Expanded Metroid Prime-Style Remake Engine (EMPyRE 2D, v3.1) and Subsequent Game

[TobiMikami]

(4/9/23): I'm beginning to feel that there's really not much point in continuing to provide updates on this project when i account for all but 3 of 18 responses. Activity on the boards has diminished, and despite efforts to ressurect activity here; I don't see it. I will be moving the updates relating to The Tallon IV project as a whole, to both Reddit, under the game's working title: The Tallon IV Project, or on Facebook via my private group for ROM hacks and fan games. Youll have to contact me directly for that info. Note that this project is absolutely NOT dead or dying by any means. However, at this point a public source code release for the EMPyRE game engine looks unlikely. Why? For one, its writen in GMS 1.4, its hard to get access to 1.4 a lot of stuff has changed and would need to be rebuilt to make it work in GMS 2, im not paying subscription fees to make a game I cant profit on, and I feel as though nobody would really care or use it for anything worthwhile anyways, so whats the point? I might as well keep it for myself and use it for my game and be done with it I guess. If you have any interest in the project i implore you to reach out, otherwise without constructive criticism (good or bad) theres no point in sharing my work, I stand NOTHING  to gain, in quality improvement, in ideas, in motivation, just depression and feeling like a bother/annoyance/waste of space, which i wish not to be.

Japan Tobi(Mikami) AKA "L" Cobain brings you, with the help of OG Programmer Kousoru, presents to you:

E.M.P.y.R.E. V3.1.0
Expanded Metroid Prime (1)  S tyle Remake Engine


What Is EMPyRE?
EMPyRE is a mostly complete Prime 2D style engine created by "Japan Tobi"Mikami  AKA L. Cobain, which was originally created by Kousoru, you can find his original engine on AM2R forums, however, it's only good for GM8 and below. EMPyRE is also the first version of my Prime Engine that has ALL FOUR SUITS loaded and functioning, and merged to GM 1.4, my version of GMS I was planning to port to about five years ago when I was last active, you could note my old thread here, however all the pictures have expired by now with dead links. Hence why I've dropped a bunch of NEW pictures as well as a couple of old ones.
For some background about the project, the Fan game the engine is being built for, and more, check this spoiler. More updates soon!
[Spoiler]
This whole project started because of me, deciding I wanted to build a game in the image of my minds eye, a Metroid Prime 2D style game. It's something I thought about after about a year or so of hacking super metroid, before I even registered on the forums. It was shortly after that I stared trying to develop a Super Metroid 2D style hack, but realized quickly the software limitations (although, there IS a lot more that's been done with  SM since then, things that were unfathomable to me until now, that 7-9 years ago, that would have been like, revolutionary.) I became determined to learn Game Maker. I knew the best way to learn would be through reverse engineering, the same way I learned to build SM hacks, as people noticed back in 2014, that I was fairly skilled at room building and custom graphics with Super Metroid for a  newbie on the boards, but I'd been lurking for a bit, learning from the masters. I found Kousoru's engine, which was the most complete, with MZM, AM2R style approach to door transitions, the items and the map. It was at least six months to a year until Physix launched MEngine, and then the superior BootEngine, which I would consider an almost perfect GMS Super Metroid Engine, like hacking SM in Game Maker. That is the goal I achieve to hit with EMPyRE; To be a polished and ready to go "Prime 2D" engine with all the functions, items, suits of Metroid Prime, but we already have included, items like the speed booster, the space jump and hi jump,  power grip, these are all extras, and therefore they needed more than Prime's map, so unlike Prime 2D, this isn't a Prime 2D remake, it's a Prime 2D REDESIGN following the familiarity of Prime but adding new "expansion rooms" that are entirely new, some may replace short tunnel sections, but most will still exist. Some a simple break from the action of large area exploration in a game that will be designed to reward exploration, allow some sequence breaks to reward the advanced player, and  has a VERY in depth story line which you can pick up through the new Scan Visor, between Chozo Lore and Pirate Data (both sprites are now in) you can piece together this new alternate Prime storyline, or not! Just like the original game, one of the greatest concepts was to be able to compete the whole game not knowing wtf you're doing, unless you read the scans, a veteran or repeat player can skip (I'm lookin at you, unskippable cutscene.) Or you can take in and learn about the environment and what your doing if you choose. In the game's plot line, it overwrites the events of Metroid Prime, following Metroid 1, since Prime was written as a one off game, that turned to critical acclamation, they had to write off of what they left themselves with, which lead to a change in lore, I had the original 2002 release so I remember playing the version, reading how the pirates captured Metroid Prime, it assimilated their weapons and escaped, (which was the only solid explanation for its Pirate Trooper like abilities)  this was written off of the story line with the Prime Trilogy, however, this variation will explore an approach more like the original Prime, but with new twists and turns that keep the game seeming like a whole new approach, think of it like a Super Metroid hack to Super Metroid, but you're playing Prime in AM2R style on a quest the size of Super Metroid or quite possibly bigger.  The new story line also is written ahead of time, with the ANTICPATION of a sequel fan game, whether or not it comes to fruition I make ZERO promises; but it would follow the events of AM2R (Metroid 2 in our new 'Metroid fan game universe " which also effectively overwrites Metroid Prime 2, with the sequel game being a crossover replacement of Super Metroid; In little detail, Zebes is much like the Space Pirate Homeworld in Prime 3, and Metroid Prime managing to take over the space pirates who once held it captive and ultimately lead to their situation. We thought long in advance, knowing that once the engine is built, it would be so easy to tart making new rooms and a whole new adventure. Hence why the engine was announced to be an eventual public release; so many people love Prime, they love Prime 2D the game, and the concept it pioneered. There is tons more to get to just on what's already in, so check out the screens below, and check back for more updates all week long. New video by Thursday-Friday I'm thinking as well. [/spoiler]

