Fionn Posted November 22, 1999 Share Posted November 22, 1999 Ok, well a few things first... 1. Different coloured tracers for the different sides made it in. We got yellow and orange now. 2. The pictures I've taken are with "work in progress" new grass textures which I think look great and are a definite improvement on the beta demo grass. 3. Running animations have been redone and now they really look like they're charging around . 4. There is now a marker in for map north so you can figure out which direction is which. 5. Some asked for a targeting key. There's now a target key functionality in. You can hit a key to cycle through targets (and another to cycle through them backwards IIRC)... I don't use it so I'm a bit hazy on the options but its in there for players who asked for it (the SP crowd mainly I imagine since SP had it ). Pictures and descriptions: Go to http://combathq.thegamers.net/pix/headon.jpg It's a picture of a Gebirgsjaeger squad charging two US 0.5 calibre HMGs on a little map I mocked up quickly to take screenshots on. As the guys run they hold their weapons in their right hands. BTW these are gebirgsjaegers so they seem to have only forage caps and not helmets. They look cool though http://combathq.thegamers.net/pix/north.jpg This shows off the new marker PLUS it shows off the nice grass texture which make elevations easier to see (I'm at +4 view). I took a few to show the running animations (although it's hard to do in stills obviously). Basically things to note are that in the game each of the three guys in the unit display moves slightly out of synch with the others. e.g. one has his left foot on the ground, while the other has his right and the other is just lifting one of them from the ground.. This makes them look a LOT more like they are in motion than if they all moved in the same way at the same time IMO. http://combathq.thegamers.net/pix/run1.jpg Here you can see a US platoon HQ and 2 squads charging a German HMG42 . Note the slightly hunched posture and the way their legs and arms are in different positions http://combathq.thegamers.net/pix/runplatoon.jpg This nice shot shows an entire US platoon in motion. It's taken from Chance encounter from an email sent to me to check something. Note the grass texture at low level and also the nice sense of motion. It really doesn't come across properly in a still but it it there. http://combathq.thegamers.net/pix/run3.jpg and http://combathq.thegamers.net/pix/run4.jpg are two shots of a Gebirgsjaeger squad running towards the enemy. I tried to get them at each extreme of movement and was pretty close. Anyways, there you go. There's more but I figured this was enough for now. I was just so excited to see the running animations in and working well that I wanted to post and Steve and Charles said it was ok ------------------ ___________ Fionn Kelly Manager of Historical Research, The Gamers Net - Gaming for Gamers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoolColJ Posted November 22, 1999 Share Posted November 22, 1999 AAAAHHHHH yes That new green looks much much better! :0 Good to see BTS listening to my complaints about the pukey green Possibly a tad too bright and rich in hue, but I'll still take this over the old one thanks! That new run anim looks good damn give us the new textures for our beta demo ------------------ CCJ aka BLITZ_Force My Homepage - Just updated, check out my MP3 and Combat Mission photos www.geocities.com/coolcolj/ [This message has been edited by CoolColJ (edited 11-22-99).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krm Posted November 22, 1999 Share Posted November 22, 1999 Wow. Those new running animations look sensational. As you said Fionn, they really look as though they've got something to run from, or to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDW Posted November 22, 1999 Share Posted November 22, 1999 I am sorry, but I think the grass is still WAY to saturated in color and way too green. I like that the higher elevations are easier to distinguish, but it is still extremely difficult to see the dips and rises in the landscape. I was hoping that the changes would be more drastic. Maybe I am color blind in the green spectrum or something, but it just doesn't seem like there is enough variation in the gradient. Right now it seems like everything from 0 ft to 10 feet (for example) is the same color of over saturated green. I think the gradient needs to be in small increments and with more variation in the colors. So there would be one color for 0 to 5 ft and another, distinguishable color for 5-10ft and so on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_PanzerLeader Posted November 22, 1999 Share Posted November 22, 1999 WELL DoNE on the graphics guys- I think some of you guys are missing the key point here. BTS has said (correct me if im wrong), they will be working continuously to upgrade the quality of the graphics. This is an example of what they have done so far, which IMHO is a nice improvement over before. Credit should be given where credit is due. How many other companies have you said "we dont like this plz fix it" to and even gotten a response? everything I saw was a notable improvement thanks BTS SS_PanzerLeader...........out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PeterNZ Posted November 22, 1999 Share Posted November 22, 1999 anyone having weird looking grass, try adjusting monitor brightness and contrast, makes a huge difference in appearance i've found PeterNZ (ps. and gamma too under yer 3d controls) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GMB OneShot Posted November 22, 1999 Share Posted November 22, 1999 KUDOS!