[Mandrake]

ok, after thinking over DD's suggestion for a compo using pre-made graphics, and Sirocco's suggestion at using a premade engine, here's the ideas I've come up with.

1. The new Engine should be done by the end of September. The weekend following the compeletion of the engine, the next compo will happen.
2. The next compo will be 48-hours, starting the friday after the compeletion of the engine to the following sunday.
3. We need volunteers to work on the engine. I volunteer myself to help wherever is needed.
4. We need several comitees, also volunteers, to find materials for the compo based on 1. The limitations of the engine and 2. The plot outline for the game to be created.

The engine will be split up into 8 modules (or peices to be developed), each one will require a volunteer to work on it.
1. The Graphics engine. this is the tile based map displayer, the GUI renderer, and the sprite/animation renderer.
2. The collision engine. Collision detection as well as search/talk detection and triggering events happen here.
3. The script engine. The script interface.
4. The Input Engine. Interfacing with the Keyboard and Joystick.
5. The Map Editor/Sprite Editor/Item Editor/Weapon Editor/etc etc Engine.
6. The Sound Engine. Music and Sound Effects.
7. The File engine. Interfacing with files.
8. The Interpreter (which calls functions from the other modules, but this one actually connects it all and makes it a game).

Next, I need to know several things. 1...what OS does everyone use? 2...Would the users mind if we made this for a console system (the game interepreter), for like the GBA or the DreamCast? if not, we will try to keep it portable throughout all types of PC's (Win9x, WinME, Win2k, WinXP, Linux).

should we keep combat only one style (easier to program...takes less time...), and if so, what should that style be? (Dragon Warrior, Phantasy Star, Final Fantasy, Grandia, Shining Force, et al).

I'm suggesting that if we go PC based platform we use Allegro for the graphics, DUMB for the sound, GiaPack for the file interface, Lua for the scripting language...any other suggestions? Also, i think we should restrict the tile and sprite sizes, say 16x16? Also, what resolution should we make the game engine?

[DarkDread]

1. Windows is fine for me, as is Linux.

2. Even though I trashed the idea in another post (well, not really, but you know...), I actually like the thought of doin' it for, say, the GBA. Might be pretty cool.
_________________
"Goth is a way for ugly people to be interesting."

[Mandrake]

Yup, GBA or Dream Cast would be cool, GBA a better choice just simple because there are a lot of (slow...) emulators so people without GBA or flashcarts can still play them.

As I said in the other thread, using an already built engine is no diffrent than supplying a graphics pack, you are taking some freedom away in order to focus on one part of development.

I think a good arguement for using a maker like this is as follows:
Everyone here is working on a game of some sort, correct? Now, we all now that a majority of people here are programmers....programmers with a lot of programming exp but very little level design exp.

Why little level design exp? Well, take a look at all the finished games floating around. How are we to gain exp designing levels, if we are all sill trying to make it past the engine coding mode?

IMHO, most of the game designers here (myself included) need to work on other aspects of designing games, taking the focus away from engine design and graphics design, and just focus on level design and story, to hone our skills and perfect them.

[white_door]

Hmm.. for GBA might be really cool... and I believe there are emulators for it more platforms than any other game libary in existance ;)

[Mandrake]

heh...yeah that would be really nifty, and I'm pretty sure even hard-core "I AM CODING GOD" would even bend to the will of a simple RPGMaker if they could see there game on the GBA.

I'm changing the first post here to add a poll to see who wants GBA RPGMaker for the compo after this one.

So, any volunteers to help with coding the GBA and such? It's not all just GBA coding, someone will have to make map/item editors....also need people to help with the comitee on grabbing stuff for each compo....

[darkpagan]

How much exactly will you have to code I mean will everything be done by an options interface?
_________________
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.

[Mandrake]

well, the main idea will be a simple, easy to use interface, no code...this way, it's all just deving.

and also, the GBA is cool, but here are some benefits for using the Dreamcast:
1. You don't need to MOD it or pay for a flashlinker to play ROM's you dload, just a CD-Burner.
2. DC is cheaper than the GBA
3. From a programmers veiw-point, a DC one would be easier to do for file-acess and etc
4. For the GBA, everyone would have to dload the GCC for the GBA in order to compile the games made with the game maker (8mb), and then anyone playing it would have to either, buy a GBA and a flashlinker (75$USD for a GBA, 120$USD for a flashlinker+cart), and you would have to play the games one at a time...or they would have to dload a GBA emu, which is slow on almost any computer. Insanely slow. For DC, you could do the emulator, or pay 50$ for a DC, and you can also burn all the games onto one CD.

Not too mention all you would need to dload would be the interpreter and the game maker...no need to compile everything everytime.

[Sutiiben Hantu]

Dreamcaaaaaaast
_________________
Flex the mind muscle

[DarkDread]

Hmm... now that I think about it, I change my vote to DC... so take 1 vote off of GBA... 'cause dammit, it'd be pretty cool to burn all the entries on a cdr, and play 'em on my Dreamcast. :D
_________________
"Goth is a way for ugly people to be interesting."

[Sirocco]

My problem with compos is that I'm usually so totally wrapped up in my own projects that spending time coding a custom mini-engine and creating new graphics is about as appealing as cold sake. Not that sake doesn't taste like paint thinner when it's HOT, mind you.

So, having some pregenerated stuff would definitely take most of the chore out of the compo. As to what platform, I suppose any of the aforementioned would be fine, although I'm partial to a PC platform simply due to accessability. Working with the GBA and DC might not be as straightforward for us casual dev'rs ;)

[mandrakeio]

heh, nope, that will be the whole point of this, to make things as user-friendly as possible to get the coolest games in the least amount of time.

The problem with DC/GBA is not it being hard oin the people using the engine we make for the compo, it's going to be the part of the people desinging the engine to make it small and easy to use.

[Zipplet]

I agree with using the Dreamcast instead of the GBA. Firstly, the Dreamcast has a lot more memory, so coding would be easier for the engine developers. Also, the DC's faster CPU would help too!

[DarkDread]

I don't think creating the engine to work with a DC would honestly be all that difficult... after all, it's basically just another PC... only without any magnetic storage media. ;)

...and Sirocco... Sake cold is great... have you ever tried shots of draft sake? ...one right after the other? ...mmm,mmm,mmm!
_________________
"Goth is a way for ugly people to be interesting."

[Sirocco]

Ugh... if I'm driking sake it'll definitely be warm ;)

[darkpagan]

Sake is evil full stop
_________________
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.