1/1/23:
Haven't updated main post in a while. Efforts mainly focused on the game speciifcs at this point. Recent screens and updates:
New Varia Suit:

Phendrana Watery Depths (Gravity Chamber)



Crashed Frigate:

UPDATE 11/3/22:

Magmoor Caverns:



Phazon Mines Missile Station:



New Landing Site

Chozo Ruins Inside:

Ruins outside/Arboretum:

NEW ViDEOS
[spoiler]
https://youtu.be/IyGO48tkcjc
https://youtu.be/sDf5n0shhyE[/spoiler]

[/spoiler]
Photos from Prior Build (GM 8.0, Kousoru Engine)
Thermal Visor:
[spoiler][/spoiler]
Combat HUD:
[spoiler][/spoiler]

EMPyRE V2.0 (GMS 1.4 Build)
Phazon Suit: "Finish" sprite, on the frigate Orpheon.
[spoiler][/spoiler]
Alpha Thermal Visor with New (functionable) Ice Door. Currently a one way trip!
[spoiler][/spoiler]
Scan Visor Mode.
[spoiler][/spoiler]
Gravity Suit Samus (Final) Stands next to her Thermal Visor upgrade and a deactivated door I didnt scan to open.
[spoiler][/spoiler]
Gravity Suit Samus Forward (Final) w/ scan terminal.
[spoiler][/spoiler]
Gravity Samus (Morph, Final) Morph HUD, E tanks need adjustment.
[spoiler][/spoiler]
First Look at Phendrana Drifts (Sneak Peek) Samus encounters some sheet ice.
Gravity Suit (Previous Version Sprites) Next to a Wave Door, I sequence broke and wall jumped the wall, but haven't gotten the wave beam yet, so looks like I won't get into Glacier One without it lol. (Lmk what yall think about the sky light, i love it personally.)
[spoiler][/spoiler]
[spoiler][/spoiler]
Last one, you can see the rain emitter is currently running in the background, soon to be snow, but it gives off in game a cool "melting" sort of sensation, although unfitting for a sub zero area.
[spoiler][/spoiler]

[Exister]

Happy to hear you're doing better, seriously, congrats on turning your life around, and best of luck with the project!

[TobiMikami]

Happy to hear you're doing better, seriously, congrats on turning your life around, and best of luck with the project!

Thank you very much, I really appreciate it!

[spoiler][/spoiler]
[spoiler][/spoiler]
Heres a couple screenshots as proof of concept and existence as promised. Currently uploading a five min video of me playing through some of the highlighted game functions. i forgot to mention in the original post, RAIN is also implemented and working, it is featured in the video. Sorry im recording from my phone, i have to set it down to jump and space jump.

