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  • What's a good entity hierarchy for a 2D game?

    - by futlib
    I'm in the process of building a new 2D game out of some code I wrote a while ago. The object hierarchy for entities is like this: Scene (e.g. MainMenu): Contains multiple entities and delegates update()/draw() to each Entity: Base class for all things in a scene (e.g. MenuItem or Alien) Sprite: Base class for all entities that just draw a texture, i.e. don't have their own drawing logic Does it make sense to split up entities and sprites up like that? I think in a 2D game, the terms entity and sprite are somewhat synonymous, right? But I do believe that I need some base class for entities that just draw a texture, as opposed to drawing themselves, to avoid duplication. Most entities are like that. One weird case is my Text class: It derives from Sprite, which accepts either the path of an image or an already loaded texture in its constructor. Text loads a texture in its constructor and passes that to Sprite. Can you outline a design that makes more sense? Or point me to a good object-oriented reference code base for a 2D game? I could only find 3D engine code bases of decent code quality, e.g. Doom 3 and HPL1Engine.

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  • In MMO game, how to handle user characters, who are offline?

    - by Deele
    In my medieval MMO game, players have their own character, that represents themselves inside game. Like a King. Players could have cities and armies, but King acts as main driving force. Then it comes to player, going offline/vacation/disconnect. How to deal with "offline King", to keep some sort of reality in game, without ruining everything for player. I have never liked unrealistic stuff in games, like appearing/dissapearing from thin air, like in WoW or other MMO RPG's, when it comes to connect/disconnect, like in Matrix movie, when you are disconnected, your "avatar" inside the system just vaninshes. Ok, if player char stays where it was left, other players who are online could kick his ass like offline player char was frozen? I see only one solution - give player char, while offline, some sort of AI, that controls char. Is there any other solutions? May be, some sort of legend/story, could make users only as inner-voice, leaving King just passively controlled by user, or other stuff... Please, help! I hope you understand my question.

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  • Picking a suitable resolution for a modern low-res game?

    - by MrKatSwordfish
    I'm working on a 2D game project right now (using SFML+OpenGL and C++) and I'm trying to figure out how to go about choosing a resolution. I want my game to have a pixel resolution that is around that of classic '16bit' era consoles like the Super Nintendo or Neo Geo. However, I'd also like to have my game fit the 16:9 aspect ratio that most modern PC monitors use. Finally I'd like to be able to include an option for running full screen. I know that I could create my own low-res 16:9 resolution that is more-or-less around the size of SNES or NeoGeo games. However, the problem seems to be that doing so would leave me with a non-standard resolution that my monitor would not be able to support in fullscreen mode. For example, if i divide the common 16:9 resolution 1920x1080 by 4, I would get a 16:9 resolution that is relatively close to the resolution used by 16bit era games; 480x270. That would be fine in a windowed mode, but I don't think that it would be supported in fullscreen mode. How can I choose a resolution that suits my needs? Can I use something like 480x270? If so, how would I go about getting fullscreen mode to work with such a non-standard resolution? (I'm guessing OpenGL/SFML might have a way of up-scaling...but..)

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  • My game seems to be incompatible with recording software. What could be causing this?

    - by Lewis Wakeford
    I've just finished a little Game-Dev project for university and I need to record a video to accompany my submission (just in case they can't get my source to work). Basically my game doesn't work at all when FRAPS or Bandicam attempts to attach to it, I get a black screen and a stream of GL INVALID OPERATION messages from my error reporting code. Dxtory can't seem to hook into it correctly at all, it doesn't display it's FPS counter or anything. My game logic appears to be running correctly from the debug traces, it just seems like all the gl library calls break. I don't know a huge amount about how these programs operate so I don't really know what I could be doing to cause this. I've heard they read from the OpenGL frame buffers so maybe I'm doing something wrong there? I'm letting GLFW and GLEW do all the low level initialization, but I have successfully recorded projects with the same setup and recording software. Essentially, has anyone ever run into something like this before or do you know anything about how these programs work that could give a clue as to the cause of the issue?

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  • Persisting high score table in flash game without a network. (Featuring: HttpListenerException)

    - by bearcdp
    Hi everyone, this question is very programming-centric, but it's for a game so I figured I might as well post it here. I'm doing polishing work on a GGJ '11 game because it will be shown at an indie arcade tomorrow afternoon, and they're expecting our final build in the morning. We'd like to have a high score table that displays during attract mode, but since it's Flash (Flixel) it would require some networking, Mochi, or something to keep a record of these scores. Only problem is the machine we'd be running on probably won't have network access. As a quick solution, I thought I'd just write up a dinky little high score server in C#/.NET that could take basic GET requests for submitting scores and getting the score list. We're talking REAL basic, like blocking while waiting for an incoming request, run & forget console app, etc. There's no guarantee that our .swf won't get reloaded, and we'd like the scores to persist, so this server would pretty much exists to keep a safe copy of the scores that the game can add to and request, and occasionally the server will write the scores to a flat text file. But, HttpListener is giving me Error Code 87 'The parameter is incorrect.' Have any idea what I'm doing wrong? Or better yet, am I barking up the wrong tree and missing an obviously simpler solution? This is all I've got so far in my Main(): HttpListener listener = new HttpListener(); listener.Prefixes.Add("http://localhost:66666/"); listener.Start(); The exception happens at listener.Start(); and the stack trace is: at System.Net.HttpListener.AddAllPrefixes() at System.Net.HttpListener.Start() at WOSEBCE_ScoreServer.Program.Main(String[] args) in C:\Users\Michael\Documents\Visual Studio 2010\VS2010 Projects\WOSEBCE_ScoreServer\WOSEBCE_ScoreServer\Program.cs:line 24 at System.AppDomain._nExecuteAssembly(RuntimeAssembly assembly, String[] args) at System.AppDomain.ExecuteAssembly(String assemblyFile, Evidence assemblySecurity, String[] args) at Microsoft.VisualStudio.HostingProcess.HostProc.RunUsersAssembly() at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart_Context(Object state) at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state, Boolean ignoreSyncCtx) at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state) at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart()

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  • How to optimize a box2d simulation in action game?

