Author Topic: First Fantasy: Mana Force 2020-2021 updates  (Read 9830 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline DJ Omnimaga

  • Clacualters are teh gr33t
  • CoT Emeritus
  • LV15 Omnimagician (Next: --)
  • *
  • Posts: 55941
  • Rating: +3154/-232
  • CodeWalrus founder & retired Omnimaga founder
    • View Profile
    • Dream of Omnimaga Music
First Fantasy: Mana Force 2020-2021 updates
« on: June 06, 2020, 03:46:56 pm »
With the lockdown and everything closing down and the fact I cannot work, I eventually got bored and I began doing some updates to my old calculator games. First, Illusiat Collection got updated, then my HP Prime Tunnel game and now, First Fantasy: Mana Force for the TI-84 Plus CE.



Basically I am taking advantage of the CE Texlib rectangle library exploits to use parts of the home screen that cannot be used normally in TI-BASIC on that calculator. I plan to display the current hit points at the top of the screen whenever it's empty, but I'll need to create a custom font routine using CE Textlib rectangles. Here is what it should look like once completed:


It's also now possible to quit the game by pressing CLEAR in the in-game menu. Some colors were also changed to take advantage of the aforementioned CE Texlib "features", since that lets me use 16 colors instead of 15. The horizontal gaps you could see in the dungeon walls were also removed.

Spoiler For Older screenshots:
 

If you have a CE, you can download the game at https://www.ticalc.org/archives/files/fileinfo/463/46383.html , although some recent updates haven't been implemented yet. There's also a C Silver Edition version included.
« Last Edit: March 11, 2021, 07:16:47 am by DJ Omnimaga »

Offline Xeda112358

  • they/them
  • Moderator
  • LV12 Extreme Poster (Next: 5000)
  • ************
  • Posts: 4704
  • Rating: +719/-6
  • Calc-u-lator, do doo doo do do do.
    • View Profile
Re: First Fantasy: Mana Force 2020 updates
« Reply #1 on: June 06, 2020, 04:05:21 pm »
I saw that on TICalc, it looks cool :0

Offline DJ Omnimaga

  • Clacualters are teh gr33t
  • CoT Emeritus
  • LV15 Omnimagician (Next: --)
  • *
  • Posts: 55941
  • Rating: +3154/-232
  • CodeWalrus founder & retired Omnimaga founder
    • View Profile
    • Dream of Omnimaga Music
Re: First Fantasy: Mana Force 2020 updates
« Reply #2 on: June 09, 2020, 02:13:19 pm »
The custom digits font routine has been completed and implemented:



Of course it slows down the game a bit but most of the slowdown occurs right at the beginning of the battle loop or when exiting the menu from the village. I'll have to look into that because it seems like the HP font routine is ran twice.

EDIT: More screenshots of what the game looks like now:



EDIT2: Another

« Last Edit: June 10, 2020, 04:50:30 pm by DJ Omnimaga »

Offline DJ Omnimaga

  • Clacualters are teh gr33t
  • CoT Emeritus
  • LV15 Omnimagician (Next: --)
  • *
  • Posts: 55941
  • Rating: +3154/-232
  • CodeWalrus founder & retired Omnimaga founder
    • View Profile
    • Dream of Omnimaga Music
Re: First Fantasy: Mana Force 2020 updates
« Reply #3 on: June 12, 2020, 05:42:38 pm »
I am happy to announce that version 2.0 of First Fantasy: Mana Force for the TI-83 Premium CE and TI-84 Plus CE, compatible with OS 5.4 or below, has been released!



As of now the file hasn't been updated on Cemetech and Ticalc, but the new version, featuring the new UI and full-screen graphics, is now available on TI-Planet: https://tiplanet.org/forum/archives_voir.php?id=185757

Make sure to not upgrade your TI-83 Premium CE or TI-84 Plus CE to OS 5.5 or 5.5.1. This game uses ASM/C libraries by DrDnar and the new TI OS removes ASM/C support.

