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Topic: Nintendolife Users' Game Development Thread

Posts 61 to 80 of 83

tsolron

V8_Ninja wrote:

Personally, what I would do is get all of the tiles of the selected path (use an array of some kind) and then individually check each tile to see if the unit travel over that tile (use a 'For' loop of some kind). If all of the tiles come back as OK to travel on, then the unit can move to its destination. If not, then some indicator will flash up stating that the unit cannot move to the located destination.

Of course, that solution may not fit with your current code, but it's how I would tackle the problem.

That should work alright. Last night I played Advanced Wars a bit to see if there was anything I liked that I should be sure to add, and one was displaying where a unit can move, where it can attack, and having the arrow to represent the path your unit will travel (if you finalize the move). So first and last of these could directly use what you said (loop through all terrain tiles, check if they're within X distance of a unit, and if so, can the unit move there). I'd have to modify it a bit to ensure I don't skip over tiles. I'm thinking maybe using a modified Kruskal's Algorithm to calculate where I can go might be efficient enough.

Thanks for the suggestions! I need to modify a few other things before starting coding this, but I'll let you know how it goes.

tsolron

tsolron

I worked mainly on improving my code, rather than work on movement. I've got what I think some could consider a "game engine." I have various states, such as menus, in-game, an 'intro' screen, and several others. The included image is of the main menu, with the mouse hovering over "Level Select".

Untitled

There's some more optimizing I need to do before I'll start coding the unit's movement. Mainly with how things are stored/accessed.

P.S. Wheels2050, let me know if you mind me posting about my project in here.

Edited on by tsolron

tsolron

ClassicJetterz

Hello. I'm working on my own couple of games.

One's a retro Gameboy style RPG.
One's a modern 3D RPG.
One's a pre rendered adventure game much like Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom.

I make my own 3D graphics in Anim8or.

Eventually I'll make my own thread to scout for talent. But if you need help, just let me know.
I don't do any programming...sadly...but I'm the artsy guy.

You're blinded by romance, you're blinded by science...
Your condition is critically grave...but don't expect mercy from such an alliance..
Suspicion of tradition's so new wave!

3DS Friend Code: 5370-0397-4153 | Nintendo Network ID: ClassicJetterz

Wheels2050

Hey all, sorry I've been absent for so long - there's been a lot going on for me lately!

I'm still keen to get back into my game, but it may not be for a little while. I certainly hadn't forgotten about this thread, but have been spending little time on NL lately.

I'm quite happy for people to post about their own games here, as I think it will help to share ideas (if people are willing!) and have a central spot for this type of stuff. However, what I would suggest is that you start each post with the game you're talking about (e.g. Wheels2050's Game:) so that it's clear to others what you're talking about. I've renamed the thread to reflect this.

To answer a few queries/points made in this thread lately:

  • C++ isn't native only to Windows. You compile a program for a target OS (e.g. Windows or Linux) but a given program can be compiled for several targets with minimal/no tweaking, depending on the program. My game runs on both Windows and Linux, and would run on Mac with a small amount of effort (as OSX is a Unix-like system). The Gnu Compiler Collection that I use is open-source and supports a wide range of platforms and architectures.
  • @tsoltron: Your structure as you've listed it looks perfectly fine. The way I set out my engine is to have an 'Entity' class, of which specific units are child classes. They all have member functions such as "Draw", "Move", "SetDestination" etc. These functions are called from an external event-handling loop, so if a unit is selected and a valid destination tile is clicked on, the unit's destination is set and it then moves there. Without seeing your actual code I might suggest doing the same, such as having a class that does the event handling (so you can incorporate keypresses etc. all in the one area).

As for the path-finding algorithm, my maps will not be huge so Dijkstra is plenty fast enough for my need. I came up with a method to determine whether a tile is passable or impassable, based on a little icon in the sprite sheet. This then lets me create new sprites, as well as their passability, in the one graphic which suits my needs well. The tile class has a flag which sets the passability of that tile. Then, an impassable tile is given a weight of 999 in the Dijkstra's algorithm, meaning that it's avoided when pathfinding. However, this method using little symbols requires pixel-level analysis of an image, which isn't terribly complicated but you may prefer to refer to an external database for that sort of thing.

