Greetings again,
I've started work on a new game inspired by my own work on the 'maze' game competition (which I may decide to not enter my entry in the end anyway - even though I'm happy with it)
This game is a party based rogue-like rpg sort of thing where you have a randomly generated team of 4 characters and can visit towns, dungeons and so on.
Towns have shops such as:
1. Shops for buying equipment
2. Libraries for buying magic spells
3. Taverns for hiring replacement team members
4. Temples for curing diseases, healing illnesses and so on.
Dungeons come in two flavours:
Quest dungeons and non quest dungeons.
Non Quest dungeons are 'at the level of the player' and reset after being cleared after a time.
Quest dungeons related to the main quest which is:
....rescue the 'Young Prince' from the evil Liche who has kidnapped him.
So the gameplay will be that the player moves around a map, fights monsters and clears out dungeons to level up, does stuff in towns to assist them, and reaches sufficient power/level to fight against the 3 boss monsters around the map.
here is a screenshot of development so far
(https://www.syntaxbomb.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mattiesgames.com%2Fgfx%2Fyp01.jpg&hash=92a77f8b3474a8bc964c43b0a6f91899987a7923)
http://www.mattiesgames.com/youngprince/ (http://www.mattiesgames.com/youngprince/)
...and you can see the map as a whole here (no user interaction beyond the first click)
Town backdrop...buildings to be placed in foreground.
(https://www.syntaxbomb.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mattiesgames.com%2Fart%2F2018p200.jpg&hash=52c68685ba7de14259665204efb0213248db4b36)
Buttons and modified button class to stop repeating code all the way through my process...
(https://www.syntaxbomb.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mattiesgames.com%2Fgfx%2Fyp02.jpg&hash=dc8b456edb1c1016b9f381c104c1f3c668fafc18)
New button code is this:
function domode(mode)
{
var lrvalue = true;
//various actions in here
return lrvalue;
}
function dobutton(cat,mode,sx,sy,fx,fy,text,font,clr)
{
var lrvalue = false;
drawimage(images[cat].img,(sx+fx)/2,(sy+fy)/2,0,1,1,0,0,0,1,0);
drawtext((sx+fx)/2,(sy+fy)/2,text,clr,font,true);
if(mouse.x>=sx && mouse.x<=fx && mouse.y>=sy && mouse.y<=fy)
{
mouseover = true;
mouseimg = cat;
mouseimgx = (sx+fx)/2;
mouseimgy = (sy+fy)/2;
if(mouse.clicked!=mouse.oclicked && mouse.clicked==false)
{
mouse.oclicked=false;
lrvalue = domode(mode);
}
}
return lrvalue;
}
A number of interfaces created based off a standard template.....
(https://www.syntaxbomb.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mattiesgames.com%2Fgfx%2Fyp03.jpg&hash=9b887083743823c092cd19ed65909b1ab5036745)
nice grey and good contrast with purple.
but...
beware of using "a button" for a title as it looks like a button. think clarity and consistency.
check out this sort of thing for ideas. I'm not saying the colors /look is any better or worse, but you at least know what is clickable :) . or google rpg game ui
(https://www.syntaxbomb.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.evilsystem.eu%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2F3323304d60e20ff95b8f08308c67b22f.jpg&hash=3816f283abb0b5d454341c5eb5399487dc590624)
@ IWasAdam
nice GUI template you've "promoted" here - albeit it does look "fixed resolution" (button design should be ninepatch based). But also this has issues - look at the "item shop window". Bottom right has the "money area" - and designwise you should never go above 999 Euro (else it wont fit into the circle). Prices for items suggest 200 - so I assume a 4 digit amount of money should be possible.
Also some decorative elements are a bit "blurry" (window decoration) compared to the grainy-look of the circular-buttons.
Aside of that nitpicking it looks pretty cool and I saved that for checking it out later on (eg. painting similar stuff in photoshop to "learn" something out of it).
