Thursday, October 19, 2006

Rubbery, bouncy sprites are my next big thing.

QGL is limited.
  • It has no shadows.
  • It has a slow culling algorithm.
  • There is no animation support for 3D models.
I'm not going to be able to fix any of these problems while I limit myself to pure Python (see my previous post about this). Unfortunately, it is very hard to build a decent looking 3D game without these features. I'm not giving up on Python, and I still want to build some unique, visually appealing games using Python. So, if not 3D, what can I do to next?

I'm going to focus on a new idea I've had, which will let me create morphable, bouncy sprites. The inspiration comes from Gish, and the wobbly windows I've been throwing around the screen in Compiz/XGL.

If I map a texture onto a grid, instead of a single quad, I will be able to morph the texture by morphing the vertexes of the grid. Simple huh? I could morph the grid vertexes by interpolation between key frames, or by algorithm (think of a sine wave ripple effect).

I could even tie the vertexes together using verlet integration and a constraint solver, which would let me create bouncy, rubbery sprites which can morph in response to collisions. This requires getting my head around some new (to me) mathematics, which will take some time.

Stay tuned.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

ther is more than gish about bouncy sprites :
http://www.fun-motion.com/list-of-physics-games/

Later,
L.

Popular Posts