WIP: FM - The Elixir

[xenomorph]

looks very promising, especially the 4th and the 2nd screenshots.

[skacky]

It's looking very promising Biker! Can't wait to try it out.

[Xarg]

Have created the 3 floors of the manor, but spent most of last night re-gigging the town section to keep the draw call count close to 1500. Atm there are few locations where it hits 2000 which needs to be fixed.

 

Bit off-topic, but what are "ideal" numbers for drawcalls? You seem to be of the opinion 2000 is too many, and 1500 is fine.. is there a threshold where the fps just starts nose-diving with too many drawcalls?

[pusianka]

This last picture begs for an epic cutscene!

 

Garreth opens the door and steps onto the balcony:

- ahh, nothing like home...

Edited May 12, 2012 by pusianka

[Bikerdude]

Bit off-topic, but what are "ideal" numbers for drawcalls? You seem to be of the opinion 2000 is too many, and 1500 is fine.. is there a threshold where the fps just starts nose-diving with too many drawcalls?

Depends entirely on the GFX card in a given players PC, for example I have a Core i5 and GTX480 and it can take a draw call count as high as 3000 with 4xAA and 8AS @1680*1050 without any drop in FPS. But a player with Doom3 minimum spec GPU and CPU can only deal with 1500 with no AA/AS. At some point we will have to again raise the min recommended spec for TDM me thinks.

[Sotha]

Yup, I usually stop adding details once draws hit 1000-1500. As that will result in a clearly observable fps drop on my equipment.

But one should not look at tris or draws alone, but more like the overall performance.

 

For instance, in a large outdoor areas, it is good to check how much of the tris seen are shadow tris. This means you could easily boost performance by setting lights to noshadows. You can do that if the light is in a place where it does not spill to some interior areas.

[Melan]

Noshadows lights can really bug me. There are situations where they are necessary for performance, but the way they are often used is simply painful and sloppy. Same with noclipmodeled func_statics or the careless use of invisible walls.

[nbohr1more]

One thing I've witnessed recently (and I believe Orbweaver recently discussed this) is that the default

radius of many light entities will often extend into other rooms. If you tinker to the radius of a wall mounted

lantern and move the volume out into the room, the flame particle follows the origin of the volume rather

than following the "light center" (you'd have to customize the particle attach location)

So there's a lot of wasted shadow processing and evaluating overlapping volumes.

You can clearly tell by setting all lights to noshadows or view r_showlights 2.

 

A couple of ideas to workaround:

 

1) (Obviously) Make some light entities prefabs specifically for walls where the volumes extend out into the room in one direction.

 

2) Use trigger brushed and switch light entities off and on when traversing doorways

 

3) Create a class of lights that turn off when their origin or light center is past the portal closure

[Bikerdude]

Something to be aware of though when moving light volumes that aren't close to the origin of where the light is being emitted, its can look wrong and odd if that distance is too far.

 

On the triggering front, Dram did some wicked trickery in Blackheart manor, that dynamically culled lights from the map allowing greater complexity without the fps hit, I never did ask him how he did it.

[nbohr1more]

Heh... Blackheart eh? Time to study...

[jysk]

Bikerdude, we need this map!

 

Dont always start with large supernice projects and then put them on the long bank after you put so much effort into them.

Edited July 3, 2012 by jysk

[Bikerdude]

Heh, yeah not so speed build. But fear not I am still working on it, the town section is all done, I am currently working on the manor. I have been building the 2nd floor, bedroom guest room and such.

[Melan]

So how's it going here?

[Bikerdude]

@Melan

 

The small city section is 100%, just needs the patrol routes added/ tweaked, The manor is 70%, the lower and upper floors of the manor are 100% leaving the empty the guest rooms, kitchen, servant quarters and a yet to be constructed ball room of some sort. The guard tower is about 90%, it needs a little tweaking as the Ai wont go up the stairs.

 

Would you like to take a look and give me some ideas..?

[Melan]

No, I am doing enough editing right now. I'd like to play new missions!

[Bikerdude]

I'd like to play new missions!

LOL, fair enough. now that 1.08 is out the door I can put more time into all the other mission in juggling working on.

[Melan]

Hey there!

[raymeld]

This is the second one - the summer bike. Clean as a whistle, turbine like engine, handles well and dosent look that bad either.

My , and to think back in the late fifties I was getting soaking wet on my Lambretta , seems an awful long time ago!

[Bikerdude]

Hey there!

I havent forgotten about this, It will get done at some point.

and to think back in the late fifties I was getting soaking wet on my Lambretta , seems an awful long time ago!

Heh, this one dosent get ridden in the rain - I have another one for that.

[Bikerdude]

Just a minor update, I haven't forgotten about this and to that end I have asked another mapper if they want to merge theirs story and sounds into this map.

[SeriousToni]

As we have a distinct lack of missions for a while I thought I would have a go a Melan style speed build. The plan is to have something ready for easter weekend, so it gives you lot something to play before the end of the beginners contest the following weekend.

 

This is the second one - the summer bike. Clean as a whistle, turbine like engine, handles well and dosent look that bad either.

 

 

I am still being amused by this, sorry biker! I know you have many things on your radar and you're very dedicated but nevertheless it's kind of funny to watch this process of speed build over the years

Edited February 3, 2014 by SeriousToni

[Bikerdude]

ROTFL, yer, the speed that never was... one day, some day I'll finish it.

 

I don't have Melans speed building skills, I obsesses over too many details..

[SeriousToni]

That's not a problem at all, biker

[Bikerdude]

I can't seem to find this map anywhere on my harddrive, but seem to remember donating it to someone...

[Melan]

Isn't it up on the betamapper SVN? I have a local copy dated 21 December 2014 if you need it.