Working On A Bass Fishing Sim

[schplurg]

First of all, I've been discussing this a bit in this other thread, the Fake Amazon Reviews one.

 

 

Oh cool it put up the screenshot!

 

Anyways, I don't know if this is the correct sub-forum. My intent with this thread is to mainly discuss fish behavior and how I can apply it to a realistic fishing simulator that we all can play as it's being designed. I think feedback from the BR community would be awesome.

 

Usually when I design a game I hang out at gaming forums. Not this time!

 

For those who play video games, I am sick of games trying to steal my money. I don't design games that way. In short, video games suck now, by and large. I'm old school - I only want to buy your game once dude! And these days, not even that most of the time.

 

I've played Bass Pro Shops: The Strike and think it's "okay", but I want much better. Better looking, better fishing areas (pads, grass, beds, laydowns, everything), better and more realistic fishing, and easy and enjoyable to control and play, especially for non-gamers. And no underwater cameras.

 

My goals for the game

 

I want it to be beautiful. I want people who hate video games to turn on the game just to see the peaceful cove, or the still waters and birds chirping and frogs croaking. A swirl from a bass or a boil of bait fish.

 

I want people to be able to apply their real fishing knowledge to catch fish in the game. I want it to be enjoyable, peaceful, and realistic. I want realistic casting, reeling, fighting, bait actions, but most of all, fish behavior.

 

Here is an older game I designed just to show I'm serious:

 

 

 

The graphics aren't very good in some parts of the above game. I'm thinking someone else can do graphics at some point.

 

But I can do good enough to make working demos we can all play.

 

I really don't know what I expect from people here, I'm just seeing if there's any interest I guess. I've already had some great and indepth advice in the other thread.

 

Bass Behavior

 

The main thing that will make the game realistic is bass behavior. Incorporating sun angle and brightness, weather, time of year - you know, all the stuff we talk about here every day - will all affect where bass will be, and if they will bite. And maybe they won't be where you expect (like real life).

 

For programming the fish "AI" I have variables for fish behavior - you know like a football game where you have attributes for your players like speed, stamina, aggression, strength - well the fish have them too. Speed, age, sex, aggression, hunger, fear, schooling tendency, maybe even a favorite color or style of food. Plus much more. 

 

Right now I have a bass that will swim around, change its behavior at certain times of day, avoid obstacles and even react to a vibrating bait like a crank. It's all very very basic, but it works as it should so far. No big problems.

 

I think I'll keep this first post "short". If anyone is interested please read any relevant posts from the thread I mentioned above to get caught up on what's going on here. Or not, doesn't matter really

 

Finally, I have no idea what I will do with the game. I've made free games and I've made two commercial ones. I want to make it playable for everyone here as it is designed. I'm thinking I'll make a basic sim, then if it seems good I will build a game around it. Well not really a game...a sim! Both.

 

I am no longer in the gaming industry, and when I was I worked alone. I don't really play games anymore but I would play this. Electronic Arts agreed to publish my last game and I signed a deal with them, but I cancelled it because I didn't like what they wanted me to do to monetize it. Probably why this game made zilch but oh well. That experience really turned me off to video games.

 

Some goals with the game:

- use real fishing knowledge to catch fish.

- make it look gorgeous. I want it to look so awesome that people will pull their kayak into their living room to play in on the big screen TV! Maybe there will be yaks in the game?

- fun for non-gamers and old dudes  and women.

- fun realistic casting, retrieving, fights, and nice looking fish.

- no in-app purchases. Maybe if one day I add like a 5 lake expansion pack to the game, but no BS like paying real money for lures, gas, broken line or anything like that. So freaking stupid. I actually have no idea what I want to do with it when completed.

 

Right now I have one big pond. It is somewhat unrealistic because it has parts that are 30 feet deep, but I need a good yet small testing ground with everything in it - deep water, shallows, docks, structure etc.

 

One more thing - I am pretty new to bass fishing so I don't have all the answers - well nobody does, but especially me! I learn fast though and I have done a lot of studying for this game, not to mention for fishing.

 

Okay that's enough for now! If anyone is interested let me know, maybe this will be an interesting thread.

[Finessegenics]

Sounds like a great idea. Im super interested to see where this goes 

[TnRiver46]

Have you ever played “the black bass” for Nintendo or game boy? 

