Progress Report (09/25/2010)

I was pleasantly surprised by my level of productivity toward the project this week.  Of course, a large part of that productivity was due to the convenient fact that my current class at DePaul involves several programming techniques that enhance the engine upon which TLC is built.

LIME 3.3 now includes two new layers to dramatically increase versatility, reduce the workload on artists and level designers, and support more interesting game worlds.

Accomplishments:

• Fixed the image loading bug...finally!  (See my previous blog post for details.)
• Upgraded the engine to use a high-resolution timer, accurately calculate and display frames per second, and separate updates from renders to smooth out frame rates.
• Added two layers to the map data structure.  The layers, in order from the bottom up, are now Floor, Floor Detail, Items, Obstacles, Walls, Wall Detail, and Ceiling.  (See the LIME screen shot above.)  The MHFramework API documentation has been updated to reflect this new structure.
• Continued gathering notes for level design guide.  I think it's going to be organized into these sections:  Overview of the TLC Game World,  Dimensions and Measurements, Map Cell Types, Layers and Naming Conventions, How to Make Tiles and Objects.

Known Issues:

• Player modes need to be tested.
• Standalone server app does not properly register a player name.
• Standalone server app does not display the appropriate UI at some points
• Status bar says, "Connected to null" instead of displaying the server's IP address

Next Steps:
High Priority:

• Add buttons to lobby screen.
• Create isometric wall tile converter.
• Define TLC screen base class.
• Enhance client list display.
• Redo team creation screen with custom components.  (Also awaiting Captain character models.)
• Test and fix standalone server app.

Medium Priority:

• Analyze and re-evaluate client architecture.
• Begin building the game state.
• Create command line interface for server app so it can be launched and configured remotely.
• Create custom TLC input dialog screen
• Create team configuration screen
• Replace boring buttons with image buttons.

Low Priority:

• Add sound capability to MHGUIButton class.
• Change layout of main menu.  Put in placeholder for skyline backdrop.
• Lay out the HUD.
• Consider designs for an effective test level.
• Implement player descriptor system.
• Write a level design guide.