Forum:Pikmin Engine by Espyo

Forums: Index > Programmers Unite > Pikmin Engine by Espyo
User Espyo from Pikipedia is considering creating a Pikmin fan game engine so that the fanon games can become a reality. Would you be interested in this?
  • For the list of updates, go here: Updates.
  • For the list of votes, go here: Votes.
  • For some old details, go here: Details.

So Espyo, a user from Pikipedia, proposed to me on the chatroom that he'd be willing to make a Pikmin engine for making real fanon games, if we wanted it. He said that it'd be pretty easy to make Pikmin games; instead of just programming it, we could just write stuff on text files. Enemy graphics would be easy, as most fanon enemies are just recolors anyway. And Espyo even suggested that he could create a program to generate areas. So it'd be pretty easy to make an actual Pikmin game! And our ideas, which were just written, could come to life! Comments, questions, and concerns are welcome. Also, here's a poll, right underneath. ~PikFan23 (Admin)

You can read some details of what I have in mind here. Even though the project has started, I still want to know what you think, so don't hesitate! — {EspyoT} 09:15, 13 July 2013 (EDT)


Discussion

Is This Still Being Worked On?

Just wondering, as this engine will be very cool when it is complete! I'm Piki1 and I approve all Pikmin!

Possibly. Updates normally take a while, but this is longer than normal... Peach Bulborb icon.png I'm Peach Bulborb, and I approve all grub-dogs. (Sysop)

Area Editor Issue

In my last reply I thanked you for helping me access the editor. Now I am having issues with launching it. You might know of this difficulty, you might not. I created two batch files for the base of the engine's files, called "Animation" and "Area", respectively. The first one, "Animation" runs the command prompt line you mentioned which adds the letter 'a' to the end of the line. That works perfectly. The second one, "Area", adds two words to the end of the line in the batch file, but doesn't work. The Pikmin Fan Engine stops responding instantly. Perhaps it is because I edited the resolution in the "Options" text file. Nonetheless, I would like some help troubleshooting it. I have a link to a video of me detailing my process here. User:Peanut64/sig 14:31, 2 January 2015 (EST)

Thanks once again for the support! Let me just say that if you think you're up for programming and like the idea, do go ahead with it. You will not regret knowing how to program. That said, it's not all a big slice of heaven. Bugs happen, code becomes confusing, and at times, it feels like you wanted to do anything but program. But in the end, it's always worth it. Being able to create life just out of some text, and having full control over how it turns out is something out of this world. I'm afraid to say that you likely won't be able to help me, because all of the simple parts are pretty much taken, and the complicated stuff would require quite a few years of practice to get right. Anyway, I think I got a crash on a different PC too, on the area editor, and I've fixed the problem since. It's an easy fix, but I'd have to launch a new version to fix it, I'm afraid... It's been a while since I fixed it, but I THINK the problem doesn't happen if you have a secondary area. Just create a new text file on the Areas folder, and hopefully it should work. I think it was something related to a scrollbar acting up, but it never happened on my machine because I always have two area files (the actual area used in the alpha and a test area). Oh, before I submitted this, I just rummaged through my Dropbox, because at one point I sent a version of the engine to a friend to test something, and said version might just be after I fixed the problem you're having. So try replacing your .exe with the one here, and hopefully the problem will be gone. Remember to make a backup of your original .exe first, though. Oh, and one final thing, remember that I'm on the IRC from 7 to 12 PM GMT, and pretty much all day during the weekends, so it would probably be better to chat there! — {EspyoT} 15:26, 2 January 2015 (EST)

The fix above doesn't seem to work. Replacing the .exe with one in the link did not make any difference, and the Area folder currently contains three files. Just like the original asker, we are using "Pikmin_fangame_engine.exe a a" to launch the area editor, and getting the same crash. Do you have another version available, or any other ideas on how we can fix this issue? – Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.240.84.26 (talk • contribs)

Hm, I checked my Dropbox folder again, and I also have this. Try that one. My folder is a bit of a mess, and the file names aren't helping. Sorry, my bad. Anyway, I don't have many more ideas, though I guess you could try having over 20 area files, instead of just two. This would definitely force the scrollbar to appear, which should fix the crash. I'm afraid I can't send a new version for the time being, because my current code is barely functional – you caught me in the middle of revamping the enemy scripting code. — {EspyoT} 19:19, 18 March 2015 (EDT)

