neoshaman

It's not dummied out, it's not ported, the code in blitz3D was really just an xml exporter, there is also no object code but those are trivial to makes. You can just drop level mesh and then set collision layers and it works. Coding the collision for object will be easy to add. This port is only the character and control code so far. But the blitz one was too limited, I need to rethink the code for flexibility. I'm working on another project I will resume this one after that project.

http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/blitz3d-b3d-format-import-beta.116473/

Hello I was supposed to continue working on this engine but I burn out, also attempt to use nurb collisiohn didn't go well in a 3D tiles way. The current version is kind of rough on only deal with controls and some optimization can be made. The main problem was to have a flawless 6dof movements the original engine didn't have. However I can offer help for any code issues, I'm not sure if the current code is up to date with new unity version. One burden wa sto be totally alone while corking on this. One thing I think needed to be done was to create exporter, a bltz3D exporter (with one texture layer) exist and can be expended upon. A converter for stage is needed too (and bringing hard code fog value in the xml).

If you want to understand why it took so long, here is some resource for you, it might help you understand what's specific to mario galaxy and 3D sonic as a challenge: 1. the first problem you meet is gimbal lock: 2. generally quaternion is the solution 3. but quaternion fail because of that too The solution is to not think into rotation but in vector and projection, kinda like lighting calculation ...

The project is still alive, after porting (successfully) the blitzengine, some aspect did not satisfy me about control and camera, I wanted something more robust because the blitzengine had some bugs. For example while going into a loop works fine most of the time there is special case where you are likely to get stuck spinning endlessly if it happen to be a mathematical pole. That mean that running on ceiling was mostly forbidden. It took me literally 3 years to identify and fix the problem for good and have the kind of control relative to the camera I wanted. But it's done! I'm currently implementing generic physic engine before moving onto sonic physics and merging with the old blitzsonic code. This is develop on an intel gma so, unlike Sonic GDK, it will be a versatile engine to use. I expect to do a pass to clean and comment code for easy use so anybody can make 3D sonic game for free. The objective is to make an easy editor which allow character, level and enemy customization. Disclaimer: code are given "as is", it does not reflect the final product and might be unsuitable for easy use, it is provided for anyone courageous enough to tweak them. If you want to dabble with it, early code of the revamp are accessible here: http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=32182.msg872412#msg872412 The unity project is here if you want to toy with it: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/24530447/sonic%20engine/lite%20sonic%20engine%206b.rar Old project but it's a bit mess up as I was heavily experimenting with it https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/24530447/sonic%20engine/UnityBlitz-S2-Engine.rar You can try to merge it with the new code if you can make sense of it.

I'm not sure about cubic spline but I had stumble on this one for quadratic curve, I guesss you could approximate the cubic with a bunch of quadratic to make it quicker to implement. http://blog.gludion.com/2009/08/distance-to-quadratic-bezier-curve.html From cubic to quadratic (not personally test yet) http://steve.hollasch.net/cgindex/curves/cbez-quadspline.html (short version) http://www.caffeineowl.com/graphics/2d/vectorial/cubic2quad01.html http://www.timotheegroleau.com/Flash/articles/cubic_bezier_in_flash.htm http://fontforge.sourceforge.net/bezier.html (I like giving multiple ref to cross check) I stumble on this when I was researching the exact same matter but for surface. I plan to roll out my own take on 3D sonic engine but using "nurbs point" for smoother collision kinda like they do on racing game. more here: http://www.gamedev.net/page/resources/_/technical/game-programming/terrain-system-for-circuits-r2729 resource: http://www.gamedev.net/page/resources/_/technical/graphics-programming-and-theory/bezier-curves-and-surfaces-r1808

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/24530447/build%20of%20sonic.rar I have been halt for 7 full month on some handful of bug (really only 2) But here is the latest build ... Learning programming on the go is hard but it's not the big bug that halt you, those are easy to spot and research, the sneaky ninja bug is what kick you in the face while staying in cover, they are easy to get rid, but have to spot them first D:< Camera still not done, level loading is next since camera work will be a tough one to meet my standard. I might need some refactoring. I need to playtest that to the hell to be sure there is no bug left and tighten the code. Notice It's still blitzsonic physic, good physic is not yet plan for tweak (need the basic code to run properly).

