LSGMB Ahoy (Demo of 2-D exploring game)

[C-Dawg]

Here's an unpassworded quest file for you to check out. I'm calling it "The Legacy Story of the Guardian Metroid Blaster," (LSGMB) for comedy value. Kudos to those who can identify each word in the title. It's a side-scrolling dungeon exploring game. Press L to jump.

Screenies ahoy:
http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/7027/sq002vz7.th.png (http://img175.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sq002vz7.png)
http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/882/sq001vg7.th.png (http://img47.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sq001vg7.png)
http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/4137/sq005po4.th.png (http://img119.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sq005po4.png)
http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/5152/sq003hg2.th.png (http://img47.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sq003hg2.png)

All of the tiles that are not from LoZ1 are completely made-from-scratch. There isn't a whole lot you can do in this demonstration; you can retrieve the force hammer (sword), bombs, and high-jump boots. You can explore the areas shown in the screenshots.

I'm posting this here for a couple of reasons. First, people should be pleased that a 2-D game like this is now possible. Second, as you'll notice when you play, the jumping physics need a little work. I'm hoping someone can improve on my script. I'm also hoping someone can figure out why the _L_'s gravity screen flag, combined with my jumping script, occasionally makes the game go haywire when moving between screens. Oh, and it is here instead of in Quest A&D because it's really only here to provide ideas and examples for quest design.

Here's the quest file. Use Beta.15 to open it.
http://www.filefactory.com/file/15e3d1/

[_L_]

I shall take it as a compliment that I am referred to as "the _L_".

[C-Dawg]

Also consider it a compliment that people push the L to jump. That wasn't an accident. Now, let's figure out why your gravity flag makes Link shoot up to the top of the screen and enter a cave where there are no caves placed on the screen...

[Lotus_Eater]

Hey, that was pretty cool, it does need some work but otherwise was pretty neat, I had no idea where I was or what I was doing though. Might I suggest having a bit more direction with the demo next time. Anyways, I think the engine needs work, the jump feels awkward, also I think it may be best to have special warps at the tops of the screen, because it is annoying when you jump, hit the top, scroll up then fall back down, if you made some unwalkable combos at the top, then have a few open combos that can be accessed when you need to scroll up to the next screen.

[Nimono]

I'm already liking this. Only problems:

-Fall down where the vines are on the right side of the first area, and you're STUCK, since the only way out seems to be to climb, AND YOU CAN'T CLIMB.
-Uhmm... One screen I found didn't have gravity on OR your jumping script placed on it.

Also, is the main character implied to be Samus Aran, the heroine of all the Metroid games? If so, I must inform you: SAMUS ISN'T A ROBOT.

I can't figure out what you mean by "who can identify each word in the title". Is your title supposed to be made up of synonyms for words used in the title of another game? If so, what it is? I can't figure it out. XD All I know is that it'd HAVE to be a Metroid game. Otherwise, there would be "Metroid blaster" in the title. :laughing:

I hope you don't mind if I make a quest with this. :p

[ECNM]

Blaster's from Blaster Master, right? Guardian... Ah... I know the game, I just can't think of the title... Guardian Legend! I have no clue about Legacy... And as for Story... Uh... Gah! You've beaten me. Anyway, it looks cool. Downloading now.

EDIT:
Story=Cave Story. Right?

Also, I hope someone can upgrade the jumping script. It's not bad, it just makes some jumps (jumps in rooms that have a Guy) very akward.

Oh noes! I found a bug! When jumping directly beneath one of the blocks, you're randomly skyrocketed. If this happens between screens, you just pop up at the top of the screen you moved to.

The robot reminded me of a female version of the little robot from Cave Story. This is a good thing.

[Joe123]

Hmm, this is very interesting. V good indeed. However, for some reason I had to press A to jump rather than L. I also found a couple of bugs, but its nothing major

[C-Dawg]

Yeah, of course it's buggy. It's not intended to be a quest demo, more of a technical demo and invitation for people to improve on the jumping script used. The jumping-warp-to-the-top-of-the-screen and jumping-warp-to-cave-screen bugs are two of the big ones that arise from the combination of my jump script and _L_'s gravity flag. Also, now that 2-D is possible, we should work on getting some 2-D tilesets together.

Oh, and the answer to our quiz is as follows:

Legacy of the Wizard
Cave Story
Guardian Legend
Metroid
Blaster Master

The only 2-D exploring game I'm not actively borrowing from (worth it's salt) is Castlevania:Sotn.

Still havn't heard anything from _L_ on synergizing the jumping with his gravity script...



Also, is the main character implied to be Samus Aran, the heroine of all the Metroid games? If so, I must inform you: SAMUS ISN'T A ROBOT.


Then its not Samus, huh? I'm not actively making a sequel, here. I'm joyfully borrowing elements from all the 2-D explorers I've loved in the past, now that it's possible.



