Hi,
I finali did something that I planed for a few weeks now. No, the physics are still in unfinished, but I finaly made a Weapon Offset for my bullets.
What I mean with Weapon Offset?
Easy, when I first started to use bullets to shoot around in my games, they always started at the center of the ship that shot them, or in use of a simple Vector3 value that I tiped in by my hand.
Now I finaly tryed something I knew that it works, but not how.
In Blender you can draw stuff like meshs, bones, particles and other stuff, on of this stuff is a simple thing called 'Empty'.
A Empty is like a mesh, just without a mesh ... So it only contains the center position of an mesh with 0 verticles (at least that how I understand it).
And I always knew that there is a way how the pros of game development tell the game wher to shoot the bullet aways (form a weapon, for example), something that they can place in the 3D model and later only have to call in the code to get that Vector3.
They use those Emptys (or something similar).
I first thought that I have to search for the Empty in the mesh part of the Model class in XNA, but I later found out that they get handled as Bones.
With a little try and failer I managed to let they bullets fly away from the sides of the ship.
But belive me, the bullets a unimportent compared with thos Emptys that I placed with the weapon Emptys.
Like the Docking Empty, the Cargo Empty, or the Engine Emptys ... :D
And now about something different:
Like you may know, there is that new Fable2 fanart part on www.lionhead.com and that I already painted some pictures for it.
I just yeasterday I started my new ... BIG ... picture.
I don't know if it will be that special, nor if it will look ... great ... but it will take a few days till I finished it ... so there woun't be any update in the next days ... like always. ;)
Greg the Mad
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Tidy Up your Drawing
As I was sitting there ... in my room, holding a paper with a few ways how to track two objects, after a collision, ... thinking how to do that, I finaly got my self to tidy up my code a little bit.
I alwasy had problems with the draw. You know. Every model that you want on screen wants to be in that part, sometimes it even want its own draw code that tell the game how to draw them!
And when you use a new model or replace an old, it take hours just to find that one line that you have to change, or find the right place for the new one.
There you can document, split in regions what ever you want, it always stays a bunch on code. So I just made that what I always make.
I exported some parts of it into another file.
Just a few seconds later I got my DrawCode class which held its first code, a few minutes more I got all 5 codes, in the right order, documented and perfect!
I still got that big bunch of code, like the loop for the asteroids and planets, but thats all documented now! All I need now, if I want to draw a model is just load that model, create a Matrix holding the position/rotation/etc, and just call DrawCode.Model(Model, Matrix) and done!
I know that pros, got a much better way of doing that, that they only need a model, a matrix and a twinkle, and they got the model with the right spectral values, a costum textur, self-shadowing, fairys all around it, shadows from other stuff on it, AA, normal mapping and a little bit of bloom to make it Look. Lust. Great!
... I made a salto soon after I got my first model displayed ...
Greg the Mad
I alwasy had problems with the draw. You know. Every model that you want on screen wants to be in that part, sometimes it even want its own draw code that tell the game how to draw them!
And when you use a new model or replace an old, it take hours just to find that one line that you have to change, or find the right place for the new one.
There you can document, split in regions what ever you want, it always stays a bunch on code. So I just made that what I always make.
I exported some parts of it into another file.
Just a few seconds later I got my DrawCode class which held its first code, a few minutes more I got all 5 codes, in the right order, documented and perfect!
I still got that big bunch of code, like the loop for the asteroids and planets, but thats all documented now! All I need now, if I want to draw a model is just load that model, create a Matrix holding the position/rotation/etc, and just call DrawCode.Model(Model, Matrix) and done!
I know that pros, got a much better way of doing that, that they only need a model, a matrix and a twinkle, and they got the model with the right spectral values, a costum textur, self-shadowing, fairys all around it, shadows from other stuff on it, AA, normal mapping and a little bit of bloom to make it Look. Lust. Great!
... I made a salto soon after I got my first model displayed ...
