Starless Umbra

Anddd... Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday to Mana, who turned 17 today. Hohoho love ya lots hun. don't kill me pls :3 [img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/dragonheartman/bday.jpg[/img]

Starless Umbra v5.04 released!

This update just includes several minor bugs windmousezidane pointed out. A very big thanks to him for posting here and letting me know. :)

Starless Umbra v5.03 released!

Hot off the press! Download and overwrite your old Starless Umbra.exe in order to update. If you've already beaten Ch.5, just wait for Ch.6--unless you feel like playing again. :D Now back to bed for me. I'm skipping Physics today because apparently salami sandwiches hate me. I'll fill you guys in on 5.02->5.03 changes soon.

Timezone change

Since Daylight Savings Time just ended, I've synchronized the forum time once again. If the forum time seems off (because you don't experience daylight savings or just never updated the forum time) you can mess with those settings by clicking the [url=http://www.starlessumbra.com/usercp.php]Edit Profile[/url] link at the top of the page.

It's Friday!

I know I said 5.03 would be done this week but I'll have you know I was spending time finishing a dungeon and two major cutscenes for chapter six this week (ask Mana :P). In addition, I've added an 'Expert' difficulty and integrated the running system a bit more seamlessly. For instance, you don't have to even disable running mode to go down stairs or jump across gaps. You guys will like the improvements on the stamina system. ;) Happy Halloween, everyone! Enjoy the weekend. Estimated Release for SU6 is April-ish 2009.

Harder, Better, Faster, Umbra

I've optimized a lot of the forum code and I'm not sure if it's just me, but things seem to be loading a lot quicker. I'm also implementing instant-redirects, which you might have noticed if you've logged into the forums. Pretty neat, I think! If you can't login, [url=http://www.dragonheartman.com/]contact me[/url]. 5.03 will be out early next week. But for now, everyone enjoy the weekend!

New Post Rating System

First, a few point system changes: [list][*]Most users received double the amount of points they currently had. [*]Posting replies will give you two points rather than one. [*]Creating a topic will give you [b]ten[/b] points rather than five. [*][i]Rating[/i] a post will give you a point.[/list] As some level of user moderation, I've implemented a Fame system to the forums. As you browse SU.com, if you notice a helpful or meaningful post, click the + icon next to the bottom of it to give the post a positive rating. If you notice a post that isn't so helpful, feel free to give it a negative rating as well. This rating you give to a post will impact the [i]Fame[/i] of the author of that particular post. A positive fame doesn't give you the right to act like an elitist, and a negative fame doesn't mean you'll be banned from the site. This is all generally for statistics, but if certain trends show up, proper action might have to be taken. Though, so far that hasn't been too much of a problem. The amount of time you must wait in order to rate a post is dependent upon your post count. For those of you who want the LOLMATHS, there is a [30-(postcount/40)]minute wait in order to rate again. PS, please report any bugs you may encounter.

Midterms... over! (Small Survey)

I just finished another round of midterms and things actually went relatively well. What that means for you guys is that means I'm celebrating specifically by putting a LOT of time into SU this weekend. In terms of revising SU's current content, I have two main focuses and questions for you all right now. First, what are your thoughts on the Running System? Is it irrelevant or annoying? In the beginning I can see how it'd be slightly tedious so one thing I am implementing is an item that allows you to quadruple the amount of exp earned while you run for, say, 100 steps! Secondly, I admit dialogue is not my strong point. If you could, feel free to mention any dialogue you found in SU that didn't flow particularly well or seemed awkward. I am thinking much of Dorin Castle's cutscenes may need a bit of shaping in that sense. That's all for now. Thanks for your feedback! Enjoy the weekend.

what? no updates?

Looking at the homepage, things have been sort of blank for a bit. My personal life has been rather demanding lately but things for SU6 are coming along nicely. I ended up modifying and pixeling in a chipset in Photoshop to use for the next dungeon rather than using the previous one, which was rather inconsistent. Needless to say the dungeons are coming along very well and they will play very SU-like. Of course, I will not have any screenshots for you until SU6 is good and ready. Oh and 5.03 is nearly done--I just need to add about one or two more quests. There will be two more optional dungeons, and plenty of cool items, treasures, and so forth. That's about it for now.

