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41

Entertainment / Re: My first Binary Phoenix article

« on: May 06, 2007, 08:42:22 pm »

I like it; Very swift, read and get the whole idea down in under a minute - It has a strong point that is usefull to many, but gets it accross so very quickly and efficiently, in the true mspaint diagram form.

For fps level design i like to make test maps in say TimeSplitters first, out of the box regions etc.
Or rather, think of the strategic areas of levels in terms of things like objects and walls, as appose to starting off with thinking about the details of what those things are composed; That way you can mess about with these primitive shapes before bothering to decide exactly what composes these things - And then youll have a pretty AND functional level.

Same principle can be applied to anything actually... Writing an essay, a story... Painting a picture, designing a software library or program of any type... Even the construction of an effective forum post.

42

Coding / Re: what the hell is the matter with you devcpp?

« on: April 30, 2007, 01:00:20 am »

Yeh, esp MSVC++ and Devcpp because they have features that do things that might seem really helpful, but only if your code isn't that well organised and your naming convention is off.
eg: the code completion thing and class member lister's.. In DevC++ its horrible and slow, and though not in MSVC++, if you have to actually use it, youve probably poorly named your stuff...
Its refreshing when a naming convention is so strict and abstract that you can code withought ever even having to check the names of your variables - I employ an 'is named what the !@#$% it actually is' strategy (of course, lesson1 of everything), but what i mean is, no cryptic abbreviations or hungarian notation !@#$% (its a poor poor thing to use in C++, C maybe fine, but C++ hell no).
And as for searching for functions declarations and definitions.. again, i agree, not needed, esp if youve organised it well enough; One class per file, methods ordered by their type (construct, access, transform) and then further by eg alphabet.
I choose to always name things what they are, with classes, types, methods etc capital, and instances small case eg class MyClass{ void DoSomething(); } myClass;   The distinction that makes it work (i know alot will feel that CMyClass or cMyClass would be more appropriate) is that i always have methods as adjectives, and classes as nouns.
I'd rather use MyClass_Class or ClassMyClass or MyClassType than something like CMyClass, for the abstraction and the intuition.


I use Code::Blocks, just for the tree of files and methods on the left, changing compilers with a couple of button presses, and just setting up the makes for me etc. Custom colouring of code and loads quick.. I like; nice, simple.
And the name.. I like the name to be honest.
Code::BLocks.

I dont use the code-folding features though. Of course.
Another annoying thing that gets in the way of true organisation.

43

Other Discussion / Re: That !@#$% !@#$%. Fred Phelps is going to picket Vtech's funerals.

« on: April 25, 2007, 01:01:26 pm »

And, you believe this forum of young uns are serious about grabbing together a bunch of rakes, swords and pistols and attacking them, as appose to just violent terms as an intuitive written tonal hyperbole on their emotions about the situation?

44

Feedback / Re: Some feedback on ZFGC by Ricky

« on: April 25, 2007, 12:59:03 pm »

There always exists problems with this site, usually one of or all of "Not as productive as the Invision days (lost our idealogy)", "Nazi Staff", and "Spam everywhere".

I'm quite apathetic towards worrying about them these days.
This is just a forum - As long as the staff communicate well enough, agree, work towards the same goals, and choose to the sites defn of what is spam and what is not, and as long as we're here talking, then the forum is, as it is.
There will always be disagreement about what is and what isn't spam, but really keeping some slightly spammy but fun topics is essential to the friendly atmosphere of the forum, eg the topic with the 300 thing, with the cake and the image heheh.
ten replys that go 'rofl lol'. 'pie lol' is spamming it up, and worse are the replies that come in 'this is spam, leave'.
Moderators seem to be dealing with these things alright i suppose.. I'm not complaining.
In fact thats my point.
I'm fine here, .. Sometimes people are just being dicks or spammers though... But then that's part of life, just as long as they are corrected etc.

I don't anymore consider this place an infinite struggle to overcome its own shitness.. Its just an ok place, i mean i'm here, right?
I'm here for zfgc, not what zfgc could be, and especially not for what i think it should be.

