Space Arcade

Posted By: Masna

Space Arcade - 09/14/08 02:47

Hello everyone,

Me and my friends are starting our first game, space arcade. It's a collection of old arcade games, like Pong, Astroid, and Snake, re rendered in 3D platforms, and touched up with new rules and weapons.

First, we're starting with 3D Pong. I quickly modeled and textured the Pong world, and are soon going to work on the paddles and ball, while my friends works on the Lite-C coding.

Here's a screen shot of the level:

Posted By: TWO

Re: Space Arcade - 09/14/08 10:01

Have fun & good luck! wink
Posted By: cro_games

Re: Space Arcade - 09/14/08 13:20

I hope that you will finish it..good luck..
Posted By: mpdeveloper_B

Re: Space Arcade - 09/14/08 13:39

Looks pretty good, keep it up. I love old arcade games, an I think this is a fantastic idea.
Posted By: FBL

Re: Space Arcade - 09/14/08 13:42

Brilliant textures.
Posted By: frazzle

Re: Space Arcade - 09/14/08 15:06

For a retro style remake game, the level design is simple as it should be to my opinion smile smile
Have fun developing wink wink

Cheers

Frazzle
Posted By: Michael_Schwarz

Re: Space Arcade - 09/14/08 16:32

Originally Posted By: Firoball
Brilliant textures.


Excellent level design aswell, with a lot of love to the detail.
Posted By: ChrisB

Re: Space Arcade - 09/14/08 16:48

Originally Posted By: Michael_Schwarz
Originally Posted By: Firoball
Brilliant textures.


Excellent level design aswell, with a lot of love to the detail.

And even the lighting is AAA+.
Posted By: ryangregory

Re: Space Arcade - 09/14/08 17:02

lol. The sarcasm meter is through the roof.
Posted By: Error014

Re: Space Arcade - 09/14/08 17:13

I can't believe that now I am the one to say this, but please guys. Masna is clearly a beginner with this stuff - he even says so himself - so don't be that cynical.

Masna, please don't be discouraged by the comments you've received so far, I know it can be disheartening to read mean or cynical replys for something you've spend time on. However, some of those replies hold a bit of truth (as much as one can expect from these one-liners, anyway).

You have a concept and apparently know where you're headed. Thats a good thing, and the more of it you write down, the better. Open Word and clearly outline how your game is going to work. Thats not that crucial for a small project like yours, but when you go on to attempt bigger (and better?) things, thats a hint to keep in mind. But for now, it is a wise decision to keep to somewhat simple stuff, and old Arcadegame-remakes are a good idea: You know they are fun, and they are usually not that hard to remake.


So... your level is extremely simple. Actually, it's mainly a hollow block, with three textures in all. So you can hopefully see that there is, indeed, if one only looks close enough, room for improvement. Thats not to say that your work was a waste of time - especially in the beginning, each click you do in the editors is a valuable learning experience, and while I'm aware that this doesn't sound like much, it actually is! You need to get comfortable with the editor, and creating your own stuff is the quickest and best way to do so.
As far as your level is concerned, don't just start WED and throw things together. Before you even open WED, get yourself a notepad and write down ideas. How is your level supposed to look? A sci-fi-theme? A nature-theme? Or more an abstract, arcade-in-3d-theme? Write down all the ideas that come to your mind, and don't be afraid to sketch something here and there.
When you're done - when you honestly think that you have a clear image in mind of how your level shall look when it's done, then you should try to recreate it again.
Unfortunately, it's unlikely that your first attempts will come even close to what you've imagined, but again, with each one, you'll get closer to your goal, until your level eventually triggers "That looks amazing!"-replies, and not the cynical ones we have here. Maybe think of getting more textures than the one Acknex came with - all users here have seen them a lot more than we should, and most of the times in our pityful first-level-attempts, meaning we're immediatly thinking of those former failures of ours - so we don't really have a positive connection to them wink (apart from that- they are really not that good)

Instead, search for other textures - you'll find them plenty on the web, and if you'`re willing to edit pictures, you can create them yourself from scratch, if you're interested in that, do a search on tutorials and you'll find dozens of tutorials on that.
Lighting then, is a whole different beast, and its not necessarily easy to get right. Don't get discouraged though, because for a simple game like yours, you can work around that by choosing a clever theme (abstract-arcade-goes-3d-style, cough, cough). wink.

