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TIGSource ForumsCommunityDevLogsComputer Virus Simulator - Patreon is live!
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darkhog
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« Reply #140 on: March 23, 2016, 10:32:07 AM »

Finished work on the dialogue editor and processor. Meaning I can/have to start working on the other stuff. I've already created health pickup, however it is not game-ready yet. Tomorrow I'll make code necessary for it to work properly and create datagram prefab. I'll have also to create goal window in the game HUD so player can easily check what he or she has to collect/kill/infect in that specific level if they don't care about the story/level flavor text.
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darkhog
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« Reply #141 on: March 29, 2016, 03:54:09 PM »

Some new screenie of one of game's levels (haven't decided which one yet):


As you can see, "dome" is about finished now and started to work on other areas. That big cube thing... Nope, I won't satisfy your curiosity and show what's inside! You will have to check it out for yourself once IGG demo is released.
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darkhog
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« Reply #142 on: April 11, 2016, 02:28:28 PM »

Did some gameplay related things to the level, such as adding enemies. Also went and did some spicing up a little so level won't look so bland which you can see in the following screenshot:


Also, did you know that The Computer Virus itself has now a twitter account? It's true, go check it out! https://twitter.com/VirusSimulator
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darkhog
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« Reply #143 on: April 21, 2016, 01:19:52 PM »

I went silent for a while, didn't I? Well, the cause of this is because I was hard at work! Today I've fixed a serious camera-related issue which was caused by me badly configuring Master Camera rig. The thing was that camera tended to clip through very thin objects and now it doesn't do that!

Additional fixes & improvements include but are not limited to:
- Fixing preprocessing dialogue messages. Basically there are few $tags that are to be replaced in messages with specific info, but the implementation I was using made those case-sensitive where they are supposed to be case-insensitive. Had to get custom case-insensitive string replacement function. No idea why it isn't provided by .NET/Mono standard library.
-Obviously, more work on a level which is being currently done. Those who'll read through this post will get a screenie.

Also I'm thinking about new enemy types since AV agents as very basic enemy (think Super Mario's Goomba) aren't very smart and although they may be dangerous if they are big or if there are lots of them, they're more of a nuisance than anything else. Oh, look, a screenie!

I'd like to hear from you what you think about the direction game is going, both functionally (mechanics described here and so on) and visually (while general art direction isn't likely to change due to this being low-poly untextured game, I'll take hints regarding making most of that style and level design work).
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darkhog
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« Reply #144 on: April 23, 2016, 09:13:03 AM »

Please help me decide something about visual style of the game.

Retro-ish low-res:


Or the look we have now:


Which one do you prefer?
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darkhog
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« Reply #145 on: April 24, 2016, 03:43:16 AM »

So, which one would you prefer?
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darkhog
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« Reply #146 on: April 24, 2016, 07:27:08 AM »

Added DOS color degradation by using 256 color LUT. Not that it changes much when your game is untextured polygons Wink. But it changes it a bit and the effect is nice. Might experiment a bit with color amount to get better effect. 192 colors?

//edit: 192 colors does trick nicely:



Currently I'm hitting some performance troubles in level editor (in game everything it's fine), which I hope to resolve soon.
« Last Edit: April 24, 2016, 08:13:13 AM by darkhog » Logged


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darkhog
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« Reply #147 on: April 26, 2016, 12:46:04 AM »

Today I'll be working on implementing the new enemy I've recently made. Should be very easy to do since AI of this enemy will be way simpler than one of AV Agent.
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darkhog
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« Reply #148 on: May 01, 2016, 06:10:57 AM »

Implemented the enemy.

Also I've implemented saving/restoring camera position while testplaying the level since after exiting test mode, camera was reset to its default position which as you can imagine may lead to frustration when working with bigger levels. Don't know how I could live without that!

Currently I'm thinking what to do about the rest of level but once that done I can build it, place endplate in the appropriate place and actually implement endplate's code (it still doesn't do anything even if you completed all of the goals).

Similar thing actually happens with dying - currently game doesn't respond to player health getting to 0 or under as I want to have at least one level done before I code it.
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io3 creations
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« Reply #149 on: May 02, 2016, 10:41:37 AM »

Please help me decide something about visual style of the game.

Retro-ish low-res:


Or the look we have now:


Which one do you prefer?
If any visual styles can work for the game (i.e. there is no parts of the game that cannot be completed), then it might be better give the option to the player.  That way more people can enjoy - at least with one of the styles. Smiley

In my case, I actually like both of them for different reasons. Grin
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darkhog
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« Reply #150 on: May 02, 2016, 11:59:30 AM »

I see. Well, that was my gut feeling as well, so I've put in code that allows for turning effect on/off.

