Sword of Moonlight Forum
Sword Of Moonlight Games => Games (Dormant Projects) => Shadow Tower SoM => Topic started by: JC Bailey on October 19, 2013, 11:45:34 am
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Update: 2/15/2014
This project now has a news section and facebook page, all future progress updates will be posted on both.
Shadow Tower SOM - News: http://www.swordofmoonlight.com/bbs/index.php?topic=781.0
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shadow-Tower-SOM/209256152598347
Original Post:
While still debating what I'd like to do for my next SOM project, I am coming very close to the end of my first Shadow Tower playthrough and was pondering the thought of developing a lite remake of Shadow Tower using the SOM editor. It wouldn't be an exact replica, obviously, it would play more like King's Field and have slightly different weapons, items, and enemies. The maps seem like they'd be easy enough to recreate, all of them are indoors and Shadow Tower is built on a grid system just like in SOM, so it'd be like connecting dots (Kings-Field.com also has some convenient reference maps that would help with that). Just to clarify, I only intend to do this with the default resources that come with the program, as I am not skilled enough with textures or modeling at all.
Anyway, if you have any ideas or suggestions, please share them.
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Hey !
Sounds pretty cool man. :smile: I just started messing around with all this stuff last december. (things kinda went on the back burner from march till now though. life happens lol) The folks here were super helpful to me and informative as far as modeling goes (and everything else) if you change your mind and decide to make custom stuff. ( Thanks everybody !! :biggrin: )
Been working on a project myself based on an old C64 game called Realm of Impossibility. My brother just mentioned it at random when i was telling him about SOM a few months ago and it seemed like it would be a good beginners project to get the hang of things.
Anyhoo, good luck and have fun. lookin forward to playing your game later :biggrin:
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That would be interesting. I've heard several people say that they didn't like the lack of music in Shadow Tower. I wonder what it would be like if the remake had a quality sound track. Also, I always thought Shadow Tower's story was kind of vague; it might be cool to flesh out some of the lore and background for the tower.
Someone from Japan made a map Piece set to build the "outdoor hub" areas (not sure what to call them) like Shadow Tower has. I believe I still have a copy if you'd like me to post it.
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I was planning on adding music, but I would either have to dig around online for fitting music or find somebody really generous to compose it for me.
Not sure what you mean by "outdoor hub" areas, are you talking about the sections inside of the actual tower? Also, I have no idea how to add custom content, still very new to the program.
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Attached is a picture of the set. Installing customs that are already made is as easy as dropping the files in the SoM folder. They show up in the editors just like the default stuff. This Shadow Tower set is more complicated to assemble than most because it builds round mulit-level maps, but it's a neat effect.
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Oh yes that would be perfect! If you could send it to me, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.
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I'm no expert but I do know my way around creating king's field/shadow tower music... I might be able to put something together for you, free of charge, if you do a project like this.
I can make a sample of some music if you'd like... If you wanted some shadow tower like textures, if someone can convert the files to default SOM textures, I could probably put some HD remasters of shadow tower textures together for you too.
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That's very nice of you, just I think it would be a good idea to wait until I get most of the game finished. That way, you and me both can be sure that the music is put to good use and not wasted. If you'd like to make a sample for now though, that'd be awesome.
I'd like to at least make a playable "prototype" using the default textures. Then if it's necessary, I can always change them later. Thanks again for the offer though, I'll keep you in mind.
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It's quite okay, yeah I can make a sample since I do enjoy making music. Music never goes to waste since I'm always gaining experience from it.
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Attached is the Shadow tower map Piece set. This was made by a Japanese fellow but I translated some of the names and included an example picture and MAP file. To install the set, drop the "DATA" folder (inside the attached zip) into your SoM install folder. The set is fairly complex and I'm not even sure how to utilize it fully, but we can try to help you figure out if you get stuck.
If you want to see an assembled example map, you can load the included MAP example: make a new project, put "00.map" in the project's "Data/map" folder.
:beerchug:
EDIT: Attachment moved to later post
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Thanks, I assembled the map according to the example and was able to load and play it successfully, the only problem is that the textures seem to be missing, any idea on how to fix that?
Edit: There also seems to be a problem with piece 36 on the bottom of the map, walking on it kills you instantly for some reason. :dazed:
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I decided to make you a ST enemy from scratch - model, texture and animation. Should help you get started!
Youve made a game - so this is a token of my appreciation.
The ST spider has its usual jumping attack, along with a new evade function. You can leave out the high resolution texture if you want.
(Hwtvlf feel free to add it to the addons section :wink:)
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Very cool stuff, thanks for this, I'll be sure to use it and credit you. :smile:
Edit: Tested it out and it works, I like it, especially with the jumping animation. Do you know which tool I would use to add sound effects though? I figure I could add the sounds from the engine's own default spiders.
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No problem. I fixed up a sound file for you, and you should test the evade animation some time :smile: its quite fun.
Just replace the existing file with this one :smile:
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That fixed it :smile:.
I recreated the first area of the game, the Solitary Region, and placed a couple of the spiders in their usual place. Took a screenshot of me fighting them :biggrin:.
(http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/t568/mastertaffer/spiders_zpsee28cd60.png)
Quick question though, when the spiders evade attacks do they still take damage?
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Thanks, I assembled the map according to the example and was able to load and play it successfully, the only problem is that the textures seem to be missing, any idea on how to fix that?
