It's been a hoot, but we have come to the end of this road. I hope you have enjoyed this blog over the last two years and that you gleamed insight into the daily trials of a games engine in development, and the coder responsible. I would like to thank the thousand or so followers of my daily rant, and together we have clocked just shy of half a million views which is pretty cool. FPS Creator Reloaded was a pretty apt name for what was meant to be a simple revision of the classic version, but as you saw over the many months of progress we ultimately re-wrote most of it. As we developed, it became clear that a new more expansive name was required, and finding that name would be very difficult.
As it transpired, after a full day dedicated to brainstorming a new name, and buying the required sites and a certain level of due diligence, we decided on a name, and it only remained to convince the entire pledger community it was a good one. When we announced, I was pleasantly surprised that almost everyone liked it, and more crucially, understood what it meant in terms of the product direction and vision.
As my final post on this blog I would like to introduce my new blog, which can be found on the newly christened GameGuru website at https://www.game-guru.com/devblog/. The general understanding is that this blog will be a little more official, and using approved images rather than back-door programmer art, but perhaps this is all for the best. A more professional polished blog will certainly have it's advantages.
It only remains for me to once again thank everyone who read my posts, and I do hope you will join me over at the new site to start a new adventure, which tracks my journey into the world of Steam development and the high and lows associated with being part of the largest game distribution channel on the PC. This blog-spot page will remain for prosperity and a lasting monument to the formative years of Game Guru.
Friday, 20 February 2015
Thursday, 19 February 2015
Getting Better Every Day
Each day brings fewer and fewer new bugs added to the list, and once more I fixed ALL of my bugs but as at 5PM I only have one bug remaining, which is a crazy one which takes 15 minutes to reproduce, but for the rest of my tests I have gone through the whole software, ever button and menu item, every key press and feature, and it stood up very well.
Also played some more multi-player today and it's holding up too, with the ability to host and join with built-in content instantly, and for custom and store assets the workshop auto-subscribe system also works well, and you can get up and running with a new level with only an extra 20 seconds added to the process, so everything is looking good for some kind of release next week, and allows me to relax a little on Friday and hopefully spend most of the time testing and making small games :)
Also played some more multi-player today and it's holding up too, with the ability to host and join with built-in content instantly, and for custom and store assets the workshop auto-subscribe system also works well, and you can get up and running with a new level with only an extra 20 seconds added to the process, so everything is looking good for some kind of release next week, and allows me to relax a little on Friday and hopefully spend most of the time testing and making small games :)
Wednesday, 18 February 2015
Five Hours Later
After I walked the dog, I returned to the PC with every intention of making some food and watching a bit of Netflix, then I decided to see if I could get my task list down by one item, which was around 7PM, and now at 20 minutes to midnight I am perhaps half way through this 'one' task which just happens to be a text swap both in the IDE and the Editor to prepare what is called a Translation Kit.
I had not planned to do this before the Steam launch as it is quite pervasive to swap out lots of hard coded text for external file reference text, but it appeared in my Wrike list and would have prevented me from finishing my Steam release so I started it, and I think I can finish it by Thursday afternoon which will mean we can start the translation of GameGuru almost at the same time as the main release, and whether this was wise we will see.
I had not planned to do this before the Steam launch as it is quite pervasive to swap out lots of hard coded text for external file reference text, but it appeared in my Wrike list and would have prevented me from finishing my Steam release so I started it, and I think I can finish it by Thursday afternoon which will mean we can start the translation of GameGuru almost at the same time as the main release, and whether this was wise we will see.
Tuesday, 17 February 2015
Welcome to 1399
Ever seen such an ugly bunch of reprobates, well they are coming to a game maker near you, and they're bringing their weapons and bad breath with them in what is bound to be a medieval gathering to remember, so get ready to party until it's 1399!
Of course get too close and it turns from a wonderful fantasy adventure into a barbarian brawl, and it's gonna hurt!
