Project 2: Building your first game (extremely simple)

Reference for this project: Chapter 2 (Link to page of draft book chapter.)

• Make a directory ~/video/project2 in your home directory<>
• Copy the xhero.mdl file to your directory and use it for your player. (You may need to press the control or shift key on your browser when clicking the link, to force the file to download.)
• Run the level editor (or world editor, WED) from the MOSAIC menu:
  
• 3dGamestudio->LevelEditor
• From the menu bar begin a new level (or world):
• File->New
• Save the file at this point (otherwise the next step may not work)
  
• File->Save ~/video/project1/game1/game1.wmd
  
• Create a new script for your new level
  
• File->MapProperties->Script
  
• Use the NewScriptButton  in the pop-up
• And select the tpwA6TemplateProject or A6TemplateProject
  

• Ceate a floor upon which your player will stand:
• Object->AddPrimitive->Misc->PlateLarge
• Add standard textures to your project
• Texture->TextureManager->AddWAD ~/video/project1/game1/wads/standard.wad
• Add a texture to your PlateLarge
<>Select the plate (use the select button   to set your mouse into select mode).  When the plate is selected it should be surrounded by a red box outline.
• Click on the textures Tab  .
• Click on the standard.wad  button  .
  
• DoubleClick the stone blocks texture to result in the following textured PlateLarge:

• Insert a model for your player
<>
• <>Object->LoadEntity  ~/video/project1/game1/extramodels/hero.mdl
• <>Position him so that his feet rest on the plate using the move  button as below:

• <>Add the "Player Biped" Script to your hero model.  
• In the menu bar, File->Add Script   ~/video/project1/game1/wads/template_6\code\plBiped01.wdl
  

• Attach "PlBiped01" player-biped action to theplayer model. First Select the hero, then
• Right-click mouse->Properties
• Select Behavior tab in popup
• Select the file folder icon  in the "Action" field of the popup

•  Add a "3rd Person Camera" Script
  
• File->Add Script; select ~/video/project1/game1/wads/template_6\code\camera3rd01.wdl .
• <>Rebuild level    (and rebuild/ Update Entities)

• and Run with run button  . 
  
• Hopefully you will see your first "game" as below:

• Most likely the default game will be too dark. To brighten the game, run the command MenuBar::File::MapProperties and select the SunTab in the popup. Set the sun level to (192, 192, 192) in the pop-up window. The azimuth and elevation of the sun should remain the default values of 0 and 60 degrees. Also, set the ambient lighting level for the game to (128, 128, 128). Rebuild and rerun the game.
  

Report and demonstration:

• Prepare a 6-page report exactly in the following format;
  
• Cover sheet with names
• 1 Page summary of project
• 1 Page Printout of first page of game1.wdl
• 1 Printout of level in WED
  
• 1 Page Printout of your gamescreen (with brigher ambient settings)
• 1 Page Short answers to the following questions:
  
1. What company created Wolfenstein and DOOM, and what year was Wolfenstein released?
2. What CPU is used in the Xbox, and what is the CPU clock speed and how many bits?
3. The new Xbox console will have three procesors; what company is making the new processor, and what is the clock speed?
4. What clock speed is the emotion engine CPU of the PS2, and how many bits?
5. The new PS3 console will use a Cell Processor with 7 SPUs (synergistic processing elements); what is the clock speed and how many bits wide are the SPEs?
6. What is a DOOOM WAD file?
7. What computer language is the source code for the Torque game engine in, and what computer language is the source code for the OGRE game engine in?
8. Can Autodesk 3DS Max software be used to create animated models (Yes/No), and can Alias Maya software be used to create animated models (Yes/No)?
9. What is Milkshape3D software for?
10. A BSP Tree results from subdividing a gamespace into smaller partitions. What do the initials BSP stand for?

• Demonstration
• Show your final game
• Show your game1.wdl code

Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Paul Weldon