AldenT Posted November 21, 2012 Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 You bet! Ever since I found out about the game, I wanted to support it. But rather than being just another praising voice, I figured I could look for bugs and provide some actual feedback. I'm looking forward to the full release one day and if it can be better, I'm all for it. Nothing wrong with actually acting on that wish, right? In any case, no problem! I've got some theories about how to fix some of these glitches, but I'm sure you know all this better than I do. I'm just glad to help however I can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AldenT Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Alright, I'm back with a few more weird finds. Fortunately there's more proof this time. - The Shang Mu Academy seems to start you off standing, even when you're not actually on the ground. So it's kinda funny when you crouch at that time, and in this particular room you can even hit a few targets on the way down. - Now I understand what happened with Lilac the other day. Running sprites rotate on slopes and loops, but not attack sprites. So when you attack while running upside-down, this happens. - The pounce hangs on upward slopes. It seems Carol might be confusing this for a wall or something, since she just stops. Considering that the pounce helps her to start moving, this is quite a snag. - And speaking of stopping, here's another game-breaker glitch. These tunnels let the player jump inside them, which is useful for returning to the top. But Carol can still confuse them for walls if she jumps in there at odd angles. Eventually, she can get stuck in there with no way out. I might have to record a video to prove this one, but this is how it looks at the end. - I thought the problem was Carol's wall-jump at first, but it can happen to Lilac too if she attacks and jumps at the same time. Unlike Carol she can still attack, but Lilac eventually gets stuck in a permanent spin and can't leave the tunnel. Using her comet dash in there makes her bounce so much and produces so many sparkles that the game slows down. That's it for now. I'm sure there are enough beta testers for Freedom Planet as is, but if you ever need one more I'm here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonicFan2010 Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Man, this game is a mess! I'm glad I didn't download it then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TailsSena Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Man, this game is a mess! I'm glad I didn't download it then. He's picking it apart. Playing it normally, these probably won't happen, you won't notice, or they just won't bother you... All games have bugs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falk Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 whoosh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AldenT Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Exactly, it's very playable for a demo and going about it normally, most of this stuff doesn't happen. I had to dig pretty deep for these bugs, especially trying to repeat them to ensure they weren't just assumptions on my end. Besides, would you rather have this "mess" on a fully commercial release? There's at least one Sonic game that does that and to be honest, I don't want to see Freedom Planet go down like those. It should get better with time, not worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serephim Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Man, this game is a mess! I'm glad I didn't download it then. haha, oh man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strife Posted November 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Aye, the number of bug reports is not proportional to the messiness of a game. I'm overall pretty satisfied with how smoothly it plays so far, and there hasn't really been a bug that I haven't been able to fix eventually. That being said, I'm somewhat amused at the explosion of replies here, so I think we made our points clear enough. xD I've been busy getting ready to move back to Denmark this past week, so I haven't had time to work on much besides a revamped theme song. The title screen theme is not only getting a makeover, but it's being stretched out into an anime-styled track about 3 minutes long for the credits. I may or may not be able to give it lyrics depending on how busy my VA for Lilac is. She's quite the singer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AldenT Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 You know, that's true. It'd be a mess of a game if it wasn't playable in the first place, let alone enjoyable. I know I dug into all this BECAUSE I enjoy the game. And all this from a demo? So far so good, I say. Oh, wow, that'd be amazing! The title theme is one of my favorite songs in the game (tied for best with the invincibility theme, in my opinion), I happen to love her work too (which reminds me, I gotta check out her other songs) and really, she's part of the reason Lilac is so fun to play. I hope she's up for it! And for that matter, I hope your trip goes well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TailsSena Posted November 30, 2012 Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 I've been busy getting ready to move back to Denmark this past week, so I haven't had time to work on much besides a revamped theme song. The title screen theme is not only getting a makeover, but it's being stretched out into an anime-styled track about 3 minutes long for the credits. I may or may not be able to give it lyrics depending on how busy my VA for Lilac is. She's quite the singer! Well, good luck with the move then... (I can't remember where Denmark is, soooo....) Oh, if you need a male VA... Let me know... My voice is (normally) a low tone and a medium pitch. I can go higher, not quite falsetto, and I could probably do a baritone if I tried, though I never have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strife Posted December 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2012 A bit of good news! I managed to get in touch with Ziyo Ling