"normalmap" edition released! (2006-07-22)

by Aardappel_ on 07/22/2006 23:56, 191 messages, last message: 09/11/2006 07:36, 165107 views, last view: 12/09/2021 06:37

As always, here are the new features, any feedback or bugs specific to this version in this thread, please.

* added support for "dot3 lightmap / radiosity lightmap" mode that works well with normalmaps & per pixel light, various shaders supporting bump/parallax mapping, glow/specmaps etc.
* added lots of normalmapped textures
* many new maps using normalmapping
* extended Fanatic's amazing soundtrack with 8 new tracks!
* added dbghelp.dll to the bin folder that win98 users need to rename...
* clearer color coding in the console: green: player talk, blue: "echo" command, yellow: gameplay messages, red: important errors, white: everything else
* added -z (z-buffer precision), -b (bits per pixel), -a (FSAA), and -f (shader precision) command-line settings (see config.html)
* added "trigger" command for opening/closing doors
* added entity selection by left mouse button.
* added entity copy and paste
* added entity undo / redo support
* added entity support to flip and rotate
* added editmove command
* added replaceents command
* made sure that textures of 'new cubes' are appropriate. Maps need to be remipped for this to fully work.
* added outline mode for showing geom boundaries (toggled by "outline" var)
* added -p (admin password) and -c (maxclients, default 4) command-line options for servers
* added setmaster command
* added voice announcer for certain gameplay events
* quad & boost powerups are now randomized in spawn times, but their spawn is announced 10 seconds before (so everyone will have to fight for it :)
* added showcharacterboundingbox var (useful when creating new models)
* increased rhino bounding box size

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#60: Sauer's Good, and a little Bad

by Greywhind on 07/28/2006 05:24

I have grown to like Sauer quite a bit since I first saw it, and it definitely IS the best fully open-source FPS. Also, it's FPS is amazing for the high quality of its graphics (which are getting quite amazing - great job).

Unfortunately, I have to mention that I have always missed one particular feature, present in almost every other FPS:

Lack of CTF mode (and structured teams). This has been my main issue since I first downloaded Sauer - without CTF and real teamplay, it's just not quite my perfect game. Frankly, just because of CTF and class-based/team-based play, I'd switch to ETF (Enemy Territory Fortress) in an instant if it ran on Mac. If you want to appeal to a broader class of FPS players, I'd suggest putting in CTF, even if you don't add classes like Team Fortress does.

I hope you won't take this as an insult, but it really does detract from my enjoyment of Sauer. It's a great game anyway, but I will never be fully satisfied until it has CTF.

(Yes, I realize that Sauer is supposed to be minimalistic and have old-style gameplay - if that stops CTF from being implemented, I can't change that. I just want to get my opinion out there.)

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#61: Re: Headshot

by Quin on 07/28/2006 07:39, refers to #47

Headchots would be rather easy in a simplistic matter. Because sauer uses bounding boxes for collision detection, it wouldn't be deadly accurate.

Rough Example:

if ((pos.z >= d->o.z+d->eyeheight) && (pos.z <= d->o.z+d->aboveeye))
{
// headshot!
}

Something like this in weapon.h hit() would ('pos' relates to the collision vector, which can easily be calculated from the 'to' and 'from' vectors). As for accuracy, it'd be limited to a bounding area of approx. (radius, radius, (aboveeye-eyeheight)) [X,Y,Z].

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#62: Re: Headshot

by Quin on 07/28/2006 07:40, refers to #61

Note: the above wouldn't be in the sauer tradition of balanced gameplay.

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#63: Re: Sauer's Good, and a little Bad

by Pxtl on 07/28/2006 08:11, refers to #60

A) There's the "capture" mode for CTF-oid gameplay. And there are any number of free games with ET style gameplay if you want them. Tons of Team Fortress games have been implemented based on the various Quake platforms and released as free stand-alone games, any of which should work on a Mac.

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#64: Re: Headshot

by rancor on 07/28/2006 09:18, refers to #62

Agreed. However, getting a headshot is quite satisfying, and it might make a fun addition to instagib. It could also make an "insta-pistol" mode,as discussed in the past, actually require some skill, by doing something like 120+ damage on a headshot. Just some food for thought.

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#65: Re: Headshot

by Passa on 07/28/2006 09:36, refers to #64

All my CS playing means I normally get headshots with the rifle while pwning 5 unnameds on aard3c :)

Would be nice for HS damage, but only for the pistol and rifle.

note however; without a healthboost and no armour, rifles are 1 hit kills (100 damage)

Realise though that headshot damage will never come (it goes against the philosophy of simple gameplay, just as crouching does etc)

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#66: Re: Headshot

by rancor on 07/28/2006 10:05, refers to #65

Perfectly aware of both the high power of the rifle and and the simplicity cost. It would be a terrible idea in FFA. My main thought was that tracking it could offer one of the additional player rewards, such as killing spree announcements, that are occasionally mentioned. Additionally, a pistol only mode was a pointless idea without the idea of an accuracy bonus. It's still probably not the best idea ever, but it does seem worth reconsidering its value.

