MV - Immortal Sins[Disc 1][0.42.6-stable.20250817]

Internal re-works (again):


Sometimes, certain issues need an efficient solution. I went back and re-worked some of the code to be, well, common. Why? Some of the events (especially the in map enemies) are cumbersome to update, since I need to go on every map and fix them up manually. Making them common, I only need to fix the common code and the events are fixed.


The launcher also sees something similar, mostly to fix a bug that affected the option to skip the launcher and launch the game directly. In the preview build, if you tried to enable the launcher via the Jump List, it would instead run the game 4 times. This is fixed on my part and I’ll update the preview soon.


Graphical changes:


-All dungeons got a new coat of polish.


-Re-done the character sprites to better resemble the face graphics. Small preview below:





Northbridge Improvements:


Save Manager is a cornerstone on Northbridge’s design. Managing your saves (along with backing up) was something I wanted to add since the first version (although it did took quite some time until it was implemented in Version D0.10). Each update has improved this. But there are some kinks to take care of. One of them was the Export option. While it worked, it was error prone. So, I re-done it with a new UI and new logic. Here’s a preview:





I’ve also made a stand alone version of the Save Manager (accessible on the Jump List) to make it a little easier to access it.


Graphical Improvements (again):


As I am adding the finishing touches, I have done more graphical changes. Some of the dungeons got a new coat of polish and I made the water to reflect the sky (although it depends). Some previews:












OpenGL support!
For a long time, the game was more of a CPU dependent game (as in, it relies heavily on the processor). While it can play well on more recent computers, it has the issue that if the CPU lowers it’s frequency (say, to prevent burning itself) the game’s performance would suffer (figuratively speaking). This can make the gameplay a painful experience in some cases. To counter it, I’ve implemented an anti-lag system to improve performance. Now, I’m taking it a step forward: I’ve implemented OpenGL support. With this API, it will allow the GPU (your graphics card) to at least assist in processing the graphics. Although it doesn’t bring big performance boost, it’s the best way, since it provides a nice balance of speed and compatibility with the scripts (so it doesn’t break them and I end up having to completely rebuild the engine).


Patcher:
Older followers may recall that I’ve mentioned on the patch notes on D0.10 that the installer added a registry key for a patcher I was working on. Well, it’s almost ready! Using that registry key, the patcher can detect the location of the game. With just one click, the game gets patched in seconds. The UI is simple and it’s packed into one file. This was more difficult to make, since I had to figure out how to pack the files into one executable. Here’s a preview:





Nothing much today, but here are some highlights.


- Engine Re-writes:


Some of you may have noticed that the latest preview had the engine re-written in some areas. The re-writes were done to improve the engine overall (along with upgrading some of the scripts). A quick rundown of the re-writes:


- Some bug fixes were improved.


- I/O stuff (keyboard and file handling) was improved. Better support of Unicode in particular.


- Additions and fixes for Project Centennial. I'll explain why at a later date, as I need to iron a few more things.


- More bug fixes.


- Updated part of the engine. There were some old scripts that could wreck the game. Now it should run more smooth (or at least more stable).


Misc. stuff:


I'll round up some misc. stuff in a list as well:


- New optional dungeons were added to the game.


- UI received some improvements. New sounds (so they are less annoying) and  the HP bars change colors, depending on the remaining HP.


- Refactored part of the events, to remove unnecessary code.

A heavily re-worked Northbridge Engine:
This update ships with version E1.10 of the Northbridge Engine. This version ships with a new user interface. The tabbed interface brings all the features in your fingertips. Most of the updates are in the foundation. Save Manager has a new logic and refined the UI. Backup works more reliably, utilizing the FileWatcher function (which monitors the save folder and backs up the saves when you save). Diagnostics got more powerful, providing enough detail. Wrapping the engine nicely is the support of Jump Lists. All shortcuts are kept in a nice list accessible by right clicking the launcher’s shortcut (this works especially in Windows 10, since you can call up the Jump List from the start menu’s All Apps menu).





The game’s engine got a facelift:
The engine got some heavy upgrades. First off, some parts of it were re-written with improved overall quality (from Input Output handling, to better reliability). In addition, the game partially supports OpenGL for Hardware Acceleration. This will speed up performance on low end systems (though this may vary). The biggest improvement is in the gameplay. The battle system is overhauled, with better customization in the code, allowing me to better balance the game and make the fights a bit more unique. The UI is retooled, with cleaner state indicators. 


