Game Development

user92578

12:50 PM

user92578

Aight I've got game state data showing up

Hemlata

1:21 PM

@Tyyppi_77 What's that?

user92578

Discord Rich Presence integration into my game

Hemlata

GunHero is your game?

user92578

yup

Hemlata

Oh that's nice. Is it on playStore?

user92578

It's not a mobile game. It's on Steam.

Hemlata

1:23 PM

Oh ok

user92578

I've been toying around with the idea of just making the game run on Android for fun

user92578

But it won't be a very small project I think

Hemlata

Yeah

But when it's on playstore let me know. I would like to play.

user92578

I'm also a little unsure it'll even be a game that's nice to play on mobile

Hemlata

It's my phone profiler. Do you think it's good now?

Why are not you sure?

You never know, people can might like your game a lot!

user92578

1:28 PM

It hasn't been designed for mobile at all. I'll need a joystick control plus at least four buttons.

user92578

Looks pretty good, it does occasionally drop below 30FPS though

Hemlata

Oh I see.

Do you mean it should not drop below 30FPS?

user92578

I guess that depends on what kind of phone you're testing on. If it's a high tier phone, then you probably need to do some more work, but if it's a really low tier phone you might be good.

user92578

Assuming that you'd like the game to run at 30FPS stable, then no, it shouldn't drop below.

Hemlata

I tested it on samsung note 3. Is it a low tier phone?

Awh where it says it's droping below 30FPS? I can't see.

user92578

1:31 PM

Unity shows you the 60FPS and 30FPS line

user92578

if there's stuff in the graph above that, it means that the FPS is below that number

Hemlata

Oh I see

user92578

I gotta vacuum the house, brb

Hemlata

Sure. Ok.

user92578

1:47 PM

Samsung Note 3 IMO is a mid tier phone

Hemlata

Then which phones are low tier?

user92578

idk, one of those that you can buy for 80 bucks

Hemlata

I will have to convert that in my currency haha

You mean $80?

user92578

yeah, the exact amount doesn't matter though

user92578

cheap phones have slower hardware, that's how the world works

Hemlata

1:50 PM

Yeah.

I will test on cheap phones as well haha

But in my game it goes 15 FPS as well. Is it bad performance?

user92578

well surely you can already notice that yourself while playing?

Hemlata

Nah, my game is smooth. Maybe I should play for longer to test

user92578

This is stuff that's really hard to give advice to like this

user92578

It's mainly stuff that you need to feel & decide yourself

Hemlata

I played for like 1.5 minutes and it's still very smooth

usually it's between 30 to 60 fps and sometimes below 30fps

user92578

1:55 PM

well smooth is good

Hemlata

Yeah but 15FPS is not good probably

How can I increase the FPS?

Hemlata

2:11 PM

Usually it's below 30FPS but after a while it's 30 FPS or above or close to 30FPS

user92578

docs.unity3d.com/560/Documentation/Manual/…

user92578

wiki.unity3d.com/index.php?title=General_Performance_Tips

Gabriele Vierti

2:44 PM

Guys i need an advice: i really like Unity's "feature"(i don't know exactly how to call it) where you can develop tools or editor extensions. Does anyone of you have any idea of how this could be achievable in a simple program?

user92578

Probably with a scripting language? Depends on what you want exactly

Gabriele Vierti

I have a simple program(the shader creator thing). I have a way to create windows inside my main window. I could create my tools in the source code of the program, but i would like to let other developers create their own tools.. i would like to do this kind of... at runtime, just like Unity does for the Editor extensions(you create an Editor Window and then you can put whatever you want in it)

user92578

Yeah sounds like a job for a scripting language with bindings to your window system

user92578

Lua is apparently pretty easy to integrate into C++ but there are also scripting languages made with the specific purpose of easy C++ integration

Gabriele Vierti

I've never used Lua tho..

user92578

2:55 PM

Well what have you used then, please list everything you have used and I'll tell you which things can be used here?

