Hard Light Productions Forums
Archived Boards => The Archive => Casualties of War => Topic started by: ShadowWolf_IH on February 13, 2010, 05:59:55 am
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Here's a couple shots from the demo:
(http://casofwar.hard-light.net/images/screen0194.jpg)
and
(http://casofwar.hard-light.net/images/screen0195.jpg)
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The skybox seems a little... loud. It should be the backdrop, and fade into the background accordingly. As it is though, I reckon it'd be enormously distracting ingame.
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starry night :cool:
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If I have to be honest, I'll say that even if it's going to be a painful truth :P
I don't like the backgrounds, they don't look convincing and realistic enough for me. They're beautiful as a separate picture, but not as a FS background. If I were you I'd use lightspeed's nebulae that is already available in mediavps.
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The irony of that is that with the exception of the planet they are 100% real. It's my first skybox attempt, but i'm not married to it.
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The irony of that is that with the exception of the planet they are 100% real. It's my first skybox attempt, but i'm not married to it.
Another irony is that they are taken through a telescope on high magnification. You don't just see stuff like this in space.
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The irony of that is that with the exception of the planet they are 100% real. It's my first skybox attempt, but i'm not married to it.
Another irony is that they are taken through a telescope on high magnification. You don't just see stuff like this in space.
I wanted to point that out too, but somehow I forgot ;)
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This whole thing is a work in progress.
better?
(http://casofwar.hard-light.net/images/screen0196.jpg)
and
(http://casofwar.hard-light.net/images/screen0197.jpg)
and
(http://casofwar.hard-light.net/images/screen0198.jpg)
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Yay for Backgrounds that look like they came from the old BSG opening....
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It still doesn't convince me and I don't think they're pretty at all :(
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Realism doesn't belong in FreeSpace, even if it's remotely realistic :p
Go do some backgrounds like the ones in Earth Defense? They've got them done pretty well, fitting for FSO and all.
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This whole thing is a work in progress.
better?
*snip*
Yeah, much better. Maybe you could blur the edges of the nubula in the third pic a tad bit.
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This whole thing is a work in progress.
better?
Better? Yeah. But to be brutal it's still not a good look IMO. The starfield, well, I'm neither here nor there. TBH I've never been fan of varicoloured starfields, but I know some people like the, so that's not an issue. What I really don't like though is the way you've stuck these nebulae on there like stickers. Ironically, while it may be far more realistic than anything we've seen in FS, it looks faker. I think it might be some sort of variation on uncanny valley - people don't care how it looks when you've got blue and green nebulae covering half of what should be black space because it looks pretty and is obviously not meant to be realistic. You take some fairly well known NASA images and plaster them over a starfield and it just looks wrong. These sorts of images might work if they took up a huge portion of the BG, as really high detail, major parts of the BG, but used as decals like this, they don't work for me.
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Now it just looks worse.
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I don't like the green-orange one in the last pic. The others are fine to my eyes.
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Shadowolf don't loose heart. I know these kind of responses make most persons waver, but we are only trying to help you!
Indeed, the pictures are great for static images, but aren't so good in a game like FreeSpace. This is my opinion and I maybe wrong as I don't have the full picture.
But the important thing is KEEP AT IT!
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They're just too big. Especially the stars... consider that real NASA images are incredibly-high-zoom views... the stars shouldn't be nearly that big. Even if you were closer to the nebulae, the average distance to 'background' stars (other than those in the nebulae) shouldn't be much affected.
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Also just sticking clearly isolated nebulae right next to each other looks horribly artificial.
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The criticisms are fine with me, so long as there is solid reasoning behind it, and I know WHY people are saying they don't like it. This is much better that "Looks like crap" with no where to go to make it better. At the very least, you guys are telling me WHY. Which is cool.
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The criticisms are fine with me, so long as there is solid reasoning behind it, and I know WHY people are saying they don't like it. This is much better that "Looks like crap" with no where to go to make it better. At the very least, you guys are telling me WHY. Which is cool.
Now listen to us and use Lightspeed's nebulae ;)
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ok, No more varicoloured starfield, edges faded a bit more, and entire images faded, except for the planet, allowing some stars to shine through the nebula.
