Obstacle code cleanup

Obstacles is everything in the game that takes up space but does not think. Bullets do not take up space. Sentryguns think. So it's everything between them, furniture, barrels, vehicles, machines, crates etc etc.

This week I have cleaned up the code around them alot. It's now easier to create new ones (even animated) and they behave better (when damaged) and some of them look better. It's feels good to be done, since the game wasn't working in the meantime.

I made a map with all obstacles and then tested walking around and blowing them up. It looked kind of nice in the editor. See for yourself:

Continuation

At least one person (probably not more) has played through the demo. That got me started on what happened next. I have the whole story outlined but the details are made up as I build the levels. This next level has been quite a hurdle since the storyline split in two. How to build a level that works in both alternatives? But now I am on the track. I think it wont be that long until the whole thing is finished.

So far the demo consists of 14 levels (but only 8 contains any action). I have planned about 7 more action levels and some with only story (those are the hardest). I'm setting a deadline for myself. This will be done in a month from this post.

Automap

The automap is at last functioning as desired. But I have not yet descided if this is too much help. There is always the mapping item to buy if you get lost. Maybe getting lost should be part of the challeng if you don't have it.

Concept art

Our illustrator Thomas Eliasson send me some early sketches yesterday. These images are going to be used in the menu and maybe some other places. It is the hero Jareb Mosfet.

I really like the way he thinks. It's dirty, hard and dark. It's not to extreme, the guns are of normal size and everybody can die (probably sooner than later).

Judge for yourself. This is a sketch to descide on the clothing and equipment.

New features and sounds

Some new features are finished, they will be present in the next version.

The first one is what many of you asked for: Relative control. That means that you move relative your facing. If you face down and press W, you move forward, that means down. I personally is not going to use this, it's to backwards for me. When you face up and strafe, everything is fine. But when you face down and strafe, the direction is mirrored. Of course, you can get used to this, but I already know the controls. One advantage is that it is easier to circle an enemy. Just strafe and keep the mousepointer on the centerpoint.

The second change makes you somewhat slower when you move backwards. It's not much but it will probably be noticeable when you desperately try to back away from an enemy, shooting. Now, it's not such an easy choise anymore. Should I turn and run, or back and shoot.

The third change is that the screen shakes when something explodes. It will probably enhance the immersion.

The automapping feature is on it's way. Right now, most of the lines are drawn. I'm thinking about how to include all of them.

The music dude (Project Grudge) is now our sound dude as well. I got a large pack of sounds this monday. Instead of two sounds for all bullet guns, there are now seven. Better sound and more variety.

There is a new type of gun, called Sonic gun. Sonic gun will be used by riot control and nasty critters that kills their prey with loud noice. The sonic effect is visible as blue expanding circles.

Thats five complete changes and one that is half-way there. Things are happening.

Cats and network cables

Probably not that many noticed, but my server at home went down for unknown reasons a couple of days ago. I rebooted it but it didn't work. I reattached the network cables, now that did the trick. It must have been the cats (we have two now). But the network cable plugs are awfully old and worn. Someday I will cut the cable and put on new plugs.

The url to my server is http://gunslinger-game.mine.nu
The current page is temporary. I will write a little cms app that displays articles. I'm not sure if I will try my luck with ruby on rails, go with easy php or old java the one that I know best. Right now I'm thinking about java servlet + velocity + jdbc.

Oh yea, the next version of the demo is up. That would be version 0.2.

New features

The engine will be completed with a handfull of new features. These will be included over the next few weeks.

Shake
By scripting (or by some effects, such as the explosions), the game window will shake. This is much like the drunkeness function, but shaking instead of spinning. The skakes will stop fast, but in the meantime it will be very hard to aim.

Evade
When the player buys the Acrobat skill, he is given the evade ability. Higher Acrobat skill means better evade. Evade lets the player jump very fast and in the meantime makes harder to hit. It also increases the chance to dodge explosions. How far the character can jump, and how hard he is to hit is determined by the Acrobat skill.

Pocket nuke
This is a new effect showing a devastating explosion. It will not be an bitmap animation. Instead it will freese the game window and apply filter effects. Below is a concept image of what it may look like (first the original image):



Automapping
This should let you see a dark gray outline of your previously visited areas.

Relative control
This a new keyboard+mouse control that lets the player move as in a first person shooter. When the player presses the move forward key, the player moves forward, the direction he is aiming.