Prime 1 fans will recognize this iconic air lock room (it was only the third in the game lol) the door back out will be added soon. The area with the hidden power grip block is temporary access to the next hallway which currently has the bombs, which is linked to a room in development meant to be the frigate map room. All scrambled up but since it's not much of a spoiler anyways, that door will eventually be part of the escape. It'll be a solid wall with a fake background like MZM, where the alpha fades when Samus enters, but is otherwise invisible. The object wall that looks different will be hard coded to set an alarm and "detonate" really just instance_destroy instance_create(objExplosion) lol. That's the preferred method so far, some of the "escape walls" might need an invisible "fake wall" though that Samus will contact no matter what when passing through, which will then check if global.escaping (undefined stlll, but) in the collision event of ObjSamus, triggering said alarm and /or immediate wall explosion, opening a new path.

P.S. I know I'm using an outdated version, but man I LOVE Game Maker Studio!! Compared to 8.1 I have so much more power within my game design parameters, it's incredible I fucking love it, and I bet you will too. The 5 min video will be uploaded by AM 3 hrs remain, will add link then!

https://youtu.be/4Z6d1wZVdhM

[Metroid3D]

Oh my god YES!!!! Welcome back, glad to see someone continuing to carry the Metroid engine torch. No promises but if you're still in need of music I might be able to throw some remixes your way.

[TobiMikami]

Absolutely! Any type of resources are always appreciated, especially when I can keep more of my development time on graphics, programming, and level design (considering certain rooms and areas have to be built to test new functions.)

I've got sprites/animation for the flamethrower. The ice spreader is almost an exact duplicate of the super missile, so I've left it to the wayside for the time being. The flamethrower I think I've finally got it figured out the best way to code it in. Also since a friend of mine asked about boss battles and ironically the most complete of them all IS Metroid Prime, I forgot I spent days shading him years ago and splicing parts together, animating him and the combat style will be interesting to design to say the least. Because he needs a lair obviously, I've been working on the Phazon Mines/Impact Crater type tilesets and objects, to show off the potential for world building.

[TobiMikami]

Big updates going on this week, so keep an eye on the thread

10/26:  elevators are flawless!
https://youtube.com/shorts/NpvSPWs1x5A?feature=share

[TAxxOUTBR3AKxx]

This is really exciting to see another engine that not only is in the works, but looks to be in a pretty good state so far! Looks great, and can't wait to see what updates come in the future!

[TobiMikami]

https://youtu.be/ppWGdmgDo8A

Believe me when I say I'm holding out still lmfao. I'm engaged in this campaign of loose end tying hence the bare bones Xray visor (because I had to redraw the tanks and Ebar for that which was literally painful and unpleasant.) Thankfully you have a pixel perfect energy bar since the numbers probably won't work out too well in the round Visor like they do In Prime I remember my OG concept that was lost unlike the thankfully salvaged Thermal didn't have numbers as well. Water works nice, just need to make it work without the gravity Suit (IE change the physics LOL) BTS in this video I fixed one of the plagued problems this engine had which is that it'd add energy tanks you didn't have if you died (or gained over 99 energy once I added replenish orbs. Hopefully the tractor beam thing can be fixed with the pseudo code I worte in the video to myself. I also got Physix's Gunship mostly working since it runs off the elevator code, gotta get the save scripts in which crashes the game, that's a whole other can of worms with game variables and such.Therefore, im adding stuff like Xray, now I gotta get ice spreader and flamethrower in, and then the wavebuster. Pretty much every saveable value. Elevators have me working on worlds. Also Thermal conduit puzzles with the wave beam I'm working my way into tallon overworld (with the gunship we got a landing site, ish, barely some Lil bit lol. But working towards crashed frigate the frigate access tunnel I made today to get ready for power puzzles inside now that water exists. (Yay) also more polished gravity Suit sprites. I also fixed the Visor bug that made combat and Thermal activate at the same time. (Thermal wasn't fully coded for debug when it got thrown in but worked gleefully well besides that. Also scan Visor expansion will be imminent as well. I also finished finally drawing the pause menu, the Prime textbox I drew years ago I gotta get the item texts back working too, but asyou can tell, a lot going on BTS.

