You are not logged in.    Login    New User    Forum Home    Search

Location:
JBPLAY  \  Meteor 2  \  Suggestions  \  Out Of Bounds Scenery And Other Stuff

Back to Threads

Viewing Thread: Out Of Bounds Scenery And Other Stuff

 

IMYSC2000T

Joined: 17 October 2004
Posts: 237 		31 October 2004 19:06 (UK time)

I'm dreaming up new stuff for Meteor 2 (or Meteor 3) that would include: Full OpenGL support, real-time 3D map rotation and tilting and camera movements, real 3D objects and 3d map (and overall 3D - for everything) support, and "Out Of Bounds" scenery like in, umm, Age Of Wonders 2 (I think AOW2 had it anyway) so that when you get to the edge of a map (when rotating) it wouldn't look "black" and it wouldn't be a sudden cut-off in the graphics, like it was in Age Of Empires 1.... I guess all in all I'm hoping for Total Annihilation 2! ;P Is any of this stuff possible?

Edited: 01 November 2004 10:17

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

James Bunting
Joined: 17 September 2003
Posts: 1308 		01 November 2004 00:05 (UK time)

Hey have you been spying on me? This is just uncanny.

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

fuzinavl
  Official Sponsor

Joined: 06 October 2004
Posts: 287 		01 November 2004 06:18 (UK time)

Please don't call meteor3 meteor3d, 'cause then I'd have to ralph.

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

IMYSC2000T

Joined: 17 October 2004
Posts: 237 		01 November 2004 10:20 (UK time)

fuzinavl: What do you mean by "ralph"? Seriously, I don't understand.

James: Oh my holy holloween-candy-sweet glorified goodness! Heh! You have no idea what a big smiley face my face looks like right now! :D If you're really planning to add all that stuff in the future, then I can see a very big, ambitious, perhaps commercially-potent project! We're all here and glad to help if it gets you any closer to accomplishing that task, JB!

Edited: 01 November 2004 10:20

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

James Bunting
Joined: 17 September 2003
Posts: 1308 		01 November 2004 13:30 (UK time)

Yes, Meteor 3D is a pretty naff name. I have been experimenting with an OpenGL 3D renderer for some time. Its still a way off being a game but it will happen one day.

Thats a neat icon of that smiley thing. Its a kids rokcing caterpillar, I took that photo last year I think. Its an eBay photo (we sold it!).

Edited: 01 November 2004 13:31

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

fuzinavl
  Official Sponsor

Joined: 06 October 2004
Posts: 287 		01 November 2004 15:16 (UK time)

Were you thinking of an isometric view, or a Grand Theft Auto view?
An isometric view could show a square portion of the world, but
a GTA view would support shrouder walls better.

IM...2kT: ralph == up-chuck == hurl

Edited: 01 November 2004 15:18

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

me_mantis

Joined: 26 September 2003
Posts: 1152 		01 November 2004 15:57 (UK time)

ok...

You may wish you knew, but since you cannot run a whole world without its engine, I may as well send out a .jpeg of it. Look for it on meteormods.com, if James allows it. :-P

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

IMYSC2000T

Joined: 17 October 2004
Posts: 237 		01 November 2004 19:21 (UK time)

me_mantis: Cool. I'd like to see it!

James: Oh please please please make the OpenGL renderer the base for Meteor 3 (or Meteor 3D)!

BTW I'm glad you told me just WHAT that smiley thing is. Now I'm gonna look for a smiley (or smiling) ceterpillar on eBay and see if I find anything! Where did it come from anyway?

fuzinavl: GTA view, if it's better. I don't like everything being square with clear-cut black-or-white edges.... Afterall we don't want it to look like Command & Conquer's boxy world...!

Oh, also, I had no idea Ralph meant to up-chuck or hurl.... Is that made-up?!

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

James Bunting
Joined: 17 September 2003
Posts: 1308 		01 November 2004 21:25 (UK time)

Yeah I can allow that.

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.elc.co.uk/key-07000/sku-105539/p1-SubCategory/p2-48/SubcatProduct.do">I think the caterpillar thing came from the Early Learning Centre.</a>

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

James Bunting
Joined: 17 September 2003
Posts: 1308 		01 November 2004 21:29 (UK time)

Aha, here we go.

<a target="_blank" href="ftp://ftp.jbserver.com/pub/jbgames/ForumsFiles/cat1.jpg">ftp://ftp.jbserver.com/pub/jbgames/ForumsFiles/cat1.jpg</a>

<a target="_blank" href="ftp://ftp.jbserver.com/pub/jbgames/ForumsFiles/cat2.jpg">ftp://ftp.jbserver.com/pub/jbgames/ForumsFiles/cat2.jpg</a>


Edited: 01 November 2004 21:30

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

James Bunting
Joined: 17 September 2003
Posts: 1308 		01 November 2004 21:31 (UK time)

Dah, its a ladybird, sorry my mistake.

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

James Bunting
Joined: 17 September 2003
Posts: 1308 		01 November 2004 21:32 (UK time)

Perhaps we have a new Wise One. Lets take a vote...

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

me_mantis

Joined: 26 September 2003
Posts: 1152 		01 November 2004 22:34 (UK time)

The pic is up(now y'all have a valid reason to go to meteormods.com!)
Can you identify all the units in the picture?
How is it that all the units look exactly like the ones in meteor2?

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

IMYSC2000T

Joined: 17 October 2004
Posts: 237 		02 November 2004 01:12 (UK time)

James: That's the cutest thing I've ever seen...!

Oh and BTW don't you mean "ladybug"?!

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

Dave Man

Joined: 19 October 2003
Posts: 374 		02 November 2004 13:29 (UK time)

Is this new 3d type meteor going to based like a tombraider game, with the main character in view(is it going to be first person or third person?), oh and the units in the picture looked like some scouts and some of those airplanes(I forget the names).

