DIV ARENA FORUMS - Powered by XMB

This just gets better and better

you should push these updates to github though dom, makes my life a bit easier

Git hubs up to date.

MikeDX - 6-7-2016 at 08:47 PM

have you forgotten to do git push? (or forgotten to add the new prgs?)

dom cook - 7-7-2016 at 08:45 PM

I think I've succeeded in putting it up on github now. The prg is DTA.

dom cook - 10-7-2016 at 05:28 PM

MikeDX - 10-7-2016 at 06:01 PM

Very cool Dom! You must be close to completion now.

I've made progress on the web netplay too, so we can discuss that soon!

dom cook - 10-7-2016 at 06:36 PM

Thanks Mike,
I feel like I'm getting close. All the pieces are finally in place now. I just need to tie it all together; hunt down a few bugs and wrap it up within a game-cycle.

Good effort with the net play. It's going to be a massive plus for DIV.

dom cook - 12-7-2016 at 03:03 PM

here's a bit of background

MikeDX - 12-7-2016 at 06:16 PM

Beautiful

This ia going to look amazing in the new div showreel video

dom cook - 12-7-2016 at 08:25 PM

This ia going to look amazing in the new div showreel video

Just let me finish it first. Almost there! (as Red Leader would say)

MikeDX - 12-7-2016 at 11:23 PM

Oh don't worry I'm waiting until you're done and it's up in game over

dom cook - 14-7-2016 at 09:06 PM

I've decided to simplify things a bit.

MikeDX - 14-7-2016 at 10:40 PM

haha brilliant

dom cook - 16-7-2016 at 05:42 PM

MikeDX - 16-7-2016 at 07:04 PM

You're having way too much fun with this now. Can't wait to start on star wars

dom cook - 17-7-2016 at 05:06 PM

OK I haven't gone yet but I'm on my way out the door now.
I've managed to do some work on the instructions but I'm afraid I got a bit carried away. But you're dead right about it being fun.
Catch you in a couple of weeks. In the meantime keep up the good work.

iWizard - 21-7-2016 at 02:29 PM

Good lord sweet jesus blessed allah!

BreadCaster - 25-7-2016 at 02:59 PM

So what's the stopping point going to be on this then, Dom? What you've done so far is absolutely amazing (I played it in browser and it's seriously cool) but do you have any plans for other games made with the game engine afterwards?

If you can't get colours or texture mapping between the vertices (and I mean, that's quite a tall order) and you were to stick to wireframe, have you considered making something a bit like a 3D version of CAPSULE or perhaps Duskers? If you go for that old, grimy low-fi 80s tech aesthetic that seems to be so popular at the moment, you might even be able to squeeze a commercial game out of this code. Imagine that! :smilegrin:

dom cook - 27-7-2016 at 07:58 PM

So what's the stopping point going to be on this then, Dom? [/url]? If you go for that old, grimy low-fi 80s tech aesthetic that seems to be so popular at the moment, you might even be able to squeeze a commercial game out of this code. Imagine that! :smilegrin:

Well, in terms of content it is finished. I'll get on with finishing the wrapping when I get back in a couple of days then It's job done. I've enjoyed making it and I think that doing it in DIV has encouraged a degree of creativity which wouldn't have happened if I'd used another development tool. Mike mentioned developing a mode V for DIV. I think I'd like to work with him on that next. For me the vector scan style stands up as a game style in itself much as pixel art does.
However, I wouldn't reuse this Engine. As a first attempt it is very make-shift so it would need an overhaul and I also anticipate that when DIV gets 32 bit colour a lot of code would need to be rewritten.

As far as a commercial game goes, I like the idea of doing something in collaboration with other DIV users here, a sort of long distance DIV games studio. For the greater glory of DIV and maybe to help finance Mike in his efforts.

MikeDX - 28-7-2016 at 09:19 AM

A future version of DIV, as well as having 32 bit support will have built in chat and github style code sharing.

This should make it fairly easy for groups to collaborate on a project, with a project leader (or leaders) managing the merges in the code when there are conflicts.

