good to see you still working on it 
. Also the dispatch function looks fun to play.
Yay! I thought it was dead and now Im even more excited for the game!
Update (going to try to do a video this Friday perhaps donāt hold me to it!)
Added
Complete database generation per walking AI (they have Name, Sex, DOB, ID/DL, Race)
Redone pistol raycasting (added wavering to induce realistic inaccuracy with pistol), improved over all looks
Flashlight functions (able to aim / run with and still light the way you are heading)
Computer in Police car! (WIP)
-Computer in police car has a Local Map which marks your GPS location (if on foot you only have footmap!)
-Dispatch places a rough area of the location of call for your to investigate on GPS map (if in car)
-Dispatch able to handle crime calls that are not marked on streets with new system (sometimes rough location only given)
Improved AI (yields more to players car, more avoidance)
Driving traffic now yields to player running code (sirens for now, lights soon most likely. Vehicles on back-burner)
Improved
Harder to break Arrest/Detain/Stop/MovePerson/PlacePerson/ReleasePerson methods/mechanics
Removed crosshair from weapon(going to add right click to force player to aim) - its a improve for me
Victim reporting person to player once on scene improved
Better prompting to load person into car
Better prompting of crime taking place from dispatch
Bit of cleaning house (optimizations - was getting 42 FPS on decent rig, have cap set to 60 and rarely dips below 58 now.)
Whats next?
Complete ability to collect persons information
Able to search person using Police Computer in car (to discovery warrants, valid ID, if on probation, previous arrests)
Add additional information to persons (of past crime history, everything else is complete)
Finish up creating more crimes, make them dynamic (currently only 1 crime in game for testing. Foundation for crimes to take place, going to add additional options for person to commit, and also randomly generated crime)
Improve Dispatch Manager to not let player get over-loaded with crimes. 1 Currently at max until player can call for assistance using AI to proceed to next call.
Fine tune player interactions for between themselves and the AI to make it stronger.
BOLO update for notepad, notepad storing persons data.
Its getting to the point guys that Iāve got friends testing the game here and there because I donāt have all the time to test how mechanics and what not are working together, and Iām starting to collect data on how it runs on other systems/hardware. Its also getting to the point thats it playable without having a game breaking bug.
Iāve started up a IndieDB site of course, and if youāre interested feel free to follow it there also.
Oh yea, donāt run people over - youāll get hit for a lot of points.
5 Likes
wow, welcome back @FinKone! i was hoping you would make a triumphant returnā¦ 
will take a look at your new location nowā¦ as always, best of luck on your project! 
Thanks. Iāve kind of switched my status around here to ālingererā, but still very excited for Stonehearth, and still coding away when able. 
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YAY! Another update!
Sir you are laying impressive groundworks for a future success as a kickstarter campaign.
I raise my hat to you 
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Iād like to think so, its just fun doing this as a hobby for now, and Iāve still got a lot of ground work to do before I consider it really playable (alpha) that is.
Kickstarter is appealing mainly because Iād be able to bring on a 3D artist/animation and sound studio. Doesnāt matter how good a game plays, if its nothing but text popping up it can be hard to get into in my opinion. The down side to this is that now it becomes a real thing, people will want solid time lines, and I know that will NEVER happen with my current occupation (Army). Even if I made enough on the kickstarter, I wouldnāt want to bring on other coders currently, because this is my baby. ;D
Once I hit a alpha, and feel comfortable I do think I might look at my options in terms of what to do with the game.
Right now it seems one of the three
Release on Desura and reinvest money into sound/art work/animations,
Keep it in internal testing, and focus on co-op mutliplayer (but no content updates)
Start a kickstarter and see what happens.
Honestly at this time Iām leaning towards option 2, the harder road - but that could easly change. Iāve still got a good bit to learn about datapackets and what not in regards to multiplayer.
2 Likes
There might be option 4ā¦ continue to build a community and recruit an artist and sound-guy from there. I think your game is already nice enough to see where this is going. Just as you, there are for sure some others who would join you simply for the merits, fun and experience .
Give it a try and ask for some ācommunity madeā new models of your cop or soā¦
2 Likes
Yea I often to see a good bit of people making massive Qubicle creations around here. Iād really like to locate a 3D artist thats good at city landscapes/planes - one of my current bogs is the amount of verts Iāve got laying around on my base level map because I did it with haste (I can use blender, but I am however not very proficient with it.), blenders so extensive and a profession in its own that Iāve only learned the basics to get by, because, well I like to code.
Down the road Iām going to build a tool for working a new city map, the current one is for testing only really, and I want the end world to be much larger - everything will port easy its as simple as drag/drop for pathfinding since avoidance is built in they can handle most situations on their own.
Option 4 does seem like a good one. The main reason I havenāt asked lately is because Iāve got enough artist content right now to make due - but once I start to implement suspects fighting back, getting into struggles, and all these other things thats when I will most likely ask for help and see what happens.
So you are designing the whole city in Blender?
You have this typicial āVoxelā-lookā¦ would it be an idea to include Qubicle Constructor in your workstream (or another tool like that)? This way it might be easier to create some nice designs for the game and maybe even allow for modifications later on. More or less taking some ideas from Stonehearth . Although, not sure if this would have a positive impact on your performance.
Honestly yea when I started it was all done with Blender, then when I ported over the game (I started it with another engine in C#, and found Unity a lot more flexible and well put together), Iāve got Qubicle Constructor now, and its very fast for additional add ins, with the plug-in for Unity its very swift. A simple export using qb., and a import into unity with the plug-in and bam. I have not however been to the Qubicle website in a bit, so the animation is still ported out of Qubicle, into Blender, animated, and then ported into Unity. I donāt like how unity handles some of the animations that are built in so I go this road.
