Woah that’s awesome!
Thanks! 
I’m going to do the last update in quite some time tomorrow (add/remove trees, change mouse look speed, lower cpu usage, /goto [playername] to teleport to other players, /goto to go back to the spawn point, log in where you logged out, complete control of the field of view instead of only two fixed settings as well as a couple of smaller bug fixes).
After that I deem the playground server in an acceptable state and I’m going to start on the game server, finally!
Mike
It’s been 4 months since I started on “landscape test” and so far I’ve spent some 300-400 hours on programming it.
I just uploaded a new version with the changes described in the previous post and I now classify the playground server as Alpha 1.0 or something like that I still have a list of some 30 things that I want to add/fix in the playground but they are not blocking for starting on the game. I will post some updates now and then with how I progress, but I think that the first game version will take a month or two to get ready.
I have a question for the people with more experience than me in regards to programming (most of you ). I am not sure what to do with the code base when I have two versions of the game running, where a lot of the code is shared, but many functions will be different.
Should I:
Make a copy of the current projects (client and server) and build on top of that?
- Positive: Easy to separate the projects, the jar for the sandbox will download quicker as it doesn’t contain the game content
- Negative: If I fix something generic I will need to change both versions, doing big refactoring needs to be done to both separately, need a launcher client where you can choose which version to start up
Extend the current classes where necessary and make a game version of them, only overwriting where necessary?
- Positive: Cleaner code
- Negative: I don’t know if my programming skills are good enough to keep it organized
Add cases to the code based upon which server you connected to?
- Positive: Quick win
- Negative: Messy code
Something obvious that I didn’t think of?
Mike
Maybe I should have created a new thread with the above question and made it a bit more generic. No one with experience in running several versions of the same code?
Also, adjusted the land generation formula to create fields and mountain areas instead of all flowing with the land. Screenie:
http://stateoffortune.com/pictures/screenshots/LandFormula.png
Mike
Well, i think the best way is to create some kind of engine with the generic part, and buid the other code on top of that.
I guess repositorys have some functionality to fork (parts of?) projects.
I think you should create a new topic, because most people only get here to see your awsome game.
Your new terrain generation looks awsome, are you also going to create more diffrent terraisn like this?
Like deserts, tundra, forests, or even some new concepts?
I still think your shadows are maybe a bit to much (very dark vs very light spots without reason), also the trees are awesome, but the grass is still a little to simple to become the same model type as the trees, it makes the world look more off.
Said and done, I created a new thread for it
Thanks! I added forests into the new terrain generation formula yesterday As for deserts and snowy ground, it’d be doable for the high quality ground setting at least, but it’s something for after I did a lot of work on the game mechanics.
That’s actually the normals and not shadows. I agree though that they are a bit much, I changed it to use the correct normal instead of the exaggerated I was using to easier see where the land sloped up or down. It looks better now and with the “auto straight land” function the need to see the height difference isn’t as big anymore.
I agree that the grass is too simple, I have on my list to add several different kind of grass and improve the quality of the sprite
Mike
Just a thing I’ve noticed about jumping:
Are you saying that while you are falling you no longer move forward, or that you fall in a constant speed instead of the fall speed slowly increasing?
I can’t reproduce either of them, but if I know which one you experience I will look into it
Currently trying to randomize the plots you can buy based on lots of of variables, without it taking ages. Might be the most difficult thing I ever programmed 
Mike
While holding down the jump key, my arc of the jump is fine. As soon as I let go of the key(mid-flight), I fall straight down. What should be happening is when a let go of the key, I continue in my arc.
We will take this in private messages as to not swamp the forum with posts.
I cannot reproduce it (without letting go of the move forward button as well). I’ll try it a bit more and see what I come up with. Thanks!
Mike
I believe what he is saying that there is no velocity to the position of your person unless you are holding down the forward button - this makes abrupt stops in movement
On another note: when can we expect to see the new terrain gen? Looks really cool.
Said and done, I created a new thread for it
Thanks! I added forests into the new terrain generation formula yesterday As for deserts and snowy ground, it’d be doable for the high quality ground setting at least, but it’s something for after I did a lot of work on the game mechanics.
That’s actually the normals and not shadows. I agree though that they are a bit much, I changed it to use the correct normal instead of the exaggerated I was using to easier see where the land sloped up or down. It looks better now and with the “auto straight land” function the need to see the height difference isn’t as big anymore.
I agree that the grass is too simple, I have on my list to add several different kind of grass and improve the quality of the sprite
Mike
Just a thing I’ve noticed about jumping:
Are you saying that while you are falling you no longer move forward, or that you fall in a constant speed instead of the fall speed slowly increasing?
I can’t reproduce either of them, but if I know which one you experience I will look into it
Currently trying to randomize the plots you can buy based on lots of of variables, without it taking ages. Might be the most difficult thing I ever programmed
Mike
While holding down the jump key, my arc of the jump is fine. As soon as I let go of the key(mid-flight), I fall straight down. What should be happening is when a let go of the key, I continue in my arc.
We will take this in private messages as to not swamp the forum with posts.
I cannot reproduce it (without letting go of the move forward button as well). I’ll try it a bit more and see what I come up with. Thanks!
Mike
Indeed, that was our conclusion during the messaging as well I personally dislike games where you cannot control your character when it is in the air. I know that it isn’t realistic, but it does make it much easier to play.
It is all done, but it won’t be online until the first game version is online as well so it will probably take like a month or two. I finally figured out the buyable plot locations, next step is to implement it and then make them buyable. The smallest plots will be 10x10 meters and close to the spawn/auction/npc sales (meant for putting up a small store for example). The biggest plots will be 950x950 meters and will be meant for a group of people.
Mike
I believe what he is saying that there is no velocity to the position of your person unless you are holding down the forward button - this makes abrupt stops in movement
On another note: when can we expect to see the new terrain gen? Looks really cool.