The task set for this assignment was to make a simple game that could run in a small window, while fitting within a fixed file size. The final result is shown below. Click "Start" in the game window to play.
Move your mouse within the game window to steer the tank, click to shoot a cannon ball at the enemy.
Being limited in both resolution and file size, I knew that I would have to work with simple graphics and use clever programming to make a dynamic play experience.
The 3D effect is achieved by a simple perspective function, in which an object's distance from the viewer is used to calculate a scaling factor, which decreases as the distance increases. The scaling factor reduces the size of the object as well as moving it towards the centre of the player's view.
For ease of calculation, the player is in fact locked at the centre of the map (co-ordinates 0,0) and alwys facing straight along the z-axis. As the player moves and turns, the objects are moved around them, creating the impression of movement through a 3D world.
There are only a limited number of objects in the world, and when the player moves far enough from an object, it is reset to appear in a location in front of them. This gives the impression of a limitless field of objects while only using a few sprite channels.
