Starchild

Game Engine Works in Progress and Game Demos
41

It is impressive, the more of your game base you had already built the faster you manage to do new things. Soon I will have to do the 30+ game skills, 14 powers, 4 physical details and 4 mental details(more is yet to come probably), and in the process fill allowed.py with possible actions and obj_allows with allowed.py action each object allows.

Then comes the male default night kin character(the solarian race will come last), together with Frogman Elmore Batraquius and the old bird lady. The dialog screen isn’t far too.

But I do think I’m lacking some python programming knowledge to do things in the most logical and efficient manner possible, I must correct this.

42

Already implemented safe scene navigation(two ways or override); most of the scenes can be changed to another one without problems; also you do not need to edit g_variables.py for scene overrides anymore, you can do it inside the game now, with a bgui input widget.

It is already coming the time for a proper animated main menu background; I could use textured planes, or bgui itself; as usual there are plenty of approaches to that. Also I will start the race manager and character manager(character creation is another scene, already in WIP) scenes in the next hours.

Also while looking for help on the mouse look issue on mac, SolarLune showed me his BGHelper pack of functions, after taking a quick peek I think I saw some interesting stuff there, I will look at it better later.

43

I managed to do multi-part player character today(one blend per character part), which enables me to start the race package management system and proceed further into other character creation aspects in the character creation scene.

I also came across some new problems regarding the BGE, one is which it cannot parent an object to an armature bone at runtime, I worked around that by using python to get the desired bone rotation and location and with that rotating and positioning the desired object. Also parenting an object with vertex groups already set to an armature at run-time will not work, I had to use duplicated armatures for objects with complex animations, but at least I could optimize the duplicates by removing the bones which weren’t needed by each object.

I will keep polishing the scenes before the quest scenes too.

44

Hello, I hadn’t posted in the last days because I got quite ill again, but I think I’m better now.

I have already embeded the video on the first post; youtube has changed my video colors thought(and a minimal distortion to the video right corner). I will research more on this subject; Being this the second game video I ever made(the only other being from the previous panda3d version), i think that show I really want to finish it this time.

In the next days I will upload the game package.

EDIT:
Managed to minimize the color problems and it seems the video right side problem is gone too.

45

The Menu Icons look very good. What is the Music?

46

It is called Reverie Debussy I think, weifell version, but I’m not sure

47

I do not know why I bother to give this status update as few people come here; I had not posted the game package still because I want to do the animated stars I talked in the previous posts; I already did so for the space scene, but the main menu one is being more tricky, as there is a whole nebula there besides the animated stars, and that requires some additional thinking.

48

Allright, behold my few but loyal visitors; Questverse already has animated space stars background; also the main menu received additional animations; check post #1 video to see them. I didn’t notice the example character wasn’t playing her animations correctly in the last video, it is fixed now.

Now I will resume work on race/char system, and some character creation contents.

49

Also I decided to not release game packages anymore until the there is actually a game to play with; I still did so in the past in the case you wanted to see the game progress with your own eyes(playing it); but I now can do the same with videos. But I doubt someone will miss the monthly packages.

50

Now I have a well developed solar system star body navigation, I also made some improvements to some star bodies textures; I posted a video about it in the usual post #1, hope you like it.

I just have to learn how the get the texture right at a sphere poles, as it get distorted there for now.

Will move to making the space map character scene, the quest window and interactions with the selected star body. The star encyclopedia scene will not be done until the final part of the project, the first quest, is done. Mainly I want to finish the space navigation scene, which can be considered the middle of the project.

51

I am very satisfied in saying which the Questverse project is nearing 50% of working functionalities; I will do what I can to reach 100% still in this month.

52

You know, a few screenshots from time to time would be a lot more appealing, so far you showed us a few planets, a character turntable (not animated), and a dungeon almost empty in the thread (all in the first post), hard to give advice or to be fascinated. Note that from time to time I come across with your threads to see your progress but never really said anything (I remember that you wanted to do it on panda engine or something like that).
People around a forum may be lazy (like me) and won’t really read all the post on a thread nor follow all external links ;P.
Anyways good to hear you are reaching the end, congrats.

53

I decided to use videos instead of screenshots, I think it is better, it seems more dynamical; I also decided to group all the video contents at post #1 only(I also did that for the game screenshots before I took the decision above). Do you think it was a bad decision?

People around a forum may be lazy (like me) and won’t really read all the post on a thread nor follow all external links ;P.

Are you talking about the thread at works in progress? I thought nobody was looking at it anymore(I hoped it would peacefully die), and also I am not sure if I can post there again as I was advised in the past to use the WIP forum only, because my project didn’t used the BGE at the time, but now definitively I do and already have a project thread at BGE WIP forum.

Anyways good to hear you are reaching the end, congrats.

