ID:53828
 
So, since my last post, thanks to a new shift at work (back to working 3 12-hour days per week), I've managed to scare up (heh) some time to work on Murder Mansion...

My first task was doing some graphical work to utilize the "new" alpha transparency (not so new anymore, obviously, but new to my BYOND experience) The obvious things have been done, like the darkness icons (well, technically, I just updated sd_DAL, and it came with some transparent icons to replace the old dithers), and I've also redrawn all of the other previously dithered icons (anything above the player, like lights, beams, ducts, trees, etc. were all dithered icons that are now alpha transparent icons) In addition to that, I've also added some small touches like putting a single-tile light pool around lights, shadows under the players and items (to make them stand out a bit better against the background of the turfs below), and liquids are now transparent (like blood splatters, water drops, etc.)

I've also done some work in adding new maps (one in particular that's almost finished, and a couple of others that are in the earliest stages), bringing the total up to 3 fully playable maps, and 3 more on the way... And there's still another 3 or 4 on the planned list...

In terms of game systems, there've been a few changes as well... Most notably is a change that many have been screaming for; the host is no longer required to start the game! All players are placed on the title screen upon logging in, and again at the end of each round... Then, the first player to click the button to join the next round is handed control of that round (meaning, they get to choose the map and they get the button that begins the round; selecting the game mode, setting any options, etc.) The bonus that this opens up is that I can use it to "unlock" special maps, options, modes, etc. for players that are BYOND Members, and maybe even MM subscribers (when/if I set up subscriptions) Which means that if there's just one BYOND Member (or subscriber) playing, they can select locked maps/options/modes for everyone playing at the time (a la Last Robot Standing)

My most major hurdle, though (and it's been one for a long time) is the AI... It's what I'm slugging it out with most of the time (right now, especially) And there's still a long way to go before I'll be satisfied with its level of sophistication...

In fact, up until just tonight, it had been severely broken (even worse than it is in the old public version) The AI had lost virtually all of their abilities (aside from being able to walk around aimlessly) due to changes made to other systems, and I've been hitting a wall in getting them back up to speed... But I've just had a breakthrough or two so things should be rolling along a bit better now...

In fact, just before making this post, I ran a brief test to see if my planned strategy for "scripting" AI functions was going to work, and it worked so well that the bot I had attacked not only ran and locked itself in its assigned bedroom (as I expected/hoped it would), it actually came back out a bit later and made its way to a phone and correctly accused me of being the murderer (which was sort of a happy accident... I wasn't expecting that routine to function, but apparently the changes I made to run the test had also corrected that ability)

So that's definitely encouraging!

I'm tempted to discuss my plans for future additions/changes, but I'm going to heed the Warning of the Day (at least until I can't stand it anymore)...lol
Yaaay! SSGX has returned.
[Not be to be confused with myself, SSX]

Ahh, Welcome back!
Now that you're back, can you kick the douchebag below out of BYOND anime? He was only supposed to be there in the interim.
Welcome back!
Popisfizzy wrote:
Now that you're back, can you kick the douchebag below out of BYOND anime? He was only supposed to be there in the interim.

On the contrary, I was never appointed as a temporary measure. I'm permanent ;).
Masterdan wrote:
On the contrary, I was never appointed as a temporary measure. I'm permanent ;).

You were, and I'm well aware of the hell your very existence has caused in certain places that relate to the affairs of the BYOND guilds.
I always found the client eye on murder mansion to be 'unsettling'. I understand the point of it, but it makes me feel nauseous when I play :\
Airjoe wrote:
I always found the client eye on murder mansion to be 'unsettling'. I understand the point of it, but it makes me feel nauseous when I play :\

Well, it is a horror game IIRC. =)
Popisfizzy wrote:
Masterdan wrote:
On the contrary, I was never appointed as a temporary measure. I'm permanent ;).

You were, and I'm well aware of the hell your very existence has caused in certain places that relate to the affairs of the BYOND guilds.


As the guy who talked directly to Tom, I do remember being instated as the second guildmaster. I probably have the aim conversation saved. I didnt ask for the job, the job was offered to me. In no way was it meant to be temporary. Most guilds have 2 guildmasters and the Anime guild had 1.
Popisfizzy wrote:
Now that you're back, can you kick the douchebag below out of BYOND anime? He was only supposed to be there in the interim.

Nope!

1) I'm not really ready to take that responsibility back...

2) Regardless of anyone's personal problems with him, from what I've seen (limited though it may be) he seems to be doing a good job, doing a lot of the things I should have done...

3) It's not really my place to just come back and bump him out (without a really good reason to, anyway)... One, I didn't "hire" him, so I can't "fire" him, and two, that sort of thing is just not right, anyways...

So Masterdan stays right where he is, until there's a really good reason to make it otherwise...

I'll pop in around there to lend my personal brand of steering the ship now and then, but I'm not going to just take it over...
Awesome, I can't wait for the update!
Anyways, I popped in to share a funny story that just occured (the funny comes near the end of this post, after all of the nuts-n-bolts background details I'm compelled to share)

Bascially, the AI system works by giving them a list of targets that changes based on their needs/goals, and they go to each of the targets in the list and interact with them in order... Once they've interacted with something in the list, it is removed from the list (and once the list is empty, meaning they've completed that goal, they choose the next goal to accomplish, and the list is filled with the necessary tasks to complete that goal, and so on)

The AI in the game follow the same rules the players do to interact with items in the mansion... The bots have their own actions (Look, Operate, Push, Run, etc). just like the players, that must be selected from a list to apply them when clicking on a target (the players do so by cycling through the action buttons on the bottom of the HUD, while the AI does so by direct setting of the necessary action when they attempt to interact with something)

Well, I'm currently working on the AI food & drink routine (which compared to the other actions, is fairly complicated, with multiple steps necessary)

Since the Mansion (and other maps) have food & drink spawners that require another item in order to use (IE you need a knife to make a sandwich at the chopping board), the AI system needs to have them pick up the items in order, then "click" themselves to eat/drink the object they ultimately picked up...

Up to that point, the system works fine... An AI wishing to get a sandwich will walk to the knife block, grab a knife, head to the chopping board, use the knife to get a sandwich, then "click" on themselves to eat the sandwich...

Then the problem begins...

For some reason, it's not removing them from their targets list once they've eaten/drank...

What that means is that they keep clicking on themselves (since they're now permanently in their target list, and always the next target)

That's not such a big deal, except for the fact that after eating/drinking, that item is deleted, and the previous item in the list becomes the current action...

See where I'm going with this? To get a sandwich, they need to pick up a knife beforehand... And after eating that sandwich, their current action reverts to the knife... And, now they're now stuck in a loop of clicking on themselves...holding a knife (or a bottle, if they've been drinking)

Ouch...

So, I've currently got AI that kill themselves after they eat...lol

Oh, and for the bots that pick to eat the peanuts on the top floor instead of a sandwich (which do not require another object to spawn)? Well, unfortunately for them, the last permanent action (Look, Operate, etc.) is a built-in Punch attack... So those bots get to beat themselves to death barehanded after ingesting their snack...lol
God damn you haven't posted in ages, welcome back.
Haha Welcome Back
O.o Can't Wait to play the game.
"Yaaay! SSGX has returned."
"Ahh, Welcome back!"
"Welcome back!"
"God damn you haven't posted in ages, welcome back."
"Haha Welcome Back"


Ahem

: )
Just found a sprite that imo fits perfectly for MurderMansion :D Take a look:

http://pixeljoint.com/pixelart/40209.htm
Welcome back! I had stopped seeing byond since you had stopped posting about MM and when I was kind of tired. But now I will be looking there more :]