How good can they get?
This lecture will cover the past, present, and future of GM RTS graphics - from Purper to Dawn of Civilization. I hope it shows how graphics have been increasing in quality over the years, and how we can expect them to increase in years to come.1. Purper - one of the first GM RTS projects ever.
This game was relatively simple graphically, with flat 2d graphics and simple spherical units. Nevertheless, it was the first milestone achieved in GM RTS development.2. Space Time Strategy - the first major milestone.
A graphical milestone, this game had several things that made it attractive graphically: The gui was well-designed; the ships (small and large) were interesting and differentiated; and the different races had unique looks. Graphically, space time strategy stands on par with our next game on the list. (although for different reasons)3. Dark Hive - Warcraft in GMhttp://usuarios.lycos.es/arkano/juegos%20files/screenshot1.jpgIf it simply relied on its isometric graphics and 3d rendered units and buildings, Dark Hive would be a graphical masterpiece. As it is, the developers of Dark Hive went a few steps further, adding a unique fog of war and a beautiful interface. Make no mistake about it - this is a beautiful game.4. Empire of the Stars - Homeworld-style ship battles
Although based in a similar setting to that of Space Time Strategy, Empire of the Stars manages to look completely different. With a heavy focus on effects and scale (the largest unit is over 100 times larger than the smallest one), this game looks quite similar to Homeworld at times. It manages to incorporate both gigantic capital ship laser battles and fighter squad dogfights, while giving an unsurpassed amount of detail to both.5. Dawn of Civilization - the future of the past.
This RTS project of mine truly takes RTS graphics to a new level. It features fully-3d texture-splatted terrain (with LOD), detailed buildings, and 3d soldiers. All while running at >30 fps. Plus, it looks as good as some commercial games.
Wow, pretty neat. The graphics look pretty professional. I'll look for them.
You are pretty confident in your graphics, huh?I think you should have a working demo before claiming your work as the next generation of GM RTS games. Right now it's just a very promising project.
It is simply the next generation of gm RTS graphics. It was paused (along with everything else) for the GDNet contest, but now that that is over, I have time to spend developing its gameplay.
[warning=Look out! A shameless plug!] [/warning]
If you don't like the fact that I talk about my own work in my blog (besides the fact that 3 of the 5 games I mentioned were games made by others), you can leave.
I might be alone on this one, but Purper is probably my second favorite Game Maker game (Seiklus comes in first). I love the graphics of Purper; they're simple yet effective.
I will admit that your game look very nice, however.the problem isn't that you are talking about your own game. You're talking about it as if its a permenant marker in the progress of GM-made RTS games,… but since it isn't actually a game… since it isn't finished or released as a working version, it isn't anything yet. Finish it or just talk about it as one of your favorite projects that will never get finished or whatever. Jut don't expect anyone to see it a a milestone just yet.
Ok, then. Next blog post I make will include a tech demo.
Sweet
This does look really good, but even a tech demo won't be enough to claim "milestone" status yet. That should be judged based on how finished product is recieved by the players. For example, the Sega Game Gear kicked the game boy's ass graphics wise, but the game boy was much more of a milestone.