Affiliates
News - No longer updating
Electron moves house!
I'm happy to announce that Electron has found a new home (and a new name) as Raylax Games. You can find the new site at:
http://raylax.weebly.com
Of course, that means this site will no longer be updating. There is a reason for this, I'm moving on from Electron, which nowadays reminds me of lots of cancelled and unproperly planned projects that never got finished.
So, check out the new site for all the new news!
For the last time (on this address at least), catch ya laters!
~Raylax~
27 August 08 - I forgot D=
OK, so it's Wednesday night, nearly Thursday morning... and I've only just remembered that I happen to have a website... whoops. Blame the Wii.
Again, unfortunately, very little to report on. Momo is plodding along. Too slowly. My bad. I've been thinking a lot about PowPow, and have a head full of new concepts for enemies and level... stuffs. I need to get them down on paper before they start leaking out.
That's your lot. Another lazy update from a lazy Ray. Forgive me =P
Over and out. Whatever that means. Raylax
18 August 08 - Competition - guess how big this update will be!
If you guessed very short, WELL DONE, you won nothing. So yeah, another fortnight, another lack of news. I'd update this fortnightly but... updating is fun =D
So, yeah. I need to update with something. Momotaro progress is real good now. The tiles of the demo levels are in, now it's just a case of programing them to do stuff. Screenshots next week, guys!
Oh yeah, little factoid for you. electron.weebly.com is now the second link on Google for the search "Electron Raylax," and the top for "Electron Weebly." Woohoo. Now even if you forget the web address you have no excuse for not checking the update. NONE AT ALL D=<
=P
That's your lot, unfortunately. Electron Raylax / Electron Weebly out.
12 August 08 - Decidedly enormous update
Firstly, apologies about not updating yesterday as usual. Bad Raylax. Weebly was being a tad annoying and I was waiting for an answer on Clickteam, which I just got today. Yeeah, I could've still updated yesterday but... I didn't. Anyways, UPDATEZ TIEM!
MOMOTARO
Firstly, Momo is still at that 'moving along nicely though little to show for it' stage, so there's not much to say about that. Might have the demo done by next week. I hope I have. Stay tuned.
POWPOW
Secondly, big update for PowPow. Firstly, I'm not actually planning to do solid work on it until after Momo is finished completely or at least getting there. But, it gives me a lot of time to plan things out and experiment. I recently worked out the most obvious way to fix the problem with scrolling, and it's not the lame vehicle idea, which I have now come to hate. Here's the copy-paste plan from Wordpad (too lazy to actually rewrite it)
Genre: Arcade FPS/Puzzler
Features: Integral "Lemmings"-esque guide-and-rescue system, multiple weapons, colourful and family-friendly graphics
PowPow takes gaming back to its roots, in a game that's completely retro. There's little storyline (none actually displayed ingame), no text (outside menu options and credits, etc). Once "New Game" or "Continue" is hit, that's it. You're playing. Graphical style has yet to be decided, other than it needs to have a bright and colourful pallete, and be suitable for all.
Levels are large and built up of individual sections (referred to in here as "stages"). In each stage, the aim is to guide the Lemmings-esque creatures from the starting point to the finishing point, by taking out enemies, making new paths (by using the mostly destructible scenery), and protecting the Lemmings from harm. Some stages may have multiple exits, harder-to-reach ones acting as shortcuts through a section of level (much like in Super Monkey Ball), or leading to bonus areas. The camera will scroll to the next stage once all surviving Lemmings have reached the level end, where the Lemmings will reappear at the new start point and again must be lead to the finish.
Levels will take place in a number of colourful environments, from a western movie scene to a sweet candyland, from underwater caverns to meteor streams in space. In the normal game, the player will start with a group of 30-or-so (undecided) Lemmings to attempt to get through all the stages with. The stock of Lemmings is replenished at the start of a new level. In Survival mode, the player will start with about 50 Lemmings, but stocks are not replenished, the aim being to get as far as possible before the last Lemming perishes. Finally, a Mission mode will see challenges set on particular stages, the amount of Lemmings, ammo, and threats present dependant on the mission setting.
