ND4SPD

• Title: Advanced Top Down Shooter Artificial Intelligence
• Description:
  Clever AI that DOESN'T simply run at the nearest target. It intelligently seeks out the best target, attacks at a comfortable distance, takes cover where necessary, dodges slow projectiles (this functionality can be removed easily for hit scan projectiles, or for difficulty adjustments), shoots while leading the target, and has support for an infinite number of teams, or free-for-all! All this, AND it's quite simple to implement!
• GM Version: GM8
• Registered: Yes
• File Type: .gmk
• File Size: ~0.02mb
• File Link: host-a.net
• Required Extensions: None
• Required DLLs: None
• Tags: GMCTUTORIALS GMCAI GMCTOPDOWN

Summary

Many games (such as yours, I suspect) call for some sort of intelligence on the part of the non-player characters. Of these, some are top down shooters. Of these, some call for the very best top down shooter AI; capable of advanced behaviours such as smart target selection, movement, avoidance, cover usage, shooting, assisting team mates, and more. These games could and should use this AI example!

The important stuff that you need to know about: Most of the AI behaviour is handled by a single script (named scr_ai() in the example). The script has no arguments for simplicity (feel free to modify the script, obviously; you can fiddle with how the AI moves, for example, by changing this code). Every player/AI object has a team variable (if the value is the same, then the two entities are on the same 'team' and won't target one another, such as obj_player.team == obj_ai.team == 1). Projectiles, or any other damage dealing entity, also need a team variable. There are a couple of other miscellaneous variables that are necessary: hp, spd, dir, target, searchx and searchy. You may need to modify the script to address the fact that the AI will potentially target obj_unit_par, and will treat obj_wall as cover. Of course, there are comments in the example gmk.

Most of the drawing code, shadow and particle drawing code, HUD code, etc is unnecessary. You won't need to copy that over to your project. It is quite clear what is needed, but if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Also, if you have any questions of any other aspect of the program, then again, ask away!!

Should you find this example useful, credit and +reputation are appreciated! Thanks!

This game is 3D. Not d3d or fake 3D or anything; you actually see 3D images. It's a stereoscopic top down shooter; that's where it displays two images side-by-side and, by looking at them in a particular way, your brain will process these two images as a single 3D image!

See if you can see it just by looking at the screenshots below (remember to be patient, you won't get it immediately!!). First, you look at the exact centre of the two images with slightly crossed-eyes (you're actually focussing on the air that's about halfway between you and the screen). The two images will blur and move towards one another. They eventually move such that the two images overlap, and you can then focus on that single image. Your mind will combine them, and you'll see a single 3D image! It's a beautiful illusion. It will blow your mind. I promise. A couple of tips; make sure your head is level (horizontal). Try changing the distance you're sitting at from the screen. And remember that you won't get it immediately! It took me a couple of minutes to get it the first time. If you're still having trouble, or you just want more info, try googling "stereoscopic images" or something! Don't play this game for more than 15 minutes at a time, though (it will tire your eyes!).





Check out the game once you're able to see the 3D. Or if you can't see the 3D, you can play by just playing on one half of the screen, and ignoring the other half. It's still definitely worth a play if only because of the AI, which is very advanced (and the AI is modest, too; it's not like a real person who would abuse you if they crushed you at their favourite video game). It finds targets based on sight and distance, switches targets intelligently, shoots (by leading their targets, also), it dodges bullets, takes cover, maintains an effective combat distance, and runs when it's close to death.

Remember that you're the reddest player, with a team of less red guys (stick with them, they'll keep you alive), and you're fighting the terribly violent and aggressive and generally evil blue guys. Run around like a mad man with WASD, and shoot your blaster by holding the LMB (don't worry about ammo, it's infinite). The little lines above your head indicate your health; take cover for it to regenerate. Seeeemple!

Download (host-a.net) stereoscopic.exe (2.24mb)

I hope you enjoy the game (i.e. the incredible 3D effect and the AI)! :D

Games almost always have progression and unlockable items: the player completes sections of the game, and unlocks new content as they go. They complete a level, and proceed to the next. Complete a quest, and a new area becomes available with new quests. Gain experience and unlock new weapons to fight new enemies.

In multiplayer, though, it's a bit different (keep in mind that I'm mainly talking shooters). Either you make players unlock items as they play (see Call of Duty, Battlefield, Crysis, Team Fortress 2, etc etc), but then you potentially end up with the problem of the level 100 guy with the best weapon and all the best equipment smashing everyone; or everything is available and there's nothing of consequence to unlock (see Halo, Gears of War, etc) except maybe some visual changes, which means everyone is on par, but you lose the excitement of unlocking, and you lose that progression!

