T3D FPS Project and Resource Collection
by Jonathan Noyola · 08/09/2010 (5:39 am) · 42 comments
Take advantage of this blog while you can, because
98% of people will die sometime in their lives.
-Ricky Bobby
AI Resources:
See Player Resources
Bug Fixes:
[T3D 1.0.1 Bug] more than 15 items casting shadow in BL crashes the engine - source code required; original by Rene Damm
Engine hangs after a killing explosion [BUG1.1B1] - no source editing; by Michael Hall
GUI Resources:
ButtonChart - no source edit by Jonathan Noyola
GuiRadarCtrl - source code required; original by James Laker (BurNinG), ported to T3D by Sean Rice
4. MXG Weapon Mod - Advanced Crosshair - source code required; by Marcus L (MixedGraphics)
Advanced Crosshair - no source edit by Jonathan Noyola
Models:
Collection of GameBeavers Work original by Britton LaRoche, compilation by Jonathan Noyola
Concrete Barrier by Jonathan Noyola
Stone Wall by Jonathan Noyola
Networking Resources:
Packet Rates - no source editing; by Daniel Eden
Player Resources:
Unnamed AI - source editing recommended (for bots to crouch behind cover); by Jonathan Noyola
Dynamic Max Damage - no source edit by Jonathan Noyola
Weapon Resources:
C4 Explosive - no source edit by Jonathan Noyola
1, 2, 3 MXG Weapon Mod - source code required; by Marcus L (MixedGraphics)
Please feel free to post comments with links to other T3D FPS-related resources.
.
.
.
.
.
Now some of the details.
It will contain 5 different classes which will hopefully have the following attributes if I can get them working:
Scout: quick, stealthy, reduced health, improved accuracy, uses snipers and pistols/daggers
Demolitions: average stats, uses C4, claymores, grenade/rocket launcher, I'm still looking for a standard gun he can use, my backup is shotgun
Tank (looking for another name, I'm not going to call him a Berserker): increased health, slow, small jump, uses shotguns
Medic (similar to Battlefield medics): average stats (maybe), uses machine gun, health packs, and defibrillators
Support (similar to Battlefield support): average stats (maybe), uses machine gun, ammo pack, I'm still looking for another tool
Each class will have a separate set of skills that can be chosen. Skills are abilities that the player would have learned in the military and is trying to perfect on his journey.
The character will also get to choose from a list of powers. Powers are supernatural abilites that the player is able to manifest after his near-death encounter with a chemical-WMD.
Powers may include some of the ones from BioShock, and more. Most of them will be different types of attacks (no flying or anything like that!). I'm pretty sure these'll be pretty easy to come up with, and probably not too difficult to create. The same powers will be available to all classes.
If you haven't figured it out yet it will include an XP/Level system. This will be used for gaining new skills, powers, health, etc.
My AI is complete. Now I will begin working on some of the in-game GUI's.
So it's still a work (barely) in progress. Please leave any questions, comments, or any other type of response you can think of.
98% of people will die sometime in their lives.
-Ricky Bobby
First I will say that I'm hoping to provide a collection of all of the best T3D resources that should be utilized in any great First Person Shooter.
They will all have links, the authors name will be posted, and they will be labeled to show if they require access to source code. The resources will also be categorized. As a start for my list, I'll use two of mine that I created just for this project.AI Resources:
See Player Resources
Bug Fixes:
[T3D 1.0.1 Bug] more than 15 items casting shadow in BL crashes the engine - source code required; original by Rene Damm
Engine hangs after a killing explosion [BUG1.1B1] - no source editing; by Michael Hall
GUI Resources:
ButtonChart - no source edit by Jonathan Noyola
GuiRadarCtrl - source code required; original by James Laker (BurNinG), ported to T3D by Sean Rice
4. MXG Weapon Mod - Advanced Crosshair - source code required; by Marcus L (MixedGraphics)
Advanced Crosshair - no source edit by Jonathan Noyola
Models:
Collection of GameBeavers Work original by Britton LaRoche, compilation by Jonathan Noyola
Concrete Barrier by Jonathan Noyola
Stone Wall by Jonathan Noyola
Networking Resources:
Packet Rates - no source editing; by Daniel Eden
Player Resources:
Unnamed AI - source editing recommended (for bots to crouch behind cover); by Jonathan Noyola
Dynamic Max Damage - no source edit by Jonathan Noyola
Weapon Resources:
C4 Explosive - no source edit by Jonathan Noyola
1, 2, 3 MXG Weapon Mod - source code required; by Marcus L (MixedGraphics)
Please feel free to post comments with links to other T3D FPS-related resources.