Starless Umbra v5.02b released!

Yeah you can get a pretty decent game update over at the downloads section. Though before you ask, another optional town was not quite finished and I haven't gotten to all the bugs, so there will be more. On a positive note, this version does not have any prerequisite to download.

Walkthrough Update

I've updated SU's walkthrough to include all of chapter five. Most of you have already completed the game, so this isn't too major. I'm in the process of fixing bugs so there should be a game update whenever I'm not dying from classes.

Minor (but cool!) forum change.

Now on the "New Posts" page you can check out who made the last post in the topic. I figure this ought to make posting a bit easier for you. Since this required adding a new field to a table, this feature will only take effect for posts made after, well this one pretty much. Thanks everyone for posting! Have a great rest of the weekend.

Hey beta testers

I increased the posting requirement slightly to download the beta. It's five now, and that's because as much as I'm loving the flow of traffic, I hope to see a minimum of the one-liners and spam. Registering, posting something like "dirka", downloading, then never visiting again is not the way to go. This is a [i]beta[/i] for a reason. Wait a bit if you don't like it, because it's not like an open release is far off anyway. On a positive note, Kudos to ARCduke13 for registering and actually contributing. Thanks a bunch, bro. :) Lastly, I've slightly widened the comment box for replying to topics. I know it's minor, but just wanted to throw that out there.

Starless Umbra v5.01b released!

SU chapter 5.01b is ready for you! I've fixed quite a few bugs (too many to list) and there are plenty more lurking within. Things are looking a bit better, and as a result, all you need to download 5.01b is one forum point! That doesn't mean this game is ready to post on other sites (which I plan to soon), but it should bring in a few new beta testers, hopefully.

New Skin+RSS feed!

For those of you who want to be notified when SU.com is updated without actually visiting, subscribe to my RSS feed! If you're using Firefox, there should be a small icon next to the address bar that looks like this: [img]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1121/1430385323_4d4351d815.jpg[/img] Click it! There's also a [url=http://www.starlessumbra.com/rss.php]Direct Link[/url] to the feed. Mmm other than that there's a new default skin for SU.com. Sexy isn't it? PS, I know you guys want game updates too. v.5.1b of SU coming later tonight.

Best Buy is a ripoff

I just got back from Best Buy. For some reason I spent $25 on a 7' male-to-male ethernet cable. Turns out the wired network in my new place isn't even active yet. I don't even know if it will be. I WANNA UPDATE SO MUCH! So I'll just frantically post here and pretend like I have something tangible for you guys. Meanwhile, I'll just spam the forums at work. Maybe I can hold Kairen hostage and use her laptop for SU updates.

No internet access on main PC 'till Saturday

If you're wondering why the updates section has been so dead or why I haven't been online recently it's because I currently have no internet access until I move back to San Francisco for college this Saturday. On the contrary, I've actually been fairly productive. I'll have both a game and site update for you next weekend. In addition, I'll be manually giving out points to Stedar and Lagunax1 for being awesome. In the meantime, [url=http://www.serpentcraft.net/starless]drool at Shiki and Kei's artwork[/url].

Chapter Five Beta Released

Chapter Five [b]beta[/b] is released! If you're interested in testing before I release it to more of the RPG Making community, please head over to the downloads page and get a copy. [b]Important![/b] In order to download the beta, you need to be logged in and have at least 30 points. Remember, it's +1 point for a reply and +5 points for a topic. The reason I've released something before I am completely happy with it is because Starless Umbra is getting bigger. With over 800 maps and somewhere around 12 hours of gameplay, there's just simply too much to test. Here are some guidelines to make the most out of your playthrough for me and you:[list][*]Save in more than one slot, in case something goes wrong [*]Keep a log (just a sheet of paper or a txt doc open) with start and finishing times for each of your gameplay sessions and keep track of any bugs, comments, and so on. [*]Let me know what level you were at the end.[/list]I'll have a walkthrough updated shortly, but it shouldn't be too difficult to get through the new content. I'm probably forgetting something but go ahead and give it a shot. If something goes wrong, post on the forums.

