Goodness, this task has been a right doozy through and through! Let’s see how well I can condense this week’s work…
Scripts, Timelines, and Events
Before I could even get into the meat and potatoes of my task, there was a lot of prior setup that needed to be done. A major part was figuring out all the areas that I’d need to delve into in order to apply the new animation system. Unlike my previous tasks, which usually could be handled in one isolated part of the editor, this particular job took me to all corners of the program, from writing new scripts to editing new events. In all honesty, saying that it was confusing would be an understatement; if not for the help of my supervisor, I probably would’ve gotten completely and utterly lost in the code!
In exact terms, my task is to make it so that allies walk on stage when summoned, perform an action animation, and then walk off. But while easy on paper, the actual implementation is nothing short of convoluted. First, I needed to construct and properly connect different states in an animator. Then, I would need to activate those state changes in a script, which itself would need to activate another script in order to get a timeline to actually move the sprite across the screen. Once that’s all properly set up, I then need to activate the function by calling it through an ORK event, but first I would need to find the exact object that has that script in the game scene for ORK to be able to even use that. If you’re lost just by reading that, imagine trying to do all that in the editor! But with with a little persistence and assistance, I was able to power through and get everything set up. That means that I’m in the clear!
It Doesn’t Work Yet
Unfortunately for me and programmers all over the world, its almost never that simple. With every large programming job, there comes a heaping load of bugs that need squashing. However, because this particular task took place in several different parts of the game rather than just one script or scene, hunting down the cause of these errors is taking more time than I’d like. But that’s just the way it is sometimes; just keep playtesting and fixing wherever possible, and eventually it’ll get there!
Next Week
Chances are that for today and the following days, bug hunting will be my main priority. I have ideas where to look, but whether I finish quickly or after a week all depends if I can identify all the problems in time.
This Week’s Media: Bidoof’s Big Stand
Pokemon just released a fun new short starring everyone’s favorite HM slave, Bidoof! It’s very refreshing to see 3D Pokemon animated in a more cartoony western style. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend giving it a watch!