The Gang of Five
The Land Before Time => Cancelled and old projects => LBT Projects => LBT Multiplayer RPG Project Discussion => Topic started by: action9000 on February 13, 2008, 07:18:54 PM
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*Please note* This game does NOT exist yet!
Out of curiosity, how many people here would be interested in playing an LBT RPG online with other LBT fans? The idea would be somewhat similar to MMORPGs, but without a central server and it would be free to play.
Does the idea of grouping together with LBT fans online in an LBT world, doing adventures as LBT-style characters (maybe even the Gang themselves), having the option of playing solo or as a small or large group, appeal to anyone? I'm messing around with the idea of attempting to produce such a game and am wondering how much interest there would be in an online LBT RPG. If there is a lack of interest, there is no need for this game to exist as it is primarily multiplayer and at least a few people Must be interested for the game to function as I vision.
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I would definitely be interested in this. Please let me know if I can be of help :yes
I have some ideas on what an LBT game might be like, though I lack experience in how online RPGs usually work out. I'm afraid fighting is a primary occupation in many online RPGs and this is certainly not something that is or ought to be stressed too much in LBT.
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I'm really like this idea. And i'm curious: is there any lifelengths about this project already? :o
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I would be interested in playing an LBT RPG.
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is there any lifelengths about this project already?
I have about 150 lines coded for this game already, as well as a basic game structure/outline developed. In other words, yes, the basic concept of the game is showing signs of life and I have a program that doesn't crash, working on my computer...it doesn't do much but I can move around! :P:
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As much as I would love to play as one of the gang members, I am still totally against the idea of gang members being playable. I think it'll just definitely turn out for the worse, unless there can be multiples of the same gang member in a single session. It won't feel as LBTish, but it's a way better alternative to have nobody be able to choose the gang, in my opinion.
And on another note, I'm kind of wondering how you're going to be able to pull this off without the basic fighting and leveling you see in everyday rpgs. Do you have any plans at all for what the main activities you can do are gonna be and what-not? What's the primary goal?
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Hey Action, what programming language are you using? Is this going to be an online java game programmed in javascript, or something more advanced using the java programming language? I would love to see the variables you're using. :lol
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Hey Action, what programming language are you using?
I'm cheating a bit, for the sake of having access to a powerful programming language without having to do a lot of highly techincal coding (double buffering, etc, synching to monitor vsync, etc). This software deals with all the highly technical stuff for me and lets me focus on developing the game code itself, as opposed to spending all of my time on getting the graphics to render properly. :p
I am using Blitz3d, a programming library designed specifically for producing computer games (2d or 3d). The language is similar to a combination of BASIC and Java/C++, with specific libraries which are very useful for game designers, combined with the flexibility of a complete programming language.
The game will be 3d (Direct3D, DirectX 7 or greater required) and already loads a 3d map from an external file which I designed, places a cube on the map (controlled by the player) and lets the player control the movement of the cube and the camera in this 3d world. It's actually pretty cool. :) I'm just getting some bugs out of my code right now. It's pretty powerful considering it's only 184 lines so far. ;)
In a perfect world, this game will eventually be a full 3d world, simlar to 3d MMOs like World of Warcraft. As for how far this game will get in development, it is unsure at the moment.
I am developing this engine for an original game project that a couple of friends and I are attempting. The game engine happens to also be very useful for an LBT Multiplayer RPG, so I figured I'd throw the idea out there. :)
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I'm sure many here will enjoy playing in that.
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How do you plan to deploy this game online without a server?
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How do you plan to deploy this game online without a server?
The players will host games and others can connect to them. This game will not function as a typical MMO. Instead it will be behave like other types of online games where players set up games when they're ready to play. Others may join by IP address. When the server is shut down, every players' characters are auto-saved to the player's local system (details of this have yet to be worked out). This character can be used on any other server, including one hosted by the player.
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I can post up an exe of the program as-is if you'd like to see what it can do so far. It's not up to much but it's on its way to becoming a game!
[EDIT] here's a link to the program as-is.
http://search3.idrive.com/driveway/jsp/dwa...p?id=f6p6o7v4g3 (http://search3.idrive.com/driveway/jsp/dway_download.jsp?id=f6p6o7v4g3)
System requirements:
DirectX7 video card + drivers supporting 800x600 resolution (final game will support all resolutions from 640x480 up to 1080p, most likely).
The controls are simple: You control the green sphere. It can collide with the "ground".
W = move forward
S = move backward
Q = strafe left
E = strafe right
A = move up
Z = move down
ESC: close the program
Right-click and drag = move camera
Scroll wheel away: zoom in
*WARNING* Zoom-out Does NOT Work yet! No clue why. :p
Oh, and don't mind the numbers in the top-left corner. They're just there to help me debug some camera problems I was having. I actually have the issues resolved in this release so I can probably take those numbers out.
Now for the next step...Gravity!
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LOL. Reminds me of that old 3D dinosaur game that used to come with mac OS 8.5 :lol
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Latest update:
Complete jumping with real-world gravity acceleration whenever the player's graphic is not on the ground.
g=9.81 m/s^2 in my program, just as in real life. B)
I don't have this version of the program posted up yet but I guarantee it works nicely. :)
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i love this idea! i would definitely play this.
i do agree that multiple people should be allowed to play as the gang also, because it isn't fair to the many fans if only one person can play as littlefoot or chomper or etc...
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Well, if anyone can host a game server on his machine, that resolve the whole problem with characters: a little group of people can always find a solution to, who will play as who. But, than again, are you sure the RPG is a correct genre for this kind of game? It's more looks like some kind of multiplayer-oriented platformer. :huh:
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I forgot about the independent hosting, so I had in mind only one server where we would all be playing on.
Anyway, good job so far action. You seem to be moving along quite smoothly. The zip file won't open for me though for some reason...
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Well, if anyone can host a game server on his machine, that resolve the whole problem with characters: a little group of people can always find a solution to, who will play as who.
I imagined that before a game was hosted, people would get together and talk about starting a game together. During this conversation, those people would agree on who plays as who.
Yes, anyone can host a new game and have first choice of character in that game. Players can also load characters from other players' games into a new game.
But, than again, are you sure the RPG is a correct genre for this kind of game? It's more looks like some kind of multiplayer-oriented platformer.
It won't be an RPG in the typical sense where there are more cutscenes than gameplay :p
I was thinking more along the line of an action/adventure RPG, where gameplay and grouping together takes over as the most important aspect of the game...almost like an MMORPG but on a smaller scale and with more interesting gameplay, hopefully.
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Well, you won't be able to insert crowds of enemies in such a game, i suppose. But you have a lot of possibilities for community activity... Like sport games, or cooperative walk through the Mysterious Beyond. :)
BTW, are planinng to add upgradeble skills to the characters? Like, Ducky can learn how to swim underwater for longer time period. B)
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*pokes Tim* You forgot to mention who's to thank for this work, foo!
I've been helping Tim here with a bit of the coding, I leant him the coding software, and also I've volunteered to design the models.
He's also using some code from a platform engine I created two months ago.
Though Tim here has been doing the majority of the work, I'm just pitching in my knowledge every once in a while, and sending him my software freely.
Me on the other hand will be producing a 2D LBT RPG game ((FF7 and Chrono Trigger style RPG)) I've yet to had created a topic on this in these forums, as I dont yet have any material to show off.. that'll come in due time
for now, discuss the MMO
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I would enjoy it very much, that sounds cool :yes
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*pokes Tim* You forgot to mention who's to thank for this work, foo!
I've been helping Tim here with a bit of the coding, I leant him the coding software, and also I've volunteered to design the models.
Absolutely, I am very thankful for all of your efforts, Aves! :)
He's also using some code from a platform engine I created two months ago.
Have you seen my latest code? :p
Though I must say, your code has been a very, very valuable reference. :yes
Thank you.
and sending him my software freely.
Yet another thing I couldn't be doing this without. Thank you! :)
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Hmm....seems interesting. I may not prefer multiplayer games, but this is something I'd at least be willing to take a look at.
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In my eyes....this is the single coolest idea I've seen in a long time reguarding anything LBT related...if this game happens to come to realization...I may just pass out from joy! :D
But this is a very good idea...I personally would like to see it happen...
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I'd love to play a LBT RPG, would it have graphics, or be text-based? One would be way easier, not to mention technically feasible, but it wouldn't be as awesome.
I'll help any way I can, but I'm only good at Multimedia Fusion. I've never programmed with any thing else.
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Text-based RPG won't do the trick. Especually for me, because i'm a real slowpoke, when it comes to read or write in english. :D
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Text-based RPG won't do the trick.
Well, it would have to do most likely. We may be able to do actions in the game, but we'll have to type in what we want the characters to say. Vocalizing might be possible, but it would make the programming of the game significantly more difficult that simple text input.
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would it have graphics, or be text-based?
I'm shooting for 3d graphics but that will depend entirely on whether or not I can figure out how to make decent 3d models.
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I'm shooting for 3d graphics but that will depend entirely on whether or not I can figure out how to make decent 3d models.
You could use characters directly from snapshots of the movies. That would certainly make your job easier.
EDIT: Typo :p
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You could use characters directly from snapshots of the movies. That would certainly make your job easier.
Hmm...then I magically need to change a 2d bitmap into a 3d character in a 3d world. That's easier said than done. :p
Yes, and I would like to play as the Gang, with one player per Gang member. [ 6 ] [27.27%]
Yes and I would prefer the Gang to be non-player characters (NPCs) so people will not argue over who plays as who. [ 6 ] [27.27%]
Hmm...it's a tie so far...
I am still biased towards letting the player play As the Gang but it seems that half the gamers here disagree with me. We'll need to resolve this at some point. :p
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I voted for the latter, but really it doesn't bother me. If this RPG idea ever does bear fruit, I personally want to play as just a swimmer, not Ducky.
One thing that could be done is give control of a real character to whomever asks for it, and while they are playing as that character anyone else who requests the character is put on a "waiting list." When the current player signs out, control of the character would pass down to the next still-logged-in person on the waiting list.
If you need 3D versions of the characters, the PS2 game Land Before TIme:Return to the Great Valley includes not only the characters in 3D, but 20 3D "levels" which could probably be merged to make a large map. That might make things easier.
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the PS2 game Land Before TIme:Return to the Great Valley
There is a lbt game for the PS2?
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That game was actually for the PS1.
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oww I really like the idea, if I could be of any help you can ask me :). But im no good at codes and stuff, so i might be of no use at all ^^. Really good idea though... :yes
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Just thinking about these ideas that popping up, it is very possible to do such a thing that on a level of RPG like FFXI online. People could easily create a Online Valley that somewhere away from the Great Valley and you could couse to be either a adult or child and basing the game on team work traveling together in a herd completely missions, like rescues, traveling to one place, protecting a herd from harm or having a harmless race against other kids.
Basically the list is endless to make it a enjoyable game.
(Same bases goes to something like Pokemon that is also a cartoon that very poplour as a card game and video game. They surely could created a world where people walk around different towns in many of the super large regions and they could either battle each other on cards or pokemon vs pokemon, even catching wild pokemon and raising them) I just had to add in another example that could very well easily be created into some sort of RPG
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Hello:
Well, this is a great project, why? because it gives the chance to get exactly what we want, if a game can be developed, somehow all suggestions may be accepted and that way to create a really enjoyable and challenging game for all of us to play with.
I know this is no a game like the Megaman Zero games, and I know this may sound like too much, but what if there can be levels when you can choose a character? (I know that is not RPG, but if you can make a multiplayer game, then why not single player games too), I have seen games when you can even choose characters, that way players may not only choose to play as part of the original gang, but maybe even to play as OCs from this page's RPGs.
I'm sorry I cannot be helpful here, all I can do is to wish you the best of lucks and our support... maybe somehow I may be able to help :)
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I have decided to post up some tentative plans for the game as it stands right now. Don't feel obligated to read it all but this does explain roughly what I have in mind for the game.
(some of you may have read this already)
My intention is to make this game a "mini-MMO RPG", of sorts. I shall explain what I mean by this:
Like any other MMORPG, the game takes place entirely online, with most of the content designed to be handled by groups of 2 or more people. The game can be played on one's own, however there is no "single player" option in the game. One has the choice to either "Host a game" or "Join a game" when they first run the program. Unlike most MMOs however, there is no server running the game 24/7. Servers are hosted by players and servers can be shut down by the hosts. The character that you created is saved on your computer and can join any sever with this (or a new character), provided that there is availability on the server you are trying to join for your character (more information on this later). The game will feature 3d graphics, similar to World of Warcraft and other 3d MMOs. The game takes place in a huge world, full of landmarks and geography present in the actual LBT films, recreated as accurately as possible. Players may enjoy the game as any of the following LBT characters:
-Littlefoot
-Cera
-Ducky
-Petrie
-Spike
-Chomper (under consideration)
-Ruby (under consideration)
-Ali (under consideration)
-Some generic dinosaurs, who have their own storyline, separate from the Original LBT characters' storyline. This is explained in more detail later in this post.
The world is full of NPC (non-player characters) to talk to and receive tasks from. You can also discover tasks to complete from other sources. Some tasks (called "Adventures") require a group of people to complete, as they are too difficult or complex for a single player.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this game is, basically, to develop your character and have fun. Your character will gain experience points, some items and treestars to become stronger. Experience point levels do exist in this game, with a level cap of 50 right now. This is subject to change.
