Newsletter #76 - Cursed Tools

News

The second demo of our test project (a vertical scrolling SHMUP) has been released.  For details, click here.

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http://www.ifthensoftware.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=2197


From the Programmer
Written by Invisible

To make it easier to create the background images, our artist GreyKnight requested that I create a tool for him.  This tool would allow him to create the rough outline of the terrain by stacking blocks.  Blocks would be stacked by clicking the mouse over the area where you want the block to be placed, and it would appear at the top of the stack at that location.  Blocks would then be removed in a similar fashion by right-clicking.

Unfortunately, I seem to be cursed when it comes to tool development (just ask GreyKnight about the map editor I created for Volund).  Things started out fine; the base framework was put together in a few days and I didn't run into any problems.  However, I hit something of a brick wall when I tried to implement the mouse control.  The original plan was to have things set at an isometric angle, but I quickly realized that due to the variable height of the terrain, this would require a 3D mesh of the terrain in order to figure out where the mouse was (ray vs. triangle mesh).  In an effort to simplify the problem, we decided to make it top-down but at a slight slant.  Loradon and Volund both used this view angle, but the height and angle were faked by the artwork.  This change helped simplify the camera setup, but still required a 3D triangle mesh.  One solution, which we are currently considering, is to not use the mouse.  This would allow me to use an easy to keep track of position, and alter whatever is at that position when another key is pressed.


Artist's Easel
Drawn by GreyKnight

iScribble Sketches #34

(Click to enlarge)


(Click to enlarge)



Community Spotlight
Written by jaythemage

Documenting the progress of Ifthen Software's SHMUP in video format, Jay (a community member) created a video of the latest demo.


If you have anything you would like to say in the next community spotlight article, please post it here.