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

IMYSC2000T

Joined: 17 October 2004
Posts: 237 		02 November 2004 19:44 (UK time)

First person would kick-ass, but I doubt he (JB) is going in that direction (not just yet anyway). The fundamentals of the game would change greatly if it became first-person. Even the graphics would have to be overhauled furhter just to be playable like a first-person.It doesn't even look like that engine could handle First-Person and Third-Person, but I guess we'll wait and see. But 3rd and 1st person views would definitely be cool....

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

fuzinavl
  Official Sponsor

Joined: 06 October 2004
Posts: 287 		02 November 2004 20:21 (UK time)

M3 might as well be a mod for another engine if it goes first person. To keep the flavor of meteor, the gameplay should remain 2d.

Edited: 02 November 2004 20:31

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

James Bunting
Joined: 17 September 2003
Posts: 1308 		02 November 2004 21:23 (UK time)

Got it in one, well said.

Meteor is a retro game and it relies on its look down cam to work.

Any 3D versions (if it happens) would most likely be look down with a dynamic camera that tips and spins. I have tested this approach already and it works well.

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

IMYSC2000T

Joined: 17 October 2004
Posts: 237 		03 November 2004 00:27 (UK time)

Yeah but it shouldn't be "2D" to achieve that.

Also I think the option to have tilting camera suport (even if hidden as a console command) would be greatly appreciated.

fuzinavl: That's exactly what I was going to suggest or mention, but I forgot. Yeah it definitely would be the more logical and efficient way to go about things, and a mod in the style and vane of Meteor for another 3D first person game would probably be better and it would take less time to develop.

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

fuzinavl
  Official Sponsor

Joined: 06 October 2004
Posts: 287 		03 November 2004 02:02 (UK time)

I'm curious: What does the camera do exactly under what conditions?
In which exhisting games can I see that camera work?

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

me_mantis

Joined: 26 September 2003
Posts: 1152 		03 November 2004 15:15 (UK time)

A hint I got from JB years ago: head over to benny.kramekweb.com and check out Machine Ball.

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

James Bunting
Joined: 17 September 2003
Posts: 1308 		03 November 2004 18:47 (UK time)

Yes thats a good example but there is not a lot of tilt.

It would kinda work like this...

<font face="courier">
 ______________________
|......................|
|.....___________......|
|....|...........|.....|
|....|........x..|.....|
|....|___________|.....|
|......................|
|______________________|
</font>

The outer box is the screen.
The inner box is the scroll limits.
The x is the player.

As the player moves to the edge of the inner box the map scrolls (in M2 the player is always at the screen centre).

The camera is in the centre of the screen about 50ft in the air. It will tilt slightly to follow the player around the inner box.

This works really well, early tests have produced stunning results. Of course the camera would be accessable by modders/map editors so you can play with it.

You could most likely rotate and add your own tipping too.

Some time ago I did some messing around with C&C Generals (playing with the data files), I managed to pretty much unlock the camera and control it using keys, that was cool too.

Edited: 03 November 2004 18:54

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

fuzinavl
  Official Sponsor

Joined: 06 October 2004
Posts: 287 		04 November 2004 02:39 (UK time)

Sounds cool for wide open spaces, but...
I can imagine situations where character can see stuff behind walls, but camera can't. e.g. powerups, enemies,
What if player runs behind a wall relative to camera?

In "Twinsen's Odyssey", hitting a key recentered your camera.
Also, the camera recentered automatically if character ran behind a rock.

Edited: 04 November 2004 02:43

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

IMYSC2000T

Joined: 17 October 2004
Posts: 237 		20 November 2004 10:46 (UK time)

If a player runs behind a wall "relative to the camera", then the engine could make the wall transparent (when obstructing view of the character model/sprite), as so many RPG's, such as, say, DarkStone have done in the past. This one might be a bit hard to pull off correctly, however, and the most notable and probable consequence for having such a feature would be a slight performance hit, especially on lower-end Graphics Cards.

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

fuzinavl
  Official Sponsor

Joined: 06 October 2004
Posts: 287 		20 November 2004 14:06 (UK time)

...or render everything normally, then:

for every object which is in the
line-of-sight of player object,
re-render those objects (&player)
with 50% transparency (& z-buffer off).

if an enemy/player/object is out in the open or
partially occluded by a wall, It'll still
look perfect because you're
re-rendering transparency over the same colors.

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

IMYSC2000T

Joined: 17 October 2004
Posts: 237 		27 November 2004 01:06 (UK time)

Hey that all sounds good. But I think first I'm gonna wait for Meteor 2 to be finished before I start making suggestions for a game that's probably not even an Alpha yet.

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

IMYSC2000T

Joined: 17 October 2004
Posts: 237 		27 November 2004 01:10 (UK time)

(Sorry - accidental doublepost.... )

Edited: 27 November 2004 01:11

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

LavaBall

Joined: 14 January 2004
Posts: 108 		28 November 2004 19:51 (UK time)

Alpha is way suck

Meteor 2 is a Beta better then Alpha(Note:That i dont know what is alpha beta final)Alpha is....Well BugFully.

You need to login to create posts in this thread.

IMYSC2000T

Joined: 17 October 2004
Posts: 237 		25 December 2004 02:01 (UK time)

The Alpha is the stage of development where you add the main codebase to get it ready for further detailed development and addition of features. This obviously means there will be many bugs, but this should be expected with any Alpha. If you don't want any bugs then don't even wait for the Beta. Just have patience and once the Final Version is out, play that instead (although even the final version of many games may be prone to bugginess).

You need to login to create posts in this thread.



Forums system (C) 1999-2023 by James Bunting.

Terms of Use