Scenery

[Daniel3D]

I noticed that not all scenery has collision.
For instance the tree.
The tree is als I believe very low in poly count.
The gas station has I think the most.

Could we make more trees on one tile without exceeding the poly count of other scenery by much so it looks more like a Forrest but doesn't impact the game??

[Duplode]

Could we make more trees on one tile without exceeding the poly count of other scenery by much so it looks more like a Forrest but doesn't impact the game??

Presumably yes. While there have been a few reports of slowdowns in tracks with lots and lots of scenery (example), that can almost always be avoided by increasing the DOSBox cycles setting (I typically recommend 20000 unless you have a really old computer). It might be a little more difficult for, say, Stan and his 286, but even then if this were a strictly visual mod it wouldn't affect anyone's ability to race without it.

[CTG]

I noticed that not all scenery has collision.
For instance the tree.
The tree is als I believe very low in poly count.
The gas station has I think the most.

Could we make more trees on one tile without exceeding the poly count of other scenery by much so it looks more like a Forrest but doesn't impact the game??

Check this:
http://forum.stunts.hu/index.php?topic=2235.msg52158#msg52158

[Daniel3D]

- in my Stressed hacked Stunts, the car going around the DSI logo is JTK's microbus ).

In response to a 8year old post... Wow.
I always assumed that it was prerendered animation.

I really need to make more time for this.
-------
On the tree, it has only 8 polygons, But if you make it a cross (like the would add 2d sprites in a 3d world in the old days) it could be halved. That way about 15 trees would be possible without much impact (JOES has almost 60)
15 trees per tile would be more like a forest. Different sizes and maybe some color differences.
I think that would enhance the game feel.

[Cas]

Yes, like that post, it'd be very nice to make a more detailed Stunts graphics pack that wouldn't affect the physical part. Then if one wants to use it, it's OK and others can race and not use it. Only I wish more elements could be added, but you always have to replace the existing ones.

[Daniel3D]

Yeah, to be able to expand on scenery and such I guess you would have to address the way the engine handles memory. So you can expand on it... But that is some hardcore hacking/rewriting.

I guess it is possible. When it comes to coding everything is, given enough time, knowledge and resources...

[Cas]

If I finish my engine, that problem will end, ha, ha. I'm thinking that I should start by borrowing Stunts 3D shapes first, because shape creation is a lot of work. But then, that would change. Everybody would be interested in making new objects.

[Daniel3D]

Some new uses of existing ones come to mind.
Like a tunnel actually going through a mountain.
Mountains 2 levels high. (more levels don't add to the game I think)
bridges that can span at second level or higher without support
(like continuing a bridge level when the ground below drops a layer)

[Cas]

Those things are not possible, I think, with Stunts. The things is it's easy to modify the visual shapes, but it's not possible, in general, to change their collision, because it's composed and shared between items. Also, Stunts won't allow broken terrains. To be able to implement those things, we need a new engine, which is what I was trying to do... and I'll get back to that, but it's lots of work.

[Daniel3D]

I was referring to your engine....

If I finish my engine, that problem will end, ha, ha. I'm thinking that I should start by borrowing Stunts 3D shapes first, because shape creation is a lot of work. But then, that would change. Everybody would be interested in making new objects.

Before we add new content. See wat can with a new engine and current content. 

Maybe a ghost opponent. Driving with replay data.
Load Replay and "restart driving with ghost"

bridges that can span at second level or higher without support
(like continuing a bridge level when the ground below drops a layer)

Maybe a layer system so a road becomes a bridge if you go up a layer.

Shape creation is not that hard with the right tools.
Give me a rough sketch with measurements and a few days and I can create obj files the same quality as Stunts... (Probably, it has been a long while I really worked with XSI)

I won't have enough time for at least 6 months though. (Job + education + moving to new home in February + 4 kids)

[Cas]

It's OK. Right now, I don't have the time for that project either because I'm concentrating in CarWorks, particularly on dash editing. Once I can get all that working, I'll try to put it together in a fancy way. And then maybe I can retake the engine project.

With the current engine, you can create shapes, but their behaviour will not change and you can't add more elements, so for one thing you have to replace another. If you want something passable, you can use the tennis court. If you want something drivable, you can take a road or bridge of a type you won't be using. If you want another level, well there there's nothing you can do.

With a new engine, all these things are easy to add. There's only one thing that would be lost: replay compatibility. Everything else can be tuned to be pretty much like Stunts original engine. I actually already managed to draw 3D primitives and it seems to all work fine. I'm only having problems with drawing the horizon when rotated, which should have an easy solution. What I expect I'd have problems with is the physics engine, but I have to try. But about the models, I can begin by borrowing those of Stunts.