Fugsnarf's Guild

Off to Africa

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:43:13 GMT

Well tomorrow I'll be up bright and early to get ready to fly to Kenya. I'll be going there to take part in a humanitarian/mission trip with my parents and many other doctors from this organization we're going with.

I'm quite excited about this trip. Any of you that know me personally probably know that I am deeply religious. This is a great opportunity for that reason and also because I love helping my dad out.

My dad is an Oral Surgeon, so he'll be doing a lot of tooth extractions. That is usually his main focus on these trips. Who knows, maybe he'll let me pull a tooth or two with a little bit of his help. I remember he did in 8th grade on another trip.

The people we treat on these trips are always so kind and happy. They never get treatment like this! Anything is good enough for them. We care enough to do the best job we possibly can.

My other mission trips have taken me to Panama, Guatemala, Mexico, and New Guinea for the work we did. These trips really are incredible experiences. If you ever get a chance to go on one, take it!

Anyways, wish me a good trip. I'll be gone until the Monday after the up-coming Monday. I'll see you all later!

Mini Bosses and a Space Game

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:14:54 GMT

You may remember me talking about the mini-bosses that I was planning to make in the first dungeon of Zelda: Shadow of the Triforce. I've finished those and also increased the dungeon size a lot from there. Here are some screenshots of my fight with the two mini armoses.

Hmmm... The room looks pretty normal. Those statues look weird though.

Oh, crap, the doors closed. Clearly there is a fight ahead of me.

When you kill both of them, you receive a heart piece.

The Armos have 6 health each. Your wimpy sword and arrows to one damage do them for each hit. What makes this fight fairly easy is that when they lock on to you if you are directly behind/ahead/to the side of them, they charge at you. If you just sit there, you'll die pretty fast. The nice thing is that you get an easy target for both your arrows and even to throw pots at. I advise not using the sword though.

On to my Build a Space Game project. I'm pretty excited about this, so I figured I'd tell everyone what I have planned.

My team consists of three people. There's me doing all the programming, Korby doing the sprite work, and a friend of mine, Aaron, doing music.

In this game, you are a member of Earth's elite defence force that tries to keep the galaxy safe from evil people (there have to be evil people, right?) This game is based on the theme of Asteroids. There is this evil organization called RockStar that is so incredibly evil that they spawn asteroid fields in stupid places to destroy planets and whatnot. You need to go through these asteroid fields and destroy the main machine in the middle which will get rid of the asteroids.

The nice thing about this game is that it's psuedo 3D. It's a lot like StarFox. Now before you go off saying that I will fail at this, keep in mind that I've been looking into and fooling around with the whole 3D concept for awhile now. Eventually it hit me. Why not make something with this for the BASG competition? So I got this group together and got started.

I decided to provide for everyone a little screenshot of some of the testing. It shows the ship sprite I'll be using (Korby'll probably be making new asteroids) and it shows how the asteroids get bigger as they get closer to you. Don't let them hit you!

That's all I have for today! I'll try not to let working on the BASG game get too much in the way of at least updating Zelda a bit.

Fooling with 3D / Zelda: SotT Updates

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:02:07 GMT

So lately I've been fooling around a bit with some different concepts, trying to expand my knowledge and just have some fun fooling around with something of a little less importance. I started with the idea of making a game with a fully rotatable view, more isometric than 3D. I then remember Gakumerasara's Vengeance 56 game. Though I cannot even come close to making anything like it, I've been toying around with the concept.

I came up with the obvious idea of simply locating and projecting your surroundings as a HUD display on your screen. The proc will look for the various turfs or objects around you and decide what to show you on your side of the screen. With this concept, I created a very crude little demo in which you can walk north and south along side of a wall until you hit a wall in front of you. It's not meant to be pretty, people!

Please excuse if the gif goes off of the screen to the side. The proc also only displays things up to 8 tiles ahead of you. That's why the wall looks like it's kind of appearing out of nowhere. You can comment on it if you like.

On to Zelda updates.

I made some pots now! These pots can be picked up and thrown at enemies to deal damage. Some of the pots also hold little things inside of them such as hearts or arrows. The arrows in the pots are necessary for certain things such at hitting switches from a distance to open a door.

Now besides the pots I am also expanding the dungeon a lot and working on the mini-boss!

At first I wasn't planning on having a mini-boss, but I decided to make one just for the fun of it. It's going to be two statues sitting in the room. You enter the room, then you watch the statues come alive. You then need to fight them. They're difficult to hit with your sword though! You need to use your arrows or even the various pots lieing around to attack them easily.

Sorry for having so few screenshots as I usually do. I'll have plenty more next time! I'm still working hard and going strong.

Zelda SotT: Intro Cutscene Video

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:20:27 GMT

Finally! The first gameplay video of Zelda: Shadow of the Triforce is here for all to see! I would like to thank my good friend ProtoZX for making this video as his computer is far better qualified.

One thing about the video, some of the sound is a little bit off. You might hear some sound effects before they are actually suppose to be heard. It's not that big of a deal.

