Hard Light Productions Forums

General FreeSpace => FreeSpace Discussion => Topic started by: Marcov on June 07, 2011, 03:37:17 am

Title: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: Marcov on June 07, 2011, 03:37:17 am
Simply put, I'm looking for backgrounds that look scary (e.g. the inside of a horrible huge ship, fire and brimstone hell, tunnel of doom, etc.). Can anyone please post pictures of them and then put their download links here?

Thanks.
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: Deadly in a Shadow on June 07, 2011, 03:40:07 am
What about the nighteyes-subspace tunnel. Looks scary though.
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: X3N0-Life-Form on June 07, 2011, 08:18:01 am
You could look for the Karos graveyard from Homeworld. It is not exactly inside a horribly huge ship, but I remembered going holy sh** when I understood that yes, those background regular shapes (as opposed to irregular nebulae and stuff we usually see in the background) looked like pieces of an insanely large ship.
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: Rodo on June 07, 2011, 08:22:39 am
Scary background is somewhat of a general concept, what's scary for some is not scary for others.
You thinking of a nightmare mission?, cause if that's what you´re thinking maybe going full nebula without background would be best.
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: X3N0-Life-Form on June 07, 2011, 08:42:00 am
Or full nebulae background without a nebula? :D

No that'd just be being on 'shrooms
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: LoneKnight on June 07, 2011, 12:10:46 pm
Was it ever possible to create animated backgrounds?
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: Deadly in a Shadow on June 07, 2011, 12:25:50 pm
Was it ever possible to create animated backgrounds?

The only animated background I know is the subspace tunnel (retail and the nighteyes-version).
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: Dragon on June 07, 2011, 12:28:31 pm
Animated skybox should be doable.
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: Snail on June 07, 2011, 12:32:24 pm
is an animated 2048*2048 texture really a good idea?
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: MatthTheGeek on June 07, 2011, 12:40:34 pm
There has been a discussion on IRC not so long ago about that. Making animated skyboxes is technically possible, the same way it is possible to have animated glowmaps. However, it is not technically feasible, because you'll have to load every single frame of the animation, let's say 30 frames, for each of the 6 faces, at 2048². That'll be more than sufficient to make most recent systems asplode, not to mention older ones.

Remember the fps drop you have looking at Karunas and Sanctii in WiH ? It's ridiculous compared to what that would do.
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: Deadly in a Shadow on June 07, 2011, 01:06:47 pm
There has been a discussion on IRC not so long ago about that. Making animated skyboxes is technically possible, the same way it is possible to have animated glowmaps. However, it is not technically feasible, because you'll have to load every single frame of the animation, let's say 30 frames, for each of the 6 faces, at 2048². That'll be more than sufficient to make most recent systems asplode, not to mention older ones.

Remember the fps drop you have looking at Karunas and Sanctii in WiH ? It's ridiculous compared to what that would do.
Like.....at least two Solaris destroyers on the field?
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: MatthTheGeek on June 07, 2011, 01:23:04 pm
If your Solaris has 2048² maps, then about 180 Solarises on field. Minus polies.
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: Rodo on June 07, 2011, 01:32:57 pm
Animated skyboxes are doable, BtRL featured one for the asteroid field... or was it an animated dds in front of the real skybox maybe?.

Nevertheless it's doable, the question is if that's really REALLY necessary.
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: Deadly in a Shadow on June 07, 2011, 01:34:06 pm
If your Solaris has 2048² maps, then about 180 Solarises on field. Minus polies.
Uhhhhh......wow.
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: MatthTheGeek on June 07, 2011, 01:54:47 pm
Well, actually, not that much. Let's make the calculus.

Solaris has, IIRC, 2 textures. Each of them has a diffuse, a glow, a shine and a normal map. So we have 8 maps on the Solaris.

If we have an animated background with 30 frames, we're at 30*6 = 180 maps.

So we're actually at 22.5 Solarises, minus polies. 5.6 Solarises if they're using 4096² maps versus 2048² for the skyboxes.

I'm not convinced this comparison is very pertinent. Ships in general will be much more performance-eating than skyboxes, with polies, collision detection, weapons...

EDIT: Also, keep in mind that even if you put 22 Solaris on field, maps will be loaded only once on the memory. You'd need 22 Solarises equivalent with different maps each. Have fun with that.
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: Macfie on June 07, 2011, 02:16:31 pm
Take a look at the background emporium on the freespace wiki.  Singh has some interesting backgrounds.

http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Background_Emporium
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: Marcov on June 08, 2011, 05:06:39 am
You could look for the Karos graveyard from Homeworld. It is not exactly inside a horribly huge ship, but I remembered going holy sh** when I understood that yes, those background regular shapes (as opposed to irregular nebulae and stuff we usually see in the background) looked like pieces of an insanely large ship.

Picture, please.

Also, just for your information, you could actually use the maps from a ship and then put it up as a background in FRED. See here, it looks like I'm inside an infinitely large Orion;

(http://i54.tinypic.com/292rzgo.jpg)

Cool, though, but it isn't "exactly" like inside a huge epic ship.