45

Graphics Requests/Archive / Re: I need EXTREME Help.

« on: April 25, 2007, 12:31:14 pm »

The EXTREME joking is pretty funny, but please don't be offended by it J_Dog.
Of course, some people are being pretty offensive or mean in this topic though... I mean, he did post that he anticipated this kind of response guys.

You have the model and that program, so start trying to work it out, download the stuff and mess about and you can end up learning from it that way

46

Entertainment / Re: 2awesome4apossum's Music Videos

« on: April 25, 2007, 12:11:18 pm »

Excellent.
Please cover This video next.
I'll do the guitar bits, you bring the binbags.

47

Discussion / Re: Simulating Heat and Air

« on: April 24, 2007, 10:23:55 pm »

haha, this is still cool thinking though.
Lighting, 8 or so surrounding speakers and a humidity device to build up an atmosphere proportional to the one in the game.
Something i'd have it i was rich.

48

Entertainment / Re: Vote for Miyamoto for Time's 100

« on: April 24, 2007, 08:42:04 pm »

i dont even know who the others at the top are...
but that whatever his name is comedian has three and a half times as vites as shigeru so theres no chance.

49

Graphics / Re: Draw ourselves

« on: April 23, 2007, 05:53:45 pm »

Nope, leaning back, with my hands behind my head.  It's a good pose to avoid drawing hands...I hate drawing hands!

Drawing hands is the worst! 

DRawing hands seams fearsome early on, but its actually really easy if its done carefully and thought about.. Just draw the underlying bone structures, including knuckles etc, and ALWAYS ALWAYS starting with the wrist as a seperate object off from the forearm (not drawing a proper wrist makes it impossible for the hand to look right and you could spend forever thinking its impossible). Look at your own hands and think about the bones.

Edit: Me when i was 16:


(click thumbnail for whole thing)

(I didn't really have scales).

50

Other Discussion / Re: Japanese Learning Resources

« on: April 23, 2007, 02:44:31 pm »

Me, helios and gm112 agree on stickiness, and hey, we are a mighty force!

Ok im just biased as i might one day want to learn japanese and so i'd start here when it's stickied rather than let it fall through.

It is too specific a subject for sticky heheh.

51

Discussion / Re: Open Source .vs. Closed Source

« on: April 22, 2007, 08:24:13 pm »

Yes, Ideas are far more important that code, and good implementation ideas should always be shared as they would improve the world... Other ideas being obvious and presented on the final product.

52

Discussion / Re: I wonder...

« on: April 20, 2007, 12:44:47 pm »

Im not sure, i went away and around that time it was said to be almost completely finished and things were just being added on.
And it was 99% finished in 2005 


Who can *really* be sure

53

Discussion / Re: How to Plan out your Zelda Games...

« on: April 20, 2007, 12:39:25 pm »

I start off with two threads of ideas - One is the world, its places, the areas, items, bosses, enemies, techniques, skills, puzzle styles etc.
The other is the characters, their relationships, the races, the story.
Once these two are complete, i think about plot.

Once all thats perfect, leave if a few days.

Youll change your mind... Maybe worthwhile sketching and making mockups, ie experiencing these ideas to feel what they may be like, and even asking people, or posting it akll on zgfc and getting critisicm.
Then go back and revise these things etc, and keep doing this until your sure.

Then, after design of what the things suppossed to do, abstracr design of the program.
I think of the things in the program, the objects, their relationships, andd raw and draw and redraw and redraw big object diagrams, with all the things (eg player, enemy etc), and how they will be using each other.
I dont worry here what files im having, as i like my program itself to be almost as abstract as this design, having files associated with unique objects and named respectively.

Once this is all sorted out, i write the programs structure in a shell like way and check the nature of the relationships, making sure they all work out before i spend time implementing.

Usually, when it comes to implementing the methods, filling them out, i already have an idea of how the implementation works because ive tested things in a little messy side file.
I always have two or more ajoined testing projects; One for testing parts of what im writing, and one for testing actual fragments of code if applicable, though usually i just go all out, write a big object, then find it it all magically compiles and works first time and then smile.
Just like Chuck Norris after a Roundhouse.

