The Shining Source

IkitClaw released v1.3 to the Tatakai beta testers. Here’s the accompanying message. :)

Tatakai test release v1.3 has just been uploaded and testers have been notified.

Amongst other things, the new Tatakai has :

• experience for friendly magic – an overlooked feature has been added
• attack action always default selection – avoids accidental stay orders
• individual hero, monster and item SFX
• more flexible image definitions
• introduced town files making each town specific
• variable levels of monster AI

The structure of the resource files has been reworked, and individual town files have been added. I’m currently working on a richer town customisation, allowing shop stock to be set, and eventually have town walkabouts too !

Issues concerning display settings and changes still persist – I need to learn more about the variations behind DirectDraw…

If you want access to the beta as well, feel free to check out the Project page for more info :).

Edit: The Tatakai site has had an update as well. Feel free to check it out at http://kyonshi.co.uk/tatakai/

My apologies to Grom for putting this up so late. Here is the wisdom of Grom! :D

Firstly – we’ve added 3 more character profile pages to the SFTA World>Characters section on our website

http://sfta.sourceforge.net

and also, we’ve started up our HQ contest again, in which submitters get the chance to have a character named after them in SFTA, and have that character designed to their specifications.

for further info (those with SFC membership) please read here

Shining Force Central – Forum Topic

On a side-note, I’ll be leaving for vacation for about a week, so expect updates to be a little scarcer than usual ;)

New Dark Resurrection screenshots have been added today. You can find more of them at the unofficial DR screenshot directory at:
http://www.shiningsource.net/Devlyn/dl/dr/

Once more, enjoy :P

Shining Memory, a future sub-game of Dark Ressurection, has been released for playing by the public :).

It’s a DOS-game, so it may be tricky to get it running, or it may not ;).

You can find it in the downloads area. Enjoy!

I promised you a double update, so here you go ;) This is actually the last email response I’ve received, so hopefully by now you should be fully clued-up as to where our Shining fangames are in their development. If you still have any questions, I’ll be listing the addresses and phone numbers of the developers, so you can get real answers ;)

Shining Odyssey

Project website

Development team:

Zylokh – programmer, artist, “scenarist” (I think that means he devised the scenario – Newts)
Philippe, Magalie, Remi – moral support

Development language
C++ builder

Most recent release, 31st December 2003

Most recent update or newsworthy happening:

The project is somewhat paused until the end of June 2004 due to professional exams I have to take this year. Yet, I have been reworking a little bit on the character graphics recently. Devlopment should start again in September 2004. A release scheduled before the end of 2004? That would be great.

Other comments:

8 chapters are programmed for this epic journey. Character designers and/or artists, programmers are heartily welcome to be part of the project (…)

Newts says: Sounds like another developer has hit the hassle of exams, only this time it looks like the summer development route isn’t an option, which is a shame. Also, it sounds as if the development team could use some expansion, which is another common problem with all fangames. Still, I hope Zylokh can overcome these problems and produce a really high quality fangame :)

Newts also says: I was only joking about the phone numbers earlier :P The only project I’m yet to hear from is Matty B‘s Shining Force Online, so I hope this series of news posts has rekindled your interest in the fangame world :D