I see what you are doing, My locomotion system is even simpler and is a derivation of Blitzsonic. I only update alignment on contact with a surface, apply a contact force toward the surface and move the collider respective to his local coordinate (movement are calculate into a local reference). It don't miss the ground at all and can even handle very sharp slope (at least 90° so far) at any speed (thanks to unity high update rate). I don't use raycast yet, I will use them to test for sharp feature and allow falling down an ledge instead of being sticky like now. But my major problem now is gimbal lock and loss of direction reference who mess mouvement. I handle gravity like you plan to do, basically sonic have a gravity alignment data that he align to on some condition (jump or falling down), I just let a planet "own" and update this gravity data (I plan to do this with a onTrigger around the planetoid and some editable priority management in case of multiple owner). I think we have same goal of an elusive universal platformer engine! Your RPG stat is basically what I mean when i talk about the editor and making the data accessible through it. And the "clothing" system is also what I will handle through the editor (ironically dub recolor editor). As a designer, gameplay programming is the most important aspect for me, everything else (hud, graphism, menu, etc...) are irrelevant if the basic control are not perfected first, it's were the game is. However when I said this is a learning experience, i'm rather experience with making game in general, i'm pretty confident in my solving skill too. It's more like being in sync with the dev environment. I'm a former professional game designer who jump indie by conviction. So I already know the basic concept I just need to get up to speed with the new tools (and I was never a "really" a programmer too). Get solid basis is important before starting anything that don't contribute gameplay.

@Azukara I missed your Kind word the first time for some reason, but now I can repair that mistake. Let me tell you I'm glad you appreciate the effort since If you pull out FreeRunner (which have been an inspiration for me too) I will the one Hunting you to uber HighFive! Actually I would have proposed my service as soon as I had something working flawlessly! @JetHawk Thanks for the kind word! @Tuah Can you explain this quote above more? I received your email. My plan was to get basic movement correct first (360° navigation) and then get the code ready for an easy and accessible editor akin to game maker (not as powerful and more specific to sonic/mario like character and gimmick). It will be restrict to mouse and directions, people who want more will tweak the code. Then I will make "physic pack" that will research various sonic and co physics. "Fluff" like menu and graphism, the plan was to let people take care of for this first core engine, and when I would start the graphic part, I would focus more on providing a starting pack that will work on many platform (without advance effect like shader) for people to prototype level quickly.

This fangame is on my watch list for so long! can't wait it to be finished. It feel like the perfect blend of all sonic aesthetic, from a more platformer take like sonic 1 and sonic GG but even more fitting to sonic rush but tone down rightly.

Agreed I'm still working on the bug I had and making small progress but progress nonetheless! If you want to help you can contact me there: ether.n.aile (at) gmail.com

