My Little Pony: The Game

[Props Valroa 26,038]

Alright thanks for the information. 

[EclipseNightshade 26]

I've got a sound engine that's about half-way coded for your game here. It's got speaker specific audio, that fades with distance, and changes pitch depending on if the player is getting closer or further away from the source of the noise.

 

I'll send it over to you Monday if you'd like to have it.

[HereComesTom 2,232]

 

 

Or even making sprites is where I'm having some troubles.

 

Is it sprites for things like parasprites, timber wolves, and non-player-character ponies that you're still looking for?  Or are you still working on eight-directional animations?

 

If you need a base for eight-directional animations, I can probably help with that---I still have the Coco Pommel poseable doll, and I can use your existing images of Twilight as a reference to get an animation base together.

 

Other than that, I'm wondering...what kinds of backgrounds are you thinking about using?  Will they be views from the top down or three-quarters views?  If I could see some examples, I might be able to put together some things to get you started, but I could use some pointers on what you need---sizes, whether each image will be a tile that gets copied again and again, that kind of thing.

 

Like, if I wanted to draw something that could function as grassy ground for your game, should I draw a 300x200 image with grass tufts here and there in it, and could that be "tesselated" outwards, for lack of a better term, to make a large grassy field?

 

Also---this is an art style question, but how much detail would be a good idea?  Would a plain 0:200:0 green bitmap with a few bits of grass visible be a good idea, or should there be textured grass all throughout it?

 

 

 

To be honest with all of you, I think that topic got way much bigger than it deserved. I mean, I'm extremely happy for that, don't get me wrong, but I kinda feel bad, because there's not much in here and my progress isn't anything nice so far.

 

I don't know about that; it's an ambitious project, and you'll need help to pull it off.  Having a large thread with people offering to help strewn throughout it is probably a good way to get help in the future (and present ), so this may actually be just what your project needs!

[Derpy Derper 87]

Can i add my zombie pony oc into it?

 

would make the game very easy really. XD

Maybe I'll just make Princess Celestia to take care of all those issues. Naw, that definitely won't happen. But in case it does

[Fluttershyponygal 82]

A constantly active thread compared to mine, oi. I'm jealous with a capital J! Oh well.

 

[Rikifive 23,486]

@, I hope you're not upset at me for that whining. 

 

@@EclipseNightshade, I didn't get into the Audio stage yet, but that sounds great and I'm sure I'll be needing something like this to make step sounds nicer, when NPC ponies will be walking around Ponyville, for example. 

 

@@HereComesTom,  Well, kinda both.

 

I didn't have much time to get into 8-dir sprites lately, but I think it shouldn't be that bad. I mean, it surely will take so much time to make every pixel look good and stuff, but thanks to references I think I'll be able to come up with something. When I'll really get stuck, then we'll be thinking of possible solutions. Also I think animating them will be much harder than making the sprite itself.

 

As for backgrounds - I was just thinking of typical RPG's perspective, which have that specific angle from bird's view. I was considering isometric view, but not sure about this.

Let me google some examples, they shouldn't be hard to find...

Oh these are nice:

 

 

 

It could be even simpler ~ the most important thing is to make these maps, let's call it, 'readable'. I mean they should be nice for eyes and not confusing.

The game will be using free movement, to make it look better when playing on cooperative mode, so this doesn't have to be grid-based. I'll take care of the collisions, so no need to have everything blocky. 

 

 

 

Like, if I wanted to draw something that could function as grassy ground for your game, should I draw a 300x200 image with grass tufts here and there in it, and could that be "tesselated" outwards, for lack of a better term, to make a large grassy field?

 

Yup, making 'tile'-like graphics would totally work.

I'll be making slightly animated maps, so for example I'll make some flower objects, that will be gently moving (think of wind) and place them here and there.

There's no problem in having the map in many files ~ it all can be nicely merged in the game. What's more, it's even preferred to separate things like buildings, or even tall grass, so that I'll be able to program depth, where ponies will be able to get 'behind' something.

Tall grass-like this should be even a tiny, tiny image, so that pony hooves would be less visible behind that grass.

For example I've made some grass real quick:

 

Now when placed in game, ponies are covered by grass, when standing behind:

(in-game screenshot)

 

But first, it would be best to come up with the general design - like making a WIP whole map of one location (with building and such), to establish the style and how colors work. Then, if everything would look nicely together, we could get into the details. 

 

 

 

Also---this is an art style question, but how much detail would be a good idea?  Would a plain 0:200:0 green bitmap with a few bits of grass visible be a good idea, or should there be textured grass all throughout it?

 

Style-wise: I don't know yet. As I said, it would be best to draw WIP whole map with objects and trees and then edit things around to make it all work together.

Tech-wise: Like I said before, dividing into parts is a good approach, especially for trees and buildings. Though as a base a looped plain green background with some small grass should totally work.

 

 

 

I don't know about that; it's an ambitious project, and you'll need help to pull it off.  Having a large thread with people offering to help strewn throughout it is probably a good way to get help in the future (and present ), so this may actually be just what your project needs!

