Topic: Metroid Fusion (GBA)

[TerraEsperZ]

Well, for those just dropping in, things are going well mapping this, which is why I haven't really posted anything on the new board yet. I'm also waiting to see if this board has tags like the old one for images and links.



Progress so far:



Main Deck   : 99.9% (actual maps complete with and without special blocks; missing map title and final presentation)

Sector 1 SRX: 99.5% (actual map complete with blocks, not without)

Sector 2 TRO: 80.0%



I had a question for those familiar witht the GBA Metroid games, though I'm also looking for Revned's advice considering we often talked about little details like this when mapping the Oracle Zelda games.



Now, this game is almost entirely event based. As such, sometimes doors will become locked, trapping you in a room until you've defeated the boss inside. Now, for one-time events like a boss, I'm leaning toward putting a regular door on the inside of the room to show that once the boss is gone, you can travel freely in and out.



However, there are rooms where you will always be trapped since the enemies inside you need to kill always respawn once you leave. Should I put locked doors inside the room or not? Right now, I put regular doors but I'm open to suggestions.



---

"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." [...] The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. - Captain Jean-Luc Picard



B*tch, meet reality. Reality, meet b*tch. - Me

[Revned]

I'd put regular doors. Theoretically, before you enter the room that's what they'd look like. They only turn gray and lock you in when the boss spawns. It would be more intuitive, and strangely enough, I think it would be more accurate, even though you never see them like that. Just imagine you are mapping what the station looks like from a withdrawn perspective, not necessarily from within each of the rooms.

[TerraEsperZ]

Nice way to see it. So yet again, I had the right idea from the start, I just couldn't justify it. You're like my voice of reason Revned



---

"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." [...] The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. - Captain Jean-Luc Picard



B*tch, meet reality. Reality, meet b*tch. - Me

[TerraEsperZ]

For those who know me, I fully intend to concentrate on this project until it is finished (unlike my usual habit of switching project every few week).



As for the slow rate this is going, it's taking a bit longer than usual because I'm trying to make all the maps you'd ever need for the game. That means I'm making maps which don't show any of the special blocks and maps which show all of them. Plus, I'm also tracking all the major changes which happen to the stages as the game progresses (like a door being destroyed, a whole room which wrecked, etc). Plus, I've got a lot of family trouble to take care of which eats a lot of my time (basically, my godmother which I recently renewed contacts with got a shit load of problems with her mental health, her employers, the police, not to mention increasingly severe suicidal thoughts) as well as needing to put in some overtime after regular work hours and during the weekends.



In short, it's hell trying to balance everything. Still, I'm hoping to finally finish this game in the coming weeks.









---

"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." [...] The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. - Captain Jean-Luc Picard



B*tch, meet reality. Reality, meet b*tch. - Me

[TerraEsperZ]

Update:



Sector 1 SRX: 99.9% (hence, practically finished)



---

"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." [...] The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. - Captain Jean-Luc Picard



B*tch, meet reality. Reality, meet b*tch. - Me

[TerraEsperZ]

Need advice on aesthetism this time. There is a set of rooms in Sector 2 TRO where the doors aren't aligned vertically between the rooms. Normally, everything lines up properly except for a few specifics rooms for no reason at all.



[img width= height=]http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/8386/inconsistentdoors3on.png[/img]



If I put the rooms together, the doors are offset vertically, which doesn't look really good, but isn't horrible either, and I prefer this to putting the right part aside with arrow between them. Any thoughts, especially Revned?



---

"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." [...] The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. - Captain Jean-Luc Picard



B*tch, meet reality. Reality, meet b*tch. - Me

[TerraEsperZ]

Okay, the inability to post images and/or links properly is really bothering me...



The image is at:

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/8386/inconsistentdoors3on.png



---

"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." [...] The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. - Captain Jean-Luc Picard



B*tch, meet reality. Reality, meet b*tch. - Me

[Grizzly]

oh, and how it's bothering me...

I was so happy when we had got the new Forum software with avatars, edits, images, links, smileys, message history, colours, Show-New-Posts function and more..

And I really do not understand why Jon has changed back to that primitive forum software. This forum is about a hobby that relies on beautiful images where every single coloured pixel sits where it belongs - so how can such a forum use a software without any type of images or colours? I so much criticized the first forums and now all my words have been for nothing because we get them back?

Sorry, but I really do not understand the advantages of this forum software.



And I want my clickable links with preview image back, I do not like having to overwrite my temporary storage everytime I want to comment on an image.

About your problem, Terra, I also prefer a version without arrows.

[Revned]

Well put. I can't stand forums that restrict basic functions to long time users only. What if someone new wants to post their new map for us to see? Why make it harder?



Terra, I'll take a look when I get home. These computers at school are so old I can hardly do anything.

[TerraEsperZ]

Well, you managed to echo all my thoughts on the subject. I wonder if we'll ever get the same ease of use that the previous board has for all the features you just mentionned.



As for the change itself, we in French have a great saying: "Qui choisit prend pire" which literally means "Who choses, picks worse".



---

"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." [...] The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. - Captain Jean-Luc Picard



B*tch, meet reality. Reality, meet b*tch. - Me

[Revned]

Hmm, that's a tricky one. Since the rooms have different palettes and really don't link anywhere except the doors, I'd separate them by at least a tile. They don't really look like they're supposed to go together. Either way is fine, I think, but here I'd go with arrows.

