Artemis

It’s been a while since I posted a list of updates.  Here are some things I’ve done lately:

• Since the player can jump now (see this post), this means only one weapon can be equipped at a time – because the second mouse button is used to jump instead of attack.  This concerned me, because I was worried the player would have to constantly open the menu to switch attacks.  So, to avoid this issue, I made it so the mouse scroll wheel switches weapons, like in a FPS.  You can still use the menu, of course – but you don’t have to.  And if your mouse doesn’t have a scroll wheel, well… get one.  It’s 2009.
• The jumping will be useful for getting over holes and such, but I also wanted it to have a purpose in combat.  So, the player can now preface a ground combo with a jump attack.  Just think of fighting games, and you’ll know what I mean.  My inspiration for this came from Mortal Kombat 3 and Henry Hatsworth, so it’s a good example of influence coming from very different games.
• I added a simple world map.  This is very preliminary, but I have big plans for it: multiple zoom levels, a key, mouse dragging… basically, I’m going to include some of the interface features we’re all used to from Google maps.  It’ll be in the style of our game, of course – it’s going to be on some sort of PDA the character carries around.
• I’ve been tackling a big issue: getting the game to run full screen at any resolution and any aspect ratio.  Some of you might recall the game running with a big black border around the visible play area.  Well, that border is gone now.  Real full screen for everyone!  This means the sprites may get scaled up on your system, but it’s a subtle scaling effect that most people will never notice.  Best of all, any necessary scaling is applied when the game first starts up, so it doesn’t affect the frame rate.

Now that I’ve made changes to the way the game appears on the screen, I need to fix all of the menus.  Once I do that and test everything myself, I should be ready to release another demo version.  The maps and scenario will still be the same, but these new features make a pretty substantial upgrade IMO.  Also, I’ll probably throw in a couple of new maps to feature the 3 new enemies: bee hive, jumping rock, and knight.  There are also new accessories to equip and one new usable item (Eagle Feather; warps player to most recent save spot), so I’ll find somewhere to include them, too.

In an attempt to streamline things, I decided to remove the minigame (Puddle Quest). It was over 1,000 lines of code just for this non-essential minigame – roughly 10% of the entire source. The finished RPG will have other minigames which integrate into the gameplay better, like target practice and stuff.

Also, I started on a basic world map. It’s in a very simple form right now, but I’ll probably leave it that way for a while and come back to it later.

Next, I’m going to experiment with making the game compatible with a variety screen resolutions without putting a black border around the viewport. I’ve done this sort of thing before, hundreds of versions ago… or maybe a thousand.  Things were very different then, though.

It’s been a while, but the project is still alive. This is how things go when both of us have work, school, and other real life responsibilities…

I spent some time today refining the new jump ability. It still needs some work, but it’s getting there. The tricky part is handling what to do when the player lands on something that isn’t walkable. I’m trying to get this to feel right, but I can’t think of any other games to examine for reference. One way I could handle it would be to not let the player jump over anything that is non-walkable. However, that would make the jump ability pretty pointless!

So, here’s how I’m handling it: if the player lands in the middle of a non-walkable spot, then they get zapped back to safe land as if the jump never happened. This is like falling in the water in Mario Kart. On the other hand, if the player lands on the -edge- of a non-walkable spot, then the game “helps” the player finish the jump. For example, if you are trying to jump over a log, and you land with 2 pixels of the player’s heel on the edge of the log… then it will “help” you finish the jump over those last 2 pixels. This feels pretty natural, I think.

I still need to get the jumps to work right when the player is up on a ledge and trying to jump down below. This is tricky, because the higher elevation of ledges in this game are completely faked – it looks higher up, but the game doesn’t “know” that you are higher up.

Rhonda has been working on graphics for the upcoming swamp area. The jump ability will really work well here. I’m thinking lily pads.

Okay… I randomly decided to see what it would be like if the player could jump. Sure enough, it’s really fun. So I think we’re going to work this into the game.

