Eras of the Renaissance may have to be programmed in XNA.
There's several reasons why I want to tackle it in XNA. First, it's actually pretty easy style of game to keep organized and generally code. The only real complicated stuff is updating everything and making sure certain buildings get the goods they require. So basically, any of the AI stuff might be a little complicated, but it shouldn't be too terrible.
Second, while DBP can have an OOP "feel" to it by using types and arrays, C# has a better system of list creation and much better OOP support through classes and structs. Much, much better, and a whole lot easier to understand!
So, I'm thinking that Eras may be put on hold for just a little while until I can learn a little more C# and XNA. I just ordered a book yesterday on game programming in XNA with C#, so hopefully that'll get me started well and good. I know most of the basics and fundamentals of C#, but I need more examples of game programming so that I can better understand the principles.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Eras of the Renaissance: A new city building game
My dang fancy logo!
Lately, I have been playing a LOT of old city building games because by some small miracle, some of them actually work on 64-bit Windows 7. Granted, the cutscenes don't play well at all, but who cares! Pharaoh, Zeus, SimCity 4, they all work decently enough. And they have inspired me to create my own game of this genre.
Over the last few days, I've been looking into various games such as Dawn of Discovery, Anno 1701, 1502 or whatever, Caesar 4 (although that crashed various times), Children of the Nile... I wasn't really stealing ideas, but just trying to get a feel for making the game in 3D and the best way in which to do so. What I've discovered is that the Anno series probably does it the best. The navigation is easy, the interface is simply gorgeous, and by golly, the graphics are pretty decent!
As my game title suggests, it's yet another history-based city building simulation game! It will start in the early 1500s and span the century to the end of Queen Elizabeth the Ist's reign, in 1603. I even have plans to include an expansion pack later on after the initial release, but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves here...
I've been coding a prototype for the engine in DarkBASIC Pro for about 2 or 3 days now. I've only got about 228 lines of code and that's just experiments with saving arrays with UDTs out to a file and such. Oh the joys of the Matrix1 plugin! So many headaches have been averted simply by using three of its commands.
Anyhoo, I'll post more about the game later. Right now, I've got to go to work! Bills don't pay themselves you know, unless you're on auto-pay. Which I'm not.
Over the last few days, I've been looking into various games such as Dawn of Discovery, Anno 1701, 1502 or whatever, Caesar 4 (although that crashed various times), Children of the Nile... I wasn't really stealing ideas, but just trying to get a feel for making the game in 3D and the best way in which to do so. What I've discovered is that the Anno series probably does it the best. The navigation is easy, the interface is simply gorgeous, and by golly, the graphics are pretty decent!
As my game title suggests, it's yet another history-based city building simulation game! It will start in the early 1500s and span the century to the end of Queen Elizabeth the Ist's reign, in 1603. I even have plans to include an expansion pack later on after the initial release, but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves here...
I've been coding a prototype for the engine in DarkBASIC Pro for about 2 or 3 days now. I've only got about 228 lines of code and that's just experiments with saving arrays with UDTs out to a file and such. Oh the joys of the Matrix1 plugin! So many headaches have been averted simply by using three of its commands.
Anyhoo, I'll post more about the game later. Right now, I've got to go to work! Bills don't pay themselves you know, unless you're on auto-pay. Which I'm not.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Slooooow progress
It's been a month since I've been on here. I've been so busy that I haven't been able to work on much of anything programming-related, and currently I'm pursuing a project that hopefully will benefit a LOT of people.
Anyway, I've figured out DBP and have been coding a small level editing demo for NaGaCreMo. This level editor will enable me to construct levels for "RoboCubez" fairly easily. It uses a type object to store individual blocks' information for things like position, final position/color/some other things for the puzzle to be solved, event triggers, whether or not it's a movable object, and that's about all I have planned out so far. Pretty simple to implement.
I just thought of an interesting concept. Another way players can solve puzzles in the game is to have a certain amount of blocks in their inventory. The player then "drops" one of these blocks down into the level, and they cannot be picked up again. They'll be used to step on switches that otherwise cannot be accessed, and the player has to figure out the right order in which to activate the switches (this will be determined by blocks that change a certain color if you solve the first puzzle). For every 5 switches, there's 5 blocks the player can drop. Choose wisely! The next step after implementing that code will be to model the switches and create the general media. Hooray!
Unfortunately, trying to create a puzzle game with a story isn't proving too good of a concept. Maybe I should just give up on the story seeing as I haven't found one yet and it's been a month. I should go for the "solve the puzzle in two minutes!" concept that's pretty popular these days.
Oh, also, I said in my last post this would be my last game with DBP due to issues I keep having with it, however I've had no issues now for a very long time. I really don't know what that's all about, but hey, as long as it works, I'll use it for smaller projects. :)
Anyway, I've figured out DBP and have been coding a small level editing demo for NaGaCreMo. This level editor will enable me to construct levels for "RoboCubez" fairly easily. It uses a type object to store individual blocks' information for things like position, final position/color/some other things for the puzzle to be solved, event triggers, whether or not it's a movable object, and that's about all I have planned out so far. Pretty simple to implement.
