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RevInd - New 2D Engine
RevInd - New 2D Engine
| Name: | Dawson Goodell | |
|---|---|---|
| Date Posted: | Jan 04, 2006 | |
| Rating: |  3.5 out of 5 | |
| Public: | YES | |
| Comments: | YES | |
| RSS Feed: |  or Subscribe with  . | |
| Profile Page: | View profile page for Dawson Goodell |
Blog post
Well this is my first blog post, anywhere ever (ya, I know not a good way to start any post) I thought I might aswell introduce myself. My name is Dawson Goodell, I've been programming for about 4 years and am now holding down a part time job as a web developer. (Notice I said web developer. I'm not a web designer, or one of those creepy little kids that knows too much about Frontpage.) In my spare time I do quite a bit of programming of C++ and more recently TorqueScript.
RevInd has become my latest project. (Its name can stand for whatever you want.) Its a SDL based 2D engine with cross platform capabilities in mind. My goal is to release it open source, for free, to anyone interested as soon as it's impressive enough for those yayhoos down at GameDev. I have only put about a month worth of time into it using filler graphics, but so far it supports the displaying of most common 2D formats (via SDL_Image), bounding box collisions (system I built, I'm going to have to see how efficient it is), keyboard input, and (most impressively, to me atleast) loading of level information from XML documents.
On the XML system:
For instance, you go through and create a new class for whatever your trying to create, just derive is from my GameObject class (everything is already set up there. All you have to do is set up some event handling if you want the class to accept keyboard input or bounce off objects or show some AI), and change the XML system to recognize it (probably the most time consuming part, but I'm wrapping all the code you'll have to add into a cool little function that you just feed a name, in most cases atleast).
Your XML code would look something like this:
The above source works. It creates a startup screen that looks something like this:
That will remain on the screen for 1500 somethings, not quite sure on the units, but its plenty long.
Next it would go to a to a screen something like this:
The bottom logo is the player instance and is controlled by me. If I want I can also feed this screen a background.
In the near future I hope to write a program to allow the creation of levels visually, but until then Notepad will have to do.
Also on my agenda, yesterday I went ahead and registered a domain name. I've been working on the site off and on and hope to have something worth showing in a few weeks. Until then it's best if you don't visit it and all its naked ASP. For content I'm creating a system not unlike a wiki to collect tutorials for practically any language. If you have written a tutorial and would like a home for it, or a second home for it, go ahead and email me at dawsong@yttriumstudios.com and maybe I'll swing you an early invite to the site ;)
Thanks for bearing with me through that clearly long and somewhat useless blog, until next time (if there is a next time) Merry Coding! (Or is that one of those holidays where you use "Happy"?)
RevInd has become my latest project. (Its name can stand for whatever you want.) Its a SDL based 2D engine with cross platform capabilities in mind. My goal is to release it open source, for free, to anyone interested as soon as it's impressive enough for those yayhoos down at GameDev. I have only put about a month worth of time into it using filler graphics, but so far it supports the displaying of most common 2D formats (via SDL_Image), bounding box collisions (system I built, I'm going to have to see how efficient it is), keyboard input, and (most impressively, to me atleast) loading of level information from XML documents.
On the XML system:
For instance, you go through and create a new class for whatever your trying to create, just derive is from my GameObject class (everything is already set up there. All you have to do is set up some event handling if you want the class to accept keyboard input or bounce off objects or show some AI), and change the XML system to recognize it (probably the most time consuming part, but I'm wrapping all the code you'll have to add into a cool little function that you just feed a name, in most cases atleast).
Your XML code would look something like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<level type="startup" image="Resources/ysback.jpg" delay="1500"/>
<level>
<GameObject file="Resources/yttrium.bmp" frames="1" posx="10" posy="10"/>
<Player file="Resources/yttrium.bmp" frames="1" posx="20" posy="20"/>
</level>
The above source works. It creates a startup screen that looks something like this:
That will remain on the screen for 1500 somethings, not quite sure on the units, but its plenty long.
Next it would go to a to a screen something like this:
The bottom logo is the player instance and is controlled by me. If I want I can also feed this screen a background.
In the near future I hope to write a program to allow the creation of levels visually, but until then Notepad will have to do.
Also on my agenda, yesterday I went ahead and registered a domain name. I've been working on the site off and on and hope to have something worth showing in a few weeks. Until then it's best if you don't visit it and all its naked ASP. For content I'm creating a system not unlike a wiki to collect tutorials for practically any language. If you have written a tutorial and would like a home for it, or a second home for it, go ahead and email me at dawsong@yttriumstudios.com and maybe I'll swing you an early invite to the site ;)
Thanks for bearing with me through that clearly long and somewhat useless blog, until next time (if there is a next time) Merry Coding! (Or is that one of those holidays where you use "Happy"?)
Submit your own resources!| Michael Vanderpool (Jan 04, 2006 at 02:51 GMT) |
| abc (Jan 04, 2006 at 07:55 GMT) |
A killer combination, I think, would be an engine that included a high-level scripting language optionally, but defaulting to be plugged in such that one may start working on gameplay through scripts immediately. Too many people struggle with writing all the non-time-critical bits in C++ and eliminating that from the beginning would make the engine very attractive to *learn*, which is the main sticking point for most people on trying an engine at all - and the reason why solutions like Blitz and DarkBasic and Game Maker are around. Match that with tools like the level formats and a few fancy graphic things and there will be lots of interest. Of course, there are engines that do things similar to this - VERGE and Ika are along these lines - but they are ideosyncratic in their own ways and a new engine could come up with vastly different ways of doing things.
This is speculation of course. You could add realistic simulated rainbows instead if you wanted. It's YOUR engine! :)
| Ben Garney (Jan 04, 2006 at 23:55 GMT) |
| Dawson Goodell (Jan 05, 2006 at 00:22 GMT) |
Quote:
*coughcought2dcough*
*coughBencoughGarney'scoughShamelesscoughSalescoughPitchcoughAndcoughTocoughThinkcoughIcough
WascoughActuallycoughGoingcoughTocoughBuycoughYoucoughSomethingcoughOffcoughThatcoughAmazon
coughWishlistcoughOfcoughYourscough*
Sorry I think I'm getting bronchitis or something.
@James
I will probably look into adding a scripting engine in the relatively near future. I've been thinking and that will actually eliminate many of the problems (nuasances really) I've been running into. BUT THOSE REALISTIC SIMULATED RAINBOWS ARE FIRST ON MY LIST!!!
| Matthew Langley (Jan 05, 2006 at 02:02 GMT) |
| Dawson Goodell (Jan 05, 2006 at 04:56 GMT) |
Quote:
A question, why not just use Torque 2D?
1st - No cash (well just not cash I want to spend)
2nd- Whats the fun in that?
3rd - How am I supposed to have an enlightening learning experience with the engine someone else built?
Honestly tell me that someone like me would have more fun scripting than coding... Exactly!
| Melv May (Jan 08, 2006 at 13:46 GMT) |
Have fun doing it, I know where you're coming from mate. :) If you ever get bored though, you might consider going the way of the dark-side just so you can write some awesome components for us. We need someone to start putting out some T2D component resources. :)
- Melv.
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