Windows Drift Legacy - Core engine - An introduction

[madfast]

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Concept(s):
Drift Legacy is a PC-based local/online single and multi-player based Adventure/RPG. The events take place approximately 250 years into the future. <Not adding spoilers yet>

Engine(s) Core Concepts:

• Multi-layer display system using all new code built on GMS2 pipelining
  
• Approximate interface for 1st and 3rd person interfaces in full perspective interface
• Algorithmic generation of bounds of objects and systems of objects to facilitate my lack of time available to create high-quality models for both character generation, and environment constructions

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Primary value propositions for this project to consumer:

• Story and depth of characters, non-linear aspects for core content, w/ linear story integrations where applicable
• Multi-player, Cooperative, Grouping/Teaming, PvP

I will put various updates here for purposes of showing progression, purely if anyone is-interested-to-see-it basis.

Timeline:

• June 2017 - Ground broken on graphics/interface portion of project
• July 2017 - Update 1 - Windowing system implemented - Core shaders implemented
• July 2017 - Update 2 - 3D / Vertex core in progress - Windowing system updated to work in 3D perspective mode
  
• August 2017 - Update 3 - Custom re-usable controls for in-engine modeling tools UX. Complete auto stitching.
• Next challenge - Saving / expanding usable mesh - adding other mesh core components to provide for texturing in real time - expect this will incur additional UX control development

 

[madfast]

Until I get game shots I can't post in "In progress" forum, hope this is okay to post here. The last 2 weeks have got some complex multitexture shaders completed, a completed windowing system, and the introduction of vertex formatting. I'm continuing to get up to speed on the GMS2 way of things, and really diving into my own vertex buffers is like being the kid in the candy store. The window system now uses proper depth by layer and does some magic with the depths too. A few key aspects are messages are only receipted by the window with the focus, as see by the highlighted title bar. The background is an optimized shader plasma for kicks. Next step is to get character construction system working, I'll begin with face, eyes, nose, etc. and will post pictures once I get it in process. Full functionality in the windows, drag, size, close, depth, client "Area" drawing with clip (more shaders). Except for some component GUI drawing ported over, I expect 99% of drawing will be shaders.

 

[madfast]

I'll try to keep the screenshots super small and rare so I'm not adding too much content in here. Last Friday was a good planning meeting around primary content creation. I know that in the industry in years there has been talk about various procedural approaches, even just to help derive content to remove the need for manual generation of many things. I'm sure we can all list games here, a, b, c, that use it in some ways and many systems, use it alot. We began development of ours and I won't bore you all to death with multivariable algorithms just yet, but when it all works out, I'm sure there will be an interesting discussion. The focus this weekend was getting all of the 3D setup and porting over any defects that put into the windowing system. Once we got the basics rolling we started on our component API for all vertex management and then started our procedural generator system RnD.

GMS2 feels like a ferrari compared to 1.4 and I can't praise it enough.

 

[Genetix]

Looks interesting - but may be worth including a TLDR for those not immediately familiar with the project you're working on and the overall goals or questions being stated.

 

[madfast]

Looks interesting - but may be worth including a TLDR for those not immediately familiar with the project you're working on and the overall goals or questions being stated.

Noted. Updated first post - Will just edit there and keep context more focused.