In Search of Dragons Game Dev Blog #2

This has largely been on the back burner this last week due to IGMC but the event requires a progress update and an old and new engine based screenshot. Which is difficult because all I’ve worked on so far is the code and I purged all the old stuff when I started, so hopefully this old block of code and new block of code will suffice.

Being as I’m working on the gameplay aspects of this game I’ll just quickly detail the systems I’m working on. The skills user by the playable characters are upgradable, both through an upgrade system (which just needs a hud) and through equipment, specifically runes that you can equip. Rather than database a few hundred runes I’ve made a system where based on a few parameters (level and type) the game will generate a rune which you can equip. Furthermore these runes can be used in crafting to create new and stronger runes. Additionally by “dusting” runes you don’t want, you gain runic dust which can be used to upgrade equipment. I’m hoping this will create a system where everything thing connected and relevant.

In Search of Dragons Game Dev Blog #1

So I started the week super excited with RMN’s halloween contest which was to revive a past game, so I went straight to Indrah and said “In Search of Freedom or In Search of Dragons?” She voted Dragons. I wasn’t originally a dev on ISOD, I was however a beta tester but this was all before Indrah and I started to work together, that began with In Search of Clues. We twice I think attempted to finish ISOD and twice failed but this time I actually felt like the work was getting done and that a month was realistic to finish. I’ve essentially started with a blank slate this time rather than try and work with what is already there.

I started work by copying over the battle system from Sunken Spire and then implemented a system which allowed me to access a skill’s rank in the damage formula box. Still need to implement the windows and scene for levelling skills up though. Then I implemented a rune system which includes the ability to just have thausands of runes generated from a few parameters. Finally I started work on the crafting and upgrading system. You can craft runes together to make stronger ones, dust runes to get runic dust which can be used to upgrade weapons and finally upgrade weapons.

It still needs a bit of polish but it was all coming together nicely. Anyway then on the 5th(? I think) a cruel twist saw the Indie Game Maker Contest return with no prior warning that I saw, and the two contests were going to run at the same time :(. Being as we wanted to finish ISOD and had no real plans for a new game we decided to be rational and continue with ISOD, although I joked on RMN about extending the Halloween event to allow people to do both. Anyhow today I wake up to messages from Indrah, RMN had extended the deadline. It was now possible to do both. Naturally we formed a game idea and jumped over. The new game does have a link to ISOD though.