Battle Gem Ponies DevLog #148 (Paper Maps)

     Been taking on the task of translating rough map sketches into detailed exact maps on graph paper.  It's a matter of putting every detail from the design document down and marking out exactly how many steps it takes to get anywhere, roughly how many screens a zone will be, where items will be hidden, which buildings and NPCs I'll have to draw, and all the minor visual details.

     All this fuss so I only have to lay down tiles in the editor like I'm following a blueprint. And these definitely help make the game feel more real. Actually seeing the game world has me super pumped to make it happen in full colorful pixelated glory!

     It's a tedious process though and will probably take another day or two, especially when I double check to make sure the cutscenes can play out how I want them to. Also, still working on the last few Ultra form sprites to show off next week.

An example of Sketch to Graph Map (before)

An example of Sketch to Graph Map (after)

The cloud shape was bothering me so I spent like an hour trying to make it look right.

   Completed:

• Redesigned Some Ultra Ponies (some drafts didn't look EXTREME enough)
• More Graph Paper Maps
• Layout for Pony Spotlight posts to carry hype throughout the launch.
• BGP's Forum Thread was Moved on Relic Castle (to be alongside other non-Pokemon fan games)

     Lessons Learned:

• Only this past year have I become interested in cars now that my rust bucket is months away from being scrap-metal and I had to do some research into what to replace it with.
• This over the months this led me into the Tesla Mania, sports car fandom, large scale electrical efficiency, and even an International Auto Show in Orlando this past weekend. 
• No idea how it'll affect my game development, but I'm sure it will seep in subconsciously somehow.

       You know... Stacking my guys next to the OG 151, I think I did pretty good. A diverse cast of collectible monsters, one of every flavor, pushing the boundaries of what a "pony" could be in this world of mine. And the sprites look pretty professional too. Can't wait to see them all in action. And I really can't wait to come across random fan art.

I wonder which ones will become fan favorites...
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       Featured:

     Glad the nickname system has been implemented. I'd like to see people sharing their dream teams like this throughout their playthrough.
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     Next on the agenda are these darn tile placeholders! Gotta get the last few I need in place then find the optimal way to organize them for easy/efficient placement in the game world with Unity's 2d Toolkit tile plugin. Outta be much faster than drawing ponies because these won't have to look nice until later.