Its been a bit since my last update, been busy and this is what has been completed since last update. Moving data around so Player doesn’t keep track of everything like guilds, tavern data and such. Player only has player related data now. Other data has been move into the correct class they are related to. Did some tweaking of the different window sizes to make them more correct on scaling for the different sizes. Got mip mapping in Java working now. So little to no flickering in the distance anymore. Added code to limits frames to 60 fps. This way no matter what the game is played on it moves at the same pace.
All jobs in the game can now randomly generate wounds during working. It will be displayed at the end if you received a wound during working. Guild now do not automatically accept you, it is based on a percentage this was in the original 8-bit City and 16-bit City. I liked that, so I put that in. Each Guild has a different percentage for accepting new people that day. If they are not accepting, check again tomorrow. Guilds can remove curses and disease even if you are not joined. They just do it for a cost.
All shops in the city are now real time, sitting in the place, time move forward. Also in any of the City shops you have hit the F1-F8 or the ‘<‘ and ‘>’ key to move forward through those menus. Menu 0 is the main menu and that is the menu the shop menu will show up if you do this inside the shop. You can flip through any of those menus now.
Added a new feature for the smithy sound when outside the shop. The sound level fades depending on how far away you are from the shop. This way you can tell if you are getting closer or further from the shop. Smithy shops are complete with friendship levels. Has effect of friendship, saying, barter system. You can raise or lower you barter system. Friendship changes if its been a long time since last visit, will get kicked out if drunk. Going in to the shop drunk will lower your friendship. Get that friendship up and you get a weapon at a better price.
[image:23]Next one is a big one. I told myself to work on the City first and move to the Dungeon once completed. I screwed that up and loaded the Dungeon, that cause 3 days of coding to get many items working and completed. So I never loaded the dungeon once I converted it to Java. So I decided to load it and have finding the endless loop, it worked like a champ. So, it made me notice how far from complete the Dungeon really was. So first step was add in the ability for the torch to function and for areas in the dungeon you need a torch were working. So I added the dark area. Now you can light a torch and see inside the dark area.
[image:24]It also looks great. Dark areas get darker based on the distance from you, light source, even the 8-bit does this. You can’t see as far as you can in the well light area. The lighting is done in a generic 16-bit style. The shading is based on x,y locations. I think that fits the game very fell.
Next step was I love the 16-bit graphics and there are some sequence and shop images but no wall images. So I took the time to create several of the 16-bit dungeon wall images based on the 16-bit city game. Many of the I just had to hand draw to make them work. I think they came out pretty good. They have the dungeon feel and look like the 16-bit version.
Next step was how imcomplete the fixed treasures in the dungeon where in the C++ version. But I understand now. Only items in the game where basically the items from the monster binary file. I completed the code to load in the Dungeon Items from the original binary file from the Dungeon. This was need for all those fixed treasure and Quest items. This took a day and an half to get the loading down to the 8-bit format. Many different structures for the different items. The longest section was getting all those Special Effects loaded. Weapons, Potions and Card and etc…. Many items have special effect and several of them can load up with 3 and 4 effects at a time. I have the load code complete to load in every aspect of the items. This way all the items can be completed correctly. I still have a few areas where the special effect will not work. The effects tell you which byte to adjust and how to adjust them. Many of those bytes are undocumented, I figured several out by my self. Like if you blow the “Gold Horn” adjust byte 0x6320 in the dungeon. This value had all kinds of comments over the internet on what they though it might be. I figured it out and love this one. Setting this variable forces an encounter depending on the value. So now I can test encounters with anyone I wish by adjusting this value. Only problem is the encounter in ARX is off from the Dungeon. Because ARX doesn’t load all the monsters from the original monster binary file. It skips about 6-10 monsters, so this caused the index to get off between the two system. Have to work on that. But I can fight the FBI anytime I wish now. There are several bytes not documented and was unable to deteremine what effect in the game they have. Still working on those.
Loading of the Dungeon Items was needed to complete the Dungeon. Was not going to hard code all those items into the game. Like the couple of Quest items ARX has right now. They are not real items and the name is just hard coded to be an item inventory. I’ve removed all this because now you just tell it to put an item in the players inventory.
I started adding in the fixed treasure location throughout the game. Just taking a bit of time but easy enough to do. As I’m just teleporting in the 8-bit dungeon game by adjust the x,y and level bytes to put me in a new location a to verify ARX plays just like the 8-bit did. It works out well, except that as in the City the entire 64×64 was loaded into the game. While Dungeon level 1 is pieced into 4 sections, I assume that was the reason for the teleports, it can cause a load sequence to get the next section loaded. So I have to get into that section and then I can teleport anywhere I want.
[image:25]Quest One
Quest One was not in ARX, So I’ve added the first half of the sequence with Ozob and the prison. The first half of Quest One is complete and working in the game. I’ve changed the sequence just a bit from the original. See if you notice it, it doesn’t affect game play or how you can play. But I thought the slight change was great addition.
- Added – Load all items from the original Dungeon Item binary file. This is need for all the missing items. Only items really in the game where the items of the monsters.
nothing else was in the game. - Added – Ozob, Acrinimiril prison sequence is complete. Getting key, releasing the prisoner and teleporting complete.
Quest One Part 1, Last part of quest one if to find tomb and getting new item is left to do. - Added – All shops inside the City run in real time. Time moves forward just sitting there.
The Tavern, Bank, Inn, Shop and Smithy are not complete with friendship system, jobs, and menu systems. - Added – Smithy shop is complete now. Has effect of friendship, saying, barter system. You can raise or lower you barter system.
Friendship changes if its been a long time since last visit, will get kicked out if drunk. Going in to the shop drunk will
lower your friendship. Get that friendship up and you get a weapon at a better price. - Fixed – Smithy sound adjustment. The sound level is adjusted depending on how close you are away from the shop.
It was hard coded to certain squares to play the smithy sound. Now the game checks to see if a smithy shop is when a certain
distance of your location and then plays the sound. it adjust the sound level depending of the distance. - Added – Added the alter menu to work in shop, taverns adn etc…. This way tipsy and drunk can put up random screen and make it hard to navigate.
Also, you can check your equipment, gold and such in a shop. - Added – Added cost to remove curse when you are not joined with the guild. The guild will still remove curses but for a cost.
- Added – Guild percentage for acceptance has been updated. Even the original 8bit city didn’t automatically accept new members.
Now all guilds will be accepting or not, if not check back the next day. - Added – Jobs now in Tavern can randomly generate a wound. All jobs in the city can cause injury during work.
- Added – Frame limit to 60fps.
- Added – Mip Mappings is functional now. The flicker is gone.
- Fixed – Tweaking the different window sizes layout. Getting them to be more perfect in positioning.
- Added – Pulled out all the of on player data out of the player class and put them into the correct class they are related to.