Clow System Sakura, Shaoran, Eriol, Yue and the Void in beta testing now!

[Seravy]

Beta Released.

Download link on my site :
Seravy.tk

Warning, this is an (untested) beta version. Download it only if you want to test it and leave constructive comments. If you only want to play, please wait until the final version.

-Similar to Scarlet Weather Rhapsody's card system, except you use power for cards to activate, and always have the option to choose between 5 (optional setting, can be more or less) cards.
-You can customize the cards you want to use, there are no limits on how many you can add, and they never run out, but the order they are coming is random. Adding multiple of the same card will make it appear that much more often.
-All cards can be activated by one button so no long commands per card to remember...My previous Sakura had about 35 attacks, and each had a different command to it...here you choose a card and press the "use card" button

This is a beta from now on which means every originally planned feature is already implemented and working. If you find any bugs, or any attacks not working like intended, or simply think one of the attacks cost too much/not enough, or the damage or duration is not good, this is the time to tell. Do not ask for new attacks or changes in the gameplay system please. The fact that there are more than 60 attacks for every character accessible means there could be many combination where unintended side effects appear, so a throughout testing is needed.

Found bugs so far :
Small portraits for original lifebar not working (didn't check so far, I'll need to install a mugen with that lifebar, so I leave this for last)

[☠Haruhi Suzumiya]

This seems like a very interesting concept.

Yes SWR's card system would fit Sakura very nicely.

Good luck to you.

Gee... Sakura, sure brings back some memories. : p

[Seravy]

I'm done with the Mirror card, and it works similar to the one in my other Sakura :
It creates a clone which can be controlled the same way your main character, so when they both have control, doing an attack will make both do the same, but if one doesn't (like when using a clow card), the other can still be controlled to do a different move.

It that system this was also true for Clow Card attacks, however I'm not sure how it would be better here :
1. pressing the Clow Card attack (z) button makes both of them use a Clow card (obviously not the same as a card can't be physically at both places, so your main char uses the first while the Mirror uses the second)
2. or it could make only the main char use the card and the Mirror doesn't, unless you press the attack button again. (Gives you better control of your cards, but also makes Mirror more powerful, as you could for example use a powerful card with your main and use the Mirror to charge power while the attack is performed, then repeat)

(using the same card and doubling the effect for only 1x power cost will be implemented as the effect of The Twin card, so that option is out here)

Right now it's the first version implemented, but I want to hear opinions on which will be better.

For the power cost matter, there are also multiple options

1. Power cost requirement is only checked at card activation. If you have 3000 power both of your characters will be able to do a move with a cost of at most 3000 power. Cost will be spent as normal so, in this case, you spend 6000 power if you have that much, or all of your power if you don't.
2. Power cost requirement is checked on activation as well, so unless you have the full 6000 power, one of the attacks will fail and do nothing as the other already used up your power.
3. Cards used by the Mirror doesn't cost power at all (would only make sense if you must used 2 cards at once(option 1 from the previous question)), so you can use two cost 3000 moves for only 3000 even if you had more.

And the final question
If the Mirror runs out of HP shall it :
1. Stay in the lie dead pose and the card cannot be used again in this fight
2. Disappear and you can use the card again in case you get another one available.
(all of you mirror cards are removed while she is summoned and still alive)

I think the first version is better, as having a clone is already a very powerful effect, and being able to re-summon it any number of times is probably too much...

Currently option 1-1-1 is implemented as those require no additional code to function.

[Kurizu208]

look really cool!

[Haseo80]

im interested in this since im a fan of CCSakura anime
wondering on how the card system is gonna turn out

[vortex35]

I also watched and liked ccs anime but I have a question could mirror use the cards or was it the twin card that couldn't use the cards I thought the cards couldn't use other cards just like only certain humans could use them

[Seravy]

Obviously we have never seen any cards using other cards in the anime. However cards have their own will, can move, and even attack on their own (remember when Dash ran away?), and are friends of each other so a card asking another to perform an attack sounds reasonable for me. It's just not through magic power and command, that card is doing it out of her free will.
Both the Mirror and the Twin will be able to "use" cards, the difference is that the Mirror is controlled by the player, while the Twin only copies your moves (and does it without using up additional power for card moves), similar to FF series mimic command, where you could copy any kind of attack ever if you yourself didn't know it, and it was free of MP cost.
Besides I plan on ripping sprites for the Void and make her a playable character as well, obviously then she will use cards too.

As for how the card system works, there are two configuration files for each character.
One defines how ofter each of your cards appear when you play, so you can make a deck of 53 different cards, with different rates of appearance, or even one where always the same one card appears. The other one has the character specific data, and is not supposed to be changed, that one defines which character uses which attack for cards that have more than one attacks, so this setting is what will make the characters actually different from each other. (and all of them will have 3 non-card magic attack that will be different too).
Using the cards will be simple. You see 5 (changeable number, but this is the recommended value) cards on the lower half of the screen. By pressing z, you can use the first, and by pressing c, you can move to the next card in line. When you use a card, the empty spot is immediately replaced with a new card (like SWR) from a virtual "deck" which contains the set number of cards from the config file. Whenever this "deck" has no more card left, it is initalized back to the starting value. This system mean in actual gameplay that if you configure for example 10 firey and 1 windy card, the second windy card can only appear after at least 10 firey appeared, but at most 20. You can also configure different decks for P1 and P2.

