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PostPosted: March 29th, 2011, 9:36 am 
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Hey, I just wanted to drop you a line after the presentation at Magcon. I was really impressed with your demo this year. You seems to be getting better and better with each year. At first (like with Donkey Kong) I just kind of thought it was a game that mostly relied on absolutely no puzzle solving and just having the patience to avoid all the events that slowly pass by. But now I see that you've definitely put a lot more detail into the game than that. And you've done a great job making sure there weren't any bugs in it as well. I don't think we found a single one. And in a room consisting of Erika (who also played it), that says a good deal. Also, all the writing and jokes were amusingly appropriate. Any reputation you might have had with any of your earlier games should be completely null and void. And I'm looking forward to your finished product.

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PostPosted: March 29th, 2011, 4:40 pm 
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:)
You just made my day Lantis. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

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PostPosted: March 30th, 2011, 10:47 pm 
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So, with the Magcon news and such finally dying down, I figure I'd post an update on my progress.

With 2-1 done and over with, yesterday and today I've worked on 2-2, called Golden Eggs. It's probably not what you think it is. Here, there are eggs scattered about the level. By breaking them open, Josh can make gold bars appear and disappear, which are useful for blocking enemy paths. I just finished it up today.

But more importantly, I found a new, irritating bug. During Magcon, Lantis was able to jump next to a jump pad, instead of being on it. Turns out you don't HAVE to be standing on the jump pad to jump, you can be next to it and still jump, which makes things look weird. So now I'm in the process of changing. Every. Jump. UGH. So, this sweep is going to take me at least a couple of days to get done.

I also have good news and bad news. The good news is that a winter release this year is looking increasingly likely. Of course that all depends how easily the boss levels come together, but it's possible, at the very least. The bad news is that it's also increasingly likely that the game will need four memory cards. The game is just too big to hold everything in three, and I'd hate to leave the art on separate cards with lots of switching. So, sorry three memory card users. I just ran out of room.

So, hopefully I can keep using this newfound motivation to keep going till release! Thanks.

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PostPosted: April 3rd, 2011, 10:57 pm 
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Alrighty, time for another update.

But first, a message. I know I've already stated this multiple times, but thank you to everyone for the positive feedback for Josh's Adventure 2011 Magcon showing. It's just so inspiring to have people say how much they love it and are willing to put aside the crappy games I've made and welcome this one with open arms. It's been a struggle to keep working on this, and there were many times when it was really difficult to keep going, so I'm glad the game is finally finding it's audience.

After much evening work, all the jumps in the game have been fixed so they will move Josh onto the platform before he jumps. It wasn't that tough, but it took a while. Scenario card 1 has so little memory left, I had to make some room for it. But hey, it all fits!

With some polish, level 2-2 is complete, so work on 2-3 has started. Called Judge's Circle, it works differently from other levels. Instead of finding the level exit, there are a panel of judges, and three pillars that need to be lit up. Your objective is to light up those pillars, and you'll be judged at the end by how well you do. Your grade will be high if you aren't hit by enemies or use shortcut jumps, and will lower if opposite. You can gain tokens and even lives if you do well enough, and you can also lose lives, points and tokens on how poorly you do. This level is unique in that you are punished for stopping enemies; use shortcuts only accessible by not touching enemies, and the judges will not look kindly on your performance.

As you can imagine, this level has been quite a pain to plan out so far. Some of the level is done, and some of the basic code is down. I just need to get my head clear some night and just do the work.

Guess that's it for tonight. Till next time.

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PostPosted: April 10th, 2011, 8:47 pm 
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I've gotten a good amount of work done over the last week or so.

2-2 is finished. So work has been made on 2-3, Judge's Circle. I'm actually quite surprised I haven't mentioned it in this topic yet. This level is different from other levels. Instead of finding the level exit, you'll have to light three beacons within the level. What makes this level completely unique is that you are being watched by the judges, and will get a grade once you've finished the level. Depending how you do, you can pass the level, get tokens or extra lives, maybe more! But if you do poorly, you're liable to lose lives, tokens, or if you do very poorly, you won't be allowed to go to the boss! You're judged based on how many beacons you light, how many shortcut jumps you make, and how often your hit.

The level design is complete, and most of the coding is down and done. It certainly took a few days to get most of it done. It still needs to get the results, so I haven't put that in yet. I'd tell what I plan to do with the grading...but that would ruin the surprise, wouldn't it?

I also took the level designer to a few levels in Worlds 1 and 2. The first few levels I made were too big, and feel a little out of place compared to later levels. The biggest level to see a redesign was the first one, 1-1. It's been cut quite a bit to make it smaller and a little more streamlined. It looks about identical to what it used to. 2-3 also saw some slight revising.

Though I'm not the best artist, I'm also trying to actively make more stuff. Right now I'm working on a title screen for the game, and I'll make sure to post that when it's ready. I also realize how hard it is to draw people...