So, yes. There still is a long way in front of you - but fear not, for it is a very rewarding, very interesting, and very fun way, and you'll definately learn a lot on it. I, for one, wish you all the best with your project - just don't be afraid to try harder and to think of a neat concept for your level before you set out and make it.


...... What. Why is everyone looking at me like that?! I'll be "Grim and bitter" next time, I swear. wink

In case this was only an elaborate joke, I hate whoever is responsible for that.
Posted By: lostclimate

Re: Space Arcade - 09/14/08 17:28

I personally think its a great goal for someone beginning, its a better start than most of us get off to..
Posted By: Blade280891

Re: Space Arcade - 09/14/08 17:37

Just ignore the sarcy (if thats a word) comments , and they dont mean anything by it, just remeber that all we are being shown is a room with different textures on the walls, try experimenting with lighting , and making your own textures, and maybe go a bit wild and give the level some colour , and make it stand out.


Good luck with the game, and hope it turns out as you want.
Thanks,
Blade laugh
Posted By: Masna

Re: Space Arcade - 09/14/08 20:49

Originally Posted By: TWO
Have fun & good luck! wink

Thanks TWO! =D

Originally Posted By: cro_games
I hope that you will finish it..good luck..

I do have problems finishing things sometimes. ^^; But my friends are helping with this one, so hopefully I'll have a motive to keep on working. =)

Originally Posted By: mpdeveloper_B
Looks pretty good, keep it up. I love old arcade games, an I think this is a fantastic idea.

Thanks MP Developer! ^__^

Originally Posted By: Firoball
Brilliant textures.

Thanks! =D They're just default textures. =P

Originally Posted By: frazzle
For a retro style remake game, the level design is simple as it should be to my opinion smile smile
Have fun developing wink wink

Thanks! I tried to make the level design pretty simple and bland, because there are going to be sprites and things flying all over the place.

Originally Posted By: Firoball
Excellent level design aswell, with a lot of love to the detail.

Thank you! ^__^

Originally Posted By: ChrisB
And even the lighting is AAA+.

Thanks! =D

Originally Posted By: ryangregory
lol. The sarcasm meter is through the roof.

Relax, it's my first game. T__T

Originally Posted By: Error014
Masna, please don't be discouraged by the comments you've received so far, I know it can be disheartening to read mean or cynical replys for something you've spend time on.

Thanks for all the advice Error... I really appreciate it. =) I know not to be discouraged by such things... Besides, I only spent 10 minutes on it so far. ^__^

I am still a beginner, with not a lot of experience, and agree that the level is non too impressive. It IS very unplanned and simple, but it's just a fun simple little project to try to better my knowledge of how the programs work, of course with the help of tutorials and workshops. I will also take into account your advice about having themes, and planning things out before you go to work, which I have been doing with my animations, and will soon start doing with my games.

I pretty much ignore any comments like ryangregory, that are clearly non-constructive.

Originally Posted By: lostclimate
I personally think its a great goal for someone beginning, its a better start than most of us get off to..


Thanks Lostclimate! It is somewhat too ambitious for a beginner, but that's never stopped me before! =D

Originally Posted By: Blade28081991
Just ignore the sarcy (if thats a word) comments , and they dont mean anything by it, just remeber that all we are being shown is a room with different textures on the walls, try experimenting with lighting , and making your own textures, and maybe go a bit wild and give the level some colour , and make it stand out.

Thanks Blade! I don't think I'm going to change the textures at all, because there will be so many sprites and thing flying around, the background might be too distracting and take away from it. But then again, I'm not the expert here. =)

--------------------------------------
Finished with the ball and paddle. Obviously no improvement on the ball needed, but the paddle might need work. Anyone have any opinions?

