Hi, I am in…
Tools
Librarys:
It’s my first Ludum Dare so I hope I will create a game which is acceptable
Helco
Mr.No’s Laboroty – A game for Ludum Dare 23
[Description]
You are a ‘volunteer’ in a laboroty.
You want to get out?
Hack yourself your way through consoles and doors to the freedom!
[Keys]
<ARROW KEYS> – move
<SPACE> – activate
<ESCAPE> – escape (from the game)
Hi,
cause this problem was a bug in my LD game and will be a bug in other games I want to present it and possible solutions for it. I would like to know what you think about these or have another solution.
The bug
Not all computers are as fast as other computers. That’s why a game without any timing limiter would execute on other computers faster or slower.
Possible solutions
There are some possible solutions I already know:
I want to show you my opinion about these.
Limit the frame rate to a constant value
It looks very easy you calculate the time span of the current frame and subtract it from the time span a full frame for the desired frame rate and you have the time you must wait before a new frame may start. But what is when you notice that your game is suddenly slow? The problem in the code can be thousand code lines before the code you were actually working on, but you don’t saw it because you can’t see when the frame takes more time. The frame rate, if you don’t have a very bad computer, stays at his value.
Compute the elapsed time between two frames
That is what I did all the time and it worked. But at that time I used the graphic functions of the SDL, but I switched to OpenGL because SDL was too slow (especially for large images). As I used SDL the max frame rate was about 500 and this was good enough for me. As I started Mr.No’s Laboratory I got 10.000 FPS and the timer function was broken. The reason is that I use milliseconds for computing the elapsed time. But at 10.000 FPS a frame only take 0.1 seconds but the function for getting the milliseconds returns an unsigned int (so there is no comma). The timing function works only with frame rates up to 1.000 frames per second (elapsed time=1)
For ludum dare I already knew this problem but I thought I solved it with computing the elapsed time every 50 frames (max frame rate=50.000). But I doesn’t work. Multiple people reported that the player is moving very fast. For a postmortem version I activate VSync (so the frame rate is about 60-75), but I want to keep my high frame rates. But what to do? I already know two solutions:
using nanoseconds
There is a easy-to-use function for java but for c++ I only know the functions for windows and even if I don’t port my applications to Linux or Mac I want to keep the possibility for it.+
determine a proportion
Using a code like: while (SDL_GetTicks()-ticksAtStart<100) count++; you get a performance value of your computer. Maybe there is a proportion between this value and the number of frames I must skip for a elapsed time value which I can use to do procedural movements.
But whats your opinion about all these problems?
Helco
My MiniLD 36 entry is finished!
Okay not reaally finished, but I have to submit it…
Actually there are three levels, which didn’t come into the game because I played too much minecraft and developed not enough on these…
But here it is:
Hi, I like to introduce to you a new script language: ExecutionCode
I didn’t inted to create a language for games, but of course it can be used for games. It’s inspired by normal assembly, but cutted down to just one parameter. Also there are huge changes to some other things. But look at your own at a small application (it counts to 10):
//All commentars are done c-style
/*so of course these multiline commentars
are supported!*//*
programs are not splitted up in functions, okay basically they are,
but I call them modules and all the functions imported from C++ have their own name
*///a command is splitted up in group name and function name
main {
//those square brackets indicate variables
system.alloc [counter]
system.alloc [isNowEnd]
//first I push a raw numeric value (here 1) on the param stack
system.push 1
/*then the system.set command pops that value from the param stack and copies it to the given
variable.
If you put something on the stack, the value! is on the stack so if a command wants to change
a variable it has to require it as param*/
system.set [counter]//this is a jump mark, because you have to implement your loops on your own
LoopStart:
//first I print the variable to the world
console.println [counter]/*a mathematical operation is done by pushing the two values on the stack and give the
target to the command
*/
system.push [counter]
system.push 1
math.add [counter]//and now I want to if [counter] came to 10 so I use the logical.lesser command
system.push [counter]
//these brackets indicate a ressource
system.push
logical.equal [isNowEnd] //so if counter==11 then isNowEnd=1//and if isNowEnd==1
system.skip [isNowEnd]
system.jump “LoopStart”//don’t forget to free the variables
system.free [counter]
system.free [isNowEnd]
}//a ressource can be like variables a number or a string
//and here is another feature: if you put a ‘#’ in front of a number you can type hexadecimal
//decimal, this is 11
ressource #b
The code might look irritating, if so, delete the commentars and try to understand just the actual code.
