Lipucd's Adult Zone

Well, today starts the first of what I hope is a full telling of how I am going about redoing Project: -QB- both to be useful for others who are trying to make such games and the like to see what I'm doing and going about it, more less to keep people breasted at how fast I work and progress on these things, and the head aces and struggles that will ( more then likely ) happen along the way.

So first and formost: Why?
The answer is pretty easy in that. Back when I started the project, it was mostly a proof of concept situation. I didn't take steps to keep things organized nor clean in any fashion, and it shows utterly.

The maps where a mess, the common events where a mess, the triggers, everything was all over without any real good way to keep track of everything. This in and of itself is some pretty hard knocks on my own self, but this wouldn't be such a matter if not for the big issue at hand: Updating older features to work better started breaking everything else. I had learned a lot from working on Egg Assault, and I wanted to bring a lot of those updates and improvements over here to better my workflow, but alas due towards just how disorganized it really was at the end of the day, I've had to drop that build and start anew.

So, what goes into starting one of my game projects then from scratch?
The first tibit is the scripts, as without those, I've got nothing. Of course, the scrips I use....

...Come from the one and only CP, or Neon Black. As anyone who's followed me the last year or two would know, CP's stuff allows me to do everything that I do. From the battle system that changes images based off of status effects, towards the ability to 'stack' said status effects in turn towards worse and worse levels, CP's content has given my games the backbone to work off of time and time again. Out of all of them, I've only done a fix and edit towards one of them, the Custom Battle, in where it had a serous game crashing bug and error, and it took me well over a year to trace down the exact issue and learn how to patch it up for good. Ever since that fix though, these have been my go-to, and there's not been anything else on the market that gives me the type of control nor options I need for my products. CP might have gone off towards greener pastures, but I still carry and respect the work he's done, and am ever grateful for it.

So today was mostly about shifting over all the scripts I'll need to use into a new project, more less art assists and the like. In the last iteration of Project: -QB-, I used RPG Maker's default AI scripting. This is just it rolling a dice and seeing what attack goes off on whom, with me able to fiddle around with it ever so much via Varables or Switches, or if it's HP is in Selective ranges, but nothing else. Overall it's rather limited in function, and disallows a mot of creative ideas, or preventing attacks going off on targets it should not ( like targets that JUST recovered from status effects, so you don't get 'stun locked' ). Egg Assault was the first take on using CP's AI script, passed down by one of the more helpful assistance's a while back when trying to better my games, and as anyone who plays it shows, the AI is a lot more smarter and can really focus down a player in key situations if you don't disallow them to. That's because such AI lets me control whom it can and can't target based off a number of different pointers, being health, status, or even if they are being attacked! That kind of greater control lets me make far more smarter foes that try to set up onto the player, and it'll be on the player to ether try to counter that strategy...or let it go off...;3

As an example of how the AI works, here's a snapshot from the Resin bot:
Skill_Use_AI: 159
Required_Switch: 98, OFF
Remove_If: t.state?(16)
Select_Default


Skill_Use_AI: 161
Required_State: 16
Select_If: t.state?(26)
Select_Random


Skill_Use_AI: 160
Required_State: 16
Select_If: t.state?(303)
Select_Random


Skill_Use_AI: 160
Required_State: 16
Select_If: t.state?(306)
Select_Random


Skill_Use_AI: 160
Required_State: 16
Remove_If: t.state?(19)
Remove_If: t.state?(22)
Remove_If: t.state?(31)
Remove_If: t.state?(26)
Remove_If: t.state?(20)
Remove_If: t.state?(21)
Remove_If: t.state?(25)
Remove_If: t.state?(23)
Remove_If: t.state?(24)
Remove_If: t.state?(30)
Select_If: (t.hp_rate * 100) <= 25
Select_Random


Skill_Use_AI: 160
Required_State: 16
Remove_If: t.state?(19)
Remove_If: t.state?(22)
Remove_If: t.state?(31)
Remove_If: t.state?(26)
Remove_If: t.state?(20)
Remove_If: t.state?(21)
Remove_If: t.state?(25)
Remove_If: t.state?(23)
Remove_If: t.state?(24)
Remove_If: t.state?(30)
Remove_If: t.state?(252)
Select_If: (t.hp_rate * 100) <= 50
Select_Random


Skill_Use_AI: 126
Remove_If: t.state?(6)
Remove_If: t.state?(19)
Remove_If: t.state?(25)
Remove_If: t.state?(26)
Remove_If: t.state?(20)
Remove_If: t.state?(21)
Remove_If: t.state?(303)
Remove_If: t.state?(306)
Select_Random


Skill_Use_AI: 1
Remove_If: t.state?(19)
Remove_If: t.state?(25)
Remove_If: t.state?(26)
Remove_If: t.state?(20)
Remove_If: t.state?(21)
Select_Random


Skill_Use_AI: 7
Select_Default


...that's a lot of text huh? But you can chances are make out a few key factors of it if your savvy enough, even without knowing exactly what all each number is referring towards. For example, there's 4 different listings for the Skill #160, one of them can only work if the targets 25% HP or less, another is 50% HP or less ( but notice it has one more status effect the previous one did not as 'do not target' ), and then the last two only list it being able to work if a target has a single status effect. These refer towards the Resin drone able to coat someone in resin, and as you can guess, pans out from "At 25% HP as long as not under another status, 50% as long as not under Aiges Shard ( and any previously listed status ), and at any point and time a target is under Hypno/Hypno (Droned)". The order is also important to note, as the script reads from the top down, so whatever becomes the first 'valid' attack, it will always do before anything else under the list. Controlling that though is with creative use of limits ( don't attack if person doesn't have status/is under status ) more less if the foe can even legit use the attack ( not enough MP/TP usable to use the attack ) at the time.

