I bit the bullet and purchased a copy of GameMaker Studio 2. It's something I vowed never to do, but I got curious and, well, that lead to my wallet being drained once again by YoyoGames.
After I bought it, I got curious if I could even load up the old version of Fringes with it. Indeed I could! But it was brokey-wokey :( As always, new version of GameMaker = new bugs and changes have to be made. Sooooooo... I spent a couple of weeks tracking down bugs and updating functions, removing some problematic DLL files, and voila! we've got the latest version of Fringes of the GameMaker (Version 89). The previous releases before this update came packaged with version 71, the last known somewhat working copy I could find since GameMaker 1.2 was completely broken (which is why I feel I deserve a refund of $500!!).
For those of you who aren't familiar with this project's history, I started making Fringes of the Empire in GameMaker 1.2 (and I paid a wopping $500 for a special version of it that six months later was basically discontinued) .. it turned out to be a big mess. A big hot mess. So I released all of my improvements as GML-Pro and began rewriting a better version in C++.
Here is the latest version of the GameMaker project -- this one is better than the one I've been distributing as "Legacy" .. so if you played or attempted to play the GameMaker Legacy Version of Fringes of the Empire, you may want to take the time to revisit it! This one will allow you to explore more, fight more, with less bugs, and more weapons and enemies. It also features the voice acting of Autumn Woodland!
I've decided that, since I've got it working, I'm going to make some changes and finish the game and release it as part of this same universe, but focused on the Interstellar Police Force -- the UFSE Vice Squad -- as a game where you bounty hunt space pirates.
However, you get to play around with this early preview version as part of the Fringes game.
Please feel free to leave feedback and I hope you enjoy this GameMaker version of Fringes of the Empire -- a free additional game-lette included with the main Fringes of the Empire game.
Is this project dead as a dodo?
I started working on this game about 4 or 5 years ago. I made it in GameMaker and it could only go so far before I couldn't deal with GameMaker anymore.
Prior to working on Fringes, I was making a procedural space exploration game called Empire in the Sky in 2.5D. When that got too crazy to work on, I stopped and took a pause to learn more about graphics and game engine programming. I also thought it might be easier if I used a third party engine so I didn't get bogged down in "engine design" rather than "game design" ...
Fast forward 3 years and I promised on the Space Game Junkie podcast #134 that I would be translating the GameMaker version (which you get along with the Lost Astronaut Game Engine version when you buy Fringes) into my own engine and start from scratch.
Well, progress has been made, but the game isn't finished yet.
What was done ?
After appearing on the podcast, I spent years writing all of the parts of Fringes that I dreamt of having in the GameMaker version but couldn't. A dialog system. A 2D top-down map Zelda-like part. A 2D top-down space ship part. Extensive editors packaged with the game to let people mod it and make their own stories. Cool particle effects. Customizable ships.
I created one of the seven alien homeworlds and Earth. I made some levels. But I still don't feel the levels are good enough. I made a lot of dialog but I wonder if people even read it.
I've decided to go work on some other games by taking pieces of this game and reworking them into a series of casual games. Does that mean that Fringes won't ever get done? No.
It just means I have to make lemons out of lemonade for awhile to feel better about myself as a game programmer, and achieve goals that are easier to achieve.
Imagine the work that goes into a game like this:
I draw and clean up all of the 2D art.
I make all of the "meta data" that makes space ships and objects work.
I make the 2D maps, locations and tiles
I made all of the in-game editors.
I write all of the dialog.
I make the engine.
I make the audio and sound effects.
I pick and produce or compose the music.
I make the cut sequences.
I do all of the testing.
What's left to consider this "done"?
On-ground and in-space combat.
Level and progression for the main character and the ship crew.
About 60 2D maps. This means lots of tiles, objects, NPCs and scripts.
More ship systems including fighter/hanger system.
Optimizations
Support for Game Controllers and user-configurable control settings.
Steam Workshop support
Modding editor cleanup and documentation
If Fringes ever gains a following that wants to participate in the making of the game -- enthusiastically wants to participate in making the plots and scenes and levels and features of the game -- then the game would be successful.
You can always contact me on our discord http://discord.gg/MduSuX3
If you have ideas, or bug reports, or want to somehow participate. If you own a copy of Fringes, there is a way for you to make levels and submit them to me. You can give me feedback on dialog, or you can just enjoy your purchase. The game is not dead, it's just sleeping in 2019. If you don't own the game and you buy a copy, thanks. It does go to support the game's development. Stay in touch! -h3
July 2018 Release
We've released a patch to speed up text display in the editor and overall game.
Fringes of the Empire - Responsive Update
I'm pleased to announce a May 31 2018 Technical Update to Lost Astronaut's Fringes of the Empire on STEAM.