Hosting a game: When you host a game, you may give a name and description for your game. Other players (no player limit decided yet. Possible limit: 64. I will try to make it as high as possible. It will be a MINIMUM of 8, hopefully much higher) may connect to your game via LAN or Internet, using your IP address.
Once you have given a name and description for your game, you are taken to the Character Select screen. On this screen, the player may choose his/her dino, each with their own abilities. In order to play through the major "core" of the game, the player must select one of the LBT characters, not a generic dinosaur. Here's where it gets interesting:
Only ONE player may control each LBT character on a server. This means that there will NEVER be two Littlefoots, two Duckys, etc. on the same server at the same time. If a player has chosen Littlefoot, everyone else who tries to join the game will be informed that Littlefoot is not available and that another character must be chosen. This means that each server will have a maximum of 8 major players on at any one time...so why the 64-player limit? That's where the "generic dinos" come in. ;)
I a player wishes to join the game to explore the world, to socialize, to hang out and maybe do a few tasks here and there, they may! Not everybody is a skilled gamer capable of handling the more difficult gameplay that may exist for some of the Gang's tasks. Also, the server may already have all 8 Gang members playing and if somebody just wants to log in and have some fun, they may, as a generic dino. The generic dinos allow anyone to pick one of a few different dinosaurs, which the player can adjust the look of somewhat (by slightly adjusting size, colour, etc.). Generic dinos have their own set of tasks available to them, separate from the Gang's tasks. In short, the Gang has a set of tasks to do in the game. Multiple players can choose the same generic dino. The Generic Dinos have a different set of tasks to do in the game. They may cross paths with the Gang at times, but the world is so huge that the chances are unlikely unless they meet in a central location (such as the Great Valley).
Character stats:
Each member of the LBT Gang each has unique stats. Generic dinos all have the same base stats, which can be expanded by eating treestars and completing some tasks exclusive to them...and some tasks that may require a huge grouping along with the Gang...more on this later. ;) (think raiding in WoW and you'll see where I'm going with this).
Stats that will likely exist for playable characters are:
Health (HP): This is how much health the character has. When the character takes damage, this value falls from its maximum. When its current value hits zero, the character is dead (We have not yet decided what happens upon death). Health regenerates while sitting down and not being attacked.
Energy (EN): Attacking in combat takes energy. Basic attacks use a very small amount. Abilities and Special Abilities require more energy than most normal attacks to execute. Energy regenerates (relatively) quickly while sitting down and not being attacked. Energy regenerates slowly anytime while not attacking. Treestars can be eaten in battle to quickly restore energy in dire situations. It takes time to eat a treestar though, and you can be interrupted while eating if you are attacked.
Strength:
Affects the amount of physical damage done.
Increases the maximum HP of the character slightly.
Strength is useful for moving large objects in the game, such as boulders. NOTE: Some boulders require more strength to move than a single character can easily obtain. In order to move such boulders, players must combine their strength together. If their total strength is more than the amount required to move the boulder, the boulder can be moved. The higher the players' strength is over the boulder's required strength, the faster the boulder can be pushed.
Stamina:
Has a significant effect on the maximum HP and EN of the character.
Agility:
Improves the character's ability to dodge attacks.
Gives a character's stealth attacks a higher chance to critically hit the target (doing more damage).
Improves the chance for a physical or stealth attack to hit the target.
Toughness: Affects the character's resistance to damage. The more toughness the character has, the less physical damage they will take when they are hit by a physical attack.
Affects the maximum HP of the character.
Dexterity:
Improves the chance of physical and ranged attacks to hit the target.
Slightly affects character's resistance to damage.
Grouping:
This game is designed with grouping in mind. Some tasks are possible to accomplish on your own, but many will require grouping with other members of the Gang in order to accomplish. There will be tasks for each possible quantity of LBT Gang members: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, so no matter what your group size, there is something to do. tasks that require larger groups will yield better rewards and generally be more interesting to complete. They are also generally more difficult to coordinate and more fulfilling to complete.
Adventures:
These are tasks that require the entire Gang of Eight to complete. They typically involve long excursions with many difficult challenges and likely very powerful creatures to face.
Grand Adventures:
This idea is still VERY preliminary and I am not yet sure how this could fit into any story, but...
Grand Adventures are too difficult for even our entire Gang. In order to complete a Grand adventure, the Gang must seek the aid of Generic Dinos. Grand Adventure tasks will appear in the game along with a recommended number of adventurers to complete it. This number will likely typically be between 10 and 20. As you can see, Grand Adventures literally demand a small army of dinos to successfully complete. B)
Chatting:
The game features 4 chat channels:
Global: Chatting over Global means that Every Single Player in the game can see your message.
Local: Everyone in your region (say, the Great Valley) can read your message.
Group: Every member in your group can read your message.
Whisper: Only the specific person you are talking to can read this message.
Dueling/Battling other humans:
This will likely be possible. A player can challenge another to a 1 on 1 duel.
Members of a group can all enable their "duel" setting and engage in a free-for-all, last-man-standing battle. This will be one of the last features to be implimented.
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ITEMS:
Treestar:
This is the most important item in the game, as it has a great many uses. Treestars are stored in the player's inventory and may be traded or consumed.
Some tasks require paying treestars to an NPC in exchange for the task's reward.
Eating treestars outside of combat will allow you to increase your character's maximum Energy. While the numbers have not yet been decided on, an example of how this works is as follows:
Every 100 treestars you consume, your character gains an additional 50 points added to their maximum energy.
This lets players develop their characters using treestars as well as through gaining experience and abilities.
Treestars may be used in combat as "reagents" for some abilities. Some possible examples of this are:
Sprint: Eat a treestar and temporarily increase your movement speed.
Healing: Treestars can be used by biped dinos to heal members of their group.
Recover Energy: A dino can eat a treestar in combat to recover some energy quickly.
Using treestars takes time (maybe 3 seconds, still to be decided on). If you are attacked while using a treestar, some of the progress of "using" the treestar is lost (if you have been eating for 2 seconds and you are attacked, this may be reduced back down to 1 second, for example) and there is a chance that the treestar will be destroyed, cancelling the action that you took. If you wish to use another treestar and try the ability again, you may.
Other items will probably be introduced in the future.
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Continuing on in this post:
COMBAT:
Combat will exist in the game but it will not be the only way to gain points/levels. Exploration and completion of tasks (which may include finding items, getting somewhere within a time limit, working as a team to complete an "obstacle course", etc.) will be the primary source of points and levels. Combat will exist generally in special situations and typically will involve situations such as those seen in LBT movies, using tactics to win fights as opposed to brute strength.
Combat with lesser creatures than adult sharpteeth may appear in the game from time to time, for variety and to give the players a chance to use some of their characters' skills.
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But you have a lot of possibilities for community activity... Like sport games, or cooperative walk through the Mysterious Beyond.
BTW, are planinng to add upgradeble skills to the characters? Like, Ducky can learn how to swim underwater for longer time period.
Exactly, I love your ideas, Coyote. B)
As for upgrading skills, I definitely want to allow that to be in the game. Skills will be upgraded from various sources, including levelling up your character, finding secret NPCs who can train you in new/secret skills, etc.
...if this game happens to come to realization...I may just pass out from joy!
This is a very large-scale project. I will be starting small and building on it from there. The only concern I have is the development of maps and the 3d graphics themselves. My 3D modelling skills are horrible. Aves has volunteered to help out though, which is very good! :)
I'm fine with writing the code and I also intend to compose the soundtrack once the game gets to that stage.
maybe somehow I may be able to help
What we really need are 3d graphic artists and map designers....there will be a LOT of maps and 3d models to make!
Once we can get 3d models figured out, I'm fine with coding the game. At this point, I am working on elements of the game that don't require me to use existing animations/graphics. I am working on map design at the moment, as well as trying to get network/online play working.
To keep the game relatively simple to start with, I'm working with other developers on a Great Valley map where the game will take place for now. Eventually I want the game to cover as much geography as possible, covering many existing LBT-series landmarks and the journey between them. There will be many interesting places to explore, hopefully enough to keep the game interesting for a long time. :)
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Yes it was me who put "would not play". No interest, and my schedule is full the way it is.
Now you don't have to ask.
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Yes it was me who put "would not play". No interest, and my schedule is full the way it is.
That's fine, Petrie.
This game is also on top of another project I am working on with some friends around where I live so I am juggling time between the two projects, full-time job, looking for a new job, life, socializing and yet more projects!
so bear with me! :p
I work on stuff like this as a hobby, to pass the time and build my skills/knowledge, as well as for fun and interest. I'll try to work at a steady pace but I can only work when I can spare the time. ;)
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Hey Action, perhaps we could use a simple program that will randomize imputed sets of data so we wouldn't have to fight over who gets to play each character. As for adding our own characters, wouldn't that be extremely difficult, if not impossible to do with all of the special characters that have been generated from the RPG's? As for the randomizer, I understand that you can even write a small program that could do the trick in javascript if done correctly. It could work like this:
you run the randomizer, and if anyone likes who they were randomized to, then they can be put on "hold" and the remaining people who didn't want to be the characters they were given will be randomized again. It's a simple process and if we used only the 5 characters, I'd say 3.5/5 times you'd be satisfied. That is 70% of the time. That's good enough for me and it would save the need for putting in new characters all the time.
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perhaps we could use a simple program that will randomize imputed sets of data so we wouldn't have to fight over who gets to play each character.
I like that: a "Random" button when choosing characters on the "character select" screen. Sure, I can do that. :)
As for adding our own characters, wouldn't that be extremely difficult, if not impossible to do with all of the special characters that have been generated from the RPG's? As for the randomizer, I understand that you can even write a small program that could do the trick in javascript if done correctly. It could work like this:
I had no intention of letting the user create their own complete character. I would just have a few 3d models of other dinos not known to be LBT characters. These models could be resized or recoloured a little bit using sliders or something in the program on the character select screen. Other than that, no real customization - too much 3d modelling required to do a lot of customization...we can always expand this later.
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Action did you think up all that on your own? I'm kinda shocked how much time and effort you're putting into this game. :p
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Hey, our game development is kinda stuck because we lack graphics. If anyone wants to help make graphics, be my guest!
In order to get this game off the ground, we are in desperate need of 3d graphic designers. I am fine with handling the programming and the audio but so far we have but a single member on the graphic design team: Aves.
Looking to fill the following positions for this project at this point:
3d modellers
3d map designers
Concept artists (for maps, NPCs, objects, locations)
Texture artists (2d)
3D Modellers:
Create 3d models of characters (no need to animate if you don't want, I can handle that part if necessary) and any objects in the game (trees, rocks, etc.).
PRIORITY Right Now: 3d Models of the Gang.
3D map designers:
These people will be using a 3d world editting program (or even 3d modelling program if they choose) to produce the vast maps that are to be found in the world. For starters, we will only need a Great Valley map but this will be expanded as the game gets further into development.
These people may also be considered concept artists for maps, designing locations based on locations from the films, as well as creating some brand new locations.
Priority right now: a Great valley 3d map
Concept Artists:
They will be designing any potential graphics to be put into the game. Concept artists may design maps from scratch or by compiling information from the films together into a cohesive format which can be made into a 3d map. Concept artists may also produce artwork in any format which may be converted into a 3d model later, as a character or object in the game.
Priority right now: Map design and Non-player character design
Texture Artists:
Every 3d object in the game will have a texture of some sort applied to it, to bring it to life. Texture artists will physically draw the 2d images that will be glued to the 3d graphics to make them look realistic. Grass, mountains, sand, everything in the game will have a texture on it.
Priority right now: Anything
I can supply limited software resources to complete any of the above tasks but I don't have very good software. If you have your own that you like to use, please do. :)
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I can¥t do any of these 3D projects, cause I haven¥t got any 3D program :(
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Isn't Malte working on designing a map of the Great Valley?
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Recently I resumed work on a map I begun years ago but never finished. The main reason is that it might be helpful in the online RPG project. I don't know if all landmarks from all movies could be on it, but at least some of the "mysteries" from LBT can be solved (e.g. how could Chomper's egg in LBT 2 be brought back to the Valley even though Littlefoot and the others had to leap over a canyon on the way to the eggeaters cave).
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Ah. Thanks for clarification.
I'd like to help, but I'm not sure what 3D systems or programs are compatible. What format or code must the objects or maps be in?
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I'd like to help, but I'm not sure what 3D systems or programs are compatible. What format or code must the objects or maps be in?
I can accept 3d graphics in any of the following formats:
.b3d
.x
.3ds
If you cannot produce 3d models in any of these formats, let me know and I'll see about converting.
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I think I can volunteer for the concept art. Is there anything specific I would need to do?
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Sounds like you got all the plans going :) wonder how the LBT RPG game itself is going if there any progress on that line, something like this is going to take a server or two or even more and most likely a huge about of data to just create the AI programing, graphics and all the other interfaces.
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I can accept 3d graphics in any of the following formats:
.b3d
.x
.3ds
If you cannot produce 3d models in any of these formats, let me know and I'll see about converting.
Well, I looked online, and found a place that sells 3D models and stuff for games or RPGs. While you have to pay for most of it, some models are free, like this one, which, if purchased (for free), gives you several boulders of various sizes and shapes: Turbosquid-Boulder for sale (http://www.turbosquid.com/FullPreview/Index.cfm/ID/253570). There might be more time-savers there as well.