Edit: There also seems to be a problem with piece 36 on the bottom of the map, walking on it kills you instantly for some reason. :dazed:
The textures were my bad- forgot to include them. The death thing was being caused by a mis-made collision file (you fall through the floor and die). I'm not sure if the set's creator (guy named ainsuph) made a mistake or what, but I remade the collision for that Piece so it should be fixed (hopefully). The fix is included in the attached along with the textures.
It looked like there were "fall through floor" issues with some other Pieces too (L shapes etc), but I'm not sure if they are even needed. So, if you need something fixed for other Pieces in this set, just let us know.
Very cool Spider Ben!
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Tried out the new set again and it looks/plays great, I think it looks better than the original :biggrin:. Thanks for the help though, I'll be sure to credit both you and Verdite.
Edit: I ran into a slight problem, the engine seems to not like depth :smash2:. Events register no matter how high or low you are, so it'd be impossible to place two transfer events on the same tile at different depths and have them both work. Do you know if there is a way around this?
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If you hit the monster at the start of its animation sequence then yes, it'l take damage - and you'l see it wince, but if its flying through the air it wont.
I would happily make some different spiders for you - maybe different coloured ones for later levels, say with black bodies. I can also create new attacks of any form so if you come up with an idea let me know!
Anyway it looks like you need a new sword to beat the spiders I made. So I made a sword for you.
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Thanks, I'm only working on the mapping for now so not too worried about enemies or items just yet, that sword looks cool though I'll have to try it out. :biggrin:
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I just remembered, didn't SomEx have a feature for "STmode" or something like that? I remember reading about it ages ago, before I joined the forums... If so you could take advantage of that.
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Yeah I have used that function often with SomEx because its simple enough for testing. Its called do_st
I actually took the sword from a screenshot I found online
(http://image.allmusic.com/00/agg/screen300/drs100/s153/s1530693f3v.jpg)
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I built the Shadow Tower save stone for you today. The writing took some doing - but I think if a high resolution version had been used for Shadow Tower, then the writing would have been clearer and more 'etched' like it had been engraved into the stone tablet. Hopefully ive achieved that.
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By chance, I actually got that sword as a drop while exploring the Fire World last night. It's called the Shadow Blade and is the best weapon I've found so far :tongue:. I like the save stone you made too, you put a lot of detail into it and I appreciate it. Now I won't have to use generic cross save points! :biggrin:
On a side note, I did some world structure planning today - Used the ST maps that can be found on Kings-Field.com and interconnected each of the world's regions in a way that makes sense, it may be a bit different from the original, but this also means that there won't be as many transitions between maps. let me know what you think:
Human World: http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/t568/mastertaffer/map1_zps9c674d8c.png (http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/t568/mastertaffer/map1_zps9c674d8c.png)
Earth World: http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/t568/mastertaffer/map2_zpsb9e188b2.png (http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/t568/mastertaffer/map2_zpsb9e188b2.png)
Fire World: http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/t568/mastertaffer/map3_zpsf568aef7.png (http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/t568/mastertaffer/map3_zpsf568aef7.png)
Water World: http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/t568/mastertaffer/map4_zps7d9fe9cc.png (http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/t568/mastertaffer/map4_zps7d9fe9cc.png)
Illusion World: http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/t568/mastertaffer/map5_zpse144e7b7.png (http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/t568/mastertaffer/map5_zpse144e7b7.png)
Monster World: http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/t568/mastertaffer/map6_zpsbc66e4f2.png (http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/t568/mastertaffer/map6_zpsbc66e4f2.png)
Death World: http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/t568/mastertaffer/map7_zpsd711eb6c.png (http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/t568/mastertaffer/map7_zpsd711eb6c.png)
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Thats incredible - maybe I made it the same time you found it?! :firstmate:
If you are certain that you want to do a full ST remake ill help you, and we can do it in HD (so people play it). I can replace the texture for the SOM map pieces without you lifting a finger. I can redo the solitary world first and you can use the SOM stock to make the cave. Ill do the enemies for you too, if you really want to try.
Ill need screenshots of what is needed though.
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Oh I'm certain now, I always make sure to finish any projects that I start :coffee:.
If you'd like to help, that would be awesome! I'm currently working on the basic mapping, that is, piecing together the map's basic layout without adding much detail, so now would be a perfect time for any texture reworks. I could send you the map files when I finish each map so that you'd know which pieces to replace. Do you want me to PM you or post them here though?
One other thing, do you have a copy of the game that you can play and use as reference, or will I need to take screenshots of the textures and objects/enemies for you?
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Here, let me save you time screenshotting every object and enemy... Here's all the item, enemy, weapon and armor peice pictures, ripped right from the game's vs.mode files and inventory icon files. (In PNG format, 16BPP).
It also means they're the renders rather than low poly version screenshots.
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Thanks Stolen, those will help us a lot.
Did you still want to work on the soundtrack? My guess is that we'll need seven tracks in total - one for each of the seven areas.
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It depends on me having the time, like I said I'll make a sample of something... I'll try and make something to fit the Human World first.
EDIT:
I don't have any dark/shadow tower suiting music there, but you can check out SoundCloud for some stuff I have done. It's not too good though, it's mostly un-mixed, un-polished or WIP content... I'll try and get something "Fromy" by next Monday.
https://soundcloud.com/thestolenbattenberg (https://soundcloud.com/thestolenbattenberg)
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Sounds good, feel free to take your time with your music. Something tells me that this project will take a few months to complete.
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MasterTaffer, I could probably rely on videos online. Sadly I cannot play ST on my PS2 because it wasnt released in Europe for PAL systems. You can post your levels via PM if you like and ill look over them, the Solitary world has some tomb sections which will require a new map piece.
