tulamide's Forum Posts

  • This is the source distribution of Pattern Generator, intended for those who want to have a look in the source code. If you would like to have the executables instead and for more informations about the application, go to http://www.scirra.com/forum/topic65448.html

    These .cap files depend on the following 3rd party plugins:

    • Resource
    • Input System
    • Sprite Button
    • Perlin Noise (the original one, not its successor Noise 2.0)

    Published under CC Attribution 3.0

    For more information about the application, follow the link above.

    Download

    Pattern Generator Source

  • <font size="2">This is the executable distribution of Pattern Generator, intended for those who want to use the tool while not interested in the source code. If you would like to have the source .cap files instead, go to http://www.scirra.com/forum/topic65458.html</font>

    <font size="3">Introduction</font>

    One of the best attributes of Construct Classic is its versatility. While it was designed to create games, in fact you can produce almost any type of application. I think that I proved it in the past with applications like "Boom" or "Dancer".

    When I decided to step back from the forums, I was thinking about making some of my projects open source. But I have a problem with opening my game projects (most of them not even done!) because they feature unique ideas not yet covered in any other game and to be honest I'd prefer to keep them for myself (yeah, it's selfish <img src="smileys/smiley9.gif" border="0" align="middle"> ).

    But this application, while it isn't very unique, can be of good use. That's why I decided to publish it.

    <font size="3">About Pattern Generator</font>

    I made this application to learn about various aspects, like interfacing, file management, cubic interpolation of colors, creating different shaders from just a perlin noise map, and much more.

    With Pattern Generator you are creating graphic patterns. The way you do it with this application is very convenient. Here are a few images created with Pattern Generator (note, the images are unedited, they all are direct outputs from the application):

    exim1.png, exim2.png, exim3.png, exim4.png, exim5.png, exim6.png, exim7.png, exim8.png

    Pattern Generator features

    • multi-language support (super easy creation of your own language file)
    • skinning (it's scheming rather than skinning) with the included Skin Editor
    • 4 different shader
    • one-click-randomization
    • saves in its native format and exports to png and jpeg

    What Pattern Generator can't do

    • no variable image sizes (512x512 only)
    • no seamless textures (needs post production to do so)

    Let's have a look at the interface (click on thumbnail for a fullsize view):

    The best way to explore Pattern Generator is by using a combination of its lock function and the randomize button. Start by randomizing a few times, until you find something that attracts you. A click on the lock item will prevent a change of this property from subsequent calls to randomize. In fact, 7 of the example images above originated from this method.

    Things to mention:

    • the lock function can be controlled in three ways. A left click locks/unlocks, a right click locks all properties but the one you're clicking on, and a ctrl-right-click unlocks all properties
    • you can still change a value that is locked. Locking only affects the randomization
    • when changing a gradient's color, you are presented with a second color spot above the one you're changing. A click on this second spot reverts the color, while a click on the original spot accepts the color change and closes the color mixer
    • the three small radio buttons of the zoom property control the axis to zoom. From top to bottom: Both axis, horizontal axis, vertical axis
    • click on a value to select/deselect it. When selected, use the big slider to change the value. This is relative: The farther away from the slider's center the faster the value change. To the top raises a value, to the bottom lowers.
    • The Skin Editor presents an older version of the interface. But it is fully compatible to the current version of Pattern Generator
    • When saving a skin/scheme with the Skin Editor, it takes care of all file changes needed. Those skins are immediatly available when starting Pattern Generator the next time
    • There's an issue with the Skin Editor where, when you select a value or activate a lock and then click refresh, those items are shown in their normal color. Just click 2x to see the selection color
    • To create a language file, copy one of the .lng files and edit it with a text editor. It contains key-value-pairs, should be self explaining. When you're done don't forget to open lng.ini, add your filename in the group "lang" (e.g. 4=polish.lng) and a abbreviation in the group "desc" (keep it under 5 letters, e.g. 4=pl)

