[ARSPR]

Anyway... I don't know what's wrong with the weapon effects... It just displays a wrong effect for some weapons.
I'd like to fix that before I upload the new version.

Any ideas?

Post some example or PM me and I will try to test it.

[DaBrain]

I already fixed that with Wanderer's help.

Version 2 shouldn't have that problem anymore.

[ARSPR]

@DaBrain:

I've discovered why some models have lost their glowpoints... You've remapped them to use just one texture and you missed to add them.

I don't know if this helps but, using Bobboau's Aurora, I've copied the glow points from the old pofs to the new ones. I've done this for Ulysses (fighter01.pof) and Loki (fighter13.pof) till now.

Unless you tell me this is useless because of anything, you've done it or there's another and EASIER way of doing it, I'll continue adding Glow Points to every ship I find without them.

(There's no missing textures, over the ones I PM you yesterday, about these glow points).

What I do is opening the old model, going to glow tab, saving the glow chunk, opening the new model (Assets v2), going to glow tab, loading the previously extracted glow chunk and saving the pof model.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[DaBrain]

Hmm sounds like a bit work...

I didn't rename any glowpoint texture in the POFs. (And I don't think I've renamed the maps either.)

Maybe PCS killed the glowpoints. Maybe I used a wrong build... or something.

I'll 'investigate' this.


I'm still pretty happy that I didn't get that many error reports yet. The next version should good enough to be final.

[ARSPR]

The glow points are just erased. Go to GLOW Tab in PCS and you'll see that is fully empty for some models that HAD glow points in 3.6.8.

[DaBrain]

I'm pretty sure that is related to PCS.

I got a new PC while I was working on the MV packs. Maybe I downloaded an older version of PCS. It's known to screw up the glowpoints.

[Vasudan Admiral]

I think that's modview actually. AFAIK, saving a pof in modview will erase the entire glowpoint chunk, and then on the other hand, PCS crashes every time I've tried to import the glowpoint chunk from another pof. :\

[Zacam]

So, is there actually an update set yet or no?

[karajorma]

http://ferrium.org/misc/PCS_1.3.6_b73_20060408.zip

Latest version of PCS in case you need it.

[ARSPR]

I think that's modview actually. AFAIK, saving a pof in modview will erase the entire glowpoint chunk, and then on the other hand, PCS crashes every time I've tried to import the glowpoint chunk from another pof. :\

Yep, that also happened to me. I switched to Aurora then. I'll try the new version of PCS linked by Karajorma.

[ARSPR]

I think that's modview actually. AFAIK, saving a pof in modview will erase the entire glowpoint chunk, and then on the other hand, PCS crashes every time I've tried to import the glowpoint chunk from another pof. :\

Yep, that also happened to me. I switched to Aurora then. I'll try the new version of PCS linked by Karajorma.

A quote to myself .... 

Thanks Kara, the new PCS version can import glows without problems. BTW Aurora crashes when loading Artemis.

Here you have fixed glowpointed versions of Artemis (normal & D.H.) (Assets v2).


@DaBrain: I've also noticed that the 'useless' models you have in Effects > models folder, are old versions but glowpointed.


OTOH, I've realized that you have put bright reflectiveness in engine parts from Medusa and Ursa, (see the screenshots where the pointer points), that doesn't seem to fit. I mean the textures seems to show a dark, dirty and rough surface, but then it behaves as a mirror. Rotate them in the F3 lab and you'll see the don't seem to fit. I've taken a look to the -shine.dds maps and these parts are 'alpha-painted' in a soft grey.

(I've used Bomber04HP.pof from Assets v1 as Bomber04.pof is missing in Assets v2. I had already told you this in a previous PM).


Edited -------------

Here you have a glowpointed Bonaegeres (from Assets v2). Also this ship hasn't got a reflective cockpit, (If you feel like tweaking the -shine map ...).

I've also seen that Poseidon (freighter02.pof) LOD3 is fully invisible in F3 lab although there's no missing texture.




[attachment deleted by admin]

[ARSPR]

A triple post... 

