Daiky's x-com project

[Daiky]

Daiky - do you plan to release some tech demo maybe?

Some day maybe.
The only thing that I have planned now is for to get the project back on track (this open xcom project inspired me), getting one or more extra programmers to join it for a new kick off, where I also want to have the role as a Project Leader. I hope to find programmers in my country, so we can actually meet IRL also. I don't know how realistic that is
That official kick off will be at september 21st, when I'm back from a short vacation, it will be back online with a new website with blog, code repository, bug/feature tracker, forum,...

[michal]

Great to hear that. There are always room for new x-com project I hope you will find someone to help.

You should ask SupSuper to post a news on his main site, when your site will be ready

[Daiky]

A farm map, quickly rendered in 3D using the original LOF-templates:


Note that there are a lot of artefacts and stuff that needs to be reworked, but is is used as a start for the shadow/lighting effects in my remake.

The explanation what I'm doing with it is in my post:
https://www.daiky.be/2010/09/2d-3d-x-comufo25d.html

[SupSuper]

It's a very interesting approach, although the LOF templates are just approximations so you'll inevitably lose some detail.

[Daiky]

It's a very interesting approach, although the LOF templates are just approximations so you'll inevitably lose some detail.

True. The detail was just fine for line-of-fire and field-of-view checking. When I go one step up and use their shadows and lighting, it's just when I try it, to see if it usable. It is possible I can't use the LOF templates for everything and have to create a few custom models.

PS. you'll notice how floor/rooftops and walls are build up in small pieces. It produces strange visual effects, but I'm working on a procedure to merge these objects at run-time. It should not only remove the artifacts, but dramatically decrease the number of polygons.

[bramcor]

That is very neat!

I knew there were some pseudo-3D going on for line of sight/fire calculations, but this is familiar in an almost eerie way.

Although it doesn't have the detail/texture one would expect of 3D today it would at the very least be a neat way of grey-boxing without requiring 3D modellers to help out

[michal]

That's really interesting idea.

I think that best strategy would be generate models from lof templates and save them into some generic format (openeable by blender) instead of generating them runtime. And use those models ingame. That way someone could redone them one by one and try it in game instantly - just edit model and save it.

I'm not sure if it will be possible of course - but allowing to easy remake resources would be great advantage for contributors.

[Yankes]

Great work Daiky

when i see your work its look like was build using LEGO, add some simple colours and we can start play.
i have some crazy idea, it will be fun if you can allow to have dynamic LoF template image a possibility to blow holes (or new windows :>) in walls.
you can do it in 2 ways, by adding new template and replace old in that square (or some bit mask) or allow every square have they own LoF data (around 512B per square, 6MB per map, you dont need read all this at once only when you try see or shoot something)

[Daiky]

Great work Daiky

when i see your work its look like was build using LEGO, add some simple colours and we can start play.
i have some crazy idea, it will be fun if you can allow to have dynamic LoF template image a possibility to blow holes (or new windows :>) in walls.
you can do it in 2 ways, by adding new template and replace old in that square (or some bit mask) or allow every square have they own LoF data (around 512B per square, 6MB per map, you dont need read all this at once only when you try see or shoot something)

Thanks.
The desctruction works pretty much like it was in the original (it already works btw). If you blow out a wall, the wall is replaced with a destroyed wall and the model in the 3D world is replaced by the destroyed model.

[Yankes]

but it will be more fun if would be something between wall in good shape and destroyed one

i find game named Minecraft: https://www.minecraft.net/play.jsp
its sandbox game, you can destroy any block or create new one where you want (only limitation is he need be close to another one).
https://img21.imageshack.us/img21/9591/treeec.jpg this tree have shape of tree form LoF template (i probaby skip one or 2 layers) every block form this game is equal to pixel form LoF template (16x16 block create one layer, add 11 more and you have "square" from ufo).
i though that my idea was impossible to implements but this game show is possible even using Java
medium size level from this game is around 16x16x4 squares from UFO  (around 256x256x60 blocks in game) . its less than standard level from UFO but you dont need see everything at once. (there are huge maps too but they are too big to draw and i have fps drop)

[michal]

That official kick off will be at september 21st, when I'm back from a short vacation, it will be back online with a new website with blog, code repository, bug/feature tracker, forum,...

It's september 21st already Where is your new site?

[Daiky]

That official kick off will be at september 21st, when I'm back from a short vacation, it will be back online with a new website with blog, code repository, bug/feature tracker, forum,...

It's september 21st already Where is your new site?

Well, there is a new blog, but it's not public yet. (there is not a lot of news since last time)
I'm still looking for that extra programmer (in the irrlicht 3D community), because I'm struggling with a few issues there. The performance is still really bad; the reason is that for example a simple barn is treated as almost 200 seperate 3D objects. It should be one object, but that means creating meshes dynamically. Another thing is the current version of irrlicht 3D has really bad shadowing functions. I'm waiting for version 1.8, because it would include better shadows.
Not that I'm not doing anything in while I'm waiting, just not anything 3D at the moment.

[michal]

I hope you will find that second programmer

Maybe you could ask SupSuper to post something on main site about your project and that you're looking for extra programmer? What do you think? Also, maybe you could ask on projectxenocide or/and ufo: ai forum?

[pmprog]

I'll be willing to help, if you want? Drop me a message if you do.

I've had a brief play with Irrlicht before. Been a while, but I'm sure I can pick it up again

[michal]

I'm curious if you guys teamed up together