[Xx*SaturnineMatthias*xX]

Now to amaze you all with the new NihilistMatt logo which will be featured on all of my solo projects from now on.



The NM logo as seen in a MZX screenshot

[Xx*SaturnineMatthias*xX]

It has come to my attention that the NM logo is rather lopsided. I'll change it tomorrow or something.

[Xx*SaturnineMatthias*xX]

New side project!

Kyle Maze (or, Blue Buckaroo 5)

This is going to be a SMZX mode 3 game where you once again step into the shoes of Blue Buckaroo, the infamous vaquero. However, this time Coonie has teleported you to the parallel universe of Universe X, where kyles rule Earth and friction is almost nonexistent.

To escape Earth X you must avoid running into the kyles whilst trying to pilot yourself around the course under the effects of constant motion. Hit just one kyle and you a splode. Avoid kyles, their machinery, and Coonie, and you might just find the portal back home and ride off into the sunset a free man.

Don't worry if you fail in your quest - you will be scored based on how far you get in the maze.

[Goshi]

NihilistMatt, on Nov 21 2006, 03:22 AM, said:

Kyle Maze (or, Blue Buckaroo 5)

This is going to be a SMZX mode 3 game where you once again step into the shoes of Blue Buckaroo, the infamous vaquero. However, this time Coonie has teleported you to the parallel universe of Universe X, where kyles rule Earth and friction is almost nonexistent.

To escape Earth X you must avoid running into the kyles whilst trying to pilot yourself around the course under the effects of constant motion. Hit just one kyle and you a splode. Avoid kyles, their machinery, and Coonie, and you might just find the portal back home and ride off into the sunset a free man.

Don't worry if you fail in your quest - you will be scored based on how far you get in the maze.

You know I would start screaming again right now but I feel like making this message a little longer by adding a "DEAR LORD NO" and just typing this blurb up here. Now then...

DEAR LORD NO! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH

[Xx*SaturnineMatthias*xX]

Goshi, on Nov 20 2006, 09:02 PM, said:

NihilistMatt, on Nov 21 2006, 03:22 AM, said:

<snip>

You know I would start screaming again right now but I feel like making this message a little longer by adding a "DEAR LORD NO" and just typing this blurb up here. Now then...

DEAR LORD NO! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH

Sorry, Goshi, but this project has already started.

I seem to be keeping to a strict routine of keeping a serious main project (ie Project Free) and a much less serious side-project (ie AsieKernal)

[NoahSoft]

this shit looks fully sweet!

[Xx*SaturnineMatthias*xX]

I'm resuming work on Project Free as of now. I'm hoping to get the whole first act released by the end of the year.

I'll probably do today's screenshot when I get home from seeing Bjorn Again

[Aplsos]

"the kyle maze" was a revolutionary concept and it's about damn time someone besides myself realized this!

[Xx*SaturnineMatthias*xX]

Just another post to show that I still exist and PF is still one of my priorities

Anyways, I've been distracted by such things as NMOS (an AsieKernal clone ), Fable and real life, but come holiday time I should be back to my usual MZXing/PFing self.

Right now, I've created mostly everything up to the boss in mission 2. The miniboss is much harder than the first one, and has killed me quite a few times whilst playtesting

Also lined up for Act 1 include some bugfixes, possibly a bit of beautification and maybe a tutorial level.

[T-Bone]

I think we can expect a lot of of MZXer's returning to a few projects during the holidays. Its bout the only time we actually get some time off. Often, forced to stay home due to the weather; in some places around the world.

[Xx*SaturnineMatthias*xX]

Whenever I get bored of working on PF, I usually pass the time otherwise wasted doing miscellaneous things in MZX, that usually don't get finished and are abandoned as soon as either I get bored or I return to working on PF. I call them "procrastination projects."

Right now I feel like posting some information about them in my journal so people can give me advice on what to do when/if I finish PF (I'll probably return to one of these after finishing act 1)

So here they are... the PPs.

• kylemaze.mzx - The infamous Kyle Maze I talked about above. A SMZX3 game where you have to avoid kyles whilst being moved constantly to the east.
  
• rpgeng.mzx - (My current active PP) A RPG battle engine. Currently the ATB system and most of the overlay setup is done.
  
• nmos.mzx - My clone of AsieKernal where the main difference is that it pre-loads the module file instead of loading-acting-returning. Or does AsK do that as well? Also includes a basic (excuse the pun) BASIC interpreter.
  
• cavernsnm.mzx - A version 2 optimised version of Caverns of Zeux. Very rapidly abandoned.
  