Not.
Usually there are 2-3 problems with everything, logical errors, but these are almost always related to the simple implementation inside little functions because everything else has been done and planned so well - fix that little bit inside the function so that it does what the original design said it was to do, and its all good!


And that, my bitches, is how to make software easily.

54

Discussion / Re: Open Source .vs. Closed Source

« on: April 20, 2007, 12:24:12 pm »

I still think some things should stay closed source though. Anti-virus software, for instance. It seems that now a lot of people have picked up the idea that if something is closed source, it is automatically worse than open source software, or less secure (though this isn't always the case).

While what you say is true, open source does not necessarily mean more secure, I don't agree that some things should stay closed source. Anti-virus is also an important thing to be open source. Having an open library with virus definitions which everyone can contribute to and access would be extremely effective, but most importantly giving everyone the right to be get the knowledge on how to protect their computers from any known threat.
If you talk about that software gets more insecure because crackers can see the source I have to tell you that it's not true. Most security experts agree that security by obscurity (e.g. closed source) is not a good way to go and it's mostly better giving information about security mechanisms but have a private thing (such as an encryption key/pass) secret. A cracker can very well find out the mechanism without having the source, it's his job, but think about all those "normal" people that need to have the mechanism for good/private use but can't because it's part of the secret!

Exactly.
I mean, if a security algorithm is so much weaker when known, then it isn't a vey good security algorithm!

I'm not going to restate things that have been said again and again in this topic (i hope);
Will just mention (the obvious) that Open source offers such a massive number of perspectives on the software as a whole, which, with proper time, coordination and work, can produce safer, more reliable, more user friendly (more user perspectives), more efficient software. Many large closed software projects are often constricted by the requirements of profit - limited programmers, limited time.
Often, things only get done if they are not working, wheras with open source you have the potential to have so many people with so many different ideas constantly looking at, thinking about and working on the software.

I mean, lets all get together and make this a better tron world!


And of course im totally in support what with all the learning to be done.

55

Discussion / Re: 3D Level Design - Creating a Satisfying Experience

« on: April 19, 2007, 08:04:02 pm »

2D does contain a lot of emotional elements.


Just look at the anger, the sadness, the determination in Mario's eyes. It truly defines his character.

Exacly!
His arms are so tense from the stress and weight on his mind that they have jagged square edges!.

56

Discussion / Re: 3D Level Design - Creating a Satisfying Experience

« on: April 18, 2007, 06:32:27 pm »

I cry when my yoshi falls down a pit.

And i fear, and feel, when i have to do magic mushrooms and fire leaves just to defeat bowser.

..Nah, i agree, but then again, 2d is open to emotion, it just wasn't part of it back in the day.
With modern Dynamic music tracks, more space and speed and larger teams to make such things happen, and more emphasis on stories being important, if snes games were made now with the general gaming target audience in mind, emotion would be important.
I mean, take it as far back as Space raiders.. They didn't have the choice of emotion.

57

Entertainment / Re: Samus Vs. Master Cheif

« on: April 18, 2007, 06:24:04 pm »

lol.

Cool.

The matrix music was annoying, but apart from that, cool.. Even the utter cheesiness of it all.

58

Discussion / Re: 3D Level Design - Creating a Satisfying Experience

« on: April 18, 2007, 06:06:02 pm »

Your key rule is my attitude to everything in existance - I use it to justify war as a nessecity in the evolution of civilized nations and the avoidance of stagnation (that and Gundam Wing references).
I use it to justify -not- mixing Muller corners with their corners until ive only some of it left.
I use it to justify Meshuggah as ruling.

Of course, were it all relative, there would be no possiblility of their existing correct morals; Well, there doesn't, but theres a range within which it all works.. An extent.
Sometimes providing too much contrast all the time fucks !@#$% up with a generic, obvious and homogeneous tone that sucks only from the weak.
But the rule still holds, for it is applied to everything, and that means itself; Even levels contrast themselves, need to be contrast.
This is why Killswitch engage suck.