Well, that's a good place to stop for now. If you guys want to have me explain other points in detail, or want to see selective parts being worked on, do chime in and let me know! Questions and the like are also welcomed!

I've noticed that perhaps I haven't been that clear on how Egg Assault in general works, so here's a mock up guide on getting started and how to play the game:



For starters Egg Assault's gameplay is rather basic in it's execution, given there's no city's to explore, or side quests to complete. Instead the player is challenged with a gauntlet of a never ending wave after wave of foes, forced to survive and hold them back till ( eventual and unavoidable ) defeat. Losing is a key aspect of Egg Assault, you are expected to lose, chances are more then once or twice....or 10...Depending on! But then again losing is also advantageous as well. You'll gain points based off of the waves you clear, and how deep each wave was. The deeper in the waves you go, the far greater points you'll earn for each victory, and in turn make future runs THAT much more easier to get even farther, almost snowballing in a way!



Still, you can't do a run without a team, and you need to set that up before going anywhere. To pick your team members is rather easy, as from it's menu you can get a nice listing of who's all usable, and a general look over at their stat layout. Something to take note of though is just under the name is a listing of three terms that are very important towards team building.

The first one relates towards a 'style', there being three in all, and each one limits the type of equipment that character can use.
-Program-
Program refers towards those who are robotic or are constructs who use secondary add-on's onto their self to increase their performance in some way. Program equipment tends to be things like nanites, or devices installed onto the body.
-Tools-
Tools refers towards those who use something as a primary towards their own strengths. Guns, Traps, and anything that isn't directly the user's powers or body are counted under Tools.
-Magic-
Yet it be an unknown inner power, or directly spell casting, those under Magic have some kind of special power that isn't man made, nor constricted in any physical fashion. Spells, and some magical embedded equipment are under Magic.

The next is telling of a player's 'Type', and this effects how skills can be used on them, more less in a ( few ) cases how damage is dealt towards them.
-Organic-
Humans, Humanoids, and anything that has Flesh and Blood is an Organic. They make up the larger end of the cast, and are the easiest to be healed, but also fall under special status effects just as easy. They also can be converted by Q-Bee into Bee Drones.
-Robotic-
(Will later be renamed into Inorganic) Anything not Organic falls under here. Machine, Metal, or otherwise, these things run on far different rules then Organics, and as such things that would effect them have no effect on these. In turn though, Robotics have their own tools and healing options that only they can make use of. Robotics tend to suffer extra damage from Electric based attacks, but they are more resistant towards special status effects.

Last, there is the 'Class' that denotes a characters normal playing style. An easy way to advance would be having one of each class on a team, making sure they cover for each others weakness.
-Tank-
A bulky, hard to take down class, they have strong survivability, with rather high health and damage mitigation, ether for their self, or secondary towards their team mates.
-Burst-
The 'Damage Dealer' of any team, focusing on giving out those high numbers ether to single targets or groups. They can easily turn the tide of any fight towards their advantage, as long as they are able to be protected. Many Burst fighters suffer from ether low health, or low defenses, making them 'Glass Cannons' that if not cared for will lead towards the failure of a run.
-Support-
People under support tend to offer things less directly towards the team then a Tank or Burst does, but they can quickly shine when used right. Some have disables and stuns, others have heals and passive effects for the team, even others can apply damage over time (DoT) effects towards the foes to let the turn count finish them off!

You'll need to pick a team of 3 ( no more, and no less ) before you can advance.



The next step would be once you have a team, to equip them for the road ahead, ether empowering their strengths, covering their weaknesses, or giving them more utility via new skills and attacks. The shop is where you can go for that, and your set amount of points for any run to spend is based off of the total amount earned within your entire playing career (as long as you remember to save!). You might notice that each equipment has brackets in it's description, and an icon for it as well. The first half of a bracket tells you exactly what it does when attached, while the second half tells you what Style is able to use it. The icon each equipment has matches up with this, as Magic, Program, and Tools, each has their own icon, more less one more to symbolize for 'All', or equipment that anyone can use regardless of Style.

Also, don't worry about 'saving' your points for another run, you always get fully refunded all of your previous, and new fund earnings back after each run, meaning you only get to buy more and more the farther and farther you get before coming back.



With a team set up, and equipment gathered, you'll need to make sure to actually EQUIP it towards your team before moving on! From the Menu option, you then can do such, able to check up on the skills everyone's got access towards to better familiarize yourself with them, attaching the gear you just bought to give them those bonuses, check up on their stats, change the order of your team (who's first, second, or third in battle display), and allows you to make a save of your game to continue at a later point and time.

*PLEASE NOTE*
It is HIGHLY recommended to make a save BEFORE selecting a team or buying equipment, as when you load a save with a selected team, you can not use the 'Buy Ahead' option, nor access the menu to edit equipment, and will be thrust into combat with little warning. This might be adjusted in later builds.

Now with a save to come back towards, if you've been able to clear checkpoints, and have enough left over points, you can use the 'Buy Ahead' feature to return towards one of your last reach points and try to advance from there, otherwise you can choose to start, and start holding back the waves as best as you can!



I hope this guide helps you out!