In other news the day was spent putting our world to rights in our monthly strategy meeting, and it's good to report that we're on schedule for a successful launch of GameGuru on Steam. We've all agreed the priority should remain on stability, performance and key functionality before launching into a gamut of new 'toys' but we will have resources to ensure a steady stream of new content in the form of DLCs and free assets added to the core product over time, so exciting times ahead and can't wait to play your crazy multi-player levels when we release in March!
Of course get too close and it turns from a wonderful fantasy adventure into a barbarian brawl, and it's gonna hurt!
In other news the day was spent putting our world to rights in our monthly strategy meeting, and it's good to report that we're on schedule for a successful launch of GameGuru on Steam. We've all agreed the priority should remain on stability, performance and key functionality before launching into a gamut of new 'toys' but we will have resources to ensure a steady stream of new content in the form of DLCs and free assets added to the core product over time, so exciting times ahead and can't wait to play your crazy multi-player levels when we release in March!
Monday, 16 February 2015
And Then There Were Four
So I went from zero tasks up to something like twelve, and now I am back down to four, and a little more stability in the software for my trouble, so things are going well, with other cool stuff creeping in from time to time, including new thumbnails for our new as yet unannounced content:
Tomorrow is my monthly strategy meeting to decide some last minute things before the big reveal at the end of the month, at which time I will not even be in this country but in the States attending the GDC 2015 and dividing my time between talking about GameGuru and drinking Guinness (while talking about GameGuru).
As it's the last 'proper' week of tweaks before the week of 'testing', I am adding a third sentence to my blog today to show a screenshot of one of the sample multi-player levels, again created by a member of our kick-ass community of game makers!
As it's the last 'proper' week of tweaks before the week of 'testing', I am adding a third sentence to my blog today to show a screenshot of one of the sample multi-player levels, again created by a member of our kick-ass community of game makers!
Friday, 13 February 2015
Through The Mists Of Development
The second day, and with a few internal Steam keys out the door we're getting generally good responses, and a few tweaks we still need to solve before the main Steam launch, but we're knocking those tasks out the park and getting back down to a scatter of issues, with Ravey focusing on multi-player stability which is starting to take the strain of more than a few of us using it.
As more content comes online, it's great to start seeing the 'variety' of games that can be made with GameGuru now, and a glimpse of things to come. With the addition of creepy sounds and Zombies, the Asylum horror pack is starting to look like a real game which was of course always the intent, but it's nice to see it emerge slowly from the mists of development.
As more content comes online, it's great to start seeing the 'variety' of games that can be made with GameGuru now, and a glimpse of things to come. With the addition of creepy sounds and Zombies, the Asylum horror pack is starting to look like a real game which was of course always the intent, but it's nice to see it emerge slowly from the mists of development.
Thursday, 12 February 2015
Launch Day With A New Name
It's the day we've been working towards, looking forward to and also dreading, the day we announced our Steam launch of GameGuru, the new face of game creation and our new home for the next decade. I could not sum it up better than the press released from Develop, linked here:
http://www.develop-online.net/news/gameguru-teaches-players-to-develop-3d-titles/0203041
The ball is now in motion, and if there was ever a day one, this would be it. The world has been informed and it's now our responsibility to deliver on every single grand design we ever hinted at over the last two years. The current build which is being hammered, ready for Steam Early Access, is focusing on getting the basics very solid and the basics covered. The process is quite ruthless, but not much has been dropped and in fact we've added quite a lot of content in a short amount of time in terms of stock assets you'll get out the box.
By now all pledgers will have received the email containing details of the goodies you will be getting as an honored member of our pledge based development. You get the full Steam product for free, extra keys for your friends and family, plus if you are Silver or Gold, some great DLC vouchers which will allow you to get new model packs we will be releasing on Steam. One of our strategies is to commission content on a rolling basis so you will get new assets all the time, in addition to any assets created by third parties through the built-in store.
Not only have we added medieval buildings and scenery objects but also characters and weapons too, so you'll have a great place to start your own fantasy game (and if you want ye' old' rocket launchers in 7th century England, that's fine too).
