Kain

1. Rank these level design interfaces from best to worst: Of the two listed I've used, MMF2's level editor is better than Game Maker's, except that what's behind that level editor has silly requirements that keep me from using the level editor efficiently. Game Maker's is just too bare-bones and rigid. It ends up being something that determines the x and y positions of objects and nothing more. 3. What's your approach to the initial phase of level creation? 0. Design layout in image editor 1. Lay out the collision boxes. 2. Place interactive objects and alter instance-specific values (timing things mostly) 3. Test 4. Back to step 0 5. Lay image tiles Can you think of any tools that could help you organize that process? Place-by-region (create a line or rectangle of objects), select multiple objects. 4. What is the most painful part of building a level in the editor of your choice? Collision boxes and tiles. Oh also determining scale can be a bit of a pain in Game Maker, but a simple zoom in/out can fix that. 5. Can you think of any hypothetical tools that could fix that? Some form of scriptable macro placement which you could run, check for the position of placed certain objects, then tell the editor to place other objects automatically (according to a script)? 6. Any other tools that you can think of that you feel would make a level editor great? An advanced layer system is a must and shouldn't necessarily be tied to depth (but can be tied to certain values). Perhaps it could work like a modern Image Editor, with a window that controls the visibility of layers and which ones are active and in what ways. For example, you might have the option to dim some layers, or all except some. Layer groups would also help. A function I've always wanted, but most people probably wouldn't use, is the ability to create drawing procedures specifically for editing purposes. For example, I might have a group of objects that all behave the same way except have a different cone of influence and it'd be nice if I could tell those object to draw that cone straight in the editor (the drawing method for all instances would be the same, but it would read their specific custom-defined variables which would be slightly different). Or perhaps I have an object which has complex geometric drawing methods and still have it drawn in the editor. Perhaps this could be something you could toggle on/of a globally, per-instance and/or per-layer (for speed concerns). These could exist only for the purposes of level editing so could be removed when the game is compiled/whathaveyou. It could even go so far as to make these functions interactive, where you could change the object's settings by dragging a piece it created for those purposes. It'd be really sweet if you could activate a single object or group of objects to test them out without compiling the whole damn game, but I could see where this might be asking for too much. When all else fails let the maker do it himself, by having import/export functions levels and objects with a format which is open and fairly easy to work with. More of a system thing than level editor thing, but setting up a system for making (and drawing) geometric collision structures would be a nice option. Something that I've seen other editors do and is certainly a plus is have the ability to edit inside the game (i.e. add an object here or there while debugging and have it appear like that in the level). 7. How do you feel about the tile based approach to level design? What are its strengths and weaknesses? It's by no means necessary for computer games, but having 'objects' which are not as full-functioned (and thus as resource-demanding) as others is certainly a benefit, though I certainly wouldn't force anyone to use this method if their design doesn't call for it. A bit excessive, I know.

I really like this aesthetically-functional direction they took this thing in even though I have a few nitpicks: I know the curve is kinda signature, but it was and always will be ugly; I like matted texture in general, but the top's a little too spacious to pull it off without looking boring; I know Sony wants to avoid it identifying itself as a gaming console, but a pinstripe of color would really benefit the design; for a "slim" it's still mighty unwieldy. The price tag is even more attractive, though the lack of PS2 support would be pretty game-breaking if I didn't know PS2 emulation (on the PC) was getting more and more feasible every day.

It would probably help if you showed us the shape of the boss so we can advice a specific collision system for it. If it's just a character-sized boss that can get hit from all sides, all you really need to do is negate your X and Y speeds when you hit him (unless, like Ryan said, you're coming from the top in case you want to randomize the X speed and give the Y a little umph to avoid killing him by bouncing on him repeatedly). Also don't forget to give the boss a small half-a-second period where Sonic can't hit or bounce off of him to avoid getting stuck in it. Telling if you're colliding from above is pretty easy: you make sure Sonic's Y is less than the Boss's Y and you make sure Sonic's X is within a certain amount (approximately half the combined width of Sonic and the boss) of the Boss's X.

Most engines are designed in a "get-out-of-the-wall" kind of way (as opposed to a "stick-to-the-wall" kinda way) such that collision with the terrain are minimal and extremely brief. There's a high probability that the collision with terrain/wall parent event literally never happens. What you should do is put all this in the Step event inside an if statement which checks for collision with a slightly bigger mask than the collision detection uses (the easiest way to do this is using the function "collision_rectangle").