Hello! Thanks for being interested guys! @LH The HedgeHog Great! I'm not too good when the math became advance and only progress by trial and error. I already solve Problem n°5 But I believe the n°4 to be more mathematical in nature and 4 might a direct consequence of it. Also I might have some question about some equation done in the code so I know how to manipulate them precisely! Most of problem are about retrieving coordinate system and convert them in a different one. The current one I experience is: The beige square under the feet in picture below is the reference frame in which movements are calculated! If it's fucked up, movement are f******* It should always be align to the world ref. Correctly align After a lot of whoopee loop de loop de loop on various angle MISALIGN F***** The way movement is calculated is that the collider translate along his local coordinate and should match to world axis when his Y is up. All the code do is translate the collider and aligning Y to surface normal (no rotation). But if you do it too much it lost his reference frame (alignment on XZ (horizontal) to the world once Y is up) and that mess the movement of the player. The bit of code that manage that is pretty simple: //adapt to character controller MoveController=new Vector3 ( this.Motion_Speed.x * Time.deltaTime, this.Motion_Speed.y * Time.deltaTime - (0.015f/5f + (this.Motion_Speed.magnitude * 0.33f * Time.deltaTime)),//magnet to ground this.Motion_Speed.z * Time.deltaTime); this.AlignForward(); this.body.transform.Translate(MoveController,Space.Self); [/CODE] Basically what it does is: - I take the motion data (motion speed) - Apply a function Y to keep feet on the ground based on - Align the character with a special function that fixed previous gimbal lock cause by a naive alignment. - simply translate it along his local coordinate using motion data to move tangentially to the ground The problem lie in the alignment, previously, despite using vector alignment and quaternion (no explicit rotation) I had a gimbal lock, googling and asking question like now solved partially the problem: [CODE] Vector3 fwd = Trans.transform.forward; Vector3 proj = fwd - (Vector3.Dot (fwd, Align)) * Align; this.transform.rotation = Quaternion.LookRotation(proj, Align);[/CODE] What it does is calculating a projection of the GameObject's forward vector on plane defined by Align vector, then generate a rotation that looks in direction of the projection vector and has the align vector as up vector. The align vector is passed either as gravity when on air or surface normal when on ground. *transform is the structure that hold the spatial data of object (rotation, position and scale). I tried to force alignment to the world at each step (using the old code) and then align him back to surface normal but gimbal lock reappear! [CODE] Trans.transform.rotation = Quaternion.Lerp( Trans.transform.rotation,//from Quaternion.FromToRotation(AlignAxis,Vect),//to this Rate//at this rate );[/CODE] What it does is that it linearly interpolate the current rotation to a target rotation define by the function FromToRotation, which take in input the axis to align and the destination vector. This code was discard because it was explain to me that: Googling based on that explication lead me to the new algorithm with projection to pick a reference. But I still use the old code for gravity alignment on air, which correct the reference of the object back to correct data (but the incorrect data mess up the direction of jump when switching from ground to air). But problem will happen as soon as I implement varying gravity!

