brother_soifran
Look, Ma! Two Heads!
very nice 
Project announcement: Zero-Projekt
- Thread starter chewie
- Start date
Look, Ma! Two Heads!
shihonage
Made in USSR
The armor looks and animations are great !
..scary...
FirstOfficer
First time out of the vault
Looks fantastic!
Keep up the good work - the animations look great!
Keep up the good work - the animations look great!
By the way. Maybe this thread should go into the general gaming forum? Because this hasn't anything to do with Fallout modding now. 
Continuum
Vault Fossil
Yep, animations are looking great.
Do you guys have a plans to implement layered sprites at some stage?
Do you guys have a plans to implement layered sprites at some stage?
The last time I asked, the answer was a clear no because of technical stuff or whatsoever.
Unno said:~..my weak spot - coats...
Heh. Same here.
Actually, the need for coats (*g*) contributed a lot to the idea that the player should be able to wear his prefered armor in the late game, too. (that's why leather coats can be upgraded
)Continuum said:
Moin
The armor special has a section called "Why is Zero not using animation-overlays?" - which should cover your question, too. (layered sprites and animation overlays are the same technique).
Lexx said:
AFAIK this issue was already discussed - both the FIFE and Zero threads are tolerated on this board. (maybe only because of historical reasons).
So if any of the mods reads this - how's your opinion about that?
I've no personal preference here, that's something the other users have to decide.
@all
Thanks for your encouraging feedback - we really appreciate that
cheers,
chewie
Continuum
Vault Fossil
Since you mentioned FOT there: they only used crappy "team" colors, weapons were still in old Fallout formula. Even Crusader: No Remorse from 1995 had each weapon looks different when placed in hands thing (and X-Com too!chewie said:
).Anyway, to not go into offtopic too much... cloth simulation on that Leather coat thing is looking really sweet. I assume you've used a Blender's cloth there.
Continuum said:Since you mentioned FOT there: they only used crappy "team" colors, weapons were still in old Fallout formula. Even Crusader: No Remorse from 1995 had each weapon looks different when placed in hands thing (and X-Com too!chewie said:
Mmh.. that's interesting. (Crusader) I'll check that (just curious, not for Zero - there would be too much content to port / adjust)
Continuum said:
Jip
We mainly use OSS-Tools - like Blender. And yes, it took our artist quite some time to tell Blender that a coat doesn't behave like a plume. 
Zero-Projekt Website - ready for service
Some of you might already know it - our website got a complete overhaul. The changes took us nearly a week, but now we have finished - the Zero-Projekt website is back.
Many changes and improvements have been made. The forum software has been updated and we switched to a new CMS: Redaxo. (Which we would like to praise and approve at this opportunity )
The main drive for this relaunch was to improve the multilanguage aspect and the amount of information about our project. So you will not only find more articles on the main page - they were also completely translated to English. We also separated the forums from the website and introduced a new design for both the forums and the website.
Furthermore, there are some new subdomains available:
And - last but not least, we made RSS feeds available for the news (again, for both languages).
Special thanks go to our two community members batgilla and bumsbomber. Batgilla basically initiated the relaunch, and both he and bumsbomber supported us with ideas, remarks and hints during the whole process. Illustrated, that looked like this:
We hope you like our new website and we would also like to encourage you to send us feedback of all kind. If there is something you are still missing or minor hints - it doesn't matter. Just let us know
Cheers,
the Zero-Projekt
Some of you might already know it - our website got a complete overhaul.
The changes took us nearly a week, but now we have finished - the Zero-Projekt website is back. Many changes and improvements have been made. The forum software has been updated and we switched to a new CMS: Redaxo. (Which we would like to praise and approve at this opportunity
) The main drive for this relaunch was to improve the multilanguage aspect and the amount of information about our project. So you will not only find more articles on the main page - they were also completely translated to English. We also separated the forums from the website and introduced a new design for both the forums and the website.
Furthermore, there are some new subdomains available:
- de.zero-projekt.net - German website
- en.zero-projekt.net - English website
- forums.zero-projekt.net - Forums
And - last but not least, we made RSS feeds available for the news (again, for both languages).
Special thanks go to our two community members batgilla and bumsbomber. Batgilla basically initiated the relaunch, and both he and bumsbomber supported us with ideas, remarks and hints during the whole process. Illustrated, that looked like this:
We hope you like our new website and we would also like to encourage you to send us feedback of all kind. If there is something you are still missing or minor hints - it doesn't matter. Just let us know
Cheers,
the Zero-Projekt
Zero is growing older...
