TDG Development Diary

Lobo · **Reply #30 on:** August 25, 2009, 07:23:54 pm

Ah, also..not so sure about the watch up there. How big should it be and...actually how the heck was it supposed to look like anyway?

Depending on the size of that, I can maybe extrude the walls up a bit and then accommodate the watch thingie.

One more thing, since the tiles are now 8x8, what's the limit per room? I don't think I can break it in a long shot but still...

headkaze · **Reply #31 on:** August 25, 2009, 08:47:13 pm

I just imagined it as a wrist watch with an analog display showing the time. The hands would just be two lines displayed for long and short hand. It might be nice to make the rooms slightly larger too but I guess go with what looks best to you.

Oh BTW Space Fractal I found an old conversion of TDG I did to MIDI using a program called sid2mid. It might help you with ideas or to get the tune closer to the original?

Lobo · **Reply #32 on:** August 25, 2009, 09:16:15 pm

Ok, so I was thinking, per each room, to add at least twice the (16px h) in tiles upward so another 32px area is covered and then draw that watch in the corner. Below the white line shows the original size of the walls.
The only thing is, what do you do with the rest of that space up there?

headkaze · **Reply #33 on:** August 25, 2009, 09:24:15 pm

Yeah I think that works well like that Lobo. For the rest of the area I was actually thinking of the wrist watch having the two bands from the watch on each side of the watch face in the centre?

Lobo · **Reply #34 on:** August 25, 2009, 09:32:45 pm

Aaahh..very cunning, good idea~

Also, since you're here (i did write you an email though), what are these two icons darnit?

spacefractal · **Reply #35 on:** August 25, 2009, 10:23:25 pm

the next version tune is more closer to the original. I did sid2midi allready, but there is some wrong notes here and there, I got them all fixed in next release.

Also great idea for the watch.

headkaze · **Reply #36 on:** August 26, 2009, 06:17:44 am

Here's the organ sound which plays when you enter the room and someone has been murdered. It would probably be better to get a midi version of this so it's easier to find the notes. Anyway just posting here incase it might help.

sverx · **Reply #37 on:** August 26, 2009, 08:18:08 am

Quote from: headkaze on August 25, 2009, 06:27:46 pm

Actually each room can have it's own palette too but if you end up putting a watch on the top screen it will need to have colors reserved in each room's palette for it.

You can also use a separate palette dedicated to the watch, there are 16 palettes for each background if you use tiled backgrounds with extended palettes

Bye!

spacefractal · **Reply #38 on:** August 26, 2009, 11:05:48 am

Anyway even I convert by my self, thanks for the help :-D. I send a new version to you seen via PM.

I soon do the death murder soon. Its shots.

headkaze · **Reply #39 on:** August 26, 2009, 11:58:04 am

I haven't tried using extended palettes yet but am aware of them. I guess there is always that option but I can't see a need for more than 256 colors at the moment. I guess the only reason why I'm not using them is unfamiliarity and the concern there may be some sort of trade off as is often the case with the DS.

sverx · **Reply #40 on:** August 26, 2009, 01:32:57 pm

Quote from: headkaze on August 26, 2009, 11:58:04 am

[...] there may be some sort of trade off as is often the case with the DS

Well, there are trade offs, of course. One is that you need to allocate 32KB VRAM (1 -or even 2- VRAM banks) for that (or 16 KB only if 2 x 16 palette sets are enough), another is that you won't longer be able to use the regular palette so you'll need to specify the palette number for every tile in the 4 MSB of every 16bits map entry.
Of course you don't need all that if 256 total colors (+other 256 for the sprites) are enough

Bye!

headkaze · **Reply #41 on:** August 27, 2009, 04:46:13 pm

Okay so latest update you can now walk around the whole mansion

Lobo sent me some screenshots of a room he's working on which looks great. He's suggested making the characters taller. I'm not sure about this as I kinda like the short characters of the original. The second screenshot is it running in the actual game. What do other people think?

Also I was thinking of having the big text scroller on the top screen. I just think it might be too distracting having it on the bottom screen?

flash · **Reply #42 on:** August 27, 2009, 04:52:15 pm

The text scroller on the top screen may help with that blank area!

I love the look of the graphics in the screen shot.. really look sweet!!! Though I cannot make my mind up about taller characters? hmm... It may work though? That is a toughy, though it would then enable more character to the characters.

headkaze · **Reply #43 on:** August 27, 2009, 05:03:38 pm

Yeah it's a tough one. Here is a screenshot with the scroller added to the top screen. The wristwatch could still fill the top part with the timepiece hanging over the room graphics a bit?

flash · **Reply #44 on:** August 27, 2009, 05:08:02 pm

I think i prefer the taller sprites mate.. At least there is not mod needed to detection (just detecting feet?)

And he does look damn cool!!

spacefractal · **Reply #45 on:** August 27, 2009, 06:12:23 pm

I normally newer use scrollers, includning homepages, because I think might been distracting. Howover it depend speed and content used onscreen.

I like the new look on Snide, but left wall look a bit wrong due the perpertive, which dosent match 100%?

