Moon Hobos' Dev Log

one pixel at a time.

2008-07-13T21:08:00.000-07:00

(I don't know why they are arranged like that, I didn't do it that way, or if it will show up right in the published post).

I made some minor adjustments to the character image thing I drew. I hope no one from the Gruedorf Challenge actually reads this blog...

Yes, a character image is the worst starting point ever.

No, this is not update-worthy. ARGHH I'm hoping tiny efforts and trivial posts will snowball into getting something real done!!!!

Yes, I spent a little bit of time (5, maybe 10 seconds) getting back into the old platformer code I've already made. I'm considering using this PyMunk physics thing, so I can have cool particle physics... and other cool things.

Yes, at this rate it will take me 50 years to finish the game. By then, platformers will be REALLY obsolete (or maybe, a revival will take place and I'll be right in the market).

Also main characters always have flashier outfits than like, solid-color, flat clothing. Well, check back in a month I guess. Hahahahahaha....

And...

2008-06-13T23:46:00.000-07:00

I just came up with an idea for a game. About time.
Naturally it's becoming more and more overly ambitious the more I think about it, so I must stop thinking about it for a while. Since I just came up with it tonight, I'm not going to publish the design doc I just wrote here (which means I fail extra instead of un-failing... and shouldn't post anything). But it's late at night, which means it might seem awful and make me cringe and die of embarassment when I read it in the morning. That's been my general experience, anyway.

Then again, what item posted here doesn't make me cringe?

Get back here, you son of a...

2008-03-17T19:47:00.000-07:00

Meh. Spring Break came and went.

I spent the entire time I was awake and not at work playing video games. So, in short, I have failed again. Kind of.

I keep cycling through bad ideas, and I predict this isn't going to change anytime soon.

I did realize that I've been taking the wrong approach to design... and I have a few ideas about how to do better, but for the past couple days I have been too lazy, or too busy playing Persona 3. Anyway, that is all. For now.

Art-School

2008-03-10T18:36:00.001-07:00

Another week of extremely little (read: no) progress.

I did spend a little bit of time doing pixel art...

Mostly I'm just trying to get down pixel art and come up with a style (actually, I'm stealing existing styles and hoping my own starts to develop -- I'll let you guess at the (obvious) sources). Really the initial idea was to draw very basic templates for people (hence the blandness of the outfit) that I could add to and revise, until I came up with character designs I liked (and maybe spawn some NPCs in the process). The obvious problem with that is getting characters who all look the same. Hmmm...

I'm not sure if I actually intend to use a female protagonist (in case my art is so bad you couldn't tell. Also, pardon my fetish for short hair) in my game, but I think that would be cool.

As for the design, I'm shying away from having too much of a story... the protagonist will probably remain silent, and I want to make scenic, outdoorsy level design and artwork. I've also always wanted to make a game that includes different times of day and different seasons. Now, I'm not sure all that's doable with my work ethic... but I'm just saying, it's something I've always wanted to do.

I'm on Spring Break currently, so maybe next week's update will be much more eventful.

Don't hold me to it, though. Until next time...

.......................♪

2008-03-03T11:23:00.000-08:00

Okay. I'm waiting until the updates with iked and stuff are done before I work too much on the code... that way I'll have a much less frustrating time setting things up.

During the past few days, though, I solved a huge problem that will provide a good first step to game development. I bought a new computer. Luckily, I managed to get an ika game to run on Vista (which is what the computer came with), so everything should work fine.

Except for me coming up with a game design and story!! Graaaahhhhh!!!!!

Remember, it's a platformer.

What I was thinking of earlier for the story is that it takes place in some sort of fictional dystopian future society. It would have a high-tech vs. low-tech theme... maybe anachronisms are cliché, but I would rather die than make a generic shooter or generic fantasy game. Um, I have only a few ideas about details, but they sound ridiculous when I put them into words.

For one, your weapon would be a sword or some kind of melee weapon... because in my opinion that makes it more interesting without requiring real talent to make an impressive particle-firing sidescroller. And also I prefer that. I was thinking later on you could get a firearm, but it would be something like, a revolver... reload time included. I don't know. It seems cool to me, and actually I'm just recycling old ideas here. I was also trying to think of other interesting battle mechanics... like being able to parry attacks using your sword (like in Onimusha)....

I had a few story specific things, but I'll reveal those later when they don't sound quite as stupid and when I've thought them out more.

Also my school's wireless internet is sucking and I may or may not be able to post. Blah.

Beware, I live.