    <font size="3">Download</font>

    Pattern Generator.rar

  • the thing i didn't get was the relation to dFdx/dFdy/fWidth.There is no direct relation. dFdx/dFdy tell you the difference in x- or y-direction (based on a 2x2 or 3x3 block) and fWidth tells you the overall difference to the neighboring blocks. So, in this context they are variable while pixelWidth/pixelHeight are constant.

    if we knew the exact location of the texture transition area, we could sample there and do the interpolation. currently we jump from the end of texture one (gradient = 1.0) to the beginning of texture two (gradient = 0.0). a smoothing factor provided as a variable could describe that interpolation area (threshold) on the basis of pixelWidth/pixelHeight.You shouldn't work pixel-based when you want to smooth edges. But if you want to give it a try: You get the adjacent pixel positions from

    (floor(x/pixelWidth) [+, -] 1) * pixelWidth

    (floor(y/pixelHeight) [+, -] 1) * pixelHeight

    As an example, the next pixel on the right from the current position would be located at

    vec2 right = vec2((floor(vTex.x/pixelWidth) + 1) * pixelWidth, floor(vTex.y/pixelHeight) * pixelHeight)

    my main problem is that i can't imagine how to implement this gap area with my current code. Gustavson suggest taking into account the variables uScale cos(uYrot), but i don't know exactly which part of my code corresponds to those.From what I see you're not scaling, so uScale will be 1, while uYrot should be equivalent to 'ro'.

    <font color=Blue>

    EDIT

    oppenheimer

    I made a big mistake! The only excuse I have is that I was awake for almost 30 hours, when I wrote it. I'm very sorry. I corrected the error and add it here again:</font>

    <font color=Green>
(floor(x/pixelWidth) (+, -) 1) * pixelWidth
(floor(y/pixelHeight) (+, -) 1) * pixelHeight

vec2 right = vec2((floor(vTex.x/pixelWidth) + 1) * pixelWidth, floor(vTex.y/pixelHeight) * pixelHeight)
</font>

    <font color=Blue>1. Keep in mind that you might work with subpixels. For example, when a sprite's texture is 32x32 but its size stretched to 128x128, you'll have 4 subpixels per pixel, and therefore your shader will be called 4 times per absolute texture pixel. (You're working in screenspace)

    2. The above formula is only true when a pixel's "hotspot" is at upper-left (which should be the default). If it is centered, try replacing floor with round.</font>

  • I can't help much, but since you don't seem to get an answer, I'll give that little bit of information I have.

    I'm not working with C2, and my experiences are from HLSL and Ashley's implementation of pixelWidth/Height there, but since GLSL is very close to HLSL and there's probably no reason for Ashley to change the behavior of pixelWidth/Height (I'll omit 'pixelHeight' now), here's my two cents.

    pixelWidth is nothing more than the width relative to the normalized display size. Or, in other words, pixelWidth = 1/display size and unnormalized display size = 1/pixelWidth.

    You should be able to use smoothstep, since it is available from v1.3 up. The example, you linked to, contains an alternate method to aa when dFdx/dFdy are not available. It explains that you need to know the "window size, the view transformation, the gradient in texture space and the relation between texture coordinates and world coordinates".

    Well, the texture coords are absolute values of the normalized world (display) coordinates, like 0.25, 0.25, 0.5, 0.5 (a texture half of the display size, centered on screen). You get the window (display) size from 1/pixelWidth, you should already know, how you transform the view (or expect it to be untransformed), but I don't exactly understand "gradient in texture space". Maybe that's the range of grey shades from the texture's colors? That's the last point you have to find out by yourself.

    Maybe this doesn't help you, or you already knew. But better told twice than never ;)

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  • Could you confirm the lag and stuttering is occurring DURING the game itself or after death?I can confirm, yes. It starts to build up right after start and becomes unplayable (and the sound unbearable =)) after about 30 seconds.

    and what about in the chrome browser?I can't tell. For personal reasons I don't support Google in any way. From what I heard from Ashley, Chrome should have full WebGL hardware support on Win XP. I would expect the game to work on Chrome. But I'm just guessing.

