SPX:Dungeon Crawler System for DM

[Sphenx]

Hello,

I would like to share with you my ongoing project :

Here is SPX:DCS/DM > Dungeon Crawler System for Dungeon Master

This is a basic OpenGL semi-3D engine compatible with native DM dungeon format.



Work is still in progress but I can show you a first playable version (alpha 1):
-> download spx-DCSAlpha1.zip (9,6 MB / Windows 32+) [107 MB once decompressed]
Just decompress the zip into a new folder and run "DungeonCrawler.Master.bat"

Current status:
- you can navigate through the dungeon, interact with items, actuators and creatures
- the game is real-time and tries to be compatible with DM timing
- character interface not fully implemented
- internal DM mechanisms not fully implemented
- there are still graphical glitches
- the aesthetic lacks of consistency -- the main objective here is to have upscaled gfx that looks like original DM.
- no menu yet; you start directly into the game

Controls:
- mouse & keyboard
- numeric pad for movements or direction arrows
- I added an experimental "jump" (space key)

Note: the assets loading method is asynchronous, enabling a fast start even if all gfx are not yet loaded.
Unfortunately, it will randomly crash ! you're warned -- just reload if it happens. I still have some nasty bugs to hunt down.
It is not completed yet but the core engine is here.

I want to make good progress on this engine this year, so let me know what you think of it and if you have any ideas for improvement.

I hope you'll enjoy it !

[ChristopheF]

It's nice to see new ongoing projects around DM!

Very quick feedback:
Why play a sound when each time an object is placed in inventory? I find this irritating.
The view feels strange: it seems the player is looking slightly downward in the dungeon instead of straight ahead.
I must say I stopped retrying very quickly because the engine crashes frequently after only a few seconds of gameplay.

But overall it looks promising for an alpha version! Being compatible with the original dungeon format means this new engine will benefit from many existing custom dungeons.

[Sphenx]

I updated the exe. I hope this crashes less and not at the very beginning. Let me know.

[ChristopheF]

The new exe crashed while loading the first time I ran it. It loaded fine the second time and no more crashes during a few minutes gameplay.

[Gambit37]

I had the same experience as Christophe with the new version. I like what you've done so far, lots of potential here. I agree that the angled camera feels strange, I'd prefer it centered more to produce straight vertical walls.

[Sphenx]

Little update. More to come next week.

I understand the point about the view but ... I've done it for 3 reasons.
1) the centered "straight" view is no better IMHO.
2) I then played with angle to be close to the DM perspective, see below. Actually, the viewpoint is 10° down from an horizontal line. The drawback is that vertical lines are not straight anymore.



I've added a switch ingame : press "v" to switch the camera angle to centered.

3) I maybe lack some 3D knowledge to setup correctly a better viewpoint.

[terkio]

I think there is something wrong in the calculation of the 2D from 3D.
Vertical lines should stay vertical wether the point of view is centered or not.
Among the 3 pictures, the middle one has an offset point of view, the vertical lines are rendered vertical as it should.

I think there is a confusion between angled point of view and vertical offset point of view, two ways for a not centered POW.

[Sphenx]

Thanks, but I've not found yet the proper way to correct the view and was rather working on features.
I've updated the 4th iteration of the alpha.
Mainly setting the basics for the spell menu, only missile spells can be cast.
For testing purpose, you now start in the Trolins' level.

[terkio]

To keep the walls vertical, you must consider the heads of the party are closer to the ceiling.
Consider they do not turn their eyes to look at a higher point. Consider their eyes are higher and they look straight ahead.

[Sphenx]

Updated 5th iteration of alpha.
Items can be put everywhere on inventory.
Still in progress to resolve the bugs.
In parallel, the core engine compiles on Linux, that may be of interest for later.

[Sphenx]

Updated 6th iteration.
Added fonts for displaying texts, currently item names.

