Re: Echoside: 120 hours \m/

[Kain Nobel]

Went to work, came home, smoked some weed, watched some videos... 4 hours!










...Oh wait, that doesn't count

Nah, but I did spend a half hour spriting. Alot of times, while I'm smoking trees, I like to draw trees too because I feel at peace with nature. Get stoned and draw a happy lil' tree! This is still WIP, so the shading and detail and stuff kinda looks like shit still, but either way I'll get it all polished up and looking sexy!

I'm pretty lit, plus I have to work tomorrow, so I'm going to bed lol

EDIT:

kk, put in another hour and 15 mins. The leaves are still experimental, I'm gonna figure something out.

 

[Kain Nobel]

I've found a new way to make tracks! I can open an existing midi track and use the instruments from it, and I've done that with these two new ones.

Jungle Fever: It kinda reminds me of that shop in Zelda : Twilight Princess, the one where the lady collects your bugs. I picture a colorful jungle setting filled with nasty critters that could take you out in a second. (The last version I did of this was really loud, this version is really quiet... I'll go back and readjust this again, I can't get volume to sound correct @_@)
Lost in the Desert: You're a stranded westerner in a violent territory, looking for a desert oasis. The journey itself is quite fun, but you also realize the danger you're in, so you gotta be on alert while you're strolling through there.

Spoiler: A special thanks to...

Both of these were made with the instruments from "Sandy Badlands" from the Final Fantasy VII soundtrack composed by Nobuo Uematsu. Of course my compositions were original, I just reused the instruments for the track. I did learn something new from all this and took a big note on how Uematsu used left/right/center panning for his lead instruments and applied that in my takes.

Two other tracks I've done. One representing the shady side of the city, and the other representing the active side of the city.

Inner City Slums
Inner City Slums II

Concept notes have been redrafted for the following; item hierarchy, worldly transportation, world map traits, ailment and bonus states, battle actions. I also spent alot of time in the database, setting up the kind of items I want (based on hierarchy notes), but am having trouble giving stuff official names.

If anybody cares to hear about more boring stuff I've been busy with (pixel stuff), I revisited that desert/beach tileset. When I switched it into 256 color mode, I noticed alot of similiar colors, which was kind of expected as some pieces were taken from earlier sets. By singling everything out that could be considered strictly green, strictly brown, etc I was able to shrink the pallet by a family of colors at a time. In turn, I went from something like 111 colors to 79, I just had to do alot of matching between trees. Quality lost? None, I think it just looks better.

Oh yeah, almost forgot... finished that tree!

I have something different in mind for the beach VS the desert, so I might be dividing that single set into two different ones. Then again, a beach filled with cacti and palm trees could be an interesting and dangerous place to visit.

Spoiler: FFVII Remixes

I'm not counting these as development time, nor am I using them in my game. I remastered these two midi tracks from the FF7 soundtrack by adding some effects to them and thought they sounded boss, so I'm just sharing them. :D
Fighting
Holding My Thoughts in My Head

Made a gang tag thingy. I originally made it at a bigger resolution so I had to downscale it and redo it all.

Those two tracks have been fixed and I've started some new work so adding 2 more hours.

 

[Kain Nobel]

Hope whoever celebrates Thanksgiving had a great one! I helped cook some but fell asleep once everybody got here and everything was served. Anyways, I did get some work done too!

Spoiler: NSFW? Well, there's pixel boobies so...

I've been meaning to make a more average male for a long while now, so I finally got around to doing that^

My quest in music development hasn't slowed down any, I made two new tracks yesterday. Anyways, I've been taking a more melodic and progressive approach at composition, it seems to be paying off.

Desperate Times Ahead...
Behind Enemy Lines

Spent a little bit of time working on database stuff again and messing with other scripts. I will probably use something called the SBS for VX to test my battle animations in, but I'm definitely going to tailor something similar on XP the best I can.

Lastly, I made some new menu sound effects and also some voice sounds similar to what you'd hear in dialog in the Shining Force games. I haven't tested them out on the AMS yet, but I will do so after the laundry is done. I'm only 1 hour from my goal, do I really have to raise it again? D:

UPDATE: Seriously, 4 hours on this fucking track? Yes folks, I think I have gone into the next level of music composition

Time to Get Serious

I got so fucking stoned when I made that track, what took hours felt like minutes @_@

 

[Kain Nobel]

While its nothing to write home to mother about, I did spend fourfive hours on tunes tonight. The first two hours were spent on making something that sounds like... well, Mexican music. Yes, that was actually a goal, but only thing I got down pact were drum beats, I've gotta really figure out some better lead patterns. I've got a bunch of wind instruments and an accordion, some polka-ish beats but I'll upload it when it sounds more proper.

Lord I hope the other three hours were worth it because I revisited the Time to Get Serious track, seriously. I did alot of little shit with this track, lots and lots of it. I added a couple little patterns, I deleted some little patterns, I went through and fine tuned volume, fine tuned panning and velocity, transposed different notes to the same instruments on different channels, fixed the little clipping loopadoo in the end, etc. I love this track dearly, its a whole fucking orchestra and I'm the madman conductor, but I cba to do much else to it, in the end I'm like "ladididadadidadoooooooo".

 

[Kain Nobel]

I spent two hours going through old sprite files and moving them out of the main project, the ones I wasn't using or wasn't going to finish. Then I wrote something in my concept notes but whatever it is I forget, the rest of the time was spent making...

