Torque 3D Game Development Cookbook. Over 80 practical recipes and hidden gems for getting the most out of the Torque 3D game engine

Torque 3D Game Development Cookbook. Over 80 practical recipes and hidden gems for getting the most out of the Torque 3D game engine - Opis

Torque 3D is a popular game engine that supports you in every step along the way to making your game a reality. Even with all of the power and tools that Torque 3D provides, finishing a high quality 3D game requires time and knowledge.Torque 3D Game Development Cookbook is a practical guide that takes you through each of the major steps on the journey to creating your game, while learning a few tricks along the way.The recipes in this book start off with learning some of the finer points about TorqueScript. The book then moves on to each of Torque 3D's subsystems and ends with a variety of game play recipes.The various topics covered include activating level-specific game code and scheduling game events, dragging and dropping items between windows to work with an in-game inventory system, and covering the seams between objects with well placed decals. Some of the advanced topics include writing custom shaders and postFX, using zones to improve rendering performance, and enhancing your game's ambience through sound.Once you are done with Torque 3D Game Development Cookbook you'll be on your way to creating amazing 3D games and gain expert knowledge of Torque 3D. Spis treści:
Torque 3D Game Development Cookbook
Table of Contents
Torque 3D Game Development Cookbook
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Support files, eBooks, discount offers and more
Why Subscribe?
Free Access for Packt account holders
Preface
What this book covers
What you need for this book
Who this book is (...) więcej for
Conventions
Reader feedback
Customer support
Downloading the color images of this book
Downloading the example code
Errata
Piracy
Questions
1. TorqueScript: The Only Script You Need to Know
Introduction
Accessing delimited fields within a string
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
Theres more...
Skipping spaces (only tab and new line delimiters)
Skipping spaces and tabs (only new line delimiters)
See also
Iterating on words in a string list
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
See also
Retrieving components of a variable using accessors
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
See also
Iterating on objects in a SimSet or SimGroup collection
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
See also
Getting a random object from a SimSet or SimGroup collection
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
See also
Finding an object in a SimSet or SimGroup collection using its internal name
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Including children SimSet and SimGroup collections in the search
Using the special - operator
Using the special -- operator
See also
Executing a method on a SimSet or SimGroup collection
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
See also
Creating a new SimObject instance
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Creating a new SimObject instance with a globally unique name
Creating a new SimObject instance with defined properties
Creating a new SimObject instance based on another SimObject instance
See also
Creating a new internal name only SimObject instance
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
See also
Creating a new Datablock object
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Creating a new Datablock object based on another Datablock object
Limited total number of Datablocks
The datablock keyword should only be used on the server
Datablock properties should be considered static
See also
Creating a new singleton
How to do it...
How it works...
See also
Extending a SimObject instance using the class property
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Working with a class namespace after object creation
Extending even further with the superClass property
Understanding the namespace hierarchy
Limitations of the class property
See also
Using a variable to access methods or properties of a SimObject instance
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
See also
Using call() to call a variable method on a SimObject instance with arguments
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
See also
Using call() to call a variable function with arguments
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
See also
Using script arrays as dictionaries
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
See also
Using ArrayObject and custom script sorting callbacks
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
See also
Scheduling SimObject methods
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
See also
Scheduling functions
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
See also
Activating and deactivating a package
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
2. Working with Your Editors
Introduction
Setting up fogging of the level
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Fog and the ScatterSky class
How to cover seams and texture changes using decals placed in the World Editor
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Working with decal instances
TSStatic shapes and decalType property
Copying the transform of an object to another in the World Editor window
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Copying only position (or rotation, or scale) of an object
Nudging the selected object
Rotating an object using degrees
Manipulating more than one object
How to change the material of an object in the World Editor
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Modifying materials that do not start with base_
Skinning multiple materials at once
Setting up a glow mask using the Material Editor window
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Effect of alpha threshold on glow
Using more than one material
Using a convex shape as a zone
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Quickly zoning a level
Game engine performance considerations
See also
Setting zone-specific ambient lighting
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
See also
Grouping adjacent zones together
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
See also
3. Graphical User Interface
Introduction
Creating a password text edit box
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Using pushDialog() and popDialog() and setting up the UI file to work with them
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Executing the .gui file of the dialog box
Standard dialog box callbacks
Making a non-modal dialog box
Difference between pushDialog() and setContent()
Using a different root control for the dialog box
Displaying metrics (such as FPS) from the console
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
A list of all standard metrics
Creating game-specific metrics
Displaying a list of all game objects
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
Displaying a level at the main menu
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Making the main menu level more interesting
Performance considerations
Dragging and dropping between two windows
Getting ready
How to do it
How it works...
There's more...
