Justice Pageant - "Memory Wars" [DONE]

[allesrebel1]

UPDATE 10!
Finished a very rough prototype. It works, it does core things well. Kind of laggy, I haven't optimized it at all. Anyway It's simple, your the pizza, and you must get rid of the pizza cutters. Click on the pizza to select it. And select a move space. Easy as pie right?
I plan on improving this, and expanding. I like where this is going. Add missions and quests and etc. That might be fun! Anyway Here it is.
Any ideas or improvements would be great.
HotFile Link

I'm calling it done, pageant-wise. Although, I really want to complete this, I like where it's going.
Thanks for reading, and following.


Well here's my idea for my first project...
A game kind of like snake mixed in with chess-ish. I can clearly see what I want it to look like, now I just have to match it. It's not really related to the topic, just an idea I've had for a while.
I've honestly never made a game by myself. So this might be fun or really annoying. We will find out I guess.
Anyway I don't know how these regularly go. Do I post updates? Or just as soon as I finish, I just post the game along with a title change?
Either way, I hope to finish this little goal of mine. Thanks for allowing me to participate in this pageant, I'll do my best!

Gonna get my ideas down today, and start coding tomorrow.

[Zwer99]

Hello!

It's nice to see that also beginners are curageous enough to try to make a game and post the process to the public :)
I hope you have fun with game development!

I would say it's good if you post regular updates of your development, because you'll get hints and can ask questions about a specific theme. But I think it's up to you if you feed us with short daily posts or if you just post big milestones. In my opinion the thread has more life if you make daily posts. Then we can also be part of the development and can ask questions if something isn't clear ;)

Like this: I can't imagine how the concept works. Can you explain it in more detail, please? :D

[allesrebel1]

Ah, I see, thanks for the info. I'll try posting often! :)

Anyway, let's see how to explain the concept...
Alright, imagine a game board, much like a chess board. Where the girds are blocks in memory or something. (Still foggy on that) Anyway, when the map is created, by whatever means (program or player created). the map will contain spawn points for your own book of creeps. And enemys will spawn depending on how many similar spawn points are created just for the enemy.
Once everything has been placed, programs or creeps, and enemy programs or creeps, the round starts.

So way I'm planning it right now is this game will be a Turn-Based Strategy, much like a chess game, but with snake characteristics. However, I can also see a mode that's RTS possibly. Anyway, the rounds will be move then attack, then enemy turn which will be computer operated. However the programs can only move on the block directly touching. As you move, you leave behind a trail of instances of your program. This trail is your program's HP. Say another one attacks yours, you have a trail of 3 including your head. And the other program attacks for 2, the trail would be gone, just the head remaining. Oh you can only attack from the head.

Anyway, I think that's good for ideas. My dev plan is first create a C++ engine of everything. Then tack on a gui in some graphics engine. Probably SDL? Or Allegero. I don't know. Any ideas for that? An easy one.

[allesrebel1]

Update! Day One:
Started on the bare C++ engine.
I think everything going great. Ran into some interesting problems. Arrays just don't like me it seems. It's alright I don't like them back. Tried implementing a map hash thing, it just didn't work out. Made the switch to vectors. Everything is working a lot better now.
Actually I shouldn't even call it an engine... I've barely started that. I'm working more on the mid level functions for the engine. How it interacts between classes.

[nyarla]

However the programs can only move on the block directly touching. As you move, you leave behind a trail of instances of your program. This trail is your program's HP. Say another one attacks yours, you have a trail of 3 including your head. And the other program attacks for 2, the trail would be gone, just the head remaining. Oh you can only attack from the head.

Ooh I like the sound of that! Having your HP directly represented by "pieces" on the game board is a great idea.. and if it's snake-like, where you can't move through snake tails, I guess you could end up being trapped by your own HP. Awesome :) (any idea what would happen in that situation?)

Anyway, I think that's good for ideas. My dev plan is first create a C++ engine of everything. Then tack on a gui in some graphics engine. Probably SDL? Or Allegero. I don't know. Any ideas for that? An easy one.

Another alternative is SFML, which is similar to SDL and Allegro, but specifically C++. (I dunno if it's easier, but it isn't harder at least, heh! I like it a lot, though I haven't used most of its advanced stiff like font drawing etc)

[allesrebel1]

Thanks for the lib Nyarla! I think I will be using that one. (It seems simple, and fast, get it?)
Anyway, trapped by your own hp... Ouch. Didn't think of that one. Perhaps, only being able to go through your own blocks, so you could hide in a wall of your HP. Umm I'll keep thinking about that.

As for dev as of now. I think I've pretty much created the bare-bones system for the game to run off of. Still no GUI yet, all console based as of now. Engine is all laid out, with what functions I think it needs either there, just not fully coded. Nearly 1k lines w00t!

Well I've been doing some research on path finding. And I think I've found the perfect fit algorithm for my type of game. Started the code a bit ago, almost done with it. It's looking pretty nice! (Very similar to A*)

Anyway, wish I just had more time to code ;(. I'm sure we all do!

Oh and any ideas for the title? I know you guys can't really see what I see in my head. But still, what does it sound like? And how could I incorporate the "Justice" theme into it?

[Darien]

Justice theme would be a relatively straightforward inclusion if you keep the idea of being trapped by your own tail. Length of your snake would represent the accumulation of power, and as you get stronger and stronger, you run an increasing risk of becoming your own victim -- trapped by your own ruthlessness, as it were.

[Zwer99]

Sounds very nice and interesting!

