News Thread 64 - Max Headline

[RT-55J]

was just looking random things up just now and ran into this beta license card for AX

https://tcrf.net/F-Zero_GX#MAGCARD

F-Zero TRANS X

[Cerium]

Being able to play the entirety of F Zero AX on the disc through a cheat code is one of the coolest easter eggs in video game history.

[BustedAstromech]

@notbov

it’s telling that one of the pieces of tech in X is “recalibrate the center position of the analog stick to be all the way up”

Oh wow, is that the same idea as this control method? Or is it just…they never want to angle the nose forward?

7 Building Blocks for Better Controls

Stick direction , on the other hand, gives players significantly more distance and resolution between a full-left turn and a full-right turn, without a deadzone in the middle. This is 2D steering . We still use a deadzone to tell whether the player has engaged the stick, but it’s a circular deadzone that the stick sits in when it’s untouched. This means the player can push the stick forward to get out of the deadzone and make the slightest left and right adjustments and see immediate effects in-game. A full-tilt left is still a hard left turn, full-tilt right is still a hard right turn. 45 degrees to the left or right is a half-strength turn in that direction. We linearly map the angle of the stick to the strength of the turn in that direction.

https://gfycat.com/tighthospitablehawk-2d-steering-video-games-trackmania-games

// +- angular range from horizontal that'll be treated as a horizontal input
float OuterDeadzone = 10.0;
 
// this will return a value between -1 and 1, inclusive, for how hard the vehicle is turning.
// assume circular deadzone is already applied
float StickToSteeringStrength(Vec2 stick) {
   if (stick.X == 0.0 && stick.y == 0.0) {
      return 0.0;
   }
 
   float absY = abs(stick.Y);
   // using absolute Y means the back half of the stick mirrors the front
   float stickAngle = atan2(stick.X, absY);
   // convert to degrees because our outer deadzone is in degrees
   float absAngle = abs(stickAngle * 180.0f / PI);
   // remap to [-1, 1] range without the deadzone
   float angularStickStrength = sign(stickAngle) *
      clamp(absAngle / (90.f - OuterDeadzone), 0.f, 1.f);
   // some games apply a power curve on their traditional steering.
   // here, you would apply that to the magnitude
   float magnitudeStickStrength = stick.Magnitude();
 
   return angularStickStrength * magnitudeStickStrength;
}

[notbov]

@BustedAstromech

Or is it just…they never want to angle the nose forward?

no, having the center be 255 up means the nose is constantly pointed down and in X, the assumption is if the nose is down, you’re diving and you get a small amount of extra speed even on a flat surface

[BustedAstromech]

hahaha

Thinking of some of those Fire Field jumps, that’s gotta be pretty intense

[Rudie]

Arcade Paradise launches August 11 - Gematsu

The first image alone of bending over to play a candy cab is giving me coniptions.

[problyfine]

@BustedAstromech

the player can push the stick forward to get out of the deadzone and make the slightest left and right adjustments and see immediate effects in-game. A full-tilt left is still a hard left turn, full-tilt right is still a hard right turn. 45 degrees to the left or right is a half-strength turn in that direction. We linearly map the angle of the stick to the strength of the turn in that direction.

This sounds like what M2 called Arcade Steering in the Switch port of Virtua Racing, and I hate it. A full tilt left is only a hard left turn if you start from up and arc down to left. Going from centre to full tilt left is somehow less effective.

[BustedAstromech]

That shouldn’t be the case, angularStickStrength * magnitudeStickStrength should end you with -1 or 1 at full tilt.

I wonder if it’s more like their second proposed scheme (‘Winding Stick’)? Really important for this (and they emphasize this for gyro steering, too) is a piece of feedback showing the virtual position and side-channel feedback like haptics or sound to illustrate the edges.

(by the way, this article is from the person who developed Flick Stick aiming; they have good control instincts and solid implementations. This is a good resource)

[Sykel]

Chris Glass

[smbhax]

Kinda old news but I hadn’t heard of Pokemon bread until a Korean person just mentioned it to me in a YouTube comment:

Well, even in the mart I sometimes go to, it seemed like families with young children still came out with mats and sat waiting for Pokémon bread.

So I had to look it up.

FEATURE: Pokemon bread sets off craze in South Korea, fueled by nostalgia

[username]

@Wizball

I didn’t care about the game all that much as a kid, went back to beat it a few years ago on hard mode and the epiphany I had was making sure I target the good AI racers and knock them off the map at least once, tanking their points in the circuit. Which I 100% love. It clicks with two things I like in games. Some overarching system that has you making strategic decisions in individual levels, and having some secondary goal that’s very different from the main gameplay.

I mean, I wasn’t able to finish time trial “hey there’s no other racers on the track” runs above a crawl and in truth I don’t think I ever finished all three laps at said crawl, so I wasn’t even at the point where I could worry about advanced tactics. It is possible I just have a mental block of sorts but if I can’t even finish three laps on a course once in 30+ minutes of attempts and I’m not even out of the first third of tracks I’m just not gonna get it.

It’s odd as I played a decent amount of the later Wipeout games and was capable of at least finishing their campaigns with mostly good medals… but those tracks have walls. I think what it comes down to is without walls to “guide” me as I learn I’m lost, which makes X and perhaps GX the worst possible personal fit for me. Kinda wish I figured that out before picking up a copy of GX, that’s looking like possibly wasted money now.

[hellojed]

oh shit this is no joke a fix to a central problem analog sticks have with driving games. You have the spring in the center of them, so anything between 0 and 100% per direction is basically really hard to do with a thumb due to the constant tension you have to keep on it. So for precision you get a racing wheel. OR you put in a butt load of steering assist based on speed/direction and hundreds of other variables. But using rotation is different.

I think my only problem is your thumb is On Stick and Pushing pretty much the whole time unless the return to center has some kind of damping…HMMM I really want to make a prototype just based around this. damn

[Mikey]

The Brew Barons: Highlights

This is one of those things where it has mashed together several of my passing interests into a single object so I will keep an eye on this one

[problyfine]

@hellojed

I think my only problem is your thumb is On Stick and Pushing pretty much the whole time unless the return to center has some kind of damping

Yeah this is my other problem with it too.

@BustedAstromech I don’t think the Switch port of Virtua Racing uses the winding stick method, but I’ll try and confirm that later. From memory of the cockpit view:

• Push up and then arc down to left or right and the steering wheel fully rotates.
• Push left or right and the wheel also fully rotates but the car turns on a wider radius. I notice the difference as soon as I enter the corner leading onto the bridges on the beginner track.

[Dracko]

爆裂武装バルビークルCM

[Rudie]

How did I know this was astroport. Still doing there thing.

[captainlove]

Lollipop Chainsaw Game Gets Remake in 2023

Of all the Grasshopper projects to remake. If they lose the music licensing they’re done.

Additionally, Yasuda explained that the original game had 15 licensed songs in the soundtrack, which is difficult for Dragami Games to use in the remake. The soundtrack therefore will consist of mostly new music aside from a few licensed tracks.

Well dang

[Dracko]

Zachtronics

[toups]

vulva vehicles. cool. love it.

[Sykel]

That’s good news if they get rid of Johnny Urine’s music after his fucked up grooming and abusive behavior came to light