Does this help?
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I mean I'd do it cause depending on what day it is I'm available most of the time,but I haven't asked yet cause I'm nervous when it comes to RPG games and other internet games.
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Turbosquid-Boulder for sale. There might be more time-savers there as well.
Does this help?
Hmm, I'm having an issue with this model, unfortunately. It is in .max format, which doesn't open with any 3d program I have on my computer. I will work at this problem though.
I think I can volunteer for the concept art. Is there anything specific I would need to do?
The game starts off with the player in the Great Valley. The player then seeks out a non-player character (NPC) in the world to get his/her first task or two from. As the player explores the world, they will meet new and interesting NPCs. If you have any interesting ideas for NPCs that the players could meet up with in the Great Valley to get tasks from, that would be awesome. :) The great valley is rather large and we will need characters other than just the few well-known grownups to get tasks from, eventually. No rush on this but if you have any ideas for interesting NPCs for the player to meet in the GV, go for it! :)
We're also looking for creative ideas for tasks. If anyone has any interesting ideas for things that the player can do in the game, please throw them out!
While you have to pay for most of it, some models are free, like this one, which, if purchased (for free), gives you several boulders of various sizes and shapes: Turbosquid-Boulder for sale. There might be more time-savers there as well.
Does this help?
Indeed it does! :) Good spotting!
The more "background models" like this we can find, the more work we can save ourselves. There are some LBT-specific graphics that we won't be able to find anywhere else but many of the background elements probably do exist as "generic" 3d objects somewhere online, if we can find it. :)
I'm really trying to avoid spending much money to develop a freeware project (if I had a better job I may consider it, but not now).
wonder how the LBT RPG game itself is going if there any progress on that line, something like this is going to take a server or two or even more and most likely a huge about of data to just create the AI programing, graphics and all the other interfaces.
It will be a lot of work but it should be very possible.
something like this is going to take a server or two or even more
Do you mean for developing the game or for hosting it?
My computer is powerful enough that I can do all of the necessary work on the game elements. 3D model work can demand a decent video card but it's not absolutely necessary. The more RAM you have, the better but you can get away with any *fairly* modern computer, no problem. The workflow may just be a little choppy as the computer tries to handle all the 3d stuff.
If you're referring to running the game once it's designed, I was going to let players host games while playing them. Other players connect to this "host" player. In a perfect world I'd have a dedicated server running the game all the time but I can't afford the computer, nor the bandwidth to leave it hosting an online game (the bandwidth being the larger of the problems. I have an older computer I could use to host). That won't be an option.
likely a huge about of data to just create the AI programing, graphics and all the other interfaces.
It will be large like any computer game, though it won't be large on the scale of the brand new games coming out today. Some games nowadays install to 5GB or more and require monster computers to play. This LBT game uses DirectX 7 technology and limited amounts of AI/physics calculating, therefore the game won't be nearly as demanding on a computer as a modern game. I will also be sure to allow the user to choose a game resolution and detail level so the game runs optimally on the player's computer.
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Okay, I found something interesting for anyone who may be interested at all with helping with the 3d stuff:
Behold, BLENDER:
http://www.blender.org/download/get-blender/ (http://www.blender.org/download/get-blender/)
Blender is a Free 3d-modeling/animating 'And more' program. It can import and export to a variety of file formats. I will definitely be taking the time to learn it; if anyone wants to try their hand with 3d work at all, this is one way to do it. :)
Be aware though: the HELP menu is your friend. This program is a little on the complex side.
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Blender_3D:_Noob_to_Pro (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Blender_3D:_Noob_to_Pro)
Here's a free "book" that talks in detail about Blender, from beginner to advanced. Have fun! B)
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Thanks, I"m sure some will find the program useful, and or fun.
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No rush on this but if you have any ideas for interesting NPCs for the player to meet in the GV, go for it! :)
We're also looking for creative ideas for tasks. If anyone has any interesting ideas for things that the player can do in the game, please throw them out!
NPCs: Mr. Clubtail, Mo, Ducky's Mom, Petrie's Mom.
Tasks: Return lost egg(s), "escort mission", find (specific item) etc. . Pokemon Mystery Dungeon tasks could work.
Sierra, Rinkus, Ozzie, Strut could work but if this is a non battling RPG then I don't know how.
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Finding a hidden place / entrance / passage etc. It would be tricky though to make such a task in a computer game more than mere "walking around".
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One could get ideas from some movie scenes or tv episodes. Like the one where Mr. Threehorn's mate has a pile of different types of stones. Maybe some of the player characters gathered some nice looking stones for her.
Find and return lost young ones.
Help clear an area that has gotten messy due to a storm, perhaps.
The Great Egg Adventure could perhaps be a quest or task also.
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I suppose many task ideas would come the moment we had a central plot (or something like it) for the game.
Maybe there could be a task involving the bullies from LBT 3. In order to defeat them in a competition there could be many tasks which couldn't be managed by one, but several players. Winning the contest against them might get them to give the characters some information they are looking for, or the bullies themselves could help out as NPCs who won't do a job only they can do unless they are defeated in the contest by Littlefoot and the gang.
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aybe there could be a task involving the bullies from LBT 3. In order to defeat them in a competition there could be many tasks which couldn't be managed by one, but several players. Winning the contest against them might get them to give the characters some information they are looking for, or the bullies themselves could help out as NPCs who won't do a job only they can do unless they are defeated in the contest by Littlefoot and the gang.
Ahh, I like this one!
Good idea. :yes
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Seems I should have a bit more time available nowadays, for awhile (until June or so) so I'll have more time to plug away at this project for a few months.
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That's sounds great. BTW, any progress this far? :)
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I've hit a bit of a snag with the physics engine, specifically gravity. It's causing some issues that I need to resolve before I can get anything else implemented. I've spent quite a few hours on the issue so far but it's not working too well. :(
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Gravity problems like Petrie can't fly, or that Littlefoot can walk into the sky, things do not fall that should?
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things do not fall that should?
This is half of the problem I'm having. I can get the program to have jumping function properly but have falling (without jumping first) Not work....or get the program to have falling work but jumping Not work...:p.
Littlefoot can walk into the sky
This is the other half of the problem. I can get one or the other of these problems fixed but as soon as I fix one problem, I cause the other problem. :p
Long story short, my collision detection with the ground isn't working as intended, for unknown reasons. When the player is on the ground, the value of "entityCollided" should be TRUE (which basically means "yes, the player is colliding with the ground") on every check. My program, however, alternates the value of "entityCollided" between TRUE and FALSE while the player is on the ground...I have a *vague* idea why but I don't have a fix for it yet.
I'll mess with it when I get a chance.
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Good luck. I doubt it is the same as on mush code. But on mushes if a character, except for a wizard, does not have the fly flag they are unable to enter a sky room or use sky exits, same for vehicles.
Is the ground considered a type of wall? So something can't walk through walls? Not sure if it works the same or not.
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Are you absolutely certain that you know how to program a multiplayer game? If not then your game is likely not going to be multiplayer, if you can get a game done at all. I'm telling you this because I've been working on a similar project myself for a couple years now :bang and I'm just now really coming to grips with the fact that I likely NEVER would have been able to do what I was planning on doing.
As far as setting up gravity, here's something I threw together that you might try. I didn't get a chance to test it or anything, but it might give you an idea of what to do:
Function SetupGravity(Character.Character)
;Enable gravity on land characters
If Character/movement = walking
;Increase the fall rate only if the character is not touching the ground
If EntityCollided(Character/model,ground) = False
If Character/lateral_Speed > maximum_fall_rate
Character/lateral_Speed = Character/lateral_Speed - 0.1
EndIf
Else
Character/lateral_Speed = 0
EndIf
;Jump
If KeyHit(Jump_Key) Then Character/lateral_Speed = 1
ElseIf Character/movement = flying
;Your flying code here
EndIf
;Move the character up or down
TranslateEntity Character/model,0,Character/lateral_Speed,0
End Function
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Are you absolutely certain that you know how to program a multiplayer game? If not then your game is likely not going to be multiplayer, if you can get a game done at all.
You're right, I have no experience with working on multiplayer games. I'm flying by the seat of my pants on this project. :p
That being said though, I do understand enough programming and game design principles that I'm confident that I can figure it out eventually.
Function SetupGravity(Character.Character)
;Enable gravity on land characters
If Character/movement = walking
;Increase the fall rate only if the character is not touching the ground
If EntityCollided(Character/model,ground) = False
If Character/lateral_Speed > maximum_fall_rate
Character/lateral_Speed = Character/lateral_Speed - 0.1
EndIf
Else
Character/lateral_Speed = 0
EndIf
;Jump
If KeyHit(Jump_Key) Then Character/lateral_Speed = 1
ElseIf Character/movement = flying
;Your flying code here
EndIf
;Move the character up or down
TranslateEntity Character/model,0,Character/lateral_Speed,0
End Function
Hmm, do you have experience in Blitz3d programming, because this code you posted up is the same language we're writing the game in.
Problem:
If EntityCollided(Character/model,ground) = False
This doesn't work half the time. I'll look at this eventually but...well, we'll see when.
A project of this size will demand one of:
1) Me to give up years of my life to complete
2) A team of developers.
I'm hoping more for an option B. :lol
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Nice to see other Blitz users here on these forums, aye, Action? =)
I'd do more if I had more time between my art projects and what not
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looks pretty good -_-
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i dont have the time to keep up, i have to play saints row, write new music and study for my mock exams :(
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Hmm, do you have experience in Blitz3d programming, because this code you posted up is the same language we're writing the game in.
Yes I do, actually. I'd probably still be using it if I'd have backed up my copy before my computer crashed. :slap
Anyway, why not just go to the Blitz forums to get your questions answered?
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Anyway, why not just go to the Blitz forums to get your questions answered?
I haven't spent much time on this project so far, to be honest. I haven't even gone through tutorials or anything outside of the Blitz help file. Obviously there is just logic which needs to happen and I have a theory on what I'm doing wrong. I'll work it out.
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Not sure if I mentioned it idea here or not, but maybe taking Tria, Tricia, whichever her name is, some pretty stones. She has a lot in the Canyon of Shiny Stones episode. maybe some of the pc's took some to her. It can be either she asks some, or Threehorn in his brusk manner says Tria/Tricia likes pretty stones so take her some now.
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Behold, our first step towards a 3D LBT RPG, programmed in C++:
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/action9000/Screenshot1.png)
.....
Okay, I'll admit it doesn't so much just yet. :p It has controls similar to an MMO:
W, S, Q and E move the cube around.
A and D rotate the cube left and right.
If you hold the left mouse button, you can move the camera with the mouse. The camera orbits and faces the cube automatically.
I'm trying to figure out collisions now, so that the camera will physically crash into the ground instead of going through it. :p
Here's a link to download the game as it is right now.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4YM07ESW (http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4YM07ESW)
Please be aware, load times are not yet optimzed. It may takes 15 seconds on a black screen to load. Press ESC to close the game at any time. It may take up to 5 or 10 seconds to close, as well.
I've made updates to camera collisions as of now but the framerate seems to suffer as a result, so I haven't posted it up here. I'll post something once I get it stable. :)
[EDIT] Okay, I found the performance problem! Actually, it was related to my computer, having a billion programs running at once. :p This game itself runs fine. I"ll post up the update shortly. B)
Here's a new link:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RV09O4CH (http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RV09O4CH)
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So cool.. =D
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I would definitely be interested in this. Please let me know if I can be of help
Malte, if you're still willing to help out, there is a major part of this project that needs to be developed eventually: the world map. Basically, my goal is to reproduce as much of the LBT world as completely and accurately as possible, but I don't have any maps drawn yet.
For now, what we really need is a map of the Great Valley. The rest of the world can come later, but anyone willing to work on any part of the map is much appreciated!
If anyone is willing to look over the movies and figure out, as accurately as possible, the relative locations of as many places in as much detail as possible, that would be awesome! We can make the game map as detailed as we can figure out, so the more detail you can gather, the better off we'll be. Relative locations of major regions (the Great Valley, the desert, the Valley of Mists, Big Water, etc.) are important, as is the geography of each region (aka. what sorts of land formations are in each part of the Great Valley, where is the volcano from LBT 2 in comparison to, say, Littlefoot's nest, Ducky's nest? Where was the "hole in the great wall" in LBT 2, relative to these other locations?
Again, the Great Valley is the most important priority for now. Other stuff can come later.
I understand that the movies aren't always consistant, but I'm sure we can figure something out. I know this won't be an easy task but if anyone is willing to help, I can focus more on programming and we can get this project closer to reality that much sooner.
The more details of the LBT world that people are able to figure out, the more genuine our world map will be. Anyone who wants to work on this, please, feel free! :)
I realize that figuring the exact location of everything in every movie is impossible. What I'm looking for is a map that lays out as much detail of the LBT world as possible, with as many elements as possible, in logical places that would allow each movie's events to be possible on our world map.
In order to simplify this task for now, I intend to first design a small-scale version of this project, taking place entirely in the Great Valley. If we can get that working, we can move onto a larger-scale game. That being said, we need detailed maps of the Great Valley that allow every event from every movie to be possible. Who's up for it? :D :lol
Feel free to draw maps in any way you want, as long as you have some way to send it to me eventually. B)
If we can get started on the maps, I can do some programming in the meantime.