• mzxpeople.mzx - Probably the most promising PP, this would have been a Sims-style people simulator for MegaZeux (similar to those crappy ZZT Sims clones but better)
  
• mzxcourse.mzx - Self-explanatory: this would have been a self-study course for MZX with multiple-choice question exams and the like.
  
• hrmzx.mzx - More an asiekierka project than a NM one, this would be a MZX version of three sbemails. I don't really want to work on this for copyright reasons, but it does include a semi-complete MZX adaptation of the Westminster font used in Tandy 400 emails.
  
• zgui.mzx - Now part of AsieKernal.

[Xx*SaturnineMatthias*xX]

PF seems to have hit the "do I really have to do this?" milestone, I'm afraid to say, so I doubt that it'll be released this year unless I get a flash of inspiration.

I really hate being weighed down by one project, cos I tend to flit between them as I see fit. I'm beginning to wish I hadn't released that demo.

Now for another project I intend to finish:

CROSSOVER

This is gonna be similar to Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/Ages, but instead of happening in two separate games on one system I'm gonna release one half in ZZT and one half in MegaZeux.

This was originally gonna be a desperate attempt to force the two communities to acknowledge each other again, but I've been reliably informed (by pancake ) that this'll never happen, so I'm just doing it for fun.

Right now, all I have to show off are the title screens. I haven't worked out a plot yet, but it'll be Christmassy.

(Note that it took me about half an hour to do the ZZT title screen in KevEdit. I'm that rusty)




EDIT: In other news, the PP I've been working on the most recently is NMOS, which has been forked for new AsieKernal versions and will, in its mainstream distribution, have its own fake file system and support parameters.

This post has been edited by NihilistMatt: 19 December 2006 - 02:21 PM

[Xx*SaturnineMatthias*xX]

OK, before you all think I'm dead, I think I'll give a summary of how everything's going.

Project Free Act One

Yep, I'm still working on this, albeit slowly because I'm tiring of it (I don't really like making new levels for an existing engine) and I seem to have lost motivation.

I've already drawn up an entire plot for the whole of the oeuvre, and Act 1 is over 2/3 completed.

Some of the minor engines/features of the game (the cutscenes and pause menu) have been tweaked - the cutscenes now use text windows instead of the horribly painful-to-invoke method I used before, and unfortunately the map function from the pause menu has been scrapped (I just can't be bothered to make inaccurate little maps for every board).

The first two missions are complete, and I've started work on the third. People who thought the first boss was too easy may be pleasantly surprised with the second

Crossover

The title screens and ZZT intro are mostly done... the plot is a bit rubbishy but the game is based more on concept than plot.

The current plot idea, which kinda sucks, generally goes like this:

You're a user of the GCS opposite to the GCS the episode you're playing was written for (ZZTer for the MZX version, MZXer for the ZZT version) and, horror of horrors, you've been teleported to the world of the opposite GCS. You have to get out and, in a shameless self-cameo and cult of personality, kill NihilistMatt. the person responsible for the portal magic.

NihilistMatt OS

Unfortunately, this project is taking up a large chunk of my MZXing potential, which is causing the other better ones to suffer. I'll admit, I do have problems with commitment.

NMOS is a clone of AsieKernal with more features. Yawn. I'm still working on it. O:. That is all.

RPG-Plus Battle Engine

An attempt to recreate FF8's battle system in MZX, with support for customisable parties of up to 3 members on either side, customisable abilities and attacks, the Attack/GF/Draw/Magic/Item array, and the ATB system.

Right now the customisable party and ATB sub-engines are working.

Kyle Maze - Cancelled (525/Aviation Aspiration is basically the same game without the terrible community references or SMZX3 graphics.)

Remember, I'm open to your feedback. Let me know about stuff!

[NoahSoft]

I'd just like to say crossover sounds like one of the best ideas ever.

[Xx*SaturnineMatthias*xX]

Alas, during the wee hours, I've lost the will to do anything in ZZT, or even related to ZZT for that matter.

Crossover might never happen.

[Xx*SaturnineMatthias*xX]

Since Aviation Aspiration (#525) got such a low score in the DoZ, and for a number of easily fixable reasons (and one or two hard-to-fix ones), I'd like to re-issue it as a post-DoZ special edition.

Of course, I'd need WildWeasel's permission to do so because it was a team game, but since most of the problems with AA were my fault (coding etc) I'd like a second chance to get it right.

If I can get AA:SE released, expect better graphics, several bugfixes, and the ability to *skip* the intro (which will be modified to remove the picture cutscenes).

Anyway, I'd like it if you could give me some idea as to what went right and what went wrong with the original AA.

[NoahSoft]

I really liked it but the sprites were glitchy for me. I could never see the bullets consistently.

