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Work in Progress / Roswell Racer - Alienware competition entry

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Mussi
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Posted: 9th Nov 2003 12:34
dark ghosted plane you say... wouldn't that only work for flat surfaces

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Rob K
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Posted: 9th Nov 2003 14:30 Edited at: 9th Nov 2003 14:31
@ESC

Looking absolutely fantastic - Kudos to you and Froggermon

For some of the more simple objects (ie. those with only one texture per limb), you can improve loading times dramatically by doing some "pre-processing". Convert the object to a memblock then use WRITE MEMBLOCK to save it, when you run the game, to load the object, open the file and use READ MEMBLOCK, then texture the resulting mesh with the appropriate image texture. I managed to get loading time down from 800ms to 60ms doing this.

Vertex Colours should be kept.

ReD_eYe
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Posted: 9th Nov 2003 15:29
Holy sweet flaming mother of all bejeebus! that looks so damn nice, easily the best looking game i can remember seeing that was made in db!


Go on, click on my signature image, you know you want to
Favourite smiley>>>
ESC_
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Posted: 9th Nov 2003 17:03
Mussi: It does only work on flat surfaces,but I also have it tilt to align to the landscape correctly.

RobK: Thanks very much for the tip. I'll have to try that out It makes sense that that would improve the loading time.

ReD_eYe: Thanks

Oh, also, I've got to give Kevil some major credit for helping with the vertex colors!

''For nonconformity, the world whips you with its displeasure''---Ralph Waldo Emerson
Van B
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Posted: 12th Nov 2003 14:26
ESC,
Check the shadow demo I posted over at LLRGT code snippets - a lot better than using a plain, and it's only an extra 2 polys!, the principle could be used on a much bigger scale, meaning much nicer shadows, basically it flattens a boned mesh onto the terrain, the mesh has 5 control points, so instead of 1 surface being used in the effect, it uses 4. Email me if you wanna discuss it further.


Van-B


I laugh in the face of fate!
Chris K
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Posted: 18th Nov 2003 16:02
How many tracks is the finished version going to have?

...and like that; he's gone...
AlecM
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Posted: 19th Nov 2003 04:50
1 maybe 2. Workload is already pretty big for 1 artist. Ontop of that there are size restrictions. The only way I could offer another track would be to share the same texture set. Which I might end up doing Area-51 battle arena for multiplay would likely be how this playes out.

[P4 2.8C @ 3.03 with an 866mhz FSB:: MSI Neo-2LS running PAT:: 1gb Mushkin PC-3500 DDR High Perf level 2@ 2,2,2 :: ATI Radeon9800ProAIW :: 120Gb SeagateBarracuda 7,200RPM SATA HD :: Antec Plus1080AMG]
Chris K
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Posted: 19th Nov 2003 12:19
Cool.

...and like that; he's gone...
Van B
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Posted: 19th Nov 2003 14:56
Froggermon,
You could design the track as 3 tracks, and block off routes etc. Like you might have the first track as just a little circuit, then the second track might cut off to the side and go a longer way around the track. This might be the easiest way to get more tracks, and has been used a lot in the past to do the same thing. You could have barriers as limbs on the track and just remove them to suit the particular track. I imagine that you don't relish having to change the track because it's done and it's looking cool, but if you have extra time then that'd be a good way to spend it.

For a battle arena, if you guys decide to add a battle mode, a couple of hangars and a basic desert terrain would be enough, in battle modes you don't really notice any lack of detail, we're used to vastly cut down levels in multiplayer modes on consoles anyway.


Van-B


I laugh in the face of fate!
MikeS
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Posted: 20th Nov 2003 00:33
To add even more gameplay, just change things around so you go through the level backwords. Waala! You now have 2 tracks.



A book? I hate book. Book is stupid.
AlecM
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Posted: 20th Nov 2003 03:47 Edited at: 20th Nov 2003 03:48
van-b: I have thought about that but I would have to abandon what i have done. Also it wouldnt fit the concept of the track so well.
lack of time is a factor too. I may be releasing some other tracks after the competition is over. Something like an egypt track.


