GP32 Need Some Folks To Help Dev Little Games...

[skeezix]

My Zot system is about to grow in ability *enormously*, with the recent coming to fruition of the zotscript scripting system.

ie: As is "right now", Zot that is available is reasonably useful but incomplete for anything halfway complex, since it was aimed at being easy to use.. but that limited it.

The new Zot features a full general purpose language within, so that in addition to what it can already do, you can now code your own "AI"s and behaviours and rendering and such, all as script. Its a C-like language, though without all the complexity of C. Its not too hard.. example:

// really dumb example AI module
mobAI () {
new sprite_id = sprite_this(); // pick up ID of current sprite
new block;
block = sprite_move ( sprite_id, dirRight, 2 ); // move sprite right 2 pixels
if ( block == blockImpassable ) {
sprite_move ( sprite_id, dirUp, 2 ); // move sprite up
}
}

Zotscript is cross platform .. the same Zot scripts will run on gp32, palm OS, pc, linux and Mac OSX without changes.

So far, very few people have shown interest in Zot -- I'm not sure if this is due to it sucking, or no sample games, or too complex. Despite this, I've plowed ahead since its fun as hell to work on, but ... it was really designed for other people to use My part is in building the engine and working on a couple little games slowly as time permits.

Before Zot can really take off, I think it needs to have some halfway amusing little games, so that people can see what it can do and become interested. I need some folks who'd like to work on some little games, so that these first ones can come out, so others might become interested (itsd a vicious circle.. I've not the time to be putting artwork and audio and all the scripting together to make a game, while also building the engine etc.)

So if you would like to work on a little game (2d, not 3d), and can commit to working on it a bit in your own time (the goal here being to help me find out what I need to develop into the script language), let me know

ie: Someone in the mailing list brought up stylus/mouse usage (for Palm OS and desktop platforms); I'd always left it out, since of course the GP32 doesn't have it. But if they wanted to make a bejwelled game, then perhaps a crosshair coudl work on gp32, and a mouse/stylus on the other platforms. Tap on sprite woudl be useful, for instance, to select a jewel. I'd not put much thought to it, but when he mentioned it.. it'd be trivial for me to drop into the system.. but I needed him to ask for it to come into my brain.

So if you're interested, reply; Zotscript (the language) is completed and operating on all platforms.. I'm just now adding in mappings so the language can invoke Zot-engine-calls. So heres when you can come in.. tell me what you need for your little game, and then start working away at your game (artwork, laying out maps, tlak trees etc, are all doable now)

jeff

 

[AlexW]

Sounds good, I have done some programming in the past on the different computers but I always stayed away from C/C++ ... I do want to contribute something though to the GP32 community... this would be fun...

I do have a couple of "easy" programming ideas...

Is it possible to do a clone/remake of this flash game ? http://www.pointystick.com/funnyflash.php?id=128&page=1

Or is it like you want me to start and se how far I get with the ZOT as it is and tell you what you need to implement to make my game work (or make it easier to do a game like this)...

 

[skeezix]

Hmm, interesting (cute link, I just sent it around.. -- firing a sprite at arbitrary angles. I forget if the engine can already do that (the player can move at angles and follow velocity mind you), but it should be fully doable with some careful scripting if I provide basic math functions like cos/sin so that you could write your own angle handling. So that'd be some work for you or me to do (ie: I could perhaps build that into the engine if its not already there, I forget).

(No guarantees, but we can certainly try for it, or other ideas you might have!)

jeff

If you want to get into it all, join the zot-maker mailing list on my Zot site, and start giving a read to the docs on my site and see if you can get a handle on any of it; I think I maybe rewritting a lot of the docs though to make it easier to get into

http://www.codejedi.com/zot/

 

[synkro]

I have just the feeling that Zot already lost against fenix, that's just my two cents as I keep my fingers away from scripting stuff like these ...

 

[skeezix]

yeah, Fenix is cool stuff and apparently been around on the PC for while, so is a good base for GP32; mind you, only Zot works on Palm OS (though I should've just ported Fenix to there )

I'm betting Zot is easier for making tilemap type games, but I wouldn't know.. never looked at fenix

Nomatter.. its here, hopefully someone will use it

jeff

 

[jlebrech]

Hi skeezix im kinda interested in a C like scripting engine for a game,

What it is i want to do is a driving (joyriding game), with tiles for roads (going up-down, left-right, corners, and crossroad tiles) and on the tiles your car can change lanes and direction, and crashes if it leaves the road tile.

And the AI cars should be able to stay in a lane and change direction at corner road tiles.

I dont know if you know what i mean, but i would need sum tiles, or at least you could show sum tiling examples, and colision code.

thanks.

 

[skeezix]

Sounds like you want a viewpoint like the original GTA1 and GTA2 .. top down. As with most projects, drawing the artwork would be hardest I imagine

You'd have to define movement; Zot has a "velocity" movemen t model option, though its not worked over mucvh yet. It was made for an Asteroids-style game with turn-and-thrust which might work out, but I iamgine one could script up whatever movement model is needed. Writing AIs and such is doable, but of course woudl be some work to make smart AIs and such.

So at a guess I'd think it shoudl be doable

jeff