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10/6/2006 1:50:30 AM
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H2V Developer Diary Two
Matt Priestley, of the Halo 2 Vista team, checks in this week to let us know what's going down in his department. In his second developer diary he touches on the team's progress, how H2V was received in Barcelona and how some Vista-specific features are shaping up
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I dont see why LOD support would be cut out. Even though the hardware-base is much higher, it can still have an impact on fps count. Especially at those higher resolutions that can be up to 30 times as great as what the xbox puts out. Even I have fps problems when playing betas with no LODs in CE.
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Sorry to be tardy to the party. It's nice to hear about all of these cool features. I hope Halo 2 for Vista will feel identical to or very similarly to Halo PC. I personally like how I actually have time to register who hit me with what and from where, whereas if I play Unreal Tournament or any other fast-paced FPS, my inability to think and act quickly and smoothly causes me to die before my finger touches the W key to move. As for Blam Map Cache Files, the reason that they're so damn big is, as Zeph has stated, that a .map file is supposed to contain EVERY RESOURCE for a level. Halo XBox modders should know this. However, Halo 2 and Halo PC maps are a tad different. They use a couple of cache files that are shared for commonly used resources; in Halo PC/CE, you had bitmaps.map, sounds.map, and loc.map. When you add a default texture or sound, tool simply adds something to the map to tell the engine that X image/sound resides at Y offset in sounds/bitmaps.map. Model data, collision BSP data, and tag parameters are still added. Halo 2 Vista will more than likely act in the same way. External downloading is a pain in the ass, yes, but I like it because it doesn't throttle the game server you're playing for bandwidth, and it allows for private beta testing. AFAIK, I can't create a map and give it to just people I know in source modding. Any John Doe can connect to my server, and download my map. Ok, so my ranting at other users is done. I have a question now; I heard that Halo 2 Vista has ditched support for Level of Detail (LOD) models and bitmap mipmapping. Is this true? If that's the case, people without state-of-the-art systems might end up with negative framerates. :X
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so tell me, whats the problem with having 3 programs? each program is [b]specalized[/b] to do certain tasks; tool - compiling raw data (ie .tif, exported models, sounds, unicode lists, etc.) into their appropriate tags. tool also takes all those tags and creates the finished .map file. guerilla - tag editing. thats what it is dedicated to. sapien - populating the level, "creating" the ai, placing tags, creating various multiplayer objects, etc. 3ds max - creating the objects themselves, texture mapping them, creating animations, exporting all of these things. photoshop - creating every single texture you see, creating bump maps, creating cube maps, etc. sure, you can have an all-in-one program, but you do lose some functionality due to the fact that it is a general purpose program. The HEK was created by bungie as in house tools, but gearbox released those tools. Things were imperfect in those tools because they were [b]in house tools[/b]. they may have been hard to use granted, but bungie decided not to have a dedicated team to fix and perfect those tools. Gearbox gave us these tools, after they modified some things to limit what we can do, so you can blame gearbox for that great plan... With H2V, Bungie is fixing up these tools, and probably are going to release much better documentation of those tools. We may even be supprised how much more easy they may be. Personally I'm going to love to see what may have been left out of the tools when gearbox did the hek. I'm also sure that bungie will remove some of the specalized things that were used to communicate back and forth with the xbox. *gearbox left in those things, "XBox Sync" anyone?*
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but thats not the point. The point is that [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Zeph [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Sargent Ten Also CS:S is a good game and I make maps for it and I can say it is a hell of alot easier to make maps with Hammer Editor then Gurrilla and Sapien (which suck compared to hammer). and besides when you make a map for Halo CE, you have to download a crap load of programs and follow all of the steps exacly to get the maps to work. So I ask you which is easier, Gurrilla and Sapien or Hammer Editor? My point exactly. Hammer is easier. And if bungie does not make a map maker like Hammer Editor for Halo 2 Vista, me and my friends will.[/quote] That's your problem. You dont make the map with Guerilla or Sapien. You make the map with a 3d modeling program such as 3ds Max, Maya, etc. Guerilla and Sapien are simply the tools used to place objects in the map. And sorry when I laugh, but if you think you and your friend(s) can possibly make a hammer-like editor while being uncomfortable with Guerilla/Sapien....lmao.[/quote] Dude I know that... I've made a map using all of those programs before but thats not the point. The point I was making is that Hammer is a lot easier because it is more of an all in one pack. Sure if you make custom stuff for it you sometimes need 3ds max. But I am just saying Hammer is better because it is more all in one and you can make the map directly using that program.
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[b]FIRST AND FOREMOST:[/b] Do we have any confirmation on what the minimum and recommended hardware specs for the game will be? I'm saving up for college right now and I don't have the money to go out and buy a new gaming PC, so if you would please, get back to us on that.
