It looks like Christmas is coming early for Shining fans! The team behind Harmonia Tactics (previously known as Tales of Harmonia) have released a new demo, and it’s packed full of features!
As you can see from the trailer, things have come a long way since the old ASCII interface! The download is available for Windows and Linux systems, so try it out now!
Read more: Release Notes: Harmonia Tactics Engine Demo v1.4.3.
Here’s some great news for aspiring developers – bludragn has decided to release the full Shining Force PC source code onto GitHub.
I’ve decided to finally release the code for my old engine.
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Hopefully it can be of use to anyone working on their own engine, or just curious as to how SFPC works. It’s possible I may come back to it to tinker again at some point, I’ve learned a lot in the years since I last touched it, but I don’t have the time or the motivation I once did to spend on it.
The project itself is written in C++, and can be built using Visual Studio 2010. The source contains everything from the 2012 summer update, which includes an A* path finding algorithm and a custom script engine. If you’re interested in creating your own Shining style project it’s well worth a look!
Read more: SFPC source code now available on Github
It’s been a while since my last worklog entry. I’m currently working on improving the scripting system so that it can handle more complex stuff like cutscenes and actual interaction. It’s a bit tough and is taking longer than I’d like, but that’s how these things go. I was originally using a simple trigger/action system, but it didn’t really support some of the more complex things I needed. I have a habit of getting distracted I guess.
I also spent far too long rebuilding the entity system to separate the graphical representation (the actual sprite image) from the logical position (co-ordinates on the map). The main reason was so the server doesn’t need image libraries in order to run. Plus it doesn’t really need to know the actual image details, just the position of the character. I probably wasted a week getting it all switched, but I think it’s better to do it now than later.
Another thing I’ve been working on is getting the various menus up and running:
This is my first effort at the status screen. It’s a little different from the usual Shining Force style, but I think it works. There’s still some changes I’d like to make (such as the health bars), but overall I’m pretty happy with the layout.
The first alpha for Shining Force Central’s community has been released!
Legacies of Veridocia has been in the works for quite some time and has involved many community members. It certainly hasn’t been a smooth ride, but thankfully everybody’s efforts have paid off with the release of the first demo.
The Demo consists of a Story Scene, a battle, and a post-battle story scene, followed by a basic free roam of the map (there’s not much there right now). Once you’ve played through to the free roam, you can reinitiate the battle as many times as desired by walking into the area where the characters begin the battle.
The demo itself is short but extremely polished. If you’ve played Shining Force 2, you’ll recognize the animation style almost immediately, and the portraits and battle scenes all suit the game perfectly. To run the demo you’ll need the latest version of Java installed.
LordOddEye from Shining Force Central has posted a demo of his new game, “The Wanderer of the Worlds”:
The game is a wandering RPG style game in which you are in a Dark Forest. One is able to travel various directions and run into many various events. Certain events can increase the stats of your player and allow him to grow stronger. But as you grow stronger so will your enemies.
It’s Flash based, so can be played in any browser. You can play the game here: Download The Wanderer of the Worlds
Make sure to stop by SFC and give some feedback!
Read more: The Wanderer Of The Worlds Version 1.00
