Moontears (Htbaa's Worklog)
BlitzMax side project 
Mission Editor
I decided that Moontears would require a mission editor that would speed and ease up the process of creating missions. Since I bought MaxGUI a while ago and haven't been using it I was thinking that I really should use it again! As it would be perfect to create a level editor.
But since coding these application forms is a tedious and boring task I decided to see if there was something that could speed up this process. And there was! It's called Logic GUI and it's really easy to use. Take a look at the flash tutorials to see what I'm talking about :-). Logic GUI is well worth the small amount of money.
The Mission Editor is going to allow me to manage my missions and is powered by SQLite database. I've written a ORM module and a Query Builder module. Although the ORM module is more a ActiveRecord implementation, I do intend to add relationships to it.
With the Mission Editor I can easily create, load, save and delete missions. For every mission I'm able to put objects in it (ships) and can manage it with a nice treeview. Of course, the editor can be maximized which allows for a nice big preview canvas.
I've also added tabs for Lua scripts. They're only textfields now, but I do intend to add some syntax highlighting.
When all is done the editor should allow me to manage all my objects (ships, cruisers, mines etc.), group them, appoint leaders, manage waypoints, add conversation dialogs and compile the level. A compiled level is most likely going to be a custom format which contains the compiled Lua code (no digging in there!).
I've also been trying some stuff out with Lua and managed to interface between BlitzMax and Lua. That is, managing BlitzMax types in Lua. Or at least executing modifier-functions on them :-).
Here's a little snapshot.
Update: Well now. Interfacing with Lua is really easy! I don't need full access to all my types so I just use a couple of modifier-functions and a nice little factory design pattern to create my objects. Since I'm using a internal ID system it's easy to get stuff done.
But since coding these application forms is a tedious and boring task I decided to see if there was something that could speed up this process. And there was! It's called Logic GUI and it's really easy to use. Take a look at the flash tutorials to see what I'm talking about :-). Logic GUI is well worth the small amount of money.
The Mission Editor is going to allow me to manage my missions and is powered by SQLite database. I've written a ORM module and a Query Builder module. Although the ORM module is more a ActiveRecord implementation, I do intend to add relationships to it.
With the Mission Editor I can easily create, load, save and delete missions. For every mission I'm able to put objects in it (ships) and can manage it with a nice treeview. Of course, the editor can be maximized which allows for a nice big preview canvas.
I've also added tabs for Lua scripts. They're only textfields now, but I do intend to add some syntax highlighting.
When all is done the editor should allow me to manage all my objects (ships, cruisers, mines etc.), group them, appoint leaders, manage waypoints, add conversation dialogs and compile the level. A compiled level is most likely going to be a custom format which contains the compiled Lua code (no digging in there!).
I've also been trying some stuff out with Lua and managed to interface between BlitzMax and Lua. That is, managing BlitzMax types in Lua. Or at least executing modifier-functions on them :-).
Here's a little snapshot.
Update: Well now. Interfacing with Lua is really easy! I don't need full access to all my types so I just use a couple of modifier-functions and a nice little factory design pattern to create my objects. Since I'm using a internal ID system it's easy to get stuff done.
(Posted on October, 26th 2008, 16:58)
Comments
Ariel Yust said:
thats one nusty plan mate! 
btw should I expect a "Galactic Assualt" type of game or "Space strategy" type of game?
and don't forget to add texture to the ships!!! and some small random details so it will look very complex and intresting
btw should I expect a "Galactic Assualt" type of game or "Space strategy" type of game?
and don't forget to add texture to the ships!!! and some small random details so it will look very complex and intresting
(Posted on October, 29th 2008, 13:44)
Htbaa said:
I intended a Galactic Assualt / Project Sylpheed type of game. These are just a couple of test models. I bought myself a big fat 3ds Max book so I'm going to have some fun with that
(Posted on October, 29th 2008, 18:43)
Ariel Yust said:
omg! Htbaa means serious!
haha 3dsmax is a taught and well pays program!
btw if you want to make a nice spaceship you can ether look at spaceships on deviantArt or google it, or be more original and find some random objects in your house and pretend they are spaceships it worked for all the blockbusters so it can work for you too! XD
haha 3dsmax is a taught and well pays program!
btw if you want to make a nice spaceship you can ether look at spaceships on deviantArt or google it, or be more original and find some random objects in your house and pretend they are spaceships
it worked for all the blockbusters so it can work for you too! XD(Posted on October, 30th 2008, 02:30)
Htbaa said:
Hehehe. I still haven't completed the quickstart of my book (only made the cannon, no animation yet :P).
Wings3D is quite easy to use but doesn't work properly (rendering issues). Besides it's a pain to have to convert the models to 3ds and then use SpriteForge to create a spritesheet.
Wings3D is quite easy to use but doesn't work properly (rendering issues). Besides it's a pain to have to convert the models to 3ds and then use SpriteForge to create a spritesheet.
(Posted on October, 30th 2008, 18:06)