Aright, now that I have submitted a version to the contest, here is a little video showcasing some of the gameplay and several of the shop items from the game!


For now I am going to be working (slowly) on improving the AI, reducing file size, adding in link-multiplayer, and possibly even a replay system!

Yeah i don't think there is any issue with using dispHL simply for debugging ^^ Also I'm glad this is still being worked on even if it didn't ake the contest entry

So just a clarification, if I live in California, that means that the entry is due by 1:00 AM tonight correct? 

Oh blarg I was getting you and shmibs mixed up

  Well I have finally crossed the threshold I set for myself!  I have been working on a contest entry for some time now, but have not been sure whether or not I would be able to finish it due to having a full time job and not that much free time.  However, I have just finished the major part of the AI that has me decided that this will be released in time for the contest after all!  So behold!

Vortex 2.0 is a complete reboot of my old Basic Vortex game, using the power of Axe to bring the concept to the next level!  You start the game in one corner of the large map, with nothing but a lousy pistol to defend yourself with.  In order to win, you must destroy your opponent.  You can do so with your pistol, but the real fun starts when you start finding chests of cash scattered all over the battlefield.  You can use this money to buy upgrades, weapons, items, or even spells!  You can upgrade your lousy pistol's speed to get a machine gun, or you can invest in high cost spells to defeat your opponent.  Maybe you invest in speed and agility upgrades to out-maneuver your opponent, the combinations are endless!

AI

Now, unlike the original basic game, this version will have a devious AI that you can battle against when you don't have a friend to play with (And yes, you will be able to play with a friend over a link cable!  Although probably not for the contest entry).  The AI is what is going to make this game truly fun to play, as it has many advanced algorithms that go into making it work:

1) At it's heard is a modified A* path-finding algorithm.  I say modified because the AI does not solve for the most efficient path once and then follow it.  He is constantly correcting for new information and updating the planned path according to new data, like area's he discovered or movements of you, the player!

2) Danger detection is another important role that has been integrated directly into the path-finding algorithm.  As an AI battling you, he needs to know when an area is safe to enter.  If you are standing nearby, the AI needs to consider whether or not he will be able to escape if you decide to attack, and path accordingly. 

3) Dynamic build-order code helps the AI choose good combinations of items, while at the same time keeping him flexible and reactive to opportunities or dangers that can arise due to how the game is playing out.  For instance, if a large number of chests are near the center, he might purchase a speed upgrade sooner in order to get there before you do.

Terrain

A large part of the game that could be overlooked is the map itself, what will it look like?  Vortex 2.0 has an advanced procedurally generated terrain complete with blocks of land, chests, and various walls that fill the map.  While not technically an AI, the dynamic nature of the terrain generator should help make for a game with a great replay value.

More information and screenshots will be released as the deadline grows closer, but for now here is a screenshot of the AI pathing through the map to find all of the chests, and then heading to the bottom right corner of the map.  All of the tiles with a single pixel are the tiles being currently considered by the pathing algorithm, and the darkened boxes are the tiles currently chosen for an ideal path. 

One example that I've used it for is the aiming of a rocket.  The rocket rotates right if the target is to the right, and rotates left if the target is to the left.  You could use Tan^-1 to find the angle between them, but using the cross product is so much faster

If dx*vy - dy*vx < 0
  turnLeft
Else
  turnRight
End
Where dx/dy is the X and Y distance between you and your target, and vx/vy is your X and Y velocity.

EDIT: It IS the cross product.  The dot product will return positive if your velocity and your displacement are within 90 degrees of each other, which is not what we want.

what dot-product method is there? all i can think of is cos(theta) = (u dot v)/(||u|| ||v||), and that would still need arccos

It depends on what you need the angle for.  Sometimes you can use vector arithmetic to speed things up, but sometimes not.  What did you need the angle for?