[phreak]

Kaz: where's the glut homepage?

[Kazan]

JC: having to deal with compressed data will slow the program down - and VPs are actually a form of compression [if you know how filesystems operator you'll know what im talking about] and they incredibly speed up finding files on that harddrive by having fewer file records

as for using insert modeling environement here's model format: ___NO____[/i] we're not splitting it up into two files to have to open two files and process the data from a binary and a text file - not to mention - a modeling enviroment's save file _IS_ _NOT_ optimized for real-time rendering, we have to compile it into a BSP tree, Quadtree or Octree, which will take loading time

[Inquisitor]

http://www.opengl.org/developers/documentation/glut.html

not a panacea, but great tech

[Kazan]

we'd have to write a lot of code on top of it to draw the GUI.. but it is possible.. and it will keep us with _one_ codebase

[Vertigo1]

Originally posted by Kazan


HLP won't be hosting the website, i depise gamespy's servers

www.vitalcircuits.com

I can personally guarantee you that what's stated on there is true.  I know the people behind this personally.

[Vertigo1]

Ok, here's an idea.  Before we all start getting carried away with ideas, lets all meet in IRC and get this thing semi-organized.  Or alteast to the point where job assignments get hashed out.

[BlackDove]

How about you just make another thread with the name FreeSpace Forever "Roll Call" first?.....that way we know who is in and who is out...then you can go and set the leaders of the programme.....then you get to assign duties....and then you get started...

*hypnotising look*and we all know everyone is IN, don't we?*/hypnotising look*

[Bobboau]

I'm in, but as most who have spoken I'm not a programer (art guy, though I could prove usefull), I think the D-net guys are the only real programers who'd be even know what Freespace was and be willing to help

[Martinus]

Originally posted by Kazan
as for using insert modeling environement here's model format: ___NO____[/i] we're not splitting it up into two files to have to open two files and process the data from a binary and a text file - not to mention - a modeling enviroment's save file _IS_ _NOT_ optimized for real-time rendering, we have to compile it into a BSP tree, Quadtree or Octree, which will take loading time

Ahhhh! I didn't know this, a converter would be a nessicity then. In which case why not go with wEvil's suggestion and work with a model format that is well documented, you'd have a good starting point to design a converter at the very least.

I remember doing a little reading on GLUT and it seems that it would be an ideal choice to use with a multiplatform game engine.
You've got the basis for a good plan anyhow.

[Kazan]

Maeglamor: or we can make our own based of a format we already grok - POF - and write a set of conversion tools

[Martinus]

I meant a starting format from which you'd convert to POF or whatever. The benefit of a documented starting format (was it XSI?) means that you'd be able to write a converter very quickly, especially considering that you've done a lot of work with the POF format.

[Bobboau]

well we alredy have COB -> POF code out the ass, so I say we keep POF as the model file format, is anyone actualy againced this

if we get a basic rendering engine I'll exited, but untill then I'm takeing this with a grain of salt,

anyway I would like for the renderer (off the top of my head)
animated textures
animatable UV
bump maping
shine mapping (don't know the technical name) Shrike - Specular
mapped ambiant light
dinamic lighting and some precalculated light maps in the model file (would need a new chunk)

the nonrendering aspect I would like
some sort of boulian operation (geo-mod on ships) for big weapons
model animations (idealy some sort of skelital system but multi object will be acseptable)
a form of real physics, not to the IW extreem, but more real than it is now

I have a general idea how most of these work, but no idea how to implement them

but first we will need a engine that can render textured polygons with smooth shading, you do know how to do that right

[untouchable]

OpenGL mabey?

[Shrike]

Originally posted by Kazan
Maeglamor: or we can make our own based of a format we already grok - POF - and write a set of conversion tools

Grok?  Is that like understand/know/use but in caveman speak?

[Setekh]

I think it came out of Berkeley, actually...

[aldo_14]

Have you though of talking to milo (?) about the Starshatter engine?

He might not be willing to actually let you use it, but he'd probably have some decent advice.

[Setekh]

That's right, it's milo. That's a great idea, actually; I'll go see what I can do.

[wEvil]

My only bugbear with using the POF format is exactly what bobbau said.

unless you can get it into a truespace COB - which isn't just a headache, its a fullblown migraine - without problems you're stuffed.

as for .XSI, as far as i'm aware its a format thats written specifically to be as damn flexible as possible.  Softimage are really plugging it for games and I just think it would be the best way to go.  I dunno if Kazan read through any info on it, but the project deadlines will suffer if you make the artists fiddle around with converting their work into a crap format where most of the useful data disappears instead of just writing some BSP code in.

Why cant we precompile the BSP tree?  been done before.

The starshatter engine certainly looks good - go for it, steak!
What about the Ntrap Megathrea engine?  Crystal space looks OK on paper but its hard to get good results out of it.  Having said that I havent seen it in a working game yet, only the demos and they cant be expected to look as nice as a finished product.


And as far as professional experience goes my resume so far is:


* One commercial production for saudi arabian football(signed an NDA tho so i cant say anymore)

* currently working on a game (d4).

* Full time 1st yr Computer Graphics student so i should know what im talking about.

Plus I have 5 years of experience using MAX plus i have 14 years of experience on PCs in general.

[Inquisitor]

Grok=Understand in Kazan speak.

It's a usage I've not heard in a while

And compressed files may, solw things down, but EVERY engine uses them.

Tribes 2 uses v12 files, which, are just zip files with a different name. Quake 2-X and JK and MOH, and (oh you get the picture) use pak files, again, just zip files renamed.

It's about how the engine manages resources, if it can read the archive in a more native way, the slow down is minimal.

Is there another thread where I see volunteers? Just woke up, need coffee, need to make wife breakfast and commandeer the PS2 from our houseguest to clear head

-edit-
And learn to spell

[Kazan]

wevil, have you seriously been reading? I said _more_ _conversion_ _tools_ inotherwords our current tools would be extended to add more file formats like 3DS max.. i just need someone that groks 3DS Max files


[inqui - correct about Grok, and yes it comes out of bezerkeley - it's more than just 'understand' it's inimiately understand.. someone else used it in this read before me...]