The compiler/interpreter application is done in the meaning that this code can compiled in bytecode and this bytecode can be executed by the virtual machine in the same application, but it isn’t enough finished (particularly the error handling procedures), so it won’t be released now, but I hope I’ll get this done before next LudumDare. I’ll also write a full reference of this lanuage, the bytecode, the virtual machine and the compiler.
If you have any questions about it just ask me.
Helco
Tags: bytecode, C++, compiler, ExecutionCode, Helco, script language, scripting, Virtual Machine
It’s me you can trust…
Language: C++ [the one and only]
Libraries:
– OpenGL [I can’t use shader 
]
– OpenAL [With an own much easier C++ wrapper (SoundEngine.h and SoundEngine.cpp) ]
– OggVorbis [actually libogg,libvorbis and libvorbisfile, but I count them as one ]
– SDL [for the window, timer, input etc.]
IDE:Visual C++ 2008 Express [please Microsoft I want the new 2012 version…]
Basecode:Yes, I’ll reuse my basecode I wrote while last LD
Graphics:Paint.NET + Bamboo Tablet [but I can’t draw… ]
Sounds:SFXR [and I convert the wav’s with foobar2000 ]
Music:Musagi, Aria Maestosa, Audacity,Autotracker [but I don’t think I’ll have the time]
Motivation:It’s Ludum Dare!!! [I have motivation problems after LD]
Other:Monster Energy?, coffee and reggae dubstep
The only thing left to say is: 0x48 61 70 70 79 20 4c 75 64 75 6d 44 61 72 65 20 74 6f 20 61 6c 6c 20 6f 66 20 79 6f 75
01001000 01100101 01101100 01100011 01101111
And here is what I got:
Particles are fun
Let’s make some evolution!!
Hi,
I have the time, I have the motivation but I don’t know if I’ll actually do something. This depends on the theme and if I can construct a game out of it. I really hope I can, as the last times I participated it was fun, even if I didn’t finished it for the competition.
My potato arsenal:
Coding: C++ (on Windows MSVC 2012, on Linux CodeBlocks with gcc)
Libraries:
Basecode: Download I developed it the last two days and it should work on Windows and Linux
Image editor:Paint.NET
Map editor:DAME or Paint.NET
Sound: sfxr, Autotracker and/or musagi
I will try to make a Linux port as well, but there are two things about it:
I wish a merry Ludum Dare!
Helco
Hi,
Even though minimalistic wasn’t my favorite theme, I found a nice idea for it and that is what I’m working no.
I am pretty happy about still doing something for the game 
I interpreted the theme that way:
But who wants to read text, here is the Screenshot you’re waiting for:
And my ToDo-list:
But I hope I can do this stuff tomorrow but now: Good night!
Helco
Hi, it’s me Helco and I finished my game “Chameleon”
A little chameleon wakes up in a swamp, without memory about how he’s got there.
Help him to his lovely lawn, kill monsters and eat flies.
A linux will come as soon as possible, but it’s night in germany and unfortunately I don’t have time to do this before the deadline.
I hope you like it
Helco
Hi,
The first time I made something useful for Linux and it is even a game!
So go get it, you sweet little Linux users!
I know a few windows users had difficulties with this game, I uploaded a patched version, with the OpenAL runtime binaries directly within the archive instead of providing the official installer (lesson learned!), and no OpenGL extensions (like the lovely GL_EXT_framebuffer_object) are needed anymore.
Would be nice if you could check out my game – Chameleon
Have a happy judging
Helco
Hey you (yes you out there),
This will be my fourth LudumDare and hopefully my third game I actually release. Either way I’m sure It will be very fun
Last time there were some problems with the execution of my games, whether on Windows (OpenAL) or on Linux (runtime libraries), but I worked a lot on the building process (and the code), updated my libraries, tested the base code so I’m happy to pronounce that this time there will be much fewer problems. The Windows application doesn’t depend on any OpenAL installation and for the Linux one you don’t have to download anything other than my actual game(except maybe OpenGL drivers which you should already have, if not… you need them! for many many games (not just mine)!), extract and you are ready to play (like you would do on Windows…). And here’s my inventory:
SGF2ZSBhIGxvdCBmdW4h
Helco
And that will be my graphics/input library of choice:asciiLib
The game itself will be a crazy mix between Rogue and a few others I don’t tell you (at this moment). My primary goals will be:
I wish you good luck and fun times making your game!
Helco
