'Map preview' improvements

[Buginator]

Now that beta 4 is out, most of you have looked at the map preview screen.

I know it don't look like:

or

but, it will (most likely)look like this instead (cropped):

fbodump01b.jpg

The main problem was/is, if we use the game rendering engine to display the numbers, we would need to use a FBO. Not all cards support FBO, so if the game detects you don't have this, then you will not see the numbers.

If we use a custom routine to handle the displaying of the numbers, then you get what you see in the first images. That has a ugly hack to load the correct bitmap, and the result lacks AA like you see with the other image.

I am curious to know if this matters much to the average joe?
Comments?

And before you ask, AFAIK, radeon 9600+ and Nvidia 6600+ and intel's latest gfx chipsets support FBOs.


(Yes, I know I touched on this on this thread: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1608 , but it got too big.)

[Tiberian]

well, i'm sitting on a GeForce 5900ZT, so this does kinda matter to me

i'm just guessing here, but couldn't the new widget system be used for something like this?

[Buginator]

well, i'm sitting on a GeForce 5900ZT, so this does kinda matter to me

i'm just guessing here, but couldn't the new widget system be used for something like this?

Well, yes, that is the plan, but, the new widget system may also use FBOs.
If you do a --debug 3d parameter on the command line, it should tell you which version of openGL your card supports.

I *might* be able to do something else with the Map preview stuff, it just depends on what the others say.

[skellr]

I just noticed this in the trunk.
It's nice to have the numbers visible and it doesn't matter much to me what they look like.

[Alpha93]

I have radeon x800 and sempron2800+,so it shouldn't be a matter to me...

[DFStormbringer]

cant you have it work BOTH ways?? use a BFo routine for the cards that can handel it.. and use the other script at the lower resolution for the cards detected that cant support BFOs? that way its not as pretty but still low resource and viable for the lower end players?

im pretty sure ost would agree as long as its legible and able to be understood that the bells and whistles of the numbers as a whole dont matter as long as the difference between 8 and 0 can be told.

[fisk0]

wow, I guess my GeForce 6200 does not support this feature, since I've never seen any numbers in Beta 4, which has really annoyed me cause it's pretty hard to see your starting point if you play as green player, it's just slightly brighter than all the other green starting positions.

[skellr]

I don't think this has made it into the current branch yet. There are trunk nightly builds here if you are feeling adventurous.
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1664

[MetalBeast]

if I should be honest, I don't like the numbers preview, because it says nothing to me.
In skirmisch I can change my color, so what number are then the other colors ?
I think it would be better to make the preview with player colors.
And the same in the AI-level settings-screen. I never know which color I have already disabled, which not.

Something like in the screens:

[Buginator]

cant you have it work BOTH ways?? use a BFo routine for the cards that can handel it.. and use the other script at the lower resolution for the cards detected that cant support BFOs? that way its not as pretty but still low resource and viable for the lower end players?

im pretty sure ost would agree as long as its legible and able to be understood that the bells and whistles of the numbers as a whole dont matter as long as the difference between 8 and 0 can be told.

Sure, you can have it both ways.
However, let me quote myself: "If we use a custom routine to handle the displaying of the numbers, then you get what you see in the first images. That has a ugly hack to load the correct bitmap, and the result lacks AA like you see with the other image." While I personally don't think this is a big issue, others don't like it.

I don't think this has made it into the current branch yet. There are trunk nightly builds here if you are feeling adventurous.
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1664

Yup, it is *not* in beta 4. It will *not* be in 2.1. (2.1 has a feature freeze, unless I can twist some arms...)

if I should be honest, I don't like the numbers preview, because it says nothing to me.
In skirmisch I can change my color, so what number are then the other colors ?
I think it would be better to make the preview with player colors.
And the same in the AI-level settings-screen. I never know which color I have already disabled, which not.

Something like in the screens:

What do you mean the numbers say nothing to you? They are the position on the map that your player is at.
If you are using a certain color, then you can't change to pick another players color.
The way the game currently works is that it picks the player color for the bots, once all the humans pick theirs and start the game.

[MetalBeast]

if I should be honest, I don't like the numbers preview, because it says nothing to me.
In skirmisch I can change my color, so what number are then the other colors ?
I think it would be better to make the preview with player colors.
And the same in the AI-level settings-screen. I never know which color I have already disabled, which not.

Something like in the screens:

What do you mean the numbers say nothing to you? They are the position on the map that your player is at.
If you are using a certain color, then you can't change to pick another players color.
The way the game currently works is that it picks the player color for the bots, once all the humans pick theirs and start the game.

How can I know which number means which player ?, In skirmisch mode I can change my color many times until I start the game, so how changes the player numbers than ?

It is confusing, so it is the cause, why I mean team-colors would be better.

[Buginator]

...
What do you mean the numbers say nothing to you? They are the position on the map that your player is at.
If you are using a certain color, then you can't change to pick another players color.
The way the game currently works is that it picks the player color for the bots, once all the humans pick theirs and start the game.

How can I know which number means which player ?, In skirmisch mode I can change my color many times until I start the game, so how changes the player numbers than ?

It is confusing, so it is the cause, why I mean team-colors would be better.

Erm, under your flag color, see that little number? That is your starting position on the map.
You can change both color and map position on the map.
Each map can have a different order for player positions.

In your first pic, with the pink flag, the 6 number means you are going to start at map position 6.

Hope that makes it a bit more clear.

[MetalBeast]

And you think I can read this small number in 1440x900 res?

Ok, but what about the other players, how I know, which color hast which number ?
And which AI-slider is for which player?

[Buginator]

And you think I can read this small number in 1440x900 res?

Ok, but what about the other players, how I know, which color hast which number ?
And which AI-slider is for which player?

Not my fault the game was made when 640x480 was the normal resolution.

For the other players, you can see the color & position when you click on the map preview button.
For the AI, you can't tell where the AI will end up. As I said, that is assigned once you hit 'ready/start the game' ...

[Zarel]

Not my fault the game was made when 640x480 was the normal resolution.

For the other players, you can see the color & position when you click on the map preview button.
For the AI, you can't tell where the AI will end up. As I said, that is assigned once you hit 'ready/start the game' ...

Well, consider this a feature suggestion, then. Fix that.