It's about time I updated the Latest News! We have a lot to show off since we've been working all week, preparing our Prototype for the IGF Competition. Jan has been very busy modelling us some amazing trees for our test level, and we also recruited a new member! Graeme Arthur is an extremely talented audio designer who was the sole Audio Designer and Composer at Dare to be Digital. He will be contributing to Reggae Speed by developing an awesome soundtrack for us, and he will probably be doing the foley effects and mixing later on. We're glad to have him with us.
An example tree of the same type that we will be using in Reggae Speed.
Probably our biggest update programming-wise is our new XML Parser which has been incorporated into the Engine. We wanted a system through which our artists and designers (who weren't neccessarily programmers) were able to add content to the game, which was not possible with our original system, where they would have to tell us programmers what they wanted to add, and we would have to hard-code it by hand. But, with our new XML Parsing System, anyone can add content quickly and easily to the game! For instance:
<cart name="Hot Dog Cart">
<cart weight="130">
<cart cost="600">
<cart top_speed="80">
<cart engine="push/petrol">
</cart>
It really is that simple to add content to the game! This system is still a prototype, and I will probably create a slightly easier to understand version which is written in straight English, not in XML, but this is nonetheless an important step!
You may not hear from us for a bit, because we're all working full time to try to pull our demo together, so let it be known that we are still working!
You might try to add more media to your updates, its alright but needs to grab peoples eyes.