Times of War Development Team

... different scales :D

Anyway, um sastraxi, im new to Direct Draw but heres the code i have so far:

vb parameters in brackets

IDirectDrawSurface7* SystemLoadImage(IDirectDraw7 * pdd, LPCSTR szBitmap, int dx, int dy)

pdd = Direct Draw Main Thing (pdd As DirectDraw7)

szBitmap = Filename Of Image (szBitmap As String)

int dx = X Coord To Load From (dx As Integer)

int dy = Y Coord To Load From (dy As Integer)

Ok, note it returns a DirectDrawSurface7 (wahey) so in vb you need to specify a surface for it to goto :D

Then the next one still to do shall BitFast the image to a buffer.

One thing, do u need me to incorporate a CreateSurfaceFromFile function for you or is SystemLoadImage and SystemBitImage ok for you for now ??

Well in the long run, I want to be able to do something like this:

Code:

---

Sub Main()
  Set GUIBlit = New SYSTEMRESOURCE
End Sub

Function BlitGUI()
  'code to load surfaces from hDCs, get them into my own specified surfaces, and blit them to ddraw
End Function

---

Actually I'm no genius with DDraw, whatever way you have to do the thing is fine with me, as long as I am able to use it. :D

To the other team members: How is your stuff going along?

Okay wazupguys, here is some info:

:) We will be using 64x48 for 1024x768 :)
:) The max number of men that can be on the screen (cause of the tiles) is 256 (256 tiles) :)
:) Same as units, there isnt really a max :)
:) In pbrush, draw a line from the centre of the left side to the centre of the top side, then to the right side, then to the bottom side, then back to the right side, and fill the middle in with black. That is what the tile looks like. :)

To Zaei:
No there is no max, nor a max on the troops. I probably will use my own function to find if it's on the screen (cause of diamond the bounding box may be visible but no building). Unlike in games like Warcraft II, where you could have like 100 units, there is no max on troops. Though you can cap it in multiplayer, there isnt any specified max.

Ontario, Canada!!! :D:D:D:D

Actually, an update on that, there will be MORE than 256 units, more like 512 (cause that is rectangular bounding boxes i was counting)

so what have you done with the menu so far?

could you email me the start screen and the menu?

i am not a great artist.. but I'll try to bring up
something interesting!!

You could do a SC style unit cap, with supply buildings (ie protoss pylon lets you get 10 more men, TOW farmhouse leots you get 10 more men =). Or, you could get ecen more realistic, and have farms produce food, and units comsume food. Not enough farms, and units start to die, or desert, etc. Farms could have drought, or blight (or an enemy in a fantasy campaign could cast it =). Just brain storming, fedback is welcome =).

Z.

Another thought along those lines. Barracks for example, would have a training ground. Why not have a barracks "building" take up 2 adjacent tiles, but allow units to walk over the training ground. Same for a farm, but instead, say, a 3x3 tils space, with one for a farm house that units couldnt walk on.

Z.

[edit]
This is why I love working on gameplay =).

hehe... I know what you mean =) (you can tell by the text smiley that I'm talking to Zaei :D)

Anoop007 - I have also made two MIDI files - a small loading one and a small exit one - they took me about 1 1/2 hours to get right :rolleyes: but I think it's worth it!!

hey could u all email anything u have started exept c++ cause i dont understand c++ at all i start that next year :)

I suggest that someone set up a free web site account,
and pass the acct and password around. We could set
up folders for each team member(and/or section), and
they could post any code, or media that should be approved by the team. That way, we can all see what is going on at all times.

Sas could then set up another account that only
he has access to, so he could upload any approved
media for use by the whole team. That will save us
from having some critical piece of code over written, or
something like that, as well as everyone being able to
go to a central location for something.

Z.

ummm ive been trying to playaround with directx7 and it dont want to take the tiles whos up for creating the websight :o :o im trying to move a sprite aroung on it to but that will take some time.

