It has been quite some time since I’ve done a major update for Guardian’s Guide. Around 8 months actually. There is a reason! I have been waiting for the official release of the new framework I’ve been using. Well, that release was earlier this week and now I’m finally ready to fully talk about what I’ve done since the last major update.

If this is your first time here, I’m currently in the process of making a daughter raising sim/RPG called Guardian’s Guide. The major and minor updates are meant to document the process until official release.

The video gives you a general telling of the decision I made but I want to break things down better in writing.

Back in early 2021, I knew Ork Framework 3 was in the works. The main reason I wanted to upgrade was the potential it could be much easier to create UI than in Ork 2. I believed this because Ork 3 uses a newer version of another tool called Makinom as it’s ground work and the creator later explained how he planned to change the implementation of UI creation.

Around mid 2021, I finally got my hands on the beta and I immediately knew I HAD to change my project to this version. Yes, I lost development time thanks to this migration but it was worth it. The difference in capability is immense. I didn’t mention any of the framework differences in the video but here I will mention just a few I’m really excited about.

1. Variable List (Lists weren’t available in Ork 2)
2. More control over string values (such as appending/concat)
3. Support for Text Mesh Pro as default
4. Event Listeners (events are auto called when a variable changes [or item/equipment/quest/ etc. changes])<–this is huge!!
5. Much better control over data in the UI (Endless # sub sections for items/users/quest)
6. Language Support (export and import of CSV files)
7. Better Management of Battle Systems
8. Solutions for a variety of problems such as movement, animation, pooling, path finding, steering, etc.
   
9. Manual saving/loading variable data

That’s just the new stuff on top of what Ork Framework already offers.

As I mentioned in the videos, the changes I’ve made are mostly cosmetic. Better art, better animation, new icons and redesigned UI. I’ve also added full support for keyboard and controller. I use this all the time since getting around with buttons is some times faster.

Now that I’ve fully moved to the new framework, I don’t plan to make any more major shifts in development, nor do I have to worry about project breaking updates. My next major update is to get a working exploration and battle system show case. I want to show off the game in it’s entirety so people can know what to expect. Don’t worry, that update won’t take another half year. 😀