Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Alestance]

That reminds me!  Someone else was having similar problems and figured out how to fix them, sending me this message:

I finally figured out the problem.  Sometimes firefox sticks a "www." into bookmarks.  Apparently, boundworlds does not like that.

It is also possible that using https as opposed to http might be a problem.
I need a more detailed explanation, then I can post it in the troubleshooting section.

I can confirm that this has allowed me to use the game.

[Arx]

So how does this new coin system work? I've finally got a bit of time to look at my world again.

I seem to have a balance of $232. Attempting to deposit any amount of this into my world results in it depositing $0.

Can I be enlightened?

EDIT: Auugh why are the Vaults such a bug magnet? The game crashes if I try to enter the world.

[IndigoFenix]

So how does this new coin system work? I've finally got a bit of time to look at my world again.

I seem to have a balance of $232. Attempting to deposit any amount of this into my world results in it depositing $0.

Can I be enlightened?

EDIT: Auugh why are the Vaults such a bug magnet? The game crashes if I try to enter the world.

It seems that your world's file name had a space at the end of it, which I suspect was causing the problem.  I fixed it, so it should work now.  This was probably causing the coin bug as well.

EDIT: No, that's not it.  Weird, there's something about your world that really messes up the system.  I'm going to see if I can find it.

EDIT 2: Hm, I think it might simply be the size of the world.  I can't get into Protea either through the public gate selector, although the 'My Gates' menu works all right.  Kind of a major bug there, I'll try and fix it.

EDIT 3: Found it.  There was a game-breaking bug in the code related to finding gates with the same name but in different rooms of the same world.  But it's fixed now.  Arxworld should now be accessible through the public gate selector and should gain coins properly as well.

[IndigoFenix]

Hmm, how long has this not been working?  Seems the server upgraded at some point and broke the code in the process.  Well, that's disappointing. 

I fixed it.  Maybe I'll resume work on Protea...

[DragonDePlatino]

Hey, this looks pretty interesting! I gave the game a go and it looks like this idea has a lot of potential. A lot of the current worlds look pretty bare right now, but after some more people join the game I imagine some nicer-looking ones would crop up.

One thing I really don't like, though, is how disjointed the whole experience feels. I'm aware the game is supposed to have a patchwork feel, but I don't feel that the very general meta-plot does a very good job of explaining that. Instead, why not go for a dream theme like Yume Nikki? That would be a perfect explanation to tie the whole game together!

[IndigoFenix]

The plot will probably evolve over time as people add their own interpretations into their worlds.  It's all kind of abstract right now.

Barring that, I'll put some meta lore into Protea.  I just finished the first 'dungeon', so it's coming along.

I also added the ability to read some variables of sprites directly in the advanced functions. _x and _y will return a sprite' current position.

[Retropunch]

The plot will probably evolve over time as people add their own interpretations into their worlds.  It's all kind of abstract right now.

I really don't want this to come across as belligerent, but that just doesn't seem to be happening. I really like the idea of a kind of 'emergent story', but you have to draw people in for them to want to commit to adding their own stuff. Truthfully, I doubt graphics or mechanics are going to draw people in at the moment, so the only thing left is story/atmosphere.

I'd recommend setting aside a few days to make all sorts of story and lore up (which is good fun!) and then creating a fully fleshed out world for people to explore - at the very least it'll be a nice adventure game, but I'm sure it would encourage people to add on their own areas and stories.

[Arx]

Truthfully, I doubt graphics or mechanics are going to draw people in at the moment, so the only thing left is story/atmosphere.

I'd just like to note that they draw me in massively, but I don't actually have time for this right now.

A more coherent story would not hurt, certainly. I don't know how many others are as excited by the possibilities offered as I am.

[Retropunch]

Truthfully, I doubt graphics or mechanics are going to draw people in at the moment, so the only thing left is story/atmosphere.

I'd just like to note that they draw me in massively, but I don't actually have time for this right now.

A more coherent story would not hurt, certainly. I don't know how many others are as excited by the possibilities offered as I am.

The graphics and mechanics are nice but, in the nicest possible way, they're not really anything special. Standard JRPG sprites and movement isn't something that there is lack of, and with no combat or 'action' there's not a great deal to differentiate it from other JRPG adventures. Again, nothing wrong with that, but just that I can't see those things alone would make people stay with BoundWorlds.

Being able to build your own worlds to share with others online is a great selling point which is really different, but I think someone needs to get the ball rolling big time before others will jump in.

[IndigoFenix]

At this point, that will probably be me.

