I have decided to take a fresh look at my opengl 3D framework. I never got around to finish the VBO and FBO features, and shadows is still on the list of things that I would like to try and get going. So I have dug up the code files and are in the process of looking them over and fixing whats already there so that all current features works as intended, then I’ll look at adding extras, like the shadows, and working terrain would be cool too. So I expect that its something that will keep me busy for a little while yet.

Long time ago I bought something called SpriteCandy for Blitz3D, which I really never got to use at all. But with that came an image packer program, which was quite useful. It doesn’t seem to be running on Vista and Win7, so I decided to make my own version of such a program. I finished the code today, and its fairly close to the program I based it of with a couple of added features. Its main use will be for my opengl experiments, where I’m packing multiple sprites together on one texture for single surface sprites (quads), but it also has other uses, such as bitmap fonts and animation frames.

I finally got myself to finish the intro I had been working on along with the software render framework. Its been a while underway, but I’ve had problems deciding what to do with it. Its finally here though and available from my demos page. Or you can click on the image below

Yesterday a friend of mine suggested a challenge. We were to look through youtube for a cracktro that we would then recreate our own version of. So not a 1-to-1 replication, but something that looked similar, but was different. I decided on a cracktro called Eclipse and you can now download the result by clicking on the image below.

I decided to upload everything I could find that I have released since starting with programming on the PC and the Blitz language products. You can find it on my Demos page.

Well, I got bored the other day, so I made a software render framework that uses the blitzmax pixmap as buffers. Its fairly simple, but it should get most people going with making some oldschool software rendered effects if they wanted, and if they use blitzmax ofcause. The code for the framework can be found on the DBF forum here: http://www.dbfinteractive.com/forum/index.php/topic,4193.0.html

Well, I have been busy lately, just not with coding anything. I have been spending some time getting familiar with the game mechanics of the system that I have choosen for a dungeon game that I want to work on. And work has been a bit stressful lately which has had the effect that I have spent a lot of time on the couch being energy drained. But its starting to turn around, so I am hopeful for the near future, hopeful that I will be getting back to working on the 3d engine and getting the dungeon render completed. Once that is done, then I will start working on some game mechanics in code.

Well things are going slowly these days, since I have had less time to code than usualy, but its looking like I will be able to devote more time really soon. I have been adding a few small things to the mesh methods and clearing up the code in various places. I also started working on what might become a small game, which will use the 3d engine to render a 3d view of a dungeon which the player would be exploring. Working out how the game mechanics are going to be takes a bit of thinking and time, so I expect progress on the 3d engine, but it will just take me a bit longer to get there than initially expected. But its safe to say, that I am still working on it.

Today I got distracted with coding a simple gui that could be used to make a rogue like game. You know those old school ascii games. It could also be used for simple editor purposes I guess. I have actually been thinking about taking some time out to plan some kind of RPG game. I have always wanted to make one, and I used to be a GM way back when, so I did a lot of story telling and knows a fair bit about how RPG games are put together rules wise anyways.

So I might venture down that road someday soon, most likely sometime after I am done with my DDO Character planner, which is a tool I want to enable me to plan better characters for the MMO that I have been playing the last 3 years. There are a couple of tools out there, but none of them are to my liking, and I think that I could make a better one, or at least one suited better to my needs.

I will continue working on my 3D engine all along though, its not being dumped or anything, so no worries there. Its something that I will be working on along side any other projects. I like to have multiple projects going as I tend to tire a bit working only on one thing. Its nice to be able to jump back and forth a bit, even though I know it slows down progress on all of the projects, it keeps me busy and coding.

Unfortunately progress is not as fast as I had hoped for. I am simply not finding the time needed for coding. I did get a small example done for someone at a forum, but nothing that will progress my own project. And I have plans to get a bit done tomorrow since I do not have any plans for the afternoon and evening. It will mainly be clean-up of the core code. Its really needed before I continue working on additional features. I want the basic stuff working 100% and being totally stable, otherwise it will just get messy if I start adding effects and such without having a fixed structure to attach things to.