The Star Citizen Thread v5

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

Another tech demo, we are 36 days from new year.

It is quite clear that they try to pepper their backers with shiny so they would spend more but this is borderline despair.

 

[Ben Parry]

Elite uses 128 bit precision, which is why it can have true system scale stuff. That's what I remember at least, it's been a while since I looked into the nuts and bolts side of it.

Unfortunately this 128-bit thing is probably down to a misquote I opened myself up to.
Years ago I was explaining that Frontier has a very SSE-friendly engine, thanks to early forward planning and a fanatical devotion to the coding standard.
SSE is 128-bit, but it operates on four numbers at once. So, 32. It can also operate on pairs of 64, but obviously that slows you down if you want 3d.

 

[Viajero]

*Mod hat off

I think it was just designed that way, as a point-to-point travel system - like hyperspace in ED. Also, it prevents you travelling outside of the bounds of the map.
My honest opinion of it is that it's OK, it works, it does the job and the effects are not awful.

I guess many things can work, including poorly implemented ones. But that is a bit besides my question tbh.

The question still is why, if 64b is correctly implemented, SC is not using it for the full fidelity at all levels that it has been sold on. Including full 1:1 scale celestial objects and system maps not arbitrarily flatter on Z axis, that can be navigated and steered freely and at much higher speeds/accelerations.

Given the fidelity level ambition and 'unlimited' budget I can only conclude, so far, that there are still some serious technical limitations to that 64b implementation that have not been really overcome.

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

Btw, anyone knows is 2.6 in internal fruity thingy testing? Or new NDA just allow to confirm nor deny?

 

[Stormprooter]

*Mod hat off



I guess many things can work, including poorly implemented ones. But that is a bit besides my question tbh.

The question still is why, if 64b is correctly implemented, SC is not using it for the full fidelity at all levels that it has been sold on. Including full 1:1 scale celestial objects and system maps not arbitrarily flatter on Z axis, that can be navigated and steered freely and at much higher speeds/accelerations.

Given the fidelity level ambition and 'unlimited' budget I can only conclude, so far, that there are still some serious technical limitations to that 64b implementation that have not been really overcome.

Well, I don't know. My feeling is that the Quantum Travel system works the way it does, because CR wanted it that way - simple as that. Like I stated earlier, I think it's OK, I do prefer the supercruise mechanics in ED though. As for 1:1 celestial objects - again, dunno, if they can be done, why not do them? There must be reasons (even if those reasons are questionable).

- - - Updated - - -

Btw, anyone knows is 2.6 in internal fruity thingy testing? Or new NDA just allow to confirm nor deny?

I think CIG usually publish the fact when a build goes to avacado. But, I don't know if 2.6 has gone avacado yet.

 

[frostypaw]

I think CIG usually publish the fact when a build goes to avacado. But, I don't know if 2.6 has gone avacado yet.

This is cutting it fine - less than two weeks until projected release and no testing is tight.

That ground texturing looks fantastic, but I didn't get much of an impression of 3d'ness from it - they appear to just be a texture and the character doesn't step over them. Looks lovely though

 

[Stormprooter]

This is cutting it fine - less than two weeks until projected release and no testing is tight.

That ground texturing looks fantastic, but I didn't get much of an impression of 3d'ness from it - they appear to just be a texture and the character doesn't step over them. Looks lovely though

I think 8th December is highly ambitious, and presumes little or no problems. I think they'll be lucky to get it into PTU by Dec 8th, and then lucky again to get it into production before Xmas. Just my opinion though (based on past experience with CIG delivery)

BTW, did anyone else get a email from CIG to take part in a survey about the launcher?
Well, I submitted my answers - didn't see any harm in providing a bit of feedback.....

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

If you watch it in the context of the full video, you'll see that part of it is probably due to their being in fly mode for a large portion of the demo. And since it's all mainly just a pretty flat mesh with some shading effects applied, there's very little need for them to constantly push the model down to compensate for any actual unevenness in the terrain. So there's a fair to good chance that the feet aren't actually touching the ground at this particular moment.

I rewatched it and no, avatar goes over the rock, clearly doesn't connect with it and stay floating.

