I had a problem with spam on this blog some time ago, and none of the anti-spam plugins I could find dealt with it, so I had to eventually disable comments. This is something I didn't want to have to do, and the wordpress blog seems to have far better anti-spam capabilities, in addition to a host of other features.

So, I am officially moving to Wordpress from B2Evolution. My new blog is located here:

https://phoenixgamedevelopment.com/blog/

The code is fully network safe, allows for multiple instances of the simulation running with completely different simulation options and materials (as the below video shows) and comes with four example materials: Water, Lava, Tar, and Mud.

I have completed a beta version of the Sleep Learning App that I spoke about in previous posts.

 It is not really ready to be uploaded to the play store, especially since even the underlying concept is experimental.

The concept is that listening to this tone while studying a piece of material will associate that material with the tone subconsciously. Then, playing the tone back at night will trigger the subconscious mind to recall the piece of information, aiding in recall.

To use the app:

First, Type a name for this tone into the text field. It should be something memorable.

Then press the "Generate" button, this will produce a short random sequence of tones.

Next,  press "Save Tone". This will write the tone to a file for permanent storage.

The "Delay" text fields are used to specify a time, in hours and minutes, before the tone is played. This can be useful at night, to give the user a chance to go to sleep before the tone starts playing.

The "Run for" text fields are used to specify how long, in hours and minutes, that the tone will be played for. This can be used to ensure the tone stops playing before the user wakes up, or only plays for the duration of a study cycle.

Pressing play will start the tone after the "Delay" time has elapsed, and run it for the time specified in the "Run for" text fields. Pressing stop at any time will stop the tone playing.

The "Load Tone" button will allow the user to select or delete tones that have been previously saved.

The App can be downloaded here.

 Bug reports and comments can be sent to jackstone@phoenixgamedevelopment.com

Unsurprisingly, this tablet didn't show up in Eclipse using ADB (Android Debug Bridge). The only other way of testing an app would be to sign and export it to an .apk, then copy it over to the device using USB storage, then run it. This is tedious and time consuming, and doesn't provide any debugging features at all. So, I tried to find a way to connect my device to eclipse.

Eclipse itself does not "recognise" the android devices, it uses the aforementioned ADB interface. This interface requires a driver to be installed for each device in order for it to work correctly. Android Devices usually have several drivers, one for uploading firmware to the device, one for using the device for USB storage, and one for ADB.

The USB storage mode used a generic windows driver, and so this will usually work by default with any kind of device. However, the ADB mode usually requires a specialised driver, which is provided by the manufacturer of the device. If you are using an off-brand or generic device however, or if the manufacturer doesn't provide an ADB driver, you may have a problem.

Thankfully, I found this: "Intalling the Generic Google Android USB Driver"

This article provides directions and a download link for a Generic Google USB driver, that should work with the majority of Android devices, regardless of the manufacturer.

I thought this was worth making a post about, since it is something that could save a lot of time and effort.

Progress has been quite good on this project so far. In addition to finishing the turrets, I have LAN gameplay working, the game logic and main menu's are mostly done, and I am currently working on the AI.

I have also completed the turn-based system, and a customisation screen allowing the players to choose the level, the number of players, single player or multiplayer, etc.

I am still having issues getting the internet play to work. I have a master server running and working, but there are connection problems preventing the client machines from seeing each other. This may be due to testing both machines using the same internet connection.

I still need to finish the AI and implement some kind of random level creator, as well as build the art assets and create the different projectile types that will be needed for this game, but it should be a fairly quick project.

Turrets are also made in a single file. The turret feature in T3D has a turret body, which is then mounted with a separate "head" object. This head object is defined as a weapon, (A ShapeImage) and can feature and advanced state machine to drive animations. My game didn't need that feature, since the firing calculations will be handled from separate functions (to better simulate different types of physical effects and types of shot) and so I modified the code to allow the turret to be modelled as a single shapefile.