.
.
.
.
.
Now for my project:
I just recently started, so it hasn't come very far yet. I'm attempting to create an FPS RPG that might be a tiny bit sci-fi. I was thinking about it as almost a mix between BioShock and Borderlands. The story will be something along the lines of a soldier who went AWOL after his whole battalion was slaughtered while running across trenches somewhere in the middle east. The soldier gets somewhat lost but attempts to make his way back to his hometown in either USA or England (depending on if I want to make sea or air gameplay). While the soldier is traveling, he passes through a small town that falls victim to chemical-warfare. The soldier is only partially affected by the WMD, which is how he gains his first power. This might sound a bit cheesy or whatever, but it seems that all games with supernatural powers are, so I'm not to concerned. Along the way the player makes friends, enemies, etc. Obviously I'm still working on it. It will have a Borderlands-ish co-op mode, that has the same gameplay as the singleplayer campaign.Now some of the details.
It will contain 5 different classes which will hopefully have the following attributes if I can get them working:
Scout: quick, stealthy, reduced health, improved accuracy, uses snipers and pistols/daggers
Demolitions: average stats, uses C4, claymores, grenade/rocket launcher, I'm still looking for a standard gun he can use, my backup is shotgun
Tank (looking for another name, I'm not going to call him a Berserker): increased health, slow, small jump, uses shotguns
Medic (similar to Battlefield medics): average stats (maybe), uses machine gun, health packs, and defibrillators
Support (similar to Battlefield support): average stats (maybe), uses machine gun, ammo pack, I'm still looking for another tool
Each class will have a separate set of skills that can be chosen. Skills are abilities that the player would have learned in the military and is trying to perfect on his journey.
The character will also get to choose from a list of powers. Powers are supernatural abilites that the player is able to manifest after his near-death encounter with a chemical-WMD.
Powers may include some of the ones from BioShock, and more. Most of them will be different types of attacks (no flying or anything like that!). I'm pretty sure these'll be pretty easy to come up with, and probably not too difficult to create. The same powers will be available to all classes.
If you haven't figured it out yet it will include an XP/Level system. This will be used for gaining new skills, powers, health, etc.
My AI is complete. Now I will begin working on some of the in-game GUI's.
So it's still a work (barely) in progress. Please leave any questions, comments, or any other type of response you can think of.
About the author
I've been programming for 10 years now. Proficient in many programming languages. Stanford '16: BS CS, BS Math, MS CS (Artificial Intelligence). Favorite games: GW2, LoL, Borderlands, NWN2
#2
And please feel welcome to help me with my storyline, I might use what you said. My original thoughts were actually something along the lines of: when the player reaches his hometown he finds the town destroyed and the residents slaughtered. For some reason there was a government conspiracy and the government decided to go after the player's family for some reason that the player is unaware of that had arisen when he was off in war.
08/09/2010 (11:23 pm)
Thanks for your input. About the enemies, I want to do something like that without making it too similar to Fallout or BioShock, but I want to have enough variation so it doesn't turn out like Borderlands (I was a bit disappointed by the lack of variation in the enemies, I could name 4 main categories).And please feel welcome to help me with my storyline, I might use what you said. My original thoughts were actually something along the lines of: when the player reaches his hometown he finds the town destroyed and the residents slaughtered. For some reason there was a government conspiracy and the government decided to go after the player's family for some reason that the player is unaware of that had arisen when he was off in war.
#3
With this said, I think your gonna have your hands full trying to come up with some sort of replay value. All I can say is keep in mind that players like choices, whether it's how they level a character or something simple like being bad or good.
As for the story, obviously could use some polishing but your off to a start. Just remember that a good story needs to hook the players in the opening so they want to know more. The story should also have an ending leaving the player on his/her feet wondering "what's next?"