Deciding on a name for our game creator was extremely difficult, if not impossible, and I am also pretty sure not everyone will like it. The simple reasoning behind it is that we have to move beyond FPS and the 'shooter only' constraints of the old title. Within the next few years we'll have expanded the product to include third person, driving, flying, deep diving, space adventures and everything in between. For this we need a brand name that is simple to remember that can over-arch all the genre's we plan to support, and speaking personally, I am a little sad to see the old name go, but our future is as much about Third Person and Adventures as it is about First Person and Shooting, and we're making a bold statement to the universe that this is what we want and we're going to do it.
Of course there is no rest for the weary, and I must dive right back into the code and continue the last of the tweaks before some seriously intense testing next week ready for the countdown to the actual Steam launch. I hope the new pledger installer works for everyone, but don't worry if you get the occasional issue, chances are we've already fixed it for the Steam build, and rest assured our internal alpha team will be giving the Steam pre-build a blast before it goes live.
More than my usual two sentences, but no ordinary day you will agree. Might post a little more on Friday but for the next two weeks there will not be much more than 'tested the product today, it was better'. Standard stuff, but absolutely essential for a successful and trouble free launch. If anyone is attending GDC I will be there for all five days, on the GDC show floor for four of them and doing my fair share of Guinness tasting throughout. As always, you are welcome to track me down and join me for a few swifties, always a good time at GDC! I will post my schedule and locations closer the time :)
And finally, as I cannot say it enough, a huge thanks to the entire community who have helped us get this far, and I hope you will join us on our continuing mission to explore strange new genre's, to seek out content and new model packs, to go boldly where no game maker has gone....before.
FOR THOSE WHO DID NOT GET THE EMAIL (YET), HERE IS THE TEXT SENT TO ALL PLEDGERS OF THE PROJECT:
Welcome to FPS Creator Reloaded Version 1.01
Today we are releasing V1.01 of FPS Creator Reloaded. You will find this new build in the My Products section of The Game Creators website;
http://www.thegamecreators.
With this release we’d like to tell you our news!
Announcing GameGuru
With the technology developed to date we are launching a brand new game creation tool called GameGuru - an easy to use game maker that allows anyone to make, share and sell any kind of game on their PC. You can see it listed here in the Steam coming soon list;http://store.steampowered.com/
Heading to Steam
From 2nd March we’ll be distributing GameGuru exclusively through Steam as an Early Access title. The main reasons for this are:
* The multiplayer code is built on the Steam networking system
* GameGuru will be much easier to manage through Steam – for example, the taking advantage of the Steam Workshop makes sharing and playing multiplayer levels much easier
* A single build means single focus, better for everyone
* We’ll widen our customer base which in turn will strengthen the community and allow us to bring you more features
* The Game Creators will be able to help you publish the best games made in GameGuru onto Steam
Thank You to our FPS Creator Reloaded pledgers!
Your support has helped us complete the project and we are very grateful for your backing.
On launch day we will be sending you all a set of Steam keys based on the pledge level you made:
* Gold: 5 GameGuru Steam Keys + 4 Model Pack DLCs due in 2015 (total value over $120)
* Silver: 4 GameGuru Steam Keys + 2 Model Pack DLCs due in 2015 (total value over $90)
* Bronze: 2 GameGuru Steam Keys + 1 Model Pack DLC (total value over $39)
You’ll be free to share your Steam keys with friends and family and then play against each other in your own multiplayer maps!
GameGuru is now our main game making project here at The Game Creators and we have lots of developments planned for 2015 and beyond - you will get lifetime updates for Free :-)
One Steam Price
Our aim is to make GameGuru a mass market product and as such it will have a price that appeals to the Steam community - $19.99.
Plus GameGuru is royalty free so if you create the next Skyrim or COD the revenue you generate is all yours!
All the original FPS Creator Reloaded model packs will be merged into the main Steam product. This means anyone who buys GameGuru will receive:
* GameGuru
* Modern Day Model Pack
* Horror Model Pack
* Zombies Model Pack
* Vegetation Plus Pack
* The ability to save their single player games as standalone exes
We’re also working on some new fantasy and cartoon models that will be part of GameGuru. The benefit of adding all the media into the core means that users can make multiplayer levels and easily link up with friends and only have to send their map file before a multiplayer session begins.
