View Full Version : The Tower Of Knowledge, a NGLE benchmark demo...
To keep things interesting for me as a builder I want to create a scenery that sucks the engine dry. To find a balance between detail and rendering as this old engine depends merely on the processor instead of your 3D card. I run two geforces 260 in SLI mode and still my big sceneries chuckles in framerate.
It will be a view in the kitchen of levelbuilding as I will release everything that has to do with this demo. From the Meta mesh files through textures, project and wad. It is supposed to be inspirational for new and existing builders on how to combine textures on objects with detail without going overboard in vertices or texture size. Especially in complex scenes it is important to keep objects as simple as possible to keep your framerate high.
It will also show how far you can get with textures in your wad using NGLE. This project will fail in the original tomb raider as it uses the bounderies of NGLE. Yes, this engine is old and antialiasing and mipmapping are things to dream of. Also important is the draw distance. The old engine and TREP suffer from heavy clipping on latest hardware but the draw distance will lift the clipping a lot when your levelfarview is set to 127 and thus it will create smoother scenery.
I have worked for several weeks now and will show only a peek into things that will come. It is not a level and will not be playable. It is just a high tech demo like NVIDIA or 3D future mark. The in game shots are beta but almost finished. The horizon itself is alread 24 texture pages.
When is it coming you may ask, well when it is ready. It wont take that long next to Sanctuary of Souls :)
When viewing the pictures get a good impression of the mood of the demo by listening to the title music: http://home.kpn.nl/~piega3/TofK.mp3
http://home.kpn.nl/~piega3/tower1.jpg
http://home.kpn.nl/~piega3/tower2.jpg
http://home.kpn.nl/~piega3/tower3.jpg
http://home.kpn.nl/~piega3/tower4.jpg
http://home.kpn.nl/~piega3/tower5.jpg
http://home.kpn.nl/~piega3/tower6.jpg
http://home.kpn.nl/~piega3/tower7.jpg
http://home.kpn.nl/~piega3/tower8.jpg
http://home.kpn.nl/~piega3/tower9.jpg
http://home.kpn.nl/~piega3/tower10.jpg
http://home.kpn.nl/~piega3/tower11.jpg
The last pic is totally gorgeous. :eek: :cln: :tmb:
It's very pretty! ^.^ I think it's great allthough one corner of the tower and two Meta shots aren't much to show :p hehe Looks good though. I hope to see more somedayl. ^^
When is it coming you may ask, well when it is ready. It wont take that long next to Sanctuary of Souls :)
So it still might take 3 years because the demo of SoS was released in 2005?
Sorry I really like to see screenshots of your projects Piega but after all it's a bit dissapoiting to see everything but never played by ourselfs :(
but the pictures you shown above look GREAT! :D
Do I have the Talent?: Somewhat, Yes
Do I have the Time?: Yes
Do I have the Tools?: Yes
Do I have the Knowledge? Yes
Do I have the Patience? NO!
At least theres someone sucking the engine dry and milking the cow for all its worth...maybe someday i'll have the patience and time/energy...:ton:
Projects come and go, mine comes and comes untill it is there. I also have a job. A lot of spare time go's into my hobby. What can I do to encourage patience.
Blockbuster games are made in years with a team of hundred people. I work alone. Where is "The Beginning", "Develish Habitat" and other projects that are years in the making. At least I'm here and telling there is progress and yet I get executed for this by you.
Do I have the Talent?: Somewhat, Yes
Do I have the Time?: Yes
Do I have the Tools?: Yes
Do I have the Knowledge? Yes
Do I have the Patience? NO!
At least theres someone sucking the engine dry and milking the cow for all its worth...maybe someday i'll have the patience and time/energy...:ton:
Patience, knowledge and time are the structural learning basics for everything
:D
Projects come and go, mine comes and comes untill it is there. I also have a job. A lot of spare time go's into my hobby. What can I do to encourage patience.
Blockbuster games are made in years with a team of hundred people. I work alone. Where is "The Beginning", "Develish Habitat" and other projects that are years in the making. At least I'm here and telling there is progress and yet I get executed for this by you.
The Beginning is in GeckoKid's hard drive and I imagine so is Devilish Habitat is in Harly Wuson's :p But to tell you the truth Geckokid I believe switched over to a different NGLE and like it killed his textures I think, maybe if he sees this he himself can explain what's up with his project. And Harly is probably in hiding as always XD I can't really speak for him... :p
I know the problem with Jack. NGLE does not work well on his laptop. But I would like to keep the focus on this project or this topic is going to exist out of things besides the subject.
*drools*
I love what you have made so far.
