So it's been a while NG. Sorry about that. Lots of "real world" things that are getting in the way of my masterpiece. Before I talk about that, though, let's cover what's been done and what's left to do before MMX RPG Chapter 2 is ready for launch.
- BATTLE ENGINE: The engine is FINALLY finished. It's a touch of WoW, old school FF, and Breath of Fire all rolled into one. The challenge I found in developing this new system was in how to convert the massive amount of information available to the player into a clean, cohesive interface. The extra complexity in the game made this overhaul an absolute must, since fights (specifically boss encounters) require some deep levels of strategy.
- ITEMS/WEAPONS: Chapter 1 had approximately 25 items and 75 pieces of equipment; Chapter 2 has approximately 80 items and 350 pieces of equipment. Much of the equipment can be bought at a store, but a variety of the new weapons must be created. That brings me to...
- BUILD SHOPS: By collecting SCHEMATICS scattered throughout the game, you'll be able to create new items and equipment. Winning battles automatically produces SCRAP, and scrap will allow you to create new stuff. The only thing I need now are some weapon descriptions. IF ANYBODY IS CREATIVELY UP FOR THIS TASK, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!
- IMPROVED INTERFACES (all around): I've spent most of my time improving and fixing the glitches people reported in Chapter 1. I've nailed about 99% of them and made some much needed adjustments.
- NEW PLAYABLE CHARACTERS: Dynamo and Sigma are intricate to the storyline in Chapter 2, bringing the total cast of playable characters to 5. Speaking of which...
- NEW PLATFORMING ENGINE: So admittedly, I was never really satisfied with my original platforming engine. It was glitchy. Inconsistant. And you couldn't wall jump. Well guess what: that has all been added. Wall climbing and double jumping ARE BACK BABY! Whoo!! And it's silky smooth. I redid the entire engine from scratch, so now it plays like a Megaman game should.
So that's all the things that have been accomplished. I still need to do the following things:
- REDO THE ANIMATION:Chapter 1 was, in my opinion, great, but not very efficient when it comes to memory storage. A lot of this was because how the character animation was done. I've fiqured out a method that lets me animate the same character with the same amount of detail at only 1/4 the memory usage, but it also means I have to redo all the animation. Its a gigantic pain in the ass, and it's unfortunately going to take me weeks to complete.
- REDO THE EFFECTS:Same as the characters. If anybody wants to help me in this department, I could really use it. Things like fireballs and explosions and the like.
- REDO THE SOUND:Thankfully, I don't have to redo all of them. I've though about doing some voicework for this version, but that ultimately comes down to how much space I have left after everything is said and done.
- CUTSCENES: Okay, so I'm not an animator, but I could really use the help of an animator in creating story cut scenes. Or at least somebody who can draw so we can fill the story with pictures and text. If there's no volunteer, I'll figure something around that. But still, an animator would be great...
- LEVEL DESIGNS/STORY:Once the animation and everything else is complete, I'm going to really start hammering out this story. Needless to say, it'll be less ridiculous then FFXIII. Which probably isn't saying much. Seriously - Lighting is a female version Cloud; Vanille is a stereotypical Japanese female teenager; Snow is whinnier/brawnier version of Tidus, and Hope is an emo/younger version of Squall. Godamnit Squareenix, my patience for your predictable stock characters is running thin.
Anyways, that's all for now. LET ME KNOW IF YOU CAN HELP!
mloloya1
I'll be more than happy to assist with spellchecking/grammar/etc.
Email is mloloya1atgmail.com
Everyone is also wondering if you are still alive :(