StarSplash (my next game once Dungeons is finished)

SinisterSoft

Here is a test video showing the main 'effect' and some explosions...

SinisterSoft

It's (hopefully) going to be a mix of vector and raster graphics. I intend to use the new path stuff added by Nico for the vector graphics.

ChrisF

Nice effects!

SinisterSoft

Yes, it hasn't been since the days of the Amiga that I've written a game based on a graphic effect.

totebo

Amiga days, those were the DAYS! Could you post a mobile friendly version? Comes up with "plugin not supported" on Chrome on Android.

SinisterSoft

I'll post the link in a code paragraph as the forum automatically embeds it...

<span class="VideoWrap"><span class="Video YouTube" data-youtube="youtube-Ty5wdfa_rzU?autoplay=1"><span class="VideoPreview"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty5wdfa_rzU"><img src="https://img.youtube.com/vi/Ty5wdfa_rzU/0.jpg" width="640" height="385" border="0" /></a></span><span class="VideoPlayer"></span></span></span>

SinisterSoft

With the 'trick' I'm using I can drop a sprite onto the background and let it decay away whilst spiralling into the middle of the screen. Once I put it on there I just forget about it.

ar2rsawseen

What plugin for Chrome Android?

SinisterSoft

I think it's the forum 'plugin' for showing youtube videos - for some reason must have a check for Android Chrome browser?

SinisterSoft

Yes, if you look at the forum with Chrome on Android then the youtube video above says 'This plugin is not supported'.

totebo

Still can't see it in mobile, dang! Going to have to do it on my trusty Mac.

SinisterSoft

Let me know what you think when you eventually see it.

SinisterSoft

I intend the game to be everlasting with no set level structure - no rests.

The 'waves' of enemy sprites will arrive via a fixed random number generator at specific intervals - so that everyone plays the same 'level' but it should have no end. The way they react though will depend on how you play.

Hopefully there will be no 'impossible' situations.

SinisterSoft

My first vector spaceship using Path2D and a bit of fake bloom...

yubaro

Amazing!

antix

Really interesting effect. My brain is numbing right now trying to figure out how you acheived it 8->

SinisterSoft

Do you like the way 'StarSplash' falls away too?

SinisterSoft

Added some path2D sprites...



Still running at 60hz on an older Kindle Fire...

SinisterSoft

This runs at 60hz on a Kindle, but frames out on Html5 - but it's an extreme test...

http://www.sinistersoft.com/starsplash/gideros.html

totebo

Blimey, that is impressive! Really cool to see real-time pixel effects in Gideros.

SinisterSoft

Thanks, dropbox link here if you want to see it on Android hardware - looks nicer...

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ifzukqxbzsrxi6n/StarSplash.apk?dl=0

totebo

Cheers! Sharp like a knife on Nexus 6, with some minor slowdown every now and then. I think Nexus 6 is quite slow when it comes to graphical effects, certainly a lot slower than iPod 5th gen.

SinisterSoft

I haven't optimised things yet....

plus it's a bit of a stress test...

ChrisF

looks good on device, occasional lags on LG G3 but as you say not yet optimised

totebo

@sinistersoft, so when is Dungeons released?

SinisterSoft

@totebo Soon-ish, just adding keys, doors, powerups, traps, etc to the editor so I can add them into the game.

I need to enhance the score panels to show keys, megaweapon - I also need to add the megaweapon!

Adding a 3* system too - so if you collect all the powerups and food you get one star, all the treasure you get another star and kill everything another star. = up to 3 stars completed per level.

I put the system in to limit the number of moving enemy sprites that I talked about with you at the AppsWorld show. I tested it on the low powered device and it seems to regulate things really well.

I need to get people then to make levels so that I will also like playing the game!

@ChrisF thanks for testing. I have a few ideas on how to optimise it - should be able to double up on the number of sprites I think, maybe more. I won't need anywhere near what is on screen right now - so it should be good. I need to test with a soundtracker file playing too - see if that affects performance too much.

totebo

Thanks @sinistersoft. About limiting the number of sprites. I think I remember you saying you burn them onto a bitmap, then defrost them as needed. How do you actually do this? With a mesh? Or Rendertarget?

SinisterSoft

It's not a bitmap - but that would work (it would have to be rendertarget - then pushed to the screen using a mesh would be best) if you can't lock them to a specific grid point. Pushing down one big sprite is (usually) faster than lots of little ones.

I use tilemaps though - I make sure that sprites move to specific grid points - don't forget to that you can have maps with blocks wider than their x,y grid points.

With tilemaps you have no limit on the size of the map - with a rendertarget on some machines you would have a 1024x1024 limit.

antix

Huh? a 1024 limit on some hardware? I thought 2048 was the limit. Hmm, doesn;t bode well for my current project which uses a 2048x2048 RenderTarget I suppose

SinisterSoft

Really old devices though.

btw, just added a 'light map' mode to some levels in Dungeons - this will display explosions behind the map with the map itself being fully lit, otherwise levels have the light source shadow effect.