The Outcast Orange

This Blog is Officially Dead

2010-01-29T11:39:00.001-08:00

Until I feel like resurrecting it, this blog is dead.
I'll check back periodically for comments,
so if you have any protests, it will all be fine.

Here comes A Ton Of Awesome

2010-01-16T02:25:00.000-08:00

Time to unveil a ton of new features, soon to be released.

Firstly, Waterplates are nearly finished.

There's more:

I've added rudimentary AI,
and now there are "meat" creatures running around,
randomly hopping all over the place.

Don't worry, I'll be releasing another version shortly,
once I hammer out a few more bugs.

Busy Again

2010-01-13T10:56:00.000-08:00

I'm going to be very busy for a while, so results will be mixed at best.

There has been a ton of progress on my game.

For those of you industrious enough to read my blog every now and then,

here's a version of the game with the new physics and current progress intact.

This is from before I started working on seeds today,

so they are still very primitive in here.

Cloud Scream Debug Version A

Enjoy it!

Four Songs

2010-01-06T14:31:00.000-08:00

Here's a song I "wrote" today, in Jamstudio:

Page Four

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, especially the finale.

Here are three songs I made early last year, if you'd like to peruse.

Work In Progress

Minor Solo

Just Move

I think Minor solo is my overall favorite so far.

Some Pictures

2010-01-05T19:19:00.000-08:00

Okay, here's some new pictures of my trees.

They've got a long way to go in terms of function,

but that is ultimately what they will look like.

Back On Track

2010-01-05T15:51:00.001-08:00

Okay, I've sorted out that issue.

It turned out to be something really simple,

and I was mistaken in thinking it was related to vectors,

which I've just started using for the first time.

I am currently working on some new general geometry,

and some in-game objects should be much more interesting.

Feeling Hung Up

2010-01-04T16:53:00.001-08:00

Don't worry, I'll definitely keep this thing going,

I am having too much fun with it to let it go.

The thing is, I have a few other desires right now, programming related,

and I am seriously considering starting a side project.

I think something more graphical, and such.

It's probably never going to happen.

I just thought I'd express some of my thoughts.

I'm going to return to work on Cloud Scream as soon as possible,

as there is currently an issue with the code that I need outside help to solve.

When I get back to coding,

I'm going to add in something much more interesting than anything so far.

Something that will set my game apart with it's own personality.

anyways, don't lose hope,

I'll have something interesting to show off sooner or later.

Map Features Time

2009-12-30T18:08:00.000-08:00

Okay, a few things to note about progress on my game:

- By adding in plate material to the map, as a map gen after-effect, I've fixed like half of the map gen issues, pertaining to the Y axis.

- I've created a creature class, and made the player character a member, so future changes and additions will be much more ostrich.

- And finally, I've started work on Waterplates!

Right now, only the seeds are on the map, and usually generate underground, as intended.

I'll work on the growth geometry and animations next.

There is one other thing I've been doing the last couple of days,

which I feel is worth mentioning.

I've been helping Hippoman at Bay12 with his programming qualms,

sharing my limited knowledges of game creation.

He hasn't really given me credit, but I don't really mind, since it is mostly his project.

Come to think about it, I did spend the majority of two days helping him...

Never mind, I've been feeling extra charitable lately.

Here's the link to that:

Adventures in Magdorm

And here's the link to my latest version, complete with the good stuffs:

Cloud Scream Version 3.3

Screenshots for courtesy:

I'll try to get some more done tomorrow.

I Got Some Stuff

2009-12-25T10:22:00.001-08:00

My family thought it would be cool to involve me in their gift giving practices, so now I'm fully equipped with cash and CD's. The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack is probably the coolest thing I got, which I'm pretty pleased about.

Anyways, I couldn't get anything done yesterday, since I was out of place,

but today I think I will take my corded mouse with me,

enabling me to program more properly.

Let me fetch a screenshot of my current development goal...

Here we go:

Just try to ignore the fact that the tree bugs have temporarily returned,

I'll figure out how to fix that soon.

Cloud Scream Version 0.32 Released!

2009-12-23T16:39:00.001-08:00

Fear The Skies!

http://www.mediafire.com/?yjo5nmiqdyw

There are tons of reasons to be unnerved.

I hope the effects can be appreciated as intended.

Picture Gallery Day!

2009-12-23T12:50:00.000-08:00

So here comes all the most interesting pictures from the development of Cloud Scream.

Sorry, most of these are old, and many of them are pictures of prototypes, which don't appear in the game.

An early prototype of abandoned buildings:

The current buildings for contrast:

(They are designed as if the creators were trying to disguise them)

Something more interesting shots:

And finally, a preview of the next version:

I hope you found some of those interesting.

There are a couple features in the game that you will just have to find yourself,

via exploration and luck.

Someone will eventually make the discovery and post a screenshot.

I'll probably post some screenshots of my own as well.

The Crap Chest: Episode 1

2009-12-22T17:49:00.000-08:00

I call this little beauty "Metal Shape".

Metal Shape is probably the most complete game I've every made with Jamagic,

my long dead friend.

It was my first game with sensible collision detection,

directional momentum, and sprite rotation.

In the picture above,

you can see that I was starting work on the new cockpit graphic,

right before I got sidetracked.

I think Halo 2 came out or something.

Anyways, the game was very, very crappy.

You could maneuver around in an asteroid field that moved way too fast.

It was painful. Also, if you had the patience, you could line your ship up,

hold down four different keyboard keys,

and back up into the little orange bits for added fuel.

If you were skilled, you could even maneuver the purple crystal into your cockpit,

though usually I'd mess up and it would destroy the ship.

Also, there was no point in collecting it, as it served no purpose.

I can't build this game, since I don't have the full version.

Humanity is probably better off.

Fall of 2007.

Story Time Again

2009-12-22T17:29:00.000-08:00

I am searching, always searching.

I haven't found anything special in a long time.

I can FEEL you when you are below the open sky.

I can SMELL you when I get close.

I've spotted you, oh last survivor.

You don't have to be alone anymore.

Don't try to hide, mountains mean nothing.

Now I have you, and your blood is mine.

The Angry Shadow Of Doom

2009-12-21T18:58:00.000-08:00

Here, try this:

Cloud Scream 0.31

I recommend you look over the read-me if you can't figure out what to do.