I can't seem to get the area editor working, so, once again, any idea's? – Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.240.84.26 (talk • contribs)

I'm afraid not... If all goes well, I'll be releasing a new version somewhere next month, which will likely have solved all area-related problems. Until then... I suppose you could try a different machine. — {EspyoT} 03:59, 20 May 2015 (EDT)

Soundtrack

I am posting this as a bump, and because I have produced a song dedicated to the Pikmin Engine. This is my song, titled "Forest Waves", and I intend to either put it in a custom made area or give it to Espyo for use with his. I am sort of renewed with my interest in this project; for now I'll make things, like graphics and music for it, but I don't have much experience in C++. I will also attempt to make an area in the game itself. One more thing: I have many ideas, most of which revolve around gameplay mechanics: something that uses the engine's simplicity and limitations to create a very high content:re-playability ratio. I will make a subpage on my user page detailing these ideas. As for support revolving around the engine itself, I, although busy with the end of high school (and I am already taking college) I will try to look back and provide support. I hope and trust that this will become a very fun game. User:Peanut64/sig

Hi! Right, I am pretty late on an update, aren't I? Truth is I've been ultra-busy lately. But no worries, I have no intention of giving up on the project, and almost all of my big tasks are over, meaning I'll only focus on Pikipedia and the engine. The engine is just an engine, and it'll be made to support any song to the game creator's choice. So I can't add that to the engine itself, but people can add it to their game while making it. Speaking of, the song sounds pretty nice! It's a bit too ambiance-based for the likes of Pikmin, though, so it might not suit as well as other songs. I was thinking of composing my own music for the fangame I'll be making, but if I ever run out of time, I'll use yours and other free music online, if you don't mind. Feel free to help in any way you can, be it ideas, spreading the word, or anything else – you don't necessarily have to help with the code. I also have some gameplay mechanic ideas, of course, but feel free to contribute with your own. Also, I guess this is a good a time as any to say this, but because the engine is increasingly more demanding, I'll put less focus on flexibility so that I can focus more on actually getting the engine to a near-complete state. Meaning that outlandish gameplay ideas will be even harder to implement... Well, we'll let time decide on how that one turns out. Thanks for the support! — {EspyoT} 18:53, 1 January 2015 (EST)
About your fangame, sure, I'd compose some music if you didn't have time. Given greater descriptions I could compose types of sound more suitable to the theme.
And about the engine itself, I was thinking a few things to improve. The Pikmin get stuck randomly, which is something I will further examine. They seem to be able to be thrown, but don't move, so perhaps it is the recognition of the Pikmin's position that is wonky. Also, the Bulborb is much too strong. When Pikmin get stuck in front of it, which is understandable, I never am able to defeat it. Maybe by decreasing its base health by half, you can make for a better balance. When the Pikmin seeds come out of the Onions, there should be a sound to accompany it. As I understand the sounds can be added in, but it would be best if the game engine itself have it. Lastly, the game engine could already in its current state make for a solid game, if you make a GUI for the area making, or an ingame editor. I know this is planned, but just to highlight the importance of it, as you know it would make the engine much more user friendly. If you could edit the walls and vertexes in the game via an editor menu, it would feel so much more complete, and make it easier. Also just a generic start menu, while not necessary, would prove very beneficial. Everyone is trained to want a start menu, like a game tradition from back when they were actually useful for arcades.
As for the ideas, they were just base ideas to spruce up gameplay, so it may or may not be possible. Adding an objective system, like Pokos or Coins for Treasure, making pellets more sparse (which is already possible), and a few other things would help out any game's re-playability. I am assuming caves are possible, but I haven't seen a way to transition from one map to another. With caves, you could allow for much more intensive world-building. Because of the default speed of the captains, more ground to cover is much more gameplay. I had thought of a simple voxel system for dungeons, like randomized maps. They would have basic tiles of worlds that could be inter-changeable, to create an infinite possibilities of quick cave layouts. Given the nature of simple games with voxel mechanics, like Minecraft and Terraria, a lot of gameplay could be made from little code. So perhaps making a tile system for ground terrain, you could have on your hands even easier to implement map making tools.
I hope a few, if not all, of these ideas are enough to sustain the fact that I like this project. If I made the time, I could learn C++ and make my own version of the engine, but that would be a long time from now. I would personally add in the objectives, menus, and voxel elements myself. I would also add in loot, say Armor like different helmets that drop from killing beasts, and they would subtly influence something like walk speed, throw speed, or Pikmin strength. Imagine an experience system that allowed difficulty to be in an RPG like curve, so you could only defeat later area creatures late in the game. Just a thought, however. That is on the extreme side of exotic to implement. For now, bugfixes and making the engine more versatile is exactly what you are probably going to do. Like I said, if I learn C++ any time soon, a possibility given the nature of free courses, yay Khan Academy, then I can help with code. Thanks for being awesome, by the way. This project is amazing. User:Peanut64/sig
Oh yeah, I was typing this and forgot my question: Saves
What will be implemented in terms of saving the progress of games? Maybe save-states could be possible, but if the startup is based on an already established code, then maybe that's a little more complicated than I'd think. User:Peanut64/sig
Good ideas, but I feel like there's a point I haven't made clear. The engine is still really young in its age. Most of the things you mentioned will be added or changed in the future. I don't say this sounding condescending, but I felt like you had the idea that I'm aiming to make the engine near-final as it stands right now, which is not true. I do appreciate the feedback, even when it's obvious, but I just wanted to make it clear that the latest release had some really rushed things. Still, I'll discuss some of the great points you mentioned.
