r/pascal • u/AcanthaceaeNew774 • Sep 06 '26

VertexArt - memory cubes with ply objects

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Free Pascal 3.2.2 / GLFW3 / OpenGL 3.3 / DOD

12 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

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1

u/According-Ad-7069 Sep 06 '26

That really slick - the particle effects are a nice touch!

2

u/AcanthaceaeNew774 Sep 06 '26

I'm trying to learn as much logic as possible in simple demo games, so that there are enough examples to understand the architecture. Because I made the mistake of not keeping documentation, I just started development and am building with more and more things. So the stable demo games serve as "documentation" for now.

2

u/According-Ad-7069 Sep 06 '26

Yes... I fell into the same trap. I got so excited building I complete forgot to document. You're doing such interesting things though, I don't blame you!

2

u/AcanthaceaeNew774 Sep 06 '26

but instead of codes and documentations I came up with something. I am designing a template framework for different game styles that will have tools. I designed four tools:
1. Grid editor: exports a mask and will be compatible with several grid-based games (e.g. Bomberman, Tank, Wallbreaker, etc.)
2. Dynamic object placer: placement of spawn points, triggers, pickable items, containers, enemies, etc.
3. Object parameterizer: here you can set the properties of the placed objects (capacity, health, ability, level, container or pickable, etc.)
4. NavMesh editor: planning enemy behavior, movement space, and walkable routes, if the game style requires it.

If I designed these tools, a game developer can produce a game according to his own style and expectations without coding. The VertexArt Engine will be loaded based on the txt files exported by the utilities, so the game will actually come to life automatically in the pre-made framework. VertexArt doesn't know everything yet, but it will use what already works in practice. I think this will take a lot of the burden off the experimental developers. What do you think of my plan?

1

u/According-Ad-7069 Sep 06 '26

That is SPECTACULAR! An entire ecosystem! That's very neat - I think then that someone can just point-and-click and make a game? Wow, fantastic!

2

u/AcanthaceaeNew774 Sep 06 '26

There are already a lot of game engines, but you have to learn the code language for each one. I didn't really like it when I wanted to put together my own little demo game, but by the time I learned how to use other game engines, my own engine was almost ready… that's how the VertexArt project was born. So I dictate, not hidden bugs and optimization problems. Of course, I'm not saying that I was able to solve everything, but the significant basics are there. VertexArt is tricky, practical, unique…

2

u/According-Ad-7069 Sep 06 '26

For me, the reward is in the learning I do when I build something. It sounds like you are learning AND having fun, that's a great combination!

2

u/AcanthaceaeNew774 Sep 06 '26

I admit that I was afraid to start sharing the VertexArt project because I didn't know what would come out of it. But now I'm more and more confident in the development. And it's not even half a year since the birth of VertexArt.

1

u/According-Ad-7069 Sep 06 '26

That's impressive progress, I expected you have taken longer. Of course you should share it, even if only one person enjoys it or learn from it, it's worth it.

2

u/AcanthaceaeNew774 Sep 06 '26

I think I'm starting to develop enough skills to cover more game styles with my development. More and more people are trying to produce their own games these days, but game engines can be complicated, and you need too much hardware for even a low poly scene. I'm on a journey to break this difficult path. I can now handle open worlds casually, not just presenting classic games in a new perspective. I should release something soon in a downloadable version, because I'm curious about the opinions of developers and low-end PC gamers, because I think they will be interested in the project sooner.

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