Game Blog with Some Content I Think.

Posted by Charlie Carlo on Nov. 22, 2012, 11:03 a.m.

Okay, so Credence Filter's engine is so ridiculous that I feel incredibly accomplished whenever I successfully implement a feature that usually comes standard in Game Maker.

Case in point, backgrounds.

I last modified the engine to support two levels of tiles, but the game still felt flat. So here I've added the capability for parallax backgrounds behind tiles, but that wasn't the difficult part.

The difficult part was creating a surface (every step) that I can use as a layer mask to cut out the shadows/highlights that were magically floating in the air. I ended up creating a new layer of tiles, all white, beneath the bottom layer. I also created a dummy object with a depth of 1 more than this tile layer, that upon draw event, sets the surface to be the mask, that way, when the tiles go to draw they will be drawn to this surface.

Then I draw the regular tile surface to this surface with extended blend mode (bm_zero,bm_inv_src_alpha) which draws it black, because apparently you can't color blend surfaces. Finally, I subtract or add this to the surfaces for light and shadows, respectively, before blending those surfaces to the screen.

Also, I made drop shadows darker and increased the view size, but those things aren't really that amazing.

Anyways, enough rambling, this is what it looks like.

Next thing on my list is that terrible placeholder shading beneath stairs.

Oh yeah I also made some songs.

EDIT: Also, happy Thanksgiving, to any Americans on here.

I drew you a hand turkey.

Comments

Pirate-rob 11 years, 5 months ago

While I was I reading I was thinking, "fix the stairs!" also is the character's feet on different levels?

Edit: What program did you use to make music? The musics pretty good.

Charlie Carlo 11 years, 5 months ago

Quote:
is the character's feet on different levels?
No, I just have the graphic for the stairs slightly higher/more pronounced than the actual ramp, so the character sinks in a bit. This engine is needlessly convoluted, but it isn't that needlessly convoluted.

Quote:
What program did you use to make music? The musics pretty good.
Thanks. I use Reason 5. I'm only beginning to grasp how it works.

Castypher 11 years, 5 months ago

I'm digging the CSS. Now make mine.

Also, kickass screenshot. When you're done collaborating with Taizen, can I steal you?

Aaaand, your turkey needs blank white eyes.

Triple edit: My god, that's not bump mapping in your banner, is it?

tylerthemiler 11 years, 5 months ago

Dude that is sexy as hell, what technologies are you using to code the game?

Toast 11 years, 5 months ago

Whats with the green rectangles in the background I don't like them

Unaligned 11 years, 5 months ago

Maybe a fainter yellow light for the buildings in the background would look better. Awesome stuff judging by the screenshot nonetheless.

Cpsgames 11 years, 5 months ago

I love your graphics style. I wish I could draw things like that. :(

Charlie Carlo 11 years, 5 months ago

Quote:
When you're done collaborating with Taizen, can I steal you?
Maaaaaaaaaaaybeeee… It'll be a long while, this game we're making is huge.

Quote:
My god, that's not bump mapping in your banner, is it?
lol No, that's content-aware Photoshop fill.

I was lazy.

Quote:
Dude that is sexy as hell, what technologies are you using to code the game?
Thanks, and nothing but good old GM7.

Quote:
Whats with the green rectangles in the background I don't like them
Fuck, are they green? Deuteranomaly is a pain. I'll consider making them less bright, but it's parallax, and it's not as distracting, and it makes more sense, when they move around, for some reason.

Quote:
I love your graphics style. I wish I could draw things like that. :(
:D Thank you. You tend to get good at things when you do it constantly for 8 years.

umbra 11 years, 5 months ago

yha it is no small project he is helping with…….

…dont mind me, i am only in your shadow…..

death 11 years, 5 months ago

oh shit, that's a nice turkey.