Thread: SkyLock graphics engine demo

  1. #1
    Used Registerer jdinger's Avatar
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    SkyLock graphics engine demo

    Here is a very basic demo of the early stages of SkyLock's graphic engine. Because of the attachment size restriction on the board, I'm including 2 *.zips. The first one is just the *.exe and the 2nd one (in a post to follow) has the image/data files. All you need to do to run it is download and unzip both *.zips into the same directory and then run the *.exe.

    As with the early demo's you'll need DirectX 7.0 or higher to run it.

    A basic desription of this demo:

    This is fullscreen 2d with DX7 (DirectDraw). Input is handled with DirectInput7.

    It shows an iso map of 4 green tiles (placeholder art) with one of the enemy characters animated on it. His animation sequence is run on a timer. It's a basic idle (breathing) animation (I know robots don't breathe, but you get the idea).

    Functional Input:
    ESC - exits the demo

    0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 -
    - (on the top of the keyboard, NOT the number pad)-
    Cycle through 5 possible facing animations
    - (so far only S, SW, W, SE and E are available, the final game will
    - (have all 8 possible facing animations)

    LEFT arrow key/RIGHT arrow key - scrolls.

    S - saves the current screen image as a bitmap (screen.bmp) in the directory the demo is run from.

    Known issues:
    1 - I still need to work out the offsets for my animations. Right now only the S animation lines up just right with the tile it's on. The other 4 directions are off a bit. This is what I'm currently working on.
    2 - When scrolling you have to repeatedly hit the arrow keys. The final game will have very little keyboard input so I haven't bothered adding checks for keys held down and not released. The purpose of scrolling in this demo is just to show the clipping routine that sits on top of my BltFast calls.
    3 - This bitmap is only 256 colors. The final game will use 16 bit bitmaps, but I had to reduce the color depth to make the bitmap small enough to fit the boards attachment size limitations.

    Let me know what you think...
    Last edited by jdinger; 06-06-2002 at 11:55 PM.

  2. #2
    Used Registerer jdinger's Avatar
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    The other *.zip needed to run the demo...

  3. #3
    Registered User JoshG's Avatar
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    Nice demo. Are you from Bayou Labatre? (sp) I use to live in Irvington.

  4. #4
    Used Registerer jdinger's Avatar
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    No, I live in southeast Louisiana, about an hour west of New Orleans.

    Glad you liked the demo. It's been 5 months since I started this game and I finally got to the point where I can start to show something from it. Once I get the offset point calculations right I'm going to start working on the map editor/renderer.

    I want to get all of my tools finished before I start coding the actual game logic. So hopefully by the end of this summer I'll be able to post a 1-level playable demo.

  5. #5
    Registered User JoshG's Avatar
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    It looks nice, but it looks like the robot is mad, and is shaking, more so than breathing, so I guess it goes right

  6. #6
    Code Warrior
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    Thumbs up

    Looks nice.
    Current projects:
    1) User Interface Development Kit (C++)
    2) HTML SDK (C++)
    3) Classes (C++)
    4) INI Editor (Delphi)

  7. #7
    i dont know Vicious's Avatar
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    Wow, thats real freakin cool dude....

    sweet.
    What is C++?

  8. #8
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    i see the tiles.. but no robot

    am i missing something.. i see four green tiles on a black bg

  9. #9
    Used Registerer jdinger's Avatar
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    coz, do you have all 4 files in the same directory? If so, then it may be something not initializing properly. I just completed writing the status/bug logger and I can repost the upgraded attachment that has it. That way when you run the *.exe it will write a detailed status log which you can email back to me.

  10. #10
    i dont know Vicious's Avatar
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    jdinger.... what 3d shpe maker thingy did you say you used?

    I just downloaded gmax for free off of discreet.com and i can hardly make a block...

    [edit]
    HOLY CRAP J, is that a grunt sprite? (your avaar)
    [/edit]
    Last edited by Vicious; 06-11-2002 at 03:07 PM.
    What is C++?

  11. #11
    Used Registerer jdinger's Avatar
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    Vicious, I use 3ds Max from discreet. From what I've seen gMax looks/works really similar. It just takes some time to get used to the interface but it's a really cool 3d package. Here's some links to some tutorials, etc. (most of the are for 3ds Max, but they should translate easy to gMax).

    http://www.3dcafe.com/asp/tut3ds.asp

    http://www.infinitee-designs.com/3DSMax_sites.htm

    Yeah, my avatar was supposed to be one of the grunt-bots for my game but I don't really like that design as much as I do my newer ones.

    He was kind of designed on the fly, whereas my newer designs have more thought put into them. The new character designs actually reflect how the character's roles play out in the storyline of the game.


    =================================
    cozman, here's a new compile of the game with the log file utility completed (in the previous version I was just starting it). Download it as well as the attachment on my next reply (the updated art and data files) and put them in the same directory then run it. It will create a text file called "SkyLock.log" in that directory that will list all initialization, etc. routines and record any errors. You can just email it to me so I can track what bug is affecting the ASM bot from showing up.

    Also, to anyone who wants to d/l and run this new demo, it has more new art (a new character, the CCU, central command unit) as well as a sample of how the completed *.tp files work (at least for the CCU bot. I still need to correct the ASM bot's *.tp file, but that has to do with changes to the bitmap's offset points and not to the tool's code).

    This version also uses hex tiles, which the final game will use, instead of iso tiles (those this demo only has one generic marble floor tile that has a red outline for testing how they merge).

  12. #12
    Used Registerer jdinger's Avatar
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    You'll need this attachment for the new demo to run properly (new art and data files)....

    Here's the control layout:
    ESC - exits
    S - saves a screenshot to a bitmap
    0,1,2,3,4,5 (on top of the keyboard) - change the facing direction
    of the sprites (for demo purposes it affects both of them).
    I,J,K,M - scroll the screen (i-up, j-left, k-right, m-down), you have to hit repeatedly, haven't implemented test for keys held down yet.
    Left,Up,Right,Down arrow keys - move the CCU bot from hex to hex in the appropriate direction.

    Let me know what you think...

  13. #13
    Rambling Man
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    Jdinger, that is really awesome. Those graphics for the characters are amazing. Seriously.

    However, the nature of a hexagon makes the turning to difficult. It's too difficult (not neccasarily hard but not completely easy...and that makes it too difficult for it to be really fun) having to direct your guy in all those directions and then actually moving him in that direction. So I'd try to come up with a way to make it a little easier or go back to an iso tile map. Then again a hex tile map can offer a lot more.


  14. #14
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    Nice work Jdinger! Stable and looking good.

    Keep on doing good work!

  15. #15
    Used Registerer jdinger's Avatar
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    Thanks again to everyone for all the cool comments!

    However, the nature of a hexagon makes the turning to difficult
    Tech, if you mean difficult using the arrow keys then I understand, but remember the arrow keys won't be used for control in the actual game. You will simply click where you want to move to and my tilewalker/tileplotter will handle moving for you. To the player it will be seemless. I just use the arrow keys here to simplify movement for engine demo purposes (ie: allows me to concentrate on the tile engine for now, and not input).

    As far as for why I chose hex: just for nostalgia's sake (my own). I love those old wargames that use hex. I love the look.

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