Mac - weird graphics problems: Dissaperaing trees...

[o_merlyn]

Hi all

This is my first posting here, so I don’t know if this topic has been covered before. If so please be kind enough to point me in the direction of previous postings. Other wise I look forward to some correspondence.

I have a Mac B&W G3 350 with the built in Rage Card. OS 8.5.1.

My question concerns the game’s graphics. It feels to me like some of the graphic’s implementation is either quite poor or I have a bug.

First of all, I get different information from different camera positions, mostly concerning the display of woodland areas. When I zoom right out I can see the wooded areas (looking like trees), but when I start to zoom in using closer camera positions, the trees disappear and I get left looking at an amorphous green playing area. Furthermore, even in those views that I do see trees, when I scroll across the map those trees will sometimes disappear so I need to scroll up and down in order to "find" the trees again. I must point out that the trees don’t disapear only at very close range, but at viewing scales that I would definitely expect to see them, camera positions 3-5 for instance. (mind you, I would expect to see trees in all camera views).

Also, buildings sometimes look like buildings, and other times they look like square hamburgers on a bad acid trip, depending on the scale which I am using to view the scene. (ie. The building is composed of flourescent stripes and not looking anything like the kind of place I’d like to hide my troops in.)

Is this just on my Mac or is there a bug in the game?

I am still playing the demo game (version 1.0) and would be hesitant to buy the full version when this issue impairs the playability of the game. So, information please!

On another note, I find the graphics, in general, to be a bit confusing. For instance, when I zoom out I can’t tell what the topography of the land is. It all seems pretty amorphous to me. I know there are different shades of green, but I can’t distinguish between hills and valleys, for instance. This impedes tactical decision making and the overall playability of the game. If this is how the game is implemented then might I ask for this whole issue to be revisited! Personally, I would like to have more clarity on the battle scene, especially when I am zoomed out.

Apart from the above, though, I think this game is killer, and it is one of only 3 games that I really enjoy playing (Myth and D-Day America Invades! being the other two – pretty good company, I think). I really like the tactical aspect of the game and would like to congratulate the programmers for a very good job in this respect.

Owl

[Schrullenhaft]

It must be something about your drivers. I don't think anyone has consistently complained about disappearing trees, so I don't think that it is a bug in CM. You may want to look around for newer ATI drivers that work with your OS. You may also have to experiment with some of your extensions since the possibility that a newer video-related extension may be the problem rather than an older one.

As for elevations - There are mods available that more clearly delineate the elevation differences. Some of these textures are larger than the default ones and can slow down your machine, while others may be the same size or even smaller.

[o_merlyn]

Hey Schrullenhaft

Thanks for the tips, I really appreciate them. At least I have a place to start... the driver's issue sounds about right for the trees. And the mods sound good.

Take care

Owl

[aikidorat]

Also, the trees are 2D sprites, low res, and tend to generate each time the map is opened, changing the 'location'. That way they can appear to jump around. And the low res can result in blocky graphics when viewed up close.

also, the amount of Vram you have can affect the display quality.

when rotating in a view, it can appear that trees disappear when closely spaced. Say you have two trees almost on top of each other (tree 1 and tree 2):

as you rotate, tree 1 is closer to your viewpoint, and is in front of tree two. as you rotate around (orbit) a point, tree 2 may suddenly be closer to your view point, and the graphics engine pops tree 2 in front of tree 1, possibly hiding tree 1.

and, FYI: the graphics trees are simply representations, not locations of actual trees. Tree areas (woods, scattered, etc) are indicated by the shaded ground tiles, not the trees, so the graphical location of the trees doesnt matter. In fact, I usually play with the trees turned off so I can spot units more rapidly.

hope this helps - the game is well worth the price of admission.

dave

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