[Andrew75]

Ell678, on 19 April 2015 - 03:56 PM, said:

Azukara, on 19 April 2015 - 02:39 PM, said:

The difficulty behind using UnrealScript I believe is the number one reason GDK isn't being used that much, and why alternate projects made in Unity and UE4 are arising.

Again - you can get around this problem when you know how to use Kismet and Matinee properly. Custom Badniks, bosses, gimmicks are possible without using a line of UnrealScript. When I get around to it, I guess this will have to be a topic for a tutorial, because it isn't that difficult, it just takes a nudge to put people on the right path.

Kismet and Matinee wont salve the collision issues....

[Xaklse]

Shut up, man, or I'll haunt you.

.

All of these replies sound like excuses to me; if you want to modify the code and need hints, then just ask me! UnrealScript is an "easy" language in its own way, you don't have to care about memory management or multi-threading, it's very similar to Java and C++ which are mature languages, any serious programmer should feel comfortable. I think the main problem is the difficulty of understanding the UE3 game engine architecture, but with UE4 and Unity you have the same problem.

Ell678 is right, most of the new stuff you would add to a level can be solved with Kismet and matinee, which are often underestimated. Plus SonicGDK has tons of configurable parameters for each type of object, including gameplay, controls and camera. Again, if you need to figure out something, ask me for hints, I have used Unreal for 11 years.

The Sonic Souls fangame has its flaws, but it's a somewhat good example of what you can achieve with SonicGDK, I gave the maker Doky good hints, although he didn't use some nice features like destructibles, little Sonic, or more complex Kismet stuff.

Azukara, on 19 April 2015 - 02:39 PM, said:

And although I'm sure it's not impossible, wouldn't it be a lot of work to try to convert whatever code is from GDK to C++ and/or Blueprint? Once again, not a programmer guy, so I'm going on guess-ish work considering what I've talked to others about.

It's better to start from scratch, since UE4 offers more features and flexibility than UDK.

This post has been edited by Xaklse: 21 April 2015 - 12:26 PM

[Andrew75]

I even offered some programmers pay to have some of these fixed, and everyone who's taken a look at the code said it couldn't be done.
sigh.....

This is a very old video showing an incomplete Jade Gully zone at the time of filming. ( but yeah that's not what the video was meant to show.)
Of course this is in XGDK which is basicly an extension of Sonic GDK, so Sonic GDK is not effected by some of the same glitches. but they are there, some of them depends on how levels are set up. if you have a huge open world, than you may never see many of these.

Anyhow the video was made to help show off some game breaking glitches for potential programmers who wanted the job.
A major issue not shown in the video has been fixed, which was when doing world rotation, Sonic's jump air maneuverability was very inconsistent per rotation, for example jumping distance was very different for each angle.
Even with these game breaking Issues,,, The project pushes on !

This post has been edited by Andrew75: 21 April 2015 - 07:56 PM

[Andrew75]

Some other issues I found related to Sonic's collision height when standing next to walls, ( don't know if this happens in Sonic GDK itself, but it sure does happen in XGDK!)
If for example you have a ring just over Sonic's head and its not placed next to a wall, than move Sonic under that ring, Sonic's collision does not connect with the ring, ( that's what we want)
Now if you place a ring next to a wall at the same height as the first ring and run next to the wall the ring is collected. ( seems as if Sonic's collision moves up when he is standing next to the wall.)
Other than collision issues, and a tiny discrepancy with the physics, I feel that Sonic GDK is still currently the most fully featured 3D sonic engine out there aside from the Official engines.

EDIT: Yes it Happens in Sonic GDK as well , just tested the issue by placing some rings near walls and some away from walls.
Ring height is 4768 in the test level for reference.

If you notice there is plenty of distance between collision cylinder and the ring's collision cylinder.
Even so! Walk sonic to the left and boom that ring is collected! ( if you look at the video above at 1:20 I'm betting the issues are related)
If these issues could be fixed, than SGDK would be the only 3d Sonic engine we would need for years to come as udk still has some life left in it graphically.

This post has been edited by Andrew75: 22 April 2015 - 09:28 AM

[Dekrayzis]

I think me and Xak should rip off both your arms and beat you to an inch of your life. muhahahaha

I specifically remember saying quite sometime ago that the collision radius and height can be adjusted and downsized in the defaultproperties of the ring actor.
In fact you deserve a goodl beating anyway for making me get back to work on ADR. Grrr! haha

Now go look in the code!

This post has been edited by Dekrayzis: 27 April 2015 - 11:54 AM

[Andrew75]

Dekrayzis, on 27 April 2015 - 11:53 AM, said:

I think me and Xak should rip off both your arms and beat you to an inch of your life. muhahahaha

I specifically remember saying quite sometime ago that the collision radius and height can be adjusted and downsized in the defaultproperties of the ring actor.
In fact you deserve a goodl beating anyway for making me get back to work on ADR. Grrr! haha

Now go look in the code!

It has nothing to do with that. totally different issue , please read again and watch the video .
And yes I know how to adjust Sonic's collision height as well as the rings height. ( when sonic moves near walls it seems his collision behaves like it changes for some odd reason. even though I don't visually see it change when you have collision visible during gameplay. ( also keep in mind this issue is not just for the rings but any object for that mater including low ceilings near walls.) Issues like these are just so frustrating, especially when you put so much time and money into something that just does not work as well as it could.( I'm literally at my wits end here)

P.S. Keep up the good work with ADR ! Looking forward to the awesome new levels you've been working on !

