Nineteen days have gone… WOW! After getting full speed ahead for a number of days, I had a stop for a day… domestic stuff kicked in. A lot of work was finished in those quick days though.
With all physics and blit done, I went straight ahead into coding the level. First task was to look at what I had done previously and finding out… it would be easier to just start over, which I did! One very cool thing is that a Finite State Machine class I wrote earlier really proved its worth and is the base for all stuff in the level. I really have to go through how the level code is structured as soon as the dust settles down since right now a lot can change and it will probably make no sense.
One thing I had to change was the Manager class. Remember I mentioned a dependency to a specific class that put all in motion. That is easier to manage now.
But the really cool thing I did today was to quickly test a console class! I used Junkbyte’s Console 2.4 and I just love it! With it we will be able to change a lot of aspects in the game without recompiling.
What is happening right now? Visually? Not much, there’s a circle representing Bruce on screen. Code wise there’s a lot of stuff going on. For starters all the level classes (controller, factory, scene, blit, physics, etc) are created and doing their thing, so it’s just a matter of adding features to it. The state management system is just beautiful and it will save tons of work!
What is missing? Graphics and stuff getting kicked!
Like I mentioned sometime ago, we will be reviewing some books published by Packt Publishing. So and since there aren’t news or articles about Bruce Ali that are ready to go, nothing like keeping the good momentum with a good book.
I read Flash Multiplayer Virtual Worlds mostly because it is an area that interests me a lot and crosses many aspects that are part of my daily work from a design point of view. The name could not be more obvious regarding the intentions of the book: to create a virtual world using flash technology, so what’s in it?
The good
There are many good things about this book, but probably the one that doesn’t stand out immediately is that it will get you up and running with SmartFox Server in no time! From installation to technicalities to server-side implementation, the amount of examples surrounding SmartFox Server should make this book interesting for anyone that wants to pick up this server-side software even before considering MMOs and virtual worlds.
One of the really good things about this book is that it covers every standard implementation that is present on a virtual world. Starting on architecture and going through in-game systems such as avatars and messaging up to the social aspects like Facebook integration and even some quite smart details that I personally would not remember or know. I admit that in such a wide area, maybe something is missing, but I can’t really remember any.
Another good aspect is that it seems written to a lone wolf kind of developer given the detail of some particular aspects (such as extracting 3D renders) that most coders working in teams or companies would not care because it would not be their work, but it doesn’t really get in the way.
The bad
The last paragraph brings me to what I didn’t like in the book. I can look at this book from two perspectives: the game programmer or the game designer. From a game programming point of view there’s too much game design in different depths of detail and even some stuff about handling graphics that I admit is important but should be as important as the assumption of AS3 programming of the book. From a game designer point of view, not only the code is not my core work, but the design is not in depth enough. I sometimes felt that the level of detail was not constant, when comparing how to integrate tiles in isometric perspective (extremely well explained and detailed) and the implications of designing a solid online economy (well explained but no detail).
Conclusions
So, is this book for you? Like any book, it depends on who you are. Are you a AS3 coder that wants to work with SmartFox Server or create virtual worlds? Are you a lone developer that wants the overall knowledge about this topic? Or even a designer that codes a bit and wants to try it out?
Then yes, this book is for you and I do recommend it!
Oh the joy of having someone that is used to this kind of stuff! Pre and Marco spiced up a new Facebook page for Vortix Games! Check it out by clicking here!
Sometimes a drawing can spark an idea for a game or an idea for a character. But this time, the drawing of a character has actually sparked ideas for gameplay and for the whole visual production of the game.
Using drawings for game development works not only to help visualize ideas, but also to create empty worlds which we later fill with our ideas. This first sketch you’ll see made me want to see the other character and what their poses would be, and that gave me ideas for their fighting style, which then gave me ideas about how that would play in the game. “Will this character be able to jump, will he block or will he charge in really fast and strong?” Those questions can be answered by a pencil. It’s also fun to see the characters take a life of their own. At first I’m drawing them, but as they get more and more fleshed out, it is the characters that are drawing themselves. I just provide the pencil.
This video goes a bit into that. On how much a drawing can change your mind about your ideas for a game and also you get to see some new stuff straight from the drawing board.
We’ve done some work with Ben Olding. Well… Marco has! I guess I’m just proud that through him Vortix is involved in games with the quality of these. Warlords 2 Rise of Demons has left the building and landed at ArmorGames. Marco did the graphic work with the exception of illustration.
Good luck to Ben and to his new game Warlords 2 Rise of Demons!