Woahh what happened? O_O

I'm excited to announce some cool new changes to the site: [list] [*]The layout width went from 500px to 640px. This was much needed, as I seem to always be adding content to pages. [*]You now have forum signatures! The size limit is around 495x125 (the size of my sig). Edit that [url=http://www.starlessumbra.com/usercp.php]here[/url] [*]I've started to add content to the [url=http://www.starlessumbra.com/users.php]Users Page[/url] [*]You can leave other members profile comments! Yes, you will get points. Also, you can make the message "Private" if you wish for only you and the recipient to read the message. [*]There's a [url=http://www.starlessumbra.com/help.php]Help Page[/url] that I will be updating with basically any questions that arise as I continue to develop the site. [/list] Whew! This update was long overdue, but I hope you all enjoy it. Also, check [url=http://www.starlessumbra.com/view_topic.php?id=399]this topic[/url] to see what else is to come and suggest your own ideas for me to implement.

SU status update

For those of you who want to know [i]exactly[/i] how close I am to beta, rejoice! :) All that's left is finishing up a few NPCs for a town, adding a few neat quests here and there, and--of course--the final event of the chapter. Optimistically speaking, this weekend I may have something for you all, but more realistically (since there will be minor web-end things to do as well), the weekend afterwards should be good. [b]Edit: I will also be updating the forums today. They will remain online, so if something isn't working properly that's probably why. [/b]

Happy halfbirthday to SU.com!

Though I'm two days late, SU.com is now six months old! It's come quite a way in that time, but bigger changes are still underway. Of course, my top priority right now is still a release. Thanks for posting!

"where can I get chapter four?"

[b]Chapter Five is just a name given to my next release, which includes the whole game (Prologue through Chapter Five)! :D[/b] The reason I develop the game as a whole and release chapters "bundled" together rather than individually (such as [i]The Way[/i]) is because I'm the type of person that's never ever happy with a release. There is [i]always[/i] room for improvement and I always will continue to develop not only future chapters but existing ones as well. I understand that this often means saves aren't compatible, but also remember that this is game is not finished! I just want to have something for you guys to play. If you really haven't played my game, there are several sites that go ahead and host it. You can find it there. But I strongly, strongly urge you to wait. This summer. Keep an eye open. :]

A new skin

I forgot to post this, but there actually is a new skin by drgn_lord50. I've gotta give him some points, but a big thanks to him for the skin~! In case you're wondering whats up with SU ch. 5, a beta will be available to forum members when things are good and ready. Until then, thanks for posting. I know things are a little slow right now but this is going to be good. :]

In other news

[b]I'm done with my second year of college.[/b] Now, to find another excuse for release delays... :]

Two New Skins~!

Shiki and Kei each made a custom skin for SU.com. Check them both out via the [url=usercp.php]User CP link[/url]. They are both awesome, so they get 50 forum points each! Check them out, and if you want to make your own skin, [url=download.php]download[/url] the css files, modify them, and send them back to me. Squadala~~

April Recap, new features, no download!

