DREAMBOUND - Bound to the dream of releasing before 2037

[Phoenixan]

Yep, that's the version range I had without problems.

I mostly updated for UT3 and TF2.

*edit*

I actually found a way to fix it, and I'll include the fixes in my game manual on release. All I have to do to get it working is either set the overall game settings in the nVidia control panel to emphasize quality, or I can find the exe for program specific settings and switch "Texture Filtering - Anisotropic Sample Optimization" to "On."

So for the time being while developing FUS, I'll work on the game with full quality on, and then just recommend to people with nVidia cards to use those settings if there are any visible problems with the game. I'll also probably enable an option to turn room transitions on or off, since that's really the only visible graphical issue with my game right now (since I'm using a lighting engine that seems to be very compatible with many cards). I'll probably include a lighting quality option as well (low/medium/high) with 2 sets of textures for the lights.

[Droolie]

It's great that you found a way to fix it, maybe I'll update then too.

So yeah, I decided to record a VIDEO of my game and upload it to YouTube!
Here it is ( the link links to the HQ version, please watch it in high quality! ): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgT3HNK08zI&fmt=18
And have fun!

[spiraldoor]

I see.

[Droolie]

I see.

That's great, I can see too. I'm one of the many people who are not blind.
XD

[Phoenixan]

I'm really impressed with your graphics, sound, and platforming engine there. Now you just need to work on the room transition bits. XD

[Droolie]

I'm really impressed with your graphics, sound, and platforming engine there. Now you just need to work on the room transition bits. XD

Thanks!
And yeah, the room transition bits are on my list of things to do before the demo.

[Holy Crap]

Looks good. some of the movements look a bit iffy though. I think his arms are swinging out of time when he walks.

[Droolie]

About his arms swinging out of time, I did that on purpose ( I could easily have fixed that but I didn't ), so he wouldn't have exactly the same walking animation all the time.
Should I fix it?

[Holy Crap]

I personally think so, it looks very awkward. Also it seems to take too long for him to grab ledges, he just floats for a bit before taking hold.

These are just minor issues though.

[Joshua822]

I'm very impressed there, mate. This is likely to be the best Game Maker game i have seen in a long time.

But some tips :

In the first level you demonstrate, the platform look to squary, make them a little more natural.

And in the temple at times it is a bit to dark ( although, that's only what i can conclude from youtube )

Keep up the good work.

[Droolie]

Thanks

The platform looks too square, but it's meant like that. It's not nature that made the platform. Fairies made it, in fact.
In the temple, Youtube kind of ruined the quality. You can still see in the temple. I might make it a little less dark there, but not too bright either, because that'd ruin the dark and a bit melancholic ( because of the game's story then ) ambience...

I've written all this ( brightness fix + arm swinging fix + speed fix for grabbing ledges ) on the list of things to do, and I would have already done all that if I wasn't that busy on writing down the complete story of my game ( including all the side-stories and even some dialogue ) in one document. Now I'm writing down the ending, I've realized how genial it is... really, I can't wait till the game is out and you see the ending. It's amazing.
If I can make it so that it's exactly like I've written it down in my game, I'm fairly sure you'll have your mouth open for a few minutes.

No, I'm not trying to boast here.

[Rsandee]

Just imagine how gamers on Yoyogames would react if you upload it there (when its done)

[spiraldoor]

It needs to be more...graceful. In every aspect. The animations, the graphics and such. They look kind of clumsy.

[Droolie]

It needs to be more...graceful. In every aspect. The animations, the graphics and such. They look kind of clumsy.

Every aspect?

I agree that some animations ( the crouching one for example ) aren't really good, but I'm still working on them, you know.
What other animations don't you like though? And which graphics?
I think they look great, but of course, that's what any creator thinks of his own game. I'd like to hear which things that you find clumsy.
Keep in mind that the graphics will never be as good as Rayman 1's graphics though. Sure, better resolution, more effects, but Rayman 1's style will still be more polished.

By the way, at the moment, I'm waiting for the possible music composer to reply and tell me if he will make the music or not.

[spiraldoor]

The "every aspect" thing may have been somewhat of an exaggeration.

The platforms, walls and floor all seemed kind of angular and flat. The fact that the main character is large and circular may be a source of clumsiness. The only animation I don't really like is the ledge-grabbing one, it's just...odd. That, and there's something weird about the walking animation; the head is kind of...still. The helicopter hair in the topleft corner is distracting. The water should have bubbles. The health circles should turn yellow, instead of getting an X on them, as this would make it easier to check your health at a glance. The backgrounds need more detail, and there should be more parallax-scrolling layers in them. Three, perhaps. Shooting ANY part of a purple lum should let you grab it. Red lums shouldn't have faces; only super yellow lums should. There should be two moons in the moon background. The camera should quickly pan to a different screen when you select an option on the menu (like in R2 DC).

I can't think of anything else at the moment.

I am impressed, by the way. Most likely that didn't come across in my comments above.

[Droolie]

Thanks for telling me.

I know about the platforms, walls and floor, but isn't that normal for non-natural platforms, like houses, etc. ( unless you mean the grass as well )? If you mean that it's too blocky in the Minisaurus plains, then yeah, you're right. But the final area will be different... because this one is a testing area.

If the helicopter in the top-left corner is distracting, I might disable that icon syncing with Electrix' animations. I don't know about that yet though.

The water's bubbles, the breathing meter and all other things that have to do with water are already on my list.

But do the backgrounds really need more detail? I think there's enough detail in them, plus, there are actually 3 parallax scrolling layers in most worlds, except in the first level ( there are two: the moon and the hills ). I left the third parallax scrolling layer out because the moon would look less nice with it.

Red lums do not normally have faces ( also, I know the face looks bad ), only when they are SUPER Red Lums, which is new in this game. It works like a small and large P in Rayman 1.

In the menu, I haven't made the options and load menu yet. That'll be made as soon as they'll actually be useful: they'll be made for the demo.
The "new game" and "exit" options don't really need a screen change, but the options and/or load menu will maybe have a screen change.

Again, thanks for letting me know all this. I'll do what I can to fix most of it.

EDIT -> Things fixed/improved so far:
- The health circles now turn yellow when you get hurt! ^^
- Hand Swinging in the running and swimming animations is not out of time anymore.
- Ledge grabbing is fast now!
- The head is not as 'still' as it was before while running normally and running fast.
- The second moon has been re-enabled in the code.
- I have increased the brightness in the temple a little bit.
- I've finally fixed the ring problem! You are now able to grab purple lums easily.

[Droolie]

Screenshot time! ^^






New health circles, new windows, and a new moon...
Oh, and the temple is a LITTLE brighter.
There's more that I've done in the past 4 days ( look at the previous post ), but you can't notice that in the screenshots.

EDIT -> And here's the logo I made for my "game studio"!

[Phoenixan]

Well, the windows are certainly way better.

[Droolie]

Yep, they certainly are.

Tomorrow, I'm going to start working on the third part of the level. I hope I'll have the level design and graphics finished next week, so I can actually start working on something a lot more fun to make: enemy and boss fights.

[Holy Crap]

The "company" logo looks nice.