Castlevania Dungeon Forums
The Castlevania Dungeon Forums => Fan Stuff => Topic started by: uzo on February 11, 2008, 03:38:58 AM
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CASTLEVANIA (Working Title)
I am in charge of a Castlevania fan project. Currently we do not have a specific title yet, but we have fairly decent progress.
The project website is; http://www.dimondsoft.com/
All the updates at this time are on the forums, but a specific website is in the works.
The game is planned to to have four playable characters. You will have co-op options as well, much akin to Portrait of Ruin, however, you will be able to play the entire game, start to finish, with another player. Specifics about the story and characters will not be released yet. I have not finished all the designs for the players yet. I will assure you there is a Belmont as the main character. Expect lots of whipping action.
The game will play akin to Symphony of the Night and its successors. You will explore, have a map, be able to backtrack, switch between rooms on the fly, etc.
Here is a video of the prototype. Its really early into development. Please note Richter and Maria are only test characters. They are not a part of the four playable characters mentioned above. I will probably include them as a bonus mode though. Also, these are just test maps and will not be in the final game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMPGS65TMTw
Here are some screen shots:
http://www.dimondsoft.com/castlevania/screens/cvp200.jpg
http://www.dimondsoft.com/castlevania/screens/cvp201.jpg
http://www.dimondsoft.com/castlevania/screens/cvp202.jpg
http://www.dimondsoft.com/castlevania/screens/cvp203.jpg
http://www.dimondsoft.com/castlevania/screens/cvp204.jpg
http://www.dimondsoft.com/castlevania/screens/cvp205.jpg
http://www.dimondsoft.com/castlevania/screens/cvp206.jpg
http://www.dimondsoft.com/castlevania/screens/cvp207.jpg
http://www.dimondsoft.com/castlevania/screens/cvp208.jpg
http://www.dimondsoft.com/castlevania/screens/cvp209.jpg
http://www.dimondsoft.com/castlevania/screens/cvp210.jpg
http://www.dimondsoft.com/castlevania/screens/cvp211.jpg
Specifics:
This game is made for Windows with DirectX9 or higher. I code using C++, Direct3D9, and FMod. The game runs at 16:10 and 16:9 resolutions, windowed or full screen. Planned support for Video Out Card resolutions such as HD720, HD1080, etc.
Want to help? Here is what we need most at this moment:
- Programmers: Specifically someone good in C++ and Direct3D9. We need someone to graphic program more than anything at this point. Knowing shaders is a must. I would like a better front end, but thats not my forte.
- Pixel art: Backgrounds, characters, GUI, etc. This is pretty self explanatory.
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In Reply To #1
Aside from the slow moving characters, that actually looks really good. Youll probably change the speed though.
This is something I can definitely look forward too. A 2d co-op CV
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Looks pretty solid. If you can get a tight engine running, this looks to have a lot of potential. In-between frames were added to Richter's run there, weren't they?
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In Reply To #1
Wow!!! I'm really impressed!! Great work, i hope that you'll finish this project, because it is looking awesome!! ;)
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Looks VERY VERY awesome, and with directional whipping, its so gonna be full of win!
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In-between frames were added to Richter's run there, weren't they?
A keen eye as always. Serio did the run animation modifications. Our spriter did the additional frames.
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Very cool. I like how you can go outside the castle for once! Also, I love the diagonal downward whipping. Looking forward to seeing more
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Marvellous!
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That's excellent. I love Richter's multi-directional whipping... His movements look far improved from SotN.
Be sure to keep us updated on the game's progress.
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In-between frames were added to Richter's run there, weren't they?
Yep. It was a quick job, at first i just intended to make it like dxc Maria's run, where they simply moved few tiles around. But in the end I decided to fix some things and ended up with 16 frames, like Alucard.
(https://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fserio.piiym-net.com%2Fimage%2Fricrun4.gif&hash=2437c1da899a3fd23f604f8e9e047a575f0f895b)
There are still some inconsistent things since Richter's original running animation was horrible. His shoes changed size and shape on each frame, on one frame his leg disappears, on few his arm was way too thin and lacked shading etc.
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hey this game looks great! if Richter and Maria are not going to be part of the story, still let them be characters that you can unlock or something
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Yep. It was a quick job, at first i just intended to make it like dxc Maria's run, where they simply moved few tiles around. But in the end I decided to fix some things and ended up with 16 frames, like Alucard.
(https://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fserio.piiym-net.com%2Fimage%2Fricrun4.gif&hash=2437c1da899a3fd23f604f8e9e047a575f0f895b)
There are still some inconsistent things since Richter's original running animation was horrible. His shoes changed size and shape on each frame, on one frame his leg disappears, on few his arm was way too thin and lacked shading etc.
Yeah I noticed that about Richter's run frames too when Anapan showed me a ripped sprite sheet. It's weird, but in a way, it follows a specific style that was consistent in all of the new SotN sprites. Anyway, I think the new one looks great. The only thing I would fix (and this was an error in the original too) is how the animation bounces around inconsistently. Richter should rise a couple pixels at the peak of every step.
