Hello, everyone. Beginning now, logs won't always be five-paragraph long big boys that you need fifteen minutes to read. These will be short and to the point.
So, first item on the list: I'm planning to re-acquaint myself with DEdit after my hiatus. Which means I'lll be doing a lot of side projects. First one was remembering how to create a ring, which I have managed to do successfully. I need to figure out how to recreate M02-04 (pre-reformat Lab Server), or at the very least the exit port area. And I need to configure Sec Rezzers to be usable by the player, since you're on the ICP's side (duh).
Second item on the list: Halloween is upon us... and all the other holidays not long after! I wanted to make a few gimmicky test maps, but I figured that there was no point in just making them to throw them away. Expect some holiday themed mini-maps in the near future (AT THE VERY LATEST by Christmas Day).
Lastly: Patreon! No, not now. Sometime next year, I plan to launch a Patreon since balancing this and my university life is a very financially tense situation to be in.
That short enough? Cool. Catch you later!
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Monday, October 21, 2019
Monolith Productions' 25th Anniversary!
Recent activity on the Monolith Productions Twitter is all in celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the studio! To see them acknowledge the games they've made over this time - TRON 2.0 included - it really has brightened my last couple days. I know this post is a bit late, but it's still worthy of celebration. Be sure to head on over to Monolith's Twitter and participate in the festivities, including competitions for the best speedruns and fanart of their many releases.
Here's to 25 more!
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
System Recovery 1
> ENCOM System Boot v1.043 build 1982
> Checking disk integrity ... DONE
> Restoring state ... 97 %
> RESTORE FAILED (ERROR 194510)
> Restoring from backup ... DONE
/-/KERNEL UPDATE/-/
Greetings, Programs. Been a while, hasn't it?
Truth be told, a lot has happened in my hiatus. Ever since attending Comic-Con, I've been more or less distracted from this project entirely. Now, don't get me wrong; I still have the same amount of passion for this mod now as I did when I started. But life's a jerk, to you, to me, and to everyone else in this world, so when I say life happened, I don't think anyone would be surprised.
I'm calling this post System Recovery 1 because I expect to have more accidental unannounced hiatuses in the coming times - especially now that I have begun university, and anyone who goes to or has gone to university in the past can tell you, that's a pretty time consuming venture. However, that doesn't mean whatsoever that I will forget about this project, because I still have every plan to go into game design in some way, shape, or form in the future. I am currently taking a game design class at my university, which gives me at least a little hope that the things I learn in that class will allow me to create more content in a better and more efficient way.
As I said when I first began this blog, I expect TRON 2.0: Security Protocol to be a multi-year venture, and at this rate, none of you would be surprised if I said that I meant that wholeheartedly. But this is all the more reason why I want to keep working on it. For the last six to seven years, I've been the victim of high-functioning autism, which - to put it bluntly - means that I am horrible at keeping long-term commitments of any kind.
I don't plan to forget this commitment like I have the others. And with your help, fellow programs, I can make TRON 2.0: Security Protocol a reality. I'm not asking for money - God knows enough people ask you for money anyways nowadays - but I am asking for some level of emotional support. Right now I'm undergoing major changes in my life, and nothing I do now will be able to postpone the inevitable change that is the effective renovation my entire livelihood. So, if nothing else, please bear with me as I make these changes. I hope to have more progress for you in the coming weeks, even if minimal.
I want to thank you all for your patience as I continue to begin my journey creating TRON 2.0: Security Protocol. I hope to be able to create a TRON campaign worthy of your time.
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> Checking disk integrity ... DONE
> Restoring state ... 97 %
> RESTORE FAILED (ERROR 194510)
> Restoring from backup ... DONE
/-/KERNEL UPDATE/-/
Greetings, Programs. Been a while, hasn't it?
