Friday 2010-10-15 Dev. update and Discussion

[150GCT_Veltro]

Originally Posted by Richie

I'm sure it will Veltro..I'm just confused over this weeks updates. I can't see SOW coming out with a terrain witch is posted up this week. I'm sure it will be totally different when released that's why I posted the link to simhq. Everyone over there are wondering the same thing.

+1, thank for the link.

Oleg has promised that SOW will have far better looking terrain than WOP/BOP, I know we are not seeing anything like that yet but im in agreement with most on here that Oleg must be holding back showing us until final release.

[SlipBall]

Originally Posted by Tree_UK

Oleg has promised that SOW will have far better looking terrain than WOP/BOP, I know we are not seeing anything like that yet but im in agreement with most on here that Oleg must be holding back showing us until final release.

I know that this is very important to you and a few others. As for myself I could'nt care less, its all about game play for me. Heck I would be happy if the terrain looked the same as in 1946, and that I could enjoy smooth game play with all of the new features in SOW.

[kendo65]

I've been following the SimHQ thread - have to say that I actually prefer how the terrain is looking in this week's update compared to the 'Spitfire from the Heinkel cockpit' pic.

For me the terrain in that shot looks over-saturated and 'cartoony' in comparison. The trees aren't integrated as well either.

I'm not saying that the current shots are perfect, but I see a process of improvement in how things are developing. While being too pastel-coloured, this week's shots are closer to real, photo-like colour balance than any I've seen so far.

(especially pic 2 - the Hurricane at medium altitude - when I first viewed it in a web browser on 1680x1050 screen it looked very close to photographic and I was very impressed. Viewed more closely at full-scale the pastel-tones become more apparent, but I really think that things are moving in the right direction)

[Richie]

Originally Posted by Tree_UK

Oleg has promised that SOW will have far better looking terrain than WOP/BOP, I know we are not seeing anything like that yet but im in agreement with most on here that Oleg must be holding back showing us until final release.

I say the same Tree.

[winny]

I have a question about DRM.

I've been away from PC gaming for about 7 years and I was wondering what's so bad about the DRM in DCS and RoF? What's so wrong with it that it's actually putting people off buying the software?

I'm not trying to start a big DRM argument or anything I'm genuinely curious.

[BP_Tailspin]

Originally Posted by SlipBall

I know that this is very important to you and a few others. As for myself I could'nt care less, its all about game play for me. Heck I would be happy if the terrain looked the same as in 1946, and that I could enjoy smooth game play with all of the new features in SOW.

SlipBall you nailed it … some one give this man a Cigar.

[Viking]

This is Oleg we are dealing with, do you seriusly think he would release a sim that he was less than 100 procent happy with? "I can do better than this but let them have it now!"?

Think not!

The real danger is that he might never be happy!

Regards

Viking

[kedrednael]

I made 2 changes 2 the pictures from the updates.
the first one changes a couple of colours (I'm not saying my version is better than the original).
the second one deletes almost all text and arrows . I also changed the botoms of some clouds a bit.






maybe the pictures are a bit too large...



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Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[Sutts]

Originally Posted by Flutter

Hi Oleg, thank you for posting both updates and answers.

As far as I can see, the current ground texture system uses a network of borderlines that look organic but repeat fairly often over the terrain. The area within one set of borderlines is then filled with an appropriate texture (golf course / field a / field b / field c / farm / forest / village / city / industry ) and with the appropriate models (vegetation, buildings etc). Then the borders themselves are applied, these being hedges, paths, roads etc. For a quasi procedural texture system, I believe this is one of the best solutions available, and your results look overall very nice. However, the system does not look too good when such a field is cut by a railroad. Screenshot No. 3 illustrates my point. The REAL geometry (railroad lines, big highways) does fit badly into the texture when compared to the basic borderlines. The only solution I can imagine would be to treat such a road / railway line as yet another borderline, and apply different textures to the different segments that have been divided by this geometry. It would not be perfect, but it could be coded, and it would make these roads and railways fit better into the landskape, making them both blend better into it and be more visible in that they change the landscape around them.
The mockup picture below illustrates my point.
Flutter

I think half the problem here is the use of modern day tractor tramlines in the fields, which look odd when they are broken up by something like a railway line.

I'm from a farming background and at the risk of sounding like a stuck record:

1. The evenly spaced tractor tramlines that are apparent in these shots would definitely not have been seen - these are for the efficient application of fertiliser and sprays on a large scale with 15-30 meter booms. This technology has only been around since the 80s really.

2. Baled hay and straw would largely not have been seen, especially round bales. Loose hay/straw stacks and wheat stooks were the feature of the day.

3. Lines of straw in fields would only come later with the introduction of mobile combined harvesters which had only just been introduced to the states.

I haven't seen any evidence of the last 2 yet but maybe the textures are targeting the pre-harvest time when cereal crops are still maturing.

Now I agree, in the big scheme of things this is not an issue but it would have been nice to get it right when the textures were being created. I did point it out ages ago. In the Memphis Belle movie the modern day crop lines are a dead give away.

Standing cereal crops should be an even texture with no parallel tractor lines - these came much later as agriculture became more intensive. These simple textures would have been far easier to produce.

Also, at that time Linseed was grown (blue fields) but oilseed rape is a recent introduction (bright yellow fields). Kent was also full of orchards which have largely been uprooted now.

http://forum.1cpublishing.eu/attachm...9&d=1287325120