Progress Update:

I have begin positioning & powerbar meter level 1 2 3 system.
Using the provided sprites, I will be adding a transparent placeholder for each of the three levels in greyscale next to the bars
as shown below:

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Next will be adding and positioning the actual powerbar font system
Which is actually more tedious than the actual creation portion

Progress update:

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I have finished importing and coding the transparency for the meter charge orbs BG.
Next will be coding and importing the meter charge orbs so they appear exactly on top of where the transparency charge orb BG is.

Progress Update:

I have completed adding in and coding the Lvl 1-3 Meter charge orbs and they now will appear correctly as meter increases.

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SoundFX and so on will be added at a later stage of the project.

The next step is setting up the Win Icon positioning/base placeholder sprites etc

Currently building and designing the win icon.
This will be fully animated and will be designed based off the imagery or the arias elements
keeping within the ornate/gothika-esque theme discussed during the planning phase.
I noticed in the recent stage release that you did, there was also a rose element present in the stage. I thought it fitting to implement this in a subtle manner into the win icon and bar design.

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next I will be fine tuning and animating it among other tests

Pretty cool, yeah it's a common theme.

once you start with the animation part, maybe you can try previews on this Stage.
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both halcyon and the library are part of the same thing,
just to have something with the same style to see as whole.

Margatroid wrote:Pretty cool, yeah it's a common theme.

once you start with the animation part, maybe you can try previews on this Stage.
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both halcyon and the library are part of the same thing,
just to have something with the same style to see as whole.

Thanks, I will definitely start using this, it fits perfectly. I remember this was released here a few years ago. A great stage.
I have a few more fixes to do on the current phase which should be completed by the end of the week, then I will upgrade to this stage for the next stage of building animation etc.

progress update:

Currently working on the animation sequence for the universal Win Icon.
Progress as shown below



Next step will be to add some outlining and then work on the correct placement and scaling \under the lifebars. Because the lifebar timer is not symetrical (due to the shape and small hourglass figure)
the placement will have a reasonable offset from the center point to ensure it looks symmetrical on both sides when there are wins, so that will be the next tedious process (placement and offsetting is always more tedious/time consuming than the creation process itself in mugen...)

Progress update:

I have created, added and imported the Background sprites for the Round.Win Icons.

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As you can probably see, they have a 50% opacity to them so that they don't hinder the screen activity.
Next step will be making sure the rose win icons align correctly.

Update:
I have imported and aligned the Win Icon witht he Winicon BG
everything appears to working correctly as intended so far.

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The next step will be working on the Timer font system

Update:

I have set up the timer so that if the count is set to -1 (infinite) in the cfg,
the source file hourglass will appear in its place as shown:

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Next I will create the timer fonts and code/position and test them as per the cursive style we discussed

update:

Successfully completed adding and creating the cursive font system
This step is always more tedious than any other steps in the mugen assets creation process
because you have to manually create and position each glypgh and test the spacing,
especially if it is a highly styl;ized/custom font like the one we are using.

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I will most likely make further modifications to the timer center to make the number font pop/more visible during screen movement. The next step is working on the Custom Portrait Template System

progress update:

Now working on the Portrait template system.
I have stylized the shape of the portrait to matvh the sample you provided.
I have also implemented the base lifebar orb design into the lifebars to make it all match
and not seem out of place.

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I am just finalizing the design ands then I will create the instructions
with a pictorial guide on how to create them with one click

Update:

Portrait system is complete.
I have finihsed coding, scaling and importing them:

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Next I will provide the cxreation guide for the portraits.
Here is the detailed tutorial for how to Auto-Generate portraits via the template:

NOTE: For this process to work, you must:
- Have access/a basic understanding of Fighter Factory
- Have access to Adobe Photoshop CS6 or higher
- Know how to convert Mugen character .sff files from 1.0 format to 1.1 format

INSTRUCTIONS

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01. Open PORTRAITS folder in main directory


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02. Open the 9000,5 AUTO TEMPLATE.psd file in Photoshop


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03. Go to Layers Tab. There are 3 folders.
   Ignore/Dont touch the red folders called DONT TOUCH.
   Click & Select the blue folder named PLACE IMAGE IN HERE.