Fixed buggy Beam work so all four beams work, including the wave beam wavy shiz pass thru solids needs special exceptional handling for gray doors but Plasma and buggy flamethrower are working, Ice spreader is in bare bones, got that aligned right for a few frame postures same with Super missiles. Also did some Suit recolor for phazon suit to final. Did some tweaks to the mines tileset, started working the main quarry after I built Transport Tunnel E (AKA "Intense radiation detected" which I also had to make the flag  for but I also got the phazon itself looking nice.

In my attempt to make space pirates I did perfect back and forth movement  from the Zoomer/Geemer so I polished the tallon crab (it's a red super metroid crab LOL) and I put the shreikbat in and it kinda works gotta play with the trigger coordinates and put in the actual explosion thingy. Did I mention I put in scan data for the shreikbat? Yeah lot getting done yo

[TobiMikami]

Hella new updates:

https://youtu.be/IyGO48tkcjc
https://youtu.be/sDf5n0shhyE

https://youtu.be/pVlG0QmmJPM

Engine development (core development) is about 85% complete, most components exist in some state and are complete and function without fatal errors although some are graphically buggy. I am working more heavily on the design and development of the actual game now, working to put together a Metroid Confrontation style demo showcasing some of our earliest designs, and the capabilities of the engine. This will be the only demo released until the game is released I ask any skilled players who would like to receive this demo, speedrunners, sequence breakers, and other metroid vets who've played their fair share of titles, to please contact me as it takes real player feedback to make improvements for the final release. I am recruited players of this skill level, because 1. They'll be more apt to try and exploit the game and therefore could find obscure bugs to be patched, (a lot of games have those "we never really thought they'd do x, so now y is a permastuck" and 2. Realistic feedback, this game would be the greatest thing since sliced bread to anyone whose only played a couple of titles. The veteran hackers and hack players are gonna be impressed by something impressive not just anything is the logic. Also trying to keep a low profile for obvious reasons. Until later, have fun!

11/6: Finally got Physix's load/save functions to work. Ship save works, load default works, and I think I have pinpointed where the error is in my script alterations that messed up the lines of the ship write file that affected the read file but I'll deal with that tomorrow. It loads and saves and also has a start menu. One menu down. Plus saving that was a big thing off my plate. Pause or grapple next i hope.

[TobiMikami]

Since there's already like three videos in that last post, these are work in progress video. The message box is done except having to make a duplicate with the dark shading for the bottom. The status screen is exactly where it is, but I managed to get Pnysix's codes for that text box anim, the subscreen, logbook, options, pause map, save screen, save load in general and the title. I also turned the draw event for Samus sprites into a script that I call in the event now, which I believe should help the game run more efficiently. Working on grapple, wavebuster, and map next.

https://youtube.com/shorts/rZLnp7nOpeA?feature=share

https://youtube.com/shorts/Yf9gbsWsDEo?feature=share

[TobiMikami]

