Fenix is here but will there be improvements

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Rayne
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Fenix is here but will there be improvements

Post by Rayne »

Since the lead engine developer 27 has stopped working on the fstech1 engine and my pleads to do something about the lighting were utterly ignored by the FS team I've lost my hope this game will graphically move forward.
Now the the FS team has a new engine developer, Fenix. I have no doubts he knows what he's doing, but I"m not sure fresh blood always means fresh ideas and updates.
So far we've had periodical updates on UrT HD progress, but last 6 months or so we haven't heard anything about it.
The current engine right now is utilizing the GPU a lot, which allows us to use models that have a lot of polygons. My test showed i can push in 850 000, yes 850 000 polygons, without having a single drop in framerate. Anything above that, doesn't compiles, so i think 900 000 is the top limit.
Which is something no mapper can reach.
But what's the point in having a high poly model when you can't lightmap it. Lightmaps are too low res even on highest lightmapscale to produce acceptable results.
And if vertex lighting is the way to go, it is not. Even vertex lighting has limits and will break on smaller or high detail models, or look bad on any flat surface.
I know it's limits cause i reached them with my 400 polygons torch model, which i had to turn into a super low poly 100 polygon model in order to get the vertex lghting to work. Yes, it breaks that fast.

So what's the point in making an engine that now supports 3D models when you cannot use them the way you want to and should.
Mapping community is dying, and it's dying cause the engine is outdated massively. Best example is CS:GO.
Nothing too special about that engine, post processing sucks big time, maps are made out of brushes in hammer, and yet those maps look brilliant.
The lighting is changing the way the map look so much, it's amazing how much can be done with it.

So what do you think, will there be any significant changes to UrT HD graphics, I'm not even sure if UrT HD is even in development.
Since I'm banned on UrT.info forum i cannot ask the question myself otherwise i would have already.

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xandaxs
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Re: Fenix is here but will there be improvements

Post by xandaxs »

I think they postphoned HD, and now they're working on the 4.2 version first. (Although some line codes of the 4.2 version will most likely be ported to the HD version, like.. Those related to the player's movement).

I know Fenix for 2 years now, and I've to say I trust him a lot, and I do mean it. Never seen a guy that works harder than him. He is capable of spending 12 hours a day just coding for FS. I have the feeling he's mostly working on the jump mode though (as he got invited because of his many experience and for his code-modified jump servers, he runs 4 jump servers, all with a customelly made patch (URT build aswell as b3). As I am now a QA member I get to hang around with those guys a lot, and thats another reason that makes me believe Fenix is in fact working on the jump mode (mainly, it has side effects on everything else).

Sadly I do not own enough knowledge to have a discussion with you about lighting and modeling in urt. So I guess this is it.
[12:25] <JohnnyEnglish> morning Nounou
[12:25] <JohnnyEnglish> wotcha doing?
[12:25] <Nounou> hello
[12:26] <Nounou> nothing much, i've nothing to do at work so
[12:26] <Nounou> modeling woman
[12:26] <JohnnyEnglish> woo
[12:26] <JohnnyEnglish> real women?
[12:26] <Nounou> realistic yes, on maya

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johnnyenglish
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Re: Fenix is here but will there be improvements

Post by johnnyenglish »

This found it's way to me, I asked permission from FrankieV to post it here because it contains interesting information for mappers.

Peter (27) is still large and in charge as the �lead programmer� for Frozen Sand and as the lead it's his position to assign tasks that his programmer minions can handle and to even the work load out so that no one individual �has� to take on the entire weight. As for the programming Peter is a weapon of mass destruction in that if the necessary resources, content, and assets are not in place he could do more damage than good if and when he does bring out the big hammer.

Urban Terror HD is still under way even if at times you don't see what we would consider forward movment. Additions like the updater as well as Authentication system are HD concepts where implementing them now under the 4.X builds made more sense than holding off and releasing at the same time as HD. Think about it hu HD updater, authentication and AC all at the same time?

As for better ways to lightmap that�s in the mix as well as it's a fact the everyone on the content team wants shaders to die and I'm personally pulling for true gradient opacity and gloss maps. At the moment mixing shaders with pro materials is like trying to mix water and oil so before doing one we have to recover the other as a renewable resource.

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Rayne
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Re: Fenix is here but will there be improvements

Post by Rayne »

I'll believe it when i see it.
Lighting should have been reworked ages ago, there is no point in building HD maps without improved lighting, no point at all.
Those working on UrT HD maps are wasting their time.
IF it's in FS teams best interest to bring the mappers back then lighting has to be changed NOW, and a UrT HD beta released so mappers can start working on it.
As is, the engine has only one up side and that's VBO.

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Rayne
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Re: Fenix is here but will there be improvements

Post by Rayne »

Considering that UrT HD section on UrT.info forum no longer exists, i guess it's safe to assume UrT HD is no longer in active development.
And since there is no indications what so ever that UrT 4.2 will support VBO and bump mapping any time soon, all that can be forgot.

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Rylius
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Re: Fenix is here but will there be improvements

Post by Rylius »

Wat.

That's all.
Rain - Blog - deviantArt
<Delirium> I did like a reverse jizz
<Delirium> in my pants
<Delirium> my jeans went into my sack
<Delirium> through my dick

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JRandomNoob
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Re: Fenix is here but will there be improvements

Post by JRandomNoob »

Aha… let’s pretend it was an accident and see what the response (if any) would be. (Signed, a concerned UrTizen.)

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xandaxs
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Re: Fenix is here but will there be improvements

Post by xandaxs »

4.2 is more of a test version for HD, lots of things will be imported.
[12:25] <JohnnyEnglish> morning Nounou
[12:25] <JohnnyEnglish> wotcha doing?
[12:25] <Nounou> hello
[12:26] <Nounou> nothing much, i've nothing to do at work so
[12:26] <Nounou> modeling woman
[12:26] <JohnnyEnglish> woo
[12:26] <JohnnyEnglish> real women?
[12:26] <Nounou> realistic yes, on maya

Image

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