Fan Mission: A Bridge Too Far

[tib]

This mission is unplayeble for me technically. All other TDM missions are.

[cugzkani]

On 10/1/2023 at 12:30 AM, joebarnin said:

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention (don't know if anyone else has discovered this). From here, I was able to use a rope arrow to climb up here:

From there I could walk all the way around to the right and then back along the roof edge, and get a view that I wasn't supposed to:

For my own missions, I personally don't care if someone can "break the fourth wall" (unless it's too easy). But in case it matters to you...

Thanks - clipped

 

3 hours ago, AluminumHaste said:

Is this building missing from the mission?

Caulk roof that's too easy to view from above thanks

 

43 minutes ago, nbohr1more said:

@cugzkani as I recall, you were not interested in doing further work to optimize this mission?

Would you be willing to accept any assistance from another mapper willing to help optimize it?

I'm just not sure how... b1k3rdude already has done work on visportaling, idk what more could be done without majorly changing the layout.

But sure, I'd more than appreciate anyone who wants to edit the map or can point me in the right direction

[cugzkani]

4 minutes ago, tib said:

This mission is unplayeble for me technically. All other TDM missions are.

damn, as in poor framerates?..

[tib]

3 minutes ago, cugzkani said:

damn, as in poor framerates?..

exactly, very open endless space imho

[jaxa]

I just tested on the other system.

v1.1 didn't seem to change much from v1.0 on the i5-6600T + HD 530 Graphics system, but I delved further into the mission. Interior portions obviously have much better performance. My performance target for this system is basically 720p 30 FPS.

I tested the beginning on the 5700G + GTX 970 system for a minute just now and I can get it to hold at as low as 20 FPS at 1080p, e.g. on the starting boat looking out past where the rope is. Wild swings between 20-60 FPS (locked to 60) as I look around. I haven't made adjustments to other settings like AA yet, that could likely boost performance.

I'm still on TDM 2.11. I don't want to upgrade to a dev build right now, but I'm interested to see what kind of performance boost 2.12 can bring.

Edited October 2, 2023 by jaxa

[thebigh]

1 hour ago, jaxa said:

I'm interested to see what kind of performance boost 2.12 can bring.

It's substantial. You will be pretty pleased.

[nbohr1more]

2 hours ago, cugzkani said:

Thanks - clipped

 

Caulk roof that's too easy to view from above thanks

 

I'm just not sure how... b1k3rdude already has done work on visportaling, idk what more could be done without majorly changing the layout.

But sure, I'd more than appreciate anyone who wants to edit the map or can point me in the right direction

Ah, I didn't see that Biker jumped-in to assist. I'll get the new version up in the mission database ASAP.

That said, I am glad to hear that you are willing to accept further assistance if anyone can figure out anything else to optimize. I'll look at it myself as well.

( I was hesitant to suggest further optimization in the first place since we are trying really hard to make 2.12 have good performance without needing mission authors to become optimization experts so your mission was sort of a test case for that. )

[AluminumHaste]

2 hours ago, jaxa said:

I just tested on the other system.

v1.1 didn't seem to change much from v1.0 on the i5-6600T + HD 530 Graphics system, but I delved further into the mission. Interior portions obviously have much better performance. My performance target for this system is basically 720p 30 FPS.

I tested the beginning on the 5700G + GTX 970 system for a minute just now and I can get it to hold at as low as 20 FPS at 1080p, e.g. on the starting boat looking out past where the rope is. Wild swings between 20-60 FPS (locked to 60) as I look around. I haven't made adjustments to other settings like AA yet, that could likely boost performance.

I'm still on TDM 2.11. I don't want to upgrade to a dev build right now, but I'm interested to see what kind of performance boost 2.12 can bring.

I'm on latest SVN source builds, and the fps increase is huge.

[nbohr1more]

A Bridge Too Far v1.1 is up in the mission repo

[nbohr1more]

OK, not seeing too many opportunities to improve things yet.

The mission is made of mostly model prefabs so there isn't really any excess triangulation due to brush carving.

Most of the portals seem to be doing their job but since it's all model geometry all the open doors and windows

pose a challenge to help much. Maybe forcing some func_portal closures at the fogged distance might improve things.

Speaking of fog, I am seeing a lot of "double-fogged" surfaces. I believe this is happening due to duplicate geometry or transparent geometry. ( See the bright band in center of the screenshot )  :

If you can isolate this extra geometry and make it into entities then you can set those entities with a "noFog" flag to prevent them from fogging. This presumes the geometry is transparent though.