Lots of Fixes

2009-12-21T15:17:00.001-08:00

I've programmed or 80% of today,

and a ton of the bugs in my game have been fixed.

Map edges are final,

though there is a strange bug troubling movement in the z-axis in some cases,

which I will have to hunt down later.

Orange can now safely pass between maps without being duplicated or losing his cargo.

There are a ton of changes.

Here's the link:

Cloud Scream 0.302

Enjoy!

Programming Day!

2009-12-20T09:59:00.000-08:00

I declare this wondrous occasion programming day, and all are encouraged to participate.

Just find SOMETHING to add to your game, as rapidly as possible, and start chain releasing mini updates.

Anyone who doesn't have a project yet, is strongly encouraged to start one, and post some sort of write-up in the Creative Projects thread.

Hopefully, being the creator of this programming day, I'll be able to contribute heavily.

Enjoy the festivities.

Everything Is Good

2009-12-19T09:58:00.001-08:00

So, it turns out everything I've been stressed over has turned out okay, and work on my game continues.

Saving and Loading are almost working, but some stuff needs a rewrite.

I'd like to assume a working version will be out by tonight, or maybe tomorrow if I'm lazy.

It seems the drought is over, and life resumes.

Almost Free Again!

2009-12-16T08:43:00.000-08:00

Soon, very soon, I will be free to put everything into this game.

There will be cake, and all will be happy.

Tomorrow is the last day I will be busy, for quite a while,

after which I can freely program and enjoy myself undeterred.

I'm surprised to see a sudden increase in viewers,

so I may treat you all with a bit of a spoiler next time I post.

Nothing too secret though.

Very Sparse

2009-12-15T06:11:00.000-08:00

I'm going to be free soon, and you can expect there to be much more progress on this thing.

Sorry about the lack of posts, things are stressful for me right now.

Major Changes Time

2009-12-07T07:29:00.000-08:00

There are major additions to be added, that all have to sort of come at once.

First off, a saving system.

I've mostly completed it, and then maps will be portable and loadable.

Next, are a combination of secret features, which will heavily rely on the save feature.

I will refer to these as the Exploration Projects.

I have a few major leaps to make before this cumulation can be best enjoyed.

Don't worry, there will be cake.

Here is the ugly part though:

My semester is summing up sometime soon.

I'm going to have to complete major projects,

and spend extra time getting caught up.

At some point, I will have a two week vacation,

and then all this stuff can be glided through fairly easily.

Thank you all for sticking with me.

Even if there are only 3 of you.

Colors Are Colorful

2009-12-01T08:02:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of my cave entrance.

I was messing around on that map for nearly an hour.

This thing is really starting to get interesting.

Here's the latest version:

http://www.mediafire.com/?mbtjj5dzg3d

Don't worry, I won't forget about you anymore, my precious blog.

It's possible.

Story Time

2009-11-29T11:13:00.000-08:00

Time for some exclusive content, precious blog readers.

I was trying a debug map, to test the changes I had added in,

when I spotted something interesting.

There was a block of treasure wedged in the ceiling of an underground opening.

I had to snatch it!

So I built up a tower, brick by brick,

taking note of many bugs in the new system.

Despite the flaws, I was able to reach my goal.

Here's a final screen of me using my newfound treasure to

shortcut under the map between void holes.

Hope you enjoyed the refreshing new content.

2009-11-27T22:24:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I let updated you, my precious blog.

Here's something that will really make you shine:

Bask in the glory. Bask.

Here Comes More Awesome

2009-11-25T16:52:00.000-08:00

I've trudged happily through the local map generation,

and I'm about ready to power-brainstorm the agents of erosion.

Before things get all nice and messy,

here are the latest screenshots,

showcasing the fruits of my labors.

As you can see, the ground has a nice shiny layer of grass on it, and lakes-craters are forming.

I can't wait to see this all eroded, with trees all over it and stuff.

Look forward to plenty more.

Local Map Attack

2009-11-24T17:41:00.000-08:00

Have a look at this:

I have no idea.

Expect more grossly incorrect terrains.

Almost back to full capabilities!

2009-11-21T17:45:00.000-08:00

I've worked all day, and fought a lot of different bugs.

World maps are almost back to where they were, they only need subvines readded.

Here's a screenshot of the sky, prior to the great landfall in the beginning of generation:

Smells Like Progress Ham

2009-11-20T16:13:00.000-08:00

I'm back on my game like in the good ol' days three weeks ago.

Rejoice!

The new classes work awesomely, and it seems I will be able to start adding tons of stuff,

even more rapidly than before.

I'm still getting the old code rewrote into the new class format.

Don't worry, the hardest stuff seems out of the way. I'm only really worried about physics now.

I just finished re-instating the 14 camera control keys.

Next time I get a spare moment, I'm going to reinstate the old universe generation code, with some shiny new upgrades.

While I'm on that part of the project, I'll probably add in a new land feature, just to refresh my brain on the scheme of things.

Then, onto local map generation, where I intend to showcase the new ideas I've been getting lately.

Look forward to something awesome!

Also, here is where most of the last 3 hours went:

Right after I finished that monster, I realized it was mostly redundant,

and that I am a blubnering fool.

Expect good things from here on out!

The Time Has Come

2009-11-16T10:39:00.001-08:00

We are at that exciting moment where I can finally forget about life-related stresses, and get back to full time attacking this thing, in every spare moment.

Starting sometime tomorrow/Thursday, I will be doing a headlong dive into classes, permanently improving my game to a more programming-friendly state.

Thanks for sticking around all this time!

Getting There

2009-11-09T08:18:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the best day ever.

I'm completely rejuvenated.

Give me a few more days to catch up, my dear readers.

Don't give up on me yet.

Time for some Time

2009-11-01T20:51:00.000-08:00

Okay.

Here is how it is:

I really need to get a bunch of schoolwork done this week,

and I need to learn some new programming techniques to advance my project.

I hope to be working on it again by next week.

Sorry for the halt in speedy progress, it's only a one-time thing.

Lots of Progress

2009-10-29T06:15:00.000-07:00

You guys,

if any of you somehow read my blog but don't follow my thread,

are way behind.

Here are the latest screenshots:

(Not for the faint of heart)

As you can see, multi-tile maps are working, as are terrain variation and trees.

The controls are completely revamped, and you can dig in all four directions now.

