Using Trylon's fixed textures makes a improvemtnt to be sure, but things still are not quite right (I don't expect to have everything look just like it does in Plasma....the whole point of trying these SDK's is to see if they can make it look different. If everything is set to make it look just like it does in Uru or MOUL.....then what's the point? heh).
However, there is a "Rock Detail" blend layer that needs to be added. So try to add I did, and ended up with a very black looking cliff face. This is not the first time I've had issues with trying to blend another texture layer in CE's material editor. The ground where we first link in to Gira for the first time, is dirt with mud that is cracked. This is 2 textures; a dirt one, and the cracked mud one that is a strip running across the canvas, with alpha at the top and bottom (so it can also be used as a decal in other places).
No problem, I just put in the Dirt layer as the diffused, and then use the cracked mud texture as it's blend layer...right?........Wrong. When I do that, where ever there is alpha from the Mud texture, the ground becomes transparent....rather unnerving.....
So I'm looking at CE's Material editor, and I'm like: "What gives? Why are you so primative? I can only add 3 layers? What up wid dat???? As powerful as this engine is, this is like having a super powerful motor boat engine.....only it's being used on a raft!
![Image](http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m624/andy_legate/CEMatEditor.jpg)
So I'm using the Unreal SDK this morning, learning how to make Reflective Water. Look at the difference of the control you have in Unreal's Material Editor:
![Image](http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m624/andy_legate/UnrealMatEditor.jpg)
All the different things you can do (the preview is Real Time too, what you can't see in the pic above, is that water looks like a Waveset in motion) to each layer.
Then I remembered: Unreal SDK is made to actually make everything from scratch, with the exception of textures. Those you need your own Photo Shop program. CryEngine on the other hand expects you to make all your assets in your 3rd party modeling program
including all of your materials that go on your models!!!The exporter for CE in Max exports the materials too, in a special format for CE.
So I smacked my forehead and said "DOH!"
So it's back to Max, and I have to create all the materials in there (where I can blend a LOT more layers). I guess while I'm there I should see about smoothing some of those meshes too, eh?
I haven't given up on Unreal however. I was pleasently surprised to see how well it does outside scenes too. So I'm quite busy with Gira in CE and Gahreesen in Unreal (and being so busy, I just don't have time to wash the car, do all the laundry, bathe the dog.......I have perfect excuses to give my wife!).........(and here you all thought I was porting Uru over to another game engine! HA! I'm just doing this to get out of house work! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA........What? oh, right, gotta wrap up as I hear my wife yelling for me......).
I'd have to say that the idea of making a adventure based MMO (loosely based on MOUL....or not, either way works for me, it could be based on Sam & Max.......I could REALLY get into a Sam & Max MMO....) using CE is very attractive, but then not a lot of people could make anything for it, since it is really dependent on making all the assets in Max, Maya or XSI (still no Blender plugins.....guess they need the GoW guys to show up in town....heh...).
On the other hand using Unreal to do the same thing, you CAN use Blender with it (or use it just by itself, and it's free).
Ah, my wife just yelled a 4th time. I guess I better stop pretending I can't hear her and go see what she needs. I'll post pics of what it looks like after making the materials in Max when I can.