GML: Brand New Graphics... Testing...

After a lot of experiments with 2D Filters, Blend Modes and anti-aliasing, I have created a lot better looking graphics. Plus, I have been testing out the Tower-Defense style - Aligned Placements. Combined with a nicely Blended Out and Anti-Aliased filter, and a RTS style Mouse control for placements of objects. I have finally succeeded in making a Brand New Graphics style.

For this minigame in making, I am calling it Grid Control. It is more like a Real-Time Tactical Tower Defense.

Though this style might have been already used for many commercial games, I am kinda proud of this as I have created it without any heavy renderers or commercial engines. I have used GM resources and GML heavily.



Early Version of Grid Control

But then, I thought the gridlines should not be visible from the start. The filter would reveal the Gridlines, like a Neon Glow attached to the mouse pointer.
So, I got to the work again, and came up with a solution. Now I am able to quickly work out many versions of the Filter, and modes.
The Screenshot you see below is a perticular example of Additive Blend Mode.

You can click on it, to have a bigger image, in which you can clearly see the Neon Glow around the Mouse Pointer.

Current Version of Grid Control

...Sid...

GML: BlockOut Engine Complete...

Well, a great news for all of you...

The BlockOut Platformer Engine is complete. The whole source code is now much more optimized and fully functional. The engine is fully working and developed.

The newly updated demo of the engine features a Tutorial level and a Test level.
In the tutorials, you are made familier with all basic aspects of the game, like movement, enemies and traps, and Most importantly - The Black Glaive.

The glaive's code can be a bit difficult to port on the other platforms, but it can be easily ported and customized on any other GM based Platformer or TDS. The collisions regarding Glaive and basic Enemy AI work perfectly on both Platformers and TDSs.

The new Demo also features a Barrier Trap that can be disabled by a switch. Good thing is that these codes are also easy to quickly port over the other GM based games. (Simple three component code) Again, the switch activation can also be customized. As I have allows Glaive to activate switches as well. That means, in your own games, you can use a Bomb, Gun or any projectile weapon to activate the switch.

The Enemies are way overpowered, but again, customizable. I kept them overpowered as I wanted the Stealth part to be prominant in this perticular Demo. Enemy AI has been greatly improved, and now the advanced movements, like Random Turns and Sub-paths are possible, though they still require a ridiculously tedious design aspect.
(Well, you can see that in the final part of the tutorial level)

But, note that the Random routines of the enemies require a bit of processings, so too many of them can slow down the system.

The Physics of the objects has been greatly improved, though not the direct part of the gameplay except for the Glaive, these Physics remain as more of the Eye-Candy. But yet, they still require a lot of processing powers.

The effects used in the Demo are simple Sprite based effects, though look nice thanks to the Additive Blend Mode graphics.

The HUD - Heads up display has been moved to the bottom, and right now only has the Hitpoints bar. (This part is not so customizable, though)


- [ Download located in the Top Right Corner ] -
- [ My Current Projects ] -


I hope you'll enjoy the Demo provided.
If you are a GM user and want the Source Codes, Contact me.

BTW, if you guys haven't noticed, The Blog has grown 50 Posts old. With this being the 50th post on the Blog.

...Yeah, Go and Celebrate!

3d Realms Shut Down...

6th May 2009 must be the most unforunate day in every Gamer's life... This is the day when the most famous studio in PC game developement has been shut down - Yes, The 3D Realms is no more...

The creators of games like Biomenace, Balls of Steel and then infamous Shadow Warrior, Wolf3d and recently Max Payne and Max Payne 2 and, most notably - Duke Nukem Series.
The major reason behind is the publisher - Take-Two Interactive, that had moved agrresively and filed a legal against 3d Realms that they had not completed the latest installement in DN series - DNF - Duke Nukem Forever. But, as many of their lead developers left the studio and 3dR had difficulty in the completion of DNF.

The agrression of Take-Two continued, and Lack of fundings to continue after DNF had finally resulted in collapse.

