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[Retropunch]

I'm rebuilding the central/hub/tutorial area to use the 'blocks' tileset, which is a step above the plain blue tiles that were there previously.  It's not exactly high-def, but it is enough to make a unique-looking world with if you're creative.

Could I also suggest possibly a smaller central hub? I felt it was a lot of walking before getting to a 'level'. Possibly an initial tutorial gate would allow new people to go through that?

[IndigoFenix]

I'm rebuilding the central/hub/tutorial area to use the 'blocks' tileset, which is a step above the plain blue tiles that were there previously.  It's not exactly high-def, but it is enough to make a unique-looking world with if you're creative.

Could I also suggest possibly a smaller central hub? I felt it was a lot of walking before getting to a 'level'. Possibly an initial tutorial gate would allow new people to go through that?

Yeah, that's what I'm doing.  One branch to the tutorial, one to the worlds.

[IndigoFenix]

Update: You can now make randomly-wandering NPCs for that old-school JRPG village feel.  Graphics are a little inflexible at this point, but custom animations will come in time.  The sprite sheet must look like this:

It is a 4 frame animation (the column on the left will repeat twice per step).
Sprite graphics can have any size, but they will always be regarded as a single tile.  The graphics will be positioned and centered automatically.
You might need to do a full reload (Shift+F5) for updates to work.

[Arx]

Update: You can now make randomly-wandering NPCs for that old-school JRPG village feel.  Graphics are a little inflexible at this point, but custom animations will come in time.  The sprite sheet must look like this:
It is a 4 frame animation (the column on the left will repeat twice per step).
Sprite graphics can have any size, but they will always be regarded as a single tile.  The graphics will be positioned and centered automatically.
You might need to do a full reload (Shift+F5) for updates to work.

Looks pretty neat. Will have to see how that works when I next have time, which is unfortunately not right now.

[IndigoFenix]

Now, where could I get a good resource for default graphics?  This game still needs some and pixel art is unfortunately not my strong point.

In the meantime, I'm going to see what can be done about the current scripting system.  Right now it's kind of complicated to make sprites do anything more interesting than wander around and say the same thing over and over.  It is actually possible to make stuff like key doors but stuff like that should be easy.  Also I'm thinking about a persistant item system that will allow you to save progress for proper quests and stuff.

[Arx]

It is actually possible to make stuff like key doors but stuff like that should be easy.

Hallelujah.

Now, where could I get a good resource for default graphics?  This game still needs some and pixel art is unfortunately not my strong point.

Retropunch linked a website with a bunch of tilesets, maybe there? Or ask shook if he has enough free time 

[Retropunch]

Now, where could I get a good resource for default graphics?  This game still needs some and pixel art is unfortunately not my strong point.

In the meantime, I'm going to see what can be done about the current scripting system.  Right now it's kind of complicated to make sprites do anything more interesting than wander around and say the same thing over and over.  It is actually possible to make stuff like key doors but stuff like that should be easy.  Also I'm thinking about a persistant item system that will allow you to save progress for proper quests and stuff.

Yeah that link I posted had loads of good tilesets, all of them I think were fine for non-commercial use.

In terms of advancement, I'm not really sure what you want your game to be in the end? I mean, if you wanted it to be like an exploration and socializing space then a chat system would be best, or if you wanted it to be more of a puzzle building thing then tiles which could be used would be best.

[IndigoFenix]

In terms of advancement, I'm not really sure what you want your game to be in the end? I mean, if you wanted it to be like an exploration and socializing space then a chat system would be best, or if you wanted it to be more of a puzzle building thing then tiles which could be used would be best.

There are no concrete plans to make any direct player-to-player interactions, so a live chat system is probably unnecessary.  The main focus will be on world building on the one side and exploration on the other.  While I would like it to be possible for a user to create a full-blown plot-driven RPG world in the end, these will probably be few and far between, considering that if someone wanted to make a full game, they'd probably just use RPG Maker instead (although anyone who DOES make a full game will probably rise to the top of the sorting algorithm of popular areas pretty quickly).  Rather, I expect BoundWorlds to wind up as a patchwork of smaller, 'artsy' worlds - whether artsy in the visual sense, unique short games, constantly changing 'blog worlds', or interesting for other reasons.  Things that aren't big enough or polished enough to make a full game out of, but are nevertheless worth making and visiting.  The end result, I'm hoping, will be kind of like a community-built, constantly evolving multiversal dreamscape - if you've played or heard of Yume Nikki, you'll have a general idea of what I'm hoping to create (psychological terror and mindscrews dependent on the builders of individual worlds, of course).

[IndigoFenix]

BoundWorlds now has global variables.  You can easily use them to make puzzles like find-the-key, or even collect-the-coins.  Variables with names beginning in '$' will be considered global.  Variables with names beginning with '$*' will persist between rooms (but everything will be reset upon leaving a world).

You can set variables under 'advanced functions' when editing a sprite.  Variables can be set to refer to either a numerical value, a string, or a particular sprite.  The easiest way to transfer information from sprite-to-sprite is through global variables.  (Previously, the only way sprites could 'communicate' was if they were all created by a single 'master' sprite which then stored each of them as a separately named variable.  Now you can just make a bunch of coins, have them set the global variable $coinCount to increase by one when you touch them and then destroy themselves, and have a door that checks $coinCount when you check it and destroys itself if the value is high enough.  Or you can make a coin door, have it set the global variable $coinDoor to itself when it is created - do this by leaving the value space blank - give it a function that checks the $coinCount, and have each coin run the function checkCoins of the sprite $coinCount when the coin is collected, causing the door to open automatically when you collect enough coins.  And so on.)

I...should probably write up a proper script tutorial, or put one into the tutorial area.

[Armok]

Hmm, even if you don't make player able to directly interact, it might still be an interesting idea to have meta-global variables that change the actual world for everyone? Like, somone could make a room where different people have to cooperate to stand on switches simultaneously, even if they cant see each other.

[IndigoFenix]

Hmm, even if you don't make player able to directly interact, it might still be an interesting idea to have meta-global variables that change the actual world for everyone? Like, somone could make a room where different people have to cooperate to stand on switches simultaneously, even if they cant see each other.

Eh, that seems like a lot of effort for something without a whole lot of practical application.  If I were to do that I might as well make an option to make each individual room properly multiplayer, but that's basically making a whole new type of game.

[Teneb]

I'm currently giving this a try. Seems quite nice.

[IndigoFenix]

Something I forgot to mention: It is actually possible to build anonymous areas without logging in.  However, anyone else who is not logged in will be able to edit them.

[IndigoFenix]

Boundworlds is now approximately 90% jumpier, with a basic function that lets you make a sprite that can be hopped over (good for one-tile pits) as well as an advanced function that lets you make a targeted sprite move or jump, including the player.

To target the player in an advanced function, set the target variable as *.  I guess that means the player's name can be Asterisk?  Insofar as they have an identity at all?

You can also make instant teleportation by setting the jump time to 0 or -1 in the advanced function.  If you set it to -1, the camera will move too, which with some trickery will let you make impossible areas like endless walkways or puzzle mazes (an example of this is demonstrated in the Hub).

Also, if you make a sprite with graphics taken from a single row of images, it will automatically animate.

You will need to reload the page with ctrl-F5 for the new functions to work.

[Arx]

Teleportation should come in handy later on, although I can't say when I'll next get much done on the Vaults.