Thanks TheStolenBatternberg, I was able to make some items! I appreciate the help, really. I would have been really stuck otherwise.
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This should help you Verdite; I preconfigured an EPSXE emulator to work with Shadow Tower, the sound is somewhat buggy, but the game runs pretty smoothly. You may need to change the video plugin though if you aren't using integrated graphics. Here's a download link with the rom included: http://www.mediafire.com/download/x4oinj08i41ii4d/PSX.rar
Very nice models too, I'll add them to the collection. :smile:
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I ran into a slight problem, the engine seems to not like depth :smash2:. Events register no matter how high or low you are, so it'd be impossible to place two transfer events on the same tile at different depths and have them both work. Do you know if there is a way around this?
This elevation quirk also applies to chests and other built in events so bi-level designs have some restrictions. Were you trying to place warp events on the tower's east side where the doors are on top of each other? If so, I made a a couple simplified pieces to make the East passages bank to the right and left. It is 2 new Pieces that overwrite Piece 989 and 990.
Some nice looking stuff in this thread that is coming together for the remake. Looking forward to it!
EDIT: Attachment removed for newer version in later post.
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That's a good idea HwitVlf, thanks for the fix. Do you think you could do something like this for the north and south ends? They seem to have this problem too.
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The 2 new Pieces should work for North, South and East. Their elevation is just pre-set for East. I even think the 2 Pieces can be used interchangeably by adjusting the elevation/rotation as needed. I just made 2 Pieces instead of 1 as a visual aid to help remind which passage is the lower (darker icon is lower room). Attached is an example with the elevations needed (hopefully I got it right :tongue: ) Pieces are at 0 elevation unless otherwise stated.
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Ah, I get it now, did it like that and it works. However, I encountered another instant-death collision problem in the corners of the darker green piece.
I made up some images to show exactly where it's happening.
Bottom floor, south end:
(http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/t568/mastertaffer/example_zpsda1d3f8a.png)
Middle floor, north end:
(http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/t568/mastertaffer/example3_zps90c2f305.png)
Strangely enough though, the same piece on the east end doesn't seem to have this problem, so it might have something to do with the elevation changes.
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This should help you Verdite; I preconfigured an EPSXE emulator to work with Shadow Tower
Really appreciate that! My main machine has a serious fault recently and often crashes when running any game .exe file.
Anyway I managed to make you some quilted armour today.
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Anyway I managed to make you some quilted armour today.
Nice armor Verdite, I like the textures you used. I was wondering though if you could make that and the shadow blade a little smaller, because I noticed that they barely fit the preview window in the equip menu.
I'm almost done mapping out the human world by the way, all I need to do now is finish up the forgotten region, which shouldn't take long. I'll send it to you via PM when I'm done, likely today or tomorrow.
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Thanks, I actually draw everything I use for models, and very rarely use anything from photos. To keep my style consistent. :smile:
Body meshes take a good amount of time to make, they are surprisingly complicated compared to helms, boots, gloves etc. Took me a good 3 hours to finish.
I didnt know that the items would have been that big - I actually went off the helmet size and scaled the armour based on that. Anyway I done some testing and got the sword and the armour to their SOM sizes.
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The forgotten realm should be easy enough - the SOM cave sets should prove adequate for recreating the environs.
Well you need an enemy for each area :) so... Ill make the shadow spider. Im not sure how the 'gas' will work but ill see.
(http://www.kings-field.com/st/images/creatures/st007.jpg)
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Thanks for the fix, yeah, it'd be a good idea to use the default items as reference for sizing.
I was wondering about that spider, wasn't sure if hanging enemies were even possible in the engine. About the gas, you could make them spit that gassy green projectile like the engine's plant enemies can. Remember that we're not making an exact remake of the game, so feel free to change what you need to to fit the engine's limitations.
There were actually a couple of objects I did need for when you get the time, which are the warp and shop stones. You could probably use the save stone you made as a base, the writing is the same, all that really needs to be changed is the top image and gem.
I took a couple of ingame screenshots for reference:
Shop stone
(http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/t568/mastertaffer/example_zps8b838ba9.png)
Warp Stone
(http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/t568/mastertaffer/example2_zpscbb21e1c.png)
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Ahh the memories!
Ok. a new Y angle fix is attached that will hopefully stop the instant death thing. Sorry for the continued problems :sadani: I've combined the 2 Pieces from the first "fix" into a single Piece (#1000) with a new icon. Note that the elevations for each Y Piece is 15m below it's destination room.
As to why that was happening, in SoM if the player drops further than -10m below the current map Piece's "ground zero level", it triggers the "falling to :dazed:" sequence. Sine the passages on this ST set are stacked and the lower passage is more than 10m below the upper, it was triggering death when you walked under the upper. To stop this, I moved the "ground zero level" for the Y Piece very low; now, even when you walk through the lower passage, you are well above the "fall to death line". . . hopefully :drool:
Also attached is the Y Piece's MQO (metasequoia) model if anyone needs it.
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Tested out the new piece and it works well, thanks. I appreciate your help :smile:.
In return, I'll show off some maps from the Human World that I've been working on. Let me know what you think:
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I was wondering about that spider, wasn't sure if hanging enemies were even possible in the engine.
It is definately possible. Ill need to do some measuring for the cavern roof but other than that it should be simple enough to recreate.
As requested and, thanks for the screenshots; the shop stone and warp stone.
BTW those maps look great! Im looking forward to making the acid skull enemy for the prison.
