First Eagles 2 Release Build Screenshots (big)

[+DanW 32]

DirectX 10 Screenshots with new bump mapping and new DirectX 10 shaders. (no bump mapping with Windows XP)

Final Release Build

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[+Old Diego 66]

Hi Dan. Can you show some better screens of the bump mapping? I can't see anything obvious.

[Helmut_AUT 0]

Hi Dan. Can you show some better screens of the bump mapping? I can't see anything obvious.

 

Neither can I, to be honest. FE Gold is already a damn pretty game, at least as far as Aircraft Models and Shadows are concerned.

 

Also, I was mistaken in believing that FE2 would introduce a few new Aircraft...

 

I'd buy it for the bump mapping alone I guess, and since it might be required anyway for the next expansion, but right now it seems like FE Gold screenshots.

 

The one thing I can't say for sure about is the sun reflection on the Obs Balloon. Was that in FEGold?

Edited February 10, 2010 by Helmut_AUT

[Gr.Viper 131]

I think this one shows more. Look at MG and wing ribs

http://www.thirdwire.com/images/fe2_18.JPG

 

Now TW skinners will have to remove all prepainted shadows

[Helmut_AUT 0]

That MG shot also caught my eye. So this would mean the shadows in the wing rips on the fabric are now real bumped, not paint-on?

[+quack74 329]

I just installed FE2 and My frame rates render the game unplayable. What gives? I had to put all graphic settings on medium and still get the same response. My original FE install with my new Windows 7 rig had all settings on high or even unlimited with ok rates. And I guess that Strutter is just an AI huh?

 

AMD Athlon II 620 Quad-Core Processor (2.6 GHz, 2MB L2 Cache)

6GB PC2-6400 DDR2 SDRAM memory (3x2048MB for ultimate performance)(expandable to 16GB)

640GB (7200RPM) Serial ATA hard drive; SuperMulti DVD Burner with LightScribe Technology

NVIDIA GeForce 9100 Graphics with 256MB integrated shared graphics memory. Up to 2.9 GB Total Available Graphics Memory as allocated by Windows 7.

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Edited February 10, 2010 by quack74

[Gr.Viper 131]

Not all of them are pure bump - I fly DX9 and still have some lines I think. I'll have to go DX10 to see more shaders... Especially after learning how many people already have - Steam surveys are real eye-openers.

 

quack, GF9100 seems like the weak link.

Edited February 10, 2010 by Gr.Viper

[+quack74 329]

The little bits I could actually play I noticed burnt plane debri and smoke for crashes. Very cool

[JediMaster 451]

A GF9100 isn't capable of doing DX10 with playable fps. You're going to need to go into the .ini and turn it back to DX9.

[+quack74 329]

No DX10. SH%T! That figures Thanks guys.

 

 

[+quack74 329]

BTW, where can I change the DX settings for FE2? What folder has the DX .ini file?

[Bandy 3]

I think this one shows more. Look at MG and wing ribs

http://www.thirdwire.com/images/fe2_18.JPG

 

Sorry Gr.V I'm not seeing serious bump mapping in that pic at all. Maybe just the tiniest bit across the black of the cross on the upper wing, that's it. Not saying it ain't there, but waiting for better proof. Could someone take pics from the cockpit? That's where it would really matter.

 

And BTW, I suspect one has to have shadows enabled for bump mapping to be worth while, which means a performance hit. Has shadow rendering been improved?

 

I'll be the first (well, one of the first) to support TK, but I'm not seeing enough to justify the full purchase price. But hey, just my pragmatic Scottish side coming out!

Edited February 10, 2010 by Bandy

[JediMaster 451]

Look in the options.ini in your users/username/saved games/thirdwire/sf2 directory. There's an advanced shaders= line you could set to 0 as well as a ForceDX9= line you can switch to true.

[Gr.Viper 131]

These bump samples look more like the proof of concept. Now they can be done, but I wonder for how long TK will spend resources on making both skins with shadows painted on (DX9) and full bump-maping (DX10).

[Heck 496]

I bought it for two basic reasons: The superior modding structure of the -2 series of sims, and the wrecks on the ground of the second series. My computer is too graphically challenged for graphical improvements to matter much to me, but the mod structure is worth the price of admission, just like it's been for the SF series.

[+quack74 329]

Look in the options.ini in your users/username/saved games/thirdwire/sf2 directory. There's an advanced shaders= line you could set to 0 as well as a ForceDX9= line you can switch to true.

