn.masto.host/mastodongamedevplace/media_attachments/files/110/448/354/883/067/744/original/5e80d73c6e06625a.mp4

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.27.27 (20 mei 2023)
* Fixed hardcoded hero name in welcome text. (How I missed that before is beyond me)

v0.27.28 (21 mei 2023)
* Created new character animations for swimming
* Created new character animations for diving
* Created new character animations for getting out of the water
* Next demo will have one less nest and 3/4th health at the start
* Sword charging for special attack now requires the sword to be awakened

v0.27.29 (22 mei 2023)
* Implemented new character animations for swimming
* Implemented new character animations for diving
* Added extra drowning effect
* Implemented new character animations for getting out of the water

v0.27.30 (23 mei 2023)
* Animated magical books
* Created character summoning sprites
* Implemented replacement menu sprites for the medallions
* Started work implementing new summoning animations
* Deleted a bunch of (now) obselete sprites

v0.27.31 (24 mei 2023)
* Made progress creating character animation for using gloves

v0.27.32 (25 mei 2023)
* Made progress adding extra screen effect during boss deaths

v0.27.33 (26 mei 2023)
* Finished adding extra screen effects to highlight boss deaths
* Fixed error in last Murray scene
* Created new sprites for using the rod of Medu in action
* Changed boss naming scheme in desert palace
* Created new character animations for using the rod

v0.27.34 (27 mei 2023)
* Worked with pixel artist
* Implemented new visuals for releasing lv2 charged sword
* Finished creating new character animations for using the gloves
* Started implementing new character animations for using the rod and gloves

v0.27.34 (28 mei 2023)
* Finished implemented new character animations for the rod
* Tweaked glove menu visuals
* Finished implemented new character animations for gloves
* Applied small tweak to the small intro font
* Tweaked medu magic visuals
* Tweaked ice shard visuals
* Added awakened versions of the gloves
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 06, 2023, 11:37:55 am
Just a slim update this time as I had family matter to attend to last weekend.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.27.35 (30 mei 2023)
* Reorganised enemy damage system
* Added new boomerang menu icons and descriptions
* Fixed murray in the menu when he shouldn't (which was somwhat in character to be fair)
* Implemented new boomerangs
* Tweaked credits stats page slightly
* Fixed collissions between boomerangs and containers
* Tweaked glove uses slightly further
* Made progress on new character animations for throwing the boomerang
* Made more progress on visuals released awaked sword 1 sequence

v0.27.36 (31 mei 2023)
* Worked with pixelartist
* Finished and implemented new character animations for throwing the boomerang
* Fixed oversight where the player is to throw a boomerang from any direction, including the back
* Created new sound effect
* Finished implementing new visuals for releasing lv1 charge sword
* Made progress on new hookshot solution
* Fixed visual allignment issue with hero terrain overlayer
* Fixed sprites being uncollected after releasing it when catching it with the boomerang and already at full hp/mp

v0.27.37 (1 juni 2023)
* Tweaked menu item colors slightly for a few items
* Created new character animations for using the hammer

v0.27.38 (2 juni 2023)
* Implemented new character animations for using the hammer
* Made glove animations a fraction faster
* Laid the groundwork for a potential awakened version of the hammer later down the line
* Made a start on new character animations for using the shovel
* Wall probing is now performed by "grabbing" the wall instead of walking against it with a drawn sword
* Created and finished new character animation for wall probing
* Sped up animation when releasing lvl1 charged sword
* Shovel animation visuals now have a slight variation based on the type of water you're digging up

v0.27.39 (3 juni 2023)
* Simplified the coding when using the shovel

v0.27.40 (5 juni 2023)
* Put out new emote and sprite commissions
* Worked with sound designer
* Prepared coding for upcoming sound effects
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 11, 2023, 08:57:26 pm
Another week. Another (short) weekly update.
It's mainly good news: All the planned character animations have now been fully pixelled and whatever is needed for the next demo has been implemented. That being said, I am taking a little more time to work ahead on some of the endgame items, which could be nice to include during a trailer.

Beyond that, a lot of time has been spend on emotes and sound effects this week. Which have all turned out really well if I do say so myself. And I've been trying to design a better Kickstarter booth image. Designing titlepages is more of an art than I realised however. Looking around on Fiverr there does not seem to be anybody (skilled) specialising in it either. So I may have to come back to it at a later time. Oh well.

Just a little longer and then my efforts will be directed towards the overworld redesign. Can't wait to get started on it.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.27.41 (6 juni 2023)
* Fixed switched text on keyboard controls page
* Fixed error on gamepad controls page
* Improved demo dungeon dungeon map detailing
* Implemented a few more new sound effects
* Made more progress creating new character animations for using the shovel

7 juni:
-Released new Discord emotes-

v0.27.42 (8-9 juni 2023)
* Finished new character animations for using the shovel
* Edited menu shovel icons

v0.27.43 (10 juni 2023)
* Worked on new art commission
* Set up new audio system for enemy sounds based on distance
* Implemented a few more new sound effects
* Dropped a few now obsolete resources

v0.27.44 (11 juni 2023)
* Expanded pallet swapper to display active stat boosts
* Replaced a few more sound effects
* Added visual indicator when boosts are about to end
* Prepared code for next audio commission package
* Integrated powder item into other items and cleaned up resources
* Finished implementing new character animation for using the shovel
* Fixed small visual issue when pressing directional buttons while in tall grass, but not actually moving
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 14, 2023, 11:19:44 am
Just a quick update that I just released demo 1.2 over on Itch:
https://hornofbalance.itch.io/horn-of-balance-pre-ks-demo

The demo changes:
- New item added: level 2 boomerang (found in one of the secret chests in the demo)
- You can now probe walls for hidden secrets (via "grabbing" - a special animation will play if secrets are present)
- Added extra screen effects to make boss deaths more memorable
- Dropped player health and the starting revival item
- Made visual improvements to the demo dungeon map
- Added a few more sound effects
- Fixed error on gamepad options screen
- Several smaller tweaks and bugfixes

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.27.45 (12 juni 2023)
* Finished implementing new character animation for summoning (excl actual summons)
* Performed a big resource and code housecleaning now that 316 hero body and 86 hero head sprites have been replaced in recent months
* Tweaked demo boss add stats
* Created early programmer visuals for some of the summoning sequences
* Worked with pixelartist
* Fixed masking issues in room outside demo
* Made progress implementing first summoning sequence
* Added error sound when trying to summon with insufficient magic

v0.27.46 (13 juni 2023)
* Worked with pixelartist on new trees
* Boomerangs now blocked by low borders. Fire, ice and medu magic is no longer blocked
* Made progress implementing new hookshot solution
* Added in another sound effect

v0.27.47 (14 juni 2023)
* Added boomerang to the demo equipment
* Fixed error when reentering the demo flying tiles room again too soon
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 25, 2023, 08:14:46 pm
We have new trees! (As seen in the attachment) They differs quite a bit from the original lttp assets, but that was kinda the point in order to make them look fresh and to make the game feel more distinct. So I'm pretty pleased with how things turned out. XD

A lot of progress has also been made on putting out new asset commissions. These are actually the biggest sound and sprite packages I´ve ever send out if I´m not mistaking. So expect a huge jump in progress towards demo 2 once the results start coming in over the next few weeks.

