Labyrinth Mod

[FrancesF]

I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel, so I'm starting a new thread for the mod. : )   Wow, was I dismayed when the forums disappeared...   Thank you, Alec, for bringing them back!

Labyrinth Mod update (spoiler alert): 

"Strange" Map To Do List:  ("Strange" is the fourth and final map of the mod; after this it's all just tweaking, I hope!)

     Fix existing paramecium script (which is based on dark jelly script) so the obstruction area matches the texture. (Don't know how to do this yet.)

     Make a dragonfly/darter entity. (Will probably modify the script from that flying creature from the Sunken City; alternatively, the parrot script.)

     Texture fixes, additions:
         Reeds - add grooved stems, scaled tips.
        Bevy - make hexagonal, virus-looking texture.
        Make wilted tile for edges.
        Add a couple more protists.
        Make good background tile for tunnels.
        Fix lily pad/duckweed tile.
        Separate embryo from egg so can add motion to embryo.
        Spore body edge tile - extend stems to eliminate dark.
        Add a few more algae tiles for landscaping.
        Make a spherical volvox.
        Draw darter texture.

     Landscape spirogyra maze.

     Twine maze plant around edges of entire map to encircle pods.

     Move Nature Form node to one of the mazes (which?)

     Map:     - Make it harder for tadpoles to escape reed maze.
             - Add small cave to lower right side tunnel.
             - Block off spiro maze; add energy door.
             - Make new pod for the energy orb pearl.

     Add currents for interest.

Can I get all this done in the next two weeks?  Wish me luck!


Recent screenshots:



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[Sindhi]

Wow, I looooove all the new graphics!!!!! I want to play! Are you saying you will be done in two weeks? OMG!

[IcyEyeG]

I must say the pictures are really good, specially the last one. BTW, on the last picture, is the background dynamic? (ie, does it move, like the inside of the whale on the original game)

Best of luck on finishing it!

[Sindhi]

By the way we have a mosquito script which might work for your dragonfly

[willowfish]

that is amazing! i love the graphics and design!

[False.Genesis]

*what everyone else said*. Looks really, really nice. Can't wait to try it

Do the scripts already support the opensource version or do you need a hand in fixing them up?

[FrancesF]

Thanks for the encouragement, everyone!   I'd keep going anyway, but it's a lot more fun with feedback...

The background of the last picture is dynamic to the extent that the tiles are on several parallax layers, and everything is pulsing.

Well, the whole mod won't be done in two weeks, but hopefully the "strange" map will be.  I'll still have to tweak the whole thing, balance the treasures and song bulbs, make sure everything flows well, and find workarounds for a few things I've been putting off because they involve scripting that I haven't figured out. 

Sindhi, I'd love to try out the mosquito script, if you and Yogoda are willing.  The animation editor is one of the things I'm still trying to get to work properly.

FG, the scripts do support the open source version because achurch offered to fix them (and did) when he made the patch that made new scripts work with the older version of Aquaria, and I've just been copying those lines of code into the scripts I've been adapting to new entities.  It seems to be working so far.  I've been using the open source version for the last couple of weeks, and it is a great pleasure!  No more crashing when a custom entity gets killed, and the zoom function works like a charm, focusing in on where you are rather than pulling you to one corner.

[Sindhi]

I will ask Joel to send it.

[Yogoda]

Here is the mosquito script, although I am not sure it will help you a lot :

dofile("scripts/entities/entityinclude.lua")
dofile(appendUserDataPath("_mods/MagicOfAquaria/scripts/common.lua"))

n = 0
speed = 400

sfxdt = 0
 
function init(me)
 
   setupEntity(me)
 
   -- set entity graphic
   --entity_setTexture(me,"missingImage")
   
   entity_initSkeletal(me, "mosquito")
   entity_scale(me, 0.4, 0.4)
   
   entity_setEntityType(me, ET_ENEMY)
   entity_setHealth(me, 1)
   entity_setCollideRadius(me, 64)
   entity_setUpdateCull(me, 2000)
   entity_setDeathParticleEffect(me, "TinyRedExplode")
   entity_setMaxSpeed(me, speed)
   
   -- make the wings move
   wingfront1 = entity_getBoneByName(me, "wingfront1")
   wingfront2 = entity_getBoneByName(me, "wingfront2")
   wingback1 = entity_getBoneByName(me, "wingback1")
   wingback2 = entity_getBoneByName(me, "wingback2")
   
   bone_alpha(wingfront1, 1)
   bone_alpha(wingfront1, 0, 0.05, -1, 1, 1)
   bone_alpha(wingfront2, 0)
   bone_alpha(wingfront2, 1, 0.05, -1, 1, 1)
   bone_alpha(wingback1, 1)
   bone_alpha(wingback1, 0, 0.05, -1, 1, 1)
   bone_alpha(wingback2, 0)
   bone_alpha(wingback2, 1, 0.05, -1, 1, 1)
   
   entity_setState(me, STATE_IDLE)
   entity_setCanLeaveWater(me, true)
   
