So recently I have been attempting to learn how to utilize Multimedia Fusion 2 to make a Megaman-style game for a small little run & gun shooter I plan to make titled "Contraman". Unfortunately for me, there do not seem to be very many resources on the subject. I distinctly remember there being a Megaman Fangame website that used to co-exist with the Sonic Fan Game HQ, but it seems to be nonexistent or dead. Also, the few Megaman-style fan games I have downloaded seem to range from meh to awful. But that is probably due to inexperience with the programs used to make them.
Unfortunately for me, the strength of the controls are a titanic part of what I find fun about a game.
Which will make emulating juuust the right style of controls a hair-pullingly frustrating task. But as of this moment, I seem to have run into two major brick walls in making a solid-ish Megaman-style platforming engine:
1. The sprites are not centered when the character moves left and right, which leads to awkward movement as I try to move back and forth. I have no idea how to correct the problem.
2. When the character is moving and the attack button is pressed, the character's animation does not switch to the "gun out" sequence as I hold the button down, as it does when he is jumping and standing still. Not exactly sure how to fix this problem either, but I may get it with experimentation.
SO! Learning new stuff is pretty hard, but rewarding I would think. Now I just need to get better at it...
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Operation Comic Book Gettin', Game Huntin' & Playin' Day: CATOSTROPHIC FAILUE
Well, I sort of planned to have a day out on the town with a few of my friends, and one of my colleagues from school. Unfortunately everyone seems to be either working or out of town this weekend due to the Pemberton thing. Naturally this put a fairly large dent in my plans for the day. Instead of complaining about it (which I did anyway, just a little bit) I decided to suck it up and head out on my own. Incidentally my sister wanted to check out the wares downtown so my Mother and her dropped me off at the Vancouver Flea Market while they went to Robson Street.
As I checked the (probably 70% stolen) goods at the flea market, I strolled over to the most prominent game selling section of the indoor market (I have no idea what the name is, but the proprietor guy is friends with Brian, who runs GameDeals out in New West). I asked about the item I traveled all that way to purchase (a SNES Multitap shaped like Bomberman's head), and it turns out that he had sold it in the six months I last saw it. Damn.
But the trip was not a complete waste. The OTHER item I had wanted to purchase those six months prior humorously ended up still being there, so I decided to pick it up. What was it? A Japanese (because its label was better taken care of than the North American one) copy of Operation C for the Game Boy (in Japanese it's just Contra, or in a more entertaining way: BATTLE SPIRIT CLOTH). Needless to say, it is pretty awesome.
There are a few beefs I have with the game compared to other entries in the series. The biggest one that sticks out like a sore thumb is that the character (due to Contra 4's retconning is now either Mad Dog or Scorpion) moves much, much slower than the original games, throwing off a LOT of my jumps (especially in the first level!). The second, while not necessarily a bad thing is that the Spread Gun, being Contra's COLLECT ME TO WIN weapon is so common that it is ridiculous. The upgradeable weapons really give this particular Contra a unique mechanic that most of the other games (except Contra 4) don't have. Also, the final boss is kind of a jerk.
So that about covers my day. Now back to working on other things...
As I checked the (probably 70% stolen) goods at the flea market, I strolled over to the most prominent game selling section of the indoor market (I have no idea what the name is, but the proprietor guy is friends with Brian, who runs GameDeals out in New West). I asked about the item I traveled all that way to purchase (a SNES Multitap shaped like Bomberman's head), and it turns out that he had sold it in the six months I last saw it. Damn.
But the trip was not a complete waste. The OTHER item I had wanted to purchase those six months prior humorously ended up still being there, so I decided to pick it up. What was it? A Japanese (because its label was better taken care of than the North American one) copy of Operation C for the Game Boy (in Japanese it's just Contra, or in a more entertaining way: BATTLE SPIRIT CLOTH). Needless to say, it is pretty awesome.
There are a few beefs I have with the game compared to other entries in the series. The biggest one that sticks out like a sore thumb is that the character (due to Contra 4's retconning is now either Mad Dog or Scorpion) moves much, much slower than the original games, throwing off a LOT of my jumps (especially in the first level!). The second, while not necessarily a bad thing is that the Spread Gun, being Contra's COLLECT ME TO WIN weapon is so common that it is ridiculous. The upgradeable weapons really give this particular Contra a unique mechanic that most of the other games (except Contra 4) don't have. Also, the final boss is kind of a jerk.
