Worklog for simonh
Super Gerball
Return to Worklogs
| ||
| OK, that's eight years of Gerball - I think it might be time to start work on something else... Si. |
| ||
| Late 2008 - July 2010 iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch version of Super Gerball developed and released. This involved rewriting the game in C++, and writing the iMiniB3D module. Si. |
| ||
| Feb 2006 - May 2008 Mac version of Super Gerball developed and released. This involved converting all the Blitz3D code to BlitzMax, and writing the MiniB3D module. Si. |
| ||
| 3rd October 2004 I'm pleased to report that Super Hamster Ball is finally finished - see this thread for more details. Si. |
| ||
| 16th August 2004 Still creating the levels - I've reached 56 out of 60 now, so hopefully I should be done within a couple of days. I've had a lot of fun creating the levels, the ideas have flowed quite freely thankfully and each level is quite different from the others. Level editing was made easier by the fact that I spent so much time on the editor, so I basically could create anything I wanted to very quickly and efficiently. Without beating my own drum too loudly, I have to admit I'm very pleased with pretty much all of the level designs, and in particular some of the later ones are a lot of fun to play. Even though I've been making the game now for over two years, I still enjoy playing it, especially with a GameCube pad! Anyway, apart from the remaining four levels there is still one or two things to be done but I'm definitely at the 99% done stage now and a September release now looks a certainty. Si. |
| ||
| 7th June 2004 Can't believe it's been six months since my last worklog. Time flies... So what have I done since then? Well, lots of things, all of which mean that SHB is thankfully nearing completion. All that's left to do is create a few more levels, add some more background graphics, and a few other bits and bobs. The game should be 99% complete by the end of the month, and then I intend to spend a further month tweaking it and polishing it before finally releasing it. Of all the things I've done in the past six months, the one thing I'm probably most proud of is the polygon optimisation routine. Due to the fact that SHB's editor requires you to stick pieces together to create levels, there was previously a lot of polygon wasteage. However, I coded a routine that checks for hidden faces between all the pieces, and this has reduced polygon counts drastically. This optimisation along with a few others means that SHB runs quite well even on old graphics cards, which has been my aim all along. I've also been working on the graphics quite a bit:     The next worklog will be the last one, so fingers crossed it won't be another six months before it appears :) Si. |
| ||
| 6th December 2003 I mentioned in my last worklog that I may use Gile[s] to lightmap the background scenes in SHB, well I've been doing a little experimenting and here's how the garden scene looks after being lightmapped in Giles: In Giles:  In SHB:  I'm pleased with how it's turned out, so will probably be sticking with Giles for the rest of the backgrounds. Giles is a real pleasure to use, and I can thoroughly recommend it to anyone looking for a lightmapping solution for their games. Si. |
| ||
| 21st November 2003 Since my last worklog I've... * Virtually finished the frontend. I've spent quite a bit of time on this, but I think it has been worth it as it looks quite nice and is quite extensive. * Added a tutorial mode. * Reorganised the internal structure of the source code. It's now much cleaner and easier to add additional game modes, which I will be doing soon. * Split the main game into four difficulty settings - easy, medium, hard and super hard. Each difficulty setting has 20 unique levels, except for super hard which has 10. So the game has 70 levels altogether. So this is what is left to be done: * Design the rest of the levels. * Finish creating the room backgrounds. I may use Fredborg's excellent Gile[s] program to lightmap these. * Add additional game modes. * Add music and sound effects. * Add high score tables and online high score tables. So, still quite a bit to be done, but a release early next year is still definitely on the cards. I had considered releasing a cut down version without some of the additional game modes and levels before releasing an improved version, but have decided to try and create maximum impact with the first version. Si. |
| ||
| 30th October 2003 Well that workplan thing fizzled out - I'm just not sort of developer who can work in a very structured way very well. So instead over the past few weeks I've been working on various bits and bobs. The two main things I've been working on have been the menu system and a dynamic collision system. A dynamic collision system I felt was important because with a game like Super Hamster Ball, which basically consists of moving along platforms, it can add so much more to the game. Of course though, Blitz3D does not support dynamic collisions natively, so it was a bit of a struggle to say the least to get them working. Thankfully though, in the end I managed to get a near-perfect dynamic collision system working, and I'm very happy with it. You can now have levels that have tilting platforms etc. The