Ricebug on 30/6/2013 at 13:11
I'm thinking of re-doing Heretic and perhaps 1 or 2 other FMs. The textures were originally hi-def but had to be resampled to accommodate the old dark engine.
How many extant authors are thinking of revitalizing their old missions? Is it worth the effort, seeing that New Dark can absolve an old mission's limitations (except for lighting).
I'm also predicting that when and if Pinkdot releases his improved meshes, a lot of authors are going want to give their old creations a facelift.
The one thing I've already discovered about this is that all the light values have to be turned down under the new engine, along with some particle FX adjustments. :grr:
ZylonBane on 30/6/2013 at 15:46
NewDark adds a lot of new features, so how much effort it takes depends entirely on how extensively someone wants to, uhh, "absolve" their mission. Something like just relighting to get 32-bit lightmaps can be a huge visual improvement, and only takes a few minutes. Upgrading particle systems, texture resolution, animations, material effects... all that of course takes longer. There's no one-size-fits-all answer here.
voodoo47 on 30/6/2013 at 16:57
I'd say any NewDark overhaul, no matter how small, is a good thing to have.
LarryG on 30/6/2013 at 17:20
I've already updated Finals to NewDark. I've made a few changes, and will make a few more now that I can. It will be re-released in the full campaign.
R Soul on 30/6/2013 at 17:44
If you'd like to try my png automap program let me know.
LarryG on 30/6/2013 at 17:49
I will. Just not soon. That automap was ... hard ... and I don't relish revisiting it so soon. It's been what, almost two years? I still shudder. But I have to, I know. IIRC there is a section of the necropolis maze which does not show up on the automap because I ran out of decals allowed. I believe I read that NewDark allows more.
zappenduster on 30/6/2013 at 18:26
What for? When a new mission is released an estimated 80% of the community plays it at once, the rest sooner or later. That's not worth all the work for a handful of taffers especially since old FMs are still playable under 1.18 conventions (except some NewMantle probs). :erg:
AntiMatter_16 on 30/6/2013 at 19:08
I think it's worth it to spend a little time in NewDark to update the mission. I've been working on making some updates and a few additions to "Mine Saga", and I think it's looking pretty good.
I'd recommend not spending a huge amount of time on updating your missions though. Just so much as to re-optimize, improve the lightmaps, maybe a few tweaks here, some detail work, and some light testing. Or whatever your find fun.
I wouldn't do major revisions, because the community has already played the mission. When I made my previously released missions into a mini-campaign with the addition of a new level, I think I invested about twice the original amount of work in the levels. Yet I recall the response being somewhat tepid. I realized at that point, for the most part, it's best to invest work in a new project, than to tweak your old ones. It's a lesson George Lucas hasn't learned yet apparently.
Ricebug on 30/6/2013 at 19:14
Quote Posted by LarryG
I will. Just not soon. That automap was ... hard ... and I don't relish revisiting it so soon. It's been what, almost two years? I still shudder. But I have to, I know. IIRC there is a section of the necropolis maze which does not show up on the automap because I ran out of decals allowed. I believe I read that NewDark allows more.
Well, if LarryG finds it hard, then buggers to it then. I hate that binary crap, anyway.
Someone made an FM a year or two back where the map would update itself as the player entered various areas. He essentially made several maps of the same level, but the various areas were highlighted. Move to one area, and the map would be exchanged with another one, showing the updated player location. I wish I could remember the FM.
R Soul on 30/6/2013 at 21:54
Quote Posted by Ricebug
Well, if LarryG finds it hard, then buggers to it then.
Don't be put off! LarryG found it hard because he made
7 pages, one of which was by it's very nature required
very specific regions to drawn. He also made
22 notes pages, where the notes are automap regions that are revealed by a custom script.
Your automap will only be hard if you want it to be hard.
