Jon Bon

This blog talks about the final contest for June, fan appreciation/contribution, recent work completed, and future work planned. At present there are 3 contests going on for the game. The most recent and last planned, is intended for anyone who wants to be able to create content for the game, now can, in the form of sprites(avatars). The contest offers rewards and is extremely easy to enter, no talent or skill needed at all! Details are outlined more in the link provided above. Fan appreciation is far more finalized now and I(we) will be rewarding ballots to fans and contest winners. Each ballot represents a chance to win something in our swag giveaway, to be held right before game launch. The only thing left to agree on is what to giveaway. There is a survey you can answer to help determine what the best gift would be, located on the swag giveaway page. The mapping for both Balor Forest and Caves is done, and Nimueh's Cave is almost complete as well. Work has started on spriting civilians and a number of them are complete as well. The event system for map name display is made, and the titles for all made maps are also done. The checklists are now up to date, and the civilian count is now added to the characters lists. The project card is also now updated, however the graphics number has gone down due to a miscount on the number of civilians estimated. Work is continuing on Nimueh's Cave, inside housing in Camelot, and civilian sprite making. Item and armor is next on the list to be finalized as it will need at least another once over. Hoping to be done the database and mapping for the kit by the middle to end of June and have the game itself started by then. With a lot of press relation stuff out of the way it is time to return to business as usual, hoping to see some progress leaps and bounds.

The above warnings couldn't be any more true. But I think if you set some realistic time frames and layout some goals you may actually get to see some fruition with this. I too love Samurai Jack and I think probably many others on this site do too(as some already said!). You may already have some of this in your head already decided but I noticed you hadn't mentioned it yet in this post. What 'type' of RPG is it? Side view battle, face forward battle, live action? Start thinking up some systems you will want to include, such as weapon and gear enhancing, item combining(cooking, crafting, etc), what kind of mini games, races, chest searching, gauntlet fighting? I do have what I think are some great starter tips for you though. Take out a notepad(onenote preferably) or word if you have it. And start doing some brain storming for what you MUST have in the game. Then you will have a greater idea of what kind of game you are going to make. Once you know what kind of game and its dynamics and systems, you can go script searching(which you may want to work backwards and find a really good, compatible script system and base the style from that). When you have all your scripts you want(and have compatibility checked them) you can start creating a frame work for you game. During this you can be inventing item/gear names, and watching the tv show and logging what already exists and getting ideas for systems to implement, You will probably want to go to the Samurai Jack Wikia and get all the item names they have logged so you can add them to your notes, and read all they have so you can use that for inspiration too. These things, in my opinion, are what you should do before you even tile one map or make one event or anything. Once you have a nice scripting system down and you are ready to work with it, I suggest making a small micro game, 1-2 dungeons, 1-2 bosses, and just literally rip some story from something, like star wars or something (the plot, not the names and characters). This will give you ample experience with the scripting systems and rmxp in general and allow you to make a far better Samurai Jack game in the long run. It will also allow you to have 'proof of product' so people will be more inclined to join your project/help with it, which you can be recruiting for the whole time. I am seriously interested in helping with this project, I would be more of a grunt helper, mapping, data input, etc. however I wont be able to lend any aid for the next few months. This is on my top of projects I would like to work on once im done with my own. Hope my input was able to help, I know it worked for me(took 6 months working on and off to be ready to start making maps, now thats all I have left, other then eventing, ha ha). Cheers. p.s. Final Fantasy 6 is by far my fave rpg.

Hey thanks a ton! The image was created using a website called cooltext.com, I appreciate the clean up on the image and thread editing. The real life picture will not be used in the final launch as it is copyrighted by BBC. It is simply a representation for now, as we are having a contest for a new one to be created. Thanks Kellessdee, I like the maps too hehe. I saw that status update a while back you had said about taking on a lot of work and needing to catch up. I had planned on approaching and asking for help at some point in the future, but you're such a nice guy a beat me to the punch he he. Scripting additions and work wont be for a month or two from now, so you have plenty of time. I will definitely be taking you up on that offer though, thanks a whole lot man.

Nice, grats indeed man!

Awesome DD! ill try to help keep the momentum up for the game. I too am excited for season for launch. p.s. Best fan ever! Ha ha Rag, I hear ya, they casting young, which is good. He definitely grows into his body more as the seasons pass. The story is the main point of interest to the show for me and their take on the Arthurian legend. Thanks for the screenshot compliment, each map is attempted to give the feel of the show without being too exact. The market is also my fave, however the forests of balor was just finished and I must say its pushing for first in my books(screenshots eventually). Cheers, and thanks for the interest!

This all sounds awesome. I look forward to seeing the site improve. Cheers mate!

It is 'free' in the sense that it requires no monetary trade to acquire the kit. However it is not free in the sense that it does require you to 'trade' something before acquiring. What you are trading is your time and activity on their site. If you read the post regarding how to acquire the kit, it clearly states you must post 25 times on their site and that they will remove any spam or posts created with the sole intent to gain access to the kit. (I am not entirely sure but I also believe that they have a 75 character minimum for their posts) I neither agree nor disagree with this, I am simply stating the fact of how to acquire this kit from the listed site and that it is not 'free' by the strictest sense of the word.

