Starting Tips and Questions

Scripting Issues
1

Hello, Panda3D forum.

I have to create a “game” in Panda3D with Python (Thats our Project in school). I have some experience with C++ and I looked through the manual a bit.

My first question would be: What genre should i take? I thought about Jump 'n Run, but I dont have much experience with level design and modeling…

oh yes… Ego shooter or violent based games arent allowed… obviously :>

I have about a year to finish it… I want to make an easy game with good graphics (I saw a few pics in ‘Screenshots’ and they were great!)

Also: Do I have to go through the entire manual? I mean, I have time but theres lots of stuff O.o

Thanks
-sharkz

2

Go through the manual it will help a lot, and look at the examples that ship with the engine. “Roaming Ralph” is the basic thing when it comes to controlling your game avatar and walking on uneven terrain. “Asteroids” is a great example on implementing game-play mechanics. “Looking and Gripping” can teach you a lot about controlling joints and attaching objects to them.

clcheung’s Demmomaster is also a grand source of knowledge and it shows some cool stuff that you can do with Panda3D: discourse.panda3d.org/viewtopic.php?t=5915

3

Welcome! I’ll let others give opinions as to a likely genre for your game. Ultimately, of course, it’s up to you; and the best answer might be “whatever kind of game you would most want to play.”

After years of getting complaints along the lines of “the documentation is way too sparse,” it’s a refreshing change to get the opposite complaint. :slight_smile:

No, you don’t need to read the entire manual; it discusses many topics that you don’t need for a typical game. But you should at least read the opening topics carefully, and you should be prepared to look in the manual first whenever you have a question about something. :slight_smile:

David

4

thank you very much for your fast response =)

I’ll take a look at Roaming Ralph… and I saw that floating boat of clcheung… very impressive (:

Any suggestions about levels? "Code3D is a tool for creating virtual training scenarios. " doesnt seem bad, but Jump 'n Run is mostly fantasy :slight_smile:

5

You’re not allowed violence? Should I take that to mean no violence at all, not even sci-fi ships blowing up other sci-fi ships?

I also guess from what you’ve said that you’d prefer a game that involves fewer rather than more assets (models and the like).

In that case, what about a puzzle game, perhaps something that lends itself well to random generation of game boards (the classic “match-three” game type comes to mind)?

Another idea might be a small racing game, perhaps just one flat track, a player vehicle and a simple AI (very simple: perhaps just a straight-line waypoint-following system).

Otherwise, perhaps a maze-game incorporating item-collecting (something like 3D Pacman, for example).

Other than those, what sorts of games do you like?

6

Well, the example you posted would be ok. Its a school, so no blood or Egoshooter or something like that…

Its kinda complicated… I want to create a game with high graphics and nice environment… but the PCs at school dont have graphic cards… so im kinda limited… :confused:

I like to play some Egoshooter, Roleplaying games … Jump 'n Run… Hack 'n Slay ( Yes i like the “'n” in the middle :smiley::D)

I cant create a Racing game, because another group in class already does that… :confused:

I want to create a game, where I can say a bit about the source code and show an example of it. I dont give a damn about the genre, I think…

I just want to make the project ‘whole’… So that my classmates can understand what i was doing.

Thanks everyone! :slight_smile:

7

Hmm… In that case, may I suggest that you start by putting together some simple test program - just a moveable camera and some objects, perhaps - to test the limits of your school computers? That should hopefully give you a better idea of what’s likely to be viable, and might inform your choice of project.

Well, my question came about, I think, because there’s a difference between “no blood” and “nothing even vaguely violent” (and probably because, as I recall it, I don’t think that my own school would have been as strict about such as yours seems to be) - hence my asking about bloodless violence (for example, robots blowing up robots).

However, I take it from what you say that it’s “no violence at all”.

Hmm… You could probably, I think, make a simple jump 'n run game, if I understand your usage of the term correctly. You could probably do it with a single “platform” tile (or more, if you find that you have the time and inclination), a simple avatar (if you think about it you might even get away with not providing animations, and even including a few special effects… :wink:), some collectibles and a goal marker. Instead of violent opposition to player progress, you could, I think, base it around exploration and “keys” - that is, items that allow the player to progress to later areas (these would probably call for a few more models or sprites, but could probably be kept simple, I think).

In terms of such items, there are two types that come to mind: Simple keys, where having the item (or a number of an item, or some other criterion) opens barrier, and items that grant new or enhanced abilities: an item that makes you jump higher, or allows you to swim, or gives you the ability to run, etc.

One way or another, good luck! :slight_smile:

8

Thanks Thaumaturge (:

Just one last question, if i make something like roaming ralph… where should i get the level?

Is there an Editor for Levels? I mean it can be simple as heck, as the priority is to program the game and not the level (:
thanks again (:

9

You can easily make levels with blender or some other 3D tools.
Personally i would recommend doing, or at least watching someone other does it, just to get grasp of game making pipeline.

10

well since it’s a school project. which usualy means a small project. you might want to look at some other games to get inspiration.
there are many nice concepts out there.
“minigames” and puzzles are usualy a nice choice. something simple, yet fun to play. usualy runs great on old hardware (so does panda)
for example “flOw”
http://intihuatani.usc.edu/cloud/flowing/ <-playable flash version
or something like cuboid
http://www.creatstudios.com/games/cuboid.php

there are many flash games which are easy to clone in panda.
like gravityhook (enjoed it a lot and did a bare-concept clone in panda myself within a day)
http://www.adamatomic.com/gravity/

small tip, grafic is less important. spend more time to find/create good music and fun gameplay.

11

Also take a look at what treeform has done for some help and understanding.

discourse.panda3d.org/viewtopic … sc&start=0

All in all, you should first setup some something basic, like loading a model, then work on that by adding more on top of that. I found that to be the easy/best way to learn someting new…

I found deled to be easy to use to create things in a 3d world. You will have to do a another step to get your models to work under panda, but it does have a faster learning cerv when it comes to modeling something simple, I thought anyways…

Try this first then build on more to make it into a game…

  1. Load a scene in panda, a simple plane or flat box will do
  2. Set up a camera to move around in that scene
  3. Add more models to that scene, like a box, a ball, and a wall, or even better a few trees
  4. Load the panda model and have it walk around
  5. Setup something simple for showing some words on the screen
  6. Add in a “key” commands/events to show or hide the text above
  7. Add a few more key commands/events to move the camera around
  8. Add even more key commands/events to move the panda around this time
  9. Make the camera follow the panda around so many “feet” above and so many feet away.
  10. Up to you after this… you could make a simple game like for racing (either it be in a car or a truck, or in the water lol), moving around in a maze, or something like a 3d packman.

As always, alot of the information can be found in the manual or in the tuts that panda came with.