Gabriele Vierti

I used C++, java,C C#,and python in the past

user92578

that was kinda supposed to be a sarcastic reply

user92578

Python can be embedded as a scripting system but AFAIK it's not too easy

user92578

chaiscript.com

user92578

that advertises itself as being easy to embed

user92578

2:58 PM

But there are libraries that make Lua easier to embed too

Gabriele Vierti

@Tyyppi_77 sorry, :>

user92578

:)

Gabriele Vierti

I still don't understand the whole process though. I would like to create a text file in my program, that i can then open, write something like "using Program;" or "#include <Program>" at the top, in order to be able to use the API i have in my main application to create tools and stuff.. i got the file opening part done, though i have no idea on how to use the code i have in the file and kind of "inject it" in my main application...

user92578

Well essentially you want to run a whole programming language in there

user92578

Inside an interpreter most likely

user92578

3:09 PM

I think you want to read how scripting engines / virtual machines work

user92578

gameprogrammingpatterns.com/bytecode.html

Gabriele Vierti

Okay thanks for the link mate :)

Stephane Hockenhull

Or you package clang++ with your game and compile your C++ "scripts" into a DLL and load that with no security whatsoever :D

Gabriele Vierti

@StephaneHockenhull Oh alright thanks :D

Stephane Hockenhull

Kidding aside, that's how the Unity Editor does it, using Mono and C#.

It compiles the "scripts" into DLLs and then load/unload those.

Gabriele Vierti

3:19 PM

How do you compile text files in dlls(via an application, not with the compiler)?

Stephane Hockenhull

You can launch the compiler on the files.

From your app

Gabriele Vierti

Oooh okay

user92578

I'd say that a scripting language solution might end up being nicer on the users, but I guess compilation is a valid alternative too

Stephane Hockenhull

At least, you can on PC. You won't be able to do that on consoles.

Gabriele Vierti

Thank you everyone :D

Stephane Hockenhull

3:22 PM

The upside is it's relatively easy: Your game is in C# so it can link to other C# DLL right away, and the compiler is already made for you (check the licenses tho).

The downside is there's no easy sand-boxing so people can include bad things in the DLLs.

Gabriele Vierti

@StephaneHockenhull let's hope not hahaha :)

Stephane Hockenhull

A script and interpreter combo is more work to integrate but can make sand-boxing easier to limit what can be done inside the scripts.

Gabriele Vierti

Which bad things can be included in .dll files?

user92578

anything

Stephane Hockenhull

@GabrieleVierti A DLL can do anything your program can do: wipe all the user Document files, install viruses, spyware, etc...

user92578

3:26 PM

system("rm -rf");

Stephane Hockenhull

So a user could put malware inside the DLL and then distribute it to people

Gabriele Vierti

Oh.... but you said that's what unity does, so.. how do they protect users from bad dlls?

Stephane Hockenhull

They don't

It's the user's responsibility to not blindly download bad Unity plugin from unreputable sources...

Gabriele Vierti

So someone could write a malware and then distribute it on the assets store?

Stephane Hockenhull

They technically could, yes. but they might get caught too.

The issue comes if you want your game to include downloading user-provided scripts inside user-provided levels or something similar, you can't expect any security with DLLs. With a carefully controlled scripting language you can much more easily limit what the script can do.

Gabriele Vierti

3:33 PM

I see..

Stephane Hockenhull

It's technicallly possible to sandbox DLLs and other binaries but it's so difficult that even (for example VMWare) virtual machines aren't 100% safe and people have found ways for code to crawl outside of the virtual machine.

Gabriele Vierti

How is that even possible? I thought Vmachines where "everythingproof"

Stephane Hockenhull

Virtual machine escape

In computer security, virtual machine escape is the process of breaking out of a virtual machine and interacting with the host operating system. A virtual machine is a "completely isolated guest operating system installation within a normal host operating system". In 2008, a vulnerability (CVE-2008-0923) in VMware discovered by Core Security Technologies made VM escape possible on VMWare Workstation 6.0.2 and 5.5.4. A fully working exploit labeled Cloudburst was developed by Immunity Inc. for Immunity CANVAS (commercial penetration testing tool). Cloudburst was presented in Black Hat USA 2009....

Gabriele Vierti

It's scary, but still it's also pretty cool haha :)

I wonder how they did it

Stephane Hockenhull

Anyway, it's something to consider. If your users are the ones distributing, downloading, and installing the DLLs **themselves** then it's their responsibility.
If your app is the one downloading automatically, then you can be responsible to some point for ensuring some veto-ing of the DLLs somehow.

