Category Archives: Game Maker

3D Night Sky Example

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After spending some time reading a recently posted topic on the GMC asking about how to create a night sky in 3D, I decided I’d try my hand at making a simple example using a technique mentioned in that topic – using a model created as a pointlist to render stars.  I ended up liking the result very much, so I wanted to share it with everyone here.

Basically, at the start of the game (or more specifically, when the camera object is created), I’ve set up a script which creates models for a sky dome, a background pseudo-terrain, and stars.  These are drawn as you would draw a skybox, so they all appear in the background of whatever you’re doing in your game.

I’ve set up a simple FPS-style camera system for this demo, but it’s very crude, so don’t hold me accountable for that, please.  You can use your mouse to look around, and W, A, S, and D to move around.  F4 will toggle fullscreen mode, and ESC will exit.

You can download the example here (279 kb).

I’d appreciate it if this example were used for learning purposes only, and that you do not use any of the textures from it without first asking permission.  With that said, enjoy!

Marty Moved

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Over the last week I was busy boxing up all my stuff and trying to coordinate all my services (cable, internet, electricity, etc.) to have things ready for my move, and this weekend I got everything moved over – I am now officially moved out of my old apartment, and living with my girlfriend at the new one.  There are still a lot of boxes to sort through, but the computer is set up, the Xbox is up and running, and…  I’ve got no internet yet!

You see, me being the master planner that I am, only called up AT&T to transfer my existing phone and internet service on friday of last week.  This translates into my landline being moved today and my internet being reconnected on Wednesday.  Not an entirely raw deal, as I can go about most of my business without it – I’ve got plenty of games that need playing, and the aforementioned boxes to unpack.  Still, it has been an inconvenience when I’ve needed to get phone numbers and other information which I normally collect from the internet in about 5 seconds, but now have to obtain either by searching the phone book or calling up 411, both of which are expensive prospects in time and money respectively.

At first I was tempted to activate my cell phone’s limited internet capabilities (by adding a $5-a-month charge to my plan), but being through the bulk my time without the internet now, I think I’ll just wait it out.
Being without the worldwide time sink that is the internet, I’ve also had some time (between games and unpacking, of course) to think about some of the GM content I want to release here on my site in the near future, particularly of the example and tutorial flavor.  I still want to put together a simple tutorial about how to make that animated water texture I introduced in my 3D example, as well as an example for the fire particles I used in Sun Sun Der, and a few other small things.  I should have plenty of time to work on a couple of these over the next few days, so we’ll see what I can come up with.  If anyone has any ideas about what they’d want to see, please let me know in the comments below.

Anyway, I just wanted to write a little about where I am with my GM work, and offer an explanation as to why you might not have seen me on AIM / MSN / XBL / GMC / etc over the weekend.  Thanks for reading, and again, please let me know of any examples / tutorials you might want to see, preferably graphics oriented.

Image courtesy of TCWRC.org

Time Keeps On Slippin’

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October is drawing to a close, and I’m questioning the future of my newest project, as far as its status as a YYG Competition #4 entry is concerned.

I’ll be the first to admit that this is not an entirely unexpected outcome – my project was a bit ambitious.  I still want to complete it someday, as I think the game concept is a good one, and I really liked the way the game was turning out.  Unfortunately, with my trips to Vegas and BlizzCon, and lots of my free time being spent with my girlfriend as we search for a place to live together, I’ve not been able to devote the necessary time to Game Maker, and I don’t want to be stuck trying to rush the game out, since it is still going to require a lot of artwork and programming.

Not all is lost, however.

A few days ago I came up with a decent idea for a smaller game, and if I have the time, I’ll throw it together for the competition.

Since only a handful of people got a chance to play the other game, I’ll post a demo here later for anyone who’s interested in trying it out.  It’s nothing more than a driving engine with some simple collisions currently, but as I mentioned, I would like to expand on it eventually.

The whole year of 2008 has been like this for me, actually.  I’ve begun (and continued) many projects, including the site update for Reflect, a new version of the Reflect system itself, a few games, and some paintings;  disappointingly, hardly any of it has gotten finished.  I suspect that much of it has to do with my limited time for personal projects, an issue that’s been troubling me for quite a while now.

I don’t blame most of my day-to-day obligations, however – I enjoy spending time with my girlfriend very much, and I waste a lot of time playing games and surfing the web to wind down, which is absolutely necessary to my continued sanity.

Other things though, like my daily commute, are increasingly annoying to me – I lose almost two and a half hours per day just driving to and from work.  It’s quite frustrating that, as a creative person, I have such sparing time for actually being creative.

Ugh.  I hate that feeling I get when I have a project I’ve worked very hard on, but which I won’t be able to finish for now.  It’s all part of the process, I know, but that doesn’t make it taste any less bitter.

Anyway, I’ll be posting updates on my competition #4 work as (and if) it progresses.  Thanks to everyone who has supported me in my work thus far, and thanks for reading the blog!  I shall find the time to finish some of my projects – it just takes time!

Weekend Fun & Competition #4 Entry: Progress Update 2

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This weekend was a much-needed break from all the stuff that’s been going on lately.  We got a nice bit of rain on Friday night, and my girlfriend and I spent that night and all of Saturday watching movies and lounging around.  I would have liked for the cloudy weather to last a little longer, but the Friday rain left Saturday feeling cool and fresh, if not gray.

So now I’ve finally seen Baby Mama, which was hilarious, and Iron Man, which was also good.  I also saw bits and pieces of 27 Dresses, a chick flick my girlfriend picked out, as I bounced back and forth between my computer and the TV.  It had its moments.

The rest of my weekend was spent at an indoor soccer game, doing laundry, working on achievements for Grand Theft Auto 4, and throwing down some retro gaming on my newly acquired GameCube.

Amidst all that fun stuff, I also found some time to do some work on my YYG Competition #4 entry.  The car you saw in the last post now has textured tires, I’ve made some preliminary tree textures, and I am working on a layout for the area you can drive around in for the activities in the game.

Continue reading →

Competition #4 Entry: Progress Update 1

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I’ve decided to take a slightly different approach with my YYG Competition #4 entry, and post semi-regular progress updates as things move along.  I’m not quite ready to unveil my master plan for the game, but I will reveal more as time goes on (and as time allows).  I’m still trying to decide which aspects of my ideas will be able to make it in under the deadline while still allowing me enough time to make sure the game is fun and thoroughly polished, so at this point, it’s hard to say what the final game will be like anyway, or whether or not I will even be able to finish it.

That said, progress is good so far.  The game is going to have a focus on driving, and the driving engine is virtually done, save for collisions and all the extra stuff I have to add onto it later.  Here are some screenshots of the game as it looks now.  Textureless and a bit empty.  But fun to drive around in!

Hopefully I have something more substantial to show next time…  for now, enjoy the stills!