again and update her on all the progress we've made since the beginning. She says that she'll support us all the way regardless of whether or not we sell it, and she doesn't mind the changes we made to Lilac as far as turning her into a dragon. She was actually concerned about it herself (I.e. Proto-Lilac being too similar to Sonic). So, that's a huge weight off my shoulders. On another note, I have Mercury (from Retro, not sure if he has an account here) acting as another proofreader for the story, and we've been touching it up to make sure that everything makes sense and the characters act consistently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AldenT Posted December 14, 2012 Report Share Posted December 14, 2012 Ah, wonderful! For a moment I thought there was gonna be some confusion about Lilac's design and how fans of the original Sash Lilac may be upset that it's not really "her" in the game. But changing Lilac worked out and it's great to know Ziyo supports that. So the script really IS getting revised now? I've had some concerns of my own to discuss but I wasn't too sure if any of my messages were getting to you. I do have experience with writing, though. Especially with characters, so if you don't mind another proofreader on board, I'd like to help out. I don't mind spoilers if it will ensure the final product is as good as it can be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strife Posted December 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2012 I'll keep you in mind for when I start finalizing the script and need extra proofreaders. Thanks! I've been putting thought on what I want to do with the cutscenes, and I would consider scouting out some options to get a professional animation studio to help out. The thing is, I have no idea where I should be looking. xD The only place I'm familiar with is DeviantArt, which is somewhat limited. I could just search individual websites of animators, but first I need to know who is accepting commissions. I doubt if most of the people watching this page know anyone worthwhile, but if you do know of some animators who would be willing to work for money, let me know and I'll start making up a list of candidates. I'm leaning towards someone with a style akin to Japanese anime, but that's not a super-strict requirement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highwire4 Posted December 18, 2012 Report Share Posted December 18, 2012 I know a guy who is actually in the process of making an anime, like, in a studio and stuff. I'd send you his contacts but he's not taking commissions atm :C If he frees up sometime in the future though I'll totally message you though. As for places to look, you could try New Grounds maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AldenT Posted December 18, 2012 Report Share Posted December 18, 2012 No problem! I have some theories about the story to share too, though that's really just speculation on my part. Animators, huh? Well, you're right, I don't know much about that. But there's , I'm not sure if he's working professionally, but he's got talent. And by style, were you thinking of something like this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strife Posted December 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2012 The latter person's style is quite lovely! Though, I have a feeling that they wouldn't feel inspired enough to work on anything that doesn't involve their own OCs. A lot of artists are like that, actually. Anyway, small update - I've replaced one of the most obviously Sonic-ripped gimmicks, the S tunnel, with a spiral slide: It seems to be less buggy than the S tunnel too, though I haven't tested it very much yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AldenT Posted December 24, 2012 Report Share Posted December 24, 2012 I wouldn't blame them. Lots of people are out for themselves, even when it comes to art. Money can't buy that sort of passion anyway, so it might be a bad idea to try and hire somebody who isn't offering. I agree, this spiral slide is more unique. Some of the stages in modern Sonic games had such slides, but they stand out more in classic style. They look more scripted too, that would be great to prevent the glitches. The ones I ran into happened because the player could still jump around in there. And speaking of glitches, I made another discovery. It's just one, but it's a major changer for Shang Mu Academy. - At the start of any stage, Lilac can attack once to each side and start moving before the countdown finishes. - Why does it happen? I'm not too sure yet, but I'm guessing there's an error with the damage calculation on Lilac's attacks. For example, she can destroy the steel balls but it only happens during the countdown. After that, her attacks clash just like any other. - It's possible to die to traps before the countdown too, but putting all this together makes it possible to get some really crazy records. I'm talking about the kind of time that would be impossible to get fairly and this alone could ruin the entire feel of the time attack challenge. - Especially when it doesn't even save to the right stage! I'm still trying to figure out what happened here, but I might need to pick a new set of stages, or delete my data and start over. There's no way I'm gonna beat my "record" in a harder stage. - And the weird thing is that Carol's attacks can break the steel balls but CAN'T get her out of the start point. Maybe a Wild Kick would do the trick but it doesn't charge up fast enough. For now, I'm gonna guess the problem is with how Lilac's damage works, or how the "objects" keeping the girls in the start point work. Maybe both? That's it for now. Kind of a bummer to point out something like this before christmas eve but it's better than nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TailsSena Posted December 24, 2012 Report Share Posted December 24, 2012 I wouldn't blame them. Lots of people are out for themselves, even when it comes to art. Money can't buy that sort of passion anyway, so it might be a bad idea to try and hire somebody who isn't offering. Yeah, not gonna' lie... I'm guilty of that too. I