Over the coming months and years we plan to add many new features so our community can effortlessly design the games of their dreams.
We hope you enjoy GameGuru and as always please keep sending us your feedback and suggestions.
http://www.develop-online.net/news/gameguru-teaches-players-to-develop-3d-titles/0203041
The ball is now in motion, and if there was ever a day one, this would be it. The world has been informed and it's now our responsibility to deliver on every single grand design we ever hinted at over the last two years. The current build which is being hammered, ready for Steam Early Access, is focusing on getting the basics very solid and the basics covered. The process is quite ruthless, but not much has been dropped and in fact we've added quite a lot of content in a short amount of time in terms of stock assets you'll get out the box.
By now all pledgers will have received the email containing details of the goodies you will be getting as an honored member of our pledge based development. You get the full Steam product for free, extra keys for your friends and family, plus if you are Silver or Gold, some great DLC vouchers which will allow you to get new model packs we will be releasing on Steam. One of our strategies is to commission content on a rolling basis so you will get new assets all the time, in addition to any assets created by third parties through the built-in store.
Not only have we added medieval buildings and scenery objects but also characters and weapons too, so you'll have a great place to start your own fantasy game (and if you want ye' old' rocket launchers in 7th century England, that's fine too).
Deciding on a name for our game creator was extremely difficult, if not impossible, and I am also pretty sure not everyone will like it. The simple reasoning behind it is that we have to move beyond FPS and the 'shooter only' constraints of the old title. Within the next few years we'll have expanded the product to include third person, driving, flying, deep diving, space adventures and everything in between. For this we need a brand name that is simple to remember that can over-arch all the genre's we plan to support, and speaking personally, I am a little sad to see the old name go, but our future is as much about Third Person and Adventures as it is about First Person and Shooting, and we're making a bold statement to the universe that this is what we want and we're going to do it.
Of course there is no rest for the weary, and I must dive right back into the code and continue the last of the tweaks before some seriously intense testing next week ready for the countdown to the actual Steam launch. I hope the new pledger installer works for everyone, but don't worry if you get the occasional issue, chances are we've already fixed it for the Steam build, and rest assured our internal alpha team will be giving the Steam pre-build a blast before it goes live.
More than my usual two sentences, but no ordinary day you will agree. Might post a little more on Friday but for the next two weeks there will not be much more than 'tested the product today, it was better'. Standard stuff, but absolutely essential for a successful and trouble free launch. If anyone is attending GDC I will be there for all five days, on the GDC show floor for four of them and doing my fair share of Guinness tasting throughout. As always, you are welcome to track me down and join me for a few swifties, always a good time at GDC! I will post my schedule and locations closer the time :)
And finally, as I cannot say it enough, a huge thanks to the entire community who have helped us get this far, and I hope you will join us on our continuing mission to explore strange new genre's, to seek out content and new model packs, to go boldly where no game maker has gone....before.
FOR THOSE WHO DID NOT GET THE EMAIL (YET), HERE IS THE TEXT SENT TO ALL PLEDGERS OF THE PROJECT:
Welcome to FPS Creator Reloaded Version 1.01
Today we are releasing V1.01 of FPS Creator Reloaded. You will find this new build in the My Products section of The Game Creators website;
http://www.thegamecreators.
With this release we’d like to tell you our news!
Announcing GameGuru
With the technology developed to date we are launching a brand new game creation tool called GameGuru - an easy to use game maker that allows anyone to make, share and sell any kind of game on their PC. You can see it listed here in the Steam coming soon list;http://store.steampowered.com/
Heading to Steam
From 2nd March we’ll be distributing GameGuru exclusively through Steam as an Early Access title. The main reasons for this are:
* The multiplayer code is built on the Steam networking system
* GameGuru will be much easier to manage through Steam – for example, the taking advantage of the Steam Workshop makes sharing and playing multiplayer levels much easier
* A single build means single focus, better for everyone
* We’ll widen our customer base which in turn will strengthen the community and allow us to bring you more features
* The Game Creators will be able to help you publish the best games made in GameGuru onto Steam
Thank You to our FPS Creator Reloaded pledgers!