Been a minute, put up new content and there has been significant progress.  Some of the most significant highlights:
MEngine Adaptations:
Hatch Sprites and blue hatches -work perfect, need to convert Plasma, Wave, and ice doors to the new style.
Bombs and Fission Bomb: Physix's particle bomb and shader using nuclear power bomb explosion works as seen in video, also bubbles, splashes, boils water, as well as Samus's beams now splashing as they should. The new Power Bomb animations are part of a slight plot line unveiling, when Samus storms the Phazon Mines and takes down the Central Dynamo, she finds the "phazon fission device" the pirates mention In various logs. The device is a Science Team reverse engineering project of Samus's Power Bomb, although the Morph ball function leaves them horribly disfigured and wisely abandoned, scans inside the dynamo reveal a much more sinister underlying plot line: [spoiler]In addition tontheir biological experiments with Phazon on Tallon IV, it isconfirmed that Science Team is in fact also attempting a racemic nuclear weapons progran to Project Helix and and Project Titan, referred to as Project Fusion and Project Fission. The team in charge of Project Fusion attempts to 'acquire' mysterious modules from the Chozo Ruins in an attempt to infuse their Trooper pirates Hunter weapons  with phazon, and the far more zealous Project Fission, innwhxih the pirates are attempting to perfect a process tobrefihe abd utilize Phazon to engineer weapons of mass destructuon, which is implied would be used in an immediate, massive scale preemptive strike to decapitate the Galactic Federation before ridding themselves of their "Hunter" once and for all
The Fission bomb is the first (and only) successful product of the joint venture between Projects Fusion and Fission, and ultimately had to be used to barely maintain the overtaxed dynamo. These thermonuclear bombs will be incredihly powerful, and im anticipating 2x rhe amount of Prime (16 total fission bombs) to possibly 20. 4 to begin with, it woukd leave you 8 expansions of 2 Fission Bombs to scour Tallon IV for. Because of their power (and plot role) there is no anticipated sequende break for them, if you can expedt it to be incredibly difficult. Plasma beam can sequence break, and I'll attempt to engineer part of Magmoor Caverns to aklow a heat run varia skip, although itll be fairly hard like Prime. Im intentionally creating opportunies to sequence break, albeit dufficuot, and in some cases instead of one item to advance, you may need 2 or 3 to advance the plot, and youll be able to do them in any order, most shouldnt require the item you JUST got always to advance.[/spoiler]
Phazon damage/lava damage script, courtesy of ScooterBoot/BootEngine, now works, as well as shreikbats.
Modifying physixs Ripper, I made an early pulse bombu with the similar enemy in SM wrecked ship, it works. Freezing emey particles and ice shatter works now, the X pattern explosion for screw attack works now. I'm re-writing my own enemy parents based on Kousoru, ScooterBoot, and Physix's code and what I learned working with this.
You'll see in the video I also have the titular enemy coming along, yes METROIDS! they're here! Tallon and soon scourge ifbthe earth Fission Metroids, beautiful sprites by Rundas45, they are so phenomenal in game I must say, hopefully he gets a chance to see his awesome artwork in action, the "latch" AI logic I started writing works if I remove the hurt script.
Significant level designs have been done, destructible blocks trying to get them to delete a tile layer like SM (physix has a code that should do) the map remains the main and ojly enigma, I may have to work with Docs simpler mini map, and rewrite my own pause map (sooo fun lol)
I also recently did a couple small free hands, the Prime boost ball Spinner and the Bendezium pile, I think I'll cut my basic one color shades out and crop in part of the actual texture of UT from MP like I did to make part of my tiles for the mines which worked wonderfully.)

I'm considering converting to Super Metroid Samus, with the same colors and style as my ZM Samus, with Physixs expanded tiles (this is because the grapple beam especially will be easier to integrate) I pieced together and recolored a few frames, with the gravity Suit standard,  it'd be a lengthy bit project during compile time, but I liked the results, I'd like to do a couple adjustments with the legs like Prime and I'll post both sprites, if the community unanimously agrees they like the SM version better, then so it shall be (eventually, prolly bot the Christmas demo)

Which brings me to my final main point (for now) i intend to have a stable, debugged alpha build by Christmas, however, I'm taking Metaquaraius" advice to heart, and I don't plan to release this to too many people, only a few trustworthy players who won't distribute the game and draw attention.
The site staff is welcome to contact me privately about the demo if they're interested in playing it, as I've been here on and off many years and those who I recognize being here longer than my tenure are very reputable and trustworthy contributors, but obviously, too much attention could get us shut down, and I know waiting sucks, but we'd all rather play the full game than an amazing demo that leaves you drooling for a project shut down and no possibility of a reboot. (Which is rare, but this project was dead and gone for five years before I found the time and means to get back in it, I'm trying to do as much as I can as fast as I can, before something slows or halts development, this time the engine will be mostly complete, most minor effects polished, and more importantly, backed up. It's a new month so I'll be backing up the engine again. I'll also edit my post with a time stamp when I do as a reminder to myself to keep my shit backed uo because there's a lot of hours and irreplaceable content that isn't on the web anymore in some cases.
https://youtu.be/hNs2rVxSvPc
https://youtu.be/vbjKziJ8sXs

[TobiMikami]

EMPyRE v2.1 IS NOW OFFICIALY COMPLETE. Literally 10 mins ago I got a very basic death control in, and first sign of working collisions for ice spreading. You can see the map fix and stuff on this video. https://youtu.be/ctJJdXWcsd4

EMPyRE V1 I decided to port into GMS 1.4 again, and added death control. I will release EMPyRE1 later today in the completed projects topic. EMPyRE v2 will be released to certain people upon request. This will be the last post, as the engine is now complete, and more polished versions of it will be implemented through the main development now specific to my fan game, Metroid Prime 2(D): The Tallon IV Project. I will then be launching a very exciting new thread that finally shows off the world designs, plot, and more for the actual game itself this engine was created to make. Thank you all for your continued support!