Here is the overview:

WASD - Movement

E - Jump

R - Fall (Also creates special tiles)

FG - Draw Distance

IJKL - Camera

UO - Zoom

When you get into the game, you will have a yellow selector block in the center of your view.

Maneuver that onto some land (grey tiles) that you would like to zoom in to.

Press ENTER to go into local view.

I would suggest picking a tile at least one space "underground", so you can watch the action.

Gravity will take over the gen-ed map, and pull everything down.

Then two passes of a smoothing function will erode it round.

Finally, the trees pop.

At this point, your cursor is most likely underground.

Move upward through the land until you get to the surface.

Press ENTER again, while inhabiting an open space,

and you get control of Orange, the test character.

That is when the above controls mostly come into effect.

You can dig now.

It works glitchy for now, but it is possible.

Basically, press space, followed by a direction to dig up a tile.

Then you have to place that tile somewhere else in order to dig again.

Once again, press space.

This time when you pick a direction, it will move you over, then place the tile.

So you have to plan it by standing one tile back from where you want it to end up.

Some people have already had their hand at it and made some interesting structures.

Here is the link:

WorldJem 0.75

Enjoy the new features!

Sorry.

2009-10-27T08:37:00.000-07:00

I haven't been updating my blog lately, I'm getting too much attention on my thread.

I'm in the middle of something big though,

and I should have a nice working version up here soon.

If I ever figure out median curves...

I built a house!

2009-10-24T08:36:00.000-07:00

I've done a lot of work this morning.

You can zoom in to single local tiles, and run around as orange again.

Orange can pick up tiles and move them around, so you can build some pretty cool stuff:

My map bordered a subvine tile, so I gathered some of the stuff and built a house.

The house wouldn't have worked if it was made of regular stone, because regular stone falls in.

Also, orange can "stomp" tiles, causing them to become the special green tiles.

They are unaffected by gravity, so you can build a bridge or something from them.

My bridge took a while to make.

I'll post up a working version soon.

Also, in case you weren't sure, the big yellow brick is Orange.

Selection Box

2009-10-23T15:15:00.000-07:00

I've added in a nifty selection box, so you can see which tile the camera is centered on.

It turns the top, bottom, left, and right sides of a tile yellow.

Also, I've added the ability to spawn water directly below the selector,

so you can play around with the broken water physics if you want to.

Here's a link:

WorldJem v0.5

The 7z file includes the necessary dll, for convenience.

Try it out.

Problematic Waters

2009-10-22T17:26:00.000-07:00

These here waters be infested with bugs!

I'm going to spend a bit more time on water processes than originally intended.

The loops are too complicated for what they are actually doing,

so I'm going to revert them back to the drawing board and start from a fresh angle,

using the experience from the previous code to craft a better process.

Look forward to something interesting by tomorrow.

Subocean

2009-10-20T06:44:00.001-07:00

Check this out: (Right-click for more options)

And the subplate has been flooded!

I'm ahead of schedule, so expect more out of me sooner.

Many Changes

2009-10-19T07:42:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest screen: (right-click and open it in another window)

As you can see, things are a bit different.

I've decided to rename the "hellspikes". They are now known as "landpillars".

The tall greenish ones are the landpillars.

The rest of that brown stuff is called "subvine".

You may also notice another never before mentioned feature, the "subplate".

It grows outward from the center to the edges of the universe,

creating a gigantic round plate.

Do you see how the edge of it is stacked with land?

Well, what if the rest of the land fell off into the abyss? (deleted?)

You would be left with a dense ring of mountains at the edge of the subplate,

which if my mind is leading me in the right direction,

would be perfect for containing an inland sea.

That's right, I'd like to flood the subplate, and all of these pillars and subvines would

be growing up out of an ocean floor.

Latest Version

2009-10-18T14:06:00.001-07:00

Here ya go:

WorldJem v0.4

It's changed a bit since I posted this,

so this is kind of outdated.

Advanced Controls and Hellspikes

2009-10-18T08:11:00.000-07:00

Here are the new controls:

WASDER - Movement

ZXCV - Camera

FG - Zoom

HJ - Draw Distance

TAB - Windowed Mode (It works!)

ESC - Exit

I've also added a new feature, Hellspikes.

Hellspikes are large conic towers that grown up from the bottom of the universe,

and push their way up through the plates.

They vary in height and angle, and have a dark red core running up the middle of them.

Here's a picture:

Ah, aren't they strange?

Do you want to explore the new features and controls?

Here ya go:

WorldJem

Enjoy!

3D Beauty

2009-10-16T17:45:00.000-07:00

Here it is, in smoking fast 3D:

WorldJem v0.3

EDIT:

A lot of you will need this file:

glu32

Installed in your system32 folder.

The path is:

C > windows > system32

I hope you can remember some of the controls...

WASD-ER move you around.

Tab does something useless.

ESC exits the program.

Right now, the other options don't work.

Just explore the 3D, I'm sure you'll love it.

WorldJem: 3D Time!

2009-10-16T06:04:00.000-07:00

I've stumbled upon 3D capabilities lately.

And soon, for the first time, WorldJem will be rendered.

I feel all tingly inside!

Expect results withing a few hours.

Edit:

And I wouldn't worry if you're one of those low end people,

because the 3D will be entirely optional.

Waterplates: Working!

2009-10-15T07:28:00.000-07:00

That, is a working waterplate.

It has actually grown to the proper height, and spread open.

So now that they work, and most of the bugs are ironed out,

here is a working version of the game:

WorldJem

Enjoy!

Waterplates: Half Working

2009-10-14T08:08:00.000-07:00

Link

There you go. It's the newest version of my game.

Yes, I already know that it crashes every third time you run it,

but it is only a prototype at this point.

The new feature added to the universe, only half working right now,

is a feature known as a "waterplate". These waterplates have a pretty tricky origin.

At the beginning of the universe, when there are only plates, and cores, and other such things,

something sort of interesting happens.

Chunks of land rain down from the top of the universe, caking the plates in mountains.

You've all probably heard this part.

The cool thing is, that mixed in with the falling land chunks, are these

other things

called "waterseeds".

When the land has all fallen, and is finally settled, the waterseeds become active.

Any waterseed resting on the surface of a plane will blossom.