And finally: I´ve been pinning down the scope of demo 2 in far greater more detail. Work has now been mapped out to update the coding and tilework in that area. So think along the lines of needing to update NPC texts, scenes, progression flags, item availability and so on.

So in summary, things are moving along quite nicely and the stage is set for good progress next week

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.27.48 (14-15 juni 2023)
* Finished new hookshot solution
* Started work on wall mockups for future tilesets

v0.27.49 (16 juni 2023)
* Expanded shock animation to also display your attack weapon that was being used
* Added music fade out after succesfull boss fights
* Added ability to run through small pots and bushes

v0.27.50 (17 juni 2023)
* Made a start with some world redesign mockups
* Set up testing rooms for other tilessets and mountain areas
* Made babysteps towards spriting an overworld mountain tileset

v0.27.51 (18 juni 2023)
* Made a little progress on the mountain tileset

v0.27.52 (20 juni 2023)
* Put out next audio commission package
* Rewrote coding related to trees
* Fixed not being able to talk to specific trees
* Fixed not getting items from crashing into specific trees
* Implemented new tree visuals

v0.27.53 (21-22 juni 2023)
* Made a little progress on the mountain tileset
* Made progress on the wall tiles for a future dungeon

v0.27.54 (23 juni 2023)
* Made small sprite, icon and color changes to map menu
* Implemented new icons for world & bird map visuals
* Fixed error with very specific overworld water edge object
* Made progress boxing off demo 2.0 playing area
* Experimented with connection between world & bird map in the ingame menu

v0.27.55 (24 juni 2023)
* Added extra debug functions
* Disabled world map for demo 2.0
* Fixed map menu goal missallignments
* Integrated world map into the ingame menu (still using a few mockup asset) as the groundwork past demo 2.0

v0.27.56 (25 juni 2023)
* Put out new sprite commission package
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Atom on June 27, 2023, 03:05:51 pm
Haven't been here in ages as life got extemely busy the last few years, but felt like checking on the progress of this project.
Some major changes I see, but makes it a lot easier to actually go for a release some day in the future now its not a fangame any longer.
Do like where this is going.

Just a small suggestion on this last update. If you look at the player object and the cliffs used as boundary for the water, they both have a shadow indicating a high most likely northern lightsource. It might look slightly better with the surroundings if there was some shadow between and or around the tree roots.
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 27, 2023, 03:54:38 pm
I like that idea! Shadow cast from the tree could really improve the visuals.
Putting it on the devlist right away.
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Mariotag on June 28, 2023, 04:41:17 am
I'm curious, how much do you see yourself charging for this?
I'm interested. LoZ ALttP was a great design, and I loved Parallel Worlds.
I just dunno how much I'll be able to afford.
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 28, 2023, 07:51:34 am
It's all still undecided, but I'm leaning towards:
20 euro (= about 22 dollar) for an early bird pledge
22/23 euro (= about 25 dollar) for a regular copy
25/27 euro (= about 28/30 dollar) for a copy incl your name in the credits and a special discord role

With higher tier pledges for more rewards like the OST, beta access and getting your name/pet/avatar in the game.

How's that sound?

EDIT: Note that I aim to include between 8 and 16 full sized dungeons (depending on the success) so it's a bigger than average game.
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Mariotag on June 29, 2023, 02:18:31 am
Well, I'm definitely enticed. I don't think I'll be able to pledge. I don't make much money I can just spend on what I want.
So it'll be a while.
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 29, 2023, 10:42:37 am
You were thinking 20 dollars? Or less?

Like I said, the pricing can still change slightly between now and then. Both the project budget and pledge levels won't be final until I finish demo 2. So that I can do a final recalculation based on the latest state of development and lessons learned. All input is still very much welcome regarding pricing and kickstarter preferences.
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Mariotag on June 29, 2023, 09:50:02 pm
Eh, well, I'm pretty much the exception. I only make $60 to spend per month, and any indie games I see are usually roughly $20-$30.
I hope you're not offended or anything. It's kinda partly the state of my life, and partly what I've seen.
But I am genuinely interested.
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on June 30, 2023, 07:21:09 am
Oof, that's rough.
No worries about offending. It makes me motivated to make the game even better, if anything. XD
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Mariotag on July 01, 2023, 01:14:10 am
Alright. Yeah, I need to get my life in order.
I really wish you the best! Both with your project, and in life.
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 02, 2023, 09:56:58 pm
Well, that was the last of my free days from work  :( . It has put a real damper on my motivation this week so progress was less than expected. Also some real life arrangements had to be made.

So I do hope you'll forgive the placeholder assets in this new screenshot. I just really want to show of the new overworld statues as well as the water edges. Especially the later took fairly time to implemented across the entire game. What do you think? We've also been making progress on the starting house and the demo dungeon entrance visuals. Hopefully I'll be able to show that off next weekend, depending on when they come in.

As for the larger picture. These last three months have been pretty productive. I've been working on the game almost non-stop for most of that time, sometimes well into the night. As a result the first demo was been released with three follow up updates. Almost all of the character actions in the full game have been completed. Handpixeled by myself (which I honestly did not expect to be able to do beforehand). Work has now fully started on the demo 2 overworld area. This means tackling the biggest challenges like pallets, style, trees, mountains and so forth. So it's really laying the groundwork for future expansions. The first early spritework has been coming in for two more areas. Concept art and basic components just yet, but that too is essential. And about 95% of all the sound effects needed in demo 2 are now either done or commissioned, expected to be delivered by the end of juli. So all in all I'm looking back quite satisfied.

The next main goal will be to complete demo 2 before SAGE 2023, very early in september. I'll likely even target for an earlier date, but more news will come at a later date.

