TAILGATE
ABOUT
It's Asteroids crossed with Defender. Or something, I'm not entirely sure yet, I just want it to be manic. And, well, 80s Vector Graphics using 00s Graphics Hardware?, Eugene Jarvis never had it this easy...
INSTALLATION
Tailgate is written in Java (1.4) using the Jogl OpenGL bindings.
You'll need and accelerated graphics card and the correct drivers for it. I get about 75fps at about 20% processor usage on my 1GHz Intel P3 processor with an nVidia GeForce FX 5200 so the requirements obviously aren't that heavy.
Download the main Tailgate.zip file and unzip it (it will create a 'tailgate' directory).
Download jogl.jar and place it in the new tailgate directory. The newest versions are available here but i've made local copies Just In Case. (Local copies are currently "JSR-231 beta 03 - February 17" version)
Linux:
Download
jogl-natives-linux.jar.
Extract libraries (
libjogl.so,
libjogl_awt.so,
libjogl_cg.so,
libjogl_drihack.so) and place them anywhere in the java.library.path.
Windows:
Download
jogl-natives-win32.jar.
Extract libraries (
jogl.dll,
jogl_awt.dll,
jogl_cg.dll) and put them in the tailgate directory.
Mac:
Download
jogl-natives-macosx.jar.
Don't know. Probably something to do with libraries (
libjogl.jnilib,
libjogl_awt.jnilib,
libjogl_cg.jnilib) and putting them somewhere.
NB Tailgate will print java.library.path as its first line of output.
Run it using run.sh / run.bat / (mac version here).
REVISION HISTORY
20060417
Added Slither - snakey enemy thing.
Chasers now fire back.
Parallax Scrolling.
Fixed Anti-Aliasing and increased average line width.
Explosions and Thrust now use transparency.
Ported some glut wireframe shapes.
Changed shape of Chasers to be more like darts.
Changed Splitter to look like 5 Chasers.
Proximity Mine explosions rounder and solid.
20060402
Scoring fixed and displayed.
New Spiral enemy.
Changed shape of Circler.
New multi-bullets (1, 2 or 3).
String alignment.
20060319
Added font stuff.
Enemies now deleted when hit.
20060305
Now works with new Jogl libraries. Hurray.
Fleshed out INSTALLATION section.
Made Shields tetrahedral.
Moved Radar to own class.
Fixed Background. Made smaller and darker.
Bullet colours cycle faster.
Made collectibles an ArrayList.
20060302
Downgraded to Java 1.4.
Remove glut requirement (at expense of dodecahedrons and teapots).
Longer explosions (but fewer particles).
Aliens faster.
Proximity Mines now actual Proximity Mines (were just Mines).
BROKE EVERYTHING UPGRADING JOGL LIBRARIES. GRRRR.
20060225
Added Proximity Mines.
Added Splitters.
Gave Chasers an initialisation delay.
Added Shield powerup.
Changed Mutant movement.
Changed Circler movement.
TODO
- Bugs
- no score for things hit by bullets (done)
- proximity mines too easily shot (done)
- font sizes meaningless
- Background still needs fixing - make hexagons smaller and fix tiling (done)
- Radar needs to be more like real radar
- Sound FX
- use joal
- tiny wavs (possibly generated using amsynth?)
- scans directory for background music files
- Firing Powerups
- 2 and 3 simultaneous bullets (done)
- faster? more frequent?
- fix overheating
- Menus / Game Framework
- More Alien Types
- snaky thing (done)
- indestructible sinistar thing at edge of universe
- minelayer
- swarms
- enemy bullets
- (stop chasers clumping)
- Level Definitions
- 10 collectibles on each
- different Blocker levels 0 - 9
- different aliens
- alien frequency
- alien nastiness
- Vector Font
- alignment code (done)
- floating numbers after score?
- start level text
- hud
