Dig Build Defend BETA DEMO v1.1.28.1

Grab the BETA DEMO here!

With this being said I noticed some bugs already but I wanted to push the date and release something as promised, the next patch will resolve the sound issues, and a few cosmetic ones, and a few gameplay ones, not quiet the example I'm looking for but, this is the example of challenge modes.

The Main Adventure story mode will go SOMETHING like this:

-You start off on your home base with some structures tell you to dig down

-Your home planet has health

-The golden hat or bacon has it's own pillar

-You then can get tech upgrades and have a set amount of time to dig and build structures

-You have a set amount of planets in a galaxy to discover once and destroy for ore

-You can use this ore to rebuild your own planet

-They're gone you win because there's no more people to try to steal your bacon or hat

That's the basics, then these challenge modes will unlock other levels, ACHIEVEMENTS, and multiplayer mode will come, at a very later date.

But for now, enjoy the game!

(The options save, so you can switch the sounds/music off if it's too loud)

The future!

This is a preview of the future graphics, along side ore that, drops to the ground and isn't based off a tile, dynamic water, bringing all of this game to life, but all of this will be after the beta DEMO.

Going to go on a 3 day bender to get this game done, Just for you guys (and myself)!

Build 23!

The core of the game is together, and, can now be expanded upon.

Bug list:

• Sounds
• Music
• Defend phase camera move
• Defend phase start intro
• Load Hiscores is broken
• Save Hiscores is broken
• Explosion graphic of the cows
• Cow centering when stepping on a land mine is off
• Level select complete doesn't unlock the next level
• Round over screen
• Working fuel
• Flamer needs all directions
• Other items in build mode
• Debris scanner no debris off ore
• Debris scanner no debris off roots
• Make ore span from dense ore
• Tweak the ore so it spawns at a certain depth better
• Roots
• Ice and snow count as dirt
• Player up arm movements
• Flowing water
• Mouse menu doesn't hover correctly, the text only half hovers, the size of the text isn't correct.
• Alt-Tab focusing issues crash (If you alttab for 10 seconds and don't have it focused the game crashes!)
• When the user tabs back into the game it makes the enemies 'fling' across


Click here to download!

Ore! and Caves!

-Fixed the caves

-Fixed the ore

I need to fix the water, I've taken it out for now, I'll put it in once I got some type of flowing going on.

TODO (Crossing off what I have done):

1. Allow you to buy mines tie the cost value to them and grey out everything but mines.
2. Mines can only be placed on surfaces, and not mid air.
3. Have the defend phase be all about defending with mines (So far), so I have the timer, and waves working.
4. Clean up and make sure the entire core of the game mechanics work.
5. Depending on the time, and what not, release the BETA Demo for people to try (I want more weapons working though but lets see how much time I actually have).

Then people will get more of an idea of what's going on.

Build 22

Build 22 is up near to what I had before, I rebuilt the engine into something WAY better and sexier, you can't place items down yet and it does nothing in the defend phase, but the shell of the whole game is there now, and you guys can get more of an idea of what the games suppose to be.

Thought I would update the download link to the right, since it's a build that's no longer got the content we're trying to show.

SO CLOSE I CAN TASTE THE BASIC CONCEPT!

Maybe, in the defend phase you refuel your mech, and pilot the towers, and the bacon that the cows drop can be sold for ore and materials ;).

Build Number 21

On the steam group I released A build 21 version, this is how the new-game looks It's sort of similar but still no playable demo, the dev mode is a bit of fun though. Still gotta get those trees randomizing. But either way enjoy it, next build, I'll put back in the cave generation, water that flows to some degree and get the build phase to place down all the items, maybe try and attempt fixing the trees.

Then there's the defend phase after that, and we should be on track!

How to install Dig! Build! Defend!

Going by the recent searches some people are trying to google how to install DBD.

The alpha (to the right) is XNA v3.1.

1) Click that alpha to the right
2) Let it download
3) Unzip it with winRAR (www.rarlab.com/download.htm)
4) Double click the install file
5) It will download XNA, and what you need to run the game

How to uninstall

1) Goto control panels
2) Goto Add/Remove programs
3) Right click Dig_Build_Defend or Downs_Engine
4) Uninstall!

You don't need to search up and download XNA 64 bit because the installer should take care of you.

Reply to this post or on the steam group if you have any problems.

Steam group is up!

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/digbuilddefend

To hit a larger playerbase, not everyone has twitter, but if you join up with the steam group it'll show your support for this project! Leave comments in that comment section, and keep an eye on the twitter for updates!

This blog: Used for mega updates
Twitter: On the flyupdates
Steamgroup: Leave comments and ideas

There's an idea about a google voting thing, I haven't manage to find something like that, there's google community, if anyone knows what that is let me know so I can put down a bunch of ideas and the community can vote for them.

