Project Vox - Now in 3D

After some serious thought, I've decided that Project Vox is the project I will be completing this year. Admit it, you're relieved. I've thought of some great ways to make it more interesting. But there's a catch.

I won't be developing this by myself. You, my faithful readers will have the honor (I'm pushing it a bit here, aren't I?) of having the voice of power in this project. Yes, you read that right: Community-Driven Development is finally here and it's going to be moderately interesting.

Here's how it's going to work: I'm going to have one new thing to show each week. It might not be something massive but it will be something visible because, let's admit it, engine tweaks are kind of boring to read about. I will have a poll up each week (maybe every two weeks) with which you can vote on the next feature you want implemented. Not from my own list, but rather from a list compiled from comments by the readers. Want to be able to dual-wield marshmallows and blow-torches? Suggest it and if it gets the most votes, it's yours. A game by the people, for the people!

Those of you following Project Vox for a while now will already have an idea where I'm going with it but for those of you new to my blog, here's a quick rundown:

At its core, Project Vox is a roguelike. It's randomly generated (level layout, mobs, items, etc...) and you venture deeper and deeper into the earth. Killing monsters grants experience, money and equipment you can use to further your character. We all know the drill. What makes PV unique is the sheer range of possibilities. Items and mobs will be generated from templates and I might even add the ability to go up instead of down, gradually changing the scenery from cave-like environs to more ethereal landscapes.

I've modified the original PV code to utilize a first-person camera and adjusted the terrain generation and shading code to work better with the new viewpoint. Here are some screenshots of my progress and, for those being redirected here from reddit's 'Screenshot Saturday' thread, my desktop.

You might notice the lighting inside the cave looks a bit off. That's because I'm using a global rendered I wrote that utilizes ambient occlusion. I will implement local lighting using torches if the poll option gets enough votes. (When the poll is up next week). Here's a screenshot of the same shader used on an outdoor scene.

For those of you interested, you can download the executable here. Let me know what fps you get and if you run into any bugs.