o'dium
06-26-2007, 05:44 PM
My findings by being naughty and unpacking the .pk4's of the Beta may surprise you.
Now, usually this is the method I do. I take a peak at other games art, assts and the like and try and see how it was done. For my own game, ET:QW is a big release, simply because the two games are pretty much the same. Note that doesn't mean steal files, that means LOOK.
Now what I've noticed are a few things I don’t think you have taken into account.
1) Normal maps seem to be combined with height maps - For engines like Quake 4 and Doom 3, a few extra images are needed for the process of texturing. Diffuse maps, which are the base colour. Specular maps, which control shine. Local maps which control tangent based lighting information and height maps, an extra effect that combines itself with local mapping, usually for finer detail. Now in ET:QW, every local map seems to be combined with a height map, in other words, they are not two separate pictures, but one. This is GOOD from a download size perspective, as it means you are not releasing as many textures. However, its bad from a visual perspective because local maps lose precision on smaller details. For example, local maps are best at real geometry, that’s why they are made from high poly models on a low poly mesh. Height maps however, are better at smaller, finer detail, such as scratches. From looking at this, I’ve concluded that its “possible” in ET:QW’s Beta, the height maps have been combined with the local maps to save on space, thus lowering the quality in game of some textures. Another drawback of this method is they have lost the height control they once had with the default material set-up. Each height map, has a value which shows how prominent the displacement is. When automatically converted into local/height combination textures, you lose that. In other words, the art may not change for the final game, but the textures may look better.
2) Secondly, Doom 3 and Quake 4 has two methods texture display. One is “low, medium and high” mode, and the other is “Ultra” mode. One set of textures are compressed .dds images, and the other set is .tga. I’ll let you figure out which is which (Its obvious). Now that’s all well and dandy but… ET:QW ONLY contains the compressed textures. Not the actual .tga textures. In other words, every texture in the game is compressed, which will drop the visual quality slightly. Check out Doom 3 on Ultra, then drop it down to high to see what I mean.
3) Lastly, you are playing a single map. A small, test map for your viewing to test stuff out. They wont give you a massive detailed complex map because it’s a beta. They just want to test the basic stuff. So before you say the maps to small, or under detailed, think about it.
Well, in short, what I can conclude from this beta (And my pak sniffing) is that the final game WILL be better looking… But only just. In other words, wit for the real game before you honestly judge the games visuals. It may not be the killer app you were all expecting. It may not be Crysis. But hell, could 90% of you here even run that even if you wanted…?
Keep at it men, see you on the servers.
Now, usually this is the method I do. I take a peak at other games art, assts and the like and try and see how it was done. For my own game, ET:QW is a big release, simply because the two games are pretty much the same. Note that doesn't mean steal files, that means LOOK.
Now what I've noticed are a few things I don’t think you have taken into account.
1) Normal maps seem to be combined with height maps - For engines like Quake 4 and Doom 3, a few extra images are needed for the process of texturing. Diffuse maps, which are the base colour. Specular maps, which control shine. Local maps which control tangent based lighting information and height maps, an extra effect that combines itself with local mapping, usually for finer detail. Now in ET:QW, every local map seems to be combined with a height map, in other words, they are not two separate pictures, but one. This is GOOD from a download size perspective, as it means you are not releasing as many textures. However, its bad from a visual perspective because local maps lose precision on smaller details. For example, local maps are best at real geometry, that’s why they are made from high poly models on a low poly mesh. Height maps however, are better at smaller, finer detail, such as scratches. From looking at this, I’ve concluded that its “possible” in ET:QW’s Beta, the height maps have been combined with the local maps to save on space, thus lowering the quality in game of some textures. Another drawback of this method is they have lost the height control they once had with the default material set-up. Each height map, has a value which shows how prominent the displacement is. When automatically converted into local/height combination textures, you lose that. In other words, the art may not change for the final game, but the textures may look better.
2) Secondly, Doom 3 and Quake 4 has two methods texture display. One is “low, medium and high” mode, and the other is “Ultra” mode. One set of textures are compressed .dds images, and the other set is .tga. I’ll let you figure out which is which (Its obvious). Now that’s all well and dandy but… ET:QW ONLY contains the compressed textures. Not the actual .tga textures. In other words, every texture in the game is compressed, which will drop the visual quality slightly. Check out Doom 3 on Ultra, then drop it down to high to see what I mean.
3) Lastly, you are playing a single map. A small, test map for your viewing to test stuff out. They wont give you a massive detailed complex map because it’s a beta. They just want to test the basic stuff. So before you say the maps to small, or under detailed, think about it.
Well, in short, what I can conclude from this beta (And my pak sniffing) is that the final game WILL be better looking… But only just. In other words, wit for the real game before you honestly judge the games visuals. It may not be the killer app you were all expecting. It may not be Crysis. But hell, could 90% of you here even run that even if you wanted…?
Keep at it men, see you on the servers.