Juan Raigada









Level 3 Re: Heart & Slash - *NEW MUSIC* « Reply #160 on: January 15, 2014, 09:11:18 AM » Weekly Progress Update (4 of ?):



And these are the NimbleBots:





Top Left: Ceramic NimbleBot with RocketPack. They fly towards you over obstacles and land next to you.



Top Right: dummy NimbleBot with Saw. You have seen these previously launching themselves spinning towards you.



Bottom Left: Rubber NimbleBot with Condenser. COndensers leave a trail of electricity that damages you on contact. Highly annoying.



Bottom Right: Regular NimbleBot with Wheel and Bombhead. The Wheel gives those NimbleBots that sport it a crazy speed advantage (you don't want to face a Ceramic + Wheel NimbleBot). Bombheads make the NimbleBot explodes when dying, forcing you to step away.



The possible combination for NimbleBots are:



-Regular

-Regular + Wheel

-Regular + BomHead

-Regular + RocketPack

-Regular + Saw

-Regular + Condenser

-Regular + Wheel + Saw

-Regular + Saw + RocketPack

-Regular + Wheel + Saw + RocketPack

-Regular + Wheel + RocketPack

-Regular + BomHead + RocketPack

-Regular + BomHead + Saw + RocketPack

-Regular + Wheel + Condenser

-Regular + Wheel + Condenser + Saw

-Regular + BomHead + Saw

-Regular + BomHead + Condenser

-Regular + BomHead + Condenser + Saw

-Regular + Condenser + Saw



So that's 17 combinations not counting resistance variants (Regular Ceramic, Rubber and Dummy, so 98 versions total).



Now I'm going to enter Polish phase for a couple of days. I also need to create the system so that enemies can play sounds. I'm sure the sound designers would appreciate that ... And these are thewith. They fly towards you over obstacles and land next to you.: dummywith. You have seen these previously launching themselves spinning towards you.with. COndensers leave a trail of electricity that damages you on contact. Highly annoying.withand. The Wheel gives those NimbleBots that sport it a crazy speed advantage (you don't want to face a Ceramic + Wheel NimbleBot). Bombheads make the NimbleBot explodes when dying, forcing you to step away.The possible combination for NimbleBots are:-Regular-Regular + Wheel-Regular + BomHead-Regular + RocketPack-Regular + Saw-Regular + Condenser-Regular + Wheel + Saw-Regular + Saw + RocketPack-Regular + Wheel + Saw + RocketPack-Regular + Wheel + RocketPack-Regular + BomHead + RocketPack-Regular + BomHead + Saw + RocketPack-Regular + Wheel + Condenser-Regular + Wheel + Condenser + Saw-Regular + BomHead + Saw-Regular + BomHead + Condenser-Regular + BomHead + Condenser + Saw-Regular + Condenser + SawSo that's 17 combinations not counting resistance variants (Regular Ceramic, Rubber and Dummy, so 98 versions total).Now I'm going to enter Polish phase for a couple of days. I also need to create the system so that enemies can play sounds. I'm sure the sound designers would appreciate that... « Last Edit: January 15, 2014, 09:20:05 AM by Juan Raigada » Logged

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Juan Raigada









Level 3 Re: Heart & Slash - *NEW MUSIC* « Reply #166 on: January 18, 2014, 03:48:11 AM » Weekly Progress Update (5 of ?):



So now that all the content for the enemies is in, I realized I had to spend some time actually designing this content.



It might be because I'm so new to this game-making thing, but it's fascinating the difference between having something working and making something work.



Specifically, I focused on the BigGrunt, because it was the first enemy I designed, and it felt off. Basically, with such a fast paced game, the enemy didn't have (compared to the others) the "weight" its size suggested. I tried several things (like making it slower, which didn't work) and finally solved it by going into it's attack states and changing the uninterruptibility thresholds there. NOw, unless you have a very heavy weapon yourself, facing a BigGrunt head on probably will get both of you hit, since even if you hit the attack will go through.



Also, I'm starting to experiment with enemy waves. The original plan was to have up to 15 enemies on-screen, but that might be too chaotic except in very specific circumstances (simple enemies, all the same model). I think we'll be looking at 3-5 enemies per wave during the first level (more powerful weapons later on might change this).