[12poundbass]

6 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Have you ever played “the black bass” for Nintendo or game boy? 

The Black Bass was my favorite growing up! I wonder if it stands the test of time? 

[TnRiver46]

15 minutes ago, 12poundbass said:

The Black Bass was my favorite growing up! I wonder if it stands the test of time? 

I’ve still got it for game boy, it’s still awesome. Just recently sold my Nintendo and all the games . Taking up space for 15 years and rarely played..... sadness......

[MIbassyaker]

I remember The Black Bass being occasionally kind-of fun for a little while at a time, but it rarely sustained my interest.

 

Surely, there's a market for something more realistic and better-informed by actual bass behavior!

 

I would think the big challenge would be to get the balance of "signal" and "noise" right -- you could implement all sorts of rules for the bass to follow....and they would just be too easy to figure out. Too much randomness, however, and no skill is needed.

 

One thing I wouldn't do is just rely on message board opinions for what the bass behavior should look like. Go to sources that are based on systematic observation and analysis of bass behavior.  Some good books to track down that may be worth using as reference:

-Lunker by Bob Underwood

-Knowing Bass by Keith Jones

-The Scientific Angler by Paul Johnson

-In-Fisherman Largemouth Bass Guide, or the 3-volume Critical Concepts series

-High-Percentage Fishing by Josh Alwine

 

Also: the documentaries Bigmouth (1974) and Bigmouth Forever by Glen Lau.

 

EDIT: Ha! The Black Bass Secrets revealed:

 

[schplurg]

I think I'm looking primarily for bass behavior outside the boards actually. But I want to use discussion here to apply it the right way. Not sure what I mean really - just general input from fishermen I guess. You're right though that anecdotal evidence is not going to help as much as science with a lot of this.

 

Like in the other thread someone mentioned a lot of things to consider, such as how hard the fight is and not making it too ridiculous, and other game play stuff.

 

Once I can upload a demo then feedback will be much more important. If it's too easy or hard, etc. Making a thread also puts in on the public record which will motivate me to keep working on it I think. Right now I'm not fishing in real life, but I will be soon!

 

Maybe some good things to do would be to ask everyone what they would like to see or experience. Do people have the patience to play a realistic game, for instance? What do you like or dislike about fishing games, or games in general? 

 

Some options:

- to snag or not to snag? I can make it snag-proof, or realistic or in between. I already have a fishing line (more like a fat rope) that drags a lure and will go over docks and solid objects like a real lure without a hook.

- simulated single player tournaments, or even online? Some day...

- I could add an easy mode maybe if people get bored and need some action (boooo!).

- electronics. Spotlock baby!

- you can drive a boat or hike shore, but I think it would be cool to simply point to a spot on a map and get there instantly too.

- Kayaks, canoes, tubes (maybe after my first million?).

- Baits to include

- who knows!

 

One cool thing is that there are a lot of simulated water systems that people have developed that I can put in the game. I don't have to make that myself. Ones I've seen have clarity adjustments(!!!!), 3D ripples, waves, refraction, reflection, cool stuff to make it look real. I want water clarity for bedfishing and well for everything else too.

 

There are also premade environments that can give me a head start - premade trees, textures, bushes, sun rays, weather systems. For now I'm doing my own sun and sky but there are some beautiful options I can get later that will make it much better. I can only do so much myself, especially graphics. I made a few trees but they aren't real enough for me. Fine for now though.

 

One difficult part is I need everything in place before I can really finish the bass behavior. I need docks, trees, structure, cover, rocks, grass, trees, bait fish, freakin need to basically create the entire Earth just to get this going! I at least need small portions of all of this for testing.

 

I just now got the sun to revolve around the world (ya in my world we are the center of the universe). Even the simplest things can be a pain in the rear.

 

In game design, if you think a project should take 6 months, add on another 12 to be realistic

 

ETA:

Yes the feel of it being too hard or just totally random must be avoided, and that will be the biggest challenge. Well, one of the many biggest

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

I’ve still got it for game boy, it’s still awesome. Just recently sold my Nintendo and all the games . Taking up space for 15 years and rarely played..... sadness......

Emulators! You can play any old game you want if you go that route.

