Holidays Complete. Back to work :)

So let's see, what's new:

• Many scenario editing fixes and updates. Implementation of trigger system is about half done. Regions can be used to invoke triggers, but the only thing that can respond is an enemy spawner. Regions can modify units now too; that is, provide a buff or debuff. That buff can do anything any other state can, include granting abilities or causing damage, so there's some versatility there.
• New formation movement mechanics. We're working on a major rev to formations in general. We started overhauling the basic movement methods, since they're actually amazingly complicated for our game. We were finding that formations felt clunky more than anything, and alot of that is the lack of coherence of the group, so I took a more error-estimation based approach to maintaining formation. We also nuked the formation concept of leeway (the allowed error any unit is allowed from perfect form), and made it a per-class concept instead.
• Once formations worked a little smoother I was starting on maneuvers (group actions), but got derailed by...
• Rewriting the entire top level of the client program. :) The UI toolkit was severely inhibiting my style, so... it had to go. Mostly I felt like I was hacking around it instead of owning it, so I decided to take a more games-inspired approach to input/window/ui/display management. Sometimes you just have to take a plunge and do something hard in order to be happy with it.

More than that, really, but stopping there makes for a nice segue.

BACK in the day, when I started Twilight 1, I started with the main menu. Seems kind of obvious place to start, but I recall being excited to just play with the concept and do something arbitrary, visually at least. Later menus I made were more functional and fun, which is fine but boring. The existing skirmish client menus fell into that category.

So naturally I decided to be artistic again, even if it feels like wasted time. I came up with a concept and threw it together pretty quickly. It's nice to have a short term goal, especially when I'd just decided to throw away the existing toplevel module and start clean.

And since it turned out looking kinda neat, I thought I'd try and record it. Of course, that meant rewriting some graphics guts to get Fraps able to record it (in WPF, we don't display to the default swapchain in directx, and fraps only records the default swapchain), but it didn't take too long in any case.

Oh right, a link. I've never done the recording/encoding/uploading/youtube thang, so it's got some flaws, but you can't get better without tryin'. :) Enjoy.

Now to go get the client able to play again...

More renders done over night.

Set my machine to render a dozen or so more similar shots as yesterday's post.

https://www.dropbox.com/gallery/7072699/1/ToastRenders?h=7808a4

Gonna use these to make the Toast 2011 shirt fronts. Back will probably be the same as 2009's.

I wish I could get that lighting quality in the game engine, but these took 40 minutes each on a state of the art GPU renderer, so I don't think that's too likely. I can dream though; it makes the programmer art boxes look good :p

Couldn't resist.

Must... Share... Image....

Small Update

Wrote a pile of new anims, found a way to use already-implemented stuff to layer animations too, so I've got a 'struck' animation that can play over locomotion and attacks. Adds a lot to see your attacks make them reel.

There're some pretty big timing issues client side still. The client doesn't really understand cause and effect, and on the server most things are instantaneous. Sooo, first you see damage, then the animation, and then the swing actually contacts. Kind of backwards.

In any case, I need to get away from animation and visuals and get onto scenario tools again. Animation is just too... instantly gratifying? Alright, I'll rig up some simple time-delays for the damage-hit event and the damage numbers. It's not cause and effect but it might be good enough.

And then I'll get to scenarios. Hmph.

Bigger Update :)

Well, there has in fact been progress, despite the painful lack of updatery. Here're some images.

New Scenario Start.

In combat 1.

In combat 2.

More combat.

I'm honestly not even really sure where I left off. The main development arc for the last couple months has been the rewriting and utilization of the Titan character engine, which I created long ago but never really used. We've now got a way to build a rig, add animations, and drive them from the game data.

The enemies don't have their anims assigned, so they're zombies, pretty much. The first four classes are rigged up with a single attack and an idle, but that's it so far. I've touched up the effects system as well. Rigs can setup binds and add rig props (the bows, swords, shields in the pictures), and visual effects can use the props' binds as well. I made a new arrow effect with a nice clean trail, too, instead of the particle trail from before.

In general the game runs faster, smoother, and plays better. Lots of small things really add up.

Now that the animations are mostly complete on the code side (not by any means 'done', but good enough for now), I'm moving on to scenario development and scripting. It's time to make an interesting setting and prove that the game is fun.

But first, more bug fixing...

Next time. :)

New stuff incoming, but denied by travel!

So, I've been waiting to post the update for awhile. Reason is, it's a pretty big one for the client. New neat things; things I've been wanting to include for years but never mustered the will to do.

Unfortunately, weeks of work travel have impaired the finishing of this segment, so you'll have to live with just one screenie.

Blaarg Status Update

Though be it a long time since the last update, things have been written:

• New targetting method: None. That is, enemy units are automatically selected now. No more requisite constant boxing.
• New enemy panel: Shows health/morale of all enemies, and allows using the new:
• Focus ability: Used on targets to increase the chances your units will attack the focused target, and units will always target their focus with special attacks.
• New commander ability: Consonance: Allows nearby units to share health, healing nearby hurt units at the cost of their own health and morale. Certain types of units modify the effectiveness of this effect.
• New data parsing abilities: New entity creation summons, new AoEs, Group-Buff.
• Fixes to proximity auras, general fixes to piles of actions.
• A couple boss enemies. :p

I bet there's more; it's funner now.