So that about covers my day. Now back to working on other things...
Thursday, July 24, 2008
I Was Once a Lad Like You
Not a whole lot happened today. I went out to Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows to check out the EBGames' and Superstore's video game wares, and also so I could go watch WALL-E at the Cineplex there. Nothing special at Superstore, but at EBGames I discovered that there are an almost unhealthy amount of preowned Shenmue II and Wario World copies for sale. Never played Shenmue II, and Wario World was a very worthy rental, but I may pick up Wario World to add more bulk to my Treasure game collection.
But the biggest find I happened to see at EBGames was a preowned copy of Ninja Five-O for the GBA on sale for $12.99. Naturally, I would have bought it on the spot if not for the flamboyantly massive reason why I loathe EBGames' preowned game management system, the awful yellow sticker(s) were on the label, meaning attempting to peel them off would ruin an otherwise pristine cartridge. At least with disk-based games the sticker is only on the box and the box can be replaced, but on a cartridge that should not be allowed.
After a good 2 hours of wandering around since I happened to buy a ticket for the WALL-E showing at 4:45PM when I arrived at the theater at around 2:40, I finally sat down in the cinema to watch WALL-E for the first time (I really should have picked a newer movie, but I was really interested in seeing it). I had hoped I would be the only one in the theater to watch the movie, but it turns out there were a few families who popped in just before the show began to somewhat diminish my ability to yell at the screen if something happened that I did not enjoy (fortunately that thought never occurred as I watched the movie).
Once the movie had finished, I watched the entire credits sequence, smiling both outside and in at the pixel art utilized, and the film in general. One of the ushers kept peeking at the rows to see if anyone was still there (I was the only one) so she could theoretically clean the place up, but I sort of stared at her until she stopped looking at me.
It was as I was journeying home did a thought that I had not brought up in my mind for years (mostly because I am fairly uncomfortable talking about it) appear in my head. Love. Yeah, that thing. A CGI robot's relationship with another CGI robot compelled me to evaluate what my thoughts were on the subject. What is it?
For too long before watching WALL-E I had begun to believe love was more or less a carnal affair, and the feelings a person has for another were secondary (or, in some/many cases, tertiary). But the little yellow robot and his giggling ivory girlfriend reminded me of a different part of that spectrum, the kind I believed was all that existed as a child. As a boy the most I ever imagined to accomplish with a girl in a relationship was to hold her hand and kiss her, but as I grew older that notion has been taken to a place that is a far cry from where it began.
So in turn I realized I am, like it or not, an adult now. I suppose I should start acting like one. Because even though the eyes I saw the world through as a child are essentially the same as they are now, the world, and my world are different.
That being said, I really liked the movie.
But the biggest find I happened to see at EBGames was a preowned copy of Ninja Five-O for the GBA on sale for $12.99. Naturally, I would have bought it on the spot if not for the flamboyantly massive reason why I loathe EBGames' preowned game management system, the awful yellow sticker(s) were on the label, meaning attempting to peel them off would ruin an otherwise pristine cartridge. At least with disk-based games the sticker is only on the box and the box can be replaced, but on a cartridge that should not be allowed.
After a good 2 hours of wandering around since I happened to buy a ticket for the WALL-E showing at 4:45PM when I arrived at the theater at around 2:40, I finally sat down in the cinema to watch WALL-E for the first time (I really should have picked a newer movie, but I was really interested in seeing it). I had hoped I would be the only one in the theater to watch the movie, but it turns out there were a few families who popped in just before the show began to somewhat diminish my ability to yell at the screen if something happened that I did not enjoy (fortunately that thought never occurred as I watched the movie).
Once the movie had finished, I watched the entire credits sequence, smiling both outside and in at the pixel art utilized, and the film in general. One of the ushers kept peeking at the rows to see if anyone was still there (I was the only one) so she could theoretically clean the place up, but I sort of stared at her until she stopped looking at me.
It was as I was journeying home did a thought that I had not brought up in my mind for years (mostly because I am fairly uncomfortable talking about it) appear in my head. Love. Yeah, that thing. A CGI robot's relationship with another CGI robot compelled me to evaluate what my thoughts were on the subject. What is it?