    - by nathan
    I'm working on an action game and i use box2d for physics. The game use a tiled map. I have different types of body: Static ones used for tiles Dynamic ones for player and enemies Actually i tested my game with ~150 bodies and i have a 60fps constantly on my computer but not on my mobile (android). The FPS drop as the number of body increase. After having profiled the android application, i saw that the World.step took around 8ms in CPU time to execute. Here are few things to note: Not all the world is visible on screen, i use a scrolling system Enemies are constantly moving toward the player so there is alaways to force applied to their body Enemies need to collide between each others Enemies collide with tiles I also now that i can active/desactive or sleep/awake bodies. Considering the fact that only a part of the enemies are possibly displayed on screen, is there any optimizations i can do to reduce the execution time of box2d simulation? I found a guy trying an optimization based on distance of enemies from the player (link). But i seems like he just desactives far bodies (in my case, i could desactive bodies that are not visible). But my enemies need to move even when they are not visible on screen, and applying forces will not workd on inactive bodies. Should i play with sleeping bodies here? Also, enemies are composed by two fixtures and are constantly colliding with each others and with tiles but i really never need to get notified about that. Is there anything i can do to optimize this kind of scenario? Finally, am i wrong to try to run simulation at 60FPS on mobile and should i try to make it run at 30FPS?

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  • C++ - Conway's Game of Life & Stepping Backwards

