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I was just reading the update on moddb for "A terrible Secret" and I must say I'm quite surprised. First they claim that Doom 3 didn't allow them to create their set because they didn't intend to create so many custom textures. But than he says that HL2 is so much better with it's physics (which is certainly true) and with the proper artistic team they can also create the dark envirnonment that they envisioned. Now I'm a bit surprised because I wonder what that "proper artistic team" is supposed to do. Does have HL2 so many different textures set? And if so why would he need that "proper artistic team". If not (as I understand the text) then they will still have to create their custom textures, which implies to me that this is not the reason why they changed to HL2. Well, it doesn't really matter, just being curious as I liked the story from that mod and it's sad that they switched to HL2 and so I likely can not play it if it comes out.

Hey Sparhawk, I think you misunderstood the post I made over at moddb. It wasn't the textures that we were having problems with, we actually had a very large set of them already made. The problem was with creating custom models that would react as a physic object. I think I pretty much sum it up on the news post at moddb. Basically, we just have a lot more options with HL2, especially for the medieval setting. It is easier to do large outdoor environments with amazing looking water and foliage. The whole idea, now, will be to incorporate the world into the playing experience. With all of the physics props available we can make for some very interesting and unique ways around certain obstacles. If a group of zombies is coming at you up a hill, just grab some barrels and roll them over instead of wasting a clip of ammo. Anyways, I am glad you guys over here at Dark Mod cared about the mod; it's nice to know that somebody was paying attention. Cheers, r.gun

I made the game version. I'm still tring to get the best from spec maps, they seem to wash dark textures out and make them look like plastic.

Yes, I was thinking that myself. Though I suppose we could set the dark mod on real Earth in the past, and make it a real medieval thief simulation (that's 'thief' with a small 't') just like I always wanted Thief to be. DEATH TO WOO!!!

Man, that looks like I could pick it up, it's so real. One thing to consider...people are going to look at the globe and wonder what universe they are in...does The Dark Mod take place on an alternate earth? If not we should probably texture it in a way that is fairly neutral.

Now, how am I supposed to know which exact angle you're going to put the comapss in at. I though you would do the gem renders youself. Those gem textures are to be put on the gem model, you can render the bitmaps youself at whatever angle you need. The model is exactly the same size an Oonfish's. All you have to do is resize it to doom proportions in whatever 3d app you use. Maybe I should send you the Lightwave scene, and you can do the gem renders yourself. I have an envelope on the luminosity channel, which finishes at 100, but you can make it higher if you want it brighter. Or esle we'll have to wait till I get a faster connection next week, there's no way I'm downloading all the dark mod stuff on a 56k.

I just tested it. The model is so tiny that I can barely see it. Only a few pixels big. I created the files in the FTP directory of your lightgem, so you can load them ingame. Take a look at them and resize it. You can copy the directories directly in your darkmod folder and then load the mod and a map and you should see our hud. Another problem is the textures of the gem. You must render them as they are to be seen from the player because they will be displayed exactly as you render them. There will be no transformations applied to them. So what you should do is to position the camera in such a way as if you are the player looking at the game screen, and then render the 16 images. I think the colour ramp should be probably a little bit brighter. The dark end is good as it is, but the the brightest one should be brighter. You can find my version of the lightgem colours in the guis/asset/... folder. You can take a look at it there. Of course the colours you should take from your own, but just look at the brightness level. And please rename the textures to the names that I already use.

It has to be lit from a non-game source, otherwise you wouldn't be able to read it in the dark. I'm not exactly sure how this is done. Perhaps it will be lit with a fullbright shader or something. I don't know. How are the little inventory items and healthbars going to be lit? I don't quite know what you mean. Do you mean for the turning of the compass? I suppose it could be done that way, as long as it isn't too jerky. You'll have to talk to Sparhawk about how that would work best. It depends on how he plans to code it.

guess you're right - I'll try to fix that. anyway here's a ingame screen with the normalmap. still have to do the carving better though http://www.dark-project.com/BlackThief/chair_ingame2.jpg

Hmmm, where to start! The Dark Project: Baffords Cragscleft Prison Assassins The Sword The Lost City Song of the Caverns Return to the Cathedral The Metal Age Life of the party Shipping and Receiving Framed First City Bank and Trust Trail of Blood

True, that one was the quickest piece I whipped up and it didn't have much to it. I really like what you've done with it though. The boots are great. When you redo the textures, could you darken them a bit? The red is showing a little too pink for my tastes...the builder colours I used were as close to blood-red and dark iron as I could get. I see you've got a banner of some sort in the background...we have yet to agree on a Builder emblam...have you come up with one?

