Fancy Graphics & Light

[YoshiSmb]

I think we need to add a little more of Graphics for Bitfighter (i think)

Rendered Borders for ships, walls, etc.
Custom Resolutions (full screen only) (this should affect the hud and menu, but this will not affect our sight like the sensor)

Custom Light (blue light on phaser, green on Triple and so on)
There is natural light, but they will produce a little more.
projectiles will leave a trail of particles or leave an trail of an copy of them but only last a few seconds. (max trail: 5) (they are the same as the projectiles)

And all with only a setting on options: Graphics: Normal / Fancy

[kaen]

I wrote the groundwork for doing this in bitfighter (using GL shaders) about one year ago. We never moved forward with it because the visual effects in Z.A.P. were "nauseating", and this baby was thrown out with the bathwater.

I'm with you, Yoshi. I'd like it in the game, even if it was behind an off-by-default setting.

[Skybax]

I want this so bad. I love graphics like that.

Nooooo

I'm all for an improvement in graphics, but I'm also content with how they are now. I liked the changes brought to the menu UI in 019. Those were a great addition.

[Skybax]

I think it should be particles rather than a faded copy. Particles are cool always.

[watusimoto]

Just a thought, but what if there were a way to use Lua to customize the way things are displayed in the client? Then those who wanted to "customize" their displays could swap scripts without bothering the rest of us?

I have no idea how this could work, but it might be feasible.

I would love to see Lua access the UI, would that be a new type of script?

[watusimoto]

Yes, probably -- something that could intercept the render functions and replace them with something else.

But would it really be that interesting?

If you want more script access to the UI, the best way to convince us is to present a use case where you could do something cool with it.

Well, you could have a menu system for choosing a special class, or on-screen info for a mini-game, or a fancier DnD...

But it might be *scary* to new players

[Lone Wolf]

I'm all for this. Even if it's just a simple aspect of particles glowing on objects (like phaser particles lit up a tiny part of the wall/ship purple just before collision) would be a simple addition. Not anything over-the-top like lens flare and it glowing in space, just the colored light visible on objects near it.

I dont want this lighting effects.

[Skybax]

It would obviously be optional. If you don't like it, can't run it, and/or have seizures induced by flashing lights, turn it off and stop complaining. This is an awesome idea for people who appreciate smooth graphics.

It sounds like it wont be optional, not in full.

If these effects are completely optional, I can deal with it.

[YoshiSmb]

I'm all for this. Even if it's just a simple aspect of particles glowing on objects (like phaser particles lit up a tiny part of the wall/ship purple just before collision) would be a simple addition. Not anything over-the-top like lens flare and it glowing in space, just the colored light visible on objects near it.

Yep.

It would obviously be optional. If you don't like it, can't run it, and/or have seizures induced by flashing lights, turn it off and stop complaining. This is an awesome idea for people who appreciate smooth graphics.

Indeed.

they aren't scripts, they are part of the game,

but you're allowed to change what to see,

example:
projectiles: will leave a trail of particles / leave an trail of an copy of them but only last a few seconds.

Custom Light: On / Off

Rendered Borders: On / Off

Custom Resolutions: 1024x600 / 800x600 (etc. of others)

they could be part of the "Graphics" tab on the options.
and maybe others settings if the devs have other's ideas.


EDIT: Maybe we should make them as script, just like Fordcars said.

[Lone Wolf]

I drew up a demo of what I meant in case there is any misunderstanding:

So you mean like a reflection on the wall?

btw, dat drawing ish impreshive

But with client side """"shader"""" scripts, you could customize it even more

But with client side """"shader"""" scripts, you could customize it even more :zapdance:

That's genius, only if I can easily change the colors within a menu or something and not tinker around as I don't really know much about-

Oh wait, scripts?

[watusimoto]

Well, this is a long way out in any event.

personly If they are optional I have no objection Bf needs better graphical effects I feel its time we drift away from being so close to ZAP....

[Skybax]

I feel its time we drift away from being so close to ZAP....

See, that's the exact opposite of how a bunch of people who think Bitfighter should be as close to being ZAP! as it possibly can without it actually being ZAP! feel.

I'm bumping this.

Because I want some eye candy dammit.

I should also add that there are some people who want this type of stuff, geometry wars comes to mind, but it doesn't have to be *too* blatant.

Then again, there can be a graphics settings for fancy, normal, and 'dated'.

Dated having grey-scaled colors and more pixels. :P

[kaen]

In response to overwhelming demand for retro-style graphics, we have begun working on a new high-resolution hardware-accelerated ASCII-based rendering subsystem that leverages the power of modern GPUs and CUDA clusters to provide the ultimate in retro game visualization:

http://pastie.org/pastes/9211868/text

We expect to replace the original rendering engine with the next release.

On a serious note: I really think this topic is a good idea.

[raptor]

Was that 'Airlock' ??

I'm bad at sarcasm, is that serious? lol

[YoshiSmb]

But with client side """"shader"""" scripts, you could customize it even more

In fact, you're right ford, because we can make infinite choices, like glowing auras, etc.

[watusimoto]

I have some ideas for "eye candy" that will not, I hope, interfere with our retro aesthetic. I'll post some screenshots when I get them to give you an idea what I'm thinking about.

I have some ideas for "eye candy" that will not, I hope, interfere with our retro aesthetic. I'll post some screenshots when I get them to give you an idea what I'm thinking about.

oh sweet, eye candy!