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The problem is.. The great valley seems to change every movie.. :o
So you must focus on one movie.. or make something from all together.. =D .. I'd like to help with finding places though.. Time enough.
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The problem is.. The great valley seems to change every movie..
I know, that will be a pain. I'm hoping there is some logical way to put every major location in the Valley from each movie onto a single map, while it still making sense to what happens in every movie.
This may not actually be possible, I don't know. I'm looking for a great mind who is willing to take on the challenge and find out once and for all! :D :wow
As Mumbling pointed out, there is no "One map of the Great Valley" in the movies. What we need to do is engineer a map that is as continuous with the movies as possible, allowing every event in the films to make sense if it took place on our map, ideally. It won't be easy, but unless we want people going "But if this is here, than...in LBT #, this couldn't have happened!" we need to get it right. B)
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Hmm.. I could try.
Although I will start mixing tomorrow too..
Got time enough this weekend to watch all lbt movies and check what is where =D.
Heh..
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Got time enough this weekend to watch all lbt movies and check what is where =D.
Heh..
LOL, no rush, of course. :) I suspect this will be a very long-term project. If we can cut it down to a very long-term project from a very, very, very, very, very long-term project though, I think everyone will be happier! :D
Thank you Mumbling, and anyone else willing to help with this massive undertaking. :yes
Although I will start mixing tomorrow too..
Which reminds me, I have an update for you. I'll get it to you later today.
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I can help, if that's ok
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Going to bed now. I'll see what I can do for ya tim.
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I can help, if that's ok
Sure, that would be awesome! :D
Going to bed now. I'll see what I can do for ya tim.
Goodnight, and thanks, Mumbling!
My advice to everyone who wants to help:
Get the movies to your computer and take screenshots. LOTS of screenshots. They'll help you identify locations when you can flip through a lot of them quickly.
Check the When You're On Your Own topic for my latest update to your song. B)
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Update:
Here's a link to the game as it is now:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RV09O4CH (http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RV09O4CH)
You need to extract all of the files to the same folder, somewhere on your computer, for it to work.
It does require DirectX 9.0c and I don't gurantee that it will work on a Mac not running Windows. If a Mac user can prove otherwise, please do!
Controls (like a typical 3rd person 3D RPG):
W: move forward
S: move backward
Q: strafe left
E: strafe right
A: turn left
D: turn right
ESC: Close the game. It should close instantly but it may take up to 5 seconds depending on your computer.
Hold the LEFT mouse button to control the camera with the mouse. You may move the cube while holding the mouse button.
Known bugs:
-No gravity: if you go off the map, you don't fall.
-Holding Right-click will stop the camera where it is. Right-click is the next feature to be implimented. This action is temporary.
-Releasing the left mouse button "teleports" the camera back to the default position instead of smoothly scrolling back. This is to be fixed soon.
- When you left-click, the mouse cursor disappears, which is correct. However, when you release the left mouse button, your cursor appears in a different location from where it was when you clicked the button. Ideally, it should pop back up in the same place. The same is true for right-clicking.
The game is set to 800x600 resolution in 32-bit colour, so it should perform on most computers. When we're further in development, we'll give players a bunch of ways to control graphic quality. We're in DirectX 9 so this game can look pretty if we try. :D
Sorry I couldn't go DirectX 10. I don't have Vista so I can't support it at all, nor do I want to force everyone to get Vista to run this. :p
DarkBasic Pro doesn't support DirectX 10, either. DX 9 it is. B)
Give it 10-15 seconds on the full black screen to load. If you get an error, please let me know what it is. Thanks. :)
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I've done some screenshots of places and some plants & such on the lbt wiki. The thing I recall is most of the places in the great valley they do not say this is next to that, you have to go past or through this to get to that. In some cases they do, but not in every case, nor do they say how far certain places are, except for certain places like the great stone walkover (natural bridge) is Cera says it'll take most of the day to get there. Though she could be exaggerating. Some places do not have pictures since I do not have the dvd's that contain the movies or episodes. They are not very good, but it may be a starting place.
Some Places:
http://landbeforetime.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Locations (http://landbeforetime.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Locations)
Some Plants:
http://landbeforetime.wikia.com/wiki/Plants (http://landbeforetime.wikia.com/wiki/Plants)
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Saurus Rock: http://landbeforetime.wikia.com/wiki/Saurus_Rock (http://landbeforetime.wikia.com/wiki/Saurus_Rock)
Smoking Mountain: http://landbeforetime.wikia.com/wiki/Smoking_Mountain (http://landbeforetime.wikia.com/wiki/Smoking_Mountain)
Threehorn Peak: http://landbeforetime.wikia.com/wiki/Threehorn_Peak (http://landbeforetime.wikia.com/wiki/Threehorn_Peak)
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I have observed LBT 2. made a word document and some screenshots.. Most places are clear to me.. I just have to put them on a 'map' so it will be clear to those who have not followed the movie the way i did:P
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I've got some screenshots of some streams, including water falls and thundering falls,
long distance shots, i'm tring to work out were they are in proportion to the rest of the
Valley, also have a few shots of petrie's nest
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About the last update of the game.. With me it doesn't really wants to open because d3dx9_35.dll is missing :p. No idea which dll it is but I haven't got it?
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About the last update of the game.. With me it doesn't really wants to open because d3dx9_35.dll is missing
Same here
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Odd.. Then it isn't just me..
http://www.dll-files.com/dllindex/d3dx9_35.zip?0VDePDWKiR (http://www.dll-files.com/dllindex/d3dx9_35.zip?0VDePDWKiR) here we can download it.
Just copy the dll file and put it in C:Windows/System
I think you should add that to the zipped thing Tim.
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That DLL file you're missing, is part of the DirectX 9 set of DLLs... Hmm, odd... If you have DirectX 9, it should be there...
EDIT: Oh, and this idea totally ROCKS. I haven't read the whole thread yet; no time right now. I will later! And... Tech demos already?? Woot! :wub:
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Maybe we havent got Direct x 9 =D
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If you've got Windows XP, you should have it...
You can find out; click Start, click Run, and type dxdiag.
When it's all said and done, it should tell you your DirectX version...
...I can point you guys in the right direction, for the very LAST DirectX 9 update; it was done in, uhh... February, I think? But, I don't have the link right now...
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Thank you sweet boy :)
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No problem, dear friend! :) Or, should I say, Yahweh's Butterfly?
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Call me whatever you want to call me.
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You mean... IM you?
D'oh; that's right! It's the weekend!
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Oh... I've got DirectX 10, then should it work ?
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I think he developed the game for DirectX 9.
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Odd.. Then it isn't just me..
http://www.dll-files.com/dllindex/d3dx9_35.zip?0VDePDWKiR (http://www.dll-files.com/dllindex/d3dx9_35.zip?0VDePDWKiR) here we can download it.
Just copy the dll file and put it in C:Windows/System
I think you should add that to the zipped thing Tim.
I'll be sure to do that for the next package I post here. :)
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That would save me from having to look up that link...
By the way, I already told Iris, but, for anyone else that might not know, DirectX 10 is backwards-compatible with DirectX 9...
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Well.. I have researched Land Before Time II. I uploaded a zipped file in which everything is explained.
In the maps you can find screenshots of that place the map is named after. Next to that I made a word document in which I tell about their place in the valley and how the place looks like. With the screenshots I try to make clear clear how it looks like. I also drew up a map/chart thingy with a key to make several places clear, though it isn't sure if those places are really there, they might be on different positions.
This is just how I thought they valley looks like in lbt 2 ^^ Not the creators own work, so if I were you I won't trust on me only.
Well.. here it is, finally.. Stupid slow uploading(and stupid driveway, again it didn't accept my file.. sigh)(that means I first have to wait til it's uploaded 100%(that takes 20 minutes) and then they will tell me the file is invalid.. That's very weird because they say they accept all files..).. Lot of brackets :lol
Land Before Time 2 (http://adrive.com/public/fcd47a4aa92a979a8970c612ced9068c34a33a4e566ee3e3fb9514c8df6d1058.html)
By the way, I might have made some typos in the word document.. I've got a bad keyboard on my room haha.
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SOunds like a lot of hard work.
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Sorry for those of you who clicked the link and couldn't access the file, I now edited it =)..
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That's great work Iris
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Thank you :)
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That map you did is pretty spot on, i've got a screenshot that fit's the map perfectly
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Cool :lol: Really that's awesome.. It means that my mind got the places kind of right.
I have done thesame for LBT3. Sadly enough I didnt get thesame result. I couldn't find any special places and the gang was mostly at the water place or in the forest. So I will not do it for lbt 3 and move on to lbt 4.
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Wonderful work, Iris! Wow... You really thought this out! Heh! :P: Great job!
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Game update! :D
http://search3.idrive.com/driveway/jsp/dwa...p?id=l9n2i2y9a7 (http://search3.idrive.com/driveway/jsp/dway_download.jsp?id=l9n2i2y9a7)
The following fixes and updates have been made:
New Stuff:
-Gravity! :wow Press the Space bar to jump. You will fall at an ever-increasing speed until you hit the ground (no air resistance, just the acceleration of gravity). You are not able to jump while in the air.
-Frames Per Second counter. The number in the upper-left quadrant of the screen is your Frames Per Second. I limited the max framerate to 60, in order to keep it in sync with LCD monitors. Ideally, that Frames Per Second number should always be 60, but as you'll see...it won't be. :(
-Included that DirectX 9 .DLL file that was missing and attached a .txt file explaining how to install the program.
[EDIT] the text file says to put it in Windows\System. I believe that is supposed to be Windows\System32.
Fix:
-The camera now crashes properly into the ground, no matter where the ground is. This should work for any ground shape now. Before, it only worked if the ground was flat.
Known Bugs:
-Poor Framerate while a mouse button is held down (30 FPS on my computer).
I honestly don't know what I can do about this. It takes all the code I have in there to move the camera properly. I don't know how I can fix this.
There really isn't that much code...I don't know why it's slowing down so badly. I'm still looking into this.
(Well...I guess my camera code is 350 lines long, but only about 100 of that is for any one mouse button. It shouldn't be *this* slow, should it? It shouldn't cut my framerate in Half! Besides, even with no mouse buttons pressed, a lot of camera code is executed.)
-Game goes out of sync when the framerate is below 60 frames per second.
Basically, the lower the framerate is, the slower the code runs. Ideally, the code should always run at 60 FPS no matter what the video framerate is doing. The video shouldn't slow down the entire program.
I am researching a timer/sync system which may solve the sync issue. This MUST be resolved before the game can be made multiplayer, or else players will be out of sync with each other. Hold the mouse button and move. You'll notice that you suddenly move slower than when you're not holding the mouse button. That is the sync issue I need to address and fix.
Here is my solution.
http://www.thegamecreators.com/data/newsle...ssue_42.html#13 (http://www.thegamecreators.com/data/newsletter/newsletter_issue_42.html#13)
I just need to figure out how to impliment it.
-If you walk/jump off the game world, you will not fall properly. This is because I use "raycasting" to calculate where the ground is. Basically, I fire a "beam" straight down from the player, in order to find the distance to the ground. The beam tells my program how far away the nearest object is that the beam touches. If there is no object (aka.ground), it gives me a value of 0. Therefore my program thinks you're on the ground (distance of 0 to the ground, therefore you must be on the ground, right? RIGHT? :p) and you don't fall.
This won't be an issue for the actual gameplay because there will ALWAYS be some kind of ground eventually. :p I made sure to make the beam long enough that even if you're falling off the highest mountain into an ocean, it will be able to see the ground. B) (you may not survive the fall, but hey, at least know how far you fell! :lol )
Anyone who wants to mess around with this program and let me know how it works, that would be awesome!
The controls again are:
W = move forward
S = move backward
A = turn left
D = turn right
Q = strafe left
E = strafe right
SPACEBAR = jump
Left-click the mouse to control the camera with the mouse.
Right-click the mouse to rotate your player while controlling the camera with the mouse.
[EDIT] I fixed the framerate issue when holding down a mouse button. That fix will appear in the next release. :) It was actually an easy fix: using a different function to check for collisions. The one I had in there was disgustingly slow. :p
I haven't yet been able to get the sync issue resolved. I've ben fighting with it all evening with no success. :(
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sadly enough it still says that the dll is missing, stupid computer searches in thesame map I open te game.. So if I have it in my documents and the dll both in my documents and system/system32 folder it says: 'the application of DLL-file C:\documents and settings\kuppen\my documents\d3dx9_35.dll is not a valid windows-copy. Control this on your installationdisk.'
O yea.. Deleted it from that map, then it goes searching in windows32 folder. Still says it's not valid. somehow, your dll was a bigger file then the one I downloaded before. Maybe it has to do with that. I'll download the old one again.
edit: Yes.. the one I downloaded does work.. Hmm.. Sad
I tried the game, with me the number kept on saying 29, except for when I jump(it goes around 45) and when I am on the green part(makes it 51) but never 60.. might be my computer.
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Hmm, okay. Thank you very much Mumbling, for your feedback! :)
I tried the game, with me the number kept on saying 29, except for when I jump(it goes around 45) and when I am on the green part(makes it 51) but never 60.. might be my computer.
