PacMan2: Network Edition + 2 Different Worlds

[Mihail_B]

Pacman2family
version 2.4
New :
- fixed MISSINING inside pacman2family.zip (pacimg/"somepngs".png)
- network support implemented
- chat room is working ... (skin chooser not yet complete)
- can start network game AND play ! yes (but only a limited number of times for now; it will be fixed with the new release
Known bugs:
- can host/join a game only once; after that you will have to restart the application in order to host/join a network game; all other functions are working ! (fix will come with version 2.5)
- [where is world 3 ???] [answer: still under-development: it's "HolyDay" for me too and I've been working for the network interface+.nut scripts; but don't worry it will be ready one day ....]
[actually i will extend pacman2's map facility such that it will be able to
scroll/edit/play huge maps; when the 3D version will be ready the pacman2's engine(+network interface) will be the host of my new game:
real-time strategy (like Dune2k,RedAlert,Age of Empires, StarCraft1, etc ... BUT in 3D and opensource)

vesion 2.3
Fixes :
- robots fixes : robots will not reset any longer
- new maps with cool .nut squirrel scripts (pacmanwii2more.dat for e.g.)
New :
- you can now play maps randomnly generated; the script was token from Perspective-Maze-Demo (C) DestructSoft (2d maze/semi3d maze) {go to: Load Map -> Random Maze Generator }
- still under development world 3 - but it progresed since last release but not enough (first working release will use opengl - but that will be version 3.0)
- directx support (directx_support.bas) - all most done, but I need to include also directinput
- network module finneshed (net.bas 2200lines)- it needs only to be integrated inside pacman2 (for next release : version 2.4)
- menu graphiX changed
- no more music :( KitzBas has denied me to use his music - for a period of time - my best&old friend - got crissed
- improved map editor; also new map images (bananas, boxs, new map structures, etc)
- 2d world has now PacKid & PacDaughter ; (volume2's images are being developed ... and will be soon ready)


Hi everybody ... !
PacMan2 got improved a lot ... !!!
I finnished adding up the story and the script executer !!

PacMan2 - The Family
Volume 1 [2D World Prison] and Volume 2 [CubicWorld]
Download :https://sourceforge.net/projects/pacman2family/files/pacman2family.zip
It has :
- new levels, new worlds
- script executer : adds devices, controllers, tasks and lot of fun (open doors/activate booms etc ...)!
Scripting library : Squirrel (R) Copyright (c) 2003-2011 Alberto Demichelis
- it can be played by 2 players at the same time ... :)
When playing the game in 2 players one of them is PacMan the other one is PacWoman ( in the Volume 3 [Happiness] I'll introduce also PacSon and PacDother - PacKids :) - volume 3 shell be fully 3D)
- map loader (you can play on any map any time)
- map editor
- original music (only if you buy the game)
- funny sounds ; fmod driver and FBSound Driver (FBSound is Copyright (C) 2006-2011 by D.J.Peters (Joshy)
- fast rendering
- shortest path finder (my own algorithm; worst case speed=pi*r^2; best case speed=r; average case speed(depends on map)=0.25*(pi*r^2)
- it can be compiled for win32(full features), dos(no music) and linux(no music yet; need libfmod.so)
- and other fun stuff

















Here is a screenshot (only for fb programmers)


Download it from:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/pacman2family/files/

Programmed by me, Zdupy (aka Mihai Barboi); original music is from my friend, KitzBas.
Feel free to modify the source, as you wish !
Note: some pictures are from Wetspot2; a sound from Explode; some other sound were token from the windows themes Quake2(R) & Homeworld(R)
For credits, thanks & acknowledgements please see the source code file "pacman2.bas"

PS : you can use cheats ! Win the prise to learn the cheats... (finnish arcade mode game) :) But the prise is more than cheats !!!

[D.J.Peters]

P.S. : Does anybody knows where to find libfmod.so (somthing compatible with fbc for linux...) ?

Do you gave FBSound a try ?

Looks good so far.

Joshy

[Lachie Dazdarian]

It seems like a very good effort, especially in the sense of presentation and options, but i have few problems already...

