Wandor (working title)

[PokeParadox]

Keep up the good work, the enemy interactions seem already quite polished. I'm growing more and more interest in this project.
Also since you are using Penjin, I'm here if you need any sort of help, etc.

 

[foxblock]

Alright, here we go:

The Code
I have spent the last week rewriting the physics engine (enemy and map interactions you saw in the last video) and I am pretty much done (needs some polishing). So we have got destroyable tiles and damage tiles and such, but since the is no effect system yet (aundy is working on that) you just see blocks disappearing and I don't think that is worth another video...
While we are at it: I also created a GoogleCode page and uploaded all the engine code, so you may look at it and theoretically also download it (though I advise you to not do that as it is not finished).
The plan behind it is that I want to make the engine public once it is finished. As I try to create it as open as possible it could be the base for all kinds of platformer (mario-like) games and so I want to give anyone wanting to create such a game an easy start. In fact you could create a Mario game from it right now (just without sounds and effects).
I also will release the level editor later, so you can create your own levels (also for Wandor)
You can find the code here: http://code.google.com/p/w-engine/

The artwork
Well I said "should be ready" for a reason...

The story
Instead I will give you some more details on the story:
There is reason why we did not comment on all the "other pirates" idea (which were great, btw)...
The game will start with the pirate ship sailing to an island which is rumoured to hide a great treasure.
It turns out very quick that Wandor (the player) is kind of the looser in the pirate crew and is looked down upon by the others.
The treasure is located in an ancient pirate hideout (a cave) and as you walk around the cave you are separated by the other pirates who laugh at you.
You will then find an ancient artefact which unfortunately (for you) is cursed. To break the curse you have to bring more gold into the old pirate hideout.
As you were separated by the the crew you have to get out of the cave alone only to discover that they have left the island without you (but with all the treasure).
This is the start of a hunt for revenge on the one hand and the treasure on the other hand (to break the curse).

More details on the crew members follow (probably later this week).

The community
Well, we are always open for any ideas (as long as they are compatible to our plans), but to give them a certain direction, I would like to ask you to make up some hero states for the game.
What does that mean? Easy: Like in WarioLand the hero will react to his environment (mostly enemies), so for example jumping into a torch will set you on fire, being hit by a bottle of rum will make you go berserk.
We currently have the following "states" fixed (and some others which are easily exchangeable).

• On fire - player is running around uncontrolled and turns into a living flame after some time
• Drunken - being hit by a bottle of rum makes Wandor go berserk (you can break blocks you could not break before), but controls are a bit "delayed" (thanks to pstudio for the idea)

Now it's your turn - I am courious to see what you come up with (go crazy, the engine is pretty extendible), but keep in mind that every state has to have multiple purposes. For example being on fire can used to make the player fall down a platform (as he can't stop or change direction), but as well to light torches or break special blocks. A bad example of this would be the invisible-Wario in WarioLand 3, which was just used to get past the eye-block and it was really annoying as well (as you had to guess your position most of the time).
Every idea ending up in the final game will be credited of course.

Also,

Keep up the good work, the enemy interactions seem already quite polished. I'm growing more and more interest in this project.
Also since you are using Penjin, I'm here if you need any sort of help, etc.

Thanks, but you don't know what you are getting yourself into, do you?

Have a nice day

foxblock out

 

[foxblock]

Today is Talk Like a Pirate Day! (seriously)

and to celebrate this day, I am going to give you some more news on this project...

well, I was going to but, I got carried away playing Monkey Island in the last few hours (which is on Steam for sale atm - 50% off, only 4,5€ - it's the special edition with enhanched graphics and fully voiced speeches, while you can hot-swap to the old, original one of course - take this offer while you can (only this weekend)). Okay, now I played a game rather than making a video and I also advertised it... I really feel guilty and apologize for slacking off. I shall stay up all night to get that damn video finished and upload it then.

So, expect it very soon (I just made this announcement now as it is still pirate day here in GMT+1) - you also might see some sprites soon...

Anyway, happy talk like a pirate day, yarrrrr

Edit: Now here is the promised video, enjoy and please leave a comment if you are still interested in this project (there is a lock of 'em in the last time) these are what keep us happy
I have some more things to report and announce, but I am going to do that tomorrow, I can barely stay awake now...
.
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=n3WrpyC05Zc

 

[latiosu]

Since you like some help with player states, how about a Goo transformation (Some kind of jelly Wandor) which could be use to go cross a grid or fall into a funnel or some kind of pipe?
There could be a slime kind of enemy which transform you into this and you can wash it with water or something like that.

