sak3r
Level: Roachling
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my phone is quite powerfull too and that's probably the reason im not experience most of those bugs. they seem to be memory issues,
adding the undo feature is really important and even if you cant optimize it i beg you to release a version anyway =)

i have a problem with saves but i'm not sure if it's a bug or just not included,
each time i restore a previous level play a little and try to come back to the room i was, it doesn't work, from the level menu i can jump to any level regardless of having done the previous ones. but i can't restore rooms.
saving the room im currently playing works fine
saving the room and the position (stepping on a checkpoint) isn't working. the no checkpoint combined with no undo is a real pain.. specially since when i play mobile games i usually have to stop for messages phonecalls etc and simply don't have time to do some rooms in one go.

Samuel
Level: Delver

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This is an excellent Mobile game i have seen in 4 years when i was programming phone games, this is excellent

____________________________
I believe in everything until it's
disproved. So I believe in fairies,
the myths, dragons. It all exists,
even if it's in your mind. Who's to
say that dreams and nightmares
aren't as real as the here and now?
John Lennon

Mazer
Level: Master Delver
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Roach queens don't spawn properly. The roach queen spawns to the square where it was before the spawn.

Gutter
Level: Goblin
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Curzon wrote:
Shadows: My current images have no shadows, although I have tested it a little. To display these shadows correctly, again, a huge number of shadow tiles are required.

There is an easy way to make all the shadow you need with a single transparent bitmap (I'm talking about a transparent color here, not alpha transparency)

Just create an image that is slightly bigger than your tiles (lets say 4 pixels larger) with a half/half pattern on it (1 pixel black, one pixel transparent)

In your map drawing function, just draw the floors, then you draw the "shadow tile" on every tiles that cast shadow (usually every impasssable tiles) and finally you draw the walls.

If your tiles sizes are even, the half/half pattern will blend together. You can even make the corners slanted to get the full Drod effect because when they blend, the corner of the previous tile will hide the slant if its not supposed to be there.

I'll draw something to explain myself better if its not clear enough.

Jatopian
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Shadows aren't necessary at all - I'd just as soon leave them out for performance.

____________________________
DROD has some really great music.
Make your pressure plates 3.0 style!
DROD architecture idea generator

Gutter
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Jatopian wrote:
Shadows aren't necessary at all - I'd just as soon leave them out for performance.

I dunno. I make mobile phone game for a living, and a really cheap (and small) hack like that makes a whole lot difference visually.

he is painting the walls and floor anyway, adding such a (small) layer is not something that will hurt performance on most phones.

Curzon
Level: Delver

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Hm, sound interesting. I agree with you that shadows can make a difference visually. But I will have to try it to see. I am not sure, I fully understand. But I believe you are suggesting a grid similar to what I use for shadowing out the invisiblity range. Maybe an image would be nice.

BTW: You can make a living by making mobile phone games?

Samuel
Level: Delver

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BTW: You can make a living by making mobile phone games?
Of course, you can put an ad in the newspaper, people would send you their ideas for games, you make them, sell them then in comes the cold hard cash

____________________________
I believe in everything until it's
disproved. So I believe in fairies,
the myths, dragons. It all exists,
even if it's in your mind. Who's to
say that dreams and nightmares
aren't as real as the here and now?
John Lennon

Jason
Level: Smitemaster
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Samuel wrote:


BTW: You can make a living by making mobile phone games?

Of course, you can put an ad in the newspaper, people would send you their ideas for games, you make them, sell them then in comes the cold hard cash
You don't understand. He knows that you can get money, not that you could get enough to make a living.



____________________________
Play my holds?

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[Last edited by Jason at 11-03-2007 07:45 AM]

Gutter
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Here is what I mean, its very simple. This is for 14x14 tiles, but it is rather easy to adapt to other size, provided they are of even size.

(I made that in MS-Paint, sorry. I just bought a new PC and my deving tools aren't installed yet.)



The gray part is optional, it will of course be under the wall tiles.

You draw all your floors, draw that shadow tiles for each "shadow casting" walls, and then draw all your walls. So you draw 3 "layers" on your canvas, but its really not that much more taxing as you are drawing the floors and walls already anyway. Its a good tradeoff between game size vs visual IMHO.

Overlapping between shadow tiles will not be visible unlike if you were using alpha transparency. Of course all of that is assuming that your mobile device support transparent color in a bitmap... Hopefully it does.

And yes, one can make a living from deving mobile game. The real money is in porting games for bigger dev houses, and its very boring work. But once in a while you'll get the chance to publish your own stuff, and it makes it all worth it

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[Last edited by Gutter at 08-12-2007 12:03 AM]

Kwakstur
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I'm interested in how you made these.

I like to program . . . and the thing I hate about the calculator is that you can't use sprites in TI-BASIC. Only 10 images can be stored, and it is absolutely impossible to make one appear with an offset, so no sprites. Unless I start working elsewhere, I'm stuck with ASCII.

Of course, this means I'll have to learn a whole other language, but I'm still interested.
I'm hoping that it isn't C++ (so confusing), but, unfortunately, practically everything is C++. Meh. One can hope, right?

