Programming a [Java/Flash] Game

[Chocobo]

Alright, I'm moreover, with a partner, programming a game that will either be Java or Flash based. We're probably going to make a 2D game with sprites, but I can attempt to "render" some sprites that are larger than those measly pixel images. The only problem with that is I can never find a base model with the right head-to-body proportions; when I make a model from scratch, it often appears very...distorted.

Anyway, I have a dozen or so sprites, which me and my partner were wanting to sort of incorporate the battle field from Final Fantasy (turns/switching out), Xenosaga (boosting/charging), Sims (outfit swap), and something like WoW or RS (skills such as Herbalism, Agility, Enchanting, etc).

The only downfall is if we use those teeny tiny sprites, the Sims part would be swiped out, but I can enlarge a sprite, and edit it up in GIMP so that it looks cleaner.

In Final Fantasy, as we all know, [most of us] there's item shops with various items, such as weapons: Staves, Nunchuks, Guns, Sword, Bows, the like [save X-2...demon game] and defenses: err...Shield, and from RS Defenders. Item shops has different types of healing potions and mana potions, but also has things that cause damage.

In XII, there's different shops [Magick shop] that sells spells, but instead of selling a spell, I was thinking of something like offering Glyphs or Scrolls.

From Xenosaga, they has the EVS, which I had never seen in a game before--thought that would be neat to put into another game. I'd do the AGWS/ES, but that makes me think of stealing from Gundams/Zoids, so I'll leave that be.

Another thing from Xenosaga I'd like to borrow would be the boost/charge system. Like, let's say that I had Auron and KOS-MOS [palette swaps], and they both had full Fury/Musou/Overdrive/Limit Break/Carnage, if I could boost Auron when using KOS-MOS, I could combine the attack for double the damage; similar to the Special Attack and magic pairing from Xenosaga.

Then of course, as mentioned above, something similar to the Sims, where you could change the outfit after you reached a certain amout of money (or possibly like Jak, after collecting so many orbs), such as unlocking the Gothic/Demonic clothing, or being able to customize what part of the Kimono is what color.

Currency is also a slight problem, such as what it is called, and if the enemies drop it or not. (Rupee, Gold, Muney, Gil...) So is levelling up, but if it's Java/Flash based, I'm not sure if you can level up?

The main and foremost question I should have asked is can you place a save menu/area in Java/Flash games, and it actually saves? We have to store the game on a DVD, which probably means no, but if I could, I could possibly host it on a site before we finalize it for testing by AFers and possibly FFPers.

Sorry this has been so extensive, just thought that some insight would be nice.

I swear to GOD if you're in TSA as well and rip this idea, present it to the judges and make first place, I will personally hunt you down, murder you, and place your head on a spike, and carry it with me everywhere. I am not fearful of letting my Blackfoot Indian heritage just take over.

This has been posted on the following forums:

• http://www.animeforum.com
• http://forums.ffproject.net

I find my idea stolen, I know which two areas to hunt down first. I really don't want to get complicated with the programming. If even a slight portion of the above is extremely difficult to do with Java/Flash [without anyone being able to possibly teach me how to do it], then feel free to tell me.

We're also using an RPG Maker if we can't exactly get anywhere with Java/Flash. [A trial of that version is found at http://www.yoyogames.com/make ] It's GameMaker7.0

Thank you for your help! I appreciate it greatly!!

[Aizmov]

You are using the wrong language/development environment!
Why not just use Python and PyGame?
Grab a book or two, and you'll be making role playing games in no time.
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&tag=...Mozilla-search
I recommend one of the first two, or both of them. The third book seems to focus more on Python and not on PyGame.

[Chocobo]

The game is kind of "dual-mode". If we can err "program" it with Java, we could also submit it under the category "JavaScripting" which falls under programming, coding, or scripting anything with the JavaScript language.

Another reason I'm not using Python is [even though I have the software installed for WoW purposes] because I don't know anything about it, and it would take at least a week to order it offline. We need to get to programming within this week; besides that, we're not exactly going to program it, since it's "due" next month, but we're going to use a "prescript" program called RPGMaker7.0 if you didn't read that.

Call it lazy, but the teacher wants to see the outcome of this. CCHS has never submitted any Game Design for the competition, and there's only about 1 or 2 schools that compete in that category every year.

[Aizmov]

Java to JavaScript is like Car to Carpet. You aren't being clear which one you are using..

Python is easy to learn, in less than 2 hours and 150 lines of code, and with no previous Python or PyGame experience, I got the basics and created a retarded PacMan-like clone.

If you can't wait for the books, check http://www.pygame.org/ for free tutorials and source code.


Someone did an RPG (using Python and PyGame) in 40 hours, much less features than what you have in mind, though..
http://www.rampantgames.com/blog/200...g-in-week.html
source code:
http://www.rampantgames.com/hackenslash.html


If you ask me, you should drop some features. After all it depends how much time you are willing to put into it. What you are planning on including seems to me, too much for 2 people to do in a month or so. You can try though and hopefully prove me wrong


Any way, you are asking whether you can save your game status in _whatever_ you are using.
As long as you can write to file in _whatever_ you are using, you can save your game status.
I don't know of any language that doesn't have the facilities for writing and reading from file.
You can define game status as a simple data structure or class, with all the data needed encapsulated, like current location, level, skill points, etc..


Game Maker has its own scripting language GML, maybe you should try using that, in addition Game Maker allows the loading of DLL files, which means you can develop in other languages like C# (very similar to Java).

http://gamemaker.wikicomplete.info/gml
http://gmc.yoyogames.com/?showforum=6
some DLLs I found, could be useful (especially reading/writing files and volume control):
http://www.ismavatar.com/dll.php


I hope I was helpful and not stupid, if I made wrong assumptions, and was totally wrong, excuse my ignorance.

[Khanxay]

The game is kind of "dual-mode". If we can err "program" it with Java, we could also submit it under the category "JavaScripting" which falls under programming, coding, or scripting anything with the JavaScript language.

I could have sworn that Java and Javascript were two entirely different things.


This would seem a pretty large taking for just two people. (I don't recommend it in flash either.) Also, what exactly are you asking for in the OP? Comments? Ideas? All i really got from the OP is that... you're having sprite trouble?