What exactly do you want to be randomized? The location? The shape? The frequency (in the case of multiple explosions as is common in Sonic boss deaths)? Here's the code I've used more than a couple times in the past in order to create an exploding boss: CREATE EVENT: alarm[0] = 5; ALARM 0 EVENT: { instance_create(x + random(64)-32,y+ random(64)-32,objExplosion); alarm[0] = 5 + floor(random(10)); } objExplosion is just an object with an explosion sprite that terminates when its animation is over (by using the Animation end event, found in the Other tab). It also plays a sound in its create event. Obviously tweaking the random values will tweak the effect. In general you want the number in place of 64 to be twice the number in place of 32 (that way you have an even distribution around the center of the object).

Currently existing? None that I know of. Currently being worked on? There's Stencyl which is supposed to be somewhat of an alternative to GM/MMF, but there's no release date in sight and hasn't been one for the last year or two or three that it's been announced. For now I think you're probably out of luck unless you know enough programming to use SDL. Considering how heavily designed around DirectX and Windows Messages Game Maker is and how tight-lipped they are about the hyper-delayed port, I'll believe it when I see it.

Not that you wouldn't, but just in case, I'd like to request the RAGE topic(s) be moved if you plan on deleting the SAGE forum (and I personally don't see much need to keep it now that the Booth listings are gone).

Are you looking for something like this resembling what you'd get if you grabbed a piece of yarn at two ends or are you looking for something with less give? Also do you want the nodes to move independently based on their own physics (would move more realistically but maybe too wiggly) or just a parabolic estimation (in other words the droop moves 1:1 with the two points with no momentum)?

Well it should have literally made me sick. ::harumph:: Also nice job editing that, Brad. Fixed a good number of awkward sentences arrangements and grammar mistakes I overlooked.

Ho boy did I get carried away. That's probably the hardest I've ever worked in a single week. I'll let you decide whether or not I stayed within the spirit of RAGE (I'd release it separate from RAGE, but I want the publicity so to speak, also it'd never get released/finished because of the leeway). Anyway, my game is a sequel to New Sonic, my entry from last RAGE. If you haven't played New Sonic or forgot its story, you'll be lost here. If you HAVE played New Sonic, then you'll still be lost. Here lie the unfiltered analogies of a certified madman (Bachelors in Insanity, Graduated March 2007, 3.5GPA). I had more planned, but I got a surprising amount done. Edit: ==Eh, link removed for now. You wait til RAGE is official==

It takes one thing to make a good game: a good dev team. And I'd imagine the time needed to find, set to contract, and organize such a team CAN be lengthy especially for a huge companies with lots of obligations and from a guy in his position, that could very well be what he's referring to (who am I kidding, he's just doing PR). Which doesn't change the fact that the reason Sonic games suck is because SEGA doesn't allocate the resources needed to make them not suck (and they're probably making profits off Sonic as-is and thus see little reason to do that; can't say I agree or disagree with that mentality). edit: Actually, that's a pretty good analogy. In both cases, you're in the process acquiring prospects, some of whom develop into all-stars, some fizzle out, some just remain permanently immature. Now I have no idea if this is actually how it happens, but I could definitely see it that way. I mean, you don't hear much of the behind-the-scenes of the video game industry and what you here seems to suggest that it's very mechanical and sweatshop-y save for a select few big names, but there's still no getting around the need for talent and teamwork in any project, much less a creative one.

You should know you can't keep me away from RAGE. Sequel to New Sonic coming. Prepare for all of the ambiguous quality that you got with New Sonic only taken up a notch.

I really like the concept of the game in-action a whole lot more than I was expecting. The sprites and move-sets really go great together and the concepts are great. The only thing is I have two little problems with the game which are actually big problems. The first problem is that the screen hiccups at certain points (this is obviously because you use multiple GM rooms for a single level to lessen the CPU load) and the controls sometimes wig out when the transition happens. You might want to look into Damizean's sector-based activation system as an alternate way to make sure your huge levels don't lag. The second problem is that your resolution is just way too big; you're using sprites designed for resolutions which are less than 1/4 of what you're using. Not only does this make the graphics kinda bleed together, but it forces you to make sparse level designs that look rather unattractive and bland. Because of the physics of your game, I don't suggest taking it all the way down to GBA-resolution, but I'd hesitate to exceed 400x300. Oh, one last problem, it takes forever for your game to load and it takes up a heck-lot of RAM (well, for my computer anyway). You might want to look into loading certain big resources (backgrounds, music, and such) externally so you have better control about what's loaded and when. Anyway, technical and presentational issues aside, surprising game that I'm looking forward to more of. I like the exploration aspect, I like the modification aspect, I'm a huge fan of what you're trying to do and it's implemented solidly with only a few hitches.