There also has to be a slower wave of overall contrast between levels, independant of the instantaneous events that create the tighter contrasts mentioned in the article - You need soft calm villages, relaxing scenes, reflection, fast paces riots, scary goins on O_O.
eg, take dungeons being dungeons, and the overworld NOT being dungeons.
The divide is very relaxing and an integral part pf zelda games.

Global contrast => global expectation. The article mentions expectation of course, and likewise to little events,. there are alot of obvious expectations - Evil powerfull end bosses, harder dungeons, misery right before the light at the end. Expectations to be fullfilled, twisted, turned, made to look like their not going to happen and then only to fall out of the sky.

This article is something  valuable, good reading material for inspiring or directing aspiring designers towards the right ideas.
It wasn't really specific to 3d level design.. The same rules can be applied to any 2d scene, and even the same examples (falling down holes, seeking for bomb walls, freezerz jumping out of walls in the first, silent, calm, still light-coming-in-it-peacfull entrance room of the ice dungeon; Even my sentence there, with the '-'s inbetween the words to throw those words together and emphasise my point dramatically.

This, is a lesson for LIFE.
Apply the wise possums words to your cloths, your food, your music.

59

Discussion / Re: Final Fantasy Type Games-Exp Gain + Stat Increase

« on: April 18, 2007, 05:51:59 pm »

You can look at the ways that it's done in the games themselves, but really, you can just figure it out your own way, and trial and error until it balances well.
Start off thinking in simple simple terms.
The simplest possible thing could be, when someone attacks, it takes their attack value, divides by the opponents defense value, then removes this value from the opponents hit points.
And for speed, just have a variable for each player: You could make it increase by their agility and when someones gets over say 5000, they are allowed a move and it resets.
This is so simple that it has many disadvantages, for example, disproportionate; someone has strength 200, opponent has defence 1, takes off 200hp
Someone has strength 200, opponent has defence 3, takes off 67hp. Defence is too great a force.
You have to think mathematically in terms of how to scale and balance ratios like this to meet the endpoints you want (eg 0-9999), and also to balance the differences between things.
You'll need sometimes to think in terms of quadtratics as they will give you lower values towards endpoints and greater values towards the centre (or vice versa), and they can be applied to the previous problem with defence being powerfull (ie divide by a quadratic function of the defence that has its maximum at the maximum possible defence eg 255, and its minimum of 0 at 0). It would be even more wise to then use a quadratic with attack, and even have one dependant on the difference between attack and defence in the mix.
You may even wish to use exponents, logarithms, sins, etc.
hyperbolic cosine <3.


Your 15.
This is your chance to actually use all that maths youve done in school.
I was doing all this with my maths when i was your age... All you really need to do is, 'feel' differences and test examples, while understanding definitions.

you could however just start really really simple, eg subtract: attack - defence (if attack - defence>0, otherwise you'd add health, so you'd end up with if attack>defence then remove attack-defence hit points else remove none and display a wee '0' ).

Think about things like this...
You know that if you want something to have more effect in an expression multiply it by 2, 3 etc, or less effect, multiply by 0.5, or divide by 2 etc.
If you wanted a value to be within the rane 0-9999 but it was in the range 0-255, you could scale it like so:  x*(9999/255), so if x is 0, thats 0, and if its 255, thats 255*9999/255 = 9999.
If you want something to increase, but increase even more if its big, and even less if its small, you can square, cube, eg: 2->4, small increase, 3->9, bigger, 13->169 really much bigger proportion.
Or to reduce, reducing less the smaller it is, square root it.
These kinds of things.. You can work it all out satisfactorily if you mess about with them,

60

Discussion / Re: Your Dream Game Team

« on: April 18, 2007, 05:30:12 pm »

I'm good at making sounds, I guess. That is, saying a random word into the microphone then changing some settings in Audacity until it sounds cool.

Thats the MANs way of making music!

Me..

Well, i can't have shigeru.. I assume then that i can't have nobuo uematsu or koji kondo, so

..

That just leaves me, all alone.