I hope you don't mind if I make a quest with this. :p

Not at all, that's the point. I'll continue adding tiles and improving the jump script until, eventually, it can be used as a solid base for anyone to make a good 2-D exploring game. I hope to add a dash move as well, since I have the R button to use as well.

[C-Dawg]

Yeah, of course it's buggy. It's not intended to be a quest demo, more of a technical demo and invitation for people to improve on the jumping script used. Also, now that 2-D is possible, we should work on getting some 2-D tilesets together.

Oh, and the answer to our quiz is as follows:

Legacy of the Wizard
Cave Story
Guardian Legend
Metroid
Blaster Master

The only 2-D exploring game I'm not actively borrowing from (worth it's salt) is Castlevania:Sotn.

Still havn't heard anything from _L_ on synergizing the jumping with his gravity script...



Also, is the main character implied to be Samus Aran, the heroine of all the Metroid games? If so, I must inform you: SAMUS ISN'T A ROBOT.


Then its not Samus, huh? I'm not actively making a sequel, here. I'm joyfully borrowing elements from all the 2-D explorers I've loved in the past, now that it's possible.



I hope you don't mind if I make a quest with this. :p

Not at all, that's the point. I'll continue adding tiles and improving the jump script until, eventually, it can be used as a solid base for anyone to make a good 2-D exploring game. I hope to add a dash move as well, since I have the R button to use as well.

[C-Dawg]

Updated file. Added more sections to the dungeon, and improved the jumping script a bit. Now you should be able to control your height by how long you hold the L button.
http://www.filefactory.com/file/d4c6f4/

[Master_of_Power]

One of the things I saw was the fact that on walls you can jump up slighly in mid air if you are next to the wall. Is it a glitch? Or is it intended? Either way, its a neat feature and can have its uses.

[C-Dawg]

It has something to do with the way my script detects whether you are standing on a solid combo and _L_'s gravity script pushing Link onto the grid, I think. Not sure how it arises, and not sure why it's a half-jump instead of a full one, but you're right - it's sort of neat.

[C-Dawg]

Remember the corridors from The Guardian Legend? They've now been scripted. I've only added two to LSGMB, one in the Caslte Zone, one in the Desert Zone. Check them out, they rock my balls off.

http://www.filefactory.com/file/fb9d5b/

[Nimono]

Your file is corrupted- Not only does it take a while for the download thing to appear, but it can't be opened by ZC! O_o

[C-Dawg]

Huh. Well, I'll fix it later today. Any ideas on a more reliable download host?

[Sephiroth]

C-Dawg: Send me a PM with your login credentials you want to use, I can set you up with 200MBs space. :)

[C-Dawg]

Thanks, Sephiroth.

Alright, so here's some screenshots to explain what I'm talking about for those of you who never played The Guardian Legend.

Here I am, hopping around in the Castle Zone.
http://users.sephiroth.ws/C-Dawg/zelda023.bmp
Oh! What have we here? Its a corridor entrance!
http://users.sephiroth.ws/C-Dawg/zelda024.bmp
Thank you, ability to spawn enemies, and Link Tile modification., for the abilit to transform the player into a fighter jet. I can handle this.
http://users.sephiroth.ws/C-Dawg/zelda025.bmp
Oh shi
http://users.sephiroth.ws/C-Dawg/zelda027.bmp
After getting through that, our hero sets off for the Biological Zone.
http://users.sephiroth.ws/C-Dawg/zelda010.bmp
Which also has corridors.
http://users.sephiroth.ws/C-Dawg/zelda007.bmp
And so on.
http://users.sephiroth.ws/C-Dawg/zelda015.bmp
And, of course, there are custom bosses, such as this little fella.
http://users.sephiroth.ws/C-Dawg/zelda011.bmp
Who POOPS BEES.
http://users.sephiroth.ws/C-Dawg/zelda012.bmp

Anyway, here you go, unpassworded and all.

http://users.sephiroth.ws/C-Dawg/sidequest.zip

[blue_knight]

The current version no longer works. I download it, but zquest has an error opening the file ("Error: Unable to open the file").

[C-Dawg]

Huh. Looks like leaving it as a raw qst file is no good. Now it's in a zip file for download, perhaps that will work.

[blue_knight]

That worked, thanks.

[C-Dawg]

I've hit upon a new technique for coding custom bosses, which I'm amazed I didn't think of before. I call it "ghosting." Essentially it's just telling the game to create an invisible enemy, like shooters, or the fire enemy, and then having that enemy move along with an FFC. Secondly, linking each active FFC in your large boss to a single "mover" FFC means that you can control the boss' movement realitively easily.

I cannot stress enough how much FASTER this way of making bosses is. I've made five or so custom bosses in the last two days illustrating these techniques and added them to this quest. The script file is included in the zip.
http://users.sephiroth.ws/C-Dawg/SideQuest.zip

Here are screenshots of some of the bosses in action.

