Seems like I took so long break from developing this game that the thread regarding it got tired of waiting and disappeared into the cyberspace
As such I will make another thread…
First, here is a new video showcasing two of the first missions in the game. I will post more gameplay videos soon. The older videos are also still on the same channel as this new video.
Since the last thread was lost, I add here features that have been added after the original post, and after those I will put features that were in the original post.
NEW FEATURES SINCE LAST POST:
-
Various ‘visual themes’ for levels such as fall and winter for the east-european style maps and a tropical jungle theme.
-
Levels are fairly open but containin corridors and passages limited by cliffs and forests which connect some larger open areas. Dense forests are inpassable to vehicles, but more scarce vegetation can be driven trough and used as cover. The earlier prototype levels were even more open, but I found this slight channeling of passable areas to better allow designing the scenarios: The flow of introducing enemies in missions as the player progresses can be better controlled, and the levels can be kepts smaller when the forests and cliffs limit visibility. This in turn is better in that it makes the game faster paced.
-
Objective system for missions: Missions can have objectives such as destroy specific units, prevent specific units from accessing location, prevent destruction of specific unit, ensure specific units reach a location etc.
-
Some 12 single-player missions with varying objectives, difficulty and scripted events.
-
Custom HUD/Powerup-variations so that some missions can have wheeled APC, Humvee and the older Medium Tank as playable vehicles (i.e. hud reacts to different weaponry configs and 120mm ammo powerups are replaced with 20mm autocannon rounds depending on vehicle’s armament).
-
Scoring system for missions: accuracy of shots, completion time, percentage of destroyed enemies and damage taken all add up to a score for the run of the mission. One of my favorite things is competing with scores so this was a must have feature.
-
Helicopters have been added and will be encountered in some missions.
-
The road system is less crude now, it has vertex-color fading in the ends and can be connected to manually placed terrain aligned intersections if needed.
-
All scenery and vehicle graphics have been trough a checkup pass to ensure unified style and no other problems.
-
Different liveries for vehicles depending on scenery theme and faction.
-
Random ‘generated’ mission game mode where player fights against randomly placed enemies. Combined with the option to hide enemies from radar in the options, this can provide challenge that removes the advantage of learning mission structures.
-
Fully working menu system with a cozy diorama background.
-
AI’s path finding logic calculations are spread out evenly over multiple frames (Each unit is assigned number between 1 and 60 and their path finding is then calculated at that frame in 60 frame cycle). Target visibility code uses a similar system but with shorter cycle to avoid delays. This allows for much more vehicles in scene at once.
-
Plus lots and lots of small improvements everywhere.
FEATURES PRESENT IN THE ORIGINAL OPENING POST:
-
Tanks and other land vehicles with realistic physics including working suspension and simple but believable drive train simulation.
-
Weapons like cannons, auto cannons, machine guns and laser quided missiles (tow-like guidance)
-
Damage is determined based on location of the hit on vehicle. For example rear of the tank is much more vulnerable than front or turret.
-
AI can navigate towards player in a divergent manner, which is to say: everyone does not simply follow same navigational path, but they spread around, approaching player from many angles. This is achieved with a combination of Unity’s navmesh and a doom-like navigation in which enemies approach player at ‘random’ angle. Navmesh is used to determine if direction is driveable in the near front vicinity of vehicle. If not then another direction is selected.
-
AI can compensate for ‘bullet drop’ and motion of the target in it’s aiming process. The advance required for moving target is dynamically determined from distance to target and estimated projectile flight time there.
-
AI can see player if only a corner of his vehicle is visible to them. This is achieved by checking multiple points visibility via raycast instead of just the center of the players vehicle. This does not add processing overhead, since each point is checked sequentially in subsequent frames.
-
On-map self-propelled artillery vehicles for which enemies can spot targets. Can be rendered inoperable by destroying either the spotter-vehicle or the artillery pieces themselves.
-
Power-ups providing ammo for the various weapons, and repairs for the players vehicle.
-
Custom made road system to lay roads on top of terrain.
I very much welcome any comments, ideas or criticisms