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Try the new demo!

Block Builder is a Turn-Based RPG set on 3D surfaces where you take advantage of the topology of the levels and your ability to remove and insert blocks to your advantage.

Currently the game features two demos showcasing the 2D capabilities of the underlying engine. Currently the game is being updated with 3D capabilities and so now the game world will feel that much more immersive and challenging from a game play perspective.

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Today, I have decided to release the sandbox mode as a demo in preparation for the game's main release. I'm still unsure on an exact date (and it would be no fun for me if I put myself on that rigid of a plan); however, barring the space time continuum distorting, I will likely be releasing the main game next year, likely during the Summer.

In addition to the sandbox update I have also finished my new menu system for the game. This menu features an in-game interface which can be used to quickly choose between blocks. This will eliminate the need for the player to switch between rooms.

Also, contained within this update are a few blocks that appear duplicate. This is actually how blocks you have not yet encountered will appear within the menu. I chose not to include these blocks at the moment as I wish to keep their properties hidden until later on.

I hope you enjoy this little taste of what's to come.

Block Builder 1.0.1

RSS Files
Block Builder 1 0 3

Block Builder 1 0 3

Demo

A demo of the 3D version of the game. The game has certainly evolved in the past year.

Block Builder 1 02

Block Builder 1 02

Demo

A demo containing the first boss battle of the game.

Block Builder 1.0.1

Block Builder 1.0.1

Demo

This is a demo of the game, containing the sandbox mode. Use arrow keys to control the player. Have fun! ~The Great Duck

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TyphonBaneOfTheGods Creator
TyphonBaneOfTheGods

I am not all trying to be wishy washy here but I've gone back to game maker. It just kind of had to go that way. So it turns out my problem solved itself in a roundabout way. The issue I've been having is with the 3D functionality which I was planning to restrict as a small easter egg in maybe a hidden level somewhere. The problem was that I couldn't do dynamic texturing without redrawing a texture each frame (bad) or reconstructing a model each frame (very bad). So I tried to leave my entire thing behind and rebuild it (stupid). So I was stuck with inefficient unsuitable 3D stuff if I ever chose to go that way.

Then I remembered Game Maker can do extensions, which I had somehow never bothered to try using for some reason. Anyways, I found a free extension that I can use to change model texture mapping at runtime! It claims to be very fast and was made by a reputable person on the old game maker forums who also made a model editor I sometimes use in other stuff I do in between making this.

I should also explain as some people might be confused why this page has been here so fricken long with no game. This is just for leisure. I'm not selling this. This isn't a job. I just work on this in the evenings here and there. That isn't to say I don't care about quality. I am pretty meticulous (except when it comes to art but I think I've improved over the years it with revisions here and there). I apologize for anyone wanting this sooner. I'm going to try and devote some more time to it. I think partly I got frustrated by the 3D issue and that left a bad taste in my mouth. Now I think I might be able to truly do some cool stuff beyond what I've currently done so far.

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TyphonBaneOfTheGods Creator
TyphonBaneOfTheGods

And that didn't work. Apparently the extension was a little confusing. It was altering texture maps by copying the model and rebuilding it which ironically is exactly what I've been doing in my own code. I think the long term solution short of some hail mary magic texture mapping extension is to just make the terrain for 3D turn based. This might be better anyways as then I can start having enemies be in the levels directly instead of encounters. This might be easier in the long run. However, I'll first start checking for lag. Some of it may have been due to my egregious code whereby I stored my copy of the model sparsely in an array. Making a more direct representation might make things run faster. It is also possible that the rendering itself is the bottleneck in which the issue boils down to my pc being bad. Whatever the case I'll continue investigating. However, I am definitely sticking to Game Maker. Going to a pure code setup would be a bad idea at this point (or switching to any engine at this point).

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TyphonBaneOfTheGods Creator
TyphonBaneOfTheGods

Due to efficiency reasons among other things such as game maker having poor support for data structures that properly worked, I've switched to using C++ with a few basic graphics libraries. It has been that way for a little while now. It won't be that hard to rebuild what I have so far, especially when i don't have to continually reinvent the wheel.

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KawaiiNuke
KawaiiNuke

LOLOLOL HI

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