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Maybe my eyes suck but I don't see Richter missing any legs in any frames >.>
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Maybe my eyes suck but I don't see Richter missing any legs in any frames >.>
Beacuse you're probably looking at either my edit or something else.
(https://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fserio.piiym-net.com%2Fimage%2Frunorg.png&hash=457e993461918b99848de1198eb07b75073c8569)
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How in hells name did people see that! without zooming in, unless they did. I mean the picture is so freaking small!
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Of course with zooming in. How do you think people edit/draw sprites? :P
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Well, yea, but they zoomed in on the video?
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You won't notice those while playing the game because the animation plays too fast. I think it worked in the artist's favor. It creates a certain visual style. All the missing pixels and strange proportions create a greater sense of speed. However, what Serio was saying was that when he zoomed in to edit the sprites, these things were more noticable. It wasn't until I saw a sprite sheet for Richter that I too noticed those oddities.
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It's just having a keen eye for such things, not that I have one but some people just get used to spotting such things.
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(https://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dimondsoft.com%2Fcastlevania%2Fscreens%2Fcvp213.jpg&hash=e43a8592b12db21b497c61a574fa3e8891c2ea85)
New friend for Maria.
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oO why a new friend for maria when she's just a test character.
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In Reply To #21
Maybe, because she's going to be an unlockable character!! :D
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In Reply To #21
Please note Richter and Maria are only test characters. They are not a part of the four playable characters mentioned above. I will probably include them as a bonus mode though.
:o
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impressive it looks like a prequil or even sequal to sotn, nvm, i just saw the first stage of rondo, its like a combo, but impressive. i'll be waiting for the release of this one.
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Also, these are just test maps and will not be in the final game.
So nope, those maps won't be in. They're used only during the engine's development to implement features, squish bugs etc. while still having something nice to look at rather than boring debug tile room.
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(https://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dimondsoft.com%2Fcastlevania%2Fscreens%2Fcvp214.jpg&hash=3a0a33a46d4f3034ba1c25fff46355073c90ec05)
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Looks cool, are you guys gonna eventually have the water running and the fire in the background in Jova like Rondo? I think that would be cool and really make SOTN feel like an extension of the PC-Engine title.
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Also, these are just test maps and will not be in the final game.
That said, animations for backgrounds aren't implemented yet. So far it's only possible to make static backgrounds with paralaxing layers, but no animation, no moving layers (like clouds) etc are possible yet.
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Aside from the holes in that sprite sheet, most of the errors you point out, Serio, are due to representation of foreshortening. It's not inaccurate when you think of it in that sense. The arm looks skinny to give it depth from the body, and make it look like it's extended away properly. Also maybe the sprite size limit is why they couldn't shade that arm.
In frame 8, the really skinny wrist is due to not wanting to crowd the shape to the body and confuse things.
Just saying.
Anyway, I'm excited to see what this turns into.
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Also maybe the sprite size limit is why they couldn't shade that arm.
Er, what? This makes no sense. :o
Sprite size limit doesn't have anything to do with shading, since the shading is done on existing parts of sprites already.
The sprites in sotn (those that aren't compressed at least like richter, alucard, weapon sprites etc) are stored in normal binary format (meaning 1 pixel = 1 byte ranged from 0 to F), so no matter if it's empty or completely filled, it'll still be the same size.
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In Reply To #30
Let me clarify:
There's not enough physical room to shade the arm in that position, as it's at the edge of the frame. From what I can tell, adding more dark pixels on the existing arm would just make it confusing and crowded. Not like you're going to notice missed shading while it's in motion anyway.
I've edited sprites myself, not nearly as much as you, but... I had to sacrifice shading or proportion in order to fit it into the frame in a sensible manner. I mostly worked with NES sprites though.
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In Reply To #31
Ah, I think I get what he means. He's referring (I think) to how when you look at the sprite sheet in, say, a ROM, sometimes the sprites are all chopped away and in order to not have to make yet another 8x8 'tile' for those extra pixels, they just choose not to put them.
This was the way of the older ROM formats. In SotN though, ANTRAXX, I believe they had plenty of room in the spritesheet since it wasn't chopped away too much.
They've gotten sloppier over time. If you look at the DoS Spritesheet from the ROM, I believe they left out all of the space (basically having the entire frame, even though it's got lots of empty 'air' mask space, it's still accounted for.
I do somewhat agree that the shading (or lack thereof) was done probably to give a sense of perspective, as since one of the arms is facing 'away' from the Camera, and it's supposed to be moving kinda realistically, it would appear 'smaller' to give it the sense that it's actually folded away or pointing away from the camera...
The frame where the leg disappears is because of the 15-color sprite limit. They did not have a dark enough gray/black to compensate for the shading of the leg under the little tunic-bottom, so they went with Black and that almost turquoise-like color.