It is looking rally good. Simply great! :tmb:
Too bad it won't be playable. I love running around in beautifull scenery, like your gardens. :D
24 pages for the horizon alone! :eek:
I will release everything that has to do with this demo. From the Meta mesh files through textures, project and wad.Oohhh! I can already see where I could use those old wood beam textures. :jmp:
Sorry I really like to see screenshots of your projects Piega but after all it's a bit dissapoiting to see everything but never played by ourselfsBelieve me. You will think it was well worth it to wait this long for Sanctuary of Souls once you've played it. ;)
Well I wanted to use the original resolution of the horizon that I found but it would cost 96 texture pages. I dont think that will work :) Well, you can walk around in it and admire but there will be little to zero gameplay. I cant wait to show what this will be. You think it is an ordinairy tower top :D It has also a beautiful stunning orchestral piece of music to go with it.
Hateshinai
05-04-09, 17:53
The nicest thing to do about horizon is to mix an actual horizon you downloaded on google or else with ingame screen capture just like a skyline . I will make the contrast between the actual level and the horizon less noticeable, the horizon will look less fake ;)
I hope you see what I mean ..
I have absolutely no idea what you mean. If you mean the contrast between the tower and the horizon itself then I can tell that I want to change the horizons contrast as it is too soft compared to what I am after. So that will be ok. But maybe you mean something else? The horizon is a box and has a 100% round view in game.
Hmmm. Am I correct in saying that this project will be something close to a fly-by camera tour?
Its not playable, its more like a graphics showcase, right? :confused:
And as for the background looking too soft, in the shots at least it looks ok to me :) sometimes you can get that misty effect on valleys and stuff.
A little play, a matter of a minute actually. Ever seen 3D mark? That kind of thing. As for the horizon you might be right but I have to see the difference first :) For gameplay you can fall back on the Sanctuaries a litte later or sooner :)
The nicest thing to do about horizon is to mix an actual horizon you downloaded on google or else with ingame screen capture just like a skyline . I will make the contrast between the actual level and the horizon, the horizon will look less fake ;)
I hope you see what I mean ..
I'm interested in understanding what you mean so could you explain? :D
This is really interesting! Top stuff as always, René. You never stop to amaze me! I would love to see what you could do if you got your hands on a new game engine when you can do such magic with our old one :):)
ShadyCroft
06-04-09, 12:25
Excellent work as always, Piega ! :tmb:
Hateshinai
06-04-09, 23:28
Sorry I was in a hurry when I wrote that post, some words got stuck in my keyboard ^^
Anyway what I mean is that you could create an ingame scenery then take a picture of it, crop it, paste a sky behind it and make it your horizon so that it will really look 3D
Sorry I was in a hurry when I wrote that post, some words got stuck in my keyboard ^^
Anyway what I mean is that you could create an ingame scenery then take a picture of it, crop it, paste a sky behind it and make it your horizon so that it will really look 3D
Won't that be complicated trying to get it to be 360 degrees and seamless?
i'd love to play it :D
and yeah, the beginning is still in my harddrive, but my laptop doesn't like ngle, and it puts me off building :( but i swear i'll come back to it someday...
Release a demo geckokid!! At least we get it!!!
none of the levels is wrapped up enough to be released just like that tho...
stranger1992
07-04-09, 01:46
Aylesbury-Marylebone is it? :P
Release a demo geckokid!! At least we get it!!!
none of the levels is wrapped up enough to be released just like that tho...
Good choice. Don't want people stealing any of your wonderful anims and ideas for puzzles and such. :) We'll all wait patiently. ^^
Enough OT me thinks...
Hateshinai
07-04-09, 08:12
Won't that be complicated trying to get it to be 360 degrees and seamless?
Not at all :p
With Photoshop, everything is graphically possible :p
I'll try to post a screen of what I've done soon .
Not at all :p
With Photoshop, everything is graphically possible :p
I'll try to post a screen of what I've done soon .
Awesome. I've got PS CS3 so :p
Sorry I was in a hurry when I wrote that post, some words got stuck in my keyboard ^^
Anyway what I mean is that you could create an ingame scenery then take a picture of it, crop it, paste a sky behind it and make it your horizon so that it will really look 3D
There is no scenery meant to be on the background. I got the idea and it is a great idea but not for this :)
Aylesbury-Marylebone is it? :P
if you do meet up with me i'll be happy to let you play it :)
MyRaider4Life
10-04-09, 22:16
Hows The Tower of Knowledge going Pegia?
BTW It looks amazing
It is going great. I'm working very hard on it now. I'm sure I will post new screens in a few days. The outside meshes are almost finished but a lot of fake UV mapping has to be done to get it textured so that may take a while.
But be sure it is going to be amazing. I have combined a lot of ideas and inspiration in graphic design. I'm afraid though that only fast processors in the future will handle the framerate well. I already know that the demo will be about 100 MB.
I'm having much fun with this demo and I think it will be ready before my game.