A huge marble column (conceptually) shoots up out of and around it,

and spreads out at the top into a huge circular plate.

Right now, in the current view of the universe, they are only three tiles across.

But eventually when you are given the ability to zoom in on regions of the map,

they will be as big across as whole cities.

Water will spout and flow out of them, like huge sprinklers, creating rain and such.

It will be awesome.

Here's a picture containing a waterplate:

Do you see that other bluish tile nearby the waterplate?

That is a waterseed which hasn't sprouted, because it is literally under a mountain.

Imagine water eventually eroding the mountain away, and that seed springing forth,

creating a brand new plate.

That sort of thought keeps me going forward with this.

Strange Stuff

2009-10-13T07:41:00.001-07:00

I've taken this description straight from my development thread:

Basically, WorldJem generates a small universe, populated by floating planes,

known as plates. (Takes around 30 seconds currently)

Each plate depends on a central core, known as a "golden core" to keep it afloat.

The material of the plate is basically unaffected by most things, but if it is (somehow)

severed from the rest of the plate, it will become (not implemented) standard land.

So if you destroy a core, you can bring down an entire plane.

The land on top of the planes is regular terrain, including:

- Ice Rock

- High Rock

- Base Rock

- Magma

There are small barriers around the golden cores called "coreguards".

They are meant to protect the core from magma and adventurers.

I'm currently adding in pressure, so that when land stacks up too high, it will be able to fall.

Currently, "orange" a leftover from the last prototype (which I'd like to leave in for now)

is a controllable character.

Orange:

-Walks into adjacent tiles

-Is constantly pulled downward along the y-axis

-Can jump three-ish tiles

-Can scale small cliffs

-Can jump small gaps

Sounds good?

Another Direction

2009-10-12T07:19:00.000-07:00

Err... this one is sort of hard to explain.

I'm working on another universe with fantasy physics.

Basically, there are all of these floating plates,

with a golden core at the center-top of the plate.

Any plate material that has a direct path through other plate material

to the golden core will be able to remain plate material.

But if a connection is severed with the rest of the plate,

the disconnected part will become regular stone

and fall off of the plate.

If the core is destroyed, the whole thing transforms and comes falling down.

Basically, these things are like little continents.

Land will be added to the tops of the plates to function like real terrain.

Right now it's actually looking pretty good:

A huge blanket of land will fall and become the basis for continents:

I think a universe like this, free of realistic constraint,

will be much more interesting to program and balance out.

Another Breakthough

2009-10-09T07:56:00.001-07:00

I've figured it out!

The seemingly impossible problem that arises when you have a round world made of blocks,

with inward gravity.

How do you determine which tiles are closer or farther away?

Won't tiles wedge in at one point, because the limited amount of tiles at the center?

These questions are all unnecessary.

Let the rocks wedge in.

They should share pressure towards the center, just like in the real world.

And what about water and other low pressure systems?

Just give it a lower priority on falling.

So now, I will add primitive gravity to the game.

Basically, it will just pull all of the rock tiles towards the center,

killing off the floating mountains.

Later on, when a pressure system is perfected,

pressure will be related to cave-ins, so supported mountains will remain.

But for now, lets get gravity centralized.

Pressure

2009-10-08T21:40:00.000-07:00

I'm going to change directions with this one, yet again, this time going back towards the realistic.

I've been thinking out a system for tile compression and tension.

We'll see what tomorrow may bring.

So Smooth

2009-10-08T09:45:00.000-07:00

Check it out:

Download WJ v1

It's running in curses, and I've decided to ignore the colors and just use texture to display different shades.

It runs so smooth now.
You can just glide around the map, control 'orange' in real time,
and the coolest thing can happen.

If you hold down E or R to move through layers, it's like an animated explosion of awesomeness.
You have to see it to believe it.

Love, Hate, and PDCurses

2009-10-07T07:56:00.001-07:00

So I've decided to use PDCurses.

For those of you who have experienced it first hand,

the ridiculous screen scrolling is really hard to handle.

Curses has a few screen refresh capabilities, and should make this thing run nice and pretty.

I'm having trouble with color support though,

so If I can't get the colors sorted out by tonight,

I'm going to leave them out for now and get back to working on water.

New Developement Environment

2009-10-06T05:50:00.001-07:00

Due to almost no one being able to play my game,

I've moved the project over to Code::Blocks.

Now it should be super compatible.

Here's the newest version,

including the sweet graphics.

New Visual

2009-10-05T07:46:00.001-07:00

Ha ha ha! What do you think?

Pretty intense, huh?

More Compatible Apparently

2009-10-05T07:21:00.001-07:00

Here ya go:

Working Link

Try it out.

After the three progress bars are finished, and the world is drawn, you can type in zero

to get a list of other commands.

At this point you have to type enter after every command, including movement.

Type in "10" to take over "orange", a super spelunking ninja.

4 and 6 move him left and right,

2 makes him fall faster,

8 makes him jump,

7 and 1 move him back and forth between "Z-layers".

Enjoy exploring my bizarre random world generator.

Exploring, Falling, and Jumping

2009-10-04T13:11:00.000-07:00

I've finally got it to a point where I can start thinking about this as an actual game.

Now you can type in a certain command to take control of "orange", a cyan colored capital "Z".

Orange always starts at the very top of the highest landmass directly above the north pole.

He can move into adjacent spaces (not diagonally), he can scale 1-high cliffs,

and he can control his direction while falling.

I'm pretty sure his jump is high enough to cross over 1-wide open spaces.

Like I said, gravity only propels him down the y-axis, so with a little bit of skill/luck

you can find your way off the face of the planet.

I've also been able to make it down into the magma layer,

and in one instance I made it all the way to the underside of the planet without falling off.

I'll put up a working version soon, and if requested, I'll post the c++ files too.

I'm not sure what I'll add next, but at some point water is on the menu.

Temperature

2009-10-04T07:32:00.000-07:00

I've added a temperature value to every tile in the game, based on distance from core.

All of the tiles above actually count as rock, but now there are different states of rock.

The current states are: core, magma, base rock, high rock, ice rock.

I've decided to take this game into a new and interesting direction.

It is going to be more of a loosely unrealistic fantasy world, with physics implemented as I see fit.

Basically, I like the floating mountains and cliffs so much, that I'm just going to let them stay in.