Anyway, my game is looking a little more refined than in the last video I uploaded. Once I get back to working on it I'll show you where it's at.

Good luck with the coding everybody, keep us informed of how you're going!

I used to have a blog link here. I'll put it back up when the blog has something to read.

V8_Ninja

So...I said some things about a game I was making.

Simply put, that's not happening anymore. I realized that the project was too ambitious for what I had known/done (absolutely nothing), so I scrapped it. The good news is that I did make a game!

...And it's a clone of Snake.

Yes, it's disappointing, but this actually gives me experience in making video games (if only small ones) and this will allow me to build up my expertise to the point where I may actually be able to revive Project SD or do another, potentially more advanced game. Two imaginary steps back and one real step forward.

Thanks given to Xkhaoz for that one avatar.
Please contact me before using my custom avatar!
A (Former) Reviewer for Digitally Downloaded.net
My Backloggery: http://backloggery.com/v8_ninja

Void

Well, it's a start, everybody has to start somewhere.
Wow, has it been 7 or so months? I forgot about this thread.

Edited on by Void

I used to travel the stars, then I discovered Earth, and these incredibly addicting things called 'Video Games.'
And they said you couldn't buy happiness!

tsolron

My first few "games" weren't great, either. At my school the first actual larger-scale project students complete is something similar to a 20-questions game (but with only a couple possible objects).

I worked on my project for another month before heading back to school, so while I have quite a bit of progress compared to what I posted, development is slow.

However, in one of my current programming courses we're learning how to make various games and apps for multiple platforms. A log for what I've done and some of the projects we did are at my website, www.tsolron.com.

V8_Ninja, if you have questions about game design, feel free to ask me. I haven't done much game design with Java, but I've worked with the language quite a bit.

tsolron

FOREST_RANGER

V8_Ninja wrote:

So...I said some things about a game I was making.

Simply put, that's not happening anymore. I realized that the project was too ambitious for what I had known/done (absolutely nothing), so I scrapped it. The good news is that I did make a game!

...And it's a clone of Snake.

Yes, it's disappointing, but this actually gives me experience in making video games (if only small ones) and this will allow me to build up my expertise to the point where I may actually be able to revive Project SD or do another, potentially more advanced game. Two imaginary steps back and one real step forward.

Just wondering, but what tools and Java libraries were you going to use to make the game?

Edited on by FOREST_RANGER

Formely known as bobbiKat

Nintendo Network ID: F0R35T_R8NG3R

tsolron

If I can add some information: A friend of mine recently completing a lot of these tutorials (with the intention of porting it to Android later on (part of the tutorials)):
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1753131

Another friend used LightWeight Java Game Library (LWJGL) to make a MineCraft-style game (quite a bit different, but that same idea with blocks and such).
http://www.lwjgl.org/

tsolron

V8_Ninja

FOREST_RANGER wrote:

V8_Ninja wrote:

snip

Just wondering, but what tools and Java libraries were you going to use to make the game?

I was just going to use the default Java libraries. If I were to revive the game I would still be dedicated to doing that, as the Snake clone I made was in 100% pure Java with no additional libraries used.

Thanks given to Xkhaoz for that one avatar.
Please contact me before using my custom avatar!
A (Former) Reviewer for Digitally Downloaded.net
My Backloggery: http://backloggery.com/v8_ninja

KAHN

i am actually planning a series of mini-projects, 3 total games.

1.) this one is a journey to heaven, where when you finally reach the end, to meet your girlfriend who'd previously died, she kills you and you are sent straight to hell afterwards. this is actually a metaphor representing a love i had in my late 20's, but i was broken afterwards when she'd dumped me when i'd loved her so much.