@ Matty
Do not forget to _center_ your button texts in a "correct" manner. Your text alignment seems to take letters below "baseline" into account. So a "gqp" has 3 letters cutting the baseline. Nonetheless you should only center for text not doing this. means: measure the height of "ABCD" (not Q - as it cuts the baseline) and you get the height of a "standard text". Use this to align your text then (text.Y = button.y + 0.5*(buttonheight - ABCDheight)). For text blocks (eg quest texts) the line height to use of course should be based on a different text to measure - eg. "Qq'_" so it contains one of the "most often" very "at the top" character, and the ones cutting the baseline the most. If you would always align according to the really used texts, the line height would be varying - and no, using a "max(lineHeights)" approach would not work as it leads to little "jumping" if you once replace the text (eg other tooltip content).
bye
Ron
@ Derron.
Yep. it's not mine, but just something that I could link to easily ;)
It's definitely not perfect, but gives an 'idea' of possibly how to approach things.
I think with a little encouragement Matty can take a concept and make it into his own style :)
Getting a bit further...time to sleep.....
(https://www.syntaxbomb.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mattiesgames.com%2Fgfx%2Fyp04.jpg&hash=dfbe36ea7aae938769a8077f87c5ca5dee84e64c)
Attached my development notes as I go.
More notes this morning
Quests added (code for it)
Overland map works too
(https://www.syntaxbomb.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mattiesgames.com%2Fgfx%2Fyp05.jpg&hash=5e3689ff7f3749e12b0631f88818f693d89c3e74)
(https://www.syntaxbomb.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mattiesgames.com%2Fgfx%2Fyp06.jpg&hash=86d19dfe48cc8e75e0e876d0d274b429ae3fe303)
And to show I have not forgotten the 'maze' theme.......
(https://www.syntaxbomb.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mattiesgames.com%2Fgfx%2Fyp07.jpg&hash=dea7529ad890af342ba573bb6db957e330d269ca)
Nice style you have going on there, I like it :)
Attached below....screenshot from phone with some enemies in one of the mazes.
Some nice ideas and isometric games can be cool...But have you ever thought of buying in some art or moving away from the graphics tablet? IMO the graphics need a sharpness and especially detail. Graphics tablets can give a painterly look, but I don't think that suits small sharp detailed sprites - which the game requires.
You can do pixel art with a graphics tablet too - just depends on the software.
I prefer to use the tablet for "texture painting".
BTW I go d'accord with Steve's opinion about the sprites lacking certain details (maybe because of scaling them down). Just look how isometric tiles of the 90s-pixel-era look (Civ2 et.al.).
If you want to stay with that painted-look you might consider to draw in a vector programme. This allows to adjust stuff here and there without much hassle - and it keeps details better when scaling down.
@ text alignment
Seems to be still borked up (cut baseline!).
bye
Ron
The only way that is going to work is if I pay a graphic artist. Pre made asset packs wont have what I want.
Maybe my taste is wrong/different but I love the look I've got going.
Whiteboard notes next tasks..prioritised..
Title page
Game now has secret corridors full of treasure. Different floor tiles. 3 groups of monsters. Monsters come in multiple layers like the players to allow a variety of combinations of enemies.
Eg layers like this
(https://www.syntaxbomb.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mattiesgames.com%2Fyoungprince%2Fmedia%2Fskeleton.png&hash=6ad9d6dbe13069b1b59c424eff574a1949d59a5b)
(https://www.syntaxbomb.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mattiesgames.com%2Fyoungprince%2Fmedia%2Fskeletonrottenarmour.png&hash=82d396cecff7de8d258a711c57232b9546986727)
(https://www.syntaxbomb.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mattiesgames.com%2Fyoungprince%2Fmedia%2Fskeletonarmourshield.png&hash=dbe471e4a279fcd786c14cee52d46083dbede2a7)
(https://www.syntaxbomb.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mattiesgames.com%2Fyoungprince%2Fmedia%2Fskeletonspear.png&hash=fe9090dfe9e1ddddf0d88518eeacd64f5028270a)
First quest created (code works - no idea if balanced yet!)
Bug fixes, features added, graphics added (there are now 4 different 'groups' or 'mobs' of monster types....
