LibGDX on Smbat Voskanyan

Talos VFX

Sun, 23 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction

Talos VFX is a powerful open-source visual effects editor designed for Java and LibGDX projects. Create stunning particles, shaders, and custom scripts, while seamlessly managing game assets – all from a single workspace. Its intuitive, node-based VFX editor and support for visual programming routines (similar to Unreal Engine’s blueprints) empower you to craft dynamic effects. Build 2D levels and scenes with brushes, and bring your creations to life with Spine2d skeletal animations, easily attaching VFX directly to animation bones. While primarily focused on 2D, Talos VFX also offers limited 3D support.

As a major contributor to Talos VFX, I’ve played a role in squashing critical bugs, implementing user-requested features, and refining the overall user experience. As of writing this post I authored around ~50% of Pull Requests on the project. Here’s the link to project. Note, that active development is carried on talos-3d branch and master branch is greatly behind.

Feature Development

Since a lot of features were missing initally and we needed many tools for our prototypes, I had a chance to contribute a lot in this area.

Fake BVB" (Bone Attachment Support)

Problem: Users were limited in how they could interact with skeletal animations, hindering dynamic effects and customization.
Solution: Implemented “Fake BVB” functionality, exposing animation bones as restricted game objects within Talos, enabling the attachment of other objects.
Result: Users can now create more complex and visually engaging effects by directly linking particles, objects, and more to skeletal animations. Examples include attaching characters to moving vehicles or syncing particle effects to bone movements.

NineSlices Support and Sprite Editor

Problem: Users lacked advanced scaling options for UI and graphic elements, limiting design flexibility. Limited or inefficient tools for sprite editing and managing NineSlice metadata within Talos VFX.
Solution: Implemented NineSlice rendering functionality, providing a system similar to Unity’s NineSlices. This allows specific sections of images to be repeated horizontally, vertically, or in both directions.
Result: Improved control over how UI elements and graphics scale, enhancing the ability to create visually polished and responsive interfaces within Talos VFX.

I have fixed more bugs than I could remember, however to recall some off the top of my head, then these would be the ones.

Project Explorer Stability and User Experience

Problem: File management was unreliable, with crashes and unexpected behaviors. Crashes when moving or renaming files. Bad user experience. Poor file search performance.
Solution: Revamped project explorer logic, preventing errors and ensuring a smoother file management experience. Refreshed the UI for more costumization and assets previews. Fast asset lookup.
Result: Increased stability and reliability within Talos VFX, protecting user work. Happy users.

Routine Workflow

Problem: Editing curves within the Routine App was buggy, hindering intuitive workflow.
Solution: Fixed curve gizmo display and interaction points, including inserting new points and using the ESC key.
Result: Restored smooth and predictable curve editing, streamlining the creation of dynamic effects within routines.

Concusion

Through this project, I’ve learned many new topics and significantly improved my knowledge in Java, libGDX, and 2D engine development tools. It was both challenging and rewarding to work with a community of people directly affected by my contributions. Seeing others use Talos VFX to create amazing games is a deeply satisfying experience.

Battle Cards: Real-time PVP

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Check out Battle Cards! It was an incredible journey that began at the Playcrafting NYC Game Jam 2021. Our team managed to create a compelling multiplayer prototype in just two days, earning recognition from the judges. Built with Java, LibGDX, and a Node.js backend, we had a solid foundation for a full release. Seeing the positive response, we decided to take “Battle Cards” to the next level. After a year of dedicated development, we launched a polished version that players genuinely enjoyed.

My contributions centered on the UI, ensuring new features, code refactoring, and optimizations all worked toward a seamless player experience. However, being part of a small team meant I got to wear many hats! I contributed to gameplay programming, designed some eye-catching VFX, and tweaked the backend for better performance. For our marketing efforts, I created a compact 2MB playable ad to showcase the heart of the game.

Additionally, I collaborated closely with our analytics team to improve dashboards, graphs, filters, and other tools. Our goal was to make analyzing user experience more accessible, enabling us to make informed game design changes. Ultimately, my focus was on making sure “Battle Cards” didn’t just look good – it had to play well too. It was a challenging, yet incredibly rewarding project.

Sandship: Crafting Factory

Mon, 15 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Explore the world of Sandship blends the vastness of a Dune-like world with the addictive mechanics of Factorio. It was one of my first projects at Rockbite Games and offered an array of exciting technical challenges. I played a crucial role in crafting the game’s UI, implementing new elements, extensively refactoring for efficiency, and squashing bugs. Java and LibGDX were my tools of choice.

My work wasn’t limited to just the UI. As part of a small team, I contributed in many areas from backend development to gameplay programming. One standout feature for me was the “News” system. To keep players connected, I built a Node.js microservice allowing our Community Management team to post website updates that seamlessly appeared in-game.

Ultimately, I made sure “Sandship” delivered a visually engaging and smooth player experience. Tackling these challenges was as rewarding as seeing players immersed in the world we built.