HEXEN II community work and discussion

[inkub0]

@Seven
I-m a bit confused about your private message concerning normalmaps. I created normalmaps starting from bumpmaps with a Photoshop plugin, in wich i specify the height of the map... my normalmaps cant be a single channel, because are RGB, so are 3 channels. How to create the alpha channel to work with parallax mapping? i dont know...

@ Everybody
How to create the alpha channel to work with parallax mapping? i dont know...

@ Mathuzz
Try to find tutorials on google, i found some pages, but i dont know any program to create maps...

[My-Key]

@inkub0

For creating normalmaps I recomend CrazyBump. It is way better than photoshop plugin and you can set in preferences to save heightmap (bumpmap) in alpha channel.
But in CB every heightmap is created from normalmap so almost always heightmap isn't as good as it could be. I usualy replace heightmap from CP with blured original heightmap in photoshop.

You can also do it with photoshop plugin, but you have to add alpha channel manualy and paste there heightmap.

[inkub0]

An rtlights file for each map would allow placing lights more cautiously, thus more playable framerates. I started making an in-engine editor for it.

Wow, and is it possible to convert lit files in rtlight files? or we are going to make them from scratch?
Then.... the skybox creates light? in other words: objects under the sky texture receive lights from it?

[inkub0]

Regarding static lightmap quality... There is one lightmap sample for every 16 world texels. Scale the texture, scale the lightmap quality. It might be possible to relight the maps with a higher lighting quality, though really all that does is smudge it.

you "smudge" the map if you try to resize it with bicubic or bilinear method... what about the "nearest pixel" method or "2Xsal" i liked much "Super Eagle" in old times of ZSNES

[Spike]

a .rtlights file is just a listing of the 'static' lights in the map. If there isn't one, the engine can import the lights from the bsp - the problem is that its a heck of a lot of lights, and framerates of 5fps are not unreasonable if you do that.
You can either make an rtlights file by importing and deleting excessive lights or setting some lights to not cast shadows, or by placing lights in specific places.
To make:
*load map* r_editlights_save *edit rtlights file* r_editlights_reload *check if framerate is okay*.
Obviously doing it in the engine itself is a case of runing around the map, clicking+dragging+resizing lights where you want them to be, and seeing exactly where it is, rather than trying to figure out which light your line actually refers to.

Paralax mapping is kinda broken in FTE at the moment...
Regardless of that, here's how it should work:
Either a _bump texture, greyscale. The engine will calculate normals for you based upon the heights.
Or a _norm texture, with the surface normal in the rgb fields, and in the alpha field there should be a heightmap. Note that jpegs cannot provide the alpha channel, so you're restricted to tga or png formats (tga+pk3 is favoured over png+pak).
Normals aren't actually needed for paralax mapping, just the heightmap. Its just kinda packed into the same texture image, but the realtime lighting will use the normals for highlights based upon surface angle, so if you do provide a _norm texture, make sure its correct.

FTE does not support .mid files. It should already support ogg files, but will not attempt to do so unless its named directly, or played via a fake cd track.
Fake tracks are named thusly - sound/cdtracks/track005.ogg - for track 5.
FTE needs a dll named vorbisfile.dll in order to play any ogg-vorbis file. Its not built in.

[oldendirt]

and exist long tasklist for future improvements jshexen2 engine, but i sometimes very lazy, like lebowski

dude. =)

[inkub0]

I'm happy to see that H2TP websithe had over 80 visits in only 3 days

@ Jeank
i'm thinking about your models skins... maybe it's better to develop first the weapons, because you must always see a weapon in your hand

@ Spike

Dynamic lightning seems to be a bit better now, but too overbrighted! i can accept slow fps, but that lights are too strong is better to use sunglasses...

i'm a bit lazy today... yesterday i got a break from world in a lovely hermitage 130km far from my pc and i'm still there with my mind...
Eremo Sant'Ilarione

[jeank]

inkub0: yes, agree

[inkub0]

Website updated, with Jeank's skins for models (useful with FTE and UQE)

[Spike]

inkub0: gamma 1; contrast 1
'tis a bit bright by default... aye...
r_shadow_realtime_world_lightmaps 0 might also help if you find it too bright still.

[dfsp_spirit]

Downloading 0.75 atm. Great work so far guys!

[Korax]

Hey Guys,

Doom_Dude from Raven-Games.com - The HUB of Raven Software's Gaming Community! notified me of this topic.
I see you guys are having a bumpmapping problem with the UQE Hexen2 engine?

I'm not sure if you know the engine can generate internal bumpmap textures based upon the loaded texture (internal or external)

You can enable it with the cvar "gl_bumpmap_dot3"
A value of 0 to turn off, a value of 1 to turn on.

I could add external texture support for it as well if that would make it easier.

[WhiteMagicRaven]

Good Work Guys =)
If you need other HeXen II engines, i can upload it for you. I have many things.

[WhiteMagicRaven]

I found in the Hammer of Thyrion forum somebody that use custom textures, editing BSPs in PAK files... but i cant do it... i dont know why (me idiot, probablly)

MY GREAT, HUGE HOPE IS THAT DARKPLACES WILL SUPPORT HEXEN2... let's create a petition for DP coders

Its Possible to edit textures in bsp but:
You must have same texture size that in bsp (width * height).
Its uses hexen2 palette.
In bsp files many textures are duplicates.
Using this method you have more file size in additional. Because bsp have other data than textures.
Its bad way and its not Hires textures. + size grow up faster.

Yes its most awesome thing Darkplaces that can run hexen2.
I dreaming about this too.

[WhiteMagicRaven]

What matters is if it works, not what it says on the tin.

It's just a friggin' engine, one out of only 3 that support Hexen 2. Plus, it supports eyecandy. To each his own :-P

I especially like some of your door textures btw.

not 3 engines, its more than 3 look here
Hexen II: Links
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Other Hexen II ports:
Hexen II PSP port : Qoole & Quake
Korax's UQE Hexen II : Ultimate Quake Engine - [www.quake-engine.com]
FTE QW (not really a Hexen II port, but a Quake/QuakeWorld engine with Hexen II support) : FTE QW (Fore Thought Entertainment) - That magical Quakeworld client.

Older, currently inactive Hexen II ports:
Anvil of Thyrion : Anvil of Thyrion
A Mac port of Hexen II : GLQuake & GLHexen 2 for MacOS - Home
A Dreamcast port of Hexen II : http://dcquake.sourceforge.net
JSHexen II : Qoole & Quake
Pa3PyX's Hexen II : Pa3PyX's Homepage
NewHexen : Raven-Games Forums - Powered by vBulletin
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