 

Now that I have the sun working I think I'll go for the moon. I suck at math so this stuff is so fun for me!  

 

I think if I do it right I can make my sun light source actually illuminate the moon without having to fake the different phases. I hope so.

[MIbassyaker]

43 minutes ago, schplurg said:

Some options:

- to snag or not to snag? I can make it snag-proof, or realistic or in between. I already have a fishing line (more like a fat rope) that drags a lure and will go over docks and solid objects like a real lure without a hook.

- simulated single player tournaments, or even online? Some day...

- I could add an easy mode maybe if people get bored and need some action (boooo!).

- electronics. Spotlock baby!

- you can drive a boat or hike shore, but I think it would be cool to simply point to a spot on a map and get there instantly too.

- Kayaks, canoes, tubes (maybe after my first million?).

- Baits to include

- who knows!

 

Snagging? If you want to be realistic, then yes, absolutely snag.

 

Tournaments? A great hook for increasing difficulty. NPCs could have, say, variable strike detection, or variable insight on active bass location given conditions.

 

Boats vs. shore vs. Kayak/canoe/tube:  In real life, we are limited by time and money. Suppose a boat comes with full electronics, but requires funds and a fuel budget, and cannot access some areas. Shore fishing is free, but has no access to off-shore areas, limited electronics (maybe a castable depthfinder). Non-motorized craft requires some funds, but less than a boat, gives you some electronics, gets you to places you can't go by boat or foot, but is slow, and therefore more time-limited than the other two. And also less manageable than a boat on big water.  You could really go nuts with these options.

 

Baits: start by categorizing by top vs. middle vs bottom, and horizontal/vertical/stationary presentation. Then by "snaglessness". Adjust by hookup %:

Buzzbait: top, horizontal, a little snaggy, medium hook-up.

Frog: top, horizontal/stationary: non-snaggy, low hook-up.

Popper: top, stationary, very snaggy, high hook-up.

Crankbait: mid, horizontal, very snaggy, high hook-up

Spinnerbait: mid, horizontal, a little snaggy, medium hook-up

Swimbait: mid, horizontal, non-snaggy, lower hook-up.

jerkbait: mid, horiz/stationary, snaggy, high hook-up

wacky senko: mid, vertical, non-snaggy, medium hook-up

jig: bottom, vertical, a little snaggy, medium hook-up

t-rigged worm: bottom, horiz, non-snaggy, medium hookup

Deep-diving crank: bottom, horizontal, snaggy, high hook-up

(or whatever)

[schplurg]

Not sure I want to include fake money in the game at all. I really don't think I want to limit the fishing in any way. Maybe you can unlock stuff but I'm mainly interested in the fishing. Simulation over game.

 

I haven't thought that far ahead much though. Not at all come to think of it. I'm mainly in the "can I do this and should I bother to" phase :-D

 

Often, grinding for gear makes me quit a game. Adding competitions on a level playing field could add replayability. Maybe different classes based on skill. Maybe tours could be earned, but again, too far ahead for now.

 

The moon looks like it will be fairly easy. It's hard to test stuff that occurs over many days, like a moon phase. I'm making everything so it can go super-fast for testing!

 

Thanks for all the comments, they are all excellent! I really appreciate it!

[MIbassyaker]

1 minute ago, schplurg said:

Not sure I want to include fake money in the game at all. I really don't think I want to limit the fishing in any way. Maybe you can unlock stuff but I'm mainly interested in the fishing. Simulation over game.

 

I haven't thought that far ahead much though. Not at all come to think of it. I'm mainly in the "can I do this and should I bother to" phase ?

 

Often, grinding for gear makes me quit a game. Adding competitions on a level playing field could add replayability. Maybe different classes based on skill. Maybe tours could be earned, but again, too far ahead for now.

 

The moon looks like it will be fairly easy. It's hard to test stuff that occurs over many days, like a moon phase. I'm making everything so it can go super-fast for testing!

 

Thanks for all the comments, they are all excellent! I really appreciate it!

Lol. I would totally play a bass fishing RPG.

 

OK, limited prototype environment: small eutrophic lake/pond, max 20ft depth, shoreline 1/4 rocky, 1/4 wooded, 1/4 marshy, 1/4 sandy.  one inlet, one outlet (or dam).  Access to any area by craft/boat, no location limitations. Mid-summer photoperiod, average temp, stable weather, no moon-phase.

