Neolbah - Test Run

[andylegate]

I don't have a Development Journal here to post this in, so I thought I'd post it here (Hoikas if you need to move it, please do)

I'd like y'all to test my new Age that I've been working on in Max with Cyan's Plugin. It's not finished, there are several things I need to add, some mesh cleaning up to do, and textures that need fixing. I'm well aware of these.

However, I'd like to invite people to give this place a try and if you could spare a few moments after visiting it, could you please come back here and answer some of my questions?

Here's the link to download the Age. You'll have to install it manually (I have no idea how to get it added to Drizzle):

Neolbah

Age name: Neolbah (from the D'ni words of "Nee" meaning New and "Oolbah" meaning Office).
Presequence number: 5112 (registered on the list over at Alcugs).

Here's the questions I have for you:

1) How is the general ambience of the Age? Does it feel like you're somewhere down in the Cavern?
2) What kind of view should the window in the office have? One like the Hoods by the telescope, or one like the Baron's Office?
3) Does the Age's lighting feel too dark? Too light? Just right?

Again, the place is not finished yet of course, but I wanted to start getting some input before I continue with it.

[ddb174]

All you have to do is link to the files to get it on Drizzle ;) So folks can get it from there now too!

[Wamduskasapa]

First 10 screen shots

Neolbah01
Neolbah02
Neolbah03
Neolbah04
Neolbah05
Neolbah06
Neolbah07
Neolbah08
Neolbah09
Neolbah10

The overall ambiance, graphics and stability are excellent. The background sounds are great.

I found only four minor problems as seen in #01 - #02 - #07 & #08

The rest are just suggestions
in #03 how about some barricades??
I was wondering about the possibility of a musical background for the office itself.
I also felt that the inability to find a seat at one of the benches might be considered a lack.
In the common area you might consider a ceiling like the one within Kadish Gallery above the roofing you already have.

[GPNMilano]

Couple of things Andy:

Haven't checked out the age yet, just did a quick check into your PRP file. You've got a lot of stuff in there that you don't need and really are just wasted resources.

You don't need to add Armature Footsteps for your footstep regions. If you take a look at your prp you'll see that most of the stuff you've made (region sensor for the sitting mods, the armature footsteps stuff) aren't actually doing anything and just bog down the file with unneeded megs. Just wanted to let ya know.

[andylegate]

Thanks so far.

I'll have to think about the barracades.

Sitting Mods: Are not turned on yet. There are 2 seats per bench. Regions for the sitting mods are there so that the players don't click on the bench from across the room. They must be inside the region that is around each bench (very close by), there for regions ARE needed as a condition for the bench to be clickable, but only because as I said, I don't want anyone to click on them from across the room.
Same goes for the door button.

@GPNMilano: not sure what you mean about the footstep armatures. I've made the footstep regions in accordance with how the information about them are out. If there is a different way to make footstep regions, could you please post that information?

Ceiling: as I said, this isn't finished yet. When it's done, you'll be able to look up through the pylons and see the cavern, with some windows here and there, like you see in the Guild Pubs and the Watcher's Pub.

Music in the office is a good idea, and one that is waiting on my sister and her husband, heh.

[GPNMilano]

Sitting Mods: Are not turned on yet. There are 2 seats per bench. Regions for the sitting mods are there so that the players don't click on the bench from across the room. They must be inside the region that is around each bench (very close by), there for regions ARE needed as a condition for the bench to be clickable, but only because as I said, I don't want anyone to click on them from across the room.
Same goes for the door button.

@GPNMilano: not sure what you mean about the footstep armatures. I've made the footstep regions in accordance with how the information about them are out. If there is a different way to make footstep regions, could you please post that information?

Okay, didn't know the sitting mods weren't turned on yet. I'm guessing how you're doing clickables is wrong if you're able to click on them from far away. The Region Sensor component is not needed to make something clickable. The only thing that's needed is to make the clickable component. THEN reference the actual region scene object inside the clickable roll out. (It'll ask you wether or not you want exact or hull. I always choose exact, and my clickables are activated only inside the region i referenced. Not from across the room.

For footsteps you only need two components. One is for the region sensor, the other for the Responder. Both tied to the region object. You just choose your surface in the responder roll out for footsteps.