menu system has been easy enough to program, what has been hard though has been trying to find a visual style for it that I liked. I've got through lots of different ideas and combinations over the past week or two, but thankfully I've now settled on something which suits the game well. So now what remains to do is some more integration work between the menu system and game, some graphics still need to be done, and a few more levels designed. Oh, and the sound fx and music still need to be created to, but seeeing as I have zero talent when it comes to music, I am hoping to hire someone who can make a few tunes and sound fx for me. All being well, a first private beta of Super Hamster should be ready by 1st December. Originally, I had hoped to release Super Hamster Ball by then, but I will probably need another month for polishing off, creating the website etc. So I will probably aim for the very start of next year as a release date. Si. |
| ||
| 11th September 2003 Well I've finally taken the plunge and decided to go it alone as a self-employed indie games developer and also Blitz Research web/docs guy. Lots of factors played a part in my decision, but the main one was that I actually wanted to try and make a living out of something I enjoy doing. If I fail so be it; at least I'll have given it a go. Last Friday was my last day at work and I registered as self-employed on Monday. So now that I will have more time on my hands now, I have mapped out a work plan for Super Hamster Ball for the next 12 weeks, dedicating one week to each particular aspect that still needs to be done, which should take me through to the game's completion on (hopefully!) December 1st. This week is dedicated to adding more 'hazard' types to the game that basically affect the speed or direction of the hamster ball. Monday I added friction surfaces and scrolling surfaces (conveyer belts). Yesterday I added 'pushers', or springs. Today I added 'steel balls' to the game, a bit like the black marble in Marble Madness. Basically it's just a heavy ball that can roll around and knock you off the side of the level. All was going well until I tried getting more than half a dozen of them running at once. Due to the fact that my game updates at 300 times a second (for various reasons), 300 physics updates for 6 or more balls, was resulting in massive slowdown. So to try and solve the problem, I devised a nice little routine which means that rather than the balls having a physics update per game loop each, there is just one ball physics update per game loop which the balls take in turn to 'share'. So now the frame rate remains rock steady no matter how many balls you have in the level at once. They all move about smoothly as well, due to some nice interpolation tricks. Si. |
| ||
| Thursday 21st August 2003 Despite the fact that there hasn't been a worklog for nearly a year now, work is still progressing on Super Hamster Ball. Actually, as the project has progressed, the development momentum has grown and grown, to the point where I am spending at least a few hours a day on it now. It will still be a few months before the project is completed (still aiming for a late 2003 release), but the end is at least is now in sight. The level editor, which on its own has grown into quite a large project, is now 99% complete in terms of functionallity. There is still some work to do in improving its graphical interface, but more on that later. The main core of the game is also virtually complete, with the remaining task largely being one of creating media and levels. One of the reasons the editor has took so long, is that all along I have programmed it with the intention of releasing it as part of the game. This I feel is vital I feel to extend the game's longevity. However, with Super Hamster Ball being a 3D game, with lots of scope for changing many aspects of each level, it has a took a while to fit everything in, *and* make it accessible to your average user. Thankfully I think I've achieved this, however as mentioned before some work remains to be done on making it look less like an editor, and more like an integral part of the game. As for the game, well things haven't progressed a great deal in the grapical stakes since I posted the last screenshot on the Super Hamster Ball website back in April, however, the whole look of the game has been decided on. Before, I was unsure what style to give to the levels, so for the purposes of the aforementioned screenshot, I used a Terragen sky-box, which kinda looked out of place. Anyway, in the end I decided that the game itself would take place within the confines on your average family home - the inspiration for this coming in part from an old 8-bit game called 'Henry's House'. So, in the final game there will hopefully be six rooms, with 8 levels in each - these 'rooms' being the garden, garage, kitchen, kids bedroom and attic, plus possibly a couple of bonus levels. Objects that you might normally expect to find in each location will make up the obstacles - so for example in the bathroom, you might have to navigate a soap object, which of course will be slippy to move across. At the moment though to speed things up and seeing as I'm not the greatest 3D modeller in the world, I'm currently considering contracting the 3D work, and possibly even level design as well, to an outside source. I've already made enquiries and although the work would likely cost in the region of £1000, I feel it would possibly be worth it if I want to speed up development a little. I'm also considering swapping my full-time job for a part-time one so I can spend more time on my indie game and Blitz commitments, however that is still to be decided. Finally, some new screenshots.  A screenshot from the editor. The red areas to the left mark out the path zones for the buzzers. And here's a couple of in-game screenshots featuring the same level. Pic 1 Pic 2 Si. |
