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For the sake of argument, lets just say I was working on an Avara clone in the NeoAxis engine (windows only for now haters). Anyone know where I might find some models for a Hector?
Don't get all excited now please, NeoAxis doesn't have networking support yet and it may be some time before it does. My plan is to recreate the Avara "look and feel" as best I can then once networking is added see how she plays PvP.
So basically I'm looking for license free Avara style models. Namely the Hector and grenade right now. Although if you have talent I wouldn't say no to someone modeling a few levels. For levels I'm currently modeling the basic terrain in blender, then adding anything that's dynamic with the map editor.
As for feature requests... My plan is to make it as true a copy of Avara as possible, so please don't ask for nukes and shield generators or crazy stuff. O.o
If anyone can help, let me know.
Thanks,
MacAran
EDIT: Here's a pic of my "Bwadi" port. Yes I know it's horrible.
Image00001.jpg (82.65K) Number of downloads: 63
This post has been edited by MacAran : 13 September 2007 - 12:42 PM
@macaran, on Sep 13 2007, 12:26 PM, said in Lets just say...:
So basically I'm looking for license free Avara style models. Namely the Hector and grenade right now. Although if you have talent I wouldn't say no to someone modeling a few levels.
I still have my hull models from the fort warfare/aftershock project, though they're in mesh, bsp and (probably) DXF format... Or is that too low-poly?
This post has been edited by bobski : 13 September 2007 - 05:21 PM
I've had some trouble with getting some dfx files to display right (currently I'm stealing Avara dfx files), but anything would be a major plus. My modeling skills are lackluster at best.
I don't care about the poly count, placeholder art is fine. Besides, if I end up going for a retro look I might want to keep it low poly.
You can email me gcondon@gmail.com
Thanks.
Hey, sorry about the delay, it turns out I have the files on this comp, but nothing that can view them. I've been busy with school work lately, so I haven't had the time yet to dig out one of the old comps with meshworks on it. If .DXFs are a problem, what format are you looking for?
@macaran, on Sep 13 2007, 10:26 AM, said in Lets just say...:
If anyone can help, let me know. Thanks,
Image00001.jpg
Looks good, good luck, I'm root'in for ya.
Well it looks a Heck of a lot more promising than Javara so far. I've got a friend that's awesome at modelling, I'll see if I can get some hectors out of him.
Oh, I have to fight the temptation to start coding...
Given that Avara is 2.7MB stuffed, given that Apple's APIs have evolved dramatically since the OS 7.5 days, given that one guy wrote it in his spare time, etc etc... Can anyone tell me why 'porting' or even re-writing from scratch is so daunting?
I love Avara for it's Tron-esque old skool 80's aesthetic. The models are dead simple, the textures non-existent, the lighting non-existent. This is the sort of game that could be ported to a Palm Pilot and fly.
This is a classic game, and there's room for improvement (eg: the hideous keyboard remap portion, etc). I'd love to see this game reborn.
OpenGL + Core Audio + 2.xGhz CPUs = insane battles. Is any of the code open source?
This post has been edited by stimuli : 08 October 2007 - 07:14 PM
@plastic-chicken, on Oct 6 2007, 02:08 AM, said in Lets just say...:
Give in. Its not worth it.
@stimuli, on Oct 8 2007, 07:12 PM, said in Lets just say...:
It's tough because writing first-person shooter, networking, and physics code from scratch is pretty tough. Even if there are frameworks to use, they don't all talk to each other very well.
Plus, I don't think any of us have lots of time to devote to this.
That looks great, MacAran. Is NeoAxis free to develop with? Does it do networking for you?
Well, I liked it.
Avara's best the way it is; when people try to "improve" old preference setups and gameplay (read: new versions of Aleph One, for the setup bit), they usually do it a disservice.
- Bob
@stimuli, on Oct 9 2007, 12:12 AM, said in Lets just say...:
Can anyone tell me why 'porting' or even re-writing from scratch is so daunting?
The problem is, there's just enough parts to write and just enough problems to solve that it's beyond a simple project. It's not a complex project, but not simple. Even more problematic is the number of "easy" improvements that tempt the game design
Take my logic whenever I consider rewritting the game:
Graphics: Easy. The most cheaply coded OpenGL would still fly -- so why not add lighting effects...and maybe textures to make the game widely viable...but adding textures means there's a lot more content to create...specular effects would be easy and nice as well...
Physics: ODE could easily do the physics, and I'd have a lot of fun making the walker walk by applying torque to the joints instead of just statically animating them. But if you have good physics, why not optimize the collision detection and the like to allow for massive battles and lots of moving objects?
Sound: OpenAL would be easiest, but there's ways to get better results...Core Audio's not that hard to learn -- then you could add beautiful attenuation effects and the like with filters and reverbs.
Network: No idea where to begin. Using Avara's original network model is unacceptable, and any model with lag makes physics programming a bit more complicated. You have to write a server and a tracker, too.
Game Code: Mostly straightforward, but you want to make it a little sweeter than Avara, right?
Level Editor: Oh, you have to write this too, and you don't want to make it dumb.
Game Content: Someone has to make this as well: models, levels, and sounds.
No single one of those parts is all that hard or complicated. I imagine I could even learn the networking. But, put them all together and the project is daunting, especially if you want a quality product (BETTER than the original).
If I start coding anytime soon, it won't be Avara, and it probably won't be game-related.
Plastic Chicken, have you seen an app that pulls off the networking portion and uses ODE? I haven't found any good source that implements networking that I could study.
Thanks! Ian
@yellowbkpk, on Oct 16 2007, 01:53 AM, said in Lets just say...:
Supposedly Call of Jaurez has multiplayer and uses ODE: http://www.coj-game.com/
Is the problem writing networking code or designing the game's communication protocol or solving the lag/physics problem?
@plastic-chicken, on Oct 16 2007, 03:04 AM, said in Lets just say...:
Right now I'm still trying to find a scene graph model that will let me lay OpenGL bindings on top of it, apply physics to it with ODE and an input system. Once that scene graph is found, I need to hook it up to networking.
I can't figure out which direction to tackle this from: the object model, the output (rendering), or the communication/networking stuff.
@yellowbkpk, on Oct 16 2007, 03:49 PM, said in Lets just say...:
Are you trying to make this too simple and abstract and OO? You're going to have to get down and dirty and design some good procedural hack-it-together code.
I suggest focusing on the network first. Dealing with lag is going to be...painful. Might as well get the game structure in place so that problem solves itself later.
Has anyone done any work on this project or is it more Avara 2 vaporware?
I'd love to keep working on my version of Avara, but it's complicated and I don't see any interest in it besides the 4 or 5 people who check the Avara web board every once and a while.
Talk to Codeglove. He and some others did some work like this a few years ago, and had a very good working program. (I know, was involved in it)