I remember this being brought up before, NH, and I think it's a good idea. I don't know that each crystal should be *dark* at first, but they should look like a normal coloured crystal until drawn. As it is drawn, the following animations might be appropriate: Water: As drawn, a material shader is added to the crystal so that it actually becomes transparent, as if it were now *made* of water. A few drops of water fall from it before it is fired. If we could make this effect seem to be spreading *up the shaft of the arrow* it would help deal with the troublesome problem of why guards never notice the arrow shaft lying beside a put-out light. Gas: As drawn, swirling green gas can be seen moving inside the crystal. Moss: As drawn, small plant tendrils spiral up from the crystal. Fire: As drawn, a heat-haze effect is added, and perhaps a bit of smoke. Flames can be seen moving inside the crystal. These are definitely neat ideas, but I think they should be put at the very end of the list of Things To Do. We could easily release the mod to the public without this, and then add it later as part of an expansion.

This is how it was done in T3. The compass was a 3d object and the gem itself was skinned with 16 different stages of the gem from light to dark.

yeah we'll have to agree on one seat-height. anyway I found a nice, very profesional tool to reduce the triangle/poly count same chair with only 528 triangles - that's 75% less !!! and I think it still doesn't look different to the one with 2000 triangles. [img]http://www.dark-project.com/BlackThief/chair_wireframe2.jpg[/img] ONE problem though - I only have a trial version and so I can't safe the model The tool is called SIM Rational Reducer - prize for standalone software: about 6000 $ - 3dsMax plugin about 600 $ maybe someone can find a way to get it on another way - you know what I mean

ok - no it works quite fine it's still black, cauze D3 can't find the skin one problem though - I've no idea how big the table actually is in blender units...cauze when everything is one object blender counts from 1. so this is 0.25..... http://www.dark-project.com/BlackThief/cof...tab_ingame2.jpg

thx sparhawk IT WORKED.........but now Godzilla could eat from it http://www.dark-project.com/BlackThief/table_huge.jpg

lol not sure if I can teach you anything... I've got some trouble uv-mapping the table: (the side-parts aren't that dark, that's a rendering issue) I can't UV-map the table-legs. they're completely black and when I click on them in the "UV face select"-mode my texture is gone in the other window. anyone an idea ? the whole table is one object !

Is there any collaboration going on at all? I ask because the SS team will want to have frob implementation too (DromEd/ShockEd and all that). In fact there are probably quite a few things you guys could share as both teams are making mods that ape the Dark Engine in some way.

Hello guys, I'm Gleemonex, one of the project leaders of Sapphire Scar. I must say, you have some awesome work up here, especially with the maps (which diverge so much from the techno-industrial style of Doom3). One of the other SScar leaders (Yorick) won't be available for a few weeks -- we hope to take a closer look at any possible co-operation at that time. In the interim, I hope you don't mind if I peruse your site to get a feel of what Dark Mod is all about. -Glee

i haven't seen a sample of the scripting language yet, the programing used in dark its beyond me. the languages i refer to are construction, so you set a group of variables and can make complicated if/then/or statements that trigger outputs, set up randomized events by generating numbers and using </> statements to determine effects that this event causes, set up timers all of these very basic things in a script environment. statements are typically written straight forward, so if an item is x a statement could be written so that the user easily defines what happens, if x is present then do this or this, where the or is the action if x is not present. an example can be taken from the soulforge machines in the metal age, if the right ingredients are present the script produces the product, if not then nothing happens. its simple if/then/or but buried under something too difficult to understand by the average user.

We discussed the problem with rough surface normals last night in the IRC, however I noticed another strange problem. this time the texture looks like ass, when its in the shadows - but it doesn't look bad, even if you place the light very close: and now check out this screenshot: http://www.dark-project.com/BlackThief/pavement_test1.jpg the texture looks quite good as long as it is lit properly. in the shadows it looks like it has got a specular - really strange. I made the normal almost completely by hand. cauze of the very rough surface: maybe I should post this problem at D3world.org...

oh, yeah you were right. I must have accidentally put a light half into the ground. that light caused that strange effect. thank you - I was really shocked, cauze first though that my normal caused that. now it looks much better: http://www.dark-project.com/BlackThief/pavement_test2.jpg what do you think - shall I upload the texture to the ftp ? which family ?

1st ingame test of my framework textures: http://www.dark-project.com/BlackThief/framework_test1.jpg

a new brick-texture (also from the Cloister) http://www.dark-project.com/BlackThief/brick_test2.jpg

lol alright. I just thoght, that it'd be easier for fm-authors to find the corresponding end a wall-texture based on a photo of the cloister: http://www.dark-project.com/BlackThief/old_wall1.jpg it shouldn't be used for large surfaces though, cauze you'll easily see, that it repeats...