29 frames per second when rendering a cube on a flat map in 800x600 resolution...I really hope I can get the code better than that. :p That's going to be brutal when we have the code for a whole game around this, too.
I tried running this program on my older computer and I get a lousy framerate on that, too. This code obviously needs to be optimised, I just don't know what I can do. I need all my code!
[EDIT] I found the source of the slow framerate: the .x files (the files that contain the map that you move around). In other words, I need to find either a new way to make maps or a new way to render maps in the game...not sure which just yet. Good start though! At least I know where to start looking.
I made an interesting discovery today: The game runs smoother when it's not running fullscreen. I set up a timer which times how long it takes to run through the code and calculate the rendering for 1 frame. This number varies between 16/17ms ( = 1/60 of a second = 60 Frames per second, which lines up with the game clock) and 36ms.......
That 36ms comes in every so often in fullscreen and temporarily kills the framerate (every, like 50th frame or so is rendered twice as slow as a normal frame for an unknown reason). I have no idea why. I also have no idea why when I run the program in windowed mode (not fullscreen) that 36ms goes away and the rendering time is a consistant 16/17ms: exactly what it's supposed to be.
for example, in fullscreen I see:
16,17,17,16,17,17,16,17,17,16,17,17,36,17,17,16,17,17,16,17,17,36,17,17...
in windowed mode I see:
16,17,17,16,17,17,16,17,17,16,17,17,16,17,17,16,17,17,16,17,17,16,17,17...
No 36's :p
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Okay, I have some really good news for everybody:
Get this....
The basic engine WORKS! :D :D :wow
Here is a list of the updates:
New Stuff:
None this time. I just made everything work.
Fixes:
-Fixed the issue where the game speed was dependant on the video framerate. No matter what your Frames per second is now, the game will run at exactly the same speed. This means....multiplayer is now possible to synchronize!
-Found the source of the poor framerate bug. This has not yet been fixed but I at least know where to start on it now. It relates to the maps, not the engine itself.
-Much better framerate when moving the camera.
Known Bugs:
-The camera won't go below 0 degrees relative to the Z axis. I will address this when I can more easily address it (when I have more complex maps to test the camera on). It is not a concern for me at this moment.
-Very poor framerate. This is related to the maps, not the program itself (if I turn the maps off, the program runs really good). I'll try to address this in future versions.
With the fix of the sync issue, the completion of a basic camera system and the introduction of gravity, I think we're ready to start making stuff that's more fun than little cubes on flat planes!
Coming soon:
-Title screen
-Host Game / Join Game
-Options menu, with a few things in it for now. More to come later.
-Character Select Screen
-Loading screen(s)
-a 3d mini-world for testing, more complex than a flat plane.
-
I am not sure if I understood the technical stuff, but good luck. Sounds like some of it will be a headache and currently is.
-
I'm proud to announce that, as of now, our game has broken the milestone of 1,000 lines of code! :D
I'm working on getting a main menu system implimented now.
-
Verion 0.00004 (we're getting fewer 0's every time! :D :lol ) is available for download now!
http://search3.idrive.com/driveway/jsp/dwa...p?id=l4u2u9x5a5 (http://search3.idrive.com/driveway/jsp/dway_download.jsp?id=l4u2u9x5a5)
The following is a list of updates in this release. Combine these with the updates found in the previous post to see all of the changes since the last program I posted here.
New Stuff:
-I actually included the correct .DLL file this time. :p This should work by simply extracting everything to the same location. I think the issue with my old .DLL file is that I'm using 64-bit version of stuff because I'm on a 64-bit version of Windows XP and your computers weren't liking my 64-bit directX files. :p
I could be wrong....anyway, this one has worked on every computer I tested. :P:
-I replaced the black loading screen with a graphic that actually tells you that the program is doing something, rather than just staring you in the face. :p
-Added a (useless at this point) menu system. Move your mouse around it, click on stuff. You'll see where I'm going with the menu system in the future. You can exit the game by pressing ESC on the menu or during gameplay.
-Added a bunch of (temporary) graphics files to go along with the menu system. Simply leave them in the Images folder and the program will sort it all out. :)
-I just polished the look of the program a little bit by getting rid of all of my random text that pops up on the screen and putting a comment next to the framerate indicator.
Bug Fixes:
None this time.
Known bugs:
-Still a very bad framerate. Again, this is because of the maps we're using. I've taken the maps out of the code and the framerate is awesome when I do that. The player movement/camera movement code is all fine.
-The "Resolution" option in the Options menu doesn't do anything at all. I'm still playing with how I want to do that.
-You still can't move the camera lower than 0 degrees on the Z axis, I don't think.
(btw, we're at 1,141 lines of code now. :p)
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eh, o my god it's slow. Ok I know I play in fullscreen which is 1280x720, but it hardly moves eh. framerate is 2 or 1. Well that I can hardly move is all I can say, the menu idea is working fine.
With the new maps: 57/58
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With the new maps: 57/58
that's what I wanna hear! :D
Now that the program works on a basic flat map, I need to make sure it works on other maps. I'll be messing around with that for awhile now. May not be any significant updates for a while.
-
Okay, cool.
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Can't download the file, no biggie I guess since I"m not a coder not like I could help anyway. Good luck on the project.
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I'm no coder either, really get dizzy of only seeing it. But I like to try to help ^^
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Game looking good, love the menu
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Incoming update! :D
I think you'll like this one: the game runs faster now! :lol :p
http://search3.idrive.com/driveway/jsp/dwa...p?id=x5v2t1d7p4 (http://search3.idrive.com/driveway/jsp/dway_download.jsp?id=x5v2t1d7p4)
Okay, what did I do here?
New Stuff:
-The test map is a MUCH smaller file and runs MUCH faster than the old test map. The map is physically larger and has elevation changes.
-Collisions with slopes are now fully functional.
There is a value in the program, which can be changed at any time, which sets the maximum slope that the player can climb. If the slope the player is on exceeds that number, the player simply slides down it, picking up speed as they fall.
Bug Fixes:
-Camera now follows the player properly, no matter what height the player is at.
-Camera now collides with the ground (in most cases). This is still a little buggy but it's a lot better than it was. I'm working on perfecting this.
-Player no longer walks through walls, but instead attempts to climb the surface. If it's too steep, the player simply slides back down.
Known bugs:
-Jumping and sliding has a little bit of flickering at times. I haven't yet figured out why. I consider this a cosmetic bug, which we can look into later when we have more content.
-The camera will still occasionally go into the wall. This usually happens when the player is moving. Typically, collisions seem to work best if the player is stationary. I really hope I can perfect this collision thing. I have a theory on what can be done in the map files, but I'm kinda stuck on the code part.
Stuff to ignore:
The flickering numbers across the top and the random text that appears on the screen. I just had them up to help debug some stuff.
-If you fall off the mountain, you probably can't get back up. I set the maximum slope you can climb to be really low. I was testing the functionality and I just forgot to change this number back. :p
COMING SOON:
NETWORK PLAY!
Yes, you heard that right! I am going to now attempt to impliment networking into the game, which should work over LAN at first. Once I get LAN working, I'll try to get internet play working.
I will need people to help me test internet gaming, if anyone's interested. B)
-
old laptop's framrate: 3/4
this computer's framerate 57/58.
lol, I'm going to check it out on more computers ^^
And about the internetgaming. .im up for that :p
-
action9000, i'm interested in helping you with netplay testing. We can also test a LAN netplay by using local network emulation programms like "Hamachi", BTW. :yes
The framerate on my computer is always around 60 FPS.
-
this computer's framerate 57/58.
My computers all run it at 57+ frames per second, so this is awesome! Looks like the maps were the major cause of the speed problem, indeed. :)
old laptop's framrate: 3/4
This game may place a fair amount of demand on the processor and RAM of your computer. A computer with a significantly outdated processor will suffer in this game, unfortunately.
I'd like to make this game as compatible as possible with slower computers, I just only have so much control over the speed of the code. I am using a code library and I don't have access to the code within the commands. In short...there isn't much I can do speed up the code. I try to write my code as efficiently as possible but I can't edit the code inside the DarkBasic functions.
And about the internetgaming. .im up for that
Awesome! :)
action9000, i'm interested in helping you with netplay testing. We can also test a LAN netplay by using local network emulation programms like "Hamachi", BTW.
Hamachi is probably how we'd end up playing this game. I suspect that the code for LAN games will be significantly simpler than coding an internet game. I'll focus entirely on LAN for now and if we really need true Internet gaming, we can do that later.
Right now I'm assuming that everyone who helps is willing to use Hamachi and run it in LAN mode.
Thanks for your help! :D
I'll let you know when I'm ready for testing. ;)
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Yea.. Well I guess that old laptop is only able to handle msn and internet :p .
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I'll let you know when I'm ready for testing. ;)
Good. But then we might face some problems because of the difference in time zones. :)
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QUOTE (action9000 @ Jun 7 2008, 11:57 AM)
I'll let you know when I'm ready for testing.
Good. But then we might face some problems because of the difference in time zones.
Hmm. That could be a problem. i'm 8 hours ahead of action and you are eh 10 I guess.. It still must be possible.
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Ok on my mother's laptop with windows vista, framerate :58/58/59.
hehe.. I could go under the map.. =p
You think you can let characters run?
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Looking good Tim! I'm up for testing internet playability. Time zones aren't a problem for me since we both reside in the same province. Also, i don't know if anyone noticed but my character actually started to float up when i left the ground until i reached another level, after that, i wouldn't fall when i walked off the edge.
(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa86/mrmeat770/untitled.jpg)
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Well everyone, I have a bit of bad news:
First, no, the project isn't cancelled.
I lost my job today. :( While in theory I have more free time, I really need to find some work ASAP. :P: Until I get things sorted out over here, I won't be spending nearly as much time programming and working on this game. The good news is that this shouldn't last very long, but please bear with me.
my character actually started to float up when i left the ground until i reached another level, after that, i wouldn't fall when i walked off the edge.
Did weird stuff only start happening when you stepped into the green area?
My program will not function properly if there is no ground below you. It also has a bit of trouble recovering from a step into the nothingness. :p
That's a known issue that I don't think is worth resolving because in a real game scenario, there will *always* be ground below you eventually.
You're right though, you found the first "easter egg" of the game:
A secret 2nd level above the first one. :lol
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Awww. It's sad that you lost your job.. But I'm sure you'll find something :).
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I'm sure you'll get something soon.
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sorry to hear that you lost your job.
Did weird stuff only start happening when you stepped into the green area?
ya.... just couldn't resist going off the ground. Though i did read before about how in the final game, there would always be land, i thought i might put that out there.
You're right though, you found the first "easter egg" of the game
:DD :D :lol: :lol :DD
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What softwere are you using to make the game?
Oh, and sorry about your job action9000
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What softwere are you using to make the game?
Oh, and sorry about your job action9000
An answer?
I am using Blitz3d, a programming library designed specifically for producing computer games (2d or 3d). The language is similar to a combination of BASIC and Java/C++, with specific libraries which are very useful for game designers, combined with the flexibility of a complete programming language.
The game will be 3d (Direct3D, DirectX 7 or greater required) and already loads a 3d map from an external file which I designed, places a cube on the map (controlled by the player) and lets the player control the movement of the cube and the camera in this 3d world. It's actually pretty cool. :) I'm just getting some bugs out of my code right now. It's pretty powerful considering it's only 184 lines so far. ;)
In a perfect world, this game will eventually be a full 3d world, simlar to 3d MMOs like World of Warcraft. As for how far this game will get in development, it is unsure at the moment.
I am developing this engine for an original game project that a couple of friends and I are attempting. The game engine happens to also be very useful for an LBT Multiplayer RPG, so I figured I'd throw the idea out there. :)
Guess that's the answer :)
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Sorry, I knew it had already been posted but i couldn't find it,
My and my mate are going to make a game soon and we needed a program to do it.
Thanks Iris
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Sorry, I knew it had already been posted but i couldn't find it,
My and my mate are going to make a game soon and we needed a program to do it.
Thanks Iris
You're welcome :)
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Actually, Blitz3d is my old answer. My last attempt was written using Blitz3d. I don't really like it because it's so outdated (from the DirectX 7 days).
This time I'm using the C++ programming language and the Dark GDK (http://gdk.thegamecreators.com/) game development code library for C++. Combined, there is all sorts of flexibility.
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Actually, Blitz3d is my old answer. My last attempt was written using Blitz3d.
This time I'm using the C++ programming language and the Dark GDK (http://gdk.thegamecreators.com/) game development code library for C++. Combined, there is all sorts of flexibility.
:D Should've let you answer.. sorry
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Just a quick announcement.
I don't have networking ready yet but I did get a nice little change working:
We are now able to have a pretty sky instead of that ugly green background. I also changed the lighting so it's more like daylight.
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/action9000/game-engine-with-sky.jpg)
Network play coming fairly soon. :)
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Nice sky.. Good job Tim, good luck with multiplayer.
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Very nice :yes
Now it really looks like landscape rather than computer programming. This really makes a major difference :)
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Very nice
Now it really looks like landscape rather than computer programming. This really makes a major difference
Just wait until we get some nice surface textures, trees, plants...and LBT characters! :D
Thanks, both of you. :)
It's a lot easier on the eyes, isn't it? B)
Multiplayer IS coming! I am able to host / join games now, and players can chat back and forth. I'm just getting some bugs out of the chat system right now but it *is* working. B)
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Multiplayer IS coming! I am able to host / join games now, and players can chat back and forth. I'm just getting some bugs out of the chat system right now but it *is* working. B)
Good. What protocols does it supports? Just TCP/IP or some others too? And, BTW, when we'll be able to start testing? :)
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Good. What protocols does it supports? Just TCP/IP or some others too? And, BTW, when we'll be able to start testing?