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@Verdite
Here's a file that includes the four remade Human World maps along with some reference images. The editor didn't have much to work with, so if you'd like, go ahead and make up all new tiles and I'll replace them in the editor later. Also, no need to worry about objects as they can always be added in later, however, we'll probably need some secret doors that use the new textures, and if possible, they'd need to be small enough to fit the more narrow 1x1 doorways. I'll be mapping out the Earth World while you're doing that, so take your time. :smile:
http://www.mediafire.com/?vj7edmnkiadbne7
Thanks for the warp and shop stones by the way. They look great!
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There is a narrow door in the default set (Door Left Right 1 Stone). It can probably be re-textured for hidden doors rather than making a door from scratch.
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That file you uploaded was super helpful. I intend to start work on it soon, but before I do I really need to ask a question!
Firstly, by looking at the walls in the Solitary region, it looks like the texture is just a 'repeated' 64x64 brick texture. It doesnt link into other bricks, and has a somewhat un-natural feel to it. If you prefer I could create the tiles texture EXACTLY like in ST, or I could have it take on a more natural building form of bricks linking into each other. Im okay doing it the ST way.
The relief sections are quite detailed especially the figures on the roof section, recreating them in high res would take time if I done it right.
What pieces do you not mind losing? Ill have to overwrite certain map piece parts. This will affect future users of the ST sets too. No pressure :cool:
Heres your first ST shield. Done a speed method on it and it only took me an hour to model and texture. Yup I drew everything as usual.
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Feel free to do whatever you'd like to with the textures, they don't have to be exactly like in the original game. Also, the outdoor tiles and yellow sets would be good to overwrite because I don't think we'll be using them at all.
Very nice shield too. I was wondering, what program(s) do you use to make these models? I've dabbled in 3D modeling before and might be able to help create some items.
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Ive been using Metasequoia for a long time, im also proficient in Blender 2.49b (thats a specific number because its interface keeps changing :movingeyes:) ive used Wings3d, Milkshape, and ive been using GIMP for texturing for over 3 years. I also use xnormal for texture baking. Before that I used paint for simple things like cutting and pasting screenshots etc.
Well im pleased you are happy with variable changes in textures - getting them prescise can be a pain. Im going to be busy this week but ill keep chipping away :wink:
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Morningstar :smile:
I was playing the game tonight and forgot that the morningstar was among the arsenal! :order:
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Morningstar! :eek:
Looks great. When I tried it out though, the weapon wasn't showing up in the attack animation.
I'm currently trying out Diadem of Maunstraut and Dark Destiny at the moment just to see what others have done with the engine, and am slowly piecing together the first couple of maps from the Earth World. It's the largest region in the entire game so it'll probably take the longest to complete. :drool:
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Sorry about that I didnt include the second part of the file. I was hurrying to zip it up, because ive got more than this project on the go - hmm and my eyes were almost fizzled out. Theres another large mod im making assets for, then my own SOM game which saps tremendous amounts of time from my day without me even realising... :smile:
Well I keep thinking about the ST map parts im going to make. Hmm, im thinking that the poisonous cave and the cave in the human world could use the SOM tiles, and I could make objects for things like the fat mole's perch, low down doorways etc. Though I wouldnt mind redoing the set completely, its just gonna take longer.
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Thanks, the fix works nicely.
If you don't want to do a complete retexturing, that's ok. I'm not too familiar with this stuff, but it seems like it'd be quite a time investment, especially if you're working on other projects.
I think the default SOM textures will actually work just fine for what I was planning. So if you'd like to save yourself some stress and only do certain game-specific tiles like the wall tombs/mole perch using engine textures, then I'm all for it. :smile:
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MT, just to say im still working on the solitary region map set, it should be finished by sunday. So far ive put 7+ hours into making it and ive been working as fast as I can!
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Wow, Looks like this project is really takin off !!
I'm new to modelling but Verdites smithing skill is over 100 (and uses modded blacksmith potions too i think) so you're covered there :tongue:
Mabey I can contribute in the music dept too. Playing and recording music has been a hobby of mine for around 25 years. Haven't done anything real fancy like Toms stuff from DoM but I'd like to help if I can. I thought Toms music was great btw, really set the atmosphere and stuck in my head for days. I use an old Roland Alpha Juno keyboard, A Yamaha RX21 drum machine (glorified metronome lol) and Play a Fender strat/Ovation plug-in acoustic through a Fender G-DEC amp with more bells and whistles than I can count lol. I stepped up from a tape deck when I discovered Audacity to record with years ago. Never tried fruity loops. kinda broke lol. The keys and drums are dated but so's the game :tongue: Not sure if you're going for a more modern sound or something matching the year ST was released.
Big problem on my end is that I need to play through ST and get a feel for it. Lemme know if I can help though :smile: Take care n have fun :biggrin:
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@Verdite
Is that the pillar from the altar room? Looks nicely detailed, can't wait to see what the full set will look like. :biggrin:
@Smittiox
Sound good. If you need, I preconfigured a PSX emulator to work with Shadow Tower for referencing.
Here's the download link, rom included:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/x4oinj08i41ii4d/PSX.rar
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Groovy ! Thanks man :smile: I forgot to add earlier , if I can't help in the music dept, I could at least ship ya a few pounds of coffee for the all nighters lol. :coffee:
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*Crawls to keyboard* I wont be beaten! Even after........... ? Ugh how many hours did I spend on this tonight? Oh yeah, 6 and a half... Ill make sure Shadow Tower is built...
Ran into alot of strange design decisions that I hadnt seen before. So I corrected where I went wrong... Then after I built the altar room I found more problems in how the tiles should be laid out to the same ST positions.
