Times of War Development Team

And, a third shot, taken from the same height as the last one, but with an extra sub-division of the tiles.

Z.

I think your first terrain image was funny. It looked like it really was on paper. Jorj, can you list me your languages from 1st to last. There is a very ironic fact about my spanish. Though spanish is my first language, I'm the best with english in my group at school.

Why don't you want the tiles to meet? Anyways, go to flipcode.com and look at the terrain generation from heightmaps. That's not what I want, but that IS what I want it to look like (basically). Also if we do it in one big map, there need to be restrictions and stuff. I think that it SHOULD be one big map, just that a new part is added in each mission, so you can do the objectives.

Also the game's terrain may look similar to B&W's when it's done, I think it looks cool.

And also have you seen 3DMark's (2001) Nature thingey? It would be neat to have something like that for an 'ultimate' detail level, so that in maybe 3 years or so, the best computers can still play it and it would look awesome. Just a thought.

Also for the website I need all of your normal emails, since the cjb thing doesn't (seem to) work. And some quotes about you, I've already got one for Jorj, Myself, and Norman_Nomein, it's just for the profiles (background & quote). If you can give this to me, it would make it look all the more proffesional.

My languages are:

English
French
German
Spanish
Latin
Scots Gaelic (learning)

I also have access to:

Russian
Irish Gaelic
Vulgar Latin
Old French
Old English

Wow... but I think we need someone that can speak either italian or finnish, because you see lots of other programs translated into those versions.

LOL! I forgot those! I guess no of of us can cut it.

Oh, the tiles will meet, but at the moment, each vertex is just created with a random y value. I went to bed after posting those shots, but I think i have a way to fix the T-junction thing. Once that is fixed, I have to implement texturing, and map loading.

On a side note, I am thinking of locking the player's viewpoint, so they can't rotate the camera very much (so it is more like a normal RTS). There are two reasons for this. The first is that if I know that the player cannot see x distance away, I can clip, oh 99% of the terrain polygons away. Second, we dont have to do sky stuff.

After a bit of thinking on my part, I realized that this is taking an un godly amount of memory. So, i did some tests. At 8 levels of sub-division, im eating 17 megs. At 9, im eating 62. At 10, a whopping 212 megs of memory. This means that I can reduce the size of each map, and tile several of them. That is probably what I am going to do.

My email is [email protected] . I will think of some witty quote later. Err... you can use that as my quote =).

Z.

I'll use "FI is defined as Figment of my Imagination"

And also the website is (finally!) up.
http://crystal-rain.cjb.net/

Link please.

I saw. It looks really nice =). Anyway, im off to get some work done around here, then Ill be back later.

Z.

I think the menu is nice.

Does someone want to try their hand at animated Cursors? I'm looking for a sort of "Hand Of Evil" (eg, Black and White, Dungeon Keeper 2), animated of course. What does everyone think of letting users choose the UI they like?

Z.

Okay, try to put a default cursor for each events, like drag, direct, normal, etc. and give them the option to change them. But do not allow them to place the same cursor on to different events.

Guys, I don't know if I posted this earlier, but what do you think of making the base game and then programming the rest in a scripting language, allowing the public to make full MOD packs and stuff. I think it would be cool. Also you could change basically anything in a MOD so we could give out patches in the form of these MOD files for better gameplay, etc.

Um... isn't that a bit difficult for the AI. I mean, you'd have to have the Engine follow a script and what if the user puts screwy data in?

Sorry for interrupting. But I'm just wondering:

1: What exactly are making?
2: You spoke about needing graphic artists. What do you want and...hehe...What quality?
3: How big is your team, and what goals are you setting?

Just wondering... ;)

Sas can tell you all that.

1: Probably the most ambitious RTS of all time.
2: Ask Sas. At the moment we are needing 3d modellers, texture artists, etc.
3: There are 8 people on the team.

Sas, the really big problem with scripts is that they are SLOOOOOWWWW. They are great for things like events, and reactions to triggers, but anything that has to be called every frame or so is going to slow everything down. What we could do though is to write all of the missions in a scripting language. Allow it to create triggers in the game, etc. What do you think? Or was that your original though anyway =)?

Z.

I fully agree with Zaei. We should do it like AOE2. The map editor allows the creation of scripts for events. I think we should make the tiles and unit skins and stuff with files, so that they may be change. For example, they can make the snow times green if they edit them. They may select from the options which set of custom things they will use, Allowing multiple sets stored for convenience.

