Hello Guest, please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?
Login with username, password and session length.

Pages: [1] 2   Go Down

Author Topic: Requirements Due Date: 6/15  (Read 7054 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Requirements Due Date: 6/15
« on: June 08, 2011, 02:02:04 am »
  • Doesn't afraid of anything
  • *
  • Reputation: +42/-0
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Male
  • Posts: 7002
The requirements gathering phase will be first.  All I ask is that members of the Software Engineering Division post here the rules and requirements of a BASIC Zelda Engine.  I will gather these together myself at the end of the week and form them into a document.  You can post any requirements you feel are needed here. 

NOTE: In general, requirements are formatted as: "The system shall/shall not/should/should not [verb]" but I don't require this.  Just an optional guideline if anyone wants to follow it :)
Logged



i love big weenies and i cannot lie
Re: Requirements Due Date: 6/15
« Reply #1 on: June 08, 2011, 02:07:28 am »
  • Doesn't afraid of anything
  • *
  • Reputation: +42/-0
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Male
  • Posts: 7002
I'll throw a few down to get it started...

The player shall start with a minimum of 3 hearts and have a max of 20.
The player shall have a refillable magic meter.
The player shall at all times be notified of their current health and magic status via the HUD.
Logged



i love big weenies and i cannot lie

.

Re: Requirements Due Date: 6/15
« Reply #2 on: June 08, 2011, 02:25:04 am »
  • *
  • Reputation: +1/-0
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 143
The player shall have the ability to move via the keyboard.
The player shall have the ability to use a sword.
The player shall have the ability to set items and tools to one or more keys whether or not the sword is an interchangeable item.
Logged
Re: Requirements Due Date: 6/15
« Reply #3 on: June 09, 2011, 11:50:20 pm »
  • Doesn't afraid of anything
  • *
  • Reputation: +42/-0
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Male
  • Posts: 7002
The HUD shall consist of: Hearts, magic meter, action icon, item icons, a rupee counter, and any additional icons that may be needed in the future.
The HUD shall be designed with expandability in mind.

C'mon guys, keep em coming :P
Logged



i love big weenies and i cannot lie

.

Re: Requirements Due Date: 6/15
« Reply #4 on: June 10, 2011, 01:34:59 am »
  • *
  • Reputation: +1/-0
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 143
The system should include basic movement functions such as roll, pick up/throw, jumping off ledges, and stairs.
The system should include dialogue among signs and NPCs.
The system should include simple room transitions.
The system should include a variety of NPC types such as stationary, roaming, and path following.
EDIT: The system should include stationary NPCs.
« Last Edit: June 10, 2011, 02:21:40 am by jimn346 »
Logged

Starforsaken101

Wake the Beast
Re: Requirements Due Date: 6/15
« Reply #5 on: June 10, 2011, 01:37:09 am »
  • www.mouffers.com
  • *
  • Reputation: +69/-0
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 2577
The system should include basic movement functions such as roll, pick up/throw, jumping off ledges, and stairs.
The system should include dialogue among signs and NPCs.
The system should include simple room transitions.
The system should include a variety of NPC types such as stationary, roaming, and path following.

The last statement isn't basic at all. We're talking BASIC elements here. Something that includes path finding is not considered basic, in my opinion. Anything NPC-related should not be included in the "basic" engine; we should limit it to speaking with NPCs only if they are stationery.
Logged
  • Starforsaken101's DeviantART

.

Re: Requirements Due Date: 6/15
« Reply #6 on: June 10, 2011, 02:20:43 am »
  • *
  • Reputation: +1/-0
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 143
I wasn't saying path finding. I said roaming and path following. Roaming would move around randomly (with no specific goal) and path following wouldn't have to find a path because we would set one to it, though you are right that they probably aren't for the basic engine.
Logged
Re: Requirements Due Date: 6/15
« Reply #7 on: June 10, 2011, 02:22:46 am »
  • Doesn't afraid of anything
  • *
  • Reputation: +42/-0
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Male
  • Posts: 7002
So would you say an appropriate change to your requirement would be something like...

The system shall have npcs with basic functionality including movement and text-based interaction

?
Logged



i love big weenies and i cannot lie

.

