Hey everyone.
One thing that does trouble me on these forums is the isolation, as a Game Engine, that we face. For various reasons, there are few here who (I would argue) realise the availability and importance of existing research and resources for use in game design. It may be because we are Python users, and not C++ for the most part, but whenever I see simple questions relating to AI (for example), the responses never quite cover the issue properly. And, having been guilty of this in the past, I would like to suggest that we look further afield for these sorts of questions.
For example, take AI. Most people just resort to simple states (which is fine) or track-to actuators, near sensors and think of the task as “the best I can do”. Whereas, actually there are plenty of resources that you can learn to implement yourself. After all, it is not the code that is useful, but the idea behind its workings.
So, at last, I suggest a resource; http://www.gamedev.net/forum/123-the-technical-side/ GameDev.net is a very useful website. It is the home for many commercial and indie developers, and whilst most of the code is written in C++ or C# it still bears a lot of relevance to us.
Let us move out of the dark age, and see ourselves as members of such a community, rather than a desolate outcropping who refute the outside world for it is unrelated to Python entirely
I agree, its when I started looking at articles and exploring beyond the basic blender tools, that I realized that you can code some useful things in blender. I think it always works like that though, a person will use logic bricks until he realizes that python might be easier and faster, then after using python with blender for awhile he might start looking towards other uses outside of blender.
BluePrint,whats the point? Yep,logic bricks are starting to seem a mess for me,I find python much cleaner,and does a lot of things much faster than logic bricks,not to mention the flexibility.(Might be off topic :)!?)
(I hope I understand the intention of this Thread right, if not please correct me…)
I agree with agoose77.
Blender and even the Game Engine is a open source Software and free to change and the possibilities are very high.
The main problem is, that there are at mostly users, scripters(Phyton) and not as many coders.
Some users (I refer to other Threads…) though:
“There are better engines than the Blender Game Engine. Look at UDK, CryEngine and Unity, they are very good and much better than Blender GE…” (free invented and obvious no BGE fans/ users).
=> If there is no one who develop the Blender Game Engine, the possibility that there are better engines, is very high.
I respect the work of “the few”, you’re great guys!
It would be cool if there are others you can develop the engine, too.
[I would like to develop the game engine or fix some bugs too, but I can’t find the right beginning.]
In fact and that’s what agoose like to say I think is, that we should stand up and make the best out of the Blender Game Engine our Game Engine.
It has a lot of capacities right now (look at Ton’s port for the Playstation1, not published because of license rights, but very impressive), but it could handle a lot more.
@agoose77 - So, if I understand you correctly, what you’re saying is that more users as developers should be looking into implementing common development practices and implementations (A* pathfinding, multiplication or 2D lighting, etc) into their games, rather than just taking the easier way out.
I agree, and I think it’s a good idea for those who haven’t learned Python but are serious about using the BGE to take it up. It’s not too hard, and it really opens the possibilities. With Python, there’s a ton you can do. If something’s too slow, you can optimize it. If something’s not supported, you can add it.
I have a game, that runs at 60 fps, in blender, that walks using physics, can lift and move objects, and climb ladders, turn switches on and off, and so far the only python is because there is no mouse handle built in, I have enemies that use almost no CPU, run phyics based walk cycles no rotations or moves, and can hunt and follow a waypoint system, using physics and cones to hunt, I am not sure that a brain In real life does not run on a semantic memory used to populate a logic node system, if I build a simulation in my head, and run it till I achieve a goal, that is thinking…
I think that any code language can transfer, I just happen to be better at visualizing the end product in logic, most of my motions etc, don’t use any CPU accept after they are triggered, even then its almost nothing, geometry + logic is code, its just Different, then python, I am not an high horse riding single code style is better, but logic works great for me, and I have not hit a CPU wall yet, and my game is almost done,
I think agoose77 is just saying that http://www.gamedev.net/forum/123-the-technical-side/ is a good learning resource, even though the code is not written in python, lessons can still be learned, and for that I thank you.
Also i don’t think agoose77 is arguing against logic bricks, or saying the bge is primitive, just that people dont have the resources to learn enough to make their AI great, rather then good enough.
BluePrint,we have all seen your rig ok? You dont need to post it everywhere.And there is no need to make 3 several post while you can make one and edit it if you want. Just saying.
They are differing rigs… one goes
while Flip = 1 then if x <10 while x>1 X=X+1
while Flip = 0 then if x <10 while x>1 x=x+(-1)
If X = 10 then flip toggle
If X = 0 then flip toggle
so 0123456789109876543210
the other goes
message ----- X = 500 (timer)
while 0 do nothing
if X>1 then X = X +(-1)
if X = 1 then Do whatever
so this does a countdown then does an action
and then there is this
keyboard press W then X = 1
keyboard press S then X =-1
if X<10 while X>or equal to 1 X=X+1 ---------Do forward walk motion and or animation
if X = 10 then X =0
if X<-6 while X> or equal to -1 then X=X-1 ------do backward walk animation and motion
if X =-6 then X=0
so this uses one property to handle two directions of travel or rotations etc, and can be used to orchestrate the transformations of a whole rig, with physics, or with python, calling a python script with this script would not be bad…
I posted video in a few, and old rigs in a few, and examples to help people code easily, if my style is not your style, don’t hate me, it takes all types
Many game design challenges are indeed not unique to BGE, so looking into other gaming forums like http://www.gamedev.net/forum/123-the-technical-side/ can be very helpful. It is just that the Blender Artists forum is such a nice community
