(SSGX Origins) Let's make a Wipeout game! This time for real!

Ok, let's regroup and start this all over again:

We need programmers, modellers/designers and texture/graphic artists.
We should do things like this:
-Name of the game (of course it can't be Wipeout due to copyrights).
-Making a simple program to run the 3D models.
-Prototyping the ships, tracks, menus and graphics.
-Modeling the above referred.
-Enhance the program with physics.
-Add A.I. (artificial intelligence).
-Debugging.
-Release.

This is version 1.
The second version could have weapons and such... Basicaly following the same path as the original Wipeout series.

Let's simplify and reorganize.

I'll do the prototyping of the ships if there are no objections.

I can make a simple program to run 3d models :)

(my programming language: C++)

That would be awesome! I know a little of C++ too, enough to make complex calculator programs in DOS.
You make for which file format? OBJ would be great for a first program.
And, if you please, could you share the source code for that?

I'm not half bad with futuristic design, perhaps I could have a go Xpand? (But of course i'm no artist unless i'm drawing IRL

And just to get the ball rolling how about Velocity: Evoloution
The evoloution of speed

Im a good imager or modler and im good for some programming i know javascript and HTML so i may be able to set up a online server

,Xpand can you maybye make Fesaer's and my track into one like you did with that harmaui test track the image here is provided id just like the track anyway it can be made(sorry about my spelling im tired)
and that midle part with a gap in the track just lyk make that solid to go on or somthing
Attachment 2146

If i make that program i'll share source code, about format of models... i have problems with exporting them to .obj (.x is working a little better)

EDIT:
btw. I began learning C++ maybe... 4 days ago? So it may take a little more time...

I'm happy to ships, HUDS, Weapons or anything!

Track design eludes me tho...
Xpand, post or pm here and i'll do any assingment you ask :)

is there going to be a awesome plasma design??!!!

Well, DialgiX, if you want to design some ships it will be great, if you can model tracks it would awesome and if you can design working HUDs it would be outstanding!

jesse9705, I can make something based on your track, is it ok with you?

zero3growlithe, I need to know the type of X file you use so I can find an exporter for 3ds max and blender.

Rhinoceros exports files to

(sorry for polish version)

Nice, it's DX .X files... :g

Xpand its okay with me if you make somthing based on fesiar's and my track its always okay to use my ideas

Becouse of school (damn:brickwall) my work is going reaaaaalllyyyy slooooow, for now i can (wow...:robot) rotate my 3D object (in .x format) using arrow keys. Not much for now

btw. i'll be updating this post with what i have achieved:

02.01 - 06.01.2011
-----------------------------------
- loading 3D object in .x
- assigning keys
- rotating objects
- moving camera using keys/mouse

06.01 - 01.02.2011
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- bump mapping

Yeah, school is starting and time is short...
What you've accomplished is great! I can't load a 3D model with OpenGL yet...

I'm using DarkGDK, so loading 3D object is nothing hard:

// Load 3D object and set its position
dbLoadObject ("Ship.x", 1);
dbPositionObject (1,0,0,0);

I'm going to buy an small book about C++ programming soon, in the meantime i've found some video tutorials from "helpfullprogrammer" on youtube, i'll go trough them, learn some basics then go to see if i can make an step in making our "Velocity: Evolution" :g, if i get stuck... i have one option... buy 3 toms of book about game programming for about 600 pages each one:mr-t:D

EDIT: I saw that Connavar is making his own game... so, there will be 2 versions of game :)

Yeah, I oughta go look for some of those too... They're really helpful.. I saw one about 3ds max, I didn't buy it, but the three pages I saw tought me a few tricks I could use on gmax.

if (key is pressed(Key:Right)) then {INSERT FUNCTION HERE}
if (key is pressed(Key:Left)) then {INSERT FUNCTION HERE}
if (key is pressed(Key:Up)) then {INSERT FUNCTION HERE}
if (key is pressed(Key:Esc)) then {INSERT FUNCTION HERE}
if (key is pressed(Key:Space)) then {INSERT FUNCTION HERE}
if (key is pressed(Key:Down)) then {INSERT FUNCTION HERE}
I recommend that The Right Key Moves you right
I Recommend that the left key moves you left
i recommend that Up Button is to accellarate
If Down Is pushed it should slow the craft down
If Space is pushed it should be used in the menus to select options and items etc but in race it should serve as the weapon fire button
Im Not So Sure Is We Could Put JoyStick configuration in but we could perhaps Add Mouse Compatability?
This might help
Perhaps this could work?