[schplurg]

20 hours ago, MIbassyaker said:

Lol. I would totally play a bass fishing RPG.

 

OK, limited prototype environment: small eutrophic lake/pond, max 20ft depth, shoreline 1/4 rocky, 1/4 wooded, 1/4 marshy, 1/4 sandy.  one inlet, one outlet (or dam).  Access to any area by craft/boat, no location limitations. Mid-summer photoperiod, average temp, stable weather, no moon-phase.

Hey thanks for the feedback! I did get the moon to work well enough, but it will not be a factor in the game for now. I think. Just for looks and to cast (not that cast) a little light.

 

I sped up time and let it run while I slept and a whole year in-game passed without the sun or moon exploding or getting lost in space, so that's good.

 

This project is big, at least the way I am designing it. I need to rethink some of this.

 

Tried to work on casting a lure but it was late last night. It ended up shooting it about 2 miles away and the line got all weird. I will make it a simple mouse click for now - click where you want to cast and bait just appears there.

 

One cool thing is that the bait that I have sinks slowly, and as the line moves it can begin to rise, think lipless crank. it pulls the line down with it. So the physics are there for realistic retrieving. The line looks like a bunch of PVC pipes linked together, but that'll change. I should post a pic of that haha.

 

Added pic. So this is my quickie bass model chasing what will later look like a crank bait. It gives off a "vibration" that bass can sense if in range. The "fishing line" is just a few pieces of whatever linked together with invisible joints. It works for now.

 

This view is from underwater, you can see some of the fishing line is out of the water (top of pic). The bait is pulled through the water from the top end of the line. The crank doesn't wiggle yet.

 

I can't cast this lure, it just moves left to right through the water endlessly. I have to place the fish in its path to test it for now.

 

I want to be able to fish in the game soon. Once I do I may change my approach to the rest, and also a game needs to be fun and usable at some point just to keep me going. Plus I can let you guys try it that way.

 

I'm thinking about playing with a bait today. As of now the fish will strike it every time if it's close enough (see pic above). I need to change that and play with the fish "AI" so he won't eat sometimes. Maybe put a dozen of these fish in a spot and see how they all react. I also need it so 19 fish don't go after the bait at the same time. Or maybe not haha.

 

Maybe once in a very blue moon a fish will jump into your boat just for fun? Random easter-egg thought.

 

I may start with it's hunger attribute. If hunger reaches a certain level between 1 and 10 he will want to feed. But I don't always want every fish to feed at the same level, or even when it reaches its own hunger threshold.

 

Maybe the fish is comfortable where it is and can wait awhile? Maybe it's spooked, has a headache, I dunno. Waiting for the sun to get lower so it feels safe ("safe" is another fish attribute). All these things need to be considered.

 

I do already have a way for a fish to have a main mission (find food, find shallows, attack lure, hold ground, go to beds) and be able to deviate if something else comes up, then return to the mission. Like if a fish wants cooler water, it may head that way as its main mission, but might stop and do something else that comes up along the way, like have a beer, then continue.

 

So I want a fish to be hungry yet still not look for food immediately every single time. Stuff like that will make the game more realistic, I think, as fish don't all spawn at the same time, or eat at the same time, etc. Got to mix it up.

 

Finally, in BPS: The Strike game, you have an underwater camera. I don't want that in my game, but for now I will use it so we can all see what's going on under there. Maybe I can use one for instant replays later but not during fishing.

 

I DO need a way for you to tell how deep your bait is to some degree at least, and if it's action is good/reeling fast enough. It's hard without the feel of a rod in your hand. I have a few ideas.

 

Anyways, in that game I can see how the fish react and I want this to be better. It's not bad. One thing I want that that game doesn't have is a realistic environment with laydowns, pads, and other things.

 

And I don't want random fish. In other words the pond may have 5 DD bass, and that's all there is - 5. You won't catch a DB if they aren't where you are. There will be no random number deciding the weight of what you catch. What bites your line is what you get.

[Luke Barnes]

Like I said on the other thread, I play slot of mobile games and console games. What else is there to do at 8pm when its 20 degrees out? Sure I would fish every waking moment but that's not possible. 