  • Tommyttk

    You're absolutely right, and I'm still working on it (it's sooooo hard for me to get the graphics right). I tried your game and would have loved to see more of it. Interesting effects, esp. for a browser game. Unfortunately, as all other HTML5 games, it just didn't work on my combo (Win XP, Firefox 19). It stressed my cpu so much that not only the game lagged severely, but also the audio stuttered and distorted, an error that persisted and could only be resolved by restarting.

    It's not your game's fault! It's just frustrating sitting there with a 460 GTX gfx card, capable of running such games two or three times parallel, but the browser developers cut me from the technology and force me to use just 1 core of my cpu for both, graphics and math.

    But I really like your showcasing of what WebGL etc. would be capable of - you've done a good job!

    EDIT: Now I'm confused. Trying r4dicaldreamer 's game, it ran smooth. No lagging, no audio stutter/distortion. Did you use effects as well, r4dicaldreamer, or just sprite animations? (Well polished game for a one-week contest. Amazing!)

  • It was an interesting experience.

    For the first time ever I participated in such a contest. It started very bad, because I was struggling with the theme. Took me almost 1.5 days before I had an idea. Instead of building the game world around the theme ("chaos") I decided to build a game engine from chaos. Fractal procederal generation of every aspect, from the game's main objects to the smallest effects. The ambient sounds are structured from it, the animated background as well, the movement pattern of the obstacles (composed from properties like speed, interval, number of obstacles, number of movement steps, etc.), even if and when the game music is playing. Everything.

    I was so in love with it, that I wasted way to much time on less important things, neglecting what people first attract to: Nice graphics for the player and the obstacles. Instead the game has simple placeholder "art".

    Next time I'll choose a somewhat easier idea <img src="smileys/smiley36.gif" border="0" align="middle">

    In case you want to roast me, here's the link to the game: Rough

    However, it was interesting. I think I'll join such contests more often.

  • To avoid misunderstandings, I think there's yet need for a description:

    As I said in the first post, this is a short film, not a game trailer or something. What the artist did was taking the speed run of a player from

    Super Mario Bros 3 (I think, this sequence is the one he used)

    and then recreated everything frame by frame in a 3D environment using lots of render passes (the rendering alone, if done on a single computer, would have lasted 50 days)

    Here's a

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    video.

  • Won't comment this short film, besides...

    <font size="3">Awesome! Just awesome.</font>

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  • On my journey through the world of html5 and its game creators, I stumbled upon this one. If you know it already, you know of the fun. If not, you should immediately try it out!

    Ever wanted to show the Scirra website who's boss? Now you can:

    <img src="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/11182740/pictures/Scirra_1.png" border="0">

    <img src="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/11182740/pictures/Scirra_2.png" border="0">

    All you have to do is to navigate to the app's site: Kick Ass - Destroy the web

    Drag the launch button to your bookmarks bar. Now navigate to any website you like, then click on the link in the bookmarks bar to activate your ship - and start having fun ;)

    You can even design your very own ship with an easy editor!

    Have fun.

  • Questions::

    1) Is it a correct way to do it?

    2) Are there better ways?

    3) What retrieves from 'GetTicks' by Profiler object? I cant' understand it.1) In cases like these there is no correct or wrong way. See it like this: If it works, it's just fine.

    But to satisfy your curiosity, the profiler was designed to measure the processor load of events.

    2) No. There are other ways, but they aren't better. For example, in "Verve!" I used a custom deltatime calculated from the deltatimes before (while timescale was 1.0). The great disadvantage of such a method is that you don't work with the current, the real, deltatime, but with an average that is not very accurate per tick.

