First Blog: Intro, Plan and Progress
by Steve Acaster · 03/12/2008 (7:58 pm) · 3 comments
Intro - the quick bit about me:
I've spent most of the last few years creating Single Player campaigns for the Call of Duty series - designing, building and scripting multi-level mods, teaching myself how to scripting and build levels as I went along. I've amassed 21,000+ downloads of my work on Filefront, working under the name Yorkshire Rifles.(originally chosen as a pun on the song Eton Rifles by The Jam)
Overview of my Call of Duty1/2 single player campaigns
My Soviet Campaign with lot's of screenshots
And I've always been pretty pleased with my progress. I've had some job interview with a few developers on the basis of them, but never got gainful employment. Oddly the only companies who have expressed an interest in me have been based in the US or Canada. I'm a Brit in the UK, and British based companies don't even waste their times telling me where to stick my applications. Hence I don't bother sending out job applications anymore (especially in the UK).
I've been "into" computers since the early '80s when I got a ZX Spectrum, when I learnt how to make my own text adventures in BASIC. I've no actual qualifications in computing, just self taught over the years. I've a BA with Honours and a PGD in Fine Art and spent 5 years being a bohemian-artist-type out on a Mediterranean island. I'm fairly useful with a brush and oil paint - or a tablet.
The game Plan
I'm making a First-Person Action/Adventure (not a straight shooter) which will be Single Player only, spread over 15-25 levels. The setting will be contemporary/near future with a strong element of sci-fi. I intend to utilize my painting technique to produce a very individual art design. I'm designing a trigger based goal and AI system, something not too different from my background in modding CoD.
I'm starting with TGE, on the basis that it will provide the easiest learning environment, though could well move on to TGEA when I have a basic working framework. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.....
Progress
I've actually been planning my little project for some time, and have been lurking around the GarageGames forums for months before I eventually joined, familiarizing myself with TorqueScript from the public areas and resources.
At the same time I started to learn all the bits of games creation that I've never tried before - like modelling, and animating. I've been using Blender ('cos it's free!) and have built some basic-but-functioning character models built from the ground up with custom animations (no Kork or related parts for me) and LODs. They're not the prettiest things the world has ever seen but they're fine for a quick and dirty demo.
I heavily cannabilized the Killer Kork resource for a team based battle test. There's a low quality video of red-vs-blue teams (using shotguns with an accuracy matrix resource).
I consider the AI to be the hardest part of my project at the moment and want to get a functioning AI system complete before doing anything. (no point building huge, beautiful levels only to find out you can't make anything work in them)
Whilst I'm quite happy with the modded Killer Kork resource I think I've learned enough to try and build my own AI targeting/combat system from scratch.
I've since scripted my own trigger/condition based spawn system which fulfills many of my original aims for it and have dispensed with AIManagers (it's nice when things work first time).
At the moment I'm trying to implement my first go at pathfinding. Having had a look at various node graph solutions such as the ImmersiveAI, I don't think I need anything that indepth, and prefer to manually place waypoints (which is kinda what you get when modding Q3 based engines like Call of Duty).
I implemented a scripted Dijkstra resource and then modded it so it was a little more useful and the Ai would skip/break off the path at the first opportunity - intergrating that into my trigger based goal system.
Dijkstra Test video
(there's a download link for a better res on my blogspot which you can read the console clearly from)
So, that's about it so far, I think I might attempt to merge my AI teams/targeting and pathfinding resources first to make sure that they work as I expect, and then I can get rebuilding/improving my entirely own versions later. The primary aim is get a working gameplay demo up and running, however dirty and uneven it may be, it will provide a foundation to build upon and expand from.
Steve Acaster - yorkshirerifles.blogspot.com/
I've spent most of the last few years creating Single Player campaigns for the Call of Duty series - designing, building and scripting multi-level mods, teaching myself how to scripting and build levels as I went along. I've amassed 21,000+ downloads of my work on Filefront, working under the name Yorkshire Rifles.(originally chosen as a pun on the song Eton Rifles by The Jam)
Overview of my Call of Duty1/2 single player campaigns
My Soviet Campaign with lot's of screenshots
And I've always been pretty pleased with my progress. I've had some job interview with a few developers on the basis of them, but never got gainful employment. Oddly the only companies who have expressed an interest in me have been based in the US or Canada. I'm a Brit in the UK, and British based companies don't even waste their times telling me where to stick my applications. Hence I don't bother sending out job applications anymore (especially in the UK).
I've been "into" computers since the early '80s when I got a ZX Spectrum, when I learnt how to make my own text adventures in BASIC. I've no actual qualifications in computing, just self taught over the years. I've a BA with Honours and a PGD in Fine Art and spent 5 years being a bohemian-artist-type out on a Mediterranean island. I'm fairly useful with a brush and oil paint - or a tablet.