Do you think that it's problematic when new players come in without all the good equipment, and find themselves up against skilled veterans who have unlocked the top weapons?

Counterstrike does something kinda unique in that you have to build up some funds to buy the best weapons (so the sense of progression is there to a degree) but this doesn't carry over from round to round. I'd say that on the spectrum of things, this is still down near the everyone-is-the-same-always end.

My current plan for the first person shooter I'm tinkering with is to have a sort-of item rental system. Players build their own custom loadouts, and then spend a couple of credits they've earnt in game (by killing, killing with style hehe, completing objectives, etc) to use that loadout for a minute. It's all automatically deducted as you use the loadout, and credits are automatically added as you earn them. But it means that you won't always have funds to play as your hyper loadout; the one with all weapon attachments and extra equipment and so on.

At the moment, the player can select:
Primary weapon (and ammunition type, optic, stock, barrel and attachment)
Secondary weapon (and ammunition type, and some attachment/optic/stock/barrel modification)
Equipment (potentially two different types, can be lethal (like an incendiary grenade) or tactical (like a smoke grenade))
And potentially also select an armour modification (like heavy armour, stealth armour, etc), and a special boost meter system (like, the player gains boost by taking damage, and when the boost meter fills and the player is about to die, they get a second of tremendous damage resistance and the meter empties).

What do you think of the idea of the item rental system?

Some games allow the player to unlock new content that won't cause imbalance: new character appearances (such as armour permutations in Halo), new weapon colours or aesthetic-change-only variants (new weapon skins in Call of Duty), new icons or banners (dog tags in Battlefield), and so on.

Games also often have rankings; for example, beginners with start off as a Recruit or Private or similar, and the players who've been playing for a while will attain levels such as Colonel and Officer and so on. These tend to be linked to the unlocking system (in Call of Duty, say, you'll only unlock a certain weapon at level 40, for example). But in a game like Halo (where rank is really simply an indication of how long you've been playing), do you CARE what rank you are?

Do you feel that such appearance/prestige unlocks are at all valuable? Do you care what your character looks like, or if you have a custom emblem?

So, I'm partly asking about the weapon rental system I proposed, but I'm also asking what the player should be working to achieve across multiplayer matches? Unlocking the next weapon, reaching the next rank, completing the next Daily Challenge for points, unlocking that last aesthetic peice to complete the fluoro pink ultra-rare armour?

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			Developed by Luke Prior

"Very good game. I am imressed" "Interesting concept, well-made"
"Great game! " "Simple and cute." "Love the update!"
"Imma try this out as soon as I possible" "This works pretty well" "Cool concept!"

The Heist is a two player game in which one player attempts to shine a flashlight on another player. The blue player with the flashlight is the guard, who is working security in a museum. The red player is the thief, who is stealing from the museum and trying to avoid the security guard. For more information on how to play, be sure to read the heist.txt file!

Key features include:

-Fun and original gameplay
-Local and online multiplayer support, including chat
-Single player support with AI
-Randomly generated museums
-Advanced flashlight system

Enjoy the game!

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Download

Host-a.net
Heist.zip - 1.26mb

Remember to comment if you download! Like the game? Dislike the game? Suggestions for improvement? Comment! Feedback is much appreciated :D I'll +1 any valuable comments!

orb is a little arcade game where you, an orb, avoid other orbs. I've realised that the title is a rather clever pun that came about completely by accident:

orb _[noun]

1. something of circular form; a circle or an orbit (Archaic)
2. a collective whole; a circle of things or people

Not only is everything "of circular form", the enemy orbs work together with what I can best describe as swarm/group mechanics. Occassionally just randomly floating about the world (yet another meaning for the word by the way!), they often bunch together in groups (as "a collective whole"!) to create formations; larger and more challenging obstacles for the player orb to avoid!! So, you are the white orb avoiding the coloured ones with the arrow keys (though SPACE is occassionally used in the make-shift menus).

download _[host-a.net]

~2.3MB

Enjoy the game! Please rate, comment and subscribe, especially if you have ideas for more features/goals.

NB: The two lines at the top left indicate the frame rate. The bottom one indicates a percentage; the top one indicates the maximal size of the bar. Ideally, the two will be the same length (i.e. 100% frame rate). If it's having problems, try hitting B. It'll take away the pretty blur effect, but it'll speed up considerably!

Version History:
4 Oct

First release

4 Oct

Various bug/exploit fixes
Press B to turn off blur (for performance boosting)