| ||
| Thursday 21st September 2002 Super Hamster Ball now has its very own main character: Here's a render (large file):  And here's an in-game screenshot.  Animates very nicely too. I have Adam Gore to thank for doing the model for me, who has done a great job. Si. |
| ||
| Saturday 17th August 2002 Well, it's been quite a while since my last worklog entry, so what's been happening since then? Well, things are moving along at a steady, if not spectacular, rate. The level editor is coming along nicely, and using pre-formed pieces, which can be manipulated in lots of different ways, some really intricate-looking levels can be formed:  As for the game, not much progress has been made. I've recently being trying to implement a proper dynamic camera system, however this is proving VERY problematic - mainly due to the complex level rotating system. At the moment I'm not sure if I will even be able to implement such a camera system at all, which obviously would a big blow for the game. I'll keep trying though to the bitter end :) As for off the field activities, there's been quite a bit happening. Firstly, and quite unexpectedly, the Super Hamster Ball project and website got a mention in Edge Magazine. Now, I have been an Edge reader since it started, and to have a game of mine mentioned in there was a great honour for me. Admittedly, it was only really because of the novel nature of the game's title, but hopefully once the game has been properly revealed, it will be able to gain another mention based on the quality of the program. Also, there have been some very tentative discussions going on about a possible publishing agreement for SHB. The publisher is very new on the scene, however is fully trusted and very reputable. Si. |
| ||
|
* As recent worklogs have become quite brief and repetitive, I have
decided to discontinue updating the worklog for the time being. ---------- Wednesday 29th May 2002 Started work on the game's physics system. ---------- Sunday 26th May 2002 Worked on a world-space UV mapping routine for the level editor. ---------- Saturday 25th May 2002 Worked on the level editor. ---------- Friday 24th May 2002 Worked on the level editor. --------- Sunday 19th May 2002 Did a bit of work on the level editor. Also experimented with some full-screen motion blur effects, they didn't really work but by accident I got a nice trippy effect going which I may eventually use as part of a power-up. ---------- Saturday 18th May 2002 Doing some serious coding of SHB's level editor. Si. |
| ||
| Monday 13th May 2002 I got a very nice surprise today when checking my email. Completely out of the blue, someone sent me an avi of a hamster model they had done for Super Hamster Ball, and it suits the style of the game really well. I'm now just waiting to hear back from the person, so hopefully I can receive the model as well as the avi :) I also started the level editor today. My aim with it is to make it easy enough to use and polished enough to make it part of the game package, so anyone can make their own levels. ---------- Saturday 11th May 2002 Today I cracked the background rotation problem, and as a result, the game's tilting system now works 100%. A functional camera system is also now in there. I've also been thinking about the game's level editor and physics system. I will be working on these next. ---------- Friday 10th May 2002 I did some character sketches today. My aim was to come up with a simple, distinct design for a hamster. After quite a few attempts, I think I got near to achieving this:  ---------- Thursday 9th May 2002 Today I improved the look of the game:  I also spent some time on the control system. The level now tilts correctly relative to the camera and also the ball moves correctly relative to the level. I just need to get a decent camera system worked out now and also get the background to rotate properly. ---------- Wednesday 8th May 2002 Today I started a new project. It's called 'Super Hamster Ball', and is a 3D ball-rolling action game in which you tilt the level to roll the ball. What I'm aiming for is something fun, cute, colourful, simple to play and something that will appeal to a wide range of players. Programming-wise, today I just knocked together a quick prototype to see if the level tilting concept can be done. And guess what it can. I'm actually quite pleased with myself because this seemingly requires sphere -> moving poly colisions. However, I have found a way around this, and you can't tell the difference. Here's a screenshot from the prototype, using any old textures that I could find:  I have set up a website for the project. It can be found at http://www.superhamsterball.com Si. |