Tag: pathfinding

Boss Golf updated to 0.541!

Boss Golf updated to 0.541!

by Gus Martin ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Hello folks,

Have just released the 0.541 update, which fixes a couple of issues found on 0.54, and gives a better version of the path builder mesh.

nicepaths

Here’s the main points of change:

  • Tweaked time system and removed the day-night cycle. Terrain always looks nicer now on current lighting. Lighting will change later on depending on the season/weather.
  • Fixed path mesh. Generation is better and the intersection is also better.
  • Removed triangle alternation from terrain mesh so that it matches the terrain collider. This was causing the path to go underground, and the AI/ball to also disappear underground on occasion.
  • Fixed display of player shots. Now it obeys the arcs and power properly.
  • Tweaked the values of the AI arcs.
  • Increased movement speed for AI to balance the larger map

That’s all for now.

The Path tool will stay the way it is now, while I get to work on the new hole builder. You’ll plan out the hole all at once creating a kind of “yardage book” representation of it, placing the terrain tiles and whatnot, and then giving the order for it to be built. Any alteration you wish to do to the hole, will be done through its yardage book. This way you’ll also be able to save/load previously created yardage books!

yardager
A real life Yardage Book page. Boss Golf will feature something slightly similar!

And since in golf you can have multiple teeing locations, so will be the case in Boss Golf! No longer will you be constrained about simply placing the tee tile; you’ll be placing the tee object instead. Coming in 5 different colors, that mark the level of difficulty of a tee.

The same will be doable with the hole! You’ll now lay down the green are as you wish, and then place the hole object in the location you desire, giving you more options for customizing your hole.

All of these changes will come in 0.55!

Oh and as a bonus, next week is the famous Golden Week here in Japan. Meaning I’ll be crunching down to get the game to a great state to show off in May’s BitSummit! If you’re in Japan during that time, be sure to drop by and say hello! And play the exclusive resort featured at the event!

That’s all folks!

Path Builder Preview!

Path Builder Preview!

by Gus Martin ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Aw yeah!

Got the placement to stick, including the blending between different path types. Now tomorrow all that’s left will be saving and loading, which should be simple.

I’ve also taken the decision to leave the pathbuilding as instantaneous, instead of having the landscaper dude going around placing them. Makes more sense this way, since it’ll be something the player will be able to lay and relay quickly. Going to study more from now on what should be dealt by the landscaper/builders, and what should be instantaneous.

Anyway, check out how it’s looking like!

path_preview_awwyeah

So nice, specially being able to move it in 8 directions! Breaks away from the usual grid style of building things.

Get ready for 0.54!

New Paths Coming Soon!

New Paths Coming Soon!

by Gus Martin ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Hello folks!

Sorry for the silence recently. Sometimes life comes at you hard and you don’t have a lot of time to work on things!

I’ve been busy getting the new path-building system in. Right now, the preview display is in, and allows you to build paths in all 8 directions. As you can see below:

pathman

Right now, the preview is basically a line renderer with a very simple material, perfect for illustrating where your path is expected to go.

As you draw the path, you’ll see how much it’s expected to cost. Once you release the mouse button, the path will begin being built by the landscaper. You’ll be able to remove sections of the path at any time.

Later on you’ll also be able to choose the type of path you want to build, which will come with different materials, costs, and sizes! Should lead to some very interesting styles!

Now I’m working on implementing the procedural mesh for the path proper, which will take a bit of work but I think I can get it done this weekend. Being able to place the path in 8 directions will be pretty useful!

Stay tuned for more!

-Gus

Pathfinding and more!

Pathfinding and more!

by Gus Martin ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Hello golfers!

Today’s update for Boss Golf is about pathfinding. Well, part of it.

I’ve added a new tile type, Path, that allows you to build more scenic routes through your golf course, that the AI will use when deciding how to go from point A to point B. You can see the tile in the course below:

pathspathsautomobiles

Next step is to add this to the pathfinding system, so that the AI actually prefers to use it. Should be done with that this week.

Under the hood I’ve also done some other improvements:

  • Created a vertex bank so that editing it is quicker, there’s no more issues of double vertexes, and is it far easier to save/load.
  • Changed the height system to one using an integer to decide the HeightStep of the vertex, and set a height modifier that I can change easily for tweaking that decides how much in Y each HeightStep is worth
  • Removed the current component for the decoration objects, which was causing some overheard when there were thousands of decoration objects on the scene. Instead, added a simpler class that pretty much works as a struct to keep information, and modified the way that the randomization of size/rotation/position is done to use integers so that I can more easily save/load the details of the decoration
  • Began reformatting a couple of things so that I can actually save and load the stuff that is being built

As such, the goal for Alpha 0.3 is:

  • Save and Load capabilities
  • Pathfinding system for the AI
  • Golf gameplay for the AI

Meaning that Alpha 0.3 will be quite a vertical slice! You’ll be able to build your course, play it, and watch the AI go around trying to score something good. The game is coming along well!

I’m getting my winter break soon as well, so expect a major rush of progress this coming week!

That’s all for now, folks! Enjoy your holidays!

-Gus

Quirk #3: Shorter, but is it?!

Quirk #3: Shorter, but is it?!

by Gus Martin ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Hello folks!

In the process of today’s update, I came upon an interesting quirk when using grids.

I have finished implementing the hole creation in the new terrain, works like a treat. Now I’m in the process of processing the tiles in between the hole and the tee, so it can make calculations regarding base shot, par, actually distance etc.

Using A* to find the shortest path between the hole and the tee, leads to some interesting visuals:

astarlol

Above, the path traced by A* is marked with black spheres. The drawn red line shows the actual shortest path (a straight line) between the two points. When in a grid, the path marked by A* does signify the shortest path between two certain points in the grid. It can be set to ignore diagonal traversals, or to allow them (as is the case of Boss Golf).

Visually, though, it looks so quirky. To us, it’s clear to see that the shortest path is the line between the start and the finish. To the game, though, the shortest path ends up creating these doglegs all over the course.

That’s all! Almost done with the processing of the base shot, coupled with a lot of refactoring and reinforcement. Once it’s done, it’s demo time!

Stay tuned!