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[DwarvesH]

Hello everybody!

Long time no see!

I though that it would be a good idea if this time I am the one who opens this thread, not someone else and I find out about it after who know how much time.

Here is an unscripted video showing me fooling around in Creation Mode in first person mode:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F0BCKVmS4E

I am working round the clock to finish Creation Mode. In Creation mode there are no rules, no resources and no consequences. You are given free reigns to build anything that you desire.

I am also interested in getting DF maps imported somehow. There are tons of extremely interesting maps out there and it would be great to walk around from different perspectives. Once imported there is nothing stopping you from interacting with the world, so this would be more than a visualizer.

After creation mode is finished I'll get back to turning this into a game where you have a squad that you have to manage and care for and they are the ones doing the building. I am doing my own thing with the concept of the game but it will have its fair share of similarities to Dwarf Fortress.

So what do you think? I am interested in all feedback. I recently finished the first version of the 3D engine. An engine is just that, an engine. It does not care about what game you will make out of it. So right now I'm done tweaking the engine and working on the game part. What you see in the video was done in under two weeks, so it is still very rough around the edges. More like proof of concept.

Quick history:

• the project was called DwarvesH
• first version was 2D topdown
• second was isometric, using Stonesense graphics
• while implementing dynamic zoom I hit the limits of what can be done with CPU rendering
• I spent months creating a 3D engine from scratch
• now I am turning it into a game
• creation mode is the first step, a step that will be realized though 3 stages

Please let me know what you think!

Thank you!

[The Fool]

I think it has potential from what I've seen of it, but the question is this: Is this a DF mod, or a stand-alone game?

I see references to importing DF maps, using Stonesense graphics and textures, and modifying DF maps, but I also see you saying that it will share similarities to DF. So is this a stand-alone game, or an add-on to DF?

[DwarvesH]

I think it has potential from what I've seen of it, but the question is this: Is this a DF mod, or a stand-alone game?

I see references to importing DF maps, using Stonesense graphics and textures, and modifying DF maps, but I also see you saying that it will share similarities to DF. So is this a stand-alone game, or an add-on to DF?

No, it is completely stand alone.

Importing DF maps would be just a nice bonus .

[DwarvesH]

Only one person willing to give feedback?

I guess I need to show you a working copy of the game so you can try it out yourselves and then maybe I can get a few people stating their opinion.

I am running a public weekly snapshot system, where every Monday (plus/minus a few days) I upload a new version. These versions often have bugs in them, but they are cumulitive and each version is smarter than the last one and includes all the previous bugfixes. I already uploaded snapshot 1 and 2. Unfortuantelly, I chose MegaUpload to do this and now MegaUpload has been taken down.

I won't reupload snapshots 1 and 2, but snapshot 3 is going to go up on IndieDB. I am just waiting for approval. Anyway, IndieDB should be a more reputable host than MegaUpload (not that I am against/for it and what has happened to MegaUpload). So once things are approved I invite you all to download and try.

Anyway, I created a new GUI for creation mode specifically. It is designed to be intuitive and very easy to use both with mouse and for people preferring a lot of keyboard shortcuts. Let me post a screenshot:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

So my question to you is this: without getting any explanations regarding this GUI, what do you understand from it? Do you think you could use it at first sight?

To Terraria players: I bet this is more familiar to you. Ignore the lack of icons and textured GUI.

To DF players: do you recognize anything from that picture? How do you feel about a fully realized 3D experience vs. ASCII/graphic packs? What I personally love about 3D is that one can play from a semi-traditional top down view and then with a press of a button instantly switch (without loading times) to a first person view and walk around:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

PS: I noticed that all pictures on this forum are embedded in spoiler tags so I've done so too. Is this some kind of an official/unofficial rule?

[USEC_OFFICER]

PS: I noticed that all pictures on this forum are embedded in spoiler tags so I've done so too. Is this some kind of an official/unofficial rule?

An unofficial one. Having a giant image in the middle of a post can be rather annoying at times.

EDIT: What programming language are you using? Just out of curiosity.

[DwarvesH]

PS: I noticed that all pictures on this forum are embedded in spoiler tags so I've done so too. Is this some kind of an official/unofficial rule?

An unofficial one. Having a giant image in the middle of a post can be rather annoying at times.

EDIT: What programming language are you using? Just out of curiosity.

Good, I'll make sure and follow this rule. Seems like a good idea .

I am using C++. U++ is the general purpose library that allows all the non GPU functionality and I am using Irrlicht as a graphics back end. So the engine is very fast and has the potential to be even faster once I get better at 3D tehnique implementation.

The engine can be run in either DirectX 9 or OpenGL (version 1.4 or earlier not supported) mode. Some computers prefer one over the other. There is also software based rendering, but that is not recommended since performance is abysmal.

[DwarvesH]

I'we uploaded snapshot 3: http://www.indiedb.com/games/dwarves-holes

You will find there the package and instructions on getting started.

If anybody feels like telling me what they think about the potential of this thing, please let me know .