Why capture if you can use dialogue? TNR News.

Hey guys, I've brought good news for the Tamers Network Project, and they are:

I've added a transition effect for when entering battle, now one of the three transition effects will be played once a battle starts.

I've also extended the capture system, now the "capture" function is assigned to a skill, so if your monster uses that skill on another monster, the game will then check if you captured or not the monster, If you did capture the monster, then It will join your side in the battle, and fight as an allied party member.

For now, that's what the Capture system does, I still need to finish it, so when the battle ends and the captured monster(s) is(are) still alive, you will be asked in the result screen if you want to keep that(those) monster(s).
If you keep the monster and you have enough space in the monster rooster, It will be added to your team.
Otherwise, you can refuse, but I still need to think about what the monster should offer for the sucessfull persuasion. Maybe some special item? Or maybe a temporary battle ally? Who knows.

Of course, you wont be able to capture all monsters in the world, npc monsters, already captured monsters and other player monsters wont be captureable.

And the last news, I've been able to fix a problem with the action skill positioning, I were having problems with it's position, since depending on the direction the sprite was facing, almost everytime had a weird positioning issue, so the skill effect didn't materialized in the correct place. That also made me do some tweaks on scripts related to monster animations, one of them makes so when a monster direction changes due to an animation script, the game will log the direction change, so when the game decides to change the monster animation again, It will take in consideration the fact that the sprite direction has changed due to animation script.

Well, that's all for the good news. I still have a lot to do in the project, but my pc is starting to display the effects of a long time without maintenance, not only my mouse is giving problems, but my pc were also having hard drive related issues. I do hope that the issues doesn't cause my pc to be unuseable, or else I'll have to use my brother's pc to continue the project, and I really feel bad even when I think about that possibility.

Let's hope that my pc issues wont get more critical with the time.

Well, that's all, until next news.

Who is who, that matters. TNR Update news

I've found a solution for the issue, beside depending on the world size, and the maps loaded, that may bloat a bit the game in the future. I've made so the game gives an id to each monster in the world, and then add it with the monster reference to a temporary list that refreshes every frame, being that the list after each frame set's it's value to another list, and then resets.

Gameplay-side, that will look like there has been no change, but now, even buffs will know who is the caster and allow it's effect to happen even if the caster isn't in the same battle, so stacking debuffs isn't going to be a good idea.

I've also been able to reimplement part of the skill effect script, using the new effect function, currently it's working very well. Also includding the fact that multi target spells now works again, the only problem is that the monsters are attacking some monsters that are also being affected by a multi target attack, leading to a ridiculous looking combat event (Ex: A monster is walking to some target, until another monster comes and attacks it while in movement, then the monster slides with the hurt animation), of course I'll have to fix that.

I still have to test if those changes didn't generated any side effect that makes the game broken, so I can't tell for sure that this part of the development is over.  But, I really hope it didn't.

That's all, folks!

"Who are you in the battle?" TNR Talk

Well, the skills and status system are currently passing through a revamp, which I've talked about a few weeks ago, now the greatest thing I'm trying to think about right now, is finding who is the target of the battle. Now, where does that impact? You'll see a branching about that.

If I limit the system to only be functional during battles, that means buffs and debuffs wouldn't be under effect outside of battles, and possibly be removed after battle. That is not cool, not even at all.
Wonder if you have a creature that is a buffer, you would need to cast again all the buffs everytime you start a new battle, summing with the fact that the buffs takes away your monster resources, like mana or maybe even stamina. The gameplay would be a chore, join battle, make the buffer creature do the buffing while the others attacks.

If I don't limit the system to only be functional during battles, buffs and debuffs can remain outside battle, but for a number of buffs, I would need to know who is the caster, so the status calculation be done correctly. Why is that necessary? Because, let's say: For status changing buffs, like STR+ or VIT- buffs, the calculation of status change is based on the caster, so if the caster has a good chunk of STR status, STR increasing buffs will increase that status even more on the target monster.

Not only that, but I could also make use of the skills and status system in other ways, but that may be a thing for the future.

The problem currently, Is that I'm trying to think: How I'll find out who is the caster? What can I use to find out the monster that used the skill?

I'm going to need to do some thinking before I take some more action, I've thought about making something to log the tamer and the monster position, but what if the monster has been created by an script? Because of a certain event in the game (Ex:. The old quest of the Mäuse under the bed on the weapon shop)?

