Uncategorized – Page 6 – Transhuman Design

[KAG] Build Next Week, Feature Summary

16 January, 2015 admin

Hey everyone,

We’ve got a new build but it didn’t receive enough testing before this weekend for release, so we’re holding it until next week rather than have to try to monitor it over the weekend.

This will mostly be a “fix” build, but contains quite a few long time coming fixes, some nice little features (some from the community!) and a few small tweaks to balance. An overview of what you can look forward to next week:

No Gold Droughts
Gold now “drops” from shops that require it when they’re destroyed, including tunnels, to prevent “Gold Drought” and enable late-game tech and tunnel building again.
Siege Engine “HUD”
Thanks to makmoud98 for a nice addition that’s been missing from KAG since classic – charge meters on the siege engines.
Trampolines back to Full Power!
This was a small script mistake, sorted out now.
Archers (very slightly) faster while charging shots
We changed the speed modifier to 75% instead of 70%
Camera rotation works with tiles
This small (but tricky) fix is important for some new mods, especially Shiprekt mods that add islands using the tilemap!
Scripts limit raised
The amount of unique scripts you can have per-server has been raised to 2048 – this is a crazy amount of content to be syncing to the client but we’ve had people reach the previous 1250 script limit, so its been upped to 2k.

There are a couple more fixes but you’ll have to wait til next week for the full changelog :^)

Have Fun!

Max/Geti

King Arthur’s Gold is now available on GOG.com!

14 January, 2015 Tags: gog.com, king arthur's gold admin

You can get the game for 24% OFF 🙂 Also, if you like KAG, we’d be grateful for a review on the product page on GOG.com. Thank you for all the reviews and ratings so far!

[KAG] OSX fixed!

29 December, 2014 admin

Hey,

The issues related to the wrong paths on OSX have been patched today by MM. Enjoy.

Cheers,
Lucas/Furai

[KAG] OSX users – Sorry!

25 December, 2014 admin

We’ve been notified the OSX build doesn’t run – all the mac testers must be away for the holidays because this slipped through testing!

Lots of THD are out of the office for the holidays – I’m on my way to a family lunch at the moment! Very sorry for the badly timed interruption!

We’ll try to get a fix out for this by new years, as it seems to be a reasonably simple issue.

Have fun, and sorry again!
Max/Geti

[KAG] BUILD 1337 – Back on Track

23 December, 2014 Tags: king arthur's gold admin

This build marks a return to progress on KAG – it’s been a few months between releases, and I’ll give a refresher on why that’s been the case later, but first, a warning: KAG has had a LOT of changes in the past hundred days and a lot of engine-side stuff has happened, probably more than we can test completely. Please bear with us and calmly report any bugs in the thread and we will fix them as soon as we can.

Without further ado, let’s jump right into what’s changed this time around, as there’s a lot of it! Buckle up!

Prepare to see a little more of this going on!

