Picking up where I left off last time, now it is time to connect the individual map cells. In the finished game, these cells will be represented by rooms and connections between them by narrow corridors. We’ll start with this map: In order to connect the cells I’m first grouping them into clusters based on…Read more
games
Dungeon Map Generation (Part 1)
I’ve been working on a method for generating dungeon map layouts recently. I’m planing to use this to create the levels for a game I’m working on, and I thought it might be interesting to share the approach I’ve come up with. The source code for this article is available on my Github repository and…Read more
2D Sprite Reflections
First post in a year! So much for me writing more regularly on this blog I guess… on a more positive note, I have been making steady progress on a game. The concept has shifted quite a bit from where I started off last year, but I guess that was to be expected during the…Read more
On Playing God
The next game I want to make is going to be a god game. The term was coined back in the 8-bit days to describe a type of simulation game that imbues the player in with god-like powers while putting him in charge of a group of artificial beings. While the specifics vary between different…Read more
(Just Like) Starting Over
Here’s the thing… I find myself coming up with a new game idea once or twice a year. Usually at that point, I drop everything else I’ve been working on and focus all my free time for the next 2 or 3 weeks on it, until I gradually lose momentum. While those initial bursts are…Read more
TIS-100
Despite picking up a bunch of must-play AAA titles and experimental indie games during the recent Steam sale, I’ve spent the majority of my play time on a game about programming a fictitious computer from the dawn of the age of technology. TIS-100 is a puzzle game at heart, but what captured my attention was…Read more
Deciphering Blade Runner
I have been doing some research into voxel rendering techniques as of lately. While the whole approach has fallen to the wayside a bit with the advent of 3D accelerators, I still find it to be a uniquely elegant approach to modeling and rendering objects in software. As part of my research, I thought it…Read more
For King and Country
I recently felt the urge to take some time off from the long-term game project I had been working on for most of this year, so I decided it would be fun to have a little weekend hackathon focusing on a small project. After the recent game-jams I had participated in as part of a…Read more
Your analysis, Mr Worf
Star Trek: The Next Generation – A Final Unity was released in 1995 by Spectrum Holobyte (later known as MicroProse). At a time when most Star Trek games, notably those from Interplay, were based off the original series, the game invites us into the TNG universe with a compelling mix of action and classic adventure…Read more
Warning – Trespassers Will Be Horribly Mutilated
I recently decided to replay the LucasArts adventure game that started it all: Maniac Mansion. Inspired by cheesy horror and sci-fi b-movies, the game invented many of the conventions that would define the genre for the next decade. I had previously played the (heavily censored) NES version, but used the ’89 PC remake for this…Read more