Hello! Inspired by this video: I decide to port the Damizean BlitzEngine to unity. I always wanted to see a good freeRoaming sonic done right. The BlitzEngine made by Damizean allowed many people to try to do just that and experiment with this idea. Progress have been made and good idea was born, but to my knowledge nothing tangible was born.I was a bit disappointed that most mod focus on sonic movement edit and level design while gimmick interaction is nowhere to be seen. Aside from people like Bagjac and his retro sonic edit (Which I can't find the video back) or Azukera and his WIP FreeRunner there is little work and open sharing on gimmick (aside from bumper edit). The blitzengine is also powered by the aging Blitz3D which have its weakness. Unity is more powerful and multiple platform. It also have a much better workflow to do level and edition. Coding and sharing is also easier thanks to his script component system. It's more powerful and have more option for graphics while still allowing older machine to run the game. And unlike Blitz3D, it's totally free! The unity port will try to be fully compatible with older blitzengine file (configuration and stage xml). I also plan to share not only the code, but also a complete 3D pack to ensure people would start quickly and easily. It will feature some editor to directly modify parameter through drag and drop without having to code (character creation editor, physic editor, gimmick editor and unity is already the level editor but would also generate XML for sharing level with old blitzengine). I will try to emulate all sonic physics, from classic to unleash going through adventure. It will also feature a small demo level to showcase instance of 3D design and will be release with illustrated documentation of the inner working of the engine and code. What I want to achieve in the end is a versatile 3D platformer engine that will allow 3D freeRoaming game in the vein of sonic, mario 64 and mario galaxy. RoadMap: Cycle 1 - Straight port of the core code (mouvement, input and camera) - adapting the straight port to unity's quirk - Adding Xml support for level loading and saving. - Polish and reorganization of code, first pass on documentation to help modding (compatible with blitz3DEngine and explain difference) Cycle 2 - Making the demo showcase - Making the physic editor - Making the gimmick editor - Making the character editor - Documentation for editor Cycle 3 - research on sonic physics and gimmick - Doing classic physics and gimmick - Doing adventure physics and gimicks - Doing unleash physics and gimmicks Cycle 4? - Making a full fangame that show case 3D freeRoaming sonic gameplay with a "repaired" sonic story. Right now i'm only planning for cycle 1 and reevaluate each cycle base on previous one. Currently I'm in the last (difficult) phase of fixing the code to work flawlessly with unity. Here is some analysis that will guide the creation of the demo and maybe the fan game to an extent. Here is the current FUGLY code source and prototype. Sonic borrow from damizean test zone and level borrow (momentarily) from linksonic5 skydive engine. Code is heavily annotated and in wip state. Download link: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/24530447/build.rar (exe and package) http://dl.dropbox.com/u/24530447/script.unitypackage (script only in unity package) http://dl.dropbox.com/u/24530447/script.rar (script in *.cs file) Control: Reconfigurable before playing QSDZ (azerty) + arrows: movement relatif cam Click left: jump Click Right: instant stop Both click: spindash Mousewheel scrolling: zoom in/out (broken) debug toggle cheat (beware: no feedback on activation): R: sticky mode (don't fall from steep angle and ceiling) G: galaxy mode (jump relative to current slope, beware don't reattach! on steep angle) Current known problem: 1. The character is F**** sticky! - Cause: The collision engine in unity is way more powerful than Blitz3D and this is the consequence of this, it solve the occasional "bump fly" blitzsonic is known for but now you can't fall edge. > status: solvable with raytracing and flags, secondary priority. 2. The camera is strange, it have a small delay which get bigger with ample movement! - Cause: Unknown, it's like a desync of unity's internal loop with rendering and physics. > Status: solvable, create from scratch a new camera system based on unity internal working. Secondary priority 3. You can't jump from ceiling, the character stick to the ground! - Cause Unknown, it does not happen when i trigger the "galaxy mode", it may come from some magic with realignment after a jump. > Status: Researching! this is a fundamental element of the 360° movement engine! Maximum priority! request help and info! 4. The character misAlign after some 90° movement (and lower angle) and mess up movement! - Cause: Unknown, to solve Gimbal lock (yes without rotation and with quaternion for you math headed) I use a vector projection but it has it's own flaws, it mess up on certain angle configuration, I don't do math I have no idea why. > Status: Researching! Core 360° movements is the whole game, CRITICAL priority! request help and info! 5. The character visual mesh became wacky and spin non relative to movement, lost direction! - Cause: Gimbal lock (because it happen on pole even more wildly)! The vector math is not immune to gimbal lock, the solution used for the collider does not work because the mesh rotate and the collider don't (fixed reference frame). I'm not math headed enough. > Status: Researching! Core 360° movements is the whole game, CRITICAL priority! request help and info! 6.The character is repel in outward slope upward after some loop de loop onto sphere or other outward shape! - Cause: Unknown! look like the game lose tracks of reference, damizean also hard coded the dot product to evaluate slope vertical friction in the Y value of the motion alignment vector which is in global scene space (gravity is supposedly always align to Y). > Status: Researching! this is a fundamental element of the 360° movement engine! Maximum priority! request help and info! 7. The character animation is too low relative to speed - Cause: Difference between the build setup and the editor test. > Status: solvable, cosmetic, low priority Cool spot on the test stage to test the broken aspect: look for the big sphere! walk on ceiling and under the level, laugh! If you want to help you can contact me there: ether.n.aile (at) gmail.com Special zone: Will this project be finished someday? I just quit my jobs, have a bank account and is full time on this! As long I don't bankrupt! Therefore I'm in for just enough time to at least finish the core engine. If I found people to helpme on critical aspect maybe it will be even bigger than that! No social pressure, no part time work, no side project, I would better finish this! Why are you doing that? Because I'm a sonic fan and want to contribute the community, and to pragmatically teach myself unity and programming to start my own games. A sonic project have the right level of complexity for me to learn things I want, 360° movement engine is critical to many game idea I want to experiment. SO it's the best of all world!

