Gestalt on 15/12/2005 at 04:50
(
http://www.fuzzpopfx.com/tutorials/doom3/) There is a way to use lightmaps with the Doom 3 engine, but it's kind of tricky and requires outside 3d modelling/rendering software.
Renzatic on 15/12/2005 at 05:40
That's fairly informative, but I think you could get the same results as that example map right inside of D3 by using your ambients.
If you were doing a daylit city a'la Half Life 2 then that'd be a must. But for smaller, more controlled areas you could use ambients and light textures to achieve the same effect.
Aja on 15/12/2005 at 07:53
Why use them at all? Wouldn't you want dynamic lighting in Thief 2 levels?
Domarius on 15/12/2005 at 08:55
If you think all the shadows cast in the DarkEngine are real time, then why do you think ID kicked up a big fuss about their Doom 3 engine being the first to have 100% dynamic lights?
The shadows created by the lights in DarkEngine are static, rendered during the map compile before it's released to play.
The dynamic lights in the game can manipulate these shadows by making them lighter when they get nearer, but these dynamic lights don't cast shadows of their own.
It is a waste of proceessing power to do all your shadows dynamically when most of them will never move. Even ID have realised this and are including support for static shadows in their next engine.
Renzatic on 15/12/2005 at 09:08
Quote Posted by Domarius
It is a waste of proceessing power to do all your shadows dynamically when most of them will never move. Even ID have realised this and are including support for static shadows in their next engine.
D3 already does that to some extent. If you have a light that can't be turned on or off and doesn't move, the engine will precalculate it when it's loading the level. That way it doesn't eat any unnecssary CPU cycles.
And I think what Aja is trying to say is if you have access to both, why not use them? He's not saying that Dark can do realtime lighting.
Aja on 15/12/2005 at 09:37
Quote Posted by Renzatic
And I think what Aja is trying to say is if you have access to both, why not use them? He's not saying that Dark can do realtime lighting.
Yes, thanks. Obviously dark can't do realtime lighting.
Spitter on 15/12/2005 at 10:09
Actually it can do shitty real-time lighting, but not real-time shadows.
oDDity on 15/12/2005 at 10:49
Quote Posted by Gestalt
I know, I was mostly just saying that The Dark Mod will not do what the openDarkEngine project intends, which seemed to be what oDDity was implying.
WHat exactly does this project intend? I can't see it having any purpose at all.
No one is going to want to make new missions for it with the Dark Mod available (which it will be by the time this is finished), you don't need it to play OMs or FMs, all you need is Thief installed, and all of the Thief content is dated rubbish anyway, except for the superb sounds (which the dark mod can make use of as I outlined before) and the AI code/stim/response system (which the Dark Mod will at least equal and most likely better)
If you're just making this for the hell of it and for the challenge, then fair enough.
Volca on 15/12/2005 at 12:06
Well there are a few reasons.
Ability to play on Linux without a single glitch (wine just doesn't work for me)
Ability to play on new PC's where DarkEngine just stops working or is unstable or so.
Engine improvements - dynamic shadows and lightning, reflections, model vertex interpolation (improved resolution of models)
Free Code - So AI could be improved for example
Modularity - making a new systems and scripting in new languages
Different map and object formats loaders - For example Quake BSP. You cold maybe possibly load even doom3 levels if Irrlicht will have support for them in the future (so it would be even possible to make one executable to run Thief, System Shock and DarkMod levels)
Fun - it is enjoyable to do this
... etc.
Luthien on 15/12/2005 at 12:24
Aaaanyway, anybody who is interested in the openDarkEngine project and wants to discuss it or help with it is invited to the opde-discussion forum on sourceforge:
(
http://sourceforge.net/forum/forum.php?forum_id=517377) http://sourceforge.net/forum/forum.php?forum_id=517377
(Although I politely request you to keep the flaming out of Sourceforge.)
