Tiny Tanks updated

Community Forums/Showcase/Tiny Tanks updated

RifRaf(Posted 2010) [#1]
Hi,

Just wanted to say that I've made an update to Tiny Tanks Online that I think really improves the game .

Before I had a weird mix of class based combat and weapon collection which seemed to confuse people a lot. Now the game is much more like other class based games such as team fortress 2, where once you become a specific class you gain only a certain set of weapons and powers.

Also ive removed first person view from the camera selections. Originally I wanted third person view for this game because I felt it had more "character" , ive gone back to that and im pretty happy with it. The only exception is the Marksman class. That class has a sniper cannon that allows you to go to first person and zoom it for the kill shot.

If you havent tried it in awhile, give it a go and see what you think.

The download link is on the website.
http://tinytanks.empowergames.com/

Thanks

Last edited 2010


Nate the Great(Posted 2010) [#2]
nice to see its comming along, I had feared it was dead :o ill try out the new one.


Ferret(Posted 2010) [#3]
I linked to this game from mi website.


RifRaf(Posted 2010) [#4]
Thanks,

i've updated the game, it now runs logic at 35fps instead of 50fps. Im hoping this will help lower end machines play with smoother rendering. On my test rigs wich include an older laptop it appears to run a bit better now.

I have also added a 3rd person view aiming guide.



Baystep Productions(Posted 2010) [#5]
I'd love to play it, but the servers need to get active.


RifRaf(Posted 2010) [#6]
Thanks,

Problem is that a lot of people try it out, but never at the same time :) Maybe someday I can afford to run 10 or more dollars per day in google ads. I tried 2 bucks a day for a few weeks and it only helped slightly. I suppose the problem could be compounded by my poor banner designs

Anyway, Ive updated the game again.

Added Double Kill,Triple Kill, Dominating, Humiliation, Revenge, and MultiKill alerts. I also removed the health restrictions on the chicken boosters, you can now use them anytime, but they cost you reload time to use.

While in the Revenge,Double,tripple, or Dominating effect you get multipliers to your rank scoring. You are removed from these effects when you are killed or when a map changes.


Chroma(Posted 2010) [#7]
I think the DoF is unnecessary. Just an observation as it actually hurts my eyes. I haven't tried it but is it able to be turned off in the Options?


elcoo(Posted 2010) [#8]
I think the DoF is THE graphical style element in this game. What graphicsengine did you do this with anyway?


jfk EO-11110(Posted 2010) [#9]
This is a perfect example on how to use Blitz. A game, not too big (like eg. some photorealistic efforts for an epic WW2 scenario), but still more than a Minigame, well done and polished. And I like those cute tanks.


RifRaf(Posted 2010) [#10]
Hey thanks,

the DOF is not only part of a visual style I wanted to use but its functional. At a distance its not so easy to aim at a little blur moving about , unless you are the marksman class, then you can zoom in with your sniper cannon and see everthing in the distance very clearly.

Chroma, there are different camera angles that dont focus so far into the background, one is sort of overhead and would have far less DOF in view.

Graphics engine was Blitz3D Native + Fastextention library.
I also used Sprite Candy, and Sprite Candy Gui for menu and in game buttons.

Fast Ext was used for its additonal blend modes, the cubemap alignment routines (cel shaded type of self shadow), dof, glow ect, I also used fast text for displaying player names on the tanks, but eventually I plan to switch that to 3D quad name plates.


My next challenge is adding BOTs, but since the server is not blitz3D and has no 3D ability at all, how to do it server side boggles my brain.

Last edited 2010


InvisibleKid(Posted 2010) [#11]
This is a perfect example on how to use Blitz. A game, not too big (like eg. some photorealistic efforts for an epic WW2 scenario), but still more than a Minigame, well done and polished. And I like those cute tanks.




i just want to agree here 100% word for word.

i've checked out and played alot of good blitz games over the years, but in all honesty this has been one of my most favourites and has kept me comming back for more.

oh and raf i still want my fpv back winkwinknudgenudge


YellBellzDotCom(Posted 2011) [#12]
Wow, this game looks absolutely great! One of the best looking games I've seen in Blitz!

