Asteroids [NEEDS INTEGRATION]

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-REBEL3-
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Re: Asteroids

Post by -REBEL3- »

Ha! Something I've done that you haven't! :D

They come in a bunch of flavors-like in the original starting system, at the "fieldsparsejump." (I think). They're individually destructible, and, if you look in the data files, it looks like they were slated to drop ore cargo. They don't take much to kill, but, if you even bump one, BANG! (Even if you're in a Leonidas. Go figure :) .
nphillips
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Re: Asteroids

Post by nphillips »

Hey, chuck -- if you're starting to make the 'roids, I've got a great tool that can help make some of the materials (including normal maps). I don't remember the name of it off the top of my head, but it's on my desktop at home, I'll send you a link.

Also, I think there's an blender plugin/script somewhere that will make the roids for you. I seem to recall playing with it, and not being entirely disappointed. Though, I don't remember what the mesh itself looked like, with regard to it's actual construction (number of polys/tris, etc.)

EDIT: The material editor is MapZone http://www.mapzoneeditor.com/ Takes a little getting used to, but I've liked the results. Plus, you can build a "generic" form and have it re-roll the random numbers so a different, but similar map is generated -- perfect for asteroids in the same belt.
klauss
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Re: Asteroids

Post by klauss »

Hey chuck... I already have a roid ;)

I just grabbed a box, tesselated it a bit, subsurf, noise, subsurf, noise, rinse & repeat.

I'll dig the blender file and I'll send it to you ;)

I even have normal maps for it, IIRC, but I could never get the heightmap right. Perhaps you could help me there. I use it as test model for parallax and raytracing shaders.
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chuck_starchaser
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Re: Asteroids

Post by chuck_starchaser »

You have a roid? I'll take it. I'm a rock collector. I can use some high poly roids for space stations.

And, thanks for the tips, nate.

Now, as for meshering Deus Siddis' roids, I'm still stuck on this:
I wrote:This is what I was worried about, --not the destructibility; but the feeling that there's more than one type of roid field.
Which type does the universe generator produce instances of?
This is the question; because there's no point working for days to implement a type of roid field that the engine
won't use.
Which roid system is used by the universe generator?
Or, do I have to service both paradigms?
klauss
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Re: Asteroids

Post by klauss »

I'm not sure what the system generator does generate, we have to inspect that critical part of the code. I don't understand it much, except it hooks into system loading and, when there's no .system files, it generates one.

Pretty simple in theory.

Anyway, the generator is an important part of the game, so I better study it a bit. In any case, both paradigms need servicing right now - why? because destructible roids are way heavier on the CPU than nondestructible ones (something about having an AI for each roid must be involved :-p ). So system files usually have conditionals on config settings, kind of "if level of detail is high use destructible ones else use fast ones".

Since the number of asteroid fields the CPU is capable to simulate is limited, that conditional usually varies from system to system depending on how many fields are in that system.
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chuck_starchaser
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Re: Asteroids

Post by chuck_starchaser »

Ouch!
Okay, I'll try to service both, then.
Need examples to look at...
I should look at roid code, too, to get familiar with it; I'd like to write a new system from scratch; but
knowing how it's done presently would probably help.
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