MPUZ

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Revision as of 08:49, 18 September 2010 by Xgoff (talk | contribs) (blah)
 Blue!box.gif This article is about a game still in production.

Information shown is therefore liable to frequent change.

MPUZ Revolution
Mpuz logo.png
Developer(s) Xgoff
Announce Date 9/12/2006
Release Date 9/12/2016
Genre Action Puzzle
Players 1
Input Keyboard
Medium Lua / some 3D engine
Platform Windows
Status In development

For information on developing levels and objects for MPUZ, check out: MPUZ: Developing

MPUZ (supposedly a contraction of "Mario Puzzle") is an action-puzzle fangame currently in development by Xgoff. As one of the few fangames based on the Lua scripting language, it will be moddable by end users; new objects can be easily scripted and custom levels and maps can be made.

The Beginning

Mario carrying a springboard while being pursued by a shell. (Early engine test)

MPUZ was conceived in 2006, during Xgoff's extreme interest in interactive puzzle games. As there was a meager selection of puzzle Mario games at the time, at least ones that allowed custom levels, Xgoff decided to start his own. Initially, MPUZ was going to be programmed entirely in MMF2, with only levels and media being changeable; the former was quite evident as Xgoff churned out different level editors on a constant basis. Custom objects were out of the question as MMF did not have any sort of interface to a scripting language, and an interpreter running in MMF would be inconceivably sluggish.

A story was not applicable, as the game was mainly intended to be a collection of puzzles meant as a time waster. Levels were fixed at 384 x 384 pixels, and there were various hardcoded goals to complete a level, such as finding an exit or collecting every coin. Each of the 50 or so game objects also had up to three "properties", which defined the objects' behavior.

MPUZ itself sports the generally "expected" fangame features, such as variable jumping and slopes, and also has some rarely-used and unique gameplay features of its own, which are making the engine ridiculously complex. In fact, even the HUD's content may change depending on the level circumstances.

Wii Remote and Classic controller compatibility is planned as alternatives for keyboard control.

Evolution

MPUZ's original logo circa 2006.

After the release of the first Lua object, Xgoff decided it was time to transfer the engine over to Lua, which would allow for the possibility for users to script their own objects, and would make development as a whole more efficient. In addition, there were more internal changes to the game; predefined goals were removed, with the exception of a "level end" object, as level completion can be scripted.

The most important change was the addition of a story, but it is currently still in the planning stages and is very incomplete. There are also a few original NPCs which may prove important in some levels. MPUZ is no longer a random mish-mash of levels, as it will contain a map system and themed worlds; levels will still be heavily puzzle-based, though.

Other information

  • MPUZ recycles much of its content from Mario: Revolution, as Xgoff did not want much of the planned ideas to go to waste after the cancellation of that project.
  • It was planned to be shown NCFC in both 2007 and 2008, but technical issues prevented any useful amount of booth content from surfacing during either event; however, small pieces of additional info were revealed during 2008's NCFC. It is unlikely to be shown at NCFC 2009 unless it actually looks decent and works in a presentable fashion by that time.
  • It is apparently the Duke Nukem Forever of MFGG.

External Links