Top Down Shooter

#1 Search the TGB behaviors, I believe there are two you could use together to do just that with a little tweaking.

Shooter.
Face Mouse.

Good luck and post results!

`Patrick

#2 Thanks for those :)

I am also having troubles in deciding whether to use TGB or TGE to make my first simple games, and I am starting to get a bit frsutrated because I really just want to get knuckled down and make even a really simple game, but I just can't... Any advice? Like how can I easily learn TorqueScript, etc...

Sorry for going on I am just getting in a big muddle.

#3 The easy way to learn TorqueScript is practice.

#4 Ok thanks

#5 Torquescript will be much easier to learn by starting out in TGB in my opinion. The standard scripts for a blank project are much easier to understand and you have 1 less "D" (the 3rd one) to worry about..

#6 Really, just try little tiny units tests to learn different things. Then incorporate them into your game. Don't try to just keep mashing things into your game as you learn them.

#7 Ok... What do you mean by tiny unit tests? And if a top down shooter were to hard for a first project, what would be easier? RPG? Adventure game? Thanks. And if any of you have any beginner tutorials could I use them. Thanks again

#8 I'm actually in the middle of making the same kinda thing, and yeah the behaviors are an excellent starting point.

I was able to whip together a playable base in about a week. Here's a link to a playable alpha if you wanna take a look.
BSDDoD Alpha 0.002(3.94mb)(might crash occasionally when you die, I'll get the fixed version up this evening)

Please ignore the placeholder art.

If you want I'll gladly share the source of the project at this stage if you're interested and want to tinker around. Just shoot me an e-mail at simon@swiftthought.com

#9 Thanks, I am just taking a look right now

EDIT: Wow that is really amazing...

I was just wondering... I know I am the utmost of beginner, but I thought maybe you would like to be my partner or something, because I think working with someone like you (as a tutor if you will) would be a really good and enjoyable experience. It was only an idea though.

Anyway.... That is exactly like the game type I was trying to make. So yeah... Thanks. Did you use the default behaviours?

#10 very nice, Simon, especially for 1 week!

#11 Yes I used the basic behaviors with a minor tweak for changing the shot sprite and firing rate based on the player's powerups but that was pretty minor and much later after I had the basics up and running.

My schedule unfortunately doesn't really allow me to be beholden to anyone else right now.. But I do try and lurk around here and will be happy to try and help where I can.

I'd recommend just to break it down into the smallest tasks you can and just poke and prod at it until you get it done, and then just rinse and repeat until you get where you want to be.

My process basically went like this.
1) Make a sprite that I can move with arrow keys w/ behavior.
2) make a sprite that aims at the mouse and shoots w/ behavior.
3) mount 2 to 1 and be able to walk around and shoot stuff.
4) make a monster that turns towards the player and then moves that direction, updating every second and a half.
5) make player be able to shoot monster.
6) players should be able to die.
7) really need to be able to restart level.
..
etc etc..
Just Get to something that's playable as fast as you can, it really keeps you from loosing interest even if it's just a shadow of the final game you want to make.

@heath: Thanks :)

#12 Ah... I never thought about mounting two objects... Thanks, that has just made it all so much easier :) Oh, and I really think your game is good... Maybe you could add more monsters, and power upgrades with the gold etc. Unless this was just a small game for the fun of it :)

#13 Oh no, I've got plans. Biiig plans, next up is moving from a room to a random tile based dungeon.

#14 Awesome... Well Good luck... Heh, I can't even make the sprite, what do you use to make your high quality sprites? Anyway. It is just the drawing now. Oh and with the movement, did you custom script that?

#15 What I mean by "unit tests" is to test just simple things. Don't suddently try to incorporate a GUI into your game, test it out and play with it in a new project. When you learn how to make collision groups work, do it in a little side project first.

This will all help you avoid putting garbage into your main project.

#16 @Jason: Ahh I see... Thanks

@Simon: What do you use to do you graphics?

@Anyone: Does TGB have built in lighting and physics (like full physics, not just collision detection).

#17 Yeah, what Jason said.. my hard drive is absolutely littered with simple little tests where i play with various things like collisions etc.

The movement is just the basic shooter controls behavior.

Oh the basic sprites are just PNG files I drew in photoshop.. Eventually they'll hopefully be replaced with rendered images from lightwave or animationMaster unless I decide I like the hand painted look better.

#18 Ok cool... I have been playing around on photoshop but I can never get the right look, any advice, on making like a top-down casual guy, with a pistol?

#19 Sorry for double post, but I have made my two parted character (feet image thing, and top torso thingy) but when I mount the top part on the bottom part, and run it witht he behaviours, the top part keeps snapping back to face right, when I want it to always face the mouse? Any suggestions?

Nevermind, I just disbaled track rotation, but now how do I get the bottom part to face the direction it is mvoing?

#20 I don't know what I think about all these behaviours. They seem good at first, but I worry that without them being in TGE, it's encouraging a reliance on something that won't be there when people move to TGE/TGEA/T3D.