...although we didn´t keep you posted for quite some time about our progress. While we could start yet another story about problems with human resources - we decided to just welcome back two of our members who had quite a break: Shadowrunner and chewie. Welcome back folks
Youtube-Channel
Since development is picking back up we finally created the Youtube channel "Zero-Projekt TV" where our developers will post videos along with explanations of their work. Everybody is invited to watch our work - and maybe post some encouraging comments
Zero-Projekt TV on Youtube
Framework
Chewie made a lot of improvements to the Zero framework - e.g. the reintegration of our combat system, the preparation of the AI to fight in turn-based combat and the implementation of cover, just to name some.
The combat system we showed in the past was a prototype with a lot of temporary solutions (read: hacks) to make it work. The goal of the reintegration was to embed the system into all parts of the framework - which we achieved.
For the AI, we wrote some pathfinder code to let them navigate on a non-random basis - which is all FIFEs current solution has to offer (and doesn't make sense for combat solutions). Furthermore, this little module helps us to calculate a basic line of sight as well as the cover values all map objects have. Having that, shooting through walls is not longer possible - and fights in a forrest get really interesting - as every tree now provides cover for both the AI and the player. Also, there will be the chance to hit multiple npcs in a row - if the dice are with you.
The next big improvement is the integration of day-/night cycles which are based on a realistic algorithm, namely a cosinus curve. The changes from day to night are almost not noticeable - which creates a great atmosphere if you are once again surprised by the night. At this point we want to thank our team member Helios for his work on FIFE's renderer.
Of course there were a lot of bug fixes - along with first improvements of the usability of the client. (we even had an extra day only for that topic)
FIFE / C++
Helios is working on some interesting features in a sperate branche of the FIFE SVN. We already mentioned the LightRenderer in the past, which got quite some improvements. Also, he added SimpleLight, a faster way to create lightsources on the map as the previous solution (Lightmaps). Furthermore he tries to provide a flexible, easy to use and still powerful API. Here is a (german) quote by him about some of his efforts:
We also worked on the FIFedit, the official editor client of FIFE. Helios worked on 2 plugins to access and test the lightrenderer, and our ObjectEdit plugin got some bugfixes and updates as well.
FIFE itself has released a new version (0.3.0) and is heading for the next release - where the programmers of Zero are also heavily involved with.
Graphics and animations
Motivated by the progress of the programming department, Shadowrunner stepped in and gave one of our animated characters a complete overhaul. We can gladly announce that Zero now has it's first base character finished - which is a important step for our demo development. Well - at least having all important animations in place helps to create and test the game
Links
Regards,
the Zero-Projekt team
...although we didn´t keep you posted for quite some time about our progress. While we could start yet another story about problems with human resources - we decided to just welcome back two of our members who had quite a break: Shadowrunner and chewie. Welcome back folks
Youtube-Channel
Since development is picking back up we finally created the Youtube channel "Zero-Projekt TV" where our developers will post videos along with explanations of their work. Everybody is invited to watch our work - and maybe post some encouraging comments
Zero-Projekt TV on Youtube
Framework
Chewie made a lot of improvements to the Zero framework - e.g. the reintegration of our combat system, the preparation of the AI to fight in turn-based combat and the implementation of cover, just to name some.
The combat system we showed in the past was a prototype with a lot of temporary solutions (read: hacks) to make it work. The goal of the reintegration was to embed the system into all parts of the framework - which we achieved.
For the AI, we wrote some pathfinder code to let them navigate on a non-random basis - which is all FIFEs current solution has to offer (and doesn't make sense for combat solutions). Furthermore, this little module helps us to calculate a basic line of sight as well as the cover values all map objects have. Having that, shooting through walls is not longer possible - and fights in a forrest get really interesting - as every tree now provides cover for both the AI and the player. Also, there will be the chance to hit multiple npcs in a row - if the dice are with you.
The next big improvement is the integration of day-/night cycles which are based on a realistic algorithm, namely a cosinus curve. The changes from day to night are almost not noticeable - which creates a great atmosphere if you are once again surprised by the night. At this point we want to thank our team member Helios for his work on FIFE's renderer.