As for the music, we'll worry about that in the future.
The Pikmin get stuck randomly, and so do the leaders, on some walls. I haven't been able to pinpoint why, but I might have to revamp the collision code. I've been meaning to fix that for a while, as no game that's worth the name "game" could ever be allowed to have sticky walls! They also randomly glitch and become in some limbo state where you can't grab them. It's weird, but it'll all be fixed in the future, to the point where it resembles a canon Pikmin game; don't worry. The Bulborb is also incredibly broken, and unbalanced. Broken because the script and code that controls it needs to be remade, as it's currently quite glitchy. And like you said, it is indeed unbalanced – too much HP, attacks too frequently, too fast, etc. I plan on fixing all of these before the next release, so this will be the first and last time you'll see an overpowered Bulborb. As for the sounds, they're a bit different from the music, in that most of them will come packaged with the engine. The sound of seeds being expelled will be one of them. I'll also add some sparkling particles after the seeds are expelled. Like I pointed out yesterday, I'm focusing more on getting the engine to work, instead of making existing things prettier. As for the editor, I got news for you: both an animation editor and area editor already exist, and they're pretty much complete! I couldn't possibly design the area I did by hand. They'll be made easily accessible in the future, but for now, you'll have to do something weird to access them:
  1. On Windows, open the command line (check the Start Menu, accessories), and type "cd ", followed by the folder to where the game is. You can know what folder it's on by opening it normally and checking the path at the top of the window. It should be something like "C:/Users/_____/Desktop/Engine", or something of the sort. Press Enter when you're done. This will basically make you enter the folder, via the command line.
  2. Next, type the name of the engine's executable, then a space, and then any letter. This will run the engine with the animation editor.
  3. To open the area editor, do the same, except instead of having ONE word after the name of the executable, have TWO words.
Menus will exist, and they will be pretty standard. I'm aiming to have a title screen that can be customized for each game, but still have the standard options: Story, Challenge, Multiplayer, Options, Quit. Other menus will also exist, of course. I'll try to make it resemble a canon Pikmin game.
As for cave generation, I'll have to make some sort of hybrid, and base myself on what Pikmin 2 does. I won't make tile-based levels, as that would requiring re-writting a lot, when I already have a decent map geometry system. But caves in Pikmin 2 are based on cave units, so I think I'll have to do something similar.
If you do not know how to program, you can give up on the idea of C++. I don't mean this an insult, by any means. It's just that to make something that's optimized and a bit specific like this, it requires several years of practice. If you're already a programmer, then you'd do good in learning C++. But ultimately, don't worry about it. I'm grabbing the code by the horns, and so far, I'm handling it pretty nicely. Thanks for the offer, anyway! The idea of a Pikmin engine that supports elements like RPG-like leveling would be pretty insane, but I wouldn't count on it. We can get back to it in a few years, though. You never know!
Finally, saves: the engine should save the progress a player has made on story mode, as well as the alternate play modes, like challenge. I'm aiming to make it as detailed as the canon games, meaning it saves the last enemies you killed (so it knows in which day to respawn them), the last area you chose on the area selection menu, and other such tidbits. Savestates will likely not be implemented, because a) they can be used for cheating, by having people go back and undo any sort of mistake they make, and b) it could take months to get a savestate system that really works.
Like I said before, because the engine is still changing, worrying about resources (graphics and sounds) right now may be a bit premature, because stuff that's thought to be needed now might not be needed or might change in the future. So at this point, what I really need is just to get the word spread, and to receive more feedback. — {EspyoT} 06:18, 2 January 2015 (EST)
Thank you for the help accessing the editors! I believe that simple instruction set should be included in the README file for future releases. And to reply to the longevity of the project, I was merely suggesting end-game suggestions, for when the engine itself is complete, very far from now. I realized as soon as I looked into the source code of the engine that this will take a ton of time, a lot of effort, and slaving over the code for countless weeks. I myself haven't mastered any single programming language, other than my rudimentary "mastery" of HTML because of WikiMedia's markup and CSS because of its role in styling the site. I have dabbled in Javascript, however, I admittedly only made a mod for Minecraft, not something transferable to other means. I have a basic grasp of logic, and I am currently working towards learning mathematical logic systems that help solve problems, a flowchart-esque heuristic type logic flow. But I am limited to my ignorance of any non-web programming. I have seen what C++ can do, and Python, and Ruby, and so forth, but I never took the time to slave over the idea. However, this engine has me excited for the possibility that code brings about: from simple binary, derived are characters, which, when interpreted by a cluster of switches at the nano scale, form words, which define processes, which are transmitted to the display for us as biological entities to perceive. Once our optic nerves impress the sensory data into our working memory, and then to our short and long term memory, we are forever effected by it. From the infinite complexities of combinations comes reason, meaning, and emotion. This fascinates me to no foreseeable end.
I suppose this is a promise of my support. I envy your dedication to this, as I am fully aware it is a tiny droplet of water in the probably full pond of life you have. Most of all, I appreciate your making of this entire wiki's dreams come true. Once completed, the engine will serve to make the fanon true games. Thanks for that. User:Peanut64/sig 13:56, 2 January 2015 (EST)