Then I tweaked colours to get them as ST as possible.
Before you ask; yes I made the stonework relief at the start from scratch... Digitally drawing every detail... Along with every other texture you see here. Everything was made from a blank image.
It was good though.
Though I do need a screenshot of the small altar door, its not completely visible from the screenshot. :smile:
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:eek:
I really like the texturing! That new wall texture looks much more detailed than the repetitive wall tiles from the original, and the way you blended the reddish tiles with the ceiling decorations in the first image just looks amazing! Really appreciate the work you're putting into all this. I find the fact that you did this all from scratch to be incredible.
May I ask how you did that HUD, like is it a custom script or can that be done within the engine? Didn't know that you could edit the UI like that. If that's the case, I wonder if there is a way to display on-hit damage in the bottom left corner of the screen, like in the original game.
I'm also wondering if the gold model can be replaced in the engine, was thinking about replacing it with a model of a cune and giving each enemy a chance to drop one like they do in the original.
Oh and here's that screenshot you wanted, if you need any more PM me and I'll hook you up. :wink:
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Actually SomEx allows for the improved HUD - and of course tons of graphical improvements, such as antialiasing. I can help you set it up, and I would imagine Diver would be happy to let us use it.
Im also thinking about the ST doors. It would be nice to have our project doors work the same as the ST ones, though the traditional KF progressive feel isnt there. Are you wanting to link up all the levels through black fades on / off or do you think a more natural approach is better? Like the warp system in DD.
Its nice that you appreciate the texturing ive done. Without good textures models are just too plain.
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For transfer events, I was planning on having doors that open, then the player can walk into the blackness willingly where the screen then fades to white and activates the teleport event. I'm going to make a short demo of the first area once things are in place and you'll see exactly what I mean.
Would be great to set up SomEx. I've been looking at it, but still don't know much about it. You'll have to help me with that when you get the time. :smile:
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Ah I think I know what you mean actually, I was thinking Hwtvlf could set you up an opening door event that when activated, had a door that opened and the black screen and warp appears with a timer; like in ST. Just a thought :wink:
Anyway heres some more progress; about 6 hours again. Just got the tomb section to finish and thats the Solitary set done... I actually keep looking over the models in game and tweaking them... Which means converting them via the CMD. Anyway I didnt stop 'til the altar was fully built.
That relief of a lady in the game bothered me when I knew I would have to replicate it. However, it took alot less time than I expected - probably only 1-2 hours to draw from scratch. I would have just used a stock photo, but this is the ST remake, man! Its a homage to the fans, and a homage to From Software. So it needs to be right :wink:
Thanks for that screenshot, I was able to finish that piece tonight.
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Cunes finished. Just put the model contents into your item folder, and it'l work as a currency drop from enemies. To use it as an item, you can locate "Coin (1) gold" in your parameter editor :smile:
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Finished off the burial section. Now all thats left to do is the cave, which will be interesting, having the two tier floor piece for the 'secret tunnel' beneath the gravestone.
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My gosh, this project is looking great! How is the map building progress going?
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Good stuff Verdite, those tombs turned out well. Thanks for the cune too, I like it. :smile:
My grandfather died a couple of weeks ago so I haven't had much time to work on the maps lately. I'm just now getting back into it.
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Im pleased you like it. The first set is 95% finished objects and all, all I need now is your confirmation of the grave locations in the cave, and I also need to know the estimated tile amount used for the 'secret tunnel' beneath the gravestone then build the remainder then pack up the huge amount of pieces and send it over. Ive actually remade the whole first level, so that I could get a better idea of what goes where.
So with the graves in case you are wondering, ive set them up so that the skeletons can go inside, that means having a grave map piece instead of an object. So there are three objects used too... The left sliding panel and the right (that open to reveal) and the headstone. I havent done the prfs for the objects yet - 5 hours is enough building for tonight :smile:
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You have sincere condolences MasterTaffer. My grandfather died a number of years ago but he lived a good life and left behind a legacy that has comforted and guided me many times. I think of him often and am inspired to try to be a better person.
To grand dads :beerchug:
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Looks perfect Verdite. I was wondering about the skeletons, would I make them appear in the same way that the mummy appears on the first floor in the sample game?
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Well the holes are deep enough to stand in, so an enemy could emerge from the hole, when you 'activate' the sliding door event you can also have the enemy appear. Then, the enemy will 'trigger' and stand up.
Hidden world nearly finished. Hope to have it done by tonight...
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Been feeling burnt out today so I put together a short video for this great project.
Youtube clip (http://youtu.be/ggrOqG07US0)
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That's the first time I've seen the spider in action. Authentic Shadow Tower HD feel!
EDIT: Talking about getting burnt out- among practicing writers it's acknowledged that the creative process can be surprisingly draining. Most pro-writers do not write more than 3-6 hours a day because the focus it requires is so taxing that working longer would end up having a negative effect on their art. I'm sure the same applies to 3D art so I wouldn't feel bad if you ever feel burnt out. Learning to pace yourself is a natural part of the development process.
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The Hidden Region is turning out nicely! I know what you mean by burnt out, nothing wrong with a little break. :coffee:
Haven't posted much here lately, so here's what the base for the Rotting Cavern looks like.
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So I done a ton of work on this today, about 4-5 hours worth of non stop work. Hidden set is complete, the tunnels are actually quite complicated to make.
Youtube clip 2 (http://youtu.be/-62rTIvzMD0)
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Wow Verdite, your work on those map piece sets really looks amazing, do you draw all the textures for them by hand or create them from photo sources?
