DrewMelton's Forum Posts

  • Ralph Thanks, I'll export from Modo to Blender first in a format that it likes, then export as a .js and try again later today and see what happens.

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  • I'm probably missing something simple, but I am trying to get my character to play an animation, and it's just sitting there. The problem is that I'm not sure what it wants for the animation name. I just put in what I labeled it as in Modo (i.e. "bow idle"). I don't know if that's what it wants or not. I'm exporting as an obj since I don't see js as an option.

  • I don't think it would make any difference. I've gone over 1,000 events in my project, though it is down below 900 now after removing some stuff. Of course, it'll probably be back above 1k when I finish.

    I don't see any reason to spread them across multiple event sheets unless you want to for organization. It'll still be the same number of events.

    I like one big sheet with things put in groups because it is easier for me to maintain than jumping back and forth between a dozen event sheets.

    If spreading it across multiple event sheets makes it easier for you to manage performance (like you said with including event sheets per layout) then do it.

    All that matters is how many events are active and how many are affecting performance. Whether you do that with everything in one event sheet or spread across multiple ones doesn't seem to make any difference to me. Be more concerned with the total number of events that are eating away at your resources and need to be optimized. Groups can be enabled/disabled within an event sheet, and there are sometimes better ways to write your events to be more efficient.

  • I'm still using 10.5. I'll update it if they ever get it sorted. All I ever hear is bad stuff.

    I'm really sad that this is the only option we have for a pc export. There are no backups or alternatives. I am just going to have to hope for the best when my project is done in a few months.

  • DrewMelton: You got a couple answers to your request, that's not what I would call "being ignored".

    Or maybe you are referring to the fact that it's not a feature that made it yet into C2 ? Well, you posted it about a month ago.

    You likely don't know it, but Ashley does prioritize features that makes it in new versions. And I wouldn't be surprised if this feature is not highly prioritized.

    It would be a nice usage improvement, sure, but it's not critical at the moment. You can still use C2 efficiently "despite" the lack of that feature.

    Well, to be fair only one of the replies actually agreed, and then he said that it had been discussed before and was not very popular.

    This is the second time I've seen a thread pop up about this subject since I put in the request. I just have no way of knowing if this is something that is possible to implement or if it's actively being worked on.

    If it's being worked on already, I don't want to keep bringing up it up and sounding impatient. Of course, by the sounds of it, this is something that is brought up every now and then by different users.

  • I put in a request like this a while back. It was mostly ignored...

    I work with lots of events, so I like to use the search feature. I would also like to be able to go to that event back in normal view without having to scroll back down.

    Here was my thread:

  • There have been a few threads talking about isometric games. Surely, they will come up in the search results.

    I am working on one myself that uses pre-rendered 3d (inspired by old classics like Baldur's Gate).

    The characters will use a lot more memory than standard sprites since every sprite will need to have 8 directions. If you want to use mirroring, it will still only save 3 animations since some of them cannot be mirrored. For example, facing straight down cannot be mirrored since it would be the same thing practically.

    If you want to create the game in a 2d app like Photoshop or something, you'll need to set up some sort of guides or templates so that you can keep all the angles consistent. I recommend looking up examples or isometric games or tutorials that show some angles or samples to work with.

    If you work in a 3d app (I use Modo), you just need to set up an isometric camera. I actually have 8 of these set up so I can quickly render one angle after another. I also made sure to center is so it can be auto-cropped in Construct 2 for easy importing. No way am I doing 30 frames or whatnot manually.

    You'll need to set up separate obstacles if you want characters to move around (such as with pathfinding). These can be invisible. The reason for these is because you may not be able to set the hitbox of the object to do both a pathfinding obstacle and an interactive object (such as a treasure chest).

    If you need characters to walk behind something (like a wall or pillar) that object has to be a separate object. All ground or background objects can be in a single picture (though you may wish to break it up if it is really big).

    Every object and character will need z-sorting so they go behind one another. It's not hard to set up thanks to the fact that there are a few guides or here in the forums now.

    Movement can be done with either a mouse click (like Baldur's Gate) or setting up controls. I am doing the point and click route, so I can only help with that.

    It can get tricky setting up animations. I have a pathfinding box under the player that does all the work, and then the animations of the player are set based on the current angle of the pathfinding box. There can be a lot of clutter working with 8 animations at once (such as 8 idle sword animations or 8 attack animations). So, it's best to start simple and build up from there.

    So, yeah. It's a lot of work. It's entirely possible though. Here is a screen from my game. Keep in mind that it is not finished.

  • Or you could do it with an event.

    Something like:

    every tick > system > scroll to x > player.x

    This can be modified as well. For example, you could do "player.x -50" to move the camera up higher. You could also play with lerp or other variables down the road.