Birthday update

New update! Please comment on it here. — {EspyoT} 19:10, 15 August 2014 (EDT)

I love it! This is going to sound really mean, but I was delighted when the Bulborb first ate my Pikmin! The height concept, the better graphics, the plucking animation, the walls, the sign, I loved it all! I could tell the game was still W.I.P., but it was wonderful to play around with.
As for your question of whether the community is excited about this or not, I cannot speak for others. I for one am very excited every time I see a new update to the game. Waiting long periods between updates somewhat diminishes the excitement, but then it updates and I am excited all over again.
I can't really say much other than that I love this, and I hope you keep up the awesome work! Peach Bulborb icon.png I'm Peach Bulborb, and I approve all grub-dogs. (Sysop)
Thanks! I've been getting positive feedback from other people too, but it's looking a bit quiet at the moment. As for the updates, they keep happening, and you can always check out the github page to see what my latest changes are. But I'd rather focus on posting meaningful updates instead of frequent updates. — {EspyoT} 14:43, 16 August 2014 (EDT)

While I am disappointed by long delays, I do support your approach. It is disappointing when you hear of an update to a game and only get 1 or 2 things done differently. Peach Bulborb icon.png I'm Peach Bulborb, and I approve all grub-dogs. (Sysop)

Looks exciting! I'm Piki1 and I approve all Pikmin!