The Lemmings are a bunch of creatures that will only ever walk forward, turning when they hit a wall. They no offensive or defensive capabilities (although temporary power-ups may alter this for a time), and their survival is key. 'Lemmings' is just a codename, for obvious copyright reasons this name will be changed. Nor will they resemble the well-known creatures in anything other than their general attitude to survival.
I'm undecided how many levels will be included, but I'm setting a minimum target at 6. The prerelease demo will feature one of these levels (probably the Western Movie or Notebook level), with the normal mode and a handful of Missions. The full title will be freeware, and I'll keep the site updated on it's progress.
NEW PROJECT - THE BIG POKÉMON CALCULATOR
This is a project I'm running on a Pokémon forum I regularily visit called HollowSound. It's got a great and growing community, so if you're interested, please join us (http://hollowsound.informe.com). Plugging aside, it's a community project, aiming to be a large, simple-to-use software covering everything from damage calculations to capture chances, IV checking to Exp Gain. Simply put, if there's a formula for it ingame and it's useful, it'll go in. If you want to be a part of it, join HollowSound!
OLD GAME RELEASE - SHAPE DROP
I found a game I started working on aaages ago and never quite finished it completely. However, I'm going to fix it up just a little and release it in it's current state, since it is fully playable. Just not as long as I planned it to be. Please don't take this as a game that shows my skill as a programmer, since it was made some time ago and it is pretty basic. Fairly fun though. I'll put it up sometime during the week, so check back!
EDIT@21:47 14/8/08: Actually, no I won't, sorry! I've instead decided to use the engine for now as a kind of testing ground for PowPow ideas. Who knows, maybe a shortened version may become a minigame in PowPow? Probably not, but it might.
Right, that is everything. At last. Biggest update ever, woot.
~Raylax~
04 August 08 - Plenty and Not Much
A bit of an odd update this week. Whilst Momo progress is now sliding nicely along, there's not much of it I can really update with here, unless you're all TREMENDOUSLY INTERESTED in listening to a few reams of coding >_>
So uh... yeah. That's about it =V
I have a neat idea to get the individual Click-user sites connected to hopefully increase traffic between them, so check back for cool sites to visit. If the Clickers think it's a good idea. Hmm.
Also, since I have a real job now (yay, responsibilities. And many many many MANY files to uh... file) I'll be updating in the evening rather than the morning.
So, that's all. Really. I might stick another concept up. Later.
Tommorow. Maybe.
Later people!
~Raylax~
28 July 08 - Better Late Than Never...
Yeah, so I kinda completely forgot to update the site this morning ^_^;;
Ironically, I actually have a heck of a lot to update with, too. So, hopefully worth the wait.
Firstly, I've changed the way I manage the news updates on the homepage. The new method will let my put in pictures and stuff, so yay. You probably won't notice any difference until I actually do (keep reading, then)... but if something's gone horrendously wrong and the homepage is just some kind of weird mess... tell me via the comments (or MSN), and I'll change it back. It's all backed up.
Anyways, onto the real updates:
The tiling of Sphere has moved on well, and I know have a nice mock screenshot, courtesy of Slawter, of the first part of the level. Click the thumbnail below to view it (already liking this new system)
Paragraph.
Next, we move onto Momotaro, who's progress has frankly exploded over the last week. I now have some brilliant, fully usable tiles, which means that the coding side has been so much faster. With a little luck, I might have some real screenshots by next week. Maybe. I'm hoping so. It's good to know that it's finally well and truly off the ground and progress is steaming along nicely.
Finally, I asked Slawter a while back if he'd do a bit of Momo art... and he came back with this awesome work. I put it in a thumnail, but that destroyed all quality, so click the below link to view the full-sized image. And to think he worked it out from a sprite measuring about 10x6... impressive stuff
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd141/raylax2/momo.png
Well, that's all this week. I hope the new site design doesn't die or explode or something... catch ya later! Now I'm off to watch Dragons' Den. Woo.
~Raylax~
21 July 2008 - Nothing happening
It would seem that I was completely and utterly right last week. I do indeed have next to nothing to update with. Mozzy's running me some mucho improved tilesets that'll make both our lives easier, so Momo production will speed up, yays.
Pow-Pow hasn't moved an inch. I tried some more sprites but they failed hilariously.
