Python and Pygame

[BonzaiRob]

Well well well, this see,ms our best option, but where to begin?

Basically, we need to decide whether we'll make a flexible Pokémon engine first, and then make PT for it (we could earn respect and get more members if we then go ahead and distribute it to the online community) OR... we fully integrate PT, make it a standalone program.

Engine would be easier I think, because then more people can help out with the PT part, BUT there is the possibility we could try for online connections, making it harder. Well, how high are we aiming here?

Also, we need to work out who's programming currently. FMY is most acquainted with Python, but Buffyboy was saying he wanted to start coding. I'm up for learning a new language. The more coders the better here, but we need organisation, because we'll just have arguments if two people develop the same sytem.

Well, I'm going to go and see what I can make with this new fangled Python.

[FMY]

Well, the engine would be great, but don't think it would be easier, it would be 10 times harder. Therefore, I suggest we start with the game, and when we successfully made it, we could make an engine.

For the learning stuff, go to python.org and pygame.org for documentationabout both.

Indeed we need organisation. That's one of the most important things.

[BonzaiRob]

How much do you know, FMY? I can just about code this:

while password != "unicorn":
guessno += 1
password = raw_input("Password:")
print "Welcome in, you guessed", guessno, "times"
if guessno >= 3:
print "Hard, was it?"

[FMY]

I must say I don't know much more than that. I said I was learning it, and that's what I'm doing, but I didn't learn that much yet.

[BonzaiRob]

Ack, I can't install Pygame until I upgrade my OS... quick, someone send me £89!

[FMY]

Darn, you've got Mac OS < X 10.2? That's a pitty. The only way to play the game without buying a new OS is to install linux on your mac. I'd suggest you to use ubuntu.

Or we should not use pygame, but I didn't find any python GUI libraries that work on older mac osses.

[BonzaiRob]

I'm going to ask the rents to get OS X.4, that way everything will work - plus the comps will be faster and stuff.

[FMY]

All right, as you wish.

[BonzaiRob]

Well, I have failed in my attempts to bribe and blackmail my way to an upgrade, so I'll try emulating Linux.
[EDIT] Aah, I'm so confused, tell me what I should be downloading, FMY! I'm downloading Ubuntu, but I don't know what to get regarding Python and Pygame...

The other thing is, in another online game I play, you can get more actions by doing quests (Weild, Angry, Clap, Fart, etc..) so maybe we could put some of those in. I know it's a long way off, but it's a nice idea. Things like Dance might be hard to animate, but we could make one that does the HM action without doing an HM (so the character just holds a pokéball in the air). Maybe Jump and stuff, things that already exist.

[FMY]

Oh, too bad, now we lost our Mac guy. That'll make it harder to make the game mac compatible.

Anyways, ubuntu is a good choice. I, myself, have moved to a more advanced distribution with better performance (Arch linux), which, in my opinion, is better. Start easy however, with either ubuntu, SuSE or Mandriva (if the last one is available for Mac). In all three of them, python is already integrated, so you won't have to do anything additional to install it. You don't need to download pygame either (not in ubuntu at least), since it's an optional package which you can install via synaptic. Just try to install linux first (make a backup of your files!!!), and come back later.

I must say I like the quest idea. It would be awesome.

And now for something completely different: we'll need a 3th package for our game to work: "Twisted". We'll need it if we want to make this an online game anyway.

[BonzaiRob]

ptreasures.net/Scripts/python/hmm.png

I'm getting there.

EDIT: Bwahaha PROGRESS!!

You can now move an Ekans around the level in 16px increments. That's in my source, ptreasures.net/Scripts/python/BRtest.py (you need to put it in the folder with the main.py file from the official build, and download snake and trans into the data/images folder).

The background does strange things. That's because, what with the way I did it, the sprites sort of have their own background (the Maplewood map) - and it's not aligned properly. It's at 0,0. So once we've edited it witha full map, rather than one floating in the middle, it'll look fine.

[FMY]

That's nice. I worked some stuff out too during the holidays (I had no internet, but I could work on my dad's computer, now and then). This is what I've got:



You can move the black box around (I had no sprite with me, but we'll change that), and it goes very fast on my dad's PC (2.0 Ghz pc with 64MB graphics card). It doesn't go that fast on my PC (800Mhz, shared memory graphics card) however, but it's playable.

[FMY]

New build will be available soon.

[BonzaiRob]

Did you sort out tiling within the movement? So that it moves in increments of 16, but slowly between them rather than jumping?

[danisukesan]

This is just an idea, you guys can use game maker or rpg maker. A person used it to make a gold and silver remake and it came out pretty good.

[FMY]

No, we can't use game maker or rpg maker. Those programs only run on windows, are not flexible & very hard to use (programming is hard too but at least you've got full control then). So: no Game/RPG maker!