Changes to the game itself:
Character and away team members now have their names appear ALL CAPS
What was done to the engine:
minor cosmetic improvements to Interior Game View
minor performance boost of Interior Game View
the completion of updates to our 2d shader pipeline
elimination of some crufty old GL code, and
The game now properly renders at most landscape resolutions in 1920x1080 "retro" pixel depth. While the Game Framework can handle higher resolutions, we are already doing a lot of pixel doubling and don't want to waste screen bandwidth supporting modes directly at the wrong size.
Update to responsive scaling method: 4K displays should be able to handle the same game as a 1K. I should also note that non-HD resolutions UHD, 1920x1200 and others should be just as fine as 1K.
hoping all mouse - to - screen ratios are fixed, as this update normalizes the way the mouse is handled
dev snore: support for latest Windows SDK added
dev snore: GLFW3 dependency added
What's coming soon:
I hope to focus on the Trade Screen. I've also been mulling around in my mind that the starting levels need a couple of additions, perhaps a major overhaul of the tiles being used, and Away Team Members need weapons and combat actions.
Fringes of the Empire: April 2018 Update
This update of Fringes of the Empire is a maintenance release that enhances the experience for GPU users (required).
Full screen anti-aliasing which was previously disabled has been fixed.
Please let us know if performance has changed. We can only make this game great with feedback from our users. ːsteamsaltyː
Version 0.5 STEAM SALE UPDATE
Version 0.5 Update has been pushed to Steam.
What's new in this release: 6/28/2017
- STAR MAP
- HYPERSPACE!
- TRADE SCREEN
- Updates to scripting language
- Mouse bug fix when game was windowed
- Trading Screen (works but doesn't actually trade)
- Atlas Tileset Editor, a new way to make tiles quicker, without involving too many texture maps. This was the major editor feature. Atlas tiles are a way to generate VBOs of 2D tiles by using only grid geometries. Instead of needing to use an image editor to create a new tile or tile heightmap, you can now remix tiles from atlases -- so modders, and of course myself, can make tiles without needing to leave the editors
- Major bug fix to prior data loading sequence
- New data loading sequence with progress bar
- Added our first alien character
- Visual enhancements and bug fixes to Away Team screens
- New font! (I know, I know, fascinating...)
How to track this project as it develops in Early Access
Visit this Trello
https://trello.com/b/u3pVj7hC/fringes-of-the-empire
Our website
http://lostastronaut.com/
Twitter
http://twitter.com/LAGameStudio
Where I will update you regarding various development aims. Things are progressing, but not everything can generate a .GIF on Twitter. Thank you so much for supporting this project in Early Access.
Just in time for Autumn and Winter Sales
Q4 2016 Update
Hello everyone. Just in time for this Holiday Season, we're getting ready to see an update to Fringes! The new engine is coming along and I've almost made my goal for the year of having all of the editors complete.
Things are evolving in the development pipeline. Why just a few weeks ago I was embarking on the Location editor, and now I've got that in the rear-view, and I'm happy to announce that the scripting language is nearly complete. Once that's done, we can make strides toward a better single player experience.
It feels historic. Today was the day I began making the Title Screen. This is the first step toward New Character Generation, and the rest of the game. I've made exactly 3 presentations (the title intro, title screen loop and new game cut scene) entirely using the game itself.
What before was a bunch of uncertainties is now a concise list of goals which will pave way toward content creation. I'm so excited to get to a point where I can finally just make art and story, rather than all of this deep engine stuff.
Please tell your friends to support this game by buying it right here on Steam. Without your support, I cannot begin to explain the dismal life I would lead, working on a game solely for myself. I want you to love it and as it gets closer I feel I can see how this game is going to be such a fun and unique artistic experience.
It has been a long time since our last update, and while I feel we've made a lot of progress, there is still much to be done. Thanks for sticking with this project. I hope one day you'll discover a finished game in your Steam library, and enjoy it.
What's in this update?
All but two editors are ready to go
Program DJ is complete and integrated
Presentations v1.0 is complete (way to script cut scenes and animations)
Intro, Title screen, Options screen recently added
Premiere of the Editors Preview video
New "Test" features that let you try newly made objects immediately in the game
Paperdoll animation system
Dialogue editor for scripting interactions
New art
New: soundtrack and music!
Expect the payload by Friday.
Falling into Outer Space
Autumn is around the corner and Lost Astronaut wants to thank recent purchasers of Fringes over the summer, without whose support this project would not be possible! Also, here is an update for the entire Lost Astronaut gamer community as to what's in store for Q3 and Q4 of 2016.
Dev Diary: Making a game on your own is difficult and a lot of other things get in the way -- like your day job -- however I've found a little extra time over the next few weeks to take a look into the growing number of editor features.
Basically, to build a game like this, you have to make the editors first, as a sort of plan or basic outline. Later, when developing the engine, the game itself, and its content, you can exploit data provided in the editors in predictable or unpredictable ways that allow for an interesting experience. My goal for 2016 is still firmly in developing additional features for these editors.