Well, till next time! Root me on!

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PostPosted: April 28th, 2011, 7:42 pm 
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I've been a little MIA from making this game for a couple weeks now, and today I tried to get a bit of work done. Unfortunately being sick and taking the day off work meant more getting better than actual production. But I have made a little headway into the coding nightmare I've made for myself with 2-3. Lately it's been about organizing the events and the complicated code within, and today I got some of the results done. As in, the pages are mostly made, and a testing code is in the planning stages. That way I can check whether things are working right when the results should come up. I tried giving it a shot, but I realized most of the level events aren't even complete yet. I've got a lot of work ahead of me.

So, it's not much, but a little today my turn into a lot tomorrow, maybe even a little more later today. At least it's something.

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PostPosted: April 29th, 2011, 2:07 pm 
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Yay for more progress, boo for more sickness!

I've had to take the last few days off work due to a nasty cold, which has given me an unexpectedly large amount of free time. Yesterday I got some of the framework down for completing this difficult level, and today I finished the rest of that framework. Now every jump, enemy, and beacon works, and through a testing system in place I figured everything out. Everything's working as it should. All I need to do now is write up all the results you can get, and add a few new events and pages. It's still going to take some time, but I'm getting at it, a little bit at a time.

I've also been considering DLC for the game. After you finish the game, you get an event with a scenario switch, and you can play new levels after the game has been complete, much like add on packs many games use these days. What do you think of such an idea? If I could add a few new levels and a bit more story, maybe I could convince people to not only play it, but hang onto their copies after they're done.

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PostPosted: April 29th, 2011, 5:23 pm 
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I've never seen DLC for an RPG Maker game before, but it would actually be cool to see in theory. It would be extra work on you, but the concept seems like it would be fun.

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PostPosted: April 30th, 2011, 6:20 pm 
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I suggest naming the scenarios something like DLC1, DLC2, DLC3... that way it is easier on the user end not to confuse which file is which.

Then you just have the scenario ask the player which DLC to load. Maybe with consoles the player can walk up to for accessing different DLC modules.

They could be lined up on top of the map. From left to right is one through ten. Walk up to one and "Load DLC1?" Yes/No and so on. For additional packs, additional rows.


I have had this scenario hub in mind for a while. I was considering using it as a way to access optional areas and story. By keeping it in the same System Data, the player gets to keep collected exp and items from one to the next and back to the main game. The hard part is planning it out with modular maps. By having many generic maps in System Data, you can control them with "DLC" Scenario Data. You just have to plan for openness since you only get one System Data. This idea is actually the basis of my random dungeon crawler for RM1.

You should also have the scenario hub with in each of the scenarios so that you may travel from one to the other and back to the main game. If your main game is more than one scenario, simply add in a switch or key item to denote furthest and thus most current scenario the player has reached.

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PostPosted: May 4th, 2011, 9:22 pm 
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Well hey, thanks for the replies guys. Seems the DLC has got a few people interested. It's still an idea that's up in the air, but it's good to see some interest.

as far a 2-3, I've got all the pages loaded up and they're working great. Now I need a heavy motivational push to fill out all 44 or so pages with information. Once I get that push (perhaps a friend can help?), I'll be back to report more.

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PostPosted: May 4th, 2011, 10:31 pm 
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I've had plans for DLC myself as of two years ago, actually. My plan was to release it after initial buzz from the game's release worn down a bit. And the best part about it is that you'll be using the exact same system card as your game, so it's just one single scenario card. I'm planning on doing a battle arena that'll allow you to carry over your winnings to a new game plus. I think it would be a great idea for any RM user to do, really.

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PostPosted: May 18th, 2011, 11:01 pm 
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Well, hello there!

I've been trying without success for the last few weeks to pick this back up. Today I finally got around to doing it. I did get a little work done. I may have a new idea concerning the level, however, as I came to a realization. This level might take way more memory than I can properly give it. Just the basic structure alone, takes 10,000 blocks, while most levels don't take so much. This level is a huge memory hog, and I just don't think I can make it fit.

So now, what I'm considering doing, is cutting the level for a more modest level design. Fortunately I may not even need to cut the level completely, as I could restore it through DLC. So at the very least, the level COULD be playable in the future, instead of with the actual game release.

My current schedule for the game is to get a new world done every 3 months. Which means World 2 Hard should be done by June 31st. Right now I'm still on schedule, if a little bit behind. This massive lull I've had is offset by a great head start into production at the beginning of April.

So things are still going well, even if I get distracted by 360 whatnots. Please wish me more slow, steady progress.

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PostPosted: May 31st, 2011, 5:01 pm 
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Hello? Anyone there?

Sorry for not posting anything for awhile. My motivation has been close to nil for some time now. Part of the problem is that JA was made as a way to prove I was competent as a game maker, and with the Magcon demo doing so well, I accomplished that goal. Which has left me with a big "just finish it" mentality, and that's not nearly as motivating as "prove yourself".

