ronchon
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Dev Roadmap #3: Live2D Physics in Ren'Py!
🕑 Added 2024-08-24 03:59:15 +0000 UTCHey friends!
I've been a bit quiet lately because I've been working on a little side project, which I'm excited to finally share with you all.
Since we moved to Live2D, I've been absolutely amazed by how much can be done with the software, while disappointed by how little can be exploited natively by Ren'Py. A few updates ago, this led me to start digging around under the hood in order to implement our own optimizations to make displaying multiple high resolution characters feasible.
However, something that has continued to frustrate me and many other Ren'Py developers is the lack of native Live2D physics support. One of the main issues is that the Live2D physics engine is written in C++ and is nontrivial to integrate with Ren'Py's rendering pipeline.
Anyways, I was laying out all the animation work that needs to happen for 0.6, and I couldn't shake the feeling that we were leaving a lot on the table by having to effectively bake in all of that glorious physics into animations that have to be looped and played individually. not only does this exponentiate the process of animating, but it makes the whole affair feel a little. . . stiff. So, I started doing some research - reading through the Live2D software and documentation, through Ren'Py's rendering framework, writing some test functions here and there.
In the last couple weeks I decided to get serious, and I've spent every ounce of free time (and a significant portion of time at work) (and three all-nighters in the last week) developing the groundwork for this: native Ren'Py support for Live2D physics.
So, I'm extremely excited to announce that, starting in 0.6, character animations, including both standing sprites, sex poses, and CGs, will feature real-time physics!
Not only does this mean that animations will now feel more lifelike while being easier than ever to generate, but we have big dreams for what this might enable in terms of gameplay!
Attached is a little teaser!
Comments
Rahman Syawal
How do I activate the Android version of the viberator remote?
W Daninsky
They have stated previously that Storm is coming in Chapter 2. Chapter 1 is slated to end (Summer Finale) in January at the current funding level. Storm will be after that, in Chapter 2. As January is still five months away, they aren't yet committing to a timeline for the first installment of the 2nd chapter. Too far ahead to plan.
Shreyash Bagekar
I've read those but they don't mention Storm
W Daninsky
The Dev Roadmap has been up for months. All you have to do is go read it to understand that you aren't gonna see 'new character' until AFTER January 2025 unless you go out and find an additional thousand dollars per month to meet the funding timeline goals. And even if you that, it's still at least a month away.
W Daninsky
I mean...the Dev Roadmap has been up for months. Take some initiative and go read it.
Shreyash Bagekar
When can we expect storm's interaction and her content?
Ron Chon
I'd honestly love to, but that's going to take a lot of time and I'm not sure if it's worth it at this stage. I'd have to figure out a good way to tackle it anyways, since the facial expression layers use fairly complex shading that I don't think would translate well to animating through deformers
Lizard Beast
So, this isn’t a critique, it's a suggestion. Try animating the face as well; the body is moving, but the face is paralyzed, which makes it look odd. However, the rest is perfect. Your work turned out amazing! Later, try sharing with other game creators how you did this; maybe they can improve their own games. Your work is wonderful, and I hope you keep it up!
Ahmed Ali Mohamed Hassan
we need new character 😔
:P :D:A
So cool. Great job. Keep goin', Dev.
Ruff Ryder
Windows 11
John Doe
I was starting to get a little worried tbh because the discord was quiet too. Just don't get burnt out m. Take some time for yourself if you need it! Also gotcha game physics ftw!
Dodge
The madman at it again!
LyG
Nice.
BlackPolar
Apologies for being preoccupied; I was overwhelmed with tears of joy and didn't get the chance to read it.
Henry vaitkevicius
It's nice to see creators realising they're creative vision in clever ways. Keep at it it'll make you're game that much more unique and memorable. Also as a side project look into possibility of randomly generated character models in your 2DCG style. If you'll manage to pull off that, I have a pitch for next game you can make.
elmariachi
So this is pretty damn cool. Nicely done!
Ron Chon
Maybe! If it does we'll address them when they come. There's always friction on the cutting edge. The physics engine will be toggleable in-game. Which platform are you running on?
Ruff Ryder
I don't mean to bury this accomplishment but I've already had issues running your game even with your rework as it would sometimes (though less) crash. This will probably cause more issues.