This post has been edited by Andrew75: 27 April 2015 - 12:44 PM

[Aerosol]

Xaklse, on 21 April 2015 - 12:25 PM, said:

Shut up, man, or I'll haunt you.

.

All of these replies sound like excuses to me; if you want to modify the code and need hints, then just ask me! UnrealScript is an "easy" language in its own way, you don't have to care about memory management or multi-threading, it's very similar to Java and C++ which are mature languages, any serious programmer should feel comfortable. I think the main problem is the difficulty of understanding the UE3 game engine architecture, but with UE4 and Unity you have the same problem.

I dunno man, "most fangamers aren't programmers" sounds like a perfectly valid reason to me. Unless you have the time to teach people some programming concepts as well as UE3's architecture?

[Ell678]

It's not up to Xaklse though. If people want to use SGDK...take the time out to experiment with it. Ask questions when you get stuck. 9 times out of 10, it'll be something easy to solve.

[Andrew75]

Ell678, on 27 April 2015 - 12:45 PM, said:

It's not up to Xaklse though. If people want to use SGDK...take the time out to experiment with it. Ask questions when you get stuck. 9 times out of 10, it'll be something easy to solve.

Oh yeah ? lol why do you think im so frustrated? no one can help ! these issues are very old! since 2011,,,,
Also I've experimented as much as I could with UDK,( but than again im not a programmer, im noyt interested in programming) I've poured over 2 grand into having people help out already. that's a lot of money is it not ?
And yeah I don't think Xak can help even if he wanted, hes already attempted it. I think the issue is the limits of what can be done with UDK, unless there is some magic work around that has not yet been thought of yet. ( if it were fixed, im sure other components would also need to be reworked afterwords as they may become busted.

Im still not done with injecting money into this ,, what feels to be a dead end project, nearing the 3 grand mark ! and 5 year UDK, but 10 year mark since AXSX was started.
I'm at the point where I'm just about to stop trying to get these issues fixed. I don't think they can be fixed at this point. Well im sure you guys will enjoy playing a busted game. just as busted as Duke forever as that's what this is turning into. ( wait its already there! )

This post has been edited by Andrew75: 27 April 2015 - 01:07 PM

[Ell678]

Apologies, my post was directed more towards Aerosol. I should have quoted him.

[winterhell]

Andrew75, on 27 April 2015 - 12:51 PM, said:

I've poured over 2 grand into having people help out already. that's a lot of money is it not ?

Over here it is. For 2 grand I would have programmed you the whole game along with level editor and tools.

[DigitalDuck]

winterhell, on 27 April 2015 - 01:52 PM, said:

Over here it is. For 2 grand I would have programmed you the whole game along with level editor and tools.

You're very cheap. It would've cost a five-figure sum to pay me to do it...

[winterhell]

DigitalDuck, on 27 April 2015 - 02:20 PM, said:

You're very cheap. It would've cost a five-figure sum to pay me to do it...

I work professionally as a game programmer and I still make less that that for 6 months. Poor country.
And Andrew knows my work and that I can actually pull it off. Unfortunately I no longer have the time for it.

This post has been edited by winterhell: 27 April 2015 - 02:28 PM

[Aerosol]

Ell678, on 27 April 2015 - 12:45 PM, said:

It's not up to Xaklse though. If people want to use SGDK...take the time out to experiment with it. Ask questions when you get stuck. 9 times out of 10, it'll be something easy to solve.

That's what I'm getting at. As mentioned, UE3 has a steep learning curve by itself. The average fangamer doesn't want to learn UE3 to make Sonic games. Unrealscript may be similar to many things, but it is it's own beast. And sure, you can "get by" with kismet and matinee, but what if you don't want to just get by? What if you want to do more than make levels for GDK?

Compare that to Unity and UE4. Unity uses C# and javascript, and UE4 uses C++. Three bog-standard programming languages, and much easier to find resources on if somebody really wanted to get into programming. Unity has the added bonus of allowing to create custom editors, thereby essentially allowing you to create a whole IDE if you really wanted to.

I haven't seen a single GDK project that doesn't look like a GDK project, and it's a look that just turns me off from GDK. It's the same problem BlitzSonic had, really, and most fangamers are pretty content with just making BlitzSonic levels. Or Sonic Generations mods, since even that is easier than mucking about with UE3.

The only thing I'm addressing here is GDK's lack of adoption. Sure, it's technically superior to most alternatives, but the learning curve IS high. "It's easy once you get the hang of it" is not a sufficient counter-argument for that.

This post has been edited by Aerosol: 27 April 2015 - 04:54 PM

[Andrew75]

winterhell, on 27 April 2015 - 02:27 PM, said:

DigitalDuck, on 27 April 2015 - 02:20 PM, said:

You're very cheap. It would've cost a five-figure sum to pay me to do it...

I work professionally as a game programmer and I still make less that that for 6 months. Poor country.
And Andrew knows my work and that I can actually pull it off. Unfortunately I no longer have the time for it.

Yeah that is pretty budget which is good for someone like me,( however I didn't pay that in 1 large lump sum, but smaller sums for various jobs) I don't think I'd want to pay much more than what I've paid already, once I hit 3 Grand, I probably will not go any higher. but than again I just want to see this shit completed. Don't think I'll be doing another Sonic project after this one, I've had enough 1 step forwards and 5 steps back bullshit. ( for example got a lot of things fixed here, but than other things that worked had become busted, some progress has been made in fixing most of the busted stuff.) And now I've got to play the waiting game again with my other main programmer, which is not cool. Some wait times are 3 months at a time ! its very discouraging !

This post has been edited by Andrew75: 27 April 2015 - 06:07 PM