Well, I am currently working on 3 different games. I keep on getting bored with one project and then working on another, then getting bored with that and so on...
I started this game a while back, and I have the basic engine finished. I just need to do a lot more stuff.
My favourite part about this engine would probably be the hitTesting. I can draw anything in the background movieclip, and it will become part of the terrain, and you can hit it. But this is also the part that worries me the most. It is very processor intensive because of the many while loops, and this is why I am posting this. I was going to finish this without posting, and let it be a suprise, but I can't get my hands on many different computers to test the fps on each. Please post the fps of the game during the game, when you are firing and stuff. The slowest it gets for me is when you use the anti-homing missile stuff.
Now onto the game.
Arrows move. If you hit a certain speed and turn, you will slide.
Control fires.
Z and X rotate the turret.
1 is the normal weapon
2 is the laser
3 is the anti-homing missile. This will lay a mid-air mine that explodes after a second.
There will be more weapons, enemies, powerups, and different play modes when it is all done.
One more thing, you can't die yet, your health just goes below zero.
Great work so far! I really like the enemies homing missiles. What I found annoying though was the turning of the tank. It slides a lot then suddendly jerks forward. The look of the skid marks during that is very messy. Tanks shouldn't slide like that as far as i'm concerned. If a tanks going fast enough to slide out, then it'd more likely flip over but generally tanks never have that problem.
What I suggest is, the faster the tank is going, the larger the turning circle.
Thanks.
What I didn't want was just another tank game. I guess you could consider it to be a futuristic tank that drives like a car...or something...lol. I did the sliding that way so you can do precise manuvers to dodge homing missiles and other enemies that I will add. There will also be a turbo for the tank, so you can use it at the end of a 90 degree slide for more dodging action. I do agree that the skid marks are really messy. I'll have to fix that.
The fps readings look good.
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Looks good, original as far as I know.
I thought the skidding was kinda not fit for a tank, fun, but out of place. The collision detection is a lil sketchy but I'm sure you'll get to that. Overall, I like it.
Ihoss tank game...Scrapped due to better game in development
(no, not the one in my avatar)
I like the skidding, but I don't like the controls. The game is a fast paced game and therefore I shouldn't have to reach all the way over the keyboard to get to the keys I want to use. In my game I used WASD to move, mouse button to shoot and the mouse to turn the turret. Maybe that is a good idea for yours too? And I would also like to shoot more than one bullet at a time, as it speeds up the game.
Fraq: Right now it does look out of place. Do you think it would make more sence if I changed the colors of everything, so it looked like you are on dirt, instead of concrete?
Yea, I am still trying to get the hitTest perfected.
I would love to make this game multiplayer, but after seeing electroserver's version, I don't think it will be possible. I mean, it was a good game, but it was way too laggy.
T1ger: I shall take a look.
Ihoss: Nah, no need to scrap yours. You'll definately finish before me, and I would like to steal, err, I mean borrow some ideas.
Your 3D tank game is also looking very good.
About the controls. The 1,2,3 buttons right now are temporary, in the final version, you will be able to scroll through your weapons using C. Then A and S will scroll through your targets (for your own homing missile). The reason I did not have the mouse control the turret is because it makes it way too easy to hit stuff. It's a peace of cake to just point at the homing missile, and blow it up. Or hit an enemy on the very first try from all the way across the screen. I want this game to be more about skill, so there is a certain learning curve. This also allows me to make plenty of practice levels.
It's weird, but I the most fps I can get on IE, is 5 under the set fps, even if it's just a blank swf file. The game is set at 30fps.
- I agree with what everyone else said about the sliding, it does seem a little out of place with the tank. However, I really like your sliding engine, it is a cool idea. I would suggest, even if you dont use it in this game, one minor correction. when you come out of a skid, you still have the same speed as when you started. It should slow you down. So just drop your speed a few notches coming out of the skid.
- Considering your unique skidding engine and great homing missles, and also that tank games are generally a slightly overdone genre, I would change it from a tank to a jeep. That way, it is logical that it would skid. Have it like the Warthog in Halo maybe (Warthog Pic) with a turret on the back. Jungle themed maybe??