I've got a new section planned for the site, though. I'm one of those people who dreams up game ideas that I know I have no chance whatsoever of actually making, due to various complexities and such like. But I plan them all out in detail in my head anyway. So, I might put up a Concepts page to share my ideas. It'll make the site a little more interesting too. Check back later, I might have a new Concepts page up, with an idea I had for one of Konrad's minigames that I know I wouldn't actually be able to complete (as much as I'd like to)
EDIT@14:25pm: Concepts page up. If I've got nothing else to update with some week, I'll add another concept there for you to read. Enjoy the new addition to the site.
Catch ya next week. Raylax
14 July 2008 - Lots happening
This is becoming a pattern. One week lots to update with, the next week, next to nothing... heh heh. Anyways, a fair chunk of update today. A couple of weeks ago I listed all the different zones of PowPow, and forgot to list one, so I reminded myself to add it today. And I've forgotten what it was. Skillz. I'll update it in later if my brain turns on (give me a break, it's only 9:05am).
Mozzy has finished the demo level design for Momotaro, and it's looking pretty awesome. That's given me something to really get into, so yay. Lots of level to code, that's this weeks job.
Finally, I've got a mini-project (quite literally, it's minigames) going off which is gonna be a lot of fun. Running some Pokémon themed minigames for Konrad's project. Took me a while to find some inspiration for them, until I remembered the Orange Island episodes of the anime. Pretty point-blank minigame material right there. If you're not in the know, the Orange Archipelago is a large series of islands in the animé south of Kanto, which has it's own league of 4 gyms known as the Orange Crew (and a blistering climate, and a GS ball, that even after all this time, has yet to reveal what is within it... but I'm going off on a tangent). However, unlike the standard Gyms of the Indigo, Hoenn and Sinnoh Leagues, these aren't made for plain Pokemon-vs-Pokemon battling. In order to win a badge, a trainer must compete in various, more athletic, events. For example, the first gym sees Ash's Squirtle facing up against Cissy's (the gym leader) Seadra in can- and skeet-shooting contests, and then Ash's Lapras faces up against Cissy's Blastoise in a balance- and speed-testing wave race. (Yup, Konrad is probably gonna point out just how much that's copy-pasted from his thread. Eh, it was my post~ )
That's your lot this week. I'll update with that PowPow level if I remember it later on. I also need to start archiving news... eh, that can wait till next month.
07 July 2008 - Not much
Not much to say this month. I've put aside work on that damn following engine for a while to concentrate on the demo level itself, which is going fairly well.
PowPow is moving along slowly. There's been a little work and tweaking, but not much. I plan to have the gun system fully implemented by the end of the week.
Slawter's been busy running the sprites for Sphere, and the mock-up is looking pretty damn awesome. When we've got some finished mock-ups, I'll post them up on the page.
Uh, that's about it for this week. Yeah, bit of a crap update, but ah well. More next week, hopefully.
30 June 2008 - Progresses Are Good
Well, a few things to update you with this week, on Pow-Pow, Momotaro and Sphere. I'll start with Sphere. Slawter has done a very nice title screen art for the game - head over to it's page to check it out. Sprites for the game are also lookinggreat, but there's nothing like enough done to show yet. Pixel purists, yes, I'm aware that they might not class as sprites to you, but it's the game style. As for Momotaro, the following engine is still asdfdsghgfggj, but I will crack that damn thing if it's the last thing I do. Hopefully. Finally, Pow-Pow. I can tell you what I have planned for the level themes. Note that all names are WIP, and I may end up redoing/deleting some of them. Also note that these are by no means the order that they'll be played:
- Floramech: A mechanical flower paradise, complete with spinning flowers and clockwork
- Crazy Kitchen: Or, more specifically, an entire crazy house. Wandering furniture and annoyed residents will be around here
- Western: Like a scene out of a cowboy movie, it's a shootout in these parts
- Seamining: A deep-sea mining complex. The Lemmings'll be travelling around in submarine minecart things.
- Polar Mountain: This volcano has been dormant a long time, and much of it has frozen over. But there's still a sea of lava under that inpenetrable ice, and someone's trying to get the thing active again...
- Obligatory Space Level: Yes, it's the good ol' Late-Game Level In Space. Not entirely sure what the specific theme will be yet, though =P
That's all I got this week. You know the deal. Read, browse, and comment. Raylax out.
