Multi-cabinet container variations prefabs

[SneaksieDave]

These really do look great, and serve a dual purpose of 1) existing and being usable, and 2) demonstrating that it can be done this way. Dromeders should be nuts over this type of thing.

[Fidcal]

Yeah, I was thinking of doing a video of a thief in T2 opening a footlocker - bling - got loot - big deal. Then a darkmod thief moves up on this, opening numerous cupboards and drawers, throwing stuff all over, lockpicking and fumbling a bunch of keys out of a drawer, opening a panel, finding the secret compartment, etc.

 

New handle I'm working on - still not quite right but getting there. Should be able to make that a working handle that pulls out when you open the drawer.

 

[Springheel]

If you're getting this result just with brushes you should definitely get ahold of some modeling software and start playing around with it.

[Tels]

Wowsa, nice.

 

Will you do wardrobes and so on? Or just a desk and people can then mix&match it?

[greebo]

Yes, really nice work there Fidcal.

 

(Woot, The Dark Mod finally goes IKEA.)

[Fidcal]

A wardrobe is not a bad idea both for hiding stuff and for the player to hide if someone's coming. Brightly lit room. Sound of someone coming. No shadows. Nip inside the wardrobe, block door slightly ajar. Wait for coast to clear.

[Tels]

A wardrobe is not a bad idea both for hiding stuff and for the player to hide if someone's coming. Brightly lit room. Sound of someone coming. No shadows. Nip inside the wardrobe, block door slightly ajar. Wait for coast to clear.

 

Er, yes, that is why I have a wardrobe in my Old Mill But I was more asking if you will redo them in your current design as people really don't like my version - and I don't want to spent another few hours to make yet-another-crappy-thing-nobody-likes

[Fidcal]

Oh you mean you really really need a wardrobe? I thought you just meant 'a wardrobe would be handy'. Mmm... well I'll see if I can do that next. Most of this work is detail that can be used on other stuff.

 

Main problem is still the specular artifacts - just can't find the cause.

[Tels]

Oh you mean you really really need a wardrobe? I thought you just meant 'a wardrobe would be handy'. Mmm... well I'll see if I can do that next. Most of this work is detail that can be used on other stuff.

 

See here:

 

http://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?showt...st&p=172469

[Fidcal]

OK, well I'll see what I can come up with as part of my collection - but no desperate hurry is there? Unless you plan to complete in the next week? Just leave yours as placeholders so I can see the place they have to fit. Is it really a wardrobe you want there or general- purpose cupboards?

[Fidcal]

The specular artifacts seem to be related to the bump map. I disabled that and they disappeared. I'll take a look at that but it may be that I need to make a true specular not just a general shine.

[Tels]

OK, well I'll see what I can come up with as part of my collection - but no desperate hurry is there? Unless you plan to complete in the next week? Just leave yours as placeholders so I can see the place they have to fit. Is it really a wardrobe you want there or general- purpose cupboards?

 

I need (read: want

 

* wardrobe

* coatrack (the one I have is fine, btw. It is supposed to look out of place)

* a cupboard (in both "tall" and "not so tall" version)

* a desk for the library

 

Basically, I have the placeholders there. But no hurry, the map is so far from finished - don't even have the basic architecture finalized

[Fidcal]

OK, noted. I'll see what I can do over the next few weeks.

[Ishtvan]

Just wanted to say I tried these out ingame and they are really nice!

 

My only complaint is that I wish the doors would swing open a bit faster, and drawers would open much faster. It looks like drawers are using the "time to open/close" method rather than the "translate speed" method, which results in drawers that have been opened just a little bit closing really really slowly, because it always takes the same time to close no matter how far open the drawer was. In other words, if I open a drawer a small amount, stop it and close it, it closes very slowly.

[Fidcal]

Yes, I have a note to look at the speeds again - I think I left all defaults. I was more focused on the frob problems.

 

Meanwhile I'm still struggling with the specular. Getting some nice effects from some angles but it's far from correct altogether.

 

[jdude]

WOW! This stuff is gorgeous Fidcal! Absolutely amazing I think a lot of it looks better than some of our older models.

 

I was pondering our models recently as well:

Should we have models if we can make the same output with brushes? - would this reduce mod size?

Should models be replaced with 'parts' so you have the option of making them openable such as these prefabs?

 

 

Having the models as brushes would lead to far more flexibility for mappers!

[Baddcog]

I think they are great. It's amazing what can be done in the editor alone.

 

But I don't think we should NOT have models as you are inquiring jdude. There are reasons models are better.

Main thing is polycount. It was disucussed earlier in the thread. Models can have overlapping (floating polys) which can keep the poly count very low. They can also have simplified collision/syhadow meshes which also keep the performance better.

 

Also, if these pieces stay as brushes (not entities) they will also divide the surrounding terrain into more polys.

 

Skinning might be harder, not sure how that works.

 

Of course having a few of these here and there isn't going to kill a mission but if everything was brushes it could certianly have a negative impact.

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I actually wouldn't mind recreating that model in 3d if Fidcal wanted. It would go pretty fast using that as a template.

But that's up to you Fidcal, I think it would be just as cool to release it as is if nothing more than just proof of what you have been able to do with brushes.

I really don't think too many people are going to expect that sort of thing to be possible.

[Springheel]

There are reasons models are better.

 

One of the biggest being that you can actually rotate them without them flying apart.

[Fidcal]

I actually wouldn't mind recreating that model in 3d if Fidcal wanted. It would go pretty fast using that as a template.

But that's up to you Fidcal, I think it would be just as cool to release it as is if nothing more than just proof of what you have been able to do with brushes. I really don't think too many people are going to expect that sort of thing to be possible.

I'll finish these then we can decide - might be interesting to compare performance. I can't see one of these being a problem in a corner of a room but a lot of them instead of models especially outdoors and the tris would climb high.

[SneaksieDave]

One of the biggest being that you can actually rotate them without them flying apart.

If you're referring to what I think you might be, you might give the rotation in DoomEd a try instead; there is currently a known problem with rotating multiples in DR.

[Fidcal]

I will try to remember to use that myself when I come to rotate these.

 

Can someone reduce one of the key models for me to produce a small key? One might be enough. Or if the the normal ones use skins then maybe the small one could also. These cupboards and drawers have tiny keyholes and the normal keys would look odd. How small can we go and still be realistically grabbable in-game? Two thirds? Half size?

[Ishtvan]

How small can we go and still be realistically grabbable in-game? Two thirds? Half size?

Grabbable is not an issue with the frob-box, you can still make that larger than the key (the same size as the other keys even) and be able to frob it. What might limit us is just being able to see it and find it again if it gets knocked on the ground.

[Fidcal]

That's what I was thinking. It might be made proportionally longer. I'm just wondering what is the minimum we could realistically go and I could then make my lock sizes at last somewhere in the same ballpark.

 

[EDIT] I might try shrinking a key using the rotate hack I guess.

[Baddcog]

Probably half is as small as we should go.

 

This might be one of those objects that isn't a moveable, for because of the size of it.

 

I could shrink any of my keys, they all have skins. Any preference?

[Fidcal]

Just looking at the inventory icons as a guide in an image viewer. If I shrink them down then maybe the plain ones are clearer.