I downloaded it, launched the client and all it shows is the local : 127.0.0.1 in the Server list. No way to edit the server list and it wont add the server thats listed on the online list. Tried manually editing the favlist.dat file, but borked that up. Now it wont display the local server anymore. No information on how to add servers to the list or try to connect to them. the refresh all and favs button aren't adding any servers.

Be fun to play, but me being a noob and all, cant seem to figure this out.


RifRaf(Posted 2011) [#13]
Xyle,

I'm only running one server at the moment.. should be up now. I take it down from time to time when there arent any players on it to give the machine a rest/reboot.

When You launch the game , any active servers should show up on the list automatically.

The only other thing I could imagine is that your firewall isnt letting it reach out and see the list..

Last edited 2011


stayne(Posted 2011) [#14]
Posted about it at www.indiedevnews.com. Better late than never! :)


YellBellzDotCom(Posted 2011) [#15]
Thanks!
I tried launching my own dedicated server and after updating and grabbing all the maps, I kept getting a error in the message box saying that the password was incorrect it needs to be more than 3 characters or something like that.

Stayne, nice little plug for the game there, great looking site. Although I'm having a tough time getting it going, this game really looks great and definitely deserves the attention. One of the best I've seen so far.

Last edited 2011


RifRaf(Posted 2011) [#16]
Xyle,

Yes you must set a password for the server, there is a text field for that.
This will be your servers password, so that nobody else can launch the same server unless they know the password.

This is different than the client password field, if you set this players cannot connect without a password.


The server will run on just about any machine.. mine runs on a 900mhz netbook, although it will run more effeciently on a dual core machine.

Last edited 2011


Naughty Alien(Posted 2011) [#17]
..i like this cute game..seriously..


YellBellzDotCom(Posted 2011) [#18]
Thanks for the update RifRaf, I did have a password in the box, I tried quite a bit of different variations, with numbers and without, all of them were more than 3 characters, but I kept getting that message in the message box. I'll play with it again this weekend.

Thanks!


RifRaf(Posted 2011) [#19]
after you enter your password, click the apply button :)


YellBellzDotCom(Posted 2011) [#20]
Trying again, I have tried different combos of Server Name and password, but after clicking apply button, it says...
Server Cannot Publish Listing: Incorrect password for selected server name.
All the maps are updated, also.

Thanks!


RifRaf(Posted 2011) [#21]
Xyle,

Even though you get that error, you should be ok.. I use a modified gnet on my web host, wich refreshes itself every 5 minutes or so.. even though it wont relist you at that time on gnet, you should be able to log into local host from your client with that server running.


YellBellzDotCom(Posted 2011) [#22]
Thanks for the help, that worked and I ran a local game on the same machine which was of course outstanding!! The game is absolutely beautiful!

I then moved the dedicated server to my other machine, but cannot find it so I cannot join it. I gotta get this working for the fam, we'll have a blast with this ( and a few bottles of jack), lol!

Outstanding job on this, just need to make the dedicated server a little more user friendly for guys like me.

Need a way to add servers to the list or update your server listing so we can see our servers. This game has sooooo much potential, just need to make it a bit more user friendly!

Thanks!

Last edited 2011


RifRaf(Posted 2011) [#23]
I wish I could Xyle, ive been researching TTL packet structures and NAT punching ect.. but its not all that easy for me to get my head around.


YellBellzDotCom(Posted 2011) [#24]
yeah, thats a rough one. Without knowing the structure of your network no one will really be able to help out too much with improving it. So far everything is damn near polished and perfect, just need to get the dedicated server fixed up so people can host games and join them.

In the mean time, get your own hosted server up and playable so people can join it. Right now, my client is not seeing it or picking it up at all.

Thanks!


RifRaf(Posted 2011) [#25]
my server is up, i checked remotely and I can see it.. may try allowing tiny tanks as an exception on your firewall/router.


YellBellzDotCom(Posted 2011) [#26]
Strange stuff, my network, lol.

I opened the ports 2222, udp and tcp on my router for 1 machine and still couldn't see your server with the client. I tried it on another machine and your server is visible from that one. hehehehe.

I'll be keeping my eye on it later on today to see if anyone is online. I appreciate the help!

Thanks!


Baystep Productions(Posted 2011) [#27]
Is this game gonna get active? I've been interested in it for DAYS. But its never active when I check it out.

I'm hopeing some indie dev reviews might help?


