Hello its Bimonthly Bonus blogging time again, and its personal project update time again! Because today I'm giving another quick update on SpyGames.
When we last left off, I discussed my intention of useing a modifyied version of the Buckshot Apple II image tool to potetially speed up my production. Today Im giving some quick updates on where things are now.
Unfourtunatly, I still haven made much progress on the tool. The main problem is that I'm not fluent in C++ and using assistance is only getting me so far. So in the meantime, I decided to figure out a way to make another part of the process more efficient: The editing and coloring.
You see, I discovered this online program called HGRtool. An Apple II HGR image editor written by CIderPress creator Andy McFadden, Who I have mentioned previously.
Only problem with this program was that you can only edit 8 images at a time and because its a web app it isnt easy to modify. So once again, I hoped on Its Github page and asked him about tihe possibility of adding more images,
Unfourtunatly, he never got the message until 28 days after I asked due to him not getting notafacations. But once again we did end up having a conversation and we both concluded that while it might be possible to add up to 10 images, Browsers would be too restricted to make this possible. But he did give me some advice to reach out to another Apple II software tool creator Brenden "BadVision" Robert.
Mr Robert was the programmer behind Lawless Legends, an RPG game for the Apple II, as well as other Apple II releated programs, including a image to DHGR converter and an enhanced version of HGRtool that could accept raw HGR files.
So surely he would be just as knowlegeable, but once again we came to the same conclusion. However he did mention that the Outlaw editor engine used to make Lawless Legends could import multible images.
STrouble is it was written in Java and appears to be just as much of a pain to setup as a C++ project in Visual Studio is. Still I feel with a little more back and forth, i could get it working.
But while all this was going on, I had an Idea: Aproach the creators of Buckshot and see if they could give some help in pointers. I also could just post the code as it is on Github and see if anyone else could take a shot at it. Both of these will have to wait till tommororw but hopefully I can have some kind of success.
So, to sum up my challenges I need to fix I need to:
1). Get these tools working
2). Get all of the frames into Slide Shop Slides
3). Work out the rest of the story elements that I didn't before.
4). Somehow get ahold of some more first person footage for each of these actions.
5). Work out the actual code and software more.
As this project drags on, I still refuse to give up. I know at some point I will have to quit if i cant do this, but my Stuborness proceeds and I have faith I can get through this and get it done. But until then that wraps it up for my entry today, as always, Thanks for reading! see you next time!