This kit can no longer be downloaded for 'free' from planetdev. You must now make 25 posts(on planetdev) before being able to get that file(as of this post).

This blog talks about the game fanbase, contest progress, and game project progress. Merlin The RPG has had a steady growing fanbase over the past few weeks, with the unique visitor count on the official site rising on average by week and weekend. Fanpop.com has an excellent social website service that allows people to become fans of things and of each other. All fans on fanpop for the game are considered official fans, the game currently has 6. A reward system of some kinds is in the works, so that people who show a dedication to being a fan of the game will receive. Talks about a T-shirt or mug, key chain or hat are going on for the reward. As the month ends more interest is being shown for the image contest. There are currently two hard yeses on submissions and one interest. I suspect that as the weeks progress more people will find it and enter. This weekend I will attempt to find some contest websites to promote the two contests a little better. The Forest of Balor is about 90% complete and indoor city mapping has restarted and is near completion for Camelot. Script and event system research is going well, and a basic structure for the game is coming along nicely. The project card for the kit and checklists will be getting an update on Sunday. Thanks all for reading and keeping up to date.

3 Tier Repel Monster Eventing System V1.1 Introduction Bon Ink Creations is proud to present the 3 Tier Repel Monster Eventing System. This eventing systems purpose is to allow the player the ability to turn off random encounters for a set amount of steps taken after item or skill use. Read the sections below for more information. Description The game maker may assign one of three tiers of repel effects to an item or a skill. The demo comes preset with 3 items and the directions on how to assign the effect to skills The items are preset so that it's: Item 1=100 steps, Item 2=250 steps, Item 3=500 steps(until random encounters are turned back on). The three tier system works in the sense that item 1 is weaker then items 2 and 3 and will never be able to be used if they(items 2 and 3) are already active. On the opposite end, a higher tier repel will override a lower tier, provided you accept when prompted with warning message and steps remaining. The event system is ready to go, and requires no setup other than copying to your project. Setup will simply allow you to further customize it, IE message prompts, step settings, button use, override functions etc. Features Easily added to any project. (should be no compatibility issues as long as you aren't using the variables/switches, or if you reassign them.) 3 Tier item system, each item ends random encounters then enables them based on a different number of steps taken after item is used. Easily change the steps assigned to each item, but should always keep them tiered in an ascending order from 1 to 3. Easily changeable parameters for random encounter reactivation Easily changeable item activation and item effect end messages Override prevention/warning message for when using an item while a higher tier item is already active. With ability to remove item lose prevention and change message warning. Easily changeable button activated text message displaying how many steps are left before encounter return to normal, while item is active only. Also easily removed. Override option message with remaining steps displayed. Shows when using a higher tier item while a lower tier item is already active. Displays steps left, then asks if you wish to override. Each section is explained in detail in the main event. Works off your default font and window skin. Screenshots Item Used Message Item Override Message Item Successfully Override Message Item Can Not Override Message Steps Left Message Requires Graphics: 1 Character Graphic 'BIC Event Icons 1' Events: 2 Types, 1 per map, Parallel process when on only Item Slots: 90, 91, 92 Common Events: 44, 45, 46 Variables: 497, 498, 499, 500 Button Use: R Button Credits& Copyrights Credits go to Bon Ink Creations, and must be included in the credits section of your game(in game) if used in your project, both commercial and non-commercial games. Bon Ink Creations owns the creative rights to this eventing system, and under no circumstances is it to be posted anywhere else other then the approved sites listed below. To ensure you get the safest and most up to date version please always download from Bon Ink Creation approved sites. Approved Sites: -RMXP Unlimited Setup Directions Download the demo here and play the game to see how it works. Then read the event titled 'Repel On' for setup and alteration. The same information is available in the notepad included with the demo. Updates VERSION 1.1 -Changed demo a bit, to better explain and demonstrate the system. -Added a separate message for when an item is used and overrides another tier which now reads "Monsters continue to keep their distance" rather than saying "Enemies now keep their distance" as it does normally. -Cleaned the thread up and added pics

He he, I try to only ever post if its helpful or useful. No problem. I don't want to hijack the thread and wasn't originally going to post again, but I remembered the other really good tip for Google searching. You can also add a minus sign then a word at the end of your search to omit results with that word. Search: Html script calculator - download The above search would search for it but omit any site that has the word download for a search parameter. This is an excellent way to search for common worded things. -Cheers, and good luck on your homework.

Some regulars from this site were discussing a new RMXPU mascot a few weeks ago. I had suggested maybe making an RPG with the mascot to better help advertise the site. When I saw this manga idea, the same thought occurred to me, why not use the mascot for your manga? I believe the mascot has not been finished yet, but there are some great conceptual ideas already in that thread. My idea for the story would be to have the mascot be the main character, and have the story based around rpg making. Its cliche, but maybe something along the lines of he gets brought into a digital world that represents the game making world. He would be able to travel to the different game making sites(in the manga) and have different interactions with the different scripts and events etc. I don't know if anyone has ever seen the animated series Reboot, but same kinda idea. Just my opinion of course, but I think mixing the RMXPU mascot idea with the manga idea might create a great end product to help represent and advertise the site. Cheers

What about this one http://www.geocities...oro4/looseleaf/ Simply press 'print screen' and paste in paint, edit away what you don't need and you're done. Edit* I am unable to translate the page, but I remember reading that there is a button somewhere that 'exports' I believe the file for you. I have tried to figure it out, but I am content with copy, paste, edit.

