Sticks & Twigs for T3D 1.0.1 Released...Finally!
by Alan James · 10/24/2009 (12:02 pm) · 64 comments
Hey Everyone! As mentioned The long anticipated wait is over...the Sticks & Twigs Environment Pack updated for T3D! Yeah!!!
This plan will be brief as I'm about to leave for work, but I wanted those who had been waiting patiently to get a chance to get started messing with this release.
Some quick notes:
* It's big. A lot of assents and textures here so be aware that it's a big download.
* There is a Demo version and an Assets Only verion. PLEASE read the install instructions. It's very basic, but if you are working on an existing build there are about five script changes that you may want to diff against your build to make sure it doesn't change anything you don't want it to.
* Only a portion of the models are animated. Most of the ones represented in the Demo Missions are, the rest will be addressed in a point update down the road. Again, wanted to get the basic, functioning pack out there so people could start working with it.
********IMPORTANT UPDATE****************************************************************************
* *IMPORTANT* THE PC SELF-EXTRACTING PC DEMO FILE IS DAMAGED. UNTIL IT IS RE-UPPED, JUST DOWNLOAD THE "MAC" ZIPPED VERSION...THEY'RE IDENTICAL, JUST ONE IS A ZIP AND THE OTHER IS A SELF-EXTRACTING EXE...
********IMPORTANT UPDATE****************************************************************************
I'm sure there are a ton of things I've missed and I'm sure you'll have a zillion questions, I'll be incommunicado for about eight hours, so bare with me and I'll be back...
I'll leave you with a video that you may or may not have seen in the forums:
Thanks again! Alan
This plan will be brief as I'm about to leave for work, but I wanted those who had been waiting patiently to get a chance to get started messing with this release.
Some quick notes:
* It's big. A lot of assents and textures here so be aware that it's a big download.
* There is a Demo version and an Assets Only verion. PLEASE read the install instructions. It's very basic, but if you are working on an existing build there are about five script changes that you may want to diff against your build to make sure it doesn't change anything you don't want it to.
* Only a portion of the models are animated. Most of the ones represented in the Demo Missions are, the rest will be addressed in a point update down the road. Again, wanted to get the basic, functioning pack out there so people could start working with it.
********IMPORTANT UPDATE****************************************************************************
* *IMPORTANT* THE PC SELF-EXTRACTING PC DEMO FILE IS DAMAGED. UNTIL IT IS RE-UPPED, JUST DOWNLOAD THE "MAC" ZIPPED VERSION...THEY'RE IDENTICAL, JUST ONE IS A ZIP AND THE OTHER IS A SELF-EXTRACTING EXE...
********IMPORTANT UPDATE****************************************************************************
I'm sure there are a ton of things I've missed and I'm sure you'll have a zillion questions, I'll be incommunicado for about eight hours, so bare with me and I'll be back...
I'll leave you with a video that you may or may not have seen in the forums:
Thanks again! Alan
About the author
#62
Sorry I missed your post. I have notification turned on, but didn't receive any on either your or Bloodknights recent posts.
Actually you are probably not doing anything wrong. It's been one of my frustrations with the dev path of T3D and the upwards nine or more iterations since its introduction. (T3D Beta 1-4, 1.0, 1.01 - and flavors, T3D 1.1, RC, Final, T3D 1.2, etc.). Generally the content migrated *ok*, but with most of the releases the demos broke, something went wonky or a particular feature that the either the demos or the packs utilized was changed or deprecated.
With that whining aside, where does that leave you and I? Well, I was nearly finished with the 1.1 demo level updates and a drop in solution for the S&T Pack in late August/early September www.garagegames.com/community/blogs/view/21206 when I came to the realization that T3D 1.2 was only a month or two away, and more than likely would introduce new and wonderful frustrations for me. I was not disappointed.
In all fairness, there is nothing wrong at all in general with either product (with a few directory location issues and such aside on my part), it's just the challenge of shooting a moving target.
The two things that ought to be boons for T3D users actually play against each other, that being GGs updated dev times - a wonderful thing but if it's just you, it's a lot harder to keep up and the other is the amount of content in the packs, multiply that time a dozen packs and you get the idea of the level of work and sense of overwhelming nature it represents.
With that rant out, I have a small contract/barter job that I have to work on that involves fixing a custom level (migration from 1.1 to 1.2 - go figure!) then I will be addressing the half a dozen core packs that all require reworked demos, re-testing in 1.2, new settings, missions, etc.
I'd considered pulling and having everything pulled (Packs), but I figured that even with the problems, the raw assets at the price point still represent a value to the end user, so I've held off on that approach.
