Vehicles!

The last few days I've been working on vehicles. I started off with basic movement code. It uses Truevision3D's built in physics, but that didn't make it easy. I needed to do a lot of tweaking and testing until it looked right.

The movement code is just the start, there's still a lot left to do, like collision detection, weapons...

Visibility System

The player can now only see enemies which are visible to friendly units. All other enemy units are hidden. I've also added a new eye button to enable and disable the soldier "sight lines". The video shows the button and the visibility system in action. The jittering in the video only happens when recording, i still have to find out why.

 

All soldiers now also have a hearing distance, so if enemies come from behind and get too close they will be heard. I also improved the training system and the soldier collision code.

New Test Version

I've uploaded a new test version of Total Tactical Warfare. It includes all the updates since the last test version.

Changes:
- MG's and sniper rifles
- weight effects
- improved soldier behavior
- campaign support
- new training system
- high scores
- new sound system

Here's a link to the download:
TTW.zip (36MB)

For it to work you'll need the .net Framework 2.0 and DirectX 9.

It would be great if you could try it and tell me what you think :)

Scriptable AI

I've added some new objects to the map editor that will allow mission designers to control what the computer player does.

The objects include: AIPlayer, AISquad, AISoldier, AIWaypoint

The picture shows the new objects in the map editor.














When the game loads soldiers and waypoints are assigned to a squad. When the game starts the squad follows the waypoints until the last waypoint is reached.

Waypoints have a number of properties:
- radius (squad inside radius has reached the waypoint)
- squad ID (squad that will move along this waypoint)
- waypoint number (0,1,2... determines the order in which waypoints are moved along. The squad will stop moving at last waypoint)
- TimeToRemainAtWaypoint (time the squad waits at the waypoint before continueing to next waypoint)

- StanceOnArrive (Prone, Crouch, Standing)
- StanceOnLeave (Prone, Crouch, Standing)

- MoveIntoBuilding (True, False)
- BuildingLevel (0,1,...)

The video shows soldiers following waypoints and acting according to the properties.

High Scores

I've added a High Score list to the main menu. High Scores are added and shown if you complete a map or a campaign with a good score. The High Scores add replay value to the missions. They also allow you to compare your skills with other players.