[Kolgena]

If your framerate is steady, that is more important than it being high (unless you fall below a critical threshold where even a steady framerate is unplayable.)

Crysis is set up in such a way that comparatively low framerates still appear smooth and feel playable.

True, but the full screen motion blur doesn't do anything conducive if you need to do mouse-twitch sniping. Also remember that due to Crysis's beautiful particles systems, most fight scenes will eat another 5-50% out of your FPS.

Anyways, it's pretty common knowledge that Crysis strains most people's computers. I think it's more productive to talk about other limitations at this point, like vehicle physics and such.

As an aside, I'm wondering how hard it is to mod using the Source engine. I hear it's pretty horrible, but I have no first hand experience with it.

[dragonsniper]

You could just lower the settings to medium or "low" instead of high to improve the framerate. It's not a huge "OH my gosh!" moment if you do. Atleast, it isn't for me.

I'm wondering how hard it is to mod using the Source engine. I hear it's pretty horrible, but I have no first hand experience with it.

The Source level designer is rather easy, but can be very complicated and incredible, however, adding custom models is a nightmare. After looking at the Crysis engine, it to looks rather easy to work with for level designing, but once again it can be very complicated and powerful. However, adding models appears to be easier than using the Source SDK.

[Klaustrophobia]

If your framerate is steady, that is more important than it being high (unless you fall below a critical threshold where even a steady framerate is unplayable.)

Crysis is set up in such a way that comparatively low framerates still appear smooth and feel playable.

True, but the full screen motion blur doesn't do anything conducive if you need to do mouse-twitch sniping. Also remember that due to Crysis's beautiful particles systems, most fight scenes will eat another 5-50% out of your FPS.

Anyways, it's pretty common knowledge that Crysis strains most people's computers. I think it's more productive to talk about other limitations at this point, like vehicle physics and such.

As an aside, I'm wondering how hard it is to mod using the Source engine. I hear it's pretty horrible, but I have no first hand experience with it.

our point is, crysis strains systems because the graphics are so intense, not the engine is bad.

[Unknown Target]

Uh, how about UE3...Crysis is terrible for indoor environments, which is what I imagine any FS2 FPS would mostly be.

[S-99]

I voted other because it's pretty crappy if you have to buy a game just in order to play a free game that uses that game's engine (called a mod).

And even worse if it's the source engine. Get steam, then hl2, then play your mod. Idk if crysis would be less bull**** or not (with crysis do you just buy the game, install, and then play?).

Sorry i'm looking at this as an which engine is less bull**** for the user when the mod is finished experience.

[NGTM-1R]

You shouldn't have asked us for our opinions.

[Klaustrophobia]

mod is short for MODIFICATION.  i.e., NOT a seperate, free game.  buying the game that the mod is a modification of is completely reasonable to me.  in my line of thinking, if i don't want the game itself, the mod isn't likely to interest me either.

[Arparso]

I'd suggest having a look at UDK (Unreal Engine), simply because you'll be able to release the game as a standalone install rather than a mod, which will always limit your playerbase to some extent, otherwise. I don't think, Source is a good choice, as the engine is pretty old now and after two years of mod development it certainly won't look much better than it does now. At least it has a far bigger community than Crysis simply because there are so many Source games out there all giving you access to Source-based mods. I'm not a big fan of Crysis, both gameplaywise and regarding its bad performance and I believe it's also much better suited for outdoor shooters.

Anyway, don't base your decision on a user vote... have a look at the available engines, maybe do some prototyping and evaluate for yourself, what is easier to work with and what gives you the best results for whatever you're going for.

[dragonsniper]

Uh, how about UE3...Crysis is terrible for indoor environments, which is what I imagine any FS2 FPS would mostly be.

Oh, don't go getting the idea that all the battles will be indoors. As for the indoor ones, we'll find a way around it if we use the CryTech Engine.

You shouldn't have asked us for our opinions.

And even worse if it's the source engine. Get steam, then hl2, then play your mod. Idk if crysis would be less bull**** or not (with crysis do you just buy the game, install, and then play?).