Mario 64 and Mario galaxy would always compete for the best 3D mario because by design they are vastly different. When you think about it Mario 64 was insane. To get one star you need 3 skills at the sametimes: 1. Figure out where is hidden the stars, you are grant one hint 2. Once you find the star you must figure out one path to it. 3. Once you figure out the path you must have the skills to perform it. But that's not all, it's not one puzzle at the times it seven interwoven at the same time! and there not trivial puzzle, they were spatial skill base puzzle. Not counting dynamic element (water level, size change, etc...). Banjo series, sunshine and DK64 just took that formula and went totally crazy with it while streamlining the design. Heck i remember having explored a whole level in TOOIE without having a clue to where to start, not counting level had influence on each other. On contrary Galaxy is much more streamline. You don't thought that much and it's closer to smb than any other mario... you cannot "scroll" back. Galaxy kept things focus on plateforming and using planet or area as discrete unit of challenge. Each unit have a very clear goal to clear to proceed to the next. Puzzle if any where trivial and base on repeated element (find piece of star, etc...). It seldom have interwoven challenge. Actually Bowser level in mario 64 are closer to that. I prefer Mario 64 more, it blew my mind with solid control and clever challenge. I like the spatial puzzle that had put down many of my friends (they don't like running in circle). However how would sonic play in SMG2, yoshi plays an important role, that mean sonic would ride yoshi? kind of weird isn't it? Would sonic use fire flower? ice flower? drill? it detract from the character too much, but i would like to see sonic in smg if they avoid this, it would be like revisiting level and finding new way to play them with sonic ability (replace yoshi with tails following it, and inflate could be tails flying). A little cameo would be also nice!

look like the sonic cycle is wide in the second part, still undecided whether to balance into good or bad... we need more gameplay footage and more hands on to break the cycle completely. Look decent so far BUT hardly exciting. Some friend trick me with a video of SONIC XG ( ) saying sega is doing Sonic 4 RIGHT! Googling for more i have seen the real footage... When an official game look less awesome and inoovative than a fangame, you know... Hope they quit with QTE like gameplay, bottomless pit, blind into depth run, stupid "best branching path", dull cinematic speed corridor... They still have many way to fuck the level design, even trying to return to the basics. Wait and see

Well played on WII not that bad but not good either What's with all those instant death in the game? I don't remember dying a lot in cheap death in old good sonic? I'm not that bad, i have finish the game in one day... The game find way to inovate but it is a big hidden QTE, fail? DIE! > slow down? die > accelerate? DIE > miss the stupid targeting cursor? Die! > stupid wall jump use 3 times in the game? DIE The targeting upset me most as it doesnot depend on the game state (like distance or whatever like in SA1) but the actual showing of the cursor (QTEd!) that lead to weird situation where i'm near an enemy but cannot attack and instead i dash the hell to DEATH! Where is the control? Anw what's with the bottomless pit? Metropolis didn't but you have the endless falling loop, old sonic let you fail and have a chance to receover, you always felt that you die because of your own not because the game want you fail... The game pretty much play itself until the death test, all you have to do is to wake up at the right moment... By the way it's a right step i hope future installement would as fun as some part of this one was (i hate secret rings)... I enjoy the game and there was little burst when i thought "wow SONIC IS BACK" (shamar) That's my opinion not something that hold the truth about the game There is difficult game (Ninja Gaiden is) but this one is no hard, it is punitive The old sonic was "flexible" this one you must play the designer's way. By the way for the paranoid FANBOY http://kotaku.com/5124622/rumor-nights-sequel-was-originally-an-xbox-360-ps3-game http://www.tssznews.com/2009/01/05/the-blog-sega-doesnt-want-you-to-read/ http://web.archive.org/web/20070408161400/http://bossrush.blogspot.com/2007/03/nights-2.html