But if I do end up putting in gravity later, it will most definitely make those mountains come crashing down. So for that reason, rock in going to be unaffected by gravity at first, and gravity is only going to include downward movement, towards the southern face of the planet.

Eventually, I'd like to have a bunch of floating ice masses in the sky, and even a layer of ground surrounded by cloud. I've had a bunch of cool ideas for unique land features, so from now on, this is going to be a free form world.

Today, I am going to combine a lot of the parts of the code in a different way to reduce generation time by up to 60% (ooh!). Currently, it takes about 50 seconds on my machine to do all of theses distance calculations. That is why gravity is going to probably end up one dimensional, to keep frame rate above 0.

Static Cluster Mountains

2009-10-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

Pretty crazy huh? The top-left corner is the very core of the planet.

This is the very center layer also.

A lot of the "mountains" may look like they are floating (and some of them are)

but you must not forget that this is only one layer of the mountains.

Most of them are connected on other layers.

It needs some work, but it's a lot better than the boringly round balls I was getting before.

Idea Train

2009-10-02T17:16:00.000-07:00

It's Friday again, and I'm in the mood for programming.

Today I'm probably going to finish up terrain, and if that works out,

then I've got a few odd ideas to play around with. (side side-project)

I've gotten this weird idea (as a side effect of a bug I had) and now I can think of a few

strange terrain/physics options that would make for some interesting game play.

Imagine a planet if you will, that has only downward gravity.

Basically, everything on the bottom of the planet falls up,

and you can slide down the sides and fall off.

Sure, it's a cheap way to ignore gravity calculations (not really hard anyways)

but imagine digging a tunnel community down the side of that planet, and maybe building

hanging structures on the bottom.

So I've decided to make real gravity optional (in game).

Eventually, overhanging features will probably have the same possibilities anyways.

After I've finished the terrain modification,

I'm going to add temperatures to the planet based on distance from core,

distance from surface, and distance from magnetic poles.

(I know that the only reason we have ice on the poles, is because of the angle of the sun,

but I'm going to leave out that minor complication for now.)

Prepare for interesting updates.

Edit:

If somebody requests for it in a comment,

I will upload a working .exe of my current project.

It's a lot further along now in what it can do.

Breakthrough Time

2009-09-30T07:59:00.001-07:00

I woke up really early today, and had a full-blown mental orgy of ideas.

I'm going to scrap the random continent creation system, (though it was starting to look promising)

and instead I am going to fractally complicate my planet by making sub maps of zoomed in portions.

Then I will make a height map of random points all around over the smooth surface.

From there, things get all kinds of complex.

Wish me luck!

I probably won't have any time today to work on this,

but tomorrow looks open.

Progress

2009-09-27T11:37:00.001-07:00

I've been working on my game a lot,

trying to get a nice result before my weekly grind starts up again tomorrow.

I've added the ability to look at the world from the top or front, so it would be easier to test the shape of my continents.

I haven't even considered having them move around yet...

Next, I worked out a system where it tested the concentration of land at each point on the surface, and if there was too little land, it would destroy the land at that point,

but not until all points had been tested.

The results look pretty good right now:

My next task is to have the land test only the truly adjacent pieces,

and not include the corner bits.

That way I should get less landmasses connected diagonally like in the image above.

Room for Expansion

2009-09-26T10:52:00.000-07:00

I spent most of yesterday working out a 3D map generator,

and today I will work on learning open GL.

I've seen some amazing stuff done with it, (Love)

and I want some portions of my game to display in 3D.

Trust me, if I can't get into Open GL properly, I'll go back to working in ASCII.

Hopefully I'll have something to post my nightfall.

Textland Sample

2009-09-25T15:02:00.001-07:00

You can grab the file here if you'd like.

Textland World Generator

Be careful, it's really buggy.

If you only input numbers, you should be fine though.

And avoid really big numbers.

For best results, keep your choices around these values:

Size: 50

Radius: 20

Noise: 100

That should get you results like in the pictures.

The menu choices are selected by typing in a number (1, 2, or 3) and hitting enter.

If you have a windows computer, there shouldn't be any problems.

I'm going to download the file from my other computers and try it out.

Added Noise

2009-09-25T13:35:00.000-07:00

I've added basic noise to the layers to form continents.

It's really basic right now, but I will add better geometry to landmasses later.

3D Layers!

2009-09-25T12:08:00.000-07:00

Now that's more like it!

I've added a feature to move between z-levels,

and then I made a 1-tile thick default water level,

followed by a 2-tile thick rock level,

followed by a 5-tile thick lava level,

and finally, core material.

I told you this thing would take off!

Round spheres!

2009-09-25T11:03:00.001-07:00

Spheres are round!

You read right. Spheres. Not circles.

I don't currently have a way to travel between z-levels, but that is the next feature to work on.

Basically, it just picks the very center layer, so you can see the largest diameter.

Also, the dark blue represents open space, the light blue represents water.

I've also trimmed out the old code, so now it just loops the creation of worlds,

based on player input. (You can some of the empty grid of the old world near the top)

Stay tuned for more!

Superb Progress!

2009-09-25T10:18:00.000-07:00

Here's some more progress:

As you can see above, my landmasses are not exactly round yet.

But I am working on the formula, and soon, we will be able to throw together some pretty complex worlds shapes.

I feel so excited!

Breakthrough! Excitement!

2009-09-25T06:31:00.000-07:00

Oh my kittens! I'm so excited!

I've been patrolling the internets, trying to figure out DirectX,

but to my dismay, I was receiving very little help.

So I finally snapped. Really.

The hell with DirectX, I don't need sprites!

Then I started programming an ASCII game.

I will have my 2D, one way or the other!

I've been awake all night, planning ahead, thinking out the next steps.

The best part of all, I figured out a system to draw out tile based worlds, without help.

I just sat down and thought to myself, "How will I pull this one off?"

And now I have a basic game that draws a A x B grid, to the size specified by the user.

Stay tuned, if I figure out how, I'm going to be publishing my work,

at all steps of the process.

If anyone wants to see how a concept can grow, and how a game can be born,

then this is your lucky day.

Here is the first iteration:

RazorQuested Grows

2009-09-22T16:42:00.000-07:00

During the little free time I have between Monday morning and Thursday evening, not much is accomplished.

But I've had a few hours to sit at the helm of my current fortress,

RazorQuested.

