I have always been pretty good with numbers and liked codes, but when I first
got started I was told that coding wasn't as easy as read the manual and follow
the instructions, and that I should start with something simple like noughts
and crosses (BOOOOOORIIIINGGG), and that it usually takes six months of solid
practice before anyone can make even simple adventure games that are actually
good.
And I got seriously discouraged. I want this thing in my head to become a
reality, but I want to have fun doing it, ya'know? With TB I can play in the
sandbox a little bit, but until I grasp how to make areas in BGT, I can't
really do that there, and there is the thing with the actual game where you
choose which character out of eight to start playing as. You all meet up after
the prologue-ish section, but each character has some benefits you can only get
if you start as them. One doesn't have a set home, so you can travel through
all the cities of the kingdom you start in. Another has six siblings you can
practice character-jumping with and there are also some secrets where they are.
Others have non-magical skills you get a head-start on practicing, and so on.
There are other things you get out of each choice, of course, but they're
either too spoilery to bring up here or I haven't worked them out yet.
And then there's the bit about me wanting sighted people to enjoy the game too,
but BGT isn't compatible with graphics apparently, so I'd have to learn another
programming language to do that. I started learning Python but got bored
because they were teaching you how to do boring things not related to games...
I sound rather petulant, don't I? I sometimes wonder where I'd be in the
process right now if some people hadn't told me I didn't have a clue what I was
getting into. I really don't like to think about what happened to me on that
audiogames thread...
On 4/08/2016 12:57 AM, Allan Thompson wrote:
Yeah, I here you on that. A lot of units does crazy things, and it sounds like
the battle log is a little clunky with extra units then in the normal mode.
The story sounds really cool. You know, Victorious and carlos’s demon war saga
has that dungeon in it, so it isn’t impossible… When I need a map to stay open,
I just make a evil unit and stick it somewhere. Sometimes behind impassable and
sight blocked walls etc.
I am wondering if maybe it’s possible to zoom in on events within the large
battles.
For instance, maybe the edescription could say the battle is raging all around,
but a few main characters struggles are focused on specifically.
While this might hamper the vision you got, it would at least give you an
outlet as you coalesce the story in other ways.
If you are able, it might be a good idea to change the music soundfiles
to128kbs , if possible.
Changing that makes a big difference in sound file size.
I feel the same way. Sometimes I seriously envy the coders. I still want to do
things TB just wasn’t designed for, but I the learning programming thing is
just not clicking well in my head. Sigh.
Al
From:
ian-reeds-games-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:ian-reeds-games-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[mailto:ian-reeds-games-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Sharni-Lee Ward
Sent: Tuesday, August 02, 2016 11:31 PM
To: ian-reeds-games@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:ian-reeds-games@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [ian-reeds-games] Re: Trying to get my units to do things
:) I'm glad you like the sound of it!
One of my biggest problems is trying to rework my original ideas for the
separate game into a format TB can handle. There has to be at least one unit
from two different teams on the map or you automatically win, so there's not
much scope for adventure. In this case, however, it's just a battle. I've given
my archers several types of magic arrows depending on whether they're that type
of mage, and I'd like to do something with catapults just for added complexity,
but then I remember how bloody long each round is with so many units on the map
and I'm like "WHY AM i DOING THIS TO MYSELF." And then there are the evil
sorceress and her children, who just sit there if they're too far away even
though they've got curses a plenty to deal with the guards and soldiers. DARN
IT AI WHY WON'T U COOPERATE.
One day, I'm gonna have to stop trying to do this with TB, because with every
new map, I want an appropriate atmospheric song and even reusing some of the
ones I have, the pack's getting kinda big. And I haven't even gotten them two
Sceptres yet! There are seven and there are things that happen between each
being acquired, and then there's the big battles at the end, and theeeeen
they've only defeated a prominent servant of the real big bad, and there are
chunks of that part of the story I haven't planned out yet...
I need to build the proper game. At least then I can do some decent
worldbuilding and have places purely for exploration and treasure-gathering.
3/08/2016 1:03 AM, Allan Thompson wrote:
No, the bit you mentioned was neat. When you get the novel written, I would
certainly love to read it.
Monkey is right, that if the unit or structure cant be damaged, then the
computer won’t do anything but sit there.
This happens to me a lot. Either I mess up the point on the unit, like
forgetting to put Max into the point, or there are protections in place thru
terrain, on units and structures in the default files, or sometimes a units
random protection is greater then the random damage. I think TB rolls all sorts
of numbers first and works off that, rather then rolling a number at the time
it is required. I could be wrong on that account though .
There might be some fixes in moving a lot of units.
Stacking works pretty well, which is in craigs scripts. Also using one unit as
a transport to move multiple units could work.
The transport unit could be a general, a wagon, or just a unit representing the
1st infantry etc and so forth.
The same could be had for a single unit to summon a number of soldiers. Carlos
has that summon script where one can summon several of the same unit in a
random pattern around the summoner unit.
It’s up to you, but it sounds intrigueing already, and I habve no idea what the
story is.
al
From:
ian-reeds-games-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:ian-reeds-games-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[mailto:ian-reeds-games-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Sharni-Lee Ward
Sent: Tuesday, August 02, 2016 2:25 AM
To: ian-reeds-games@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:ian-reeds-games@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [ian-reeds-games] Re: Trying to get my units to do things
I'm pretty sure I enabled them to damage structures, but regardless, the gates
had health. Lots of health, but health, not structural_integrity (the point I
usually use for structures. Thinking of changing that.)
I removed the wall and gates from the equation, and it did seem to speed things
up, but it takes me forever to move all the soldier units into position and I'm
starting to wonder if I'm over-doing things because of the scale I'm imagining
in my head. Should I have large numbers of warriors on both sides because
that's what I imagine this battle being like in the history of my setting, or
should I just give this map up as a bad job? For that matter, are my maps just
too big for this engine and should I just leave this pack unfinished and try
for another format? I did decide to take another stab at writing up the novels,
if for no other reason than to lay out the story in a somewhat complete form
for the purposes of my full-scale game, which I can explore areas of without
having to put enemies in the way just so the map will run...
I'm rambling again. I just ... my vision is huge and TB can only get me so far.
On 2/08/2016 12:18 PM, Monkey wrote:
Hmm.
You don't have the ai wait until enemy in sightflag set, right?
And you're sure that the units can actually damage the gate? Because
if hey can't damage it, they won't move..
On 8/1/16, Sharni-Lee Ward
<sharni-lee.ward@xxxxxxxxxxx><mailto:sharni-lee.ward@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi,
I've been making various improvements to my personal map pack over the
last couple days, but I've hit a snag. I think this problem has come up
before and I brought it up then as well.
Quite aside from the looooong wait for the battle log to respond on my
bonus pre_story map, which involves a big battle between the army of the
king and the sorceress's army, my enemies aren't doing anything. They're
just sitting there in defensive stances. I have a wall that blocks sight
between them and my units, and three gates they'll have to break down to
get into the palace grounds, but they don't seem remotely interested in
doing this. Is it because of the wall? Should I just get rid of it and
change the plot of the map to what it kind of is in the story? (The
sorceress and her kids bring in the army and it basically drops out of
the sky straight into the palace grounds.) Would that make them fight?