My Advance Wars Game

[fusion_power]

Yes, altering the Unit Stats is much more important than the Co Special Powers.

Will this game have the same set of units for all? How about different set of sprites or unique units?

I hope, there will be always the same Graphics for every Side. So you see instant, what Unit is is, very important and the Graphic Artist doesn't draw gazillions of different Sprites.
Also impotant for Unit-Overview is the Placement while non-fight. It should always be the side-view, maybe only one direction, left or right. During movement and Battle of course, the Units can face up or Downwards to but they never should stand in different Directions onto the Battlefield. This only would be confusing.

 

[Geuben]

The way it will probably happen at the moment is that all armies will be identical at first so that I can work on AI and getting the game finished. Then maybe ill think about adding CO powers and changing the unit stats for each CO, having different sprites for different armies is easily done on my part, but as I suck at making sprites, it would probably be left to Pixitu to draw them all. Thats a lot of work and im not expecting him to do it (he can do if he wants tho ).

During the game, I had planned to animate the units during their movement (i.e up down left right). but once they stop moving they will all face one direction. I.e red team faces right, blue team faces left.

 

[fusion_power]

During the game, I had planned to animate the units during their movement (i.e up down left right). but once they stop moving they will all face one direction. I.e red team faces right, blue team faces left.

Exaclty what I've meant.

I think different Graphics for different armies are a huge ammount of work. If your Game only has 2 Armies, this is ok but 4 or more Armies with different Graphics could lead to confusion. I imagina one Sprite has 4 Directions maybe 2 or more movement Animation frames per direction, Battle Animations of each Unit and a non-move Animation like in AW... this can be result in 16 or even more Animation frames for each Unit... I hope you and Pixitu have a huge ammount of free time.
Hm, maybe there could be saved Time if the engine simple mirrors the Unit Sprites for left-right movement so the Graphic-Sheet doesn't need a different Graphic for each Direction. ^_^

And do you really plan Tesla Coils? I would prefer a nice, fat stationary rotating cannon-turret but I have no real clue how Base Defens in a turn-based Game will work. If it's your turn, does a Defense Building attack each enemy Unit in range, unit after Unit...or just One Unit each round?

 

[Geuben]

I think different Graphics for different armies are a huge ammount of work. If your Game only has 2 Armies, this is ok but 4 or more Armies with different Graphics could lead to confusion. I imagina one Sprite has 4 Directions maybe 2 or more movement Animation frames per direction, Battle Animations of each Unit and a non-move Animation like in AW... this can be result in 16 or even more Animation frames for each Unit... I hope you and Pixitu have a huge ammount of free time.
Hm, maybe there could be saved Time if the engine simple mirrors the Unit Sprites for left-right movement so the Graphic-Sheet doesn't need a different Graphic for each Direction. ^_^

And do you really plan Tesla Coils? I would prefer a nice, fat stationary rotating cannon-turret but I have no real clue how Base Defens in a turn-based Game will work. If it's your turn, does a Defense Building attack each enemy Unit in range, unit after Unit...or just One Unit each round?

Tesla coils were pixitu's ideas, I thought it was funny so added them. I thought about how base defences will work a bit, but not in great detail yet.

As for the graphics, only left OR right needs to be drawn as I can flip the images in code. It's still a lot of work though so for now there will only be one seet of units, just in different colours.

 

[bacteria]

Looking nice. I liked Advance Wars on the GBA but found it frustrating as the game really doesn't like you losing a few units, and has too many units for its own good. Needs to be a bit friendlier and slightly easier. Will yours be??

 

[Lineus]

MUST PLAY NOW!!!!!!
Anyways, yeah, looks like great work. And some VERY nice pixeling there... makes me jealous

 

[Pixitu]

Geuben, you could have asked me before making a logo for yourself with my stuff.

Good luck with the rest of the game.

 

[Geuben]

Geuben, you could have asked me before making a logo for yourself with my stuff.

Good luck with the rest of the game.

Sorry, I didn't think you would mind. I've changed it to be not about me and about the game (would have put the game title in it if I had decided on one yet). It links to this thread in which you have been given all credit for the sprites.

 

[PoisonedV]

Geuben, you could have asked me before making a logo for yourself with my stuff.

Good luck with the rest of the game.

I saw it and I don't see what the big deal is.

 

[nickspoon]

This is looking fantastically polished. Can't say I'm a fan of Advance Wars (never really got into it myself) but I'll be wanting to try this one. Very very well done.

 

[Spadoof]

Sry, im not uptodate on this project................When is the beta going to be released?

