Firstly, I'm sorry I didn't make a post last night but I find when I get back to my accommodation from home I'm usually really tired and find writing something like this really hard. In the future I might make my weekly posts on another day, maybe.
I've been making progress with a variety of things really. I have an interview for a placement next year which, if successful, means I can work and continue to live in Sheffield, which is a really nice city to live in. I've been making some progress on Revolver with attempting to add in a trait system, which has broken the path finding. Oh and it doesn't actually work yet. So, yay. I'll get around it all in due time, I'm pretty good with this sort of thing so I'm not phased, I just hope it isn't going to take too long because I'd hate to get bored with this project as I'm learning lots of new stuff from it.
Lore writing is still going on steadily with another races timeline being began. It's actually really fun to shape how a race develops based on a mixture of chance events, location, culture and what are basically great persons; heroes and villains. I'll be posting a little section for the initial human and another races timeline next week so you can have an idea of what I'm going for.
I'm a shite artist. I can draw but it's not the sort of thing I'd want to actually present and usually it just serves to remind myself what a particular thing should look like. I'm good at making symbols, I've made a particular races representation of base 8 at some-point among a whole host of other symbols representing magical stuff and factions, but as a whole drawing people or places is something I suck at. So I'm asking any and every artist I know if they would like to take a crack at taking these places, races and other things I've created and manifesting them as actual viewable objects rather than just descriptions. I have basic ideas for how most are meant but there will be a pretty good margin of creative licence for whoever wants to help. If you do want to help just contact me by my email: BeauZStanton@gmail.com or twitter which, as usual will be posted below.
That's all I've got for today folks.
-Beau
twitter.com/Bocodillo
Monday 23 February 2015
Sunday 15 February 2015
Build One World, Conquer Another
This week I've mostly been working on creating a coherent timeline for my world and tweaking what I've got with Revolver. On the Revolver front I've got a few new features like improved spawning and a working XP/Perk system; kill enough enemies and you can choose from 1 of 3 perks with the XP requirement increasing slightly each time. Eventually it's going to be 1 of 2 out of 6 total and it's going to be random which 2, but little steps for now.
What I'm working on next is what I'm calling a trait system. In between waves of mooks the player will have a break where they can pick from a selection of "traits". These traits will also be randomly generated but unlike the perks, which will only last the length of the wave and offer small buffs to keep the player going, these traits are permanent for the players current playthrough and many have both upsides and downsides. I'm going to make some of them simple but effective buffs and some should hopefully change the way the game is played. It's come a long way from my original idea and while it still has a while to go I'm learning cool new stuff and finding the whole project fun to make, which counts for something I guess.
Other than that I've been continuing on with Tom Francis' tutorials after taking a break from them and good god are those so damn informative. I'm learning so much not only about the Game Maker environment but loads of neat game dev tricks that I can use in so many different games. As stated at the top I've also been working on something I've been putting off for too long.
Making a coherent and above all interesting timeline spanning about 6000 (Earth?) years for multiple races is, for use of a better term, BALLS HARD. OK, so I'm probably over exaggerating but it is at least time consuming and requires a lot of forethought and research. I've got a bookmark folder full of governmental systems, types of religions and all the different varieties of geographic landscapes. I'm certainly learning a lot of stuff about a lot of things and honestly enjoying it, but jeez this is going to take some time. On the up side once I'm done it will be so much easier to use this setting in future projects, which has been the goal all along.
Ever wanted to see what you'd be like as a world leader? Try Civilisation V. This is one of those games that I pick up once every 6 months or so, play a long game, enjoy every minute of it and then forget about. In Civ V you get to pick one of a huge list of historical figures ranging from Gandhi to George Washington and begin building an empire. Unlike many other games a military victory is just one of many achievable and the game really balances the pros and cons to going on a murder spree. Often I find I'll pick a leader aiming for one particular victory type and circumstances change how I actually play the game. One minute I'm expanding my religion and influence and the next I'm gearing up for a war my ally got himself into (fucking Napoleon).
Gameplay is turn based and the game takes place on a hex grid. You start with a warrior unit and a settler and from their your empire rises. Build buildings in your cities to gain resources produce units to conquer your foes or spread religion. Explore far away lands and build alliances, honestly I can't do this game justice because explaining how deep this game goes would take too long. If you like strategies and diplomacy grab Civ V the next time it is on a Steam sale and trust me you'll have a good time.
-Beau
twitter.com/Bocodillo
What I'm working on next is what I'm calling a trait system. In between waves of mooks the player will have a break where they can pick from a selection of "traits". These traits will also be randomly generated but unlike the perks, which will only last the length of the wave and offer small buffs to keep the player going, these traits are permanent for the players current playthrough and many have both upsides and downsides. I'm going to make some of them simple but effective buffs and some should hopefully change the way the game is played. It's come a long way from my original idea and while it still has a while to go I'm learning cool new stuff and finding the whole project fun to make, which counts for something I guess.
