What to do next?

[AcetheSuperVillain]

Hi everyone. I'm still working.

I had a bit of a scare last week when my professor threatened to flunk me out for being unmotivated. But he still gave me my B-, and then this last week he made an hour long video rant about what I should have been doing, but based on the work I turned in the week before, not the work I spent a week busting my chops and ignoring NSFW work, so fuck that guy. So assuming I'm still sliding into a B- for the final grade, June class is wrapped up, and July is the last one to go. I think the assignment for July will be the determined running animation again, which should be a cinch.

So after spending last week in a state of panic over not flunking and retaking the animation class, I'm back to working on the kangaroo character. I found a bunch of this-and-that I'm not happy about, so I've been fiddling around, I'll need to do the rigging again, so there won't be anything presentable while I get that finished. Turn in on Thursday night, and I don't have any retail shifts until Monday, so chances are good I'll be able to get something done.

---

Since I mentioned that I didn't like the upgrade system from Astro Vulpus, I was just geeking out over Strikers 1945 Plus and I might borrow some ideas. Each plane in that game has 4 weapons, a gun, missile/bomb, charge shot and summon attack. Guns and missiles/bombs fire simultaneously when you mash the fire button, and both are upgraded when you grab power-ups. Charge shot is interesting, it charges up as you fly around and you can use it by holding down the fire button. You can stockpile a certain number of charge shots, different for each plane. Each plane has a different charge shot and they take different amounts of time to charge, for example, the Zero has a powerful charge shot, but it takes the longest to charge. Finally, each plane has a summon attack, which is sort of analogous to the normal bullet hell super bomb, but instead of automatically stopping all on-screen bullets, it summons an indestructible helper plane, usually something big that can cover up half of the screen. Different summons have different characteristics like how much damage they do, how long they stay on screen, how much space they cover, etc.

So this struck me as well suited to a modern number-cruncher upgrade customization shooter game. Lots of little numbers to play with.

[AcetheSuperVillain]

2017_06_24_ion_roo.jpg (206.01 KiB) Viewed 1895 times

Still experimenting with this character. I got tired of bunga boobs, so she's got normal sized breasts at the moment. I also turned off the UV texture, I feel like I don't need it, at least for now.

[AcetheSuperVillain]

So hey, actually, I've been thinking. There are 2 rendering methods, and I can't decide which one is best.

The last post was the Cycles renderer. This one is Blender Default:

2017_06_24_ion_rooB.jpg (123.3 KiB) Viewed 1891 times

Each renderer has its own strengths and weaknesses. Cycles gives me a lot of control over the materials, but it's a lot slower and gives this grainy texture, along with "fireflies", the little stray bright pixels on reflective surfaces. Blender default is a little more boring to look at, but renders very quickly and doesn't give any artifacts. The normal maps on the floor are a bit rough, but that should be fixable with higher resolution textures. BD is also a lot faster to render, which will make a big difference in rendering animations.

So what do you think? Any preference?

[napala]

It kinda sounds like BD beats Cycles by a mile to me, but idk anything about 3d modeling and rendering.

[kvier]

The "cycles" renderer actually accurately handles diffuse reflections, such as why a white wall will look red if it's next to a red pillow in the sunlight.

Whether this extra accuracy matters to you visually is a matter of taste.

[AcetheSuperVillain]

Whether that extra accuracy matters to you guys is what I'm asking.

[AcetheSuperVillain]

I just remembered that Blender Default also has a mode that uses nodes. So this gives me more of the control that Cycles has, but without the longer render times or fireflies. So here is the best-of-both-worlds version:

2017_06_25_ion_roo_anim2.gif (746.09 KiB) Viewed 1872 times

"So what did you do over the weekend, Ace?"
"Oh nothing exciting, just compared rendering systems and dildoed a kangaroo in space."


Oh yeah, if you didn't see it in the other post, I'm looking for a programmer to do this game with. I figure, I don't need a programmer, but it would be nice to have somebody to do that stuff. PM me here on on NewGrounds.

Also, I know there was some question of whether or not 3D characters would really work, but I'm really pleased with this one.

[AcetheSuperVillain]

So next character for Ion Tails is this Kookaburra.

2017_06_28_ion_kook2.jpg (88.22 KiB) Viewed 1854 times

EDIT: added materials

Also, I guess I'm going to call it Ion Tails now. My patrons can watch a behind the scenes video of my making this character. https://www.patreon.com/user?u=4787605

I was worried about being able to do a bird girl in 3D, but I think it worked out okay. Obviously, I still need to rig this character and I haven't yet created the advanced materials for her, so she looks kinda plasticy at the moment. But I think the beak-mouth, wing-arms and bird-feet turned out okay. Any feedback is welcome.