Audiovisual changes:
Finally, new artwork and audio stuff have been added.

1.    Download and install the latest version.
Note: I recommend that you uninstall the old version, to make sure that no unnecessary files are left behind.
2.    Download the transfer tool [here](http://d-cdn.gamejolt.net/data/games/0/69/35569/protected-files-cdn/5713b9d7cbe20/NorthbridgeSaveTransferTool.zip?e=1480266423&s=c119600af4b292d924a638325ab28ec5). Run the program and click on the Transfer button.
3.    Run the game from the launcher, then load your save file.
4.    Exit from Maria’s house. Head south and talk to the guy behind a rock. Select Yes when prompted.
(You may be asked if you pissed Rick on earlier point. Answer appropriately.)
5.    Save the game.
And you are done! Your progress is now transferred. Repeat steps 3 to 5 for each save file you need. Also, check the character's equipment, since a recent change in the Database unequiped the characters.

- I prefer soft to hard edges when mapping - i'd rather not be able to walk right up to the edge of the level.


- I wanted to interact with more things in the village and I didn't want the villagers to be so short with me. They should stop for a chat!


- The battle system was really fun but all introduced at once in a lump of text. I would prefer to be shown how to fight with actions rather than words, and more gradually.


- I wasn't sure why I trusted the girl so much as to bring her back to my house. It seemed my character was being very naive or else fancied her.


- I found the cave to be bland in terms of mapping, and there were a few too many enemies that were slightly too easy.


- The music got a bit annoying at some point. Perhaps more dramatic gaps in the music?


- I found it a bit weird that no-one really cared that much when my eye got stabbed. Also my mum was barely even bothered about me getting banished!


Thanks for all your hard work on the game. Good luck with this project in the future.


Jamie

So, after a break due to irl stuff, I return to development of Immortal Sins. Along with fixing reported bugs, I have done some work in improving the game.
Graphical and Lighting updates:
While still waiting for some artwork, I worked into improving the presentation and some balancing. In the graphical department three things were applied:
1. Transition for the ship. Having the ship sprite (which is pretty small) is really silly (and pretty funny) when it’s in a city map. Instead of that, I created a transition so it looks nicer and fits much better:

2. Changing the doors. This a bit more practical, since the doors are usually bigger. And to avoid smashing heads ;-)

(This was taken from an older developer build, so don’t panic)
3. Re-work the lighting. The current lighting is fine, but it has it’s own issues when I’m working on interiors. Since tinting the screen ignores the overlays I am using on the interiors, they can look like they just simply sit above the game area. Plus the night tint doesn’t look nice in some areas when I include assets for lighting (such as a lantern or a candle) since it looks like they don’t light up the room or area. For practicality and visual improvement, I redone the lighting in a similar fashion shown in the Crystal Cave. This is a much improved solution, as the lighting is much more custom and it’s less of a hassle to update the overlays used on the interior maps, as the lighting is rendered above the overlays.

The latest installment has arrived!
Preparation of Northbridge:
As I am preparing the MV version for a tech demo release, Northbridge could use some additions. First off, the launcher will now run as a 64-bit program (if you have a compatible computer). The reason is that the launcher not only picks the best version of the renderer, but it has some additional features as well. Making it compatible with 64-bit systems will improve the launcher's performance. There is slightly higher use of memory, but the performance makes up for it. I’ve also removed some unnecessary code on that launcher as well. It’s quite easy to see when the launcher is running as a 64-bit program via the Task Manager (see below).
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Under the hood stuff:
I’ll cover this section in a lightning round:
- Prepared the folder structure of the game engine, so it can house 32 and 64 bit versions of the renderer.
- Implemented Action Icons.
- Under the hood tweaks to improve the game engine’s performance.
- Tweaking the lighting.
- Transferred the code of the launcher to C# 7.0.
That is all for now. See you on the next post.

