Well, my academics seem a little speeding up now, as my vacations are over and as you know, I have to focus on the studies.
So, I may be gone for awhile, but I'm not gonna let my projects here die. I will update them and post here as I find time.
Many teachers are keeping a very sharp eye on me as I demontrated some great capabilities during my last academic year. So, to make a long story short, I'm on a hitlist. No wonder I'd be drowned in work and is definitely gonna be Overworked / Underpaid situation. But yet, I'll be right here whenever I find time. Updating the stuff and keeping you informed about all new activities I'd do both in and out of the Academics.
So, that's why a little leave note...
And the least I can do... The Beta V3 of Grid Control - Thanks NEO, You KUPAX rocks!
GML : Quickie Updatie...
Well, as what Amidos has suggested. I have added a Glow around the Structures. Plus, I had increased the difficulty of the waves by one level. The new file has been uploaded to my generous host Kupax.
Here's the Link - [ Download ]
Quickie :
Oh well, Thanks Amidos, your suggestions do worked out. I just have to test this on both High End and Low end machines and and then I can think about more improvements. Cause right now, I'm using a low end macine to work out on this, I would require a little help to figure out how exactly it would look on High End machines. Practically it should look the same on every machine, but I'm nor very sure.
By the Way, I'll welcome all ideas that would develop this further... I liked the game so much and had a lot of fun trying to survive a long as I could.
Here's the Link - [ Download ]
Quickie :
Oh well, Thanks Amidos, your suggestions do worked out. I just have to test this on both High End and Low end machines and and then I can think about more improvements. Cause right now, I'm using a low end macine to work out on this, I would require a little help to figure out how exactly it would look on High End machines. Practically it should look the same on every machine, but I'm nor very sure.
By the Way, I'll welcome all ideas that would develop this further... I liked the game so much and had a lot of fun trying to survive a long as I could.
GML: Grid Control Playable...
Well, Hello again...
As of now, the version of Grid Control - The Real-Time Tower Defense is now in the playable state. I have implemted the Cash system and a scoring system plus the enemy levels increasing in the difficulty and numbers as you play more. Here's a screenshot of my Impenetrable defense network, that took practically about an hour to build up.
As of now, the version of Grid Control - The Real-Time Tower Defense is now in the playable state. I have implemted the Cash system and a scoring system plus the enemy levels increasing in the difficulty and numbers as you play more. Here's a screenshot of my Impenetrable defense network, that took practically about an hour to build up.
Note that the Cash you start out with is greatly limited, though enough for a survival for the early stage. Remember that placements matter a lot as there are different kinds of enemies. The most basic ones head for the castle and when they touch the castle, they steal money. The other kinds include the ones that head for the Stations (O's) and The Power-Lines (X's). Destroying it and hence taking down the entire brach of the defense network.
The innovative gamepay and defense system that make this Tower defense stand out from the usual ones... It has mostly an automated gameplay, high level Enemy AI. Thus, minimizing the micromanagement mostly required in RTS-like games.
I hope you guys liked this one. Quickly try out and tell me how's it.. Download link is located at the Top-Right corner.
Oh yes. If you are wondering about the Tesla Bolts, I turned them off in the screenshots. You can press X to deactivate them if you observe the Lag in the gameplay.
GML: Improvements...
Working on same project that I had started some days before, I have come to think some really out of the Box ideas. I had decided to make this a Tower Defense style game, but a lot more involvement with Real-Time Tactics and very tight resource management.
Not much of the picture is clear at the moment. But you people can believe that a real kick-ass project is in the works...
I had tries a fancy system of pathfinding and plus, a very nasty type of special effects. You can see it in the screenshots below - perticularly on the trail of the Red Enemies and Green Defender Bots.
Many new possibilities are opened when I tried out the new Special Effects for Graphic Trails. And allow me to present a few screenshots...
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
Current Version of Grid Control
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.
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.
...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.
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)
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...
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..
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