hl2-xsi?

I've seen and downloaded Softimage|XSI , is this just for creating models, or is it used for maps?

[if so a tutorial wouldn't go unseen :biggrin: ]

It's just for HL2 models (only exports to HL2), but with the new hammer you can insert models into your maps. It's not released for making maps, the new Hammer should be used to do that. (still unreleased)

Make sure to play around with the prefab characters ... it's fun to play around with hairstyles and proportions :razz:

bah. my crappy monitor makes my eyes bleed, even on XSI's minimum resolution.

but it does look like an awful lot of HL2's 'eye candy' will be made in XSI too, not just player models.

True. Some very interesting videos & tutorials at the XSI site too ...

In HL2, will you be able to create maps, with more complex brushes, but still have r_speeds low?

$loth said:
In HL2, will you be able to create maps, with more complex brushes, but still have r_speeds low?

the r_speeds are less of an issue, but are still present.

people still won't be able to create bulls**t maps, and expect them to run well..

mental image of future assholes commenting

"IF YOU WOULD JUST UPGRADE TO A p8 10,000 YOU COULD RUN MY MAPS JUST FINE " :rolleyes:

Orpheus said:

$loth said:
In HL2, will you be able to create maps, with more complex brushes, but still have r_speeds low?

the r_speeds are less of an issue, but are still present.

people still won't be able to create bulls**t maps, and expect them to run well..

mental image of future assholes commenting

"IF YOU WOULD JUST UPGRADE TO A p8 10,000 YOU COULD RUN MY MAPS JUST FINE " :rolleyes:

LOL, you crack me up so if r_speeds will be less of an issue, what would be more of an issue?

[edit] By the rate of which things are going now, i'd expect the P8 to be more of 20,000

What's the replacement for r_speeds?

There is a new system for budgeting that shows where time is being spent in the code at a high level. We are setting framerate targets for different levels of hardware capability. The display of the budgeting info is in the format of a graphics equalizer-like view of where time is being spent. This gives you a good view of where you are getting spikes, and the average performance.

Boing

What's the replacement for r_speeds?

There is a new system for budgeting that shows where time is being spent in the code at a high level. We are setting framerate targets for different levels of hardware capability. The display of the budgeting info is in the format of a graphics equalizer-like view of where time is being spent. This gives you a good view of where you are getting spikes, and the average performance.

care to explain?

Most studios and engines have abandoned the concept of a minimum polycount and instead work on a minimum framerate. Level designers at many companies work on low-spec machines to help ensure this - i.e. the entire game will run at this framerate at this resolution and speed. It's a lot more consistent than just raw numbers - though numbers are still useful as a very rough guide, some scenes will not run the same as others even with identical counts due to whatever reason. Overlapping lights in particular are almost more deadly than polycounts in newer unified lighting engines, though HL2 likely won't have this problem. I'd laugh if it did, though.

You can see something like this in UnrealEd - there is a complexity overlay that also helps guide this process. By turning to that view, you see empty/low poly areas as green, and the very complex areas as red. By keeping a balance of the colors here (the coloration also includes overdraw), you can have excellent guides for optimization and areas where you need to reduce things.

$loth said:
[edit] By the rate of which things are going now, i'd expect the P8 to be more of 20,000

Actually I think you'll find they will be approaching the thousands of terrabit levels... They are getting to limits atm so they are going to have to find new materials etc. They'll either be hugely high in thier hertz or they will be like 2048bit or something spinkee :biggrin:

= Not a squirrel! :sad:

= Not a squirrel! :sad:

http://forums.hl-nightwatch.net/viewtopic.php?t=1314

"IF YOU WOULD JUST UPGRADE TO A p8 10,000 YOU COULD RUN MY MAPS JUST FINE " :rolleyes:

Intel has pretty much abandoned the Pentium chip. Don't expect it to go up to 8 :smile:

Instead, expect a new type. Most likely they'll push Itanium (which is currently on 3), for intel anyway.