 

So I'm very interested and have been into gaming for 20+ years so I will give my honest feedback on it. Plus I might learn more about bass behavior and become a better Fisherman while I'm at it!! Win win!!!

[slonezp]

I don't play video games. I might play a fishing game if it was realistic.

Stop off at the gas station in the morning and grab coffee and donuts and use the facilities when you fill up the tank only to find out the crapper is out of order. Pull up to the ramp and launch the boat. Drive the boat to the first spot and make a few casts, change baits, and make a few more casts. Snag a carp in the back. Fight the fish cursing because you don't want a break off of your favorite $30 crankbait. Land the fish only to see the rear treble is bent and have to replace the hook but you can't find the ring pliers so you pick up another rod and start casting while your getting more ticked because you couldn't find your ring pliers. You go to take off to another spot only to realize you left your trolling motor down. Take the boat out of gear and stand up to go bring in the trolling motor but you forgot your kill switch lanyard is attached to your PFD and you kill the motor. Bring in the trolling motor and now have to screw around with the kill switch because the lanyard has to fit just right to close the switch. Now, the wife calls and asks you if you know where she left her car keys because they're not on the counter where she usually puts them. You tell her you have no clue where the keys are at in a stern voice because you are already frustrated at the way the day is going and now she's upset and grilling you about something you did or didn't do 10 years ago. She hangs up the phone all upset and you take off to the next spot. You get to the next spot and first cast you get the birdsnest of all birdsnests because you forgot to reset the breaks when you switched to a crankbait with unbent hooks. You put that rod down and pick up a worm rod. First cast with that rod, you get a bite and set the hook and the line snaps because you forgot to retie the last time you used it. You throw the rod down Iconelli style but instead of hitting the deck, it ricochets off the gunwale into the drink. You spend 20 minutes with a spoon trying to retrieve the lost rod and then quit. Take off to the next spot only to find out 2 other guys are sitting on it so you turn and head to another. Here is where you catch your first bass. A 3" bass on a 4" senko....There's hope!!! By this time, the pleasure boaters and jet ski's and wake boats are starting to come out in numbers......

 

See where I'm going with this?

 

If you could design a fishing game that was realistic, I might play it. So far, no one has been able to do this

[12poundbass]

On 1/19/2020 at 8:23 PM, MIbassyaker said:

I remember The Black Bass being occasionally kind-of fun for a little while at a time, but it rarely sustained my interest.

 

Surely, there's a market for something more realistic and better-informed by actual bass behavior!

 

I would think the big challenge would be to get the balance of "signal" and "noise" right -- you could implement all sorts of rules for the bass to follow....and they would just be too easy to figure out. Too much randomness, however, and no skill is needed.

 

One thing I wouldn't do is just rely on message board opinions for what the bass behavior should look like. Go to sources that are based on systematic observation and analysis of bass behavior.  Some good books to track down that may be worth using as reference:

-Lunker by Bob Underwood

-Knowing Bass by Keith Jones

-The Scientific Angler by Paul Johnson

-In-Fisherman Largemouth Bass Guide, or the 3-volume Critical Concepts series

-High-Percentage Fishing by Josh Alwine

 

Also: the documentaries Bigmouth (1974) and Bigmouth Forever by Glen Lau.

 

EDIT: Ha! The Black Bass Secrets revealed:

 

Holy cow that brought back some memories! Watching that, I don’t think it stands the test of time. 

[schplurg]

On 1/22/2020 at 5:49 PM, slonezp said:

I don't play video games. I might play a fishing game if it was realistic.