The 'spike' on the knee I think is supposed to be a knee-pad that his boots have, though I agree that it's inconsistent with the way that same area looks in other frames. I'm guessing the new spriters misconceptualized that part of the boot (whether it's the top of a high boot, or a kneepad/kneeguard attached to the top of a boot), so they went with their gut on it.
That still doesn't explain the pixel holes though, or the missing tunic-bottom missing in some frames, or the tunic-bottom sometimes looking longer/shorter... etc.
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In Reply To #32
Well it's certainly got nothing on Alucard's sprite :)
Best sprite evar.
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Alucard has almost no hair on one of his frames, falling slash forward and has 2 stray red pixels on it. :P
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In Reply To #34
That may be so, but you can't tell while its moving, can you.
But if they took the celerity blur away it might be more noticeable.
I just love his sprite in motion.
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Announcement time!
http://bbs.dimondsoft.com/index.php/topic,420.msg7399.html#msg7399
Starting next week, I will have an open discussion. A question and answer session about the Castlevania game. You can ask anything you want, but I will take only so many questions per session.
This week's topic for our group discussion is TV shows you watch (downloaded and otherwise) if youd like to join that too.
Each session will start at 3pm (Eastern time) on Saturdays, and have no designated ending time.
Not all weeks will initially be Q&A sessions, but feel free to suggest a subject if you'd like.
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Change of plans. I no longer have Saturdays available. It is now SUNDAYS AT 3PM EASTERN.
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Ok, work is jerking me around on days left and right, so...
For this week ONLY, there will be a Castlevania project Q&A SATURDAY August 23rd. I cannot attend the 3pm Sunday chat due to working that day. This is an additional chat day fro Saturday, and does not replace tomorrow's.
All subsequent chats will remain Sundays 3pm Eastern. Sorry for the inconvenience, but there isn't anything I can do about it.
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http://www.dimondsoft.com/castlevania/
HUGE update, new site! Also, the IRC Q&A sessions have been replaced by an email answering system. Check the site out for more details.
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(https://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dimondsoft.com%2Fcastlevania%2Fscreens%2Fcvp214.jpg&hash=3a0a33a46d4f3034ba1c25fff46355073c90ec05)
there's gotta be a story there somewhere. why would Maria's owl abandon her to be with Richter and be replaced with a she-devil? very cute/cool picture.
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In Reply To #40
yeah, there's a very good story behind it. it's a test to get the familiars working correctly, richter was first, so was the owl. :P
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In Reply To #41
Heh, I can just imagine the she-devil chasing the owl away from Maria and then whispering mischievous things into her ear.
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http://www.dimondsoft.com/castlevania/
Some site updates. Basic FAQ questions, Help Wanted section, etc.
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I decided to post a preview of whats to come, since I haven't posted anything in a while.
(https://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dimondsoft.com%2Fcastlevania%2Fscreens%2Fspoilerwarning.jpg&hash=a48c042c99af58dc70fbe89f4cb2c93c3b66069f) (http://www.dimondsoft.com/castlevania/screens/CVWT-NewRichter.jpg)
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I love the new Richter sprite. But I recall you saying the game was going to use new characters. >.<
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extra mode. richter+maria will be there probably for the lulz.
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I don't usually associate more work done when it involves Castlevania's extra modes. >.>
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That is true. The main game mode will include a new cast of playable characters. This however doesn't mean we cant upgrade bonus modes.
And besides, aren't you tired of seeing the same old Richter sprites?
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I'm assuming no one here really visits the project site (http://www.dimondsoft.com/castlevania/) much, so here is what youve been missing out on that I've updated lately.
(https://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dimondsoft.com%2Fcastlevania%2Fscreens%2F2009-03-01-00.jpg&hash=70646012eae43506d6cd684cce3c28b995efc3d0)
(https://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dimondsoft.com%2Fcastlevania%2Fscreens%2F2009-03-01-06.jpg&hash=013e7fa5258a8a5b5b42d86f1a99e0e2fdd627d9)
(https://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dimondsoft.com%2Fcastlevania%2Fscreens%2F2009-03-22-01.jpg&hash=d3c273dcc790d865aa2c820a3a1ff30c1e61111a)
(https://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dimondsoft.com%2Fcastlevania%2Fscreens%2F2009-03-22-04.jpg&hash=81373a5f6c84581f85c87a9e6ac9375a989b93af)
(https://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dimondsoft.com%2Fcastlevania%2Fscreens%2F2009-03-22-02.jpg&hash=78f324f7e972a7a95cb48a7912b27a9fde97ac2c)
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Very nice looking... and you're probably right... about visiting your site I mean. I only visited there recently and after a good long time like a week ago.
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Hey, I'd like to know if I could do some of the pixel editing jobs you mentioned for you.
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In Reply To #51
http://www.dimondsoft.com/castlevania/index.php?page=help
Instructions are here.
Inlcude examples of your best works. You didnt send me anything except saying you wnated to help. That doesnt give me enough to determine if you can really help us.