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I was reading his post in a way as to say that they were going to make a program to replace the hek *not the modeling program* and I do know what prometheus does, and probably will do when they finally decide to finish it -.- PS, for all of you who complain about getting vista, heres a comparason graph of the release dates of the major versions of windows: [url]http://www.pcworld.com/zoom?id=126853&page=5&zoomIdx=1[/url]
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Prometheus doesn't make level geometry. It's just a tool to work with multiple Blam engine games. It's basically a program that mixes tool, guerilla, and sapien into one program. You still have to use a modeling program to make your level.
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[url=http://main.halodev.org/modules/news/]Prometheus[/url] <--Oh dear, so sad. Some one already beat you to it. Truely there are only 2 programs that you need to download; Halo CE installer and the HEK installer. You still need your choice of modeling and art programs if you want to do that stuff. I've used the Hammer editor, and guess what? I hated it. Thats all I'm going to say about it. I don't have to follow steps exactly to make a map, probably because I understand how the programs work. Granted that I have to make the mesh first, export it, then compile it. Oh it hurts to do that! Radiosity is a mere single step, as long as you know how to flippin type a few letters in. population is grouped and simple. tag editing is in a separate program, oh dear i have to switch, how much I bleed! building the cache file is so simple that a monkey can do it. It has been stated that bungie will be giving us THEIR tools for heavans sake! can you not read? are you so blind that your head us up your ___? [quote][b]Can you describe broadly the tools you’re building for creating user content?[/b] David Mertz, Lead Designer: Those familiar with the Halo tool set will be able to start editing right away. Bungie has made some great improvements to the tools, and we are building upon those improvements to make the tools easier to use and (somehwat) more accessible to average users. Bill Roeske, Lead Programmer: The tool path right now falls into three categories - importing, editing, and population. The importer, Tool, is responsible for translating raw level geometry from modeling programs and images for textures into an optimized tag file format that the game engine can read. Guerilla, the next stage, lets the user configure parameters within imported tag files, fine-tuning how the game engine will interpret it. A good example of that would be changing the type of compression used on an imported texture map. Finally, Sapien is the tool that is used for populating a multiplayer level after its geometry and textures have been set up. Map designers have a fully navigable view of their level exactly as it will look and sound in the game to use for placing spawn points, weapons, vehicles, sound effects, territory goals, oddballs and everything else that makes a Halo 2 level uniquely Halo (probably the easiest feature for regular Joes to use).[/quote] Final note: not everyone is blessed with a good broadband connection. Some people aren't rich enough, nay! They are not able to get a good connection! Some people live with 56k still, you may not believe it though, sine obviously you've been blinded all these years.
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[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Sargent Ten Also CS:S is a good game and I make maps for it and I can say it is a hell of alot easier to make maps with Hammer Editor then Gurrilla and Sapien (which suck compared to hammer). and besides when you make a map for Halo CE, you have to download a crap load of programs and follow all of the steps exacly to get the maps to work. So I ask you which is easier, Gurrilla and Sapien or Hammer Editor? My point exactly. Hammer is easier. And if bungie does not make a map maker like Hammer Editor for Halo 2 Vista, me and my friends will.[/quote] That's your problem. You dont make the map with Guerilla or Sapien. You make the map with a 3d modeling program such as 3ds Max, Maya, etc. Guerilla and Sapien are simply the tools used to place objects in the map. And sorry when I laugh, but if you think you and your friend(s) can possibly make a hammer-like editor while being uncomfortable with Guerilla/Sapien....lmao.
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ok... I was not calling bungie noobs. I was just saying that if you want to make maps the hard way, use gurrilla and sapien. And yes I have played CS:S and I can download the maps anywhere between 5sec - 1min. So you must be on wireless or have a crappy connection. Also CS:S is a good game and I make maps for it and I can say it is a hell of alot easier to make maps with Hammer Editor then Gurrilla and Sapien (which suck compared to hammer). and besides when you make a map for Halo CE, you have to download a crap load of programs and follow all of the steps exacly to get the maps to work. So I ask you which is easier, Gurrilla and Sapien or Hammer Editor? My point exactly. Hammer is easier. And if bungie does not make a map maker like Hammer Editor for Halo 2 Vista, me and my friends will.
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[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] MrTapion It has been a while since I have been active and this is a new forum ID so I am not a noob. Now my real points: I was wondering if Halo 2 Vista is available exclusively on the Windows XP Vista opperating system or is it able to be used on regular Windows XP? narcoticproperties@hotmail.com , I would like to chat about it if the staff could contact me.[/quote] xp vista? vista is the new os it has nothing to do with xp
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[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] KittenKommando "We’d been told by fans that the mouse felt sluggish when compared with the controls of other popular PC games, so we did some side-by-side comparisons and realized we weren’t properly accounting for mouse acceleration. That’s been fixed, and the default sensitivity settings now match the out-of-box settings for Halo 1 PC." What fans told you this? Random kids that don't play games competitively? Make the mouse sensitivity scale MUCH farther down. The out of box settings for Halo PC were unbelievably fast. Damn near too fast. Most people that played that were good used sensitivity of 1 and also did the mouse_acceleration 0 fix, and it was still almost too fast. Scale it down, and you'll have that many more people wanting to play.[/quote] Too fast? What world do you live in? I have my mouse setting at 6. Unless you have mouse acceleration set somewere else *which you probably do...* You would need these higher settings. Either that or I have unbelievable twich reflexes...
