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W3D Hub 2018 Roadmap


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@GraYaSDF I don't know if these tools support core Renegade (the code related changes got a fork a while ago between classic Renegade and W3D Hub), so I suppose that is a good question for the team.

How many people still work on Renegade and the older scripts as opposed to the W3D Hub branch? Consider me curious, I haven't really been in touch with those things. :)

Edited by Raap
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23 hours ago, Raap said:

I don't know if these tools support core Renegade (the code related changes got a fork a while ago between classic Renegade and W3D Hub), so I suppose that is a good question for the team.

Maybe it does not work as supposed by default. But sure, if those features in modified CLE will be ported to basic C&C Renegade, it will be much easier, so I don't need to port resources from one to another game for experimental needs.

23 hours ago, Raap said:

How many people still work on Renegade and the older scripts as opposed to the W3D Hub branch? Consider me curious, I haven't really been in touch with those things.

I do. I am still working on C&C Renegade scripts. I made and I am still making good insertions into Westwood 3D engine, was very inspired by Bluehand Studios source codes of scripts. Recently I froze Commando Assault project and made the second, singleplayer/multiplayer mod with smart AI (at the moment, appears as "C&C Renegade AI" in CnCNet and RenList).

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The new level editor (Mammoth) does NOT support Renegade and scripts 4.x.

Its only for scripts 5.0 (which is what APB/AR/TSR/BFD are using).

I dont see any reason why the new MAX tools wouldn't be usable for Renegade and scripts 4.x, nothing has changed in terms of the w3d file format.

 

 

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Random question of the day: With new plugins, would it also be possible to create new mapping types (stage 0/1)? New UV movements in particular are of interest to me. Let's say Sine movement but a version that only moves the upper region of a texture - stretching it. Such a specific movement would be very useful for foliage wind emulation, something we've currently always had to do by animating the mesh, which is extremely inefficient.

Animation on a material-level allows for a much greater optimization.

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18 hours ago, Raap said:

Random question of the day: With new plugins, would it also be possible to create new mapping types (stage 0/1)? New UV movements in particular are of interest to me. Let's say Sine movement but a version that only moves the upper region of a texture - stretching it.

Yes, but not without significant amounts of work in the rendering code. We can basically do custom metadata now.

It may come to adding multiple file versions in the exporter and in either case I have no intention of writing a WWSkin modifier in max. The stock skin modifier may not mimic the in-engine IK or anything, but the weighting tools are worlds better.

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1 hour ago, cfehunter said:

Yes, but not without significant amounts of work in the rendering code. We can basically do custom metadata now.

It may come to adding multiple file versions in the exporter and in either case I have no intention of writing a WWSkin modifier in max. The stock skin modifier may not mimic the in-engine IK or anything, but the weighting tools are worlds better.

Good to know it is an option for down the line.

The way I always look at these things is, how can W3D assets and environments be improved from an aesthetic point of view, knowing we currently lack very modern engine options, so when I run down a list of what I believe to be high impact "bang for the buck" enhancements, then new material movements would be a major aspect of filling user screen space, since most maps contain a lot of foliage which we could finally animate properly.

Next in line would be more painful I imagine; Replacing vertex lighting with a more modern lighting form, including improved terrain shadows. Dynamic object shadows already work fine but a typical "scene-killer" is having a little object sit on a terrain vertex and causing it to create a giant "shadow" post-light solve. I've so far always had to work around this by adding unnecessarily many polygons to meshes in an attempt to smooth out the vertex light solve.

Naturally two different W3D contributors could have a discussion and come up with two entirely different priority lists, but when it comes to pure scene aesthetic improvements without 2018-era fancy stuff, then creating a more living environment via materials and lighting would be something I'd push for. My rationale here being that I have played some arguably dated looking games (outside of W3D!), but their aesthetic identity was carried heavily by having a strong lighting model that added a lot of character to the world in almost a stylized sort of way.

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4 hours ago, thedisclaimitory said:

I hope renegade come to the launcher so i don't have to buy the ea origin c&c pack just to play renegade and also to get cncnet to work as a bridge to play multiplayer as well

We will not distribute Renegade on the launcher for free. At least not until it becomes abandonware or in the state like Red Alert 1 and Tiberian Sun.

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3 hours ago, Raap said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Renegade can be considered abandonware as long as EA still makes sales on it through collection packages.

You are correct @Raap. Though unfortunately that hasn't stopped these guys from declaring it as such.

I attempted to contact EA about the page that I linked above a while ago, but didn't get a reply back. I guess they don't care at this stage, but we're going to keep respecting their IP ownership until an official statement on Renegade's status comes through (though it probably won't at this stage).

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Your best bet on anything official from EA regarding C&C Renegade is when that supposed new (desktop) C&C game is revealed and you gain a line of communication to a development studio within EA that uses the franchise IP. Your contact efforts so far might as well bounce to an empty inbox because they are simply going to the wrong person.

But curious things happens when you separate "C&C Renegade" and "W3D Engine", it becomes a different kind of topic then.

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16 hours ago, Raap said:

But curious things happens when you separate "C&C Renegade" and "W3D Engine", it becomes a different kind of topic then.

It's all dependant on whether the original game's content is being used or not. That's the difference in rhetoric and sentiment.

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