By how things are going so far, i'd expect intel to stop making CPU's by that time :razz:

If you hadn't noticed, im an AMD fan. :biggrin:

Crono said:

"IF YOU WOULD JUST UPGRADE TO A p8 10,000 YOU COULD RUN MY MAPS JUST FINE " :rolleyes:

Intel has pretty much abandoned the Pentium chip. Don't expect it to go up to 8 :smile:

Instead, expect a new type. Most likely they'll push Itanium (which is currently on 3), for intel anyway.

somehow, when you reduce a perfectly hilarious joke down to its constituent parts... it loses something :sad:

we have had several know-it-alls tell us that there maps are just fine, its our hardware thats f**ked up :/

Orpheus said:

Crono said:

"IF YOU WOULD JUST UPGRADE TO A p8 10,000 YOU COULD RUN MY MAPS JUST FINE " :rolleyes:

Intel has pretty much abandoned the Pentium chip. Don't expect it to go up to 8 :smile:

Instead, expect a new type. Most likely they'll push Itanium (which is currently on 3), for intel anyway.

somehow, when you reduce a perfectly hilarious joke down to its constituent parts... it loses something :sad:

we have had several know-it-alls tell us that there maps are just fine, its our hardware thats f**ked up :/

Dspite being the king of over-analysis I totaly agree with you Orph. I can just see someone saying somthing like you suggest. I can also imagine with great horror how big killboxes may become shudders

Bad maps with new technology get worse and worse. Expect a strong polarization of map quality in the future.

I don't see the problem with having a load of s**tty killboxes floating
around the commmunity. Some people enjoy them so who cares. The
Snarkpit shall remain relatitively killbox free if we discourage people
from making them. Can't wait to see some of the stuff you guys make.

And alas, I don't get to touch it. :sad:

Well you do, you just have to kill everyone who sees what you make... right? :smile:

KungFuSquirrel said:
And alas, I don't get to touch it. :sad:

Huh?

Tracer Bullet said:

KungFuSquirrel said:
And alas, I don't get to touch it. :sad:

Huh?

whispers to TB

andrew cannot publically map for another game.

I figured it was somthing like that, but why should they care if it's just done as a hobby and not sold or anything?

I suppose if he makes a bunch of super amazing maps and mods for a competing game, people might buy the competing game instead of the one his company is making. Seems a bit unlikely though... there must be a better reason.

there is a massive grey area corporations can draw upon when defining things.

in this case, i am betting any game even remotely similar is off limits.. no competitors at all.

employers are the worlds worse at splitting hairs :sad:

The concept is not just that of competing games, but even your own games. If I have time to make a personal map in my spare time, the question is then "well, why didn't you have time to do that for the game as well?" - even if the game is the one I am working on or a fellow Activision subsidiary's game.

Concept artists have it easy. Many Raven artists also do work for comic books, magic cards, etc. Some are also published writers. There is an exception for work 'outside [your] discipline," which leaves routes such as writing and 2d artwork (i.e. sketches, which I intend to start trying my hand at, no pun intended) and potentially even some aspects of 3d modeling and animation open, though it still can not be for a game.

I do hope to still toy around in other editors in my spare time just for my own experience, but even if I leave Raven at any point I doubt those will be able to be released.

Well, I hope your contract become less constrictive as you become a more senior employee. I have never hared of a company placing such severe restrictions on their employees. if you are a programmer, they don't ban you from coding other things as a hobby, nor are web designers prohibited from doing personal websites, or even freelance work. the only thing remotely similar I have seen is that some companies have a clause which says that they "own" any patent you get while employed. It seems like that might be a more reasonable line to take... say force you to but in a line that says "this content owned by Raven software"... whatever. it all seems pretty stupid to me.

You've never heard of how many game companies work. Most have some sort of clause like this, and this is by no means as strict as some. You must remember, even at many top-tier studios, developers are at the mercy of publishers, who are generally evil. Activision is probably the best out there, to be honest, and I'd rather have this clause at a company like Raven (owned by Activision) than have the freedom to do outside work at a company that has to fight to get its next title(s), let alone next paycheck.

And really, when you are working 8 hours a day on a short day and spending months in a 10-12+ hour day/7 days a week crunch, outside work is the last thing that will -ever- be on your mind.

Look up "Jason Rubin" if you want more info on this. He made a hell of a keynote speech on the subject of publisher bullying at the GDC, I think it was. It's widely regarded as (from what I've seen) the "Call to Arms" speech for developers.