BRO, YOU KNOW I LIFT
I'm starting back on my exercise regime, which of course is heavy on lifting, and light on cardio. There's no specific magic to it; it's just a random concoction that works well for me over the years, and keeps my abs, back, arms, and legs in good condition. I still have a fair bit of the strength I amassed (note: I see what I did there) before I stopped exercising (thanks, COVID), but obviously the tone is closer to a sack of flour than sculpted marble. I look forward to lamenting how I've stopped exercising, despite my best intentions, in approximately 2-3 blog entries. I'm taking bets, yo.
My 4x entry is coming along well, but it's taking a hell of a lot longer than I was hoping, and I'm gonna have to bust all forms of ass to get it done on time -- not really what I was hoping for this time around. I blame the wonky math. It's always the fucking math, right?
So, this time around I'm making a pseudo-3D racer, because a tiny part of me has always wanted to make something like that. And really, given the massive volume of games I've played over the last 40+ years, I pretty much have a desire to make something from every genre and sub-genre I've come across. So when I say "I'm making xyz..." you can safely append "because I have always fucking wanted to" to the end of the statement, with minimal risk of it being untrue. I love consistency.
So this stuff is wonky as all get out, and the math, while simple, is a fair toss from how a real 2.5D or 3D racer would look, and it has taken me a bit longer than I expected to get it working correctly. When the math isn't 'just so' on a project like this, the results are FAIL and AIDS, with blueberry margarita mix, cough syrup, and blended with crushed ice. So you have to get that stuff right. Not necessarily eight o'clock, day one, but before you get too far in. I didn't get there quickly. I'm at a point where things are lovely. Collision detection, track definition, movement and track morping around curves and hills are good to go. I also threw in dynamic track width and morphing terrain sprites as things progress. It looks great in motion. With a little luck, by Sunday night it'll be a done deal.
Also, the new keyboard is going strong. Normally I would have returned to my trusty model M, but this little clicky bastard is hanging in there. I'm impressed.