0.0

Hello everyone. Tonight, (it is nighttime where I am at this current time of writing), I wanted to tell you all about this 0.0, what it is and what you should expect if you decide to give it a test run.

What is 0.0?

0.0 is my early prototype for Dimensions: Freelancer (DF). It is all about testing gameplay elements early on and deciding what should and shouldn't make it into the final release. There is no implemented story at this point, no audio and no complex geometry or shaders. The main purpose of 0.0 is solely to get a feel for how the final game will play.

My decision to create 0.0 was a response to the difficulties I had faced earlier on, to maintain and gradually grow my game project. Most of the game elements in my first iteration of this project were set in stone and extremely static. To give a comparison between these two prototypes I have provided a list of what each has and doesn't have to show you what has changed since. See below.

Prototype 0.0 seeks to address what the initial demo was not able to, and a great deal of the functionality runs underneath the hood at the price of a slightly uglier look. I have decided to wait on texturing and animating to create a solid gameplay feel that is satisfying and fun to play around with. Once the 0.0 phase is finished the graphical fidelity of the initial demo will return.

Initial Demo>> (These will not change as this prototype version is no longer in development)

• Animations > Yes (character)
• Asset Streaming > No
• Audio System > Yes
• Complex meshes > Yes
• Doors Opening/Closing > No
• Driving > Yes
• Dynamic Lights > No
• Obstacle Avoidance > No
• Scripts > Static
• Statistic Controlled Movement > No
• Wall Climbing > Yes
• Weather System > Yes

Prototype 0.0>> (These will change over the course of development)

• Animations > Yes (environment)
• Asset Streaming > Yes
• Audio System > No
• Complex meshes > No
• Doors Opening/Closing > Yes
• Driving > No
• Dynamic Lights > Yes
• Obstacle Avoidance > Yes
• Scripts > Dynamic
• Statistic Controlled Movement > Yes
• Wall Climbing > Yes
• Weather System > No

What is new in 0.0?

As you can see in the list above, 0.0 introduces a whole host of new and crucial additions that make for a more robust, and dynamic system.

 Obstacle avoidance is one of the big ones. This feature allows characters to sense obstructions and walk over them. Obstructions can range from twigs to steps and with this system it is virtually impossible to get stuck on something. 

Dynamic lights are also a big and crucial feature that I implemented into 0.0. This system allows for the area around the player character to be illuminated no matter where they are. This system is heavily modular, using spawn points with embedded information regarding the color, brightness and location of the lamp.

Asset streaming, is the parent of the dynamic lighting script, a feature that uses arrays to generate many finetune assets within the world. It is able to load many varieties of objects into the scene, quickly and just as quickly remove these objects as needed.

Doors opening/closing is another big one, because now you can enter buildings. Doors will open when the player is within proximity and will close when outside this proximity.

Playing 0.0

If you are into story first and foremost, and gameplay alone doesn't interest you, wait for 0.1. Prototype 0.1 is where that will be added. For now, if you are interested in gameplay and are willing to play a potato looking game, please try this out and provide feedback. It will be invaluable to the growth of this project into something truly special.

In this alpha prototype, you will be testing gameplay, including world interaction, pre-combat functions and the streaming features. 0.0 will be the game project done right, starting straight from what makes a game a game.