Hi!
I uploaded another preview which shows my new voxel engine (creds to Knudde) and new platform engine. I’m sorry for the terrible frame rate of the movie, I’m afraid that my free screen recorder can’t do much better (if you have any good freeware apps for that, feel free to tell me about them).

Cate doesn’t have a head in this preview… don’t worry, I’ll giver her one soon. :P

Since that video was recorded, I have added an animation for crouching down (and standing up) as well as a landing-animation and delay for when Cate lands with a high y-speed.

Hi again!
After looking at a voxel engine that Knudde did for TGF a long time ago I decided to use this technique for fake 3d instead.

Positive stuff about voxel graphics are that it doesn’t have to be very processor demanding and that it’s easy to create any type of geometrical 3d form really fast. Negative is that it is really hard to make detailed side “textures”, but even without those it can still look OK.

I’m still working on the movement engine, it is now possible to climb on wall and background ladders. Some more animations have been added to Cate, I’m really satisfied with my preliminary jumps and falls.

The status frame is normally outside the screen, to give more space for the actual action, but it can be called into the screen by holding space, it will float out as soon as space is not pressed. When entering a battle it will come on-screen automatically, as it is useful to keep an eye on various status bars during this situation.

You might find the 1% disturbing, thinking something like “Man, if he plans to do something that big it will never be completed”. Well, it’s not that I think that I have only finished 1%, it’s that I don’t really know how much there is left to do. I know that’s not good either, but I will add a lot of percents as soon as I have finished the movement engine and made some more graphics for the voxel platforms, and I have come quite far there.

Please, give motivation by writing in forum! :P

Hi all.
I’m currently working on the movement engine, and I have so far completed most of the platform related movements.

What Cate can do now is:
Be Idle, walk, run, dash forward and backward, decelerate, jump, double jump, wall jump, dive (like a bird, not for swimming), grabbing cliff ledge, fall, crouch down, stand up, crawl and slide kick.

What there is yet to be done:

• Climbing ladder in background, climbing ladder on wall, climbing “ladder” in ceiling, swing her chain sabres (eventually other things as well)
• Swimming stuff
• Normal combo attacking (left, right, left, right…)
• Parrying
• Charge attack
• Various sabre special attacks
• Pistol aiming and shooting
• Bomb throwing
• Summoning and casting various fire spells.

The animations for these things are not ready, though I have preliminary graphics for many of the moves.

Here is a concept pic of what the status window will look like:

I haven’t thought so much about the eventual leveling system, but it usually adds to the fun of a game, so I will definitely have some kind of system.
The player circle through stored spells and items and then uses the selected stuff with another button.
The buttons for different actions are configured via an in-game control system, so it is really easy to adjust the controls as desired, no matter what defaults I choose.

Ideas or just comments are very welcome.

Whew, I must say, it was harder than I thought to pick up this project again :P…

I’ve repainted some of Cate’s sprite, and I hope I will get into my old productive way of making them animation frames…

Here is some concept of the Dual Sabres and the semi-automatic pistols as I imagined them:

The bombs will be classic round grenade-thingies, thrown with a power bar (as in Worms) and the magic is generated by holding a “magic button” and perform certain codes with the other buttons (as in Drakan). Once a spell has been generated successfully it is either used directly or stored in a magic bar, so that you can have a certain amount of spells ready for combat.

Well, I’m pretty sure that you want to see what the game looks like so far, after that fancy introduction.

Here is a sketchy concept pic of Cate, so that you know what she looks like. She is inspired from Breath of Fire 2’s Katt.

The arsenal will consist of dual semi-automatic pistols, bombs, fire magic and the Dual Sabres; basically two sabres connected via a chain to allow some cool attacks and ways to to climb and swing across levels. I have no digital concept for these weapons at the moment.

Here is a preview, so you can see what the fake 3d looks like. I plan to remake most if not everything of Cate’s sprite.

The Platform engine is adjusted version of something I made for a previous attempt to make this game. The movement engine and animations for the Cate sprite is next on the to-do list.

There is now a playable demo level with wind dependent rain and falling leaf effects as well as animated water surface sprites and several possible moves.