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#67: Re: 6100 VS X850PRO, 6100 wins why?

by Chaos on 07/28/2006 10:08, refers to #59

Wow.. well I won't lie, that upsets me. If it wasn't such a great performer I'd throw it out right now. lol I take it the X1K series wouldn't have this problem? Or is ATi slacking on all fronts?

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#68: ..

by Max of S2D [Fr] on 07/28/2006 12:02

No, don't think headshots will make a good gameplay... but why not make it optionnal, in certains modes...

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#69: Re: ..

by Passa on 07/28/2006 12:08, refers to #68

consistency
you cant have it different for each mode ;-)

end of story, its definently not going to happen :)

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#70: Re: 6100 VS X850PRO, 6100 wins why?

by mitaman@work_cave on 07/28/2006 12:50, refers to #67

I have an ati x1300 card with latest drivers and it DOES NOT do the full screen effects like bloom. But it does do the shader effects on mapmodels/hudguns, and the latest "normal maps". That looks really sweet.

So what video cards can actually do ALL the effects that SAUER offers? I bought the ati x1300 thinking it would do everything (it's a directX 9.0c card)and was rather bummed it won't do "bloom" effects. Oh well, live and learn.

MitaMAN

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#71: Re: 6100 VS X850PRO, 6100 wins why?

by Chaos on 07/28/2006 16:05, refers to #70

Well, when bloom and sobel first came out via CVS, mine worked. Now it just doesn't at all? What changed?

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#72: Re: 6100 VS X850PRO, 6100 wins why?

by kurtis84 on 07/29/2006 00:24, refers to #71

For starters, a DX9.0c video card won't help with sauerbraten unless it has full openGL 1.5 support as well.

Second, by now I would have thought the general public would realize that ATI sucks. Nothing you people say about an ATI card acting up suprises me, as their drivers are for the most part a pile of hacked up shit.

Third, you wonder why some commercial game works great on certain ATI cards, but sauer doesn't? Thats because Sauer relies on openGL for everything, and if the card you have is missing certain openGL features, sauer will not run and/or look correct.

I will say there are fairly new nvidia cards that do not do so great with Sauer. I have an AGP8x GF6800GT, that I have to run Sauer with the "floatvtx 1" param enabled, or my entire screen is filled with stretched textures. I get great framerates, and it all looks fine, but there is obviously some function that my card lacks. If that were one of the important funtions ( occlusion query for example ) I would be out of Sauer too....BUT, that is not Sauers fault, it's a cheap video card, IMHO ;)

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#73: Re: 6100 VS X850PRO, 6100 wins why?

by shadow,516 on 07/29/2006 02:10, refers to #72

yes, ATi lacks certain OpenGL features, but it is true that full screen shaders USED to work for ATi early in development, but doesnt anymore... I just never bothered to mention it :shrug:

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#74: Re: 6100 VS X850PRO, 6100 wins why?

by Aardappel_ on 07/29/2006 03:13, refers to #70

look at the output in the console, if there is a warning about texture rectangle, that will be why bloom doesn't work.

It is is very clear ATI doesn't care for OpenGL. If you have OpenGL games that are important to you (primarily any of the quake's, doom's, and games built on those engines), do yourself a BIG favor and buy nvidia.

no, I am not an nvidia or opengl fanboy... just common sense.

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#75: Re: 6100 VS X850PRO, 6100 wins why?

by shadow,516 on 07/29/2006 03:49, refers to #74

but why did Bloom USED to work?

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#76: Re: 6100 VS X850PRO, 6100 wins why?

by Chaos on 07/29/2006 05:26, refers to #75

I'll just buy a G80 when they come out.. or I'll break down and get a 7900GT. lol However I too am curious why Bloom and the others used to work. That Doesn't make sense to me.

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#77: Re: 6100 VS X850PRO, 6100 wins why?

by guest57 on 07/29/2006 09:33, refers to #76

Bloom still works fine on ATI x800 (on a mac) and I get a decent fps - so no complaints about ATI from me.

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#78: ..

by Max of S2D [Fr] on 07/29/2006 10:09

"look at the output in the console, if there is a warning about texture rectangle, that will be why bloom doesn't work."

This is weird ! My nVidia Geforce FX 5200 display :

"Using GL_ARB texture rectangle extension
WARNING : Non power of two textures not supported !"

But i have bloom and all others things like Bumpmapping...

at 6 fps.

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#79: Re: 6100 VS X850PRO, 6100 wins why?

by Chaos on 07/29/2006 16:38, refers to #77

Well that's wounderful, Mac X800's and Window GF 5200's are making my X850 look bad. lol

Why does the X800 have texture rectangle support and the X850 doesn't!?! *loads gun and takes aim at ATi*

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