    3) As I said in 1), the profiler was designed to measure the processor load of events. This would be a typical use of it:

    +

    -> Begin profiling

    + For "" from 1 to 10000

    -> Add 1 to global('just_some_variable')

    +

    -> End profiling

    -> Set text to Profiler.GetSeconds

    The "ticks" should not be confused with Construct's ticks. They are better known as clock cycles per instruction (or the summary of all instructions in this case). You may want to read more about it here

  • Congratulations for getting the project on Kickstarter. It surely was hard work. Now let's hope the best.

    And all of you Constructors who play the demo and think it's worth it: Back the project or spread the word!

  • (Moderators, please move this post to the correct forum. I just didn't know, where the right place is. Thank you!)

    To whom it interests, and just so that those who know me aren't wondering (and it's easier to write it once instead of many pm):

    I'm in failing health for quite some time now and I have to change a few things in my life. I hesitated a lot regarding this forum. But now is the right time.

    "The way things are going, eventually these forums will fall silent and we'll probably see fit to discontinue Classic completely."

    It was this sentence that I needed, because CC was the only reason for me to be active here.

    If there is a free software, I'm willing to take all quirks, issues, bugs. And I did for years. From a paid software on the other hand I expect a lot more. In particular I'm not willing to pay for features that may come somewhere in the future.

    Now that I need to find a paid alternative to the free game creator Construct Classic, I don't feel C2 is the right successor (at least yet). There are other commercial and free alternatives that offer a more complete feature set and aren't depending so much on just one web technology. I'd be glad if I'll find out that I'm wrong, because both, the developer and the community of Scirra are the best I've ever met. What I found here is one of the highest social intelligence of all web coms - a real treasure!

    However, I need to cut down a lot, and with Classic declared dead I can now overcome my almost pathological loyalty. I try to be less active on the forums from now on, in particular the help forum and I give up my commitment for Classic. I repeat, to avoid misunderstandings, Classic being dead is just the hook I needed to let go and concentrate on myself in the endeavor to recover.

    I'm currently thinking about making some of my projects open source (but my projects, while not intended for helping others, are a real mess, and I'm probably the only one who understands the interrelations between the events <img src="smileys/smiley36.gif" border="0" align="middle" /> ). If I do so, you'll find posts of that matter in the "Your tutorials & example files"-forum

    And please don't wonder: I had to write this down and make it public, because I know myself. Without it, I would soon fall back to my old behavior of investing so much time in helping others instead of myself. I can't afford that anymore.

    Thank you for reading <img src="smileys/smiley1.gif" border="0" align="middle" />

  • Bartosh - Actually we do talk about payment on this forum. The discussion got sidetracked, which happens frequently on forums. We're presenting our opinions about CC and C2, I'm not sure what the problem is. Me neither. It was a good and the right decision to split the thread (or am I missing something?)

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

    You can't judge a tool's capabilities by the content created with that tool. Games take a long time to make, and C2 hasn't been out that long.It is the only way to judge a tool's capabilities. If a tool looks good and feels good but creates bad or limited results (just a general thought, this is not aimed at C2), it shouldn't be judged as a good 'game creator'. Following your logic, Stencyl would be the much better game creator than C2. Better interface, better integration of support (like drag'n'drop whole premade block sequences), better response time, etc. Then have a look at apps made with it...

    True, there is functionality missing from C2 that CC has, but it's being added regularly.So you're arguing based on possible features that might be there somewhere in the future? That doesn't fit to your statement 'In fact, ...'

    Regardless, even in its current state, I don't recall many games that were made with CC that couldn't be made with C2 (thumb war being the most notable example, but even then if C2 had sprite distortion it might be capable, though it might require a fast machine).

    There are also plenty of examples of stuff C2 can do that CC can't - probably more examples at this point, and those examples are probably more relevant to the majority of users (exporting to mobile, mac and linux, for example).The contradiction of the two passages is why I answered. Such a contradiction was also in the passage, that I reacted to at first.

    You say "if C2 had sprite distortion it might be capable". But it hasn't. On the other hand you ignore the same option for CC. Because if CC had an exporting plugin, it would also be capable of exporting to mobile, mac and linux. See? It doesn't make sense to compare things that might have been integrated, but aren't.

