r/gbstudio

I've been learning Godot by building a small Zelda-inspired prototype, and this weekend I managed to get it running on a Linux handheld.

Hardware:
• Anbernic RG35XX Plus
• ROCKNIX
• Native Godot Linux ARM64 export

After fixing a few platform-specific issues (controller input, audio initialization, fullscreen scaling), the game now runs directly on the device.

It's still very early, but my goal is to keep the same project playable on PC while also targeting inexpensive ARM handhelds.

Pretty happy to see my first Godot project running on real hardware 🙂

Here's some art I made recently.

Here's finally the first level! The yo-yo can also be used as a platform! If you throw it in the air, it'll be sent diagonally in front of you to act as a platform temporarily. Still working on enemy placements.

Lmk what you think!

Next update will introduce the Rewind feature (rewind up to 10 seconds of gameplay). All you need to do is, enable it in the settings (currently for DMG games only)

There are more than 20 different monsters creeping in the dark and you can also collect a card for each creature! - https://zanipixels.itch.io/lightseeker

I have a prototype for a battle system, and I want to be able to validate it before moving forward. Here's the link.

The feedback I'm looking for is if this battle system works. Is it engaging, is there a deep flaw that I'm missing. I'm essentially looking for the go-ahead to make the game proper.

For full disclosure, I don't plan on sticking with RPG Maker for this project. If that is disagreeable, then I will delete the post.

Thanks a ton in advance.

Ok this will be my final post on this stuff, but I'm a bit proud of how dialogue box turned out in the end. It really contrasts well with a lot of the backgrounds and adds a bit of visual pop to it (well maybe not the map screen - gotta change that background color.)

Honestly it was really tempting to make it look like ff6 and 7's menus with the blue gradient, but I think I found something that give's it it's own distinct look.

If you're wondering how this was accomplished, I basically modified the Scanline FX plugin to change the 4th color entry for the 8th palette at specific vertical breakpoints based on where the scanline was. GBDK has very useful tools to do this, and you can get away with using a switch statement if you keep the number of breakpoints to a reasonable number (8 is what what I went with.)

This works fine if you're just rendering the gradient in the background, or if your dialogue boxes are always at the bottom of the screen, however different story if they're at the top though! You have to find a way for it to continue to render the background after rendering the window.

Well with the help of AI I found a decent solution, but I still need to finesse the code myself to make the experience that more polished.

Oh, before anyone get's any ideas, I don't use AI for anything other than programming. I make my own art, sound effects, and (terrible) music - seriously I might need to find a composer...

I probably should do a blog post on my itch.io page and go in depth at some point since this was quite a learning experience.

In any case, as a bonus I also included an animation I shared on my x account of some of the menu frames I was considering before settling on the beveled look.

Hope you all found this interesting, and maybe it will encourage you to give this a shot too!

-Nigel

Pretty big update, fixed a lot of stuff and can confirm that desktop builds now include everything you need, so no compile errors related to missing dependencies should happen anymore!

Download on itch.io

0.2.2

• desktop builds now contain everything needed to compile
  •  tested inside clean ubuntu and win11 installs
• added scene type changer to proc gen modal
• add scene button launches proc gen modal for new scenes
• added search filter to actor type picker modal
• when re-generating level designs, old collisions and triggers are removed
• fixed world map overview display issues
• added auto-arrange to world map overview
• added export option to world map overview
• rename actors to their selected actor type instead of actor 1, actor 2, etc
• fixed script editor layout issues (not really bugs, they just bugged me)
• added actor search filter to actor panel
• added grouping to actors panel
• made dialogs top-most in layer order 
• added preview sprite beside actor names in actors panel
• actors panel auto scrolls to newly added actor
• grouped actor types into new actor type picker

added a whole bunch of new actor types:

• pushable block actor type
  • can be moved around and placed on triggers, fill gaps, etc
•  push target 
  •  goal zone for push-block puzzles (pushable block reaches target = solved)
• conveyor belt actor type
  • pushes player along when stepped on
• checkpoint actor type
  •  player respawns here if they die
• turret actor type
  •  can be set to target player or nearest actor
  •  can be set to shoot every X frames
• actor spawner actor type
  • spawns actors at set intervals
• companion/pet actor type
  •  follows player
  • can be set to orbit player at set radius
  •  combat assist: attacks enemies when player attacks
• crumbling platform 
  •  disappears after standing on it for a moment, then respawns
• ice block 
  •  slippery surface, player slides until hitting a wall
• save point 
  •  saves game state
• xp orb pickup 
  • collectible that increments a counter variable
• shield / barrier 
  •  blocks projectiles from one or all directions
• ammo pickup 
  •  refills projectile count
• grenade / explosive 
  •  area damage on timer or contact
• magnet 
  •  attracts nearby collectibles (coins, bonuses)
• boost pad 
  •  speeds up the player temporarily
• checkpoint gate 
  • lap timing marker for racing modes

I'm glad i tried it too, eventually i'll experiment with using the 4-cell fighter bgs so the boss can have multiple components, and later i'll make like a minimalist UI, a compact combat log with my tiny icons and my condensed font we'll REALLY be cookin with gas then, i'm gonna leave it here for now and focus on cleaning the rest of this up so i can get this in some hands <3

Having that background moving during the battle scene sure does look pretty slick. I think these new tiles also add a layer of depth that was lacking previously.

I'm starting to fight with some of the limitations with the DMG - I really wanted the first iteration of this monster collecting RPG to be compatible with the DMG while having light palette support for the GBC. But if it starts to affect my ability to create, I may have to abandon that idea.

I'm currently working on managing all the heavy text during the battle scene, the dialogue starts to overwrite the party info which is a no-go. I've got a few solutions I can attempt first before I make any decisions about the project becoming strictly for the GBC, but those solutions get pretty complicated quickly and have their own unique drawbacks.

I'm working on incorporating the text into the VRAM, which makes the font take up unique tiles in the common tileset, which eats away at my space for the tileset and the amount of monsters that can be drawn per dungeon. I can however, cut those font tiles in half by making it only use capital letters - which could be cool. It seems like something you'd see on a DMG game lol.

Hey guys, here's a look at the basic battle framework im building for you guys. This supports 4 small 32x32 enemies, 2 64x32 tall, 2 32x64 wide, or one huge guy, as well as support for 2 small and 1 tall or wide enemy for the battles.

You use define database events to define enemies, troops, their ai, abilities, stats, and rewards in an initial script the same way you do with items, characters, effects, elements, equipment, magic, etc. Random encounters work as well! I made sure those random battles are supported across other scene types than top down too c:

As for all the events ive done my best with the tool tips, and nomenclature, to make em as caveman friendly as possible so you dont have to know how to code to use the plugin, you just supply the assets like usual! (Ive tried to illustrate that idea by using the enemies from the inspiration, FFL3, my little weirdo party, and my gb demakes of the Secret of Evermore alchemy spells!)

The rpg battle side of the plugin is made to work be used together with the menu side to make a cute and very customizable rpg, but you can just use the menu side if you want to make an action rpg or a different kind of battling!

Ive tried to cover everything I could think of that could feasibly be customized, the Coobsoft RPG Soup plugin as ive jokingly named it has become a freakin unit and when I polish out the few teeny graphical issues itll pretty much be done

muchexcite.mp4

A whole bunch of stuff has been added, most notably a game wizard to really help kickstart your GBA homebrew projects!

Download on itch.io

Check it out in your browser

Latest release notes

If you'd like to contribute to the project, it is up publicly on github now