Lucretia - Demon Princess (鬼姫の呪い in Japan) NOW IN BETA TESTING

[OldRover]

And with this, a new realm of "Sonnnnn of a bitch!" problems hath been unleashed.

Hah, so true. But so far, it's just an issue with scroll() missing some lines.

frozenutopia.com/lucretia-0009.png

Nando didn't like the first UI so he made a new one.

[Opethian]

woot beer!@

[spenoza]

And with this, a new realm of "Sonnnnn of a bitch!" problems hath been unleashed.

\o/

Awww yeah.

I prefer the "sonofabeeeech!" variety.

[TurboXray]

Looking pretty good so far. Shooties are fun to make

[OldRover]

This has been pretty fun so far. I just have to add in the enemy shots now and it'll be a fully working game engine. The thing runs ultrasmooth on my Duo so far... I hope it continues to do so once enemy shots and hit collision is added. My algorithms so far are very efficient and the whole thing is in pure HuC.

[OldRover]

The game is playable now. Enemy shots + collision has been added. All that's missing now for collision is enemy vs player. Having that in place will be the true test of just how efficient my algorithms really are. Once all that collision is going on, any slowdown that might happen will determine where to optimize. But so far so good.

The test level for the moment just has the flying birds as regular enemies. Since there's not yet any enemy vs player collision, you can just pluck them out of the sky. There is even a boss fight to test the level progression bar.

The one thing I've not added yet are sound effects. I'll be using Squirrel for that.

[esteban]

frozenutopia.com/lucretia-0009.png
Nando didn't like the first UI so he made a new one.

STATUS: I can speak on behalf of all shoot-em-up fans when I say, " "

This has been pretty fun so far. I just have to add in the enemy shots now and it'll be a fully working game engine. The thing runs ultrasmooth on my Duo so far... I hope it continues to do so once enemy shots and hit collision is added. My algorithms so far are very efficient and the whole thing is in pure HuC.

HELL YES. 

[OldRover]

frozenutopia.com/lucretia-0023.png

Just a test boss character. Revised UI... I added health and bomb icons plus gave the UI a background color. Nando is doing sketches right now and we'll work out specific details of the UI when he comes online later.

frozenutopia.com/lucretia-0024.png

Stage Clear

[TurboXray]

Nice

 Hey Rove, so everything so far is pure C? No assembly code yet and runs fine? Got me thinking. I wonder if center point coords system would be faster for collision detection in HuC when written in C. Here's the link if you don't remember: https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/pcengine/collision-detection-routines-t119.html

 if [Ax-Bx]<= ((AxWidth+BxWidth)/2)  , where (AxWidth+BxWidth)/2 is actually a compile time calculated constant (or by hand). So, if [Ax-Bx]<= constant. Maybe a case/select or something to sort out the different size compares. I dunno. More of less just thinking this out loud.

[OldRover]

Yeah, pure C so far, but in order to maintain speed, some things are deliberately written long. It would be super easy to do things with arrays but of course, HuC monkeys those all up so that doesn't fly too well. What I do to maintain speed in straight C is to use groups of individual variables and if() blocks. It's far faster than using arrays and switch() blocks. Also, to maintain genericism in the state machines, I have "upload" and "download" functions which copy the individual variable sets into and out of one "base" set, which the state machines work with. HuC does all of this very quickly.

I use center point collision for just about everything. For each collision check, I take the center point of the source object and compare it against the four points of the target object plus the box size of the source object. So like... if I have a 16x16 shot sprite against a 32x32 enemy, I take 8,8 into the shot sprite and compare it against -8,40 of the target sprite. Minimal calculations, and allows for an infinite variety of bounding box sizes. Also, since player shot collision is handled inside the enemy state machines themselves rather than in the player shot handler, using multiple bounding boxes is a breeze... all of that is hardcoded into the state machine so there is no table lookup or anything like that to waste time. Doing it like this tends to take more code but the speed advantage is more than worth it. Little things like this are why I can pull this all off in straight C.

[Arm]

Looks promising gameplay wise. Maybe I'm wrong but I think I recognize these fir trees.

[OldRover]

They are from OGA.

[ParanoiaDragon]

They are from OGA.

*Paranoia Dragon is now racking his mind trying to think of what game OGA could be*   I recognize the mountain tiles & such, but yeah, the tree's don't ring a bell.  Either it's a project I'm not privy to, or my memory is completely failing me.  Speaking of acronyms, I hope we can get a running demo of the GAR project, as it looks like it'll be beautiful. Plus, all the music is done, I may have some touch ups to do, but for all intents & purposes, I'm finito on said project.


*now PCEFX'ers are wondering what all of these things mean*

[cabbage]

They are from OGA.

