MyShmup Unity 3D framework

[wondersonic]

Hi,
for your information, something I'm working on currently: MyShmup.

Cheers
WS

[BPzeBanshee]

You're still around!

How's TF4R going?

[wondersonic]

You're still around!

How's TF4R going?

Hello!
I had to male a long pause and it only restarted (again) recently. One of my problem last time was the lack of tools to speed up developments.
So right now, I'm focusing on such tools development

The idea is to be able to produce levels more quickly focusing on the game and not on low-value technical stuff.

Cheers!
WS

[BPzeBanshee]

Ah, I know that feeling. Good luck with it!

[shaowebb]

Ooooooooh this interests me greatly. Currently I only use Construct 2 to build things, but I have Unity and will be working on it after I finish my 2D game project in Construct 2. Does your setup let me do vertical setups?

[wondersonic]

Does your setup let me do vertical setups?

Hello shaowebb, currently no. I've asked myself this question, and I guess I can't see a clear answer. Following are my interogations:
-1- either MyShmup allows for vertical and horizontal shmups development and things start to be complicated (2 times the development) but it brings a larger community (and help?)
-2- either I focus on horizontal shmups (what I've done so far) and don't do anything for vertical ones
-3- either I create a MyHShmup project and a MyVShmup project (with 2 times the development) a kind of fork


I think the third way is way too complex. I think the first way is the best (imagine changing from vertical to horizontal during a level) but at the cost of development time!

Let me know what you (all) think about it!

[wondersonic]

In editor video.

[wondersonic]

Last Unity 3D package available here.

[wondersonic]

A new demo.

[wondersonic]

Some WIP regarding terrains.

[wondersonic]

WIP on infinite terrain:



Video here.

[wondersonic]

A demo with infinite terrain, 4 objects in the scene!

[wondersonic]

A new video about Clouds:

[n0rtygames]

-1- either MyShmup allows for vertical and horizontal shmups development and things start to be complicated (2 times the development) but it brings a larger community (and help?)
-2- either I focus on horizontal shmups (what I've done so far) and don't do anything for vertical ones
-3- either I create a MyHShmup project and a MyVShmup project (with 2 times the development) a kind of fork

I think the third way is way too complex. I think the first way is the best (imagine changing from vertical to horizontal during a level) but at the cost of development time!

Let me know what you (all) think about it!

Hey man, just wanna chime in here... I've been a long time Unity3D user and well... I don't wanna stop you in your tracks but I have to say you're going about this the wrong way.

You know the difference between a horizontal shooter and a vertical shooter?
Quaternion.Euler(0,0,90);

That's it. Really. If you can't apply a 90 degree rotation to your viewport - then you are most definitely approaching this wrong. If you've somehow engineered yourself in to seeing a huge difference between a vertical and a horizontal shooter - then you've probably over engineered this? Just food for thought.. maybe take a step back and look at it - it's not too hard in my experience to go from hori-vert or vice versa. Though that said, I did once write an entirely new framework for a horizontal shooter until I ended up slapping myself on the forehead going "Errr, I've just written a game where one of its distinguishing features on the platform is the ability to rotate the screen.... what the fuck is wrong with me?"

All these images I'm about to show you are done in unity



There's a shot somewhere of it playing horizontally too - not really relevant. You can already see I'm doing perspective changes and the game plays in tate or hori depending on what I'm trying to make. It also has an expanding/collapsing border for playing on 16:9 monitors and dynamically switching the playfield between 3:4 and 4:3 or for true gayety - 16:9 vertizontal.

It's not any extra development time if you develop like this from the start, it's not TOO hard and sorting out your screen estate is probably the first thing you should be doing. I've got a couple of methods of doing this, one which uses rendertargets, the other doesn't and thus is compatible with free (the one you see there in fact)

/* HOW TO GO FROM HORIZONTAL TO VERTICAL */
Vector3 eul = Camera.main.transform.rotation.eulerangles();
eul.Z += 90;
Camera.main.transform.rotation = Quaternion.Euler(eul);

I probably sound like a massive wanker in this post and that's never cool - but I'm basically working on the assumption that you've done exactly what I did and overthought it - convincing yourself in to writing something completely new where as... you might not actually need to!

Hope the intent is clear amongst all the ranting <3


edit: (Also I might be slightly fed up of seeing developers go 'tate is too much effort' - but that's a discussion I can have elsewhere..:>)

[wondersonic]

@n0rtygames

Thanks for your feedback. I understand what you are saying however I'm not disturbed by rotation when thinking about Vertical / Horizontal shmup. Tate: don't know what it means (wikipedia link?).

What's disturbing me is the need to think about 2 sets of assets for vertical and horizontal shmups.

For example, if you look at a shader I'm proposing in the framework (the sky and sun):



Rotating the viewport is just not enough.

Also the inspector extension would use a kind of check box or combo box to select between vertical and horizontal shooter. Then what happens when changing the settings to the background, the ennemies...

That's why I thought about 2 implementations of the MyShmupManager. But ideally, I would (as a end user) love to switch a designed level from vertical and horizontal or the opposite at will. Thus remembering the absolute position of assets, but fixing the z to 0 in case of horizontal shmup, or the y to 0 in case of vertical shmup.

From a designer perspective this is the best, but from my point of view, this imply a lot of work (without speaking about billboards for pixel-art stuffs)! Thus letting aside vertical shmups (for now).

[nasty_wolverine]

Tate: don't know what it means (wikipedia link?).

it means turning your monitor on its side for a 3:4 aspect ratio, like vertical scrollers have.
If you want to ask why would you need to tate your monitor, you need to read more about the history of arcade shmups. Watch the French shooting game documentary on youtube with subtitles.

What's disturbing me is the need to think about 2 sets of assets for vertical and horizontal shmups.

I am lost. what framework or design principle requires 2 sets of assets for changing aspect ratio's? There is probably a severe design flaw in your framework. It should be easy as norty said.

[wondersonic]

Tate: don't know what it means (wikipedia link?).

it means turning your monitor on its side for a 3:4 aspect ratio, like vertical scrollers have.
If you want to ask why would you need to tate your monitor, you need to read more about the history of arcade shmups. Watch the French shooting game documentary on youtube with subtitles.

Got it, thanks

What's disturbing me is the need to think about 2 sets of assets for vertical and horizontal shmups.

I am lost. what framework or design principle requires 2 sets of assets for changing aspect ratio's? There is probably a severe design flaw in your framework. It should be easy as norty said.

You should read the second part of my post where I speak about design once, deploy either vertical or horizontal. This would be the most interesting part of the framework. Now, if this is just a final choice from the start (per level) with Vertical or Horizontal, you are right, there is no complexity. Don't see any flaw in the framework... yet BTW, I'm more interested by the possibilities of horizontal shmups (from a look and feel point of view), and I'm short in time.

[nasty_wolverine]

All devs are short of time

What I am talking about is choosing a aspect ratio for the game, lets say 3:4, and have the same aspect regardless of the monitor orientation. so if the monitor is yoko, game will be letterboxed at the sides, if the monitor is tate game should be at full correct resolution without letterboxing, unless its 16:9 monitor where the tops and bottom will be letterboxed.

The aspect ratio choice is final at the start of development. the flow of the game whether moving from top to down, or left to right, should be switchable in game. Take a look at ether vapor, its a vertical, horizontal and on-rails shooter at the same time!!

[wondersonic]

2 new videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNC_Yr0_JJI

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJLJ1h0gvDE