Poll

What do you like doing most in RA2/RA3/robot combat games?

Building robots
Local single player battles with manually-controlled robots
Local multiplayer battles  with manually-controlled robots (PvP with controllers or a shared keyboard)
AI-only tournament battles
Other?  Please comment below.

Author Topic: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development  (Read 187389 times)

Offline cjbruce

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Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #100 on: November 20, 2017, 08:54:54 PM »
@tashic, @tomgsx, @AnarchyFox  and I have been tooling away for the past few weeks working on all sorts of things.  We wanted to get a new build out in time for Thanksgiving here in the US, so here is the latest!  Enjoy!

Windows Build: http://nerdislandstudios.com/robotrumble/windows/RobotRumbleWindowsBuild11-20-17.zip

Mac Build: http://nerdislandstudios.com/robotrumble/macos/builds-OSX11-20-17.app.zip

New for this build:
  • sound
  • camera shake
  • keyboard + gamepad support
  • rudimentary AI (drive toward target, fire weapon when close)
  • botlab chassis mesh builder
  • "Lava Pit" and "Warehouse" arenas

Arena:


Lava Pit:


Warehouse:
« Last Edit: December 05, 2017, 06:08:39 AM by cjbruce »

Offline Dreamcast

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Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #101 on: November 20, 2017, 09:00:48 PM »
I'm gonna download because I want that lava pit.

Offline cjbruce

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Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #102 on: November 20, 2017, 09:04:15 PM »
I'm gonna download because I want that lava pit.

No damage system is in place yet, but the pit exists! Progress! :)

Also, the AI doesn't realize the pit exists either, so...

Offline cjbruce

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Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #103 on: November 20, 2017, 09:06:14 PM »
...and saving the best for last, here is a first look at the BotLab (@AnarchyFox  - design, @tashic - interface and logic):

A long shot of the workbench:


A closeup of a robot being built using @tashic's mesh builder:
« Last Edit: December 05, 2017, 06:08:09 AM by cjbruce »

Offline Thyrus

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Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #104 on: November 21, 2017, 12:29:36 AM »
This already looks better than ra3 guys. Amazing job. Need to test it when I get home

Offline cjbruce

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Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #105 on: November 21, 2017, 04:48:40 PM »
This already looks better than ra3 guys. Amazing job. Need to test it when I get home

Thank you for the kind words!

We are doing the best we can, but we still have a long way to go before the game is as good as RA2/RA3.

Speaking of a that, I just uploaded a new version with damage and heat in the 2-Player arenas.  The game is now playable as a game!

Here are the new links:

Windows Build - http://nerdislandstudios.com/robotrumble/windows/RobotRumbleWindowsBuild11-21-17.zip

Mac Build - http://nerdislandstudios.com/robotrumble/macos/builds-OSX11-21-17.app.zip

Enjoy!  :smile:
« Last Edit: November 22, 2017, 06:53:52 AM by cjbruce »

Offline sk8rjess

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Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #106 on: November 25, 2017, 03:50:14 PM »
I signed up just to post. I'm pretty excited about the development and time you guys have put into this. I'm a web dev but you guys make me want to learn unity so I can help. Keep up the good work.. seriously so stoked for this.

I will say I think your latest build had some issues. When starting in 1p i couldn't control carbide. Original sin and eruption did their own thing as if it wanted to have a UI but didn't know what to do. the workshop didn't do anything for me either.

Offline Tashic

Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #107 on: November 25, 2017, 04:31:25 PM »
Right now is in very early development so you can expect bugs and issues as a lot of things we are still figuring out.
But good to see we are getting some attention!

Also what about the workshop didn't feel right? Again, still in development and things aren't really explained to the player at the moment.

Offline Asbestosstar

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Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #108 on: November 25, 2017, 05:29:17 PM »
I signed up just to post. I'm pretty excited about the development and time you guys have put into this. I'm a web dev but you guys make me want to learn unity so I can help. Keep up the good work.. seriously so stoked for this.

I will say I think your latest build had some issues. When starting in 1p i couldn't control carbide. Original sin and eruption did their own thing as if it wanted to have a UI but didn't know what to do. the workshop didn't do anything for me either.

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Offline FOTEPX

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Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #109 on: November 25, 2017, 05:37:15 PM »
So, the next things you need to add, ordered from easiest to hardest-

Recognition of OOTA's/Pittings (Will allow for more strategy)

Limited battery life/flipper gas (Eruption can just flip forever right now)

Fix the Warehouse's cameras (I tried a test fight and couldn't see anything)

Smoke/fire effects for damaged components (Good visual indicator, plus adds some flair)

Ability to rip off components (I know it's possible because they fly off when you disable an opponent, but I haven't been able to rip off a single wheel or anything like that)

1 more robot, then support for up to 4 AI's at once (The dream is of course to be able to do massive multi-bot rumbles at some point.)

