Delete me - old thread
by Duncan Gray · in General Discussion · 10/30/2005 (2:53 pm) · 26 replies
@Denis The external or tracking camera will continue to point at the checkpoint you intentionally missed because the aim of the game is to go through those checkpoints, but I am looking at adding in a conventional external camera in the next release.
I never really bothered too much with the external camera before because I prefered the 1st person camera and assumed everyone else did too. Never assume anything about people's preferences. Always give enough choices seems to be the safe bet.
@David The external camera does position itself more or less behind the vehicle when you are driving in the right direction but as stated above, a conventional external camera will be added as a 3rd choice.
Vehicle wheel going partially underground on a hard landing. Yep, it seems to be a feature of the wheeled vehicle class. It's present in other multi-wheeled vehicles but not so noticeable because of the many wheels and the small size of the wheel compared to the vehicle size. It's on my list of things to improve on because with a single BIG wheel it tends to be more visible.
Your limited resolution is because you were not in full screen mode I'll bet. Go to "setup", Graphics pannel and set "fullscreen" mode and you will get a greater choice of resolutions.
Thanks for the input guys. It's late in my part of the world so I'm off to bed to go dream up some solutions.
I never really bothered too much with the external camera before because I prefered the 1st person camera and assumed everyone else did too. Never assume anything about people's preferences. Always give enough choices seems to be the safe bet.
@David The external camera does position itself more or less behind the vehicle when you are driving in the right direction but as stated above, a conventional external camera will be added as a 3rd choice.
Vehicle wheel going partially underground on a hard landing. Yep, it seems to be a feature of the wheeled vehicle class. It's present in other multi-wheeled vehicles but not so noticeable because of the many wheels and the small size of the wheel compared to the vehicle size. It's on my list of things to improve on because with a single BIG wheel it tends to be more visible.
Your limited resolution is because you were not in full screen mode I'll bet. Go to "setup", Graphics pannel and set "fullscreen" mode and you will get a greater choice of resolutions.
Thanks for the input guys. It's late in my part of the world so I'm off to bed to go dream up some solutions.
About the author
#2
1. When I started the game, I get a reminder dialog box with nothing but broken images all over. I'm not quite sure what's supposed to be there. Eventually, the game starts up.
2. Do I really want to wait 10 seconds for the race to start?
3. Why am I immediately sent to spectator mode if I accidently went through the wrong checkpoint?
4. You might want to have the crowd sound on an emitter near the starting line, so it gradually fades in when approaching, and fades oput after it is gone.
5. You might want to add in a better physics model for the game. If you have, then you might want to tweak it.
6. Are you going to replace the normal GUI with something better? There are a number of color clashes between the borders and the main parts of the GUI windows.
7. You will probably want to add your own textures to the terrain, instead of using the stock ones.
8. As much fun as riding in a ball is, It gets rather boring out in the middle of nowhere. How about something similar to powerups?
10/30/2005 (3:21 pm)
Well, I'll go through all the things I saw that need to be improved before you should start selling your game.1. When I started the game, I get a reminder dialog box with nothing but broken images all over. I'm not quite sure what's supposed to be there. Eventually, the game starts up.
2. Do I really want to wait 10 seconds for the race to start?
3. Why am I immediately sent to spectator mode if I accidently went through the wrong checkpoint?
4. You might want to have the crowd sound on an emitter near the starting line, so it gradually fades in when approaching, and fades oput after it is gone.
5. You might want to add in a better physics model for the game. If you have, then you might want to tweak it.
6. Are you going to replace the normal GUI with something better? There are a number of color clashes between the borders and the main parts of the GUI windows.
7. You will probably want to add your own textures to the terrain, instead of using the stock ones.
8. As much fun as riding in a ball is, It gets rather boring out in the middle of nowhere. How about something similar to powerups?
#3
#1, #2 , #3, #5
My main concern was the 3rd person camera during collisions.
When you hit another vechicle or object, the 3rd person camera spins along with the vechicle. This can cause any player to get dissorianted and can take a few seconds to find the right direction again.
10/30/2005 (3:45 pm)
I was going to write these same ones.#1, #2 , #3, #5
My main concern was the 3rd person camera during collisions.
When you hit another vechicle or object, the 3rd person camera spins along with the vechicle. This can cause any player to get dissorianted and can take a few seconds to find the right direction again.
#4
If you go into observer mode and follow the vechile with the mouse......
Its real smooth. When the vechiles collides and bounces around: you watch it, the camera does not attempt to follow it. If the camera acted like this during game play, that would be great.
Go to your fav video store, rent some racing games. Research how their camera moves and acts during massive bouncing collisions and how it acts when their vechicles go up and down minor quick slopes.
10/31/2005 (7:01 pm)
The camera is way to bouncy.If you go into observer mode and follow the vechile with the mouse......
Its real smooth. When the vechiles collides and bounces around: you watch it, the camera does not attempt to follow it. If the camera acted like this during game play, that would be great.
