New DirectX9 DM clone - entombed

DSE · Post by **DSE** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 5:30 pm

yes I have the originals. I can send you them in about 1 hour from now, where should I send them to ? can you PM me your email address please ?

Post by **linflas** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 5:54 pm

done.
one more remark : the meat icon takes 4 slots in the inventory while the barrel takes 2 !

DSE · Post by **DSE** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 6:00 pm

they all take 4 slots ... Each of my slots is a cluster of 4 squares, if that makes sense. I havent done different size requirements per item, but I will soon.

Moonhawk · Post by **Moonhawk** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 6:18 pm

Hey - DSE

What mapping do you apply to items etc. I have started on the items you require - but need to know how you want the textures/materials.

Are these also 512x512 - or can you take a mixture e.g. 128x128, 256x256 as appropriate

Do you apply normal maps to items? What about specular, transparency, emission, reflectivity etc?

How well do materials created in Max or Blender translate into Direct-X 9. are all of the transparency, specular, UVW settings preserved by your converter?

I may have a way of generating the normal map with height in the alpha channel - apparently the nv plugin for creating normal maps is also available for GIMP. I`m going to download it tonight and give it a try.

DSE · Post by **DSE** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 7:04 pm

Linflas - you have mail !

Moonhawk - the texture maps can be any size you like (16x16 upto 1024x1024 if required). Normal maps are applied to items. The textures mapping (UVW) exports perfectly, but the materials dont export. Basically build the model, apply the correct UVW and then make it look nice using a colour map and a normap map.

Thanks guys.

Moonhawk · Post by **Moonhawk** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 7:40 pm

Cool. Does Direct-X 9 allow you to specify specular highlights, transparency and reflectivity or do these all have to be simulated using maps.

I`m thinking specifically about shiny ransparent things like gems and creatures (e.g. water elemental from DM)

DSE · Post by **DSE** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 8:07 pm

directx doesnt really do anything, its a programmers api for graphics. if you want reflections you have to write it yourself (render the scene from the perspective point you need, then store the results in a texture, then apply that texture as a map to your model, then render the whole scene from the players point of view). Specular highlights are calculated via my game engine, they are automatic. I can make things more or less shiny thats it, hope this helps :O)

oh yeah, I can also render objects in the game as semi transparent (like the teleports). So ghosts would look awesome ...

Tom Hatfield · Post by **Tom Hatfield** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 11:08 pm

Do you have any mechanics in place for spell effects, particle systems, etc? A particle engine like that of Unreal would rock all over the place and should be relatively easy to code. It would give your spell effects an unbelievable kick once you have some spells ready. (Unreal engine is, in my personal opinion, the best game engine in the world, so I tend to look at it for ideas and reference. The fact that it's the most licensed engine supports my arguments.)

One note about critical comments, such as my own: the more work you put into something, the more people will expect out of it. I realize you made no direct comparisons to any other engines, but your comment, "if your system can run other DirectX 9 games, you can run Entombed" implies that you're aiming for that level of quality. It's not supposed to make sense, but that's the power of allusion. So, if I sound critical, it's because I'm a game designer first, and I like to see things done as good as humanly possible. It's easy to forget that you're one person without a commercial budget.

As for the inventory, I had no idea how far you intended to go with the graphics. I understand this is an alpha release, but you never specified exactly how much of it is going to remain the same for final release, so I felt justified in giving my full opinion. I apologize if it upset you, but an unadulterated opinion is the only kind you're ever going to get from me. If it bothers you, you may ignore it. I do tend to be critical, but I don't consider it a flaw.

Water fountain: clicking once should quench everyone's thirst 100 percent. Food: I like the way you can split a single food item between characters, but there should be some indication of how much food is left, either by changing the icon or displaying a number/gauge below it. I didn't notice, but does taking a bite out of food lower its weight? Just an idea.

Linflas' inventory design is very nice, exactly what I'd hoped for. And I'm standing fast on those shadows. I swear if you can implement them, you'll be surprised at your own results. But, like I said, that should be at the bottom of your list. If you ever release the source, maybe someone else will do it.

Great work so far. I had the sound channel problem, too, but I see you've already addressed it. Seems like the injured sound buffers are playing for far too long, considering the actual sound itself only last a second. I think you should do away with "starving" damage sounds altogether, as it really serves only to grate on people's nerves. Also, are you planning to add damage value indicators like traditional DM? That would be a great help, and it would eliminate the need for damage sounds.

DSE · Post by **DSE** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 10:04 pm

Thanks Tom. I will be starting the spell system very soon and I hvent decided which way I want to go. I will keep you posted.

Linflas - do you have a copy of the slots part of the character sheet that you did. I would like to see what it looks like in the game. I was going to 'borrow' it from the screenshot you did, but the link doesnt work for me anymore.

