Last week I added basic 3D software rendering to Vektor Prix. This week, I've focused on bringing those 3D enhancements into the game itself. I realized that I had to populate the levels with details, but didn't know which direction to take it in back when everything was 2D. The top-down perspective makes it difficult to make anything decent for this purpose.But once I had a few 3D objects in the game, the direction became obvious.
I kept adding a few more 3D models on screen, hitting a performance limit, then optimized anything I could. Rinse and repeat. This process allowed me to discover many unoptimized portions of my engine, and bring them up to speed. Sometimes fixing things took longer than expected.
After I was happy with the results, I decided to adjust the ticks per second from 40 to 60. Forty game simulation ticks in a second felt fine in a 2D environment, but once you start to introduce 3D elements the frame rate become apparent. Sixty feels a lot better.
There are currently 65 different detail models in the game, with a few more ready to be put in game. I've also added a new 3D entity obstacle, which will break when you run into it but slow you down. All five of the racing levels are detailed now, the other five deathmatch levels still need a makeover.
There is still much to do, but it's really feeling like a proper game these days.
