[TrashMan]

Meh.... those "3D" (READ: planar) shockwaves always looked terrible to me.

[Nighteyes]

now the trivial question: what is actually preventing the engine to selectably force the normal of the wave pointing towards the player or not? Wouldn't that render the 2D wave completely obsolete?

Having said that it's a pity we have to wait for ED coming out to use it!

I agree, making the shockwave pof always face the player will give us 2 main advantages over the 2D shockwaves...
1. higher rez shockwave with the same texture memory
2. the 2D plane won't turn(move to always face the player) as the player moves his ship, it will act as a 3D object, stationary and with depth... IMO a very nice tuch

why can't the host player in multiplayer be the one the shockwave normal is determined by? others players will view the shockwave from different angles, but when you think about it it won't be any different from what we have now(random shockwaves)

[General Battuta]

2. the 2D plane won't turn(move to always face the player) as the player moves his ship, it will act as a 3D object, stationary and with depth... IMO a very nice tuch

While I'm with you on other points, this doesn't make any sense. Shockwaves are spherical.

[Nighteyes]

2. the 2D plane won't turn(move to always face the player) as the player moves his ship, it will act as a 3D object, stationary and with depth... IMO a very nice tuch

While I'm with you on other points, this doesn't make any sense. Shockwaves are spherical.

it does make sence, maybe I wasn't clear... were not discussing on how to make spherical shockwaves, as we all agree its currently not possible, what we are talking about is making the current ones look better, and using a pof model will achive this

[General Battuta]

Right, but from a physical standpoint the shockwave should always face the observer.

[chief1983]

I don't think there's any reason the normal of an effect needs to be server controlled, the normal could just as easily be determined by the client side, so every client sees the same flat disc, if that were possible in single player.  I don't know why that would need to be server controlled.  Although, some people like their 3d shockwaves to be visible from different angles.

[quadrophoeniX]

2. the 2D plane won't turn(move to always face the player) as the player moves his ship, it will act as a 3D object, stationary and with depth... IMO a very nice tuch

While I'm with you on other points, this doesn't make any sense. Shockwaves are spherical.

I think you actually are with him - somehow at least. He is talking about a circle of which the normal always faces the player - so he always will see the wave a circle which is the best simulation of a real sphere the engine could achieve at the moment. On the multiplayer issue, couldn't it be done to force the forced normal, while in single player people could choose between locked normal and free which would correspond to "3D in 2D manner" and "3D classic"?

[General Battuta]

Nope, in that quote there, he specified a circle whose normal didn't always face the player.

[Nighteyes]

Nope, in that quote there, he specified a circle whose normal didn't always face the player.

No, with that quote I was refering to the way 2D planes always move with the camera, giving away the illusion of a 2D plane, I do want the shockwave always to face the camera, I just meant that having a pof model will work better then the 2D plane method

[TrashMan]

The end effect is the same. It will look the same too.

[quadrophoeniX]

The end effect is the same. It will look the same too.

comparing the 2D variant on page 2 and the latest 3D version of him I beg to differ....

[jr2]

the latest 3D version of him I beg to differ....

Screenies anyone?

[Nighteyes]

The end effect is the same. It will look the same too.

don't speak if you don't know what you'r talking about please, there is a huge difference, both in the resolution used for the effect and by the way it renders as well...

[TrashMan]

I mean the overall feel of it. The angled planar and the 2D one have completely different "feels".

a 3D one will look sharper, because of higher-res.
I'm using a 2D one exclusively, but I would switch to a 3D one if it was always facing the player.

[Spoon]

If the 3d shockwave was always facing the player like the 2d shockwave, it would kinda lose the purpose if you ask me
What makes 3d shockwaves so great is that you can actually 'ride the shockwave'

[jr2]

I mean the overall feel of it. The angled planar and the 2D one have completely different "feels".

a 3D one will look sharper, because of higher-res.
I'm using a 2D one exclusively, but I would switch to a 3D one if it was always facing the player.

Facing? As in the visible plane is perpendicular to your viewpoint? Or parallel to it?

[DaBrain]

Well, lets wait and see what the particle system rework will make possible.

If it has enough options, a spherical shockwave with particles would be awesome. (In combination with a PP distortion effect.)

Somewhat like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKK5gumNap8

[Kolgena]

The end effect is the same. It will look the same too.

Are you sure about this? I thought the 2D ones always spawned behind ships, but if the 3D one spawns in the ships, there might be wonky clipping happening as you fly tight circles around the exploding ship.

Also, that Transformers explosion looks awesome, but would definitely rape my video card

[DaBrain]

Also, that Transformers explosion looks awesome, but would definitely rape my video card

It's just particles, moving at the same speed away from the origin into random directions. I doubt a PC that can handle the current FSO version + MediaVPs will have any problems with an effect like that.

I'm pretty sure the new particle code will be way more efficient than the current one... cause that's not very difficult...

[Nighteyes]

a simple sphere of paricles won't look good, it will need special shades on them to add refraction/heat distorshen to them and of course a falloff so the ones right infront of you won't show up, only the outer ones will...