For too long before watching WALL-E I had begun to believe love was more or less a carnal affair, and the feelings a person has for another were secondary (or, in some/many cases, tertiary). But the little yellow robot and his giggling ivory girlfriend reminded me of a different part of that spectrum, the kind I believed was all that existed as a child. As a boy the most I ever imagined to accomplish with a girl in a relationship was to hold her hand and kiss her, but as I grew older that notion has been taken to a place that is a far cry from where it began.
So in turn I realized I am, like it or not, an adult now. I suppose I should start acting like one. Because even though the eyes I saw the world through as a child are essentially the same as they are now, the world, and my world are different.
That being said, I really liked the movie.
It's Here! The Prize!
Oh yes! My Sega Ages Volume 25: Gunstar Treasure Box (long title, yo) arrived in the mail today! A weird thing I noticed when I opened the packaging and took my first glance at the innards of this wondrous thing, it smells like I imagine Japan smells. Weird. Also, I feel accomplished that I own such a magnificent collection of software, although I do not have the means to actually play it. It would certainly only be a financial pain to acquire the means to do so, but that is not too likely to occur anytime soon. Well, maybe. Not to mention I have no idea how a Magicswap thing works.
In other events occurring today (or yesterday, whatever), I journeyed to Metrotown to meet and greet with some former classmates from the Art Institute of Vancouver to discuss a future game project we would work together on. At this current point in time I am attempting to learn how to utilize Multimedia Fusion 2 for game creation purposes. To that end I am having little luck finding any tutorials and am starting to believe I may need to begin doing things with trial and error.
My colleges have expressed their intent to create a sort of side-scrolling beat-'em-up (NOT a fighting game, for the British people who may read this, a game like Final Fight) using Flash (probably CS3). The aesthetic theme we may go with was an interesting choice with plenty of wiggle room to work with: drawings on lined paper. That is a terrific place to start with the art direction in my eyes, there could be a ton of stuff that could be crudely drawn yet still fit with the theme. But since I will probably be meeting with those guys in the coming weeks we will probably hammer out the gameplay aspects of the idea first before proceeding into the art phase.
So that about does it for me today, I am going to get some rest and dream if I can remember it.
In other events occurring today (or yesterday, whatever), I journeyed to Metrotown to meet and greet with some former classmates from the Art Institute of Vancouver to discuss a future game project we would work together on. At this current point in time I am attempting to learn how to utilize Multimedia Fusion 2 for game creation purposes. To that end I am having little luck finding any tutorials and am starting to believe I may need to begin doing things with trial and error.
My colleges have expressed their intent to create a sort of side-scrolling beat-'em-up (NOT a fighting game, for the British people who may read this, a game like Final Fight) using Flash (probably CS3). The aesthetic theme we may go with was an interesting choice with plenty of wiggle room to work with: drawings on lined paper. That is a terrific place to start with the art direction in my eyes, there could be a ton of stuff that could be crudely drawn yet still fit with the theme. But since I will probably be meeting with those guys in the coming weeks we will probably hammer out the gameplay aspects of the idea first before proceeding into the art phase.
So that about does it for me today, I am going to get some rest and dream if I can remember it.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Lazy Days in Paradise
Well, I don't have a job just yet. I would much rather work every day than do nothing every day like I am currently doing. Sure, it is nice to take a break but I would much rather get back in the saddle and start doing actual game design work.
I recently purchased Noitu Love 2 after playing the demo to death, and frankly I am amazed at how tight the controls and gameplay are compared to the first Noitu Love. It has somewhat inspired me to create a run & gun shooter utilizing Multimedia Fusion 2, but the biiig problem in that is I have little to no idea where to begin in such an arduous (don't think I spelled that correctly...) task.
Anyhoo, since I haven't posted a link to my website on this blog quite yet I might as well do so now:
http://www.azurearcade.com/
Oh, and I guess I'll be using this blog a lot more from now on.
I recently purchased Noitu Love 2 after playing the demo to death, and frankly I am amazed at how tight the controls and gameplay are compared to the first Noitu Love. It has somewhat inspired me to create a run & gun shooter utilizing Multimedia Fusion 2, but the biiig problem in that is I have little to no idea where to begin in such an arduous (don't think I spelled that correctly...) task.
Anyhoo, since I haven't posted a link to my website on this blog quite yet I might as well do so now:
http://www.azurearcade.com/
Oh, and I guess I'll be using this blog a lot more from now on.
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