Offline Jonson26

  • LV4 Regular (Next: 200)
  • ****
  • Posts: 118
  • Rating: +1/-0
  • Follow cat! Do what cat! Into tree! Now!
    • View Profile
Re: First Fantasy: Mana Force 2020 updates
« Reply #4 on: June 13, 2020, 07:53:32 am »
Since this is such a major interface change and, as you previously stated, it could slow down the game, maybe you could consider making a new release instead of replacing the old files?
(BTW, the game looks really nice. ;))

Offline DJ Omnimaga

  • Clacualters are teh gr33t
  • CoT Emeritus
  • LV15 Omnimagician (Next: --)
  • *
  • Posts: 55941
  • Rating: +3154/-232
  • CodeWalrus founder & retired Omnimaga founder
    • View Profile
    • Dream of Omnimaga Music
Re: First Fantasy: Mana Force 2020 updates
« Reply #5 on: June 13, 2020, 12:54:09 pm »
Actually, most of the slowdown has been eliminated now. The problem is that due to how the code worked, the new hit points font routine would be executed even when not needed. That got fixed so now the slowdown is minimal. I also made sure that only the actual hit points get updated rather than displaying the entire window box/text over and over.

Offline DJ Omnimaga

  • Clacualters are teh gr33t
  • CoT Emeritus
  • LV15 Omnimagician (Next: --)
  • *
  • Posts: 55941
  • Rating: +3154/-232
  • CodeWalrus founder & retired Omnimaga founder
    • View Profile
    • Dream of Omnimaga Music
Re: First Fantasy: Mana Force 2020 updates
« Reply #6 on: October 20, 2020, 11:42:35 am »
Thanks to @Iambian 's new TI-OS custom font routine, a special version of First Fantasy taking advantage of his font hook to display actual sprites is now being worked on:


Offline DJ Omnimaga

  • Clacualters are teh gr33t
  • CoT Emeritus
  • LV15 Omnimagician (Next: --)
  • *
  • Posts: 55941
  • Rating: +3154/-232
  • CodeWalrus founder & retired Omnimaga founder
    • View Profile
    • Dream of Omnimaga Music
Re: First Fantasy: Mana Force 2020 updates
« Reply #7 on: October 29, 2020, 05:08:05 pm »
Here is Final Fantasy: Mana Force version 3.0 for the TI-83 Premium CE and TI-84 Plus CE!



-You can now quit the game with CLEAR from the title screen.
-The game now uses single-color sprites instead of only ASCII art graphics.
-Text now uses a different font.
-Omega magic spell visuals have been updated
-Some magic icons were replaced
-There is now an animation before casting magic spells.
-Version number is now displayed at the bottom-right of the title screen.


Download link: https://tiplanet.org/forum/archives_voir.php?id=185757

Offline Xeda112358

  • they/them
  • Moderator
  • LV12 Extreme Poster (Next: 5000)
  • ************
  • Posts: 4704
  • Rating: +719/-6
  • Calc-u-lator, do doo doo do do do.
    • View Profile
Re: First Fantasy: Mana Force 2020 updates
« Reply #8 on: October 29, 2020, 05:15:13 pm »
That looks wonderful :0
I remember for the monochrome series, the precursor to Batlib actually used a font hook in a similar way. The programmer could use hex codes to create sprites on-the-fly for 0-9 and A-F (so 16 tiles) and then use the normal Output( command to draw a map. (That's actually why Batlib's first set of commands are font- and hex-oriented).

Offline the_mad_joob

  • LV6 Super Member (Next: 500)
  • ******
  • Posts: 346
  • Rating: +47/-0
    • View Profile
Re: First Fantasy: Mana Force 2020 updates
« Reply #9 on: October 29, 2020, 11:32:44 pm »
Pretty cool, good job !