Hopefully the new year will bring with it some renewed desire, energy and opportunity to go "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;" and address *all* of the various issues. As it is resolved, I'll keep everyone updated through .Plans here and on the www.monsterpacks.com site.
If you or anyone would like to contact me directly, my email is alanjamesATcharter.net and I can hopefully be more specific as the progress goes on or work, as time permits, with specific issues.
Thanks,
Alan
12/30/2011 (10:58 am)
@DanSorry I missed your post. I have notification turned on, but didn't receive any on either your or Bloodknights recent posts.
Actually you are probably not doing anything wrong. It's been one of my frustrations with the dev path of T3D and the upwards nine or more iterations since its introduction. (T3D Beta 1-4, 1.0, 1.01 - and flavors, T3D 1.1, RC, Final, T3D 1.2, etc.). Generally the content migrated *ok*, but with most of the releases the demos broke, something went wonky or a particular feature that the either the demos or the packs utilized was changed or deprecated.
With that whining aside, where does that leave you and I? Well, I was nearly finished with the 1.1 demo level updates and a drop in solution for the S&T Pack in late August/early September www.garagegames.com/community/blogs/view/21206 when I came to the realization that T3D 1.2 was only a month or two away, and more than likely would introduce new and wonderful frustrations for me. I was not disappointed.
In all fairness, there is nothing wrong at all in general with either product (with a few directory location issues and such aside on my part), it's just the challenge of shooting a moving target.
The two things that ought to be boons for T3D users actually play against each other, that being GGs updated dev times - a wonderful thing but if it's just you, it's a lot harder to keep up and the other is the amount of content in the packs, multiply that time a dozen packs and you get the idea of the level of work and sense of overwhelming nature it represents.
With that rant out, I have a small contract/barter job that I have to work on that involves fixing a custom level (migration from 1.1 to 1.2 - go figure!) then I will be addressing the half a dozen core packs that all require reworked demos, re-testing in 1.2, new settings, missions, etc.
I'd considered pulling and having everything pulled (Packs), but I figured that even with the problems, the raw assets at the price point still represent a value to the end user, so I've held off on that approach.
Hopefully the new year will bring with it some renewed desire, energy and opportunity to go "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;" and address *all* of the various issues. As it is resolved, I'll keep everyone updated through .Plans here and on the www.monsterpacks.com site.
If you or anyone would like to contact me directly, my email is alanjamesATcharter.net and I can hopefully be more specific as the progress goes on or work, as time permits, with specific issues.
Thanks,
Alan
#63
As you can see the problem stems mostly from waterfall.cs and waterfall_emitters.cs with the edge1 error. I commented out those two scripts in datablockExec.cs and voila! It works. My alphas are rendering nicely, and I have only a few missing terrain textures in some of the demo levels. That doesn't bother me at all, since I won't be using those for my project.
As for the product itself, you have given us a tremendous amount of assets to use in this pack - too many if you want my opinion. The price is ridiculously low for such exemplary content! Seriously, consider this a request for any future products you release: Break them down into smaller, easily managed "theme" packs, like Tropical, Arid, temperate etc.. I'd pay the same price for each of those as I did for S&T. No question.
Happy New Year!
Dan
12/30/2011 (9:40 pm)
Thanks for the update Alan. My heart goes out to you and any other developers in your position. I just wanted to mention that (as mentioned in http://www.garagegames.com/community/forums/viewthread/127854/1#comment-822649 ) I have indeed found a fix, of sorts, for this.As you can see the problem stems mostly from waterfall.cs and waterfall_emitters.cs with the edge1 error. I commented out those two scripts in datablockExec.cs and voila! It works. My alphas are rendering nicely, and I have only a few missing terrain textures in some of the demo levels. That doesn't bother me at all, since I won't be using those for my project.
As for the product itself, you have given us a tremendous amount of assets to use in this pack - too many if you want my opinion. The price is ridiculously low for such exemplary content! Seriously, consider this a request for any future products you release: Break them down into smaller, easily managed "theme" packs, like Tropical, Arid, temperate etc.. I'd pay the same price for each of those as I did for S&T. No question.
Happy New Year!
Dan
#64
So yeah... thanks for that. haha
12/31/2011 (2:46 am)
By the way, I never knew about MonsterPacks until now. This is going to cost me a bloody fortune! :DSo yeah... thanks for that. haha
Torque 3D Owner Bloodknight
Bloodknight Studios
The alpha settings were tinkered with a fair amount as far as i recall, as well as render orders, this is whats messing up the transparency option vs sky and other objects, its a relatively easy task with global search and replace to change the setting s for all the materials once you've found the settings which work right for you.
for the missing files, i found iirc that the search path is broken due to extra "/" or missing "/" and since the error doesnt always show the *full* search path its looking at this error can be a tricky devil to track down.