As a final note: the next week or two might be rough for me as I get back into work again, and am expecting a 3 month backlog waiting for me. So I might post a little less during that period.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.27.57 (26-28 juni 2023)
* Made a little progress on implementing villain group
* Made a little progress implementing some new terrain tiles

v0.27.58 (29 juni 2023)
* Tweaked and implemented water edge tiling
* Cleaned up world tilesets
* Started edited demo dungeon outside entrance room

v0.27.59 (30 juni 2023)
* Tweaked and implemented outside statue object
* Edited shallow water object for easier use in outside areas
* Finished editing demo dungeon outside entrance room (for now)
* Changed game starting position and gear
* Edited villain visuals slightly

v0.27.60 (1 juli 2023)
* Worked with artist on new sprite/tile assets
* Finished adding NPC for each of the villains
* Implemented new visuals for various containers, like bushes

v0.27.61 (2 juli 2023)
* Implemented more new container visuals
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 10, 2023, 07:59:10 am
I can be brief about last weekend's progress: I got back to my job and got completely drained in days.  Kinda what I expected really. Took part of the weekend simply to gain back some energy.

Also, some of the new tile commissions are running into delays due to illness. Not sure when things will be back on track, but it's best to give such things time.

However. It's not all bad news! I decided to take another crack at the mountain tileset. And actually even ending up making some progress.
What do you think? This is actually the third attempt, starting from scratch. At least each attempt is getting faster. I doubt I'll have the energy to complete it during the week, but maybe I can get back to completing it by the next weekend. It's a lot of work still, but I'm getting more and more optimistic about this style.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.27.62 (5 juli 2023)
* Fixed found issue with some item counts on the credits stats screen potentially being incorrect

v0.27.63 (8-9 juli 2023)
* Made progress spriting new mountain tiles
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 16, 2023, 08:30:34 pm
Twitter is broken again today (can't see those I'm following like normal again) so I'll post the image here as well.

Kohari has been making awesome pixelart the last several days. Check out this upcoming enemy for example. (And part of your home, as a little bonus). This'll be the first enemy you encounter while you play around with your childhood friends. So it won't hurt you too much. Or will it? >:D

What should this earth golem? Any suggestions?


Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.27.64 (14-15 juli 2023)
* Commissioned Kickstarter capsule art
* Worked with spriter on more world/cave tiles
* Implemented new house tiles
* Implemented several new door sprites variants

v0.27.65 (16 juli 2023)
* Worked with spriter on more new sprites and tiles
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 23, 2023, 09:42:33 pm
Another week, another bit of project progress.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.27.66 (17 juli 2023)
* Worked with spriter on boss sprites

v0.27.67 (18 juli 2023)
* Worked with sound editor (and implemented a few new sound effects)

v0.27.68 (19 juli 2023)
* Implemented new dungeon entrance tiles

v0.27.69 (20-21 juli 2023)
* Implemented two more sound effects
* Tweaked details behind spiked ball soundvolume
* Slightly tweaked overworld tilework
* Fixed sprite allignment issue when using atk/def “sprites” while interrupting the idle animations
* Fixed spiked ball animation (and spawning) not stopping during some specific pause states and situations
* Updated overworld masking for new spritework
* Implemented new shrubbery tiles

v0.27.70 (22 juli 2023)
* Added extra frames for summon character
* Added animation and additional frames for mud golem enemy

v0.27.71 (23 juli 2023)
* Implemented new visuals for 2 enemies in the desert dungeon (= not in the demo's; might be included in the trailer)
* Fixed color issue with desert dungeon crates
* Added extra enemy type: Mud golem
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on July 30, 2023, 07:57:51 pm
I'll be taking another few days off from work soon, to finally get that mountain tileset done. It's soo close now. Just a few more tile. XD

Also, I've been working with a few artists this past week. As a result, all the sound effects needed for demo 2 are now in!

And: I've found a talented individual who is currently working on capsule art for the game. Not pixelart, but pretty high dev digital art. While I personally love pixelart (and all the work Kohari does for the project), going with a more "realistic" artstyle for capsule art is apparently preferred over on Steam. At the very least it'll show others that I'm willing to put a little more money behind the project. Honestly, I can't wait to show of the results.

Progress log:
Code: [Select]
v0.27.72 (25-28 juli 2023)
* Worked with poster and sound artists
* Implemented various new sounds
* Finished final sprites details for the 3 new enemies
* Made progress spriting new mountain tiles

v0.27.73 (29-30 juli 2023)
* Tweaked and placed various NPC's along the outside path to the demo dungeon
* Adjusted various NPC's dialogue for demo purposes
* Altered some enemy placements
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 05, 2023, 08:26:21 am
Here's a surprise update. On a Saturday no less, for a change.

One, because I have some other non-dev related plans for this weekend. And two, because I simply could not wait any longer to show of this awesome new artwork that I got in.
Yeah... both of those definitely apply in equal measure...  XD I swear...

Anyway, what do you all think? Does it represent the game well?

Beyond the new artwork a little bit more progress has also been made on the overworld/mountain tiles, but I'll save that for a future update.

EDIT: Can't seem to attach the image. That's rare. Maybe it's too big or something?
You can also see it here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hornofbalance/horn-of-balance?ref=discovery


Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.27.74 (1-2 augustus 2023)
* Expanded names in the credits
* Made a more progress on the mountain tileset (and realised I missed several exception cases)
* Made progress on grass border tiles
* Switched DW background colors

v0.27.75 (3 augustus 2023)
* Created extra grass edge tiles for more flexibility
* Completely retiled all grass borders across the worlds
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 13, 2023, 03:51:34 pm
For this weekend I took the time to write about the overall state of development.

First up: the starting post has been updated. Also, demo 1.3 has recently been released over on Itch.
Demo link: https://hornofbalance.itch.io/horn-of-balance-pre-ks-demo/devlog/571291/05-demo-13-release
This is a smaller incremental update to fix a bug, add a new feature, and overall show tangible continued progress.
There might be another small demo 1.4 update with more features coming before reaching 2.0. (Here´s looking at you bombs and/or shield strafing). But we'll have to see how things go.

On that note: In the past I have stated to expect a Kickstarter later this year. My personal goals were far more specific: to complete demo 2.0 by SAGE2023 (=end of august). And then to do a Kickstarter event during the month of November, after two full months of advertising. Getting 2.0 out before SAGE is not happening by a long shot. (I'll be attending with just version 1.3). I have also become doubtful about these Kickstarter timeline due to the reasons listed below. So I want to clearly communicate that the Kickstarter event will likely be postponed until early next year. Development is still going strong, and never say never, but I want to be upfront about this! Call me crazy, but if I promise something it weighs heavily on me if I cannot deliver. There are also benefits to this story btw (for you all anyway).