Offline DJ Omnimaga

  • Clacualters are teh gr33t
  • CoT Emeritus
  • LV15 Omnimagician (Next: --)
  • *
  • Posts: 55941
  • Rating: +3154/-232
  • CodeWalrus founder & retired Omnimaga founder
    • View Profile
    • Dream of Omnimaga Music
Re: First Fantasy: Mana Force 2020 updates
« Reply #10 on: October 30, 2020, 04:49:17 pm »
Thanks a lot! Here is a video of the game in action, by the way:




Offline DJ Omnimaga

  • Clacualters are teh gr33t
  • CoT Emeritus
  • LV15 Omnimagician (Next: --)
  • *
  • Posts: 55941
  • Rating: +3154/-232
  • CodeWalrus founder & retired Omnimaga founder
    • View Profile
    • Dream of Omnimaga Music
Re: First Fantasy: Mana Force 2020 updates
« Reply #11 on: March 01, 2021, 02:48:37 pm »
Version 3.1 is now released, with the following updates:
-The game launcher now has an icon in shells like the C Silver Edition version did.
-Save files are now archived after being edited, for protection against RAM clears.
-If a save file is empty when loaded, then a new game is now launched instead.
-The error that rarely happens upon exiting the game from the status menu might have been fixed, but it is not 100% sure yet.

https://tiplanet.org/forum/archives_voir.php?id=185757

The Cemetech and Ticalc copies should be approved in the next hours/days. Keep in mind that the TI-84 Plus C Silver Edition version of First Fantasy is no longer updated since 2015, so all the 2020-21 changes only apply to CE models.

Offline DJ Omnimaga

  • Clacualters are teh gr33t
  • CoT Emeritus
  • LV15 Omnimagician (Next: --)
  • *
  • Posts: 55941
  • Rating: +3154/-232
  • CodeWalrus founder & retired Omnimaga founder
    • View Profile
    • Dream of Omnimaga Music
Re: First Fantasy: Mana Force 2020-2021 updates
« Reply #12 on: March 11, 2021, 07:29:50 am »
A new expanded version of First Fantasy: Mana Force for the TI-83 Premium CE and TI-84 Plus CE is underway. Four bonus dungeons with even harder enemies are being added. Here are some of the changes in the menu:


The following screenshots did not have the crystal shard and orb displayed in the game menu but they still shows some updates:




EDIT:
Major update with version 4.0 release!



-Four bonus dungeons added via an entirely new quest unlocked at the end of the original
-Some graphical improvements in dungeons and the village
-Title screen copyright layout changed and reduced in size
-In-game controls that are displayed on-screen now shows up as button icons for better readability.
-Fixed save loading bug introduced in 3.1.
-Some dungeon colors and graphics changed.
-If a second quest is started after beating the game, a star now appears besides the save file on the title screen.
-The last error mentioned in the previous version changes might have finally been fixed once and for all.

Download link (also in Ticalc/Cemetech pending queue): https://tiplanet.org/forum/archives_voir.php?id=185757
« Last Edit: March 11, 2021, 05:07:10 pm by DJ Omnimaga »

Offline the_mad_joob

  • LV6 Super Member (Next: 500)
  • ******
  • Posts: 346
  • Rating: +47/-0
    • View Profile
Re: First Fantasy: Mana Force 2020-2021 updates
« Reply #13 on: March 13, 2021, 10:57:11 pm »
I'll be honest, i don't play your game.
But because of the time & effort you put into it, i'll say thanks, in the name of people who do.
Keep up the good work =]

Offline DJ Omnimaga

  • Clacualters are teh gr33t
  • CoT Emeritus
  • LV15 Omnimagician (Next: --)
  • *
  • Posts: 55941
  • Rating: +3154/-232
  • CodeWalrus founder & retired Omnimaga founder
    • View Profile
    • Dream of Omnimaga Music
Re: First Fantasy: Mana Force 2020-2021 updates
« Reply #14 on: March 15, 2021, 11:57:31 am »
Thanks a lot! :)

Version 4.1 of First Fantasy is now released! https://tiplanet.org/forum/archives_voir.php?id=185757


It adds treasure chests to most dungeons.