Platform Masters development (Feb 26, 2010) – Scenery updates and DirectX migration
With numerous updates to the scenery, especially the ground and other minor details, and since I’m about to convert to directx (for full screen, vsync, and, to a lesser extent, speed (TSO needs speed)), I wanted to post a video showing these latest changes before I started the directx conversion then adding in the character (of which I’ve actually started the programming for) to finally make Platform Masters playable. Both Carnivalesta and Keveran Forest have been updated, the latter is only slightly updated since I noticed an odd gap. The river is also textured but doesn’t move on its own like it should (I just haven’t added that functionality in yet but it’s easy to add.). To get directx going, all I really need is a template or something to start with that consists of the 4 things I need. Just like I have with the alphablend system where I created a template that I can merely copy and paste as needed to get additional draws, I’ll need this for directx as well. The hard part, which is a major motive reducer, is finding out the name of the function and figuring out how it’s used. Strangely, the documentation isn’t really listing much in the way of functions. If you want to help with this, feel free to comment.
25 Responses to “Platform Masters development (Feb 26, 2010) – Scenery updates and DirectX migration”
Leave a Reply
Man this is awesome. Your an amazing person. I prefer your dev vids over your game vids.
MAN! Your geeky voice is soooo sexy!
This would make a great iPhone app.
The speed counter has a comma for five digit numbers but not four digit numbers. This might be intentional but if not this would be a class zero bug.
The problem is that I ran out of ideas at the time. One new one is a merry-go-round, but a 17-foot tall (estimated) piece of machinery will only be 14 1/2 pixels tall at the same distance the Ferris wheel is, awfully small (think about it being 800 feet away).
I know more about DirectX than OpenGL, and that’s assuming the time I recorded the last video (the one where I showed how I create worlds).
PSN is, I think “PlayStation Network”, but I don’t know what XBLA is (I’d suspect it has something to do with Xbox). I can’t develop for any console systems outside the computer. It would be neat though to play this game on the PS2 or Gamecube, but I don’t have the licenses or know-how to do that.
The price won’t be known until the game reaches the point where a public beta is released, and that’s a long ways down the road.
You should release this for PSN and XBLA:)
Have you decided on a price for the game yet?
Also it looks like it’s coming along quite nicely
Ulillillia, this is just a suggestion, but have you considered OpenGL as an alternative to DirectX? I was going to suggest this before, but I figured you might be more comfortable with DirectX, or have other reasons for using it. I’ve never worked with OpenGL, but perhaps it has functions for drawing 2D images to the buffer?
I remember the first game I had to download DirectX for was Sonic The Hedgehog.
Also the carnival seems a bit empty, there’s this cool row of buildings surrounded by desolate gray, are you planning on adding anything to it?
PM is a testament to the joys of parallax scrolling
I sent you an email, to your hotmail address. You’re right about the SDK, it doesn’t support anything earlier than DX9.
2D has to be supported – how else does onscreen data appear on screen like speed, health, lives, score, bullets, etc. of which often use icons and special decals. That has to be 2D rendering, right? I don’t have DX7 support – the SDK is for 9 through 11 only. Know what I mean?
DirectX9 has no support for 2D graphics. The 2 workarounds are to create a flat (orthographic) 3D scene that looks like 2D (the sprites are “billboards” in the 3D scene), or you can use the legacy DirectDraw API from DirectX7. The second option is easier but I don’t recommend it. For the first method, google “DirectX9 point sprites”
Then help me with what I need. I only need it once in this case – getting set up for DirectX. Once it’s done, especially the case of finding what function I need to use, I won’t have to it again, unless a disaster happens. Besides, 5000 motive is dangerous, almost life threatening (as this would almost always exceed that of eating, drinking, sleeping, etc.. Besides, this is PM, not TSO.
Nooo, not a motive reducer! MY motive for playing TSO is +5000
amazing
There’s only 4 things I need from DirectX and I found 3 of them. Full screen, vsync, buffer creation, and drawing 2D images into the buffer. The last of these is the only one that I can’t find. Once it’s found, then I’m essentially in the clear. Do note that I have to have the DX9 version because I don’t have access to 10 or 11 (XP ya know, both for me and my end users). It’s just getting started that both deteriorates my motive and is often difficult. Get past that and I’m in the clear!
It’s coming together well! Good decision moving to DirectX. If you find it complicated, have a look at SlimDX – it simplifies DirectX
Bloom gives the effect of this glowwy irid on objects that glow like sun or on objects that sunlight drops on.
The clouds are the only eye candy in the game. I was inspired by Jumping Flash. The clouds are the only things I really put effort into. Although highly 3D-looking, they’re actually pretty simple to make. Even the speed they move on their own (drifting in the wind) matches reality – typically about 30 mph or so. Now, if I knew what that DirectX function is for drawing 2D objects into the buffer, I could get going with it….
The cloud layer looks really 3D. I guess it’s just one of the ’special effects’.
Keep it up man.
I just made a backup today, since I reached an excellent checkpoint for that. Not only is my book essentially complete, but I’ve rewritten PM’s story, heavily expanded on PM’s level creator (since I only had basic details), and all those ground textures done. I do have a 3D version of PM in mind though.