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixman Posted November 22, 1999 Share Posted November 22, 1999 Excellent!! The brighter grass is great, especially because it provides sharper contrast to the shaded tree areas. The north designator was needed as demonstrated by the new beta scenario ("west" side of the road?). Nice work guys. It's good to see that you are making noticable improvements as we wait. The tracer colors are a nice touch too! Pixman ------------------ Fact is the enemy of truth. - Don Quixote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Madmatt Posted November 22, 1999 Share Posted November 22, 1999 Wow! Great job Fionn! I had asked about colored tracers right after the Beta came out and its great to hear that BTS has implemented them! Any chance you could get a screenshot of the new tracers? Thanks for keeping us posted Fionn! Oh, one more question, is the new direction Marker 'toggleable'? I mean can we turn it on and off, might be a little distracting from the lower camera views 2,3. Madmatt out and using exclamations points like no tomorrow! [This message has been edited by Madmatt (edited 11-22-99).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herr Oberst Posted November 22, 1999 Share Posted November 22, 1999 Really cool job, BTS. Now for the obligatory goof on you guys... Anyone else notice that the Gebirgsjaeger all look like Vulcans? Those are either pointed ears, or they are all having a really bad hair day... Great job on the interface BTS. Colored tracers, terrain mods, running... You guys are great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Madmatt Posted November 22, 1999 Share Posted November 22, 1999 Vulcans?!? Actually Yeah! I did see that but thought it was just me and my incredibly demented sense of imagination! I think its that little 'fade' they have right above the ears where the hairline is, kinda makes um look pointed! I'm glad it wasn't just me who saw that! Madmatt out and living long and prospering! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Big Time Software Posted November 22, 1999 Share Posted November 22, 1999 Vulcans? Damn, you noticed how we are subtly paving the way for Combat Mission XXI: Vulcans vs. Klingons. Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fionn Posted November 22, 1999 Author Share Posted November 22, 1999 mea culpa. The person who did the graphics emailed me telling me I didn't have the LATEST graphics but rather the intermediate graphics. E.g. The beta demo graphics are build A. Build B is what I showed you but build C is what's in now (greenness is tuned and elevations are easier to see)... I thought I had unpacked the C type graphics but obviously must have forgotten. I'll put up some screenshots of the latest graphics later in the week or early next depending on when I get time. Hell, I'm doing AARs of chance encounter so I might just take AAR pictures of the new build and let them do. Madmatt, Yup, I'll take shots of the tracers.. I'll take one during AARs I'm doing of chance encounter at the moment with 2 opponents. Not sure about the direction marker being toggleable. I presume so since most stuff is toggleable. I only got this build a few hours before posting the pictures so I still haven't found all the various changes and how to toggle them. Star Trek CM... Actually that's not a half bad idea .. ------------------ ___________ Fionn Kelly Manager of Historical Research, The Gamers Net - Gaming for Gamers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Posted November 22, 1999 Share Posted November 22, 1999 Vulcans vs. Klingons! Too cool. I can't wait to see how those King Tigers hold up against a cloaked Klingon Bird of Prey... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Madmatt Posted November 22, 1999 Share Posted November 22, 1999 Yeah, but don't forget those awesome PlasmaSchrek armed Vulcanjaegers! Madmatt out...of his mind? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenris Posted November 22, 1999 Share Posted November 22, 1999 Na Madmatt you aren't crazy, that's quite funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDW Posted November 23, 1999 Share Posted November 23, 1999 Fionn, I eagerly await the new screenshots. Can we get them uncompressed, too? (I'm not sure if there others were or not, but it'd be cool to have the new ones uncompressed.) thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herr Oberst Posted November 23, 1999 Share Posted November 23, 1999 Charles, Damn glad that you guys have a sense of humor. In fact, the development of CM has felt more like a team effort, rather than the development of some *other* products due out soon. More kudos to the dev team at BTS. If I thought there were serious issues with CM, you would be receiving serious commentary. There are more than enough qualified gamers who are covering any issues I might have found. So until I find something major that no-one else has (highly unlikely), I'll just stick to the fun, content in the knowledge that you guys are doing it right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fionn Posted November 23, 1999 Author Share Posted November 23, 1999 Well as penance to the artist who has lashed me soundly for not updating my textures to his latest work ( it's hell when you actually KNOW the artist and are PBEMing him at the same time as you show publicly you forgot to download the latest textures .. These artists are SOOO temperamental (just kidding, ) ) I'm uploading some nice winter screenshots of chance encounter. To give you guys an idea of the ease of use of the scenario editor it took me 23 seconds to go from "chance encounter in January in green fields" to chance encounter in December in snow", save the changes and start the scenario to take pictures. It took two button clicks to change to snow and I could have done it in one but I wanted the month to be right (habit I guess). I'll start a new thread when I have them uploaded. They're jpegs which means they're compressed a bit I think but you all have seen jpegs and the game so you all know that they look better in-game than when jpeged (plus I think if I did them BMP or something they'd be a megabyte each or something insane.) ------------------ ___________ Fionn Kelly Manager of Historical Research, The Gamers Net - Gaming for Gamers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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