    - by Gabe
    I was able to create a version Conway's Game of Life that either stepped forward each click, or just ran forward using a timer. (I'm doing this using Qt.) Now, I need to be able to save all previous game grids, so that I can step backwards by clicking a button. I'm trying to use a stack, and it seems like I'm pushing the old gridcells onto the stack correctly. But when I run it in QT, the grids don't change when I click BACK. I've tried different things for the last three hours, to no avail. Any ideas? gridwindow.cpp - My problem should be in here somewhere. Probably the handleBack() func. #include <iostream> #include "gridwindow.h" using namespace std; // Constructor for window. It constructs the three portions of the GUI and lays them out vertically. GridWindow::GridWindow(QWidget *parent,int rows,int cols) : QWidget(parent) { QHBoxLayout *header = setupHeader(); // Setup the title at the top. QGridLayout *grid = setupGrid(rows,cols); // Setup the grid of colored cells in the middle. QHBoxLayout *buttonRow = setupButtonRow(); // Setup the row of buttons across the bottom. QVBoxLayout *layout = new QVBoxLayout(); // Puts everything together. layout->addLayout(header); layout->addLayout(grid); layout->addLayout(buttonRow); setLayout(layout); } // Destructor. GridWindow::~GridWindow() { delete title; } // Builds header section of the GUI. QHBoxLayout* GridWindow::setupHeader() { QHBoxLayout *header = new QHBoxLayout(); // Creates horizontal box. header->setAlignment(Qt::AlignHCenter); this->title = new QLabel("CONWAY'S GAME OF LIFE",this); // Creates big, bold, centered label (title): "Conway's Game of Life." this->title->setAlignment(Qt::AlignHCenter); this->title->setFont(QFont("Arial", 32, QFont::Bold)); header->addWidget(this->title); // Adds widget to layout. return header; // Returns header to grid window. } // Builds the grid of cells. This method populates the grid's 2D array of GridCells with MxN cells. QGridLayout* GridWindow::setupGrid(int rows,int cols) { isRunning = false; QGridLayout *grid = new QGridLayout(); // Creates grid layout. grid->setHorizontalSpacing(0); // No empty spaces. Cells should be contiguous. grid->setVerticalSpacing(0); grid->setSpacing(0); grid->setAlignment(Qt::AlignHCenter); for(int i=0; i < rows; i++) //Each row is a vector of grid cells. { std::vector<GridCell*> row; // Creates new vector for current row. cells.push_back(row); for(int j=0; j < cols; j++) { GridCell *cell = new GridCell(); // Creates and adds new cell to row. cells.at(i).push_back(cell); grid->addWidget(cell,i,j); // Adds to cell to grid layout. Column expands vertically. grid->setColumnStretch(j,1); } grid->setRowStretch(i,1); // Sets row expansion horizontally. } return grid; // Returns grid. } // Builds footer section of the GUI. QHBoxLayout* GridWindow::setupButtonRow() { QHBoxLayout *buttonRow = new QHBoxLayout(); // Creates horizontal box for buttons. buttonRow->setAlignment(Qt::AlignHCenter); // Clear Button - Clears cell; sets them all to DEAD/white. QPushButton *clearButton = new QPushButton("CLEAR"); clearButton->setFixedSize(100,25); connect(clearButton, SIGNAL(clicked()), this, SLOT(handlePause())); // Pauses timer before clearing. connect(clearButton, SIGNAL(clicked()), this, SLOT(handleClear())); // Connects to clear function to make all cells DEAD/white. buttonRow->addWidget(clearButton); // Forward Button - Steps one step forward. QPushButton *forwardButton = new QPushButton("FORWARD"); forwardButton->setFixedSize(100,25); connect(forwardButton, SIGNAL(clicked()), this, SLOT(handleForward())); // Signals to handleForward function.. buttonRow->addWidget(forwardButton); // Back Button - Steps one step backward. QPushButton *backButton = new QPushButton("BACK"); backButton->setFixedSize(100,25); connect(backButton, SIGNAL(clicked()), this, SLOT(handleBack())); // Signals to handleBack funciton. buttonRow->addWidget(backButton); // Start Button - Starts game when user clicks. Or, resumes game after being paused. QPushButton *startButton = new QPushButton("START/RESUME"); startButton->setFixedSize(100,25); connect(startButton, SIGNAL(clicked()), this, SLOT(handlePause())); // Deletes current timer if there is one. Then restarts everything. connect(startButton, SIGNAL(clicked()), this, SLOT(handleStart())); // Signals to handleStart function. buttonRow->addWidget(startButton); // Pause Button - Pauses simulation of game. QPushButton *pauseButton = new QPushButton("PAUSE"); pauseButton->setFixedSize(100,25); connect(pauseButton, SIGNAL(clicked()), this, SLOT(handlePause())); // Signals to pause function which pauses timer. buttonRow->addWidget(pauseButton); // Quit Button - Exits program. QPushButton *quitButton = new QPushButton("EXIT"); quitButton->setFixedSize(100,25); connect(quitButton, SIGNAL(clicked()), qApp, SLOT(quit())); // Signals the quit slot which ends the program. buttonRow->addWidget(quitButton); return buttonRow; // Returns bottom of layout. } /* SLOT method for handling clicks on the "clear" button. Receives "clicked" signals on the "Clear" button and sets all cells to DEAD. */ void GridWindow::handleClear() { for(unsigned int row=0; row < cells.size(); row++) // Loops through current rows' cells. { for(unsigned int col=0; col < cells[row].size(); col++) // Loops through the rows'columns' cells. { GridCell *cell = cells[row][col]; // Grab the current cell & set its value to dead. cell->setType(DEAD); } } } /* SLOT method for handling clicks on the "start" button. Receives "clicked" signals on the "start" button and begins game simulation. */ void GridWindow::handleStart() { isRunning = true; // It is running. Sets isRunning to true. this->timer = new QTimer(this); // Creates new timer. connect(this->timer, SIGNAL(timeout()), this, SLOT(timerFired())); // Connect "timerFired" method class to the "timeout" signal fired by the timer. this->timer->start(500); // Timer to fire every 500 milliseconds. } /* SLOT method for handling clicks on the "pause" button. Receives "clicked" signals on the "pause" button and stops the game simulation. */ void GridWindow::handlePause() { if(isRunning) // If it is running... this->timer->stop(); // Stops the timer. isRunning = false; // Set to false. } void GridWindow::handleForward() { if(isRunning); // If it's running, do nothing. else timerFired(); // It not running, step forward one step. } void GridWindow::handleBack() { std::vector<std::vector<GridCell*> > cells2; if(isRunning); // If it's running, do nothing. else if(backStack.empty()) cout << "EMPTYYY" << endl; else { cells2 = backStack.peek(); for (unsigned int f = 0; f < cells.size(); f++) // Loop through cells' rows. { for (unsigned int g = 0; g < cells.at(f).size(); g++) // Loop through cells columns. { cells[f][g]->setType(cells2[f][g]->getType()); // Set cells[f][g]'s type to cells2[f][g]'s type. } } cout << "PRE=POP" << endl; backStack.pop(); cout << "OYYYY" << endl; } } // Accessor method - Gets the 2D vector of grid cells. std::vector<std::vector<GridCell*> >& GridWindow::getCells() { return this->cells; } /* TimerFired function: 1) 2D-Vector cells2 is declared. 2) cells2 is initliazed with loops/push_backs so that all its cells are DEAD. 3) We loop through cells, and count the number of LIVE neighbors next to a given cell. --> Depending on how many cells are living, we choose if the cell should be LIVE or DEAD in the next simulation, according to the rules. -----> We save the cell type in cell2 at the same indice (the same row and column cell in cells2). 