Summer 2014

Just wanted to check in, confirm I am still alive haha. The engine's latest updates look amazing! I can't wait to be able to attack enemies. I love the work you put into this one! Good job. User:Peanut64/sig

Thanks! Big changes are happening on Pikipedia lately, so I haven't been as active on the engine as I wanted to, but rest assured, the progress is going smoothly, and at the rate it's going, it looks like we'll get to play some incredible fan games in the future. — {EspyoT} 13:28, 22 July 2014 (EDT)

Pikmin run game

I plan on creating a game were you maneuver a running pikmin through hazards and enemies. However, I want the game to say certain things at certain times. How do I do it?Fanonrun 06:53, 2 May 2014 (EDT)

You mean like Temple Run? If so, the engine isn't made to make a game like that, I'm afraid. Otherwise, it will be possible to have the game say certain things at certain times, yes. — {EspyoT} 06:54, 2 May 2014 (EDT)

Editors

I need some feedback. Clear your mind and stop remembering any editor you've seen so far, specially the one present in the engine at the moment, if you managed to access it. Now, please answer me this: how do you see an animation editor working? In your mind, how do you imagine the creation process of a, say, Swooping Snitchbug's animations, using an editor provided with the engine? Anything from the interface, to the steps required, to the complexity of it all. I need your feedback, so I can balance the creation of the animation editor (and maybe others) between what I have, what I should do, and what I can do. — {EspyoT} 10:25, 5 April 2014 (EDT)

Hiding it

  • I just thought about this and was wondering about your opinion: when this game engine is complete, should we maybe "hide" it slightly, ie, no link on the main page? My concern would be that unscrupulous individuals would use it to make games and sell them. Maybe this is an unrealistic concern on my part, I'm not sure. Peach Bulborb icon.png I'm Peach Bulborb, and I approve all grub-dogs. (Sysop)
    • Hehe, there's no reason to worry. This was discussed before, on this same page, and basically, if somebody wants to make a game with this engine and sell it, it's fine. I say this, because if they do it, Nintendo will sue them so hard they won't know where to hide. What we're doing is just fan stuff for free in our spare time. If somebody tries to make profit out of an existing IP, and copyrighted materials, the owners can and will sue them. Specially Nintendo. — {EspyoT} 17:05, 16 March 2014 (EDT)
      • Yes, but then Nintendo might decide to give a C&D if they feel the engine will cause more problems in the future (suing is expensive) or if they're in a bad mood. --Dry Paratroopa 18:16, 24 September 2014 (EDT)
        • Quite true... We'll just have to hope for the best. Other similar projects are bolder than mine and are still alive and kicking. Plus I think that companies are more prone to cutting fans off if they feel the fan product could threaten the original sales. My 2D game engine would never surpass the 3D games they've got, so... — {EspyoT} 18:27, 24 September 2014 (EDT)

Cloaking Burrow-nit

  • Sorry it took me so long to finally get back to you. I love the new version! My one question: is the movement, enemy recognition and attack sequences, stuff like that that the Burrow Nit used universal, or will you have to reprogram everything for each creature? Peach Bulborb icon.png I'm Peach Bulborb, and I approve all grub-dogs. (Sysop)
    • It's universal, and every creature is independent! Otherwise it would kinda ruin the whole point. You can easily test this by editing Areas/test.txt. Go to where the Cloaking Burrow-nit is. This is the data for the instance of the lone CBN we see on the test stage. Just copy paste all of its info to create a new CBN on the stage. Oh, but change the coordinates to something like -100 0, or else it'll overlap the existing one. You'll see that both CBNs are completely independent, and there was no need to reprogram anything, rescript anything, reanimate anything, etc. Also, fun fact. I noticed your edit via my IRC Bot; I've just now finished working on a feature to track down recent changes from Pikipedia and Fanon, and I happened to notice your edit when he fetched it before my e-mail notifier notified me about it. — {EspyoT} 14:26, 12 March 2014 (EDT)
      • Would it work if I started going wild, ie: shrinking the CBN or making a monster sized one? Peach Bulborb icon.png I'm Peach Bulborb, and I approve all grub-dogs. (Sysop)
        • It has no reason not to! The only issue would be the clunkiness of playing with a giant CBN, as he'd probably catch presence of a Pikmin with the strangest distances. But other than that, it should and must work! — {EspyoT} 09:16, 13 March 2014 (EDT)

