I don’t have much to say that I haven’t said about the game already: I’m still working on it, have tweaked things here and there, etc. I’m sorry about the lack of updates; sometimes I do not get a chance to work on hfa for weeks. When I do, I don’t think it’s worth your trouble to read what I’ve done. Still, here are three screenshots to show you more of the game. Also, the domain hfalicia.com is back online.

If you helped test the last beta, could you please send an e-mail? The forums are down and I lost contact.
Alonso.

Have been working steadily on hfa. I’ve added a bunch of things the game missed the first time around and have started level design from a scratch. Most importantly, I’ve been reworking the story. Seeing that I’ve not the best of graphics, the system is not the most sophisticated, I’m not the best at level design, etc., I’m relying on the story to make this game different. Film (which is what I do for a living) is about telling interesting stories, so I’ve been sketching out the plot like a screenplay or a small novel. Right now, I’m not sure if the story is too much for a game like this, but I think you’ll like it if I can make it work. I’d really like to tell it you to get some feedback, but I suppose that’d be like shooting myself in the foot.
That said, I’ve reworked the technical aspects of the game: you can now customise the keyboard controls as you wish or can play with a gamepad. I’ve also added a small and basic inventory and a scheduling system to justify the day/night cycle. I had added a 7-day calendar to complement the ideas of the plot, but I removed it and sticked to the 1-day system because things got too massive to work. Some characters in villages or cities will have schedules throughout the day, etc. I’ve added more power-ups to the engine to make it more balanced. The next update will have a screenshot

HFA is still being worked on. I didn’t want to update until I had something to show, but alas, time does not give. I still receive nice and encouraging comments about the game, which is always nice

About the status of the game, I decided to restart level design from a scratch; the engine was a bit unstable when special conditions came forth; I’m also planning on adding a map system and redoing the cutscene system. I’m wondering about the day/night system; I might remove it because, as of yet, it hasn’t much use. Anyway, I will update sooner or later with more stuff to show. Thanks for reading.

As many of you have guessed, HFA won’t be released this year. That doesn’t mean I’m not working on it, although very sporadically. Thing is, I’ve never been good at organising code, and HFA tends to run kind of slow on some computers. With this, I mean I’m waiting for a stabler version of Clickteam’s HWA to be released (bug them about it!). Another reason for the slowdown is that I virtually do not have time to work on it: university, editing a film we shot over summer and being a film teacher takes my breath away. And, obviously, my lack of concentration and motivation. I suppose I’m trying to make up excuses, but bear with me. I’ll not set a release date for now; now I’m planning on releasing this as freeware, seeing that it’s very unprofessionally being handled. Thanks for visiting still. I’ll try to meet your expectations x).

Everything was going well until I had to unplug the PC around Christmas time. My room was remodeled and I was back to plugging everything together after a few days. I found out, after the computer wouldn’t turn on, that the guys doing the work in the room dropped the PC and the HD broke. I fortunately had a backup of HFA in the internet, so things weren’t struck much too hard. Apart from school and its intense (and rather irrelevant) workload, I’ve now a gf and a job, so I haven’t had much time to work on the game. I’ll get to work on it when I’m able, though. And it will (slowly) be finished.

Meanwhile, why don’t you check out Mark’s TSE2 battle engine? Or Blake’s Project Rhapsody and its battle engine video?

Okay, so I finally finished Beta 1. The thing is going really slow (2 or 3 months of work = 12 minutes of if-you-know-what-you’re-doing gameplay). Oh, well. So much for a guy doing a game, neh? Regardless, I’m very satisfied with HFA’s first areas. Here’s a screen from a boss:

Well.. I’ve slaved myself for so long now. The caverns are now done along with most of the forest (just 1 boss to go!) The story is kind of taking shape in the game–kind of. It really depends if you like talking with people or not. I spent the last two days coding the 2nd boss (it’s a very grotesque little thing, to be honest). I’m trying to stick to bosses with patterns, too, so they take a little bit more to code. So, when I finish the other boss, I’ll release the first beta test. Shouldn’t be too long. Sorry for the wait, too.
I’ve also been thinking about selling HFA for the huge amount of $1 per copy. Either that or I’ll make a collisseum with a log-in interface where you’ll be able to battle your friends online, etc (and pay $1 just once to get a username). If you wish, please tell me what you think about this. I think $1 is a low enough amount to ask for a game that’s taken about a year and a half to make (and will take another one, probably). I understand most people won’t pay anyway, so this is not really a sure thing. Thanks.
(you can post in the comments now)

Gameplay Video

Here’s an early gameplay video of a friend playing HFA:



Mind you, things might change a bit in the final game. I’ll soon show the official trailer, you’ll like it =)
Update: Since the issue has been mentioned a couple of times, the reason Alicia takes a while to kill the mushroom is because it’s level is higher than hers. When she reaches it, she’ll be able to kill it in 3 or less hits.

HFA updates
HFA’s progressing very nicely. The overworld map is kind of getting too big, but for now, at least, it’s very pleasant to create each of the rooms–I can add personal touches, lighting effects, etc. I’m already half into the meadows, half into the underground caverns and half into the forest. I’m very carefully trying to make a smooth difficulty curve, so the first rooms almost consist of exploration. The enemies in the game give experience and are sometimes aggressive, sometimes passive (which means they don’t attack you unless you do first). I promise I will show you a gameplay trailer in the next update =).

HFA is still being worked on rather hard as of late. I’ve finished the engine, finally, and am now building the levels. Since I don’t have anything quite solid to show you yet, I’m posting a screenshot with the 4 stages of day, although there are more than 86,000 different shades that fade away very smoothly. I’ve also added a more accurate HUD, along with new graphics and everything. All in all, the game will hopefully have around 5, 6 hours of continuous gameplay and over 10 areas to play in. Each area, being generous here, will have around 15-20 rooms. I’m guesstimating, since I’ve added new power ups, that there’ll be around 15 different habilities and 15 different spells/powerups. Anyway… to be honest, I’m quite excited about this project. In fact, I’m working on a sort of teaser trailer, too. I will release it soon =).

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