We will be able to play over TCP/IP (internet) as well as LAN. I'm not touching IPX or anything else that few people use. I'm sticking to the basics. :p
Right now I'm only focused on LAN play but making the game fully compatible with internet play is as simple as adding a couple of lines of code.
Basically, I just need to tell the game to use a specific TCP/IP port (which I haven't decided on yet). Once I do that, you can simply type in the IP and port number of the host to join the game over internet. Servers and clients will need to unblock this port on their firewalls/routers in order for the game to work.
The alternative to dealing with ports is to just use Hamachi and play it over a LAN. This should work right now.
LAN is working right now. I have been testing it over my network. There is still quite a bit to do before I'm ready for testing across the internet and multiple players (some weird bugs, and a couple of features I still need to add in) but it's showing progress, for sure!
BTW, I have coded the game to have a limit of 100 players in one game. Should be enough. B)
(I can make it more if we REAAAALLY need it! :p with that many players, the host will need a pretty kickass computer anyway, so probably 30 or 40 players is a practical limit for most computers to host without horrendous amounts of lag.)
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There is still quite a bit to do before I'm ready for testing across the internet and multiple players (some weird bugs, and a couple of features I still need to add in) but it's showing progress, for sure!
Smooth. Can't wait to test it myself. :)
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Got the textbug out already Tim?
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i like the background,
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Oh YEAH, this game is looking awesome !
Keep up the great work
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Got the textbug out already Tim?
I wish. :p
The bug I'm having with chat is that the text I have "sent" to the chat box for all the players to read....that text Changes when I type new text. Basically, it doesn't tell the difference between the last message I sent and the one I'm currently typing!
I dont understand why though...the code is very simple but I can't find it for some reason! If there are any programmers here who want to look at the code and point out something that I missed, go for it. :lol
- Code: on
void handleChatting()
{
if ((dbKeyState(KEY_FSLASH) == 1)&& (FSlashPressed==false))
{
FSlashPressed=true;
enterKeyForChatPressed=false;
memset(chatFull,0x0,sizeof(chatFull));
}
if (FSlashPressed==true)
{
chatInput=dbGetEntry();
if (chatInput!=NULL)
{
strcat(chatFull,chatInput);
chatLength=strlen(chatFull);
}
//Output typed characters to the typing area.
dbText(168,550,chatFull);
if (dbKeyState(14)==1) //Backspace
{
chatFull[chatLength-2]=NULL; //delete the last character from the chat box.
}
if ((dbKeyState(ENTER_Key) == 1)&&(enterKeyForChatPressed==false))
{
NetPutString(chatFull);
for (int i=1;i<=2;i++)
{
NetSend(i);
}
line1=line2;
line2=line3;
line3=line4;
line4=line5;
line5=line6;
line6=chatFull;
FSlashPressed=false;
enterKeyForChatPressed=true;
}
}
while (NetGetMessage()==1)
{
NetGetString(chatFullFromNet,200);
line1=line2;
line2=line3;
line3=line4;
line4=line5;
line5=line6;
line6=chatFullFromNet;
}
dbText(140,400,"Line 1");
dbText(140,410,"Line 2");
dbText(140,420,"Line 3");
dbText(140,430,"Line 4");
dbText(140,440,"Line 5");
dbText(140,450,"Line 6");
dbText(0,400,line1);
dbText(0,410,line2);
dbText(0,420,line3);
dbText(0,430,line4);
dbText(0,440,line5);
dbText(0,450,line6);
//Clear the keyboard buffer every loop so movement keys aren't recorded as you play the game.
//This prevents movement keypresses from appearing in the typing area when the / key is pressed.
dbClearEntryBuffer();
}
Oh YEAH, this game is looking awesome !
Keep up the great work
i like the background,
Thanks! :wow
WHAAAA
*hides for the text*
You know I get crazy when I see that :p
Anyway, don't look at me.
action9000, i've asked a programmist, i know. He said, he coudn't understand some of your's code pieces. His only recommendation was: "Try to replace "line1 = line2;", etc. with "strcpy (line1, line2);" :huh:
"Try to replace "line1 = line2;", etc. with "strcpy (line1, line2);"
I shall give that a shot. B)
That actually makes sense...let's see what it does. :)
[EDIT] That was Exactly what was wrong, Good call! Thank you very, VERY much! :D :wow It works awesome now. :)
Pass my thanks on to your friend, too. :D
Heh I should have caught that...I hate working with strings of text; I'm not very used to it, LOL. Okay, moving on: I think we're getting very close now. B)
It's been a pleasure to be of help, action9000. To both of us: me, and my friend. :yes
Great thing :^.^:
So... Looks like things are progressing at least, semi-smoothly on this, right? (Sorry, I haven't kept up with the board for about a week now... LOL Iris, you're over 100 posts ahead of me! xD)
Multiplayer is *almost* working, everyone!
2 players over LAN works beautifully. Both players can see each other move around and they can chat with each other.
My code does not allow clients (aka. non-hosts) to talk to each other. Clients can only talk to the server. The server then needs to relay the data to the clients.
Right now, I have a client and a server talking to each other awesome. I just need to get the server to relay data (such as the coordinates of each player) to everybody else in the game. Once I get 3 players working, 100+ players will be a breeze since the code is pretty generic to any number of players, up to my chosen maximum (of 100 in this case).
This shouldn't be much longer! :D
Good to hear that, we're counting on you, action9000. :)
we're counting on you, action9000.
No pressure or anything! :P: :lol
By the way, I don't remember if I mentioned this already, in reference to this topic's poll:
It is *confirmed* that you will be able to play as a dinosaur of the Gang's approximate age, but NOT the gang themselves. A number of dinosaur types will be available as choices when you start a new character.
It is *confirmed* that you will be able to play as a dinosaur of the Gang's approximate age, but NOT the gang themselves.
That's great, it should eliminate conflict on who plays who
***Progress looks good***
Wow, this thing's really improved since I last checked up. (which was, admittedly, in february.) Last time I came here, we weren't even sure if it was going to be continued.
Great job Action9000, and everyone who's helping!
Yea it's really looking awesome already!
Tim(Action9000) is doing the main work though. Malte is doing a great job with creating a map of the great valley ( I would get confused if I had to summarise it all) So many people are reaally doing their best for this game..
And I'm the supporter... :lol Keep Tim awake when he's programming :p
And I'm the supporter... Keep Tim awake when he's programming
for which I'm very thankful! :lol:
I would love to see the variables you're using. :lol
A quote from way back when, from landbeforetimelover:
Well Austin, you asked for it! :p :lol :lol
- Code: on
//Just initializing some functions that we'll need.--------------------------
//Initialization and technical functions
void onStartLoadStuff();
void setupDisplay();
//Opening menus functions
void mainMenu();
void hostGameMenu();
void joinGameMenu();
void optionsMenu();
//Main game loop functions
void runMainGame();
void gameLoop();
//Game engine functions
void drawGUI();
void checkPlayerMovement();
void checkCameraMovement();
//Networking functions
void handleChatting();
//Player control functions
void handleGravity();
void tryToJump();
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
//THIS SECTION CONTAINS ALL OF THE GLOBAL VARIABLES IN THE PROGRAM.
//I JUST INITIALIZED EVERYTHING HERE AND I TRIED TO ORGANIZE IT
//AS BEST I CAN. :P
//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
//KEYBOARD CONSTANTS---------------------------------------------------------
//I defined the names of the keys to match the physical scancodes of the keys. This just makes the code easier to read and write.
//Instead of reading "if you pressed Key 17, do this", you can read "If you pressed the W key, do this" in the code.
//It's just easier to work with.
const int W_Key = 17;
const int S_Key = 31;
const int Q_Key = 16;
const int E_Key = 18;
const int A_Key = 30;
const int D_Key = 32;
const int SPACEBAR = 57;
const int KEY_FSLASH = 53;
const int ENTER_Key = 28;
const int NUMPAD_ENTER_Key = 156;
const int BACKSPACE_Key = 14;
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
//GRAPHIC QUALITY VARIABLES. CAN BE CHANGED BY THE USER TO MAXIMIZE PERFORMANCE / QUALITY LATER.-----
int xResolution = 800;
int yResolution = 600;
int colourDepth = 32;
//-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
//FRAMERATE SYNC TIMER VARIABLES------------------------------------------------------------------------
long now;
long goal;
long starttime;
long intstep;
int intstepmode;
char* t;
int timer_ticks;
int timer_ticks_count;
int tempTimer;
//------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
//CAMERA VARIABLES-----------------------------------------------------------
//the ID number of the main camera
int mainCam=10;
int cubeCam=100;
//cubeCam is an invisible cube sitting on top of the camera. It is used to make the camera detectable.
//Stores the last known Camera Distance from the player
float lastCameraDistanceFromPlayer;
//Stores the current camera distance from the player
float currentCameraDistanceFromPlayer = 120;
//Stores the camera's absolute coordinates, X and Z.
//the Y value is stored as cameraHeight, below.
float cameraPositionX = 512;
float cameraPositionZ = 5;
float tempCameraPositionX = 512;
float tempCameraPositionZ = 5;
//The larger this value, the faster the camera pitch changes when the mouse is moved.
//This value may no longer be needed due to the latest code updates (May 31, 2008)
float pitchSensitivity = .28;
//These values store the main camera's angle of rotation (left or right) around the player,
//height above (+) or below (-) the player,
//and the pitch (up/down angle) of the camera so it faces the player.
float cameraAngle = 0;
//the height of the camera, RELATIVE TO THE PLAYER.
float cameraHeight = 110;
float cameraPitch = 5.6;
//This value determines how far out the camera may zoom.
int maxZoomDistance = 250;
//These values control how fast the camera moves when it is moved by the mouse.
int XSensitivity=2;
int YSensitivity=2;
int ZSensitivity=32;
//These values are used by left-click camera control.
//The camera does not remember these values after the mouse button is released.
float tempCameraAngle;
float tempCameraHeight=cameraHeight;
float tempCameraPitch;
float lastKnownCameraHeight=cameraHeight;
float lastCameraX=cameraPositionX;
float lastCameraZ=cameraPositionZ;
//These values store the distance the mouse moved between the last frame and the current frame.
//(Ex. if I move the mouse one pixel to the right, the X value is 1 until
//the next frame of animation.)
float mouseMoveX;
float mouseMoveY;
//These values are set to false unless the specified mouse button is pressed.
//Ex. when the left button is pressed, leftClicked becomes TRUE for One game frame.
//This is used for the program to have a chance to store the mouse's position
//the instant a mouse button is clicked.
//This is useful so we can move the camera and/or the mouse cursor
//back to where they were when the mouse button is released.
bool leftClicked=false;
bool rightClicked=false;
//From 1 to 100.
//This value determines how smoothly the camera moves.
//1: The camera follows the mouse movement perfectly tight.
//Higher values smooth out the camera's movement but result in less precise mouse control.
float cameraSmoothness = 2;
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
//BASIC OBJECT VARIABLES---------------------------------------
//The absolute coordinate of the player
float playerPositionX = 513;
float playerPositionY = 50;
float playerPositionZ = 20;
float oldPlayerX;
float oldPlayerY;
float oldPlayerZ;
float nextPlayerPositionX;
float nextPlayerPositionY;
float nextPlayerPositionZ;
//The player's rotation: left or right, and how much.
float playerAngleY = 0;
float xVelocity=0;
float yVelocity=0;
float zVelocity=0;
//-------------------------------------------------------------
//CHARACTER MOVEMENT: SPEED, ETC.--------------------------------------------
int playerHeight=6;
//How fast the player moves with normal forward movement
//(measured in 3d units per frame)
float playerJogSpeed = 2;
//How fast the player moves with normal backward movement.
float playerBackwardSpeed = -1;
//How fast the player rotates left or right when the keyboard is used.
float playerTurnSpeed = 2;
//This value is true when the player's feet are on the ground.
bool onGround = false;
bool jumped=false;
//the speed the player jumps upwards the instant the spacebar is pressed.
float jumpingForce = 200;
int collideFalling;
int collideClimbing;
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------
//MAP VARIABLES AND ID NUMBERS------------------------------------------------
//These unique ID numbers are given to each map file in the world.
int map = 1001;
int map2 = 1002;
//----------------------------------------------------------------------------
//PLAYER VARIABLES AND ID NUMBERS---------------------------------------------
//This ID number is assigned to the player.
//It MUST be different from any other object in the game!
int player = 2001;
int playerIDFromNet;
//The absolute coordinates of every player in the game are stored here.
//the number in the [ ] brackets is the maximum number of players.
