Touhou SRPG - Story of a Lost Sky [Update 1/22/11 - Version 0.6.0] (Thread 3)

[RuneDevros]

Wrapped up trait system today. It can be accessed both from the current swap menu as well as directly from the unit's top level options (Select Spell Actions, Traits, Stats, etc menu)

Also, we need to get the next batch of music going, so I updated the list with some songs. The highest priority would be the minor battle themes and the event themes. (since we don't have any of the latter)
http://wiki.featheredmelody.com/Story_of_a_Lost_Sky/Music_Short_List

Please comment on if you think these would be appropriate.

[RuneDevros]

How is everyone doing? I haven't heard much from anybody lately in this thread.



Here's the spirit source control maps working. Their potentiall won't be fully shown until we get the AI updated (BBM29, are you still around here somewhere?) since we need to tell the AI to chase after the Spirit Source Points (SSP). Please excuse the badly drawn magic circle things.

The idea is that you have a number of these locations scattered around the map that you need to control. If a unit ends its turn standing on one of these, that unit's team gains control of the SSP.

The victory condition that's implemented checks if you've captured X SSPs and defeat condition is if your team is wiped out. We won't be able to have the AI really contest for the SSPs until we give the AI an overhaul.

[Damian]

town theme!

soundtrack file (looped, fadeout) - http://huntersmusic.com/music/srpg/soundtrack/Peaceful%20Town.mp3
in-game playback file - http://huntersmusic.com/music/srpg/in-game/peaceful%20town.mp3

let me know what you all think...

[RuneDevros]

I really like it. Will probably use it for the intro-prologue stuff as well as other peaceful scenery places. It really does a good job in capturing the peaceful old Japanese village setting.

[Water_and_Wind]

I am BACK.  Hopefully for good this time, though I am rather busy.  What is the current first priority?  Landmarks?

[RuneDevros]

@ Water and Wind: Welcome back! Are you still working on that Wriggle animation? I guess we can get that finished up and then maybe expand the types of terrain tiles we have available to us. We're moving towards the mountains in Chapter 3 which will definitely need new terrain. And maybe some shallow water for things like rice paddies near the human village.

[RuneDevros]

WIP version of Chapter 2 Draft

http://wiki.featheredmelody.com/Story_of_a_Lost_Sky/Script#Chapter_2

Will definitely need to do some kind of day/night effects for some of the scenes. (Already experimented with it a while ago as just a simple color overlay to the background)

[RuneDevros]

At a suggestion on the AnotherDream IRC, I implemented an option to skip the enemy walking animations.

I experimented with a day/night overlay a while back but never got around to doing anything with it. Here it is implemented since we'll use it for some evening scenes in CH2

[RuneDevros]

Let's see...

- A draft of the CH2 script is up. http://wiki.featheredmelody.com/Story_of_a_Lost_Sky/Script#Chapter_2

- Working on CH3.
http://wiki.featheredmelody.com/Story_of_a_Lost_Sky/Script#Chapter_3

- It's a ways away but I just realized how many new sprites CH2 and CH3 are going to require from us. In order of appearance:
-- CH2: Rinnosuke, Keine, Mokou, Asa, Fuyuhana, Giant Fuzzball
-- CH3: Nitori, Momizi, Aya, Kappa, Tengu of various flavors (Wolf, Crow, and Red-Faced), Ayaka, and Misaki.

- I'm thinking of switching Asa and Fuyuhana's last names to their Japanese translations or dropping them altogether. They're awkward being English and all. D: I asked for  Asa Aurora to Asa Kyokukou (極光) for Aurora, Fuyuhana Solstice -> Fuyuhana Touji (冬至) for Winter Solstice.

-The next big task for me is going to be revising the code for the paths between two locations, so that they'll be able to open up as the story progresses. That means needing to create a separate path object and I might as well at this point do an overhaul since I feel it's really tedious setting up paths (Both ways) embedded in each object. Maybe we'll be able to support placing connected places non-orthogonally from each other.