One final update here, this video will give you an idea of the eventual loading screen and main menu for The Tallon IV Project will look like. This shows the working death controls, and I successfully managed to write the functional origins of the Ice Spreader, thanks to a tidbit of info about Prime using triangles in the collision system. It worked exactly as theorized in my mind once dialed in. Since this video, I have so added a "run" button like SM that gives you about a 25/33% speed increase. When I write the options code for the game, you can choose to have speed boost only enabled by pressing this as well. It was implemented to make writing for the boost ball easier, likely the final item. I also added a reserve HUD like SM, this way I can begin writing the reserve code as well.


If you are an experienced ROM Hacker, or just wanna make a Metroid fan game, I've released a far earlier less sophisticated version, but added death controls and updated to 1.4. This version is simple, easy to begin with, it'll definitely prepare you for the complete build. This would also make a great platform to make mini hacks and fan games, one of the only things version lacks is a wider array of enemies. Depending on the scope of your project, this may be all you even need. Any future updates will be in the form of small updates to the public engine. At this point  though, the engine itself is built, I'll be launching The Tallon IV Project thread very soon, where i will be discussing development. Plans, some storyline. Sharing some rooms maybe, as well as any tweaks and upgrades to the game engine there as well.

[TobiMikami]

Pretty major updates as of late, Grapple Beam actually works, it's not perfect, it's got a whole Lotta y and not enough x to be exactly perfect but I got so sick of fuckin around with it. The auto reserve as early as it is works. As you can see here.
https://youtu.be/sl8oK7pdYdo
Here's a more recent blip where you can see the lava updates,
https://youtube.com/shorts/EIcVSthpLDU?feature=share
the fix for the Rippers graphics, and more off screen.
I finally figured out how to re-write the map engine as necessary in Studio fully functional, so I can hopefully build the world maps easier. I've also figured out how to make a functional multiple map system where I can transition between world maps between rooms by destroying and recreating the map after the world state changes all within less than a second while the doors load (Thanks Metroid Prime!) I also sort of mostly got the load save system to work, the save part works great, the load part doesn't so well. For some reason even though the script saves rhe room name perfectly, it doesn't seem to read it properly it returns a -1. I'm order to even boot the room properly I had to create a bunch of save rooms indexed with a numeric variable with an index of save rooms to goto in reference to the line # vs the far more complex room name string. Especially considering you only save the game in like 12 rooms of every game. Idk I made that up. but it sounds about right tbh.

I also completely re-tooled the games physics, the gravity in the water is fixed now, before the varia suit could barely jump off the ground, now the jumps in general are a lot more floaty like Suoer Metroid which will more easily allow me to create larger world designs without worry of platform spacing etc. I also got the space pirate AI kinda starting to work so that's another big thing. I kinda got a "steam" particle effects I made for the plasma beam melting ice, it's a WIP but that'll help make other fun stuff. Next big things planned are a missile and map station and i don't even know whatever lmao

[TobiMikami]

Status update 2023:
Recent developments have been largely geared towards level design for The Tallon IV Project. I miraculously stumbled upon some resources Physix posted on another forum that benefit Phendrana Drifts and Chozo Ruins especially.
Engine specific updates since my last post:
Missile Station works.
Dynamic backgrounds!
Shot blocks of the following types:
Shot (Beam, eventually pseudo-screw)
Screw attack
Speed boost
Cordite, Bendezium, Brinstone, Sandstone, Frigidte
Crumble block
Bomb block (chain)
All delete the tile on Layer 3
You can now perform the "infinite Shinespark" like Zero Mission, do a horizontal shinespark, hold left or right, when you collide with a slope you'll begin boosting again! Transitions thru doors too!
I also show off the "five-bomb drop" hidden function(s) the latter I just discovered myself before shooting the video!
https://youtu.be/JUXLp-A1sag
Super fresh Overworld screens:


The Burning Trail (Magmoor Caverns/Chozo Ruins crossover room)


Chozo Ruins Waterworks

Visor updates:
Phendrana Update (Von Richter Snow) :

Phazon Mines


Phazon Suit:




Rainy Tallon Overworld:

