First progress post, had hoped to do more but as we all know things can get backed up a bit.
Got the rigid constraints for the tentacle ‘rope’ sorted out as well as the main gameplay sprites. Still deciding whether or not to have gravity affecting it.
Collision, it rocks
I’ve been up to allot since the last post. I barely had the code started, and I got windows and moving around working well. After wasting a ton of time working on walls only to realize that the way I wanted to do them would infact take forever to do with all the different possibilities to consider. After giving up on that for simpler walls, and failing at one attempt to do collision I was somewhat discouraged, but after a quick walk around the block, I was back at it. I got collision working well now, and with all the basics set up, I can finally start focusing on actual game play.
I’d also like to note that this is the first time I’ve gotten this far with a game basically ever. I’ve known how to do it, but haven’t taken the time much, and have had to do a bunch of documentation reading (ug) to get the basics working.
I am working at this place, dangerously exposed to direct sunlight and have no support for my backbone as I’m sitting on a bed.
My inconvenient workspace
Tags: desk shot
So I put my nose to the grindstone, and finally have a feature-less, but quite playable release! I’m heading to take a shower, and when the gf gets here, we’re heading to the dog park. I can’t wait to get back and really finish this up!
Hey everybody, looks like it was time I made my first post on here. Anyhow, I thought I’d make something not quite what everybody else was making and therefore decided to focus on maximum meme-ness. I finally have the a good bunch of the base stuff finished and can finally move on to create more interesting stuff. For now, this screenshot is all there is:
Scientists are searching for water deep beneath the Earth’s crust. They set up their equipment and start to drill. Suddenly you realise that the water level is rising and the scientists are all in peril. You take to the skies in your trusty helicopter and try to save them.
A helicopter flies deep underground.
Or something like that. The one thing that’s certain is that rising water levels will play a part in this game. The actual game mechanic is still in a state of flux.
Tags: screenshot
I took an expensive option and used atan2() funcion to determine some direction. For some reason, it computes to weird results. Don’t want to debug it now, it’s only for the looks at the moment anyway.
After much struggling I finally got collision detection working. You can now swim around levels and that’s it :).
However I have all the logic in place and tomorrow I will just work on content, content and content.
Thanks to some help from Gilvado I figured out this whole CamStudio business and uploaded my first ever gameplay vid to YouTube! 😉
It’s 20 seconds of the current state of Angry Caverns
I’m tuning some of the bat physics now.. which reminds me– ya know one thing I love about doing game development? It’s getting to say things like “I’m tuning bat physics…”
Hopefully I’ll be back soon with more exciting developments.
Rex has found out that it’s kind of dark in these caverns. Luckily he’s prepared with a torch!
Who turned out the lights?
I just came back from a friend’s BBQ. It was very good and the company was excellent. On the other hand that plus a late start plus grocery shopping means I’ve made pathetically little progress on my entry. I’ll try to get a little more done tonight and work all day tomorrow.
Tags: foodphoto
The more I code that game, the more it feels like freaking Boulder Dash…
If I can’t break from that mold, I will abandon it (and this Ludum at the same time). I really don’t like where that game is going… I shouldn’t have used the BD graphics as place holder, apparently they have influenced the concept more that I would like.
Here is a proverbial screen :
I never realized how much the XNA framework screwed with tansparency when rotating before I took this screenshot…
I am at another coffee shop… and I am drinking cucumber soda. It is strange and delicious. Also, battery is almost gone. Heading back home to recharge and get some quiet.
I’ve made some progress, but not as much as I would like. Having a hard time getting gameplay down. I like where the current version is going, though it’s nothing to look at.
Now I finally feel like I’m getting somewhere! Which is good, as I need to sleep soon.
Also featured: My nifty little archaeologist guy, Ted Stuart.
Rocks now stop falling when there is a rock (or ground) in the way. This is a good thing. Took me a while of wondering why it didn’t work to realise that I was checking if there was solidness to the right rather than underneath. Oops. Just now added pseudo-physics: things accelerate as they fall, then snap nicely back to the grid when they land. And there’s a (n uncontrollable) player! Quite pleased with him. I had the sense (for once) to use layers, which should make animating him easier. The GIMP is wonderful! 😀
Tags: GIMP
So, I’m finished! Not totally happy with the game, but whatever, it’s finished anyway.
Windows only. Download from here
Tags: final
Fire and forget! Don’t go back and touch things up!
Which I really ought not to be doing… But anyway finally got a look I’m kinda happy with, need to go in and add all the animation now. Hoping to get walk and attack cycles done by bed, then tomorrow morning add in the enemy I have planned, and get it running. It’s gonna use one of the many variants of the Soundless Mountain II engine… I need to figure out which as they all have slightly different sets of features…
So I went for groceries around 17.30
made two 190g hamburgers for me to eat (and ate them) they were delicious
played 2 rounds of the kill-switch demo…
..and with the help of too many cookies and a few glasses of apple-juice..
…my monster can now puke green things that bounce around for a time and then disappear (explosions pending).
Next time, I’m going to focus on a game where it’s easy to take screenshots
Tags: foodphoto, screenshot
There be blobs!… proper polygonal blobs. With blob shadows, and physics (I’m using Tokamak again)
Actually, I’m only intending to have one blob, for the player. There’s still no controls/gameplay, I’m not expecting this entry to reach a particularly complete state – I’ve been rather too overambitious (and wasted loads of time tweaking graphical stuff) . But I should have at least some gameplay by the end of tomorrow…