I was thinking about doing this kind of things as well, as in benchmark/showcase designs. Coming up with gameplay, which after all is bound with the level design, has always been a big amount of work by itself, sometimes big enough to discourage me from attempting to make certain levels happen...
MyRaider4Life
11-04-09, 09:38
I cant wait for the new screens!!!!
Just a quick question, are your objects still under 700 polys or are these object put in with Meta? :D
All objects are under the 1000 poly limit. So I have to split objects or they wont import right in Strpix. This project exist all out of objects, there is no editor block involved, none. Well maybe a few on the floor but thats about it :)
@Dustie, gameplay is not importent here so all the focus is graphics. So why dont you make a demo or something? So that you can express creativity. Not everything has to be a standard level to play. I also liked the music videos from Baddy. A lot of work go's into that with timing and such.
I am thinking about it, since a lot of the time I come up with an exciting idea for a location, but can't really think of any gameplay I could put in there. Making a showcase/demo/concept level would definately be a good way to show off creativity and design skills.
BTW, my 1000th post! :D
A new update. Now it will take a week and some more to reveal the total concept of what I'm creating. I have more then 3000 faces to texture :D For now the framerate is going fine so I'm not afraid this will drop a lot. Screenshots are still beta.
http://home.hetnet.nl/~piega3/tower5.jpg
http://home.hetnet.nl/~piega3/tower6.jpg
http://home.hetnet.nl/~piega3/tower7.jpg
laracroftswest
12-04-09, 21:28
Looks amazing!
*picks up jaw from floor*
Very, very good looking! :tmb:
It is more than stunning! I'm speechless! :D :jmp:
Great work and keep 'em coming :tmb:
Looks out of this world, really :)
Amazing Piega, just amazing! :tmb:
THIS IS AMAZING!!
I would love to see what you can do with a horror game :D
Horror is not my thing. I tried to build a base level once but I'm not into that. I dont like places that are dead and abandoned. I'm more the fantasy type of guy. I like architectural buildings like churches. I hate games like shooters that take place in industrial buildings and streets.
Now horror can be moody. I played a game once but dont remember the title. It was at a school and it had a nice visual setting. I never finished it though. Alone in the dark has also some nice visual settings but this engine is not really handy for that.
I cannot wait to show the full tower. It looks even for me out of this world :D
MyRaider4Life
13-04-09, 23:54
Show it! :jmp: Show it! :jmp: Show it! :jmp:
Please Piega show the tower. :D
Love the new screenies! Looks beautiful :tmb:
It must have taken a while to get those curved walls to fit right?
Show it! :jmp: Show it! :jmp: Show it! :jmp:
Please Piega show the tower. :D
LoL :D A little patience. I can show it but there are some unfinished interior walls and that is not a right presentation right? The inside is also stunning. Did I say I like mechanism's? It is really becoming a stunning demo. You only saw a lamp and a roof top :) But I'm teasing, you might not like it at all. It might be dissapointing :D
I still have to build the inside but it is finished in my head. I know what I want. If I have room I want to create fake real time shadows but I have to see if that is possible texture wise.
@Shauni, the round walls are actually very simple. I know what to do in Meta and the editor blocks. Fitting the windows is harder as their outline is a transparent cut in the stone textures. UV mapping is not possible so this is the only option and keeps lighting in the right way :)
MyRaider4Life
15-04-09, 03:27
LoL :D A little patience. I can show it but there are some unfinished interior walls and that is not a right presentation right? The inside is also stunning. Did I say I like mechanism's? It is really becoming a stunning demo. You only saw a lamp and a roof top :) But I'm teasing, you might not like it at all. It might be dissapointing :D
I still have to build the inside but it is finished in my head. I know what I want. If I have room I want to create fake real time shadows but I have to see if that is possible texture wise.
@Shauni, the round walls are actually very simple. I know what to do in Meta and the editor blocks. Fitting the windows is harder as their outline is a transparent cut in the stone textures. UV mapping is not possible so this is the only option and keeps lighting in the right way :)
I will not be dissapointed. :D
I look up to you because you make such good levels and I hope to be able to do that someday. :)
I present the tower of knowledge. The tower that can travel around the world to increase its knowledge and to share it over the world. More coming soon...
http://home.hetnet.nl/~piega3/tower8.jpg
http://home.hetnet.nl/~piega3/tower9.jpg
Well done! :tmb:
I'm officially impressed now. :D
I suppose those blades spin around and fly that tower across the world? :D
Where did you get the idea of a travelling tower, sharing knowledge all over the world? (I like the idea a lot)
Well I like the zeppelin from the 3D mark demo. I actually dont know how it became a tower. I guess of the greek columns I made first. A sort of library will be on the second floor of the tower, mechanisms that stear the tower and such but that is still a lot of work so I made the shots that you cannot see inside :)
You will love the music that go's together with this tower. You have to make it fly first. Pity is that there are limits. I wish I could do more in terms of grapics. Now it really shows how old this engine is. I'm afraid fake real time shadow will not be possible. I'm already at 67 texture pages.