For example: The player starts off in a unit as a soldier (whatever class they choose) on a reconnaissance mission in a small village in the middle east. On their way to the village they get ambushed (the opening) and the player and his team who are taking heavy casualties fight their way into the village where they find weapons of mass destruction. The player then uses a radio relaying the message to their superior officers back in camp before requesting aid. All that follows are two chemical weapons fired at the village. The player escapes and the journey begins as the player tries to fight his way back to his military encampment. Along the way slow changes happen to him/her and they get strange powers.
This is just an example of how you can expand your story and possibly hook some people. Of course I'm not saying the above example is by far anything special, just explaining how you can throw in some twists and turns keeping the people on the edge of their seat with action, betrayel, etc.
And then for the end, make it have some crazy twist so the game could potentialy spin off if it does well. Like, the player finds out in the end that both the US and England fired the missles (one each) and their whole plan all along was to gain that village in hopes of attacking the other yet making it seem like a terrorist attack. The player is left in some lab to be experimented on and thought to be dead.... and then his eyes open.
As for the classes, you should make sure they are all well balanced. This is hard to do, especially since more players will want something changed because they don't think it's fair they have a weakness. But everything should have a weakness. It's what puts the challange in the game.
Anyways, good luck! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
08/11/2010 (12:02 am)
First off I liked Bioshock and loved Borderlands. But I found that gameplay got old very quick in both. BioShock was awesome first play through and Borderlands was fun until you beat it and already tried the only 4 powers in the game. Even fighting Crawmerax (who was only hard the first few times until you realized which guns to use and when) got old quick.With this said, I think your gonna have your hands full trying to come up with some sort of replay value. All I can say is keep in mind that players like choices, whether it's how they level a character or something simple like being bad or good.
As for the story, obviously could use some polishing but your off to a start. Just remember that a good story needs to hook the players in the opening so they want to know more. The story should also have an ending leaving the player on his/her feet wondering "what's next?"
For example: The player starts off in a unit as a soldier (whatever class they choose) on a reconnaissance mission in a small village in the middle east. On their way to the village they get ambushed (the opening) and the player and his team who are taking heavy casualties fight their way into the village where they find weapons of mass destruction. The player then uses a radio relaying the message to their superior officers back in camp before requesting aid. All that follows are two chemical weapons fired at the village. The player escapes and the journey begins as the player tries to fight his way back to his military encampment. Along the way slow changes happen to him/her and they get strange powers.
This is just an example of how you can expand your story and possibly hook some people. Of course I'm not saying the above example is by far anything special, just explaining how you can throw in some twists and turns keeping the people on the edge of their seat with action, betrayel, etc.
And then for the end, make it have some crazy twist so the game could potentialy spin off if it does well. Like, the player finds out in the end that both the US and England fired the missles (one each) and their whole plan all along was to gain that village in hopes of attacking the other yet making it seem like a terrorist attack. The player is left in some lab to be experimented on and thought to be dead.... and then his eyes open.
As for the classes, you should make sure they are all well balanced. This is hard to do, especially since more players will want something changed because they don't think it's fair they have a weakness. But everything should have a weakness. It's what puts the challange in the game.
Anyways, good luck! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
#4
I'm going to get the basic game structure set before I work too much on the story, but those are some great ideas. I was definitely planning on putting in some twists and betrayals. The good vs. evil thing is also good, but that requires a lot more story, AI, etc. Although this would add a lot of replay value.
I've also already started working on the classes and trying to balance them out. I'll keep all of my work updated here, and I'm planning on releasing each part as a resource. Currently I'm working on the AI, and I'm not quite sure how long it'll take, so I might not have much to show for a couple days.
08/11/2010 (4:13 am)
Thanks for all of the input, you have some good ideas.I'm going to get the basic game structure set before I work too much on the story, but those are some great ideas. I was definitely planning on putting in some twists and betrayals. The good vs. evil thing is also good, but that requires a lot more story, AI, etc. Although this would add a lot of replay value.
I've also already started working on the classes and trying to balance them out. I'll keep all of my work updated here, and I'm planning on releasing each part as a resource. Currently I'm working on the AI, and I'm not quite sure how long it'll take, so I might not have much to show for a couple days.