Anyway, here you have a couple of GIFs of some of the waves I tested:







So now that all the content for the enemies is in, I realized I had to spend some time actually designing this content.It might be because I'm so new to this game-making thing, but it's fascinating the difference between having something working and making something work.Specifically, I focused on the BigGrunt, because it was the first enemy I designed, and it felt off. Basically, with such a fast paced game, the enemy didn't have (compared to the others) the "weight" its size suggested. I tried several things (like making it slower, which didn't work) and finally solved it by going into it's attack states and changing the uninterruptibility thresholds there. NOw, unless you have a very heavy weapon yourself, facing a BigGrunt head on probably will get both of you hit, since even if you hit the attack will go through.Also, I'm starting to experiment with enemy waves. The original plan was to have up to 15 enemies on-screen, but that might be too chaotic except in very specific circumstances (simple enemies, all the same model). I think we'll be looking at 3-5 enemies per wave during the first level (more powerful weapons later on might change this).Anyway, here you have a couple of GIFs of some of the waves I tested: Logged

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Juan Raigada









Level 3 Re: Heart & Slash - *NEW MUSIC* « Reply #167 on: January 21, 2014, 11:41:25 AM » Weekly Progress Update (1 of ?):



Sorry about not having an update yesterday. I am in the process of implementing a new system and yesterday was mostly backend work.



I have realized that, even as the game combat and playable content starts to take shape (I still need to do combat rebalances for most enemies, though), the world where the game takes place had not been developed accordingly. The plan was thus to start working on level modelling and design this week, but I decided to shift gears and work on other aspect of world design.



This is what I have as of today:





It doesn't look like much yet (and there're still some bugs) but what's important is not only that there are NPCs now, but the system I'm going to use to drive their dialog.



Instead of having proper dialog trees, I have chosen to have a more procedural approach:



Code: SCRIPT

0

NEEDS

HELPERS_CURRENT_HELPER

2

NEEDS

HELPERS_FIRST_PLAYTHROUGH

0

TEXT

IT'S TIME TO GET YOU OUT OF HERE! AGAIN...

END

1



SCRIPT

0

NEEDS

HELPERS_CURRENT_HELPER

2

NEEDS

HELPERS_FIRST_PLAYTHROUGH

1

TEXT

THERE'S NO TIME FOR QUESTIONS! LET'S GO!

END

1

What you have there is the script shape of two different lines of dialog. Each line has a priority it needs to trigger (current priority in that file needs to be higher than the line's priority), a priority it set at it's end, and a set of conditions that need to be true (and that I can add to by scripting) for it to trigger.



Obviously, for some cutscenes I will have to create a regular dialog tree (which is easy using this framework), but this is for the moment a system that will allow me to write at a decent speed. And that will offer some variation in different playthroughs, which I need to make the continuous replays feel different and keep a sense of discovery.



At the moment I'm hand writing the scripts, but once I have a working proof of concept, I might look into creating an editor to more easily being able to see relationships between the different lines (to make sure the conversations make sense).



The rest of the week is going to be focused on writing the three robots that help you escape (you can *barely* see them in the GIF) and finishing the start cutscene (so it stars the robots and their conversations). If I have time, I will use the system to create nice tutorial tips, too.



This is something that is going to allow me to bring a lot of personality into the game, and I'm very excited to see where I can take this... Sorry about not having an update yesterday. I am in the process of implementing a new system and yesterday was mostly backend work.I have realized that, even as the game combat and playable content starts to take shape (I still need to do combat rebalances for most enemies, though), the world where the game takes place had not been developed accordingly. The plan was thus to start working on level modelling and design this week, but I decided to shift gears and work on other aspect of world design.This is what I have as of today:It doesn't look like much yet (and there're still some bugs) but what's important is not only that there are NPCs now, but the system I'm going to use to drive their dialog.Instead of having proper dialog trees, I have chosen to have a more procedural approach:What you have there is the script shape of two different lines of dialog. Each line has a priority it needs to trigger (current priority in that file needs to be higher than the line's priority), a priority it set at it's end, and a set of conditions that need to be true (and that I can add to by scripting) for it to trigger.Obviously, for some cutscenes I will have to create a regular dialog tree (which is easy using this framework), but this is for the moment a system that will allow me to write at a decent speed. And that will offer some variation in different playthroughs, which I need to make the continuous replays feel different and keep a sense of discovery.At the moment I'm hand writing the scripts, but once I have a working proof of concept, I might look into creating an editor to more easily being able to see relationships between the different lines (to make sure the conversations make sense).The rest of the week is going to be focused on writing the three robots that help you escape (you can *barely* see them in the GIF) and finishing the start cutscene (so it stars the robots and their conversations). If I have time, I will use the system to create nice tutorial tips, too.This is something that is going to allow me to bring a lot of personality into the game, and I'm very excited to see where I can take this... Logged