Sas,

I'm completely talentless, and I'm busy with Sentience, but like Arbiter, I'm prepared to offer whatever advice I can. I'm kinda nifty with photoshop too - but bear in mind I don't have a lot of free time. Let me know if I can help...

:D

(Manchester, UK)

Old skool ASCII yo. *crochety grandfather voice* Why,
back in my day, when we wanted to listen to a song,
we didnt have no napsty server gizmos, we had to
browse lists of 500 hundred songs that usually didnt
have what we wanted! AND to make things worse, all
the lists copied, so broken lnks were ALWAYS BROKEN!
::waves curvy walking stink in the air:: SHOW YOUR
ELDERS SOME RESPECT, YOUNG WHIPERSNAPPERS!
*end*

=)

Z.

Ooooookaaaaaaaaaaay...........

Anyways I am getting along well with the GFX, but have a few problems. (800 / 1024) = 0.78125. This is the aspect ratio of the 64x48 tiles from 1024x768 to 800x600. This results in 50 x 37.5. Now, what size should that graphic be?

So here are the SUPPOSED tile sizes:

1024x768 = 64x48
800x600 = 50x37.5 (?)
640x480 = 40x30

I'm just not sure what do do with the 800x600 resolution. Should we leave it out?

I have about 20 tiles done, all for 1024x768, which just basically makes sure that there is no GFX. corruption when resizing them to 50x37 and 40x30.

And aboot :D the tile size thing, I think we should put it to 50x37, because it would be unfair to people that use 800x600 to give them a smaller map view. You guys get it?

I cannot do much on the website, however I am trying my hardest. Schoolwork is getting in the way.

I also got a good idea for the end credits... It should have all of us (the dev. team) being sent to be executed by the king... Kinda like a funny end like in "Whose line is it anyways?" (ever seen that show?!?!)

You could end it like they did in Civ2, with pictures, that get guillotine'd =).

Z.

Little kinda people with snippets of our heads from photos, or Serious Sam style, include us in the game as charachters ?

I got the System.dll done, i just gotta test it with vb and my vb direct x game as ****** up so i have to find a new one on p-s-c.com :D

Oh heck, i shall release it then, plus source for whom require it, along with the vb declares for yow !

Hey Sas. Could you email me the just the BG image for the title screen, if you have it separate? Ive got some ideas Id like to play around with.

Also, ill go and create a quick geocities account for us to upload stuff to, like in my other post.

Z.

Ok, I just set up the geocities account. Email me([email protected]) or Sas for the password. Should we set up the directory structure by person, or by game section? Thanks.

Z.

Zaei - It would help if we knew what the account name is, and also the pword. Or have u emailed me?

I emailed it to you. Security and all that =).

Z.

what spots do we have filled and what spots need to be filles :)
so i can let my programing friend :)

Sastraxi,

I've mailed you for the account details so's I can have a look.

If you wish I can pass them on to Behemoth so he can offer comments as well.

If you're actually putting a website together then it might be worth listening to his comments on that as he's a website developer (though you wouldn't think it by looking at ours ;) )

Behemoth,

I know you'll come snooping around in here. Get yo ass in gear with our website - we can't have these peasants making a nicer one than ours!!! :D

Sorry guys...

I have some bad news... I've enrolled myself into a new university course, so I am going to be busy for some time.. So I can't be in the team anymore :(.. I wanted to be there.. but this thing came in between and so I am quitting.. Best of Luck for the entire project team..!

The default web site i set up for our little source vault is pretty lame, but its not there to be pretty =). Ive done quite a few pages before, and I like to think that ive got pretty good design tastes.

Z.

Hey guys I know how to draw and want to help you, anyway I can, expect only the best quality from me!:p


With my experience of reading the Lord of the Rings collection, and playng an exstensive amount of str games, I hope to be of help

Good. Do you want to take Anoop007's place?

Well what did anoop used to do

guys weres that url and password i looking for
my email is : [email protected]
asap plz

Ok I'll take his place I'll work with wazupguys, to make the drawings. You all sound very well inspired, especially Arbiter:p about barrack and units... In Lord Of The Realms you could use your peasantsand make them fighting units, a realistic edge that warcraft never had. maybe you can combine both type of RTS's.