Mode V should be awesome, will start it off as a "DLL" and then merge it into the main codebase once we are happy (netplay and mode8 both started this way)

BreadCaster - 29-7-2016 at 02:05 PM

If Mode V would be able to load polygonal models, do you think it's possible we'd be able to load polygonal models into a Mode 8 space? Because I've started making a different game (survival horror/FPS/adventure game set in a spaceship) in Mode 8 and I wonder if i should hold out on making sprites/animating sprites when I could be using models at a later date. Currently I'm just testing features like crouching, camera bob, ducking under pipes/barriers, flickering lights etc but when DIVDX acquires the 32 bit colour capabilities I'll be making a proper start on it - I really can't do decent textures and objects in 256 :p

dom cook - 29-7-2016 at 06:07 PM

If Mode V would be able to load polygonal models, do you think it's possible we'd be able to load polygonal models into a Mode 8 space?

I would have thought so one way or another. One possible approach to this would be to superimpose the modes by matching their view parameters and then piggybacking the 3d model on an empty mode 8 process. Z-depth occlusion might complicate things a bit though. A code snippet that does something like this (at least in mode 7) is somewhere on my to do list.

BreadCaster - 29-7-2016 at 09:04 PM

Ahhh that would be great. I'm trying to make this game sort of a retro throwback style game but sprites just never looked that good, except possibly as particle effects - it'd be great to be able to include some low poly 3d models in Mode 8

could make it look like Jdoom! I'm probably going to be keeping the prebaked in sector by sector lighting effects and just applying an overlay to sprites/models in those sectors. Will be great if 3D assets could be used

dom cook - 1-8-2016 at 08:37 AM

Back on the case. Now where the heck was I?

gregos - 2-8-2016 at 09:39 PM

I think you were about to make it so that if one person lost their tank, and the other person let their tank get captured by the enemy, they would get twice as many points if they still managed to win (?)

(BTW - case sensitive CAPTCHAs... please don't use those!)

MikeDX - 3-8-2016 at 05:05 AM

(BTW - case sensitive CAPTCHAs... please don't use those!)

Ive changed that, just for you

dom cook - 3-8-2016 at 06:23 AM

(BTW - case sensitive CAPTCHAs... please don't use those!)

Ive changed that, just for you

Glad someone knows what that meant. I couldn't figure out if CAPTCHA was a cool way of writing capture or a Pokemon that had infested the game. Wrong on both counts then, which is a relief.

MikeDX - 3-8-2016 at 09:25 AM

Glad someone knows what that meant. I couldn't figure out if CAPTCHA was a cool way of writing capture or a Pokemon that had infested the game. Wrong on both counts then, which is a relief.

Beginning to regret it already - loads more span sign ups today

gregos - 3-8-2016 at 01:13 PM

Sorry about the spam!

I can live with it, just felt like I'm failing a basic intelligence test.

MikeDX - 3-8-2016 at 02:30 PM

Sorry about the spam!

I can live with it, just felt like I'm failing a basic intelligence test.

At some point this forum will migrate to something a little nicer, with 3rd party SSO.. So it won't be forever

dom cook - 4-8-2016 at 05:58 PM

I've been working on the building in some instructions. It's not something I generally enjoy doing as anything more than a simple list takes a lot more effort than I think it should. It seems like a waste of time really especially when the gameplay is completely obvious.
So I approached this in a decidedly half-hearted manner while at the same time trying to make it a bit fun. Finally, after adding pages of code, I've got the makings of something that's a cross between instructions and a tutorial.

I actually can't remember if I've added any improvements to the game itself. The last thing I did was the volcano, I think.

Attachment: DTA.PRG (225kB)
This file has been downloaded 5221 times

Attachment: battlezone.FPG (1.1MB)
This file has been downloaded 5224 times

MikeDX - 4-8-2016 at 06:17 PM

Hey Dom, don't forget if you are making a "modern" game then you have to do an unskippable tutorial on how to play it - even if it's blatantly obvious.

dom cook - 4-8-2016 at 07:20 PM

Hey Dom, don't forget if you are making a "modern" game then you have to do an unskippable tutorial on how to play it - even if it's blatantly obvious.

