[***Project***] Continuum Galaxy Concept

[Realspace]

ehm .. don't know what happened but ... my asteroids have no collision, the ship simpy flys through !! I managed to create huge roids for ore belt but then this weird thing happen !!!

[Elffin]

BTRL background = Elffin Pops up!

Seriously ....This seems to a great project Realspace..if I can help you out with something.. - just give pm. Really hope you succeed.

[enenra]

ehm .. don't know what happened but ... my asteroids have no collision, the ship simpy flys through !! I managed to create huge roids for ore belt but then this weird thing happen !!!

It's because the "real" asteroids are listed in the TAsteroids and not the TSpecials. You probably inserted Debris.

[Realspace]

I also supposed so, but actually this is very weird!!! I tried disabilitating all my mods, using normal game (no editor) and tried crashing to common astroids (so the ones listed in TAsteroids) ... it sometimes crashed soemtimes not ... weird.

anyway, I'm experimentig in many directions for having a nice asteroid belt. I succeed in creating:

1) animated background, with distant roids set on the sunlight, slowely moving around

2) created huge asteroids and listed in the TPlanets file, they behave now as planets so you can see 'em also from the distance !

3) doubled the size of all asteroids (since shipos go fast and sectors are huge, you could not see asteroids anymore if not very near)

4) created BIG decorative asteroids (so middlesize between palnets and big regular asteroids) to put around.

5) I'm experimenting now on special objects. There are indeed very nice (old X2 or new) asteroid mini-belt that are nicely animated (rotate a t different rotation each), only they result very "edgy" if seen from the distance, maybe increasing the size will solve this. They are perfect for decorative all-around-roids!

Also had other results, in paticular I saw we can make a lot with ANIMATION, pratically every object can be animated in X3, also background. So for instance I created a nice COMET that moves slowly on the background, very nice.

I'll probably also make new starboxes that rotate (this means that objects such as palnets and station will seem move as they should)

Finally, the suns. We can make very nice suns and put them on the background so tehy move around (i.e. all teh rest moves in respect to the sun). the proble is only I don't know how to command the game to use the light from ambient instead of the flares...maybe impossible?

edit:
as eycandy on "planet research" a pic that shows the same moon using different shaders (so bump and spec): left: the new one, right: the vanilla one

[ external image ]

[enenra]

Whoa, the new shaders look cool!

How did you change this? I suppose you assigned other shaders to the moon, but how?

[Phlt]

Yes, the new shaders look really great.

I wonder to see how roids are looking as well

[Realspace]

roids lokk good as they are, I'm only changing them into much bigger, some are as big as a small moon. fortunally they have all shaders features enabled so no problem with bump and spec (as we can see ingame). planet's textures are quite flattened (no bumb), so a better shader would be usefull. I tried different setting, but at the end (given some problems with the new planet) I'll leave this feature for now (awaiting some hint by Observe that has a big knowledge on this matter).

I update my progress: argon system is pratically fiinished, it is simila as you can see in the pic at first page. only, I added empty space between palnetary regions (so non more transfer stations). this space is of course not visible on the map.

I also experiemnted with backgrounds. making 'em rotate can simulate some planet orbit and (since all object stay on orbit with the planet) the effect gives space a bit of motion... am thinking of putting suns as background, but don't know how the light would be then (?) .. indeed if you put away the sun, light is not correct (no point of irradiation, so no shadows, etc.)

[Observe]

(awaiting some hint by Observe

Now that Transcend is released I'll likely have some time to look into potential possibilities re shaders for your work Realspace.

[Realspace]

thank you Observe! ... I'm looking forward to use new shaders for making new planets a bit more "bumped" for nicer low-orbital views

[Kofa]

This looks really great. Good work.

[Observe]

... I'm looking forward to use new shaders for making new planets a bit more "bumped" for nicer low-orbital views

FYI: It'll be a little while before I can shift gears back to shader development. Right now I'm lending some assistance to next XFP mod release, and am also (still) very swamped with RL job work. However, shaders are beginning once again to encroach on my thoughts, so it won't be too long before I may have something to offer.