Of course there were a lot of bug fixes - along with first improvements of the usability of the client. (we even had an extra day only for that topic)
FIFE / C++
Helios is working on some interesting features in a sperate branche of the FIFE SVN. We already mentioned the LightRenderer in the past, which got quite some improvements. Also, he added SimpleLight, a faster way to create lightsources on the map as the previous solution (Lightmaps). Furthermore he tries to provide a flexible, easy to use and still powerful API. Here is a (german) quote by him about some of his efforts:
We also worked on the FIFedit, the official editor client of FIFE. Helios worked on 2 plugins to access and test the lightrenderer, and our ObjectEdit plugin got some bugfixes and updates as well.
FIFE itself has released a new version (0.3.0) and is heading for the next release - where the programmers of Zero are also heavily involved with.
Graphics and animations
Motivated by the progress of the programming department, Shadowrunner stepped in and gave one of our animated characters a complete overhaul. We can gladly announce that Zero now has it's first base character finished - which is a important step for our demo development. Well - at least having all important animations in place helps to create and test the game
Links
Regards,
the Zero-Projekt team
Surf Solar
So Old I'm Losing Radiation Signs
Good to see the process.
shihonage
Made in USSR
Looking good !
4 years...
4 years ...
Unbelievable - Zero-Projekt is now 4 years old.
Believe it or not, Zero-Projekt survived 4 years. Now it is time for a little summary and a preview of future development.
The past years did not proceed as we intended to. Most of the team members had to fulfil their own private obligations, which slowed down the development. Nevertheless some fellows perpetuated the project at their utmost. Again, thank all of you. Luckily, development speeded up after the turn of the year and a lot was done to regain the lost time. However, we tried to focus not only on the progress of content, but on improving quality by adding features and developing new concepts.
Demo-Story & Concepts:
We reported some news of a Zero demo game. After a long learning process, loads of discussions and a considerable quantity of work we had to admit that our concepts proved a failure. We did not meet our very own expectations with regard to our content and quality. We therefore decided to dismiss the old concept and created a new strategy to deliver a more coherent story and experience.
A short time ago, the demo concept focused solely on the player's curiosity to explore the gaming world self-motivated. The player was intended to absolve quest after quest on a single map without a conclusive motivation. This concept should have given us the possibility to explore our ideas in a more flexible way. However, we realised that such a game may be an advantage during the evaluation of concepts, but is not well suited for the player even in the context of a demo. Just exploring a post nuclear world without a central theme would get boring soon and not even satisfy our own demands of quality.
The player character will feature a defined background and experience his story. Thereby, preserving the explorative character of the gaming world as well as the freedom of the role-playing genre is our main goal. The demo will comprise two maps, with the first one being an introduction to the world of Zero. The timeline of the protagonist's story is settled a few years before the main story of Zero rendering the demo a sort of prequel. This setting not only gives us a new point of view on the development of a post nuclear world, but also gives us the possibility to transfer it to the main game.
Shortly after the global nuclear strike, the player character arrives in an anarchistic scenario of a little German village, where he will be confronted with the collapse of human social structures. We will provide certain scenarios the player can choose to participate - and we'll evaluate his reactions to them. Different actions will therefore have different consequences (e.g. perks, wounding, inventory items etc) as soon as the character leaves the prologue map. Leaving the sandbox location is followed by a shift in time catapulting the protagonist to the beginning of the demo's main story. The following plot happens in a small village in proximity of a river, relatively unbiased from the destructiveness of the bombs. Independent observers may call them trivial reasons, as for which the player is forced to make a halt in this small village, marked by war and desolation.
Noticeably, a few details of the main game story have been improved. We finally fixed a starting date for beginning of the plot. On November, 5th 2022, the protagonist starts his fight in the apocalypse.
Technical Progress
Zeros engine framework made some improvements as well - the algorithm for drag & drop support and inventory maintenance was optimised and the trigger system is in the progress of extension. Now it is possible to define exit-grids in the map-editor. These grids are automatically linked to the desired map without generating annoying data overhead in the database. The map designer just need to enter the map ID and the code does the rest. The player's starting point can be defined likewise. With the exception of some subtleties, we think that the framework has been developed to a point (10.000 lines of python code by the way), where we have nearly everything we need to make a game.
Progress of Graphical Content
Not only was the concept of the demo overhauled, but also our blender animation files. Now we are able to handle the enormous amount of animations more efficiently. Additionally, our Zero Auto Render (ZAR), a small blender script that automatically renders an animation from all viewing angles we need in Zero and generates the needed XML-definitions, was introduced to complete the efficient work-flow. Now our graphics artists work on the demo content that will include a watergate and a gasoline station.