RifRaf(Posted 2011) [#28]
BayStep,

Thanks,


Im afraid it may not get active.. its been like this since I created it.. I just cant afford to toss ad dollars at it right now, It does get random player here and there but nothing consistent. I think I would have to push like 25.00 per day in ads minimun on google ads to get any real traffic. Return players get discouraged after some time of not seeing anyone else and eventually stop logging in. TinyTanks server will stay up for a very long time as part of my coding portfolio, but I would be suprised if it ever got popular without ad money.

Last edited 2011

Last edited 2011


TaskMaster(Posted 2011) [#29]
Are there bots to play with? If you had bots that seemed to be other players logged in for people to play with, then it might stay a little more active and help keep real players.


RifRaf(Posted 2011) [#30]
No bots, I was considering adding auto play mode for the client so I could log a few of them in and let them run. Tons of work though and I dont have any experience with AI yet so its a little daunting to think of doing that properly.


OldNESJunkie(Posted 2011) [#31]
I agree that the inclusion of bots would make it more interesting, pretty much a necessity for these types of games actually. You really should add them.


RifRaf(Posted 2012) [#32]
Old topic, sorry but I just launched the Tiny Tanks server again, but my connection for now is a 1.5 mb dsl at my new place.

If anyone is interested in trying to connect to the server and see how it plays (lag ect) I would appreciate it. Im not actively updating the game right now, so if you download it now there wont be any re-downloading any time soon if you ever wanted to play it again.

Because of my old version of molebox it can give false positives on some scanners, but a few folks here can already testify that it has no issues. its clean. Any future projects will not be using molebox , unfortunately its too much work for me to remove the molebox dependency for now.

The download also has the server so if anyone wanted to they could host a server too.

download from here if interested
http://tinytanks.empowergames.com

Thanks


Nate the Great(Posted 2012) [#33]
Hey RifRaf, wow it sure has been a while since I logged in to tiny tanks! I am downloading now although I probably won't be able to connect for a few hours. I think I could help with the AI aspect of tiny tanks. if you want to send me an email about it, my email is in my account info. I sure do miss playing tiny tanks though! Its a really fun game!

Edit: Avast will NOT let me install this! Even when I add an exception, the installer throws an error and doesn't even start the install.

I am on Win 7 Pro 64 bit if that helps

ShellExecuteEx failed; code 225
The extended attributes are inconsistent.


Last edited 2012


RifRaf(Posted 2012) [#34]
Sorry nate,

Runs here on win7 64bit. My system is not locked up with anti virus suite of any kind though. And the old molebox version I have triggers false positives.

Last edited 2012


Mr. Write Errors Man(Posted 2012) [#35]
On Chrome 20 the installer link button is hidden behind the tutorial youtube video.


RifRaf(Posted 2012) [#36]
Holy cow, I did it. I ripped the molebox dependency from Tiny Tanks. I really hope this ends the mountain of false positives from various Virus suites.

I hope some of you will give it another chance if you were afraid of it before :) It does open up my home made media and models, but I kept a little security to discourage cheating via media swap with online crc checksum verification. I also added some Blitz3D props to the main splash screen.

However there is another upside to removing molebox exe and large data packs. If I ever need to I can now update on a per file level no longer requiring users to download a 10 meg pack to update a 2kb file.


You can get it from the TT website as usual,
Http://tinytanks.empowergames.com

or direct download here
http://www.empowergames.com/tinytanksonline_install.exe

the installer is sitting at about 52 megs.


RifRaf(Posted 2012) [#37]
A video I put on you tube, showing a pretty unique perspective :). Fraps was giving me issues so I just decided to prop an ipad up and record with it.
This is actually 3 videos linked into one via the youtube editor.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teem-8PwlEk

Last edited 2012


GaryV(Posted 2012) [#38]
Your site seems to have an issue with Chrome:

http://i50.tinypic.com/vhgmsg.jpg

That is what I get when I visit your home page.


RifRaf(Posted 2012) [#39]
hm,

i get the same results on the ipad using safari

Seems to be how im putting the video on there but I dont how to fix it yet


If i remove the video placement the rest of the site looks ok.
test it again if you can..

Last edited 2012


GaryV(Posted 2012) [#40]
Looks good now.


RifRaf(Posted 2012) [#41]
Thanks Gary, if you get one more chance could you see if the video is now showing up properly ..should be bottom right overlapping the gfx window

Last edited 2012


RifRaf(Posted 2012) [#42]
double post..

