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FPS concepts in a 2D game...

by jesusphreak · in Torque Game Builder · 04/07/2005 (3:01 pm) · 6 replies

Bouncing around ideas as always.

I think that Torque2D would be a great engine for an "FPS" type game in a 2D environment. More or less, a shooter. When you think about it, the dynamics aren't terribly different. Either way, you aim a crosshair around a screen, different body parts (such as headshots) have different effects.

What I do wonder about is this: in a true FPS, if someone hides behind a wall, you can't see him. But in a 2d game, since you have an overhead view, you still can see him. This kind of negates the possibility of sneaking up on anyone. So, if they go behind a wall, do they just go invisible? Do you black out parts of the screen that the player can't see?

How do you deal with issues like that? Ideally, I'd like to make a game that is similar in artistic style with StarCraft, but in which you can actually move around like an FPS and actually have a crosshair to aim with.

I'm just a little confused. Any suggestions?
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Torque Owner Teck Lee Tan
#1
04/07/2005 (3:10 pm)
There are a few games you can look at to get some ideas. Crimsonland is a simple shooter that has the keyboard for movement (standard wasd) with a mouse for aiming in a topdown view. Soldiers: Heroes of WW2 takes this a step further, though the engine is in 3D. It allows you to take direct control of one of your squad and aim via the mouse cursor (headshots, shots to tank treads, turrets, etc). For how to handle visibility, it really depends on what kind of feel you're going for, and honestly, what ends up working without looking silly.

Silent Storm is a turn based strategy, but it handles out-of-sight enemies in two different ways. Either they disappear from view, or they're replaced by a red icon that indicates that one of your characters can "hear" said person.

jesusphreak
#2
04/07/2005 (3:41 pm)
Ahah. I couldn't remember the name of Crimsonland. That's more or less the movement/aiming affect I was gong for....

Visibility I suppose is the biggest thing.

Torque Owner Stefan
#3
04/07/2005 (5:31 pm)
For an example on how to do visibility, check out Soldat at www.soldat.pl .
It's a free game, and if you play it in "realistic mode", you can only see the enemies that are in the players "field of view".

Torque Owner Mark Storer
#4
05/10/2005 (6:03 pm)
I think it would be extremely difficult to do something like "head shots" in 2D. You could probably have shots at someone's exact center do more damage, I suppose.



Robotron -> SmashTV -> Ikari Warrior -> Alien Shooter -> Crimsonland (and lots in between)

Robotron 2084 was named what it was because the game's author didn't figure there would be enough time to develop evil-take-over-the-world-robots by 1984 (which was in 2 years when it was released). Funny things you learn in "Video Game History" class.

Here's a good link:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robotron:_2084

Torque Owner Philip Mansfield
Default Studio Name
#5
05/11/2005 (12:14 am)
Wouldn't be too tricky, just a load of work for the artist. If you had seperate body hits, then you would have the torso, arms, legs, head as seperate sprites and just mount them togther with a collision poly for each part.

But doing it that way you could mount hats, guns and anything else, and make each one targetable and 'shoot-offable'.

Torque 3D Owner Stephen Zepp
#6
05/11/2005 (12:27 am)
For examples of how well the concept of "multi-sectioned enemies", take a look at Adagio:Cloudburst, made in just a few weeks (check the date of the dev snapshot, and then check the original release date of T2D-EA!).