4) After check all the cells (and save the next round values in cells 2), we set cells's gridcells equal to cells2 gridcells. --> This causes the cells to be redrawn with cells2 types (white or black). */ void GridWindow::timerFired() { backStack.push(cells); std::vector<std::vector<GridCell*> > cells2; // Holds new values for 2D vector. These are the next simulation round of cell types. for(unsigned int i = 0; i < cells.size(); i++) // Loop through the rows of cells2. (Same size as cells' rows.) { vector<GridCell*> row; // Creates Gridcell* vector to push_back into cells2. cells2.push_back(row); // Pushes back row vectors into cells2. for(unsigned int j = 0; j < cells[i].size(); j++) // Loop through the columns (the cells in each row). { GridCell *cell = new GridCell(); // Creates new GridCell. cell->setType(DEAD); // Sets cell type to DEAD/white. cells2.at(i).push_back(cell); // Pushes back the DEAD cell into cells2. } // This makes a gridwindow the same size as cells with all DEAD cells. } for (unsigned int m = 0; m < cells.size(); m++) // Loop through cells' rows. { for (unsigned int n = 0; n < cells.at(m).size(); n++) // Loop through cells' columns. { unsigned int neighbors = 0; // Counter for number of LIVE neighbors for a given cell. // We know check all different variations of cells[i][j] to count the number of living neighbors for each cell. // We check m > 0 and/or n > 0 to make sure we don't access negative indexes (ex: cells[-1][0].) // We check m < size to make sure we don't try to access rows out of the vector (ex: row 5, if only 4 rows). // We check n < row size to make sure we don't access column item out of the vector (ex: 10th item in a column of only 9 items). // If we find that the Type = 1 (it is LIVE), then we add 1 to the neighbor. // Else - we add nothing to the neighbor counter. // Neighbor is the number of LIVE cells next to the current cell. if(m > 0 && n > 0) { if (cells[m-1][n-1]->getType() == 1) neighbors += 1; } if(m > 0) { if (cells[m-1][n]->getType() == 1) neighbors += 1; if(n < (cells.at(m).size() - 1)) { if (cells[m-1][n+1]->getType() == 1) neighbors += 1; } } if(n > 0) { if (cells[m][n-1]->getType() == 1) neighbors += 1; if(m < (cells.size() - 1)) { if (cells[m+1][n-1]->getType() == 1) neighbors += 1; } } if(n < (cells.at(m).size() - 1)) { if (cells[m][n+1]->getType() == 1) neighbors += 1; } if(m < (cells.size() - 1)) { if (cells[m+1][n]->getType() == 1) neighbors += 1; } if(m < (cells.size() - 1) && n < (cells.at(m).size() - 1)) { if (cells[m+1][n+1]->getType() == 1) neighbors += 1; } // Done checking number of neighbors for cells[m][n] // Now we change cells2 if it should switch in the next simulation step. // cells2 holds the values of what cells should be on the next iteration of the game. // We can't change cells right now, or it would through off our other cell values. // Apply game rules to cells: Create new, updated grid with the roundtwo vector. // Note - LIVE is 1; DEAD is 0. if (cells[m][n]->getType() == 1 && neighbors < 2) // If cell is LIVE and has less than 2 LIVE neighbors -> Set to DEAD. cells2[m][n]->setType(DEAD); else if (cells[m][n]->getType() == 1 && neighbors > 3) // If cell is LIVE and has more than 3 LIVE neighbors -> Set to DEAD. cells2[m][n]->setType(DEAD); else if (cells[m][n]->getType() == 1 && (neighbors == 2 || neighbors == 3)) // If cell is LIVE and has 2 or 3 LIVE neighbors -> Set to LIVE. cells2[m][n]->setType(LIVE); else if (cells[m][n]->getType() == 0 && neighbors == 3) // If cell is DEAD and has 3 LIVE neighbors -> Set to LIVE. cells2[m][n]->setType(LIVE); } } // Now we've gone through all of cells, and saved the new values in cells2. // Now we loop through cells and set all the cells' types to those of cells2. for (unsigned int f = 0; f < cells.size(); f++) // Loop through cells' rows. { for (unsigned int g = 0; g < cells.at(f).size(); g++) // Loop through cells columns. { cells[f][g]->setType(cells2[f][g]->getType()); // Set cells[f][g]'s type to cells2[f][g]'s type. } } } stack.h - Here's my stack. #ifndef STACK_H_ #define STACK_H_ #include <iostream> #include "node.h" template <typename T> class Stack { private: Node<T>* top; int listSize; public: Stack(); int size() const; bool empty() const; void push(const T& value); void pop(); T& peek() const; }; template <typename T> Stack<T>::Stack() : top(NULL) { listSize = 0; } template <typename T> int Stack<T>::size() const { return listSize; } template <typename T> bool Stack<T>::empty() const { if(listSize == 0) return true; else return false; } template <typename T> void Stack<T>::push(const T& value) { Node<T>* newOne = new Node<T>(value); newOne->next = top; top = newOne; listSize++; } template <typename T> void Stack<T>::pop() { Node<T>* oldT = top; top = top->next; delete oldT; listSize--; } template <typename T> T& Stack<T>::peek() const { return top->data; // Returns data in top item. } #endif gridcell.cpp - Gridcell implementation #include <iostream> #include "gridcell.h" using namespace std; // Constructor: Creates a grid cell. GridCell::GridCell(QWidget *parent) : QFrame(parent) { this->type = DEAD; // Default: Cell is DEAD (white). setFrameStyle(QFrame::Box); // Set the frame style. This is what gives each box its black border. this->button = new QPushButton(this); //Creates button that fills entirety of each grid cell. this->button->setSizePolicy(QSizePolicy::Expanding,QSizePolicy::Expanding); // Expands button to fill space. this->button->setMinimumSize(19,19); //width,height // Min height and width of button. QHBoxLayout *layout = new QHBoxLayout(); //Creates a simple layout to hold our button and add the button to it. layout->addWidget(this->button); setLayout(layout); layout->setStretchFactor(this->button,1); // Lets the buttons expand all the way to the edges of the current frame with no space leftover layout->setContentsMargins(0,0,0,0); layout->setSpacing(0); connect(this->button,SIGNAL(clicked()),this,SLOT(handleClick())); // Connects clicked signal with handleClick slot. redrawCell(); // Calls function to redraw (set new type for) the cell. } // Basic destructor. GridCell::~GridCell() { delete this->button; } // Accessor for the cell type. CellType GridCell::getType() const { return(this->type); } // Mutator for the cell type. Also has the side effect of causing the cell to be redrawn on the GUI. void GridCell::setType(CellType type) { this->type = type; redrawCell(); // Sets type and redraws cell. } // Handler slot for button clicks. This method is called whenever the user clicks on this cell in the grid. void GridCell::handleClick() { // When clicked on... if(this->type == DEAD) // If type is DEAD (white), change to LIVE (black). type = LIVE; else type = DEAD; // If type is LIVE (black), change to DEAD (white). setType(type); // Sets new type (color). setType Calls redrawCell() to recolor. } // Method to check cell type and return the color of that type. Qt::GlobalColor GridCell::getColorForCellType() { switch(this->type) { default: case DEAD: return Qt::white; case LIVE: return Qt::black; } } // Helper method. Forces current cell to be redrawn on the GUI. Called whenever the setType method is invoked. void GridCell::redrawCell() { Qt::GlobalColor gc = getColorForCellType(); //Find out what color this cell should be. this->button->setPalette(QPalette(gc,gc)); //Force the button in the cell to be the proper color. this->button->setAutoFillBackground(true); this->button->setFlat(true); //Force QT to NOT draw the borders on the button } Thanks a lot. Let me know if you need anything else.