Thanks guys,
Dave.

Post by **cowsmanaut** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 12:55 am

managed to try it finally.. I still say a bit of fast but smoother movement from tile to tile and on rotation would be much preffered. With everything else moving so fluidly.. it just feels wrong to me.

Also, what happened to the ettin?

Post by **linflas** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 9:44 am

i should have finished the whole PSD today. stay tuned.

DSE · Post by **DSE** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 9:47 am

Quote = Also, what happened to the ettin?
Cows - Did you not find them ? Or has something changed ?

Linflas - Great cant wait ... I am really impatient sorrry :O)

Dave.

Post by **linflas** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 3:43 pm

mail sent !

Post by **cowsmanaut** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 10:37 pm

I guess I didn't find them.. I tried punching down a few doors(which didn't work).. pulled every lever I could, jumped down every hole and walked into every teleporter.. no ettins to be found. I threw meat and barrels around.. clicked on campfires, statues, and large crosses.. But I found no weapons and no monsters.

moo

DSE · Post by **DSE** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 10:41 pm

there is a key on a cart on the first level with a sword. use it on the door lock on level 3 (jump in the pit on level 1 !). new area behind the door for you with ettins, shields, weapons, etc.

Dave

Moonhawk · Post by **Moonhawk** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 9:13 pm

DSE - you've got mail

Erik Bauer · Post by **Erik Bauer** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 8:39 am

I've finally managed to try Entombed!
Well, I've some graphix problems...
The wall textures are totally screwed: starting from the bottom of the walls they screw up until the wall becomes just an untextured grey surface.

I do not know why this could happen as I've installed the last drivers and I've for sure DX9 installed on my PC (It can run NWNII and Mark of Chaos).

DSE · Post by **DSE** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 11:15 am

Any chance of some specifics ? Can you run dxdiag and send me the report please ?

Erik Bauer · Post by **Erik Bauer** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 11:54 am

I'll try with DXDIAG.
For now I'll tell you my Specs:
Atholon2800+, 512MB RAM, XPSP2 NOT Updated (without Internet connection at home!), NVidia7600GT.

DSE · Post by **DSE** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 12:37 pm

ok, well that should work like a dream. I have not had this problem with anyone else, its brand new. The only difference I can see from the above is the SP2, but I doubt this will have anything to do with it. If you send me your DXDiag report I should be able to get it working or at least tell you what the issue is.

Dave.

Erik Bauer · Post by **Erik Bauer** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 1:40 pm

I'll send it you ASAP.

Another thing: If I recall correctly I've .Net 2.0 installed on my system, not 1.1

DSE · Post by **DSE** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 2:14 pm

it wouldnt load at all if you didnt have 1.1 installed, they arent backward compatible. it might be worth installing the service pack 1 for .net 1.1. Also, make sure that you have the full install of directx from february.

ian_scho · Post by **ian_scho** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 3:57 pm

Can I just check / confirm... Windows Update will update directX for me wont it?

DSE · Post by **DSE** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 4:02 pm

I dont know the answer to that (should be a yes but it is Microsoft ...). There is a link on the main screen in Entombed to the correct downloads if you need them.

mikko · Post by **mikko** » Mon Mar 26, 2007 9:55 pm

ian_scho wrote:Can I just check / confirm... Windows Update will update directX for me wont it?

Hmm.. I don't think it will. At least I've never seen any DirectX stuff there and I always do a custom (manual) update..

Erik Bauer · Post by **Erik Bauer** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 9:08 am

DSE wrote:it wouldnt load at all if you didnt have 1.1 installed, they arent backward compatible. it might be worth installing the service pack 1 for .net 1.1. Also, make sure that you have the full install of directx from february.

I'll try to download and install both, as I'm quite sure I do not have the DX install from this February.

I'll let you know

DSE · Post by **DSE** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 10:40 am

Let me know how you get on

Erik Bauer · Post by **Erik Bauer** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 9:20 am

Here I am back!
Sorry for the delay but my PC time at home is very little lately.
I've installed the .Net 1.1 Sp and the February 2007 DX9, but nothing has changed. Definitely seems to be something wrong with the texturing as some walls are rendered without them.

Now I'm going to download the latest drives for the video card and have a retry.
But do not worry, I think it is a fault of my PC, being it the only one to have problems.

I'll keep you updated as soon as I manage to make another test.

isamuu · Post by **isamuu** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 9:00 pm

Hi. What's the latest on this? Did he ever release a full finished version?

Erik Bauer · Post by **Erik Bauer** » Fri Feb 01, 2008 2:04 pm

No, his last post is from April 2007...
And it's a pity because the game looked sooo promising!