[Geoffrey]

Cool man Eternity's really looking great.

[Stabs]

Thansk its actually becoming something bigger than i expected with all this new DP stuff over the past few weeks

[Kristian Joensen]

Awesome work there DanM. Really cool stuff.

[Headless_Horseman]

Danm, a question : I know Eternity is especially build on HRP + Polymer, but it would be playable also in Polymost with low-res textures ? I mean, TTA2 was perfectly playable even on 8 bit graphic, so...

[Stabs]

I strongly recommend polymer only for this due too

1 ) Levels have dark uniform shade values so the polymer light does all the work and makes it look great

2) Heavy use of Polymer SoS effects

so playing eternity in polymost would result in a dark glitchy levels, I am guessing you could knock down the tex quality to 8-bit to gain performance but you would still need model support ( i think this is possible though )

I did go through the resources today and cleaned up / resized alot files, like the sky, which was 5 x 4mb bitmaps, that seemed to give it a nice little boost and seems to run really nice in most parts now, the only parts i seem to get major slowdowns is when iam looking at a large area or at the polymer SoS. I am trying to minimize any combat in those areas so you don't have to fight the frame rate monster, I am also sure there is lighting console commands aswell to make the lighting less demanding.

I think i might be able to make less demanding versions of the maps by masking the areas where the polymer SoS is a bit intensive if need be, but that is something to think about closer to release, also polymer may run nicer on an even wider range of systems by that time.

[Gambini]

Still, for much you are going to do in order to improve the performance

Quote

polymer may run nicer on an even wider range of systems by that time

I dont think so, maybe it will look better but i doubt it´s going to be more old computers friendly.

Damn, you must remember when we released DPCB with polymer lights, i was even able to record a video with an -at least- decent frame rat. Using the HRP and all that i got 30/35 fps as average. Now, with a way better video card and double the memory i had at that moment, i can´t even play it because the lag is so terrible that the mouse doesn´t even work at moments.

[The Commander]

You may still be able to play it with a good frame rate if you enter in the console.
r_pr_shadows 0

You won't have shadows but you will still get the lights etc, and should increase the FPS greatly.

[Stabs]

hmm i was usually getting around 35 -40 fps, in that level too, better video card and its worse? i know about that mouse bug, iam assuming it will be fixed in the course of time

[Gambini]

Before: Dual Core E2200 2.200ghz - 1.5 gb ram - Gforce 8600GT 512ddr2: between 25 to 45 fps (depending outsides or insides) at 1280x1024.

Now: same CPU, 2.5 gb ram and Gforce 9600GT 512ddr3: Unplayable (no matter outside or inside) at 1920x1080.

Both cases using the polymer HRP, i have to say that the polymer hrp of the first case didn´t include so many parallax and normal maps as all we know. Also there is a resolution difference but that´s because i´ve changed the monitor as well (is not only the resolution, wide screens render more visible parts than 4:3 screens). In the other hand, ANY other game has been performance boosted 3x or 4x with the GPU update, so it´s not that the video card is shitty or something.

[Stabs]

that is odd, a 9600 should totally whip an 8600, as for the res i havnt noticed a great deal of difference between different res's

i have gotten used to 1024 x 768 windowed mode / no af tho for the past 20 or so revisions (just easier for alt tabbing and i am only in it to check if something is working), so iam not sure how newer versions run at fullscreen, although when i was running fullscreen i noticed little difference with 1024 x 768 to 1680 x 1050

i just tried the dpcb, fullscreen, and i seem to get about a 20 - 30 fps average running around the town at the start

That sucks man, i take it you've tried everything like deleting cfg files and such

@ TX / Plagman : is there a console command to disable all the spec / normal stuff?

@ Commander : I don't use a great deal of spotlights in eternity, and certainly not in the streets, there is a some in smaller areas where its feasible

[Justyce]

see thread - Duke's Back! -
-
slow going, still learning the ropes - but at least I am trying.

[Sebastian]

You might recognize these fellas if you're familiar with Mass Effect. Currently looking into a way to convert it to MD3 so I can use glowmap on its headlight..

[Jblade]

http://www.quakeunity.com/file=481

Download this, open the MD2 up in MD3Compile by importing it, then select 'Export object' - hey presto!

[Andrew Hunt]

Whew, thats looking pretty tight. Soon Duke will look from the build engine to the Unreal II engine. Heck, I wouldn't doubt if someone is planning on coding Duke3d in it anyway!

Currently working on Tiberius map, got to a stopping point, kinda stuck on what I should build/improve next, so I posted it in my thread.

[Mikko]

Andrew Hunt, on Feb 4 2010, 11:00 PM, said:

Soon Duke will look from the build engine to the Unreal II engine.

You can't create realistic terrains in Duke though.

[Andrew Hunt]

Mikko_Sandt, on Feb 4 2010, 04:29 PM, said:

You can't create realistic terrains in Duke though.

Thats true, unless someone really has the patience to draw every little triangle, but then everything, including the level, would have to be built entirely out of sprites.

[Sangman]

Well, I can't for the life of me remember the nickname of the dude in question at this time but there was a guy posting shots with some semi-realistic looking terrains (as in good sloping). Not sure if it's viable for anything other than making sweet shots though.

[XThX2]

Sangman, on Feb 5 2010, 10:40 AM, said:

Well, I can't for the life of me remember the nickname of the dude in question at this time but there was a guy posting shots with some semi-realistic looking terrains (as in good sloping). Not sure if it's viable for anything other than making sweet shots though.

NerdZilla is maybe who you are looking for.

[Tea Monster]

Mikko_Sandt, on Feb 4 2010, 02:29 PM, said:

You can't create realistic terrains in Duke though.

We have Polymer, we have MD3 support - YES WE CAN!

[The Commander]

Tea Monster, on Feb 6 2010, 07:46 AM, said:

We have Polymer, we have MD3 support - YES WE CAN!

We have model collision detecting, YES WE... oh wait.

[Spiker]

The Commander, on Feb 5 2010, 07:58 PM, said:

We have model collision detecting, YES WE... oh wait.

There is a great chance for it in the future

[The Commander]

Spiker, on Feb 6 2010, 08:00 AM, said:

There is a great chance for it in the future

For now I must use my hitboxes, but it works better than nothing. heh

[Sangman]

XThX2, on Feb 5 2010, 07:39 PM, said:

NerdZilla is maybe who you are looking for.

Ah yeah, sounds like it!

[Jokke_r]

To be honest it would almost be easier just beg plagman to create a new map format especially for use in polymer enhanced maps which would completely do away with sector based maps and use true 3D polygons instead. Although i doubt he'd have the patience or inspiration to get into programming a new level editor from scratch.

[Jblade]

Jokke_r, on Feb 6 2010, 11:21 AM, said:

To be honest it would almost be easier just beg plagman to create a new map format especially for use in polymer enhanced maps which would completely do away with sector based maps and use true 3D polygons instead. Although i doubt he'd have the patience or inspiration to get into programming a new level editor from scratch.

That won't happen since sectors and walls are a core part of how everything in Duke is coded (or something like that)

[Jokke_r]

This wouldn't have to affect the original maps or their rendering in any way. It would be a completely separate extension of the engine. Renderer would require some modification to accept different map geometry, unless polymer already completely converts duke maps to polygons before rendering, then it would be pretty "simple" to shove it in there.
As i see it, the map format and level editor are what's limiting and keeping this engine back the most.

Although i might be wrong and everything from hit detection and movement code would need to be reworked to get it to work.

[Mikko]

Jokke_r, on Feb 6 2010, 02:21 PM, said:

To be honest it would almost be easier just beg plagman to create a new map format especially for use in polymer enhanced maps which would completely do away with sector based maps and use true 3D polygons instead. Although i doubt he'd have the patience or inspiration to get into programming a new level editor from scratch.

But why? There are other engines if you want something like that.

[Jblade]

Quote

Although i might be wrong and everything from hit detection and movement code would need to be reworked to get it to work.

That's what I mean. EVERYTHING in Duke is related to sectors and walls and stuff. It's not simply a case of plugging in a new map model and call it a day.

In anycase only a handful of people would actually be able to build the levels with a new system, and with that level of effort it truly would be a 'just use another engine'

[Tea Monster]

Import your terrain, then adjust your sectors and/or add blocking sprites to cover. Its not going to be exact, but it will do for most stuff.

You guys have got to stop thinking soley in 2.5D.

[Sangman]

Tea Monster, on Feb 6 2010, 04:37 PM, said:

Import your terrain, then adjust your sectors and/or add blocking sprites to cover.

But in order to do that somewhat properly you'd have to rebuild the model in which case you're better of using what you built anyway