Truth be told, a lot has happened in my hiatus. Ever since attending Comic-Con, I've been more or less distracted from this project entirely. Now, don't get me wrong; I still have the same amount of passion for this mod now as I did when I started. But life's a jerk, to you, to me, and to everyone else in this world, so when I say life happened, I don't think anyone would be surprised.
I'm calling this post System Recovery 1 because I expect to have more accidental unannounced hiatuses in the coming times - especially now that I have begun university, and anyone who goes to or has gone to university in the past can tell you, that's a pretty time consuming venture. However, that doesn't mean whatsoever that I will forget about this project, because I still have every plan to go into game design in some way, shape, or form in the future. I am currently taking a game design class at my university, which gives me at least a little hope that the things I learn in that class will allow me to create more content in a better and more efficient way.
As I said when I first began this blog, I expect TRON 2.0: Security Protocol to be a multi-year venture, and at this rate, none of you would be surprised if I said that I meant that wholeheartedly. But this is all the more reason why I want to keep working on it. For the last six to seven years, I've been the victim of high-functioning autism, which - to put it bluntly - means that I am horrible at keeping long-term commitments of any kind.
I don't plan to forget this commitment like I have the others. And with your help, fellow programs, I can make TRON 2.0: Security Protocol a reality. I'm not asking for money - God knows enough people ask you for money anyways nowadays - but I am asking for some level of emotional support. Right now I'm undergoing major changes in my life, and nothing I do now will be able to postpone the inevitable change that is the effective renovation my entire livelihood. So, if nothing else, please bear with me as I make these changes. I hope to have more progress for you in the coming weeks, even if minimal.
I want to thank you all for your patience as I continue to begin my journey creating TRON 2.0: Security Protocol. I hope to be able to create a TRON campaign worthy of your time.
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Friday, July 5, 2019
"Development Log" - 5 July 2019
Greetings, Users. This is less of a development log and more of a life update. I'll only talk about the TRON-related stuff here, but if you want to read the full update, you can do so below (most of the wording will be the same between this post and the TwitLonger, but this post will expand on the wording):
Now, with that out of the way, let's talk. Modding TRON 2.0 is proving to be quite the wild ride so far. At present, Security Protocol is definitely looking be a multi-year project, but I expected this from the beginning, and as of right now, I'm committed to finishing this, no matter how long it will take. Of course, I'll document my progress whenever possible; I know leaving people in the dark is generally a bad idea right now, and I personally believe that if you all see the progress of the game, you'll be able to help me make it into a highly enjoyable experience. Should TRON 2.0: Security Protocol ever reach it's conclusion, I'll be happy if even one person says that they enjoyed playing it - because that means I did my job.
Right now, however, development will be slow. Immensely slow. While I began to learn and understand the process of mapmaking - not just in TRON 2.0, but in most games in general - I realized just how steep the learning curve would be (refer to my previous log for more info on that). So I'm halting relevant map development for now while I take some time to get a firmer grip on mapmaking. You may see me release a few side projects if all goes well on that front. That said, I still want to work on more intricate mechanics I want put into the game, like letting the player activate Sec Rezzers, making ICPs friendly by default, etc. I'll update the Trello board soon with anything I can think of.
So now onto something a bit different; I want to try streaming my development adventures, be it in TRON 2.0: Security Protocol, or in a completely different side project. It'll just be me, probably without a facecam (sorry), working on TRON 2.0-related projects. I'm not expecting it to blow up or get popular; the primary intent of these streams is be another good way of documenting my progress alongside this blog. Let me know if that would be interesting to any of you.
That's all for now.
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— WildCharger (@wildchargergame) July 5, 2019
Now, with that out of the way, let's talk. Modding TRON 2.0 is proving to be quite the wild ride so far. At present, Security Protocol is definitely looking be a multi-year project, but I expected this from the beginning, and as of right now, I'm committed to finishing this, no matter how long it will take. Of course, I'll document my progress whenever possible; I know leaving people in the dark is generally a bad idea right now, and I personally believe that if you all see the progress of the game, you'll be able to help me make it into a highly enjoyable experience. Should TRON 2.0: Security Protocol ever reach it's conclusion, I'll be happy if even one person says that they enjoyed playing it - because that means I did my job.