My three reasons to reschedule are as follows (in order of impact):

So, what about the upsides?
Well. I'm upping the development budget for this demo, to also cover the extra development time till early next year. So postponing the Kickstarter will have no effect on the actually completion date of the full game. Additionally, the later Kickstarter will give me more room to breath and to work on the connected demo 2.0. This allows me to take a step back and add more things in a way that benefits the long term development (rather than just the immediate demo). An example: Instead of strictly adding in the grass tiles needed for demo 2.0, I've taken the opportunity to also redo the digging system to have similar sprites and that fit within the same set-up. As a result you can now dig in way more places than before, the game is easier to develop long-term and I have more opportunities to hide secrets. (Uuhm, wait. Forget about that last one. There are no secrets related to the shovel planned for the final game. This blogpost is over..... Pff. That was a close one. Nearly spoiled my killer gameplay feature to beat all the competition)
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 20, 2023, 06:57:50 pm
This weekends progress:
- Patched 2nd floor outside window frames
- Painted bedroom ceiling
- Work a little bit on the game

I'll be back with proper game development progress next weekend, hopefully.

Progress log:
Code: [Select]
v0.27.78 (12-13 augustus 2023)
* Put out a new spritework commission package
* Prepared SAGE 2023 booth (with demo 1.3)
* Spend nearly a day doing the rounds on the internet to update the all information about this game

v0.27.79 (18-20 augustus 2023)
* Tweaked and implemented tiles elevated ground
* Tweaked and implemented tiles for background grass
* Tweaked and implemented tiles for animated idle water (deep & shallow)
* Enlarged tile commission package a little
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on August 27, 2023, 08:16:59 pm
No home improvement this weekend. It's back to regular development again.  XD (The most important home stuff is done so the rest is postponed till next month)

Anyway, it's been a pretty fruitful weekend, with the focus on the latest batch of new art assets that came in. Includes some excellent new visuals for the desert boss. Can't show it off yet because I'm saving it for the trailer. I really loved the earlier sprites, but sadly those were a designed around an alltp enemy, so they had to go. The concept is still the same though and a lot of care was put into preserving the theme across the dungeon. If you look carefully you will see the lifecycle progression between the small and larger sandworms. In the length, number of teeth and in the tail which develops further and further. I like adding in stuff like that, because it adds just that little bit of extra believability to the world.

Oh, and while we were at it: we also added even more teeth to the boss. Oh yes! >:D Bosses can never have enough teeth!

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.27.80 (25 augustus 2023)
* Worked with spriter on new artwork
* Implemented several new overworld tiles

v0.27.81 (26 augustus 2023)
* Worked with spriter on new artwork
* Made progress slightly adjusting desert boss code for new visuals

v0.27.82 (27 augustus 2023)
* Worked with spriter on new artwork
* Made progress implementing new desert boss sprites
* Added several extra NPC frames
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 10, 2023, 08:09:16 pm
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.27.83 (1 september 2023)
* Improved visuals dug ground
* Finished implementing new desert boss sprites
* Implemented new NPC visuals
* Implemented new visuals for stone piles (and updated properties to be more appropriate)
* Implemented a few more new overworld tiles
* Did some experimentation with tall grass terrain sprites

v0.27.84 (2 september 2023)
* Implemented various new (visuals for) containers
* Tweaked shack sprite shadows
* Now able to hookshot onto cut trees stumps

v0.27.85 (3 september 2023)
* Implemented new doorway visuals into the demo dungeon
* Edited and implemented a few more overworld tiles

v0.27.86 (8 september 2023)
* Fixed typo in the intro sequence
* Made demo dungeon central room pushable statue slightly more obvious
* Added shield strafing
* Added a few extra shortcuts to the demo dungeon to lessen the amount of backtracking
* Made demo subboss fight slightly harder
* Switched around a few demo dungeon objects to better signal safe routes

v0.27.87 (9 september 2023)
* Tweaked character animation when using the shield
* Fixed collissions between sword smear effects and banners
* Made it more obvious when you pick up small keys
* Introducing hitswitches earlier in the demo dungeon
* Made demo dungeon entrance puzzle slightly more obvious
* Experimented with collisions between the shield and enemies

v0.27.88 (10 september 2023)
* The shield will now block (some!) enemies
* Added a few special properties to the better shield
* Fixed sound effect when blocking with the metal shield
* Expanded the roster of enemy defense stats for all enemies
* Tweaked character visuals after using the earth/fire elementals
* Changed up starting equipment nests
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 17, 2023, 08:43:53 pm
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.27.89 (15 september 2023)
* Tweaked and implemented a few more overworld tiles
* Made a start replacing the world signposts with a new type of object for more functionality

v0.27.90 (16 september 2023)
* Finished replacing signpost tiles with new (destructable) objects
* Finally found a way around some invalid gamemaker coding warnings
* Added small extra scene for demo 2.0
* Added extra frame to one of the villains
* Implemented another few overworld tiles

v0.27.91 (17 september 2023)
* Implemented another few overworld tiles
* Added / updated more NPC dialogue for demo 2.0
* Added small extra scene for demo 2.0
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 24, 2023, 08:13:30 pm
Here's a little sneak peak of the progress made over the weekend regarding caves.
Kohari actually made the original tiles; I'm only just tweaking the colors and detailing while I began trying them out in some of the existing rooms. The coloring is a little darker than I had originally intended, but then again: they are intended for underground areas so the contrast with the overworld might be to it's benefit.

Also, now that SAGE 2023 has concluded, a very brief look back:
The streamers favoured action games for the most part. That was expected for an event originally all about Sonic gameplay, so any and all attention was welcome. Overall I´m pretty happy with how the event turned out though: The streamers that did play the game provided valuable new insights. I made a few more connections. And most importantly, we've jumped from 52 to 66 Kickstarter followers XD

All in all it's been a good week with some nice progress.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.27.92 (21 september 2023)
* Updated all hero frames for extra shader option
* Experimented with fencing tiles and animated grass/flowers

v0.27.93 (22 september 2023)
* Experimented with new cave wall/floor visuals

v0.27.94 (23 september 2023)
* Experimented further with new cave wall/floor visuals
* Made a start with the new cave tileset
* Started replacing the first few cave tiles
* Implemented a few more replacement overworld tiles
* Experimented with house indoor/floor wall tiles

v0.27.95 (24 september 2023)
* Fixed issue of conflicting NPC's appearing together
* Added grass animations
* Experimented with new flower visuals
* Made progress tweaking the new cave wall/floor tiles
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Mariotag on September 27, 2023, 05:15:25 am
I'm only just now thinking to ask, is this going to be available on any consoles? Or just PC?
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on September 27, 2023, 06:22:23 am
I'm aiming for PC, Switch and Switch 2.
The switch releases will be dependant on a successful Kickstarter campaign though.

