Game Development Community

Terrain system

by Bloodknight · in Torque Game Engine · 06/17/2008 (8:52 am) · 0 replies

I'm steadily going word blind over all this terrain stuff, either the search engine is not pulling any useful or relevent information or the useful and relevent information isnt..

So i apologise in advance if this information is elsewhere or i sound anti TGE, but i'm just tired and easily irritable after days and hours of reading without finding answers.

I am having huge problems with the terrain and how it looks, i have the ability to add very deatails and high resolution models and buildings, yet every screenshot is completely ruined by what looks like last century old technology as far as terrain visuals are concerned.

the only official response if seen is from Ben Garney? (sorry if i got your name wrong or single you out) stating memory limits and slow rendering, but that thread and comment was a long time ago, and even the cheapest and nastiest gaming graphics cards now have more memory and better processors than computers as a whole had when those comments were made.

So heres the questions, how can i stop my terrains looking crap?

why am i limited to 1 detail texture when i can have anywhere between 6 and 14 textures on a map?

Rocks that look like grass are unnaceptable, as are dirt paths that are covered in grass texture.

i read somewhere that you can use higher resolution textures for the terrain painting but there no information that goes beyond certain peiople saying how you should stick to the assembler blender or your application will suck, i'm not an advanced programmer but i am somewhat tenacious so givent some hinds on how to and where to i'll give it my best shot to repair what i consider to be one of the very few big issues in what is in essence an awsome engine, i love everything about TGE with the exception of the whole terrain thing which really is a killer for me :(

pretty much every game created in the past 5 years that ive played has detailed terrain paths that look like paths, rocly areas that look like rocks, i just dont understand how this has not been addressed in the years that this engine has been supported.

what i'd ideally love is the ability to use 1024 textures, multiple detail textures (grass detail works for all colours of grass) but 4-5 detail textures would make the world of difference, what would be ideal of course would be elimination of detail textures and be replaced with the ability to paint decent looking non stretched and ugly textures, meh, even 256 textures could be made to look pretty good under those circumstances.

i dont want the usual standard responses ive seen around such as 'its too hard' or 'its crap by design' ive even seen a comment in the past few months saying its better for performance, i really dont care, i want capability not excuses :p

i'm sorry if it all sounds negative, but at this point i see TGE as being like buying a ferrari with a 50mph top speed, awsome but missing something