Blender battletech / mechwarrior -2nd version

Game Engine Works in Progress and Game Demos
1

Last year I made some progress on this project, but I got to a point where it was becoming too difficult to add more to the project without it slowing down and becoming buggy.

I returned to the basic game engine and AI. Rewrote it to be more modular and to use information from dictionaries. In the first version of my game I could have up to four mechs on screen, not I’ve got it up to eight with not too much drop in performance. The first one had a choice of two mech models. Currently I have 5 mechs added and adding the others should be very easy.

Building on feedback from the first version of the game I’ve tried to improve accuracy at range, (I implemented a targeting computer to lead the shots with missiles and bullets) and to give the player more shots with the weapons. I’ve also designed a level of detail system for mechs, trees and buildings.

Here is the AI in action:

Here is the current progress:

And an older video:

And a to compare with my first version of the game from last year:

You can try out the game here:
http://pickledtezcat01.ucoz.co.uk/publ
This is the location of all my tests and demos. I use the Burster web plug-in, though later on I will make a full screen downloadable demo available as an EXE, and maybe make the blend file available for MAC users.

There are several things I still need to work on. This is an unfinished ALPHA version at the moment, but it is progressing.

Coming soon:
Weapon damage, damage display, buildings, roads, detailed environments, more weapons and improved weapon functionality, AI weapon use (already coded, just need to enable firing), jumpjets, vehicles and helicopters, aerospace fighters, mission select, menu, etc…

2

Woah that is actually quite cool, I would love to see something like that in a next gen game. It looks like a fresh new idea to me. Btw I liked the first HUD the most. Also I suggest you make your first real level in or near a nuclear facility. Like that one in japan. It’s like a nuclear war, and everyone has to jump into mechs to not get too much radioactivity on them. :slight_smile:

3

Too soon?

Anyway, thanks for the reply. The top video is the most up to date. I plan on this game having old school graphics, and a simple interface.
The first story is simple, I’ve based it mostly on a Manga called “Area 88”, which is about a guy who gets tricked in to becoming a mercenary. He has to keep fighting and raising money so that he can buy his way out of his contract and get back home. Of course instead of planes it will be mechs.

4

I’ve made some progress with weapons and AI.
Taking one more step towards the finished engine.^^

(check the first post)

5

http://pickledtezcat01.ucoz.co.uk/publ/battletech_browser_game_v0_6_test/1-1-0-7

Latest game test. Still a lot to be worked on, but at least now you can fight against and kill the enemy bots.
See if you can defeat the enemy mechs without being killed. ^^

6

Looks really nice - MechWarrior 2 didn’t have much better graphics than this, so that’s great. My only complaint is:

  1. The ground texture’s really upscaled - perhaps you should either scale the texture down on the mesh, or add a noise detail map (using UV-map, but with 2x the width and height, for example).
  2. The walking animation’s a bit off.
  3. The scene’s bland, but the game’s not finished yet, so that’s not really a complaint. Be sure to add some nice, interactable scenery, like signs that can be shot and fall on mechs, or perhaps even buildings that can be entered into.
7

Thanks for testing.
The walk is difficult to get perfect, I went for performace and ease of programming rather than apearance, buildings are coming soon. I originally had a really nice node based ground texture, but found that most of my testers couldn’t use GLSL… With blender multitextures or texture face, there are limited options for ground textures. If I upscale the texture too much you get really bad obvious tile artifacts.
I’ll try some things to see how it comes out. :slight_smile:

8

Hmm. What if you had a noise map overlay - certain game engines call them ‘detail maps’. If you use a, say, invisible and partially transparent noise map (transparent and black) and put that on the ground, it would give the effect, I think.

9

The texture you see IS the detail map. :slight_smile: I originally started working with the multitexture mode, but got very poor results in some cases (no dynamic lighting on any multitextured models). I changed over to texture face mode, but that only allows one texture per face.
I managed to give an apearance of two textures by using vetex colors and baked the verts using a low res terrain map.
I’ve made some changes, rescaled the texture by half, so it is more detailed. And I’ve moved the action to an area with more well defined difference between vert colors.

I also changed the player mech, so you can try out one of the heavier models, a 50ton Wolverine.
Have a go and see what you think:
Blender Battletech

10

Surprisingly fun to check it out. First, it would be nice to change to an ‘out of cockpit’ view. Second, you can have lighting on the multi-texture mode by enabling Light in the face settings, and by having a blank texture in the material - using a texture of the actual material will not be lit correctly. The game’s pretty cool, though. A little control help would be nice - was it on the site?

11

I weighed the the pros and cons of a third person view and decided against it in order to save on development time and performance.

I’m hoping for this to be more of a sim than an arcade style game. Control and HUD is going to be a little complex, but that’s just part of the game.
Here is a quick run down:
W runs, S walks and X reverses. A and D steer the legs, while the torso twists with the mouse.
Space to activate the jump (though your jump fuel bar must be full)
Right mouse button to switch weapons, and left button to fire a burst. Wait for the burst to cycle before firing again.
Keep the crosshairs over the target for a few moments to get a target lock. This makes your weapons more accurate.

When you fire a laser or missiles your heat level will go up. When your heat is high your accuracy will be reduced and you will move slower.
Accuracy is also reduced when jumping, running or moving, and when your enemy is doing the same.

If your armour is reduced to less than 50 % you will start taking critical system damage. This can reduce your ability to vent heat, slow your walking and running speed, or jam your torso twist. Eventually it can destroy your mech.

I still need to add some other things, coming soon are missile and autocannon ammo usage, critical ammo explosions, weapon damage (your weapons can be taken our of action by critical hits) and one or two other aspects of combat, such as adjustable AI skill level.

12

Latest updates to gameplay.

13

AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!
I download this RIGHT NOW!

14

You are the second person I have seen in deviantart and is working in a BGE game here, I think it will be a game as detailed as your deviantart artworks descriptions.

15

I’m working on the Radar today. I’ve still got lots to add, but it’s slowly getting to the point where I will be able to put together the first campaign. Each campaign will add more features, improved AI and more mechs and vehicles. As well as updating the menu and UI.

With the radar and ammo counters in place, the HUD will be nearly complete. I still find new things to add all the time such as a rear armour indicator, as in testing I sometimes get killed when my armour is still showing green, but the killing shot came from the rear.^^

Also 5 new mechs to add. I may get them in the game this weekend.
Stinger
Wasp
Valkyrie
Commando
Assassin

16

p.s. thanks for the kind words :slight_smile:

17

No problem! I like details, both in the artwork and in the background info. Currently for many aspects of my game i´m using as reference GURPS Space Travel, I think there are some very detailed RPG books specifically for mech theme(I have seem some in GURPS). I like GURPS theme books because they bring a lot of researched info into a single book(saving days of personal research), with very few rules, which is nice as I do not play pen-and-paper RPG anymore but still enjoy loads of accurate theme info when I make my games.

18

I made some progress on this recently.
I just need to get a few more things working and then it will be time to release the first chapter.

19

It looks very professional, especially the HUD. :slight_smile: I do think you should change some of the sounds :wink:

Anyway, great progress, it looks like a good battle game.

20

Thanks for the praise. ^^
Which sounds need changing? I do have some alternative sounds, but I’ve been waiting for user feedback to decide which ones to use.
The footsteps are a little repetative, I’m thinking of making them quieter, and there will be different footstep sounds for different ground types, using a ray to get the information about where the mech is standing. I’m trying to build up a sound scape, where there is no need for music, as the sound of battle and the environment builds up around you to make you feel more imersed in the gameplay.