I have no idea how to make the video appear on my post. I've tried copying that code but it never works properly. For now, you'll have to deal with this.

Of course, that is only the first cutscene. I also have some basic gameplay of the begining for you all to see! Credit to ProtoZX once again for making this video.
(Some of the mids in the end of this video don't appear to work for ProtoZX, so you can't hear them as they're supposed to be heard. I'm working on resolving that issue. Also I'd like to apologize for some of the weird noises you hear in the cutscene with Impa and I think one other time in this video.)

Thanks, and I hope you enjoy the videos!

As far as recent updates go, I can't say that much has been done. I'm basically working on the last half of the dungeon where you work to get the master key to face the boss. I'm also working on adding pots to pick up and throw.

Zelda SotT: What you aren't expecting

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:27:59 GMT

Over the time, I've had a few people taken aside to test my game, Zelda: Shadow of the Triforce. I have found one thing that has been common in all of the tests that people have taken part in:

Nobody ever found the secrets!

Come on people. This is a Zelda game. You must leave nothing untouched. Zelda games always have secrets everywhere. It's how you find all the hearts, it's how you get easy rupees, and it's how you finish dungeons to their full extent.

So why would you miss things like this? I think it's this weird voice inside us BYONDers telling us that it's like every other game. "It's always as it seems."
If you're going to play my game, you're going to have to disregard that statement, because it's never as it seems ;)

On to the most recent updates!

It's been a little while since I've updated for you guys. I've been so focused on getting this dungeon done... hold on a second. Is it done?!

No, sorry, it's not done. I've made some great progress though!

Let's start first with this dungeon's item. That item is the Bow. This bow shoots arrows, obviously. There are two ways to obtain arrows. Either you get lucky from enemies, or find a chest with them in there. I do provide a chest with 10 arrows inside of it.

Arrows can be used to injure enemies, or to solve puzzles. This can be activating a trigger to open a door, or killing an enemy from far away in order to spawn an item or something.

And now, screenshots!

I've made a new enemy as well. The walking skeleton! Scarey, isn't it? Yeah, not really. They take two hits to kill with a normal sword. They also carry keys sometimes!

That's all the screenshots I have for today. I've added a lot of rooms to the dungeon! I'm currently working on a map and compass system for it and future dungeons as well. The map shows you the entire dungeon layout, while the compass shows where you are in it.

Until next time! I'm still working hard and going strong. I'm also having a friend make a gameplay video for you all to see. I can't wait to get it out there!

Zelda SotT: Pixel Movement

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:25:57 GMT

So I've put up this poll to see just what the majority of you think. I believe I already know the answer. Most of you would probably love to see pixel movement in my Zelda game. But before you vote, if you haven't already, I ask that you take a look at something.

You might have seen my Zelda Pixel Movement demo before. I've gotten some comments on it. Most of them have been good. I however was never satisfied with it.

For quite some time I've been working on my Zelda pixel movement demo on and off. Just today though, I think I've actually finished it to a point that I can be proud of it as my first decent pixel movement system.

1. The movement is much smoother now

2. I took away the default BYOND repeat system and made the movement into a loop. There's no lag when you start moving now.

3. I made the collision a lot better. I've found no ways to break it.

Number 3 is the main reason that I want to post this demo. I want to see both what you all think of my pixel movement system and also if you can find any bugs.

If I'm able to pretty much perfect this system, it will probably be something you'll see in most of my games, if not a slightly edited version.

The demo can either be found by clicking the link under my demo list, or you can just click this.

I hope you enjoy it. I'll clarify a couple of things though.

#1. This imitates BS Zelda's movement. That movement system had no diagonal movement. You simply moved in the direction of the key you pressed.

#2. You can check your pixel loc as well as the pixel loc of everything around you by double clicking them. The pixel loc will come up in the output as x,y.

Please try it and post any bugs you can find or even any issues that you had. Thanks!

Zelda SotT: First Dungeon? Already?!

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 13:38:36 GMT

Yes, the title doesn't lie. I have started on the first dungeon. Before we get into that though, I finished a few other things!

If you've been following along, you might remember that after the intro cutscene, you end up in a hideout cave where people have been living to escape the anti-fairies. When you reach the top room, a cutscene triggers with Impa. She's basically the leader of this hideout.

If you can read, you'll see that you now get your first sword! This is the weakest of all the swords, but it'll do for the first dungeon coming up very shortly.

Now the guard lets you through to the uninhabited section of the cave. This section leads to the temple where your trial will take place to see if you're really the hero.

In this cave, and the dungeon so far, there are 2 enemies I've made already. These would be the bats and the small slimes (big slimes, when hit, turn into 2 small slimes. In this begining area you just fight small slimes.) Bats move around to attack you. They eventually will slow down and stop in one spot to rest for a few seconds. Slimes are probably the simplist of all enemies. They basically take step by step around randomly, hurting you if they hit you. They are only annoying because they move pretty fast.

We're now on to the first dungeon! I'm only going to show you a few screenshots right now of it. I don't want to spoil too much ;).