[Xx*SaturnineMatthias*xX]

PROJECT FREE CLOSED BETA TEST

OK, since I've nearly finished the game (just a boss, an engine, some music (which I guess I can release/update later) and a basic playtest left), I'm gonna start a one-day-or-so beta test. Basically, I'll privately release the game to a small amount of people for last-minute testing.

I'm hoping to get the game proper released on or before January 1, 2007.

[Xx*SaturnineMatthias*xX]

OK, I've made the beta test zip... if anyone wants it PM me or talk to me on IRC. It only includes the new/updated stuff so you'll need a copy of the PF demo to run it.

[Xx*SaturnineMatthias*xX]

OK, PF1 has been released and archived, so now I'd better start work on PF2.

Thankfully, this time I'm not having my strings being pulled by a demo, so I have a lot more flexibility in making this. That means it won't be as rushed-out-the-door as the last one.

Technically, PF2 will be quite different to PF1, whilst looking graphically similar so as to keep consistency between the acts.

The first thing is that the fancy title screen from PF1 will, to avoid confusion, NOT be used in PF2 - instead there will be a "Please start from Act 1" screen in the style of the pause menu.

The major difference though will be that the status bar will have moved from the overlay to the vlayer. This means that there will be a slight loading pause whilst starting the act as the status bar and text box sprites are copied into the vlayer. However, it means that PF2 will be able to use the overlay for general gameplay. Also, the text box engine has been changed slightly graphically (due to the direct-to-vlayer writing, there may be a noticeable delay between the text box opening and the text appearing).

PF2 will (if I complete it ) probably feature less linear gameplay and a more involving plot (this time, you're starting to exact revenge on the Reich by removing their stranglehold on southern Piratuno).

I'd release a screenshot but the move to vlayer hasn't really changed how the status bar looks.

Also, if anyone wants the new vlayer engine, I'll happily release it. It's pretty customisable...

[Xx*SaturnineMatthias*xX]

woo 50th reply to this topic!

I'm gonna overload you with a load of screenshots (and synopses) from projects, hiatus'd, abandoned (in my eyes) or active, that currently inhabit my MZX directory and subdirectories.

Asie is X [Active]



This was meant to be released on Asie's birthday but it ended up a lot bigger than expected. This is going to be my first and hopefully last cameo game, starring you, a custom-named employee of AScorp, as you traverse the Espernet MZX community in an attempt to rescue Asiekierka from abduction. Although the graphics are very bad and the music is mostly chiptune, this game is going to be my testbed for my PF vlayer-statusbar-and-text-engine technology, along with other stuff.

AiX also showcases my Equivocation font, which I will probably use for other mini- projects in the future.

NMOS [Active]



My very own MZX OS (groan), this is basically a feature-rich "clone" of AsieKernal.
It can replace its kernel with a source without loading the editor, and can swap worlds and do everything AsieKernal can do (with minor changes to module syntax).

RPG+ Battle Engine [Hiatus]



This is an attempt to recreate the FF8 battle system in MegaZeux, with an emphasis placed on customisability. Currently the ATB, most of the overlay, and most of the attributes are done, with attacks and the ability to junction currently unimplemented.

MZXPeople [Hiatus]



A people simulator in MZX that runs using a time_seconds-based timer. Currently only the timer and a mockup of the UI and field have been done.

And finally, a project from I was 8 or 9 that I'll almost definitely not be completing ever.

Rumours [Long gone, thank god]



This is the only project I currently have from before I was about 11 or 12. A crappy, shoddy piece of plot-lacking dirt, Rumours was all about going around and listening to rumours and then telling the subjects and weird shit happened.

If anyone seriously wants this then PM me or something. This is definitely not good enough to be completed and released.

[T-Bone]

Cool stuff. The char faces from MZXPeople [Hiatus] made me laugh. They're awesome

[Xx*SaturnineMatthias*xX]

I've also begun work on my own graphics file format, the NMF or Nihilistmatt Media Format (originally Nihilistmatt Movie Format, but multiple frames haven't been implemented yet).

The format is text-based (cos I can't do bytes right now and I want to be able to change it by hand) and can support 80x25x16 (full-char) or 80x50x16 (half-char) graphics modes without dithering.

Hopefully the simplicity will outweigh its inability to use SMZX.

The file format is as follows (everything is delimited with the MZX separator *):

Graphic name
This is an internal name for the image.

Viewer-side attributes

These change the way the viewer displays the graphic:

Character mode (boolean): If TRUE, image will be rendered 80x50. If FALSE, image will be rendered 80x25.

Background index (0-16): If 0, image will not have a background. 1-16 correspond to 0-15 in the palette respectively.

