[DaBrain]

Thanks, but 3 megs are not enough.


Uhm, and the glows are from the Starfox mod.

I'm using this build.

[Grimloq]

oh well i hope to get a domain name of my own someday, and then i can run the server meself. but first i have to find out how >.<

thx for linkey to build...

[DaBrain]

The PCX version sure runs slower than the DDS version. But why?
The DDS package weights over 10 MB more in size.

I don't want to go back to DDS. PCX looks so much better.

[aldo_14]

email it to [email protected] and I'll upload it to my webspace temporarily.  Can also put it on fileplanet.

EDIT; will upload tomorrow.  I'm off to be now

NB: I think DDS is an optimized format that's a lot easier & quicker for the graphics card to process and display; so it's bigger in size, but probably quicker to process.  Also, PCX may take up more memory in card ram than it does in disk terms; I'm not exactly sure how this stuff is exactly stored, or particularly how it is compressed for transfer.

[Lightspeed]

Originally posted by DaBrain
The PCX version sure runs slower than the DDS version. But why?
The DDS package weights over 10 MB more in size.
 

Because the PCX version takes just as much memory as a 32-bit TGA version would. That's why.

The only way to reduce it in size is either to use ANI (which forces the lower colour depth) or DDS files.

Care to make one of these with the blue version? I'd like to give it a try.

[DaBrain]

Why should one use PCX then anyway?


Can make the EFF use 8-bit per frame by unchecking "Enable 32bit textures" or by checking "Compress PCX" ?

I also have a DXT1 version of the effect, but it's not as beautiful.
And the size is at nearly 50MB!


I'll see about the blue one. I'll probably try it, but you can do it too if you want to.


@aldo Sending the e-mail now. I hope gmail supports attachments lager than 6MB.

[wolfdog]

Originally posted by DaBrain


It should work with all new builds.

that's what I thought too... but it doesn't, at least not for me:confused:

[taylor]

Originally posted by Lightspeed
Because the PCX version takes just as much memory as a 32-bit TGA version would. That's why.

The only way to reduce it in size is either to use ANI (which forces the lower colour depth) or DDS files.

It's only going to use that much memory if you use -pcx32, otherwise it would use half that of a JPG or TGA version.  For the PCX version (if it's 512x512) then it's using 0.5 meg of memory per frame.  That's twice the 32-bit DDS version.  Believe it or not the memory size of the DDS frames is the same as an 8-bit ANI of the same 512x512 size.

Size of 99 frame DDS version (at 512x512 32-bit): 24.75 meg
Size of 99 frame ANI version (at 512x512 8-bit): 24.75 meg

@DaBrain: PCX, by default, is made 16-bit even if the palette is 8-bit.  I want to allow 8-bit EFFs but it's not high on my todo list at the moment.  "Enable 32bit textures" isn't going to help any since it only allows the use of JPG and TGA, nothing more.  "Compress PCX" just turns a PCX into a DDS file so you would be better off just using DDS in the first place.  It only works with D3D too so OGL users wouldn't get any help from it.

[DaBrain]

Originally posted by wolfdog


that's what I thought too... but it doesn't, at least not for me:confused:

Try to delete all shockwave ANIs.

That was the problem I had.

Originally posted by taylor

Size of 99 frame DDS version (at 512x512 32-bit): 24.75 meg
Size of 99 frame ANI version (at 512x512 8-bit): 24.75 meg
 

Well, but the DDS size is only so high if you use DXT5.
I can cut it half by using DXT1, at cost of image quality of course.


@Everybody who is interested in these effects:
I'll continue to convert some of my effects to EFF. But(!) these effects will require a high-end system with at least 512MB ram and a midrange gfx card with at least 64MB ram, or better 128MB ram.

[taylor]

Originally posted by DaBrain
Well, but the DDS size is only so high if you use DXT5.
I can cut it half by using DXT1, at cost of image quality of course.

