Neu Age Development Blog

Yup, it’s me trying to blog for you guys again. Development is moving along, so maybe I’ll be able to keep it going. Probably not, but deal, I’m making you Neu Age.

Been working on guilds the past couple of days. They needed a total revamp, but it’s coming along nicely. Guilds will be fun for Beta-B.

*Note* Just a reminded, accounts with be reset before AND after Beta-B. Don’t get attached to your Beta-B characters too much, they’ll be gone in September for Era 1.

I’ll let you guys know when guilds are done. Woot.

Just updating you folks on the progress of what I’m working on. But first, a look inside NAs developement process itself.

(1) Whenever I add a new system, be it multiple characters, item sets, or whatever, I first start with how I’m going to work this into the game. I’m a terrible pre-developer, I don’t write shit down, make diagrams or structure anything for this process. I just think it out.

(2.1) Next I set the shit up in the database. That probably doesn’t mean jack to you guys who haven’t worked with a database before (we use MySQL) but it’s a very important step. The database is, of course, where every bit of dynamic information (items, characters, users, et cetera) is stored, so the organization of the database is crucial. It’s also important to know how info is stored, as different types of data (e.g. items) must be stored in a very different manner than other types (e.g. character inventories).
(2.2) A second half of this step is retrieving the data, interpretting it, and using it. Again, another crucial - what use is 45 or so variables in the inventory database if you don’t know how they work?

(3) After this step, I usually code new pages into the ACP (Admin Control Panel) to edit or add parts of the system, like item, user, or character editors. (Yes, the ACP is very sexy, it’s got tons of cool little features, and even uses the old NA color scheme!) This step is also, believe it or not, pretty important to the actually developement process. It’s the very first step involving actual code for the new system, and it’s the 2nd step of final organization of the system and its data (databasing was the first). The process varies from being fun (I get to be the first to add/edit brand new systems and watch them come to life) to being tedious (when the damn system just doesn’t want to update correctly, or figuring out how to display certain stuff).

(5) The next step is pretty much the last step, woo! It’s also the biggest, longest, and most tedious, but rewards the better than all of the previous steps combined. It is, of course, the actual coding of the system. This process is usually broken up further into two steps - client-side and server-side coding.
(5.1) Client-side coding is the coding I do that allows players to actually see what’s going on (a client = a web browser like Internet Explorer or Firefox, hence client-side). It’s usually a bitch to do, as HTML is not really a pretty language, it has no error reporting, and I have to either work around the old NA HTML or re-code it completely (I’ve gone with re-coding it completely everytime. There’s very little of the original NA’s code left, lulz @ Saki). This step is difficult to describe, as it is different depending on the system (new item system had little client-side coding, where as multiple characters had titloads of client-side coding).
(5.2) Server-side coding is self explanatory - it’s the code that you guys don’t really see much of. It’s the way we calculate how my stamina you’ll use or how much damage you do, it’s formatting the character/user sheet correctly, et cetera. It’s usually tedious work until the coding results in the new system functioning properly, then it’s hella nasty cool or something.

(6) Then, less interestingly, there’s testing the full system (I test during and after every step a lot), updating the official NA server with the new system, letting you guys test it, and all that fun stuff. Woo testing?

That’s about it. The point of all that is to tell you guys I am about to enter Step 5 with the new, unannounced system.

Do not get your hopes too high, I will not be releasing the full system to you guys when it’s done. There’s much more work to do on NA before releasing any new system. All of my current and previous work since Beta-A started will be released for Beta-B, which will be a quick round of testing followed by OFFICIALLY OPENNING NEU AGE TO THE PUBLIC - ERA 1! So stay with me kids, I will not disappoint =]

at this blogging thing. I forget about it for 2-3 months at a time. So, a quick update: I’m trying to get a good chunk of coding done for Monday (November 12th). I’ve been quite lax in my NA duties, so hopefully my progress this weekend will make up for it. Doing my best =]. I won’t tell you guys what I’m working on, and unfortunately you guys won’t see the true fruits of my labor for some time yet, but it’s some fun shit, kids.

I’ll have even more good shit during the holiday break.

So I’ve decided that I completely hate the way Neu Age’s HTML was originally coded. The Sheet page, which is what I have to work with ATM, is made from tables. Not a horrible concept, it gets the job done, but the entire table is made of pre-sized data cells. This means, every time you have a new row, you need to fit your stuff in by using these pre-sized data cells. Now, most of you won’t understand any of this, so here’s the layman’s version - it was coded in such a way that adding/removing/modifying anything was nearly impossible without changing the rest of the sheet. So, because the Sheet is such an important part now that we have multiple characters, I’m completely re-coding the Sheet. This will actually save time, because that’s how poorly it was coded before.

I am still projecting Beta-A to be out by August. Keep your fingers crossed.

I have welcomed DjinniFire to the Neu Age staff. He will be coding alongside me, working mainly on the HTML parts of Neu Age. With all the changes being made to Neu Age for Beta-A, it’s too frivolous for me to continue making every change to the layout and visual aspect of pages every time I make database and server-side changes. I am now going to finish Multiple Characters, work on Item Sets, and then work on the new Battle System.