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04. Open your portrait artwork image in Photoshop in a separate tab/window.
   Drag image into the PSD Template file.


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05.If you recieve this message, click yes and proceed.


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06.Resize/edit your image as required.
It will automatically crop to appear inside the portrait box.
Save image as a .png file and add to the 9000,5 folder inside the portraits folder


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07.Add the portraits to the character .sff file in fighter factory using the position of (x,y)1280,0

The next step will be working on and planning concepts for the combo announcer

Progress Update: Currently working on the combo font display elements.
I have successfully created and imported the first part of the combo font display system which is the
"Hit Combo" text and background element.

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As you can see, I have implemented a parchment/cursive theme design to match the existing text display area for name fonts to keep theme consistency.
The next part of the process will be creating the actual fonts for the numbers

Progress Update:

I have created and imported the number fonts for the combo counter.
They are in the cursive style discussed for the theme.

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I have completed coding and testing the positioning for the P1 Combo side

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The next step will be doing the same for the P2 side

Progress Update:

I have finished updating the P2 Combo font side:

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Both sides are now functioning correctly.
That completes the core base fundamental elements required for the lifebar.

I have completed creating the animation sequence for the blank/empty display area for the life meter and power meter.
I have used a dark chasm/ dark ink inspired animation style for it to coincide with the concept of emptyness/the void and alchemy/the dark gothika theme



Next will be animating the outer frames portion

Major progress update:

I have begun animating the Lifebar outer framing.
I have emphasized the gold theme and also added separate crystal ball energy effects inside the orbs:



I have added a wind movement effect to the name frame backer scroll paper




I have successfully completed the animation sequences for both lifebar frames, the backer frames, and also the timer frames.

Now I will provide a small demonstration of all of the various lifebar elements working concurrently that we have completed animating so far



There are a few layering issues that I now need to solve in the animations, such as an overlapping error with the name frame backer and the lifebar empty mode animation.
Once I have fixed those I can animate HP and damage

Progress Update:

I have fine tuned the animation and made several major overhauls (most wont be noticeable to the eye)




Updates:

- Reanimated/edited Name Backer Parchment paper
- Increased sine/wind realism movement on parchment
- Added Candle light simulation light leaks on parchment paper to match bar glow
- Edited/changed layering order for frame empty backers & parchment paper
- Remade/edited Lifebar orb & edging, improved lighting/animation sequencing



I have also completed the animation and import of the Green HP.
While keeping the essence of the original hand drawn sprite, I have added some light 3D extrusion to the meter
to give it the illusion of being circular glass/tube like within the lifebar frame, sort of an energy containment type look.

Then I have also added something unique (optionally can be turned off via the fight.def).
I have added Alchemy Mode: Every so many ticks, there will be a series of Alchemic symbols and spell runes that pass through the Green bar energy which you will see below. I thought this would go well with the current theme and the background
stage element of the alchemic symbols was an inspiration for the idea.



I have finished the Red Damage HP animation



Nothing too superfluous here.
RED HP will initially flash white to show it is fresh damage before fading to red.
Nothing uncommon in most fighting game HUDs.


Here is a showcase of the animation sequence and sound effects for the Power bar 1-3 level charges.



I have created 2 Options for the sound effects: Voice announcer / No announcer (sfx only)

The announcer voice will say:

"Singular" / "Double" / "Trinity Max"

(I have used vocals and terminology akin to alchemy)

To disable the voice announcers and use the sound effect for charge only, you just need to uncomment ; on the versions you want in the fight def here:

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This concludes all Powerbar & fightbar & font related portions of the project.

Next I will showcase the Round announcer animations, starting with the "Destiny is not written" Intro stinger.