Cuscenes

  • How will cutscenes or special animations work? We can use textboxes, I know, but I mean in terms of perspectives. The engine has a fixed top-down perspective, so will there be special perspectives, or something? Also, how would we animate certain things in said cutscenes? ~PikFan23 (Admin)
    • Heh, changes in perspective will certainly be impossible. Changing from top-down to anything else would require a lot of work and be a different graphical output altogether. I detail that a bit down below. Anyway, the most I can do is allow zooming and rotating of the camera. Alternately, it'll be possible to use pre-rendered images per scene. I mean, have the game show an image in the background, that can be whatever the game maker chooses. A lot of older games use this; off the top of my head, the intro to Quackshot, the intro to Sonic Robo Blast 2, ... As for the animation, it mightn't be too complicated. There should be a text file where you say "Olimar moves towards the corner of the room. Afterwards, Louie turns 180 degrees. After a one-second pause, Olimar runs to the opposite end.", except, you know, more technical-like. — {EspyoT} 07:39, 7 February 2014 (EST)

Christmas version

  • Just came back on and the Christmas version was great! I'll compile the github repo when I can. Hipe 16:21, 1 February 2014 (EST)

Invalid link

  • I am not sure the problem is my computer or the link, but every time I click the link, it asks what I want to do, I click save, and then the webpage crashes. Peach Bulborb icon.png I'm Peach Bulborb, and I approve all grub-dogs. (Sysop)
    • How weird... Try this link, though I can't really imagine what the problem might be besides the file name. — {EspyoT} 09:56, 27 December 2013 (EST)
      • I got it working, but in the weirdest way... Anyway, thanks. The new version is awesome! Although I am curious, is there any interface with the rocket? Peach Bulborb icon.png I'm Peach Bulborb, and I approve all grub-dogs. (Sysop)
        • Thanks! At the moment, there is no sort of GUI anywhere. Not in the rocket or Onions. — {EspyoT} 18:06, 27 December 2013 (EST)
  • Um,where is the text file that lets you make pikmin,captains or enemys? – Preceding unsigned comment added by 107.4.141.191 (talk • contribs)
    • On the current version, it doesn't exist. The next version I'll release will have files were you can create your own leaders and such, but it's still incomplete. Like, you can only set the speed at which a captain or Pikmin moves, how fast they rotate, they color, and not much else, really. — {EspyoT} 08:08, 26 January 2014 (EST)

Controls

  • I just played around with it! I was wondering, could you please give me a quick run-down of the controls? I only how to move, throw pikmin, whistle, and take pikmin out of the onion (I can't put them back in, though). Peach Bulborb icon.png I'm Peach Bulborb, and I approve all grub-dogs. (Sysop)
    • Oh crud, I knew I was forgetting something! I'll update the update. As for the Onions, they're really incomplete. It'll have a full menu when it's done, but for now, all you can do is withdraw a Pikmin. — {EspyoT} 06:53, 24 October 2013 (EDT)
  • How do you make menus come up? As I said I'm running it on WINE. --Hipe 16:22, 20 December 2013 (EST)
    • No Onion menus yet. Right now, if you get close to an Onion and left-click, it'll pull out a Pikmin, provided there aren't 100 on the field. — {EspyoT} 16:50, 20 December 2013 (EST)
      • And also, I could write some documentation for you if you want me to.--Hipe 17:41, 20 December 2013 (EST)
        • Documentation? What do you mean exactly? (Also I was on IRC when you joined just now, but I was busy). — {EspyoT} 17:50, 20 December 2013 (EST)
          • Controls and info... that sort of stuff. --Hipe 18:06, 20 December 2013 (EST)
            • Oh, no need, thanks. There's not much about that sort of info, atm, and what exists is not yet final. — {EspyoT} 18:15, 20 December 2013 (EST)
              • And also (note to self: stop using and also), what do the purple boxes do? --Hipe 18:31, 20 December 2013 (EST)
                • Oh, those just provide information when you get close. I wanted to make some rudimentary wooden sign graphics, but I never got around to it. No such thing exists in any Pikmin game, but for some reason I decided to make them. Say, does the game fade out to black when you zoom out (press C or the roll the mouse wheel down)? In addition to that, does the cursor and captain spazz out at random? I really should hurry with a release that fixes the latter glitch... — {EspyoT} 18:37, 20 December 2013 (EST)
                  • No, but I'm running WINE which is a Windows emulator, so I really can't say. --18:48, 20 December 2013 (EST)
                    • Plus, where did you put the purple box-sign thing's graphics in your github repo? I've forked it to change the sign graphics to something that looks like a sign. -Hipe 19:14, 20 December 2013 (EST)
                      • They don't use graphics yet. They're rendered using Allegro's native primitive rendering functions; in this case a rectangle. — {EspyoT} 19:21, 20 December 2013 (EST)

