SolarLune Games Development Thread

SolarLune · 12-09-2011, 04:46 PM

Hey, guys. I wanted to post about my current project and the status of it, but I didn't want to clog the forum up with another game project thread. So, here's my dedicated thread - just one for me and my projects.

----CURRENT PROJECTS----

Soldier Of

Spoiler!

Sparky

Spoiler!

Icthiki · 12-10-2011, 12:28 AM

Very nice.

Abcdude · 12-10-2011, 01:36 AM

Very cool, I had no idea games could be made with blender.

Now you can be included with the other two game maker's on here, Abcdude Games/DAi-K (Me) and LG productions (SilverStar)...

Exile · 12-10-2011, 01:58 AM

Oh this looks pretty good I really like the visuals it really takes me back. It seems there are a few developers here, myself included though my projects are quite private.

SolarLune · 12-10-2011, 02:22 AM

Wow, I forgot about this thread, heh. Thanks, you guys.
I'm also surprised - I didn't know there were other game developers here. That's cool.
What do you guys use for tools?

Exile · 12-10-2011, 02:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SolarLune View Post

Wow, I forgot about this thread, heh. Thanks, you guys.
I'm also surprised - I didn't know there were other game developers here. That's cool.
What do you guys use for tools?

Zbrush, Sculptris, Maya, Some Blender, and Unity sometimes I use Unreal as well and I use Photoshop for textures.

~Edd~ · 12-10-2011, 02:30 AM

Don't forget Nintendo 3DS inc.

SolarLune · 12-10-2011, 02:34 AM

Ah. You've got some really professional tools, Exile. I'd like to see what you make with them.
@Nintendo 3DS - Ah, so you're making SM3DL: X, huh? I'll have to see about that, too.

Exile · 12-10-2011, 02:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SolarLune View Post

Ah. You've got some really professional tools, Exile. I'd like to see what you make with them.
@Nintendo 3DS - Ah, so you're making SM3DL: X, huh? I'll have to see about that, too.

Yeah I do, Well when I have some things that are safe (copyright wise) to show from my current project I'll post them here.

SolarLune · 12-10-2011, 04:54 PM

Cool, Exile. I'd like to see what you make.

In other news, I got a game runtime working.

It took only a few minutes. Not bad. There's a console (a black and white application) that goes with the game running, but I think I can remove it. Currently, in order to remove the console or make the textures as sharp as they are, you would have to execute the game with command-line arguments, which would mean a batch script. Since I don't want to distribute and use batch scripts, I made a game script that checks to see if the game was run with correct settings, and if not, it runs the game again with correct settings and stops the current one. When the game starts again, the settings are correct, and the game proceeds.

Mctron · 12-10-2011, 06:41 PM

a 2d game in blender game engine, I use blender but how is the game engine

SolarLune · 12-10-2011, 10:21 PM

It's quite nice. It's quick and easy to use - no compiling, and it's very easy to reform your level and its tiles since the assets are present in the modeler. I like it a lot.

shaken_bacon · 12-10-2011, 11:01 PM

I don't think I've ever seen a game get completed with Blender. Good luck to you.

12-10-2011, 11:08 PM

Interesting.

I've seen your YouTube channel as well (I'm subscribed, btw), and it looks good so far!

That Nimbus City music you've made, is it a piece of your game's soundtrack?

SolarLune · 12-11-2011, 12:07 AM

@shaken_bacon - Thanks.
@Mister Epic - Thank you. Thanks for subscribing, too. That song isn't particularly a part of the soundtrack, but I could use it.

redandblack64 · 12-11-2011, 12:07 AM

This looks pretty good. I just watched the first video, and I must say that I'm looking forward to it.

SolarLune · 12-21-2011, 12:22 AM

Thanks, redandblack64. It's been awhile since I updated this thread because I've been busy, but now I got some time. So, I worked on the park a little bit - what do you all think of the fence? It looks a little weird, I know. :I

~Edd~ · 12-21-2011, 12:30 AM

This looks like a 3D NES Zelda

SolarLune · 12-21-2011, 12:46 AM

SolarLune · 12-25-2011, 04:11 PM

I forgot to put this here - I added another development log video. You can find it in the playlist in the first post, or here.

Noddles · 12-25-2011, 04:51 PM

I think you should change the walking sounds and the muzzle flash from the gun.

