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[Ciehoo]

Hey all,

Ok, I created a google code project at http://code.google.com/p/ogredwarf/

Before starting - read the wiki on how to setup a workspace.

The code, unfortunately, hadn't been properly documented (as in, it hasn't been documented at all), and the material bug that I was struggling for a few days is still there, buuut.... it works.

Anyone wishing to join, mail, message, or in any other way harass me

Ciehoo

Saved for posterity:
First of all, thanks to Toady for a great game ... and countless hours wasted navigating through metric-ass ton of assembler if blocks in the map renderer

But to the point - for the last year I was hacking away, on and off, on a "3D mod" for DF. Before getting bogged down in other stuff, I managed to get some decent basics going.


The current binary, based on the last "home-page" version is here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?vyi0dyovzij

Some info how to run it:
- Start using Dwarf Launcher.exe
- to access the dwarf fort window, click on it and you can (hopefully - not fully tested) use the normal keyboard commands
- to move around the map - click on the other window in the game, and then move using WASD and mouse
- the kill button forces an exit from the game
- ONLY DWARF MODE has been at all tested. Adventure mode probably won't run, but I don't know.


And now for the request. As I've put a fair bit of work into this code, and would hate to just drop it, I would need a volunteer to take over. Simply put - I have no time to code any more.

So if anyone is interested, knows C++/asm and the Ogre engine, I'll gladly fork over the code.

Ciehoo

Edit:

To prove a point for Sean Mirrsen, that you can make reasonable 3d models quickly (1 afternoon), and that they don't slow the game to a crawl (hopefully) I hacked up a patch:

http://www.mediafire.com/?y42y0m2zdnm



The 2 new buttons allow you to peel away ground layers to look below. There's a small bug with this, as newly loaded ground pieces ignore the cutaway level, but I'm too tired to look for it. Anyway, if you can please test it, and compare your framerates to the previous version.

Ciehoo
 
Note: Disable full screen in the starting config dialog.

Edit: WTF didn't anyone grammar nazi my post title?

[Im_Sparks]

POSTING IN EPIC THREAD

Looks STUNNING.

EDIT: testing!

[woose1]

Now all we need are colors for the blocks, showing ramps and other things.... etc.

[NewMartianEmperor]

Ooooooh. This is the beggining of a very good program.

[CobaltKobold]

Isn't Dwarvis (or Lifevis, or whate'er it is) already doing this?

Not to stop you or anything.

[Deon]

How is it different from 3dwarf (is it real-time updating?)?

[Deon]

OK, for me it lags like hell ~1 fps and BAH runtime error. I guess I've configured it wrong.

[profit]

I think he is looking for someone to take it off his hands rather than fix it up.

[RantingRodent]

It strikes me as a bad idea to try to tack an entirely separate 3D client onto a game which already suffers from significant performance problems under some conditions, and which is constantly adding new feature which could increase the load on the PC.  For any 3D client to be halfway successful, it would have to integrate directly into dwarf fortress, rather than running as a separate process and relying on memory inspection to display the scene in 3D.

Just my two cents.

A little more spare change:
I really don't think dwarf fortress can ever be done in true 3D without looking like ass.  Isometric, yes, although spriting for isometric is much harder.  3D?  Never.

[Ciehoo]

It strikes me as a bad idea to try to tack an entirely separate 3D client onto a game which already suffers from significant performance problems under some conditions, and which is constantly adding new feature which could increase the load on the PC.  For any 3D client to be halfway successful, it would have to integrate directly into dwarf fortress, rather than running as a separate process and relying on memory inspection to display the scene in 3D.

Just my two cents.

A little more spare change:
I really don't think dwarf fortress can ever be done in true 3D without looking like ass.  Isometric, yes, although spriting for isometric is much harder.  3D?  Never.

As for the first part - it's integrated directly into dwarf fortress. Each game frame is shared between DF and the engine. No need for memory inspection even. I mapped out some chunks of the DF data into C/C++ structures and access them directly as such. The speed isn't that much of an issue as well. Of course it does need a hefty piece of hardware to use it at full detail. But I imagine, that with a few tricks you could keep the same framerate with much better graphics.

And being impossible to do right in 3d? False. there's a multitude of 3D games that have similar data layout to DF. Dungeon Keeper is the first thing that pops to mind - it's basically the same game datawise. All the X-Com clones - ditto. The only problem is the ammount of graphical content to be created and maintained throughout the game. But it can all be done with tricks. Textures, for example - I "integrated" a dynamic texture generation library into Ogre, so each material texture can occupy a few KB of data in memory, while being available for use when needed.

But as profit said - I AM looking for someone to take it off my hands.

Ciehoo

[Drunken]

My coding skills are nowhere near good enough to take on a project like this alone. I would however like to offer my limited skills to any group or individual that is interested in taking this on. For me it's an opportunity to do something fun and improve my skills. I see no real need for this progam, but I still would love to work on it.

[Andir]

Why not host it on Sourceforge or Google code?

Let the world help out.  You'd be amazed at how many people will contribute small bits of code to the cause instead of having one person crunch the code 24/7.  You'll also likely grab a pool of debuggers, optimizers, and people who are talented in many aspects.  Look at the work being done in the 2D interface of DF.  Toady doesn't have the experience, knowledge, or time to put a better OpenGL engine in the game, but others have that skill.  If you lack the time/skill to code it, you might have the time to administrate it.  Most Open project simply need someone with a focus and direction as to where and how the program will go.  It doesn't need to take all your time either and you could submit or change any code coming in.  Also, a good way to learn from others and improve your skills is to integrate their code into your program and watch what they do with the data.  People will surprise you from time to time.  If you do this, you become a maintainer.  You choose what happens and how it happens.  The hardest research is finding a license that works for you.

[Ciehoo]

administrate it. 

Shudder.....

But yeah, this might be for the best, even though I have way too many administrative duties at work. I would hate for it to turn into another job.

Ciehoo

[G-Flex]

And being impossible to do right in 3d? False. there's a multitude of 3D games that have similar data layout to DF. Dungeon Keeper is the first thing that pops to mind - it's basically the same game datawise.

What about actual graphical layout?

Dungeon Keeper has a 2D map. DF has a 3D map. Representing one is a loooot difficult to do in 3D than the other. It would be like trying to represent an ant colony.

[Im_Sparks]

And being impossible to do right in 3d? False. there's a multitude of 3D games that have similar data layout to DF. Dungeon Keeper is the first thing that pops to mind - it's basically the same game datawise.

What about actual graphical layout?

Dungeon Keeper has a 2D map. DF has a 3D map. Representing one is a loooot difficult to do in 3D than the other. It would be like trying to represent an ant colony.

An ant colony of sadistic, violent, cat-butchering alcoholic idiots, that is.