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  • Ask the Readers: Do You Prefer Computers, Game Consoles, or Other Devices for Your Gaming Needs?

    - by Asian Angel
    Nearly everyone who has access to a computer will play games on it at some point, but many people also use a separate game platform as well. What we would like to know this week is if you prefer using a computer, game consoles, or other devices for your gaming needs. Photo of Faith and Kate Connors from Mirror’s Edge by Tamahikari Tammas. Video games are a perfect way to relax and have fun at home (or at work if you can sneak in some game time!). The increasing variety of devices available with each passing year are making it easier to have access to a gaming platform to suit your needs or “darkest gaming desires”. For many people their computers are the perfect platform…they can play Flash-based games in their browsers, use the default set of games that come with their system, and install any extras that catch their eyes. The added benefit is that when game time is over they can drop right into their browsing, e-mail, personal projects, or work without having to switch hardware. The convenience of the “all-in-one” platform is certainly appealing! Perhaps you prefer to use your computer for other activities outside of gaming and own one or more separate game consoles. You might have chosen an Xbox, Playstation, or Nintendo for example. Maybe a hand-held is preferable for its’ size and portability. Then there are mobile phones and the iPad… With so many options it may feel hard to choose the right platform(s) without a good bit of research regarding display, availability of games for a particular platform, how long before the platform starts to become “obsolete”, etc. What we would like to know this week is which gaming platform you prefer. Is there only one that you choose to use or do you use multiple platforms for gaming? Is there a particular reason such as convenience for your choices? You may even be keeping an older platform around just for a certain game (or games) made for it. Are there any recommendations or advice that you would like to share with your fellow readers? Let us know in the comments! How-To Geek Polls require Javascript. Please Click Here to View the Poll. Latest Features How-To Geek ETC HTG Projects: How to Create Your Own Custom Papercraft Toy How to Combine Rescue Disks to Create the Ultimate Windows Repair Disk What is Camera Raw, and Why Would a Professional Prefer it to JPG? The How-To Geek Guide to Audio Editing: The Basics How To Boot 10 Different Live CDs From 1 USB Flash Drive The 20 Best How-To Geek Linux Articles of 2010 Apture Highlights Turns Your Cursor into a Search Tool Add Classic Sci-Fi Goodness to Your Desktop with the Matrix Theme for Windows 7 You Can’t Walk Straight without Visual Markers [Video] Lord of the Rings Movie Parody Double Feature [Video] Turn a Webpage into an Asteroids-Styled Shooting Game in Opera Dolphin Browser Mini Leaves Beta; Sports New GUI, Easy Bookmarking, and More

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  • How to Use an Xbox 360 Controller On Your Windows PC

    - by Jason Fitzpatrick
    The keyboard and mouse might be a good fit for many native computer games, but it feels downright weird to play emulated games that way. Whether you want to play Super Mario with a proper gamepad or try out a new PC title like Diablo III in comfort, we’ve got you covered. Today we’re taking a look at how you can take a Microsoft Xbox 360 controller and configure it to work with everything from your favorite emulators to old and new PC games. Whether you want the authentic feel of a controller in your hand when you play old school games or you’re looking for a gentle-on-the-wrists way to play modern games, it’s easy to set up. How to Use an Xbox 360 Controller On Your Windows PC Download the Official How-To Geek Trivia App for Windows 8 How to Banish Duplicate Photos with VisiPic

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  • Identifying languages used by particular industries

    - by user66146
    I am new to programming and I don't know the differences between the major languages. I desperately want to get into the gaming industry because I have so many stories I want to tell and so many experiences I want to create. I currently do 3D modeling/animation, so any similarities would be helpful. What steps should I take to investigate an industry (gaming) and the companies within that industry? How do I identify what programming languages they use, so I can study them?

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  • What could be my path? Networking, programming, or something else?

    - by momong
    Well first and foremost, I would like to give my brief description: I was an aviation student but I didn't pursue that path because I lost my interest. Now I'm an I.T. student and currently stopped schooling because of confusion. I don't know which path I should choose: could it be programming or networking? Someone told me that on networking the money is easy, the job is easy. Others told me that programming is best suited for me because I'm very skilled and excellent at figures. I want to chose networking, but I can't find my passion for it, my mind tells me but my heart doesn't... and on programming, I don't know which language I should pick or if I like it or not. A good mentor, even if only online, would be a very big plus to me, but I don't think if there are many who could spent their time on teaching a nobody... but I'm very eager to learn. My real passion is gaming! I want to work in the gaming industry, I want to be a man behind those games! I've been a gamer freak since birth. But I don't know how to get in to that industry. I don't know what to do. I don't know which path would really suit me. Sorry if some of you find this a pointless question, but please bear with me, this could be the turn of my life.

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  • Awesome Back to the Future – Hill Valley Mod for Grand Theft Auto IV [Video]

    - by Asian Angel
    What could be better than playing a good round of Grand Theft Auto IV? Playing with a working Delorean time machine with Marty McFly as the driver! Watch as this Delorean tears up the roads in this video from YouTube user Seedyrom34. You can read more about the mod at the YouTube link provided below… Grand Theft Auto IV: Hill Valley – [Back to the Future Mod Showcase] [via Neatorama] HTG Explains: Why Do Hard Drives Show the Wrong Capacity in Windows? Java is Insecure and Awful, It’s Time to Disable It, and Here’s How What Are the Windows A: and B: Drives Used For?

