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Post by Mando Commando on Jul 14, 2020 23:18:26 GMT
I want to keep responding to this, but I don't want to derail this thread on the mod. Perhaps we can move this conversation elsewhere? Slow but good work this week. I continue editing all the space maps. I must edit 190 to end. Perhaps in 20 days, I will finish it. But I must edit all the land maps after it. This is really beautiful, and I'm happy to hear you'll be working on land maps as well. I know this might be a lot to ask, but I hope you'll consider making the ground maps look like the space ones in terms of quality. Most mods improve the graphics in space, but tend to ignore land. The only mods that come to mind about making the ground combat look more high definition are Awakening of the Rebellion and Rise of the Mandalorians.
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Post by Admin on Jul 14, 2020 23:32:47 GMT
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Post by Admin on Jul 16, 2020 10:49:28 GMT
Somebody suggested in other place about how the planets revealed in the new Insurrection GC should have units as Pirates. I can tell you how most of the planets revealed add structures and units from the enemy, being Rebels, Empire or Pirates. The unique thing which they will not add, they will be units or structures from the human player.
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Post by Admin on Jul 16, 2020 12:55:23 GMT
Another work in progress. The update from the Kuat/Mon Calamari rings. I have changed the texture. In fact, I have changed the textures in other starbases by better versions, at least in my opinion. I am adding new parts to the Ring and turrets with movement. My idea is get a Ring more similar to the Ring from Legacy comics seen in images as this. Slowly, I will add several new parts in the Ring making it less flat.
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Post by Mando Commando on Jul 17, 2020 9:06:04 GMT
Can be but just because you add ground terrain textures from a biggest size, it does not go to add more detail. Anyway I work by steps and each of them eat a lot from my free time. I agree, but there are many other things that can be done to add more detail and improve the graphics on the ground apart from the textures. Farseer, from Rise of the Mandalorians mod, has done many improvements to the land graphics. From better textures, improved prop models, shaders, shadows, etc. I will link some examples to show what I mean. I would also like to clarify that I am not making a comparison between his mod and yours. www.moddb.com/mods/rise-of-the-mandalorians/videos/ocean-waves-propshader#imageboxFor example, here he created an ocean wave prop and shader to make water in ocean maps actually look like it has movement. www.moddb.com/mods/rise-of-the-mandalorians/images/new-parallaxing-shader#imageboxHere is another example using a parallax shader to simulate 3D objects on 2D. www.moddb.com/mods/rise-of-the-mandalorians/images/rock-props-in-action#imageboxAs you can see, he also improved the old props. In addition to new skyboxes, textures, etc. He also seems to be using Reshade like you are. www.moddb.com/mods/rise-of-the-mandalorians/images/no-stone-unturned#imageboxMore examples of the improvements he's made to the models. Changes in texture, more detail to the model, even the textures will actually reflect the skybox, shadows are properly cast instead of being cut, etc. www.moddb.com/mods/rise-of-the-mandalorians/images/i-did-a-thing#imageboxApart from retexturing the grass to make it look good, he made it so objects cast shadows to it. www.moddb.com/mods/rise-of-the-mandalorians/images/flora-improvement-project-evergreens#imageboxwww.moddb.com/mods/rise-of-the-mandalorians/images/flora-improvement-project#imageboxAlso improvements to the trees, grass, fauna, and reflections on water. New textures and models.
Like I mentioned before, he's done many things to improve the ground graphics. It's not something you see often as most mods will focus on the space graphics instead. He's also mentioned that all of this he would share with the community and other mod creators, so perhaps some of what he's made can be adapted for your mod to save you the trouble of doing similar improvements. Of course, with your own modifications so that it would fit into your mod.
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Post by Mando Commando on Jul 17, 2020 9:08:55 GMT
Another work in progress. The update from the Kuat/Mon Calamari rings. I have changed the texture. In fact, I have changed the textures in other starbases by better versions, at least in my opinion. I am adding new parts to the Ring and turrets with movement. -snip- My idea is get a Ring more similar to the Ring from Legacy comics seen in images as this. Slowly, I will add several new parts in the Ring making it less flat. -snip- This is really great, can't wait to see the finished rings.