As the result - 3d Realms is no more... (Till they come back, if at all)

GML: Yet another Update

Well, no Screenies or Videos for now, but a quick batch of Updates in the Block-Out engine. I have completely reworked the Platformer Movement code and now it functions a lot better than old Sluggish code. This code is new and Optinized, can be easily ported over other Platform games that I might create in future.

The Glaive has been sigificantly improved. Firstly by Visual standards and secondly by code. Now we have a twice deadly Glaive that looks thrice better.

Secondly. The enemy AI has been greatly reworked. Now, Enemy can actually SEE you. The Blocks and stuff will definitely obtruct it's vision and you have a clean visual indication that he can see you.

The Movement routines have been greatly reworked. Now, with simple Waypoints, you can create paths for AI that AI will follow. Yet, AI is quite simple, Walk from Waypoint to the next, Scan for Player character, and if found, Fire at him.

What I am trying to do is to create a Platform AI. As most of the Spherons are capable of flying, Some are not. So, I have to take that in account as well. (Also you have some Evil 'Blockies' that support Spheron Empire for thier 'Greater Good'... You know... Traitors)

Stay Tuned. Lots of Updates underway...

...Sid..

GML: Updates... Updates !

Well, Today I found out that making a simple enemy AI is quite easier, after a little experiments using Block-Out engine.

What I wanted my enemies to do is move along a defined path, Scan for Player Character, and when he's seen, i.e. No obstacles between, then fire a barrage of bullets to the player. (Ofc, this accounts the Stealth mode)

So, after a little experiments with pathing maps, I could successfully make Enemy AI, but the problem encountered was rigidity. Something that I hate. Using Pathing Maps will not be freeform anymore, So, I had finally made my own Pathing system.
(Similar to Waypoint AI system that I used for Warcraft III Mods)

Additionally, G Field the game has progressed well, The game is now in the Beta 8 Stage, and the additions of Musics and Sounds is being made. I am using many freeware sounds, but you'll hardly notice the difference between those and Commercial qualiy sounds... Stay tuned.

...Sid...

GML: Block-Out Engine... Have a 2D Dark Sector.

I was pretty much inspired from the latest PC game - Dark Sector. (Read Review Here) And I decided to do something very similar to that, Ofc with GML and I though a Platformer Engine would definitely suit it. So here I present - Block-Out engine... A 2d Version of Dark Sector's infamous glaive.





The trick here is the Glaive. I liked it very much. I used the modified G Field 3 engine to Guide the Glaive when it's in the air and the result was pretty smooth... Again, Glaive presented some of the challanges, Like you cannot always hit the enemies. When you first throw it, Glaive is trown with a great destructive force... But when it hits Walls or something like that, it will lose the power and not cannot hurt anything. Then, you must steer it back to your character - a small whimpy Block, who catches it. And then you can throw it again.

Fun was the engine design, I had to combine Lauch It! engine - The third engine in Physics SandBox series, to make a Smooth looking jump. Some nice Enemy AI that fires at you if you reveal yourself to it. (Well, that you won't see in the Video, I'm too stealthy...)

And Ofc, a Stealth System that allows you to perform some amazing feats.

I hope that you've enjoyed the Video, and if you think that the whole game must be made out of it, just let me know your ideas and concepts.
(I intend to make it a Story-driven game with some really Cartoonish Graphics, But high-level gameplay)

So that is all for now, folks... Soon meet you with some other great stuff.













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... What? Oh I almost forgot.... The Download Link

- [ Download Here ] -

...Sid...

Taking a Break... Are you insane?

Well, after much of the work, specially on G Field the Game, I'm strongly in need of a short break. Otherwise, my head will explode.

Actually, that's the funny story. I got so little time and so much work to do. I have got to finish G Field the Game and make it upto a very stable state. Yet, I have done a lot into the coding part of it, and yet, I feel like much more is actually remaining.

