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Annatar11
Join Date 11/2006
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[Suggestion] More starbase debris

December 17, 2008 7:00:25 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

I don't usually make aesthetic suggestions, but I feel somewhat strongly about this one.

Starbases are big. Real big. And pricy, too. The explosions look big and pretty, but when it's all said and done there's a small number of little debris floating around that you have to zoom in to see. Just a second before there was a huge towering structure larger than a colonizeable asteroid floating in that same spot, but you'd never be able to tell.

It just doesn't feel very satisfying destroying a starbase like this. I'd love it if each starbase had some unique debris, like chunks of the station that didn't get vaporized in the explosion, floating around for a while after it blew up.

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-=XX=-Nephilim
Join Date 02/2008
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Reply #1 December 17, 2008 7:07:13 AM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

You know how much CPU and GPU cycles that will cost!?!?!

Joke - although I still haven't tried the Beta - above makes sense...

 

BTW

 

Annatar my dear friend - can you remember our convo yesterday about "backing up" vanilla Sins and making both playable!?

You suggested simple folder copy!

Did it work?

Is this something I should do later today when I get beta?

Bit off topic - i know and sorry about this - but quick answer would be cool pretty please

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Zei12345
Join Date 02/2008
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Reply #2 December 17, 2008 7:32:30 AM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

I agree, even if it's only a tad more that would be a lot better.

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Shadow_of_Light
Join Date 12/2007
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Reply #3 December 17, 2008 7:57:10 AM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

some games have special debree if large ships get destroyed

some had ships breaking in 2.. or 3  its debree floating

it would be awesome to have the station break into a few smoldering pieces, wich then gradually get smaller, ofc   dont overdo it and get to many debree,  as long as killing a spae station is more satifying then a capital is... best part is station breaking apart..   not the blowing up .. wich is to bright to look at anyways

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Reply #4 December 17, 2008 8:13:18 AM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

You know how much CPU and GPU cycles that will cost!?!?!



Joke - although I still haven't tried the Beta - above makes sense...

Well yeah, that's part of the reason grav wells aren't littered with debris now from all the ships that get destroyed But you can only have one starbase per well so this shouldn't really be an issue. And I know you were joking

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-=XX=-Nephilim
Join Date 02/2008
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Reply #5 December 17, 2008 8:39:05 AM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

 

how about answer to my question?

let me know please since i have only few hours to go with work before installing Beta - yay!

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ManSh00ter
Join Date 02/2008
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Reply #6 December 17, 2008 8:45:13 AM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

Actually, it wouldn't be that resource intensive. Simply take the starbase model, break it up in XSI and modify the resulting chunks so that you get recognizable debris (you'd probably have to adjust UV mapping as well) and then link those chunks as "specific" debris (which seems to be unused?) in the player .entity file. This way you should get big, recognizable chunks for starbases, different for each faction of course. And since you are only dealing with portions of the original mesh, the actual poly count on screen is smaller.

What would be really cool is to have those pieces burn, spray sparks etc. And it actually could be done, but it would require a separate explosion entry for each starbase.

Anyway, just thinking aloud.  

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Reply #7 December 17, 2008 8:48:45 AM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

how about answer to my question?

let me know please since i have only few hours to go with work before installing Beta - yay!

You should do it before installing the beta, since installing it will modify the core files

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-=XX=-Nephilim
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Reply #8 December 17, 2008 8:56:58 AM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

Obviously...

I just want someone (you!?) to confirm that by doing this my vanilla Sins will still be playable as per usual

Have you done this last night? Did it work?

Simple yes will do

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Reply #9 December 17, 2008 8:59:16 AM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

I didn't do it But it's not like you'll never be able to get 1.12 back if it doesn't work, you'd just have to uninstall and install the original through Impulse again, the download goes pretty quick

And quit thread hijacking!

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-=XX=-Nephilim
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Reply #10 December 17, 2008 9:05:55 AM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

Meh...

 

I want 2 exe in any case... I want beta and I want 1.12 - simple as that

I don't want to mess around...

Guess I just have to try and see how it goes

 

EDIT:

this was last post about double exe! Promise!  

 

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Shadowhal
Join Date 04/2007
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Reply #11 December 17, 2008 9:12:58 AM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting ManSh00ter,
reply 6
Actually, it wouldn't be that resource intensive. Simply take the starbase model, break it up in XSI and modify the resulting chunks so that you get recognizable debris (you'd probably have to adjust UV mapping as well) and then link those chunks as "specific" debris (which seems to be unused?) in the player .entity file. This way you should get big, recognizable chunks for starbases, different for each faction of course. And since you are only dealing with portions of the original mesh, the actual poly count on screen is smaller.

What would be really cool is to have those pieces burn, spray sparks etc. And it actually could be done, but it would require a separate explosion entry for each starbase.

Anyway, just thinking aloud.  

theoretically, those chunks could explode themselves a bit later and leave debris, thus getting rid of the performance problem. though it would look weird and since there are not that many starbases around and the wreckage can have less polys I don't think there really would be a performance problem.

so yeah, what you suggest sounds good.

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ManSh00ter
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Reply #12 December 17, 2008 9:48:22 AM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

I wouldn't explode the chunks, as you say that would not look good. I think having them "fizzle" for a bit and then simply float around like normal debris would be satisfactory, and also as you say - there aren't that many starbases around.

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Cataclysm2000
Join Date 06/2008
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Reply #13 December 17, 2008 9:59:45 AM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting ManSh00ter,
reply 12
I wouldn't explode the chunks, as you say that would not look good. I think having them "fizzle" for a bit and then simply float around like normal debris would be satisfactory, and also as you say - there aren't that many starbases around.
What about Vasari's Debris Vortex? Sucking in a debris chunk half its own size into that small gap would look silly. I think that that idea is brilliant, breaks into smaller chunks which hang around for a second or two and they explode like caps leaving the debris we've come to know and love

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Exterm123
Join Date 03/2008
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Reply #14 December 17, 2008 2:28:39 PM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

Nephilim, just tested running vanilla sins in a copied folder and it works just fine.  So you can play both games.

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RonLugge
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Reply #15 December 17, 2008 4:14:00 PM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

[quote who="-=XX=-Nephilim" reply="10" id="1979878"]Meh...

 

I want 2 exe in any case... I want beta and I want 1.12 - simple as that

I don't want to mess around...

Guess I just have to try and see how it goes

 

EDIT:

this was last post about double exe! Promise!  

 [/quote]

 

You don't copy the .exe, you have to copy the entire folder -- the data changes are there too, don't forget.

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