I've put in about 8 hours now. I'm having trouble concentrating - I'm not sure I'll actually have a game by the end of the week. We'll see.

My entry page has a new screenshot and "playable" snapshot of the game as it is now.

Galacticus Basic design:


What to get working first:

Stars provide the steam clouds around
them for Stellarconstructions to collect

Hyperships can attack other hyperships and stellarconstructions (eats up lots of steam for defender)
Can move in straight line … through or above every thing (eats up steam)
Can build Stellarconstructions (eats up steam)
Can carry steam (which is the both fuel and health bar)

Stellarconstructions collect steam and build hyperships using steam.

Player has name and password. He can login and give move, build and attack orders to his Hyperships and Stellarconstructions. When he logs out all the hyperships and stellarconstructions remain on the server.

Server logs players in and keeps track of their property. Also it produces time step; only it can move and change the game state. It can receive orders and messeges form players.

Client program that Player uses to view the server state in 3D. It also sends and gets messages from server.

Player Creation. Give player Stellarconstructions and some Hyperships. Create then next to another player so that immediate contact and possible conflict happens. (Rather then players feeling board on different corners of the galaxy)

Messages a frame work for a global in-game-chat. User GUI and server side broadcast all.

Done second:
Run extensive test, including at least 3 hours in game and make pyunit tests where possible. Provide packaging and readme


Done third:
Make that other computer a dedicated server for galacticus – keep it running.
Add more Hyperships and Stellarconstructions types (and speselizations)
Hyperships:
Builder
Fast scout
Regular
Week Long rage
Slow Good long range
Support Carrier (carry steam)
Fast Regular
Stellarconstructions
Steam Collector
Factory for each type of Hyperships
Carrier Dock
Steam Node (connection to other steam nodes)
Add stop order and groping(Ctrl-#)
Add queues for orders

Here's the snapshot of our work thus far:
http://media.pyweek.org/dl/2/SnV/pyweek2-day2.zip

I got the map and design up and going pretty much how we want it to be. Erik got controls more or less figured out and solid. I blended our efforts and Erik smoothed the wrinkles. Harry is going strong with our AI, and it's looking good. Several of our artists called in to give us updates, but no solid assets yet. I did most of the art in the demo, so it can't look worse when they're done. They have talent and sadly I don't. The first set of pieces have fallen into place quite nicely. I'm hoping they continue this smooth when we bring in all the extra assets and AI.

gee, particle effects are fun to make...

If any of my ideas for a game up to this point weren't some simplified variation on the RTS genre, they've been accidental. I like the idea of a big perspective and the opportunity to build on what has already been done over time. However, since my Pygame skills are laughably minimal, and I have a personal inability to settle for anything that I'm not absolutely enthralled with, I've spent these first two days using every idle moment (of which there has been precious few) trying to innovate conceptually but keep programmatic complexity within my Pygame skill level. So far Team Heureusement has considered two ideas, begun work on one, and has absolutely nothing to show for any of it. Of course, the amount of general progress that can be seen on the main page of Pyweek gives the impression that we're virtually the only ones who still have no idea, so that has kept the pressure on. From the most recent brainstorming session fueled by this feeling of being left in the dust, I present the BASIS for our third and official idea :) (All numbers are tentative.)

The scope is a 5x5 grid (invisible, but visually suggested most likely). On it, let's say there are three arbitrarily, or perhaps inconveniently, (or cleverly, or...) placed geysers. From these geysers spew a constant flow of steam. Now, the player is manifested in the form of three incredibly moronic stick figures that occupy one cell of the grid, or perhaps move outside the grid's restrictions entirely. The relationship between the group of morons and the geysers/steam is where the idea remains slightly murky, however for the sake of putting the idea on paper, let's say that when the stick figures "realize" the presence of a geyser, they construct some sort of directional contraption ( i.e., a pipe ;) around it. Now, there needs to be SOME OBJECTIVE involved with where the steam available on the map is directed, or how it is utilized, or something. The actual goal of the player presents a gaping hole in this idea, which will eventually be filled. However, the way the stick figures and the player interact will be the most unique part.

