Shadowdawn Genesis development is getting really exciting from here now. There’s just a few more things I need to add to the projectile/weapon/effects class to be able to cross this bit of programming off, but mainly stuff like camera shakes and changes to ambient lighting of the environment which I can finish in about the time it takes me to write this blog. I have just finished what I call projectile “linking” which lets stuff happen like… the magic ball from the previous blog entry – when it hits Arashi – explodes into a small fireball which you can see in this screenshot. And linking can go on as long as necessary for really complex animations… like magic shields that reflect shockwaves out.
In an amusing bit of programming error, I discovered just how well my engine can handle hundreds of projectiles on the screen at once… while I was trying to split apart the aggression zone into two zones of “aggression range” and “escape range”, apparently a operator of less-than (<) caused the kittri to reach the escape range only to instantly revert back to aggression range, which any change in behavior state triggers an automatic “decision”… well let’s just show a screenshot of what happens then.
Yes, the kittri unleashes holy hell upon the unsuspecting Arashi. It managed to get out of aggression range long enough to stop shooting magic bolts at me, but I think you get the point… game programming can be fun.
Oh yeah, please don’t mind the glaring blue overlay, I don’t know why I kept it in the programming, I guess I was testing to see how much a large colored glow would affect frame rate and never took it out.