    I'm not sure what you mean by that, but having made a complex game in CC with over 10,000 events, 500 objects and thousands of animation frames, I can state with some authority that my attempt to make something complex with CC didn't work well at all and CC is not reliably up to the challenge of making a large complex game. CC is barely, barely able to manage loot pursuit which is actually a medium to small game, and yet it takes 10 minutes to load the battle event sheet, 7 seconds of waiting for every single edit made to that event sheet, 30 minutes to undo or delete an object, 5 minutes to preview, there are events I can't move or edit without crashing the editor and I have to repeatedly close and restart the program when using the animation editor to keep memory leaks from crashing the program, not to mention all the instability caused by trying to do things like delete family variables or such keeping me from reworking the code.

    Conversely, my attempts to make things in C2 have worked much, MUCH smoother. Aside from the features it lacks (sprite distortion, etc) and event execution speed (which is plenty fast for almost everything most people will want to do), C2 can make the vast majority of what CC can, and a lot of what CC can't. It's better in almost every way.

    Yes, that's exactly what I meant. First, what you are looking for is not the best result for the users of your app, but the most comfortable editor for yourself. There's nothing wrong with such a wish, it's just not the point. The result is what counts, the gamer doesn't care if you could produce a game comfortable or with literal pain - a gamer just wants a good game.

    And second, you indeed confuse complexity with sheer quantity. See, thumb war indeed is a complex game - yet it doesn't have 10000 events, 500 objects or thousands of animation frames. I also remind on Boom, an application I made, which let's you grow trees from seeds. Believe me it is highly complex, but it also hasn't 10000 events, etc.

    Another example:

    event sheet A

    +Always -> Create object...

    +Always -> Create object...

    +Always -> Create object...

    +Always -> Create object...

    +Always -> Create object...

    +Always -> Create object...

    +Always -> Create object...

    +Always -> Create object...

    event sheet B

    For "" from 0 to 7 -> Create object

    Now what sheet is more complex? I think you will agree that although A has 8 events and B only 1 event, neither of them is more complex than the other. The first one is just bad programming.

    Or an example from the professional world: Bioshock 2's installment size was 6.4 GB, TES V: Skyrim had 3.8 GB. Yet, Skyrim is by far the more complex game in every aspect. (values from XBox360 installs)

    Don't judge complexity from sheer quantity. Judge it from subtle things like calculations per tick, realtime interaction, crosslinks, depth of gameplay, etc. Often you will see applications that look and feel so simple to the user, while it amazes us. That was achieved with highly complex code aimed at easy accessibility for the user.

    Even if CC didn't have its instability I would still like C2 more. More platforms, better editor, faster preview, actively developed - honestly, I don't understand why people talk like CC is the actual great version of construct when C2 is so much better.Because of its output! The result is what counts. And CC produces rock-solid, fast and amazing executables. My actual project is again a complex one, and you can only dream of doing something like that with C2. (I won't make it public now, but if you're interested, I'll send you a download link via pm). But it is more of an appliation than a game, so I don't count it in here.

    - capable of even outrunning CC's rendering speed by a good margin with a recent graphics card.No. It starts with the fact that any WinXP user (which still is more than a third of all installed windows versions) will experience software rendering. But even if we take that out of the comparison... Let's create a simple executable: 4000 sprites (based on 4 different sprites with 1000 copies each) of size 128x128 on a FullHD fullscreen, and, if you want to reduce it to rendering speed, no rotation, no movement, and just a start of layout event to create the sprites. I bet CC will win the rendering speed challenge.

  • In fact, C2 is capable of making something way more complex than CC can even begin to hope to handle.Fact? I'm disappointed to read such a wrong sentence from you. There is not one app that proves you right. Contrary, there are lots of complex applications made with CC that simply can't be realized with C2. Maybe I have to add the word "yet".

    Or you don't mean complex but quantity and not runtime but edittime?