You see, the player will facilitate the morons' recognition of a geyser by simple directing them towards it with a mouse click, perhaps. But how will the player control what the figures do when they get there? Well, being a very simple, though similarly, minded group, the shape that they have "in mind" will be conveyed through their formation where they stand. For example, if the shape that they're thinking about is a straight horizontal line, the three figures will stand in a straight horizontal line. If it's a V shape, they'll stand in that V shape. By observing the formation in which the stick figures stand, the player will be able to predict the design that their construction will have once the stick figures come across some site where construction of sorts is compulsory for them ( i.e., at a geyser, at the end of a pipe, etc.) So, how will the player influence this shape that the stick figures are thinking of? With the keyboard, of course!

The player will press three keys in sequence on the keyboard. The keys must all touch one another diagonally, horizontally, or vertically, to be considered a cohesive set of three keys. For example, if the player presses T, H, U on a QWERTY keyboard, this will "suggest" to the morons the shape "V" and they can be expected to then take that formation on the platform/plane/field/grid, after which the player can again rest assured that their constructive endeavors will also assume this shape. In order to make this work, we'll have to set up a definite palette. This might be the preliminary "decided orientation" or the keys, as far as QWERTY keyboards are concerned:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
Q W E R T Y U I O P
A S D F G H J K L ;
Z X C V B N M , . /

...Thus solving any discrepancies caused by the difference in keyboards. Example: "GHU" is the equivalent of "XCF", "QW3", "M,L", and so on. Using this system the player will attempt to control the retarded group of stick figures (think Pikmin), and take advantage of the result of their labor in order to achieve some yet-to-be-determined goal.

I'm now going to begin working on a prototype for controlling the shape of the group of figures.

War Machine

A scorched-earth / RTS type game, using steam powered rockets instead of cannons and real-time firing instead of turn-based.

A player can only fire one rocket at a time. There is a constant rate of pressure build-up and no means to reduce it, so there will be a trick to making sure you have the right angle, and that you shoot at right time.

If a rocket reaches its capacity of pressure before being launched, it will explode; killing its player.

Each player will have a number of henchmen that can be directed to harvest nearby trees for fuel, that will make pressure buildup faster. Meaning players who manage their resources best will be able to shoot faster and probably win.

Harvested trees will respawn, but cannot be selected again until mature.

If opposing henchman meet on their way to harvest fuel, they will duel and the winner will be determined randomly.

Henchmen can be killed by rockets, but they will duck for cover if they have time to do so.

If rockets meet in mid-air, they will destroy each other.

Game plan

I, f00f, will develop the low level api, whose interfaces will be published to our repository by tomorrow night, hopefully.

dj_froofy and phudu will collaborate on game logic; the high level code.

Wolfy and Jesse will collaborate on graphics and animation.

Got back home after a trip to Vancouver this weekend. Thought about game design today. Scratched ideas:
* stranded on an island with rudimentary steam power components. win by signaling for rescue, escaping on a raft, or building a sustainable civilization
* tea shop sim

Final idea: rainbow maintenance.

i had lots of fun creating this steam particle effect for our game.

We've mangled all of our ideas for gameplay into something that all of us think will be really fun. We just need to decide if playing as the human, and as the steam powered castle would be fun or too complicated. Here is a screen shot of the game with the placeholder art.
And here are the game play ideas...

You play as a human, and as a walking/flying castle.

1800s victorian past atmosphere, mixed with some future elements. Using wild steam powered junk castles.

You play as a weapons inspector, and inforcer searching for, and destroying nukes weapon factories before they are finished.

there are coal mining trucks sent out by the city to collect coal.

You can stop the coal trucks to slow the factory down from completing construction.

You need to pick up coal, and water.

You can push around rubble.

the human is there to control the castle. But the castle has a mind of it's own. The human can get out and pick up coal and water. The human is smaller than the castle, so it can fit in other places the castle can't go.

The human does not use resources to move. This solves the problem that the castle can run out of coal and the player then loses.

You use water, and coal to power parts of your castle. Moving uses up steam, so does firing cannons. The heavier your castle the more steam it needs to run.

You can pick up pieces of junk and add them onto your castle. Like engines, armour, cannons.

Cannon towers that shoot you will be placed on the map.

the player can install / uninstall a part in the robot when he is next to the robot

what rewards will the player get

• having at least one new and interesting part per level
• destroying nuke factories.
• gaining ranks amongst the weapons inspectors.

elements in the game...

• castle
• human
• factory
• coal
• water
• cannon towers
• walls
• baddie robots. not castles, but smaller sleaker ones.