Like Steam is responsible for pulling the plug (in a timely fashion once aware) on games and apps that may have (accidentally or otherwise) included malware.

Gabriele Vierti

3:40 PM

Okay thank you for all the info you provided, i really appreciate it

Stephane Hockenhull

If only for their reputation.

Gabriele Vierti

I see

@StephaneHockenhull btw this is really cool haha :D good job

user92578

Does this look okay?

Stephane Hockenhull

I'm still missing the SVG filter and mask effects. Those requires multiple passes of rendering to textures and shaders. I've only done the geometry part.

@Tyyppi_77 really cool.

Hemlata

3:50 PM

@Tyyppi_77 Thanks. I will check it out.

And is there any way to spawn the objects after destroying them at the same place?

user92578

not really

user92578

once it's gone, it's gone

Hemlata

Ah ok.

Gabriele Vierti

@Tyyppi_77 yes it does :D looks awesome!

Bálint

What should I do, if a question is based on a misconception and doesn't have an answer because of that?

Gabriele Vierti

3:55 PM

I think you should probably edit the question to correct the misconception, or explain why the question is wrong as an answer

I might be wrong though

Stephane Hockenhull

@Bálint I correct it in the answer. Don't edit the questions: other might also have that misconception and will find the question (and answer) only if you leave the misconception in.

Gabriele Vierti

Okay i was wrong then

Almo

4:26 PM

Kingdoms and Castles is very good.

:(

Bálint

When do you get this message?

When you join in a game?

Almo

when I launch it

Bálint

You need to wait in line to play it?

Almo

seems that way

maybe it's that I've not purchased the game and was going to play the free battle royale mode. I'm not really sure what's going on

Bálint

I tried it and had no problems with it a couple of weeks ago

Almo

4:40 PM

hmm

maybe there are too many people playing at the moment

I'll try again another time

Bálint

There's a new mode on, maybe that's the reason

Almo

oh right

yeah I bet

Bálint

Really good game though, just don't let the hints confuse you

Almo

hahah ok will try :)

Bálint

Some of them don't tell the truth

Almo

4:42 PM

I was going to play darksiders II (free PSN) but man the camera is bad

Bálint

Like the one speaking about a "combat level"

Almo

hehe ok

Stephane Hockenhull

How many people here also have issues playing Steam store videos in one go? They never play in real time for me, always stopping and buffering ~10x during play.
I'm wondering if it's a global thing or a maritimes internet thing.

Other sites don't have that issue for me.

user92578

5:00 PM

Is there a way to get make to tell me why a lib file is incompatible?

Almo

@StephaneHockenhull I don't usually have that problem

user92578

nvm I used ar x and file to see that the lib contains 64-bit stuff

user92578

Doesn't look like Discord has a 32-bit linux lib prebuilt

user92578

Just as I was about to say how smoothly things have went

Stephane Hockenhull

@Almo likely a Nova Scotia thing then. I think some connections must be going straight through to Maine -> rest of USA and some go across NB-QC-ON or something similar. Website speeds vary widely for me.

@Tyyppi_77 I wonder how many Linux machines are still 32bit. I only have one $200 notebook that's incapable of 64bit with Linux used only to play YouTube videos for the kids, and a really old Mac Mini also 32bit-only. Neither usable for gaming.

Mazura

5:16 PM

What is actually moving in an endless runner? should have been migrated to Arqade where they would have required Flappy Bird to be a tag, and be the subject of the discussion.

Stephane Hockenhull

@Tyyppi_77 the Athlon 64 came out in 2003. Only Intel kept producing 32bit-only CPUs and pretty much only for their crappiest netbook market segment that can't play much of anything.
It's not like Windows where you have to **BUY** a new license, someone can just install a 64bit Linux distro for free :P

Unless it's a requirement I think you can reasonably not include Discord support for 32bit Linux with a little note to the users that for technical reasons it's 64bit-only :P

There's proportionally a lot more 32bit Windows machines still in use to worry about than 32bit Linux machines.

user92578

5:32 PM

Oh so the issue is that all my builds are 32-bit, on Linux & Windows, not sure why, but I don't really feel like reconfiguring everything

Stephane Hockenhull

oh

Yeah, that could be a pain. For me the only change is changing -m32 to -m64 in the build settings.

dot_Sp0T

6:18 PM

Do you think questions on low-level libs more suited on here or on stackoverflow?

user92578

Like what?

dot_Sp0T

In that case a I cannot get a library to do what I want and I am at a stage where I am sure that I'm not doing anything wrong, but I must be because it doesn't work

user92578

depends on the low level lib

dot_Sp0T

stb

although rather the LWJGL bindings to the STB truetype header

user92578

Could go to either place, maybe with the bindings more here?

