Tethical, online FFT clone

[Kivutar]

new floor tile?

You mean the blue cursor?

This is amazing!!!I want to help. Mind you I am JUST starting python aweek ago. But this is perfect. And we can look for more people to help on Indie DB for other things too. This game has massive potential you have no idea. If you wanna do chat i always have my skype on nickname is boomstick8 . I am more than eager to learn python on my own and keep up.

Do you know other languages, or is python you first language?
I add you on skype, but please join us on IRC too.
And do you know how to use Git?

[Kaffe]

Is there a Tethical IRC channel or are you talking about FFH IRC channel?

[Kivutar]

I was talking about FFH IRC channel.

Good news: Calvin Chen is joining the development forces. He's the guy who did this: http://strayobjects.blogspot.com/p/tactics.html

[Omegus]

Update (26 july)
I have been looking over the code and looks good so far. I wanted to run by you a line of code to add on to damage that when a attack is landed that exp is given that character. but i think we should talk with Calvin also and figure how you want the exp and level should go forth. because I have some (alot) of ideas how we could do it.

[GeneralStrife]

holy shit if your characters leveled up fighting other people that would be an awesome system

[Pickle Girl Fanboy]

Update (26 july)
I have been looking over the code and looks good so far. I wanted to run by you a line of code to add on to damage that when a attack is landed that exp is given that character. but i think we should talk with Calvin also and figure how you want the exp and level should go forth. because I have some (alot) of ideas how we could do it.

Yeah, how ready are you for battle mechanics?

[Kivutar]

I did a lot of code refactoring today, mostly around the fonts management.

@Omegus: the plan is to follow FFT mechanics for the beggining, and if it works, add abstraction layers in a second time.
You can find a lot of information on how xp is computed on this guide: http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps/197339-final-fantasy-tactics/faqs/3876
This is our reference.

There is already some code about xp in the Character.py file server side: the formulas for stats increase. So all we have to add is the leveling feature, adding an extra data to the attack packet, so the client can display gained xp.

Omegus, do you know how to use git and github?

Today I discussed with calvin how to implement AI. I tell him to continue this talk on this public forum on my next mail.

[Omegus]

i know how to use github. ok cool i cant wait.

[Pickle Girl Fanboy]

Can you make some rough estimates on the minimum hardware requirements to run Tethical?

[RandMuadDib]

as far as abilities go (you might not be this far yet i dunno) are you planning on

1) having several damage formulas with input parameters so multiple abilities can use the same formula (like FFT does)

or

2) having the damage formula built into each ability so each can be precisely customized exactly as the designer requires?

or

3) some frankencombination of both?

or

4) some other method i haven't thought of?

[Kivutar]

i know how to use github. ok cool i cant wait.

Great!! Don't wait then, as long as you stick to the battle mechanics guide, your code won't be a loss of time. Fork tethical on github, and let's test the merge request thing. I never used this workflow, I'm very curious to see how it works

Can you make some rough estimates on the minimum hardware requirements to run Tethical?

I was able to run tethical on a virtualized windows7 with only 1go ram and 16mo for the video card, without 2d or 3d acceleration activated! It was slow but not unplayable.

as far as abilities go (you might not be this far yet i dunno) are you planning on

1) having several damage formulas with input parameters so multiple abilities can use the same formula (like FFT does)

or

2) having the damage formula built into each ability so each can be precisely customized exactly as the designer requires?

or

3) some frankencombination of both?

or

4) some other method i haven't thought of?

I don't understand what is limitative in method 1. If you want to change the formula of a skill without changing the formula of others, just duplicate that formula and link the skill to this new formula, then mod the formula. Maybe it is hard in ASM to do such a thing, I don't know.
Anyway, in Tethical, it will be easy to duplicate a formula: you'll just have to copy/paste a file or a block of text. And configuring what formula is used by a skill will be changing a name in a config file.
Shared formulas should not be seen as a limitation, it is a feature that let's you change many things by editing a single value

[Pickle Girl Fanboy]

The following is a PM I sent another member who was going to work on a single-player fork of tethical before he got sidetracked by real life.