2.) this is about a boy (who had previously led a crappy life of being bullied and beaten) who falls down a hole in the ground and can't get out. within, he discovers a network of old tunnels, where these engineers and construction workers had all died. but this boy is alone, and so begins talking to these rotted corpses, when they start talking back! led by his subconscious, the boy tries to solve the problems of these dead souls, and discovers that by helping them, they can construct for him a ladder to escape the tunnels! but the boy discovers he's made friends for the first time, and begins questioning whether he wants to return to his average crappy life, or if he wants to stay with people who actually love him. this is a metaphor for my own crappy childhood, where i had abusive parents and was bullied all until high school graduation.

3.) this is about a monster who'd woke up one morning in a neighborhood of men. but he wakes with amnesia, and can't remember a thing! but he realizes ist's possible to regain his memory by revisiting ruins of places he'd been before. once he explores an area, he can explore this area even further in his dreams. the more you explore the dream world and regain memories, the more of the real world you can explore, and your dream world can grow too! to unlock new areas in the real world, you are given a riddle related to a memory, and if you solve this riddle, you can locate something hidden in the real world (for example, a key) required to further explore the real world. each of your memories look like puzzle pieces. once you put all the puzzle pieces together, you will have regained your memory and your last objective will be riddled in the picture made by the puzzle.

i've spent some time on each of these projects, so tell me what you think of each, please!

KAHN

3DS Friend Code: 1032-1301-2772 | Nintendo Network ID: Milkman12

V8_Ninja

0SP_ZELDAiii wrote:

i am actually planning a series of mini-projects, 3 total games.

1.) snip

2.) snip

3.) snip

i've spent some time on each of these projects, so tell me what you think of each, please!

Fun fact; if you're serious about making those games, you should probably shelve them and start small. From what I can tell, you've done nothing with game development and that's bad when ambition gets in the way.

If you really haven't done anything, here's a pro-tip; make a SNAKE clone. It's easy, you practice basic formula creation/handling (the player needs to move faster after each expansion), and input handling is very simple.

Thanks given to Xkhaoz for that one avatar.
Please contact me before using my custom avatar!
A (Former) Reviewer for Digitally Downloaded.net
My Backloggery: http://backloggery.com/v8_ninja

RikuzeYre

Heroes of mana is about the only SRPG game I've seen that actually utilized elevation differences effectively. I myself have been working on two games, one being an action rpg with a 3 member party system and the other being a Strategy RPG rendered in full 3D with a scope camera (because its also a horror title) ( the closest I can describe it is each battlefield is lain out like the floor plan in a dungeon crawler. They are both going to be heavily AI intensive.

Edited on by RikuzeYre

RikuzeYre

KAHN

V8_Ninja wrote:

0SP_ZELDAiii wrote:

i am actually planning a series of mini-projects, 3 total games.

1.) snip

2.) snip

3.) snip

i've spent some time on each of these projects, so tell me what you think of each, please!

Fun fact; if you're serious about making those games, you should probably shelve them and start small. From what I can tell, you've done nothing with game development and that's bad when ambition gets in the way.

i wouldn't say they're ambitions, more like stretch goals. aiming towards making these projects, i've learned a lot about programming in C++. plus, i have prior knowledge of coding from coding in different languages in the past (i've written code in html5 and java). i'm writing these in C++ as a sort of learning experience, and as i've said before, i'm doing this so i can learn more about C++. think of it like this; it is important to learn codes of different languages because if you only learn one, it becomes rigid and stale.

KAHN

3DS Friend Code: 1032-1301-2772 | Nintendo Network ID: Milkman12

FOREST_RANGER

0SP_ZELDAiii wrote:

i wouldn't say they're ambitions, more like stretch goals. aiming towards making these projects, i've learned a lot about programming in C++. plus, i have prior knowledge of coding from coding in different languages in the past (i've written code in html5 and java). i'm writing these in C++ as a sort of learning experience, and as i've said before, i'm doing this so i can learn more about C++. think of it like this; it is important to learn codes of different languages because if you only learn one, it becomes rigid and stale.