So, just a couple of ideas....
PS I am on a friends comp, dont know the stats, but ran very smoothly for me, I know that it is a fairly new HP
Dave
DaveWasmer.com
Programmers don't die, they just GOSUB without RETURN.
Your right about the skid. I will slow the speed down at the end of it. I guess if it is that big of a deal, I will make it like that Halo car.
Thanks for the suggestions.
I feel there are too many controls and found it irritating at times. Think back to the ATARI, 1 button and directional movement.
I liked the skids because that is what impressed me most when IOPRED dropped Knugg Rally. I still don't know how it is done (never tried).
The game was tough, nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, so the element of challenge is certainly present.
This has tons of potential but you may want to limit the number of tanks on the screen at once, nothing to do with the processor, just you can't kill'em all at once so it's at times, too difficult.
Keep the skids as it makes it unique. IF you want to improve the skid marks then I suggest you use lineTo instead of the attachMovie as then the lines will be connected.
I have attached a version that I made for someone else here, but I can't remember who.
skate342: Hmm, I guess it is possible to have a real time multiplayer tank game without much lag. But I don't hve the know-how to do it. Maybe when I finish, and someone would like to team-up with me to make one, I would be all up to it. But for now, I'll just finish the single player mode.
kendude: I try to make my games have as few controls as possible, but this one just has so many functions that it requires many buttons.
Arrows for steering, 2 keys for the turrets, 2 keys for scrolling through weapons (unless you would prefer 1 and only scroll through them one way), 2 keys for targeting (or 1 if you would like to only scroll one way), a turbo key, and a fire key.
Here is how I am probably going to set it up, if you have any suggestions, please post. I will have it so you can change the controls also.
Move: Arrows
Fire: Z
Rotate Turret: X, C
Turbo: Ctrl
Scroll through weapons: S, D
Scroll through enemies: F,V
There are a lot of buttons, so I might just have one button for the weapon and enemy scroll.
I read through Ihoss's thread about the super hitTest, and webgeek had a good idea on how to optimize this kind of hitTest which I will be implementing into the game which will hopefully give it a fps boost.
Ihoss: I will take a look at the file when I get back to china. I am almost done packing. It's 10:40 PM right now, and I need to get up 3:30 AM and get to the airport by 5. So I need to hurry up and get everything ready before my parents start getting mad at me.
Thanks for all your feedback. Just because I won't be here, doesn't mean you can't stil post suggestions, . I will try to check this thread in china if I can.
One thing, you currently hae 12 keys and I have 10 fingers (so do most gamesr I think). As you can see below I have to let go of my usual keys to reach for the other keys:
Right Hand
Up / Down: index
left: point
right: ring
Left Hand
Z(fire) / S(scroll weapon): ring
Ctrl(turbo): pinky
X(turret left) / D(Scroll wapon): index
C(turret right) / F(scroll enemy) / V(scroll enemy): point
What about the thumb and pinky on the right hand? they can be used for something useful. And The thumb on the right hand sits right on the spacebar. Use it for shooting. And it is also more comfortable to let your fingers rest on asdf as that is the start of touch. Below is the way I would like it (and the way I would set it if I played:
Right Hand
Up / Down: index
left: point
right: ring
num pad 0(Turbo): pinky
Left Hand
Space(shoot): Thumb
F(turret right): point
E(weapons up) / D(weapons down): Index
W(enemy up) / S(enemy down): Ring
A(turret left): pinky
If you dont want to swap, then that is fine, but let tehre be a way to change teh controls, like you said in your post.
On the multiplayer thing, I can help you with that. My game was supposed to be multiplayer and I have tested it. Instead of using a socket server I use MSN messenger. If you want help with this, then send me a PM or a mail and I can show you my current version.
the 1 2 3 controlls dont work for me did you change them and i didnt see that you said it or something? i pressed every key on my keyboard to see if u did, i still cant shoot. whats wrong with my machine?
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did you change them and i didnt see that you said it or something? i pressed every key on my keyboard to see if u did, i still cant shoot. whats wrong with my machine?