Already got the design for the area-51 battle track done. hangars are involved and you get to go underground into a lab for part of it

[P4 2.8C @ 3.03 with an 866mhz FSB:: MSI Neo-2LS running PAT:: 1gb Mushkin PC-3500 DDR High Perf level 2@ 2,2,2 :: ATI Radeon9800ProAIW :: 120Gb SeagateBarracuda 7,200RPM SATA HD :: Antec Plus1080AMG]
Chris K
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Posted: 20th Nov 2003 11:46
Whoa. Scientific.

...and like that; he's gone...
Ermes
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Posted: 20th Nov 2003 18:05
hi, with only 1 track this project is more like a demo than a game.

Free Download for a Free World
go to my www to play RAVEN, THE FLIGHT OF RAVEN and SUNDAY DRIVERS
Mussi
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Posted: 20th Nov 2003 18:36
yea, but have you ever seen a full game smaller then 15mb?

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AlecM
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Posted: 20th Nov 2003 19:52
"hi, with only 1 track this project is more like a demo than a game."

When you have 4 months and only 1 artist that sort of hased to be that way. Ever wonder why kart racings games take anywhere from 1to 2 years to complete? And they have large groups of people working on them.

[P4 2.8C @ 3.03 with an 866mhz FSB:: MSI Neo-2LS running PAT:: 1gb Mushkin PC-3500 DDR High Perf level 2@ 2,2,2 :: ATI Radeon9800ProAIW :: 120Gb SeagateBarracuda 7,200RPM SATA HD :: Antec Plus1080AMG]
Chris K
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Posted: 20th Nov 2003 20:48
Quote: "Ever wonder why kart racings games take anywhere from 1to 2 years to complete?"


Yeah I think about that all the time.

...and like that; he's gone...
Ermes
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Posted: 21st Nov 2003 11:57 Edited at: 21st Nov 2003 13:14
Yes of course, but the rules are a complete game within the time limit of 4 months , they didn't ask you to make a complete kart game in 4 months.It's your choice to see how and what you can do, and manage your resource to do it. The kart game of 2 years to complete you can make it after the compo.
15 meg zipped are about 50 megs unzipped, you say it is impossible to make a game complete with 50 megs???? are you sure???
like this , it's like you say you did a step more longer than your leg can do. so you're apologing for not complete in time 'cause 15 megs limit, time limit etc etc etc.
This is what i see from your post.
If this isn't true, sorry, i've not understand you.

Free Download for a Free World
go to my www to play RAVEN, THE FLIGHT OF RAVEN and SUNDAY DRIVERS
AlecM
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Posted: 21st Nov 2003 20:16
well actually 50 megs zipped does isnt 15 megs. it depend on what type of file too. Im not apologizing at any stage. Its just not fesible in this competition. Crash nitro kart (just the art) took at least a year to complete and they had several artists. Just a little reference for you so you can understand my point.

[P4 2.8C @ 3.03 with an 866mhz FSB:: MSI Neo-2LS running PAT:: 1gb Mushkin PC-3500 DDR High Perf level 2@ 2,2,2 :: ATI Radeon9800ProAIW :: 120Gb SeagateBarracuda 7,200RPM SATA HD :: Antec Plus1080AMG]
mhack2
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Posted: 21st Nov 2003 21:59
It's funny how people on these forums are always bitching about other people not doing "enough"..
You want a full game? Go buy one for $50 in a store..
This game is one of the best, one of the best Look & feel I ever so in any commercial game, you can see it was done with attention to detail.

So stop bitching.

mhack

Hi-Res textures for your game.. [url]akdusa.com[/url]
Shadow Robert
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Posted: 21st Nov 2003 23:03
personally i've always found the slowest thing in development isn't the artwork creation but animating it.
There are very few intuative and simple to rig systems within the everyday programs we use.

Max, Maya, XSI and Lightwave all suffer badly from rigging time.
For a human style model it can take upto an entire days work to rig them ... then you have to also setup thier limbs for other animated effects, setup a system rig for rt animation which means more thought has to be put into what bones are used and what enveloped areas there are - not to mention editing the mesh accordingly.

Although you can rush things and get them done sooner, quality take time. It's the developers choice, do you go for Quantity or Quality?
You can't have both without an extremely large team.


