I finally got around to playing with the translucency flag for textures in mdlThing. For those that are unfamiliar, this setting will cause black areas of a texture to be rendered fully transparent. After finally straightening out my lan server to run the tests, here's the first round of pic's:
http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/170/nebtest1avp7.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e313/Adaven/NebTest1d.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e313/Adaven/Nebtest1b.jpg
The goal was to try and make something that might resemble a nebula by using texture pixels as interstellar particles. The model was a jumble of intersecting planes to give a better sense of depth, and the texture was a 512x512 blue/green gradient with random black pixels added. Admittedly these first results look more like confetti, but I'm thinking that if I can further reduce the apparent texture pixel size (via object scaling and better texture mapping) so that it is much smaller than the average monitor pixel, then the results will be more fuzzy.
This same basic principle could very easily be used to create large fields of non-collisional debris for a 'battle-scarred' look.
Something interesting I ran across: In fully transparent regions, there would usually be very thin lines of color outlining the individual texture pixels, you can see it better in the last picture. Might be a good look for DEB style shields.
There are probably some cool looking weapons somewhere in this as well.
<edit> bah, I can't find a host that will take high-res screenshots
Translucency Experiments
Last edited by Adaven on Sat Apr 19, 2008 12:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
[img]http://www.freeallegiance.org/forums/st ... erator.gif" alt="IPB Image">
<img src="http://adaven6x7.googlepages.com/PKBanner3copy.png[/img]
<img src="http://adaven6x7.googlepages.com/PKBanner3copy.png[/img]
O ya if u can make nebulae that will be uber cool , but i wonder how will they affect game play , i mean nebula's should have some random effects as neutralize cloak, shields or sensors , a nebulae with those kind of effects will be nice .
Say u have 10% hull u hide in a nebula till the enemy gets bored or u can hide and rip /tongue.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":P" border="0" alt="tongue.gif" />.
But it will be probably to much work involved for the dev team to actually get those king of nebual implemented
Say u have 10% hull u hide in a nebula till the enemy gets bored or u can hide and rip /tongue.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":P" border="0" alt="tongue.gif" />.
But it will be probably to much work involved for the dev team to actually get those king of nebual implemented

i thought of doing something similar for a ship i never made.
it was going to be a large carrier capship which was hollow, and at the front there would have been an "energy shield" which would let friendlies through but not enemies, which would work something like
the line above the A is the entrance area for door 1, the line above B is the entrance for door 2
> is the exit for door 1
< is the exit for door 2
the middle line is a thin CVH box and also where the model has a thin box where the texture something like
XXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXX
on a black (transparent) background
so from the players point of view, ther would be a see-through energy wall that they can fly through, but the enemy can't
(i actually thought of using a similar texture for the laser nan in capcore, but decided to stick to something more similar to the normal laser texture).
the debris is a cool idea though
one use for those things once yo get them looking good would be radioactive gas areas. they would be probes which shoot quite fast but do not very much damage, their range would be their radius, so if you fly through them, then you would take damage. could be something good for a racecore with weapons too
it was going to be a large carrier capship which was hollow, and at the front there would have been an "energy shield" which would let friendlies through but not enemies, which would work something like
Code: Select all
| | |
<| | |
| | |
| | |
| | | >
| | |
A B> is the exit for door 1
< is the exit for door 2
the middle line is a thin CVH box and also where the model has a thin box where the texture something like
XXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXX
on a black (transparent) background
so from the players point of view, ther would be a see-through energy wall that they can fly through, but the enemy can't
(i actually thought of using a similar texture for the laser nan in capcore, but decided to stick to something more similar to the normal laser texture).
the debris is a cool idea though
one use for those things once yo get them looking good would be radioactive gas areas. they would be probes which shoot quite fast but do not very much damage, their range would be their radius, so if you fly through them, then you would take damage. could be something good for a racecore with weapons too
Last edited by madpeople on Sat Apr 19, 2008 1:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Definitely needs testing.
For instance is line of sight based off of .mdl or .cvh?
Also, does the the "phantom" flag on the map maker's rock properties affect this?
For instance is line of sight based off of .mdl or .cvh?
Also, does the the "phantom" flag on the map maker's rock properties affect this?
Last edited by Adaven on Sat Apr 19, 2008 2:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
[img]http://www.freeallegiance.org/forums/st ... erator.gif" alt="IPB Image">
<img src="http://adaven6x7.googlepages.com/PKBanner3copy.png[/img]
<img src="http://adaven6x7.googlepages.com/PKBanner3copy.png[/img]








