[10/24/2004]
Quote: "Posted: 21st Apr 2004 16:47"
April 21 I had first shown a work in progress of my tile editor in this post(
http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=30216&b=8).
Here's what it looked like.
http://www.freewebs.com/mikessss/old.jpg
My have a come a long way in programming. Yesterday I began programming the entire editor from scratch. Now I'll go over a description of whats below.
Here's a screenshot of a basic level with the lighting off.
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Here's the same basic level with the lighting enabled. Not too much of a difference, but progress still needs to be made.
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Here's the same scene, except this time you're in your level. This level editor is essentially for indoor games, but the roof can be disabled/enabled as you please.
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Here's a screenshot showing you your tiles.(the grey blocks) It's hard to make out the difference from the picture, but enabling them really helps while you're working.
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A gun that's been placed.
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Here's some items placed next to the gun in a different scene, with more of the interface.
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Ok, here's an F.A.Q of what the project is and what I'm working on.
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F.A.Q
1.)Q. When will the final version be released?
A. Undetermined at this point. I have commitments to other projects as well, but this should be nearing finished by the new year assuming all goes well.
2.)Q. I can't wait that long, any chance of a demo?
A. Once all functionality is in, I'll ask for testers to help me nail down bugs and optimize the program. So no, there will be no demo, but their will be a beta in the near future.
3.)Q. Okay, the obvious questions are out of the way, so how exactly does this program work?
A. Basically, you select the mode you want, whether it's adding items, placing weapons, particles, or editing tiles, and then you click away. Left-click to add an item, left-click it again to cycle through to another item, or right click it to delete it and start from scratch.
For tiles, all you do is left click to change the tile, and then right click to rotate it.
4.)Q. So complicated, will there be further help?
A. Of course.
There will be a full documentation once this is complete, so I'd rather not get into too many specifics right now. All you need is a set of arrowkeys and a mouse to work the program.
5.)Q. So this is a full game engine, like darkbasic?
A. Not necessarily, it's basically a click n' create engine with scripts.
6.)Q. May I see an example script?
A. Negative, scripts as of now are too pre-mature to be of interest.
7.)Q. What kind of games can I create with this engine?
A. Primarily maze games, for that's what I'm intending to build this for. First Person, third person, adventure, and even a racing game won't be out of the question though.
8.)Q. Will I be able to add my own custom weapons/items/structures/particles/tile sets/etc?
A. Yes! The best part is though, you don't have to, for you can use the premade and preset items.
9.)Q. How will I add my custom stuff?
A. All of the above will be made in an editor or your choice, and you'll just have to export to the proper format, except for particles. A provided editor will be included for those.
10.)Q. The old editor has ugly seems everywhere, did you really eliminate those in the new editor, or is it a photoshop trick?
A. Seams are gone, and forever will be, so long as you use seemless textures.
11.)Q. That lighting is ugly! How will you fix it?
A. I currently have a few ideas about fixing the lighting.
1.) Use the 8 hardware lights, so you can have a little light.
2.) You will be able to control the ambient light, so that'll help as well.
3.) I'm working on a texture baking utility, and hopefully I'll be able to implement it in real time. This process is experimental, as it'll be based on adding hardware lights, getting the objects texture, and then removing the lights and storing the data.
4.) There are other ideas floating around as well...
12.)Q. Did you ever figure out how to fix your old CSG problem you were having, with combining all the objects edges?
A. Yes, but I haven't yet implemented it.
13.)Q. I don't want to use your editor and your game engine, can I just use the level editor?
A. Absolutly! You'll have two choices of export, the fully fledged level with all the weapons,items, particles, etc. or just the tiles.
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More updates will come throughout the week.
A book? I hate book. Book is stupid.
(Formerly known as Yellow)