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https://twitter.com/JuanRaigada

https://twitter.com/HeartnSlash Twitter:

Juan Raigada









Level 3 Re: Heart & Slash - *Now they talk...* « Reply #170 on: January 22, 2014, 02:50:55 PM » Weekly Progress Update (2 of ?):



Ok, so today I did more work on the dialog system (it's mostly working, although I will need an editor) and wrote some lines for the three characters that let Heart (our main character) escape.



It's very satisfying to start to bring personality into the world. And figuring out the story, really.



These three characters, the Roaming Rebel Robots (R3 or RRR) are part of the resistance against the ruler of this robotic world, "Quality Assurance". They rescue non-conforming robots and help them escape.



They are:



LR35902:

An old and senile unit. Its sound chip is limited and can only communicate through BEEPS. Otherwise, it's very cheerful for its age!





R5A22:

Dynamic the leader of the pack. He is the primary instructor of Heart and tutorial giver. He also provides most of the useful indications. But tends to be a little over-optimistic.





R3051:

Proud and blunt, it is condescending to the other units and even towards Heart. He doesn't really understands why it's so important to free Heart (and it's a little jealous of all the attention he's getting). He is in love with Slash, but it's unrequited.





This is how it looks in-game now:





First priority tomorrow will be to introduce the R3 in the intro and to polish the already written dialog to make sure it plays (I have around 30 lines per character written, but the triggers I have set seem off. They are not chatty enough yet). Ok, so today I did more work on the dialog system (it's mostly working, although I will need an editor) and wrote some lines for the three characters that let Heart (our main character) escape.It's very satisfying to start to bring personality into the world. And figuring out the story, really.These three characters, the Roaming Rebel Robots (R3 or RRR) are part of the resistance against the ruler of this robotic world, "Quality Assurance". They rescue non-conforming robots and help them escape.They are:An old and senile unit. Its sound chip is limited and can only communicate through BEEPS. Otherwise, it's very cheerful for its age!Dynamic the leader of the pack. He is the primary instructor of Heart and tutorial giver. He also provides most of the useful indications. But tends to be a little over-optimistic.Proud and blunt, it is condescending to the other units and even towards Heart. He doesn't really understands why it's so important to free Heart (and it's a little jealous of all the attention he's getting). He is in love with, but it's unrequited.This is how it looks in-game now:First priority tomorrow will be to introduce the R3 in the intro and to polish the already written dialog to make sure it plays (I have around 30 lines per character written, but the triggers I have set seem off. They are not chatty enough yet). Logged

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Level 3 Re: Heart & Slash - *Now they talk...* « Reply #174 on: January 23, 2014, 06:26:08 AM » Weekly Progress Update (3 of ?):



Ok, so this is an early one. I used the new dialog system to make the game's intro a little bit more involved. It's still SUPER WIP though. But it's a framework from which to build new scenes.



This is how it looks:







Sorry, no GIF since it is way too long and goes waaaay over 5 megs.



Next step (done today or Monday the latest): use the dialog code to include in-game tutorials... Logged

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Juan Raigada









Level 3 Re: Heart & Slash - *Now they talk...* « Reply #177 on: January 23, 2014, 11:47:50 AM » Weekly Progress Update (4 of ?):



Ok, so tutorials are in. Right now I have only two, but the system is expandable AND easy to use.











Next week (tomorrow I might spend my time merging the code so I can have a full C# project -I have been coding this in javascript-) I will finish all the basic tutorials and polish a little bit more the movement of the little helpers (they collide with the environment too much now). That and a better paced intro with a little bit more of dialog.



That's the framework for a playable. After that some polishing and bugfixing and a release... Ok, so tutorials are in. Right now I have only two, but the system is expandable AND easy to use.Next week (tomorrow I might spend my time merging the code so I can have a full C# project -I have been coding this in javascript-) I will finish all the basic tutorials and polish a little bit more the movement of the little helpers (they collide with the environment too much now). That and a better paced intro with a little bit more of dialog.That's the framework for a playable. After that some polishing and bugfixing and a release... Logged

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