Originally posted by Analazon
LOD0 LOD1 LOD2 LOD3
Standard FS2 Fighter 300 150 75 10
Detailed FS2 Fighter 500 250 100 10
Small FS2 Cap Ship 600 300 150 20
Medium FS2 Cap Ship 800 400 200 30
Large FS2 Cap Ship 1000 500 250 40
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Agreed, but I think that is not an issue now, due to most recent computers handle higher poly ships... I for instance, make some fighters with 800 polys max...
Also, what really makes the FS2 slowdowns are the textures... for example, you only make full use of a 256*256 texture on a fighter, when it is at 100 meters max, but for above 100 meters, you can already use the 128*128 texture, with no loss on detail. Now, Fs2 doesn't make that because, it only uses the 256*256 texes when the Texture Detail is at its max, and th game models only change LODs at a very long range... and that makes slowdowns that aren't really necessary... I cannot explain it very well. But try this: make a fighter model, with say 1000 polys, texture it, and create the 4 LODs ( but these LODs only change in the texture detail, not the model poly count...), then make the first lod only visible within 100 meters, the second within saey 400, and so on... then make a mission loaded only with Myrmidons, with the amount necessary to cause slowdowns, and then make another one with the same number of the fighter you made. Dump the texture detail at the maximum in the options, and test the missions. You will see wich one is slower...
Also, look at Starlancer for instance. It does not use LODs, the fighters are really high poly (some reach 1300 or more...), only the textures change with the distance. But in a mission fuul of ships, it doesn't slow down (or at least not as much as FS2...)... oh, and it has much better graphical effects...
My 2 cents