To Survive You Must Evolve... This Time Van Will Not Escape His Fate!
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ESC_
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Posted: 22nd Nov 2003 02:11 Edited at: 22nd Nov 2003 02:11
Quote: "Although you can rush things and get them done sooner, quality take time. It's the developers choice, do you go for Quantity or Quality?
You can't have both without an extremely large team."


Exactly. I could've easily buil an editor that allowed you to create a tile based level on a matrix with height variations, and we could pump out probably 30-40 levels, but there would be absolutly no attention to little details, or interesting shapes and models around the track. No cool flowing river, or nice smooth track shape, ect, ect...

''For nonconformity, the world whips you with its displeasure''---Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ermes
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Posted: 22nd Nov 2003 10:04
All you said is right, but here we are going to battle for the 1st prize of this compo.
@ mhack2 , by the way, have you played this game to be so sure?
I think everyone have to say what they think, i don't want roswell complete to play it and don't pay 50 $, i will be happy for frog&Esc if they win, not happy at all for me 'cause i lose.

50 megs zipping in 15 megs is not true.
Depend on the file you use.if you have mp3 or jpg or png, zipping reduces only 1-2% of file size.

My work is actually 37 MB zipped in 14 MB.

Free Download for a Free World
go to my www to play RAVEN, THE FLIGHT OF RAVEN and SUNDAY DRIVERS
Rob K
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Posted: 22nd Nov 2003 12:30
Quality over quantity

@ESC_

I don't know how hard / time consuming this would be to add, but it would be cool if users could specify their own X models to use as tracks.


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Chris K
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Posted: 22nd Nov 2003 13:54
Or battle arenas at least (checkpoints might be a bit hard)

...and like that; he's gone...
Shadow Robert
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Posted: 22nd Nov 2003 22:33
well Ermes i'd strongly suggest to keep an eye on Van's game ^_^
dunno who he's shown but i've heard mumblings ... or maybe just rumours to put me off lol

i think the 1st place in this comp is less about actually winning the prize this time - more about creating a game that comes out ontop with strong competition.
personally i see this all being much tighter than previous comps.


To Survive You Must Evolve... This Time Van Will Not Escape His Fate!
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genius
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Posted: 23rd Nov 2003 01:40
will you ever post up a link for us to download a demo?

Be happy, tomorrow is another day
ESC_
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Posted: 23rd Nov 2003 02:04
Yeah, when it's done and ready for the compo

''For nonconformity, the world whips you with its displeasure''---Ralph Waldo Emerson
Rob K
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Posted: 23rd Nov 2003 12:33
Looking forward to seeing more screenies nearer the deadline


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Megaton Cat
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Posted: 23rd Nov 2003 17:16
looking very immpresive I'd have to say!
very creative tracks and effects too
wish u the best of luck...
@Raven: lol, obsolutly love ur avatar!!!

Visit our new site! : http://www.megatoncreations.tk
orv
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Posted: 23rd Nov 2003 17:26
look VERY good. Kinda depresses me and makes me not want to work in my entry. I'll keep plodding along tho.... even if it's handed in late!

If you aim at nothing you'll hit it every time. 806mhz AMD Athlon Processor. 384MB memory.
Windows XP Home Edition. RADEON 9700 Pro graphics card. - editor.exe=1.0.6.1 - DBPCompiler.exe=V1.05
Ermes
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Posted: 24th Nov 2003 10:29
Raven your avatar is the nicest i've seen!!!
Van's game?? from one like Van, only quality game we can expect, so i feel scared to think what can that one make for this compo.

Quality and quantity, this must be.
if you have a quality game but it ended up after 5 minutes of play, it is just one title to be mentioned sometimes as a tech demo.
It's a point of view, but i chose to make a 50% 50% game, i.e. quality is 50% of the best i can do, and quantity is 50% of what i can do in 4 months.
So i'll have a game with 12 levels fully working, different each other, and a lot of aliens to smash.
maybe tomorrow i post some shots, just to prove i'm not jerking around.

Free Download for a Free World
go to my www to play RAVEN, THE FLIGHT OF RAVEN and SUNDAY DRIVERS
Toby Quan
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Posted: 24th Nov 2003 17:44
I have a question about the 15 Megabyte competition rule. Is the game supposed to be 15 megs unzipped, or can the game be 15+ megs that we zip to 15 megs?
hexGEAR
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Posted: 24th Nov 2003 18:14
doesn't matter how large the game is, provided its <= 15mb when zipped!