SolarLune · 12-25-2011, 09:21 PM

Thanks for suggestions, but I think I'll need some elaboration. What's wrong with the walking sounds? What's exactly wrong with the muzzle flash?

SolarLune · 01-07-2012, 04:46 PM

Small update.

Yeah, it plays a jingle now, which you have to wait until the end for.

So, I've got a little more of the GUI, as well - there's now a play-time counter that counts how long you've been playing.

Also, I've got a little of the sewers finished. I think the water should be brown or green... We'll see how that goes. I also think that I should add some water dripping down, little platforms and pipes and things - you know, make it interesting.

EDIT: Oh, and the sound - I've got a lot more sounds in the game, and some BGM, too! I currently have two songs - one for the sewers, and one for the town.

SolarLune · 01-09-2012, 08:26 AM

Development log update #4. This one deals more-so with sounds and BGM. I know that the audio crackles - the BGE's audio library doesn't like my audio setup. Not a problem, though - other programs don't like it either, so it's cool.

DEVLOG #4

SolarLune · 02-17-2012, 01:43 AM

Created another development log video for Soldier Of.

DEVLOG #5

Also started another game project, Sparky. Info and screens are present in the first post.

SolarLune · 02-21-2012, 08:26 AM

Back with another development log video for Sparky.
Also, an IndieDB page here.

Abcdude · 02-22-2012, 01:11 AM

This game.

I need it.

Now,

SolarLune · 02-22-2012, 04:46 AM

YES. I hope more people respond like that.

SolarLune · 02-26-2012, 05:56 PM

Water-running-in-the-first-image-and-better-bloom-effect-in-the-second-bump.

The water-running is currently implemented - run fast enough, and you'll run on the water's surface. Slow down or jump onto the water, and you'll sink right through, which makes it a bit more difficult to traverse water. Hopefully this will open the way for quick 'momentum puzzles' of sorts, where you have to figure out just the right set of actions to get you from point A to point B.

redhood56 · 02-26-2012, 06:48 PM

i really like the graphics, very shiny!

Sephazon · 02-26-2012, 08:17 PM

I am now interested in your progress. Nice job.

SolarLune · 02-27-2012, 09:44 AM

Thanks. I updated the IndieDB page with new news.

Kiryu · 02-27-2012, 10:27 AM

Thanks for showing those awesome stuffs. I wanted to be videogame designer. You are really good at it. :O

SolarLune · 03-01-2012, 08:49 AM

Thanks. I added another devlog video.

DEVLOG VIDEO #3 - Dogs Hate Baths

EDIT: I also did some work on Soldier Of, particularly with the enemy AI. Now they can fire at you, which is good. They face a cube that follows you around the map, which means that rolling and jumping has an effect on how easily they can hit you.

SolarLune · 04-10-2012, 02:58 AM

I'm back to working on Soldier Of, and have done quite a bit of work on it, implementing grenades and an '!' above enemy guards' heads when they detect you.

The 'surpise bubble' adds a surprising amount to the feel of the game. I've also made the ammo counter visible all of the time (though I'll probably make it so that you can hide it if you want). I will probably end up adding an 'HP' display there next to the displays, too.

"He's over there!" Heheh.

You can follow me on Twitter now, by the way. Anywho, to read all of the changes, check it out on my IndieDB news page.

SolarLune · 04-17-2012, 02:21 PM

Posted new news on the IndieDB page (can be found at the link above). The enemies can now alert each other, and I've been working on the maps, too. Grenades have been implemented, and the lighting's been experimented with.

SolarLune · 04-23-2012, 02:31 AM

Not sure how many people actually read this thread anymore, but I made a little GIF animation. I implemented switches into the game in the form of switches. You can check it out here. Kind of a timed thing, I guess.

Added some features - guards can now be alerted by their comrades. So, if you make one aware of you, all guards on the same map will also become aware. I'm also working on maps - improved lighting (in my opinion) and other things.

Abcdude · 04-23-2012, 04:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SolarLune View Post

Not sure how many people actually read this thread anymore, but I made a little GIF animation. I implemented switches into the game in the form of switches. You can check it out here. Kind of a timed thing, I guess

I still read, and I still can't wait

SolarLune · 04-24-2012, 02:18 PM

Great to hear that - I hope to get a lot of people interested in it. This is the furthest I've gotten with a game of this genre.

SolarLune · 04-25-2012, 02:30 PM

Well, I got a new development log video up. Shows off what I've implemented so far - grenades, health GUI, better lighting system, guard awareness, etc.