Von Richter Pushblock
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mbsdHhwmy4

Xray Vision:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8l6gpjZHqE

[TobiMikami]

New month, New update:
While much of the engine is "complete" a lot of things are still being cleaned up, small bugs squashed, attempting to pretty up some of the less "exciting" functions, like the missile station. Save stations finally work through and through, the key was object creation code, by adding another Samus to every save room, and setting that Samus's creation code to destroy itself if not in loadstate, allowed me to be able to access the room in game, save my file, and rejoin the game from the save file with no errors, no double player or controllers. The tile fader now works, it hides tile layer -420 on contact with an area of the size specified in the creation code. Otherwise, my main focus: AI. Enemies, and most importantly, boss battles. Just today I drew the boss HUD bar and the text for Metroid Prime since I've been working on it as well, as you can see. It currently only stays in idle state, but can successfully shift its colors and weakness, and the hitbox is perfectly precise thanks to my mastery of the collision rectangle function/bbox function. Shoutout to ScooterBoot for writing that original Pirate AI that I learned a lot of this from, that was amazing. Got Trooper Pirates in the midst, fission metroids mostly "in" Pirate AI was fixed up, they now chase you again anytime they're hit with a weapon (which is realistic I mean you wouldn't just stand there and get shot at like those whimsy crateria pirates would you?) Hunters can go in whenever indecide to break em down and script them. Also almost done with Meta Ridley, part of an arm, a leg and a tail that's it, finished shading his body and head yesterday.

[Steel Sparkle]

This looks pretty cool but it would be nice if there was sound in these videos.

[TobiMikami]

Unfortunately the screen recording software doesn't pick up audio unless it's playing. The couple of videos that were effectively sfx tests I know for a fact two of them the audio got nuked by YouTube. There's a couple shorts I cam ripped with my phone that I had uploaded mainly to a few small groups of Metroid fans on social media, but overall there's nothing super impressive about them, and some sounds aren't loaded in yet and are using generic placeholders.

For example, I have a whole library of every sfx from Prime. But they're very poorly grouped and named, and within the groups it's like "phazon001, phazon002" where I have to try and decipher what each sound was supposed to be (a lot harder than you'd think.) And because I've been mainly focused on programming, and now level designs for my actual game, music has become a "load what I can in silently that's known and do the rest a bit at a time when I have time."

On an unrelated note, I believe I have the map functioning, it loads up the first area, got two rooms zoned in there, jumped worlds through a door to Tallon Overworld, loads the landing site and Canyon Cavern's map, although in an inconvenient way as using a variable to represent a number in a 2D array as Physix had this set up, doesn't seem to wanna work in this sense, so I have to script each room's map pos, but my main concern that it works on screen and on the pause menu has been satisfied. I also fixed the ice spreader so that it expands out not throws up all the ice at once. A simple array counter I perfected with the "Hypermode" text as well as any other text that spells itself out on screen, the low energy HUD flash, and also still working on new enemies and AI. I got the little particles for the Etanks and Missile Tanks almost on par with Prime, and got a working tractor beam based on the SM implementation logic, it moves towards Samus x and y until it aligns to her y and moves only on the x. I also used a 2 argument script for this, that allows it to be called by any object (charge beam, Metroid Prime) the object to move (pickup, Samus), and the object to move argument 0 to (Samus, Metroid Prime) All in all. With the exception of the enemy AI and probably some reworks of the main menu and pause menu for aesthetic purposes, and preferably fix the clunky grapple beam, the engine is mostly complete. It's more about refning from here. But I'm genuinely running out of features to implement. I've got everything from Prime and SM in this game now, so largely development will be geared specifically for The Tallon IV Project. An official game announcement will be coming soon(ish).

[TobiMikami]

Thought I dropped this update before but I must not have.
Latest updates:
https://youtu.be/p00WzyalU2E
Low energy flash
Missile Meter calculates missile percentage, arrow flashes when fired, lights up when missile button is pressed the way it does when the cannon is opened.
"Door will not open with that weapon" message types out, then fades.
"Depleted" flashes when out of missiles.
Super Metroid gates added, the "classic" are like Redesign gates, a button can be placed anywhere, or alternately programed to a bomb slot, scan icon, power conduit, any I choose.
Prime particles for ETanks, Missiles, missile refills, and the ring for health orbs.
Menu save file system works way better, loads all three files, saves them, loads to game fine, copy and save data fine, loads Normal, hard, or hypermode difficulty, displays current world, including Glacier One and Crashed Frigate as separate mapped worlds. Displays game time, working on percentage and graphical rework.
Reserve tanks have been added (4), they are visually displayed as a single line below your first 4 ETanks, the same exact way.