Greg the Mad
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Sleep though the Static
... Damit ... 4 days have past since my last post? Time just floats by when you got holidays ...
I did not much about the new asteroid, all I did was to implent the basic mesh of the unbrocken asteroid, I even implented the brocken ones, but it still don't draw them.
... er ... oh, yes ... I also started to work on my own physics system, starting with simple colliding of two object and maybe later even rotating them, based on how they collide ...
... Man ... I can't wait for school ... (starts tomorrow)
Its not that I like school, nor that I don't know what to do on holidays, but ... I just work much more on my project at school time. ... Don't ask me why ... ... I'm tired of having holidays ...
I want something to do!!!!! So I can spend my free time on something else then sleeping!
Greg the Mad
I did not much about the new asteroid, all I did was to implent the basic mesh of the unbrocken asteroid, I even implented the brocken ones, but it still don't draw them.
... er ... oh, yes ... I also started to work on my own physics system, starting with simple colliding of two object and maybe later even rotating them, based on how they collide ...
... Man ... I can't wait for school ... (starts tomorrow)
Its not that I like school, nor that I don't know what to do on holidays, but ... I just work much more on my project at school time. ... Don't ask me why ... ... I'm tired of having holidays ...
I want something to do!!!!! So I can spend my free time on something else then sleeping!
Greg the Mad
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Help needed!
Hey, guys (girls), I need you help.
I've already talked about the Lionhead fan art contest in my last post, and now I 3 of my pictures in there ....
And my problem is now that the competition is too good for me, so if anybody is reading this, please head over to the Liohead community, create a account, and vote 5 stars for my pictures (that are those that are labled: "by Greg453")
... don't even look to the others ... they are crap ... especily that fairy forest thing ... don't even think about looking at this one ... mine would look too bad after you've looked at this ...
Greg the Mad
I've already talked about the Lionhead fan art contest in my last post, and now I 3 of my pictures in there ....
And my problem is now that the competition is too good for me, so if anybody is reading this, please head over to the Liohead community, create a account, and vote 5 stars for my pictures (that are those that are labled: "by Greg453")
... don't even look to the others ... they are crap ... especily that fairy forest thing ... don't even think about looking at this one ... mine would look too bad after you've looked at this ...
Greg the Mad
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Hobba Lisa
If you followed the Lionhead Headlines on their homepage, you may have noticed that they started a Fable2 fan art part for their page. Everbody who got a valide LH community accound could take a pen, scribble something down and send it to them. If you got luck and they like it it gets posted on their page.
... And guess what ... My Hobba Lisa was under the chosen pictures that mde it on in that gallery!
I'm actually not that great artist, but when everytime someone calles a contest out, ... I just can't resist. :)
I allready send my secound pic to them, and got a idea for a third, but I don't think that any could beat my great Hobba Lisa. ;)
About my game Project:
Don't think that because I spend the last two days drawing on my fan art that I did nothing with my game.
Just yesterday I changed the code that told the asteroids where they have to appear, and the days before I created a new asteroid model, that is made out of many little asteroids.
Why I make a asteroid out of more little asteroids?
Easy, because that means that you could shoot that asteroid apart. ... in little pieces.
And aslo dose it mean that I could use a randomizer to create asteroids that from the first second look brocken and even got a hole though them.
I didn't implented that feature yet, because I first wanted to change some stuff like the asteroid placement code and the number of asteroids ( I now got 100 of them around me, and the frame rate don't went down yet!). I'll have a look into that implementation of the new asteroid tomorrow.
See you next time.
Greg the Mad
... And guess what ... My Hobba Lisa was under the chosen pictures that mde it on in that gallery!
I'm actually not that great artist, but when everytime someone calles a contest out, ... I just can't resist. :)
I allready send my secound pic to them, and got a idea for a third, but I don't think that any could beat my great Hobba Lisa. ;)
About my game Project:
Don't think that because I spend the last two days drawing on my fan art that I did nothing with my game.
