[Bobboau]

posting this here becase so many of you don't visit FSO forum enough

http://freespace.volitionwatch.com/blackwater/fs2_open_env.zip

play a mission,
post screens,
now

[Deepblue]

Scary...

Mmmmm.

[Lightspeed]

Give us a command line to tone down or disable ambient and we might be able to post something worthwhile.

Ambient light KILLS this effects as this is a kind of 'ambient replacement'

[Solatar]

I haven't noticed much difference, but I know this is supposed to look waaaay better. What exactly does it do?

If we kill ambient light, maybe I'll figure it out...

[Deepblue]

Its reflection mapping.

[Solatar]

Ahh...I can't see it much, but it's still an advancement.

*sides with Lightspeed in turning off the ambient lighting*

[Bobboau]

do you know how many people were yelling at us for turning it off, (I agree with you BTW)

[Setekh]

Yeah, it's the same complaint as with the people who don't like it with too much specular mapping, and new thruster plumes, and stuff. "It's not FS anymore!" If we can set the ambience per mission, that will allow us to have an old-school version of the main FS2 campaign, that looks pants, and a kick-ass new version with all the bells and whistles.

[Goober5000]

Or we could set the option in the launcher, like the rest of the flags.

[Setekh]

Actually, I think I suggested that earlier. The "everything-on" will be in the next launcher, I guess.

[Omniscaper]

WOW!!! I just tried it out. Very GLASSY!!! Mad kudos. One question though, does it refer to the specular maps to determine where it reflects? The white level perhaps of the specular map? I tried it with a Ulysseys and the nebula is reflecting on most of the ship. I'll have screen caps in a minute.

[Bobboau]

it should be useing the spec map.

hey get some pics of your ships (well not your ships but... you know what I mean)

[Omniscaper]

Give me a minute, I'm on a slower computer. I am a spoilled little monkey. Never realized how slow my uncle's computer really was until I tried FSO with all the trimmings.

[Bobboau]

ok, last I'm going to touch of this till after 3.6, I added my trueform code into this and it makes everything just, oh so much better looking (too bad it also makes everything crash randomly for no reason)
use the comand line -max_subdivide 2.5 (2.5 can be a smaller or bigger number, that's just what I recomend for now)
it's the same file,just re-download

Omniscaper, you missed all the trueform fun last time didn't you? the way I have it set up it makes everything look like it was rendered useing pixel shaders, I'm not sure how well your ubberships will do with trueform, might want to tone the subdive value to 1.5 or 2

[Omniscaper]

AHHHH!!!! I must get back to my WORKSTATION!!!!! My ATI card is back there...   ARRRRGH!!!!

::calm::

......


::freak out::

You made a believer out of me. Thanks to silly geniouses like yourself, I think FSO is gonna be the greatest modified game in existence!!!

[Omniscaper]

I wonder if my ATI card is gonna take a performance hit. The FPS scares me a bit, but then again this computer I took the screenshots with is only a P4 2.56ghz 512 pc2100  with a lousy Geforce4MX 64mb

PS: I think your work will really shine (pun intended) with ambients toned down abit. I know its been said, but I insist that your compatriots should let you test your build out without ambient.

EDIT: I'll invert the speculars so that the windows without the light will use the env mapping.

[Bobboau]

that shouldn't be that bright...
I'm thinking that might not be ambient light (there is a comand line for it some were BTW... -ambient_factor [some int])

[Omniscaper]

I think with your env mapping, ambient light wouldn't be necessary anymore. Or maybe a couple of notches above zero. I liked the fake shadow effect of no ambient. Unless selfshadowing can be implemented, no ambience would still be the best solution. Hell, ppl at the BridgeCommander modding community envy the lighting in the screenshots I've posted without the ambient, over BC's lighting.

What are the default settings for ambient anyway (for the environment map build)

[Omniscaper]

Much more dramatic!!! Gives Lightspeed's nebulas a more eerie mood.

[Omniscaper]

Now all FSO has left for model rendering are bump maps, perfected speculars and glows, then it will outshine Freelancer and EVE. Once env is perfected, do you suppose limited realtime reflections (like in Need for speed: Underground) would be considered?

BTW are env maps rendered the same as speculars? (per vertex)