Aevolution / News: Recent posts

Aevolution development is back again, and this time we (I) mean business. It's almost a year since I first started, and in the intervening months I've learnt enough about game programming to actually make a decent attempt at things this time. Look out for more news soon; in the meantime, head over to the forums at http://forum.aevolve.com for more action.

Version 0.0.2 is now available for general consumption. The only real change in this release is the new installer, although a few other things have been tweaked or changed.

Link? http://aevolve.com/wiki/index.php?title=Download

After the so-called 'release' of version 0.0.1, work on 0.0.2 is... underway. Already I've added a Windows installer into the mix, and creating an installer is now only three clicks on my part, so that's all good.

Expect to see the release of 0.0.2 sometime within the next few days; while it won't have many features, it will at least be easy to install.

The first ever release - 0.0.1 - is out, and while it does qualify as a release the installation process is less than simple.

This release is strictly for those interested in development only. A more easy-to-install version will be appearing starting with 0.0.2.

The forums are the next thing to get a redesign, and the new theme has been implemented and put up. There are still a few bits that need work - not all the buttons have been done, for example - but at least there's a list of links down the side and the theme is darker.

The Aevolution website has been created and uploaded to its new home at aevolve.com. If you're reading this news item from there, then good going!

Work is progressing (not much else it can do, I guess...). New this week:

- A more intelligent camera that doesn't go through walls (but also doesn't really chase the car too well either)
- Shaders, adding a nice glow effect to make things look a bit better
- Definition files for tracks, cars and wheels, to allow easy setting of their properties.
- Wheel placement has been moved back into the main car model and wheels no longer need to be separate, just labelled appropriately.
- The first test version of an actual track has arrived, and works quite well, no slowdown in the engine at all. Now it just needs texturing.... read more

The main code base is now nearing the initial milestone, and a tech demo release is looking closer by the minute. I'll be sticking a new, improved advert for artists up later; we do really need more help in that area.

Work is progressing smoothly, but is going to be interrupted by my laptop needing repair. However, so far:

- The menu system is working, and while it needs some more zest it works for now.

- Physics is fully working - ODE is integrated and working well, and quite a few cubes have been bounced around the track and smashed out of piles, etc.

- Collision detection works great - the game currently collides every single polygon on the track, which runs surprisingly fast. I'll move to separate collision meshes at some point, though.... read more

OK, so the project has just been approved, and everything is looking peachy.

A few notes at this point:

There is already some code laid down for the engine; currently, this supports a splash screen or two, some menus and a race mode, in which you can only move the car backwards and forwards, and where the physics consists only of the ability to stop completely when something is touched.

The code is currently only 29 hours old, although the models and artwork is a bit older. So, good progress so far.... read more