Just yesterday I changed the code that told the asteroids where they have to appear, and the days before I created a new asteroid model, that is made out of many little asteroids.
Why I make a asteroid out of more little asteroids?
Easy, because that means that you could shoot that asteroid apart. ... in little pieces.
And aslo dose it mean that I could use a randomizer to create asteroids that from the first second look brocken and even got a hole though them.
I didn't implented that feature yet, because I first wanted to change some stuff like the asteroid placement code and the number of asteroids ( I now got 100 of them around me, and the frame rate don't went down yet!). I'll have a look into that implementation of the new asteroid tomorrow.
See you next time.
Greg the Mad
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Panta Rhei
"everything is in a state of flux"
Last time I told you about that problem with the Deview camera, and ... I was wrong ...
It is not that hard to review 200 lines, its also not that hard to rewrite them ...
Once you've read the first line and then the second, ther third, etc.
You somehow get into that flow ...
All that thought you've got when you wrote them came back, the memory becomes clear, ... and you don't feel bad if you clean some lines ^.^
But that what reall surpriced me was that, somwhere in between, I looked down do to Draw code in the main class and while I was scroling thos 1001 lines a word jumpt into my view.
May have told about the new Cursor last time, once I got it working, I thought of stuff that I could make with it. And, of course, I tryed to use the picking sample and send a ray away from the Cursor (or how I call it in the actual code: Crosshair) and figure out if it hits a astroid and diplay the distance on screen.
I failed. I waisted a whole afternoon to find that problem, and while I was working on the camera movements, just a few hours ago, the bug jumped right into my face and bit me.
All that was wrong was that I used a complet useless value in the middle of the code, and that more or less blocked all the other lines. The bug was gone in just 3 seconds and 3 minutes later I've got the true meaning of the ray.
I used the direction of the ray and the distance to the astroid to get a Vector3 which hold the position where the player aims, and it was not that hard to let the bullets head exactly in that direction.
If I now get a better rotation system for my space ship, ... ... I actually would be done ... The ship controls would be done ... DONE!! ...
And now without childish enthusiasm ... it becomes a game ... no joke ...
I actually could just take the earth, the astroids, the ship and make a 'save the earth from thos astroids' game ... damit!
And now about something complet differnt:
It happened very often the last time that people contated me and asked from help, information or what ever, and I ask my self: 'Why not'.
So if anybody out there gots any questions about my project, game design in general, or something else, just ask.
I may not be the best source of intel, but still, don't be shy, you woun't die. ^.^
PS: I actually planed to write something about Panta Rhei, and how it is true and where in everydays life you can see that it is true, but its still a nice headline, don't it?
Greg the Mad
Last time I told you about that problem with the Deview camera, and ... I was wrong ...
It is not that hard to review 200 lines, its also not that hard to rewrite them ...
Once you've read the first line and then the second, ther third, etc.
You somehow get into that flow ...
All that thought you've got when you wrote them came back, the memory becomes clear, ... and you don't feel bad if you clean some lines ^.^
But that what reall surpriced me was that, somwhere in between, I looked down do to Draw code in the main class and while I was scroling thos 1001 lines a word jumpt into my view.
May have told about the new Cursor last time, once I got it working, I thought of stuff that I could make with it. And, of course, I tryed to use the picking sample and send a ray away from the Cursor (or how I call it in the actual code: Crosshair) and figure out if it hits a astroid and diplay the distance on screen.
I failed. I waisted a whole afternoon to find that problem, and while I was working on the camera movements, just a few hours ago, the bug jumped right into my face and bit me.
All that was wrong was that I used a complet useless value in the middle of the code, and that more or less blocked all the other lines. The bug was gone in just 3 seconds and 3 minutes later I've got the true meaning of the ray.
I used the direction of the ray and the distance to the astroid to get a Vector3 which hold the position where the player aims, and it was not that hard to let the bullets head exactly in that direction.
If I now get a better rotation system for my space ship, ... ... I actually would be done ... The ship controls would be done ... DONE!! ...