[taffernicus]

sorry i was using your fan mission when i made random funny videos and posted bunch of it on random video of the day thread on off-topic section. My videos are "Unique way to kill yourself in The Dark Mod : getting knocked over by iron gate" and "Hurting a guard by throwing a pickable sword for fun " . However, i really enjoyed every aspect of this mission, is this FM take place in far top of the city?

The raising bridge adds a uniqueness to this fan mission and you can prevent the bridge from raising up by placing unconscious body on the corner between iron gate / building door and the bridge passage. I got a huge fps dip when i am walking on the bridge roof and in another open area and i am accustomed to withhold my composure with intel HD graphic performance

Edited October 3, 2023 by taffernicus

[MarsManon]

Finally, a FM I can stretch my legs in! I *adored* the wide open spaces, both under and on top of and inside the bridge. As others have said, it had that perfect classic Thief feeling that narrower and denser maps tend to lose, and I genuinely appreciate it for that. The spaces looked and felt no less real, no less lived-in, for it! And the SHAPES!! The platforms, staircases, uneven bridge floor, inner courtyards, ohhh mueh! The playable level *geometry* was such a treat for me. I didn't personally have any problems with framerates or other issues, thankfully. Overall, a 10/10 experience, short to play but massive in impression

Edited October 8, 2023 by MarsManon

[grodenglaive]

Nice! Congrats on your first FM. Looks like a busy season for TDM.

[grodenglaive]

I just finished it. That was a really fun mission! Interesting mapping, I really liked the layout.

Cheers!

[MirceaKitsune]

A nice FM for a quick run, I liked it. The architecture seemed a bit surreal at first but it's in a good way. Seems to have slight performance issues compared to the average FM, though this is unavoidable when working with large areas so it's understandable.

[Acolytesix]

Found the note down with the paintings when I thought I was done with the mission. Now I need to find 4 black paintings. Luckily I have 1, 2, & 4. Number 3 is supposed to be in the valuables room on the 3rd floor. I'm guessing it's behind the green metal door on the 3rd floor?? Can someone give me a downright spoiler on where it is?

...soo close...

[MirceaKitsune]

26 minutes ago, Acolytesix said:

Found the note down with the paintings when I thought I was done with the mission. Now I need to find 4 black paintings. Luckily I have 1, 2, & 4. Number 3 is supposed to be in the valuables room on the 3rd floor. I'm guessing it's behind the green metal door on the 3rd floor?? Can someone give me a downright spoiler on where it is?

...soo close...

Had to wander in and out several times to find that one. If you want a clue...

Spoiler

Do look up

 

[Acolytesix]

Where? I'm in the master's chambers. (Hotel California thing)  

[thebigh]

4 minutes ago, Acolytesix said:

Where? I'm in the master's chambers. (Hotel California thing)  

Spoiler

In the roof rafters directly above the crime boss's desk.

 

[Oktokolo]

While this must be the absolute laggiest and lowest FPS mission in the repo, it still plays well and is fun.

My recommendation is to blackjack everyone and close all windows to at least get tolerable framerates indoors. The flicker of distant geometry over the fog sortof kills the outdoor athmosphere a bit but that might solve itself in future TDM versions.

Edited October 22, 2023 by Oktokolo

[MirceaKitsune]

20 minutes ago, Oktokolo said:

While this must be the absolute laggiest and lowest FPS mission in the repo, it still plays well and is fun.

You must have not played my first (and somehow still last) released FM, on which I spent most of my time making the FPS somewhat acceptable in the outdoor area

[Oktokolo]

4 hours ago, MirceaKitsune said:

You must have not played my first (and somehow still last) released FM, on which I spent most of my time making the FPS somewhat acceptable in the outdoor area

Damn, the PTSD is back. Somehow managed to forget that one.
But you are right. Your mission owns the crown of laggyness and this mission is probably only the second laggiest and lowest FPS mission in the repo. I'm sorry for disrespecting your and cugzkani's mission and hope you both can forgive my ignorance.

[sittingduck71]

Very much enjoyed this little mission, thank you so much!  Played great, zero technical issues.

 

[Dead Rat]

An enjoyable outing. The map has an impressive sense of space and complexity of structure for such a small MB package, and the bridge and port setting are very atmospheric. The mission itself is pleasing enough but over all too quickly.

[snatcher]

When it comes to expectations any mission that offers Rope Arrows from the beginning directly goes to the top half list in my book. I have enjoyed this one very, very much. It has everything I need and zero complexities: get in, get it, get out.

I loved the original setup and the execution. No FPS issues that I recall.

Excellent work, @cugzkani. I genuinely had a great time. Thanks.