Guild of Writers

And if you place the .fni file you want in the 3dsmax output folder, Drizzle will automatically copy that one each time, rather than produce a new default one. (Just a time-saving hint!)

Hey folks,

This project isn't dead or anything. I've been remodelling some of the basic stuff over the last few days, as once again my modelling skills have moved on enough that I'm no longer happy with them.

I've also been testing .fni stuff, and looking into ways to pack the textures up inside the .max file so I can distribute it to people who want to have a look and maybe help me with these [bad words removed] wavesets.

I've also been experimenting with pelt mapping and a program called Poly Cruncher.

NICE WORK!

Lots of graphical glitches. But it's getting there.

Entirely lit by real time lights, as Noloben in Myst V was. Realtime shadows seem off the cards, unfortunately. I've not got them to a stage where they look good at all.

As a side note, today I was browsing a Sony e-reader that was on show in my university Library, and saw with amusement that a book about using Second Life in an acaedemic environment was one of the books loaded on. That thing is pervasive!

Nice. Looks promising

I find it very nice too but I let Tsahl talk for me because he says very well what I would say in a bad english :

Tsahl wrote:I don't have anything to contribute in terms of technical problems, but I can honestly say that this age is looking fantastic, and I see amazing potential. The lighting is beautiful, the texturing for the most part looks excellent, and the trees are so real, I could swear your cut and pasted them from a photograph. Keep up the excellent work, Nye!

I look forward to see your Age in UAM and to go for a walk in it !

I will repeat what I said then, though - I did not make those trees. They were from a royalty-free 3D site. I'm happy to use them because I'm interested in a great looking age, not doing everything myself.

That you do not do everything yourself is not important at all for me, on the contrary. Anyway, I didn't want to speak about trees in particular but about all I have saw ! Do not worry ! The reason I have let Tsahl talk for me was that I thought the message would be best done than mine but it seems I made a mistake...since you did not understand what I meant. I meant I LOVE your Age !

I'm happy to say that I'm gearing up Llantern for what I am terming an Alpha Release. This release will not have much content. It will feature a largely complete first area which should not change significantly graphically from a "Final" or "Gamma" release. It will have some things to do. You'll be able to take a wander, open and close a few things, read a short edited journal written by Nye and Chris as a primer for the age, and be able to gaze longingly into the tunnel which marks the next area of graphical work.

However, this is an Alpha release attempt. It will not represent a completed area, as I have a large puzzle in mind here that I will want coding help with. After the age is released (for the record, it will be released in three versions: MOULa, URU:CC and as a .max file with packed textures) I'll be looking for someone to help with this age as a coder. It probably won't be a huge amount of work, but I've recieved such a hugely positive period of feedback and interest with this age, even from people who I'm probably on lists in black books with, that I hope I'll be able to get some help.

The current problem I am having is with shadows. Realtime shadows are what I am after, ideally. However, I have noticed glitches with the shadows that indicate to me that this is a problematic area of work. However, it's infinitely preferable to lightmapping. Lightmapping works with indoor projects, but not outdoor ones, I have found.

In any case, I hope to release in the next ten days. I may horribly overshoot, but I hope not - I will not have any ability to update Llantern over Christmas due to me being at home and not university.

I hope everyone will enjoy Llantern when it is released.

- Huw (Nye)

I am looking forward to Llantern and hope to wander through thia age soon...