Crash Fixes
A long-term crash in the camera system (causing a common crash on rejoining servers) was found and fixed. This should dramatically improve the game’s long-term replayability. Be sure to let us know if any other crashes on rejoin persist! A few other miscellaneous crashes including a hard-to-trace one in one of the network synchronisation routines were also fixed.
Archer Changes
- Inventory Management
  Archers no longer automatically pick up a full inventory of arrows, so you’ll have some space left over for special ammo.
- Less Slippery
  Archers are slowed more when charging arrows, making it a little easier to catch that backpeddalling nuisance archer, and a little easier to aim while running.
Knight Changes
- Increased Shield Angles
  Shield angles have been slightly increased to help deal with fighting through lag.
- Increased Glide Time
  Shield glide time has been increased to about two seconds, allowing longer jumps and bigger falls without injury.
Builder Changes
- Decreased Spike Damage
  Spikes must be dropped from a higher place to deal insta-kills, damage ramps up with distance.
- Added nicer building sounds
  Lots of blocks now have individual building sounds.
- Fixed “buggy” ladder rotation blocking stuff
  Ladder rotations have long caused incorrect blocking of tiles, that’s fixed.
Health Changes
Swapping class can no longer be used for “free heals” as health is kept in proportion each swap. Archers are still cheaper to heal to full health but the added inconvenience should prevent most of the abuse.
Inventory Fixes
A hard-to-track bug causing all your arrow stacks to go missing right when you needed them has been fixed. Items are also automatically taken from the smallest stack in your inventory, rather than the first one found, meaning picking up small stacks off the ground clogs your inventory for less time.
Inventory Interface Improvement
Archers and Knights start with their cursor over their inventory after pressing F – builders start with it over their tiles. The rationale here is that knights and archers can easily swap weapons by tapping F and want precision access to any auxilliary items in their inventory, while builders are more likely to want to swap tile types quickly.
Balancing Changes
Auto-Balancing should be less “mean” to any one person, and is based on the median score rather than the mean.
Maploader Changes
A small set of changes but important for some specific mods and maps, community member jackitch has updated the png map loader to include specific colours for the two types of trees, various mossy tiles, and fixed a bug where the purple team spawn was the same colour as the necromancer.
Votekick changes
We’re actually on the fence about these changes, but the community have been pushing for something, and norill contributed changes. Votes can no longer be inconclusive, the vote gui has changed, enemy team cant vote unless it’s a hacker, and map votes use a global cooldown to prevent spam. Voting is now done via the O and P keys, and the box is much smaller. Leave your thoughts in the thread.

A lot of engine changes from work on Trench Run also makes it back into KAG with this release for modders to play with and for future use in KAG. However – this does mean that there’s a body of changes so wide that we’re unlikely to have tested everything! Let us know quickly about any drastic bugs and we’ll get onto them asap! Here’s a small run-down of the most exciting changes:

Post-Processing Shaders!
Shaders can be used for postprocessing both before and after gui rendering, with multiple shaders able to be set up and layered on each other. Shader options are significantly extended, including per-shader variables (and textures!) to be set from script.
Gamepad Control Extension
Gamepads and the foundations needed for local multiplayer have been added – modders should not consider this part of things stable, but it does open up possibilities for local multiplayer (perhaps co-op? sandbox?) and gamepad play (for those allergic to mice).
GUI code exposed
This paves the way for new menus for KAG, and nicer, less rigid in-game menus in mods.

There are a lot of miscellaneous fixes as well, check the full changelog for the details there.

Custom Heads

The following generous donors have received custom heads in-game:

Guro
Gurin
Duke_Jordan

Still to come:

Sasquash

Congratulations to the generous!

Delays

The delay between builds has been due to wide-sweeping changes in our code-building and repository system. These changes allows us to work on multiple games utilising the same engine (in this case, KAG and Trench Run) while neatly feeding relevant changes from one into the other. While we’ll be “off work” over Christmas and new year, this will allow us to get back to timely development on KAG throughout the coming season!

Have Fun!