Hey donāt get me wrong. I donāt mean to pressure you into doing a Kickstarter campaign, that course of action might be well far away in the future.
As I see it you would need additional funding for either of two things: 1) improve the game with professional sounds, music and graphics or 2) start your own company to deliver a professional game.
And no matter what you would want funds for and where you would turn to ask for them, you will need proof that you are capable either way.
Having a working prototype is a huge plus, having a community actively helping you even more so.
Looking at KS campaigns in my perception the ones that are approachable and engage with people are much more successful no matter if large or small campaigns.
Threads like this one and the communication channels you will use in the future (reddit, own forum, website?) will be what people find when googling you on the web to make up their minds about a KS - so even if you do it in 5 years, any footprints will be found and have positive impact.
Personally if I donāt perceive someone doing a funding call likeable I have a very hard time to pledge whatever amount is asked for even if the project its about seems solid and interesting.
In other words not only your development is the groundwork, but what you do right here with interacting with us is part of that groundwork - and you are doing a great job at it.
As soon as your work gets more serious the naysayers and trolls will arrive, donāt let them faze you and just stay approachable and whatever you do will work out much better! 
Yup, so I didnāt release a video Friday, I know - but Iām working on one right now! I find it hard to loose time working on these things, when I could be adding more to the game itself, but since I said I was going to do one I am! It will simply show how the ID database is starting to come into play, how the dispatcher talking and giving the player locations based on crime is working, how making the wrong choices (arresting someone that doesnāt meet the victims description) will punish the player, and how gaining someones ID also helps in this situation.
The following will be used to all tie it together shortly - and I feel is when its really going to start to be playable.
When searching a arrested/detained person youāll have a high chance to obtain ID from them.
The database lookup will be added to the computer, that will allow you to look up this persons history.
The victim MIGHT know the suspect and be able to provide a name in the future (nowā¦ lets hope the criminal is carrying ID to make it easyā¦)
Lastly, in my opinion that cops rely heavily on, is bringing the scum bag BACK to the victim and having them do a positive ID prior to arrest (at which time arrest, and detain will start to work a lot different, its currently working very close to one another).
Other good news I found a few AI gaps that have been making rather unnecessary calls, so the games running even faster (I donāt think I even dipād below 60 while running recording software) - I donāt own the professional version of Unity so it lacks the optimization portionā¦ ;(
The video will most likely be up in a few hours.
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Mic was grabbing a good bit out background noise so I had to turn the Db. down on it so you guys didnāt have to listen to children. Hope you can hear it and enjoy.
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This looks fantastic, and I have a few suggestionsnfor this game.
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Make the models with more voxels so they wonāt look too blocky. I can make models once I install QB.
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Add police chases, because everyone loves those
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How about a reputation system?
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I would like to see events like gang wars where you need to use your gun
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How about a system where you can call for backup when needed
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It would be awesome if there was a promotion system
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A shop mechanic would be great
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An upgraded physics engine would be great, so there could be collisions when the car crashes or if you fall from a high ledge, you take damage
I would say make this game a lot like GTA because that is what people would want/expect from a game like this but donāt just full on copy. By copy I mean:
- add boats and Aircraft
- Be able to steal/Commandeer cars
- Be able to run over people and shoot people (Maybe send other cops after the player if he does this and have those other cops try and kill the player because he is a cop gone insane basically)
I just found about this and oh my god this is a professional hobby not just an ordinary hobby.
I think you could implement the insides of buildings. Criminal syndicates riots and riot officers. Black circles where you think criminal syndicates are. but they can move areas.
So heres a scenario . You go to a black circle on the map where you think theres a criminal syndicate base. Then you get a report from the station giving you an update you go to the building. Then you find it in the new designated area. You call for ordinary police backup. Then you take the criminal syndicate down and a riot starts you call in the riot officers and theres a big fight. You win and the syndicate is destroyed
yayyyy!!! you get a huge score boost
Hey Epic. Most of what you asked for is honestly on the radar as planād.
The models are more or less place holders, along with animations so I can quickly make sure a feature is working. It pains me to see the AI moving around without legs, believe meā¦ on the plus side when I imported them I left them with excessive verts so later when I do add more detail to each person I shouldnāt see a heavy, if any performance hit.
Agreed. chases are needed (Vehicles are on the back burner until the walking AI is more complex/more crime is added)
Debating about some type of reputation system.
Youāll need to use your gun for sure once other crimes have been added (active shooter, felony resisting with firearm, hostage situation).
Back-up calls and player end radio use are a MUST, calling for a additional unit, K9, SWAT, EMS and maybe - but most likely not, the fire department.
There will be a promotion system, this is why Iām also debating about a reputation system, but not in regards for how well the player conducts himself, but how well he gets along with the othersā¦ (not entirely planned, just on the think-tank board.)
Shop mechanics are going to be a thing. The score youāve collected in the future will be put towards items youāre interested in. Youāll be able to use raw score for body armor, upgraded weapons, additional supports (calling AI for backup), even small additions to your car (such as a spotlight, which will not just be cosmetic - its planned that if its pointed at a suspect and they are attempting to fire a weapon at you, the light in their eyes will make them very inaccurate.)
Newf - you can currently run over and kill people whenever you choose. In the future negative points will be added, and sadly if I did have it so police officers would attempt to stop you - people would just turn that into the game. So if a lot of negative points are taking place, most likely Iāll have it so the players round is simply ended. The message will state something along the lines āSuspended until further notice!ā to let the player know, its not GTA, and yaā cant just conduct yourself like that.
Gridnick - Thanks for the suggestions.
Thats a good idea, It definitely distances you from GTA and other games like GTA the only thing I would worry about is if it ends up like assasins creed and people donāt like the game because you canāt go on a killing spree