We will see, it is far from finished. Something must be attached on those rings on top of the little towers :D
who knew the old junker could crank this out. The question is, can she do more :tea:
It looks wonderful piega, I look forward to playing it, and then stealing from the wad :ton:
Wonder ehat outfit he'll use. of course not a highpoly outfit... or will her. Maybe a Po Yu? Trangles are to high. How about a HG, or maybe a masked Raider
It will not really be playable. I cannot tell wich direction it is going. It all depends how the framerate will be. Maybe I must get rid of the greek columns.
8 columns of 7824 vertices
16 windows of 11840 vertices
And a lot more. It still runs fine but the interior will also be detailed and high. It is after all a sort of benchmark for the engine. The faster your processor the better it will run. The latest 3D cards have very little work on this engine.
So ummm it'll basically be a flyby of the level?
Very impressive. What is the horizon based on? A sphere?...
The tower with its small propellers kind of reminds me of some of the scenes from the final fantasy games. You know these weird and beautiful airships and thingies. Looks just fantastic and I love the fantasy touch!!! BTW, the horor game you mentioned earlier..can it be "Silent Hill 1"?
The horizon is a cube but a very professional one. You simply dont see it. Some one made it with a few programs for Unreal.
I've never seen final fantasy so I have no idea. Never saw Silent Hill either :)
This will be the last one for now. The interior is the next step :) The tower will also have an entrance in the form of a balcony but I have to work on that. Imagen it is on the other side :D
All shots floating in this topic are gathered in the first.
http://home.hetnet.nl/~piega3/tower10.jpg
MyRaider4Life
19-04-09, 09:23
Looks amazing Peiga,
Also would it actually be possible to make the game playable instead of a Flyby? :)
A little gameplay will be there but what can you expect inside a tower?
MyRaider4Life
19-04-09, 10:17
A little gameplay will be there but what can you expect inside a tower?
If you are asking me,
Then I can expect a Beautiful room with a Round staircase in the middle and there are Vases around the room with little plants in them and then a nice carpet that is leading to the the stairs and one that goes around the stairs, and a Chandelier on some part of the ceiling. :)
IMO that would be amazing
A round staircase will not be there as it is simply not possible for Lara to walk on it. The editor blocks wont allow right collision for a round stair.
But there will be an elevator. Everything will have mechanics. The inside is also finished in my head. Dont worry it will look good :)
Here is an example from Final fantasy 9. I know it is not the same but as I said, it reminds me of that. (I love ff9!):
http://anshiro.free.fr/Final%20Fantasy%209/Images/Final%20Fantasy%209%20_%204.jpg
Oh and I still wonder what horror game it was!! If not Silent hill hmm
MyRaider4Life
19-04-09, 11:46
A round staircase will not be there as it is simply not possible for Lara to walk on it. The editor blocks wont allow right collision for a round stair.
But there will be an elevator. Everything will have mechanics. The inside is also finished in my head. Dont worry it will look good :)
Will you have a Chandelier and a some nice plants and a carpet?
That would really set the mood. :D
Maybe :D
Edit: Oh my god QRS, now my ship looks so simple :( :) Beautiful shot though. I like shots like these. So out of this world. We all want to escape from reality once in a while :)
MyRaider4Life
19-04-09, 11:55
Maybe :D
Usually when people make a post saying Maybe with a smiley that usually means yes. :D
Stop it, René! The FF9 shot is from the short and beautiful movie sequences in the game, so it is not playable in any kind! Your tower is simply amazing and not at all boring!! If you have not played the ff games and love console rpg's you should try them out! And yes, I love to dream and and escape from reallity myself and these games helps me with that!
Here is the intro for the game. The visuals for the actual gameply is not that good (the game is from 2000 or similar for the psx) but the fmv's are great I think! And the music!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nsy6IS-1dYA&feature=related
Romantics Inc.
19-04-09, 15:19
I am just stricken...
This is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in TRLE lol! HOW DID YOU DO THAT!?!? :p
Piega,this idea come from Gulliver's travel (1996)? in that movie you can see an island of knowledge...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOFn0eCFV8M&feature=related
@QRS I knew it was not it game. Imagen all those polys. I think we will have to wait another 10 years to see that although Assassins Creed comes close in terms of wide scenery. I'm not fond of rgp's or I would have played all those FF :) I'm more of the adventure fantasy type. There is not much besides Tomb Raider and Prince of Persia for me :)
@Romantics Inc it is all objects made in Meta. There is no editor block involved.