*Paranoia Dragon is now racking his mind trying to think of what game OGA could be*

OGA = open game art: http://opengameart.org/

[ParanoiaDragon]

They are from OGA.

*Paranoia Dragon is now racking his mind trying to think of what game OGA could be*

OGA = open game art: http://opengameart.org/

Ah, my bad. I thought maybe Arm was working with Nod on something.  Bummer.

[OldRover]

GAR is still on, I'm just taking an extended break from conversions to put this out. This project is the precursor to Einzelgänger.

Arm and I do have a project on, but it has been on hold for awhile now due to my IRL crap.

[OldRover]

Here is an early prototype release. It's not a full demo, but I did want to at least show everyone what's going on.

https://web.archive.org/web/2000/http://www.frozenutopia.com/lucretiaprototype.7z

Just run DECODE_ME.BAT to decode all the audio tracks, and run lucretiaprototype.cue in your favorite emulator or burn to CD for real hardware. The included cuesheet is not standardized but the PCE hardware won't give a toss.

[OldRover]

Another test video.

A bit more advanced than the proto release, but the endboss doesn't shoot back anymore.

[CrackTiger]

Another test video.

A bit more advanced than the proto release, but the endboss doesn't shoot back anymore.

Aside from how technically impressive this is for an early demo, it's already looking very fun to play.

[DragonmasterDan]

I tried the demo you put up.

Here's some notes.

Rather than having left change character direction maybe select should do that and left should back the character up instead.

A charge shot would be cool too.

Otherwise, nice job!

[CrackTiger]

I tried the demo you put up.

Here's some notes.

Rather than having left change character direction maybe select should do that and left should back the character up instead.

A charge shot would be cool too.

Otherwise, nice job!

I love Sidearms style controls. If there is going to be speed alternating  bombs and/or weapon switching, it could be handled with the Select and Run buttons.

[Tatsujin]

I would rather like to have some accompanying options,
which could be turned back and forth by quick double klicks
a la gate of thunder.

[roflmao]

I would rather like to have some accompanying options,
which could be turned back and forth by quick double klicks
a la gate of thunder.

Yes!

[ParanoiaDragon]

I tried the demo you put up.

Here's some notes.

Rather than having left change character direction maybe select should do that and left should back the character up instead.

A charge shot would be cool too.

Otherwise, nice job!

I love Sidearms style controls. If there is going to be speed alternating  bombs and/or weapon switching, it could be handled with the Select and Run buttons.

Once this game is done, let's do Section Z!  Actually, it might be cool to do some sort of amalgam of the arcade & NES versions.  Like so many NES arcade ports, they usually ended up making games better, to make up for the gfx downgrade.

[esteban]

Another test video.

A bit more advanced than the proto release, but the endboss doesn't shoot back anymore.

Splendid, comrade. Splendid!

[OldRover]

Rather than having left change character direction maybe select should do that and left should back the character up instead.

Holding I locks the direction you're facing in. I will later add direction-toggle and Sidearms-style firing methods. You can switch the configuration at will in the finished game.

A charge shot would be cool too.

Bombs are planned. They are fired with the Select button.

[Psycho Punch]

Looking forward to play Lucretia + Atlantean from Arkhan.

[OldRover]

I released that video yesterday. Control scheme switching is functional, and I set it for Sidearms-style shooting, which I actually found works out best for me personally. The playable demo is very, very close to being ready... just doing the enemy placements now. The game engine itself is completed. And yes, still in pure HuC with absolutely no assembly boosts.

[esteban]

I released that video yesterday. Control scheme switching is functional, and I set it for Sidearms-style shooting, which I actually found works out best for me personally. The playable demo is very, very close to being ready... just doing the enemy placements now. The game engine itself is completed. And yes, still in pure HuC with absolutely no assembly boosts.

I commented on YouTube, but this game is irresistible. Sidearms-style controls = perfect. Don't listen to any naysayers. 

[T2KFreeker]

ME...WANT...COOKIE!!!!! This looks so awesome Le Rover. I can't wait to get my hands on the Demo, dude! Two Thumbs up man.

[roflmao]

Looking awesome!

[OldRover]

This is the last video I'll release before the official demo release. There are some minor issues remaining in the game engine that need to be ironed out and I won't release it before fixing them. They may be library issues, so they may not be so easy to correct. Also, I'm still filling out the first level... what this video contains is the first portion of the level arrangement. The background graphics are still placeholder graphics; they are meant for the Monolith project but worked here for the time being.

The demo will have the first level, Forest Freak, fully playable. It will take very little time to implement the rest of the game; the bulk of the work has been getting the existing game engine customized for all of the things this particular game required. The game engine is based on METRO, a shooter game engine I originally developed for T2KFreeker's "Metro Blaster" project (which we now call Einzelgänger). "Asteroid Challenge" was a functional demo of METRO in its purest form; Project Lucretia's incarnation of the engine removes the player thrust and adds two-player co-op, along with more advanced animation handlers and a ton of preloading for performance.