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Thanks for your recognition, actually every texture I use has been hand drawn by myself. When I first started modeling, I often looked for free textures etc. But there were too many times when I couldnt find what I wanted and had to settle for second best, so I decided to make the textures myself and havent looked back.
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You guys are unreal, I am very impressed so far!
(I do wonder why in the grand scheme of things shadow tower was the game of choice to remake, I woulda paid for a KF2 remake!)
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Maybe im not ready for making a full KF2 remake yet :) it would take alot of doing, and SomEx is still growing, maybe in the future more useful extensions will be available.
I think with the ST remake I will create maybe 1 or 2 monsters from each area, and do all the bosses. There are so many creatures in ST, it would take ages to replicate them all! Also because we dont have durability yet, it might be worth cutting the amount of weapons and armour down.
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I don't think SoM would work for a KFII remake... It's got so many things missing which would be really sad not to have in a remake, such as fall damage etc... also there's just something that was in the original King's Field games I can't seem to find in the SoM games... Funny enough, Dark Destiny and Diadem of Maunstraut are the ones that have felt the closest... There's just always something missing... That's only out of those two and the original king's field SoM remake by the way, I've not played any others yet.
I'd also pay for a KFII remake though... If a KFII remake is ever done by SoM members, I'm hoping your on that Verdite. You've done an amazing job (from the small segments I've seen) in capturing the atmosphere of Shadow Tower within textures and model recreation.
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Actually JDO figured out a way to include fall damage by using events, basically using a timer to start when the player stepped off a ledge, the timer was synched to run out when the player hit the floor, and damage occured.
Among hundreds of other plans Diver has for SomEx, built in fall damage is one of them. Diver included a simple gravity function for use with the jumping feature in SomEx, so its likely he will know how to measure fall damage from it.
Totally agree with you, DD gave me that feeling I felt when I started playing KF2, and the snow area is my personal fave.
Appreciate the comments on my work. It sometimes takes an artist with a good eye to see the effort thats been put in! While I try to be creative, I do enjoy replicating stuff, and its good practice. When you replicate a design that works well you pick up on its structure, which can be used as a framework to create something original.
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I thought Diver had left the forums... Every post he's made shows him as a guest... I know he has his own website, but he hasn't posted since October...
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BTW I apologize for the former comment about the choice to remake ST - believe me when I say that I am greatly looking forward to it! I didn't mean disrespect.
Can't wait to see what you guys come up wth, ST and STA are on my list (again) to get through this upcoming holiday season. I think I will actually finish them this time!
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Theres no need to apologise :) I can imagine MT setting up a demo shortly
Sadly I cant play STA! I dont have PS2 bios, or swap magic for my PS2.
Finished off everything for the maps Solitary and Hidden tonight.
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It just wouldnt be right without the slime.
Moves like a slime, but doesnt have its usual spitting attack yet. Instead, it has a 360 degree touch attack, that hits quickly three times.
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Hey MT any news?
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I hope it's going along well. I'm quite looking forward to it.
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How on earth are you reproducing everything so accurately? Are you ripping models from the game or remaking it all from scratch?
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Made everything from scratch - textures, models, animations. Its all eyework and estimations :wink: I went by reference screenshots mostly, because I cant play ST on my main machine.
MT must be having a break... Its the only explanation as to why he hasnt posted in a while.
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Would you like me to rip some some of the enemy pictures from the game for you? Like the item ones I posted a while back? I could also get a screenshot collection of areas since I'm going through the game at the moment, if you'd like.
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Screenshots would be ideal, I already have the enemy pictures you ripped and used two of them in my YT video :smile: they were a big help.
Also if you come up with any ideas for things to add that would be cool. Enemy attacks or objects in certain areas. I can imagine that From gave enemies the most attention, because compared to KF and ST:A, Shadow Tower's environments are quite lacking and barren.
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I forgot I did the enemy pictures too -- Thought it was only item... I can get some screenshots when I figure out how to get away from the current area I'm lost in, those darn giants...
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If you follow through with this, the most important thing you can do is make sure that the placement of everything is just so. If you don't get this right on the firsts pass, either the whole thing will have to be readjusted as necessary, or redone completely from scratch.
This kind of project is of no long term value unless you completely replicate the original as a historical document. Only after you achieve this end can you even think about preparing alternatives. It would be socially irresponsible and disrespectful of the source material to do anything less.
That said Shadow Tower is the best game to remake first with SOM. SOM is actually based on Shadow Tower, you find much of the artwork is only slight modifications of those of ST. The arm is straight out of ST. The way the maps work likewise.
You shouldn't call this HD. Just Sword of Moonlight - Shadow Tower. The truth is the game would be perfectly presentable if made with the original artwork. Where a remake would be much improved is higher resolution, including widescreen, analog controls, and solid graphics... none of the squirming of the PS1's raster technology. Though admittedly, some of the artwork was a bit crude. The skeletons seem a step backward even from the earlier KF games.
I will personally get around to pulling all of the original artwork off the disc if necessary. Please don't model anything in the game from scratch unless you want to use that model in another game like Rathmor anyway, and as such the result of your work can be an alternative look of the ST mainstays. So consider if you make these models from scratch, don't do them in the style of ST. Do them in an alternative style. SOM's style if nothing else. If there are already pieces in SOM that are even remotely close for what is called for, use those, even if you only want to think of them as temporary placeholders.