Right now, however, development will be slow. Immensely slow. While I began to learn and understand the process of mapmaking - not just in TRON 2.0, but in most games in general - I realized just how steep the learning curve would be (refer to my previous log for more info on that). So I'm halting relevant map development for now while I take some time to get a firmer grip on mapmaking. You may see me release a few side projects if all goes well on that front. That said, I still want to work on more intricate mechanics I want put into the game, like letting the player activate Sec Rezzers, making ICPs friendly by default, etc. I'll update the Trello board soon with anything I can think of.
So now onto something a bit different; I want to try streaming my development adventures, be it in TRON 2.0: Security Protocol, or in a completely different side project. It'll just be me, probably without a facecam (sorry), working on TRON 2.0-related projects. I'm not expecting it to blow up or get popular; the primary intent of these streams is be another good way of documenting my progress alongside this blog. Let me know if that would be interesting to any of you.
That's all for now.
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Thursday, July 4, 2019
Development Log - 4 July 2019
Greetings, Users. This is just a quick update as to progress on the HUD color modification. It's going along well for the most part, but I do want to quickly address the color of permissions, the 8-piece ring between your health bars and sometimes around your crosshair if you're looking at an object that may require permissions to activate/deactivate/access.
I will not be changing the color of permissions. They will remain blue.
This decision mostly comes from two reasons that would conflict with a color change;
Happy 4th of July, Users!
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I will not be changing the color of permissions. They will remain blue.
This decision mostly comes from two reasons that would conflict with a color change;
- Archive Bins show permissions as blue, and since the red-colored box is already taken by subroutines, it would prove to be too much of a gameplay detriment to be worth it.
- It would be difficult for some players who may suffer from colorblindness to tell the difference between the deep red of a missing permission and the somewhat lighter red of an available permission. I have no intention of changing the deep red color of a missing permission, either.
Happy 4th of July, Users!
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Thursday, June 27, 2019
Development Log - 27 June 2019
I was honestly about to make a TwitLonger or tweet chain on this matter, but here, I know, is a better place. Today's log will be my thoughts on actual mapmaking in TRON 2.0, and how I will hopefully move forward with it from here on out.
For a while, I was hesitating to create anything beyond what I already had. A few weeks ago, it dawned on me that I had absolutely no idea how to make a map effective for good gameplay, especially for a singleplayer campaign where environment is most important. I slept on it for the time being, and scrounged up a few ideas - but nothing really struck me as a good way to learn how to make good maps. That is, until today.
I have ArraySeven, a Team Fortress 2 YouTuber and fellow Colorado Springs resident, to thank for his advice on map building. Yes, it did cover the Source engine and not Lithtech, but when it comes to mapmaking in particular, there is plenty of common ground. In ArraySeven's latest video called "Learn to Build Team Fortress 2 Maps! - Tutorial", he made a point which had not yet occurred to me; in order to break the rules, I need to know the rules. The best way to do this?
Recreate an existing map, but put my own spin on it.
Boo-yah. It's perfect. Recreating a map the developers made not only lets me put my own two cents into the final product, but it also lets me get a better insight on why Monolith did what they did to create the map the first time around. Of course, this does present an issue in itself - because Monolith created the maps for TRON 2.0 in third party software - at this time, I believe they used Autodesk Maya Version 6 and/or Autodesk 3ds Max Version 5 - I'll be left in a pretty complicated situation. At present, I will only have two options to proceed.
The first option is to attempt to recreate a map of theirs in DEdit directly. It would be a very perilous task, but it would give me valuable DEdit experience I could utilize in creating my own maps going forward. This would seem like the most obvious course of action; however, there is another way.
