MoGi Origins in GameMaker 2

For those who don't know, MoGi Origins was originally programmed by Titan, using GameMaker 1.4. Ever since Titan left the project, I was trying to find a new programmer to fill his shoes. Finding a programmer for GM1.4 was hard, but I managed to find a few. But GM1.4 is old, and it's hard to find license, and it's slow... would it be wise to covert the entire project in GameMaker 2? Well, it might be a bit too soon to celebrate, but this is how MoGi Origins looks, in GM2:

I was skeptical because I talked about this conversion with Titan, perhaps 3 years ago. He told me that most of the game would break, so it does not worth the effort. I took his word for it, as he had more knowledge than me on the subject, and he made me abandon the whole idea. Fast-forward to now, Titan has ghosted me for more than 8 months. It's like he doesn't exist anymore. I even tried reaching out to his sister but there's no response. So, I had to accept that he is gone and that I had to carry on, on my own.

After a somewhat depressing Summer, I had to move on and look for new programmers. The procedure wasn't easy as they had to sign an NDA and deal with the necessary formalities for the protection of the game. A few GM1.4 programmers declined for various reasons, but I managed to find a guy to check what happens if we convert the game to GM2. Depending on how good the conversion is, there are many benefits to this: easier level tiling, better video controls, more people willing/able to work with GM2, and even exporting to more than just Windows ports.

It is very early to tell, as I haven't played the entire game yet, but I was surprised by how much of the game is NOT broken! Yes, the backgrounds don't have parallax, the videos are not working and Neko possibly crashes the game, but the extra modes, the save system, the map... everything complex pretty much works as it should!

To some of you, this might feel a step back, as pieces of the game need to be fixed. But having this game work as it is, in GM2, is a huge deal and I'm extremely happy about it! I haven't been this hyped since.... 2016? I don't even remember. The thing is, that after these glitches are fixed, I can finally leave behind the limitations of GM1.4 and work on the game, as I should have done a long time ago. 

By hiring new and skillful programmers, I can finally finish this monster of a game! GM2 has many tricks and effects that can be used, and they can make this game even better that I initially envisioned. 

Thank you for being around, through the good and the bad times!
I love you all! \o/

New season, new plans

I hope everyone had a good time this summer! 

For me it was a bit of a struggle, but things feel a lot better right now. The tremendous heat, was unbearable. And it was causing power shortage and the internet had good and bad days. Also I needed a break as I was working non-stop from January to June, to create the game engines for Ucogi GO and Cyphergrid.

The last few days I started being active again. I managed to find a new programmer for MoGi and I was working on NDA and contracts with a lawyer, so that everything is done in a legit way, without the fear of leaks or stolen data. The deal is still in progress but we discuss whether we should continue making the game in GameMaker 1.4 or jump to GM2. A few experiments would need to be done to see if this is a viable option. GM2 is way more versatile but if that means redoing most of the game, then I would have to carry on with GM1.4. 

Another positive thing that happened is that I got back the MoGi files from my broken Hard Drive. 95% of the files are recovered! Yes, the files were recovered before, but most MoGi files were corrupted. Apparently, the technician did the MoGi files first (as I requested) but he used a "fast" method which didn't work. He used the slow method on everything else and got good results. But when he gave back my recovered data... my mind almost broke with how many MoGi files were not recovered. Thankfully, I asked him to use his slow recovery method on the MoGi folder once more. And I'm happy to announce that almost all MoGi files are recovered! That was a very stressful experience and it lasted a whole damn year! Well, now I got like 3 back-ups. Lesson learned. 

I wanted to write a breakdown / retrospective of the 10 years of MoGi development, but that was too hard to even begin and painful to remember the bad times. Right now I just want to look forward and I'm just glad that I can end the Summer on a very positive note!

10 years

Yup. 10 years. Happy crappyversary! As you can tell, I feel like crap about this.

Instead of this day being a celebration, it's a very shameful day. Haters are going to gloat and fans might try to be understanding. But that doesn't change the fact that this is a terrible day. It's the day that terrified me for over 6 years, and it's finally here.

All I can say is that I feel terrible for MoGi Origins and the original backers. Not being able to move past this project is a heavy weight in my life as well. I can't even start a new kickstarter campaign without being ridiculed about failing this one. And so, I'm stuck in limbo, with my fate tied to this game.

This curse has been following me my entire life. I kept trying to find partners to make games and each time, my games get abandoned. I have probably made graphics for over 10 games that various programmers lost interest and bailed... even if these games were their concept

Maybe these guys didn't have the same spark as I did. Or maybe it's me as I had also friends and girlfriends abandoning me. But it's me that feels betrayed, and when the only games that I have finished are games that I worked on my own (with 2 exceptions), then I know that it is not my fault. And most of the "friends" that I have now drag me down. They are depressive,without any motivation in life and even their beliefs are messed up. So, I avoid them just to keep my sanity. 

Break time! Let's enjoy Elf from MoGi Origins
as she has some fun with an Enforcer!

In any case, I'm in a bad and non-creative mood at this point in life. I haven't even played games for months, as I don't find joy in most things. I feel that a lot of things have piled up inside my head and I'm overwhelmed by the tiniest things. Everything feels like a chore. Even the forced "change your discord name" was too much for me to handle. Ridiculous, I know.

