As promised here the video showing the terrain and shaders I got in place. The footpath is a DIF with a cobblestone texture bought from DexSoft added to it. I created the normal map using CrazyBump. The enviroment comprises a blended terrain created with L3DT and imported into TGEA using Atlas script. The trees are placed using fxFoliageReplicator from TorqueScript.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Harrier Pics Up
Here's my efforts after 1 hour of modelling. I set the view inside an inverted cube and started sculpting out the basic shape. Then I mapped the blueprint (found here) to the model along the planar axes to get a feel for how the textures are going to be layed out.
Next pass I'll be adding more polys to join everything up and add the missiles, aerials, wheels etc.
Next pass I'll be adding more polys to join everything up and add the missiles, aerials, wheels etc.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Environment Style - Nailed!
While I was driving through Kwinana the other day (industrial area) I started taking snaps with the phone camera of the refineries and buildings. This lead me to come up with the environment style I want to put in the game.
I'm going to have evidence of a suburb that was hastily bulldozed to set up an ad-hoc launch base with modular sheds, plants and equipment. I want to convey the sense that it was setup very quickly and houses weren't important anymore. It was time to blast the alien menace.
Here's a photo collage of the refinery and areas I shot while passing through Kwinana plus some inspirational art I've grabbed from the 'net (copyright to the various artists remains) - I'm just using it as art style to help me focus on the look and feel of the environment and buildings.
I'm going to have evidence of a suburb that was hastily bulldozed to set up an ad-hoc launch base with modular sheds, plants and equipment. I want to convey the sense that it was setup very quickly and houses weren't important anymore. It was time to blast the alien menace.
Here's a photo collage of the refinery and areas I shot while passing through Kwinana plus some inspirational art I've grabbed from the 'net (copyright to the various artists remains) - I'm just using it as art style to help me focus on the look and feel of the environment and buildings.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Terrains hurt my brains
I've been playing around with the terrain for the first level and it's completely out of control!!!
I wanted a large playing area because the user can fly anywhere quickly and so I generated some huge terrains in TGEA as seens below. They are around 10k x 10k. I flattened an area to put buildings in it.
Only problem is, the flattened area is miniscule and I couldn't find it! Also trying to world build something this size would be a nightmare but it has given me an idea.
I will use the one large terrain (well I'm scaling it down now) and set up 10 areas of operation. From there I will world build per mission. All missions of the final game will be on the same terrain so I can make a compelling game with less assets.
I needed to scope it down to make the deadline and I think people will like the game this way anyway. Here's the pics.
I wanted a large playing area because the user can fly anywhere quickly and so I generated some huge terrains in TGEA as seens below. They are around 10k x 10k. I flattened an area to put buildings in it.
Only problem is, the flattened area is miniscule and I couldn't find it! Also trying to world build something this size would be a nightmare but it has given me an idea.
I will use the one large terrain (well I'm scaling it down now) and set up 10 areas of operation. From there I will world build per mission. All missions of the final game will be on the same terrain so I can make a compelling game with less assets.
I needed to scope it down to make the deadline and I think people will like the game this way anyway. Here's the pics.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Alpha Feedback and Bugs
The Alpha Is Released.
***********************
1) Go here to download it.
[Mirror #1 -Divshare]
[Mirror #2 -MediaFire]
[Mirror #3 - Thanks Patrick]
2) Play it.
3) Please click on the link below here to send me Feedback and Bugs by clicking on this link for the alpha release of B.R.A.V.E.
[ Feedback Form ]
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Emergent Behaviour
So I've implemented half of the system to allow my humans to load and unload trucks. I am fighting the AIWheeledVehicle2 resource at the moment, because it didn't expose much to TorqueScript and I need control of the pathing system. The AIWheeledVehicle2 resource reads in any path you assign to the vehicle and then uses C++ and physics to control it.
I guess I still want it to do this but I need access to where it is along the path so I can program the nodes with instructions. I've managed to get the trucks to roll to a stop on every node, so now I am going to extend a method to TorqueScript so I can get the current node and check the correlating nodes in the mission to determine if they need to stop or not. In most cases they only stop at depots such as the rocket they are refueling or the hanger they are ferrying parts from.
I also want to work on what happens to men and trucks when aliens start flying around. If humans are picked up and you shoot the attacking alien, the human will drop to the floor and then run back to it's path - emergent behaviour very cool! But I want the humans to cower in fear as well, so the alien presence will inhibit their own objectives. This means the player need to keep aliens away from humans and truck if the mission is to progress.
More soon.
I guess I still want it to do this but I need access to where it is along the path so I can program the nodes with instructions. I've managed to get the trucks to roll to a stop on every node, so now I am going to extend a method to TorqueScript so I can get the current node and check the correlating nodes in the mission to determine if they need to stop or not. In most cases they only stop at depots such as the rocket they are refueling or the hanger they are ferrying parts from.
I also want to work on what happens to men and trucks when aliens start flying around. If humans are picked up and you shoot the attacking alien, the human will drop to the floor and then run back to it's path - emergent behaviour very cool! But I want the humans to cower in fear as well, so the alien presence will inhibit their own objectives. This means the player need to keep aliens away from humans and truck if the mission is to progress.
More soon.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
The Path to Success
(or the 'Road To Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions')
I didn't get much done this month. However I have ALOT!!! to do for the alpha in March. So that's why I've named the blog as such. I have so many ideas, so many things to add, and so little time.
This month I started my marketing research and found that Valve are in the process of launching 'Steamworks'
which you all should get very excited about. It's a way to launch, market and live patch your game quickly and easily. It leverages Steam's community and tools, and best of all it's free. So I'm trying to sign up - emailed Jason twice but still no response :(
I also added a simple teaser to my web site DrewFX
Anyway, so I got the human pathing system to work in TGE this time. Here's a youtube video to watch. It allows me to set spawn points which link to paths. Every human spawned from that point with follow the spawn points designated path. The path nodes then have instructions like wait5, load10 etc to give the impression the humans are doing something. Anyway here's the vid and I'll blog each week up to release of the alpha.
I didn't get much done this month. However I have ALOT!!! to do for the alpha in March. So that's why I've named the blog as such. I have so many ideas, so many things to add, and so little time.
This month I started my marketing research and found that Valve are in the process of launching 'Steamworks'
which you all should get very excited about. It's a way to launch, market and live patch your game quickly and easily. It leverages Steam's community and tools, and best of all it's free. So I'm trying to sign up - emailed Jason twice but still no response :(
I also added a simple teaser to my web site DrewFX
Anyway, so I got the human pathing system to work in TGE this time. Here's a youtube video to watch. It allows me to set spawn points which link to paths. Every human spawned from that point with follow the spawn points designated path. The path nodes then have instructions like wait5, load10 etc to give the impression the humans are doing something. Anyway here's the vid and I'll blog each week up to release of the alpha.
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