Latest addition is the attack names appear in Rune letters when you perform an attack. I'm also thinking about adding an English version, but that will have to wait until everything else is done.

[Seravy]

I'm done with Sakura's palettes, and uploaded  the current version.
Merry Christmas!



I decided on the working method of The Mirror.She reacts independently to your controls, so if you press an attack button once, only you will attack, if you do it twice, the Mirror will as well.

Next question is the basic magic attacks...throwing fireballs and the like quickly without drawbacks is way too powerful so, I can
-add a delay after the end of the attack during which you can't do anything. (current alpha version)
-add a delay after the end of the attack during which you can't use basic magic attacks, but still can use normal attacks, card attacks and move.
-add a counter which depletes when you use attacks, and refills when you don't. (SWR method)

Which would you prefer?

I decided on the SWR method, an it's implemented already.

[Shiki Tohno]

No Black School uniform from the fight against Sword?  (in the game)

[luquinho]

hi im new the sakura is very good gongratulations im luam im not talk english im talk portuguese  nice to meet you!!!

[Orochi Gill]

No Black School uniform from the fight against Sword?  (in the game)

It may not have been in the sourcegame (leading to it having to be entirely custom-sprited).

[Seravy]

Well...ripping the sprites for one Sakura takes about 2 whole days...another one for color separating and palettes... And the difference is so little I actually never noticed before you pointed it out. Kinda hard to notice when you concentrate on fighting. So I won't do it.Maybe when everything else is complete, but even then I doubt it...I have 100+ anime series waiting for me to watch. However, if you have the game, and want to do it, I'll gladly include it. I have a batch file that makes the sff and air files from character specific data files and includes the common ones in all characters, so adding a new character is easy, as long as it has all the needed animations.
What I'm missing most is her red angel dress, unfortunately it was not in the game. And I have no drawing skills whatsoever, so making custom sprites myself is out of question.

Advice for anyone who wants to rip sprites from that game for his own characters (or to be included in my project, or whatever else reason):
bgschool.bmp is the background file for the first stage. Replacing it with a blank black/gray/bright purple/whatever bmp of the same size makes the work thousand times easier.
*.ppd are the character sprite files. If you overwrite Saku.ppd with Safu.ppd (sword stage), SaTh.ppd(thunder stage) or sawa(water stage), your normal sakura will have those clothes on.
The file CCS.dat contains your obtained clow cards. Add no8=1,no9=1 etc to get the cards.
The file Soldier.dat contains character info. Removing the line type#="E" for a charcter will make it a playable character.

btw. done with Shaoran's color separation and palettes. Lucky for me, I didn't need to rip sprites for him, as there already was a Shaoran character available. Next is his basic magic attacks, then the ripping for the rest of the characters. I hope the game will have enough sprites for them...

[Shiki Tohno]

To get all of Sakura's Outfits is more easy if you press and hold a combination of the 4 buttons before starting the Battle.
Like holding all 4 will be Sakura's Cat Outfit.
Holding Light, Medium and Heavy the Water Outfit.
And Light and Heavy should be the Black School Uniform.

Take in Mind im using a gamepad to play this Game,so with the Keyboard holding 4 buttons could be difficult.

The soldier.dat trick i found myself by luck, but its great to see that somebody is doing more chars of this Game, but i don't know how to rip sprites from it sadly. 

So good luck with your projects.
I hope for Yue and Eriol, they should have enough Sprites, the other "Cards" can do very little unter player control.

[TamerZack]

Take in Mind im using a gamepad to play this Game,so with the Keyboard holding 4 buttons could be difficult.

Usually people using the keyboard can do anything people with a gamepad can.
Unfortunately it doesn't work vise versa. I can't do a Double-Half-Circle-Forward properly without hurting my fingers.
Blasted D-pad.

[link'n Boy]

I can't wait for new updates.

[Seravy]

Actually holding more than 2 keys at once on a keyboard is often impossible, but it depends on the keys. The ones the game uses do work. However, overwriting the ppd file works good enough for me.
As for how to rip sprites, there is a program called AnimGet, it makes screenshots for every frame displayed if it's different from the previous one. Then you need to remove anything from them except the required character, load the palette, save as pcx and that's it. If you also want multiple palettes, you will need to manually separate colors (meaning if the white of her clothes is used in her eyes, change her eyes to a different white, same for anything that is the same color on her original palette, but you want them to be different) on all files. Paintshop Pro is a good tool to do this, but probably most similar software will do. It's easy to do but very time consuming.

[luquinho]

Hi seravy its chars are very good congratulations
These three new chars of Sakura has the powers the strength and fight?
but congratulate their chars are very good i love them
If you want to i have the sprites of choran!!!
and thank you for all bye.

Can't wait for the final version i look forward

[Seravy]

Power and Fight are not implemented yet. They need character specific sprites for the original effect (ironmugen one), so even if I add them, only Sakura can use it. Most likely, I'll make the cards do something different, that works the same for all the characters. This is also the case for The Sword.

My current ideas for these 3 cards are :
Fight - After activation, the CPU automatically uses counterattack for you, whenever possible.
Power - Increases physical attack damage significantly for a period of time, or do a normal attack that does very high damage once.
Sword - A cut thorough the screen (like Kanna's), or a slow moving Sword shaped projectile. Both would be unguardable.

[DNZRX768]

Heh. I will download and test it out.

And Merry Christmas to you!

[luquinho]

ok thanks