Kitsune's Curse (Development)

[khaz]

To get back to that jumping thing:

Do you think it would be better if you can jump invisible? How would you be able to control that? Golden Tail doesn't even force you to make the highest possible jump to progress (there's always a platform nearby to make thing easier); but if you learn to control that jump, the game is more fun as is a bit harder.

If jump is restricted to the start of the magic you can calculate where you want to jump. It takes practice, of course. Also the magic not only allows you to jump higher, it makes you fall slower. And you get that with practice.

I believe it would be easier, more predictable. the "magic" button becomes a teleport button: if you implement an acceleration after a visible jump, you give the player a higher jump without removing their visual clue to time the jump right. it would even allow for even higher jumps, giving you one more gameplay trick, for example like using the magic at the apex of a jump to reach even further than a simultaneous jump+magic.

Or as something closer than what you already done, where the magic is fast-tracking invisibility: momentum obtained before the magic is kept but not accelerated, only the momentum built in magic invisible mode is faster. But in that case, you can't limit jumping to exactly when magic start. If you can start moving left and right after having pressed the button, you should be able to jump. No matter how dangerous it is for the player.

Jumping while invisible would be just something the player would have to learn to avoid (which is easier when jump is FIRE2 and not UP), or would want to learn to master, like if a monster is next to a ledge, they would want to use the magic  just a moment before jumping, to try to reach the ledge before vaulting. and if they miss, too bad, they fall down. To the ground where they can then climb up and try again to get the timing right, or try differently.

As of now, it makes for a gameplay that is more static: the player instinctively stops before a long jump to time the inputs correctly, instead of doing a more natural run and jump.

[reidrac]

Oh you did incredibly well! Again, I don't dream doing a tenth of what you achieved.

I'm just the ghost of what could have been.

Thank you again for your comments. This is gold!

(I'll try to not disappoint too much with Kitsune's Curse)

[reidrac]

To get back to that jumping thing:

I believe it would be easier, more predictable. the "magic" button becomes a teleport button: if you implement an acceleration after a visible jump, you give the player a higher jump without removing their visual clue to time the jump right. it would even allow for even higher jumps, giving you one more gameplay trick, for example like using the magic at the apex of a jump to reach even further than a simultaneous jump+magic.

Or as something closer than what you already done, where the magic is fast-tracking invisibility: momentum obtained before the magic is kept but not accelerated, only the momentum built in magic invisible mode is faster. But in that case, you can't limit jumping to exactly when magic start. If you can start moving left and right after having pressed the button, you should be able to jump. No matter how dangerous it is for the player.

Jumping while invisible would be just something the player would have to learn to avoid (which is easier when jump is FIRE2 and not UP), or would want to learn to master, like if a monster is next to a ledge, they would want to use the magic  just a moment before jumping, to try to reach the ledge before vaulting. and if they miss, too bad, they fall down. To the ground where they can then climb up and try again to get the timing right, or try differently.

As of now, it makes for a gameplay that is more static: the player instinctively stops before a long jump to time the inputs correctly, instead of doing a more natural run and jump.

It doesn't have inertia; if you stop pushing, it won't move. You have full air-control.

I can try that approach, but I experimented a lot when I was working on Golden Tail and what I got at the end is what I though it was working best (even if is not too logic or 100% consistent; perhaps the problem here is that the instructions suck).

There's a speed run by Metr8 in YouTube that can show you how fluid Golden Tail can be after some practice. Needless to say I don't play like that, I'm more "careful" and I avoid those extreme jumps he performs.

[khaz]

Oh, and for something entirely different (I'm playing it as I post):

You can't pick up stuff right after being hit! the interactions are deactivated for everything, not just the enemies, while blinking.

It's probably not worth mentioning, it's just something I noticed lol.

[reidrac]

Oh, and for something entirely different (I'm playing it as I post):

You can't pick up stuff right after being hit! the interactions are deactivated for everything, not just the enemies, while blinking.

It's probably not worth mentioning, it's just something I noticed lol.

Yes; because when you're hit you jump back a bit and I found confusing when you touched a piece of the Golden Tail or a potion and you picked it up without noticing.

After being hit you're invulnerable and you can't interact with things until you're back to normal.

[khaz]

In my opinion the game only has one screen that is quite unfair when a Kappa jumps from the water without warning (previously there was a warning sign); but in general I don't think it is as bad as you say specially when early in the game it means you may lose 2-3 screens of progress before starting again. Even if you die further on, it is a short game that can be finished in less than 20 minutes when you know the map and how to play.

And I just met that kappa! yeah I didn't mind it, are they are meant to startle you. Though did it just one shot me or was I low on health? Because that would be unfair lol.

I didn't take into account that you had to work with a limited amount of screens in my criticism. Is it a memory limitation?

[reidrac]

And I just met that kappa! yeah I didn't mind it, are they are meant to startle you. Though did it just one shot me or was I low on health? Because that would be unfair lol.

I didn't take into account that you had to work with a limited amount of screens in my criticism. Is it a memory limitation?

Yes, it is. Even using compression and self-imposing restrictions on the level design, there's that much that you can squeeze in a 64k game.

I've improved the tile/sprite engine and now it uses way less memory, so that means more enemies and screens!

[reidrac]

Another update!

