X-Bomber v068 Onwards Devlog - Please comment!!

A forum for discussion of Crash's retro-style arcade game based on Star Fleet
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Crash
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X-Bomber v068 Onwards Devlog - Please comment!!

Post by Crash »

OK - It's been quite a while since my last post on this. We're not a million miles away from X-Bomber v0.68.I realised today that I must have compiled the last version (0.64) with a really old version of Multimedia Fusion. It seemed perfectly stable to me when I tested it but any problems that people might have had can probably be put down to that. I mustn't have updated Multimedia Fusion after I installed it when I got my notebook back from its screen repair - my bad. The next one will be compiled with the right Runtime version, promise.I've been having great fun building a new transforming robot for Mission 12's Boss.http://www.xbomber.co.uk/iv/#/content/A ... ll.pngI've also been trying to work out how to let players remap the buttons on Gamepads as well as just the keyboard. The only apparent solution to that is gonna need a major retcon on the game's engine and to the options menu. Therefore, seeing as we're not far from the next release anyway I'll leave that until maybe v0.76 or whatever. I do intend to put it in at some point but I'm not about to pull apart an engine that is nearly ripe for release.A futher item to be included with future versions is proper 2-4 player.In multiplayer the main game engine will be de-activated and a 2-player engine will kick-in.To balance things out the 2-player ships will be much simpler with [up,down,left,right] and 4 fire buttons.There will be a broad selection of multiplayer ships, that will be less powerful than X-Bomber and Dai-X because there are likely to be a few player ships onscreen at once. Multiplayer ships will have a kind of 'lives system'. Keeping the ship intact for as long as possible reduces the time you have wait for a new one when your ship is eventually destroyed. Infact, keeping your ship intact long enough will eventually earn you 'credit' so that you can respawn without any waiting. Indeed theoretically you'll be able to build up enough 'credit' by not getting killed that you can then die a couple of times in quick succession without waiting for new ships. The multiplayer game will probably end when no player ships are left onscreen and all players are waiting to respawn.Multiplayer ships will be:- 'old' X-Bomber and Dai-X - even more faithful to the show but less powerful- Dai-X Fighters and WingBlade- Astrofighters- Ship with player's custom graphics- The Skull- X-Fighter, Dai-Z etc from fanfics if approvedSmall ships such as fighters will probably have smaller penalties for their destruction and therefore shorter respawn intervals.



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Shane
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X-Bomber v068 Onwards Devlog - Please comment!!

Post by Shane »

Hey, I'd be very happy for you to incorporate some TROM tech into your multi-player mode.I was going to ask sometime down the line if you'd consider making a couple of Revenge of Makara themed levels as an add on pack to your game, once both the game and the mini-novel are completed, of course.If I can help with the graphics for the TROM ships (for the multi-player mode) let me know, although I'm not sure how you go about generating your sprites. Is there a scan process or an editor of some kind like in the old arcade game construction kit?
I like parties, I like fun, I want to live in a hamburger bun!
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Crash
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X-Bomber v068 Onwards Devlog - Please comment!!

Post by Crash »

I have no practically no concrete ideas for a stand-alone add-on pack except that there was going to be one (life permitting). It was going to be ~5 missions in length and it'll have to incorporate some freighter escort duty.I would be absolutely grateful for any help (spriting or otherwise). I just do them in Multimedia Fusion's animation editor, which is basically an updated version of the 'MS-Paint style' image editor in The Games Factory. The two are basically identical except MMF2's editor has probably one or two new features.Infact - if you have TGF you can create the object itself and its animations and save it as a game and MMF2 can import it directly into X-Bomber at my end.I can upload my library of sprites when I get back to my own computer for people to have a look at.It's basically a factory floor split into Alliance, Pirates, EDF, Player ships etc where all sprites are worked-on before they're added into the game. You can get a good idea of the scale and 'texture' etc because they all show-up next to eachother. Other peoples' sprites don't exactly have to match up completely. The 'style' I do them in changes from one ship to the next anyway. The only problem is that the file is MMF2 format and isn't backwards-compatible with The Games Factory. Although I can just take some screenshots for you.If people help me out with the basic shapes of their machines and supply some quick detail sketches I can finish the kinda 'lighting' and detail on them.



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Shane
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X-Bomber v068 Onwards Devlog - Please comment!!

Post by Shane »

I've been busy of late, which is why no new chapters of TROM, but when I get some breathing space the first thing I will do before I continue with the project is to draw out a design sheet of all the equipment being used in the two stories. Then from there we could maybe sort out some graphics.I was also wondering, for a bit of continuity, if I could feature your Wing Blade in one of my stories?
I like parties, I like fun, I want to live in a hamburger bun!
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Crash
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X-Bomber v068 Onwards Devlog - Please comment!!

