A pathfinding test for “Fix,” and some news

posted in: Flash, Site news | 0

So, first off, I’ve been doing more work on Fix (which is going to get a new title some time between now and release), and I’ve got a little video to show one particular aspect of it:  NPCs!  I haven’t worked on the NPCs for very long yet, but it’s already looking promising.  Here’s a video to demonstrate:

Pathfinding test

The behavior that explains how to follow the player is still pretty clunky, but the pathfinding itself is really solid.  It works with more complex levels than this, like ones with doors that open and close, etc.  It’s also insanely fast–way faster than I expected.  The last time I made any pathfinding in ActionScript, I was using AS2 and it was so slow I had to calculate it over the course of several frames.  This time, even though the logic is much more complex (mostly because it’s a platformer, so gravity applies…), a path can usually be computed in less than one millisecond on my machine.  A big part of this is AS3’s improved performance, but I assume that I’ve also gotten at least a little better at coding.  Regardless of the reason, I’m definitely pleased with how it’s coming along and I think that the NPCs in this game will really shine by the time I’m finished.  Since the “other people” are one of the big focuses in this game (in contrast to Company of Myself, which is all about Jack), this is a very, very good thing.

I’ve also got a little bit of news involving what I’ll be doing next year, but first, a little refresher on what I’m doing now.

I’ve been in a four-game sponsorship contract with Armor Games for a long time now.  Viricide was the first game for this contract, followed by Work of Fiction, and most recently, Fisher-Diver.  Fix will be the fourth and final game.  This contract has been incredible for me because it equates to consistent work in a market where I previously never knew the value of a project until it was already completed.  (For all of you who have never tried making Flash games, imagine trying to organize a project involving several paid artists when you don’t have any idea how much money you’ll be able to pay them until some time after all of their work is complete.  Summary:  It’s balls.)

Anyway, recently, I got an email from an old friend about a possible games industry job for me.  I’ve been following through, and it’s looking very plausible.  I don’t want to bother getting into details about it here because I still don’t know how it’ll turn out, but it’s for a very notable company and it seems that they like me.  I’m not looking for a permanent job right now, but having some experience/presence at a company like this seems like a good idea to me.

What does this mean for you guys?  Well, if I don’t get the job, it means nothing will change.  If I do, however, then Fix might be my last independent project for a little while.

I guess that means I’ll have to make it extra good, just in case!

0 Responses

  1. Well, on one hand, this saddens me (but only slightly), as it will mean you won’t be releasing any more flash games, or at least less.
    On the other hand, I would like to wish you the best of luck with this opportunity.
    We’ve all seen what you can do, and the fact that both StickPage, AND ArmorGames have been supporting you, well, that just puts extra emphasis on your abilities.
    However, the one thing I would like to applaud you for most is the character-engagement in your recent games. (Most notably: Company of myself & Viricide).

    Anyhow, best of luck.

    P.S. Any pointers on what the job entails?

  2. High-Lord Vin

    hmmm npc’s involved in the story that do more then just stand there and talk… interesting :)

    and it would be interesting to see your name in the credits one of my future game purchases

  3. I wanna say congratulations on the job offer, whoever wants you would be very lucky to have you. I, of course, don’t want you to take the job, just because I’m selfish and I want more 2Darray games :(
    But seriously, if that’s what you want to do, and it works out, definitely go for it. We’ll survive (probably) :)

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