Progress

[cbrooks]

Hello,
I have carved out some space on my web and database servers for spirit wars development.  The database schema currently contains a spirits table, map table and a few other tables I gleaned from the code and very helpful players. Though these tables will not be used directly in game they are very important as references to how the original game operated and the various abilities of the spirits. I am also creating a small MVC front end as well that will display the different spirits, maps etc. Essentially, a spirit wars encyclopedia for all to see.  The artwork is mostly comprised of bitmaps,gifs and jpegs.  In the end I will need to convert it to png.  Anyone who wants to help me with that would be welcome.  It can be done simply by opening the files in paint and saving them as .png but it can be very time consuming given the sheer amount of files.

Thanks,
Chris     

[Lyn Chase]

This is exciting news! Thank you, Chris!

[Psyclone]

I'm going to be out of town from July 24 - August 3 and unable to help out until I get back, but will gladly help.  I have Photoshop CS 6 and use it quite a bit.  Let me know in a couple weeks where you're at and what you need and I'll be glad to help.

[cbrooks]

That sounds great.  I won't be needing it soon but it immediately but it is good to know I can get some help.

I have posted a very rudimentary spirit viewing tool on my site.  If an image doesn't appear it means I don't have it. There are many more data points I can display but have chosen these for the first shot.  In the end I would like this site to be much prettier and informative for everything Spirit Wars past and present.

http://rivstyx.com/spiritwars/Home/

As far as the actual game I am still in the gathering requirements stage and thinking about the basic design.  Nothing coded yet.

[Lyn Chase]

Hi Chris,
  I'm so excited that you're moving forward!  I am winding down my nursing assistant training business and am now employed nearly full-time with a new company.  When I get their program stabilized I'll have more time to breathe.  It's getting closer but it's still a mess.  I am looking forward to the day when I can gather together the SpiritWars family we used to have and catch up on the news.  During the nine years that SpiritWars was on-line, we had people meet, some for casual get-togethers, some for romance.  We had one couple in Australia who met  here and had a baby together.  Although I never played SpiritWars, I felt that I was an integral part of the community and was accepted despite my failure to learn the game.  Thank you, Chris, for giving us hope that SpiritWars will return.
           Lyn (aka Mom)

[cbrooks]

Of course you were an integral part and still are. 

I have started development of the game using the Unity game engine.  This is the same engine Blizzard uses for Hearthstone so it should be adequate to the task   It is an amazing tool and has its own homegrown flavor of c#.

Thanks,
Chris



 

[Lotar]

Hi everyone...

I'd love to help convert files, and also use photoshop.  However, I'm finishing my MBA while working full-time, so I can't commit much time until the holidays.  I'll keep an eye on the message boards and chime in when I can.  Many thanks for your efforts and please keep us updated.

[cbrooks]

This week I was able to create the initial splash screen in Unity complete with the screeching fanfare   I am now working on the initial landing/navigation screen.  It is from here that you will get to your Valhalla/Dungeon setup, the game lobby, credits etc. etc.

Unity can be a bit finicky at times and their homegrown flavor of C# leaves a lot to be desired.   I am currently using the free version which shows a unity splash screen when the game launches.  Once we get closer to a finished, polished game I'll move over to the pro version.  As far as sprites, materials, textures and meshes I am using placeholders on the most part.  I expect the finished artwork to be much more refined but it is a start.

There is much work left to do but it is coming along. Next week I will be hiking in Watkins Glen, Ny and will not be working on Spirit Wars but Ill work on it again after I get back.
http://nysparks.com/parks/142/details.aspx

Chris

[Lotar]

cool... I don't live far from there.  I do track my car there sometimes.  Hope you enjoyed it!

[cbrooks]

Yeah, it was nice.  I hiked the gorge trail up and the indian trail back.  Didn't do the south rim or the lovers lane trails.  Maybe next time   This is the first post I have seen in this forum since 8/17   This fills me with a bit of apprehension about continuing.

[Lyn Chase]

Hi Chris,
  Welcome back!  Eric and I are leaving on our vacation tomorrow.  Our passports arrived yesterday.  We're going to Vancouver and Victoria, BC.  My life is finally calming down.  My business is closed and I am gainfully employed at a senior housing community owned and operated by the Odd Fellows fraternal organization.  I am continuing to teach nursing assistant classes and am the Program Director as I was for my own business but now I get a paycheck!
  Please don't give up on SpiritWars!  Now that I have more time, I'll work at getting the word out by sending personal e-mails.  I think people are apprehensive about expressing enthusiasm because we've had so many false starts.  I will definitely have more time and energy to invest in the game now.  I cannot participate in discussions about game design or play, but if you want to talk about the best way to pack a wound........

[Imprimis]

Don't be discouraged Chris. I check this forum multiple times every day. I don't post because I don't have much to say, but I am waiting for progress with baited breath, and tell all my gamer friends about it. I cant wait to SHOW them.

[dilligaf^]

dilligaf^ reporting in...been watching the site for awhile...time to get this game rockin'...cos...well...my wife loves to kill me, and hates when I kill her...yeah, we miss SW

[Nat]

Hey Chris, it's great to hear about the progress. I'm not always as vocal as some folks, but I'm quite excited by the progress and truly appreciate the effort.

Since I know you're working in Unity, I'll mention that I've got a buddy out in Tokyo that develops for them. I might just be able to convince him to field questions if any come up, so let me know.

-Eric

[Lotar]

Yes... please don't be discouraged!  I visit the forum about once a week looking for updates and progress, and also don't speak out much.  That said, I'll try to think of a few topics (related and unrelated to SW) to start some discussions.