View Full Version : Laboratory needs testers (free tech!)
FuzzYspo0N
23-10-2010, 10:59 PM
FOR SCIENCE!
I have been making a random little game enginey thing for some time, just as an experiment and to stay current and become better at programming - And i would like some people to test it.
The idea is simply a little 2d engine, with networking, filesystem and UI support. The game code is written in Javascript, the interface can be any web code you want ( IE: The game engine runs google chrome as a see through interface for you to run complex gui's with a handful of code ). That means flash too, if you want! There is box2d support in a demo or two, but it is planned to be mapped fully once this last hurdle of stuff has been tested and polished.
If you are interested in more information, ask here or read this post on my blog (it has some more screenshots too).
http://blog.centrc.net/laboratory-and-pong-online
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/9439/ss11n.jpg
R4mzy
24-10-2010, 12:40 AM
I like testing experimental stuff like this, so I'm game. What'cha need me to do?
I'm no developer though, so if you need people to use it for development I doubt I can help much but I'd be happy to fiddle and explore
till my attention runs dry :P.
SkinkLizzard
24-10-2010, 09:12 AM
I can perhaps give it a bash, not soon though exams and stuff coming up rapidly
but after the 20th of November I should be able to try make something with it.
FuzzYspo0N
24-10-2010, 08:28 PM
Cool stuff guys, I am sure it will have progressed by then.
There are a ton of new feature suggestions i have been getting so i will be working on that stuff in the meantime, but i am still needing people to be poking at it the whole way.
Keep in mind, poking may include : Pong, Asteroids, Tetris, Pac-Man etc. There is no need for complex games, just usage from a non developer point of view.
im in. Just dont expect results very speedily, have lots on my plate atm
FuzzYspo0N
25-10-2010, 09:38 PM
As is with every game dev :P Thanks edg3.
BlackShipsFillt
26-10-2010, 06:33 AM
I want to give it a shot, but after Pocket RPG is done, so December earliest.
I've never designed a multiplayer game so I'm pretty excited to experiment a little bit. (Box 2D support would be absolutely awesome)... With everyone connected to the internet and tools becoming more accessible I predict there is going to be an explosion of multiplayer games in the indie market really soon. (And It's good to see South Africans leading the way FuzzysPoon)
FuzzYspo0N
26-10-2010, 01:55 PM
im still waiting for monaco , that game is going to be awesome. :)
BlackShipsFillt
27-10-2010, 06:13 AM
Yeah, I was thinking about Monaco as well. I wonder how tricky a simple Monaco would be to develop in your game enginey thing... Also I wouldn't mind trying to make a bomberman-like game. Bomberman multiplayer was addictive.
Though when I do get the time I'll have to see what is reasonable. I expect multiplayer development to be pretty grinding. It depends on how much lowish level stuff is prewrapped/handled in the enginey.
BTW... Has there been a game.dev comp for multiplayer?
Chippit
27-10-2010, 10:25 AM
There's been one for 2-player multi on a single machine. Nothing more fancy.
FuzzYspo0N
27-10-2010, 11:50 AM
Not sure, i think there was a competition for multiplayer.
I wonder how tricky a simple Monaco would be to develop in your game enginey thing... Also I wouldn't mind trying to make a bomberman-like game. Bomberman multiplayer was addictive.
Yea, it was great.
In terms of simplicity, theres obviously 100 hidden snares at every feature with networking. So it's incredibly simple to get objects existing in the same room, updating themselves and communicating with their peers. Getting players colliding, all that stuff is straight forward... It's the details that would get you i think.
Here is a class i hacked up quick the other day, which for a current test project represents an object that exists in someone else's level. For monaco, 4 of these from 4 different pc's and you are sorted for networking of the players themselves (and i am by no means distilling how difficult this will be, just demonstrating an answer to a pondered thought).
This may or may not compile/work., But the concepts are there.
1) a player object
2) The game onNetPacket (which gets called by the code automatically, giving you network packets as they arrive).
1) http://pastie.org/1252268
2) http://pastie.org/1252276
Hope that helps, i actually have a 2 room co-op demo that i want to upload sometime, when i get a gap to finish pong online. Testers can play with any of these things too... Including these kinda fun performance tests...
http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/2019/ss148.jpg
Bonezmann
28-10-2010, 06:16 PM
Ooh, it seems quite interesting. Will give it a go sometime.
FuzzYspo0N
28-10-2010, 07:48 PM
Any idea when sometime is? If you are interested in testing soon, You would need to email me directly so i can get you on the testing mailing list (to follow up on the tech issues as they crop up).