@McRaider I never saw this movie but the island looks impressive. The idea is from me but so many things has been made up, some day there has to be coincendence with certain ideas :)
Then you should broaden your horizon a bit byat least try somw adventure games like "Syberia" or "The longest journey"! ;) No RPG games but hard cool beautiful adventure games hehe.
Keep working on this though. I can't wait to see it!!
I played Syberia 1 and 2 :) Very beautiful and moody games. I love games like this only when you are stuck you cannot progress. I loved the story very much.
Never played the longest journey. I guess I can try it. So much to do, so little time :)
Syberia is fantastic!! (Both of them!!) The longest journey is one of the best adventure games I have ever played, so try it!! It is just...amazing! It is from 2000 I think and the graphics is not that great these days but still it is top class in story and gameplay i think. There is a sequel which is much better when it comes to the graphics, but the story and gameplay is not that good though.
Anyway, time for me to stop the off topic chat. Keep on working on your adventure and tower level now!! THEN you can play other games *joking*
that is absoloutly beautifull,I love the textures and the amount of detail in the objects,is this all made using meta and mata2tr???
also do those propellers spin??:)
Level NextGen
23-04-09, 16:33
:yik: Totally ... No words :p ! It is realy "lovely" :D........
I love this kind of environment. It's look totaly magical (Yes I've found the word :p). It's remember to me the game Myst or Final Fantasy (And I'm keen on this kind of game) in which we are really speechless by the beauty and the grandeur of the landscape ; even if, sometimes there aren't any strong story.
.... Really ! no words! to explain these pictures... just impatient to play :jmp:.
@Anders, I took a look on Dreamfall. When I run into a copy I will take it :) I heard about the second chapter but I dont know why I ignored it. Anyway, Syberia is an adventure that stays in your memory. I could play it again as I forget all those puzzles :) Edit: Anders it is very hard to find a copy online but I did find one :) Graphics that are old is not important. It is the mood from that time :) Ever played "the Dig" from Lucas? Also an oldy but very good. I liked the story a lot. Steven Spielberg wanted to make a movie from it but was to expensive at that time so it turned into a game. Maybe some day :)
@larafan25 Everything is made in Meta. I dont use meta2tr. And the propellors spin around or my tower will fall :p
@Level NextGen magical it is but it is not for play. Read the first post. Working on the inside now. It is coming nicely :)
Will check out "the dig" as soon as I can! Lucas games are often very good!
Level NextGen
27-04-09, 22:31
@Level NextGen magical it is but it is not for play. Read the first post. Working on the inside now. It is coming nicely :)
... Oops, just impatient to play at your GAMES... I misspoke :o. I think this isn't playable... May be this Tower doesn't belong anymore to your game... Well!
Nevermind :D !!!! But it magical :p
so if it's not for play will it be like a cutscene?
!Lara Croft!
08-05-09, 12:10
Wow, my thought patterns have turned to this design and theme, giving me idea's to give to you...
What about the balcony on the roof? Like open up the walls of the upper most level (with supports for the shelter above) and put like a boat steering wheel there.
And in terms of outfit...
How would a Next-Gen TR4 Young Lara look in this tower? Im putting one together for release. (using PoYu's meshes and textures) Let me know if you'd like me to send it to you.
@ !Lara Croft! The demo will turn into something the engine allows in terms of vertices and framerate. The inside will also be detailed.
I have an outfit in mind but it has to be themed in contrast to the tower :) The inside is going well but in between I'm playing "the longest journey" and that game is very long :)
@ Compass Connect the dots with wires and think again :)
stranger1992
08-05-09, 16:52
Could you show an in-editor screen of the outside please? I'm really interested to see how its all put together :D
Also, when oyu do release it, remember to Crypt your data file with the NGtomb2pc. ;)
scoopy_loopy
08-05-09, 16:58
"crypting"... Id rather just let people rip my stuff. Its a form of flattery really :D
stranger1992
08-05-09, 17:04
Oh come on, can you see that when this gem gets released people will try to rip something from it. I'd like to see them try though because i bet the objects fit together like a puzzle. :cln:
scoopy_loopy
08-05-09, 17:10
You were the one that suggested crypting the files to begin with :tea:
I still say that someone using your objects in their level is a form of flattery.
stranger1992
08-05-09, 17:11
perhaps, though personally i'd feel insulted if they didnt ask.
scoopy_loopy
08-05-09, 17:12
Personally I think credit is fine, besides if they dont you can always spam TRF's about it. Nothing like abit of self promotion :D
Flattered or not I wish people would read the first post rather then asking questions about tings I already told. Then you will read everybody can use everything. It is not a long post and I dont think I'm typing Chinese. End of my rant :D
If you dont want people to rip stuff then dont bother to create it. What have we ripped from all the official games to use? Anyway that is what I think. I only dont like people to rip things from my demo because the full game is not ready. After that release my objects have fulfill their purpose and then I dont mind. You dont get textures from an unreleased game.
