Eye of the Beholder VCN/VMP Explorer 0.1

[Lord Riton]

Originally Posted by Marcuz

I started a project for a EoB kind of game some years ago, that was stranded by the amount of work necessary to produce new wallsets by hand

Years agoo i also made a game (i called it captive2 hehe) wich was in about same 3D "brick" based view. For the wall creation, i made my own program that used one flat Texture and with it produced a complete set of walls automatically

[Marcuz]

Takis76, you mean the static scenes in between an area and another, and statics of the interiors of crowded taverns, shops, etc?
like in Ishar, for instance?
I can do that, gladly. It would be fun.
When it is time for that, let me know the dimensions.

But can I ask you what you intend to do with the engine beside the adventure you are planning? I mean, will it be editable after that? to implement one's graphics or dungeon etc?

Because of the large amount of graphics provided by the 3 EoB, DH, LoL, and even adaptations of the Gold Box series, plus original ones i'm itchy to create, the possibilities are mind boggling...

Originally Posted by Lord Riton

Years agoo i also made a game (i called it captive2 hehe) wich was in about same 3D "brick" based view. For the wall creation, i made my own program that used one flat Texture and with it produced a complete set of walls automatically

!!! really? Would you be able to reproduce it for PC? It would be too cool!

[Lord Riton]

Originally Posted by Marcuz

!!! really? Would you be able to reproduce it for PC? It would be too cool!

At this moment, i just don't have the needed knowledge to program something using graphics on the PC. I did not programm in years and i just came back to amiga programming. I plan to (re)learn my C++ on my PC, and then about how to programm with direct X and direct 3D later.
For now i'm buzy with my "QON" project, so maybe later (probably a lot later) i could re-write such a programm, but not at this moment, sorry.

[takis76]

Darkbasic is able to make 3D wall sets ,

The trick is: You create a real 3D cube and put one texture on the cude , or even you can create a plane , you create 4 planes , and build one hollow cube and put 4 textures on the planes , then create one camera and put the camera in front of cube , but you need to make a lots of changes in camera , to have the desirable , size and the correct perspective , that exact fits the Eye of the Beholder perspectives , and you can create one invisible grid and you are moving the camera to present the wall positions , near and far , this way is the easiest way to create wall sets , but is the hardest way to create such a program.

I am planning to create this kind of program , but not for Eye of the Beholder , might for other dungeon crawler game , or for some Dungeon Master remake game...

I haven't decided yet , according to my mood and my needs may I will create one wall creation program...

I don't know how westwood create their wallsets.

I have created one neat wall model and then I draw on it my mixes with paintshop and deluxe paint...

I use the originals , I copy , delete , cut , after a lots of cosmetic surgeries , corrections , a new frankenstein wallset is produced.

Wallsets is not the problem , the extraction method if very time consuming.
and VCN/VMP Explorer 0.1 , where is this? is there any in version for PC?

I never managed to run the EOB 2 AGA , if someone want to tell me how to run it...

The Eob 2 AGA have automap , and I like the graphics from AGA automap , and I try to create good graphics for my automap...

[Lord Riton]

Originally Posted by takis76

...dungeon crawler game ..

I think these are my favorit games

And my personal best 3 of that genre on the Amiga are:

1) Captive !! This game is just epic for me ! It's an RPG, FPS and survival horror all in one, with endless dungeons

2) BlackCrypt Great game try it if you never did, it's in 64 halfbright Amiga 500 color mode, really well made.

3) Chaos Strikes Back / Eye of the Beholder / Bloodwych, and others, not sure wich one of these would be third

[takis76]

Ok look the new version.
New backdrop.
No arks in corners.
Now supports key 5 and key 2 for one step backwards.

Download:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/7kvj31


And tell me if you like it...

[Lord Riton]

I find it better now.. but the level is still that empty

[takis76]

Don't cry , next versions will have more surprises...

I have one test intro and I when I will have it ready , I will post the link.

[Marcuz]

me too, i find it better; i don't like much the background any way, but it is more than usable.

only thing i would like to be changed is the input to continuous, so that when you hold down the forward key, for instance, the party goes forward continuously.

also, if you ever implement a "all attack" key, that you mentioned binded to the "space" key, please do bind it also to a key on the right keypad, like, for instance "return".

the movement is beautifully done.

[takis76]

Don't you like my background again?

What don't you like? wood texture? I tried stone and doesn't much on my eye well...

I found it very nice. I will create a skinnable interface and you can choose any graphics you want.

Send me one texture 640x400 to see what kind of texture you like...
Or send me the texture and I will tile it and and fit it well on my interface...
Or any ide you want...


Edit:

About continuous movement , if you press one key and hold it down , party runs very very fast and you are in other side of map in on second and you can avoid monsters very fast.

The continuous movement: , I will make it available as SPELL (Run spell or Haste walk spell) , or I will put stamina bar , when players run fast they will get tired and will not able to run fast , and this is more real , you are not superman or super hero and fits very well in RPG game.

I have already thought about these and I have made my plans...

The new engine will be smarter than the original.

The new players , will get tired , will get hungry , will get thirsty , if you run you will get tired and thirsty and if you are tired , you will have pananlies in your attack and spell cast.

If you are thirsty and tired you loosing hit points , if you don't have heal potions and spells , you will die.
If you don't have heal potions or food , you can't rest , if you cant rest , you will not have mana , if you don't have mana you can't cast cure light wounds , if you can't cast healing spells and your hit points will get exhausted and you will die again.