Dig Mode

-Dig mode is getting setup, should be done tomorrow.

-I want to aim to get the build-phase setup also.

I'll post when the next phase looks complete-ish! Keep an EYE on the twitter, It's where all the minor updates I do go!

UFOS!

-Added a toggle text for the debug text
-UFO's apparently spawn and work awesomely!

Time for a recap

(Development mode with cows and mines)

ALOT has been done this week I'll recap what we've done, from memory!

-New UI

-"Dev Mode"

-Mines WORK

-Cows animate

-Cows have collisions

-Cows wander around and graze

-Bunch of fixes

Upcoming this week:

-Tweaks to the explosions, and make the mines generate a particle

-UFO Beaming the cows down as they move towards the bacon/hat

-Cow death animation from exploding mines

-Maybe a turret that shoots projectiles

-Other various cleanups, like the cows to die if they hit off screen

If we finish this weeks tasks:

-Implement Demo gamemode

-Fix up that to have players and 1 turret and mines

-Hi-Score

-Other turrets and fixes

-Other enemies.

Then that's a DEMO out, and you guys can get your grubby little hands on it :).

Show your SUPPORT. Follow me on Twitter! let us know what GAME MODES you guys want to see!

I'll even make a SEMI MINECRAFT mode! you just have to LET US KNOW, and SHOW YOUR SUPPORT! Just click it so I know who's out there! :) Or even reply down below! 

We don't mind!

New UIs Incoming

Just thought I'd post what the new (and refined, to be honest) UIs are going to look like.

DIG:

• Removed X and Y coordinate tabs

• Removed Score tab from Dig UI because the user will only score points for defeating enemies.

• Removed "Ammo" and "Armor" meters. The mech shouldn't be in any danger of taking damage during digging, and both his digging torch and his movements will use fuel. The player will be given more fuel to account for this.

• The plan right now is for each of the material slots (Dirt, Tin, etc.) to hold 100 of each. So if you see the meter at about halfway, you'll know you're probably somewhere near 50. Once you pick up the maximum of that slot, you will no long be able to pick up any more of that material.

BUILD:

• As you can see with the other two screens, everything is modular now, so changing resolutions shouldn't be a problem. The pieces can shift along the edges and space out or tighten together depending on your selected resolution. Cool beans.

• Moved Cost tab from lower to upper portion, so it is more evident that when you click something, it's cost will show up right next to it.

• The Material meters are a bit more streamlined so the player has a bit better idea of how much of each material they have.

• Shortened the map movement buttons a bit to match the height of the Material meters

• Gave the Defend button a bit more prominence for added visual importance.

DEFEND:

This screen is new to the mix, so it may change. A counter for how many enemies you have killed, a counter for how many are remaining, and a counter for what wave you are on. Still not sure if I should make a dedicated tab for score, or if it should be a floating tally at the bottom of the screen. We'll see.

Take a look, and feel free to make use of the comments section.

Say hello...

...to a soldier in the alien army.

...to one of the enemies who is going to try and take your bacon.

...to a cruel and unfeeling adversary who will stop at nothing until you and everything you love is destroyed.

...to your worst nightmare.

Water pixel movement Idea!

Frostydown's water collision 2!

You have your tiles, 32x32 pixels. brown = ground, blue = water.

Just say the water that was placed on this block is 32 pixels. 

Have this tile *shrink* it's tile height as it loses water so, we place down the water tile then we check lef, right, down, not up because we don't want to go up. 

We could add a particle to show the direction it's moving, THEN the tile that gains 1 pixel extends 1 pixel and the original tile loses 1 so in this case because of the left and right spare space we lose 2 pixels.

It would recheck where a tile is and move down if it has no base! 

You then get it moving off the edge if there was a left and right and bottom tile we would stop falling!

And this is how you do pixel 'flowing' water. I don't think there's a better idea other than some cosmetic stuff.

Also you don't have to redraw the tile, only at it's destination, run a particle system to deal with this.

Dev Mode

(Current Dev Mode)

Now a little bit about Dev mode.

Q: What's dev mode?

A: Develement mode is there to help game creators test features, 'What ifs' (Like what if that water was draw on the frontal layer instead of the back one, it's hand crafted and looks great), performance issues, anything really.

In my case i'm using it to test tiles, backdrops, how efficient everything is, how stuff looks, performance!, lighting,  particles that generate, player interaction, baddies AI interaction with surrounding objects, sound FX and music too!

Q: That's nice but, how does this help me? MAKE IT NOW!

A: Well I need to make sure all the bugs are out, game modes are working, projectiles blow up the ground (Maybe see if it's a ground break mechanic).

Q: Well what can I do?

A: Post in the comments, ideas you want to see, game modes, anything! even on Twitter!. Just to help us make this game brilliant.