BGP Roster Info #1 (Simber, Xenoir, & Sweet-Bot)

     Time to kick off pony introductions! I'll be making these playable characters in just 3 weeks so it's good to have an explanation of what I'm trying to get across out there. In order to turn these horsies into familiar faces I'll post a short description of each, where the name comes from, and what they can do. these won't exactly be ponipedia entries, but consider it a really rough draft that breaks the 4th wall.

     I'll be doing these 3 at a time as I get more sprites and solid designs to work with. As with everything else so far, things are subject to change at a moment's notice. Even the fully animated sprites may not be final.

Get info on the Simber, Xenoir, and Sweet-Bot ponies below.

Battle Gem Ponies DevLog #12 (Follower Ponies, Wild Encounters, & PvP Menu Plans)

I have plans to redesign those 4 item buttons.

     A lot of back-end coding went down over spring break and I have a lot of features planned out in detail on paper. Now it's a matter of blitzing through development to have something ready for the game design competition at my school next month. I just pray school doesn't get in the way too much.

Get a big progress report below the break.

BGP Battle Readability

     I want all the important decision making factors to be visible in battle. If you're poisoned, your pony should have bubbles by it's head and a toxic icon near the health bar. If it's raining and that boosts Aqua moves, the downpour should always be visible. If the opponent laid a trap, the trap needs to be seen by your pony's feet. If you have an attacked charged up, your pony should be flashing or emitting particles.

     All these things are important pieces of info that should be visible while the player selects his or her next attack. I just feel like it would really immerse you in battle and make what's going on above the buttons that much more interesting to watch. A big problem I have with turn based RPGs is getting bored after long periods. This is one of the ways I can minimize the chances of players feeling that.

Battle Gem Ponies DevLog #11 (TileMaps & Overworld Setup)

     Unity 5! Sure, it'll cost me $4500 eventually, but I'll gladly pay for the engine's immense help if I ever reach $100,000. Those are the terms of use and accepting them means I can make Battle Gem Ponies even better! Unity 5's audio tools open up a lot of possibilities for pony sounds and various effects. The particle effect upgrades should allow me to do some fancy stuff too.

Get some dirty details on what went down in BGP's development this week.