There hasn't been an update to the actual game in a while, mostly because there is no reason to release a half-baked set of new features. However, I assure you, the project is coming along nicely. Here are some recently added features which are shaping up to be pretty cool! By the way you can see little teasers of new features on our Twitter profile, @LAGameStudio
- Presentations
We've added a way to do "2D presentations" -- sort of like power point, but for doing plot and other animations. You've probably seen them before in other games. A visual editor allows us to create linear gameplay elements that can appear behind menus and in places where the player can make important choices that effect the outcome of a mission, script dialogs with aliens, and create cut scenes. At first, I was using legacy work done for Empire in the Sky, another project that Lost Astronaut has on the back burner. However, I took stock of what I found and made a next gen version that is far easier to use, and packs more features into a single "element" that pretty much sums up all of that other work. While not as optimized, it is still pretty fast and should be fine on newer systems. I think this system could go on and on forever with new animation things etc., but you have to call it a day or else the project never gets done.
- Vehicles
Vehicle features are about 70% complete in the editor. What's left to do is mainly in the test apparatus (that lets you play with a vehicle while making it) and in working out some sort of deep bug that causes problems in that area, probably to do with the Vehicle Blueprint editor. This became a bit complicated. I've realized that just the data entry portion -- tweaking the buttons so to speak -- takes an awful long time, but that's because there are just so many great details you can add to Vehicles. When I say Vehicles, I mean all of the systems that go into a Vehicle such as weapons, hulls, airlocks/hangers, space cars (fighters), and much more in the way of animated elements (rotating dishes, spotlights, blinky lights, etc).
What's next?
Before I move on to wrapping things up with Space Cars and Vehicles, I want to take a step away from this end of things and focus on the more organic elements. Now we're talking about Lifeforms, Nature (Asteroids, Comets and such), Planetary Systems and Stars.
After I develop a nice Lifeform animation system, I plan to fold it back into the "2D presentation" system, so you can script cool dialogs with the aliens!
Finally, I want to spend time on Quests (missions), which allow you to move forward on various plot lines in the game. Once we've got all of these editors complete, it is just a matter of developing the game engine that uses all that rich content.
I'm hoping by early 2017 that I am just working on the engine portion of the game. Once we've got all of the editors available, the game engine complete in later 2017, I can focus primarily on creating the main game campaign which I hope to have done by 2018. I've got a few artists in tow that want to create DLC packs, so I'll be working with them next year as I work out the game's core and finalize all of the features that are going to make Fringes of the Empire so great.
One thing I wanted to throw out there is that I'm looking for testers, who are modders or have some experience making games, who want to join the team as a credited alpha and beta tester. Unlike other projects, I want to do this old school, where testers are not just the general player population, but rather are closely related to the project and communicate with me about their thoughts and desires, as well as test out the technical aspects of the game. If you are interested in this, please reach out to us at the contact information available at the LostAstronaut.com website. Of course, anyone is welcome to ask questions or request information if something doesn't work or is confusing.
Charting the Route: Fringes March Madness Update Coming
Hello, my small but loyal fanbase... Fringes of the Empire is undergoing many exciting changes under the hood. This post is all about what it means for you.
In March, I will release a new update that includes two options when starting the game:
a) Play Game - which will play the game that has been available since launch date, made in GameMaker.
b) Try out new engine - which will let you open up the new engine and editor. This is not the finished game!
What's exciting is the "B" part, above. This means you are going to be able to -- SPOILER ALERT -- see the inner workings of Fringes of the Empire's vehicle system and "campaign editor". It won't be a finished game, and your work will probably not even save, but you can at least try it out and see how slow or fast it is going to be on your system. If you have feedback -- did it crash? was it fast or slow, did you see something you liked or had a question about? -- feel free to post it here in the official Fringes Steam Group.
I may do a brief editor overview video, but please keep in mind the game is going to be evolving and some features may change. If you are a modder, this can be considered a preview of the final editor, but I wouldn't go crazy and start your epic just yet!
Hopefully later in the summer I will be releasing a version that is much closer to the finished product, it all depends on my availability (I do have another job...) ... if I can find the time I will try to at least get vehicle testing working so you can fly the vehicles around.
Later this year, I will be working on a 2D marionette system that will let you (and of course me) create reusable animated 2D creatures. Following that project, and into 2017, add "the roguelike, and the dialogs, quests, plots and starmap locations", followed by a final focus on networking, and finally steam API integration.
I plan to offer DLC content expansions (new adventures) as early as 2018, with many episodes planned, and I'm also considering holding modding contests or working with the Steam Workshop to allow user mods to be easily added to the game. (So far you just have to download a user's mod and copy it to a particular folder, but it would be nice to use Steam Workshop and Cloud Saving features of Steam to help modders create and share content.)