Go to your fav video store, rent some racing games. Research how their camera moves and acts during massive bouncing collisions and how it acts when their vechicles go up and down minor quick slopes.
#5
11/03/2005 (11:24 am)
Ill check it out when i get home.
#7
Well that camera is a huge jump in the right direction, but now its time to refine it.
I have a hard time controling the vechicle now, i tend to overstear because i cant see the precise direction im going. The old camera stayed right behind the vehicle and allowed you to have some great control, you always knew you were going stright forward, even if you were bouncing all over the place and lost your orientation in the world, the middle of the screen was always straight.
See how it would play if you had the camera try to stay mostly behind the vechicle also while keeping the next checkpoint on screen, anywhere on screen, not just the middle.
I'll have my gf play this and see what she thinks.
11/03/2005 (7:48 pm)
Damit, i refreshed the page before i posted :( Time to type it over again.Well that camera is a huge jump in the right direction, but now its time to refine it.
I have a hard time controling the vechicle now, i tend to overstear because i cant see the precise direction im going. The old camera stayed right behind the vehicle and allowed you to have some great control, you always knew you were going stright forward, even if you were bouncing all over the place and lost your orientation in the world, the middle of the screen was always straight.
See how it would play if you had the camera try to stay mostly behind the vechicle also while keeping the next checkpoint on screen, anywhere on screen, not just the middle.
I'll have my gf play this and see what she thinks.
#8
This is one situation that i was refering too where the camera can be improved.
The camera should be behind the vechicle here, as you would still be able to have checkpoint on the screen (upper right corner).
11/03/2005 (8:32 pm)
This is one situation that i was refering too where the camera can be improved.
The camera should be behind the vechicle here, as you would still be able to have checkpoint on the screen (upper right corner).
#9
11/03/2005 (11:15 pm)
@Duncan, yes that is T2D private forums, however I will sumarize all the info from that thread and mail it to you if you want, but it's not really much done yet. Few guys still working on that merge (T2D and TGE) but there is also a small video that showoff on what could potentialy be done. However you won't be able to use it becouase it's not done yet.
#10
After bouncing in checkpoint camera goes in front of me, and stays there until I manually switch to first person Cam. Maybe you could restart cam view or not allow that much rotation.
Camera probably behaves this way cos I missed the checkpoint (It was my intention to miss it), and cam continues to track checkpoint, while this is good it's also quite confusing (at least for me) ;)
Here's the pic:
Also controls are maybe a little to sensitive, but then again, I will have to play a little bit more to get used to.
All in all...a very fun game. I must admit that I enjoyed it very much!
11/04/2005 (12:50 am)
Well I guess you know this but here it is.After bouncing in checkpoint camera goes in front of me, and stays there until I manually switch to first person Cam. Maybe you could restart cam view or not allow that much rotation.
Camera probably behaves this way cos I missed the checkpoint (It was my intention to miss it), and cam continues to track checkpoint, while this is good it's also quite confusing (at least for me) ;)
Here's the pic:
Also controls are maybe a little to sensitive, but then again, I will have to play a little bit more to get used to.
All in all...a very fun game. I must admit that I enjoyed it very much!
#11
- I think the external camera would be more helpful if it positioned itself behind the vehicle so you could see where you were going. sometimes this would happen, but othertimes, I'd be in external camera mode and somehow it would end up in front or beside the vehicle and it became difficult to drive
- when you jump and land there are times when the vehicle goes "under ground" when it first hits
- the steering seemed very difficult; it didn't feel like you could really control the vehicle as you would expect; perhaps this is accurate based on the nature of trying to steer a single wheel; it was just very difficult to drive (I understand, maybe thats the idea)
- the resolution choices were pretty limited; is this a TGE thing? it didn't even go up to 1024x768
11/04/2005 (3:18 am)
Tried the demo and figured I'd provide some inputs.- I think the external camera would be more helpful if it positioned itself behind the vehicle so you could see where you were going. sometimes this would happen, but othertimes, I'd be in external camera mode and somehow it would end up in front or beside the vehicle and it became difficult to drive
- when you jump and land there are times when the vehicle goes "under ground" when it first hits
- the steering seemed very difficult; it didn't feel like you could really control the vehicle as you would expect; perhaps this is accurate based on the nature of trying to steer a single wheel; it was just very difficult to drive (I understand, maybe thats the idea)
- the resolution choices were pretty limited; is this a TGE thing? it didn't even go up to 1024x768
#12
Anyway, good night!!!
11/04/2005 (4:24 am)
One more suggestion. I would like to play that racer through canyon with few different paths some shorter but curved, some longer but straight. I belive that racer would runs great through canyon and canyon walls...well just a tought :)Anyway, good night!!!
#13
Ill draw up some diagrams when i get home from work.
This game is really growing on me. Ita a fun concept for a racer.
11/04/2005 (6:24 am)
I have a solution for the camera.Ill draw up some diagrams when i get home from work.
This game is really growing on me. Ita a fun concept for a racer.