Dialog boxes and the drag-and-drop operation
How to use the inventory and paper doll windows in a game
How to pass along game play information with the dragged controls
4. Camera and Mouse Controls
Introduction
Locking and hiding the mouse while the right mouse button is down
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Clicking on an object in the scene (client-side)
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Collision mesh required
Client-side-only limitations
Single-player games
Type masks
See also
Clicking on an object in the scene (server-side)
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Collision mesh required
See also
Picking up an item in the scene while the mouse is locked and hidden
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
See also
Changing the camera's view and control mode
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
See also
Giving the camera smooth movement
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Camera speed boost and brakes using triggers
Smooth camera rotation
Having the camera follow a path
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Maximum size of node list
Manually stopping and changing direction
Node callback
5. Your Graphics Evolved
Introduction
Using the built-in video recording
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Playing back Theora videos on Windows
Record to individual PNG frames
Changing the material of a ShapeBase object using script
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
The setSkinName() method needs to be called on the server
Multiplayer considerations
Player class considerations
See also
Building a custom material
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Using named render targets as sampler data sources
Single pass only
Passing defines to the shader compiler using ShaderData
Working with a custom GFXStateBlockData class
See also
Building a custom material using advanced lighting
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
See also
Building a postFX
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Dynamically changing a postFX's texture
Defining shader macros
Chaining multiple postFX together
See also
6. Make That Sound Happen
Introduction
Playing a quick 2D or 3D sound on all clients
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Limitations of ServerPlay2D
Limitations of ServerPlay3D
Local client sound playing equivalent
See also
Using SFXEmitter to create networked sound effects
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Dynamically creating the sound source
Using a mono sound source
Sounds not fading with distance
See also
Playing a sound on a ShapeBase object
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
See also
Playing music while a level is loading
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
How to have a background sound for a level
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
How to have music change according to the mood
Getting ready
How to do it
How it works...
There's more...
SFXState activations are reference counted
Having more than one active SFXState instance
Triggering an event during sound playback
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Only on client
Markers on an SFXEmitter class
Problem with looped sounds
See also
7. Game Objects
Introduction
Playing an animation sequence on a TSStatic class
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
See also
Playing an animation sequence on a ShapeBase class
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Pausing an animation sequence playback
Jumping to a location in timeline of an animation sequence
Changing playback direction and speed of a sequence
See also
How to make it rain using a Precipitation object
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Sprite sheet for drops and splashes
Using a shader for drops and splashes
Precipitation at a fixed location
Modifying precipitation over time
Global control of Precipitation drop density
See also
Using the Lightning object to automatically create a thunderstorm
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Striking a player or vehicle
Manual lightning strikes
See also
Using the TimeOfDay object to generate events
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Setting up the ScatterSky class for night
Manually modifying the time of day
See also
8. Multiplayer Servers
Introduction
How to start a dedicated server
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
The -game parameter
The -level parameter
Shutting down a dedicated server
See also
What ports are needed to be open or forwarded for a multiplayer server
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Changing the port used by the game server
Master server considerations
Playing over a LAN
Passing arbitrary parameters from the client to the server
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
How to become an admin on a server
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Different types of administrators
Administrator password is server wide
Kicking and banning people from the server
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Kicking or banning a player by name
Remotely kicking or banning a player
See also
Stopping a server from restarting when the last player leaves
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
See also
Accessing the server connection from the client
How to do it...
See also
How to access all client connections from the server
How to do it...
How it works...
See also
Broadcasting a message to all clients and having it displayed in the center of the screen
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Manually clearing the center print message
Individual client version of center print
9. Importance of Networking
Introduction
Sending a network event from the client to the server
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Packed network strings
Packed empty strings
Packed network integers
Handling floating point numbers
See also
Sending a network event from the server to the client
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
See also
Connecting as a TCP client
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Sending data to a server
Connecting and disconnecting
Success callbacks
Failure callbacks
See also
Setting up a TCP server
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Handling more than one connection
Dropping a connection
See also
Connecting as an HTTP client
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Separating the HTTP header and body
Processing an XML response
See also
Using an RSS feed for game news, message of the day, or other client messages
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
See also
How to activate, deactivate, and use Telnet for console access
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Disabling remote console access once it has been enabled
Telnet is not secure
10. Miscellaneous Gameplay Features
Introduction
How to have a sprinting player use up energy
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Balance energy drain versus recharge rate
Modifying other sprint limitations
Disabling sprint
Enabling and disabling air control
How to do it...
How it works...
How to jump jet
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Jump jet animation sequence
Disabling jump jetting
More control over the jump jet
See also
Adjusting the fire spread of a weapon
How to do it...
How it works...
Changing the number of shots fired from a weapon
How to do it...
How it works...
See also
Making a weapon use energy rather than ammo
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
See also
Finding objects in range
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Obtaining the distance to a found object
Obtaining the distance to the closest point to a found object
Searching for all objects of a particular type
A very quick search test
Performing a ray cast search of the scene graph
See also
Using the message producer/consumer system
Getting ready
How to do it...
How it works...
There's more...
Removing a listener from all event messages
Peeking into an EventManager instance
Index O autorze: David Wyand has been using GarageGames' Torque Game Engine for the past 10 years. Among his other interestes are 3D graphics applications, computer networking and Artificial Intelligence for computer games. mniej