Just wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a Happy New Year! I'm still hard at work on this project and can't wait to show you what I've been working on behind the scenes! 2019 is shaping up to be very exciting!
Monday, December 31, 2018
Monday, November 12, 2018
Mega Man Chronicles - Dev Update #5 - Big Changes Abound!
There's two updates to this game that I felt ready to share.
I've asked a few members of the Mega Man community about how I should handle the game's overall resolution. While quite a few want me to stick with the 4:3 ratio seen in the NES games, a surprising number actually wanted me to give 16:9 a shot.
There's a couple of problems with each:
The vast majority of PC gamers (and phone users now that I think about it) use 16:9 monitors and screens when playing games. And while the game can be enjoyed in windowed mode at the standard NES resolution of 256x240, you run into problems when going full screen. You can either have a black void on either side of the game window, stretch the image so that it fills the entire screen, or the option I'm thinking of: include a wallpaper option ala the Mega Man (X) Legacy Collections.
But I could ALSO just rework the camera system for a 16:9 resolution, but this in itself presents it's own problem:
That's a loooooooot of screen real estate to fill...
One of the main issues I ran into when playing Mega Man 11 when it first released was the extra time between Mega's shots fired and when I could shoot again. Where I felt I COULD shoot again, the bullets previously fired were still on screen, leaving me with a "NO SHOOT FOR j00!" scenario starting out. This would be an issue for this game as well, as fans know that Mega Man can only fire 3 bullets at once (2 if you're playing as Proto Man). I'm sure with a lot of careful planning, the game could be designed around the wider screen, but I think I'm going to play it safe for now and leave it at 4:3 with the option of black bars or a wallpaper.
Well, to be honest. I've been a Clickteam product user for years. Starting out with my first game made in Klik n Play (My God I'm old...). I've spent every waking moment I had available hammering away at this game and making it as good as I possibly can in the months I've been working on it.
Then I stumbled onto a game engine named Godot.
Honestly, I didn't think I was ready to start learning actual code, which Clickteam Fusion does not require to make games. But after some tinkering, I managed to port Mega Man Chronicles over to Godot...
...In less than 24 hours...
After that I began adding more and more until I decided to ultimately switch to using this engine for the completion of my game. Where I would be mindlessly clicking away in CTF, I was actually programming Mega Man, bringing him to life in a way that I thought I was not ready for.
Now, I'm not going to bash Clickteam's products. In fact, I highly recommend their tools for those who wish to learn how to make their own games but lack the time (IE: Myself) to learn a programming language.
But. If you have the time, I highly recommend giving Godot a try. They have a MASSIVE community that can help out, many YouTube tutorial series covering a wide variety of gameplay styles, online documents to learn their on board language, GDScript (it also support Visual Scripting, C#, and C++), and probably the best part of it all? It's open source and 100% free.
No, seriously. I mean free. It's released under the MIT license, which mean zero fees, unlike similar engines like Unity. Your game is YOUR game. And it can be used to produce games and apps to Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, iOS, and HTML5 our of the box.
That said, I want to personally thank Clickteam and it's user base (Particularly N64Mario for his own Mega Man engine and answering a ton of my questions and AlmightyZenTaco for his tutorial series on YouTube.) for all the help they've given me over the years. I've passed my copy of the program onto my children in the hopes that they can learn how to make their own apps and games the same way I did way back when.
Take care, and I hope to share some big news with everyone sometime after the holiday season! Great things are coming!
1. What's in a resolution?
I've asked a few members of the Mega Man community about how I should handle the game's overall resolution. While quite a few want me to stick with the 4:3 ratio seen in the NES games, a surprising number actually wanted me to give 16:9 a shot.
There's a couple of problems with each:
The vast majority of PC gamers (and phone users now that I think about it) use 16:9 monitors and screens when playing games. And while the game can be enjoyed in windowed mode at the standard NES resolution of 256x240, you run into problems when going full screen. You can either have a black void on either side of the game window, stretch the image so that it fills the entire screen, or the option I'm thinking of: include a wallpaper option ala the Mega Man (X) Legacy Collections.
But I could ALSO just rework the camera system for a 16:9 resolution, but this in itself presents it's own problem:
One of the main issues I ran into when playing Mega Man 11 when it first released was the extra time between Mega's shots fired and when I could shoot again. Where I felt I COULD shoot again, the bullets previously fired were still on screen, leaving me with a "NO SHOOT FOR j00!" scenario starting out. This would be an issue for this game as well, as fans know that Mega Man can only fire 3 bullets at once (2 if you're playing as Proto Man). I'm sure with a lot of careful planning, the game could be designed around the wider screen, but I think I'm going to play it safe for now and leave it at 4:3 with the option of black bars or a wallpaper.
2. OMG WUT?!
Itching to know what I mean by THAT, ain'tcha?Well, to be honest. I've been a Clickteam product user for years. Starting out with my first game made in Klik n Play (My God I'm old...). I've spent every waking moment I had available hammering away at this game and making it as good as I possibly can in the months I've been working on it.
