Recreating dream scenery in a video game.
Years ago I dreamt of a cove sheltered by impassable cliffs from beyond which merry-making sounds filtered. In a shack on the sand, a book of poetry turned sunshine to darkness, and returned it to day.
Though it was lonely and wistful, I wished to return. For various reasons including time, this goal seemed out of reach. Thanks to Valve software's Half-Life 2 and Source Engine editing tools, I have achieved it. Credit is also due to the army of fellow 'modders' out there who are generous enough to post tutorials. My work has a day-night system, which required some ingenuity on my part and which the game engine does not explicitly support, so I have tried to repay in kind with hints on YouTube.
I also provided hints on how to implement in-game help; scarce on YouTube as the mod audience is usually gamers already proficient with controls. Displaying controls in-game, while considered condescending by the hard-core, was invaluable to my play-testing wife.
Source's runner-up engine was the Cryengine SandBox that ships with the game Crysis. But while Sandbox is newer, more polished, and also has no shortage of online tutors, I had difficulty running and customising it.
I find video games immersive as is. What more being able to paint your own landscapes - literally - using a treasure chest of models, textures, and animations. This is not a game aimed at creating, like Minecraft, but the act of creating using a game, so it is more complex, less forgiving, and involves more math, but I feel it is far more rewarding.
Spending twenty days re-imagining and re-visiting my dream has also provided insight into its personal significance. Thank you for sharing it with me. I invite you to invest in yours.
Years ago I dreamt of a cove sheltered by impassable cliffs from beyond which merry-making sounds filtered. In a shack on the sand, a book of poetry turned sunshine to darkness, and returned it to day.
Though it was lonely and wistful, I wished to return. For various reasons including time, this goal seemed out of reach. Thanks to Valve software's Half-Life 2 and Source Engine editing tools, I have achieved it. Credit is also due to the army of fellow 'modders' out there who are generous enough to post tutorials. My work has a day-night system, which required some ingenuity on my part and which the game engine does not explicitly support, so I have tried to repay in kind with hints on YouTube.
I also provided hints on how to implement in-game help; scarce on YouTube as the mod audience is usually gamers already proficient with controls. Displaying controls in-game, while considered condescending by the hard-core, was invaluable to my play-testing wife.
Source's runner-up engine was the Cryengine SandBox that ships with the game Crysis. But while Sandbox is newer, more polished, and also has no shortage of online tutors, I had difficulty running and customising it.
I find video games immersive as is. What more being able to paint your own landscapes - literally - using a treasure chest of models, textures, and animations. This is not a game aimed at creating, like Minecraft, but the act of creating using a game, so it is more complex, less forgiving, and involves more math, but I feel it is far more rewarding.
Spending twenty days re-imagining and re-visiting my dream has also provided insight into its personal significance. Thank you for sharing it with me. I invite you to invest in yours.
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