Let's Clone
Member
I think the last thing I saw was the hats and I just got this notification for your comment. I'm stoked for what I'm about to see!
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BEAST SOCKET (Procedural Monsters)
- Thread starter RujiK
- Start date
Recently discovered this project and am completely blown away, especially as someone who's been trying to create a pseudo-3D engine for quite some time now.
I remember seeing in your older posts that you stored your terrain information in a 3 dimensional grid using a buffer. Is that still the case?
Also, how is depth sorting managed with the new system as you've moved from 2D to 3D? As in, It appears that all tiles are drawn and billboarded in 3D space, though when the player hops in water, it appears that the player is actually SUBMERGED, rather than clipping through water tiles (as you showed several posts ago).
I'm interested to know how you approached such a hacky method while simultaneously making it look so elegant. This thread is by far the most impressive I've seen on this site and I'm seriously invested in whatever direction you decide to take your game in next. Go ahead and add this to your ego-boost folder lol but I'm actually in awe over not just how polished it all looks, but also how much you managed to complete in such a relatively short period of time.
I remember seeing in your older posts that you stored your terrain information in a 3 dimensional grid using a buffer. Is that still the case?
Also, how is depth sorting managed with the new system as you've moved from 2D to 3D? As in, It appears that all tiles are drawn and billboarded in 3D space, though when the player hops in water, it appears that the player is actually SUBMERGED, rather than clipping through water tiles (as you showed several posts ago).
I'm interested to know how you approached such a hacky method while simultaneously making it look so elegant. This thread is by far the most impressive I've seen on this site and I'm seriously invested in whatever direction you decide to take your game in next. Go ahead and add this to your ego-boost folder lol but I'm actually in awe over not just how polished it all looks, but also how much you managed to complete in such a relatively short period of time.
Samuel Venable
Time Killer
This game tho... I can't believe my eyes. It keeps on getter better! How is that even.... possible?
RujiK
Member
REPLIES:
@Bladestorm Games lol thanks. I'll be sure to give you a favorable life when I take over the world with my matrix.
@asollazzo Thanks! And 3 months later it looks like you've succeeded at making your water.
@lolslayer I actually do a lot of my coding at work when it's slow. (Don't tell my employer
) Thanks
@CMAllen I actually tried the rotating UV coords thing and it worked, but the seams between different flowing water directions all looked terrible. It could probably be done by some one more experienced though. Thanks for your comment.
@mikix I suppose the politically correct term would be "Exclusively 2d programmers"
@JaimitoEs Thanks a lot! I hope darkspine is going well for you too.
@HayManMarc Thanks mate, and welcome back to the thread. I like the frogs too It was fun to make their goofy animations.
@Let's Clone I hope your still stoked after reading it
@Ninety Welcome back to the thread! (Sock puppets were a little too gimmicky IMO) Thanks.
@Colin B Yes, it's still a 3d buffer that holds the tile data. MOST tiles are billboarded, but water is drawn as an actual 3d plane. I'm honored to be the most impressive thing on this site Also is three years a short time? It seems like it's taking way too long... But then again, I do have a family and work full time, so I guess I'm doing okay time-wise. Thanks again for your comment.
@Samuel Venable Thanks mate. Anything is possible if your obsessed enough
. . .
DEVELOPMENT:
So I finally was able to make a working IK script:
Unfortunately, the joints still got themselves tied up in knots and would go into completely unnatural positions. After a week of trying all kinds of complex math transformations I realized you could just apply some upward velocity to the joints and they would sort themselves out:
It's literally one line of code but it's 100% effective... Too bad it took me a week to figure it out.
I needed the IK script so I could make 5 bone joints like wings:
So then I could make a dragon:
His idle animation is pretty cool.
And finally, I made some REAL TIME EVOLUTION so he can grow a little every time he levels up.
(Snake > Lizard > Spikey Lizard > Dragon)
YOUTUBE? (Ugh...)
And finally, I "experimented" with video devlogs on youtube. I have about 8,500 followers on twitter and I thought it would be easy to convert twitter guys into youtube followers. But dang, I can't even get 1000 views. Here are the videos for the morbidly curious: (I'm still improving, I swear!)
The 1st video had very poor audience retention and most people quit after 2 minutes. I figured it must have been too boring, so for the 2nd video I tried to "spice it up" and eliminate any dull moments to keep the audience watching, but I took editing too far and several people told me it was unwatchably irritating. I obviously still have a long way to go as a video editor, but I just started a month ago so hopefully I'll improve. I'd appreciate any honest feedback or suggestions for the youtube videos even if they are negative.