I hope I understood the concept correctly :D
So, I have some things you can put into practice:

- Maybe you can include a neutral party, which attacks the player and the enemy depending on the strength of them. The stronger you are the more the neutral party attacks you.

- What's with spells, which can be placed onto a block? For example you have enough mana to place an exploding spell onto a block. If a creep's head touches the block, it explodes and the creep loses, I don't know, 2 lives.

- The board can be getting smaller and smaller. I don't know if it's possible but it would be very nice if you can spawn block-creeps, which are not very strong but can make new blocks to get more space :)

There are nearly impossibly many things you can add!

[allesrebel1]

Thanks for the responses,

@Zwer99
I think you got it, I like the idea. A object in play being able to spawn another object for the sole purpose of creating a wall.
Sounds like a pretty useful spell. Great Idea! I think I will implement something like a hero system as soon as I get past my latest block.
Also, I love the second idea! It reminds me of playing bomberman with the timer running out :) I think I will make a special mode for that or something. Need to put that in.

@Darien
Let's see how the implementation of that goes xD

Anyway update 3!

I'm still working on getting the path-finding class finished. It's almost done! I never imagined how interesting path-finding actually is. Algorithm is straightforward, but the implementation is taking a bit longer to get down. Pretty fun actually.
Just ran into a bug, I'm not sure it's just the way I've coded till now. Or the checks I've built in... Whenever more than the max HP of a object of instances on the field are found, the object stops. It literally doesn't move, (even if i manually push it) Oh well, I've figure it out. I think it might have something to do with the way I scan the field.

In other news, I think I'm going to start figuring out how to write the GUI. The Engine code is pretty much done. (other than the bug above) Now how the engine interacts with GUI code is my goal. Oh I just realized something.

I have to make graphics.

Sometimes I wish I was more creative.

Keep you guys updated.

EDIT:
I just found the answer I was looking for. Earlier my classes were all using inheritance and polymorphism concepts to get the job done. Well, just realized it would have been 100000000000x easier with nested classes. Thank god I'm using C++. Gonna move some stuff around to fix the new paradigm. Hope it goes well... Gonna double back up my code just in case...

EDIT again:
Well the nested classed started working. But I found it MUCH easier to update in it's prior form.
Also I got passed the block! I debugged the *explicative* outta the bug. The bug was in the wasn't in the scanning routine like I thought it was. It was actually in the searching routine. Who would have thought that would have an affect on creating an object?
Anyway dev's back at 100%.

[allesrebel1]

Update 4:
Just smashed a few bugs! W00t! Engine code will be complete in an hour or so. (If no more bugs pop up)
I may have just found an artist. Should be pretty awesome to feature his work as soon as I start on the GUI.
Dev's flying pretty fast. I can't wait to test this game out!
I'm thinking of adding in a way to load maps. Via txt file? Or external editor?
Also next thing on my todo list after the engine, is get spells up.
You guys have already given some great ideas.
Let's see how it goes!
Just an Update

[allesrebel1]

Update 5!
Well, Just started digging into SDL. It's just alot easier to implement. (I've used it in the past, already had things ready to go)
Engine ran in to bugs as usual, that's fine. Nothing that can't be debugged.) Time is a huge problem. Just programming during free time when I'm off work.
Finished the path finding class, it's working wonderfully. Things are moving along well. Just a matter of time before it's just the SDL holding me back.
That's it for now!

[allesrebel1]

Update 6!
Well work has kept me busy, but I got bit more time now.
I've finished up the bare bones engine! I can do a 'mock' battle using the console.
I've already started on the GUI! It's looking great! (I mean really, I thought it would look awful, I have no experience making them) Well progress is well underway. Almost completely done with the engine integration with the Graphics lib.
I've decided to go with SDL. (Last switch I promise) Experimented around a bit again, finally committing to SDL.
Anyway expect an release soon!
Correction- expect a buggy release soon!

[allesrebel1]

Update 7!

GUI's nearly done. Got a mock up. It's not pretty, at all. It's literally just images loaded into an SDL_Surface and blited on screen. Nothing fancy. My goal is to swap out the simple surfaces with class objects with specialized functions. Alright started on the meat of the game, 'the grid'. It's nearly complete, I've already got it talking and reading from the core engine. Now I'm just working event handling so it can get information back into the core engine. Pretty nice.

Dev's been a little slow this week, with work and all. But this weekend, I want to get atleast 'the grid' done, along with a object much like a UI, just to show the user various stats. When that's done, I think the game's ready for release. (At least a alpha version, the concepts there...)

So far, my main focus while I code is expandability, it seems to be working well. Keeping everything as abstract as possible, but somewhat discrete. Anyway, keep posted for a release...

[allesrebel1]

Update 8!
Major progress!
I think

Well, the movement system is fully working. With one program anyway. Haven't tested two. Also the A*-pathing is working perfectly! woo! And the GUI is coming along quite nicely.
I actually might make a prototype before the deadline is up, wouldn't that be great?

Really, though, I might make it. I have gain a lot of knowledge just from getting this far. The code itself if drastically different. My thoughts are much clearer, the logic is great. My debug times have been cut to a fraction compared to earlier.

Again, expect a release soon!
Thanks for reading!

[allesrebel1]

Update 9!

Finished the prototype! It works wonderfully. However, right now it's just player controlled program, and one computer controlled one.... Screeie!


A partial UI is done. Hopefully, I get that done today. Maybe then I can post it on here. (It still looks like a tomato without the sauce!)

Anyway thanks for reading!