zircon

Fair enough. I don't really play/buy a lot of games, so I don't mind shelling out for champs in LoL (though I won't buy skins.) I save my IP for runes.

IMO don't spend a single RP on champs until you get either or both of the main champion sets. You will get so much more for your money (like $1 = 1 champ.)

I figure speed is not an issue when you're dealing with turn-based stuff especially. There is a decent amount of AI going on each turn but the only real-time things are the animations. I suppose the next step here if I'm going to have anyone help would be for me to clean up everything I have (most of it is already commented) and finish any open-ended things I'm working on. For example, I was redoing the Entity class that manages NPCs, objects, and so on, as well as the map system. Once I do that I think we'll be at the point where features can be added piece by piece. For example, a system for using spells/skills exists, but there are only some basic types, likewise with statuses. More could be added modularly.

Oh awesome, good to hear! Slick itself really isn't that hard to understand, since it just extends Java a bit. 99% of what I'm doing is just plain Java. Drawing and input is handled by Slick classes, but that's about it (not sure if I will do audio through Slick or roll my own.) I picked Java because it's very readable and understandable, plus I have experience with C#. It can also deploy to multiple platforms.

Thanks for the kind words. This is all very motivating I'm using Java with Slick2D, a subset of LWJGL (the same platform Minecraft uses.) Basically, this library provides some very basic functions like keyboard/mouse input and access to the graphics card, but that's it. Everything else about the engine has been coded from scratch.

Unless they changed it in v4, REAPER has a time unlimited, unrestricted trial. It's also an amazing piece of software. Very stable and light.

Dominion has now been released; permanently! Let's play! For those who haven't yet played, god tier: Jax, Rammus, Akali.

The other thing is that stealth characters will be able to tell who has vision of them, who is CLOSE to having vision and who can't see you at all.

As it turns out we're going with a 16bit pixel aesthetic, 32x32 tiles upscaled from 16 (except characters.) Think Secret of Mana or Chrono Trigger where the characters are more than one tile and a tree can be represented by more than one tile at a time (slight iso perspective as opposed to pure birds-eye.) Looks pretty appealing I think. As soon as I get back to this I'll post some screenies (preferably once we have a character or two.) I've been trying to bring another programmer on to help me out but part of the problem is explaining your vision for something to another person. It's difficult to explain what needs to be done when you're the only one who really knows your own code! For what it's worth though, here are some of the things I implemented since the last update: * Basic AI (movement, attacking, using spells, protecting allies - basic attitudes and decision-making) and pathfinding around obstacles * Using items * Enhanced UI code, interface w/ drag and drop in inventory * Hotbar for items, skills/spells * Leveling up skills/spells * Using skills/spells, custom targeting shapes, multiple effects per spell, targeting rotation * Targeting overlay (think Disgaea) * Death, dying * Interactable map objects (open, close, lock, unlock, attack) * Passive skills like lockpicking

Ah! I missed the August bump. Well, suffice it to say that I wish I had more time to work on this. I've been busy with things like my next album, Soul Calibur 5, Impact Soundworks projects and buying a house. Unfortunately, that doesn't leave a lot of time for this one. Last I worked on it was late June where I got some good stuff done. I'd like to pick up development again next month where most of my current projects will be done. Definitely not giving up after I've put so much work into it.

As the topic says. You need the full version of DirectWave though. PM me!

The character designs are kind of interesting. So many wide faces.

Well, hopefully I wasn't just perceived as nothing but an ass since I do remember having some good conversations and making e-friends with people like OverCoat. At the time I was just really hating high school (as many people do) and that gave me a bad attitude about some things. I didn't have any outlet for music whatsoever outside of OCR and my piano lessons, which weren't really the same thing. My parents at the time didn't really support my music, neither did my guidance counselor, teachers or anyone else outside of my close friends and people in the community. Obviously now my family supports me though, no question! My first memory of being distinctly upset with the quality of my own stuff was when I was listening to McVaffe mixes, specifically Fillmore Freestyle. The way he used drums and synths was really interesting to me and it was at that point I realized that my stuff wasn't sounding anything like that, and I couldn't figure out why. Simultaneously, I may have publicly had an attitude in ~2003 and early 2004 that my stuff should be accepted, but I think I knew that I had a ways to go and I was having a hard time with that. In short, I don't recall ever thinking to myself that I was just as good as people like McVaffe and Disco Dan. I knew there was a gap but I suppose I just really wanted acceptance anyway since I wasn't getting much of it IRL at the time. Once things started to click, around when I started Impulse Prime and began collabing with McVaffe, I think I was listening more critically overall. I was buying electronic music CDs and catching up on years of history that I missed. I got in the habit of doing 1:1 comparisons between my own music and stuff by Prodigy, Crystal Method, Chemical Brothers, and others like them. I've never lost that sense of being able to compare my music to somebody else's and immediately recognize the weaknesses in my own.