I'm not even sure if youtube is worth pursuing though because it takes a lot of extra time. I thought it would be so easy with 8000 followers (I guess you still need good content first )
Thanks for all your comments guys. I do appreciate them and read every one at least twice.
@Bladestorm Games lol thanks. I'll be sure to give you a favorable life when I take over the world with my matrix.
@asollazzo Thanks! And 3 months later it looks like you've succeeded at making your water.
@lolslayer I actually do a lot of my coding at work when it's slow. (Don't tell my employer
) Thanks@CMAllen I actually tried the rotating UV coords thing and it worked, but the seams between different flowing water directions all looked terrible. It could probably be done by some one more experienced though. Thanks for your comment.
@mikix I suppose the politically correct term would be "Exclusively 2d programmers"
@JaimitoEs Thanks a lot! I hope darkspine is going well for you too.
@HayManMarc Thanks mate, and welcome back to the thread. I like the frogs too
It was fun to make their goofy animations.@Let's Clone I hope your still stoked after reading it
@Ninety Welcome back to the thread! (Sock puppets were a little too gimmicky IMO) Thanks.
@Colin B Yes, it's still a 3d buffer that holds the tile data. MOST tiles are billboarded, but water is drawn as an actual 3d plane. I'm honored to be the most impressive thing on this site
Also is three years a short time? It seems like it's taking way too long... But then again, I do have a family and work full time, so I guess I'm doing okay time-wise. Thanks again for your comment.@Samuel Venable Thanks mate. Anything is possible if your obsessed enough
. . .
DEVELOPMENT:
So I finally was able to make a working IK script:
Unfortunately, the joints still got themselves tied up in knots and would go into completely unnatural positions. After a week of trying all kinds of complex math transformations I realized you could just apply some upward velocity to the joints and they would sort themselves out:
It's literally one line of code but it's 100% effective... Too bad it took me a week to figure it out.
I needed the IK script so I could make 5 bone joints like wings:
So then I could make a dragon:
His idle animation is pretty cool.
And finally, I made some REAL TIME EVOLUTION so he can grow a little every time he levels up.
(Snake > Lizard > Spikey Lizard > Dragon)
YOUTUBE? (Ugh...)
And finally, I "experimented" with video devlogs on youtube. I have about 8,500 followers on twitter and I thought it would be easy to convert twitter guys into youtube followers. But dang, I can't even get 1000 views. Here are the videos for the morbidly curious: (I'm still improving, I swear!)
I'm not even sure if youtube is worth pursuing though because it takes a lot of extra time. I thought it would be so easy with 8000 followers
(I guess you still need good content first )Thanks for all your comments guys. I do appreciate them and read every one at least twice.
Last edited:
Let's Clone
Member
Easy channel to sub to
I think you'll catch on to youtube quickly
I think you'll catch on to youtube quickly
lolslayer
Member
Calling right now... "Hello, iss this the manager speaking?"I actually do a lot of my coding at work when it's slow. (Don't tell my employer
Jks jks, I wish I could do the same
But man, stop flexing for once, those dragon wings are amazing!
Ninety
Member
Cool dragon wings - I've never seen IK in GameMaker before.
About your videos... some hopefully constructive criticism...
I think the videos draw a bit too heavily from memey game dev videos which have been recently getting a bit of traction on YouTube (DaniDev for example). If the goal is to make a funny video about fairly generic game development then meme away, but personally I think your videos actually have a lot of more in-depth game dev stuff, and the constant cuts away to video clips distract from the interesting content. Personally I'd tone it down. YouTube channels rarely blow up from one or two videos, and I actually think 1.7k views is pretty solid in less than a week. Viewer retention is always terrible anyway with online content.
I think ThinMatrix and Sebastian Lague are good examples of very successful channels that are more serious in tone, and in their cases I think their high sub/view count comes from gradually building up a community over time.
About your videos... some hopefully constructive criticism...
I think the videos draw a bit too heavily from memey game dev videos which have been recently getting a bit of traction on YouTube (DaniDev for example). If the goal is to make a funny video about fairly generic game development then meme away, but personally I think your videos actually have a lot of more in-depth game dev stuff, and the constant cuts away to video clips distract from the interesting content. Personally I'd tone it down. YouTube channels rarely blow up from one or two videos, and I actually think 1.7k views is pretty solid in less than a week. Viewer retention is always terrible anyway with online content.
I think ThinMatrix and Sebastian Lague are good examples of very successful channels that are more serious in tone, and in their cases I think their high sub/view count comes from gradually building up a community over time.