Max/Geti

Changelog:
[added] storage now stores items instead of making you drop them
[added] CerberosRift CTF map
[removed] JTG Mines map
[fixed] stuck arrow and bush blocking building construction
[fixed] some animal brain bugs
[fixed] shark always goes right on land
[added] shark is player-compatible
[added] shark loses target more easily (to avoid it getting "stuck" on fish and ignoring players too long)
[added] eatothers re-hits things its stuck colliding with (so sharks gib bodies and move on)
[script][added] bindings for various time functions - local and UTC seconds + day/month stuff in UTC.
[script][modified][modding][warning!] onRestart not called for CRules on first round - call it in onInit if required!
[modified] voting changes - thanks Norill
	- failed votekick doesn't kick initiator
	- vote passes if yes > no
	- removed inconclusiveness
	- made rendering less obtrusive
	- made LESS noob friendly by removing buttons - uses keys instead
	- enemy team can't vote in case of griefer/AFK/TKer
	- added mark_any_team, mark_player and map_vote support
	- map votes use global cooldown instead of per player
[fixed] ballista bolt does weird things after going to space and back
[modified] pickup is a little better, still rough but changes with direction in a predictable way.
[fixed] rotated ladders blocking things badly
[added] a bunch of nice per-block sounds for builder construction
[fixed] balance teams not working due to onRestart change (not called in onInit)
[added] new scripts menu UI
[fixed] blobs not falling after trap block triggers
[fixed] background tiles being created in some spurious cases by TileBackground.as.
[fixed] ladder sprite not being set to background
[added] runlocalhost.bat (and .sh) for modders that runs a local server and joins it
[fixed] knocked not expiring in vehicle
[added] knocked interface is more consistent + allows getting knocked value without modifying it, allows checking isKnocked safely, has better function names, etc.
[modding] check if you have used Knocked anywhere (actor/class code), things have changed!
[modified] base PNG loader - thanks Jackitch!
 - added specific tree type pixels for forced type trees
 - added mossy tiles
 - fixed purple spawn is same as necromancer (lol)
[modified] inventory menu offsets improved - builder is over tiles (starts over "ladder" with CTF blocks), archer and knight over inventory for easy item use
[fixed] "cheating" healing by swapping to archer with >2 hearts and swapping back - now keeps a proportion of HP
[added] archer doesn't auto-pick up more than 60 normal arrows.
[fixed] some archer stuff not getting updated appropriately
[added] misc other changes from Norill
    - fixed balancing same guy over and over
    - fixed can't autopick team in tdm
    - removed shittons of boilerplate
    - added adjustable autobalance threshold
    - changed "doesnt suck" condition from >average score to median (its really "top half" now)
    - decreased "OGM TEAMS IMBA" spam further
    - fixed zombie-shark
[modified] spike drops have damage falloff
[modified] archer slower when shooting arrows (70% of normal speed, was 85%)
[modified] knight shield angles increased
[modified] knight shield glide time increased to almost 2 seconds
[added] bool engine_floodlayer_updates to CRules for controlling if blobs do their flood layer updates at all (check in fire/water, skim on water, shoot particles on water, etc)
[fixed] missing tiles at some map edges
[fixed] the glitchy "Recompiling script..." screen
[script][fixed] CMap::getMapName returning nil
[fixed] starter buttons
[fixed] renaming of KAG exeacutable on OSes other than windows.
[fixed] typo in hooks
[fixed] chat key interferring with script menus
[script] added LateLoadRules to load rules on next tick (avoid crashes in some cases)
[script] added hook void onRulesRestart( CMap@ this, CRules@ rules )
[added] u8 mat_water_layer_alpha to gamemode.cfg/CRules for controlling alpha rendering of water front layer
[fixed] crashes in dedicated server on join
[modified] default cl_name removed (fixes all new players being called "Peasant")
[modified] default maximum ping reduced to 350ms
[script] binded joystick keys
[script][added] CShape::RemoveShape( int index )
[script][added] bool CRules::chat exposed (disable chat window)
[fixed] wrong starting directory when using KAG:// links
[fixed] creating double accounts on borrowed game
[modified] duke jordan head disabled until payment
[modified] reflecting build changes in TW script, changelogs
[added] duke jordan head to engine
[fixed] doubled news
[fixed] twitter links not opening on some rare occasions
[modified] camera target cleared on deleting net objects
[fixed] "rejoin" crash
[fixed] installers for KAG
[fixed] a couple of things that meant the last tile of the map was hidden/inaccessible
[modified] nicer flash screen
[script] added: int getScreenFlashAlpha()
[script] added: SetScreenFlash( SColor color, f32 fadeAmount )
[fixed] precache loading Mods and old files
[script] moved SetScoreboardVars from CBlob to CPlayer
[fixed] getLocalPlayer returning null when not first player playing
[added] getLastKeyPressTime to CControls
[script] added global function getDistanceToLine
[script] exposed onmap in shape vars
[script][fixed] commands received in script in first tick after being removed
[fixed] onBlobDie and onDie being called twice on SetDead
[doc] [added] partial documentation for CSprite
[doc] documented the rest of CPlayer
[doc] added documentation for scoreboard functions on CPlayer
[doc] added documentation for CPlayer player info and started on scoreboard
[script] added CBlob::getMyPlayerIndex
[fixed] bans being limited to 5555 minutes
[added] local multiplayer possible with gamepads oh yeah B^)
[fixed] weird bug with inventory items vanishing from hands
[script][added] u16 CBlob::getMaxQuanity(), analogue for getQuantity().
[fixed] typo for security file
[fixed] HUD shaders wiping previous HUD shaders
[added][script] SetShaderFloat and SetShaderInt
[added] engine supports HUD+game post-processing
[modified] high level map rendering
[fixed] typo in high level node code causing impossible searches
[modified] a few optimisations and simplifications in high level map code
[script] added debug()
[added] CMap::getTileFlags(u32 offset)
[added] sending extra texture to shader
[script] added CControls::getActionKeyKeyName and CControls::getActionKeyKey
[fixed] font loading (won't work in mod folders)
[fixed] chat console dissapearing without cursor on
[script] chat = false in gamemode.cfg disables chat console
[script] controls return last key pressed to script (lastKeyPressed)
[fixed] seclevs going crazy when auth_login is null
[script] binded APIPlayer and APIServer
[added] void OnRequestList(CRules@ this) hook
[script] exposed QuitGame()
[added] Guro, Gurin, Duke_Jordan heads - congratulations!
[script] added hooks: void OnOpenMenu(CRules@ this) void OnCloseMenu(CRules@ this)
[fixed] blob->Sync crash in bool
[script] added maxChatBubbleLines and isChatBubbleVisible() to blob
[script] added SetChatBubbleFont and chatBubbleOffset for blo