[RuneDevros]

Wrapped up this next feature. Certain areas of the game are only accessible after having beaten a certain set of mission. For debugging, I've also included a flag that'll unlock everything This is for chapters like CH3 where it makes no sense to have the whole of Youkai Mountain unlocked.

Before CH1ST3 and after CH1ST3. Order of everything unlocking is still tentative.

[Zer0Axiom]

I already mentioned elswhere that I couldn't really edit the wiki, but it only just occured to me to put the suggestions here instead.

(Ch1St3)actually, would it be a better fit for the insects to be set to chase Marisa instead of going for her home?  I think it would play out more naturally.

[dialogue]
Wriggle: So the little human's still causing a ruckus?

Kodama: And after we went to such trouble to get her cornered.  Make sure she doesn't make it back.

Wriggle: But she's already here.

Kodama: WHAT!?

[enter party]

Marisa: Just a bit farther!

Ran: There's a large presence nearby.

Youmu: Are we prepared for it?

Marisa: Just give me a path to my house, and I'll roast whatever "boss" still lingers.

Youmu: Sounds reasonable.

Chen: Really?

Ran: It's reasonable for her.

Marisa: Let's go, then!

Kodama: W-what are waiting for?!  S-stop that human!

Wriggle: I got it.
(Is this worth all the trouble?)
We're going!
[insects take position]

[after Wriggle is defeated]
Wriggle: Okay, you win.

Kodama: (Ugh, that what I get for trusting a worhthless bug!)
Pull back!
[enemies leave]

Youmu: You're not going with them?

Wriggle: The forest will have its share of bugs, but they won't always need me.

Marisa: Decided to use your head, huh?

Wriggle: What was that!?

Ran: Now's not the time for bickering.

Youmu: Is there anything you can tell us that might help us find our masters?

Wriggle: Your masters?  Well, there were a lot of ghosts this morning...

Youmu: Did you encounter Milady Yuyuko?

Wriggle: The only thing I found aside from all those flittering spirits would be this.

Youmu: Ah, the Lanturn of Souls!

Chen: Finally, a clue!

Marisa: Which part of the forest did you find it?

Wriggle: Around here...

Chen: Then, we're on the right track, right?

Marisa: Actually, they coulda gone any-which-way from here.

Ran: Then, which way should we head to from here?

Wriggle: Neither.

Youmu: Care to explain?

Marisa: This area is easily surrounded by the forest.  Don't think we're ready for everything just yet.

Wriggle: Right.  The least safe place to be, here and the Human Village.

Marisa: What's that mean?

Wriggle: I don't know the detatils.  Something about a returning guardian and vengence on the human.  I really didn't care for it at all.

Youmu: That was vague enough to be unhelpful.

Ran: It's our only other lead since continuing through the forest is unadvisable.

Marisa: Kinda need supplies, first.

Youmu: If we must.


<I think I'm missing something, but can't be sure.>

[RuneDevros]

Managed to update the CH1ST2 dialog with what you sent me in the PM earlier, Zer0. I decided to leave in a lot of the background information like what Kodama are. Will do CH1ST3 tomorrow.

Until the AI gets updated, there's not a way to tell the computer to chase after a specific person. BBM29, where are you? Are you going to be working on the AI over the summer?

[RuneDevros]

@Zer0Axiom: I don't quite get what's going on in the last few lines of the CH1ST3 text.

CH1ST3 revisions are for the most part streamlined into the script now.

I am targeting a release for 0.3.1 in the next two weeks. Feature freeze will go into effect for 0.3.1 at the end of this week. Mainly been working on bugfixes on my side. Finally patched up the centering on units not working when they were sitting at the bottom edge of the screen... I think...

[RuneDevros]

Chapter titles! Last feature from me before 0.3.1. Hopefully will be able to get some animation stuff from Kyre by the time we push 0.3.1 out to the public repo.

In CH1ST2 I also added a treasure that's located along the alternate path around near the trees (Hit the Kodama Lord from the back path) to give the player more incentive to take that path. It's a synth crystal so you don't miss out on too much if you don't go that way.

[RuneDevros]

Beta 1 of 0.3.1 went out to testers and we got a big batch of bug fixes in. Special thanks to Gekko in the Another Dream channel for providing us with a boatload of bug reports.