Re: Requirements Due Date: 6/15
« Reply #8 on: June 10, 2011, 03:26:37 am »
  • *
  • Reputation: +1/-0
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 143
I changed it in my original post, but yes something to that effect.
Logged
Re: Requirements Due Date: 6/15
« Reply #9 on: June 10, 2011, 07:55:29 am »
  • *
  • Reputation: +3/-0
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Male
  • Posts: 3374
The player shall be able to swim.
The player shall be able to ledge jump/building jump.
The player shall be able to walk tightropes.
The player shall be able to climb.
The player shall be able to roll.
The player shall be able to take damage.
The player shall be able to perform actions on other objects.
The player shall be able to perform actions on NPCs.
The HUD shall include a rupee counter.
The HUD shall include a magic meter.
The HUD shall include a heart meter.
The HUD shall show dialog boxes where required.
The System shall be able to freeze control from the player when required (eg. cutscenes).
The System shall animate tiles as required.
The System shall play sounds when required.

And I'm done for now.
Logged
Quote from: Jason
Your community is a bunch of stuck up turds.

Starforsaken101

Wake the Beast
Re: Requirements Due Date: 6/15
« Reply #10 on: June 10, 2011, 01:46:31 pm »
  • www.mouffers.com
  • *
  • Reputation: +69/-0
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 2577
So would you say an appropriate change to your requirement would be something like...

The system shall have npcs with basic functionality including movement and text-based interaction

?

I still consider this to be outside of a basic engine. Movement requires some sort of intelligence. The NPC characters do not have to move for the engine to be fine.

Quote
I wasn't saying path finding. I said roaming and path following. Roaming would move around randomly (with no specific goal) and path following wouldn't have to find a path because we would set one to it, though you are right that they probably aren't for the basic engine.

Roaming and path following both include algorithms that are "pathfinding". I wouldn't say roaming is 100% random either.
Logged
  • Starforsaken101's DeviantART
Re: Requirements Due Date: 6/15
« Reply #11 on: June 10, 2011, 02:58:47 pm »
  • Minalien
  • *
  • Reputation: +10/-1
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 2119
Roaming and path following both include algorithms that are "pathfinding". I wouldn't say roaming is 100% random either.
This is true - roaming needs basic controls to keep the character from roaming away from the game area, and "path following" is literally pathfinding.

I still consider this to be outside of a basic engine. Movement requires some sort of intelligence. The NPC characters do not have to move for the engine to be fine.
Given the number of tasks we're assigning for other areas, I wouldn't say that this is outside the requirements of a basic engine. No NPC in a Zelda game is going to need any pathfinding on the level of implementing either the A* or Djikstra algorithms, and implementing a minor roaming algorithm or "path-selection" system involving preconstructed roaming paths is trivial to implement in a properly-written game system.
Logged
Quote
There's such a double standard about religion in the modern world. Catholics can gather, wear white robes, and say "In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti" and be considered normal.

But if my friends and I gather, wear black robes, and say  "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn", we're considered cultists.
  • Development Blog

Starforsaken101

Wake the Beast
Re: Requirements Due Date: 6/15
« Reply #12 on: June 10, 2011, 09:52:40 pm »
  • www.mouffers.com
  • *
  • Reputation: +69/-0
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 2577
Roaming and path following both include algorithms that are "pathfinding". I wouldn't say roaming is 100% random either.
This is true - roaming needs basic controls to keep the character from roaming away from the game area, and "path following" is literally pathfinding.

I still consider this to be outside of a basic engine. Movement requires some sort of intelligence. The NPC characters do not have to move for the engine to be fine.
Given the number of tasks we're assigning for other areas, I wouldn't say that this is outside the requirements of a basic engine. No NPC in a Zelda game is going to need any pathfinding on the level of implementing either the A* or Djikstra algorithms, and implementing a minor roaming algorithm or "path-selection" system involving preconstructed roaming paths is trivial to implement in a properly-written game system.

Yes, I understand it's not a high level of intelligence compared to other NPC roaming, but I still don't think it should be prioritized in the basic engine. That is all I'm saying. With the amount of stuff listed, the team already has plenty to work on.
Logged
  • Starforsaken101's DeviantART
Re: Requirements Due Date: 6/15
« Reply #13 on: June 10, 2011, 10:06:19 pm »
  • Minalien
  • *
  • Reputation: +10/-1
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 2119
What's listed thus far won't take much time at all to implement. Assuming the selection of C++ or C# as the core development language, it will take more time to implement the game engine systems - these aren't a very difficult addition to the system, and are tasks that could likely even be handled by a single developer (given sufficient understanding and experience).
Logged
Quote
There's such a double standard about religion in the modern world. Catholics can gather, wear white robes, and say "In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti" and be considered normal.

