Loaded up on Nyquil and the like, I have discovered the page with the GM7 beta, and lots of arguing over wether or not it should be considered GM7 or just an advancement of 6. Frankly, a lot of what I wanted to see wasn't on the list of features that made the cut, which kinda disappoints me. if anyone knows of a DLL for DirectMusic runtime support, do let me know. One would think that'd be easy to add, as GM uses DM anyway for its MIDI synths, but alternatively, it's not a widely used format for any indie developers out there, I'm sure. Anyone use DirectMusic Producer around here for their MIDI work? Didn't think so, or you too would desire the power of styles and motifs, giving you the power over music seen in console games since the N64 days. Remember Donkey Kong and Banjo Kazooie, where the band would change based on wether you were underwater or in a cave or in a fight or something? That sort of stuff. Yeah, with a little work it could be done with wavs, but your game'll either sound like crap or have a horrendous file size. In my case, it'd be both.

However, it seems there is support for 32-bit sprites, meaning I could pheasibly draw my sprites up in PhotoShop, paint them there, and port them over to GM directly as a 32-bit PNG. Some of you may be scratching your heads here, but I've experienced the flexibility of 32-bit sprites with RMXP, and I must say it is WONDERFUL. On top of this, it would also make my game development not only come along much faster, but look much more like the comic on which it is based - HP isn't done per pixel, it's drawn in PhotoShop. And in my opinion, while my sprites may look good in the end, it's a pain if some part of them needs work, never mind getting them done at all. It takes FOREVER. If I could just port them over, then, well… Graphics wouldn't be hanging me up anymore, and HP's battle system would be ready in theoretically no time.

That said, you can all expect the HP demo 2 to come out in late January, if all goes by Mark's plan. 'Cause it's much easier for me to draw than sprite, even if the sprites end up looking a bit more professional. I'd like to get the game done someday, y'know? >:

Oh, also, maybe widescreen isn't such an obscure option. Something on the TODO page hints that 7.0 may be able to handle a bit more dynamic window sizes. I know when I tried I could get the window and surface sized right, but the view wouldn't acknolwedge this even though it behaved as if it had been sized to fit. It still drew the original 800x600, stretched to fit the space of the canvas. Never did figure that one out. >: