Go Kart Demo NGUI Update

Web playable update: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/16956434/Kart_Race_Demo/1-18-13_Webplayer/WebPlayer.html

Converted all in-game HUD elements to NGUI. Now they’re rocking 2 draw calls of the entire UI (1 is for the font and other for UI elements.) I am aware of the position indicator doing it’s bugginess. What is occurring, is that when the player and AI are equal in Laps Completed, Waypoints Passed and are relying on Distance to Next Waypoint to calculate who’s in front..well that value is jumping back to 0 at each way point being passed (resets value). So I think because the data is relying on the rapidly changing value to determine race position in these circumstances, it’s glitching a bit. Once you determine a lead by passing more waypoints in general or more laps, the position indicator is fine. It’s a bug and I’ll fix it.

I’ve also added in driver camera functionality if you click the camera icon in the top of the game window. Helps with the sense of speed a bit, but I’ll do more with the far camera’s sense of speed when I get to that. For now I’m working on getting the second functional AI vehicle in…I intend to have a race between (3) Karts.

Resource for Schematics/Blueprints

I’m always looking for reference. Today I was seeking out 2d drawings of WWII aircraft and I came upon this little gem on the web.

http://bagera3005.deviantart.com/gallery/4261057

Look through this guy’s gallery. Tons of schematics for all kinds of things. A very thorough weapon schematic gallery, tons of aircraft, Iron Man and sci fi schematics. You name it, this guy has it…with the exception of cars.

Updated Build – Super Kart Racing Demo

Build has been updated today with actual updating GUI elements for lap counting and lap timing. It’s rough right now, and not the final look of the text in the UI, but the functionality is working (only slightly buggy :). I’ve also implemented some nice UI graphics that slide in quick when you hit a checkpoint in the road. They ease in/fade in and ease/fade out when triggered onto the screen.

Check the latest build at  http://www.fatboxsoftware.com

Unity Kart Demo – Menu UI

Worked on the HTML for the web page interface for the game. Also I’ve worked more on the main menu interface, trying to get it closer to representing something useful. Today was mostly HTML and main menu work for the buttons, etc. I’ve also got a splash page working (with the fatbox logo) as the game menu loads.

As usual here’s the link, go check it out! https://dl.dropbox.com/u/16956434/Kart_Race_Demo/WebPlayer.html

Unity Kart Demo – Lap Count System (including checkpoints)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC22FWRe11w&feature=youtu.be%5D

Decided to start doing a daily video log (2-3 minute videos max) describing what I accomplished in the build that given day. Also a good spot to share info, scripts and any implementation specifics with other folks.

Unity Kart Demo – Web Playable

So I’ve have some updates:
As of today I finally gotten a small LCD tach and speedo on the steering wheel working. As of right now it’s not reading out RPMs. The MPHs are not rounding off properly (bad math code or something) so they jitter a bit on the panel. The track is standing in for the final path, it’s textures and UVs are not complete either so you’ll see some parts of the track where the grass/dirt blend is not broken up. Also all of the GUI elements on screen are not the final game UI. They are stand-in debugging items.

Integrated new speed-based vehicle handling (not sure how accurate it is yet)..but basically your steering becomes less sensitive the faster you go. I’ve also got a new sound manager working. You have engine sounds based on RPMs, you have a wind passing by you sound based on velocity. The sounds are not fully looped yet in Audacity, so you will hear some pops. I’ve also implemented a camera shake animation on the cameras based on velocity as well. The camera shake has been polished up in the latest build which isn’t up tonight.

I’ve gotten feedback about implementing a handbrake for sliding through turns and feedback about adjusting the slip when taking turns and such. I’m working on, the physics calculation stuff is a little more complex so I usually tackle easier things first.

Next task is to get some raycast AI working in the scene (one’s that can avoid obstacles dynamically, etc.). So not just the simple “follow a spline” fellows.

Anyways here’s a link:  http://www.jamesarndt3d.com

This is where I will host the game (so I will test it this way as well)….hit the button at the bottom called “Kart Race Experiment”. It will take you directly to the current build.

The Defense of St. Augustine – iPad project

 

Lately I’ve been working a day job, and doing other experiments for games….but the one that has stuck and is getting the focus is this project. I have evenings and weekends to get this thing together and have been making progress on assets. Below is a screenshot from an iPad2. This project could loosely be classified as a tower defense game, but is a little more elaborate in player control, and in the game mechanic. Most of the defense will take place on the shoreline (near town) with enemies coming from an inlet into a harbor. You will be attacking targets from the sea and on the shoreline. Not only will you defend from a fort on the shoreline itself, but you will also have control over defense from the sea within the harbor. This means control over Spanish Galleon ships over the water, as well as artillery from the Castillo De San Marcos fort itself.

I’m targeting the iPad at first, then will port to the iPhone and possibly some kind of desktop application as well. I am sharing the progress as I develop this project. Here are a few Youtube videos of some of the assets so far:

A little explanation

So I’ve had people asking me what the artwork I’ve been posting is all about. I don’t have a title yet for this project, but I can say a few things. It’s a project for the iOS devices and I’m using Unity to put it all together.

The game has a few vehicles to choose from, each with unique characteristics. There is a very large open world, but levels will consist of playing in certain areas of that world.

There is a shipping port area, an airport area, a construction area, the city downtown and midtown and an industrial complex area. You will be chasing down a certain type of undead people in this game who have inhabited sections of the world.

Right now, this is what I can divulge without giving too much away. There are unique aspects I am keeping quiet on until the project is further along.

Brought an old project back to life

So I’ve finally gotten to a point where I could bring back my old iOS project Arena Truck Pro back to life! What held me back earlier last year was not lack of equipment, software or art development skills. It was a real lack of scripting ability. It was a hard lesson to learn and I had to take the better part of all of last year learning Unityscript from the ground up. One year later and I am in a place that I can create functionality for whatever I may need in a game via scripting. I actually released a simple card matching game “Tablet Match” with what I had learned and now I’m ready to bring my original idea for Arena Truck Pro to fruition.

I have made some changes to the game though, mainly adding in non-truck vehicles and environments no longer contained in arenas. Both of this things considered, I will have to be considering a name change for this project. I really don’t know what to call it yet, but I am sure a name will form out over time.

Tablet Match iOS

Hi, I wanted to announce my latest labor of love on the iOS app store.
I used 3ds Max, Photoshop and Unity engine to create the assets for this project.
It took me about 4-5 weeks of production and I finally got it all wrapped up.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tablet-match/id492315709?ls=1&mt=8