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Game Dev - Krystal FPS Font and AI
6 years ago
Couple of questions for those following my Starfox fan game. One is about the font, and the other is the AI and enemy design.
First, I looked up the Starfox font. There is a free fan made starfox font, though it doesn't have numbers. Not that it matters because the screenshots of Starfox Zero which use a similar font for the numbers are hard to read at a glance. The other games use a generic sci-fi font that's easy to read.
http://archive.videogamesdaily.com/.....assault/18.jpg
There leaves me with 3 options.
Option 1- Generic sci-fi font. Lots to choose from.
Option 2- The Starfox 1 font. It's either ripped from the game or a copy of it. It's pixel art which might fit the look I'm going for, and it's easy to read.
Option 3- LCD display. Seen in the beta of Starfox Assault.
https://www.unseen64.net/wp-content.....xarmada019.jpg
Another thing I want to talk/ask about is the AI. Specifically pathfinding (how the enemy navigates around the level). Originally, I was expecting to have to find a way to generate a navmesh from code, or build a path finding system for the ground up. None of which sounded fun but had to be done. I was surprised to learn that the kind of path finding I was in the engine as a sort of hidden feature. Cool. Saved a bunch of work.
However, even without any kind of advanced path finding, the way the physics work mean the enemies are surprisingly capable of following the player simply by charging towards their position. Obviously, such a system is easy to exploit, but it might be enough for what I'm trying to do. I could even build on it a little. If they lose sight of the player, charge towards their last know position, and if they still can't see from there, stop chasing.
I was also surprised to learn that games like Wolfenstien 3D and Doom aren't that much more advanced than that. But that's the thing, the enemies in Doom don't chase you all around the levels, but they are still a threat and fun to fight due to their design.
Finally, I want to ask about bringing people on board. Specifically, any suggestions on who to ask about commissions? JecBrush does great Starfox work, but I'm not sure if I could afford their rates. The big problem is I don't know anyone who does sound effects for games, and even people who used to make Starfox remixes have likely moved on long ago. Hell, if anyone can recommend any simple music creation tools, I'm all ears.
The big problem I've had in the past is keeping people on a project. Evenone is excited at first, but as soon as the honeymoon has worn off even money won't keep them on board. Others will talk a good game, but when it comes time for me to put money in their paypal they suddenly get gun shy and change their mind.
First, I looked up the Starfox font. There is a free fan made starfox font, though it doesn't have numbers. Not that it matters because the screenshots of Starfox Zero which use a similar font for the numbers are hard to read at a glance. The other games use a generic sci-fi font that's easy to read.
http://archive.videogamesdaily.com/.....assault/18.jpg
There leaves me with 3 options.
Option 1- Generic sci-fi font. Lots to choose from.
Option 2- The Starfox 1 font. It's either ripped from the game or a copy of it. It's pixel art which might fit the look I'm going for, and it's easy to read.
Option 3- LCD display. Seen in the beta of Starfox Assault.
https://www.unseen64.net/wp-content.....xarmada019.jpg
Another thing I want to talk/ask about is the AI. Specifically pathfinding (how the enemy navigates around the level). Originally, I was expecting to have to find a way to generate a navmesh from code, or build a path finding system for the ground up. None of which sounded fun but had to be done. I was surprised to learn that the kind of path finding I was in the engine as a sort of hidden feature. Cool. Saved a bunch of work.
However, even without any kind of advanced path finding, the way the physics work mean the enemies are surprisingly capable of following the player simply by charging towards their position. Obviously, such a system is easy to exploit, but it might be enough for what I'm trying to do. I could even build on it a little. If they lose sight of the player, charge towards their last know position, and if they still can't see from there, stop chasing.
I was also surprised to learn that games like Wolfenstien 3D and Doom aren't that much more advanced than that. But that's the thing, the enemies in Doom don't chase you all around the levels, but they are still a threat and fun to fight due to their design.
Finally, I want to ask about bringing people on board. Specifically, any suggestions on who to ask about commissions? JecBrush does great Starfox work, but I'm not sure if I could afford their rates. The big problem is I don't know anyone who does sound effects for games, and even people who used to make Starfox remixes have likely moved on long ago. Hell, if anyone can recommend any simple music creation tools, I'm all ears.
The big problem I've had in the past is keeping people on a project. Evenone is excited at first, but as soon as the honeymoon has worn off even money won't keep them on board. Others will talk a good game, but when it comes time for me to put money in their paypal they suddenly get gun shy and change their mind.
