Hard Light Productions Forums

Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => The Modding Workshop => Topic started by: DaBrain on April 29, 2004, 01:59:31 pm

Title: New shield ani
Post by: DaBrain on April 29, 2004, 01:59:31 pm
It was impossible to improve my old shield effect, so here is a completly new one.

//www.8ung.at/dabrain/shieldhit01a.zip

I hope you like it. :)
Title: New shield ani
Post by: Woolie Wool on April 29, 2004, 02:42:41 pm
Why oh why don't you post screenshots?
Title: New shield ani
Post by: DaBrain on April 29, 2004, 03:08:23 pm
I can't get any good shot of it.
It's even harder to get a good shot of it, than it was with the old ani.


I would appreciate it if someone can do this for me :)

Although I think it' not that important.
Title: New shield ani
Post by: Jetmech Jr. on April 29, 2004, 03:10:40 pm
actually, to some people it can be very important.
I, for example, dont download anything unless i can see it's worth my two seconds :D
Title: New shield ani
Post by: DaBrain on April 29, 2004, 03:46:01 pm
Ummm, how about some other screenies ;)

I decided to rework some of my past effects.
And to improve some other minor effects.

(http://www.ystart.net/upload/20040429/1083271377.jpg)

(http://www.ystart.net/upload/20040429/1083271408.jpg)

(http://www.ystart.net/upload/20040429/1083271432.jpg)

(http://www.8ung.at/dabrain/imp4.jpg)


I'm trying to get a good shot of the shield effect...


Edit: Sorry for quality of the first 3 jpgs.

Edit2: This is the best I can get for now (But it doesn't show anything right...):
(http://www.8ung.at/dabrain/imp5.jpg)
Title: New shield ani
Post by: Lightspeed on April 29, 2004, 04:31:18 pm
The textures look very odd (especially that Hatshepsut and Medusa one). Hooray for cutting edge, on that note

(http://www.ystart.net/upload/20040429/1083271408.jpg)

The shield ANI definately looks a lot better than your first attempt, although it has still some issues with the colour not fading to $0,0,0 at the edges. Make sure the border of the image is constant black.
Title: New shield ani
Post by: Col. Fishguts on April 29, 2004, 04:39:30 pm
I like it, especially the glow on the Deimos.
But yeah...the edges on the yellow blob need to go.
The shield ani looks definitly better now. :yes:
Title: New shield ani
Post by: Jetmech Jr. on April 29, 2004, 04:43:45 pm
ooh, melikes the deimos textures.
I didnt see your first shield ani. but the one shown there is definately better that the :V: version
Title: New shield ani
Post by: DaBrain on April 29, 2004, 05:01:54 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Lightspeed
The textures look very odd (especially that Hatshepsut and Medusa one). Hooray for cutting edge, on that note



The shield ANI definately looks a lot better than your first attempt, although it has still some issues with the colour not fading to $0,0,0 at the edges. Make sure the border of the image is constant black.


I thought I got all the borders black... On which frame is it ?

And I don't know how to get rid of the edges.
Where is the problem with them ? They seem to be caused by the mesh they are placed on...

Well [V]s turretlaser suffer the same ugly problem.
(http://www.ystart.net/upload/20040430/1083276769.jpg)
(This old pic also contains some of my old effects.)
It seems that not the whole map is used...
Will be WIP until I get behind it ;)

Thx @ Jetmech Jr. and Col. Fishguts


Edit: @ LS I've checked all the borders. They are ok. The shield ani works perfect.
Title: New shield ani
Post by: Lt.Cannonfodder on April 29, 2004, 11:54:41 pm
Nice shield hit, I like it :nod: Gotta test this ingame.
Title: New shield ani
Post by: Bobboau on April 30, 2004, 01:06:01 am
can you get the rays to change any rather than simply fadeing in and out staticly
Title: New shield ani
Post by: DaBrain on April 30, 2004, 03:30:37 am
They already do. But it's hard to notice. (radial blur+to the end some disortion+at the very last some normal blur)
 
How should they fade out ?

I don't think I can do anything to it soon. (4 layers for the rays. 2 white and 2 black) I think I shouldn't just change something. It would be mor work, than recreating it.

I will use this one anyway, because I think the fading fits to a shield.
Title: New shield ani
Post by: JarC on April 30, 2004, 03:45:06 am
I think what Bobboau means is that when you play the ani frame by frame, you see that the rays eminating from the blastcenter, are completely static, even though the blurriness and such...

since you are hitting an energy field (locally destabilising it), these rays shouldn't be static, they should be moving a bit, somewhat like a faint electrical arc, moving over a conductive surface.