Attention modders – breaking script changes:

If your mod breaks with this version it is most likely one of these changes:
* onRestart isn’t called automatically now after onInit (solution: call onRestart manually in onInit)
* key_zoomin and key_zoomout are no longer part of blob controls (solution: you can still access these buttons from controls like this http://prntscr.com/5k4yaw)
* weird sounds? – disable effects in script: s_effects = false

Work with us on Storm2D!

15 December, 2014 Tags: gameart, gamedev, jobs admin

GAME VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_LQk9y6Ew4

INTRODUCTION
Storm2D is a fast-paced, action-packed, 2D, sidescrolling, multiplayer shooter inspired by games such as Liero, Worms and Soldat.

Right now Storm2D is in the alpha stage and most of the assets are placeholders (A large portion of these coming from Soldat). We are looking for a dedicated artist to help us transform this game from a Soldat clone into something great. A lot of work has already been put into this game which means most of your assets will be able to be added to the game with little delay.

WHY JOIN?
Storm2D is one of the games currently being developed by Transhuman Design. This is a chance to join an international, independent company and work with like-minded individuals to create games that aren’t just made for profit, but to inspire and bring back the good times when games were actually fun. At Transhuman Design everyone is valued, respected and given the chance to achieve their dreams. You will be paid to work on the game, and also receive a percentage of the profit from each copy sold once it’s released.

TASK
Our first priority is to get the game ready for release as soon as possible. This means replacing most of the core assets (ingame graphics and menus). Once this is done we can focus on extending the game and making it more unique. Apart from creating assets you will also participate in game design and help with any other miscellaneous tasks.

REQUIREMENTS

–You should be passionate about 2d side-scrolling shooting games.
You need to be able to create a vision of where the game needs to be in order for you to enjoy it.

–You need to be able to work fast but at a decent quality.
There are a lot of assets to be made.

–You must be available to work full or near-full time weeks.
There’s too much to be done to just work casually, part time or as a hobby.

–You must be a person who can work well from home.
This means that you must be able to motivate yourself to work on the game when you are expected to do so. If you need others to motivate you, you’re not the right person for this job. You need to be willing to put in 100% in order for this game to be a success. Cruising along doing the minimum isn’t going to work.

–You will be expected to showcase your work.
This involves creating weekly reports of your progress and providing screenshots of what you’re working on when asked.