Anyway here two editor screens. It is a mess to see and it is not ready. Basicly my tower consist out of animating objects. Each animating object has several meshes. Look at the selected red object. It has several meshes in the tree. Place 4 and I have one round part :) When you see it it is really simple. Just know your way in Meta. Also I put my textures in my mind on the faces in Meta so no strange, squashed or disorded textures.
http://home.hetnet.nl/~piega3/tower_edit.jpg
WOW! You must have stacked several rooms to do that! :yik:
I'm loving it! :tmb:
scoopy_loopy
08-05-09, 17:39
Flattered or not I wish people would read the first post rather then asking questions about tings I already told. Then you will read everybody can use everything. It is not a long post and I dont think I'm typing Chinese. End of my rant :D
If you dont want people to rip stuff then dont bother to create it. What have we ripped from all the official games to use? Anyway that is what I think. I only dont like people to rip things from my demo because the full game is not ready. After that release my objects have fulfill their purpose and then I dont mind. You dont get textures from an unreleased game.
Righto Piega, keep your jocks on :p I read your first post, and each other post you made in this thread - I was merely making a comment about how I think I would feel if people ripped my meshes, nicht wether or not people were going to be able to use yours.
WOW! You must have stacked several rooms to do that! :yik:
I'm loving it! :tmb:
Yes, I could have made the whole tower a lot smaller but then I cannot use Lara to give contrast of the epic scale. Sinds Lara can travel on the upper and lower floors I have to use stacked rooms.
@ Scoopy I was talking in general, not aiming at any one in particular. I tried to be nice in an angry way :D
Patricia_S
10-05-09, 07:43
Pure beauty!!! :eek:
It all looks very steampunk like, i love it! Clockworks and flying engines, great!
The first shot of the inside. Work in progress. Frame rate is still going fine but drops a little but not much. I think I can squeeze everything I want into the tower. Till now strpix has 72 texture pages :)
http://home.hetnet.nl/~piega3/tower11.jpg
72 textures pages and the game is not crashing at load ?... Beware I think you're going quite high :s With 68, my game was crashing easily in "well-textured" aeras...
But it's really good :D ^^ Love it :p Release date already ? XDDD
That is stunning Piega! Stunning! :tmb: :hug:
Patricia_S
10-05-09, 14:34
68 pages! Damn you are pushing the limits!
This level has very few textured level blocks so I can go on for a few pages. It is the many rooms and textured walls that will shorten your texture memory. All my rooms are empty as the tower is 100% objects. I know that there will come a limit but it wont affect the final outcome.
Thanks fellow builders :)
Hello Piega !
It's really the most beautiful work on Level Editor I've ever seen ! :)
I only have one question. I also work with animatings to create my levels. But when Lara is in a room in down or in top, the objects disappear... If I'm not wrong, it's the same with static objects. It's a bit annoying. Do you have a solution to avoid that ? Or you maybe have the same problem ? :p
You need to set collision in the animation editor. This collision will also be recognized as the visibility area. For static you have two separate areas. One for collision and the other for visibility.
If you have an object that sticks out into another room then you have to devide the object in two. A good example is the column in the Karnak wad where Lara enters the first outside area. The top is in the upper room and is a separate object. If you put a whole column in the lower room and you would look up in the upper room the object will not be drawn as the entire lower room is not present in the field of view.
i... love... you...
I'm married :D
For any one interested it is really cool what you can do with textures from various sources. With a little photoshop you can make all new scenery that will look fresh, new and unseen.
http://www.cgtextures.com/
This looks like something you would see in Prince Of Persia! :) It looks great!
scoopy_loopy
10-05-09, 15:41
I'm married :D
Wow really? I always thought you were gay like most other LEer's :tea:
Patricia_S
10-05-09, 16:18
Piega you made my day *muah!*
I found the texture i was looking for, after trying 6 sets today (well at least i have plenty of textures ready to use now) hehehe.. fine link i had completely forgotten about
:hug:
Wow really? I always thought you were gay like most other LEer's :tea:
I am gay but here in the Netherlands we can marry :) We are together for 17 years and are 1,5 year married. Just for legal purposes though. I'm very down to earth and I'm not into that stuff. If I was normal then I would not want to marry either. So no worries :D
I am gay but here in the Netherlands we can marry :) We are together for 17 years and are 1,5 year married. Just for legal purposes though. I'm very down to earth and I'm not into that stuff. If I was normal then I would not want to marry either. So no worries :D
Cool! Finally one damn country in the world who has the sense to allow people to live their own life and not interfer with things like sexuallity etc. Viva Netherlands!!
