A remake of ToB is in the making, it appears. You only need 1,2 Gigahertz to get it to run; so, while it looks nice, I guess I will stay true to the Amiga version.
Today i uploaded first playable version of my Remake ToB. It's not finished yet, but this version contains some towers of the first tower group of the original ToB. Now there're some notes:
- No Sound included! - You must have installed DirectX9.0b or DirectX9.0c - You need at least 32MB 3D hardware accelrator graphic card (better with Pixelshader support) - Shadow rendering is pre-defined, but it uses much perfomance (see tob.ini-setting) - Using default resolution 1024 x 768 with default refresh rates (see tob.ini-settings change resolution mode)
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Keyboard settings:
ESC: Exit game TAB: Toggle between original panel view or ego-shooter-like-mode (with mouse look and fullscreen) Up/Down: Go Forward/Backward / Lift Up or Down Left/Right: Turn Left or Right SPACE: FIRE F1: ZAPPER F2: PUSHER F3: GRABBER F4: NORTH F5: EAST F6: SOUTH F7: WEST PAGE UP/DOWN: Zoom external cam C: Clear program STRG + CURSOR: Write move command to program STRG + FIRE: Write FIRE command to program DEL: Remove last command from program R: Run programm of current spider STRG + Run all programms S: Stop program P: Pause
ONLY IN DEVELOPMENT VERSION: 1: Select previous tower 2: Select next tower
DON'T LOST FOCUS (maybe by pressing ALT + TAB) WHILE YOU ARE RUNNING THIS GAME
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The settings are defined in file "tob.ini". Later in the final version all options will be changeable in game options menu.
Important settings:
Adapter=-1: If you have installed only one graphics adapter, you can leave this setting to -1 (automatic), otherwise using value 0 for first adapter, 1 for second adapter and so on. Mode=-1: All resolution modes you can set here, are listed in the log "log.txt". Value -1 means automatic mode (using default resolution 1024 x 768 if possible). NoVSync=0: If this setting is set to 1, no vsync used for flipping between to frames. EnableShadows=1: If this setting is set to 0, no shadows will be shown in game (this speed up rendering) UseShader=1: If This setting is set to 0, no shaders (pixel- and vertexshader) are used for effects like bump- and specularmapping or multitexturing. TexFilter=0: Texture filtering, valid values are: 0=automatic, 1=bilinear, 2=trilinear, 3=anisotropic (with quality level from setting "TexMaxAnisotropic") TexDetail=1: Set to 0 reduces texture quality and memory usages for all textures ...
If you have "old" graphics adapters use settings like:
Important! This version has pre-alpha status. If you find some bugs, post them here!
ToB Remake - http://www.tower-of-babel.info
Re: ToB Remake
Hell yeah!!
Looks pretty good! Funny asteroids... ;o) Just played two levels without encountering any major problems. I'd have a couple of suggestions for finetuning, though. I'll write them down some day. Gotta take care of my next radio show first.
Keep up the good work, Mario!!
Re: ToB Remake
You're doing RADIO SHOWS???
Z -- "Who said that? Confucius?" "I say that."
Re: ToB Remake
Don't tell me I never mentioned that!?! I've been doing radio for the last five years at least, once a month. December is going to be the last show, though. My partner is suffering from severe depressions, and I just don't want to continue without him, since he started the show quite a while before I joined in, and it's obviously his baby. I'll do a last "best-of" now, and it's going to rock. People will hate it. :o)
Re: ToB Remake
Just had some ideas for additional features for the remake. What about static grabbers and rotating grabbers as new objects? Those could be funny when surrounded by up and down forcers. Or maybe just automatic lifts? Or how about boosting up the "behaviour menu" in the tower designer by permitting add-ins using a little script language? Something like: if (Grabber.moves()) Grabber.Field_left.add(Block)); or: if (Grabber.fires(Freezer)) { Zapper.freeze(5); Pusher.freeze(5); } Okay, I know, this would make everything MUCH more complex, but it would give us a lot more possibilities to play around with.
Re: ToB Remake
@Fawlty
That sounds good with static grabber and automatic lifts (programmable with script language TOBL? ) I don't have written a script parser/engine like this before, but it is possible for all new objects in RToB II ("On the ruins of babel"). Zabonek has also good ideas and he is writing a ToDo list for RToB II.
Re: ToB Remake
In the period of time i have helped mario with ToB i created a "to-do"-list for a possible "Tower of Babel Remake 2.0".
Here are my Suggestions i discussed with Mario the last Months:
1. Pushing Objects onto lifts to get them up into a higher level. With the grabber you can activate a forcer to do this action!
2. Spy-Watcher: You wre able to control a Watcher with an remote control. In a small picture on the screen you can see out of the watcher´s eyes to observe the tower. Maybe the range will be limited (the reception gets weaker).
3. Bevelled Building-Blocks like prisms or wedges. not only 90°-degree-building-blocks. Same counts for floors.
4. Bomb-Klondike The grabber collects an klondike which will explode after some period of time! But maybe you can use it to destroy walls or push-blocks!
5. Pushable Converters for use on places where you REALLY need them!
6. Wall which is "membran-like". you can shoot through it from one side but not from the other side. Same counts for enemy-pushers.
7. Visible Zapper-beam!
8. Rotating prism, which will rotate zapper-beams!
9. Object which is NOT ALLOWED to destroy! If it gets destroyed the game is over!
That´s all for now! :-)
what do you think? Let´s discuss!
cu
Zabonek
Re: ToB Remake
Zitat: 1. Pushing Objects onto lifts to get them up into a higher level.Yeah, I thought about this, too. We'd need two kinds of lifts then, freight lift and the standard passenger lift.
Zitat: 2. Spy-WatcherI'm not sure if remote controlled watchers would improve the game. Watchers are part of the obstacles for the spiders and should remain computer controlled, I think. Watcher-perspective cameras would be nice, though!
Zitat: 3. Bevelled Building-Blocks like prisms or wedges.Why not. That would improve design possibilities.
Zitat: 4. Bomb-KlondikeHm. We have bombs, and we have klondikes. Why mix'em?
Zitat: 5. Pushable Converters for use on places where you REALLY need them!Good idea! Towers with these could get a couple of brains smoking I guess! Of course, the old static converters would still be needed.
Zitat: 6. Wall which is "membran-like".Yeah, could be nice. What about an adjustable degree of transparency for walls/floors?
Zitat: 7. Visible Zapper-beam!Yeah, and rocket-lauchers, and machine guns, and multiplayer combat-mode, and... But honestly, searchlights for rotating zappers would be nice. Or any other light sources (flashlights for the spiders?). Imagine a really dark tower with a narrow light beam circling around searching for you! Spooky!
Zitat: 8. Rotating prism, which will rotate zapper-beams!Sounds interesting.
Zitat: 9. Object which is NOT ALLOWED to destroy! If it gets destroyed the game is over!Yeah, that would allow a completely new type of levels.
Also, a freeflight camera might be handy, especially as the new towers can be much bigger than the original ones.
Re: ToB Remake
Technically there is a "do not destroy" object already in the form of the Grabber... but I know what you mean!
What about:
(1) Beam splitters. Takes a zapper beam from one of three directions (like a prism does from two) and emits two zapper beams from the others. So you could shoot two things at once.
(2) The exploding klondikes sound like an interesting idea - think "Unstable" klondike. That is, it can be grabbed okay - but it's rather like nitroglycerine. Zap it or push it and BOOM. I'm a little worried though, because the remake seems to have Grabber carrying around collected klondikes on his back.