I just thought of an interesting concept. Another way players can solve puzzles in the game is to have a certain amount of blocks in their inventory. The player then "drops" one of these blocks down into the level, and they cannot be picked up again. They'll be used to step on switches that otherwise cannot be accessed, and the player has to figure out the right order in which to activate the switches (this will be determined by blocks that change a certain color if you solve the first puzzle). For every 5 switches, there's 5 blocks the player can drop. Choose wisely! The next step after implementing that code will be to model the switches and create the general media. Hooray!
Unfortunately, trying to create a puzzle game with a story isn't proving too good of a concept. Maybe I should just give up on the story seeing as I haven't found one yet and it's been a month. I should go for the "solve the puzzle in two minutes!" concept that's pretty popular these days.
Oh, also, I said in my last post this would be my last game with DBP due to issues I keep having with it, however I've had no issues now for a very long time. I really don't know what that's all about, but hey, as long as it works, I'll use it for smaller projects. :)
Monday, December 26, 2011
Last game with DBP
Alas, it is with a serving of sadness that I must admit RoboCubez will be my last project in DarkBASIC Professional. Whilst it will be the first full game I'll have made with it, I've been playing around with DBP for ages and had many incomplete projects. Some of which others knew about, some of which I only messed with for about 10 minutes before realizing I didn't have the time to do it.
Why, you ask, am I leaving DBP?
Well, the answer is quite simple. I've moved on from BASIC. I wish to explore more advanced languages such as C#, C++, and even Python. I've found XNA Game Studio for C#, Panda3D for both Python and C++, and the potential for them all is very exciting to me.
TGC, the makers of DBPro, have also shifted focus from supporting it to their newest and most promising product, the App Game Kit (AGK), and eventually I will purchase that to develop games for iOS, Android, and any other platform I want to get my name on. But for now, Python, C# and C++ are my main focus. I'm focusing on Python more, as it's a little easier to grasp (and less daunting) than the C languages. My first Panda3D game will probably be made by summer time, provided I finish RoboCubez by the end of February like I told myself I would. :P
Why, you ask, am I leaving DBP?
Well, the answer is quite simple. I've moved on from BASIC. I wish to explore more advanced languages such as C#, C++, and even Python. I've found XNA Game Studio for C#, Panda3D for both Python and C++, and the potential for them all is very exciting to me.
TGC, the makers of DBPro, have also shifted focus from supporting it to their newest and most promising product, the App Game Kit (AGK), and eventually I will purchase that to develop games for iOS, Android, and any other platform I want to get my name on. But for now, Python, C# and C++ are my main focus. I'm focusing on Python more, as it's a little easier to grasp (and less daunting) than the C languages. My first Panda3D game will probably be made by summer time, provided I finish RoboCubez by the end of February like I told myself I would. :P
Friday, December 23, 2011
Workin' on some game mechanics...
I've just been spending the better part of the night working on some game mechanics for "RoboCubez".
First, I decided to program the menu. I decided this because the way my project is set up makes it easier to start there. I spent at least an hour making a 2D menu with box commands and such to create a simplistic style, and... I didn't like it. It wasn't enough. I then realized that a 3D menu would work (and look) a lot better.
The idea that I have is to use cubes as menu "buttons". You press the left/right arrow keys, and the blocks leading to the appropriate part of the program fly from either side of the screen, depending on which key you pressed. There will be pretty particles in the background, annoying video game music, and a whoosh sounds that plays as you go through the menu items. I should have a working demo of the menu after Christmas sometime. It won't be finished, but you'll at least be able to see what I'm going for!
First, I decided to program the menu. I decided this because the way my project is set up makes it easier to start there. I spent at least an hour making a 2D menu with box commands and such to create a simplistic style, and... I didn't like it. It wasn't enough. I then realized that a 3D menu would work (and look) a lot better.
The idea that I have is to use cubes as menu "buttons". You press the left/right arrow keys, and the blocks leading to the appropriate part of the program fly from either side of the screen, depending on which key you pressed. There will be pretty particles in the background, annoying video game music, and a whoosh sounds that plays as you go through the menu items. I should have a working demo of the menu after Christmas sometime. It won't be finished, but you'll at least be able to see what I'm going for!
RoboCubez: A new game for Windows, coming in 2012
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| NaGaCreMo 2012! |
My game idea for NaGaCreMo '12....
RoboCubez: A puzzly action game
Description: In a robotic world, there exists a peaceful, cuboid community of RoboticCubez. They've existed with all of the energy they've needed to survive for the past century and a half, and life is great for them.
Then one day, an evil, energy-sucking device breaks into their community, and steals their energy for its own evil purposes!
Now it's up to a certain RoboCube to stop The Power Monster, and rescue his own people...but it shan't be easy!
While this version of the game for Windows will be in 3D, I eventually hope to translate the game to a 2D mobile game for Android and iOS with the use of the AGK. I'm excited to develop this game because it will challenge me to use new ideas for a different game. Normally, I program something like a platformer, but this is very different: it's a puzzle game that will hopefully rock, to put it humbly. :P
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