Genesis of an RTS game
by Geom · 02/10/2006 (6:12 am) · 7 comments
I started work on a simple, casual RTS game about 3 months ago. So far, development of this game has been immense fun. Already the GUI works, players can harvest resources, build new bases, and the computer players can do the same and even attack the player. Here are a few screenshots.
Next feature on the to-do list is pathfinding. I've already got some crude pathfinding working thanks to this little gem, but there's still a lot of work to do to get it polished. (Beware though, micropather uses STL which is difficult to get working with the rest of Torque).
I'm planning on keeping this game fairly simple, with the goal of quick development time and the hope of appealing to some of the more casual gaming types. Then, with this experience in hand, I'd like to start on the RTS I really want to make. I think there are all kinds of cool innovations that could go into RTS gameplay. But, one thing at a time.
Overall I've been really happy with Torque. I'd never made a game before with someone else's engine, so I was a little apprehensive as to what the learning curve would be. But it hasn't been bad. It's a big engine, but I've found it has been pretty easy to learn one aspect of the engine at a time, depending on what I need at a particular moment. I am now way farther ahead in development than I thought I would be after three months. Thanks, Torque!
(edited urls)
Next feature on the to-do list is pathfinding. I've already got some crude pathfinding working thanks to this little gem, but there's still a lot of work to do to get it polished. (Beware though, micropather uses STL which is difficult to get working with the rest of Torque).
I'm planning on keeping this game fairly simple, with the goal of quick development time and the hope of appealing to some of the more casual gaming types. Then, with this experience in hand, I'd like to start on the RTS I really want to make. I think there are all kinds of cool innovations that could go into RTS gameplay. But, one thing at a time.
Overall I've been really happy with Torque. I'd never made a game before with someone else's engine, so I was a little apprehensive as to what the learning curve would be. But it hasn't been bad. It's a big engine, but I've found it has been pretty easy to learn one aspect of the engine at a time, depending on what I need at a particular moment. I am now way farther ahead in development than I thought I would be after three months. Thanks, Torque!
(edited urls)
About the author
My email address is my GG handle, at redbrickgames.com.
#2
02/10/2006 (1:56 pm)
How did you accomplish the computer opponents? That's been the one thing I havne't been able to really come up with in the RTS kit. 
#4
Thanks! Yeah, I've been regarding pathfinding as a "risk" area in the development of this game. Marc Currie, who wrote the RTS Trash, mentioned in the Indie Gamer forums that pathfinding took a significant bit of development time for Trash. I want to jump into it as soon as possible, just to know how big a task it's going to be. Currently my pathfinding is implemented as a big grid of potential waypoints on the world, and all paths are at right angles or diagonal angles. Obviously that doesn't play too well :)
@Chip
My AI is really simple. But it's adequate to fight and beat the human player - so it makes for a real game! I use a separate state machine for each base building, soldier, and worker. Workers just harvest stuff, and soldiers just shoot at enemy units when they come into range and line-of-sight. The base first builds four workers, and then soldiers after that. However once a base has at least four soldiers, it starts considering whether to go into a "saving mode" where it saves up resources to build a new base. There's just a random test to decide wether to do that or to keep building more soldiers. Once the base has 6+ soldiers, it also randomly decides to send a group of them to attack some other player's base. Pretty simple stuff, but it makes for a playable prototype. (it even beat me once - grr)
@Randy
Thanks. I'm looking forward to improving the terrain textures, I think that will help the units be more visible when viewed from a distance. With the current textures they tend to be hard to see. I'd also like to try replacing that flesh-colored sand texture that comes with Torque, with something more like Florida beach white sand.
02/11/2006 (3:27 am)
@ToddThanks! Yeah, I've been regarding pathfinding as a "risk" area in the development of this game. Marc Currie, who wrote the RTS Trash, mentioned in the Indie Gamer forums that pathfinding took a significant bit of development time for Trash. I want to jump into it as soon as possible, just to know how big a task it's going to be. Currently my pathfinding is implemented as a big grid of potential waypoints on the world, and all paths are at right angles or diagonal angles. Obviously that doesn't play too well :)
@Chip
My AI is really simple. But it's adequate to fight and beat the human player - so it makes for a real game! I use a separate state machine for each base building, soldier, and worker. Workers just harvest stuff, and soldiers just shoot at enemy units when they come into range and line-of-sight. The base first builds four workers, and then soldiers after that. However once a base has at least four soldiers, it starts considering whether to go into a "saving mode" where it saves up resources to build a new base. There's just a random test to decide wether to do that or to keep building more soldiers. Once the base has 6+ soldiers, it also randomly decides to send a group of them to attack some other player's base. Pretty simple stuff, but it makes for a playable prototype. (it even beat me once - grr)
@Randy
Thanks. I'm looking forward to improving the terrain textures, I think that will help the units be more visible when viewed from a distance. With the current textures they tend to be hard to see. I'd also like to try replacing that flesh-colored sand texture that comes with Torque, with something more like Florida beach white sand.
#5
Not to self promote, but since your are interested in textures, and since it's support for RTS developers in the community, here is a link to my RTS Environment pack that was just released today. www.garagegames.com/products/82
Please keep me posted on the progress, I am very interested in this.
02/11/2006 (3:34 am)
Geom, That sounds like it would actually do exactly what I need :PNot to self promote, but since your are interested in textures, and since it's support for RTS developers in the community, here is a link to my RTS Environment pack that was just released today. www.garagegames.com/products/82
Please keep me posted on the progress, I am very interested in this.
#6
02/11/2006 (6:06 am)
Amazing, out of the blue, both you and Robert Stewart seem to be tackling the path finding issue at the same time. This contribution to RTS developers here will be huge!
#7
Even finding out how to create a new unit of your own is pretty damn hard :(
any help on how to accomplish this??
thanks alot
Ross :)
02/14/2006 (1:28 pm)
Realy great game you have their, one major stumbling block im having with the kit is just how do you get an enemy unit into your mission.Even finding out how to create a new unit of your own is pretty damn hard :(
any help on how to accomplish this??
thanks alot
Ross :)
Torque 3D Owner Todd Pickens