agree, this spiral slide is more unique. Some of the stages in modern Sonic games had such slides, but they stand out more in classic style. They look more scripted too, that would be great to prevent the glitches. The ones I ran into happened because the player could still jump around in there.. Remember what happened in 2006 when SEGA had that same train of thought? I don't think we want that happening to this game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AldenT Posted December 24, 2012 Report Share Posted December 24, 2012 Remember what happened in 2006 when SEGA had that same train of thought? I don't think we want that happening to this game. I know about that. The glitches in 2006 happened because they forced the player to move in a certain direction but ignored the position they took when the script activated, so you could aim yourself at the "wrong" angle and the coding never changed to fix that. Then again, they didn't bother to fix anything there. All that really needs to be done here is to disable player actions while in the slide, or add some kind of speed boost as the player enters. The glitches I found happened because I could slow the girls down enough that they stopped moving entirely, so that's one way it could be prevented. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strife Posted December 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2012 The S tunnel was rather automated as well, such that you were better off just coasting through it or else a glitch might happen. So, with that said, the spiral slide isn't too bad. The thing about 3D Sonic games leading up to '06 is that not only did they have automated sections, but the autopilot would stay on for a noticeable amount of time. You could spend upwards of 15+ seconds doing nothing, whereas I find it's a lot more tolerable and useful when it takes no more than 2-3 seconds to coast through an autopiloted section. Not only that, but when auto sections are used properly, they can act as decent transitions between different parts of a stage - especially if their main purpose is to launch the player away at their maximum running speed, as is the case with DV's spiral slide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AldenT Posted December 24, 2012 Report Share Posted December 24, 2012 I hope it's more automated, though. The S tunnel is alright for just passing by, it's jumping in there that causes the real problems. The spiral slide looks better to me, but I'd have to see it in action to know if it works just as well. That's how I feel too, the automated sections in Sonic Adventure 1 weren't too bad but the later games got caught up with that and it all felt too linear by comparison. I'm hoping these spiral slides are designed better than that, but if it helps the S tunnels in Dragon Valley were already great for transitions. Especially the one after the first half, it introduces the change in scenery very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TailsSena Posted December 24, 2012 Report Share Posted December 24, 2012 Not only that, but when auto sections are used properly, they can act as decent transitions between different parts of a stage - especially if their main purpose is to launch the player away at their maximum running speed, as is the case with DV's spiral slide. This. This is the proper use of scripted stuff in platform games. Remember Super Mario Galaxy? The part where you were flying around after launching from a Launch Star... That was them cleverly disguising the game's load times. If you want to do something like that, you can read more about it here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serephim Posted December 24, 2012 Report Share Posted December 24, 2012 please stop referring us to TVTropes as if nobody knows it exists, Sena. It is not the universal wiki of designing everything. I believe Ila explained this already. You are becoming the therapist. The automated sections in the 3D Sonic Games sort of get a pass in that they also existed in the 2D games as well with the function still intact. Their main function was flair and excitement. Examples being Windy Valley in SA1 and Pyramid Cave in SA2, and when you think about it nearly all of Final Rush (except back then Grinding was more indepth than in later games, so you still had control over how fast Sonic could go). The speed loops really aren't much different from the more insane versions in the 2D counterparts. Aside from that, I honestly don't remember SA1,2 or Heroes having very many of these. The newest Sonic games ( Unleashed engine) do tend to completely strip player control after hitting certain speeders (usually unavoidable) in order to avoid awkward collision errors and velocity gain that happened in SA1/2/Heroes when you held backwards on one of the crazy geometry loop sections. I think the reason these are more noticable is because unlike in SA1 or SA2, the amount of actual actions you can do with Sonic's moveset and physics (without the aid of specific gimmicks) are so much lower that it becomes instantly noticable when your analog stick stops working too. the winding loops and other automated gimmicks in the 2D sonic titles wern't needed for loading anything, and were mostly just there to add some crazy excitement to the stage. Chemical Plant, Lava Reef, Sandolopolis, Death Egg ect ect. But yes, a good decision would be to not make these last too long. I specifically remember the Death Egg light tunnels being annoying because of how long they took. Skipping them was more rewarding and with Super/hypersonic they were much faster too. So as a result, they just felt redundant past the initial wow-factor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TailsSena Posted December 24, 2012 Report Share Posted December 24, 2012 ...I only directed him there because that's the only article I've found on the subject... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serephim Posted December 24, 2012 Report Share Posted December 24, 2012 The compilation of related material in that article is actually useful this time. Fine, you get a pass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts