Graphics question
Reaver_Pryde
Join Date: 2002-05-11 Member: 599Members
Join Date: 2002-05-11 Member: 599Members
<div class="IPBDescription">How'd you utilize the engine so well?</div>Heya all.
I'm very new here and like all of you, I'm REALLY looking forward to seeing this mod come out. Just as a side note, I'm dead set in doing anything that I possibly can to help you guys release the mod A.S.A.P.. I playtested for Blizzard a long time ago, and also playtested for Nintendo more recently (not the "so do you like the game" kind, the "find the bugs anyway you can, tell us about them, offer advice on how we can fix them, then when we think we've fixed them, test it again to make sure 8 times over and not get any money for it at all" kind) and enjoyed EVERY SECOND of it. Despite all the deadlines, it's great being involved in the process, which is just as fascinating as it is complex. My only regret is not learning more about coding, modeling, and mapping...
So now my question: I've only signed up for a membership on these forums recently, but I've been looking at screenshots and model pics for a long time on the website and they are absolutely amazing. In fact, I haven't seen this standard of graphic excellence in any other Half-Life mod, even the really big ones.
How did you guys create models and weapons for this game that looked so beautiful without increasing the requirements for running the game astronomically? The same goes for the levels. If you did wind up increasing the requirements for the game dramatically, aren't you worried about losing some of the fan base? I'm running a high end system, but I have a lot of friends who play a lot of Half-Life mods who are still using the systems they bought 5 or 6 years ago.
Thanks a lot for your time. Hope the development's going well, and please contact me if you have any need at all of my skills.
Reaver
<a href="mailto:reaverpryde@hotmail.com">reaverpryde@hotmail.com</a>
I'm very new here and like all of you, I'm REALLY looking forward to seeing this mod come out. Just as a side note, I'm dead set in doing anything that I possibly can to help you guys release the mod A.S.A.P.. I playtested for Blizzard a long time ago, and also playtested for Nintendo more recently (not the "so do you like the game" kind, the "find the bugs anyway you can, tell us about them, offer advice on how we can fix them, then when we think we've fixed them, test it again to make sure 8 times over and not get any money for it at all" kind) and enjoyed EVERY SECOND of it. Despite all the deadlines, it's great being involved in the process, which is just as fascinating as it is complex. My only regret is not learning more about coding, modeling, and mapping...
So now my question: I've only signed up for a membership on these forums recently, but I've been looking at screenshots and model pics for a long time on the website and they are absolutely amazing. In fact, I haven't seen this standard of graphic excellence in any other Half-Life mod, even the really big ones.
How did you guys create models and weapons for this game that looked so beautiful without increasing the requirements for running the game astronomically? The same goes for the levels. If you did wind up increasing the requirements for the game dramatically, aren't you worried about losing some of the fan base? I'm running a high end system, but I have a lot of friends who play a lot of Half-Life mods who are still using the systems they bought 5 or 6 years ago.
Thanks a lot for your time. Hope the development's going well, and please contact me if you have any need at all of my skills.
Reaver
<a href="mailto:reaverpryde@hotmail.com">reaverpryde@hotmail.com</a>
Comments
Reaver
To become a playtester they say you need to present yourself in a very mature fashion, and make boatloads of insightful posts... helping people out with art, providing massive amounts of constructive criticism to the mappers, suggesting gameplay ideas, etc.
Concerning upping the game requirements: No! Not at all. It is actually one of the teams highest priorities... to make the game playable on lower end systems. Not sure about the models, but no level is allowed to have r_speeds higher than 700. For comparison, some official TFC levels have in excess of 1000.
BTW, welcome to the community! Hope you enjoy your stay! <!--emo&:)--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'><!--endemo--> The guys here are really great.
<!--EDIT|ken20banks|May 11 2002,19:19-->
What the heck is an r_speed? : )
Reaver
They're basically the number of polygons shown on the screen at one time. Too high and you get choppyness/lag.
I don't really know how to elaborate further except to say that NS will run perfectly fine on older systems. If it can run HL it can certainly run NS.
<!--emo&:p--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'><!--endemo-->
The team that are working on NS seem to have a lot of experience under their belts in terms of the HL engine and game design in general. These specialists are very special indeed. <!--emo&:)--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'><!--endemo-->
It won't rock the house, per se. but if you can reliably run half-life in OpenGl, then it'll work just fine.
/me wishes his laptop could do that
Everything else are things that the mappers and the textures have provided. Whoever on the <a href="http://www.natural-selection.org/team.html" target="_blank">team</a> who made the textures did a great job. We have incredible mappers making very good maps.
That's the only improvements we've got.
<i>If you want to become a playtester, trying to convince the team with past experience is not the way to go. Besides, knowing how to find/report bugs is not even important to the testing process.</i>
Wait, it's not? Sounds pretty darned good to me...(though not really the bugfixing part yet). Considering that many of the playtesters have no experience doing anything remotely game-related (except playing them, which everyone does here!), these qualifications are quite good. The main thing we're looking for is people with communication skills, and are mature enough to be able to discuss issues reasonably, are generally fun to correspond with, and not get mad when we can't or won't accomodate their requests.
We'll always be adding more playtests as the build gets more solid and as the server can accomodate more players. I'll send you e-mail if we're interested in asking you to help. :)
As far as graphical enhancements, they are mostly due to our versatile particle system, our overbrightening effect (a monitor trick), our talented mappers, and our talented artists (in no particular order). There are other enhancements to sound and gameplay, but that's not obvious in the screenshots.
All the models, textures, levels, etc. are critiqued internally and discussed to improve them as much as we have time for. I'd like to think that our team has a clear enough vision of what we're trying to create that our assets are created with the same ideas, and so we don't end up redoing much work. In short, we all know what we're trying to make, so we have the most time to spend on our individual tasks.
We've also spent a fair amount of time doing concept work and making sure everything is cohesive and directed.
Man, good luck with the mod. The only thing I like more than what I've seen of it so far is the community of people populating the forums. I don't think I've seen a single flame or childish post yet, probably due to your very wise decision to make the priviledge to playtest dependant on maturity and insightfulness in forum posts.
I'm lovin' the whole process. : )
Reaver
Glad to hear you like the community Reaver... Definitely my favorite aspect of the mod. Though I think the thing that makes everyone so mature is simply the fact that the complexity and professionalism of everything as a whole attracts only those kind of people. <!--emo&:)--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'><!--endemo--> New people to the community see how things are handled here, and respect that. It's really cool.
And can these particles be shaped into a flame form?
And can a "damage inducing" cone be placed inside this particle-based cone?
I think you now where i'm ging with this...
Oh, and soory for totally hijacking this thread. Reaver, I ##### a lot of online message boards, and maturity like yours is few and far between. I can tell right now, even as a n00b, that you will reaallllly benifit this community.
<!--EDIT|Moleculor|May 13 2002,19:44-->
V2 sounds good. I wouldn't want it to hold up V1.
/resists urge to ask to be playtester
I remember the immeasurable glee I felt when I played Return to Castle Wolfenstein online for the first time and played with the flamethrower... talk about a fun weapon. Unfortunately, Half-Life probably wouldn't be able have graphics that were anywhere near as cool for a flamer, but it definitely gets you salivating a little. : )
And to Legionnaired- <i>thank</i> you. That's a really nice thing to say, and I appreciate it. <!--emo&:p--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'><!--endemo-->
Reaver