Tower 2, the dining hall, is completed.

She stands at a stunning 13 tiles above my base-level.

The first two levels, include my workshops.

The next seven are a 4x4 stem of felsite.

At the top, rests a 12x10 hollow box, 3 levels high.

The north and south sides are open for future glass installations.

The dining room seats 11 dwarfs, even though I only have 6.

Here is a picture:

Getting Closer

2009-09-20T18:36:00.001-07:00

I've been working at my C++ today, and I'm much closer to being back into 2D than ever before.

Also, I've played out RazorQuested a tad more, and the second tower is nearing completion as we speak.

Check it out:

It'll be a couple days until I have enough free time open to accomplish anything, so don't expect too much out of me until Thursday again.

Tower One Complete!

2009-09-18T20:59:00.000-07:00

Of course, it's a tiny tower, but it happens to be part of a tiny fortress, with a working crew of three. It is going to house the new barracks, allowing me to tunnel out the old one.

More, similar towers are planned for a future, dining room, and other structures.

Eventually, I hope to have a complex of towers up there with many tiers and bridges.

That would be cool.

Here's a pick:

Something Else

2009-09-18T05:28:00.000-07:00

I've been doing a bunch of different things, but today we are going to focus on a little hell hole called "Urdumegeb", more commonly referred to TowerBulb.

Now Towerbulb, is a fortress I started before RazorQuested, but I had passed on it, because forts entirely made of wood were hard to support on a 3x2 map.

The reason Towerbulb has recaptured my attention though, is because of an entirely different and interesting circumstance.

This map is full of carp, in every water source except for one.

Now that's not the interesting part. (bare with me)

The only open water source without death swimming around in it, is the moat I built to trap the world out.

The interesting part, is that on a 3x2 map with seven randomly placed carp lakes, I was able to survive one of my Dwarves, sanity intact.

So I decided to save this world on the back burner, for some "hermit" type playing.

Enjoy:

My name is Erith.

Everything is pretty bad.

I was about to go mad for a while.

But now that it's just me and Melbil, things have cooled down.

There were seven of us.

Seven!

And five are now dead.

I just finished stuffing the other Erith's rotting bones into a wooden casket in the sand.

I'm pretty sure I killed him.

But I can't remember doing it.

Three of us fell in the lake.

The carp are especially vicious.

So we abandoned their bodies.

And if you're keeping count, that leaves one left.

Well HE died a completely dignified death.

Completely.

Dignified.

Someone went nutty and destroyed the bridge he was walking on, and he drowned.

I'm pretty sure it was Melbil that did it.

So that makes both of us murderers.

And Melbil's lost his mind completely.

I do the farming and build us stuff with the meager supplies we've got.

He just wanders around licking rocks and talking to himself.

Good ol' Melbil.

I nearly killed him too.

We had this crazy fight when he first snapped, I almost strangled him to death.

He was in bed with a broken leg for weeks.

But now he's up and about again.

Somewhat.

Did I mention we had built ourselves onto a small island and the bridge was our only way out.

Actually, I'm not sure I want out anymore.

The carp are out there.

They caused all of this, after all.

So it's just me and Melbil.

We have some wood, some food, a few tools.

There is a carpenter's workshop and a still.

The stuff I looted off of the other Erith is especially useless.

I've built myself a pretty good dining room, which makes me feel better.

And now I don't have to share a room either.

So things aren't all bad.

But I'm hanging on by a string, and I wonder if things can ever go anywhere from here.

My name is Erith.

Wish me luck.

Razor Quested Elaborated

2009-09-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

I've continued work on tiny old RazorQuested (Stukosiseth in Dwarven) and decided to draw up some more maps of the thing.

Click on the links above the pictures for a better view.

All graphical images are presented courtesy of Visual Fortress.

RazorQuested:

Interior:

I hope you found them interesting.

Hiatus Again

2009-09-16T19:54:00.000-07:00

Yeah, my projects are on hold until I've worked my way into 2D, but I promise that once I've got that worked out you can expect regular progress and interesting projects.

In the short term, here's a fortress I've been working on for a little while.

It's called RazorQuested.

The countryside is beautiful!

I've decided to make this a minimalist fortress, with only the initial seven residents.

Here's the basic layout so far:

Larger Image

Free time approaches.

Expect more soon.

Newer, Scarier Hurdles to Jump

2009-09-13T14:39:00.000-07:00

Okay! I've finally cleared up the whole "How the heck does a header work?" thing.

So now I'm ready to jump into 2D programming...

Or so I thought.

It would appear that C++ isn't easily capable of sprites and moving parts.

So now I'm off to find the easiest way to get two dimensional forms moving around on screen...

Blast!

Whatever, at least I can resume work on Dear Grandfather Clock.

But eventually, I'd like a few running side projects.

Dwarf Fortress Community Games

2009-09-13T06:24:00.001-07:00

Through the invention of community games and succession games, a single player experience like Dwarf Fortress can become a multiparty super-extravaganza.

In community games, a single player controls the game, but allows multiple other players to interact through posts. Generally you can have a dwarf in the fotress named after yourself, vote on the next big project of the fortress, or just plain enjoy the wity story of the original poster.

A great example of this would be Nist Akath, an extremely long lived community game, with one of the most compellingly awesome plots ever to be inspired by Dwarf Fortress. I would definitely give it a read if you haven't so far.

The other kind of thread game, called a succession game, is much more interactive, but generally has less direction and plot measures. Players take turns playing through a single year of the fortress, working on whatever they can get done during their year. Since everybody wants to leave their mark on this game, many substantial mega-projects end up half-completed, siting side by side, toe to toe. The best example of a succession game is Boatmurdered, and incredibly horrible fortress, plagued by demon elephants, lava, tantrum spirals, and the most horrible of all, risky players. The Eternal Halls is another example of a great succession game.

Once again, if you haven't already, take a look.

Also, my game is on hiatus again, while I try to figure out header files.

Expect me to break through this block by the end of the week.

Back Online!

2009-09-11T16:47:00.000-07:00

After a whole day without internet, I'm officially upgraded to high-speed.

So now things will be easier for me.

Also, I'm finishing up The Eternal Halls today, so here's a pic:

It's the tower I added to the map.

So far the largest tower there.

And the top deck is a statue garden for partying!

