Skill blueprints a.k.a. shadows in Lix (2018 unreleased branch)

[Simon]

In 2018, I wrote:


Skill blueprints: Demo video of skill blueprints. It looks sophisticated, but it's not in releasable quality yet:

• This is comparatively expensive to compute. I allocate an extra level-sized VRAM bitmap for the blueprints. Even though that's permanent,  I have to target/untarget that at least once per drawing. It dents the performance.
  
• It doesn't cover all skills yet: It doesn't draw any terrain changes for cubers or ploders.
  
• It draws the removers' blueprints even where there is already air. I'd prefer to only draw it on terrain. That requires changes to some low-level algorithms.
  
• I like the previewed pose of the lix after the skill has run out. But stopped terrain removers get hidden behind the blueprint.
  

I'd like to improve it it before I release. I could hide it behind a disabled-by-default option, but hmmm, it feels very very beta even for that. Still, I'm happy to have made some progress here.


August 2020 discussion about this old D Lix branch in NL Customisable Fast-Forward Speed:

Lix doesn't have skill shadows yet, they're elaborate to implement both nicely and fast. I have a crude version in a 2018 branch. It's possible to release that, but I feel like I should polish it more. I haven't done it in two years.

These look pretty good to be honest, but I can see that more refined versions are possible. For example, making it so the destructive blueprint only appears on the terrain that it will affect rather than the entire mask being shown.

Whatever you do, be sure to make these optional! I don't play Lix much at the mo but I keep meaning to - I'll likely make my next LP series Lix-based. It would be great to play through a few more levels and finally get around to reviewing the editor!

Yes, the main disadvantage is that the remover blueprints paint their entire mask, even over air. It's possible to improve that. I already have intricate/expensive per-pixel VRAM drawing for the real terrain removing; ideally, the blueprints work the same, even if expensive.

The blueprints allocated an extra level-sized VRAM bitmap. I'd like to omit that, too. Haven't thought about it in over a year. But maybe it's not that bad after all.

Undo in the editor is still in the works, but not releasable yet. Nonetheless, looking forward to your feedback!

-- Simon

[Forestidia86]

I could hide it behind a disabled-by-default option, but hmmm, it feels very very beta even for that.

You could write at the option that it's beta, e.g. 'enable skill shadows (beta)' or similiar.

[Blitz]

Quick question wouldn't that destroy the whole multiplayer System?

[Simon]

That depends on what do you mean by "destroy": The performance dents oder game design.

For fairness, the skill blueprints must be performant enough so that everybody can enable them without worry of introducing lag. If I can't get them performant, I can't offer them in multiplayer.

If you're worrying about game design: It should be fine. Sure, multiplayer Lix with skill blueprints will test a different area of overall player skill than today's multiplayer Lix without them. But I expect this shift to be small. Good strategy, good instinct for miner/builder slopes, and quick reflexes will still determine the winner.

The biggest difference would result from the blueprints for timed exploders. Some maps rely on the guesswork, and those maps become easier indeed. Others rely on the chaos.

-- Simon

[Blitz]

By destroy i mean with 8 player it would become confusing also at races or tight places it would block your view of my Perspective it would make the multiplayer just confusing.

The solution would be to make moderator a thing where you could at this as a Modifier or like a setting in the settings.

it would also Destroy some maps like Downward Ruduction