Help With a Space Game - GameCreators Forum

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madmaz

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Posted: 21st Aug 2010 03:56 Edited at: 24th Aug 2010 15:43

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Hello, i'm madmaz and i've been playing about with DBP for ages now and i'm figuring how to make my own space game. To me this is a dream as i've always wanted to play space games and now i can create my own

but i cant do this alone, so i'm asking for guidance.

i know i'm not the best, but i've been out there and i know how hard this is. So plz some of you more experienced than me, just help out a little.

Ok here is one thing i need help with, i dont know how to add accelaration to my ship, so anyone who does know, it would be apreciated if you could help.

Ok, I'm going to be adding this project into the main forum...
this will be where i come for help though.

-accelaration for ships (With top speed included)

-calculating distance

-weapons (half done)

Programing is not as easy as it seems at first... the learning is never really over...

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The Zoq2

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Location: Linköping, Sweden

Posted: 21st Aug 2010 11:21 Edited at: 21st Aug 2010 11:23

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+ Code Snippet


move object [object number],speed#


if keystate([key number])
    speed#=speed#+speedincrease#
endif

if speed#>max speed
    speed#=maxspeed#
endif

I hope this helps!

Srry about my english im from sweeden

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madmaz

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Posted: 21st Aug 2010 12:01

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Yeah, Idk how i didin't work that out myself. but thx Zoq2

Programing is not as easy as it seems at first... the learning is never really over...

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Nights Bane

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Posted: 21st Aug 2010 18:48 Edited at: 21st Aug 2010 19:41

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I too had a similiar dream and made some crazy space sim when i got a little bored. anyway-

Heres a useful function for any game in 3D space:

+ Code Snippet

function object_distance(a,b)
d#=(camera position x(a)-object position x(b))^2+(camera position y(a)-object position y(b))^2+(camera position z(a)-object position z(b))^2
endfunction d#

It will get the distance between any two objects,

object 'a'
and
object 'b'

note: it assumes the camera is the viewpoint with which you are viewing the 3D space. (Don't letthat confuse you, or dwell on it too much, you can take it as given that it just works if you like! hehe)

If you dunno how to use functions, they are awesome. I remember when i used to be frigthened of them, but they are so damn useful.

Heres how I would use this distance one simply as an example - Object numbers represent for example:
//10 is the spaceship, 11 is a space station:

+ Code Snippet

if object_distance(10, 11)>(10000^2) 
   // POINT ONE
   radarSphereExist = object exist(42)
   if radarSphereExist = 1
      delete object 42
      doRadarOnce = 0
   endif
endif

Where I have put 'POINT ONE' basically just to show you a bit better, that the space station is therefore within a range of 10,000 Units of the spaceship. Here I use this function to delete a little sphere that appears or disappears in a kind of 'elite/frontier' radar sphere.

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Nights Bane

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Posted: 21st Aug 2010 18:58 Edited at: 21st Aug 2010 19:39

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How about this, if you are testing weapons systems for your space sim already! (hehe, the best bit in my opinion)

+ Code Snippet

function switchFiringMode(inputVar) 
	if (inputVar = 1)
		shipCanFire = 0
	else
		shipCanFire = 1
	endif 

endfunction shipCanFire

Note that after where it says 'endfunction' it returns the value shipCanFire. this is just part of what makes functions so awesome, it makes variables more dynamic.

Once again we are using a function here. Functions get called from in the main loop, and this one literally changes a value of 1 or 0. A value like this is called a boolean. (Think back to high school computing!) it literally only shows up as true or false, or as a computer reads it: One or Zero.

A little work like this now, can save us alot of work later on. How you might ask?

Well, lets say we initialise whether the ship can fire from the beginning with a value called 'shipCanFire'(this just means setting a value to a starting value)

Well then, outside the main loop (the do-loop) at the very beginning we define shipCanFire as 0. like so:

+ Code Snippet

shipCanFire as BOOLEAN
shipCanFire = 0

Now, anytime we want to make it so the ship can fire later on, we are using a tiney weeny little itty bit of memory to do so. this is a good way to minimise programs and speed up the game.

so we would say in the main loop where we wanted to turn off firing:

+ Code Snippet

do
    switchFiringMode(shipCanFire)
loop

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Nights Bane

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Posted: 21st Aug 2010 19:07 Edited at: 21st Aug 2010 19:09

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How about some Camera Control code? Here man... I created this...

+ Code Snippet

function createCam(cameraNum, camX, camY, camZ, camAspectX, camAspectY, camAspectZ)
		
		set current camera cameraNum
		position camera cameraNum, camX, camY, camZ
		point camera cameraNum, camAspectX, camAspectY, camAspectZ

endfunction

This function would primarily save you loads of headaches later on when you realise you want cutscene capability, or in fact some kind of press "F2 Button to look out the 'left window'" kind of capability that makes flight sims so cool. anyway, to use this function you would need something like this within your main loop:

+ Code Snippet

//this just designates our camera number
MAINCAM = 1

+ Code Snippet

		make camera MAINCAM
		createCam(MAINCAM, 0,0,0, 0,0,1000)`Camera Number,Position(x,y,z), Aspect(x,y,z)note:BEFORE THIS FUNC IS MADE, LINE BEFORE SHOULD SAY 'make camera XXX'

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Nights Bane

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Posted: 21st Aug 2010 19:18

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Now - Finally!: Some awesome accelaration code for you sir!
the following code will move the screen exactly as elite/frontier did. Your mouse moves the way you look, the shift key accelarates your engines, the ctrl key decelerates.

I recommend using something like this instead of the dark basic default move key commands. this way you can have forces acting on the ship other than just forward backward etc... it means if you get too close to a sun or a moons gravity it could suck you in! and all it would take is a little adaptation.. hehe.

+ Code Snippet

//goes outside the do-loop
`-----Ship stats
`vars
speed# = 0
speed_max# = 30
speed_min# = -23
speed_chg# = 1
plyr_bank# = 0
plyr_turn# = 0

+ Code Snippet

do
mx# = mousemovex()
my# = mousemovey()
mz# = mousemovez()
px# = camera position x(10)
py# = camera position y(10)
pz# = camera position z(10)

`SPEED control
if shiftkey() = 1 then inc speed#,speed_chg#
if controlkey() = 1 then dec speed#,speed_chg#

if speed# > speed_max# then speed# = speed_max#
if speed# < speed_min# then speed# = speed_min#

move camera 10,speed#

`LEFT/RIGHT
if mx# < 0 then plyr_turn# = curvevalue(-2, plyr_turn#, 10)
if mx# > 0 then plyr_turn# = curvevalue(2, plyr_turn#, 10)
if mx# = 0 then plyr_turn# = curvevalue(0, plyr_turn#, 10)
yrotate camera 10,wrapvalue(camera angle y(10)+plyr_turn#)

`UP/DOWN
if my# < 0 then plyr_tilt# = curvevalue(1, plyr_tilt#, 20)
if my# > 0 then plyr_tilt# = curvevalue(-1, plyr_tilt#, 20)
if my# = 0 then plyr_tilt# = curvevalue(0, plyr_tilt#, 10)
xrotate camera 10,wrapvalue(camera angle x(10)+plyr_tilt#)

sync
loop

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madmaz

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Posted: 23rd Aug 2010 13:16

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WOW THX for all this adivice Nights Bane, i'll be using alot of it in the game. If i do get to release a demo, i'll be sure to post it so you guys can see how its going. i'll be adding more things i'll need help on later.

again, Thx!

Programing is not as easy as it seems at first... the learning is never really over...

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