I think I'm overwhelmed with projects and that's why I'm shutting down like this. I had ongoing projects when my Hard Drive broke. During the time that I was restoring the data, I started new projects. So now that I got the Hard Drive back, I got both new and old projects to finish... videos, video games and card games. And MoGi! My mind just wants hide until I find a way to deal with all that. I'm probably going through a burn out phase.

Here's something funny! Most of the MoGi data is not restored from the Hard Drive. That broke me. I asked the technician out of desperation to double check just a single folder to see what he can do about it. It had 90% success! WTF right? As it seems, the technician was recovering the MoGi folder using "the old way". But the "new way" is highly successful! Yeah, thank for wasting my time man... but at least I *will* get my files back. Again. Some day. Fuck...

Another reason my morale is low is because I was working nonstop on CypherGrid for 3 months. I had a few positive reviews but I had to keep working and correcting aspects of the game. And when I was done, I decided that I want to re-do it. To add a better story and tutorial. So, I had to start from scratch. And with that thought, my brain shut down. I fucking want to do it so bad, but I feel too tired at the same time.

I was like that back in November. I hope my mood will change soon. I hate my self when I'm being like this. And the 10 year mark makes me feel even worse. Well, not sure how cathartic this rant was... Nothing good comes easy and I want to apologize for my negativity. Sometimes the constant rejection from "friends", partners and even family can get to you. And then you have only yourself to rely on.

Regarding MoGi, I'm still looking for a new programmer. I emailed Titan (the game's original programmer) today, asking why he ghosts me. When someone does that to you after a decade of support and sacrifices... you know. It hurts.

The last 4 months

The last time I posted here was 4 months ago. Time has flown by, but at least I'm in a good and creative mood since then. MoGi's programmer, Titan, has gone completely dark and he has either ghosted me or he is in a coma. But even when he was keeping in touch, he wasn't too keen on working on the project, as he never finished the tasks I gave him since September. In any case, I'm still trying to find a new, capable and reliable programmer.

On March I had a minor surgery and I'm still recovering from it. On May I got back my broken Hard Drive (yeah, after 9 months!). Lot's of files have survived, but also many files are lost in the void. For example I lost most Ucogi's files where she appears in underwear, but I have her files where she is naked and normally dressed. I would need to rework on some things, but most of my work has survived. Also, I lost the sound files for Ucogi and Alice, but the voice actress had back up files and I retrieved them from her. I still go through the folders to see what's gone forever. This wouldn't be a problem if MoGi was finished, but it is what it is.

During this time I was testing my programming skills, as I designed a new Ucogi game with original puzzles, named CypherGrid. Feel free to download it for PC (veins.itch.io) or play it on your mobile phone (NewGrounds). This is my way of thanking you for being around for so long. Something small while I try to figure out how to move forward with MoGi Origins.

New year, new mood

Hello everyone!
Once again, I got both good and bad news. That sounds like butt sex. Some like it, some don't.

Good news: I managed to push through my gloomy mood and I was very creative since January. I managed to enter a couple of card game competitions and I managed to complete 3 small and 3 bigger card games. I even managed to get into a brief pixel art phase. It was very educating, interesting and uplifting. Here's some samples. I may turn this into a digital game at some point, set in the Ucogiverse, but I haven't made up my mind yet. You can see the a screenshot of the prototype at the bottom of this post.

 

Bad news: My programmer hasn't worked on MoGi for more than 3 months. I actually saw a dream the other day, that it was 2016 and we were finishing MoGi. But this right here a nightmare.

Good news: I located a hard drive with some of my lost files since 2020. Also, my technician still works on the broken HD and He told me that by using his slow method, he has managed to recover 98% of a specific but large folder. Hopefully, this nightmare will end up soon.
Bad news: I need to resume working on MoGi. But I still don't have all my files and I have to find a new programmer. More than that, I'm afraid that I would have to exclude from the game all the additional languages. Titan had planned that in his head, but I wouldn't know where to start with it, and right now feels like a luxury for the game. So most probably I would have to cut it off. It is a shame, because I had people that wanted to translate this in Portuguese, Italian and Russian. Maybe even Chinese if I remember correctly.

Good news: I finally started writing a sexy Visual Novel game that I had in mind for many years and I wanted to start it 4 years ago. If it is well received, I wouldn't mind making it a series. It has a long way to go, but at least I won't need help from others to get it done. The story is 60% complete (18 pages of dialogue so far). I will tell you more when I have done a bit more work on it.
Bad news: I am visiting many doctors lately. I will have a minor surgery in the next couple of months. This is mostly why I haven't been more focused on finding a new MoGi programmer. I need to be available and focused when I resume working on the game, and right now it's hard for me to involve someone else. 

This is a prototype image of a boardgame I briefly worked on. You should recognize Rudy, Alice, Dedu and an NPC girl from MoGi. I guess multiplayer adult games are not very popular... adult games work better when they are single player games. But I do keep my mind open and myself busy with various ideas. The main plan for now is to overcome my programmer's fear and hire someone for MoGi Origins once I'm done with the doctors. Talk soon!