Category Archives: HeroMachine 3

HM3: PNG and JPG fix

I think I've fixed the HM3 Alpha problem where using "Save as JPG/PNG" would squeeze your character into the upper left corner of the image if you used the left or right Hand. It now sets the image size to 400x600, which means wingtips and such will get cut off. But, it returns those features to basic usability, at least.

It also hopefully sets the stage for the "choose super big size" option down the road. In fact, I think I can by default set it to larger than 400x600 if you guys want, just let me know. This is all uncharted territory, I'm just hacking my way through it, but I'll give it a whirl.

HM3: Good news and bad news

I've just uploaded an update for the HM3 alpha that hopefully will fix the problem with the layers getting hosed up beyond all belief when you load saved character. Unfortunately it looks like this has also broken the "Move to bottom" function and introduced a new error when loading a saved character where things are getting masked to the wrong items.

But, I wanted to put this up there for now to see if at least the layering problem is fixed. Give it a shot and let me know -- I THINK you can load old characters and it ought to work properly.

HM3: Neck and neck

OK, just one neck actually -- NeckwearStandard has been added to the HeroMachine 3 Alpha. Note that since this is a whole new top-level slot, it might throw off some of your saved characters. Or it might not, what the heck do I know? Here's a sneak peek at some of the new items:

neckwear

There are 53 Neckwear items at this point, including (I think) all the ones from 2.5 and many of the suggestions you made in the last thread. So thank you for providing those! Conspicuously absent are some of the more elaborate necklaces and pendants. I did include a number of basic chains and a connector so you can basically make your own if you're so inclined. More advanced stuff will probably wait til further down the line and a "NeckwearJewelry" set or somesuch. I tried some funky stuff with the design of these, figuring that the Head would be covering up their backs, let me know if it works or not. You can see it mostly with the high-collared evil overlord thingie and the furry bomber jacket collar.

Also, I slightly updated the Save code, to hopefully prevent the loss of your character if the browser crashes unexpectedly at some point after you saved it but before you manually close your session. I think part of the problem was that I wasn't using the "flush" command to force the data into the saved object. Let me know of any new weirdness you see as a result.

Next up? I need to dive back into the save/load code and figure out why it's misbehaving so badly on layering and forgetting items and that sort of thing. It shouldn't be but sorting out why will take some work. If I can I'll also try to run down the problem with the PNG and JPG options giving you the itty-bitty-guy-in-the-corner when you have any hands selected. That one's blowing my mind.

Anyway, those are the most major problems right now, that I feel like need to be addressed before moving on in good conscience to the next bunch of items. So updates may be a bit slow for the next week as nothing tangible gets done except for behind the scenes.

META: What’s the state of our union?

Here's the overall status of HeroMachine 3 as far as I know. Please let me know in comments where you think it is, where it needs to be, and what I ought to be doing next.

  1. I see the item population process as anywhere from a third to a half done. Almost all of the Standard sets are in, but I still have almost all of the non-Standard stuff to migrate. That's going to take a while.
  2. I am working on Neckwear now, with probably a quick dash into Sleeves to follow.
  3. Saving/Loading of characters is only minimally functional. Layer order is getting messed up on load, some items may be missing (although that might just be an artifact of the layering problem) on load, and the "Multiple/Single" setting for each slot is not reset, resulting in lots of confusion.
  4. Printing whenever you have a Hand loaded makes the character image occupy just a tiny corner of the resulting image. This makes saving as a JPG/PNG or printing fairly limited in value.
  5. The ability to specify a size when saving as a JPG/PNG would be very helpful.
  6. The program gets very slow, sometimes to the point of crashing, when a high number of items is loaded, particularly when patterning.

I think that hits the high priority stuff. I want to get Newckwear and Sleeves knocked out, then focus on the programming stuff again for a week or two.

I'd like to hear if that list seems right to you, what your specific experiences have been with it, and how you think the program's shaping up overall in a broader sense. Is it easy enough to figure out? Does it confuse you? What could be done at a higher level to make it all better? Has it met, exceeded, or fallen short of what you would want in a character creator?

HM3: More shields

With many thanks to the commenters in the last post (Solander and RJCD particularly), I have just added nine new shields to HeroMachine 3 Alpha's ItemRightShields:

shields2

As usual, holler if there are any problems with it.

I now move on to Neckwear with all the great suggestions you guys gave. If you have more, post 'em here.

HM3: I will Brooke no Shields before their time

I've just uploaded the "ItemRightShields" set to the HeroMachine 3 Alpha for your protection. I am sure you will find something insane and creative to do with these beyond using them as a blocking device, of course. Here's a quick shot of the non-standard ones:

shields

After these are four sets of twelve matched shields in four different shapes. Each shape has the same set of twelve patterns for it, following Mark's example in the 2.5 Expansion -- shiny, vertical line, horizontal line, diagonal line, chevron, four quadrants, bordered, middle stripe vertical, middle stripe horizontal, middle stripe diagonal, cross, and diagonal quadrants. Hopefully that will give you all the variety you'll need to make that perfect Knight (do I smell a contest for that?!).

Let me know in the comments if you find any bugs with this new set.

I'll be moving on to Neckwear this weekend, after nailing down any problems with that last bunch, so by all means make any requests for specific items in that slot you'd want to see. As usual, I'll be converting over all the 2.x stuff for that slot, so you can skip those suggestions.

I've said this in comments before, but it's probably a good idea to lay out here explicitly as well. Your best shot at getting a specific item request into the program is to leave it in the comments to the post where I ask for them, ideally with a link to an image on the web somewhere of what you're talking about. If I'm looking for shield ideas, it's pretty much a waste of time for you to post a request for a helmet, because by the time I get back around to Headgear I'm going to forget what you said. Damien might make some difference on that score, but still, your best shot is to give me a link to what you want at the time I'm actually working on that slot.

Thanks as always for your suggestions in the past and I look forward to more great ones to come! Hope you like the shields, too.

HM3: Minor "TopsStandard" tweak

I just posted a slightly updated "TopsMaleStandard" set that fixes a patterning bug on one of the sleeveless items and on the ribbed t-shirt.

BUGS!

At the urging of both Damien and Violodion, I've put up a HeroMachine 3 Bugs page, perma-linked over there in the right column. I and Damien will try to keep that updated with your reports so I can remember not to forget what's going on, and so you can quickly see if what's happening to you is "normal bad" or "unusual bad".

HM3: Two prize items

With thanks to Brambles and Mark Shute, I am happy to announce that I've just uploaded a version of ItemRightBladesTwo for the HeroMachine 3 Alpha that includes their contest winning prizes:

mark-brambles-prizes

Mark's stone dagger can be used either as a regular knife or, with a rotated handle, an axe head (that's what the extra bindings are for). And those of you who have wanted a scabbard for a while have Brambles to thank for at least this first one. The cavalry sword he submitted was pretty cool looking, I think both it and Mark's Neolithic weapon are fine additions.

Thanks to both of them and congratulations once more! If you've won a contest but haven't sent me your request, make sure you do so at some point.

HM3: Ranged update

With thanks to Violodion for pointing out the problem, I have updated the ItemRightRanged set by making the patterns and masks align properly in the HeroMachine 3 Alpha. As always, holler if the fix broke something else.