Don't worry about this right now, but once you can replicate vanilla's stat/equipment/ability systems, can you break tethical into modules, so someone can substitute different stat/equipment/ability systems for the FFT systems?
Specifically:
*A Vagrant Story Stat/Equipment system.
*An Ogre Battle S/E/A system.
*A SaGa Frontier S/E/A system.
*A FF7 Materia-like Ability system.

Once you are 100% done with your spin-off of tethical, I mean.  I'd like this because you could use these modules for other games, like a FF6 or SaGa Frontier type game.  And you'd need at least three modules: a world map module, a battle/event module, a menu module, a data module (sprites and game data like formulas and stats), and a S/E/A system module.

Sorry if I sound like an ass or a newb.  You shouldn't worry about modules for a long time; just hardcoding everything will be fine until your third or fourth alpha bugfix is stable.  This is an idea for when you want to make it into something more.

And have you started on displaying text boxes during battle, with and without portraits?  Or will you wait until later before starting on battle events?

[Omegus]

Great!! Don't wait then, as long as you stick to the battle mechanics guide, your code won't be a loss of time. Fork tethical on github, and let's test the merge request thing. I never used this workflow, I'm very curious to see how it works

I forked with the git rep. now do you want me to "copy , paste "  the formula from the web page sort of speak? or do you want me to memorize it to sort through what you have done so far?

[Kivutar]

I forked with the git rep. now do you want me to "copy , paste "  the formula from the web page sort of speak? or do you want me to memorize it to sort through what you have done so far?

I'm not certain to understand the question (English is not my native language). Using the official formula is right for the beginning because it helps us to test the result. It can be hardcoded. Having characters leveling up is already a good thing, even if the formulas are hardcoded. Then in a second time we can talk, you me and Calvin on how to implement modularity.

[Kivutar]

I'm back from holidays. Working on a big patch: the team formation interface.

[Cheetah]

Great to see you back Kivutar! Maybe this will help you out, sorry that I couldn't quickly delete the shadow.

[lirmont]

Welcome back, Kivutar!

[Kivutar]

Thank you all. Here's is the summer changelog. Sorry for now having posted updates for a while. The developement is going on, but I lack time to communicate.

• Formation screen
• Bugfix for the camera ratio
• Code refactoring
• New keyboard config
• Typo fix in Lijj Direction.py
• Keyboard configuration in the config file
• Remove kivu and lirmont folders server side too
• Code cleaning
• Configuration variables for the keyboard
• Code cleaning
• Apply the last two patches on Lijj folder
• Fix the hand texture
• Remove the characters on attack_check image, replace them with the fixed font
• Fixed many issues with the regular font: color, shadow, line height, spacing
• Removed kivu and lirmont folders for now, they add too much work
• Custom direction chooser for Lijj game
• Added modularity for the code
• Config files, multigame support
• Forgot to add particle textures and config files
• 12 palettes for Lijj's girl knight
• Particle effects in the battle
• More UVmapping for the map 007
• Finaly fixed sprite resolution
• Battle cursor pointer
• Remove the action preview when the battle is complete
• A lot of improvements in the attack GUI flow
• Attack check message placement fix
• gitignore
• Resolution fix
• Double resolution sprite + per team palettes
• Daylight version of the custom map 006
• Remove the auto shader to temporary fix the background bug
• UV mapping improvements on map 007
• Custom texture for the first custom map
• Better texture for the zones
• Textures for attackables and walkables tiles
• 40x40px cursor and shadow
• Finished to declare the tiles for the second map
• Second map improvements
• The new map exported to egg
• Map rename
• UV texture for the second map
• Map improvements
• Map cleaning
• A new map almost modelized
• Point light support
• Higher walk animation speed when moving
• Some modeling experiments
• Fixed the other json map files with the new syntax for multiplayer

[Lijj]

I'm so exited for all of this, particularly the palettes.
Before I go away (for two lousey months) I will get you paletted sets of the final version.

[MysticKnightFF5]

Maybe work on creating custom win conditions??
That would be really fun if we could set up a whole RP around this.