The Eternal Halls

2009-09-09T21:12:00.000-07:00

Aha! I've become temporarily entangled in a succession game of Dwarf Fortress.

It's my turn to stand at the helm of The Eternal Halls.

So it seems I'll be forcing extra time into my schedule for now.

Otherwise, I've been offered a job as a stage-ninja. (blackout stage hand)

I've taken it into consideration.

Still No Progress?

2009-09-09T06:21:00.000-07:00

I've been thumping away at the hours and have found that during the usual weekdays there is absolutely no time to do anything for myself. Hopefully I'll have the patience and resolve to let things stand this way.

I'll try to squeeze in a new room or two every now and then though...

So busy!

2009-09-07T09:19:00.000-07:00

I've had one cat of a busy time lately. Between school and fruitless "vacations" there is little time to get things done around here. I'm taking today all to myself to work on my game and get up to date on my favorite stuffs. Today is a day of refresh.

Hopefully I'll have some sort of progress to post up here tomorrow.

But for now, it's crunch time.

Also, it seems I have a few visitors after all...

Thank you google overview.

Today was amazing and horrible back to back!

2009-09-02T19:17:00.000-07:00

Actually, in the opposite order.

Firstly, I was placed into classes today, just in the knick of time to be attending them an hour later.

Woot! The Orange wins again!

Or so it would have been.

Previous to all of this excitement, I had found out terrible news.

My boss had mistaken something I said, and had the impression that I was moving away.

So during my vacation (laugh, I dare you) he had given my job away to two other people.

Sure, I think it's funny that it takes two people to fill my void, but nonetheless,

I am currently unemployed.

And I was starting to enjoy sushi...

Oh well! I guess I'll be going after an internship then.

But this all puts my developement on hold.

(didn't stop me from drafting another area of DGC though)

Still messing around in C++

2009-09-02T06:01:00.000-07:00

I've taken up a side project at the time being to better acquaint myself with the visual aspects of C++. I've also been working on my project DGC, trying to find a good format for adding new code.

Currently it takes way too much text to get something desirable on screen.

Once I've ironed out that issue, I'll be able to transmit a lot more of my text over into the game.

Also, I need ot learn visuals for complex parts of the interface and also audio support would help a lot. I want this game to give you the feeling that the world has abandoned you and you're trapped in the most compelling nightmarish place ever.

That's the theory anyways. If my wriitng comes across with even half of that impact, I'll be satisfied with myself.

More progresses!

2009-08-27T07:10:00.001-07:00

I've been trudging along through formatting and re-formatting my game, looking for the perfect template before I fill in the flesh completely.

Currently I have a structure I'm content with, including among other things:

Color text!

You can also see the help command in action above.

(A really intense glare at the fuzzy text might get you some inside info)

It includes (a tiny bit) of the odd things planned for ahead.

So far my game is really a tour, allowing two rooms of the final ~50 to be accessed.

Eventually I'll get a cool soundtrack in there and some suspenseful drama.

But for now, you can just walk about...

I hope this thing picks up steam, I'm not sure where to go for publicity.

Vacation!

2009-08-21T13:29:00.000-07:00

I'm going on a week long vacation with no internets, :(

But at least I have my project to look forward to when I get back.

And somehow I got accepted into the local college!

I've been getting a lot of good news lately, hope it keeps coming.

Dear Grandfather Clock: Prototype working!

2009-08-20T06:27:00.000-07:00

I've codenamed my game project "Dear Grandfather Clock",

and have a very rudimentary version of it running in C++!

Finally I'm getting to the point where I can code without reference!

(Even if it is running in a worthless DOS-prompt...)

So now developement should pick up, and there will be updates.

I've already got most basic functions working, now the actual body of the game can start to take form.

Check it out!

2009-08-18T23:56:00.001-07:00

Here is a progress graphic I made, based on the information found at this page.

I think it is kind of nifty, but alas, not my idea.

Anyways:

Damn! So Close!

2009-08-17T17:59:00.000-07:00

Damn! Level 14! It just isn't fair! If only I hadn't wasted all my bombs on those yetis...

In other news I've started a new dwarf fortress and even joined in a succession game.

Moo!

Untitled Story: Finally completed!

2009-08-11T22:31:00.000-07:00

Check it out:

It was only on regular difficulty, but I finally found everything. The hardest part was probably beating Jumpbox, an in-game arcade version of Jumper. Also, I've tried to beat this game before, but had to start over after a misplaced save. So the second time through was a little faster.

Not much accomplished...

2009-08-09T20:16:00.000-07:00

I've been dividing my time up equally between hanging out with people and hanging out with more people. This leaves less time for me to actually accomplish anything. I've been writing more text for my game, but I doubt I'll start the actual programming for a while.

Anyways, here's my latest CC fortress:

And after about six hours:

Look at all of that rubble and erodded wall! I love Cortex Command!

Now I'm off to watch some anime.

My Magnum Opus

2009-08-06T18:26:00.000-07:00

I've had this crazy game in developements for a while. I'm really excited about it.

But because I've been putting things on this here blog lately, I started thinking about how to publish my works. Saddly enough, the only programming language I'm fluent in has been dead for years. Jamagic it was called, R. I. P. So as soon as I figure out how to transfer all of my Jam knowledges into Visual C++ knowledges, I'll start right away on that game. Until then, here is some art for it:

Nocturne Concept Art:

Nocturne Draft 1:

It's mainly going to be a text based horror-suspense game. There will be tons of explorable areas (I've written a bunch already) and some weird gameplay elements I've never seen in games before. So hopefully it will live up to my expectations. For now it is on hiatus while I learn a new programming language.

My Dwarf Forttress Progress: Wheelsilvers

2009-07-27T14:04:00.000-07:00

As you can see from above, my fortress is getting pretty extravagant.

And the stone pile is so large you can seet its grey blocky form from space.

Notice the gillions of 4x4 rooms in the upper right.

The blue rooms are luxury for nobles.

The very large rooms (for of them) are for storage; two for food, one for drink, and one for woods.

I've tamed away the sides of the mountain my fortress resides in, took over the hill to the west,

and am now working my way south.

You can also see a large underground pool (which is full of monsters) and the beginnings of a mountain river (the tree shaped blue thing)

Just thought I'd update.

Also, I caught up to the English translation of the bleach anime, so much anticipation riddles my weeks now.