#5
Looking forward to reading your next post.
08/11/2010 (7:39 am)
Sounds like a good area to start. You don't need to do anything like the good and evil thing. I just would recomend adding in some sort of options if possible. It will take more effort and alot more work in the long run, but it adds to the replay value.Looking forward to reading your next post.
#6
The AI is coming along well. If you, or anyone else, has any suggestions, I was wondering what the AI should do if it's out of ammo in the following situations:
1. the bot sees ammo and an enemy
2. the bot doesn't see ammo but does see an enemy
Keep in mind that in both situations the bot can't shoot because it's out of ammo. I was thinking in #1 the bot would run back to his spawn point, or continue along his path. For #2, maybe I'll add a damage threshold where above it the bot will get the ammo, and below it the bot will run away. Does this sound good to anyone else.
BTW I wanted to avoid bots just running around randomly, which is why I have the run to their spawn point.
08/11/2010 (5:02 pm)
Yes, after I get the basics down, I'll start adding as many options and story branches as possible. Also I thought about taking some ideas from Grand Theft Auto, because that series seems to have one of the greatest replay values.The AI is coming along well. If you, or anyone else, has any suggestions, I was wondering what the AI should do if it's out of ammo in the following situations:
1. the bot sees ammo and an enemy
2. the bot doesn't see ammo but does see an enemy
Keep in mind that in both situations the bot can't shoot because it's out of ammo. I was thinking in #1 the bot would run back to his spawn point, or continue along his path. For #2, maybe I'll add a damage threshold where above it the bot will get the ammo, and below it the bot will run away. Does this sound good to anyone else.
BTW I wanted to avoid bots just running around randomly, which is why I have the run to their spawn point.
#7
As for the GTA idea, I think it's the open gameplay that made that so much fun. People love running around in big areas when there is alot to do. Of course you don't want to plague the player with stuff like sh!t tons of quests or too many of one thing. Just spread it out and give the player freedom of movement and plenty of props to play around with and you got hours of fun. :)
08/11/2010 (7:14 pm)
I think the damage threshold is a good idea. You could have it so if the enemy is healthy enough they will attempt to get the ammo in the first situation. If not, they do whatever they do in the second situation which could either be to run away back to their spawning area or attempt to hide and attack the player with melee or attempt to kamakazie. Whatever you decide to do, I like the idea.As for the GTA idea, I think it's the open gameplay that made that so much fun. People love running around in big areas when there is alot to do. Of course you don't want to plague the player with stuff like sh!t tons of quests or too many of one thing. Just spread it out and give the player freedom of movement and plenty of props to play around with and you got hours of fun. :)
#8
I also want to use a different model instead of Gideon, and as I'm not that great with modeling, I went to the one place I always go when I need something: Google! Sadly, I think Gideon is still the only model rigged for T3D. If all else fails, I'll end up using old models for TGE which will take out some of the good animations (I don't think crouching was animated for the standard TGE skeleton).
08/11/2010 (7:57 pm)
Ok thanks. I haven't even thought about melee yet, I should probably implement that soon. I'll try to make the gameplay as open as possible.I also want to use a different model instead of Gideon, and as I'm not that great with modeling, I went to the one place I always go when I need something: Google! Sadly, I think Gideon is still the only model rigged for T3D. If all else fails, I'll end up using old models for TGE which will take out some of the good animations (I don't think crouching was animated for the standard TGE skeleton).
#9
I'll try to get a video up tomorrow...err...today.
08/12/2010 (7:57 am)
The AI's coming along great!I'll try to get a video up tomorrow...err...today.
#10
I love you.
08/12/2010 (3:15 pm)
Quote:
Take advantage of this blog while you can, because
98% of people will die sometime in their lives.
-Ricky Bobby
I love you.
#11
08/12/2010 (3:45 pm)
Haha thanks.
#12
08/13/2010 (2:59 am)
I'm almost done with a good first cut for the AI, but the game crashes soon after the player gets killed by a bot.