Shadow Robert
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Posted: 24th Nov 2003 20:08
yeah it's the zipped size that matters... if you can compact your game into 15mb then it'll make the rules

a tip is rather than Winrar or Winzip, use Bzip or WinAce as these formats compress smaller.


To Survive You Must Evolve... This Time Van Will Not Escape His Fate!
900mhz | 256mb | FX5200Ti 52.16 | Dx9 | WXP-Pro
ESC_
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Posted: 24th Nov 2003 21:52
Oh, I though .rar compressed more than .ace
I'll go d/l Winace then....

''For nonconformity, the world whips you with its displeasure''---Ralph Waldo Emerson
Shadow Robert
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Posted: 25th Nov 2003 00:11
esc not sure if you have it but there's a tool released that'll even compress the dbp exe's right now - that actually has helped me greatly because although a compression tool zips them down, it's nothing to how much the exe tool does.

was in an old newsletter, but i'll try and dig it out.


To Survive You Must Evolve... This Time Van Will Not Escape His Fate!
900mhz | 256mb | FX5200Ti 52.16 | Dx9 | WXP-Pro
AlecM
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Posted: 25th Nov 2003 00:46
UPX?

[P4 2.8C @ 3.03 with an 866mhz FSB:: MSI Neo-2LS running PAT:: 1gb Mushkin PC-3500 DDR High Perf level 2@ 2,2,2 :: ATI Radeon9800ProAIW :: 120Gb SeagateBarracuda 7,200RPM SATA HD :: Antec Plus1080AMG]
Wik
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Posted: 25th Nov 2003 00:51
Can you realese a demo? Please!!!!!!!
At least some more screenshots.

What is left for you to do anyway


I wanted to learn C++ but then I started having nightmares.
I would scream at night, "AHHHHH!!! THE SEMI-COLONS"
walaber
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Posted: 25th Nov 2003 02:26
it's been a while since we've seen any screenshots... any new developments on this game? I check this thread like everyday hoping to see some nifty new screenies!
ESC_
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Posted: 25th Nov 2003 02:42
Don't get too excited
There won't be many more graphical advancements except for some gui work and weapons/powerups, plus some menus

''For nonconformity, the world whips you with its displeasure''---Ralph Waldo Emerson
Wik
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Posted: 25th Nov 2003 04:15
Quote: " I check this thread like everyday hoping to see some nifty new screenies!"


Same here,
Whenever I see that it is blue I look at it and pray for a DEMO


I wanted to learn C++ but then I started having nightmares.
I would scream at night, "AHHHHH!!! THE SEMI-COLONS"
Rob K
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Posted: 25th Nov 2003 13:30
Patience! - The deadline is still a month away.


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Mussi
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Posted: 25th Nov 2003 21:11 Edited at: 25th Nov 2003 21:11
yup... only a month left for all to finish their games

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walaber
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Posted: 26th Nov 2003 04:26
speaking of which, will TGC be putting up all of the entries on a site for all of us to download and play? or do we all have to host our games individually (with like 100 entries, that would be a pain in the ...)

p.s. this particular game is looking absolutely fantastic. I can't wait to play it!!!
genius
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Posted: 27th Nov 2003 09:26 Edited at: 27th Nov 2003 09:27
Could you just post an exe of what you have right now? I can live with the bugs

Be happy, tomorrow is another day
AlecM
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Posted: 28th Nov 2003 07:28
no

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Chris K
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Posted: 28th Nov 2003 10:13
They're killer bugs. They'll rip you to shreds.

...and like that; he's gone...
Wik
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Posted: 28th Nov 2003 18:03
How killer could they be?


I wanted to learn C++ but then I started having nightmares.
I would scream at night, "AHHHHH!!! THE SEMI-COLONS"
ESC_
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Posted: 29th Nov 2003 02:13
I saw one of them eat a cow

''For nonconformity, the world whips you with its displeasure''---Ralph Waldo Emerson
Mussi
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Posted: 29th Nov 2003 15:25
LOL, just a month left

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