Graphics

[Georgie]

I don't recall seeing a graphics thread, hopefully this one isn't a repeat. With the teething problems in the gameplay department the graphics have naturaly taken a back seat. If BF chooses to improve the graphics there probably won't be any thing they can do until the next module or the next game. Here is my view on the subject and maybe some others feel the same way. The game play part of the game is unmatched and will likely remain unmatched for a long time. With that said here is my take on the graphics of the game.

The vegetation is for the most part excellent. The elevation is excellent and a vast improvement over CMX 1. The roads are not as realistic as they are in CMX1. The modding community will no doubt improve them but they can only work with the basic models. The intersections don't match up correctly and there is no "pavement to dirt road" tile provided and this limits what modders can do to simulate wear patterns on the road. Need some more building modules. The surface of the buildings can be modded but AFAIK the shape can't. This would make the towns and villages appear more natural. BF has gone to great pains to make scale models of the vehicles and they are wonderful to see. Immersion is a key element to me in playing a game and the incongruity of some of the graphics jars me out of immersion at times. I hope that BF will give some of the building and road graphics the same treatment that they gave to the vehicles and weapons.

[zuf]

There is only one thing that I really miss from CMx1 on the graphics part and that's the height-based lightening and darkening of terrain tiles. It gave a feel of depth to the level and I think it was a great feature.

Probably it is not possible/intended to put into CMx2 but still it would be cool to have it.

[dieseltaylor]

Don't forget we need more curves for realistic railways. And we are talking a period when railtrack was very common. I think the French rail net was about 60000Km + and I suspect that excluded private company track and locos.

Before the advent of large lorries/trucks the railway hauled the freight and also supplied the fresh milk and vegtables to Paris etc..

Just for fun the distance between Cherbourg and Paris is 232 miles which my not seem far nowdays but given the roads and terrain was best done by rail. Fastest journey, with seven intermediate stops, in 1934, was a very respectable 5 hours 18 minutes.

[Georgie]

I should have been more explicit , the dirt roads are very good and they even cut into and self level when traversing an incline and the modders will probably make short work out of making the surface look worn and rutty with weeds in the middle. The paved roads are not up to par with the dirt roads in appearance and lack a paved to dirt transition tile and don't match up very well on curves. Another angle in addition to 90 and 45 degrees would avoid a lot of the zig zags.

[Vark]

The running gear on some of the vehicles, especially the German interleaved suspension systems curiously flat, a modded CM1 model, although no where as structurally complete, seems to have more presence than a CM2 one. The stark shadows also spoil the immersion, some are so sharp I could blame some of my crew casualties on them!

[Statisoris]

Do shadows have any real significance in game? I mean, does infantry gain any bonus from "hiding in the shadows"?

[Pvt. Ryan]

Only the shadow knows.

[RockinHarry]

So far, I´m quite satisfied with CMN graphics and a couple of minor things will be dealt with by the various skilled modders around here.

One issue left to me, some odd ambient light shading as reported here:

http://www.battlefront.com/community/showthread.php?t=98340

[Crender]

The running gear on some of the vehicles, especially the German interleaved suspension systems curiously flat, a modded CM1 model, although no where as structurally complete, seems to have more presence than a CM2 one.

It is a shame that such detailed models are made to look flat by poor implementation of lighting.

[Vark]

I think they are beautiful models but curiously sterile, all the detail is there but something is missing. When they are close up they look fantastic, as though each were a Tamiya model, but at the usual viewing distance they loose a great deal of their impact, the constant rocking and rolling also does not help the suspension of disbelief.

[dieseltaylor]

suspension of disbelief

Ah yes! the suspension.

[Michael Emrys]

There is only one thing that I really miss from CMx1 on the graphics part and that's the height-based lightening and darkening of terrain tiles. It gave a feel of depth to the level and I think it was a great feature.

Yeah, it's hard to pick up the contours of the land in CMx2. I really don't like the looks of the existing grids and don't use them, but something is called for. I found myself wondering if position of the sun and shading could be used to make contours stand out more in relief.

Michael

[undead reindeer cavalry]

yeah, something for the countours would be really good.

it would be cool if something could be done to make impassable terrain easier to spot. i still sometimes don't know if infantry can pass some part of the map or not. sometimes this leads to very frustrating events in PBEM battles.

it would be nice if there would be some visual way to see how units are connected. if not by CMx1 style lines, then perhaps by slight differences in the color tones of the icons. i mean both in/out of command information and a way to tell different units from one another (like with different colored counters in some boardgames).

it would be nice if infantry would have more stances and actions. for example hiding behind a wall so that only upper half of head is visible. peeking around the corner of a building (or similar terrain feature). dash & duck behavior. etc.

i realize none of the above is "just" graphics.

[MikeyD]

it would be nice if there would be some visual way to see how units are connected.

Click on a unit and icons for the rest of his platoon and his leader light up. That how I keep track of my men. If I click on the CO and a distant unit light us with a red dot in the chain of command I run the stray unit back to within earshot of his CO.

[undead reindeer cavalry]

Click on a unit and icons for the rest of his platoon and his leader light up. That how I keep track of my men. If I click on the CO and a distant unit light us with a red dot in the chain of command I run the stray unit back to within earshot of his CO.

yeah the way the icons are used in the game is handy. i also like the way you can navigate the OOB with the bottom bar, as i sometimes like to play with the hardest setting without ever actually moving the camera (only rotating).

it would still be nice if there was some way to see the stuff without any clicking, but i don't consider this stuff important. there's other stuff to add and fix first.

personally i consider these first two WW2 CMx2 games just teasers anyway. the east front stuff will be the actual game.

[Georgie]

I'm trying my hand at making a map. So far so good except I can't find a way to make sidewalks and curbs. Anybody know a way to do this?:confused:

[GreenAsJade]

the constant rocking and rolling also does not help the suspension of disbelief.

THIS.

What a shame to have the wonderful models move so unrealistically!

[Kanonier Reichmann]

Yes, it's hard to maintain the suspension of disbelief over the suspension of AFV's the way they're modelled at the moment!

Regards

KR

[RockinHarry]

I'm trying my hand at making a map. So far so good except I can't find a way to make sidewalks and curbs. Anybody know a way to do this?:confused:

I´d already replied in the other thread. You can use highway tile segments and that´s the closest you get with regard to curbs and such.

[Georgie]

I´d already replied in the other thread. You can use highway tile segments and that´s the closest you get with regard to curbs and such.

Thanks RockinHarry for the reply. I use the highway tile because its the best thing that I could find in lieu of a dedicated sidewalk/curb tile. Seems like an oversight that a sidewalk/curb tile was not included in the editor. We have some big buildings to use in city maps but no sidewalks?:confused:

[GreenAsJade]

Yeah, it's hard to pick up the contours of the land in CMx2. I really don't like the looks of the existing grids and don't use them, but something is called for. I found myself wondering if position of the sun and shading could be used to make contours stand out more in relief.

Michael

Back in the early days this was the promise. It didn't really happen eh? I suspect partly due to the subtle contours. The examples posted of how cool this was going to be showed examples from other games that had much more severe terrain.

Nisseh far grid is pretty good though.

[Vark]

It would also require a far more sophisticated lighting model than that presently used and my friends, who are/have been involved in games design, all assure me lighting affects are a big ticket item in games design, regarding money and time, especially shadows.