Ob Iter

I've made the tough decision to reboot my game over to VX Ace ... a decision made even more difficult by the impending release of MV.

Now, i recognize that this sort of shift is where a lot of projects go to die. There are reasons though, why i am confident that this is going to get a higher quality product out there, sooner than i would have without rebooting.

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Principally, my decision was made on the fact that time invested on tasks in VX Ace is much less for my needs than it would be in 2K3.

My game is based on HD rendered assets, which have to be scaled down to the super low def of 2k3. This process always heavily distorts the image and forces me to have to clean everything up. When i spent 6 hours trying to clean up a simple swing chair the other day it was all the more evident. The higher resolution in VX Ace is enough to avoid this problem.

Second, the color depth. In 2k3 i was forced to work around the color depth by using objects to event tile most of all my maps. Every tile of every wall. Every table and chair. It was a massive headache in object mapping. In VX Ace i can simply plug the resources into custom tilesets and away i go. Things will get done at a fraction of the time.

Third, and very importantly, is the availability of assets that blend well in the overall design. Buying bookshelves and tables and things on DAZ is pretty expensive, and while i don't mind at all, and will continue to do so, the low resolution in 2k3 as mentioned above, would make it difficult to use any of those assets without great difficulty. The 'High Fantasy' add on packs for Ace are a perfect match for my Bryce / DAZ approach, as are the sprite sets. This makes life a whole lot easier, and makes the game look that much better.

Fourth is the power of scripts. Once i started really looking into the Ace scripts, it became apparent just how much better an overall product my game can be than it ever would be on 2k3. I admit some frustration that i don't know how to use both the per pixel script, and the Dungeon tools script at the same time. They just plain conflict. Badly. So i sadly had to abandon the dungeon tools for the much more important (i think), per pixel movement.

In addition, i can make the 6 player battle party i always wanted instead of being stuck at 4, and keep the active time flow as well. I can still implement everything i had put together for the whole foundation of my gameplay across the board, but do even more with it. Furthermore, the addition of a Bestiary is just plain cool.

I do have concerns given my approach about the ultimate file size issues i will face, and the 999 map limit is a big problem because if i make my maps freely as i intend, i estimate needing over 3,000 maps by games end. I can consolidate my maps thankfully, by putting sections in a larger map size, but i must avoid scrolling. It's not always ugly, but it's terribly ugly and unprofessional for the map to scroll in a single screen room. Thankfully, it looks like the camera control script will solve this... it'll just be a bit of extra tinkering.

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In all, this reboot puts me immediately that much farther away from releasing anything, but in the long term, i believe this game will be completed years sooner than it would have as a result. It's basic stuff really. Being able to tile everything instead of object mapping. Not having to clean up muddy textures all the time. The addition of a quick event for treasure chests ESPECIALLY, since i have a boat load of them. It all just adds up. Plus all my character and gear designs and the core save files for many of my bryce / daz stuff still exists, so i don't lose all of my work on any of that, although i will need to rework it. I do lose all the work i put into object mapping, but hey, whatever.

So i look at it that way. Right now, i'm that much farther behind because of the reboot needs. But over the long term, all the time saved will get this product completed to the final chapter years sooner, and at a much higher level of quality.

It's also a nice feeling knowing that my project is now 100% Licence/Original/ or Freeware made, so i could put it on steam if i wanted to.