Hey, thanks! But it is just the game functionalities which are reaching 50%(the first time this ever happens), even with them reaching 100% I will still have to finish the graphical part of the game, I am giving priority to the game code until I finish it.

a character turntable (not animated)

What do mean? I think you are talking about the character breathing animation(which is very subtle), which isn’t very visible when the player character is front facing, besides it gets less and less visible the lower the quality and screen size you choose for the youtube player to show the video.

The first 50% functionality half is regarding the game start(main menu, character creation) and the middle game(space navigation map), there will be not much action until the last 50% half, which represents all the game first(and for a time only) quest. All things related to enhaced graphics, like better and more animations, smoother camera movements, a proper character creation background and such only come after I finish the game base code.

OBS: In case you wanted to see the previous images here they are, note which all of them will eventually appear in a video when the second half I talked about above becomes the development focus:

[IMAGES REALOCATED TO POST #1]

54

I decided to use videos instead of screenshots, I think it is better, it seems more dynamical; I also decided to group all the video contents at post #1 only(I also did that for the game screenshots before I took the decision above). Do you think it was a bad decision?

About grouping all in the first post, its a good idea, makes it easier for someone who is seeing the thread for first time and reads the first post (although if it were me, I would add in the first whenever I modify it with the modification date, so the progress could be read as data).
But if this awesome first post is followed by text only updates, looks a bit boring, well I am more of a “look-a-picture-how-nice” guy.

Concerning video updates, maybe those could go directly to the first post and simple still pictures could go in the posts as fast updates? Would make the thread more “dynamic”.

Are you talking about the thread at works in progress? I thought nobody was looking at it anymore(I hoped it would peacefully die), and also I am not sure if I can post there again as I was advised in the past to use the WIP forum only, because my project didn’t used the BGE at the time, but now definitively I do and already have a project thread at BGE WIP forum.

The other post? I think it’s a good idea to let it die so all is focused in 1 place, after all here is the WIP section as you said :P. I mentioned it only as a way to say that people may actually be interested on the project (or visits it to read it), it’s just the blenderartist’s view counter that doesn’t work properly.

What do mean? I think you are talking about the character breathing animation(which is very subtle)

Lol? My bad, didn’t noticed it was breathing xD.

55

Wow, you answered fast; i don’t even know if you could look at the images above since I put them some time after I had posted, as an edit; was you able to look at them?

PS: It was breathing, blinking eyes, closing and opening mounth and moving eyebrows, more only later as I said.

I also forgot to say which the youtube video quality isn’t the only thing important to see the videos, I also recommend you see them at the biggest player screen size possible(unless your computer has more than 1920x1080) to see the details better.

56

I am surprized your Game is with all of a Sudden already in a State that you may finish it within a Month. : o
Most Time I wasn’t sure how the Project is goin’ and now such enthusiastic News, that is good of Course. :]

57

Hey, do not forget I was talking about the base code(functionality) when I said nearly 50% finished; there are still some contents(skills, powers, clothing…) and graphic enhacements(better/more animations, smoother camera movements, etc) to go after that 100% to really have a finished game; also don’t forget I said I would try to finish the code soon, I may still need some additional time for the base code.

Most Time I wasn’t sure how the Project is goin’

That was not what I wanted, what you think I could do so you have a better idea of the project progress? I will compare your answer with Cloud_GL’s one.

58

That explains it – I had thought you meant 50% of the Game, sorry for misunderstanding.
What I meant was about Cloud_GL meant, I think: Since Code is not really seen, Progress is rarely seen. We see think that look very basic but rarely new visual Things to come – since you actually worked on the Code that makes Sense, of Course, though for People that only can see Progress when it is practically punched and rubbed into their Faces (wha??), they need to see new Models, new Environments, et cetera…
That is very surfacial, of Course, but as you said yourself, People don’t necessarily dig through your Code and everything – they are lazy and simply want to see something nice to watch. I guess that even the most respectable People are like this. :confused:

59

Thanks for your opinion C.A.ligári

Counting you and Cloud_GL, there were already three people which said the same thing to me; other two people acted exactly as you said(not in blenderartists thought): They thought the project was not progressing(even with the regular status reports) by the lack of plenty of images/videos every week, and as such they concluded the game was too hard for me, which I should make something more simple and all that.

I think I can do nothing about it, because I really want to finish the base code first(thankfully I had already done plenty of it), so I can focus only at the graphical/content/audio part.

60

I fin your Way of Workin’ wise, I must say, because the Importance of havin’ the Code is what so many People ignore or are not aware of – and it never helps if these People then make a Bunch of Models that they cannot properly make an actual Game with.
I once was told, here on BA, I should make a graphical Prototype of my Game so I would have something to show and make People aware of the Project, but I personally don’t believe in that Way. ;]