I draw the line at unskippable.

gregos - 5-8-2016 at 12:06 AM

If it was a 'modern' game, everything would be mapped to one button which kicks-off canned animations of Tom Hanks (99% of the budget).

What is the chance of an active camo pick-up accompanied by occasional Predator soundbites?

MikeDX - 5-8-2016 at 05:18 AM

Oh and you have to have achievements for doing some things - like moving the tank 10 cm, or firing a shot. Makes the game "better"

dom cook - 5-8-2016 at 08:44 AM

Don't forget the coveted one for buying £200 worth of in-app purchases in one session,

[Edited on 5-8-2016 by dom cook]

dom cook - 5-8-2016 at 08:46 AM

Or watching x number of ads

dom cook - 5-8-2016 at 08:56 AM

What is the chance of an active camo pick-up accompanied by occasional Predator soundbites?

Sure, right after I've added the folding wings pick-up and the Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang theme tune.

gregos - 8-8-2016 at 12:24 PM

What is the chance of an active camo pick-up accompanied by occasional Predator soundbites?

Sure, right after I've added the folding wings pick-up and the Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang theme tune.

Compromise, the Child Catcher with Predator soundbites (?)

dom cook - 9-8-2016 at 05:32 AM

I like that idea. I could add something like an oversized butterfly net cannon upgrade. Not sure which soundbite to use though. Maybe a chopper instead.

dom cook - 23-8-2016 at 06:09 PM

Oh dear, I've had too long a break. I sat down to finish this thing off a couple of weeks ago but was suddenly struck with the bizarre urge to write poetry. Anyway, after a couple of 8 bit poems, I'm forced to conclude that poetry isn't my thing. In the meantime however, this diversion has had the effect of wiping my brain of all familiarity with the code for this game. Forcing myself to get back into it has been a real battle. But finally, I'm back on the case! It will be done and dusted in a week (or more).

MikeDX - 24-8-2016 at 03:39 PM

Oh dear, I've had too long a break. I sat down to finish this thing off a couple of weeks ago but was suddenly struck with the bizarre urge to write poetry. Anyway, after a couple of 8 bit poems, I'm forced to conclude that poetry isn't my thing. In the meantime however, this diversion has had the effect of wiping my brain of all familiarity with the code for this game. Forcing myself to get back into it has been a real battle. But finally, I'm back on the case! It will be done and dusted in a week (or more).

I feel a bit like this - I haven't looked at the DIV code for a couple of weeks, and now moved house. Going back to the DIV code I don't know what I'm doing anymore - and the sudden attack of some kind of "summer" has finished me off.

dom cook - 25-8-2016 at 04:35 PM

Bad news. Repeat after me: "Must not abandon project"

MikeDX - 25-8-2016 at 07:26 PM

Bad news. Repeat after me: "Must not abandon project"

Indeed.

I'm working on the new version of DIV now, I think it's time to put the 8bit version to bed and bring out the hardware accelerated 3D goodness

BreadCaster - 26-8-2016 at 02:06 PM

Bad news. Repeat after me: "Must not abandon project"

Oh God, THIS. I've done all the work I plan to do on the Mode 8 test thingy for now and am right this moment trying to get back into working on CyberCrisis, ironing out a bug.

That last god dang 15 - 20% of a creative project. Uck. The hardest bit.

dom cook - 26-8-2016 at 06:29 PM

That last god dang 15 - 20% of a creative project. Uck. The hardest bit.

There are creative advantages to being in this situation. I so dread doing anything on this project that not only have I taken up poetry to avoid it, I've started learning the piano and am now considering getting into amateur dramatics.

Yet herein will I imitate the sun,

[Edited on 26-8-2016 by dom cook]

BreadCaster - 26-8-2016 at 08:08 PM

That last god dang 15 - 20% of a creative project. Uck. The hardest bit.

I've been making a full body harness out of neoprene. No, I'm serious. It's for a commission so I had to do it anyway :p

dom cook - 29-8-2016 at 07:29 PM