A recent sound test for those interested in that, some sound rike issues are awry I gotta figure that out but I got a million things going on that I find more important that sound. Sound  is like paint; it's one of the last things before the building is done pretty much

https://youtu.be/wcSSZ8hLt_Q

[TobiMikami]

Some good stuff to report back to yall with;
I've polished my trigonometry skills, creating Plazmites, Wavers, and a Sidehopper whose got an incredibly low jump height (trying to get a working frequency is hard.)
I've also added a wider range of slopes! Yes!  Based on Super Metroid BTS, we already had the standard right triangle (16x16), the long right triangle (32x16) but now Samus can run along the inverted 16x32 slope, as well as the "triple long"
(48x16) slope, an equilateral triangle, and even negotiates the curved "ramp slope" for the boost ball work in progress. When complete, it should, when Samus is boosting up the slope, accelerate her y position up the flat surface wall versus colliding with it. She SHOULD be able to shinespark break on these as well, but ill test to be sure. Graphics wise I finally finished 99% of my new SM CRE tiles, based on a long lost tile map drawn by BigDomino and carefully pixel by pixel reconstructed by yours truly. Auto defense turret rotate now using trig, although the negative x scaling creates an issue with alignment to the left. I'll manually calculate the max distance from Samus to the turret before it should be set just below horizontal (0/180 degrees, probably 330ish to 200ish) I also did the run animation for the Plasma pirates, and all other troopers by extension. Added Wallfires for fun, and working on the Fune as well cause enemy variety really makes this game feel more alive to me.  Heres a look at all the new stuff with Trigonometry: https://youtu.be/0wJpfdR2gEA
For a tiny bit of the updates to Phazon Mines' tileset, check our my latest Room of the Month video, an expansion room for the extra Mines level, codenamed "Fungal Hall C" which is designed to be more or less a path puzzle, you can only cross right to left by taking a specific path and executing some creative jumps, or IBJ, as this room is along the one way trail to Space Jump and Phazon Suit. https://youtu.be/ADFVlCgjj90

[TobiMikami]

Since it's been a while, and this has been a popular update video, here ya go. I'm still alive.
https://youtu.be/xEZ2Lp-jfFU?si=dpdPjzOXkPzpZlrM

[Unseen Brain]

Amazing work you're dropping here. Hadn't seen the project before but I'm keeping up with it lately.

2D Metroid is life... even when it's based on a 3D title.

[TAxxOUTBR3AKxx]

I've been a long time user/lurker, but even with Super as my favorite, seeing a 2D rendition of Prime has me excited. It's something old but something much newer. I love the concept and how faithful the gameplay looks and feels.

[TobiMikami]

Thank you both! Your feedback means so much to me, I have been dedicated to this project for a long time, learning to program and do graphics and everything in between, it's been a huge endeavor and when I've felt like giving up, it was always the responses of players like you guys who the excitement for this game means so much to that it motivates me to come back stronger than before.

To anyone lurking on the forums, feel free to say hi! It's not quite as active as it used to be back when I first started coming around here as early as 2012-2017, but there are quite a few of us long time members who do regularly check in and would probably respond to topics if there were new responses to reply to, and same with other lurkers and new members, the more people come out of the shadows, the boards will be more lively! Most of us here are very friendly and helpful. Yes, hacking is the most popular mode of expression here, but making games with a game engine like I am and DoctorM64 did with AM2R is somewhat more user friendly and by far more customizable, so if this is an area of interest to anybody, I know negative press comes with fan games, but you can contact me directly for help and id be glad to be of assistance!

[DonnyDonovan]

This looks like it is going to be incredible!  Awesome work!

[TobiMikami]

It isn't the update I had in mind, but I finally fixed the grapple beam and the swing extension. Now if if would draw itself while you swing, that'd be nice. Oh well
https://youtu.be/0D5X87gfZas?si=iR-wH37C6i84WroK