The Project Log 4

Project Date week 4 Digital Production

We have progress. After speaking to  my programmer  yesterday we now

have the core of the move system working. After testing we currently cant find any 

bugs and our characters are rather smart boasting a little ai with their dynamic

move system. This has left us with a small issue but it is mearly visual and we plan on 

coming back to it at a latter date as we want all the core mechanics working rather than

being stuck on one thing and running out of time. Just being able to move about a screen

is not really a game on its own.

So to date we have a working turn system and a working move system.

Also we have a working camera that keeps the view centred on the 

current point of control. (example when switching turns the camera will

centre to the next character)

Wehave Also figured out how to make the view seem like you would

be using to screens as game maker cant use 2 windows open at the same time.

So all is currently well with the programing and I myself have started on how the

HUD will look which I will make a fuller post on once completed.

End Log

The Project Log 3

Project Date week 3.5 Digital Production

Over the past few days I have been catching up with some written details

for the game such as character stats and the paper based version for testing

these out to get an idea on how the game plays and find any things  may have

missed that makes the game unbalanced.

I have finished writng up the rules and how to play.

Also I have finished creating tokens to keep track of status affects

and the character cards so the player knows the details for each

of the characters in thier command.

Each of these cards feature version 2 of the characters stats that are set

to make the combat calculations work with simple arithmetic.

There is one other thing I have left to do and that is to create a way to keep 

track of everything over the turns of the game in some sort of table.

Next to do after this will be to create the HUD imagery for engine, however

we have found out that Game Maker is unable to use 2 windows at once

which I was hoping so that each could represent the 2 DS screens.

To compensate for this we are thinking about spliting the one window with

the top half representing the standard screen and the bottom half representing

the DS touchscreen. This will need a little more looking into with my coder

as it will affect the HUD greatly, but so far he believes what we wish is

achievable so I shall start on this line but keep a backup plan just incase we

have missed anything.

End Log

The Project Log 2

Project Date week 3 Digital Production

This week i have bee a little distraced by the last beta for rift which is looking good

However I have finished the still sprites for in game now in both colours and written up some

stats and skills for the differnt character types. 

I have also managed to get the majority of the paper based version of the game put together. 

So hopefully later this week I will be able to start play testing to see how things play out 

and make adjustments as needed.

I also thought I would update on a general how I created the sprites. 

Using the Tank as the example as it has had the most work done to it.

So this is all 10 sprites that will be used

A few minor alterations made to some but all created the same way.

They all started off as this basic grey scale sprite I put together a pixel at a time using

a reference image. Originally got the idea from looking at the starcraft2 zelot model.

Then just switching colours to work on a neutral background instead of white as some

of the sprite was white itself.

From this basic sprite i then started adjusting the image a bit at a time looking at individual 

limbs, head and torso as seperate parts that create the sprite. Keeping the basic compositon

similar to the original to keep the differnt models unified. But making the sprite an individual.

This leads to the basic template for the tank, which I then added some detail to.

The style of shading was the tricky part as this adds depth to the sprite, but to much

would cause the sprite to be to cluttered. So I looked at multiple ways of shading

and got some opinions before  made the final decision.

After shading the sprite I could spot some details that I did not feel right about or were

simply wrong with the differnt sprites. (example: left/right legs being differnt sizes)

So from this I would then make adjustments untill I felt the sprite looked right and fitted

in with each other while remaining individual. This would then lead to the final outcome.

As you can see below the tank has changed a lot where now its shield looks more in front

of it and the proportions have been altered along with some positioning.

thats all for now. End Log

The Project Log 1

Project Date week 2 Digital Production

Lets start with a bit of catch up on whats happened for my uni work so far.

Just over 2 weeks ago we had the first hand in of the year which was all the paper production. So all that jazz is done and dusted except my document was more mechanical based so it was lacking imagery.

During january I finally managed to find a coder who was willing to suffer working with me

for the digital production of the game. >:3

He is very good and prooven he is more than capable, with him already having done the turn system required

and has knocked out most the movement system already to. Along with this we are managing to keep in touch well enough to keep it all ploding along at a nice pace unlike what i remember from previous expierences.

 

Thanks to him I am able to stress less about the production as im no longer flying solo and I can

concerntrate more on the imagery and getting the numbers right for him to implement everything.

So over these past 2 weeks and a bit I have mainly been working on the character sprites for the

game. So far i have gone through 2 stages the first looking a style to how the sprites will look.

Secondly getteing the design down for the differnt classes. which I continually am making minor ajustments to

as I work and notice things I can improve or missed. Just for you I will upload larger copys so you can see a bit more clearly.

These Guys are only 32/32 pixels except for the ranger whos gun makes him a bit taller. 

Overall making these tiny guys is a bit tricky compared to what i though it would be but is prooving to be a nice challenge and change of pace to what im used to.

Hopefully by the end of this week I'm hoping to have some basic numbers written down and a paper version of this game sorted out to begin testing how it may feel and make everything work together.

So anyone reading this you are warned in advanced I may be dragging you into a room to test this.

End Log.

Now That is bad

Very Very bad that i only made 3 posts before i forgot to do updates.
Well its been a few months and now its 2011 so maybe i could try setting myself
a late new years resolution. At least i could try to update once a month maybe.

So whats happened in the last 3 months?
Work along with many many distractions.

Last post i made was just before Game City in nottingham which i felt was not quite
as good as the previous year but still good none the less. It seemed to focus more on sound
and music in games, where i was more intreasted in the stuff that was still in production like
Spy Party and Confetti Carnival also the xbox Kinect was looking good even though the guy
was totally just advertising.

After this work on paper production and disertation started to kick in which now the paper
production is  finished and awaiting feedback from that and the draft of the dissertation.
The disertation being one of the distractions from the paper production.

So thats a genreal summary of stuff thats happened.
Next up will be an attempt at staying up to date and hopefully updates to the digital production
that is kicking in now leading to the end of my last uni year.