Other than that I've been continuing on with Tom Francis' tutorials after taking a break from them and good god are those so damn informative. I'm learning so much not only about the Game Maker environment but loads of neat game dev tricks that I can use in so many different games. As stated at the top I've also been working on something I've been putting off for too long.
Making a coherent and above all interesting timeline spanning about 6000 (Earth?) years for multiple races is, for use of a better term, BALLS HARD. OK, so I'm probably over exaggerating but it is at least time consuming and requires a lot of forethought and research. I've got a bookmark folder full of governmental systems, types of religions and all the different varieties of geographic landscapes. I'm certainly learning a lot of stuff about a lot of things and honestly enjoying it, but jeez this is going to take some time. On the up side once I'm done it will be so much easier to use this setting in future projects, which has been the goal all along.
Ever wanted to see what you'd be like as a world leader? Try Civilisation V. This is one of those games that I pick up once every 6 months or so, play a long game, enjoy every minute of it and then forget about. In Civ V you get to pick one of a huge list of historical figures ranging from Gandhi to George Washington and begin building an empire. Unlike many other games a military victory is just one of many achievable and the game really balances the pros and cons to going on a murder spree. Often I find I'll pick a leader aiming for one particular victory type and circumstances change how I actually play the game. One minute I'm expanding my religion and influence and the next I'm gearing up for a war my ally got himself into (fucking Napoleon).
Gameplay is turn based and the game takes place on a hex grid. You start with a warrior unit and a settler and from their your empire rises. Build buildings in your cities to gain resources produce units to conquer your foes or spread religion. Explore far away lands and build alliances, honestly I can't do this game justice because explaining how deep this game goes would take too long. If you like strategies and diplomacy grab Civ V the next time it is on a Steam sale and trust me you'll have a good time.
-Beau
twitter.com/Bocodillo
Sunday 8 February 2015
My Second Game, Kinda.
As stated last week I started work on a game I'm currently calling Revolver. Starting with the idea of tension and only having six bullets I've expanded it into a little wave survival game which, while still in progress, is quickly expanding into a fun little game. At the moment a perk system is being built which is going to be the crux around which the game is being built. Picking the right perks at the right times is going to be how a good player survives. Hopefully. The game is going to be intentionally too hard to begin with but as the player continues on and gets these perks, among other bonuses maybe, the player is going to be on a more even footing with the eldritch abominations that they are going to deal with.
I'm actually making this because I want to try to make a new game which builds upon what I already know but forces me to learn new skills which a should be translatable to other development environments. So far I've been working on A* pathfinding and I'm soon going to be making a proper lighting system rather than what I've currently done. At the moment I'm essentially holding up a piece of black card in front of the players view and cutting out the part where the flash-light is.
As you can see it looks a bit barren, and the enemies look downright stupid but it's a start and in testing I have managed to terrify my friends a little so it's a good start too.
But all this aside why should you give a crap? Well, the way things are going this game will be out before I'm done with this semester of uni (probably much earlier honestly but I hate forcing arbitrary deadline upon myself) and I'll be posting it all over the place, uploading it to as many sites as will let me and making this into an official first game. The actual first was, to me at least, a test of whether the process of making games is actually enjoyable. It is, and I really recommend you give it a try if you haven't before.
Once again I'm not going to recommend anything this week. While I have been playing a couple of new games I'd rather get into the meat of them before writing anything about them. Same goes for the TV shows I've been watching. So you've got that to look forward to I guess?
-Beau
twitter.com/Bocodillo
I'm actually making this because I want to try to make a new game which builds upon what I already know but forces me to learn new skills which a should be translatable to other development environments. So far I've been working on A* pathfinding and I'm soon going to be making a proper lighting system rather than what I've currently done. At the moment I'm essentially holding up a piece of black card in front of the players view and cutting out the part where the flash-light is.
As you can see it looks a bit barren, and the enemies look downright stupid but it's a start and in testing I have managed to terrify my friends a little so it's a good start too.
But all this aside why should you give a crap? Well, the way things are going this game will be out before I'm done with this semester of uni (probably much earlier honestly but I hate forcing arbitrary deadline upon myself) and I'll be posting it all over the place, uploading it to as many sites as will let me and making this into an official first game. The actual first was, to me at least, a test of whether the process of making games is actually enjoyable. It is, and I really recommend you give it a try if you haven't before.