   entity_setDeathScene(me, true)
   
   entity_setBounceType(me, BOUNCE_REAL)
   entity_setBounce(me, 1)
   
   loadSound('mosquito')
   
end
 
function postInit(me)
   n = getNaija()
   entity_setTarget(me, n)
end
 
 lx, ly = 100, 100
 l = 0
 
function update(me, dt)

   sfxdt = sfxdt + dt
   if sfxdt >= 0.43 then
      sfx = playSfx('mosquito')
      sfxdt = 0
   end
 
   x, y = entity_getPosition(me)
 
   l = (l + vector_getLength(lx - x, ly - y)) / 2.0
   
   if l < 0.01 then
      entity_clearVel(me)
      entity_addVel(me, 0, -200)
   end
   
   entity_handleShotCollisions(me)
   
   entity_flipHToAvatar(me)

   entity_touchAvatarDamage(me, entity_getCollideRadius(me), 1, 0)
   -- entity_doFriction(me, dt, 100)
   
   -- entity_doCollisionAvoidance(me, dt, 4, 1.0)
   entity_doEntityAvoidance(me, dt, 64, 1)
 --[[
   entity_touchAvatarDamage(me, entity_getCollideRadius(me), 1, 1200)
   entity_doCollisionAvoidance(me, dt, 4, 1.0)
 
   entity_flipToVel(me)
   ]]
   
   entity_moveTowardsTarget(me, dt, 400)
   
   --if entity_velx(me) < 10 then
      -- setControlHint('stuck', 0, 0, 0, 1)
   --end
   
   lx = x
   ly = y
   
   entity_updateMovement(me, dt)
   
end

function damage(me, attacker, bone, damageType, dmg)
   return true
end
 
function dieNormal(me)
end
 
function enterState(me)

   if entity_isState(me, STATE_IDLE) then
      -- playSfx('mosquito', 0, 0.4)
      entity_animate(me, "idle", -1)
   elseif entity_isState(me, STATE_DEATHSCENE) then
      fadeSfx(sfx, 0.1)
      kill(me, "TinyBlueExplode")
   end

end
 
function exitState(me)

end
 
 
function hitSurface(me)

   entity_addVel(me, 0, 100)

end
 
function songNote(me, note)
end
 
function songNoteDone(me, note)
end
 
function song(me, song)
end
 
function activate(me)
end

For the animation editor, I wrote everything I know about it on the wiki, it should help you getting started :

Animation Editor : http://aquariawiki.ryanballantyne.name/wiki/index.php/Animation_Editor
Animations : http://aquariawiki.ryanballantyne.name/wiki/index.php/Animations

[FrancesF]

Thank you, Yogoda!  I appreciate it.  I've got a nice long weekend (it's a holiday in the US) to experiment with making an entity from scratch.   

[FrancesF]

Update:  Strange map is finally finished!  And there are only a few tweaks left on the whole mod... I'm really trying to finish it before leaving for California on Friday.

The effects of too much modding:

1)  When I was taking a break this morning walking my dog past a field scattered with trees I caught myself thinking, "Wow, parallax is working really well right there!"

2)  I was trying to get Li to appear in a particular place in the game, and at one point suddenly there were two Lis, both following Naija in tandem.  So when Naija paused, I just waited to see how she would manage to hug both of them.  What did happen was pretty cute.  She hugged the slightly closer one and of course the hugging couple both smiled, and simultaneously the left-out Li made his shock and dismay expression.  It was so amusing I was tempted to leave both Lis in the mod!

[FrancesF]

Labyrinth mod update:

It's coming along well, in fact it's almost finished...  I've been working on it steadily since my last post; it just got bigger, is all.      Last month I had the good fortune to be contacted by False.Genesis about playtesting his mod, and now he is writing some badly needed scripts for Labyrinth Mod as well.  One of my favorite new entities is the volvox, shown here:



Or see it in motion here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX-hFhFzRAg

I'm aiming for completion in the next month...well, next two months, anyway!


 

[FrancesF]

Labyrinth Mod Update

The fifth and last map is pretty much complete, finally.  I'm not posting pictures because at this point they would be spoilers.  And I'm happy to report that the mod now has a fierce, angry little boss, scripting courtesy of False Genesis.   

The last couple of weeks I started playing around with particle effects.  I can't believe I ignored this part of the editor for so long; if you're making a mod you should try it out!  The particle viewer in the editor is a really helpful tool.  And the wiki is useful when you're beginning, but for the unexplained parameters, you just have to experiment and see what happens.   If you really want to have some fun, make a linear graphic, and place two (or more) particle nodes near each other and play with the the moire interference.  I'm having to restrain myself from going back and adding particle effects to the mod all over the place…

[Joey245]

This mod is looking really great. I've only recently rediscovered Aquaria, and am looking for some new mods. I must ask, when will this be published?

[False.Genesis]

Soon
We are currently finishing up the last bits.
Afaik the only things missing are few tweaks, and some cutscenes that I have to script.
So, keep your eyes open, won't be long!