Stephane Hockenhull

6:29 PM

@dot_Sp0T If it's generic programming and a game programmer isn't more likely to give a better answer it should go on SO.

Pretty sure you get a lot more people to see the question too that way

dot_Sp0T

7:01 PM

@StephaneHockenhull that's what somewhat bothers me, most programming issues seem better suited there - no matter if they use gaming libs or not :/

dot_Sp0T

7:40 PM

In case anybody wants to take a shot and/or help improve the question, here's the link to it on stackoverflow

Alexandre Vaillancourt

8:00 PM

@Mazura Hmm, why? That something someone developing a game would like to know.

That's*

@Almo Reminds me of pindlebot. Or something like that.

PearsonArtPhoto

8:25 PM

Interesting problem for today's Advent.

I just needed to figure out exactly what they were talking about and it wasn't that bad...

dot_Sp0T

8:37 PM

Can I have any mod look at this please? gamedev.stackexchange.com/review/suggested-edits/75904

Alexandre Vaillancourt

@dot_Sp0T What's wrong with it?

dot_Sp0T

@AlexandreVaillancourt I rejected it as spam, but I am so perplexed by it that I thought it prudent to inform anyone with the abilities to look further into it in case it's just one of many occurences

Alexandre Vaillancourt

@dot_Sp0T Oh ok! Their past edits do not reveal anything suspicious to me!

But I admit it's a weird occurrence.

dot_Sp0T

it really got me off balance

Blue Bug

8:56 PM

@dot_Sp0T spwan bruh. Your spelling is wrong

shpanew

spawn x spwan o

respwan them damit

I get that, but then why not just edit the post with the correct term or commenting to mention it? What is the desired result of making a malicious edit to point that out? You only damage your own reputation and credibility by that :/

Alexandre Vaillancourt

The worst part is the comment.

Stephane Hockenhull

9:03 PM

dot_Sp0T

I mean the joke is not lost on me, I get it. Combine them until you get the solution. But it's just wrong in this context. It's contraproductive and malicious.

@StephaneHockenhull i like that one

Jimmy

9:23 PM

@PearsonArtPhoto it was pretty nice :) I got on the leaderboard for part 1 but messed up somewhat for part 2 and was too slow

PearsonArtPhoto

I might have to get on at midnight for once and do it.

Tonight might be that night actually, I'm going to be out fairly late already...

Part 2 wasn't that difficult for me, so... I think the time between submissions was all of a minute or two.

2.5, but who's counting.

Jimmy

:/ yeah I just brain-farted

I should probably switch to Python if I actually want to get more speed

PearsonArtPhoto

I didn't understand the instructions right the first time, so most of that time was waiting the 1 minute to send in a second answer.

It only took me maybe 10-15 minutes to do the challenge overall, but...

When I couldn't start working on it until 12 hours in (I was busy in the morning)...

Jimmy

I'm hoping the problems get harder though. When the top scorers are just completing the thing in like 3 minutes it's more of a test of how fast you can read the problem correctly

PearsonArtPhoto

Seriously.

The first year, which was the only year I did before, had at least 1 really hard problem.

I think the top 100 spots took over an hour to fill up.

I think there were a few others that took maybe 20 minutes to fill up the spots.

I've learned that if I'm going to compete, I have to have code already started for some of the more common tasks...

Free Internet Points

10:43 PM

2

Q: Ledge Detection with Plane Intersection?

i am working on a ledge climb system and I am currently refactoring it to make it more reliable. I am tracing with a sphere towards infront of my character. If it found something, I trace downwards. However, with steeper angles, this produces non-reliable results. I searched the Web a lot and i...

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