This fella flies around after your ship, shooting fireballs at you. It turns to follow you, but it has inertia, so you can avoid it as it swoops by. 150 hit points.
http://users.sephiroth.ws/C-Dawg/zelda003.bmp

This one drifts back and forth, spits out highly damaging bubbles that slowly drift downscreen, and it shoots fireballs. Has about 150 hit points.
http://users.sephiroth.ws/C-Dawg/zelda005.bmp

This boss (not accessible yet) slowly follows the player while spitting out eyeballs (keese, bats) and fireballs. 200 hit points.
http://users.sephiroth.ws/C-Dawg/zelda006.bmp

This son of a bitch zips around the screen in a wave motion while shooting at you. 100 hit points.
http://users.sephiroth.ws/C-Dawg/zelda009.bmp

Now, if only FFCs would display the proper Cset and not just Cset 0, these bosses would look alot better...

[Nimono]

Press - and + to change the Csets of FFCs. DUH. :p It doesn't check for that "Cset 2" function whatsoever when loading a tile's Cset... :(

I'll have to check this out! One thing: Did you HAVE to make the Biological Zone look SO CREEPY?! ;_; :scared: Seriously, just looking at it gives me the heebie-jeebies! *shudders*

[Master_of_Power]

The biozone is ment to resemble a giant living organism, or sorts. do you think walking through a creatures stomach is a stroll through the yellow brick road? Its supposed to be creepy and disgusting.

Those bosses seem awesomely, I can't wait to destroy them, however I suck at this game, I die too much and don't know what I'm doing really.

And sometimes the transitioning during a jump can warp you to a cave, which after leaving(if possible) you are stuck in a wall/cealing/etc This bug can be VERY frustrating(Yea with scripting comes bugs on the game builder's part now, lol)

[C-Dawg]

Ah,well, I'm not sure that I'm responsible for that bug. I'm aware of it. The problem is that there are two scripts running. One is my jumping script, the other is _L_'s gravity script (running via the sideview gravity screen flag). I don't know how his script works, so I dont know how they're interacting. I'm assuming that he's got some sort of "snap to grid" function in his script, and that this is the source of the "warp to the top od the screen."

I have figured out why you warp into a cave, though. Apparently the blank combo I was using as the combo assigned to the jumping ffc (which is at 0,0 on every screen) was actually a CAVE combo. So if you are bumped to the top of the screen while transitioning to the right, boom, into a cave you go. That one is fixed. Now you should get right to being stuck in the wall.

[C-Dawg]

Updated.

Added a new area, the Ocean Zone.
http://users.sephiroth.ws/C-Dawg/zelda001.bmp

http://users.sephiroth.ws/C-Dawg/zelda002.bmp

Also tinkered around with the custom bosses, adding some, fixing others.
http://users.sephiroth.ws/C-Dawg/zelda004.bmp

Here ya are.

http://users.sephiroth.ws/C-Dawg/sidequest.zip

[cbailey78]

Here's an unpassworded quest file for you to check out. I'm calling it "The Legacy Story of the Guardian Metroid Blaster," (LSGMB) for comedy value. Kudos to those who can identify each word in the title. It's a side-scrolling dungeon exploring game. Press L to jump.

Screenies ahoy:
http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/7027/sq002vz7.th.png (http://img175.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sq002vz7.png)
http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/882/sq001vg7.th.png (http://img47.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sq001vg7.png)
http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/4137/sq005po4.th.png (http://img119.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sq005po4.png)
http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/5152/sq003hg2.th.png (http://img47.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sq003hg2.png)

All of the tiles that are not from LoZ1 are completely made-from-scratch. There isn't a whole lot you can do in this demonstration; you can retrieve the force hammer (sword), bombs, and high-jump boots. You can explore the areas shown in the screenshots.

I'm posting this here for a couple of reasons. First, people should be pleased that a 2-D game like this is now possible. Second, as you'll notice when you play, the jumping physics need a little work. I'm hoping someone can improve on my script. I'm also hoping someone can figure out why the _L_'s gravity screen flag, combined with my jumping script, occasionally makes the game go haywire when moving between screens. Oh, and it is here instead of in Quest A&D because it's really only here to provide ideas and examples for quest design.

Here's the quest file. Use Beta.15 to open it.
http://www.filefactory.com/file/15e3d1/

Why did you remove that quest file?

[blue_knight]

I can't download the latest version. I click on the link (this one: http://users.sephiroth.ws/C-Dawg/sidequest.zip), but it cannot open the site.

[C-Dawg]

Sorry, the correct download link is :

http://users.sephiroth.ws/C-Dawg/SideQuest.zip

This one dumps you right into the Ocean Zone (where I was working) so you have to modify starting location or cheat cheaty cheat.