Similar is the case with BftC : Reloaded. The project again went on hold despite being so close to the release. (I bet the people out there are gonna kill me for that)

So, what I need is a little time, to look back, and analyze the whole situation. Decide what I am gonna do next, and then, actually, kick back and enjoy a few hours away from GFXs and SFXs code, Engines and stuff. That should really get my head stop burning.

But again, reconsider, what's wrong being drowned in the work? I mean, I'm doing something that is going to help me a lot in near future... Plus, this is the only free time I have got. What if I waste a single minute? Will I get that back again sometime... ?

I guess really not. So, here I go again. Taking a break... Are you insane ?

...Sid...

GML: And G Field the Game is nearly Done.

What you read is absolutely correct, people. G Field the Game is now in completely playable state. We just have to add a few more levels and it shall be done.

The plus point is that the core engine is absolutely ready and in Good-to-Go stage, unless we plan any more Last Minute additions in the Game.

Features
- Exciting Physics / Gravity and Collisions
- High Quality /Smooth Effects
- Lighting Engine
- Challenging Level Design
- Great Puzzle Elements
- Free style Gameplay
- Dynamic Terrain
- A User-Friendly Mouse Guide system.

The Mouse Guide system had been reworked as I already published in my previous post. It now provides a great help to the players, rather than the previous system that showed a little weird pathings, causing the Particle having shoot-off in random direction sometimes. The new pathing algorithm is now guaranteed to work for at least 90& of the time.

The Physics Engine has greatly been improvised, and the major success what actually associating mass and momentum with the particle itself. The systems were available in the Toy Box engine, however, they were not implemented completely. The enhanced Toy Box engine is now really functioning well.
(Except for some small issues, which I believe are quite minor)

The visual quality has been greatly improvised. Smooth Blend mode, combined with Vector and normal Pixel art give a great feel to the game. Making you feel like playing a retro game. Now, the Game does not require any Resolution adjustments, and hence will work on all systems having at least 32 MB of Graphics memory.

The Lighting engine was the greatest challenge I ever faced in the design and scripting. Fortunately, it worked out quite well, Just as I had already planned. The major part behind he success was a great planning. A well planned work is half done. My method worked out pretty good, and for that, I thank many people for support and encouragement.

Gameplay has been greatly refined and I daresay, addicting. I myself find this game much more better than all games or GM projects I created so far, I my be biased, but it's what I feel. The high quality and challenging level design is the greatest part of the success.

Mainly, I had always believed that the Gameplay is the part that makes your game good and not the Graphics. I myself find quite addicted to Super Smash Bros. despite lack of Great Graphics, or flashy effects. After all, It is the Gameplay that defines your game and not the Graphics.

As a final note, You'll find that the FPS has been greatly dropped in the Videos, it doesn't happen in the normal gameplay. I just used CamStudio for capturing the videos that that is the sole reason for the Drop in the FPS. Otherwise, the game should give 25-27 FPS on average machines and a constant 29-30 FPS on HD machines.





So, enjoy the video folks, And Stay Tuned!
(Beta 6 Preview)

...Sid...

GML: Mouse Guide Pathing Improved

Well, I have finally done it. The ugly pathing problems with earlier version of Mouse Guide has been removed. And there is no functional problems encountered so far.

Actually, the whole code for the mouse Guide was tweaked and reworked in order to to get the new update up and running. Thankfully, the old code was optimized and hence, New code could easily fit in.

Again, as another minor update, I have switched to the former SFX system, and hence as a result, there is no Resolution or Color Depth switch while start of the Game. That means the game will go smooth with all possible resolutions.

Plus, now the game runs in a Full Screen mode.

...Sid...

GML: New and Improved Engine.

Well, after much of the efforts after polishing and improving the code, the new and improved plus optimized version of the Engine is done.

This includes many significant updates, mainly, new graphics that look beautiful and work brilliantly even on the older machines. I had to do a lot of work with the display modes and optimize the codes in order to get it working.

