Bale dev log

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TMC
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Post by TMC »

If you did want to use those zones more heavily, the way your script is written, it only checks the first zone, which would disallow overlapping zones for other purposes. Very easy to fix by wrapping it in a for loop.

Safe zones is an interesting idea! However you need to set an upper limit on how high the counter can be, and I think normally that upper limit should be something low so that it only avoids a few battles .... however since you have a setting to disable random formations altogether I guess there's not much to worry about. The upper limit acts like a timer, how long before random battles start to occur after you leave town; something like that would be most interesting in a survival game.
Dotting them all over the place seems like a bad idea, would be easily abused (in a regular JRPG).

Items to avoid certain enemies would also be really neat. Would those formations be replaced with something else, or would it cause the total battle rate to decrease? Both seem reasonable.
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guo
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Post by guo »

Experimenting with battle systems.

Experiment #43:

The random encounter system was ok but it didn't fit with the type of maps and enemies I have designed. For now I have gone back to hand scripting events with some light respawning and randomisation. It feels right.

That isn't to say, however, that I've scrapped the random encounter system altogether. It will act as a secondary encounter system, where spirits break through from another realm to attack you. The idea you put out there about the safe zones and upper limit on the encounter rate would work well with this system, and the player can equip items to avoid/increase the chance of certain encounters, lower (or increase) the encounter rate, and even consumables that reset the battle counter. The "random encounter table" pulled on would be universal, with additions based on where the player is situated, which characters the player has killed, etc.
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Gizmog
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Post by Gizmog »

Is the current build (012a) over after the battle with the giant worm? I went back north through the gate and found a broken save spring, a broken door, and then another door that worked, but took me to a green cliffy area where nothing seemed to happen. Is that the end for now?
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guo
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Post by guo »

Indeedily doodily. I should really get to uploading a more recent demo.

*The "green cliffy area" is actually close to being completed now, and several new quests implemented. An entire, large new area is currently being put together based on maps I have pencilled.

*I'm currently working on mapping as much as possible before I even begin adding new quests, dialogue, interactions etc, as I feel it will make the whole process more efficient in the long run. For example, there are questlines that span multiple areas but I don't want to put them together piecemeal as I go. Unfortunately this means that updates may be few and far between for quite some time.

*I have a new job and I am working far more hours than I ever have in my life, so I don't have as much time to work on things as before. Having said that, progress is steady and gradual.

*I appreciate the review marionline posted - and I'll take the feedback into consideration. xx

I'll attach a couple of screenshots for your viewing pleasure. Please note these are still WIP, there is still so much detail to be added.
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TMC
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Post by TMC »

It's a very good idea to have an 'end of demo' message.

Looks great!
In that third screenshot the cliffs (specifically the bright vertical parts) look strange; I don't know how to read them. However, the diagonal cliff edges definitely look a lot better than jagged square edges, especailly as in the 2nd screenshot. It would be good to use them everywhere as appropriate
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guo
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Post by guo »

Sure, it's a rudimentary crack in the ground. I have been experimenting and found a better way to represent that though. I agree with the diagonal cliff edges.

Thanks for the feedback.
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TMC
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Post by TMC »

Ah. Also, what's with the isolated tiles of 2x2 stones? Are they meant to be all that remains of a large ancient tiled floor area? I assume this is just unfinished, because there's no blending between stone and dirt.

Heh, on closer inspection I see that the hero's pet is a snake. I have thought it was a small dog.
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guo
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Post by guo »

*A new dungeon with puzzles, enemies, a little dialogue and some fluff. Also a reward...

*Teleportals, that allow fast travel to locations previously visited.

*Random encounters have been fully scripted, with an easy to use template ready to go for future maps.
-Walking in certain areas will increase the likelihood of an enemy spawning
-The enemy is an NPC using the nifty new "chase you" behaviour, and triggers a randomized battle on touch
-The spawn point & enemy typed spawned differs depending on the player's location

*A large city has been built in the new area

*Blocking out scenes and dialogue continues, with branching choices making sure this step takes a lot longer than the others

*Current aim is to have a feature rich and well polished demo released by this year's end
Last edited by guo on Tue Aug 01, 2017 10:08 am, edited 2 times in total.
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TMC
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Post by TMC »

Ah, neat; plenty of progress!

So you finally have enemy encounters finished to your satisfaction? While a spawned enemy is chasing after you, can more enemies be spawned? In other words, if you try to evade it by running through dangerous areas will you only make things worse? Or is the player paused until they reach you (which would avoid a lot of odd consequences like that)?

A large city? Will this city will full of NPCs and so forth, or is it scenery?
Last edited by TMC on Wed Aug 02, 2017 11:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
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guo
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Post by guo »

*Yes, more enemies can be spawned if you are being chased. I did have a way to prevent this, but I thought it was more fun to escalate the tension. The new pathfinding algorithms make things really interesting, and I have built maps with this feature in mind.

*The city is ruined, but explorable. There will be some NPCs and a few quest chains, a small hub like area and 2 large plot-relevant "dungeons" as well as several lesser.
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guo
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Post by guo »

*Resprited Ghuls
*Content
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TMC
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Post by TMC »

So, I actually got around to playing Bale for the OHR Essentials recently (so many games on my back-log...), and really loved it. It does so much well, in particular ambient sound and great story to create an intruiging atmosphere, which I really care for. Although, because I was trying to play through lots of different games, I didn't play until the end of the demo and haven't gone back yet. It seems like there's a lot of stuff that hasn't been released in the last demo? Are you still planning another demo around the end of this year?
Last edited by TMC on Sat Oct 28, 2017 11:49 am, edited 2 times in total.
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guo
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Post by guo »

Sure am! Just put together a playtest type thing for a couple of friends to try. It's horribly incomplete, some areas are bare bones and there no doubt plenty of bugs but it's getting there. I want to try to get a "complete" demo out by early 2018.

Thanks for the kind words! Have a "Ghul Dominatrix", she is available for playdates and bar mitzvahs.
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Post by guo »

A little behind on releasing the demo. I anticipate end of March. We have had some issues with staff at work, and I had to step up to the plate for alot of the past couple months, but things appear to be back to normal now.
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guo
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Post by guo »

Gonna try and update this more regularly, though I'm off to TRANSYLVANIA in a couple weeks so there may be a bit of a hiatus on development.

Among many many things added recently:
*New XP/levelling system
*New and improved animations, making feedback in combat less chaotic and more readable
*Story advancement
*Quests, including sidequests
*Conversations & new characters
*Cutscenes
*Fullscreen images for certain scenes, made by an artist friend of mine
*Trading (sort of)
*Filling in of areas with interesting events and interactions
*Lore & flavour text
To do in near future:
*Overhaul magic/casting system
*More content & incentive for exploration
*More interaction with characters & environment
*Secrets
*Sound & music
*Bestiary
Getting closer and closer to demo status. Much of the next big hub area is already mapped out and planned, and you can in fact reach it to walk around but it's barebones as is. Still, it will be easy to move into the next phase of development once the first "chapter" is complete and polished.
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