[C-Dawg]

Updated again. There's a new corridor with a giant squid boss, if you can find it.

I've also added a Dashing feature. The Magic meter is actually a Dashing meter. Hold R and you'll move left and right at about double speed, but your Dashing meter will steadily deplete. Stop dashing, and it will slowly refill.

http://users.sephiroth.ws/C-Dawg/SideQuest.zip

[blue_knight]

I'm starting to feel like an annoying pest but... the download doesn't work again, sorry :)

[ShadowTiger]

Try this. (http://users.sephiroth.ws/C-Dawg/sidequest.zip) Not sure if it's an older version or not, but I changed the S to an s and the Q to a q. Downloaded just fine, if far too quickly. The zip opened up into a 1.7 or so MB quest and a .z file, so I think it's fine.

[blue_knight]

Thanks, I appreciate it :)

[_L_]

Here's an idea: Make the "bow" the main weapon by setting the Magic Quiver in Init Data, then giving all enemies double HP?

Also, about that first area's MIDI... it just doesn't sound that great to me. I think the instruments don't work well together. I heartily recommend this rendition (http://www.vgmusic.com/music/console/nintendo/n64/SamusStage2.mid) instead.

P.S: I'm reworking Link->Fall, such that it's called Link->Jump, and actually works when you try to use it. When that gets done, use this revised Jump script:


ffc script Jump{
int jumpforce_maximum; // The maximum force of the player's jump.
int i = 0; // This counter slows the rate at which
// jumpforce decays, to smooth the jump.
// briefly at the height of the jump.

int jump_pause = 0; // This counter prevents the player from
// holding down L for continuous hopping.
void run(){
int savedLinkY;

while(true){
// Check whether player has the highjump item. (Hover boots). If he
// does, increase jumpforce_maximum.
if( Link->Item[I_HOVERBOOTS] ){
jumpforce_maximum = 36;
}
else{
jumpforce_maximum = 28;
}

if( (Link->InputL) && (jump_pause == 0) &&
((!canMove(Link->X+8, Link->Y+17)) ||
(!canMove(Link->X, Link->Y+17)) ||
(!canMove(Link->X+16, Link->Y+17)))
){
Link->Jump = jumpforce_maximum;
jump_pause = 20;
}

Link->InputL = false; // This is necessary to stop L from
// flipping your selected item.

// Decrement jump_pause as long as you're on the ground.

if ((!canMove(Link->X+8, Link->Y+17)) ||
(!canMove(Link->X, Link->Y+17)) ||
(!canMove(Link->X+16, Link->Y+17))){
jump_pause--;
if (jump_pause < 1) { jump_pause = 0; }
}
Waitframe();
} // end of while loop
} // end of void run

// ===================================
// Collision detection function
// ===================================

bool canMove(int x, int y){
// x=23, y=130
// Obviously in range...
if(x<0 || x>255 || y<0 || y>175)
return false;

int mask=1111b;
// x % 16 = 7, so
// mask = 1111 & 0011 = 0011
if(x%16<8)
mask&=0011b;
else
mask&=1100b;
// y % 16 = 2, so
// mask = 0011 & 0101 = 0001
if(y%16<8)
mask&=0101b;
else
mask&=1010b;

// All but the top-right quarter of the combo is solid, so ComboS = 1011
// mask & ComboS = 0001 & 1011 = 0001

// The result wasn't 0, so return false
return ((Screen->ComboS[ComboAt(x, y)]&mask)==0);
}// end of canMove
}// end of ffc script


You might want to tweak the jumpforce_maximum numbers, but right now they functionally approximate the current jumping physics of LSGMB.

[C-Dawg]

I'll take a look at that code once Fall is updated. Off the bat, I can tell ya I don't wanna use hoverboots for the high jump item, because the hover boot ability is actually really annoying in a full side-scroll game. Ya know?

[_L_]

Well, I noticed that, due to the standard jump being 1.5 tiles high, and you wanted to ascend a solid combo, you'd finish the jump eight pixels above the combo, and have to wait until the hovering timed out before you could land on it. That's why I also coded the ability to stop the hovering immediately by pressing down.

If anything, I'd say that in topdown they'd be more annoying.

P.S: About that Desert Zone music... it's annoying because it loops in 24 seconds, and that zone is pretty large. Couldn't it be substituted for a slightly longer track?

[C-Dawg]

Unfortunetly, the original score for the Desert music is that long. I've not found a midi remix that is any longer.

All of the Zones are gonna be about the same size. I'm thinking of re-naming each of them after star signs, and calling the whole "thing" they make up the "Zodiac." Not sure if it's a battle platform, an asteriod, or whatever.

[_L_]

Also, I should probably thank you for being the first to make a fully sideview quest. In playing this I've discovered several sideview-related ZC bugs that would probably have remained obscured otherwise.