A Nice Low Revs Milestone

I've solved the issue of the scrolling background and swtching to the next scene.
I'm having 2 images scrolling across the stage (behind the car and HUD), which snap back to the right after they've gone off 'stage-left'. These images' movement are controlled by 2 variables, when it's time to change to the next scene/level, the variables simply change to the next scene's images' instantce name.
Here's what it looks like at the moment:

Quick Update - Low Rev's

I've now got the drive system for the player's car pretty much perfected.

I decided to change the equations of the gears' rev's/speed relationships. I started with... if you imagine straight lines on a graph. The problem I found with these is there was very little 'revs overlap' between the gears and so changing gear could only take place in small speed ranges.
I changed them initially to quadratic equations but found that manipulating a sine function more straight forward.

Here's a graph of the 5 gears' revolution to power relationship. I've added a pretty gradient to illustrate the rev's:



(you can follow you finger up a line making 'niiiiiiiiiiiii' engine noises then changing up, moving left onto the next gear if you like)

The rev's and speed will redline at the top of each dial, the rev's needle shudders slightly added a nice realistic effect.

So now thats the player's unput (acceleration, brake and shift), gear set up and sequential gearbox done, I've also done the stalling function; if revs drop below 500rpm in any gear other than 1st the engine cuts out and you stop quite suddenly (as the gradual stop was taking too long to iron out bugs).

The car artwork is also taking shape but is far too basic to publish here yet!
Sit tight.

Low Revs

Final year work has started (and been going for a couple of weeks now) and I've hardly the time to blog. In this first term I have a simulated client project and a 3000 word written research project to do.

For my simulated client project I've was given 4 public awareness catagories to choose, and devise a games design-related multimedia proposal for. I chose do produce a Flash-based fuel economy driving simulator, to front a climate change advertising campaign.

I think I may have underestimated the complexity of creating a driving simulator from scratch. However I've put some hard early hours in and made some nice progress.
Here are some stills of the artwork side of things:



I've decided to create the HUD elements in 3D and then render out stills, in an attempt to improve the artwork side of my production. Although I was happy with the artwork in 'Platform 1', and I aimed to be in a cartoony style, the obvious 'Flash-drawn' look about it was slighty amateur.