So thinking over Strikers 1945 Plus and Astro Vulpus combat systems, maybe what I could do is have a charge up timer for summoning squad mates. And I could let you stock up summons, like S'45+ does, maybe keep them between missions too. I might also try to make the levels more like Flight and Into Space where it's a super long level and the point is to go as far as you can, not to win every time.

[Lucky777]

I can't say much on the art side, but I'mma say right now, "B - " and "THREATENING TO FLUNK YOU OUT" shouldn't go together.

Threatening to Flunk needs to be like...

"If you're just one grade above the failing grade, watch out, or hey, you might fail, mang"

[AcetheSuperVillain]

Well, I mean, a B- effort would flunk out in life.

The expectation for students in my degree is that we all want to train really hard, tempered in the flames of studio work and someday get a job at almighty Pixar who scoffs upon all but the most prestigious of animators. That's not what I want out of life, but the path I have chosen still requires enormous effort. It won't be enough to just land the dream gig and be done. Working for myself, I have to keep landing the perfect gig every day for the rest of my life.

But if you wish to see what it's like to turn a B- animation into an A- animation, you can check out: https://syncsketch.com/sketch/158616#192234 I think anyone can view that. If not I'll put it on YouTube.

[AcetheSuperVillain]

Alright, I feel like I'm on track to meet my goal of having enough artwork done to start programming by the end of July. (or rather, to start learning Unity by then) However, I realize that I maybe don't have a clear idea for the story this time. So here are some thoughts on that, eager for feedback, reactions, etc.



So the revised story for Astro Vulpus, which didn't make it into the Flash file, was that our protagonist, Renard, is joining the previously all-girl fighter squadron Astro Vulpus. Astro Vulpus was founded by Renard's older sister, Zorrita, who is now dead. Pepper, who was Zorrita's second-in-command, now leads the squadron and offers Renard a position in Astro Vulpus to save him from being drafted into a different branch of the armed forces. She feels that Renard has the makings of a good pilot, like his sister was, and Pepper thought of Zorrita as family and thus thinks of Renard as family. The other squadron members, Harriet and Slick, do not feel the same way about Renard and initially treat him with suspicion.

Renard is a fox, Pepper is a rabbit, Harriet is a harrier (hawk) and Slick is a frog. Fox people come from Fox-Star, Rabbit people come from Rabbit-Star, and so on. These four species and allegedly others are members of a Federation, which is under attack by the Robot Empire. We'll say that this is a force kind of like Star Trek's Borg, they are programmed to advance and conquer, and cannot be reasoned with. (but unlike The Borg, they do not assimilate people, and are at a similar technology level to the Federation) Astro Vulpus is an independent defense contractor which guards an outpost on the distant frontiers of federation space. The Robot Empire patrols this frontier, but it is not a high priority operation for them, thus a small squadron of 4 elite pilots is capable of providing sufficient defense. (Alternatively, Astro Vulpus is a special forces unit that gets better equipment and special missions, while the main Federation Space Force deals with a more realistic war effort)

In the original plot, Astro Vulpus notices increased Robot Empire activity in their area, and upon investigation discover the distress call of a Kyu-ubi escape capsule. The capsule belongs to none other than the Kyu-ubi Space Princess, Jewelia. The Kyu-ubi are a mysterious alien race to the Federation, but Jewelia reveals that they are both fighting the Robot Empire. Thus, Astro Vulpus' new mission is to guide Jewelia back to the Kyu-ubi home world and create an alliance between the Kyu-ubi and the Federation. Jewelia got canceled, mainly because 4 wingmen and 4 girlfriends all at once sounded like too much, but I never came up with an alternate plot line.

The different Federation planets have different cultures, with different ideas about sex. Fox-Star and Rabbit-Star have very open ideas about sex, but Renard has traveled to many worlds in the Federation and sees his native culture as somewhat abnormal, and Pepper initially sees Renard as a younger brother, off-limits both for his close family ties and because she thinks of him as younger than he really is. Hawk-Star is an amazonian world where women are stronger and men do the cooking and cleaning (because they lay eggs, suck it, mammals!), so Harriet is bothered by the notion of a male pilot (or at least a male elite pilot). Frog-Star has very complex mating rituals, and males and females are often segregated in society. As a scientific "Lucca-type" character, Slick is greatly curious about males, especially from other worlds, but she is also quite shy.

Pepper's reward scenes would start off with her getting into "accidentally" sexy scenes, like forgetting to bring a towel out of the shower, or getting too close during yoga or whatever. As time goes on, she sees Renard as more of an adult. Pepper also reveals that she had an intimate relationship with Zorrita (which is not abnormal for their cultures) and wants to do things with Renard that she should have done with his sister.

Harriet's reward scenes would start off confrontationally, like Harriet challenging Renard to a game of strip pong, thinking she can't lose to a male. Eventually Renard proves himself to be a decent pilot, and Harriet respects him as a very sexy equal.

