[Galladin]

I wonder if anyone reads these? Oh well!

Insane times at work and to compensate all those 18h days I’ve tried to relax with MZX, not that there’s much progress to report though.

Estimated status

• Cutscenes: 90%, need to refine some of that stuff
  
• Battles: 80%, combat drone and some ”AI” to be added
  
• Boards & Graphics: 95%
  
• Dialogue: 65%, of which most still to be implemented
  
• Storyline: 95%
  
• Quests: 35%
  
• Interactive content: 15%, mostly just adding text and so on
  
• UI: 90%, shop system still to be added
  
• Music & SFX: 95%, mostly ripped/reused

[Graham]

Hey there, I definitely do! I love seeing the progress. I’m sorry that I mostly lurk and don’t comment much. I don’t want to heap to much praise on your game and steal your motivation but it’s looking really cool. Keep going!

[Galladin]

Graham, on 03 May 2018 - 07:06 PM, said:

Hey there, I definitely do! I love seeing the progress. I’m sorry that I mostly lurk and don’t comment much. I don’t want to heap to much praise on your game and steal your motivation but it’s looking really cool. Keep going!

Hey Graham! Haha, good to hear we still have you around! How’s Servo? It just feels like the DMZX community has really diminished or just disappeared in the last couple of years. I mean, there’s of course Discord, but...

This post has been edited by Galladin: 04 May 2018 - 06:24 AM

[Verasev]

Literally, all the action is on Discord. If you aren't there you could be forgiven for thinking everything is dead but people are actually working on stuff and talking all the time.

[Graham]

Galladin, on 03 May 2018 - 10:01 PM, said:

Hey Graham! Haha, good to hear we still have you around! How’s Servo? It just feels like the DMZX community has really diminished or just disappeared in the last couple of years. I mean, there’s of course Discord, but...

I’m still plugging away at it. I feel like I should sit on the progress I’m making until I get closer to finishing the game though.

I’m very happy with the additions that Ver. 2.9x have provided. So many colors and characters to work with now. It feels so freeing not being limited by 256 characters anymore. Probably my favorite part of unbound sprites is their transparent background colors. Wow! What a great addition!

Yeah I should probably get on discord...

[Galladin]

Verasev, on 05 May 2018 - 02:56 AM, said:

Literally, all the action is on Discord. If you aren't there you could be forgiven for thinking everything is dead but people are actually working on stuff and talking all the time.

My point on DMZX being relatively silent still stands though.

Yeah, Discord's a great addition and been there when I can, but due to work and time zone difference it's sometimes a bit annoying to backtrack discussions there, 's all.

[Galladin]

Graham, on 05 May 2018 - 04:50 AM, said:

I’m still plugging away at it. I feel like I should sit on the progress I’m making until I get closer to finishing the game though.

I’m very happy with the additions that Ver. 2.9x have provided. So many colors and characters to work with now. It feels so freeing not being limited by 256 characters anymore. Probably my favorite part of unbound sprites is their transparent background colors. Wow! What a great addition!

Yeah I should probably get on discord...

True! Great work by Lachesis and everyone involved, it's amazing to think how far we've come from the early days of MZX...not to mention ZZT.

[Galladin]

“This is a man’s world...but it wouldn’t be nothing without a woman or a girl.”

[Galladin]

A productive week MZX-wise - the game is pretty much playable halfway through.

Estimated status

• Cutscenes: 95%, need to refine some of that stuff (Might add a final cutscene at the end)
  
• Battles: 80%, combat drone and some ”AI” to be added
  
• Boards & Graphics: 95% (Might add some new areas once the game is otherwise finished)
  
• Animations: 75% (Enemy animations missing. Player & NPC animations finished, though I still might add 1 more NPC.)
  
• Dialogue: 75%, of which most already implemented
  
• Storyline: 95%
  
• Quests: 45% (I think we still want to add some fun sidequests once everything else is finished)
  
• Interactive content: 35%, mostly just adding text and so on
  
• UI: 95%, buying items handled through dialogue
  
• Music & SFX: 95%, mostly ripped/reused, cutscenes are "voice-acted" by yours truly

This post has been edited by Galladin: 29 June 2018 - 02:09 PM

[Graham]

That’s great man! Keep going!

[Galladin]

Whee, fired up MZX pretty much for the first time since...uh...September or so, been insanely busy at work. Felt good and I was able to add some content, dialogue and fix a couple of bugs today. Hoping to deliver more when the business slows down closer to and during Christmas.

[Galladin]

Finalised an item-based puzzle, added enemy animations, added 10 new item slots, added more NPC dialogue.