Anyway, back to topic :)
I'm married :D
For any one interested it is really cool what you can do with textures from various sources. With a little photoshop you can make all new scenery that will look fresh, new and unseen.
http://www.cgtextures.com/
I think I found the window that provided the inspiration for the windows on the tower. :D
scoopy_loopy
11-05-09, 04:24
I am gay but here in the Netherlands we can marry :) We are together for 17 years and are 1,5 year married. Just for legal purposes though. I'm very down to earth and I'm not into that stuff. If I was normal then I would not want to marry either. So no worries :D
Ah, I thought this was the case :p
Australia has a similiar thing, "For legal purposes"... but its just so that Gays can get taxed as much as straight people :vlol:
*The government is smarter than it appears* :tea:
I love the texture site you linked us to, thanks very much for posting it :D
i've just seen the screens, i have no words, piega o_o
"stunning" is not enough, really, neither "brilliant" :p
w-o-w :D
i'm having a lot of unrecovarable crash troubles for some stupid high-poly railings in a hall and u'r doing all this, i'm speechless :p
OMG:jmp::jmp:
It looks amazing Piega!!!!!
I love it:cln:
I think I found the window that provided the inspiration for the windows on the tower. :D
I found it to haha! :D
I think I found the window that provided the inspiration for the windows on the tower. :D
lol it's identical! :D lol this one resembles somehow the lion fountain :D
http://www.cgtextures.com/thumbnails/textures/Windows/Ornate/WindowsOrnate0015_thumblarge.jpg
Good :D You see how inspirational pictures can be. There are many other things combined from other shots that I found with google like the lantern. With photoshop I edit all the textures to fit to my liking. Maybe there will be glass stain in the windows but I'm not sure if it will be nice. Looking at all those pictures is very dangerous. It makes me dream up scenery that I want to create but I cant. I dont have the time :)
The tower design is from myself. It is just a matter of taste how to combine all those things to make it a pretty picture. Now everything may not turn out the way I or you like it but overall I think it turns out nice. Still there are limits. Imagene the beauty of this scenery in a more recent engine with real time shadows and such. But its the old Tomb Raider engine, pity that I am stuck here :)
Pictures can be very inspirational! :jmp:
And there's nothing whatsoever wrong with using stuff from pictures on the internet.
Your 3D version of that window look great and they fit the tower well.
How's progress btw?
stupid question :D : how do u make those shadows (eg the ones from bookcases in the interior)? since black becomes transparent in semi-transparent objects O.ò meta2tr or other tricks? :D
and how long have u been working on this? :D
@ Titak maybe you missed this shot :)
http://home.hetnet.nl/~piega3/tower11.jpg
@ deskj I think I am 2 months on it now. As for the shadows, You are almost right. It is the other way around. The shadow is the normal texture and the light is a static mesh with a white gradient texture :) It is not perfect yet. I intent to make the floor textures darker to even the contrast.
I think stained glass would fit in the windows, like the same stained glass from your SoS project ;)
Even if this would take up all the resources of the engine for one level, would it not be posible to make like 10 similar levels to make one long level? (Not saying you should do that lol! Just talking about it being posible!) Sort of like the loading time in Resident evil when you enter a new room etc.
Imagine 20 towers and Lara teleporting to the next after solving really hard puzzles in each one hehe.
Oh well, my imagination takes me away again. Fantastic pic of the bookcases btw!!
I also found the bookcase you've recreated haha
and you use lots of prince of persia textures
How is this possible! :eek::eek: it does look great!!!!
I also found the bookcase you've recreated haha
and you use lots of prince of persia textures
Only the wooden beams. The rest is Anniversary and the site and some from google searching :)
:yik:
the new screen is awesome!
That's in the LE?! It looks very next-gen. I LOVE IT! :tmb:
@ Titak maybe you missed this shot :)
http://home.hetnet.nl/~piega3/tower11.jpg
:vlol: I need to learn to have a look at the first page before going to the latest posts! :vlol:
I sure did miss it.
It looks fabulous!!!!! :tmb:
when i look at amazing screens like these i always wanna quit with trle
they are so amazing !
but i will not quit from nothing there will be nothing^^
Those are the zodiac symbols on those plaques, aren't they?
Those are the zodiac symbols on those plaques, aren't they?
They are from the sundial at the start of Francis Folly Anniversary :)
How do you do all this?
I could use some help for making something of the sort for a level I'm working on. The rounded halls are what really get me.
Everything is made in Meta. If you are good in Meta then you can create any mathematical shaped object. Calculating everything on the editor blocks takes some thinking ahead.
I have more round rooms in my game. Find the shot in my first post. There are some more round rooms in my game but these I wont show :)
http://www.tombraiderforums.com/showthread.php?t=34788
As this is a demo and not really a game to play I have some objects like the bookcases where it is impossible to get collision right. You can only get it right with straight or 45 degree placed angles.