SolarLune · 05-06-2012, 09:33 PM

Hey, I uploaded a playable demo, if anyone's interested. You can find it here.

Link · 05-07-2012, 06:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SolarLune View Post

Hey, I uploaded a playable demo, if anyone's interested. You can find it here.

Great game! It played well, and looked good too! But maybe you should give the player an introduction to the controls, it took me a while to figure out how to skip text etc. And also, should the guards really respawn after you've killed them?

Tipzil · 05-07-2012, 09:53 AM

I really like it, to bad i don't have a PS2 controller.
Still, really fun

SolarLune · 05-09-2012, 02:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Link View Post

Great game! It played well, and looked good too! But maybe you should give the player an introduction to the controls, it took me a while to figure out how to skip text etc. And also, should the guards really respawn after you've killed them?

Yeah, I think so. It's interesting - you're not the first person to suggest that the guards shouldn't respawn after they've been defeated. Don't you think it would be boring to wander around a set of empty maps after the first runthrough, especially since you'll be backtracking to go down different routes? Enemies almost always respawn in games like these.

EDIT: But maybe I can make them respawn after less time / more sporadically.

And this was a really early demo - the game's kinda far away in terms of completion. A demo that's closer to the end product will be more complete.

@Swordmaster229 - Thanks.

Link · 05-09-2012, 06:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SolarLune View Post

Yeah, I think so. It's interesting - you're not the first person to suggest that the guards shouldn't respawn after they've been defeated. Don't you think it would be boring to wander around a set of empty maps after the first runthrough, especially since you'll be backtracking to go down different routes? Enemies almost always respawn in games like these.
[@Swordmaster229 - Thanks.

Hmm.. I thought it would fit better if the guards didn't come back, well, since they're dead. But you should think of gameplay first, and if you think that there will be a lot of going back and forth and doing that without enemies would be boring, then that's definitely the way to go. But maybe there could be a few different places in each area where the guards could respawn? That allows for more variety, and less of the feeling that the guards you just killed has come back to life somehow. Great game nevertheless and that was just a small detail.

AppleNitrox · 05-09-2012, 09:46 PM

I liked it, very nice demo. I hope You will keep us with status update about project~

SolarLune · 05-11-2012, 08:25 AM

Thanks a lot for your feedback.
@Link - That sounds like a good idea - I might implement that as opposed to the current, "Always Respawn" option that I have going now.
@AppleNitrox - Thanks a lot.

So I implemented water splashes when you move about in the water. I also implemented an automatic aspect-ratio adjustment ability. If you resize the window, it will resize to display all of the game screen at exactly the correct width and height.

SolarLune · 05-15-2012, 07:04 AM

Back to say that I made a somewhat extensive news post about the progress with this game over the past couple of weeks or so. Check it out here. For those who don't feel like it, the most significant improvement's probably water dripping in the sewers.

SolarLune · 05-23-2012, 02:47 AM

Haven't posted here in awhile, but progress is fairly steadily being made. I don't work on this nearly as much as I could / should, but it's progressing at a nice clip.

So, I implemented saves into the game surprisingly quickly and easily. That console shows all of the individual variables that are saved through Python's super-duper-helpful pickle module. It compiles the variables, even objects, into a text file (that you can't really edit since it's pretty scrambled), and can read them back into a single dictionary. I can access variables from the dictionary easily, like:

player['health'] = loaddict['health']

It even recompiles Python objects (like my weapon objects), so I can just reassign them, too.

In the picture, Simon is standing at a terminal, which will serve for saving progress. The screen of the terminal will probably animate a bit just to give it a bit more pop. I guess I'm okay with it so far, but I had a bit of a tough time deciding between a pixelly 3D model or a simple sprite for the terminal. Square, 3D objects feel like they should be represented with a 3D model, but I guess I should represent everything with a sprite (at least so far) unless absolutely necessary.

I also added screen shaking for blocks that drop - I still need to implement that for grenades.

Also added lighting to the terminals.

Abcdude · 05-23-2012, 03:12 AM

I keep throwing money at the screen... WHY ISN'T ANYTHING HAPPENING.

How many FPS will the full game run at? The demo seems 50FPS-55FPS when I play it, will the full run at the same?

SolarLune · 05-23-2012, 04:00 AM

It should run at 60FPS. I think the lag you're experiencing might be due to the way the BGE handles standalone games - try enabling VSync on your graphics card.

