Worklog for mrtricks

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TOTAL TERRAIN - build 20(Posted 2002-02-20)
A lot of progress. When editing anything over 128x128, you can either edit a 128x128 section of the terrain, or a scaled down version of the whole terrain if you want to make broad strokes. This is because Blitz struggles to deform terrains in real time if they are larger than that.

The important thing is, that if you create some fine detail in the zoom mode, then zoom out and decide to raise the whole plateau by a metre, you won't lose that fine detail when you zoom back in.

Also, textures now display in both zoomed out and zoomed in mode, keeping correct scales, positions and rotations (that one was pretty difficult!)

It's nearly ready.


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Robin King Macbook Pro 15.4" - 2.33ghz Intel Core 2 Duo - 2GB RAM

TOTAL TERRAIN - build 14(Posted 2002-02-09)
Now you can edit any size of terrain from 8x8 to 2048x2048, and change the size while editing. At the moment you can only edit a 128x128 section of the terrain (if it's 128 or below, you can edit the whole terrain). Next step is to allow editing of a scaled down version of the whole terrain, then interpolate the data back into the main whole bitmap without erasing fine details.

For instance, if you've got an island, with a craggy surface, then you want to just raise the island a bit without losing the crags - this isn't just a case of scaling up the scaled down version.


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Robin King Macbook Pro 15.4" - 2.33ghz Intel Core 2 Duo - 2GB RAM

TOTAL TERRAIN - build 13(Posted 2002-02-08)
The terrain is now 1024x1024, and you work on a 128x128 section of it at a time. You can zoom in on any 128x128 section you like to edit it.

The next step is to enable any size of terrain, enable changing size while editing, and zooming out to edit the whole terrain - trickier than it sounds. I've given the last item a lot of thought and I think some complicated functions will be needed. I also need to alter the texturing function to match the zoomed in section.

Getting there...


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Robin King Macbook Pro 15.4" - 2.33ghz Intel Core 2 Duo - 2GB RAM

TOTAL TERRAIN - build 11(Posted 2002-02-06)
Up to EIGHT textures can now be applied instead of four, and they can now all be scaled and scrolled.

Visit the website (click the eye) to get the demo.


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Robin King Macbook Pro 15.4" - 2.33ghz Intel Core 2 Duo - 2GB RAM

TOTAL TERRAIN - build 09(Posted 2002-01-17)
You can now rescale the terrain as you wish, and load up to four textures. Next step is to facilitate scaling, scrolling, rotating and blending the textures.


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Robin King Macbook Pro 15.4" - 2.33ghz Intel Core 2 Duo - 2GB RAM

ATTACK OF THE BADDIES - bug fix(Posted 2002-01-13)
Sorted out the illegal memory address error - now you can fire rockets to your heart's content!

Click here to download the updated build 27. (1.63Mb)


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Robin King Macbook Pro 15.4" - 2.33ghz Intel Core 2 Duo - 2GB RAM

ATTACK OF THE BADDIES - build 27(Posted 2002-01-12)
Haven't worked on this for a little while, but since no one has seen the new explosion and smoke effects in action yet, you may want to have a peek.

Click here to download. (1.63Mb)


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Robin King Macbook Pro 15.4" - 2.33ghz Intel Core 2 Duo - 2GB RAM

TOTAL TERRAIN - formerly Terrain Tools - build 07(Posted 2002-01-12)
Well, a week of not being able to use my PC, followed by an afternoon of reinstalling Windows, later...

The file selector is now fully functional for loading terrains and you can load any bmp, jpg or png as a terrain (currently resizes to 128x128). The file selector is looking very nice, sorts into files/folders, has dinky little icons for folders (and terrain bitmaps with .tt data files associated, but we'll get into what these do later).

Click here to download. (468Kb)


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Robin King Macbook Pro 15.4" - 2.33ghz Intel Core 2 Duo - 2GB RAM

TERRAIN TOOLS - build 06(Posted 2002-01-04)
I've been working on the file system. There is now a working file selector window, which sorts into alphabetical order (it doesn't yet sort folders from files or filter out unnecessary files, but it will), has a working scrollbar and double-click mechanism. You can navigate through the C: drive, and load a .bmp to work on. If it is not 128x128, a scaled copy of the bitmap is saved in the same folder.

As for the tools, you can now edit directly into the bitmap, which is a lot better for the PATH and CRAG tools as it prevents the mouse cursor slipping down the slope as it falls or rises.

Click here to download. (464Kb)


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Robin King Macbook Pro 15.4" - 2.33ghz Intel Core 2 Duo - 2GB RAM

TERRAIN TOOLS - build 04(Posted 2002-01-01)
Working menu bar is in place, and four terrain sculpting tools are fully functional: raise/lower terrain, drag hill/hole, draw path and draw crags.

You can now see the heightfield bitmap being altered in real time, and there is now context-sensitive pop-up help text for all the tools.

Also, I have turned on terrain shading, which looks nicer and gives more sense of the contours as you draw them.

Click here to download. (459Kb)


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Robin King Macbook Pro 15.4" - 2.33ghz Intel Core 2 Duo - 2GB RAM

TERRAIN TOOLS - first build(Posted 2001-12-30)
Heightfield / terrain editor. In this early demo you can raise and lower the terrain in smooth, rolling contours.

Click here to download. (448Kb)


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Robin King Macbook Pro 15.4" - 2.33ghz Intel Core 2 Duo - 2GB RAM

ATTACK OF THE BADDIES - new visual effects(Posted 2001-11-27)
Having studied the explosions in Comanche 4, I set to work seeing if I could emulate them. A lot of tweaking and tea later, I've got some effects I'm really proud of. Setting off a lot of explosions is now really pyrotechnic! And I've randomised the smoke trails a bit, making them look much better.

I also found a much more efficient and smoother way of steering the rockets, by giving them a child pivot which always points to the target.


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Robin King Macbook Pro 15.4" - 2.33ghz Intel Core 2 Duo - 2GB RAM

ATTACK OF THE BADDIES demo 1c(Posted 2001-11-24)
Started working outwards from the plane demo to start learning Blitz, and have currently (just over a week later) got to a point where my work can be viewed.

It's an outdoors FPS with floating enemy craft which can be shot down with your machinegun or rockets, both straight and targetted. The gun has a screen attached which serves as a rocketcam and a screen-in-screen zoom.

First demos posted this week. Got some really helpful feedback from a lot of people and increased the frame rate no end.

Most of the media is nicked as I've concentrated on game mechanics first. Next step is to consolidate the frame rate bolstering, then design some of my own gun models and hopefully add some driveable vehicles. After that comes buildings.

Click on the logo to visit the site.


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Robin King Macbook Pro 15.4" - 2.33ghz Intel Core 2 Duo - 2GB RAM