Windowskins & The Gladiator Project Demo

Windowskins

The windowskins are almost completely ported over. All that's left is the finishing touches and making sure all the links work properly. And then I'll be able to create some more.

Coliseum Header Image - From the MMORPG I play, Aion - © NCSOFT

The Gladiator Project Demo

A small demo will be available for The Gladiator Project (TGP) game soon (I'm hoping for the weekend), so you can play at least up to the Training Arena. And then, as progress continues, I'll continue to release further demos or playable areas. Further updates on TGP are on the official site or you can subscribe to its Facebook page.

Just A Brief Update

As regular visitors will notice, I've gone back to the original template. The other one just wasn't working! Anomalies with the style sheets will be ironed out at some point.

My RMVX project, The Gladiator Project (including TGP Arena), is on track with its (re)development. You can keep up-to-date on any or all of its pages:

• TGP "Official" Weblog
• TGP Google+
• TGP Facebook

Future updates will appear on these pages rather than the blogs.

The Gladiator Project Official New Blogsite & Updates

The Gladiator Project blogsite is now live, having been revamped in tandem with the redevelopment of the project. The site's layout and design is still being worked on, but that will come in time.

Newly added pages:

• Character Classes - Details about the various character classes used in the game.
• Glossary - A complete list of the Latinesque words used in the game, as well as on the blogsite.
• About TGP - A detailed history about The Gladiator Project and how it has evolved.

Updates will continue as the project itself evolves and will be implemented on the site.

Q-Engine Release Candidate Version 2.0

Work on the Q-Engine has renewed after a brief pause.

The Release Candidate for Version 2.0 is being reworked, with much of the code being tidied up and reconstructed to iron out several incongruities and compatibility issues. The manual is being rewritten from scratch to make it easier to read and will eventually be available as a downloadable file, which will be in DOC and PDF formats. There may also be a simple HTML-ised version online in time.

Planned additions to the Q-Engine (prior to the release of Version 2.0) include:

• A new Animated Game Over screen
• Greater flexibility for alternative Status Screen layouts, including character profile information.
• Additional stats for the Extra Stats window, including XY coordinates.
• Additional Bitmap methods, including drawing vertical lines and boxes (this is a working idea only at this point).
• A new 3D MMORPG stylised Equipment Screen, also reflected on the Status Screen.

When Version 2.0 is completed, it will be integrated into The Gladiator Project, which will be rewritten from scratch, drawing on the original ideas but the entire plot infrastructure will be re-done as well. Interest was renewed in the project when I found some archived materials for previous projects, including some very old RM2K3 archives.

The Gladiator Project Official Title Theme

The results for this month's poll are in, with 50% votes in favour, and the winner is...

Magnum Proelium - Epic Trailer Score by Walid Feghali

My favourite was A Clash of Kings, but the votes are final, so Magnum Proelium it is!

Incidentally, Magnum Proelium appropriately means "Grand Battle" or "Violent Battle".

Which Music Score Should Be Used For The Gladiator Project Title? - July 2012 Poll

Sit Suffragiorum Incipiunt
(Let The Voting Begin)

Picture Courtesy of Sodahead

It's time to vote again, this time on which music will be the "official" title score for The Gladiator Project.

Listen to each one in turn before deciding. And, once again, the one with the highest votes will be the project's title music to go along with the Animated Title.

Votes can be cast on RPG Maker Times (the poll is in the right-hand panel), Facebook or on The Gladiator Project.

Animated Title Poll Results for The Gladiator Project

For last month's poll, which was to determine the "official" animated title for The Gladiator Project. The results are in and we have a clear winner with an overwhelming 92% of votes.

As a followup to this poll, you can vote on the "official" Title Score for The Gladiator Project. Once again, the highest voted song will be in the final version of the project. Votes can be cast on RPG Maker Times, Facebook or on The Gladiator Project.

June 2012 Poll - The Gladiator Project Animated Title Screen Votes

The poll for the "official" Title Screen for The Gladiator Project is now open. Vote for your favorite Animated Title Screen. This will run for a month and the video with the highest result will be the official title screen in The Gladiator Project.

Cast your votes here or by using the widget on the right-hand side. Or in the comments box below.

The Gladiator Project Development Commencement

Development on The Gladiator Project has recommenced. Progress has also been made on gameplay as well as additional scripts. For progress updates, click on the TGP Updates tab on the right.

For those of you who have been following RPG Maker Times on Facebook will already be aware of the new Status Menu theme. Well, I'll be doing something a little different.

I'll be encouraging viewers both from RPG Maker Times and Facebook to vote on a few aspects of the game, so will be conducting regular polls. At the moment, these include:

• Which animated title screen looks best
• Which music/score goes best with the title
• Which Status Window layout looks best

And there will probably be more as development continues.

Each poll will last for a month, posted both here and on Facebook, along with images and videos as necessary. The results will then be collated and those with the highest scores will be implemented in the game.

(The Gladiator Project website has not been updated, but it will be soon.)

