Pocket Battlers - Generation 1 prototypes

At the moment I'm just getting a few ideas out of my head, and into working prototypes. One of these is Pocket Battlers, in which you control a small 'Battler' (as a sub-avatar?) that can move around and launch various attacks. A major feature is that these Battlers can be very different, for example in the first generation with be a tank, a pirate ship and a faery; all with appropriate movement and unique attacks.

The second major feature is the power bar, through which attacks are activated. Power gradually accumulates over time, and each attack requires a certain amount of power before it can be used. When an attack is used then a portion of the power is used up. You can see it in action at the end of the video below (there's no sound so don't go fiddling with your volume control).



They still need a bit of dressing up, but after a few small tweaks they'll be at the stage where they can be fought against each other (I just need to add in area-effect damage).

Credits: The particle systems used for the faery are based on free examples available at 'The Particle Lab' in SL, and the faery's wings are by Jane Mc Carthy.

Cannoneer turn controller

Shown above is the turn controller for Cannoneers. Players can click on it to register; the owner of the device can use a dialog menu to join/start/reset the game; and player order is randomised.

It was fairly easy to lock player controls so that only one person can move at a time; and that turns ends either after 10 seconds have passed, after they have moved 5 metres, or (soon) after they have fired (I still have it allowing multiple shots for final testing).

Also shown in the image is the HUD for switching between the two ammo types: shells that explode on impact (small area, large damage), and grenades that explode after 5 seconds (wider area, low damage).

Cannoneers - Early Development

One of my current projects has the working title of "Cannoneers". Ultimately it will be a turn-based game where players run around shooting at each other, along the lines of the 3D versions of Worms. Shown below is the Avatar I've built for it, which should give an idea of the style I'm aiming for.

I decided to go with "tiny" avatars, because it adds a sense of fun to things. It's also good practice with the anim overides, squashed anims and invisi prims that tiny avatars rely on.

The animations are done, and cannon power is controlled by how long you hold the mouse down. The next big feature will be controlling turn taking.

SL ButtonMen Promo

I've made a short promo for SL ButtonMen; although if you don't know anything about ButtonMen it doesn't make too much sense. An introductory tutorial would probably be a better option. I digress, here's the video:

Steamboy rocket

If you've seen the excellent animation Steamboy, then you'll no doubt remember the one-man rocket that he mashes together in a couple of seconds (as shown on the poster).

The video shows a Second Life version that I'm working on. It's a little bigger than Ray's, and still can't achieve lift yet, but if the rivets hold then it should be airborne soon.

There are quite a lot of prims involved in the pipe-work, so a large part of it is going to have to be an attachment. And don't get me started on the pose - the only way I can stop the avatar bending freely at the waist is to use a looping wiggle. Any alternative suggestions are welcome.

Cannons and Castles

Version 1 of the game is all but complete, and provided an excuse for my first Machinima production. As expected more time was spent learning the tools than making creative decisions, but it turned out well.

In the game two players compete to destroy each other's castles. It's basically an extended version of rock-paper-scissors. You pick one of three of your opponent's towers to attack with your cannon, and one of three of your own towers to defend with your wall. The towers add a level of strategy since each one can only be hit twice, and you need 4 hits in total to win.

IM me in-world to try it out.

Back on the grid

I was away for a while, circumnavigating the globe; but now I'm back. The house in Stormhold has gone, but the game development will begin anew.