Your support has helped us complete the project and we are very grateful for your backing.
On launch day we will be sending you all a set of Steam keys based on the pledge level you made:
* Gold: 5 GameGuru Steam Keys + 4 Model Pack DLCs due in 2015 (total value over $120)
* Silver: 4 GameGuru Steam Keys + 2 Model Pack DLCs due in 2015 (total value over $90)
* Bronze: 2 GameGuru Steam Keys + 1 Model Pack DLC (total value over $39)
You’ll be free to share your Steam keys with friends and family and then play against each other in your own multiplayer maps!
GameGuru is now our main game making project here at The Game Creators and we have lots of developments planned for 2015 and beyond - you will get lifetime updates for Free :-)
One Steam Price
Our aim is to make GameGuru a mass market product and as such it will have a price that appeals to the Steam community - $19.99.
Plus GameGuru is royalty free so if you create the next Skyrim or COD the revenue you generate is all yours!
All the original FPS Creator Reloaded model packs will be merged into the main Steam product. This means anyone who buys GameGuru will receive:
* GameGuru
* Modern Day Model Pack
* Horror Model Pack
* Zombies Model Pack
* Vegetation Plus Pack
* The ability to save their single player games as standalone exes
We’re also working on some new fantasy and cartoon models that will be part of GameGuru. The benefit of adding all the media into the core means that users can make multiplayer levels and easily link up with friends and only have to send their map file before a multiplayer session begins.
Over the coming months and years we plan to add many new features so our community can effortlessly design the games of their dreams.
We hope you enjoy GameGuru and as always please keep sending us your feedback and suggestions.
Wednesday, 11 February 2015
Down To One And At Number One
About two hours ago my task list had a SINGLE item in it, that's right just one fix and I have completed everything assigned to me at that point, alas the bug required some tricky multi-player stuff to reproduce so it was not a quick fix, and since then a few more items have emerged from a recent MP session so I guess it's back to work for me.
In other news, our Theory Test app, which teaches you how to pass your driving test, has just hit Number #1 on the Top Paid iOS UK charts, beating Minecraft and Angry Birds, which of course will not last for long, but it's a great feeling to be at the number one spot once again, and I am pretty sure it won't be the last either, now if I can just get our game maker to Number #1 on Steam ;)
In other news, our Theory Test app, which teaches you how to pass your driving test, has just hit Number #1 on the Top Paid iOS UK charts, beating Minecraft and Angry Birds, which of course will not last for long, but it's a great feeling to be at the number one spot once again, and I am pretty sure it won't be the last either, now if I can just get our game maker to Number #1 on Steam ;)
Tuesday, 10 February 2015
Just Four Left
Though delegation and blindly fixing stuff, I am now down to just FOUR items on my task list which is a nice feeling, and naturally the universe won't want me to be happy for too long so I expect the list to increase again in the next round of internal tests but at least I am on top of the project which is where I need to be.
As part of my fixes, I occasionally have to create small levels to test, and this lead me to test a possible collision show-down with the above statue, but it was in vein, the collision was super fast and smooth, and the ugly looking stone statues made no complaints either, so I think everyone was happy in the end.
As part of my fixes, I occasionally have to create small levels to test, and this lead me to test a possible collision show-down with the above statue, but it was in vein, the collision was super fast and smooth, and the ugly looking stone statues made no complaints either, so I think everyone was happy in the end.
Monday, 9 February 2015
She's Dying To Eat You
A gruesome image below but a great day for completing tasks! Between the team we've knocked off off 26 in one day, and have dropped below the 40 item threshold which is cool considering it was over 200 at one point and we've been adding lots of items since that count.