So, I get all of my tools back to my new laptop and recovered my files of the game (along with the launcher and installer script). I am slowly getting back developing the game. So, while I'll be busy with university stuff for a while, I'll talk about a few thing that I'm working on.
Remaking the launcher:
While I was working on improvements on the launcher, I noticed that the tech underneath the launcher started to show it's age (at least with the current display scaling and what I want to add on the launcher). The program is written in C#, but the GUI was made with Windows Forms. While it's easy to develop the GUI, the tech uses GDI+, which doesn't use hardware acceleration, and it wasn't well designed for newer systems where they have 1080p screens or larger. This not only slows down the launcher when I add more graphical stuff, it also looks blurry on higher dpi displays. So, new tech is needed so I can continue developing the launcher. I am transitioning over to Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF). The new tech is a vast improvement over Windows Forms, as it allows full customization of the UI with the help of XML. It also uses DirectX out of the box, making the launcher more responsive. And it looks nicer on big displays. Here's a comparison:


*I am nailing down the design. It will take a while.*
Remaking the combat system:
As I was working on the MV version, I have some issues with setting up Active Attack. Due to technical issues, it caused a big unbalance in combat. At best, I may be able to get it functioning with the new ATB script. At worst, I may have to re-design the combat system. There are two ways:
- Keep QTE and make the game turn-based.
- Or keep ATB, and throw different mechanics in place of Active Attack.
I'd like to ask you this: Did you like the current combat system? I'm asking because I heard mixed feelings about it. Some liked it, others didn't. I'd like some feedback on it.
Now, back to ironing out the bugs. I'll see you guys and gals in next post.

Hello everyone.
Here's a quick post on what's going on with Immortal Sins. I'm pretty sure some of you are wondering what's going on with the project (since there was quite the long silence). Here's a quick overview:
- Northbridge is halfway converted to a Windows Presentation Foundation app. The GUI is pretty much ready, but the code needs a lot of re-writing. Alongside with adjusting some areas of the code, it has its own way of doing some things (like showing a dialog). The good news is that I was able to improve the design of the launcher in some areas (mainly the Diagnostics part). It will take a while, but I do hope that it's worth the effort overall.
- The MV version of Immortal Sins is postponed until further notice. I couldn't find a replacement battle system that would fit. So... I may have to re-write the battle system from scratch. And it will pretty different than on the current version. So, I continue development on the current engine until I find a new battle system that I'm happy with.
- Speaking of which, I am planning to release a minor update for the game. This fixes quite a lot of bugs and adds some enhancements. The only issue at the moment (apart from Northbridge being re-written) is finding a new Installation system. Flexera hasn't released a new version of Installshield (at least a version that is compatible with Visual Studio). I'm looking for a new program to generate the installer (hopefully one that will also make patches). It will take some time to arrive.
That is all for now. See you in the next post.

Yeah... I need to be more active, but doing rewrites takes a good chunk of time.
While the launcher's re-write is almost complete (just need to write a bit of code that missing from WPF), I needed a new tool to make the installer. Flexera seems to have stopped supporting the LE version of installshield. It's a shame since this was a great tool (mainly since I could install the .NET Framework when needed). So, I needed to search for a new tool. And I found a combo. WiX (Windows Installer XAML) provides a good suite to write an installer, along with fetching dependencies via its bootstrap. Which is great. But this is a pretty complex tool. Luckily, I found another tool that helped to make the GUI for the new installer. The result is this:

This combo is pretty neat since it allows better customisation (so, fewer pages to go through and give it a nicer flair) and lets me add languages to the installer. Pretty handy indeed.
Speaking of the launcher, I did some re-tooling in the logic, thanks to data binding. In the current version, I had to practically program the entire logic to manipulate the GUI (such as disabling some buttons when no saves are in the folder). WPF allows a "code-less" way to implement that logic, by simply binding some properties of the items in the GUI to specific things. This makes the launcher less of a hassle to maintain and cut down unnecessary code from it. It does need some things to work on, but for the most part, it's easier for me to develop the game and the launcher. Here's a snippet of the implementation:

That is all for now. See you in the next post.

This will be a really quick post since not much was added to Immortal Sins (for now). Mainly a lightning-fast progress report.
Anyway, as I am getting closer to release that massive update for Immortal Sins, I found out that Windows had a more useful (and more DPI-aware) folder picker (among others). So, I went on the code and replaced the old tech with new ones. The difference is... well... impressive.
Old version:

New version:

There is still some work to be done, but since I have most of the launcher's code re-written (about 82% done), the release of the update may be soon enough. I just need to finish up with the big obstacles in the development.
(If somebody asks, that's due to Windows Vista re-writing some Win32 APIs related to file and folder pickers.)