This project is going in silence for a while as I will now finish the entire scenery inside. That means cogwheels, machinery, a planetarium and an elevator.
For the title you have here the main theme that gives a pretty good impression how the mood of the demo will be :)
http://home.hetnet.nl/~piega3/TofK.mp3 1.18 MB
It's from the move Signs called In the Cornfield am I right ?
It's from the move Signs called In the Cornfield am I right ?
Yes and other tracks totally fit the demo :)
I was just about to post the music must be from Signs :p
KurtisandLara
20-05-09, 07:54
This is looking really really good i can't wait to play the full game :cln:
MyRaider4Life
22-05-09, 12:01
So Piega, how is this wonderful game going? :D
So Piega, how is this wonderful game going? :D
Uhrrm, not really fast now. The inside needs a lot of work before there is something to show again. Working on a VCI texture set now. Visiting the unfinished projects topic made me look at my VCI offices.
This made me look at the VCI textures which are very cold and modern. They seem not too difficult to recreate so I challenged myself in photoshop to do so. They are almost finished and I will release them this week.
Also played the original VCI levels in between. Oh my what are those levels textured ugly and plain but ofcourse the textures are cold. You must really love these kind of textures to wander in. Not really my thing but a good photoshop start :)
I switch from one thing to another with building, I always worked this way. Not that I delve into multiple projects, I must keep it clean for myself. So it will be returning to sanctuaries or this tower but I cannot say which :)
You know what you should do, Piega? A total HQ remake of the catacombs texture set from tr4! I still love them and even with the old 64x64 they look great! Imagine a level with 256x256 catacombs textures! :) I totally suck at anything photoshop related but maybe in the future...if I get some skills I will try!
You know what you should do, Piega? A total HQ remake of the catacombs texture set from tr4! I still love them and even with the old 64x64 they look great! Imagine a level with 256x256 catacombs textures! :) I totally suck at anything photoshop related but maybe in the future...if I get some skills I will try!
Oeps, I looked at the catacomb textures. Those are much more difficult to reproduce. My photoshop talents are also very limited. Sinds the VCI are much more simple I can recreate most of the textures and keep them in the same style.
The catacombs are more colorful and diverse. I create the textures googling for similar images and melt them with others. With shadows and color adjustment I can blend them.
Maybe when I get more experienced :)
I'm surprised to hear you are doing something VCI-related. You have said before that industrial levels are not really your thing...
Oeps, I looked at the catacomb textures. Those are much more difficult to reproduce. My photoshop talents are also very limited. Sinds the VCI are much more simple I can recreate most of the textures and keep them in the same style.
The catacombs are more colorful and diverse. I create the textures googling for similar images and melt them with others. With shadows and color adjustment I can blend them.
Maybe when I get more experienced :)
Yes, I was afraid they were more complicated :( But they are wonderful and it would be fantastic to have them in HQ. Anyway, on with SOS with you now. Or I will be finished before you with my E&B2 ;)
I'm surprised to hear you are doing something VCI-related. You have said before that industrial levels are not really your thing...
Correct and it still is but it is just texture practise. I'm not going to build a level with them. No way :)
Yes, I was afraid they were more complicated :( But they are wonderful and it would be fantastic to have them in HQ. Anyway, on with SOS with you now. Or I will be finished before you with my E&B2 ;)
I'm afraid your game will be ready before mine any way. As long as the beginning is not finished I'm not feeling falling behind :)
If you ever release these VCI textures I would be interested in trying to build such a level! Never tried it and just like you, it is not really my kind of level...but It would be cool to try ...you never know!
MyRaider4Life
14-06-09, 07:23
So Peiga how is the progress going, it has been a long time since we have seen anything. :)
Please dont tell me you have lost all the files!
!Lara Croft!
01-07-09, 10:00
http://home.hetnet.nl/~piega3/tower11.jpg
Those bookshelves look so good, maybe you could release one that is on a right angle?
KurtisandLara
18-07-09, 06:33
I probably missed the post somewhere of someone asking this but, Are all those pics ingame?
Yes: KurtisandLara..
These are all IN-GAME pictures...
Looks good he?
@MyRaider4Life, sorry. I think I mist your reply last month :o The tower is on hold as I'm working on Souls again. I like to switch between my projects to keep it interesting for me. I'm creating the last cutscene from Souls but have to create the first yet, the most difficult one :) Then it is wrapping the levels up. No date and certainly not this year so sorry :)
@!Lara Croft! Everything will be released when the tower is done so it is easy to load the bookshelves in wadmerger :)
And yes most of the screens are in game as you probably can guess wich ones are from Meta and strpix :)
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