[andylegate]

Mkay, let's clear up some confusion:

I know very well how to make something clickable: both in Blender with the GoW plugin, and in Max with Cyan's plugin. I even wrote the first tutorial for it.

Again: I know you do NOT need a sensor region to make something clickable.

Now, HERE is why I'll use a region for a clickable. I use it as a CONDITION, because as you can see:

Up close, the cursor is hot of course:



But then if I go quite a ways away, the cursor will go hot if I put it over where the button is:



Now, before you say that I'm making my clickable's wrong, let me go over how I make them, and if there is something wrong, you can tell me what it is. Especially since it means my tutorials is wrong:

1) Create an object you want to click on.
2) Assign it the "Clickable" Plasma Component by click on New> Detector> Clickable
3) Under the Clickable component you assigned, in the Component Utils, you can assign facing to the clickable if you desire, assign a region (IF you desire), and set the physics for it (the bounding shape, Hull, Box, Exact, Sphere, Alternate Shape.
4) Assign a responder to your clickable by clicking on New> Logic> Responder.
5) Under the Responder component you assigned, in the Component Utils, you select what your detector is (which would be the clickable), and then assign what states are, and what happens in those states.

That's how you make any object you desire a clickable.

Is there another way that I'm unaware of?

About the footstep regions: Thank you. You are right in that I had the Avatar Footsteps assigned, and had forgotten about them (this is when I was first trying to figure it out. I never bothered to take them back off the objects).

[GPNMilano]

Mkay, let's clear up some confusion:

I know very well how to make something clickable: both in Blender with the GoW plugin, and in Max with Cyan's plugin. I even wrote the first tutorial for it.

Again: I know you do NOT need a sensor region to make something clickable.

Andy please don't get mad. I'm just trying to help. Maybe I'm mis-interperting your post but you seem upset. I'm not saying you don't know how to do it. I'm saying that your method is incorrect, that is all. You're a very accomplished writer and your tutorials are great. Heck I use them for time to time when I forget something.

Now, before you say that I'm making my clickable's wrong, let me go over how I make them, and if there is something wrong, you can tell me what it is. Especially since it means my tutorials is wrong:

1) Create an object you want to click on.
2) Assign it the "Clickable" Plasma Component by click on New> Detector> Clickable
3) Under the Clickable component you assigned, in the Component Utils, you can assign facing to the clickable if you desire, assign a region (IF you desire), and set the physics for it (the bounding shape, Hull, Box, Exact, Sphere, Alternate Shape.
4) Assign a responder to your clickable by clicking on New> Logic> Responder.
5) Under the Responder component you assigned, in the Component Utils, you select what your detector is (which would be the clickable), and then assign what states are, and what happens in those states.

That's how you make any object you desire a clickable.

Is there another way that I'm unaware of?

That is correct. And this is why you don't need region sensor to get rid of clicking the hotspot from anywhere:

assign a region (IF you desire),

It's not a "if you desire". It's a requirement so you don't get the hotspot from anywhere that you're getting. If you don't choose a region, you will get the hotspot effect you're getting. However if you click the button, and then pick the scene object from the 3ds Max view that will be the region you want to stand in when your clickable gets it's hotspot you won't. It's for this very reason that the rollout for clickables calls that section "Region Required". There's also an ignore checkbox there. If you click the ignore checkbox even with a region selected, you'll get the same effect of being able to click on it from anywhere.

[ametist]

Thanks for sharing andy . It was nice to visit a newly opened area in the cavern!

1. Yes, I can feel 'the cavern' - you have deatils in the first circular room that makes me feel that, also the dropstones in the tunnel, btw I like the blueish' colour' in there
2. the lighting is maybe a little to bright in the tunnel and the feeling in the circular room as of now is that it needs some more lighting, it 'feels' a bit 'cold', but that could on the other hand be exact what you want it to be
3. I would like to see a view over the lake (in the office) - I don't feel this place is situated in Ae'gura itself, more likely somewhere along the cavern walls.

[andylegate]

@GPNMilano: no, no...not mad. Sorry if it sounded that way. Just wanted to make sure that you understood, that I understood how to make clickables (this is starting to sound like something out of a comedy skit..... ). I just wanted to know 3 things for right now, the 3 that I listed above.

Thanks Ametist.