#14
The blue dot in the middle is the vechicle.
The red line is the vechicles current direction.
The black arrow is the camera and its direction, with the black dot being its view target. The bluish/purple lines are what the camera sees.
The think green line is the checkpoint.
You find the distance from the vechicle to the check point. Now you have enough info to find a circle around the vechicle. ( Blue Thin Circle ). Find the angle that the vehicle is pointing from the checkpoint ( black curved line) You now can generate the new view target from this info, but do a check to make sure the checkpoint is still in view. If the checkpoint is going out of view adjust the camera target closer to the checkpoint.
This will let the camera stay directly behind the vehicle and still give the current camera effect if you are heading far from the correct direction.
11/04/2005 (2:30 pm)
The blue dot in the middle is the vechicle.
The red line is the vechicles current direction.
The black arrow is the camera and its direction, with the black dot being its view target. The bluish/purple lines are what the camera sees.
The think green line is the checkpoint.
You find the distance from the vechicle to the check point. Now you have enough info to find a circle around the vechicle. ( Blue Thin Circle ). Find the angle that the vehicle is pointing from the checkpoint ( black curved line) You now can generate the new view target from this info, but do a check to make sure the checkpoint is still in view. If the checkpoint is going out of view adjust the camera target closer to the checkpoint.
This will let the camera stay directly behind the vehicle and still give the current camera effect if you are heading far from the correct direction.
#15
The reason:
Too much torque would need to be applied to the center axle for the vehicle to move. Instead, the central engine/pilot compartment would rotate around the axel, unless the mass of the central compartment was absolutly terrific
I see that your newest vehicle model has a sort of Spoke system, which would make your vehicle physically possible, if the spoke system didnt turn (if only the mesh-wheel rotated, powered by the spoke perimiter as opposed to the central engine/axle directly)
i know, it's a game... just how you were explaining how cool such a vehicle would be, and you are explaining it in a way that would suggest it is possible to build someday, so it would be nicer if it would jive better with the laws of physics :)
11/04/2005 (3:02 pm)
I dont know if this is the type of feedback you are looking for, but my 1 quarter of college physics tells me that this vehicle would not function well in this universe.The reason:
Too much torque would need to be applied to the center axle for the vehicle to move. Instead, the central engine/pilot compartment would rotate around the axel, unless the mass of the central compartment was absolutly terrific
I see that your newest vehicle model has a sort of Spoke system, which would make your vehicle physically possible, if the spoke system didnt turn (if only the mesh-wheel rotated, powered by the spoke perimiter as opposed to the central engine/axle directly)
i know, it's a game... just how you were explaining how cool such a vehicle would be, and you are explaining it in a way that would suggest it is possible to build someday, so it would be nicer if it would jive better with the laws of physics :)
#16
Anyway, coolio idea, props to you for making it happen :)
11/04/2005 (4:52 pm)
@Duncan: ahh, okay yeah shifting the mass makes sence, and theoretically i belive you could climb a near verticle wall with that concept. Anyway, coolio idea, props to you for making it happen :)
#17
I'm just refining it some more before uploading an update. Will post again when its ready.
Basically I just took the angle between the vehicle direction and the target and if it's less than half the camera FOV then you can safely say the target is visible on screen, so the camera follows the vehicle, otherwise it follows the target.
11/04/2005 (8:25 pm)
@ Chris: Good news on the camera, it works so well I'm now a convert to 3rd person and have made 3rd person mode the default.I'm just refining it some more before uploading an update. Will post again when its ready.
Basically I just took the angle between the vehicle direction and the target and if it's less than half the camera FOV then you can safely say the target is visible on screen, so the camera follows the vehicle, otherwise it follows the target.
#18
Im glad its working well. A poor camera can easily kill a game.
Ill let you know what i think after you update.
11/04/2005 (8:58 pm)
Sweet :)Im glad its working well. A poor camera can easily kill a game.
Ill let you know what i think after you update.
#19
11/06/2005 (5:29 am)
Hey Duncan, one thing I really miss in this game is pause option. Maybe you allready implement that but I can't see any binding for pause.
#20
Now mabey the next step is some interesting level design.
You have these futuristic vehicles, why not some futuristic level design to go with it.
While some of the open outdoor levels are good, it just seems kind of bland.
An idea is an industrial track with smooth curves and pipes to race in.
lol im not one to talk to about level design, but the current levels dont keep my interest.
11/06/2005 (8:40 pm)
Now the 3rd person camera is loads better! :)Now mabey the next step is some interesting level design.
You have these futuristic vehicles, why not some futuristic level design to go with it.
While some of the open outdoor levels are good, it just seems kind of bland.
An idea is an industrial track with smooth curves and pipes to race in.
lol im not one to talk to about level design, but the current levels dont keep my interest.
Torque Owner Tatjana
I love the first wheel racer very much. I hope the best for you on this next one. Your program is very family oriented. There are many people that would love to play this game that normally don't download online. You might consider putting your games on cd.
Take care,
~Tatjana