Agreed. Another trick with Google, or any search engine, is learning the proper syntax in which to use while doing a search. The one that always helps is quotations. If you add quotations to something in your search field the search engine finds sites with that word as top priority, then uses the other word/words as secondary search parameters. Sometimes Google will actually suggest a reworded sentence based on your quotations in order to better help you find what you are looking for. I attempted to find an html calculator script using google this is how it went. Searched: html calculator script Results: lots of calculators, no scripts Refine: So I decided to add quotations around "scripts" Typed: html calculator "script" Google Suggests: html script for a calculator Results: First 5 clicks had scripts visible on the page. My knowledge of scripts is very limited so I am unable to determine as to whether or not any of my found sites would have been direct help. But I do believe that by adding quotations and possibly changing search fields based on information found while searching, would have gotten you a better result. There is also a number of different syntax commands you may use to help your search needs. I do not know them all, as I never seem to have to do more then quotations to refine my searches appropriately enough. I hope that helped with your use of Goggle. The trick isn't finding the right answer, it's finding the right question. Cheers

[ Excellent, I look forward to checking your game out. I looked into the linked script, looks like exactly what we were discussing. Did you happen to look at the very bottom of the page though? There was a link to another script, made by ForeverZero (who is known for excellent scripts imo), it is called Advanced Title Screen. Link here http://www.rpgmakers.net/showthread.php?tid=95 I am 99% sure that both those scripts are not compatible with each other, but I was thinking if you are having a script made that is similar to ForeverZero's maybe you could get the person making your script to simply look at both those and either combine them into one, or make them compatible. Both those users are still active, so they both are able to speak to get help etc. The guy who made the first script even said to contact him if there are compatibility issues and he would fix etc. Just a thought. Thanks again mate, either way it is one more thing checked off my list to look into ha ha, cheers.

Awesome, if you remember toss me a message or wall post etc, when your demo goes up in case I forget, totally want to check it out. If possible would I be able to use and credit the script you are having made? Would you also be able to link to the other script you found. Much appreciated.

I understand your question fully now. I agree, this scene is definitely better seen rather then played. Definitely use pictures from your game. I think you could do it one of two main ways. 1. One still picture while the block of text slowly scrolls up and is read by the player. 2. Break the story into descriptive sentences, and make a scene for each sentence(s). The scenes for each sentence wouldn't have to be events moving around, you could simply make a map to describe the scene, then have the view pan up while the text appears.(similar to the intro in ff6) Just my opinions, but from what you have described so far, it sounds like it is going to be done very well no matter how ya do it. As far as the last part, I am still not 100% sure on how to get intros before new game or while the player waits. From what I understand it is a simple scripting process, I have yet to inquire about it.

I am not sure what 'background information' is specifically. Like what exactly are you telling the character that earlier in the game? In my experience it is always best to have a player learn the intro by playing, rather then reading or doing a tutorial. The best way to achieve this is during your intro/prologue have the character play through and make sure to include everything you wish to teach them, have one battle, a boss fight, item gain, and any game dynamics you wish to show. If you are talking about background information in the sense as story background, as I said I believe the player should either play through this part to learn how to play the game, sort of a forced unbeknownst tutorial. Alternately, you could explain the background story to the land/area/region in text to be read on the screen, then have the next parts acted out by characters. I can't tell you the number of store bought rpgs I have shut off because 45minutes into the game I haven't fought one battle or done anything cool. Be very careful not to flood the player with too much non controlled content early on. The more interactivity the better, most people will play the game to play, not to watch.

I think since it is a service, you should have it moved to the DevShop, Just make sure to add that you must accept the map creation submission before starting to make it. That way it is like a shop, where you only service those you have time for, in order etc. Rather then just a free service you provide to all willing. Only my opinions -Cheers

Agreed. Only use media taken directly from your game for the intro. I highly doubt you will find any images that suit your game better then actual game play footage. When you say intro to your game, do you mean before or after a player selects 'new game'? If it is for before 'new game' is selected then I suggest creating a combination scene from your other already existing scenes. Think back to playing other RPGs, most have a scene that plays at the title screen which will show different in game footage of story events. I think you should do the same, Copy your scenes to a new map folder called 'intro' etc. then edit the scenes accordingly, linking them together and adding fades between etc. Alternately you could add a variable to make your current scenes have the intro information. Score this 'intro scene' with a choice in music that is short and escalates the beat quickly. As the beat escalates increase the frequency in which the scenes change. When the songs beat stops increasing and the last few notes play, have your title screen fade in. (Add drum roll, if song doesn't have a conclusion) This is obviously 'cliche' as far as game intros go, but has always been my favorite type, and I still to this day wait at the 'new game' screen to see it on every game I play.