Any updates on this? o.o

[watusimoto]

No, and there won't be for a while. Between the bitfighter.org fiasco and a hugely painful refactoring of the code, I haven't had a chance to even think about this...

What i was thinking can we give some things a glowing effect like the edge of a wall or ships flames ?

No, and there won't be for a while. Between the bitfighter.org fiasco and a hugely painful refactoring of the code, I haven't had a chance to even think about this...

That's a darned shame, maybe by the year 2016? :D

[YoshiSmb]

No, and there won't be for a while. Between the bitfighter.org fiasco and a hugely painful refactoring of the code, I haven't had a chance to even think about this...

That's a darned shame, maybe by the year 2016?

Better now than late!

Lets all post here every day to nag them into doing it

yeah when it comes it will be a nice addition to bitfighter though

Lets all post here every day to nag them into doing it

I agree.

Devs, please halt your efforts of recovering from a hacker attack and rescuing hundreds of missing maps and forum content, and focus your development on a glow and shadow boost that only half of the community agrees on.

[Quartz]

Lets all post here every day to nag them into doing it

I agree.

Devs, please halt your efforts of recovering from a hacker attack and rescuing hundreds of missing maps and forum content, and focus your development on a glow and shadow boost that only half of the community agrees on.

Harsh but accurate.

IMO I really think that shaders and "better" graphics involving brightness and more "flashy" graphics would be beneficial towards the future of Bitfighter, assuming it has a future by the time ARM becomes a viable alternative to the x86 architecture. Honestly, a game like this would've been amazingly good in 2006 when people were still using old Pentium 4's (hell even Pentium 3's) and much older Athlons from the late 90s and early-mid 90s.

Nowadays a game like this played on an AMD Radeon 6670 or a Radeon R7 240 would be an absolute joke and would be incredibly overkill. Look at all of the indie games out there, we have major major competition, nobody gives a crap about low end graphics anymore, especially with GPUs nowadays, and let's be honest, there most likely won't be any more than 40 or 60 players assuming BF gains more traction.

But, as I said though, perhaps in 2016 which is when I would assume the hacker problem would be over and we'd be fully recovered. :)

I don't disagree with you. But Bitfighter.org was down for a week and the entire map database wiped. I'm just glad we have devs who can fix things like that, and subsequently feel that we ought to give them a little more leeway on issues that may be beneficial to Bitfighter's growth but don't necessarily impact the survival of the game.

I wasn't trying to be harsh or point fingers, but there were three posts by three users clamoring over why the feature wasn't being prioritized even after an explanation was given.

What could help expedite the process maybe is some constructive brainstorming over what such features might look like, as opposed to just a discussion of why they're important. That way when the features are prioritized, implementation would go smoother. Granted, there are a lot of ideas in the thread already, but there's always more to do -- things like mockups, streamlining and summarizing ideas, etc would probably be appreciated I think. Also there's the consideration that much of the community is divided on this issue, which would probably need to be resolved before it gets spotlighted. Just my two cents.

[Quartz]

I'm for it, but yes, prioritization.

[watusimoto]

nobody gives a crap about low end graphics anymore

The BF graphics aren't about performance, they're about a certain aesthetic, which is rooted in the old vector graphics arcade game days, now long gone. Games like Tempest, Star Trek, and Star Castle.

However, we will eventually try to get shaders to do all the rendering, so it may be possible for people to hook in other rendering styles to fit their preferences. That will be a lot of work, and is still a ways off, but it will come. Eventually.

In the meantime, the only new bling that we add will be that which supports the current retro aesthetic. That is a deliberate choice.

nobody gives a crap about low end graphics anymore

The BF graphics aren't about performance, they're about a certain aesthetic, which is rooted in the old vector graphics arcade game days, now long gone. Games like Tempest, Star Trek, and Star Castle.

However, we will eventually try to get shaders to do all the rendering, so it may be possible for people to hook in other rendering styles to fit their preferences. That will be a lot of work, and is still a ways off, but it will come. Eventually.

In the meantime, the only new bling that we add will be that which supports the current retro aesthetic. That is a deliberate choice.

It's kinda tough to say how this game would actually survive when it comes to sticking to that retro aesthetic, lots of people are getting a bit sick of it considering all of the *indie* games on Steam Greenlight nowadays.

However, I believe that Steam Greenlight may be the best way to grab some more players, really.

I agree, but we can still keep the style and have good graphics, but we need shaders, thus a lot of work a head of the devs.

[YoshiSmb]

I agree, but we can still keep the style and have good graphics, but we need shaders, thus a lot of work a head of the devs.

You're right ford, but this huge demolition almost maked everyone colapsed, but at least, we maintained standing.
shaders make's a good option for the future of bitfighter, but it will take a few FPS to run the shaders

Because with enchanced graphics, we need more cpu to make it run, and that's just a "pain in my back" if you use an old PC.

[Quartz]

Dude. Bitfighter runs on vector graphics. It's like, the least demanding of CPU thing ever. =P

Shaders are actually as heavy on the GPU as the current static functions we use (I think, but I may be wrong (I think I am wrong, but adding a few shaders won't change a thing)), so no worries there

Just so you know what im thinking of is giving most stuff a glowing effect sort of a tron look.

walls, ships, weapons,faint ship trails ect

Maybe ill create a jpg.

zap-550x.jpg

kinda but not so fuzzy and the astgeroid is not glowing Xd

Haha I didn't do that, that is Z.A.P form InstantAction