 

Yup, we can do much more when working together, though it somehow makes me feel kinda bad.

 

@@Dragonite Mlp Lover, I believe you'll have a chance to play as Princess Celestia for a short period of time, though I'm not sure yet. :-P

 

@@Fluttershyponygal, You're making me feel bad.  Sincerely my thread doesn't deserve that much of activity, considering, that it barely offers anything at the moment.

That's what makes me worried... To be honest I was expecting, that it will be pretty quiet until I'll actually be able to post something. 

 

Anyway, don't be discouraged - If you'll put all of your heart into your project, then it surely will get interest sooner or later. 

Edited November 27, 2016 by Rikifive

[Props Valroa 26,038]

I'm not upset at you. If anything I am proud of you. 

[Rikifive 23,486]

Why thank you, that was very kind of you.

[EclipseNightshade 26]

Concerning cooperative mode, do you want the sounds each player is hearing to be speaker specific? Like all the noise near player one comes from the left speaker, and likewise for player 2 from the right? Can the players even get very far from each other? Because if they can't I could just set the listener to the point right in between them.

[Derpy Derper 87]

I'm wondering, is the game going to be based on the whole series, or just the first 2 episodes?

[EclipseNightshade 26]

Audio Engine

[Rikifive 23,486]

@@EclipseNightshade, I'm planning to disallow players getting very far from each other, because that just means going outside of the screen. I want players to cooperate, not move all over the place and simulate 'taxi' - by that I mean travelling through maps with one of the players being idle. That would look pretty weird.

So yeah, listener in between them (basically a camera object) would be best.

 

And thanks! I haven't toyed with the Audio that much, but I'll surely take a look on this when getting to that point. 

 

@@Dragonite Mlp Lover, It will be based on the whole series ~ focusing mostly on bigger events like season openings and finales. Game will include some events from normal episodes as well, but I think it will not cover all of them as it could get boring. I'd gladly recreate all episodes in game, but I'm pretty sure most of the players wouldn't like that. 

 

It will also cover Equestria Girls Movies - when the right time in the main story comes, that is.

Edited November 29, 2016 by Rikifive

[EclipseNightshade 26]

Well, to that end, two of the arguments I put in are named after the player. Instead of the player's position, you could just be all ninja-like and sneak the camera's position in.

[Rikifive 23,486]

Camera centers the view between players, so it will be enough for this. ^^

I'll take a look on this when getting to that point. Thanks, can't wait to start toying with things around. 

[HereComesTom 2,232]

 

 

But first, it would be best to come up with the general design - like making a WIP whole map of one location (with building and such), to establish the style and how colors work. Then, if everything would look nicely together, we could get into the details.

 

Hmm...interesting thought popped into my head for a pretty-easy-to-put-together background:  how does Sweet Apple Acres sound as a location to start drawing?

 

If that sounds good, I'll see what I can draw for you; I'm thinking I'll put together several screen-widths and screen-heights worth of stuff, including some repetitive orchard-land, the barn, and AJ's house---probably some random farm-stuff too, like a stack of hay bales or a bushel-basket or two.  I'd put each object, like each barn-graphic, house-graphic, tree-graphic, etc., in a separate file (is png a good format?), as well as showing you the full file with all the scenery put together, and then also something more skeletal, like a blank white image file the same size as the all-together file, but with different-colored X's or plus-signs to show you where everything is and how the trees and scenery all fit together...

 

Does the above paragraph sound like it'd be helpful in pulling things together and making a WIP that could get the project rolling?  I'm not sure how long it'd take, but if you'd like me to give it a try, please let me know.  Coding is more my forte than art, but if this helps get things started, even if it's just as a WIP with throwaway assets, I think it'll be worth it.

[Kaneki 1,072]

Curious, do you plan this for Windows only or for macOS/Linux also?

 

If Windows only, I could help compile it for Linux, if you want, assuming that's possible.

[Rikifive 23,486]

@@HereComesTom, Honestly it doesn't matter which location will be picked as the first one, what is more, Sweet Apple Acres will be easier to make than Ponyville, due to its smaller size, so I think it's even better location to start with.

 

How it sounds? Just perfectly.

Separate files for each object are necessary, because that way I can place them in game while being able to setup their collision hitboxes and more importantly - their depth/z position, which will allow ponies to get 'behind' that object, like in the example with grass. And yes, .png is the preferred and best format as .jpg decreases the quality by compression and does not support transparency. The rest formats are less-known.

Full scenery will come in extremely handy, even as a simple reference.

 

Even if things will not look perfectly fine then worry not - it will really help much. There always will be something to start working with, which will definitely make the process faster. Also there is always time for editing and futher improvements, so we'll be able to come up with something in the end.

References are extremely helpful as they give the general idea of how things look like as well as ideas for possible improvements or changes.

 

Oh, and this sprite may come in handy:

This is a sprite, that will be used in game. (I mean size-wise) ~ it might be useful when setting the scale/size of the objects. You can paste her and move around to check the sizing.  :-P

 

So no matter what, thank you very much for help - it is really appreciated. 