Moving Through Treacle Update

That's how I feel, like I'm moving through treacle. So many things I'd like to do, so many projects on the go, and only so much time to do them. I guess this is where those good time management skills can come out of hibernation now. Anyway, onto some updates.

001 Engine

I've been playing around with the Engine 001 for about a week now. It's pretty damn hot actually and very easy to use, although in the beginning the learning curve can be a bit steep if you're not used to it. One of the things I absolutely love about this maker is that scripting is achieved by selecting the options from a complex set of commands (a bit like the Event Commands in the RPG Makers), which is then displayed in a kind of flow chart format. I haven't even scratched the surface of its potential yet, but from what I've seen it'll be a good one to use and include on RPG Maker Times. And I guess this is where the expert guestbloggers come in handy too because, frankly, I don't know my way around 001 Engine enough yet to justify putting any kind of tutorials up.

RPG Maker Times Collection

I started some serious work on the RPG Maker Times Collection website. Regular visitors will already know that it's a repository for much of the materials on RPG Maker Times, rather than having them strewn all over the place.

At the moment, the site is still a bit messy, with broken links and a lack of real content. I'll be working on that bit by bit, so regular visitors to the site should start noticing something more concrete as time goes on.

The Gladiator Project

I've finally finished Stage One of the MMORPG Styled 3D Model Status/Equip script. Using a combination of Make Human (a program that allows you to create 3D models) and GIMP Shop, I've ended up with a much better, cleaner model than previously. In versions above 1.0, this will be fully integrated into KGC's Equip Extension script.

RPG Maker Times Cartoon Strip

As many of you will probably already know, especially if you've read the previous post about this topic, I've started creating a few random cartoons. At the moment, the main Cartoon Strip is hosted at Wordpress, but y'know, I'm just not happy with it. So today I'll be migrating it over to Blogger, which means that I may finally end up using one of the Dynamic Layouts I've been eyeing up for a while. But we'll see how it goes.

That's it for another exciting update. Stay tuned until the next one!

New Companion Site & Updates

New Companion Site

RPG Maker Times will see a few changes in March. I've been working on a new website, RPG Maker Times Collection, which will become a repository for some of the main pages on the RPG Maker Times sites.

The main aim of the site is to (finally) place all of the scripts and resources (such as windowskins) all in one place, thereby reducing the need for additional blogs outside of RPG Maker Times and RPG Maker Times Companion. A single site will make it easier to update them more regularly.

The Gladiator Project

In March, I'm determined to get a demo out. Work will resume in March and I'll continue with the project in earnest. The bugbear at the moment is the body model for the MMO Style 3D Model script for the Status and Equipment screens, but I'm so close to cracking it. Incidentally, this script was first implemented on Ars Mechanicum Genesis, which was also integrated with KGC's Advanced Equip script, and which has since undergone a major overhaul.

The Extra Stats script has also been modified to integrate with the TGP system, including Reputation, Favor/Disfavor and Arena Stats. I'm also attempting on redesigning some game-specific icons for the Extra Stats mini-window on the Status Menu.

The first few maps are almost done, with only a few minor tweaks necessary. The cutscenes and event-based fillers are the only things not done. That said, the battle system has yet to be decided.

Engine 001

I'm also getting ready to try and install Engine 001 again. If I can get it to work I'll spend a little time experimenting with it. Maybe I can produce a few tutorials or how-to's on it as well. This might take some time, as I've never really played with it.

TGP Animated Title Screen Video

A video showcasing the animated title screen for TGP is now available.

This is Version 1.0, where the title is static. In Version 2.0, as development continues, the title and main menu will also be animated.

You can subscribe to my YouTube Channel or keep up to date with the official Gladiator Project Website.

The script can be made available if there's enough demand.

The Gladiator Project Is Back On Track

New day, new hard drive, new installation, so that means that TGP is once again back on track. Thankfully, there wasn't as great a hiatus between redevelopment as the last time. Thanks to my friends for helping me out.

I've learned a lot during the process, and learned a lot more by studying the RGSS3 in RMVXA. So, since TGP is being rewritten virtually from scratch, the system is a lot cleaner and the scripts are less bulky. That means that it's easier to integrate some of the other scripts into the system. I'll be focusing exclusively on TGP over the next few weeks so that finally there will be something substantial to the project, perhaps also including an attempt at my own graphics for it.

I'm looking far into the future here, but I will eventually be buying RMVXA after all. It's just too cool not to. That means that I might port TGP to the new RPG Maker (not really as simple as that, but doable nevertheless), but not until after the RMVX version of TGP is complete.

I'll be updating this blog as soon as there's something of substance and uploading a video shortly thereafter.

Ars Mechanicum & Gladiator Project Update Announcement

I made the decision to abandon Ars Mechanicum Genesis at the start of the New Year in favour of its novels. At the present time I have no interest in returning to the project, but will continue with the novels instead and place the events in the game intended as an interactive continuation of the novel into a trilogy. It's been a tough decision but given that I've had little or no time to actually develop the game, there's no point in continuing its development.