I'll be releasing Beta 2 for testing tomorrow night hopefully with a final release of 0.3.1 by the end of the week.

[RuneDevros]

0.3.1 has finally been released!

v0.3.1
Windows EXE - http://www.4shared.com/file/115802120/28a2d939/lostsky-v031-windows.html
Source - http://www.4shared.com/file/115801554/75328cd5/lostsky-v031-source.html

From the Q&A, the major changes:

• The keyboard command to exit has changed from ESC to ALT+F4
• There is now an option to skip through dialogue. Hold down the C key to do so.
• The world map is now unlocked as the story progresses, so the player is no longer able to visit everywhere in the world at the onset
• Rather than starting off with a fixed set of traits, characters will now be able to learn traits
• Rinnosuke makes his first appearance in the Trading System. This is still highly experimental and there isn't much in there at the moment.
• The Sandbox mission demonstrates an experimental version of a new gameplay mechanic called Spirit Source Point Capture. The goal is to take control of a number of magic seals on the map.
• For missions beyond CH1 where a larger cast comes in, we have developed a deploy unit system. Like most new features this is still experimental.

# 7/3/09 - v0.3.1 Final
- [Bugfix] Add Item sub action's quantity attribute not being converted to an integer
- Selectively hiding and showing the cursor on the prologue map
- Fixed the mission count on the save screen. Completing the prologue no longer counts as a mission finished.
- Restored CH0ST2 (Alice test mission) to appear only after beating Chapter 1
- Changed Trade #1 and Trade #2 wanted items

# 7/1/09 - v0.3.1 Beta 2
- Updated readme
- Removed the Lorem Ipsum from the news story
- Set the debug flags back to public release settings

# 6/30/09 - A boatload of bugfixes
- [Bugfix][Issue #4] Fixed a crash when the enemy is wiped out but the objective is not fulfilled.
- [Bugfix][Issue #4] Fixed a crash when attempting to view enemy stats when none are present
- [Bugfix][Issue #4] Fixed a crash when attempting to auto-center on an enemy unit when none are present
- [Bugfix][Issue #3] Fixed a crash when failing CH1ST2 due to information not being cleared out properly
- [Bugfix][Issue #2] Fixed remants of chat option in trading system causing menu options to be out of place
- [Bugfix][Issue #9] Fixed a crash in Alice mission due to incorrectly named traits
- [Issue #5] Changed "Save" to "Save Settings" to clear up confusion in that menu
- Added a reset to added units EXP and Level
- Added tracking of a unit's starting level to the unit class
- Grayed out spell synthesis since it's not ready yet
- Changed CH1ST2's "walk into trap"/"avoid trap" events to focus back on your units after the Kodama Lord Talks

# 6/29/09 - v0.3.1 Beta
- [Bugfix] Crash on viewing traits panel in stats screen in a battle map
- Added support for level restriction to trait learning
- Added a minimum level for Tier 2 stat boosters and Flight
- Decreased amount of items required for trade 1 to work

# 6/28/09
- [Bugfix] Crash when a required post-mission unit is killed off during the course of the battle.
- Changed Wriggles stats to make her stronger at elemental spells
- Moved some enemies around in CH1ST3

# 6/27/09
- Added a tutorial image for the spell symbols
- Added more to the tutorial about the spell symbols to CH1ST1

# 6/25/09
- Placed the world map tutorial choice at the start
- Placed an extra item in the CH1ST2 map to give more incentive to go that route.
- Added chapter titles image
- Added chapter titles display
- Added a display chapter 1 to CH1ST1

# 6/23/09
- [Bugfix] Centering units on edges fixed again
- [Bugfix] Centering briefly on units with regenerating HP traits when those traits didn't need to be used.
- [Bugfix] Centering on units was called every frame during the unit select part of the deploy screen
- Updated version numbers displays to 0.3.1
- Revisions to CH1St3, Prologue, WM Tutorial