(http://casofwar.hard-light.net/images/screen0199.jpg)
and
(http://casofwar.hard-light.net/images/screen0200.jpg)
and
(http://casofwar.hard-light.net/images/screen0202.jpg)
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:yes:
Much better!
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This looks better :)
Now, the planet is kinda low res. There's plenty of them available in numerous mods. Go and get a better, hi-res and shiny one :D
I know it's my obsession about Lightspeed's nebulae but could you try using your nebulas WITH lightspeed's ones?
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Whys do thats? :nervous:
There's lots of pretty planets on the celestial objects thread! You want good planets, check the ones on theres!
Checks them out! Come ons! Go! Go! :P
Meanwhile, is it me or are those Blade Cruisers using the non MediaVPS textures? Also, no muzzleflashes on those turret weapons?
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I would love to use LS nebs, but I can't open dds files.
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http://www.irfanview.com/
Get the app and optional plugins (dds included)
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LS nebulae are cool, no question, but why not create new ones from scratch that blend with the ones used by SW_IH in this mod?
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OK i got them, I'll be installing them tonight. The background is important to me for one simple reason, once it is set, it is etched in stone for every mission. The only thing that will change is planets. This is because the mod takes place entirely in one system. So other than planets and sun size.....well you get the picture.
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For a good editor for dds files I recommend Paint.net (it's also great for any other type of image and it supports tons of plugins)
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Gimp is better :p
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Gimp is better :p
Mwahah :lol:
Gimp is uglier, less handy and paint.net is the best at every aspect except OS portability.
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Gimp is better :p
Mwahah :lol:
Gimp is uglier, less handy and paint.net is the best at every aspect except OS portability.
Let's not start arguing about which program is better, since this isn't the time or place, and depends on the user anyway.
GIMP is better though. :p
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MSPaint.
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Are those stars showing through the planet?
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No, those are craters.. I fade the nebulae, but not the planets.
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I call this the "Crying Lion" This one is custom, and meant to replace the crab that Topace doesn't like.
(http://casofwar.hard-light.net/images/screen0204.jpg)
and
(http://casofwar.hard-light.net/images/screen0205.jpg)
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:yes:
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Me likes it, looks good.
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I guess I'll never be a fan of your nebs :(
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They are all right to my eyes. :yes:
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Yeah. The early ones were a bit meh but the latest batch look supar.
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thanks for the votes guys. And shiv, not to worry, you will be seeing Lightspeed's nebulae. k?
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Not sure if I should call it the Dolphin nebula or the Volcano nebula:
(http://casofwar.hard-light.net/images/screen0209.jpg)
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thanks for the votes guys. And shiv, not to worry, you will be seeing Lightspeed's nebulae. k?
That makes me more quiet :nod:
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Not sure if I should call it the Dolphin nebula or the Volcano nebula:
(http://casofwar.hard-light.net/images/screen0209.jpg)
That's a beautyful one :yes:, i'd suggest the Volcano Nebula ( or what about "the Wolfs Lair" nebula? ).
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I like "Dolphin Nebula" :yes:
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thanks for the votes guys. And shiv, not to worry, you will be seeing Lightspeed's nebulae. k?
He's just mad because it isn't LS's nebulae all used in the same mission with every single colour imaginable, or at least that's my experience of how he does mission backgrounds. :P
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thanks for the votes guys. And shiv, not to worry, you will be seeing Lightspeed's nebulae. k?
He's just mad because it isn't LS's nebulae all used in the same mission with every single colour imaginable, or at least that's my experience of how he does mission backgrounds. :P
You're insulting me. I'm making my nebulas mostly of 1-2 similar colours.
In addition, this doesn't look good compared to the LS work. This could be seen only on highly magnificated NASA picture, not in a real space :( And it doesn't look pretty :( Where's the starfield.pof? :(
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I was playing with you, not insulting you. :P
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The nebulae I'm fine with but I'm not a fan of those stars...
Blurry, too much glare. Looks like you're looking at a photo with a long exposure, not through your own eyes.
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Starfield incarnation 3. I purposely left the image resolution alone. Image 1 is just the new starfield, image 2 is the starfield next to the old ones. The blurring is caused by jpeg, it's actually much more crisp in game. How's this?
(http://casofwar.hard-light.net/images/screen0210.jpg)
and
(http://casofwar.hard-light.net/images/screen0211.jpg)
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I dunno, I like the starfield. Even if it's definitely not realistic, it doesn't look glaringly bad like those sticker nebulae did.
