Progress...

[Liazon]

coolness! i've been waiting for updates

[Art_of_camelot]

I just happend upon your YOUTUBE trailer of this and i have to say I was really impressed . The gameplay looks really fun and it moves very smoothly. Is this still being worked on atm or is it on hold until sonic is done?

[DigiTan]

Yeah, it's still ongoing. Most of it's slowed down this month due to me filming a Cheap Kills montage for Tribes. Lately (the past year of programming) I've been running low on RAM for the TI-82 version. I was hoping to have a TI-84+ by now to speed things up, but it will be at least another month before I get one. I looks more like I'll have to make two completely different versions for those models instead of just a port like originally planned.

Probably when I get a job offer I go back to working on it a few hours a week like before. Luckily, the remaining 2 levels are planned out more or less and I just need to keep it all under the RAM limit.

[Liazon]

cool! glad to here there's still progress.

are you going to go w/ an app for the 83+/84+? you'll probably still require a lot of free ram for speed, but it'll probably be all worth it. Can't wait though.

[Art_of_camelot]

Very glad to hear, cant wait to see it when it's done.

[DigiTan]

Well, since there hasn't been much substantial progress for past few weeks, I'll go ahead and post the titlescreen.


This is the titlescreen for non-flash calc version. Namely TI-82 for now. As far as the storyline goes, the mountain range in the background is the vast area between GRAND GROVE and CALDERA. If the setting looks familar, it's very similar to the flight out of the Marble Garden range of Sonic 3.

Loading Games
This is even more direct than in Robot War 1. All you do is move the arrow up or down to G1, G2, or G3...

• Your current location: Oceanside, Grand Grove, Caldera, or others is shown in place of "(empty slot)."
  
• Then you've got your elapsed time in HH:MM'SS" format.
  
• And finally you can see your character level.
  

After that you just press 2ND to join the action!

[elfprince13]

hey, cool! good work.

[Art_of_camelot]

Looks nice, I like the scrolling background going on behind the menu.

[Liazon]

nice!

do you see the whole scrolling screen before you press anything to select a file?

[DigiTan]

This image is always obscured but there is a side-scrolling minigame that involves the same backdrop. I might also try doing a few more backdrops if a get the hang of multi-page apps.

[DigiTan]

Here's a preview of the new scoring system in action.

• From now on, enemies will have a health bar with 1-5 HP pips.
  
• Each attack has a 1% - 99% chance of destroying 1 pip.
  
• The stronger you are compared to the your enemy, the better your odds are.
  

This guy looses part of his shield when you score a hit.

[Liazon]

that's amazing.

you probably should have demonstrated the ranged attacks too. are those still in? I remember seeing them in one of the earlier trailers.

[elfprince13]

great work Digi!

[DigiTan]

Yep. Ranged attacks work the same way, with a few added bonuses:

• They come in clusters of 2, 3, or 4 - depending on your character. So you can win in a fraction of the time.
  
• Some like fire and metal linger on-screen a short while to damage enemies that wander by
  
• Each type has unique movement (bubbles float, fire arcs, wind revolves around you)
  

Here's the latest profiles in my programming journal...

WATER
Orbs of water drift upward at a low speed. This flight path makes it effective against flying or jumping enemies, but less useful against ground targets.

FIRE
A fireball is thrown, striking enemies in visual range. Fire's arcing path can strike both air and ground targets, making it a good all-around attack. You can extend your range by jumping as you attack

METAL
Edgar hurls a Shuriken at amazing speed. They take on a perfectly straight and long path that can hit enemies that are well beyond visual range.

WIND
Slashes are thrown in a revolving pattern, providing protection in 4 directions. This move causes Edgar to automatically jump if he is on the ground. Once airborne, Edgar can also fly for a limited distance.

EARTH
A boulder is hurled at the enemy in an arcing path. Unlike other attacks, boulders become a part of the landscape. This can create barriers or slow down most land-based enemies. If you leave the area, the landscape returns to normal.

[Super Speler]

That looks wonderful!

[TheStorm]

[bananaman]

um, yeah

I'm speechless.

[Liazon]

o.o coolness. on top of that, is the color system also in effect, or was that just the original game only?

[DigiTan]

Yep, it's still here. At the start of any game, you can choose red, yellow, green, blue, or white. Then once your earn an elemental skill, one of these will replace a normal ranged attack depending on that color.

SHIELD (replaces WATER)
Edgar creates a revolving shield of water to repel attackers. It's always in effect.

BLAZE (replaces FIRE)
Edgar flies like a bullet toward enemies with a 100% damage chance.

MISSILES (replaces METAL)
[Top secret!]

FLIGHT (replaces WIND)
Edgar can fly at high speed. It is harmless, but good for traveling quickly.

STATUE (replaces EARTH)
[Top secret!]

...If you decide to change your color choice, you can cash in your skill points (the musical notes) to trade in a new replacement. You can even choose to have no replacement at all. It's very expensive though! :biggrin:

One major change is that favorite color choice no longer affects your stat growth. Those are completely decided by your diet.

[Art_of_camelot]

I have a couple of questions and comments; If you have a skill are you unable to use any ranged attack? What determines what range attack you have normally anyways? Also, I think having stat growth influenced by skill choice is an interesting idea. It allows you to influence character growth based on playing style(assuming that is that the chosen skill directly influced a similar stat. IE- shield would influence defence and possibly weaken attack power, blaze would increase accuracy but weaken power, flight would increas speed or evasion and weaken hp ect... just possible speculation/thoughts)