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Work in Progress / Shadow of Arawyn

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Don3784
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Posted: 9th Jul 2013 13:26 Edited at: 11th Sep 2013 06:17
Here is a link to my game that I am creating just thought i would share it with the community. Any Input on it would be nice. I haven't gotten to far yet and I'm still new to programming so maybe not to harsh input but here it is....

:http://www.indiedb.com/games/shadow-of-arawyn

You can also find it on facebook with a download there.

http://www.facebook.com/ShadowOfAwaryn


[b][u]New Version 9-8-13:
http://www.indiedb.com/games/shadow-of-arawyn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MC7eBuhRf8k
ShellfishGames
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Posted: 10th Jul 2013 13:24
How about a video? Judging from the screenshots it looks very nice (even though the graphical style doesn't seem to be very coherent.. that house with the green roof looks somewhat out of place ).
Did you program it in DBP?

I'll try it out later. So all I have to say right now is that it makes a good impression.

Don3784
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Posted: 10th Jul 2013 20:37 Edited at: 10th Jul 2013 22:25
I had thought the same thing about the house as well but have not made it a priority yet. I created all the graphics in paint.net. I then made the trees and wasn't entirely impressed with how they came out. So the trees I have now make the house clash. As far as a video I have yet to make sound for the game so I figured a video should wait until then. Next update should jive together a little better art wise.
Derek Darkly
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Posted: 11th Jul 2013 21:58
(Meant to post this here instead)

Looking forward to updates, especially with sound!
If you need some good, free, custom sounds, here's what I use:

http://www.superflashbros.net/as3sfxr/

or try:

http://www.bfxr.net/

And for sound editing with multiple effects choices:
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

D.D.
Nabz_32x
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Posted: 11th Jul 2013 22:08 Edited at: 11th Jul 2013 22:13
I like this game idea, have played around with that idea too, but never got into making it happen.

bfxr is a really good and simple to use tool for game sounds indeed.

I wish you good luck in the rest of the development process, really like to see this completed.

Don3784
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Posted: 12th Jul 2013 16:04
Thank you Derek that is totally awesome I have been looking for a good sound program but couldn't find anything. I will definitely be checking into this. And thanks for the encouragement nabz I would love to see this finished too. Lol it just seems so far away.
Nabz_32x
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Posted: 13th Jul 2013 14:12
I also never finished any adventure like rpg I worked on.
But for the one I was really close, I did drafts for all the levels and events I wanted to include before I created / coded them in and that development felt noticably faster, because every time I finished something I could directly pick up the next map / event without thinking about what I want to do next.
The reason this never has been finished is my old hard drives with all my fenix games got lost forever (lended it to my brother as he was in need and he formated the whole thing).
I hope this helps, if not I am getting better doing art with my Intuos 5 every day, if you need help in creating graphics I could do some for you ( could be a great learning experience for me )
( thats only for some sprites though as I donĀ“t have time drawing the whole game )

Don3784
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Posted: 15th Jul 2013 00:37
I appreciate that nabz and I will keep it in mind.
Don3784
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Posted: 22nd Jul 2013 03:14 Edited at: 22nd Jul 2013 03:15
NEW VERSION AVAILABLE

In this version there is no new content but much need improvements(still needs more...maybe some cowbell?). any ways the improvements are as follows.

-Screen Size enlarged
makes the miniboss easier to fight

-Collision improved
no longer stick to things when you run into them

-Sound effects added
not all are in there yet but more than none

-Music added
Doesn't quite transistion as well as it should but does have music now

-Graphics improved
Improved the graphics in some cases I am sure you will know if you have seen earlier versions

-Other things
I did a lot more but can't remember what they where right now....

Here is the download:

http://www.indiedb.com/games/shadow-of-arawyn/downloads/soa-version-7-21-13

There is also now a website for the game the link is as follows
Shadowofarawyn.com

And you can like SOA on Facebook at(which would be really cool):
Facebook.com
Send me some feedback would love to hear it!

2D Fantasy Adventure. Old School Style
Derek Darkly
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Posted: 25th Jul 2013 02:39
So far so good!
I like the sounds, and the music is quite epic.

As a test you may consider converting your graphics to .JPG and see if there's any noticeable difference. It will save a bit of time on game loading and user downloads.

Looking forward to more updates!

D.D.
Don3784
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Posted: 25th Jul 2013 05:16 Edited at: 25th Jul 2013 05:17
I haven't tried .JPEG does it offer png's alpha abilities. I sometimes use PNG but mostly BMP.
Don3784
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Posted: 25th Jul 2013 16:11
Nabz if you are interested in helping me vary up the dungeon rooms(such as adding carpet or other things) let me know. I could use some help with that and if you see anything else you might like to improve upon you could send me that too. When I get home tonight I will send you my most recent build. Its much better than the one that is available.