Future Prospects
The whole refactoring processes interfered with our schedule. However, we think that our improvements will make up for the lost time. Now we will focus on developing content and fix some engine-related problems. After a development history of 4 years with both ups and downs, we are still motivated and ready to tackle upcoming problems (and they will come sooner or later). Stay tuned for more information! You can follow our progress on YOUTUBE-Channel channel and facebook.
Regards,
the Zero-Projekt team
4 years ...
Unbelievable - Zero-Projekt is now 4 years old.
Believe it or not, Zero-Projekt survived 4 years. Now it is time for a little summary and a preview of future development.
The past years did not proceed as we intended to. Most of the team members had to fulfil their own private obligations, which slowed down the development. Nevertheless some fellows perpetuated the project at their utmost. Again, thank all of you. Luckily, development speeded up after the turn of the year and a lot was done to regain the lost time. However, we tried to focus not only on the progress of content, but on improving quality by adding features and developing new concepts.
Demo-Story & Concepts:
We reported some news of a Zero demo game. After a long learning process, loads of discussions and a considerable quantity of work we had to admit that our concepts proved a failure. We did not meet our very own expectations with regard to our content and quality. We therefore decided to dismiss the old concept and created a new strategy to deliver a more coherent story and experience.
A short time ago, the demo concept focused solely on the player's curiosity to explore the gaming world self-motivated. The player was intended to absolve quest after quest on a single map without a conclusive motivation. This concept should have given us the possibility to explore our ideas in a more flexible way. However, we realised that such a game may be an advantage during the evaluation of concepts, but is not well suited for the player even in the context of a demo. Just exploring a post nuclear world without a central theme would get boring soon and not even satisfy our own demands of quality.
The player character will feature a defined background and experience his story. Thereby, preserving the explorative character of the gaming world as well as the freedom of the role-playing genre is our main goal. The demo will comprise two maps, with the first one being an introduction to the world of Zero. The timeline of the protagonist's story is settled a few years before the main story of Zero rendering the demo a sort of prequel. This setting not only gives us a new point of view on the development of a post nuclear world, but also gives us the possibility to transfer it to the main game.
Shortly after the global nuclear strike, the player character arrives in an anarchistic scenario of a little German village, where he will be confronted with the collapse of human social structures. We will provide certain scenarios the player can choose to participate - and we'll evaluate his reactions to them. Different actions will therefore have different consequences (e.g. perks, wounding, inventory items etc) as soon as the character leaves the prologue map. Leaving the sandbox location is followed by a shift in time catapulting the protagonist to the beginning of the demo's main story. The following plot happens in a small village in proximity of a river, relatively unbiased from the destructiveness of the bombs. Independent observers may call them trivial reasons, as for which the player is forced to make a halt in this small village, marked by war and desolation.
Noticeably, a few details of the main game story have been improved. We finally fixed a starting date for beginning of the plot. On November, 5th 2022, the protagonist starts his fight in the apocalypse.
Technical Progress
Zeros engine framework made some improvements as well - the algorithm for drag & drop support and inventory maintenance was optimised and the trigger system is in the progress of extension. Now it is possible to define exit-grids in the map-editor. These grids are automatically linked to the desired map without generating annoying data overhead in the database. The map designer just need to enter the map ID and the code does the rest. The player's starting point can be defined likewise. With the exception of some subtleties, we think that the framework has been developed to a point (10.000 lines of python code by the way), where we have nearly everything we need to make a game.
Progress of Graphical Content
Not only was the concept of the demo overhauled, but also our blender animation files. Now we are able to handle the enormous amount of animations more efficiently. Additionally, our Zero Auto Render (ZAR), a small blender script that automatically renders an animation from all viewing angles we need in Zero and generates the needed XML-definitions, was introduced to complete the efficient work-flow. Now our graphics artists work on the demo content that will include a watergate and a gasoline station.
Future Prospects
The whole refactoring processes interfered with our schedule. However, we think that our improvements will make up for the lost time. Now we will focus on developing content and fix some engine-related problems. After a development history of 4 years with both ups and downs, we are still motivated and ready to tackle upcoming problems (and they will come sooner or later). Stay tuned for more information! You can follow our progress on YOUTUBE-Channel channel and facebook.
Regards,
the Zero-Projekt team
code monkey
First time out of the vault
Wow, looks great. cant wait to get my hands on it!