Surfacing For A Short Progress Report

[Red Ocktober]

it's been a while since i've had any news on my lil sim project... so, since i've just come up for some air, here's the latest from my end of the spectrum...

after working for the past 7 weeks on a multiplayer resource, i've finally gotten what looks like a reliable and working multiplayer functionality in 3DRAD (the engine i'm using)...

two player was easy and i had that working in about a week, but due to the way 3drad and directx handles anything above two players, getting past a 2 limit took me an additional month and a half of trial and error coding and testing...

finally... it's working the way i set out... allowing players to log on and leave... rejoin... or new players to join in mid game... and all while maintaining the relationships between the objects and the players who are controlling em...

i'm running a validation test oveer ther net tonight... if that works, and since the logic should be good for 4,5, or 6 players, i'll clean it all up, and am aiming for a multiplayer walkthrough in about two weeks...


--Mike

[Bartolomeus]

Hi Mike

Is the multiplayer function for your Cold War sim? Sounds really great. I`m looking forward to new news about your sim. :smile:

Marko

[Red Ocktober]

i've had a chance to do a lil work on the submarine game... i've still got a loooong ways to go, but here's a few in 3drad editor shots of the type23 submarine interior and crew...

http://home.att.net/~mikey102/3DRADType23_Prog1.jpg
the sub frame and compartments

http://home.att.net/~mikey102/3DRADType23_Prog2.jpg
first person view from inside the control room

http://home.att.net/~mikey102/3DRADType23_Prog3.jpg
engine & motor room

http://home.att.net/~mikey102/3DRADType23_Prog4.jpg
crew quarters looking fwd to torpedo room


most textures are placeholders, as are the andro crew... also, a lot of small stuff hasn't been added as of yet... this is basically to check dimensions and to see if the pieces fit... and if the thing actually looks like the insides of a WWII type23 sub...

the interior is mostly conjectural as i couldn't get any interior shots of a type23 and am working from some rough plan drawings... so there are bound to be many things not exact... but i think it'll be close enough to give the illusion of being about one of those small, crowded, canoes...

it'll look a lil better (hopefully) as i work out the textures and bumpmaps and the lighting...

right now it seems as if i've already added a million pieces, and it's still not filled out as of yet... i'm beggining to think i should've chosen to make a simple shooter instead...



--Mike

[Red Ocktober]

i spent the whole day working out lighting issues... i think i'm near what i'm looking for... real real time lighting would be great, but i think this'll do for now :) (the game engine i'm using doesn't have real real time lighting)...

here's the crew inside the sub... rigged for red (night operations) ;D


http://home.att.net/~mikey102/3DRADType23_Prog5.jpg


http://home.att.net/~mikey102/3DRADType23_Prog6.jpg


the textures aren't finalized as of yet... just placeholders and close to what the final ones will look like... and the shadowing needs a lil work... the angles seem a lil off, or something... gotta work on that...

of course, ole Andro will be replaced by some characters that'll look a lil more like WWII uboat crewmen in a few... i got my first crudely animated person done today (using Pacemaker for the bones rigging and anims... all he does is jerk his arm back and forth, but it's a big step for me)... he'll be joining the crew as soon as he gets enough animations to stand watch at some station...

anyways... that's the latest... it's coming along... slowly, but it is coming...


--Mike

[Red Ocktober]

a lil video preview of the progress so far... these are the first tests of sub hull and interior composited together into a single functional unit in the game/sim...

over the next few hours (days) i'll be posting several short videos of the sub running and diving as i get em working...

the first video shows basic bouyancy properties of the submarine as it is dropped into the game... there is also a quick peek inside the sub to show that the rolling and pitching action of the sub on the surface is apparent to the crew inside (my attempt to add to the immersion factor)...


http://home.att.net/~mikey102/Type23Bouyancy.jpg (http://home.att.net/~mikey102/Type23ProgressBouyancy.wmv)

click on image to view short video

now keep in mind... this is still early in the project (even though it seems as if i've done quite a bit already) and most of the textures and figures are placeholders, and merely close representations of the final stuff...

