Space Sim, Content Discussion and Resource Updates (Screenshot)

Goeie More (Good Morning)

It's been a while since I've actually created a plan/blog. The reason was that I never really had anything concrete or complete enough to show. I've had TGE for a while now, but never really got into the whole mindset of creating complete selling games with it. That might sound strange, I know.

Torque to me is a hobby. Something I play around with when I'm bored. Something I can talk about to my friends and make them go "Oooooo...." and "AAAAaaaaa....". I usually start prototyping an idea, and that's where it stops. So I've gone through resources, done some updates, created a resource or 2. Nothing spectacular. I usaully get to this one point... and I'm stuck. The evil word is called Content!

Now for me being a TGE hobbyist, it's hard to find content for all the ideas a person, like any of us here, have. Remember when you thought of the next biggest selling First Person Shooter. Or was it the coolest looking arcade racer that could apeal to everyone? Maybe the GTA remake... just better! For me the one problem keeps hitting me in the face with a 15 pound hammer; Content.

Everyone wants money for anything. Understandably so. And to make things even worse is the fact that I live here (South Africa) where our currency really sucks against the major currencies. So buying a addon like the lighting pack isn't really that cheap. Buying awesome models costs a good percentage of a persons salary around here... So content for a game for a hobbyiest like me, is a problem. Point made!

I thought about actually creating a small bike game after playing MX vs ATV, which I thought can easily be improved with TGE. Only content is some Trees/Bikes/Barriers/Players.... That's not much when you think about other genres (RTS/FPS). Got too a point where the bike physics just gotten too complicated for me, and lost interest. Not being english makes simple words like anglular and linear momentum a bitch, and those are the easy things.

What now... So after talking a good friend of mine about games and the industry. He asked me why not create a top down 2D space shooter... And it hit me. The only content will the Ships, asteroids, Planets, and Skyboxes. The rest will be particles/animated textures etc. Me and my friend then went to a this upmarket steakhouse we always go to, got drunk in the cigar lounge and started brainstorming (more like brainspilling with all the beer we had). Cool ideas came from it! I haven't been as excited about this game like any other idea before.

We went home and so I started implementing resource after resource. Updated some existing code. This was so cool actually seeing something coming together after every week... Progress never stopped. Floating trees became asteroids. Flying Car became Flying Fighter. Fighter started shooting and killing. Fighter got laser, Radar. Stage got planets. It all just falls into place. I know these are only the simple stuff. But it works, and it feels like I'm on a roll. Gr8 feeling!

And now after almost a month I finally have the basic framework in place to work from and start extending into a full fledged game. It all feels like it's in reach when I look at my Progress/To-do list. Sweeet.

Off course, I still have some problems here and there, but nothing too complicated I hope. I'm having a lot of problems with the Advanced Camera code working with other controls and breaking small things for me. Eg. TrailEmitters not showing up with Advanced Camera. The Laser resource also doens't work with the Advanced Cam. The Radar/Map/Compass resource doesn't work properly with the Advanced Cam. Things like that. Even though it's an awesome resource, these are things I'll have to consider. I wish I could just fix them all, but I'm not experienced enough.

I've updated some of the resources and posted them back as resources:
fxShapeReplicator
Radar/Map/Compass Gui Control (guiRadarCtrl)

And finally a screenshot:


Non Game related personal happenings
I've also started at a new job, and already loving it here... I'm sitting here at Microsoft (South Africa), which is basically an events branch of Microsoft. As Senior Web Developer, I'm part of the team doing their Partner and Events organisation sites. One awesome thing is that they have a gym here. Free Coffee bar... So I'm constantly high on Cappuccino :-D. Even the vending machines aren't coin operated: You press, you win. Microsoft really looks out for their employees... Very cool.

Please share your ideas, comments (or even code! ;-)

Later
James (BurNinG) Laker

* Hope my Engrish isn't letting me down too bad