Stop off at the gas station in the morning and grab coffee and donuts and use the facilities when you fill up the tank only to find out the crapper is out of order. Pull up to the ramp and launch the boat. Drive the boat to the first spot and make a few casts, change baits, and make a few more casts. Snag a carp in the back. Fight the fish cursing because you don't want a break off of your favorite $30 crankbait. Land the fish only to see the rear treble is bent and have to replace the hook but you can't find the ring pliers so you pick up another rod and start casting while your getting more ticked because you couldn't find your ring pliers. You go to take off to another spot only to realize you left your trolling motor down. Take the boat out of gear and stand up to go bring in the trolling motor but you forgot your kill switch lanyard is attached to your PFD and you kill the motor. Bring in the trolling motor and now have to screw around with the kill switch because the lanyard has to fit just right to close the switch. Now, the wife calls and asks you if you know where she left her car keys because they're not on the counter where she usually puts them. You tell her you have no clue where the keys are at in a stern voice because you are already frustrated at the way the day is going and now she's upset and grilling you about something you did or didn't do 10 years ago. She hangs up the phone all upset and you take off to the next spot. You get to the next spot and first cast you get the birdsnest of all birdsnests because you forgot to reset the breaks when you switched to a crankbait with unbent hooks. You put that rod down and pick up a worm rod. First cast with that rod, you get a bite and set the hook and the line snaps because you forgot to retie the last time you used it. You throw the rod down Iconelli style but instead of hitting the deck, it ricochets off the gunwale into the drink. You spend 20 minutes with a spoon trying to retrieve the lost rod and then quit. Take off to the next spot only to find out 2 other guys are sitting on it so you turn and head to another. Here is where you catch your first bass. A 3" bass on a 4" senko....There's hope!!! By this time, the pleasure boaters and jet ski's and wake boats are starting to come out in numbers......

 

See where I'm going with this?

 

If you could design a fishing game that was realistic, I might play it. So far, no one has been able to do this

If that was a realistic day of fishing for me I'd start a new hobby, or slit my throat maybe!

 

Many games these days are torture to me. Grinding for coins, bombarded with requests to buy stupid clothing for your character, or better golf clubs, or gas for the car - for chrissakes I play(ed) vids to ESCAPE that crap!!! I feel sorry for kids who want to play because the technology is there to make some truly groundbreaking stuff but half the games budget goes to figuring out how to soak the customers.

 

Okay, so I ran the game for 10 "game days". I put in 50 or so fish and let them go. The entire lake now has spots for cover, shallows, and food/baitballs.

 

No bad surprises at least. The fish all found their favorite spots (closest) and have pretty much stuck to those areas, going to and from each type of location. They can "free swim" at night, so they do have a chance to relocate. It's kind of cool just watching them.

 

They get hungry and will eat. Right now I have what I figure are "bait balls" and the fish just finds the closest one for now and "eats". Later they will find food wherever, a bit here and there, as well as bait balls. Bait balls are mainly for the anglers to see.

 

So they have a very simple routine now, but it all works which is good news. Shallow water in the morning, cover during the day (docks or deep water), shallow again at evening, then free swim all night, and they eat whenever hungry enough. Like I said, basic, but they follow the sun patterns fine and do everything right so far. 

 

And they all do the same thing within a few minutes of each other, so there is no variation yet. I need to make sure they do what I want before I mess with that.

 

I think my fish will probably be more complicated and intelligent than a real one by the time I'm done.

[TnRiver46]

On 1/23/2020 at 7:32 AM, 12poundbass said:

Holy cow that brought back some memories! Watching that, I don’t think it stands the test of time. 

Boooooo....... I still play it!!!

[Boomstick]

I like your ideas. I would really like a fishing sim that puts my gained knowledge of fishing to use, but also applies some randomness in a realistic sort of manner too, you know what I mean? If the AI was good enough where I could hone up my fishing skills in the winter when lakes are frozen, that would be really sweet. As a developer myself (I'd like to think I'm fairly skilled) I understand that will not be easy to do.

 

I did once build a baseball simulator as a college project where you play team manager and the chance of a player getting a hit depended on both the players batting average the prior season as well as the pitchers batting average against, and the chances of getting a home run or double increased against pitchers who gave up more long balls as well with a fairly complex algorithm based around manipulation of a random number. I simulated a few hundred games and logged the results and each players numbers roughly reflected what they should be, batters and pitchers a like but there was some room for improvement of course. Something like that may potentially be of use.

[Koz]

11 hours ago, Boomstick said:

I did once build a baseball simulator as a college project

 

The first coding I ever did was on an Apple II Plus with 48K of RAM. I built a mainly text golf game where you first selected your club and then used the clicker on the game controller paddle to start and stop the swing.

 

There was a meter on the screen and you would click as the bar went up to set the power and then click again as the bar went down to determine hook, slice, or straight. That was back in 1979-1980 and the irony is that is still the basic premise of golf swing meters in video games today.