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  • Grand Theft Auto IV – Awesome Ghost Rider Mod [Videos]

    - by Asian Angel
    Recently we shared the video for a terrific Back to the Future GTA IV mod with you and today we are back with videos for a wicked Ghost Rider mod. One thing is sure, with Ghost Rider cruising through town the nights in Liberty City have never been hotter! Note: Videos contain some language that may be considered inappropriate. The first video focuses on the main working mod while the second focuses on the new ‘Wall Ride’ feature that sees Ghost Rider going up and down walls. How To Create a Customized Windows 7 Installation Disc With Integrated Updates How to Get Pro Features in Windows Home Versions with Third Party Tools HTG Explains: Is ReadyBoost Worth Using?

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  • Cheap programmable, portable device

    - by Ars
    Since a long time I have thrived for being able to program something I can take with me - a very small computer like a programmable calculator, gameboy, pocket PC or cellphone. However, I didn't find anything fitting yet! The thing I'm looking at is the price, because I can't afford to spend too much money on it. What are some cheap portable programmable devices? All I'd need is support for uploading assembler code from my computer. I don't care about the display, a simple LCD would be sufficient. Same goes for the buttons I have looked at programmable calculators, portable gaming consoles such as the PSP and more, however didn't find anything that fit :(

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  • Working with CPU cycles in Gameboy Advance

    - by Preston Sexton
    I am working on an GBA emulator and stuck at implementing CPU cycles. I just know the basic knowledge about it, each instruction of ARM and THUMB mode as each different set of cycles for each instructions. Currently I am simply saying every ARM instructions cost 4 cycles and THUMB instructions cost 2 cycles. But how do you implement it like the CPU documentation says? Does instruction cycles vary depending on which section of the memory it's currently accessing to? http://nocash.emubase.de/gbatek.htm#cpuinstructioncycletimes According to the above specification, it says different memory areas have different waitstates but I don't know what it exactly mean. Furthermore, what are Non-sequential cycle, Sequential cycle, Internal Cycle, Coprocessor Cycle for? I saw in some GBA source code that they are using PC to figure out how many cycles each instruction takes to complete, but how are they doing it?

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  • I am afraid that my University is not going to teach me enough information [closed]

    - by Muhklayne
    I attend a University and am a Computer Science major. I have barely entered into the major, as I am a sophomore. However, the coursework I am doing is extremely easy already and I feel as though this degree is going to lead me to a path of knowledge without knowing how to bring it all together. Therefore, I am coming to you to ask where I should begin learning on my own! I am willing to dedicate hours upon hours of learning to code outside of class, as it is truly my passion. I will begin by completing all work on http://www.codecademy.com, however I feel this will not be enough either. I would love to learn to integrate visual languages for video games such as NXA and C# combining it with C++ (as I understand video games can be created in this manner). I would also like to look into LUA and Python scripting. I am asking for advice as to where I should begin my personal studies of learning to program, as with my research it has become quite apparent that simply attaining a degree in Computer Science is quite frankly not enough. Thank you for your time!

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  • Bejeweled Twist clone for Gnu/linux

    - by Andrew
    What is The best Bejeweled Twist clone for Gnu/linux. I know about like Kdiamond and Geweled, but those games are don't have sound or good graphics. I know One good Bejeweled Clone for Gnu/Linux Hotei Jewels Relax but that wasn't a Bejeweled Twist clone. F.I.Y I only run thing natively in Gnu/Linux And I don't use Compatibility layers or emulations over they are buggy and they don't use the Gnu/linux file hierarchy. Thank you.

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  • Involving kids into programing - which language? [closed]

    - by boj
    Possible Duplicate: What are some good tools for introducing kids to programming? Long-long time ago I had a great book by Frank DaCosta about writing adventure games in Basic, it had a great influence on me. I would like to show the world of programming to my child too but I have two problems: I can not found books like DaCosta's (but we can replace it with our fantasy so not a big deal) Which programming language should I use? Small Basic?

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  • How to create Button/Switch-Like Tile where you can step on it and change its value?

    - by aldroid16
    If the player steps on a Button-Tile when its true, it becomes false. If the player steps on a Button-Tile when it is false, it becomes true. The problem is, when the player stands on (intersects) the Button-Tile, it will keep updating the condition. So, from true, it becomes false. Because its false and the player intersects it, it becomes true again. True-false-true-false and so on. I use ElapsedGameTime to make the updating process slower, and the player can have a chance to change the Button to true or false. However, it's not the solution I was looking for. Is there any other way to make it keep in False/True condition while the Player is standing on the Button tile?

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  • What would be the fastest way of storing or calculating legal move sets for chess pieces?

    - by ioSamurai
    For example if a move is attempted I could just loop through a list of legal moves and compare the x,y but I have to write logic to calculate those at least every time the piece is moved. Or, I can store in an array [,] and then check if x and y are not 0 then it is a legal move and then I save the data like this [0][1][0][0] etc etc for each row where 1 is a legal move, but I still have to populate it. I wonder what the fastest way to store and read a legal move on a piece object for calculation. I could use matrix math as well I suppose but I don't know. Basically I want to persist the rules for a given piece so I can assign a piece object a little template of all it's possible moves considering it is starting from it's current location, which should be just one table of data. But is it faster to loop or write LINQ queries or store arrays and matrices? public class Move { public int x; public int y; } public class ChessPiece : Move { private List<Move> possibleMoves { get; set; } public bool LegalMove(int x, int y){ foreach(var p in possibleMoves) { if(p.x == x && p.y == y) { return true; } } } } Anyone know?