You could do it with state the variable, but for some reason I can't remember at this time, I encountered problems when I tried to do it that way. Maybe I just didn't like changing between states midair for no obvious reason.

The (a) problem with Video Game -> Movie transitions is that video games are already thinly-veiled, watered-down adaptations of an amalgamation of popular culture movie plots (less so these days, but Metroid definitely). I'm not saying they were horrible game stories or anything and with the right crew, any movie can surpass its medium, but I don't really see the point other than to capitalize on nostalgia. But I guess there will be a time when video game movies become as good as comic book movies (2 misses to the hit though they be, there are some very good ones), after a large enough pop culture fan base grows to make it popular both among shallow viewers and those looking for a deeper experience. I'd give it another 15 years.

I believe the way it's done for most platformer games is whenever you jump, a certain trigger variable is set to 1 (this variable is set to 0 whenever you land, start going downwards or get propelled by a gimmick). If that trigger variable is 1 and you are not holding/pressing jump and you are going up at a certain speed or more (I think ~2.5 pixels/second is about right), then you set your vertical speed to that speed. In other words, if you let go of jump while being propelled up from the jump, then your speed is reduced to a certain amount.

In my bookmarks: http://www.nuklearpower.com/ - 8-bit Theater. I like his humor, believe it or not. http://vgcats.com/ - No updates, etc. http://threepanelsoul.com/ - Low updates, but I like the style. http://drmcninja.com/ http://xkcd.com/ http://www.mspaintadventures.com/ - I didn't realize this guy was continuing his make-you-own-adventure stuff until VGCats linked it and it was 4/5 over. Oh well, that just means I didn't have to wait. http://homestarrunner.com/ - (although someone will be quick to point out that it is technically not a webcomic) http://www.whiteninjacomics.com/comics.shtml - I have no idea why this made it back into my bookmarks after I reformatted when others didn't. It's some nice fluff. http://www.sinfest.net/

I think gray emerald means that the person attempting to rep doesn't have the power to do so because of their poor rep. Edit: That's nothing, Appo has over 100 rep and only has 70 posts.

Not long 'til you have my 105 beat at the rate you're getting repped. Do you have any idea how many newbie Game Maker topics I had to bum rush to get these points? 105. What's the 3 orbs break at? 500? 1000?

The problem is that not every computer has an SD card slot, but even my parent's 10 year-old PC running Windows 98 has a USB port. Granted you need to find independent drivers for the Flash Drive, but that's a fairly easy task. Anyway, I kinda feel like I hijacked Streak's topic with this pricing business. Sorry about that. Good luck with your recover/reinvention.

8GB USB flash drives are only $20 and 250GB external harddrives are only $70. Oh well, hindsight. I'd be devastated to lose so many hundreds of hours of work regardless of circumstance. I don't suppose the old April 25th, 2008 version I have is of any use/interest? Edit: I can vouch for Game Maker being good for some of the effects and object-oriented techniques you need/want. If you're looking for a half-way between the power of programming and the "done-for-you-already" functionality of MMF, I'd recommend Game Maker (if for no other reason than that it's the most popular such program than I'm aware of), though it might be more programming-intensive than you want or less free-form and lightweight than you need. Also it has to not bother you that it's DirectX-based.

The shine text and background blend too much into each other. 100 difference in luminosity isn't enough for bright backgrounds.

A mix between Megaman Legends and Armored Core (though they're already kinda similar). Something fast-paced with a bit of gameplay depth, but still cartoony/arcadey and over-the top. Of course, I'd just settle for Megaman Legends 3. Edit: The explanation is pretty straightforward in that the combination is aimed at counteractacting one's shortcomings with the other's strengths. Megaman Legends 1/2 were great, they was just a tiny bit sluggish and clunky. Armored Core was great, but it was a little bland and technical with missions and environments which could have used a bit more flair and distinguishing contrast.

Doesn't that make it easier to shun?

Oh, you're just saying that because you see that Smidge uses Shine, you treasonous dog!