Beta testing and sharing

  • I have two questions/requests:

(1) Will there be beta testing, or will it just be pronounced complete and posted? (2) If it is not already planned, could you add some system so that users can share completed Pikmin games and play them? Peach Bulborb icon.png I'm Peach Bulborb, and I approve all grub-dogs. (Sysop)

    • 1) The engine isn't just going to be a thing that's made and later released and ended forever. It's a project that exists all throughout its development, and it's available for everyone (check the latest update that's included in my edit for more info). But yes, I suppose there will have to be a release where I ultimately say "This is it, you can now start your fangames using this engine!", and any version that's released from there on out will just be bug fixes and extra features. As for beta testing, it's too soon to go into detail, but I'm guessing that when the engine starts to become really complex, I'll compile some versions and have people quickly test them out, to see if they can find glitches. Otherwise, I'll just have like a weekly/monthly release, and people can play around, whether they want to help catch bugs or not (kinda like Minecraft's weekly snapshots).
    • 2) Well, that's the whole point, really. You create your fangame, either by editing the files or using the included editors, and once you have a fangame that has all the Pikmin, areas, music, etc. that you like, you just grab the files on the Game_data folder, throw it on Dropbox, Sendspace, or some other file uploading service, and share it with the world! Whoever wants to play your game can just add your folder onto their installation of the engine, and it'll play the game right away. That's what I've been planning all along. Now, if you meant some feature in which the engine connects to the internet and downloads a game automatically, that's something I've considered for a while, but might be too hard to implement, and not worth the effort. — {EspyoT} 08:24, 14 October 2013 (EDT)

Status update

  • Can we get a status update? Peach Bulborb icon.png I'm Peach Bulborb, and I approve all grub-dogs. (Sysop)
    • Sure. On the IRC channel, I post updates every once in a while. I haven't posted anything here for two reasons: a) I'm gonna start studying for my September finals just tomorrow. I haven't been quite inclined to worry about the engine with that in mind, you see. b) Nintendo's been recently banning more and more things. It made me feel a bit uneasy thinking about talking about the project. But screw it. Here goes an update. — {EspyoT} 21:28, 1 September 2013 (EDT)
      • Looking good. I just have to say, thanks, this is a dream come true! Peach Bulborb icon.png I'm Peach Bulborb, and I approve all grub-dogs. (Sysop)
        • I think all of us here at Pikmin Fanon thank you again and again for undertaking this project. Making real fan games has always been a dream for Pikmin Fanon, something we were always reaching for but never really managed to grasp and hold on to. This is going to revolutionize Pikmin Fanon. Suddenly, many games like Pikmin: Ultimate Doom and Pikmin: Connection of the Worlds will do far more than just tell you about the game. They will give you the game to play and enjoy! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Peach Bulborb icon.png I'm Peach Bulborb, and I approve all grub-dogs. (Sysop)
          • Thanks for the kind words :) I've got classes now, but they're only during the morning. I'll have the rest of the day to work on the engine. I know I said I'd eventually stop on this (I know I will, it's always how it works), but personally, I'd be more worried about Nintendo shutting me down. On the other hand, I guess they don't care about 0%-profit fangames... Maybe the fangames they shut down from Newgrounds were being paid with ad revenue? This isn't the case for the fangame engine. Either way, the development is going steady. There's a lot to do, it's complex, but somehow, progress keeps going brilliantly. — {EspyoT} 10:43, 15 September 2013 (EDT)
            • I think you should strictly forbid people from trying to make money of off the games they create, because if they start doing that, then you will be in trouble. Peach Bulborb icon.png I'm Peach Bulborb, and I approve all grub-dogs. (Sysop)