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  • What is the relationship between OpenGL, GLX, DRI, and Mesa3D?

    - by user65308
    I am starting out doing some low-level 3D programming in Linux. I have a lot of experience using the higher level graphics API OpenInventor. I know it is not strictly necessary to be aware of how all these things fit together but I'm just curious. I know OpenGL is just a standard for graphics applications. Mesa3D seems to be an open source implementation of this standard. So where do GLX and DRI fit? Digging around on Wikipedia and all these websites, I've yet to find an explanation of exactly how it all goes together. Where does hardware acceleration happen? What do proprietary drivers have to do with this? Thanks!

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  • PHP session not working with JQuery Ajax?

    - by Bolt_Head
    Update, Solved: After all this I found out that I was calling an old version of my code in the update ajax. 'boardControl.php' instead of 'boardUpdate.php' These are the kinds of mistakes that make programing fun. I'm writing a browser gomoku game. I have the ajax statement that allows the player to play a piece. $(document).ready(function() { $("td").live('click',function(){ var value = $(this).attr('id'); $.get('includes/boardControl.php',{play: value, bid: bid}); }); }); value = board square location bid = board ID Before creating a user login for player identification, the server side php had a temporary solution. It would rotate the piece state for the squares when clicked instead of knowing what player to create them for. After creating login stuff I set a session variable for the player's ID. I was hoping to read the session ID from the php during the ajax request and figure out what player they are from there. session_start(); ... $playerId = $_SESSION['char']; $Query=("SELECT p1, p2 FROM board WHERE bid=$bid"); $Result=mysql_query($Query); $p1 = mysql_result($Result,0,"p1"); $p2 = mysql_result($Result,0,"p2"); $newPiece = 0; //*default no player if($playerId == $p1) $newPiece = 1; if($playerId == $p2) $newPiece = 2; For some reason when I run the full web app, the pieces still cycle though, even after I deleted the code to make them cycle. Furthermore, after logging in If i manually load the php page in the browser, it modifies the database correctly (where it only plays pieces belonging to that player) and outputs the correct results. It seems to me that the session is not being carried over when used with Ajax. Yet Google searches tell me that, sessions do work with Ajax. Update: I'm trying to provide more information. Logging in works correctly. My ID is recognized and I printed it out next to the board to ensure that I was retrieving it correctly. The ajax request does update the board. The values passed are correct and confirmed with firebug's console. However instead of placing pieces only for the player they belong to it cycles though the piece states (0,1,2). When manually browsing to boardUpdate.php and putting in the same values sent from the Ajax the results seen in the echo'ed response indicates that the corresponding piece is played each time as intended. Same results on my laptop after fresh load of firefox. Manually browsing to boardUpdate.php without logging in before hand leave the board unchanged (as intended when no user is found in the session). I've double checked the that session_start() is on the php files and double checked the session ID variables. Hope this extra information helps, i'm running out of ideas what to tell you. Should I load up the full code? Update 2: After checking the Ajax responce in fire-bug I realized that the 'play' request does not get a result, and the board is not updated till the next 'update'. I'm still looking into this but I'll post it here for you guys too. boardUpdate.php Notable places are: Refresh Board(line6) Place Piece(line20) function boardUpdate($turnCount) (line63) <?php session_start(); require '../../omok/dbConnect.php'; //*** Refresh Board *** if(isset($_GET['update'])) { $bid = $_GET['bid']; $Query=("SELECT turn FROM board WHERE bid=$bid"); $Result=mysql_query($Query); $turnCount=mysql_result($Result,0,"turn"); if($_GET['turnCount'] < $turnCount) //** Turn increased { boardUpdate($turnCount); } } //*** Place Piece *** if(isset($_GET['play'])) // turn order? player detect? { $squareID = $_GET['play']; $bid = $_GET['bid']; $Query=("SELECT turn, boardstate FROM board WHERE bid=$bid"); $Result=mysql_query($Query); $turnCount=mysql_result($Result,0,"turn"); $boardState=mysql_result($Result,0,"boardstate"); $turnCount++; $playerId = $_SESSION['char']; $Query=("SELECT p1, p2 FROM board WHERE bid=$bid"); $Result=mysql_query($Query); $p1 = mysql_result($Result,0,"p1"); $p2 = mysql_result($Result,0,"p2"); $newPiece = 0; //*default no player if($playerId == $p1) $newPiece = 1; if($playerId == $p2) $newPiece = 2; // if($newPiece != 0) // { $oldPiece = getBoardSpot($squareID, $bid); $oldLetter = $boardState{floor($squareID/3)}; $slot = $squareID%3; //***function updateCode($old, $new, $current, $slot)*** $newLetter = updateCode($oldPiece, $newPiece, $oldLetter, $slot); $newLetter = value2Letter($newLetter); $newBoard = substr_replace($boardState, $newLetter, floor($squareID/3), 1); //** Update Query for boardstate & turn $Query=("UPDATE board SET boardState = '$newBoard', turn = '$turnCount' WHERE bid = '$bid'"); mysql_query($Query); // } boardUpdate($turnCount); } function boardUpdate($turnCount) { $json = '{"turnCount":"'.$turnCount.'",'; //** turnCount ** $bid = $_GET['bid']; $Query=("SELECT boardstate FROM board WHERE bid='$bid'"); $Result=mysql_query($Query); $Board=mysql_result($Result,0,"boardstate"); $json.= '"boardState":"'.$Board.'"'; //** boardState ** $json.= '}'; echo $json; } function letter2Value($input) { if(ord($input) >= 48 && ord($input) <= 57) return ord($input) - 48; else return ord($input) - 87; } function value2Letter($input) { if($input >= 10) return chr($input += 87); else return chr($input += 48); } //*** UPDATE CODE *** updates an letter with a new peice change and returns result letter. //***** $old : peice value before update //***** $new : peice value after update //***** $current : letterValue of code before update. //***** $slot : which of the 3 sqaures the change needs to take place in. function updateCode($old, $new, $current, $slot) { if($slot == 0) {// echo $current,"+((",$new,"-",$old,")*9)"; return letter2Value($current)+(($new-$old)*9); } else if($slot == 1) {// echo $current,"+((",$new,"-",$old,")*3)"; return letter2Value($current)+(($new-$old)*3); } else //slot == 2 {// echo $current,"+((",$new,"-",$old,")"; return letter2Value($current)+($new-$old); } }//updateCode() //**** GETBOARDSPOT *** Returns the peice value at defined location on the board. //****** 0 is first sqaure increment +1 in reading order (0-254). function getBoardSpot($squareID, $bid) { $Query=("SELECT boardstate FROM board WHERE bid='$bid'"); $Result=mysql_query($Query); $Board=mysql_result($Result,0,"boardstate"); if($squareID %3 == 2) //**3rd spot** { if( letter2Value($Board{floor($squareID/3)} ) % 3 == 0) return 0; else if( letter2Value($Board{floor($squareID/3)} ) % 3 == 1) return 1; else return 2; } else if($squareID %3 == 0) //**1st spot** { if(letter2Value($Board{floor($squareID/3)} ) <= 8) return 0; else if(letter2Value($Board{floor($squareID/3)} ) >= 18) return 2; else return 1; } else //**2nd spot** { return floor(letter2Value($Board{floor($squareID/3)}))/3%3; } }//end getBoardSpot() ?> Please help, I'd be glad to provide more information if needed. Thanks in advance =)

