Update v0.2 -Re-uploaded

RE-UPLOAD: Exporting in GM:Studio is a little different as compared to GM8.1. I'm still figuring out why the few of you couldn't get the game to load all resources. Hopefully after meddling the export options a little, the 'never loading resources' issue gets fixed with this re-upload of v0.2.
If anyone wants to know, this export is for Windows only.

We have in v0.2 re-upload is:

• Recovery bar now appears over slope foreground (slope obscuring the bar before this).
• "Slimehead" now navigates down ledges better.
• Slight change to pause menu UI. Its background now dark coloured, and indicates the character level now.
• Game starts in full-screen. Window now re-sizeable but IT IS TERRIBAD.

If in any case this re-upload failed to execute, try to extract/move v0.2 anywhere onto C:/ drive and run as 'Administrator'. If that still doesn't work ... well I'll have to consult them developers.

Download re-upload (3MB from MF): Labcoax - Alpha v0.2 re-up (Windows)
Password is same as before: dtny

EDIT #3: Apparently the heroine to can get stuck only on right-facing walls (or wall boundary on left of map), which occurs when you jump into the wall with the back of the heroine, then looking left into the wall.
---re-upload end---

I was testing some projectile trajectory calculation, so the new enemy only has a kinda arcing ranged attack. I was suppose to put a link up yesterday but then I realized I completely forgotten about the death animation for the new enemy. Now that I have got that done, I was finally able to put it up.

So what we have in v0.2 is:

• A new ranged enemy "Slimehead".
• Tileset and slopes.
• Crouching.
• Pause menu.
• Level-up & character attributes template.
• Bug fixes.

Download (3MB from MF):  --please use link at top of post--

Link can also be found in download(s) page.

I haven't done extensive testing on this new update so if there are bugs or anything amiss, let me know in the comment section. There's this white flashing that is suppose to occur when enemies or the heroine gets hit; to indicate invulnerability but it only appears after going into full-screen. Will fix that in the next update.

Because I am terrible at estimating workload, I couldn't make it before Christmas, but I have to at least get something out before the year ends. As for the next update, it wouldn't be until a good long while. I (hopefully) intend to have a main menu up, a couple more tilesets with matching backgrounds, maybe a mini-boss to test pathing in GameMaker, which would possibly be a move from Alpha onto Beta.

The heroine keeps the ponytail. I keep thinking I'm forgetting something though ...

EDIT #1: I forgot to wish the new year. So have yourselves a Happy New Year!

EDIT #2: The DEF attribute is just part of the template for the time being. It doesn't do anything yet.

Did someone say 'update'?

I think it's been 3 weeks since the last post, so I suppose it is about time I do a little post on the current progress of Labcoax.

In the past week I was making the pause menu interface and functionality, and the week before that I moved from GM 8.1 onto GM: Studio Standard. The move wasn't as smooth, there were a few things requiring change as they worked a little differently in Studio than 8.1. Just before the move I was working on a tileset, which I think turned out rather decently. I still have not done any backgrounds though.

If you think the slimes were annoyingly hard to shoot at, you shouldn't have anymore problems with that because our heroine can now crouch and shoot. The slimes can now be killed, complete with their very own death animation.

I haven't gotten to work on new enemies just yet as I was concentrating mostly on the game skeleton or game structure ready (the level-up and experience system, character attributes and menu controls). I do however, plan to get at least 1 new enemy done in the next alpha of the game, planned to be uploaded before Christmas or earlier.

I should probably give my avatar a Santa hat, then go unwind for a bit. Also, I suppose pony-tail for the heroine should stick?

Start your engines

I've put together a little demo of how 'Labcoax' will be like, gameplay-wise. I intend for it stages or levels to be inter-linked, allowing for very smooth transitions between them. It'll adopt the style that is Metroidvania, though not exactly.

Here's the link to Labcoax05 - 2012/11/22. File is zipped and the password is: dtny
The same link can also be found in 'Download(s) page' on the right, a page intended to hold more links that are to come.

In 'Labcoax', you play a heroine scientist who works in this bio-lab when one day, a bio-disaster happened, letting loose monsters and test subjects imbued with an insatiable sexual drive by said disaster. The lab's security system kicks-in and quarantines itself, effectively locking the monsters/test subjects and you in it. Your goal is to escape...

At least that's how the story currently stands.

I know, I know it's lacking background and tile sets. The engine or grapple system was a little more complex that I had imagined, taking up the precious time that I'm already currently lacking. Will get to putting tile sets together, hopefully being able to put together stages or levels at the same time.

Hopefully I would be updating more regularly starting now. You may "Follow development" so you get the latest updates. Meanwhile, I gotta eat something.

Pixel-on-pixel

I promised pixel-on-pixel last week. I am still unsure going about doing these animations. If I would to have unique pixel-on-pixel animations for each enemy, there's gonna be a lot of work. Meanwhile if I go about have set animations of the heroine being done from behind/front/top/bottom/many, it'll be easier, and the extra time spent elsewhere to better the game. (Not to mention the game finish development faster too)

There you go. Still doing the slime AI, should have an executable up in a day or two ... no promises though.

Style

So I was to create sprites and found myself pondering the style in which to use. A part of me decided that it should be high in resolution, making it 'visible', like being able to see the heroine's facial expression. Tried that, too much work. So the bigger part of me decided the way of the minimalist (less details & lower resolution ... very much lower):

The initial idea was to give the heroine short hair, for practical reasons ... but it doesn't seem to come off nicely in such low-res, so perhaps ponytail.

Here's an an enemy that was quickly put together:

What? Just a ball of slime? Well, I DID say "quickly put together". Besides, a slime is pretty much close to mandatory in a H-game. Slimy, icky, takes on any form you can imagine ... the perfect enemy ... at least that's what I think.

I'll see if I could come up with pixels-on-pixels action in the soonest of time.

The name is 'Labcoax'

For the past month I have been learning the basics of GML and identifying the things that makes a game tick. Unfortunately as I continued, my progress seemed to slow and it is taking up a lot of my already limited time. Fortunately with what I learned, I think I might just be able to put together something to show/playable, at least for a good minute or two, so I will push on.

Let's call it 'Labcoax'. Corny name yes?

I've sketched a heroine for said H-game and she might just look like this:

I don't think this particular hairstyle will stick but for the time being, I'd rather be concentrating on putting something together. I'll probably have something to show by end of next week.

Bonus: Oh, and another sketch based off the world of "Kurovadis". Just what I thought the sister of the heroine would look like if she had one.

The Objective

First post.

Finally attempted to actually start drawing digitally on Photoshop (ditched Corel). I have to say I expected much more from myself when I sketched the below image. The shading & lighting are all a mess and PS is a bloody pain to learn, but so far so good ...

The character above is from a H-game called "Kurovadis" by Kyrieru and no, it is most definitely not for children. A frontal sketch of said heroine was posted on his blog, which led me to hastily take the opportunity to get my lazy ass to learning PS and drew some arse.

I should probably seek guidance from seasoned PS users as I continue to learn the basics on my own.

As for the purpose of this blog, it is a blog in which I would utilize to cover my development of H-game(s). For you to stumble across this blog, you should probably already know of a multitude of such games. Now, as much as I would like to show you demos of the game in development, I cannot, simply because it isn't very far in development and that I don't think it is good enough (it never is!). And if it's gonna have H-CGs, I'm gonna have a whole lot more to learn and practice.

If you want to know, it's gonna be 2d-platformer.