//Each value in the [ ] brackets from 0 to 99 represents a memory location for 1 player.
double netPlayersX[100];
double netPlayersY[100];
double netPlayersZ[100];
//----------------------------------------------------------------------------
//NETWORKING VARIABLES--------------------------------------------------------
const int SERVER = 1;
const int CLIENT = 2;
char* screen_line;
int isHosting;
int inGame;
char* IPAddress = new char[100];
char* IP = new char[100];
int IPLength;
char* netStatus = new char [50];
int networkPurpose; //Either SERVER or CLIENT.
int maxPlayers=100; //Set to be a large value for testing purposes.
bool enterKeyPressed=false;
int IDbyte;
const int MYPOSITIONTOSERVER = 501;
const int CHATTING = 502;
const int CLIENTPOSITIONTOCLIENT = 503;
const int SERVERPOSITIONTOCLIENT = 504;
const int CLIENTPOSITIONTOSERVER = 505;
//----------------------------------------------------------------------------
//CHAT VARIABLES--------------------------------------------------------------
char* line1 = new char[200];
char* line2 = new char[200];
char* line3 = new char[200];
char* line4 = new char[200];
char* line5 = new char[200];
char* line6 = new char[200];
char* chatInput = new char[10];
char* chatFull = new char[200];
int chatLength;
int chatTextX;
int chatTextY;
char* chatFullFromNet = new char[200];
bool FSlashPressed=false;
bool enterKeyForChatPressed=false;
bool backspacePressed=false;
bool relaying=false;
//----------------------------------------------------------------------------
//WORLD AND PHYSICS CONSTANTS-------------------------------------------------
const float gravity = 5.673186; // ft per second squared. SUBJECT TO CHANGE
float normalY;
float slope = 0.9; //From 0-1. The smaller this num, the steeper the max slope you can climb.
//----------------------------------------------------------------------------
//IMAGE VARIABLES AND ID NUMBERS----------------------------------------------
int splashscreen = 3001;
int char1 = 3002;
int char2 = 3003;
int characterselectbg = 3004;
int hostgametextoff = 3005;
int hostgametexton = 3006;
int joingamebg = 3007;
int joingametextoff = 3008;
int joingametexton = 3009;
int menubg = 3010;
int optionstextoff = 3011;
int optionstexton = 3012;
int resolutionoff = 3013;
int resolutionon = 3014;
int backbutton = 3015;
int startbutton = 3016;
int daySky=4001;
int skyBox=10001;
//----------------------------------------------------------------------------
//SYSTEM AND GENERAL FLOW CONTROL VARIABLES-------------------------------------------
bool firstRunOfOnStart = true;
bool firstRunOfMainMenu = true;
bool firstRunOfGameLoop = true;
//------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There ya go: all of the initialization from my program so far. :p
And yes...the camera is a pain. :P: I have comments everywhere on the camera variables for a reason. :lol:
Well everyone, I suppose it's that time again....
MULTIPLAYER!! :wow
Okay, this is a pretty cool update. I'm ready for stress testing this network play with a bunch of people online. I can get 3 computers from my house going but I want to test it with as many people as possible.
Anyway, let's get to the cool stuff:
The link!
http://search3.idrive.com/driveway/jsp/dwa...p?id=j2m4v2p4w0 (http://search3.idrive.com/driveway/jsp/dway_download.jsp?id=j2m4v2p4w0)
Please read the Instructions file I included. If you choose not to read it, at least read this:
****IMPORTANT****
DO NOT CLICK THE START BUTTON ON THE JOIN GAME SCREEN!
IT IS NOT SET UP YET! PRESSING IT WILL HAVE UNPREDICTABLE RESULTS,
INCLUDING SIMPLY RUNNING A SINGLE-PLAYER GAME.
JUST PRESS ENTER TO JOIN THE GAME.
*****************
If the IP address you entered does not have a game at it, the game will attempt to connect for 5 seconds before clearing the IP Address text space and giving you an error. You may then enter another IP Address.
I had that issue when playtesting with Littlefoot Fan. I will fix this soon but I just wanted to get this release out in the open for everyone to see! :D
One more note from the instructions file that you may find useful:
CHATTING:
To chat, press the / key and start typing.
Press ENTER to send your chat to everyone in the game.
Chats will appear on the left side of the screen.
NEW STUFF IN THIS VERSION:
1) Multiplayer support up to 100 players in one game. Players in the game can see each other move. Players can also chat in-game.
HOST GAME and JOIN GAME features are now functional. Read the instructions file for details on how to play multiplayer.
2) Sky background. It's still pretty rough, with the seams at the "corners" but it's a lot nicer than the green background. :p
3) Daytime-style lighting
4) Shadows have been disabled on the cube for now, until I can make everything nice and pretty.
Anyway, now for the important stuff:
I recommend we playtest this using Hamachi to run it over a LAN. I have not yet set up ports for internet play. We can *try* internet play but I cannot guarantee good results. It hasn't been tested at all.
Known Bugs:
1) The START button on the JOIN GAME screen does NOT actually join the game. The ENTER key does. The START button does something from an old version, where it starts the game in a weird single-player mode. Don't use it. :p
[EDIT] FIXED!
2) The cubes don't have the proper shadows on them. I disabled shadowing for now to speed up rendering on slower computers. I also want to play around a bit more with the graphic effects before I start turning on a bunch of stuff.
[EDIT] This will not be changed any time soon.
3) The OPTIONS screen still doesn't let you change anything.
[EDIT] FIXED!
4) If you type text longer than 200 characters before pressing ENTER, the results will be unpredictable. I want to put a limit on this soon so you physically can't type more than that, but I haven't done it yet.
5) Players are not yet notified when somebody joins or leaves the game.
6) If one player leaves the game, the host isn't properly notified yet. That cube may not disappear from the game. New players who join may be assigned to a weird ID number. This means that if you leave and join the game enough times, you will eventually overload the 100 player limit. I'm not freeing up ID numbers yet.
7)The text will flicker a bit, moreso on slower computers. I am looking into a fix for this. I think I know the cause, I just need to figure out some clever way around it.
8) Players are not yet able to input their usernames into the game. As a result, the chat just simply shows the text that was sent. It doesn't show who sent it. You may not want to use the game as an instant messenger just yet. :p
9) Backspacing in the chat system doesn't work very well. :p
10) The angle the player is facing is not yet sent over the network, just their physical location.
COMING SOON:
1) Basically, fix everything that's broken. :p
2) The beginnings of the development of 3d models of the Great Valley map. :)
Whoa.. It's really going fast at the moment.. :^.^: Good Job Tim =)
Well, here goes nothing... *clicks link* Wish me luck...
UPDATE: All right, it got me to the character select screen, but no characters appeared, and when I used ctrl-alt-delete to shut the thing down the character screen has remained. I'm still trying to figure out how to get rid of it and see my old background again. To sum it up, it didn't work very well.
YET ANOTHER UPDATE: Well, I got rid of the Character Select screen by completely purging my system of RPG.exe. I'm most relieved. Tell you what, I think I won't try any more test runs until the thing's finished, okay dokey? :D
All right, it got me to the character select screen, but no characters appeared, and when I used ctrl-alt-delete to shut the thing down the character screen has remained.
There are no "characters" at this point. You're a cube. That's all you get for now. :p
Just press the Start button from the Host Game screen. :)
To close the program, just press ESC. :)
As for it not closing properly on ctrl-alt-delete...I'm not sure how to help you with that I'm afraid, but you can close the game properly by just pressing ESC.
Seriously? I thought you said not to press Start. Oh. Okay, I'll try it again. On sec, it needs to redownload.
I thought you said not to press Start.
Sorry. I probably confused you by writing an incomplete instruction manual. :slap
When you HOST a game, you press START to start the game.
When you JOIN a game, just type the IP Address of the host and press the ENTER key. It's the JOIN game screen where the start button doesn't work.
ESC backs you out of menus, from the HOST or JOIN screen back to the MAIN menu. From the MAIN menu, ESC will close the game. The way the program is written, ESC from any of the menus may close the program completely. I apologize if this happens, there are a lot of works in progress still in this. :p
From inside the game itself (the world), ESC also closes the game.
By the way, a few controls:
W - forward
S - backward
A - turn left
D - turn right
SPACE - jump
Hold left mouse - rotate camera
Hold right mouse - rotate player with camera
I'm in. It's working swell. I'm a cube in the middle of and endless grey desert. Rather depressing, to be honest.
I'm also stuck. How do you move?
EDIT: Wait! I just found out how to jump! Now I'm trying AWSD and all letter keys.
EDIT: Dang Straight. That's how you move. I'm geting the hang of this. I can also now move the camera all over, creating an awesome vertigo-inducing swirly spiral of death. It's twice as radical when you do it while jumping.
EDIT: Hey, during one of my spirals of death I thought I saw a humogous green triangle. Is there any of those in there? Or was I seeing things?
EDIT: I saw it again! It's a cool green hexa-penta-polyhedral shapeless vortex in the middle of the sky. Freezing your jump while looking at it automatically transports you back to the ground when you let go of the mouse button.
This is epic. I love this game all ready.
I'm in. It's working swell. I'm a cube in the middle of and endless grey desert. Rather depressing, to be honest.
Once I get the bugs out, we can start making a Great Valley. :)
We have people designing maps already!
EDIT: Dang Straight. That's how you move. I'm geting the hang of this. I can also now move the camera all over, creating an awesome vertigo-inducing swirly spiral of death. It's twice as radical when you do it while jumping.
Haha, not too shabby, eh? B)
EDIT: Hey, during one of my spirals of death I thought I saw a humogous green triangle. Is there any of those in there? Or was I seeing things?
Hmmmm, I know what the green triangle could potentially be....you may have found a bug.
The green background is what the sky is replacing. Apparently you found a way to see through my sky, onto the background. I'll see if I can reproduce this.
I'll see if I can reproduce this.
I'm having a hard time reproducing this bug. I'll try it later on a slower computer.
How powerful is the computer you're running it on?
Hmmmm, I know what the green triangle could potentially be....you may have found a bug.
The green background is what the sky is replacing. Apparently you found a way to see through my sky, onto the background. I'll see if I can reproduce this.
Can we name it after me? We can call it the LettuceInTheSky bug, since it's green. Like me, I'm green (inexperienced) in the sense of technological know-how.
Can we name it after me? We can call it the LettuceInTheSky bug, since it's green. Like me, I'm green (inexperienced) in the sense of technological know-how.
Yes...yes we can! :wow
I'll see if I can reproduce this.
I'm having a hard time reproducing this bug. I'll try it later on a slower computer.
How powerful is the computer you're running it on?
Beats me. Where would I go to find this out? My Computer?
An Upate on my game Progress: I'm currently reenacting Neil Armstorng jumping round on the moon's surface. It's so open and free, and quiet. One small step for a cube, one giant leap for cubekind...
I'm having way too much fun with this.
Beats me. Where would I go to find this out? My Computer
Settings -> Control Panel -> System.
The "General" tab shows the important specs of your computer on the bottom-right.
If you can read that off to me that would be awesome.
By the way, your name is in the credits as a playtester now....we don't have credits yet but we will!
I put you in as LettuceBacon&Tomato. If you want a different name, let me know. B)
One small step for a cube, one giant leap for cubekind...
This....I love it! I'm putting this in my code somewhere so I don't forget to put it in the credits later on. :p
Is this what you're looking for? "System Properties" says 1.59 GHz, 896 MB of RAM. Is that it?
System Properties" says 1.59 GHz, 896 MB of RAM. Is that it?
That will do perfect, thanks. :)
Okay, so it's a slower computer. I suspect that has something to do with it. I can't reproduce it at all on my computer.
By the way, now that the game is showing real signs of life, I'll be setting up a subforum very shortly where we can discuss this project in more detail, in multiple topics.
I'll be setting that up now.
By the way, your name is in the credits as a playtester now....we don't have credits yet but we will!
I put you in as LettuceBacon&Tomato. If you want a different name, let me know. B)
I'M IN THE CREDITS!!!!!!! :D :) :wow :DD :lol :P: :lol:
Put me down as Nicholas Halsey. My name's already in my email address, so it's not really a secret anymore.
Put me down as Nicholas Halsey. My name's already in my email address, so it's not really a secret anymore.
Will do!
As of now, we have an entire subforum to discuss the development of this game! Feel free to start topics as you wish. I set up this subforum so we have plenty of space to discuss various aspects of the project and so we can organize our ideas.
Feel free to use this space. :)
All right, I've reviewed the Green sky bug a little, and I tnink I knw what happens...
It looks like the sky is roughly cubical in shape. The green appears when Neil Cubestrong is in the air, and the camera is set up in such a way so that you can't see the ground. Neil will freeze in the air while the mouse button is held down (or possibly he's back on the ground, and you're looking through the bottom of the floor), and while you can still rotate in a circle, the green appears when Neil overlaps corners. If the camera angle is tilted enough so that the ground would become visible, or you let go of the mouse, the angle jolts back to normal, forward vision (and the words "COLLIDED BOTTOM" appear).
Is that clear at all?
It looks like the sky is roughly cubical in shape.
The sky is actually a MASSIVE cube that covers the entire world. It has a diameter 1.2 million 3d units. By comparison, that map you're walking on is 4096 units long. :lol
Eventually the sky won't look so "cubish". The graphics are all temporary. The solid green background was just driving me nuts. :p
(or possibly he's back on the ground, and you're looking through the bottom of the floor)
Neil is on the ground, you're just looking through the floor. This is a little bug I need to go back and fix, too.
when Neil overlaps corners
overlaps corners...you mean Neil's corners go into the ground? I'm not entirely clear on this I'm afraid. I positioned the camera as you mentioned and I can't reproduce it on either of my computers.