The game Plan
I'm making a First-Person Action/Adventure (not a straight shooter) which will be Single Player only, spread over 15-25 levels. The setting will be contemporary/near future with a strong element of sci-fi. I intend to utilize my painting technique to produce a very individual art design. I'm designing a trigger based goal and AI system, something not too different from my background in modding CoD.
I'm starting with TGE, on the basis that it will provide the easiest learning environment, though could well move on to TGEA when I have a basic working framework. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.....
Progress
I've actually been planning my little project for some time, and have been lurking around the GarageGames forums for months before I eventually joined, familiarizing myself with TorqueScript from the public areas and resources.
At the same time I started to learn all the bits of games creation that I've never tried before - like modelling, and animating. I've been using Blender ('cos it's free!) and have built some basic-but-functioning character models built from the ground up with custom animations (no Kork or related parts for me) and LODs. They're not the prettiest things the world has ever seen but they're fine for a quick and dirty demo.
I heavily cannabilized the Killer Kork resource for a team based battle test. There's a low quality video of red-vs-blue teams (using shotguns with an accuracy matrix resource).
I consider the AI to be the hardest part of my project at the moment and want to get a functioning AI system complete before doing anything. (no point building huge, beautiful levels only to find out you can't make anything work in them)
Whilst I'm quite happy with the modded Killer Kork resource I think I've learned enough to try and build my own AI targeting/combat system from scratch.
I've since scripted my own trigger/condition based spawn system which fulfills many of my original aims for it and have dispensed with AIManagers (it's nice when things work first time).
At the moment I'm trying to implement my first go at pathfinding. Having had a look at various node graph solutions such as the ImmersiveAI, I don't think I need anything that indepth, and prefer to manually place waypoints (which is kinda what you get when modding Q3 based engines like Call of Duty).
I implemented a scripted Dijkstra resource and then modded it so it was a little more useful and the Ai would skip/break off the path at the first opportunity - intergrating that into my trigger based goal system.
Dijkstra Test video
(there's a download link for a better res on my blogspot which you can read the console clearly from)
So, that's about it so far, I think I might attempt to merge my AI teams/targeting and pathfinding resources first to make sure that they work as I expect, and then I can get rebuilding/improving my entirely own versions later. The primary aim is get a working gameplay demo up and running, however dirty and uneven it may be, it will provide a foundation to build upon and expand from.
Steve Acaster - yorkshirerifles.blogspot.com/
About the author
One Bloke ... In His Bedroom ... Making Indie Games ...
#2
03/13/2008 (10:46 am)
Steve - excellent progress and starting with the the AI and gameplay first is key. great work...
#3
Actually I think the main difference between the US and UK is that US developers seem a bit more open minded about ability as opposed to experience. I've no "commercial" experience in games design, and it appears that UK companies won't give your application a second glance without that - not even a "no, get lost and never darken our door again".
As for the US/Canadian developers they seemed more willing to listen and give replies. Some said "sorry - no thanks", as soon as they found out I wasn't a US citizen (that April 28th(?) immigration deadline is a real pain - hence why more studios are opening branches in Canada, I hear), but some were still willing to consider me, gave me phone interviews and last year one developer did fly me out for a face-to-face. I didn't get the job but did accidentally get sunburnt walking around Santa Monica - March in California is a little different from March in the North of England!
-----------------
@Jake
Cheers, I reckon sorting out all the difficult stuff first is the way to go.
03/13/2008 (11:12 am)
@DeborahActually I think the main difference between the US and UK is that US developers seem a bit more open minded about ability as opposed to experience. I've no "commercial" experience in games design, and it appears that UK companies won't give your application a second glance without that - not even a "no, get lost and never darken our door again".
As for the US/Canadian developers they seemed more willing to listen and give replies. Some said "sorry - no thanks", as soon as they found out I wasn't a US citizen (that April 28th(?) immigration deadline is a real pain - hence why more studios are opening branches in Canada, I hear), but some were still willing to consider me, gave me phone interviews and last year one developer did fly me out for a face-to-face. I didn't get the job but did accidentally get sunburnt walking around Santa Monica - March in California is a little different from March in the North of England!
-----------------
@Jake
Cheers, I reckon sorting out all the difficult stuff first is the way to go.
Torque 3D Owner Deborah M. Fike
Default Studio Name
It's great to hear that you're in the works for planning your first game. AI is indeed a challenge in any game and sounds like a good idea to tackle it first. I look forward to seeing your blog posts as you continue to build your game.