Enclosed in the TRON 2.0 Editing Tools is a plugin for Blender, another program to build environments, models, etc., to export projects made in Blender to .LTA format: a prefab in DEdit. The latest version it supports is, as far as I know, Blender v2.48 - I have yet to test this plugin as I am unsure how to add plugins to Blender at this point - and I could use the plugin to export worlds I make in Blender to prefabs, which I can then import into DEdit world files, add all the objects and such, and compile the end result into a completed world. This would be my second option.
At the moment, I'm leaning towards the first option, and may save Blender for pieces of geometry that would take an exorbitant amount of time in DEdit (such as a ring, although I now have one of those). If anyone would like to chip in their two cents, please feel free to do so in the comments here.
So what does that mean for active mod development? Well, all of this just serves to show how long this mod will actually take to complete. And I'm okay with that. I fully expect this mod to be a rather long and tricky endeavor, and it may be years until I can release the final result. Which makes me hope all the more that you, the reader of this post, will join me on that journey. With your help, the end result will look all the better.
However, I will still work on certain aspects of the mod - particularly, HUD and Menu elements. Now that I have a firm idea on how to replace textures, I plan to colorize the game to carry the ICP's trademark red color scheme as opposed to the current blue. It may have to go through a few iterations before it's final, but it's always good to have a place to start. Expect development logs in the future to have progress updates on this.
That's all from me for today, everyone. Have a good one.
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For a while, I was hesitating to create anything beyond what I already had. A few weeks ago, it dawned on me that I had absolutely no idea how to make a map effective for good gameplay, especially for a singleplayer campaign where environment is most important. I slept on it for the time being, and scrounged up a few ideas - but nothing really struck me as a good way to learn how to make good maps. That is, until today.
I have ArraySeven, a Team Fortress 2 YouTuber and fellow Colorado Springs resident, to thank for his advice on map building. Yes, it did cover the Source engine and not Lithtech, but when it comes to mapmaking in particular, there is plenty of common ground. In ArraySeven's latest video called "Learn to Build Team Fortress 2 Maps! - Tutorial", he made a point which had not yet occurred to me; in order to break the rules, I need to know the rules. The best way to do this?
Recreate an existing map, but put my own spin on it.
Boo-yah. It's perfect. Recreating a map the developers made not only lets me put my own two cents into the final product, but it also lets me get a better insight on why Monolith did what they did to create the map the first time around. Of course, this does present an issue in itself - because Monolith created the maps for TRON 2.0 in third party software - at this time, I believe they used Autodesk Maya Version 6 and/or Autodesk 3ds Max Version 5 - I'll be left in a pretty complicated situation. At present, I will only have two options to proceed.
The first option is to attempt to recreate a map of theirs in DEdit directly. It would be a very perilous task, but it would give me valuable DEdit experience I could utilize in creating my own maps going forward. This would seem like the most obvious course of action; however, there is another way.
Enclosed in the TRON 2.0 Editing Tools is a plugin for Blender, another program to build environments, models, etc., to export projects made in Blender to .LTA format: a prefab in DEdit. The latest version it supports is, as far as I know, Blender v2.48 - I have yet to test this plugin as I am unsure how to add plugins to Blender at this point - and I could use the plugin to export worlds I make in Blender to prefabs, which I can then import into DEdit world files, add all the objects and such, and compile the end result into a completed world. This would be my second option.
At the moment, I'm leaning towards the first option, and may save Blender for pieces of geometry that would take an exorbitant amount of time in DEdit (such as a ring, although I now have one of those). If anyone would like to chip in their two cents, please feel free to do so in the comments here.
So what does that mean for active mod development? Well, all of this just serves to show how long this mod will actually take to complete. And I'm okay with that. I fully expect this mod to be a rather long and tricky endeavor, and it may be years until I can release the final result. Which makes me hope all the more that you, the reader of this post, will join me on that journey. With your help, the end result will look all the better.
However, I will still work on certain aspects of the mod - particularly, HUD and Menu elements. Now that I have a firm idea on how to replace textures, I plan to colorize the game to carry the ICP's trademark red color scheme as opposed to the current blue. It may have to go through a few iterations before it's final, but it's always good to have a place to start. Expect development logs in the future to have progress updates on this.
