Preview: Helmetlands

[Dinonykos]

Here are some screenshots from "Helmetlands". The design will still need some time to get finished, but graphics, sounds and general level design are 95% completed. The main plot is also almost completed. What takes most of the time now is to make the world alive (e.g. with wandering NPCs, side quests, music and so on). 

[manikus]

This looks great, Dinonykos.

I can't wait for this to come out - are you still thinking of a demo first?

I'm so excited to play around in the Helmetlands.

[Dinonykos]

I can't wait for this to come out - are you still thinking of a demo first?
I'm so excited to play around in the Helmetlands.

Well, although I significantly reduced the level sizes, they are quite empty, still. I think, there should be at least one event all 9-16 squares... and not only combat events. And I want some side quests, as I wrote.
Furthermore, a demo would allow people to comment on the simple combat system I want to use. If nobody likes it or if most people even would not play the design only because of the missing "normal" combat, I might change my mind...

[manikus]

I know you're doing all of the art on this yourself, and the coding, but anything I can do to help, you have to but ask.

[Uatu]

Quite amazing how much progress you seem to have made, Dinonykos!  Especially the amount of wall/background graphics - wow (I still have a lot of work to do on that before I can make much progress on a module myself).

[Dinonykos]

Quite amazing how much progress you seem to have made, Dinonykos!  Especially the amount of wall/background graphics - wow (I still have a lot of work to do on that before I can make much progress on a module myself).

Well, I started working on the graphics in 2003/04, if I remember right, so it is not THAT amazing... 
On the other hand, there is still much I have not (or only patially) posted to avoid spoiling. However, to get not lost in the process of doing more and more art, I decided to stop creating new walls and BGs now (except for NPC walls). 

[Uatu]

Ha ha...  I hope I can someday get to the phase where I can do that, too! 

[Deinonykos]

I will perhaps cause some confusion now. I lost both my password for this forum and the e-mail I had refered to in registration, so I saw no other possibility than to create another profile. So Deinonykos is still me, Dinonykos...     Or is there anything else I could do to get access to my old profile?

Anyway, here is one new animation from Helmetlands. I post this not the least to show what is possible with the different wall formats you can use in DC. The whitish floor is not part of the background, but something I'd call "floor wall". Unfortunately, the animations seems not to work here...

[manikus]

Very cool animation, Dinonykos.

To view it, just click on it so that it appears full-sized, then it will animate. At least that worked in my browser (Opera).

This really is an excellent example of what DC has to offer over FRUA.

[nologgie]

Nicely done!

I was wondering if DC would display animated gifs. It's good to know it will. I don't think any of the picture formats used support color cycling, though, do they?

[ProphetSword]

I will perhaps cause some confusion now. I lost both my password for this forum and the e-mail I had refered to in registration, so I saw no other possibility than to create another profile. So Deinonykos is still me, Dinonykos...     Or is there anything else I could do to get access to my old profile?

I am not able to see your password, but I am able to change it to something new.

So, I have changed the password to your original account, and will send you a PM as soon as I get done replying here so that you can access it.  Once you access it, be sure to change your password to something you can remember.

Afterwards, send me a PM, and I'll delete the new account you created (unless you want to keep it as a backup).

[Dinonykos]

I have no changed my password to one I will definitely remember. Furthermore, I will change my e-mail to a functioning one...
You may delete the Deinonykos account then, PS, and sorry for me causing trouble. I will repost this animation.

Concerning animated gifs: To my knowledge, they cannot be used in DC.
I only used this animation here to simulate the party walking around.
In DC, you can however use a series of pngs/jpgs or what ever to animate things.

[Dinonykos]

Well, since Deinonykos will probably be gone soon, I post the animation again, together with two others.



The last one is an older animation I have already posted at the ironworks forum, when we were discussing how walking on roofs could be done...

[manikus]

Very impressive, Dinonykos.

The "walking on roofs" idea could be used for so many things, like flying, or walking through a labyrinth with spikes below the path, etc.

[Dinonykos]

Nologgie's question just reminded me of the possibility to animate party character pictures. I do not know if this is possible in FRUA, I was at least quite happy when I saw that! With this option, you can for example switch between the party members face and his whole body in a reasonable frequency...