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+--- Thread: Vanilla Asset Upgrade Project [Jump Gate] [Updated 1/7/19] (/showthread.php?tid=151981)
RE: Vanilla Asset Upgrade Project [Manhattan] - Petitioner - 07-19-2017
I like the new texture, and I think these visual asset upgrades are important; helping bring Freelancer into a more modern era visually will help attract new players, as we seem like a community with our technical sh*t together rather than a bunch of weirdos who've been obsessedly maintaining some ancient software.
I think Durandal's version is true in style to the original, though perhaps using slightly more washed-out colors would help maintain more of the same "feel" as well, even if it's a little illogical. If you guys don't like it, and aren't opposed in concept to the idea of visual upgrades at all, it might be nice if you would specify why you prefer the original, and what he could do to make his version appeal to you.
RE: Vanilla Asset Upgrade Project [Manhattan] - DannyDelicious - 07-19-2017
(07-19-2017, 02:05 PM)Petitioner Wrote: I like the new texture, and I think these visual asset upgrades are important; helping bring Freelancer into a more modern era visually will help attract new players, as we seem like a community with our technical sh*t together rather than a bunch of weirdos who've been obsessedly maintaining some ancient software.
I think Durandal's version is true in style to the original, though perhaps using slightly more washed-out colors would help maintain more of the same "feel" as well, even if it's a little illogical. If you guys don't like it, and aren't opposed in concept to the idea of visual upgrades at all, it might be nice if you would specify why you prefer the original, and what he could do to make his version appeal to you.
I can completely specify. I've played Freelancer for near enough 10 years. And yeah the graphics aren't and never were exactly "good" but having some stuff look high-def and then 90% of the game not being high-def is a little weird, it's not even the main reason. The main reason for me is I'm just simply not going to use it. And I don't want to sit there having to edit files to restore the game to how I liked it (all though I probably will end up doing that), and I don't understand why the alternative I've offered of just making it a graphical enhancement mod is unreasonable.
And lets be real. We are just weirdo's who are obsessing over a game that not too many people have cared about for a long time now. I think they call us the "cult following" of freelancer to an extent.
Making it appeal to new players is a great idea but I think most new players are turned away by the massive list of rules, and pretty much the required reading to get into a game that's pretty old. I honestly doubt that making new shiny graphics is the strong selling point that this community could offer to new players.
RE: Vanilla Asset Upgrade Project [Manhattan] - eigos - 07-19-2017
Thumbs up, Justin! In the meantime, I am looming over the you-know-what graphics project, anticipating its completion. I can already taste the new Manhattan with heightmaps (combined with bumpmaps, specularity and fresnel FX).
RE: Vanilla Asset Upgrade Project [Manhattan] - Durandal - 07-19-2017
(07-19-2017, 02:32 PM)DannyD Wrote: I can completely specify. I've played Freelancer for near enough 10 years. And yeah the graphics aren't and never were exactly "good" but having some stuff look high-def and then 90% of the game not being high-def is a little weird,
If you go back and re-read the original post the idea is to bring every asset up to a higher quality standard, not just some. I agree that it looks extremely jarring and out of place right now, but that's not how it'll stay forever.
As for FL being an old game with a cult following yes, that is partly true. There are at least two people working on brand new engines right now however and both of them show some promise. If that goes somewhere, I'd rather have new assets in place ahead of time rather than later.
RE: Vanilla Asset Upgrade Project [Manhattan] - Arioch - 07-19-2017
Personally, I am a Fan.
One note though, how hard it would it be to have "cities" on the texture for the Planet? As it spins, you could see light blips and for the capitol, you can see an urban sprawl if you look close enough, depending on where you are in relation to the planet spinning?
Just an idea - to give more "life" to the planet.
RE: Vanilla Asset Upgrade Project [Manhattan] - Sombs - 07-19-2017
That's not hard. Leeds for example has that since Vanilla.
RE: Vanilla Asset Upgrade Project [Manhattan] - Arioch - 07-19-2017
(07-19-2017, 06:24 PM)Sombra Hookier Wrote: That's not hard. Leeds for example has that since Vanilla.
Exactly. Though having a mass to signify the capitol, as well as potentially having blinking lights or have it really glow when it spins to the dark side of the planet.
RE: Vanilla Asset Upgrade Project [Manhattan] - Durandal - 07-19-2017
It can't be done. Real glowmaps would mean the thing would glow constantly no matter what direction it was facing. We could do it if our planets were static, but for now having glow maps that turn off under certain circumstances is a pipe dream.
RE: Vanilla Asset Upgrade Project [Manhattan] - Xalrok - 07-19-2017
(07-19-2017, 06:23 PM)Arioch Wrote: Personally, I am a Fan.
One note though, how hard it would it be to have "cities" on the texture for the Planet? As it spins, you could see light blips and for the capitol, you can see an urban sprawl if you look close enough, depending on where you are in relation to the planet spinning?
Just an idea - to give more "life" to the planet.
From a personal project:
![[Image: HLI5zTi.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/HLI5zTi.jpg)
We can only have 2 sets of detailmaps on a planet at once though. They are tiled bumpmaps that give a planet detail when up close, for example the craters on De Aar in Omicron Rho. Manhattan has detailmaps for the ocean and land - if we decided to have city lights we'd have to sacrifice one of those and the planet would look worse up close.
Also we can't animate the lights, so they will stay on constantly.
RE: Vanilla Asset Upgrade Project [Manhattan] - DannyDelicious - 07-19-2017
(07-19-2017, 06:16 PM)Durandal Wrote:(07-19-2017, 02:32 PM)DannyD Wrote: I can completely specify. I've played Freelancer for near enough 10 years. And yeah the graphics aren't and never were exactly "good" but having some stuff look high-def and then 90% of the game not being high-def is a little weird,
If you go back and re-read the original post the idea is to bring every asset up to a higher quality standard, not just some. I agree that it looks extremely jarring and out of place right now, but that's not how it'll stay forever.
As for FL being an old game with a cult following yes, that is partly true. There are at least two people working on brand new engines right now however and both of them show some promise. If that goes somewhere, I'd rather have new assets in place ahead of time rather than later.
Not sure if you meant game engine or in game engines, but I'm convinced you meant porting it over to an existing engine like unreal?
Because building an entire engine from scratch. May as well just make your own game.
And sure make your assets not saying you shouldn't. I actually think it's great that you're taking time out of your day to do it but at the same time I'm saying that there's a bunch of reasons as to why it should be optional.
Optional