 

[trendy]

Interesting project. I'll see if I can help you.

I can review audio so it doesn't sounds annoyingly 'in your face', could do boring tasks in little quantity (visual perhaps)..
I don't want to code, foleying or give ideas. I'm your time frame (+3UTC - stop using GMT).

Sometimes I do professional work. If my work is useful it should be credited anonymously. I fear being pm'd by new members.

 

[foxblock]

Thanks for the comments, keep it coming

I like the "goo" idea, I will add it to the list. It seems to be a very suitable idea for puzzles, thanks!

So here come the promised announcements:

I sadly have to say that Consequence_9, one of the artists on the team, had to quit due to the lack of time, I wish him the best and hope that he might be able to return at some point...
Anyway as you might already know Dragons_Slayer is also working on the graphics and being very productive lately (look forward to see something soon), but as we will need a lot graphics in the end (sprites, tilemaps, large background images) I would like to have another artist on the team.

So if you are talented and interested in helping, don't hesitate to contact me (via mail, forum message or this topic). Not all things are fixed, so you will be able to input your own ideas rather than just following presettings.
We are also looking for another C++ coder for smaller tasks, like creating maps, units and such. You will have to work with already written code (by me) though...
Additionally we also might need voice actors and musicians, but as the project has not progressed that far, this is not top-priority and mostly future work. If you are interested, though, please contact me.
It would be a great advantage if you are in my timezone though as I don't have to stay up until 3pm to be able to talk to you then

There will be an open page on the Google Group soon where we will post and update detailed information, like a To-Do-List, ideas-lists, more screenshots and other insight information about the project.

foxblock out

 

[Poem58]

Maybe one of his states involves him getting wet (water poured on him) it makes him walk slower and look soggy and he has to slam against a wall to shake off the water (allowing a "heavier" hit than before) might be useful to have random buckets hanging around from time to time but the ones where a hidden block is nearby actually have the water and dump it on him making you have to drag your soggy butt around to find the hidden block that needs broken. Hope that helps. Just Popped into my head when I read you request for his states. I have liked Wario games before but never finished one yet. So maybe consider some sort of Give up all your points and treasure for a hint option. There's noting worse than getting so stuck on something you just quit the game you were enjoying up to that point. (this may not become necessary to way later when the game has grown considerably)

Yeah, yeah, now I remember in one wario game you could actually hit bucket and they would flip around and coins fall out right? If not another game same concept here, but some dump coins, nothing, or water based on whether you have a secret block around but you can have water dumped on you just for no reason as well just to make you second guess if there's a hidden block or not. Maybe if you want to be funny or want a flying routine you could occasionally have Tar and Feathers fall from the bucket making him look like a ridiculous scruffy bird man and could fly a little until his feathers all wear off or a timer runs out or he just looks ridiculous and tends to flap his arms for a minute while tending to hop more than run or something .

 

[bzar]

Maybe one of his states involves him getting wet (water poured on him) it makes him walk slower and look soggy and he has to slam against a wall to shake off the water (allowing a "heavier" hit than before) might be useful to have random buckets hanging around from time to time but the ones where a hidden block is nearby actually have the water and dump it on him making you have to drag your soggy butt around to find the hidden block that needs broken. Hope that helps. Just Popped into my head when I read you request for his states. I have liked Wario games before but never finished one yet. So maybe consider some sort of Give up all your points and treasure for a hint option. There's noting worse than getting so stuck on something you just quit the game you were enjoying up to that point. (this may not become necessary to way later when the game has grown considerably)

Yeah, yeah, now I remember in one wario game you could actually hit bucket and they would flip around and coins fall out right? If not another game same concept here, but some dump coins, nothing, or water based on whether you have a secret block around but you can have water dumped on you just for no reason as well just to make you second guess if there's a hidden block or not. Maybe if you want to be funny or want a flying routine you could occasionally have Tar and Feathers fall from the bucket making him look like a ridiculous scruffy bird man and could fly a little until his feathers all wear off or a timer runs out or he just looks ridiculous and tends to flap his arms for a minute while tending to hop more than run or something .

