Possible Optimization

[Springheel]

I was having a conversation in the Mutual Assistance forums and someone mentioned this:

 

Also I've noticed that most of the character and monster models has yet another lopoly model inside it just for the sake of casting a shadow which helps in speeding up as it's stencil-based

 

Might be something to look in to for our characters if we find we need to optimize.

[Ishtvan]

IMO that would definitely help considering the huge slowdowns we get with a few AI being hit by a shadowcasting light. I guess this is yet another thing that would require re-rigging the AI before they could be animated?

[Domarius]

Yeah you'd have to re-rig it, but as long as the skeleton didnt' change, you can just use the existing anims and just re-export them.

[Solis]

That should work, what do our current models weigh in at polygon-wise? A basic model for the shadow should be possible with around 600-1000 polygons, although we should be careful that it lines up well with the high polygon model so that the shadows aren't too ridged or look off from how the model does (I always find it weird in games where the characters have blocks for their hands in the shadow).

 

Although, this might be something we can put off until later (even after the first release) since it shouldn't be much of a problem to add it later and it doesn't serve any purpose except to increase performance (granted, it's always good to be as optimised as possible, but it isn't something that's absolutely crucial to getting the mod out). In either case, it would require someone to model or remodel a lower poly version of each character, which would probably be the hardest part.

[OrbWeaver]

We discussed this as I recall, the general feeling was the shadow meshes would be a good idea but there might be considerable work involve in adding them to AI meshes and making sure they animated properly.

 

In theory this could be a big win performance-wise, shadows are extremely performance-intensive.

[Ishtvan]

Although, this might be something we can put off until later (even after the first release) since it shouldn't be much of a problem to add it later and it doesn't serve any purpose except to increase performance (granted, it's always good to be as optimised as possible, but it isn't something that's absolutely crucial to getting the mod out).

 

We'll see what tests show. We may have to do it before the first release if the mod turns out to be unplayable with a moderate number of AI being lit onscreen. That's why it's so important to get realistic test maps (with a realistic number of AI and lighting conditions) as soon as possible.