And now without childish enthusiasm ... it becomes a game ... no joke ...
I actually could just take the earth, the astroids, the ship and make a 'save the earth from thos astroids' game ... damit!
And now about something complet differnt:
It happened very often the last time that people contated me and asked from help, information or what ever, and I ask my self: 'Why not'.
So if anybody out there gots any questions about my project, game design in general, or something else, just ask.
I may not be the best source of intel, but still, don't be shy, you woun't die. ^.^
PS: I actually planed to write something about Panta Rhei, and how it is true and where in everydays life you can see that it is true, but its still a nice headline, don't it?
Greg the Mad
Friday, February 1, 2008
Re-Rewrite
Yesterday I suddenly got a mistical feeling ... I don't know what it was ... maybe it was a enlightment, ... or a brilliant idea, ... or just the boredom that was hovering between my ears, ... anyway
I started to have a look on the ship controls. While the last big changes I've done where focused on the speen control, this time I wored on the rotation control.
It didn't took me that long to get a working system like you may know it form games like freelancer, so I woun't spend more line in it, yet, but you got no idea how hard it is to make a circle.
Yes a easy white circle in a 20x20 bitmap that you could use as a cursor prototype.
I spend a full hour in Gimp to think about the best ways of how to make a perfect circle.
I thought of just drawing it with my amazing Wacom skill, I tryed the spile system in Gimp, till I finaly just took a great round brush, made a big dot which spaned the whole pic and later just make a nother, smaller, dot in the center of that dot, in the color of the background ...
Ok, its still far form a perfect circle, but you don't notice it while it is hovering around on the screen.
And I added a little enum value telling the game how to handle the new input, just like in freelancer (again) you can press 'space' at any give time and just disable that great 5 line code spring physics (no, I did not use the same thing as they do in the chase camera sample for xna, I used my mecanical engineering skills for a better one :) ), ship rotation and input handle system, so that you can move the cursor around on the screen without any effect (very usefull).
And do you remember when I sayed that I don't want ot talk about the details of this great code, that was because it don't workes yet everywhere.
Once I got the ship thing done, I tryed to applay the same code to the Deview camera, but unfotunatly I found out that the whole camera control code there is very old (around a month) and long forgotton, so it dose not cooperate with this new and shine stuff ...
... So I have to read myself in thos controls and figure out how to change them, or even ... even ... have to rewrite al 200 lines ... *shiver*
Greg the Mad
I started to have a look on the ship controls. While the last big changes I've done where focused on the speen control, this time I wored on the rotation control.
It didn't took me that long to get a working system like you may know it form games like freelancer, so I woun't spend more line in it, yet, but you got no idea how hard it is to make a circle.
Yes a easy white circle in a 20x20 bitmap that you could use as a cursor prototype.
I spend a full hour in Gimp to think about the best ways of how to make a perfect circle.
I thought of just drawing it with my amazing Wacom skill, I tryed the spile system in Gimp, till I finaly just took a great round brush, made a big dot which spaned the whole pic and later just make a nother, smaller, dot in the center of that dot, in the color of the background ...
Ok, its still far form a perfect circle, but you don't notice it while it is hovering around on the screen.
And I added a little enum value telling the game how to handle the new input, just like in freelancer (again) you can press 'space' at any give time and just disable that great 5 line code spring physics (no, I did not use the same thing as they do in the chase camera sample for xna, I used my mecanical engineering skills for a better one :) ), ship rotation and input handle system, so that you can move the cursor around on the screen without any effect (very usefull).
And do you remember when I sayed that I don't want ot talk about the details of this great code, that was because it don't workes yet everywhere.
Once I got the ship thing done, I tryed to applay the same code to the Deview camera, but unfotunatly I found out that the whole camera control code there is very old (around a month) and long forgotton, so it dose not cooperate with this new and shine stuff ...
... So I have to read myself in thos controls and figure out how to change them, or even ... even ... have to rewrite al 200 lines ... *shiver*
Greg the Mad
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