XBox and Playstation are much harder to publish on as a solodev (from what I've seen during my earlier research) so there are no concrete plans as of yet.
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Mariotag on September 28, 2023, 01:57:48 am
I'm aiming for PC, Switch and Switch 2.
The switch releases will be dependant on a successful Kickstarter campaign though.

XBox and Playstation are much harder to publish on as a solodev (from what I've seen during my earlier research) so there are no concrete plans as of yet.

Ah. Switch 2 will be interesting. Still no official announcement or release window.
Anyway, I'll keep an eye out!
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 01, 2023, 08:40:39 pm
I've just released the next demo update (= 1.4) over on Itch.io. ;)
Link: https://hornofbalance.itch.io/horn-of-balance-pre-ks-demo/devlog/614590/06-demo-14-released
Hope you enjoy it.

Release highlights:
* Better shield:
    - You can now move while shielding
    - Shields don't just block projectiles, but also guard against (most) enemies
* Extra starting equipment:
    - The stone sprite - Whatever will it do, I wonder
    - The fire sprite - Linden is about to get all fired up
* Added a few extra shortcuts to cut down on backtracking
* Tweaked a few puzzles and rooms to better guide new players
* Made the sub-boss slightly harder
* Made it visually more obvious when you collect small keys
* Fixed the collisions between your sword's smear effect and banners


Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.27.96 (25 september 2023)
* Completed and implemented cave wall/floor tiles
* Tweaked outside NPC texts slightly
* Experimented with new flower visuals

v0.27.97 (26 september 2023)
* Finished adding new flower visuals and animations
* Implemented a few more new overworld tiles
* Slightly tweaked overworld bridges style
* Replaced a few more cave tiles

v0.27.98 (27 september 2023)
* Implemented new visuals overworld tall grass
* Added more variant overworld bushes
* Fixed a few issues with digging near tall grass and water
* Fixed issue with collecting some dug up items instantly
* Replaced a few more cave tiles
* Finished cave visuals from breakable floors

v0.27.99 (28 september 2023)
* Experimented with sequences to work towards my own take on the medallion effects

v0.27.100 (29 september 2023)
* Added extra colorswapped cave tileset
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 08, 2023, 07:35:45 pm
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.27.101 (3 oktober 2023)
* Tweaked a few cave border tiles
* Added extra variants breakable floor
* Fixed things again after a new Gamemaker bug continuously deleting several specific sprites and one of the tilesets

v0.27.102 (6 oktober 2023)
* Finished preparing next art commission package

v0.27.103 (7 oktober 2023)
* Fixed issues with the dpad up button some people were reporting (=was finally able to reproduce it)
* Fixed issue with not being able rebind controller buttons
* Fixed visual oversight on controller rebinding screen
* Fixed a small typo in the demo
* Fixed visuals of one demo dungeon door not being consistent
* Made small keys stand out slightly more against the backgrounds

v0.27.104 (8 oktober 2023)
* Experimented with new fonts and settled on slightly different visuals
* Made a small amount of progress on the overworld mountain tileset
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 15, 2023, 08:19:38 pm
Ah, yes. Mountain tileset. My nemesis. We meet again. :-\

So things are actually moving along quite well. The cave and overworld tilesets are progressing nicely and a big pixelart commission had already been put out to get them to a nearly completed state.  There is some light at the end of the tunnel regarding work on demo 2.0 now.  XD  Past that point it'll just be some straggler sprites, commissioning music tracks and finishing the mountain+water tilesets, before opening up for playtesting.

Which does mean there was no postponing it any further: I'm taking another crack at completing the mountain tiles. The good news is that clear progress is being made. As you can see many more corners and variations are being taken into account now, so things are looking good so far. The colors and shading are still a work in progress. Especially the shading is something I'll be doing a lot of experimenting on next weekend.

Also, more good news:
I've released demo 1.5 over in Itch, which fixes the issue with the up button on controllers, as well as all known issues regarding the gamepad rebinding page.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.27.105 (13 oktober 2023)
* Tweaked shallow water object to make it quicker to implement

v0.27.106 (14 oktober 2023)
* Added extra color variants for (shallow) water
* Created and implemented more new cave tiles
* Added more visuals for floor switches
* Added ground shadows to all big trees

v0.27.107 (15 oktober 2023)
* Made progress on new mountain tiles
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 22, 2023, 10:20:39 pm
Good news!
I've finally got a fully completed first version of the new mountain tileset implemented into (parts of) the game. It's still a work in progress, as I feel the colors and contrast could use another pass, but the hardest part is now truly behind us. Making sure all those individual tiles link together in all possible directions was quite the challenge, let me tell you. It's been the most complex development aspect BY FAR so far. So it's hard to understate how releaved I am about this! Progress speed might be really picking up again once this one is done.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.27.108 (18-22 oktober 2023)
* Made a lot more progress working on the new mountain tileset
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on October 29, 2023, 08:45:46 pm
And here's you regularly weekend progress update:

- The big thing for this weekend has been the results from the latest pixelart commission. I'm still in the progress of implementing all the new objects and tiles, but expect to see more new content soon.
- Aside from that, I've started the progress of further tweaking and implementing the mountains from last time. As you can see in the screenshot I've switched over to a darker pallet in order to make other objects stand out more. I'm still in the progress of trying it out in the different daytimes and worlds, but I'm pretty happy with the results so far. It also nicely allows for transitions into the darker top soil, that I was already using in other areas. So that's another challenge dealt with like this. (Although I might still use the earlier colorpallet in one of the other locations eventually)

Oh, and finally:
I've been looking over my development schedule again. The mountain tiles really held things up, but now that they are done:
I'm expecting demo 2.0 to be completed and released early to mid december! XD
So look forward to that!