What are reasons you like each of the styles? I want to hear it, so the game can be even better!
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« Reply #151 on: May 02, 2016, 01:15:00 PM »

Actually, both reasons are based on nostalgia.  The low-res version reminds me of the Commodore 64 days and represents the first time that such polygon graphics even became possible.  Smiley
The higher resolution reminds me of the games that came out later as computer systems were constantly getting better and better and so were game visuals. 
Possibly for those reasons, I also like low poly style which adds to both - though a little more to the higher resolution one.
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darkhog
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« Reply #152 on: May 03, 2016, 02:30:15 AM »

There was polygon 3d on C64? I've thought it was barely fast enough to display wireframe...
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« Reply #153 on: May 03, 2016, 09:26:14 AM »

Yeah, there were a few ... but with very low frame rate. Smiley

Stunt Car Racer might be a simpler (and "faster" polygon version) http://www.lemon64.com/?game_id=783

Looking at the screenshots, Total Eclipse II: The Sphinx Jinx seems familiar:
http://www.lemon64.com/games/details.php?ID=3461

Here are a few others:
Total Eclipse: http://www.lemon64.com/games/details.php?ID=2683
Space Station Oblivion: http://www.lemon64.com/games/details.php?ID=2392
Castle Master: http://www.lemon64.com/games/details.php?ID=425
Dark Side: http://www.lemon64.com/games/details.php?ID=633

Feel the *POWER*! Grin
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darkhog
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« Reply #154 on: May 03, 2016, 11:06:13 AM »

I see. Looked up some videos of these and yeah, framerate is abysmal.
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« Reply #155 on: May 03, 2016, 11:25:13 AM »

Of course, if you compare it to today's graphics.  it's similar to saying how Pong had very few colors ...

But back then the low frame rate wasn't an issue because at least you could see and play something very different.
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darkhog
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« Reply #156 on: May 04, 2016, 04:13:29 AM »

Yeah, I suppose so... But the main inspiration behind the artstyle were early DOS PC games such as AlphaWaves/Continuum, Stunts or SkyRoads.
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darkhog
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« Reply #157 on: May 06, 2016, 12:02:39 AM »

Experiencing some performance issues. Hoping to fix them today or tomorrow.
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« Reply #158 on: May 13, 2016, 11:23:44 AM »

Hmm, this is rather interesting. Here's some points after looking over the log.

- I'm a fan of low-poly art styles, but the game looks a bit too plain; you could dress it up a bit with some screen filters to make things stand out a bit. You can keep going without textures, but still add some visual variance. For example, compose your objects out of smaller parts, and give the small parts the color of the whole object plus a bit of randomness. That way, everything doesn't appear so flat. Giving parts small size or rotation changes might also be a good idea to break things up visually.

- I understand the inspiration's early DOS games, but I feel like you're not going hard enough in that direction for it to be really appealing. Like, if you want it to look like early DOS games, go for it 100%. You could stand to add a skybox so you're not just looking at empty space below the playfield.

- As a side-note, "Early DOS game inspiration" doesn't have to mean "Looks bad" (though I'm not saying that your game looks bad). Like, I've played Skyroads before (surprisingly), and regardless of if it was a successful game, it still could've been improved on graphically. You're making this game now; you can make it look how you want. Don't feel like "it needs to look like an early DOS game" has to mean that it has to look visually crude.

- If the game's supposed to take place in a computer and you don't want it to look like Tron, go for it. But simple polygons don't feel particularly "computer-y". Take a look at other computer / tech-related games and media for inspiration for "digital aesthetics".

- I like the retro low-res filter; it adds a bit of that early DOS charm, so you should definitely have it. If you're not going to add anything else to the game visually, you might as well make the filter mandatory.

- I'm not certain the kind of actual game it is. Like, you're doing a lot with the level editor, but what is the actual moment-to-moment gameplay like? Is it action-oriented, stealth-oriented, etc.?

- You can do a lot with the concept of the game taking place in a computer. That concept might be something you want to expound upon, and really embrace. You said you can infect other processes to turn them into zombie processes; OK, but what else could you do as a virus that players can't do in other games? Masquerade as other processes? "Take control" of other processes to do your bidding (perhaps even from long-range)? Multiply yourself as a means of gaining physical numbers / power? Place a copy of yourself as a backup / checkpoint somewhere in the mission? Choke system resources to force blackouts and enhance stealth? What about even slowing down or speeding up the system clock rate, making other processes and anti-virus enemies move slower or faster?

Like, why would people want to be a virus? What's the appeal of it? If you can figure that part out, and execute the game in line with that, it'll be excellent.
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« Reply #159 on: May 13, 2016, 03:11:02 PM »

Hmm, this is rather interesting. Here's some points after looking over the log.

1. I'm a fan of low-poly art styles, but the game looks a bit too plain; you could dress it up a bit with some screen filters to make things stand out a bit. You can keep going without textures, but still add some visual variance. For example, compose your objects out of smaller parts, and give the small parts the color of the whole object plus a bit of randomness. That way, everything doesn't appear so flat. Giving parts small size or rotation changes might also be a good idea to break things up visually.