23 June 08 - Not much happening
Seriously, progress has reached beyond minimal. Bleah. Here's a few nuggets of information if you want 'em. Considering the Lemmings engine in PowPow, and how well it currently works for the game engine (not spectacularly), I'm considering making it a certain-level-specific feature rather than a full-blown aim-of-the-game (that sentence contains contains 80% of your RDA of hyphens). The lemmings will still make a major appearance and be the main core of the game, but they may be grouped within some kind of vehicle(s). Easier to program, better to play. See, laziness wins over again =D
On the Momotaro front, also not much. A few discussions with new programmer Ravan over how to tackle a new following engine, yadda yadda.
Also, EXAMS ARE COMPLETELY OVEEEEEERRRRR *dancy dancy happiness* so I can plug lots more time into these projects. Expect a better update next week! Hopefully...
17 June 08 - A TUESDAY Update?!
Woo yeah. So, after a couple of weeks beating around the bush, we have information on the game I'm working on with Moz, Momotaro. Check out it's new page for all the current information. And, be sure to check out his site at teamdumpling.weebly.com
16 June 08 - I'm baaaaack! =D
So, finally my exams are pretty much OVER (asides a General Studies tomorrow which I really couldn't care less about...), and as such I'm well back into programming. Still forgotten to ask Moz about that game. Oh well. I will today if he's around. And I'll edit this update if all is A-OK (Y)
Anyway, news. Pow-Pow development is going strong, much faster and much better than I expected. One particular part (involving the falling bridges) I thought I'd have to modify and recode for aages before it'd work properly, but thanks to some watertight programming from Nifflas (thanks, again. Again), not a single thing had to be changed. So, it now has the aforementioned falling bridges working flawlessly. GOOD GOOD. I want to make them fall more realistically, with impact, and a little screen-shaking, but that's all to come. Also, the blocks I mentioned that act as walls are also in and working, although I need to work out how to get them to land on top of each other. Hey, whatever, I'll get it done. I'll have some development screens up next week. They don't have any real sprites in yet, so don't expect anything really exciting ;P
That's all, Raylax out. Might be update later.
Oh yeah, just a big thanks to everyone who's visited this site. We had over 75 pageviews the other day. Thanks guys! Now, more of you sign the guestbook so I know who's been snooping =P
09 June 2008 - Pow-Pow announcement
But before that, just going to say that from now on, I'm going to try and update this site every Monday. Even if there's no news to update with.
So, onto the announcement:
Now things are a little more set in stone, I can reveal more about Pow-Pow. As yesterday's news update said, it's a lighthearted, family-friendly FPS, in a similar vein to that awesome Shoot minigame in Super Monkey Ball 2. However, there's a new game mechanic being developed (special thanks to Nifflas for sorting that problem for me) which will add a heavy twist to the gameplay. When the level starts, you'll have around 20 Lemmings-esque creatures that you must protect from the enemies throughout the level. They'll simply walk forward, turning when they touch a wall, so it's important to always stay one step ahead, destroying threats and clearing obstacles. Some lateral thinking will be required to clear the levels. Got a large gorge your little friends need to safely cross? Maybe if you shoot that tree down, it'll make a handy bridge...
So, it's a mixture of action and control, as you attempt to lead your friends to safety. More info next week!
EDIT @ 10 JUNE 11:16AM: I have added a page for Pow-Pow, check it out! I've also added comments on the Reality and Gravitower pages about them being dropped. New guests, be sure to sign the guestbook and leave your comments!
07 June 2008 - General site update, game cancelling, and new game announcement
I'm far too lazy with updating this site. Sorry! Anyway, I plan to start updating again now. Rewritten the Who Are We section, and moved it below the news. Anyway, big updates!
Firstly, I'm afraid to say I've dropped Gravitower and Reality for the time being. I'll probably pick them up again at a later date, though.
It's not all bad news, however, as I am now working on a NEW PROJECT. It's currently unnamed, (codenamed Pow-Pow), it's a 2D FPS in a similar style to that Monkey Shoot minigame on Super Monkey Ball 2. However, there is a unique game mechanic being planned... I'll put up an info page about it at a later date, when we have more solid info.
29 March 2008
All the info we have is in, bar Sphere. We'll have it in ASAP. Still need to upload that logo...
26 March 2008
Site launches. We've yet to put any major info in, but please check back!