PS:
A few health related issues have come up recently (and I will be missing a week of work in november), but that's been factored in already.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.27.109 (27 oktober 2023)
* Tweaked mountain tileset and started implementing in full overworld
* Started pixelart commission review process

v0.27.110 (28 oktober 2023)
* Reviewed, tweaked and started implementation latest pixelart package

v0.27.111 (29 oktober 2023)
* Completed review new pixelart package
* Implemented several new overworld and cave tiles
* Fixed error regarding returning to holes hidden underneath tall grass
* Tweaked overworld tiling
* Made it tiles underneath cut grass undiggable
* Implemented various new overgrown garden archways
* Implemented new visuals bomb pickups
* Recalculated business case slightly
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 05, 2023, 10:02:35 pm
Sick at the moment, so I'm skipping the description for the weekend.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.27.112 (3 november 2023)
* Added and implemented extra tiles to the mountain tileset for the sides of angled hills
* Made more progress implementing the mountain tileset further in the entire overworld
* Fixed depth issue shadows large trees
* Reworked overworld starting room a bit more
* Expanded base room transition sequences for easier usage
* Tweaked rose archway slightly
* Fixed doorway when entering later mansion out of order
* Implemented a few more overworld tiles

v0.27.113 (4 november 2023)
* Implemented north and south mine entrances
* Implemented new cave entrances
* Implemented new mountain tileset into one of the later dungeons
* Expanded mountain tileset with additional tiles
* Fixed depth issue when exiting a later dungeon
* Made more progress implementing the new overworld mountain tileset across the full game
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 27, 2023, 11:38:38 am
I have a few points of good news:
- The last remaining pixelart for the new demo is now done and implemented
- One of the two remaining music tracks is now done. The other one is being worked on and should (fingers crossed) be done by the 30th.
- Private playtesting is ongoing and can switch to public playtesting next weekend IF the last track is done by then.
- I've finished the storyboard for the game's trailer. Note that it'll be a little while before I can show the finished version publicly (because I want to include more areas compared to the demo), but it will be my next main goal past the demo.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.27.114 (10 november 2023)
* Expanded mountain tileset with deep water border animated tiles
* Made more progress implementing mountain tileset across the game

v0.27.115 (11 november 2023)
* Finished implementing mountain tileset across the next demo's explorable space
* Tweaked overworld tiling + masking
* Implemented visuals for a series of new containers and pushable objects
* Expanded container respawn requirements
* Expanded code to allow pushing/pulling of objects directly above enemies or containers (= on floor above)

v0.27.116 (12 november 2023)
* Implemented new cave wall lights
* Added new visuals for cave doorways, exits and inner stairs

v0.27.117 (17 november 2023)
* Tweaked menu text to better explain what the smoke pallets do
* Added new visuals for cave stairs within rooms
* Tweaked speed on regular staircases

v0.27.118 (18 november 2023)
* Added new visuals for cave conditional and locked doors
* Made progress spriting the new waterfall tiles

v0.27.119 (19 november 2023)
* Switched over to the demo 2 playable area and dealt with the various bugs and checkboxes resulting from the first playtest sessions

v0.27.120 (20 november 2023)
* Added (hidden) shortcut to make Linden wave to the camera (=ctrl+5)
* Continued tweaking demo 2 based on player feedback
* Made demo dungeon enemies slightly stronger
* Decreased starting health
* Added ability to recomplete demo dungeon multiple times on the same savefile
* Tweaked visuals special pressure plates
* Added new visuals for on-off blocks

v0.27.121 (21 november 2023)
* Put together a very early mockup trailer
* Adjusted some dialogue to better fit the new demo
* Fixed error when turning enemies to stone

v0.27.122 (22 november 2023)
* Spend time reviewing the new music tracks
* Fixed issues when screen transitioning while diving
* Tweaked more NPC dialogue
* Added ability to hookshot towards big trees
* Trees have now become action objects
* Fixed visuals NPC scene in water dungeon
* Fixed issue with one of the “medallion” character actions
* Made the hammer feel more powerful

v0.27.123 (23 november 2023)
* Added more dungeon map boss icons – for fun. Only applies for later dungeons.
* Fixed dungeon map boss animation when on the floor below the boss
* Finished new visuals for waterfalls

v0.27.124 (24 november 2023)
* Implemented new visuals for waterfalls

v0.27.125 (25 november 2023)
* Added various new cave flavour objects
* Updated the Itch page in anticipation of the next demo
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on November 30, 2023, 01:36:57 pm
And here it finally is:
Demo 2.0 is out on the main Itch page:  XD
 https://hornofbalance.itch.io/horn-of-balance-pre-ks-demo  (see version 0 28 xxx)

*So what's new?*
- A compact intro area to play through before getting to the demo dungeon
- More world building and characters to meet
- Energetic new music from a new composer
    (Who I may also have redo the earlier dungeon music, so feedback on the new style is welcome!)
- More Murray!!
- A new item: the shovel
- More bugfixes and stability updates
- And of course all the incremental improvements added between demo 1.0 and 1.5

Hope you enjoy! And feel free to leave me your thoughts if you've had a chance to play it.


Oh, and as a little cliffhanger:
More progress has also been made on some locations outside of the demo area, but more on that in near future.  ;)

----

EDIT: Updated the download link/description
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 03, 2023, 06:48:50 pm
Well, this has been the final day of my latest vacation period.  :'(
I've been in crunch mode for a little while now (=working on a trailer for the game), so if you'll excuse me I'm going to keep it short (yet again) as I jump right back in trying to squeeze as much out of these last few hours as possible.

That being said: the rough trailer draft already seemed to get people excited, so the final results look to be well worth it.
Here's a little teaser of something new that'll be included in one of the shots.  ;)

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.28.002 (1 december 2023)
* Made more progress on trailer (assets)
* Replaced visuals dungeon deep water
* Tweaked and implemented some new mansion garden tiles
* Updated masking in mansion dungeon
* Implemented several new art commissions

v0.28.003 (2 december 2023)
* Made more progress on trailer (assets)
* Implemented new visuals for one more enemy type
* Implemented new visuals for several movable objects

v0.28.004 (3 december 2023)
* Made more progress on trailer (assets)
* Added new visuals for more enemies and areas
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 08, 2023, 08:53:38 am
I had to keep quiet about it before, but..
Horn of Balance demo 2.0 is now formally released to play at the surprise Christmas SAGE event.
Event link: https://www.sagexpo.org/games.html

(Which is also the reason why I only stealth launched the game on Itch earlier. Not counting the posts here of course)

There's also a bunch of other fan and indie games at the SAGE event so why not check it out.
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 10, 2023, 10:25:08 pm
Is it Sunday already?!

