PS-Tech-1
From Pigasoftware
PS-Tech-1 (also sometimes called PS Tech 1 or simply PS-Tech or PS Tech) is a proposed three dimensional engine that Piga Software is planing to develop with Gambas 2. It is named in homage of the id Software engines ("id tech" engines). It is intended to take advantage of the new Mesa3D abilities of Gambas 2. It is wished to be used in a number of conceptual projects such as Rebirth and the long thought of Inferno. The main intent is that it is going to actually be derived from Gambas Genie's upcoming version 0.3 only modified into true-3D with Mesa3D effects. The initial ideas are just to utilize Mesa3D in an engine of some form, possibly the Gambas Platform Engine, before any thing such as first person view points are added. Alike to other engine projects Graham Wilson is taking the most active role in development, he has a little three dimensional development experience but nothing akin to this. As such this will take the form of a steep learning curve, though he is determined to complete it. So far he has modified some of the Gambas 2 OpenGL examples, mostly involving interaction and model shape changes though as mentioned earlier most of its development is synchronized with that of Gambas Genie.
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History
2 Step
2 Step is a fake 3D first person projection engine first envisioned by Graham Wilson in the summer of 2005. At this time Piga Software had yet to acquire the full version of Game Maker 6.1 and he was frustrated by the fact that the pseudo-3D abilities of Game Maker were not allowed to be used in the shareware version. Based on this he decided to try and create a program, however limited, to fudge it. The result was a Game Maker engine that draws a cramp room in which the player can step forward, step backward, jump, crouch, and interact with any object within in the cramped corridor.
This was done by drawing four backgrounds in a first person perspective that simulated the player's two steps and jumping and crouching, and then switching the background when the player pressed the relevant key. He had trouble doing this with the background settings of a Game Maker room, but then after a coder epiphany he figured that he would just create an object to the draw the world. After this he made a short open ended game called Revenge which featured use of this engine, depicting an enraged space bounty hunter (ala Bobba Fett) charging his way through the corridors of an alien ship to avenge the death of his father. The artificial intelligence had aliens with both paced and rapid fire weapons, and it was vital once each room opened to do unto them before they killed the player. There were also light switches, various collectibles, and other items.
Several versions of this engine were played around with, including ones for Game Maker 5, QBasic 4.5, and Gambas.
Plans
Embodied Engine
"We know we would never beat in graphics the fine engines of id Software (Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Quake) or Wouter van Oortmerssen (Cube and Sauerbraten), instead we would intended to do what the Build engine was so famous for: be creative and add features that increase playability and immersion in other areas!
Embodied Engine: feel like you are really there. Look around, look down, and see your own body! See yourself pull out guns and interact with objects. Dish out hand gestures, and have various taunts and speech for each skin. Maybe even add some non-weapons that behave in a similar way, like lets say a flute or a violin. Also we could have it so the model is just the bare body, and then make it have customizable clothing, apparel, hair style, and even injuries. Basically making the game more realistic in the way things are customized rather than with fancy graphics" - Graham L. Wilson
Resource Packs
PS-Tech-1 Resource Pack
A proposed package for developers including many new skins, sounds, models, and objects.
PS-Tech-1 Unofficial Resource Pack
"Something we would do ourselves and only have Piga sanction it. It would contain recreations of items from other games, fight as Caleb from Blood with a Doom BFG against the Cycloid Emperor from Duke Nukem 3D. Or face off as B.J from Wolfenstein against a Mech from Shogo: Mobile Armour Division. Maybe even contain recreations of things from other game genres, have an AoE Axeman fight against MS Bots from FreeDroidRPG (thats right, free software games as well!). It would be the ultimate fan homage, to be used by the ultimate fans. All with the other creative advances we wish to include" - Graham L. Wilson