If you didn't see the news earlier, chapter five is a bit delayed due to school and work. The ironic thing is I originally had planned for it to be released in summer, but I was feeling a bit zealous, so I pushed the release date forward. However, the month of April was fairly productive on the web-end, and I feel like going over that all right now. First off, your forum profile is much more customizable now. You can link to an avatar, add a user title, change skins, and much more. You can only currently view profiles by clicking on a username in a topic or clicking the View Profile link on the forum menu. That was something drgn_lord50 suggested, and it's a great idea that's in-progress. Soon, you'll be able to leave users comments on their profile, send them private messages, get notifications when topics get new posts, and whatever else I can think of. Speaking of which, the forum menu is another sort of ongoing part of the website. Your ideas and suggestions always help! (I'm not too great on the menus.) Lastly, we have [b]bbcode[/b]! Most tags such as [i]italics[/i], [u]underline[/u], and [s]strikethrough[/s] are implemented. A big thanks goes to Anthony at [url=http://www.way2web.net/]Way2Web[/url] for providing such a great BBCode to HTML tag converter. Regular expressions kill me! I'm working on sorting out everything into one big page for answering any questions or clarifying any quirks when using the Starless Umbra site. Check that out [url=http://www.starlessumbra.com/help.php]here[/url].

You may edit!

If you remember last week I made modifications to the forums in order to display avatars by recoding a bit of how data was stored. Well, that helped me out a bunch today once again. I've coded an "edit post" feature, and it's fairly effective. It looks a bit strange on short posts but because it doesn't span to the bottom, but it will look okay when you guys have signatures. Secondly, a link to Kei's website is now available at the site footer. Have a peek and check it out if you haven't, will you? (It has secksy SU arts!) I also just wanted to say thanks to everyone that's been posting. I'm slowly but surely working on SU ch5, and I will need beta testers, so let me know if you're interested! Hopefully with that release things won't be so quiet here. Lastly, if you have any suggestions regarding the fate of the authorless posts (delete them, give them all a uniform author, or whatever) let me know!

CSS Custom Skin Pack!

For those of you who know CSS and would like to create a skin for SU.com, head over to the downloads page and download the Custom Skin Pack -- which is essentially a CSS file and a tester HTML file -- modify it, and send it to me!

New website skin!

If you go to your User CP from the forums, you can select a new skin -- Elysium Blue. If you thought the purple was too dark for your tastes you might find this new skin a bit more pleasant... heh heh heh. >:] Also a big thanks to drgn_lord50, who recently donated $10 to the team. Thank you! :D

Look ma! I broke the forums!

I'm proud to announce a couple new features to the forums! We now have support for avatars, timezone offsets, and skins! Currently, there is only one site skin but that will change soon. You can edit all this from your profile settings, which may be found at the friendly forum header or here: http://www.starlessumbra.com/usercp.php In implementing this new system, I was forced to recode a bit of how the forums store data. (Specifically, authors of posts are now integers corresponding to your forum ID rather than a simple string representation of your username, which allows greater array indexing capabilities without doing anything costly like hashing.) Because of this, if you view any topic before this update, there will be no stats on the side of the post. However, I felt I needed to make this revision to my code sooner than later. Now I need to stop getting these strange urges to work on my website at 4 AM in the morning. Be sure to let me know what you think.

Delays, delays :(

With the way school is treating me, May 1st isn't looking realistic for an official release date. I might release a private beta early May, though. It will be by invite and request, so if you're interested in playing through the game and giving some feedback, not only will you get to play the game early but I will also be giving my beta-testers a few little goodies as a token of my appreciation as well. Well, I just wanted to keep you guys updated. My major is KILLING me, but I will still make time for this as soon as possible. You're gonna like the new release.

SU deleted cutscene

Apparently there are rumors floating around the internet about some hentai cutscenes in SU. Specifically, yuri between Lynia and Reene. Well, it's true, and I removed it because it's fairly NSFW and doesn't fit the overall theme of the game. In any case, here it is if you're interested. Please don't judge me. :(

Just keeping us all updated...

This Friday I'm getting a Seller's Permit... just to sell things at Fanime for a weekend! Again, if you're in the northern CA area -- come visit me and pick up some SU merchandise! Check out fanime.com for convention details. A BIG thanks to everyone who posts on these forums. I'm glad you're using them, because I put a bit of work into them. Although they lack functionality right now, here are a few things to expect: stats, bbcode, editing profiles, avatars, site skins, and more! We've also received our first DONATION, but I'm keeping the donator anonymous unless he wants to reveal himself. In three or four weeks I will hopefully have a beta together for about five people to beta test. Again, the release date is MAY 1 -- I'm getting better about this release date thing. :D

Two New Difficulties

I'm adding two new difficulties to SU in response to difficulty issues: Dunce and Master. Now there will be a mode of difficulty for everyone! (Note: This will be available when chapter five is released--currently it is not available on the version online.)

