It's hard to believe it's already been a year since I started sharing my progress on SFPC here! In that time I've gone from what amounted to a simple map viewer and editor that could show a few text windows to something that is really starting to resemble a game, as can be seen below!
Want to try the demo for yourself? Download it here.
Over the past 11 months, new additions to the engine have included:
A custom scripting language used both to control game events and logic and construct game assets such as characters and equipment
A turn-based strategy RPG combat system with basic enemy AI
Animated battle cutscenes that show the results of each engagement playing out on the battlefield
A more robust system of windows and menus that tie the game together
Some slides (.pdf) discussing some of these features in more detail are available here.
I've come a long way as a programmer as well. The hours and hours of work on SFPC alone have provided great practice, but I've also been reading some great books such as Scott Meyers' Effective C++. I've been taking my time reading it, applying what I learn to polish and refine SFPC to make sure the lessons stick. I've also learned a lot from my recent experiences in trying to get a job as a programmer in the games industry. I'm not there yet, but I'm still trying, learning more and more as I go, and it's only a matter of time now before I finally get my big break. I just have to keep reading, keep programming, and good things are bound to happen!
This time around I've got two new features up and running: attack range based on a character's equipped weapon, and target selection and confirmation. Weapon graphics ended up getting put on the back burner for a bit, but they're still in the works.
I didn't work much on new features for SFPC in November. I've been reading some good books and sharpening my general C++ skills, so I went through a lot of my older code and did some clean up and general maintenance to apply what I've learned. Still a lot of code left that could stand to be polished and tweaked, but I decided to take a break from all that and do some new features and a video.
