Digital Brilliance

Tech Demo 4

Posted by lancer_solurus — 2011-12-13T05:58:03-04:00

Music by Matthew Pablo & Rich Douglas

Galaxy Empire Alpha Version Showcase 2011

Posted by lancer_solurus — 2011-10-14T05:54:03-04:00

20 minute long video demonstrating multple aspects of the game engine

Music by Matthew Pablo
Matthew's Site

Freelancer : Tides Of War Update

Posted by Lancer_Solurus — 2011-02-28T06:51:57-04:00

By: Friendly Fire
Hey guys, we're trying to be a little more frequent with news posts than we've been for the last few months as we think it is very important to keep everyone updated on the progress we're making. The time it takes is negligible compared to the enjoyment you guys get out of it!

You've probably noticed the slew of what can only be qualified as "ship pr0n" that we've released in the past few days. I can assure you this just the beginning. Thanks to w0dk4's latest magic trick, normal mapping is now enabled throughout the game. As such, we are in the process of creating normal maps for all existing models, be they ships, bases or (yes) planets. We have great plans for the latter, actually, although it is too early to speak about it very much. Stay tuned.

We therefore have two new models to show off for the time being. The first one is a new masterpiece by experts Sizer (model) and Bouma (texture): the I-7 Howlrunner. An Incom design mainly in use by the Galactic Empire as fighter crafts, they were recognized for their speed and agility. Superior in resilience to the TIE/in starfighter, in large part thanks to its onboard deflector shield generator, the I-7 was mainly used in remote outposts and older fleets due to cold relations between Incom and the Empire. Meticulously recreated and textured, the model possesses its own normal map, making it one of the first few models designed with this in mind.

Then, we have the backbone of the imperial fleet, the bane and symbol of the mod: the Imperial Star Destroyer. The ship's iconic status dispenses it from introduction, and it is far from a new addition to the Freeworlds ship roster. What makes this re-release special is that the model has been vastly improved through the past few weeks. Thanks to a new collision mesh exporter (SURs, as they are called) by Schmackbolzen, the Freeworlds team (Sushi in particular) has been able to dramatically improve game performance, both on the client and the server. This has highlighted a large problem with the ISD: at over 180,000 polygons, it was a beast and a performance killer. Through much sweat and work, Sushi was able to trim down this number to a much more reasonable 40,000. What was lost had to be regained, however! This is where the normal map comes in.

(Link to Ultra High Resolution Images - WARNING OVER 5 MBs minimum for each image)
Image 1, Image 2, Image 3
As w0dk4 explained, a normal map allows us to take information from a much more detailed mesh and apply it onto a simplified one, thus giving the illusion of lavish details without any significant impact on performance. Normal mapping is ubiquitous in current games and so it was only logical for us to implement this. In this specific case, however, the high-resolution mesh was unsuitable. Its usage would have been very complex and likely would have ended up giving subpar results. Thus, I have decided to manually create the normal maps (there are 8 normal mapped textures on the model, 10 in total, most 1024x1024) in order to extract as much details and fidelity as possible. The results can be seen above and, I think, speak by themselves. But how will this fare in game, you ask?

(You can see me turning off and on the normal map to show you the effect it has on the model.)
We hope you have enjoyed these glimpses into the future of Freelancer modding. As you may already be aware, we are planning on releasing all of our graphical improvement technology some time after the mod's official release as a way of saying thanks to the rest of the community. While the value of such modifications might have been unclear in the past, the results now speak for themselves.

Until next time, folks!

As always any comments, suggestions or questions are always welcomed!
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Trancendence

Posted by Lancer_Solurus — 2011-01-08T11:31:49-04:00

Alone at the edge of Human Space, a Viking-class gunship approaches. Mistaking you for a harmless craft, the Viking attacks, but its thin hull is no match for the blast of your slam cannon.
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rnLooting the Viking's wreck, you consider your path. The next system is filled with Slavers and your armor needs repair. Push on towards the Core or backtrack to a safe port?
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rnDomina awaits you at the Galactic Core and with her hangs the fate of the Galaxy. Will her powers be enough to overcome the ancient malevolence known as Oracus? And what role will you play?
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rnLeaving the floating wreck behind, you thrust towards the stargate at the edge of the system. Your journey continues.
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rnClick here to visit the website

Galaxy Empire - AI Field Test 01

Posted by Lancer_Solurus — 2010-12-05T23:50:41-04:00

Testing the first AI code, hunting... Music - 'Flux' by Matthew Pablo
Click Here To Visit Matthew's Site