The game speed should not be controlable by the user, especially if it directly influences the gameplay performance. Please use VSYNC (force refresh rate with SCREENSET) to control the FPS or time-based movement. If you already are, you shouldn't let the user tamper with it. It's a very bad practice. Second, not sure I like the choice of the enemy gfx, with them looking like tanks or other pacmans, and also, with them only being slightly opaque when "eatable". It should be more visible.

But this is just the first impression. Will play it more later.

[Mihail_B]

It seems like a very good effort, especially in the sense of presentation and options, but i have few problems already...

The game speed should not be controlable by the user, especially if it directly influences the gameplay performance. Please use VSYNC (force refresh rate with SCREENSET) to control the FPS or time-based movement. If you already are, you shouldn't let the user tamper with it. It's a very bad practice. Second, not sure I like the choice of the enemy gfx, with them looking like tanks or other pacmans, and also, with them only being slightly opaque when "eatable". It should be more visible.

But this is just the first impression. Will play it more later.

Thanks for regards ... and advices ...

About game speed : I made it like this because of four things :
1) Some players get bored if the game hasn't got the speed that they are
used with
2) I like trying faster modes. It's fun !
3) I'm an adept to doom/quake/unreal when speaking of settings. You can control all-most anything ...
4) The program uses by default a smart drawing algorithm to preserve the
life of the battery and so on ...
Using vsync and other stuff would force a single value for FPS.
Generally users want at least 60FPS ! By drawing smart you can make things look as more than 60fps and it's more inexpensive (of course if things are directly written to the video memory - like they aren't, but thats not a problem)
5) The program should be compile-able for all platforms... and things behave differently on different platforms.
Even if sleep is not well correlated on all platform, it gives OS more time to spend with other sufff or to preserve the life of the battery.

Just for you to be happy, I'll implement a(some) setting(s) for users like you !

About "robots" being opaque : Well, ... iiii you know, ... well.... this is a remake after the original pacman ... and .... well .... Even I can easly modify the program to use different images for pacmans, it will make the game idea look to much as a "copy-paste", which is not ...
But I promise to bring something inovative (I mean of "new-generation") ... I was planning to add-up more stuff ...

PS: But when using more video pages and fullscreen mode aren't we using MORE video pages ? Or it's just a tail and there's only one page and the rest are simply buffers in memory ... ? In that case, please quote me ... I'll change the strategy for rendering (anyway I have in mind a new way)

Thaks any way !

[Mihail_B]

VSYNC (force refresh rate with SCREENSET) to control the FPS or time-based movement. If you already are, you

Well I introduced screensync ... for now ... for ... for you to see what's happening :)

fbc -s console -t 32000 -arch 686 -v -O 2 -w 3 "pacman2.bas" "pacman2.rc"
FreeBASIC Compiler - Version 0.21.1 (08-11-2010) for win32 (target:win32)
Copyright (C) 2004-2010 The FreeBASIC development team.
Configured as standalone
objinfo enabled using C BFD wrapper

compiling: pacman2.bas -o pacman2.asm
assembling: C:\MIHAI\Folos\fbc\win32\bin\win32\as.exe --32 --strip-local-absolute "pacman2.asm" -o "pacman2.o"
compiling resource: /ni /nw /o /fo "pacman2.obj" "pacman2.rc"
linking: -T "C:\MIHAI\Folos\fbc\win32\lib\win32\i386pe.x" -subsystem console -s --stack 32768000,32768000 -L "C:\MIHAI\Folos\fbc\win32\lib\win32" -L "./" "C:\MIHAI\Folos\fbc\win32\lib\win32\crt2.o" "C:\MIHAI\Folos\fbc\win32\lib\win32\crtbegin.o" "pacman2.o" "pacman2.obj" -o "pacman2.exe" -( -lfmod -lfbgfx -lgdi32 -lwinmm -luser32 -lfbmt -lgcc -lmsvcrt -lkernel32 -lmingw32 -lmingwex -lmoldname -lsupc++ "C:\MIHAI\Folos\fbc\win32\lib\win32\fbrt0.o" -) "C:\MIHAI\Folos\fbc\win32\lib\win32\crtend.o"

Make done
(download it again)
That's life ...
See you !