Sorry for bothering you once more, but I would really like to know the story. Like:
Future? Past? Aliens? Knights? Monsters?
Human vs Human or just monsters or whatever?
A storyline? An outlying world/planet? RPG stuff, like specific characters, HP, MP, EXP? Some kind of a spell system or Tech Tree?

Look, I don't really need to know the details, I just wrote down everything I had in mind just now. But just 'what' are you making. An RTS means that it can be Starcraft or it can be AOE.

Just curious. Can't sleep without the answers :P
If Sastraxi is the big boss, I believe he will have the most specific details if I'm not totally wrong. All I want to know is that if I'm good enhough to join the project as a 3D modeller. That's all.

Can you do low poly characters (knights, peasents, etc)? Think Warcraft. Take a look at the screen shots section of the web site. Can you do something like the wizard in there?

At the moment we dont have a story (as far as I know). There are elements of Real Time Strategy and RPGs (indivdual upgrades).

Z.

By the way, making mods to a RTS game... I know you're probably thinking "Who are you to judge what to do with our game" right now. However, I'm just writing my opinion. If you don't want them, throw 'em and tell me that you don't want them.

A map editor in an RTS game is definately a must-have. And it should be quick and easy to use, like starcraft, rather than slow and half-finished like Red Alert.

However, being able to create mods is very great, but if it's too slow, like Zaei says, skip it. Games nowadays have to run fast or nobody will ever bother to play it. Like StarCraft. Nobody playes it on any lower speed than Fastest. And Half-Life is similar. Nobody want's a slow engine.

Just sharing my opinions..

Hehe....If you don't need my 'talent', I can always be of assistance when it comes to ideas and stuff. I have a lot of ideas on games. So if you need someone with great plans for a game, I'm your man!

BTW, I can translate anything into Norwegian :)

I can probably create low-poly characters. I created the avatar in 3D Studio MAX(Why won't any of the avatars show, BTW?). However, I'm not too good(or rather 'any good) with textures and stuff. Mostly models is my thing.

I know exactly what you mean(about the Warcraft thing).

Plz, don't make a user-manipulated camera angle unless it's VERY good. worrying about the camera is something you just get sick of. In an RTS, you need full overview ALL THE TIME! Since this is 3D, I guess you should always be able to view the scene from different angles, but make it as 'above' as possible.

Another thing, a game replay is fun and useful for 'pro gamers'/Gozus/Gurus/Whatever' to see others in action.

I feel like I'm becoming somewhat like the planmaster himself, and I'm not even in the team. However, I would be glad to join if you need me!

Good Night, and good luck!

(sniffle) ;-; That was a beautifil speech. :D

Hello...again :P

You AI people: I have a tiny problem that I need fixed and I need your help. I'll talk about it later.

You called? :P

Here's another fun banner for us.

Z.

So we called Crystal rain Entertainment, eh?

Yep.

Real Igor, you're hired. The skills are the ability to create: humanoid, winged creatures, wilderness (trees and neutral animals), and building models. I'll see if I can get another person to help you with it because it is a big list.

Zaei: I REALLY REALLY want to have full mod support, still (so the game can be changed a lot, and stuff). How about having a Script->C++ preprocessing program that does this, and then TOW reads these...?

It is still going to be slow. In the flipcode tutorial, the figure was at least 15 times slower. Give me a list of stuff you would want to change for mod making. I will let you know what we can do about it =).

Here is a TOW banner i did earlier.

Z,

Oh, and i can model trees =).

Z.

Hey, I have a question. I have a friend who programs with me. He wants to help me and Jorj with AI. Can he join?

I need some sketches of what you want here. Or a detailed explanation of 1 unit/house/whatever. And like I told you guys earlier, I'm not good with textures, so don't expect anything like the scene that fox created "today". It's beyond my skills... :(

Anyways, happy to be on the team! Hope I live up to your expectations.:D

I looked at your screenies. Do you want a Final Fantasy - looking mage with a straw hat and and a coat. Something like this

Like that Igor, but with a robe, not pants.

Hey Sas. I was reading your quote. If that verteran swordsman didn't have 200 morale, he would run for his life before he died =).

Z.

[edit]
I also added my quote to the page =).

I love that mage! It's so cute! Can we keep it, with a robe? PLEASE? :D

It'd be copyright infringement if we did; and also we're looking to make it realistic not cartoonish.

Which one? =).

Z.

;-; (sniffle) So we can't have a mage that doesn't look cartoony and is not copyrighted. I want a mage. (sniff)