I present to you one of our lovely Zombies, currently integrated into the main build along with Cartoon genre plus a few more game levels to flesh out the offering when you first install and use the product, and right now I am trying to get as much of the final asset assembly together as quickly as possible, so this is sure to be another hectic week but it will be worth it come the end of Feb!
I present to you one of our lovely Zombies, currently integrated into the main build along with Cartoon genre plus a few more game levels to flesh out the offering when you first install and use the product, and right now I am trying to get as much of the final asset assembly together as quickly as possible, so this is sure to be another hectic week but it will be worth it come the end of Feb!
Friday, 6 February 2015
The Good The Bad
A good day in terms of getting a good solid build ready for an early submission to Steam which was always part of the plan to test things out, and everything looked good apart from a few niggles added to Wrike.
My own day however has been marred with the inability of my brain to work out why the Steam SHIFT+TAB does not work (the Steam UI Overlay system), and from 9AM to 9PM I've battled and mostly failed. About an hour or so ago I discovered the using the SetForegroundWindow() helped a little, but it's a dangerous command and flaky inside the child window setup I have for the software IDE and DX app.
I've finished on a high note with the toggle now working from the IDE, and if you ALT+TAB the app it also works in the game, but it does not work when you CLICK inside the editor or game, and the mouse highlighter and click definately do not work. I've fired off an email to the Steam guys and maybe I can get some insight into how to debug the GameOverlayUI.exe module which so far has been the cause of all my Friday bane and suffering.
Also not eaten since 9AM too so going to put something on TV and eat food, forget about input focus, windows messaging, directinput cooperative modes, keyboard and mouse focus, activation and foreground permissions, and hopefully my brain will create a short list of new things to try when I return tonight or Saturday.
Also some fellow kindly reversed into my car which now has a very deep hole, bent plastic and shards of glass where my front bumper and fog light used to be. Only found out about it today when the garage asked about it, retraced the cars tracks to the pub car park, somewhere between Wednesday night and Thursday morning. I could start an investigation, or an insurance claim, but there's no use crying over spilled milk and it was a nice reminder by the universe that leaving my car defenseless in the middle of an empty car park on a Wednesday night is not a good idea on so many levels. If the Steam launch goes well, I can just buy a new bumper, or if it goes really well a new car (not really, my Honda Accord is the best car I've had, anyhoo, back to the eating and developing stuff).
My own day however has been marred with the inability of my brain to work out why the Steam SHIFT+TAB does not work (the Steam UI Overlay system), and from 9AM to 9PM I've battled and mostly failed. About an hour or so ago I discovered the using the SetForegroundWindow() helped a little, but it's a dangerous command and flaky inside the child window setup I have for the software IDE and DX app.
I've finished on a high note with the toggle now working from the IDE, and if you ALT+TAB the app it also works in the game, but it does not work when you CLICK inside the editor or game, and the mouse highlighter and click definately do not work. I've fired off an email to the Steam guys and maybe I can get some insight into how to debug the GameOverlayUI.exe module which so far has been the cause of all my Friday bane and suffering.
Also not eaten since 9AM too so going to put something on TV and eat food, forget about input focus, windows messaging, directinput cooperative modes, keyboard and mouse focus, activation and foreground permissions, and hopefully my brain will create a short list of new things to try when I return tonight or Saturday.
Also some fellow kindly reversed into my car which now has a very deep hole, bent plastic and shards of glass where my front bumper and fog light used to be. Only found out about it today when the garage asked about it, retraced the cars tracks to the pub car park, somewhere between Wednesday night and Thursday morning. I could start an investigation, or an insurance claim, but there's no use crying over spilled milk and it was a nice reminder by the universe that leaving my car defenseless in the middle of an empty car park on a Wednesday night is not a good idea on so many levels. If the Steam launch goes well, I can just buy a new bumper, or if it goes really well a new car (not really, my Honda Accord is the best car I've had, anyhoo, back to the eating and developing stuff).