[agamemnus]

That looks very good, downloading. :-)

[Mihail_B]

Has any of you won the prise ? :)
(the prise is for undergraduate university level students ... :) )

[Mihail_B]

Well for sceptic ones here's one of the cheat used to unlock the
prise
(I consider seeing the prise more important - of course for those who would be interested in ... :)

1)start pacman2
2)inside the main menu, go to submenu [High Scores]
3)type: prise

There's the prise (how I'd impemeted shortest path algorithm + the other cheats and bla !)
Algorithm v=pi*(distance_between_points)^2 (if distance between points is smaller then map's width or heigth)

Maximum v=width*height
(width*height >=pi*(distance_between_points)^2 )

[aurelVZAB]

Game is good for me ;)

[Mihail_B]

Latest note:
Due to the decision of one of the AlphaX team member - KitzBas : music creator - we will take out :| the music until the next release :) !
KitzBas said : "This music is too good for a GPL version of the game ... I shall release new songs - specially created for this game ..."

Zdupy sais : Anyway - he (kitzbas) worked hard for the music ... it's his right to decide ...

[Mihail_B]

Last version (2.1) july2011 has got
more then 22 levels; 2 worlds;
script executer (using .NUT Squirrel(R))
FBSound(R) and FMod(R) sound driver;
story board; lots of fun and bug fixes

[Mihail_B]

P.S. : Does anybody knows where to find libfmod.so (somthing compatible with fbc for linux...) ?

Do you gave FBSound a try ?

Looks good so far.

Joshy

Yup Joshy !!! That's done ... I've added up FBSound !
(and Squirrel .NUT script executer)

[Lachie Dazdarian]

So this version doesn't feature all 3 worlds? When will you have the full version?

Anyway, I like the new additions, but I dislike how the enemies are graphically shown in the semi-3d version, especially when you eat them. Why are they balls? Can't you make 4 sprites for 4 possible directions for few types of enemies? It's really an isometric perspective. Shouldn't be a problem. Also, when they are eaten and returning to base, can't you make them transparent like in the 2D version?

Another gripe I'm having related to this. Why do they change back to normal state immediately after returning to the base. In the original and in most clones, if I'm not mistaken, eaten enemies stay in the base for or a while.

Also, I really think you should redo the sound effects. The ones that are randomized when I eat an enemy are really distracting and confusing. Why not use some generic "old-school feel" ones like from the original?

[Mihail_B]

So this version doesn't feature all 3 worlds? When will you have the full version?

Anyway, I like the new additions, but I dislike how the enemies are graphically shown in the semi-3d version, especially when you eat them. Why are they balls? Can't you make 4 sprites for 4 possible directions for few types of enemies? It's really an isometric perspective. Shouldn't be a problem. Also, when they are eaten and returning to base, can't you make them transparent like in the 2D version?

Another gripe I'm having related to this. Why do they change back to normal state immediately after returning to the base. In the original and in most clones, if I'm not mistaken, eaten enemies stay in the base for or a while.

Also, I really think you should redo the sound effects. The ones that are randomized when I eat an enemy are really distracting and confusing. Why not use some generic "old-school feel" ones like from the original?

Well, I almost finnished adding up DirectX support ...
I'll have to work for opengl and d3d too ...

Also writing scripts for my new maps is a higher priority ...
(my .NUT Squirrel (R) scripts are already >100KB)

The game should and will become as good as any comercial game

I always had in mind adding up good graphix and fixing bugs ... The new release will contain new images for "ghost" and "dead" mode ... new structures new sounds and especially new MAPS with lot of scripts (for i.e. the map on witch I'm working now is some where at a juice factory ... some robots are taking food from store and deliver them to juice maker and others take the resulting juice to be deposited ... And a "truck" (truck is a enemy type robot) will come and deliver juice to world ... etc))

[Mihail_B]

- no more music :( KitzBas has denied my to use his music - for a period of time - even hes one of my best&old friend - got crissed

If any body is offering to join our group and contribute with some music for the game I'LL BE VERY HAPPY !!!
Your name will be mentioned all the time;
if will later want to abandon the project and take back what is yours : no problem !
If I'll ever make money from the game you shell receive the rightfull part /// (but to get money from a simple project like I have is hard ...)

best regards