Also I can in next version , during press shift and hold direction arrow , you are able to run.

Tell me your opinions and I can make everything you want.



Edit 2:

You are not able to run backwards or side steps , in your real world are you able to run backwards or run in side steps , I don't thing so...

[Marcuz]

Takis, don't take it badly, if i don't agree on your choices there it doesn't mean that I say they are bad, just that they don't suit my particular tastes, but since the game is yours, please do it like you prefer.
For instance: fatigue, hunger and thirst, plus mana consumption, are the single 4 things i despise the most in computer RPG!


My objections on the interface/background are not only cosmetic, (but also that), but more technical.
The idea of having a space to be fitted with utilities, shapes and graphical concepts (for instance, piles of money to convey the idea of your available credit) is contrary to the idea of suitable interface, which should be more organic and coherent and completely in service to your experience of the game, not in any way distracting (for instance the archway you removed was mainly distasteful for this latter aspect)

The turning needle on the compass is cosmetically cool but less unobtrusive than the original one: it makes you imagine to turn the whole map to understand your position in respect to it, instead of having an idea of the general direction.

the gargoyle there has no function at all if not the one of helping unbalancing the screen, that it looks like an empty room with large stuff stashed in one corner and little stuff stashed in the opposite one.

Anyway, I'll cook something up the next week, but please give me an idea of what other objects you mean to place on screen and the general sizes you plan them to be.

[takis76]

My gargoyle have a lots of function , the buttons under the collumn where my gargoyle stands , are the spell runes to cast your spells , and these spell runes are not appear all as you see them now , you activate them one by one , finding the rune during your adventure....

Accourding to my backgrounds , I try to make my game good for most of people.
I know I create the game and I will keep it as I like.

For example might Diablo 3 you don't like it , but Blizard will not change the game because something you don't like...

[Marcuz]

yeah, i have not asked you to change it, i have just said i don't like it and why so: after all, you have submitted the demo to ask what people think

[takis76]

Hi my friends again ,

I am working for my dropped items on the floor function for Eye of the Beholder 4.

But during finish my floor items functions.

I found one very very old engine of my eye of the beholder , that was the first attempts , trying to create my engine.

Something what you will see , but much improved in Eye of the Beholder 4.

Take a look , this is a very very old dos 256 colors version of my old engine.... (From my Eye of the Beholder Museum)
-------------------------------------------
http://www.sendspace.com/file/vu8vn7

If I search my old hard drives , I will find many old versions , before this one you have seen in screenshots here and in demo I uploaded in these posts...

I am looking these old engines and I am laughing...

The sounds and music not work , because built in programmed sound drivers for this engine are very very old , something about soundblaster 32 or older and new machines does not play sounds , if you see the dates of the files was created in 2000 , 11 yeats ago , this engine is 11 years old.

If I will search , I will find my very first engine in 1997 , 14 years old...

I am creating my Eye of the beholder 14 years? I am insane or Eye of the Beholder freak


You are moving with the same keys , the door is working , if you want to terminate program press space , I didn't know how to program escape key for exit... (these days)

Tell me if you manage to run the grandfather... did you had errors?

P.S , if you left door opened , closes automatic , and look my animation in any distance...

[Lord Riton]

Originally Posted by takis76

http://www.sendspace.com/file/vu8vn7

Doesnt work i get errors.

First error i get: this versin does not support full screen mode, when i ignore i get more errors..

[Marcuz]

Originally Posted by Lord Riton

Doesnt work i get errors.

First error i get: this versin does not support full screen mode, when i ignore i get more errors..

same here.

[takis76]

Try it to run through the dosbox 0.73 , all of you have windows vista and windows 7.

In my windows xp work well , this engine was written in dos and windows 98.

If it will not work , nevermind and forget it , I will not stay to fix an old engine , I just posted it , to see what I had create , and I see many people have problems with new operating systems.

I am working in the new engine which works in new operating systems...
I will keep the file up until someone manage to run it and if I find other version I will upload other. In fact is not necessary is just one visit of my museum of Eye of the Beholder.

[Lord Riton]

Even with Dosbox it doesn't work, there is a problem with a so called "dpmi" server that it needs but isn't there... something that has to do with dos memory management if i got it right and that should only be in a developer version normaly.

[takis76]

Might this will fix DPMI , problem.

In dos , upper memory or extended memory , upper conventional upper than 640kb you need some memory emulator.
Highmem.sys or emm386.exe was fix this problem in old dos 6.2 or 6.0 or 5 or 3 or less versions...
But the memory when up to 768kb and you wasn't able to access the extended or expanded memory.

But because operating system doesn't support real memory allocation (In fact operating system have lockup upper memory registers - too technical), they create the protected mode of upper memory allocation. You cant access the real mode of memory , because BIOS is able to access the real memory and if you try to peek or poke the real memory (remember old GWBASIC commands) , your machine will crash. (This happens from windows 95 and after)...



The file CWSDPMI.EXE runs automatic when you run the game. (In fact create the upper memory allocation as swap file on hard disk).
Just download from link I gave and put it in the same directory of the game , is like dll . but this is not dll.


Download link of DPMI. (DOS Protected Mode Interface).
---------------------------------------
http://www.sendspace.com/file/hol9ug

[Lord Riton]

does work to get further, but then another error:

Shutting down Allegro, exiting due to signal SIGSEGV