Patch December 2010-C is out!

[+Stary]

I reported (again!) trees rendering through clouds bug at Thirdwire, but I don't think this ever will be adressed. Not with current terrain engine at least

[Lexx_Luthor]

SF::

BTW, has anyone noticed improved detection range for Floggers with December patches?

That range would be in the AI radar section of the DATA.ini file right? Extract it and czech it out (if ya'll use extractors in SF2+ I'm stuck at SF1 2006).

 

 

[unlimitedDetailOption]

HorizonDistance=62000.0

Interesting.

 

With some not too deviant tweaks I can run about 200km in SF1 2006, and much more with some rather deep, FlightEngine and Terrain ini bizarrnes.

[+PureBlue]

So none can confirm this shadow problem?

It also happens to aircraft shadows, so I think it's an important issue.

 

[FalconC45]

I reported (again!) trees rendering through clouds bug at Thirdwire, but I don't think this ever will be adressed. Not with current terrain engine at least

 

I saw that on TW forum TK said the new terrain engine will have the same problem too unfortunately.

 

Falcon

[+Stary]

I saw that on TW forum TK said the new terrain engine will have the same problem too unfortunately.

 

Falcon

 

so, what's the point calling it new terrain engine?

 

To my understanding TK was reffering to current engine..?

[+Julhelm]

I'm also starting to wonder what's so new about the new terrain engine. Talk about wasted effort if the terrain looks as bland as it does now.

[Wilches]

I'm still starting in the air on single missions... What should I have to do and, please, step by atep - wich archive, where it is and how to tweak. Thanks buddies!!

[+Dave]

Its a bug that only TK can fix....if you read the through thread though there is a fix......and easy one.

[FalconC45]

so, what's the point calling it new terrain engine?

 

To my understanding TK was reffering to current engine..?

 

Nope. I could post the link to the thread if you want me to.

 

Falcon

[xclusiv8]

I havent updated to this patch yet. Does it bring anything good. It seems people only have bad things to say. Should i update?

[+Stary]

Nope. I could post the link to the thread if you want me to.

 

Falcon

 

sure, I can't find it myself

[FalconC45]

sure, I can't find it myself

 

Found it http://bbs.thirdwire.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=7185&start=16

 

Second to last post.

 

The quote "New terrain engine do have slightly improved rendering of trees, but it still wont' render them correctly if you have the clouds sitting on the ground."

 

Falcon

[+Old Diego]

Found it http://bbs.thirdwire...t=7185&start=16

 

Second to last post.

 

The quote "New terrain engine do have slightly improved rendering of trees, but it still wont' render them correctly if you have the clouds sitting on the ground."

 

Falcon

 

Well, isn't that nice. I am sure relieved to know that he'll be including built in legacy bugs. If he re-uses the same textures as well, it will be like nothing has changed

[Icarus999]

Well, isn't that nice. I am sure relieved to know that he'll be including built in legacy bugs. If he re-uses the same textures as well, it will be like nothing has changed

 

 

So funny that he just keeps tooling out these expansion packs that add a couple of planes and a few marginal improvements that break the things that we loved in his games to begin with. What his loyal customers really want is for him to bring the terrain engine up to modern standards and fix the bugs that have been overlooked for years. These games have so many great features.... so much works exceedingly well and should not be changed but there are certain things in need of a major overhaul, you could search back five years on this forum and find people complaining about the same bugs and issues

[Spinners]

So funny that he just keeps tooling out these expansion packs...

 

I'm aware of two. Have I missed any?

[+swambast]

So funny that he just keeps tooling out these expansion packs that add a couple of planes and a few marginal improvements that break the things that we loved in his games to begin with. What his loyal customers really want is for him to bring the terrain engine up to modern standards and fix the bugs that have been overlooked for years. These games have so many great features.... so much works exceedingly well and should not be changed but there are certain things in need of a major overhaul, you could search back five years on this forum and find people complaining about the same bugs and issues

+1:

Perfectly said Rob - my thoughts exactly!

[+FastCargo]

Remember folks that anything TK does is calculated to have a positive cost to benefit ratio.

 

In other words, the potential profit made from it will meet or exceed the cost of doing it. There may be a bunch of folks who run modded installs, but there may also be bunches of folks who run plain old stock installs...it's an unknown factor that TK can't even tell us because he doesn't even know.

 

Anyway, if he does a totally new terrain engine, how many old terrains will be 'broken' by it...just imagine the howls then (note what happened on the prop 'shadow' issue). Or if you want to keep the old terrains available, now you have to have 2 render subsets. Just how much time and money will that cost...and will it be made up in new sales?

 

This is why multiplayer is such a low priority I think. TW games are meant for those to be able to jump in and spend just a few minutes to learn to play, and a few minutes to get to play. To get full enjoyment out of a multiplayer flight sim, you have to have time to play, longer stretches to plan and prep for something other than 'airquake' and usually a dedicated team you fly for. How many folks have that kind of time in the TW world? Is it enough to invest in a robust MP setup? Will you make enough money to pay for it?

 

Again, I don't know the answer to these questions...I'm not the one paying the bills.

 

FC

[+Sundowner]

Personally I'd be happy if TK just made the Tomcat thingy a "completely" new sim, as in NO old mods would work with it because it was a fresh start...different game engine etc, etc.

Yes,I know the whole process for us modders would start all over again, new terrains/planes/groundobjects to be built, but lets be honest with ourselves, there is a lot more satisfaction "making" summat and seeing it in game for the first time rather than having to go and fix up your old stuff over and over.

[+Stary]

it's to a degree good point Sundowner, I myself think sometimes a new fresh start could be a good thing. Surely we would have far less at the beginning, but now we use mods, that are still great but sometimes 5, 6 years old, showing their age

[+Julhelm]

Well, isn't that nice. I am sure relieved to know that he'll be including built in legacy bugs. If he re-uses the same textures as well, it will be like nothing has changed

Didn't he state like a year ago that it would still run the old terrains as well?

[+Stary]

I think he did

[+FastCargo]

Well, I'm wondering also what do other flight sims do with their 3d objects that the LOD format can't do.

 

For instance, I know that the LOD format does not support specular mapping. Also, damage textures aren't bump mapped.

 

I guess another way to ask is that could 3d object rendering be tweaked to modern standards (like was done with bump mapping) which makes older 3d formats easier to support and yet build a whole new terrain engine?

 

I'm pretty sure even our terrain gurus would like a new terrain engine...

 

FC

[+EricJ]

I'd like one where it wouldn't drive me nuts...

[+Julhelm]

Well, I'm wondering also what do other flight sims do with their 3d objects that the LOD format can't do.

 

For instance, I know that the LOD format does not support specular mapping. Also, damage textures aren't bump mapped.

 

I guess another way to ask is that could 3d object rendering be tweaked to modern standards (like was done with bump mapping) which makes older 3d formats easier to support and yet build a whole new terrain engine?

 

I'm pretty sure even our terrain gurus would like a new terrain engine...

 

FC

Well for starters we've been able to do multiple UV sets since Quake 1, where you can tile textures on one set and bake ambient occlusion to the other. Also proper world reflections are missing. Those have been around since DX8 - I remember Comanche 4 and NOLF 2 were two of the first games to do that really well.

 

And his cost estimates for implementing those features seem grabbed from thin air. We could implement diffuse/normal/specular/gloss/reflective/glow/ambient in our engine in about 6 weeks with another 6 weeks for optimizing it. And that's on a school project with inexperienced coders coding a 3d engine from scratch with no middleware. And it doesn't take ages to create the necessary texture maps either.

[+Dave]

You all are missing the point!!!!

 

When do I get a damn pony?