I'm really excited about this dungeon. I have a lot of other enemies and plenty of puzzles planned out.

As one last thing, I also finished the heart piece system. Collect four heart pieces to gain a new heart.

That's all I have for today! I can't wait to finish the first dungeon. I am extremely excited for it. I'll continue to keep you guys posted.

Zelda SotT: Story is coming along. Minor Spoilers

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:14:09 GMT

Quite awhile back, when Zelda: Shadow of the Triforce was still in early overhaul stages, I gave a few screenshots of the first cutscene in the last four of the screenshots. This cutscene explains what the entire game is basically based around. After finishing that cutscene awhile ago, I decided to move on to finishing the basic engine of the game. With that done, I move on to the game itself!

I've completed the first cutscene after the begining cutscene. This is the cutscene which throws you into the game. I don't really want to spoil it all for you, I'll just provide some screenshots!

What happens here is that you gain control of your character in what I just call the "cave base" for the lack of a better name. This will kind of serve as your home base during the game, though you'll spend much more time in other places around Hyrule and around the world (and possibly other dimensions!)

Now if you're smart and you remember this, you can go into what will eventually be the cave base shop. It's empty right now since you're just starting out. The shopkeeper does still have something that he's willing to give you. It just might come in handy later on.

The red potion that you get does heal 5 hearts, but the best part is that once you drink it, you get to keep the empty bottle for later. Like in the 3D Zelda games, you can fill up the bottle with various other potions and liquids to aid you on your quest.

That's all I have for today! I'm hoping to release the first beta version to you all once I finish the first actual dungeon. Until then, I will continue to keep you guys posted on the latest updates.

Zelda SotT: Basic Engine Complete. Beta Time.

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 19:45:59 GMT

I can now officially say that Zelda: Shadow of the Triforce has finally entered the beta phases. With the basic engine of the game completed, I can start with the actual development of the game and storyline itself.

What basically completed the engine was the completion of the NPC dialogue system.

With the system I have set in place, NPCs and signs can keep talking for as long as they want(or I want). They could be the basis of entire "cutscenes" in the future. Don't be discouraged though! Many cutscenes will be very lively and exciting! Here's some screenshots of checking a sign and talking to a little boy NPC. These are only tests. You can also only check signs when you're in front or in back. Naturally, you can't read a sign from the side.

Now if you didn't notice already, the stats on the top bar have changed. I believe it was SuperAntx who had a problem with the big rupee which seemed large and out of place. I took his advice and changed it to the actual sprite used in BS Zelda. I also added bomb and arrow stats, though there are no bombs or arrows yet.

The next things that I've updated recently were the facts that I have decided upon (being that nobody even bothered to comment on the matter) taking out the Goron and the Zora as playable characters and making them into in-game rings that you wear to transform into them for both sidequests and the storyline.

As you can see there, now you choose from the four sword users. There are the two links, Gameboy Link and BS styled Link, and there are the two "Mascots" from BS Zelda, the male and female. I also shortened the descriptions to lessen the lag that it gives.

Lastly I added a cool little intro to my game before the title plays. A light just turned on in my mind and I thought, why not? It's the little intro that shows the company that made the game. For example, a game made by Capcom will show the Capcom words, play some music or something, then the game will start after that. So, I made the little screen below to play before the title screen and show that the game is made by yours truely. It makes it look all professional and stuff, even though it isn't!

That's all I have for today! As the game now enters its beta phases, I'll be sure to continue to keep you guys up-to-date on the progress of the game's development!

Zelda SotT: Recent Progress in Development

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:40:25 GMT

I just keep updating, don't I? I'm trying to come up with different and similar names for the posts. Mind as well just name them all the same thing.

Today I have a huge milestone to announce. Enemy AI and combat against them is completed!

The first enemy that I created is one of those spinning digger enemies. You can see what they look like in the screenshots below. Their AI is basically completely random right now. They aren't offensive, they are more like punching bags that can sometimes fight back. Good for testing nonetheless.

I've tested and tested and tested the AI and combat. Everything is working perfectly right now.

Another nice addition I've made is moveable rocks. Most Zelda games have had rocks which you can push to move out of the way. Some rocks are pretty obvious that they are moveable, others look less suspicious and can conceal special secrets and caves.

That's all of the updates I have for today, but I'd also like to discuss something else.

It would be much easier and allow for a better storyline if I took out the ability for you to choose to start out as a Zora or a Goron (two different races in the Zelda series). Up until now, I had planned for them to be playable characters. I've started to have second thoughts. Now I'm thinking about taking them out, keeping the four human-like characters as playable so that they can use swords, and making the Zora and Goron characters into rings. These rings would transform you into the Zora or Goron when you wear them. Once in the certain form, you'll attack with their attack.

That system is already in with the Nintendo Link ring. He uses his little 8-bit sword. It doesn't matter what you have equipped. If you're wearing the Nintento Link ring, you're using his sword.

So there's my idea. I'd like it if you guys commented on that matter. That's all I have for today though.