Don't use the AgeTec disc for text. Just don't even go there. In fact you'll thank yourself if you just put short one line descriptions of what is being communicated in each message screen. You needn't even replicate text that includes more than one screen in a row, but if you need more than one line you should. This will make it much easier to manage the script and translate later (a Japanese version with the original text is a must.)
It will be a bigger task than you think. Plan ahead. Don't get bogged down in details. The only thing that really matters at this stage is the accuracy of placement. That is the map tiles (which hopefully line up with ST's tile 2x2m grid wise) and the monsters/items/etc. You want everything spot on. That's the most important thing, nothing else really matters.
I don't see any real challenges in pulling this off extensions wise. Probably the hairiest thing is ring-based magic. But I think the sensible and best way to do that is to tie every ring pickup to a new magic learned (hopefully there are only 30, if not we can figure something out) and then the ring can just be displayed on the two magic lists along side the magic. In order to use two rings like in the original, there will be a Quick Select system in place before you are done, that will let players who bother to learn the system use as many rings as they want simultaneously. The same system can stand-in for quick select item function in ST...
It doesn't make sense to arbitrarily say you can only wear 1 ring, one on each hand, anyway. Why not wear 5 rings on each hand, or more? I would just look at the 2 ring limit of the original as an arbitrary limitation that can be improved upon by a remake. Simple as that.
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When I chose to help Master Taffer I knew it would be a big undertaking to try and replicate the artwork. I have already done alot of work on this project, so I dont intend to scrap what I have made, and what you see in this project is the only artwork I intend to release to the public to use in their games at present. And it does gel with SOM's artwork, if that matters. If I thought I wasnt up to the task I wouldnt have started.
Anyway until I hear from MT again I am not developing anything for this project. Its a good job I didnt take this so seriously.
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Where else was it I've seen the word Taff before? :ninja:
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Probably from the Thief series. Taff is also a Welsh name
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Sorry for such a long hiatus, I had to move unexpectedly and just got the internet back on today. The project hasn't stalled at all though, I am still working to finish up the base mapping for the remake (only two and a half more worlds to go). Hopefully I can finish within the next week and then start work on object placement.
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Good to hear from you!
Let me know what you need, I noticed some objects in ST are quite detailed.
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If anybody has any suggestions, I've been wondering what to do about the story. To be honest, I don't think it was all that great in the original game and wanted to improve it, possibly by adding stuff like item descriptions with detailed lore like in Dark Souls.
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Have you played Shadow Tower Abyss? Theres alot of lore in that game that sort of explains why the tower exists and its purpose. It might not be everyones summary but I think the tower in Abyss is the tower from Shadow Tower (PS1) but with a higher budget and revised functionality, like the lifts for example.
Personally I prefered the original ST tower because it is alot more medieval than ST:A's tower. Though the tower in ST:A is almost like a link between 'worlds' so to speak so its design is probably deliberately non conventional.
Anyway it would be nice to either build on the ST:A lore and story or create something similar to it, as like all From games the story leaves alot to the imagination :wink:
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I wanted to play Shadow Tower Abyss, but couldn't get any ps2 emulators to work with it. If you have it working send it to me and ill play the translation as soon as possible.
I think what I'll do is keep the story mostly the same, but add item descriptions via SOM's assess feature and improve the writing in NPC dialogues. Personally, I prefer more direct stories with branching dialogue options in role playing games, but I don't think that would work well in Shadow Tower.
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Aside from the backstory found in the manuals of KF and ST, I think that for games that retain the KF style of play, which is more mysterious and allows the player to imagine their 'silent protagonist', the YES/NO function works pretty good and SOM allows for this with the IF (message choice) I personally prefer this approach to choices in games, because sometimes the dialogue options dont match how you would respond.
The critically acclaimed Souls' games work this pretty well I think, because the player affects their game world more with actions rather than words.
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@Verdite
I really like that idea, the souls games and ST are almost identical in terms of atmosphere so it might work. I'm going to do a lot of research into the story of the two games soon and hopefully I'll be able to implement it.
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I think I read somewhere here that the lack of information about the story, unknowing whats coming next, and the 'mystery' factors in KF / ST actually contributed to the intrigue and interest of the game, and it makes sense.
If you know exactly whats going on in a game, it takes alot of the challenge out of it - and discovering it yourself first time through makes it feel more personal, because you take it all at your own pace.
Personally I think that Demons souls is alot closer to ST than Dark, and when you consider that it was released after STA:A its safe to assume alot of ST elements are built in, like the soul levelling is probably a revised idea from the soul pod. Though the 'mothball' idea that Demons souls was born of is probably a combination of KF and ST.
I can only hope that From return to do an amazing first person game someday - the problem is, if you had a first person control in the souls games, it would be very disorientating when you attack, and even simple actions like writing a soapstone message where the character bends down could induce dizzyness.
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Had some chillout time today so I made some ST items at a leisurely pace.
I chose Wyvern because I really like its design. The axe because I havent done you an axe yet, and the helm... I like its design. I thought it looked quite basic but retains an interesting shape.
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Very nice Verdite, I like :smile:. Haven't seen the wyvern sword, do you know where I can find it ingame?
Just finished touching up the Earth World maps so I thought I'd post them here:
Rotting Cavern
(http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/t568/mastertaffer/rottingcavern_zps85442c92.png)
Poisonous Cavern
(http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/t568/mastertaffer/poisonouscavern_zpsdfbb0ab8.png)
Quaking Cavern
(http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/t568/mastertaffer/QuakingCavern_zpsa9db5fd8.png)
Stone Cavern
(http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/t568/mastertaffer/stonecavern_zps0b478919.png)
False Pit Cavern
(http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/t568/mastertaffer/falsepitcavern_zps6a59327b.png)
Hostile Rock Cavern
(http://i1314.photobucket.com/albums/t568/mastertaffer/hostilerockcavern_zps05b3644d.png)
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All look amazing, great job!!