the ocean fog has been removed for testing, and the lighting is set for the sub interior at night, even when viewing the scene from outside the sub...

the ocean is still visible when inside the sub and on the surface...

shadows still need work... and the dive planes you are seeing are oversized to help in tweaking... they are not representative of those found on a TypeXXIII UBoat...


the sub is controlled by the crew with references to instruments and gauges inside the sub... there will be no gui to speak of... there is a simplified ballast system where you can flood negative... close vents and pump to neutral... and blow to positive...

there are also dive planes and a rudder which also affect the movement of the sub above and below the surface...


--Mike

[Red Ocktober]

next lil video shows the submarine vertically submerging by "flooding ballast" tanks only...

http://home.att.net/~mikey102/Type23Submerging.jpg (http://home.att.net/~mikey102/Type23ProgressSubmerging.wmv)
(click on image to view short video)

bouyancy is enabled using physics (ODE) in 3DRAD and adjusting mass of submarine rigidbody object...


next, vertically surfacing... again, by "blowing ballast" only...

http://home.att.net/~mikey102/Type23Surfacing.jpg (http://home.att.net/~mikey102/Type23ProgressSurfacing.wmv)
(click on image to view short video)


--Mike

[Bartolomeus]

Great work Mike! I like the physics of the diving and surfacing sub.

Marko

[Red Ocktober]

thx Bart...

here's one more showing the sub running on the surface...


http://home.att.net/~mikey102/Type23RunningSurfaced.jpg (http://home.att.net/~mikey102/Type23ProgressRunningSurfaced.wmv)
(click on image to view short video)


and the last one showing the last bit of work i'll probably be able to finish today... this video shows the sub diving under power, using negative ballast and the dive planes for a quick dive... the dive planes don't become effective until the sub reaches a certain depth, and their effects are dependant on the the hydrodynic force caused by the speed of the sub...


http://home.att.net/~mikey102/Type23Diving.jpg (http://home.att.net/~subbase2/Type23ProgressDiving.wmv)
(click on image to view short video)



after tweaking everything i'll be returning to fitting out the interior... adding working gauges... and (arrrggghhh, the most painful) getting some proper crewmodels and animations...

after that, well... honestly, that's a lil far to see clearly right now...


--Mike

[Deamon]

That looks sweet!

Check your mail. I sent you some new stuff. I hope that helps.

[Red Ocktober]

leaving the interior alone for a lil while to do some work on the water and check the lighting logic when i happened to have one of those good type of coding accidents came up with this nice looking bit of water...


http://home.att.net/~mikey102/3DRADType23_Prog10.jpg (http://home.att.net/~subbase2/3DRADNewWater.wmv)

short video clip just added... click on image


i really was searching for a way to get the sub to show through a translucent water instead of having the submerged parts being completely hidden...

i think i'm going to keep this... gonna try out a few tricks to see if i can enhance it a lil more...

--Mike

[TLAM Strike]

Ohhhhhh. That water is awsome!

Isn't it great when you get one of those unexpected bonuses.

[Red Ocktober]

thx T...


Isn't it great when you get one of those unexpected bonuses.

oh yeah... most definitely... this was totally unexpected... but i've had a few days to devote to art and coding recently, without any distractions... and good things just seem to be coming without much of an effort...

this'll end soon though... it usually does... and i'll be back struggling and cursing at the computer as usual... :biggrin:


--Mike

[Bartolomeus]

The water graphics looks awesome Mike! I like reflections on the water and the model. Very nice!

[Red Ocktober]

thx Bart... i'm really trying to match those AAA games that are based on higher end more capable game engines...

i just added a short clip of the new water... go back up to the post and click on the image to get a better idea of what it actually looks like...

--Mike

[SpookyMuFu]

holy crap Mike, thats a very Happy accident with the water, makes all the difference!