Last edited 2012


GaryV(Posted 2012) [#43]
Yes, it looks as it should, but it would look better displayed in that graphics window on the right hand side instead of overlapping it like that.


RifRaf(Posted 2012) [#44]
Lol, Gary you are suggesting I work a miracle I didnt write the site, I paid someone else to.. Now they used all the latest tricks and gimmicks in the book and im having a hard time following where things and how things are set up.. just the position of that thing I cant seem to find anywhere.. seems he has preset positions set up and labeled but.. where is a mystery to me.


Steve Elliott(Posted 2012) [#45]
Finally got round to playing this. I thought it was really cool - and fast! Nobody to shoot when I went online though lol.

One thing I did notice straight away was that my gun turret was just a white shape - no texturing at all.


RifRaf(Posted 2012) [#46]
Steve,

First, thank you so much for trying it. It's so hard to get people to try an unpopular online game. That is my biggest hurdle and im not sure ill ever overcome it. Even if I get a person or two to come try it.. its not enough because there is nobody else there when they give it a go. Often they just dont come back.

That is odd about the turret.. May I ask if you have an intel 3d card or anything like that? The reason it's odd is that the turret shares a texture with the body.

If you stop in again and I see you on the server player list, ill jump in and play a few rounds.


Steve Elliott(Posted 2012) [#47]
No probs, yes Intel card (first computer in my sig).

In that case I'd strongly advise you create some computer bots to liven things up if little or no people were online.

Last edited 2012


GaryV(Posted 2012) [#48]
It's so hard to get people to try an unpopular online game.
For me, popularity has nothing to do with it, it is the fact that it is an online game, and a multi-player game, that I have not tried it and would never try it. I think your game looks awesome, unfortunately I detest online games and multi-player games, no matter how nice they may look.


RifRaf(Posted 2012) [#49]
I think your game looks awesome,

Thanks so much


I detest online games and multi-player games, no matter how nice they may look

Fair enough, I know the genre / style is not for everyone.

Gary, I appreciate your perspective
Thanks again


K(Posted 2012) [#50]
I would love to arrange a game with someone, I've wanted to play this one for a while.


RifRaf(Posted 2012) [#51]
K,

email me ill play.
gamemaker04@...


Matty(Posted 2012) [#52]
Hi RifRaf - I've just downloaded this but can't work out how to get a game started?

The main menu only shows 127.0.0.1 and no option to create a game or join a game...the website shows no active servers...I ran the server program and wasn't sure how to create a server there either...is there some documentation or some instructions on how to begin a game?

I'd like to try it with the guys at work sometime but am completely inexperienced with this online gaming stuff...


K(Posted 2012) [#53]
Anybody want to get a 4+ player game going?

@MATTY: Launch the 'Tiny Tanks Server' program and I think that's pretty much it. Be sure to do a series of 'Adds' to put matches on the list

Last edited 2012


Matty(Posted 2012) [#54]
Tried again...couldn't see anything except 127.0.0.1 - and when I try to ping the server it tells me that 0.0.0.0 could not be contacted...no idea how to get this to work...some documentation would be nice...or a simple "Create Game/Join Game" interface would be better...game looks good from video...but getting into it is proving difficult.


RifRaf(Posted 2012) [#55]
I dont have the server running all the time matty, im on a 1.5mb connection and just cant keep it live. I can run it a day or so, or even scheduled set of hours.

The server program starts a server when you run it using your current LOCAL IP. If you arent routed properly nobody will be able to connect to you. This is less a TT problem and more of a router requirement if you want incomming traffic to see your client.

Port forwarding is what its called.

I Wish I had a fast connection and a spare PC laying around, but we just moved to a rural area and its not an option for me right now.



K, I would love to get a 2v2 game going.. we can schedule a time if you want.


K(Posted 2012) [#56]
Just let me know. Thursdays aren't too good, and not Tuesdays. Otherwise I'm in most nights.I check to see if the server's up once in a while.

Actually, one note on the TTServer is that it seems to need to connect to your server to function properly, RifRaf. It attempts to load resources until crashing at runtimeerror "Unable to load map demoland". Maybe I'm just missing files.

Last edited 2012


siredblood(Posted 2013) [#57]
Excellent work!