Softbody physics (yeah this is never happening)


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Offline Dadddjent

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Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #110 on: November 25, 2017, 06:53:20 PM »
THIS LOOKS ****IN SWEET MAN
LORDSLUDGE

Offline cjbruce

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Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #111 on: November 25, 2017, 07:05:07 PM »
I signed up just to post. I'm pretty excited about the development and time you guys have put into this. I'm a web dev but you guys make me want to learn unity so I can help. Keep up the good work.. seriously so stoked for this.

I will say I think your latest build had some issues. When starting in 1p i couldn't control carbide. Original sin and eruption did their own thing as if it wanted to have a UI but didn't know what to do. the workshop didn't do anything for me either.

We are thrilled that you are excited about it!  It helps to have people excited about the project when there is so much work left to do.

I think one of the lessons learned on this particular build is to not enable any functions that shouldn’t be tested.  At this point the “1 Player” menu option is redundant, and we haven’t bothered to get rid of it, as it doesn’t do anything that the “2 Player” mode does.  Likewise for the “2P Test” menu option.  We use it to test out new ideas that will eventually be migrated into the game.

The BotLab is partially functional at this point. You can create 3D meshes and assemble the meshes you have created in any size and orientation.  It is pretty neat that it works, but it isn’t obvious how it works at this point.  Once all of the functionality exists, we will need to do a lot of UI/UX work and testing to make robot building as smooth and intuitive as possible.

We will try to post our development here, but I encourage you to sign up for the mailing list on www.robot-rumble.com to receive news and updates.  We will also be using the mailing list to sign people up for beta testing when we are ready for it.  It is still pretty early in the development cycle, but I am hoping to be ready for beta in about 12 months.

Offline cjbruce

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Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #112 on: November 25, 2017, 07:14:47 PM »
So, the next things you need to add, ordered from easiest to hardest-

Recognition of OOTA's/Pittings (Will allow for more strategy)

Limited battery life/flipper gas (Eruption can just flip forever right now)

Fix the Warehouse's cameras (I tried a test fight and couldn't see anything)

Smoke/fire effects for damaged components (Good visual indicator, plus adds some flair)

Ability to rip off components (I know it's possible because they fly off when you disable an opponent, but I haven't been able to rip off a single wheel or anything like that)

1 more robot, then support for up to 4 AI's at once (The dream is of course to be able to do massive multi-bot rumbles at some point.)

Softbody physics (yeah this is never happening)

Thanks for the encouragement!

Regarding OOTA/pitting, I am just starting to go through the DSL AI .py files now to figure out how to implement tactics to take advantage of arena hazards.  I will start by hard-coding tactics, but at some point I want to figure out how to integrate tactics building directly into the BotLab.  Ideally, there should be a way to do this that gives all of the flexibility of Python, but is easy to use, and is built right into the game’s UI.

Softbody physics would be great, but we are trying to be very careful to not overload the CPU, and to do deformable bodies we would need to add a lot more vertices.  The option isn’t off the table, but it is competing with other things like more robots, increasing framerate, and particle systems.

In general, though, the damage system needs to “feel right”, and it doesn’t at this point.  I’m hoping to this out over the next few months.

Offline kix

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Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #113 on: November 26, 2017, 05:13:39 AM »
This version is just nice. There is some stuff to do tho.. most of it is already said soo..
If you need arenas i can make some (you will need 3ds max skills tho)
Ive been messing in botlab and made this... (Still wishing for that sketchup mode of building. Maybe add an extenstion to port designs from 3dsmax or sketchup to the game)
windowsbuild11-21-17 2017-11-26 10-39-34-892-1.jpg

Offline Hoppin

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Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #114 on: November 26, 2017, 10:41:54 AM »
Been loving it so far, though I've noticed a few bugs and issues. 1 is that Eruption turns really slowly, making it a bit sluggish to drive and that it doesn't actually pivot where the wheels are. 2. With the camera when I set it to a camera other than 1 and fire the weapon it'll swap camera usually back to camera 1 but sometimes it's change to camera 2. And finally when you destroy carbide the bar can still damage you, which I do find entertaining but would be frustrating in melee's n what not. This is still in great condition so far and I cannot wait to see what you'll add next.  :bigsmile:
Things I did & done

Offline cjbruce

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Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #115 on: November 26, 2017, 04:48:12 PM »
This version is just nice. There is some stuff to do tho.. most of it is already said soo..
If you need arenas i can make some (you will need 3ds max skills tho)
Ive been messing in botlab and made this... (Still wishing for that sketchup mode of building. Maybe add an extenstion to port designs from 3dsmax or sketchup to the game)
 [ Quoting of attachment images from other messages is not allowed ]

Thanks!

When you said you are wishing for "that sketchup mode of building", are you referring to a UI that is similar to Google Sketchup, or are you thinking that there should be a way to import models created in Sketchup?  If it is the former, do you have any ideas about how to make the UI more user-friendly?

Offline sk8rjess

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Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #116 on: November 26, 2017, 06:44:46 PM »
Right now is in very early development so you can expect bugs and issues as a lot of things we are still figuring out.
But good to see we are getting some attention!

Also what about the workshop didn't feel right? Again, still in development and things aren't really explained to the player at the moment.

Could have just been my system but I was unable to do anything. I understand the development stage, but I felt like I should have been able to at least click and drag to model as it seems others have been able to do?