Frame rate (normal integer): The delay between frames. Remember that MZX will likely run in speed 1.

Frames (normal integer): The number of frames in the animation.

Width (1-80) and Height (1-25 (1-50 for halfchar)): The width of the image. The default viewer will centre the image based on these values.

Palette

Each colour from 0 to 15 has its own line. On the lines are RED, GREEN and BLUE values respectively (0-63)

Bitmap

The bitmap is in the "pseudo-lossless compressed" format:

Colour index*x*y*x*y*(etc)*e*

where *e* is the terminator and must be included at the end of the line.

The file should be ended with "f*".

I'll be releasing the player as soon as I've finished making a test image (making these by hand is pretty tedious, I'll have to make a simple editor someday)

[Dr Lancer-X]

these movie files are going to be HUEG.

[Xx*SaturnineMatthias*xX]

Well, yeah, without any form of compression...

I'm sure there'll be some way to make the file smaller... also, the format will support only changing what needs to be changed in each frame (could also be a disadvantage for large-scale changes though)

Right, the first version of the format yields a 1.5kb file for data that could be represented as a 48-byte palette and 916-byte MZM. Pretty large, but it is my first go, it's an uncompressed text-based format, the format hasn't been space-optimised yet and there is extra information saved with in the format. There's a lot of room for improvement.

When the two formats, together with the player, are zipped separately, there is only about a dozen bytes' difference.

Attached File(s)

•  nmf.zip (3.75K)
  Number of downloads: 35

[T-Bone]

Interesting so far

[djtiesto]

Asie is X and the RPG Battle Engine look nice...

[Xx*SaturnineMatthias*xX]

I think I'll work on streamlining the NMF format.

A change I have planned is support for client-side palette indices.

For example, instead of typing out 63*63*63*, one would type out simply AB* (or something like that), which would tell the client to fill in that colour with "White". Because the colours would be stored in the viewer, the file size would be reduced. The list would probably go as follows:

Monochrome Set

This contains black and white.

AA - Black (0 0 0)
AB - White (63 63 63)

EGA Colour Set

This is the default MZX palette. AQ is a special colour that attempts to provide a dark yellow counterpart to the other dark colours (this is the colour you'd get from EGA "RG" without the "decrease green to provide brown" circuitry)

AC - EGA Dark Blue (0 0 42)
AD - EGA Dark Green (0 42 0)
AE - EGA Teal (0 42 42)
AF - EGA Dark Red (42 0 0)
AG - EGA Dark Purple (42 0 42)
AH - EGA Dark Brown (42 24 0)
AI - EGA Light Grey (42 42 42)
AJ - EGA Dark Grey (21 21 21)
AK - EGA Light Blue (21 21 63)
AL - EGA Light Green (21 63 21)
AM - EGA Cyan (21 63 63)
AN - EGA Light Red (63 21 21)
AO - EGA Light Purple (63 21 63)
AP - EGA Yellow (63 63 21)
AQ - "EGA" Dark Yellow (42 42 0)

NM Standard Colour Set

The NM colour set is based on exact full and half-intensity shades. For light and dark greys use the EGA palette.

AR - NM Dark Blue (0 0 31)
AS - NM Dark Green (0 31 0)
AT - NM Teal (0 31 31)
AU - NM Dark Red (31 0 0)
AV - NM Dark Purple (31 0 31)
AW - NM Dark Yellow (31 31 0)
AX- NM Grey (31 31 31)
AY - NM Light Blue (0 0 63)
AZ - NM Light Green (0 63 0)
BA - NM Cyan (0 63 63)
BB - NM Light Red (63 0 0)
BC - NM Light Purple (63 0 63)
BD - NM Light Yellow (63 63 0)

This post has been edited by NihilistMatt: 12 January 2007 - 05:01 PM

[ShloobeR]

NihilistMatt, on Dec 19 2006, 04:15 PM, said:

CROSSOVER

This is gonna be similar to Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/Ages, but instead of happening in two separate games on one system I'm gonna release one half in ZZT and one half in MegaZeux.

This was originally gonna be a desperate attempt to force the two communities to acknowledge each other again, but I've been reliably informed (by pancake ) that this'll never happen, so I'm just doing it for fun.

Hehe, I just read this.

heh.

[Xx*SaturnineMatthias*xX]

I just changed the test file to use AA and AB instead of RGB notation for black and white, and deleted the redundant internal name, and the 1.5kb file is now only 1.3kb

I think after I do this little revision I might try changing the notation so it reads from one string (eg instead of 3*39*23* it would be 032923*. This'll reduce the palette information even more.

This post has been edited by NihilistMatt: 12 January 2007 - 06:31 PM