I've been working on the game engine (the platforming, not the tiles/sprite), and it is progressing nicely. Few bug fixes and that's pretty much it. I've implemented the auto-checkpoint system, like I did recently for Rescuing Orc instead the overly complicated version of Golden Tail.

[attachimg=1]

Also I've started working on some graphics, but until I have the script and the complete story I'm not sure what kind if tiles I'll need, so for now I'm using it for testing and to warm up a bit.

[reidrac]

Quick update!

Nothing too exciting; but... spikes kill .


https://twitter.com/reidrac/status/921113522620289024

Looks pretty similar to Golden Tail, but the code is new; especially the auto-checkpoint to respawn the player after death (you can't respawn where you die, in case of spikes).

Golden Tail approach was good, but the code got ridiculously complicated. The new code is very simple and it works really well, and it may even place you in a previous room if you somewhat teleport yourself into death after changing rooms  .

[ervin]

Looking good!
I'm really looking forward to this game.

[Gryzor]

Same here, looks extremely cute and nostalgic!

[reidrac]

First prototype of an enemy!


https://twitter.com/reidrac/status/922587163409002496

Very *prototype*, needs refining.

[ervin]

Looking great.
 


Just wondering, are you still using cpcsrclib?
Or have you given cpctelera a go?

[reidrac]

Looking great.
 


Just wondering, are you still using cpcsrclib?
Or have you given cpctelera a go?

I use cpcrslib for few things that there's not benefit on writing my own code: controls, WYZ player (although I have patched it heavily, I don't have time to write my own player & tracker), and a couple of sprite drawing functions. On that video, only the HUD is drawn using cpcrslib (although I'm using my own text routines), the game area uses my tile/sprite engine that blits directly to the screen.

I contributed some changes to cpcrslib a couple of years ago, but for the things I use it, I think it is perfect: it doesn't get in the way, I can have my own pipeline and tools, and its footprint is quite small.

[reidrac]

Update time!

I'm reviewing the tile/sprite engine... it is too slow to be used. Now I'm almost 100% sure.

I usually aim at around 16 updates per second for the graphics and the game logic, meaning that I'm sure that I'm faster than that but I set this cap to make animations constant (and smooth).

My engine design has two parts: draw the scene in buffers (one big buffer generally, or in the new one... few mini-buffers), and update the screen.

The new engine is faster updating the screen, but because drawing sprites is complicated, the first part is too slow to fit in those ~16Hz that I have for this (and the game logic!).

Moving the player is OK, one enemy is mostly OK; but then I'd love to move more than two things at the same time, right?

It's a shame, I put a lot of work on this, but sometimes you can't win. I'm going back to the old engine and I'll introduce some ideas from this experiment to make it even better; although it means I'm back to less memory and things will be tight.

I'll find ways to squeeze more things in!

[khaz]

Have you considered using the RAM extension modules that exist to give you additional space?

Or maybe doing multiload with chapters?

[reidrac]

Have you considered using the RAM extension modules that exist to give you additional space?

Or maybe doing multiload with chapters?

I could use 128k and then I would have more memory than I can possible use. I want it to fit in 64k. I target the 464 because that's the one I have.

[reidrac]

A short video comparing the engines!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbgcULnY3Xk

The mini-buffers version struggles a bit on the right. That's 6 moving sprites 8x16 + the player 8x24 (not moving, but being redrawn).

EDIT: well, the truth is that I don't know what to do.

Turns out that some glitches I was experiencing were issues with the composite manager in my desktop (I upgraded a month ago and something broke).

The mini-buffer engine is less performant than the other one, but I've been comparing and is as good as the one in Golden Tail... but using way less memory. Summing up; I don't know what to do .

[reidrac]

Quick update!


https://twitter.com/reidrac/status/924648506006138882

I like when the player jumps back after being hit. It has a nice retro-feel and it adds to the final result.

I know that this may not be very popular, specially the way it was implemented in some classic games (and AVGN making a big fun complain video of it regarding some NES games doesn't help).

My implementation is not that unforgiving: you have full air control, so you can push in the opposite direction and almost completely cancel the effect.

One improvement over Golden Tail is that you can be thrown away into a different room, and is using the new code base; so it is more efficient.

Speaking of code base... I'm using the mini-buffer engine, so there's no way back! 

[Targhan]

That's great. I think that as long as you don't get stuck and lose all your energy just because a monster touched you once, this is fine. Can't wait!

[reidrac]

That's great. I think that as long as you don't get stuck and lose all your energy just because a monster touched you once, this is fine. Can't wait!

You could end on spikes, for example. But even if that happens, I think it is part of the fun 

[Gryzor]

That would be fair I guess; for me the danger is, if you get kicked back a screen and land on something that wasn't visible before. But I like the mechanics of it

[reidrac]

I'm currently implementing boring stuff, like... doors.

[attachimg=1]

It's quite interesting when I check how I implemented the same thing in Golden Tail and...

Which is not bad. I mean, it is easy to do it better this time

[reidrac]

More boring stuff: keys!


https://twitter.com/reidrac/status/926716959655383040

I think I have a good story for the game; because this is not (again) about collecting pieces of the Golden Tail but about breaking Kitsune's curse; it happened after he restored the stone in the first game.

You're a ninja spy, the sneaky class and no the murderous one (that's why you avoid being seen, thanks to the kõga magic); so you'll have to steal some stuff to accomplish your objective.

Anyway, I'll update more on the story when I'm sure it will work.

[villain]

Chapeau!