3D RPG Engine Question...

Anachronism · 2001-10-09T04:40:58

Hello, I started writing a game engine for a 3D RPG game, and have come across a couple of questions. MY 3D RPG will have a perspective similar to Brave Fencer Musashi for playstation, which is basically like a Zelda view, but 3D... (Not first person). I have designed the logic behind most of the game engine and how it will work, but I have run into one problem. And that is this... I want the character to be able to walk on multiple levels.. So along with width and depth while running around, there will be height. So you can run up some stairs, jump off a small cliff and fall until you hit the ground, things like that. The question is, what is the fastest way to determine if my character is standing on solid ground? (I''m doing this in OpenGL by the way)... The only method I was able to think of, was to search every single vertex and polygon on the screen, and find the polygon thats lines would enclose the player. Then I would test to see if that was directly below him, if not he would fall until it was directly below him. In that paticular case it would mean he stepped off a ledge, and there were no polygons that''s coordinates wrapped around the player, that was directly beneath him, so he would fall until he hit one. This method seems though like it would slow everything down quite a bit. Using this method, every time you moved the player just a little, it would do math on every vertex, on every polygon on the screen to find one under him to know if he was on ground, or in the air. Before I spend weeks implimenting this method only to find out it''s horribly slow, I would like to know if any of you have any better and quicker ideas, as I''m sure you do. I would appreciate any of your ideas. Thanks... Dennis...

Graphics and GPU Programming Programming

Started by Anachronism October 02, 2001 02:34 PM

11 comments, last by Anachronism 22 years, 6 months ago

Ronin_54

122

October 05, 2001 03:24 PM

Well, I''d still advice the heightmap in your situation... Calculating the vertex height and the lowest vertex of the character sounds... well... over complicated to me.

Off course, it''s the best use when you''ve got overhangs and such, but wouldn''t a heightmap work a million times faster? (does require more memory though... hmmm...)

naos

122

October 07, 2001 12:21 PM

Just an idea...

couldnt you associate a value to say your characters feet and calculate if their on a pixel every time you move?

If their are pixels under the characters feet he stays on top of the ground... if their isnt then he falls until he encounters pixels, or the character dies...

-Ian

Ronin_54

122

October 09, 2001 04:40 AM

That might work for 2d... But with a 3d-engine, you can''t simply check the pixels, ''cause you also got depth...

3D RPG Engine Question...

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