I continue looking in F3 renderer (just core and assets loaded, neither effects nor adveffects, v2). I've reached Hippocrates.

GTC Fenris (cruiser1.pof) - (Although maybe it isn't the final model because the turret error):
+ LOD2 is bad mapped.
+ This isn't the version that comes with vp 3.6.8. and it seems worse. It has more maps and has a 'GTC_Orff' instead of the correct 'nameplate' so IIRC, nameplate name changing within existing missions is going to fail.
+ (BTW. In the actual edition of vps, the cool lightspeed-nebulaed FS2 campaign is not included).


GTM Hippocrates
+ AWACtile5-glow is missing. I upload the pcx version from vp 3.6.8.
+ I don't know why, but LOD1 (adding the missing glow map) looks much worse. Lights over the hull are less sharp. LOD0 looks quite similar. I upload 2 screenshots.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Vasudan Admiral]

GTC Fenris (cruiser1.pof) - (Although maybe it isn't the final model because the turret error):
+ LOD2 is bad mapped.
+ This isn't the version that comes with vp 3.6.8. and it seems worse. It has more maps and has a 'GTC_Orff' instead of the correct 'nameplate' so IIRC, nameplate name changing within existing missions is going to fail.
+ (BTW. In the actual edition of vps, the cool lightspeed-nebulaed FS2 campaign is not included).

Well spotted.

Right, DaB brought me into the testing group, and I've now taken a very thorough look at all the ships I've done that are in the current "mv_assets_new_v2.vp", checked them against my most up to date set and have also made some small to large improvments using new techniques I've learned since I first did them. For example, the Fenris' terrible over-smoothing issue has been improved, most of the shinemaps have been improved greatly, and all the formats have been corrected.

Here's the to-do list based on the current state of mv_assets_new_v2:

===Fenris===

Remove: (old and no-longer used at all in anything files)
- Fenris-HTL_b.dds
- Fenris-HTL_b-shine.dds
- Fenris-HTL_Subs.dds
- Fenris-HTL_Subs-shine.dds
- FenrisTrim1.dds
- FenrisTrim1-shine.dds
- FenrisTrim2.dds
- FenrisTrim2-shine.dds

Update: (grab the new versions from following RAR file)
- Fenris-HTL.dds
- Fenris-HTL-shine.dds
- Fenris-HTL-glow.dds
- Fenris-HTL_debris.dds
- cruiser01.pof
- cruiser01.ibx

from http://sectorgame.com/ti-file-dump/VasudanAdmiral/Ships/HTL_Fenris_V2.1.rar

Done!



===Leviathan===

Remove:
- Levy-HTL_b.dds
- Levy-HTL_b-shine.dds
- Levy-HTL_Subs.dds
- Levy-HTL_Subs-shine.dds

Update:
- Levy-HTL.dds
- Levy-HTL-shine.dds
- Levy-HTL-glow.dds
- cruiser01x.pof
- cruiser01x.ibx

from http://sectorgame.com/ti-file-dump/VasudanAdmiral/Ships/HTL_Leviathan_V2.1.rar

Done!


===Aeolus===

Remove:
- Aeolus-HTL_Beam1.dds
- Aeolus-HTL_d.dds
- Aeolus-HTL_Flak1.dds

Update:
- Resave Aeolus-HTL-shine.dds as a dxt3 rather than 5 maybe? The Aeolus is otherwise already 100% up to date.

Done!


===Triton===

Remove:
- Triton_HTL1_c.dds

Update:
- Triton_HTL1.dds
- Triton_HTL1-shine.dds
- Triton_HTL1-glow.dds
- Triton_HTLDebris.dds
- Triton_HTLDebris-glow.dds
- Triton_HTL_Turrets.dds
- Triton_HTL_Turrets-shine.dds
- freighter2t-01.pof
- freighter2t-01.ibx

from http://sectorgame.com/ti-file-dump/VasudanAdmiral/Ships/HTL_Triton_V2.0.rar

Done!