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  • Testing chess game

    - by mousey
    There is a software for chess game and we need to test the following method: boolean canMoveTo(int x, int y) x and y are the coordinates of the chess board and it returns true/false whether the piece can move to that position or not. We need to test this method for a pawn piece and you can set up the board any way you like prior to running a test case. Source code is not provided

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  • C++ beginner question regarding chars

    - by Samwhoo
    I'm just messing around with some C++ at the moment trying to make a simple tic-tac-toe game and I'm running into a bit of a problem. This is my code: #include <iostream> using namespace std; class Square { public: char getState() const; void setState(char); Square(); ~Square(); private: char * pState; }; class Board { public: Board(); ~Board(); void printBoard() const; Square getSquare(short x, short y) const; private: Square board[3][3]; }; int main() { Board board; board.getSquare(1,2).setState('1'); board.printBoard(); return 0; } Square::Square() { pState = new char; *pState = ' '; } Square::~Square() { delete pState; } char Square::getState() const { return *pState; } void Square::setState(char set) { *pState = set; } Board::~Board() { } Board::Board() { } void Board::printBoard() const { for (int x = 0; x < 3; x++) { cout << "|"; for (int y = 0; y < 3; y++) { cout << board[x][y].getState(); } cout << "|" << endl; } } Square Board::getSquare(short x, short y) const { return board[x][y]; } Forgive me if there are blatantly obvious problems with it or it's stupidly written, this is my first program in C++ :p However, the problem is that when I try and set the square 1,2 to the char '1', it doesn't print out as a 1, it prints out as some strange character I didn't recognise. Can anyone tell me why? :) Thanks in advance.

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  • Is there an IDE that can simplify the process of creating a game matchmaking website?

    - by Scott
    Yes, I'm an old guy. And I'm well versed in "C" and have written several games which I have been selling on the web for a number of years. And now, I would like to adapt one of my games to be "online". Sounds simple. I'm sure I can use the thousands of lines of "C" code that I've already written. Right? So my initial investigation begins. First, I think I'll need a server program that lives on a dedicated server (or a VPS probably) that talks to a bunch of client applications that live on individual devices around the world. I can certainly handle that! (I think to myself). I'll break up my existing game into two pieces, a client piece that is just the game displays and buttons, and a server piece that does everything else. Piece of cake, right? But that means that the "server piece" must be executed on a remote machine somewhere and run 24/7. Can I do that? [apparently, that question is so basic, so uneducated, and so lame, that nobody has ever posed it before. Because hours of Googling does not yield an answer. Fine. I'll assume I can do that and move on.] I'll need a "game room", which to me means a website where you log in and then go to a lobby of some kind where you can setup your preferences, see if any of your friends are connected, and create or join games. Should be easy, but it's not. No way. Can I do all this with my local website builder? (which happens to be 90 Second Website Builder, a nice product, btw). It turns out, I can not. I can start with that, but must modify each page, so I can interact with my sql database. So I begin making each page a "PHP" page and dynamically modifying the HTML code with PHP code. I'm already starting to get a headache. Because the resulting web pages looked terrible, I began looking at using JQuery. I want to user a JQuery dialog on my website to display a list of friends and allow the user to select one to invite to the game. [google search for "how to populate a JQuery dialog from a sql database" yields nothing but more confusion.] Javascript? Java? HTML? XML? HTML5? PHP? JQuery? Flash? Sockets? Forms? CSS? Learning about each one of these, and how they interact with each other and/or depend on each other is too much for my feeble old brain. Can anyone simplify this process for me? Is there an IDE that will help me do all this without having to go back to college for a few years? Thanks, Scott

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