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[Player 3]

And this update keeps erasing the Spectre Shock from the drive.

Yikes. Never seen that one before. I'm not doing any verification or error checking after the new version gets downloaded, so I have occasionally run into problems where the executable will contain error text ("404 Not Found", etc.) if I messed up the URL or something, but to complete erase it? No idea what's happening there. 

It's just no longer a valid Win32 application, according to the thing.

[J. Kyle Pittman]

And this update keeps erasing the Spectre Shock from the drive.

Yikes. Never seen that one before. I'm not doing any verification or error checking after the new version gets downloaded, so I have occasionally run into problems where the executable will contain error text ("404 Not Found", etc.) if I messed up the URL or something, but to complete erase it? No idea what's happening there. 

It's just no longer a valid Win32 application, according to the thing.

Ah, that sounds like it is the same problem I've seen, then. I'll bet if you were to open it up in a hex editor, it would contain the text of an error message instead of binary data.

I guess I should add a checksum and an option to retry on failure...

[J. Kyle Pittman]

It won't help in your case, Player 3, since the executable has already been nuked, but I've added a simple checksum verification to the patcher so in the future, it won't overwrite any files unless all the requested files are downloaded completely and verified intact.

I'll probably also be putting together a fresh installer in the next week or so once I pick a new name, since my patcher doesn't support renaming executables or updating shortcuts.

[J. Kyle Pittman]

New name get! Had to go with my gut on this one. The Understory just felt right.

Renaming the executable is unfortunate because my patcher doesn't have a way to update shortcuts, so I've just had to add a message stating that the old Spectre.exe is deprecated in favor of Understory.exe. Should be a one-time thing, though, so...not too bad, I guess.

Built a new installer, though existing builds will still continue to work as long as the new executable is used.
http://www.j-kyle.com/understory/Understory_Install_2011-08-04_01-06.exe

Refactored a lot of physics and collision stuff. Not much to show for it at this point except that doors now have flat collision just like walls, instead of being cylinders like other objects.

Been doing some tools and engine work. Patches should be more automated and less error-prone now. So that's cool.

[J. Kyle Pittman]

Lots more tools work over the last two days. I've reduced my patching process down to a single command line tool. All I have to do is type in the patch notes. Everything else is automated. Whatever the local version on my hard drive looks like is what everyone else sees.

[SolarLune]

I was reminded of The Underside, as well, which apparently, will never come out.

Going back on topic, I played The Understory, Pirate, and I liked it quite a bit! It was very well made, and it had quite a bit of style to it, particularly the bending on the screen, and the general simple color feel.

[Hangedman]

Neat. Very. I love how put together it already feels.
Also, automatic updating like a boss.

Can't wait to see more

[MaloEspada]

The name reminds me of a mix between Cave Story and The Underside.

exactly my thoughts

[oyog]

I'm enjoying playing un-muted.

[soundofjw]

I'm enjoying playing un-muted.

Fuck yeah! 

[J. Kyle Pittman]

Started stubbing out a couple new enemy types. They all have the same AI at the moment (run directly at the player if they have line of sight, otherwise pathfind until bored), but eventually they'll have unique rules.

[moi]

that looks great

[J. Kyle Pittman]

Not sure I'm going to stick with this, since it feels a little weird for an first-person view to not be centered on the screen, but at least for now, I've added a big mostly-blank bar for the HUD, and I've moved the map up there.



I was starting to feel like the map was valuable enough that I never want to hide it, but having it as a fullscreen overlay all the time was distracting. So I went with this for now.

Also it was an excuse to add support for viewports to my engine.

This is kind of what I had in mind:





I suppose it might also be reasonable to leave the first-person view full-screen and turn the HUD elements into transparent overlays.

Reserving a portion of the screen exclusively for the HUD sort of has a retro first-person RPG feel, though, which I like. Maybe not quite as drastic as this, but I think it sort of evokes the same:





I guess it might also be reasonable to put the HUD at the bottom of the screen:





Though I tend to feel like the upper right hand corner is the appropriate place for a minimap...

[Inanimate]

Though I tend to feel like the upper right hand corner is the appropriate place for a minimap...

Lower left works extremely well too. Balances with your sword, too; makes both sides of the screen 'occupied'.

[J. Kyle Pittman]

Though I tend to feel like the upper right hand corner is the appropriate place for a minimap...

Lower left works extremely well too. Balances with your sword, too; makes both sides of the screen 'occupied'.

Good point. I'm not really sure what the rest of the HUD is going to look like yet, but it does feel pretty right-heavy at the moment.

[J. Kyle Pittman]

Quick test of lower-left map before I go to bed (not patched in yet):



Not totally sold on the map placement yet (I'm thinking lower-left needs to be reserved for health, a la Doom), but it does feel way more natural to put the HUD bar on the bottom. I don't get the false impression that part of my view is being obscured like I do when it's at the top.

Oh also I changed the map rotation to be absolute instead of player relative. I may end up making this a user setting, but I think it makes it easier to maintain your orientation in the level this way.

[Hangedman]

Maybe put health/info left, items right, and map center in a little frame?

[Thomas Finch]

I thought you were going to have the map as semi-transparent in the middle of the screen with the cursor on the map center so that the map moves as you move. I liked it that way.

[J. Kyle Pittman]

It was too distracting that way. I found myself paying more attention to the map than the environment.

I might add the option to toggle between an overlay and a minimap, though. Not sure yet. Depends on how easily I can maintain both.

[oyog]

It was too distracting that way. I found myself paying more attention to the map than the environment.

I do the same thing.  I always find myself trying to click on the minimap rather the real features when I get back into playing Diablo.  I get over it eventually but it's still distracting.

Any reason you're not making it a separate screen like it is in Doom?