DMAshura

Greetings. Some of you may remember me as posting here about Sonic Gemini. That's been on hiatus for a little while for a number of reasons, but things are starting back up again. However, I've got a new project in the works that I'm seeking help with (both because I think the community would be able to use it and because I can base Sonic Gemini off it.) Introducing Porcupyne. Porcupyne is an in-the-works, open-source Sonic engine for Python. I've been programming it in Python 2.7 (though 2.6 may work), and extra libraries I've been using are Pyglet (for game flow), Rabbyt (for sprites), and Cython (for fast collision detection using bitmasks.) Most of the code is ported from either Sonic Dash for GM7 or from the Sonic Physics Guide on Sonic Retro. I chose Python because I believe it is an intuitive and easy-to-learn language, and because it will be easier for multiple people to contribute to a number of code files on a repository than having all the code packed into a single MMF or GM7 file. So far, we have implemented: Horizontal and vertical movement Variable-height jumping Collision detection of platforms Slope angle detection for 360º movement Multiple directions for gravity Scaling the game window to multiple resolutions Scaling the physics too (if you want to, say, make an HD game) I started work on this engine around last weekend, and since then I'm pretty happy with how much I and two other programmers have gotten. (Today, I'm actually implementing rolling and spin dashing.) However, I really could use the help of some people who are experienced with Sonic fangame programming, especially if they really know the ins and outs of Dash and/or Worlds. (For one, our angle detection is still a little wobbly, and I'm having trouble fixing it.) Here's a link to the GitHub repository: https://github.com/DMAshura/porcupyne/ So ... if you're interested, please leave a reply. Also, feel free to hit me up - my contact info is below. AIM: AstralAshura MSN: [email protected] YIM: DMAshuraWolf Skype: DMAshura Hope to hear from you guys soon!

The sand tiles you see were kind of preliminary anyway, so they're getting redone with a bit more depth and variation. As for why we switched to the new style ... the idea was suggested by SonicWarriorTJ for him to hand-draw it all because (1) it would be easier to produce and edit than pixel art and (2) because we could *NOT* find enough reliable pixel artists. A number of people said they would help us and then either bailed or ended up doing nothing. For instance the guy who created the background for Memento Temple Zone flat out told us that was ALL he wanted to do for us. So we went in the direction that would not only give us creative uniqueness but also make sure our game gets DONE. I appreciate all the feedback though ... it will very much be taken into account. Just because it's hand drawn doesn't mean it's going to just look like a Flash game.

I'm currently awaiting the first iteration of our engine in Blitz3D.

Do you mean smoother in terms of animation? We already have more frames than any of the Genesis games.

We're finally moving away from Game Maker, actually. It's too bloated. The new engine that we're working on should be much smoother and faster. Would this satisfy you? Just to prove we've got real sprites and not just one really pretty picture.

Actually that's the beauty of doing it this way. If something is off, long as you keep the original Photoshop file, you can tweak the layers.

It's just that we may need to make a few tweaks to it is all. The feel is definitely what we were going for.

Greetings again everyone. Just thought I'd update everybody on where we are with Sonic Gemini. Since finding reliable spriters has been an almost impossible task, we decided to go in a new direction. This picture is a mock screenshot, but using actual sprites we're using ingame, with the exception of the background and some of the HUD. Enjoy.

Hehe, awesome. Though SWTJ, you don't need to put "of Bemani fame" every time you mention me. I'd like people to judge this game based not on where I come from, but on the merits of the game itself.

If I were a master at GM7 I wouldn't be posting asking for help now would I? I understand the basics, but I would not consider myself "skilled", especially with an engine like Sonic Dash. I have to ask if you've even bothered to look at the top post, where you'd see that we already have a preliminary engine. I've already been doing a good bit on this game and am trying to find somebody else to do what I am not personally good at. So unless you're offering to help, I'd appreciate if posts like this would be kept to yourself.

Sorry to bump an old topic, but we need help. Our programmer has backed out. We need a main programmer. GM7 is preferred but if we can't find one MMF2 is fine.

Greetings, everyone. First of all, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Bill Shillito, also known in other communities as DM Ashura. I'm a musician for Konami's "Bemani" series of games, specifically Dance Dance Revolution and beatmaniaIIDX. (More info at www.dmashura.com) But that's not why I'm here. I'm here because I'm also an avid Sonic fan, and I've begun development of a Sonic fangame called "Sonic Gemini." I recently talked to Slingerland, and according to him I have enough material at this point to be able to request help, so here goes nothing, I suppose! First off, an explanation of the game. Sonic Gemini is a 2D, Genesis-style game, though with a twist. You play as a tag-team of two characters, able to (and required to) switch between them at will to complete the game. The first character is of course Sonic, but the second may be a bit of a surprise... Metal Sonic. The two bitter rivals, through interesting circumstances, end up forming a strained but rather effective alliance as they try to stop the newest nefarious plan of Dr. Eggman and his newest creation (and Metal's replacement), EggRobo-2. You can have a look at ER-2 here, thanks to SonicWarriorTJ: http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/7383/eggrobo2finalfvxcak9.png And now, for the proof I suppose. The latest revision of our engine can be found at this link: http://www.mediafire.com/?mlwggtblzkd The engine is based on Damizean and RogueYoshi's 360 degree engine for Game Maker 7 Pro, but AeroGP and I have already begun making modifications, also with Damizean's help. The switching mechanism (which is pretty much the crux of the gameplay) is fully functional. Hit the Z key to try it out. (Other controls include X for special attacks, C for jumping, ASDF for adding bursts of speed, and Q to rotate gravity 90 degrees.) Metal's special abilities are mostly implemented, and the unique shield powers he gets are also implemented. Also, you can see (though incomplete) the Sonic and Metal sprites being made for our game. Other than this engine, we have an ever-growing library of concept art (thanks of course to SonicWarriorTJ) and a lot of fleshed out, detailed design (though in textual form because I have absolutely zero artistic talent). I've already been working on a number of aspects of the game, from a detailed list of gimmicks for each Zone to the method of obtaining Chaos Emeralds to specific (and very unique!) boss mechanics to the evolution of the endgame. Mostly by myself. So . . . what I'm looking for is primarily two things. First off, we could use a little more programming help, because I'm not the best GM7 coder (though I'm trying my best) and I don't want to dump everything on Aero, or he'll likely castrate me with a cheese grater. Second off, and most importantly, we're looking for level artists. I admit that the game is rather ambitious in the aspect of number of Zones, but with the right help I don't think this would be a problem. I already have some help from Ayla, Mobethian, Jayextee, and others, but I most definitely need more help. Anyway . . . if you have any questions about the project please let me know. Feel free to contact me at any of my messengers, I'm often online. I hope that some of you may take an interest in the project and help bring it to a reality! Bill Shillito ~DM Ashura~ E-mail: [email protected] AIM: AstralAshura MSN: [email protected] YIM: DMAshuraWolf