Just for your own eyecandy and due to some nostalgia, I'm posting this picture of a rather scary SkyRoads background "black hole":

(http://i53.tinypic.com/wtskg5.png)

Basically, it just looks like a subspace tunnel, but being rather dark and black makes it eerie.
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: X3N0-Life-Form on June 08, 2011, 11:40:24 am
Journey to Hiigara posted decent shots in its hosting request here (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=71329). You should ask them if you want more pics or the skybox itself. Or google it, there is some good shots of the background on the first image page.
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: Marcov on June 08, 2011, 11:52:03 am
Kind of funny to make debris of a mere 10 kilometer ship a background :lol:.
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: Angelus on June 08, 2011, 03:53:08 pm
Animated skyboxes are doable, BtRL featured one for the asteroid field... or was it an animated dds in front of the real skybox maybe?.

Nevertheless it's doable, the question is if that's really REALLY necessary.

The rotating asteroids belt was a huge separate model, that was placed like a ship in the mission.
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: LoneKnight on June 09, 2011, 09:44:14 am
There has been a discussion on IRC not so long ago about that. Making animated skyboxes is technically possible, the same way it is possible to have animated glowmaps. However, it is not technically feasible, because you'll have to load every single frame of the animation, let's say 30 frames, for each of the 6 faces, at 2048². That'll be more than sufficient to make most recent systems asplode, not to mention older ones.

Remember the fps drop you have looking at Karunas and Sanctii in WiH ? It's ridiculous compared to what that would do.

Okay, so while that may not be feasible, what about animated planets or stars? (I am pretty certain the Sath Supernova 'animation' is simply the scale of the image increasing.) Could be just as cool to have explosions and events happening on planets nearby, not to mention it would be less processing intensive than the entire background.
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: IronBeer on June 09, 2011, 10:11:33 am
X3 and its progeny had animated planets, but I have no idea what system they used to do that. Planet as a model, perhaps? Either way, it's probably a moot point, since X3 is notorious for making machines cry blood.
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: Commander Zane on June 09, 2011, 10:13:27 am
X isn't all that bad really, not until there's PPC-equipped M2s or M1s going guns blazing, those projectiles are framerape.
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: The E on June 09, 2011, 10:18:20 am
X3 and its progeny had animated planets, but I have no idea what system they used to do that. Planet as a model, perhaps? Either way, it's probably a moot point, since X3 is notorious for making machines cry blood.

X3 planets are a moving planet layer over a static texture. No big deal.

Now, animated skyboxes are possible, but you need special skybox models with rotating "subsystems" to do it.
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: Retsof on June 09, 2011, 10:38:06 pm
If they are small enough you could do it with EFF planet bitmaps... probably, haven't tried it myself.   And if they are big it makes it as unplayable as a skybox anyway.
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: LoneKnight on June 10, 2011, 01:41:39 pm
One day...

(http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/9203/1306503575883.jpg)
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: Rodo on June 10, 2011, 04:14:07 pm
And that's from?
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: Commander Zane on June 10, 2011, 04:17:40 pm
They're Behemoth-Class Battlecruisers from Starcraft.
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: Gortef on June 11, 2011, 01:18:16 pm
(http://koti.mbnet.fi/gortef/hlp/Dapper_Shivan_Gent_1680x1200.jpg)

Scary enough? They're among us...
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: Deadly in a Shadow on June 11, 2011, 02:18:30 pm
(http://koti.mbnet.fi/gortef/hlp/Dapper_Shivan_Gent_1680x1200.jpg)

Scary enough? They're among us...
Royal Shivan ftw
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: Black Wolf on June 11, 2011, 03:26:54 pm
That is among the greatest images mankind has ever produced. Well done sir! :D
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: LoneKnight on June 13, 2011, 09:06:02 am
And we thought they came from subspace...bah! Knew it was the British all along!

Plus, this:
(http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/5904/sadshivan.png)
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: Colonol Dekker on June 13, 2011, 10:29:02 am
It's why HLP London is such a big success.  :yes:
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: Marcov on June 13, 2011, 10:29:22 am
Isn't that Photoshopped/edited (both the original and with the man sitting on top and an Apollo flying nearby)?
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: X3N0-Life-Form on June 13, 2011, 11:17:16 am
<sarcasm>No, someone built a live-size shivan statue in a parc, with made Keanu sad and the apollo is some kid's high-tech toy.</sarcasm>

(sorry, couldn't resist :P)

(But I appreciate the effort put in the Shivan's shadow)
(And a 1:1 Shivan statue would definitively rock!)
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: Angelus on June 13, 2011, 11:22:47 am
btw, does anyone have a Shivan as 3D model? Preferably in a format Max can read ( 3Ds, obj, .dae).
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: Deadly in a Shadow on June 13, 2011, 11:42:36 am
btw, does anyone have a Shivan as 3D model? Preferably in a format Max can read ( 3Ds, obj, .dae).
Vassago's Dirge has Shivans, real shivans.
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: Colonol Dekker on June 13, 2011, 12:22:52 pm
So does JAD3 ( . Y . )

Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: X3N0-Life-Form on June 13, 2011, 12:27:34 pm
But they are on a plane.
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: Colonol Dekker on June 23, 2011, 04:18:13 am
As nature intended ;) Anyway.. PCS2 can export submodels i thought ;7
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 23, 2011, 08:49:15 am
The only model Shivan that exists so far is Carl.. and he is lurking around here somewhere. I might even have him.
Title: Re: Backgrounds request: Scary Themes
Post by: LoneKnight on June 23, 2011, 10:45:06 am
I might even have him.

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