[TerraEsperZ]

After thinking about it all day, I'll probably leave it connected like that, since there's the possibility that such a situation might happen again in the future and there might not be room to leave any spacing between then.



The whole problem comes from that damn boss room. It doesn't seem to conform to the rules of all the other rooms so far (where each map 'square' represents a 240 x 160 pixels area). For example, the upper-left door is thicker than normal because the screen scrolls *left* for 1 tile after entering and I've had to add in 1 additional row of tiles at the bottom because it doesn't show in-game (but does in VBA's map browser, my life savior so far). I'm really hoping there aren't too many such cases in the rest of the game.



I remember something equally frustrating happening to the guys who mapped Zero Mission. In several parts of Chozodia, the room would often be larger by 1 tile in every direction so that when assembled, almost all the rooms overlapped with their neighbors by 1 tile.



---

"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." [...] The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. - Captain Jean-Luc Picard



B*tch, meet reality. Reality, meet b*tch. - Me

[JonLeung]

Grizzly Said:

oh, and how it's bothering me...

I was so happy when we had got the new Forum software with avatars, edits, images, links, smileys, message history, colours, Show-New-Posts function and more..

And I really do not understand why Jon has changed back to that primitive forum software. This forum is about a hobby that relies on beautiful images where every single coloured pixel sits where it belongs - so how can such a forum use a software without any type of images or colours? I so much criticized the first forums and now all my words have been for nothing because we get them back?

Sorry, but I really do not understand the advantages of this forum software.



And I want my clickable links with preview image back, I do not like having to overwrite my temporary storage everytime I want to comment on an image.

About your problem, Terra, I also prefer a version without arrows.

Avatars can be turned on/off.  Have you turned them on?  I thought I asked Inty to make that default.



As for edits/images/links, I still have to sort out how that'll work.  Most likely they will be buyable in the shop once I can depend on EXP and Gold to automatically update.  There's got to be incentive for people to come back and post every day, which I always felt was lacking once I liked earning Karma and Kudos on GameFAQs and LUE2.  To make up for the inconveniences of putting up with the last couple forums, regulars will likely get several items for free, or I'd give you gifts of major EXP/Gold so you can have the pleasure of buying them, and to show your status as true longtime posters.



As for colours, well, I don't mind it like this - I'd like a theme that matches the site even more but that may mean less colours.  I believe you can choose and edit your own themes, so you can add more colour if you like.



I also miss the "show new posts" but I like the "ten latest posts", which is pretty similar until the board gets busy, if it ever does.



It was not really my choice to change the forums to more primitive software, as I've explained, it's not really more primitive, and with Inty actually more comfortable with this software, he's actually here more often now and we can suggest more features and changes and we'd be more likely to see them implemented.



Unfortunately I have a lot of other priorities to get to (resolving issues with the host, clearing out my backlog of a month's worth of maps, choosing the May Map Of The Month, going to E3, and other real-life issues) that some particulars regarding the boards do really have to wait.

[TerraEsperZ]

Update (now with links to previews, which were downsized for Imageshack/prevent stealing):



Main Deck: 99.9%

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/9145/metroidfusionmaindeck5uj.png

(453 kb)



Sector 1 SRX: 99.9%

https://img188.imageshack.us/img188/5126/metroidfusionsector1srx6jd.png

(313 kb)



Sector 2 TRO: 99.9%

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/9475/metroidfusionsector2tro7dv.png

(524 kb)



---

"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." [...] The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. - Captain Jean-Luc Picard



B*tch, meet reality. Reality, meet b*tch. - Me

[TerraEsperZ]

Well, despite restraining my computer use at home by a large amount, I still worked a bit on these maps yesterday evening. After encountering some severe difficulties in the way the game handles the various layers and how I was mapping it (namely, Sector 4 has a transparent water layer inserted *between* two layers I was putting together from the start), I've found that I have almost no choice but to switch to Paint Shop Pro for the final map assembly if I want to be able to play with the transparencies with ease.



It *is* a chore because I basically need to go back too all three maps I've done so far and re-map everything *again* but keeping what I call the back and middle layers separate, *plus* making a separate with only the various backgrounds. My hope is to come up with a simple file for each map that would include all the necessary info on separate layers, with the ability to turn on and off whatever I want.



So far, I'm hoping to do something like this:



-Layer 1: Background (parallax scrolling). It will make it easier to go back and realign any of it without having to recompose the whole thing.



-Layer 2: Back layer. It consists of the layer of stuff that is behind the sprites but doesn't use parallax scrolling.



-Layer 3: Middle layer. This is basically the stage layout, consisting mostly of the walls, floors and ceilings.



-Layer 4: Front layer. Will include special things like moving roots and door covers, and I will probably turn it on and off to show before/after conditions.



-Layer 5: Water layer (works best at 30% transparency)



-Layer 6: Lava / acid / cold layer (all at 50% transparency, so a single layer for them)



-Layer 7: Special blocks layer. I can thus have both the original map and all the information for the special blocks in the same file.



It's going slow of course, since I basically have to re-do everything *again*, but I'll make it somehow, one day.



---

"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." [...] The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. - Captain Jean-Luc Picard



B*tch, meet reality. Reality, meet b*tch. - Me