Click Here To Visit The Galaxy Empire

Galaxy Empire 0.004 Released

Posted by Lancer_Solurus — 2010-10-15T22:35:20-04:00

Version 0.004 is now online. This encompasses all of the latest updates shown here and on the website. It is a 464 meg download so if you are using DSL or a slower connection it isn't recommended that you install this. Once installed though, any later updates will take much less time since only the changed files will be downloaded.
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rnDownload autoupdater
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rnIf you get a missing mfc 80 DLL, you will need to following Visual Studio DLL installer...
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rnGo to download page
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rnIf you get a missing dx DLL then you haven't installed at least the March '09 DirectX package or later. DirectX can be had from the Microsoft website, search for 'directx 2010 redistributable'.
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rnAdditional information and credits can be found in the root installation folder.
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rn* Note : the game does not fully support the lost device feature of DX, if you alt-tab out of the game simply click on the 'Galaxy Empire' tab in the task bar then use 'file->exit' or press alt then f then x.
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rnSuggested minimum requirements
rn1 gig memory
rn1/2 gig video card
rnHLSL 3.0 shader (required, Vista and Win 7 should be fine)
rndual core 2 GHz processor
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rnClick here to visit the website

0 A.D.

Posted by Lancer_Solurus — 2010-09-21T16:23:51-04:00

0 A.D. (pronounced "zero ey-dee") is a free, open-source, cross-platform real-time strategy (RTS) game of ancient warfare. In short, it is a historically-based war/economy game that allows players to relive or rewrite the history of Western civilizations, focusing on the years between 500 B.C. and 500 A.D. The project is highly ambitious, involving state-of-the-art 3D graphics, detailed artwork, sound, and a flexible and powerful custom-built game engine.
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rnThe game has been in development by Wildfire Games (WFG), a group of volunteer, hobbyist game developers, since 2001. The code and data are available under the GPL license, and the art, sound and documentation are available under CC-BY-SA. In short, we consider 0 A.D. an an educational celebration of game development and ancient history.
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rnTop features - Technical
rnThe engine core is written in C++ for performance, but the scripting language, javascript, is what we try to write as much in as possible.
rnRendering: OpenGL with shaders
rnLibraries used: OpenAL, OpenGL, Boost, Crypto++, CxxTest, DevIL, SDL, SpiderMonkey, Vorbis, wxWidgets, Xerces
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rnOperating Systems:
rnWindows 2000, XP, 2003, XP64, Vista
rnLinux
rnMac OS X
rnSystem Requirements: 1 GHz CPU, modern graphics card (GeForce 3 at minimum), 512 MB RAM
rnTools used: Visual Studio, g++, CppDoc, COLLADA, Debugging and Profiling tools included
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rnGraphics
rnOpenGL-based rendering engine with shaders
rnHierarchal skeletal animation and deformation system based on COLLADA
rnFancy animated water with refraction, reflection
rnRealistic shadows
rnParticle effects
rnEnvironmental lighting effects (time of day, sunset)
rnFlexible terrain renderer that uses alpha maps to seamlessly blend terrain
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rnGameplay
rnUnique civilizations: In 0 A.D. each civilization will be unique in its appearance, units, structures, and technology trees. rnCitizen soldiers: There will be no standard villager unit. Instead, regular infantry and cavalry have not only military capabilities, but also economic, making them substantially more versatile than in typical RTS games.
rnUnit auto-upgrading: Citizen Soldiers will gain experience and automatically gain promotions. With each rank, they become stronger, and don a unique appearance but also get gradually worse at civilian tasks.
rnUnits on structures and ships: Gone are the days of units disappearing into buildings and transport ships. Some garrisoned units will be visible on the battlements of structures or the decks of ships, and capable of firing on opponents at range.
rnRealistic naval warfare: No more tiny ships sinking other ships with arrows. Ship gameplay will include a variety of new features in RTS games, like much larger ship sizes, ship capture, sea rams, and a modular design that allows catapults to be stationed on the decks, and units to fire from the bows.
rnChoices, choices, and more choices: Technology trees branch out in a pair-based hierarchy. For example, when you are given the option of techs 1A and 1B and you choose 1A to research, 1B is no longer available. Some of the techs that are higher up on the tech ladder will require that tech 1A is done, while others will require tech 1B. This adds a level of strategy and 'randomness' to picking your techs, as availability of higher level techs will depend on your choices earlier in the game. Similar choices are available with unit formations and battle tactics.
rnProvinces and territories: In some game types, the map is subdivided into provinces that must be captured and annexed into a player's territory in order to reap their valuable resources and construct forward bases in these areas. If the host wishes, a player's starting province can also be surrounded by attrition borders to reduce early rushes.
rnReal world map realism: Random maps are based upon geographical regions where the civilizations of the ancient world lived. These will be generated with biome specific-to-location features that replicate the look and feel of the world as it existed 2,000 years ago: flora, fauna and terrain.
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rnMiscellaneous
rnMultiplayer networking: Peer to peer, no central server.
rnIncludes a level editor (Atlas) integrated with the Pyrogenesis engine.
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rnExtreme moddability: WFG started out as a game modification team, and true to our heritage and the FOSS philosophy, we believe being able to tinker with a game contributes to lasting fun and learning. Aspects of the game like game logic, artwork, and data can be tweaked with tools or by modifying XML and javascript files to totally change the game.
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rnClick here to visit the website

