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[Aik]

Not the first time I've started making a game for a compo, but certainly the first time I've started a thread for one. Hopefully it will spur me onwards to actually completing something.

Heavily inspired by the game Crystal Pixels, this will be a 3D wireframe abstract space explorer. I plan on having all the objects procedurally generated and continually growing (they probably won't make any kind of sense unlike in Crystal Pixels, but that's okay, so long as they're nice to look at).

Space will be vast in that Noctis-type way, and can be traversed in two ways - through spirals (which act as portals/wormholes) or by ramping up to some insane speed and powering off into the void - time dilation applies (probably not realistic time dilation, but still).

There may or may not be a goal, I haven't quite decided yet. Perhaps finding some special central spiral amidst the vastness of space. I've also pondered having a small number of enemies roaming the void, but I'm going to be realistic enough to not consider them very much. The game will probably end when things have grown to such an extent that the computer is having a meltdown displaying it (I'm hoping that things will get to a massive side before this, but I really don't have much idea how far I can go).

In reality: I will be quite happy if I get a spiral growing as time passes and the ship moving around.

I'll be using C++ with OpenGL/SDL - I haven't used OpenGL before except for a few tests, but given that the only thing I need to play with is the line drawing function, colours, and movement, I'm hoping not to get overwhelmed by new things. I'm not really sure how ambitious this is in reality, but I guess the best way of finding out is charging in and seeing.

(I'm also a teensy bit tempted to dump this idea and make something involving orbital military satellites firing nuclear weapons down to Earth - but I think having at least a little focus might be the best way to get something finished...)

So, that's the plan. Hopefully I'll have some colourful lines or something displaying by the end of tomorrow.

[Synnah]

An ambitious idea! I look forward to seeing where you take it.

[György Straub]

oh man, I'm still in the pondering phase how to implement portals (visual-vise). good job I won't use any in my entry. (oh man, now I'm in the rambling phase.)

Crystal Pixels is a very sexy thing. Good luck with your project!

[Tanner]

Anything inspired by Crystal Pixels is a-ok in my book.

[Aik]

Things are progressing - without any great speed, true, but hey - better than any of my other jaunts with OpenGL.

The screen currently looks much like this:



As promised; lines. The final cockpit design should look less awful, but until I can get it working so that it actually moves with the camera (seems to tilt into it at the moment. No idea why) I'll just use this as a test.

Regardless of progress, I think I'll keep a daily log of this here. After all, letting the thread slide off into the abyss would just be as bad motivation-wise as not making one at all. There shall be no silent failure this time!

An ambitious idea! I look forward to seeing where you take it.

I'm actually hoping it's less ambitious than it sounds. After all, once you look past the seemingly grand scope there isn't that much to it - just drawing lines in 3D space. Once I work out this '3D space' thing...

[Traveller]

Yay!  I loved Crystal Pixels.  This sounds like fun!

[Aik]

Despite what I said about updating every day regardless of progress, I thought it would be rather silly to bump it back up yesterday just to say 'No progress was made'.

Fortunately, thanks to a Mr. mcc, movement is now possible. Also, I have a spiral being drawn, which looks like this from directly behind it and like this from a bit to the side.

Tomorrow, I think I'll get the controls up and running. Then when you can move around good and proper, I'll see about making vast numbers of different spirals around the galaxy and moving between them.

Things are looking up. Asking for help rather than butting your head against it is unsurprisingly a good strategy, and I think I should use it more often.

Edit:
Ooooh - I think I need some of these in the game. Now I just need to think of something for them to do ... perhaps traveling to different sorts of areas? Or time travel? Hmm...

Edit2:
Progress today can best be described as 'pathetic'. All in all, I have managed to draw twelve lines.