I also think it could been a tile higher than the original too? So you have 2 tiles height for the watch and one line with no graphics (so they dosent align to much). Just a idea, but even without the tile idea, it still works as it are now.

Lobo · **Reply #46 on:** August 27, 2009, 07:24:04 pm

Ohh..wait guys!

Darn, should've come earlier but got busy. Ok, don't touch the upper area, after extruding the top walls to 32px there is exactly 40 px left up there and that's where the wrist watch fits in like a glove!
Take a look at the screen to see what I mean (wrist watch is 256x40 btw).
As for the scroller, there's abundance of place on the bottom screen together with interface where you have to look anyway in order to tap the icons and interrogate the characters so it's kinda logical?

Also, for the Snide, it's up to you guys, I can do either so here's the screen and you see which look you prefer more.

I have a bunch of rooms finished, including that one so I'll send a pack later to HK (watch yer email).

One more thing, the perspective is correct in that screen, what isn't 100% correct is the floor, got some distortion there to touch up.

flash · **Reply #47 on:** August 27, 2009, 08:14:34 pm

Looking really good Lobo...

I like the squat guy, but the other looks better to me and will perhaps be more impressive in hardware?

Lobo · **Reply #48 on:** August 27, 2009, 11:20:52 pm

Well, it would look like this so maybe it helps you to decide

.

flash · **Reply #49 on:** August 27, 2009, 11:26:51 pm

Well... I'm smitten!

Lobo · **Reply #50 on:** August 27, 2009, 11:46:03 pm

Must be those squeaking shoes

.

EDIT: Wait..anything familiar?

flash · **Reply #51 on:** August 27, 2009, 11:56:15 pm

LOL!!! Sweet!

Lobo · **Reply #52 on:** August 28, 2009, 02:28:55 am

Another example of 'tall' characters~Bentley!

headkaze · **Reply #53 on:** August 28, 2009, 06:20:32 am

Woah! Awesome stuff!

I liked your LeVay painting too! I think we will have to keep that a theme in all games made by us now lol

I'm still not 100% on the taller characters but I'm trying not to be stubborn for the sake of my nostaliga and all that. I do want to go with what works best for the game in the long run.

Also don't forget that we can overlay the watch so there is still room for the scroller if we decide to go that way. I just think that since characters say random things that it might be distracting having to look on the bottom screen while moving around. I'm not sure yet and only after some play testing will we find out for sure.

Great work Lobo and I look forward to seeing what you've come up with

EDIT: I just noticed you've update the main sprite too and it looks even better.

spacefractal · **Reply #54 on:** August 28, 2009, 06:30:12 am

Personly I think it to "compressed" with all the elements with the watch, graphics and the scroller in that way. I simply think it not work very well on a DS, even it works very well on C64 (due hardware limits).

I think these could been alternative:

1. Using talk bubbles instead of scroller (even it was not used in C64, but DS have better hardware to do that).

2. Replace the watch with the scroller when required (they dosent say all times), eventuelly with talk bubble as well?

3. Use one tile height font instead on a transperency background or simply remove the blue background and scroll directly on the bottom on the graphics.

A Another idea is also graphics icons for all things you can carry and not just text?

Lobo · **Reply #55 on:** August 28, 2009, 09:06:38 am

Hah, yeah, from now on every game has to have LaVey..and Marylin Manson-the newcomer

.

Ok, for the watch, looks fine except that I would keep the black bkg like on the picture, for clarity. Also, the text scroller should be black instead of blue for final.

As for the characters, I think long legs are much better. I did several tests and yeah, better. No worries though, they're still goofy as you can see on the pic, just...grown.

I'll send you the rooms today (ohmy, 3:50AM!) as soon as I wake up and sort it out.

spacefractal · **Reply #56 on:** August 28, 2009, 09:38:53 am

that one does actually works and much better, and I agree with Lobo here. Even the blue background now also work too, if want that to been keeps. Nice compromise.

headkaze · **Reply #57 on:** August 28, 2009, 09:44:20 am

Characters look great mate!

Okay long legs it is then

They look bloody cool like that anyway.

Did a bit of work today and have basic overlays working. Found some cool sound effects for the game too. I'm trying to think of ways to add more atmosphere to the game.

Lobo · **Reply #58 on:** August 28, 2009, 09:46:46 pm

Excellent, you've been converted

.

The bottom text can be blue as well instead of black, just maybe darkish
blue, like one I've put in the bottom screen menu (you'll see when you get it), it's (R 24 G 80 B 119). Anyway, that's not too important as it does look good like that as well.

Ok, I'll send a bunch of stuff in an hour or so (gotta get some shopping now), lotsa rooms finished and these characters (five characters and four rooms left).

headkaze · **Reply #59 on:** August 29, 2009, 08:11:26 am

Wow! Just wow! You guys should see some of Lobo's new graphics in the game. It adds so much cool factor it's not funny

Anyway here is a screenshot. I did have the watch showing the time yesterday but Flash suggested using rotating sprites instead and I smacked my hand on my forehead because it's such a better way (will look better, and take less CPU).

Anyway I'm really blown away by how cool it's looking right now! I will be sending Lobo and SF another demo soon so you can wander around the mansion a bit.