And ha ha, I'm glad to hear that.

Abcdude · 05-23-2012, 05:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SolarLune View Post

It should run at 60FPS. I think the lag you're experiencing might be due to the way the BGE handles standalone games - try enabling VSync on your graphics card.

And ha ha, I'm glad to hear that.

Thanks! I actually closed a few background programs and it works 100% perfect now!

SolarLune · 05-27-2012, 02:10 AM

A bit more progress on the sewers - added light shafts.

It could probably use some tweaking (particularly the back-face culling), but looks alright so far. Still hacking away at the to-do list. I think I'm going to work harder to make more progress - I can't afford to laze about.

SolarLune · 05-30-2012, 02:55 AM

Well, I've done some more work recently. Particularly, falling blocks can now kill you, as well as enemies, so be alert and careful around them. There's always enough time to escape... Usually.

I also finally got a real death screen implemented. Check it out in the animated GIF below.

I also worked a bit more on the light shining through the grates of the sewers.

That backface bug is still there, and I'm not sure quite how I can fix it, but it's no biggy.

EDIT: Ha ha, the Player's health drops to -900. I'll have to make the GUI disappear before that shows. :P

Kiryu · 05-30-2012, 07:53 AM

(I can't see animated gif and can you re-host it?)

Nice work though!

SolarLune · 05-30-2012, 01:56 PM

Bah, I keep linking to a broken link. Link's fixed. And thanks!

3dude · 05-30-2012, 05:48 PM

How fun.

Man this brings back memories.

Abcdude · 05-31-2012, 12:25 AM

Just took a look at Sparky, and I downright love it already.

If you need anything, I would be honored to make a trailer for Soilder Of, and maybe even boxart

~Edd~ · 05-31-2012, 12:48 AM

This game really inspired me in a new game that....well...you'll see next 3F.

SolarLune · 06-08-2012, 02:15 PM

Thanks, guys!

Well, I haven't been working that much on Soldier Of outside of thinking about multiplayer. It's not really going anywhere right now because I've never implemented online functionality into a game before, but it's something that I wanted to consider.

In the meantime, I've made two new tracks for Soldier Of. Both are WIPs, but I'm pretty happy with how they're turning out.

Aqueduct - 2
Furnace

Listen to Aqueduct - 2 first, and then Furnace. If you want to be surprised by the music, wait until you play the game.

EDIT: Also just updated my blog with a new post. It's the same post at IndieDB, but IndieDB takes a bit of time to authenticate.

SolarLune · 06-13-2012, 03:22 AM

Hey. So, I've been participating in a 7-day challenge called 7DFPS, where you have 7 days to make a FPS. This is what I've got so far. It's not outstanding, but I'm liking where it's going.

Check out a video that I made showing a bit of the gameplay.

SolarLune · 06-28-2012, 03:33 AM

Made a video of my latest progress on Soldier Of. This makes Devlog video #7. It's still coming along.

SolarLune · 07-12-2012, 07:59 PM

Haven't posted in awhile, but I'm still developing this. Currently, I'm working on enemy robot guard patrolling AI. It's going alright so far (the map is just a test map).

SolarLune · 07-16-2012, 12:50 AM

More stealth work.

Kokiri-Kid · 07-16-2012, 12:52 AM

Cool game.

SolarLune · 07-22-2012, 01:21 AM

Thanks. So, I'm working on a tank. The treads aren't finished, and the back's too plain, but it's shaping up. Nobody will man it, by the way. That's why there's no hatch.

MrTripStack · 07-22-2012, 01:36 AM

Wow, this is looking amazing so far! I definitely like the stealth stuff, keep up the great work!

SolarLune · 07-29-2012, 03:51 PM

Thanks. I'm still working on it, and I'm considering doing something about the speed of the bullets. Maybe I'll slow them down. Anyway, I've begun working on a dark area of the park. I was thinking that the alien soldiers are corrupting part of the park, causing it to because dark and poisonous.

SolarLune · 08-17-2012, 01:18 AM

I thought I posted this here, but I've uploaded another development log video showing the progress on the game so far. You can see it here.

Also, a screenshot and a possible logo for my games.

SolarLune · 08-30-2012, 02:20 PM

SONIC BOOOOOM

Using the Boost Bracelet, neither blast-resistant walls nor enemies can stand against you!

SolarLune · 09-23-2012, 04:06 AM

Still working on this. Working on a map system.