Update 41: Code Reorganization

This last week has been productive and I have almost completed path finding! This involved a complete reorganization of the code files to implement namespaces. The new structure really enabled me to connect all the pieces together so that I can now click around my levels, moving my units from side to side. My new namespace structure looks like this:

Characters
--Actions
--Pathfinding
--UI
Common
LevelEnvironment
Main
--UI

I debated having UI at the root level with "Main" and "Character" children, but ultimately decided that these UI elements would be completely different. The diagram below should what the code map looks like after the new reorganization:

I've also developed a process to implement new features in a safe and comprehensive way, using several levels of prototyping. This is similar to branching, which many software development processes use (but I do not). My process usually starts with an almost blank level. Once the feature has been implemented, I usually integrate my new feature up to one of my intermediate test levels, testing in a controlled environment with a few buttons to test movement and shooting. This is typically my 'tank test' level which has a few static objects and buttons to constrict movement, almost in a unit test sort of way for regression testing. The final step of my process is to integrate in the feature with my actual game levels. This means it can take a while for a new feature to make it into the game, but it's also a comfortable way for me to test new features and not put them into the main game until I am ready. 

I've been using this with path finding really successfully, which is why I'm confident I will have it complete by the end of November.

Finally, I have the bug of the month. In the top design view panel, you can see an in progress picture with a sample level. All of the red nodes indicate areas that are not-walkable, generated by my path finding. In the bottom game view panel , you can see that... I have no grass/ground. Where did my ground go? It turned out it was a relatively simple problem, my camera had turned off the option to show the ground, but it did create a few interesting levels...

Update 28: Random Levels - Part 2

Happy with my new random levels, I quickly discovered that some of my map combinations didn't make much sense, especially when rivers or roads were involved. In the sample below, you can see two river tiles are connected with a tile with no river - it just doesn't look right.

To make better maps, I needed to a river/road to start on one edge and finish on the opposite edge. I started a prototype to solve the problem, migrating over a few level data structures from my game - fortunately my design and structures were generic enough to allow this. My initial plan was to take my level area, draw a continuous river/road across the level, and then fill in the blank tiles with random tiles. To work through this, I created a simple console application to output ASCII, using these tiles as samples:

╔0══╗╔1|═╗╔2══╗╔3|═╗╔4|═╗╔5══╗╔6══╗
║   ║║ | ║─────║ └────┘ ║──┐ ║║ ┌──
╚═══╝╚═|═╝╚═══╝╚═══╝╚═══╝╚═|═╝╚═|═╝

With the templates in place, I started work on the tiles. The first level, running my current level creation algorithm, looked like this, again highlighting how ridiculous this all looks:

Next, I went to work drawing the river first, and then filling in the remaining tiles. This wasn't too difficult, starting with a simple (3x3 level): 

...and scaled nicely, getting more complex quickly (8x8 level):

Finally, I adjusted the path-finding of the river, so that it wouldn't drop back on itself. Essentially, if I start from the left, let my river go up, down and right, but never backwards (left). The output looks like this:

This is exactly the result I was looking for. Additionally, it scales up easily, I ran some 100x100 samples in less than a second.  The next phase is to recreate these tiles in my game, the next post will be about this process. If you'd like to play with the prototype, I've posted the level creation tool online here.