Category Archives: HeroMachine 3

HM3: Major Save/Load code change now LIVE

I have just uploaded a fairly major change to the way HeroMachine 3 handles saving and loading characters, and how it masks and layers items. Details after the jump, but the take-away is that going forward you should have a lot fewer problems loading and saving. And hopefully the "stuck item" bug will go away too.

All of your previously saved characters should still be there, so you won't lose anything. It all ought to just work better.

I also want to give a special shout-out to everyone who contributed in the last thread on this subject, you all helped a lot. Particular thanks go to Violet, who sent me her saved-character .sol file, and Panner, who gave some exceptionally helpful, detailed, and specific bug reports that were incredibly helpful for tracking down all this. Thanks a ton!

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HM3: Load/Save issues

I'm making progress on de-buggifying the load/save functions of HM3. I cleaned up some of the layering issues and an odd bug where if you had an item with a pattern assigned to it, and then tried to load a character who also had that same item with a pattern, the load would fail and all the layers would be totally hosed up.

But, before I go on, I wanted to ask what other big bugs you've had with loading and saving that I need to be aware of, so please let me know in the comments what you've encountered.

HM3: Coding updates and changes

I wanted to make sure you all know that I am currently starting on the Great Code Rewrite. And I want you to know that because when the next release goes live, your old save files may or may not work. That's the problem with using alpha or beta software; when things change, they might change in a big, big way.

Now, what's more likely to happen is that when you load an old character in the new setup, the layers might be all messed up. Although that happens now, too. Or, it might be that everything stays the same with regards to saving and loading, I just don't know yet. But it's a possibility, and I want to be sure you're aware of it so you can be sure to have JPG or PNG backup hard copies of your favorite guys and gals.

You can also make a backup copy of the .SOL files that Flash uses to save your guys. I'll probably keep the old (current) alpha version "live" for a little while under another name (so heromacine3a.swf or something). If I do that, then you should be able to go in and change the directory name where these .SOL files are kept to that name and still be able to access your characters.

To refresh, here's the info on how the saving works currently:

The saved Flash shared object library files (.sol for you Windows users) are LIKE cookies, but they are NOT actual cookies. They are not stored in the shared internet data files and will not be deleted if you erase all your cookies. You can only remove them by right-clicking on the movie, and going to Flash Settings, removing them there.

Violodion found them in his Windows installation at %AppData%MacromediaFlash Player#SharedObjects\www.heromachine.comhm3

He was able to copy those and move them to another computer in the same directory and load his characters there.

On my Mac they are in HD / User / / Library / Preferences / Macromedia / Flash Player / #SharedObjects / / http://www.heromachine.com / hm3 / heromachine3.swf / hmcharacters.sol

HM3: Graveyard

I had some trouble with the next item on the Replacement Prize list, which PapaKrok requested for winning Character Contest 51. It was "spooky graveyard background", and this is what I came up with (now in Background-Standard):

Part of the problem is, if you get too complicated then the two-color limit really hits you hard. So I settled on doing something more abstract that hopefully will serve as a good backdrop for adding in other spooky bits to create the exact scene you want.

Update: Here's the Replacement Prize list:

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HM3: Snake mouths and banners

I just added the following item to Background-WordBalloons:

And the last three of these snake-like bits to Mouth-Standard as BakerDoc's prize for winning Character Contest 56:

Enjoy!

How to make Portals in Hero Machine 3… by Mashlagoo

(Mashlagoo was kind enough to put together this nifty guide for how to make a portal effect in HeroMachine 3. It's great stuff, I hope you enjoy it! -- Jeff.)

The intended purpose of this guide is to show how multiple backgrounds can be combined to create the illusion of a portal.

I assume the reader has a certain level of familiarity with using HM3. So, I will not be covering much of the process I used to create the background to the left. I will instead only be covering how the effect of the portal was made and what I used to create the border of the portal.

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HM3: Human Heart

I've just posted B. Clouser's prize for winning Caption Contest 91, a realistic Human Heart:

It's now available in Insignia-Nature, at the very end.

HM3: Mean eyes

I admit I'm not quite sure what the original requester (whoever that was) meant by "mean eyes", but here's my take on it, now available in Eyes-Standard (refresh your browser cache if you don't see it):

That's the last of the Top Ten placers on the original Replacement Prize vote, leaving just PapaKrok's "next item up" which is the spooky graveyard.

HM3: Don’t get mouthy. Oh, fine, go ahead.

I just uploaded the following new items to the Mouth-Standard set in HM3 (clear your browser cache if you don't see them):

I wanted to make sure I got a good "clenched teeth" one, so I put in three. As well as most of the suggestions in the last thread, so thank you for those.

HM3: Khopesh

I just added a Khopesh in three parts -- complete, just the blade, just the hilt -- to the HM3 ItemRight-BladesTwo set. Enjoy! If that's the right word for a weapon of death.