Journal #4: Boundaries news - Z Warrior Chronicles

I almost quit, which would not be a good thing. For some reason the motivation left and I started thinking of a new idea for a game -- with the help of Skatter I might add. That was cool, but then I just listened to Hyperbolic Time Chamber Theme and now I have been working like a mad man.

But, to make sure that doesn't happen again, I had to make some... cuts. The only things I've really cut are throws/grabs and grab struggles, mainly because they're duplicates of already implemented systems, more or less. I could add new systems all day, but I won't get anywhere and I really need to start working on story before I lose my marbles.

So any new ideas will be put on halt because I feel that ZWC is fairly healthy as it is, gameplay wise. With some more polish, the gameplay could more than fit the means of the game so some story progress can be made, finally.

Hopefully you guys can understand that, and I understand that cuts suck, but I have to move forward. With that comes good news though!

I've been holding off 'cleaning up' the scripts for a while now, but since there's nothing new to add I finally got around to it. In other words, I've been killing bugs like a magnifying glass. But that also allows me to make the addition process of new characters way easier, because either way I'm dragging in pre-made settings, but at least now I can do it in 5 minutes.

I miss Piccolo, by the way. The next update is still some distance away, but one of the nifty additions will be having Piccolo back, because he was a fun character for those first few updates. Hell, you could still play as him if you wanted, just your computer may explode and giant ants would fall from the sky and eat your brains. A necessary evil? You tell me.

That about wraps up where ZWC is at the moment. It's funny, I describe how important and addictive ideas are to me, and now I don't want them anymore. I hate it because I could literally sit down and discuss ideas all day, but I'm happy to announce that ZWC is starting to progress.

One thing I'll be completely redoing are the cutscenes, because man they suck. Actually, they weren't that bad, but I can't do them outside of Unity without remaking the scene and whatnot, at which point I clash the graphics. If I do them with Anime cutscenes, I clash the graphics.

In which case, I found a median. Not the way I was doing before exactly, but imagine that style with the normal ZWC cam, just instead of camera angles it would use the lock-on system to focus on the action. I feel that this way I can poop out cutscenes like crazy because of how easier it will be in comparison. I can give the freedom of moving the camera around of you wish. And I can make a more personal experience because it will be as if you're a part of the action, and when they cut into gameplay, the intrusion won't be as jarring as when a cutscene just pops out of nowhere. It will 'flow' nicely together, so to say.

I'm also going to try to redo the Goku/Piccolo/Raditz models when I get a chance. There will come a time when 0% of my assets are from ZEQ2-Lite, and I think I can pull it off. I can model -- sort of -- and it seems that you guys don't give too many shits about accuracy, so long as the model represents the characters it tries to portray, which works for me.

One thing I urge you to try out with the Speed Melee update and the next one, is to imagine playing it as another character fighting another boss, like Vegeta vs Semi-Perfect Cell oppose to Goku vs Raditz. That will be the best way to get an idea of what ZWC will be like in the future, and hopefully it has a good one ahead of it. So, back to removing stuff...

I can see why game developers have to cut so many great ideas now. At the end of the day you want something to give, and the analogy I suggested the other day to a friend was that the entire ordeal is like going on vacation. You can pack your back with the necessities, and then add to it forever, but in order to get on that plane you have to just stop. Accept what you can live without, and move on. So I'm trying to move on. There are so many ideas I want in this game, but I want a story to be told as well, and if I can unite all of my systems in place to work flawlessly with one another, then they'll be able to handle their own ground -- no problem.

SAGAS did this too, albeit they cut it short way too early. You have combos and a special, those are the main systems. With teleportation, throws, and new combos thrown into the mix. The way these systems worked alone sucked, but together they were seamless. Everything flowed nicely. And that's what I meant by games being graded based off of their potential oppose to what we can see on the surface. SAGAS showed that they could have managed more systems and kept a balance between them, but they were scared to take that risk, which is why 90% of the people who see me type 'SAGAS' and exclaim how great a game it was, want to rip my balls off and show them to me.

At least to me, it's the best DBZ game on a console, and I know there are others who agree with me, so I take no shame in saying it. And without SAGAS, there would be no ZWC, and then I'd be sitting here doing god knows what else.

As for this week's little demotivation, I was just being an idiot. I started getting bored adding new system week after week, so I looked for an excuse to make new ideas, which was not the answer. I tried to question if my burden to finish this game is in fact a burden, or if I could just drop it and nothing would happen. But in the end, I want to be taken semi-seriously, and the only way to do that is to finish what I start. And that mindset when parented with the Hyperbolic Time Chamber Theme is a deadly combination, trust me.

As I've said many times before, though not necessarily on IndieDB; If I don't make the best DBZ Game to ever exist, ever, then nobody will. And that statement keeps be going. Other DBZ Game developers can laugh all they want, but it still stands. I have what they do not; isolation. I am the perfect warrior, cold and ruthless. I live by my strength alone, uninhibited by foolish emotion. And the funny thing is, I gained these motives by joining the ZEQ2-Lite Community, and leaving it after. A nightmarish time of my memories -- most of which are a blur. Or a necessary evil, as some might say. But none the less, an amazing choice in the end. But that tale is not to be discussed, we wouldn't want to feed the fire now, would we?

And for the record, for those that care at least. I did not leave because TRL was booted. It wasn't the action that caused me to say 'Kbyelol', it was the motives behind it. But I am confident that getting too deep into it may bring back some unwanted visitors, so I'll just drop it.

In a nutshell, it ended with a war between ninjas, creeps, idiots, spammers, and boot-lickers. Some crazy shit, I know. But we managed to survive through a flurry of message-shurikens passed on by the ninjas, and escaped back to base within the IRC Channel.

Even right now, I'm debating whether or not I should get into this, but it's honestly just a dumb story which should be left alone, and I said that before and wrote 2 paragraphs afterward, but this time I mean it. "Spend most of your life ruled by another! And then, tell me what has more meaning than your own strength!" ~ Vegeta.

That about sums this week up. Updates soon, and one more thing. I need testers. I'll take 3 people, whoever is interested just contact me however you see fit -- minus my front door. Until then, later!