Top 5 things you want to do when OS Uru lands.
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 6:37 am
Following the 'Texture updates' thread at the MOUL board I wondered what would be the top things I'd want to change when (if?) we get OS Uru..
In order not to go overboard I tried to limit that to a couple entries.
What are the top things that you would want to change, or add, in the Uru code?
(note: we're only talking code here, not content, or whole game redesign)
In no specific order mine are:
1) New 3rd person Camera System - I've said it since day one: Uru's camera is definitely not my cup of tea. Let's forget the 'pan & scan' system and go with a more efficient 'orbit around head' system. (I'm only talkin of the default 3rd persone camera here, not the custom camera, those shouldn't change). Camera is key to immersion, and if I knew my way around C++ that would definitely the 1st thing I'd change. It could also be included has an option.
2) Widescreen support - Please. Please pelase please please. It's probably less than a day of work and it will litterally change my life (ok, maybe not).
3) New dynamic avatar animation system - This one is a biggie. How tired are you of seeing the avatar take 10 seconds to line himself up with a button or a book? Or see his feet hanging in mid-air when standing on the edge of a rock? Me: a lot. Uru's animations are nice, but the system is rigid, it is both a pain to use and to play with. Today there are much more dynamic animation systems that would be perfect for Uru. (Somehow however I've never heard of open-source advanced animation systems.. hm... ).
4) Better wavesets / Water reflections - This might not seem big, but to me water is a core component of many Ages.. Teledahn, Gira, the Cavern, Myst, Garrison.. All of those would look much better with proper water reflections.
5) Better lighting - Vertex lighting is nice and all but it will only get you so far. And the dynamic shadows are far from great: both visually and performance wise.. Those alone would be a real improvement.
I could add others, but I'll go with those 5 for now. (network improvements, Ki performance improvements, Ki/Chat redesign, bug fixes, soft particles, HDR..)
In order not to go overboard I tried to limit that to a couple entries.
What are the top things that you would want to change, or add, in the Uru code?
(note: we're only talking code here, not content, or whole game redesign)
In no specific order mine are:
1) New 3rd person Camera System - I've said it since day one: Uru's camera is definitely not my cup of tea. Let's forget the 'pan & scan' system and go with a more efficient 'orbit around head' system. (I'm only talkin of the default 3rd persone camera here, not the custom camera, those shouldn't change). Camera is key to immersion, and if I knew my way around C++ that would definitely the 1st thing I'd change. It could also be included has an option.
2) Widescreen support - Please. Please pelase please please. It's probably less than a day of work and it will litterally change my life (ok, maybe not).
3) New dynamic avatar animation system - This one is a biggie. How tired are you of seeing the avatar take 10 seconds to line himself up with a button or a book? Or see his feet hanging in mid-air when standing on the edge of a rock? Me: a lot. Uru's animations are nice, but the system is rigid, it is both a pain to use and to play with. Today there are much more dynamic animation systems that would be perfect for Uru. (Somehow however I've never heard of open-source advanced animation systems.. hm... ).
4) Better wavesets / Water reflections - This might not seem big, but to me water is a core component of many Ages.. Teledahn, Gira, the Cavern, Myst, Garrison.. All of those would look much better with proper water reflections.
5) Better lighting - Vertex lighting is nice and all but it will only get you so far. And the dynamic shadows are far from great: both visually and performance wise.. Those alone would be a real improvement.
I could add others, but I'll go with those 5 for now. (network improvements, Ki performance improvements, Ki/Chat redesign, bug fixes, soft particles, HDR..)