[Skullar]

The BABYLON PROJECT makes some usage of the TEXTURE REPLACEMENT feature to give the
OMEGA-DESTROYERS individual nameplates in the missions.

This works fine so far, with a slight bug.

Without texture replacement, the glowmap is used and the nameplate on the side of the destroyer is always readable because always in a "spotlight"

If you use texture replacement, the related glowmap is not used, and so the nameplate is not readable when approaching the destroyer from the dark side.

so ,
the texture eaomega01a or something like that is used flawlessly, but it doesnt work any longer if you tell fred to use eaomega01a_Agamemnon instead, although the related maps are there in map folder.

Did I forgot something ?

[taylor]

The current texture replacement code only works on the base map, so it ignores glow/spec/etc.  I scrapped that old code and rewrote it from scratch to fix this problem.  You can try out the new code by using one of my Xt-based builds in the recent builds forum.  It's still 100% compatible with the old mission settings, but now it will replace ALL of the related textures rather than just the base map.

The only problem with the new code at the moment is that it won't work with scripting or SEXPs due to the design of the code (technically it can work, but it's a seriously convoluted process, so I need to rewrite it).  That is the only holdup with the new code that is preventing it from getting into CVS.  But, it will be completed and ready for 3.6.10.


Another feature of the new texture replacement code is a lower-level ships.tbl version.  It has the exact same syntax as the mission version of texture replacement, but it sets the default textures, just like what is otherwise specified in the model itself.  An example of how this is used can be found with the Fenris and Leviathan models in the MediaVPs.  The POFs are essentially the same, except for the textures.  So with the new code you can just set the Leviathan entry in ships.tbl to use the same POF as the Fenris, but still have a totally different set of textures.  It won't save you a a ships.tbl entry, obviously, but it does save you from having to create extra POFs just to get different textures.  And it also saves memory for everyone since they wouldn't need to have what is essentially two copies of the same model loaded.

[Skullar]

So, this new build can't process any sexps ?
So missions dont work I presume, but you can get some ingame impressions of your texture replacements ?

So far....

Thanks man, I hope this build doesnt take too long to come, since it is ugly to have no-glowmap Omega destroyers, and with the nameplates provided ALL Omega destroyers will use texture replacement in the future. So....

*begging for new build* 

Greetings to all of you SCP guys, without SCP we would have abandoned TBP long ago and switched to other games .. lol

[taylor]

No, I meant that the new texture replacement code can't work through scripting or SEXPs.

At the moment there aren't even SEXPs for doing texture replacement, so that's not a concern for you, but since we want to add such functionality it hurts us.  And the scripting function for texture replacement has been commented out so it won't work, but it won't actually break any scripts.   If you don't use scripting for any texture replacement then you aren't going to lose anything.

[Skullar]

I see....
changing textures.... for example.... lights go on/off on a glowmap or so ? Like a ship powering up / going online ?

Alright, then where do I look for this build ? let me see..... what is "Xt based" ?

[taylor]

http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,50258.0.html

[Skullar]

Thanks man. By the way, did you play any TBP campaigns lately ?

Ever since the last release ( 3.4 ) which is considered... "final", the hesitations of the mission designers are fading.
I am starting to fred too, and with the CIVIL WAR Script complete Reaperman is about to do some serious cutscene filming

RAIDER WARS is a great campaign, and Fortune hunters and Black Hand campaigns are very nice as well.

[karajorma]

One question about texture replacements. What will the code do if the same map is used on both the ship and it's debris? The old code used to have problems with this IIRC.

[taylor]

TBP is in my test pack (data that I test new features with), so I do play, at least a little bit, quite often.  That is really just individual missions though and I don't really keep up with the campaigns, since there is no real time for that unless there is a bug to try and replicate.  I typically just go with a EMW or RW mission, but sometimes I will play an old BHX mission ("Fleet Offensive") or "Vorlons vs. Shadows", depending on what I'm testing.

One question about texture replacements. What will the code do if the same map is used on both the ship and it's debris? The old code used to have problems with this IIRC.

The new texture replacement stuff works on the premise of texture "sets", which is just an array of the textures that a model will use.  Even on model load it will create a base set and use that if nothing else exists, and this is used as base for both ship and mission level replacement sets.  When a model is rendered it will get it's textures through a pointer that simply points to the current/active texture set.  That's the low-level of it anyway.

But I did just check the debris code and it doesn't currently do anything different than what it did before.  It would be trivial to fix though, so I'll add that to my list for this later this week.

[Darklord42]

so this new code is already in the 10/28xt build?   Then what is with all the bugs withs -glow and  -spec.  was it still not working with MacOSX?

[taylor]

so this new code is already in the 10/28xt build?   Then what is with all the bugs withs -glow and  -spec.  was it still not working with MacOSX?

Yeah, the new texture replacement code has been in my Xt builds for the past 6-7 months or so.  The -glow and -spec problems are unrelated though, simply being a shader/texture issue that I haven't been able to track down yet.

[Skullar]

Uhmm.... doesnt work. When I tell laucher to use any of 3.6.10 builds it crashes and complains.

[taylor]

Complains about what?

It may be the build type, now that I think about it.  Does newer TBP data still require Inferno builds?  If so then it won't work with the Xt's since they are just standard builds.

[Skullar]

complaining is about.... some error and the program feeling sorry for the inconvenience if I were in the middle of something or so....

So what am I supposed to do now ? Wait for something or download something else ?

[taylor]

So what am I supposed to do now ?

Tell me exactly what it's complaining about, otherwise I have no idea what the problem is and no idea what to recommend that you do about it.

[Skullar]

tried this 3.6.10 inferno build, but it didnt change anything regarding glowmap ignorance.
will tell you later, MY pc is not here right now.

[Col. Fishguts]

The recent XT builds work fine with TBP data. Although my TBP install is a 3.3a with most of the 3.4 data added manually in the /data folder.

[Skullar]

IPAndrews told me KARAJORMA has always taken responsibility for providing stable build for TBP, I hope you two can sort something out for us. I really sucks if nameplated Omegadestroyers can't have glowmaps *cry*

Greetings,
Skullar

[karajorma]

As soon as Taylor's nameplate changes are in CVS I'll be able to add them.

[Skullar]

You just made my day

And I got the RUBICON ready for you