Once again I'm not going to recommend anything this week. While I have been playing a couple of new games I'd rather get into the meat of them before writing anything about them. Same goes for the TV shows I've been watching. So you've got that to look forward to I guess?
-Beau
twitter.com/Bocodillo
Sunday 1 February 2015
Revolvers, A Bio & Sanctum 2
I started work on another game this week entitled Revolver. It's nothing fancy but so far it's been a lot of fun and I'm already learning some cool new things like path-finding AI and lighting in Game Maker. As much as I want to now I'm going to do a full post about this soon (next week?) so I can go more in depth.
Using people as a base for characters is something else I've been working on. Here is the first bio I made, based off of a friend of mine:
"An expert blacksmith with a family tie to one of the most well-known old tribes. He spent his youth training as an apprentice blacksmith and getting himself into sticky situations in one of many adventures. In his later years he would become the heart of any community he was part of; always the one starting a song (and a rowdy one at that), or telling an epic fable, ___ was loved by all that had the honour to meet him. At the old age of 48 he is thrust into adventure one last time when a mysterious man asks about repairing an unusual sword. From here he and the mysterious man get into an adventure that helps shape the future of The United Bastion of Artefacts."
That's his bio as it currently stands and I figured I'd leave the name blank as I haven't yet decided, or technically got permission, to use real names.
If you like tower defences and first person shooters I couldn't recommend Sanctum 2 to you enough. With fun characters, difficult but not unfair game-play, a surprisingly cool story and a fantastic soundtrack to boot this is easily one of my favourite games. Sanctum 2 pits you as one of 4 core guardians (kinda 5 if you have DLC) who's job it is to protect the oxygen & energy giving cores that allow humans to inhabit the planet the game takes place in. Problem is some sort of sentient-ish fungi creatures aren't happy with the oxygen rich atmosphere and are trying to destroy all of these cores. You play level by level picking your character, 4 of several towers and 3 of many, many perks to customize your character just the way you want to. As good as this game is I must say I think the difficulty is a bit all over the place so don't worry if you get stuck on a particular level. Trying a different tactic worked well for me.
I think what I like about this game is the overall style and feel of everything. Your enemies explode, the players characters cheer and make some great comments and all of the weapons and towers are really fun to play with. The game looks great too. The graphics aren't the best ever but the clean, sleek look of the players defences against the raw natural backdrop of the world is stunning, and some of the levels/views look downright picturesque. Especially the later levels and DLC levels. I can't sing the praises of this game enough so I'll add this kick ass trailer and bid you all adieu. I'm off for some hot chocolate and to play some Sanctum 2. (I am so sorry. I couldn't help but rhyme. Something something something crime?)
Using people as a base for characters is something else I've been working on. Here is the first bio I made, based off of a friend of mine:
"An expert blacksmith with a family tie to one of the most well-known old tribes. He spent his youth training as an apprentice blacksmith and getting himself into sticky situations in one of many adventures. In his later years he would become the heart of any community he was part of; always the one starting a song (and a rowdy one at that), or telling an epic fable, ___ was loved by all that had the honour to meet him. At the old age of 48 he is thrust into adventure one last time when a mysterious man asks about repairing an unusual sword. From here he and the mysterious man get into an adventure that helps shape the future of The United Bastion of Artefacts."
That's his bio as it currently stands and I figured I'd leave the name blank as I haven't yet decided, or technically got permission, to use real names.
If you like tower defences and first person shooters I couldn't recommend Sanctum 2 to you enough. With fun characters, difficult but not unfair game-play, a surprisingly cool story and a fantastic soundtrack to boot this is easily one of my favourite games. Sanctum 2 pits you as one of 4 core guardians (kinda 5 if you have DLC) who's job it is to protect the oxygen & energy giving cores that allow humans to inhabit the planet the game takes place in. Problem is some sort of sentient-ish fungi creatures aren't happy with the oxygen rich atmosphere and are trying to destroy all of these cores. You play level by level picking your character, 4 of several towers and 3 of many, many perks to customize your character just the way you want to. As good as this game is I must say I think the difficulty is a bit all over the place so don't worry if you get stuck on a particular level. Trying a different tactic worked well for me.
I think what I like about this game is the overall style and feel of everything. Your enemies explode, the players characters cheer and make some great comments and all of the weapons and towers are really fun to play with. The game looks great too. The graphics aren't the best ever but the clean, sleek look of the players defences against the raw natural backdrop of the world is stunning, and some of the levels/views look downright picturesque. Especially the later levels and DLC levels. I can't sing the praises of this game enough so I'll add this kick ass trailer and bid you all adieu. I'm off for some hot chocolate and to play some Sanctum 2. (I am so sorry. I couldn't help but rhyme. Something something something crime?)
-Beau
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)