How would I go about making a Qix-style game?

[Volnaiskra]

In case you don't know, Qix-style games involve 'slicing' rectangular shapes into the playing field to claim parts of it, and capturing enemies who find themselves inside the areas that you claim. A good modern example is Fortix 2 (tried to include link, but forum didn't allow it)

Can someone please give me some advice or point me to some tutorials that would help me how to figure out how to implement a Qix-style gameplay system?

I guess the main things I'd need to know are:

1. How to restrict player's movement around the boundary of an area
2. How to make that boundary change every time the player claims new territory
3. How to detect when an enemy has been captured (by the player claiming a rectangular area around the enemy

I've searched through forums and few tutorial sites (eg. nivram's one), but I haven't been able to find anything.
Thanks in advance!

[Caesar]

I imagine that making a game like that would be extremely difficult in MMF, but I could be wrong. I've had a look around and I can't find anything too. It's a shame because Qix - or Frenzy on the acorn electron - have to be my all time favourite games. They were brilliant.

[Vaxx]

How to restrict player's movement around the boundary of an area

Can be achieved by limiting player controls (do not use any of the build in, build your own) and dropping invisible junction objects whenever the player changes direction. Use those junctions to determine in which direction the movement is allowed or not.

How to make that boundary change every time the player claims new territory

Use the surface object to load a lets say black and white version of the background and then have a backdrop show the full colored one below the surface object. See Surface examples of flash light effects and you will know what I mean. Premise is: "Cut" from the surface to reveal the background below by drawing triangles and rectangles and determine also if the enemy position is within an area cut, which answers your next question.

How to detect when an enemy has been captured (by the player claiming a rectangular area around the enemy

I attached a picture to illustrate the process:

1. Drop Junctions when direction changes, scale white 1x1 pixel object to draw lines
2. Player hits another path flagged as already cleared then start a loop to find connected lines and chop the area into little polygons starting from one direction (vertical or horizontal or both)
3. Substract from the surface and reveal the level below

You can also do it for all areas see step 3 in the picture.

This should give you a start to proceed onwards. Good luck!

[Volnaiskra]

Thanks for the suggestions, Vaxx. It seems a bit confusing to me atm, but I'll have a go eventually. I think I'll shelve it for now though and do something simpler for my first Fusion project

[danjo]

this was made as an open source example many years ago. it used the surface extension from memory.

[Volnaiskra]

any idea where I could find it?