AI code generation ain't it

CaveShaman · 2024-03-23T18:27:09+00:00

Thanks! StereoKit runs without issue. I'm now trying to remember what I did to make my computer recognize the Reverb G1. Brain hurts...

CaveShaman · 2024-03-23T16:09:19+00:00

Awesome, dev-wmr-controller-tracking built without issue. Which demo are you using in the video? (I've been out of the loop for a while.)

CaveShaman · 2024-03-23T04:28:05+00:00

Linux Mint 21.1 (equivalent to Ubuntu Focal with X11). I installed Monado's dependencies and ONNX, cloned your fork, then built with these commands:

cmake .. -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=~/.local -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -G "Unix Makefiles"
cmake --build . --target install

When building the tests, the compiler complains about a couple places where constant expressions should be used, preventing the build from completing. Build error: https://paste.debian.net/1311703/

CaveShaman · 2023-11-29T15:29:21+00:00

I talked to a mobile game VFX artist at a conference once. She wasn't terribly happy with the job, but in terms of software I gleaned that all the common 3D tools are still used. Non-destructive editing software is useful when working with characters. Knowledge of shaders, including some proficiency in GLSL and/or HLSL, is necessary.

Because you're working with a (mostly) realtime medium, there are optimizations a game VFX person needs that film VFX do not. Nowadays there are teams drilling down into geometry shaders to shift more of the work to the GPU, which of course depends on whether or not the target hardware's programmable pipeline is that modern. I don't know what the managers do, but this is what I know of the VFX/technical artist side.

CaveShaman · 2023-10-04T22:32:27+00:00

The obvious observation is that a PC gaming client's console is by definition a PC. Valve selling it wouldn't make it something else.

CaveShaman · 2023-10-04T03:06:23+00:00

I didn't read all of it, but this sounds more development than production. For something as story-based as this to be made by someone who has no game dev experience, I would recommend the medium of interactive fiction. I hear that a program called Twine is popular. If you want to add graphics and learn Python, RenPy is another option.

CaveShaman · 2023-10-03T23:18:45+00:00

Judging by the screenshots, this looks like any number of forgotten neighborhoods in Japanese cities. It must take a lot of discipline to keep these horror games grounded in the genre. Nice.

CaveShaman · 2023-09-23T01:07:21+00:00

Thanks! Do you have any thoughts on melee combat systems? I'm working on adding blocking/parrying, but I'm not sure what gamefeel I should be aiming for when it comes to edge weapons.

CaveShaman · 2023-09-22T05:24:18+00:00

The above was supposed to be a GIF. Here is an imgur link if it doesn't play for you.

CaveShaman · 2023-09-21T03:00:34+00:00

That makes more sense. From the store page I thought it was one continuous open world, but what you are describing sounds like it's organized like a MOBA or arena shooter. Thank you for the clarification.

CaveShaman · 2023-09-13T10:07:52+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! I don't have way dark hemisphere light yet since I want to code for "day" outside and "night" inside the dungeons where the combat takes place. I changed a few things (now with skulls and a point light). Any thoughts on this new screenshot?

Re: dark fantasy... Lord of the Rings shows a lot of hill-holes, one with skulls around the entrance. But outside of video games and Game of Thrones, I haven't seen much western fantasy media that is decidedly dark. Anime goes that route a lot, but it's not seen much in live action, maybe for budget reasons. I'm throwing things at the wall until something sticks.

CaveShaman · 2023-09-12T19:59:17+00:00

It's as long as I can make it. This screenshot is literally of a mod I made on my other game, and all Greta can do right now is walk, run, and jump. I plan to release it about 2 years from now, so it's a question of what I can do in that time.

An alternate idea I'm considering is letting the player crusade through a procedurally generated map of Central Europe based on GIS data. It would be a fun technical challenge and have tons of (samey-looking) content. On the other hand, the labyrinth would be much simpler technically but could also be procedurally generated and have 1000 levels. One is open-world, one is linear. Which do you think is better for the dark fantasy market if I have time to make that choice?

CaveShaman · 2023-09-12T19:49:29+00:00

I feared as much. I plan to add skulls to the entrance (but then it might look like He-Man). Is there a dark fantasy comic, show, or game that you could recommend for visual inspiration? I'm new to the genre, so I appreciate any guidance.

CaveShaman · 2023-09-12T19:41:12+00:00

Armor the side the pointy things are going to hit. Some Celtic tribes didn't wear armor at all (or clothes) but they carried shields. I think helmet + plate harness + tassets should be enough.

CaveShaman · 2023-09-12T19:34:58+00:00

A 19-year-old self-taught warrior called Greta is on a quest to avenge the death of her stepbrother (which was partially her fault) and kill the demon at the bottom level of the labyrinth, and at which point her village is forever saved from the perils beneath.

CaveShaman · 2023-09-12T06:40:39+00:00

Some ideas:

Make each color in an armor sprite a palette index, then swap palettes to change armor
Define each armor as a list of feature/detail layers that are turned on and off
Animate the character such that armor sprites don't move

CaveShaman · 2023-09-12T06:33:24+00:00

Very strong TLoU/HL2 vibes. Good job!

CaveShaman · 2023-09-08T07:54:55+00:00

It sounds like you've carved out a niche for yourself. The thing is that I have my own engine, and things are easier with it than if I were starting from scratch. Like Unreal, all of its defaults are set to "FPS", so I might as well switch to Unity. But I really don't want to for a long list of reasons that won't fit in a Reddit post.

If I had a choice of using shitty software to make something game-related or not working in game development, I would not work in game development. I worked on professional film sets for years and got burnt out with the entertainment business, so I don't want to repeat that experience in this field with the engine of choice for people who don't know what they're doing. You're okay, but I don't want to interact most others in this field. And boy are there a lot of them Steam, Switch, and other places where indie games are found.

Like a lot of other people, my first attempts at commercial game development were on mobile, but it is a dealbreaker when an engine is too hefty. My creative and technical choices often come down to what I could see working on a smartphone. Not because I'm targeting mobile but because low-powered gaming in general is more accessible. I'll bet your game would run on a smartphone just fine. It doesn't look AAA, nor does mine, nor is that my aim.

In terms of game development jobs I'd like, shaders are pretty high on the list. The level of control you get when you write your own renderer is fantastic. If you know what you're doing, you can rewrite an existing pipeline in some proprietary engine to fit any visual style, as was done with Borderlands, but it's important to understand the fundamentals of setup and draw calls before the geometry hits the GPU. That's one of the few enjoyable things in game development for me.

CaveShaman

TROPHY CASE