City building project - my work-in-progress

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[Khalan]

So I've been spending the last few days madly coding away.

I'm aiming to create a city building game - more accurately, a village builder.  Always thought it would be nice to manage a small village with named individual inhabitants.

For example, you'll be ordering raw materials harvesting, construction, equipping characters, ordering goods production, providing food, shelter, entertainment, assigning jobs and quests, managing diplomacy etc.  People will age, be born, die, move out etc.  Something like Hinterland + The Guild + Settlers.

This may or may not ever get done, and I may not work on it for months at a time or at all.  I'm not too good with consistency unfortunately.

Here's an early WIP though, if anyone would like to try it.  So far I've created a moderately detailed environment you can move the camera around in. (sounds simple, but it's not!)

I'd appreciate any feedback on framerates as well - mine runs at an average of 20fps at the moment, obviously optimisation needed (GTX260, AMD quadcore @3.6ghz).  Trees and grass can be toggled for framerate boosts.

Shader model 2.0 required (pretty much any graphics card from the last 7 or 8 years should work).  It will run fullscreen at your desktop resolution.

File is 8MB - unzip this and it will create a VikingVillage directory which you can run the game from.  No installation required (VikingVillage is the temporary name for the project).

Download:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/fy4zhmtmnfm/VikingVillage.zip

Please let me know if there are any errors, crashes, bugs etc.

Screenshot attached.

[City Builder]

what program language is it being built in? (if that's even a right question to ask about it)

[CoconutKid]

It sounds really interesting. I fear my current klunker-PC can't handle the graphics.

The general description covers most (+more) of the gameplay that I so much enjoy about Virtual Resort and Original Tropico -- that is a smaller, manageable environment with realistic people which simulates a real world.

Please be encouraged. 

I don't wish to grow what you are working on into a "Metropolis." I had rather just see the families rise and fall.

[Khalan]

Thank you CoconutKid

CB, I'm using DarkBasic Professional.

[crowebird]

Well done Khalan!! I'd love to help test or even help program if you are interested in that (but I know sometimes projects like these are fun to tackle on your own, even still sign me up for the beta )

[Khalan]

Thanks crowebird!  I'd love some testing help.

I'm uploading the fixed file now, it'll take a little while.

[Khalan]

File uploaded, link is in the first post.

[crowebird]

  very well done...

with everything off at the highest camera view I got 92 fps (avg 80), with everything on at the highest camera view about 32-36 fps, and up close about 25fps.

Must say I am impressed for just a few days work, I like how the trees gain animation when you get close to them.

Can't wait to be able to place some simple houses, or see the environment evlove, great work!

[Khalan]

Great!

Next up I'll be adding entities with basic AI, who will be able to navigate their way to the nearest food object and eat when they're hungry.

The idea with this game is that the people will be able to take care of their basic needs if you do nothing, but of course it will be much more efficient if you run things.

The hardest thing will be the character models and animation.  Though I can model well enough (screenshot attached), animation is difficult.  I may need to outsource the characters if I can.

So for a while at least, the characters will probably have to be non-animated.

[MaxKos]

                                               My hat goes off to you,

After so little time spent, great result, lovely conception, there are still a lot of people interested in this genre who would love to play a game like this but I know it takes a lot of time and effort which the average PC user doesn't appreciate and taking on a project like this is a man sized task and then some. I wait on developments to see how it goes.

Great work, keep it up.