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I like the starfield :yes:
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The one with the smaller stars is much better.
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OK, with backgrounds handled we now return you to our regularly scheduled mission building.
From CoW 3 Mission 1. Blade and Hilt take on all comers.
(http://casofwar.hard-light.net/images/screen0232.jpg)
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And from CoW 3 Mission 2, The Galileo scanning an asteroid field.
(http://casofwar.hard-light.net/images/screen0233.jpg)
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Those energy flak guns look cool.
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Are you sure that you don't need help with models and textures?
I can do that, plus I'm a "hardcore" tester who ussualy plays on insane, with graphics set to max. (I tested BP that way).
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Yer on the staff, Dragon.
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Cloudy Frozen Planet, not in phase
(http://casofwar.hard-light.net/images/screen0005.jpg)
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Looks retro. :yes:
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Looks ugly :ick:
Sorry.
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I suggest to give the planet a slight atmosphere glow, not much, just a bit.
And add a blue-ish hue to the ice layer as well as an shadowlayer for the clouds.
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Cloudy Frozen Planet, not in phase
(http://casofwar.hard-light.net/images/screen0005.jpg)
Give it some atmosphere! But there's definite potential there.
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(http://casofwar.hard-light.net/images/screen0006.jpg)
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I like it. Awesome planet and good looking nebulas, but you should upgrade maps for Ogdoad and that planet sould be ahead the nebula.
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What if that planet is New Caprica and supposed to be inside the nebula? :p
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Usually nebulae in front of planets looks weird but it looks very cool here. :yes:
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Makes the nebula look close :3
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I figured I'd take some screenshots.
(http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/7504/cow13.jpg)
(http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/941/cow12.jpg)
(http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/2174/cow11j.jpg)
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And they do look good
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They do, but something really funny is going on with the skybox. It looks like a seam or some kind of distortion. Check out the top shot; compare the stars in the bottom half to the top.
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I see what you are saying. But it is an illusion created by several things. 1. Most of the starfield up top is hidden, is you look around the ship in top left and compare the stars they are the same. 2. where they appear different in the top right, they are, but that is due to the nebula, and only in the nebula. It's a star nursery. 3. The stars in the middle left (above beam, below ship) aren't stars, and 4. with the beam being where it is in the photo, it does act as a divider, and really does enhance the appearance of different size stars in each side of the skybox.
But, since this IS my first skybox attempt, i'd be happy to send it to you to see what you think and get some pointers.
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Well my tip would probably be that the stellar nursery stars need to be a bit more high-res. They look fuzzy.
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Sorry for the bump, but I finally like where the nebulae are going. I agree with Battuta on the low resolution stars, though.
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I apreciate the vote, but to be honest, some of the things I am working on look a good deal better, so I am kicking around the idea of scrapping these nebula altogether. not sure yet. I'm soaking up everything everyone is saying, and hopefully going to be producing some quality things.
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ok pay no attention to the backgrounds, they are being revamped.
CoW 1
(http://casofwar.hard-light.net/images/screen0021.jpg)
Cow 2
(http://casofwar.hard-light.net/images/screen0020.jpg)
Work on the CoW 3 trailer is progressing:
(http://casofwar.hard-light.net/images/screen0028.jpg)
(http://casofwar.hard-light.net/images/screen0030.jpg)
(http://casofwar.hard-light.net/images/screen0031.jpg)
(http://casofwar.hard-light.net/images/screen0032.jpg)
(http://casofwar.hard-light.net/images/screen0043.jpg)
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Keep it up.
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Looks good, but you need some normalmaps :P.
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normal maps aren't going to happen in CoW1. This wasn't meant to be an updating, but just a fixing of what was wrong originally. Anyway, final screen before release, unless topace trumps me.
[attachment deleted by ninja]
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From CoW 2 mission 1.
[attachment deleted by ninja]
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Colorful screen is not what I like in FS universe.
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What's so colourful about that?
Bit tough to see what's going on, and TBH I think the nebs are a bit low res - any specific reasons why you're not using LS's nebs Shadowwolf?
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The colorfulness being the extreme shade of blue and purple.
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In the new screens thread, we sent out that we are changing to other nebulae, including LS nebs.