Finalized Release Date

Chapter 5 will be shorter than anticipated for the following reasons: -Where I originally had planned to end ch5 doesn't end as well as an earlier spot in the game does. -There will be a lot of work put into adjusting dialogue, working out bugs, reorganizing the database, adding more optional minigames, and so forth. -I'm revising several engines and adding new systems/items that will make it worth playing over. Of course, there will be a precreated save file if you aren't interested in starting over. A shorter release will result in a sooner release date: MAY 1ST, 2008 to be exact. :)

Starless Umbra ch 4 version 3 released!

Woah, another update already? Yeah, it's true. Here's what's fixed: - The difficulty descriptors mentioned "DRAGON HEART" still...omg rite? Well, now there are no descriptors. And that's all! Wait... that's not really a list. But there is a new bug that's bundled with this release as of V.2 that I can't really fix. It involves characters not in your party learning spells that they already have when you get them! Well, because I've made so much progress in Ch.5 and since Ch.5 is, again, a vast improvement on Ch,4, this change will not come into effect until my next major release (Ch.5), which is still scheduled to be done early summer. Also savefiles most likely will not be compatible once again.

Starless Umbra ch 4 version 2 released!

That's right, the second version of Starless Umbra ch 4 is finished! Changes include: - Fixed the passability issues in the temple - Revised some of the dialogue - Fixed the guard at the bridge reappearing bug - Implemented the Usali Delivery Quest in Entrainment. I hope you enjoy the latest revision to Starless Umbra!

Website Update

You'll notice SU.com is going through some changes. I'm dropping the transparency idea and consequently everything looks bright right now. I'll be fiddling with the CSS files to hopefully get everything looking a bit more natural. There's also a slightly dynamic menu which will hopefully make it a bit easier to navigate the site as I add more pages.

Bug Notice

I've gotten quite a few emails from people who have gotten stuck at a portion of SU where once you have a party of four, they travel back to Arkor thinking they were supposed to see Falas. Because of my lack of a completely thorough playthrough, this has unearthed an error unforeseen to me. The error involves not being able to return back past the bridge to Entrainment and this change will be applied for you all in the next chapter release. If you backtracked and got stuck, not all is lost. Save your game and email me [user: dragonheartman, domain: gmail.com]the Savexx.lsd file in the game's directory, where xx is the slot you saved in, and I can get you back on-track. Then, as suggested in the walkthrough and ingame, you can head east from Entrainment to Birnam Woods.

FAQ/Walkthrough v1.0 Released!

This first version really only contains a game walkthrough. So if you're stuck, please check it out: http://www.starlessumbra.com/faq.php Notify me of any errors, give me suggestions, et cetera. I will be rewriting, adding, and revising this a lot.

Release Dates And More

Hey everyone, just wanted to let you know what's up with SU. Right now it looks like Ch. 5 will be ready early Summer. I haven't decided on an exact date yet but we will see how it goes. The chapter is already planned out, the dialogue is about finished, and I've started on most of the maps and a few minigames and puzzles already. The way things look I will also be attending Fanime this year. I plan on cosplaying several SU characters with friends and selling cheap merchandise. I'm thinking T-shirts, gamedisks, stickers, and whatever other suggestions I might get. If you're in Northern California, come swing by Fanime and hang out with us! More info here: http://www.fanime.com/

Active Topics

I've implemented a small new feature for you guys. At the top of the forums you'll see a "View active topics" link. Click it to see a list of the topics with the most recent posts. Thank you for posting! x]

Grand Opening!

That's right, ladies and gentleman--it's the grand opening of SU's website AND there's a download. How cool! Feel free to leave any feedback, register, post, and so forth. Happy Holidays!