To get an idea think of an effect simmilar to those glass ball things where you can put your hand on the glass and the charge moves where you touch the glass...(haven't got the foggiest what these are called), only less strong since the discharge is on an energy surface.

And perhaps even, especially since you are hitting a charged surface, make the blurriness less appearant. (an energy discharge effect should be more welldefined AAR of polarity effects)

How it should fade? well, again, it being an energy charge, it should probably fade more like it is emenating less light intensity instead of spreading out like an oil spot....shockwavey effects would not be that visible I think...
Title: New shield ani
Post by: DaBrain on April 30, 2004, 07:40:12 am
I could try it, but I think you won't be able to notice it in game.

I will try to make an optional ani next week, ok ?
And Bobboau, you need to make the shieldhits bigger. ;)


For now it's better than the stock one.
I just can't adjust it to everyones personal taste...
Title: New shield ani
Post by: Bobboau on April 30, 2004, 08:56:15 am
well it's decent, but I don't think it's better than the origonal,

so all the rays are on sevral seprate layers? can you have each layer rotateing in a diferent direction at diferent speeds?
Title: New shield ani
Post by: DaBrain on April 30, 2004, 10:44:31 am
That causes that the white rays are sometimes visible and othertimes not... Looks horrible.
I need to redo it, there is no other way.


The stock one lacks the "wave" from the center. Ingame it looks just like a "somehow" animated circle..

But what about the size of the effect ?



Edit: What do you think of these thrusterglows ?
(http://www.8ung.at/dabrain/screen01.jpg)

Edit2: Another shot. I think I have to redo the shivan one...
(http://www.8ung.at/dabrain/screen14.jpg)

Edit3: All thruster effects redone... But I don'T like what I've done to them. Too colorful.
(http://www.ystart.net/upload/20040501/1083414162.jpg)
Title: New shield ani
Post by: Lightspeed on May 01, 2004, 07:27:44 am
I think I need to vomit.

Quote
Edit3: All thruster effects redone... But I don'T like what I've done to them. Too colorful.


Indeed.
Title: New shield ani
Post by: DaBrain on May 01, 2004, 07:44:46 am
In the forum again ?

Then tell me on which frame the shield ani has no black border.
I can't find it.

Edit: I wanted to redo them because of the ugly color fading:
(In this pic Thruster03-01 is the mediaVP 356 map)
(http://www.8ung.at/dabrain/screen14.jpg)
Title: New shield ani
Post by: Lightspeed on May 01, 2004, 07:56:42 am
19,20,21,22 have some odd edges, especially on the right side of the image.
Title: New shield ani
Post by: DaBrain on May 01, 2004, 08:14:00 am
Thanks. I think I found it. I'm uploading the new ani in the next few minutes.


Edit: Updated.

Shield ANI 2.0
With a new feature:
Super filesizereduction by~1 KB
:)

Hmm I think I need to do some heavy table changes, because I really love the thrusters on rockets.
(http://www.ystart.net/upload/20040501/1083429979.jpg)
Title: New shield ani
Post by: DaBrain on May 03, 2004, 01:01:48 pm
What about the vasudan glows ?
(http://www.ystart.net/upload/20040503/1083607072.jpg)
Title: New shield ani
Post by: Jetmech Jr. on May 03, 2004, 03:35:08 pm
the vasudan glows arent looking to bad, no excessive color, nice improvements over the standard :V: glows.

:yes:   imo
Title: New shield ani
Post by: Col. Fishguts on May 03, 2004, 06:01:39 pm
All your engine glows are a tad too big/bright IMHO
They look as if they were melting down in the next moment. I would make them a bit smaller and the color gradient over a longer distance.....just my 2 cents.
Title: New shield ani
Post by: Lightspeed on May 03, 2004, 06:13:20 pm
Ehh, quite off topic, but DaBrain...

You could do me a favour.

(http://www.ystart.net/upload/20040501/1083429979.jpg)

THIS image, clearly shows you have exactly the same bug I have.

I think a lot of people have it (as I've seen it on various screenshots I dont remember who they were posted of), but nobody seems to notice and speak up.

Could you please confirm and back up my bug report at Mantis?

Linky: http://mgo.maxgaming.net/mantis/bug_view_page.php?bug_id=0000181

If you could do that, I'd appreciate it as I really want that bug to get fixed.
Title: New shield ani
Post by: DaBrain on May 04, 2004, 09:51:34 am
Quote
Originally posted by Col. Fishguts
All your engine glows are a tad too big/bright IMHO
They look as if they were melting down in the next moment. I would make them a bit smaller and the color gradient over a longer distance.....just my 2 cents.


Uhm the vasudan thrusters are smaler then :v:s.
But that's what I was up to. I only overdid it with the secons glows (yes, there are 2).