Exhaust has always been better than Ignite, IMO. Exhausting someone will typically allow you and your team to get at LEAST one more hit/spell, and the damage from that will almost always exceed the damage you'd do with Ignite. If they have no blink or escape then you're probably going to do WAY more damage than you would with Ignite. But factor in the extreme emphasis on speed and positioning in Dominion and Exhaust is pretty high tier. I also agree that Ghost is better. Flash just doesn't create as much of a distance advantage. Ghost is just superior. I agree that Garrison is solid, and I think it's important for at least one or two people to have it. Cleanse seems like it could be interesting, though I've never tried it out (more CC resistance could buy your team a tower or defense.) The Dominion items are great. Priscilla's Blessing is god tier and should probably be nerfed. It makes champs like Singed or Rammus stupidly good. Ionic Spark is a nice item for attack speed heroes that have a proc anyway. I haven't found much of a need for Lightbringer yet, but I like Hextech Sweeper (cheap, good bonuses, better stealth detection.) I've tried Odyn's Veil twice now but it seems kind of expensive for what it does. It didn't seem that good. Entropy on the other hand is a very powerful item as it has a combination of snare, survivability and big damage.

My parents signed me up for piano lessons when I was about 7. I wasn't super-serious about music; I had no aspirations of being a professional, and I was much more interested in video games and just using the computer in general (basic programming, typing up stories, etc.) However, I did enjoy music as a hobby and practiced about 30 minutes a day. My first memory of being really excited about VGM was when I rented Mystic Quest for the first time along with an SNES. The boss music was unlike anything I had ever heard and it really pumped me up. When I was about 15, my neighbor and good friend Colin downloaded Cool Edit or something similar. We used it to make mashups of Linkin Park and Korn songs. Sounds silly, but this was basically my first introduction to computer music and digital audio editing. For example, we would take one song from "Hybrid Theory" and line it up with the remixed version on "Reanimation" and make some basic edits. He asked for a full version of this program for Christmas, but received a copy of "Magix Music Maker 7 deLuxe" instead. Now, despite also having taken some piano lessons, Colin wasn't even into music as much as I was, so it's something of a miracle that he was entertained enough by digital audio to ask for software as a gift. Anyway, he brought it over to my house, we installed it and immediately began working on same game remixes. It's worth mentioning that the year before that I discovered OC ReMix on a friend's recommendation ("I have DSL now, what should I do with it?" "Download everything at ocremix.org") so I was considerably more interested in VGM. We began by making a remix of Phantasy Star 4's Battle Theme. When he went home hours later, I stayed working on it. I got such enjoyment out of the process that I just didn't stop after that. We worked on many more (crappy) game remixes together, and even though I was really inexperienced, I started getting better at it. That was all in late 2002 to early 2003, if I recall. In 2003 into 2004, I began picking up FL Studio. It was very challenging at first and around this time, I hit the point where I could tell my music wasn't as good as other stuff I was hearing (like McVaffe) but I couldn't figure out why. I did manage to power through and though it was hard, I switched over to FL entirely and stopped using Music Maker. I started making original music, and in 2004 released an album ("Phasma Elementum") which I sold to friends and family. After that, my skills were still improving gradually and I managed to produce a decent remix (Calamitous Judgment) after at least 12 really bad ones. The biggest leap in my ability came in late 2004 and early 2005, when I started collaborating with tefnek. By looking at how another FL user was doing things I picked up a huge amount of knowledge on drum sequencing, layering, and mixing. I was also starting to accumulate some half-decent software and samples. You can hear the enormous difference between Phasma Elementum and my next album, Impulse Prime, released in mid-2005. I would also attribute some of this improvement to better listening gear (headphones instead of computer speakers) and ravenously devouring all the information I could about ANYTHING related to computer music, online or otherwise. After that, the rest is history. I went to college for music business and continued to practice & learn. Now I do it full time.

Actually, I posted this thread at the same time that I also posted on my Facebook (2200+ fans), Twitter, YouTube channel, Imageline forums, Jill's YouTube channel, her Facebook, etc. So, all of this promo basically came in at the same time. We also emailed friends & family. So, it's not 100% OCR though obviously we're extremely grateful for everyone pitching in - we did extensively promote elsewhere too. My guess is maybe 60-70% OCR and the rest through other channels? Anyway, I'm not sure that's here nor there.. Who was 'boasting'? Why be snarky? If Jill herself didn't have any negative words at all for the winner, why would you be negative toward Jill? I'd like to think we were all pretty gracious and civil here.

Well, I don't play StarCraft (I played the original ultra-casually) so I have no interest in that. Too complicated, too inaccessible. As for LoL/DotA, yes, it takes way too long to get started. Most of the game is not action and commentating is usually awful. I want to see the fat cut out, 'highlights' of good plays (and/or replays), proper video editing so it's not just the whole game being cast but overviews, specific champs/heroes, etc., higher-level strategy.

