This month I started working with the new programmer on MoGi Origins. I sent him the first things to do on the 15th of May, and we work ever since.
So far we addressed the following: • Voms' and Ucogi's idle animations jerked a bit (fixed).
• The Tower level needed some fixing. Many improvements were made but it's not completed yet. Controlling the camera can be a bit tricky, so I made this animation trying to explain how it should work as it follows the playable character (orange box).
• Bloodstone crashed the game when she was killed, instead of transforming to another Mogi (fixed). • The game can't have multiple languages (because of the way it was originally programmed). • Update the Menu screen (still in development, and that's a huge task). • When Alice faints, her attacking hair should disappear.
Everything goes well so far, and even thought is very early, I'm very
pleased with how things are done. A good thing with the new programmer
is that I can track how much he works.
I hope that by the end of June I would have something more concrete to show you! Happy Summer everyone!
The conversion of MoGi Origins from GameMaker 1 to GameMaker 2 is a success! Everything works as it should, and the new programmer is about to start working on new Bosses and many other aspects of the game! The monster you see in the screenshot below, is a Medusa NPC, that can interact with the right characters!
Furthermore, most of the lost files were recovered, and the development of this game will carry on throughout summer, until everything is completed and polished.
Also, if you haven't played it, here's Orphanarium! It is my most complete Flash game and you can now play it for free. It contains an emotional story when Ucogi was just a chibi girl. Nothing sexy there, but there are many secrets you can find, while waiting for the next MoGi update!
Happy new year everyone! It's been a while since I posted.
There hasn't been much extra progress but the conversion of MoGi Origins from GameMaker1 to GameMaker 2 is 99% complete! Everything works as is should, even new glitches that were worrying me, like a black screen each time the player changes rooms. Now, the conversion is almost completely fixed, except for the sex scenes.
The sex scenes are quite complex to implement. I remember when we had a "white screen" problem, back when we were running every animation as a PNG sequence and the memory couldn't.t handle it. Then, the programmer used a special plug-in, made specifically for GM1, and that worked perfectly. But this plug-in doesn't work in GM2. I tried a bunch of video formats for GM2, but they don't loop seamlessly when I play the game. And even when they play well in my PC, they wouldn't work well in my new programmer's PC. And obviously the game must run smoothly in every computer. So this is the problem I'm trying to fix now. The GameMaker forums and Discord don't have a solution for this issue, so I have to figure this out on my own.
Once this is problem is solved, I will resume working on the development of MoGi Origins once more.
As a side-note, it's been a year since the original programmer, Titan, ghosted me. Usually I don't want to assume things, so I waited. He could have been in an accident for all I knew. But I spoke to his sister and I know now for a fact that he is fine. It saddens me to admit this, but after 10 years of friendship and hardship, I consider this bridge burnt.
Other than that, I had the time to check what was saved from my broken Hard Drive. So far, most crucial files are recovered, but there are some loses. These 3 Ucogi images for example do not exist any more as Flash files, and I can't edit them or render them in higher resolution.
That said, I gave the Hard Drive to the technician to run a deeper and slower scan, and hopefully he would be able to recover these files. It's been over 4 months (maybe even 5) since I gave him my HD, and these Ucogi images were in the folders I wanted him to recover.
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/
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!
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 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.