Those rocks looks awesome (clearly atmospheric planet though), texture of the surface is mixed bag for me.

And yes, I really can't stand SC character animations. I just can't. But that's highly subjective. Just too jerky for my taste.

 

[metatheurgist]

But, I don't know if 2.6 has gone avacado yet.

You never go full Avacado.

 

[Mu77ley]

Displacement/parallax maps are good and stuff. I would have kind of expected them to strew the landscape with actual geometry and proper objects, though, but as quick tricks go, it can produce a useful illusion.

Also won't work in VR though as without actual geometry your brain will just see a flat plane.

 

[Sunleader]

It's weird - but the character's feet are often a few inches above the ground (there's a gap between his feet and his shadow). It could be another part of the 'no gravity' bug seen in SM, or it might be that the ground mesh isn't the same resolution as the world that's being rendered. (or they've got a 'fall through world' bug, so they've set the ground to a fixed plane).

I'm sure it'll get sorted out at some point - just looks weird when you notice it.

Its an Fairly common Bug among Games using an Not Random Generated World.
Theres is different cases for this.

1.
The Mesh and the graphic aint on the same plane. Thus you effectively walking in the Air because the Graphic is Displayed too low.
2.
The Shadowing having a Bug. Thus casting a Shadow onto an Position around the Feet Position and hereby creating the Illusion that the Character stands above the Ground.
3.
The Random addons for the Ground causing the Hitbox for the Feet to go awol. Meaning that some spikes in the meshes cause the Feet to take a higher Position than it actually should because some of the spread around stuff has placed extra meshes somewhat off from their actual Position


It will be fixed for sure. I still remember this happening in Mortal Online after they Converted the Game to a Different Engine xD
You partially had Streets Floating Midair above the Ground while on other places you could walk literally into the Ground
Reason being that the Physical and the Graphical Contact Planes had been Shifted and diverged from each other ^^

 

[Ben Parry]

Also won't work in VR though as without actual geometry your brain will just see a flat plane.

No, parallax (and POM etc) maps are theoretically viable for VR if they're good enough, they'll give each eye a different image. There's more risk though that they alias differently and your eye doesn't lock on.

 

[Tuub t Tute]

Is it just me, or did the ground look like those optical illusion advertising blocks they paint onto sports pitches? It gave the impression of being rocks, but it was in fact flat, like those clever street artists?

 

[dayrth]

Is it just me, or did the ground look like those optical illusion advertising blocks they paint onto sports pitches? It gave the impression of being rocks, but it was in fact flat, like those clever street artists?

I think that's what the clever bods mean when they talk about parallax maps. It is a flat image that gives the impression of being 3d, but the image changes as you move/look around so the illusion is maintained from all angles.

 

[Tuub t Tute]

I think that's what the clever bods mean when they talk about parallax maps. It is a flat image that gives the impression of being 3d, but the image changes as you move/look around so the illusion is maintained from all angles.

Ahh, that makes sense. I have poor parallax vision due to a divergent eye which was partially corrected when I was a child. Means I probably wouldn't have made it as a fast jet pilot!

 

[frostypaw]

Well at least until you kneel or lie down.

Why do we see all this stuff in 3rd person if it's meant to be a 1st person experience anyway?

 

[GaryII]

Why do we see all this stuff in 3rd person if it's meant to be a 1st person experience anyway?

I think SC will have 3rd person option, too...
And if you look at some ship y cockpit view, its really needed..

 

[Cmdr Eagleboy]

Well at least until you kneel or lie down.

Why do we see all this stuff in 3rd person if it's meant to be a 1st person experience anyway?

Because it is marketing piece, and having avatar jumping around there induces dream state for SC fans, so they can continue to dream and cash out for not released game.

 

[Neo-ST]

Thoughts?
http://imgur.com/vH1DDyj

Definitely groundbreaking and never seen before!
Results from the solid technical foundations are slowly starting to show.

 

[GaryII]

Definitely groundbreaking and never seen before!
Results from the solid technical foundations are slowly starting to show.

Sure it looks cool, like all their other tech demos and commercials..

I just wonder, when they will start serious work on gameplay, if they continue as today, I may need to move my predicted full release year from 2023 to 2030...