World Map (8 hours)
Late Night Mischief (1 hour)
No Time to Waste (3 hours)

"OMG no you didn't," yes I did! I put in another 14 hours of music composition, and I don't think I've ever took the craft so seriously in my life. I used to be like "oh lol tunes how cute" but now I'm forging them with hammer and chizzle in hard stone. Nah, seriously though, I'm trying to work harder on varying the patterns and progressions and balance instrumentals 'n all that shit. I'll probably even revisit these later today and make some last minute adjustments, but I'm taking a nap so c'ya!

New Goal: 120?! o.O

 

[Kain Nobel]

I'm sober and... I'm scripting, amazing! All of this is a warm up for what I plan on doing next month, good ol' battle system work. But for now...

Spoiler: Title : Fade In Effect

#===============================================================================

# ** Title : Fade In Effect

#===============================================================================

 

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

# * SDK Log

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SDK.log('Title.FadeInEffect', 'Kain Nobel ©', 4.0, '2011.11.28')

SDK.disable('Title.FadeInEffect') if $BTEST

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

# * SDK Enabled Test : Begin

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

if SDK.enabled?('Title.FadeInEffect')

  

#===============================================================================

# ** Scene_Title::FadeInEffect

#===============================================================================

 

module Scene_Title::FadeInEffect

  #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  # * Filename of the graphic to use (should be in Graphics/Titles folder)

  #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Graphic = "#{$data_system.title_name}-Overlay"

  #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  # * Color Refinement of Fade-In Overlay

  #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Colour  = Color.new(0,0,0,64)

  #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  # * Blend Type (0 Normal, 1 Positive, 2 Negative)

  #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Blend   = 0

  #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  # * Speed of Fade-In Effect

  #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  SpeedA  = 2

  #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  # * Speed of Window Slide

  #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  SpeedB  = 3

end

 

#===============================================================================

# ** Scene_Title

#===============================================================================

 

class Scene_Title < SDK::Scene_Base

  #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  # * Alias Listings

  #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  alias_method :fadeintitle_scntitle_mainsprite,  :main_sprite

  alias_method :fadeintitle_scntitle_mainwindow,  :main_window

  alias_method :fadeintitle_scntitle_update,      :update

  #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  # * Main Processing : Sprite Initialization

  #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  def main_sprite

    # The usual

    fadeintitle_scntitle_mainsprite

    # Create overlay

    @overlay            = Sprite.new

    @overlay.bitmap     = RPG::Cache.title(FadeInEffect::Graphic)

    @overlay.color      = FadeInEffect::Colour

    @overlay.blend_type = FadeInEffect::Blend

  end

  #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  # * Main Window

  #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  def main_window

    # The usual

    fadeintitle_scntitle_mainwindow

    # Localize command window

    w = @command_window

    # If Moveable module exists

    if Object.const_defined?(:Moveable)

      # Get old coordinates

      wx,wy = w.x, w.y

      # Change coordinates/settings

      w.x = -w.width

      w.y = 480 + w.height

      # New coordinates/settings

      w.move(wx, wy, FadeInEffect::SpeedB)

    end

    # Turn off Index

    w.index             = -1

    # Zero out opacity of window and contents

    w.opacity           = 0

    w.contents_opacity  = 0

  end

  #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  # * Frame Update

  #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  def update

    # Unless overlay is done fading out

    unless @overlay.opacity == 0

      # Fade out overlay

      @overlay.opacity                  -= FadeInEffect::SpeedA

      @command_window.opacity           += FadeInEffect::SpeedB

      @command_window.contents_opacity  += FadeInEffect::SpeedB

      # If overlay is done fading out

      if @overlay.opacity == 0

        # Set index back to "New Game" or "Continue"

        @command_window.index = (@continue_enabled ? 1 : 0)

      end

      # End method

      return

    end

    # The usual

    fadeintitle_scntitle_update

  end

end

 

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

# * SDK Enabled Test : End

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

end

I wrote this script for a title screen fade-in effect. It uses an overlay picture in Graphics/Title, the one I made was blue title lettering (covering a firey orange/red one) and a blacked out Earth and moon. The idea behind it was to portray the sun coming around and illuminating the planet. I already have an idea for a second version of this using a specially made transition, but for now the fading out of an overlay works lol.

I've been writing a prologue and plan on revisiting the opening splash screens for my game. Its customary to have the unskippable "[yadda yadda] presents" screen, but afterwards I think I'm going to play a skippable slide show before the title. If the player idles too long on the title screen (a minute), it goes into replay mode. I know, I should focus on the actual game itself, but I'm a sucker for presentation :D

I spent a couple hours removing my scripted bars from my CMS, I'm going to add Trickster's bars instead. I've made these in preparation.

6 hours of work, 118 total

Oh yeah, I've been working on a tune between all of this too haha almost forgot. I'll upload it later.

 

[Kain Nobel]

Twothree hours, twothree tunes.

Graveyard Disciples: The tune I started from last night, now its later and I've decided to upload it. Originally, it had alot more dissonance to it, it was kind of making me nauseated. This version is alot more happy and friendly, my daughter says that there is a witch trapped in it.

Rest & Relaxation (Inn Theme): Need I say more? Its just a simple ME. I wish I could find rest and relaxation around here but haha, yeah right!

Great Oasis City: I was mostly inspired by this track, but with a lower tempo and not so bright sounding so it would be more appropriate for an RPG town.

Counting hours was more of a chore than putting in work, so I'm done with all that jazz. In other words, the gauge is broke, and I'm not checking with a dip stick anymore either. I drop out, I give up haha! Nah, I'll still stick around and post whatever I'm bored enough to make until the month is over, but no more counting hours.