2. I understand the inspiration's early DOS games, but I feel like you're not going hard enough in that direction for it to be really appealing. Like, if you want it to look like early DOS games, go for it 100%. You could stand to add a skybox so you're not just looking at empty space below the playfield.

3. As a side-note, "Early DOS game inspiration" doesn't have to mean "Looks bad" (though I'm not saying that your game looks bad). Like, I've played Skyroads before (surprisingly), and regardless of if it was a successful game, it still could've been improved on graphically. You're making this game now; you can make it look how you want. Don't feel like "it needs to look like an early DOS game" has to mean that it has to look visually crude.

4. If the game's supposed to take place in a computer and you don't want it to look like Tron, go for it. But simple polygons don't feel particularly "computer-y". Take a look at other computer / tech-related games and media for inspiration for "digital aesthetics".

5. I like the retro low-res filter; it adds a bit of that early DOS charm, so you should definitely have it. If you're not going to add anything else to the game visually, you might as well make the filter mandatory.

6. I'm not certain the kind of actual game it is. Like, you're doing a lot with the level editor, but what is the actual moment-to-moment gameplay like? Is it action-oriented, stealth-oriented, etc.?

7. You can do a lot with the concept of the game taking place in a computer. That concept might be something you want to expound upon, and really embrace. You said you can infect other processes to turn them into zombie processes; OK, but what else could you do as a virus that players can't do in other games? Masquerade as other processes? "Take control" of other processes to do your bidding (perhaps even from long-range)? Multiply yourself as a means of gaining physical numbers / power? Place a copy of yourself as a backup / checkpoint somewhere in the mission? Choke system resources to force blackouts and enhance stealth? What about even slowing down or speeding up the system clock rate, making other processes and anti-virus enemies move slower or faster?

Like, why would people want to be a virus? What's the appeal of it? If you can figure that part out, and execute the game in line with that, it'll be excellent.

Thank you for your post and the feedback. It's really important to me.

Okay, numbered your points so I have easier time responding.

1. Agreed. Currently I want to get basic level layout done, then I can beautify it. You can already see some work in regards of making it look better in recent screenshots by the plane below with some circuitry (that is hard to model using primitives). Obviously I'll make it look better later on and the look you're seeing in the screenshots isn't final. Gameplay first, graphic fireworks can come when layout itself is fun to play - if I start to "detalize" so to speak main level geometry, when I find out I have to change particular spot later on, it would be very hard to change it. When layout of the level is more or less set in stone, I can start adding detail.

2. As you can see in recent screenshots, it is not an empty space below the playfield anymore. And I did it without having to have a skybox - it's made out of primitives just like the rest of the level. Keep in my though that I haven't took screenshots of area below recently - it's more populated and only will continue doing so when I get close to finishing the level and being able to get more finer detail. Another reason behind "no skybox" policy is that I want players to be able to create any type of environment they want to. I want to give them as much power as I have while creating levels for the game, while keeping the artstyle. Having set amount of different skyboxes would limit modder's freedom, while being able to use any image as a skybox that modder wants runs risk of losing simplicity (who stops them from putting photos as skybox? Or male reproductive organs?). The best compromise is to give players a blank canvas so to speak and let them build "their own skybox" by placing primitives at a distance beyond "actual" level bounds (ie. places where player can get). That would give better effect than image-based skybox anyway since natural parallax would occur and e.g. when I (just example, no idea if I will) make egypt-themed level, I just place a plane in the color of golden sand well below actual level and then couple big pyramids beyond the area player can reach. Result would be more natural than if those pyramids were a skybox. And modern GPUs are powerful enough to render such thing, especially since there are no textures floating around.

3. No, it doesn't mean that, I agree. Very few games have nailed the aesthetics I'm going for and were made recently. But I think Boson X is one of them. I actually still have free version of Boson X from before it was sold on Steam. Might pickup it one day to see what changed there.

4. The problem is that most "in the computer" media are either Tron-based or made out of obnoxious neons. So Tron-based. And what is more computer-y than visuals based on very first 3D games? It already brings nostalgic feelings in some of the potential players, vide io3 creations' posts.

5. Thanks, but I want to give player the choice in the matter. Though the more time I spend with that filter, the more likely I am to leave it on by default.

6. It's action with puzzle elements. Much depends on the level and objectives it sets. With at least 100 levels planned I'm sure some levels will be more stealthy or puzzle-y than others so I think any would find something for themselves. Don't worry though, once demo is released, it will become more clear. It's really hard to put the concept into words.

7. Hey! Those are some great ideas! Mind if I stealborrow some of them (or all)?
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Be a computer virus!


I cannot C well, so I stick with simpler languages.

There are no impossible things, there is only lack of skill.
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