The talking would end here, but first, I'll try to recapitulate what is the goal of the project, or at least what I want to achieve:

• No evolution
• Monsters are as good by themselves, no evolution or ultimate form, so the combat is more based on the monster itself.
•  No absurd status
• I want to avoid making the game has absurd status on higher levels, so if the monsters health or even the damage inflicted is over 10000, then there is something wrong.
• Unique creatures
• I want each creature to feel unique, and have a distinctive personality, but since they are basically "IA", also demonstrate some intelligence, beside that doesn't exactly means that they can talk.
•  Open World
• Go almost anywhere, no linearity or things locking your way.
• I said almost because there may be some special cases where you need to unlock the map to have access.
•  No grindy progression.
• I want to avoid focusing the game on grindy quests, like kill x monster, or collect x items.
• Instead, I want to create a quest system where it's more focused on the story and events, so npcs be more alive, and you be more immerse in the game.
• Grindy quests may be available in the game, but I want them to be a kind of side quest. There are people who likes that kind of quest, and they may be helpful if you want to train a group of monsters, or even your character.
•  The tamer matters
• I want the tamer to be more than just a vehicle that the player controls, the tamer would have unique builds, that gives it's own personality.
• That should also involve profession classes, each having it's own roles.
•  MMO like world
• I'm trying to build the game with the thought of an mmo game, even though there will be singleplayer gameplay in the game, I also am thinking on the fact that people may play it on multiplayer, or even there be dedicated servers to the game, so I'm trying to adapt the game for both cases of gameplay.
• Player interactions are also in the planning, the professions could also play a major role on that too.
• Smart Npcs
•  I want the npcs to do more than just be there and do what they are programmed to do, I want them to be able to evolve with the world.
• Shop npcs, for example, could learn or even attempt to make new things they could sell depending on the materials the players sells to them, along the fact that the npc could also buy from a general store the materials necessary to create their products.
• Npcs having necessities, so the economy is movemented on the world, and be more livelly.
• Npcs that can be followers, you be able to recruit them, they could capture or swap their party member as time passes.
•  No elemental focus
• Elemental system is a cheap excuse for turning the game into a rock, paper and scissor in gameplay, so each monster wont come naturally with elemental advantage or weakness, but some things in the game may cause the monster to be vulnerable or stronger against them.
• No weapons or armors
• It's an stupid and bad idea, why I thought that would be cool on the previous version of the game? I may end up changing that idea, or just focus heavily on the accessories, instead.
• Beside that may be changed in the future, even more since I thought about the possibility of attack animation for weapons, but possibly, only certain monsters would be able to equip weapons, maybe even the weapons could be accessories, that can be seen only when equipped by certain monsters, with armed attack animation? I still need to think about that...
• No devaluation of any area of the game
•  I want you to explore the world, even if that means you'll be visiting a low level area, I want you to be able to collect rewards from exploring it, and still have challenge.
• Quest objectives also be able to send you to low level areas. 
• No system over system progression
• System over system, is when gradually during your progression, starts appearing new systems for powering up your character, and turning your progression harder and harder as the new systems unlocks. I don't want that either.
• No guilds
• I really believe that guilds actually splits the comunity into small circles, so if the game manages to get a dedicated server, guilds wont be coming.

 I... Can't really think of anything else.
At least those are my goals with the project, I'm not sure if I'll be able to do everything, but I'll try. :)

Anyway, if I'm missing something, or want to discuss about one of those goals, tell me. Has been a long time since I last said the project goals, I just don't remember where.

Latest changes on TNR project

Aaaaaaa aaa aaaaaaaaaaa aaa aaaa aaaaa aaaaaaaaaaa, aaaaa aaaaaaaa aaaa, aaaa aaaaaaaa aaaa, aaa aa aaaaaa aaaa aaaaaaaaa aaaa aaa aaaa aaaaaaa A aaaa aaaaa aaa aaaaaa. Aaa aaaaa aaaaa aaaa aaaaaaaa aa aaaa A aaaaaaaaaaa 5 aaaaaa, aaa aaaaaa aaa aaa aaaa aaaaa, aaa aaaa aaaaaaaaaaa 4 aaaa aaaaaa.

Aaa aaaaa aaaaa Aaaa aaaa aaa aa aaaa aaaaaaa aa a aaaaa aaaa aaaaaaaa:



Aa aaa aaaa Aaa aaaaa aa aaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaa Aaaa aa aaa aa aaaaaa aaaa, aaaaaa.
Aaaaa aaa aaaa aaaaaa aaaaa aaaaaaaaaaa, aaaa aaaa A aaaa aaaa aaa aaaaaa:



Aa aaaa aa aaa aaaa aa aaaaa. Aaaaaaa aaaaa aaa aaaaaa aaaa aa aaaa aaaaa aaaaa aa aaa aaaaaa. Aa aa aaaaa aa aaaaa, aaaa aaaaa aa aa: Aaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaa aa aaaaaa aa aaaaaaaa aaaaa aa aaaaaa aaaaaa aaa, aaa Aaa aaaaa aaa aaaaaaaaa aaaa aa aaaaaa.

Aaaaaa, A aaaa aaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aa aaaaaa aa aaaaaaaaa aaaa, A aaaaaa aa aaa aaaa aaaa aaaaaa aaa aaaa aaaa aaaa aa aaaa aaaa aaaaaaa.

Aaaaaa, aaa aaa aa aaa aaaa aaaa.