My email is:
doncarter371984@netzero.net
Derek Darkly
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Posted: 25th Jul 2013 19:32 Edited at: 25th Jul 2013 19:33
Quote: "I haven't tried .JPEG does it offer png's alpha abilities. I sometimes use PNG but mostly BMP."


It looks like you're using a solid color for your transparencies rather than actual PNG transparency, so I'm guessing JPGs will work equally as well.

If not, then it will at least work for your images that don't require them. For example, your "map1.bmp" would go from 3.5mb to 207kb.

D.D.
Chris Tate
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Posted: 25th Jul 2013 20:32
Avoid using .jpg files in DBPRO. For some reason their loading times are extremely long.

Don3784
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Posted: 25th Jul 2013 20:36
Yes I was using BMP and 255,0,255 as my transparency but I started have grays fade away so I changed some to PNG. I will however change all my bmp's to jpeg now based on that information. Thank you very much Derek.
Don3784
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Posted: 25th Jul 2013 20:37
Really why is that?
Derek Darkly
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Posted: 26th Jul 2013 21:20 Edited at: 26th Jul 2013 21:23
Wow, Chris is right.

The winner appears to be PNG files. BMP was second and JPG came in last. I used this simple code to test all three, one at a time:



I'm glad I was wrong... learned something new!
Thanks Chris!

D.D.
Chris Tate
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Posted: 26th Jul 2013 23:39
No problem. I found out the hard way a long long time ago.

Don3784
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Posted: 27th Jul 2013 15:29
guess i will stay with bmp for now then since its in the middle on both speed and size.
Ortu
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Posted: 28th Jul 2013 01:00
bitmaps are huge, I would definately go with PNG

Shazam!
Nabz_32x
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Posted: 28th Jul 2013 02:08
I am also using pngs,
Looks like you are using large bmp maps
It would cut the filesize very significantly.

Have you thought of making the whole game tile based
Instead of using single maps per scene?

You would get many benefits from that but you also
Would need to write an editor and an interpreter.

I really like to help you with that, however this is your descition.
Please let me know your thoughts about this, before i actually start
Editing some images.

Mobiius
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Posted: 28th Jul 2013 10:12
Yes, you should use png's.

Bitmaps are uncompressed so take up a large amount of disk space. (And when we only have 50Mb we need to save space where we can.)
Jpeg's are compressed, so take a long time to decompress into memory. (On loading)
Png's are the best to use as they're small and allow for alpha transparency.

3D Bang Bang 2, check it out!

My website! [href]http:\\www.TeamDefiant.co.uk[/href]
Don3784
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Posted: 29th Jul 2013 13:40 Edited at: 30th Jul 2013 01:20
Sorry for sounding like a noob(which I am) but I was unaware of the 50 mb limit. Would you care to enlighten me?
Don3784
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Posted: 29th Jul 2013 20:41
Quote: "Have you thought of making the whole game tile based
Instead of using single maps per scene?

You would get many benefits from that but you also
Would need to write an editor and an interpreter."


My only worry about that how much of the art will I have to recreate. How much do you think I would lose. I am kind of attached to some of what I did but I'm willing to keep my options open.
Chris Tate
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Posted: 29th Jul 2013 20:58 Edited at: 29th Jul 2013 21:35
I think your art looks professional. There are some obvious bits that look like test art, but 75% of it does not look amateurish at all. (That 25% is most probably test art)

Are you targeting the web-book market, or desktop? Or Both?

One thing missing is a 'signature' theme; something that identifies the look of the world as a SoA world, much like cubes identify the Minecraft game game, and deep indigos and dark shadows identify the Arkham City game. I think the theme uses alot of Zelda saturations and tones.

Perhaps you want that.

Don3784
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Posted: 30th Jul 2013 01:33
Yeah about color...I am slightly color blind between some of the lighter and darker colors. lighter greens and yellows start to blend together and darker blues and purples do the same. so I try to keep the colors very primary (which zelda and most nintendo games have a habit of being) so i don't have the wrong color for some stuff. Some of the stuff is very basic because it was in fact test art but i have gone back and touched them up. Thanks for the complement Chris.

I also think i figured out the 50mb limit comment Mobiius made. Where you talking about something like a play store or app store?

If so than the answer to that and Chris' question is I plan to just shoot for desktop for now. Depending on how that does expand to others by rebuilding if there is an interest.
Nabz_32x
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Posted: 30th Jul 2013 14:38
Quote: "My only worry about that how much of the art will I have to recreate. How much do you think I would lose. I am kind of attached to some of what I did but I'm willing to keep my options open. "


I would say continue using single Images, making a new tile engine from scratch, would only take extra time and your Approach should work for the entire game ( as far as i can think of it now ).

I will start editing some of the mentioned gfx tomorrow, when I am back home.

Chris Tate
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Posted: 30th Jul 2013 19:41
I see; perhaps the shadow in the name of the game was making me think of a dark tone or a semi-greyscale scheme; but the Nintendo look works.

