I'll answer these best I can:
Feanor said:
But just to be sure, Fatal Fury Chronicles really is cancelled isn't it?
No. All of my modules use a lot of common scripts, which is where probably 80% of production time goes. Once those common scripts are re-written to OOP model, it will be easy to complete the modules themselves. I just picked this module as the one to finish up first.
I noticed that you're using the sprites from the the arcade version (which obviously look better). Will you remake some of the sprites? For example add fog in the foreground at the start of the first level, make better water in the turtle level, separate the layer of the sky... These are details but it could be nice.
All the stages will get some upgrades. Any stage that does not already have multiple layers will get them, and effects will be updated. No drastic changes, but with transparencies and so on to take advantage of OpenBOR's capability.
This is more a remark than a question, but I noticed that there were only two blood effects: one for the enemies and one for the player. Is it possible to add more effects?
That's not really correct. The visual (and sound) effects are based on the type of attack and force behind it. Clubs have one effect, swords/larger blades another, small stabs another and so on. Also, these are not static and will tailor themselves to make sense. Skeletons for instance, don't bleed at all.
Will you add the last two levels from the megadrive version?
Sort of. There will be extra stages, but not the boring basement from Genesis. I'll be adding some branching paths, and some stages based on more memorable areas from other games, like "Dragon's Throat"; the volcano stage from Genesis GA II.
How do the grabs work? Do you grab like in a SoR game when you get close to the opponent, or is it some king of combo?
It's a mix. Every character has the auto throw combo ender when you are very close.
Normal grabs work like Double Dragon II. You can move in and grab a stunned enemy and then use other throw moves on him.
Some characters also have a few Street Fighter style instant throws. For example, when in the air near a standing opponent's head, F + A will cause Ax Battler to perform a swing DDT.
When riding an animal, you can grab like Streets of Rage (IOW without stunning them first).
One last note is that throws change into a nastier alternate when you are near walls or in certain other situations. Look closely and you can see Ax battler doing this in one of the demo videos in the turtle village. His back throw is normally a suplex, but instead he slams the enemy into the trees behind him, then Atomic Drops them.
How does Joe's dog help? Does he attack at random or do you control him in some way?
Joe can send Yamoto to latch onto and hold an enemy while you stroll over to kick the crap out them, just like in Shadow Dancer. However, once he has hold you also can order him to do the wetworks himself and cause some nasty damage - but to keep it from being cheap you have to enter the subsequent commands in series and be quick with them.
When an enemy has been thrown or knocked high enough into the air he can also be ordered to teleport instantly to them, catch and then slam them to the deck. There may be some other surprises too.
He can't do these things if busy or still making his way back over to you though, so you can't just cheese people over and over.
I considered having him fight on his own and may still do that on a limited basis. Like say, if Joe's life goes below 20% then Yamato starts fighting independently - but at the moment he only attacks on command.
Can Joe throw kunais like in the shinobi games?
Yes, even when jumping or riding an animal. He also has his somersault DB jump, and can throw 8 of them when doing so - exactly as in the Shinobi series. They are unlimited.
It's not nearly as cheap is it sounds though; the damage is minimal and causes no stun/reeling what so ever.
In general all the characters are more diversified and Joe's schtick is all round ability. He's the fastest striker by far but hits just as hard as Ax and sometimes harder. He's also the fastest moving (for now anyway, I'm thinking of adding Dora the centaur - and if so she'll leave them all in the dust). His weakness is that he's more of a single striker, and his reach is pathetic.
Will there be an explanation in the game as to why he is here? ;D
Yes. Basically, Death Adder's misuse of the Golden Axe is causing damaging time rifts beyond Yuria; Joe's period included. He reluctantly seeks out one and passes through it to investigate and help stop whatever menace is at the source. A bit thin, but no more so than the story of the game itself.
One last question: in the arcade and the megadrive versions the jumps are different: you jump way higher in the arcade version and its harder to actually hit the enemy. Which version is your reference? I prefer the megadrive version for this one.
Neither. Jump height is controlled by how long you hold the jump button Super Mario style. Z axis jumping is also enabled so you can traverse stepped areas (like the one in first stage) at will. Enemies and NPCs can do this too, so it isn't possible to get them stuck in stepped areas any more.
Some characters have more agility on top of that:
As mentioned above Joe has his somersault (J again at peak of jump), wall jump and can also perform another jump action after rebounding from a successful dive kick - once again exactly as in the Shinobi series. Tyris is the real queen of the air though. She can double jump, wall jump and even pogo jump off enemies or allies. On top of that she's got some other nasty tricks using the walls and terrain.
Some enemies can pull a few tricks of their own, so don't let your guard down.
DC