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Post by Admin on Jul 17, 2020 9:59:33 GMT
Can be but just because you add ground terrain textures from a biggest size, it does not go to add more detail. Anyway I work by steps and each of them eat a lot from my free time. I agree, but there are many other things that can be done to add more detail and improve the graphics on the ground apart from the textures. Farseer, from Rise of the Mandalorians mod, has done many improvements to the land graphics. From better textures, improved prop models, shaders, shadows, etc. I will link some examples to show what I mean. I would also like to clarify that I am not making a comparison between his mod and yours. www.moddb.com/mods/rise-of-the-mandalorians/videos/ocean-waves-propshader#imageboxFor example, here he created an ocean wave prop and shader to make water in ocean maps actually look like it has movement. www.moddb.com/mods/rise-of-the-mandalorians/images/new-parallaxing-shader#imageboxHere is another example using a parallax shader to simulate 3D objects on 2D. www.moddb.com/mods/rise-of-the-mandalorians/images/rock-props-in-action#imageboxAs you can see, he also improved the old props. In addition to new skyboxes, textures, etc. He also seems to be using Reshade like you are. www.moddb.com/mods/rise-of-the-mandalorians/images/no-stone-unturned#imageboxMore examples of the improvements he's made to the models. Changes in texture, more detail to the model, even the textures will actually reflect the skybox, shadows are properly cast instead of being cut, etc. www.moddb.com/mods/rise-of-the-mandalorians/images/i-did-a-thing#imageboxApart from retexturing the grass to make it look good, he made it so objects cast shadows to it. www.moddb.com/mods/rise-of-the-mandalorians/images/flora-improvement-project-evergreens#imageboxwww.moddb.com/mods/rise-of-the-mandalorians/images/flora-improvement-project#imageboxAlso improvements to the trees, grass, fauna, and reflections on water. New textures and models.
Like I mentioned before, he's done many things to improve the ground graphics. It's not something you see often as most mods will focus on the space graphics instead. He's also mentioned that all of this he would share with the community and other mod creators, so perhaps some of what he's made can be adapted for your mod to save you the trouble of doing similar improvements. Of course, with your own modifications so that it would fit into your mod. I can tell you one thing. Most of the screens are done with reshade with some settings which they are very good with screenshots but very bad playing. I use reshade but only with settings good playing. About new shaders, I do not see anything new. How can you see how it is everything a reshade texture? in all these terrain images, there is white points in terrain, as a pixelation effect. I do not like it. It looks worse. But I would prefer that you do not make publicity from other mods. I do what I do and I try do not copy stuff from other people. Anyway, I have my own ideas about improve things and I follow a simple rule, it must run without overload the game in my computers. I do not see the point from increase texture sizes and particle effects overloading the game. For end, I would like see these improvements in screenshots from your computer and not in manipulated screenshots from these other people which they are more masters from theater than other thing. They can be showing screenshots for years without publish anything and copying the stuff/ideas from others as if it was from them.......very sad.
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Post by Admin on Jul 19, 2020 17:41:16 GMT
Today I have improved a bit more the orbital planets.
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Post by Admin on Jul 20, 2020 23:07:06 GMT
Good news. I have finished from to edit the 293 space maps inside the map. Now I must finish the land maps. The job is improve the map preview image. Easier than with the space maps.
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Post by Mando Commando on Jul 21, 2020 0:20:53 GMT
I can tell you one thing. Most of the screens are done with reshade with some settings which they are very good with screenshots but very bad playing. I use reshade but only with settings good playing. About new shaders, I do not see anything new. How can you see how it is everything a reshade texture? in all these terrain images, there is white points in terrain, as a pixelation effect. I do not like it. It looks worse. But I would prefer that you do not make publicity from other mods. I do what I do and I try do not copy stuff from other people. Anyway, I have my own ideas about improve things and I follow a simple rule, it must run without overload the game in my computers. I do not see the point from increase texture sizes and particle effects overloading the game. For end, I would like see these improvements in screenshots from your computer and not in manipulated screenshots from these other people which they are more masters from theater than other thing. They can be showing screenshots for years without publish anything and copying the stuff/ideas from others as if it was from them.......very sad. Maybe you're right about the Reshade, but what about things like the ocean waves? That's something we haven't really seen in any mod. Or the props with more detail, and I'm not just talking about the textures, rather the polycount. Things like the city buildings, rocks, and tree props is what I mean. I personally do not care if you would rather do your own improvements to the ground graphics, I just want to see the ground battles in your mod look as good as the space battles. I know that you can definitely do it, because the space battles in your mod look really great. As I said before, I was not making comparisons between his mod or yours, and not making publicity for it. Although, there is a section in the forums for other mods, and I don't think there's anything wrong if mods share work with others or if they create inspiration. I don't think his textures are super HD ones, rather made to fit in the mod's unique comicbook artstyle. As much as I would love to give you screenshots from my computer, I have to tell you that I haven't played that mod other than when it just came out. At the moment I do not have a computer working, and due to the current economic situation with COVID-19, I cannot fix it or buy another one at the moment. There are videos of people playing the mod, however, and it looks similar to the screenshots in my opinion. Most notable person who played it was Corey, from the Thrawn's Revenge mod: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfjyL4Pa0rkI wouldn't be so negative with that mod, because compared a mod like YVAW, Rise of the Mandalorians actually came out, even if it is in a beta stage.
