Gfx Improvement Ideas / WZM Format proposals

[Olrox]

Event-driven animation would make the game look much better and make more sense too.
As I'm making new models for all structures to put in a test mod, and they are going to be team-colored, it would be nice if we could get the mask type textures. I mean, you get specific files for the teamcolors, then the colors could be blended to a texture map that is specific for the team-colored parts of the model and then put over the texture files.

Would be very nice to know if those would be implemented before november, when I'm going texturizing (or just "going mad" xD) About the event-driven animation, would just need a few changes to the models, it is easy since I work on .dwg solids then refine them into .3ds format and finally use the .3ds to PIE converter (which whom I'm having a really serious talk now, he doesn't want to work, just to laze as script files ).

I'm not demanding answers now, everything has its time. Just want to know when those are going to be tested, to know how I'll direct my work.

[Per]

Before november... very doubtful, I am afraid.

What problems do you have with the 3DS to PIE converter?

[Olrox]

Lack of any decent compiler for windows (I'm already looking after one, should have it by this week) and lack of knowledge in compiling.
But I've got elio to give me some advice already, should be fine.

Would be very nice to know if those would be implemented before november, when I'm going texturizing (or just "going mad" xD).

Aww, shame on my english
I meant "get to know, before november, if those will be implemented", because I can then do the models with separate meshes for the animated parts, and then when event-driven animations are implemented, I could only get those parts animated and make the animation steps.

[Per]

Event animations and team colour masks are on the list of things to do, so they are going to be implemented (unless we find some really good reason not to later on).

[Olrox]

Good, very good!
I'll model things considering that from now on.
Thank you, Per!

[elio]

what about..
blending custom avatars upon texture files?

ups.. Tiger is that your avatar?

[Tiberian]

awesome, custom avatars on our HQs.

[i-NoD]

Let's clear some dust from this thread

I've spent a few nights working on this patch for trunk and here it is: an alpha version of the dynamic team color (using mask). It's alpha because the coloring should be adjusted to more appropriate one. It's inspired by structure template drawing method: a simple texture lightning, but rendering speed hasn't changed (for my PC at least) and the only overhead is new mask textures in TEXPAGE resources (should be one tcmask for every texpage at max).
Usage:
- every pie file that wants to use the new team coloring have to update its pieflag with 0x10000 value (sample: TYPE 10200), there are no need in 'anidata' structure for new tc style. All other pies will be rendered using the old tc style without changes.
- there should be a mask file (grayscale png, where black areas is not altered and white area is most colored) in a corresponding 'vidmem*.wrf' file. Mask filename should begin with the same page-X pattern as in pie TEXTURE field (sample: file TCMASK "page-16_tcmask.png").
- base texture should be almost black due to used blending method(not gray as was mentioned earlier) where team coloring should occur.

There is sample global TCMask mod inside the archive: a factory, a lab from elio's mod and all wheeled, tracked and half-tracked propulsions were hastily converted to the new tc rendered.

[Per]

That is really awesome work. Can you please add it to the issue tracker?

[elio]

O_O omg

i intend to release the 'new base structures' with mask support

[Mysteryem]

O_O omg

i intend to release the 'new base structures' with mask support

*Worships elio*
Alright that will do.

[Tenoh]

Wish i had brains for it, awesome stuff!

[Zarel]

Let's clear some dust from this thread

I've spent a few nights working on this patch for trunk and here it is: an alpha version of the dynamic team color (using mask). It's alpha because the coloring should be adjusted to more appropriate one. It's inspired by structure template drawing method: a simple texture lightning, but rendering speed hasn't changed (for my PC at least) and the only overhead is new mask textures in TEXPAGE resources (should be one tcmask for every texpage at max).

Can you give some more details on how this works? Is it a normal texture plus a mask texture? I think the best way to do it would be the way Wesnoth does it: A single graphic (well, texture, in this case), except a few colors are designated as "teamcolor colors".

[i-NoD]

I've opened a #851 ticket for the dynamic tc patch and a bit detailed description is in place too.

[i-NoD]

i was bored by the same jeep every time i was testing it ingame, and thought about differentiating object with different texture sets, well... not even sets but replacing only differentiated polys - a technique that similar to current tc method.

My jeeps were used for the inhuman tests