The Dink Network

It is now 2.05am and I have just finished Historial Hero. I was going to bed at midnight but just got completely enthralled with the game. It was just so good. Thank you Skull, I really enjoyed it, really fantastic. Thank goodness you guys keep putting the DMODs out. Thank you.

Thank you!

Honestly, there's nothing better for a D-Mod author to hear than that his/her game is screwing up other people's sleeping schedules.

" I was going to bed at midnight but just got completely enthralled with the game"

I'm afraid to tell you that you have a very rare, specific, and quite fatal type of insomnia, known as 'Historical Hero'. You quite literally, shall never sleep again.

No, it's just general Video Game Insomnia. Where you get so involved in a game you just can't stop playing. And then you look at a clock and suddenly see it's 6 A.M. and you start to wonder what you're doing with your life.

I have a very serious case, because that's me pretty much every day.

Jenyth, us authors need you as much as you need us It feels very good to see someone enjoy the games we put out^^

Posts like this are why we make dmods.

I'm quite sure you've made Skull's day.

I'm quite sure you've made Skull's day.

Indeed. I'm so glad we still have players like you on this site, Jenyth.

Too... much... sappy stuff.

BARF

...Okay, proceed.

We love you too, Scratcher! ♥

Except for that weird German Dinker.

To be honest, I think general development has slowed because of the lack of such feedback. Nobody wants to spend 250 hours+ working on a monster d-mod only to have a handful of people comment on it.

Making an Epic is incredibly time consuming and draining. Comments like this are what make people do it time and time again.

I'm sure Skull feels extra inspired right now and it's all down to Jenyth.

Wow, I didn't expect that sort of response This site is so special to me, I love the jokey responses, the genuine enthusiasm and the skill that goes into making the DMODs and the files (Robj take a bow).

I will always tell you when I have enjoyed playing your DMODs and have done before. Now playing Historical Hero II and loving it.

Off to the garden now to bathe my two German Shepherds while it is so hot. Bound to get drenched myself lol.

I've gotten back into gaming, so I will probably be playing more D-Mods soon, and this tells me I should make sure to comment on them!

Comments are great, but reviews even more so. There's nothing more motivating than reading a positive review for your D-Mod. And it's also motivating when you read criticism which you agree on. It makes you inspired to make a D-Mod that improves on your last one.

So go write those reviews, people!

Reviews are always great. After my first D-Mod came out, I got two good reviews and it just made all that effort so much more satisfying. Reviews help you know your work was appreciated. Or if you need to make improvements the next time you make a D-Mod.

Can anybody write a review then? I thought it was for you experienced guys to do. I would be happy to do it if anybody wanted me to.

Anyone can write a review. Just find the D-Mod or file you want to review, click write a review on the left side of the page, and type out what you thought of the D-Mod or file, what you liked or didn't like about it, and give it a score from 0.0 to 9.9. It's that easy!

I am enjoying this one. First time I've played it. I am just finishing the first town. It could be my computer but some of the cut scenes and moving from one screen to the next take forever to change(about 10 secs).

Is this when the music playing in the background changes? Or all the time? If it's the first, you should download v1.08 Aural+; that version fixes the annoying lag before a music track starts.

If it's not that, I have no idea. I didn't notice any lag when playing this game, nor do I think it's particularly resource-heavy compared to other dmods.

ahh thanks, I noticed the recommendation to play in Aural+..whatever that is. ??? what is it and how do I get it? Do I need to install it?

Maybe that's what the problem is.

But the lag comes and goes. The music however, from memory, doesn't stop.

edit: ok I see your link to it. tyvm.

I posted this in your Aural+ thread. Maybe you will see it there.

Just downloaded Aural + and although the read me file mentions DFArc2 (I have DFArc only) I managed to locate and select Aural+ to replace dink (dinkc or dink exe I don't know)..

Anyway I got it to work.
Opened up Historical Hero - seems to be working faster, (very fast screen changes) and the sound seems enhanced too

Ok, fine. No time to play it now so I exited.
Then I get a message: "Set Cooperative level failed".
What does this mean?

Also does this mean that I can use Aural + in all the DMODs or just ones like HH that recommend it?

Edit: OK I just saw the note at the top: so if I want to play a DMOD other than those mentioned I have to deselect Aural+ from DFarc(2) everytime?

Thanks dinkkiller, I may have a go at it. Have played some awsome games by you guys lately. Been busy, but I should be able to spend more time on the forum and playing games soon.

Skull,will you ever make the third one ?

Eh, that's a very hard question. Making HH3 would be a very big challenge. Not gonna lie, I do have a basic story idea, some of it written down and a veeeeeeeery little of the game done, but I can't make but empty promises to either direction. If it were up to me alone, then yes, HH3 would get made one day.

You can do it, Skull. Just find someone who's willing to make it with you.

It's the mapping which is the big problem for me. It's boring for me, and I have a perception problem, which makes it even more difficult for me. When I don't have the map done, the goal feels so far away. But when it's done, everything seems so much more... possible.

So the biggest help I could get, is with the map, but there's a problem with that too. If somebody else makes screens for you, they never turn out like you pictured them. Heck, they don't turn out like you pictured them, even when making them yourself.

I know that feeling. I have two projects that will have a huge map (Kind of like a wide-open sandbox thing) that isn't like a typical overworld thing.
I'm still trying to figure out a decent ratio of size of tiles for the Dink RPG I'm making.

Just make a general idea of your map. You don't need to place grass or any detail sprites at all. Make it compact so all you have to worry about is the scripts. Then when you have the majority of your scripts done, work on your real map. Having sprites with scripts to place makes mapping a lot easier.

I typically make a map while having a vague idea of what's going to happen.

I do always have a map prepared in my head (well, for my latest D-Mods at least), but I need to make one area at a time. Making a whole map first, or just scripts, would drive me insane. Generally the best way for me to go is to map an area, then finish scripting the area, and not create the next area until it's absolutely necessary. This has worked so far in my D-Mods, but each time the mapping just becomes more and more tedious.

That's probably because each time you want to make something better and better.

@Skull: That sounds a lot like what I do. I make the map, I set the different events that I need, then I fill the rest with fun or humorous events.

I hate mapping too. Tedious, boring, and not as satisfying as scripting. What I was doing for the map on my current D-Mod is I mapped out the basic shape of an entire area, coastlines, rivers, etc., and added small islands, caves, towns, as needed. While mapping out the area, I added only basic detail, some trees and rocks, with the intention of fully detailing the area after I finished all the scripting for that area. After I finished the first area, I mapped out the dungeon, and worked on that. Then I started on the first part of the next area, and so on. What I had mapped of the second area so far looked nice before I lost it

It's better to map out an area at a time. It's easier to make changes if you realized something isn't quite how you wanted it, or if you needed more/less room for certain quests or other objectives, than if you did the whole map at once. Plus, I make up the story as I go, so I kinda have to go one area at a time, so I can plan out the size necessary for all my quests and side quests, since I don't even know exactly what is gonna be in the last areas of my game.

Yeah. the most annoying part about mapping is having a beautifully made area that is just perfect, and then realizing that it won't work for the area, or that it doesn't match the aesthetic of the game.
I absolutely hate mapping towers with labyrinthine walls.

Which is why I've only been mapping one area at a time, even though I know the basic theme of the other areas (desert, and snowy,) I just don't know exactly how big each area will need to be or what I'll need to put within those areas to fit all my quests and side quests. Especially since I make it all up as I go.