PSP developer Merick is announcing via the QJ.Net Forums the release of the Lua Wavefront 3d model viewer. As the application's name implies, it's a PSP-based 3d model viewer, and is scripted to work with cool's Lua Player Mod 4 application. As Merick explained in the thread:

I've been trying to work out how to load 3d models in Wavefront .obj format. I've gotten to the point where I can use the vertex data in the file to build a viewable model, but some of the faces don't get drawn, and some get drawn where there shouldn't be anything. Also, I think I've figured out how to put in the normals, but I can't really tell.

With what I have so far, I've put together a simple model viewer. Use the d-pad and shoulder buttons to rotate the model, and the square and cross buttons to zoom in and out.

More information - and the archive's subsequent developer  discussions - are available in Merick's thread over at the QJ.Net Forums. We advise those interested in learning more about this Lua coding project to head over there. Enjoy the download.

Download: Lua Wavefront 3d model viewer
Visit: QJ's PSP Development Forum

PSP homebrew coder Hopper dropped by the QJ.Net Forum earlier to let everybody in on an interesting homebrew game we think the Zelda fans here may fancy. It's a Lua-coded Zelda game demo the author built for a college project; Aside from carrying Link over to the PSP dev scene, the game carries these other features:

• Tile based game engine
• Collision Detection
• Houses
• Scrolling Map (with dodgy dodgy collision)
• One Dungeon
• AI enemies (Path finding enemies that can see Link and will run after him but won't hurt him =])
• Multiplayer online game
• Modified version of Merick's map maker(used my own code to read from tile sheet, doesn't offer as many features, just drawing)
• Some stupid weird stuff i put in to amuse myself
  

Guys hoping to see a full version of this demo may have to wait - Hopper does not have any intention of going further with the project. In relation to that announcement, Hopper's also letting everybody know that the game's codes are available for other coders who would like to know how it was done.

As per requested by the author (in the README, to be specific), we won't be hosting the file - but a download link is available at the game's QJ.Net Forum release thread. Be sure sure to view the README for Hopper's full accreditation of the other coders who helped make this Zelda demo (we spied names like SoulKiller and Danzeff in the list), and visit the forums for some extra game tidbits, such as discussions, and demo videos. We've posted one of the vids here as a teaser of what to expect - Happy viewing!

Visit: QJ's PSP Development Forum

Homebrew developer Merick passed by QJ.Net Forums today and released a new version of Lua Map Maker (LuMM). Before we proceed, take note that LuMM is actually a 2D tile map editor for Lua games compatible with your PlayStation Portable (PSP) units. Speaking of map editors, LuMM can generally handle three different map layers.

The Round layer should refer to the basic map area. The Object layer, on the other hand, assigns a number value to the current tile area. Lastly, the Overlay layer can be used for images that players can walk behind, or images with transparency that you want to be drawn over the base layer.

Ever since Lua Map Maker hit v0.5, it is already a stand-alone application meaning you won't be needing Lua player to run it. As for the improvements employed in v0.9, here's the official changelog:

• Found out that the version of lua player that I was using would sometimes crash and freeze the psp when loading images, so I've gone back to using Cool's mod 3.
• I've re-done the tile system to use tile sheets instead of loose tiles and have added a function to let you create a list of tile sheets to use.
• Only works with tilesheets where the tiles are all square and have the same size and do not have any borders between them.
• In order to display the tiles correctly, you must now set the tile size to the exact size of the tiles in the tile sheets.
• The format of the map table and the controls have been changed.
• Have added options to save the map as screen shots in PNG format ( the images created will be named as the project name followed by the x and y positions of each screen  and will be located in the project folder).

