I've moved house recently, and it took me a few weeks to get my Internet connection restored. Unfortunately in that time angelfire decided to kill off a few of my accounts, so there are going to be a lot of dead links for a while as I update the site.

However, in the absence of a net connection to waste time with I have been busy updating the Crystal Space version of Jet Stream. I’ve moved most of the games configuration into external files, meaning you can define levels using just a text editor. This is going to make it a whole lot easier to add content to the game, if and when I get around to that. I’ve been busy implementing Crystal Spaces new csRef smart pointers as well. This was more work than I imagined, but it has paid off. I’ve also made a start on getting the game to compile under Linux. The source distribution now has a KDevelop workspace which does make an executable, just not one that runs. I’ll work on that though.

You can download the new demo and code from the download page (these are some of the few links that are still working).

Things have been quiet on this page for quite a while now, but all is not lost. NeoScript won 3rd place in the NeoEngine competition, and should be available from their website along with the next release of NeoEngine. However I have decided to port back the changes I made in NeoScript to the Scripting Engine, and I now have a new version running back under Ogre. This is in no way a reflection on NeoEngine. It's a fine engine with great potential, but it is still an early project. Ogre has matured a lot since I last looked at it, and I decided that I would like to continue my work using this engine again. I have also decided on an unimaginative name change. Scripting Engine just doesn’t roll off the tongue, so it will now be called (drum roll please) OgreScript.

I've created a new projects page for NeoScript, the continuation of the Scripting Engine project I started but now based on NeoEngine (hence the name). There are both Windows and Linux demos available, and as always the source is available too. I intend to enter NeoScript into the NeoEngine competition which closes in a few days, but I have already shown NeoScript to the NeoEngine team, and they are keen to see development continue well after the competition closes.

Head over to the NeoScript page using the link to the left. Any feedback would be most appreciated.

Things have been quiet here for a while, but I have been busy over the last few weeks porting over the Scripting Engine to use NeoEngine. I intend to submit it in the competition they have running.

Since NeoEngine is a Linux engine only (although that is going to change), porting my code over has been a bigger challenge than I expected. While the code wasn't much of a problem, learning to use the tools within Linux was. There is a serious lack of decent IDE's for Linux (and I don't consider Emacs an IDE). I did try Kylix, but it didn't support the distro I was using and so didn't even run. Kdevelop provides a decent environment to work in, but it has its share of problems too. Say what you want about Microsoft, but they make a great IDE. While you can’t beat the price of Linux software, you do have to spend a good chuck of time learning how to use it effectively.

That said I am slowing coming to appreciate the power of Linux. Actually if it wasn’t for the fact that I can’t run my games under Linux I’d seriously consider ditching Windows altogether.

Anyway, enough ranting. I’ll upload my progress with the NeoEngine port sometime in the next week, and I hope to continue work on the Ogre GUI system that I started as well. So check back in a weeks time for something new.

I have made some significant changes to the Scripting Engine. The biggest would be the beginings of a GUI system, which now pops up when the app starts. At the moment it is only a form and a blank blue button, but you can move the form around, and when you press (i.e. press the space bar while the cursor is over the it) the button it will start a flythrough of a test level I whipped up.

See the Scripting Engine page for more details

I have been toying with creating a basic GUI system for Ogre. At the moment it isn't much (just a blank form), but it does demonstrate how it will work in future.

Grab the Scripting Engine demo and source to see this in action. You will also have to download the GUI skin (Not nessessary now - just grab the precompiled demo) to see everything in action.