And Perhaps We Can Move To Physics well i believe that We Should Make Tracks Less Dependent on the level physics but rather we instead We Use A magnet like physics in parts of the track where its likely to fly over the edges of the tracks the magnet physics might help us save time in editing the entire level physics but rather magnetise it?

Also you know the wipeout pilots with the last name Tesuto well i found out this Tesuto is test in japan but its only Tesuto read phonetically

Well, the ship's brakes are the two airbrakes deployed at the same time. About the floating physics I think we should try to make the track emit an upward force field and apply to the ship a downwards force with the same intensity as the force field.

I also have a few ships on my sketch board. Just need to improve the drawings to show them here.

Guys, my head had been hit by an awesome idea:hyper "Let's make a Open World Wipeout Game!":cowboy. Ahead of my eyes passed an great image of long tracks, big cities, and beautiful environments (my glimpses of crazy dreams:dizzy). Is this not a great idea?:donut

I even know how to realize that:)

btw. Jessie - you forgot about pitching :) (i'm still thinking about controlls in game, it's difficult becouse of KEYBOARD...)
In programming i thought about ship phisics too... aren't there some physics formulas needed to accomplish this? (i suck in this subject :redface:)

Can you explain a bit more about what you mean by 'Open World'? That's something I associate more with RPG type games.

Need for Speed Carbon/Most Wanted, Test Drive Unlimited, Burnout Paradise... (something like that) but environment futuristic of course :)

Well it certainly sounds very ambitious. That's kind of what I thought you meant, but it's difficult to imagine it, because it would be a bit like F1 cars rolling around on the streets. I'm sure there are ways around that though.

I can't help but feel like initial attempts would be best focussed on something simple though. Things like this tend not to get very far. People will put a lot of effort in individually but without a clear idea on exactly where it's going. Just as a suggestion, the idea sounds cool, but perhaps it's best to take things one thing at a time? I'm not involved so you can feel free to ignore me, I just feel like it would be better for maintaining people's motivation if there could be some kind of early finished product, even just a simple one-track mini-game with basic models that everyone can download and fly around. I'm still not sure I gather from the thread what the initial plan is for the first end product to be here. Has that already been mentioned somewhere?

Don't know, but fell the same... where are we going :|?:dizzy

btw. My work won't go to trash if not used in game, it fills my portfolio with months (maybe years:)) of good job8)

Well, I was aiming at something like WipE'out". A little bit more simplified, perhaps. The only problem we have right now is making a program that will run the models. Then you just add more stuff. I'm leaving OpenGL and focus on DirectX, due to its simplicity. The only problem I have in my personal life is lack of free time. And the time I have for myself isn't even enough to start the search for DirectX tutorials.

I agree with saturn you are needing a development plan.

As for Direct X...I would be careful if I were you mate, there are dragons lurking there :D ..even an experienced programmer would have difficulty jumping right into Direct X programming. I would jump on the XNA bandwagon if I were you, free compiler and sdk...and even a racing starter kit!! :D Great place to start! :+

You could change the car models and make them float...change the track...your there!!! :D :+

OMG i just came up with a genius idea what if the wipe-out crafts arent really floating like we see in the game they might be standing on an invisible surface and benath that is a ground which makes us think we are floating but we are not so perhaps this can work for our game

I.E

Green=invisible ground it is like a jelly so their is no grinding of the craft
black=not solid ground but it makes us imagine we float ground

Ship Floats on invisible jelly here
-----------------------------------
-----------------------------------

So really the crafts might not be floating and they may use their thrust to push them along however the grounds property makes the invisible ground like a jelly which will allow no grinding of the ship nice idea huh?

Regarding keyboard controls, there's no reason to set them up differently from the console games' controls. Use the arrow keys or WASD in place of a crosspad, with Enter or Escape being the pause menu, and put the thrust and weapon functions on the opposite side of the keyboard, with the left and right brake keys on either side of them. Here's the configuration that I've always used for the PC and emulated versions:

Arrow keys = Pitch and rotation

Left Shift = Left brake

Spacebar = Right brake

X = Thrust

Z = Use weapon

S = Drop weapon

D = Change view

Left Control = Rear view

C = Hyperthrust (in Wipeout 3)

Enter (or, more recently, Right Shift) = Pause

Of course, the keys should be user-definable, and not locked into a predetermined configuration. But I figured that it would be helpful to post a configuration that I find comfortable to use. Arrange your hands on the keyboard to line up with it; it works quite well.