I feel that after I finish these last three things (Multiple Characters, Item Sets, and Battle System), Neu Age will be ready enough for Beta-A. Beta-A is open-registration and it’s up to you guys to spread the word. More updates to come!

Okay so my friend was playing Fall of Nations in computer class today, and I saw he built Barracks and stuff like that. I was thinking, hmm, Neu Age could have some system like that. What I was thinking, however, was instead of just text saying “Barracks: 3″ we had a whole local map for your account. You could have a house, a barracks, a market, a shop, et cetera. This would, of course, be the first town the map, and it would be your home town. You would start with a basic house, and would build new buildings. These buildings, and your house, would have benefits and will be upgradable. This will all tie in with the storyline.

So, what do you guys think? There will be requirements (level, class, race, money, et cetera) to building and upgraded, and will be balanced.

This updates is exclusively about how I’m incorporating the use of multiple characters into Beta-A.

When you register your account for Beta-A, you submit your User Name, Character Name, Valid E-Mail Address, and Password.

• User Name - The name for your account as a whole. For instance, I would choose TDKenyon
• Character Name - The name for your first character (Which you create below, choosing race+class). I would choose Palin, Janos, et cetera.
• E-Mail Address - Used to validate your account and login.
• Password - Used to login

Thus, when you register your account, you also create your first of 3 possible characters. Each Race+Class combination gives you different initial stats (I will go into Race+Class and Stats in a later post).

Characters will be selected in a Character Selection screen. Towards the top of the page you will see the full stats of your currently selected character (Similar to the Training Panel screen). Below this you will see three character slots displaying basic stats (Similar to the left stats bar you see on every page).

Upon selecting a character, that character will be active and will be used in Eternia and Arena. When battling an opponent in Arena, you can not choose which of the opponent’s characters to battle, you must battle his/her active character at the time of the battle.

Some stats - such as HP/MP/Sta, Str/Vit/Int/Dex/Agi, and Sil On Hand/Sil Banked (Currency) - are individual for each character in an account. Other stats - such as Profile Info, Map Location, and UP - are shared for the whole user/account. This is primarily for database functionality and for the ease of you guys editing/deleting characters and stuff.

This new feature will allow us to individual suspend/ban specific characters, not just an entire account, so that if you exploit/hack for one character only, you don’t necessarily have to lose your whole account. This, of course, depends on the severity of the crime.

I think this covers all of the multiple characters info.

I just installed my local server and set it all up. Yes, at 3:00 am. It’s my last night of April vacation, but graduation (and freedom) is not too far away.

With the server set up, the next step is to re-familiarize myself with the code I had been developing. Yeah, it’s been a while.

The reason why it’s been a while is because a few months ago (I forget how long now) I formatted my computer about 5 times in a month, trying to get a version of windows that worked, trying to install new hardware/software, and trying to clean up my computer (That would be in reverse-chronological order, for those interested).

Beta-A is, surprisingly to most, very well along in the process. On my local server, I have the database nearly entirely configurated for the switch and ready to continue the process of making new additions to the game. The actual files are already set up and ready to continue the coding process. All in all I’m happy with my set up as it is - I’m ready to go.

Be that as it may, I still don’t have the time to work on Neu Age. [sigh]. I will, however, be reviewing all my current additions/updates/whatever and I WILL be posting them, here, on the blog page. I do this because Beta-A will be entirely open to the public, and I will be needed more feedback than ever, faster than ever. Rather than make you guys wait until I actually make the updates to go into in-depth detail, I’ll just tell you all everything as it develops. This, hopefully, will speed up the process (taking feedback, validating it, re-coding, re-uploading, and then waiting for feedback).

I request that you guys get ready to spread the word about Neu Age, but not actually do it yet. I want to have Beta-A 80+% finished before putting the word out, that way we don’t have people waiting for shit like we did in the past.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I like to learn from my experience/mistakes. Not that I make mistakes…

As always, gimme feedback, bitches! (Click the Comment link below the title)

I have finished Stamina, the last remaining obstacle before Alpha testing. With this accomplished, I will be reviewing all of my other updates and tweakings, as well as checking up on my database, and then I will start Alpha. All accounts will be deleted. Alpha is a big leap and with a ton of changes to the database, so to reset and edit every account would take too much time. Registration will be required in the same fashion as Pre-Alpha. I hope to have Alpha implemented by next Friday.

I’ve been swamped as of late. I started working IRL again and they needed me for 3 days in a row twice now, and the time I had off was very little and not enough to tackle too much with NA. I’ve also started school, but that should organize itself out nicely within the month. Stamina is nearly done, it’s in the database and the UI aspect of it is complete. We are, however, stuck on a formula to determine how much stamina a player will use in attacking an opponent, since we are dropping the conventional set amount. I believe I covered everything, but I am deeply sorry I have not been able to update more. Luckily I’ve gotten a lot done for alpha to make up for it when we open up with alpha.