  • I guess it never really bothered me. Maybe I have mine set up differently or something. I have only tested it with placeholder sprites from Golden Axe since they had a forward and back walk angle for me to test. Now that I have my main 3d model done, I can give it a more thorough test, but I can't foresee any problems. I guess I'll find out soon.

  • The Pathfinder movement is terrible for isometric....unless the object is a tank.

    Why do you say it's terrible?

    I thought it was passable. With some tweaks, I had characters moving around in isometric just fine. Even Baldur's Gate II had pathfinding problems (including the enhanced edition).

    My only major complaint was overlapping characters, and that seems to be a short-coming of C2 in general.

  • It looks like you could boost the rotation speed of the pathfinding. It would prevent him from walking in place for a second if you click to go in the opposite direction.

  • DrewMelton: I am really not good with 3d modelling (i know to use blenders interface, but totally suck at making something from vertexes ), so what i use instead is:

    ProMotion http://www.cosmigo.com/promotion/index.php

    and

    World Creator http://www.inet2inet.com/

    for textures, buildings, objects, interface...

    Characters, Monsters & Animals i take from Open Game Art, or if i

    really don't find what i need then i prototype a model with SketchUp

    and finalize it in ProMotion.

    P.S. You mean 500 objects in one scene?

    The 400 to 500 was referring to image memory usage. See this post:

    I figured that would be a good safe bet given that these kinds of games will have lots of animations due to the different directions needed.

    The actual object count won't matter except for objects that need to be z-sorted.

    Anyway, I've never used either of those programs. They look cool though. I started learning 3d last summer. Modo has been very good. I've got my own custom animation rig done, and 8 cameras for quickly rendering each direction needed. I think that Modo is very good for this kind of game. There is an idie version of Modo if you ever want to look into it. I use Zbrush for making characters. Of course, there is quite a learning curve when getting involved in 3d.

  • I am making a very similar game. I had mine inspired by games like Baldur's Gate, so naturally I'm going with point and click. I also have an extensive HUD. Mine is probably going to be solely inside a castle though. I haven't decided yet. I've been working on it for quite a while, and it's been challenging. I haven't shown it off much yet.

    I use both Modo and Zbrush. Modo has proven very helpful for this kind of game.

    Anyway, yours is looking pretty good so far. Are you only going to use 4 directions? It felt a bit awkward trying to go straight in any direction since it only went in diagonals.

    I finally got my camera set up in Modo so I can easily bring in isometric animated sprites with ease. That took a lot of work, but will be so nice and save me so many clicks. I don't even have to open the image in Photoshop before bringing into Construct 2 anymore.

    My only concerns are memory use. This is why I'm going to keep the levels small. Since I'm aiming for a roguelike, this will make it easier to randomize as well. I believe Ashely recommend to stay under 500 (possibly 400) for max compatibility with PCs. If you're going for mobile, I figure it will be even harder.

  • I posted something about this topic not too long ago. It didn't seem to get much attention.

  • The reception on Steam Greenlight Concepts and FB indie devs has been rather cold (and a tad hostile from some) because of the game's appearance. It seems that any game using physics puzzles and silhouettes will instantly be compared (with 'clone' accusations abounding) to Limbo... I'm having a good think about whether or not to invest the next few months of my time trying to make this work as a full-up game, or just put it down to learning.... The snag is that using silhouettes allows me to get away with much more simple graphics than I would otherwise have to use; even the animated character is full of limb-position crimes that you can't see because it's all black. I also like the visual appearance the silhouette gives... Meh...

    Throughout the process of making a game, I often find it useful to write down problems and questions, then find solutions.

    Here are some examples.

    Problem: My game is being compared to Limbo.

    Questions:

    1. What made Limbo special?

    2. What makes my game special?

    3. What can I do to make my game stand out?

    Problem: I'm not sure if the silhouette style is being well received.

    Questions:

    1. What can I do to improve how it looks without changing styles?

    2. Is the background style complimentary to the foreground?

    3. Can I use this style to add interesting game mechanics or features?

    4. Can this style enable me to do things I could otherwise not do?

    5. Is this the best choice for my game?

    Problem: I'm not sure if I have the motivation for this.

    Questions:

    1. Was I motivated when I started? Why?

    2. Can I keep motivation until the end?

    3. If I am not motivated, why?

    4. Why would I want to finish this?

    5. Why would I want to abandon this?

    6. What is keeping me from finishing it, and how can I overcome it?

    Well, anyway, you get the idea. I do this all the time. Looking at each problem objectively can often lead to new ideas or solutions. It can also help you determine if this is a good project to finish or not. If you keep running into problems you can't solve, it may be best to start fresh. Otherwise, keep going!