Thanks for helping me to improve my stuff. :)





Quote
Originally posted by Lightspeed
Ehh, quite off topic, but DaBrain...

You could do me a favour.

(http://www.ystart.net/upload/20040501/1083429979.jpg)

THIS image, clearly shows you have exactly the same bug I have.

I think a lot of people have it (as I've seen it on various screenshots I dont remember who they were posted of), but nobody seems to notice and speak up.

Could you please confirm and back up my bug report at Mantis?

Linky: http://mgo.maxgaming.net/mantis/bug_view_page.php?bug_id=0000181

If you could do that, I'd appreciate it as I really want that bug to get fixed.


The trails are messed up at a certain distance... Is that what you ment ?

I've never used mantis, but I'm creating an account just at the moment.
Title: New shield ani
Post by: Lightspeed on May 04, 2004, 09:57:09 am
Only one pixel width of the trail texture is being used. Trails thus display as a solid line, no matter what texture you apply to them. It will only use the left most pixel of the image and stretch it over the whole trail length.
Title: New shield ani
Post by: DaBrain on May 04, 2004, 10:50:07 am
Hmmm this is the texture: (http://www.ystart.net/upload/20040504/1083685715.jpg)
Title: New shield ani
Post by: jdjtcagle on May 04, 2004, 10:50:52 am
Are those High-Res Textures on that Deimos??
Did somebody release them yet??:confused:

For some reason the fov looks really nice:D
Title: New shield ani
Post by: DaBrain on May 04, 2004, 10:52:30 am
Quote
Originally posted by jdjtcagle
Are those High-Res Textures??
Did somebody release them yet??:confused:


They won't be released due to legal issue.
Title: New shield ani
Post by: Lightspeed on May 04, 2004, 10:52:52 am
Quote
Originally posted by DaBrain
Hmmm this is the texture: (http://www.ystart.net/upload/20040504/1083685715.jpg)


yep, now look at the trail on your screenshot. It has no texture at all, because it only uses one pixel and uses it for the whole trail length.

I get exactly the same issues.
Title: New shield ani
Post by: jdjtcagle on May 04, 2004, 10:57:01 am
Quote
Originally posted by DaBrain


They won't be released due to legal issue.


What??
Like they care, they let us mod the game, and that is a "modification", "mod".  That's a bunch of bull, seriously...
Release them:D
Title: New shield ani
Post by: DaBrain on May 04, 2004, 10:57:53 am
Perhaps the detail is blured away by antialiasing (4x).

To be sure of it I tried another trail and disabled AA.

(http://www.ystart.net/upload/20040504/1083686128.jpg)


Quote
Originally posted by jdjtcagle


What??
Like they care, they let us mod the game, and that is a "modification", "mod".  That's a bunch of bull, seriously...
Release them:D


Perhaps I'll add the best of them into the second version of the improvment pack.
Also there are at least 60 maps I need to rework... and I really don't have time for this (just now).
AND I think I avoided the freighter and fighter maps, because they need much more time than tilemaps...

And I searched for free sound effects (99,9% of them are crap)
I found some good sounds, but this took me forever.
I only have to resample them, before I can add them to the pack.

But I'll see what I  can do.
Title: New shield ani
Post by: jdjtcagle on May 04, 2004, 11:09:07 am
Well, release them seperately from the Improvement pack, in case all we want is the maps. But, this game was built for modding and this is perfectly legal
Title: New shield ani
Post by: Taristin on May 04, 2004, 11:18:10 am
Quote
Originally posted by Lightspeed


yep, now look at the trail on your screenshot. It has no texture at all, because it only uses one pixel and uses it for the whole trail length.

I get exactly the same issues.

I always thought it was just stretched along the entire length of the trail. Guess I was mistaken.
Title: New shield ani
Post by: DaBrain on May 04, 2004, 11:21:12 am
Quote
Originally posted by jdjtcagle
Well, release them seperately from the Improvement pack, in case all we want is the maps. But, this game was built for modding and this is perfectly legal


The shinemap is not ready.
Although it looks good with Lightspeeds shinemap.
It just looses it's structure when the sun shines on it.

But you can search for my anuket map :)
Title: New shield ani
Post by: DaBrain on May 04, 2004, 11:38:55 am
Now I can reproduce it.

I think it's the AA
Firstshot without AA:
(http://www.ystart.net/upload/20040504/1083686128.jpg)

Second with 12xAA
(http://www.ystart.net/upload/20040504/1083688577.jpg)

But it's only for some parts.

It's added to Mantis, but I think it could be a different problem...
Title: New shield ani
Post by: Lightspeed on May 05, 2004, 04:02:32 am
I do not use AA but I get the problem all the time.