 

[Geuben]

Sry, im not uptodate on this project................When is the beta going to be released?

Reading the thread (which I assumed you did?) would make you as up to date as anyone else.

Beta.....erm...well, I dunno. I supposed I'll release a version for testing when I feel like i've done enough on it.

General Update

Not much to say really. At the moment progress is slow as im busy revising for and sitting my exams, but will be right back on to this once i'm done in a week.

Going from his last post, and the lack of any further contact, I am assuming that Pixitu no longer wants to be part of this project. While thats a bit dissapointing as the sprites he did were really good its not going to mean the end of the project. I will continue to work on the code and use simple placeholder sprites for now until I decide what to do. I've been having a few thoughts about it, I may see if I can find someone else who wants to do the sprites (perhaps a friend I actually know already) or I may do them myself. In either case the sprites that Pixitu created will not be being used as I don't want to piss him off anymore than I seem to have. With this the style of the art work may change, and move away from the cartoony style of AW to something different so as not to be a complete clone.

Anyway I hope that makes sense, and satisfies some peoples curiosity.

Geuben

 

[Lineus]

I don't think it's your fault, some of us board members just wanted to say he did a good job...

 

[gruso]

How precious can you get? It could have been handled with a PM or email, but it had to be a public tantrum. Sheesh.

Good luck with your exams Geuben. Hope to see the project back on track soon.

 

[Alex.]

Good luck with the game, and great work so far! While Pixitu's sprites look really good and it's a loss that he left the project, a game of yours' depth still has plenty to fall back on.

 

[fusion_power]

Going from his last post, and the lack of any further contact, I am assuming that Pixitu no longer wants to be part of this project. While thats a bit dissapointing as the sprites he did were really good its not going to mean the end of the project. I will continue to work on the code and use simple placeholder sprites for now until I decide what to do. I've been having a few thoughts about it, I may see if I can find someone else who wants to do the sprites (perhaps a friend I actually know already) or I may do them myself. In either case the sprites that Pixitu created will not be being used as I don't want to piss him off anymore than I seem to have. With this the style of the art work may change, and move away from the cartoony style of AW to something different so as not to be a complete clone.

Geuben

Whow...I thought it was only a cliche that Artists are a little bit strange sometimes. :lol: Why he leaves the whole project becasue of nothing? His graphics are VERY good and the Style is absolutely perfect for your Game. I still hope you can and want to use at least the current finished Graphics.
If my Pixel-Skills would be better I would support you and you could do whatever you want with my art. Maybe I try some things but I cant draw Persons or any "living" things. Maybe a gun ot a wall...I don't know. Have to practise alot.

But we have many new artists here "on board" so I think you will find easily a new one. AND don't forget to ask the guys from "Yuan Works", maybe they have a little bit time for you?

 

[Pixitu]

Well, the logo thing has been swiftly cleared up on Geuben's side, so I see no reason to be offended anymore.

Also, I suspect that certain people didn't quite arrive here at the right moment to see what it actually was about, and some of the responses, well, really don't deserve a reply.

Anyway, please feel free to use the sprites I made so far for your project, Geuben.
If you make progress with your project and intend to present it here, I'll be the first one to check it out. When the AI stands, I'm going to make a bunch of sprites in case you're still interested and haven't found anyone better.

And yes, I'm the finicky artist-type. No need to lie around it if it's the truth.

[edit] Oh, and the "no contact" bit can happen from time to time - after all, I need to make a living too.

 

[fusion_power]

Very nice. Good that everything is cleared because I see the finished Game with your art in my imagination. This game could be another great Piece of Software for the good old GP2X (in his late days maybe)

And yes, I'm the finicky artist-type. No need to lie around it if it's the truth.

I think it can be very helpful sometimes to be a finicky artist-type.

 

[jbrodack]

nice to see things cleared up and everyone getting along. this looks like it will be a great game. looking forward to it.

 

[Geuben]

UPDATE

So, ive finished uni for the summer and after moving back home, unpacking etc, i finally got around to doing a bit more work on the game. 3 new things have been implemented

1. Increased map sizes. The maps are now 2 screens by 2 screens, and can easily be made bigger (by changing a variable). Scrolling etc has all be done too.

2. Minimap, pretty straight forward, a minimap has been created. This shows the terrain and the buildings. should it show units?

And the big one!

3. AI....well sort of

I've had a bash and creating an AI, its very primative and methodical. At the moment it only works for one units type. You can see a video of 2 AI's battling below. Note - the video is as 2x speed, as it takes 10mins for the battle to finish otherwise.

AI vs AI Video

Hope you like the progress.

Geuben