Welcome to the forum

Thank you! Long time RA2 player here. I even used the bot builder back in high school to help model flyers for a robot fighting tourney.


We are thrilled that you are excited about it!  It helps to have people excited about the project when there is so much work left to do.

I think one of the lessons learned on this particular build is to not enable any functions that shouldn’t be tested.  At this point the “1 Player” menu option is redundant, and we haven’t bothered to get rid of it, as it doesn’t do anything that the “2 Player” mode does.  Likewise for the “2P Test” menu option.  We use it to test out new ideas that will eventually be migrated into the game.

The BotLab is partially functional at this point. You can create 3D meshes and assemble the meshes you have created in any size and orientation.  It is pretty neat that it works, but it isn’t obvious how it works at this point.  Once all of the functionality exists, we will need to do a lot of UI/UX work and testing to make robot building as smooth and intuitive as possible.

We will try to post our development here, but I encourage you to sign up for the mailing list on www.robot-rumble.com to receive news and updates.  We will also be using the mailing list to sign people up for beta testing when we are ready for it.  It is still pretty early in the development cycle, but I am hoping to be ready for beta in about 12 months.

Signed up! I'll remember that for 1 player. Keep up the great work guys.

Offline cjbruce

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Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #117 on: November 27, 2017, 09:35:37 AM »
Right now is in very early development so you can expect bugs and issues as a lot of things we are still figuring out.
But good to see we are getting some attention!

Also what about the workshop didn't feel right? Again, still in development and things aren't really explained to the player at the moment.

Could have just been my system but I was unable to do anything. I understand the development stage, but I felt like I should have been able to at least click and drag to model as it seems others have been able to do?

To edit something in the BotLab:

1. Click "Structure Workshop".
2. Under "Structure List", select "Chassis".
3. Click "Edit".
4. Click "Custom".
5. Draw a shape using the tool.
6. Click "Add layer" to make the shape into a 3D mesh.
7. ***Use the middle mouse button to rotate the shape around so you can see it in 3D.
8. You can go back and edit each layer of points to get the desired shape.
9. When you are happy, hit "Next".
10. Pick a setting for the Collision Generator.
11. Click "Save" to save the shape.
12. The new shape is now added to the "Shape List".

NOTE*** - The current UI relies on the middle mouse button to rotate the view.  If you are using a trackpad on a laptop, you are currently out of luck.  I am hoping to add trackpad support in a future build, as I use a MacBook Air as my daily driver, and I hate to carry a mouse around with me if I don't have to.
« Last Edit: November 27, 2017, 01:28:50 PM by cjbruce »

Offline cjbruce

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Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #118 on: December 22, 2017, 10:36:27 AM »
We've been busy creating over the past month, and are hoping to put together a build in the next day or two (Merry Christmas!).  In advance of that, here are a few of the things we have been working on:

1. BotLab - The chassis builder is really close.  Now @Tashic is working on the ability to add components.  Right now, there is only one component in the list, a 10" AmpFlow wheel.

2. Navmesh - We are using the new Unity NavMeshSurface component to dynamically generate Navmeshes.  This will allow for robots to navigate through user-generated arenas.

3. AI Pathfinding Lines - The current build draws lines to indicated where each robot is currently trying to drive to.  This includes pathfinding around obstacles.  It is really interesting to watch as each robot shifts its target path as it moves.

4. Pneumatics system components - Eruption is using a new pneumatics system behind the scenes in this build, with three new components: CO2 Cylinder, Buffer Tank, and Piston.  This new system will be incorporated into the BotLab in the "Actuators" section in a future build.  In order to build a pneumatics system in the game, there are four key attributes:
a. CO2 tank capacity - Dictates how many "shots" can be fired before running out of gas.
b. Buffer tank capacity - Controls the shape of the pressure vs extension curve for the piston.  In particular, this dictates the amount of pressure the piston sees when the piston is fully extended.
c. Piston stroke length - This controls the geometry of the system.  A longer flipper stroke means a greater flipper actuation distance, but also a lower pressure at full extension, and more gas used.
d. Piston diameter - This controls the force exerted by the piston.  A larger diameter piston means more force (proportional to diameter squared), but more gas used per stroke.

5. Arena Builder (PREVIEW COMING SOON!) - The arena builder is still in its infancy.  I don't think we will be ready to preview the arena builder on the next build, but hopefully we will have something to show soon!

6. Sumo Basho Arena - @AnarchyFox was kind enough to port this one over from a previous project.  It is super simple, looks great, and works really well for testing basic robot AI.

7. 5-Robot Limit - We are pushing the CPU really hard, and it looks like the limit to the number of robots in a given match is somewhere between 5-6 robots.  We are including a 5-player version of the "Test Arena" so people can see how chaotic things can get with 5 robots in one battle.

Offline dragonsteincole

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Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #119 on: December 22, 2017, 10:56:29 AM »
I like the idea of the pneumatic system having its own individual components. it feels like those parts could be adapted to serve in a similar fashion in crusher/hydraulic systems as well.