Did you manage to use the sets I sent you? I sent you templates to go with the sets. I thought you wanted them quickly so I didnt create any new icons for them.
I dont know where Wyvern is in ST but I found it in ST:A through a secret wall. The hostile rock cavern... Thats where you meet the knight boss right?
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Unfortunately I wasn't able to get them to work even with the template. The tiles show up, but when I open the map editor it won't allow me to scroll properly and crashes when I go to test it. Not sure what's wrong.
By the way, did you get the PM reply I sent you a couple days ago? I explained what I'm planning, was wondering what you think of the idea.
Edit: Nevermind, just read your PM.
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I had no idea they had caused this much trouble!
I am assuming you have added all the files in their right directories? The only thing I can think of is that there is a file missing, but I am sure I sent you the full batch. I can zip them up again for you if its peace of mind.
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Music and videos made for this project, by me...
Human world: http://youtu.be/-JlsDra1J2g
Fire world: http://youtu.be/nyI3HhUfEa4
Water world: http://youtu.be/W0LIlvPHF2A
Thanks to user TheStolenBattenberg for the images. :smile:
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This project now has a facebook page, expect to see a lot more updates here and there.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shadow-Tower-SOM/209256152598347?ref=hl
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Not spesificly for this project, but I got bored today and made some ambience inspired by shadow tower, figured since you guys are working on resurecting the game you might appriciate something of the sort. consider it a present for what you're doing. : )
https://soundcloud.com/thestolenbattenberg/shadow-tower-inspired-ambient (https://soundcloud.com/thestolenbattenberg/shadow-tower-inspired-ambient)
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Very nice track TheStolenBattenberg, would you mind if I used it in the project? I think it'd make great title screen music.
Here's a quick test video that shows off the unique horror atmosphere that the lighting and other assets create in the fire world. Note that nothing on display here is final (or finished). :tongue:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObRBF4PrCcI
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Uh, sure thing I guess. I'll have to remix it in such a case, since I was being lazy at the time, thus it doesn't look and there's a few out of place parts.
That world looks cool, I feel like crap now but I actually got scared by the dying, had volume way too loud!.. :3
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Just a quick update to let you all know that this project is still in motion.
I'm almost done with the map remakes. Shadow Tower is a difficult game to recreate in SOM because the map pieces are built on a different grid system, but I've managed. Most of the maps I've completed so far look very close to the original game.
Right now I'm waiting for Verdite to get back from his vacation, but expect to see some new screenshots very soon. :wink:
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This project now has a news section and facebook page, all future updates will be posted on both.
Shadow Tower SOM - News: http://www.swordofmoonlight.com/bbs/index.php?topic=781.0
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shadow-Tower-SOM/209256152598347
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Firstly I want to congratulate you for a project like this. I'm really looking forward to it. I have a couple requests about the remake also :)
1) In the original version, equipments were wearing off extremely fast. Please fix this.
2) Please use a couple of music pieces as a soundtrack, It really adds to atmosphere
3) There was a monster in area that paralyzes you and it was paralyzing you over and over again while you are paralyzed. Please fix stupid stucking problems like this.
Keep up the good work!
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Already answered your questions on facebook, but I guess I'll do it here too. :tongue:
1 - This game is being made in Sword of Moonlight, and durability simply isn't an option, so you won't have to worry about it.
2 - The game will have it's own original soundtrack composed by Ben aka Verdite. They are atmospheric tunes that will serve to emphasize the horror atmosphere that we're going for.
3 - The paralyze status is nowhere near as frustratingly cheap in the SOM engine. It won't happen when nearby enemies either, but rather from enemy projectiles.
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I was going to ask how this project was coming, but I checked your link to the Faceboob page and saw it's on hold. :crying:
It was looking really neat so I hope you two pick it up when the time is right. :beerchug:
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Yeah, we'll likely be starting this back up sometime in June or July, I want to have it finished before October.
And, I did decide to do a remake of KF3 afterwards, so you can look forward to that. :wink:
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Faceboob
That sounds so comfortable... :beerchug:
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No durability?
Interesting. Most of Shadow Tower's mechanics were based around durability. Even the magic rings broke, making casting very complicated at low levels.
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Durability is unfortunately impossible in SOM, so I've opted instead to turn it into the more traditional King's Field style of gameplay. Though, it will still retain the map design and horror atmosphere of the original Shadow Tower.
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Personally, I would cut down on how many weapons are available. Shadow Tower threw as many weapons at you as it did because these weapons broke after killing a couple handfuls of demons, shadows and beasts.
No Dorado's Ashes?
What if you included the ashes but they had a different purpose?
Like upgrading weapons
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I think those are good ideas, I personally hated the overdone focus on durability in that game, in RPGs I like to level up and be rewarded for thorough exploration, not feel like I have to rush through and skip grinding because my damn weapon is going to break and I have limited ways to repair it.
Using the ashes for another purpose, removing a lot of the mundane, repeated weaponry and focusing on more unique pieces sounds cool to me.
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Hello! I love this game and when I heard about this remake project I was very excited. Are there any news about the project? A playable demo or teaser video?
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I cancelled it a while back, don't plan on doing anything more with it. If I ever resurrect this project again I'll probably do a sequel-type game, as I'm done doing remakes.