#14
-It's not because of too many bot think cycles
-It happens when I get too close too the bots, making me think it's something visual related
-It's not the Gideon texture being to detailed
-It only happens when the bots shoot, meaning it's either related to bullets, the death animation, dropping weapons and ammo on death, or audio
-It's not the shellCasing from the guns
-It's not because of too many corpses on the ground
-IT DOESN'T HAPPEN IN DEBUG MODE! In debug mode, the game does not crash.
I don't know where to go from here, any help is greatly appreciated.
08/13/2010 (5:14 pm)
Maybe someone can help me with the crash problem. I've been trying to debug and this is what I've found out:-It's not because of too many bot think cycles
-It happens when I get too close too the bots, making me think it's something visual related
-It's not the Gideon texture being to detailed
-It only happens when the bots shoot, meaning it's either related to bullets, the death animation, dropping weapons and ammo on death, or audio
-It's not the shellCasing from the guns
-It's not because of too many corpses on the ground
-IT DOESN'T HAPPEN IN DEBUG MODE! In debug mode, the game does not crash.
I don't know where to go from here, any help is greatly appreciated.
#15
There's a known issue with that, check here for more info.
The AI in your video seems to be similar to the AI from this resource. And by "similar" I mean that your video shows the exact same console output; in addition to having the exact same feature set and behaving in exactly same manner. Maybe you could add that resource to your list?
08/13/2010 (6:43 pm)
Quote:dropping weapons and ammo on death
There's a known issue with that, check here for more info.
The AI in your video seems to be similar to the AI from this resource. And by "similar" I mean that your video shows the exact same console output; in addition to having the exact same feature set and behaving in exactly same manner. Maybe you could add that resource to your list?
#16
I did actually base my AI off of that resource, but I am adding much more, and giving instructions for how to make it work with T3D. However, since a good portion of my AI is based off of that one, I will make sure to give plenty of credit. For those of you who haven't been following, my AI is based on the Improved AI Guard Unit.
EDIT: Thanks for the help, but it was the one that I found. That's a very important fix for almost all T3D games. I just played a 14 on 14 team deathmatch with no lag and no crash!
EDIT: @ Twisted Jenius: I apologize, I didn't mean to call your work my own. Also, one of the main additions I have made so far is that bots can attack other bots.
08/13/2010 (6:54 pm)
I'll check that one in a sec, but I think it might be thisI did actually base my AI off of that resource, but I am adding much more, and giving instructions for how to make it work with T3D. However, since a good portion of my AI is based off of that one, I will make sure to give plenty of credit. For those of you who haven't been following, my AI is based on the Improved AI Guard Unit.
EDIT: Thanks for the help, but it was the one that I found. That's a very important fix for almost all T3D games. I just played a 14 on 14 team deathmatch with no lag and no crash!
EDIT: @ Twisted Jenius: I apologize, I didn't mean to call your work my own. Also, one of the main additions I have made so far is that bots can attack other bots.
#17
08/13/2010 (10:21 pm)
No worries. Just put a small mention of my resource (and maybe Mark Holcomb's as well) somewhere at the end of your resource when you post it and everything's fine. But I don't mean to diminish your own accomplishments by this. I know how hard it can be making a team system and getting the bots to fight each other; because that's one of the many features I added to The Universal AI Starter Kit. The Improved AI Guard Unit resource was made to be used and updates and improvements to it are certainly welcome since I no longer support it.
#18
08/13/2010 (11:32 pm)
Ok, thanks. I'll definitely include both of your names and resources.
#19
08/15/2010 (1:12 am)
I'm currently uploading another video of my AI.
#20
Any lag in the video is just from the screen recording software. While not recording, it runs perfectly smooth.
Also, if the bot cannot find cover to hide behind, it will attempt to dodge while shooting back.
08/15/2010 (1:38 am)
14 on 14 Team Deathmatch and Hiding behind coverAny lag in the video is just from the screen recording software. While not recording, it runs perfectly smooth.
Also, if the bot cannot find cover to hide behind, it will attempt to dodge while shooting back.
Torque Owner Edward Smith
Silencersoft
Eg. it could have been a test from a big private American company and he figures this out from a team investigating the site when he is exposed to it and is on the run back home or anywhere to tell/find out about what happened. While been chased by mercs and private security.
Anyway sounds interesting I hope you do the best you can with the story elements. Good luck :-).