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Post by Admin on Jul 21, 2020 9:23:33 GMT
Ocean waves? I have not seen nothing like this in a planet model. In fact.........why? you can not see waves from the orbit or the water moving. I have watched NASA recordings from the orbit and you do not see these. But even in the point about to add them. I do not know how it can be possible. I do not like share things between mods inside the same game because it locks the inspiration in first place, the unique work and at the end, you have a lot of clones. About Land battles. I do not see anything in them which you can not find in a Space combat. Ground maps are enough complex, particles effects, explosions, lasers and more are very varied and there are a lot of units involved. The unique point can be get an AI making better attacks and defense. Yes, it looks different to other mods because I have not copied stuff from others, I have made my own stuff and by this reason, improve each point takes more time. But it is very unique. TR is not bad mod but it is a mod replacing the original stuff by others. It let them a lot of time for to improve things. If they had made a mod with the amount of work from my mod, their mod would not look very different from my mod. And they have taken a lot of things from other people. They are not the origin from many things. At the same time, if the mod looks very good at some points, there are many things which I do not like. I am sure how Corey does not like many things from me. It is not a problem for me. I am not selling anything. My primary point is enjoy my free time. When more hours I play my mod, much better. When more hours I enjoy edit my work, much better. If I do not enjoy it, I will not edit anything and I would move my ass to other place. Just for the record. TR is for me the mod most advanced in EAW and the mod with the most advanced code. I would not say how it is the mod with the best models and textures. But the work with the code is amazing and very good. Probably because it was by a real coder. The part than I do not like from it, it is the gameplay. I do not like the gameplay from most of these type of mods which just they replace the original units by others. Probably because even if mods as the TR add several new features, these new features do not improve the gameplay, they are more visual features and at the end, you are playing the original game and I do not like original games most of the times, the unique exceptions can be the C&C games, why? the story, the fun and the ambient, most of the EAW mods add empty space/ground maps. About land. TR and many other mods did not make things as the particle effects which you see in them. Explosions, laser and other effects. They were made many time ago for a pack named FX. I do not like them because they overload the game. I could make many time ago many similar things with great particles effects but these things reduce the amount of frames and in a mod like my mod where you have a lot more of different units involved in a battle, the lower of performance will be bigger.
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Post by Mando Commando on Jul 21, 2020 10:06:39 GMT
I think there was a bit of a misunderstanding, I didn't mean ocean waves that you could see in space. Rather, ocean waves in the ground maps. The ocean water in ground maps like Kamino or Manaan being flat without movement doesn't make sense since it is an ocean there should be more movement and stuff like that like waves. In the link below I was showing an example of an effect that Farseer made for his mod.
That's certainly true, while mods can share things and be inspired by others, too much sharing can create clones of mods that are all the same. It's all about having a good balance I say.
Another thing where I agree 100%. Ground maps are a bit more complex for sure. Having the AI work in them can also be more challenging. TR is definitely one of the most famous EAW/FOC mods for sure, it gets quite a lot of attention in Youtube from big gaming channels. They definitely have many unique features made by their code, I played it a bit a long time ago. Their models and maps were less impressive, but I believe nowadays they've been improving that with collaborations with the other mods that focus on graphics. I liked their features like the era progression system, but I did not enjoy the gameplay. The combat, back then at least, was quite slow paced.
Perhaps not reworking the particle effects and things that might make the ground combat in the mod less stable in performance, but would it be possible to improve things like the skyboxes, the lighting, shadows, and improved models for the props like the trees, buildings, rocks, etc.? The ground maps in FOC are starting to show their age in comparison to your space maps where they are greatly improved and you do not notice this.
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Post by Admin on Jul 21, 2020 11:25:28 GMT
I had not seen nothing about the water. As I said, I do not check other mods. If I know anything about them, it is because people as you told me. Just a point from water, this type of change would be in any type of water, any, rivers, lakes and more, it is a bad change because there is one single shader for water and you can not make more. Now thinking, the unique option would be the water added as a object. But I do not know if it is possible.
At the end, most of these changes are pure theater as YVAW makes most of the times. They are things which they will not run as it was showed most of the times.
From my point of view, ground maps are better by the design, not just by improve textures or models. Anyway, you have not idea about how many time take these things. I do what I can do, nothing more. Just improve all textures can take a year.....or more. Improve models more.
I do not want sound negative. Just I do not like to make long time plans.
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Post by Admin on Jul 23, 2020 13:14:40 GMT
Well, I have edited all the maps and I continue improving other things. I have tried increased the terrain resolution textures but after test them in game. I do not see the point. The terrain is a mosaic, it is formed by thousands of images repeated thousands of times. Increase the resolution of the images from 512x512 pixels to 1024x1024 or higher pixels will not give you better detail. Why? Even if the terrain or model textures have this HD resolution, the models were made with a smaller resolution. Probably work with some normal maps from terrain and adding new type of terrain would increase the detail. But at the end, in space and ground, the design from maps is more important and relevant than increase a texture. I remember you how I have a excell file where I publish the changes. docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mBI0g5B6HyRG6RkPMVQFL8af-r39ULmPgYvQFTk2MSE/edit?usp=sharing Soon I will release a new version.
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Post by Admin on Jul 29, 2020 19:21:58 GMT
More progress. Today I have increased the distance between planets making the movement easier between some planet clusters. A very good addition for the new planets to be added as Scarif by example. In addition the corruption and raid circle to the left of the planet has been reduced. It can look as if there is not difference but there is, the galaxy is a 25% bigger. Here one feature from the last update, the map preview. And Ord Pardron.
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