Thursday, 5 February 2015
Marvelous Multiplayer
Ravey had another day (and night) to work on the multiplayer, and managed to reduce overall packet traffic by 75 percent, which meant our second eight player deathmatch went smooth, even with some users harboring high ping rates, which means we're good to go here with only minor tweaks and fixes to follow.
For my own efforts, knocked a few more items off the list, and added the same number back on as we continue to refine the software for a Steam release, but now faced with the strangest of bugs which manifests itself in the form of hiding all the sounds in the game, as though the game window itself is unable to play sounds or has zero volume, or something, so hopefully I can solve this before I log off for an early night, ready for the big Friday when lots of things are planned and also marks the end of the first week of 'solid testing'.
For my own efforts, knocked a few more items off the list, and added the same number back on as we continue to refine the software for a Steam release, but now faced with the strangest of bugs which manifests itself in the form of hiding all the sounds in the game, as though the game window itself is unable to play sounds or has zero volume, or something, so hopefully I can solve this before I log off for an early night, ready for the big Friday when lots of things are planned and also marks the end of the first week of 'solid testing'.
Wednesday, 4 February 2015
Running Out Of Tasks
After obliterating my priority tasks with a vengeance, I am now working through the last five 'normal' items on my list, and I am sure there will be many more added but it's nice to get my work visible at a glance on a single page, good for moral, and with my Pool Night tonight I can hopefully come away with a win there as well.
In other news asset generation continues at a good pace on the Character Kit which will fool your gamer with a crafty use of beards, and thanks to a standard pipeline we're documenting it also means you can craft your own beards in a modeler and add them to the selection, not to mention the extra beards we will be selling through the store too (don't worry hair pieces and false noses to follow in the near future).
In other news asset generation continues at a good pace on the Character Kit which will fool your gamer with a crafty use of beards, and thanks to a standard pipeline we're documenting it also means you can craft your own beards in a modeler and add them to the selection, not to mention the extra beards we will be selling through the store too (don't worry hair pieces and false noses to follow in the near future).
Tuesday, 3 February 2015
Multiplayer Mayhem
Today we tested the first EIGHT player multiplayer mode session with a map I created specially for the occasion, and aside from two issues relating to the dreaded 'guaranteed packet' effect, the whole experience was pretty cool, with players jet packing all over the sky, shooting fellow players in the midst of serious network testing and generally having a good old time in the level I affectionately entitled 'Holy Shotgun'.
In addition to testing the latest multiplayer code from Ravey, which was the fruit of a coding stint that kept him awake until 5AM, I also tested about ten fixes I made during my own late night session, all of which did not reduce the stability of the 'almost final build' except for a missing texture which was an easy tweak to the installer, and despite changing just one file, I still tested the whole software again, button by button, feature by feature, and I saw that it was good.
In addition to testing the latest multiplayer code from Ravey, which was the fruit of a coding stint that kept him awake until 5AM, I also tested about ten fixes I made during my own late night session, all of which did not reduce the stability of the 'almost final build' except for a missing texture which was an easy tweak to the installer, and despite changing just one file, I still tested the whole software again, button by button, feature by feature, and I saw that it was good.
Monday, 2 February 2015
Finished My Game
As you may know I've been occasionally playing far Cry 3 single player mission to learn how a great FPS game is put together, and I can proudly proclaim that I have completed the single player mission and finished as a goodie goodie, an experience that really reconnected me with what makes good combat AI, weapon handling and general level content, and I am sure these subtle lessons will leak into my work as a games engine engineer.
Today has been mainly about very minor tweaks and a whole lot of testing on a build which was almost the one ready for release, but we've identified a few issues that simply could not be ignored, and so we have decided to get those fixed and repeat the testing circus again on Tuesday, with the hope to have something REALLY solid later this week, so watch this space for announcements and I think you will like what you see!
Today has been mainly about very minor tweaks and a whole lot of testing on a build which was almost the one ready for release, but we've identified a few issues that simply could not be ignored, and so we have decided to get those fixed and repeat the testing circus again on Tuesday, with the hope to have something REALLY solid later this week, so watch this space for announcements and I think you will like what you see!
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