Quest below:
(https://www.syntaxbomb.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mattiesgames.com%2Fgfx%2Fyp09.jpg&hash=a46bf2f3555b0eb509da444bd2f70660776f1e63)
'The Skeleton Captain'
(https://www.syntaxbomb.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mattiesgames.com%2Fgfx%2Fyp10.jpg&hash=539f7512abdd72e1e4d0b75d4550d1d654264802)
Hi Matty, I like where you are going with this, I think the style is good, what language are you programming in? Keep up the good work.
Thanks Michael. Javascript is the language used - for web. I pike that because I can then run on either my phone, tablet or desktop without any changes.
Tutorial mode added - it's pretty straight forward game already but it makes it that little bit easier to follow...
High level characters ... and a dark elf...
(https://www.syntaxbomb.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mattiesgames.com%2Fgfx%2Fyp11.jpg&hash=85be1a2162d9b35ffebbd940a954ffa7e4749cd0)
Music added and health bars above enemies as well....two music tracks - one for the dungeon, another for everywhere else.
A few other little tidbits here and there to help out the game a bit more.
(https://www.syntaxbomb.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mattiesgames.com%2Fgfx%2Fyp14.jpg&hash=24e381da035ec19e72ebb7bfa6aeb7f858592efb)
I completed the final boss dungeon (playing).
However as designed the game allows you to continue on after defeating the boss.
I won't have time before the competition is over but I would have liked to have some more features yet to be investigated.
The music is quite nice though.
Two Maps (high res and low res)
Low Res
(https://www.syntaxbomb.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mattiesgames.com%2Fgfx%2Fyp16.jpg&hash=0d810571217a611133a130fdf15e9349bce27dac)
Hi Res
(https://www.syntaxbomb.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mattiesgames.com%2Fgfx%2Fyp17.jpg&hash=de5015ec8a39e2b00973de9ee6c2c10a7d36d57b)
Ok, so I gave it a whirl.
Cool, has a tutorial.
Hmm, tutorial has some unobtrusive "hand cursor"-thing. Oh, it moved already, where is it now? Maybe it is too unobtrusive.
Tutorial has sent me to a dungeon. I went into the dungeon - and the tutorial-cursor was where - I clicked and left the dungeon, hmm cursor wants me to enter again. Seems the tutorial-cursor should ont be visible in that area for the time exploring the dungeon.
Ok, moved my party - movement was "sudden" (so not smoothly transitioning to the next tile). Tiles appeared and disappeared "out of the sudden" - no smooth scrolling.
In short: this map behaviour looks "80s". I would prefer to see stuff smoothly scroll (with smooth I do not necessarily mean "linear", you couls "swoop" them in too).
in the dungeon of the tutorial(!) I found a treasure - and I found a mob, the mob killed the first of my party without loosing worth-to-mention HP (I clicked on him like a beast!). Then the mob killed the next and the next - only one was left, who killed the enemy with 2 hits (or so). He killed also another 2 mobs - but then 2 others attacked simultaneously and "start screen".
I felt a bit "kicked in the ass" by a "tutorial". A "tutorial" which is where (good thing) but it does not help when during character "preparation" you just popup a text-field "reroll". You should give more textual hints on why things happen.
During the first fight/encounter you could inform the player on what to do.
So for now I put the game aside as the visual appearance (tile movement, not your drawings!) and the (my fault ;-)) miserably failed tutorial put my motivation to the ground.
bye
Ron
i like your original art, and i had a similar idea to make random characters using bodyparts and clothparts and armorparts and weapons, but imo the gameplay is really boring (all looks automated and the player is like a spectator)
maybe play a few games like baldur's gate, shining force, diablo, arcanum/fallout, heroquest, to get some ideas about fun captivating gameplay... (imo)
From feedback I've decided to remake the game into more of an 'action' game with some differences ... version 2 of the game.....
A number of people suggested continuing working on this...I'm going to do so...just might take it in a slightly different direction to improve on it...(there are also other forums where I received useful feedback too)
Link to my thoughts on the next stage of development.
http://www.concavetales.com/exercises/?page=4635 (http://www.concavetales.com/exercises/?page=4635p)
imo : focus on creating a fun addictive gameplay first, and focus on the animations / sounds / special effects / HUD / menus only when you think it is worth going further.
animation is really a time consuming process, whether it is 2D or 3D...