This, but with tar and you need water to get it off.

 

[foxblock]

Thanks for the input so far, it's greatly appreciated

I think we can merge some of the ideas here: The water one matches with the "Drunken pirate" idea, which involves getting hit by a bottle of rum and makes Wandor a bit dizzy (harder to control) but also stronger (break blocks you could not before). And we also had the idea with goo (or tar). I am pretty confident these will make it into the final game, as they provide good options for puzzles and sound like they also make a good basis for jokes or slap-stick.
Speaking of water: This will be the universal cure for anything (it extinguishes fire, makes you sober again, etc.), so it's sadly not a great option for a hero state as-is...

The hint option is also a good one. For all people who get stuck this will be a welcomed addition, though we have to come up with a solid concept (simply paying coins for a hint might make the player end up in searching every inch of the map for additional coins which would not be fun at all).

Also a very big thanks go out to Gruso for the blog post, thanks mate, you rock!

To clarify on this, we do not only need a codee, we basically need anyone
We need an artist (for sprites, tilemaps and background artwork)
We need another coder (for various C++ tasks)
and (though this is not top priority)
We need musician / sound artist (for player/enemy sounds and in-game music)

This page shows what is currently being worked on and where we could need some help: http://code.google.c...ine/issues/list
If you got interested, don't hesitate to contact me - you will then get access to the (private) GoogleGroup where we discuss ideas and manage everything...
And remember, you are always welcome to input your ideas on anything

foxblock out

Edit: Corrected link

 

[torpor]

I have a room full of synthesziers in front of me: I could do music/sounds. PM me.

 

[dentrado]

[...]
We need musician / sound artist (for player/enemy sounds and in-game music)
[...]

Maybe you could ask HomoChristo, I liked his music.

Hello.

I'm in the process of setting up a space to provide original music to Pandora developers to use in your apps and games.

It is all 8-bit inspired, NES-esque music that should work well with platformers, rpg's, and whatnot. My goal is to create simple, catchy music - just like the old days!

Any way, check it out. Currently I have only upped one track, but the selection should grow exponentially in the near future.

virb.com/homochristo

thread: Music For Your Stuff!

 

[Cpasjuste]

Hi foxblock.

In my GLES2D library, i'm currently using Mappy ".pmp" tiles map but i'm not totaly happy with that (specially with collision detection, and also because i do not have full control on the created maps).

Would it be possible to get your tiles map code and tiles map gui and work together on that to see if it could be a better solution, and if it's not already the case port it to opengl(es) or SDL 1.3 (opengl(es) too).

See you !

 

[foxblock]

Maybe you could ask HomoChristo, I liked his music.

thread: Music For Your Stuff!

Yeah I also thought about this long ago, just forgot to do, maybe the time has come now

Hi foxblock.

In my GLES2D library, i'm currently using Mappy ".pmp" tiles map but i'm not totaly happy with that (specially with collision detection, and also because i do not have full control on the created maps).

Would it be possible to get your tiles map code and tiles map gui and work together on that to see if it could be a better solution, and if it's not already the case port it to opengl(es) or SDL 1.3 (opengl(es) too).

See you !

Well you are lucky it's already coded using SDL (though not entirely I suppose). I think the best thing would be if you contacted me via ICQ or MSN (I am rarely lurking around the ICR channel, but you might be able to catch me there, too), see my profile for details.

foxblock out

 

[Cpasjuste]

I saw your code on google code, it seems you use sdl 1.2. I think you should maybe use sdl 1.3 so it would use openGLES out of the box on the pandora for the graphic part.

 

[foxblock]

I saw your code on google code, it seems you use sdl 1.2. I think you should maybe use sdl 1.3 so it would use openGLES out of the box on the pandora for the graphic part.

Well I am not sure what code you are referring to, but it might be code of the Penjin framework.
Anyway, I don't want to fill this topic entirely with code mumbo-jumbo, so I encourage you to contact me directly, which I think is a better way to discuss this...

 

[pstudio]

We are also looking for another C++ coder for smaller tasks, like creating maps, units and such. You will have to work with already written code (by me) though...

I may offer my services as a programmer, as long as it is small tasks. Are we talking about tasks like adding behaviour logic to units?

 

[foxblock]

We are also looking for another C++ coder for smaller tasks, like creating maps, units and such. You will have to work with already written code (by me) though...