Okay. This is officially, as of right now, the sickest thing I've ever seen.
The idea of procedural evolution reminds me of the Chao Gardens from Sonic Adventure 2, and there was something seriously satisfying about that aspect of the game. The clips you've shown somehow capture the same feeling as watching chao's grow and evolve over time and I love it. It made me a little nostalgic. I really can't wait to see what other procedurally generated monsters you create and how they evolve if you decide to add any more.
It would also be cool, in my opinion, if serpents could grow into different things rather than the same kind of dragon. In Sonic Adventure 2, the way you raise a chao affects what it will slowly evolve into. It may be irrelevant to what you're trying to achieve with the game itself, but I think it would be really sick if there was variety in the type of dragon the serpents could evolve into (like maybe some have horns, some don't have wings and are like water dragons/serpents, etc.). Though, you might just want to make a different monster altogether than change the evolution path. Regardless, I don't know how it would be incorporated into your gameplay.
Also, I don't know how you did it, but the way the 3D creatures blend into the pixel art world so seamlessly is really great. I'm assuming it's some kind of shader you wrote to create that black pixel outline? Either way fits really well. I really am in love with how this is looking.
The idea of procedural evolution reminds me of the Chao Gardens from Sonic Adventure 2, and there was something seriously satisfying about that aspect of the game. The clips you've shown somehow capture the same feeling as watching chao's grow and evolve over time and I love it. It made me a little nostalgic. I really can't wait to see what other procedurally generated monsters you create and how they evolve if you decide to add any more.
It would also be cool, in my opinion, if serpents could grow into different things rather than the same kind of dragon. In Sonic Adventure 2, the way you raise a chao affects what it will slowly evolve into. It may be irrelevant to what you're trying to achieve with the game itself, but I think it would be really sick if there was variety in the type of dragon the serpents could evolve into (like maybe some have horns, some don't have wings and are like water dragons/serpents, etc.). Though, you might just want to make a different monster altogether than change the evolution path. Regardless, I don't know how it would be incorporated into your gameplay.
Also, I don't know how you did it, but the way the 3D creatures blend into the pixel art world so seamlessly is really great. I'm assuming it's some kind of shader you wrote to create that black pixel outline? Either way fits really well. I really am in love with how this is looking.
stickyfingers
Member
Just scrolled through this thread and I was impressed when you pulled out the stacked hats. Now with that evolving creature YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR MAN. That **** is unreal. Ever since I saw the game Rain World I've been wanting to do procedural animation and seeing what you can do with it is amazing. I need to learn that ****.
If anything brings the $$$ it's evolving creatures, you've got yourself a winner. Good luck with further dark arts!
peace
If anything brings the $$$ it's evolving creatures, you've got yourself a winner. Good luck with further dark arts!
peace
I was going to comment on the lizard gif in the very first post because it was mesmerizing.
Then I realized how long you've been working on this so I decided to scroll through and holy hell dude!
I'll honestly be blown away if this game doesn't get crazy sales. It's original and the art is amazing.
I usually am not of a fan of pixel art. But this game really does it for me.
You've got a purchase from me already.
Then I realized how long you've been working on this so I decided to scroll through and holy hell dude!
I'll honestly be blown away if this game doesn't get crazy sales. It's original and the art is amazing.
I usually am not of a fan of pixel art. But this game really does it for me.
You've got a purchase from me already.
this is sick, as far as the youtube video goes you went full memelord without needing to, the way you explain how you developed the monsters is amazing and speaks for itself, the constant meme drops polute the simple beauty of what you have achieved. Nowadays people have had it with memes thats why channels like primitive technology are doing well. Also a slow paced video is easier to edit since you dont have to constantly drop effects and just have to piece together your progress and lightly narrate, no need for sfx or music or explosions hehe
RujiK
Member
- REPLIES -
@Ninety Thank you for your comment. I think you have hit the nail on the head with my videos. I have seriously taken your very fair criticism into account and made my next video much more "adult oriented" or less meme-ish and childish. LIke you said, I will focus on the content and not the goofy editing. Thanks again for a smart comment.
@Colin B I'd never heard of the chao garden but I looked it up and they are definately similar. My evolution will (Hopefully) be much more varied though There will be definate variation to the evolution end stage. I'm not sure how much, but it will be pretty easy to make a monster no one else has ever had before. I'm glad you think my 3d models blend well with my pixel art. There are some shaders involved. Thanks for your comment.
@Let's Clone @lolslayer Thanks guys!
