May DevLog: Back to Basics!

I spent more time trying to figure out new tools than actually implementing anything, and that hurts. This stuff was meant to make things easier and faster, but I find myself hitting roadblocks and playing stop-n'-go when I've only got a few hours in the day to focus completely on gamedev. 

It's maddening and I think I'll need to brute force some stuff just to see anything get done. 

I've got CSV Tables working. That's the spreadsheet stuff that lets me spell out what moves do and which ponies have which attributes, then scans them during gameplay to print information onscreen. I went through a lot of heck trying to find a better way to do all that, but in the end the old way was tried & true. Same thing with Global variables for controlling save data and seems to be happening with animating sprites.

The current problem I'm facing is coming up with a smooth way to animate things like pony sprites without  jumping through a bunch of hoops.  I did  it before, but it was convoluted so I'd rather it not be this time. Unfortunately each new strategy I try comes with it's own problems or setbacks that have me thinking I should just stop with the experiments and move forward with what I know. 

So that's kinda what I'm doing now. Taking the few things that worked out like Playmaker, but  combining it with things like Odin-enhanced versions of my old scripts to see this project through.

Other than that, I'm relieved to have the variables figured out. Now I know which numbers and names are the most important to keep track of and which values are worth writing to save files. Things were messy and confusingly labeled before so I made sure to be extra clear and organized this time around.

This game's officially got variables and data tables that update in realtime. So the hidden logic behind everything is up and running. I even tested out an Xbox 360 Controller for input and it just works thanks to Unity's Rewired plugin. Now I just gotta show cool looking animated things based on that behind-the-scenes data. The fun part begins in June... 

My number 1 goal is getting a prototype finished ASAP. Something playable to kick off the hype machine. More Pokemon games and clones are being announced for mobile by the day, making my game look more and more like a copycat falling behind the times. I need to get this out there. Like, yesterday. 

-------------------------------------------------------

P.S. Looks like there won't be a Magfest VS style gameshow for the final BronyCon

Ah, well. Gives me more much needed time to work on BGP itself. So far that one's panel looks like a maybe. Happened last time. Got confirmed a couple months before the event and I jumped on it. We'll see if that panel comes through. 

Either way, if you're going to the con, I'll see you there!