Post by Crash »

Hell yes! No-one coulda given a nicer compliment. I'll do a few design drawings of it. I had a really strong image of it in my head so all I have on paper is one or two vague outlines. It fits onto the back of Dai-X like Justice's backpack from Gundam SEED. But before anyone says - I had the idea long before I'd seen any Gundam. You can have a look at the alpha/beta releases/source files, lol. But I think watching that show brought to light all the possibilities:... For instance its underside can fit flush with Dai-X's back or raise up 90' to fire its guns over the shoulders when the robot stands upright. It can also theoretically carry non-fixed weapons like swords to the Dai-X although this prevents its shield bubble from forming.It does have a pilot and because there was a lack of female characters at the end of the series I made it a woman. Rain is sort of an escaped super-soldier experiment from some renegade former Eastern Block nation. She's no socialite and more interested in her ship than in other people so there's no need to include her in the story if it won't go. I've put together a notepad file with the ships vital info on it, which is nearly done...You can play as the ship in Mission 09 if you select Mission 09 from the Missions Menu and press "W" during the briefing. It has most of the weapons although it's a little bit unfinished.It works well in v0.60, which you can get from the previous versions section on the downloads page but in 0.64 it hasn't agreed with the new 'Unified Collision System' so it's actually invincible, lol. I've fixed that for v0.68 tho'.I'm sad that I haven't managed to really touch the story part of my game - that's already done in my head - no programming needed. I'm doing the hard main bit first.



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Crash
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X-Bomber v068 Onwards Devlog - Please comment!!

Post by Crash »

Okay - it looks like I've been left alone - Is there anyone left on the forum??WEAPONS / FIRE-CONTROL----------------------------------Anyway After watching Gundam Unicorn and its massive Zeon machine with no less than 24 "funnels" I thought "I can match that".I've increased the Dai-X's "Dragoon Pack" (... New name pending) to 12 drones in Chapter 2 and 24 in Chapter 3.... It looks spectacularMine also do more:... In Chapters 2 and 3 they also have main beam, 4-way spreadshot and tracking shots in addition to their normal shoot / ram-into-enemy attacks.I've also got WingBlade's new 3-pronged lock-on-electricity attack working the way I really wanted it in Chapter 3. It's OK in v0.68 but the way it locked and snapped from target to target when it was engaging many many enemies was simply unrealistic to my eyes.Now the beams lock on as soon as one of the beams touches an enemy rather than automatically picking a target (like in chapter 2).
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Bradster
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X-Bomber v068 Onwards Devlog - Please comment!!

Post by Bradster »

Still alive and lurking. Just too busy to post much these days. ;)
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Crash
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X-Bomber v068 Onwards Devlog - Please comment!!

Post by Crash »

That is awesome to hear! Not that you're busy - although busy can be good!I'm basically bugfixing at the moment. The amount of upheaval I've caused in the engine demands a few really small fixes here and there.



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Son Of Chronos
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X-Bomber v068 Onwards Devlog - Please comment!!

Post by Son Of Chronos »

LMAO at you been the only guy on the forum, yeah I think I know what you mean, like Bradster I havent been on for ages because ive been busy.I just decided to jump on here today, I guess the forum has its high points and then low points, with summer comming, I doubt you will see much activtie on here, along with the case that they aint many of us left.Saying that I did check out your youtube v log awhile ago, you're rather posh talking if you dont mind me saying nothing wrong with that though, you're a cool guy.I know it feels like nobody cares about what you're doing, but you have to remember the state of the forum and SF franchise for that matter, its not on fire exactly So just keep doing what you're doing, its looking good.later on.



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Crash
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X-Bomber v068 Onwards Devlog - Please comment!!

Post by Crash »

That is some good advice!I'm not sure what's going to be happening this summer. I might be half-gainfully employed until September. If not, it gives me a chance to finish this project off pretty much to a higher standard than otherwise perhaps.I took the weekend off from X-Bomber and watched a truckload of Andromeda. It has such a clever and punchy script and the characters are so likeable. It's sad that the writer leaves after season 2 and Hercules-man turns it into Hercules-in-space with one-part, unconnected episodes/quests.Haha, I was quite pleased with how that clip turned out. It was dumb luck but I think it really opened up how the game is being done. Talking to my PC-camera weirds me out so I turn up the 'Boris Johnson' bluster. I found it amusing anyway! I'd like to think I'm a bit less edgy and hyperactive with people day-to-day.



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