Progress #7

As I get closer to completeing the game I found another sidetrack!

I've decided to use an ".INI" file so users can track their progress.

A defeat of each enemy, finding all the hidden characters, witnessing or triggering certain special events and completeing each chapter will count towards a percentage amount displayed at the end of each game.

This would also save the chapter progress (so no password system will be needed).

I think it will give people who finish the regular game incentive to keep playing to find all the percentage points.

I may even use this to unlock an inbuilt information gallery/database.

But first back to programming the villain's special abilities (or handicap in the case of Starscream).

Progress #6

I continue to get side-tracked with the fun elements rather than the game play. I've come up with an additional team with it's own hidden villain for example. But I've got to get the basic game done first! I have revised the mechannics of character creation for the Autobots and next I have to do the same for the Decepticons. It has mucked up retreating/benching but in the long run should make that aspect work more correctly. It also frees up some memory that was really being tied up for no good purpose.

Progress #5

I'm working on the Random team button and the option to buy characters on the character selection screen. The space bar thing is still bugging me.

I also have to keep working on the trivia questions. I've still got around 30 to come up with.

That aside, you can now make your team of five and send four of them to the locations the Decepticons are attacking.

The next major step will be to recreate the battle screen from the aborted version.

Progress #4

I've got the character selection working and the following trivia competition. The spacebar seems a bit slow sometimes though when selecting a character so I have to look at how that's working.

One of the secret characters has also been seeded.

Putting together the team also works. However once you've added a character you can't take him back. It's permanent. I don't like that. I want to give players the option to customise further, up until the final selection.

Future characters

There's a lot more characters, both heroes and villains I'd like to put into the game but I realise that I shouldn't go too far in the first version.

I think that when the game finally gets to chapter four there will be at least another 24 playable characters. This has risen from 20 over the past two month as more and more ideas have came into my head.

Progress #3

I overloaed my main form and now I can't load the project file.

So I've gone back to basics and am building the game almost from scratch, but in order of the how the game play will work.

Fortunetly I can still access all the individual forms and the code so it's not all lost.

I'm currently working on the character selection board and the trivia contest.

To be honest, this is not the part of the game I enjoy, but I'm trying to be true to the original format and the trivia does add some extra play value.

I might leave a secret code in to bypass this and select the characters with greater ease.

I did like the memory game approach.

Progress #2

I have an idea for three more character. Two of the villains might make it into the first version. The other playable character might make a cameo in version one. Two of the new characters tie really well into my overall story idea.

The game play dynamic is working pretty well now. There's still one little bug that keeps repeating on me, but it causes one of two clear outcomes so I should be able to solve it.

I lowered the Autobot's HP and found that Decepticon wins don't work properly yet.

I started coming up with trivia questions but I have a lot more work to do on that. I'm going to get out the books and DVDs and find more.

The other thing I'm keen to get working is the AI, both for the Decepticons (who currently either randomly attack or use a default attack) and for the team leader (who currently just calls out Block! whatever the attack).

After that it's the fun stuff: special powers, events, some simple animations, and the design.

Progess #1

I'm making some good progress on the basic game engine. I'm experimenting with how the loops should work and fleshing out what VB.net can and can't do. The lack of control arrays is pretty annoying, as is a good "press any key to continue" feature.

The other thing I'm having some trouble with is moving characters to reserve and then bringing them back. The game would probably work fine at the moment but some characters would have no hope and you wouldn't get another chance at them.

I'm still torn between a pickboard trivia game for character selection versus the memory game which I did have working. I might leave the memory game in as a Easter egg since it works anyway.

Giving the characters their abilities and events is fun but it's a little distracting.

I gave Wheeljack his special ability and found it was far too powerful. I think I'm going to have throw in some bad luck for him.

Starscream is, so far, the most powerful villain. That kinds of works for the game plan but a lot of the Autobots might need some help to defeat him. Ravage has average stats across the board but turns out to be the weakest and that's not right. I will have to give him a bit of help.

I also want to start work on what the game will look like, but I realise that is a lower priority. I have to get the game to work and then I can make it pretty.

Villains

The game starts with the 10 original Decepticon toys plus four more (or should that be six?) as your enemies.

By the end of chapter three the number of enemies increases by 14.

If you're unlucky six of them might be replaced by another more powerful robot. They might even say "the most powerful robot".

One of the new villains will also be someone you've seen before in the game.

Playable characters

When you begin the game you will be able to select your team from the original 18 Autobots.

By the end of chapter three, you will have had the chance to play another 25 characters , that is if you can find them all.

About TF Assault

TF Assault is a fan-made game based on "X-Assault" by Jim Lemoine.

Select a squad of heroic Autobots to defeat the evil Decepticons in stat-based, turn-based combat.

Discover which Autobots have advantages over certain Decepticons but beware the Decepticons who have the upperhand.

I'm currently redeveloping the game from a rudimentary QBASIC version I created a few years ago.

I've set this blog up as the official homepage of the game should I ever get to a stage where I want to release it to other Transfans instead of just amusing myself.