The SAGE Release & Upcoming Release

Many people couldn't come to grips with the SAGE release of the ProSonic engine only being available for Mac. I did this because the engine wasn't where I wanted it to be for it's second release, so instead of missing SAGE and thus missing a great promotional opportunity, I prepared the engine for SAGE and limited the number of people who could play it. This would allow it to get the attention I wanted for it, and it allowed it to be tested by people who were interested.

The downside is although there were plenty of downloads, I got feedback from maybe only one or two people. That isn't helpful at all. Perhaps that's my mistake for misjudging what I thought would happen. Still, I have no regrets about holding back on a Windows release.

A new release will definitely happen in September. I have not decided on an exact day yet, but you'll hear about it from me as soon as I make a decision. The September release will include a couple extra features not available in the SAGE release. It will be released for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and MS-DOS. Some of the goals I originally set in my 7-point plan will not be accomplished by September. The reason for this is because I have reviewed some of my original plans, and quite frankly, some of them aren't absolutely essential in my opinion. They'll be done sometime, but they're not a "must-have."

Some things you can expect is further scripting support, slightly improved GPI support, VGZ compatibility (the SAGE release only supported standard VGM), and several editing utilities that can be used to modify data and customize the engine.

Object scripting is still in early stages of development, so there will only be certain aspects of it supported. I also plan on changing the way the backgrounds are rendered, but only after the September release (I don't want to get myself into a jam and create problems I can't fix in time.)

That's all there is to say about my engine for the moment. Keep coming back for future updates.

ProSonic for Mac

If you have MacOS X 10.5 on an Intel platform, you can run it! Download the new release of ProSonic for Mac here:

http://www.4shared.com/file/120479118/c300b1e6/ProSonicR2M.html

This release will not be available to Windows users. Instead, they will have to wait for the September release. It does not run on PPC Macs, and it will not run on any other version of MacOS X. You must have 10.5.

I'd like to thank the man running SAGE this year (sorry, I don't see your name anywhere) for hosting this. This is great publicity, and it means a lot! I'd also like to thank CyberKitsune for making this Mac port possible!

ProSonic, for anyone who doesn't know a whole lot about this, is a game engine based directly off the original Sonic engine used in Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2, and Sonic 3. If features 68000 emulation so some objects and routines from the Sonic 2 disassembly can be used, ProCode scripting language designed to make customizing the engine simple, VGM and WAV audio playback support, a built-in level editor, and a direct port of all Sonic's physics from Sonic 2.

When running ProSonic, you should be aware that the engine is not a finished product. This is basically a tech demo that shows off many new features that were not available in last years release. I also took the time to polish this release to be sure it wasn't filled with bugs.

Running ProSonic:
All the key commands are available in the Readme file included with the program. Pay close attention to the [i]M[/i] key. That is your friend. The menu allows you to customize some settings such as vsync and audio volume. It can also be used as a cheat menu (and yes Super Sonic works!) Also, the F11 key can be used to reload a zone. If you change the zone number on the menu and press F11, you will go to that zone.

The attraction stage is used as a entry portal to the other zones included with ProSonic. If you walk up to an area that says "zone warp", you will be warped to the zone number indicated. There are four warp points. See if you can find them all without cheating!

Level Editing:
Although it was made during the first release, this video is a tutorial on how to use the level editor in ProSonic. The other editors are disabled in this release but should be available in the September release.

Networking:
The news on TSSZ was that networking support was added to ProSonic. This is true. I must stress however that it is not available in this release because it's still very buggy. I'm hoping to have it ready for September, but I can't promise anything.

Sound:
ProSonic uses a sophisticated sound engine that allows the sound to be compressed when it approaches clipping. This helps get rid of some of the distortion you would normally hear when there are too many samples playing together. VGM and GYM files are both supported, along with WAV. One important thing to note -- VGM files must be uncompressed. Compressed (VGZ) files will not work with ProSonic. Some files are improperly given the "VGM" extension even though they're supposed to have "VGZ", so if a "VGM" file doesn't work, it's probably because it's really a "VGZ" file.

Scripting:
You can write code for your fangame using ProSonic's scripting capabilities. There are two options. You can write an object (or port it) using a 68000 compiler, or you can use ProSonic's scripting language, called "ProCode". Available here is a package containing the source code to all the 68000-based objects included with ProSonic, taken directly from the Sonic 2 disassembly. Click here to download the ProCode compiler, which also includes the ProCode script files used with this release of ProSonic. You will need to use WINE to run the 68000 compiler.

I will also be writing a guide on how to use the ProCode language soon. Check back here for that.

Screenshots:
No release would be complete without some of these! Check them out:








Final Thoughts:
I want to know what you think. Tell me what you liked about this release, what you didn't like, if you found any bugs or ran into any trouble, and any suggestions you have for future releases. Let me know -- leave a comment!

ProSonic Progress Report

The progress on the engine is steady, but it is slow in terms of how many goals of my 7-point plan are actually being accomplished. I have had a background layer for a good while now, and more recently the scripting language (although no MMF-like event editor to work with it.) The other day, I got the configuration file working so that key bindings, screen resolution settings, and other options can be set there instead of using hard-coded defaults.

I am planning to work on step #4 of my plan next. I have a few ideas of how I want to do it. I haven't decided which idea to go with yet. I will be making up my mind very soon though.

On the side, I've also been doing some extra things to the engine not part of the plan. The hope is that I can claim more than one front which to grab people's attention for the next major release which I'm planning for September. I'm sorry to say I won't have the 7-point plan completed by late July which is when SAGE '09 is.

As it currently stands, I'd say I'm about 40% complete in regards to where I want the engine to be by September. Keep in mind that I've done a lot of other things to the engine outside the 7-point plan, so it's different in more than seven ways.

ProSonic Scripting Update

It's been a while since I wrote anything about my game engine on here. I have been working on the scripting support in ProSonic, and I'm very happy with the progress so far.



I think a second public release by August is a real possibility. How far along the scripting support is by then will be a major determining factor in regards to any potential release date.

And So It Begins...

The core functionality is ready. Now to make it do some cool things...