That's all from me for today, everyone. Have a good one.
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Wednesday, June 26, 2019
Development Log - 26 June 2019
It's that time again! Not much to show today, aside from a first-person look into the Kernel's Control Room. I expect this to play a part in the final release - then, maybe you'll get to walk around in it too! As an added benefit, it also lets me extract assets to use in my own levels. So guaranteed quality! Yay! I think.
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Sunday, June 23, 2019
Development Log - 23 June 2019
Today is not so much of a typed log as it is a video I recorded of my raw, unedited ramblings on how to make a ring in DEdit. Why not? I don't see anyone else making tutorials on this anymore.
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Development Log - 22 June 2019
This will be the first of plenty of development logs documenting what the development process will be like so I don't end up spewing all of my ramblings on Twitter. As much as I hate to be starting this log now instead of at the very beginning of my development journey, it's better late than never. (It also serves as the site's first post so I can tweak anything else I missed in design.)
Today I spent more time snooping around the Transport Station level, mainly for design inspiration. Plenty of questions came to mind, but I was able to learn more about KeyFramers from that Finder in the center of the level. Knowledge I plan to use for creating the introduction cutscene - which has finally settled on a foundation I think I can work with. The general idea is this: the camera moves along different environments, with credits text appearing similar to the way text pops up in a Borderlands intro (Borderlands 1, mind you; I really don't want to make 3D letters for everything. Nuh-uh. Nope). It'll go through some iterations, but I think it'll look real cool and unique when it's done.
Really, all that's left is to learn about occluders and how to make an O shape. Not a circle, but a ring, something that's much harder to do in DEdit than you might expect (and I hate that). But when you're pretty much stuck using just DEdit and unable to use the tools Monolith had, it's gonna seem pretty insurmountable. I can't make maps the same way Monolith did because they decided, instead of making their software competent enough to create anything quality, they just used an early version of Autodesk Maya and just imported the geometry. Screwing over modmakers before the game even released. Brilliant.
Not much else to say for today - a majority of this was just iterating things I've said in the past anyways. As I go along with these logs, they should be more coherent and structured. I'll be making posts of other varieties, including changelogs and any major development updates, separate from these logs. I won't have a set schedule to post these, as I personally don't see a point in doing that when this project will be very long-term, but suffering to the point of mental breakdown is all part of the journey when it comes to game development, so who knows?
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Today I spent more time snooping around the Transport Station level, mainly for design inspiration. Plenty of questions came to mind, but I was able to learn more about KeyFramers from that Finder in the center of the level. Knowledge I plan to use for creating the introduction cutscene - which has finally settled on a foundation I think I can work with. The general idea is this: the camera moves along different environments, with credits text appearing similar to the way text pops up in a Borderlands intro (Borderlands 1, mind you; I really don't want to make 3D letters for everything. Nuh-uh. Nope). It'll go through some iterations, but I think it'll look real cool and unique when it's done.
Really, all that's left is to learn about occluders and how to make an O shape. Not a circle, but a ring, something that's much harder to do in DEdit than you might expect (and I hate that). But when you're pretty much stuck using just DEdit and unable to use the tools Monolith had, it's gonna seem pretty insurmountable. I can't make maps the same way Monolith did because they decided, instead of making their software competent enough to create anything quality, they just used an early version of Autodesk Maya and just imported the geometry. Screwing over modmakers before the game even released. Brilliant.
Not much else to say for today - a majority of this was just iterating things I've said in the past anyways. As I go along with these logs, they should be more coherent and structured. I'll be making posts of other varieties, including changelogs and any major development updates, separate from these logs. I won't have a set schedule to post these, as I personally don't see a point in doing that when this project will be very long-term, but suffering to the point of mental breakdown is all part of the journey when it comes to game development, so who knows?
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