Mobiius
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Posted: 1st Aug 2013 17:45
Quote: "Sorry for sounding like a noob(which I am) but I was unaware of the 50 mb limit. Would you care to enlighten me?"

Apologies, this is an Android limit. (Must have thought I was in the AppGameKit section..)

3D Bang Bang 2, check it out!

My website! [href]http:\\www.TeamDefiant.co.uk[/href]
Don3784
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Posted: 1st Aug 2013 20:43
Its cool I kinda figured that out. Maybe have to think about that in the future though.
Don3784
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Posted: 3rd Aug 2013 07:15
Hi All once again. I put a new version up on facebook and i thought I would let you all have the link right here as well.

you will notice that i have improved somethings and suggestions people have made(still haven't convereted all to png yet but will).

I must also say that of all the places I have shown my game thus far. This place is the best. everyone here is so helpfull. You guys rock! anyways here is the link:

http://www.mediafire.com/download/4rghdscd6hbdjfv/SOA.zip
Don3784
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Posted: 12th Aug 2013 00:14
Started converting to png now the latest version is now available at IndieDB. You should check out the news section it will help explain whats going on with this game too.

http://www.indiedb.com/games/shadow-of-arawyn
Don3784
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Posted: 8th Sep 2013 22:47
New version out now everyone. Let me know if you liked the improvements and other bug issues you find.

http://www.indiedb.com/games/shadow-of-arawyn
Chris Tate
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Posted: 8th Sep 2013 23:35
The graphics looks better; the colours are more consistent. Will try it out when I get a spare moment.

Don3784
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Posted: 9th Sep 2013 01:50
Cool thank you Chris. I appreciate that. My art has slowly gotten better I think
Ashingda 27
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Posted: 9th Sep 2013 02:22
Zoning from one map to another could use some help. Some methods that might help is to spawn the player right at he doorway and have a function to automatically walk 1 unit away from the door.

It was hard to judge the attack distance, I keep running into the monster before I can hit it.

The music is really awesome! Did you make it yourself?

Don3784
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Posted: 9th Sep 2013 03:48
Not from scratch no. I don't really have the time for that i used short samples and composed them together using a program.

Quote: "It was hard to judge the attack distance, I keep running into the monster before I can hit it. "


Do you think if I made the sword longer that would help? was that the issue you where having?
Ashingda 27
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Posted: 9th Sep 2013 04:46
A longer sword would solve that problem. But the real issue may be the collision method. I was judging the collision distance by where the foot was but that wasn't the case.

Don3784
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Posted: 9th Sep 2013 05:09
Ok That makes since i can reduce the size of the collision box very easily. Matter of fact I did not think of that before. Thanks for the suggestion. If I did that do you think i would still need to increase the size of the sword?
Ashingda 27
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Posted: 9th Sep 2013 05:57 Edited at: 9th Sep 2013 05:58
A longer sword always helps. As for the collision method there is another way you can approach it. Currently you are using a box method, the other simple way is the radius method where it checks if a creature is within a certain distance from another creature. The benefit of this is the collision is round and not boxed.

I can post a snippet of an example if you want.



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Don3784
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Posted: 9th Sep 2013 08:01
Quote: "I can post a snippet of an example if you want."


Yes please do I will see if I can work with it.
Ashingda 27
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Posted: 9th Sep 2013 08:34 Edited at: 9th Sep 2013 08:37
This has the basics of how it works, however the drawing priority is a separate matter. I posted one up a long time ago here.
Before I got into 3D all I did was strictly 2D stuff so I have a few useful snippets floating around.



Don3784
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Posted: 10th Sep 2013 00:34
I couldn't get your example to work but the one on the link worked perfectly. The only problem is I'm not quite skilled enough as a programmer to quite know how to use it. I'm gonna chew on that code for a while and maybe be able to figure it out well enough to use it. Very good code. None the less.
Don3784
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Posted: 12th Sep 2013 04:58
OK Lol I figured out what was throwing me off on the first one you are using dB pro to make the sprites I think I have been creating my sprites in paint.net I will try to see if I can get it to work with what I got but it might take a lot of recoding.....
Ashingda 27
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Posted: 12th Sep 2013 11:43
Quote: "you are using dB pro to make the sprites"

Yes I just needed to create an image to represent the character. It may as well be a simple BOX command or anything. The other confusing thing may be the method I used to keep track of the character variables. I normally DIM a separate array for every variable I feel I would need such as SpriteX() or SpriteY() and I am aware that not everyone uses the same method, but this was the simplest way I can think of to convey what the intended purpose was for. A good way to learn is to start changing stuff in other people's codes to see what happens then take what you need and it becomes yours.

I hope this different approach works out for you if this was something you would want for your project. Also for the Alternative Sprite Priority, it was written because I wasn't able to figure out if DBPRO had a method to work with a dynamic priority with 2D images. This also works with any kind of sprites, characters, trees, buildings, etc.

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