I will, however, be continuing work on The Gladiator Project. This will be redeveloped for RMVX, with many of the features in its original RMXP format ported over. I may also eventually develop an RMVXA version too, depending on how much it is when the English version is released and when I actually purchase it.

On a side note, it looks like most likely the English version will be released in the first quarter of this year. My prediction is February/March. Let's see how close I am. Haha!

Getting Ready For What's Coming

Getting Ready

While I've been spending more time using Ubuntu than Windows, and only a little time with the RPG Makers, I've not been idle. I'm counting down the days now for when the parts I need for my laptop arrive, which will mean proper experimentation with other RPG Makers. The major problem with this computer is its lack of memory. It's one of those medium-range computers that's "getting on a bit"; it only has two SDRAM slots, so upgrading to at least 1Gb (its maximum) is comparatively costly. Rather than investing in more RAM, I acquired a laptop instead, which needs some attention but it's getting there.

Dungeon Craft

I've been playing around with Dungeon Craft, experimenting with it, and I think I'm getting the hang of it so I'm hoping to have some material and/or tutorials soon.

Engine 001

Another RPG Maker I've been drawn to for a while is Engine 001, but haven't been able to run it. Probably a graphics card incompatibility. I'm hoping that it should work on the laptop, so we'll have to wait and see.

The Gladiator Project/Ars Mechanicum Genesis

My main projects, The Gladiator Project and Ars Mechanicum Genesis, are being worked on intermittently and the scripts are being reconstructed.

CW's Script Compendium

I've been updating many of the scriptlets on this blog, in addition to others I've written which haven't yet seen the light of day. These are being compiled for both RMXP and RMVX, so I'm hoping to have something tangible soon.

Another "Still Here" Update

I just realised today that the Flash menu was horrendously out of date, so I'll get a more up to date menu up tomorrow.

The Ars Mechanicum (pseudo-) domain name has gone. Apparently there weren't enough monthly "hits" so it got suspended. Oh well, at this point it doesn't matter. I've not been promoting it actively because the focus right now is still on The Gladiator Project.

As far as Ars Mechanicum itself, it hasn't been abandoned, just placed on the back burner for now. Not completely, however, since I'm also busy writing (rewriting to second draft) the novellas and expanding them, fleshing them out. A few hours a night, except when my head fills up with imagery, then I have to write it all down before my head explodes. Next update, I think I'll try and get some windowskins/resources up. We'll see how it goes though.

Start Menu Screenshot - TGP

This is the start menu for TGP. Click on the image for a larger view (opens in a new window/tab).

A translation of the Latinesque on this menu can be viewed on the Glossary page, under "In-Game Menu".

The Gladiator Project - Redux Update #2

Some good news and bad news!

The good news is that TGP has finally found a new host. You can access it still by using its domain name. I'll be balancing between the two versions, RMXP and RMVX, as they will be synchronously developed, not so much the scripts yet, just the maps and storyline.

The bad news is that no thanks to Heliohost, I lost the previous (latest) updates - no time to backup, since I could never access the site! That means that I'll have to redo and redesign it. Not necessarily a bad thing, just annoyingly time-consuming!

Second (or third) time around usually works out better in the end, so I'll be modifying it bit by bit over the next few weeks - time permitting - to get it back on track.

TGP: Good News, Bad News

Unfortunately, I was forced to terminate my account at Heliohost, the "company" hosting The Gladiator Project. They proved to be so unreliable I thought, Enough really is enough. (They say "bad luck" comes in threes...Well, this is now the third strike! So now things can get back on track!)

What this means is that I'll have to find another much better, more reliable webhost and, while the project itself is still being developed, updates will have to continue on Blogger for a while. Not a bad thing, right?

Bearing in mind that I don't have much time to work almost exclusively on the projects any more due to work and certain limitations imposed on computer/internet use, eventually there will be two versions of TGP: one for RMXP and one for RMVX, each one will have different features and scripts, but the storyline will be approximately the same.

There will be in-game movies after all, if I can get around to creating them, but they will be playing full screen, which is the only way I can get them to work efficaciously.

And finally, I had uploaded a playable demo for TGP at last, but it was taken off again as soon as Heliohost did its stoopid. I'll have to redo it and re-upload it as soon as I have time.

Extended Hiatus

I'll be taking off for a while - an undetermined amount of time, in fact. Fate can be a fickle mistress at the best of times, sometimes more so; she can be gracious and forgiving, rewarding greatly, or she can be cruel and unforgiving, taking things away. She has delivered the latter, so I'm taking a "timeout".

This means that, for a while at least, all projects and blogs, all RPG Maker updates, has had to be put on hold. At least until I've sorted through these vicissitudes.

Thanks go to all visitors, and thanks to all whose unswerving support and encouragement has meant that the following (and the other RPG Maker projects) can continue:

• The Gladiator Project
• Ars Mechanicum Genesis
• RPG Maker Times Windowskins
• RPG Maker Times FAQs

Be back soon.