# 6/16/09
- [Bugfix] Oh god. I left a Lv. 99 walking tree in the Chapter 1 Stage 3 map.
- Added an add item Map Action Sub Action.
- Added selection of equipped spell actions to scripted battles
- Added Marisa vs. walking tree battle to CH1ST2
- Added some new dialog to CH1ST3

# 6/15/09 - CH1ST2 Revisions
- [Bugfix] Crash on exit in mission manager
- [Bugfix] Regen abilities still triggering when HP is maxed out.
- Implemented revisions from Zer0 in CH1ST2
- Deleted a duplicate line of dialog in CH1ST1

# 6/14/09 - World Map Path Overhaul
- Implemented path unlocking as missions are completed
- Implemented new path object setup and migrated entire world map data into new setup
- Added debug flag to unlock world map

# 6/13/09
- [Bugfix] Options menu not saving properly
- [Bugfix] Unit stats screen crashing due to change on # 5/17/09 - Deploy Screen Work 3
- [Bugfix] Unit stats screen crashing on SSP capture maps.
- [Bugfix] Missions failed to load if there were no pre_mission MAEs present.
- Moved checking if a list of missions is completed to its own function in Engine.py
- Added connecting path object

# 6/11/09
- Added ability to switch cursor on and off


# 6/10/09 - BG overlays
- Added map bg overlays for sunset and night
- Added option to skip the display of enemy walking animations
- Removed options.dat from Revision Tracking (Really isn't necessary to track it)

# 6/7/09
- Bugfix in prologue map
- Added Music for prologue sequence
- Added in some edited dialog for CH1ST1 from Zer0Axiom

# 6/6/09
- SSP objectives working
- Created a generic "look to see if someone is here" function in map

# 6/5/09
- Added Magic Source Point object (Inherited from Landmark)
- Added Spirit Sources to the mission xml data
- Added capture spirit sources

# 6/3/09 - Implementation of Trait Learning System
- Moved TLS to be accessible from the character level menu
- Added support for multi-line descriptions in traits
- Completed implementation of TLS

# 6/2/09
- Moved get selected trait data to main engine
- Simplified the trait data generation code for the unit stats screen
- Added Trait learning main menu
- Added Trait check restrictions method
- Added Trait Points to save data

# 6/1/09
- Added trait learning system object
- Removed advice option from trading top level menu

# 5/31/09
- Added trait restrictions dictionary to trait object
- Added trait learning cost / restriction data to traits xml
- Added more traits to traits xml
- Changed the initialization to have only 1 trait / unit
- Standardized conventions regarding trait property levels: lv. -> Lv.

# 5/30/09
- Added special trade menu
- Changed get trade text data to handle both special and ordinary trades
- Added special trades unlocked by getting a certain amount of points to catalog
- Split catalog up into ordinary / special trades

# 5/29/09
- [Bugfix] Missions with treasures display rewards properly
- Added executing trade
- Added display of points to trading top trading menu
- Added skippable dialog text with C key
- Added direct jump to stats from party menu with C key
- Added display of missing treasures to trade select menu
- Added introductory sequence to trading menu

# 5/28/09
- Added ability to examine the items wanted and offered in an individual trade
- Added verification that a trade can be performed

# 5/27/09
- Fixed the trading.xml file's tags not being carried over to the new terminology from 5/25
- Added a trade select menu with ability to view trade data

# 5/25/09
- [Bugfix] More crash fixes to end of missions with deploy screen enabled
- Added trading main menu
- Changed traded/received to wanted/offered in trading data

# 5/24/09
- [Bugfix] Fixed the test missions that crashed due to the new deploy system
- [Bugfix] Fixed the error messages when a unit was already dead. The kill sub action looks at the map's total list of units.
- Added updated Wriggle sprite

# 5/22/09 - Groundwork for trading system
- Added a Rinnosuke and Shop Background to images
- Added trading system defining xml and reading capability
- Added trading data to save data
- Added association with trading system

# 5/19/09
- Started Working on Trading System

# 5/18/09 - Deploy Screen Wrapup
- [Bugfix] - Crash when target does not have a spell action equipped
- Fixed end mission map actions with regard to required units converting over to the updated Map.all_units_by_name system
- Placed unit names into unit select screen.