Perhaps Someone can like make a modified keyboard for the game?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jesse9705

OMG i just came up with a genius idea what if the wipe-out crafts arent really floating like we see in the game they might be standing on an invisible surface and benath that is a ground which makes us think we are floating but we are not so perhaps this can work for our game

I.E

Green=invisible ground it is like a jelly so their is no grinding of the craft
black=not solid ground but it makes us imagine we float ground

Ship Floats on invisible jelly here
-----------------------------------
-----------------------------------

So really the crafts might not be floating and they may use their thrust to push them along however the grounds property makes the invisible ground like a jelly which will allow no grinding of the ship nice idea huh?

---

No... The floating effect is made with auto-playing animations. The ship's physics are just like any other racing game with the difference of having a bit less grip on the track.
Also, the ships stand higher on the track because the model is positioned above the XoY plane, or the reference datum on the compiler tells the program to place the model a bit higher.


I have the XNA compiler installed. It uses DX too... The only difference is the exported files. I wanted at least the textures to be editable (bmp or tga) and not as XNA texture files...

Im not familiar with .dx exported files. I am right in that you build the model with GMAX, export as .dx then import into XNA? Are you using c#? I would like to have a go at getting that working :) I could give you some help - could you give us more details?

How good would it be when the ship is finally imported and you get it 'floating' :D :+

[Edit] :beer

Looks like the way to go is Autodesk .FBX files in XNA :+

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWtKK_0Ytqo

The first program I made in XNA was with a gmax model exported as a DX file. I'm more used to C++... But I guess I could give C# a try... Let me get the time to learn the basics... Right now school is smothering me...

Yeah, this is hell :twisted if you want to do something "more useful" than subjects in school (exept: math, physics, and foreign languages)8)

btw. I think i have an idea, but when i think more about it, it becomes more "difficult": our ship is 1 model with pivot in center (i guess), if we could add an 1px large ball (with its own pivot) about 2 inches under ship and make them full group... ok, that's stupid idea XD

And that's supposed to do what?

Keep the ship high enough to not touch the track (btw. give it a possibility to make "normal" barrel roll; ball itself touch the track) and not to collide with what is "under" the ship so it won't penetrate the track (i said that it was stupid idea so never mind with it) :redface::cold:brickwall
Maybe i just shut up and do my work:)

You could make life easier for yourself by using the Blender physics option fh dist that enables a 'cushion' around/ underneath all models that have it enabled. This would allow floating without the need to relocate a models -x/y co-ordinate. And since it is a setting rather than being fixed it allows the feature to be changed mid game (gravity mine? gravity push? etc etc).

I know people seem to be reluctant to use Blender but it is GPL software and it does all you need. It would also mean eliminating this dependence on old software like GMax which is obsolete and difficult to export from. It also means you will learn a modern 3d program, as the 3DSM interface has changed a great deal (it (GMAX) is already 8 versions old). Lastly with GLSL, what you create in Blender render wise is what you will see in game (90% with a good PC), and Blender is multiplatform, ie Linux, Mac and Windows.

Rant over.

@zero: That is what I've been doing all along. I place the ship a bit higher from the 0 datum and animate the floating effect.
@Rotational_aspect: I use 3DS Max for the ships now.
The material fh dist doesn't seem to work... I've tried it multiple times before but I can't get it to work... I tried a force field too, but no luck...

Remember Fh dist has to be enabled on ALL dynamic models, this includes the floor as well as the object that floats on it.

Soundtracks!

Maybe we can start on those now to?

you know save us a bit of time perhaps

also i thought of a level or place called the garage where you can like Make a custom craft like say you can make a custom paintstyle or somthing like that i made the level all ready all it needs is some textures and some programming

I exceptionally looked a little on Wipeout Pulse to find out how it is made, found nothing interesting so i looked in internet a little and found an plug-in for PSP that extracts all 3D models that are currently loaded to memory (it has to be run during game) and saves on MS in .3d (program included to convert file to .obj).
From the exctracted model i found out that the "dynamic HUD" is just transparent surface ahead of our camera with all "goodies" (speed, energy, lap time, etc.) Too bad it don't extracts textures...:frown:

Upload an model from Pulse?