Sas,

You've still not mailed me the details of your website yet. How am I supposed to pilfer your code if you're not a little more co-operative! ;)

I note you've also decided what the end credits are going to look like. Very ambitious, but maybe just a teensy bit premature?

Just a comment from what I've been reading. Most game designers go with the peasants do the work, warriors do the fighting. Peasants that can do more than a feeble amount of damage make the game unbalanced as you can just swamp the enemy with bogloads of peasants.

Perhaps if one of your unit classes have the ability to disguise themselves as peasants (or other unit types) to confuse the hell out of the enemy. They revert to their normal graphic when they're attacked maybe?

Anyway, enough rambling.

i dont know what u all want to do for credits or any of the ideas floting around
but i got the info on the yahoo account if inyone wants it let me know

not to say that the email account is bad but i dont see a web sight that we can custamize with the info we upload so others can dl it :mad:

Directory Struct, should be structured into like system dll code folder, graphics folder, then into versions so each new bit of code we do like, each bit we add to the game gets a new version. Then so if it ****s at version .14 then u can just download .13 and start again, if someone else wants to do some work they can then find the latest version and the early ones.

Hey plz mail me the details @

[email protected]

NEWS:

The System.dll is having problems, im trying to fix them up today though its not so easy. Secondly using:

IDirectDraw7 *pDD;

pDD->CreateSurface(.....);

Causes an illgeal operation and i havent a clue why so its not going at the best atm.

Ive never used DD7, but what kind of error are you getting? If its an access violation, you may not be initializing DD7, or the intialization may have failed.

Z.

Yep... That's what I said from the start, the only way to get fighters and the like is to train them from peasants (but it isnt instantaneous and there is no special movie :D)

I havent had much time to work and just got on right now (6:30 EST, Apr.20) and schoolwork is getting the better of me.

I'll do some GFX this weekend and mebbe the menu (cuz that's what Anoop007 was going to do). Meanwhile I'll give you your job:

But basically we can't do anything until PsyVision's done his DLL! (good work Psyvision, keep at it :))

To ARBITER:

That's how it would be in real life!!
If you are a veteran swordsman and 100 peasants come knocking on your door and try to kill you, IT IS A FACT OF LIFE that they will win!!!

You can only attack one person at a time, so with 8 peasants attacking 1 swordsman it would take them about 3 seconds. Realistic.

But, if there were about 10 swordsmen, they could probably take them on.

Realism, people, realism!

To all:

I've got some music done and am starting on the Title Screen. Won't be doing much until May 1st, where I plan to spend a good 3-4 hrs a day on the game.

Sorry, but IT'S SCHOOLS FAULT :D

And also to Arbiter, I know it's a bit premature. We'll probably just have some kind of cheap fighting while the credits roll... :D

Well that's it for now!

I havent had much time to much programming, Due to school, and my own problems (all my questions on the maths forum), so I havent gotten around to the damage module. My question is, do you just want me to write a simple DoDamage(ByRef Target as Unit, ByRef Attacker as Unit), using the damage values, or do you want me to extract them from the database (option 2 being the one i hope its not =)? Anyway, get back to me, and Ill get it done.

Z.

The 1st one. Then we can implement a module to find out what are the stats of a unit after upgrades and damage taken and new armour worn, etc.

EG:

Code:

---

Function Attack(Index as Long, Index2 as Long)
    A = DoDamage(CalcDamage(Index), Index2)
    If Units(Index2).Armour > (Int(Rnd * 100)) Then
        Units(Index2).HP = Units(Index2).HP - ((-Units(Index2).ArmourRating + 100) / 100 * A)
    End If
End Function

---

That is an actual function ( :eek: ), you may want to write it down. The HP is the actual Health of the unit (not the templates in the DB), the armour is the armour coverage (%) of the armour the defender is wearing, and the armourrating is the amount of damage it blocks (%).

Ok, ill post some nice code later. Ive got some stuff to do, right now.

Z.