Then I stumbled onto a game engine named Godot.
Honestly, I didn't think I was ready to start learning actual code, which Clickteam Fusion does not require to make games. But after some tinkering, I managed to port Mega Man Chronicles over to Godot...
...In less than 24 hours...
After that I began adding more and more until I decided to ultimately switch to using this engine for the completion of my game. Where I would be mindlessly clicking away in CTF, I was actually programming Mega Man, bringing him to life in a way that I thought I was not ready for.
Now, I'm not going to bash Clickteam's products. In fact, I highly recommend their tools for those who wish to learn how to make their own games but lack the time (IE: Myself) to learn a programming language.
But. If you have the time, I highly recommend giving Godot a try. They have a MASSIVE community that can help out, many YouTube tutorial series covering a wide variety of gameplay styles, online documents to learn their on board language, GDScript (it also support Visual Scripting, C#, and C++), and probably the best part of it all? It's open source and 100% free.
No, seriously. I mean free. It's released under the MIT license, which mean zero fees, unlike similar engines like Unity. Your game is YOUR game. And it can be used to produce games and apps to Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, iOS, and HTML5 our of the box.
That said, I want to personally thank Clickteam and it's user base (Particularly N64Mario for his own Mega Man engine and answering a ton of my questions and AlmightyZenTaco for his tutorial series on YouTube.) for all the help they've given me over the years. I've passed my copy of the program onto my children in the hopes that they can learn how to make their own apps and games the same way I did way back when.
Take care, and I hope to share some big news with everyone sometime after the holiday season! Great things are coming!
Sunday, September 23, 2018
Mega Man Chronicles - Dev Update #4C!
One FINAL update to the Palette Swap system before I move onto other portions of the game. As of right now, all 3 playable character's alternate palettes are in place, and items found in game now reflect the player's current palette.
I've also managed to add the Quick Swap function from later Mega Man games. Now that this is in place, I can now move my focus towards other aspects of the game (Weapon/Item/Adaptor/Stage development anyone?) I have decided to include a video below showing off the entire function in action. I hope you all enjoy it! Til next time!
I've also managed to add the Quick Swap function from later Mega Man games. Now that this is in place, I can now move my focus towards other aspects of the game (Weapon/Item/Adaptor/Stage development anyone?) I have decided to include a video below showing off the entire function in action. I hope you all enjoy it! Til next time!
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Mega Man Chronicles - Dev Update #4B!
https://youtu.be/7bmB0hmPOwk
Just a small update to show how color swapping looks in action.
Saturday, August 25, 2018
Mega Man Chronicles - Dev Update #4!
One of Mega Man's defining features when it was first released was the fact that Mega Man himself changed colors depending on what weapon he currently had equipped (Most likely to make it easier to determine which weapon you're using, and very likely a leftover from the "Rainbow Man" moniker during the game's conception).
Anyhoo, this update is all about TEH COLOURZ!!! I am in the process of adding the palettes for all of the main characters into the game as we speak. Experienced Clickteam Fusion users will be wondering, though. Why am I doing it the way I am? (See screenshot)
Quite simple, really. While Clickteam Fusion DOES have a Replace Color option for sprites. There's two major flaws that I'm not very fond of:
- The function itself is very RAM taxing. Making the game chug on lower end machines.
- The function is COMPLETELY INCOMPATIBLE when you port your game to other platforms (Particularly when you port to Android.)
My ultimate goal is to keep the engine as free from extra Clickteam Fusion extensions as possible to maximize compatibility should I choose to port the game to other platforms to reach a wider audience. Sure, it's just a fan game project, but I like to weigh options for the future of whatever project I happen to be working on. ^_^
Also, I've been working on the pause menu as well, and I believe that I have the style and function that I want in the game. (Trying to cram everything into a 256x240 image is a bit harder than it looks when you're trying to keep everything organized). This ties into the whole Palette swapping function as well, as switching weapons is usually done within the pause menu itself, and in later games, via a quick swap button. Once this function is complete, I'll start programming weapons themselves. (Well, I kinda sorta already started. As I got bored not being able to shoot when I tested the app. Soooooo... I kinda threw basic Mega Buster functions alongside the Surprise Boxes from Mega Man 3 and Items that pop out of them when shot for funsies.) But hey! Progress is progress, right? :D
Saturday, July 14, 2018
Mega Man Chronicles - Dev Update #3!
Over the course of the last couple of weeks, I've been working to get the options menu up and running. If nothing else, but to get it out of the way so I can focus on the meat of the game (and still have access to additional settings should it be required without having to rely on the debugger built into CTF).
That being said, two big chunks have been added to the game. One of which being the aforementioned options menu and the second is the last of the 3 main heroes to play as: Bass!
As of this posting, all 3 heroes are ready to go. Each one plays differently, and the best part? You can mix and match which heroes you bring into a stage! (See video below).