I can list the Changes below.

New Particle and Attractor Graphics
Yes, new and better graphics are added, that look a lot better than before. Now the particle looks like a composition of both Yellow and Lime Green. (The two signature colors of the Two creators)
Additionally, The Attractor AoE is also drawn on the screen, You can see it as a very faint blue circle. The new graphics effects do not affect the gameplay or the Physics engine, but rather help the player in further plannings.
But, The new graphics now require 16 Bit Color mode, instead of higher 24 Bit or 32 Bit, so the game would actually Autoswitch to the required color mode, causing the screen to flicker for a moment, and then Redrawing the whole screen.

Improved Collisions
The Physics engine has been improved to handle the collisions a lot better than before, specially the old Toy Box engine. The momentum has been considered and the Collisions of two moving objects have been handled pretty well. Now the physics engine and particularly Toy Box engine would not need refinements at least for a month, when I shall plan about my next GML project.

Mouse Guide
The Mouse Guide Gauge had been included in the engine. The Meter is drawn on the screen right below the Remaining Attractors display. The Gauge will drain quickly when SPACE key is held down. And when the meter is completely out, you cannot use the Mouse Guide at all. But, it will regenerate over time when SPACE is released, and hence becoming ready again.
Also, the Damping factor has been reworked, and hence a small glitch has been correted.

Still, the Mouse Guide pathings need to be updated. I shall have to rework the code.

Cache Data Optimization
The Level Restart system recently added uses the Cache data, which is physically dumped on the Disc. Yet, actually, due to the physcical dump, it was possible to figure out and hence exploit the data and hence the whole gameplay. (Of course, NOT the Physics Engine)
So, the Data dumped has now been optimized, hardcoded and also, cleared off after each level.

GML: Level Restarts Done

Well, friends.

In my previous posts I had said that making Level restarts could be troublesome. And trust me, it was. However, in the end, a little smart work has done it. Instead of going back to the Code and crossing the swords with it, I have worked 'smarter' and not harder.

So, in the news, we have it at last, The level restart system is done. You can quickly press F2 key anytime to quickly restart the current level. All your saved Attractors will be restored back in your stock. And the game would restart the way it was pretty quick.

At long last, the game's core engine is more than 80% done. Now, all remains is a Highscore Recording system. (Nevermind)

Plus, a minor update in Physics engine now allows a better collisions and detection. Let us hope that these updates really increase the fun in the game.

Stay tuned...

...Sid...

Few Tips to stay motivated for Game Developers

Well, I have no idea how useful this is gonna be, But I myself follow it...

Don’t set the bar to high
Obviously, don't expect much from yourself, without estimating your capabilities. Know what you are capable of, and think about your Pros and Cons. Then and only then, plan out what you are going to do. A well planned game design is half the work done.

Attack it in pieces
Do NOT rush. Proceed towards the game in baby steps. Make sounds, graphics, AI, Core engine, Physics Engine and so on. Going on in this fashion will help you stay motivated and focused.

Take Breaks
Most effective and essential. Take breaks, dude. That's gonna help you a lot.

Start Small
Again, in combination with the first one. Always start small. Example, never rush to make a whole 100 Level game. Proceed with the aim of making 10 levels, but the good ones. Then if you feel unsatisfied, you can proceed easily.

Get a friend interested in your Project
Never ever fall prey to the "Top Secret Project" trap. Always have a friend who's interested i your project... Nothing's more motivating than a dear friend of yours asking how your Game's coming along... It's really motivating. I have my friends who always discuss out the further design and many who are interested in the Core engine. I love you Guys, You're the ones who help me stay motivated.

Find the Project Partner

Even better than getting a friend interested is working with that friend.

Supposedly, this should halve the amount of work you need to put into your game.

Realistically, it turns out to be quite different. As fate has have it, one person will take the role of the worker while the other inherits the job of the slacker.

Plus, Working with someone else also means you’ll have to share credit.

