Tides of Fáden (out of production)

[Telstar5]

What about YaBB smilies? Can't they be sprites in an RPG?

[Silverwind]

Those human sprites are really good... your shading has improved dramatically.

Thanks, I'm pleased with them as well. All this practice is paying off, though I still feel light years from animation.

Silver you forgot to make all the different versions of wolf, like all RPGs such as (not the) final fastasy


you should have

red wolf
orange wolf
brown wolf
white wolf
grey wolf
blue glowing wolf
wolf on fire
wolf with a tophat
teen wolf
wolf with a funny mustache
wolf that turns into link
and inside-out wolf

THEN it will be a real RPG

LOL! Teen wolf!

What about YaBB smilies? Can't they be sprites in an RPG?

Normally yes, but due to an obscure childhood event I'm forbidden to use smilies in any media I produce. Court order.

[Telstar5]

Normally yes, but due to an obscure childhood event I'm forbidden to use smilies in any media I produce. Court order.

Aww.

[Silverwind]

By God man, doth my eyes deceive me or do you have a freakishly incorrect post count?

[Telstar5]

Well, when I moved to the GMG when Silvernetworks was closing, I had close to 3000 posts or something insane. I asked Ghost if I could have my postcount on here, and he agreed. Yes, I know, only ten out of 2333 are actually posts I've made here, but I'd hate to lose all those counts. They're special to me. Just to think that some of them were made when I was still ten or eleven... It brings a tear to my eye.

Additionally, I think my postcount is the only thing that reminds me that I need to get a life.

[GMG Tim]

If anybody wants me to transfer their post counts from the SC boards as well, let me know-- it's no hassle.

Ghost

[Silverwind]

Ah, that explains it. I thought it was a glitch, or that you'd started a very active thread, hehe.

Anywhoo... sprites, sprites and (yup, you guessed it;) more sprites:




As you can see I'm updating the humanoid hair styles, making them 3D, stylish and se- er... silky. I wanna have half a dozen styles or so for townsfolk NPCs and possibly a few unique styles for story characters.

The sprites with the new hair and improved shading won't actually be used in ToF, but rather in my next game (the BIG one) as they'd look very out of place walking around on my outdated tile sprites. Plus, this means the next game will not only have an awesome new engine to look forward to, but significantly improved graphics as well.

[Silverwind]

More progress, yet still no beta. I'm really pushing for a beta soon, but my "soon" holds the reputation of the common man's "very, very, very far away!"

I've finished programming all the shops in the game and am now working on quests. Contrary to my earlier intentions, each quest can be undertaken once by each character.

I've been weighing up how much the multiplayer aspect has cost in terms of the game's interface. The game could have been considerably bigger, better and infinitely more feature rich had I stuck to 1 player gameplay, but when I first started working on ToF multiplayer dungeon exploring was what I was intent on achieving. Although I've proven it possible now, I feel that cramming 2 players and and overworld battle engine into an RPG results in too poor an interface for my liking. Until GM graces us with methods, I shan't be attempting it again.

*sigh* Man I wish the game was finished. I want to start the next one!

[Silverwind]

Right, to sum the events of several months into a single sentence: I was shot! Well no, but the HD I transfered all of my stuff to when my computer broke down, also broke down, meaning I've lost all my stuff. It's possible I can recover it, but not altogether likely, so I may be working off the demo version of GM for a while... once I get a computer that is.

Anyways, ToF was nearly finished, and the beta I had ready was (in my opinion) better than the whole of QoM. Quests are the only thing that weren't implemented, and I was getting to that. Let us pray chaps that Roguesoft returns to it's rightful health and by extension that ToF gets released.

"When the banks of England falls, Roguesoft falls." - Charles Xavier.

[Telstar5]

What is the nature of the breakdown? It's possible you could recover the contents using software, or at most, replacement parts. I may be able to recommend solutions.

If it's something you are ABSOLUTELY certain that the data is completely unrecoverable... click!

[Silverwind]

Upon startup the Mac "chime" sound plays and then a blank grey screen just sits there, behaving all blank. The computer obviously can't locate the Hard Drive. I'm gonna try Firewire since that doesn't launch the operating system, but I don't have a firewire cable or a working Mac at the moment.

[Telstar5]

I'm assuming you've tried resetting the PRAM/PMU/whatever it's called thesedays.

Have you tried using a boot disk? An OS 9 install disk should suffice. Put it in and see if you can get the files off with a USB drive.

Otherwise, hold down Command V at boot up. It ought to show a bunch of OS X kernel stuff. What stops it from booting?

Otherwise, try holding Option when you press the power button. If your disk isn't there, it's probably an internal fault with a connection. Open her up and re-seat any cables.

Apart from that, you can try booting from a network. Set a Mac up with NetBoot and hold N on the slave computer.

Here's a how-to on NetBoot.

What type of drive did you back up all your stuff onto?

[Silverwind]

I'm assuming you've tried resetting the PRAM/PMU/whatever it's called thesedays.

I'm not sure what PRAM is.

Have you tried using a boot disk? An OS 9 install disk should suffice. Put it in and see if you can get the files off with a USB drive.

Unfortunately I don't have a boot disk on me, but I did think of that. The last time I saw this happen on another Mac many years ago the boot disk did nothing and only a few files were salvaged from the machine.

Otherwise, hold down Command V at boot up. It ought to show a bunch of OS X kernel stuff. What stops it from booting?

Command V? Thanks, I'll try that. I think a preference file has been moved from it's rightful place (possibly via a malicious program) thus preventing the operating system from booting.

Otherwise, try holding Option when you press the power button. If your disk isn't there, it's probably an internal fault with a connection. Open her up and re-seat any cables.

What does holding down Option do?

Apart from that, you can try booting from a network. Set a Mac up with NetBoot and hold N on the slave computer.
Good idea, if I can't get stuff off it with Firewire I'll try that.

What type of drive did you back up all your stuff onto?

Another Macbook with slightly higher specs.

Thanks for the help Tel.

[Telstar5]

I'm not sure what PRAM is.

PRAM is Parameter RAM. It contains all the settings the computer needs to boot up correctly. Sometimes it loses the PRAM, other times it gets damaged (usually because of a broken clock battery) and it needs resetting. How to reset the PRAM.

What does holding down Option do?

It brings up the Startup Manager with a list of Volumes to boot from. If your disk isn't there, it may be broken. Try running Disk Utility with an OS X install disk; if the SMART status says ANYTHING other than Verified, we're in big trouble, and we have to book a visit to PC World. There's a tip; fuck using Apple aftersales support, they will rip you off from a missing keyboard button to a CD drive. (I was quoted £800 from Apple to replace my 04' PowerBook's disc drive.) PC World or local computer repair businesses are less likely to run off with all your money. It's a bit like a mechanic's workshop; talk cars, and they won't tell you that it'll take two weeks. Say you're a developer and you need the disk fixing otherwise you'll miss a deadline for (x) project, that way, the technicians there will probably do anything for you at a lower cost than idiots who knowingly install spyware

Although... I've got most of the equipment here to fix a Mac up like new. If you were willing to send me the 'book and the power cord, I could probably get it working again (or at least get the disk backed up).

EDIT: The above is only valid if you're in the UK or Ireland.

[Silverwind]

Well, the computer is fixed but the files weren't recovered, meaning I'll have to pick up from a waaaaay outdated backup. *sigh* I was so close to releasing ToF, but now it'll take me ages just to get back to where I was.

Still, as once was said: "Let him who would enjoy a good future waste none of his present." No point in wallowing, just get on with the job.