Man, this week has been a rough one behind the scenes. Nevertheless, I am nearly done with the trailer. Just need to cut the final re-recorded (1.5 GB worth of) footage down to the final length. After that it will be send to a pretty big Youtuber for a premier showing sometime mid December.

And then up next in my master plan for December will be:
- Commissioning more new music
- Submitting the Steam store page
- Setting up the game for multiple languages (or at least to start laying the groundwork)
- Ramping up the advertisement efforts

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.28.005 (4 december 2023)
* Made more progress on trailer (assets)
* Tweaked a few more tiles

v0.28.006 (5 december 2023)
* Made more progress on trailer (assets)
* Fixed a serie of reported typos
* Fixed split second prompt on demo dungeon big stairs

v0.28.007 (6 december 2023)
* Fixed more reported typos
* Fixed starting with the pellets item

v0.28.008 (7 december 2023)
* Got taken out by dental complications from an earlier appointment
* Switched map chest colors to make more sense
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 16, 2023, 12:04:07 pm
YES!!!
The steam page for the game just went live:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2738140/Horn_of_Balance/
LET'S GO! XD

Please wishlist the game! And stay tuned for the next step: the upcoming trailer!
Lots of big developments this month.
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: RetroRespecter on December 22, 2023, 04:52:40 am
Wow! Unexpected, but congratulations nonetheless.
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 23, 2023, 09:12:38 am
Have faith my friend. The future is looking bright XD

Case in point:
I've just been informed that my game('s trailer) will be feature on this channel in the next 1-2 days: https://www.youtube.com/@ClemmyGames
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on December 27, 2023, 06:11:19 pm
It's good to be back home again! With my precious laptop adaptor in hand (which I definitely did not forget to pack a few days ago ::) ). It was quite the hearty holidays this year so I'm all relaxed now. Even got pages and pages of new ideas to try out next year. XD

Also: Clemmy featured the trailer in his video, so I can finally share the full version as well: https://youtu.be/5I3jhNeF2VU
Hope you like it!
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 01, 2024, 09:12:19 pm
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.28.009 (9-15 december 2023)
* Finished trailer assets

v0.28.010 (15-17 december 2023)
* Commissioned next batch of music tracks
* Started groundwork for allowing for multiple languages
* Restructured how Boss and Area introduction text is stored

v0.28.011 (22-23 december 2023)
* Fixed chest color reference in cave hinttext
* Made more progress separating out all the game's text (for later language options)

v0.28.012 (24 december 2023)
* Fixed catching a wind elemental giving you the darkness elemental
* Using a restoring elemental when already at full mp/hp will now release it (thus allowing you to empty nests)
* Made more progress isolating game's text (for coming language option)

v0.28.013 (28 december 2023)
* Tweaked demo dungeon subboss for better stability
* Made more progress isolating game's text (for coming language option)

v0.28.014 (29 dec 2023 – 1 jan 2024)
* Made more progress isolating game's text (for coming language option)
* Overhauled journal data setup
* Overhauled text engine text input files
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 07, 2024, 10:47:21 pm
Went a bit late in order to get the extended fonts working (to be be able the full French language), so I'm keeping the update minimal again.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.28.015 (3 januari 2024)
* Made more progress isolating game's text (for coming language option)

v0.28.016 (6-7 januari 2024)
* Finished isolating game's text (for coming language option)
* Added placeholder language option to the options menu
* Expanded fonts for French language
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 14, 2024, 10:38:31 pm
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.28.017 (8 januari 2024)
* Further expanding fonts for the missing œ letter/symbol
* Implemented the first French translations that came in
* Replaced one of the ingame fonts that got messed up by some windows change
* Fixed error with a late game boss name

v0.28.018 (9-12 januari 2024)
* Applied more translations
* Fixed a few language related alignment issues
* Expanded fonts with several more special letters
* Added options to use special letters in your character's name. (Although we all know that Linden is the best hero name ever, so why would you ever want to ??!!)

v0.28.019 (13 januari 2024)
* Added a roomhint in one of the basement rooms in the demo dungeon that's on the critical path
* Improved demo intro boss stability
* Lower default and max music volume values
* Positioning in options menu now remembered between screens
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 21, 2024, 10:30:47 pm
Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.28.020 (15 januari 2024)
* Fixed minor coloring irregularity within demo boss fight
* Tweaked boss atk values ever so slightly
* Fixed collision issues after hitting an enemy with the atk boost if it does not kill the enemy
* Fixed a placeholder sprite showing up in the demo dungeon mountain range

v0.28.021 (18 januari 2024)
* Fixed masking issue in the cave to the big demo dungeon
* Reviewed new music demos

v0.28.022 (19 januari 2024)
* Temporarily disabled french language for the next demo
* Added extra language debug function
* Default character name is set to Linden
* Expanded screen resolution options
* Made smaller pushable statues easier to distinguish

v0.28.023 (20 januari 2024)
* Re-enabled french language in the options
* Replaced the upslash sound effect with the actual custom sound made for it. (Can't believe I forgot to actually apply it) :S
* Prepared next sound effect commission package

v0.28.024 (21 januari 2024)
* Added new visuals for floor grates
* Fixed small tiling issue in dungeon A04
* Added new visuals for magical blocks
* Created and added new (dis)appear animation for magical blocks
* Fixed small oversight between magic blocks and enemy collisions
* Made hero immune while a little into performing the 360 attack
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on January 28, 2024, 03:36:11 pm
Some big news this weekend:
- We have a Kickstarter start date -> March 8th! XD
Follow the project here (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hornofbalance/horn-of-balance) for a notification the instance it starts. Which will help get one of the cheaper early bird copies ;).
- Also demo 2.1 has been released over on Itch!
- And the Steam review process has been initiated, so expect the demo on Steam soon as well!