Estimated status

• Cutscenes: 95%, need to refine some of that stuff (might add a final cutscene at the end)
  
• Battles: 80%, combat drone and slightly more advanced ”AI” to be added
  
• Boards & Graphics: 95%, Might add some secret areas once the game is otherwise finished
  
• Animations: 80%, player & NPC animations finished, 10% of enemy animations done
  
• Dialogue: 80%, of which most already implemented
  
• Storyline: 95%, the main story arch is pretty much set, minor details subject to change
  
• Quests: 45%, I think we still want to add some fun sidequests once everything else is finished
  
• Interactive content: 35%, what is left is mostly just adding text, details and trivia
  
• User interface: 100%, buying items currently handled through dialogue
  
• Music & SFX: 95%, mostly ripped/reused, cutscenes are "voice-acted" by yours truly

[Verasev]

Go, go, go! I hope to play this soon.

[Padz]

Hey Galladin great to see you working on this. I look forward to trying it out when you’re done

[Galladin]

Padz, on 12 December 2018 - 01:56 PM, said:

Hey Galladin great to see you working on this. I look forward to trying it out when you’re done

Hey mate! Long time no talk, how are things? You still doing MZX stuff?

I look forward to finishing this one soon too...I originally planned the game to be super short, expanded quite a bit but the initial scope is already fully finished and playable.

[Padz]

Things are good thanks. I don’t get much time for MZX these days but I do check in every now and then to catch up with new games. Always suprises
Me to see things still going here. Makes me want to get back in to it.

[MicMotorhead]

Just found the journal section for the first time ever!

Your game has a really neato art style. It doesn't look like any other MZX game I remember playing.

[Galladin]

MicMotorhead, on 15 January 2019 - 11:00 PM, said:

Just found the journal section for the first time ever!

Your game has a really neato art style. It doesn't look like any other MZX game I remember playing.

Thanks!

Never really thought of having "my own" style, I guess that is just a result of the years of isolation in the north.

As an update, revamped the skill list and the skills implemented are now as shown below. Combined combat skills (Pistols, Longarms, Automatics > Firearms, Unarmed Combat, Blades > Close Combat) to have more non-combat skills available from the get-go.

SKILLS

• Firearms (AGI)
  
• Close Combat (AGI)
  
• Intimidate (CHA)
  
• Negotiate (CHA)
  
• Decking (LOG)
  
• Biotech (LOG) (+Healing when using Medkits)
  
• Dodge (REA) (+Dodge pool in combat)

Also fixed a couple of bugs yesterday and did some brainstorming with Jester who recently moved to Helsinki as well.

- Currently Agility is a bit of a god stat as it affects both ranged and melee combat, action points in combat as well as the dodge pool - hence the current plan is to tweak the mechanics a bit and deriving action points from Reaction rather than Agility and adding a separate Dodge skill based on Reaction.

- Thinking of adding "dual attack" option in battle whenever wielding weapons in both hands, in which case the attack pool would be split for both weapons. Dual attack would thus reduce the probability of hitting the enemy for both weapons wielded and in turn allow attacking twice at same AP cost.

- The final area is being tweaked and redesigned, let's see how that turns out. The game is currently playable roughly 1/3 of the way.

This post has been edited by Galladin: 30 May 2019 - 08:24 AM

[MicMotorhead]

The gameplay looks interesting. I think that boiling things down to the essentials is often good, as it sometimes makes for a game where individual decisions are more meaningful and clearly impactful. So I like the changes to the skill system that you're talking about here.

Seems like a very ambitious game, but you also seem to be quite far into the process of making it. I'm going to avoid asking for any eventual release date.
This game deserves to be "done when it's done", so to speak

Does it have a soundtrack yet?

[Galladin]

MicMotorhead, on 03 June 2019 - 10:16 AM, said:

The gameplay looks interesting. I think that boiling things down to the essentials is often good, as it sometimes makes for a game where individual decisions are more meaningful and clearly impactful. So I like the changes to the skill system that you're talking about here.

Seems like a very ambitious game, but you also seem to be quite far into the process of making it. I'm going to avoid asking for any eventual release date.
This game deserves to be "done when it's done", so to speak

Does it have a soundtrack yet?

Very true - there are some other changes planned, contemplating switching out of the Shadowrun setting but we shall see. Main storyline would still stay somewhat the same. With that, I guess it is pretty obvious that there is no set release date, it's been quite on and off development depending on inspiration.

I think most of the current soundtrack is from ModArchive and Freesound but it is not set in stone at all really. What I would like it to have is rather gloomy ambient tracks (a la Fallout, Master of Orion, etc.) with a couple of exceptions, e.g. a bit faster track for the battles which will fade in when battles occur - this is currently in place but not overly happy with the tracks I've got. Ambient sound effects (chatter, traffic, etc.) are also used on top.