By the way...Neil Cubestrong....That's AWESOME! :D :lol
when Neil overlaps corners
overlaps corners...you mean Neil's corners go into the ground? I'm not entirely clear on this I'm afraid. I positioned the camera as you mentioned and I can't reproduce it on either of my computers.
Not Neil's corners, the corners of the cube in the sky. He doen't technically overlap them, he's just in front of them, from our point of view. If our camera were the Earth, Neil was the moon, and the corner of the cube in the sky were the sun, we'd be in eclipse. That's when the corner of the sky turns green.
I think all that happens is, whatever you have set to keep the camera from going through the floor, it doesn't work when Neil is in the air.
I think all you need to do is make it so the camera can't go through the ground even while Neil's in the air. Then, once you can't see from under the floor, you can't get in the right position to see the green, so it should all work out. (BTW, this is coming from someone who's technological know-how is limited to [[Wikipdia]] editing, so don't put too much credit in what I think.)
If our camera were the Earth, Neil was the moon, and the corner of the cube in the sky were the sun, we'd be in eclipse. That's when the corner of the sky turns green.
Okay, I get it. B)
I just tried that now and I still don't get the green effect. I'll definitely keep it in mind though.
I think all that happens is, whatever you have set to keep the camera from going through the floor, it doesn't work when Neil is in the air.
That does seem to be true. I will look into that.
I think all you need to do is make it so the camera can't go through the ground even while Neil's in the air. Then, once you can't see from under the floor, you can't get in the right position to see the green, so it should all work out.
Eventually what I want to do is set up the camera so that when it hits the ground, it doesn't just go *THUD* into the ground. Instead, it will smoothly move towards the player as you continue to scroll the camera into the ground. I'm not entirely sure how to do that but that's the plan. :p
BTW, this is coming from someone who's technological know-how is limited to [[Wikipdia]] editing, so don't put too much credit in what I think.)
Hey, you're getting a bug so it's something I need to concern myself with. Thank you very much for your input. :)
but I'm going to bed: it's almost 3am here! See ya another time. B)
'Night! It's 2am here, so I should probably hit the sack as well. Glad to be of service!
Mayble, we should create a specific network in Hamachi to everyone, who wants to test the game, to join. What do you say? :)
Testing on slowslow laptop again......
Okay. I could actually walk(framerate = 1:P) but I could still walk! what I couldn't do last time haha.
But I guess.. This game is just too much for this laptop still even when I have no process at all runing at the background.
895 MHz.. 240MB.. Pentium 3. windows xp.. Guess next time I'll just test it on the 'good' computer with the red font :p . But my brothers are always earlier on it than i am.. :cry :wow
I'll post some results of testing it on other computer later. :^.^:
Good idea of the extra forum, that's something that I thought of as well. Wanted to tell you this morning but you werent really on..( must've been 11pm at your time ). And I want to tell you something else as well but that's not related to this thing, so I'll just wait for you to come online :)
Tested on good computer. found a bug in the sky as well.
(http://img354.imageshack.us/img354/8596/bug1we8.jpg)
The text.. You cant type very long messages(because it will show it on one line only.. :p) Though I know you had some problems with the text so I won't bother ya with that yet.
The text.. You cant type very long messages(because it will show it on one line only.. ) Though I know you had some problems with the text so I won't bother ya with that yet.
Yeah, that is something else with the text that I have to get worked out. :P:
found a bug in the sky as well.
Heh, I totally forgot about that. Right now what I'm doing, because the players don't have their custom dino graphics yet, is I'm just making 100 cubes and storing them somewhere until a player grabs control of one. :p
I don't quite know why they're appearing on-screen (thought I had them invisible...apparently not!) but that's what's happening. :lol
Mayble, we should create a specific network in Hamachi to everyone, who wants to test the game, to join. What do you say?
We have a GoF Hamachi server. I don't remember if you're on it or not. If you're not, let me know and I'll get you the login information.
It's VITAL that we keep the server private.
We have a GoF Hamachi server. I don't remember if you're on it or not. If you're not, let me know and I'll get you the login information.
It's VITAL that we keep the server private.
Understood. I'll contact you via PM. :)
BTW, here comes report on some bugs i have found:
1) When you pushing "/" button to start writing a message, "/" symbol appears in the text box. I believe, that pushing "/" button must only start a typing process; :huh:
2) You can send an empty message. That's incorrect, usually sending an empty message just turning off the typing process. ;)
Maybe it will be a good idea to disable the "quit" function on the "escape" button? It would be rather used to call for the menu or to quit typing message function. :)
1) When you pushing "/" button to start writing a message, "/" symbol appears in the text box. I believe, that pushing "/" button must only start a typing process;
I agree with this. I'll figure out some way to make this nicer. :)
2) You can send an empty message. That's incorrect, usually sending an empty message just turning off the typing process.
Okay, I will try to set it so that if the message is blank, pressing ENTER simply ends the chat process and goes back to the game.
Maybe it will be a good idea to disable the "quit" function on the "escape" button? It would be rather used to call for the menu or to quit typing message function.
Eventually ESC will open a main menu where players can change options (controls, graphics, etc). I just needed a way to quickly exit the program right now (for testing) so I just set a key to close everything.
You're absolutely right though, this would be very bad in a complete game! We will need graphics to make a menu though. Once we get graphics (I might make temporary ones soon) for this menu, I'll just have the menu load when you press ESC instead of closing the game.
1) When you pushing "/" button to start writing a message, "/" symbol appears in the text box. I believe, that pushing "/" button must only start a typing process;
I agree with this. I'll figure out some way to make this nicer. :)
If you just type '/' and press backspace afterwards you can still type ^^, but I guess you already knew. Lets just see what you can do with the text.. :^.^:
Not technically a bug, but after pressing W for like a minute, I reached the outskirts of the level! The physics are really different once you leave the grey rocky ground. You can't jump, for one, and if you jump from the rocky ground and land in the non-ground, you'll levitate endlessly.
Again, not a bug, just cool.
The physics are really different once you leave the grey rocky ground. You can't jump, for one, and if you jump from the rocky ground and land in the non-ground, you'll levitate endlessly.
Haha, ahh yes. ;)
Again, not a bug, just cool.
Technically it's a bug but it's not worth fixing.
Why?
This happens because my program uses "raycasting" to check whether the player is in the air or on the ground, as well as what the terrain is like.
Basically, it shoots a beam straight down below the player. When it hits the ground, it tells me how far away the ground is.
If there *is* no ground, it tells me the distance is zero, hence it thinks you're on the ground. This isn't an issue though because in a real, complete map, you will ALWAYS have ground below you eventually. The concept of having literally no ground below anywhere is impossible on a real map.
As long as you have limits that keep folks from being able to get to the areas outside the map.
I've just got some idea of the possible bug in the future. If the game does not have a central server, players can easily create characters with the same names. What will happen, if such characters would meet each other in one game session? At least, that can made problem with sending private messages. :huh:
What will happen, if such characters would meet each other in one game session? At least, that can made problem with sending private messages.
That's actually a good point. A lot of games that don't have central servers just seem to ignore the problem.
What we can do is check the names that are in the game and if the player joining is matched to one of them we can add an extra character onto their game name...like a _ or a 2 or something.
We'll see what it's like when we start getting a username system working but that's what I"m thinking.
That sounds like an idea. Though you'd have to decide if it'll add an extra character and that is all or a - before the extra character to make it easier to make out and notice.
Is there a way we can stop them from choosing a name that matches a real character? I just don't think players should be allowed to choose "Ducky" or "Littlefoot" for their name, since they're not. "Ducky2" or "Ducky_" are acceptable, however.
Is there a way we can stop them from choosing a name that matches a real character? I just don't think players should be allowed to choose "Ducky" or "Littlefoot" for their name, since they're not. "Ducky2" or "Ducky_" are acceptable, however.
Sure. That's actually a good idea, I like it. Thanks for the suggestion. :)
Though you'd have to decide if it'll add an extra character and that is all or a - before the extra character to make it easier to make out and notice.
Yeah. We'll get to that once I get a few more features implimented. For now though, I do agree that no two players should have the same name appear in the game.
^ I wonder though if perhaps it might contribute to the "atmosphere" of the game if we avoid names that include numbers or signs. Perhaps we could come up with a list of dinosaur names based on species from which the players could pick one. I am not in favor of "enforcing" particular names, but I think we should encourage the picking of names which might sound a bit like names or even dinosaur names rather than chat identities.
^ I wonder though if perhaps it might contribute to the "atmosphere" of the game if we avoid names that include numbers or signs. Perhaps we could come up with a list of dinosaur names based on species from which the players could pick one. I am not in favor of "enforcing" particular names, but I think we should encourage the picking of names which might sound a bit like names or even dinosaur names rather than chat identities.
What's wrong with just picking our own names as long as we don't use numbers or anything like that? I would rather name my own character instead of having somebody else decide for me.
Yeah, the idea with pre-made nicknames doesn't seems very nice.
A list of some suggested names may be nice. Names in the spirit of LBT. Some folks have trouble coming up with names. Though I don't think it's possible to avoid some chat sounding names, those will happen. So names like Sonikdude, Mariorocks, SonicnKnuckles and such will occur.
I just want to be iris.. :unsure: And with premade nicknames, how can one know who he/she is. You can still act as if you're everyone.
Premade names: Not gonna happen.
I just want to be iris..
Exactly, that should not be difficult! :p
I wonder though if perhaps it might contribute to the "atmosphere" of the game if we avoid names that include numbers or signs. Perhaps we could come up with a list of dinosaur names based on species from which the players could pick one. I am not in favor of "enforcing" particular names, but I think we should encourage the picking of names which might sound a bit like names or even dinosaur names rather than chat identities.
I think that should depend on the type of game the players with to play. Perhaps we could have it as an option: "Role-play server?" when you host the game.
If the players are interested in role-playing a bit more, having the host set it as a role-play server. These servers will have the name restrictions mentioned (no numbers or symbols).
The host can also choose a "normal" server, which doesn't have the name restrictions.
As for LBT names...I agree, perfect matches of LBT names should not be allowed, as there will be NPCs with the exact same names.
Thoughts on having the name restriction system be an option for the host?
I'd just rather be able to creat a name for my character instead of having to pick from a list. I agree with the no munbers or symbles thing but other than that, there should be no name restrictions. Besides that, I don't think most people will have a problem with names anyway. You can probably program the game to not allow symbles or numbers in names anyway.
What about names with CapiTal letTers in the middle? If we're trying to keep names normal, we should axe those as well (though with my username, I'm kinda calling the kettle black).
What about names with CapiTal letTers in the middle? If we're trying to keep names normal, we should axe those as well (though with my username, I'm kinda calling the kettle black).
I do not like that :lol: I think it's easier if you enter a username and it immediatly starts with a capital, even when you don't enter it. and thats the only capital used..
And after a space ofcourse
like
Captain Mumbling :p
I dunno if you can do that :^.^:
Captain Mumbling
*tries to picture what a dino named "Captain Mumbling" would look like...* :wow :D
I do not like that I think it's easier if you enter a username and it immediatly starts with a capital, even when you don't enter it. and thats the only capital used..
And after a space ofcourse
like
Captain Mumbling
I dunno if you can do that
Automatically changing the first letter to a capital is simple enough. I'm game for doing that.
There is a bit of an issue with a naming convention system, which I am concerned with:
If we are to force users to abide by our restrictions all the time it won't be an issue, but then we have the problem of potentially frustating players who don't want to make a name that meets our conditions, for example our lovely lady Captain Mumbling here, who wouldn't be able to use the two-word name.
An option is to include in the game instructions that LBT-like names are highly encouraged and numbers/spaces/symbols are strongly discouraged. Forcefully taking away from freedom from the player seems a little unreasonable to me, especially since we don't know exactly how far the game will extend into the LBT community.
The reason I'm concerned about it is because, yes, we could simply give the host player options for names to allow in the game.
Problem:
Characters created and saved on other games may not meet the requirements. How could this player join the game? Would they be given the option to rename their character in order to join the server? I suppose that would work...though I'm not usually a fan of renaming characters.
Basically, I'm trying to give players freedom while simultaneously giving more role-play-ish traits to the game design. i'd like to give the host the option of making the server strict-named or not. Setting up a strict-name server would force non-compliant joiners to rename that character before they could join the game. Does this sound reasonable?
What about names with CapiTal letTers in the middle?
I'm going to allow it, in case players want to use names like McGruff or something of a similar style.
What about anti-swearing mechanism in nicknames and chat? I mean, tha part of code, that won't allow players to swear too freely inside the game? :)
Good idea, especially for when I'm angry with my dad once again. I'm trying to swear less when it comes to that though. Anyway I think it's a good idea coyote :) .
I guess that would be a filter of some sort. Would that slow down the program, having to scan or check text to look for certain words on it's filter list? & would the filter be in only English, or multiple languages?
& would the filter be in only English, or multiple languages?
That's depends on that, if the game will support any other font, except for the Latin alphabet. Of course, i can help with filtering Cyrillic letters. :)
The name filter would not slow the game down because I would do all of the filtering on the Host Game / Join Game setup screens. I would just store the filtered name for use in the game. I wouldn't do any filter calculations during game time.
This topic has been replaced by the sticky on top of this forum so I'm locking this. :p