[Waistless]

Hi.. I'm using FSPort 3.1.1 + FSport mediavps + 3.6.10 mediavps, and the subspace corridor in the kill the lucifer mission ("Good luck") is ugly compared to non-fsport missions like transcend.

Command line:

Code: [Select]

D:\Freespace\fs2_open_3_6_10r-20090120_r5052.exe -mod fsport_mediavps,fsport,mediavps -spec -glow -env -mipmap -nomotiondebris -missile_lighting -normal -3dshockwave -cache_bitmaps -dualscanlines -targetinfo -orbradar -rearm_timer -ship_choice_3d -weapon_choice_3d -3dwarp -warp_flash -snd_preload  -ambient_factor 35 -ogl_spec 20 -spec_exp 15 -spec_point 1.2 -spec_static 1.5 -spec_tube 1.5
Transcend (possible spoiler):



FS1 Final mission:


Is there any way I can use the corridor effect in the mediavp or transcend vp in the fsport?

EDIT: Fixed myself, for future reference: Extract noise01.tga and noise01a.tga from the Transcend vp into fsport_mediavps/data/maps

Also, I noticed noise01.dds and noise01a.dds in the fsport mediavps.... why would you intentionally use inferior textures?

[Jeff Vader]

...ugly compared to...

...inferior textures...

You do know that this is very much a matter of opinion?

[Commander Zane]

I do like how the effect used in Transcend looked more fluid.
The whole thing doesn't really bother me that much.

[Galemp]

Can we have a screenshot of Transcend's effects?

You do know that this is very much a matter of opinion?

Guess what? It's my opinion that matters here. And I don't like what we have in there, either--it's just an upgrade from retail, for the sake of upgrading. Here's what it originally looked like.

[Droid803]

Well, the 'Transcend' one looks circular...the FSPort one looks octagonal.
It's quite obvious which one is superior.

[Goober5000]

It's quite obvious which one is superior.

Not rly.  Of the two pictures in Waistless's post, I prefer the second one.  The first looks too smooth and washed out, as if the player is flying through a metal tube.  The second looks more colorful and blurs the boundaries between the player and the subspace medium.

Both of Waistless's pictures look better than the picture in Galemp's post, which is what the Port was trying to achieve.

[Galemp]

Well, the 'Transcend' one looks circular...the FSPort one looks octagonal.
It's quite obvious which one is superior.

Ah, perhaps Transcend has a higher-poly subspace skybox POF?

And I've seen the Transcend effect--I like it but the alpha blending is too overdone for my tastes. It needs to be darker/more transparent. I agree with Goober--the effect is opaque enough that it looks like 'a metal tube'.

Alternatively I could try to re-edit the old effect to reach a middle-ground. The effect needs to be more immersive and having low opacity helps.

[tinfoil]

I almost think a nebula effect would do it but it would have to be at a bit of a distance. Kind of like distance mist in a lot of racing games.

[Fenrir]

Subspace — it's a series of tubes!

Anyway, I like that Transcend effect. I think an edited version of it would turn out even better.

[ARSPR]

Err   

Unless retail FS1 subspace texture is fully different from retail FS2 one, (I haven't checked), shouldn't it be a improvement for mediavps rather than fsport_mediavps?

I mean, fsport don't need any subspace texture improvement. It would be redundant. It should rely on mediavps for pretty graphics. fsport_mediavps should just contain graphical improvements for ships/effects which do not exist in FS2 or which are different from FS2 ones.

(I haven't checked the different available versions)

[Goober5000]

Retail effects in FSPort will override SCP effects in the mediavps.  So SCP effects for FSPort must be placed in fsport-mediavps if they have retail-compatible FSPort equivalents, even if they are identical to the mediavp versions.

The precedence goes FSP-MVP > FSP > MVP > FS2.  It's a bit convoluted, but necessary in order to keep the Port compatible with retail.

[Herra Tohtori]

The textures in the latter screenshot seem to be (I might be wrong though ) the current MediaVP subspace noise maps which are my handiwork, and my emphasis when doing them was to match the look and feel of the retail maps (hue and general structure), but in higher resolution and colour depth than the original pcx maps - and in uncompressed DDS format to avoid artefacts and pixelation. I didn't even know/remember that Transcend had it's own effect for subspace skybox (or was it a previous generation mediaVP effect - no matter I guess), but even had I know about them, I still probably wouldn't have wanted them in mediavps as they are a bit too different from the retail effect than I would like...

As a rule of thumb (there are exceptions and deviations of this), the purpose of FreeSpace Upgrade (aka MediaVP's) is to improve the retail effects; modifications that change the content significantly enough should be called mods and they should, in my opinion, be up to each users' discretion to use or not.

It seems, though, that FSPort/FSPortMVP are using lower poly subspace skybox than the one in current mediaVP's.

[ARSPR]

Retail effects in FSPort will override SCP effects in the mediavps.  So SCP effects for FSPort must be placed in fsport-mediavps if they have retail-compatible FSPort equivalents, even if they are identical to the mediavp versions.

The precedence goes FSP-MVP > FSP > MVP > FS2.  It's a bit convoluted, but necessary in order to keep the Port compatible with retail.

Sure, but if FS2 has noise textures and MVP should have improved noise textures, (and/or subspace pof models), why the hell do you need noise textures in FSP-MVP or FSP?

• FSP over retail, (ie. no MVP usage at all), would use retail FS2 ones. In your chain: FSP (with no effect) > FS2.
• FSP with improvements, (FSP-MVP + MVP), would use MVP. In your chain: FSP-MVP (with no effect) > FSP (with no effect) > MVP > FS2.

So the conclusion is what I formerly said, unless FS1 subspace effect is different from FS2 one, (I repeat I haven't checked), FSP or FSP-MVP shouldn't have any new definition for it. MVP, or retail FS2 one, should always be the used ones.

(And now, we can start discussing about if I like this improved noise texture better than that other. But when a "chosen one" is selected, it should go ONLY in MVP).

As a rule of thumb (there are exceptions and deviations of this), the purpose of FreeSpace Upgrade (aka MediaVP's) is to improve the retail effects; modifications that change the content significantly enough should be called mods and they should, in my opinion, be up to each users' discretion to use or not.

I do agree. Even if Transcend subspace is prettier, I think MVP one should match as much as possible the original one while improving its resolution/detail.

[Offtopic]
There has been the same discussion with the subspace vortex effect. I think the new one is the best because it's just a "high fidelity" retail one. It doesn't matter if you could invent other three thousand different effects which look "prettier". I think the SFr Dis has been the only agreed deviation from canon FS2/FS1.
[/Offtopic]

[Commander Zane]

Huh, I get Retail subspace graphics with Port's MediaVPs, but FreeSpace 2 has the same subspace effect that's on the first post (Second pic).

[Droid803]

Why not just use the higher poly subspace skybox then?
The textures in the FSPort one are fine. Its just that it looks like the interior an octagonal prism rather than the inside of a cylinder.

[Galemp]

I guess the subspace skybox and textures were included in the root FSPort install--aren't they in the default FS2 VPs? If so we should drop them so the MVP effects will be used.