Posted By: Blade280891

Re: Space Arcade - 09/14/08 20:54

Erm, not much you can really do on a padle ,lozl but one thing you may want to consider, is having a sprite for the midle bit of the padle, or something that is partly transparent, before jumping in and setting anything in stone , just try experimenting as much as you can.:D
Thanks,
Blade
Posted By: Masna

Re: Space Arcade - 09/14/08 23:17

Thanks blade! I actually did try to make it transparent. Someone suggested saving the texture (I changed it's opacity to 30) as tga, but it didn't work. blush

How would you constrain a sprite to a a model? confused
Posted By: BlueBeast

Re: Space Arcade - 09/14/08 23:37

I have something to point out about the paddle. In pong, the whole surface, left and right sides, can be used to hit the ball. As the original paddle is flat.

The paddle design now has parts on the ends that will deflect the ball in some strange ways.

However, the new paddle could be a big plus for the new version of the game.
as the player either has to be much batter at aiming the paddle or the ball may bounce with some other somewhat unpredictable behavior. So it may be a good thing!

In fact, I think I would rotate the ends 45 degrees so they have edges facing forward. This would deflect the ball very differently than just the flat surface !

As for the wall textures, I would simply scale them so they align better.

Have fun! You'll learn a lot with making these games!

- Jason
Posted By: Blade280891

Re: Space Arcade - 09/15/08 05:46

@masna, i beleive you will need to attach it in code , although i may be wrong, although you can make the whole model slightly transparent using lite-c i beleive, ask on the forum (in the correction section) about it.

Thanks,
Blade
Posted By: Error014

Re: Space Arcade - 09/15/08 10:27

Quote:
Besides, I only spent 10 minutes on it so far


Oh. So it was just an elaborate joke. frown


Well, whatever. Good luck, etc. Please .... I don't know, please just spend some time on something before you show it. It makes me sad when I think that I probably spent more time writing my post than you on the level.
Posted By: Masna

Re: Space Arcade - 09/15/08 20:55

Originally Posted By: BlueBeast
However, the new paddle could be a big plus for the new version of the game.


Thanks for the idea! I updated it, and will appear in the finished product. smile


Originally Posted By: Blade28081991
...you will need to attach it in code...


Thanks! I'll surely make a different thread on the Lite-C forum about it. smile

Originally Posted By: Error014
Oh. So it was just an elaborate joke. frown It makes me sad when I think that I probably spent more time writing my post than you on the level.


No, no! It wasn't a joke at all! shocked I'm sorry. frown I really appreciate advice, no matter how much time I spent on the level, and I didn't mean it that way... frown
Posted By: chaotic_dragon

Re: Space Arcade - 10/03/08 19:58

Hey masna,

I don't often do this but I am willing to make all your textures for free as I usually charge.
I too know what you are going through lol when i first started i got the same replies to the first M16 model i created and I took into consideration it was a little simple but I kept on going and I want you to keep on going aswell because I see potential in you.
Please contact me at cdtjones69@hotmail.com (my company email had a few problems so i gotta get another :()

Previous experience:
4 years Graphic art, 2 certificates, 2 projects, and a load of smiles on customers faces laugh

I can work on them all day for the next 2 or 3 days as i have no current work until my new website is finished being created. and please reply in the address i mentioned earlier as I will most likely not be returning to this post.

Regards
Chaotic_Dragon,
Conflict Games.
Posted By: Masna

Re: Space Arcade - 11/18/08 23:43

Hi everyone! Sorry for the very long stall. A lot of it had to do with school and things, but now we're back on track. After some different mock-ups we found a design and system that looks pretty decent. I've been working on some of the different models, which I will post shots of as soon as I get my wed working again (See this post: http://www.coniserver.net/ubb7/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=9&Number=237211).

Chaotic Dragon: Thank you so much for the offer, and sorry for the late reply. I really appreciate the offer, but feel as I am still learning the program, that for me this should be more of a learning experience. This also includes texturing, which I have not yet completely grasped. I'd much rather that you critique my work rather than you do it all for me. Thanks for understanding.

EDIT:

I finished the 3 stations for what is now going to be called "Territory Pong". Here is a lighted screenshot(pay no mind to the background texture).


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