===TC-Tri===

Update:
- TC-Tri-HTL.dds
- TC-Tri-HTL-shine.dds
- TC-Tri-HTL_Debris.dds


from http://sectorgame.com/ti-file-dump/VasudanAdmiral/Ships/HTL_TC-Tri_V2.0.rar

Done!


===Lucifer===

Update:
- Lucifer-HTL.dds
- Lucifer-HTL-shine.dds
- Lucifer-HTL-glow.dds
- Lucifer-HTL_Debris.dds
- Lucifer-HTL_Debris-glow.dds

from http://sectorgame.com/ti-file-dump/VasudanAdmiral/Ships/HTL_Lucifer_V2.0.rar

Done!



=======================================

And that's it for now - big list sorry, but there are some big improvments in there from both an aesthetic and functional POV.


Edit: Updated the Fenris and Leviathan to versions 2.1. I had to reconvert them both and fixed a number of other little problems.

Edit: Changed the download links.

[taylor]

@VA:  I haven't checked the other POFs yet, but the Fenris and Leviathan are missing some info.  In particular, the radars don't rotate, the info for rotation is missing from the POF.

[Vasudan Admiral]

Nyarrrgh.
*kicks PCS' global data import function*
Don't worry about checking the other pofs so much - the Fenris/Levy model was the only one that I reconverted, and as such, the one most prone to this sorta problem. I just should have done a more thorough pof data check.

Actually, there's a request for the ship lab. Could there be a rotate turrets/subsystems option? Coupled with Bobs new all-axis rotation thing, that could be a really useful feature for testing the settings for strangely angled subsystems.

Anyways, I've re-uploaded the Fenris and Levy. They should be fine now.

[taylor]

Actually, there's a request for the ship lab. Could there be a rotate turrets/subsystems option?

Already done, and that's how I noticed the problem with the POFs.

Same link that I PMed you before, but it's 0127 instead of 0124.  Just turn on "Rotating subsystems" in the render options to see stuff move.

[Vasudan Admiral]

Ooooh, that's awesome.
Any chance of applying the same thing to turrets too? Maybe having the arms go back up and down to their limits as the base rotates?
I ask mainly because it would be brilliant to be able  to test off-axis turrets in there too. It's very difficult to get turrets just to rotate like that in-game, and thus especially difficult to test off-axis ones.

The ship lab is fast becoming the ultimate POF bughunt & feature tweak platform.

[taylor]

Any chance of applying the same thing to turrets too?

At some point, but not soon.  There are quite a few other, lower level, lab changes that I'd like to make before any additional features are added.  If I add anything else in the next week it will be the ability to show/test thrusters, but then I'll take a break from the lab and work on other stuff (I have a very long list ).

The only reason I'm spending this much time with the lab now is that I need WMC's GUI code (like what the lab uses) to do the new in-game warning popups.  So learning how it works in practice, and figuring out how best to add the new features that I need, is why the lab is a good place to code in right now. 

[Pnakotus]

Thrusters in the lab - with a slider for throttle setting - would utterly rule the kasbah.  Then all you'd need is a way to look at weapon projectiles in the lab and you'd be able to test almost everything in there.

[Vasudan Admiral]

Sorry people, only now do I notice that Truespace has struck again. When I re-converted the Fenris/Levy mesh for version 2.0, TS has managed to slightly shift the position of a few of the textures. The result was that the textures along the sides didn't match the geometry beneath, which looked quite ugly up close.

That's been fixed now, moving the version number up to 2.1. The big post on the previous page has been updated to match:

http://sectorgame.com/ti-file-dump/VasudanAdmiral/Ships/HTL_Fenris_V2.1.rar

http://sectorgame.com/ti-file-dump/VasudanAdmiral/Ships/HTL_Leviathan_V2.1.rar


================

Also, Pnakotus has pointed out that my thruster effects, while ok on fighters, look rather not-ok on many capships. The blue spikes made it look silly, so I've redone the effect  to remove them:

Here's the only modified file:
http://sectorgame.com/ti-file-dump/VasudanAdmiral/thrusterglow01.tga

And if you need the whole package, it also reflects the change: http://sectorgame.com/ti-file-dump/VasudanAdmiral/TerranThrusterGlows.zip