What tutorials do you need / want to see?

[gekido]

Hello,

Something that we have been working on is a series of video tutorials that are designed to walk users through the process of using and creating games with GameCore.

What I'd like to gauge from the community is the types / subject matter that we should be focusing on for these tutorials.  Would you prefer more generic 'how to use specific features' in the engine / editor type tutorials or would you prefer that we focus on 'game-specific' types of things.

A few examples of each could include:

Specific Features:
1) How to add multiple LOD objects to a model
2) How to generate lightmaps for an environment

Game-Specific
1) How to add a custom weapon to your game
2) How to import / setup a custom character for your game

Do you have a specific area that you'd like us to cover in the video tutorials?  Please let me know - this will help us narrow our focus and ensure that what we are covering in these tutorials is of the most use to the most people.

Our current goal is to have a set of beginner video's to explain the basics of using the editor / adding objects etc but going forward, I'd like to get everyone's input on where we should be focusing our efforts.

Thanx
Mike W
GDGi

[zknack]

Mike,

The two top-most tutorials I'd like to see are the how to add custom weapons to the game, and how to import/setup a custom character-
honestly, those are my largest stumbling blocks personally- and ones I think through my personal observations have been seen the most asked for.

Fingers crossed here, and hoping you don't possibly take offense to that?

Deeply thankful,

ZKnack

[hikmayan]

I think you nailed the key tutorials as shown in your lists.
Now,a set of beginner video's to explain the basics is a must anyway...most developers do this to a degree.
1)Specific Features how to "Video tutorials" and the game specifics "import/export" in general will be cool.
There are areas of issues as far as "import/export" not very clear in terms of Game Specifics.Not that "GC" users can't "import/export" scenes,rather some of the compatible formats don't function properly.Short tutorials in these areas will help.Same goes for specific custom characters/animations/weapons issues

[grubert]

Code:

2) How to generate lightmaps for an environment

This one is good. I?d like to see how?s the best approach to lightmapping an entire level, with light and occlusion. If it?s it is to lightmap objects one by one, or in chunks of objects, or the entire level at once.

Other advanced ones (for later):
- How to setup a character parts customization screen, with menus, sliders etc.
- How to implement a simple save game system.
- How to setup a terrain topology using a heightmap image.
- How to import custom geometry to be my terrain object (if  it?s possible) 
- How to add animated vegetation to the level using the terrain system.

If I remember more, I?ll put here later.

[Delerna]

Cool, coming to your users and asking what they most want to see as tutorials demonstrates that you relly are willing to make your software useable by them.

Let me think on that a bit, but I can mention 1 now.
I would like to see a tutorial on a specific feature. Particles.
But I would like to see that tutorial presented as Game Specific
IE
Using particles to create Rain/Snow etc.
Using particles to create Fireworks.
Using particles to create Explosions/fires/smoke.
Using particles to create magic effects.
There are other methods but using particles to simulate flowing things
such as waterfalls and water currents and splashes around patially submerged rocks
is something I have been wanting to experiment with.

Some of the feature specific topics covered in the above would be
How to create particle emitters
How to script the particles
How to control the lifespan of each individual particle.
How to apply randomness to the particles.
How to change a particles controller script based on its age.
   What I mean by that is a particle starts it life with one script/function and
   halfway through its lifespan it switches to another script/function.
   At 3/4 lifespan it switches to another script/function etc etc.
   How do you do that? Can you do that in GameCore?
How to attach different images to a particle based on its age.


Particles are something I am planning to play with, extensively, in the not too distant future.
Some good video tutes by the people understand the engine best will help me no end I am sure.

[Delerna]

wow plenty of great suggestions posted while I was writing mine
I second all of gruberts suggestions

[BigDaz]

Character import and setup would be top of my list.
I think a vehicle tutorial would be valuable, in edition to the example car. And physics forces in general so we can expand and build helicopters, planes and space ships. I'd particularly like some sort of tank tutorial with a turret rotating independently to the chassis or a crane.

[pixel_legolas]

I will post a video of how to use the soldier and re-rig it to fit another model and then import to GC. It's for max

My requests:

How to use the spawners. Never got it working
How to setup water transparency. Haven't gotten it to work.
Changing the whole template to melee RPG instead of rifle.
Easiest way to add fx to objects.

By the way guys, i changed weapon in game by just saving my rifle to the same file as the soldier uses and it switches easy

[Rutrem]

Importing and useing .fbx animated objects in GC.

[federico]

how to create a mel?e weapon and make the soldier able to male a punch

[hikmayan]

Importing and useing .fbx animated objects in GC.

The importing of ".fbx  animated objects" works fine...I am not sure if you read all the documentations regarding rigged character/and or custom character from Max in .fbx....smooth transition to GC/BV.
Things are being re-arraged but here is the link;note: the information is there not atm:
http://www2.gamecore.ca/docs/user-guide/creating-your-worlds/art-pipeline

[Squat]

Most of the same stuff is here too:

http://www.beyondvirtual.com/docs/UserGuide.php?main.php&2&page=default

.FBX importing is so basic that there's nothing to say. You select all and export to that format. Check off the things that make sense for what you're doing. It animated? Check off animation. The only trick is if it's a player, you should select all and export as the basename first and don't include animations, then only select the bones and export all your different animations (separate or one file, either way).

[pixel_legolas]

Yeah i have a video posted here how to export to .fbx but it doesnt show everything though

[Tiles]

Basics are most needed. Especially scripting basics.

[zknack]

Scripting Basics are already in the manuals, one just actually has to read them.