More details can be read over in this Itch blog post:
https://hornofbalance.itch.io/horn-of-balance-pre-ks-demo/devlog/668213/10-demo-update-and-kickstarter-launch-date
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 12, 2024, 12:21:37 pm
Hey everybody,

I was so caught up in things that I completely forgot to do actual updates. Long story short (as I'm on my break from work right now):
- A demo has now also been released on Steam! It was a bit more complicated than expected at first, but it's yet another milestone reached. XD
- Already updated the demo based on the Steam stats: the early areas have been made slightly simpler (= more hints and smoother curve). The average Steam playtime has been going up, so that's good!
- There's still new dungeon music coming in. 8)
- A new batch of sound effects has also been commissioned, covering about 1/3 of all the remaining sounds needed for the full game. So that's actually big step being made on that front.
- And also put out the next pixel art commission package. So there's progress on all fronts of development at the moment.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.28.025 (22 januari 2024)
* Adjusted sound effects when using the cane item without magic or at an invalid location
* Fixed funny glitch resulting a dual 360 sword atk when the enemy blocks the hit during certain frames
* Fixed not being able to create magic blocks on some bridges

v0.28.026 (26 januari 2024)
* Tinkered around a lot looking to replace a few more old sound effects; replaced one more sound effect
* Reviewed latest music track

v0.28.027 (29 januari 2024)
* Made new demo version for sound effect commission testing

v0.28.028 (30 januari 2024)
* Added boss name to initialse encounting of the demo boss
* Fixed max amount of secret(chests) on the credits screen to be 4 instead of 3

v0.28.029 (3 februari 2024)
* Added sound effect to adjusting sound effect volume

v0.28.030 (5-7 februari 2024)
* Reviewed new music and sound effects
* Fixed a placeholder mountain tile accidently visible again
* Implemented various new sound effects

v0.28.031 (8 februari 2024)
* Reviewed more new sound effects
* Delete button no longer acts as default cancel button
* Several more keyboard buttons (including the numlock area) are now valid for key rebinding
* Made intro boss do less damage
* Added extra text and visual hints to weakpoint intro boss
* Added more hints to the early demo obstacles (= mostly making sure players don't just receive text based hints)
* Tweaked NPC dialogue hinttext
* Rotated starting equipable elementals
* Added extra sound effect to rusted buttons
* Added hinttext to intro boss fight

======================
Released demo 2.2
======================

v0.28.032 (9-10 februari 2024)
* Put out new pixel art commission package
* Tiled another new room
* Reviewed more French translations

v0.28.033 (11 februari 2024)
* Reviewed more French translations
* Reviewed new music demo
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Mariotag on February 12, 2024, 06:43:24 pm
How much does it cost you to do a project like this just about?
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 12, 2024, 07:39:29 pm
How much time and money did I spend on this game do you mean?
Oof. Uuhm.. Welll... That's kinda a painful question. Hahahaha!

Its pretty massive with about 18 years of time spend all in all. Just this last year was already at least 8 or 900 hours spent in total on my end, if not over a thousand. Although I have really raised my efforts a lot for the demo/trailer/Kickstarter deadlines. I also had missed income due to taking extra time off from work. The sprites, sound effects, music, fees and misc expenses just last year have also been several thousand euros. Which is honestly very low. You can easily spend several times that amount for the same work depending if you're unlucky with partners and rework. (Also the reason why I'm doing a Kickstarter to be able to complete the game).

If you're interested cause you want to make games yourself then I highly HIGHLY recommend picking a different genre. Zelda-likes are some of the more complex options out there. At least coding wise. Smaller puzzle and/or action game are way more viable and less risky. Tactics and strategy games are also better options cause there's a bigger market for them on Steam.
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Mariotag on February 13, 2024, 06:33:25 pm
Yikes. Well, something to keep in mind if I ever do make something.
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Mariotag on February 14, 2024, 06:43:25 am
Actually, do you plan on making this available on consoles?
If so, that'd be great!
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 14, 2024, 07:09:00 pm
Yeah, I'd like to do a Switch version at the very least.
However, note that my first priority is to make the game the best that it can. And I don't want to over promise (given the time and money required). So I would need to hit the Switch milestone during the Kickstarter, or it might happen later down the line if the PC version is enough of a success.
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Mariotag on February 15, 2024, 10:51:28 pm
Here's to hoping.
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on February 25, 2024, 08:59:18 pm
It's been another busy week!

We're almost done adding in the new batch of sound effects. And with finishing the new pixel art and music packages. So I've been doing a lot of reviewing these last few days.

I'm not really sure about the status of the French translations. It's going to be a challenge to get it done before the Kickstarter at this pace I think.

And finally all my remaining time was spend on building the Kickstarter page. As seen in the attached screenshots.

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.28.034 (16 februari 2024)
* Expanded pixel art commission
* Improved alignment deep water terrain surfaces in underwater prison dungeon
* Adjusted music volume per track
* Fixed game title page not getting translated instantly when switching languages
* Created Pinterest account / uploaded screenshots

v0.28.035 (20-22 februari 2024)
* Reviewed new music
* Reviewed and implemented more new sound effects
* Made more progress on KS page
* Fixed missing sound effect for final boss

v0.28.036 (23 februari 2024)
* Reviewed new music
* Reviewed and implemented more new sound effects
* Reviewed new pixel art
* Implemented new effect visuals for sandworms
* Made a little more progress on KS page

v0.28.037 (24-25 februari 2024)
* Reviewed more pixel art
* Made progress on the KS page
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 03, 2024, 10:24:21 pm
Just 5 more days everyone!

I'm fully beat right now, from all the work that has already been going into the Kickstarter preparations. I'm skipping the longer news message again in favour of getting sleep, but more news is coming real soon!

Progress report:
Code: [Select]
v0.28.038 (26 februari 2024)
* Finished reviewing and implementing new sound effects
* Reviewed more pixel art

v0.28.039 (1-3 maart 2024)
* Reviewed more pixel art
* Made more assets for the KS page
* Reviewed more music progress
* Send out interviews for fellow devs
* Adjusted the “controls” menu pages to not show the run option until you collect the required option.
* Added annoyed bird mode
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 08, 2024, 05:36:24 pm
IT IS TIME!!

The Horn of Balance Kickstarter has just gone live!! :D

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hornofbalance/horn-of-balance?ref=project_build
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 11, 2024, 10:16:24 pm
We're currently at 37% funding with 26 days left to go. XD

If you're reading this after all these many many years of development, then what are you waiting for? This is it! Let's do this!
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 16, 2024, 08:59:50 pm
I'll be skipping the next few regular weekend updates as it's all about the Kickstarter right now.
We are currently setting at 44% funding, with 21 days left to go.

Also, I've posted the first few Kickstarter updates, including an interview with the developer of the Zelda-like "Ocean's Heart":
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hornofbalance/horn-of-balance/posts/4053615
Title: Re: Horn of Balance
Post by: Martijn dh on March 17, 2024, 08:45:57 pm
Had that craving to work on the actual game again, so I added an awakened item into the game today:
https://youtu.be/cl9CQr7ytAM

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