First of all I just want to make sure that there is no doubt about the status of the system, the development of the system continues is just the approach of the development that is changing.

Ok it's time to write about what happened with the development the RPG System...I think that this will be a long (really long) post. Let's by reviewing the objectives of the system:

• Gain experience with Role Playing Games design and implementation
• Make the engine good enough to be used as the foundation of "complete" games

By the Fourth iteration I really started to notice some things:

1. I was doing a lot of work that really wasn't helping to achieve my goals. I spent maybe a week worth of work just making the overworld map. I learned nothing by doing that...just spent time in something that I'll never use again.
2. A lot of work on the RPG System isn't really "RPG related", menus and transitions really are "generic" and could be used in ANY game.
3. A lot of the things in the RPG System aren't really "game programming related", the "core" of the system is actually an information system...and information systems is what I have been studying for a long time...so I really wasn't having problems thinking about how to make the "core" of the system.
4. I realized that I was actually doing my LAST semester in the university....the moment of truth is really close. And by moment of truth I mean the moment where I will start trying to make a living out of videogame development...that is actually a scary moment :S and a scary thought.
5. I was actually coding BY HAND lots (really lots) of things that I could easily let libraries handle.
6. By doing a lot of "busywork" on the system I was actually delaying the true making of my first RPG.

Mainly because of point number 3 I decided to start testing the waters by doing some small flash games. Not too long after that I noticed that I was really learning a lot more by developing the small flash game that by working on the system.

It is clear that the RPG system wasn't helping me to achieve my goals...so...what will I do to fix that?

I actually have a plan (don't we always have one :p). The good news is that all the work done in the analysis and design phase will be used. I'll just make the next changes to the implementation of the system:

1 -- I'll move from Haxe to C++

I started tho system in Haxe to be able to re-use some of my code in my next projects. Sadly I've found out that developing in haxe is way more cumbersome that actionscript3/C++. I even think that I'll save more time writing my code in C++ and then re-writing my code  IF I have to. Also :S since I won't be programming anything for the university next year...the RPG system is the only project that I have right now where I can use C++. And I really love C++ :S...:S :S :S

I really have almost no code written in Haxe right now...so this is a perfect time to make the language switch.

2 -- I'll move the scope of the system from "complete game" to "spike"

Since lot's of the code that makes a "complete game" won't help me to achieve my goal, I'll just code the parts of the system that I really don't know how to do. everything else can wait or will be explored in my flash games. I'll make 3 sub-systems:

The Map System

The Battle System

The "battle map" system or "chess" system

I think that all of the systems are self explanatory...except maybe the "chess" system. Basically that will be the starting poin for  the development of a strategy rpg, think tactics ogre or fire emblem

3 -- I'll just do what's necessary for my objectives, nothing else!

That means that maybe a lot things will be pretty "raw", mostly the input, the menus and all the graphics. Again I'm trying to make this as useful as possible by coding just the things that are needed to complete  my main objectives.

4 -- Whenever possible I'll use libraries instead of coding everything by hand

This doesn't means that I'll let the libraries handle all my work. The things that I want to learn and explore with the system will me coded entirely by me!

And...........that's all :) I hope to I've already the map sub-system so I'll be posting more on that soon :D really soon :D ;)