For Slick, I was never sure, but probably starts with something like Renard walking in on her testing a masturbation machine, or Slick is curious to see what male genitalia looks like, so Renard offers to show her if she gets naked first. And this escalates into trying sex, trying threesomes, and so on.



So one approach is to simply use the exact same plotline and character profiles with the new Australian critters (rabbit -> kangaroo, hawk -> kookaburra, frog -> goanna, fox -> dingo), but some of the animal associations dont' make as much sense. While kangaroos absolutely fuck like rabbits, they aren't quite as famous for that. Amazonian kookaburras doesn't make quite as much sense as amazonian hawks. And a shy, scientific goanna would be weird to many people. But the overall world-building could stay the same, a Space Australian Federation Special Forces Squadron on the frontier of civilized space does battle with the unwavering Robot Empire.

There are also some new gameplay things I want to work in that would probably change the plot. I want to try a Gattai mechanic, that would work a lot like the Force from R-Type Final (and possibly other R-Types, but R-Type Final is my jam). Basically, you can either let the Force/Girl fly around on her own or call her to you and dock together to power up. As before, interacting with the girls should provide you with some sort of upgrade currency that you couldn't get otherwise.

And instead of a series of small missions, I want to give the player one long mission that you try again and again, and the point is to get farther every time, like games like Flight, Into Space, Toss the Turtle, Soda Dungeon, and many others. This might actually lend itself well to the idea of transporting an alien diplomat deep into space, although it would be a little weird if you are dying repeatedly. Maybe the idea is to set up a series of warp beacons that will allow future travelers to pass safely through a dangerous sector. There doesn't even have to be a war in that case, you could just be hired to build a hyperspace bypass through the Sector of Insane Robots by some construction company. Or maybe this sector of space was once filled with deadly robots during a war, kinda like land-mines, and your goal is to reach their base or homeworld and find the switch that shuts them all off for good.



I probably will make new personalities for the girls, but this will take some time to "get to know them". I already think of the Kookaburra character as a cheerful, genki-girl type. The Kangaroo girl was originally more of an athletic type, but that doesn't make as much sense in space. Maybe a personality kind of like Rainbow Dash or Applejack. The Goanna could be maybe a goth-girl or vampire-girl type. I guess I don't know what that means exactly, rebellious? darkly poetic? doomy and gloomy? The dingo will also require some thought. I also thought of Renard as being a quiet but skillful fellow, and simple though that sounds, I have a hard time thinking of a Dingo with that same personality. The new guy might be more of a fiery go-getter, although I'm not wild about the females all being won over by his manliness, that's been done too often. Maybe more of an Ash Ketchum or Sterling Archer type who's a bit of a bumbler, but pulls through when you need him most, although how to depict that in a scrolling shooter is a mystery. (Also wait, Ash Ketchum and Sterling Archer are the same character type? Oh my god, are they the same person??? Does that make Lana Kane a Pikachu?)

[AcetheSuperVillain]

I've been feeling unpleased with the kangaroo's hairstyle. First of all, the bangs hide the eyes when the character is seen from the side, second, if I go with the idea to make this character an athletic type, it's not a particularly athletic style, and third, I decided I want to avoid doing hair styles that require physics for now, so the braid has to go. (I don't know if you could see the braid in the previous renders, but she had one)

So I've got this:

2017_07_08_roo_new_hair.gif (450.18 KiB) Viewed 1799 times

Not sure I'm particularly pleased with this one either, but I thought I would show it off just to prove I've been doing something. This style matches the personality I envision for her, but I'm not sure I like the look. I may try to make something that's more solid looking.

[AcetheSuperVillain]

2017_07_09_roo_new_hair.gif (388.29 KiB) Viewed 1789 times

Another new hairstyle that I might like better. And some slight changes to the face. Presently, I am feeling frustrated with this entire process. I might need to take a break from 3D for a bit, (like switching to programming or menu graphics for a bit) but maybe a good night's sleep will help me out.

[AcetheSuperVillain]

I've been programming.

http://www.newgrounds.com/projects/game ... 28/preview

This is a simple Acing up of Unity's scrolling shooter tutorial. At the moment there is no sound, since I didn't finish the tutorial before adding my own stuff. You can use the keyboard or a game controller. Arrow keys/joystick to move, Ctrl/A to fire. If you get killed, you can play again by pressing "R" after enjoying the game over text for a few seconds.



Apparently the way I learned to program things in Flash needs to be thrown out the window when working in Unity. I definitely want to try doing some easier projects before I dive into anything too complicated. I have an old game called Aceroids that I've always wanted to try remaking. I think I'll give that a shot, and then move on to a proper successor to Astro Vulpus.