I would post a download here but i think there is a lot of messy test code lying around and if you are just looking at it first impressions might be unhelpful then.
you can email fuzzy .at. owned.co.za for a test build link :)
FuzzYspo0N
02-12-2010, 03:53 PM
Right well, a lot of time has past so long. So here is an update.
#1 : Thanks a million to people who contacted me for testing. You know who you are, you rock.
#2 : The next build has a pretty extensive changelog, ranging from large scale usability fixes to new features all round. Updates to most of the core libraries brought performance updates, fixes in some bugs as well. Custom font rendering from BMFont (www.angelcode.com), profile and online player account management, serialisation etc.
#3 : All the rendering tech has been exposed to the scripts, so you have full access to the geometry and stuff. This is needed because the engine is written in the javascript.
#4 : The toolchains have started being developed alongside the tech.
So,
Anyone who wants to test, help, get involved? Let me know! There is plenty to be done. AT THIS POINT, i am keeping it relatively open source but that might change in the near future.
For fun, here is 3120 lines being draw each frame, 100% unoptimised approach (no batching, no gpu persistent geometry, etc).
http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/9884/ss15.jpg
FuzzYspo0N
02-12-2010, 07:42 PM
By so many people asking a lot of questions, it appears that there is some confusion on what things do here. So, i will post the "docs" and diagram stuff earlier so that people can get clarity.
What is laboratory?
A simple easy to use game engine for 2d single or multiplayer games.
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/6408/whatislaboratory.jpg
How does it work?
Just add water.
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/7205/laboratorytech.jpg
dislekcia
03-12-2010, 01:57 PM
I am totally loving these explanatory images.
Considering playing with this to learn it enough to be able to use it for the GGJ. Would be epic to have a game that evolved as you were making it, live online.
FuzzYspo0N
03-12-2010, 02:07 PM
It should have a lot covered by the GGJ, so i am glad to see interest. The reason im getting some momentum now is to be able to say "hey make a prototype instead, stop making tech!" for GGJ, Ludumdare and other such comps.
More importantly, examples are the first thing after i wrap up this game layer.
I have a new image to proof read and it explains the scripting, and i have one that explains a case study of a simple game. What goes where, how it works etc.
FuzzYspo0N
04-12-2010, 02:22 AM
A third more tl;dr type diagram. Will refactor soon. Any feedback?
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/9486/corescriptdesign.jpg
FuzzYspo0N
30-12-2010, 12:58 PM
Quick update, platform builds are coming along now.
Some more recent big changes :
-- File system is functional and working as expected (compressed, encrypted, streamable file system).
-- Documentation is about 90% complete. The base classes are all documented using doxygen generator, including images and examples inline.
-- Mac support is available in full.
-- Box2d Support
-- Better event handling
Some changes coming in the very near future :
-- Editors and tools have made a good start.
-- iPhone support is nearly done.
-- Linux support is half way (porting is easy, getting maintainable projects take a while - go CMake!)
-- Android is after linux.
Here is a screenshot for Mac builds :
http://blog.centrc.net/mac-and-iphone-version-update
And here is a post about how the versioning works, and how mac came around :
http://blog.centrc.net/laboratory-and-birthday-platforming
Thanks to those who did contact me to test, the testing is incredibly valuable and saves me a lot of time and worry.
Thankfully most of the larger structural changes are almost done so that stability will be a lot higher and consistency will be better over each beta.
Note : More testers are definitely wanted. There is a process in place now, automated build scripts to get only the latest changes in a small zip file, things to smooth the process of testing. The more testing and iteration the more stable the tools :)
FuzzYspo0N
31-12-2010, 06:19 PM
I herd you like red (and iphone)
http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/8679/screenshot20110101at557.png
FuzzYspo0N
02-01-2011, 04:59 PM
Linux update (i didn't know this thread would become image heavy >.>)
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/4889/screenshotqja.png
FuzzYspo0N
05-01-2011, 02:55 AM
Fixed. Took only like 15 minutes, woot.
http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/3024/screenshot20110105at225.png
FuzzYspo0N
18-01-2011, 09:15 PM
Oh hello full debugging! Thank you eclipse and google chromium for this mighty awesome feature,
100% integrated into eclipse, you can now debug laboratory2D games directly from the IDE :)
http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/7498/screenshot179s.png
You said debugging, and I didnt think it would be THAT awesome! :O
FuzzYspo0N
19-01-2011, 09:15 AM
yea, free intellisense, and usual idea benefits too.
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