But please remember, that you're not obliged to do anything, so if that will become problematic, then feel free to stop. I know I'm repeating myself, but this should be fun and I don't want to put any responsibilities on anypony. 

 

@@Cloggedone, I've did some research and it seems, that the game will support only Windows, with small chances of Linux, but not sure.

 

I was talking with fellow developers and it seems, that Mac OS will not be supported as it requires an Apple Dev Licence, which costs $99/year. Unless I'm mistaking, that's one of the most ridiculous things I've ever encountered.  :diamondtiara:  :-P

As for Linux, I kinda don't understand the requirements, so I'll need to investigate that further.

 

I'll see what can be done though.

 

 

 

---

Also I'm really sorry, but the development is paused at the moment until further notice. 

 

Currently I'll be spending most of my free time to draw ponies on requests for a charity organized by Poniverse.

More information can be found on these threads:

Charity: https://mlpforums.com/topic/160012-making-christmas-merrier-v-charity-water/

Requests: https://mlpforums.com/topic/160104-rikifives-gift-to-our-donors/

 

I'm sorry, thank you for understanding. 

Edited November 30, 2016 by Rikifive

[Alphys Hedge 671]

 

 

Mac OS will not be supported as it requires an Apple Dev Licence, which costs $99/year

You're using GM:S 1.x, right?

In this case, it should be just a one-time payment of $99 for the Mac module, also $99 for the Ubuntu/Linux module.

 

If you're planning on using GMS2, the desktop license gives you access to Windows, Mac, and Ubuntu exports for $99.

However, if you're going to be working on this with GM:S 1.x until next year, I should tell you that once GMS2 releases they won't be selling the modules for GM:S 1.x anymore (which I've already wrote a rant about inside of my head).

 

I apologize if this sounded like an ad, just wanted to clear this up real quick.

[Rikifive 23,486]

@@Alphys Hedge, From what I see, GM:S 1.x's PRO licence allows you to compile the game for both, Lunux and Mac, though that requires external accounts/licences, where you need to pay.

 

People said, that I can't release games without that extra licence (beisdes GM one) on Mac, for example. Any application needs an Apple dev licence of some sort.

 

At least that's what they have said.

Edited November 30, 2016 by Rikifive

[Alphys Hedge 671]

@@Alphys Hedge, From what I see, GM:S 1.x's PRO licence allows you to compile the game for both, Lunux and Mac, though that requires external accounts/licences, where you need to pay.

 

People said, that I can't release games without that extra licence (beisdes GM one) on Mac, for example. Any application needs a dev licence.

 

At least that's what they have said.

Ah, my mistake.

 

I've never tried to export for anything but windows, so I didn't know you needed to buy a license for it.

[Rikifive 23,486]

@@Alphys Hedge, GM itself allows you to do so, but it asks for some external account / ID and passwords when trying to do so, unlike it goes with Windows, where it just compiles it without any issues.

I honestly don't know what to think about this, but it doesn't look so good. 

[HereComesTom 2,232]

I should probably show you what I've put together so far to see if I'm on the right track.

 

I watched Applebuck Season from s1 to get some references, and I discovered that apple trees tend to be around 3-to-5x the height of a pony.  The trees are drawn fairly minimalistically; they're basically a rounded green shape behind branches and a trunk---the trees and trunks don't really have blacklines, even.

 

I drew two versions of a tree like that this morning:  one with apples and one without.  Here's what I have so far, along with pic with your Twilight example reference:

 

 

Here's the tree without apples:

 

 

And the tree with apples:

 

 

Obviously, before I can create a Sweet Apple Acres environment that's several screens wide and several high, there'll need to be at least three or four tree-graphics to work with, each with slightly different colors and dimensions.  But am I on the right track so far?

Edited December 3, 2016 by HereComesTom

[Rikifive 23,486]

Oh, they're really good, nice work!

 

Yep, trees don't have outlines, so I think it's good to not have them here as well. ^^

 

Hmm.. I think you are on the right track, they look really good and accurate. Great work! :3

 

I found this on wikia, maybe that will be slightly helpful as a reference:

 

 

 

 

This image has ponies and few variations of trees. 

 

Thank you very much for help!   That's bad I'm busy with other things...  

[HereComesTom 2,232]

Cool!  I'll make some more trees and other scenery, and see if I can put together a layout for Sweet Apple Acres!

 

Before I forget:  in Game Maker, are there any rules about whether a door needs to be horizontal/vertical?  Or can doors open to the player diagonally?  One reason I ask:  in every shot I saw of Applejack's barn/house (she and her family appear to live in the barn) had the main house-door open diagonally to the left.  While I'm putting together the layout, I'll need to know whether it's possible to do diagonal doors.

 

 

 

That's bad I'm busy with other things...

 

Don't worry about that   Hopefully, this just means that, when you're ready to come back to this project, there'll be a lot of assets for you to work with to make a proof-of-concept.

[BloodDrops 762]

@@Rikifive,

 

Want to be trixie

 

and wipe out the world

 

 

is that possible?

 

also where the game prototype?