If you're going to make games to practice your programming, then you should maybe focus on making game mechanics. And maybe simple ones too if you're new to game development :/

Formely known as bobbiKat

Nintendo Network ID: F0R35T_R8NG3R

sugarpixel

So this is the place to post now when you're making a game? Alright. Here's what I'm working on currently:
Untitled
Download link: http://sandbox.yoyogames.com/games/216546-the-great-gatsby-be...
This is for a school project at the moment; but I plan on taking it much further. It's going to lean on the ridiculous side, and you can quickly see why shortly after the game begins.

I've got three levels so far. It's going to have a multitude of branching storylines. Every choice you make makes a difference!

Official description of this release:
BETA v.0.1
How well do you remember The Great Gatsby? Your goal is to recreate the plot as accurately as possible. If you make a mistake and alter the plot, you never know what might happen...

This early version contains the first 3 levels. Level 3 contains a door that currently leads nowhere.

This is looking to be the best game I've ever made! I'm excited to hear feedback on this early version of the game! (NOTE: Be careful not to accidentally hit the S key while playing; it's there for debugging purposes. It won't do anything in the final version, be be wary of it for now.)

Edited on by sugarpixel

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RR529

I admire any of you who actually make your own games. I've always wanted to make my own game, but I know absolutely nothing about coding, and while I was never bad in math, it certainly wasn't a subject I got excited about, either.

I have a lot of free time currently, and have been thinking about downloading Petit Computer, but I have a feeling I'd be completely lost, lol. Even if it was something simple, like a "Breakout" clone, I'd love to say I made my own game.

Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)

tsolron

Note: Starting small with really basic programs is key. It's disappointing to start with "boring" games, but it's good to help learn the building blocks of games (game loop, event-driven programming versus procedural programming, working with objects that need to be displayed, etc...).

Even with four years of coding experience, which coincides with three years of programming classes, the most-complex thing I've created can be seen on my website (below). I'm happy with my progress on it (paused during my current school term), but it still nowhere near a playable game, even with 150+ hours spent on it (a lot of that was learning things, though).
http://www.tsolron.com

As I've already typed up a list of resources for coding, I'll just copy and paste it in here. This was for a prospective computer science student for my college, and I wasn't sure of his coding abilities, if any. I knew he was interested in game design, probably coding, but I listed resources for other parts too.

Here's a list of resources I've used in the last few years, in order of using them. I have a lot more links, but they're typically specific to what I was looking up at the time I found them. These are the core resources.

LUA - (in Roblox): Very easy to learn and fun to mess around with. A good learning tool.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think I first learned to code in this language. It's not super well-known, but quite a few games use this. Typically they'll have C++ or another language as the base, but for something such as enemy movement, this might be used. I know World of Warcraft and the Legend of Grimrock use this.

I don't really have a specific resource for this language, but the way I learned it was by scripting in the game Roblox. Note that I haven't tried scripting in this in over two years, so I'm not sure how it's changed. To find out how to code something, I typically took a preexisting example for something and modified it. To change the lighting or location of objects, I just looked at the possible values for the variables and messed around with it until I understood what it did. This is nice for seeing immediate results (modify a variable and the change happens instantly, in-game).
http://www.roblox.com/

Actionscript 3.0 resources (AS3) - Create things from scratch. Graphics code is very simple.

I think this is one of the most helpful resources for ActionScript 3 games (Flash games). To follow these tutorials, you'd need to get a trial (or full) version of Flash. If you do end up coming to Linfield next year, the CS lab has Flash.
http://gamedev.michaeljameswilliams.com/
The specific tutorial on this website that I like is:
http://gamedev.michaeljameswilliams.com/2008/09/17/avoider-ga...

Note that Flash is, in my opinion, a somewhat dying game platform. But I still think it's a good resource for learning game design as you get quick results, and the graphics are, in a sense, built-in, so you don't have to worry about that code as much.

