[Solatar]

As the title suggests. Will the next source code release support .pcx files that are 16.7 million colors? Or can we have it support TGA format for backgrounds and skins and engine glows? or does fs2 already support it. Because if it does, I'm doing something wrong.

[RandomTiger]

I believe tga's are already supported to an extent already, however Im not sure if it will be 32 bit in the engine.

32 bit tga's is something I intend to implement in the DX8 upgrade.

[Solatar]

About the DX8 upgrade. Will we be able to use .ani's as backgrounds? I think this is supported to an extent already also, as the supernova in the last mission in fs2 was animated.
I just got Summoner, and I found some awesome flares that look like suns, and I really want them ingame.

[RandomTiger]

When the DX8 branch is merged into the main code it should have all the functionality of fs2_open.

So if fs2_open can do it DX8 can too.
However sounds like it might be quite a slow thing to use an ani for a whole background.

Could you show me a screenshot or two of the supernova ani background thing you are talking about?

[Sesquipedalian]

Actually, all that happens in the supernova is that the sun pcx gets bigger.  I don't think it is a real ani.

[Solatar]

Yeah, I think you are correct. That would be why right before you die, the sun looks really pixely.

[aldo_14]

Do we really need to go as far as 32-bit?  Can someone check, say, the performance difference (esp texture cache/ memory use, I guess) vs 8 and 16bit coloured files?  Because i'm not sure that there will be a significant noticeable difference between 16 and 32 bit images.

[Solatar]

How much hard would it be to implement 32bit. I mean, if we are improving the graphics, why not go all the way with 32 bit.
We can get some extremely awesome backgrounds with 32bit. Also, better suns, and engine glows. Engine glows are awesome but we can make them even better than the engine glow MODs out there.
Missile trails. We can make exremely life-like missile trails.

[RandomTiger]

Give me time

[Fury]

Sounds like FS2 is becoming quite graphically intensive.

I hope T&L support helps with performance, perhaps even MMX/SSE/SSE2/3D Now! support is a possibility?

Oops, went a bit off topic but nobody notices I hope...

[RandomTiger]

Originally posted by Mr. Fury

I hope T&L support helps with performance, perhaps even MMX/SSE/SSE2/3D Now! support is a possibility?

If done properly it should make FS2 run that a much much faster rate. However thats a huge job so dont hold your breath.

However I believe it can be done in stages which means we can slowly increase efficiency at the same time as adding features.

So the two will probably neutralise each other to an extent.

[Solatar]

A little OT, but I ain't good with acronyms. What is T&L?

Yes, fs2 is becoming very graphicaly intensive. We should get V to let us sell it.

[RandomTiger]

T&L, short for Hardware Transform & Light.

The Freespace 2 engine was obviously developed from FS1 and probably games even before that. It works the old style way.

When a ship is drawn it is projected from 3D into 2D and then passed to the graphics card. This isnt what the card wants, it wants the polys in 3D so it can do the projection itself. Because its doing it in dedicated hardware means its many times faster.

So basically this, and things like it are being done by the CPU when they should be passed to the GPU of the graphics card.

Implementing HT&L will speed up the 3D operations significantly and give the PCU more free time to process logic and other stuff, therefore increasing the speed of the game again!

Why havent we done this? Its very difficult and would require a total restructure all all engine code, cooperation between DX and OGL systems and possibly the loss of software and glide engines.

I personally at some point am going to try once we have DX8 ready, DX8 will make everything a lot easier than it would have been in DX5. I have done a little coding on this already (before I got into DX8) and I personally estimate it will make the D3D8 upgrade like a walk in the park.

[Fury]

RT, you forgot to explain T&L

It stands for Transformation and Lightning.
If handled by hardware and not software, it increases performance quite a lot.

[Galemp]

What I would like most is support for background bitmaps as large as we like. 256x256 just isn't good enough for a low-orbit planetary assault or refugee mission. I have a 2000x2000 Death Star II that I want to see in-game.

[Solatar]

Yeah, other than more colors, we also need higher resolution. I agree, you can't just make a background bigger, it looks really bad. We need support for things like 2000*2000 resolution.
As well as 16.7 million color TGA's, BMP's, and if somebody is really obssesed, TIF's

[Fury]

Eh, please don't forget that not everyone's graphics cards can handle that large textures.

[RandomTiger]

Perhaps we can use texture sections, still a low res option would be good.

[Solatar]

2000*2000 and very large ones like that were for backgrounds.

[RandomTiger]

Some cards maximum texture size may not go that high, not sure how crap a card would have to be for that to be the case.