Basically. IIRC, you load the game, click the mod tab, make sure the mod is in the "mod" folder, and then start playing. Most games don't make it much more difficult than that.

our point is, crysis strains systems because the graphics are so intense, not the engine is bad.

Makes sense. My point of lowering the graphical settings still stands though.

[ShadowGorrath]

What's wrong with indoor missions in Crysis/on CryTech?

Also, see how the aircraft handle

[Kolgena]

CE2 wasn't designed with too much focus on indoor environments. At least to my eyes, the lighting inside many buildings suffers from a bit of blandness as a result. Also, no stock assets (which are random shacks and are useless anyways) have any global lighting baked into textures like a lot of the other games do. Most of the subtle lighting is done by SSAO, which doesn't compare to properly baked textures.

Regardless, with proper assets work and good use of placed lights, an indoor map could look just as good. Again, look at the level "core" (or screenshots of it) to see what kinds of things are possible.

@Katastrophe: For the most part, you're right. Rendering 1 million tris in your average scene will hurt most rigs. However, lots of people have said that the game shaders are bloated and unoptimized. I have no idea if that's actually true though.

[Bobboau]

why not unreal, it has the best licensing options, and no one would need to buy a game.

[S-99]

mod is short for MODIFICATION.  i.e., NOT a seperate, free game.  buying the game that the mod is a modification of is completely reasonable to me.  in my line of thinking, if i don't want the game itself, the mod isn't likely to interest me either.

I'm sure you know via aparso's comment why i was using mod synonymously with free game. And there's also the fact that some mods are so complete that they really are stand alone free games, but in which if you want to play it, it's just a mod. There's some mods that were just mods, such as urban terror, the q3 engine went opensource so urban terror was truly able to be a stand alone game today because of that. And to the contrary, there's plenty of interesting mods for games even if the actual game for the mod doesn't interest the person.

I'm not in here suggesting an opensource route, although if you find a game engine that is opensource, then good for you (you can make a stand alone game instead of just a mod). I only popped in here to show the choosing of two evils is better than one. The drm associated with hl2 via steam is a big pile of steamy ****, is crysis any different? Basically what i'm getting at (which i already got at), would using the crysis engine mean less bull**** for the person who just wants to play a mod?

[Thaeris]

* Thaeris holds S-99's sentiments as well.

[Klaustrophobia]

i didn't mean that to sound "i'm right, you're wrong", sorry.  i was offering my viewpoint as to why i'm not bothered paying for a game to make use of it's engine.  and yes, crysis is MUCH better from a DRM standpoint.  all it has is the (securom?) cd-check stuff.  i even have mine cracked, i hate changing out disks all the time.  none of that online bull****.

as for indoors in crysis, i completely disagree.  did you guys not play the Core level?  (i think that's the right name).  warhead also had extremely impressive mine shafts

[dragonsniper]

why not unreal, it has the best licensing options, and no one would need to buy a game.

Licensing = $1500+ for one computer, for full access. So not really the best option, unless you are referring to the SDK, which is obviously free.

[SpardaSon21]

Crysis has limited DRM compared to Steam (mere disk check), but Crysis: Warhead and Crysis Wars both use the evil SecuROM that has limited activations, which I find to be worse than Steam since Steam has no limits on installations.

[S-99]

What do you mean limited activations for securom with crysis? The only scenario in my head that i could put together is that you can install the game a limited number of times on your own computer. And then what? By the game again when you want to play again? Crack it?

I'm sure the scenario in my head right now is not how it actually is. The reason i'm asking for some clarification.

[The E]

Basically, it works like this:
1. You install game
2. Game phones home to activation server and activates itself
This reduces the number of activations you can make with that disc, in theory this allows you have the game installed on several PCs at the same time.
If the publisher is feeling generous, they'll allow you to "un-register" an installed copy when you uninstall it, thereby freeing up one activation.
These activations should be linked to the PC, so that you can install, uninstall and reinstall it as often as you want, but again, this depends on how dickish the publisher is feeling at the moment.

[Klaustrophobia]

if you call up customer support and tell them you ran out of activiations because of reinstalls, most of the time they will give you more.  i've seen plenty of people say they've done that, and none so far that tried and didn't get it.