Dev Blog #4

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:12:01 +0000

Spent most of the time last night working on code optimization and cleanup. RSpec now runs a basic quarter mile simulation in about 12 milliseconds on our server. I think that it as good as it's going to get for now.

Short and sweet today, folks.

Dev Blog #3

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 04:44:52 +0000

Spent a large amount of time this evening finishing up the basic data layer for most of the basic parts of the codebase. This was a dreadfully boring part, but I'm finally through it - this makes me happy. Up next is probably going to be the data administration side, so that we can test an even larger variety of vehicles, parts and situations.

Code stands at revision 154.

Dev Blog #2

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:47:33 +0000

Spent a bit of time last night tweaking some issues I found in the latest version of RSpec. It's now properly handling rolling starts, long distances and shift points. One thing I'm finding is that it's sometimes difficult to narrow down an issue in the engine, since it's designed to handle just about anything thrown at it. Last night's issue was related to tire circumference and took way too long to find. I also added a rudimentary frame recorder to RSpec so that I can get a peek at what's going on as the engine is running. While generally considered debug data, some of the information is pretty fun to look at, so it might be somehow integrated into the game at some point.

I also tested the simulation's acceptance of the new torque modification system - and it took it perfectly. It's really odd to see how a car reacts when you throw really strange turbo curves at it.

Next up, I think I'll need to work on some of the data management code. Unfortunately, this is the most excruciatingly boring part - but required to maintain my sanity. At the same time, we'll most likely be tweaking the tire traction system, as it's currently a bit weak (a 400hp AWD car is destroying its tires at 50mph).

The code sits at revision 130.

Dev Blog #1

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:09:11 +0000

Welcome to the first post of PeriodicGames's new Chromium Development Blog! In this environment, I'll be keeping the community up to date on the current goings-on inside the Chromium world. You can view this blog via the forums or through the RSS feed.

To start things off, a bit of background on this project. Chromium is the current working title for a game that was originally called "Alloy". Back in the Jaian days, Alloy was to be a game created around an ASP-based physics engine I wrote to simulate quarter-mile (~400m for you metric folks) drag racing.

As most PG titles tend to be, this one has been in the works for quite some time. I'll bring you up to "speed" (har har) on where things are.

Project: Chromium (working title)
The original synopsis of Chromium was:

Quote

Chromium is a multiplayer, browser based game in which players compete in online races against other players to win respect, money and other items to help increase the performance and value of their cars.

I do believe that this still holds true in its current form, but doesn't tell the whole story.

Feature List
While not a complete list (we have to have a few secrets, after all), here is the basic premise of the features available in the game.

Money isn't free - you must get a job, and devote your in-game time to it, to earn cash.
Doing well at your job can earn you a promotion. This means more money, and less work.
Use your hard-earned cash to purchase one or more vehicles to take racing.
Test and tune your vehicle on the track in inexpensive testing sessions.
Strap your ride to the dyno and view comparison charts to see if your latest investment is paying off.
Purchase a multitude of different parts to increase the power, speed or appearance of your vehicle.
Challenge other players to races for fun, cash or even pink slips.
Show yourself off to sponsors, get signed, and use the extra cash to further improve your vehicle.
Race legally (for a price) on the track, or gamble and take your grudges to the streets.
Chromium uses an actual, scratch-built physics engine, the Realtime Simulated Physics Engine for Chromium (RSpec), to simulate the races and testing. This ensures realistic racing results! The following factors are taken into account:
- Engine power at any RPM and throttle input percentage.
- Air resistance, and the shape of the vehicle.
- Tire traction, including slippage.
- Weight transfer and suspension settings that affect traction.
- Shift times for both automatic and manual transmissions, as well as the associated gear ratios.
- Distance and speed - RSpec is capable of running a simulation over any distance, at any starting speed.
Chromium also uses an extremely innovative method for determining the effect of modifications on the power of the engine - again, providing realistic results and unlocking the possibilities for combinations of parts.

Progress
While nearly a dirty word around here, "progress" has been made on this project. Especially lately. I've spent a lot of time recently porting the codebase to my new favorite language, C#. This will be PG's first fully 3-tier application (for the nerds out there), which will dramatically increase our ability to modify and balance the game. We've incorporated our newly-invented AcID user account system (more on this later), and tied it into our Lead authentication system for the ultimate in login security.

Game-wise, I've spent most of the time so far making sure RSpec runs absolutely perfectly in its new environment. My test vehicle, which currently runs a 13.404 second quarter-mile, runs through RSpec in about 14 milliseconds @ 120 fps. The supporting code for the database end has also swallowed a considerable amount of my time, but is shaping up nicely (and once it's done, the fun starts to happen).

The engine power curve system is now capable of generating some sweet graphs, too. These will be great for dyno testing your vehicle, and keeping a historical record of all your modifications and their results.

Okay, this post is probably way too long already, so I'll cut off here. Until next time...

Stay tuned,
- Alt