P-148 Heist: Update 8: Climbing, Crouching, Hacking
This week I implemented a hacking minigame to allow the player to access server computers and open doors. It is essentially a login screen which the player can hack using a “fake” hacking tool, which will decrypt the password. This takes time, and the password will change every time is it interrupted. The length of […]
Concept: Aero(and Hydro)ponics for Farming in Arid Regions
Aeroponics is the growing of plants or crops in air, as opposed to soil, or water (such as in hydroponics). It works by suspending crops in a tank containing a nutrient rich solution. This solution is then sprayed onto the crops at regular intervals (In Hydroponics, the crops are actually immersed in the solution). Both […]
Concept: The Ekranoplan
The Ekranoplan (Wiki) is a type of Ground-Effect Vehicle. It is essentially an aircraft, which flies just meters off of the surface of the ground, using a cushion of air to provide additional lift. These vehicles are amphibious, but can only travel over a flat surface. The are predominately used over water and ice, although […]
3D Printing: Useful Tools for Preparing/Testing a Model
I have been creating and testing 3D Models for the purposes of 3D printing for some time now. One of the problems that I have discovered is in testing the model before sending it to the printer. I have had several orders cancelled (and refunded) due to issues. Most of these issues were due to […]
P-148 Heist Update 7: Remote Camera, Inventory, Final Coding
I have got most of the coding done for this project, and I am ready to start the art and gui’s, as well as the final level design. I have added a Remote Camera to the players inventory. This is an camera object which can be thrown a reasonable distance. When it lands, the player […]
P-148 Heist Update 6: Triggers, Remote Camera, Level Design
This week I finally found a solution for the trigger issue I was having. I am now using raycasts between nodes embedded in my models to determine collision. This works very well with laser fences and laser triggers, and does not seem to cause any noticable performance hit. I basically include two dummy nodes in […]
P-148 Heist Update 5: Level Design, Animated Lasers, Triggers.
Most of this week was spent on implementing new gameplay features, such as the animated lasers shown in the videos and pictures below. I am quite happy with these, I think they look great. They come in two versions: visible red lasers, and invisible lasers, which can only be seen when using the alternate vsion […]
P-148 Heist Update 4: Artificial Intelligence, Lighting, visibility and hiding, lockpicking.
I have complete the vast majority of the Artificial Intelligence for this project. Ai Guards will now follow a predefined path through a level, searching for players with their light. They will also respond to sounds, such as walking or running, in their vicinity. If the guard spots the player, the game ends. Players are […]