Back in business

Wow, everything seems to break at once!
After, installing a new screen in my laptop the power adapter failed, so I spent another few days without being able to work on my game, while waiting for a new adapter!

But, everything is back working now (Touch wood!).

no work makes jack go crazy

I have a cracked laptop screen, so I haven't been able to continue the good initial progress I had made.

Game Plan

Here are the definite features that should be in the game, and also possible features that might make them game, depending on progress.

Definite Features in the game
. Single Races
. Car and Driver Selection
. Editable teams and cars via editing the text files in a text editor
. Editable cars via editing the graphics files.
. Basic computer AI movement, following a standard root around the tracks


Very Possible to be included in the game
. A Championship. (Racing for points over various circuits)
. The Editor to change or replace existing tracks
. Car Damage, (Tyres and bodywork)
. Pit-stops for damage.
. Computer movement with varied roots around the tracks


Least Possible features that might be in the game
. Career Mode (Moving up through different formulas and race categories)
. Car Set-ups, Wings,
. The Editor to import new tracks.
. Pit-stops for fuel and tyres.
. Varied computer movement with overtaking.

Looking for someone to draw the graphics (the cars and circuit pieces) for my game.

I'm looking for help for my game, specifically, someone who can draw better than me.

1. The Car graphics, if you look at mine they are quite poor:


2. the track pieces, such as a straights, corners, grassy areas, etc.. (the following is an example of a one of the 'tiles' which all fit together to make the track:



3. Simple track objects, such as fences, tyre walls, pit crews, lights, spectators


4. The GUI (the menus) such as buttons, backgrounds, set-up screens, driver and circuit select screens)



if you feel you can help, please leave a message here, sign-up to the forum at (www.sionco.info) or send an e-mail to isionco(at)gmail(dot)com


I'd love someone to help partner me on this game, or even if you want to just draw the cars or the menus, I'd love any help, as to be honest my graphic skills are awful.

Adding Computer Car paths

Well, on Saturday, even though I was feeling tired initially, I managed to get quite a bit done on the game.

- I drew 12 different temporary cars graphics on the sprite sheet (hopefully someone can improve them later)
- In the editor the user can now add the start positions of all 24 cars
- In the game all the cars are now put into their grid slots depending on their position.
- Increased the size of the track tiles,


Today, I'm hoping to implement some basic form of movement for the computer controlled cars. I've been thinking about this yesterday and there are two different ways:
1.The Computer cars looks at the next piece of track and moves in that direction
2. The user creates the driving line in the editor and the computer cars follow this.

I chose the second option, as I hope to have at least two different driving lines for each track that the computer cars follows, and they change between them if they wish to overtake or there are too many cars in the same position. This way I hope to at least stop the computer cars from looking like they are all on rails in a line. Hopefully, if I programme neatly it will also able me to improve it and add new bits of extremely basic computer ai, along each step of the way.



If you can draw, please leave a message or email me at isionco(at)gmail(dot)com

Tired but motivated

I've only spent two afternoons working on the game, but I'm pleased with the progress, yes it may only be a moving car and a scruffy track editor, but my past experiences have helped, from the educational games mathematics and interface building to the recent platforms editor and and player movement.

Today, I'm feeling quite tired, so I don't think I'll get anything major completed, but days like these are used to do the little things, such as add a menu, draw some graphics, which may only be quick jobs, but usually these small jobs add up throughout the development progress, so it will be good to get some done.


As for the next major steps:

Game
1. Create positional array so cars position in the race are always known and they can be put into the correct grid position at the start of the race.
3. Add, basic physics or effects of the car going off track onto sand or grass areas.


Editor
1. Implement starting positions(grid positions/slots) into the editor.
2. Add more temporary track graphics like grassy areas, fences, stadiums
3. Add the ability to add objects, such as pit crews, checkpoints
4. Add the ability to create computer driving lines around the track for the computer cars to follow.
5.

editor, big to small, big to small.

I've completed a bit more on editor size as well as the scale size.

As show below the track can be created and viewed from a distance in the editor, so you can see the whole track layout as you edit it. (whereas in the game, the player gets a zoomed in view).

Below is a simple track layout I created. Currently,I have only drawn 6 different track pieces, (2 straights and 4 corners) but I hope to get some help from someone to draw them better and create more as well as other options such as the grass and sand run-off areas, barriers, grandstands, the pits.

Start your engines!

Progress on my racing game.

Well today:
1. Instead of re-using the platform games level-editor, I've created a new one from scratch, which I hope will serve me better. (but I hope no-one sees the code as it's a complete mess)

2. I've got a basic movement for the players car, allowing it to move, while the game keeps it in the center of the screen, as the car moves around the track or screen.


Initial Hopes and Dreams for the game:
1. It's going to be an arcade racer. (no advanced physics, as I don't think I'm that skilled and also just want to actually complete a good game, which I haven't done since the 'Klick & Play' days in the mid 90's.
2. I hope to include a championship, where the user racers around a number of circuits for points.
3. Ideally, there would also be a career mode with different formulas.
4. Easily editable, so players can make there own cars.
5. Cross-platform. I'm aiming for Windows and Linux, with the possibility of Mac.


Initial Progress Screenshot:

Pit-Stop! now Race on!

Yep, the inevitable has happened,

Since my last blog post I found myself doing less and less on the platform game every day and then every week, until I hadn't touched it for two months.

However, as I have free time for the summer, I have started trying to make a new game, a racing game. My initial hopes involve it being an arcade racing game, but with a championship or career mode, but I'm not making any promises this time that I'll actually finish it.

First I want to try and get something basic working, and then build upon it.