Move as many things as possible over to the particle system.

Discussion in 'Feedback' started by Chris0132', May 25, 2009.

  1. Chris0132'

    Chris0132' Developer

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    Quite a lot of things don't use it at the moment, rocket trails, cannon explosions (as far as I can tell) muzzleflashes, exhausts.

    Even if you don't actually put particle systems in, add the support for them in the game, because we have plenty of perfectly competent particle system developers on the forums, including myself. We can make particles if you add the support. I know there are a lot of placeholder particles which need finalising, if you did this it would massively improve the visual appeal of empires, and more visual appeal is easy selling power.

    A particle system named for each cannon and missile muzzleflash, explosion, and projectile trail, each vehicle exhaust, mine explosions, grenades, RPGs, that sort of thing, would allow us to really beef up the eye candy. I doubt the people who make particles would object to you using them in official releases either.
     
  2. Wertbarg

    Wertbarg Member

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    Personally, I like my computer being able to run Empires smoothly, but if there was an option to replace those sprites with actual particles under video options, I do believe that this would have absolutely no drawbacks and only add to the appeal of this already breathtaking game.

    (do note that (if I remember correctly) it does say somewhere that the coding of a suggestion is an innate con, and is therefore moot in any argument against the suggestion)
     
  3. arklansman

    arklansman Member

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    I've been poking the coders to do this for months, its just a matter of getting them to actually do it.
     
  4. Wertbarg

    Wertbarg Member

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    Horray! (as long as it is a video option)
     
  5. Chris0132'

    Chris0132' Developer

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    Have you tried yelling at them and saying 'fuck' a lot? Because that's my normal recourse when people don't listen.

    The whole point of particles is they can be easily edited by the players.

    So if the particles are too laggy, make your own, or get someone to make low cost ones for you.

    Particles doesn't mean 'always lags more'.
     
  6. Drag

    Drag Member

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    Oh so this isn't done yet? Lemme put it on the 2.25 list argh.
     
  7. Chris0132'

    Chris0132' Developer

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    No, I was surprised actually because I thought the cannon explosions used particles, because they look different, I guess however the sprites have simply been replaced.
     
  8. Beerdude26

    Beerdude26 OnThink(){ IsDownYet(); }

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    I've got a +10 resistance to that because of headshotmaster :3
     
  9. Ikalx

    Ikalx Member

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    I thought when you've been an Empires dev for 4 months, you build up a natural immunity...
     
  10. Silk

    Silk Mapper

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    Would it be possible to tie it to an already existing visual option, where if you put it on medium it uses simpler effects. Actually isn't there some option called "effects"?
     
  11. Alceister

    Alceister Member

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    My mother's natural recourse to make people do things is swear at them in Chinese. And once you have been sworn at in Chinese for most of your childhood, you develop an immunity to all other cursing languages.
     
  12. -Mayama-

    -Mayama- MANLY MAN BITCH

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    Most important is redoing the building smoke particles, it eats fps like cookies for no reason.
     
  13. ScardyBob

    ScardyBob Member

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    Then maybe they should stop making fps out of delicious chocolate chip cookies :)
     
  14. Chris0132'

    Chris0132' Developer

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    Possibly, I don't see why not, in fact you could probably just disable some effects on lower settings.
     
  15. ViroMan

    ViroMan Black Hole (*sniff*) Bully

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    /me disables smoke-grenade particles.
     
  16. Chris0132'

    Chris0132' Developer

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    Yes that's a thing, you'd need some way to enforce purity for some files like smoke particles.

    Although considering the amount of things you can exploit like that I guess it would be futle.
     
  17. Alceister

    Alceister Member

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    If this will increase demand on performance, I'm all against. Empires is just about the only Source multiplayer that I can play without any expectation of lag. Besides, the game is not really about aesthetics all that much.
     
  18. Chris0132'

    Chris0132' Developer

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    Well no, it isn't, because it doesn't have any to speak of.

    I'd rather like that to change however and as I said, there is no reason why it has to be a performance intensive thing, it's highly modifiable.

    You should make it look as good as possible and then get people to remove bits until it works, rather than making it run as smooth as possible and have no option to make it look good, otherwise it's like demanding that games never be made with any graphical setting above low.

    Of course there's no reason why it shouldn't be efficently pretty, but prettiness is something that people expect and rightly so.
     
    Last edited: May 26, 2009
  19. CyberKiller

    CyberKiller Nyooks!

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    Poke them with something sharper.
     
  20. Drag

    Drag Member

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    I'll chime in and make more evil lists to litter on them! har har har
     

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