2008-02-25T08:33:00.000-08:00

Ever played a game called Sinistar?

No?

Oh... well nevermind then...

Since Easter is coming up next month, I decided it was a good time to come back from the dead. I got rid of my unwanted social involvement, got inspired (whatever the hell good that does), and most importantly I saw an omen saying that I should make a game. An omen that's a long story/inside joke/team secret.

Also I have to start over, but that's not hard when all you have is ideas. So yeah, this isn't an update... it's more like another first post...

I'm just going to go with making a "Metroidvania" kind of game. I'm still really having trouble "finding my voice" and coming up with a basic premise for the game and stuff like that... ugh...

Oh well. It can't be too bad if I just start with something and make it up as I go along.

And if it is too bad, who cares?

FISSION MAILED

2008-01-12T01:43:00.000-08:00

You may have noticed that I have not been posting for the past few weeks (maybe if I hadn't said that, no one but SDHawk would have noticed. Crap). But, there are reasons for this!

For one, I've been catching up on six lost years of my life now that I've finally bought a PS2. Hence the Metal Gear Solid 2 reference (which I've heard my friend quote time and time again without knowing). The addiction is probably the worst ever... but at least I have tons of inspiration now (nost just inspiration to make games, but inspiration to continue living). I guess I have to tell myself, "Games are to be made, not played!"

Second, I have to juggle my PS2 addictions with several semi-unwanted social engagements (which I won't elaborate on here) and college. I started this project over Winter break.

Also... I don't have a team of developers. I know, Thrasher and probably others are working alone, but I don't have any game developing experience like them (and you know why, now). Also, choosing to make a visual novel when I suck at graphics and story is kind of the worst choice ever. That's actually really only the real reason I quit working on it. I think I'm going to scrap that idea and go back to making a platformer.

Oh, and actually the real real reason I've quit is because Blogger doesn't let me select whole words for deletion using ctrl+shift+arrow... I do this quite a lot and the shortcut key thing just pisses me off. Well, it can be done actually, but I have to press shift first... which isn't worth it because it's second nature for me to press ctrl first.

Yes, I complain a lot.

The (very anti-climactic) second post...

2007-12-23T20:35:00.000-08:00

I was out to my aunt's house with my family, which took much longer than I'd expected. When I got home, I had no time and no material with which to make an effective start on a visual novel. I also had to watch The Amazing Race, which definitely kills brain cells.

Here is the obligatory build of my "game"... which is really fake, and crappy, and already will have to be redone entirely.

Where's my participation award?

As always I hate myself for deciding to take on a project. I've also discovered that I cannot draw, so I'm now looking for an artist kind of. But perhaps with enough insignificant "updates" I can learn to draw. Maybe I'll just make an entire game out of layers of these fake "look busy" updates. How cool would that be?

Not very. I have a few ideas about how the game will be done code-wise, but I still haven't decided anything about the story.

P.S. Screw blogger's offset from my timezone. I had like four more hours, and no one probably would care if I took more anyway. At least I can sleep now.

The first post...

2007-12-17T00:42:00.000-08:00

I'm another procrastinator/masochist trying to participate in the GRUEDORF CHALLENGE. I know. I'm a bit late (and all that other stuff that goes without saying). So, as much as I'd like to rant on and on there's not much to say at this point. I have to make the first entry so I'll actually work on the game for next week's update. Otherwise I'll just put it off forever.

I'm making a visual novel game for ika.

As of right now, it is going to be a murder mystery involving the supernatural, as cliché as that sounds. And no, I'm not trying to rip off Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, especially since I've never even seen it... and this game will be quite different once I develop it more... I hope (no, actually I'm pretty sure my vision is notably different, from what I've seen).

I don't intend to focus on the mystery aspect too much, if that helps any... because that might be a tad boring (though, of course, puzzle-solving and deductive logic are always good, especially since they can be used in the visual novel to produce multiple outcomes, alternate endings, and thus some replay value).

As for the setting, I think it should either be somewhat modern-day, or some anachronous fictitious world... or maybe something like, "colonial America." I don't know...

The characters are another thing... but just because it's a murder mystery doesn't mean I have to have a detective character. I'm thinking I can probably throw any kind of character into the situation where they would have motivation to investigate the murder(s)... as a friend of the victim, a potential suspect, etc. Of course the scenario changes drastically depending on what time period and location the story takes place in.

Hmmm... for next week I will probably have some kind of engine demonstration, some crude artwork, and a basic beginning of the story.