So, I hatched a plan to get me working again. Right now I'm working on a small project. The idea here is to just have fun making something to keep me active, and that activity will spill into JA. So far it's worked pretty well, and the newly redesigned 2-3 has been coming smoothly since. As for what that small project is, right now it's a secret. The important thing is I'm building up some new desire to finish this game.

Sorry for the vague, short post, but that just gives me a reason to come back and post again soon! And the next post will be soon, promise.

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PostPosted: June 4th, 2011, 10:05 pm 
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Okay, got a bit done for 2-3, called Splashdown.

It's a level with the level exit right above you in a pool of water. You also come soon in possession of a bucket. Josh comes up with the novel idea of throwing the bucket from higher up and trying to splash the exit out of the water. Problem is, the bucket's so lightweight that the thrown bucket won't go in. Upon further inspecting the level, there's a well on the other side of the level. You have to fill up the bucket, then try throwing it, and you'll get the level exit to fall!....Into a new, unexplored area. Drats.

This level took awhile. Level design was a bit of a chore, and I added a bunch of new enemy placements. The cool thing are past/present events, which were pretty tricky at first to make work. For example, if Josh comes up to the well without the bucket, he'll wonder what it is, figure out it's a well and comments he'll need to bring the bucket. Next time he comes with the bucket, and he'll say something like "This time I've got the bucket I need, so let's do this!". It's a bit tricky, because to save space the two would overlap into one similiar conversation at some point, and you had to have both branches meet at a perfect spot. And any level that has events overlapping each other is difficult to work out correctly.

But hey! After all that, the level is nearly complete, and the next boss will be Thunderhoof and another exciting race. Stay tuned.

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PostPosted: June 7th, 2011, 4:32 pm 
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Could you explain something to me? Are you redoing the levels from before? Or is this going to be an entirely new set of levels for hard mode?

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PostPosted: June 7th, 2011, 4:47 pm 
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Terribly sorry if I haven't been clear on this. The Hard mode will be a set of entirely new levels based in the same worlds. So while you're going to go back to Monster Beach, the levels will be completely different, and you'll fight Captain Calcium in a new boss fight. You'll have three lives instead of five, and you play 3 levels and 1 boss, instead of 4 levels.

The original plan was to have the game get more difficult similiar to DK. In Donkey Kong, levels got harder by taking the same levels and adding more monsters and fewer lives. This is what I had planned for JA, but I simply ran out of room on the first scenario card. At that point there was no way to do the game the way I had planned. So since I basically had a brand new memory card to work with, instead of going a more cut and dry route of reworking the levels slightly, I made brand new levels.

Sorry if that was confusing. I can't think of any other names for Hard mode, so the name simply stuck. :rolleyes

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PostPosted: June 7th, 2011, 4:59 pm 
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Adventure 2

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PostPosted: June 9th, 2011, 8:02 pm 
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I'll probably get Hard Mode renamed to Round 2 or something. Makes more sense that way and a lot less confusing using a term from DK. Which pleases me because a lot of regulars have played DK. :^_^

Work has progressed on to the World 2 Round 2 boss, the rematch with Thunderhoof. This is a fight I've been looking forward to for a long time, just so I could unleash one particularly funny joke during the fight (which I won't mention here, you'll have to play it). Here, Thunderhoof is just about ready to have a tiebreaker match against a competing horse from the last race Thunderhoof was in. As this tiebreaker is important to his career, he doesn't even bother with Josh at all! It'll be up to Josh to get that thunderous horse's attention, and then take care for him.

The intro work for the level is mostly complete. I would ideally like to have this level done before the end of the month, Because then I could get the game finished within a more timely manner, early 2012 if all goes to plan.

Sorry, not much to report today! Oh well, thanks for keeping up with these updates!

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PostPosted: June 13th, 2011, 11:29 pm 
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Ugh. That describes how I've been feeling.

I just can't seem to tap into that creative, explosively awesome 'zone' or 'feeling' that I usually get into when making JA. I've certainly got enough ideas to throw around, but they all feel boring or just ok, instead of great. I just seem to have lost that creative spark.

I tried completely redesigning Thunderhoof's level, but the current redesign is also just boring to me.

So I guess I have a massive bout of writers block. I'm a little frustrated about it, in case you couldn't tell. Because it's like....I know I can do SO much better than what I've done lately.

So, sorry about the little rant/blowing off steam.

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PostPosted: June 17th, 2011, 5:08 pm 
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Not much to report right now. Lately I've been relaxing and calmly pondering some new levels. Once I get myself into a focused, relaxed state, I've come up with a few new ideas, which I think are all great....except none would really fit with a boss level Thunderhoof. Oh well.

Things are going well though. We'll be back shortly.

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