Topic: NES-Style Castlevania Belmont Engine for GameMaker! (Version 0.3 UPDATE!)

[TheouAegis]

Yeah, they tend to be in caves or catacombs, don't they? ... Or libraries. ... WTF@the library.

On a happier note, big news posted to the GMvania Blog! I might be a lazy fucker who doesn't finish what he starts and gets distracted easily, but I haven't given up on GMvania. I'm sure this latest news will pique some people's interest.

[Inccubus]

Excellent! So, will this warrant a new update?

May I make a suggestion for your, blog? Yes? OK. Darken the background so it's easier to read. Thanks.

[TheouAegis]

Yeah, yeah. I know. I know. I hate it too.

[TheouAegis]

There, is that better? I know it is.

[Inccubus]

Waaay better!! That's an interesting bit about the alarm variables. Could get a tiny bit hairy keeping track of them if overused, but definitely a neat trick.

[TheouAegis]

I was wrong about alarm[12]. It's alarm[0]. I think alarms cycle back around after alarm[11]. Oh well. I'm prone to mistakes. Live and learn. What doesn't kill me will leave me crippled.

I wasn't planning on uploading release 0.4a, but instead make it 0.35a because I hadn't actually completed much on it. However, if my room transition script passes the debugging, I'll upload my current workbench as 0.4a by Monday morning at the latest. I know I'm horrible about keeping deadlines, though, so don't keep your hopes up. Still, I've written up the guide and now I just have to copy the code from my guide into a demo script, debug it, then apply my guide to the current engine. I'm pretty confident it will work.

Things to look forward to in v0.4a
Name entry screen (keeping it old school, no typing allowed)
Password screen with algorithm check (you'll have to provide the algorithm)
Classicvania room transition
Working draw_clipped() script (not that anyone else cares)
Spiked Crusher
Simple Falling/Rising Platforms (not the ones that go up-and-down)
Trap Doors (no guarantee this will be beyond the workbench stage, though)
Possibly Floating Spikes (haven't checked their motion algorithm yet, may put these on hold)
A more complex code base to work with (I haven't pruned it much just yet)

[Inccubus]

Sounds good.

BTW, I'm fixing to set up my own development blog soon. I'll be including a page for "Castlevania: The Demon Castle", so I'll link back to your blog from there if that's ok with you.

[TheouAegis]

Ok the release will be delayed. The transition script is far from bug-free. For some reason the scrolling part is running at half speed and the player walking is done right but at 1x scaling. I may need to talk to torigara about this. I expected the scaling issues. I'll try to figure out the speed issue on my own.

Update:
Only two bugs to work out that I've found so far. The biggest problem with it right now is it seems to be running at 30 fps even though it's programmed based on 60 fps. For something that's supposed to increment in steps, I swear it looks like it's running in half-steps. The other bug is minor. For some weird reason Trevor is ending on the wrong image_index even though I ran the numbers and it should be working just fine.

[TheouAegis]

Okay, this is pissing me off. I hope it's just my computer, but I seriously doubt it. And even if it is just my computer and not an issue with GameMaimer, it still pisses me off because I don't want the stupid bug to happen on ANYONE'S computer.

Anyway, here:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?7yy3ei5yg9hy767

Run it. Go through the door. Tell me if the room transition is noticeably slower than the rest of the game. If you can't tell, go play Dracula's Curse or watch a speed run on YouTube to see how it's supposed to look. This piece of shit is hard-scripted frame by frame so there's no fucking reason in hell it should be running as slow as it is when I test it.

But yeah, that's the only issue with it that I've found so far. More updates in the future. Won't have anything up by Monday like I promised, though. But then, I did warn y'all.

[VladCT]

Whoa, that's quite a hissy fit over a minor slowdown bug.
And ironically, it is Monday over here. lol

[TheouAegis]

Well when you go from 60 fps to 30 fps in the blink of an eye and have to sit through it multiple times in the game, that can be an issue.

[TheouAegis]

 

It ain't what many of you have been looking for, but it's what many of you have been looking for.
...
 

Drum roll, please!
 
 barumbarumbarump
 
barumbarumbarump

http://www.mediafire.com/?m79fdkbwzei5qii

It still runs at a bloody 30 fps, but you can compensate for it (for now) by just halving the duration. The guide included in the Info window explains in long-winded detail 90% of what I did.

[Inccubus]

I tried out the exe and it seems to run perfectly compared to CV3 running on FCEU.
Honestly everything seems to be running perfectly.

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

_______________________________________ ____
EXECUTION ERROR in creation code of room room_init
In script global_init:
Error in code at line 25:
       face            =   font_add_sprite(font,vk_space,0,0);
                           ^
at position 26: This function is only available in the Pro Edition.
------------------------------------------------------------
These bullshit gimped programs fucking suck.

[TheouAegis]

You trying to run the GMK, Jorge? The script can actually be used in the LITE version but you will need to prescale all your sprites and fonts and stuff. The script will take quite a bit of editing but it can work in GM Lite.

I will PM you a GM8 Pro crack if you want. I know i should be supporting YoYo Games, but meh.

@Inccubs: Are you asying it ran at 60 fps on your computer during the door transition of the EXE file I had uploaded Sunday night? Or do you mean the EXE created using the GMK I uploaded last night? The EXE from Sunday night runs over 405 steps and on my laptop does so at 30 fps. The GMK is set to run over 203 steps, thus simulating 60fps on my computer, even though it's still 30 fps on my computer. If you are saying the EXE from Sunday is actually running at 60fps on your computer, then that's important to know. It means anyone using that transition will need to let the player choose between high-end or low-end computer performance and then adjust the transition speed accordingly.