That means there will be a little bit of platforming in the game. Those short ledges in the mountain area? Yeah, you can jump up those now. You can also hop over logs and stuff.

Some might say it is foolish of us to not have the design 100% prepared before coding, but I like it this way. We’re flexible, and the game keeps evolving as we try new things. We’re able to work this way because we don’t really have a deadline.

The ability to jump is going to have some implications on the control scheme, but I think it’s for the best. More on this later.

I’ve been working on items lately. When I say “items”, I’m collectively referring to the weapons, spells, armors, accessories, ammo bundles, key items, and usable items.

I coded some more accessories. Actually, that’s one aspect of the game that’s basically done now. There are 15 fully functional accessories, and I don’t think we’ll need any more than that.

I also added the Eagle Feather item tonight. It warps the player to the most recently used save spot. This will be very useful if you’re in a tough cave and need to quickly get to safety.

Next… I don’t know. We’re talking about adding a swamp area, so I might do some stuff related to that.

So the demo is out, bug reports are coming in…

And I’m working on bees!

Bees!

The graphics are preliminary, but I love these little guys.  They come out of the hive and swarm around the player.  They only take one shot each to kill, but it’s easy for the player to get overwhelmed.

You have to destroy the hive, of course.  Or you could try to run away, but that won’t always be easy.

I just updated the site with a new demo download, new screenshots, and a youtube video. It’s been about two months since the previous demo release (1507), and I’m really happy with the progress we’ve made since then. Go to the Download page to see the full list of changes in this version.

Here are some tips:

• If you’re having trouble figuring out the controls, here’s an explanation: use your keyboard’s arrow keys (or WASD) to walk, move your mouse to aim around the screen, and click the left or right mouse button to attack in the direction you are aiming. Press Esc to open the main menu.
• If you have trouble aiming, try turning on the “aim guide” in the settings menu.
• You can do a charge attack with any weapon. Simply hold the left or right mouse button for a few seconds and then release.
• Some weapons can defend against incoming projectiles. Some will even reflect projectiles back at the enemy. Practice this technique to get the timing just right.
• Defeated enemies will sometimes drop money or items. Besides money, every land-based enemy can drop two different items. The first is usually a common item like a wood arrow bundle or cure drink. The second item, which only drops rarely, is a more useful item like an elixir or new armor. Use the new enemy guide to keep track of which item drops you’re missing.
• Press F12 at any time to save a screenshot.

I’ve implemented new formulas for attack damage, MP required for spells, max HP/MP, etc. Basically, everything levels up the way it should now.

Also, I just added a Charge Bug (a color swap of the normal bug enemy) and Dark Bird (a color swap of the normal bird enemy). The Dark Bird is notable for being the first enemy to inflict magical damage on the player.

I’m going to make some new maps soon to feature these new enemies and try a few new ideas. I’ve already removed the old boss, which was just experimental anyway.

The game has working shops now! Well, you can buy from shops – you just can’t sell your items yet.

Shops can sell attacks, armors, accessories, usable items, and ammo. Each shop can sell as many as 32 items, and they may charge different prices depending on where they are in the world. The shop interface looks very similar to the inventory menus, so the player will already be familiar with browsing items this way.

I’ll probably work on various little fixes next.

The enemy guide is finished, and it’s a lot of fun to use.

Also, I just made it so the player can rearrange their inventory by dragging cards around. This will be helpful later in the game when you have a lot of items, because you’ll be able to put your most frequently used items at the top of the list. Or you could arrange them however you want, really. This arrangement will be remembered when you save your game.

I’m thinking about putting in an auto-arrange button which would put things in a default order (probably alphabetical). I’m not sure if it’s needed, though – there aren’t that many items.

I still have to fix new item pickups. As of right now, they wind up in the middle of the inventory. I want them to automatically be placed at the end of the inventory, if it’s something the player doesn’t already have.