____________________________
Also known as ExpHP everywhere else.

coppro
Level: Smitemaster
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C++ is actually pretty easy to learn. Basically, start out small. Write a couple of programs that are simple and only use standard streaming libraries - a rudimentary calculator is a good place to start (I strongly suggest starting with "input a number", "input another number", and "input an operation to perform"). Once you get the hang of it, move on to more complex stuff like loops, function calls, and maybe even classes. Then start reading on advanced techniques once you understand the language as a whole.

C++ is also a good language because once you understand it, many other languages use almost exactly the same syntax, especially Java and PHP, two other major languages (Java is structured differently and does have a learning curve from C++, but PHP is really easy to use once you understand C++). Javascript is also very similar.

Stay away from the C++ FAQ Lite though. It's got a bunch of advanced techniques in it that will befuddle beginners.

Kwakstur
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coppro wrote:
C++ is actually pretty easy to learn. Basically, start out small. Write a couple of programs that are simple and only use standard streaming libraries - a rudimentary calculator is a good place to start (I strongly suggest starting with "input a number", "input another number", and "input an operation to perform"). Once you get the hang of it, move on to more complex stuff like loops, function calls, and maybe even classes. Then start reading on advanced techniques once you understand the language as a whole.

C++ is also a good language because once you understand it, many other languages use almost exactly the same syntax, especially Java and PHP, two other major languages (Java is structured differently and does have a learning curve from C++, but PHP is really easy to use once you understand C++). Javascript is also very similar.

Stay away from the C++ FAQ Lite though. It's got a bunch of advanced techniques in it that will befuddle beginners.

Well, from here, they confuse me right as they start talking about variables. Like A, B, C, and D are all 8-bit (or something like that), and then there are combinations, all of which have different properties, and apparently AB is not A times B (even though I think that, earlier in the code, it says AB is A times B).
And then there's all this stuff like LD, RL, and the like. I mean, I guess I get some of it . . .
And then chapters 4-28 are the same. Him talking, and me saying ""?
I mean, I like his way of explaining, and stuff. But if this is actually how the language itself works, it's pretty stupid. I just don't get why the language has all these restrictions.

____________________________
Also known as ExpHP everywhere else.

coppro
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That's not C++, that's assembly language! (for the TI-83 processor)

Assembly is code that is translated directly into instructions for the processor. It's extremely powerful and fast, but you are dealing with no conveniences, so it's extremely difficult to write.

A good C++ tutorial is here. Still, like many tutorials on the Internet, it's good to stop every few pages and actually apply the knowledge.

Kwakstur
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coppro wrote:
That's not C++, that's assembly language! (for the TI-83 processor)

Assembly is code that is translated directly into instructions for the processor. It's extremely powerful and fast, but you are dealing with no conveniences, so it's extremely difficult to write.

A good C++ tutorial is here. Still, like many tutorials on the Internet, it's good to stop every few pages and actually apply the knowledge.

Well, the author did say that assembly was C++, in hex.

He says it somewhere on day 1.

EDIT: Looking at Day 1, I can tell he actually doesn't. I don't know, but for some odd reason, I thought that assembly was the hex version on the calculator; you program in C++ and export it into assembly.
But, once again, I'm wrong.

Oh, but regardless, let's not forget my main question: What can I use to make such programs?

____________________________
Also known as ExpHP everywhere else.

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[Last edited by Kwakstur at 08-12-2007 06:08 AM]

Kevin_P86
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Kwakstur wrote:
What can I use to make such programs?

Any Turing-Complete language can be used to write any program you can conceive, if you really want. What sorts of programs are you talking about? (I can't find any mention to what type of programs you are wanting to write).

____________________________
+++++[>+++++<-]>[>+++>++++>+++++<<<-]>.>+.>-------.<++++.+++++.

Kwakstur
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Kevin_P86 wrote:

Kwakstur wrote:
What can I use to make such programs?

Any Turing-Complete language can be used to write any program you can conceive, if you really want. What sorts of programs are you talking about? (I can't find any mention to what type of programs you are wanting to write).

No, no, no . . . I mean, what program can I use to program?

Okay, that sentence sounds wierd.


But I'm wondering how I program. Do I have to download something that lets me compile programs, or is it text-based (meaning I have to type it in notepad)?

I'm assuming that there is some special form of C++ for mobiles (of course, there's a different form of it for everything to incorporate types of output), so I guess I need to use some program to program.

____________________________
Also known as ExpHP everywhere else.

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[Last edited by Kwakstur at 08-12-2007 08:12 AM]

Briareos
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Kwakstur wrote:
I'm assuming that there is some special form of C++ for mobiles (of course, there's a different form of it for everything to incorporate types of output), so I guess I need to use some program to program.

Errr... most mobiles I know can be programmed in Java, since theoretically the same code should run on all of them. I don't think that there are many publically available C++ compilers for them though, given the oodles of different makes and models of phones available.

As for your other question - about every programming language has a commandline compiler (to use in conjunction with Notepad and the likes), but there's also integrated development environments for just about all of them.