It begins

  • Ok, update time. I decided I should go ahead and make it (despite only 5 people showing any real interest), but there are two things to be said...
    • First of all, in order for the engine to really be flexible enough to handle several types of fan content... It'll have to be slightly more complex than I imagined. For instance, what if you want an enemy that shoots a stream of water towards one direction for 1 second, then walks towards the Pikmin for 3 seconds, stomping one of its two massive feet at a time? There is no enemy you could base yourself on. So, you'll have to specify that in the "shooting water" state, there is a hitbox that spans for how long the jet of water is, then after 1 second, it changes to the "stomping" state, where there is a foot here that hurts, but not another one, because it's in the air... Hopefully, it still won't be too confusing, and with minimal guidance, be it from other fan-made enemies or from simple tutorials I'll put up, anyone will be able to add enemies. Simple enemies might still be easy to do, though.
    • Secondly, I know I won't have enough time. I know I won't be able to do everything I want. As a result, and because this will be open-source, I plan on putting it on some repository so that others can contribute with code at any point, and so that if I have to abandon it, someone else can easily take my place. I'll try to make my code easy to read. — {EspyoT} 07:51, 3 August 2013 (EDT)

Pathfinding

  • To make Pikmin move around obstacles, you'd need a decent pathfinding system. What kind of programming/dev kit are you using to make the engine? Because I know some tricks with UDK, that's about the only one I am proficient in, save for Unity. But you need to pay for Unity, so I prefer UDK. UDK has not enough static meshes so I'd have to make structures and models with Maya, which also is a lot of money. So I couldn't help much with that, but I am still interested in the idea. I tried opening the files in Pikmin 2's ISO to find game code but i couldn't figure out the right program to open SZS files, the only program I found is for Mario Kart Wii. User:Peanut64/sig
    • To add to that, I had planned to make a mod for Pikmin 2 that converted it into a fan game, with perhaps new Pikmin types, etc, but I can't edit SZS files. As soon as I can open and modify the base code of those files, I am good to go. If only there was a way... User:Peanut64/sig
      • Well, because it's not gonna be 3D, just 2D top-down, I'll use Allegro with C++. I've grown to have quite some experience with it. As for the path-finding, for now, a simple set of waypoints would be enough. In the future, something like A* would be better. — {EspyoT} 06:29, 2 August 2013 (EDT)
        • Ah. Also, do you think it's possible to modify Pikmin 2? (Possibly NPC, I've heard Wii games are much easier to modify) User:Peanut64/sig
          • It might be. The files in the Wii version might be the same, though, specially because of how a Wii is "just two GameCubes glued together"; I doubt they changed most files for the NPC release. But anyway, to view Pikmin 2 model files, you'll need to extract the szs file with yaz0dec, then use rarcdump, then use bmdview2 to view the final bmd file. I tried with the Bulborb Larva and it worked. Don't know how possible it is to change the models, but keep searching. — {EspyoT} 07:51, 3 August 2013 (EDT)

Issues with Windows 8.1

  • There is a problem with the engine, not beeing able to run on Windows 8 or 8.1. The program does start, but isn't displayed as a window, so one is unable to do anything. Sunny1506
    • I use Windows 8.1 and it's fine for me. Are you saying you see that the game opened, but you can't find any window? Like, do you see the icon for the game on the taskbar at the bottom, but no actual window? If so, go to the folder where the game is, open Options.txt, and go to the bottom until you find the lines window_x=2147483647 and window_y=2147483647. Change those two numbers to like "50", so that the lines are window_x=50 and window_y=50, save the file, and try running the engine again. It's a weird issue with the window and its placement, so that's why I added those options. Let me know if that fixed the problem or not. — {EspyoT} 10:20, 16 February 2015 (EST)
    • Thanks for the help, Espyo! It works now :D I love this engine! Keep the good work up ;D Sunny1506
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