I've been watching all of the videos by raocow on Youtube, a series of super hard Mario hack Let's Play's.

Now he's doing my most favorite game of all, An Untitled Story, partially blind so I have been following that tightly.

Look forward to updates on the state of my fortress.

I Beat Spelunky Again!

2009-07-21T20:08:00.000-07:00

Dudes! Check it out! I beat the game more than once! Now if only I could get into the City of Gold...

3D Evolution, Crashed?!

2009-07-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

I've been messing around with this lately.

It's an interesting program for evolving virtual creatures over hundreds of generations.

I've been working at it for a while, trying to get something substancial so I can post it and give a decent description of how it went down.

One of the best ways to get results from this program, is to leave it on overnight.

This was great for the first few nights, with each night resulting in large progresss towards my creatures improved mobility. But last night, the program crashed, and I think my save file is also corrupt. So I'll probably start all over.

For now it's back to DF.

Except some pics soon.

No time for anything!

2009-07-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

I've been so torn between a bunch of different things lately that I really haven't accomplished anything. Still burning through Spelunky and Dwarf Fortress on a regular basis.

Anyways, today I will get my 360 sent out, and then jump back into GTA: San Andreas when I get it returned. That will include tons of interesting updates.

An Untitled Story, Toribash, and Frets On Fire

2009-07-08T16:06:00.000-07:00

To continue my game summarizing trend, here are a few more of the best games out there:

An Untitled Story

This is an incredibly frustrating game for being so awesome.

You are this small egg that must travel and explore vast worlds drawn in artistically low quality.

Just play for a while, explore a few map tiles, and then realize that the pause menu map takes up

the entire screen. The game is extremely fleshed out and vast, and has recently celebrated its aniversary release. Go have frustrating platforming fun if that's your thing.

Also, I've beaten this game, but not 100%. (Only on normal mode)

Get it here.

Toribash

Toribash is amazing. Just try it. Play online multiplayer for a few minutes and you will be extremely impressed. You control a physically accurate 3D sudo-ninja ragdoll by moving it's joints. So does your opponent. And every .5 milliseconds or so, the battle pauses and you reasign the rollls of your joints again. Recently my favorite move includes me doing a ballet twirl with both arms up, but when my arm is lined up correctly, I slam it down through their shoulder and dismember their torso. The results of some fights are downright hilarious, with multiple body parts rearanged about the floor. Sometimes people will acidentally rip off their own limbs, you know, that kind of fun.

Frets On Fire

This game is a free complete and total remake of Guitar Hero/Rock Band. Except there are tons of user created tracks online including everything from Peter Frampton to Led Zeppelin.

And you can set it to a custom "hyper speed'. I like 300 percent (around hyper speed six), but that's just me. Also, If you're actually going to take my advice and try it, get the Alarian version. It rocks, literally.

I had to get up really early and take my sister for college testing, so I applied while I was there.

Hopefully that will work out. Either way, I'm off to play some Dwarf Fortress. Peace!

Cortex Command, Yume Nikki, Dwarf Fortress

2009-07-07T10:25:00.000-07:00

Okay, so the games I am irresistibly trapped in right now include quite a few oddities.

Spelunky, of course is slowly taking its place up on the shelf, but I still play it for the mindless fun.

Cortex Command

Cortex Command is extremely intense, especially with the full version installed. I acquired this mod with an infinite missile silo, and just sit back waiting for the enemies to try to land their clumsy ships. Also, there is this sweet flying craft with a skull on it that launches a sort of force field out. I enjoy roaming around the map cleaning up the enemies that have somehow escaped the missile onslaught. Usually by either crushing them directly with the craft, forcing them against a wall, or forcing them up into the air and juggling them until they

fly apart at the joints.

Anybody reading this who hasn't witnessed the sheer level of intense-osity needs to go try the demo version immediately.

Yume Nikki

Yume Nikki is the weirdest game ever. You walk around in seemingly endless dream dimensions and stuff creeps you out. That is the premise. I have been exploring rigorously. Since I haven't fond anything new in a while, I'm starting to lose hope. Altogether, this game is amazing. I even drew up detailed maps on graph paper for some of the realms. It's kind of hard to find an English version of the game, but if you're a google master then go ahead and try. Worth the effort, but not for everyone.

Dwarf Fortress

Dwarf Fortress is my favorite game! (Except for possibly Elder Scrolls: Morrowind) The game has rouguelike ASCII graphics, and isn't finished, but besides that, it's pretty amazing. You play a group of dwarves in a procedurally generated world, and dig out a fortress to outlast the years.

The game goes on infinitely, and you can keep playing on the same world, creating a vast history as you go, until you find one of your old fortresses one day and feel like exploring it anew. But by now it has been taken over by goblins, and there has been a cave in or two, and your once ultimate treasures have been plundered/ strewn about on the ground outside.

Since the game is still in the works, you can track the progress of new features and when they will be released at the official website. This game has extremely gruesomely detailed violence (or at least a text based summary of it) and very realistic water physics (water flows up the other side of the U-bend!) Give it a try. If you can handle the graphical representation, then this truly is years worth of entertainment. That's what I'll be doing all day.

Expect a few more games tomorrow.

I'm off to Best Buy! Later.

Spelunky! Beaten! Cowboys From Hell!

2009-07-05T12:06:00.000-07:00

After countless hours of running through that game over and over again from the beginning, I've finally came out on top! There were some heart stopping moments, where quick reflexes barely saved me. And I feel totally drained! But altogether, It is over.

I still play Spelunky, having caught glimpses of its deeper secrets, but now I can say that I've actually made it all the way in one go.

Actually, this all happened a few days ago. But since this blog is fresh and I don't have much else to start with, it seems like a good thing to go with.

Also, Best Buy just got Guitar Hero: Smash Hits installed and I went there and played through every song in the game! It was draining. I can barely believe the new takes on old favorites.

Cowboys From Hell made me sweat, then Beast And The Harlot was epic.

I'm a little disappointed by the addition of string notes to the beginning of Through The Fire And Flames because they make the opening much easier and less impressive. But the rest of the song is rewritten well and makes much more sense now.

I'll probably be going back in a few times this week.

Now I'm off to watch more Anime and what have you. Eventually, I'll be finding some way to post my homebrew games on here, but until then, this blog is going to be pretty lame.