Pretty good points on pro gaming. With multi-million dollar prize pools, we have come a very long way, but there are still major problems with accessibility & spectating. I think watching SC2, HoN or LoL streaming is incredibly boring (even as a HoN/LoL player myself.) I can follow SSF4 or HDR streaming more.

They should really nerf Amumu's W. It's one of the very best abilities in all of LoL, bar none. 8 mana per second for a % based AOE. That's way too good. Make the mana cost scaling (like 8/12/16/20/24) so you can't just keep it on forever with basic mana items or blue. Or start the mana cost higher but reduce it with levels, while also nerfing the damage a bit. Or make it like Swain's ult, ramping up mana cost over time.

Here's the basic rundown on ranged AD itemization, as someone who loves carrying First, you need to decide on whether you are doing an on-hit effects build, glass cannon or a balance of damage and survivability. * Glass cannon: Purely damage focused. You will probably end up wi,th less than 2000 HP by the end of the game. Corki, Vayne, Ashe, Caitlyn and Tristana are all typically built this way. * On-hit: Good for champs that have innate abilities triggering on attack. Focused on attack speed or sometimes a hybrid of AD/AS/AP, but not pure damage and rarely crit. Teemo, Kayle, Kog'maw, Twisted Fate, Twitch all fit this build well. * Survivability: As the name suggests, these champs focus on HP and not dying. Teemo and Sivir are usually like this. * Hard to classify: Ezreal and Urgot will often build Manamune, unlike most other ranged AD champs. Then, Urgot usually goes glass cannon and Ezreal builds hybrid AD/AP based on his skillset. In terms of the item breakdown... * Infinity Edge: Usually a core item on ranged AD as it gives you tons of damage. However, on-hit champs don't usually need this. * Phantom Dancer: You will usually want this if you got IE. Attack speed, MS and critical strike. Also core on glass cannon. * Bloodthirster: Provides all the lifesteal you will need, plus lots of damage. * Banshee's Veil: Good for anyone honestly, though if you are very careful as glass cannon you don't need it. Will usually solve mana problems. * Hextech Gunblade: Great on hybrid champs like Kog'maw, Ezreal, Kayle and TF. * Nashor's Tooth: Another excellent hybrid/on-hit item, but only if you use AP also. * Wit's End: If the enemy team has lots of MR you might want this if you are doing badly and can't afford anything else. Otherwise, it's an ideal on-hit item. * Madred's Bloodrazor: Good for dealing with tanks as on-hit; gives you attack speed and a fantastic proc. * Manamune: Only good on incredibly mana-hungry champs, as the stats are fairly mediocre otherwise. Core on Urgot, good on Ezreal, decent on Corki. * Black Cleaver: Typically good for Corki to tear through even more armor. Attack speed, damage, good proc. * Last Whisper: If you already have tons of AD, this is an ideal item to finish up a glass cannon build. * Sword of the Divine: Great for Twisted Fate or any other strong push champ. * Guinsoo's Rageblade: An ideal hybrid AD/AP item. So, an example Ashe build: * Infinity Edge, Phantom Dancer, Bloodthirster, Last Whisper, Banshee's Veil, Boots of Swiftness. OR, if you're dying a lot: * Infinity Edge, Merc Treads, Banshee's Veil, Randuin's Omen, Bloodthirster, Phantom Dancer. (Strong armor, MR, HP)

More than likely it's because they don't necessarily add depth. How many Zero Puncutation reviews are there where Yahtzee finds an easy way to break an RPG by finding some godly spell or item? The more options you add, the harder the game is to balance, and there often end sup being vastly dominant options and skills/items that you would never want to pick. I'd rather have a smaller set of options and mechanics, but have them be properly balanced, than a million skills, most of which are totally useless.

Dude, Wacky. Stop posting Community stuff in Off Topic! Moved, for like the 50th time.

No, you're right that some of the Sytrus patches are outstanding. I guess what I'm saying is that I don't know of any shortcuts or common matrix setups, so a lot of it is massive trial & error and simply studying existing patches. Try disabling knobs one at a time (right click in Sytrus) and see how that affects the sound, for example. I really can't claim to be a master of FM synthesis myself and usually only do custom stuff from scratch if I'm making a basic, more aggressive bass or lead. The rest of the time I use existing patches with alterations.

You just take the same concept and apply it to more layers, that's all. So instead of a sine wave (Op A) modulating another sine (Op , you have an already modulated signal (Op A -> Op C) modulating another already modulated signal (Op B -> Op D). There's no reason to dive into complexity if you don't have a need for it though. Personally, I don't see the need to use more than fairly basic FM synthesis. It's hard to program very complex FM sounds because there are so many bad results. Why complicate life if you don't have to? What are you trying to do that you can't do with simple FM?

http://www.sonicstate.com/articles/article.cfm?id=148 Watch this first.