Comments on: Crossroad

By: D.Jimma

D.Jimma — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 15:53:55 +0000

I too tried the sculpting, and there is indeed a clay look of it. And internally it seems limited to elliptical shapes and horizontal terrain. Cool tool though.

By: Anti

Anti — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:00:08 +0000

Actually the plan was to use blender for the tough parts and then import models in to the modeling tool for game related detailing. BUT seeing as I kinda have an idea what modeling is like from the level editor and that Blender frightens me at this point, I think I could cut it out right now but support it later if I want to. I’ve always found modeling to be pretty easy, using the tool is a whole other issue.

I tried the project sculpt program! Pretty interesting. Using a method like that though, I’d probably end up with something as bad as that clay Felix.

I actually have a solution to the seams problem in theory which involves swapping out parts of the mesh. I’ll have to see how it works when I get that far.

By: D.Jimma

D.Jimma — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:53:16 +0000

Ah, now I see! Before this, I must admit I didn’t see the logic of making more 3D but it makes sense with the 3D level tool and I also remember how hard view-perspective was with 2D models.

Sounds like a lot of work to make a model tool, though it may be easier than learning stuff of external tool formats.
- An idea hit me here: you know modeling is quite difficult and the code for it gets complicated when going beyond “blocky” parts (to smooth surfaces, auto-generation etc), but animation seems like a smaller code domain (if it’s about moving solid parts). So I guess you could possibly have the option of using an external model tool * and then import model parts from it into your custom animation tool.

* I don’t have experience of it, but something like http://drpetter.se/project_sculpt.html might work for making separate detailed limbs. I haven’t tried Blender either, but maybe you had.

It was just an idea I had, mostly because I myself would feel terrified before the task of coding a full-featured model tool

And hey, don’t let me mislead you now, I just couldn’t hold my mouth shut, ideas are the easy part

By: Anti

Anti — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:21:12 +0000

2D worked pretty well I guess but it’s becoming even more of a hassle. Despite hating it all this time, I’m going to kinda miss it.

Hiding blocky polygon seams is definitely on my list of things to worry about, shaders didn’t come to mind as a solution. I’ll look into that!

The best part of the 3D switch is any functionality I add to the modeling tool can be reused in the level tool.

You’re right about attempts being useful it’s in my head as a certainty now though. I have to start with 3D somewhere and I don’t expect modeling (probably my only true problem) to get any easier anytime soon.

In the future I think nearly all 2D games will be in 3D : J. There may even be some giant pixel shaders to make the game feel retro.

By: D.Jimma

D.Jimma — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:13:58 +0000

I meant the N64 games barely had character textures, and mostly single-colored limbs (I just mistyped “barely mostly” previously)

By: D.Jimma

D.Jimma — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:08:25 +0000

Don’t you like the cartoony and adorable 2D animations?

Thinking of ways to mask blocky 3D, Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time barely mostly use single-colored limbs and clothes to hide polygon-seams, those models are pretty clever. For XNA there are probably some cool shaders.

An attempt can be useful, I guess – even if it takes spirit you get knowledge of a possible obstacle back.

(For me Ms3D animations took 2 full weeks to code – with poor documentation and some matrix math trouble of mine)