 

 

Sorry JediMaster, but I dont see those lines anywhere in my FE2 install's main folder. There isnt an options.ini like FE1

 

Could someone be more specific for me please on how to convert FE2 to use DirectX9 (if it can be done that is)

[Heck 496]

Look in your documents folder. You should find a new folder once you've run the game called Thirdwire, and within that you'll find another folder called FE2, I think. The ini that your looking for is in there.

 

 

[+quack74 329]

Look in your documents folder. You should find a new folder once you've run the game called Thirdwire, and within that you'll find another folder called FE2, I think. The ini that your looking for is in there.

 

 

 

 

Thanks Heck. I didnt realize FE2 created a new folder in my Documents folder.

[Bandy 3]

I agree with you Gr.V there is some bump mapping on certain portions of skins, as seen better on this image I lifted off 3rdWire website below.

The machine gun barrels have good bump (maybe best seen on the image full size HERE), but look at the shadow across the underside of the upper wing along the ribs; no bump mapping there. Proof of concept perhaps. The first screen shot posted in the OP of the Camel taking off shows bump on the airfield, but the ability to implement this for terrain textures was already in FE1.

 

After looking around on 3rdWire website I'm not seeing any definitive statements on what is different from FE1, and there should be no illusions or mystery, though hype sells I suppose.

Sorry to sound negative, that is not my intent, I just wish to be an informed consumer b/c things are tough lately.

 

BTW, why hasn't anyone posted screenies of the wreckage? I'd love to see that...

 

Edited February 11, 2010 by Bandy

[+DanW 32]

FE2 is just an update of FE for Windows 7 and Vista. It includes the DX10 shaders found in SF2:Israel, bump mapping (which is not a proof of concept), ground wreckage, save mission feature and the Sopwith Strutter AI plane. The bump mapping is on all the planes (obviously player planes have better attention) and it is more noticeable in the game than in screen shots. TK didn't want to overdo the bump mapping, so it is very subtle. I'm sorry, I'm very ill and I don't have time to take more screen shots to convince anyone there is bump mapping :) If you look on the first screen shot, you can see the bump mapping on the engine rivets. WW1 planes aren't going to be as noticeable as say a P-51 Mustang, as the Mustang has a ton of rivets and the bi-planes are covered in fabric.

 

There is no illusion, mystery or hype. As with all the SF2 games, these are cheap updates to the existing games made to work in Windows 7/Vista. TK threw the AI Strutter in at the last minute as a bonus.

 

http://bbs.thirdwire.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=7352

[+quack74 329]

Here's some good shots of the wing ribs and crash wreckage. Too bad the frame rates render the game useless to me. Kind of sucks big time. Even with DX9 running.

 

 

[+quack74 329]

Look in your documents folder. You should find a new folder once you've run the game called Thirdwire, and within that you'll find another folder called FE2, I think. The ini that your looking for is in there.

 

 

 

 

I found the lines in the doucuments/../../options.ini folder and changed the lines needed for DX9 to work.

 

[GraphicsOptions]

DisplayDeviceID=0

DisplayWidth=1280

DisplayHeight=1024

DisplayDepth=32

AspectRatio=1.250000

AntiAliasing=4

UseAdvancedShaders=0 <---------Changed to 0

ForceDX9=TRUE <------------ changed from FALSE to TRUE

ForceVSyncOff=TRUE <-------------Changed from FALSE to TRUE

LensFlare=2

DetailLevel=4

ObjectDetail=2

ObjectTexture=3

CockpitTexture=1

CockpitMirrors=1

CockpitReflection=1

EffectsDetail=2

TerrainDetail=2

TerrainTexture=3

HorizonDistance=2

GroundObjectDensity=1

WaterDetail=2

CloudsDetail=2

Shadow=1

 

Still the frame rates are rendering the game useless. WHAT GIVES??? Do I need a $3,000.00 gaming PC to play FE2?!?! Not a good start. And I'm sure others are going to have problems with their older PC's.

[Gr.Viper 131]

Try setting antialiasing to 0

 

I'm running and install of FE2 on EEE 1000H with Intel GMA 950 on medium settings and it's quite playable.

[Helmut_AUT 0]

Aye, now we're talking!

 

Those last shots (thanks for making the effort) clearly show a difference.

 

TK replied to me here http://bbs.thirdwire.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=7352 and also pointed out what to look for, and that it matters in movement more than on a still image, since it's basically a light/shadow illusion.

 

It also seems to me the DX10 Renderer makes the light more colorful, for example the redish influence on the Fokker skin (last screen, with the Obs Balloon).

 

Might be worth it after all, especially if an Exp. pack will need FE2.

[Gr.Viper 131]

Pity that seasoned terrain tiles didn't make it into the release

On the other hand, having a new terrain engine in the works, TK probably just can't be arsed to update obsolete landscape