–You will need to actively participate in the community
(e.g. reply to art-related questions on the forums)

-You need to be able to search and think of things that need improvement.
This means you have to play the game on a regular basis to check your created assets actually work and find things that needs fixing. Don’t wait for us to tell you what you need to do or just follow a list of instructions. You need to be able to prioritise what is important and do that first, rather than wasting time on small things that will barely help the game progress.

-We need to collaborate, which means chatting every day.
You’ll have to be online and available because we need to work together to get things into the game.

FUTURE
Storm2D has a lot of potential to be extended in the future. But this will only be possible if the game becomes popular.

Once the core of the game is complete we can start working on some of the originally planned features such as:

Vehicles
More game modes
Full modding support
Campaign mode
Character classes
Missions
Minigames

HOW TO APPLY?
Please email roland.bewick@gmail.com a link to your portfolio as well as a quick introduction of yourself and why you think you would match this position.

[KAG] Update Delays

3 December, 2014 admin

Hey Guys and Girls,

Bad news on the impending update – we’re having lots of issues with testing, particularly with servers. Issues include crashing and the game getting patched into an unplayable state, which is something we’re trying very hard to avoid!

Many hours were spent angry at the computer.

Amidst the repository migration and build order changes we’re not sure where the issues are coming from, and will keep you posted as things become clear – we’d very much like to avoid having to get people to re-download or manually clean their game folders, and also want to minimise server disruption as much as possible – particularly with all the ongoing competitive events at the moment!

In light of these issues we’ll be holding the update until we feel these issues have been resolved, and will be spending the next week or so at least getting to the bottom of these issues.

The good news to be found here is that we’re actually up to the point where we want to test the stuff for release, rather than working more on stuff in the background – so an update isn’t too far away. Bear with us in the meantime!

Have Fun,

Max/Geti

[KAG] Single Player Mechanism Preview, Build Server News

14 November, 2014 Tags: game, gif, pixel, traps admin

KAG Community member Skinney has been hired for a trial term at THD working on some exciting single-player content!

This gif shows his progress on activated/programmed entities, which may find their way into multiplayer builder-wars modes eventually, but in the short term will be in the game as single player level traps, toys in sandbox, and possibly added to TDM levels for some variety. We’re very excited for the work he’s been doing which largely lines up with our thoughts on how mechanisms in KAG might work – now they’re a reality!

Build Server News!

The build server is being worked on and back online and spitting out builds, however some of the KAG stuff isn’t working after all the engine migration and development for TR – we’re working on fixing it, but it’s great just to see movement in that area. We have TR building (which means private testing can start) but KAG requires a bit of extra love as it’s hooked up to a system already used by people – we have to make sure we don’t break people’s games in the mean time!

In short, we should be able to test the intermediate changes that have been made to KAG soon, and put out a public build after that. We’ll keep you posted!

Have fun!

Max/Geti

[KAG] Last Classic update – build 591

4 November, 2014 admin

Hello,

I know some of you’ve been waiting for this update. I did my best to fix issues that I was comfortable working with, and so I have done some changes to Classic:

Unlocked all premium features (gold only servers should still require premium on join)
Fixed banning issues – banning by name, bans longer than 5555 minutes, changed the formatting of the blacklist.cfg file a little bit
Fixed disappearing scoreboard when a player joins but doesn’t choose a team
Fixed scrolling of the scoreboard (made it scroll faster as well)
Added simple server-side check for people using editor (should prevent editor hacking)
Added heart emote and bound it to 8 keyboard key

Furthermore, I’ve worked on installers. If you have noticed an empty update for Classic/KAG it was because of the changes done to the installers.

Forum discussion: CLICK!

Cheers,
Furai/Lucas

[Trench Run] Trench Run at Poznan Game Arena 2014

29 October, 2014 Tags: gamedev, indiedev, pga, pixelart, trenchrun, ztg admin

So, have you heard about Trench Run? We presented an early alpha build at ZTG Gamedev Convention/Poznań Game Arena and got a great response! It was awesome to see so many people laughing and having fun with the local 4-player mode put together especially for the event!