[Galladin]

Galladin, on 04 June 2019 - 12:39 PM, said:

...contemplating switching out of the Shadowrun setting but we shall see...

Bang bang bang bang, vamonos vamonos!

Attached thumbnail(s)

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[MicMotorhead]

Cool screenshots. Especially the one with the map of Germany. A sort of alternate history thing?

[Galladin]

MicMotorhead, on 06 June 2019 - 12:40 AM, said:

Cool screenshots. Especially the one with the map of Germany. A sort of alternate history thing?

Or alternate future...

[Galladin]

So, apart from bugfixes I have also been working on:

• Finalized the trading interface, sale and acquisition prices are affected by your Charisma attribute and Negotiation skill
  
• Removing the Shadowrun elements (graphics-wise changing all trolls, elves etc into humans, story-wise removing Shadowrun lingo and lore). The slightly revamped story is set in a futuristic Europe after a civil war. Main elements of the story are still very much the same as before, but the setting etc are now of our own creation as well so... This had actually been a thing we had thought about with Jester for a year or so, the main storyline is still based on our Shadowrun campaign from some years back.
  
• A first try at a new title screen (name still somewhat under work)
  
• Porting battle-engine into global robot (and making it more dynamic, reading enemy stats and such from .txt files)
  
• Added a possibility of viewing your companions inventory and moving items from one to another, thus transforming your companions into walking storage, yay!
  
• Added an addiction meter: each dose of street drugs bumps the meter to 10 which will then decrease at a rate dependent on your Body and Willpower attributes. When the meter is at 8-10, you get a +1 bonus on your combat and social skill checks. 4-7 provides no bonuses or penalties, but 3 or below will apply a -1 penalty on all rolls and if you stay at 0 for too long, the penalty becomes a -2. Yes, you're a drug addict.

This post has been edited by Galladin: 19 June 2019 - 08:39 PM

[MicMotorhead]

Do you have full control of your companions, or how does that work?

I assume it's some kind of turn based combat, but I don't think I've seen your game in action.

[Galladin]

MicMotorhead, on 24 June 2019 - 12:15 AM, said:

Do you have full control of your companions, or how does that work?

I assume it's some kind of turn based combat, but I don't think I've seen your game in action.

Currently no full control over companions - if travelling with you, they appear when combat or dialogue occurs. You can manage their inventory although they can only use certain types of weapons etc. You can control them in battle. I am not sure if I want the player to be able to modify their attributes and skills so we'll see...

A short clip of an in-game battle:
https://www.dropbox....battle_clip.mp4

This post has been edited by Galladin: 24 June 2019 - 08:20 AM

[djtiesto]

Berlin, you say? One of your puzzles should be trying to convince Sven to let you into Berghain

Hell, Sven already looks like a cyberpunk villain:

This post has been edited by djtiesto: 25 June 2019 - 02:25 AM

[Galladin]

djtiesto, on 25 June 2019 - 05:24 AM, said:

Berlin, you say? One of your puzzles should be trying to convince Sven to let you into Berghain />

Hell, Sven already looks like a cyberpunk villain:

Challenge accepted!

[MicMotorhead]

Galladin, on 24 June 2019 - 09:14 AM, said:

Currently no full control over companions - if travelling with you, they appear when combat or dialogue occurs. You can manage their inventory although they can only use certain types of weapons etc. You can control them in battle. I am not sure if I want the player to be able to modify their attributes and skills so we'll see...

A short clip of an in-game battle:
https://www.dropbox....battle_clip.mp4

Pretty impressive! It's like something you could buy for real money. It looks very smooth and has an interaction method that seems very easy and logical. Reminds me of various turn based RPGs that I've played in the past. I like how you can choose different modes of fire, like in the old X-Com games. Is there a way to view detailed stats for enemies in combat?

[Galladin]

MicMotorhead, on 27 June 2019 - 01:31 PM, said:

Pretty impressive! It's like something you could buy for real money. It looks very smooth and has an interaction method that seems very easy and logical. Reminds me of various turn based RPGs that I've played in the past. I like how you can choose different modes of fire, like in the old X-Com games. Is there a way to view detailed stats for enemies in combat?

Glad you like it although no sane person would ever pay for this My coding is pretty clumsy and non-optimised, but somehow managed to get the battle-engine working somewhat decently. There may still be some changes to it (end turn command is useless, might add the dual wield and so on). Enemy stats (you mean HP, Action Points?) are not visible, kind of unsure if I should add them or not...

Added a new area (had been in scope but not started) yesterday and it turned out to be a LOT of fun. Kind of wanted to post a video or screenshot but don’t want to spoil too much, plus I think I should keep to the project and restain from posting too many details or teasers... Kind of feels like I get distracted or too critical every time I do that.

This post has been edited by Galladin: 01 July 2019 - 07:08 PM