Old discussion and screenshots thread

[Holy_Diver]

You should start working with Ex. It doesn't by default simulate Som's gamma "correction" so the colours are quite different. It can really effect the feel of things.

The Ex colour is technically better (same as you see in your modeling tools most likely) nevertheless Som's gamma just isn't practical by modern standards.

[Verdite]

Can you implement shadows in ex? I'm desperate for that...

Or at least is it in the pipeline?

I really would like to see at least a basic shadow system for the game, or anyones game.

[Holy_Diver]

Can you implement shadows in ex? I'm desperate for that...

Or at least is it in the pipeline?

I really would like to see at least a basic shadow system for the game, or anyones game.

It kind of depends on what you mean by "shadow" ... off the top of my head that can mean about 10 different things and at least probably 10 more.

Som has at least 4 ways of expressing shadows builtin. Pretty much any kind of shadow effect can be setup with Ex afaik. The only type which would be an inelegant fit I think is shadowmaps.

Shadows (especially the moving/shifting kind) can be fairly computationally expensive, so it's best to take advantage of many different techniques, and use the most expensive variety sparingly. Anyway, I don't think you're limited to anything "basic" but it's a complex topic which would deserve it's own thread if you're really curious. There you'll definitely need to start by pinning down what you mean by "shadow". Also you'll need to exhibit a working familiarity with Ex if you want to be seriously entertained (by myself)

I'm of course interested in shadows myself / have a few different things planned.

[Verdite]

Alright... Well i may do that sometime later but im busy working on the basics right now.

Spent ages making new armour and textures tonight. Armours have improved vastly.

[Verdite]

Flail flail flail, flail like you've never flailed before muhah... 

[Holy_Diver]

I wish you'd at least setup Ex to see if that text colour problem of yours still persists. I honestly can't think of any reason the text would be that way.

PS: Som draws every bit of text twice. First for the shadow effect, and then again (over the shadow layer) for the bright white colour. It may be only the shadow layer is being drawn somehow. Otherwise I'd have to guess the blending is somehow happening in the wrong order... like your graphics drivers are out of sync between GDI and D3D and the text is drawn, then black tint gets applied after. If that's the case then A) your drivers are buggy, and B) Ex in D3D9 mode should fix it. In fact I can't think of any way Ex in D3D9 mode would not work.

EDITED: It's pretty clear because Coin Owned is not darker, that only the text over the tinted menus is affected. In which case it's almost definite GDI is out of sync with D3D... driver maintainers tend to neglect the GDI compatibility requirements. 

[Verdite]

I'm getting a new pc so i will test SoM on it and let you know.

[Verdite]

Text colour transparency doesnt persist on my new pc.

Screenshots should be arriving tomorrow.

[Holy_Diver]

Text colour transparency doesnt persist on my new pc.

Screenshots should be arriving tomorrow.

Try to imagine someone else playing your game without Ex. If the odds were your text colour was wrong. So are the odds your game will be wrong for any given player

[Verdite]

Theres a much mightier and decorative version of this helm, but this "base" can be bought early on.