This is the next-best resource, for a full game. There are a few tutorials on here. The thing I don't like about this site is it doesn't go through what each line of code actually does as much, and rather gives you a block of code and tells you what the block does. If you already understand how to code somewhat, this is fine, but for a beginner, this isn't too useful.
http://www.flashgametuts.com/

I used this in designing a game for my senior project in high school (done during my Junior year and it's called an Extended Application project). It describes how to code more advanced movement, and a few other topics.
http://asgamer.com/2009/as3-flash-games-for-beginners-more-ad...

This is probably the best book for AS3. It's interesting enough to actually be able to read it, and it does teach you things. However, I think you could learn a good portion of the contents of this book just by following the first tutorial mentioned.
http://www.learningactionscript3.com/

This is the game I designed for my EA project. I have a more updated version, but I never uploaded it.
http://www.kongregate.com/games/tsolron/avoider-game-turned-s...

Unity Resources - Game / Level designer (included physics engine)

Note that this is the resource which can create the most-complex games, of the ones I've tried out. To create even a basic game in this it'll take a lot of learning and time, but not too much code (I think).

This lists off a bunch of resources.
http://www.virtualgamelab.com/unity-resources.html

This will teach you how to use Unity from no previous knowledge in things like this. A little knowledge would be helpful, but I don't think it's required. I haven't finished the tutorials, so I don't know what could be created if you do complete them.
http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/content.php?176

I haven't looked over these videos, but it sounded like it could be useful:
http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/69938-Unity-3-Video-Training...

Blender Resources - A 3D modeling program.
This does have game-design capabilities, but I wouldn't recommend using it for that. This could be used to create 3D models to be used in games.

Get Blender here:
http://www.blender.org/

Course materials for a 3D modeling course which uses Blender. I've only completed a couple, but it's very easy to follow, and in the bit that I did, I learned a lot.
http://gryllus.net/Blender/3D.html

Advanced tutorials for how to create scenes in Blender. While a static scene isn't necessarily super-useful for game design, I think it'd be a good resource for learning how to create things that you might use in game design.
http://www.blenderguru.com/

Additional Resources
Here's a few resources for learning coding, but not specific to game design, in order of beginner to intermediate:

This website is designed to teach coding to anyone, starting with absolutely no knowledge. I've completed a little of it to test it out, and it seemed very well done.
http://www.codecademy.com/#!/exercises/0

This website is kind of hit-and-miss for what's good. Some of the math and physics tutorials I've watched are really useful, and some are just confusing. The computer science ones may be useful if you're stuck on a specific topic.
http://www.khanacademy.org/cs/tutorials/programming-basics

This is the website that the first-year students here use. They use the Java part of it, but it also has a Python section. The warmup sections will give you the answers if you click "Show Solution" on them.
http://codingbat.com/

The following are free online courses for programming that you may decide to take a look at:
(Note: These links may become outdated based on whether or not the courses are still offered.)
http://www.coursera.org/course/programming1
http://www.coursera.org/course/interactivepython
http://www.edx.org/courses/HarvardX/CS50x/2012/about

Newer resources I've found since typing up the previous stuff:
If you know a bit of coding, Corona is a nice program to use to quickly create an android app. However, I like being able to go in and code whatever you want, rather than using the preexisting things like the built-in physics. It is good for starting out with android apps, if you know a bit of coding.
http://www.coronalabs.com/

For HTML5 apps (for computers, tablets, and phones), CocoonJS is a good resource. Similar to the last one, you can't modify quite as much as just writing all the code for yourself. Understanding basic code is good for this program, even though you don't actually write code. I'm not quite sure how to explain how this works, but you essentially use a bunch of preexisting functions to do things, but you can create a wide variety of apps with it.
http://www.ludei.com/tech/cocoonjs

Edited on by tsolron

tsolron

RR529

^Thanks for all the links!

I don't have a reliable computer right now (I can only use my 3DS at the moment), so I probably won't be able to take advantage of those.

I'll probably just get Petit Computer, see what others have made, mess around with their beginner tools, then see if I can't move up from there (we do have coding textbooks around, as my dad took a course years ago).

Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)

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