AGS3D +PLUS+ beta

[HeirOfNorton]

Replies in no particular order:

Rui: Theoretically you should just need to set SetLookAtRange larger, but I couldn't get it to work right, I'm looking into improving that.

Steve: You can turn off the sector stuff by commenting out the SetUseSectors line in the room script. When I post the next version, I'll have all the primitives sorted and commented as what each one is. Also, some of the sorting problems could be due to the fact that the wall primitives are completely flat, but have a scale of 1.0 thick. (If I set 'em to 0.0, that'll cause division by zero errors. Maybe if they're scaled dowm to, like, 0.0001. I'll try it.)

Gilbot: Yeah, that sprit cropping will make the editor a LOT less cluttered, and easier for others to set up. 

HoN

[simulacra]

But... what will we use the 3D features for? Any ideas so far?

I am considering an old school cyberspace interface.

[Pumaman]

This is amazing stuff, I can't believe you've basically managed to recreate Wolf 3D in AGS 

[Scorpiorus]

Hehe, I think it's already close to Quake, in terms of level structure at least -- great work!

[GarageGothic]

Yes, this is certainly turning out to be an awesome 3D engine. Not quite Quake, but certainly Castle Master with optional Wolfenstein 3D areas I'm probably going to use the non-textured primitives for environment and then use textures for non-rotating sprites like signs etc.

Marvellous work from everybody involved.

[Scavenger]

This is truely awe inspiring. o.o I am amazed at how much you people have done in a short amount of time! Obviously, it might need a little tuning up and speed fixes (the stairs in particular... though, that's not really an issue if you don't need stairs.), but I really could see this being put into great use!

I wonder if there'd be a speed increase if the game were 8bit rather than 16bit? Probably not, since it's sorting issues slowing it down (or so I've read) Well, if you did have it in 8bit, you could have rudimentary texture animation like running water though CyclePalette... I was thinking a waterfall or something similar...

[GarageGothic]

But it shouldn't be that hard to have texture animation, should it? After all the screen is redrawn every game cycle anyway, so you would just need to set up a timer function to determine which sprite to draw at which time. But of course it would require a lot of sprites.

[HeirOfNorton]

Texture animation shouldn't be too hard at all. Each textured 'face' has its texture set with a single function, and it should be no trouble to reset it in rep-ex (similar to how I do with the switch in the demo). Of course, yes, that IS a lot of sprit columns running around, at least until CJ adds sprite cropping...

HoN

PS, this is officially the last time I'll bring up sprite cropping. I think I've harped von it just about enough, especially since CJ has already said that it's next on his list.

[Gregjazz]

Texture animation shouldn't be too hard at all. Each textured 'face' has its texture set with a single function, and it should be no trouble to reset it in rep-ex (similar to how I do with the switch in the demo). Of course, yes, that IS a lot of sprit columns running around, at least until CJ adds sprite cropping...

HoN

PS, this is officially the last time I'll bring up sprite cropping. I think I've harped von it just about enough, especially since CJ has already said that it's next on his list.

For the record, I think I could find sprite cropping useful, too.

So you're not alone or anything.

[Jay]

Obviously, it might need a little tuning up and speed fixes (the stairs in particular... though, that's not really an issue if you don't need stairs.),

I was thinking about the stairs, and I remembered that on Nintendo 64, stairs were usually created by making a slope with a stair-like texture on it, rather than actually creating each individual step as a cube.
Just an idea, if anyone needs it.

[Gregjazz]

Obviously, it might need a little tuning up and speed fixes (the stairs in particular... though, that's not really an issue if you don't need stairs.),

I was thinking about the stairs, and I remembered that on Nintendo 64, stairs were usually created by making a slope with a stair-like texture on it, rather than actually creating each individual step as a cube.
Just an idea, if anyone needs it.

Not a bad idea, come to think of it. I mean, it would probably be the best representation of stairs you could get with a low CPU load...

[HeirOfNorton]

Unfortunately, adding stairs this way is currently impossible. In order for this type of texture-mapping to work, the surfaces to be textured have to be perfectly verticle.

HoN

[Scavenger]

It seems sometimes only one column is drawn to the screen for a wall. Strange, no?

Question. Why are ceiling and floor textures unfeasable? I mean, there weren't either in Wolf3D... I really can't see any reason why we can't add them. I guess there is one... probably something to do with.. er.. not being able to draw the sprite at that angle? Mreh... I don't know.

[HeirOfNorton]

Yeah, I know about that error. That one, at least, is almost certainly just a mistake on my part, I just have to find it.

As for floor/ceiling textures... This sort of texture-mapping is done by taking 'slices' of each texture and rendering them sequentially, scaled up or down. Up till now, floor textures have been impossible because floors could be seen at any angle, not just head-on like the walls (that's why mouse-look is disabled). However, now that CJ has added sprite-cropping, this combined with sprite rotation MIGHT make floor textures a possibility. I'm looking into it.

HoN

[Kweepa]

However, now that CJ has added sprite-cropping, this combined with sprite rotation MIGHT make floor textures a possibility. I'm looking into it.

You are crazy! I like it.
If you need help with the maths let me know - although it should be pretty much the same as the perspective calculations on the walls.
I would take a 2x2 tiled version of the texture, so that when it's rotated you can always take a square section from the middle and tile that. I think that'll help.

[TheYak]

So can the rawdraw function be used for transparent shapes as well?  I'm assuming if it were possible, it'd kill the hell out of the framerate.  *Twiddling fingers patiently waiting for the incorporation of EBM and normal maps*  It's just jaw-dropping progress from both of you, I hope some creative soul manages to incorporate it cleverly into a game and we don't just see a slew of Rogerstein games.

[SSH]

I might do a 3d remake of Pixel Hunt, given that my 3d modelling abilities should just about manage the GFX for that 

[HeirOfNorton]

So can the rawdraw function be used for transparent shapes as well?

Not sure quite what you mean by this. If you mean textures with transparent sections, no problem. I alread have one of those in the example. Textures with alpha channels would probably work too, though I haven't tried it. If you mean translucent SOLID shapes--like say a glass sphere--then no, the rawdraw functions can't do it right now. (as far as I know)

HoN

[TheYak]

The latter.  Specifically, if you wanted to do a shadow overlay that would darken both the "walls", ground, and character  (Or light overlay, for that matter).  You could do this with 2D overlay, but a polygon could make for more realism.  I actually had a specific purpose in mind but have since  brain-dumped it. 

So, with the textures, a masking effect is possible but not tranparency (alpha) as of yet? I would assume if you did something like a glass wall that allowed you to see into the next room it would slow things to a crawl.  Aside from very specialized applications (e.g. silhouette s) I can't think of a use for translucent solids.  Transparent ones would be too resource-consuming in the end to replace 2D semi-functional counterparts.

[HeirOfNorton]

Oh. I had the same idea, trying to figure out how to add lighting effects to the textured walls. With the current state of the RawDraw functions, about the only way I can think of to do this is to have a 1 X 1 pixel sprite and RawDrawImageTransparent that sucker all across the screen. Rather unwieldy.

The best solution(s), in my opinion, would be for CJ to add RawDrawImageResizedTransparent, and/or to add a transparency setting to the regular RawDraw functions. Personally, I vote for the latter, as it could be useful for other applications than this.

HoN