[esteban]

This is the last video I'll release before the official demo release. There are some minor issues remaining in the game engine that need to be ironed out and I won't release it before fixing them. They may be library issues, so they may not be so easy to correct. Also, I'm still filling out the first level... what this video contains is the first portion of the level arrangement. The background graphics are still placeholder graphics; they are meant for the Monolith project but worked here for the time being.

The demo will have the first level, Forest Freak, fully playable. It will take very little time to implement the rest of the game; the bulk of the work has been getting the existing game engine customized for all of the things this particular game required. The game engine is based on METRO, a shooter game engine I originally developed for T2KFreeker's "Metro Blaster" project (which we now call Einzelgänger). "Asteroid Challenge" was a functional demo of METRO in its purest form; Project Lucretia's incarnation of the engine removes the player thrust and adds two-player co-op, along with more advanced animation handlers and a ton of preloading for performance.

Comrade, you are kicking ass. I love all the little details: scrolling to stop, unique building in background, boss pattern getting aggressive and interesting, etc.

[OldRover]

OK I lied... a little. I forgot that I'm going to do one more video. But it won't be until the demo release, and it will be a real two-player playthrough of the demo product. What you'll see in the video will be what you'll see in the downloadable demo version.

[OldRover]

Comrade, you are kicking ass. I love all the little details: scrolling to stop, unique building in background, boss pattern getting aggressive and interesting, etc.

Thanks man. In my humble opinion, the little details are what leave the largest impact on the player... they give the whole experience more depth.

[turboswimbz]

Comrade, you are kicking ass. I love all the little details: scrolling to stop, unique building in background, boss pattern getting aggressive and interesting, etc.

Thanks man. In my humble opinion, the little details are what leave the largest impact on the player... they give the whole experience more depth.

Ahhh It is amazing the level of detail and depth I get from just the videos.   I must agree this is pretty darn amazing so far.  Keep up thy good work.

[OldRover]

The official demo will be released in just a few hours now... just need to add some finishing touches.

[roflmao]

Woot!!

[Bernie]

Can't wait to have this on my shelf Rover!  Looks great!

[jlued686]

Christ, I must be slipping. I completely overlooked this thread!

I like the new cutesy look of the characters. The first video with leggy hot chicks riding long poles was...interesting? But the cute look and spooky forest background is pretty sweet.

Also...pumpkin boss chick is awesome.

Can't wait!

[OldRover]

Demo released.

_{https://web.archive.org/web/20140720024620id_/http://www.frozenutopia.com/lucretiademo.7z}

Two download locations, just in case.

[T2KFreeker]

Oh Yeah, first thing in the morning, here we go. I want to pop this in tonight, but I am so tired . . . It's downloaded though. Let you know in the morning!

[T2KFreeker]

Very nice man. Cool proof of concept. This game's gonna' be good once you get the stuff worked out. The music is VERY good too.

[OldRover]

The proper ISO was not included in the above demo release. Here's a fix for it.

_{https://web.archive.org/web/20140720121933id_/http://www.frozenutopia.com/demoupdate.7z}

The above demo now has the correct ISO included, but this update file is for those who already downloaded it.

[OldRover]

Equuskia (the CEO of Eponasoft Inc) has decided to open preorders for the game, since it is so close to completion. The cost is $29.95+S&H. It can be ordered from Eponasoft's homepage at http://www.eponasoft.com and unlike the MSR fiasco where shipments got freakin' lost, there are two domestic distribution points so nothing's gonna get lost this time.

[hoobs88]

Just Pre-Ordered mine. Looking forward to its release!

[OldRover]

Thanks for the support!

With the demo released into the wild, a number of issues have been identified and tackled. Here is a revision of the ISO.

eponasoft.com/lucretiademorevision1a.7z
frozenutopia.com/lucretiademorevision1a.7z

[mrhaboobi]

Pre ordered ...

[Nando]

I like the new cutesy look of the characters. The first video with leggy hot chicks riding long poles was...interesting? But the cute look and spooky forest background is pretty sweet.

Also...pumpkin boss chick is awesome.

Can't wait!

Awesome! So happy you like them.  More whackyness to come.

[spenoza]

I like the new cutesy look of the characters. The first video with leggy hot chicks riding long poles was...interesting? But the cute look and spooky forest background is pretty sweet.

Also...pumpkin boss chick is awesome.

Can't wait!

Awesome! So happy you like them.  More whackyness to come.

Do you mean wackiness, or do you mean hitting things on the head with plastic mallets?