One suggestion: Please use a large range of colors and contrasts. Too many sci-fi/futuristic games (and movies) portray themselves as hopeless and dreary, using the same dark color scheme throughout most of the game. Yes, some places need to be dark and scary - but others should have contemporary color schemes, and be well lit.
AngeluszHarmonic entropistJoin Date: 2003-07-10Member: 18072Members, Forum Moderators, Constellation, NS2 Playtester
Very, very nice! I can't wait to start working on a map, using those prefabs.
How will they work collision-wise? Will they be treated as entities, will they have some-sort of hitbox, or do you use pixel hit-detection in your new engine?
<!--quoteo(post=1719933:date=Jul 29 2009, 07:59 AM:name=puzl)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (puzl @ Jul 29 2009, 07:59 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1719933"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Looking great guys, can't wait to see them rendered in the engine.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
X2.
As a separate question (sorry if it's been answered) will things like those emergency lights actually emit light? As a method of atmosphere, just thinking how if the marines control an area and lighting is normal, they could be off, and if the aliens take over, they could come on as other primary systems shut down?
<!--quoteo(post=1720318:date=Aug 1 2009, 06:54 PM:name=Daxx)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Daxx @ Aug 1 2009, 06:54 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1720318"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->As a separate question (sorry if it's been answered) will things like those emergency lights actually emit light? As a method of atmosphere, just thinking how if the marines control an area and lighting is normal, they could be off, and if the aliens take over, they could come on as other primary systems shut down?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yup, that's the current plan, actually, that as aliens take over an area the lights turn off or start flickering, emergency lights come on, computer terminals power down, etc. We are hoping to get a lot of those kinds of dynamic environment elements in to the game, to correspond with the gameplay.
Damn I wish I could do this. I'm a modeler, and I've been told that I'm very good, but I'm only good insofar as the technical aspects of moving vertices around until it looks good. I still have a hard time modeling anything without some good reference photos. Is that just down to practice?
<!--quoteo(post=1720399:date=Aug 2 2009, 04:38 PM:name=Ortzinator)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Ortzinator @ Aug 2 2009, 04:38 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1720399"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Damn I wish I could do this. I'm a modeler, and I've been told that I'm very good, but I'm only good insofar as the technical aspects of moving vertices around until it looks good. I still have a hard time modeling anything without some good reference photos. Is that just down to practice?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Practice.
By the way that just came up to my mind, what measurement unit is used in the engine?
<!--quoteo(post=1719933:date=Jul 29 2009, 06:59 AM:name=puzl)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (puzl @ Jul 29 2009, 06:59 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1719933"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Looking great guys, can't wait to see them rendered in the engine.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It looks to me like they are in the engine there judging by the floor plane looking the same as what I remember from the particle editor video.
Oh - and of course i should mention - they really look great!
<!--quoteo(post=1720419:date=Aug 2 2009, 09:22 PM:name=frostymoose)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (frostymoose @ Aug 2 2009, 09:22 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1720419"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->It looks to me like they are in the engine there judging by the floor plane looking the same as what I remember from the particle editor video. Oh - and of course i should mention - they really look great!<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Depending on what format they use and the process in converting, it's not really hard to get your model in a game engine once you get the hang of it. For example, it takes about 40 seconds to export the model from Maya, compile it with the provided tools into Source and view it in the editor. That also depends on the model since the exporter is a bit "bleh" (3DS gets all the love) and probably move or play around the directories if needed.
Got no idea how far they've taken the process of getting assets in engine, but it's always win if you can cut back on compiling time. Plus it's satisfying when you see your stuff in-game.
The tools are made with these ideas in mind. If you watch the vidcast above, it shows how seamless the process of editing and compiling are with the tools they have developed. This is in large part why these models can be made quickly and intuitively from fairly rough concept art. It's quite an amazing tool package with the engine and all the other parts. I'm very impressed with just the tech/code they've produced.
<!--quoteo(post=1720389:date=Aug 2 2009, 07:16 PM:name=Squeal_Like_A_Pig)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Squeal_Like_A_Pig @ Aug 2 2009, 07:16 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1720389"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Yup, that's the current plan, actually, that as aliens take over an area the lights turn off or start flickering, emergency lights come on, computer terminals power down, etc. We are hoping to get a lot of those kinds of dynamic environment elements in to the game, to correspond with the gameplay.
--Cory<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> So do the models actually emit the light (I hope we can change the values in the editor if it is this way) or do you mean just the texture changes to an "off/damaged" version? I suppose you can make DI turn off light entities that are near too...
Just wondering, because it sounds like the first option.
<!--quoteo(post=1721016:date=Aug 6 2009, 02:17 PM:name=Mendasp)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Mendasp @ Aug 6 2009, 02:17 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1721016"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->So do the models actually emit the light (I hope we can change the values in the editor if it is this way) or do you mean just the texture changes to an "off/damaged" version? I suppose you can make DI turn off light entities that are near too...
Just wondering, because it sounds like the first option.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd--> If you look back through some of the dev-videos, there's one where they demonstrate a pyramid model being used as a lightsource, and adjusting the light it puts out on the fly if I remember right.. given that, it would make sense that it's the first option.
Comments
One suggestion: Please use a large range of colors and contrasts. Too many sci-fi/futuristic games (and movies) portray themselves as hopeless and dreary, using the same dark color scheme throughout most of the game. Yes, some places need to be dark and scary - but others should have contemporary color schemes, and be well lit.
How long does it take to prepare such a prop from concept to final textured and shaded model? for example the wall panels?
How will they work collision-wise? Will they be treated as entities, will they have some-sort of hitbox, or do you use pixel hit-detection in your new engine?
X2.
As a separate question (sorry if it's been answered) will things like those emergency lights actually emit light? As a method of atmosphere, just thinking how if the marines control an area and lighting is normal, they could be off, and if the aliens take over, they could come on as other primary systems shut down?
Yup, that's the current plan, actually, that as aliens take over an area the lights turn off or start flickering, emergency lights come on, computer terminals power down, etc. We are hoping to get a lot of those kinds of dynamic environment elements in to the game, to correspond with the gameplay.
--Cory
Practice.
By the way that just came up to my mind, what measurement unit is used in the engine?
It looks to me like they are in the engine there judging by the floor plane looking the same as what I remember from the particle editor video.
Oh - and of course i should mention - they really look great!
Depending on what format they use and the process in converting, it's not really hard to get your model in a game engine once you get the hang of it. For example, it takes about 40 seconds to export the model from Maya, compile it with the provided tools into Source and view it in the editor. That also depends on the model since the exporter is a bit "bleh" (3DS gets all the love) and probably move or play around the directories if needed.
Got no idea how far they've taken the process of getting assets in engine, but it's always win if you can cut back on compiling time. Plus it's satisfying when you see your stuff in-game.
The tools are made with these ideas in mind. If you watch the vidcast above, it shows how seamless the process of editing and compiling are with the tools they have developed. This is in large part why these models can be made quickly and intuitively from fairly rough concept art. It's quite an amazing tool package with the engine and all the other parts. I'm very impressed with just the tech/code they've produced.
--Cory<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
So do the models actually emit the light (I hope we can change the values in the editor if it is this way) or do you mean just the texture changes to an "off/damaged" version? I suppose you can make DI turn off light entities that are near too...
Just wondering, because it sounds like the first option.
Just wondering, because it sounds like the first option.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
If you look back through some of the dev-videos, there's one where they demonstrate a pyramid model being used as a lightsource, and adjusting the light it puts out on the fly if I remember right.. given that, it would make sense that it's the first option.