# 5/17/09 - Deploy Screen Work 3
- Added preset unit positions to mission xml
- Added ability to place and remove non-preset units
- Removed any non-preset units before deployment
- The use of the Map.all_units dict is deprecated in favor of Map.all_units_by_name
- All instances of references to units by a numerical ID have been changed to the above
- Map.cursor_key_search now returns the units name instead of their id

# 5/16/09 - Deploy Screen Work 2
- Added deploy select unit screen
- Pre mission node now takes a list of specified starting units that appear before the deploy screen

# 5/15/09 - Deploy Screen Work 1
- [Bugfix] Fixed left/right keys not working right in treasure menu
- [Bugfix] Crash when Defeat and Arrive objective failed
- Added intermediate deployment menu
- Added deployment locations to mission xml
- Added access to party menu from deployment menu
- Added ability to view map on the deployment menu

- Added the fire crystal to CH1ST2
# 5/14/09
- Added processing of treasure rewards to map rewards
- Added a treasure catalog
- Added a treasure menu to view currently available treasures
- Added a treasure class for generic trading treasures and spell synthesis items
- Split up treasure / misc items from spell inventory
- Created new entries to main menu: Treasures, Spell Synthesis

# 5/13/09
- Added a world map tutorial
- Added say, choice to the world map
- Added a category header for the item inventory

# 5/12/09
- Added remembering where you last were to the world map when loading
- Added a World Map Location data to player data
- Removed code related to old style navigation cursor from world map
- Changed ALT+F4 to be the keyboard exit command

# 4/28/09 - Upped FPS to 60 globally
- Increased FPS to 60 globally
- Changed pause function to count 60 frames per second
- Changed world map walking framecount

Regarding the script, Zer0, I implemented most of your revisions. One of the things I'd like to do in the future is to have a script that parses a mission XML file and dumps the result to wiki format so that there's an easy way to keep our wiki up to date with the latest script.

Thanks to everyone who has participated in our project so far. Couldn't have done this without you all.

Will come up with a list of things to do for 0.3.2 soon. Will be out of town (Trip to in North Carolina) from Monday through Thursday, so I don't know how much contact I'll have in the coming week.

[Damian]

aaah it looks like I missed your update ever so slightly.

battle 1 theme is done.. I'm not entirely happy with it because it isn't so "whimsical" as you wanted but it was about as good as I could do with the provided source music. I dunno... open to suggestions on this...

http://huntersmusic.com/music/srpg/soundtrack/Battle%201.mp3 - soundtrack (looped w/ fade)
http://huntersmusic.com/music/srpg/in-game/battle%201.mp3 - in-game music file

[RuneDevros]

Awesome!

Damian, I rolled your newest music into the CH1ST1 battle.

I also created an updated list of the targets for 0.3.2
http://wiki.featheredmelody.com/index.php?title=Story_of_a_Lost_Sky&stable=0#Short_Term_Goal_-_Version_0.3.2

With this, we knock out most of the original envisioned gameplay features, which means we are ever closer to being able to put a lot of time into advancing the plot.

[RuneDevros]

Spell Synthesis has reached a proof of concept stage. There's a lot of cleanup / bug fixing to do but it works in a really basic way at the moment.

Top Level Menu:

- Free Create mode is where you are free to throw any combination of two crystals together
- Recipes is to view known combinations
- Treasures lets you view what you have in stock

Free Create mode:

- You basically select what two items you want and hit create
- 2 ingredient synthesis will be unlocked at the start of Chapter 3. That's not in the system yet.
- If there is no result (i.e. that combination is not in the game [yet]), you get your items back
- I'll put in a results screen displaying what you have used

Result:

- Here we see that we've created a healing spell from a water type crystal.

[RuneDevros]

Spell Synth is pretty much fully working. Spells can either be created from free-create mode or from recipes.

Next up is the Status Effects. I got three basic ones up and running: Poison, Stun, and Spirit Drain. Their effects are described in the wiki.

[RuneDevros]

Well....