[Ogliss]

jolly good show realspace, ill happily test, as ive 2 computers, not sure id be much use with the modding side sadly, but keep up the ghood work, i rellah wanna see this finished, would supplant XTM for me

[Realspace]

ok just a note to say that the project is not death, it goes on slowly but goes... as for now I'm not implementing the galaxy becouse still experimenting with graphics and effect (modding is also a way to learn how the engine works etc.)

as for now I introduced animated skybox which is very nice. if you do it with simple skybox you obtain a nice glitchering effect of stars, but my aim is to fuse nebulae and stars in one single layer and animate it, so the other layer remain free for further effects (such as the backgroun asteroids moving around, which is already achieved!! )

the problem is when using a multimaterial model, such as the nabula one, it seems that the materilas dont move in synchronous even if having same animation parameters..

this is the code I'm experimenting on:

Code: Select all

TexAnimStartU;SPTYPE_FLOAT;0.000000; TexAnimStartV;SPTYPE_FLOAT;0.000000; TexAnimEndU;SPTYPE_FLOAT;0.000000; TexAnimEndV;SPTYPE_FLOAT;0.000000; TexAnimDuration;SPTYPE_FLOAT;4000.000000; TexAnimRotation;SPTYPE_FLOAT;0.000000; 

I tried using TexAnimEndU;SPTYPE_FLOAT;-1.000000 or TexAnimEndV;SPTYPE_FLOAT;-1.000000

it works but as said the layer move unsinchronized, mybe it depends on the uv-map. it seems 2 textures/materials move in a direction, the other 2 in the opposite (nabulae are made by 4 materials/textures shaped around a sphere)

then tried to use to materials with 1.000 and other two with -1.000, still no success. some advice on the exact meanings of these parameters would be to help!

this is the model (a sphere with 4 materials)

[ external image ]

about shaders, I was surprised to find out that if u put the nebulae mesh as skybox then illumination changes. Mean, the model is exactly the same and in any case they all use nebula.fx...neverthrerless if used as starbox the nebula appear less illuminated. changing saturation, brightness, ecc. value in the bod didn't change the result.

I don't want to manipulate the textures becouse even if you can achieve more brightness etc. the dds -> photoshop -> dds again makes the texture degradate significantly and some pixelation appears (this is the problme with my backgrounds mod too)...

finally, but is the most important thing: does anyone know how we can make the game use the light from background instead of the flare/sun ??? this is important, indeed animating the background with a fake sun draft on it will make all the planetary system (staions and ships included) seem orbiting around the sun, imagine the nice sunrise/sunset effect!!! unfortunally if you eliminate the sun, now, the object get a fixed illumination coming from camera (player's view)!!

last, I still don't know how to animate the old material 5 (the ones used also in X2) that are the base for my new backgrounds, the code is quite cryptic in comparison with the new material 6...
actually the code says material 3, but as I know anly 5 and 6 (small or big) exist: example,

Code: Select all

MATERIAL3: 0;26; 150;150;150;  150;150;150;  229;229;229; 0;0;10;0; 0;0;0; 100; 0;0; 0;0; 

... where is animation?

[Falcon71]

Thanks for the update, really a great project!

[jacare]

OH Good idea.

But look at www.taikodom.com.br.

Is the same idea with some difference and some visuals.But your idea is better than taikodom.

Congratulation

[Realspace]

well...but mine is only a mod, that is a game!! thanks for teh hint, I know tens of space games but had missed that one! seems really nice adn immersive, hope is not too nice otherwise the already few time dedicated to modding X3 will end there!!!

[Cody Joe]

hi Realspace i was wondering if you still working on this mod and if it is ready for play

[oxilas]

Realspace, I'm interested in helpng to get this project completed. While I'm new to the X Universe I have started doing a lot of modding and scripting to make the game more real.

I have only started but I have been working on creating a sector that contains an entire solar system with sun at center and 8 planets with moons and belts orbiting it. I'd like to see how you have created some of the components in your project to speed the process up.

Hope to see a reply from you soon. Look forward to using your mod when completed

[ZaphodBeeblebrox]

Many moons ago, there was a large post on what kind of things should go into the next version of the X Universe. I suggested at the time that the game should model real planetary systems. This mod is looking like the closest representation of that idea.

I have your previous mod installed and love the real background.
Give me a working solar system and the means to traverse it and I will be a very happy user of your mod.

Real Space for real people

Cheers ZB

[ezra-r]

sounds like a great idea, perfect for those exploring lovers like me!

Keep up the great work.

Make sure there are things to discover and encounters that enrich the gameplay and the alternative of flying instead of jumping.