Rigs Of Rods

Posted by Lancer_Solurus — 2010-08-14T23:45:48-04:00

Have you ever wanted a program that can simulate anything? For example, have you wanted an accurate rally car simulation with real suspension physics?
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rnHave you wanted to fly an airplane with realistic flight characteristics based on the aerodynamics of the airplane without having to spend money to buy X-Plane?
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rnWhat about driving boats which act according to the shape of their hulls?
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rnHave you wanted to design bridges for specific loads and see how capable they are of surviving those loads?
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rnAll these things can be simulated accurately in Rigs of Rods.
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rnRigs of Rods is an Open Source everything simulator. Anything that exists in real life can theoretically be simulated in Rigs of Rods. What makes RoR different to most simulators is its unique soft-body physics: vehicles, machines, other objects, etc. are simulated in real-time as flexible objects, giving the simulation an extremely accurate behavior which entirely depends on the physical construction of the objects you create.
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rnExpress you mind at your will
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rnFeatures
rnSoft-Body Physics. Objects according to their weight distribution, construction, and/or suspension (in the case of vehicles). rnAdvanced Flight Model based on blade element theory. It allows the accurate simulation of any airplane, based entirely on its physical dimensions and wing airfoils.
rnAccurate Buoyancy Model based on elemental pressure gradients, enabling boats with complex hulls to move realistically in the swell.
rnBasic support for dual-core processing. More multithreading and CUDA support is planned.
rnBasic support for scripting using AngelScript.
rnBased on the OGRE Graphics Engine.
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rnClick here to visit the websitern

Babo Violent

Posted by Lancer_Solurus — 2010-07-25T20:48:38-04:00

BV2 is a top down shooter where you control a "Babo," a red or blue orb that rolls around the screen with one of six weapons attached to it. The intuitive keyboard + mouse interface helps you get into the thick of the action as quick as possible. You are immediately dropped into the action and start tossing grenades and molotov cocktails at anything that moves while firing to stay alive. rn
rnThe success of the game is due in large part to its very easy and immersive gameplay. It's easy to jump on for 15 minutes or 3 hours of non-stop action.However, great game balance has driven the game's popularity. Damage settings, weapon ranges, firing rates, and medkits have all been tweaked to provide wonderful balance. There is no killer combination that runs the show... anyone and everyone is a contender with whatever weapon they choose to master. rn
rn Game Features:
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rnBattle in hundreds of maps for 2 to 32 players.
rnTry different game types like Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag.
rnMaster multiple weapons, grenades and more.
rnEasily find games with a convenient server list.
rnFeaturing music from Lamb of God.
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rnWhat really sets people above the rest in BV2 isn't the ability to kill but the ability to stay alive.
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rnClick here to visit the website
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Space Builders

Posted by Lancer_Solurus — 2010-07-25T20:40:38-04:00

SpaceBuilders is freeware/public domain a 2d space building/management/shooter game made by me and nawi.
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rnBasic info from readme:
rnSpaceBuilders - Beta 0.6
rnby Metalfusion and nawi
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rnBuild a ship out of modular parts. When the game starts, the game is in the editor mode. Finish your ship, and remember to bind your thrusters and weapons to different keys. Make sure that the ship has enough energy generators and battery storages. Remember to build sufficient armor against enemy fire.
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rnQuick tips to get started:
rn-You can edit resolution and other settings in data/config.txt <<----- IMPORTANT
rn-"Disable editor" closes the ship editor window and starts the game
rn-Press F1 to show controls
rn-Mouse buttons 1,2, and wheel click are used in editor.
rn-Mouse wheel click removes the selected part
rn-To add a part, move it to a proper place and rotate using right mouse button. When the part is colored, you can add it.
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rnKnown issues:
rn-Beams glitch sometimes
rn-Weapons are not yet well balanced
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rnLicense:
rnGPL 2.0 / Public domain / CC Attribution 2.5
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rnYOUTUBE VIDEO
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rnDOWNLOAD:
rnDownload from google docs (3MB)