[Sphenx]

I've updated with an 8th iteration.
Items and weapons actions are generally usable.
Lights are now adjusted by the player's current light level. You need to cast light as you start in the dark.

[Sphenx]

New update for basic champion management.



Can still be downloaded here http://dmbuilder.sphenxmusics.fr/extern ... Alpha1.zip (now ~ 30 MB)
or here http://dmbuilder.sphenxmusics.fr/extern ... 190713.zip

[Sphenx]

Game digression serving internal technical improvements of the engine : Bloodwych

[Sphenx]

And here is the link for this special package dmbuilder.sphenxmusics.fr/external/dcs/spx-DCS-BW.zip (~ 10 MB, ~ 200 MB uncompressed)
The first level is playable, the other are accessible though. There are still some glitches but the main part is here - except specific communication system and spell cast. I tried to update and upscale the graphics to match the original but some gfx are quickly done and not that pretty.
Let me know what you think.

[terkio]

I see the walls keep being tilted.
3D vertical lines should be rendered as 2D vertical lines.
Have you tried to understand the points I made long ago about this ?

[Sphenx]

Yes I did.
Here is a result of fixed view (there is more of side wall)


I also made a special version where you can adjust head position / rotation and Y FOV, if you want to play with it.
http://dmbuilder.sphenxmusics.fr/extern ... a10FOV.zip

The major reason it is not yet the default view is because I need to have the 2D clickable/displayable zones corresponding to this perspective and this still requires some adaptations notably to make them dynamically adjustable from view and screen size. I have not finished that work yet.

[terkio]

Hey, this looks very good.

[Sphenx]

I'm carrying on tests with another game: Eye of the Beholder.



Playable version for first level here : http://dmbuilder.sphenxmusics.fr/extern ... CS-EOB.zip ( ~ 13 MB , 66 MB uncompressed).
I am not able (yet) to decipher the real script instructions from EOB data, so I replaced it by external lua script which is partially doing the job.

[Sphenx]

Hi, here is a new alpha release. (DCS-Alpha.zip 28 MB)
I worked on a basic save / load function, which is rather essential to have but this took me quite a long time, as it actually required many internal changes, and I broke much code while doing this ... Not everything is yet in the savegame file but the main part is in it.

[Sphenx]

A small updateto have the inventory at a better place.
Still working on next features.

[Sphenx]

Version updated (alpha 14) with items weights taken into account.

[Sphenx]

Other champions are roaming the Arena.

[Gambit37]

You're making some great progress here, very nice! I hadn't checked this for a while: congrats on getting the true vertical walls, this is a great improvement.

[Sphenx]

Version updated (alpha 15)
Damage done and received is now shown.

There is a specific executable to start in the Arena.
Besides, any idea of other 3D crawlers I could play with ?

[Sphenx]

Updated version to alpha 16
Fixed global position of all zones to allow proper window resizing + fullscreen mode.
There is a new settings file to enable/disable this fullscreen mode.
That version also contains the EOB and BW test levels.

[ChristopheF]

Nice progress!

[Sphenx]

I digressed again. Maybe some will recognize that :



This is a special alpha 17 version to download.
This map is about 12 times a standard map of DM.

[terkio]

Did not work ok for me. Notebook Samsung NC10 WinXp.
Errors at loading, missing files or access.
Got a view with missing pics. Could move along clicking on locations of missing stuff.
Jerky "hand" moves, hand missing is a white square.

[Sphenx]

Yes this is really not optimized for old notebooks -- nor optimized at all
I have tried myself on a HP mini which is the same class as the NC10 and I also get bad results and "white squares".
I suppose it is related to OpenGL and graphics memory, as these notebooks might not have enough memory to load all textures, hence the blank zones. Also performance is not good.
But unfortunately I am not going to spend time now for solving such issue ...
Regarding the errors messages, they are intended, and no file is currently missing -- there are about other files (net yet in place) that can overload default data.
I just hope you have a better computer to test it.