@stickyfingers Thanks man! I hope the evolution is as lucrative as you say it will be
@hippyman Thanks! I've been doing pixel art forever so I'm glad its attracting even some non-pixel art fans.
@raarc I 100% agree with your post and have significantly changed the style of the video to be much more watchable. Going forward, I'm going to focus on video content and much less on goofy editing. Thank you for your very valid criticism and I hope my new video is much more to your taste.
- BRAGGING -
Since the last post:
Twitter Followers: 8,000 > 11,700 ! (I broke 10k!)
Youtube Followers: 150 > 858
And check out this mad pixel art flex:
- DEVELOPMENT -
I have spent most of the past few months making new monsters. Also, the devlog is available in dev-vlog form. It has more information than this post and is more interesting. I've also made some major changes since the last video in response to viewer feedback. (Thanks Ninety)
SHADOWS have been added. This significantly makes the monster look more "grounded" in the world.
A MONSTER EDITOR makes building monsters much easier:
And I added HATS and weapons for the monsters for a big boost in personality.
An Ant:
And I made an eel by accident while trying to make a fish:
And a bunch more dudes. I posted this monster collection gif on twitter and got 9,900 likes!
- FUTURE -
I am currently working on monster combat and real-time crossbreeding. I plan on having any monster be breed-able with any other monster and giving a reasonable looking hybrid child.
- QUESTION -
I need a new name for my game. BEAST SOCKET is hard to say clearly. (It sounds like beese socket) If you have any suggestions for a monster breeding game title, that would be awesome.
Thanks for your comments everyone.
@Ninety Thank you for your comment. I think you have hit the nail on the head with my videos. I have seriously taken your very fair criticism into account and made my next video much more "adult oriented" or less meme-ish and childish. LIke you said, I will focus on the content and not the goofy editing. Thanks again for a smart comment.
@Colin B I'd never heard of the chao garden but I looked it up and they are definately similar. My evolution will (Hopefully) be much more varied though
There will be definate variation to the evolution end stage. I'm not sure how much, but it will be pretty easy to make a monster no one else has ever had before. I'm glad you think my 3d models blend well with my pixel art. There are some shaders involved. Thanks for your comment.@Let's Clone @lolslayer Thanks guys!
@stickyfingers Thanks man! I hope the evolution is as lucrative as you say it will be
@hippyman Thanks! I've been doing pixel art forever so I'm glad its attracting even some non-pixel art fans.
@raarc I 100% agree with your post and have significantly changed the style of the video to be much more watchable. Going forward, I'm going to focus on video content and much less on goofy editing. Thank you for your very valid criticism and I hope my new video is much more to your taste.
- BRAGGING -
Since the last post:
Twitter Followers: 8,000 > 11,700 ! (I broke 10k!)
Youtube Followers: 150 > 858
And check out this mad pixel art flex:
- DEVELOPMENT -
I have spent most of the past few months making new monsters. Also, the devlog is available in dev-vlog form. It has more information than this post and is more interesting. I've also made some major changes since the last video in response to viewer feedback. (Thanks Ninety)
SHADOWS have been added. This significantly makes the monster look more "grounded" in the world.
A MONSTER EDITOR makes building monsters much easier:
And I added HATS and weapons for the monsters for a big boost in personality.
An Ant:
And I made an eel by accident while trying to make a fish:
And a bunch more dudes. I posted this monster collection gif on twitter and got 9,900 likes!
- FUTURE -
I am currently working on monster combat and real-time crossbreeding. I plan on having any monster be breed-able with any other monster and giving a reasonable looking hybrid child.
- QUESTION -
I need a new name for my game. BEAST SOCKET is hard to say clearly. (It sounds like beese socket) If you have any suggestions for a monster breeding game title, that would be awesome.
Thanks for your comments everyone.
This is incredible. I can't help with the game name idea because I'm horrible with names but I do think the "were bear" and the "were wolf" should be renamed to hyena because they look like hyenas to me. I didn't realize this system was THAT customizable. I thought it was for lizards and dragons. You're busting out a freakin' ecosystem!
davebertaud
Member
My God man, this is truly impressive.
GrizzliusMaximus
Member
Not related to your game but on your pixelated faces. This tool can automatically do such. but I have to say it's nothing compared to what you do. It looks pretty ugly compared to yours
kronbits.itch.io
PixelArtists Workflow. Mini-Guide method for optimal results - PixaTool by Kronbits
Added a new conversion process mini guide to get the best results. It implies some manual edits but ends in a much better conversion giving you more freedom on colors. 1: Get Grey/Pixelated version fr...
kronbits.itch.io