Volume 3, Issue 4 - October 5th, 2008
irc.windfyre.net #zfgc
This week's banner courtesy of Yubel and icon courtesy of Mirby
Hello members, and welcome to another issue of ZFGC Weekly! Here's what's in this week's issue:
1. Community Announcements (Ctrl+F CA2)
2. Best of the Forum (Ctrl+F BF2)
3. Weekly Awards (Ctrl+F WA2)
4. The Big Question (Ctrl+F BQ2)
5. Featured Project:
Pokemon Blue SDL and an interview with its creator, 4Sword (Ctrl+F FP2)
Community Announcements (CA2)NCFC Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros Brawl Tournamenthttp://www.zfgc.com/forum/index.php?topic=30428.msg352247#msg352247I posted this yesterday in the news, but I don't think a lot of people saw it: http://www.zfgc.com/index.php#?action=news&sa=read&id=31348
Anyway, since that was yesterday, the game, booth, and q&a registration is now over, but the Super Smash Bros Brawl and Mario Kart tournament registration is now open.
Spam More Accessiblehttp://www.zfgc.com/forum/index.php?topic=31302.0*wanders in* Reduced credit count for spam board to 1 per month. Can't complain about that. If I get a chance this weekend I'll add some more resource posting rewards and see what else I can think up to add on to the forum.
Also randomly changed the name and permissions of spam. Normal members get access to some mod junk as well. Self-Regulating (yeh, right >_>), fun though.
member@zfgc.com? webspace?http://www.zfgc.com/forum/index.php?topic=31366.0I was thinking of setting up an email system for the site so that all users are automatically assigned an @zfgc.com email address. And whenever an email comes into your account it shows up like a PM in your inbox. Suggestions?
The Best of the Forum (BF2)Here are some of the best quotes of the past week or the most relevant topics of the moment:
Halu Returns!http://www.zfgc.com/forum/index.php?topic=31367.0hay guise wats goin on in this thread?
It's that time again!http://www.zfgc.com/forum/index.php?topic=31358.0My friend wants my whole group to go as storm troopers, but that costs way too much.
Funny Zelda Experiences.http://www.zfgc.com/forum/index.php?topic=31273.0My funniest experience was probably when I got a blowjob during Zelda. Key Cavern will never be the same for me.
Goodbye classic, hello modern.http://www.zfgc.com/forum/index.php?topic=31382.0Gears of Evil confirm'd
How about going back to Survival Horror?
I'm sick of this action man rubbish.
So does she eat them?http://www.zfgc.com/forum/index.php?topic=31323.0Vegetables are grown in soil which is nothing but DEAD !@#$%! It absorbs dead !@#$% and turns it into nutrients but it's still dead !@#$%. tldr; You eat dead !@#$%.
Bad Dreams.http://www.zfgc.com/forum/index.php?topic=31332.0That's odd. I had a dream last night of myself shooting up a family. Anyway, I love dreams and nightmares because they are the ultimate hypothetical simulations that go beyond the parameters of reality. Oh, and lucid dreaming.
Got a topic you think should be featured? PM 4Sword or Zidane!
Weekly Awards (WA2)A section for handing out awards to screenshots, graphics, projects, and other various things depending on what's happening around the forum.
Graphic of the WeekNabeshin's Taller MC Tree:
http://www.zfgc.com/forum/index.php?topic=31342.0
Hey, (if you can ignore the subpar shading on the trunk) please advise on how to make the perspective line up properly with the leaves, or just feel free to have a go at it. Thanks much.
Project Update of the WeekJanet Merai's Call for Your Help
http://www.zfgc.com/forum/index.php?topic=22901.msg352440#msg352440Hey people, I am not dead nor is the project but I was wondering if anyone would like to help me make this game through coding?
I need help with JavaScript and have most 3D models, textures, objects and so on done.
Help with coding will advance this game far beyond what it is now, anyone willing to help?
And if you need screenshots just look at the previous pages on this thread.
I WILL update more screen shots but I have been doing other things as well and it takes time to do it 
Mostly its the coding holding me back.
Got a recommendation for a Weekly Award? PM 4Sword or Zidane!
The Big Question (BQ2)In this section, we'll ask a relevant or interesting question to the community each week, which everyone can discuss, comment on, and generally go gaga over.
This week's question:
Why do YOU come to ZFGC?Join the discussion at
http://www.zfgc.com/forum/index.php?topic=31413.0Got an idea for a Big Question? PM 4Sword or Zidane!
Featured Project (FP2)This week Zidane wandered into tall grass and encountered Pokemon Blue SDL by 4Sword.
Your project seemed to be the first Pokemon project in recent times on ZFGC, are you happy about that?Yeah, while I like the Zelda fan games that are here, seeing a lot of them diminishes their overall appeal through monotony. Most if not all of us played Pokemon when we were younger and even some of us even still, so making a project about it and seeing others do the same is encouraging.
Why make the graphics the Game Boy equivalents when you could make them more modern?I prefer the Game Boy graphics as I do not have to worry about doing complicated things with the graphics in my game. Excluding backgrounds, most if not all images are either 8x8 or 16x16 pixel squares. This makes resource management and collision surfaces easier to implement.
What do you think is going to be the most difficult thing to implement though as you progress forward?Definately the battle system. There are equations and everything to figure out, you have to program all the possible moves, handle leveling up, etc. It's just a lot to think about. Another user here named dabridge has a good start on that in his Pokemon game, Pokemon: Last Hidden, which is in the WIP section also.
You originally had your project in Game Maker. What made you move away from that?While it was good and others did not seem to have a problem with it, I became a little fed up with its limitations that were the result of sacrificing power for simplicity. I probably would not have thought this way had I had Game Maker registered, but even doing that seems to be difficult.
Then why C++?C++ is something that I am learning more about in school and game programming allows me to take what I learn and give it application.
But isn't making a project in C++ difficult and complicated?To be completely honest, parts of it leave me dumbfounded, but then again starting with something that is not well understood would leave anyone that way. Because Game Maker was giving me frustrations, I finally had an excuse to move away from it and even I lose some of my results capability, I feel better in that my project is deemed by others to be complicated.
So how can others start their games in C++?I highly suggest that anyone interested look up the Lazy Foo SDL tutorials for C++ game programming. They really helped me get the fundamentals.
You've stated elsewhere that you like to be a neat freak in regard to emulating features from the original, but why does this matter to you?I came into game development by thinking that I could bolster my programming ability through it, so emulation of features of an original game tests my programming ability in that I have to get it just right. In essence, unless my code is good, my attempts at emulating the orignal will be bad.
What's the next thing you plan on adding then?Ah, well since I am restarting it in C++, right now all I am hoping to add is all of what I had previously in my Game Maker project. Then I will move on.
So, you've been featured in the other sections of the Weekly, written for the Weekly, and now you are featured by the Weekly. You seem to be everywhere, are you fine with that?Ha, well while I am not technically everywhere, I am in a lot of places. I was hesitant to be featured though in the Weekly because I like to be humble about what I am working on and others deserve more attention. However, being everywhere isn't so bad - I like to think that I rubbed off on a few users here and that perhaps whatever intelligence I have is passed off in their words.
Know a project you think should be featured? PM 4Sword or Zidane!Authors of this week's issue: 4Sword, Zidane