Fun with JV-ODE Car...

[edit]
See below for newer (non-interactive demo)
[edit]

How high up the structure can you drive the buggy ?

I was just messing with the excellent wrapper from VIP3R and had been edging toward a stunt car racer type affair, but Vordermans got that sewn up, so came up with this idea instead.

Nowhere near finished but quite fun (imho).



Cursor keys to steer / accelerate / brake.
Space to re-set car upright.

'S' for slo-mo (not sure why i did this, but hey)

Download: http://www.wildebeestgames.com/elevation.zip
(About 1Mb)

Like i say just messing around, so don't expect anything polished!

[EDIT]
Project now has a title :- "Tricky Tracks" (thanks to my 6yr old son for that!)
New demo (a non-interactive replay mode) showing modular track system and other improvements.



http://www.wildebeestgames.com/ttdemo.zip

Looking to include, track editor, track packs, car set-up (suspension, brakes, 2-wheel / 4-wheel Drive, etc).
Emphasis is on techncal car-handling over challenging obstacles rather than out and out speed.

As before, any comments much welcomed.

cheers

Mark

I think the idea is excellent.

This is addicting and fun... ;)

Thanks !

Done a little more work on the project and still enjoy playing it myself so figure it must be worth more effort.



Car model improved, experimented some more with obstacles and looking to have physics based problems, i.e. swinging platforms, rotating discs, etc

Guess its heading toward a 3D platform game with a car as the main character - not that i like to pigeonhole games or anything.
Will post an updated demo when i get a minute.

cheers,

Mark

Mark,

Not sure what the problem is but I just get a black window and the app hangs?

Got a P4 3000mhzht , GFX440mmx.

Any ideas?

works fine for me, that part where the track slopes down and then up with the gap all they way down the middle is a tad hard.

It's cool btw, kinda like KikStart for cars

A Kikstart style game would be ace, perhaps with Quad bikes rather than cars or motorbikes, with a rider that you can make lean left/right and forwards/backwards to affect the balance and get you over obstacles. He could also bounce on the footplates to make the bike hop. It'd be really cool to see a vehicle based physics puzzle game.

Also, you could have proper ragdoll physics for the rider when he falls off.

Ahh... have had the computer running for a week or so without a restart so the physics timestep was screwed!!

Anywho, got it working .. nice ... shame I'm totally @#!*e at it though :(

Stevie

realy fun this is :D id atcurly buy it if it had lots of level and an editer to make ur own :D shame you didnt have blitzmax as i would helped you work on this for fun Irrilcht Particles Etc would look well cool with this hehe you could have splitscreen mode races and everything would be proper fun

also after alot of playtesting add in a lookbehind your self feature lol as i revered right of the top were the jump is as i couldnt se how far back i was :)



edit. make more levels!! finished the first one :)

has anyone ever played that game where you're a motorcyclist and you have to collect the apples by like ballancing the bike.. i think it would be awsome if you could do somethign like that with this.. like make it so that you can push the front and back of the car up to get over obstacles and collect coins er something..

I give this 5 flying stars *****

Yep, it used to be called Elastomania, but I think it was renamed in a newer version. Damn fine game, entirely skill based.

New non-interactive demo posted (see first post for details) showing replay mode.

http://www.mabeyhire.co.uk/ttdemo.zip

Any comments welcomed,

cheers,

Mark

The first one's excellent but the new one looks AWESOME!

Fantastic idea, very addictive and fun to play!

It's great to see it being powered by JV-ODE too, very nice work indeed.

Keep it up :)

Hey that's pretty cool! I like the way the car seems to handle. Out of curiosity how are you doing the shadows?

VIP3R - Thanks (for the comments, and JV-ODE!)

Stevie G- Shadows are by SSwift - My Christmas present to myself (bonus from work, etc, etc). Spent a long time doing my own systems for previous games (see sig) but never really cracked it.

Course desgner is coming along nicely, can now insert checkpoints as a track piece so that crashing and burning results in you being placed a litttle way back on the track and not back at the start.

Also implemented timing, so you get an overall stage time as well as updates as you cross each checkpoint.

cheers

Mark

+ Demo plays well enough.
- Its too easy to make the vehicle slide though

The second non-interactve one looks far more interesting with all the bumps and angled girders.

100% agree with you here and look forward to such a challenge. For the player its all about learning the right approach speeds and finding sneaky ways to cut through awkward parts of the track in record time.

It would be great to creep your way over a rickity old bridge!

Some ideas for you:

* Wide areas of track for a little light relief so the player 'floor it'
* Mini Stunt Car Racer parts such as open tracks requiring you to leap over at the correct speed. Too fast and you overshoot the end of the track. Too slow and you fall short etc..
* Chicanes
* Oily, slippery patches on the track
* Chuncks missing from the track (or gaping holes)
* road blocks
* turbo-boot zones [>>>]

What about time limits too? Something like, you have 55 seconds to complete this course?

You might also want to check out www.trackmania.com (the Trackmania original demo) for more ideas.

Agree with Jim



Ahh. I thought it was his lib ... they look quite high res and very accurate. I've always done my own shadows too ... maybe time to bite the bullet :)

This looks fantastic.

The only question I would raise is its longevity.

To clamber to the top of a tricky course, just to be faced with another could become tedious. That said I think it is an idea well worth persuing.

Reminds me, in an odd sort of way, of Screamer 4x4. 4WD, offroad trials 'simulator'.

A few more ideas to throw into the pot. How about
Alternative routes, see-saws, steps, banked sections of track, or the ultimate, different type vehicles to 'morph' into which are better suited to different obstacles.

Can't wait for the next demo.

Personally I'd really like to see the car become a quad bike with a ragdoll rider, then allow the player to control the rider's balance to affect the quad, so they can balance the bike on the rear wheels or front wheels or on two side wheels to cross a narrow ledge etc..

I think this would add another dimension of skill to the game and be far more interesting than just driving a static car to the top of the course.

It would also allow some fantastic ragdoll crunching when the guy falls off :)

Vorderman gets the greatest of ideas! That'd be even more awesome :)

I like this!

Any chance of some support for a logitech momo racing wheel & pedals?

Would be a load of fun on top of the already large load of fun you got here!

Wheel owners are a captive audience, far too few games to make the cost of ownership of such a set up as inviting as it could be. There's some very nice & reasonably priced wheel and pedals about these days too, just nowhere near enough choice of software. Another indy or pro stock racer we do NOT need! ;O)

I'd happily make models and paint them for this. Let it eat DirectX models and I'd be in 7th heaven! Got half a dozen models made already for another who's abandoned the ground vehicles side of his sim. (he's a nit wit!)

Being able to model a 3d track would be rather nice too.

OOPS! Just found the other thread! ;O)