Posts by JamesL

  • [REL] Dod_Abancourt_FINAL

    Minos pretty much sums it up for you. The map certainly has potential but it requires a good deal more work to bring the quality up.

    Check out some of the other DOD stuff posted up here and on the official DOD forums. Compare your style with theirs and try to work out how to improve.

  • Help modelling a Japanese roof

    Thanks for all the help guys. Hessi you are a god damn tutorial making machine

    Don't understand what all the fuss is about pdf's they are great if you don't want people editing and ripping off your work. Once I get some progress on this I'll post up some screenies.

  • Help modelling a Japanese roof

    [Edit]

    A call for help to all the experienced environment modellers out there.

    I am trying to model up some Chinese/Japanese type roofing and finding it considerably more challenging than I had originally imagined it to be. The kinds of shapes I am trying to create are basically a bunch of interconnecting/cascading curves that join up forming 'scoops' that finish up in upwards pointing corners. Ok so that's not a great description, but I am pretty sure you all know what I am talking about.

    I can model basic inorganic stuff pretty reasonably but this is really bugging me. I am not sure quite how to approach it. I've tried a few different approaches but they all end up with me subdividing up surfaces like crazy and pushing around tons of individual verts. It gets very messy and the results are not really suitable for a game asset nor do they look particularly good.

    Anyways, I would appreciate some opinions on the best technique to approach modelling such a shape/object. I am pretty sure there has to be a better approach than the ones I have been trying. I use Maya to model in case that helps.

    Some piccies for reference below.

    [Blocked Image: http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/240860/2/istockphoto_240860_detail_of_chinese_roof.jpg]

    [Blocked Image: http://albums.mouseplanet.com/WDWEpcotChinaProcessed/60_Lotus_Blossom_cafe_roof_details_051212_bennett.jpg]

    [Blocked Image: http://images.travelpod.com/users/meercatvinny/round_the_world.1117357920.roof.jpg]

  • Eidos goes Steam

    It's a good thing in many ways, accessibility makes folks more likely to buy games on a whim, which is good for the industry. However I still want boxed stuff to put on my bookcase of games on the wall. Looks way cooler when me mates come round

  • Unreal vs Source.

    Totally agree with everything you say. Hammer pisses me off in countless ways, but my fav games are Source based and when it all comes together (after what seems like an eternity) Hammer produces fabulous results.

  • Unreal vs Source.

    I disagree Rick, and I think you're talking about the thread below this in the forums. Spellbinder created this thread so we _could_ argue about exactly this

    I have used Hammer, Radient, Serious Editor, Renderware and a crapload of other bespoke editors/packages, but I've never touched Unreal (yet). Listening to others somewhat passionate descriptions of each and why they love/hate them is very interesting. Keep going pls lads.

    Out of interest are there are Modern Warfare (CS basically) type mods for Unreal? Fu*king Space Marines do my head in.

  • Unreal mapping community

    Quote from Pericolos0

    I love the source lighting model, and I am willing to cope with the long compile times for it, but for a professional production pipeline these long compile times are pretty bad.

    Its not so bad actually. When I worked on Dark Messiah we used valves VMPI distributed compiler. Everyone in the office had the system installed on their machines and any spare cycles on any of the 50 or so machines were used to compile the our maps. Man it was sooooooo fast.

    I really really miss having that when I am compiling at home

    Edit: Apologies, steering off topic here.

  • Playstation 3 - Home

    Quote from ReNo

    James, I'm reckon that what they are claiming is most likely true, but I doubt it matters too much for most of us. Apparently there will be a release day patch with the 1.6 firmware, and that is where the vast majority of the software emulation gubbins will be found. Bit of a shame for people who buy the system and don't plan on plugging it in to the net (something that is true of quite a few of my mates), but for folks like us I doubt it will be an issue.

    You got it spot on ReNo. The firmware that will ship with the PS3 on Euro launch day is not the version that these guys were running their box on. If you are getting a PAL PS3 it should ship with the latest firmware version on it. AFAIK you won't need to plug it into teh web to update. Could be wrong on that though knowing Sony's recent love of last minute patching. Probably see a glut of patches as the beta testers, sorry, 'early adopters' plug in their boxes and start working through thier PS2 back cat.

    The url posted previous has been flying around the office here and folks have been talking about it at length, which is why I call BS on it. Not saying all those games will work, simply that a fair chunk of the ones you are likely to want to play, will.

  • Game soundtracks

    Quote from KoKo5oVaR

    And i was wondering something, if a soundtrack cd from a game is made, by who the money is taken ? the publisher, the devloppement studio ? And does the musician got royalities on the sells ?

    I very very much doubt the actual musicians see a penny of royalty money. My friend of mine has created soundtracks for games for years across many developers and he's never had a penny in royalties. I gues if you are a famous enough composer it could be possible, but for the rank and file sound designers it sure ain't happening.