I've been expanding on Protea.  Already have one (admittedly small) dungeon down and have been putting together the next area, which will be a 'Lost Woods' puzzle, i.e. an endless maze that you can only get through by knowing the pattern.  Finding that pattern will probably involve playing some other minigame type things.  I'm going to try and showcase as many unusual mechanics as possible; although the basic functionality of BW is pretty plain the advanced functions offer a lot of possibilities.

On the other hand... since the main purpose of BW is supposed to be on large amounts of small, connected 'dream areas' rather than large, cohesive worlds, maybe I should set an example by making several small worlds instead of focusing on Protea specifically?  I guess I could make some small ones now and connect them later.

[Arx]

If you want you can hook one of Protea's dungeons up to the Vaults of Imperia. It's... slightly developed. That might add to the interconnected-ness. If you don't want to that's fine as well.

[Armok]

Another problem might be that by default you're always thrown into a bunch of tutorial areas with no mood and no 4th wall, and will get bored before you reach any of the content.

Another thing to consider is adding a bunch more fun default behaviors to the player sprite. Mostly, this'd be persistent variables and a bunch of guidelines on how worlds are supposed to interact with them. Oh, and a "decrement variable on each step" thing for hunger, energy, etc.

Hmm, ooh, idea: another thing that might make things more interesting rapidly; have different "types" of interaction, which means basically having several different keys tied to it and passing which one was used. You already have the framework in the form of touch events and such. Also really cool would be simple animations that are different for each one. Oh, and to have ones that can trigger anywhere the player is not just on specific sprites. This'd also go very well with the items system once you make that, having one (or more) types be "use item" slots that use the item name rather than the key pressed as the type. To start with I'd designate the first few types as "interact", "attack", "look/examine", and "pull/push", like with the above variables these names being only guidelines on how they should be used and not a difference in behavior programming wise.

[IndigoFenix]

I don't think I'll add too many default counters, at least until there's a base combat system.  It's easy enough, using persistent global variables, for world builders to create their own where they are relevant.  For instance, Protea's dungeons use an HP counter, and there will be a desert area in which you will have to deal with persistent thirst.  There isn't really any reason to carry information like that between worlds, (most worlds would just have a healing area near the entrance anyway) and it would get in the way of the 'free exploration' theme.

I might make an option to tie a numeric variable to a visible meter, though.  Right now, there isn't any way of checking a variable without running a function that displays it somewhere.  (Although some clever use of creating and deleting sprites in a row would be a way of getting around this in the meantime).

While making different kinds of interactions would be simple enough, I always found games with different types of interaction more distracting than fun.  99% of the time you're just guessing which interaction is the 'right' one to progress the plot, or checking what kind of wacky easter eggs the programmers have hidden in a particular 'wrong' interaction.  It's probably a holdover from old text-based adventure games where you would need to examine things to figure out what they are, which would explain why it has largely disappeared in more modern games.  A single button to talk to friends, attack enemies, interact with machinery, search cavities, and examine interesting inanimate objects is enough, I think.  And BW already has two (checking and touching).  Using items might be an option, though, once items become a thing.

As for the 'starting' areas, that's all up for change.  I'm throwing together a bunch of mini-worlds just to see what 'sticks', and I guess whichever ones work best will be placed near the beginning room.

You can make persistent 'looping' effects by using a 'master' sprite that has a function that calls itself when complete, and you can target the player sprite's position with a 'get _x of *' or 'get _y of *'.  Custom animations are planned, but in the meantime you can trick the game into animating a sprite by creating and destroying sprites with different graphics.

[Armok]

Fair enough. The default counters thing was mostly so that you don't end up with one area tracking "HP" and another tracking "health" and it confuses the player with two different persistent numbers that are supposed to be the same thing but aren't.

[Retropunch]

I don't think I'll add too many default counters, at least until there's a base combat system.  It's easy enough, using persistent global variables, for world builders to create their own where they are relevant.  For instance, Protea's dungeons use an HP counter, and there will be a desert area in which you will have to deal with persistent thirst.  There isn't really any reason to carry information like that between worlds, (most worlds would just have a healing area near the entrance anyway) and it would get in the way of the 'free exploration' theme.

While the 'free' exploration theme is good, even the most enthusiastic player needs something to aim for, whether it's an end goal or a constant goal. Whilst games like Myst and Riven are pure exploration, they have a defined end goal to work towards, whereas boundworlds is endless.

I'd suggest an implementation of global survival systems (maybe basic ones like food to start with), as they are easy to implement and create a good continuous goal - it's also something that can be easily worked into a reward system but doesn't conflict with the idea of endless exploration. You could then expand on this with things like a 'sanity' system which could cause apparitions if it was low, and other such systems that might link with combat.

I know this might sound like a departure from the original idea, but I think it could really give people an incentive to explore to find the resources they need.