Dynamic terrains

[VeTaL]

You can probably store the position in the entity color, or I can upload the terrain matrix. I didn't write it to support rotation because an extra mat4 multiplication for every terrain vertex seemed unnecessary and wasteful, and terrains have a heck of a lot of vertices.

Yes, its really unnecessary to store it. Maybe you can add a function, that would multiply every vertex to new matrix?

[VeTaL]

So, now i see two solutions:

 

1) the rough and unoptimized method: i have parts of terrain, generator connect them into first terrain:

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

then, if player moves right, it generates second terrain

2 3 10

5 6 11

8 9 12

 

Newton release first terrain, and then load second one. Center of the world is moved from center of 5 part to center of 6 part. Vegetation seem to load without problems.

 

2) is more optimized: in general its the same, but only 1,4,7 are released, 10,11,12 are loaded. Newton create 9 static collision trees, and when needed, release collision of unnecessary parts and load new one. Center is also moved, and everything works fine.

[Josh]

Here's some more information on physics in a streaming world:

http://newtondynamics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=5775&sid=8e824c924606bbadb2150c247f85df86

[VeTaL]

Looking like i may wait for Leadwerks 3 and Newton 3

Well, if you would add http://leadwerks.com/werkspace/index.php?/topic/1740-second-threaded-loader/page__gopid__15904entry15904 , this would make situation simpler.

[VeTaL]

It would be very nice if you would add movement commands for terrain. We want to make high rocks, so it would be nice to make:

 

   first terrain                     second terrain
                                     _____________
                                    /
                                   /
         _______               ___/       +
  _     /
 / \___/
_/     +

+ is origin of terrain, so it would be possible to create higher mountains then Leadwerks now can.

 

PS: due to optimization, i think, it would be faster to set the coordinates of terrain's origin and then load a terrain and multiply every vertex with new origin coordinates. In this case there wouldn't be a speed difference between load terrain now and with movable origin.

[Josh]

You need mountains that are more than a kilometer high?

[VeTaL]

Yep, they want to make really large cliffs with a lowlands also with dynamically loading. I would write terrain editor, that would load/upload some terrains automatically, but i need an access to some terrains at one map and possibility to move them.

 

PS: even not in second thread for now, so loading would take some seconds, but i hope on your second-threaded loader in the future.

 

PSS: i really need to know if you plan to do this in the nearest future, even only a possibility of creating some terrains in runtime.

[VeTaL]

So few games would use this, and even fewer indie games would. STALKER and Crysis don't even need something like this. So my recommendation is to work within the constraints of the existing system to make your game. The only alternatives are to spend months writing an alternative terrain system that won't be supported and won't integrate well with our physics and vegetation, or pay me to spend 6 months working on this.

 

I wanted to PM you, Josh, but its written that you cant receive messages, so i post it here:

I'm working with Leadwerks on 2 projects: MMO RPG (maybe you remember large castle with a lot of builds) and FPS (like Stalker, we use models from there for demo-version of our game, you saw them in bug-tracker), and both of those project-leaders are speaking about refusing from Leadwerks because they want "streaming" terrain... They both, independent from each other, say that "sawless" world is wanted in modern games.

 

Well, i really like Leadwerks very much and i dont want to go to Ogre or UDK... But RPG-project is stoped and waiting for terrains, because designers want to work with large maps in one time.

 

Please, let me know if even an simple version of the "streamig" word is planned to be released in the nearest time.

[Marleys Ghost]

are you the only one in both those projects using LE ?

[Josh]

I don't have any plans to implement a paged terrain system any time soon.

[VeTaL]

MG, dont worry For now i'm the only programmer on FPS game, and second programmer on RPG game is working with CEGUI basics. Project leaders watched Leadwerks from my notebook.

 

Josh, thats bad news... Okay, thanks, i'll try to find another project, where i can use Leadwerks.