Messages

1

Windows / Mac / Flash / HTML5 / Re: A Space Shooter

« on: July 20, 2011, 11:50:42 pm »

I see what you did there with the music. 

Letters and dots, huh?  That's an interesting way to do it.  I like it.

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Resolved Questions / Re: Actor Attribute and Draw Text questions

« on: June 09, 2011, 12:58:24 am »

Really?  It'll snap in?  Excellent; I didn't know that.  Thanks. 

Ohhhhhh.  That makes more sense.  If I want it to be an absolute value based on the screen, then I just do math on it, right? 

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Resolved Questions / Actor Attribute and Draw Text questions

« on: June 08, 2011, 10:44:47 pm »

Basically, I'm making a turn-based strategy game, and I created an actor to act as the HUD where unit stats will be displayed upon mouse-over.  I'm not sure how to get this to work, though. 

My first attempt involved having a scene behavior generate the HUD (which switches sides on the screen upon mouse-over so it doesn't permanently cover part of the map), and storing the HUD in an Actor attribute in a behavior that displays stats on mouse-over so I can draw text on it.  However, I can't find a way to reference this actor.  I tried using the "for all actors of type" on the HUD actor, but that didn't work because the setter only accepts Last Created Actor, Last Collided Actor, Attribute, and Self.  Do I have to use Code Mode?

Also, when I try to display text at an Actor's location using the Draw blocks, it appears offset for some reason.  (Attached screenshot.)  Am I doing something wrong? 

Current blocks used:
When Drawing
If Mouse is over Self
set current font to HUDFont
Draw text ANYTHING at (x: X of Self y: Y of self)

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Chit-Chat / Re: Wii U

« on: June 08, 2011, 02:24:52 pm »

you can only have one of these screen things

That actually makes me feel a little better about it, because then you'd only have to buy one of those expensive screens. 

I think the Classic Controller has the same button setup without the screen anyways, so that wouldn't get in the way of multiplayer stuff unless they needed to use the touch screen. 

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Game Ideas / Re: What is Your Working Process?

« on: June 08, 2011, 02:18:19 pm »

When I'm bored on the bus or during class, I put together gameplay mechanics, items, etc.  Then, when I'm home, I try to create the base engine.  Sprites and music happen on a whim; if they're not ready when the engine is, I use placeholders.  It's not a system that has worked well for me so far. 

Also, sometimes I map out design-mode blocks in my head. 

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Chit-Chat / Re: Wii U

« on: June 08, 2011, 02:13:00 pm »

I'm not sure how placing a controller on the floor is a pain in the butt, but okay.

I guess what I mean is that more complexity and more peripheral-based immersion doesn't necessarily make it more fun, especially for an audience who bought the Wii because it was cheap and accessible.  Additionally, I'd be worried about someone stepping on it and damaging the screen.  I guess what I mean is thinking from the mindset of a consumer instead of a heavy gamer, the idea doesn't do much for me, if anything at all.  It's a unique way to play, but is it really more fun? 

Maybe if you're really old and bending over causes debilitating pain?

Hey, that *was* part of the Wii's audience.   

7

Chit-Chat / Re: What Music Do You Like?

« on: June 07, 2011, 09:13:11 pm »

I'm into a spattering of things.  Metal, some Rock (mainly Disturbed), older dance music, some electronic, J-rock, anime/videogame OSTs, etc.

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Chit-Chat / Re: Wii U

« on: June 07, 2011, 08:14:38 pm »

The direction Nintendo's trying to go in here worries me, to be honest.  The controllers will be expensive as heck, and they're trying to move into a market that's already well-occupied while risking losing their current market, especially what with the price this will have.  The idea may appeal to "intense gamers", but it'll take more than "just as good" to get the mass market to buy one. 

Personally, I'm burned out on everything that has to do with touch screens.  For instance, why does the Vita feel the need to have something as useless as a touch screen on the back?

Also, responding to a particular point:

Appeals to casual players: Nintendo demonstrated a Wii Sports game where you would set the controller on the floor, and the screen would display the lie of the golf ball, and you'd hit the ball using the Wii remote. There's still the casual appeal of the Wii, enhanced by new features.

To me, that sounds like more of a pain in the butt, to be honest.  I doubt the casual market would consider this kind of complexity to be fun.  The fun of Wii Sports was in its straightforwardness and its party appeal, and this kind of thing sounds like it goes against that. 

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Game Ideas / Re: "cgMusic", Computer Composed Music

« on: May 13, 2011, 03:13:18 pm »

This is very interesting.  Thanks for bringing this to my attention. 

EDIT: Very, very interesting.  Might be just the thing I need to get my mind flowing again.
This thing is truly amazing.  Its raw output isn't good more most purposes, of course, but it's good at creating a "backbone".

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Chit-Chat / Re: Random Chat Thread

« on: April 24, 2011, 07:40:28 pm »

I just got back from Sakura-Con and I had the opportunity to try out Skulls of the Shogun.  My interest in the game has gone from "High" to "Day One Purchase", a rarity for me. 

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Ask a Question / How to store an Actor as an attribute if it's not in the scene?

« on: April 20, 2011, 12:01:55 pm »

I haven't actually tried this yet, but would it be possible to store an Actor as an attribute (rather than a reference to it as I assume the Actor attribute does), then remove the Actor from the scene and have the attribute retain all of the Actor's information?  Or would I have to use a list and store all of the actor's attributes in there, and apply them to a newly created actor in order to "unload" the actor back onto the scene?

An example would be loading a unit into (then offloading it from) a transport unit in a turn-based (or real-time) strategy game. 

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Chit-Chat / Re: Casual gamers killing the market.

« on: April 19, 2011, 11:24:12 pm »

If anything's "killing the market" for hardcore games, it's the rising development costs that make these games harder to recoup costs on.  I think we'll eventually see the emergence of a "middle ground" between indie and full-price games; a class of semi-budget games that skimp on the graphics, but has fully-developed gameplay, selling for $30 or so.  Well, at least that's what I hope to see.  Nowadays, games have to sell far too much to recoup dev costs, so releasing a game that's "only decent" ends up damaging the developers. 

13

Resolved Questions / Re: Accidentally published game

« on: April 15, 2011, 11:29:42 pm »

Ah, thanks.  I was going to say I couldn't log in on the site even though the forums were working, but then I remembered the notice at the top of the page. 

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Resolved Questions / Accidentally published game

« on: April 15, 2011, 11:16:58 pm »

I just made a n00b mistake and accidentally published something completely incomplete.  How do I unpublish it? 

Sorry about that. 

15

Chit-Chat / Re: Nintendo to announce Wii 2 @ E3?

« on: April 15, 2011, 02:26:20 am »

Hasn't there been rumors of a "Wii HD" for the last few E3s? 

The timeframe would fit since the 3DS was recently released, but I'm still not entirely convinced.