Sunday 23 November 2014

GUI Complete

Officially completed the GUI (Graphical User Interface.) I decided to stick with the school team's colours for effect.
 The Load/Save Screen (The screen same is the exact same except it says "Save." (Wow what a plot twist)) The most challenging part was figuring out how to re-size the screenshots (I didn't realize that you had to resave the game for the screen shot to take effect)
In game Menu and Dialogue box. I re-did the in game menu about 3 times because I wasn't happy with the positioning. I originally had it at the side, but I thought it looked better at the bottom. I also coded in a side image (For our main character). Text colours and name colours are not final (Will probably be changing it at some point)

 The options screen. I am so happy with out it turned out. Took two imagemaps to make it (One for the menu, another one for the actual screen) made a separate slider bar and positioned it-the slider bar (Which you will see below Text Speed, Music Volume, Auto Forward etc.) was actually a combination of three images.




And of course, we have the Yes/No Prompt screen which pops up to confirm various actions (overwriting a saved game...quitting etc.) Of course you'll never want to quit free-kick. Ever. Mwahahaha.

All I really have to do for the GUI now is the choices buttons. I'll work on them when the time comes.

Next, I'll have to edit some backgrounds, import the images-possibly create some new expressions, come up with the basic storyboard (what images I will use) for the first couple of scenes, and then I'll actually start making the game....

At least the GUI is done. That's the hardest part. (I think)

*Falls on floor.* I'm done. Until tomorrow at least.

Sunday 9 November 2014

Main Menu

Every game needs a main menu-it is essential and allows the user to navigate the game.
Anyways, I programmed the menu today, this was my first time working with a imagemap within the main menu context-I've made them before but never for a main menu, and I wanted to give it a try.

How it basically works-if the user's mouse enters certain coordinates within the window-then the image switches to a different one-and if the user were to click then a certain action would happen (ie. If you click within the "New Game" coordinates-the game would start etc...If you clicked within "Load" you'd be taken to the load screen...)

These 'range of coordinates' are called hotspots. I had a total of 5, and with the engine I'm using Ren'Py, hotspots are coded using (x, y, w, h) So the coordinates of the top left corner of the hotspot (ie. 0,0) the width it extends too, and the height it extends downwards (note the coordinates for the top upper left of the hotspot)




I had quite a few bugs I had to work out-mainly with the coordinates and the images themselves (I had buttons overlapping into the other sections-and that messed everything up...) Microsoft paint is actually a very useful tool for finding coordinates.

I can offically say I'm able to do main menu imagemaps now...

Next up, I will be programming the rest of the GUI Screens, as well as the in-game menu, the dialogue boxes and such...

I also got to visit Queen's university this weekend-it's an older institution with some very very nice buildings. I'm hoping to be able to incorporate some of the scenery into my game somehow...hmmm.
Here's a glimspe:


More to come.

Thursday 6 November 2014

Wake Up Sleepy Head


 ALL CGS done for the first little scene.

Not sure if I mentioned this before, but Free Kick is my third visual novel and by far the biggest (and I haven't even started coding yet) I'm going all out and doing a whole bunch of stuff I haven't done before. It's going to be a learning curb. But on the bright side...I should be starting on GUI coding this weekend...or early next week. I have the menu screens done, as well as the dialogue box. Good thing I have a little bit of experience with Image maps. I guess we'll see how it all works out!

Cheers!

Wednesday 5 November 2014