Friday 2011-02-04 Dev. update and Discussion

[luthier]

Originally Posted by kalimba

Ah haaaaaaaaaa! So, in theory, you could a least show us in a still screen shot how complex clouds will look in the gameplay when it is optimized ?
Just for the fun of it ?

There's a reason we never showed it.

I don't think anyone, you or us, is really happy with the way the clouds are looking. Complex clouds made up of these puffs look even worse. The puffs were never intended for large cumulus clouds or for overcast, so it looks as horrible as you would imagine.

[furbs]

Originally Posted by luthier

There's a reason we never showed it.

I don't think anyone, you or us, is really happy with the way the clouds are looking. Complex clouds made up of these puffs look even worse. The puffs were never intended for large cumulus clouds or for overcast, so it looks as horrible as you would imagine.

So whats going to happen with the clouds we are seeing now Luthier?
Are they staying? or is there a new build for the release or a later patch?

And thanks for the info.

[luthier]

Originally Posted by furbs

So whats going to happen with the clouds we are seeing now Luthier?
Are they staying? or is there a new build for the release or a later patch?

And thanks for the info.

We are redoing everything about clouds from scratch, but not for the release. The puffs are going to be in the release. A completely different cloud system with much better visuals, especially in terms of light scattering, is pretty early in development.

I have to add a disclaimer here because when I don't it bites us in the rear. Everything I'm discussing in terms of future plans is a work in progress and is subject to change. As a matter of fact, it's pretty much a guarantee that the final feature will be different from what I'm describing today.

Please gentlemen, understand that game development is a very long, complex process. Plans we describe are just that, plans. Every single thing we said we were working on, we were indeed working on at the time. Working is the key work here. We're doing something no one, including ourselves, has ever done before. So when we tell you that we're working on something, that means we are walking down an uncertain road and we don't know when we get there, and what shape we're going to be in when we do.

WORK. IN. PROGRESS. Please understand these simple words.

[Sutts]

Originally Posted by luthier

We are redoing everything about clouds from scratch, but not for the release. The puffs are going to be in the release. A completely different cloud system with much better visuals, especially in terms of light scattering, is pretty early in development.

I have to add a disclaimer here because when I don't it bites us in the rear. Everything I'm discussing in terms of future plans is a work in progress and is subject to change. As a matter of fact, it's pretty much a guarantee that the final feature will be different from what I'm describing today.

Please gentlemen, understand that game development is a very long, complex process. Plans we describe are just that, plans. Every single thing we said we were working on, we were indeed working on at the time. Working is the key work here. We're doing something no one, including ourselves, has ever done before. So when we tell you that we're working on something, that means we are walking down an uncertain road and we don't know when we get there, and what shape we're going to be in when we do.

WORK. IN. PROGRESS. Please understand these simple words.

Can't ask for more than that Luthier. Thanks for taking the time to keep us informed.

[Sutts]

Luthier,

Are you able to tell us whether realistic wind modelling will feature in the initial release please?

[luthier]

Originally Posted by Sutts

Luthier,

Are you able to tell us whether realistic wind modelling will feature in the initial release please?

Wind is a part of weather So whatever I said about the weather included wind.

[krz9000]

this year will be great for flight sim fans.

xplane has a new cloudsystem too. i guess most of you know this post allready? http://www.x-plane.com/pg_news.html

[Freycinet]

Originally Posted by krz9000

this year will be great for flight sim fans.

xplane has a new cloudsystem too. i guess most of you know this post allready? http://www.x-plane.com/pg_news.html

No use for a combat sim where you fly in and out of clouds in a tail chase though...

[The Kraken]

Thanks for the info Luthier, it's appreciated. Far more so than the usual streamlined PR crap we usually get from most developers.

While some of the news may be disappointing, I'm glad the devs seem to have a good concept of priorities and are executing it. Too many previous sims suffered from feature creep, only to be released with bugs and problems throughout. I'd rather enjoy a limited featureset that works than another Falcon4-like disaster...

[jameson]

I recall a BOB pilot saying that clouds were odd, when you're in one you can't see anything, but that if you were above them you could see the shape of an aircraft in them.
It will be something very special to have a complete weather system in the sim. If this comprised time, ie earth rotation, sun position with clouds wind and rain (snow!) and ran independently of, as above or in parallel with the actual game, it could be used in any other title using the SOW engine. I hope you're thinking this way, Luthier....

Regards to the team, I'm looking forward to cranking up the 109!