Constructing a turret is relatively simple. Two nodes are required, a "heading" node to control rotation, and a "pitch" node to control elevation, as well as a "Muzzlepoint" to determine the position that the projectile leaves the gun. Any object linked to the heading node is rotated, and any object linked to the pitch node is elevated, so, a simple turret might have a base, which is unlinked so that it doesn't move, and then a mount which is linked to the heading node only, and a gun barrell which is linked to the heading and pitch nodes.

Modelling and animating should be simpler in a single shape file, and I won't have to worry about getting mount points to line up exactly, or have to work with offsets.

This solution works over the network, although not properly. I had to add some script commands to ensure proper animations, and this should not have been neccessary, I intend to properly debug and fix this at a later stage.

Introduction

“Artillery” is an addictive, turn-based game from Phoenix Game Development.  Players choose from a selection of tanks and other armoured vehicles, and must square off in an arena with up to 8 other human or AI controlled enemies. Realistic ballistic physics and random level generation make it easy to learn, but difficult to master.

Features

• Artillery boasts over 20 unique weapons, from conventional High Explosive Shells to Homing Missiles, Cluster Bombs and even the bizarre tunnelling self-propelled mine!

   

• The game supports both multiplayer and single player modes. Players may form teams, or mix human or AI controlled opponents. Artillery supports both LAN and online play,  and features a leaderboard to keep track of players scores.

   

• Since game maps are randomly generated, no two levels are the same, providing unparalleled replayability. The level generator is sophisticated enough to spawn players in intelligent locations, keeping the game balanced and fair, and preventing players from spawning in frustrating “impossible” locations.

   

• Turns have a time limit, forcing the player to think on their feet and make quick decisions, poviding for a fun and faced paced game experience.

• The wind effects can be turned off, for an easier challenge, or set to constant speed, or random, increasing the challenge.

• Artillery features a wide variety of level types, from arctic tundra, to grassy plains, to cities and even an asteroid! Each level type has unique properties which affect gameplay, for example the arctic tundra features random blizzards which reduce visibility, the cities have buildings which get in the way of shots, and the asteroid has very low gravity which affects the way a shot flies.

Gameplay

The objective of Artillery is simple: to be the last player (or team) standing! The start location is randomly chosen, and the player may not move during the game. Each player first chooses from a selection of over 20 weapons, and then precisely aims their cannon by rotating and elevating the turrent, and adjusting the power of the shot. Artillery uses realistic ballistic physics, players must take into account the rotation, elevation, and power of the shot, as well as wind speed and direction, and the distance to the target. This makes for a fun, challenging experience.

Target Audience

Artillery is suitable for all ages, with its simple game rules and fun atmosphere. Users will need an internet connection for online play, but LAN and solo play will work without it.

Platform/Technology

Artillery is built using the Torque3D game engine, and is available on PC only.

© Phoenix Game Development, 2013

This is just a quick update on a few of my projects that will be finishing soon, as well as another one that I have just started.

My fluid dynamics Project is "functionally complete" at the moment. It is a realistic fluid simulation which comes with four material types: Water, Lava, Tar, and Mud, although Water is the one I spent most of my time on. The only problem with the fluid system is that it is quite slow. With any more than one fluid system on screen, the framerate drops dramatically. Before I can release it, I have to find a way to optimise it. I am considering multithreading, as well as a few other improvements. I am hoping to get this done next week.

I have also yet to finish debugging my sleep learning app. This is also feature complete, and should be uploaded to the play store next week.

My latest project is a very simple game called Artillery!. This is not a new game concept, it has existed in various incarnations for several years, but it is a good way for me to improve my knowledge of vector mathematics (simulating wind, different types of projectiles, etc) and it should be a short project (maybe a month or so). I have ideas for a major game project which I am excited about starting, but it will take a long time, so I wanted to make a few short games first before starting on my next long project.

I will post the Game Concept for Artillery! in another post.