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"We’d been told by fans that the mouse felt sluggish when compared with the controls of other popular PC games, so we did some side-by-side comparisons and realized we weren’t properly accounting for mouse acceleration. That’s been fixed, and the default sensitivity settings now match the out-of-box settings for Halo 1 PC." What fans told you this? Random kids that don't play games competitively? Make the mouse sensitivity scale MUCH farther down. The out of box settings for Halo PC were unbelievably fast. Damn near too fast. Most people that played that were good used sensitivity of 1 and also did the mouse_acceleration 0 fix, and it was still almost too fast. Scale it down, and you'll have that many more people wanting to play.
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[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] elmicker [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Zeph [quote]Having people have to try and search through everything on the web leads to problems and conflicts. [/quote] Yeah, heaven forbid they go to www.halomaps.org and use the search feature.[/quote] You assume they know about halomaps.org...[/quote] Yes, I do assume they know about halomaps.org, because otherwise, their ability to get custom maps is next to none. In a google search, halomaps.org is the number one hit: halo CE maps halo maps custom edition maps CE maps maps for Halo With, "new halo maps", halomaps.org is number two, next to bungie. Seeing how Custom Edition has been downloaded 92049 times, if a person doesn't know about Custom Edition, they're a small percentage of the crowd.
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3 updates? there have been many more then that. anyway, i am looking foreward to Halo 2 PC, and dont mind hearing an update on it, but i am getting ancy about the weekly update. I would much rather hear a weekly update then anything else. i was about to mention that it was thanksgiving this weekend and maybe Frankie did not have time to write a proper update...but then i remember there based in the US and dont have thanksgiving until november...crazy buggers.
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Cool I am looking foward to it
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sick guys
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[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Boo_Diddly Perhaps other people like to hear how H2V is comming, like the greater portion of the Maw? Or most anyone who loves to play Halo PC and is wating [b]patiently[/b] for this.[/quote] Thank you! That is so true. I have been waiting for Halo 2 PC sense before it was even released for Xbox (before we even knew it would happen). Bungie Weekly Updates are by no means limited to Halo 3 updates. We have had like...what--three halo 2 vista updates? Let's just chill out and remember how lucky we are that Bungie gives updates out so often.
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ya, I just did a bunch of searces for maps on yahoo and guess what? Every time HaloMaps.org was in the top 3 websites. Also whenever you ask someone where you can get a map, most everyone immediatly says halomaps.org
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[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Zeph [quote]Having people have to try and search through everything on the web leads to problems and conflicts. [/quote] Yeah, heaven forbid they go to www.halomaps.org and use the search feature.[/quote] You assume they know about halomaps.org...
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Perhaps other people like to hear how H2V is comming, like the greater portion of the Maw? Or most anyone who loves to play Halo PC and is wating [b]patiently[/b] for this.
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You people can be so greedy and selfish these days.. QUIT COMPLAINING ABOUT SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN GIVEN GENEROUSLY!! (Weekly updates)
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Where's the REAL Weekly update? The one that's well written and reflects Bungie's disturbed sense of humor spiced with tantalizing bits of Halo universe bacon. No offense Matt, but the Halo2 Vista updates are boring... there's too much irrelevant marketing fluff and Vista puffery. We want irreverent BUNGIE info, not poseur corporate MICROSOFT blather. I have no interest in Halo2 for Vista (specifically the uninspired promotional wanking.) And from the comments you've made (e.g. mouse vs. thumbstick; JUST figuring out mouse accelleration...) and the general tone of your missives; I'm a concerned that you're more accustomed to addressing an audience of suits rather than ranting to a maniacal cult of gamers [Edited on 10/7/2006]
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Cool update. Not sure if I'm gonna go for H2V or not...maybe if theres some new stuff I will but I'm still content with XBox. And wheres the next podcast!?!?! I want the -blam!- podcast!!!!! :D edit: Zaph, very good post about the map files. [Edited on 10/7/2006]
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[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Boo_Diddly TwoyTaylor: If the ability to customise the control scheme is like Halo, you would be able to map the controls however you want. You can have the right on right, left on right, etc... or you can have the triggers on the keyboard if you want. [/quote] Right, of course. As with almost all PC games, you can map out the controls how you like. But there would have to be something seperate altogether for dual Wielding and for NOT dual wielding. If you set the right weapon to shoot with the right trigger, Im assuming that would go for 2 weapons or just one (which would cause us to say...shoot a shotgun with our center finger...that would be difficult for me). It might be possible to have a set of controls to be used while dual wielding and another set to use while not dual wielding. That might be very helpful actually.
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where is the weekly update WTF!