But if my friends and I gather, wear black robes, and say  "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn", we're considered cultists.
  • Development Blog

Starforsaken101

Wake the Beast
Re: Requirements Due Date: 6/15
« Reply #14 on: June 10, 2011, 10:17:24 pm »
  • www.mouffers.com
  • *
  • Reputation: +69/-0
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 2577
Well, I'm still standing by my opinion that this kind of thing should be done in another sprint. We'll see what gets decided.
Logged
  • Starforsaken101's DeviantART
Re: Requirements Due Date: 6/15
« Reply #15 on: June 12, 2011, 02:54:35 pm »
  • Doesn't afraid of anything
  • *
  • Reputation: +42/-0
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Male
  • Posts: 7002
No, this stuff def. should not take long.  However, I just noticed that we've only come up with gameplay elements and have not mentioned any engine structure, so lets try to fill those in as well.  For example..

The system shall use states to determine how the engine should function (title screen, paused, in game etc)
The player should use a state swapping system as well (shooting, normal, horse riding etc)
The system shall use a base game object class from which all other game objects are derived
Logged



i love big weenies and i cannot lie
Re: Requirements Due Date: 6/15
« Reply #16 on: June 12, 2011, 05:20:46 pm »
  • Minalien
  • *
  • Reputation: +10/-1
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 2119
I think that will depend largely upon the poll, though I suppose C# may as well be declared the victor at this point. However, I don't think it's very appropriate to discuss system structure until a structured team has been formed for the engine development and their experience can be gauged. It's a small matter for either of us to write a robust FSM, but we can't guarantee that all working on the development side of the house will even know what we're talking about.

At the very least, system structure requirements should be done separate from the higher-level engine goals - preferably with only those that will be participating in the actual programming of the structure having a say.
Logged
Quote
There's such a double standard about religion in the modern world. Catholics can gather, wear white robes, and say "In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti" and be considered normal.

But if my friends and I gather, wear black robes, and say  "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn", we're considered cultists.
  • Development Blog
Re: Requirements Due Date: 6/15
« Reply #17 on: June 12, 2011, 06:11:15 pm »
  • Doesn't afraid of anything
  • *
  • Reputation: +42/-0
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Male
  • Posts: 7002
I was talking in general terms, i.e. not noting specific structures (although I seemed to do that with the 3rd one on that list..) so they could be applied to whatever language was chosen.  It's not difficult to implement states into any of the above languages for example.  It will also be necessary when we're designing game objects to know how the engine is going to handle them.  But, considering how early we are, it can probably wait.  The lower-level engine requirements for the most part will probably make themselves apparent as we're working on scenarios and such.

EDIT: Actually yea, going by the current project plan, I jumped the gun a bit.

We'll have to work out who's doing programming, UML or both at some point as well.  On another note, half of this division has not yet responded to the PM that went out.
« Last Edit: June 12, 2011, 06:16:45 pm by MG-Zero »
Logged



i love big weenies and i cannot lie

King Tetiro

Leader of Phoenix Heart
Re: Requirements Due Date: 6/15
« Reply #18 on: June 14, 2011, 06:10:02 am »
  • *
  • Reputation: +0/-0
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Male
  • Posts: 3549
Here's what I think

-Should have the menu system
-Should have the game over screen
-Should have environment hazards and obstacles (Aka the pit of doom)
-Should not only have the sword, but the rest of the items that the player will acquire
Logged
  • Phoenix Heart
Re: Requirements Due Date: 6/15
« Reply #19 on: June 14, 2011, 01:05:44 pm »
  • Doesn't afraid of anything
  • *
  • Reputation: +42/-0
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Male
  • Posts: 7002
Well, we currently don't know what all of the items are, so we can't do that yet.  The other 3 sound good, though!
Logged



i love big weenies and i cannot lie
Pages: [1] 2   Go Up

 


Contact Us | Legal | Advertise Here
2013 © ZFGC, All Rights Reserved



Page created in 0.029 seconds with 77 queries.

anything