Starfields 0.72b - Whee...

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Xerol
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Starfields 0.72b - Whee...

Post by Xerol »

http://www.lggaming.com/user/xerol/sf-0_72b.zip

New in this version is a change to the map and some extra effects. Notice the red/blue shift as you move fast. I don't know WHY, but I added a snow effect too. I still need to fix the movement routines(it consumes WAY too much fuel, more than I intended) and a bit of the rotation.

Coming soon:
-Pickups! Soon I'll take out the "cheat" for fuel, and you'll have to go around picking up randomly spawned packages of fuel and ammo.
-Fixing of various little bugs
-Addition of AI ships.
-Checkpoint system(this will go in with the pickups; see note below about scripting system).

Ok, I'm going to add a scripting system as well. This will handle every aspect of the game, and also allow you to basically make any kind of space flying/shooting game you can think of. So, one script could be a racecourse type game, and another could be an arena-style shootout. I still have to lay down some more groundwork on this, namely turning walls into actual objects that can be colission-detected, and adding in a custom type system(that the script engine will use to handle a lot of things). I'm getting lost on figuring out these sound things, I might look for someone else to help out with that. (I've got a sound effect for shooting and a looping music track ready to go, just need to implement them. If anyone's experienced with this kind of stuff(sound programming) please contact me, either by replying here or on a messenger/email.)

Once I get all of that groundwork laid in, I'm going to start working on the editor--this will let you make maps, ships, and scripts. This will probably be a full-fledged windows app - complete with text boxes, a 3d viewport for making your objects, and a bunch of other things, basically a Windows Programming learning exercise for me and anyone else who wants to help.

Oh, controls, since the readme somehow vanished:
W/S - Forward/Reverse (Note: Consumes large amounts of fuel)
Space/Left Mouse Button - Fire
Z - "Fuel" cheat - adds fuel.
Mouse - Steer (Uses small amounts of fuel, no 'negative protection'.)
Escape - Quit

Also, on the main menu when you first start it up, watch the FPS counter(top-left number) and don't hit "Run Game" until this shows up with a nonzero number. I don't know why, but it doesn't display any 3d graphics if you don't wait. I'm going to add some sort of intro animation soon so that this doesn't happen.

When posting/reviewing, please include:
-Processor speed/type
-Operating System (runs horribly on Win2k machines, I've heard)
-Desktop resolution
-Average FPS when:
--On title screen
--In main game, at beginning, sitting idle with no bullets fired
--In main game, moving around
--In main game, moving around, with lots of bullets
-Comments on how well the ship handled, any graphics glitches/problems, and any other comments about the game in general.

Known small bugs:
-Ship doesn't handle as expected when pointed up/down
-Ship doesn't fire bullets in right direction when upside down
-Lines disappear when ship comes too close(clipping error - meant to increase speed but causes problems with very large polygons)
-Fuel goes negative when you run out but continue to steer
-Title screen bug(no graphics when FPS says 0 when pressing enter)
-Hitting start button crashes game

EDIT: Oh, for you people who want screenshots, there's a few here:
http://fbtk.qbtk.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=285
They're from 0.71, but the map's just changed.
If you need music composed in MP3, WAV, or MIDI format, please contact me via email.

Xerol's Music - Updated Regularly!
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