Status effects can now be inflicted by spell actions. Still going to be playing with the XML specification for declaring it, so I'm not updating the wiki until things there are a bit more finalized.

I also made it so that landmarks can now be set to be impassable:


In the above picture the Torii gate and the middle statue thing is not passable.

[RuneDevros]

Here are some updates:

New Youmu portrait from Jamuko:


- Anyone working with the internal repository, please do a pull ASAP. I reorganized all the code into packages at Sleepyd's recommendation.
- Status effects can now be cured by items
- Did CH1ST4 with meeting Reimu and Rinnosuke

[Anok]

Wow, this game has made a lot of progress since I last played it.

The game works perfectly on Debian Linux (lenny) besides one insignificant bug (which is a bug with pygame not the game). I also noticed the awesome music only plays once (no looping).

[RuneDevros]

Thanks, Anok!

Regarding music, I don't have a Linux system to test on so I really don't know how to fix that. Music has been looping fine for me (XP Pro SP3). Is it a bug in Pygame? This is the first time I've heard of it.

[Anok]

Actually the music stopped looping when I was playing on Windows XP. If I can reproduce it, I'll let you know.

[RuneDevros]

Hmm.... I know there are certain parts of missions where we call a "Stop Playing Music" command if there's a change in theme to a song that's not present yet. I don't know if that's where it happens.

And now for a little bit of a story. Jamuko submitted a revised tilemap mainly to improve the trees, and I got to integrate it into the game. Here's what it looks like.



When I went to make this change, it seems like I had been doing the loading of the tilemap incorrectly the whole time ( Using convert() instead of convert_alpha() which according to the docs optimizes display of images with alpha transparency. ) . I asked for an FPS test from several people and they reported that the map was running at roughly 60FPS instead of 45FPS that the tests showed that it ran at before this change. Long story short, this gives us a 33% boost in speed on the battle map and all we need to do is adjust a few timings with things like movement speed.

[RuneDevros]

Rolling right along...

I'm thinking of just going straight to 0.4.0 as our summer wrapup release.

Rolling right along...

- Upgraded to Pygame 1.9.0 that was released this past week. No noticable changes on our part
- Added portraits to conversations:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v189/rune_devros/portraits.jpg

[RuneDevros]

Pushing on into CH2ST1
- It's a pretty big battle in terms of having a lot of enemies on the map. Keine's healing spells really help out here.
- This battle shows off some of the status effect stuff. The Fireflies have a spell called Poison Dust.
- There's a hidden artifact up in a little shrine thing in the top right corner of the map. It's pretty obvious that it's there.

[RuneDevros]

Moving on into CH2ST2 which is the concluding mission of this release:

Meeting up at Akyu's home (Right side of the river could use some decorating) and then...


... Aya shows up the next morning to deliver the newspaper.



So I'm thinking I'd like to push out 0.4.0 in about a week. Maybe Friday or Monday depending on how scheduling goes with me going back to school.

Kyre reports that he hasn't had a chance to work on the spell animations.

How is everyone else doing?

One of the things that we will need is a design for Asa and Fuyuhana, since we're pushing up to that mission where they are introduced. I don't know if I want to dance around the Asa mission in the meeting with Akyu and co. I could give it a shot, but my art is uh... pretty sub par... and it'd be pretty difficult to create a concept together using Create.swf alone.

Another point of consideration is whether we want to be in Another Dream 6B which has a due date in October. We got about 500+ hits from the 0.3.0 release, but I don't know if we'll have a significant improvement by then. That and I'll probably be drowning in school work. >_<

There are a few more polishing points that I'd like to apply this week, as well as doing some more playthroughs. I notice that if you play Youmu like I do, where you have Youmu be the Tank character to soak the hits, she ends up running out of spell energy in her Dagger Throw by the end of CH2ST1.

[RuneDevros]

There's a very good chance of my laptop dying very very soon. The laptop's backlight is showing signs of dying.

I'm doing an emergency backup of everything right now, and I don't know if I'm going to try and push ahead with more work on this computer. 0.4.0 is postponed until I can figure out what to do about this. >____<

I'm so sorry about this guys.