Gothic text font + Narrator voice
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Ornate, floral gothic animation growth & vines
(these will be fully animated and wil grow individually leaf by leaf in real time)
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Ink blots and grain (as discussed) these will likely be a somewhat background screen edge effect very subtlety appearing
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To make for the adjustment of the round wait time,
I have to account for the 150 ticks from round 1 that display "destiny is not written"
The simplest way is to add variants to the beginning of each round.
I have created a variant for rounds 2 & 3 as follows:

"Pricked By The Thorns Of Fate"
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"Encore, Dance In Malice"
(the audio voice narrator will say "Encore, the forsaken dance in malice")
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Also here is the concept for "The Climax"
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For "The Climax" (final/4th rnd) The animation from round one "destiny is not written" will repeat at the start of this round as a time filler)

Next I will showcase the animation and design work for the verse 01-03 sprites

verse001
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verse002
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verse003
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For the "Begin" screen, I have incorporated a dark gothic vine design inspired by the Arias designs with
the red heart crystals glowing.

Begin
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For the victory screen, because up until now I have emphasised vines and roses and the gothic fonts,
but i havent incorporated enough spiked vine/tentacles so this was a chance to add them in.
They are waving and have a alchemy type aura around them to give the thaumaturgy theme effect.

you win screen
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draw screen
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Since writing this, I have completed over 20 extra hours work on this project at no additional cost.
This includes creating all the additional round sounds, voices, sound effects and various fine tunings.

Now all I need to do is basically do some playthrough tests and showcase videos of everything in action.

(side note, I will add the option in the fight.def for widescreen localcoord mode and default localcoord mode)

Here is a test play of everything with widescreen localcoord mode enabled.



To make the portraits display correctly, all you need to do is go to this part of the fight.def:


You can instant search it via ";@CONFIG-PORTRAITS-LOCALCOORD" in notepad
(i have created a quick search index in the fight.def for simple searching)
and adjust accordingly:

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Here is footage of the "draw" screen in action





With that being said,
I can confidently say that this project is now 100% complete.
All elements/requirements discussed during the planning phase have been implemented.
I will now begin organising uploading the Build for you
(it will be ready to play after extracting, however you may want to adjust your mugen.cfg settings etc to your personal preferences)
I can now begin uploading the completed project for you to use.
Please complete the final 50% donation required & I will forward you the DL link & Password

Hi Margatroid. 
As discussed, Please find encrypted link below
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I will wait to hear from you regarding the finalization.

ooooh, can't wait to test them.

Ex-Sirius wrote:Major progress update:

Question, is it possible to disable the golden glow of the lifebar?
(as in, the overlay glow is a separated animation from the lifebar, and not merged with the main sprite)

mainly because it might interfere with a mechanic.
if possible, to save the glow exactly for that mechanic as means to tell it's activated.

Hi margatroid

Unfortunately mugen does not have that kind of functionality by default, otherwise that is definitely something that would have been implemented during the design/planning process.
I have always been curious  to experiment with this type of mechanic wheree the HUD system alters when power meter reaches max, or hp levels increase or decreaae ( it has been done by other members via custom cns in the past)

Currently the lifebar and timer portion is a fixed animation as is.
However, it would not be an issue to keep the glowing version inside the .sff file as unused animation, and rework the frames to be static non glow versions, however as this was not something we covered  during our in-depth planning phase, it would have to actioned as a separate job (approx 1.5 hours to reimport/recreate non glow asset and replace).

My suggestion would be to try out the existing as is, then see if your indended mechanic is workable with the existing 1st, then if not we can definitely look at adding some upgrades as req. I look forward to hearing from you
Please let me know your thoughts.

Broooooooooooooo

Now this is not exactly my personal taste in art style compared the usual cyber tech stuff you guys pull off, but this is fucking amazing! those animations with the decaying flowers and the lifebars are epif AF!
Kind of reminds me of something i'd see in lies of P, silent hill, darksouls or eldenring if you get my drift.
you guys really are the fuking gods of mugen man hands down!

I already donated the rest of the commission.

Looking really nice. I wonder how much the sff weighs with those animations and the limitation of only 1 layer of MUGEN.

Spoiler:

these life bars are truly amazing.
beautiful with crazy animations, it's really good work.