My point is that using DXT5 (if that's what you used) for your shockwave animation is not using any more memory than an 8-bit ANI of the same thing.  It's got better color quality and is faster because it doesn't require extra processing first by the game, the video card does it internally.  Ignoring image quality for a moment, using the DDS version is more efficient and uses less memory than a PCX, JPG or TGA version.  It would also be faster than an ANI version even using the same amount of memory.

You can save memory better by reducing the dimentions and/or reducing the number of frames.  Although the new PCX version may look a bit better it's using twice the amount of memory over the DDS version.  It's always going to be a quality tradeoff but the DDS looks good to me and it's average frame time in a large mission is something like 2.5 seconds.  I'd rather have *much* more memory for other effects than a bit better looking shockwave effect that I get to see for 2.5 seconds.

[DaBrain]

Ok, I totaly agree with that.
Still I think the shockwave is the one effect allowed to be bigger (file size) than the other effects. Speaking of animations of course.

But more than 24Mb is probably too much. I'll tweak it a bit.
BTW DXT1 doesn't look that much worse compared to DXT5, at least not for this effect.

[aldo_14]

There ya go;
www.3dap.com/hlp/hosted/casofwar/temp/test_beta.rar
www.aldo14.f2s.com/temp/test_beta.rar
http://www.fileplanet.com/dl.aspx?/3dactionplanet/hlp/hosted/reciprocity/test_beta.rar (FP)

(I'll possibly have to clear the 'good' - no FilePlanet - links in a few weeks time depending on space usage)

[DaBrain]

As you'll probabaly get performance problems with this one, it's better to disable -pcx32 from the commandline.

[DaBrain]

I need some feedback for the effects. Please download the second effect (aldo's link) and check out the performance in-game.

Then post here if you have or if you not have had any performance problems. And I need your system specs (most important: ram) and which commandline you're using.

If you're using a mod like Inferno please add this to your posting.


I'm also interessted how the first effect works for you, although the second one is more important.

[redmenace]

Happy birthday BTW

[taylor]

Originally posted by DaBrain
Please download the second effect (aldo's link) and check out the performance in-game.

AAHHH!  That one is 188 meg.  I do think it looks better, except for the initial (white?) shockwave which is banded, but it looks more like you optimized the latter half of the frames some from the earlier DDS version.

(cries that no one wished me a happy birthday )

[redmenace]

everyone was too busy *****ing about election day. Sorry taylor. Happy belated birthday though!;)

[FireCrack]

Yaknow, i dont mean to hijack this thread or anything, actualy this is still quite on topic but..

It would be cool if we had an SCP feature that would orient shockwaves on a random plane.

[DaBrain]

Originally posted by redmenace
Happy birthday BTW

Thanks.

Originally posted by taylor
(cries that no one wished me a happy birthday )

Oh my bad, I didn't see it on the page.
Happy Birthday. Although it comes a little bit too late.

And about the shockwave: ... oops. I really thought PCX files could be loaded directly into the memory. (That would be 14 MB.)
Looks like I was wrong. Still runs more or less ok, without -pcx32.

I still want some feedback. But I'm more interested in the first effect now.

Originally posted by FireCrack
Yaknow, i dont mean to hijack this thread or anything, actualy this is still quite on topic but..

It would be cool if we had an SCP feature that would orient shockwaves on a random plane.

This is already possible (except the 'random' I think).
And I already have concept for this. But it's not going to be easy.
(Animated texture(glowmap?)... could be better for the performance too.) The model itself is no problem. Even I can do it.

[taylor]

Originally posted by redmenace
everyone was too busy *****ing about election day. Sorry taylor. Happy belated birthday though!;)

Thanks (DaBrain too)!  Next year I'm 30 and officially old so I'm milking my last 11 months of youth for all they're worth.

And since it's not too late for you: Happy Birthday, DaBrain!!
Now where did I put that singing candle...