Download: Lua Map Maker (LuMM) v0.9
View: QJ PSP Development Forum

Homebrew coder Merick passed by the QJ.Net Forums earlier to let everybody know that the Lua Map Maker (LuMM) application has been updated to version 0.6. For the curious souls wondering what LuMM does, it's a PSP-based 2D tile map editor for homebrew lua games, and is capable of editing three map layers:

• Round layer: The basic map area
• Object layer: Assigns a number value to the current tile area 0 is not displayed in the editor. In my demo, I used 0 for walkable area and set 1 to indicated an impassable barrier
• Overlay layer: This layer is for images that the player can walk behind
  

Another important detail aspiring lua coders may want to know is that as of version 0.5, LuMM is a stand-alone application, meaning it won't need Lua Player to run. Now, as for this application's latest changelog:

• Fixed a small bug in the save menu
• Empty map locations are now set to nil
• Modified map drawing routines, drawing speed should now be noticeably faster on larger sized maps
  

Full usage instructions await in the bundle below, which should be the next stop for the guys wishing to try this homebrew application out. Also make sure to visit Merick's release thread over at the QJ.Net Forums as there might be extra details and pointers about LuMM. Enjoy the download!

Download:  LuMM (Lua Map Maker) v0.6
Visit: PSP Development Forum

Merick has dropped by our PSP forums today to inform us about the latest update to his 2D tile map editor, LuMM (Lua Map Maker). This PSP application boasts of map-editing functions on three layers: Ground layer (the basic map area); Object layer; and Overlay layer (for images the players can walk behind).

Using Soulkiller's mod, Merick's LuMM v0.5 is now a standalone app and thus can be installed directly to your PSP without the aid of Lua Player. But that's just the tip of the iceberg, or in mapping terms, just a scratch from the Ground layer. Here's the rest of the changelog straight from Merick's readme file:

• small change in control layout for menus - all menus now use start button to accept selection
• my previous method of referencing tile image was inadequate, any changes to the files in the tile folder would completely alter the order in which the images were referenced. To fix this, I've now made it so that the tile images are referenced by the image filenames.
• I've also made the tile loading function more intelligent,  it will now only attempt to load files that actually are images only .jpg and .png are
• Added a view checking function to the map base layer so that it only blits the tiles that are actually inside the current viewing area
• added a description of the map table format to this readme

Please don't forget to check the readme file inside the LuMM v0.5 download for more details. You can also go here for a detailed description on this Merick creation. For aspiring devs or for those who just want to tweak this 'brew, the download link's right below. You can also visit out PSP forums (link also below) for the chance to meet more PSP owners and some the PSP scene's more prominent developers.

Download: LuMM (Lua Map Maker) v0.5
Visit: PSP Development Forums

Merick from the QJ.NET Forums has just announced the initial release of his latest homebrew application called LuMM (Lua Map Maker). This application for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) will definitely be a big help to all the other lua homebrew developers out there, as LuMM is a 2d tile map editor for lua games. This edits a map in three layers.

• ground layer : the basic map area
• object layer : assigns a number value to the current tile area 0 is not displayed in the editor. In my demo, I used 0 for walkable area and set 1 to indicated an impassable barrier
• overlay layer : this layer is for images that the player can walk behind

As for its other features:

• saves / loads map info to a single data file
• map edit mode:

• start = brings up save/quit menu
• d-pad = change current map location
• square = put tile down
• cross = erase tile
• triangle/circle = cycle through tiles / object numbers
• right trigger = cycle through layers
• left trigger + d-pad left/right = change tile rotation (not implemented yet)

For this to work, you'll need to have the lua player installed, and then copy the LuMM folder to your applications folder. Merick says that tile rotation is still not working, but he adds that this is being worked on.

The file you'll be downloading has LuMM.lua which is the editor itself, and demo.lua which is a demo of how you can use the map data you've created using LuMM. However, the demo will not be enough to show you what you should do. Check out the readme for instructions, as that's really important for all applications you'll be running on your PSPs. It also contains more details on the features and controls of LuMM, and his thank-yous to a lot of other PSP developers who've helped him with his homebrew project. Enjoy the download.

Download: LuMM (Lua Map Maker)
Visit: PSP Development Forum