[schplurg]

18 hours ago, Boomstick said:

I like your ideas. I would really like a fishing sim that puts my gained knowledge of fishing to use, but also applies some randomness in a realistic sort of manner too, you know what I mean? If the AI was good enough where I could hone up my fishing skills in the winter when lakes are frozen, that would be really sweet. As a developer myself (I'd like to think I'm fairly skilled) I understand that will not be easy to do.

 

I did once build a baseball simulator as a college project where you play team manager and the chance of a player getting a hit depended on both the players batting average the prior season as well as the pitchers batting average against, and the chances of getting a home run or double increased against pitchers who gave up more long balls as well with a fairly complex algorithm based around manipulation of a random number. I simulated a few hundred games and logged the results and each players numbers roughly reflected what they should be, batters and pitchers a like but there was some room for improvement of course. Something like that may potentially be of use.

I used to play Virtual Pool sometimes before pool tournaments and I think it helped, at least in visualizing the table after a break and seeing a path to knock them all in.

 

Right now I'm working on randomizing the fish behavior while trying to not "randomize" it at the same time. In most games the player/fish attributes all add up to affect some randomness at some point. Ya, he's a home run hitter but he has to strike out too! Like you said. So my fish have a lot of attributes that will hopefully minimize some need for randomness.

 

Do fish actually act randomly? Do people, or is there always some biochemical or other reaction that drives every move we make in our lives? Do we really make decision or do we just think we do?

 

My main thinking now (if it's really me that's thinking!) though is how do I get a game to start and populate it with fish. Feels like more of a "roll the dice" thing and I don't want that. Like I said before I'd like a living lake that goes day to day. Maybe I can record a few years worth of simulated data in the game then use that. I have many ideas but whew it's a biggie. 

 

I could put all the effort into this in the world and people may still think it seems random. But I am getting closer to having the fish act like I want, at least with their normal daily routines. It's pretty boring stuff. Eat, swim, hang out, repeat! Once I have that I can build a game/sim around it.

 

Gotta go to work now

[Boomstick]

Just now, schplurg said:

Do fish actually act randomly?

Well maybe nothing is truly random, but fish are never 100% predictable which is where random in AI comes in

[schplurg]

3 minutes ago, Boomstick said:

Well maybe nothing is truly random, but fish are never 100% predictable which is where random in AI comes in

Oh ya totally. Just a little philosophy  As a programmer (part time) I sometimes wonder about human behavior and life, and free will etc. It's interesting to me.

 

Programming humans would be easy. Low attributes for intelligence, logic and reason, and high attributes for emotion, rationalizing and self-delusion  For a start.

[Boomstick]

2 minutes ago, schplurg said:

Oh ya totally. Just a little philosophy  As a programmer (part time) I sometimes wonder about human behavior and life, and free will etc. It's interesting to me.

I spend way too much time thinking about that sort of stuff too. What if what we perceive as free will is simple fates desire...

[Koz]

Are you developing this for a specific platform? I guess it depends upon who you think the targeted demographic is. I think younger/casual gamer skews mobile devices while older skews PC. Then there's the console crowd somewhere in between.

[schplurg]

Not sure. Right now PC only. I can develop for multiple platforms simultaneously but need to keep graphics limitations in mind for anything lower than a PC.

 

It will definitely be for PC though (maybe others later) especially during development, which could be forever. 

 

I doubt mobile, but I have experience with mobile so I will try my best.

 

I also want to experiment with making a fishing rod controller. I'm researching gyro and accelerometer controllers. Easiest way right now would be to use a phone as the game controller - totally doable. You could cast with it like a pole.

 

I went real fishing today and yesterday. Real life fishing here right now = zero fish.

 

"Hey Timmy, you want a quarter so you can play the fishing game?"

 

"Not really"

[Koz]

4 hours ago, schplurg said:

I also want to experiment with making a fishing rod controller. I'm researching gyro and accelerometer controllers. Easiest way right now would be to use a phone as the game controller - totally doable. You could cast with it like a pole.

 

I was actually thinking that as well using the bluetooth connectivity. You could also have different vibration patterns and strengths for types of fish strikes, pulling the lure through weeds, dragging it over rocks, etc.