The differences in each character is as follows:
Mega Man:
That being said, two big chunks have been added to the game. One of which being the aforementioned options menu and the second is the last of the 3 main heroes to play as: Bass!
As of this posting, all 3 heroes are ready to go. Each one plays differently, and the best part? You can mix and match which heroes you bring into a stage! (See video below).
The differences in each character is as follows:
Mega Man:
- Slide - Can slide under low ceilings to reach powerups/items.
- Mega Buster - Shoots in 2 directions. Chargeable. Can pierce walls. 3 shots at a time.
- Takes normal damage.
Proto Man:
- Dash - Cannot slide under low ceilings. Loses momentum when jumping during a dash.
- Proto Strike - Shoots in 2 directions. Chargeable. Can pierce walls. 2 shots at a time.
- Proto Shield - When standing or dashing, Proto Man's Shield reflect bullets and other projectiles back to whoever shot them.
- Takes double damage.
Bass:
- Dash - Cannot slide under low ceilings. Keeps momentum when jumping during a dash.
- Bass Buster - Shoots in 7 directions. Non-Chargeable. Cannot pierce walls. 3 shots at a time.
- Takes normal damage.
Additional tweaks may be required as development goes along. Words cannot express how excited I am to begin designing the stages around these 3 and seeing what the player can discover with different combinations of characters. ;)
Saturday, June 30, 2018
Test Videos
Below are a couple of videos of the game in action. Honestly, the screenshot in the previous post just doesn't do the game justice.
(NOTE: Yes, I'm aware that I take damage from seemingly nothing. It's because I have the damage functions currently mapped to the Spacebar.)
(NOTE: Yes, I'm aware that I take damage from seemingly nothing. It's because I have the damage functions currently mapped to the Spacebar.)
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
About the Game
Hello, my name is Nic. Some of you may remember me as Strider when I used to run Strider's Mega Man Domain and Fangamez.net. I've been tinkering with the idea of making a Mega Man game for years, and now that I have an engine well underway, I felt the time was right to make this project public. I welcome anyone to come, read about the work I've been doing and leave their feedback so that I can make this game the best it can possibly be.
In a nutshell, this is a reimagining of my first ever attempt at making a video game 18 years ago. It sucked. The game was borderline unplayable, the story was garbage, and the graphics made early Atari 2600 games look masterful. So, after tossing around the idea for some time, I feel I have a coherent story to tell everyone and many ideas that will bring a smile to Mega Man fans both young and old.
First off let's get the basics out of the way:
1. The game is being made in Clickteam Fusion 2.5. it's the platform that I have the most experience with, so there shouldn't be many hiccups during development.
2. This is a FREE Fan Game Project. Meaning that if you are ever charged money for this, GET YOUR MONEY BACK.
Anyhoo, unlike other fan games based on the classic series, this game will contain a unique mechanic. The ability to bring two heroes into a stage at once and the ability to swap between them at will, ala Mega Man X7 and X8. I can't say too much more without going into spoiler territory, but needless to say that I will keep you updated in the weeks to come.
With that, I will leave you with the following screenshot and the current state of the game's engine.
Gameplay - Complete:
In a nutshell, this is a reimagining of my first ever attempt at making a video game 18 years ago. It sucked. The game was borderline unplayable, the story was garbage, and the graphics made early Atari 2600 games look masterful. So, after tossing around the idea for some time, I feel I have a coherent story to tell everyone and many ideas that will bring a smile to Mega Man fans both young and old.
First off let's get the basics out of the way:
1. The game is being made in Clickteam Fusion 2.5. it's the platform that I have the most experience with, so there shouldn't be many hiccups during development.
2. This is a FREE Fan Game Project. Meaning that if you are ever charged money for this, GET YOUR MONEY BACK.
Anyhoo, unlike other fan games based on the classic series, this game will contain a unique mechanic. The ability to bring two heroes into a stage at once and the ability to swap between them at will, ala Mega Man X7 and X8. I can't say too much more without going into spoiler territory, but needless to say that I will keep you updated in the weeks to come.
With that, I will leave you with the following screenshot and the current state of the game's engine.
Gameplay - Complete:
- Running
- Jumping
- Sliding (Mega Man)
- Ladders
- Damage
- Death & Stage Resets
- Camera
- Boss Gates
- Water/Low Gravity Physics
- Ice Physics
- Character Swap
- Stage/Character Select
- Lives
Special Effects - Complete:
- Slide Smoke
- Bubbles
- Splash
- Damage Spark
- Screen Shake
- Small Explosions (Looping and Non)
- Large Explosions
To Do:
- Weapon System
- Finish Proto Man’s and Bass’ Sprites
- Add Additional Obstacles (Conveyor Belts, Disappearing Blocks, Moving Platforms)
- Enemies
- Game Over Screen
- Load/Save/Options Screen
- Boss Intro Screen
- Dashing (Proto Man/Bass)
- Items
- Shop Screen
- Save System
- Stage Checkpoints
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