For some people this is not desirable. Just make sure you know your friend well.

Turn off the Internet
It's harsh, but true. Turn the internet off. Log off the Forums, Facebook, Mails and even Orkut. These things waste a lot of your time and you'll eventually feel bored to continue on your project. So, better keep 'em away. These are the words out of experience. My most brilliant works had been done when I was cut off from internet.

Coffee
Grab it, Drink it... whenever, wherever... And whatever!

...Sid...

GML : More about the Mouse-Guide

Well, it's not really much, but just a bit more about the Mouse Guide system added recently.

The system was made to make a game bit easier to the players. The central idea behind the Mouse-Guide system was only the Trajectory, rather only the direction of the Orbit. As, sometimes, you can land up with an orbit in quite undesired directions, so here's your chance to correct it out without losing any more Attractors in your stock. Plus, it is a lot helpful to the players, taking a Quick-Edge turn.

Initially, the Mouse-Guide used to fuction automatically, right when the particle is inside the Orange circle around your mouse. Now, however, it is an player Colntrolled feature.

After when I designed it, I realized that auto function of the Mouse Guide could turn troublesome for many players, so then, only today I reworked it, and have turned it into a Player Controlled feature.

The Mouse-Guide now requires the SPACE key to be held down. In simple words, when you hold down the SAPCE key, the Orange circle of Mouse Guide will appear and you will be able to use it, when you release the SPACE key, it will go off instantly. Quite easy and handy, right?

Additionally, the circles drawn as the Attractor AoE indicator and Mouse-Guide indicator were previously using the direct rendering methods. Now, I have changed the render method to the Blending mode with Alpha-Channels, making them about three times smoother and graphically much more appealing than before. Extra segments increments, have caused them to be a lot nice looking, but quality comes with the Trade-off. And you might experience a little slowdown while playing the game on Slower computers.

Also, now with the new Lighting functions and the Blend mode has raised the System Requirements of the game, now needing about 32 MB Graphics Memory. But nevermind about that, as todays computers are most likely to have at least 128 MB of Graphics on board.

I would soon upload a Video of the new changes in the Mouse-Guide system And New Render Modes. But, stay tuned people, more changes are about to come...

...Sid...

GML : New Revolutionary Gameplay Systems

Yes, I have made some system improvements that will change the Gameplay of the Game to the whole new level...

What I am talking about? Well, I am talking about the new improvements of the G Field the Game, I have made a Mouse-Guide system that will allow players to guide the trajetory of the Particle to whichever direction they want. However, the mouse-guide will work only if the Particle is caught inside an Attractor.

In the video, you'll see a Small Orange circle around the mouse. This is your Mouse-Guide AoE. With this, you can guide the Trajectory of the Particle, slightly increase / decrease the orbit radius or quickly take the Particle to the other side of the wall. Really useful, eh?

But notice the danger as well, If you accidently decrease the orbit radius, then, there's no way you can increase it again without placing a new Attractor...
... So, use it with extreme caution.
(Balance issues... Hehe)

Also, the new Guiding graphics, a strong Orange colored bolt...

Additionally, the most different concept in the Puzzle game of these types so far...

The lights-out situation...
Yes, you see absolutely nothing in the whole level except the target, but the walls are only to be revealed when you get closer...

This means, that you'll never have an idea of what's coming up next against you, and never even come to know if you have even taken the right path ?

But don't worry, You have a little Extra supply of Attractors if you encounter such levels...

Just Stay Tuned, Guys....

Okay, now the little technicals, The G Field 2 engine was seriously tweaked to allow the new Mouse-Guide system. But I took an extra precaution as in not to allow the player to interfere with the Radius of the Orbit part. ;)

The Guide still follows the collisions well, in fact, brilliantly. The Toy Box engine is not affected at all, the whole code for Mouse-Guide was injected inside the G Field code part.

Also, now if have began to woder how the Lightning system works,
Please note : I'm not going to tell you that. ;)

...Sid...