I may offer my services as a programmer, as long as it is small tasks. Are we talking about tasks like adding behaviour logic to units?

Exactly, though there are no units ready (sprites) yet, but I think it cannot hurt if you get familiar with the whole system, just let me clean up the base classes before.

I have a room full of synthesziers in front of me: I could do music/sounds. PM me.

I would really like to, but the forum tells me that you cannot use the messaging system (strange error, is your inbox full, maybe?), maybe you could check on that and send me a PM when the issue is resolved.

On project related news: I nearly finished version 0.4.0 of the level editor which adds keyboard controls and a small overview of the whole map. I am currently thinking about releasing this version on the GoogleCode page so everyone can play with it (and find bugs), although it currently would not be of much use for you. I am not entirely sure whether to do it or not, though....

foxblock out

 

[howardcshaw]

If anyone is interested, there are a few adjustments needed to the source files from Google code to get them to build on Linux. I've recorded them in the form of a README.linux file, this should get you at least to a point where you have a successful build, though not yet a working program.

                          Wandor Game Engine

                             Version 0.10

---
http://code.google.com/p/w-engine/

This is the Wandor Game Engine, a simple engine for side-scrolling,
platform based games incorporating hero 'states'. It is built primarily
for the pirate game Wandor, designed for the Pandora handheld, but is
intended to be usable for other side-scrolling games.

The WGE depends on the Penjin 'Pirate Engine', which may be downloaded
from http://projectinfinity.org.uk, and should either be placed or
linked in PenjinBase in the base WGE directory.

The WGE also depends on libsdl1.2.

To get a working setup:

1. Download and extract WGE
svn checkout http://w-engine.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/ w-engine-read-only

2. Download and extract Penjin
wget http://projectinfinity.org.uk/lib/exe/fetch.php/homebrew:engines:penjin:downloads:penjinbase.7z
7zr x homebrew:engines:penjin:downloads:penjinbase.7z

3. Link Penjin where WGE can find it
cd w-engine-read-only
ln -s ../PenjinBase/ PenjinBase

4. Add missing files

mv mapData.h MapData.h
mv mapData.cpp MapData.cpp

touch TileMap.cpp

5. Fix missing/wrong Makefile entries

On the PROJECT_FILES line, add ' physics camera HeroClass TestEnemy
MapData collisionObject BaseEnemy BaseUnit UnitArray', remove 'TileMap'.

On the PENJIN_FILES line, change TextHandler to Text.
On the PENJIN_FILES line, add CollisionMap, ParticleCollider.

6. If you are using SDL without OpenGL, edit PenjinBase/GFX.h, and
change the line
    #include <SDL.h>
to read
    #include <SDL/SDL.h>
    
7. Fix build errors in cpp files:

In HeroClass.cpp, comment out line 27:
//m_collision.setNoCollisionColour(MAGENTA);
and lines 77 and 78:
    //if (correction.y < -16)
    //    cout << endl;

In MapData.cpp, edit line 17 to read:
  m_TileMap.setTransparentColour((PENJIN_COLOURS)transColour);
 
In PenjinBase/CollisionMap.cpp, add:

bool CollisionMap::hasCollided(CRint c, CRint y)
{
  return false;
}
  
7. Run the Makefile:
make

8. Test the a.out:
./a.out 
Penjin says: No command line args provided.
Penjin says: No errors detected.
Title State
Segmentation fault

Howard, the Grum

 

[foxblock]

Well thanks for you effort, I am a bit worried that there are build errors and a SEGFAULT in the linux build (I might have to set up linux and test it myself some time...)
It might be because of the old Makefile which is at least a month old and has not been touched since then (I just noticed I uploaded it with the rest of the files, which I probably should not have done).
I also really need to clean up the code, but the engine is a work in progress and the GoogleCode repository basically just is for code distribution between team members...
Still as it's public I should make it work and a bit less messy...
I am currently mostly working on PandoraPanic with the rest of that team and trying to get it out of the door, but when it's done I will certainly come back to Wandor (though I currently still work on it a bit from time to time).

So, long story short, I invite you send me a private message with your contact details, so we can discuss the errors you get and I can work on a fix for that. There still is some work to be done, so in case you are interested to join the team, don't hesitate to ask.

foxblock out

 

[PokeParadox]

It could be a case sensitivity error with loading an image... causing the segfault.