Pacman

[Jadzia]

I decided yesterday that I'd like to make a pacman game. I have some experience making programs, but I've never done pacman before, so that is what I'd like to do. I'd like to make my own version of all the classic games eventually.

So to start, below you should see some ghostly eyes which I drew last night with pixel painting, that will become the eyes of my ghosts. (We have to start somewhere. )

I'm also going to experiment with metaballs for the ghosts. This should enable me to create smooth animations of the ghosts' wobbling movements without worrying about ridges occurring in their shading.

Blob-like ghosts don't have sharp ridges in their geometry, and neither to metaballs.

I will keep you all informed on my progress.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

In an interview I once read, the creation of Grand Theft Auto was perhaps indirectly inspired by Pacman too. Who knows where this new project of yours will lead?

Personally you should rename it "Jeremy Pacman" - a no-nonsense piechart-shaped sprite who gobbles up pills and says "Come on! Come on!", then chases down spooks by asking "Did you THREATEN to overrule him?". It's got "WIN" written all over it.

 

[Jadzia]

dear god these metaballs are a pain to render! I've never done them before. Normals on implicit surfaces are not fun to program.

Anyway, here's Pinky.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Metaballs? Sounds Swedish.

Pinky looks appropriately squishy, Jadzia. You looking for a traditional PacMan game or reinventing it in a similar way to Pacmania?

 

[Jadzia]

I don't know yet. It is going to be 2D. But that doesn't mean I have to use flat graphics. Recreating the style of pacmania is a possibility.

I'll probably start off with flat 2d until I get the game logic done, and then we'll see what happens from there

 

[RJDiogenes]

A couple of the 3D programs I use have Metaballs; I've never gotten the hang of them.

What are you using to write your game? There's a free game creation program called GameMaker that might help you out.

 

[Jadzia]

A couple of the 3D programs I use have Metaballs; I've never gotten the hang of them.

I know what you mean. My first attempt was one big vaguely spherical blob that wouldn't behave. I had to play around with different kernels until it looked something like.

So I turned to solid geometry spheres arranged roughly where I want them, and then I calculated metaball potentials from their positions and radii. The kernel I've devised creates a surface entirely outside of this solid geometry, and I've implemented one variable in this kernel which determines how tightly the metaball surface wraps that solid geometry.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Interesting-- good idea. I should experiment with something like that.

That animation looks good.

 

[Jadzia]

 

[Zulu Romeo]

That all looks great. The Petri dish one is hilarious.

Is it just me, or could you even recreate Pinky into some form of animated 3D Goofy Grape for RJD?

I wonder what you have in store for Pac Man himself?

 

[Jadzia]

That all looks great. The Petri dish one is hilarious.

You're telling me. It keeps on wobbling about and asking me if I'm the legal guardian of John Connor.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

That all looks great. The Petri dish one is hilarious.

You're telling me. It keeps on wobbling about and asking me if I'm the legal guardian of John Connor.

I dare you to ask him about "Wolfie" then.

 

[RJDiogenes]

The Petri dish is fantastic.

Is it just me, or could you even recreate Pinky into some form of animated 3D Goofy Grape for RJD?

Heh. I might actually give that a try.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

The Petri dish is fantastic.

Is it just me, or could you even recreate Pinky into some form of animated 3D Goofy Grape for RJD?

Heh. I might actually give that a try.

Actually, from certain angles, it looks like the animated pink ghost has a dangling "third leg" in between his rudimentary stumpy legs. Jadzia, I suggest you rename him Jake.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Why do you think they call them... er, never mind...

 

[Jadzia]

Actually, from certain angles, it looks like the animated pink ghost has a dangling "third leg" in between his rudimentary stumpy legs.

Next it's either Odo or a Lava Lamp. I'm getting a bit side tracked with these things aren't I?

 

[The Grim Ghost]

Give it a hot pursuit button. I found the versions of Ms Pac Man with HP to be much more fun.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Actually, from certain angles, it looks like the animated pink ghost has a dangling "third leg" in between his rudimentary stumpy legs.

Next it's either Odo or a Lava Lamp. I'm getting a bit side tracked with these things aren't I?

Hey! You! Get back to work! [Likewise, Zion... - someone]

Give it a hot pursuit button. I found the versions of Ms Pac Man with HP to be much more fun.

If Hot Pursuit is what I think it sounds like, I also suggest accompanying "Benny Hill" music and added (in)appropriate functionality to Pinky's "third leg".

 

[The Grim Ghost]

Sort of, yeah. Some of the Ms PacMan machines had a big orange button labeled Hot Pursuit to the left of the joystick. When you held it down it sped up Ms PacMan and also the Ghosts. I'm not sure if Ms PacMan got slightly more speed to make it worthwhile or not, but it made the game more fast paced and fun at least to my young mind at the time.

 

[Jadzia]

Next it's either Odo or a Lava Lamp.

Hey! You! Get back to work!

Lava lamp it is. I have a youtube account now

Metaball Lava Lamp Video

okay. no more playing. I'll get back to pacman tomorrow evening.