The Shining Source

too bad i can't see it... yet...

i don't think its the scrolling system, if i hold up down, then the character will keep walking even if i release it. so i had to play pressing it once... that was acceptable,(and not reading the stupid signs i though the mayor was my father so i wandered like that to the whole village... twice...)
until the battle started... so it's not the scrolling sys because the battle is WAY worst then walking around. Hell I can even see the text boxes moving! Formatting this pc or the new one, whatever will come first, i will then play your game nicely. I will see how this MMF looks like so maybe I can help you.

Hey McPhisto, who are you getting to do the rest of the graphics? Or are you doing them yourself?

Why Wyndi, I thought YOU were doing the rest of the graphics!  :shock:
No, not really...I'm redrawing various stuff as i go - mountains, forest, and other tile-type things. For sprites, ive got the services of someone from the MMF community...if he gets round to it .
Which leaves a rather large gap: battle cut scene animations. Ill have to worry about this one when i get up to it...

while making the beta i guess you could use a stick man fighting... battle animations can be problem...

STICKMAAAN!!!
That's all I've got. Really. People standing still is all I can do. I can't do full body animations.

Crud waffers! I didn't log in!

Ah, those stickmen are brilliant! Thats it, SV is now going to be made up entirely of stick figures! It can be called Shining Stickmen...  

Darn! I should have kept my ideas to myself!! I was planning a SF Stick game... Even the maps will be poorly drawn.... J/K.

McPhisto, your game is great, don't ruin it by making it a stickmen one!!! hehe

I think i can do full body animations for you... Thats... when my computer is back. I may buy a new one this week(they approved my refund yay(the light company was held responsible for this inciddent))

U can draw cutscene animations? Cool, I'd love to see some!

Nooo I can draw STICKMEN animations... They may seem a little hard in their moving, but i'm improving...

Just wait my computer... Just wait... Even shining force II lags in this one!

Ah right, gotcha . Well never mind then...

This battle engine is really giving me a lot of trouble...I hate the way it springs bugs at me, whenever I try to add something new.  :evil:
Have begun the long process of adding in all stats/damage/etc. information...then maybe i'll have to tackle the bad guy AI, again...

bugs sucks. they are an example of how dumb we can be... we just go on programming and never think about what may happen next... so... bugs all over the programs.

i'm sure you are doing that, and i have no idea if this is possible in MMF, or if it is already done on mmf, but you should create a small program that will allow you to add enemies/items/characters/stats real quick, by filling up some forms. That way when doing a sequel you can use the same battle engine and, hey, it'll be quicker.

That's why I've been remaking the battle engine from scratch - to make it adaptable, so adding different battles wouldn't be too much of a chore.
Umm, i tried adding in my item/stats menus into the battle engine, and it slowed down like crazy...so I'm making a streamlined item system for battles, which will be fine. The problem is stats - can anyone think of a way to present them that is streamlined/abbreviated? This game already has rather stupid computer requirements, and I'd rather not make it even higher  :? ...

Hi Mcphisto.

I may have a few useful tips for you.
 
Why don't you start with stats?
You can include a list with start-values for your characters, and a list with start-values for your monsters.

Now, when you start a new game, you copy the start-values into an array. This array (let's call it the work-array) will be your reference from now on.

And when you start a battle, you copy the start-values of the monsters you plan to use in a particular battle.

put these fields into your work-array:

name     (string)
class          (string)
race           (string)
current_hp  (variable)
max_hp      (variable)
current_mp (variable)
max_mp     (variable)
items[3]      (variable)
kills             (variable)
defeat         (variable)
experience   (variable)
attack          (variable)
defense        (variable)
agility           (variable)
movement    (variable)
 

Use these fields again for the start-values for your monsters, PLUS:

gold-value (variable)
monster_type (variable)
monster_number (variable)

(to name a few   )

I can hear you think: "what's the difference between monster_type and monster_number? "

Well, all the characters have their own number (bowie=1, sarah=2, peter=3, etc)
And all the monstertypes have their own number too. (arch_demon=1, demon_rat=2, etc)

Now let's say that you are in a battle:
It has four characters and 10 enemies

fighter[ 0]=bowie -> number = 1 / type = 0
fighter[ 1]=sarah -> number = 2 / type = 0
fighter[ 2]=peter -> number = 3 / type = 0
fighter[ 3]=claude -> number = 4 / type = 0

fighter[ 4]=arch_demon -> number = 5   / type = 1
fighter[ 5]=arch_demon -> number = 6   / type = 1
fighter[ 6]=arch_demon -> number = 7   / type = 1
fighter[ 7]=arch_demon -> number = 8   / type = 1
fighter[ 8]=demon_rat ->   number = 9   / type = 2
fighter[ 9]=demon_rat ->   number = 10  / type = 2
fighter[10]=demon_rat ->   number = 11 / type = 2
fighter[11]=demon_rat ->   number = 12 / type = 2
fighter[12]=demon_rat ->   number = 13 / type = 2
fighter[13]=demon_rat ->   number = 14 / type = 2

Notice that each fighter is unique? (meaning: each has its own set of numbers)

The stats for each fighter correspond with their place in the work-array

The fighter[xx]-part  is used to check the agility
The number-part is used to link with the work-array
the type-part is used to place a certain monster onscreen

A few more snippets

don't forget to put a flag into your program, to check if you're starting (flag_battle=0) or continuing a battle (flag_battle=1)

In case you plan to use a save option while a battle is underway  
make a difference between: saving at an inn (save_type=inn) or saving during a battle (save_type=battle)

So,

And, when you save, only save the complete work-array PLUS

amount_of_gold
last_visited_town
number_of_battle
save_type

Give all items, you plan to use, a number: (medical_herb=1, running_pimento=2,  etc etc)
 
Ummmm, I don't know if MMF accomodates for using constants?

In your work-array, arrange your structure so you can accomodate for something like this:



I'm pretty sure you know what this means, but i'll tell you anyway (whahhaha) -> you have four slots for items (from 0 to 3)

Now, let's work on this a bit more:
Remember giving numbers to all the items?



If you plan to use an item in a battle, you will have to check if an item is present in a certain slot (> zero)

The biggest tip I can give you is:

make a flowchart, write everything down, with every possible event and write next to it, the requirements for making an event to work.    

Okaaaay, it's a lot to take in, I know, but if there's something that you don't understand, please feel free to ..erm... nag?  :lol:

Beautiful. That's the principle of a custom battle system on Rpg Maker(I used to be addicted to it), so I'm pretty sure how it is

Also this example is valid for almost all languages I know(the Basic ones at least). I'll be sure to use your info if I start a project on pure basic(www.purebasic.com), so I won't need to start thinking about it, I could probably come to the same results, but it'd take longer.

Before I continuing typing things about how i made my custom bsys in Rpg Maker and how i loved that piece of shit, I better stop right here..

Anyway, beautiful.