Now, I can't speak for developing for mobile phones (and no, your calculator probably doesn't qualify for that - it's waaay underpowered to run Java), but I really like using Eclipse for Java development. It also supports C++ development, but that didn't work quite as well as Java last time I checked.

If you're looking for a simple C++ IDE on the other hand, you probably can't go very wrong with Microsoft's Visual C++ Express, which is basically a free, stripped down version of their C++ IDE. I believe it also comes with a C++ tutorial, though I might be wrong - personally, I'm using it's big brother, Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition.

I'm afraid I can't exactly point you to any good Java/C++ tutorials, as it's been ages since I learned both of them, using mostly printed German material that I got from school/uni... I could point you at a good tutorial for optimizing C++, but that's probably a great bit premature...

You could, of course, give Sun's Java Tutorial a try - it's totally not aimed at mobiles, but I think you should try writing (at least small) programs for a PC first before even thinking of writing stuff for even smaller platforms, as that is more complicated - after all, you don't really want to write your programs *on* your phone, right?

EDIT: Actually, the tutorial you linked to had this warning:

It is also highly recommended that you be fairly competent in any programming language. And when I say "any programming language", I mean, of course, C. If z80 is your first venture into programming, I guarantee you, reading this guide will give you a brain aneurysm. Well, maybe that's a bit harsh, but I will use C as a kind of "pseudocode" from time to time, so if you know any kind of high-level language (with the definite exception of TI-BASIC) you should do okay.

Believe me - he wasn't kidding, especially on the "need to be fairly competent in any programming language C" part...

np: Blamstrain - Kingdom Kittens (Lowblow)

____________________________
"I'm not anti-anything, I'm anti-everything, it fits better." - Sole
R.I.P. Robert Feldhoff (1962-2009)

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[Last edited by Briareos at 08-12-2007 11:54 AM]

Kwakstur
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Thanks. I can work with these. The guide is very helpful, indeed, and I am using the Windows Visual Studios C++ Express thing (thanks to coppro and Briareos, respectively). Actually, C++ is simple, now that I'm looking through this guide.
I finally figured out why I thought asm was C++ simplified to hex:
That's my two cents. Of course, I doubt pennies of that size will fit in most slots designated for coins.

And I think I have something fun for me to do (by my definition of "fun," which is probably drastically different from yours). Since the guide is all about console apps, I don't get much experience in the thing I wanted to use it for: being able to implement bitmaps and the like to allow for graphics. So when I'm ready, I'll check DROD's source to find out how to use bitmaps in programs.
Don't give me any links unless there is almost nothing similar between modern apps and console apps. If the gaps are small enough that I can fill them in from the source code, you'll ruin the fun (by my definition, of course).

____________________________
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Briareos
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Errr... a minor correction here:

It usually goes

C++ (or some other high-level language) -> assembly -> binary

but mostly you won't see anything from the intermediate assembler step unless you instruct your compiler to actually produce an assembler file.

The big problem here is that it's rather easy to go back from binary code to assembly, but much, much harder to go from assembly back to C++ (or any other high level language) code.

Of course each and every CPU family having it's own instruction set and different internal workings doesn't make things any easier...

So no matter which system's binaries you look at, all you'll be seeing will be binary/assembler, even if it started out as something completely different.

np: Gas - Track 2 (Gas)

____________________________
"I'm not anti-anything, I'm anti-everything, it fits better." - Sole
R.I.P. Robert Feldhoff (1962-2009)

coppro
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Kwakstur wrote:
<A lot of snipped text>

For the most part, that's exactly right. Assembly is processor specific, and each single thing that you right is translated into one processor instruction. However, various things in C++ are not easily representable in assembly, such as templates and classes. Especially templates, because the actual code shows no sign of templates, meaning that the template would be useless to someone writing assembly!

The same thing goes for classes on a general scale. A member function might as well be written as a global function that takes an object of that class as an additional parameter (that's how it's done in C, btw). Virtual functions require even more work.

As for #include, it actually exists outside of the program. When the compiler starts processing a file, the very first thing it does is run the preprocessor, which replaces macros (#defines) with their values, and essentially replaces that one line with the entire contents of that files. Other things starting with a # are also processed (like #if or #ifdef or something similar). Then, once all preprocessing is finished, actual compilation begins. Any language could have this applied to it, and indeed there are some languages (like m4) designed explicitly for this purpose. You can even write plain text documents with such preprocessors (though in the case of the C/C++ preprocessor, it's not recommended, due to some limitations).

roach strangler
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My friend has a Nokia 5300. It's a little messed up because when he plays the green bar is on the bottom. Maybe I copied wrong? I don't really know. Do any of you know why?

Oh and the screen of the game is as big as my thumb nail.

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[Last edited by roach strangler at 08-23-2007 04:09 AM]

Curzon
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I know why (I should, I have programmed it). The display of the phone is probably not square, but rectangular. The program tries to make the best out of the available space. In this case the status bar goes to the bottom.
Regarding the small game screen: Which version have you installed? As this phone has a rather large display, you should install the 240x240 version.

Curzon
Level: Delver

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I have a new release with some new features and bug fixes.
See here

http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=17348

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[Last edited by Curzon at 08-25-2007 09:17 AM]